ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, October 10, 2013
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CONSTRUCTION
‘U’ leaders discuss progress of projects At Q&A in Fleming, administrators talk construction By RACHEL WADDELL For the Daily
While the Fleming Administration Building is usually dark and locked at night, several officials convened in the administrative offices after hours. University officials met for a question-and-answer session Wednesday evening to discuss updates on the upcoming Munger Graduate Housing project development. Several business owners questioned officials about lengths of construction periods and whether the building would be subject to regulations. The Munger Graduate Housing Building, which is being
constructed after a $110-million donation from Charles Munger, will be located on the corner of Thompson Street and Madison Street, offering housing for graduate students. The project site, which was the formerly the location of Blimpy Burger and a University parking lot, is currently under construction. As early as next week, the parking lot around the site will be closed to make room for the mass excavation. Both the sidewalk and roads that surround the construction site will still be open to traffic. At the end of the month, the sidewalk on the west side of Thompson Street will be closed, and officials said they are also applying for a permit to close the stretch of Madison bordering the construction site. The sidewalk on the east side of Division Street may also See PROJECTS, Page 5A
HOSPITAL
By HILLARY CRAWFORD Daily Staff Reporter
John Armelagos, a registered nurse at the University of Michigan Health System and current member of the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, recently expanded his leadership responsibilities to the state level. Armelagos was elected president of the Michigan Nurses Association — a union that represents thousands of nurses across the state. The election took place at the MNA’s annual convention held this past weekend in Traverse City, Mich. More than 100 delegates gathered in Traverse City to elect the group’s executive board. They also voted to express support for various statewide initiatives, such as Medicaid expansion. Armelagos earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing at the See NURSE, Page 5A
Lack of diversity protested Students ‘freeze’ on Diag to protest low minority enrollment By SHOHAM GEVA Daily Staff Reporter
Though the Diag is usually a busy, bustling place, students there froze in place at 11 a.m.
Wednesday. We are Michigan, a new student movement, conducted a “freeze-out” protest on the Diag for faculty and students of color, as well as their allies, to raise awareness about minority enrollment and the general campus climate at the University. During the two-hour period, about 150 faculty, administrators and staff members protested
L I G H T S , C A M E R A , D O N AT E !
UMHS nurse elected to post
State union votes University nurse as president
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Students, faculty and Ann Arbor citizens gather on the Diag Wednesday to participate in a freeze out —a silent demonstration to bring about awareness of minority experiences on campus. “It’s time for us to stand up now and ... demand our rights,” said LSA freshman Maria Lopez.
alongside students. “With a freeze out the whole idea revolves around the concept of presence,” said Music, Theatre & Dance and LSA senior Taylor Moore-Willis, who is one of three co-founders of the movement. “We feel like often students of color are overlooked or their presence is taken for granted, so, hopefully, by freezing the Diag, we can draw attention in a
positive way.” E. Royster Harper, the University’s vice president for student life, was present for the protest, as were members of University Housing, Security, the Office of Admissions and the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives. Throughout the protest, the group led chants in both English See DIVERSITY, Page 5A
ADMINISTRATION
University to host block party to launch Victors for Michigan campaign City Council approves street closure in front of Ingalls Mall By SAM GRINGLAS Daily Staff Reporter
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Mary O’Malley, a research associate at the Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning, recorded lines for an ad for the upcoming Victors for Michigan development campaign at Ingalls Mall Wednesday. O’Malley is developing more responsive building enclosures that increase energy performance.
GREEK LIFE
Pi Kappa Phi brother given community service award Fraternity member has helped raise funds, awareness for disabled By EMMA KERR For the Daily
Life in a wheelchair can be difficult on a college campus, but one fraternity brother hopes to change that reality. LSA junior Nicholas Guys
has received national recognition for his work with the disabled community on campus. Guys, who is the philanthropy chairman of the University’s chapter of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, organized events with Push America, an organization that fosters service leadership through its work with those affected by disabilities. In September, Guys received the Thomas Sayre Award, which honors the most outstanding Push America chairman. Serving as the Push Amer-
ica chairman since 2011, Guys organizes charity events, including the annual Wheel in their Shoes 5K that took place on campus last month. Also in September, he organized the Greek Week Push America Relay, a new program. Guys said the Greek Week event gave people the opportunity to imagine living with reliance on wheelchairs for mobility while fundraising for Push America. This fundraiser was the first See AWARD, Page 5A
When the University’s newest fundraising campaign launches in November, more than a little celebratory glitz will be on hand for its kickoff. On Monday evening, the Ann Arbor City Council voted to approve the closure of North University Avenue between Fletcher and Thayer Streets for the Victors for Michigan campaign launch celebration on Nov. 8. In September, the University announced that an outdoor celebration on Ingalls Mall would accompany the kickoff celebrations. Following the event, University President Mary Sue Coleman and campaign co-chair Stephen Ross, a real-estate mogul and major University donor, will host the official “Victors for Michigan” unveiling ceremony at 8 p.m. inside Hill Auditorium. Judy Malcolm, senior director of executive communications at the Office of University Development, said the event is set to occur in the area between Hill Auditorium and the Michigan League, adjacent to the Diag.
Beginning at 5 p.m., the University invites students, faculty and community members to join University donors and volunteers for music, giveaways and free T-shirts. Later that evening, students will share how their University experience has been influenced by student aid, essentially the reasons “Michigan needs victors,” as referenced by the campaign’s branding. Along the lines of a public launch party, campaign strategists are hoping to involve students in the campaign, especially since administrators have pegged student aid as the campaign’s top priority. Campaign officials have formed a student advisory committee to assist in planning and associated philanthropic efforts. In a February interview with The Michigan Daily, Coleman said students articulating the effect of financial aid would be crucial. “We need to fashion this in a way donors can get excited about the difference they can make in people’s lives, so a lot of this will be storytelling about what students have done and what the impact of having various scholarships has been,” Coleman said. Though the branding and limited celebration plans were released in September, other See CAMPAIGN, Page 5A
the lbgt-side A look at what Ann Arborites are doing to fight gay stigmas
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News
2A — Thursday, October 10, 2013
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
THURSDAY: Alumni Profiles
A MICHIGAN WOMAN BECOMES MISS AMERICA
Why did you choose “Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency” as your platform?
to have a personal platform, a cause that we champion. I grew up with a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions about my culture. So many people asked me about what the red dot meant or if I was going to have an arranged marriage … the list goes on. But many of these remarks weren’t necessarily meant to be malicious but simply due to the fact of ignorance. Can you speak to your decision to run for Miss America?
My platform is something I’ve been working with for three years now when I started competing. Every contestant in the Miss America organization is required
I actually competed in the Miss America Outstanding Teen Program, which is meant to be a feeder into the Miss America system. So, through my compet-
CRIME NOTES
Put it in park WHERE: Fletcher Carport WHEN: Tuesday at 9:50 a.m. WHAT: While trying to back out of a parking spot, a car hit a concrete bumper, lodging itself there, University Police reported. The vehicle remained stuck until assistance was provided.
Hoover WHEN: Tuesday at about 7:35 p.m. WHAT: A stolen bicycle was rediscovered by its owner in front of MLB, University Police reported. The thief decided to keep the odometer.
ing — I competed when I was 16 — I gained $25,000 in scholarship money. With that money and with the help of my parents, I was able to graduate debt free from (Michigan), which was amazing. Right now I’m actually in the process of applying to medical school. And I had no means to pay for my education, so I started competing last year and I won Miss New York — I won $10,000 in scholarship money — and now as Miss America, I won $50,000 in scholarship money. So I have $60,000 to now put toward my higher education, and it’s an incredible resource and opportunity. —CARLY FROMM Read more on Michigandaily.com
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
LSA senior Anna Kiseleva conducts an experiment to test the reduction of ketone during a Organic Chemistry lab at the Chemistry Building Wednesday.
M Farmers’ Market
WHERE: 1100 Block Catherine Street WHEN: Tuesday at about 7:45 p.m. WHAT: A white male wearing blue scrubs flashed a woman as she exited the Taubman Library, University Police reported.
WHAT: Free depression and other mental health screenings will be available both online and in-person. WHO: Campus Information Center WHEN: Today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: TBA
WHAT: Local produce will be available, as will samples, creative recipes and healthy-eating tips. WHO: CSG and University Unions WHEN: Today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHERE: Duderstadt Center
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Depression screenings
WHERE: 3261 BaxterStreet WHEN: Tuesday at about 12:25 p.m. WHAT: A subject found his parked vehicle sprayed with grass seed, University Police reported. There was no permanent damage.
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Keep it to yourself
Resume review Peace Corps workshop experience talk WHAT: Students are invited to attend this byappointment resume workshop, where mentors will be offering helpful tips on how to make your resume stand out. WHO: Career Center WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Student Activities Building
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Rackin’ up that The grass isn’t mileage greener WHERE: 300 Block E.
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
FUTURE NOBEL
Glamorous with a cause Nina Davuluri is the first Indian American to receive both a Miss New York and a Miss America title. She was Miss New York 2013 and is now Miss America 2014. She graduated from the University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in brain, behavior and cognitive science.
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WHAT: University Prof. Brian Arbic will be discussing his University undergraduate experience as a member of the Peace Corps, and his resulting journey to volunteer in Ghana and Liberia. WHO: University Library WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
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Bruce and Kris Jenner have officially separated, E! Online reported Tuesday. As if Keeping up with the Kardashians had not already revealed it, the couple claims that their problems have been ongoing. Divorce papers have yet to be filed.
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This week, the b-side becomes the lgbt-side with stories about a group for queer students for color and Aut Bar. >> FOR MORE, SEE INSIDE
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CEO of Dreamworks, Jeffery Katzenberg, offered $75 million to create three additional Breaking Bad episodes, Variety reported Wednesday. Unfortunately for him, the series ended on a resolved note, foiling his plans.
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BUSINESS STAFF Amal Muzaffar Digital Accounts Manager Doug Soloman University Accounts Manager Leah Louis-Prescott Classified Manager Lexi Derasmo Local Accounts Manager Hillary Wang National Accounts Manager Ellen Wolbert and Sophie Greenbaum Production Managers The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Egyptian authorities set trial date for former leader Hearing for former Pres. Mohammed Morsi set for Nov. 4 CAIRO (AP) — The politically charged trial of Egypt’s Mohammed Morsi will begin Nov. 4, almost four months to the day after the country’s first democratically elected president was toppled by the military, authorities said Wednesday.
The prosecution of Morsi on charges of inciting his followers to kill opponents of his rule takes the crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood to a new level and is likely to fuel protests by his Islamist supporters, stoking the turmoil shaking Egypt. Since his July 3 ouster, Morsi’s backers have taken to the streets in rallies met by a fierce response by security forces that has left hundreds dead. Wednesday’s announcement
comes as the United States announced it was cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid to Egypt and its military — a show of discontent with the crackdown aimed at pressuring the interim leadership to move quickly toward a democratically elected government. For Egypt’s military-backed government, the trial is a chance to lay out their justification for the sweeping arrest campaign and ultimately for Morsi’s ouster. Authorities contend the former president and the Brotherhood, which dominated power during his year in office, committed crimes while in power — and have turned to violence since his removal. But the military, now Egypt’s dominant political power, also opens itself up to criticism it is carrying out show trials to crush the Brotherhood, which accuses the army and its supporters of wrecking Egypt’s fledgling democracy. Already there are questions whether the trial, in which Morsi and 14 other members of his Brotherhood are defendants, can be fair. Morsi has been held in secret military detention since his ouster, with almost no contact with the outside world beyond two phone calls with his family. During his interrogation, his defense lawyers have not been allowed to talk to him and say they have not been shown any documentation of the prosecution’s case. “This is a trial held under the cannon of a tank,” said Mohammed Gharib, a member of Morsi’s legal team. “Is this an atmosphere for a fair trial?” Morsi’s son, Osama Morsi, told the Turkish news agency Anadolu that his father “rejects this trial and others and will not recognize it.” Rights lawyers point out that they tried to have the case prosecuted while Morsi was in office, a sign that it is not purely based on vengeance.
HASSAN AMMAR/AP
In this file photo, Saudi women board a taxi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A campaign calling on women to drive on Saturday. has started gathering support online and already has nearly 15,000 signatures.
