2018-11-08

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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GOVERNMENT

Difficulties at the polls due to voter registration Several students realized at polls that their voter registration had not gone through DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN

Late to the game on climate action, University begins work to catch up Schlissel to appoint commission to develop strategies in working towards carbon neutrality KATHERINA SOURINE Daily Staff Reporter

Starting in 2008 and 2009, a wave of universities mobilized around the nation to aim for carbon-neutral campuses. The University of Michigan, however,

lagged behind until early October, when University President Mark Schlissel announcedhis goal to set a trajectory toward carbon neutrality, though details of how and when this goal will be met have yet to be released. Within a few months, Schlissel plans to appoint a commission to develop

strategies and a timeline for carbon neutrality.

But in October, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also published a report that predicted a high probability of food shortages, wildfires and coral reef depletion by 2040. The

warning of an imminent future without essential resources spurred many ongoing efforts at international, nationaland local levels, including at universities, to reaffirm their commitment to reduce the effects anthropogenic climate change.

See CLIMATE, Page 2A

JULIA FORD

Daily Staff Reporter

Several University of Michigan students were turned away from polling stations on Tuesday due to issues with their voter registration. Some students who used TurboVote to register experienced issues, while other students who registered with on-campus volunteers were also unable to vote.

Ann Arbor poll monitor John Yohdes said they had to turn away about five people who thought they were registered vote. Though not entirely sure why each person was not on the registration list, he said it is possible that students who

experienced problems with TurboVote failed to send in paper documentation to the Michigan secretary of state’s office or city clerk’s office. Online voter registration is not accepted in the state of Michigan.

“What I think is happening is that those people fill it out and it says that they are registered,” Yohdes said. “At some place online, it says that they have to make a paper copy and send it to the secretary of state or to the city clerk — and that’s what they didn’t do. So technically, as far as the secretary of state or the city clerk are concerned, they’re not registered, so that’s been the problem, and that’s why all of these people have been taking provisional ballots.”

See REGISTRATION, Page 3A

Law professors discuss ethics, legality Incumbents Symposium unseated in of using race in admissions process sheds light ADMINISTRATION

CAMPUS LIFE

‘U’ Board of Regents race

Event held in light of the Student for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ‘U’ lawsuit

Jordan Acker, Paul Brown ran on platform of greater transparency, affordability

When Students for Fair Admissions filed a lawsuit against Harvard University alleging that its competitive admissions process discriminated against AsianAmerican students, the organization thrust itself into the national spotlight and ignited a debate about the future of affirmative action. In light of these events, panelists ranging from admissions officers to law professors gathered in the University of Michigan Law School Wednesday evening to discuss the ethics and legality of using race in college admissions decisions.

Event organizer Jasmine Wang, a Law student, opened the discussion by noting the controversy surrounding the lawsuit and the conf licting feelings many people experience when approaching the subject.

Wang, who serves as the political action chair for the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, said offering a legal perspective on affirmative action would dispel misinformation and give students a deeper understanding of the policy’s history.

“I think this lawsuit, SFFA v. Harvard, has been really painful for a lot of people

MATT HARMON Daily News Edtior

In a race that took until Wednesday morning to call, Democratic challengers Jordan Acker and Paul Brown have unseated Republican incumbents Andrea Fischer Newman and Andrew Richner on the University of Michigan Board of Regents.

Acker’s main focus is on the affordability of attending the University, emphasizing the cost is not reflected accurately by tuition alone but also housing and other expenses. Specifically, Acker said he wants students to graduate debt-free. He also said he believes in making the board more transparent in their actions and more accessible to members of the University community.

During the campaign, Acker added his perspective as a younger person would greatly benefit the current viewpoints of the board. Acker is an alum of the University and resides in Oakland County with his wife and two daughters where he works as a lawyer.

“I am honored and humbled See REGENTS, Page 3A

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in the Asian-American community and between the racial minorities,” Wang said. “For me, it’s more of an imperative to clarify what’s going on and hear from people who can be a guiding voice and really take control of the narrative.”

Though this case specifically targets the admission processes at Harvard, the University

of Michigan has also been involved in numerous cases surrounding the constitutionality of raceconscious admissions policies.

In 2003, Grutter v. Bollinger upheld the use of affirmative action at the Law School in a 5 to 4 decision. The decision was overturned three years later as a result of Proposition 2, which prohibited racial discrimination in all forms

and led to a significant drop in the number of underrepresented students at the University.

Nicole Gon Ochi, the supervising attorney for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, a non-profit civil rights organization that provides legal advice for members of the Asian-American and Pacific-Islander community

See ADMISSIONS, Page 3A

ASHA LEWIS/Daily

Dr. Kendra Ishop, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, speaks about Michigan’s affirmative action policy at the panel on Asian American and Affirmative Action at Hutchins Hall Wednesday night.

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INDEX

Vol. CXXVIII, No. 27 ©2018 The Michigan Daily

on first-gen experience

University faculty and staff made up most of the event attendees RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Daily Staff Reporter

On Wednesday, as part of a series to promote the success of first-generation college students, the Office of the Vice President for Student Life hosted a symposium called “Blazing a Trail to First-Gen Success” at Rackham Assembly Hall, attended mainly by faculty and staff.

Approximately 13.89 percent of the undergraduate student body and 9.8 percent of the graduate student body is considered “first generation,” defined as being the first in their family to attend a fouryear college or university.

Fifty-two percent of firstgeneration students also fall below the $50,000 annual household income bracket, according to the presentation.

Terra Molengraff, a success coach for the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, introduced Javier Solorzano Parada, program manager for the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs and the event’s keynote See SYMPOSIUM, Page 3A

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................1B

SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............5 SPORTS....................5

News

2A — Thursday, November 8, 2018

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY:

By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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THURSDAY: Twitter Talk

FRIDAY: Behind the Story

Bryxter @BryxterNavalta

gratefyl los @Los_LeeJr

William S. Currie @WilliamSCurrie

I study in the medical library on campus with hopes that one of the med students will think I’m cute and fall in love with me

I voted because I matter. I voted because generations before me mattered, as well as the generations after me.

My black vote will forever be flexed.

Hundreds, if not a thousand, crows cawing in the treetops on Michigan central campus just before sunrise. I sense that this is involved with the origins of the world ‘cacophony’. #words

John Dingell @JohnDingell

Emily @em_anderson1994

k @mojit0mami

I hear horror stories about umich advisors but mine just told be I can be part time next semester (saving me $4k) and told me about jobs in NYC that he has connections with!! HELLO JESUS

I wanna know why they gotta literally pay people to blow away the leaves on campus.

Like why you gotta get rid of the best part about being on campus in the cold ass weather

RASHAN GARY 2020

W O LV E R I N E O F T H E W E E K “What’s the first election you remember and what was it like for you?”

“I think I was in 7th grade, this was Gore vs. Bush. And I don’t remember a lot, I remember that Gore won, and then he didn’t win. That was the big thing of that year, that he won the popular vote.

And I don’t think I understood in those terms, I just know I was very confused, because I thought Gore won, and I’m fro Brooklyn, New York, and my family’s pretty Democrat for the most part, so I was like, ‘oh, this is good!’ Al Gore won.’”

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the proper individuals to be included,” Faber said.

The University was one of the last Big 10 schools to set carbon emissions goals. The current Business fifth-year senior goal, set in 2011, aims to reduce Grant Faber is the president of greenhouse gas emissions 25 Students for Clean Energy, a percent below 2006 levels by 2025. In comparison, Michigan group of undergraduate students who advocate for and educate State University set a goal in 2009 students on renewable energy to reduce emissions 65 percent below its 2010 levels by 2030, and around campus.

Faber and Sudoku Syndication Ohio State University’s goal set his student circle are looking in 2011 is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Concerns over the University’s lack of aggression on emissions reductions heightened EASY when the University announced it will expand its central power plant, an $80 million dollar investment approved by the U-M Board of Regents in March 2017 that will facilitate the installation of a natural gas turbine. Student activists and environmental groups protested the heavy investment in a nonrenewable energy source, but the University contends the turbine would reduce emissions to half of its 2025 goal.

Andrew Berki, director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, echoed this logic, emphasizing the transition to natural gas is still a step toward cleaner energy. As of fall © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only.

WILD. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com 2017, the University had reached 20 percent of its carbon emissions goal and forward to the work of the carbon neutrality commission, but are urging Schlissel to appoint individuals who are committed to pursuing effective and timely initiatives in response to climate change.

“The success of this commitment will ultimately come down to whom President Schlissel appoints to the carbon neutrality commission, so it is imperative that we push for

CLIMATE From Page 1A

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the expansion would boost its ROSEANNE CHAO and CASEY TIN progress to 50 percent. Berki Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com also explained how Schlissel Senior Design Editor: Jack Silberman initiating steps toward carbon ALEXIS RANKIN and KATELYN MULCAHY neutrality would be pivotal in Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com efforts to take action against Senior Photo Editors: Amelia Cacchione, Emma Richter, Evan Aaron, Claire Meingast climate change.

Assistant Photo Editors: Alice Liu, Darby Stipe, Max Kuang, Ryan McLoughlin, “With the central power plant Alec Cohen turbine upgrade and pursuit of a BRIAN KUANG Power Purchase Agreement for Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com renewable energy, we expect to Deputy Editors: Colin Beresford, Jennifer Meer reach the current goal of reducing http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ FINN STORER and ELISE LAARMAN greenhouse gas emissions 25 Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com percent by 2025, which is well Senior Copy Editors: Emily Stillman, Allie Bopp, Miriam Francisco ahead of schedule,” he said. “The ROBERT LESSER and JORDAN WOLFF announcement by President Managing Online Editors lesserrc@michigandaily.com Schlissel to form a commission Senior Web Developers: Patricia Huang, Abna Panda, Hassaan Ali Wattoo, tasked with developing a plan Rebecca Tung to put U of M on a path toward NOAH TAPPEN carbon neutrality is a major Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com commitment by our institution.”

Senior Video Editors: Abe Lofy, Robby Weinbaum, Jillian Drzinski, Danielle Kim Michael Garfield, director JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG of the Ecology Center, a local Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com nonprofit, worked closely with Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Lorna Brown, Zainab Bhindarwala, students to think critically about Christian Paneda, Nisa Khan, Na’kia Channey the power plant expansion and Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Angelo McKoy, Kareem Shunnar, Maya explained how his work centers Mokh, Efe Osagie, Samuel So on advocating for mitigation KAYLA WATERMAN and CARRINGTON TUBMAN initiatives in Ann Arbor and Managing Social Media Editors Detroit. According to Garfield, 25 AVERY FRIEDMAN percent of all carbon emissions Managing Podcast Editor in Ann Arbor are generated by University operations.

He applauded Schlissel’s ADRIANNA KUSMIERCZYK commitment to carbon Creative Director neutrality.

CAMERON COANE DEANA ZHU Sales Manager Special Projects Manager “The University, given how big an institution it is, it could JEFFREY ZHANG MARIO DRESAJ Local Accounts Manager Brand Manager make a dramatic statement ALEC SPELLER ROHIT IYER about innovative and visionary Marketing Consulting Manager Business Development Manager approaches to address climate change if it takes big action,” he The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the said. fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available

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REGISTRATION From Page 1A Though these individuals did not appear on the registration list, they were able to fill out provisional ballots. In order to submit the provisional ballot, voters must complete an affidavit stating that he or she registered to vote on or before the close of registration for the election and respond to questions regarding his or her identity and residence.

“A lot of them will vote provisionally, which means instead of being counted it goes to the city clerk and the city clerk determines essentially what to do with it but there’s some technical things that makes me think they won’t be counted,” Yohdes said.

“Some people were pretty upset about it and we didn’t figure out until about halfway through the day that we were getting the same kind of provisional votes.”

Ann Arbor City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry said “the vast majority” of registration issues she heard about were students who thought they had registered online. Many of them, Beaudry said, declined to complete provisional ballots.

“So, a lot of those students then, we were told, were unwilling to sign the affidavit because they were acknowledging they didn’t actually complete the registration process,” she said.

“The one requirement of a provisional ballot is that you’re swearing that you registered to vote and something happened, whether that’s a clerical error, lost paperwork, but that you did register and we don’t have the record.”

Beaudry also guessed one reason students may have had trouble voting was that they were registered in a precinct different than the one they went to vote at.

In the middle of September, however, LSA sophomore Claire Ramsey registered to vote when an advocacy organization visited her political science class. She filled out the form, returned it to the group and received a registration card in the first week of October. When she arrived at the polls on Tuesday, the poll workers informed her that her registration card said she registered on Oct. 10, one day past the registration deadline.

“When I went today they said that’s the date it said I was registered at, but I know for a fact that I registered at least three or four weeks before that,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey is still unclear why she was not on the registration list, and she said she wished she was informed of the provisional ballot option.

“I didn’t even know there were resources available,” Ramsey said. “I thought the problem must have been on my end, so I just said, ‘Well that sucks’ and just left. I asked twice though to make sure there was nothing I could have done, they said both times I just had to wait until the next cycle.”

LSA sophomore Lanie Lott registered at a booth on campus in September, but when she arrived at the polls on Tuesday, she was told by poll workers that she was not registered to vote.

“I was so mad,” Lott said. “I really wanted to vote. I was super pumped about it. I filled out a ballot still, and I was upset about it. I called the clerk’s office and was like, explained my situation to them and they were like, ‘We don’t see your registration form, I don’t know what to tell you.’”

LSA freshman Madeleine Gannon registered to vote at a Michigan secretary of state stand outside the Michigan League in October. Prior to Election Day, Gannon wanted to check online

to verify her registration.

“When I tried to access the sample ballot, I was unable to verify my information as a registered voter,” Gannon said.

“I spent nearly an hour trying to verify my registration and journeyed into the depths of the secretary of state’s website on voter registration and the elections. Following my difficulty trying to access my status in the system, I immediately called the local clerk’s office, only to be told bluntly that I had never been registered. I then went and double and triple-checked the voter registration qualifications and steps listed online for eligible voters to try and see if I had missed a step.”

Though still confused, Gannon has thought of a few possible explanations as to why she was not registered to vote.

“The only conclusions I can drawn is either that (a) my form was lost or incorrectly filed by the volunteers at the registration stand, (b) that I had been provided with inaccurate information when I registered, resulting in a missing identification form, or that I completed the form incorrectly under the guidance of the volunteers, or (c) I turned 18 on the 29th, and I was led to believe that so long as I turned 18 before the election, I was eligible to register,” Gannon said.

