ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-THREE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Regent talks with CSG about search for president White discusses ideal candidate for MSC successor By BRANDON SHAW Daily Staff Reporter NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daily
Construction to repair pavement on South Forest Avenue will block traffic until Oct. 31.
City to repair S. Forest Ave. $1.3-million project will fix potholes, smooth bad pavement By MATT JACKONEN Daily Staff Reporter
Major changes are coming this fall to South Forest Avenue, an off-campus street known for its frequent potholes and downtrodden pavement. Last week, the city of Ann Arbor began construction in a roughly $1.3-million project to repair the street that has long been a nuisance and an eye-
sore for students and residents living and commuting in Ann Arbor. The project will include changes to the infrastructure of the road and an updated water main. Igor Kotlyar, the project manager for the South Forest Avenue construction, said the street was in very poor condition and won’t be completed until early November. “It was basically falling apart,” Kotlyar said. “It was really in need of repairs.” Kotlyar said the water main will be renovated to be more eco-friendly. The new system will redirect into groundwater rather than store it in the city’s storm sewer system.
Kotlyar said noise from construction shouldn’t trouble residents. “There is noise from the construction equipment working, but I don’t think there is any unusual level of noise,” Kotlyar said. “You introduce the construction equipment and take out the usual amount of traffic, and you will probably be on the same noise level.” Business School senior Joel Mitter said the construction has caused him minor problems. “They do the majority of the work during the day, but the times I’ve been at home, you do hear them doing construction and using jackhammers,” Mit-
ter said. “Walking to class can be a pain because there have been times where guys have told me I can’t cross the street.” Construction does inconvenience those living in the area that are looking to park on the street who are now forced to park farther away. Jim Kosteva, the University’s director of community relations, said he doesn’t believe the construction will significantly affect University operations. “The construction project on Forest will cause a slow down for University faculty and staff who utilize the Forest Street parking structure,” Kosteva said. See FOREST, Page 5
Who will be the next University president? It’s a question on the minds of many at the University, but few know exactly what goes into the search process. That’s why Regent Katherine White spoke at Monday’s University Council meeting, to inform the body on the upcoming search for the next University president. In an interview outside of the meeting, White stressed that she wasn’t speaking in her official capacity as vice chair of the presidential search advisory committee though did not make that clarification to members of University Council. The University Council — a governing board comprised of the heads of each of the colleges that make up the University, as well as the heads of prominent student organizations on campus — was created two years ago in the hopes of adding more student voices to the University’s existing legisla-
tive process. In an effort to gain input from students, faculty and staff, White said the Board of Regents has set up an e-mail address so that students and other interested members of the University community can comment and suggest nominations for University president. The address is hosted by Russell Reynolds Associates, the professional firm that was hired for the presidential search in July. White said it’s important to find a candidate who excels at development, a skill that she said University President Mary Sue Coleman possesses. “If you look at where we’re building, it’s athletic, it’s hospital, it’s dormitories, but if you look at the core undergraduate mission, all of the core, we need to find more money to raise money and invest there,” White said. “It’s harder because people want to give money for flashier things. So, that’s what we have to work on.” White added that a candidate’s research background and academic expertise will also be a major factor. “I want someone who’s got real merit, academic chops, to run the institution,” White said. “Even though we need other skills, I See PRESIDENT, Page 5
A BITE WITH PITE PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH
FACULTY GOVERNANCE
Leaders SACUA details to give new agenda for Senate meetings input on search Orientation to replace guest speaker item
University Council forms student committee to advise Board of Regents By AMRUTHA SIVAKUMAR Daily Staff Reporter
In an effort to increase student influence in the search for the next University president, the University Council brought forward a resolution to establish a separate student committee that would assist the presidential search advisory committee in its work. In 2001, when former University President Lee Bollinger announced his resignation, the University’s Board of Regents announced the creation of a committee that included two students. There are no students on the current committee even though Central Student Government President Michael Proppe sent an e-mail to the regents in early June requesting they include student seats in the committee — a desire that was reiterated at the board’s meeting in July, when the committee was announced. Proppe and CSG Vice President See LEADERS, Page 5
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 23 LO: 17
By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA Daily Staff Reporter
While students may have had a summer break, University administration didn’t. The first meeting of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs held its first meeting of the academic year in the Fleming Administration Building Monday. The nine members of SACUA — the executive arm of the University —met under the leadership of Associate Prof. Karen Staller, the new chair. Much of the meeting was spent planning the procedures for the upcoming Senate Assembly meeting, which will take place in two weeks. In lieu of a guest speaker, SACUA meetings will now include a half-hour orientation for all interested. The change was proposed as a means to “bring everyone up to speed” according to Prof. Rex Holland, the vice chair, who suggested that the extra time be made open to all members. “Some of the discussion
over the summer was about changing the conversation and trying to engage people in faculty government,” Staller said. “It would give people an opportunity to discuss what topics they’d like to deal with this academic year.” Overall, members seemed receptive to the idea, though some expressed concern regarding the timeline and interest level. The general consensus was that better communication between the groups and committees would help set the upcoming meeting agenda and recognize issues that are playing in the University government structure. SACUA member Sally Oey was in favor of the new idea but conveyed hesitancy about people’s reactions to the event. “I definitely like the idea of having an orientation, but I think we should shift the presentation from this negative tone to something that’s going to modify how meetings have run in the past,” she said. “I think they would all benefit from an introduction.” Time did not allow for other remaining items on the agenda, including the MOOC Task Force, Holistic Benefits Review and Transparency, which will be deferred to next week’s meeting.
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LSA seniors Mike Perles and Fiona Clowney sampled ice cream during an ice cream social hosted by Program in the Environment in the Dana Commons Monday.
ADMINISTRATION
DPSS head will focus on strategy Following Jenson incident, new director to focus on communication By ADAM RUBENFIRE and TAYLOR WIZNER Managing News Editor and Daily News Editor
Eddie Washington, Jr. hopes to resolve serious communication issues that were revealed between University
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Police and security agencies on campus. Washington was recently appointed executive director of the Division of Public Safety and Security, a department created last fall. University Police Chief Joe Piersante served as the unit’s interim director. Washington comes to the University as an experienced security professional, having served as director of the Michigan State Police, as a homeland security adviser to the University and, most recently, as a senior
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security professional at Dow Chemical. He said he’s focused on instituting a blanketed security approach, with a focus on implementing administrative policies that will improve communication between departments. Drawing on his experience with the Michigan State Police, Washington said data and feedback is crucial to DPSS’s role at the University, describing the division as a “clearinghouse” where senior officials will be able to take conSee DPSS, Page 5
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................5
SPORTS....................8 SUDOKU.....................3 CLASSIFIEDS...............6
News
2 — Tuesday, September 10, 2013
MONDAY: This Week in History
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers Before You Were Here
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles Profiles
THURSDAY: CampusProfiles Clubs Alumni
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ASTRONOMY AND PHYSICS
R A I N Y D AY
Starry-eyed physics professor David Gerdes is a professor in the Department of Physics. He is currently teaching an introductory physics course and is working with the Dark Energy Survey to map a large portion of the sky. How did you first become interested in physics?
NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daily
LSA junior Taima Attal and LSA senior Mary Raup share an umbrella to dodge the rain Monday.
Some of my earliest memories from when I was very little were of the Apollo moon landings and being allowed to stay up much later than my parents had ever allowed me to stay up so that I could watch the astronauts get out and walk on the moon. That sparked an interest for me in astronomy and space. When I started thinking about what
CRIME NOTES
to do in college, I asked around about what you should study if you wanted to be an astronomer. I assumed the answer was astronomy, but everyone I talked to said, “No, don’t study astronomy. Study physics.” You need to know lots of physics to do astronomy, and eventually you can specialize in astronomy in graduate school. So did you end up specializing in astronomy? I actually went to graduate school and studied elementary particle physics. I did my thesis on a particle collider experiment at the Fermilab outside Chicago and spent my time
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Chemical leak Visitor WHERE: Harrison Randall violations Laboratory WHEN: Sunday at about 5:25 p.m. WHAT: University Police reported that an uknown substance was leaking from the ceiling. Occupational Safety and Environmental Health responded, but no report was filed.
WHERE: Thayer carport WHEN: Sunday at about 6:50 p.m. WHAT: Suspected marijuana was confiscated from visiting subjects, University Police reported. All subjects were directed to leave the campus area.
Suspicious skater
Another stolen bike
WHERE: Thayer carport WHEN: Sunday at about 7:15 p.m. WHAT: An officer found subjects skateboarding during a check of the parking structure. One subject was arrested on outstanding warrants from another agency and turned over.
WHERE: 500 block of East University WHEN: Monday at 12:35 a.m. WHAT: University Police reported that sometime between 11 p.m. Sunday and 12:30 a.m. Monday, a bicycle was taken from a rack on Cooley Mall.
MORE ONLINE Love Crime Notes?
Get more online at michigandaily.com/blogs/The Wire
Festifall
Electronic sale
WHAT: At the beginning of every year, 500 student organizations set up information booths on Central Campus. Interested students are invited to sign up for any and all clubs. WHO: Campus Information Centers WHEN: Today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: The Diag
WHAT: The Computer Showcase is offering discounted prices on laptops, tablets, software and more electronics for returning students. WHO: Information and Technology Services WHEN: Today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union and Pierpont Commons
Biology seminar
FutureHashtag Contest
WHAT: Dr. Stephen Weiss of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology will present a seminar to discuss the process involved in connecting a membraneanchored metalloproteinase to nuclear transcription programs. WHO: Biological Chemistry WHEN: Today at 12 p.m. WHERE: Medical Science Unit I, room 5330
WHAT: Today is the last day to submit or tweet your hashtag idea for Career Center events and programs. Three winners will be chosen for a free movie and popcorn prize. WHO: The Career Center WHEN: Today until 11:59 p.m.
studying high-energy particle collisions. In 1998, while I was in the middle of doing this, a discovery was made that the expansion rate of the universe is accelerating, and you can obtain an accelerating universe if you put a term — called the cosmological constant — back in to Einstein’s theory of general relativity equation. It turned out that 75 percent of the universe is this weird property of empty spaced called dark energy. That seemed like the sort of discovery that was worth dropping what you’re working on to try to figure out, and that’s how I got back into astronomy as a grownup. — ARIANA ASSAF
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
Cheryl Strayed, author of bestselling memoir “Wild”, recently reconnected with her long-lost sister, NPR reported. Strayed’s sister recognized her father, and thus her sister, within the first chapter of the book.
2
In an attempt to curb underage drinking, a new policy at the University of Idaho expels freshman with GPAs of 1.0 or lower. >> FOR MORE, SEE OPINION, PAGE 4
3
Activists passed out joints in Denver to protest a proposed tax on recreational marijuana, The Denver Channel reported. Marijuana is legal in Denver for those 21 and over, but public consumption is not.
