2020-03-20

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Friday, March 20, 2020

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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As other schools move to Pass/Fail grading, students wonder if Michigan will do the same ‘U’ has yet to reach official decision on grades; various deans consider alternatives ALEX HARRING, LIAT WEINSTEIN & FRANCESCA DUONG Daily News Editors & Daily Staff Reporter

Multiple universities — including Middlebury College, Georgetown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — have announced plans to offer a passing or not passing grading system for all courses this semester. These decisions have made University of Michigan students and faculty question whether the University will follow suit. No official decision has been made yet.

Like these schools, the University moved all classes to a remote teaching format in order to allow students to practice social distancing and healthy habits amid an outbreak of COVID19. The University has encouraged all students who are able to leave campus and return to their permanent residence.

In announcing the changes, leaders at these colleges have attributed the change in grading as a way to quell fears about the global health pandemic and ease concerns over how students’ grades will be impacted by the move to online learning.

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In an email to Ford School of Public Policy students, Paula Lantz, associate dean for academic affairs, wrote deans from across the University are considering a grading system in which students will either receive a Pass or a No Record. A “No Record” is different from a “Fail” in that a traditionally non-passing

grade will not show up on a student’s transcript instead of being listed as a failed course.

In addition to this, she noted there is also the potential to “unmask” grades, meaning that a letter grade for a course would show up on a student’s transcript in addition to the “Pass.” Lantz noted this policy,

which has been adopted by other institutions, is being considered by the University.

University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald said in an email while the suggestion to move to Pass/ Fail classes has been brought up, no decision has been reached.

“The Office of the Provost is

East Quad cook tests positive for virus

Dining hall employee becomes first confirmed case among members of University staff CLAIRE HAO

Daily News Editor

A cook in the dining hall of East Quad Residence Hall at the University of Michigan has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID19), according to an email sent

by Alasia Tardy, East Quad MDining assistant manager, to employees of East Quad’s Blue Café.

“The rumors are true … a cook in EQ tested positive for the virus,” Tardy wrote.

The email does not specify the risk of exposure for students who have eaten recently at the dining hall or for those who work in MDining. It is unclear whether East Quad will require students to move out of its residence halls.

The University’s Office of

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DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily A cook in East Quad Dining Hall has tested positive for coronavirus.

Public Affairs gave The Daily a statement from MDining shared with those that visited East Quad’s dining hall. According to the statement, the individual who tested positive for COVID-

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19 “had access to East Quad dining” and is now self-isolating at home.

“Effective immediately, we will be closing the East Quad dining facility for four days in

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order to clean and disinfect the unit,” the statement reads. “We are working in partnership with public health officials to notify any individuals who may have been exposed directly. Anyone who has recently visited the East Quad dining facility should selfmonitor for symptoms of fever, cough or difficulty breathing.”

When contacted, Tardy directed The Daily to MDining marketing manager Kelly Guralewski, who deferred to Public Affairs.

An “operational update” on MDining’s East Quad website says East Quad Dining Hall is temporarily closed. Students usually eating at East Quad can pick up their takeout meals from South Quad Residence Hall’s dining hall instead.

See DINING, Page 3

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INDEX

Vol. CXXIX, No. 88 ©2020 The Michigan Daily

carefully exploring this suggestion,” Fitzgerald wrote. “There has been no decision.”

As of Thursday afternoon, LSA and the College of Engineering have both announced extensions to their late add-drop deadlines.

See GRADING, Page 2

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Candidates go digital in CSG races

Campaigns adjust voter outreach efforts, strategies NAVYA GUPTA

Daily Staff Reporter

With many University of Michigan students off-campus due to fears about the spread of coronavirus, candidates running in the Central Student Government election next week have based their efforts to connect with voters on online platforms.

Following the outbreak of the virus in Michigan, the University moved classes and finals online while President Mark Schlissel encouraged all students to return to their permanent residences.

See ELECTIONS, Page 3 NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

News

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Community spread of corona likely, county health dept says

Number of cases doubles to reach total of 14; Washtenaw officials believe local transfer of virus may have contributed to increase ALEX HARRING Daily News Editor

The Washtenaw County Health Department released a statement noting “community spread is likely” as seven additional people have tested positive for COVID-19.

As of 10 a.m. Thursday morning, 14 people within the county have tested positive for coronavirus, a viral infection discovered in Wuhan, China that has infected more than 218,000 people globally.

According to the Health Department’s website, the majority of the seven new cases had no recent travel or known contact with other confirmed cases of COVID-19. The website noted the department is working with these people — who are all adults — to alert close contacts to quarantine.

“Evidence of

community spread means we will change how we respond to local cases, especially as the number of tests increases every day,” Jimena Loveluck, health officer of the Health Department, said in the announcement.

“But, we must remember this is exactly why we have community mitigation strategies and unprecedented restrictions in place.

Our collective goal remains to slow the spread of cases as much as possible. Together, we can do this. Take every possible opportunity to practice prevention and social distancing.”

Because of the expected community spread, the county will no longer name lowrisk exposure areas and residents should assume there is a risk associated with any public location.

While health experts are still investigating how the disease is spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

recommends people maintain at least six feet between themselves and others.

People showing symptoms are encouraged to seek medical help.

“Assume the possibility for infection exists, as it does with many common illnesses. Most people will recover at home without medical care,” Juan Luis Marquez, Washtenaw County Health Department medical director, said in the announcement.

“Isolating at home if you’re sick and contacting your health care provider by phone for g uidance will help prevent additional spread and make the best possible use of critical health care resources.”