Saudi activists hope to debate lifting ban on women driving Official request for rights made to conservative ruling council last week RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi women on the ultraconservative kingdom’s top advisory council have called for a discussion on the sensitive issue of allowing women to drive, a move that could embolden reformers pushing to lift the ban. The official request was made this week to the head of the Shura Council, council member Latifa al-Shaalan said, to address all “excuses” raised to keep women from driving since Islamic law and Saudi traffic laws do not forbid it. Women seeking the right to drive in Saudi Arabia have been energized by a campaign calling on them to drive on Oct. 26. Saudi law does not explicitly prohibit them from driving, but religious edicts by senior and influential clerics are enforced by the police, effectively ban-
ning it. Authorities do not issue driving licenses to women. The campaign started as an online petition last month and has so far garnered nearly 15,000 signatures. In 2011, a Saudi woman was detained for posting an online video of herself driving, though her arrest launched wider protests. The country is guided by an ultraconservative interpretation of Islam called Wahhabism. Women cannot travel, work, study abroad, marry, get divorced or gain admittance to a public hospital without permission from a male guardian — typically a husband, brother, father or uncle. Hard-line clerics have opposed the driving campaign and recently a prominent Saudi cleric caused a stir when he said medical studies show that driving has adverse effects on women’s ovaries because it forces the pelvis upward. Al-Shaalan, the Shura Council member, told journalists that the recommendation for the discussion on women driving is not meant to coincide with the
campaign and that it has been studied for a while. “It is flawed that a woman cannot drive a car after reaching the position of deputy minister, becoming a member of the Shura Council, managing a university and representing the country on international bodies,” she said. She said it is also counterintuitive to force a woman to ride in a car with a male driver who may be a stranger because it contradicts the kingdom’s strict rules on separation of the sexes. While the Shura Council does not have legislative powers, the 30 women council members made history this year when they became the first females appointed to the body. The move by King Abdullah to give women a voice on the body was seen as part of a larger reform effort by the monarchy. In 2011, King Abdullah said women can vote and run as candidates in the 2015 municipal elections. Last year, the kingdom began enforcing a law that allows women to work in female apparel and lingerie stores.
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News
Thursday, October 10, 2013 — 3A
Political drama unfolds in Iran
NEWS BRIEFS LANSING, Mich.
Snyder testifies about Detroit bankruptcy Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder testified behind closed doors Wednesday about his role taking Detroit into bankruptcy, a rare interview with lawyers for creditors who pressed him about retiree pensions and asked if the city could have done more to avoid the historic filing. Snyder waived executive privilege and gave a three-hour deposition at his office in Lansing. The testimony can be used as evidence in an upcoming trial that will determine whether Detroit is eligible to shed or restructure at least $18 billion in debt in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Snyder, a Republican, didn’t speak to reporters but issued a statement that repeated many of his previous justifications for the largest public bankruptcy in U.S. history.
WHEELING, W.Va.
Ex-cop shot and killed after firing on U.S. courthouse A retired police officer armed with an assault weapon and a handgun fired up to two dozen shots at a U.S. courthouse in West Virginia on Wednesday before police returned fire and killed him, police said. Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger identified the gunman Thomas J. Piccard, 55, of Bridgeport, Ohio. He was a retired Wheeling police officer. Schwertfeger did not say whether Piccard used both weapons during the assault on the Wheeling Federal Building or speculate on a motive.
MONTREAL
Quebec seeks to ban religious symbols in public Viewed from the outside, Quebec often seems like a place where all life orbits around the political destiny of a Frenchspeaking province in an English-speaking country. The latest instance centers on religious headwear. The trigger is a heatedly debated plan by the ruling party, the separatist Parti Quebecois, to make the provincial government religion-neutral. It wants to do so by banning symbols of religious faith such as Jewish skullcaps, Sikh turbans, Muslim head scarves and large crucifixes from public work places. And as usual, the measure is being read also for what it says about the ruling party’s perennial goal of making Quebec independent of the rest of Canada. The analysis is that with support for separatism weakened, and an election being predicted for December, something spectacular is needed to rally the party base.
PARIS
Two reporters held hostage in Syria France has revealed the existence of two more journalists taken hostage in Syria, after the prime minister identified them in a radio interview, apparently by mistake. The disclosure that Nicolas Henin and Pierre Torres had been kidnapped while working in Syria June 22 brings to four the number of French journalists known to be held hostage in Syria. The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Henin and Torres’ capture was not disclosed until now out of respect of their families’ wishes. However, in an interview on French radio station Europe 1 Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault named them for the first time while answering a question about two other reporters whose kidnapping was disclosed in June. —Compiled from Daily wire reports
Foreign minister checks himself into hospital for stress
PETER DEJONG/AP
Director General Ahmet Uzumcu of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, OPCW, gives an update on the the chemical watchdog’s verification and destruction mission in Syria during a press conference.
U.N. officials say rebels in Syria should seek ceasefire Inspectors need access to destroy chemical weapons THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — International inspection teams overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons will have to negotiate cease-fires between government and rebel forces to gain access to some sites, officials closely involved with the mission said Wednesday. The revelation is a clear indication of the risks and difficulties of the unprecedented disarmament plan, and it suggests that the effort to rid Damascus of its poison gas stockpile may have a hard time meeting its mid-2014 deadline. The destruction of the stockpile is being led by a joint team from the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu told report-
ers in The Hague the timeline was tight but “not unrealistic.” He said inspectors have to visit more than 20 sites in coming days and weeks. Since the mission started last week, they have been to one location; they are expected to inspect a second site near Damascus, the Syrian capital, on Wednesday. This is the first time the global organization that polices the Chemical Weapons Convention has sent its inspectors and analytical chemists into a raging civil war, and their security is a major concern amid ongoing fighting between President Bashar Assad’s forces and various rebel groups. The war has already left at least 100,000 people dead. On Wednesday, rebels overran a military post near the southern city of Daraa, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group. Opposition fighters late last month also captured a nearby military base that previously served as the
Dutch apologize for arresting Russian diplomat Apology aimed to smooth over diplomatic relations THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands apologized to Russia on Wednesday for the arrest and detention of a Russian diplomat — but the move appears unlikely to be enough to ease growing tensions between the two nations. The swift apology by Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans aimed to smooth over a diplomatic spat that has further soured relations already tested by Russia’s seizure last month of a Dutch-flagged Greenpeace ship protesting oil drilling in the Arctic. Russia has charged all 30 people on board with piracy, which carries a maximum 15-year sentence. Diplomat Dmitry Borodin was arrested Saturday by police in The Hague over what Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich called an “absolutely contrived” allegation of child abuse. His arrest breached the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, Timmermans said in a statement Wednesday. “The Netherlands offers the Russian Federation its apologies.” Still, the minister said he understood the action of police who arrested Borodin — a statement unlikely to appease Russian demands for action against the officers. The two nations remain in talks about the situation. Alexei Pushkov, chief of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of Russia’s parliament, wasn’t satisfied. “The Hague has offered us its excuses, but it has effectively sought to justify the police action, calling it ‘professional.’ So, there are excuses but there is no one to blame,” he tweeted. Police have declined to comment on the incident. Dutch
state broadcaster NOS reported that police had traced a car involved in an accident that day to Borodin’s home, and neighbors told police they were worried for the safety of the children inside. The Dutch-Russian spat shifted to another topic Wednesday as Russia questioned the quality of one of the Netherlands’ key exports — cheese. The chief of Russia’s agriculture products agency was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying a Russian delegation inspecting Dutch cheese-making facilities was not satisfied with the quality of the product. Agency head Sergei Dankvert said the results were preliminary and a full report would come later. In Moscow, meanwhile, Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee dealing with the Greenpeace incident, said investigators were trying to identify the activists whose inflatable boats tried to block Russian coast guards. He said they were “threatening life and safety of an official.” He also said “dual use equipment” and drugs were found on board the Greenpeace boat that protested Sept. 18 at a Gazprom-owned oil rig. Russian authorities have seized the boat. Greenpeace said “any claim that illegal drugs were found is a smear, it’s a fabrication, pure and simple.” The head of Greenpeace International wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting a meeting in Moscow — and offering himself as human bail for the detainees. Kumi Naidoo of the Amsterdam-based organization delivered the letter to the Russian embassy in The Hague on Wednesday. He said he would guarantee the activists’ good conduct but said piracy charges don’t make sense and should be dropped.
customs office on the outskirts of Daraa. “If we can ensure some cooperation by all parties and if some temporary cease-fires ... can be established in order to permit our experts to work in a very hostile environment, I think the targets could be reached,” Uzumcu said in his first public remarks on the mission. Previous attempts by international mediators to negotiate broader cease-fires have failed, though it might be easier for combatants to agree to halt their fire in a specific location for a limited time. Two large umbrella groups for the Arab and Muslim world — the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation — are urging those fighting in Syria to halt fighting for the duration of next week’s four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Arab League’s deputy secretary general, Ahmed Ben Heli, told reporters in Cairo on Wednesday.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s internal power plays have produced many moments of political theater, but never one like this: The foreign minister checks himself into a hospital because of stress, blaming it on hard-line critics of the recent thaw with Washington. A cascade of events Wednesday suggested there was no end in sight to the ideological skirmishes following President Hassan Rouhani’s outreach to the U.S. Those overtures will be put to the test next week in Geneva when nuclear talks with world powers resume. For Rouhani, the immediate prize would be winning pledges from the West to roll back painful sanctions in exchange for concessions on Tehran’s nuclear program. But, on a deeper level, Rouhani’s gambit also exposes sudden insecurities among the West-bashing factions that have shaped Iranian affairs for decades. If Rouhani’s brand of diplomacy pays off in the eyes of Iran’s top policymaker, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it could bring sharper limits on the reach of powerful factions led by the Revolutionary Guard — which has already been warned by Khamenei to stay out of politics and let Rouhani’s overtures run their course. The Guard will remain a pillar of Iran’s establishment no matter what happens with Rouhani’s efforts. But Khamenei’s directive to give Rouhani political breathing room was a rare roadblock for a group whose power and influence
has expanded steadily in the past decade. The Revolutionary Guard’s network now extends beyond its fighting forces to cover sectors as diverse as the nuclear program and airport security. Possible attempts by Khamenei to separate the Guard from the worlds of politics and foreign affairs would mark a profound change on how Iran interacts with the West, and offer more of flexibility in diplomacy. “Opposition or frustration by hard-liners is a natural reaction,” said Tehran-based political analyst Saeed Leilaz. “But nothing can derail Rouhani’s policy of outreach to the U.S.” as long as Khamenei remains nominally in his corner. Khamenei has previously said he’s not opposed to direct talks with the U.S. to resolve Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West but is not optimistic. Last week, he called the U.S. “untrustworthy.” “There is a political will to reduce tensions with the U.S.,” said a Tehran political commentator, Hamid Reza Shokouhi. “This strategy is supported by the supreme leader.” But that has not stopped critics of Rouhani’s government from making their complaints heard. The nationally broadcast Friday prayers last week included the familiar chants of “Death to America.” A week earlier, protesters hurled eggs and insults and Rouhani’s entourage after he returned from the groundbreaking exchanges in New York. It was capped by President Barrack Obama’s phone conversation with Rouhani in the highest-level dialogue between the countries since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Opinion
4A — Thursday, October 10, 2013
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FROM THE DAILY
Recalculating route ...
O
New off-campus bus plan is a step in a safer direction
n Tuesday, students received an e-mail with the subject line “BREAKING” from Central Student Government. It announced an off-campus bus route in partnership with the Interfraternity Council. Starting in Winter 2014, the bus route will run from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. This bus route addresses an under-discussed issue at the University: off-campus crime. It’s certainly one step toward addressing the problem, but at this point, its success depends entirely on financial support from sponsors. According to CSG President Michael Proppe, “84 percent of reported crimes took place after 10 p.m., 67 percent took place offcampus and 64 percent occurred in scenarios in which the victim was walking.” Introducing the new bus route is one step to potentially reducing off-campus crime, but it will take more effort on the University’s part to make sure students who live off-campus are safe. CSG, however, should be commended for taking the initiative in finding and implementing a way to protect students. The University will be one of the first schools to start an off-campus bus route, and the student government deserves the credit for finding new and innovative ways to address crime. Though the route is in its beginning stages, it should be improved by adding additional stops. The majority of the stops under the current plan are concentrated in the Hill area, leaving out a large number of students living in South Campus and Kerrytown.
