2018-06-07

Thursday, June 7, 2018

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Academics

University Hosts TeachOut Academy

NEWS

U-M Abroad Academic partnerships further Ob-Gyn training in Sub-Saharan Africa >> SEE PAGE 2

Other institutions to adopt U-M’s model

OPINION

Female athletics in sports media

By ZOE BAXTER

Marlee Burridge discusses the rampant gender inequality in sports media.

In 1965, U-M faculty members organized the first ever teach-in on the Vietnam War. The event drew in over 3,000 University students and the concept spread to numerous higher education institutions across the country.

Last year, the Office of Academic Innovation began the Teach-Out Series.

Its website describes the series as “an opportunity for learners around the world to come together with our campus community in conversation on topics of widespread interest,” emphasizing that teach-outs are free and accessible to anyone through online platforms such as Coursera.

“The University of Michigan TeachOut Series can be a model for a new era of engagement between institutions of higher education and the global communities they serve,” James Hilton, University librarian and dean of libraries, said in a previous Daily article.

Now, the idea is spreading to other institutions across the country including Brown University, Davidson College, Emory University, MIT, Stanford University, Texas A&M University, University of Colorado, University of Illinois, University of Notre Dame and University of Pennsylvania.

Representatives from each of these schools attended a two-day “Teach-Out Academy” hosted by the University to learn more about this unique method of engagement.

At the academy, the representatives had the opportunity to discuss their own ideas with OAI faculty.

Andy Herring, a Texas A&M professor of animal science, attended the academy because he believes teach-outs can help encourage informed discussions on campus.

Daily Staff Reporter

>> SEE PAGE 5

ARTS

MAX KUANG / DAILY

Bo Burnham talks ‘Eighth Grade’ Comedy star discusses his critically acclaimed new film. >> SEE PAGE 6

MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Why ‘Dear White People’ is important

“I loved every second of it.” >> SEE PAGE 9

SPORTS

Charles Matthews Forward Charles Matthews withdraws from NBA Draft and announces return to Michigan >> SEE PAGE 12

INDEX Vol. CXXVII, No. 119 | © 2018 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com

NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ............................... 4 ARTS/PHOTO ...................... 6 MiC......................................... 9 SPORTS................................ 10

MCity Launches Driverless Shuttles on North Campus Self-driving cars now running five days a week

By ROB DALKA Daily Staff Reporter

On Monday, Mcity launched their driverless shuttles on the University of Michigan’s North Campus. The shuttles run Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The current shuttle encompasses the North Campus Research Complex, a one-mile round trip, with future plans to extend the route down to the Lurie Engineering Center.

According to Mcity’s website, the project is the first of its kind to focus on consumer research of driverless shuttles.

For the automated shuttles to be approved, Mcity complied with various levels of oversight and worked to make sure they were meeting regulations.

Mcity worked with Institutional

Autonomous Systems Committee to be sure they were meeting the regulations for autonomous vehicles. Mcity also received permission from the Institutional Review Board, as part of their research involves human subjects and their experiences with the shuttles.

Sarah Wentzloff, the program manager for the shuttle launch, commented on the hard work and time put into the project.

“The biggest challenge was being the first,” Wentzloff said.

“Everyone was learning what had to be done to get us on the road.”

The program is currently comprised of two shuttles, capable of holding 11 passengers each. These shuttles are fully electric and were manufactured by the French firm, NAVYA. A shuttle will drive along a prescribed route at 12 miles per hour, using invisible lasers to create a view of its surroundings and a GPS system to keep track of location. The shuttle is able to come to a complete stop quickly if

it senses another car, pedestrian or other obstacle obstructing the road. If a car is stopped in front of it for a longer than normal period of time, the shuttle will honk its horn.

Although these shuttles are driverless, a safety conductor is on board at all times with the ability to stop the shuttle in case of emergency. Along with the emergency stop button, a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller can be used by the safety conductor to manually drive the shuttle.

Currently, the safety conductor also is in control of when a shuttle will start moving after coming to a stop. At each intersection at which the shuttle stops, the safety conductor checks if it is safe before telling the shuttle to start moving again. The shuttle does have the capabilities to make this decision itself, but the current procedure was put in place for the initial rollout.

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2 NEWS

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Council Discusses Game Day Condos Councilmembers review zoning laws

By SAYALI AMIN Daily Staff Reporter

On Monday June 4, Ann Arbor City Council convened to discuss a variety of issues, including the Unified Development Code as well as implications of zoning laws on the proposed construction of new gameday condos.

The revision of the UDC was first brought up by a group of residents during the public hearing.

Wendy Carman, a member of the Environmental Commission, said she was in support of a consolidated ordinance and has reviewed parts of the new working draft.

“The draft went almost completely unnoticed by the public,” Carman said. “I began with the Wetland Ordinance and I found one glaring mistake — a missing sentence requiring a permit to drain a wetland.”

Carman said the mistake was later corrected, but explained that there

was no process in place to catch these errors. It took Carman four months to review a small portion of the more than 200-page document.

Councilmember Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, suggested postponing discussion to the second council meeting in June, while Councilmember Jack Eaton, D-Ward 4, said it should be postponed to the second meeting in July.

“We really need to have a chart,” Eaton said. “When you do complex legislation like this and you move all the parts around you should have a cross-reference chart of it, where it used to be and where it ended up.

This is what we should be doing, instead we issued a report that was 275 pages long and 656 footnotes, pointing things that had been done to the previous code.”

Ackerman said any desired changes to the zoning laws should be carried out through the UDC and should not be tabled for months.

Ultimately, City Council voted to move the decision to July 16.

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U-M Helps Train OB-GYNs Abroad Partnerships focus on women’s health in Sub-Saharan Africa

By ALICE TRACEY Summer Daily News Editor

A University of Michigan-led study published May 1 in the American College of Surgeons Bulletin reported partnerships between the Obstetrics and Gynecology departments of highincome academic institutions and corresponding departments of sub-Saharan African institutions have the potential to greatly improve maternal and neonatal medical care. The study referenced several U-M collaborations that enrich ob-gyn training and improve access to women’s health care in subSaharan nations.

According to Timothy R.B. Johnson, ob-gyn chair at Michigan Medicine, the University has a long history of academic partnerships with medical institutions in other countries, especially Ghana.

Johnson founded an ob-gyn clinic in Ghana in 1989 during an epidemic of maternal morbidity, starting a partnership that has helped expand access to women’s health care. The University now participates in other initiatives with the mission of improving

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international ob-gyn training. The 1000+ OBGYNS project, founded in 2014, is working to educate new doctors about maternal and newborn health in sub-Saharan Africa. Also founded in 2014, the Center for International Reproductive Health Training works with 10 institutions in Ethiopia and one in Rwanda to improve reproductive health care education. In the future, it aims to extend its work to Southeast Asia.

The University’s efforts in Ghana and Ethiopia have expanded to other medical fields, such as emergency medicine, but women’s health remains a central focus. Johnson said Sub-Saharan African countries suffer from high rates of maternal deaths. In a joint email interview, CIHRT Program Director Lia Gebremedhin and CIRHT Managing Director Janet Hall added underprivileged women in these areas also lack safe abortion methods and contraceptives.

“Women and girls in developing countries disproportionately suffer from maternal morbidity and mortality due to unsafe abortion,” Gebremedhin and Hall wrote. “In addition, they lack adequate access to comprehensive family planning services to prevent unwanted pregnancies.”

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NEWS 3 VR training helps the disabled find jobs Event honors community Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Virtual character range of disabilities. These students typically receive federally Molly Porter measures mandated “transition services” help them in the transition progress of workers that from high school to either college

By RILEY LANGEFELD Daily Staff Reporter

Adults and children with mental disabilities may soon have a better shot at finding jobs, thanks to a research project that uses virtual reality job interview training to develop their skills.

The training has been in development for eight years and is just beginning to be tested and applied in real-world scenarios.

Matt Smith, an associate professor at the School of Social Work, joined the project in its early stages to help evaluate the training after a prototype was developed. Smith has been working on the project for seven years now, and its promise is only becoming clearer as his research continues.

At the center of the program is a virtual character named Molly Porter, who is driven by a living algorithm that determines her questions, responses and behavior. The researchers refer to the training as the “Molly training.”

An interview with Molly takes roughly 20 minutes, and trainees receive an overall score as well as eight scores for individual learning objectives when they finish.

They use these scores to measure their progress over repeated interviews with Molly.

Smith and the team researched the effects of the Molly training on five disadvantaged groups, including those with severe mental illness, mood disorders, autism, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. In preliminary testing, their subjects were twice as likely to get jobs or internships after the training than a control group that did not undergo the training.

Now, the training is being evaluated in four different initiatives with funding drawn from a variety of sources. One project, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, is evaluating whether the Molly training is effective for adults receiving mental health unemployment services. Another, funded by the Kessler Foundation, focuses on high school students with a

or the workforce, and the Molly training could be an effective addition to these services.

A third project, funded by the NIMH and the University’s School of Social Work, works on adapting the Molly training for different groups of people. And the fourth project is funded by the University’s Poverty Solutions initiative. Its goal is to evaluate the potential of working with Certified Peer Support Specialists on Molly training. The Peers, as they are called, have lived mental health experiences and received treatment, and they act as advocates for other individuals suffering from mental health problems.