Washtenaw County has approximately 370,000 residents and is home to the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.

Multiple Ann Arborrun buildings and

services have been closed as Mayor Christopher Taylor declared a local state of emergency. Ann Arbor Public Schools are closed until at least April 5.

As of Wednesday, 80 cases have been reported in the state of Michigan.

The first death in the state was also confirmed Wednesday at Beaumont Hospital in Wayne County.

In response to the virus, the University moved all classes to an online format beginning Monday. Students who are able to have been asked to leave campus.

Among the 14 cases in Washtenaw County, two have been confirmed at student apartment buildings Vic VillageNorth and ArborBLU. Another person who tested positive works as a cook in East Quad Residence Hall.

Daily News Editor Alex Harring can be reached at harring@umich.edu.

grade to graduate.

Students have raised questions whether certain courses requiring letter grades will be waived for this semester should a University-wide policy be put into place.

Currently, any grade of C- or above is listed on transcripts as a “Pass,” while any grade below is a “Fail.” Courses taken within the University’s current Pass/Fail grading system does not affect a student’s grade-point-

average. The Pass/Fail deadline for Winter semester has passed.

Students have displayed mixed reactions to the possibility of moving away from a letter grading system.

A Change.org petition that has amassed more than 4,500 signatures in six days has called on the University to offer the option for students to elect to take courses under the Pass/Fail grading system. The petition listed the large-scale impact

of the virus, difficulty of remote learning, disruption of current on-campus resources and the potential for cheating as reasons why the University should adopt this policy.

LSA freshman Steven Tuckel said he likes the idea of moving all classes to this grading system, but expressed concern for how it could impact students when applying to upperlevel programs or graduate school.

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GRADING From Page 1 In the current University policy, students may take up to 30 credits in the Pass/Fail grading system, with some exceptions for major or distribution requirements. A common example of a course that cannot be taken Pass/Fail is the fourthsemester foreign language requirement, which LSA students must take for a

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ELECTIONS From Page 1 This forced the campaigns seeking to win seats in next week’s CSG election — which traditionally brings campaigners to the Diag and posters plastered on campus walls — to adjust their outreach strategies.

Several candidates told The Daily that the shift to students going off-campus has affected the upcoming elections as they are unable to spread the word about the elections through campaigning on campus.

Campaigning online, they said, can also be difficult since parties cannot send emails on listservs — a rule written into the election code.

Members of the three parties campaigning in next week’s election said they are now reliant on social media platforms to reach

GRADING From Page 2 “On the one hand, I would really appreciate getting a bit of a break because it has been stressful having to leave suddenly and in the middle of classes,” Tuckel said. “But I’m thinking about applying to Ford and grad school and I’m very worried … that if I come into that with a ‘P’ and I’m applying against someone that has an ‘A’ that I’m going to be looked down upon for that.”

LSA freshman Dominic Coletti was also concerned about the impact of Pass/Fail on his future plans. According to the LSA Newnan Advising Center, courses for majors and minors cannot be taken Pass/ Fail. Currently, Coletti said he was taking a lot of major prerequisite classes and is concerned Pass/Fail would not be beneficial in his case.

“If majors don’t change their policies on that,

DINING From Page 1 All dining halls began serving takeout meals only on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, students were told they must leave the residence halls unless they fill out a petition to stay by Wednesday 8 a.m., causing widespread confusion and stress as many rearranged move-out plans at the last minute.

In the email sent by University Housing on

News

Friday, March 20, 2020 — 3

out to students and have their messages heard.

Rackham student Austin Glass, Change At Michigan’s presidential candidate, said that while the party is still reaching out to voters through social media, the executive ticket has decided to suspend the party’s broader campaign activities in light of COVID19 and limit campaigning to friends and those they had already been in touch with previously.

“Ultimately, we made the executive decision at the top of the ticket to put off campaign efforts other than those with people who had already reached out to us and to whom we had already reached out just to try and give people their space,” Glass said. “Obviously, this has been a huge disruption on all of our lives. We’ve tried to make sure that the folks involved in the campaign don’t feel like

CSG elections are one more thing that they have got to worry about.”

Glass said Change At Michigan’s campaign strategy would rely on social networks like Facebook, sending texts to friends and group chats — platforms that, unlike emails, are not restricted by the election code.

“The biggest challenge that we face is connecting with students we don’t already know,” Glass said.

“We can’t just go out and stand on the Diag, we can’t post f lyers in buildings that students are walking though because they are not walking through those buildings anymore.”

Public Policy junior Amanda Kaplan, Mobilize’s presidential candidate, said the suspension of in-person classes will not significantly impact their campaign strategy. Kaplan said most of Mobilize’s

campaigning has been through social media, as it helped their campaign avoid using paper on f lyers and posters and was in line with their emphasis on sustainability.

“Usually people use f lyers, and that was a commitment that Sav and I made at the beginning — that we weren’t going to print any f lyers even if we were on campus because we wanted to be paper-free,” Kaplan said. “We have been focusing on social media and using networks, so I think for (Mobilize), it’s just making sure that those networks are being used up to their potential so that as many students can be engaged as possible in the process.”

LSA sophomore Sam Braden, who is running for re-election as an LSA representative with Represent Michigan, also said the move to online

classes will not affect his party’s campaign strategy much.

“Oftentimes, people haven’t really put a lot of effort into (platforms) as they focus on telling people to vote for them,” Braden said. “Represent Michigan started with coming up with a comprehensive good platform. A lot of our focus has been just to make the platforms high quality.”