Moreover, the current bus route is only scheduled to run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. That leaves four nights for students to find alternative routes back home. To extend late-night, off-campus bus routes to cover the entire week and more areas of campus, the administration should fund the estimated $40,000 needed to expand service. CSG and the IFC are taking proactive steps to ensure campus safety, and now it’s time for the administration to match that effort. CSG should be commended for addressing issues that concern the safety of the student body. With the relative prevalence of off-campus crime, university administration should’ve already initiated practical prevention programs like the new bus route instead of waiting for student leadership to take action. It’s not perfect — its limited route and scope should be addressed, but now it’s up to the University to support the 30,000 students that live off-campus.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Eli Cahan, Eric Ferguson, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Patrick Maillet, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
DANIELLE DEVESON | VIEWPOINT
(Un)equal opportunity
“All men are created equal” — and even today are still worth more than women. The Declaration of Independence and subsequent ideological foundations of America aided in forming our patriarchal society where women are still systemically depreciated. This is perhaps best exemplified in the workplace. We have to work extra hard to overturn antiquated gender notions. What’s our reward? Equal work for unequal pay. Sound like the American Dream? Not quite. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 helped ameliorate some of the discrimination women faced by making it illegal to use gender as a basis for higher salary. From the 1960s to 2011, women have gone from earning on average less than 60 percent (58 cents per dollar) of what men were making to roughly 77 percent (77 cents per dollar, for full-time, white women) for the same work. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 amended this original act by allowing women to file lawsuits against unequal pay up to 180 days after their most recent paycheck, instead upon first recognition of the injustice — as was previously held by law. Despite the progression, Lilly Ledbetter, the woman for whom the law was named, admits that women are still pushed into the gender gap. Why? For starters, there are several loopholes in our current legislation regarding working women. Currently, if I have an inclination that my male counterpart is earning more than I am for analogous work, what can I do about it? In this uncertain economy, should I risk my job in attempt to find out the truth? That’s an option, but not a very fair or logical one. Secondly, there’s a mass infiltration of fabricated explanations regarding the truth behind why women are making less than men. These notions are nothing new and much of what the feminist movement sought to reform. Still, there’s a widely held belief, even among women, that our pay gap is a result of our choices — choices like working less and seeking more pink-collar jobs. While some women may in fact clock in fewer hours than men and pursue lowerpaying jobs, it’s undeniable that these factors inaccurately account for the entirety of wage discrimination. Even CONSAD, a consulting company contracted by the Department of
Labor, admitted a 5 to 7 percent difference in men’s salaries after controlling for those extraneous variables. In the land of equal opportunity, the findings don’t look so egalitarian to me. What we need is a more robust solution. And that could be The Paycheck Fairness Act. Self-proclaimed “equity feminist,” Christina Hoff Sommers hits on these interrelated points in many of her published works, namely her bluntly titled piece, “The Case Against the Paycheck Fairness Act.” Here, she claims the bill as something for “aggrieved” women and justifies higher salaries for typically male-dominated fields. She goes on to remark that business school professors should earn more than those in social work due to market demand. Besides sounding like many males that benefit from this current system, I don’t think she fully understands what she fights against. In fact, research now suggests that within universities, mission drift and permeating implicit sexism account for some of the wage gap. Within similar academic titles, women are generally rewarded less for research outcomes, spend more time on teaching and have larger workloads than men, in addition to greater service expectations. What does Sommers have to say about that? The Paycheck Fairness Act could require companies to be more public with administered wages, thus increasing awareness to any inequality among employees. The act has been so close, yet so far, from passing the Senate. Could it be because female senatorial presence is scarce? Perhaps. But like Sommers, many women actually believe this act isn’t necessary, and even further, not progressive. The majority of the Democratic Party is in support of the act, but there are Republicans that are pulling back. Female Republican legislators and female Republican voters are allowing political affiliation to trump gender empowerment. Is this the price we want to pay? It’s time that we women band together to advocate for the American Dream — and the Paycheck Fairness Act. We’re worth fighting for. Danielle Deveson is a Master of Social Work candidate.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 300 words. Viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to opinion@michigandaily.com.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Shedding light
T
his Fall Break, I’m checking another activity off my college bucket list: RV-ing to Happy Valley, Penn. for the MichiganPennsylvania State University football game. Though the trip promises to be quite the advenTIMOTHY ture, I can’t help BURROUGHS but reflect on the condemning shadow that’s still over Penn State, following the Jerry Sandusky scandal and its publicized fallout. Two years later, Penn State has made dramatic changes regarding child safety and has begun the long process of rebuilding its reputation. But on a national level, have we done enough to prevent these heinous crimes? In 2011, allegations of serial sexual abuse by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky rocked the world of college athletics. The abuse, followed by the institutional cover-up and negligence, led to the firing of head coach Joe Paterno and multiple school administrators. The investigation grabbed national headlines, tarnished the reputation of the university and raised serious questions about minors’ safety and institutional responsibility. As the dust begins to settle, the landscape around Penn State and attention to minors’ safety across the nation has dramatically changed. Sandusky was convicted and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. Administrators associated with the cover up are to stand trial for obstruction of justice next spring. Nineteen of the victims have reached settlements and received checks from the university. Penn State, which set aside $60 million to pay for the settlements, has removed statues, endured rioting and mourned for the prolonged suffering of the victims and the negligence which allowed it. Perhaps the most promising effect
“
of the scandal can be prominently seen here in Ann Arbor. During a forum discussion on minors’ safety on campus, Katie Miranto, the Michigan Athletic Camp administrator, raised serious concerns about a dramatic hole in the University’s Athletic Department’s background check program. She noted that one of the background checks used looks only at crimes committed in Michigan, meaning the same attention to detail might not be applied to out-of-state applicants, who account for 33 percent of the camp staff. These concerns sparked immediate action and clarification by Michigan’s Athletic Department. David Ablauf, associate athletic director of media and public relations, outlined the additional elements of the vetting process, as well as ones it plans on implementing, while clarifying, “background checks of all kinds — whether handled personally, by coaches or through database reviews — are important, but they are just one way to keep kids safe.” Since the forum, The Michigan Daily’s editorial board has adamantly voiced its criticism of the Athletic Department’s lack of initiative in these matters in addition to making claims that attention to marketing campaigns has replaced efforts to provide a safe environment for minors. Furthermore, Zach Helfand, one of the Daily’s sports editors, stated that “the problem is that the Athletic Department has chosen to fund a skywriting campaign rather than pay to protect vulnerable children.” These assertions present a false dilemma by implying that the department actively sought to cut and direct funding and energy away from background checks in favor of frivolous marketing campaigns. But there’s no evidence that this is at all reality. By creating this connection, the Daily has presented an oversimplification by offering only a dramatic “either-
or” situation, which the Department’s operational budget of $137.5 million simply does not support. While the vetting processes isn’t and will never be perfect — Sandusky had no priors that would have been flagged by such a background check before he was hired at Penn State in 1969 — we can demand that the Athletic Department actively evaluate and improve how they are providing a safe environment for minors. However, claiming an outsourced background check, which represents one mere aspect of the entire vetting process, isn’t thorough enough does not prove negligence or greed on the part of the Athletic Department. After the administrator of the camps raised these serious issues, the department reacted by recognizing and addressing them immediately and publicly. If the Daily’s concern is that the department is not doing its due diligence, it’s important to note it was an Athletic Department employee who pointed out this shortcoming in the first place. This is an example of a serious loophole being raised transparently and the department responding by taking immediate action to close it. It’s naive to believe in the postSandusky era that an institution doesn’t realize the severity of abuse crimes and the scaring effect they can have on a university and community. Our institutions cannot become completely safe overnight, but this process of open dialogue and publicly looking to improve minors’ safety is our best weapon against these criminals. Miranto’s fears and the Department’s actions show we have begun to adapt and fight the terrifying world Sandusky and Penn State brought into the national spotlight.
In a post-Sandusky era, it’s naive to think the ‘U’ isn’t thinking about abuse.
—Timothy Burroughs can be reached at timburr@umich.edu.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
I’ve never done twerking in my life, and I don’t intend to take it up.”
— U.S. House Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said Wednesday in response to Miley Cyrus’ government shutdown parody on Saturday Night Live.
AIMAN FARUQI | VIEWPOINT
Government taken hostage
With impasse in Congress leading to a government shutdown, the American people are asking whether their representatives are capable of fulfilling their public obligation. Conventional wisdom in American politics has attributed the blame equally to both parties in times of political divide. But is this actually a fair assessment? An honest look at the situation at hand shows that this is not the case. The Republicans in Congress have shown a level of intransigence that is unparalleled in the Democratic Party’s stratagem. This intransigence can be rooted back to the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. After the Republicans suffered devastating losses in the elections — losing control of the presidency and both houses of Congress — key figures in the party regrouped to formulate a strategy to maintain their political influence and regain control in 2012. Among the 15 interlocutors were representatives Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor and senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn, along with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. They met before the president’s inauguration for one purpose only: to scheme against Obama’s policy initiatives. Gingrich’s final words to his fellow Republicans were: “You will remember this day. You’ll remember this as the day the seeds of 2012 were sown.” Later, in 2010, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky reaffirmed the true purpose of Congressional Republicans in one of the most candid political statements of the past few years: “The single most important thing we (Republicans) want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” This goal — to hurt the president
— played itself out over the course of the next few years: The Republicans blocked the president’s executive appointments, most recently seen with the Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Susan Rice, and unanimously rejected proposed legislation, the earliest example being the stimulus package. Of course, resistance from the opposition party along ideological divides is completely expected; it’s quite believable that Democrats held similar meetings after the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. But the level of obstructionism demonstrated by the Republicans over the past few years simply cannot be compared to dissent by the Democrats during the Bush presidency. The Iraq War, for instance, was supported by some liberals, and Democrats in Congress. This isn’t to say that Democrats have a spotless track record of governance; their party’s issues are numerous and large, but they aren’t the same as those the Republican Party exhibits. When we consider all of this evidence, it’s hard to say that the Republicans have any intention of “compromising” with the president. They had no intention of compromising when key figures from their party conspired against progress, and they certainly don’t have the intention of compromising now. But that begs the question: What is the track record of Democrats on compromising to the Republicans? Actually, it’s quite good — so good that it has become one of the biggest weaknesses of the Democratic Party. In 2009, the Democrats caved into the Republican demand to leave out the public option in Obama’s health-care bill, despite the fact that Obama’s bill
with a public option would have been the compromise. The current state of the Affordable Care Act is not what liberals desired; that’s a single-payer health-care system. The Affordable Care Act in its current form is a bill most Republicans supported just two decades ago. By giving into the Republican’s unreasonable demands time and time again, the president and his party have set a dangerous precedent of negotiations — a precedent that Republicans have completely incorporated into their political strategy. Their version of a compromise now is 90 percent of what they want and 10 percent of what everyone else wants. And now, when we assess our current situation with the government shutdown, the Republicans’ demands seem even more absurd. They want to defund a healthcare law that Republicans once favored. Add to this the reaffirmation of the Affordable Care Act in the 2012 elections and the adjudication of the law by the U.S. Supreme Court, and you have a Republican party that has completely lost its mind. They don’t want to negotiate: They want to take the government hostage. They have decided that if they cannot change policy by winning elections, then they will change policy by throwing tantrums. The sooner the American electorate realizes that the bulk our political standstills have stemmed from an opposition party that’s more concerned with beating the president than making progress, the sooner we can restore the our democracy’s integrity. Aiman Faruqi is an LSA freshman.
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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
CAMPAIGN From Page 1A
AWARD From Page 1A
details won’t be revealed until the campaign’s official start date on Nov. 8.
Greek Week event in the chapter’s history. Along with other events this year, the chapter raised $6,630 for Push America under Guys’ leadership. Pi Kappa Phi also holds an annual disability awareness dinner where students, faculty and brothers listen to keynote speakers and participate in an open conversation about living with disabilities. Guys said the University’s
PROJECTS From Page 1A be closed intermittently. University planner Sue Gott said there won’t be any pile driving — a type of construction technique that results in ground vibrations near the site — during the upcoming phase of construction. Throughout the project, Gott said there will be no major disruptions in the surrounding neighborhood. Gott also said a large section of East Madison Street between Division and State Streets will be closed in March to replace the water main. During this time, the sidewalk on Division Street will be closed and Thompson Street will become a one-way, northbound street with all parking on the street closed off. Officials are considering opening the University parking structure on Thompson Street to the public as a visitors parking lot during construction. Gott said she estimates construction on Madison will be finished by the time students move out in April. Most of Thompson Street will be closed throughout the summer while the building is being erected. The residence hall should be fully constructed by the beginning of 2015, and the project should come to a close by midJuly 2015. The Munger Graduate Housing Building will be an eight-level structure with apartment-style rooms on the seven floors. The eighth floor will contain a small convenience store, lounges and study rooms. Jim Kosteva, University director of community relations, said of the graduate housing it will provide an educational exchange between grad students from different graduate schools. Gott said meetings the one that took place Wednesday will continue so that members of the community are informed and have an opportunity to express concerns. She noted that plans are still open to change.
