2022-06-08

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 - Weekly Summer Edition

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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UMich graduates now eligible for a ‘high potential individual’ UK work visa University of Michigan graduates are now eligible for a UK High Potential Individual work visa, per a new policy from the UK government

‘It shows hope’: Taste of Ann Arbor returns to Main Street after two-year hiatus

NIRALI PATEL

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Taste of Ann Arbor, an event where restaurants offer bite-sized versions of their dishes, returned to the city on June 5 for the first time since 2019 ELI FRIEDMAN

Summer Managing News Editor

Paella, pastries, samosas and more: the smells of countless plates of food filled the air on Sunday as Taste of Ann Arbor — an event in which community members can enjoy bite-sized dishes from over 20 local restaurants — returned to the city for the first time since 2019.

Taste of Ann Arbor is hosted by the Main Street Area Association (MSAA), a local organization that works to ensure the prosperity of downtown businesses. The event also featured live music presented

by Bank of Ann Arbor’s Sonic Lunch, a weekly outdoor concert series held in Ann Arbor over the summer that normally provides music for the event. Dishes ranged from $1 to $6 and were sold in tents spanning Main Street.

Joshua Glaspie, the general manager of The Circ Bar, said the event is a good way to bring in business and inform customers about The Circ Bar’s new menu items.

“It’s a great experience to get everybody back out and showcase all of the new stuff that we have postCOVID,” Glaspie said.

Taste of Ann Arbor was held

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virtually in 2020 and canceled in 2021 due to staff shortages, according to MSAA’s Facebook page.

Ann Arbor resident Sophia King helped run Cinnaholic’s booth at the event. King also said the event is good for business, adding that it allows people to indulge in food they might not normally try. This was Cinnaholic’s first time being featured at Taste of Ann Arbor after its Ann Arbor location opened in January. “(Cinnaholic) also is an entirely plant-based business,” King said. “So I think it’s a good opportunity for people who don’t typically eat plantbased to go ahead and try it, and get different ideas and explore that realm of food.”

King also said the event demonstrated how the city of Ann Arbor has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it’s a good way to bring Ann Arbor back together after such a hard time on everybody,” King said.

Rackham student Chesta Jain said the event opened her eyes to new restaurants in the city.

“A lot of the places we had food from I’ve never been before, even though I’ve been here for three years,” Jain said. “So it lets you try different places and maybe go back to them afterwards when the fest is Follow The Daily on Instagram, @michigandaily

not going on.”

Jain, who is vegetarian, said the event had plenty of options for people who did not want to eat meat. She said that every restaurant offered at least two vegetarian options.

Rackham student Mashiat Rabbani said she appreciated the opportunity to spend time with her friends after a long period of limited contact with them.

“We would just get takeout and eat by ourselves, which is kind of sad,” Rabbani said. “But now you can have it with your friends and stuff, so I think that’s pretty nice.”

Joseph Ludwick, the general manager for Real Seafood Co., said he enjoys seeing the city come together at the event.

“Watching everyone love each other and be a part of this big community is something that we always appreciate,” Ludwick said.

Ludwich agreed with other vendors and attendees about what the event means for the community.

“It shows hope,” Ludwick said.

“It shows that we were resistant.

We’re able to make it through hard times, and with the support of our community, we’re able to keep pushing forward.”

Summer Managing News Editor Eli Friedman can be contacted at elisf@ umich.edu.

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Summer News Editor

Graduates of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor are now eligible for a UK work visa. The United Kingdom’s government has a policy allowing college graduates to apply for a short-term visa to work in the UK. Known as the High Potential Individual Visa (HPI), the policy states that any person who graduated from a list of top eligible universities within the past five years is able to receive this visa to reside in the UK for two years.

Those with doctoral qualifications are eligible to reside for three years.

The cost is £715 or $904 to apply for the visa, along with a qualification status verification fee and an immigration health surcharge fee. The list of 50

universities that received qualification between November 1, 2021 and October 31, 2022 includes the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. 20 out of 50 of the universities listed are in the United States.

The UK government website states that the HPI visa can only be granted once, and other qualifications include proof of English proficiency and personal savings of at least £1270. A job offer in the UK is not required to apply for the visa and people are allowed to bring dependents along with them.

This visa aims to recruit skilled young workers from top universities across the world to elevate Britain’s workforce. Under the HPI visa, international students will have multiple routes to apply for settlement or find employment in the UK. Summer News Editor Nirali Patel can be reached at nirpat@umich.edu.

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INDEX

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NEWS................... 2 ARTS...................3 STATEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . 4

MIC......................5 OPINION................6 SPORTS..............7

News

2 — Wednesday, June 8, 2022

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UMich receives $3.5 million reimbursement for Philbert settlement

NEWS

UMich receives a $3.5 million reimbursement for the Philbert settlement following the November 2020 $9.25 million settlement for survivors SAMANTHA RICH Summer News Editor

The University of Michigan will receive a $3.5 million reimbursement from Munich Reinsurance America for its November 2020 $9.25 million settlement with eight survivors of former University Provost Martin Philbert’s sexual misconduct. The University had an agreement with Munich Reinsurance America that they could be reimbursed up to $4 million for the settlement.

Philbert was removed from his position in March 2020 following almost two months of paid administrative leave. The University hired the firm WilmerHale to investigate over 20 allegations of sexual misconduct brought against Philbert. In their July 2020 report,

WilmerHale said they had found evidence of over 15 years of sexual misconduct, during which Philbert served as an assistant professor, an associate dean, School of Public Health Dean and University Provost.

WilmerHale also alleged that multiple U-M officials, including former University President Mark Schlissel, were aware of allegations against Philbert but did not pursue them further.

Rising LSA senior Abigail Nighswonger, an LSA student government representative who helped form the LSA Student Government Sexual Misconduct Task Force, said she felt the University does not do enough to hold those in power accountable for their actions.

“I would characterize the University’s culture as excusatory,” Nighswonger said. “People in the

highest levels are not held to the same standards as everybody else. There’s always an excuse to let it continue to happen.”

In 1986, the University created Veritas, its own private insurance subsidiary, to ensure the availability of funds to compensate community members for any losses or damages.

In an email to The Michigan Daily, University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald wrote that Veritas paid the entire amount agreed to in the Philbert settlement, meaning no general U-M funds, including tuition and public funding, were used to pay. Fitzgerald explained that the reimbursement the University will receive is a result of an existing agreement between Veritas and Munich.

