2023-01-25

University hosts 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium

Segregation to Elevation”

NADIA TAECKENS Daily News Reporter

Campus community members gathered Monday morning to commence the 2023 University of Michigan Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium Memorial Keynote Lecture. Hosted in Hill Auditorium, The Symposium was co-sponsored by the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, the Ross School of Business and the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus, and centered around the theme — “(R)evolution: from Segregation to Elevation.”

The event began with an introduction from Tabbye Chavous, the University’s vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Chavous spoke on University President Santa Ono’s immediate dedication and commitment to social justice following his appointment in October. She added that Ono’s support for new initiatives such as the Inclusive History Project, which documents the University’s history around race and racism, and larger community issues is exciting for the campus as a whole. She said Ono planned to give remarks, but was unable to attend due to an illness.

“We wish him a speedy recovery,” Chavous said. “In his absence, I would like to recognize his role in the fight for social justice as a higher education leader, from his efforts to support mental health access and eliminate cultural stigmas to his reparative and reconciliatory work for the University and Indigenous communities.”

Chavous’ remarks were followed by Laurie McCauley, University Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, who filled in for Ono. McCauley said she was grateful for those who made the symposium

NEWS BRIEFS

possible, and that members of the University must continue to work together to build a more equitable, just and inclusive community.

“We cannot be excellent without being diverse in the broadest sense,” McCauley said. “That is why I was so pleased to see the results of our DEI 1.0 strategic plan initiative that we announced last week. The evaluation made it clear … we’ve made much progress, even though there’s still more to do.”

After McCauley’s remarks, Dr. Scott Piper and Daniel A. Washington, professors of music in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performed “Black Pilgrims,” a hip-hop and electronic opera.

“Black Pilgrims,” which was written by Stephen Rush, another U-M professor of music, portrays a conversation between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

“(In composing this piece) I took the words of Dr. King and Malcolm directly from YouTube interviews, not them speaking to each other but interviews, and wrote down the words very carefully,” Rush said.

“And what you will hear in this case is the actual words of Martin and Malcolm.”

Following the performance, the three keynote speakers delivered their lectures, starting with Dr. Aletha Maybank, Chief Health Equity Officer and Senior Vice President of the American Medical Association (AMA). Maybank said Martin Luther King Jr.’s organizing helped create significant contributions to the health care system and overall state of health in the U.S. She said King published an article in The Nation in response to the federal government passing legislation to provide funds to build segregated hospitals in Southern states during John F. Kennedy’s presidency.

“(Martin Luther King Jr.) felt

the President should do much more and actually stop grants from going to states that were not ensuring desegregated healthcare and (were not) stopping to deny care to Black patients,” Maybank said.

According to Maybank, Black physicians were often excluded from working in white hospitals during Martin Luther King Jr.’s time, in large part due to the AMA’s policies.

“(The AMA) was considered, and really still is the most powerful healthcare organization representing physicians,” Maybank said. “And so what happened at that time is that, in order to get hospital privileges, you actually had to be a member of the AMA, but the AMA

Ann Arbor Fire Department responds to fire on Maynard Street

LEVI HERRON Daily News Reporter

The Ann Arbor Fire Department (AAFD) responded to an earlymorning fire on Maynard Street on Friday. Jeffrey Shafer, Ann Arbor Police Department sergeant, told The Michigan Daily, the department received the 911 call at 6:48 a.m., triggering an emergency response. The fire occurred on commercial

property a block from the University of Michigan’s Central Campus. The building, which was completely destroyed by the blaze, housed two local businesses — Madras Masala Indian restaurant and Vape City smoke shop.

AAFD chief Mike Kennedy was responding to the fire Friday afternoon. He told The Daily the fire was noticed by a passerby and no one was inside the building at the time the fire started. Kennedy said

there were no casualties or injuries to either civilians or first responders. He said the fire department still does not know exactly where or how the fire started, though he said the extent of the damage would likely result in the entire property being demolished.

“We’ve been here since 7 (a.m.) — the roof has collapsed and so that’s what we’re dealing with now,” Kennedy said. “We’re tearing up the street to shut off the gas lines and then once the gas line shuts off we’re going to bring in an excavator and start tearing the building apart for hotspots.”

Kennedy said the fire department initially had to delay their investigation of the fire because the department was concerned about flammable materials, such as e-cigarette batteries, inside Vape City.