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NURSE From Page 1A University after having worked in the auto industry for ten years. Following graduation, he became a registered nurse and now has 30 years of experience in the profession. He has previously served as vice president of the MNA before assuming his current role. He’s also currently the grievance chair for the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, the local union that represents nurses at UMHS. “The MNA has over 10,500 members, and I believe our association sets the tone for nursing
DIVERSITY From Page 1A and Spanish regarding representation, voice and presence. LSA senior Chloe Brown, another co-founder of the movement, said its biggest obstacle is to hold the University accountable for promises made to students. “Michigan has this huge appeal of diversity — or that’s the way that they market themselves,” Brown said. “But when you get here it’s completely dif-
News chapter of Pi Kappa Phi regularly works to “make our own campus more accessible and accepting of people with disabilities.” Pi Kappa Phi has worked to create relationships with local community members in need, specifically through the Eisenhower Center, where the brothers regularly visit people suffering from traumatic brain injuries, forging personal connections with clients at the center through games and events. “It really affects the brothers to see that appreciation for doing something as simple as playing games, talking and having a
meaningful conversation, and how much of a meaning that has with the clients we work with at Eisenhower,” Guys said. Mark Timmes, chief executive officer of the national Pi Kappa Phi chapter, said in a statement that he is proud of Guys’s charitable work. “Nicholas’s efforts in serving people with disabilities exemplify him as a leader by choice,” Timmes said. “We are happy to recognize him for his outstanding work he has done for Push America, the Alpha Kappa chapter and his university.”
practice across our state,” Armelagos said. One of the first steps in his plan of action is pushing for a bill that will officially set minimum staffing levels at tertiary care centers, or hospitals that offer the most complete level of treatment and specialty care. The passage of the Safe Patient Care legislation, introduced by state Senator Rebekah Warren (D– Ann Arbor), is one of the union’s main legislative priorities. Advocating for the creation of a more conducive working environment for nurses goes handin-hand with providing the best possible care for patients, Armelagos said. He said helping nurses know their rights and speak out will positively benefit patient
experiences and care. Fairer contracts make for a better work environment where nurses are better able to advocate for their patients, Armelagos said. He added that it is his job to “secure the language in their contracts to make sure their collective voice is heard and has the strength to move our workplace environments to better advocate for our patients.” Despite his expanded role, Armelagos plans to remain involved in the UMHS community, while encouraging nursing students to find meaning within their own careers.
ferent. If you’re going to pay however much money to go here, you should feel safe here.” The event drew mostly intrigued or confused reactions from the rest of the student body, who found themselves walking around a large circle of protestors, at times 50 to 80 people strong, in order to reach their classes. “I’ve been getting a lot of questions, like, what’s this about? A couple of people have come up and just thanked us for doing this,” LSA and Education junior Michael Chrzan, one of the pro-
testors, said. Organizers of We are Michigan said Wednesday’s demonstration was just the first of many events for the group, which plans to continue to have a presence on campus. Potential upcoming projects include working to broaden the race and ethnicity requirement so that it includes components of intergroup relations and, in the short run, building up momentum for the affirmative action Supreme Court case being heard next week in Washington, D.C., Brown said.
ACLU files complaint against Border Patrol officers in Ariz. Group claims agents used excessive force against migrants PHOENIX (AP) — Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona are subjecting U.S. citizens to illegal searches, detentions and excessive force in many cases miles from the state’s border with Mexico, the American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a complaint Wednesday. The group is seeking a federal probe into what it calls “widespread and longstanding” constitutional abuses, and in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, the ACLU cites five cases in which it says citizens were wrongfully detained without probable cause, among numerous other violations. The group wants an investigation into the individual complaints as well as a comprehensive review of Border Patrol policies. DHS has declined comment on the complaint that comes two weeks after the federal
government settled an ACLU lawsuit over similar allegations in Washington state. While admitting no wrongdoing in that case, the Border Patrol agreed to retrain agents and share with advocacy groups records of every traffic stop its agents make in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula along the northern border with Canada for 18 months, among other things. The ACLU says the issue of constitutional violations by Border Patrol agents dates back decades and continues to be ignored by federal authorities. “It has a huge impact on border communities, but it extends far into the interior,” said ACLU attorney James Lyall. “Border Patrol claims broad authority anywhere within 100 miles of any external boundary.” Lyall said that covers twothirds of the U.S. population. “The potential for abuses is not constrained to just the border regions but really can impact the majority of Americans,” he added, noting a formal lawsuit may follow the complaint. The National Border Patrol
Council, the union for agents, balked at the allegations as being widespread. “People are going to make mistakes, but I think those are very few and far between,” said Shawn Moran, the group’s vice president. He said the union has sought more transparency from DHS regarding complaints and assaults against agents, noting it would help the public better understand the dangers of the job. “Transparency would really show that our agents do a good job, and of course we’re always for more training,” Moran said. “But we’re not in favor of training that is just thrown on top of us to appease a special interest group.” ACLU’s complaint also comes three weeks after the completion of a review by DHS’s Office of Inspector General into allegations of excessive force by Border Patrol agents. The report recommended improvements in training but contained little discussion of use-of-force policies and cited no specific wrongdoing by the agency.
Thursday, October 10, 2013 — 5A
Some prisoners at Gitmo jail too sick to lock up Lawyers argue that seriously ill detainees should be released MIAMI (AP) — Tarek ElSawah is in terrible shape after 11 years as a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, a fact even the U.S. military does not dispute. During his time in captivity, the weight of the 55-year-old Egyptian has nearly doubled, reaching more than 420 pounds at one point, and his health has deteriorated as a result, both his lawyers and government officials concede. Lawyers for El-Sawah, and the doctors they have brought down to the U.S. base in Cuba to examine him, paint a dire picture — a morbidly obese man with diabetes and a range of other serious ailments. He is short of breath, barely able to walk 10 feet, unable to stay awake in meetings and faces the possibility of not making it out of prison alive. “We are very afraid that he is at a high risk of death, that he could die at any moment,” said Marine Lt. Col. Sean Gleason, a military lawyer appointed to represent him. Details about the condition of El-Sawah, who has admitted being an al-Qaida explosives trainer but is no longer facing charges, are emerging in a series of recently filed court motions that provide a rare glimpse into the health of an unusual prisoner, and a preview of arguments that may become more common as the Guantanamo Bay prison ages into a second decade with no prospects for closure in sight. He’s not the only one of the 164 prisoners at Guantanamo who is seriously ill. Last week, a judge ordered the release of a schizophrenic Sudanese man who spent much of the past decade medicated in the prison psych ward. His lawyers argued he was so sick, with ailments that also included diabetes, that he couldn’t possibly pose a threat and therefore the U.S. no longer had the authority to hold him. The judge’s ruling came after the government withdrew its opposition to his release. There’s also a Pakistani prisoner, Saifullah Paracha, with a heart condition serious enough that the government brought a surgical team and a mobile cardiac lab to the U.S. base in Cuba to treat him, at a cost of $400,000. He ultimately refused the treatment because he didn’t trust military medical personnel. In addition, two prisoners have died from natural causes — one from a heart attack, the other from cancer. And several
detainees have raised medical complaints related to their participation in a long-running hunger strike, which had dropped to 17 prisoners as of Monday from a peak of 106 in July. “There are a whole slew of people with a whole slew of serious health problems,” said Cori Crider, a lawyer for the British human rights group Reprieve who has been meeting with Guantanamo prisoners for years. U.S. officials say Guantanamo prisoners get excellent medical care, saying proudly that it’s equivalent to what troops receive. There are more than 100 doctors, nurses and other professionals treating “a constellation” of illnesses, said Navy Capt. Daryl Daniels, a physician and the chief medical officer for the detention center. He says none is in critical condition at the moment. “They are an aging population and they are starting to show some signs of being an older group of people,” Daniels said. In August, lawyers for ElSawah filed an emergency motion with a federal court in Washington asking a judge to order the military to provide what it calls “adequate” medical care, including additional tests for possible heart disease and a device to help him breathe because of a condition they say is preventing his brain from receiving enough oxygen. The government insists he is getting good care at Guantanamo and just needs to exercise more and eat less. “While (El-Sawah) is currently in poor health, his life is not in imminent danger,” lawyers for the Justice Department wrote in response. The judge hasn’t ruled, but the request is secondary anyway. What El-Sawah and his lawyers want is for the U.S. to release him, preferably back home to Egypt. They argue in part that his health is too poor for him to pose any kind of threat. “It boggles the mind that they are putting up a fight on releasing him,” Gleason said. El-Sawah, who is 5 feet, 10 inches, was around 215 pounds when he arrived at Guantanamo in May 2002 after his capture in Afghanistan. Photos from before his capture show a man with a bit of girth but not in apparently ill health. One of his lawyers, Mary Petras, says he was obese by the time she first met him in March 2006. “When he first got to Guantanamo 11 years ago he was not obese,” Gleason said. “And during those 11 years he was under the custody, control and medical supervision of the United States government.”
News
6A — Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Attack on Jerusalem grave sites unnerves Christians Israeli settlers arrested for damaging historic figures’ graves
EVAN VUCCI/AP
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is pursued by members of the media as he gets on an elevator on Capitol Hill in Washington, after leaving a Republican policy luncheon.
Republicans weigh short-term debt limit hike before default As default date looms, GOP considers extention WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leaders are considering a short-term increase in the U.S. debt limit as a possible way to break the gridlock that threatens the nation with an unprecedented default in as little as a week, officials said Wednesday night. These officials said there is far less urgency inside the leadership about ending the current nine-day partial government shutdown, which has caused inconvenience and financial concern for many individual Americans but appears not to threaten the widespread economic damage a default might bring. The officials declined to say what conditions, if any, might be attached to legislation to raise the $16.7 trillion debt limit for an undetermined period, perhaps a few weeks or months. The GOP rank and file is expected to meet privately to discuss the issue on Thursday, before a delegation led by Speaker John Boehner goes to the White House to meet with President Barack Obama.
The officials describing the developments late Wednesday spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to disclose details of private deliberations. Obama has said he won’t agree to sign a debt limit increase if conditions are attached. Republicans indicated several days ago they intended to seek spending cuts to reduce deficits, measures to roll back environmental regulations and changes in the nation’s 3-year-old health care law. More recently, the GOPcontrolled House has passed legislation to create a 20-member group of lawmakers from the House and Senate to negotiate over those and other issues. The bill makes no mention of an increase in the debt limit, but the two topics could be combined in a potential face-saving way out of the impasse. The disclosures came as Obama met at the White House in late afternoon for more than an hour with House Democrats. He told them that while he would prefer legislation extending the Treasury’s borrowing ability beyond the next election, he would also sign a shorter-term bill. Treasury Secretary Jack
Classifieds
Lew has told lawmakers they must raise the debt limit by Oct. 17 to avoid risking a default, but neither house has yet scheduled a vote. In the Senate, Democrats have proposed a no-stringsattached $1 trillion increase in borrowing authority that is designed to prevent a recurrence of the current confrontation before the 2014 elections. A test vote is scheduled for the weekend, and Republicans have yet to indicate how vigorously they might oppose it. In addition to House leadership conversations, a group of conservatives met privately during the day for what several officials described as a wide-ranging discussion on the debt limit and the threat — or lack of it — posed by default. No consensus was reached, but among those who spoke was Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the 2012 GOP vice presidential candidate who is chairman of the House Budget Committee and a prominent deficit hawk. In an op-ed article published during the day in The Wall Street Journal, he wrote, “We need to pay our bills today_and make sure we can pay our bills tomorrow. So let’s negotiate an agreement to make modest reforms to entitlement programs and the tax code.”