“Veritas had a reinsurance policy with Munich to cover a portion

of claim costs in excess of ($4 million),” Fitzgerald wrote.

“Veritas sought to recover funds consistent with that policy. Munich denied the claim and initiated litigation against Veritas. Now Veritas and Munich settled the claim.”

Veritas will also pay the $490 million settlement with over 1,000 survivors of the late Dr. Robert Anderson that was agreed to in January of this year. A May 2021 report from WilmerHale found evidence of 37 years of sexual abuse including subjecting students to invasive, inappropriate treatments and procedures as a physician for University Health Service and the U-M Athletic Department.

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Washtenaw County official and U-M Global Health professor share information on the monkeypox virus and whether we should be worried Daily News Editor

Brian Chambers, a Ward 3 resident and U-M alumni, has a long history of housing advocacy in the city. This year, his 39-page volunteer project, titled “Ann Arbor’s

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building power of homeownership.

“I bought my first house when I was in graduate school (at the University) in 1984, with a joint investment from my in-laws,” Chambers said. “…since then, the housing price has increased a lot but we’ve been able to keep our housing cost at 1984 levels, as the mortgage payments are fixed.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, if Chambers was not a homeowner, the rent he would be paying today would have increased by 75% from the level it was at in 2000.

The average housing price in Ann Arbor, on the other hand, is now five times the level it was in 1984.

Prospective home buyers must have enough savings to cover the downpayment and closing cost before buying a house. The post-pandemic housing boom has made reaching this saving threshold increasingly difficult. According to the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, for-sale home inventory in Ann Arbor has shrunk by almost 60% in the past year, while the median price of single family

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The monkeypox virus: What is it, and should you be concerned?

Middle-Income Needs Analysis: Introducing the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA),” motivated a May 5 City Council resolution to collect and communicate home mortgage information. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Chambers gave his first-hand account of the wealth-

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homes increased by 11.4%. In an interview with TheDaily, Lauren Corneliussen, a buyer’s agent based in Ann Arbor, explained how these trends cause frustration for firsttime home buyers.

“It could take as many as three deals to get your final accepted offer,” Corneliussen said. “(For homebuyers), it takes longer to buy, it’s harder to buy and it’s more stressful, and you pay for stress in money by losing work or making snap decisions.”

Chambers said he wants to unlock homeownership opportunities for more people and that the story of Veronica Brandon, who was able to own a house thanks to mortgages from NACA, is especially compelling for him. He examined the U.S. Census (between 2010 and 2019) and Bureau of Labor Statistics to further understand recent home ownership patterns.

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Take a tour through ‘Harry’s House’, song by song EMILIA FERRANTE & HANNAH CARAPELLOTTI

Senior Arts Editor & Daily Arts Writer

The long-awaited third studio album from Harry Styles is finally here, and it is exceeding all expectations. Harry’s House is an intimate portrait of love and fun that will guide you through every emotion. His crooning vocals and epic instrumentals (hello, steel guitar, I love you) make the album a cinematic experience, and no two songs sound the same. Combine that with his incredible lyricism (“Somehow you’ve become some paranoia / A wet dream just dangling” … come on) and we’ve got a certified banger on our hands — one that you can sob, dance, drive and eat sushi to.

“Music for a Sushi Restaurant” Moving past its similarities to

whole.

“Late Night Talking” One of the best parts of a new relationship is the latenight talks — when you stay up into the early morning getting to know each other. You know you’ll be exhausted tomorrow, but it’s worth it. Styles manages to perfectly capture the feelings of the honeymoon phase in “Late Night Talking.” Styles debuted this song along with “Boyfriends” at Coachella earlier this year, and it isn’t hard to see why it’s already one of the album’s top songs. For such a catchy and exciting song, lyrics like “I’ve never been a fan of change / but I’d follow you to any place” provide a glance into the more intimate side of growing closer to someone new.

“Grapejuice” I’m slightly embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize that Styles is singing about

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the “A.N.T. Farm” theme song, “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” is the kind of opener that lets you know you have no idea what’s in store. There’s an interesting contrast at the beginning between the loud production and Styles’s soft vocals, as if he’s nervous to show us what he’s been working on. All the different elements of the song, like the vocal harmonies, the catchy horns and Styles repeatedly yelling “you know I love you, babe” don’t seem like they all work together initially, but the more you listen, the more they do (and the more you’ll want to dance).

The only question worth asking is, what exactly does Styles define as “music for a sushi restaurant?” He sings that it’s “music for whatever you want” — a definition that’s fitting for Harry’s House as a

wine … Yet this song perfectly captures the tipsy sadness that he calls “the grapejuice blues.”

Taking on a more intimate and “chill” vibe than the first two tracks, “Grapejuice” opens with Styles counting in a whisper, and he sings most of the song in his falsetto (which, as usual, sounds amazing). Lyrically, Styles could be going in two different directions — when he sings, “There’s just no getting through / without you / a bottle of rouge,” is he in a happy relationship, enjoying a bottle of wine with the person he loves? Or is he mourning a past relationship and using wine to cope? That kind of analysis should probably be left up to the listener, but you’re in for a good time either way.

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Arts

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 — 3

An ode to Gilbert, my childhood goldfish HUNTER BISHOP Daily Arts Writer

Buried in the notes app on my phone, between shopping lists and reminders I have since forgotten the meaning of, is a quote from the author Sarah Dessen: “(Home is) not a place but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks.” Growing up, many of my moments happened in a singular place: My childhood home, where I was born and raised for the better part of 18 years. For me, the idea of home was tied to that house. With

so much of my life spent in the same place, I couldn’t comprehend it not being my home.

There were several times that my parents considered moving into town so that my sister and I would be closer to our friends and our various sports and extracurriculars. Each time the possibility of moving came up, I would put up a fight to stay where we were. Moving would mean saying goodbye to so many details of my childhood, and I wasn’t ready for that yet. I had become so entrenched in our house and our life there that it would have taken a seismic event to pull me out of my carefree, naive

little bubble.

Like many kids, I had a revolving door of pet goldfish. Even though my parents would warn me that the fish from the Walmart aquarium probably wouldn’t last long, I would still beg for one and then be devastated a month later when I awoke to find it belly up in its bowl. We would have a ceremonial flushing of the fish, and my parents would explain that life was a fragile thing, that my fish lived a (debatably) happy life and I should be glad for the time I got to spend with it.

