2017-10-13

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Friday, October 13, 2017

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research proves these harmful effects are pervasive.

“Weathering the cumulative effects of living in a society characterized by white dominance and privilege produces a kind of physical and mental wear-and-tear that contributes to a host of psychological and physical ailments,” McGee said. “We have documented alarming occurrences of anxiety, stress, depression and thoughts of suicide, as well as a host of physical ailments like hair loss, diabetes and heart disease.”

Research on this topic has also been done at the University.

A study from David Williams, a professor of sociology and epidemiology, further explains the link by analyzing several reports that discussed the connection between discrimination and mental health of LGBTQ individuals, Latinos, immigrant populations and Black people. All reports showed an increase in discrimination led to a decrease in mental health. “(P)erceptions of racial discrimination were related to higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of life satisfaction and happiness as well as with poorer physical health,” Williams’s report reads.

“Everyday discrimination was significantly related to both measures of mental health status, independent of traditional measures of life events, chronic stress, and financial stress.”

“It’s very easy to think in this sort of cloud of nothing matters” Minority students at the University understand this data firsthand. Some say they live it every day on campus.

LSA senior Akanksha Sahay is the president of Yoni Ki Baat, an organization of women of color on campus. In the weeks after last fall’s presidential election, she was afraid to walk around campus in her own skin.

“Muslim women were being

DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN

Frequent bias incidents affect campus mental health, experts say

Staff, students reflect on the impacts racism has on academic performance, well-being MAYA GOLDMAN Daily Staff Reporter

When Elizabeth James, program associate for the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, attended the University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree in the 1970s, she experienced an act of racism that seemed unthinkable to her: Someone vandalized her dorm room door with a racial slur.

“We had someone scrawl on our door when we first moved into our dormitory, and at that time it was just unbelievable,” James said. “We were really hurt.”

When nearly the same thing happened in West Quad Residence Hall this semester, James felt as if she were transported back to the ’70s.

“Some of the things just trigger me, in that they are very similar,” she said.

Since the semester started, more than 20 acts of explicit racism or bigotry have occurred on or near campus. Aside from the racist graffiti scrawled on a West Quad dorm room, racist posters have been found in several campus locations, a man defiled a “Black Lives Matter” chalk drawing on the Diag and anti-Latino sentiments were painted on the Rock.

James, who is also the faculty adviser for the University’s Black Student Union and National Council of Negro Women, said she was able to cope with racism while in school by finding comfort and support in her peers and friends. But James posited: How are today’s events affecting the mental health of targeted students?

“A lot of students are tired,” James said. “A lot of students want results.”

When racism hits, it can negatively affect the mental health of students of color.

Counseling and Psychological Services psychologist Sheryl Kelly said there are two typical

reactions to experiencing racism, and both take a toll on a student’s health.

“It varies, depending on individuals,” Kelly said. “You have some people that have dealt with it for so long that they’re kind of saying, ‘Unfortunately, I’ve seen this before and some students that feel hopeless and helpless to finding a remedy to this situation. And I believe that latter one seems to be very prevalent on this campus. I think a lot of students are tired. A lot of students want results.”

Ebony McGee, a professor of diversity and urban schooling at Vanderbilt University, told Vanderbilt’s research blog her

attacked or assaulted,” Sahay said. “I don’t identify as Muslim, but because I have such visibly brown skin, I’ve been mistaken as Muslim in the past … being visibly brown felt like an invitation for some kind of violence.”

Although the majority of hate crimes on campus this semester have targeted the Black community, which Sahay also does not identify with, she said it’s impossible to stand by as a minority when other groups are being attacked. As a campus activist, she has been involved in the protests of the past month. She also struggles with depression, which she said makes dealing with these events so much more difficult.

“Obviously, there are some days where you just can’t get out of bed and that’s a part of being depressed, but when there are events like this on campus, it just seems like even more of a reason to not bother trying,” Sahay said.

“It’s very easy to think in this sort of cloud of nothing matters and it’s easier to not feel anything than to feel upset all the time ... (the campus climate) effects whether or not a day can go from ‘I can deal with these things because I know there are people on campus who have my back’ to ‘I need to stay at home because I can’t deal with anything right now.’”

LSA junior Timberlee Whiteus has also been active in the protests on campus. She said in an email interview, as a Black woman, the events of the past month have been disturbing but not surprising. After all, she’d experienced racism at the University before, in a chemistry classroom.

“I was once in a Chem lab and I had a partner who requested to change partners and would not work with me,” Whiteus wrote.

“She went out of her way each lab to work with another group, in which I was forced to work alone See MENTAL HEALTH, Page 3

Women’s studies faculty, students Ross and New space Pharmacy discuss themes and misconceptions dedicated

ACADEMICS

ADMINISTRATION

offer new dual degree

The department has expanded significantly since its introduction in 1973

The new partnership between the two colleges offers a PharmD and MBA

The Women’s Studies Department at the University of Michigan was founded in 1973 with the aim of combining elements of medicine, health and law, as well as disciplines from the humanities and social sciences. It offers two majors, three minors and several graduate opportunities.

Though the department has expanded, in terms of size and course content, students and faculty agree people who are not in the field may have certain misconceptions about its nature — specifically that is anti-men and not lucrative in the future.

In reality, the department’s mission is to provide a holistic education, discussing the intersection of gender with a range of other fields from arts education to neurology.

Interdisciplinary education is central to the department, along with an emphasis on feminist theory.

Rosario Ceballo, the Women’s Studies Department chair, believes the interdisciplinary aspects of the department is “incredibly intellectually exciting,” but also very relevant and important to the world today. She said employers look for new employees who are able to think broadly across fields.

“If you look at the social problems in our world today, we cannot attempt to solve them

MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter

In partnership with the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan students in the College of Pharmacy can now receive a dual doctorate of Pharmacy and an MBA degree in five years. Courses for the new dual degree program begin in the spring/summer 2018 semester, but students can apply for the program now.

According to the College of Pharmacy, 54.4 percent of the 2017 graduating class is on a residency program career path.

For many students, a future in clinical work lies ahead, but some seek a broader education spectrum to bring the world of drugs into modern business fields.

The new dual doctorate of Pharmacy and MBA consists of completing three years of a normal pharmacy education.

As part of the new program, instead of continuing on the typical pharmacy path of one more year of rotations before graduation, the new dual degree supplements this fourth See PHARMACY, Page 3

GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.

JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter

with one approach, or from one particular set of expertise or knowledge base,” she said. “To really be able to have an impact in society you need to be able to come at social problems from different perspectives and have different things in your toolkit.”

This is a view also held by Victor Mendoza, an associate professor and the director of undergraduate studies in women’s studies, who

highlighted the curriculum’s emphasis on interdisciplinary and cross-cultural understanding in an email interview.

“And by interdisciplinary, I mean something of a radical interdisciplinary, in that our faculty include historians, literary studies scholars, legal scholars, psychologists, nurses, political scientists, midwives, poets, digital studies

scholars, performance artists, anthropologists and physicians,” he wrote. “The various fields of inquiry represented by such a disciplinarily varied faculty — not to mention the various geographical sites they work on across the globe — speak to the richness of feminist scholarship that the curriculum offers.”

Majors, minors and course themes See DEPARTMENT, Page 3

U of M Women’s Studies The Women's Studies department has 30 budgeted faculty members and over 50 faculty with courtesy appointments

72

women’s studies majors

65

gender and health majors

113

gender and health minors, largest minor program of the 3

*Facts as of Wednesday, these numbers change daily.

“And by interdisciplinary, I mean something of a radical interdisciplinarity, in that our faculty include historians, literary studies scholars, legal scholars, psychologists, nurses, political scientists, midwives, poets, digital studies scholars, performance artists, anthropologists, and physicians. The various fields of inquiry represented by such a disciplinarily varied faculty — not to mention the various geographical sites they work on across the globe — speak to the richness of feminist scholarship that the curriculum offers.”

For more stories and coverage, visit

michigandaily.com

- Victor Mendoza, associate Women’s Studies professor DESIGN BY MICHELLE PHILLIPS

INDEX

Vol. CXXVII, No. 10 ©2017 The Michigan Daily

to first-gen students

The First-Generation Student Gateway is a study lounge and hub KAELA THEUT

Daily Staff Reporter

In order to better serve the needs of first-generation students on campus, the University of Michigan has opened the First-Generation Student Gateway — a study lounge, meeting area and information hub concentrated into one cohesive space.

The University defines firstgeneration students as those who self-identify as not having prior knowledge of or exposure to how to succeed while attending institutes of higher learning. These students may need additional educational input to get to the same level of background knowledge as their peers.

Located in the Student Activities Building, the space serves as an access point for several other student offices including the Office of New Student Programs, Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs and the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives.

The space also houses the office of First-Generation See GATEWAY, Page 3

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6

SUDOKU.....................2 CROSSWORD...............6 SPORTS....................7

News

2 — Friday, October 13, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

FRIDAY’S BICENTENNIAL FEATURE: STUDENTS DODGE FINALS BLUES WITH UNUSUAL ANTICS Every Friday, The Michigan Daily will be republishing an article from the Daily’s archives from a moment in University history.

time to students before the final exam anvil falls on their fact-filled heads — put students in their own world of study anxiety.

It is a time when students live on December 9, 1983 ­— When caffeine and candy bars, when they the pressure of final exams gets disappear into campus libraries to too intense for LSA junior Shelly master academic feats such as learning McNamara, she punches out her a semester of organic chemistry in 48 stuffed animals. hours.

LSA sophomore David Pascal and “You push yourself to the limit his roommates drove his car through (during study days),” said Jennifer the East Engineering arch Wednesday Clark, an Alice Lloyd resident adviser. night just to release some study “You push yourself farther than you tension. thought you could.”

Residence hall staffs attributed a The darker side of people’s monstrous snowball fight between personalities emerge during finals nearly 150 students from Markley, week. Tempers grow short. Vision Couzens, and Mosher Jordan narrows to immediate study goals as dormitories Tuesday night to preeach student struggles with his or her finals anxiety. own feelings of panic.

And even the most restrained Students walking the tightrope students might let loose a primal of pressure during study days find scream to make it through late nights different ways to release tension — of cramming a neglected semester’s some more unusual than others. worth of reading into only a few hours.

LSA sophomore Melissa McDaniel While today marked the last day plays with eight wind-up Smurf dolls of classes, it also signifies the start of and tries to get the toys all walking at the most intense days of the semester. the same time.

Study days — the University’s gift of Some of her friends pull out crayons

and coloring books to cope with final exam pressures.

By tackling such simple tasks, students can build their confidence, she said.

Winding up dolls “is not too tough, and it’s something I know I can do,” said McDaniel.

Sometimes it’s worth doing these things just for a laugh, she added.

“You don’t get to laugh much during finals week. Unless you stay up late and get giddy,” she said.

McNamara, the South Quad RA who abuses stuffed animals, said she picked up odd strategies for coping with finals pressure from a former resident director who told her to throw plastic glasses against the wall.

Pascal, the bold LSA sophomore who ran his car through the Engineering arch said students become crazier during exams to combat the tense atmosphere on campus.

“You do fun things you wouldn’t do under normal situations to counteract the effects of sitting in the library,” he said.