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Russia offers to control, Sinai Peninsula rocked by destroy Syrian weapons anti-extremist offensive Offer seen as attempt to avert U.S. air strike
attack. “Syria welcomes the Russian proposal out of concern for the lives of the Syrian people, the security of our country and because it believes in the wisdom of the Russian leadership that seeks to avert American aggression against our people,” al-Moallem said during a visit to Moscow, where he held talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. However, al-Moallem, would not give any further details in his brief statement and didn’t take any questions from reporters. Russia’s proposal confirmed for the first time from Syria’s most important international ally that the Syrian government possesses chemical weapons, and al-Moallem’s welcome was a tacit acknowledgment. Syria’s Foreign Ministry last year retracted a threat to use chemical weapons, saying it was
20 suspected militants killed, 20 captured
not acknowledging that it had them. Moallem’s statement came a few hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Assad could resolve the crisis MOSCOW (AP) — Syria on EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — surrounding the alleged use of Monday quickly welcomed Egyptian troops and tanks chemical weapons by his forces a call from Russia, its close by surrendering control of backed by helicopter gunships ally, to place Syrian chemical swept through villages in the “every single bit” of his arsenal arsenals under international northern Sinai Peninsula near to the international community control, then destroy them to by the end of the week. the border with the Palestinian avert a U.S. strike, but did not Gaza Strip on Monday, the third Also Monday, U.N. Secretaryoffer a time frame or any other day of a major offensive against General Ban Ki-moon urged specifics. Syria to immediately agree to Islamic extremists, a military The statement by Syrian transfer chemical weapons and official said. So far, some 20 Foreign Minister Walid suspected militants have been chemical precursors to a safe al-Moallem appeared to mean place within the country for killed and 20 captured in the that diplomatic efforts to end international destruction. Ban operation, he added. Syria’s 2 ½-year civil war were Explosions rocked said he will also propose to the gaining momentum. But it el-Mahdiya and Naga Shabana, Security Council that it unite remained to be seen whether it and demand an immediate two of several villages south of represented a genuine goodwill the town of Rafah, the official chemical weapons transfer gesture by Syria or simply an said, where the military hit should U.N. inspectors conclude attempt by Syrian President that such weapons were used in targets and shelters used by Bashar Assad to buy more time wanted for the killing an attack Aug. 21 in a suburb of1/29/09 militants Loading “Sudoku Syndication” 1:41 PM to prepare for a U.S. military and abduction of Egyptian Damascus. French Foreign Minister soldiers over the past year. A day earlier, an al-QaidaLaurent Fabius said Lavrov’s proposal “deserves close inspired militant group based in examination” but the chemical the area claimed responsibility for last week’s failed weapons would have to be HARD placed under international assassination attempt on Egypt’s control in a short time and those interior minister, describing the Cairo attack as a “suicide” car responsible for “the chemical massacre” must be punished. bomb. The claim could not be Al-Moallem and Lavrov independently verified but it didn’t make any immediate reference to Kerry’s statement appeared on militant websites that regularly distribute when they spoke to the media statements from al-Qaida-linked after their talks, but a few hours later Lavrov went before groups. If true, it would mark the first time Sinai militants cameras to say that Moscow would urge Syria to quickly took their fight to the heart place its chemical weapons of the Egyptian capital with a suicide attack. under international control and then dismantle it. Tourist resorts along the Lavrov, who held talks with southern coast of the rocky, al-Moallem in Moscow earlier desert region saw a string of in the day, said he expected suicide bombings in the mid2000s that left at least 125 people a quick positive answer from Damascus. dead and triggered mass arrests “If the establishment of and detentions of thousands of Bedouin tribesman. The international control over chemical weapons in that crackdown soured relations country would allow avoiding between locals and the central © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com KILL SOME TIME. government, intensifying strikes, we will immediately start working with Damascus,” the Bedouins’ feelings of Lavrov said. mistreatment and turning the Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com!
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northern end of the peninsula into an incubator for Islamic extremism. Like Ansar Jerusalem, other Sinai-based al-Qaida inspired groups have been blamed for a spike of attacks against military and police in northern Sinai since the military ousted former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on July 3. The increase in violence has raised suspicions of links between Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic militant groups. Military officials have accused Morsi of handling the groups too leniently and striking a truce with them to halt their attacks in return for suspending military operations against them during his year in office. This truce, they say, gave militants free reign to stockpile weapons, evidenced by the large caches of anti-aircraft missiles, mortars, and RPGs and other weapons seized by the army since Saturday. Mustafa Hegazy, the interim president’s political adviser, told Egyptian TV station Al-Hayat that under Morsi’s rule, the number of militants in Sinai jumped to 7,000 or more from 1,000. “It is graver than what we thought,” he said in a late Sunday interview. He said the attempt on the interior minister did not signal a broader deterioration of Egypt’s security, which was being “restored” across the country. In the Ansar Jerusalem statement posted late Sunday, the group said it carried out the attack on Interior Minister Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim’s motorcade to avenge Muslims killed by security forces during their violent Aug. 14 dismantlement of two sprawling encampments set up in Cairo by pro-Morsi supporters demanding his reinstatement. The day left hundreds dead in what was an unprecedented bloodbath. It also sparked a wave
of unrest across the country where pro-Morsi supporters attacked churches and police stations. “The Interior Ministry, the slaughterer, has seen death with its own eyes from a martyrdom operation carried out by a lion of Egypt’s lions,” the statement said. “What is coming will be worse,” it added. “We pledge to God the Almighty to seek revenge for Muslims on all those who contributed to their killings and assaulting their honor, above all el-Sissi and Mohammed Ibrahim,” it said, also referring to Egypt’s Military Chief Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi who led the coup against Morsi after millions took to the streets demanding his resignation for abuse of power. The statement urged Muslims to stay away from the ministries of interior and defense, indicating that these two institutions will be targeted. It also showed an ideological proximity to al-Qaida, citing an Aug. 3 statement by the group’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, that mocked the democratic process and called upon “soldiers of the Quran to wage the war for the Quran,” the Muslim holy book. An Egyptian security official said authorities are still studying the statement, but confirmed that human remains suspected to belong to the suicide bomber were found inside the car used in the bombing. The Health Ministry said that one person died a day later of wounds sustained during the attack, and more than 20 were injured. Ansar Jerusalem does not have a proven record of carrying out attacks outside of Sinai. It has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on gas pipelines to Israel, rockets targeting Israel and a 2012 shootout along the IsraeliEgyptian border in which three militants and an Israeli soldier were killed.
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Increases on Wall Street, stocks see rise
NEWS BRIEFS CAMBRIDGE, Mich.
9/11 tribute to be set up at speedway CAMBRIDGE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Three-thousand American flags are going up in a field at Michigan International Speedway in honor of the victims of 9/11. The speedway says members of the Columbia Central High School National Honor Society are helping to put up the display. Other participants include members of the Brooklyn America Legion, Cambridge Township Fire Department, Gleaner Arbor in Adrian and speedway staff members. The speedway is in Lenawee County’s Cambridge Township, near Brooklyn. The speedway also is holding a Blood Drive on Wednesday, the 12th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington. It says people should register in advance at its website or by phone because of a limit of 600 donors.
WASHINGTON
NAACP searches for new CEO WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of the nation’s largest civil rights group pledged to continue fighting for voting rights, health care, a higher minimum wage and immigration reform, even as the NAACP begins searching for a new president and CEO. After suffering turbulent leadership changes and scandals in the past, NAACP board members said the 104-year-old group is poised for a smooth transition this time as it seeks to replace outgoing President Benjamin Jealous. He announced on Sunday that he would step down at the end of the year. Chairwoman Roslyn Brock said the board is disappointed Jealous is leaving after five years but that the group remains energized on issues nationwide. “The NAACP is alive, and it’s well,” Brock said. “We have a strategic plan in place that will help guide our work for the next 50 years.” Brock said the NAACP’s board is forming a search committee to find someone to succeed Jealous.
BAGHDAD
Five policemen killed in attack BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities say shootings and bombings have killed eight people, including five policemen, in central Iraq. Police officials said the deadliest of Monday’s attacks occurred when a police patrol came under fire by gunmen near the city of Tikrit. Five policemen were killed in the attack. Police said a government employee was killed after a sticky bomb attached to his car exploded in eastern Baghdad. Also, authorities said a body with gunshot wounds to the back was found near a school in western Baghdad. In a town just south of Baghdad, police said a bomb exploded in a commercial street, killing one person and wounding eight others.
YEMEN
Yemen fears alQaida attacks SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni officials are warning of imminent attacks, distributing a photo of a suspected al-Qaida militant believed to be plotting suicide bombings with others. New intelligence shows a wanted militant in his 20s is believed to be preparing car bombs to use in suicide attacks along with two others, an official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press. He added that security measures were beefed up near foreign missions and state institutions in Sanaa. —Compiled from Daily wire reports
Tuesday, September 10, 2011 — 3
Boost attributed to electronics, homes and major deals
John Raoux /AP Geroge Zimmerman, far right, is escorted to a home by a Lake Mary police officer, center, and Shawn Vincent, as assistant to his attorney, Monday.
Zimmerman arrested, wife and father drop charges Florida man in police custody again following Trayvon Martin case LAKE MARY, Fla. (AP) — The sobbing wife of George Zimmerman called 911 Monday to report that her estranged husband was threatening her with a gun and had punched her father in the nose, but hours later decided not to press charges against the man acquitted of all charges for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin. Lake Mary police officers were still investigating the encounter as a domestic dispute, but no charges had been filed Monday afternoon. Shellie Zimmerman left the house after being questioned by police. George Zimmerman remained there into early evening and his attorney denied any wrongdoing by his client. He was not arrested. Shellie Zimmerman, who has filed for divorce, initially told a 911 dispatcher that her husband had his hand on his gun as he sat in his car outside the home
she was at with her father. She said she was scared because she wasn’t sure what Zimmerman was capable of doing. Hours later she changed her story and said she never saw a firearm, said Lake Mary Police Chief Steve Bracknell. For the time being, “domestic violence can’t be invoked because she has changed her story and says she didn’t see a firearm,” Bracknell said. On the 911 call, Shellie Zimmerman is sobbing and repeating “Oh my God” as she talks to a police dispatcher. She yells at her father to get inside the house, saying Zimmerman may start shooting at them. “He’s threatening all of us with a firearm ... He punched my dad in the nose,” Shellie Zimmerman said on the call. “I don’t know what he’s capable of. I’m really scared.” She also said he grabbed an iPad from her hand and smashed it. Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, said his client never threatened his estranged wife and her father with a gun and never punched his father-in-law. Shellie Zimmerman had collected most of her belongings
Saturday from the house, which is owned by her parents, where she and George had both been staying there until she moved out. She had returned unexpectedly Monday to gather the remaining items. Emotions got out of control, but neither side is filing charges against the other, O’Mara said. “I know the 911 tape suggests that Shellie was saying something but I think that was heightened emotions,” O’Mara said. “There may have been some pushing and touching. That happens a lot in divorce situations ... Nobody was injured.” Her father also declined to press charges, the police chief said. Prosecutors could still build a case based on surveillance video from cameras outside the house and also video from the squad cars of officers who responded. Florida law allows police officers to arrest someone for domestic violence without the consent of the victim. Police spokesman Zach Hudson said the estranged husband and wife were blaming each other for being the aggressor and that police officers were sorting through their accounts.