Smith hopes the training will be used with as many groups as it can help. He expressed his belief that the tool could be applied in, among other situations, re-entry services for people with prior criminal convictions. He suggested that the training could help to reduce recidivism — the tendency of a criminal to commit more crimes — by making it easier for former criminals to find jobs.

“We really want to make the tool accessible and evaluate if this tool can help other groups, too,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, job interviewing is something everybody has to do. Whether you’re somebody with a certain type of disability or whether you’re somebody that has no disability, it causes anxiety. And it’s a skill set that needs practice.”

Although the training is still in the process of being evaluated, its success in laboratory conditions appears to have translated to tangible success for preliminary trainees. In their project to deliver the training to high school students, 30 percent found employment and 20 percent found internships in the first four months following the training. This was consistent with the team’s prior research, suggesting that the training could be immensely helpful for adults and young people alike.

Educators who have worked with the training testify to its positive impact. Meredith Schindler is the executive director of the

Ann Arbor Academy, an independent school where a third of the students have autism. These students have worked started using the Molly training at the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year.

“The Molly training is designed to help people speak more effectively about their ability to work well on a team — that they’re a hard worker,” Smith said. “If they’d had gaps in their work history, it helps them learn how to frame their responses in a positive way.”

Schindler expressed a similar sentiment. She noted that adults with mental disabilities generally make excellent employees, and that their primary challenge is getting their foot in the door with employers wary of hiring disabled people. According to Schindler, the Molly training has helped her students develop the skills necessary to face this challenge.

“We’ve definitely seen an improvement in kids’ social skills,” Schindler said. “And I think it’s definitely partially due to what they’re getting with the training. You see more confidence and you see a better ability to handle some questions.”

Karen Steffan is the coordinator of vocational services at the LaGrange Area Department of Special Education in Illinois. She oversees a variety of work programs for high school students and coordinates educational programs for around 4000 students with disabilities. Like Schindler, she has seen a marked improvement in the skills of students using the Molly training.

“It was new to all of us,” Steffan said. “We all had our learning curve on it. But it captures your interest and certainly allows you to stay engaged with it. … It fits in every environment we tested it in. It was convenient for people.

It was timely for people. It was engaging. And it gave you immediate results.”

Feedback like this is encouraging for Smith and his team, who are hopeful about the program’s potential and eager to apply it wherever it can help. Likewise, for disabled people and their advocates, Smith’s work is a source of hope for the future.

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Downtown festival celebrates African American businesses

By ROB DALKA Daily Staff Reporter

On Saturday, the 23rd annual African American Downtown Festival was held in Kerrytown on the streets of East Ann and North Fourth. Started by Lucille Hall-Porter, the festival is a celebration of African American culture and the local African American-owned businesses’ contributions to the community.

A grand stage was set up on the corner of East Ann and North Fourth. Live music and performances from many different groups continued throughout the day.

Vendors lined the streets promoting their businesses and organizations, and many sold food, clothes, books and much more. These vendors came from Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas to share what they do with the people of the city. They were made up of both returning and first-time participants.

Charles Young, a Metro Detroit-area resident, runs a traveling bookstore. Charles’ Collectables and Books was among the many vendors that was represented at the festival.

“I wanted to give folks an opportunity to get books for themselves and their kids,” Young said. “We serve as a recourse for parents, teachers, grandparents and anyone who is interested in history.”

This year was Young’s 15th year bringing his bookstore to the AADF. He is a strong proponent of the festival.

“It is always a great festival to come to,” Young said.

“Ann Arbor is a great town, and people always come out and support.

Although the weather was cooler than earlier in the week, the AADF was warm and welcoming, with the smell of good food and

sounds of vibrant music filling the air. Throughout the day, people from all over Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities came to enjoy the festival.

Mike and Kari Victor, Ann Arbor residents, came to spend some of their day at the AADF. “Everybody should come out,” Kari Victor said. “There has been great entertainment and food. It has been a ton of fun.”

The festival has grown each year, with this year’s festival being the largest one yet. The Ann Arbor Cultural and Community Events Coalition works on planning the event all year to make the AADF come to fruition.

“We love that it brings everyone from the area together,” Teesha Montague, the events coordinator for the festival, said. “There is a lot of diversity. We appreciate that, and we celebrate that. We like to celebrate our history at the same time.”

Montague became the events coordinator in 2008 and has helped plan the AADF each year since. Montague also just started a local business with her mother.

Ultimately, Montague hopes that the festival can continue to grow as the years go on.

“We need to extend the AADF,” Montague said. “We have been getting requests in the past few years, to expand the festival to a few days.

Hopefully by our 25th year, 2020, we would be able to that. We’ve talked with the city and they have totally supported us and we have appreciated that.”

Young says he is appreciative of how the community works together for the festival.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see everybody coming together,” Young said. “I think that just seeing the smiles and responses is so satisf ying and worth all the hard work.”

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4 OPINION

Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

EMMA CHANG | COLUMN

Confessions of a closeted Rosshole

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EMMA CHANG

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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Emma Chang Joel Danilewitz Samantha Goldstein Elena Hubbell Emily Huhman Tara Jayaram

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JULIA MONTAG | COLUMN

I

Happiness 101

spent this past weekend moving into a new house, “new” meaning not yet lived in by me, but old by all other standards. My father and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work, climbing up and down three stories, arms filled with boxes of oddities, mementos of game days and fragile mugs. We worked strategically and hastily, combining our mental and physical capacities to rebuild the deconstructed IKEA bed in the designated corner of my uniquely shaped room.

My dad taught me how to do this– how to move. How to ready cardboard boxes for packing, how to use a set of tools, how to lift boxes from your knees (not your back) and how to declutter. I had 45 minutes a day in the third grade dedicated to cursive, another 45 to long division. In high school, 60 minutes a day were set aside for lacrosse and another generous 60 to seeing friends. However, among the dance classes and math tutors, there was one lesson I was never explicitly taught, a sport for which I’ve never attended practice. Nobody has taught me how to be happy.

Intrinsically, we are inclined to try to find happiness ourselves. We all take a break from homework to surround ourselves with positive friends or music, allow ourselves to wander and get lost between the pages of a book, go for a run or stop for an ice cream cone just because it makes us happy. But when those tactics don’t work, I (along with many other college students, it seems) don’t know where to turn. My classmates and friends are often stressed and

unhappy, riddled with anxiety and inclined to hide it in order to prioritize the coursework that needs to be done by tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. And the day after that.

Slowly, classes trump hobbies, and the things that make us happy succumb to the tasks that keep us enrolled in school; it’s hard to enjoy the pages you’re reading when they come with a looming due date or require a 10-page analysis. My lacrosse coach and third grade teacher taught me how to work hard but not how to be happy. Who is responsible for doing that now?

Colleges and universities nationwide are beginning to recognize this gap in education. At Yale University, Happiness 101 aims to change the culture on campus by promoting social activities, organizational skills and gratitude while pointing out detrimental habits like procrastination and sweeping emotions under the rug. Nearly a quarter of Yale’s undergraduate population enrolled in the course this semester, a statistic that reflects the need and desire for information about happiness and how to achieve it.

The University of Michigan is following this trend and joining Yale in offering courses designed to discussing happiness. For example, a first-year seminar offered this fall term called Psychology as a Social Science addresses what makes life worth living and promotes practices that align with a healthy and meaningful life. Another course, titled Happiness and Health: Exploring the Science, will hit on similar ideas, asking if laughter can heal us,

if thinking positively can help us succeed, and how stress, depression and anxiety play a role in the world of psychology and medicine.

A big question that we must ask ourselves is whether we think our University can fill that role and promote a noncompetitive, gradeindependent well-being rather than focusing simply on academics.

Certainly the kinks would need to be smoothed out and questions answered regarding how one would be graded in a U-M Happiness 101 class. But I believe Wolverines would welcome this class into the LSA Course Guide with open arms. Many of us prioritize our classes over anything else (to any who discredit that claim, I challenge you to find a table at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library on any given Sunday), meaning this week’s statistics lecture takes the No. 1 spot on our to-do list, and our hobbies and interests are slighted. We’ve been conditioned to deprioritize happiness in order to achieve a high grade point average, resulting in life habits that are harmful and unsustainable.

That’s why I think that a Happiness 101 class here at the University would allow us to reprioritize happiness along with our GPAs and forgo those harmful habits altogether. Given the competitive nature and drive for success that is bred at the University, Happiness 101 might be the only way to simultaneously focus on our work and well-being.

Julia Montag can be reached at asafawi@umich.edu.

I

t rea l ly i s a dau nt i ng t a sk , decid i ng you r ca reer pat h at t he r ipe old a g e of 18 . It ha s been a l it t le over a yea r si nce I fou nd out I wa s accepted i nto t he Un iver sit y of M ich ig a n a nd t he Ross School of Bu si ness.

