2022-11-09

RONI KANE , SEJAL PATIL & RILEY HODDER Daily News Editor &

On Monday at 2 p.m., Ulrich’s shut its doors for the last time.

For 88 years, Ulrich’s was the go-to place for University of Michigan students in need of textbooks, school supplies and campus memorabilia.

Located at the corner of South University and East University Avenues, the Ann Arbor small business has a history dating back to 1934. Now, the shelves are vacant, empty cardboard boxes are scattered around the floor and the bookstore’s final customers have taken home the last heavily-discounted remnants of a literary empire.

Usually, at this time of year, students would be frantically dashing in and out of the store all afternoon, snagging a Blue Book for an upcoming midterm exam or scrounging the basement for a copy of the history textbook they hadn’t realized they needed. But this October, the atmosphere at Ulrich’s is somber. Patrons walk aimless laps around the inside of the store, knowing this is the last time they will ever be able to.

The sign on the outside of the door reads, “After 88 years, Ulrich’s will be closing its doors on October 31, 2022 … Go Blue Forever.”

It is not clear why the store is closing. Ulrich’s representatives, including store manager Tracy Buse, told The Michigan Daily they were unable to comment about the store closing. Ulrich’s has also

declined to speak with other local media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press and MLive, about the reason the store has decided not to renew its lease, which ends on Nov. 14, according to MLive.

The Daily spoke to several employees working their last shift at Ulrich’s on Monday and all of them expressed a shared sentiment of sadness and nostalgia. Still, they said they were not allowed to comment on the store’s closing.

The only public communication from the company about Ulrich’s shutting its doors has been on social media. About five weeks ago, Ulrich’s shared the news in an Instagram post.

“Ulrich’s Bookstore has seen many changes over 88 years and we have helped many young people start their educational journey each and every semester,” the post read.

“You’ve all been a part of our Ulrich’s story: past and present.”

Leann Fowler is the vice president of Follett Higher Education, a developer that purchases and operates campus bookstores across the U.S., which acquired Ulrich’s in 2015.

Fowler wrote in an email to The Daily that she has been grateful to collaborate with Ulrich’s over the years.

“Follett is grateful to have been a part of Ulrich’s story, and we’re thankful for the support from the University of Michigan campus community over the past seven years,” Fowler wrote.

Fowler said she was unable to respond to any further questions about the store.

BSU calls on UMich to increase support for Black students at Diag rally

Union demands

RACHEL MINTZ & CAROLINE WANG Daily Staff Reporters

The University of Michigan’s Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a public address event titled “More Than Four” Tuesday evening. Members at the event presented the organization’s four-point platform that aims to support and advocate for Black students at the University. The platform’s four points call on the University to increase Black student admission, combat anti-Blackness, improve DEI policies and to help make K-12 education more equitable.

University combat anti-Blackness, fund K-12 education to increase diversity

in 1970. The BSU has continuously demanded the percentage be proportional to the demographics of the state, where 14% of residents are Black.

Public Policy senior Kayla Tate stressed the importance of increasing enrollment of Black students and pointed to the University’s lack of support for Black students.

“It is the University’s strategy to present itself as a powerless victim to a racist and unjust society,” Tate said. “We know, however, that this institution is not a victim … At the hands of the University, Black students are harmed daily.”

focuses on it as ‘all minorities need the same thing.’”

The third point of the platform urges the University to rectify flaws in its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) plan, which Black students have previously expressed disappointment for the plan not adequately addressing anti-Blackness on campus. In their platform, BSU said they believe DEI initiatives are not effective because they do not sufficiently allow for Black students’ input to influence the development of University programs.

LSA sophomore PrincessJ’Maria Mboup said DEI needs to be created alongside students in order to fully address the needs of Black students.

“DEI is structurally top-down,” Mboup said. “That is exclusive to students, especially Black students. When the needs of Black students are not explicitly centered, they tend to be neglected.”

Former President Barack Obama rallied for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democratic candidates running for office in Michigan at Renaissance High School in Detroit Saturday afternoon.

At the event, titled “Get Out the Vote”, Obama delivered remarks for roughly an hour, talking primarily about the importance of electing Democrats and calling on the few thousand attendees to encourage their friends and family to go to the polls.

“These days, just about every Republican politician seems obsessed with two things: owning the libs … and getting Donald Trump’s approval,” Obama said. “They are not interested in actually solving problems.”

Former President Donald Trump visited Macomb Michigan earlier this month to campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon and other Republican candidates. He criticized Whitmer for her policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and her stance on crime and

abortion. Two hecklers attempted to interrupt Obama’s speech, the first shouting at him while he spoke about the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Paul Pelosi underwent surgery in San Francisco for a skull fracture and injuries to his arm. Another protester yelled in response to Obama’s discussion of rising inflation throughout the country. Both hecklers were escorted out by event staff.

Following the first interruption, Obama spoke about how it is important to remain focused on issues that matter to voters and to avoid getting distracted by partisan spectacles or becoming apathetic about politics, no matter how tempting it might be.

“We get distracted instead of focusing on what’s important,” Obama said. “I understand why people are anxious. I understand why you might be worried about the course of the country. I understand why sometimes it’s tempting just to tune out, watch football, watch ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ But I’m here to tell you that tuning out is not an option.”

Later Tuesday night, hours after the “More Than Four” address, BSU members found flyers they had posted around central campus torn down. These posters were promoting the “More Than Four” platform, leaving members of BSU and the campus community frustrated with a “continued disregard for the needs of Black students.”

The first point of the platform is increasing Black student enrollment. Currently, less than 4.2% of the University’s undergraduate student population was Black in 2021, which BSU said has not changed significantly from the percentage of Black students

CAMPUS LIFE

The second point of the platform demands the University to be transparent about the specific steps they are taking as an institution to combat antiBlackness on campus. At the rally, Business senior Taylor Smith, co-community outreach chair at the BSU, said the University continues to neglect the fact that all Black students have unique experiences with racism on campus and that the University has historically neglected their specific needs.

“Everybody else can sit here and just focus on their academics,” Smith said. “(Black students) have so many other things that we are dealing with, but the University

In October 2016, the University launched a five-year DEI plan — which was an $85 million investment — aimed at increasing enrollment of minority students and supporting socioeconomic diversity. During DEI 1.0, however, students questioned the effectiveness of the plan after multiple instances of hate acts occurred targeting Black and Jewish students on campus. Following the initial plan, the University announced they will launch a new DEI plan in fall 2023, nicknamed DEI 2.0.

Until then, the University is in a “transitional” phase between the two plans during which the U-M administration is evaluating the first plan and developing the next DEI strategic plan.

The fourth point of the platform calls on the University to work with local and state government officials to invest in addressing inequalities in public K-12 education, and to help close the opportunity gap for Black students in the K-12 educational system.

LSA junior Brooklyn Blevins said the BSU has sent their platform to U-M administrative officials, including University President Santa Ono and the Board of Regents. Blevins said BSU is requesting the U-M administration to meet with the organization.

“We expect a response in the form of a public statement as well as a scheduled meeting with the aforementioned parties and the Black Student Union to establish a strategic plan and subsequent measures of accountability,” Blevins said.

Roe v. Rape holds protest in support of reproductive rights

University of Michigan students rallied on the Diag Tuesday afternoon in support of reproductive rights and against sexual violence. Students gathered in front of the Hatcher Graduate Library to listen and participate in discussions with members of Roe v. Rape, the student organization that hosted the event.

Founded by U-M alum Emma Sandberg in 2019, Roe v. Rape advocates for reproductive rights on campus and assists survivors of sexual violence. Business junior Aditi Jain is one of the co-presidents of Roe v. Rape. She told The Michigan Daily that Sandberg launched the organization after having a bad experience filing a complaint with another university’s Title IX office in 2019 when she learned that pursuant to University policy, complainants at the University of Michigan were required to be cross-examined by her perpetrator. Effective Oct. 2021, University policy states cross-examination processes must now be mediated by an

advisor from both the respondent and complainant, but crossexamination is still required by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Michigan.

“When a survivor was hearing their case, their perpetrator could cross-examine them,” Jain said. “That means a victim would have to be interrogated by their rapist which is completely traumatizing and not okay at all. So (Sandberg) formed this to have a demand against that.”

During the rally, members of Roe v. Rape spoke about why they believe overturning Roe v. Wade has been harmful to a huge portion of the American population. In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade, effectively revoking the constitutional right to abortion and enabling abortion bans to take place.

Andrew Panter, Engineering senior and co-president of Roe v. Rape, spoke at the rally about how a lack of access to abortion care combined with sexual violence can create dangerous home life situations for many women and children, specifically.

“Roe v. Rape is focused on sexual violence, but it’s all too

clear how reproductive coercion can stack with these problems to not only oppress people, but further entrench them in their situation,” Panter said.

LSA sophomore Cory Plotzke, a member of Roe v. Rape, spoke about how the government took away reproductive rights from students by overturning Roe v. Wade and urged students to vote for candidates who will prioritize reproductive rights in the upcoming Nov. 8 election. The ballot includes Proposal 3, which restores reproductive freedom and prevents the prosecution of doctors for providing abortion care in Michigan.

Plotzke congratulated attendees for embracing political activism by coming to the rally.

“I want to outline the absolute importance there is in this upcoming election when it comes to securing our reproductive rights,” Plotzke said. “Let your political action begin (with) voting, volunteering and getting involved with events like this one.”

After the rally, Panter told The Daily how Roe v. Rape has worked to promote reproductive rights and combat sexual violence over the last couple of years. One of the

organization’s biggest projects has been helping to draft Senate Bill No. 497, which was introduced in the Michigan Legislature by state Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, in June 2021 and is currently in the legislative process. The bill would expand the Michigan penal code’s definition of “mentally incapacitated” to include people who willingly ingested mindaltering substances like alcohol.

“We think it doesn’t matter if you drink the alcohol on your own or someone (forces you to), you’re still mentally incapacitated,” Panter said. “So our proposed bill revises that definition to include more survivors of sexual assault and protect them.”

Panter said he feels the University’s current policies involving sexual violence are not enough to protect its students. He added that he is hopeful new University President Santa Ono will support survivors and work to prevent sexual violence on campus.

At the Board of Regents meeting last month, Ono pledged to create a central ethics, integrity and compliance office to help address sexual misconduct complaints.

Undergrads organize for increased support from ‘U’ in cases of sexual violence

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

LILA TURNER/Daily

‘Go Blue Forever’: Ulrich’s closes for good after 88 years in Ann Arbor

Obama rallies for Whitmer, Michigan Democrats candidates in Detroit

Campus community express sadness, nostalgia while closing reason remains unknown

Left-wing politicians advocate for getting out to vote, abortion rights

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

IRENA LI Daily Staff Reporter

LSA Senior and Black Student Union speaker Kayla Tate speaks at the “More than Four: the 4 Point Platform” rally Tuesday evening on the Diag.

Former President Barack Obama greets supporters with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after the Michigan Democrats’

Out the Vote Rally in Detroit Saturday afternoon.

JULIANNE YOON/Daily

JOEY LIN Daily Staff Reporter

UMich students discuss possibility of campus hauntings on Halloween

Modern

Building to the stacks of the Hatcher Grad Library, students chat ghosts, mysterious gusts

When asked about the most haunted place on campus, Business sophomore Daniel Austin was quick to name Stockwell Hall.

It’s finally Halloween, which means students at the University of Michigan have spent the weekend celebrating a Wolverine victory over the Spartan football team, watching Disney’s new “Hocus Pocus” sequel and telling spooky stories. As it turns out, some of those chilling tales may have taken place across the University of Michigan campus.

If you’re looking to avoid a ghostly scare while walking to class this Halloween, The Michigan Daily has got your back. We spoke to members of the campus community to hear what buildings and spaces on campus might be haunted.

While approaching students on the Diag over the past week, The Daily learned from about 10 students that the Hatcher stacks might be the spookiest place on campus, though the Samuel T. Dana Building, Stockwell Hall, Shapiro Undergraduate Library, the Modern Languages Building and various other buildings were also mentioned.

A couple of ghost stories about the University have stood the test of time, such as the ghost of Helen Newberry remaining at the Helen Newberry Dormitory Residence Hall, and television shows, like the show School Spirits. However, today U-M students base their decision on personal experience with eerie campus spaces.

“I know it’s Stockwell. I know there’s a ghost there. I will find it, in time,” Austin said. “I thought I heard there was a ghost, and I used to live in Stockwell last year. It’s just a creepy old dorm.”

LSA sophomore Isaac Lieberman disagreed. He is confident that the “stacks” of the Hatcher Graduate Library are the most haunted place on campus, citing unexplained occurrences and a strange feeling.

“It has to be the stacks of Hatcher,” Lieberman said. “I mean, you never know what’s around the corner. I could see a book falling off the shelf, I think it gets pretty haunted down there.”

Rackham students Liz Nichols and Jeff Dutter said the Dana Building is the most haunted campus space, explaining the history of the building as a part of the medical school, including a rumor that the basement of the building used to be a morgue.

“I’m down there like all the time. It totally looks like a morgue,” Nichols said. “It’s just really, like, stark white. (There are) weird old archways and everything. I feel like if there’s some weird energy (on campus), it’s probably in the basement of Dana in my opinion.”

Emma Volkert, a Public Health graduate student, said she has heard of many strange

stories around Ann Arbor and the U-M campus, though not all are entirely supernatural.

“My other creepy Ann Arbor (story) is (about) Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber,” Volkert said. He won a math award, so if you go to East Hall, his name is on a plaque.”

Kaczynski plead guilty and was convicted of killing three people and setting off bombs 16 times that injured an additional 22 people between 1978 and 1995. Before becoming the “Unabomber,” Kaczynski also attended the university as a student, earning his master’s and PhD in mathematics in the 1960s.

Though some students say there are places on campus that could be haunted, other students grapple with the question of whether they believe ghosts exist or not in the first place.

Volkert says she is unsure if ghosts exist because she has not had any paranormal experiences personally, while some members of her family have.

“I’m pretty much open to anything — hearing out anyone’s experience — I just haven’t had one of my own,” Volkert said.

“So I wouldn’t go as far to say that I’m a ‘believer.’”

Nichols said she doesn’t necessarily believe in the Ghostbusters-esque image of a ghost, but does believe there are spirits from those who have passed that remain in our world.

“I believe that a spirit can stay within a certain area and that if a super bad thing happened somewhere that energy kind of

stays within that place,” Nichols said. “But I guess I don’t really believe in (the idea that) when people pass away that their form is this lifeless, floating, haunting presence. Like, I don’t really believe in that, but I do believe in leftover spiritual energy.”

Engineering junior Matthew Weerakoon says ghosts aren’t real, in his opinion, and the depiction of a ghost that can move objects seems unrealistic to him.

“I do not believe in ghosts,” Weerakoon said. “I am a very scientific person, being an engineer. But I do believe in spirituality. I think ghosts are way too far of a line to believe in. To possess anything or to lift objects, like if people think they saw something levitating, I always think, ‘No, there’s no way.’”

Dutter said he believes in ghosts and said ghosts are an important part of storytelling.

“Yes, I believe in ghosts,” Dutter said. “I believe in myth and folklore, and I feel like ghosts are a huge part of telling stories, and I think you can be pretty loose with the term ‘beliefs.’ So I’m gonna just say that I believe stories I’ve been told about ghosts and how they’ve impacted my childhood and how they impact me now.”

While there are differing opinions on which buildings are the most haunted and whether ghosts are real, make sure to listen out for a ghostly howl or just that gust of wind outside your dark windows as Halloween approaches.

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DOMINIC COLETTI and KRISTINA ZHENG Managing News

ANNA FIFELSKI Daily News Editor

Three more men have been convicted in the 2020 plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Thirteen men were charged with aiding in the plot to kidnap the governor, two of whom were previously convicted in August.

Six of the men faced federal charges for orchestrating the plan.

Of the 13 men, seven were charged at the state level by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, including Paul Bellar, Pete Musico and his son-

in-law Joe Morrison. Two men were acquitted.

Following a probable cause hearing in March 2021, it was announced that Morrison, Musico and Bellar would not face charges for false report or threat of terrorism but would still be charged with gang membership, providing material support for terrorism and felony firearm.

After a three-week trial, Bellar, Musico and Morrison were found guilty in Jackson County for providing “material support” for a terrorist act as members of the Wolverine Watchmen. The three men were

also convicted on counts of gang membership and firearm violations. The three-week trial was the first of the state trials connected to the kidnapping plot allegations. Adam Fox and Barry Croft were federally convicted in August for leading the plot. In the October trial, the Michigan attorney general’s office had to prove Bellar, Musico and Morrison aided Fox or Croft in the plan.

The men each face up to 42 years in prison when they are sentenced Dec. 15. They were convicted of providing material support for terrorism, which carries a sentence of up to 20

years. They also face up to 20 years for gang membership and an additional two years for a felony weapons charge.

Whitmer thanked Nessel and the prosecution for the verdict.

In a press release, Nessel also praised the verdict.

“Make no mistake, the quick actions of law enforcement saved lives,” Nessel said. “We are pleased the jury clearly understood that. These defendants believed violence was an appropriate way to address an ideological grievance. Today’s verdict sends a clear message they were wrong.”

JARED GREENSPAN and NICK

The Michigan

NEWS BRIEFS

JENNA HICKEY/Daily

Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks at a NextGen America and MoveOn Political Action rally for youth voter mobilization at Rackham Auditorium Saturday ewwvening.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

CARLIN

A fund for doulas and a new Imagination Library: Five bills to watch this month

State legislature considers legislation funding scholarships, development projects

SAMANTHA RICH Daily Staff Reporter

Each month, The Michigan Daily publishes a compilation of bills in the Michigan legislature for students at the University of Michigan to be aware of. The following article explains five bills that have been introduced, passed or signed into law by the Michigan legislature or Gov. Gretchen Whitmer throughout the past month.