President of Kenya charged with orchestration of election violence Kenyan president charged with deadly post-election violence THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Against a backdrop of rising skepticism and opposition in Kenya, the country’s deputy president goes on trial Tuesday at the International Criminal Court, charged with helping orchestrate deadly violence that erupted after disputed 2007 elections. Final preparations for the landmark trial — the first time a sitting vice president has been tried at the ICC — were overshadowed Monday by prosecutors alleging widespread witness intimidation and Ruto’s lawyer claiming the case was built on false testimony. “What the truth will show ... is that there has been a cabal put together that has concocted stories that have been swallowed hook, line and sinker by the prosecution,” Ruto’s lawyer Karim Khan said. He called the prosecution case “a lamentable shambles” and “parody of justice.” Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, meanwhile, said there had been repeated deliberate attempts to undermine her case by intimidating witnesses, some of whom have pulled out of the trial. Bensouda would not say what impact the intimidation had on her evidence, but vowed to go after people targeting witnesses. “This is ongoing, it is organized, it is happening,” she told reporters at the court. “Those who are committing these crimes are going to great lengths to cover their identity.” Ruto is charged alongside broadcaster Joshua Arap Sang with murder, deportation and
persecution — all crimes against humanity — linked to weeks of savage tribe-on-tribe attacks violence that left more than 1,000 Kenyans dead and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. Both men insist they are innocent. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta faces similar charges of helping to orchestrate the violence. His trial is scheduled to start in November. Ruto’s trial is the culmination of years of work by International Criminal Court investigators after Kenyan authorities failed to hold to account any of the leaders of the violence. While Kenyans once overwhelmingly supported the intervention of the ICC, opinion has turned against the international body, soured in part by the long passage of time. Kenya’s parliament last week passed a voice vote motion to withdraw from the ICC. The vote is symbolic and non-binding; only Kenya’s government can decide to withdraw from the ICC and it will have no effect on the trials of Kenyatta and Ruto. But the vote was carried out by the majority in Parliament, which Kenyan voters put into office in March, the same time they voted in Kenyatta and Ruto, who were under indictments by the ICC. The pair’s election campaign had played up the idea that the West was meddling in Kenyan affairs. The court’s registrar, Herman von Hebel, said the motion sent the “wrong message” in the fight against impunity in Kenya. “Victims of the future should not feel that they are without redress to this court and to international justice,” he said. Rights activists welcomed the opening of the trial as a way of breaking a cycle of violence after recent Kenyan elections. “For decades those who
have turned Kenya’s elections into bloodbaths have gotten away with murder,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “This ICC trial tackles an impunity crisis in the country and offers a chance for justice denied to Kenyans by their own government.” Ngujiri Wambugu, a prominent social activist in Kenya, once helped collect more than 1 million signatures in support of an ICC intervention, after Kenyan prosecutors failed to bring forward significant judicial action. Today, Wambugu is against the ICC intervention. “It is quite clear ICC is not being fair,” Wambugu said in a column that asked why the leaders of the United States and Britain haven’t been indicted for the invasion of Iraq, or why Syrian President Bashar Assad is not being held responsible for the tens of thousands of deaths over the last year in Syria. That is a sentiment shared across large parts of Africa. The court so far has indicted only suspects from Africa, leading to charges on that continent that it is biased. The court so far has indicted only suspects from Africa, leading to charges on that continent that it is biased. The chairman of the African Union earlier this year said that ICC prosecutions “have degenerated into some kind of race hunt.” Kennyatta and Ruto spent the weekend in Kenya’s Rift Valley, where hundreds of Kenyan families booted from their homes during the 2007-08 violence still live in shabby United Nations tents. The government gave the internally displaced families a check for about $5,000 each — enough to buy a small plot of land — in an attempt to close one of the sadder chapters of Kenya’s internal violence.
The stock market got a boost on Monday from mergers, homes, and phones. Stocks posted their biggest gains in almost two months. Two big deals suggested growing confidence in the economy: Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus was sold for $6 billion, and Koch Industries bought electronics component maker Molex for $7.2 billion. Homebuilding stocks were some of the biggest gainers in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index after Hovnavian Enterprises said home prices are rising and its backlog jumped almost 27 percent from a year earlier. Hovnanian rose 11 cents, or 2.2 percent, to close at $5.15. PulteGroup, D.R. Horton and Lennar also gained. Homebuilder MDC Holdings rose $1.72, or 6.2 percent, to $29.37 after an upgrade from a Citi analyst. Homebuilding stocks have had a volatile year. Investors have been bullish because the housing market is recovering, but worried that rising interest rates make mortgages more expensive for home buyers. Apple rose. It’s expected to announce a new iPhone on Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 140.62 points, or 1 percent, to 15,063.12. The Dow hit an all-time high of 15,658 on Aug. 2. But worries about Syria and rising interest rates pushed stocks down since then. The last time the Dow closed above 15,000 was Aug. 23. The S&P 500 index rose 16.54 points, or 1 percent, to 1,671.71. The Nasdaq composite rose 46.17 points, or 1.3 percent, to 3,706.18. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 had their biggest daily gains since July 11. All 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 rose. The index rose for the fifth day in a row, the longest since eight days of gains in July. Two things about the KochMolex deal grabbed investors’ attention: Its components show up in a wide variety of products, including housing and autos, so Koch’s interest suggests that it sees broad economic improvement. Also, Koch is paying a
large premium for Molex. Koch is paying $38.50 per share, 31 percent over Molex’s stock price on Friday. Molex soared $9.29, or almost 32 percent, to $38.63 on Monday. “I think it’s really exciting for just about everybody to see that big of a deal go through,” said Kim Forrest, senior analyst with portfolio management firm Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh. Apple rose back above $500 per share. It last closed above that level on Aug. 26. Apple gained $7.95, or 1.6 percent, to $506.17 on Monday in advance of an expected iPhone announcement on Tuesday. Delta Air Lines jumped $1.87, or 9.4 percent, to $21.76 after news that it would be added to the S&P 500 index. That benefits Delta because mutual funds and other investors that track the S&P 500 will now have to buy Delta’s stock. JPMorgan analyst Jamie Baker estimated that inclusion in the index will add demand for almost 89 million Delta shares. Stocks in Asia rose lifted by Tokyo’s win for the 2020 Summer Olympics, Chinese export growth and an election victory by Australia’s conservative coalition. The coalition supports repealing a 30 percent tax on coal and iron ore miners’ profits, which could help mining and other raw material companies. Caterpillar, which makes mining gear used in China and Australia, rose $2.20, or 2.6 percent, to $85.59, and mining company Cliffs Natural Resources was up $1.33, or 6.1 percent, to $23.18. The positive news out of the Asia-Pacific region helped outweigh worries about rising interest rates and Syria, said Doug Cote, chief market strategist at ING U.S. Investment Management. “The risk of taking action seems too great for them to act,” he said. “I’m watching it daily, but I’m certainly not worried about it.” In U.S. government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.92 percent from 2.94 percent late Friday. It traded as high as 3 percent last Thursday, a key psychological level because the 10-year yield is the most widely used benchmark for borrowing in the U.S.
St. Clair River woes are deemed to be cyclical, water levels still down Low water levels continue to be a problem for midwest rivers MILWAUKEE (AP) — Placing water retention structures in the St. Clair River may not be enough to counteract the effects of a warming climate and raise Lakes Huron and Michigan to their normal levels, experts said Monday. As water surface temperatures and evaporation rates continue to rise, low water is likely to be a long-term problem despite significant improvement this year following heavy snows in winter and a rainy spring, according to testimony during the annual meeting of the Great Lakes Commission. “Water levels go up and down,” said Scudder Mackey, coastal management chief with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. “It’s a natural process, something that we have to learn to live with.” Levels have been mostly below normal on all five Great Lakes since the late 1990s, but the drop-off has been most severe on Huron and Michigan, which scientists consider one lake because they are connected.
Huron-Michigan has jumped 20 inches since January, exceeding its usual seasonal rise, said Keith Kompoltowicz, a meteorologist with the Detroit office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Still, it remains 17 inches below its long-term average. Lake Superior is also slightly below its long-term average, while Lakes Erie and Ontario have exceeded theirs. Groups representing shoreline interests in Lake Huron, particularly in sprawling Georgian Bay, say climate isn’t the only reason water there is extraordinarily low. They blame dredging, gravel mining and other activities that eroded the floor of the St. Clair River on Huron’s southern end, accelerating the flow toward Lake Erie. Studies have shown those actions caused Huron and Michigan to fall 10 to 16 inches. Some groups put the loss at 20 inches. In April, the International Joint Commission — which advises the U.S. and Canada about the Great Lakes and other shared waters — recommended a study of installing structures resembling underwater speed bumps in the St. Clair that could raise Huron and Michigan by 5 to 10 inches. Neither federal government has acted on the proposal.