I remember t h i n k i ng ever yone k new what t hey were g oi ng to st udy i n t he f a l l. Lit t le d id I k now, t hat i s not t r ue for ever yone a nd ma ny people w i l l cha ng e t hei r m i nd s at lea st once, if not t w ice, i n col leg e. W it h so much excitement joi n i ng t he U-M com mu n it y, I d id not rea l i ze it ca me w it h a whole new plat for m for col leg e memes. The pu nch l i ne for a lot of t hese jokes, however, i nvolves bu si ness major s or – a s we ’re k now n on ca mpu s – Rossholes.

I’m what you m ig ht refer to a s a “closeted” Rosshole.

I appl ied to t he Bu si ness School w it hout a ny rhy me or rea son a nd , to my su r pr i se, wa s accepted . I remember bei ng ecst at ic u nt i l I rea l i zed t he reput at ion t hat bei ng i n Ross ca r r ies on t h is ca mpu s. ST EM major s scof f at you a nd you ca n’t exac t ly bond w it h ot her non- ST EM major s becau se, you k now, capit a l i sm . A s a f resh ma n w it h a bsolutely no idea what t he stock ma rket i s a nd a n i na bi l it y to pretend I u nder stood how Wa l l St reet worked , t h i s wa s pa r t ic u la rly con f u si ng to me. What exac t ly i s t he st ig ma su r rou nd i ng t he B . B . A .? What exac t ly made me a “ Rosshole? ” Honest ly, to t r u ly def i ne what ca mpu s deem s a Rosshole, you have to g o to t he meme pa g es. There, you ca n f i nd t he mea n i ng of Rosshole clea r a s day. Fi r st , you have to be someone who i ncessa nt ly t a l k s a bout t he f ac t t hat t hey ’re i n t he Bu si ness School.

Then , obv iou sly, comes t he Ca nada G oose jacket s. Ca n’t be a t r ue Rosshole w it hout it .

The overa l l ef fec t i s ju st a st uck-up per son who w i l l end up w it h some k i nd of f a nc y i nter n sh ip – t hat t hey may or may not deser ve – doi ng somet h i ng t hey don’t pa r t ic u la rly u nder st a nd t hat

w i l l event ua l ly g et t hem a lot of money. K i nd of m i ndbog g l i ng, no?

“Little did I know, that... many people will change their minds if not once, at least twice, in college.”

I ca n tot a l ly see why t he rest of t he school hates bu si ness st udent s so much .

The bu i ld i ng it self screa m s Rosshole w it h it s na mesa ke, Stephen M . Ross, donat i ng m i l l ion s of dol la r s to en ha nce t he a l ready-g a r i sh f açade on Ea st Un iver sit y Avenue. Mea nwh i le, across ca mpu s, ot her depa r t ment s may be st r ug g l i ng to f i nd f u nd i ng. It i s i n f u r iat i ng. It i s, wa it for it , capit a l i sm .

W it h t h i s m i nd set , I entered f resh ma n yea r u nw i l l i ng to d iv u lg e t he f ac t t hat I wa s i n t he Bu si ness School , wh ich , let me tel l you , wa s ver y d if f ic u lt . The f i r st t wo quest ion s you g et when meet i ng someone new a ny where on t h i s ca mpu s i s, “ What a re you st udy i ng? ” a nd , a s a f resh ma n , “ Where a re you l iv i ng? ” Bot h of t hese quest ion s posed i ssues becau se I wa s i n t he Bu si ness School a nd l iv i ng i n Ma r t ha Cook . Bot h of t hese a n s wer s ca n g a r ner ver y neg at ive, a lbeit i nterest i ng respon ses.

I lea r ned how to ex pla i n away t he f u n ny look s I g ot when I sa id I l ived i n t he a l l-g i rl s dor m w it h a severe reput at ion by ment ion i ng it ’s ac t ua l ly a rea l ly n ice place to l ive, but t hat ’s a not her stor y for a not her t i me. How d id I dea l w it h a n s wer i ng t he major quest ion? I had a couple of solut ion s, bot h of wh ich were equa l ly

Continue reading on page 5.

Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Confessions of a closeted Rosshole by Emma Chang continued below:

annoying and equally harder to deal with than if I had just said I was in the Business School. I learned if I asked the question first – bam – I could tailor my answer to whatever t hey sa id: “Oh, you’re in Ross?

Me too!” or “Not in Ross?

Okay t hen, I a m i n LSA a nd u ndecided.”

The whole “ LSA a nd u ndecided” a n swer worked rea lly well u nt il I went to go f ill out for m s or people st a r ted to get more cu r ious about my cla ss schedu le.

The Busi ness School isn’t pa r t of LSA a nd busi ness st udent s a re not u ndecided because t hey receive a B.B. A . Super specif ic, I k now. A ny ways, I wou ld forget about the whole B.B.A. thing because I was so determined to ignore the fact that I was in the Business School. I’ll admit it, I was ashamed.

The first five months of the school year, a long time for a school that gets out in April, were awful. I treaded lightly when I met people, not knowing whether or not bei ng a busi ness st udent wou ld somehow a f fec t ou r possible f r iendsh ip.

Spoiler a ler t : it did n’t . I put so much empha sis on t he neg at ive a spec t of t he fac t t hat I wa s i n Ross t hat I did n’t look at t he br ig ht side. I’m i n Ross. Some people wou ld k ill to be i n my posit ion .

I did n’t appreciate t hat u nt il t he m iddle of w i nter ter m . I t h i n k it had to do w it h t he fac t t hat I wa s i n den ia l about not bei ng a STEM major.

The people w it h wh ich I su r rou nd myself a re a ll pre-med or some k i nd of

biochem ica l science major t a k i ng org a n ic chem ist r y t hei r f i rst yea r wh ile I sat a rou nd doi ng et h ics ca se st udies. Bot h a re super i nterest i ng, it ’s just t hat , for a long t i me, I did n’t u nderst a nd t he weig ht of what I wa s st udy i ng, did n’t t h i n k it wa s a s “academ ic ” a s, say, doing a chemist r y lab.

Now, t hough, t hings a re dif ferent. During t he w inter term, I met a lot more of my business peers a nd bega n to wonder why exactly I wa s uncomfor table telling people about my major.

You don’t see biochemica l st udents r ushing to cover up t heir scientif ic endeavors, nor do you ever hea r internationa l st udies st udents gloss over interests in t he world.

So, why should I hide my interest in business? The a nswer wa s I shou ld n’t .

The oppor t u n it ies t hat a well- ea r ned busi ness deg ree ca n prov ide a re i n f i n ite a nd t he subjec t s w it h i n it a re nua nced a nd applicable.

I t h i n k one of t he big gest rea son s I did n’t feel com for t able w it h my st a ndi ng i n t he Busi ness School wa s t hat I have no idea what I wa nt to do w it h my life. Do I wa nt to go i nto hea lt h- ca re? Do I wa nt to ma nage a hedge f u nd?

Do I wa nt to somehow do bot h?

These quest ion s cont i nue to plag ue me, but a busi ness deg ree is at lea st st a r t i n some k i nd of di rec t ion . So, yea h , maybe I a m a Rosshole a f ter a ll.

Emma Chang can be reached at emmacha@umich.edu.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to emmacha@umich.edu

OPINION 5

MARLEE BURRIDGE | COLUMN

J

Female athletics and sports media

ust a s t icket pr ices appea r to i mpac t t he public ’s opi n ion of women’s spor t s, so does t he spor t s media . There is lit t le to no coverage of women’s at h let ics a nd t hat leads to a lack of i nvest ment , i nterest a nd educat ion on t he pa r t of t he public. It becomes ex t remely dif f icu lt to generate suppor t when t he big i n f luencers i n spor t s media disreg a rd a ny i mpor t a nt event s t hat happen i n t he fema le at h let ics world.

In fac t , t he on ly t i me t here is a ny sig n if ica nt coverage of women’s spor t i ng event s is du r i ng t he Oly mpics a nd t he World Cup. Th is becomes more obv ious du r i ng Ma rch Mad ness.

The men’s a nd women’s tou r na ment s r u n side by side, yet t he men’s tou r na ment receives a ll of t he media at tent ion . In fac t , I ca n not reca ll a si ngle t i me du r i ng t he tou r na ment s when I t u r ned on ESPN a nd t hey were t a l k i ng about t he women’s tou r na ment .

For exa mple, Sister Jea n a nd t he Loyola men’s ba sketba ll tea m received a n ex t reme a mou nt of media at tent ion a nd were con st a nt ly i n t he conversat ion wh ile t he Not re Da me women’s ba sketba ll tea m received no at tent ion despite t he fac t t hat t hey beat t he u ndefeated Un iversit y of Con nec t icut tea m i n t he Fi na l Fou r, a nd A r i ke Og u nbowa le went on to h it a bu zzer beater to w i n it a ll. Of cou rse, t he Loyola tea m a nd t hei r chapla i n deser ved at tent ion a s t hey were a fa nt a st ic Ci nderella stor y, but perhaps some of t he t i me spent cover i ng t hem cou ld have been bet ter spent on t he women’s tou r na ment .