Kaplan also emphasized how important each student vote is now that there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus and the University is grappling with its effects.

“As students are being worried about what the future of the University is going to look like and what is the purpose of CSG elections in the midst of all this craziness, I think it’s important to ground people and recognize that this vote is now more important than

ever because these (elected representatives) are going to be leading the University through such a tumultuous time in confronting the effects of COVID-19 now and throughout the following year,” Kaplan said.

LSA junior Mary McKillop, CSG’s elections director and LSA Student Government vice president, said the elections team was working hard to reach out to students through online resources, such as Canvas and Facebook, to keep voter turnout up.

McKillop also said the team planned on using the previously allocated $500 for campaigning on targeted advertising on CSG’s Facebook account.

Students can vote online March 25 to 26 at vote. umich.edu.

Daily Staff Reporter Navya Gupta can be reached at itznavya@umich.edu.

this semester is kind of a (loss) for me because I have to take all these classes again on a graded basis,” Coletti said. “If the University can negotiate a way for these courses to still count under a Pass/ Fail system, I think Pass/ Fail would be a really good option that would help me, as well as other people, to alleviate a lot of the stresses that come with this really uncertain time.”

Coletti noted the Pass/Fail option would be beneficial not only because students do not have access to the same resources they normally have, but also because the option would help level the disparities between the way professors are adjusting their classes.

“While some professors are making changes to their grading system, some really haven’t changed their classes all that much from when we were meeting in-person,” Coletti said.

“They haven’t really accommodated students, and so for the University

to change the grading basis would really help students who are feeling pressure from those classes to feel better and learn the best they can while not being punished for not having access to resources.”

Regarding students still on campus, Coletti believes making classes Pass/Fail could help alleviate the stress as a result of the developments of COVID19. On Tuesday morning, an email to dining hall staff confirmed that a cook at East Quad tested positive for the virus.

“I still live in on-campus housing and one of the things with that is that it’s a situation that changes every single day,” Coletti said. “I don’t think I’ve gone a full day of just being able to focus on class because I (get) a new email from housing, or a new email from dining explaining really broad, sweeping changes to my living situation.”

LSA sophomore Alexandra Windle, who signed the petition to

move classes to a Pass/ Fail grading system, said she hoped the University would move to a Pass/ Fail system in order to accommodate students who are still adapting to the rigor of University classes.

Windle said that because this is her first semester at the University, she has had to adapt to both an unfamiliar campus and now a new teaching style.

“My perspective as a nontraditional student is something that the University doesn’t really take into account,” Windle said. “For me personally, it’s been spending so much time getting to the University through my community college and making sure that I’m a good applicant for transferring. And now I feel like the University has kind of abandoned us.”

Windle said as a nontraditional student who transferred from a smaller community college this semester, moving to Pass/Fail would allow her to better

acclimate to University classes while taking them online.

“It seemed like every week I was learning something new, I was switching something up in my schedule. I was never on a routine because I’m trying to catch up with everyone that’s been here since they’ve been a freshman,” Windle said. “I feel like I was kind of hit with a curveball trying to learn this material and trying to be a student just in general. So I was starting to get the hang of things and now I feel like I’ve been knocked down a peg and I’m being switched to this style of learning that I’ve never done before.”

Engineering senior Howard Zhang said he understood why a Pass/ Fail system would be a good option for many students, but said that for others trying to raise their GPA, it could be harmful. Zhang said he needs a certain GPA to accept a job offer for next year and is very close to reaching it. However, he

noted he may not be able to accept the offer if he is forced to make all of his classes Pass/Fail.

“If the University makes pass/fail not an option, but rather it forces this pass/fail onto everybody, then I’m not going to be able to take this job anymore because I wouldn’t be able to boost my GPA,” Zhang said. “I don’t think I’m the only one in this situation, in fact I’ve talked to other students who had rough times in the past couple of years … a lot of students try their best to work harder, try their best to turn their GPA around. … This just makes it so that students don’t have the option to do that this semester.”

Daily Staff Reporter Hannah Mackay contributed reporting.

Daily News Editor Alex Harring and Liat Weinstein can be reached at harring@umich.edu and weinsl@umich.edu.

Daily Staff Reporter Francesca Duong can be reached at fduong@ umich.edu.

Tuesday, students were told the push to leave campus was made necessary by the rapidly evolving situation.

“New developments in the COVID-19 pandemic make it clear that now is the time to return home,” the email reads. “...While University Housing will ensure that we have sufficient housing available for students who truly have no other alternatives, we cannot promise that you will be able to remain in your current housing assignment.”

There are currently 14 confirmed cases in Washtenaw County. The University moved all classes online on March 11, the day after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the first two cases in Michigan.

Three people in Michigan have died from coronavirus, the first a man in his 50’s who died on Wednesday morning.

Cases of COVID-19 have also been confirmed in two student apartment buildings Vic Village and ArborBLU.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wash their hands often and avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth. People are also encouraged to practice social distancing, or to avoid unnecessary social interaction, and to maintain a six-foot distance between one another. The White House and CDC recommend social gatherings of less than 10 people.

In an email to The Daily, Susan RinglerCerniglia, Washtenaw

County Health Department communications and health promotion administrator, emphasized the importance of social distancing and other preventative measures.

“Good adherence to the community mitigation orders and recommendations is critical to slowing the spread of illness – and much less about any specific or identified locations,” Ringler-Cerniglia wrote.

“We all need to take precautions and assume

the possibility of lowerrisk community exposures when we are out.”