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RELEASE DATE– Thursday, October 10, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
FOR RENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
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DOWN 36 Weeder’s tool 51 Mail payment 1 “__ the Lights”: 37 Busts, perhaps 53 Vegas hotel with Kanye West 39 Lose tensile a Sphinx resong strength creation 2 First philosopher 40 Pumpkin pie 54 Colleague of Ruth to mention spice and Sonia Atlantis 43 __ ticket 55 New Hampshire 3 Gourmet spreads 45 Evolves beyond city 4 Ore refinery forgiveness 56 Nine: Pref. 5 Fiscal VIP 57 Lab work 47 Maintain as true 6 Bubble bath 49 Tierney of “ER” 59 Village People accessory 50 Drives the classic 7 Hard wear? getaway car for 63 Rep.’s rival 8 Music provider 9 On hand ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 10 *21st birthday, e.g. 11 Hater of David, in Dickens 12 Pops 14 More qualified 18 Imperious 22 Flag down 24 __ terrier: Highlands hunter 28 More, in Madrid 29 Relaxing getaway 30 La Brea goo 31 *Old TV title shown in a heart 33 Newscaster Lindström 34 Capital SSW of Riyadh 10/10/13 xwordeditor@aol.com
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ANNOUNCEMENT
By Jennifer Nutt (c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/10/13
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JERUSALEM (AP) — Christian leaders in Israel are up in arms over what they say is a string of relentless attacks on church properties and religious sites — most recently the desecration of a historic Protestant cemetery where vandals toppled stone crosses from graves and bludgeoned them to pieces. The attack in the Protestant Cemetery of Mount Zion, one of Jerusalem’s most important historic graveyards, has struck a particularly sensitive nerve because some of the damaged graves belong to famous figures from the 19th and 20th centuries, a key period in Jerusalem’s history. Among them are a German diplomat, the founder of an orphanage who was a significant contributor to modernizing the city, and a relative of the owners of a prominent hotel. Though members of the clergy say interfaith relations between top religious leaders have never been stronger, and police have been more responsive to such attacks in recent years, they say attacks continue unabated. Some activists say not enough is being done to stop them. “We are striving so hard to promote dignity and respect among the living. And here we have our dead people ... vandalized,” said the Very Rev. Hosam Naoum, caretaker of the Protestant cemetery. “No human would agree with this.” Police arrested four young Israeli settlers from the West Bank last week, two of them minors, in connection with the cemetery attack, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. But Rosenfeld said the four were subsequently released without charge until further questioning. Two of the suspects had been banned from entering the West Bank because of their connections to the “hilltop youth,” a movement of young Jewish extremists blamed for a spate of attacks in recent years on mosques, Christian sites and Israeli army property to protest government policy. The four suspects claimed they had entered the cemetery to immerse themselves in a ritual bath there, according to media
reports. Rosenfeld could not immediately confirm the reports, and the record of the court session was sealed because minors were involved. Naoum said the reported alibi was suspect. An ancient Jewish ritual bath was excavated on the premises but it contains no water, and an old well nearby has a narrow opening and would be dangerous to enter, he said. Naoum said his staff saw religious Jewish youths breaking into the cemetery again on Tuesday and Wednesday, though no damage was reported. Israeli media have said two of the original suspects were students at a nearby Jewish seminary known for its ultranationalist views. Naoum said he is reporting the events to the German and British embassies, which have representatives on the cemetery administration board, as well as to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The attack joins a list of highprofile Christian sites that have been vandalized within the past year. They include a Trappist monastery in Latrun, outside Jerusalem, where vandals burned a door and spray-painted “Jesus is a monkey” on the centuryold building, a Baptist church in Jerusalem, and other monasteries. Clergymen often speak of being spat at by ultra-Orthodox religious students while walking around Jerusalem’s Old City wearing frocks and crosses. Christian citizens of Israel, including Roman Catholic and Orthodox streams of Christianity, make up less than 2 percent of its nearly 8 million people. About three-quarters of them are Arabs, and the others arrived during a wave of immigration from former Soviet Union countries that began 20 years ago. Tens of thousands of Christian foreign workers and African migrants also live in Israel. The population figures include Christians in Israel and east Jerusalem, the section of the city captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians. Over the past three years, 17 Christian sites in the Holy Land have been reported vandalized, according to Search for Common Ground, a nongovernmental group that monitors press reports of attacks on religious sites. Researcher Kevin Merkelz said a police detective in charge of Christian affairs told the organization the numbers are actually higher, but Christian leaders
chose not to report many attacks to the press. “The Christians who are still here want to keep a low profile when attacked,” said Merkelz. He said the group does not include sites in the politically sensitive Old City of Jerusalem in its survey, because many sites are in dispute and the group does not want to be seen as taking sides. Christian leaders are often afraid to complain to police because many clergymen reside in Israel on special visas and wish to keep good relations with authorities, said Hana Bendcowsky of the Jerusalem Center for JewishChristian Relations. “There is a very strong feeling that the police are not doing enough ... and not doing work to prevent the phenomenon,” she said. Rosenfeld, the police spokesman, said Israeli police recently set up a task force to combat “nationalistic” motivated crimes, and last week arrested 14 youths in connection with attacks on Arabs. He said police are carrying out more patrols around holy sites and are considering installing security cameras to protect them. He also claimed the numbers of attacks against Christian sites remains relatively low. “There is more awareness that holy areas have to be watched closer and protected better,” Rosenfeld said. The Rev. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, one of the Roman Catholic church’s top officials in the Holy Land, said such attacks “have become routine and target not only Christians. They’re conducted by extremists and go against the spirit of tolerance. But it’s also true that they’re strongly condemned by the Jewish community, by people opposed to them.” Naoum, the cemetery caretaker, said a group of 150 Jewish religious figures will be paying a solidarity visit to the cemetery this week. In the oldest section of the Protestant Cemetery of Mount Zion, just outside the walls of Jerusalem’s ancient Old City, the tops of large stone monuments, many written in German, were bare, and the stone crosses that used to top them lay broken into a few pieces. Graves damaged belong to a British Mandate policeman and important figureheads in the city.
Morsi trial date stokes political drama in Egypt following force-out Prosecution charges Pres. incited followers to kill opponents BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The doctors who removed a blood clot from the brain of Argentina’s president said Wednesday that she’s improving “without complications.” But their terse report gave no information suggesting how long the government will be without its charismatic leader in charge. Their three-sentence report said Cristina Fernandez’s vital signs were “normal” and her spirits “very good.” It said the 60-year-old leader would begin eating later Wednesday. Her spokesman, Alfredo Scoccimarro, appeared briefly before a crowd outside the hospital to announce the doctors’ report, adding only that the president had slept well and “sends a big kiss to all the Argentines.” And that was it. The only government official authorized to release details about Fernandez’s condition left without taking questions. The lack of details frustrated Argentines such as Fernando Ballester, a 40-year-old office administrator. “She has the obligation to inform us. The president’s health is a matter of state,” he said. “The country can’t function without Cristina,” he said. “Our political system is focused on the presidency, and especially
the president we have now, who makes all the decisions.” Laboratory worker Silvina Caceres agreed: “It’s not OK that the president of the republic doesn’t keep the people informed about her health. Her life is not private ... If not, all she feeds to the people is paranoia.” Caceres was among many who are convinced Fernandez will keep working behind the scenes. “She keeps governing from the clinic,” Caceres said. Even Vice President Amado Boudou, nominally in charge of the executive branch while Fernandez recuperates, suggested as much on Tuesday, the day of her surgery. He declared in a speech that “to Cristina, her country is more important than her own health!” Brain surgeons not involved in Fernandez’s surgery consulted by The Associated Press said there was no reason to think that the surgery could have lasting complications, but they said the risks would increase if she tried to go back to work too soon. They also differed widely on how long such patients generally need to recuperate — the Argentines consulted said she could be out from 30 to even 90 days, while U.S. experts said she could be back to work in a week. A member of the surgical team, Dr. Pablo Rubino, suggested Wednesday that Argentines have little need to worry. “Once she’s completely recovered, there won’t be any problem. She’ll be able to do any sort
of activity,” he said. But Rubino, the chief of vascular surgery at the Fundacion Favaloro, where Fernandez remained in intensive therapy, stressed that confidentiality vows prevented her doctors from saying how long she might need to recover. “We can’t enter into details, but the information was absolutely faithful. The communications are absolutely accurate,” Rubino said. Pressed by a government radio host to say whether Fernandez could be out for a month, he said, “Some need less, some need more.” Argentina’s looming challenges include the Oct. 27 congressional elections, in which the ruling party now lacks its top campaigner. Another devastating loan default became more likely this week when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Argentina’s initial appeal in its debt fight. The economy has slowed, the currency is losing value and inflation is soaring. Ruling party lawmakers were making the best of it, debating the 2014 budget Wednesday. But many had questioned Boudou’s leadership because of the corruption investigations he faces, and the presidency didn’t make public the formal transfer-ofpower document that usually indicate how long a president would need to be replaced. “It’s like we’re on stand-by,” Caceres said. “Nothing important is going to happen until she takes the reins again.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, October 10, 2013 — 7A
The engineer turned lineman Storied programs face off in opener
By EVERETT COOK Daily Sports Editor
Joey Burzynski watched the first Michigan football game of his career like the rest of us, staring down at Denard Robinson, Mike Martin and Jonas Mouton from high up in the stands. That was Saturday, September 4, 2010. On Monday, Sept. 6 of that year, Burzynski was at a walk-on tryout. It lasted an hour and followed the team practice. Nothing too strenuous, just some work with the bags and pass protection drills. On Tuesday, a list was posted outside the field house. Burzynski’s name was on it, and just like that, he was practicing for the Michigan football team, shaking Robinson’s hand as a teammate instead of a fan. In his first meeting, Burzynski wore full pads. Director of Player Personnel Chris Singletary looked at him and said, “Full pads? You excited?” Burzynski smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m excited!” Singletary looked at Burzynski, then looked over at Martin, who is now a defensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans. Talking to Martin, Singletary said, “Did you hear that Mike? He’s ready for pads!” “All I could say was, ‘Oh, dear, what happened here?’ ” Burzynski said recently after practice. “The only way to describe it was bizarre. It was surreal. It didn’t really hit me until a couple weeks later, when I thought, ‘Holy crap, I’m playing for Michigan.’ ” Four years later before a game against Minnesota, Michigan coach Brady Hoke responded to a question about the interior offensive line, and who would play the left guard position if redshirt sophomore guard Graham Glasgow replaced redshirt sophomore Jack Miller at center. Hoke threw out the name of redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant, who eventually replaced Miller in the starting lineup. Next up was Burzynski, a kid that chose school over football out of high school and was ready to give up playing if it meant getting the education he wanted. Being successful in class was always more important than being successful on the field. Now, the biomedical engineering major currently pulling a 3.7 GPA is on the cusp of doing both. “Here we are, four years later,” Burzynski said with a laugh. “It’s been a wild ride for sure.” Both of Burzynski’s parents went to Michigan, but it still took some time for the now-redshirt junior to warm to the idea of becoming a Wolverine.
By JEREMY SUMMITT Daily Sports Editor
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Redshirt junior guard Joey Burzynski is the primary backup at both guard positions after walking on to the program.
When the Michigan hockey team hosts No. 4 Boston College on Thursday, the two most successful programs in college hockey will already know each other better than you’d expect. Two seniors, defenseman Mac Bennett and forward Derek DeBlois, grew up just 75 miles away from Boston College. Bennett has played with or against the majority of the Eagles’ roster in youth games and national team tryouts. DeBlois’s two sisters and his mother attended Boston College. “I converted them to Michigan fans,” DeBlois said. His family will be in town for Thursday’s game, and while DeBlois grew up rooting for the Eagles, he says he knew Michigan was always the place for him. During Bennett’s recruitment, it came down to Boston College or Michigan. After the game, he’ll gain some insight into his decision. “I want to make sure I chose the right place tomorrow,” Bennett said. On opposite benches, Michigan coach Red Berenson and Boston College coach Jerry York have built a close relationship through coaching. The two are the winningest active coaches in college hockey — York has tallied 935 wins compared to Berenson’s 770. They spoke Monday — as Berenson says, the “old guys” always have to stick together. Dating back to before it was Berenson vs. York, the Wolverines lead the Eagles, 11-6, in the overall series. Neither team has ever lost at home. The raucous atmosphere at Yost Ice Arena will be a crucial factor for both teams, especially with 10 freshmen on each side. Boston College and Michigan, in that order, are the youngest teams in the nation. The role of both teams’ large freshman classes could be a critical deciding factor. For the Wolverines, both Berenson and Bennett have been pleased with the growth of the youngsters in practice this week. “Me, personally, I’m play-
ing with (defenseman Nolan) de Jong, and I love playing with him,” Bennett said. “He’s a really smart player, and he’s going to be a guy we’re probably going to look to.” De Jong led the team with five shots in an exhibition loss to Waterloo (Ont.) this past Sunday. Fellow freshmen defensemen Michael Downing and Kevin Lohan also look to heavily contribute on an inexperienced blue line. But the upcoming test against the Eagles will be a demanding one. Boston College returns forward Johnny Gaudreau, who led the nation with 1.46 points per game last year, while being named Hockey East Player of the Year. Among other accolades, he was honored as one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. “Whoever is covering him, just make sure you’re pressed the entire time,” Bennett said. “Whenever he touches the puck, someone needs to make sure he feels their presence. We just have to be all over him and shut him down.” That’s easier said than done against a player who tallied 21 goals and 30 assists last season. But what Michigan isn’t lacking is confidence. After the exhibition loss, both Bennett and sophomore forward Andrew Copp said they would be well prepared for the Eagles. Thursday’s matchup will be the first time Michigan has played a ranked opponent in a season opener since 2007, when the Wolverines topped the Eagles 4-3 in St. Paul, Minn. This will be Boston College’s first trip to Ann Arbor since 2005. There’s more to a rivalry than location, and Thursday will pit two storied programs against one another in one of the biggest games of the season for both teams. DeBlois kept his feelings about the game extremely concise. “We definitely have to beat these guys,” he said. In hockey, friends become foes. At Yost, the opposition becomes hated enemies. Bragging rights between childhood buddies and two old friends are officially up for grabs.