A s I a m cer t a i n most of us remember, Jorda n Poole h it a bu zzer beater to beat Houston a nd send M ich ig a n to t he Sweet 16. That shot wa s h ig h ly publicized a nd ever yone wa s t a l k i ng about it . When Og u nbowa le h it a bu zzer beater to w i n it a ll, I don’t t h i n k I even saw a si ngle v ideo of it . Th is k i nd of media def icit is cr ippli ng to a ll women’s spor t s.

A not her issue t hat accompa n ies t he lack of media coverage is t hat it becomes

ver y dif f icu lt to f i nd a r t icles a nd news about women’s spor t s.

Even if someone is i nterested in readi ng a r t icles a nd news on fema le at h let ics it t a kes at lea st f ive to 10 m i nutes of dig g i ng to f i nd somet h i ng i nterest i ng or releva nt . For exa mple, women’s spor t s receive on ly 4 percent of a ll spor t s media coverage a nd big sou rces li ke Spor t sCenter on ly devoted 1 percent of t hei r on-a i r t i me to women’s at h let ics. It is ver y discou rag i ng to ma ny you ng at h letes a nd spor t s fa n s when t hey have to go dig g i ng to f i nd somet h i ng t hat i nterest s t hem .

There is a l ready a def icit bet ween i nterest i n men’s a nd

“There is little to no coverage of women’s athletics and that leads to a lack of investment, interest, and education on the part of the public.” women’s spor t s a nd it cer t a i n ly isn’t helpi ng when you have to spend a bu nch of t i me look i ng for somet h i ng i nterest i ng about women’s spor t s. Th is lack of represent at ion becomes a huge problem for you ng fema le at h letes a s well. Wit h so lit t le media coverage, you ng g i rls st r ug gle to f i nd role models i n t hei r va r ious spor t s.

It is i mpor t a nt t hat you ng at h letes have someone t hey ca n look up to a nd relate to who encou rages t hem to keep goi ng a nd proves to t hem t hey ca n accomplish big t h i ng s.

Because t h is is so absent for fema le at h letes, it may ma ke it ha rder for you ng g i rls to feel li ke it ’s wor t h it to cont i nue to pu rsue t hei r at h let ic ca reers.

Th is leads to a h ig her rate of you ng g i rls who stop play i ng spor t s a nd t herefore lose

t he ma ny benef it s t hat come f rom play i ng a spor t such a s h ig her self- esteem , posit ive body i mage, a nd lower a n x iet y levels.

The a rg u ment ha s become t hat women’s spor t s don’t have a lot of media coverage because t hey a re not ma i n st rea m a nd popu la r, but a s Cher yl Reeve, head coach of a W N BA tea m , sa id, “The more women’s spor t s a re covered, t he more popu la r a nd ma i n st rea m , t hey w ill become.” I u nderst a nd t hat most media out let s a re i n it for t he money. They wa nt to cover t he event s t hat br i ng t hem t he most prof it .

However, t hey appea r to be m issi ng out on a huge ma rket here. About ha lf of a ll at h letes a re women wh ich mea n s t hat spor t s media is ig nor i ng about ha lf of t hei r potent ia l i ncome.

If t he media were to cover more fema le spor t s, t hey wou ld ma ke more money wh ile si mu lt a neously buildi ng up t he public ’s i nterest i n fema le at h let ics, wh ich wou ld resu lt i n more money for t hem later on . So if we wa nt to t a ke t he fac t of u njust if ied i nequa lit y out of it a nd on ly con sider t he f i na ncia l a spec t , it seem s a s t houg h it wou ld ma ke sen se for media out let s to cover women’s spor t s fa r more of ten t ha n t hey cu r rent ly do.

A ll spor t s were u npopu la r at one poi nt or a not her. It a ll comes dow n to ex posu re a nd ma rket i ng.

Once women’s spor t s a re g iven more coverage a nd t he public becomes more ex posed to t he women’s spor t s world, t hese spor t s w ill become more popu la r. When women’s spor t s become more popu la r, people w ill become more educated on t he topic.

When people become more educated on t he topic, t he abilit y to close t he pay g ap a nd ot her i nequa lit ies is no longer a n i mpossible t a sk , but rat her a goa l t hat ca n be accomplished.

When spor t s media st a r t s to devote more of it s t i me to fema le at h letes, t he f ig ht for equa lit y w ill become fa r less dif f icu lt a nd bu rden some.

Marlee Burridge can be reached at marleebu@umich.edu

6 ARTS

Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ARTIST PROFILE

A24

Burnham shares the inner worlds of ‘Eighth Grade’ NATALIE ZAK Daily Arts Writer

I lingered in the Michigan Theater’s main auditorium last Thursday after the screening of Bo Burnham’s directorial debut, “Eighth Grade.” A crowd of teenagers, young adults and retirees had just finished giving Burnham a standing ovation after his short Q&A and were now streaming out the back of the theater while I fought to make my way to the front. Not a seat in the theater had been empty that night.

The movie, which marked the beginning of the Cinetopia Film Festival, had sold out earlier that day — and for good reason.

“Eighth Grade” is a continuation of movies like “Lady Bird” and “Call Me By Your Name.” While they’re not all explicitly similar in genre or plot, they evoke a similar feeling from their audiences — something like nostalgia, but not quite, and like nervousness, but more trepid. These films zero in on the familiar and universal experiences of growing up and falling in love, while skillfully retaining the autonomy and individuality of their characters.

“Lady Bird” and “CMBYN” fit nicely into the coming-of-age category of films, but “Eighth Grade” narrowly avoids this label. While the movie introduces an expectedly coming-of-age abstract — Kayla (Elsie Fisher, “Despicable Me”) is a shy middle schooler entering her last week

of eighth grade who decides to put herself out there before the school year ends — the entire movie is undercut by larger anxieties concerning technology, social media and problems beyond Kayla’s impending high school career.

Burnham, who got his start in comedy by making Youtube videos filmed in his childhood bedroom, has always had these concerns on his mind. Much of his standup challenges our expectations of technology and tries to illustrate the complex relationship our generation has with it. “I’m addicted to the internet too,” Burnham conceded during the Q&A after the screening, but that doesn’t mean he still doesn’t share the anxieties we all do, especially when looking at the effect it could have on younger generations.

“There is a much subtler conversation to be had about the internet beyond Russia and cyberbullying, something very personal and interior to the internet and what it does to people that is not okay,” said Burnham earlier that night in response to an audience member’s question about this aspect of the film. “There’s this sudden impulse to see yourself as a commodity or a character. To sort of float above your life and watch other people watch you and watch other people watch you watch them.”

Much of “Eighth Grade” concerns this kind of watching.

Kayla aimlessly scrolls through

her Instagram feed, liking pictures and videos of other 13 year olds pulling pranks and painting their nails. She makes videos with survival guide tips on how to be more confident, while suffering from crippling shyness in her dayto-day life. She wants to be seen as someone she’s not, an expert on relationships and “Being Yourself.”

Access to Instagram and Youtube makes this very easy for her to do.

Kayla’s the eighth grader most of us were: awkward and introverted with acne-prone skin. But unlike us, she can hide this under Snapchat filters and good lighting.

Making my way to the front of the Michigan Theater under the massive chandelier, swarms of people moving in the opposite direction of me stared. I found Burnham’s representative, who I was directed to in an email, and taken backstage to wait for him to finish up another interview. As I waited, no matter who I talked to, be it Ella, the A24 publicist traveling with Burnham on the tour or a 68-year-old male Michigan Theater employee, everyone’s reactions stuck on the same point: The universality of a 13-year-old girl’s last week of middle school and her efforts to woo the cool kids in school.

“What’s the score?” Burnham asked Ella as we walked down the narrow hallway towards the dressing room. He was referring to the Cavs and Warriors game taking place that night, and I was immediately worried I would have to make small talk about basketball, a subject far from my specialty. But Burnham barely acknowledged this pause before sitting down next to me. He had been answering questions all day; it was 10:45 p.m. and he admittedly looked tired.

A question many people have fixated on in relation to “Eighth Grade” is how Burnham managed to perfectly capture the experiences of a 13-year-old girl without basing it off himself or someone else. Multiple years of touring has exposed him to the age demographic he was trying to paint a picture of but, as he pointed out, anything we need to know about middle schoolers these days is right at our fingertips. They put everything online to be seen.

“I think it would’ve been different if it had been sort of polluted by like ‘Oh this is my little cousin or my friend’s sister,’” Burnham responded when I asked how he managed to draw such a perfect portrait. “When I was

writing it, it felt like someone I knew, but it wasn’t specific.” This is how he avoided the nostalgia trap this film could’ve easily become. He was chasing a feeling, not nonfiction.

“I just wanted to do an intense movie about being this person, not what it means to be a kid always throughout all of time. I was feeling very nervous and panicked and anxious on the internet, and I was looking at the internet and meeting people, and I saw all these people also feeling very nervous and panicked in their lives too. So I wanted to explore what it felt like to feel anxious, to feel …” Burnham paused here, thinking. “Anxious is the opposite of nostalgic. It’s the opposite of distance at least. You’re locked in it and you can’t really see outside of yourself. So it was important that the movie didn’t see outside of her. I didn’t want the movie to know any more than she did.”