“The vape shop has a lot of highly combustible material in it,” Kennedy said. “There was an incident in L.A. two years ago where six firefighters were critically injured, so we backed out and went on the defensive.”

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

didn’t prevent local affiliates from excluding Black physicians.”

Maybank said Title XI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was crucial in addressing segregation in medicine, as it stated that any program receiving federal financial assistance could not exclude or deny benefits to anyone based on race, color or national origin. Maybank added that the creation of Medicaid and Medicare brought federal funding into every medical institution in the country, leading to further desegregation of the industry. While, as Maybank said, the AMA did not take the necessary steps to promote desegregation, the advocacy of Martin Luther

GOVERNMENT

King Jr. and the National Medical Association, which consists of Black physicians, pushed health equality forward.

“(People) typically question why I am at the AMA with this racist history in their practices and their policies,” Maybank said. “So I’d be remiss not to talk about that … I operate out of a sense of love — love for myself, my family, my community (and) my ancestors, and I fully believe in inside outside strategies, covert and overt strategies in order to create change for social justice … (working for the AMA) was an opportunity to leverage the (organization’s power) for racial justice at a national level.”

Maybank went on to say the AMA has made progress through its actions, such as by issuing an apology in 2008 for excluding Black doctors and removing an exhibit celebrating the father of the AMA, who played a key role in this exclusion. She said though there has been a greater emphasis on health equity in recent years — in part due to the COVID19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter Movement — more work is needed.

“We’re still in a very segregated healthcare system,” Maybank said. “It’s illegal, but we’re still in a very sad, segregated health system.”

Campus reacts to VP Kamala Harris visit to Ann Arbor

SAMANTHA RICH Daily News Editor

The University of Michigan hosted Vice President Kamala Harris at the Rackham Auditorium last Thursday for a conversation on climate policy and action. Despite the welcome from U-M leadership, members of the campus community were divided on the implications of Harris’s visit, as well as whether or not the University and the White House could have been more conscious of the visit’s logistical impact on the city.

Outside of the auditorium and throughout the streets of Ann Arbor, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality — a U-M student organization focused on advocating for Palestinian identities — protested Harris’s visit.

Engineering senior Zaynab Elkolaly, co-director of activism for SAFE, said the organization was motivated to host a protest by Israel’s recent decision to ban the public flying of the

JULIANNE YOON/Daily

Palestinian flag and the BidenHarris administration’s policies on relations with Israel. The administration has continued the United States’s history of providing military support for Israel even while calling for a twostate solution between Israel and Palestine. Harris has personally confirmed her support for Israeli security and U.S.-Israel relations.

“There were policies in occupied Palestine, including the banning of the Palestinian flag, which prompted us to want to act, and then Kamala Harris coming to join us was just the icing on the cake,” Elkolaly said.

Elkolaly said while she and other SAFE members believe many of the topics she addressed are important, they were disappointed to see Harris calling out environmental injustices while still supporting harmful policies in Israel and Palestine.

“(Harris) was addressing some very valid points, including how disadvantaged zip codes are often the ones most disproportionately harmed by (climate change),” Elkolaly said. “She was talking

about a lot of things that we as individuals and as SAFE agree with. But if you just look at the actual policies that she and her administration support, it’s completely contradictory. You cannot be supporting this ‘woke agenda’ while facilitating the death of innocent people overseas.”

LSA junior Jacob Sendra, vice president of the U-M chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, was invited to hear Harris speak. He said while he and other CCL members appreciate the Biden-Harris administration’s achievements in climate policy, their organization was hoping to hear Harris discuss more concrete commitments for the future as well.

“Although we were really happy that she came to campus and was able to speak about the climate crisis and the administration’s accomplishments in that area, we feel like there’s a lot more that needs to be done to adequately address the crisis,” Sendra said.

The campus community remains divided over implications of Harris’s recent trip to Ann Arbor

AAFD responded to an early-morning fire in a commercial building on Maynard Street Friday

JENNA HICKEY/Daily

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com

CARLIN PENDELL Daily News Editor

According to a University of Michigan study, 31% of adults with chronic pain reported having used cannabis as a form of treatment. Of this group, over half reported the use of cannabis led to a decrease in the use of prescription opioid, prescription non-opioid and overthe-counter pain medications.