1. Creation of a birth doula scholarship fund

Status: introduced in the Senate

First introduced by state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, Senate Bill 1196 would create a scholarship program for birth doulas in Michigan. Birth doulas are trained paraprofessionals who provide emotional support and comfort throughout pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period.

Eligible individuals for the doula scholarship fund could receive up to $3,000 to help offset the costs of books, workshops, exam fees, membership fees and any other cost associated with the doula training and certification process, which can take up to two years. Those eligible for the program include anyone who would be unable to pay for doula training without financial assistance. Recipients must provide proof that they have completed or are working toward certification within six months of receiving the scholarship. The bill also includes a provision that would require the state to partner with community

RESEARCH

JOSHUA NICHOLSON Daily News Contributor

Dr. Jacob Allgeier, professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, employs a unique tool in his research on the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems: fish urine. He and the researchers in his Coastal Ecology and Conservation Lab use fish urine and artificial reefs to study aquatic ecosystem conservation and food insecurity.

Allgeier said his research aims to lay the groundwork for future solutions in conserving coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs and seagrass, which are under increased threat from factors associated with climate change and habitat encroachment.

“(Coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves) are disappearing at rates faster than pretty much any other system,” Allgeier said. “The rates of change are faster than any systems except maybe the Arctic, so they’re vastly threatened by climate change, development, fishing pressure, nutrient pollution.”

Allgeier said his lab focuses on methods of introducing necessary nutrients into these deficient ecosystems, landing on fish urine as a solution. Allgeier said fish are productive members of nutrient-

organizations and universities to publicize the program.

In a previous newsletter, Chang described her plan to introduce this legislation, which she said was conceptualized with the help of community partners.

“Over the past few months, I have been working with a number of mom and doula groups to develop legislation that would create a scholarship program for aspiring doulas,” Chang wrote. “Doulas play a critical role for many families — before, during, and after birth. I look forward to introducing this legislation soon.”

Doula care is not currently covered under Medicaid, but the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has proposed expanding it to reimburse Medicaid-eligible individuals for the cost of doula care. This proposal

has solicited two rounds of public feedback and hopes to take effect Jan. 1, 2023. S.B. 1196 was referred to the Committee on Health Policy and Human Services for further review.

2. Creation of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship Program

Status: signed by Whitmer

Introduced by state Sen. Kimberly LaSata, R-Coloma, in September and signed by Whitmer on Oct. 11, House Bill 842 aims to lower the cost of higher education by providing annual scholarships to any student whose family demonstrates financial need on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Starting with 2023 high school graduates, students can receive up to $2,750 annually for community college, up to $4,000 for private university and up to $5,500 for public university. According to a press release from Whitmer, this

program will provide some level of financial assistance to 94% of community college students, 79% of private university students and 76% of public university students.

Whitmer celebrated this bill as part of her MI New Economy plan, which was announced last year and focuses on increasing access to postsecondary education and housing, decreasing the cost of childcare and growing small businesses.

“Today, I am proud to sign a bipartisan bill to establish the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and lower the cost of college for the vast majority of Michiganders,” Whitmer wrote. “Let’s keep working together to meet the goals of MI New Economy and make Michigan a place where everyone can thrive.”

In the press release, LaSata praised the program’s focus on providing assistance for various educational pathways.

“These scholarships will allow more Michigan families and students to pay for career training at the school that best fits their individual career goals — whether that’s a trade school, a community college or a university,” LaSata wrote. “Expanding the eligibility of this scholarship to cover traditional classroom education, as well as hands-on training at a skilled trades academy, is a great way to both strengthen and diversify Michigan’s workforce.”

3. Additional investment in the Strategic Outreach Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund Status: signed by Whitmer

GOVERNMENT

Introduced by state Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, S.B. 844 appropriates a portion of the state’s $7 billion budget surplus for the SOAR fund, as well as additional site development projects. Created in December 2021, the SOAR fund started as a $1 billion economic development fund aimed at supporting small businesses and technology development and adaptation. This act provides an additional $846 million for SOAR and $873 million for grants for local economic development agencies, facilitating site development and upgrading and funding future investments.

In a press release, Whitmer said she believes this investment is crucial for Michigan’s economic future.

“The bipartisan legislation will help us grow, attract and retain businesses in Michigan, ensuring we can lead the future of mobility and electrification and bring supply chains of chips and batteries home to Michigan,” Whitmer wrote. “Our work on economic development is a testament to what we are capable of when we work together. Let’s keep putting Michiganders first and moving our state forward.”

State Rep. Matt Hall, R-Comstock Township, praised the creation of the SOAR fund in the press release and said he looks forward to its growth as a result of this funding.

“Creating the SOAR fund has been one of the country’s biggest economic success stories,” Hall wrote. “Instead of watching jobs leave our state, we took action to

bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back to Michigan. The next step is developing better sites around the state to bring in even more new jobs.”

4. Creation of the Michigan Imagination Library

Status: introduced in the House

Introduced by state Rep. Bronna Kahle, R-Lenawee County, H.B. 6431 would amend the Library of Michigan Act to create a statewide branch of singer-songwriter Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a nonprofit initiative launched in 1995 that provides free books for children to promote literacy. It would also create a grant program to match 50% of all funds for existing local Imagination Library affiliates.

Under the Michigan Imagination Library Program, families who register would receive one book a month for their child from birth through age five at no cost to the family. On Oct. 1, California Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a similar law to create a statewide Imagination Library, which is expected to launch in 2023.

A 2011 study by the Kellogg Foundation examined the impact of the Imagination Library program on children and families in Battle Creek, Mich. The study found that the program was successful in increasing children’s interest in reading, as well as facilitating family interaction and collaboration around reading.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Families, Children and Seniors for further review.

poor coastal ecosystems and their urine can be used to provide vital support to coral and seagrass.

“In these ecosystems, essentially the fish and the other invertebrates, they are providing the fertilizer through their excretion, through their waste products,” Allgeier said.

“Those waste products, largely fish pee, literally fertilize the ecosystems and allow them to be as productive as they are.”

In addition to researching the benefits of fish urine, Allgeier said his lab also works on the creation and development of artificial reefs.

“We construct the seagrass beds, and what happens is fish aggregate around the reef in high densities, and the pee nutrients really fertilize that local area from high density,” Allgeier said. “And that in turn enhances or jacks up the primary production, the seagrass around the reef, which provides more food and habitat for invertebrates, which provides more food for fish.”

The research will further the lab’s understanding on how the amount of fish in a local area affects the primary production — the creation of new organic matter by living organisms — of an ecosystem. Increases in the number of fish affect the primary production, invertebrates and the fish themselves, improving the overall health of the ecosystem.

Allgeier said coral reef conservation has positive effects on coastal communities which rely on the reef ecosystems. One focus of the research is using artificial reefs as tools to increase the productivity of fisheries, which would decrease food insecurity within local coastal communities. Currently, according to Allgeier, the population rates of tropical coastal communities which rely on fish are growing, leading to a decrease in food security due to overfishing. By placing artificial reefs on beds of seagrass, fish will fertilize the seagrass, which in turn will provide greater food and security to rebuild the fish population.

Rackham student Bridget Shayka, who also works in Allgeier’s lab, said it’s very important to ensure the artificial reefs used by the lab are placed in shallow areas available to coastal communities for two reasons.

“One is that seagrass also needs a lot of light, so it grows in shallow coastal areas,” Shayka said. “Plus we actually want the coastal communities to be able to access the benefits of these reefs. … We’re increasing the fish and invertebrate populations near the coast where the coastal communities can actually take advantage of that.”

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

JOSH SINHA Daily News Contributor

The University Central Student Government hosted a cross-cultural event Sunday evening to showcase performers from various cultural organizations on campus. Students shared personal presentations representative of their heritage, which included dance, poetry and instrumental performances. The acts were followed by a potluck among the student organizations, featuring food from around the world.

Engineering junior Maria Fields, organizer of the event, said she hoped that the celebration would provide a casual platform that would enable different student organizations on campus to share and celebrate their cultures with others.

“I realized that a lot of the communities are very active individually,” Fields said. “But there aren’t very many opportunities where we’re all coming together.”

The event included performances from various Asian, African and Middle Eastern cultural organizations, such as: rXn, Revolution Chinese Yoyo, Moli Dance Troupe, African Students Association, VeryUs, Iraqi American Union and Sinaboro.

Yousuf Altameemi, a senior at Wayne State University, attended the event in support of

the Iraqi American Union, and told The Michigan Daily that the presentations encouraged him to recognize commonalities between various cultural groups.

“I think it’s beautiful that we’re way far away from where we come from, yet we still hold the traditions,” Altameemi said.

EMMA SWANSON Daily News Contributor

North Star Lounge sits on the corner of Catherine Street and N. 5th Avenue in the heart of Kerrytown, Ann Arbor. Having opened on Oct. 1, the lounge is the third project for Phillis Engelbert, the owner and co-founder of the Detroit Street Filling Station.

Engelbert said this project was “very collaborative” and credited the success of the opening to help from friends, Detroit Street Filling Station staff and the Ann Arbor community.

“There’s layers of teams and managers and everybody has a say-so in terms of how things go,” Engelbert said. “People’s needs are always put first.”

This collaborative working environment seeps through the four walls of the North Star Lounge, from the locally sourced artwork to the cacti room upstairs. The room was originally intended to be New Orleans-themed, Engelbert said, but a happy accident occurred when the local builder said he could cut out metal sheets of saguaro, a treelike cactus species. From there, the

rest of the space was filled by cacti and desert decor.

The rest of the lounge still carries some inspiration from New Orleans. After going on a research trip with artistic director Andrew Brown and club manager Ryan Shay, Engelbert described what she hoped to incorporate in her own lounge.

“You’re walking down the street — let’s say you’re on Frenchmen Street (in New Orleans) — and there’s club after club with their doors open, and you can hear the music coming out,” Engelbert said. “You wander in and they have a bar and some really good music and it’s chill and it’s casual. You don’t need a reservation and you don’t need a ticket. You just sort of get drawn in and you have a good time.”

Live music is a crucial aspect of Engelbert’s vision. She said she hopes to expose people to new music that they otherwise wouldn’t have sought out. But at the same, she also likes to bring in bands and musicians that people know and love, such as Jerry Perrine, Sarah D’Angelo Trio and the Pheretones. Whether it be live or in between sets, when customers can pick songs on the jukebox, music constantly

flows out of the open doors and windows of the lounge. If a patron can’t find a seat upstairs, they can find additional seating downstairs by the bar and a TV, where they can watch a live stream of the music playing on the floor above.

If the ambiance of the lounge wasn’t enough to convince customers of its welcoming vibes, the bold words printed at the top of their website — “MUSIC. COMMUNITY. JOY.” — should do the job. Engelbert added that the lounge is also dedicated to supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Tuesday is LGBTQ+ night,” Engelbert said. “It’s fun to provide a space for the (LGBTQ+) community”.

Engelbert said creating community is an important part of the work she does. Even before she started running her own businesses, Engelbert said she always considered herself a community organizer in respect to her work in activism and with nonprofits. Now she carries that same model into her current projects.

JOSH SINHA/Daily

Design by Melia Kenny

Fish pee to save the reefs? UMich professor conserves coral with urine

to

The writers of The Michigan Daily do it all. On top of being college students with full course loads, they roll up their sleeves to consume media and write. For the entertainment of our loyal readership, The Michigan Daily has revitalized and revamped “Baked, Buzzed, Bored.” For the sake of journalism, three or more writers sacrifice their health and 3+ hours of their life to watch a TV show or film while either high (“baked”), drunk (“buzzed”) or sober (“bored”). This article was lightly edited to maintain the authenticity of the piece.

BAKED 1:

I really hope this movie has elton john music in it. I like Elton John right now

I hope that the fish is named chum and he is voiced by Chumlee from Pawn Stars

Megamind blue all the people at the school!

This movie had a more succinct origin than any other marvel movie

WAIT THE FISH IS DAVID CROSS THIS IS OK

Damn metro man has a codpiece tho Metro man and Megamind talking is like in The Batman when Robert Pattinson kept talking about justice

This movie has a soundtrack that screams my father.

I have just been told what coochie eyes are. Please educate yourselves.

He’s got little jammies.

Goddamnit

Why does Megamind need a hairnet? This movie is so mean to bald people

Megamind is very sad. This has made me sad.

Someone said Mega is dainty. I like that phrase!!

This movie makes villains out of gamers. Titan is a gamer and that is perfectly ok!

Is metro man actually metrosexual man?

Buzzed 1 has risen above their state to sing along to “Welcome to the Jungle”

I think Jim Carrey should’ve been him (Metro Man)

DAVID CROSS HAS DIED. I am so sad. How could they do this?

BAKED 2:

Buzzed 1 is making us watch Snotty Boy Glow-up as a precursor He’s in gay baby jail

WHY DID HE WINK QT THW

TEACHER

Metroman has MOVES market pliers

Buzzed 2 has this movie memorized and keeps finishing the lines with uncanny ability Her belittling him is kinda hot there’s like three-way tension between roxanne minion and megamind already Metroman’s overacting is so good here

Die Hal die

It’s amazing he still has a cape in pajamaz Bernard can get it why does he need a hairnet Megamind is his fucking dom

HAL STEWART IS A GREEN

LANTERN REFERENCE

Malewife Minion

Wheb will my wefwection show who i am inside

Everything Hal says is so welldesigned to piss me the fuck off Megamind’s Daddy material

LAURA MILLAR Daily Arts Writer

The story of “My Policeman” is an emotional telling of a tragic history regarding the mistreatment and criminalization of homosexuality in 1950s Britain. In her novel of the same name, author Bethan Roberts seamlessly transitions from one narrator to another, effectively portraying the passion and desperation of the love triangle at the center of the story: Schoolteacher Marion (Emma Corrin, “The Crown”) and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson, “The Road to Coronation Street”) both love the same man, policeman Tom (Harry Styles, “Don’t Worry Darling”), who is unattainable

BUZZED 1:

Something about Megamind is so indecipherably subversive. I find myself laughing at the idea of watching this film, but that feeling quickly turns to dust when the title card flashes. Never has a film so comprehensively deconstructed the hubris of man and tied it up in a gorgeously succinct blue-tinted, bigheaded ribbon.

If someone could let me know where Metroman gets his chin implants I’d be very interested to know.

Just learned that JK Simmons plays the Warden. This is more like “Whiplash” than I ever imagined it could be — the toxic, yet inescapable mentor-student relationship. Except the craft is doing crime, not playing the drums. And Megamind wins.

Thinking about the “I blue myself” joke from Arrested Development. Fits perfectly given that David Cross is the minion and Megamind is … blue.

Megamind and Minion saw Roxanne and said “we’ve been watching you from across the room and really dig your vibe. Want to be our third?”

Two beers plus one shot down. Somewhere between crafting prose and absolute beer mode.

This has the best writing I’ve ever seen in a kid’s movie … some would argue it’s not even a kid’s movie.

Jonah Hill got cast as the ‘ugly inside-and-out’ guy who they MODELED after his physical appearance and he just went with it.

I want to sink my teeth into one of those gold bars.

No one out-pizzas the hut.

Roxanne is so twee.

Best Marlon Brando tribute I’ve ever seen.

Mr. Blue Sky? More like Mr. Poop Sky.

Megamind kind of looks like Neil Patrick Harris?

Megamind has a soul patch, anything he says is out the window. Shoutout to all Mormons.

No one has farted yet. No one has farted.

Megamind is the only blue life that matters.

BUZZED 2:

You guys I’m so excited for this right now you have no idea Baked 1 goes “wait is this the guy from Elf?”

Baby Metroman was the blueprint for Boss Baby tell me I’m wrong [baby burbles]

Also this soundtrack is full of bops

I could honestly quote this entire movie word for word “His heart is an ocean that’s inside a bigger ocean” is my mom’s favorite line

If my name was Roxanne and somebody called me Roxaroo I would vomit.

MINION! YOU FANTASTIC FISH, YOU!

The spee-ider. I’ve been quoting on and off this

whole time and no one’s told me to stop yet

Potato tomato potato tomato Baked 1 has never seen this movie before and I’m so excited to see them react to the plot twist coming up

This movie was truly unappreciated in its time Tippy tappy tippy tap tap tip top more

AND MULTIPLY IT…BY SIX! no you can’t Vote Blue

Somebody said that Roxanne’s a simp for Metroman, but if anybody’s a simp it’s Hal The sexual tension in this elevator rn…

How much did they have to pay for that Karate Kid reference

Just realized the graffiti outside Megamind’s hideout says “go away no one lives here” and that made me giggle

Shtewart

Buzzed 1 just goes “oh my god… it’s snotty boy glow up”

Yeah. I’m like your space dad.

Here comes the knock off Mr Blue Sky

Can’t wait, LOL, smiley face.

Everyone is now arguing over whether or not this is in fact the real Mr Blue Sky (it is NOT)

Bored 3 is currently trying to explain to me what the Omegaverse is and something is telling me I’m glad I didn’t know this existed

What a brutal rejection.

Baked 2 is moaning and whispering “he needs love”

Watching him kick his little robot feet in the water while he waits. What a bean.

This one’s for Space Stepmom! You LIED to her!!!

The scene from the “no bitches” meme just happened and everyone cheered

Is Metroman’s monologue not an exact copy of the scene at the end of Over the Hedge Now I wanna do a BBB of Over the Hedge

I just asked everyone if they wanted to do an Over the Hedge BBB and they all cheered

Tightenville

Hal just did the Kubrick stare AND THERE IS NO QUEEN OF ENGLAND

Megamind wasn’t joking when he said “PRESENTATION” Everyone’s singing In the Heights rn

How did they actually make Megamind kinda look like Obama in those “no you can’t” posters Ollo.