Though Gannon said she takes some responsibility for not checking her registration status earlier, she thinks someone should have notified her if there was a problem.

“I think what I find most frustrating is the lack of communication,” Gannon said.

“If my registration was filed incorrectly, or the forms were completed incorrectly, or I was ineligible, I never received any notice. I was left to assume that my registration would have been completed.”

Thursday, November 8, 2018 — 3A

ADMISSIONS From Page 1A noted how the rhetoric surrounding SFFA v. Harvard has changed since 2014.

Ochi said the lawsuit, which was filed by conservative legal strategist Edward Blum, may have intended to eliminate affirmative action policies rather than combat discrimination directly.

“There were many claims in this lawsuit that were very targeted at affirmative action and only one of them, actually, is focused on intentional discrimination,” Ochi said. “A number of those claims were dismissed through Harvard’s motion to dismiss a year and a half ago, but nevertheless that was the intention of this lawsuit.”

Ochi also stressed that while the lawsuit may appear to support Asian-American students, its claims would have little to no impact on enrollment and admission rates. In fact, Ochi said the chances of an Asian-American student getting into a selective university would increase by less than one percent if all African-American and Latinx students were removed from the pool.

“Even if Harvard, or any other selective school, got rid of the consideration of race, the chances of an AsianAmerican student getting into that school would really not change,” Ochi said. “I think that we do need to separate discrimination against Asian Americans from affirmative action. Affirmative action is not the cause of any discrimination Asian

Americans may face.”

Panelists also discussed holistic admissions policies, which are known to give applicants the fairest chance at admission but are often difficult to implement at large, state-funded universities. Steven Gay, the assistant dean of admissions at the U-M Medical School, said he prefers to focus on an applicant’s experiences, struggles and strengths rather than nondescript factors like MCAT score or GPA. “Holistic review is, in a

But if there is discrimination, it’s something we need to be concerned about significant way, how you’ve achieved and succeeded within context,” Gay said.

“What did you have to go through, what did you have to work through, where did you have to go, how did you have to do it to get to that point?

Holistic review is a means to get to the core values of what your institution stands for and how it wants to be a presence in our communities.”

In response to Gay’s argument, Astronomy professor Sally Oey said this type of holistic review does not always take implicit bias into account, potentially leading to further discrimination.

“This case is about

discrimination, in fact, also, and it’s not just about affirmative action,” Oey said.

“Those two things are very separate, as we’ve heard about just now. But if there is discrimination, it’s something we need to be concerned about and implicit bias is something to be concerned about as well.”

Law professor Margo Schlanger noted how a holistic admissions process can be advantageous for both the applicant and the school.

Even so, Schlanger said willfully ignoring the race of an applicant in admissions does nothing to solve the issue of racial underrepresentation.

“It just seems that public universities should educate the public,” Schlanger said.

“It seems to me that to fulfill our mission, we need to have people here of many different types, in part because we educate each other better that way and that’s good, but in part because it is just and it is right and it is our role in the state … If we have a coherent claim in justice about racial diversity and racial justice, then we should aim our policies at racial diversity and racial justice.”

Anthony Fowlkes, a Public Policy and Education graduate student, agreed with Schlanger’s point that “raceneutral” admissions processes do not address the lack of diversity on college campuses.

“Color-blind is not a thing — it’s still a non-neutral policy,” Fowlkes said. “We also have to make sure that discrimination is not happening on the other end. Because nothing is raceneutral, there is a chance for discrimination on the other side of that.”

VETERANS WEEK SYMPOSIUM From Page 1A lecturer. Molengraff explained one of the challenges of being first-generation is describing experiences to those who do not share the same identity.

“While not all students translate from one language to another to their family or their parents, I think that distinct significance of being first-gen is translating your experience to your family or to individuals who might not necessarily understand what exactly is happening,” Molengraff said.

Parada emphasized the importance of sharing experiences through storytelling.

Parada came to the University as an undocumented, firstgeneration student.

He discussed his experience growing up homeless after his parents split and were sent back to Mexico, not being able to return for 10 years. Parada was allowed to stay in the United States because his stepfather could care for him.

“To me, these things were not hurtful because I was a kid,” Parada said. “I was a young student who was just looking at the positive things in life …

It didn’t hit me until a couple of years where my ex-stepfather and mother separated. This was a moment where I was homeless. But I knew always for some reason I had a great time at school and education was something that (tended) to lift me up.”

Parada was denied on his first attempt to apply to the University. He then attended Eastern Michigan University before transferring to the University of Michigan his sophomore year.

“I still have that denial letter with me and it says, ‘We’re sorry, but we don’t want you here’” Parada said. “I took that to heart and said, ‘Okay, you’ll see.’ At the time, it was very hurtful.”

Parada also recounted a time when a professor emailed him after submitting an essay asking to speak with him about his writing. The professor told him his ideas were great, but that he needed to improve his academic composition. Parada said this was the first time he felt someone attempted to understand his identity.

“This was the first time where I said someone was able to make time to listen,” Parada said.

Parada realized the experiences he faced as a firstgeneration student were unique to him and emphasized a need to not homogenize student experiences and identities.

“Some students may not have grown up with planned vacations or famous authors or book titles on top of their heads or were given NPR radio stations when they were younger,” Parada said. “My question to you is when was the last time you assumed an experience of a student and how can you begin noticing these assumptions before engaging in those conversations?”

The symposium then broke into a working session on identifying as first-generation, intersecting identities and diverse perspectives in higher education.

Fred Lewis Terry, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, discussed concerns of overwhelming students with information as they arrive to campus.

“What we worry at orientation is we could tell you,

This was the first time where I said someone was able to make time to listen.

‘Here’s the pathway to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,’ and they get so numbed out that it’s overwhelming,” Terry said.

Ayeza Siddiqi, assistant director of the Office of New Student Programs, emphasized providing more activities and resources catering to firstgeneration students.

“With our freshman mentoring program, we’ve been trying to … keep the program more towards diverse and lowincome students and providing more activities and resources we know would be beneficial to them,” Siddiqi said. “We’re talking a lot more about these identities.”

RUCHITA IYER/Daily Ahmed Hamadi, Marines Corp NROTC Senior Advisor, shares his experiences as an Arab American corpsman at the Veterans Week Annual Veterans of Color Symposium at Hatcher Wednesday afternoon.

REGENTS From Page 1A to be the first Regent to have graduated in the 21st century,” Acker said. “We have a lot of work to do to make the University affordable and accessible so students don’t have to go deep into debt.

Finally, I wanted to say congrats to Paul on his victory and a thank you to Regents Newman and Richner for their years of service to the University that we all love.”

Brown’s priorities include setting new standards for ethics and transparency in the board, creating a plan to rebate surplus tuition money to students and significantly expanding the University’s affordability initiatives.

Brown’s campaign has emphasized his experience as a union member and a board member of the Huron Valley Area Labor Federation, as he is the only candidate with experience as a union member.

This is his second campaign for a spot on the board — he ran in 2010 and came in third in the statewide election.

Brown holds an undergraduate degree and an M.B.A. from the University as well as a law degree from Wayne State University. He lives in Ann

Arbor with his wife and two children.

“The most important thing I want to express is that Andrea Fischer Newman and Andrew Richner have been incredible public servants for the University, totally dedicated to the University and its students and its success and Andrea deserves to be on the Mount Rushmore of U of M Regents history,” Brown said. “I am excited to join the Board and continue the great legacy. The University of Michigan is the best research university in the world but I want to bring it back to being the leader and best and that’s particular in cost of both education and health care as well as diversity.”

In a press release sent out Tuesday morning, Newman conceded the election and said she has high hopes for the new Board.

“I am eternally grateful to the people of this great state for granting me the honor of serving on the University of Michigan Board of Regents for 24 years,” Newman wrote.

“Together we fought to keep tuition low and standards high.

We grew the endowment. We grew the campus.

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Opinion

4A — Thursday, November 8, 2018

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MILES STEPHENSON | COLUMN

W

A diversity of morals

hen students arrive at The University of Michigan there’s an inherent uncertainty on what behaviors and activities will be accepted. After all, we take students from all over the world, inculcated with different cultural idiosyncrasies and moral values. For half of my life (from kindergarten through eighth grade) I went to a traditional, allboys school. We were taught the values of hard work, competition and working through adversity to achieve excellence. Conformity to a commonly held ideal of success was imperative.

There were many times, specifically in athletics, when the goal was to break us down as individuals so that we could build ourselves up again as a unit. Every afternoon in the gym, my pain and needs as an individual were subordinate to the wellness of the collective, and in this way, we would all persevere and take pride in our achievements, not because they were handed to us, but because we had to sweat and scrape to get them. The winner received a trophy, and everyone else was told to work harder next time.

Living a life of relative comfort as a boy from New York City, this was an important lesson for my youth.

Then for high school I attended one of the most progressive schools in the country,wheretheultimatevalueswere acceptance and inclusivity. For over a century, the school had emphasized the importance of making students feel safe and accepted regardless of personal identifiers like race, sexuality and gender, and challenged those within the loosely defined class of power to self-reflect on the privileges life had given them. The institution focused on uplifting those dispossessed by the hierarchies of society. Trophies, even in athletics, were rarely distributed to insulate people from exclusion. Every individual, especially one who had been dispossessed, was celebrated, and creativity and individualism were rewarded.

When I arrived on campus at Michigan, I tried to reconcile these two philosophies in my mind. Should institutions here compel individuals to compete and create exclusive groups of some ideal of what is best or should they accept everyone and do away with hierarchical value? Should they treat individuals as acceptable and special the way they are or should they obligate them to conform to the morals of a different creed?

I began reading about these systems that many scholars delineated as moral relativism versus moral absolutism or moral injunction. From my understanding, moral relativism applied at its extremes dictates that everything is exactly the same and because no single thing is superior to anything else, nothing has value. By contrast, when moral absolutism is applied at its extremes, there’s only one way to have value and anything that deviates from that has zero value.

There’s obviously something lacking in both of these systems. But could they work together? Could students at the University have an experience marked by both fierce competition and adversity and also inclusivity and acceptance? I set off across campus to discover how my university could answer these questions.

During Welcome Week, I interacted with Greek life, a collection of

organizations leaning towards moral absolutism. By their very definition, these fraternities and sororities are exclusive groups comprised of individuals who had in some way or another demonstrated value to those who judged them and therefore had been selected to join. Implicit in this process was the reality that many people who attempted to join their ranks would be excluded. These weren’t organizations for everyone.

After rushing to demonstrate your worth and then pledging to prove that worth, you would be accepted into a brotherhood or sisterhood, but until that day, you were tasked with meeting their definition of value. To some degree, you must conform to their ideals of what makes a proper person, and you must sacrifice time and comfort for the betterment of the group. That is Greek life.

The outsiders of these groups had their own opinions of this philosophy.

I was reminded of the stereotype of the archetypal “frat bro.” But the people I met couldn’t be further from this. I met girls and guys from Greek life who were passionate, determined, social, intelligent, diverse and aspirational. We discussed their futures in the worlds of everything from art to medical biology, and their hopes to bring awareness to charities that dealt with issues like domestic violence and breast cancer.

Where were the knuckle-dragging hedonists bent on casual racism and sexism? Where were the beer chugging degenerates blowing dad’s trust fund? These caricatures were not my experience of Greek life at the University. What I realized is that no matter how devoutly I conformed, I could still serve my personal values from within the collective. Once inducted, you have the opportunity to carve out your own identity and integrate your individualistic features into the group. It’ll take courage and the convincing of others, but that might be exactly what the collective needs. So although many perceive fraternities as oriented only towards moral absolutism, there’s a lot more moral relativism that one might expect.

But what about the University’s institutions leaning entirely towards moral relativism? These have become a part of my daily life at Michigan as well. In my learning community and extracurricular clubs, I am reminded of the core values of my high school: acceptance and inclusivity. I hear the perspectives of people who would have been historically dispossessed by the hierarchies of society, and I have the opportunity to see their worth as individuals and the tremendous value they bring to the University and to the community. Again, stereotypes here strayed from reality. I haven’t found any irrational social justice warriors or dogmatic activists lecturing people on not being “woke” enough. Instead, I met thinkers who have sculpted harmonious futures through their ideas and strived for compromise, not authoritarianism. These institutions celebrate the individual and favor creativity to conformity. They help me play on my strengths as a writer and personalize the experience of a large, potentially generic university into an intimate community. These institutions approaching moral relativism present the axiom that every person should be able to voice their ideas, a truth University

students are entitled to as humans as much as they are as Americans.

Furthemore, I find myself realizing aspects of life and my experiences that I might have droned out had I conformed entirely to the one value system. I had a conversation with a friend from my floor about his experiences as an immigrant to the United States, and the challenges that this new life presented. With my friend’s roommate, I sat by a window and discussed the pros and cons of societal concepts like participation trophies and safe spaces. It’s a good thing that we’re becoming more accepting as a country and as a society, but what are the costs?

In the future, with the advent of experiential technology, will people insulate themselves from adversity altogether and reject concepts of moral absolutism: this is right and this is wrong?

I soon realized, however, that these institutions aren’t without their moral absolutist practices.

Many living-learning communities at Michigan are accessed only through an application process in which many are judged against the value hierarchies of artistic talent or academic achievement, and are turned away. How could an institution of acceptance and inclusivity exclude someone? These communities know that just as in nature, in order for there to be value, there has to be selection.

An unpleasant reality of life is that sometimes individuals must be excluded so that the collective can define value. So while many assess university-sponsored institutions like learning communities as moral relevatist, there’s still a great degree of moral absolutism required to create something of value.

Once I had a footing in each of these institutions and understood the moral philosophies they represented, I realized these groups shared more in common than I had initially believed. I could challenge myself with struggle and sacrifice, fit into a greater idea, and shed my personal comforts in favor of the collective, but I could also question these institutions, reject conformities that I found unbefitting of good character, and interact with those who many institutions would dispossess because of rather arbitrary criteria. It drew me back to the contrasting philosophies of my middle school and my high school, the values of discipline and structure but also creativity and individuality.

I realized the University presents us with both of these experiences, and in engaging with both, an individual can prepare themselves for a life of success. I’m beyond happy that I have had the opportunity to integrate both of these philosophies into my life. I was challenged but also accepted. I sacrificed but also enjoyed. I was reminded of my individuality as an American, and of the brilliance and privilege of a University of Michigan education that offers us this dichotomy of thought. This, beyond any idea previously discovered, excited me about the future of my freshman year here at the University.