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The Home B-Side EMMY SNYDER Daily Arts Writer

It’s so difficult to sum up “home” in a simple paragraph. Its definitions are an enigma, albeit a beautiful and contradictory one. People can share it, or it can be vastly different for different people.

It can be transitory. It can be permanent.

It can be a place. A person. A feeling.

An object. A memory. A song. Home, in all cases, though, is synonymous with comfort and a degree of vulnerability.

Each of these writers has bared their souls in sharing with you what home means to them, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. They each have shared a piece of themselves, allowing themselves to be known by others. What is perhaps most compelling about what they have written is that it shows us how, in sharing your “home” with someone, you can extend a bit of that comfort that your home brings you to others. From them, I learned that home, in addition to all of these other things, is a gift you can give to someone else. In reading their pieces, you also, for however long it lasts, can feel that you are “home.”

Searching for my ‘Sunshine State’

by Daily Arts Writer Annabel Curran In a collection of essays titled “Sunshine State,” Sarah Gerard weaves a provocative narrative, relating a connected series of events from her past with the drive and inquisitive nature of an investigative journalist, but with the subtle nostalgia that is so often evoked when retelling tales of home and childhood. At the root of each essay in “Sunshine State” is Gerard’s home state of Florida, or the Sunshine State, which shaped her formative years and memories in an idiosyncratic assortment of experiences that Gerard recounts so candidly.

An ode to Gilbert, my childhood goldfish by Daily Arts Writer Hunter

Bishop Buried in the notes app on my phone, between shopping lists and reminders I have since forgotten the meaning of, is a quote from the author Sarah Dessen: “(Home is) not a place but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks.” Growing up, many of my moments happened in a singular place: My childhood home, where I was born and raised for the better part of 18 years.

For me, the idea of home was tied to that house. With so much of my life spent in the same place, I couldn’t comprehend it not being my home.

Your body is your home by Daily Arts Writer Kaya Ginsky In college, my body started to feel like my home. Not in a confident way or just for the green eyes that were an exact mix of my father’s blue and mother’s brown, but for the marks on my skin that form a map of my hometown. I look in the mirror and remember my childhood.

Maybe that is enough: not to feel perfectly comfortable in my skin, but to feel at home when I look at myself.

Figuring out home with The Front Bottoms in ‘Vacation Town’ by Daily Arts Writer Saarthak Johri

After a complicated freshman year of virtual college, and a slightly less complicated sophomore year, I’ve found myself intrigued by the unique nostalgia folk punk band The Front Bottoms gives me, especially their song “Vacation Town.” I killed time and relieved stress in quarantine by going on drives and chasing the sunset while listening to The Front Bottoms’s hits and oldest songs — ballads of banal, yet painful, parts of life told via powerful, poetic lines in simple diction over somber guitar.

Finding home at the piano bench by Daily Arts Writer Hannah Carapellotti The piano that sits in my den right now is almost as old as I am. I still remember the first time I sat down at its bench — my little legs swinging in the air, unable to touch the ground beneath. My parents saw the musical talent in me before I ever did, and we bought the piano from a family friend — a music teacher — just before I started kindergarten. Its age is starting to show: The wood stain is fading, a few keys are chipped and its tune is degrading from the last time we had it fixed. Despite the countless years of lessons, playbooks and recitals, I don’t play it nearly as often as I should. It’s one of my biggest regrets.

Design by Tamara Turner

4—Wednesday, June 8, 2022

STATEMENT

Patron saint of women in tech Packing for California was, for the most part, easy. If I couldn’t wear it in 100-degree heat or to my big tech internship, it went into storage. With near mechanical precision, I divided my wardrobe into “leave” and “take” piles.

But there was one item that stumped me. Six months ago, my friend sent me a tweet with a picture of a t-shirt that read “Disgraced founder of Theranos Elizabeth Holmes” — a shirt I now hold in question. I bought it on a whim in the middle of class after realizing I had saved my credit card information to Etsy. I thought it was ironic, perhaps something to differentiate me from my peers. “I’m not like other people in tech,” the shirt would say. “I can critique Holmes and start-up culture.”

Elizabeth Holmes, with her faux deep voice, signature black turtleneck and inexplicable charisma, was an enigma even before her crimes were discovered. She’s the subject of best-selling books, award winning journalism and even a Hulu miniseries. At the age of 19, Holmes dropped out of Stanford to start what would become Theranos, a

in venture capital and defrauded countless investors including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, future Trump Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, the DeVos family, an ex-Wells Fargo chairman and two former U.S. senators.

In a highly publicized trial, Holmes was found guilty on January 3 of three counts of wire fraud and one count of intent to commit wire fraud. As former Theranos patients expressed outrage at the jury’s failure to find Holmes guilty of defrauding patients, a squad of internet cheerleaders rooted for their favorite “femme fatale.” Some fans even took it upon themselves to wait outside the courthouse, eager to catch a glimpse of their hero.

She raised millions of dollars on lies. She built a multi-billion dollar company on impossible claims and shoddy science. She hurt innocent patients. She’s a girlboss, the embodiment of women in tech.

Commentators describe Holmes’s deception and fall from grace as being spectacular, even exceptional. It certainly is — Holmes fooled some of the brightest minds in tech, medicine and finance and obtained a net worth of over $4.5 billion before losing it all. But there’s also something about it that’s very reminiscent. If you look closely, it’s part of a story

biotechnology company that claimed it could perform a suite of tests with just one drop of blood. Later, an investigation into the company revealed the blood testing technology didn’t actually work — but not before Holmes had raised over $700 billion

we’ve seen before. Holmes is women in tech programs taken to their natural conclusion. She is the most extreme embodiment of a culture that pushes women to emulate toxic, male-dominated hacker culture and pursue arbitrary markers of success

HALEY JOHNSON Statement Columnist

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without meaningfully challenging — or, to use a favorite term of the tech industry, disrupting — the status quo. *** Initially, I set the Elizabeth Holmes T-shirt into the “maybe pile,” along with a collection of skirts that were probably too short to wear to my corporate internship, sweatshirts that were probably too warm for the California heat and shoes that were probably too impractical to walk to the train station in. But it didn’t feel like it belonged there — there was nothing functionally wrong with sporting “disgraced founder of Theranos Elizabeth Holmes” in the office. Rather, it clashed with the ethos of Silicon Valley. I saw the T-shirt as ironic, as tongue-incheek. I knew I’d very well encounter a number of former Theranos employees in the Bay Area, but my real hesitation was that I doubted that they would see the humor in it; I doubted that they would also consider Holmes a toxic girlboss icon.