Megamind just broke the fourth wall Mid credits scene??? Megamind in the MCU?!?!?!

BORED 1:

That (black hole) looks like a trombone a little

He’s in the CAN!

Why does the teacher have the hots for Metro Man

He looks like when you give a Sim blue skin

Megamind and the fish are definitely lovers

*Statue is unveiled* Aw, just like the David

It’s his dead body, actually I don’t know… OH!

He just single handedly defunded the police

Has he never seen a WINDOW? Would he run as a democrat or a republican?

This is just like when Bucky goes into the war museum and sees the Howling Commandos

And she’s not an investigative journalist? Julian needs to hire her right now

Daddy’s sorry for what?

MEN IN CROP TOPS!

Not the jorts! Not the jorts! You think I don’t listen to “Mr Blue Sky” three times a day and know exactly what it sounds like?

I’m sorry this looks like a scene out of Bee Movie

MILF but it’s Megamind I’d Like to Fuck

Yo Bernard’s jawline goes crazy

He got BALLED! Do you guys think Megamind is immortal

*All chanting in unison* THERE IS NO QUEEN OF ENGLAND!

She’s the kind of girl that would be like “Babe, look at me, this isn’t you” if Megamind got in a fight *Minion dying* Mr. Stark… I don’t feel so good

BORED 2:

Will Ferrell is megamind what the fuck how did I not know this Metro man is kind of an asshole as a baby Minion is an A-1 day 1

Have Megamind and Minion explored each others bodies Metro City being pronounced like atrocity is like testicles being pronounced like Hercules

Rest in piss Metroman bozo We’ve got a bottle blowing symphony in the buzzed section

If I dont have “evil overlord” on my nameplate, I’m going to do something to deserve it

Tightan is a gamer I hate this Tightan did the Kubrick stare!

The movie ended in a giant dance party I can die happy 10/10 better than the Godfather This movie said there was no Queen of England before she died ahead of its time Was it the real Mr. Blue Sky? The world may never know.

BORED 3:

Initial thoughts: I am afraid someone will find megaman sexy throughout the film

The prisoners raising megamind is kind of cute what the hell.

Megamind said “shool” and everyone immediately copied him like parakeets and i heard about 5 “shool”s… Life is amazing

Guys this is the Markiplier backstory by the way Btw the coochie eyes on this guy (megamind) are insane

Buzzed 2 knows this entire movie by heart i owe them my life Cheering for David Cross for the millionth time

I know this lady is hiding a big ass forehead under there

Metro man megamind enemies to lovers only one bed fanfic ao3 50k words WHEN?

I cant tell but megamind is giving major under 5’8 energy and i love short kings

My coochie eyes comment has received backlash but it’s okay i explained and everyone gets it now Seeing Bernard is crazy because i remember this one day on twitter maybe a year ago where everyone on my timeline wanted him carnally There is a fart brewing in that bed rn Minion as a mother can be somethign that can be so personal I have explained the omegaverse to Buzzed 2 and Suddenly i don’t feel sober

Overheard “Hal definitely listens to juice WRLD”

Megamind’s giant robot is so dainty and feminine

I think megamind could make an amazing animated crossed arms Youtuber persona if that makes sense

Megamind’s dainty hands We need to take Tina Fey out like Old Yeller

There is no Queen of England Everyone is singing hamilton (i think) I AM TRYING TO WATCH DAVID CROSS DIE yeah, he has a good like like like there I hate pronouns babe please give me a call

Final thoughts: this movie gets better every time i watch it thank you Michigan daily for the opportunity

to each of them.

I get nervous when I learn that a novel I like is heading to theaters. There are too many examples of book-turned-movies that are, to their respective fans, unsatisfying to say the least — “It,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Percy Jackson.” Would “My Policeman” render the same emotional grip on its audience as its novel?

“My Policeman” primarily takes place in Britain, where Tom begins dating Marion. Around the same time, Tom befriends Patrick after helping him deescalate a minor crime on the streets outside the museum. Patrick, being braver, older and wiser, seeks to seduce Tom, knowing well the dangers that may come if anyone — not to mention a police officer

— were to find out about his homosexuality. Tom marries Marion in an attempt at living a safe, ordinary life while pursuing Patrick in secret. Tom’s double life, Marion’s traditional values and Patrick’s passion become entangled in a tragedy where there can be no happy ending for all three.

While ultimately satisfying in its retelling, the flaws in “My Policeman” disrupt the flow of the story, particularly in the beginning. The film begins in present-day Marion and Tom’s beach home and flashes back to the ’50s soon after to develop their romantic relationship. Not nearly enough time is spent on this development — we see Tom ask Marion to be his wife after less than five dates, some with Patrick there. In the novel, Marion’s persistent first-

person narration establishes her obsession with Tom, their romantic relationship and her feelings toward Patrick. This perspective is missing in the first act of “My Policeman” — we don’t feel the same level of believability and tension when it comes to their dynamic as a love triangle, which also sets an unintentionally slow pace to start.

What saves the film from dragging and lacking in character development is the use of scene replays, which enhance the love triangle dynamics. For example, Marion is shown sitting next to Patrick, who is sitting next to Tom at an opera. Upon first glance, the three are happy. Marion smiles at Patrick. They all enjoy the show. The film then jumps back to introduce Patrick’s character

in relation to Tom, and this scene is replayed after we know about their relationship. This time, we see Tom’s pinky graze Patrick’s as Marion smiles at them, oblivious. These replayed moments partially save the character dynamics in their development of tension through the role reversal of Marion and Patrick in relation to Tom.

What I truly believe makes “My Policeman” a satisfying film adaptation is its ending. Without spoiling, I will say that the film dramatizes the final scene in just the right way. The novel ends quietly, and so does the film, but the latter is more emotionally resonant. I’m not usually a fan of film altering a story for its own benefit, but in this case, it is well done. We see Marion, Tom and Patrick in

a light we have not seen before, and it’s incredibly heartfelt. There’s something striking about actually seeing these characters in their old age after all that they’ve been through. When watching a film adaptation, it’s difficult to judge it separately from its original work. “My Policeman” is moving and meaningful and well-told on its own. In relation to the novel, it’s still all of those things. To me, that’s a sign of a satisfying adaptation, even if there were minor flaws in pacing and character development. At the same time, there will never be a movie that replicates what goes on in my head. Keeping that in mind, I enjoyed “My Policeman” just as much as I could for a movie where devastation is waiting at every turn.

Hal listens to Juice WRLD and xxxtentacion

HE’S A GAMER Hal is why gamers oppressed NO BITCHES???????? City parking is the real villain MARKI0LIER METROMAN HE’S A GIGGLY GUY LIKE ME MEGAMIND MLGNWATER TR8CK You’re white PENISNMUSIC CLIP we are n

Design by Leah Hoogterp

‘My Policeman’ is just as heartrending as the novel

We now live in a post-“Morbius” society. After its announcement in November 2017 by Sony, its first trailer in January 2020 and then its delayed release date of April 1, 2022 (in another world, it was just an April Fool’s prank), the Marveladjacent vampire movie starring possible cult leader/method asshole Jared Leto is something that now exists. It defies traditional description due to how incalculably odd the entirety of its existence has been: from inception to production to marketing to release and re-release.

Amid all of this were the memes: mockeries of Sony for thinking anyone wanted this, typical Leto horror stories from set as Sony kept making the movie despite the mockery, everyone seeing past Sony’s manipulations in teasing past Spider-Men in trailers and overhyping Morbius as a “new Marvel legend.” When it finally came out, “Morbius” was so predictably devoid of quality that the new joke was to give it ironic and absurdist praise. What was inspiring about the movement was that despite flopping on the first release, Sony interpreted the memes as actual demand. They re-released it in theaters, only for it to spectacularly re-flop. After Leto himself released a video reading a script entitled “Morbius 2: It’s Morbin’ Time,” the meme was declared dead. Now that the joke born out of anti-corporate revulsion had been embraced by the very company that birthed it, Morbin’ time was over.

However — like an undead creature of the night — the “Morbius” meme continued to rear its decaying head over every corner of the internet with nearly

every new cinematic release.

I remember seeing a review of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” after being disappointed and to my horror (a different horror from most times I read YouTube comment sections), every single comment displayed some variation of the “Morbin’ time” format. There’s a faint connection here — Doctor Strange’s multiversal adventures could semi-realistically tie themselves to Sony’s pathetic attempts at connecting “Morbius” to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But this excess of sardonic praise could be another symptom of superhero fatigue as Marvel and similar companies push out more and more content onto no-longer engaged audiences.

Maybe in another life, we would have been happy with “Morbius.” These hyperbolic expressions feel like tales from another world, a place somewhere in the “Morbiverse” where it miraculously did live up to Sony’s attempted hype. You know that feeling when a good film whisks you away into another world for

a few hours and you walk out into the parking lot, a bit changed from your time there? After the “Doctor Strange” sequel, I felt something I hadn’t before. Instead of being a usual escape, the film was a reminder of what was wrong with modern media. l was taken to a different universe, but it was a darker timeline that I didn’t want to be in. I flocked to that review like so many others, looking for sincere validation in my criticisms, only to find nothing but Morbin’ comments. When I saw and reviewed “Jurassic World: Dominion,” the feeling and the memes returned — and when I saw and reviewed “Thor: Love and Thunder,” I ended up fooling myself into thinking it was better than it actually was.

The Mandela effect is a phenomenon in which people strongly insist on cultural discrepancies and — like the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse — some believe it’s the result of parallel universes converging/ sharing information with each other. Of course, believe what you want, but gaslighting ourselves as

Design by Meghana Tummala

a society on such a massive scale seems to only be reserved for these Mandela phenomena. However, as I said, we now live in a post“Morbius” society. If the Mandela effect occurs when tiny aspects of the universe feel “off,” the “Morbius effect” is the feeling I’ve gotten from so much of the highlyanticipated art our modern society produces feeling “off” in the same way and falling flat. Inevitably, these mediocre projects circle back to the Morbin’ meme format and are thus raised onto a pedestal of irony, hyperbole and satire. I believe we all want the art we experience to be an amazing, lifechanging piece of media we’ll talk about for decades to come. There is only so much time in the world to experience art, and only so much space in our brains to internalize it and billboards to advertise it. Especially after the pandemic made moviegoing impossible for so long, it’s a letdown that so many of these post-COVID movies were below or shockingly just mid, at least to me.

The five spookiest artifacts from the Kelsey Museum Halloween Tour

JADEN KATZ Daily Arts Writer

This Saturday, the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology hosted its second annual “Spooky, Weird, and Magical: Halloween with the Kelsey” tour. Led by docent Robin Little, the tour explored a variety of objects from the approximately 1,500 on permanent display through the lens of Halloween. Before we began, Little made clear: “When I say weird, I don’t mean weird in a negative way. I mean unusual. I am not putting any value judgment on the word ‘weird’.”

Here are the 5 “weirdest,” or most unusual, artifacts we saw, along with explanations about their historical context, according to the tour.

1. A Cat Mummy

The Kelsey has a strict rule against any human remains within its collection; however, this policy does not extend to the domain of animals. Their collection currently includes a mummified hawk, baboon, cat head and entire cat (pictured above). In Ancient Egypt, animals were associated with certain gods, and cats were particularly powerful divine symbols. Many Egyptians wanted to have their pets buried next to them and as a result, many mummified animals have been found alongside the remains of their owners . But dealers were not always scrupulous, and the recent ability to x-ray artifacts has revealed that many animal mummies actually just contain random assortments of bones. It remains uncertain what remains are actually under this catshaped mummy.

2. Four Human-Headed Canopic Jar Lids

The Ancient Egyptian process of human mummification began with the removal of four internal organs: the lungs, the liver, the stomach and the intestines. Once the organs were removed, they were treated with various chemicals, wrapped in linen and then placed into canopic jars like the ones above. The jars were buried alongside the mummified body in their sarcophagus. Different jars were reserved for specific viscera and possessed specific magical properties.

3. Some Very Rusty Forceps

These forceps are an example of a medical tool that would be used to deliver babies in Ancient Rome. Although seemingly not the most hygienic instrument, they allowed practitioners to reach areas they could not with their fingers alone. Forceps came in various forms and could be used for various other purposes, such as extracting tumors or even cosmetic surgeries. Romans would often accompany such medical practices by taking votives of certain body parts to shrines in hopes of receiving prayers for healing.

4. A “Demon Bowl”

“Demon Bowls,” also known as “incantation bowls” from the Parthian Period in modern-day Iraq, were an ancient alternative to demon busters and an example of early practical magic. The bowls were used as a protective measure to lure and then trap demons or ghosts, although they could also be used to summon one for help. Since the majority of people were illiterate, the spells were often illegible. Recent research has even suggested that the spiraling magical inscriptions were gibberish or “pseudo script,” so we still do not know what they mean to this day.

‘Scorn’ is a fleshy nightmare I’m glad to wake up from

Do you remember going to Halloween parties as a kid where someone made you close your eyes and feel a bowl of peeled grapes, telling you they were eyeballs? Or that a bowl of spaghetti was a bunch of brains? Each thing you touched was a vile mystery, making you both disoriented and disgusted. This is the kind of horror that sticks with me longer than any jumpscares or haunted houses: the psychological terror of the unknown.

Developed by indie team Ebb Software, “Scorn” understands this type of horror well, using it to immerse players in its nightmarish world. The game begins with your character disconnecting themself from some sort of parasitic machine, and from there you are free to roam around. There’s no explanation for where you are or who you might be, but you can gather from your surroundings that you must be in some version of hell.

The environment of “Scorn” is both beautiful and disturbing. There are towering cathedrals, twisting stone staircases and strange operating rooms with menacing buzzsaws and brainscooping devices. The game takes heavy inspiration from the works of H.R. Giger, the legendary artist who designed the xenomorphs from the “Alien” franchise. As you traverse through the world, his self-described “biomechanical” art style is brought to life with fleshy cobwebs hanging from every ceiling and strange red, pulsing tubes reminiscent of intestines running along the floors.

The game’s sound design is another great addition to the atmosphere. An ambient soundtrack accompanies you as you explore, which starts to sound like white noise as time goes on. This gives the game a very womb-like feeling, which is perfect considering your

surroundings. Strange groaning noises and muffled shouts help to guide you along your way, although their sources aren’t always clear; then again, not much in “Scorn’”s world is.

As you wander around you’ll find strange devices to interact with, but you’re left completely in the dark as to what they do.

A lot of these are levers that require you to insert your fingers into sinewy slots to pull them, allowing you to control something in the room. This might be a giant crane that helps you move an object or a drone that flies around. The game’s main objective lies in trying to figure out how to use these devices to unlock a path to the next area. I don’t know what it is with horror games having some of the most frustrating puzzles known to man, but some of the ones in here really tripped me up. I’m no stranger to weird puzzles, but I spent over 20 minutes on one in particular that required me to spin a series of stone dials until I aligned them all perfectly. Although I understand that “Scorn” is supposed to make you scared and confused, this just broke my immersion and made me want to bang my head against the wall.

If the world of “Scorn” is compelling enough for you to get immersed in, you’ll enjoy your play-through exploring every squishy nook and squelching cranny. But if you are expecting a gory romp through hell like in the latest games in the “Doom” series, you’re going to be disappointed. There is some combat, but the sloppy mechanics make for an experience too frustrating to enjoy. While the clunky combat in horror games like “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill” adds to the horror by making the player feel helpless, it feels like an afterthought in “Scorn.” Thankfully, you can usually avoid the headache of having to fight by

HUNTER BISHOP Daily Arts Writer

For the past three years, my sister and I have been sporadically watching “Dawson’s Creek.” Through intermittent binge periods we’ve borne witness to the epic highs — Dawson’s (James Van Der Beek, “Varsity Blues”) caricatural memeified crying face — and lows — Joey (Katie Holmes, “Batman Begins”) and Pacey’s (Joshua Jackson, “Fringe”) inexplicable break-up — of what is now a teen TV legend. With its small-town setting of Capeside, Massachusetts, obscure film references and mildly pretentious dialogue, the show was a certified hit in its heyday. Recently, we reached a new milestone while watching season five: the dreaded college years.

Maybe it’s simply the wear and tear of one too many seasons or the destabilizing shift in environment, but something in the teen TV blueprint seems to set this phase up for failure. With long-running shows, first seasons get bogged down by expository set-up, superficially hindered by

RAMI MAHDI Daily Arts Contributor

David Lynch would be very upset with the 2020 version of me. 2020 Rami, trapped in his little suburban basement, had no access to a high quality screen. He had no access to a state of the art sound system. He had no blurays of the latest films. What he did have was his laptop, a shoddy pair of headphones and a website whose legality was questionable. What should have been a viewing experience characterized by a chamber of rumbling sound and overwhelming visuals was … decidedly not that. For most movies, this wasn’t a problem.

The fatal flaw of teen TV

a lack of emotional attachment or familiarity with the characters.

Early middle seasons tend to hit a sweet spot; the characters are worth rooting for, the plot is not yet overly convoluted and everything is heightened by the freshly rejuvenated sophomore effort. But the post-high-school season? That’s the make-or-break moment. The litmus test of truly enduring teen television.

A few episodes in and it was painstakingly obvious that the show had fallen short of the mark. Faltering at the sight of a Capeside-less horizon, it haphazardly made substantial tonal shifts to compensate.

Dawson’s Hollywood director dreams were hastily crushed and not even the addition of comedic mediator Busy Phillips (“Freaks and Geeks”) could save the show from this inevitable slump or its bright-eyed characters from reckoning with reality. Diverting the show’s original focus after four seasons felt futile, especially when it’s been built upon a very specific period of adolescence, of the simple everyday dramas that absorb the monotony of smalltown teen life.