Opinion
4 — Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com MELANIE KRUVELIS ANDREW WEINER EDITOR IN CHIEF
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
Sobering guidance
Intervention, not punishment, is key to helping addicted students
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or new freshmen at the University, figuring out how to allocate time between coursework, student organizations, nightlife and other activities can be a daunting task. A new policy at the University of Idaho makes this juggling act even harder — now, freshmen who are unable to achieve that balance and receive a GPA of 1.0 or lower will be expelled. While this policy is part of a larger initiative aimed at combating underage drinking, it’s uniquely misguided. The University of Idaho should find other options to deal with underage drinking — options that support students academically and address the underlying problem, instead of just expelling students for having an extremely low first-semester GPA. For better or worse, underage drinking happens on college campuses and is an important issue when it comes to students’ health and safety. As such, universities should address it through programs focusing on awareness and counseling for students who are actually abusing alcohol. The University of Idaho has taken steps in this direction other than the expulsion policy, including the creation of a required class for incoming freshmen that addresses substance abuse, new guidelines for fraternities and sororities for “alcohol-related activities” and the hiring of new staff members tasked with monitoring new policies — but that isn’t enough. Investing in an academic intervention program for students whose grades aren’t up to par would be beneficial, since transitioning to college presents differing difficulties for every student — even those who don’t drink at all. LSA’s policy regarding student academic performance states that the University can suspend those students whose GPA is close to 0 or substantially below a 2.0 in their academic major, requiring them to take a semester off before requesting readmission to the University. This gives struggling students time to deal with whatever it is that’s preventing them from performing well academically. It also puts them in contact with a member of the Academic Standards Board so they can discuss the student’s suspension and where to go from there. While
it’s still unnecessarily harsh, this policy gives students a break and shows that the University maintains its investment in those students’ futures — something the University of Idaho’s policy doesn’t do. If the administration at the University of Idaho wants to curb underage drinking at its school, it might want to take a look at some of the innovative policies other colleges and universities around the country have put in place. Stanford University has what its students call an “open-door” policy, where students drinking in their rooms in residence halls who leave their doors open don’t have to fear an intervention from police just because there may be underage drinking going on. This forces drinking into a more public atmosphere; such a policy could encourage both less drinking and increased safety of those who do drink. Bentley University has an initiative called OneLess, which educates students about alcohol and encourages them to consume one fewer alcoholic beverage whenever they do choose to drink. After only one year, this program has resulted in a student body that drinks more moderately. Underage drinking is a reality — but that doesn’t mean colleges and universities have no power to affect it. Through programs that distribute information about how to stay safe while drinking and provide academic support, students’ college experiences can be improved.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, Eli Cahan, Eric Ferguson, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Patrick Maillet, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Jasmine McNenny, Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe JOHN KOSTER | VIEWPOINT
Love thy bathroom
I could’ve written about Syria, about war: carnivorous like fire, grinning like sin. I could’ve written about my first trip into the Big House, where a crowd becomes a body in itself, its arms the cheerleaders, its legs the football team, its face a yellow hue of T-shirts. I could’ve written about my first week of classes and my major and my professor and my classmates and my computer and my folder and my backpack and how it makes this annoying clanking noise as I walk. And I could’ve written about all of the other cliché and expected things a freshman might. But I didn’t. 4612-T, Lewis House, Bursley Residence Hall, the men’s bathroom. In an attempt to save energy, the lights only turn on as you walk in. The darkness embodies abyss. Florescent lights throw a bright, white light upon the objects around you. You squint. Still, you are aware enough to see what lies around you: eleven sinks, one soap dispenser with a 60-percent success rate and a hand dryer that does not dry, but effectively creates a ruckus. To your right are four urinals and four bathroom stalls, the latter equipped with morose, grey doors. Farther down the way are the showers behind yet another door; water temperatures range from Antarctic to scalding hot and change intermittently. To your left is a mirror purveying the sight of your sorry existence — perhaps following a Thirsty Thursday. Everything is dirty. On that note, just beneath you is the floor: Faded gray inlets outline faded grey tiles. Moist footprints leading across the bathroom darken the grey into a shade of black. This is the bathroom you are to inhabit for your freshman year. So you settle. You pick your favorite bathroom or shower stall and live with it. The best
sink is chosen — the one that isn’t clogged with … well, let’s not talk about that. Returning to the same bathroom stall or shower, you retrace your steps. A schedule has been made. The toothpaste and mouthwash assorted, mirrors are gazed into unnecessarily, for the looker already knows what his reflection will tell. And time and time again, history will repeat itself; weather variable, the bathroom will remain a control in the experiment. Until it doesn’t. In the coming years, you may forget it (or try to). It may not dawn upon you that you’ve left it behind — the routines and memories, the friends and associates, the people, the Michiganders. Your graduation day will surely overlook it, even in that introspective mood. But it will dawn on you one day; and when that immense notion dawns upon a once ignorant mind, you’ll be washing your hands with that apricot and cinnamon-scented hand soap you found for a great price in a Good Housekeeping Magazine. You’ll look around and notice every piece of the bathroom is perfectly put together: None of the paint is chipped, the toilet glows white, the shampoo leaves not a hint of soap scum, as advertised on that dazzling Dove commercial. Confounded with boredom, you will sign an empty wall, for imperfection breeds emotion in a wonderfully hidden way, and faultlessness the opposite. Deformity is beloved subconsciously not by humanity’s natural laziness, but by his sympathetic attachment to objects around him, for he knows he is lucky — no, blessed — as only he can have an item flawed in such a particular way. Enjoy the inhospitality while it lasts. It won’t. John Koster is an Engineering freshman.
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A safe space for whom?
or a lot of people, loving Michigan is something intuitive, like loving Nutella crêpes. What could there possibly be to explain? I do love Michigan, but it took me a long way to get here, and it’s been a ZEINAB thorny relation- KHALIL ship. A part of me just wants to forget myself in chants amid a sea of maize and blue, or lie on the Diag forever and watch autumn transform our campus into a pretty postcard. But the other part of me can’t fully indulge this relationship because of the many micro-aggressions on this campus that are too hard for me to ignore. My memories of the past three years — as much as I’ve grown from them — include many painful realizations of how unfriendly this place can be. They include times when a hug was used to compensate for a racist comment at a meeting and I conceded because I was too tired of being the only one in the room to respond. They include times when seeing campus police made me feel less safe because of how condescendingly they behaved with me in the past. They include times when racially coded words were used by a professor I thought I could trust. Of course, such micro-aggressions aren’t unique to our campus, and there are the sunny moments and the tough ones in any place. But I wouldn’t have been able to make it past all these tough moments if it weren’t for the safe spaces I had to turn to — places where I was welcome and didn’t have to explain my being or make disclaimers, speak in a different tone or smile extra hard to ease someone else’s prejudice. Places where I could be. Safe spaces intentionally catered to students of color — whether provided by a student organization, an internal community forum or a Uni-
I
versity office — are crucial. Unfortunately, those spaces are often unappreciated or viewed warily. I experienced this sentiment as a group of friends and I talked about forming a women-of-color collective on campus. Our conversation was soon consumed with questions like: ‘What about white feminists who identify with our cause? How are we going to include them?’ Similarly, I experienced this sentiment as I brainstormed a campuswide anti-racist campaign with some peers. ‘How will we get white students to care about diversity? Should we try to sell some point, like that they need to care because they may end up in a diverse workforce that requires them to know about race to be more competitive candidates?’ And, finally, I constantly observe this attitude by those who deem identity-specific groups obsolete — the “color-blind” advocates who think organizations or spaces dedicated specifically to marginalized identity groups are exclusionary or “missing the point” of diversity. We ought to question two assumptions here. First, that white people should be part of safe spaces for people of color, and without them, these spaces are somehow lacking, and, second, that white people’s comfort and interest should be a prioritized focus of anti-racism/diversity work. These messages presume that exclusive spaces for people of color are threatening in some way, or, at least, deficient. They are not. Safe spaces for people of color are inherently valuable. They need not be dictated by or include white voices to be valuable. Along the same lines, anti-racism and diversity work are inherently valuable and need not focus on white students to be successful. Those who take on this difficult work shouldn’t feel they have to go out of their way
to “sell” it to people who don’t want their conscience bothered. If knowing that your privilege and the institutions around you elevate you at the expense of holding back others isn’t “incentive” enough for you to give a damn, excuse me if I don’t feel like expending my time and energy convincing you to be a decent human being. Safe spaces are not intended to be classrooms and should not be viewed as such — hence, they are not “missing the point” at all. There’s a time and place for white people to be enlightened, have their consciousness raised and discover their privilege — this space isn’t one of them. To be clear, these internal safe spaces do not rule out inter-community dialogues, but may actually serve as a starting point for just that. We cannot constantly expect people of color to “educate” their white peers. Besides exhausting them, this burden reinforces a problematic power dynamic where students of color are expected to be at the service of their white counterparts. Targeted individuals and communities cannot grow in spaces where they are on the defensive, where they’re compulsively and constantly checking what they say and how it will be received or (mis) construed because of their race, where they aren’t healing, dreaming and pushing forward. Before rushing to say how offensive I sound or question how I would feel if a group of white students decided to form their own space, know that on a campus where whites make up 70 percent of the student population (higher than the national average of 63 percent), most corners of this campus are already spaces where they do not have to “manage” their race.
We cannot constantly expect people of color to “educate” their white peers.
— Zeinab Khalil can be reached at zkha@umich.edu.
In defense of Millenials
recently read an article about a young man named Luke Jordan who is attempting to hike the entire North Country Trail in one jaunt — a trek of 4,600 miles from North Dakota to New York. “Attempt,” however, seems KATE far too skeptical LARAMIE a word, as the 23-year-old has already walked more than 2,300 miles. Unless his determination takes a sharp turn, I’d bet almost anything that he pushes on to finish — an accomplishment only achieved by three other people prior to him. The article, written by Howard Meyerson and originally published in the Grand Rapids Press, was inspiring to read, as I have my own aspirations of someday hiking part of the same trail. However, I was a little dismayed to find that, like most accounts of 20-something’s spending time in the great outdoors, the article couldn’t come to an end without mentioning a few of the stereotypes of the “Millennial Generation.” “In an era when many young adults are glued to their computers and social media,” writes Meyerson, “ … Luke Jordan is a refreshing change.” Yes, hiking the entire NCT sure is refreshing — how many people wake up in the morning and decide to put on a 30-pound backpack and walk four-and-half-thousand miles? Yet, the idea that Strider’s story is inspiring not only because he’s literally walking across the United States, but also because he’s a Millennial is a little insulting. At 20 years old, I’m a Millennial myself and well aware of everything my generation is supposed to be about. We’re selfish, entitled, technology-obsessed children with
no interest in anything that doesn’t concern our immediate well being. We have no idea what nature really is, and we have no interest in striking out to discover it for ourselves, as that would require leaving our computers behind and not receiving a text every five minutes. Since Strider is a Millennial, his extremely inspiring and noteworthy journey is even more incredible — 20-somethings just don’t do things like that. We’re just not into all that nature stuff. I wouldn’t be so sure. Yes, I may meet the criteria for a stereotyped young adult: I have an iPhone, a computer and a Facebook account. Yet, at the same time, I, along with hundreds of thousands of other Millennials, have more of a connection to nature than past generations may think. Why? Because we are the ones growing up in — and facing the reality of — a world that’s changing. Sea levels are rising at catastrophic rates, and extreme weather patterns are leading to intense heat and unseasonal cold weather in places all around the world. The natural processes of our world are being driven to the extremes as our atmosphere changes and our temperatures rise, leading to excess wildfires, droughts, flooding, snow, torrential rain, hurricanes and tornadoes. And it’s the Millennial Generation that will either make, or break, the fight to stabilize our planet. We are the future. We, along with our children, are the ones who will suffer from the oncoming peak oil crisis — when our oil production reaches its maximum rate — and the depletion of fossil fuels around the world. We’ll have to find a way to transition to renewable sources of energy as our mainstream modes
of energy production run out. The question hanging in the balance is whether we transition before we completely bombard our atmosphere with carbon dioxide or whether we transition after. Either way, peak oil is coming. We’re tasked with protecting our natural resources as the world population continues to skyrocket and we attempt to feed, water, clothe and care for over seven-billion people. Who will protect our hardwood and tropical forests as they’re cleared in a desperate attempt to farm increasingly unproductive land? We, the Millennials, will have to. Who will protect our coastal cities as the ice-caps melt and flood Manhattan, New Orleans and Miami? Millennials will have to do that, too. It’s ironic really, that Millennials — with our touchscreens and smartphones and entitled attitudes — are touted as the generation most disconnected from reality. If you ask me, it was our grandparents’ generation that was out of touch when they solidified fossil fuels as the basis of our entire economy at the peak of industrialization. It’s our parents’ generation that’s missing the big picture as they continue stripping our natural resources, undermining the delicate ecological balance of the world in search of more fuel to feed the economy’s growing appetite. Even from behind our computer screens and from within our social networking circles, we can see that it’s us, the Millennials, who will have to deal with the fallout of past generations’ short-sighted planning.
It’s our generation that will either make, or break, the fight to stabilize our planet.