Lisa Koppelberger, who was doing

last-minute work on a paper at the Graduate Library last night, said the competitive nature of the University is partly to blame for the pressure during finals week. Although the LSA junior said she isn’t too concerned with grades, there is still the feeling that “you hope everyone else is having as much trouble as you are.”

“EVERY conversation you hear is about finals,” she said.

Becoming too preoccupied with studying however, can be hazardous to your health, according to University Senior Counselor Tom Morson.

Students can become so overwhelmed by their study anxiety they begin to link their academic performance to their self esteem, he said.

Students can put so much emphasis on their grades that marks begin to define their self worth, Morson said.

An “A” paper means the student is an “A” person, and depression balloons as the grade drops.

Read more in The Michigan Daily archives online

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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Civil & Environmental Engineering Career Fair

Zombie Run: Run for the Arb, Run for Your Life!

L’État de siege - Théâtre de la Ville

WHAT: Speakers from universities around the country will speak on the historical experiences and discrimination various immigrant communities in the U.S. faced.

WHO: LSA Bicentennial Theme Semester WHEN: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Tisch Hall, Room 1014

WHAT: Complete a 5K run as you try to escape from zombies in the arb! Survivors of the ordeal have the chance to win gift cards and other prizes.

WHO: Matthaei Botanical Gardens WHEN: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Nichols Arboretum

WHAT: Théâtre de la Ville returns to the stage with L’État de siege (State of Siege), a 1948 Albert Camus work that stresses the importance of resistance against totalitarian regimes.

WHO: University Musical Soceity WHEN: 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

WHERE: Power Center

Numa Numa: The Life and Afterlife of the Second King of Rome

‘Marriage’, ‘Trafficking’ and the Transnational Family

Symposium: A Long History of Unauthorized Immigration

WHAT: Meet civil and environmental engineering employers from all over the country for internship, co-op and full-time positions.

WHO: American Society of Civil Engineers and Environmental Engineering Student Association WHEN: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Pierpont Commons

M&M Day at Markley WHAT: October 13th is National M&M Day. Come celebrate with M&M themed desserts at Markley Dining Hall.

WHO: Michigan Dining Hall WHEN: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: Mary Markley Hall

WHAT: An international group of scholars will examine Numa Pompilus – the legendary second king of Rome – and his influene on Western European thought.

WHO: Department of Classical Studies WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

WHERE: Angell Hall, Room 2175

WHAT: Indian Institute of Technology Professor Farhana Ibrahim will speak about the migration of women in the Indian Ocean world in the nineteenth century.

WHO: Center for South Asian Studies WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Weiser Hall, Room 110

Portraits of Women in Motion - Ellen Rowe WHAT: Profesor of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation Ellen Rowe will perform pieces that pay tribute to her women heroes, followed by discussion about gender issues in the arts.

WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Palmer Commons, Forum Hall

Panel discusses implications of the expiration of DACA for students For the Daily

The Hispanic Business Students Association hosted an open panel regarding the dissolution of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and its impacts on University of Michigan students and staff Thursday at the Ross School of Business’s Blau Hall.

About 55 students, prospective students and faculty members attended the event.

President Donald Trump announced the end of the program, which protected undocumented child immigrants from deportation as long as they maintained certain requirements and lacked significant Sudoku Syndication criminal history, in early September.

However, DACA will only officially dissolve on March 5, 2018.

Business Dean Scott DeRue gave the opening remarks, citing the conversation’s importance and

the school’s lawful responsibility to support students.

“There are two guiding principles to every decision that we make as a University and as a business school,” DeRue said. “First, we have to be lawful. Second, everything that we do with the law is going to be student-centric and studentfocused. We will do everything in our lawful power to support you.”

Panelist Jesse HoffnungGarskof, associate professor of History and American Culture, then moved to debriefing the history of DACA and the societal gaps in American immigration policy. He also noted that illegal immigration peaked in 2007 and that since then, immigrant migration has been a net negative.

“From my perspective, because immigration reform over the last 30 years has focused almost exclusively on enforcement and criminalization, the population that is now undocumented faces

It’s like Trump is TRYING to exacerbate the disaster in Puerto Rico. Goodness.

Claire Ofiara @ClaireOfiara The choices we make define who we are, so what does this say about Michigan that it’s giving this author a platform?

420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com

DACA will not officially end until March 2018, though many see consequences now RACHEL CUNNINGHAM

Austin McCoy @AustinMcCoy3

EMMA KINERY NATHAN GUPTA a wider gap (or as wide a gap as Editor in Chief Business Manager has ever existed in this country) 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 between people of different kineryem@michigandaily.com nathankg@michigandaily.com statuses,” Hoffnung-Garskof said.

“You can think of immigration law as the law of determining who and how people get in, or you can ARTS SECTION NEWS TIPS PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION arts@michigandaily.com news@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com think of immigration law as the law of determining how people of SPORTS SECTION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NEWSROOM sports@michigandaily.com tothedaily@michigandaily.com 734-418-4115 opt. 3 different statuses have different access to rights and benefits.”

ADVERTISING EDITORIAL PAGE CORRECTIONS The panel then moved to a dailydisplay@gmail.com opinion@michigandaily.com corrections@michigandaily.com discussion of legal parameters

by Rebeca Ontiveros-Chavez, attorney and Department of Justice-accredited representative for the Michigan Immigrant Rights AMELIA CACCHIONE and EMMA RICHTER Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com Center, who said she herself is a Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Evan Aaron, Alexis Rankin, former DACA recipient. OntiverosREBECCA LERNER Zach Moore Chavez explained how the removal Managing Editor rebler@michigandaily.com Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Katelyn Mulcahy, Aaron of DACA will affect recipients’ Baker, Sam Mousigian, Kevin Zheng http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ higher education, driving, travel, ALEXA ST.JOHN LARA MOEHLMAN Managing News Editor alexastj@michigandaily.com finances and other means.

Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Riyah Basha, Tim Cohn, Lydia Murray, “In terms of driving after the Nisa Khan, Sophie Sherry Deputy Statement Editor: Brian Kuang, Yoshiko Iwai DACA resignation, if you have Assistant News Editors: Jordyn Baker, Colin Beresford, Rhea a Michigan driver’s license, a Cheeti, Maya Goldman, Matt Harmon, Andrew Hiyama, Jen ELIZABETH DOKAS and TAYLOR GRANDINETTI Michigan driver’s license is only Meer, Ishi Mori, Carly Ryan, Kaela Theut Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com valid in the same period as you ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL Senior Copy Editors: Marisa Frey, Ibrahim Rasheed opinioneditors@michigandaily.com have proof of legal status,” she said. Editorial Page Editors “Once your proof of legal status Senior Opinion Editors: Anu Roy-Chaudhury, Ashley Zhang, DYLAN LAWTON and BOB LESSER Managing Online Editor lesserrc@michigandaily.com expires, the license is no longer Max Lubell, Madeline Nowicki, Stephanie Trierweiler Senior Web Developers: Erik Forkin, Jordan Wolff valid, unless you obtain another form of legal presence under BETELHEM ASHAME and KEVIN SANTO ABE LOFY Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Michigan law.”

Senior Sports Editors: Laney Byler, Mike Persak, Orion Sang, Senior Video Editors: Gilly Yerrington, Matt Nolan, Aarthi LSA junior Daniel Lopez said Max Marcovich, Ethan Wolfe, Chris Crowder Janakiraman, Emily Wolfe he works with undocumented Assistant Sports Editors: Rob Hefter, Avi Sholkoff, Matthew Kennedy, Paige Voeffray, Mark Calcagno, Jacob Shames students on campus and plans to JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com use what he learned at the panel to ANAY KATYAL and NATALIE ZAK Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Christian Paneda, Adam assist the groups he works with.

Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Brodnax, Halibut Olaniyan, Tanya Madhani, Sivanthy Vasanthan “I am an advocate for Senior Arts Editors: Dayton Hare, Nabeel Chollanpat, immigration reform, so what we do Madeline Gaudin, Carly Snider Arts Beat Editors: Danielle Yacobson, Danny Hensel, Erika ELLIE HOMANT is gather all of the information we Shevchek, Matt Gallatin, Naresh Iyengar Managing Social Media Editor can and then get this information Senior Social Media Editors: Kayla Waterman and Anna Haritos to our community to have them MICHELLE PHILLIPS and AVA WEINER design@michigandaily.com call their elected representatives,” Managing Design Editors Lopez said. “We should have a clean DREAM Act.” CAYLIN WATERS Brand Manager For those who are facing anxiety over the termination of EMILY RICHNER CLAIRE BUTZ Sales Manager Business Development Manager DACA, Business graduate student Elizabeth Padilla, vice president JUEUI HONG JULIA SELSKY Special Projects Manager Local Accounts Manager of the HSBA, gave advice on CAROLINE GOLD SANJANA PANDIT attempting to live a normal life Media Consulting Manager Production Manager while encountering immigration challenges.

Editorial Staff

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Read more at MichiganDaily.com

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

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

DEPARTMENT From Page 1 The department offers majors in women’s studies and gender and health, in addition to three minors: gender and health; gender, race and nation; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and sexuality studies. According to Ceballo, there are 72 women’s studies majors, 65 gender and health majors and 113 students declared in the gender and health minor — the largest of the three.

Ceballo noted these numbers change daily.

The department was the first in the country to offer joint doctoral degrees with other disciplinary departments — specifically, English, history and psychology.

As part of the women’s studies curriculum, undergraduate majors must complete 33 credits.

MENTAL HEALTH From Page 1 (which didn’t bother me) … I thought that the idea of someone not wanting to work with me was absurd, but I realized that there are many people I will encounter that will question my ability comprehend and function.”

“Students are not only concerned about potentially missing class … but it’s a safety issue” While Whiteus did not let that event hurt her mental health — she said it actually made her stronger — the issue of students feeling unable to go to class because of depression or fears that their safety is at risk is a major worry of Esrold Nurse, assistant dean of academic affairs.

One of Nurse’s main responsibilities is to send emails to professors on behalf of students who need to miss class for whatever reason. Usually, he said, this is because of illness or the death of a family member.

However, he also sends out emails on behalf of students who feel unable to go to class due to fears of racism or discrimination.

“We’ve always had situations, the way I see them, that affect students’ ability to perform, to do the things they came here to do, which is to get a degree and to be educated,” Nurse said. “My role as assistant dean is to ensure that students are able to do that without outside distractions or things that might happen. So this is in that vein. The recent incidences have clearly affected some of the students in a way that detracts from that mission of focusing on the work they have to do to get their degree.”

GATEWAY From Page 1 Project Manager Adan Hussain, who emphasized the importance of creating a space to welcome these students on campus in an interview with the University Record.

“What we’ve done is centralized a lot of firstgeneration efforts,” Hussain, who was also a first-generation student, said. “It was really important to us to have a dedicated space because it creates a welcoming area and shows our commitment that we truly want these students here.”

In an email interview with The Daily, LSA senior Hunter Zhao, president of FirstGeneration College Students @ Michigan, said he felt like an imposter after first realizing many of his peers came from highly educated families.

Unable to identify with their past travel or research experiences, Zhao said he initially struggled to come to terms with his own unique reality at the University.