Miles Stephenson can be reached at mvsteph@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 tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

“Y

The value of public art

ou’re supposed to bus, driving by to work, in the make more of what bank across the street. Making you wish you saw — something accessible to them means a lot to me,” what’s missing from the Perry reflected. visual art conversation A mural’s design in this moment,” Pat warrants careful Perry, the artist of the consideration. With new mural on the North no way of ensuring side of Grizzly Peak on that his message will South Ashley Street, resonate positively said in an interview with everybody, with the Daily. The Perry reflected painting adds value to extensively on how downtown Ann Arbor, JULIA his experiences varied a value that is explained MONTAG from those of the Ann better with walls than Arbor folk who would eventually words.

Public art is anything that view his work. He had been enhances our environment by wanting to paint his home state’s breaking the pattern of blandness scenery for quite a while and and is a resource that is freely decided on a meditative landscape accessible. Public art is a sign of the to see how something outside of times, reflecting neighborhoods’ political topics would be received.

In Ann Arbor, one can spend a histories and cultures while simultaneously recording them.

Most simply, public art adorns blank community spaces with colorful conversation starters.

“We can’t wonder why people feel gray when gray is all people see,” Perry argued. Public art makes us unconsciously conscious of beauty.

The Ann Arbor Art Center, on behalf of local real estate development company 3 Mission, commissioned Perry to promote public art experiences as part of their new Art in Public initiative. whole day and, without spending a The downtown space, previously dollar, enjoy the countless displays overwhelmed with faded brick of art in the public realm. On East and chipped paint, now depicts Liberty Street, a there’s an alley a scenic Michigan landscape as of graffiti that lets artists leave a backdrop for a man watching their mark. At the end of October, art movement an incoming storm. Perry rejects international a didactic narrative—I asked “Literature vs. Traffic” paved and it is not a self-portrait—and part of East Liberty street with intentionally leaves the message thousands of discarded books open for us to interpret using our and light displays. On Saturdays, Western Michigan student Ahmid own perspectives.

“Part of the idea is that (the plays classical saxophone on Ann Arbor Art Center) wanted the corner of East Liberty and something accessible, universal Maynard streets. He will continue and something that encourages to play until his fingers can no more public art; something for longer stand the winter weather.

Perry hopes the new painting people that aren’t proactively consuming contemporary art on a will encourage an art trend in Ann Arbor and recognized Detroit has regular basis” Perry said.

This is how art in a public space already caught wind of the creative differs from art on canvas; it’s seen movement. Through community by everyone, not just by those with programs like Summer in the City Detroit, art is being skillfully a pre-existing interest in the arts.

“People that are taking the sowed in the community’s roots.

Public art adorns blank community spaces with colorful conversation starters

Established in 2002, the volunteer program gathers locals and assembles activities — themed play, plant or paint — where volunteers run daycares, plant gardens or paint murals.

Alexandra Isabel, a returning volunteer in the paint division, painted flowers on a shipping container, repurposing the eyesore into a shed for the local garden. She talks about her summers in Detroit with pride and sports her Converse that got covered in paint drips just as boldly as the brick walls in Detroit flaunt their murals. According to Isabel, buildings volunteer their space and sponsors provide the paint. “(The murals) are for everyone.

Yes, the ones at schools are mostly for kids, but if walls are painted, they won’t get graffitied. A blank wall is going to get tagged,” Isabel said.

Alexandra’s energy in Detroit is manifesting across the country, as reflected by efforts in St. Louis and Charleston, W.Va., to keep the growing cities vibrant and dynamic and make them more unique places to live.

Public displays of art are often symbols that represent inarticuable messages.

Art has a fundamental grip that holds us all together, allowing movements to unfold across countries and languages. Love is in the Bin, better known as Banksy’s shredded Balloon Girl epitomizes the artist’s intended satire in London. Meanwhile, in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, our very own Pat Perry worked with refugees to paint flags of peace and tolerance.

He’ll be returning to the Middle East this spring.

Throughout our entire conversation about his mural, Perry only mentioned one complaint about the project: “It was very cold when I was painting.”

Daylight savings gave us an extra hour. Use it wisely, appreciate art. As a friendly reminder, you do need permission to paint in a public space.

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

ALUMNS FOR CAMPUS FAIRNESS | OP-ED

Recent campus BDS activities are deeply concerning

A

s alumni of the University of Michigan, we were deeply disappointed by the recent actions of two instructors who refused to support students’ desire to study abroad in Israel. While we applaud the University for disciplining Prof. John Cheney-Lippold, we are concerned that the campus climate is undergoing a dangerous trend toward restricting academic freedom and unfairly singling out students who pursue educational opportunities involving Israel.

The recent actions of Cheney-Lippold and Lucy Peterson, a graduate student instructor who similarly refused a letter of recommendation to an undergraduate student, are not isolated incidents. During a mandatory lecture for U-M art students, a speaker displayed two anti-Semitic images — one likening Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler and another depicting Jews as pigs drinking money from a bottle. Such dehumanizing imagery and hateful rhetoric have repeatedly led to violence against Jewish communities and have no place on campus. The timing of the presentation and denial of letters of recommendation is alarming to us and leads us to believe that more must be done to ensure a safe learning environment for students and protect the University’s academic integrity.

By refusing to pen letters of recommendation for Israelbound U-M students, CheneyLippold and Peterson are allowing their personal beliefs to interfere with and obstruct students’ educational goals.

Not only should Peterson be similarly disciplined for her refusal, but the University must streng then its policies to ensure that faculty members and instructors will prioritize

support for students over personal political agendas.

A recent piece by other U-M alumni, published in these pages, misg uidedly alleges that the University is “weaponizing ” letters of recommendation by punishing professors who pick and choose when to support students based on their political views. In fact, it is the instructors themselves who are weaponizing such

The timing of the presentation and denial of letters of recommendation is alarming letters to promote a campaign that violates the academic freedom of Israeli scholars and U-M students. While professors should be able to decide whether or not to write a letter of recommendation for their students, that decision should be based on academic merit and not political bias.

Academic boycotts of Israel in general demonstrate peak hypocrisy for those claiming to support academic freedom. The free exchange of ideas is central to the University’s mission and has been a proud tradition for two centuries. Trying to shut down engagement with Israeli universities — routinely ranked among the best in the world — unjustly limits educational opportunities for students at the University and beyond.

Even more alarming are the reports that CheneyLippold used his power as a professor to promote the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against

Israel during classes that are completely unrelated to the subject. BDS unfairly singles out Israeli businesses and supporters, seeking to isolate the state of Israel via international and economic pressure. It is very concerning that a movement rooted in anti-Semitism and extremism has not only made its way into the classroom at the University, but that it has directly affected students’ ability to pursue higher education. As Interim Dean Elizabeth Cole wrote, Cheney failed in his responsibility to teach students material related to his field of expertise.

Thankfully, opposition to BDS has always been the policy of the University’s administration.

University President Mark Schlissel’s recent statement that “the academic aspirations of our students — and their academic freedom — are fundamental to the University of Michigan, and our teaching and research missions,” gives us hope that the University will prevent bias and propaganda from damaging the student experience.

However, the administration must continue to make it clear that it will not tolerate abuses of power by biased instructors.

As U-M students, we were proud to attend a university that supported our academic endeavors, regardless of our own opinions or individual pursuits.

As a growing coalition of Michigan U-M alumni and parents who are members of Alums for Campus Fairness, we hope campus leaders continue to speak out and act against hatred and bias that affect Michigan U-M students’ ability to maximize their academic potential.

Alumns for Campus Fairness is a non-profit organization that brings together alumni to counter antiSemitism.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Thursday, November 8, 2018 — 5A

Defensive line depth ‘M’ struggles to find rhythm in loss to Maryland

anchoring defense MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor

In Michigan’s defensive line meeting room, there are boards. One lists Wolverines who made the All-Big Ten team on the defensive line two years ago. Another lists last year’s honorees.

“And then there’s another board,” defensive line coach Greg Mattison said Wednesday, “that has skeletons of people saying ‘Who’s going to be in this group?’ ” The message certainly speaks to the inevitability of such top-level talent arising.

Last year, Maurice Hurst, Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich made the cut.

Two years ago, it was Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley and Ryan Glasgow.

“We talk about, at Michigan, if you’re going to play on defensive line at Michigan, you better play it up to here,” Mattison said.

“Now, all of a sudden this group is doing that.”

With 47 years of coaching experience under his belt, Mattison can say that with sincerity and credibility. It conveys the sheer volume of top-tier talent Michigan’s defenses have consistently produced. More broadly, it’s a telling sign of the depth the Wolverines’ front regularly rolls out.

This year, that depth is anchoring the top-ranked defense in the nation, from the top down. Seven defensive linemen have registered at least half a sack. Eight have double-digit tackles on the season.

When star junior defensive end Rashan Gary hurt his shoulder last month, sophomore Kwity Paye and junior Josh Uche were called upon to fill in. In the first game without Gary, they notched two sacks apiece.

Wednesday, Mattison lauded Paye for his aptitude at multiple spots along the line. “(He’s) very versatile,” Mattison said.

“He’s an anchor. He played anchor behind Rashan. He also will be the first guy to backup (fifth-year senior) Chase Winovich in some of the packages that coach (Don) Brown puts together.

He’s a guy that can do a lot of different things because he’s intelligent and really fast.”

Uche, for his part, currently leads the team with seven sacks in just 63 pass-rush snaps, per a Michigan spokesperson, good for an 11 percent sack rate. If that was an official NCAA statistic, it’s hard to imagine anyone in the country would top him in the

category. Uche’s development has added yet another layer to the defense, and allowed the junior to blossom into a bona fide pass-rushing star in his specialized role.

“He’s a pass-rush technician,” said Uche’s roommate, junior VIPER Khaleke Hudson. “I knew that before. I just see all the work he’s been putting in. I’m not surprised at all. … He’s unblockable. To me, unblockable. I don’t think anybody can block him. That’s just what feel. It’s what I know.”

Gary’s return has allowed Mattison to experiment with different combinations. He sees the excess of riches as an opportunity to rotate advantageously. In the third down passing packages, Paye frequently lines up with Winovich, Uche and sophomore Michael Dwumfour to maximize speed.

Gary, now back to full health, will start getting those snaps, too.

Michigan currently sits seventh in the nation in third down defense, allowing conversions on just 27.7 percent of third downs. Last week, Penn State converted just 2-of-11 such attempts. The game before, Michigan State failed to convert any of its 12 attempts. That Wolverines’ defensive line has certainly earned a bulk of the credit.

“If you know it’s a passing situation, you’re better with speed. We happen to have guys that are faster than others,” Mattison said. “The other thing that that does, we have a lot of talent. It keeps guys involved in the game.”

The interior of the defensive line has weathered injuries to sophomore Aubrey Solomon and junior Michael Duwmfour, with fifth-year senior Lawrence Marshall and junior Carlo Kemp filling in seamlessly.

“We have a starting first unit and a rotating first unit and a rotating second unit.

All of them are starters. Lawrence Marshall, if you asked me, he’s a starter.

The guy who happens to be playing very, very strong for us in there is Carlo Kemp,” Mattison said. “Anyone who goes in that game should be, in your mind, a starter.”

That begs the interminable question that lines the board in the defensive line room.

“Who’s going to be next?”

Winovich — who was a tight end just a few years ago — seems destined for All-Big Ten honors this year. Perhaps Uche, too, at this rate.

But the evergreen answer?

Always someone.

“He’s an anchor.

He played anchor behind Rashan.”

“He’s unblockable.

To me, unblockable.”

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Defensive line coach Greg Mattison has spent the past 47 years coaching.

LANE KIZZIAH For the Daily

As the No. 15 Michigan volleyball team took the court for its match against Maryland, fans could sense the importance of the game. The Wolverines were hoping to repeat their win against Wisconsin last week following the preceding threegame losing streak. After a season characterized by injuries, this game had crucial implications for Michigan’s postseason aspirations.

After the first serve, fans’ hearts soared as the Wolverines scored first. With servers constantly rotating, no team was able to score two consecutive points until halfway through the first set.

An early lead was procured by Maryland (16-11 overall, 7-8 Big Ten) over Michigan (19-7, 8-7) for a score of 25-20 at the end of the set. The Terrapins maintained this momentum throughout the game, sweeping the Wolverines, 3-0.

Michigan coach Mark Rosen attributed the loss of the first set to weak defense and a lack of urgency from the players.

“I don’t think we passed well in the first set,” Rosen said. “But I honestly think the tone was set, in the very first set, with our defensive effort. We didn’t make good effort after balls, we were letting them get soft kills. That to me looks like a team that expects it just to happen versus going to make things happen, and I think what was happening was it sets this tone where things weren’t going right for us, and we get a little frustrated and they get momentum.”

This lack of energy on the court was felt by others, including senior libero Jenna Lerg, who felt that Michigan needed to play less sluggish.

“As a team, every single person needs to play consistently and needs to play hard on every single play and every single touch,” Lerg said. “Right now, I think not everyone is committed to that game plan, so it’s really a mindset because we know we can play as well as we have before, like we

ANNIE KLUS/Daily

Freshman outside hitter Paige Jones tied for the most attempted kills against Maryland on Wednesday night with 37.

did three days ago at Wisconsin.

Really buying into that mindset and believing you can play that well.”

One dominating force throughout the match was freshman outside hitter Paige Jones. With a total of 37 kills, Jones was tied on the most attempted kills for the Wolverines’ roster.

Jones, in the midst of an extremely strong first season, currently ranks second on the team with 3.33 kills per set.

Jones isn’t the only freshman who shined on the court Wednesday night. Freshman setter Erin O’Leary made her collegiate debut when she was subbed in for junior MacKenzi Welsh in the second set.

“I think she’s a very tactical setter,” Rosen said. “She makes very good decisions. I thought she brought a great personality.

They tried to go over the top of her

because she’s a little bit smaller block but not one time did she hurt us in blocking, and I just thought she did a really good job.

“The tough thing is I don’t think her location was great, but it’s her first match she’s played collegiately. She’s coming in with us being in a tough position being down, and so that’s a really hard position to be thrown into, and I thought she did an outstanding job.”

Putting O’Leary in the game, combined with a timeout in the middle of the second set, ushered in a change of momentum for the Wolverines.