It’s terrifying to think that the common thread from one generation to the next is anxiety, but the internet undeniably doles out this feeling of uneasiness from one user to the next. And all the details of the film lend themselves to creating this feeling of uneasiness, but also the feeling that we are in Kayla’s world where every look, word and wink is a life or death situation. The audience truly doesn’t see outside of Kayla as Anne Meredith’s EDM score ropes us into the film, dropping a hard-hitting bass drop when Fisher’s character sees her crush for the first time or confronts the mean girl in school.

As far as influences go, Burnham didn’t have any but the faces he’s come across in life and online. But there’s something to be said about how the experience of 27-year-old Burnham can be easily translated to 13-year-old Kayla or 20-year-old me. Why did he think that is the case? I wondered, and then I asked, “What do you think it is about the internet that allows you to write convincingly from the point of view of a 13-year-old and not have the audience bat an eye?”

“I think the culture at the moment is existing on an eighthgrade level, you know what I mean?” Burnham replied. “The national conversation is taking place at an eighth-grade level, our president has like an eighth-grade reading level. So it just feels very true to me. I think the internet makes eighth graders of us all.”

What struck me about this conversation with Burnham,

and replies like these, was the concern and anxiety seeping into his voice as he talked about these topics, and how starkly it contrasts from the Burnham confined to Netflix specials and computer screens. While his standup drips with vitriol and is known for its dramatic flare, this movie is entirely different. It’s smart and clever and honest, tackles similar subject matters as “what.” and “Make Happy,” but isn’t the least bit arrogant or pretentious.

As Burnham put it, this movie is truer to who he is. “I am not naturally that pyrotechnic, overridden, cynical thing. It’s what the medium called for … and the truth was I was onstage terrified every night.” Making the move from irony to sincerity for Burnham was “freeing.” “It was natural. It felt more like dropping things like finally I can drop all these tools. I’m so excited to finally do something that isn’t ironic, isn’t satirical.”

When we’re children, we just want adults to recognize the magnitude of our situation. “Eighth Grade” captures the life and death feeling attached to being 13 years old. Between the music, Elsie Fisher’s fantastic performance and Burnham’s attention to the most minute details, the audience was dragged into this feeling and left laughing, squirming and occasionally shielding their eyes, unable to stand the familiarity of it.

“I didn’t want to make a nostalgic movie,” Burnham said during the theater’s Q&A session.

“I wanted to know about what it’s like to be young now. I watched hundreds of videos of kids online talking about their own life and the boys talked about Minecraft, and the girls talked about their souls.”

I don’t think Burnham made a nostalgic movie. It’s difficult to feel nostalgic about such a confusing, anxious, hormonal time in one’s life. But he did make a reflective movie, an honest one. He made a movie that triggers feelings of anxiety and terror as we feel them in eighth grade and now on a larger scale. As Burnham put it, “sweeping decisions about the future of our brain’s neurochemistry are being made by nine guys with no social skills in Silicon Valley.” And while being a girl in eighth grade is a common experience among many, these sweeping decisions make every generation’s experience in middle school more and more unknowable.

Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

TV REVIEW

TV REVIEW

Season five of ‘Arrested’ loses

incredibly played out.

It’s hard to judge these first eight episodes in isolation without When it was brought back to knowing how it all pans out in small screens everywhere in 2013, the second half. They certainly “Arrested Development” was the don’t stand on their own. The only first major series to be revived by a characters who truly shine are the streaming service. It was a big deal. now grown up George Michael It was in the early days of Netflix (Michael Cera, “Molly’s Game”) originals and before shows like and Maeby (Alia Shawkat, “The “Brooklyn 99” could be saved within Intervention”), who are the only hours of their cancellation. It was members of the Bluth family who also very different from the first can offer up new things that we three seasons of the show, which haven’t seen before. Will Arnett’s originally aired on Fox from 2003 GOB has a potentially emotionally to 2006, breaking up the bungling resonant story about struggling to Bluth family into character centric come out of the closet, but the almost episodes that came together by the complete absence of his counterpart season’s end. It was darker than the Tony Wonder (Ben Stiller, “Brad’s original series and it pushed the Status”) again causes his storyline to characters to places they had never feel incomplete.

In general the new season feels gone before. It was also savaged by critics and most general audiences, strangely barren. Unlike the first with only the hardest of the hardcore four seasons, which were in different fans seeming to enjoy it. Now, five ways crammed to the gills with jokes and guest stars and enough plot for years later, comes season five.

At first glance, season five seems episodes double their length, season to function as a direct response to the five feels devoid of content, as if they reception of season four, with more had to stretch out a few episodes scenes that feature the entire family worth of story to fill the entire and most characters appearing in season. Even more so than season every episode. Dig a little deeper four, it doesn’t feel like “Arrested though and the cracks begin to show. Development” and with so many Almost right off the bat the new important characters and actors batch of episodes fails to capitalize on either missing or barely appearing, the two most promising cliffhangers it seriously begs the question if it’s left hanging five years ago, the worth it to keep moving forward.

The show no longer knows what disappearance of Liza Menilli’s Lucille II and the congressional race it is about or what story it is trying between longtime enemies Lindsey to tell. Back in 2013 Mitch Hurwitz Bluth (Portia De Rossi, “Scandal”) claimed he had a three act story and Sally Sitwell (Christine Taylor, planned out, of which season four was act one and a forthcoming “Zoolander 2”).

Back in 2013, it seemed obvious “Arrested” movie would be acts two that series creator Mitch Hurwitz and three. It seems unlikely that this version of season five was setting up some “Arrested is even remotely close kind of murder Development” to what he originally mystery involving had planned for the Lucille II, with Netflix movie and it seems practically every Season 5 doubly unlikely that member of the Bluth another five year wait family potentially for season six will implicated in the crime. Sadly this storyline barely result in anything worthwhile. This simmers in this first half the new is besides the fact that off-screen season (the rest will come sometime problems now mob the cast and key later this year). The election storyline actors are aging faster than the show is marred down by two main issues, can keep up. It was once said “there’s one of which is the basic absence always money in the banana stand.” of De Rossi from the show, which In this half season of a once-iconic renders the plotline toothless, and series, the banana stand is gone, the the other is the fact that and election money is nowhere to be found and storyline involving a candidate the magic that once made this series advocating for a wall now feels great seems to be gone with it.

IAN HARRIS

Daily Arts Writer

NBC

‘Reverie’ is a provocative dive into virtual reality CONNOR GRADY Daily Arts Writer

At risk of sounding nostalgic, I don’t know if there’s anything better in life than re-living a seemingly perfect memory.

Your mind might wander to that familiar place, or the feeling is unwittingly triggered, or you consciously recall it. Either way, for several fleeting seconds, our brain is entirely consumed with the unmatched sights, sounds and emotions of that memory.

Everything is bathed in a warm, goldish hue and all seems well in the world.

And then we’re violently and unceremoniously thrown back into reality. It’s almost like a cruel joke, as if our minds are teasing us with a reminder of a world that once was.

But what if we could stay in that space for longer? We’d probably do anything to achieve that, right?

These questions lie at the heart of NBC’s thought-provoking new series, “Reverie.” Drawing inspiration from sci-fi concepts lately popularized in “Black Mirror” and “Westworld,” “Reverie” examines the delicate balance between immersive virtual reality and reality.

In the show, emerging virtual reality company Onira Tech, led by virtuoso programmer Alexis Barrett (Jessica Lu, “Awkward.”), has developed an application dubbed Reverie that “allows two people to interact in a shared, immersive virtual world” indistinguishable from reality.

Although the clear benefits of Reverie — namely, letting individuals relive experiences with family or friends who have passed away — are enormous, the

ARTS 7

drawbacks of the program are just as glaring and severe.

As “Reverie” somewhat clumsily outlines in its premiere, it’s becoming increasingly common for users to remain in the program for weeks at a time and fall into a coma in reality due to the intoxicating nature of their memories. At the expense of their sanity, “the dream has become their reality.”

To alleviate this issue, Onira brings in behavioral psychologist Mara Kint (Sarah Shahi, “Person of Interest”), who previously worked as a hostage negotiator alongside the firm’s security consultant, Charlie Ventana (Dennis Haysbert,

“Reverie”

Series Premiere NBC Weds @ 10 p.m.

“24”). Kint is tasked with entering programs and persuading users to leave Reverie in favor of the real world.

While this concept is clearly influenced by (read: ripped from) Christopher Nolan’s psychological thriller “Inception,” it remains an intriguing exploration of human relationships and prompts existential questions about happiness. These questions are the series’ greatest contributions, challenging viewers to consider their past and confront whether they would trade the rest of their lives for a few euphoric, yet ephemeral, moments.

Beyond its philosophical ponderings, “Reverie” features a strong performance from Shahi, who manages to add layers to her cliché backstory as someone driven by witnessing personal tragedy.

Shahi brings a level of intrigue and

charisma to the series that produces a complex and somewhat enigmatic Kint.

While Shahi’s co-stars are not as adept at deepening their roles, Haysbert — the trademark gravelly voice of Allstate commercials — is convincing as a conflicted Reverie staffer grappling with the mental weight of the program’s implications for reality. Playing Onira’s chief scientist, Sendhil Ramamurthy (“Heroes”) does a nice job of providing some comic relief, though Lu disappoints as the completely forgettable creator of Reverie.