Symptoms of coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Anyone who believes they have been exposed to COVID-19 should call their primary care physician. Individuals can also contact their local health department, which in Washtenaw County can be reached at 734-5446700.

Daily News Editor Claire Hao can be reached at cmhao@umich.edu.

Opinion

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KIANNA MARQUEZ | COLUMN

The University should invest more in water quality

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RAY AJEMIAN | COLUMN

E

This has happened to us before

veryone treats it like a death sentence, even when it’s just a cough.

Stores close their doors, people keep their distance. Most infected people don’t know they have it, so it spreads uncontrollably, eager to kill the moment it finds a compromised immune system. It’s not coronavirus, it’s HIV. The media, medical experts and politicians alike have shown us time and time again the federal government’s response to COVID-19 has been unsatisfactory for a virus of its scope. Americans expect our government to take proper action to protect us — as they should. Rewind four decades or so, though, and you’ll find that most people didn’t mind the radio silence.

The first reported cases of HIV in the United States were in 1981 (though an unknown number of cases existed before the turn of the decade), kickstartingthenightmarishepidemic.

In just its first year, HIV infected 270 people and killed 121. Despite the numbers and despite being more or less equally fatal among everyone — it is not the virus itself that kills but the deterioration of the immune system, thereby leaving everyone equally vulnerable. The death toll continued to rise before peaking in 1995witharound50,000deaths.Even today, HIV kills thousands; in 2016, it was the ninth-largest cause of death for Americans aged 25 to 44, killing more than 6,000 people. Despite this, modern America seems to treat HIV like it isn’t severe, even though the disease is called an epidemic by the United Nations, something that likely won’tchangeuntil2030,attheearliest.

How could a disease stay this deadly for so long in a nation as rich and powerful as the U.S.? Simply put, our government allowed it to.

At the outbreak of the epidemic, it was impossible not to notice that almost everyone with HIV was a gay man. It was so apparent that the virus was originally labeled GRID, gayrelated immune deficiency, by the medical establishment (though this often goes unacknowledged because it subtly supports the rhetoric that HIV is “God’s punishment” for being gay) and the “gay plague” by the general public. It wasn’t until 1983, when women were diagnosed with it, that anyone thought it could be transmitted heterosexually, but this knowledge went under the radar because those cases were vastly

outnumbered by those of gay men.

Because it was a “gay plague,” the government treated it as such.

Homophobia became increasingly intertwined with public policy during the election of Ronald Reagan, putting an end to the post-Stonewall surge in LGBTQ+ civil rights. In 1982, Reagan’s press secretary (and others in the room) openly laughed when asked whether the White House was monitoring the disease, saying, “I don’t have it, do you?” That year, the death toll would reach 618, a fivefold increase from the 121 deaths the previous year. In 1984, Health and Human Services officially discovered the virus and promised a vaccine by 1986; the vaccine still doesn’t exist despite successful proof-of-concept.

A year later, Reagan finally said the word “AIDS” in public — by this time the death toll had surpassed 12,000.

If not for the work of gay activists, even less action would have been taken. Community leaders formed health centers like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and promoted safe sex (a practice that even the medical community was not yet teaching) as early as 1982. Gay establishments closed themselves to slow the spread.

As AIDS prevention campaigns grew, the government suppressed them. In 1987, Reagan signed into law a ban on the use of federal funds for AIDS prevention and education programs that “promoted” (that is to say, acknowledged) homosexuality.

Campaigns that were eligible for funding disingenuously claimed that everyone was at risk, siphoning resources away from the masses of dying gay men and toward the few heterosexual HIV-positive people. In theory, this campaign could have destigmatized the virus and fought the “gay plague” reputation, but in practice, it did the opposite, as gay men grew even more disproportionately affected once resources were diverted into other communities.

Finally, we come to coronavirus, and the parallels are frightening. The response of our current president isn’t much better than Reagan’s was. He claims that “the risk to the American people remains very low.”

Declaring coronavirus as not an “American” disease but a “Chinese virus” echoes the rhetoric about HIV being a “gay” disease and displays xenophobia. President Donald Trump has put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of handling

the disease, a man who actively worsened Indiana’s HIV outbreak as governor by preventing needle exchange programs (even his own party supported them) and cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, the only clinic offering HIV tests in the affected area. Even in the ’80s and ’90s, AIDS activists were protesting the inaction of a certain New York City mayor named Rudy Giuliani — now the President’s attorney. Those running our government have long since proven that they cannot, or will not, properly handle an epidemic, let alone a pandemic.

However, just as the public was partiallyatfaultwithHIV,ourapproach to the coronavirus reflects the shortcomingspresentduringtheAIDS epidemic.LikeHIV,COVID-19doesnot affecteveryoneequally;theelderlyare at much higher risk for severe or fatal cases.Therushtocloseestablishments has prioritized schools and colleges — in Michigan, every K-12 school is closed until April 5 — despite the 0.2 percent fatality rate for college-age people, and those under the age of ninenothavinganyrecordedfatalities.

Closing nursing homes has been discussed less frequently despite the much greater risk residents face. The repeated failure of most U.S. nursing homes to control previous infections is being all but ignored — less than 10 percent of infection prevention specialists in American nursing homes have any sort of training or certification. Although quarantining youth is effective at preventing young carriers from potentially spreading it to the elderly, we know a certain demographic is at heightened risk but fail to focus our resources on helping thosegroups,favoringan“everyoneat risk” narrative.

Our country’s response to coronavirus is failing. Most know this because they are being told so on the news, but gay Americans know it from lived experience. And yet, we are making the same mistakes and giving those who failed us 40 years ago the power to fail us again.