But this is no isolated incident. As seasoned teen TV viewers, this failure to smoothly transition into adulthood was hardly surprising for my sister and me. The posthigh-school season decline has never been the exception but rather the hard-and-fast rule. But why is this the case? Why not go out on a high note? Why do countless shows give college the old college try, only to taper out into mediocrity and self-dug plot holes a season or two later?

One fast, easy explanation is money. Prior to the streamingservice era of the last decade, long-running shows were the norm, sustained by primetime slots that could draw in viewers week after week regardless of stale plotlines or tired punchlines. Exhibit A: Despite the dip in quality of “Friends” in its later seasons, each of the main cast was taking home a million dollars an episode. So that’s one very obvious incentive to keep a show going long beyond its lifespan.

Another answer lies in the fact that the CW — arguably the most notable teen TV network of the 2010s — was notorious for

stringing out kernels of successful TV ventures for far too long. Take “The Vampire Diaries,” for instance. The first few seasons were fantastic, but the decision to swap out Mystic Falls High for Whitmore College was a doomed one. Seasons five and six were

sub-par, but once Nina Dobrev (“Love Hard”) left, they really should’ve pulled the plug. Instead, they chugged on for another two seasons without their main character, and it got pitiful to watch. Those endearingly absurd supernatural plotlines began to

Tenet,’ ‘Dark’ and the death of character

“The Father,” “Minari,” “Sound of Metal” and the outstanding “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” survived the neolithic conditions of my basement to leave some kind of impact in my mind.

This technique, surprisingly enough, did not work when I watched Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” a movie equal parts ambitious and ill-timed. Instead of delaying his bombastic summer blockbuster, as pretty much every other filmmaker did in the middle of the greatest public health crisis since 1918, he valiantly pushed on to theaters. How could you blame me for sailing the high seas to watch it on my little PC? My tiny setup took a lot away from the film. Gone were the garish visuals and

sensory overload. What remained? Not much. Nolan presented some neat concepts. There were some funny lines. But at the end of the day, nothing in the movie mattered to me. The strange monologues, the “twists,” the batshit insane final fight. It all felt empty. Maybe I wasn’t a movie guy. Or maybe I just needed to watch “Tenet” in theaters. About a week after watching “Tenet,” I moved to the oft-mentioned sci-fi drama “Dark” on Netflix. Focusing on a German teenager’s journey through time and, ultimately, a journey to find himself, the show is undeniably impressive. Its plot was as intricate as a Fabergé Egg, with thousands of small features and moving parts that constantly

wowed. There were twists and turns and moments I never expected. The show’s tangled web of characters and family trees were organized, seemingly seasons in advance, to build a wide tapestry out of its strange timeline. But funnily enough, the same problem I had with “Tenet” re-emerged: After 26 hours of sci-fi drama, I didn’t care. By the third season, I had seen nearly every character die multiple times, I had seen the central town get time-nuked (do not ask) four times, I had seen a child bludgeoned by a rock (twice) and two separate incestuous family loops. Time after time after time, the show found ways to subvert all expectations to shock and awe, but it failed to be shocking.

How could two separate works of fiction, one focused on spectacle and the other on plot, contain the same core problem? It’s simple: Neither contains human beings. Sure, they looked like people. They grinned, frowned, cried, laughed and died. They went through all the motions, but that didn’t make them human, just human-shaped.

“Dark”? Every single thing he does in the show he does because he’s told. Admittedly, he does have one leg up over Washington’s character: There are people around him he cares for. His father, his girlfriend, his missing friend and his mother (Fun fact: two of those are the same character). But does he actually care? Does he do anything to show that he cares, other than cry on command when they’re hurt? After his girlfriend, who is supposedly the only one keeping him happy, is murdered for the first time (do not ask), what does he do? Does he look for revenge? Does he try to go back in time to resurrect her? Does he fall into some kind of depressive haze? Does he do literally anything other than following the same instructions he was already executing? For all of the above, the answer is a resounding no. Every other “character” in both

The Road to Zero Emissions

Buses

Take John David Washington’s (“Malcolm & Marie”) character in “Tenet” — the Protagonist. Who is this guy? Is he kind? Does he care about others? Is he an optimist? Does he have goals besides doing what he’s told? Nope. Minus some occasional snark, there’s not even a hint of personality in him. How about Jonas (Louis Hofmann, “Red Sparrow”), the protagonist of

ANNABEL CURRAN Daily Arts Writer

Public Meeting Information:

Date: Tuesday, November 15th

Virtual Meeting via Zoom: Time: 12:00 p.m.– 1:00 p.m.

In-person Meeting: Time: 6:00 p.m.– 7:30 p.m.

Location: Washtenaw County Learning Resource Building 4135 Washtenaw Ave. Ann Arbor, MI 48108

Visit

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“Dark” & “Tenet” is the same. They move where the plot dictates. They have beliefs but no traits. Ideas but no feelings. The worst part? This wasn’t accidental. Washington’s character isn’t just the protagonist of the movie, he’s officially credited as “The Protagonist.” Nolan absolutely understood what he was doing here. There was too much going on in “Tenet”: strange concepts, an unhinged plot, gaudy visuals. Something had to give, and the chosen lamb for Nolan’s proverbial slaughter was character. “Dark” functions similarly, as an auxiliary storytelling device.

Netflix created an online character guide for viewers. Instead of recording any characters’ personal aspects, there were paragraphs chronicling their importance to the plot.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Ever since the arrival of the Star Wars franchise to Disney+, the streaming platform has been churning out new TV shows almost faster than fans can request them. From the recent addition “Andor” to the fanfavorite “The Mandalorian” that brought us baby Yoda, the Star Wars universe proved itself to be — for better or worse — everexpanding. While the abundant additions to the Star Wars world have received a bundle of mixed reviews, the latest series proved to be, without a doubt, a resounding success. “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” is the perfect deep dive into unseen moments from “Star Wars” history, giving viewers a glimpse into the past of beloved characters with an ideal balance of surprise character cameos and critical backstory.

A six-episode mini-series, “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” consists of a series of vignettes that tell the stories of two characters on opposite sides of the rebellion: fan favorite padawan Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”) and Jediturned-Sith Count Dooku (Corey Burton, “The Book of Boba Fett”).

With three of the six episodes dedicated to each character, “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” fills in the blanks left by the past stories of the Clone Wars and the Star Wars series as a whole. The story follows each character from different pivotal points in their lives pre-imperial takeover, with Ahsoka’s arc ranging from infancy to her time as Anakin Skywalker’s padawan and Dooku’s following his break from the Jedi Order.

Each story is told in short episodes of about 15 minutes, making the content easily digestible and thoroughly action-packed. While each installment is short, the content is impactful, serving to expand upon the nuances of the characters and institutions of the “Star Wars” universe in a way that full-fledged shows, and even movies, could not. In addition to the surprising depth of the show’s brief anecdotes, fans of the franchise are also blessed with brief yet beautiful cameos from other favorite characters such as Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson, “Memory”), Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor, “Johnny Test”) and Jedi Master Yaddle (Bryce Dallas Howard, “Jurassic Park”). The introduction of these classic characters into the narrative paints a picture of the relationship dynamics between

crucial characters that we didn’t get a full glimpse of in the original “Star Wars” series, making the short series feel fully developed and complete.

Perhaps “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’”s biggest accomplishment is its dissection of the familiar institutions and politics of the original series — a large undertaking that the show handles with grace. In chronicling the adventures of two very different characters with diverging paths, the show is able to explore two opposing sides of an ongoing conflict in a surprising amount of detail. In the episodes of Dooku’s story arc, we see a growing breach between himself and the Jedi Order caused by more than just the Empire’s evil influence. With each episode and Jedi mission, the questionable politics of the Jedi order are made apparent through Dooku’s eyes as he comes face-to-face with the destructive effects of the Order’s political neutrality on the people of the galaxy. While a deep exploration of social class and intergalactic politics isn’t something you might expect from an animated mini-series, “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” certainly delivers.

feel less excitingly shocking and more messily strewn together as a result of grossly repetitive writing. Even if Dobrev had stuck around, it already had one foot in the proverbial coffin.

Design by Tye Kalinovic

‘Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’ is the perfect addition to the Star Wars universe

Design by Abby Schreck

Michigan in Color

In Solidarity with the Black Student Union: “More Than Four” and the fight for Equity

On Tuesday night, posters read ing “Care about Black students?” were thrown onto the concrete throughout the University of Michi gan’s Central Campus. Mere hours after an emotionally powerful and unifying gathering of Black U-M students in support of radically chal lenging the University’s policies and handling of the Black experience, the Black student body is reminded of the University’s true disposition: one of disregard, disrespect and out right rejection. That an anonymous member of the community felt it an appropriate representation of the campus to vandalize protest mate rial suggests a campus-wide tacit approval of systemic silencing.

On Nov. 1, the Black Student Union at the University of Michi gan published their list of urgent demands for the University of Mich igan President and Board of Regents. Titled “More Than Four,” the docu ment outlines the organization’s

current political platform, which is focused on unilaterally improv ing the status of Black students at the University. The BSU also orga nized a public address at which the demands were read to the student body on the steps of the Hatcher Graduate Library. The posting of the platform on social media was met with a positive response, and the address drew a crowd of BSU mem bers and allies alike.

“More Than Four” details a fourpoint platform tasking the Univer sity and its administration with actionable items to combat issues faced by the Black student body. The platform identifies the following issues for the University to address:

1. Increasing Black Student Enrollment

2. Explicitly Combating AntiBlackness

3. Rectifying the structural flaws of DEI that systemically neglect Black students

4. The University’s Social Respon sibility to Invest in the Public Good Through K-12 Education

The BSU cites statistics from Uni

versity studies in order to make their case, such as the stagnation of Black enrollment around 4.2% for the last decade (the administration having reneged on their half-century-old promise of 10% enrollment), and that Black students reported hav ing the worst campus experience among all social identities in 2017.

“For me, (the platform) means increasing equity and advancing social causes. Overall what we’re seeking is greater equity, not only within the walls of this institution but outside (as well),” Public Policy senior and BSU Speaker Kayla Tate (she/her) said. “The fourth tenet addresses that, and aims to cultivate a broader talent pool of competitive applicants who can attend this Uni versity.”

Expanding upon that, LSA senior and BSU Programming co-chair Russell McIntosh (he/him) stated that the platform represents “an expectation of the University to confront its complicity in certain systems that have made (education) inequitable for Black students.”

The address was prefaced by an

hour of community discussion at the Trotter Multicultural Center, where members of the BSU execu tive board briefed students in atten dance of the platform and then held an open dialogue. Students men tioned grievances that resonated with many in the room: the inad equacy of pre-college programs (Wolverine Pathways, for example) in terms of funding and securing enrollment, the lack of recruitment

The joys of missing out

and now, move on quickly before you miss out!

Are you sure you wanna read this? Are you absolutely sure devoting your undivided attention to these next 2,000 words is worth your precious time? Cause for Christ’s sake, there’s laundry to be done! Assigned readings, hoards of homework to complete and you might work soon, have plans at noon, need to leave in 20 cause you gotta go to the gym, or go meet up with him, her, them, and then, there’s probably a couple hundred other unfinished tasks to still ful fill in the back of your mind, while time obstinately unwinds as you find yourself slowly itching to close this tab, turn from this page,

Yeah. We’re all familiar with FOMO, aka the fear of missing out. We tend to associate it with social occasions, seeing it often as the occasional missing out on a party, performance, club, con cert, family event or function. In reality, however, our feelings of FOMO are much more ingrained, much more deeply felt day-to-day in a collective culture whose base line behavior operates from fear. We might feel the fear of missing out from missing a single class of a course, missing a single workout during a week, missing a shift of work, a deadline, any and every affair where we feel like our pres ence is better suited in an other “there” than wherever we are in

the moment.

Death is at the crux of every fear, rearing its wicked head, lead ing me to believe that our culture’s falsely construed fixation on the fear of missing out is most closely tied to our intertwining fear(s) of biological and socio-cultural death. Our increasing seculariza tion has taught us to fear death as a result of our ongoing after-life apathy. Now, every instance of iso lation is an evanescent eviscera tion. Paralyzed by the possibility that the world can — no — that the world will go on without us, our egoistic desire to be important impedes the all-encompassing realization of our impermanence. And it is absolutely egoistic, this desire, that damns us to a world of perpetual haste, unrelenting wor

ries about time “wasted,” compul sively primed social media usage and the constant idea that we should be doing some thing, some where, elsewhere, always. We think, if I don’t do this, how else will people know I exist? How else will they know I mat ter? And if I don’t matter to oth ers, do I even matter at all? All our separating, individualizing ego leaves us to do is chase so chroni cally an everlasting differentiation from others. Earnestly, we draw upon the energy of Else, errone ously inflating our sense of Self. Without a firm solid grounding in Spirit, we sprint to evaluate our worth via others ofttimes through the nescient, worldly lens of nor mativity. So similar is the theory of the looking-ass, sorry, looking-

of diverse students or initiatives that increase the University’s exposure to underserved communities and an erasure of Black culture and activism on campus, to name a few. Students also reflected that Ann Arbor as a whole similarly does not reflect the state of Michi gan’s racial demographics, further ostracizing Black students and creating additional barriers for them to find community: whereas

the state population is 14.1% Black, Ann Arbor is half of that at 7%. The BSU e-board stressed that, while the platform does provide some general recommendations for improving the campus climate, the onus of improvement lies squarely on the University and that it shoul ders the responsibility of living up to its own expectations and poli cies.

This is far from the first instance of the University being critiqued on its DEI programs and initiatives. After nearly two decades of Supreme Court chal lenges and a reversal of Michigan’s affirmative action policies, the University continues to struggle in cultivating a diverse campus through race-blind efforts alone.

Citing difficulty in increasing the Black student population through metrics such as socioeconomic status, Michigan continues to hide behind the banning of affirmative action as the primary reason for a decrease in minority enrollment.

glass self in which we tend to base our sense of self on the perception of others. Our current collective spiritual deficiency makes it dif ficult for us to be alone, to resist the lure of our feeble vices, of our phones and electronic devices, since when left to our own (ana log) devices, we are, now, ruth lessly unable to recognize the abundant Source endowed within us by our Creator. Should we tap into our Creative power and opt to operate not from worldly timelines of lack, pain and fear, but instead, from a flowing, ever-presencing meeting of the moment, then we would more keenly know, feel and re-call our divinity on the daily, our arriving towards destiny and the revolving remembrance that every minute is

alive with meaning, purpose and prosperity.

It is this knowing as feeling through re-calling allowing us to realize that there is, in fact, an abundance of joys to missing out — since in reality, we are never miss ing out — in the moment. In the moment, at this moment, we are all always arriving at our destina tion, on the path toward collec tive liberation, transcendence and oneness. We may take detours as the damning dictates of late-stage capitalism may curtail. Neverthe less, every single one of us, by vir tue of being alive, is — more or less — righteously moving along on the way to our final destiny.

This is why the fear of miss

Ankitha Donepudi/MiC

Stephen Warner plays the historic Barton Organ during the film.

KARIS CLARK MiC Columnist

A body or a cage

As a child, I used to think that the human body had a limited supply of skin. After seeing pic tures of skin layers in a first-grade textbook, I thought that every time I scraped my knees on the pavement a different layer of skin was revealed. I used to ask myself all sorts of questions. What would happen when I reached the last layer? Was it just one thin sheet of skin holding muscle, sinew and bone together? After that, would I finally unravel? The image of flesh escaping skinless gaps in my body made me develop a deep fear of falling and tearing my skin. I started living my life with my head down, carefully watch ing the cracks of the road, mak ing sure I didn’t take a wrong step. Regardless of my caution, I still fell and fell often. Being so young, I just laughed it off and became known as the clumsy kid. As time went on, I continued fall ing, started struggling with basic movements and injuring myself a lot more. Eventually, my doctors realized that my health was being compromised by more than mere clumsiness.

At the age of five, I was diag nosed with hypotonia, a condition of low muscle tone that affects my large motor skills and makes cer tain bodily functions harder. I can walk and function at a basic level, but everything is paired with extreme fatigue and constant pain. For most of my childhood, I understood my differences, and quite frankly, I wasn’t ashamed of them. When I moved to India for four years (from ages 9 to 13), I played sports for hours and hours with my friends in the tropi cal heat. I got laughed at and we joked around about my rather obvious lack of athletic ability — but throughout it all, I was never embarrassed. While it was a lot harder for me to explain my dis ability in India (considering the societal habit of ignoring hard-todescribe circumstances), I always found it easier to simply live a normal life.

I was growing up in a country

where politeness didn’t live up to western standards and unsettling directness was more common. Living in India made me develop incredibly thick skin, because if I did not display a certain level of confidence, I would have been trampled over by rude comments very easily. Even when people had something to say about my dis order, I was confident enough to shut it down right then and there (with my freshly developed set of Hindi curse words, of course). It wasn’t until I moved back to the states that I understood that feel ing embarrassed is a consequence of Western societal norms. In India, I mostly experienced dif ferentiation to my face so it was easier to respond to compared to the more implicit attitudes I observed from people in the Unit ed States. While humiliation may not seem like something cultur ally unique, it certainly felt that way to me when I experienced the subtleties of ostracism instead of the direct remarks I was accus tomed to.

As I grew up, my need to pro tect myself started manifesting differently. Instead of hiding my weakness by pretending it didn’t exist, I projected a cold exterior so people wouldn’t believe that any debility was even plausible.