Although its cast is a mixed bag, the visuals of “Reverie” are entirely the opposite. Throughout the show’s pilot, Reverie’s virtual world is treated to a brighter, enhanced color palette that reflects the warm hue which envelops our mind when reliving fond memories.

“Reverie” excels at portraying a virtual utopia, making it easier for audiences to empathize with users who elect to stay in its confines rather than return to reality. The show contrasts the friendly, inviting colorways of the simulation with a more sleek and minimalist coloring for its scenes depicting the real world. Consisting primarily of varying shades of grey, blue and black, the series’s color palette for reality is intended to subtly encourage viewers to further question whether Reverie as an application represents a better alternative.

It’s in these methodical, thoughtful decisions that “Reverie” overcomes its struggling cast and occasionally heavy-handed writing to emerge as an engaging and introspective look at the power of the past. Let’s hope there’s more of it on the way.

8 PHOTO

Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Classifieds

Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, June 7, 2018

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

ANN ARBOR

FOR RENT

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Disheveled 6 __ 180: skateboarding trick 11 Piqued 14 Maximally moist 16 Star name meaning “shegoat” in Latin 17 Weatherchanging currents 18 Footless creature 19 Snorkeling spots 21 Letters after Sen. Schumer’s name 22 Eponymous brewer Bernhard 24 Adjust one’s sights 26 Assurance on certain menus 29 Uzbek neighbor 33 Name prefix for “son of” 36 Settled 39 U.N. chief after Boutros 40 How the things in the circled letters go 43 Withdraw gradually 44 Actor Estevez 45 Hot __ 46 Numerical relationship 48 Citrus cuttings 50 Red pool ball 53 Bay of Naples isle 57 [Shrug] 60 Beer mug with a hinged lid 63 Believability, briefly 64 Device that builds six-packs?

66 Admonish 68 Like some sports contract clauses 69 Jumps to conclusions 70 “Hop __”: Dr. Seuss book 71 Young salmon DOWN 1 Flaky minerals 2 Not suitable 3 Quality that affects taste

4 Sprinkle with hair, cat-style 5 Brynner of “The Ten Commandments” 6 Takes full responsibility 7 Full deck in old Rome?

8 Allow to use 9 Airs 10 Crafter’s website 12 Southernmost of the 48 sts.

13 Butter or lard 14 Editorial mark 15 First name in scat 20 Put in order 23 It may be heard on the street 25 Powerful shark 27 Ancient Persian 28 Email folder 30 Day in Dijon 31 “__ One Will Listen”: Kelly Clarkson song 32 Captain hanged for piracy 33 Bryn __ College 34 Vicinity 35 Nail polish layer 37 Not engaged

38 Stand during a lecture 41 Army outfit 42 Campus mil. group 47 “Sick burn!”

49 Bone at the base of the spine 51 Pond plant 52 Cork locale 54 Teaser 55 Glory (in)

56 Oftenabbreviated Latin phrase 57 When repeated including “a,” fighting term 58 Black, in verse 59 URL intro 61 Notable time 62 Paris article 65 Top medalla 67 Ltr. addenda

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On the importance of Dear White People

MICHIGAN IN COLOR 9

Voices of Hong Kong, Rise Up

By SAM SO MiC Photographer/Creative

PHOTO COURTESY OF AUTHOR

By LORNA BROWN MiC SUMMER EDITOR

A TV show all about trying to survive as a Black student at a predominantly white university? The narrative is pretty familiar to me, and unfortunately, some of the storylines are not that exaggerated.

Proving statistics against the Black community wrong by getting a degree at a prestigious university while keeping mentally stable is something that many of us have to deal with, and this is the first time I’ve seen this perspective largely publicized.

With a hooking name that received massive backlash from audiences, a provocative storyline and relevant issues; let’s talk about the importance of this Netflix Original.

From the jump, I was surprised by the sheer unapologetic premise of the show. With something as touchy as racial tensions, I think that both seasons did a great job incorporating satire and important issues into every episode. With a play on many of the different perspectives that are never shown for black characters on shows, such as the nerdy journalist (Lionel Higgins), the activist (Sam White), and the ambitious girl on campus (Coco Con-

ners) this is one of the first shows I had seen in a long time with such depth and diversity for black characters. Not to mention, that Dear White People also did a great job tieing in other identities such as the LGBTQ community and African identity within their storylines. Dedicating plot sequences and episodes to the growth of Lionel’s sexuality, from being shy about telling his roommate Troy that he’s gay, to publicly making out with his head writer in the season one finale.

Also giving time to Coco’s roommate, Nia, a lesbian from Trinidad to explain the rich pride of her heritage and attending college far away from her home.

Often times, TV can gloss over Black characters and make us into the submissive secretaries, butlers or the underrepresented friend in a group of people.

This show threw all of those tropes into the trash and I loved every second of it.

Now let’s talk about the issues that arise while the characters are on campus.

From season one’s “BlackFace Party” to Sam’s white boyfriend calling the cops, and the scene escalating to Reggie getting a gun from a cop pulled out on him, I was shook. Besides having experienced the blatant

racism that many Black Students face on campus, the way in which Reggie handles his emotions after the event also deeply resonated with me. Season two begins with him having to attend therapy by request of Troy’s father, the head dean. For many in the Black community, mental health is a touchy subject, and I think the show did an excellent job reaching into this piece of Reggie’s character. Infusing the taboo nature of therapy with a police officer pulling a gun on Reggie is what creates hurdles for his character but also reminds the audience that for many, these situations are not just new headlines and rallies, they are issues that many characters face trying to progress in a world that holds deep-rooted prejudice.

Dear White People addressed the issues that I, being a Black college student have faced as well as have seen within my own community. There are plenty of topics that Dear White People discussed that I did not touch on in this article as well as issues that are yet to appear in an episode. Despite this, I still immensely enjoyed being able to see the Black community on screen and with the pressure put on this show to accomplish such tasks, it did a good job.

When I was younger, the modern history of China, or the People’s Republic of China, including the 1989 democracy movement and Tiananmen Square massacre, was briefly taught in schools in Hong Kong.

My curiosity about this taboo history of China was sparked, so I casually brought it up in front of my parents. When I asked them about it, little did I know it was a sensitive topic for my parents, as they experienced the ‘89 democracy movement in Hong Kong when they were teenagers.

They looked at me flustered, paused for a second and said, “Son, personal liberty, and democracy in China were basically nonexistent after June 4, 1989. Even though we are privileged enough to have limited personal freedom and liberty in Hong Kong, it is still dangerous to get involved in Chinese or Hong Kong politics. The less you know, the better.”

Since talking about these experiences could be difficult for my parents, I tried to avoid asking them about it any further.

However, my curiosity about their experiences of the movement had only grown since then. Especially on anniversaries of the Tiananmen massacre, I sometimes could not help but make comments like, “I wonder what the ‘89 democracy movement experience was like.” My dad would respond by putting on his straight face and telling me, “Son, go study for your classes or do something more productive. What are you gonna gain from learning about the movement? No one can change China.”

Fast forward to high school, when I became more knowledgeable. I

cared even more about China and Hong Kong politics. Seeing how passionate I was, my mom finally opened up to me about her experiences as a teenager.

“I still vividly remember seeing a million Hong Kong people filling up the streets protesting that night. It was pouring rain because a massive hurricane was striking Hong Kong, but that did not stop us from speaking up for what we believed in. It was probably the most powerful thing I have seen in my life.”

In 1989, thousands of Chinese college students and educators stood in front of the Beijing Capitol building in Tiananmen Square, demanding democracy and political reform in China. The ’89 democracy movement lasted for two months and soon spread throughout China to major cities such as Nanjing, Guangzhou and British Hong Kong with a turnout of millions of people. It even sparked protests in Taiwan eventually. Everyone, including my parents, was so hopeful for political reform and ultimately democracy in China. However, June 4, 1989 marked the downfall of social progression and democracy in China. The Chinese government used military forces such as automatic rifles and tanks to kill hundreds of students in Tiananmen Square to stop the movement from advancing. The shunning of social progression then led to Chinese diaspora and ultimately the silencing of anti-China voices, which is why it was a difficult experience for my parents and why they always remind me to be careful of my words and actions in regards to China.

As a Hong Kong citizen, this piece of history is extremely valuable and prevalent to me. Since Hong Kong and Macau

are the most socially advanced places in China due to democratic influences under Western colonization, our freedom allows us to preserve and discuss the truth of taboo events in China like the Tiananmen massacre and the May Fourth Movement. Even though I never personally experienced the movement, the political impact of the tragedy of Tiananmen massacre is, however, readily visible in the democracy of Hong Kong and Macau today.

It enrages me to see my people’s culture, personal liberties and freedom of speech slowly being limited by China as the Communist government attempts to Sinicize Hong Kong and Macau politically and culturally so that China can silence the truth and assert its dominance.