“I want to make sure I chose the right place tomorrow.”
COURTESY OF BURZYNSKI FAMILY
Joey Burzynski at the Rose Bowl in 1998. Both of his parents attended Michigan.
Believe it or not, the 6-foot-1, 290-pound offensive lineman used to play soccer, and his dad would play ‘The Victors’ on the way to those games. After a high-school career where he won two county championships at Carlsbad (Calif.) High School, Burzynski received interest from Ivy League and Division II programs but decided that school was more important than football. If he was going to play college football, it was going to be as a walk-on. Michigan was in Burzynski’s top three, but he knew immediately after he visited that he wanted to be in Ann Arbor. “I’m so grateful to be at Michigan,” he said. “I’ll go to other schools, especially in California to visit friends, and I’ll just think to myself, ‘Thank God I didn’t go here.’ This has been everything I’ve dreamed of. It’s been perfect.” Still, college football didn’t care that Burzynski had been a Michigan fan for as long as he could remember. His highschool coach, Bob McAllister, said that it’s easy for walk-on guys to get lazy the summer after
high school. There’s no one there to push them. Not for Burzynski. He didn’t have any guarantees but was still working out like he was a returning All-American. After he made the team, it would have been easy to get complacent. Burzynski was just 260 pounds and getting demolished on the scout team by Martin. All he could think about was trying not to embarrass himself on the scout team, much less trying to get on the field. “I would have to wake up early, work out, go to practice and just get wrecked,” he said. I would hit (Martin) and say, ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.’ He didn’t move and could pick me up with one arm.” But in between engineering lectures on North Campus and summer internships with startups, Burzynski kept working. He’s played in 13 career games and is the primary backup for both guard positions. “I never underestimate the ability of a kid that’s smart enough to know that if he thinks he can do it, he will do it,” McAllister said. “There might be guys
that are more talented physically, but there’s not a kid who is going to give you more effort, heart and passion than Joey. Those guys figure out a way to get on the field.” At Michigan, Burzynski is in an honors program called Engineering Global Leadership, which combines his major with business and international studies classes. The end goal is to be in product design while doing research on the side. That’s what he came to Michigan for. That’s why he’s here, not for football. But he’s still got another year of eligibility after this season, another brick in the road of the biomedical engineer turned offensive lineman. “It never ceases to surprise and amaze me what he’s done,” McAllister said. “It’s a lesson for anyone, that if they work hard enough they can create an opportunity for themselves to be successful. He’s definitely done that for himself, and he’s earned everything that’s come his way. I know he’ll do anything on the field or off the field to make sure Michigan keeps winning.”
FOOTBALL
Michigan begins to whisper By ZACH HELFAND Daily Sports Editor
When Beaver Stadium is at its loudest, scientists have determined that the sound is loud enough to cause physical pain to the eardrum. During a 2007 game against Ohio State, Andrew Barnard of Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory’s Structural Acoustics Department recorded a sound of 122 decibels at its brief peak. For reference, that’s two times louder than a loud rock concert. It’s four times as loud as a jet flyover 1,000 feet overhead. It’s as if each person on the field is standing near a chainsaw. To replicate loud playing conditions, most teams blast music to obscure the snap count. The Michigan football team has done the same in the past. But when the Wolverines began practice Tuesday, there was no music, no noise. Instead, Michigan is fighting chainsaws with silence. When redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner called out the snap, he did it in a faint whisper. As redshirt sophomore center Graham Glasgow tried to explain: “Instead of, like, being louder, we’re trying to be, like, quieter.” The idea originated with offensive coordinator Al Borges. When
Borges approached Gardner with the idea, “I busted out laughing,” Gardner said. “I thought it was a joke,” he said. “But if you think about it, conceptually it is a good idea.” That idea is this: music, especially outdoors, doesn’t provide an accurate imitation of crowd noise. A whispered snap count, on the other hand, can be reliably heard only by Glasgow when Gardner is under center. That’s closer to what the line will hear — or more precisely, not hear — at Penn State. At the sustained levels recorded by Barnard, only those standing 1.5 feet or closer to the quarterback would be physically able to hear and understand his calls. That means only Glasgow. “That’s kind of how it’s gonna be when it’s really loud,” Gardner said. “Just like I’m whispering even if I’m yelling at the top of my lungs.” By Wednesday, Gardner was a believer — so much so that he gave a demonstration for the reporters assembled at his press conference. Gardner leaned in to the microphone. “Set hut, black 17, black 17, set hut.” His voice was audible above the noise of the ventilation system and cars rumbling past outside, but not by much. “That’s how low I was talking,” Gardner said. “It was pretty cool.
Everybody got off the ball just fine, so that’s refreshing.” When Michigan has played on the road, it has battled against more than just its opponent. Often, it has struggled with the atmosphere, and just as often, its been beaten by itself. Under Michigan coach Brady Hoke, the Wolverines have gone 5-5 in true road games, excluding neutral-field contests. Hoke has been clear about the source of the road woes: turnovers. In the Wolverines’ 10 games on the road during Hoke’s tenure, they have turned the ball over 28 times. In losses, they averaged more than three turnovers per game. Those losses have come at hostile venues like Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium, Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium or Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium. Hoke isn’t sold that crowd noise is to blame, but he acknowledged that it can be a factor. “Believe me, some guys do get distracted,” Hoke said, noting that at Michigan State his first year as head coach, the team had communication issues. “That’s not a good thing.” Compared to the other Big Ten venues, Beaver Stadium is louder and more boisterous than all of them. There, the sound is allenveloping, wrapping around the offense like a dense fog.
Because Michigan last made the trip to Happy Valley in 2010, most on the team haven’t played there. Those who have remember. “It felt like the ground was shaking,” Gardner said. “Sometimes we’ll be standing face to face, and I won’t be able to hear myself think or hear you talk,” said fifth-year senior left tackle Taylor Lewan. That left such a lasting impression that Lewan was inspired to text Hoke at 11:30 last Saturday night, saying the team needed extra crowd-noise work this week. Borges was ready. Hoke said this isn’t the first time Borges has used the whisper technique. At San Diego State, Hoke and Borges used it when playing Brigham Young or Utah. Did it work? “I think so,” Hoke said. “It’s hard for me to remember to be honest with you. We got crushed one year up there at Utah, so it probably didn’t help that game.” That’s not too surprising. The whisper is a close facsimile, but it’s not the real thing. If Penn State approaches 120 decibels again on Saturday, the point where the ground shakes and your head pounds, it will be a full 10 billion times louder than Gardner’s whisper. And that’s impossible to prepare for.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Senior forward Derek DeBlois grew up a Boston College fan but chose Michigan.
8A — Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the lgbt-side B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, October 10, 2013
University alumni Noël Gordon and Zesheng Chen attended the same party their freshman year, but had drastically different experiences. Gordon, a former columnist for The Michigan Daily, experienced a racially charged confrontation with another partygoer, while Chen had the time of his life. Still, for both men, the party helped them realize how their racial identities couldn’t be separated from their identities as queer. Not long after, during the winter semester of 2012, Gordon and Chen founded the Coalition for Queer People of Color. That story is how LSA seniors Alex Ngo and Ozi Uduma recounted the formation of the Coalition for Queer People of Color. Ngo and Uduma serve as two of the three current co-chairs of the Coalition, and explained how Gordon and Chen recognized the ways other student organizations weren’t always welcoming to queer students of color. “I think generally they just found that, in the spaces where they were supposed to feel comfortable and supposed to feel the most themselves, they still felt this kind of conflict happening where they maybe had to put their sexual orientation up front first and kind of leave their racial identity to the back burner in order to fit in,” Ngo said. “The Coalition came about as a way to fill that need.” No such thing as a single-issue struggle When Ngo tried to be a part of Asian spaces and communities on campus, he confronted an obstacle. As a queer Asian, he wasn’t always welcome in these groups,
which were unified through their racial identities but didn’t really allow Ngo to also bring his queer identity to the table. Sometimes the Asian students around him would even say homophobic remarks, leading him to consider whether he should hide his queer identity. Uduma, a Martha Cook Diversity Peer Educator and the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, explained that spaces for people of color on campus sometimes carry a fear or uneasiness about confronting and discussing sexuality. Their third co-chair, LSA senior Ramiro Alvarez Cabriales, agreed and spoke specifically in terms of the Latin@ community on campus. “I think the biggest scapegoat when interacting in predominantly Latin@ student of color spaces is that it is in our culture to be hyper-masculine or that it is inherently in our culture to be heteronormative,” Cabriales said. “Those spaces can be very homophobic.” Not only do the clubs for students of particular racial or ethnic identities not always welcome queer people, but some of the predominantly white LGBTQ groups on campus also have a disconnect when it comes to race. Cabriales and Uduma both expressed their frustration with the “gay is the new black” rhetoric that some LGBTQ organizations have adopted. “What if you’re both?” Cabriales asked. When LGBTQ organizations try to equate racial oppression to oppression based on sexuality, they ignore and marginalize queer people of color. Cabriales and Ngo’s racial identities can’t be separated from their queerness, and yet in some spaces, they were made to feel like they should prioritize one over the other. “Tokenizing happens a lot — fetishizing, exotifi-
cation of black and brown bodies,” Cabriales said of predominantly white LGBTQ spaces. “It’s made very evident that we are different in queer spaces. It’s made very evident that either we are unwelcome or obsessed over in this weird ‘I want to hook up with a brown boy’ kind of way.” These queer spaces on campus often reflect the agenda of the mainstream LGBTQ movement, which similarly doesn’t speak for or include queer people of color. The mainstream movement is currently very focused on marriage equality and the rights attached to marriage, and this priority doesn’t necessarily always resonate with communities of color. “I used to be undocumented, and most of my family continues to be undocumented,” Cabriales said. “I feel like I’m wasting my time to continue to talk about marriage when there are queer people who are undocumented. Marriage isn’t even a possibility for them.” “My parents are straight and don’t even have health insurance,” Cabriales said, emphasizing how the fight for marriage equality sometimes ignores broader social justice issues. “I experience homosexuality in a very different way because of the way my family is structured,” Cabriales said. “I experience it in more than one language, in more than one country, and white Americans don’t get that. They don’t get that sometimes you have to come out in English, sometimes in Spanish. You have to find words for both, because no one is taught the words to come out ever because you’re presumed to be straight from birth.” See RADICAL LOVE, Page 3B
ILLUSTRATION BY MELISSA FREELAND, NICK CRUZ, AND JAKE WELLINS
the lgbt-side
2B — Thursday, October 10, 2013
NETFLIX PIX
GOSSIP COLUMN
In defense of Chris Brown’s career By LENA FINKEL Daily Gossip Columnist
It’s no secret that 90 percent of what comes out of Chris Brown’s mouth is completely idiotic. Every time someone utters his name, my first thought is always, “What did he say this time?” Honestly, his agent should just tell him to shut the fuck up already and stop picking up the phone when the press rings. Most recently, Chris complained about his additional 1,000 community service hours being a “bitch” (he even claimed the District Attorney had racial bias), and bragged about losing his virginity at the ripe age of 8. Seriously, he told The Guardian UK, “At 8, being able to do it kind of preps you for the long run, so you can be beast at it.” Truly inspiring, that boy. But despite the numerous Chris Brown scandals over the years, and his misogyny in general, I still listen to some of his music. To clarify, this means I have exactly one Chris Brown song on my iPod and have seen a few of his music videos. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a crime. Yet, after telling one of my roommates that I liked Brown’s new song, “Love More,” he looked at me and said, “It always really surprises me when girls say they like Chris Brown.” As if to say, as a woman, it was my responsibility to throw a hissy fit about every single sexist thing in our culture. As if to say, that as a man, it was OK if he liked Chris Brown because Brown’s problems didn’t have anything to do with him.
Let’s just let this marinate for a second. According to my roommate (and probably a bunch of other people out there — I can’t imagine he’s alone in this thinking), women are the only ones who should be outraged by our sexist culture. While he didn’t state this explicitly, I’ve come to know him well enough to understand his thought process. News f lash: Half the music topping the charts these days contains sexist content. Eminem, Robin Thicke, Lil Wayne, all guilty of a good misogynistic song or two (or three or four). A common offender, Lil Wayne’s lyrics in “Tapout” include, “She say I drive her crazy, I say just keep on your seatbelt / Bend it over bust it open for me / Baby bend it over bust it open for me / She say she love me she loves this dick.”