“I think they probably had a really good scout on us because it seemed everywhere we set the ball, there was a double block,” Lerg said. “I think once we got into the set we started setting other people and opening up some gaps and playing harder on defense

which helped a lot.”

Michigan finally began gaining ground in the second set, coming back from a six-point deficit and leading to a 25-25 tie. Fans got to their feet as the score rose to 28-28. Just as it looked like the Wolverines were primed for a strong comeback, Maryland outside hitter Erika Pritchard came in to finish of the set for the Terrapins, 30-28.

After a third set which closely mirrored the first, Michigan is focusing on getting ready for its match against Nebraska next week.

“I think we can do a better job with every single person ready and excited to go in the match even if you aren’t in a starting role,” Lerg said. “To get a chance to play and get the chance to succeed in a Big Ten (match) is really exciting and I hope we can continue to take that opportunity and run with it.”

Partridge shares mixed reviews of special teams ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Writer

There is plenty to be said about the Rutgers football team, but poor kickoff coverage is not one of them.

Jim Harbaugh made sure to note that — unprompted — during his Monday press conference.

And if a 39.5-point spread is any indication, we could see plenty of the Scarlet Knights’ special teams on the field this Saturday.

Harbaugh may have flattered the Big Ten basement dwellers in a serious tone, but the jestful aura of his words was louder.

Nonetheless, Harbaugh wasn’t wrong. Rutgers is second in the country, allowing just 14.9 return yards per kickoff, and is 34th in yards allowed per punt return.

This weekend may just be more scout work for Michigan, but the spotlight is now positioned on what special teams coach Chris Partridge and his unit will do.

It seems easy enough. Both Ambry Thomas and Donovan Peoples-Jones rank in the top25 nationally in kick and punt return yards, respectively. But Partridge isn’t particularly concerned with that part of things. He is frustrated with other aspects of his special teams group.

“There’s a concern about that whole unit. I mean, we dropped the snap, our left end decided to not block the one last week,” Partridge said, referring to a blocked field goal against Penn State. “That’s a whole unit deal. (Kicker) Quinn (Nordin) starts it, he’s the head of it, but that’s a concern for sure. That’s something that we put in time in a lot and a lot more recently. “... Gotta get it fixed or get someone that’s not gonna make the mistake in there.”

Nordin has also converted just three of his past seven kicks, and would have to make eight in a row to match his conversion percentage from last season. Blocked field goals can be anomalies, but the leash on Nordin’s starting spot is still getting shorter. Partridge noted that freshman Jake Moody is the backup, should Nordin lose his

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Junior kicker Quinn Nordin had a blocked field goal on Saturday and has only converted three of his past seven kicks.

job.

“It is unfair (to blame Nordin),” Partridge said. “But at the same time, he’s gotta be better and take control of that thing. There’s a bunch of different factors that go into that.”

In terms of kickoff coverage, Partridge and Harbaugh both shared their pleasure in that area.

“This past game, the two stars were Ben Mason and Tyler Cochran,” Harbaugh said. “... There’s others that are playing really well, but those two are really a force.

With Ben Mason puncturing and Tyler Cochran cutting the field in half, been very good.”

Harbaugh was specifically referring to two plays from Mason, one of which that even garnered Twitter virality. On one kickoff, Mason shed three

Nittany Lions blockers to tackle returner KJ Hamler at Penn State’s own 17-yard line.

On another, following a kickoff that sailed out of bounds off Moody’s leg, Penn State coach James Franklin made the confounding decision to re-do the play instead of taking the ball at its own 35-yard line.

Needless to say, it was not successful, as Hamler returned the ball just to the 23.

“I know on their side, it’s like ‘Alright, we have a great kick returner and they just sprinted down the field so maybe they’ll be a little tired.

Let’s try to get them to re-kick it,’ ” Partridge said. “And we covered that.”

Variability in the special teams’ performance has primarily been limited to kickoff coverage and field goal kicking.

“There’s a concern about that whole unit.”

With Thomas and Peoples-Jones highlighting the return teams, the Wolverines have been on an ascending trajectory.

Last Saturday that was especially apparent, with Peoples-Jones breaking off two lengthy punt returns and Thomas nearly taking one into the red zone if not for a block in the back call — one that Partridge didn’t take kindly to.

“I don’t know how much you can fix the kick return last week,” Partridge said. “If kicking someone’s butt is a penalty nowadays, then sure.

But (Josh Ross) didn’t grab, he didn’t hold. He pancaked a guy and they called a flag. … That was frustrating because you take away a great moment away from a unit, and from a player a 60-yard return.”

Against a stout Rutgers coverage team, great field position and return touchdowns may be hard to produce. But advantages in every other facet of the game would tell you that Michigan won’t need either.

Sports

6A — Thursday, November 8, 2018

WRESTLING

Amine dominates matches at NWCA All-Star Classic JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer

Myles Amine emerged from the tunnel and was met with a reception fit for the final bout at the NCAA Championships.

The redshirt junior trotted out to the mat elevated by the cheers of the raucous crowd and the spirit of the event. Flames shot into the air on either side of him. He came prepared and ready to dominate.

And on Friday at the NWCA All-Star Classic, that’s exactly what he did.

Facing off against a fellow All-American, Amine cruised to an 11-2, major-decision victory over the 10th-ranked Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State.

Due to the high ranking of both wrestlers and the 1,000plus people eagerly watching match after match, the nonscoring invitational felt like it was for all the marbles.

And with his dominant performance, Amine showed his game is already nearing postseason form.

Despite not having previously wrestled Smith, Amine stayed true to character and used a vicious offensive onslaught to keep his opponent on his heels and continue to tack points on the scoreboard.

In the victory, Amine mixed his unparalleled conditioning with unique attack angles to confound Smith and earn the major decision.

From last season to the early moments of this one, Amine’s matches have become almost formulaic.

The opponent manages to keep the match close, even scoreless, through one period. But then fatigue kicks in, and Amine strikes. On Friday, the same routine was on full display. After making it through one scoreless period, Amine blew things open in the second, starting with a low leg attack to get his first takedown.

“I pride myself on being really offensive, so always on the attack, and somewhat of a grinder,” Amine said. “I think usually I saw myself in a lot of tight matches early in the first period or even early in the second period, but really finding a way separating myself going into the second or third

period. Guys start to get tired, I think. That’s when I can really start to take advantage of blowing open a match.”

Now with a quality win under his belt to start the season, Amine knows how high the bar has been set. In response, his goal remains the same — a national championship.

Finishing third in last year’s tournament, Amine knows there’s still some work to be done to attain the top spot in the nation and conquer college wrestling’s field of 174-pounders.

“My goal is to win a national championship, and change the third ranking to that number one ranking and prove a lot of people wrong,” Amine said.

“There are two guys above me that there’s a lot of hype around, and I lost two really close matches to both of those guys, so there’s a fuel to the fire to be added, and I’ve really been training a lot to get to the top of that podium.”

Beyond the added pressure to sit atop the podium, Amine now must face his new role as a bona fide leader of the wrestling squad.

After the departure of former team captains Domenic Abounader and Adam Coon, Amine is one of the upperclassmen that his teammates will look to for guidance and poise.

And if his performance on Friday is any indication, Amine’s method of leading by example will go just fine this season.

“I think if anything, it’s only made the sport of wrestling for me that much better,” Amine said. “As much as it is a team sport, you’re out there by yourself, so it’s pretty individual. So when you try to assume a leadership role like becoming a captain, you need to focus on helping out other guys, and I like to think I’ve done that as much as I can. Being able to see people’s progress through your help is probably just as rewarding as seeing your own progress.”

This is coming from a guy who has seen plenty of his own progress through his college career. Now he is ready to see the fruits of his labor and has officially put college wrestling on notice.

“My goal is to win a national championship.”

Release Date: Thursday, November 8, 2018

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

ACROSS 1 Spinal segment 5 One without a permanent address 10 What sit-ups strengthen 13 College World Series home 15 Offer one’s two cents 16 Burst 17 Cara cara or Washington fruit 19 Poirot’s street 20 “Open: An Autobiography” subject 21 Blintz topping 22 Actress Meyer of “Saw” films 23 Hue 24 Where I-30 and I-40 meet 27 Tonsillitis-treating doc 28 IV units 29 Roman goddess of agriculture 30 __ Moines 31 “Down Came a Blackbird” country singer McCann 33 Committee leader 34 Traveler’s rest 36 Boat filler 38 Passed-down tales 39 Convened 42 Pool table slab 43 Part of Q&A 44 Pub potable 45 Actor who appeared in nine films with Sydney Greenstreet 49 Pierce player 50 Crew pair 51 Poet’s preposition 52 Cubs pitcher Jon 54 “Suits” TV network 55 Therapy technique ... and a hint to what’s hidden in 17-, 24-, 34- and 45-Across?

57 Liberal arts maj.

58 Battery terminal 59 Car opening?

60 Compass pt.

61 Parsonage 62 Light shirts

DOWN 1 Gave 2 Picture 3 Learned ones 4 Trunk 5 Country partly in the Arctic Circle: Abbr.

6 Tricky genre 7 Annual North Dakota State Fair site 8 Mike Trout, notably 9 See 56-Down 10 Like some knowledge 11 Bar employee 12 Represents, with “for” 14 Gore and Michaels 18 Original Pennsylvania headquarters of Quaker State 22 Journal subject 25 “__ of Dogs”: 2018 animated film 26 Reverberated 28 Well-off, after “in” 32 Free Clear detergent maker

33 Ithaca campus 34 Partners 35 Laugh good and loud 36 “The Hustler” actor (1961) 37 Grind 39 Soup cracker 40 Ristorante request 41 Riot squad’s supply 42 Partner, perhaps

46 Hotelier Helmsley 47 Sweater fabric 48 Clarinetist’s supply 49 So far 53 Sound catcher 55 More than bump into 56 With 9-Down, river of the Carolinas

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

11/08/18

Livers adapting to new role as sixth man ARIA GERSON

Daily Sports Writer

Last year, Isaiah Livers took the tip-off as the starting power forward in the national championship game.

The next game the sophomore forward played in — Tuesday’s opener against Norfolk State — he came off the bench.

It’s not often that a player who secured a starting job as a freshman, especially one on a team that went as far as the Michigan men’s basketball team did, loses it before the start of the next season. But Livers is embracing the change.

“It’s new for me from starting last year,” Livers said.

“But I agree with everything (Michigan coach John Beilein) says and it kind of makes sense, having some leadership come off the bench. I’m cool.”

Livers’ leadership is especially vital given the player that has replaced him as the starting power forward — freshman Ignas Brazdeikis.

With Livers sidelined for a chunk of the offseason with an ankle injury, Brazdeikis stepped into the rotation and found a rhythm with the rest of the team. Once the season started, Beilein rolled with him.

But even for a player as talented as Brazdeikis, jumping to the college level will have a learning curve. While he was injured, Livers devoted time to helping coach Brazdeikis, and he’s carried that role over into the regular season.

“Isaiah is a team guy,” Beilein said. “And he’ll fill that role well.”

Being the sixth man will also require a physical adjustment.

Instead of the routine that comes with being the starting 4-man, Livers must prepare to play any position besides point guard and enter in any situation.

Especially on defense, Livers will have to adapt on the fly to wherever he’s needed.

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Sophomore forward Isaiah Livers is making the transition from power forward to sixth man for the upcoming season.

But Livers has been in this position before. At the beginning of last year, the starting ‘4’ was now-graduated Duncan Robinson, who transitioned to a swingman role as Livers assumed the starting job.

“It’s different,” Livers said.

Then he paused.

“It’s not actually, it’s not different at all, because last year I came off the bench at the beginning for Duncan and then I started.

But I still kinda felt like a sixth man last year because Duncan, he was a veteran, he was a very smart player. … It was basically kind of the same as I’m doing right now.”

Robinson was a different

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player than Livers — his game was 3-point shooting, whereas Livers is a better defender and has a bigger post presence.

But despite not starting, Robinson still frequently made a difference on the court, and Livers’ starting experience indicates he’s capable of a similar impact.

Tuesday against Norfolk State, Livers was the second player off the bench. He still finished with eight points — including two made 3-pointers — and three assists and co-led the team with eight rebounds.

If he continues to put up similar stats, he’ll find plenty of minutes and remain an integral part of the team.

“It’s new for me from starting last year.”

“I just told him that his shooting has been so good in practice,” Beilein said. “And I said, we’re not gonna treat you any different than we would Duncan Robinson. … What he also does for us is he’s the talker out there defensively. He’s talking to everybody.”

During his freshman season, Livers showed flashes of the versatility and leadership that will make him so valuable off the bench, but in the offseason, he’s developed those skills even more. And though he still wants to start — what player doesn’t?

— Livers is ready for anything, even if he’s not on the court at first tip.

“I’m gonna get my job done, I’m gonna do my best to help the team,” Livers said. “ … Obviously if I was asked to start I would take the job and go start, but (Beilein) knows what he’s doing and I’m gonna trust his process.”

Adjustments lead to uptick in intensity JORGE CAZARES Daily Sports Writer

In the two-day series against Lake Superior State last weekend, the Michigan hockey team played like two vastly different teams.

Caught off guard by the Lakers’ physicality on Friday, the Wolverines were reeling after losing their early 1-0 lead in what looked more like a heavyweight bout rather than a typical collegiate hockey game. Regardless, the team lacked intensity on both ends of the ice.

“We went into the game Friday and I guess you could say we weren’t really ready for the level of physicality,” said sophomore forward Michael Pastujov. “We hadn’t really seen that yet this year.”

Adjustments ensued. On Saturday, Michigan looked more prepared for Lake Superior State’s physical style of play –– embracing it even.

Players looked to finish their checks while still staying true to the team’s strengths. From the opening faceoff, it was evident that the Wolverines’ approach was different.

However, Michigan hockey coach Mel Pearson and his skaters know that the fervor exhibited on Saturday should be the norm, not the reaction.

To replicate and sustain a high level of energy, Pearson is striving to create healthy competition among his roster.

Last weekend, freshman forward Nolan Moyle saw significant ice time in what were his second and third regular season appearances.

Freshman defenseman Jake Gingell and junior forward Adam Windborg dressed for their first and second times, respectively, on Saturday in lieu of freshmen forwards Jack

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Michigan coach Mel Pearson has used healthy competition in practice to make adjustments to Michigan’s roster.

Randl and Jimmy Lambert.

And freshman goaltender Strauss Mann received the start in the net over junior Hayden Lavigne.