This has already had a hefty human price tag. During its first year, 121 people died of HIV in America; it is mid-March, and COVID-19 has killed at least 108 Americans.

That number will only rise until we learn to acknowledge what we have done and continue to do wrong: Ray Ajemian can be reached at rajemian@umich.edu.

F

or as long as I can remember, the western basin of Lake Erie has become coated with slick, green slime at the end of each summer. As one of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie experiences a sudden increase in microbial life that festers into coats of toxic algae that can span over 620 square miles on its surface. Although a phenomenon of natural contamination, these algal blooms occur mainly due to increased agricultural runoff made possible by no-till farming.

In a recent paper, Dr. Jennifer Blesh, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, addressed the relationships between agricultural practices and water quality downstream in the Lake Erie basin.

She and her colleagues explain that soil health assessments in agriculture are critical for improving water quality because soil properties influence water filtration and nutrient availability, both of which contribute to overall soil function. Given that there are methods to assess soil health’s impact on water quality in smaller water entities, the University should dedicate more research toward developing reproducible soil health indicators that can be implemented to a regional extent.

As of now, research teams like Blesh’s utilize regulated modeling to no avail: The models are insufficient and inconsistent among ecosystems across the basin. Blesh and her team detail the faults of the current modeling systems: “Most modeling studies in the Lake Erie region were validated with limited field observations, consider a limited range of best management practices and lack data linking different management strategies to changes in soil health.” This type of modeling highlights specific issues that can be solved with efforts by large academic institutions, an endeavor that the University should pursue to improve the effectiveness of the tools used by teams in this important field research. Furthermore, it’s worth detailing these specific issues in order to indicate what the University could resolve with more allocated resources.

These models pose issues because they lack the detailed simulation and visualization of biological processes important to soil function, such as microbial community makeup and diversity. They are restricted because they only evaluate biological processes of interest on topsoil, leaving the subsoil unevaluated even though these same processes occur there. Additionally, these models are insufficient because they include oversimplified representations of macropore flow that are easily manipulated by agricultural practices when there are other interactions between processes that

LEENA GHANNAM |

are worth noting. Given that simulation model development is an ongoing process, the University should work to adjust these models using empirical and mechanistic methods and focus on applying them as a regulated policy tool.

In improving these models accordingly, the University could help research teams consolidate generalizable knowledge on how agricultural practices affect soil health and water quality at the regional scale.

Administration may argue it doesn’t make sense to pursue such efforts to compile a comprehensive understanding of soil ecology. In essence, it doesn’t make sense to develop an all-encompassing evaluation of a large area that consists of several different ecosystems with unique needs. While this rationale could stand for areas with drastic changes in their landscapes, it’s important that we don’t ignore the benefits that comprehensive evaluation could bring for the various watershed regions of Michigan and the Midwest. In other words, it’s essential the University understands how critical this research in the Great Lakes is in advancing our understanding of watershed ecosystems everywhere.

Furthermore, the University should understand that advanced research efforts toward soil health and water quality could create advantages to academia, to Michigan’s agriculture and to Michigan’s watersheds.

As one of the largest public institutions in the state and one of the most influential academic institutions in the world, the University should allocate more resources, personnel and attention toward research for developing comprehensive evaluations at watershed scales. We need this research for the improvement of our state and the water quality of one of the world’s largest freshwater sources, especially since we have continued to enable destructive agricultural policy in Michigan.

Aboveall,wehavearesponsibilityasapublic research institution to inform the public of the benefits of imposing different management practices on soil health and water quality. The need for public reaffirmation is clear. “Despite decades of awareness among stakeholders that eutrophication presents a global sustainability challenge, minimal progress has been made, in large part because of social and economic barriers within the agricultural sector,” writes a number of authors including Thomas Zimnicki and Yao Zhang from the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com Kianna Marquez can be reached at kmarquez@umich.edu.

CONTACT CARTOONIST AT LZGHANNA@UMICH.EDU

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

Friday, March 20, 2020 — 5

MUSIC REVIEW

FLIM REVIEW

RALPH ARVESEN VIA FLICKR

Lil Uzi Vert takes listeners to Pluto on ‘Eternal Atake’ JIM WILSON

contemplative “Moon Relate” keep the ball rolling.

As a standalone album LUV vs. the World I originally intended on starting this 2, despite the quality of the tracks, lacks the review of Eternal Atake with a discussion cohesion needed to stick with people, but that of all the good things that come in small doesn’t matter. LUV vs. the World 2 is not a packages, like smartphones, Danny DeVito standalone album and it doesn’t have to be. and Mini Coopers (which aren’t even that Rather, it is something of an appetizer to the great on second thought). I was somehow main course that is Eternal Atake. going to tie it all back to Lil Uzi Vert, the pintLoosely connected by several unclear, sized Philadelphia energy bomb who is the largely forgettable skits and divided into three rapper embodiment of good things coming distinct parts, Eternal Atake describes Uzi’s in small packages. Uzi alien abduction and his just surprise-released eventual return to Earth. his highly anticipated It kicks off with “Baby sophomore album Eternal Pluto,” which introduces Atake last week, so I Uzi’s deliriously quickplanned on discussing tongued alter ego Baby “Eternal Atake” all the ways such a small Pluto to the world. On the Lil Uzi Vert man could hold so many track, Uzi raps and he raps excellent ideas inside of and he raps, as if he has Generation Now & him. Now, though, that bottomless lungs, about Atlantic all feels pointless because nothing in particular. For Uzi just dropped another the next five songs, there bomb on us. After a is no Lil Uzi Vert: Baby steady stream of Twitter Pluto reigns supreme. Uzi promotions, Lil Uzi Vert rarely shows this side of has just released the deluxe edition of Eternal himself, so this part of the album is a real Atake. Normally this would not be earth- treat. He’s not the best lyricist (see lines like shattering news because a deluxe edition is “Hit your bitch, yeah, she make me wan’ typically just a couple of new songs tacked on body rock / Yeah, your bitch, she a thotty, old to the end of an album in an effort to boost thotty-thot”), but he doesn’t have to be when sales. Not this time. Uzi released fourteen he flows like he does on “Homecoming” and new songs (an entire new album!) called the Full Tilt! Pinball-sampling “You Better LUV vs. The World 2 as the deluxe edition of Move.”