“She could probably beat you the fuck up, Danny”

In a high school game of Para noia with 10 other guys, they somehow all decided that I was most likely to fight someone — and win. This type of interaction was hardly uncommon for me. Maybe in my fear of being seen as weak, I started to project some strength that I simply did not possess. Or maybe I like to think that I had any control over how I was per ceived. The dissonance between my internal identity and external perception makes me feel quite like a little girl playing dress up in her mother’s adult clothes. I patch wounds from my childhood with this desperate excuse of maturity because I never got the chance to heal.

It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that my doctor told me hypotonia is only a symptom of an actual disorder, which meant

that I had lived 18 years having no idea what was actually “wrong” with me. After a series of tests in 2021, I was diagnosed with ADSSL 1 Myopathy, a mutation of the ADSSL1 gene. Unsurprisingly, this disease is unfamiliar to most people because it is an ultra-rare muscular disorder that also hap pens to be progressive. After 19 years of living with an unnamed burden, I was told that there was a chance I could lose my mobility and any vision of my future life. When my parents told me about my diagnosis, they also told me about their grand plan to find treatment. Since my brother has the same disorder and his symp toms were progressing faster than mine, my family had a valid rea son for being concerned. Despite the rationality of their treatment plan, my first instinct was to tell them that I wanted nothing to do with it. I was sitting at the kitch en table the morning after my flight from Ann Arbor and was somehow being bombarded with this plan for a foundation, gene therapy and fundraising efforts. Their plan relied on going out to the world with my “story,” but just the mere thought of seem ingly having to grovel for pity disgusted me. I had spent those prior three months entering my college life and developed unbri dled ambitions and hope. That all changed after a five-hour flight and, expectedly, I couldn’t really process anything, so I decided to distance myself from it com pletely.

I spent my Thanksgiving break driving to one hospital after another. Despite knowing that my parents were doing all of this for me, I started to hate everything about it. I didn’t want to talk about what was wrong with me because then I would have to actually admit that there was something wrong in the first place. When things go wrong in my life, I choose to fold those thoughts and memories neatly into far-to-reach compartments in my mind. Talk ing about my disease unwinds all that ordered chaos until there isn’t any order, just simple chaos. The last thing I wanted to think about was my body. The body of a

woman, a brown woman, a brown disabled woman. Using the word disability seemed unimaginable at the time because it literally sig nifies the lack of something, and I liked to pretend that I lacked nothing in my life.

Ever since my diagnosis, this disorder has consumed my parents’ lives. On top of their full-time jobs, they started a nonprofit, found a research team and met dozens of scientists on a daily basis. Yet when I had to hear about it on every phone call with them, somehow I only felt annoyed. I was annoyed by how much their efforts had grown and by how much more I would have to think about it. I was even more annoyed that I knew my anger was misplaced because my parents were pushing themselves for my brother’s and my sake. Slowly, it became an ever-present thought in my head. Walking to class, I would constantly wonder if I walked strangely. Going up the stairs, I would lower my head because I didn’t want anyone to see my face flush bright red. I was embarrassed and exhausted by my life being devoured as both my mind and body corroded.

[Although I am fatigued when working with my family and professionals, I would like to recognize the privilege I have to explore possible treatment options, since this isn’t the real ity for many disabled individuals.

My experience with disability has been impacted by my privilege and access to resources, which is not an accurate reflection of other experiences those with disabili ties share.]

The feeling of not being able to have any control over my body started to make life seem mean ingless. Constantly wondering if my muscle would freeze up at any given moment and if so, would anyone around notice? My broth er encouraged me to be upfront with other people in my life; I didn’t know how to tell him that was impossible for me. I was sup posed to be confident and fearless for everyone else’s sake. All of that would crumble if people found a reason to pity me. I have spent 20 years now building this person — someone named Shania, some one I know intimately, someone with handpicked traits created to appear unfazed by the world. She is my exterior, a strong one at that, but if you get close enough you can see the cracks that look in on me — someone I don’t want to be.

I may use the past tense to dis cuss these feelings, but in reality, I still feel all of this today. Fear, humiliation and frustration exist every moment of my life. I’ve only gotten better at pretending it doesn’t. I don’t have a solution, but I’m motivated to search for one. The pain I see in my fam ily motivates me to find a reason to accept my situation, because

changing it would be harder than making my peace.

My journey to accepting my disability exemplifies the need for larger discourse around the inter sectional implications of disabil ity. The conversation regarding intersectional identities through the lens of disability is lacking.

Part of that is because it’s hard for a lot of people, myself includ ed, to even realize the intersec tional implications of having a disability. Deconstructing our social impressions of disability as a monolith is the first step to destigmatizing our experiences. I would like to believe that reduc ing the association of weakness with a disability is how we begin widening social spaces for dis abled people. My own experience with struggling to be perceived as weak demonstrates just a small example of this.

I haven’t found a way to dis rupt this association because I still live thinking that I am weak every day. What I can offer is a perspective; an experience that is raw, slightly unhinged, but all the while authentic. I don’t have a way to beautify my life or present a final conclusion to my mental hardships. However, realistically, that’s the struggle of internal ized stigma. It isn’t pretty and it doesn’t end, but I hope that at some point I can coexist with my disability without being entirely consumed by it.

Practical bedtime stories and feelings you can’t name

CLAIRE GALLAGHER MiC Columnist

Five years old Diana had to pry her mother’s bedtime stories out of her. They were the charred remains of a war fought with small fists and persis tent whines, but each time she sur rendered, Diana could crawl into her mother’s skin and live inside of her, for a time, again. While her mother spoke, Diana could count the parts of her that belonged to her mother: the hollow of her cheek or the way she answered the phone. Like counting sheep, she learned how to soothe herself to sleep. She found she could contort her body into seemingly impossible positions to fit into the nooks of her mother’s body, and there, Diana didn’t have to think about any thing. She could be content with the knowledge that she fit into her mother’s shape. The bedtime stories were mostly parental pro paganda; her favorite one to retell was that of 垃圾婆, a withered old lady who snatched up children that stayed up past their bedtime and carried them away in her trash bag. Other lessons included eter nal shame and misery for children who didn’t finish their homework or children who lied to their moth ers.

The word “story” held tremen dous weight in the family, a detail that Diana had always inherently understood. Her grandparents kept their childhoods in China tucked neatly in a small bundle at the back of her throat like a piece of mashed meat too large to swallow. Even more obscure still were their tales of raising Diana’s mother in America, which lay hidden beneath the soles of their slippers. She had never heard the story of her birth or her sister’s birth or about the names of family members who were only spoken about in hushed tones. When she would ask her mother to tell her a true story, her mother liked to say that she was too young to deal with anything true. But once, when Diana asked for something true, her mother conceded. She would tell Diana the

story of herself and Diana’s father and their love.

Before her mother is her moth er, she is only 织女, or Zhinu. She is the youngest and most beauti ful daughter of the Goddess of Heaven, charged with weaving the clouds in the sky. Zhinu takes her responsibilities seriously; she laces and molds each water drop with painstaking care, working until her hands ache and her vision blurs. But she never complains or resents her duties, for she loves seeing the joy that her clouds bring to the mor tals down below. One such mortal is Diana’s father, 牛郎, or Niulang.

Niulang is a poor cowherd without a family, but he is charming and young and has a strange sort of magnetism that has always served him well. It is through this charm that, one day, Niulang is gifted an ox who becomes his closest com panion. Each day after Niulang has finished working, he lies in the fields against his ox with his eyes fixed firmly on the sky, admir ing the beauty that Zhinu sculpts each day. Zhinu smiles down at him, playing with the shapes of her clouds to entertain Niulang with stories of herself and the world.

Niulang sings songs to the goddess, with a heart full of wonder for the beautiful creature in the sky. Over time, Zhinu grows fond of the mor tal with the melodic voice, and they begin to fall in love.

Eight years old

There was music playing in the house. Diana’s mother was in the kitchen flipping through recipes and shifting from foot to foot ever so slightly off-beat. Diana stood between her mother’s legs and wrapped her mother’s cotton dress around her face and body. The world around her was black and blue paisley. Her friends’ mothers all smelled so motherly, but Diana’s smelled the best — like wet grass and pears. Her mother feigned confusion, pretending that she did not know where Diana had gone.

Diana giggled. Her mother’s face appeared before her, unwrapping her face from its cocoon to shout boo! Diana smashed her cheek into her mother’s.

My sweet 蝴蝶, her mother

cooed.

Her father liked to tell Diana that there was always music play ing so that at any point her father could scoop her up onto his feet and dance her around the living room. Today, he waltzed into the kitchen, running his hands over Diana’s mother’s shoulders and stooping to kiss her lightly on the neck before offering Diana his hand. She clung to him for bal ance, finding knots and holds in between his fingers and along his back, using the full range of motion of her neck to look up at him. He spun them both clumsily out of the kitchen. He smelled sticky like gasoline, but sometimes it was paint thinner and other times it was pavement after it’s been rained on, so she held her breath when he held her to dance. But his voice was sweet and smooth.

His voice made every movie theater usher let them bring candy into the theater even though they hadn’t bought it there. Waitresses swooned over his words and teach ers forgave him for being hours late to pick up Diana and her sister from school. Diana felt proud that she had a father that seemed to wield such power over the rest of the world. It meant that she got a lot of attention whenever she was with him too. People would notice her at his side and pinch her cheeks or her curls. Then they would hear Diana call her dad 爸爸, and they would get this look in their eyes like he was the most decent man they had ever met in their lives. Once when Diana asked her father why everyone seemed to love him wherever they went, he said that he always kept a sugar cube under his tongue. So he was always a sweet talker. The next day, Diana put a sugar cube underneath her tongue and told her crush at school that she liked him.

When the song ended, Diana’s father slipped her off of his shoes and went into the kitchen with Diana’s mother to say goodbye before work. Diana’s sister clunked down the stairs and ran to sit on the couch, calling Diana over to her. She had a thick black book between her small hands, and she

told Diana that she had found their parents’ wedding album. Diana excitedly went to sit next to her sis ter and watched her sister begin to flip through the pages. Their moth er’s dress was simple; it sheathed her snugly in red satin. She wore no veil. Their parents seemed like strangers to them in these photos, lighter somehow. Their mother was nineteen when she married their father, who was thirty at the time. Her parents had been invited haphazardly, but had not been in attendance. Diana’s sister lingered on a photo of their parents feed ing each other cake. Frosting was smeared across their father’s cheek and his face was lit up in a wide smile. Their mother’s right hand was resting on her stomach, her mouth stretched in a line, the faint est suggestion of curve pulling at the seams of her dress.

At dinner that night, Diana and her sister sat at the table waiting in silence. They had decorated the table together, strewing purple flowers from the backyard across the tablecloth. Diana’s sister had just taught Diana how to light the candles, and they played with dipping their fingers in the wax together. Her sister was nervous and kept fidgeting with her cuti cles, but smiled weakly whenever Diana looked up at her. Diana start ed to worry that the candles would melt all the way down before she could show her parents what she had learned.

Their father came home around nine, an hour before Diana would have to go to bed. Diana saw her sister recoil at his hug, so she held her breath before he came to her. She asked him where he was and he pretended not to hear. Before they ate, her father grasped the hands of Diana and her sister, sig naling the family to follow. Diana closed her eyes, allowing the words of her father’s prayer to drift over the room. She peeked out of one eye like she always did whenever anything involved people closing their eyes, and she saw that her mother’s eyes were open too, fixed vaguely on the melting candles. That was the first night that Diana had noticed the air of tension that

had settled on the house like fog around trees. But when she finally put her finger on it, she realized it had been there for some time.

One day, Zhinu and her sisters travel to the Earth to bathe. They unlace their long red robes and lay them on a log before splashing into the water. Looking for water for his ox, Niulang comes across the riv erbank, and upon seeing the heav enly sisters, he is mesmerized and stops behind a tree to watch them. Niulang spies Zhinu amongst the sisters and sees that her beauty is even greater up close. From behind the tree, Niulang begins to sing. Zhinu, hearing the song, emerges from the water and redresses, padding towards the noise. When Niulang appears to her, she is elat ed to see him. They embrace each other, grateful to finally be stand ing together. They sit together on the riverbank for some time, resting on Niulang’s ox and talk ing of their lives and hopes for the future. Niulang plucks a flower from beside him and tucks it into Zhinu’s braid gently. Both goddess and mortal believe that there is no one else in the world for them.

When the sisters’ mother calls them home, Zhinu promises Niulang to return soon to see him, leaving Niulang on the ground. Niulang grows increasingly bitter with his inability to have Zhinu while he awaits her return. He decides he must have her for his wife. Knowing that mortals and immortals cannot wed, Niulang concocts a plan. On the first day of spring, when the sisters finally descend again to bathe in the river, Niulang lies in wait behind some brushes.

He watches Zhinu with her fam ily, anticipating their wedding and brainstorming names for children still unborn.

Noiselessly, Niulang slips out from his hiding place and steals a dress from the log that the sisters had placed them on. The sisters tie their dresses back on and ascend back to the heavens, while one sis ter, the fair Zhinu cannot find hers. It is then that Niulang reveals him self and proposes marriage to the frightened girl. While Zhinu loves

the young cowherd, she does not wish to abandon her home in the heavens with her sisters and her mother. But when Zhinu looks up at the sky, she sees her mother’s cheek has turned away from her, and she knows she has been cast down. For Niulang has seen the goddess naked, condemning Zhinu to accept his proposal and stealing from her immortality.

Eleven years old Diana liked the feeling that slouched men gave her on her walk home from school, faceless men who followed her through the supermarket aisle, toothless cashiers whose eyes lingered too long on the hem of her skirts, on the barrettes in her hair. She was desired, they told her, and they gave her the butterflies that she read about in fashion magazines she would steal from her sister. Bile would creep up her throat, and she would swallow it back down. She knew these butterflies and this bile were preferable to the boys at school who mocked her round face, who poked fun at her dispropor tionately large forehead and who thought that calling her “bok choy” was a streak of comedic genius. But Diana was patient; she was confi dent she would grow to look like her mother, beautiful and soft and loved.

Once, she had borrowed her father’s laptop without asking and found his bookmarks. She scrolled through videos of women who looked like her mother, women who looked like herself and her sister, smooth-skinned and darkhaired and eyes-lidded. Diana wondered if her body would ever look like theirs, pale and bare and firm and wanted. She was old enough to know what sex was, but she hadn’t known that sex looked like this. Violent and sud den and one-sided — hair-pulled, legs-thrown, screaming and cry ing and thrashing and begging and messy; why was sex so messy? The names of the videos read ASIAN in every title, always accompanied by petite, submissive, hungry, desper ate, willing, teen, eager.

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Op-Ed: Talk to your family about climate change this holiday season

MICHAEL REDMOND Opinion Contributor

Itseems that every election season, we hear more and more from politicians and pundits about how important it is for campaigns to talk about “kitchen table issues.” A political shorthand for the things average people care about day to day, the term “kitchen table issues” typically refers to economic issues like jobs, taxes and, right now, inflation.

Every year, millions of college students reconvene with their families at the Thanksgiving table to talk and argue about turkey, football and, yes, politics.

In the name of familial harmony, controversial political issues are generally not a good topic for Thanksgiving dinner. Or so they say. But climate change is different: there’s a way to explain to even the most conservative relatives that addressing this issue will make their lives better, not in 50 years, but now. The climate conversation in America today exists in a kind of limbo; multiple polls show between 65% and 70% of Americans are concerned about climate change, yet fewer than 50% think it will affect them personally.

In other words, for many Americans, climate change is something that happens to other people, in other places, sometimes now, maybe more in the future. Contrast this sentiment with the quintessential kitchen table issues, such as gas prices, which you see on big signs every day and in your bank statement every month, and you start to see the problem.

The reason kitchen table issues hold so much weight in political circles, especially around election season, is that they have dramatic impacts on people’s decisions at the ballot box. Additionally, the reason these conversations happen at the kitchen table is because people see the impacts and importance of them on a daily basis, unlike climate change for many.

Consistently, the issue that Americans care most about is the economy (climate change doesn’t even crack the top 10), and you can pretty much track presidential approval ratings with gas prices

for the last 50 years.

But that can change, quickly. In July of this year, the Supreme Court overturned 50 years of federally protected abortion access, and abortion suddenly became a kitchen-table issue. When Americans were asked about the most important issues facing the nation, abortion access ranked fourth, behind only inflation, the economy and the government, and ahead of immigration, racism and unity.

So why hasn’t climate change had its “kitchen table breakthrough?”

You could point to the millions of dollars spent by the oil industry trying to discredit climate science (and scientists), the decades of American presidents and politicians who refused to even acknowledge the issue or the fact that many people are more worried about feeding their kids tomorrow than feeding the world in 50 years. And you’d be right.

But none of us are going to solve these issues at the dinner table this Thanksgiving. What we can do is find a new way to talk about climate change, one that centers how the problems and solutions impact all of us and our day-to-day lives. And the best way I’ve found to do that is by talking about economics. Not abstract economics, not things like a commercial buildings energy efficient investment tax credit bill, a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, but tangible, kitchen-table economics.

Climate activists for years have warned that unless we act now, we face global catastrophe in 30 years. These tactics aren’t wrong in principle — climate change is terrifying, and we should all be deeply concerned for the fate of our planet and each other — but this approach alone has clearly fallen short.

What if the reason we’ve failed to motivate the average American is because we’re missing half the argument? Our brains aren’t built to contemplate, internalize and act on existential threats to human civilization.

Proselytizers and evangelicals have understood this for centuries. Sure, you can always motivate a small section of the population by preaching damnation and hellfire. But your narrative becomes far

more powerful when people believe they can be saved, when you talk about a Promised Land.

We need to show people that climate change isn’t just something to be afraid of. It’s also an opportunity. Who doesn’t want a brand-new set of free (or deeply discounted) electric home appliances?