The girlbossification of Elizabeth Holmes, I think, can best be attributed to how depraved and bereft of meaning Theranos’s downfall felt. Holmes came out of the court case relatively unscathed and the questionable business practices she engaged in still run abound in the start-up world. It’s so absurd that it demands parody. Turning Theranos and Holmes into a joke, into a cultural moment, is the easiest way to acknowledge her rise and fall without really reckoning with the factors that produced it. And Holmes’s adoring, pseudo-ironic fans certainly deliver.

At the same time that we were collectively rebranding Holmes, we began using the same terms to describe women in tech initiatives.

Organizations like GirlTechBoss emerged, predicting women’s imminent takeover of big tech and praising the cult of the “female founder” — a Holmes-like figure who embodies the role of the brilliant, male, visionary founder with a feminine twist. It all feels reminiscent of early 2000s consumer feminism, a perverse interpretation of women’s empowerment that focuses on catchy slogans and commodifiable T-shirts.

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Are you there, Judy?

KARI ANDERSON

Statement Correspondent

If you were to walk into a grade school library, there’s a good chance that you would find a shelf devoted to Judy Blume. Blume, a prolific author best known for her

of widespread book censorship, one much like the recent wave of bannings this past year. Some consider her books too graphic because of their depictions of sex, menstruation, birth control, masturbation, etc. — so much so that, at times, Blume has had to travel with a bodyguard to her

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children’s books from the 1970s, is a champion of addressing taboo aspects of adolescence. Books like “Blubber”, “Forever…” and “Then Again, Maybe I Won’t” have long opened a door for young readers to learn more about puberty, bullying, sexuality and more.

Although I, like many of her fans, have only read a handful of her books, it did not take much to become a fan. Blume’s bestselling — and arguably most famous — book, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” is the main source of my fondness for her. I first read “Are You There God?...” when I was around Margaret’s age; I found the story of a pre-teen girl who was contemplating many of the same things that I was (friends, bras, periods, religion) extremely comforting. Her style and earnest honesty are so distinctive that I have enjoyed each of her books that I have picked up, regardless of my age.

Blume’s refusal to shy away from taboo topics has made her simultaneously beloved and maligned. Her books have been consistently challenged since the 1980s, when the election of Ronald Reagan spurred a wave

events in response to numerous hate-mail warnings.

Yet the things that made her so unpopular with conservative parents and lawmakers over the years are what make her so adored by fans: her frank, unflinching discussion of topics that children were concerned about, but that they struggled to get information about on their own.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Jo Angela Oehrli, a learning and children’s literature librarian who manages the Children’s Literature Collection at Hatcher Graduate Library, spoke more about banned children’s books and Blume’s presence on those frequently challenged lists. She talked about the ways that books act as reflections of a child’s experience, referencing an essay by Rudine Sims Bishop that refers to the way that books can be “mirrors” or “windows” — reflections of one’s own experiences that help children put their emotions into words, or views into a person’s perspective that is completely different from their own.

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Michigan in Color My case for taking Call me Tavo: Working-class salience, Ethnic Studies classes nicknames and parents

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

GUSTAVO SACRAMENTO MiC Columnist

Over the past several weeks, I’ve experienced elevated, irregular bursts of imposter syndrome and survivor guilt.

As a first-generation college student, I have been submerged in a grueling and expedited process of upward mobility and assimilation. It feels like I have been worlds apart from my family, particularly my parents, over the past several years.

As a result, one particular topic I’ve ref lected on lately is family, specifically my parents.

It’s pretty apparent from my previous articles that being first-gen means a lot to me. In addition to my hyperawareness of social class, my first-gen identity is interwoven and inseparable from my workingclass upbringing. It is rooted in my family tree and exists precisely because previous generations did not go to college.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been reticent to share details about my personal life with others, especially in most spaces at the University, like Ross. I think every workingclass student’s worst nightmare is for their background and family to be ridiculed by their peers. This fear is best captured in one scene in the “Hillbilly Eleg y” film.

The initial enumeration of accomplishments and credentials that impresses others. The awkward silence that follows when one shares details about their family and the working-class setting they grew up in. The tone-deaf questions and classist remarks.

The dramatization in this brief instance highlights how out of place someone from a scrappy upbringing can feel among some upper-class peers and in various elite spaces, both of which might purportedly espouse egalitarianism.

To avert similar scenarios, I frequently code-switch and compartmentalize the different spaces I traverse as a defense mechanism — as though I am a chameleon that can blend into and adapt to many environments.

One particular area where these partitions are evident is how

people refer to me. Some past nicknames of mine include Goose, Gucci, Gus Bus, Gussy and Gustavito. But my primary nickname is Gus, which is what I usually went by prior to college — and still do either for the sake of my own or for someone else’s convenience if I’ve repeated my full name more than three times in a personal introduction.

Over the past month, I’ve shared another nickname with a few people. My family, primarily my parents, actually refer to me as Tavo. Most people are familiar with Gus as a nickname for Gustavo, but Tavo is another nickname that exists in some Spanish-speaking communities.

My parents have always called me Tavo, yet even native Spanish speakers might not be familiar with this uncommon nickname.

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 — 5

over the past several years, my nickname serves as a reminder that my upbringing and identities will always be an indisputable part of me. Additionally, it felt special to be known as Tavo by my family only, though this is a minor reason. As I’ve begun sharing this nickname, I have become aware that others love this nickname.

I am Gustavo to most, Gus to others and Tavo to a few. Feel free to call me Tavo!

I typically possess a reserved demeanor, since I struggle to convey my feelings. But sometimes the internal strife from constant code-switching can be overbearing at times, resulting in frequent glitches in my thought processes, making my partitions f limsy and rendering me vulnerable. When

MADISON GROSVENOR/TMD

The only time I’ve ever been called Tavo by a non-family member was from a stylist over a year ago at a salon in my hometown. Most of the stylists and clientele are native Spanish speakers, and upon hearing my name, she instantly knew my family referred to me as Tavo.