— Kate Laramie can be reached at laramiek@umich.edu
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PRESIDENT From Page 1
DPSS From Page 1
think this is the greatest university in the world, with the greatest depth and breadth of research in the world — I need someone who understands that world.” White also emphasized that the confidentiality will be very important throughout the interview process, “so that when we do select someone, we haven’t had some leak of information that could be a problem.” White referenced Coleman, who was president at the University of Iowa at the time she interviewed for her current position at the University, as a prime example of why the candidate process should remain secret until it’s completed. “Think about if she hadn’t gotten the job, how that would have looked on her career — on her life at Iowa — that she was interviewing elsewhere. So, confidentiality is of the utmost importance.”
cerns from police and security chiefs and create multi-faceted strategies for education, training, as well as environmental and infrastructure design. One of Washington’s biggest priorities is to ensure that there are open lines of communication between law enforcement officials and the community. Though most would think law enforcement data is about crime mapping and incident statistics, Washington said it’s more than that. “When you think about data, you think about numbers and lines,” he said. “I think about relationships. So, when you have relationships with a broader, traditional and non-traditional folks, in law enforcement those are your information streams.” Washington said he stands in more of a strategic, visionary role than the University’s police and security chiefs, who deal with day-to-day operations. “We feel like there are opportunities for us to fill some gaps in a broader way, and by educating our community in areas like workplace violence, or an active shooter,” Washington said. “In each one of those areas … education and training is being done, but it’s not necessarily unified, and it’s not a blended approach to safety and security.” Nonetheless, Washington said he will remain transparent and
FOREST From Page 1 The city has closed off traffic on South Forest Avenue between Hill Street and South University Avenues until Oct. 31 and has announced plans for a detour route. Those who use parking structures on the avenue will still have access during the construction.
will develop cross-department strategies. Working with multiple units, including departments in the Division of Student Affairs, Washington said there’s opportunity for a more consortiumbased approach to community policing. “I think that education is always a two-way street,” Washington said. “I think there’s always opportunity for us to learn from the community: what their needs are, what the trends are, and make sure that we’re equipped to contribute as part of a broader multidisciplinary approach to problem solving.” Washington said it’s important to look at emergency preparedness as a University-wide responsibility. He said DPSS will work with unit heads to develop security plans that fit their specific needs. He wants to take a more indepth look at building access and the protection of property, both physical and intellectual. During the day, entrances to most University buildings — with the exception of residence halls and some parts of the medical campus — are largely unrestricted. Washington said it’s important for people to be aware of their surroundings as to deter troublesome visitors, but noted that there may be other options for the University to further protect its assets and community. Some of the possibilities Washington offered for additional security included a requirement that Mcards be
Mexican President gambles with left-leaning reform Nieto plans to increase social spending and raise taxes MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Enrique Pena Nieto is gambling that a surprise plan to increase social spending and raise taxes on wealthier Mexicans can quiet much of the leftwing opposition to his most ambitious proposal, opening the state-owned oil company to private investment, analysts and politicians said Monday. Pena Nieto took aback critics and supporters alike Sunday night with a fiscal reform plan that would introduce Mexico’s first national pension and unemployment insurance plans, along with its first capital gains and dividends taxes, its first carbon tax and its first tax on sugary drinks. The plan would also close a series of tax loopholes and raise the tax rate on the country’s highest earners. Many of the measures are aimed at what was long thought to be the fiscal reform’s primary goal: increasing one of the lowest tax collection rates in the developed world, analysts said. Others are clearly designed to placate the left as Pena Nieto tries to push through a controversial reform allowing private investment in the underperforming state oil firm, Pemex, before the end of his first year in office, they said. Notably, the fiscal reform would not impose the sales tax on food and medicine, a step that had been widely expected and was certain to generate outrage from the left. The government said the reform plan, most of which needs only a majority vote in congress, would add more than $18 billion in additional revenues next year,
less than many economic analysts had hoped. “It’s really a left-wing reform, a center-left-wing reform that goes in a progressive direction,” said Carlos Elizondo Meyer-Serra, a political science professor at the Center for Economic Teaching and Research, a Mexico City think tank. “You create less pressure in the street. In that sense it’s a correct strategy.” During his first nine months, Pena Nieto worked with the country’s two main opposition parties to pass reforms of the tightly concentrated telecommunications market and the unioncontrolled education system. But his leftist allies in the Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, aren’t backing his overhaul of the state oil company, Pemex — the centerpiece of his bid to reverse years of economic stagnation by addressing some of Mexico’s longest-standing structural problems. And leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost to Pena Nieto last year, then split with the PRD over its cooperation with the new president, has promised a series of protests to halt the Pemex reform. Polls say most Mexicans agree with him. Adding to the threat for Pena Nieto are thousands of members of a dissident teachers union who flooded into Mexico City to protest his education reform and have promised to keep up a series of disruptive marches. Pena Nieto announced the fiscal reform hours after the first of Lopez Obrador’s demonstrations in Mexico City. The announcement stole much of the attention from the protest, which saw a smaller-than-expected turnout. “I think it was a proposal with a political sense of urgency,” said Alfredo Coutino, Latin America director for Moody’s Analytics. “The fact that it didn’t include tax on food and medicine has a lot
to do with the unrest that we’ve seen.” That was a boost for Mexico’s biggest food companies, whose stock prices went up Monday, driving a 2.6 percent rise in the index that tracks the major companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. The new social benefits require constitutional changes that must be approved by a majority of state legislatures and two-thirds of Mexico’s congress. If enacted, they would not be universal: Unemployment insurance would apply only to the roughly 40 percent of workers with formal jobs, and the new pensions would be for those older than 65 earning less than about $70 a month. PRD head Jesus Zambrano welcomed the fiscal reform, but in a potential sign of trouble for Pena Nieto, he warned that it wouldn’t lure his party into supporting private investment in oil exploration or backing away from demands for greater political transparency, another potential point of tension with the president’s party. “This reform, these legal reforms, aren’t interchangeable with any other, with political or energy reform,” Zambrano said. “Quite simply, this stands by itself.” Business groups and many analysts said the fiscal proposal did little to spread even some of the burden for government spending onto the majority of Mexicans who work outside the formal economic system. The tax rate on workers earning more than $37,000 a year would increase to 32 percent from 30 percent under the fiscal reform. The proposal would also impose a 10 percent capital gains and dividends tax. It would eliminate a range of income tax deductions and limit overall deductions to 10 percent of income.
worn at all times, or the installation of additional video surveillance. Currently, the University employs relatively few surveillance cameras. In the past, student and civic groups have rallied around the idea of limiting surveillance at the University and in Ann Arbor. Though he understands individuals in the University community may have concerns about video surveillance, Washington said the University should be prepared to implement more video cameras if there’s tolerance for them on campus. Both the DPSS and Washington’s role were created after a report from the security consulting firm Margolis Healy & Associates exposed serious communication problems among University Police and other security agencies on campus. The report was compiled after faults in communication resulted in a six-month delay in reporting a Medical resident Stephen Jenson’s possession of child pornography to law enforcement. Even though the report provides recommendations as to how the University should improve communication among security agencies following the Jenson incident, Washington said he doesn’t plan on reflecting on past problems. “I’m looking forward,” Washington said. “I’m accountable for what happens now. I believe that the leaders in place, and to come, now will have that same opinion.”
His willingness to do whatever it takes in Syria’s civil war, unleashing his military’s might against entire towns and cities, has so far succeeded in keeping his regime core in power, even as large swaths of his country fall from his control or turn into devastated killing fields. Nearly three years into the uprising against his family’s more than 40-year-rule, he has defied every prediction that his end is near.
The West once had the impression Assad was weak or incompetent, said David Lesch, professor of Middle Eastern history at Trinity University in San Antonio. “It took this unleashing of violence and bloodshed for people to reassess their view of Bashar.” “There is revision, people saying he’s a lot tougher than they thought,” said Lesch, author of “Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad,” who had unusual access to Assad, meeting him regularly
LEADERS From Page 1 Bobby Dishell, president of the University Council, initially sent out a report to CSG Assembly representatives that detailed the creation of a Presidential Search Commission under the executive branch of CSG, but that order was not passed. Monday night’s resolution brought forth the student committee as an alternative that would extend the push for student input beyond the boundaries of student government. The University Council resolution says the new student committee would present a recorded report of student input during public forums and continue to provide input throughout the year until the president was selected. Ten student leaders from student governing bodies and organizations throughout the University will sit on the committee, including those from the Arab Student Association, University of Michigan Hillel, Residence Halls Association, National Panhellenic Council, Rackham Student Government, Dance Marathon, Interfraternity Council, Black Student Union and Graduate Employees’ Organization. “We tailored (the resolution) to make sure that we can be most effective as a student body,” Dishell said after the meeting. “While student government represents the student voices, it’s also important to really get down to the grassroots parts of
these communities and not just take from the top.” Dishell will sit on the committee and Proppe will serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member. In an interview at the meeting, LSA Student Government President Sagar Lathia said LSA-SG will actively work to culminate input from its school by surveys and other outreach mechanisms. While he said he believed that the student committee was the “closest we can get” to having students personally sit on the PSAC, Lathia was optimistic about its ability to push its input into the PSAC’s final decisions. While the regents have yet to publicly announce their final interview or selection process for the presidential candidates put forth by the PSAC, Regent Katherine White (D) assured the student government leaders that their solicited input would be incorporated. “We have not put anything in stone of how we’re handling this; it’s just about getting as much information as we can,” White said. “We want continued information with the input that you’re going to give us and we don’t want that to end.” As per the CSG Constitution, the resolution, having been approved by the University Council, will now go through a vote of the larger assembly Tuesday evening during its weekly meeting. “The fact that we got this committee created not for nothing (shows that) we can get the regents to hear our voices,” Dishell said.