The federal government is offering discounts ranging from 30% to 100% (based on area and household income) for electric stoves, water and space heaters, clothes dryers, insulation/ ventilation, breaker boxes and electrical wiring. The average American household stands to save $1,800 a year by upgrading. Who wouldn’t want a 30% discount on a home solar energy system that could keep the lights on in a storm and slash (or potentially eliminate) their electric bill?

After Hurricane Ian, a small Florida community grabbed headlines as the some of the only people in the area with power following the storm, due largely to their investment in solar energy and community storage.

If these home incentives aren’t enough, what about $7,500 off a new F-150 that can tow over 9,000 pounds, power your house for a week and goes zero to 60 faster than a Camaro (oh, and takes gas prices off the kitchen table for good)?

And, for your uncle who complains every year about how “we used to build things here:”

Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, along with being the single largest climate intervention in history, also stands to create more than a million domestic manufacturing and assembly jobs by 2030, building all those things we talked about above and more. Those are good union jobs, the kind that offer a middle-class life for people without college degrees — the kind of jobs that have mostly vanished in the U.S. since the 1980s — the kind that conservatives love to promote. In this moment, especially if you have relatives worried about gas prices, inflation or finding a good job, it may also be helpful to talk about what they stand to gain from progressive climate policies.

You might even have a great Thanksgiving dinner.

Michigan illustrates how ballot measures can be a key tool for progress

DEVAN HESANO Opinion Columnist

Thisfall, Michigan voters will have a say on three crucial ballot initiatives that could change the state’s political landscape in a drastic way. Proposal 1 would change term limit requirements for state legislators and establish financial disclosure requirements. Proposal 2 would greatly expand voting rights and work to safeguard democracy. And the highly contested Proposal 3 would enshrine reproductive freedom in the state constitution. All three proposals would undoubtedly be progressive wins, and I encourage everyone to vote for these common-sense measures. When it comes to getting political goals accomplished, ballot initiatives often reign supreme, especially for progressive issues. What else could have prevented the deep red Kansas legislature from passing restrictions on reproductive freedom? How else would states like Nebraska, South Dakota and Arkansas have achieved minimum wage hikes that put the federal minimum wage to shame? Progressive ballot initiatives, in states ranging from deep blue to deep red, often have astounding levels of success, producing laws that otherwise would not have had a chance of passing through traditional legislation.

Ballot initiatives are an effective tool for progressives to pass popular legislation, and Michigan’s three proposals this year exemplify why that’s the case. Though both parties use ballot initiatives to pass policies they support, they have been disproportionately successful for progressives.

One of the main reasons that ballot initiatives are such a positive is that they are simply the most representative and equitable way for making new policy into law. It is well known that Congress and state legislatures often act way outside of public opinion, especially

on key issues for progressives. Wide majorities of voters support the progressive stance on issues including reproductive freedom, marijuana legalization, voting rights and much more. Yet if you analyze the support for these measures in legislative bodies, and compare them to the constituents they represent, they are way out of sync. Ballot initiatives rectify this issue.

Initiatives are also equitable in that they work around egregious gerrymandering, which itself greatly distorts the line between public opinion and the public’s representatives. Take Wisconsin, a purple state. Republicans, through relentless partisan gerrymandering, have managed to find themselves on the verge of a legislative supermajority despite this fact. The fact that a battleground state, which voted for Biden in the last election, could have a veto-proof Republican majority in its state legislature is an affront to democracy and an insult to voters. Once again, ballot initiatives would bypass this fact, as the partisan advantages of gerrymandering disappear in state-wide elections, such as the election for governor.

It is true that we live in a representative democracy, one in which politicians must go against their constituents’ wishes for the interests of the country at times. Take, for example, Republican members of Congress who rebuffed calls from their deep red constituents to object to electors in the 2020 election. The problem, of course, is that our democracy is not actually all that representative. The country is dominated by minority rule through the filibuster, run by a dysfunctional Congress that has long had an approval rating so abysmal it’s almost hard to fathom and allows the aforementioned gerrymandering to define our electoral process. Ballot initiatives are the easiest way for voters to express their legislative priorities and see them enacted into law.

Ballot initiatives are also good in

that they inspire nuanced thought over specific issues and provide an avenue for voters to reject the party line on issues they disagree with without having to vote for the opposing party and take down their party as a whole. Ballot initiatives, though often supported by one party more than the other, are not run on a party-affiliated line. By taking away the cue of (D) or (R), voters are left to actually dig deeper into the proposal and see what it’s about.

They empower voters to be “mavericks” of sorts. A voter in Arkansas who supports a living wage and the legalization of marijuana but is otherwise conservative does not have to sacrifice one set of beliefs for the other. The more proposals put to the combined 50 states there are, the more nuanced and representative policymaking becomes.

Though ballot initiatives can be an inspiring relief from traditional aspects of governance, the specific requirements varying by state can result in varying levels of that relief. When it comes to getting initiatives on the ballot and passed, some states are more restrictive than others. The main difference is between states with direct and indirect initiatives. In direct initiative states, proposals that qualify go directly to the ballot. In indirect initiative states, however, varying levels of action are required by the state legislature to allow them on the ballot, providing opportunities to thwart the will of the people. Some states can outright deny the measure, and others require additional signature requirements after legislative consideration. In 24 states, voters are left entirely out of the process, with no mechanism for citizen-initiated ballot measures. Michigan is a direct initiative state, paving a pathway for voters dissatisfied with the legislature to get policy passed, obstructionists in Lansing be damned.

History is written by the victors

REVA LALWANI Opinion

Historyis arbitrary. Or so it seems to be in today’s world, where the narrative is spun by the victors and we corral history into neat little periods and eras. But beginnings and endings are all a construct, defined by the human desire to close one chapter before opening another. So, now we deal with the consequences of historical periods being defined by hegemonic rule. Take “postcolonial” for example: “post” implies that colonization in its entirety, including its aftermath, is well and over with, but really, it just depends on who you ask. Political, economic, cultural and social remains of imperialism and colonial rule exist in each nation touched by colonialism, yet the rather inadequate name of the era suggests otherwise.

These characterizations are just one of the ways that history itself is frequently altered or obscured to fit a narrative, and although many nations are guilty of this revision, the most relevant one to me is the one I live in: the United States. The tale of American exceptionalism is not a new one; from economic prosperity to human rights advocacy, the United States never fails to boast of its domestic and international endeavors, but these examples are largely based on hypocrisy and myth.

While the United States condemns colonization and references its own past as a British colony, it remains one of the most expansionist nations in modern history, swiftly moving from 13 colonies to 50 states and 16 territories in its short history, displacing thousands of Indigenous tribes and creating bloodshed in the expansionist movement’s wake. While preaching human rights in its international policy, the United States refuses to sign most human rights treaties, has openly backed dictators throughout history and is not a party to the International Criminal Court. In fact, the U.S. does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and will use military force to liberate any American citizens tried by the

court. In spite of all this, a survey by Pew Research finds that 52% of Americans believe that the U.S. is “one of the greatest countries in the world, along with some others,” and 23% believe that the U.S. “stands above all other countries in the world.”

So how are these myths kept alive? American education is somehow both the perpetuation of mythological ideals and the beginnings of revolution. This is only possible in a country as large as the United States, and one where each state, each district, has jurisdiction over its curriculum and teaching methods. I sat down with LSA senior Thea Bilich, an Ann Arbor native, and LSA sophomore You Na Lee, who was born in Korea but began her American education in eighth grade in a conservative suburb in Illinois. Both took U.S. history in middle and high school.

Bilich reports that, while her school took a formulaic, uniform approach to history that rushed teachers through sensitive topics and focused on dates and people, “(her) school took a more delicate approach than perhaps others did. … Eighth grade focused largely on the colonization of this land and slavery whereas 11th grade focused more on civil rights movements. However, both were discussed largely in the past tense … because people think kids shouldn’t have to know about the reality of Thanksgiving or how racism and white supremacy still functions in today’s society.”

When asked about her experience with U.S. history education, Lee said, “We briefly discussed Native Americans but that history was nearly entirely glossed over and racism and white supremacy were never even a topic. We were more focused on the development of America and what each president did to advance the U.S. during their time in office.” Lee recounts a particular memory in 11th grade, when she had moved to a slightly more liberal suburb in Illinois. She stated that, “we were learning about Pearl Harbor and World War II and the teacher was definitely trying to educate about both sides of the war, but to wrap up the section we read an article about how the atomic bomb wasn’t

as harmful as it was expected to be and even justified the placement of the bomb. This was clearly meant to tip the scales in favor of the U.S. and paint America in a good light.” When I later asked each student whether they thought conservative and liberal states teach American history differently, both responded with a conclusive yes. Bilich recalls a discussion in her Museum Studies course at the University of Michigan where she first realized how differently history is taught across the country, stating that “teachers are given leeway on how to teach each required topic, but maybe you shouldn’t be having children act as Native Americans or slaves and slaveholders in school plays. There’s a general insensitivity surrounding these topics just to get students moving.” Many education systems across the country have an unfortunate tendency to require students to — without context — reenact some of history’s greatest atrocities for only marginally more immersive education.

Lee compares her two experiences in the suburbs: “My white-dominated, Christian private school… teachers had a lot more freedom on what to teach because it was a really small private school so the material we’re learning depends entirely on the teacher, and when history teachers are teaching they should try to remain neutral but they were extremely biased. And once I moved to a more liberal public school near Chicago, the teaching became more about dates and memorizing.”

The dismissive and, quite frankly, incorrect version of American history Lee was taught displays the immense power of teachers and individual schools to entirely alter the American narrative. The erasure of America’s dark history breeds misplaced trust and patriotism while robbing students of the chance to right prior wrongs. While Bilich recounts a more transparent version of American history in her liberal schooling, she still points to several gaps in her education that were only filled in college.

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Taxing the rich may be the answer to our Social Security crisis

CLAUDIA FLYNN Opinion Columnist

If you’ve ever been paid for a job and received a pay stub, you would have seen a section off to the right that lists all the money you’ve paid to taxes, and where it is going. Outside of Federal income taxes, the largest section is one called Social Security, listed under your taxes as FICA SS.

What is social security? Social Security is a flat rate paid by all workers (6.2% of income) and employers (a matching 6.2%) into a transfer program. FICA, the Federal Income Contributions Act, is a payroll tax (meaning it comes out of your income) that funds both Social Security and Medicare. In the case of Social Security, workers pay the designated percentage of their income and retirees receive that money in the form of a monthly

payout to help support them after retiring. The program succeeds under the assumption that those workers will receive the same benefits once they retire.

This assumption, however, seems to be less of a guarantee in recent years. The fear surrounding social security has grown dramatically in the past few years, with the possibility that Generation Z (current and soon-to-be college students) is paying into it without the promise of receiving the benefits.

Current college students would be drastically affected by this, as they would pay 6.2% of their lifetime into this program, only to not receive any benefits by the time they retire.

This could happen for a few reasons. First, people are living longer than when the program was initially created, meaning that payments are being paid out for much longer than was anticipated when Social Security

started. Additionally, the birth rate is going down. Social security was instituted in 1935, and was followed shortly after by the generation nicknamed the “baby boomers” due to the drastic increase in the birth rate. Because there were many young workers paying into the program, Social Security was much easier to maintain. The U.S. fertility rate has decreased by almost 50% since 1960, leading to a decrease in funding for Social Security. Lastly, there has been a significant decline in funding of real wage growth, meaning wages are staying more stagnant than expected, and hence, funding from increased incomes is not a source of growth for Social Security.

The solution to this problem comes in the form of a popular sentiment from college-aged voters: tax the rich. A key factor of Social Security is that there is a taxable income cap. What this means is that workers are only

Tackling political polarization in the U.S.

JACK BRADY Opinion Columnist

OverFourth of July weekend last summer, Florida residents turned on their televisions to see California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, slamming their state government and its conservative policies. Newsom spoke in plain, inflammatory terms: “Freedom is under attack in your state […] I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight or join us in California.”

Newsom’s stunt seems to have fallen flat with Florida voters.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, wields more than a 10-point lead over his Democratic opponent, Charlie Christ. The message is clear — Floridians do not want Newsom’s fight.

Rising interstate tension has led many cynical pundits to warn of impending civil war, but this cataclysmic appraisal misses the mark. Jenna Bednar, a professor of public policy and political science at the University of Michigan, explains that in reality, “The states are not in conflict with one another, at least not as states. Florida has nothing particular against Massachusetts. Instead, federalism has been weaponized by politicians pursuing a partisan agenda.”

America today is not the America of 1861. The institutional differences between North and South that allowed us to descend into the Civil War have been eliminated. Florida and Massachusetts are no longer split by such a fundamental issue like slavery. The incendiary regionalism that motivated Californians and Texans to take up arms against one another has cooled.

In its place, crippling red and blue factionalism has emerged to dominate the scene. Opportunist politicians have noticed and capitalized. Bednar makes clear, however, that their “partisan games are not as threatening to the federal union as much as they exacerbate the threat to

democracy by feeding polarization and the distrust of the democratic process that polarization spawns.”

Democratic and Republican governors are making headlines for radical acts of political theater, while the average American suffers. Newsom is busy with attack ads while California’s homeless population makes up one-fifth of the national number. Rather than sitting down with the Biden administration to discuss fixing illegal immigration, DeSantis threatened to send migrants to the President’s Delaware home, and the situation at the border remains a disaster.

Too much spectacle, never enough solutions. Bednar says, “At the state level … these politicians are seeking national attention, often because they have national ambitions like wanting to run for president.” Governing in the interest of the moderate majority does not make you a household name. Noisy, political messages do. America cannot survive such intense dissonance forever. A union built upon good faith, trust and mutual respect has no place for animus and enmity.

We have seen the early consequences of our discord. The January 6 insurrection at the Capitol was only the beginning if hyper-partisan suicide is the path we choose. And there is evidence from February 2021 to suggest we already have, with 20% of Republicans and 13% of Democrats believing political violence to be justifiable.

These are large, dangerous numbers, with obvious implications. “Partisan games,” as Bednar calls them, do not remain games indefinitely. They escalate out of control quickly. While conflict in the U.S. still remains unlikely, the lesson of the Civil War and the years preceding is clear: we must reconcile now. We do not have much time, and each act of political violence makes the task harder.

Nevertheless, there is cause for hope. Fringe groups and paramilitaries may yearn for bloody societal breakdown, but

most of us do not. Roughly three in 10 Americans see polarization as a top issue. The number might sound low, but only inflation and crime ranked higher on Americans’ lists. We know who to blame for the problem, too. Dissatisfaction with Republicans and Democrats is at an all time high, with 62% of Americans now supporting the idea of a serious third party. DeSantis and Newsom can spend their time dueling for 2024 presidential bids, but the rest of us will get to work.

The American primary system leads to more fanatic candidates moving onto the general election, guaranteeing resentment among the losing party. Americans more aligned with third party candidates still often vote for one of the major party candidates because of how unlikely their first choice actually winning office is.

Nonpartisan primaries force all candidates to run in one election, giving more moderate, generally appealing candidates an advantage. In Alaska, one of few places in the U.S. to have adopted nonpartisan primaries, moderate Lisa Murkowski’s victory provides proof of the concept. Despite voting to impeach Trump, a near death sentence in many other Republican primaries, Murkowski won the primary for her seat by a significant margin. Rankedchoice voting, another system Alaska uses, allows voters to list candidates in the order they prefer them, which gives third party supporters the opportunity to voice their opinion without tossing away their ballot.

There are realistic options to bring us back from the brink. America is not beyond fixing, but we must care enough to meet the task. Cynicism by moderates allows the fate of our nation to be decided by the passions of radicals. Now is not the time for indifference and aversion, but confidence and resolve. If we view our current system as unchangeable, then our future becomes inevitable.

Jack Brady is an Opinion Columnist and can be reached at jackbra@umich.edu.

taxed for Social Security on the first $147,000 of their income, but not on any income made over that. This taxable income covers about 83% of aggregate earnings. If the tax were raised to cover 90% of aggregate earnings, 20% of the long term shortfalls of the Social Security budget would be solved. The more this cap is raised, the more the long-term problem of Social Security funding is mitigated.

This is not an unprecedented approach. The other FICA tax on your paystub is Medicare. Medicare also used to have a taxable income cap; however, it was removed in 1993. It is important to note that the Medicare tax is only 1.45% of income, so raising the cap was less controversial and led to greater funding for the program. Nevertheless, what this shows is that this change is a feasible one, and necessary to guarantee the financial safety of retirees in our country.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the majority of job growth since 1979 has come from the top 10% of earners. This topheavy form of growth means the majority of taxable income is not growing (accounting for inflation), while the untaxed income is growing considerably.

Despite this, it is important to note that there is a reason for this taxable income cap. Social Security benefits are progressive in nature, meaning that the less money you’ve made in your lifetime, the higher percentage of the money you’ve given to Social Security you will receive. (This is designed to keep people with lower incomes out of poverty once they retire.) People with higher incomes are already giving more to the system and receiving proportionally less, so the taxable income cap is an attempt to cancel out how this may be unfair.

Although individuals with incomes above $147,000 may

not benefit as much from Social Security as the taxable income rate is raised, there is a high chance that people they care about would be affected. An estimated 40% of older adults would be in poverty without Social Security. Mothers, fathers, siblings, friends and more are relying on this program to keep them afloat in retirement. This demonstrates how devastating the collapse of Social Security would be for everyone, as even if an individual isn’t affected, people in their life are.

“Taxing the rich” is not a new phenomenon in our country. By raising the Social Security income tax, we as a country can make significant progress in guaranteeing people who have paid into this system for their whole lives the security they deserve in their retirement, as those before them were guaranteed.

Claudia Flynn is an Opinion Columnist and can be reached at claudf@umich.edu.