Eternal Atake, and it has rocked the world.

After “Homecoming,” though, Uzi’s The diminutive rapper has been trying focus abruptly shifts. On the next portion to release Eternal Atake for almost two and of the album, from the somber “I’m Sorry” a half years, but for some reason, his label to the triumphant “Prices,” he moves from bosses DJ Drama and Don Cannon kept breathing fire to healing spirits as he assumes blocking him from doing so. After countless a new persona he calls Renji. This new leaks, several failed rollout attempts (which persona is defined by saccharine flows and gave listeners gems like “Sanguine Paradise” restorative instrumentals. He’s still rapping, and “That’s a Rack”), threatening to quit but he’s not spitting. Uzi stretches his words music multiple times and signing a new and twists his flows, focusing on creating management deal with Roc Nation, Uzi has and manicuring the desired and more finally dropped the album. By dropping a cathartic vibe. The Renji portion of the album deluxe edition, he definitely made sure it was certainly stands out, because Uzi has never worth the wait. really done anything like this before. Hell, Uzi claims that with the deluxe edition, he even connects with none other than Chief we finally have the album’s intended track Keef over “Chrome Hearts Tags” heavenly, sequence. That is to say, LUV vs. the World ethereal beat. However, in this stretch of 2 comes before Eternal Atake, and it makes standouts, no song sits more prominently sense. LUV vs. the World 2 is composed of fan than “Bigger than Life.” On this track, Uzi grails and Uzi’s most hyped snippets, some finds himself in uncharted territory as he of which date back as far as 2016, whereas reflects on his life over a guitar-driven beat Eternal Atake is all new songs that are, to be that sounds like he’s floating miles above blunt, fresh as hell. LUV vs. the World 2 is Earth. It’s unlike any other Uzi song, and it’s by no means bad, but it doesn’t really sound all the better for it. Truly, it is a must-listen on new. It sounds like Lil Uzi Vert circa 2016. an album filled with must-listens.

Still, it’s got some excellent songs. “Myron” Read more online at is the clear standout and most hyped by fans, michigandaily.com but deep cuts like the frantic, violent, Lil Durk-assisted “No Auto” and the brooding, Daily Arts Writer

FOCUS FEATURES

The beauty of ‘Emma’ is that it hasn’t changed much EMMA CHANG Daily Arts Writer

Commitment is difficult — it is much more fun to flirt and keep conversations at surface level than it is to actually connect with someone. Even more fun than flirting, however, is setting up other people. To be the person that can say they just knew two people would love each other is a feat that most cannot claim. In its newest iteration, Jane Austen’s classic novel “Emma” is once again brought to life, this time with the comically expressive eyes of Anya Taylor-Joy (“Glass”) as the heroine and with a luxurious English estate covered in pastels.

We all know the story. Emma Woodhouse is a spoiled, lovable, conceited and strong-willed young woman who loves nothing more than pairing up her friends and caring for her father.

She is, and always will be, completely oblivious to the world around her, and it’s impossible to blame her. When you’ve grown up with everything you could ever ask for and most everyone in your life bending to your every whim, what of the world do you really need to know?

Anya Taylor-Joy takes every facet of Emma’s personality and makes it her own.

None of the beloved character is ever lost — Taylor-Joy’s light and airy voice lends itself to condescension and Emma’s aloof nature

When you’ve grown up with everything you could ever ask for and most everyone in your life bending to your every whim, what of the world do you really need to know?

when necessary. Though her cheekbones and pursed lips are the perfect accompaniment to her character’s skewed vision of the world, it is her eyes that push this new Emma into the spotlight. Large and expressive, Emma’s emotions become clear as her eyes flit around the room nervously, her irritation obvious as they roll into the back of her head. There is little left to the imagination with Taylor-Joy’s depiction of Emma, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

But even though Emma believes the world revolves around her, the film itself is careful to

acknowledge the opposite, developing complex relationships between all the characters.

I was surprised that Taylor-Joy didn’t break the fourth wall: the irritation was that palpable

Specifically, “Emma” displays the carefully choreographed social dances of the English elite, both literally and figuratively, throughout the film. The best part of these performances, however, is that the majority of them occur in a hat shop. With hat stands and lounging couches as key points on the stage, we watch as Emma barely tolerates Mrs. Bates (Myra McFadyen, “Mamma Mia”). And with each step around the shop, Emma moving as far away as she can with Mrs. Bates trailing behind her, it becomes almost unbearable to watch. I was surprised that Taylor-Joy didn’t break the fourth wall.

The irritation was that palpable.