He isn’t a role model, but he doesn’t pretend to be. And in general, Chris Brown isn’t the only one making money off his bad-boy reputation. Justin Bieber had marijuana and monkey troubles (remember that incident at the German airport?); Kanye West can’t help but Twitter rant in ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME; One Direction’s Harry Styles is an infamous womanizer; Miley Cyrus is, well, you know … Miley Cyrus.
I can’t be responsible for standing up to every single bad influence in our music industry. I just can’t. It’s too exhausting. And I honestly don’t think rebelling against Chris Brown would really do much in the long run anyway. As much as I hate to admit it, leaving all my ideological notions behind, one person just can’t change an entire industry, let alone an entire culture. No matter how much I protest Chris Brown, he will always get DUIs and mistreat women, and he will continue to be famous despite it all. In an industry where all press is considered good press, Chris Brown is the king. Plus, putting all the violence and degradation of women aside, Chris Brown isn’t completely undeserving of fame. He’s a good singer, a really great dancer and overall, a pretty talented guy (have you seen his moves in his “Yeah 3X” video?). And I can only imagine all the hard work it took to perform nearly every night for two months like he did for his F.A.M.E tour back in 2011. Not to mention the determination it required to make numerous comebacks, despite the plethora of bad press. Considering all the talentless schmucks out there eating up fame for no reason (Jenny McCarthy and Jessica Alba, to name a few), I’d rather give my attention to someone who earned it. Chris Brown is certainly no role model, and he’s never going to be a saint, but at least everyone knows it. Better the devil you know than the one you don’t, right? Well, sort of.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Daily Arts Writers dig through recent Netflix releases to find the films worth revisiting or discovering.
“Fargo”
GRAMERCY
NEW LINE
“King of New York”
Originally released in 1996, this Coen Brothers police drama has since become recognized as one of the duo’s most relevant works. Not only does it bend the traditional rules of a typical police procedural by humoring and humanizing its subjects, it does so through the eyes of perhaps the brothers’ most unique character to date: the very cunning, extremely willful and extraordinarily pregnant Police Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand). Even if you’re not that into the Coen Brothers, cops-and-robbers or movies in general, check out “Fargo” for that iconic central performance by McDormand. It’ll stick with you.
This is not a very good film. It’s boring, clichéd and probably the most run-down regurgitation of the crime boss genre until someone does a takeby-take remake of the “Godfather,” but I’m not ashamed to say I’ve watched it three times. Why? Christopher Walken. Walken, without hyperbolizing, is this movie. His lines are never really special, but seem quotable in real time only because they’re being said with perfect Walken inflection. If you, like any sane person, have an excuse to brush up on your Walken impression, this is the movie to watch. Also, Gus from “Breaking Bad” is in it. SOOO ...
MIRAMAX
TRISTAR
Finkel is listening to the one Chris Brown song she has. To join, e-mail ljfinkel@umich.edu.
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW Fresh off of Pusha T’s latest album, the music video for “Nosetalgia,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, is an Aunexpectedly calm video Nosetalgia considering Pusha T the the two big name artGood Music ists it features. The song has a simple, catchy beat that syncs well with the decidedly minimalist video. Shot in black and white, the video has an eerie vibe and cinematography that reduces any distracting visual noise. Dim street lights illuminating the block, the duo lazily strolls through a sketchy neighborhood sporting all black in the early hours of the morning, and the viewer has no choice but to pay particularly close attention to the rappers. Without a single cut in the
GOOD MUSIC
tape, the flow of the video is undisturbed from start to end. After finishing his verse, while still in focus, Pusha T can be seen following behind Kendrick while periodically wiping his nose and neck as if he’d recently snorted coke and is already sweating from withdrawals. Clearly, though, this music video is out of the ordinary. There’s no producer plugging
himself every 30 seconds, shouting “DJ KHALED,” no scantily clad women gyrating in the background and at no point is there a cutaway in the filming to the rappers in different clothes at a different location. The videography of “Nosetalgia” is on point, and is a refreshing calm in the storm of obnoxiously over-produced gangster-rap music videos today. —KEN SALANDER
TRAILER REVIEW There are two kinds of people in the world: the idiots who enjoy observing other idiots confirm their A imbecility in “Jackass,” Jackass and everyone else. Presents: I’m happy Bad to declare Grandpa myself a member of Paramount the former group, laughing away as I watch a grown man walk into a Home Depot fully intent on defecating in a display toilet. That same brand of conspicuous, almost childlike foolishness, is on full, ugly display in “Bad Grandpa,” brought to us by the geniuses behind the “Jackass” trilogy. The trailer walks us through Johnny Knoxville (“Jackass 3D”) impersonating
PARAMOUNT
a man much older than himself, accompanying his pretend-grandson as they road trip across the country to reunite with the kid’s father. Along the way, we get brief snippets of the two crashing a funeral service, robbing liqueur stores and, the coupde-grace, entering a children’s beauty pageant (you’ll always be my cherry pie, Knoxville).
If you do end up shelling out $8 to watch this movie in a couple weeks, something I highly recommend doing, have enough sense to leave all senses at home. Because this is a movie for the idiots, by the idiots. And maybe once every year, there’s nothing wrong with that. —AKSHAY SETH
“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”
“As Good as It Gets”
George Clooney is a lot of things. Handsome, charming, dat smile, basically a physical incarnation of Danny Ocean from the “Ocean’s” trilogy. Except, of course, he’s not a thief. He’s a filmmaker. And in every sense of the word, he’s a master of his craft. So do yourself a favor and check out his directorial debut, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” boasting a powerhouse leading performance by Sam Rockwell as Chuck Barris, the successful game show host who claimed to live a double life as a CIA assassin. It’s a long movie that requires close attention, but as is habitual to anything produced by GCloons, the effort is more than worth it. Rather than your cutand-dry biopic, what we get is a film that blurs the line between sanity and fiction. It’s a trippy ride, but you’ll be glad you took it.
“As Good as It Gets” is about a man pitted against his OCD and dyspeptic prejudices — all of which he has to overcome to win the love of a waitress. Melvin Udall is, of course, played by Jack Nicholson in an Oscar-winning performance and Carolyn Connelly by Helen Hunt, who also grabbed an Oscar. Ultimately, it’s the film’s romantic gestures that lend it a sweet quality, and it’s the pragmatic hardships both characters face each day therein portrayed that make it a statement about courage and redemption and love’s relation to both. The film excels in lending voice to the little things that are so often left unsaid. In the purity of Melvin’s profession of love, “You make me wanna be a better man.”
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the lgbt-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, October 10, 2013 — 3B
HEALTH AND FITNESS COLUMN
RADICAL LOVE From Page 1B According to Cabriales, the mainstream gay agenda often entails fighting around one identity, which he doesn’t feel is the right approach. He recalled the words of Caribbean-American feminist and civil rights activist Audre Lorde: “There is no such thing as a singleissue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” “We are not single-issue people,” Cabriales added. This realization of a need for a space where queer people of color wouldn’t have to prioritize one identity over another helped bring Ngo, Uduma and Cabriales to the Coalition. Ngo was first introduced to the Coalition after participating in the rXs intragroup dialogue, a program that preceded the Coalition for Queer People of Color and is now run through the Coalition. Launched in fall 2011, rXs is a semester-long dialogue program for LGBTQ people of color that, like the Coalition, seeks to create a safe space for queer and trans* people of color to share their lived experiences and connect with others. “I had just come out, so I was so focused on my sexual orientation and so focused on getting gay males to accept me,” Ngo said. When Coalition founders Gordon and Chen approached him about joining the RxS dialogue, he was “very apprehensive and even scared.” “But going through the process really changed my whole outlook on identities and reinforced to me that I didn’t have to, and I shouldn’t have to, pick one or the other,” Ngo said. “I should be able to live my life fully, recognizing all of my identities.” Sustaining diversity With its history of liberal activism and radical social movements, Ann Arbor and the University’s campus are often assumed to be a bubble of tolerance and acceptance. As Uduma and Ngo explained, that can be a problematic and blinding approach to how we view the campus. “I think it paralyzes people into thinking that they have this checklist,” Ngo said. “As long as they check off ‘OK, I’m a liberal; OK, I have a diverse group of friends; OK, I treat everyone equally,’ they think they can walk around and just feel good about themselves. I think that’s actually a boundary for them to actually go deeper and delve into the biases that we all have.” Uduma agreed, but also recognized that there are some people who come to Ann Arbor who feel the safest they’ve ever felt. “For some,” she said, “Ann Arbor is the place where they feel safest to be themselves.” “I can attest to that,” Ngo interjected. “But for others, a lot of us feel stifled here,” Uduma continued. “It’s a liberalism without being conscious about what’s going on and without being critical about what’s going on.” Part of that disconnect comes from the fact that some feel the University itself has many shortcomings when it comes to answering the needs of queer students of color. “In my experience, all the departments at the University have this message of wanting diversity,” Ngo said. “I feel like it’s a lot of lip service, saying that they’re inclusive and saying that they have a lot
When feeling SAD, seek help
MARLENE LACASSE/Daily
The Coalition collaborates with other groups and co-sponsored an event celebrating Latin@ culture on campus on Oct. 7.