Philadelphia public schools start year with over 2,000 fewer employees More than half of guidance counselor staff remain laid off PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The city’s struggling public schools opened a new term Monday with larger classes and smaller staffs, leaving many to wonder how the nearly broke district will fare over the coming year. Superintendent William Hite made the rounds at several buildings to greet students and employees. While contending that Philadelphia’s schools were prepared to open, he also acknowledged how much they were missing. “We still want guidance services in every school,” Hite said. “We need a lot more assistant principals. We need a lot more teachers. ... We need music the full year. We need sports the full year.” The morning bell capped off weeks of turmoil in one of the nation’s largest districts, as school supporters spent the summer staging rallies and pleading with city and state officials for badly needed funds. Hite even threatened to delay opening day if he didn’t get $50 million to rehire sufficient staff. Earlier this year, the cashstrapped system laid off nearly 3,800 workers — from assistant principals to secretaries — as rising labor costs, cuts in state aid and charter school growth helped create a $304 million spending gap. The district later recouped about $33 million in costs and, with the mayor’s promise last month of an extra $50 million, was able to rehire about 1,650 employees. Even so, students will get music and sports pro-
Early views of Assad at odds with current image BEIRUT (AP) — Those who knew Bashar Assad in earlier days say he was uncomfortable being the son of a president and never wanted to lead. A soft-spoken, lisping eye doctor, he enjoyed Western rock music and electronic gadgets — an accidental heir to power. Yet Assad, who turns 48 on Wednesday, has proven to be relentlessly resilient, branded by opponents a brutal dictator who kills with chemical weapons.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013 — 5
from 2004-2009. In the eyes of opponents, Assad is a murderous autocrat who would do anything to cling to power. The U.S and its allies accuse him of resorting to gassing his own people, a claim the regime denies. But for his supporters, he is a nationalist hero fighting Western imperialism and ensuring stable, secular rule in a turbulent region wracked by sectarian wars.
grams only for the fall semester. One of the biggest issues is the reduction in guidance counselors. More than half remain laid off, a major concern in a system filled with immigrants, low-income students and children from unstable homes, not to mention concerns about bullying. The full-time counselor at C.W. Henry Elementary School has been replaced by a roving counselor who will visit the building for just three hours each week. “That’s simply not good enough,” said Robin Roberts, who has three children at the school. At Bodine High School, teacher Kate Reber said college-bound seniors now share a single adviser with 3,500 students across several schools. “I don’t know who’s going to write their college counselor recommendations,” Reber said. Staff at Feltonville Intermediate School posted a list of resources they are missing, including a counselor, an assistant principal, several teachers and 45 minutes of math instruction per day. And at South Philadelphia High School, where the superintendent ate lunch with a group of students on Monday, classrooms were a tight squeeze. On
paper, about a dozen classes had more than 33 students, and some had more than 40, Principal Otis Hackney said. However, he noted actual attendance is hard to judge until at least a week into school. The crowding comes as the building absorbs hundreds of students from Bok High School, one of 24 schools closed in June as the district sought to economize. Some closures mean longer walks for young children, another source of anxiety; others are bringing together students from rival neighborhoods. The district tried to ease tensions among Bok and South Philly teens by sending about a dozen on a summertime outdoor retreat. Still, senior Devon Henderson said he expects trouble. “There’s no telling what could happen,” he said. Meanwhile, education advocates are urging parents to document any problems in official complaints. They want to show the state, which supplies the bulk of the district’s funding, that the dearth of resources violates Pennsylvania’s mandate to provide a “thorough and efficient” education. The district, which serves about 190,000 traditional and charter school students, hopes to recover additional money through ongoing negotiations with city, state and union leaders.
Arts
6 — Tuesday, September 10, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ALBUM REVIEW
‘Kiss’ spins dark dream The Weeknd branches out beyond ‘Trilogy’ Daily Arts Writer
REPUBLIC
“Better call Saul!”
it centers on The Weeknd’s time on the road, playing more like an audible horror movie in the style of John Carpenter and David Cronenberg. “I went from starin’ at the same four walls for 21 years / To seein’ the whole world in just 12 months” he sings on the title track, and this transition — of home to tour, of anonymity to fame — rings free throughout Kiss Land. Though the sounds have changed, the subject matter remains generally the same. On opening track “Professional,” The Weeknd sings to one of his favorite subjects, a stripper, the track panting “I love…” over and over in deathbed-sounding breaths. The first highlight of the album, though, comes on “The Town,” which, ironically, is the only song not about tour life. Syncopated claps and heavy bass carry his floating vocals, which tell a story of a woman who leaves him and ultimately comes back. The best part, though, is the traumatically distorted breakdown — reminiscent of a glockenspiel — in between verses that jolts the song alive, proving that while The
Weeknd has strayed from his classic R&B sound, he can still recognize good music when it presents itself. The subject matter, as in past projects, does get tired after a couple listens. Lost women, drugged-up nights and loneliness on the road permeate the record, making filler songs like “Pretty” expendable. The production doesn’t help in this sense, as the industrial drums and reverbing synths do as much to make the album cohesive as they do to blur it all together. Still, tracks manage to stick out. The excellent “Belong to the World” is as close to a magnum opus as The Weeknd has ever been. Over a well-placed Portishead sample and bounding guitar, The Weeknd brings his old themes of isolation, sex and money onto a bigger stage. “I’m not a fool / I just love that you’re dead inside / I’m not a fool, I’m just lifeless too” he oozes in one of his most vulnerable moments. “Wanderlust” features a similar lyrical growth, finding The Weeknd lamenting about the girls he encounters on the road.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
“Live For,” a collaboration with Drake, comes off unfortunately flat. Longtime friends and Toronto natives, the two have worked together on “Crew Love” from Drake’s Take Care — an album heavily influenced by The Weeknd — and on The Weeknd’s “The Zone.” Missing from “Live For” is exactly what made the aforementioned tracks classic: McKinney and Illangelo’s spaced-out and dimly lit production that captured the essence of both artists. Drake comes through with a solid verse as usual, but the chorus feels forced, and the magic simply is not there. Embracing a newfound fame that should surround him for the foreseeable future, The Weeknd is taking the inevitable, and necessary, step to reconcile his fan-adored mystical R&B persona with the new artistic direction now expected of him. “You belong to the temporary moments of a dream,” he coos on “Belong to the World,” addressing an ambiguous subject — his lover, his fans, his career, or, most likely as he intended, something bigger than us all.
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ACROSS 1 Uniformed figure in the National Toy Hall of Fame 6 Corp. fiscal execs 10 Kiss from 10Down 14 Epps and Sharif 15 Sow’s squeal 16 43,560 square feet 17 Oenophile 20 Indianapolis-toFort Wayne dir. 21 Sleepover wear, briefly 22 Shiny finish 23 Lone Ranger’s pal 26 iPhone’s voiceactivated personal assistant 27 Response to snake oil, perhaps 31 Steering system component 32 Caresses 33 GM labor gp. 35 Redding of soul 36 FG’s three 37 Hockey great Phil, familiarly 38 Tails and tongues do it 39 Feng __: decorating philosophy 41 Redeem 43 Privacy protector of a sort 46 Close to 47 “Incorrect!” 48 Ready to mate, animal-wise 51 Pouch 52 Just minted 55 Has a big track payday (and a hint to hidden words that begin 17-, 27- and 43Across) 59 Against 60 Dutch cheese 61 A driver who forgets something might make one 62 Info 63 Toupees 64 Evaluated
DOWN 1 Graduation wear 2 Poker declaration 3 “Psycho” Oscar nominee 4 Prospector’s quest 5 “Never mind” PC key 6 Grifter’s game 7 Swimming aids 8 Artist who lives across from Central Park’s Strawberry Fields 9 Way up the slope 10 Heroic TV dog 11 Rapper-turnedactor 12 “Mötley” group 13 Actress Deborah 18 Went (for) 19 Pokes around on the Internet 24 Some regatta equipment 25 Cpl., for one 26 Takes in, as a movie 27 Greek deli stockpile 28 Vision-related 29 Pillow-shaped diamond style 30 Golfer’s gimme 31 __ truck
The tentative steps of cultural exploration
F
By JACKSON HOWARD
The Weeknd had already released three critically acclaimed and, with the repackaged edition titled Trilogy, B+ commercially successful Kiss Land album-quality projects in an The Weeknd eight-month Republic span in 2011. Still, being that it is backed by a major label, Kiss Land serves as his official debut. The most stark difference, however, between Kiss Land and the 30 songs contained on Trilogy is not The Weeknd’s subject matter or vocals, but the production. On House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, The Weeknd worked extensively with producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney to create a hazy, mysterious, bone-chilling sound that was as much the producer’s work as it was The Weeknd’s. On Kiss Land, The Weeknd decided to bring in a new group of producers; the reasoning as of now remains unclear. What is clear, though, is The Weeknd’s evolution. Kiss Land, as The Weeknd stated during his press run, was greatly inspired by the classic dystopian 1980s film “Blade Runner,” and more than likely his new artistic vision didn’t mesh with the McKinney/ Illangelo style of old — a tragedy considering the pure magic the three managed to create on past projects. While the production on Trilogy was glum, R&B-tinged despair, the production here is schizophrenic, filled with erratic strings and echoing drums that certainly recall Harrison Ford battling replicants. Trilogy was a young man discovering himself in the context of his hometown of Toronto, and though Kiss Land contains the same angst and desperation,
FINE ARTS COLUMN
34 Took the cup 36 Sound from a contented kitty 37 Those gals, in Guadalajara 39 “Don’t __ the small stuff!” 40 Moor flora 41 Early spring blooms 42 ABA member 44 Layette suit 45 Strips of weapons
48 “If __ my way ...” 49 Spanish lad 50 URL opener 51 Deer dad 53 French 101 infinitive 54 Mascara applicator 56 University URL ending 57 Pelt 58 H-like Greek vowel
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or the first 14 years of my life, I held hands with the finer arts; instead of rocking out at a Linkin Park concert, I’d be sitting front row at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. My weekends were spent pondering life and the pursuit of happiness ANNA while shufSADOVSKAYA fling through an exhibit. I was becoming “cultured,” my mother would remind me. It was important to know the classics in my family: My grandmother and I studied Russian literature, my mother took us all to as many museums as possible and my brother and I had to soak it up. I didn’t know anything else. I looked at my grandmother, wise and impressive, and wanted to know what she knew. She has spent her life reading every book, every play, every memoir. She’s traveled around the world, been to innumerable art shows, knows every nook and corner of any arts museum. She’s cultured — smart.
Mozart and Daft Punk are different, and that’s OK. But what did that mean? My appreciation of current culture consisted of the Top-40 playlist and bad MTV shows. I couldn’t tell the difference between hip hop and rap. I was useless when it came to Oscar predictions. It wasn’t out of distaste; it was out of ignorance. I had grown up in an old-world bubble, out of tune with current interests. I wasn’t completely out of it. I liked going to the movies; I liked hanging out and listening to music with friends — but I held this imaginary belief that the only way to expand your artistic horizons was to spend a day studying Pasternak paintings. It took a while for me to realize culture as the understanding and appreciation of all art. “Nothing produced today can rival the deep-rooted history of classic culture,” my grandmother said. And for
someone that only speaks the fine-art language, maybe that holds true — but time doesn’t stop; history continued on after pop culture sprang up. The new Daft Punk album is no Mozart, but that could be said in reverse: Mozart is no Daft Punk. Art is too often regarded as a competition — everyone is constantly trying to define what’s “the best” in a genre, decade, country. Everyone is interested in finding their niche and advertising it as “the best.” My upbringing made me think fine arts were superior, and all others were second-rate. It’s no different than someone raised on classic rock staying firmly in the genre and not branching out. Too many people turn away from museums and classical concerts due to the snob aspect. It’s deemed elitist and stuffy. You don’t know Manet’s Olympia? You haven’t heard of Escher’s prints? There’s no room for inquiry. It’s not as easy as popping a CD in on a long drive and really listening to a new artist, really understanding and enjoying the experience. It’s too removed, too stigmatized, etc. To be cultured is to be aware of all forms of art. And as obtuse as that sounds, it’s not about enjoying everything, it’s about respecting the time and effort put in by artists. It’s not about superiority, rather it focuses on inquiry and interest. Concert halls were the nightclubs of my grandmother’s youth. The culture of the 1930s and ’40s was involved with fine arts in the same way our generation hypes up music festivals and covets new releases. My grandmother grew up reveling at the masters of earlier centuries, while today, we wait with bated breath for novelty. It’s the originality that keeps arts going, but it’s also the past that allows a foundation for future artists. It’s impossible to grasp the full scope of all the arts, but failing to venture out of a predisposed comfort zone keeps innovation and discussion to a minimum. If cultural relevance didn’t expire at the emergence of post-apocalyptic modern art, there’s plenty of room for appreciating the new Madonna album while strumming the chords for “Barbarian” by August Burns Red. Sadovskaya is analyzing the new Miley video. To ask her about it, e-mail asado@umich.edu.