This new “Emma” also comes at an opportune time for Hollywood — Harvey Weinstein was recently sentenced to 23 years in jail, and many were upset by Greta Gerwig’s lack of an Oscar nomination for “Little Women.” And though an Oscar snub is nowhere near as awful as the actions of Harvey Weinstein, both events represent a larger conversation surrounding women in Hollywood. And what better person to remind us of the importance of a strong will than Emma Woodhouse? Despite her flaws, Emma knows what she wants and how to get it.

She has a deep understanding of the nuances of high society and is running a larger estate than many of the married women in her community.

As she herself says, “few married women are the mistress of their husband’s house as I am of Hartfield.”

At this point, it is unsurprising that another adaptation of “Emma” is entertaining, especially when the source material is already fantastic. The layers of intrigue that come from this new “Emma” have nothing to do with the story and everything to do with who is portraying it, and how. Bill Nighy (“Love Actually”) ensures the lovability of Mr. Woodhouse, while Adam from “Sex Education” (Connor Swindells) turns my understanding of Mr. Martin on its head. “Emma” is a lovely new adaptation that I can’t wait to watch again.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

MUSIC REVIEW

The confusion of young adult life on ‘Sad Happy’

a continuous thread of emotional turmoil throughout.

Daily Arts Writer The separation between each side isn’t stark, but rather weaves the same base It’s hard to assess an album right now level of yearning into different methods without the clutter and confusion of this of coping. The Happy half is a perfect unsure time seeping into the impression soundtrack for when you feel confused or and coloring the music with something lost and the only option seems to be getting that wasn’t there to begin with. But the drunk and running wild in the streets. It’s lyrics and sweeping orchestration of indie- a fractured happiness — not butterflies pop band Circa Waves’s newest album and rainbows and car commercials, but Sad Happy is founded on that sense of dancing alone in clubs, wondering why confusion — the perpetual millennial and you’re there in the first place. First single Gen-Z condition of and record opener having one foot in “Jacqueline” thuds a happy place and on with a shuffling another ready to guitar riff and fall into the void at energetic vocals from a moment’s notice. frontman Kieran For an age group who Shudall, establishing has been through the group’s familiar “Sad Happy” multiple recessions, brand of pop/rock Circa Waves an aimless fusion from the very administration and first note. The songs Prolifica now a worldwide on the first half of the pandemic before the record have been in age of 30, we’ve never the world for months, expected stability. settling into their This year seems to listener’s ears with be another crazy its mix of unease obstacle in a line of and an f-the-world them; it is surely the most intense we’ve mentality that suits Circa Waves’s style so faced, but it isn’t the last. perfectly.

There is no way Circa Waves could have “Sad Happy,” the introduction to the known this would happen, but this record record’s second half, is arguably the was made in less than a year after their standout of the entire effort. It soothes April 2019 full-length release, What’s It while energizing, the bubbling synths of Like Over There?, and the feelings are the chorus supporting each languid verse. fresh. The past year has been a rollercoaster The song, and Circa Waves’ discography of emotion, leading some to christen 2020 up to this point, is marked by a mesh of the as the year we’d get it all back together, but British indie rock sound familiar to groups it seems this has fallen through in many like Arctic Monkeys and the embrace of ways. However, hope still lingers alongside digital production similar to Two Door the sadness of the present, which is the Cinema Club. Listening to Sad Happy driving essence of Sad Happy. Circa Waves feels like listening to the “British Indie” built the album in two parts, releasing the Pandora radio station in 2013, but with a first side, Happy, in January, and the full twist of sadness that could only be native version this past Friday. Though we are all to this time and place. It’s that mix of both subject to the automatic shuffle function nostalgia and bitingly fresh insight which in this day and age, I’d say it’s important makes this double album so interesting to to take this one side by side, or at least listen to during such a confusing period, as in order. The group has obviously put a the whirlwind of narrative and sound takes concerted effort into separating the Happy each listener on a ride through everything and Sad sides by mood while maintaining they are able to feel.

CLARA SCOTT

Friday, March 20, 2020 — 6

TV REVIEW

‘The Chef Show’ and rediscovering learning food BRENDAN CHO Daily Arts Writer

I find it hard to avoid burnout when it comes to my own passions and hobbies.

Food is one of those passions that fell to the burnout. I continuously worked in the kitchen during my academic career; handling, creating and consuming food were the highlights of my day in light of the drudgery of exams and projects compounded by the existential dread of “planning for my future.”

Releasing a fillet of fish from its backbone with one smooth glide of your deba knife.

Furiously mincing your vegetables into 1/16 inch cuts of brunoise mirepoix that yield a silent nod of approval from the chef de cuisine. Gingerly retrieving an eggwhite raft of protein scum that threatens to destroy your baby of the evening — a pristine, transparent lobster consomme. One by one, these tasks lose their vibrancy and their appeal, reverting back to a similar drudgery of tasks not unlike academic work.

Cue the year 2014. Fresh from producing and directing the litany of Marvel films, such as “The Avengers” and the “Iron Man” series, director/actor Jon Favreau (“The Mandalorian”) writes, directs, co-produces and stars in “Chef” — a low-budget film meant to parallel his own experiences within the film industry. His co-producer Roy Choi, founder of the Kogi taco trucks, initially serves as Favreau’s chef consultant — though Choi eventually is given creative freedom over all culinary aspects and technical details within the movie. When it was released, both critics and general audiences enjoyed the film. However, Favreau and Choi’s budding partnership seemed to reach its denouement after the conclusion of the film’s production.

Perhaps it’s Choi’s insistence to properly showcase the life of a cook in “Chef” that resonates with my own doldrum experiences of food and the kitchen. Favreau’s character, Carl Casper, finds his own calling within food after years of being trapped by repeatedly cooking tired, outdated cuisine.