The research project, led by Dr. Mark Bicket, physician and assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Michigan Medicine, was published in Jama Network Open, a monthly medical journal published by the American Medical Association, on Jan. 6. The findings highlight the importance of further research on the metabolic effects of cannabis as a pain treatment.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Dr. Bicket discussed the high volume of patients he has seen who reported using cannabis as pain treatment, a number which has surged in recent years. Bicket said he conducted this research to address a lack of knowledge in the medical field about how cannabis can reduce the use of other pain treatments. He said he was surprised by the overwhelming reports of a decrease in the use of other pain treatments while using cannabis.

“One of the main reasons we did this study was that evidence about whether medical cannabis use can lower the use of other treatments or change them is not clear,” Bicket said. “The main finding, I think … was that most people who use cannabis to manage their chronic pain said that the cannabis use resulted in lower use of prescription opioids, and that was also the case for prescription nonopioid drugs and over the counter pain medications.”

Bicket added that the findings of his study emphasize the need for further research into the benefits and risks of using cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain. Since medical cannabis is regulated separately from other prescription medications, Bicket said knowledge about its

effects is vital.

“What this study shows us is that cannabis is an accessible treatment for chronic pain,” Bicket said. “At the same time, we don’t know how safe and effective cannabis is, as a treatment for chronic pain. That’s important because cannabis, (though) available in many states, is not regulated the same way the prescription drugs are.”

As of January 2023, 37 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of medical marijuana (cannabis), while an additional seven states have legalized the use of CBD oil only. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Program operates within the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency and administers the 2008 Michigan Medical Marihuana Act.

Notably, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that cannabis is not an effective treatment for chronic pain. According to the CDC’s website, “There is limited evidence that marijuana works to treat most types of acute or chronic pain.”

In contrast to the findings of Bicket’s study, the CDC cites research on its website from 2013 and 2018 that claim cannabis increases opioid misuse, stating, “Importantly,

using marijuana either alone or in combination with opioids has been shown to increase risk for opioid misuse.”

When contacted by The Daily for a statement about the new knowledge provided by Bicket’s recent research and potential updates to the CDC’s intelligence on the subject, the CDC declined to comment. Instead, CDC spokesperson Belsie González quoted information in an email to The Daily about the limited evidence for cannabis as an effective pain treatment found in the Health Effects section of the CDC’s Marijuana and Public Health feature.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration lists cannabis as a Schedule I drug, meaning cannabis has “no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Cannabis is listed alongside heroin, LSD, ecstasy and methaqualone in the Schedule I category.

Bicket said the DEA’s Schedule I classification and separate regulation agencies provide challenges for clinical research into relations between cannabis use and pain. He said many questions about cannabis remain unanswered by research or in clinical care.

“Along with that classification go a number of challenges that come to conducting clinical research using cannabis, on top of the normal regulations that govern clinical research and make it something that does take a bit of time and effort to do,” Bicket said. “There’s a lot of differences in terms of what cannabis use by one person might be for another person … How are they using cannabis? What’s in the cannabis? These are really basic questions that are still not easy to get the answer to in research or in a clinical setting.”

LSA senior Will Phillips, who used to own a medical marijuana card licensed by the state of Michigan, told The Daily cannabis “totally” worked to treat his pain effectively. Phillips had previously used a prescription non-opioid drug for pain treatment, but said he felt cannabis was more effective.

“I was on pain (medication) and I honestly felt like cannabis was doing more for that pain than the pain (medication),” Phillips said. “I think especially in the states that don’t have recreational cannabis, absolutely, they should have medical (cannabis) dispensaries.”

PHOTOGRAPHY

ARTS

Editorial Staff

RONI KANE and VANESSA KIEFER Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Riley Hodder, Irena Li, Joey Lin, Rachel Mintz, Sejal Patil, Carlin Pendell, Samantha Rich

JULIAN BARNARD and QUIN ZAPOLI

MILES ANDERSON Daily News Reporter

It’s nearly impossible to walk through the the University of Michigan’s Diag without seeing a number of squirrels roaming around. While these furry little pals have come to be a central part of the identity of the University for many U-M students, the squirrels are facing an important issue: hair loss.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA freshman Rosemary Frederiksen said she was shocked when she first saw a squirrel with prominent hair loss.

“I was really scared,” said Frederiksen. “I thought someone had shaved it.”

Ben Dantzer, U-M associate professor of psychology, ecology and evolutionary biology, told The Daily the squirrels are likely losing hair because of mange, a mammalian skin disease caused by mites or fungal infection, though there could be other factors at play.