“Beyond academics, I felt so out of place at the University of Michigan; it didn’t matter how many friends I could make on campus, I felt like a complete imposter,” he wrote. “These feelings were so pervasive during my first year at Michigan, but I had no idea how to make sense of my own experience. After a structured

News

Specifically, they must take Women’s Studies 330, which Mendoza currently teaches.

He explained the course examines different types of feminist theory, including psychoanalytic, Marxist and transnational, among others.

Central to the course, he wrote, is discussion of intersectionality.

“That is, (Women’s Studies 330) considers critically how feminist theory at its best always attends to the other differences that makes up a person’s subjecthood and political commitments, such as race, national background, gender identity, class and sexuality,” he wrote. “It’s required for all Women’s Studies majors precisely because it looks closely and critically at what we might understand as the feminist theory canon and the various methodological interventions that have emerged out of it.”

Ceballo also highlighted the

intersectionality that arises in the field — the idea that how people experience the world is shaped not just by one social identity, but by the intersection of multiple, and that these will change in different situations and at different times.

“The concept that we have to look at people’s multiple, simultaneously intersecting identities to understand people’s experiences in life is an important one that will come up, and to also understand how people have access to resources in our society,” she said.

Mary Kelley, Ruth Bordin collegiate professor of history, American culture and women’s studies, arrived at the University in 2002. Prior to joining the University faculty, she had been a history professor at Dartmouth College since 1977; she helped establish the women’s studies program at the college, which

notably enrolled its first cohort of female students in 1972. She currently teaches a class at the University of Michigan called “Sex and Gender in United States History, 1600 to 2000.”

One central theme she introduces in her class is known as the equality-difference dilemma.

It involves reconciling the emphasis upon sameness within the pursuit of equality, while also acknowledging difference.

“In other words, if you juxtapose equality and difference as a binary — equality being an emphasis upon ‘everyone is the same so therefore everyone should be equal’ — and you disregard obvious differences, and yet at the same time if you highlight difference, difference becomes the fulcrum for creating hierarchy,” she said. “So how do you incorporate difference without destroying or damaging the idea of equality based on

Nurse, a Black man, has been in his current position since 1995.

The events of the last semester are not new to him, but they are still serious.

“This is really ratcheted up a level, because students are not only concerned about potentially missing class … but it’s a safety issue,” he said. “Whether this place is safe for me to walk around at night or during the day and so on. So to that extent, it’s really a big issue.”

The executive board of the Black Student Union, which did not respond to interview requests for this article, tweeted about Nurse’s service last week.

Nurse said he was glad the BSU publicized his service, though he did not ask them to do so. He just wants everyone to be able to feel safe and accepted on campus.

“I’ve sent quite a few (of these emails),” Nurse said. “I don’t have an exact number in mind, but … it’s not excessive. In that context, it’s part of the responsibility I feel I take personally … The least I can do is notify the instructor of the difficulties they’re having and I think that’s appropriate.”

“These organizations have opened their doors for dialogue and advice, and essentially have become a safe space.”

Coping with racism does not have a one-size-fits-all solution, though. While some students feel they need to stay home to focus on self-care, others like Whiteus are taking advantage of communities around campus.

“My outlet for dealing with these things is mainly connecting with my peers. … I talk with those who experience the same injustices I do and those who don’t so they will know the ways in which their privilege can be beneficial,” she wrote. “I am on the E-Board for NAACP and I

attend BSU meetings. Both of these organizations and the people in them are wonderful and they work hard to make the community one that is not only inclusive but safe. These organizations have opened their doors for dialogue and advice, and essentially have become a safe space.”

James also hailed the importance of safe spaces, saying a support system is crucial when someone’s identity is under attack. She helped organize mental health discussions in DAAS and also with the BSU, though she said both events were mostly student-led.

“In both places we talked about what do you do to relieve tension and pressure,” James said. “The things ranged from calling your parents to just talk with them about some stories they can share to give some inspiration and hope to people saying, ‘I go to a Dojo and take out the frustration,’ to other people saying they journal.

There’s just a wide variety of possibilities and that was helpful, I think.”

CAPS has been important in helping Black students work through the racism on campus, too. The BSU organized an event with CAPS last Thursday to help raise awareness of their resources and talk about coping strategies. According to Kelly, CAPS is working to make itself available to students beyond its normal counseling services.

“I have gone to be a presence at protests,” she said. “I’ve gone to town halls. I’ve done specified outreaches so students know we are here. … That seems to provide some sense of comfort to students.”

Although she didn’t have exact numbers, Kelly also said there has been an increase in the

number of students using CAPS’s services.

Another way students are coping with the frustration of the last month is by protesting.

Groups have protested the C.C. Little Science Building and bus station on two occasions and many minority students and allies joined Dana Greene when he knelt on the Diag for nearly 24 hours.

A Black LSA sophomore who wished to remain anonymous because of her position as a diversity peer educator in U-M Housing said protests are how she channels her energy.

“It hasn’t gotten to the point where it’s been super jeopardizing in terms of being able to get up in the morning, but it definitely takes a toll on one mentally,” she said. “Protesting has been a way to relieve some of those emotions that I’ve been feeling. To just sort of express myself … It really helps to make a bolder statement that these issues are happening.”

Ultimately, every student has a different way of coping with the emotional toll of the issues.

But the sophomore emphasized the most important thing is for any marginalized students is to remember why they’re at the University in the first place.

“After a while, I think we all sort of strive to look beyond what’s going on and think about our ultimate goal, which is to graduate,” she said. “All these little, little obstacles and stupid comments and incidents that are happening on campus are hurdles but we have to keep pushing forward and not let it get to us, in a way … ultimately, if you get so distracted by these events that you can’t study for a test and you fail, then they’ve done their job. So don’t let that happen.”

study group in my [organic chemistry] class, I told one of my classmates that I was the first in my family to go to college. ‘You’re so brave,’ she said. And somehow those words clicked in my mind. There had to be others; I began looking up other students at Michigan who were the first to go to college.”

However, after Zhao joined the First-Generation College Students organization, he said he finally found a community where he belonged, in which he learned the vocabulary to better understand, and even challenge, his experience on campus.

He noted the University has been incredibly generous in supporting first-generation students and connecting them with a multitude of career opportunities.

“One of the biggest challenges that first-gens face is recognizing their own identity as a source of empowerment; our organization has received countless requests from industries like Google, Goldman Sachs and even the Detroit Pistons, who all have been interested in working with first-generation college students,” he wrote.

LSA junior Jazmine Mercado, executive board member of First-Generation College Students, said she believes the new First-Generation Gateway will serve as a space for students to come together and feel comfortable discussing their shared experiences.

“I think the First-Generation Gateway is long overdue and

first-generation students need a place they can feel safe and content working in,” she said.

“I think the Gateway will provide this to them and help them grow overall. Hopefully this Gateway will create a space where, in the future, firstgeneration students can feel they can go and have a place to study, talk with faculty or simply hang out.”

Zhao further emphasized Mercado’s sentiment, saying Hussain has been a valuable resource in the creation of such a space for first-generation students.

“Adan Hussain, the First Generation project manager, is incredibly well informed on all the valuable resources that first-gens can tap into while they are a student at Michigan,” Zhao wrote. “Rather than gauging the success of the Gateway based on the number of students who visit it each month, I will know whether it was successful based on the friendships that form there throughout the year.”

In the wake of the numerous bias incidents that have occurred on campus, Zhao noted he perceives a failure of the University to recruit firstgeneration students and ensure their safety on campus. He said in order to fully address the needs of first-generation students, the University must address the intersectionality of this group with other marginalized groups on campus.

“The University’s failure

to properly respond to racist incidents such as the slurs found at West Quad represent the university’s failure to the first-gen student body.

The exclusion of out-of-state students from the Go Blue Guarantee represents the exclusion of first-generation college students. Barriers faced by undocumented / DACAmented students on campus represents barriers faced by first-gens as well. To address the needs of first-gen students, the university must address the needs of LGBTQ students, students of color, lowincome students, etc.”

Mercado also lamented the University’s failure to provide adequate resources for firstgeneration students before they submit their applications.

Furthermore, she believes the University should provide better statistics regarding firstgeneration students on campus.

“I believe the University should be doing a much better job in reaching out to first-generation students,” she said. “Most students that I know that are first-generation don’t know that a lot of resources exists on campus for them. The University should be putting out more information and being more proactive in the way they give resources out. Also, I think the University should be doing a better job at trying to get more first-generation students to apply here and giving them funds when need be. Statistics on first-generation students are not widely available to students which I think should be changed.”

Friday, October 13, 2017 — 3 sameness?”

Kelley said in her class she works through this topic using a series of arguments.

The underlying mantra to understand, she explained, is when people are equal they should not be treated differently but when people are different they should be treated equally through the incorporation of the difference in their circumstances — pregnancy leave and maternity leave, for example.

LSA senior Anastasia Pacifico is a women’s studies major in the Honors program; she is also a biology major.

Currently she is taking Sexual Health and Clinical Science, which she said she likes because it incorporates both of her interests.

“It’s talking about sexuality through a medical lens, but also a critical feminist lens,” she said.

In terms of themes that recur in classes, Pacifico said social constructions are crucial, as well as talk of sexuality, income inequality and medicalization, among other topics. She said she has learned there are several different kinds of feminism and that people’s ideas of feminism differ.

“For example, white feminism — Ivanka Trump might think it’s feminist to have Betsy DeVos have a really big role in government,” she said. “But then when you look at the actual policies that Betsy DeVos is implementing, it’s bad for not just women, but people seeking an education and people from low-income areas, which is a feminist issue. So even though there is a woman in charge that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a feminist accomplishment. It’s all dependent on different perspectives.”

With regard to the gender and health major, Mendoza explained its courses look to incorporate a wide array of discourses surrounding aspects of health and associated topics.

“The gender and health courses articulates core feminist and interdisciplinary gender analysis to the study of varied aspects of health and populations, including health policies, reproductive justice, representations of the human body, sexual assault, disability, human sexuality and psychology,” he wrote.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

FRESH!

ALEC COHEN/Daily

LSA students Kellee Byard and Rebekah Gere get samples at the farmers market on Ingalls Mall Thursday.

PHARMACY From Page 1 year with two years of MBA education at the Business School. Upon conferral, both degrees will be awarded.

Bruce Mueller, associate dean of academic affairs at the College of Pharmacy, said the program, sourced from student demand, took about a year to craft and finalize.

He said he spoke with many students interested in the program, and sees the dual degree as a way to make University students more marketable in the workforce after graduation.

“If (students) could learn about logistics and some of the things associated with business school along with a clinical pharmacy degree, they would have a unique set of skills that others wouldn’t have,” Mueller said.

The College of Pharmacy, in addition to the recent MBA program, has two other dual degree routes: one with the School of Public Health and another with the Medical School.

Pharmacy student Mason Benjamin is currently deliberating between the MBA and the MPH program. He said he’s interested in helping developing countries with inadequate care for diseases like malaria, and he has changed his original career path thanks to the dual degree programs in the College of Pharmacy.