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Arts
ALBUM REVIEW
Tuesday, September 10, 2013 — 7
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
BAD BOY
Pomp and circumstance.
Innovative R&B on ‘Electric Lady’ Janelle Monáe continues robot adventure story By GREGORY HICKS Daily Arts Writer
Janelle Monáe might be an electric lady, but this gal is on fire. The multi-Grammy-nominated R&B artist returns A with a sequel to her 2010 debut The Electric album ArchAnLady droid, and backtracks the saga Janelle Monáe of Cindi Mayweather in this Bad Boy prequel tale. Monáe devised the sci-fi character of Mayweather — an android on the run, in fear of being disassembled — on her debut EP, Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase, and has expanded Mayweather’s story ever since. The Electric Lady’s title choice speaks more to the sci-fi tale than the style of the record. While there is an electronic presence felt on most of the tracks, the album’s
roots are wired deepest to classic R&B. Further, the electric aura is reminiscent of dainty disco, not 2013’s dirty dub. The orchestral atmosphere of the “Suite IV Electric Overture” and “Suite V Electric Overture” is somewhat unrelated to either of these genres, but complements the record as a plot device to a thriller story, with both overtures bearing a striking resemblance to a 007 film soundtrack. The three album interludes nurse the plot through a radio disc-jockey show that’s deceptively similar to a radio show from the ’60s, but with discussion topics about androids and the future. “Our Favorite Fugitive (Interlude)” involves DJ Crash Crash taking calls from listeners to discuss various opinions of the “favorite fugitive” Cindi Mayweather. The caller responses within the interlude potentially draw parallels to homosexuality disputes of present day, in particular when a man howls, “Robot love is queer!” The Electric Lady’s 19 tracks would suggest excessive filler for an R&B record, but the album
touches perfection at this length in its endeavor to mirror a fantasy film soundtrack. The generous supply of songs works coherently as each piece gradually shifts into the next, making for few gaps between tracks — a technique exercised on Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor album. The glory is in the record as an entity, but a few tracks emerge as groovier than others. “Q.U.E.E.N.” ’s heavy bassline and “The Electric Lady” ’s up-tempo, percussive drive forge dancefriendly tunes with a slice of contemporary in Solange and Erykah Badu’s rap collaborations. In a modern-day sea of records spat out to generate singles revenue, this latest R&B creation breaks free as an adventurous tale intricately woven through a multi-genre record. Monáe’s productions gradually garner more attention as the years go by, and with the attention bred from her recent collaboration with fun. in the three-time Grammy-nominated track “We Are Young,” The Electric Lady should have more eyes and ears than any of Monae’s previous achievements.
ALBUM REVIEW
Arctic Monkeys create darkly daring ‘AM’ By ELLIOT ALPERN Senior Arts Editor
“Baby, we both know,” sing the rest of the Arctic Monkeys in AM’s first single “Do I Wanna Know?,” and frontman Alex Turner Aanswers: “That the nights were AM mainly made Arctic / For saying things that you Monkeys can’t say tomor- Domino row day.” The line rolls and tumbles over a raw, edgy bass, heralding with it the end of those happy-go-lucky Arctic Monkeys of old. No, AM isn’t for the sunrise or the cheery morning — this is a soundtrack for those stumbling hours between come-up and hangover. If this latest effort from the British outfit proves anything, it’s that the Arctic Monkeys know a thing or two about nightsturned-mornings on the town. After the raw, grinding introduction of “Do I Wanna Know?,” the AM (see how that works?) get back to rock essentials with “R U Mine?” Yes, the question-names are getting cumbersome (and don’t end until “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”), but if any song on the record screams basic, good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll, this is it. It feels like getting to the club after downtown midnight traffic — “R U Mine?” releases all of the tension carefully accrued by “Do I Wanna Know?” “One For The Road,” the next track, is one of two on AM to bear the fingerprint of Josh Homme, singer for Queens of the Stone Age — and the influence really shows.
DOMINO
A band of pompadours.
Those soft, crooning vocals pick up the chord of tension reverberating throughout this album, giving the illusion of a night spent hopping from dig to dig. Here, let’s give Josh Homme a ride. He’s going the same way. “Knee Socks,” toward the tail end of the album, is the other Homme collaboration and bears the catchiest guitar hook in the entire effort. It would fit right at home on the latest QOTSA release, but goes to show that Turner can really adapt his singing to any style. Yes, that voice tends to sound repetitive if you leave AM on repeat and tune out, but it’s not so much the same as subtly different. Sort of like that drug-tinged trip to the late-late night club, with each hour altered in a slightly different way.
These boys can party. Speaking of which — the other single on the album, “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re
High?,” comes as a soft, crooning lull in the midnight festivities. At 2:41, the track is the shortest on AM, and it’s a bit out of place from the raw, grinding tone of the album — but nonetheless it’s a grooving little number. AM only staggers, briefly, in the hazy middle of the record. “No. 1 Party Anthem” begins attractively enough, seemingly a ballad on par with those longer efforts of yore, but it gets tedious (especially considering the driving rocker “I Want It All” that comes directly before). Likewise, the following “Mad Sounds” is a woozy, syrupy-sweet ballad, fit even with the stereotypical “Ooh la la la’s” to brighten up the chorus. Who knows — maybe “Mad Sounds” represents that oversweet cocktail you chug too quickly, and the trip to the porcelain headrest that may soon follow. Regardless, AM grinds out enough smoky, slinking hits to be the band’s best release since the debut effort, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Just be careful as you load it into the car stereo, or you may find yourself pulled into the kind of night you’ll never remember, but never forget.
G.O.O.D MUSIC
“I couldn’t fit all my Persian rugs in my home theatre.”
Assessing the myth of universal acclaim By JAKE OFFENHARTZ For the Daily
I’m beginning to have my doubts about this whole music criticism thing and, in turn, have begun to question everything about myself as a music fan. This concerns me greatly — as I’m sure it does you, empathetic reader — and so let us now dive into the catalyst of my distress. Kanye West’s Yeezus and Deafheaven’s Sunbather are my two favorite albums of 2013. As you probably already know, the former is the sixth LP from one of pop music’s most divisive and enduring figures. As you may not know, the latter is the sophomore release from a previously (mostly) unheard of San Francisco-based black metal outfit. Superficially, these albums share nothing in common. Upon closer examination however, the two records of disparate genres are not only related, but can together illuminate a greater truth about the current state of music criticism. According to Metacritic, a website that weighs averages from mainstream critics and assigns normalized grades on a 100-point scale, Yeezus scored an 85, while Sunbather earned a whopping 92 — making it the year’s best-reviewed new release. So what’s the issue here? My two favorite albums this year are nearly unanimously adored by people who, like myself, write about music. According to Metacritic standards, both Yeezus and Sunbather are “universally acclaimed.” I should be comforted in the warmth of collective appreciation, and normally I would, if not for one minor technicality: It’s complete and utter bullshit. Yeezus is less universally agreed upon than a Syrian ground invasion. My 17-yearold sister likes it, a couple of my indie-blog-reading friends like it, but for the most part, every-
one I know who listens to rap thinks it’s either awful or OK. Even the devout Kanye fans I know are largely ambivalent, many of them given pause by the album’s minimalist, industrial overcoat. And yet, it’s Pitchfork’s highest-rated album this year. Sunbather — deemed “one of the best albums of the year, thus far” by both Spin and NPR — exists in a similarly befuddling domain. Amid hissed vocals, streaking walls of melodic guitar, and intermittent blast beats, the seven-track masterpiece employs a shoegaze ambiance and emotional lyricism that subverts the framework of black metal. This, along with the album art’s lack of inverted crosses, has effectively alienated the band from the insular black metal community in which it would presumably belong. Essentially, Sunbather is a black metal album for people who don’t like black metal while still being heavy enough to alienate a vast majority of people who find metal unlistenable.
Yeezus is a man of the (strangest) people. So why the misleading consensus among music critics about these two albums? For one, both are innovative, risktaking efforts from enigmatic artists who refuse to be shelved within one single genre. In the eyes of the critics, the supposed tastemakers, the fact that Yeezus is not a rap album and Sunbather is not a black metal album is the very quality that makes each so spectacular. It’s also the same reason that each LP has attracted so much scorn within its respective genre. And while I agree with
the critics that both albums are, in fact, spectacular, it’s worth considering that this critical disconnect might be more harmful than it seems. That embracing the palatable elements of black metal — which is anti-mainstream by its very nature — as the newest trend to hop on, might be doing a disservice to those who actually listen to the subgenre. That a nearly unanimous critical response to Yeezus might not be entirely indicative of the album’s quality, but could possibly reflect an undiversified stock of mainstream music critics. To that end, it’s worth questioning if pop music critics, hungry for the next crossover hit, could play a role in destroying the authentic and vibrant communities that make independent scenes so great. Once upon a time, hip hop was the counter-culture, the “fuck you” to status quo pop and homogeneous rock. At the recent VMAs, Macklemore — who embodies our current culture more than he counters it — took home best hip-hop video of the year, while Miley Cyrus’s twerking and Justin Timberlake’s gyrating hammered home the point that hip hop is as gentrified as Williamsburg. For the black metal traditionalist, there is no bigger fear. And though Disney tweens likely won’t be burning crosses anytime soon, there’s no reason to think that the fringe spirit of black metal can’t go the way of hip hop: hijacked by people who wear flannel shirts and cross their arms at shows where, historically, people do not wear flannel shirts and cross their arms. Co-opted by people who think it’s acceptable to invent a new genre by throwing the word “post” in front of it. By people who grew tired of boilerplate indie rock and have since set their sights on new cultures to appropriate. By people who think Yeezus and Sunbather are the best albums of the year.