With the exception of Michigan taking eight penalties, Saturday showcased the level of effort that Pearson expects from his skaters.

To some, the penalties may even be viewed as an indicator of the uptick in intensity.

Pearson has expressed that he wants interchangeable pieces in the lineup. That means ice time is up for grabs, especially with the addition of a 19th skater under the new NCAA rule implemented this season.

“We weren’t happy with

“We hadn’t really seen that yet this year.”

By Robert E. Lee Morris ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

some of the efforts on Friday and more importantly it was to reward those guys because they — and Nolan Moyle — had looked good in practice,” Pearson said. “You have to reward guys, you have to continue to reward guys if they’ve earned an opportunity to play.

“Those guys are proud, they want to play and so they’ll come in the way they did today (in practice) and work hard to try and get back in the lineup. We want to be able to … create that competition and try to give them some incentive to continue to work hard and continue to compete to get in a game or get in games.”

Few players on the

roster this season know the difficulty of cracking the rotation like Gingell does. The freshman is a part of the group of players that has recently garnered attention in practice –– leading to his insertion in the lineup for the second game of the series.

Knowing that they are vying for playing time, the pressure is on to compete in practice and make an impact every time they step onto the ice.

“It’s just a whole different game, you know,” Gingell said. “When you sit in the stands, you don’t feel as into it but when you’re on the bench, everything just comes together, and you know the hockey that you’ve been playing your entire life.”

“Those guys are proud, they want to play...”

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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, November 8, 2018

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Stories of life: Slices in the cake of human experience Heresy, in glorious Technicolor

FILE PHOTO / DAILY

Has it all been written?

ROBERT MANSUETTI Daily Arts Writer

Consider something as short as a single tweet: 280 characters to express your most surreal, plain, intrusive or wholesome thoughts. Now take the 137,374 defined Unicode characters and permutate them with Twitter’s strict character limit and you get … well, a seemingly infinite number of possible tweets. That number would approach the point where conventional mathematical language becomes pointless and “bazillion” is the best delineation. But the thing is, it is a number. It has some end.

Now, of course someone isn’t going to tweet out all the combinations that could be made with the spiderweb emoji, an inverted question mark and the letter Æ, so the number of possible tweets can be cut by, let’s say, half. Still,

that leaves a lot of room to stretch one’s creative legs. But, has all that creative potential been exploited? Is Twitter approaching a critical mass at which every good tweet will start to be recycled? Are none of us original?

This thought didn’t cripple my comedy until I stumbled into an inane joke while texting a friend: If David Attenborough made a documentary about Grindr, it would be called Planet Girth.

Yet searching “planet girth” on Twitter before I was about to post my own thoughts yielded dozens of similar search results, all of which arrived at the same conclusion assumingly independent of each other.

Maybe the question is not if Twitter had exhausted all possible combinations of usable characters and words and if every imaginable tweet will soon be sent, but

we should instead consider if we have exhausted every idiosyncratic thought.

In a song that served as the inspiration for the above title, Brandon Flowers of The Killers sings “Has every ship gone sailing? Has every heart gone blue?”

All of these questions racing through my mind made me wonder if the common bonds connecting our individual lives and experiences are stronger and more similar than we think. So, I set out to compile this collection of micro-stories from the happenings of my own life and the accounts of others, blurring actuality and speculation. Unless specifically identified for an interview, no person mentioned (and their respective pronouns) necessarily has a real life analogue. Call it true f lash fiction, if you will.

With all that in order, let us embark on this shared journey through memories, through Ann Arbor cultural institutions, through artistic escapades, through life.

“I think the world was cooler without cellphones,” Curtis Sullivan, co-owner and selfproclaimed “counter watcher” at Main Street’s Vault of Midnight, said, laughing as he added, “That’s an old man thing to say.” The Vault is a carefully curated love letter to the times when “you didn’t have your face buried in (that) stupid thing,” Sullivan explained. When “you would, like, ride bikes and shit.”

The walls and shelves of the Vault are lined with books and baubles we would excitedly stuff into our backpacks before biking down to our best friend’s house to show it off. There’s comics about Conan the Barbarian, the Teen Titans and Sonic the Hedgehog, the favorite heroes of a young Sullivan, surrounded by “The Art of Wes Anderson” hardbacks, Gudetama the Lazy Egg figures and puzzles

showing scenes from “Super Mario Odyssey.”

The Vault is a carefully curated love letter to the times when ‘you didn’t have your face buried in (that) stupid thing’

It’s all the stuff for which we would beg our parents and hold

out until our birthdays, a trip down memory lane for dorks of all kinds, even self-proclaimed superdorks like Sullivan who “did model rockets, flew kites (and) had model railroads.”

With some intense trumpet instrumental playing in the background, Sullivan casually drops the fact that he worships Satan only 10 seconds into our conversation, and I’m relieved he’s just as weird as me, two nerds separated by scant decades.

“Just kidding,” he clarified.

“That’s what people used to say back in 1982 if you played Dungeons and Dragons.”

I think of how nervous I was when my grade school friend’s Catholic mom took his Pokémon cards away from him, fearing my mom would do the same, sliding my Tyranitar collector’s tin under my bed as soon as I got home.

FILE PHOTO / DAILY

112 Up until that point, he was stranded exactly twice in his life. Both were caused by a failure to understand but solved by the ability to communicate. Had he not had the cellphone his dad somehow got for 25 bucks at the local hardware store, he probably would’ve had to resort to busking, drifting throughout life relying on his only bankable skill —

his forced knowledge of the saxophone.

Luckily, each time he was able to call one of his parents and dictate where he thought he was in that foreign country.

It took always took a bit, but he was located nonetheless, both times the parent accompanied by a family friend. Strange, looking back on it.

Now he wishes his parents, or even their friends, were on speed dial, but it would take them hours to drive to this faraway state. The irony: He has the world at his fingertips,

but to try and touch it would cut those selfsame fingertips since he broke it in the commotion of his first college party. In the short time it took to find the smartphone in the bedlam of spastic, disparate feet, those few others seen arriving with him were nowhere to be seen.

Hopefully he could tipsily remember the confusing way back to his dorm. Hopefully he’d make it back, stretcher or not. Hopefully his parents would never ask what the police reported he was in possession of.

CARTER FOX / DAILY

Bad luck The smell of freshly made waffle cones was a heavenly distraction waiting on the long, low bench. While divine, Blank Slate Creamery doesn’t particularly remind me of the simple shops I patronized throughout my childhood and the gallons of ice cream consumed from them. It’s a bit too neat, too bohemian to conjure images of the hometown lunch counters where I got my fix, those that doubled as ice cream parlors after school ended and entertained with simple treats and pinball machines.

Yet to some seven-year-old in 2018, this is their childhood, what they’ll yearn for when liquid nitrogen balls and rolled ice cream become the new standard.

Lana Hinojosa, an employee at Blank Slate and recent University graduate, seemed to share a similar nostalgia, reminiscing of “being carefree,” “ignorance is bliss,” “no problems” when I asked her what she missed about being a kid. Oh, and “lots of PBJs.” Like most of us, her palate has refined over the years, now preferring the seasonal gingerbread flavor exclusive to Blank Slate over the “artificial ones like Superman and Bubble Gum.” While Hinojosa has

One day a year The inside-out pajamas did the trick. The neighborhoodwide f lushing of ice cubes down the toilet was so ridiculous it actually worked: These Southern rugrats finally saw snow for the first time in their short lives. Seeing their district listed on the wobbly image of CRT television was a sight they wouldn’t see again for some time after, so they cherished it as best they could.

When the snowmen finally melted, they all returned

home for mom’s special cup of Swiss Miss and retreated to their rooms to spend more time with the Littlest Pet Shop toys or the copy of “Super Mario Galaxy” they got for Christmas a few odd weeks ago.

The kids in the North trudged onto the bus, stomping the snow off their boots before they got to their seats and turning the walkway into a slippery, slushy slice of rubber. It had snowed for the

never been fond of anything strawberry-flavored, we both shared that same youthful love of those visually appealing and disgusting flavors, unholy mixes of red, yellow and blue we ordered purely because it looked cool.

Wrapping up our very brief chat, I asked her to share her saddest story involving ice cream. “When I was little, I stepped on the (block ‘M’ in the middle of the Diag) and dropped my ice cream immediately after,” Hinojosa remembered. “It actually is bad luck!” On the way out, I didn’t see any toddler spoil the floor with their heaping cones and wondered if it was due to their good luck or mine.

past two weeks, and here they were braving the arctic tundra to get to school. Half-assing their homework, they were not placated when they saw news reports from the kitchen table of entire states shutting down thanks to a half-inch of snow.

They went to bed peeved, and while they slept, the buses could not start. Their mothers could let them sleep in the next morning.

Nowadays, the internet is the school’s last line of defense and homework still comes, and that one winter snow day they used to look forward to the whole year isn’t fun anymore.

A24

No one wants to die in California The first thing they really did together was see “Lady Bird,” a gamble on her part because she knew not of his tastes, only of his girlfriend. Still, he accepted; they entered as friends, they laughed as friends, they cried as friends, they got ice cream afterward as friends. He says it’s the most he’s ever related to a female protagonist in his moviegoing life, while she responds saying the movie might as well be her life.

“I didn’t know you lived in California,” he interjects.

“I’ve moved around, from East to West and everywhere in between, so to make it easy I just say I’m from Grand Rapids,” she states plainly, reciting a speech she has said a thousand times before.

“That’s really awesome,” he responds, a hint of genuine interest emerges. “I’ve moved around a lot because of my dad’s job. What about you?”

“Oh, you know, kind of the same, really. That, and family.”

The first thing they really did together was see “Lady Bird,” a gamble on her part because she knew not of his tastes, only of his girlfriend

She was hiding something,

something she had left behind in that wretched state, something he would come to learn because he stuck around.

The two also slowly learned the other didn’t really want to be alive, and while they weren’t exactly the best for each other, they did help, and both lived to tell the tale of the other to exes of future past.

Years later, she finds herself in the big city, attending a special screening of the classic “Lady Bird” in a small theater. The audience made up of mostly first-time viewers, they laugh at all the wrong moments and she feels the greater need to conceal her crying. She can’t believe they laugh when it’s Lady Bird’s birthday and her dad presents her with a meager cupcake. She thinks of her dad and the special cupcakes he made for her on her special day, both of which have become one with the hard California ground.

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Fake fans I didn’t know what song was playing when I stepped into Underground Sounds but I know, for a fact, that “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul and Linda McCartney was playing when I was talking with owner Matthew Bradish about guilty pleasures, a term we mutually concluded doesn’t really mean anything.

“For some people, The Doors and The Monkees are guilty pleasures, but I don’t feel that guilty about it anymore,” he said with a smile.

Earlier, I had watched Bradish select the McCartney

Dancing We’re often told to dance like nobody’s watching, but the problem is we dance better in our heads. However, they can’t help but move as the parking garage elevator descends. They feel about to combust after coming out to their whole nuclear family, which, unsurprisingly, was marked by confusion and an untimely exit on their part, fueled by the primal human

Shaky Cam The saddest moment of her life finds her surrounded by rose petals and tea lights, arranged by someone she wishes she could love. Sitting cross-legged on the f loor, she has nothing to say, and when they finally make more than a second of tenuous eye contact, the gaze she receives tells her “you should just go.” It’s a cold walk back, and she feels a waste, someone who couldn’t even put aside the shoddy state

song and have it instantly play over the speaker system. It was “the song (he) remember(s) the earliest.” He told me “it makes (him) think of (his) mother and her ’71 Green Chevelle.”

Bradish certainly had the musical leg up on me, as I failed to identify Viva Hate as Morrissey’s first solo album after mentioning I had been listening to a lot of The Smiths recently (which is never a good sign). When I asked Bradish about a special memory he had with physical music as a kid, he mentioned “a cassette tape that (he) made from records: One side was Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill and the other side was Smash Hits by Jimi Hendrix.”

His passion for the music that literally surrounds him every

day working at Underground Sounds is evident; he noted his “music taste has gotten a fair bit broader,” but “still not that much into what a lot of people would call noise.”

Before I had approached him for an interview, Bradish asked two leaving customers if they had voted, trying to entice them with a small discount to buy some of the records they had been flipping through for minutes. In a strong Manchester accent, one of them explained they weren’t exactly from here, and a chuckle was had by both parties. I pass hundreds of people a day walking through the Ann Arbor streets but would never think to stop and ask someone where they are going, and where they’ve been.

desire to flee when we no longer feel safe. And there they are, eyes closed, shoes shuffling, waiting for the robotic voice to declare “GROUND FLOOR.” They make their way to the exit and in the direction of the scheduled refuge of their friend’s apartment. They hate that they can no longer rely on their family, but they remain thankful for the new family they’ve found.

The sidewalks were mostly empty, so, with Ariel Pink’s “Kitchen Witch” playing in

their earphones, they took a spirit form, transcending to an ethereal plain as they whirled robotic and pirouetted naturally. It’s just them and their music. The concrete is their stage and passersby make up the audience (but they aren’t really watching), so their legs freestyle with the intention of coming off as smooth as Childish Gambino. Don’t tell them they’re as stilted as a poor YouTube imitation because they don’t care. It’s their story, and you’re just an extra.

of the relationship and tell someone she appreciates them for once. I mean, you loved her, didn’t you? Well, you certainly said it to her more than once.

In recounting the story to her roommate she is reassured that her soon-to-be ex-girlfriend wasn’t the best person in the world either, but while she is shamefully offering the details, it comes together like a movie scene. If viewed through the door, one would see her, seated, back facing the camera, struggling to keep herself together while also keeping quiet, as her once-

lover blows out the candles and picks up the f loral scatter.

She begins to think of almost everything she does through the lens of the movie camera, from the close-ups of the facial features she makes in future fights to her walks under the apricot sky. We never get to know if she makes it to Hollywood and makes it big, but we should take this moment to stop and consider whether or not our lives would make for distinctive adaptations on the silver screen, and if we’d be the most reliable person to tell it.

FILE PHOTO / DAILY

You’re only everything once I was supposed to interview someone at the State Theatre for this piece, but despite sitting in its lobby on two separate occasions I couldn’t bring myself to ask one of the workers for an interview. The fear I had developed while operating under this brand of Gonzo journalism was one of rejection, a fear that I would either not secure an interview in the first place or that I would get answers I couldn’t work with. I mean, yeah, everyone remembers their first job, but would they really give me something insightful if I asked what they spent their first paycheck on? The first R-rated movie they saw? The movie that always makes them cry?