“It’s hard to say (what is causing the hair loss) without doing some type of sampling on them,” Dantzer said. “Mange is caused by skin mites that burrow and cause damage to the skin, which eventually causes the hair to fall out. Squirrels can lose their hair due to fungal infections too.”

Dantzer said a possible mange or contagious fungal infection could spread among squirrels as they engage in social interactions and explained how students feeding squirrels can increase the chance of infections spreading among them.

“One thing that can increase contact (between squirrels) is

feeding the squirrels (because it) increase(s) aggregations of them,” Dantzer said. “(It is the same idea as) going to a crowded party or social events in the era of COVID-19 or RSV, and there’s a high risk of catching those pathogens because you’re interacting with a lot of other individuals of your same species.”

Dantzer also said it is illadvised to ever touch a squirrel, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states no one should ever touch a wild animal because of the risk of disease.

“There’s never really a good reason to touch squirrels,” Dantzer said.

In regards to the hairless Diag icons, Dantzer said there is not much anyone can do to help the squirrels because their hair loss is a part of nature.

“This is a natural part of the natural world, and animals get diseases,” Dantzer said. “This shouldn’t be a situation where we necessarily need to intervene.”

Many students also pointed how the campus squirrels appear to be incredibly overweight. Squirrels tend to gain weight for the winter in order to store energy when it is harder to find food. Frederiksen expressed her thoughts about how the squirrels are gaining so much weight.

“I think the reason some of them are getting so big is because they’re stealing (trash to eat) or people are giving them giant pieces of pizza and (other foods) like that,” Frederiksen said. “When I was in the voter registration line, (Ann Arbor volunteers) were handing out pizza and I saw a squirrel steal an entire piece.”

Despite the issues

squirrels face, students still love interacting with them. Frederiksen helps run an account on Instagram, @michigan. squirrels, dedicated to sharing pictures of the campus squirrels. She said the campus squirrels add to the student experience.

“They’re very cute and they add happiness to our day,” Frederiksen said. “It’s kinda like seeing a dog.”

LSA freshman Catalina Boyle is also an admin on the @ michigan.squirrels page. Boyle said the squirrels help create bonds between students.

“(Squirrels) add camaraderie between students,” Boyle said. “One time I came across a fellow student who was feeding the squirrels and they gave me some food to feed the squirrels too.”

The campus squirrels were unable to be reached for comment at this time.

TAYLOR

ABBIE GAIES and DANA ELOBAID Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com

Copy Editors: Tess Beiter, Leonor Brockey, Julia Brownell, Jackson Kobylarcz, Lizzie MacAdam, Sabrina Martell, Sofi Mincy, Chloe RangerRaimundi, Audrey Ruhana, Maya Segal, Jenna Weihs

DANIEL CHUANG and ANGELA VOIT Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com

HANNAH ELLIOTT and MYLES MURPHY Managing Video Editors video@michigandaily.com

Business Staff

The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is publishing weekly on Wednesdays for the Winter 2023 semester by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. If you would like a current copy of the paper mailed to you, please visit store. pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-edition to place your order.

One-third of adults with chronic pain are using cannabis, UMich study finds

campus squirrels?

Marijuana-based treatment options have been steadily gaining traction in recent years

no one; but UMich squirrels are losing hair from mange

Design by Francie Ahrens

Content warning: this article contains references to suicide.

Over this holiday break, I caught myself on TikTok, a lot. I’m sure I’m not alone in this; having sudden free time allowed me to catch up to what the internet has been up to without me. My For You page has become a strange amalgam of cute animal videos, cooking tutorials, K-pop fancams, “Breaking Bad” edits and more. However, a new phenomenon suddenly began appearing on my timeline over the past month with which I have become fascinated.

It was a gloomy day when I first saw it. I had been in bed all day, and nighttime had arrived without me realizing it. I scrolled my usual timeline to stop on something puzzling, almost unnerving. What was laid before me was an odd

combination of media clips set to the song “Lavender Buds” by MF DOOM: a scene from “The Lighthouse,” in which Willem Dafoe calls a sobbing Robert Pattinson a “filthy dog”; then a clip from a YouTube video titled “Eye Contact Practice – Affection,” in which a woman lovingly gazes at the camera; the last scene of “The Truman Show”; a clip of a cat jumping out of a river. The video had no caption except for the tag #nichetok. The top-liked comment said, “You get it.”