“The University of Michigan, as far as the College of Pharmacy program goes, has an extraordinarily strong clinical program, which is what draws most of its applicants to the school,” he said. “But the University of Michigan also has a lot of emphasis on developing leadership capabilities in its applicants — so originally I went to pharmacy school thinking I wanted to practice clinical pharmacy, but then as I started to see some of

the problems in the health care system currently … I got passionate about wanting to change that.”

Pharmacy student Rona Jin said dual degrees in the Business School and the School of Public Health can bring new pharmacy backgrounds into the world of “Big Pharma,” or sprawling pharmaceutical companies often accused of price gouging.

“If more PharmD students are in more business roles than just PharmD, they would be able to bring the perspective of a human aspect rather than the business aspect of plain numbers,” Jin said. “I feel like it balances out the issues we have right now with Big Pharma (who are) just concerned about their bottom line.”

Brad Killaly, associate dean for Full-Time and Global MBA Programs at the Business School, said understanding both the clinical and business sides of health care is necessary for the future success of both fields.

“It’s a complementarity that allows many of our students either in the Dental School or in the School of Pharmacology … a chance to both be the clinician or be the expert in the health care field that they need to be and also appreciate the complexities of the business of health care in order for them to become better clinicians,” Killaly said.

Benjamin said both the new MBA program and the Public Health dual degrees allow students to look at pharmacology with a wider scope and can give students the tools to work with societies and cultures.

“It opens up additional career trajectories,” Benjamin said.

“Instead of focusing on direct patient care such as someone in a community pharmacy such as Walgreens or CVS or working in a hospital where you’re making decisions around medication therapy for the patient … these degrees would open up your possibility to treat populations instead of people.”

Opinion

4 — Friday, October 13, 2017

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ELENA HUBBELL | COLUMN

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FROM THE DAILY

A

More transparency, please

fter the 2016 election, University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel received criticism from conservative students and faculty who believed his politicized comments at a Diag vigil marginalized conservative viewpoints since public officials are expected to remain neutral. That November, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy — a nonprofit research-based think tank — filed a Freedom of Information Act request for emails from Schlissel containing the word “Trump.”

This month, the University settled a lawsuit from the Mackinac Center claiming the information the center had requested in November was not released in a timely matter.

As a result of the lawsuit, the University released seven additional emails (11 in total) regarding the election. The University’s failure to follow basic transparency protocol inf lated the importance of the released emails. The Michigan Daily Editorial Board implores the University to hold itself accountable to its own transparency in its actions and decisions.

The emails in question contained little information the public did not already know, or at the very least, assume.

As someone who has publicly criticized President Donald Trump and his policies, it was no surprise that Schlissel’s emails revealed his concern about a Trump presidency. His small, albeit partisan, worries displayed a normal human reaction to what we believe to be a concerning presidency.

The closest he even gets in his emails to “discriminating” against conservative students on campus is to point out the

irony of Trump supporters feeling “marginalized and ostracized in our campus,” when Trump’s policies marginalize countless groups in society.

Otherwise, Schlissel remains relatively moderate when expressing his feelings toward the administration and its supporters, even in private discourse.

Given the uncontroversial nature of President Schlissel’s emails, we believe the University’s slow response time to the Mackinac Center’s FOIA request caused the controversy. The center only proceeded to sue the University because it took 46 work days to procure the first four emails, a task that was estimated to take 2 hours and 45 minutes. The University claimed the delay was due to the high volume of FOIA requests filed in January, when the Mackinac Center made their request. The Mackinac Center therefore capitalized on the University’s slow response, creating controversy over something entirely noncontroversial.

Had the University acted in a timely manner in completing the FOIA request, it is quite possible the findings would have f lown under the radar.

Moreover, dragging out the release of the emails allowed the Mackinac Center to bring more attention to the real problem of transparency at the University. But, given the mildness of Schlissel’s emails, it makes little sense why the University chose to wait for a lawsuit before releasing the last seven emails. As part of the settlement, the University has agreed to review and change its FOIA policy, including moving away from charging fees for 75 percent of responses, hiring two new personnel to manage FOIA requests and publishing annual FOIA response performance reports. Since FOIA requests often carry lofty price tags or an unreadable volume of information, these are tangible steps the University can take to increase their transparency, and we hope they follow through on these plans.

Increased transparency will ultimately only help the University in the long run, as it will allow them to avoid extraneous “scandals” and lawsuits like this one. We implore the University to hold itself accountable to its own transparency from here on out.

SUBMIT TO SURVIVORS SPEAK

The Opinion section has created a space in The Michigan Daily for first-person accounts of sexual assault and its corresponding personal, academic and legal implications. Submission information can be found at https://tinyurl.com/survivespeak.

JOE IOVINO | JOE CAN BE REACHED AT JIOVINO@UMICH.EDU

W

No place is perfect

hat can I say about my hometown in Northern Michigan? A small village right on the harbor, with plenty of hipster-y restaurants and quaint knick-knack shops, it’s the perfect spot for upper middle class families to vacation during the summer.

Go a few miles out, and there is an endless supply of hiking trails and hunting spots for the more adventurous type.

Tourists come every year to enjoy the beaches and take part in the small-town culture.

So what do I say when others ask me about where I grew up?

Do I talk about how idyllic it was? To be able to go hiking in the wilderness whenever I wanted to have a view of the crystal clear waters every day of the year? How every fall, tourists came from all around to see the leaves that I drove by every day on my way to school, and how every summer, families would spend copious amounts of money to stay in the houses next door to my grandpa? About how I took the breathtaking nature for granted until I moved away and came to Ann Arbor?

Or will I talk about how after hearing my sister and me talk about what happened to our childhood friends, our friend had said, “What’s wrong with this place? Why is it that everyone died or went to prison?”

This type of contradiction was the undercurrent of my childhood, and has defined how I look back at those innocent years. When I was young, I honestly thought that I lived in the best place in the world.

Sure, the world had problems, but those problems would never reach us all the way up north. I felt safe knowing that I was from a town too idyllic,

too remote to ever be the center of anything scandalous.

But as the years passed, and the cracks on the surface of my town’s reputation became more and more obvious, I began to lose the innocence and naïveté I had regarding the safety and wholesomeness of my hometown.

I know I’m incredibly privileged to have not had this veneer of stability shattered for so long. I had two parents that cared for me and my sister and took our lives and our education seriously, and for that I’m very grateful. But as I began to realize around my teenage years, this wasn’t the case for all my classmates. For some, the problems systemic to Northern Michigan had already become obvious to them at an early age.

Recently, news stories have emerged in local papers discussing a heroin problem and an overall drug problem in Northern Michigan. Grand Traverse County, the same county where the National Cherry Festival — an event to celebrate community and tourism — is held, is also ranked 25 on the list of counties in Michigan with the most drug overdose deaths. A recent nationwide study also showed 11 Northern Michigan counties were “among the top 5 percent at risk for the rapid spread of HIV.” For many, myself included, it comes as a shock that the very place lauded for being family friendly and welcoming could hide something so dark just below the surface. But it’s also not fair, upon learning this information, to judge Northern Michigan as a type of rural, redneck, backwater place.

My hometown is not the idealized rural community that a lot of Michiganders believe

it to be, but it’s also not the white trash place a lot of other people think it is. Like any place, Northern Michigan has a complicated history that has led up to a complicated present. Like any place, Northern Michigan has a lot of problems as well as a lot of amazing qualities.

So what will I say about my hometown? I’m not entirely sure yet. I know what others will say when I tell them where I’m from: probably a couple “My family owns a house up there,”s a few “You’re from such a beautiful place,”s and maybe even a “What was it like growing up so far away from everything?” It’s true that these responses really only reflect one side of Northern Michigan, but I can’t blame the people who see my hometown in its more idyllic form. I myself had a tilted view of my home until recently.

I think the only lesson that can be learned from these experiences is that nothing is as perfect as it seems. No matter how beautiful and idyllic a place can be, there will always be something darker lying right below the surface. And this may be a depressing thought, but it’s also a wonderfully humanizing thought.

Learning to see everything in a multidimensional light — that person you hate, your beliefs, that place you used to vacation at — is the mark of someone who is truly maturing. And though it’s painful to have to confront the ugly in something near and dear to your heart, the ability to see the world in a more nuanced way is valuable beyond compare.

Elena Hubbell can be reached at elepearl@umich.edu.

BEN BUGAJSKI | OP-ED

Instead of “check your privilege”

A

s seen on The Michigan Daily’s Facebook page and website in the comments of my article about the importance of having spaces for straight men to grapple pressing issues facing minorities, many people dislike my opinion, and that’s OK. However, it worries me that many of the responses devolve into demeaning insults that are anything but constructive.

Anything that silences conversation and the exchange of ideas only hurts the position that marginalized commenters advocate for because they have nothing to gain and everything to lose from this approach. The worst of all is telling someone to “check their privilege.”

First, what is privilege and how does one check it?

Privilege is the combination of social identities that grants someone unearned advantages, like being white or male in the job market.

To check one’s privilege is to acknowledge that society “grants unearned rewards to certain people based on their race, gender, sexuality, etc.” and “the role those rewards play in one’s life and the lives of less privileged people.” On the surface, there is nothing wrong with you asking people to acknowledge that others are less fortunate than another.

However, checking one’s privilege is complicated. Let me be clear: Individual men need to learn to understand perspective, and marginalized people should continue calling them out for it. But if you agree that privilege blinds people from understanding marginalized perspectives, then it follows that the privileged must be educated about these perspectives in order to see them. In other words, how can someone expect you to “check your privilege” if you don’t know what’s wrong? And just as importantly, why would you?

The harsh reality is that people in a position of privilege benefit more from ignoring marginalized perspectives than listening to them. As one GoFundMe

humorously shows, engaging with intersectionality and feminism strips white men of their very real privilege to “acknowledge that (they) have unearned privilege but to ignore what it means.” On top of that, the structural systems of oppression blind them to the struggles others face, leaving it up to marginalized voices to force their way into the conversation. The conversation is biased against marginalized people from the get-go. However, shutting down the conversation by saying “check your privilege” is a counterproductive way to approach the situation.

It is counterproductive because when you use this phrase, you intentionally or unintentionally express frustration and arrogance — frustration because you shouldn’t have to educate peers about this in the 21st century and arrogance because it implies an “I know better than you” attitude. The problem is that the people who are told this phrase are rarely the people who look up privilege in their free time. In this case, if you want someone to understand their privilege, you have to lay it out because it is the privilege itself that prevents them from seeing it for themselves; it’s a Catch-22, one that hurts marginalized people more than those whom it aff licts.

On the other end, people who are subject to this reproach are frustrated by this lack of understanding and, from an argumentative perspective, it’s a cop-out. The phrase implies an argument for something they did wrong without revealing to them what it is; because they don’t know what they did wrong, they can’t begin to understand or correct their error. This putdown is easiest to unpack, but any other comment that fails to directly address something problematic has the same effect.

Consider these comments, including quite a few comments asking me to “check (my) privilege:” “Yes, please

tell me more about how hard it is to not comprehend actual systemic oppression,” “How about you all grow the f*** up,” “Go talk to ur straight white men!!!”

Besides perhaps therapeutically releasing frustration, none of these comments are productive to public dialogue, which was the point of my article. This type of reply leaves no room for conversation because there is no way to respond to a problem when they don’t know what the problem is. That’s like trying to fix a leak in a boat without knowing where the hole is.