Likewise, it is outrageous to see the way Taiwan is being suppressed internationally and Sinicized by China, despite the fact that Taiwan is a state that functions independently from China. With the privilege of having personal liberty and freedom living in the United States, I almost see it as an obligation for me to speak out against China’s oppression for myself, my people back in Hong Kong and other oppressed individuals. That said, I hope my fellow Chinese Americans, Hong Kong Americans, Macau Americans and Taiwanese Americans will be eager to learn more about the effects of the events in China’s modern history like the ’89 democracy movement and can become advocates of our parents’ narratives as well.

Rest in Peace to all the courageous college students, educators, and activists who were silenced and killed during the ’89 democracy movement. Your social impact shall never be forgotten.

10 SPORTS

Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

BASEBALL

Laying the Foundation JACOB KOPNICK

Summer Managing Sports Editor

To put it bluntly, the bookends of the Michigan baseball team’s season were a disaster.

The Wolverines started their season 4-11, a mark they won’t soon forget, and ended it 2-7. However, in the middle portion, Michigan found itself successful in amassing a 20-game win streak.

In a rebuilding season, the Wolverines faced almost everything you can experience in baseball.

From heartbreaking defeats to walk-off wins, Michigan and its young core was there through it all and gained a crucial element that can’t be found in any statbook: experience.

Heading into the season, the hope was that the Wolverines could fill the vacancies left by their 15 departing juniors and seniors with fresh, young talent and avoid the pangs of rebuilding. After a long recruiting season, Michigan was poised to do just that. It acquired the 10th-ranked recruiting class in the nation, good for the best batch of incoming freshman in the history of the Big Ten. But to whom much is given, much is expected.

And after a long road trip to begin the season posited the Wolverines at 4-11, a large cloud of disappointment loomed large over Ray Fisher Stadium.

“We’d like to think that coming into this season that we’ve put ourselves into a position to reload and not rebuild, but clearly we’re rebuilding right now,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich after a series loss to Lipscomb. “We’ll see how we progress from here, but so far this has been nothing but disappointment.”

Then, it was as if someone flipped a switch. The Wolverines began winning at an unparalleled rate, and the freshmen adapted to college ball. The young guys began showing what they were capable of: cementing their legacy at Michigan.

Frequently contributing to the Wolverines’ game on a daily basis were slugger Jesse Franklin, lefthander Ben Dragani, left fielder Jordan Nwogu, shortstop Jack Blomgren and right-hander Jeff Criswell.

Franklin led the team with 10 home runs, and Dragani worked his way into the weekend starting rotation highlighted by a 2.76 ERA and a 6-2 record—all impressive

stats for any college baseball player, let alone one in his first season.

Supporting and mentoring the freshmen throughout their inaugural season were the juniors and seniors in the the Wolverine dugout.

“The future is really bright,” said junior center fielder Jonathan Engelmann. “As you can tell, we had a lot of younger guys contributing on a day-to-day basis, and it’s inspiring to the older guys too. This is a team where it’s good to be in a mentorship role, but I feel like I learn as much from them as I’ve taught them.”

Added Bakich: “What I’ll take away (from this team) is that the older guys, the guys that have evolved into leadership roles, like (senior catcher Brock Keener) and Engelmann and others, they just didn’t let the team go in the wrong direction when so many teams could’ve just said, ‘This is a rebuilding year and it’s a bad year.’

And we were clearly heading in that direction.”

Seeing that resolve in the older guys will be monumental going forward. It’s one thing to merely develop your physical tools as an athlete, but completely something else to experience true team cohesion and mental toughness. In a sport where failure is abundant, the strength of one’s character is determined by their ability to overcome rather than their success in the scorebook. If this season is any indication, the freshmen’s character is as strong as its ranking suggests.

Besides grit and resilience, the freshmen have also learned, and will continue to learn, the importance of representing the block-M well.

Michigan and championships are synonymous, so the more a player wears a maize and blue jersey, the more they understand the weight it carries.

“I hope more than anything that they understand the significance of playing for Michigan,” Engelmann said. “That above all is the most important thing. Wearing the block-M over your jersey, that’s the main thing that I think is the most important, and I hope that’s the most important thing they’ve learned this year.”

Looking back, the Wolverine faithful will debate whether this season was a failure or success.

In many ways it was both, but regardless of how you feel, one thing is certain: a strong foundation has been laid for the future.

ALEC COHEN / DAILY

The Michigan softball team ended its season in dissapointing fashion after clinching the Big Ten regualar season title outright

Eight Wolverines qualify for NCAA RIAN RATNAVALE Daily Sports Writer

After losing to Notre Dame 2-1, the Michigan softball team (43-13 overall,18-3 Big Ten) saw its season come to an end in the NCAA Regionals.

For much of this season, it seemed like the Wolverines’ early exit in the 2017 NCAA Tournament was a fluke. The Wolverines reclaimed the Big Ten regular season title, put together multiple 15-plus game win streaks, and statistically had one of the most dominant pitching staffs and defenses in the country.

The warning signs, though, were real. Throughout the season, Michigan failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position — especially when it mattered most. Against the Fighting Irish, that trend that came back to bite it. Despite a dominant stretch in the middle of the season, the Wolverines saw blowout losses to Western Michigan and Ohio State at home nearing the end of the season.

By the time Michigan State eliminated Michigan in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, its fate seemed all but sealed. The Wolverines narrowly missed out on hosting an NCAA Regionals group, and Michigan’s momentum — and more importantly, its confidence — was all gone.

The Daily breaks down the highlights of the 2018 softball

season, and ultimately where Michigan and head coach Carol Hutchins might go from here.

Most Valuable Player: Meghan Beaubien, freshman, pitcher Most freshmen don’t just walk into a softball program like Michigan’s and get the proverbial keys to the Ferrari, but the left hander made it clear right away that she was no ordinary rookie, leading the NCAA in wins with a 33-6 record and compiling a 1.16 earned-run averaged. In her first collegiate start, Beaubien tossed a six-inning no-hitter and proceeded to accomplish that feat two more times. As a result of her early heroics, Hutchins wasn’t afraid to make Beaubien the workhorse of the rotation, putting the left hander in for 217.0 innings pitched, over 100 more innings than the next closest pitcher.

It didn’t take long for Beaubien to gain national recognition, either. The left hander notched countless Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards and ended the season as one of only three freshman finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. For a team that needed an ace after Megan Betsa graduated, Beaubien fit the bill.

She’s well on the path to becoming the next great Wolverine pitcher.

Honorable Mention: Faith Canfield, junior, second baseman Breakout Player: Madison Uden, sophomore, third base After only seeing 47 at-bats

all of last season, Uden initially struggled — hitting just .186 through her first thirteen games as the starting third baseman.

But as the season progressed, the sophomore morphed into one of the teams most consistent hitters, finishing second on the team in batting average (.357) and on-base percentage (.448), and third in runs batted in (35).

One of the areas where Uden improved considerably was her plate discipline. In the offseason, the third baseman did extensive vision training to process pitches more quickly and efficiently and has since become a key cog as the fifth hitter in the Michigan lineup. When Uden earned a walk-off walk against Ball State, Hutchins summed up the sophomore’s improvement best.

“Last year’s Maddie might have torn herself out of the at-bat,” Hutchins said. “I think she’s matured. I think she’s done a nice job of staying within herself.

If Uden can continue to maintain that calmness and maturity at the plate, the Wolverines can safely plug her into the lineup and not worry about third base for the next two years.

Honorable Mention: Natalia Rodriguez, freshman, shortstop Best Moment: Michigan beats Ohio State 8-0 to clinch the Big Ten regular season title

See documents for this story on MichiganDaily.com

Thursday, June 7, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

KATELYN MULCHAY / DAILY

The Michigan baseball team faced almost everything possible on a baseball field from walk-off wins to brutal losses this season

Michigan baseball season in reivew CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer

Coming off the back of a second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years and their first 40-win season since 2008, head coach Erik Bakich and the Michigan baseball team were looking to build on their successful 2017 season with an even better campaign in 2018. The Wolverines lost 11 players from that 2017 team to the majors — 15 in all — but welcomed a recruiting class — ranked tenth nationally — of 13.

However, the optimism that accompanied Team #152 into the season quickly turned sour. A combination of returning starters not performing well enough and freshmen struggling to make an impact saw Michigan lose 11 of its first 15 games. This run was capped off by a humiliating 3-8 loss to NAIA program Lawrence Tech.

A switch was flipped following the loss, though. The Wolverines rattled off 20 consecutive wins and became one of the hottest teams in college baseball.

There was a newfound positivity in the dugout, and both upperclassmen and freshmen were benefiting from it on the field.

A loss to Iowa ended their streak and seemed to phase the youthful Michigan team. Like earlier in the season, it was knocked off its pedestal and ended the regular season with a dissapointing 8-7 record in which all seven losses came to Big Ten opponents.

The Wolverines entered the Big Ten tournament in a bit of a rut and weren’t able to shake it. Although they won their first game 2-1 against Iowa in extra innings, they came up just short in the

next two games to Purdue and Ohio State, respectively. Their inability to move on in Omaha ultimately cost them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2018 season was a rollercoaster for the Michigan baseball team. The Wolverines finished 33-21, 6.5 games behind last year’s mark. They flashed boundless potential at times and exhibited inconsistency at other times.