Though somewhat similar to my experiences, I found the film almost invigorating, though I dismissed it all the same as some fantasization of the kitchen experience at large.

But five years later, Favreau and Choi teamed up for their spin-off show called “The Chef Show,” which Netflix describes as an outlet of recipe experimentation between the master and apprentice as they also collaborate with celebrities within the entertainment and culinary worlds.

While the episodes match the theme of the movie, they are far more informal in tone; at separate points, Favreau and Choi both confirm that “The Chef Show” represents the continuation and maturation of the friendship that had stagnated after they had completed “Chef.” In other words, “The Chef Show” is the spiritual successor to “Chef” happening within the world — not some other idyllic movie fantasy.

But in spite of the many celebrities featured within each episode — ranging from movie stars including Robert Downey Jr. (“Dolittle”) or Tom Holland (“Onward”) to culinary heavyweights like Wolfgang Puck, Aaron Franklin and David Chang — “The Chef Show” focuses deeply on the relationship between Favreau and Choi. In particular, Favreau’s passion and eagerness to learn culinary skills and traditions fuels Choi’s (and other chefs’) respect and thus fuels their friendship. At other times, Choi’s pensive but engaged demeanor in learning about Favreau’s (and other actors and filmmakers’) struggles provides an additional depth of respect and friendship as Choi quietly arranges the mise en place.

But “The Chef Show” doesn’t focus only on the relationship between Favreau and Choi. As highlighted as Favreau and Choi’s star-crossed friendship might be, it’s the expanded individual stories of the two that gives their friendship meaning. Favreau’s recounting of his claim to fame through the Marvel Cinematic Universe provides with the same conclusion as Choi’s recounting of his exploding popularity through the Kogi trucks. Both drew acclaim through hard work in uncharted territory — which were the great uncertainties and instabilities of the MCU and food trucks within 2008. Hard work and talent acknowledges hard work and talent — which provides much of the impetus and spiritual pathos of “The Chef Show.”

Read more online at

michigandaily.com

BOOK REVIEW

More unimaginative fodder for the earnest Never-Trumper ELIZABETH YOON Daily Arts Writer

In “A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump,” David Plouffe offers succinct tips for the energized civilian to help their favored candidate ascend the White House steps. Each chapter gives insight into the general campaign process. His book provides a crash course in what a campaign manager would want volunteers to know about how to best utilize their labor and the campaign’s materials. When reading “A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump,” Plouffe’s optimism reads as genuine as he avoids the demoralizing rehashing of status quo politics. Like Plouffe, the American Democracy is hopeful, a promise to be fulfilled with coalitions and earnest votes.

However, beyond general industry insight and tips, Plouffe’s 2020 work is an unimaginative contribution to the 2020 political book selling season. The novel’s thinly dispersed advice stretches across 225 pages and offers few novel strategies.

The novel opens with a play-by-play of Election

Day 2016. In his introduction, Plouffe narrates the collective American shock at Donald Trump’s 2016 win. He notes MSNBC’s somber realization and Fox’s surprised jubilation. Though he does not fully resuscitate the liberal November 2016 ethos, Plouffe succeeds in setting the stakes of his guide and asserting the possibility of a 2020 repeat. This direct introduction is followed by a somewhat patronizing yet engaging sequence of floating, repackaged ideas.

Plouffe does not pontificate on the validity of the U.S. electoral process or explore policy issues. Instead Plouffe strips the election down, interpreting the Great American Democracy as a numbers game of voters and delegates. 270 to victory — a victory requiring effective volunteers.

In every chapter, Plouffe leans into his 2008 and 2012 industry acumen, giving his first hand accounts of Obama’s stunning loss in the 2008 New Hampshire Primary and Obama’s rousing concession speech. His anecdotes help bind and substantiate the book. However, his constant references to the Obama Era feels misplaced in 2020, tinged with nostalgia for a president and

political climate past.

For 2020, Plouffe imagines heroic volunteers and a winsome Obama-esque candidate. He writes about a repeat of Will.i.am’s rendition of an Obama speech and campaigns pushing volunteer apps. His ideas outlined are sound and conventional. The Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign underscored their “Bern” app at the candidate’s rally at the University of Michigan’s Diag in early March. The democratic nominee frontrunner also has his Team Joe App intended, too, to help coordinate volunteers.

Plouffe’s core message reads as follows: Given enthusiastic volunteers, the power and passion of the people will prevail. His novel, as per the title, envisions a broad audience — citizens unhappy with Donald Trump — and presumes that they are fired up to engage in politics publicly. His “AntiTrump” plan requires all discontented citizens to collectively rise up and “GOTV” in 2020. However, not a single chapter is dedicated to either convincing or reaffirming political involvement.

Plouffe assumes a base level of political engagement in his readers. He fails to invest in convincing a passerby, an interested Barnes and

Noble reader and vital 2020 voter, to become politically active. Perhaps, for someone as inured in politics and activism as Plouffe, he forgets and leaves behind the vast majority of Democratic votes, the so-called “whole-food” moms: those dissatisfied with the political climate yet unwilling to publicly speak out. What those readers require are strategies to get “political” without outing themselves as political individuals. Plouffe incorrectly assumes that most Americans disapprove of Trump and adore Obama. He harkens back to 2008 as a political Golden Age, forgetting that following Obama’s 2008 blue wave was a Republican backlash, fueled in part by disaffected Obama voters.

“A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donal Trump” David Plouffe Viking March 3, 2020