Similarly, if you want those with privilege to understand what was wrong with their comment or action, you must deconstruct their error instead of just shutting them down, even if that is not your intent.

If you want productive political change, then you must start with yourself and your own tone even though that’s simply not fair. It’s not fair that you have to police your own emotions and privileged people don’t. It’s not fair that you have to keep the conversation open but they can disregard you. It’s not fair that they have privilege and everything is stacked in their favor so that they don’t have to care but you must. That’s the cards that were dealt; the rules suck, but this is how to win the game.

We live in a world where people who you disagree with will be wrong, and they will come out on top. It is not enough to be right, even when you are.

White men may still disregard your logic, but if you truly want them to “check their privilege,” it’s better to open a conversation on the off chance they listen than to shut it down from the get-go. Using the term “check your privilege” only further alienates men who may put in a real effort to understand.

Yes, many do not. But in the cases where they do, shutting down conversation only hurts your cause.

Ben Bugajski is an LSA senior.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

Friday, October 13, 2017 — 5

CLASSICAL MUSIC COLUMN

Who gets to be a composer?

CONCERT REVIEW FLORIAN KOPPE

Future Islands authentic, exciting in Royal Oak show SEAN LANG

Daily Arts Writer

In 2014, after the release of their fourth album, Singles, Baltimore-based Future Islands were propelled from relative obscurity to immediate relevance in the wake of their performance of “Seasons (Waiting On You)” on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Three years later, their fifth album — second with indie behemoth 4AD — was released to considerably less pomp.

Nevertheless, The Far Field (2017) built on the success of Singles and confirmed the band’s status as the best synthpop revival act in the business.

A longtime fan of Future Islands, I was somewhat unsure of what to expect going into their show at Royal Oak Music Theatre.

Frontman Sam Herring (a.k.a. Hemlock Ernst) has gained renown for his absurd energy and oddly acrobatic dancing and having seen the band once before, in 2015, I knew what he was capable. I wondered, however, how Far Field, a less vocalsdriven album than Singles or On the Water (2011), would translate to the stage.

Much to my delight, Future Islands seemed only to have become better performers in the time since Singles was released. Show openers “Beauty of the Road” followed by “Ran,” along with several others from Far Field, were tight and forward-moving, with a sense of urgency even more palpable than possessed by their studio versions. In front of the caricatured calmness of straight-faced keyboardistsynth master Gerrit Welmers, bassist William Cashion and (considerably less stoic) drummer Michael Lowry, Herring’s passion had no difficulty asserting itself as the most alluring aspect of the performance.

Indeed, fewer than three songs in, Herring — looking more like your typical lumberjack than a touring musician — had already sweat completely through his plaid

button-up. Throughout the set, he would occasionally smack his chest with the fist not holding the mic, and the wet, slapping sound could actually be heard through the speakers.

When the light was just right, you could even see the droplets of sweat violently f lung from the fabric over his heart, an unexpectedly poignant reminder of the immediacy of the show and the emotion it encapsulated.

In some ways, a Future Islands show is straightforward. With just drums, synth and bass, there’s not much room for improvisation, nor do the songs themselves allow much space for deviation. At the same time, though, most of Future Islands’ albums — Far Field and their debut, Wave Like Home (2008) — were recorded without drums, but played with them on tour. The result is popular favorites from 2010’s In Evening Air (“Long Flight,” “Vireo’s Eye”) and On the Water (”Balance”) originally winding and unconcerned with reaching a destination transformed into pounding anthems. Highlights of the show were almost all cuts from In Evening Air, at once atmospheric and driving.

“Inch of Dust,” in particular, stood out among the rest, as did the devastating combo of “Seasons” directly into “Tin Man” and then “Spirit,” three of their most earnest and melodic songs across all five albums. Though likely among their less well-known tunes, “Inch of Dust,” off the backside of In Evening Air, found Herring at his most beastly.

He howled, a furious ball of passion bouncing off the walls and down to the f loor as the lights strobed, while Cashion and Welmers harped on the same chord, each time louder than the last until it crashed, all at once, like a dam finally overtaken by the incessant pounding of the river at its back.

In addition to his nowsignature dance moves, another of the delightful surprises of a Future Islands show is Herring’s voice. After no more

than a song or so, it’s clear that he has something special. His range and natural, emotive rasp lend themselves well to the band’s generally melancholic, if energetic, songs. Live, he takes it to another level, calling on the ghosts of punk’s angry past to conjure up a hearty, grating shout. On Thursday, he peppered in his invigorating growl wherever he saw fit, drawing at first stunned silence, immediately followed by applause and a chorus of “whoop”s.

As a band, Future Islands boast an impressive energy that both contrasts and complements the nostalgia innate to their genre quite well. More than that, though, they are honest, unassuming and real, through and through.

They are performers, no doubt, but they aren’t putting on an act. I remember reading a quote somewhere about how Herring looks like the guy checking out next to you at the grocery store, and there’s something really powerful (not to mention true) about that.

Not only does he look like your average 33-year-old — with an endearing, quickly-receding hairline — but he acts like one too, a quality that bolsters his image as, in a sense, the everyman’s poet.

Before playing certain songs, Herring gave quick backstories — “North Star,” for example, was written about a long evening he spent trapped at the Detroit airport — one of which was particularly striking.

During the show’s encore, before the only song they played from Wave Like Home, “Little Dreamer,” he spoke about a 10-year-old love that still haunts him, the beauty of it and the pit of sorrow that wells up within him. He spoke with a candor, tears welling up in his eyes, that made his words incapable of being dismissed.

That raw emotion, from the highs of “Seasons” or “Spirit” to the goosebumps-inducing melancholy preceding “Little Dreamer” is ultimately why you go to a Future Islands show and why there is no doubt in my mind that they are one of the best touring bands today.

At times I could feel my bones reverberate with the sound of the music last Sunday at the Masonic Temple in Detroit. Sitting there, surrounded by thousands of other people who were all experiencing the same thing as me, unable to hear anything but the baritone strains of Matt Berninger’s voice, the pounding of the drums and the strumming of guitars, I took in an event unlike any other I have experienced. Certainly it was louder than most anything else I’ve come across, but not in a bad way. When I left the concert I was feeling too much of a rush to think of much of anything, but after letting it settle for a few days, I have a few things to say.

The National is an indie rock band (whatever exactly that means) which was founded some 18 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio. Made up of vocalist Matt Berninger and two sets of brothers, Bryce and Aaron Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf, the band is a staple of what could perhaps be best described as Very Sad Rock™. Over the course of their seven studio albums and years of concertizing, the band has established a large and committed fan base. They have performed at political events for President Barack Obama, appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and been featured on such hit TV shows as “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire.” Their latest album, Sleep Well Beast — the promotion of which was the raison d’être of the concert I attended — features a single which currently tops the U.S. Adult Alternative Songs chart, “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness.”

Yes, this is the classical music column. Be patient.

I first learned of The National because I heard a piece of classical chamber music. Specifically, a piece called “Murder Ballades,” which was featured on the 2015 album Filament by eighth blackbird, one of the most talented and interesting new music chamber ensembles active today. At the time, I was listening rather exclusively to classical music (a mistake), and had no idea who the composer of “Murder Ballades” was, a man named Bryce Dessner.

A quick bit of Googling established his identity as a guitarist “best known as a member of the Grammy Award-nominated band The National.” I really hadn’t expected that.

That was perhaps the start of my unlearning of several misconceptions I held about the nature and identity of the people we call composers.

Often times, there is

something about the word that we tend to sanctify. There’s some part of the label that has to be preserved, a latent, exclusionary aspect that says that a composer can be this but not that. A composer can be a violinist but not a rock star. A composer’s music can be played in an opera house but not in a stadium. And because of the way that the term is viewed, many people who ought to be thought of as composers are left out.

DAYTON HARE This isn’t necessarily the case with Bryce Dessner.

While his fame certainly is due to his role in The National, he also fulfils the traditional definition of composer in his other work. First off, he has the pedigree for it, having earned a master’s from Yale School of Music, one of the most prestigious graduate programs in the country.

Beyond that, he has plenty of music composed in what

At times I could feel my bones reverberate with the sound of the music last Sunday at the Masonic Temple in Detroit

would be termed the classical tradition — that is, notated on paper and given to performers for interpretation.

His compositions generally sound vaguely post-minimalist, if you wanted to know (and can bear to hear music pigeonholed like that). In addition to eighth blackbird, he has written for some of the most prestigious classical ensembles in the country, including The Kronos Quartet and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. So most anyone would agree that he’s a composer.

The same can largely be

said of Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who wrote the marvelous score to Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film “There Will Be Blood.”

But there are others whose activities aren’t so straightforward. Some are electronic musicians, artists who compose and relay music on their own and with their own tools. In her marvelous podcast “Meet the Composer,” violist Nadia Sirota discussed this particular subset in depth: “We’re as apt to call a composer who works with technology, who composes without pen and paper, inside the box of a computer, a producer,” she said. “A producer. Is that fair?

Is that apt?”

One example of this group of composers, and one which Sirota talks about extensively, is Matmos, an electronic duo from Baltimore who record and manipulate their own samples to create music that is unusual, complex and compelling. Their latest album in particular is a brilliant contribution, a work called Ultimate Care II, named after the washing machine which resides in their basement. For this composition, the pair recorded sounds entirely from this washing machine, and through their artistic choices and electronic manipulation, they created something wonderful and without compare.

But are they composers? I struggle to find a reason why not. After all, if a composer is simply one who writes music (and what else could it be?), then this certainly qualifies.

They and countless others write music that never sees the inside of a concert hall, never finds itself in the hands of an orchestra, but is nevertheless a composition.

So what is it that makes Mitski or Sufjan a singersongwriter and Kendrick a rapper, while Augusta Read Thomas gets to be a composer?

Is it the fact that the music has words? Composers write songs, too. Is it that they wrote the words themselves? Didn’t Wagner also? Is it the fact that it’s rap? Is rap not music?

At its heart, perhaps what it’s all about is simple clarity, an effort to differentiate between genres: Part of it doubtless stems from the inescapable human compulsion to arrange things in little boxes and shut the lids, the drive to compartmentalize and classify and draw the boundaries just so. But innocent as this may seem, the way in which we use language goes a long way into changing how we think about the world. Maybe Kendrick is a rapper. But he can be a composer too. And when we forget that is when we close ourselves off to the possible.

FILM REAPPRAISAL

‘Harold and Kumar’ is an outsized, intelligent satire MEGHAN CHOU For The Daily

In Reappraisals, Michigan Daily film writers attempt to defend films that have been critically maligned.

This week: “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.” The “Harold and Kumar” franchise might fall under the category of “stoner comedy,” but these films are littered with clever observations on race and politics. The second installment, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” received only mild reviews. It challenges stereotypes throughout the movie, however, in a way the first and

third films do not accomplish as successfully.

Harold (John Cho, “Columbus”) and Kumar (Kal Penn, “How I Met Your Mother”) are roommates planning a trip to Amsterdam as a romantic gesture. Harold is an investment banker, while Kumar purposefully failed to apply to medical school. Unfortunately, Kumar’s marijuana-related habits lead to their arrest and sentencing to Guantanamo Bay. Through a series of improbable, but hilarious, fortunes and misfortunes, the two end up on the run from Homeland Security.