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to feel, but I was intrigued. I watched it over and over, only to find more of these videos appearing on my feed throughout the next few days carrying the tag #nichetok. Another common tag rose to the front: #corecore. Commenters would refer to this style of video as “corecore” exclusively. While most corecore videos followed the format of generic, depressing media clips set to somber piano

music or Aphex Twin songs, there were some outliers. I saw one centering on divorce, using clips from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and public speakers reflecting on the subject. I saw one about “karoshi,” a Japanese term meaning “death from overwork.”

This video included a clip from “Spongebob” showing a fish’s work routine. The fish drives to work, sits at his office job and comes home, not changing his vacant expression throughout the day. In the original context of “Spongebob,” this would be played as a joke, poking fun at the monotonous office job life. Yet in this video, drowned out by ambient and reflective music, it becomes infinitely depressing. One comment reads, “It’s like I’m slowly being choked to death.”

After coming across so many corecore videos, I’ve begun to understand how they are constructed. They’re reflections of culture, of societal concepts, clearly made by sad people. They

have a dedicated audience of reflective commenters, all seeming to understand what “corecore” is all about. One comment on a video reads, “corecore is literally the human brain. I love it.” Yet the term itself is so vague, so meaningless. The clips in the video aren’t intertwined, so they don’t create an innate aesthetic. So what does “corecore” refer to? What does it say and mean?

The root of this term comes from the trend of attributing the suffix “-core” to words in order to attribute an aesthetic or “vibe” to them. For example, the term “cottagecore” denotes an aesthetic similar to that of Little House on the Prairie books or fancy picnics. The term “scenecore” refers to the aesthetic of scene or emo fashion. In many cases today, referring to something with a -core suffix is

While The Michigan Daily Film Beat is full of film lovers and film reviewers, our actual taste in movies can often vary quite a bit. And every once in a while, we need to encourage each other to step out of our comfort zones and try something new. The Movie Swap series does just that: It gets writers to watch movies they otherwise wouldn’t and explore these new genres and flicks with one another.

“The Godfather” (1972)

When Mitchel and I decided to do these movie swaps — he picks a movie for me to watch and I pick one for him — I knew that I would end up watching a lot of classic, award-winning films that I probably should have seen by now but never made the time for. So it was no surprise when he chose “The Godfather” as the first movie for me to watch.

I forced myself to read the book first — I admit, I am a total nerd. I probably shouldn’t have. The book was sexist and misogynistic and problematic and a waste of three days. But I came out victorious and ready to see what is considered one of the best films of all time.

I was surprised to actually enjoy the movie. Older movies don’t typically appeal to me. The quality of the movies always feels grainy and dark, and there’s usually something problematic that I can’t convince myself to overlook. Admittedly, “The Godfather” was grainy and dark and not without problems, but I found myself swept up in Francis Ford Coppola’s (“Apocalypse Now”) storytelling, which allowed me to see more than just the problems I knew existed. Everyone involved in the film seemed so committed — the lighting always had a purpose (usually to show the dark nature of the Corleone family), the characters felt three-dimensional and the story was all-encompassing. It was thought out and elaborate, capturing my attention seamlessly. That doesn’t exempt the issues that exist in the film, of course, but it did allow me to understand how “The Godfather” has achieved its acclaim in popular culture.

Of course, Marlon Brando’s (“A Streetcar Named Desire”) Don Vito Corleone stole the show. Never mind the fact that he had less than an hour of screen time — it was assuredly the Don’s story we were watching. His voice, his mannerisms, his quiet but commanding voice all contributed to the character that has rightfully gone down in film history.

It wasn’t the greatest film I have ever seen. That said, I understand why after all these years, people still praise “The Godfather” as a critical piece of film histo -

ry. Brando’s delivery of the iconic line “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” alone makes this movie deserve its spot.

“Anastasia” (1997)

When Sabriya picked “Anastasia” for our movie swap, my tepid expectations of the film came from the couple of Don Bluth (“The Land Before Time”) animated features I had seen, none of which were among my favorites growing up, and a few of the film’s songs that I’d heard during production nights at The Michigan Daily last semester.

I did not anticipate enjoying “Anastasia” much given nostalgia would not play a role and animated children’s films not being my taste. However, I found myself appreciating things about it that I wouldn’t have noticed had I seen it for the first time as a child.