Why end-of-life paperwork is important even for young college students

NAMRATHA NELAPUDI Opinion Columnist

Thispast June, two Phi Gamma Delta fraternity brothers at the University of Missouri were charged in the hazing of 19-year-old Danny Santulli. On Oct. 20, 2021, the thenfreshman pledge had been forced to drink a liter of vodka in addition to being funnel-fed a beer. He arrived at the hospital in cardiac arrest, and experienced brain damage so severe that he currently lives wheelchair bound, blind and unable to communicate.

Unfortunately, the Santulli hazing case is far from rare, and mirrors drinking and hazing incidents here at the University of Michigan. Our community, and Ann Arbor at large, is a hub for bar crawls, fraternity parties, block parties, tailgates and other events that are often the perfect recipe for a night in the emergency room. Given these risks, it is concerning that so many young people do not have a plan for what they would want to have happen to them in the event that they are too incapacitated to make their own medical decisions, especially in cases where life-or-death options need to be assessed.

In the U.S., the official document that outlines these predetermined medical wishes is known as an advanced health care directive, or living will. An advanced directive provides a crucial framework for health care professionals to tailor their choices or treatments to patients’ preferences and keeps autonomy in the patient’s hands when they are the most vulnerable. Similarly, it clears up confusion or disagreement about a patient’s preferences between loved ones making decisions on their behalf.

However, college-aged students have a dangerous mindset that terminal illness, coma or injury won’t apply to them for the foreseeable future, and they opt to focus on more immediate issues like longitudinal internships, graduate school or job offers. The long life expectancy of the average American further instills the disregard for the creation of advanced directives at a young age. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the increasingly higher rates of intoxication incidence and mortality in this age group, clearly demonstrates that college students are more vulnerable than they think. By forgoing the steps

necessary to establish proper endof-life procedures, they are at the forefront of propagating a public health crisis that leaves providers and loved ones choiceless.

It is true that undergrads have a million things on their plates, and the last thing we want to concern ourselves with is enumerating the resuscitation efforts we would and would not be comfortable with. But, for some young people, they don’t even know how they should go about consenting to chest compressions, defibrillation, intubation, ventilation, vasopressors and more. What the heck even is a “vasopressor,” and why should I care?

In addition to the seeming disregard of advanced health care directives among adults, at no point in our lives are we ever explained how exactly we should handle this situation. The state of Michigan mandates a health class as a requirement for a high school diploma, but nowhere in that curriculum does it encourage young people to consider if being stuck on a ventilator is something they want their bodies to rely on, or if pharmacological intervention to constrict their blood vessels in attempts to raise a failing blood pressure is worth it.

So, even for the youth proactive enough to make an advanced directive for themselves, their lack of understanding about resuscitation procedures leaves them consenting to interventions they might not truly be comfortable with if any ever became necessary. The only instance where resuscitation procedures are explicitly explained and discussed to a patient is when they are already in a hospital or clinic with their attending physician — long after their initial malady.

Eastern Michigan University student Dominic Consiglio, a 911 dispatcher and EMT for Washtenaw County, has witnessed some of the most gruesome scenes involving college-aged students.

In his time at Huron Valley Ambulance Partners, Consiglio explains, “constantly hearing and seeing people my age beg for medical help when they are bleeding out, high off drugs, or smashed between two cars scared me enough to get my own advanced directive. I can’t imagine not having precautions in place to affirm that I do want to be resuscitated, but will want to peacefully pass away if 30 days on a ventilator isn’t working for my body.”

The solution to the decisionmaking burden of college students, most of whom have no medical knowledge, is known as a Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA). Instead of consenting to a limited number of procedures or time frames, a DPOA form allows you to name a person, known as a healthcare proxy, to make decisions for you if you are unable to do so. However, DPOAs are not equitable for young people who a) do not have people they can trust to respect their decisions or core values, and b) have no one in their circle with an intimate understanding of the dire outcomes of a resuscitation.

Critics of advanced health care directives, DPOAs and other endof-life paperwork, particularly for youth, often cite a religious or moral code to substantiate their belief that humans do not have the right to deny life-saving treatment. For example, the Catholic Church’s official stance is that any kind of physician-assisted death is both a sin and congruent to suicide.

Parents of terminal young adults, too, fight back against end-of-life paperwork that does not allow them to determine their child’s fate.

These concerning stances are strikingly similar to anti-abortion arguments that catalyzed the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by demonstrating a onedimensional perspective on life quality. Some pro-life proponents do not believe that the extent to which a baby would live a comfortable life should be a factor in the decision to have an abortion. This belief mirrors their opinion that our inherent personhood is something we do not have the right to give up, even in the case of permanent brain damage, organ failure or hospitalization.

The future can be bright, however. Michigan legislation mandating organ registry questions for the acquisition of driver’s licenses needs to be expanded to push youths to complete a more exhaustive list of yes and no questions about their wishes coming out of a critical car accident. Health insurance companies, too, can do their part to incentivize young adults to plan for a terminal health care crisis through life co-insurance plans, lower ER copays for people with end-of-life paperwork and samerate health insurance coverage for post-resuscitation care.

From family game nights to one-on-one showdowns, how Leigha Brown’s tenacious desire to win guides her

LIZA CUSHNIR Daily Sports Writer

Family game nights at the Brown household in Auburn, Ind. look a little different than most. For as long as Nate and Jenese Brown can remember, those nights always had the potential to be upended — literally — if their daughter lost.

If Leigha Brown lost any casual game, she’d knock the pieces off the board or storm out of the room.

Her reaction wasn’t out of anger toward her family but frustration with herself. Because if there’s one thing that motivates Leigha, in every facet of her life, it’s winning.

As Leigha grew up, board games gave way to a miniature basketball hoop at home, but still, the deter mination to win remained.

“Ever since she was walking, she just always had a competitive ness to her,” Nate told The Daily. “We had a little tiny basketball hoop we bought her as soon as she could start walking. … That turned into indoor pig and horse games between her and I, and broken pic ture frames. If I won, she would throw the basketball and go stomp ing out of the room.”

As she grew up, that competi tive spirit grew, too. It carried her through elementary school bas ketball and travel ball where she started playing at least one year up before she even entered middle school. It carried her through high school, where she was described as a “once in a lifetime” player by her DeKalb High School coach Brett Eltzroth.

Toward the end of Leigha’s time in elementary school, the Browns realized that their daughter was going to be special. Beyond play ing multiple years up on her travel teams and being the leading scorer on her teams year after year and game after game, Leigha took it upon herself to start watching any games she could get her hands on — her own film or whatever was on TV.

Ever since she was around eight, she would sit and watch basketball with her dad, and the two would talk about what they saw. For Nate,

sitting and talking to his daugh ter about backscreens and off-ball movement at such a high level was “almost like talking to another adult,” even though Leigha wasn’t yet a middle schooler.

In elementary school, Leigha attended a local basketball camp. There was one other kid there, a boy in her grade at school, who she had a bit of a rivalry with. The camp had a one-on-one tourna ment, and when Leigha faced off against her rival, her competitive edge and basketball IQ shined.

“She won it all, beat that boy one-on-one in front of everybody,” Nate, who coached Leigha for much of her life, said. “That was just one of those proud moments, that you’re like, ‘that’s my kid’, you know. She just beat that boy that was like six inches taller than her and beat him by like five or six, and it was just such a great feeling.”

That same drive carried her right up to a moment that her dad had been dreading, a day that he knew would come, but was still unprepared for.

“She was a freshman in high school,” Nate said. “… I remember that one day when she finally did beat me (in a one-on-one game). And I just thought, you know, you always hope that day comes but then when it finally does, you’re like, ‘Oh crap.’ ”

And starting that freshman year, she developed into one of the best players in DeKalb High School his tory.

***

From the first moment she stepped foot into her high school gym, Leigha Brown’s innate com petitiveness was displayed. She would always be the first player there and the last to leave, putting up extra shots to perfect her craft.

“There were different times that I would put her on the opponent’s best post player, I’d put her on their best guard,” Eltzroth told The Daily. “She was very versatile and she did whatever was asked of the coaches.”

Eltzroth could always rely on Brown. Not just because she want ed to win, and not just because she was happier after a team win on a

rare bad shooting night than when she put up 53 points, but because it was easy to see that what mattered most to Brown was family. And in addition to the crowd of people that would cheer her on from the side line every game, Brown’s team was also her family.

“She’s gonna care about every body she’s around, she’s gonna make everyone around her bet ter,” Eltzroth said. “… She’s just a strong character, family first type person, and I think that’s why she plays with such a passion because she sees her team as an extension of her family.”

With her intense desire to win driving her forward, Brown always made sure to lead by example. For all four years that he coached her, Eltzroth can’t remember a single time she lost a post-practice sprint.

“It’s every coach’s dream to have someone like that, that can be a coach on the floor, that has that court vision to set people up,” Elt zroth said.

Whether it was creating her own shot or setting one up for her team mates, Brown’s coaches always knew they could rely on her.

“You just can’t go wrong with Leigha Brown because she just makes things happen,” Eltzroth praised.

Now at Michigan, Brown still plays the same way: with that fun damental desire to win and that eye for setting those around her up for success. Once again, she’s guided by family — both the family she grew up with and the team she’s embraced in Ann Arbor.

***

In high school, Brown commit ted to Nebraska, where she spent her first two years of college. In that time, she garnered significant accolades, including Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year in her sophomore season, in which she also led the team in scoring.

For someone as family-oriented as Brown, however, being over a 10-hour drive from home was dif ficult. And so, after her sophomore year, she realized she wanted to look at options closer to home.

As she explored those options, one school stood out. It was the

team that knocked off the Corn huskers in the Big Ten Tourna ment: Michigan

“I had people come up to me after the (Big Ten Tournament) and they were like, ‘You need to play for a school like Michigan, just their culture, the way they interact, how hard they play, the passion that (Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico) has,’ ” Brown said on Oct. 25 at Michigan Media Day. “I talked to some other schools in the transfer portal, but the whole time I kept telling my parents ‘It doesn’t compare to Michigan.’ I think the whole time I knew this is where I wanted to be.”

By coming to Ann Arbor, Brown was trading in a 10-hour drive from home for a two-hour one.

At that new home, her team mates, coaches and family were quick to praise who she is on the court; They were equally quick to praise who she is off of it, too.

Whether it was spontaneously driving to Ohio to go to Waffle House with some teammates, adopting two cats or inspiring her younger sister to get a tattoo after getting her own, Brown has always had a knack for showing those around her how much she cares and how invested she is in creating memories.

“Once she knows you care about

her, she will do anything for you,” Michigan assistant coach Harry Rafferty said. “And she’s an amaz ing teammate in that sense. She’s amazing to coach in that sense because in the hardest moments, you know she’s going to stick by it and fight it out. We’re lucky to have her back here for her fifth year of college basketball and leading this group.”

Entering her final year at Mich igan, it’s easy to see why Brown chose to use her extra year of eligi bility as granted by the pandemic. She wants to win, and she wants to do so alongside her teammates.

“I just knew that I wasn’t really done yet,” Brown said on Oct. 12 at Big Ten Media Days. “I wanted to continue to build myself as an indi vidual player, but also, I wanted to continue to make history with this team, my teammates, my coaching staff.”

For many players, deciding to return to college for a fifth year is a difficult decision. But for Brown, the decision was made early on. After battling through various injuries last season, she’s especial ly excited for the opportunity to see all her hard work pay off.

“She was the first person in my office (saying) ‘Coach, I need to talk to you,’ ” Barnes Arico said. “She’s like, ‘Can I come back for

that extra season?’ I mean, no one was even thinking about it at the time, but I was like, ‘That’s great.’ ”

Beyond having the player who Barnes Arico regards as “arguably one of the best guards in the coun try” back, Brown also brings years of experience back to the Wolver ines.

“She’s so driven. She wants to be the best at everything she does,” Rafferty said. “I think she raises the competitive spirit of her team mates because she’s so wired like that. … She has been really, really awesome to be able to coach so far.”

In the 2021 NCAA Tournament, when Michigan was in the bubble in San Antonio, the Wolverines played some low-stakes card and board games to pass the time. When Brown lost one of those games, she stormed out of the room. Because, just like when she was younger, if she was playing, she was playing to win.

When she stepped back onto the court, though, what happened in those board games never mattered.

Because when she’s playing alongside her teammates, she’s doing everything in her power to make sure they win. And it’s clear there’s nobody she’d rather do it with than her family — both the one that raised her and the one she’s found along the way.

Lindsay Budin: Without Hillmon, Michigan again has a chance to prove that it’s a program, not a team

Standing at mid-court inside the Target Center at Big Ten Media Days, I surveyed the scene around me. As the players and coaches trick led out to their tables, a familiar face caught my eye: Michigan’s leading scorer from last season and one of the program’s all-time greats, Naz Hillmon.

This time, Hillmon wasn’t there representing the Wolver ines, though. Rather, she served as a reporter for the Big Ten Net work.

Instead, fifth-year forward Emily Kiser, fifth-year wing Leigha Brown and sophomore

guard Laila Phelia took the podi um. None of the representatives put up Hillmon-like numbers last year, but all three served as key players in Michigan’s best season in program history.

Following that historic season, where they reached the Elite Eight for the first time, and Hillmon’s departure to the WNBA, the Wol verines enter the 2022-23 season with a massive hole to fill. With that gap, many people’s belief in the team’s ability to recapture that success has seemingly dissipated.

But Michigan isn’t a team built around one player. The Wolver ines’ identity is rooted in their emphasis of developing a program. Even in the wake of losing a player who contributed 21 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, my outlook on that remains steadfast.

And it is an outlook one you should buy into as well.

“When I first came here, it was like ‘Can we build a program?’ ” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said at Michigan Media Day on Oct. 25. “… Michigan women’s basketball aspired to be that, a program, one that was consistent year in and year out. And that is the goal of our team every single season. We lost an incredible play er, an incredible representation of this university in Naz Hillmon. But we have some really special pieces returning.”

The Wolverines are more than Hillmon, and this season, they have the pieces to prove that. For Michigan to show what it’s capa ble of, however, it needs to solid ify an identity. If the Wolverines can’t, they’ll fall short of reaching

the same feats they did the previ ous year.

Last season, their identity cen tered around Hillmon, and replac ing what she brings to this team — both on and off the court — is a daunting task. More importantly, though, it’s a task that cannot be done with a singular player and a challenge Michigan has encoun tered before.

Entering the 2018-19 season, the Wolverines’ primary task was figuring out how to compensate for the graduation of star player Katelynn Flaherty — the all-time leading scorer in both men’s and women’s Michigan basketball his tory.

Following Flaherty’s depar ture, Barnes Arico focused on maintaining the team in front of her and developing burgeoning

talent instead of dwelling on past triumph. That year, a new star emerged: then-freshman Hill mon.

Since then, Barnes Arico has proven that the Wolverines aren’t a team. They’re a program.

Michigan added three fresh men this offseason: guard Kate Clarke and forwards Alyssa Crockett and Chyra Evans. While the three have impressed early and flashed potential ahead of the season, it’s unrealistic to expect any of them to round into a Hillm on-caliber player.

And that’s OK.

The Wolverines don’t need a new star — they need a group that collectively can cultivate the skill and leadership abilities Hillmon brought.

That reinforces the narra tive behind Michigan’s ongoing vision: Its program isn’t formed because of a player, but its players formed because of the program.

This season, the Wolverines are ready to prove that again. Already, their leaders have bought in.

“I think we’re all trying to, as upperclassmen, as people who just play on the court, trying to pick (the leadership) up,” Kiser said. “ … You know, we pride ourselves a lot on just our team culture, and instilling hard work at setting that example from the start.”

As Michigan develops its iden tity, the role Kiser and Brown play in that quest will be imperative to its success. Both of the fifth-years held an important leadership position in last year’s team. If the Wolverines want to find similar success this season, though, the pair need to bring even stronger captaincy now.

In many ways, having two strong leaders and a plethora of talent offers more benefits in the long run, far more than the team single-player structure Michigan had last year. Although Hillmon’s abilities basically guaranteed a significant amount of production

every contest, it also made the Wolverines over reliant on her abilities in the post.

So, as a strong program does, Michigan retooled its roster with a renewed emphasis on shooting.

In addition to Kiser and Brown, senior guard Maddie Nolan has already showcased her shooting abilities and will take on an even greater role this season. The Wol verines also added a former AllAmerican — the first in program history — transfer in sophomore guard Greta Kampschroeder, whose impressive shooting will be vital in their transition from last year’s post-dominated offense.

Without Hillmon in the post this season, Michigan may find itself without some of the easy layups and boards it got last year, but her absence also enables it to expand its repertoire. In doing so, the Wolverines can balloon their identity beyond a single player and embrace the program-based mentality that got them where they are now.

“I think that’s really important, that we’re not going to be as one dimensional — as Naz-dimension al, as we should call it,” Barnes Arico said. “We will have mul tiple people that can do multiple things, and I think it’s going to be really important to keep their confidence and aggressive men tality.”

This mentality doesn’t seem to be going anywhere since Hill mon’s departure. In fact, the confidence can fuel Michigan this year and help it develop its post-Hillmon identity. An iden tity centered around its greater versatility that stems from incom ing talent, returning leaders and strong shooting.

Because the Wolverines don’t need transcendent talent, they need a transcendent program. Finding success this year, with out a generational star, would be proof they can make that goal a reality.

GRACE BEAL/Daily

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

LINDSAY BUDIN

NighT KNIGHT

Michigan starts slow, wakes up in second half to put Scarlet Knights to bed

JOSH TAUBMAN Daily Sports Editor

PISCATAWAY — When the No. 5 Michigan football team found itself in an unlikely 17-14 halftime deficit, it looked to the defense to generate some life.