“Guantanamo Bay,” released in 2008 when awareness of xenophobia was not at the forefront of popular discourse, examines the

justice system and the way America treats minorities in a revealing light. At airport security, Kumar is subjected to racial profiling through a “random” search (although he did make a scene to smuggle in drugs). Then, on board the plane, a racist elderly white woman views Kumar as a turban-wearing, beardsporting, evilly-laughing terrorist, when he is really a goofy Indian guy in a sloppy outfit. When she sees him light a makeshift bong in the lavatory, she screams “Terrorist!” and sends the flight into chaos.

Harold and Kumar wait in an interrogation room as an idiotic and racist Homeland Security officer, Ron Fox (Rob Corddry, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”), celebrates capturing a member of Al Qaeda

NEW LINE CINEMA

and a North Korean terrorist. Of course, these two are actually just American citizens with bad luck.

Through its absurdist humor, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” addresses the way obsessed politicians treat suspected terrorists. The two friends have no right to an attorney, a trial or, as Fox puts it, “freedoms.”

After Harold and Kumar

miraculously escape prison, the film questions the stereotypes they view the world through. They meet a group of Cubans on their way to America without documentation who are kind enough to transport them to Florida. Later, the pair interrupts a street basketball game in a rundown neighborhood, accidentally destroying the shoes and jukebox of many muscular Black

men. Harold and Kumar decide to flee, but their unfounded prejudices are revealed when the men bring out tools to help fix the pair’s car.

The only stereotyped group the film does not spare are some white supremacists the friends encounter who are ridiculed without mercy.

Read more online at

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Arts

6 — Friday, October 13, 2017

MUSIC REVIEW

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

FROM THE VAULT

WARNER BROS. RECORDS

KOCH MEDIA

‘Lil Pump’ delivers hype ‘Wadjda’ is a rousing tale despite lack of substance of female empowerment appreciate the mindless hype.

He has become something of a For The Daily running joke on the internet due to his songs and persona at times feeling like an astute parody of Lil Pump is neither meaningful Soundcloud-rap culture. nor innovative. It has no message No matter if you love him or or theme, and Lil Pump very hate him, you can’t deny that Lil clearly has nothing of substance Pump goes hard. Every song is to say — but if you as intense as the are listening to Lil last — Lil Pump Lil Pump Pump expecting does not take Lil Pump something breaks.

South meaningful, you Florida rapper Warner Bros. are listening to Lil and frequent Records Pump for the wrong collaborator, reason.

Smokepurpp, has 17-year-old Lil Pump emerged repeatedly described the music of out of Miami, a member of the Florida as “ignorant,” and Lil Pump South Florida wave that includes certainly fits this description. The rappers such as xxxtentacion, instrumentation is dominated by $ki Mask the Slump God and chilly dissonant bells and piano wifisfuneral. These artists have floating on top of bass that sounds in common varying degrees of like the producer turned the manic-depressive tendencies, volume to eleven. This blown-out hedonistic worldviews, disregard style is characteristic of producer for convention and raw energy. Ronny J, a big influence on the Lil Pump tends toward the latter South Florida sound, responsible three, his lyrical themes never for hard-hitting tracks such as delving beyond the debaucherous. “Ultimate” by Denzel Curry He first gained fame on and “Gospel” by Rich Chigga.

Soundcloud with the single “D Ronny J is credited on three Rose,” accompanied by a fantastic tracks across the album, sharing music video shot by visual artist production with an assortment of Cole Bennett (whose videos are lesser-known producers such as a veritable who’s who of up-and- Mr. 2-17 and Bighead. 808 Mafia coming rappers).

Follow-up member TM88 is responsible for releases “Boss” and “Gucci Gang” the eerie “Foreign,” one of the helped propel him to further viral album’s highlights. The beats are fame, half of which stemmed from often poorly mixed and cheap, but an appreciation (more often than always fun and energetic. Joining not ironic) of his wild and rowdy Lil Pump are an assortment of aesthetic, while the other half big ticket rappers, most notably a stemmed from unbridled hatred cosign from fellow Miami rapper of everything about him.

Rick Ross. The songs featuring Lil Pump is certainly a these artists are the high points controversial figure.

Many of the album (not including the feel that he is furthering the singles) as they tend to actually be devolution of rap music with properly mixed, and the features his shallow lyricism; others provide some respite from Lil JONAH MENDELSON

Pump’s rather repetitive nature.

With that being said, the featuring artists never steal the show — Lil Pump does a surprisingly good job of holding his own, and you never forget that you’re listening to his album.

Lil Pump has major faults — while Lil Pump does not intend to convey much meaning through his songs, his lyrics are still impressively bad. No matter how much unruly charisma Lil Pump possesses, there are only so many times he can repeat the phrase “Gucci Gang” before it gets boring. It is possible, as Lil Pump’s guests remind us, to make a song go hard without the lyrics beginning to feel like some sort of sacrilegious, barred-out mantra.

The repetitiveness is at least tempered by some surreal bars: Across the span of the album Lil Pump turns down Harvard, sells cocaine to your grandma and has a stroke — not necessarily in that order. While it’s likely Lil Pump’s intention to embrace the lo-fi aesthetic dominating Soundcloud rap now, most of the tracks on this album sound like ersatz Ronny J beats, often terribly mixed (looking at you, “Boss”). This combination of mind-numbingly stupid bars and often chintzy beats becomes increasingly more difficult to stomach as the album grinds on, and it doesn’t help that Lil Pump spends the whole time reminding the listener that he has had sex with seemingly every member of your extended family.

If you want to turn your brain off and feel the pure hype of Lil Pump course through your veins, listening to Lil Pump is a good move. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you’re going to really hate this album.

SOPHIA WHITE For The Daily

In “From the Vault,” Daily Arts takes a new look at old films.

It’s your 18th birthday. Your parents generously hand you the jingling keys to a 2006 Subaru. This is the most momentous moment of your adolescent life thus far. You are a woman.

Unfortunately, for women in Saudi Arabia, this rite of passage

When Wadjda puts her mind to something, she gets it has never been a reality due to strict laws that divide genders in the country — creating two very separate spheres of life. On Sept.

26, 2017, however, those harsh lines began to blur when Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a decree that now allows women to drive for the first time in the nation.

In 2012, the first Saudi Arabian female director, Haifaa al-Mansour (“Mary Shelley”), directed “Wadjda” and instilled in her titular protagonist (Waad Mohammed) a desire that Saudi Arabian women alike shared: to drive. No, not drive a car, because al-Mansour understood that this was not a possibility, but rather drive something else: a bike.

Al-Mansour imbued her story with the sentiment that these women wanted to be able to drive, or to

take control, of the even smallest parts of their lives without a male voice dictating how they could transport themselves. This notion of female driving is not new; in Paula Vogel’s 1997 play, “How I Learned to Drive,” the notion of driving a car means much more than physically steering, but rather assuming agency over one’s goals, desires and maturation.

When Wadjda puts her mind to something, she gets it. She sticks out as funky and unconventional — her coarse, espresso-rich, manelike hair is always unruly (she has better things to do than sit in front of a mirror for hours and straighten her locks until they become burnt ends like her mother’s), and her ear lobes are lined with sparkly studs.

So when Wadjda decides that she will win her school’s Koran contest to win money to pay for a bike — for her first ever opportunity at freedom — she really does it.

“Wadjda” opens up with Wadjda and her fellow schoolgirls singing verses from the Koran, as the camera traces their Mary Jane loafers in a tight close up until Wadjda’s scuffed, gothic Chuck Taylors with violet laces stand out from the rest. She is no ordinary girl. The next scene shows Wadjda counting up her riyals in hustler fashion, as she listens to Grouplove’s 2011 bubbly pop rock song “Tongue Tied.” Al-Mansour not-so-subtly depicts that Wadjda’s desires stretch way farther than the Arabian Peninsula, especially those desires which make her want to be seen as an equal to the opposite sex.

Wadjda doesn’t ask for much; she spends most of her time alone.

She doesn’t expect her totalitarian headmaster, Ms. Hussa, to give her any respect. When Wadjda

wins the Koran contest and Ms. Hussa gives the funds instead to Palestine and not to Wadjda, she is disappointed but from surprised.

She doesn’t ask her negligent father to give her attention as he goes between his two families. She doesn’t think of her male peers as anything more than an immature.

When Wadjda’s mother tells her that her father likes her hair long and straight as a way to attempt to seem attractive to him and save their relationship, Wadjda rolls her eyes, telling the audience that even

It is a tough pill to swallow, but Wadjda persists nonetheless at a young age, she recognizes that changing oneself to appeal to men is foolish.

“Wadjda” closes with bittersweet fireworks, as Wadjda and her mother embrace. They watch her father’s marriage ceremony from their stucco balcony, as if, finally, they are both in sync that pleasing a man is an impossible battle and that female companionship is steady.

It is a tough pill to swallow, but Wadjda persists nonetheless, and the audience senses that in this lonesome moment, she is not alone.

It is as if Wadjda helped initiate the battle for equality and being the driver of one’s own life, so now Saudi Arabian girls like her can ride their bikes (and cars) off to freedom into the burning MiddleEastern sun.

RELEASE DATE– Friday, October 13, 2017

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

ACROSS 1 Yanks’ foes 5 Operation designed to hurt 10 Shipboard resident 14 CFO, e.g.

15 Not as likely to mess up 16 Walk without getting anywhere?

17 TW ...

20 Shoelace site 21 Shipboard chums 22 Tenn. neighbor 24 Apartment listing abbr.

25 DCYC ...

34 Nice with?

35 Gobs and gobs 36 Cart for heavy loads 37 Filly’s brother 38 Fighter eulogized

by Bill Clinton, among others 39 Old-time teacher 40 “The Grapes of Wrath” figure 41 Beams 43 Prime real estate?

44 CI ...

47 Downed a sub, say 48 In-law’s wife, possibly 49 Refrigerates 53 One of a biblical ten 58 AGT ...

62 Like quality beef 63 One “sitting lonely on the placid bust,” in a classic poem 64 Course with relevant tangents 65 Regular guys 66 Finals, e.g.

67 Spot DOWN 1 “Star Wars” warrior 2 Nerve cell part 3 Cravings 4 Ewan McGregor, for one

5 They’re often free 6 Sched. question mark 7 Kind 8 Once called 9 Sir Georg Solti’s record 31 10 Rotating rod 11 Conduct 12 Hurting 13 Puts money (on) 18 Dash 19 Not at all reflective 23 On the lam 24 Backs up a videotape 25 Cobb salad ingredient 26 Bring to mind 27 Composer Mendelssohn 28 Good-sized wedding band 29 Prefix for “sun” 30 Madison Ave. pitchers 31 Carpentry, e.g.