I found the integration of 2D and 3D animation quite impressive and relatively seamless. I was surprised by how well the 3D animation held up given the novelty of the technology in 1997, and it added a great deal to the film’s tension. When Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd, “Back to the Future”) sends demons to destroy the train taking Anya (Meg Ryan, “When Harry Met Sally…”) and Dimitri (John Cusack, “High Fidelity”) out of Russia, the 3D animation of the train gives it a speed and dynamism that 2D likely wouldn’t have allowed and makes the sequence far more exciting. In the film’s climax, Rasputin tries to attack Anya by enchanting a Black Pegasus statue, which is animated in 3D. The 3D contrasted against the rest of the scene’s 2D animation creates a sense of otherworldliness that makes for a more menacing foe.

But, for all my appreciation of the film’s technical aspects, the storytelling in “Anastasia” is too simplistic, formulaic and empty for my taste. I probably shouldn’t have expected this children’s film to dive deeply into Russian political history, but I wanted that. Where is Vladimir Lenin in all of this? Can we get some Soviet film history in here? I want to see Eisenstein trying to film “Strike,” but being interrupted by Rasputin’s dastardly plans.

Some of the film’s early scenes take place in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, and as I was taking in some of the beauty of the ballroom dance sequences, I couldn’t help being reminded of the film “Russian Ark,” a film that traverses the Palace in one take and explores centuries of Russian history — also including some stellar ballroom dancing. I think “Anastasia” would make for an interesting double feature with “Russian Ark,” creating a fascinating, dreamlike tapestry of Russian fantasy and reality.

akin to saying it fits in with that aesthetic, that structure of ideas.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Courtesy of Katelyn Sliwinski

KATELYN SLIWINSKI

SABRIYA IMAMI & MITCHEL GREEN Daily Arts Writers

Television has something for everyone. Whether your style is mindless, trashy sitcoms or massive-budget ornate fantasy dramas, rest assured your hunger will be sated. However, one genre of TV reigns supreme: 2010s teen dramas. It’s messy. It’s dramatic. It’s hilarious. In the case of the best 2010s teen drama show, it can even be a bit scary. That’s right, we’re going to do a much-needed analysis of what I would call the most iconic TV show ever: “Pretty Little Liars.”

“Pretty Little Liars,” created by I. Marlene King, is set in the fictional town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania. The pilot episode, which aired in 2010, introduces four main characters: Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario, “Doula”), Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale, “The Hating Game”), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson, “Spring Breakers”) and Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell, “You”). The four girls are reeling from the sudden disappearance of their fifth friend and queen bee, Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse, “Inherent Vice”) when they begin to receive messages from a mysterious figure named “A” who threatens to reveal the group’s darkest secrets. For the purposes of this analysis, I have conducted extensive research (which included rewatching some of the highest-rated episodes and rewatching this work of art), and I have opted to divide elements of the show into two categories: brilliant and unhinged. Let’s begin with unhinged.

The sheer length of “Pretty Little

GRACIELA BATLLE CESTERO Daily Arts Writer

It is an oddly warm December night and I’m sitting at the dinner table, indulging in my mom’s delicious homemade cuisine after a semester of consuming dining hall food. Conversations full of catching up and recounting stories about my first semester in college complement the evening’s entrées. All of a sudden, my phone screen lights up. What I think will be an iMessage or Instagram notification that I can tend to later is soon revealed as a notification from my most used — yet most despised — mobile application: Goodreads. And so, the notification, which redirects me to my 2022 reading wrap-up, becomes a matter I must immediately address.

It’s accurate to compare my relationship with Goodreads to a toxic romantic relationship. No matter how much harm it causes me, I keep going back. Year after year, I resentfully log every single book

Liars” can be considered unhinged in itself. The show is composed of seven seasons with roughly 25 episodes per season, amounting to a grand total of 160 episodes. Having such bloated seasons allowed for deeper storytelling but also opened the door for massive plot holes and convoluted storylines that sometimes didn’t make sense. Especially in early seasons, characters saw ominous figures in windows and possible suspects in cars and had a runin with someone they thought was “A,” but upon the grand reveal, none of these plot points were properly explained. When watching this series closely, there are clear points when the writers weren’t sure which direction the show would go, but maybe that’s the point — “Pretty Little Liars” isn’t meant to be watched closely.