I found myself unable to escape this notion I had developed in the introductory story, that none of us are really original, that whatever answers I would hear have been already said. Hell, are my own answers to those questions even that special?

This all led to a textbook mini panic attack, the kind where social anxiety kicks in and makes you aware of everyone staring at you, freaking out over the terrible things they could be thinking.

With the help of some food in my body and a brisk walk back to my building, I was able

to calm down, partly because no one even realized any of this interior struggle. No one in the atrium of the State noticed my loitering presence, so what’s to say the people I were eyeing to interview aren’t going through something similar? We all have our own troubles, big or small, that we ultimately have to solve on our own. And a lot of the times, we keep it in, to fit in, to be normal. To not be realized when we’re minding our daily business, to be just another face in the crowd.

Here I was freaking out over other people’s perceptions of me while also having an existential crisis because I feel we’re all blending together into some sort of unintelligible mess. Everybody wants to rule the world, but nobody wants to know who makes it up.

A couple weeks ago, after a movie night with my friends, one of them polled the room if they should make a push for Rick’s American Cafe. When it came my turn to cast my vote, I said “you’re only 21 on Oct. 19 one time in your life.”

She took this as a fair point, and I went to the bathroom shortly after and reworked what I said into the title of this specific story, seeing some potential poignance.

“You’re only everything once.”

What does this even mean?

I haven’t the slightest clue, but I feel through gathering information, interviewing others and observing randoms for this piece, I might be a little closer to answering that.

At this moment in time, you are the sum of so many distinct experiences, not only with yourself, but with others, with people you’ve never met, with culture, with the internet. Yet evaluate yourself a day later and you may find yourself the sum of even more, just by the nature of you continuing to live. We are continuously everything we’ve been through and everything that surrounds us, but this everything approaches infinity as time goes on. There’s no limit on this everything, unlike the case of the Twitter, and under this definition, the thought that we are all permutations of the same thing falters. We all make up a complex mosaic, constantly moving, living, breathing; I have a renewed optimism thinking about this after going out in search of the heart of Ann Arbor and intertwining myself with the stories of others.

So go ahead, post that unoriginal tweet, go to Rick’s, put yourself out there. If we remain stagnant, we will never have stories to tell. Without stories, how can life go on?

Thursday, November 8, 2018 — 3B

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

Mixing it all together: The magic of musical mashups SAM ROSENBERG Senior Arts Editor

I was first introduced to mashups at the ripe age of 14, when I was first getting into music. My sister gave me her iPod and had me listen to a song she downloaded from the internet called “Future Dads (Platinum Edition).” It was from the debut mixtape of L.A.-based trio Super Mash Bros: Fuck Bitches. Get Euros.

When I pressed play, the effortless flow of Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” rang over CkY’s aggressive nu-metal jam “96 Quite Bitter Beings” — a jarring, yet thrilling combination. A mere 40 seconds later, CkY’s track transitioned into the familiar piano riff from Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” with Jay-Z’s raps still banging over the beat. After an interjection of Lil Wayne and Birdman’s “Pop Bottles,” the song shifted into a playful mix of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and a hyperactive, hip-hop alteration of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.”

From its mesmerizing blend of genres to its brilliantly random title, “Future Dads (Platinum Edition)” would become the portal into my intense obsession with Super Mash Bros and mashups as a whole. The social hellscape of eighth grade had already instilled within me a hunger to be cool, a need to distinguish my music taste from that of my peers. Listening to mashups and creating my own mashups seemed like the perfect outlet.

Making a mashup seems easy in theory — you take two songs, overlap the vocals from one on top of the instrumental of another, and voila. But don’t let that oversimplified explanation fool you into thinking that a mashup is just some gimmick.

Rearranging and splicing together pre-recorded songs requires a varied, comprehensive understanding of pop music and an adept ear for recognizing songs with the same tempo and key. It’s a painstaking process that involves constant tinkering: A song is deconstructed to its bare bones, then reconstructed and reincarnated into a compelling and infectious collage.

While some may consider mashups a new innovation, there’s a rich history behind them that dates back more than 60 years. The earliest appearance of a mashup came in 1956 when musicians Bill Buchanan and Dickie Goodman assembled snippets of the narration from Orson Welles’s infamous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast into their song “The Flying Saucer.”

Though the term “mashup” had not entered the cultural lexicon then, Buchanan and Goodman named their creation a “breakin” song in reference to the way Welles’s voice broke the standard melody.

Later on in the ’60s and ’70s, counterculture icon Frank Zappa created his own method of mashup music known as xenochrony, a technique that extracts a guitar solo or other musical element from its original context and places it into a completely different song. An example of xenochrony can be heard in the ending of Zappa’s 1968 song “Lonely Little Girl,” which uses the drums, bass, vibraphone and orchestra from his 1966 track “How Could I Be Such A Fool.” The result is subtle, but this style of experimentation serves as a precursor to mashups.

As mashups took on a more explicit form in the ’80s, their creative and commercial potential skyrocketed as high as their cultural relevance expanded. In the summer of 1982, Italian DJ Stefano Pulga, guitarist Luciano Ninzatti, keyboardist-programmer Matteo Bonsanto and sound engineer Massimo Noè formed an anonymous band known as Pink Project and released “Disco Project,” a mashup that combined elements of Pink Floyd’s

“Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” with the instrumental of The Alan Parsons Project’s “Mammagamma.” Though the song was a one-hit wonder for Pink Project — they released a handful of other mashups with little success — “Disco Project” helped lay the foundation for what a modern-day mashup could sound like: two seemingly un-pairable songs paired together.

With the advancement of technology and music software in the late ’90s and early 2000s, mashups became more defined — known then as “bootleg remixes” — and subsequently ignited a subcultural movement. The most notable instance of their impact arrived in 2001 when UK artist Roy Kerr, known by his

The ability to manipulate and edit preexisting songs into a mosaic of sound not only empowers consumers to become their own producers, but offers a refreshing twist to how we celebrate and appreciate music

stage name Freelance Hellraiser, coupled Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” with The Strokes’s “Hard to Explain” into a catchy concoction, cleverly titled “A Stroke of Genie-us.”

Both songs are pretty disparate from one another, but somehow, Kerr alchemized the two in such a way that they not only work together, but enhance one another. Oddly enough, Aguilera’s powerful range plays well against Albert Hammond Jr.’s raucous, distorted guitars, reframing the R&B-pop soul of “Genie in a Bottle” as a spectacular and devastating power ballad — it even sounds like it could’ve been a long-lost Kelly Clarkson demo from her 2004 record Breakaway.

Though Kerr’s instantaneous fame was short-lived, the effect of “A Stroke of a Genieus” legitimized mashups as an influential subgenre during the 2000s, allowing music nerds a chance to flex their creative muscles and push the limits of copyright laws by distributing their creations online for free.

Before he became a mega music producer and one half of indie hip-hop duo Gnarls Barkley, Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) came into prominence in 2004 with The Grey Album, a landmark mashup record that mixed vocals from JayZ’s The Black Album with instrumental pieces from The Beatles’s 1968 LP White Album.

Australian electronic collective The Avalanches capitalized on this freedom as well, merging their own ambient live instrumentation with an arsenal of hip hop and psychedelic rock samples (35,000 to be exact) on their 2000 debut Since I Left You. As these albums set the momentum of modern-day mashups, self-made producers like Girl Talk, Super Mash Bros, The Hood Internet and DJ Earworm sprouted onto the Internet, each offering their own

distinctive take on mashups.

Girl Talk, the stage name for Pittsburgh-based DJ Gregg Gillis, began his career with an abstract, frenetic glitch-pop sound, manifesting in 2002’s noisy Secret Diary and 2004’s more accessible Unstoppable.

Retaining the crackhead energy of his earlier efforts, Gillis refined and streamlined his approach on 2006’s critically acclaimed Night Ripper, an astounding display of sonic dexterity that coalesced ’90s pop, raunchy hip hop and alternative rock. Girl Talk only improved from there with 2008’s Feed the Animals and 2010’s All Day, each album playing out like one endless, entertaining game of hopscotch. With his nimble touch and rousing live performances, Gillis built mashups like miniature, nonstop parties featuring artists from every generation and genre, from Kanye West and Elton John to Soulja Boy and Aphex Twin, T-Pain and Avril Lavigne to Ludacris and Phoenix.

Like Girl Talk, Super Mash Bros embraced the fleeting quality of mashups through their own work. With Fuck Bitches. Get Euros. and its equally electric follow-ups All About The Scrillions and Mile(y) High Club, Super Mash Bros transformed an array of early2000s pop songs into hardhitting bangers, chopping them up and perfecting them into danceable, club-ready jams made for high school homecomings and college mixers. Even more prolific are Chicago-based The Hood Internet, who have been churning out mixtape after mixtape of mashups since 2007, and San Francisco-based DJ Earworm, who compiles the top 25 songs of every year into a mashup known as “United State of Pop,” his most notable achievement being 2009’s “Blame It on the Pop.” The mashup scene thrived during this era, though its success would eventually wear off at the turn of the decade.

The once-popular Fox musical comedy “Glee” helped bring mainstream appeal to mashups in its season-one episode “Vitamin D,” which includes arguably the best songs from the “Glee” catalog: Finn (Cory Monteith, “Monte Carlo”) leads the guys in a rollicking, energetic fusion of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” and Usher’s “Confessions (Part II),” while Rachel (Lea Michele, “New Year’s Eve”) and the girls combine Beyoncé’s “Halo” and Katrina and the Waves’s “Walking on Sunshine” in a rendition that could only be described as transcendent.

But in 2012, “Pitch Perfect” and acapella quintet Pentatonix rode the slowly evaporating wave of the mashup’s popularity to its bitter lull, destabilizing the mashup’s underground, anticapitalist allure through a series of fun yet fluffy and amateurish commercialized morsels.

While the majority of mashup artists have moved on or receded into virtual obscurity, there are glimmers of hope that mashups could find their way back again into the cultural limelight. The Magic iPod, a mashup generator website, gives audiophiles the ability to mix a mashup of their own choosing based on a selection of the best pop and hip-hop songs from the 2000s.

Twitter user Noah Charlick gained brief notoriety for sharing his strangely cohesive mashup of Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle” and A-Ha’s “Take on Me,” and Twitter user oypoolboy provided an even stranger mashup of Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” and Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

Whatever the future may hold for mashups, they remain a testament to the DIY spirit of music-making. The ability to manipulate and edit pre-existing songs into a mosaic of sound not only empowers consumers to become their own producers, but offers a refreshing twist to how we celebrate and appreciate music: You can listen to two or more great songs at once without paying a dime.

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TV NOTEBOOK

CARTOON NETWORK

‘Over the Garden Wall’ & feel-good Fall heartache MAX MICHALSKY Daily Arts Writer

Fall is my favorite season. I could write a whole other article about why, but for the sake of this one I’ll keep it concise: Fall has this feeling attached to it like no other season does. As the heavy summer air crystallizes into brisk winds, every falling leaf is a reminder that all things end. That might sound morbid, and it certainly doesn’t sound enjoyable, but hear me out. Fall is the place between things: summer and winter, warmth and cold, life and death, beginnings and endings. In being between these things, it manages to become all of them. Fall is the soft pang of nostalgia for something you’re sad is over but happy to have experienced — at once mournful and joyous. It’s trick-or-treating as a 10-yearold when the world was huge and full of adventure. It’s the silhouettes of trees standing watch in the night. It’s the chill of morning fog and the flicker of a candle and the quiet beauty of falling leaves.

“Dancing in a swirl of golden memories, the loveliest lies of all.”

That line is a lyric from the theme song of “Over the Garden Wall” (Nate Cash, “Adventure Time”), a Cartoon Network miniseries that features 10 episodes, each just over 10 minutes in length. The series is a favorite of mine, and I always make a point to re-watch it each fall because I have yet to find a piece of media that better embodies everything that this season is to me. The series follows Greg (Collin Dean, “Krampus”) and Wirt (Elijah Wood, “The Trust”) , two brothers who are lost in the woods. As they try to find their way home, they learn that they’ve entered an anachronistic other-world called The Unknown, and that getting home will be no easy task.

While made with a younger audience in mind, the series places enormous faith in its audience to handle a deep and complex storyline and surprisingly dark thematic material.

The series is

meticulously detailed, filled with a remarkably clever, “blink and you’ll miss it” style of miseen-scène that rewards repeat viewers. This trust in its audience is a welcome breath of fresh air, and also a part of what makes the show enjoyable for all ages. But what specifically is it about this series that allows it to so acutely embody such specific and deeply felt emotional qualities?

In short, it’s the world that the show’s creator, Patrick McHale (“Adventure Time”),

Fall is the soft pang of nostalgia for something you’re sad is over but happy to have experienced — at once mournful and joyous

has painstakingly crafted. The Unknown was inspired heavily

by American folklore, lending the series a vaguely colonial aesthetic that incorporates numerous folk legends, from the man-eating Wendigo to dancing scarecrows. The series doesn’t use these oft-obscure references as its cornerstone for emotional resonance, but rather as a background of vague familiarity for anyone who grew up in the American Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. The Unknown feels like a place that we grew up learning about and is inextricably ingrained in our culture; the idea of children lost in the woods is the basis of countless Germanic fairytales, and it’s these narrative traditions — witches living in the woods, people turned into

animals and the malevolent “king of darkness” lurking in the shadows — that give rise to the quaint Americana that has shaped our culture, and are recited to children in bedrooms across the country.

But it’s not just the world of the series that makes it so effective.

Greg and Wirt are outsiders in The Unknown in both a spatial and a temporal sense (it’s implied the boys are living in the 1970s).

This far more recent time period, not brought into the series until the penultimate episode, is the emotional anchor of the show because it carries the audience into this world alongside the two brothers. The problems that preoccupy Wirt throughout the series — an unrequited crush, a step-dad who doesn’t seem to get him and an annoying younger brother — call back to a bygone time in many of our lives, a time of creeping into graveyards with our friends on Halloween, of stadium lights over a high school football field, of nervously trying to figure out who you are. The series asks us to simultaneously step into this adolescent world (one we have left behind) and this historical world (one we never actually knew). This poignant combination evokes the ambiguous in-between feeling of fall, and the series is appropriately set in the brisk days leading to wintertime.