And so, hearing my nickname is endearing and creates a sense of closeness if someone outside of my family calls me Tavo.

Up until recently, I had never told anyone outside of my family about this nickname. This nickname usually slips my mind as I tend to forget about Tavo outside of home. But lately I have been ref lecting on the drastic transformation I’ve undergone through college. Even though I feel like I have lost traces of my working-class Latino roots

I feel most out of place, I shut down and become timid like a whimpering lost puppy.

Reminders of occasions like Parents & Family Weekend slightly sting me every time I see an email or retrieve a physical letter from the mail. Although I am generally able to tune out these occasions, there is always a slight amount of residual envy that singes me whenever I see hordes of Wolverines with their parents — who are visiting for football games or other occasions — in clusters across campus. Long-distance travel and lodging for graduation, Parents & Family Weekend, Campus Day and a bevy of other occasions aren’t for workingclass parents like mine.

Read more at michigandaily.com

YASH APRAMEYA/MiC

IRVING PEÑA MiC Columnist

I have always been passionate about helping those less fortunate than myself.

From as early as I can remember, I committed myself to one day go to medical school. In fact, growing up, I told myself that I would one day become a trauma surgeon because I believed that saving someone’s life was the greatest way one could help someone. However, during my first year of college, I realized that rather than going down the pre-med track in order to help others at the individual level, I was more passionate about making a direct systemic change and addressing the inequities that are so rampant in society today.

By the time I started my sophomore year, I knew that the pre-med trajectory I had planned was out of the picture. I knew that I wanted to apply to both the School of Public Health and the Ford School of Public Policy, so I made sure to register for their prerequisite classes. Since I was unsure whether or not I would be accepted by either school, I decided to use my sophomore year to fulfill the general graduation requirements. I still needed credits in the humanities category, so I decided to take LATINOAM 311: Latinx Cultures and Communities. After all, I never formally learned my Mexican culture’s history in school. Due to my limited opportunity to learn about the rich Latinx history, much of what I was exposed to growing up covered Spanish colonialism.

Besides the random stories my father would tell my siblings and me during our Christmas dinners or our 22-hour drives to Durango, Mexico, I had no formal education of my Mexican roots.

Though I learned something new through every single conversation I had with my father regarding topics such as Mexico’s independence from Spain, I

never fully understood the more recent history of Mexicans in the United States.

That was until I took LATINOAM 311.

Compared to the static memorization of the intricacies of human anatomy in pre-med trajectory courses, LATINOAM 311 gave me the opportunity to explore the rich history of my Mexican culture. Once I realized I was more interested in academia regarding the social determinants of health rather than the required premed courses such as organic chemistry and animal physiology, I knew that I should be taking courses that explored the communities these determinants are affecting firsthand. I never expected that taking this course would expose me to the different ways in which social and community context play a major role in the health outcomes of Latinx households, while also allowing me to learn about the history of Mexican families, including mine.

In LATINOAM 311, I had the opportunity to learn about the formation of different Latinx communities and their larger significance and contributions to Latinx and United States history, society and culture.

In all honesty, when I was a pre-med student there were times when I would completely disregard the readings required for my classes; it was difficult for me to find some sort of motivation to push me through chapters of chemical compounds or the molarity formula.

However, LATINOAM 311 was one of the first times I went out of my way to further research some of the topics we were covering in class, such as the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Young Lords. While the material we covered in the course did touch on the history of Mexico, the course served as a bridge for me to make sense of the disconnect I had between my family’s history and the communities that were portrayed through pop culture.

Read more at michigandaily.com

Opinion

6 — Wednesday, June 8, 2022

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

End Title 42: Michigan is ready to welcome asylum seekers Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

FERNANDA LIMA CROSS, ASHLEY E. CURETON, JOEL LUCIO & MELISSA STEK

QUIN ZAPOLI

ichigan is no stranger to welcoming people who have had to flee their home countries. As the fourth-ranked state in the nation for receiving refugees in the last decade, Michigan has admitted 30,467 refugees from 52 countries since 2010, according to the U.S. Department of State. Asylees and asylum seekers are also an integral part of our state: Between 2019 and 2022, nearly 8,000 asylum cases were being processed in Michigan’s immigration court in Detroit.

Our state has welcomed people fleeing persecution from Iraq, Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Afghanistan, Albania, Guatemala, China and many other nations across the globe.

These individuals have enriched our communities and helped strengthen our economy, especially as Michigan faces a labor shortage and a rapidly aging population.

If we are to continue to be a state and a nation of welcome for those fleeing violence and persecution, we need Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie

VANESSA KIEFER Editor in Chief

Editorial Page Editor

BRANDON COWIT Managing Editor

From The Daily: Elon Musk is buying Twitter, now what?

THE MICHIGAN DAILY SUMMER EDITORIAL BOARD

W

e seem to be living in an era where “memes” are becoming reality. When Kanye West announced in 2015 his plan to run for the presidency in 2020, nobody believed him until he actually did it. Thankfully, that event turned out to be largely inconsequential. A current meme becoming reality is Elon Musk’s recent decision to purchase Twitter — one of the most popular social media apps and a source of news information for many — which has the potential to alter the shape of our public discourse dramatically and give a private individual societal influence on par with our most powerful elected officials.

Billionaires like Elon Musk having as much — if not more — power than some well-known elected government officials is a huge issue in a modern, technologically advanced society.

These wealthy individuals can already alter markets with a single post, but with complete control of media institutions, they remove what little content filtering does exist and risk allowing other users to spread dangerous misinformation.

Musk wouldn’t be the only billionaire with sizable media power, either. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the world’s third richest man, bought The Washington Post in 2013. In the past 10 years, numerous other trusted media institutions have come to be owned by the mega-rich.

And, of course, Facebook — a constant source of social media scandal — is run by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, who is so often at the center of the platform’s controversies. In short, Musk’s purchase would continue the consolidation of media power in the hands of the incredibly wealthy.

What makes Musk’s Twitter purchase unique, though, is the effect Twitter’s policies have on public

discourse — especially its use to spread dangerous misinformation — as well as the fact that Musk plans to take Twitter private, removing him from having to be accountable to public shareholders. By taking such actions, Musk has more ability to resist the will of regulators and investors.

On top of the broader issue of a billionaire having significant media power, Musk himself brings a long list of problems — sometimes with the law — making his Twitter takeover even more alarming. For instance, in February of 2022, Musk and his brother were placed under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for potential insider trading.