Moving on to possibly the most unhinged aspect of this show: the relationships. “Pretty Little Liars” aired during the rise of social media, which meant that as the show progressed, fans could easily tune in and voice their opinions on Twitter or Instagram. In an effort to keep fans happy, King had every incentive to deviate from the books on which the series was based in order to maintain the fan favorite “ships.” Were these “ships” worth keeping around?

Let’s take a look at one of the show’s most hyped couples: Aria and Ezra (Ian Harding, “Pale Blue), “ship” name “Ezria.” When you get a glimpse of Hale and Harding together at the beginning of the show, there seem to be no issues. Hale and Harding have great on-screen chemistry and the tension is palpable. All’s well until you realize that in the

pilot episode, Hale was playing a 16-year-old sophomore in high school, and Harding was playing her 23-year-old English teacher. Don’t clutch your pearls just yet, because “Ezria” is not the show’s only disturbing couple.

Throughout the series, viewers were introduced to far too many questionable affairs: 16-yearold Spencer with 23-year-old Wren (Julian Morris, “New Girl”), 14-year-old Alison with 23-year-old Ian (Ryan Merriman, “Backwoods”) and too many more. If you’re anything like me, you didn’t pay much attention to the awful age gaps in these relationships until after the first viewing, an example of a problem notorious in teen dramas — casting. Hale, Mitchell, Bellisario

and Benson were without a doubt the best at playing their respective characters, but it was unbelievable to have them playing 16-year-olds when they were as old as 24. When these women were paired with actors their age, the couples are unassuming and even attractive together. But take into account the characters’ ages and you quickly realize that Ezra should not have been allowed to walk around like this amongst his students; he should have been in jail. The issue of 25-year-olds playing 16-yearolds who act like 30-year-olds is prevalent in other popular teen dramas like “Gossip Girl,” an issue made worse when you consider the audience of these shows was when they were first airing. I was 12 when I started watching

“Pretty Little Liars,” as were most of my friends. To be told that high schoolers looked like the people in “Pretty Little Liars” and that an ongoing relationship with your English teacher was totally cool is nothing short of unhinged.

Now, we move into the brilliant category. Some things listed here can also fall under the “unhinged” section, but let’s be honest — the most brilliant aspects of 2010s TV are always unhinged. Let’s begin with the characters. If we ignore their canonical ages discussed earlier, the actual personalities and behaviors of most of the series’s main characters are the definition of brilliant. More specifically, the “villain” characters are what make “Pretty Little Liars.” Some of the best-written characters are also

the most diabolical in this show, which is what makes you want to laugh, scream and cover your eyes all at the same time. Take, for example, Jenna Marshall (Tammin Sursok, “Rules of Engagement”) and Melissa Hastings (Torrey DeVitto, “Chicago Med”). Jenna was a victim of one of Alison’s maniacal pranks, which caused her to lose her vision, and she will stop at nothing to get her revenge — including having an affair with a cop to frame the girls for murder (add this to the list of disturbing relationships). Melissa is Spencer’s older sister and makes it abundantly clear that she is not only the smartest person in Rosewood, but she’s also not above threatening her own family to get what she wants.

Both Jenna and Melissa (along with a horde of other Rosewood residents) are suspected of being “A” at points throughout the show, but this list of wonderful villains wouldn’t be complete without the girl who actually was “A” in the first two seasons — Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”). Now, Mona is a capital “T” threat. Over the course of the first two seasons, she hit Hanna with a car, poisoned Emily, sent Spencer to the sanitarium and threatened to reveal Aria’s family secrets. And she looked good doing it. What makes characters like Jenna, Melissa and Mona brilliant is just how messy they are. There is absolutely no end to their obsession with “the game,” and they will stop at nothing to win it. It makes for good storytelling, and it brings us historic artifacts like these.

I’m in a toxic relationship with Goodreads

I read onto the mobile Goodreads app on my phone and update my 30 Goodreads friends every 100 pages until I’m finished reading, and so progresses the vicious cycle I am unable to break.

Ever since I downloaded Goodreads, every page turned has become a small step closer to completing my yearly reading goal. Keeping track of my reading is now a quantifiable task instead of an entertaining hobby. It has also made me extremely self-conscious of the books I enjoy reading, given that people can actively see the media I consume and silently judge me based on it. I’m hyper-aware of this, yet I refuse to delete Goodreads from my phone. I’m addicted to it.

Goodreads seems to have me in a chokehold I can’t break out of.