And in the subsequent 30 minutes the defense ignited that spark, snagging three second half turnovers to turn a dicey game into a rout.

Michigan (9-0 overall, 6-0 Big Ten) overcame a slow start, ultimately pulling away from Rutgers (4-5, 1-5) for a 52-17 win Saturday night. The Wolverines followed the blueprint they have used all season, leaning on the ground game and second half adjustments to remain undefeated.

“It’s one of those things that pulls your team tighter and tighter together,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “There was no pointing fingers at the offense,

no pointing fingers at the special teams, no pointing fingers at the defense. (The message) was ‘Hey, we’re gonna get this done, we’re gonna get this done together.’ ”

The first half, though, was one to forget for the Wolverines. The trouble began on the second drive of the game, when graduate punter Brad Robbins’ punt was blocked and recovered for a touchdown to tie the game at seven.

In the second quarter, things went from bad to worse. Michigan retook the lead 14-10 but couldn’t extend its advantage when the usually reliable graduate kicker Jake Moody missed a 50-yard field goal wide right. Rutgers, emboldened by the Wolverines’ miscues, responded with an emphatic touchdown drive.

Another miss from Moody with seconds remaining in the half, again from 50 yards, meant it was officially gut check time for the Wolverines.

They walked to the locker room stunned, facing their first half

time deficit of the season.

But unexpectedly tight first half contests have been a theme for the Wolverines all year. And yet again, there was no sense of panic in the locker room — and no halftime hype up speech was warranted.

“I feel like there was no message,” senior defensive end Mike Morris said. “We prepared for this moment since spring ball. Coach Harbaugh always organizes situations where we are put at a disadvantage … so moments like these are easy.”

As the second half kicked off, electricity swelled around SHI stadium. Up by three and

receiving the ball to start, the Scarlet Knights believed. But Michigan, harkening back to those spring ball workouts, responded.

It began with the defense forcing a three-and-out, quickly returning the ball to its offense. Then sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy, after struggling

In the locker room, after Rutgers had connected on some big plays, graduate linebacker Mike Barrett preached that the Wolverines needed to respond with some of their own. And he took the onus upon himself to make it happen.

Two plays after Edwards’ touchdown, Barrett jumped a pass and gave the Wolverines the ball back on the ten-yard line. Junior running back Blake Corum scampered in for a touchdown moments later.

hunt.”

The Wolverines continued to flex their muscles the remainder of the game. The secondary, which was picked apart in the first half, locked down the aerial attack, helped pitch a shutout and constantly created short fields for the offense.

The offense made good on those efforts, putting up 31 second half points and running up the second half scoring margin to a dominant 100-3 mark over the last four games.

in the first half, finally displayed his patented passing ability — connecting on a 26-yard pass down the sidelines to sophomore running back Donovan Edwards to jumpstart the drive. McCarthy then capped it with a 14-yard touchdown pass threaded to Edwards in the back corner of the end zone.

On the next play from scrimmage, a Rutgers pass skipped off the hands of a Scarlet Knights receiver and the ball floated right to Barrett again, and this time he ran it all the way to the house.

In the blink of an eye, Michigan was up 35-17. And Rutgers’ hopes of an upset had fizzled.

“Everybody is motivating everybody,” Barrett said. “I feel like once we come out in the second half, once we get that breath, we just come out ready to

“We all know what kind of team we are,” Barrett said. “We were all just going around motivating each other, telling everybody that the second half was ours.”

It was a tale of two halves for Michigan, a trend that has followed it much of the season.

But once again, when uncertainty swirled, the Wolverines removed all doubt and proved an uncomfortable situation was something that they could handle with ease.

It was a tale of two halves for Michigan, a trend that has followed it much of the season.

RUTGERS

EMMA MATI/Daily, JULIANNE YOON/DAILY | Design by Lys Goldman

the statement Color Wheel Edition

For this new special edition, the Statement writers were randomly assigned one color from a palette of options (purple, yellow, green, blue, or orange) and were tasked with incorporating that color in some way in their columns.

The result: a collection of narratives in varied shades — testimonials to goldfish and yellow lights and Mother Nature and everything in between.

Flip the page to experience this literary rainbow.

A love letter to yellow

BY RILEY HODDER, STATEMENT CORRESPONDENT

Fall used to be yellow.

Much less the color of the leaves and more the color of corn in my hands. I have a hazy memory of walking through a corn maze with my family when I was eight or nine. I remem ber shucking cobs and leaving the husks on the paths, marking the ways we’d been. I remem ber the way the corn towered over me. An all-surrounding yellow, one that almost con sumed me. Above me, around me, in my hands and under my feet.

Now, in Ann Arbor, yellow comes in scarce doses. There are no cornfield walls, just yel low leaves, mixed in with the red and orange and green. I see yellow in my lemonade and at the Big House, but the yellow grows to be few and far between. That yellow is nice, don’t get me wrong, but that yellow doesn’t quite feel like home.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that seems about right to me. As my to-do list grows longer, my heart grows heavier, and I think about those days in the cornfields much more. I think about worming

my way through the mazes with my family. I think about my dad lifting me over his head until, for as far as I can see, there is yellow corn, consuming the earth like it had just con sumed me.

In all reality, though, I wasn’t all that pas sionate about the corn when I saw it back then. The yellow memory is clearer — a yellow I know I can’t grasp again.

All I have now is the yellow of Ann Arbor — a manufactured maize pumped with market ing material. That yellow doesn’t feel the same as the hair of corn between my fingers, or the crunch of husks beneath my feet. Now I wish I hadn’t rushed through that corn maze at the moment. I wish I had more memories of the yel low enveloping me. Instead all I have are these hazy images, and even so I can find nothing that compares. I wish to have that innocence again, that safety, shucking yellow corn because I was bored, waiting to go home.

The yellow in Ann Arbor, and the yellow back home, reminds me that there is something that is lost now. That there is something I can

not get back. That doesn’t stop me from trying, from chasing it through the memories of yellow, the yellow of Michigan, the yellow of not just fall, but of all the seasons, all year round.

***

I can’t remember when my family stopped putting up Christmas lights.

We’re not the only dark house on the block during the holiday season, but we certainly stand out when squashed between red and green lights, maybe some purple. A house down the street glitters with white, light-up snowflakes. Another house projects different Christmas-themed images on the side of the house.

I think we stopped putting up the lights because it got too hard for my dad to do on his own. That is a real shame, because my father had hands for lights like no other. We had Santa and all of his reindeer, crashing their sleigh into our snow-topped roof. We had snowmen glow ing in our front yard. Every line, every window, decked with lights.

And all of them were yellow.

They were beautiful. I remember seeing them for the first time each year, and feeling that yellow haze light up my entire body. Back then, our house earned a sparkling reputa tion on our neighborhood block. The yellow outshined all the red and green, the sparkling snowflakes, the projectors. My driveway, my porch, once mundane and almost ugly, became a magical place.

Many years later, I no longer lived on that street. I was a college student, far away from home for the first time in my life. I lived in Ann Arbor — Mary Markley to be precise —and there were no lights in my dorm hall, which was a real shame, because if anyone needs a bit of magic, it’s a college freshman during the holiday season. It was my first snow away from home, and frankly, it was my first everything away from home. That weight hung heavy on my heart, as heavy as the lights probably felt in my dad’s arms as he carried them up the ladder.

Photos courtesy of Riley Hodder, Design by Jeremy Weine

An ode to goldfish

BY GISELLE MILLS, STATEMENT CONTRIBUTOR

Does anyone else remember Darla Sher man? You know, the girl with the braces holding the dead goldfish in that tiny plas tic bag in “Finding Nemo”? If you can recall her in your mind’s eye (or your nightmares), you may have been deeply scarred by the pigtailed child like I was. If you had to click the link (sorry, late warning: JUMP SCARE), I hope you remember her impact. As children, we learned not to tap on fish tank glass, not to shake bags of live fish and, above all, not to be a menace of a pet-owner.

The 2003 movie may have made us more sympathetic toward clownfish and the odd royal blue tang, but it did not make the world immediately kinder to goldfish specifically (like the one Darla poses with in her den tist picture). During recent years, in partial response to new research concerning fish intelligence, the conversation surrounding pet fish has transitioned into discussing the reality of keeping fish as happy, satisfied and, most importantly, living pets.

Fish, and goldfish in particular, are not the easy, uninvolved house decor-friendly animals that characters like Darla Sher man have made them out to be. For decades, goldfish have been given out as prizes at car nivals and fairs in tiny plastic bags. Usually, when players win live-animal prizes, they are unequipped in supplies to handle the respon

sibility of caring for them. Goldfish require specific habitation, and their treatment as barely-living dolls is both unrealistic to their needs and generally abusive.

As the needs of fish to live happy and healthy lives have been voiced, many car nivals and fairs have pledged to stop giving away live animals as prizes. Goldfish are not easy-to-keep animals, nor are they the right choice for a first pet (if you aren’t looking for commitment).

Goldfish have been pets for centuries. They are considered good luck (like orange ladybugs and monarch butterflies), though the once gold-toned fish are now more orange due to a mutation that occurred during selec tive breeding. Most species of goldfish need 20-gallon tanks (which require a lot of space), specific chemical treatments in their water and devoted cleaning. They have been record ed living into their mid-40s, and often reach their 20s and 30s when cared for properly in outdoor environments.

The average age they reach in smaller bowls (think Carlos K. Krinklebine from “The Cat in the Hat”) is only about five years old, but when severely mistreated, like many are, they often have a much shorter lifespan.

Not to brag, but I once had an angelfish named Lily, and she lived to the ripe, old (angelfish) age of 12 years old. As a semi-

evil but beloved part of our family, she was buried in the backyard, and a small funeral service was held in her honor. My sister and I witnessed her swallow some of the other fish whole more than once, but I admit to crying at that funeral. That being said, I have never had goldfish due to the possi bility that they could grow to be too big for their tank.

Mistreated goldfish often do not live to grow into their full size. Abuse toward goldfish has long been excused by their “3 second memories,” but, in actuality, they can remember at least the last three months, if not years. They can be taught to do tricks, eat from hands, recognize the people that feed them and recog nize other fish, even after periods of separation.

Goldfish are far from simple creatures. There are more than 200 different species of goldfish, primarily of the specially-bred “fancy goldfish” type. Goldfish come in a range of colors, from the classic vibrant orange, to spotted red and white, deep violet-blue, cow-print brown, lemonyyellow and even matte black. While goldfish often change colors in the first few years of life, goldfish that pale in color or turn com pletely white can indicate issues with nutri tion, lack of light, chemical imbalances within the tank or depression.

Many of the most popular pet stores, like PetSmart and Petco, are known for treating fish horribly. Alongside goldfish, betta fish

receive mistreatment due to false information — they are sometimes categorized as decoration for offices or put into tiny, orna mental vases, because pet stores relay that they can survive in puddles and need lit tle to no care or space. Betta fish have par ticular diets and need a tank of at least 2.5 gallons with room to breathe at the top; they cannot be left in plastic containers like those in which they are sold.

Goldfish not only have a history of the horrific “goldfish bowls,” but also an even strang er hazing ritual and competitionbased past. Most popular in 1939 and con tinuing even today, live goldfish have been swallowed for betting purposes, record-set ting competitions and even as initiation into sororities and fraternities (like that scene in “Euphoria”).

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

‘Everyone’s a critic’—The deterioration of criticism as an artform

BY VALERIJA MALASHEVICH, STATEMENT CORRESPONDENT

A few weeks ago, I woke up and found myself in desperate need of a hair mask. I glared in the mirror and noticed crinkles and curls and split ends in places that were once populated by a dense forest of hair. I even noticed a change in my demeanor. My mood began to fall just as flat as the hair on my head, squeezed dry by a summer of salt water and UV damage. I am rarely myself when my hair isn’t at its best.

But when I began my search for the prod uct that would best cure my hair of all its frizz, finding the golden egg became a behe moth of a task. Just after reading a lengthy review of someone praising this or that hair mask, I would be met with a startlingly negative review right below it, deposing it of its so-called glory. It took me hours upon hours to finally decide on my secret sauce. (Hint: It consists of the Olaplex No. 3 protein treatment for bleach damage, the SheaMoisture mask for hydration and the It’s a 10 Miracle mask for a post-shower pamper.)

People have told me that I make things way harder for myself than they need to be, but I

don’t think spending hours reading reviews before buying a product is overcomplicating things — it’s just baseline research. I remain incredibly wary of every review I read, as I like to assess the level of similarity between myself and an unknown online stranger to gauge whether or not I should subscribe to their opinion.

Round and round I go, circling through images and search filters until my eyes are full of internal pressure from the taut blue light that radiates from my laptop at 3:30 in the morning.

I think it remains to be established: who has the agency to advise whom? Is it the fellow who leaves a one-star rating on an Amazon listing for a MacBook Air case when they actually own a MacBook Pro? And does the burden lie on the ignorantly misguided reviewer to remove misinfor mation from the internet, or on the naive reader who must learn how fallacious the plebeian opinion can be?

In a world where everyone’s a critic, I’m left wondering what ever happened to the promise of professional critics, to the guys we could trust to tell us what to buy, what to read, what to watch.

Design by Valerija Malashevich

The purple personality

BY EMILY BLUMBERG, STATEMENT CORRESPONDENT

Scientists estimate that humans can see about 18 decillion varieties of color. That’s 18 followed by 33 zeros.

With a virtually infinite array of options to choose from, picking a favorite would seem like a time-consuming, maybe even unneces sary task. And yet, choosing a favorite color is a time-honored childhood tradition. In school, with family, in the media we consume — color preference is a staple of our earliest experiences and associations. Looking back, it seems random and unexciting. But a com mon question requires the development of a solid answer.

I tried pink. I tested out yellow. I dabbled in green and blue and maybe even orange if I was feeling quirky. But nothing really felt like my “right” answer until I started telling everyone that my favorite color was — and would always be — purple.

It’s been about 15 years since I made that declaration, and since then my grandma has concluded every text message with purple heart emojis. When my mom let me redeco rate my room in second grade, I insisted on

a thin, cheaply made comforter from Over stock.com because it was the only one we found that had a purple background and a purple heart pattern.

My affinity with purple has seemed to carry over into my young adulthood. In almost every mundane purchase I make, I will always choose the purple option. If Ama zon tells me it’s going to take an extra four days for a lavender reusable water bottle to arrive, I’ll gladly wait. When I couldn’t find the right lilac-tinted photos for my freshman year dorm, I bought a paint set and made them myself.

Upon scrolling through TikTok, I even tually discovered that this color obsession, particularly with purple, was more common than I imagined. The original creator of the “purple girl” sound, Delanie Majors, has garnered over 360,000 likes on a video that guides users through her extensive collection of purple items.

“You know, some days I wake up and ask myself, ‘Has this third-grade purple obses sion gone too far?’” she says as she whips out

everything from sleep masks to tennis skirts to dog leashes.

Since Majors posted this video in June, 53 other TikTok users have taken the sound to show off their own purple habits. These vid eos helped me realize that intensity of color preference was not just an individual quirk but a psychological habit. When thinking about the way I’ve grown up and taken auton omy over how I choose to present myself, I realized that purple has become a pivotal part of my physical self-expression. My pre dominantly purple wardrobe does much more than bring me internal joy; it is my way of communicating the values I associate with the color. This is a somewhat common phe nomenon; my love of purple is anything but isolated. Perhaps it is simply a result of the way you and I think and function.

Color psychology is somewhat of an unan swered scientific question, though. There are some studies that provide moderately strong correlations between color and human response. But for the most part, sources that claim universal psychological meaning to colors are under researched and uncited. As scientists have been searching for decades for

Design by Emily Schwartz

an answer to what colors mean to the human brain, it seems we’ve developed cultural meanings of our own.

For me, liking purple was the perfect way to subvert gender stereotypes while staying true to the femininity I identified with. It was the “other” of the constructed “girly” colors, allowing me to feel unique without alienat ing me from the piece of me who loved rosecheeked princesses and frilly pink dresses. In the social binary of gendered color iden tification (i.e., boys like blue, girls like pink), purple gave me somewhat of a way out. Even if I couldn’t process it in elementary school, purple made me feel like I could be more than my femininity. It made me feel like a whole person.

If you asked every person who made a Tik Tok showing off their purple possessions, chances are they’d all have different origin stories for their color preferences. This may be due to classical conditioning theory that tells us that associations between two stimuli are learned through experience and solidi fied unconsciously.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Feeling kinda green: Reconciliationfor our archetypal outcasts

BY NATE SHEEHAN, STATEMENT COLUMNIST

A wig of unknown origin still sits at my apartment’s kitchen table. Face paint bottles sprawl across the counter where two of my housemate’s habitually make coffee. Just moments ago, a hairbrush belonging to a friend of a friend from MSU was thrown in the trash. She left for East Lansing yester day morning. A sea of maize and blue with splotches of green had settled in over the city for the weekend. I witnessed a fight break out between the aesthetically complimentary colors on Maynard street. Halloweekend has come and gone. Another school year ritual checked off the list.

Many of the drunk classmates I encoun tered this weekend were quick to call MSU students dumb, though the school ranks 77 across nearly 4000 degree-granting post

secondary institutions. Perception is slip pery.

Take MSU’s mascot. On a historical level, common associations with these “Spartans” are of fierce, disciplined and “brutish” war riors that inspired fear in other Greek states, coming into ideological conflict with the “civilized” and democratic Athens. They supposedly never surrendered. But the real ity of these perceptions are much more com plicated than movies “300” or “Spartacus” might suggest.

Neither history’s nor Hollywood’s spartans resemble the Michigan State Spartan. For starters, none of these Spar tans donned green armor.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Design by Grace Fiblin