Another issue is Musk’s stance on content moderation. He is a big fan of increasing “free speech” on Twitter and, as a result, may allow Donald Trump back on the platform after he was banned. This decision is not surprising, as Musk has made his desire to embolden public figures that spread misinformation clear.

Additionally, Musk recently revealed — through a Tweet — that he will be voting Republican from now on, stating that “The reality is that Twitter at this point, you know, has a very far left bias.” With extensive control of Twitter, some worry that Musk’s political leanings would cause him to limit the speech of liberals or amplify speech that is disparaging towards minority groups.

While one man owning a company that is the outlet for such high levels of public discourse is worrisome — and Musk being that one person is even more worrisome — Musk’s purchase has drawn attention to serious issues throughout social media. Even more, Musk has spoken about surprisingly reasonable — if underdeveloped — solutions.

For starters, it genuinely appears that Musk wants to strengthen trust between Twitter and the American public. Opening up the source code

of aspects of Twitter such as the algorithm, something whose opacity many Twitter users are wary of and complain about, can only be a positive.

His discussions of user authentication have been relatively broad, but depending on scope, it could produce tangible benefits. If by authentication and limiting spam, Musk means users must use their real name, photo, etc., the risk of disinformation along with violent rhetoric would likely shrink dramatically. People are much more likely to express poorlythought out opinions when they can do so with anonymity, and attaching one’s true identity to their comments would serve well to hold individuals accountable. This, however, seems unlikely. Musk probably means a more targeted approach, where bot accounts are more stringently monitored and taken down. Even this narrower scope has real benefits. Bots are not only annoying (they fog up true public discourse and opinion), but they often work to amplify disinformation, division and violent rhetoric.

Concern about what Musk will be able to do with Twitter points to another important issue — regulation of social media companies. If the American government were more willing to strictly regulate social media, the damage Musk could do would be much more limited. A majority of U.S. adults believe that the government should increase regulation of technology and social media companies, though some worry that the First Amendment might complicate things. At this point, it’s tough to know whether the Twitter deal will close. If anything, it seems Musk will back out of the deal, not Twitter. This outcome still seems unlikely, though, since — on top of the damage to his reputation — Musk could lose billions. If the deal does go through, Musk will currently have only everyday Twitter users to try to push him in the right direction. We can only hope they will succeed.

M

Stabenow, who are both Democrats, to take a stand for asylum now.

In April, the Biden administration announced its plans to put an end to the recent invocation of the controversial Title 42 policy, which has been used under the guise of public health during the COVID-19 pandemic to block migrants at the U.S. southern border from seeking asylum. Since it was first invoked under the Trump administration in March of 2020, there have been more than 1.7 million expulsions of migrants. These policies incite fear in a population that has suffered endlessly. It sends the message that they are not welcome here when they need our support the most.

Echoing the wisdom of public health experts, researchers, advocates and Democratic leaders, we know that Title 42 has had no impact on limiting the spread of COVID-19. It has instead been used to harm and discriminate against Black and Latinx migrants seeking refuge, and it is justified with anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric. Using the false pretense of public health to vilify, reject and expel asylum seekers at their most vulnerable is an insult to our state’s and our nation’s values.

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For some on the left, their despair over the peril of Roe v. Wade should start with a look in the mirror DEVON HESANO Opinion Columnist

W

hen Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion — which, if finalized, would end Roe v. Wade’s 49-yearlong precedent of guaranteeing the legal right to an abortion under federal law — was leaked, the left directed much of its ire at the Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court.

Indeed, it is these conservative justices, nominated by a Republican president and confirmed by a Republicanled Senate, that, ultimately, are likely to end Roe. The decision would overturn what has been described as a super precedent is a grave violation of the constitutional protection to privacy and is purely done for political purposes.

While it is true that it’s Republicans and conservatives who have, since Roe’s inception, worked tirelessly to achieve its reversal, Democrats and liberals should understand how they too helped make it possible.

To do so, one could first look to the Obama era, when an aging Ruth Bader Ginsburg refused to retire, preventing President Obama from nominating a younger liberal judge to the court. Many on the left defended Ginsburg’s choice, arguing that she shouldn’t be forced into retirement.

Tragically, her decision proved costly, as Ginsburg died just before the election of President Biden and was replaced by a very conservative judge, Amy Coney Barrett, who drastically changed the makeup of the Court.

Read more at michigandaily.com

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Sports

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 — 7

BASEBALL

Wolverines come up short against Louisville, end season DAVID WOELKERS Daily Sports Writer

On Sunday night, things looked bleak for the Michigan baseball team. After winning the first two games of the Louisville Regional, the Wolverines were blown out by Louisville to force a third and final game between the two teams.

In a back and forth affair on Monday, Michigan (34-28) came up just short, losing 11-9 to the Cardinals (42-19-1) and ending its season.

“If we had a few more innings there, we could’ve gotten a few more runs,” graduate center fielder Joe Stewart said. “Unfortunately the game is only nine.”

After recording only three hits in the entirety of Sunday’s game, the Wolverines needed just 10 pitches to match that total, hitting back-toback-to-back doubles to start the Regional Final and take a 2-0 lead.

Michigan looked primed to add another run to the score after a twoout pickoff attempt went wild, but a flyout by senior shortstop Riley Bertram ended the inning.

Just as soon as the momentum looked to be with the Wolverines, the Cardinals ripped it right back to their side.

Despite sitting down two of his first four batters, sophomore lefthander Connor O’Halloran fell apart in the first inning, hitting two batters and allowing three base hits — including a double.

As the top of the Louisville lineup returned to the plate, O’Halloran was pulled from the game, leaving with the bases loaded and the Wolverines staring at a sudden two-run deficit.

The Cardinals weren’t done yet.

Taking advantage of sophomore right-hander Chase Allen’s premature entry into the game, Louisville shortstop Christian Knapcyzk laid down a surprise bunt on the first pitch he saw, catching the Michigan infield by surprise and scoring a run.

Allen then walked in a sixth run on four straight balls, before allowing the Cardinals’ seventh and final run of the first inning on a fielding error.

Despite striking out the next batter, the damage had already been done — seven runs, all on two outs.

“We couldn’t really put a stop on it,” Michigan coach Erik Bakich said.