The Daily reflects on the 2018 season and looks ahead to the 2019 team.

Most Valuable Player: Jonathan Engelmann On a team full of freshmen and sophomores, junior centerfielder Jonathan Engelmann was a muchneeded leader. The All-Big Ten First Team Selection isn’t necessarily the most boisterous guy on the field, but the uber-mature Engelmann led by example and was a major reason why this Michigan team was as successful as it was.

Offensively, he did it all this season.

He was second on the team with a .351 batting average, led the team in hits, total bases and doubles and was second only to freshmen slugger Jesse Franklin in home runs and RBIs. Additionally, he was a defensive pillar out in centerfield, registering a .974 fielding percentage and only two errors.

His likely return to Ann Arbor for his senior season is one of the many reasons to be optimistic about the 2019 Wolverines.

Breakout Player: Jesse Franklin Like most freshmen on the team, Franklin struggled to adapt to the college game early on. After playing in his first nine games, five of which he started, Franklin had a .095 batting

average and two hits. Having been named Washington’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in high school, Franklin wasn’t necessarily used to a slump.

Eventually, though, his talent shone through. He blasted his first of a teamhigh 10 homers on March 20th and went on a hitting tear over the next few weeks. Franklin finished the season with the most RBI on the team and a respectable batting average of .327.

A prolific first season at Michigan made Franklin an All-Big Ten Freshman Team Selection.

Freshman of the Year: Ben Dragani If it wasn’t for freshman lefthander Ben Dragani’s consistency this year, him and Franklin might have swapped categories. Another extremely talented freshman, Dragani was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Wisconsin and a RawlingsPerfect Game Honorable Mention AllAmerican in 2017.

Dragani saw time in the first game of the season coming in to relieve senior starter Alec Rennard. His solid relief performances quickly endeared him to the coaching staff and in the last game of the Bowling Green series in mid-March, Dragani made his first career start. He went seven innings without giving up an earned run, allowing only five hits and striking out six Falcons.

From there Dragani took over the Saturday starter position for the Wolverines. His team-leading 2.76 ERA and consistency on the mound made him an All-Big Ten Freshman Team Selection joining Franklin in the glory.

Best Individual Performance: Jordan Nwogu against Bowling Green

on March 16th Freshman outfielder Jordan Nwogu’s performance against Bowling Green not only proved he was ready for more playing time, but also catalyzed the first victory of the Wolverines’ 20 game win streak. Yet another freshman who made waves this season, Nwogu first announced himself to the Michigan faithful with a multi-hit, twoRBI effort. His most impressive feat of the day, though, was scoring from second on a double suicide squeeze laid down by freshman shortstop Jack Blomgren. The Wolverines made a habit of using such a maneuver throughout the season, but its first installment saw the hulking freshman outfielder beat the throw home and put Michigan up by two.

There may have been better statistical performances in the 2018 season, but none seemed as important.

In his first career start, Nwogu was the main reason the Wolverines secured the victory over Bowling Green in the game following the Lawrence Tech loss.

High Point: 20 game win streak From March 16th to April 27th, Michigan didn’t lose a game. The streak lasted 20 games, and was the program’s longest since 1987. The win streak featured some thrilling and memorable individual moments: the ninth inning execution of another double suicide squeeze to give the Wolveirnes the 3-1 win over Michigan State in East Lansing and Blomgren’s walkoff sacrifice bunt in extra innings against Penn State. A number of solid pitching performances also factored into Michigan’s success during this period.

Overall, though, the streak itself and the positivity surrounding the team during this time was the high point. The Wolverines transitioned from a team who had lost to a NAIA team to one that was climbing the national rankings and capturing the attention of collegiate baseball fans everywhere.

Low Point: Losing to Lawrence Tech Sure, Michigan had a disappointing end to the regular season and were hoping to go farther in the Big Ten Tournament than it did— but that all paled in comparison to losing to Lawrence Tech. The midweek game encapsulated all of the team’s struggles up to that point and left both the players and fans wondering what the hell had happened. The Wolverines were dominated on their home field by a program which was only started in 2012.

Bakich called it “the most embarrassing loss in program history.” The baseball program at Michigan started in 1866— what more needs to be said?

The Future: The optimism surrounding this team prior to the 2018 season was not unwarranted, it was maybe just a little

SPORTS 11

premature. The 2017 Wolverines had just won 42 games and reached the NCAA Tournament, and the incoming recruiting class was the highest-ranked in program history. Yet the veteran losses from that 2017 squad and the time it took for the freshmen to acclimate hindered the 2018 Michigan team.

This program is still trending upwards, though. Bakich and the coaching staff want to make the Wolverines perennial Big Ten champions and NCAA Tournament participants. They didn’t accomplish either of those this year, but with the returning players and another talented freshman class coming in, there is definitely room for optimism.

Michigan loses only five seniors this year: pitchers Alec Rennard, Jayce Vancena and Austin Batka, and catchers Hector Gutierrez and Brock Keener. Of this group, only Rennard and Keener saw substantial time this season.

Vancena was set to be a starting pitcher this season, but his struggles early on saw him pitch sparingly in relief. At both catcher and pitcher, the Wolverines have the talent to absorb these losses.

Assuming all eligible players return next year, the three weekend starters should stay the same: sophomore Tommy Henry, Dragani, and sophomore Karl Kauffmann. Barring injury or regression, that threesome is as formidable of a rotation as any in the Big Ten. The bullpen should also be strong as junior Troy Miller will return to Ann Arbor as a senior, and the youthful contingent of freshmen Jeff Criswell, Angelo Smith and sophomore Jack Weisenberger will also play prominent roles.

Highly-touted freshman catcher Joe Donovan saw some time in his first collegiate season, but he will enter next season as the leading candidate to replace Keener behind the plate. Jesse Franklin will surely be the starter at first base next season and will hit in the fourspot of the lineup. At second base, junior Ako Thomas, one of the team’s best all-around players, will hope to bounce back from a disappointing individual season. Blomgren and either junior Blake Nelson or Jimmy Kerr will round out the infield.

Nwogu and Lewis will share time out in left field most likely, with the other claiming the designated hitter role.

Engelmann and sophomore Christian Bullock should both be offensive and defensive leaders next year for the Wolverines as well.

A 22nd-ranked recruiting doesn’t match the previous year’s esteem, but should nevertheless add depth.

If Michigan can learn from this year’s shortcomings, they have all the ingredients to win the Big Ten and secure an NCAA tournament spot next season.

12 SPORTS

Thursday, June 7 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN

JACOB KOPNICK & TIEN LE Summer Managing Sports Editors

After heav y speculation into his rumored departure, Michigan coach John Beilein unequivocally announced his plans to stay with the Wolverines for the foreseeable future.

Rumors recently surfaced of Beilein’s potential move further east in the state of Michigan to undertake the head coaching job for the Detroit Pistons. After f iring coach Stan Van Gundy, the Pistons are in desperate need of solid leadership and are sur veying all possible options. Somewhere in the mix was Beilein’s name.

Putting all worries to bed

FILE PHOTO / DAILY in one t weet, Beilein made his intentions known, “I love the Universit y of Michigan and I am excited about coaching our Men’s Basketball Team next season and in the years to come ! Let’s go hang some more banners at ‘THE GR EATEST UNIV ERSITY IN THE WOR LD ‘ #GoBlue.”

Wolverine faithful were left in limbo after Beilein inter viewed with the Pistons last Thursday, but as reported by The Athletic on Wednesday, Beilein is now close to an extension to his current contract with the school.

It’s no wonder the 65-yearold coach drew interest from the next level after he led Michigan to a prog ram-

record 33 wins and an appearance in the national title game — his second in f ive years.

Consistently summoning top-level play from low-level recruits, Beilein has amassed a 249-143 record in 11 seasons with the Wolverines and has led Michigan to t wo Big Ten titles and eight NCA A Tournament appearances.

Already the ninth-highest paid coach in college basketball, Beilein’s rumored increase in salar y could bolster his spot in that sense. “ We are thrilled that John Beilein will be our coach now and into the future.” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel. “ We made it a priorit y to sit down shortly

after our tremendous run in the Final Four to discuss and solidif y his future at Michigan.

Michigan has become home for John and Kathleen the past 11 years and we are excited they plan to stay for years to come.”

Ask any player or fan of the Wolverines, and they will share Warde’s sentiment.

Having coached eight NBA draft picks and tremendously raised their pro-ready stock with his complex offensive schemes, Beilein has t wo elite incoming freshman classes for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

Recently announcing his verbal commitment, highlytouted recruit Jalen Wilson is set to play under Beilein

in Crisler Center for the 2019-20 season. Coming in as the 34th-ranked recruit nationally according to 247sports.com, Wilson will be the highest ranked recruit for Beilein since Kam Chatman in 2014 who was the 27th-ranked recruit in his class.

Coming to Ann Arbor in the fall is his second-highest ranked class in his tenure at Michigan. The class is ranked 11th nationally and includes in-state stars such as forward Brandon Johns and g uard David DeJulius.

Needless to say, Beilein has a strong foundation on which to expand his legacy with the Wolverines in pursuit of the ultimate goal: a national title.