32 Worries 33 Church numbers 41 Reacted to an arduous workout

42 Shoes without laces 45 Gymnast’s powder 46 Ibiza, por ejemplo 49 Key of the finale of Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 50 “Les Misérables” author 51 “Now it’s clear”

52 Old Fords 54 Hard-working colonizers 55 Spice Girl Halliwell 56 Second, e.g.

57 Sharp side 59 Reach capacity, with “out” 60 Actress Mendes 61 President pro __

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

By Morton J. Mendelson ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

10/13/17

10/13/17

FILM REVIEW

‘Victoria & Abdul’ misses mark JEREMIAH VANDERHELM Daily Arts Writer

“Victoria & Abdul” is the latest entry in the surprisingly crowded “British imperialism drama” genre, following on films like “Viceroy’s House” and “A United Kingdom,” in which a white English person finds themselves in a type of Odd Couple-dynamic with a person from a country under colonialist rule and forms a close bond with them. It is the latest film to take a story that begs to serve as a criticism of a powerhungry system of governing and instead uses it as a trite dramedy. incredibly close, with Karim While certainly well-acted and acting as a sort of teacher to the intermittently Queen on subjects endearing, it relating to Indian “Victoria & completely misses culture. Before her and sometimes death, she would Abdul” seemingly have knighted him Focus Features intentionally as a Commander obfuscates what of the Royal Ann Arbor 20, should have been Victorian Order Michigan Theater the thesis of its despite the friction entire narrative. it caused with The film tells the true story of members of her house. the friendship between Queen To state the obvious, Dench Victoria (Dame Judi Dench, is fantastic as Queen Victoria “Miss Peregrine’s Home for – reprising the role she played Peculiar Children”) and her in 1997’s “Mrs. Brown” — and Indian servant, Abdul Karim she brings all the gravitas and (Ali Fazal, “For Here or To emotional complexity that one Go?”). Historically, the two were would expect of an actress of her

WARNER BROS. RECORDS

regal reputation. The script is rather ham-fisted in its treatment of her, climaxing in the most Oscar-baiting speech of the year, but the flaws have nothing to do with Dench’s work. As Abdul, Fazal is perfectly charming and shares a nice camaraderie with Adeel Akhtar (“The Big Sick”) in earlier scenes, but again due to the writing, he comes across as disappointingly one-dimensional. He is all too rarely given the opportunity to do anything other than smile and offer praise and wisdom to Victoria.

It is clearly that script, written by Lee Hall (“War Horse”), which is the film’s

biggest stumbling block.

“Victoria & Abdul” is fine, if all too slight in its first half as it deals with the developing friendship between its two titular characters. It’s in the second half that it devolves into a series of blustery, tittering confrontations between Victoria and her staff, all but completely abandoning the bond at the core of the story and robbing Abdul of all agency. He becomes a background player in a film in which he is ostensibly one of the stars.

Read more online at

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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Sports

Friday, October 13, 2017 — 7

What to Watch For: Can O’Korn bounce back against Indiana?

Michigan’s fifth-year senior quarterback must recover from a three-interception outing against Michigan State BETELHEM ASHAME Managing Sports Editor

Michigan (1-1 Big Ten, 4-1 overall) has its sights set on running the table.

The 17th-ranked Wolverines lost their first game of the season last week, and now they face the daunting challenge of bouncing back from disappointment. With the bye week already behind it, the Michigan football team hasn’t had much time to process its shocking loss to Michigan State.

But the Wolverines can’t afford to allow the setback to linger in their minds, and they have said as much throughout

the week. Their goal is to win out, starting with Indiana on Saturday.

Here’s what to watch for when Michigan travels to Bloomington to take on the Hoosiers: 1. Can John O’Korn bounce back?

Though the Wolverines themselves said the fault for the unexpected defeat should be spread around evenly amongst the team, fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn did throw three interceptions on three consecutive possessions amid a raging monsoon.

While he doesn’t necessarily

call the plays, he still has to execute them when called upon, which he readily admitted after the game last Saturday. He also has to be a beacon of leadership, as Michigan will need to lean on him against Indiana.

As has been clearly documented, O’Korn has faced his fair share of adversity both before and during his Wolverine career. Perhaps more so than many of his teammates, he should have an understanding of how to turn bumps in the road into breakthroughs.

The Wolverines will be counting on O’Korn to correct course, both for himself and for the team, in order to avoid another stumbling block

against the Hoosiers — one that would surely become a sinkhole for their championship aspirations.

2. Will Ty Isaac be given another chance to start?

Fifth-year senior running back Ty Isaac became a sacrificial lamb of sorts in the wake of the Michigan State loss.

On Michigan’s second possession, the ball went to freshman receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and then to sophomore running back Chris Evans on the ground.

Following their strateg y of spreading the ball around,

the Wolverines put the ball in Isaac’s hands next. At the very end of his run, the ball was poked out of Isaac’s grasp. He didn’t see the field again for the rest of the half.

After breaking out as one of the best offensive performers on the team over the first three weeks, Isaac fell on hard times as soon as the Big Ten season began. Against both Purdue and Michigan State, the starting job went to junior running back Karan Higdon.

Indiana found success stopping the run against Penn State, but doesn’t boast a particularly strong rushing defense — the Hoosiers are ranked 67th nationally with an average of 152.4 yards allowed per game. Saturday could provide an opportunity for Isaac to reclaim his carries.

That is, if Michigan puts the ball back in his hands.

3. How long can the defense hold onto its top spot?

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn is in search of yet another redemption moment after shouldering the blame for the loss to Michgian State on Saturday.

In possibly one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 season, the Wolverines have the No. 1 defense in the nation despite losing all but one starter from last year.

Each opposing offense has offered a different look for the Wolverines to handle, and they have been able to neutralize them all. After installing the 3-3-5 scheme earlier this year, defensive coordinator Don Brown has his unit ready to face arguably any team in the country.

But even the defense’s best efforts may not be enough for Michigan if its offense can’t stop giving up possessions.

The Wolverines’ offense has frequently put the defense in a hole with its sloppy play this year, which is a disconcerting

trend, to say the least. When Michigan gave up its most points of the season — which was just 17 against Florida — the offense was to blame, as redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight threw back-toback pick-sixes.

And then against the Spartans, the Wolverines turned the ball over a whopping five times, and it cost them dearly. The defense can only save Michigan so many times.

4. Will Michigan overlook Indiana with Penn State a week away?

It isn’t that Indiana is a bad team; it’s that the Nittany Lions are serious contenders for the College Football Playoff, which is where the Wolverines hoped they would still be at this point in the season.

But after Michigan’s loss to an unranked Michigan State, that dream seems all but crushed. The Hoosiers’ 0-2 conference record, meanwhile, is understandable given that their two opponents were thenNo. 2 Ohio State and then-No. 4 Penn State.

The next feasible scenario that would allow the Wolverines to sneak back into playoff contention would be to pull off an upset victory over the Nittany Lions in State College — a highly daunting proposition before even mentioning that it is set to be a whiteout game in primetime. As is often the case, though, that attractive possibility can cause a team to look past a less formidable opponent.

Michigan spent the week claiming that all of its preseason goals are still in front of it. If that is truly the case, the Wolverines now have no margin of error.

Breakdown: Wolverines will need defense to play hero again KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

There was a torrential downpour Saturday night, the Michigan football team turned the ball over five times — including three secondhalf interceptions — and the Wolverines were upset by Michigan State, 14-10. You may have heard already.

Now, there’s no dancing around it: No. 17 Michigan (1-1 Big Ten, 4-1 overall) will have to use the loss to the Spartans as motivation because, barring some help from around the Big Ten, the Wolverines can’t win the conference with another loss. They aren’t blind to that fact, as fifth-year senior center Patrick Kugler was quick to acknowledge Monday that Michigan will probably need to win out to accomplish their preseason goals.

The first step on that daunting path begins in Bloomington this Saturday.

The Wolverines will face Indiana (0-2, 3-2) with hopes of redemption, no matter how slight it may be. The Daily breaks down the matchup: Michigan pass offense vs.

Indiana pass defense For fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn, his 270-yard performance against Purdue may have been a deviation from the norm.

O’Korn completed 16 of his 35 attempts for 198 yards against the Spartans, and threw three interceptions to make matters worse. Make no mistake, weather played a factor last Saturday and O’Korn was the victim of some questionable play calling once the storm hit Ann Arbor.

But the Wolverines’ offensive line isn’t doing O’Korn any favors and the Hoosiers have enough talent to give Michigan trouble. Rashad Fant has proven he can be a shutdown corner, recording 22 pass break ups as a sophomore (second nationally) and notching another 17 last year (tied second nationally).

His counterparts haven’t fared so well, allowing an average of 298 yards against Ohio State, Virginia and Penn State.

Still, linebacker Tegray Scales is the star of a Tom Allen defense that isn’t afraid to blitz, and the Hoosiers could spend a lot of time threatening O’Korn given the state of the offensive line.

Overall, it’s hard to bet on this Wolverine offense right now.

Edge: Indiana Michigan rush offense vs.

Indiana rush defense Sophomore running back Chris Evans and sophomore left guard Ben Bredeson both said that Michigan has focused on reestablishing its run game in practice this week. If a back fumbled, he had to run a lap. If a back carried the ball too loosely, he had to sit out of practice for roughly 10 minutes.

And given that the Wolverines have fumbled eight times — losing six of them — through five games, that all makes sense.

If Michigan shows a dedication to the run game and takes care of the ball better, it wouldn’t be surprising.

But there is also this to consider: when the Hoosiers faced Penn State on Sept. 30, running back Saquon Barkley managed just 56 yards on 20 carries for an average of 2.8 yards per carry.

Edge: Indiana Indiana pass offense vs.

Michigan pass defense Like the Wolverines, the Hoosiers have themselves a new quarterback in redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey, who led his team to a 27-0 win against FCS opponent Charleston Southern last week.

Ramsey fared well in his starting debut, completing 32 of his 41 passes for 321 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while also rushing for 54 yards and another touchdown.

Now, though, Ramsey is facing an entirely different challenge.

Michigan still boasts the top overall defense in the nation and

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst headed the Wolverines’ top-ranked defense last week, recording 10 total tackles against Michigan State.

the Wolverines’ secondary is allowing just 126 passing yards per game — good for second in the country.

Like Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke, Ramsey presents a threat both on the ground and in the air, but it’s difficult to imagine him besting this defense in his first Big Ten start.

Edge: Michigan Indiana rush offense vs.

Michigan rush defense The Hoosiers average 3.6 yards per rush. Michigan is holding opponents to 2.6 in the same category.

The Wolverines allowed only one first down in the second half against Michigan State, continuing their affinity for shutting down opponents late in games.

Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst is coming off a performance that featured 10 total tackles (3.5 for loss). His

supporting cast is more than formidable and if the past is any indication, the first half will be ugly and the second half will only get uglier.

Edge: Michigan Special teams This one could be the most competitive phase of the game.

Indiana’s Griffin Oakes is a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals this year, with his longest conversion coming from 51 yards. Wide receiver J-Shun Harris is averaging 22.8 yards per punt return with two touchdowns.

And the Hoosiers are averaging 18.4 yards per kick return.

Michigan, in its own right, has redshirt junior James Foug, redshirt freshman Quinn Nordin, and freshmen Donovan Peoples-Jones and Brad Robbins.

Since missing two field goals in the season opener against Florida, Nordin has been perfect.

Foug has held the kickoff spot from the beginning, recording

21 touchbacks in his 31 attempts.