“It seemed like it was spiraling very fast, and we just couldn’t get Chase ready quick enough. It’s a credit to a really good offense.”

Following the first inning fireworks, Louisville starter Garrett Schmeltz made easy work of the Wolverines’ lineup through his next

two innings of work — striking out four of seven batters with the only exception being a solo home run by graduate third baseman Matt Frey.

As Allen appeared to be settling into the game, his day was suddenly cut short by the presence of lightning in the area, forcing a lengthy weather delay that ended up requiring both coaches to go to the bullpen.

While neither team immediately capitalized on the pitching change, momentum trickled in Michigan’s direction after junior outfielder Clark Elliott smashed a solo home run with two outs to keep the top of the sixth alive.

After a pair of singles by graduate center fielder Joe Stewart and graduate third baseman Matt Frey, junior catcher Jimmy Obertop turned the trickle into a flood, tying the game at 7-7 on a three-run missile sent over the right-field wall.

“We regrouped during that break,” Obertop said. “We’ve scored more than seven runs before so we knew if we did it together we’d be able to come back.”

The comeback bid was completed in the next inning by junior second baseman Ted Burton, who blasted the Wolverines’ fourth home run of the game to break the tie. A chopper single by Stewart put the score at 9-7, putting his team in the driver’s seat

heading into the home stretch.

With the shift in momentum, Michigan turned to junior righthander Cameron Weston to hold the fragile lead through the final innings.

Weston started to do just that, retiring eight straight batters to start his outing.

But after walking the ninth batter he faced, Weston allowed a base hit to Jack Payton. Attempting to stretch it into a double, a play at second base was ruled safe by the umpire.

Burton and the Michigan infield called for an immediate review, but the play stood.

“I haven’t seen the review yet, but

the rule is very clear,” Bakich said.

“It has to be clear and conclusive evidence, and I’m sure that’s what was said. Had (the second base umpire) called him out and Louisville challenged it, it probably would’ve stood.”

With one last chance, the Cardinals flipped the script on the Wolverines, hitting a double, single and ultimately a two-run home run — scoring four runs and taking the lead.

Michigan could not find an equalizer in the top of the ninth, putting a stop to the Wolverines’ comeback — and with it, an end to a shot at the Super Regional.

SARAH BOEKE/Daily The Michigan baseball team’s season ended in a loss to Louisville in the Regional Final.

BASEBALL

Ian Payne: Eighth inning call upends Michigan’s momentum

The Michigan baseball team’s miraculous postseason run is over — and it ended on a sour note.

After a IAN PAYNE controversial call at second base kept the eighth inning alive, Louisville reclaimed the lead — and soon after won the game.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, junior right-hander Cameron Weston stood on the mound — closely guarding a two run lead. On the weekend, Weston tossed seven scoreless innings in relief, a true clutch factor for the Wolverines.

But the batter at the plate — Cardinals’ designated hitter Jack Payton — smacked the ball into left field and sprinted around the bases.

As he approached second base, the cutoff throw from senior shortstop Riley Bertram found the glove of

junior second baseman Ted Burton and he swiped at Payton as he slid into the bag head first.

The umpire called him safe on the bang-bang play, and all of Jim Patterson Stadium waited with bated breath as the long review process played out.

The call stood.

With this new life, the Cardinals rallied — and after seeing their momentum hit a brick wall, a deflated Michigan could only watch. The next Louisville batter brought Payton and another baserunner home to tie the game. Then a game-winning two-run homer gave Louisville the lead.

“Had he called him out and Louisville reviewed it the call probably would have stood,” Michigan coach Erik Bakich said.

“He called him safe … the rule is very clear it has to be conclusive evidence to over turn.”

However what the replay showed was clear: the runner was out.

While I can understand close calls

being hard to overturn, the video was a clear case.

Burton’s glove could be clearly seen bouncing off of Payton’s hand, catching Payton’s fingers and tipping them up. His fingers were clearly not on the bag as the glove made contact.

That’s an out. The inning should have been over.

SARAH BOEKE/Daily A controversial second base call ripped momentum away from the Michigan baseball team.

That type of blown call is disruptive at the best of times, but in the postseason it can be — and in this instance almost certainly was — season altering.

The Louisville Regional was a tale of momentum. In the first two days, the Wolverines rode their Big Ten Championship energy to upset wins over Oregon and the Cardinals. And on Sunday, Louisville capitalized on its own win over the Ducks with a 20-1 evisceration of Michigan — forcing Monday’s tiebreaker.

And coming out of a weather delay in Monday’s game, the Wolverines seized their own momentum. They overcame a four-run deficit with a six-run stretch in the fifth and sixth innings “We regrouped during that break,” junior catcher Jimmy Obertop said.

“We knew we would be able to come back.”

Winning teams create and capitalize on momentum shifts. It is how Michigan managed to make it as

far as it did into the postseason.

Louisville certainly capitalized off of the eighth-inning momentum shift well, and undoubtedly earned the win. However, it did not reclaim the momentum on its own and that soured the game’s result.

If the call had been properly overturned then the Wolverines would have entered the ninth inning up two runs and with momentum on their side. Whether or not the Cardinals could have still found an energy shift on their own will never be answered.

“It sucks the way it ended,” Bakich said. “But congratulations to Louisville, they’ve got a great team.”

Michigan had a tumultuous season. It struggled to find its identity and live up to its potential, but it hit its stride and found a little magic in the postseason.

Now, that run’s dissonant final note — kickstarted in part by a poor review call — makes that magic a little harder to appreciate.

Sports

8 — Wednesday, June 8, 2022

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Charlie Pappalardo: Sports and politics are inseparable, especially right now

TW: Gun violence In professional wrestling, there’s a principle known as kayfabe that governs the act playing out CHARLIE onstage. Kayfabe PAPPALARDO is a relatively simple distortion of reality that boils down to three essential points: One: Professional wrestling is fake.

Two: Everyone watching knows that professional wrestling is fake. And three: Nonetheless, the audience enjoys it more if everyone pretends it’s real. So time and time again, that’s exactly what happens. People flock to stadiums to watch a version of reality that they know is inherently falsified, because it offers something to revel in.

Professional team sports are drastically different from professional wrestling. But at the same time, all sports are laden with a different kind of distortion of reality — the erasure of societal divisions. Yet sometimes the cost of this distorted reality is too steep, and now is one of those times.