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Sports
8 — Tuesday, September 10, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Catching up with ‘M’ fan ‘Lloyd Brady’
Donuts planned for cakewalk By ZACH HELFAND
By EVERETT COOK
Daily Sports Editor
Daily Sports Editor
Now, inevitably, comes the letdown. A noon game against Akron follows a night game against Notre Dame. It’s natural. The Michigan football team showed up ready for a game against a weaker opponent in Week 1 against Central Michi- NOTEBOOK gan. And they may very well do that again against Akron on Saturday, but they will not be tested against the Zips like they were against the Fighting Irish. And that’s how it will go for much of the next seven weeks until a Nov. 2 game at Michigan State kicks off the heart of the Big Ten slate. This is the easiest five-game stretch of Michigan’s schedule. The Wolverines will likely be double-digit favorites in each of those games should they continue to win, with the possible exception of Penn State. This stretch is about avoiding disaster, and about improving for a finishing stretch that includes away games at Michigan State, Northwestern and Iowa and two at home against Nebraska and Ohio State. To wake up a groggy student section, Michigan coach Brady Hoke has promised a glazeddonut giveaway. “Well, it’s a glazed-donut game,” Hoke said at his Monday press conference. “Starts at noon. We like those games. Our team has been pretty focused on ourselves and what we need to do. Like I said, there’s enough out there that we need to do in all three phases where we’ll go back and have a great workday (Tuesday), and a great workday on Wednesday.” So what specifically will Michigan focus on? First, Hoke said, is the interior line, the three new starters Michigan has used this year. Hoke was concerned about Notre Dame’s ability to blitz up the middle to pressure redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner. Michigan rushed for 166 yards, but many of those were picked up on stretch plays to the perimeter. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and that was partly due to Notre Dame’s space-eating defensive interior. Still, Hoke said, Michigan’s ground attack
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Michigan coach Brady Hoke said a glazed-donut giveaway could entice students to show up to games that start early, like Saturday’s noon game vs. Akron.
must improve. On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan must prove it can stop the run. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly dialed up pass plays often on Saturday, but when he ran, Notre Dame had success. The Irish averaged 5.1 yards a carry against Michigan, which used a seven-man front. Michigan would like to avoid using an eighth man in the box, meaning defenders have to show they can win one-on-one battles with blockers. “You will be in some sevenman fronts and really a five-man, six-man box,” Hoke said. Akron, which spreads the field, could show something. BEHIND THE DEFENSIVE NUMBERS: Michigan’s defensive performance against Notre Dame wasn’t pretty at times. Notre Dame threw six easy hitches for completions. The Fighting Irish gained 410 total yards. Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees threw for 314 yards. Some of that, Hoke revealed Monday, was by design. Let’s start with what wasn’t part of the plan: Notre Dame, again, ran the ball too easily. The pass rush didn’t generate enough pressure. But Michigan’s softer defensive approach in the secondary was meant to neutralize Rees’ strengths. And mostly, it did. Those six easy hitches? The coaching staff was prepared to allow those to protect against the long fade. And Michigan tackled well enough to minimize yards after the catch: Hoke said Notre Dame gained just four yards after the catch on those six passes. “That was a big part of that offense, but no coordinator is going to sit there and throw seven-yard hitches up and down the field,” Hoke said.
Hoke explained that the Fighting Irish make sure Rees is not under pressure. That means using six men in protection or using shorter routes. So instead of dialing up blitzes, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison dropped more men in coverage. Ideally, Michigan would have the personnel and experience to impose its defensive style on an opponent. But for now, a good barometer of success is the red zone, where Notre Dame scored just 60 percent of the time Saturday. “The field shrinks, so now it’s a little harder to find the room in there,” Hoke said. “I thought we really played well in the red zone when we had to. That was playing the run with seven, and making sure we had good depth in the passing lanes.” INJURY UPDATE: Sophomore tight end A.J. Williams went down with an ankle injury Saturday. Hoke said the team will monitor his progress this week. Hoke said he doesn’t expect any of the other injured players to miss time. Fifth-year senior wide receiver Jeremy Gallon injured his hamstring in the game, but he was able to play. Senior safety Courtney Avery was able to see limited action against Notre Dame, and Hoke said “that battle continues.” Hoke said Avery was able to practice Wednesday and Thursday, and felt good after playing Saturday. NOTABLE QUOTABLE: Hoke was asked about Gardner’s decision-making, and if at times his athleticism can give him a “Superman complex.” “I think that’s part of it,” Hoke said. “But Superman has to be smart too. He doesn’t eat Kryptonite.”
VOLLEYBALL
Freshmen ready for big stage By BEN FIDELMAN For The Daily
With campus maps tucked away inside a stiff, new backpack, lanyards dangling from their necks and class schedules firmly in hand, freshmen all around campus are ready to tackle their first semester of college. Now throw in evening practices, expectations of Big Ten — if not national — championships, along with the new beast of college schoolwork, and you’ll get some idea of what’s facing freshmen volleyball players Gabbie Bulic, Abby Cole and Cindy Zhou. While many Michigan athletes attend summer term — which allows them to practice as a team throughout the offseason — the volleyball team has no such luxury. Players had about three weeks to prepare for their first collegiate matches, according to Michigan coach Mark Rosen. Despite such a short amount of time to prepare, the Wolverines already have a tournament sweep under their belts, as well as a sweep of Oregon State and No. 8 Oregon in last weekend’s Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. Of the three freshmen on the roster, Cole has played the most sets at 13. She also has the most kills, 43, which is good for the third highest total on the team. Bulic has also gotten on the court through the early parts of the season, totaling four sets played and has chipped in 10 kills of her own.
Zhou plans to redshirt this year. Because of the team’s quick start, it’s easier for some to appreciate their free time. “Not coming (for summer term) was a good thing for us,” said Bulic, who plays middle back. “Because we got our final summer at home, but (as a consequence) we have to jump right into our season when we get here.” While getting one last summer at home has its advantages, making up for a summer without practices does have its consequences. “It’s difficult, there’s a lot of training,” said Cole, who also plays middle back. “It wears down your body for sure. I think that was the toughest thing for me. Coming in, I was really nervous, I know the other two freshmen were as well, and the other girls have helped make everything so much easier.” This accelerated preseason would be difficult for nearly every freshman athlete, but these two, plus Zhou, a setter, have been taking it in stride. “All three really fit that mold to be exactly what we are looking for,” Rosen said. “Not just to fill our needs athletically, but to fit academically, socially and culturally too.” These intangibles, along with the class’ physical size (only four of the 16 players listed on the roster are taller than any of the freshmen) are reason enough for Rosen to be chomping at the bit to get the players on the court.
Rosen called the group “incredibly tall” before pointing out that both Bulic and Cole are 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and Zhou is right around 6-foot — unusually tall for a setter. After the team graduated only one senior from the 2012 squad that made its first Final Four appearance, expectations remain high for the Wolverines. “Some people say that it puts more pressure on us, but I think it’s exciting to come in and play with all those high expectations,” Zhou said. “Because now we have something to strive for — goals that we want to meet.” Added Bulic: “Coaches and the girls are really good with just getting you in and making sure you know what’s going on and adjusting. It’s a lot faster than high-school volleyball, but they wouldn’t put me in any situation that they didn’t think that I could succeed in.” The season — and careers — of these student athletes are just starting, but there is a long road ahead. “This is really living the dream,” Zhou said. “I have people come up to me and be like, ‘Wow, you’re playing volleyball at a D-I college, you’re so lucky!’ And when you think about it, I really am lucky to be here and to have this opportunity.” Look for the freshman class to continue impacting games as the Wolverines travel to College Station, Tex., for the Texas A&M Invitational this weekend.
David Kazmierski is a pretty normal Michigan graduate. Two years after graduating, he’s about halfway through his MBA at University of Michigan-Flint (which allows him to keep his season football tickets as well). He’s also a freshman football coach at his alma mater, Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central. Normal, except that Kazmierski has strangers come up to him almost everywhere he goes to ask for a picture, not because of anything he necessarily did, but because of an Internet thread on a popular fan blog three years ago. A MGoBlog.com user noticed that Kazmierski looks a lot like a cross between former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady and a character from the movie “Dumb and Dumber” named Lloyd Christmas. And thus, Lloyd Brady was born, spawning an unlikely rise to Internet fame, the effects of which Kazmierski is still feeling today. Monday, the Daily caught up with Kazmierski. The Michigan Daily: How’s the coaching going? David Kazmierski: I coached most of last year as well, helping out with basketball and softball. I enjoy it, giving back to my school and teaching kids what I know. I’m the offensive coordinator. TMD: Did the ability to get season tickets play into your graduate school decision at all? DK: It played a little bit in thinking about it, but I always wanted to keep pursuing having my name on a Michigan degree. That’s a big deal for me. But getting season tickets is definitely a perk (laughs). TMD: It’s interesting to me that you go from you know, you, to this whole other character that spawned out of just your appearance and nothing that you necessarily did. DK: I was just going to the game, having a good time and enjoying myself. It’s hard to explain. I still get recognized most places I go. I was walking around campus on Sunday, and some kid just walked up to me and said, “Hey Lloyd Brady, how’s it going?” The funniest one from this weekend was that the attendant at the top of the stairs at the Notre Dame game said that I looked a lot like Lloyd Brady. I told him, “Well, I am.” First time I heard that one before. TMD: It’s funny that he said you looked like Lloyd Brady because— DK: I know. Lloyd Brady isn’t
ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
David Kazmierski (right) sneaks into another photo after the 2012 Michigan State game. Kazmierski is known on the Internet as “Lloyd Brady.”
an actual person. TMD:Is it every day that people are recognizing you, or is it only in Ann Arbor? How often does this happen? DK: When I was coaching freshman football, I was also substitute teaching last year. I had most of these kids in class, and a couple of them knew the story. That was right around football season, so I was a big promoter of the University and taught most of the kids about Lloyd Brady and my school. That was an extra subject I taught, Michigan football. TMD: Did any of them try and call you Lloyd? DK: Yes. That did not end up well for them. Mr. Brady, that slips out sometimes. A couple of them went out and bought my T-shirt from Underground Printing. TMD: Did they wear them to class? DK: No, they can’t because it’s a private school and they have to wear uniforms, but one of the kids brought it out at football practice the other day. TMD: To be fair, saying Mr. Brady is easier than saying Mr. Kazmierski DK: It’s a long one. Most people, I’m OK with them calling me that. It’s a little shorter, and I’ll respond to it. When I get introduced to people, it’s like, “This is David, Kaz, or Lloyd.” Not everyone calls me by my real name. I don’t know how to introduce myself to most people. TMD: How long did it take you to embrace this almost persona? DK: At first, I felt like they were using my image in a really negative way, and I said, “I don’t want that to be me. I don’t want people to associate my face with a negative connotation. But then, Brian Cook (founder of MGoBlog) put me on the front of
MGoBlog and said that we aren’t making fun of you. We are comparing you to Tom Brady, which is not a bad thing. It’s a great thing. Basically, I took it on from there. They contacted me on the side and wanted to do a personal interview with me, started making Lloyd Brady T-shirts, and I said, “Well, alright, that sounds good to me.” I enjoyed being positively associated with Michigan and people coming up to me and talking about Michigan athletics. That’s what I grew up on. After that, people started to associate me with all the good things that have happened to Michigan. It really ended up flipping the role of what I thought this was going to be. When people see me on TV, they don’t really tell me anymore. They’re used to it. TMD: You graduated two years ago. How much longer do you think this will be a thing? DK: It just kind of happens randomly. With the Central (Michigan) game, I took a picture with someone. It’s a lot less than what it was when I was an undergrad, but it still happens more than I expected it to happen two years out. I don’t know how much longer it will last, but I definitely will have some stories to tell. TMD: Big question: are you glad this happened to you? Was this a good thing? DK: Yes. I’m very happy it happened. It gave me something that will really help me remember college. When people ask what it was like to be a student at the University of Michigan, I have a specific story to tell everyone. I bring it up in job interviews, and all the people I get interviewed by all say that it’s incredible. It’s hilarious and a great conversation piece. It just gave me something to talk about forever.