From its soundtrack to its art style, everything about “Over the Garden Wall” seems to reflect wistfully on the inevitability of change and transition. In the opening moments of the first episode, the narrator informs the viewer: “Somewhere, lost in the clouded annals of history lies a place that few have seen.

A mysterious place called The Unknown.” By its conclusion, the series seems to suggest that The Unknown is not so much a place, but a state within each of us; one of metamorphosis, where we exist as we cease to be one thing and begin to become another.

It’s the place where we push ourselves out of the stasis and familiarity of the world we know, where we discover the promise and opportunity that change brings to those brave enough to climb over the garden wall.

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

The musical interlude DOMINIC POLSINELLI Senior Arts Editor

An interlude, at its most basic definition, is “an intervening or interruptive period, space, or event.” Technically speaking, an interlude is meant to disrupt, to draw attention or to provide something else to focus on. Albums are often judged on their cohesion and flow, on how well each song complements the entire album in the context of its specific tracklisting. So where exactly does the decision to include an interlude come into play?

Famous interludes include Björk’s “Frosti,” Beyoncé’s “Yoncé” that introduces hit “Partition” and SZA’s “Wavy” from the critically-acclaimed CTRL. Interludes are far from genre restricted, and often pose interesting questions about the way a listener will interact with the piece of music.

Frank Ocean’s Blonde was the greatest release of 2016, featuring the maternallycharged interlude “Be Yourself,” connecting the immortal ambience of “Pink + White” to the give-and-take defiance of “Solo.” The gentle resignation of “Pink + White”

is quickly interrupted with: “Many college students have gone to college and gotten hooked on drugs, marijuana and alcohol. Listen. Stop trying to be somebody else.” It’s a 1:27 voicemail from a seemingly overbearing mother, which suddenly drops from: “This is mom. Call me. Bye” into: “Hand me a towel I’m dirty dancing by myself / Gone off tabs of that acid / Form me a circle, watch my jagger / Might lose my jacket and hit a solo.” After being told to “be yourself” through abstinence, Ocean naturally responds by hitting solos with the help of

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acid and marijuana. He asks the question of how to be yourself, how to truly exist on your own without feeling alone, without the aid of substance: “Inhale, in hell there’s heaven” he croons, finding a sense of paradise through THC in an otherwise hellish state of solitude.

Without the stern warning of the voicemail, listeners would lose that sense of responsibility to self that Ocean so carefully, so softly conveys. His sweet, sweet notes feel all the gentler (and all the sadder) for the harshness that precede them.

Another R&B artist of in the vein of Ocean is Solange Knowles, whose masterful A Seat at the Table features a series of eight separate interludes. The first of them, “Interlude: The Glory is in You,” links the foreboding “Weary” with the desperation of “Cranes in the Sky.” The interlude is only 18 seconds, questioning the place that peace has in our world. Unlike Ocean’s voicemail, Knowles’s first interlude is only a tiny fraction of the whole, so diminutive it could be easily overlooked during a casual listen. But this small clip introduces a tangible theme in between the poetry of the songs that bookend it: “But as long you find peace in what you doing then you successful, and that’s what people don’t realize. See, you got do stuff ’till where you can go sleep at night.

’Cause the glory is, is in you.”

The interlude, in describing the need for peace, gives the listener an idea of what the “it” is in “Cranes in the Sky:” the persistent, perfusive aggression experienced by minorities, a theme that slowly gains layers as the album progresses. Where Ocean’s interlude provides a foil to Blonde’s understated loneliness, Knowles’s works in tandem with her music to express the pain of racism.

Now the question is raised about the role of instrumental interludes, those without discernible messages for the listener. Metalcore titan Underoath features these types of interludes on their two most acclaimed albums. The first, They Were Only Chasing Safety, features “The Blue Note,” which splits the album down the middle with a jazzy, ambient instrumental, completely disrupting the ferocious energy of the preceding “Reinventing Your Exit” and drops with a “Three, two, one … ” into the massive breakdown of “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door.” What is gained from this nosedive of an interlude is not only a way transition from one half to the next, but it allows an otherwise assaulting album to breathe.

Metalcore isn’t necessarily known for its accessibility, and Underoath were pioneers in mainstreaming the genre

with the release of this record in 2004. The second album Define the Great Line features “Salarmnir,” again mostly ambient but this time including a Psalm read in Russian accompanied by rapturous applause that echoes through the background.

Again, Underoath recognized the merits of adding room to breathe in an album filled with harsh vocals and intense breakdowns, this time spicing up the formula with epic, religious sentiments. Not know for their subtlety, Underoath draws their fans into the storm of their music with an enticing interlude that immediately drops the floor beneath the listener with a silence before “Returning Empty Handed.”

This list could literally go on forever and ever, moving backwards in history and maybe even music of the Middle Ages (which would require far more research than I am capable of ), but for now, the modern interlude accentuates the poetry of music and allows a breather from intensity or a moment of reflection on powerful themes. As music has evolved, so has the weight it has been able to carry, and, though often small in size in today’s world, an artful interlude can provide just the right amount of reprieve to perfectly accent an album and the tracks that surround it.

DEF JAM RECORDINGS

SINGLE REVIEW: ‘THANK U, NEXT’

REPUBLIC RECORDS

Ariana Grande has had a hard few years.

It started with the bombing during her Manchester Arena show. Twenty-three people were killed, with many more injured. Grande, who has always been extremely close to her fans, felt “every name.”

About a year later, Grande and long-term boyfriend Mac Miller infamously ended their two-year relationship.

Soon after, Grande entered an intense and ultimately short-lived relationship (and engagement) with SNL comedian Pete Davidson. On Sept. 7, 2018, Mac Miller died from what was later ruled as an accidental overdose (rest in peace, Easy Mac with the cheesy raps) and Oct. 14 saw the end of Davidson’s and Grande’s relationship.

Tabloids never failed to clutch at every one of these events like leeches: twisting and manipulating and sucking the truth out like marrow in order to be replaced by whatever sold the most copies or got the most likes. It seemed that, for Grande, there was never a moment of peace, a time to privately heal.

So, yes, Ariana Grande has had a hard few years. Yet, just

by going off of her newest single “thank u, next,” you never would have guessed it, with optimism and positivity encasing every element of the song like gold armor.

The track is similar to “no tears left to cry,” which

“thank u, next” Ariana Grande Republic Records broke her silence after the Manchester Arena bombing, in the sense that both songs emerged, resilient, in the aftermath of a tragedy and both songs showcase not only Grande’s incredible vocal range but also her seemingly unyielding resolve. Despite jumping hurdle after hurdle, she never wavers, returning time and time again to this well of personal strength.

Encased in a twinkling and upbeat production, “thank u, next” glows. As quiet synths and keyboards introduce us to the effervescent glide of Grande’s first verse, we are once again reminded of her place as master of all things pop music. Delicate, light yet still reverberating with a

hushed fortitude as she sings, “Thought I’d end up with Sean / But he wasn’t a match / Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh,” we are irrevocably drawn in, caught by both the shimmer and the shine of her open, genuine honesty. “thank u, next” is an uncomplicated ode to selflove. Although Grande takes time in focusing on each one of her exes, she always manages to circle back to herself in turn, expressing, “I’ve got so much love / Got so much patience / I’ve learned from the pain / I turned out amazing.” Her vocals are a gossamer’s touch of selfreassurance, and, much like “no tears left to cry,” much like really anything Grande has put out or performed since she fully matured into her own as a pop star, you can’t help but revel in the power that is exuded note after note. Ariana Grande says “thank you, next” to all that life has thrown at her and steps forward into growth with sophistication; she doesn’t look back.

— Shima Sadaghiyani, Daily Music Editor

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Thursday, November 8, 2018 — 5B

BOOKS NOTEBOOK

In defense of bite-sized fiction JOHN DECKER For the Daily

Between literary journals unable to pay fiction contributors and the rocky year-to-year sales numbers for first-time story collections, the short story appears to be in perpetual jeopardy. “Too often,” writes Adrian Lee of Maclean’s, “short fiction is dismissed as a staging ground for the ultimate goal: writing a novel.” Simultaneously, it is indeed the novel that literary and commercial focus seems to center on.

Whether the short story is withering or not, the questions this uncertainty raises regarding the value of short fiction are indeed rational.

Why shouldn’t an author just craft a novel — a work more marketable, more ubiquitously accessible — instead? Yes, short fiction has been effective, but why not stretch it into something more impactful?

Recently, I came across these questions myself while reading “Modal Window” by Janet Towle. The story, aptly named

and finished in 20 minutes of reading, circumvents the closure and wholeness usually implicit in fiction.

Ten stories in one, “Modal Window” hurries through glimpses into 11 narratives in a span of 12 pages — a gay man’s place at a Christmas family gathering, a young woman moored by a broken car, a courtyard on a college campus, a street-performer covered in metallic paint.

After a brief immersion into these spaces, readers are met repeatedly with the same line — “This is a modal window” — at which the scene is torn away, moving to the next narrative.

This function of brevity in “Modal Window” is a familiar one to short fiction

enthusiasts. Brief excavations into a story are, after all, implicit in the descriptor: short fiction. “Modal Window” seems to challenge the fallibility of short fiction with its newly transitory narratives.

Stuck in all of the 10 storylines Towle created, I began to wonder the effect that “Modal Window” would have had it been stretched into a novel. And the answer is — wholly in defense of the short story — not nearly enough of one.

The “short” feature of short fiction may seem to be a limiting factor, but its conciseness instead provides constructive and unique benefits. Indeed, while the novel brags tangible

With such limited resources, readers are forced to lean into the space of a story, to a greater extent than they would with a novel

PERSONAL NOTEBOOK

length, breadth may not quite articulate intimacy.

Brief fiction leaves less space for detail, language and, most importantly, less space for readers to know a character.

Unlike longer works, where readers are allocated hundreds of pages to cognize and identify with a narrative, we are left with a relatively small period to do so in short stories.

This format creates a unique f lavor of intimacy. With such limited resources, readers are forced to lean into the space of a story, to a greater extent than they would with a novel, grappling for an understanding within the environment they are given. In reading Towle’s work, this act became conscious for me: Expecting the abrupt end of each narrative, I was left saturated with each section’s characters’ emotions, yearning to understand and feel with them before they were taken from me.

Though the success of short fiction extends beyond this required closeness. The short story has been coveted for hundreds of years because it can impact us in ways other

mediums can’t. In the days after reading “Modal Window,” I found myself repeatedly contemplating the scenarios I had been immersed in — such as that of friends, reunited and camping, or that of a woman desperate to make money through her performance art.

More than immersed, I was subconsciously determined to comprehend these characters.

Given such a brief but emotionally drenched glimpse into the world of others altered my worldview in the following days. Whereas a novel often gives readers a more complete look at scenarios, the reduced space of a short story remains open-ended, requiring immense contemplation before and after reading.

This tangible impact points to the fact that short fiction has the ability to weigh more on readers than other mediums within art and knowledge.

Short stories offer more personal indulgances than mere facts can: The multitude of perspectives and emotional devices that stories offer us create impacts stronger than non-narrative facts do. And a lack of a complete backstory or prior knowledge — such as that provided with anecdotal biopics or longer works — allows readers to intuit the story themselves. Removed from real-world personhood,

from history, from tangible logic, these snippets allow us to view the world from a different sort of fact — one containing all of the devices of art, but one allowing us to understand them entirely as ourselves. We more easily internalize short fiction.

Thus, in the contemporary fight for literary significance, to those questioning the constriction of the “short” aspect of short fiction: Its length provides its own set of benefits to readers. The cosmos of a short story could not be stretched to a novel. With such extrapolation, we would lose the intimacy bite-sized fiction requires, the intrapersonal view it extends and the postreading contemplation it urges.

As a novel, “Modal Window” would have given me a nearcomplete view of personhood in each scene, disregarding the closeness and yearning that readers are allowed as a result.

Like all literature, this short prose, which is accessible in a 15 minute sit-down in a coffee house, extends to readers delicate cross-sections of the world we live in, but cannot experience. The short story is an intrinsic part of the literary world. If the humanities teach us how to live and die, then it is the intimacy and perspective of short fiction that can teach us how to do so in relation to other people.

BOOKS NOTEBOOK

Friends don’t small talk BEN VASSAR

Daily Arts Writer

This past Saturday night, my friend Luca and I quietly stood on the sticky floor of a house party kitchen as our other friend, Lucas, joined a gut-wrenchingly predictable conversation, starting with the discovery that he and another girl both lived in Markley.

“A thousand slight variations on this exact conversation are happening all around this campus right now,” Luca leaned into me and remarked. I laughed, partly because it was true and partly because I couldn’t believe I hadn’t had the same thought before. “How about we just go up to people and say ridiculous things and see how they react?”

I proposed. He enthusiastically laughed, egging me on.

But I didn’t do it. Why not?

Well, I froze up on thinking of things to even say to people. I’m just not accustomed to thinking of specific topics on the fly like that. Realistically, I’m just far too shy to do this anyway.

That’s a shame. Going out at night, we hope for dance floor glory, engaged conversation and thrills and spills that we won’t soon forget. We see images on Instagram, Facebook and Tinder that serve to capture these moments and briefly summarize the night. But lately, it has become increasingly obvious to me that a lot of posts I see are mere “I’m still here!” attention grabs.

“I don’t like posting the next day unless I actually had fun that night,” my friend Natalie told me on the subject.

I agreed, though my posting is inconsistent regardless of how much fun I have while out.

What one can be sure to see on Instagram, however, is the same group of two or three gals cuddled up next to each other on elevated platforms during game days, even though each one of them has specifically told me how much they hate tailgating.

Let’s be more real with ourselves! Small talk is small talk: It has always existed and always will in classrooms, office settings, house parties,

etc. It’s bite-sized in how much it communicates, but it’s necessary. But let’s not let that translate into social media, too.

Social media should be less about artificially checking in with our friends through our likes and comments, and more about those rare times when you really stop at a post and think to yourself, “Hey, I actually want to know how this person is doing.”

Likes and comments can be a real rush and posting often will only cause your followers to proliferate, but what social media is really about is keeping friendships that transcend the barriers of time and space.

Think of the power that comes with turning off “read receipts.”

There’s no doubt that social media presence is invaluable for modern day influencers, but what are you really influencing when you constantly post pictures with nothing more than emojis and relatable slogans?

Social media is meant to be for friends. Let’s not force ourselves to do any more small-talking than we have to.

MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW: ‘FUKK SLEEP’

RCA RECORDS

Shortly after announcing the “Injured Generation” tour for his latest album Testing, A$AP Rocky released the music video for “Fukk Sleep.”

“Fukk Sleep” is one of Testing ’s more accessible tracks; the beat is run-ofthe-mill trap and Rocky’s vocals are unprecedentedly auto-tuned, following with the most omnipresent trend in rap today. The song’s music video mirrors this

accessibility. Unlike past Rocky videos, which are typically cryptic and visually

“Fukk Sleep” A$AP Rocky (ft.

FKA Twigs) RCA Records marvelous (see: “L$D” and “A$AP Forever”), “Fukk Sleep” doesn’t stray too far

from the stereotypical hiphop video: Rocky mimes the song’s lyrics with swagger as he and FKA Twigs (featured on the song) wreak havoc on a futuristic New York City, and that’s pretty much it. There are no acid-dipped scenes with metaphysical twists or adventurous camera paths that take you in and out of reality.

— Mike Watkins, Daily Arts Writer

TEDx

Let Instagram poetry live MIRIAM FRANCISCO Daily Arts Writer

A plain white background, sometimes textured to look like parchment paper. Black text in Times New Roman font, or perhaps the typewriter-esque Courier. Sparse capitalization.

As short as one line, and no more than 15.

This is the aesthetic of Instagram poetry, a phenomenon in which users upload images of short, easily-digestible poems to their accounts with hashtags such as #poetryporn, #poetrycommunity and, simply, #poetry. There are hundreds of people posting images in this tradition, and little differentiates one account from another.

With 1.1 million followers, @ poets is one of the most highlytrafficked poetry accounts on Instagram. The anonymous moderator of @poets posts multiple times a day. “a reminder #9,” a post from Nov. 5 says, “you are allowed / to say no / to the things / you don’t want / in your life.” “a reminder #8,” says another, “get over it / whatever comes / to your mind / when you read this, / get over it.”

While many Instagram poetry accounts are unaffiliated with distinct individuals, some pages are run by writers who are known for their poetry outside the online community of their followers.

Two of the most famous “Instagram poets,” Rupi Kaur and Nayyirah Waheed, have made their names as masters of bite-sized poetry. Both Kaur and Waheed are young women of color whose poetry discusses femininity, race and sexuality.

It’s worth mentioning that the democratizing nature of

Instagram has allowed these poets to find an audience when they otherwise may have been unable to.

The primarily white and male canon of poetry was assembled by academics who would condemn Instagram poetry for parading platitudes under the banner of profundity — but publishers and professors have no say over which Instagram poets find success. Instead, it’s an elusive combination of the writer’s talent or aesthetic and the audience’s taste that elevates some poetry accounts over others. “if you are not enough for yourself / you will never be enough / for someone else,” writes Kaur, who has 3.2 million followers on Instagram.

Her simple verse has spurred numerous mockeries, most notably “Milk and Vine,” a parody of her 2014 book “Milk and Honey.” “i love you bitch / i ain’t ever gonna stop loving you / bitch,” reads one such imitation, quoting a wellknown Vine.

These satires are funny in a way that calls into question the emotional authenticity of Kaur’s work. The most common complaint about Kaur’s poetry — and Instagram poetry as a genre — is that it is too general, too sentimental and too easy. By co-opting the most universal emotions — love, heartbreak, anger, hope, pain — and whittling them down, Instagram poems often fall prey to cliché. The Modernists would hate this stuff, but so many people love it, and I understand why.

I’ll be honest: I think a lot of Instagram poetry — including Kaur’s work — is pretty terrible. “my expectations / kill me / more than / anything else,” reads one particularly bad post by @poets. “She conquered

all her demons / and wore her scars like wings,” says another from @atticuspoetry.

In our oversaturated world, it’s easy to see why people are drawn to the calm simplicity of this genre and its insistent distillation of language and design. We shouldn’t ask Instagram poetry to be something it’s not: it’s short and sweet, or short and inane or short and obvious. These poems aren’t trying to be Gertrude Stein’s “Patriarchal Poetry.” Like many Instagram poems, “Patriarchal Poetry” deals with feminism and femininity.

“Let her be to be to be to be let her be to be to be let her to be let her to / be let her be to be when is it that they are shy.

Very well to try. / Let her be that is to be let her be that is to be let her be let her try. Let her be let her be let her be to be to be shy let her be to be let her be / to be let her try. / Let her try. / Let her be let her be let her be let her be to be to be let her be let her try. / To be shy,” writes Stein, an author whose work is the polar opposite of the Instagram poets’: dense, long, intellectually challenging.

But who is to say that Stein’s work is inherently better than Kaur’s? Instagram poets are a product of our time, appealing to our desire for immediate insight and for someone else to articulate our emotions.

It would be wrong to characterize all Instagram poetry as vapid and fauxintellectual. Like any genre, some practitioners will be better than others. Does it really matter whether Instagram poets are talented according to old measures of literary dexterity? These writers have made poetry cool again, a feat in and of itself.

That’s good enough for me.

Arts

6B — Thursday, November 8, 2018

ARTIST

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IN

PROFILE

Tasty Bakery deliciously impacts Ann Arborites SAMANTHA DELLA FERA Daily Arts Writer

They say good things come in small packages. A diamond ring in a Tiffany’s box, everlasting love and cuddles from a young puppy, unconditional friendship from the 5’1” fireball you call your best friend. We find so much wonder in grandeur and greatness that we often ignore the small things in life making every day a little better.

This sentiment remains when it comes to the places we choose to spend our time. Call me crazy, but I’d prefer a studio apartment in New York City to a mansion in Texas any day. We are told to “think big” and “go big or go home,” but why? Why get lost in a labyrinth of open space when a cozy, personalized place is waiting for you, opening its arms to welcome you in.

In Ann Arbor, there are plenty of snug spots peppered throughout campus and around Main St., all with their own flair and unique elements. One common thread between many of these homey hubs is their size: small — minuscule, even. There’s something about a comfortably tight space that heightens a sense of intimacy, a sense that this place is yours and no one else’s.

Tucked around the corner of a strip mall-like building on East Huron, covered in fall decor, stands Tasty Bakery: a gluten-free bakery owned by husband and wife duo Julie and Ran Rabinovitz.

When I walked in, the first thing I noticed wasn’t the size; it was the feeling the place gave me. Every detail was added for a reason, from the hand-drawn tags marking the baked goods in the case, to the trinkets placed on a vintage white vanity. Everything worked off of everything else: The red and white twine connecting the labels complimented the red clock and chairs by the window. Even the freshly baked treats in the display seemed like they were all a part of the design.

When I sat down to talk to Julie Rabinovitz — who started the business at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market in May 2009 —

it was like sitting down with an old friend. She is pleasant, joyous and friendly, everything you’d expect from someone that makes delicious sweets and snacks for a living.

Rabinovitz initially worked in graphic design and lived in Brooklyn, but when the couple had their first son and decided to move to Ann Arbor, she decided to finally listen to her grandmother’s advice and become a full-time baker.

“I started at the farmers market but as I went on I started picking up stores,” Rabinovitz said in an

Even the freshly baked treats in the display seemed like they were all a part of the design

interview with The Daily. “I was by myself at the time and Lab Cafe was the first place I got. At the time, my husband was changing jobs and decided he wanted to help, so we became a familyowned business and now our products are sold in about 18 cafes and stores around Ann Arbor.”

Although they loved the farmer’s market, the couple thought it was time they set up a permanent location. And a little over three years ago, they got lucky and found the perfect spot.

“It was something we wanted to do for a while,” she said. “I had a vision for what I wanted and I knew exactly the font I wanted for my logo and I knew the colors I wanted to use and what I wanted the place to look like.”

Now that they have their location, the couple makes it as personalized as possible.

“For a long time, we had people at the market asking us:

‘Where’s your place?’ We are able to offer more here and give an environment for people to come and see what we do,” she said.

“We welcome people back into our kitchen and we are able to really talk to them.”

Another thing that sets the bakery apart is their baking methods. Tasty Bakery is a completely gluten-free kitchen and accommodates other allergies as well. They offer a variety of vegan options and use the best ingredients they can find.

“We use really high-end ingredients and use organic wherever we can find it,” Rabinovitz said. “We use healthier ingredients like organic coconut oil, olive oil, things that are just better for you.”

An important pillar of the bakery is to make food that absolutely everyone can enjoy, no matter disease or allergy.

“Our vegan things are sweetened with organic coconut sugar or nectar, which is low glycemic so most diabetics can enjoy it too,” Rabinovitz said. “We really try to accommodate most allergies so we really personalize in that respect.”

When they can, the Rabinovitz couple uses locally made products, such as peanut butter from Traverse City, fruits and vegetables from the farmers market and chocolate from Mindo chocolate makers in Dexter.

Rabinovitz said their baking methods are often what makes them so close with customers.

“I’ll talk to someone for hours when they come in,” she said.

“Because of what we do, because we work with people that do have health issues we talk a lot to people about health and what they can eat and what they can’t, and how that affects them.”

Even if you don’t have an allergy or dietary restriction, you shouldn’t be discouraged from eating at this delightful bakery.

Just a short conversation with Ran or Julie or a bite of their delicious sweets will brighten up your entire day. They may not be big but they sure are mighty, and this little Ann Arbor gem is here to make that known.

Mike Zlonkevicz / DAILY

Mike Zlonkevicz / DAILY

Mike Zlonkevicz / DAILY

TV NOTEBOOK

Are anthology shows the new future of television?

MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN Daily Arts Writer

Last Dec., CBS announced it was working on a new Jordan Peele-produced sci-fi anthology series to be released on CBS AllAccess, the network’s streaming site, in 2019. Pretty quickly, more names were attached to the project — Sanaa Lathan (“Nappily Ever After”) is set to star in one episode, Adam Scott (“The Good Place”) in another.

Peele, who won an Oscar last year for directing “Get Out,” says he hopes the show will “hold a mirror up to our society.”

It seems like this is TV’s new modus operandi: experimental shows that transform themselves season-to-season or — even more ambitiously — episodeto-episode, replete with starstudded casts and weighty themes. With a few exceptions, they’re gripping and subversive, crafting miniature worlds and rules for viewers to familiarize themselves with before scrapping them and dreaming up something new. There are a handful of anthologies on the air now, and another bunch in the works, spanning genres from true-crime to romantic comedy to horror. It’s worth wondering: Are anthology shows the next big thing in TV? Not so fast. That Jordan Peele sci-fi series? It’s actually a revival of “The Twilight Zone,” the famed paranormal anthology that ran on CBS some 50-years-

ago. The anthology show isn’t so much a new phenomenon as it is a very old one. But the conditions that have made the anthology popular again are new. The rise of Netflix has hurtled us all into the streaming age, where creators are unencumbered by ratings pressure and free to test out niche offerings. And some combination of shorter episode orders and the small screen’s increased prestige has big-name artists flocking to a medium that’s no longer the onerous obligation it once was.

Anthology television seems to make everything easier. It’s low-commitment for actors and directors, and it’s great for the poor victims of TV’s golden age: us viewers, forced to sift through heaps of content without the time to watch any of it. The anthology lets us cherry pick what we want and skip what we don’t, with absolutely no consequences.

I don’t care much for the faux insight of “Black Mirror,” Netflix’s dystopic anthology about the consequences of new technology, which the writer Daniel Ortberg summed up nicely as: “What if phones, but too much?” I did, however, love the third season’s “San Junipero,” a stylish, tender episode with a rare (for “Black Mirror”) happy ending. It was better for the fact that I didn’t need to slog through the rest of the show to get to it — like getting dessert without having to eat my vegetables.

That satisfaction of a wellcrafted anthology chapter is the

same satisfaction we get from reading a good short story. Some have punchy, shocking endings to rival “A Rose for Emily,” while others favor the creeping tension of “The Lottery.” A few anthologies do draw directly from short story collections — Amazon’s “Electric Dreams” adapts the works of Philip K. Dick; Indian channel Epic aired a series based on the writings of Rabindranath Tagore. Networks, if you’re reading, Kate Chopin’s tragic vignettes of domestic life are practically screaming to be made into a TV miniseries.

NBC? Hulu? Crackle? Frito-Lay? Someone, please do this.

Some anthology series, like those based on short fiction collections, are bound together only by a common author.

Netflix, for instance, recently announced a forthcoming Dolly Parton anthology series, each chapter based on a song of hers — “Jolene” will be first, of course. Others have more inventive connective tissue — on HBO’s “High Maintenance,” a shared pot dealer is the degree of separation one episode’s characters have from another’s.

TBS’s “The Guest Book” follows different vacationers at a mountain cottage, while the BBC’s “Inside No. 9” tells the stories of all sorts of people living at addresses beginning with “nine.”

Season-long anthologies, a somewhat newer model, tend to operate around much broader themes, each season telling

its own self-contained story, sometimes with the same cast as the previous season’s. The pioneer and biggest purveyor of these is none other than Ryan Murphy, who has three on air now: “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story” and “Feud.” It’s an almost too-goodto-be-true format for Murphy, who grows bored with his own premises quickly and does his best work when given the freedom to reinvent.

It’s an almost too-bad-tobe-true format for Matthew Weiner, whose dreadful post“Mad Men” anthology project “The Romanoffs,” new on Amazon, is a reminder of how difficult anthology storytelling can be. In the interest of telling complete stories in one chapter,

anthology episodes are prone to clunky exposition dumps, doing more telling than showing.

And in trying to say everything they intend to, they also run the risk of being overly long — each episode of “The Romanoffs” clocks in at a soul-crushing 90 minutes, a crime for a style of TV that should be as pleasant and effortless as candy dissolving on the tongue.

There is also the sense that with anthology TV we lose the emotional connection serialized television fosters. We can’t experience the pleasure of rewarding character growth, or slow-burning chemistry or winking self-reference. That isn’t always the case (see again, “San Junipero”), but there’s some truth to it.

Some of the best TV episodes of the last few years have been compromises between these two poles: the flexibility of the anthology episode and the poignancy of serialized television. They’re what is known as bottle episodes — experimental, dialogue-heavy standalone episodes removed from a show’s regular continuity.

“Girls” did them to great success; “BoJack Horseman” has had several, one entirely underwater, another a 25-minute eulogy. The third season of “Breaking Bad” features a famous bottle episode all about trying to catch a fly.

That’s what should be the next big thing: television that enters — as the original “The Twilight Zone” put it — “the wondrous dimension of imagination.”

HBO