It’s easy to ignore the ugliness of politics — guns being prioritized over public safety, women’s and voting rights being destroyed, and Black people being killed by police officers — when sports gloss over these topics.

Because for three hours a night, sporting events craft an alternative world where only one thing matters — what team you root for. This is part of the reason that sports are so enthralling. They suspend all distinction, and replace it with collective effervescence that can bind millions of people around the world together as long as they’re wearing the right colors. And within this version of reality, the outside world and all the disagreement and dissimilarity in it can be forgotten, because in the arena, the only thing that matters is who wins.

And the University of Michigan is a school that knows this best. In The Big House, in Crisler and in Yost, thousands of fans are bound together by an intense feeling of connection.

I think back to when the football team beat Ohio State and I rushed the field with thousands as the snow fell, feeling pure ecstasy. Looking back on that day feels almost like a dream. Nothing else mattered except enjoying that moment.

But that’s not reality, and everyone in attendance knew it. They knew that the outside world could not be forgotten and that other issues are inherently more pressing than the game. But they did it anyway — but I did it anyway — because they all realized that they’d have a better time if they pretended like their unity bound by team allegiance was absolute and genuine.

And sometimes, this beautiful distortion needs to be shattered.

Sometimes, kayfabe must be dropped.

This week, when a gunman walked into an elementary school with an AR-15 and murdered children — again — kayfabe had to be dropped.

The fallout started like it always does. There was the wave of condolences, moments of silence, tweets, statements of disgust and even outrage — but nothing inflammatory.

Then, it went a step further.

It started with Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors and a man who knows what it’s like to lose a loved one through gun violence.

In a press conference prior to Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals he said: “Any basketball questions don’t matter. When are we going to do something? I am tired. I am so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families out there. I’m tired of the moments of silence. Enough. … So I ask you, Mitch McConnell and all of you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and the school shootings and the supermarket shootings — I ask you, are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children and our elderly and our church-goers?

Because that’s what it looks like. That’s what we do every week. I’m fed up. I’ve had enough. We can’t get numb to this.

We can’t sit here and just read about it and say let’s have a moment of silence.”

In doing so, Kerr broke an unwritten rule.

He acknowledged that basketball isn’t more important than reality and he replaced the artificial unity of sports with politics, inviting the vitriol that follows. And once Kerr brought the conversation to the world of sports, others followed.

Prior to their game against the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat too took a political stance, urging everyone in attendance to call local representatives and push them to change gun laws. On Thursday night, the New York Yankees and

the Tampa Bay Rays united to take a stand, putting aside their contest and prioritizing a more important message. Using their social media to broadcast statistics on gun violence instead of plugging scores and highlights.

Some people were horrified by these politically charged stances.

Because to some, the infusion of politics into an arena designed to be devoid of division is the ultimate sin. Among those disgusted was Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who referred to the actions of the Heat as, “politicizing a horrific tragedy.”

Senator Rubio, what on earth is a horrific tragedy if not inherently political?

Politicians make a core promise when running for office to keep the Americans they serve safe. And time and time again, they have failed. An elementary school in Sandy Hook, a country music festival in Las Vegas, a nightclub in Orlando, a church in Sutherland Springs, a high school in Parkland, a grocery store in Buffalo and now, another elementary school, this time in Uvalde.

And yet nothing has fucking changed.

There’s been no reform — and there’s no reason to believe that this was the last time. Nothing has been done by those with the power to make change. And because of it, people continue to die.

The public is disgusted — not just with the horror of mass murder — but with the refusal of politicians to do anything to stop it. And disgust isn’t something that can be forgotten, not even for just a few hours.

This is what forces the realms of sports and politics to become intertwined.

Disgust cannot be forgotten. You can’t walk into Crisler, or the Big House, or any other stadium for that matter and suddenly forget that children were murdered and our politicians haven’t — and likely won’t ever — do a damn thing to prevent it from happening again.

And so at a certain point, not acknowledging the disgust that the public feels is just as political as speaking out.

By saying nothing, you are saying that nothing is pressing enough to force

protocol to be broken. That nothing really needs to be done. It’d be the same as the band continuing to play as the Titanic sinks — a charade of normality.

But things are far from normal in our country. It’s not normal that our nation has seen more mass shootings than days this year. It is not normal that an 18-year-old can buy thousands of rounds of ammunition and multiple assault rifles. And it is absolutely not normal that our politicians refuse to take action because of an ambiguously written phrase in a 240-year-old document and a $250 million lobby.

Our politicians are failing us. It’s apparent to everyone in our nation, and because of that, politics needs to bleed into sporting events. Because sports cannot serve as a suspension of reality when reality needs to change — and right now, it desperately does.

And as college athletes — many of whom are still teenagers — take advantage of their platforms and speak out, others should follow suit.

In the past, many of the members of the Wolverine men’s and women’s basketball teams took to the court wearing warm up shirts that read messages like “say their names”, “stand together” and “unity.”

Michigan athletes’ decision to speak up is important.

Because athletes, coaches and teams have an incredible platform, by making political statements they have the power to make change. Sports attract eyes, garner media attention and become topics of conversation.

They dominate our landscape, something every Michigan student knows, so when politics appear in sports, there’s nowhere for us to avert

our eyes.

That’s a good thing.

When Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists at the 1968 Olympics, it was because reality needed — and still needs — to change in America. When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, it was because reality needed — and still needs — to change in America. And when the NBA canceled games after the death of Jacob Blake, it was because reality needed — and still needs — to change in America.

This time it’s no different.

Generally, sports like to stay apolitical and erase division. But sometimes, the reality of the failures of our nation must be acknowledged in the pastimes we use to distort it.

If black men aren’t safe from the police when they get pulled over and if children aren’t safe from gunmen in school, it is ridiculous and childish to ask that sports be devoid of the vitriol that comes with politics.

By speaking out, Steve Kerr, the Rays, the Yankees and the Heat aren’t just being political, they’re being pragmatic. And every other person and entity in the realm of sports has a duty to follow suit, Michigan included. The athletic department can’t sit idly by, it needs to be outspoken. Coaches need to speak out, activism must be encouraged and individuals must make their opinions known.

Because sometimes kayfabe must be broken. And I happen to think that following the preventable murder of children — that our leaders are too cowardly to prevent with necessary stricter gun laws — it is a damn good time for that to happen.

KATE HUA/Daily