of diversity but having no action for how to really implement and how to really be true to their word.” Uduma reiterated that the University has to put more action behind the dialogue on diversity. “There’s such a focus on numbers and increasing the numbers for diversity, but there’s nothing about sustaining the students that you already have,” she said. “What happens when you have this increase, and you don’t know what to do with these students? They’re still going to face the same problems that you’re not willing to change structurally or implement more programs beyond just talking about it.” “It has way more to do than just programming,” Ngo added. “If the staff in your department is all white, why aren’t you talking about that? Are you trying to recruit more people of color and more queer people of color to really serve the students? Are these students even a priority in the first place? So I think just structurally, those are issues I’ve seen on campus. You can say that you want diversity, but where is the dedication? Where is the actual action?” One of the most visible resources and spaces for multi-cultural students on campus is the Trotter Multicultural Center, which originally opened in 1971 as a black student cultural center, but was expanded to become an inclusive student multicultural center in 1981. The Trotter House, while providing useful programs and resources to students of color, has its downfalls. “It’s falling apart,” Uduma said. “That place is not sustainable.” The Trotter House also doesn’t necessarily provide a safe space for queer students of color, as the building is located near fraternity houses. Fraternities, as Ngo explained, are not always safe spaces for queer people. When asked about where the Coalition sees a need for reform at the University level, Ngo echoed Cabriales’s belief in a plurality of issues. “There’s not necessarily a queer-person-of-color issue,” Ngo said. “All issues are queer issues. Because we have to get healthcare, too; we have to be in these classes; we might have to go to SAPAC; we also have to go to UHS. We need to make sure these departments realize that queer students are on this campus, and they need to tailor their services for us, and people of color, and the intersection of both.” Creating safe spaces The Coalition for Queer People of Color focuses its activism not on particular issues but rather on
creating a community and safe space for people to be themselves and love themselves. This year’s theme for the Coalition is “Radical Love.” Ngo said the Coalition’s core has been grappling with a critical question this year: “What’s the point of expending all of this energy on the University or sources that don’t care about us, on trying to convince people to care about us when they don’t and they never will?” The Coalition answered by taking an inward look and deciding to channel its energy into fostering a community where queer people of color can feel safe, affirmed and empowered. It accomplishes this through events like Coalition T(ea), a weekly event hosted by the Coalition that allows queer people of color to talk about their personal lives as well as current events and news on campus and beyond. “We’re trying to focus our energy on really loving ourselves, each other, on creating a space where we can be us and not apologize for it,” Ngo said. “And from there, people will have a stronger foundation to go out and radically love ourselves in front of other people.” “We’ve given that space to people to say you are special; you are good enough; you are beautiful enough,” Uduma said. “You get to define who you are in this space, and I think that’s radical in and of itself. Because we allow people to be who they are in a world that tells them they can’t be who they are.” Ngo quoted feminist person of color Kim Katrin Crosby, who changed his life at the Coalition’s “Color of Change” conference last year, saying: “Our most radical work is to love ourselves.” To Ngo, creating spaces for people to love themselves and not be sorry for who they are is what the Coalition is all about. It might not look like what people generally think of as activism, but creating community and safe spaces can change people’s lives and how they view themselves. “In that one moment, I can be who I am around people who aren’t going to judge me, who are going to understand,” Uduma said of the Coalition community. “Then, I can go back into the world a little bit stronger and feel a little better about myself. And feel like I can sustain myself for as long as I need to until I come back to this space with these people and get more of that.” Cabriales described one of the first events the Coalition organized. Called Family Barbeque, the logistics of the event were simple: a gathering of peers for a meal and conversation. However, the event was only open to queer people of color. Family Barbeque immedi-
SINGLE REVIEW A simple keyboard paired with lush percussion creates the ethereal “Suckling” from Philadelphia duo, Pattern AIs Movement. The Suckling pair recently covered Pattern is D’Angelo’s Movement “Untitled Hometapes (How Does It Feel)”, which seems fitting based on the soulful vocals they provide on their original track. Beginning with nothing more than the sounds of rhythmic keys and echoing snaps, the song’s minimalism comes across as a new-age slow jam — like a significantly less sexual “Pony” for the selfie generation. The systematically off harmonic dissonance is a stimulating contrast to the whimsical instrumentation, even evok-
HOMETAPES
ing the now Yeezus-shrouded memories of Bon Iver’s additions to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Though the song can’t be strictly categorized into one
specific genre, that’s its biggest success. Pattern Is Movement manages to mix it all together and create a smooth and sensual jam all their own. —ERIKA HARWOOD
ately created a buzz, some of it in opposition from white or straightidentifying people who were excluded from the event. But the other reaction was one of intense revelation: Many attendees had never been in a room surrounded entirely by queer people of color. Creating a community like that, Cabriales said, was something that simply had never happened for most of the queer students of color who attended. “We create, deconstruct, reimagine community constantly,” Cabriales said. Empowering the community The structure of the Coalition reflects its commitment to a sense of community. The organization is non-hierarchical, and even though there are designated chair and core positions, that’s just for organizational reasons. The Coalition’s core doesn’t have a designated leader or leaders making executive decisions: Everyone participates in the process together. The Coalition also gives agency to its general members who might not sit on the executive board but still have the power to plan and organize events around their interests. At the Coalition’s general meetings, all members spend up to two hours together, discussing what they’d like to focus on that month. If someone comes forward with an idea for an event they’d like to plan, the Coalition gives that person the opportunity to plan and spearhead the event themselves. “We’re really about making sure that when we say we’re a community, we actually have action behind it,” Uduma said. “So this is a chance for people to get involved with what they’re passionate about.” Ngo, for example, organized a Coalition event that addressed domestic violence and intimate partner violence last year even though he didn’t hold an official position at that time. Though he wasn’t a part of the core and had little experience, the Coalition gave him the agency to lead the event and make it his own. “I still felt like a part of the community anyways and felt empowered to plan this event,” Ngo said. That emphasis on community and engagement is what drew Engineering freshman Sebastian Rios to the Coalition. He attended the organization’s first mass meeting this year and was blown away by how many people of different identities he met. “I really think it’s important for an organization to have an active role,” Rios said, “to bring some sort of support to minorities and to subgroups in the community.” Rios also attended one of the Coalition T(ea)s, which he described as an ongoing dialogue, where people can discuss and analyze the societal implications, attitudes and misconceptions about relevant topics. The Coalition invites queer people of color, straight people of color, queer white people and straight white people to participate in these dialogues. The Coalition T(ea) conversations are another way the Coalition constructs new spaces for people to share their experiences and connect with others, ultimately building on that foundation of racial love and radical self-love. Most of the teas are held at public spaces like the Espresso Royale on State Street, but the Coalition also makes sure to host some teas in private, undisclosed places for people who may prefer anonymity when discussing their identities. “I think that just because we are talking about things that no one else is talking about, that breeds a sense of intimidation or fear,” Ngo said. “But all we are doing is reclaiming spaces and our own experiences and saying we need spaces to talk about these issues. And if that’s radical, then so be it.”
T
he only slightly comical aspect of Seasonal Affective Disorder is its ever-so-appropriate acronym: SAD. It does, in fact, make you sad. But beyond that, there’s nothing even relatively funny about this condition, especially for us MichiCARLY ganders. KEYES A recurrent winter depression also known as the “winter blues,” SAD usually begins in October or November and subsides in March or April, and includes symptoms like “oversleeping, daytime fatigue, carbohydrate craving and weight gain, and in more extreme scenarios, hopelessness, social withdrawal and suicidal thoughts,” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan Chapter. The depth of the havoc wrought by SAD relates to the amount of daylight during autumn and winter, which can affect levels of chemicals and hormones in the brain like serotonin, a mood elevator, and melatonin, a sleep-pattern regulator, according to University Depression Center. So, it makes sense that SAD hits Michigan hard — our winters are a never-ending supply of gray days and a lengthy string of sorry-looking skies. (Note to self: another good reason to move to Los Angeles when I graduate.) The less the sun shines, the less we shine inside. Obvious, right? We all know that it feels inherently better when we look up at the sky and see a bright, blue abyss rather than a dull, drab oblivion. But we can’t ignore the hard science of SAD, because it reveals why one of the most effective treatments for this mental health disorder and the like is anti-depressant medication. I don’t advocate relying on an all-powerful “magic pill” to do all the work for you, to chase away the blues and illuminate your eyes with rainbows. University Depression Center suggests all of the usual, undeniably helpful activities to combat SAD: Get plenty of exercise, spend time outside, eat a healthy diet and practice relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga. NAMI also recommends installing bright, white fluorescent light bulbs, or a special lamp, as a form of “light therapy.” But in the midst of a depressive state, sometimes it’s not
so easy to move a muscle to change a thought. Telling someone who’s clinically depressed to “just cheer up” is like telling an alcoholic to “just quit drinking.” This is not a quick fix. Depression, like alcoholism, is not a conscious choice; it’s a mental illness. And to end my own battle with depression, I needed more than help from Mother Nature. First, I needed a doctor. During the fall semester of my freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, despite my success in the classroom and on the soccer field, I started feeling down for no reason. Pretty soon, I had every SAD symptom. But I just chalked it up as standard fatigue from an incredibly active, stressful lifestyle. I was wrong. Soon, there was nothing standard about my fatigue. Every day was a struggle to get out of bed, to get to class, to get through a training session, to get toothpaste on my toothbrush. I morphed from a 3.5 GPA student in the Wharton business school and a starter on the varsity soccer team into a lethargic zombie behind closed blinds with a Taking Back Sunday playlist on repeat.
You can’t just will yourself to be happier. “What is happening to me?” I thought. “Who would choose this?” Then my grades dropped like crashing stock, and I was on the verge of quitting the soccer team because it was hard to sprint around a track when a walk to class became a chore. Miserable and hopeless, I finally admitted that I needed more help than I could give myself and made an appointment with the Penn clinic. After a few weeks on medication, I went on a run for the first time in months, and I cried my eyes out afterward because I felt like myself again. Just as a diabetic, or anyone else with a chronic condition, needs daily medication, I’m no different. Mental health disorders are no different. So, if SAD darkens your doorstep this season, and you find yourself in a situation like mine, where self-care is futile, don’t be afraid to seek additional help. It made all the difference for me. Keyes is soaking up the sun. To join her, e-mail cekmusic@umich.edu.
the lgbt-side
4B — Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
THE D’ART BOARD
Each week we take shots at the biggest developments in the entertainment world. Here’s what hit (and missed) this week.
Momedy Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos to produce comedy about moms
May the dolls be ever in your favor Mattel reveals “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”-inspired Barbie dolls at New York Comic-Con She can’t stop Miley Cyrus told Matt Lauer he’s too old to be sexual on “Today”
Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?
Font Monster Lady Gaga releases ARTPOP album cover
Avril Lavigne and her husband Chad Krueger release duet, “Let Me Go”
Design by Nick Cruz
AUT AND PROUD
Aut Bar crafts inclusive community Local bar offers space for all identities By SEAN CZARNECKI Daily Film Editor
The bar’s windows are tall and unshaded. No drape is drawn. No light is dimmed. One can see its rich interior from outside — the resonant golden walls, black-andwhite photo portraits, hanging blue lamps. Stamped at the base of the windows is white lettering that reads: \`aüt\ and proud. Out and proud. It’s 4 p.m. in Kerrytown, and Aut Bar has just opened. Co-owner Keith Orr calls Aut Bar “straight friendly.” Like the
newly burgeoning term “LGBTQIA,” his turn of phrase implies an all-inclusive outlook for the future. It provides a place of safety for the community — a piece of common ground over light brunch, beer or laughs at the bar. “Gay, straight, lesbian, transgender, cross-dresser — you name it,” said restaurant server Robert King. “People come in here, and they feel comfortable.” King motioned toward the photos on the wall. He doesn’t believe most customers even realize they’re photos of gay people, if it even crosses their minds. At 4 p.m., Sam Cash is working, too. He’s bartended here now for six years. “It’s like a gay ‘Cheers,’ ” Cash
NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daily
U of M Dearborn student Michelle Kos pours a drink at Aut Bar.
said. “At first, I always thought gay bars were like, you know, just dancing and everyone going crazy. “It’s the only gay bar in town, but I don’t think people really see it like that. It stands on its own — the place with the patio, the place with the good brunch. I guess maybe when they opened, it was a little bit different.” Before 1995, when Aut Bar opened, another gay bar was already in business. But its conduct toward customers disturbed Orr. At a time when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak, it was “painfully obvious” to him that the bar wasn’t gay-owned. “Across the nation, bars were where fundraising was happening and where information was being disseminated and sometimes where you were finding out if people were alive or dead,” Orr said. “Our local gay bar refused to do anything, to have AIDS mentioned — any fundraising — not even a collection jar.” Orr and his partner, Martin Contreras, had already been running a Mexican restaurant when it became apparent that a new bar was needed, one unashamed of its demographic and rooted in the struggle of the community. “Straight folks are absolutely welcome,” Orr said, “as long as they understand that it’s a safe place for the gay community. And we need safe places — still.” The place in which Aut Bar rests, Braun Court, is a hub for LGBTQ activism. Next door stands Orr’s second business, the Common Language Bookstore, and next to that, the Jim Toy Community Center. Looking out through Aut Bar’s
NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daily
Aut Bar hosts karaoke every Tuesday and trivia every Thursday.
windows, across the patio, you can see Shout, a venue that the Michigan International Gay Rodeo Association rents out each year. Orr elaborated on the urgency of activism as a whole. “It energizes people and reaffirms them,” he said. “If you’re an NRA member, all you have to do is turn on the TV or go to the multiplex, and you get reaffirmed every minute of every day. If you’re a gay man, you don’t necessarily have that constant reaffirmation in society.” One of the ways by which Aut Bar revitalizes the community is OUTFest — a celebration of National Coming Out Day. When Orr and Contreras came into business, they took over the celebration from the Washtenaw
Rainbow Action Project, rebranded it and moved it into the Kerrytown area. “The first year, it was all about having a free event that had enough sponsorship to cover the expenses,” Orr said. “Each year, we added more fundraising components (such as) a silent auction, sponsorships (and) we rented vendor booths, even selling little trinkets like rainbow beads. It all adds up. “One year,” Orr added, “we raised up to $22,000 after expenses.” Aut Bar also hosts events for the HIV/AIDS Resource Center that services Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston and Washtenaw Counties. This fall, it’ll hold a wine raffle. From each of their
participants, the bar asks for a single bottle of wine, which they collect and put into one big pot, and for as little as $5, winner takes all. “I love it because it’s a very democratic event,” Orr said. “We use a lot of people to raise a lot of money, each giving a little bit. This is my favorite type of fundraising. ... And we call it an Ann Arbor Wine Seller because you get an instant wine cellar if you win.” Their most famous fundraiser occurred in 2001, in the upstaging of Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, when he decided to picket their business. They pledged to pay a dollar every minute Phelps protested outside the bar. They reached out to their email list to do the same. “Let him stay as long as he wants,” Orr said. Within one minute, somebody had pledged a dollar. Where some fundraisers take a whole year to plan, this was planned in half an hour. They ended up raising $7,500 in one day, in one hour. “If you answer hate with hate,” Orr said, “hate wins.” Though the bar is empty at 4 p.m., its workers are still about. Outside, the weather grows cold, each hour dimming into evening into night, each more drizzling and bitter than the last. But inside the bar, it’s warm. King was more than happy to tour the upstairs bar. The floor, the walls, the entire room is colored in black and white and blue. As he explained, the room follows the color motifs of the Leather Pride Flag. King talked about himself for a while; he explained why he came to Ann Arbor, where the community is strong and vibrant, and he spoke about how work used to be a four- to five-day-a-week routine. Now, he comes to work five or six days a week. Then, we shook hands — karaoke is on Tuesdays, he said, trivia on Thursdays — and I went out.