Since taking over as the starting punter, Robbins is averaging 41.6 yards per punt. Peoples-Jones may fall behind Harris, as he averages just 12 yards per punt return, but he has returned one for a touchdown.

Edge: Push Intangibles The Wolverines are walking into a Homecoming matchup in Bloomington, but they do so with a point to prove. The Spartans left a sour taste in Michigan’s mouth for the second time in three years, and the Wolverines know they can’t afford another upset — especially with matchups at No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 3 Penn State left on the docket before a home conclusion against No. 9 Ohio State.

As Kugler put it Monday: “Everyone’s just got to sack up.

It’s time to go.”

Edge: Michigan Pick: Michigan 16, Indiana 3

BY THE NUMBERS No. 17 Michigan vs. Indiana

22.8

Yards per punt return for Indiana’s J-Shun Harris.

375

All-purpose yards for quarterback Peyton Ramsey in his starting debut against Charleston Southern.

213

Yards allowed per game — good to cement Michigan’s defense as the top unit in the nation.

6

Fumbles lost by the Wolverines through five games.

Sports

8 — Friday, October 13, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Behind Enemy Lines: Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

Coming off a career-best season in 2016, it’s safe to say that Richard Lagow has had a rocky senior year.

The Indiana quarterback has completed just 56 percent of his passes for 661 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers rank just 69th in the nation in total offense after a 3-2 start.

To top it all off, Lagow — who was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last year — lost his starting job to redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey after a 45-14 loss to then-No. 4 Penn State.

But Lagow is well-versed when it comes to difficult situations.

After graduating from Plano High School in Texas, Lagow signed with Connecticut. He didn’t last long there — nor did he spend much time at Oklahoma State, his next stop.

The Daily spoke with Lagow at Big Ten Media Days in July about playing in former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord’s scheme this year, his long-winding journey to Indiana and facing Michigan’s top-ranked defense.

Q: The coaching change was made and (former Indiana head coach) Kevin Wilson was dismissed. How surprised were you? Were you prepared at all for that?

RL: No, it was very surprising.

I actually found out about it — I was in class, and we got a text saying we had a team meeting later in the day. I’m sitting in class and the information got leaked to the media, and there’s a kid sitting next to me in class, and he taps me, he’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ ‘What are you talking about?’

He turns his phone and shows me the screen (saying), ‘Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson fired,’ and I’m like, ‘Whoa. You know more than I do, apparently!’ It was extremely surprising.

Q: What did you think of the reasons that were given for his dismissal?

RL: I’m not sure. I had never had anything but great experiences with Coach Wilson.

He’s the coach that recruited me. I have a good relationship with him. A lot of the stuff that they talked about, I wasn’t even at the University for, I was (at) Cisco Junior College or something else.

TMD: What’s been the biggest adjustment, scheme-wise, going from the old style of offense to Coach DeBord this year?

RL: I think just the terminology is the biggest difference. You have to learn a whole new language, really, when it comes down to it. Everything is called different stuff. That’s the stuff you have to put the most work into.

TMD: What was your reaction to being named to the Johnny Unitas watch list this offseason?

RL: It’s a big honor. Anytime you can be associated with that name, and be on the same list as some of the other top quarterbacks in the country, it’s an honor, something that you don’t really take lightly, so it was cool.

TMD: You had a long road through this process. You started at Connecticut and then Oklahoma State. I guess, through all those stops, did you ever consider letting football go?

RL: I went to Cisco Junior College. That was my platform to get here. It’s a small town, with about 3,000 people — at most. That’s what they say on the internet. But there was times where I questioned why I was doing this. I was there for two seasons. After the first season I had some small offers, nowhere near what I wanted, so I decided to come back for my second year. And just throughout that time, there were a couple times where I would question it. But my teammates at Cisco — I wouldn’t have made it here without those guys, no doubt about that, so they

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow had a rocky start to the 2017 season, throwing three interceptions before losing his job to Peyton Ramsey last week.

kept my head straight.

TMD: What led you to Cisco in particular?

RL: No one else really wanted me. I was at UConn for like three weeks, I was barely there, and then I was at Oklahoma State because I just need somewhere to go, I had nowhere else to go.

And by the time I was at Cisco, I had already transferred twice.

Leaving Oklahoma State, a lot of the jucos were like, ‘You’ve already transferred twice, we haven’t seen you play since your senior year.’ Cisco gave me a chance. It worked out. Paid off for them. Paid off for me, as well.

Crazy journey.

TMD: Now heading into your last year, looking back, is there anything you would change in retrospect?

RL: No, not a thing. I had a bad attitude when I was at UConn and Oklahoma State, really, so

I guess that’s the only thing I would change. But I had to go through that time and mature to grow to get where I am now and be how I am now, so if I got to go through it again, I would do it the same way.

Q: How would you describe that attitude that you had?

RL: I wanted to play right away. I think every freshman needs to have that attitude — ‘Get me on the field right now.’ But you’ve got to have that attitude while also understanding that the people that are there before you, they know stuff that you don’t know. They might’ve played already, they might’ve been through a season, they know the system. So you’ve got to have the attitude of, ‘Put me in the game right now, I’m better than everyone else on this team,’ while also understanding that everyone else around you is there to help

you and is there to help you grow as a player and a person and to teach you. That’s the thing that I needed to understand sooner, is that the people that were above me, I needed to look at them as an opportunity to learn, rather than the person that was keeping me from being on the field.

TMD: Looking back at last season, what was the most difficult part about playing Michigan’s defense?

RL: I think Michigan had a good pass rush last year. They had a really good defensive line. Their defensive line made it hard for us not only to run the ball, but made it hard for me to throw the ball at times. When you have some of those guys coming down on you, you don’t have a lot of time to throw the ball.

TMD: Statistically, they blitz on a high percentage of plays.

How do you prepare for a team

that likes to throw pressure at you?

RL: You’ve just got to be aware of that fact that they do like to bring pressure. When we’re getting ready for a game, we know when they like to bring pressure, on what down, on what distance, against what formation. So they’ll surprise you, but a lot of the times you’re expecting it, so you’ve got to be aware on the field and ready to react.

TMD: Do you have any impressions of this year’s Michigan team at all?

RL: I don’t, I don’t. It’s a whole new year.

Q: What do you think, though, when you hear the name Michigan when you see them on the schedule? What’s the first thing you think about Michigan football?

RL: Tradition. A lot of tradition.

Roos’ winding path leads to perfect fit with Wolverines JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer

If everything had gone as originally planned, Alex Roos would have already finished his senior season of college hockey. Instead, he’s spending his last year of eligibility over 1,000 miles away from where he started.

As a freshman forward at Colorado College, Roos was a key contributor, ranking second on the team with 10 goals.

But before Roos’ sophomore season, the Tigers hired a new head coach, Mike Haviland. As Haviland remade the program with his own recruits, Roos’ playing time dwindled, and he scored just five goals combined during his sophomore and junior seasons.

“By the time my senior season came along, the coaches had decided to go in a different direction with the team and

didn’t see me fitting into their plans,” Roos said. “I figured it would be best for me and the team that I pursue another opportunity.”

So Roos spent last spring in the classroom instead of on the ice, focusing on earning his economics degree. But by no means was he done with hockey.

“I took maybe a couple days off to kind of figure everything out,” Roos said. “(Then I) got right back into the gym and made sure I was staying in shape, skating, working on my skills.

Really made sure that I used that time to not only stay in shape, but to get even better.”

Having graduated from Colorado College, Roos was free to play his final season as a graduate transfer for any program he chose without having to sit out a year. He settled on Michigan, where he had visited while in high school

and was familiar with several members of the coaching staff — including current head coach Mel Pearson, who was then an assistant under Red Berenson.

It wasn’t only the prestige of Michigan’s hockey program that brought Roos to Ann Arbor, though — part of the appeal was his desire to earn a masters degree.

“Obviously knowing some of the staff here helped just with familiarity — them knowing me, me knowing them,” Roos said. “Also the school itself — I wanted to pursue my masters degree at the business school, so getting into that program was a large part of it as well. And then just being a part of this tradition of being a Michigan Wolverine was something that I was really interested in, really excited me.”

The youth of the Wolverines’ roster also attracted Roos, as he saw an opportunity to contribute veteran leadership to the group.

Pearson himself describes Roos as a “really good person” who “communicates well.” However, Roos has tried to balance his role of elder statesman with that of being a newcomer to the team.

“Being a new guy but also having experience, I haven’t really tried to force my knowledge on any guys,” Roos said. “Just kind of letting them know that if they ever need help or have any questions, I’m here. Hopefully show them by example by leading the way on the ice and showing the proper way to play. Just anything I can do to help.”

Despite this expertise on and off the ice, Roos has had to deal with his own share of new experiences. This includes the drastic change in environment from Colorado College — a liberal arts school with an enrollment of just over 2,000 — to Michigan, a university nearly 20 times as large, and having to fit in as a

graduate student without an incoming class.

According to Roos, his teammates have made this transition as smooth as possible.

“The guys have been more than inviting and welcomed me with open arms, so that was really nice,” Roos said.

“Just the overall feel of being in a bigger town, bigger school was definitely a little bit of a culture shock, but I feel like I’m adjusting well and really enjoying myself.”

Roos certainly does appear to be enjoying himself on the ice. He got started on the right foot in his first game with the Wolverines, scoring a goal and adding an assist in an exhibition victory over Western Ontario, and also found the net in Michigan’s official season opener at St. Lawrence last weekend.

“It had been a while since I’d scored a goal,” Roos said. “But it was definitely exciting and nice

to get one in the first game and get that feeling and adrenaline rush of scoring.”

The Wolverines’ youth and difficulties scoring were both well-documented last season.

And while Roos might not be able to fix these problems by himself, he’s given Michigan just what it needs in both of those areas.

“You have to earn your experience,” Pearson said. “You can’t win it in a lottery. Someone just can’t bang their magic wand and give you experience — you have to acquire it. I think that really helps when you’re dealing with younger people and being able to help them go through some of the things he did.

“He just adds to that senior class because he’s been through it. He’s spent four years in college already so he understands the ups and downs, the grind of college and the academic balance with the athletic balance. He’s a great addition.”

Department of Musical Theatre 2017-2018 Season

A new jukebox musical about love, rock ‘n’ roll, and second chances featuring pop hits from the 80s to today

By Bertolt Brecht, translated by Ralph Manheim Directed by Malcolm Tulip Department of Theatre & Drama Oct. 5 & 12 at 7:30 PM Oct. 6, 7, 13, & 14 at 8 PM Oct. 8 & 15 at 2 PM Arthur Miller Theatre League Ticket Office 734-764-2538 tickets.smtd.umich.edu umichsmtd

Book by Jeremy Desmon Additional songs by Jeff Thomson & Jeremy Desmon Arrangements and Orchestrations by Jesse Vargas Oct. 12 & 19 at 7:30PM • Oct. 13, 14, 20 & 21 at 8 PM Oct. 15 & 22 at 2 PM • Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Reserved seating $30 & $24 • Students $12 w/ID League Ticket Office • tickets.smtd.umich.edu

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Graduate student Alex Roos netted a goal in Michigan’s regular-season opener.