I think my toxic relationship with Goodreads really began in 2021. Sure, I’d been using the app since 2020, but with the new year came the resolution to read 50 books, a resolution I had to complete. I was so determined that I went 10 books over my goal, reading 60 books

total in 2021. I’m not saying that reading a lot of books is unhealthy — on the contrary, it has been scientifically proven that reading has many benefits for both physical and mental health. But when 2022 came around and I reflected on my favorite books of 2021, I realized that I barely remembered anything from the books I’d read throughout the year. I had to admit to myself that most of the reading I had done was solely to complete my reading goal and show off my ability to read at a superhuman rate. The practical solution to this was to foster more timely reading habits. Unfortunately, the desired outcome was not achieved.

The result of my 2021 reading spree? The second-worst reading slump I’ve ever experienced. It arrived at the start of 2022. I set my reading goal for the year for 60 books, certain I could fulfill it. I mean, I’d done it once already, right? Who’s to say I couldn’t do it again?

SAARTHAK JOHRI Digital Culture Beat Editor

It’s a rare feat when a band’s discography is 100% certified bangers. It’s also a bit easier to do that when a band’s only ever released seven songs. Coming out with its first indie rock EP A Constant State of Ohio in 2017 as well as follow-up tracks “Saint Bernard 2” and “Saint Bernard (Sam Means Remix)” a couple of years ago, Lincoln is the “shitty lil egotistically named band” led by Lincoln Lutz. The artist is credited with providing most of the instrumentation and lyrics for the band’s releases as well as having “made the dog song.”

The “dog song” in question is “Saint Bernard,” the EP’s first track that blew up on TikTok in 2020 and gave Lincoln its current fame. What’s funny about that song’s popularity in particular is how it’s an intro track that differs widely in tone and experimentation when compared to the rest of the alt-rock record.

The EP’s focus on teenage heartbreak, religious trauma and all good things Midwest emo results in four traditionally indie rock-driven songs that are preceded by this ominous “Saint Bernard,” which sounds more like a satanic sea shanty. “Saint Bernard 2” is when Lutz “tried

to (redo ‘Saint Bernard’) in a way that made sense to where (he is) now,”

The

What follows is a laundry list of ironic, bittersweet and beautiful oddities of modernity, ranging from “Words, buzzwords, synonyms / McMansions, Satanic hymns” to “Waterfalls, fireflies / Angry laughs and happy cries.”

These all contribute to a sense of

derealization, where Lutz asks “How do you know you’re really awake?” The list is then repeated as the drum beats and chords swell into a chaotic choir until it all fades then cuts out, and Lutz finds he can only harmonize with himself.

It’s a far cry from the band’s altrock origins, and the rest of the album cries out further. The A-side of the record navigates love, God, age, loss and art as it transitions from pop-rock rooted tracks like

“Baby Take My Acid” (featuring Penelope Scott) to slower jams like “Manager’s Special,” which still rings out with strained vulnerability. My new favorite is “Oh Lord Two (featuring Pollyanna),” which uses record and instrumental distortion to create a sense of chaos while the singers still find contentment within it, concluding: “Whatever way things turn out / Is the way they’re supposed to be.”

The B-side starts with the sudden addition of jazz elements and themes of self-identity in “Shotgun” — swung synth chords and hi-hat taps create a more grounded atmosphere as Lutz dials back his energy in favor of deeper musings, then throws it all into a wall of drums with droning synth notes and chords as he laments, “They shouldn’t have told me / To just be myself,” that “I have to keep / Telling myself / I still like to pretend.” The noise dies down for a moment before Lutz cries out amidst a chaotic refrain: “If you want a wreck / Then you’ve got one / Pull the wheel towards you / From shotgun.” There’s an immediate transition into “10,000 Normal People” — more of an interlude than an actual track — where Lutz’s distorted voice sings about the unique yet universal aching experience of projecting yourself into the modern world: “You feel

like everybody hates you / Every day / So you need 10,000 normal people / To love you deeply in every way.”

While its themes and instrumentation seem to be a hard diversion from the rest of the album at first, “From God” comes back to form with rock and indie elements seemingly aimed at a former lover but then directing ire towards the universe itself and its “14 billion years just to put it all together.” Back to jazz, “Life, the Universe and Everything” mimics “Fly Me to the Moon” for its intro but then returns to the themes from the A-side and ties the B-side’s identity crisis to them with some of my favorite lines: “Before you even knew my world / Its meaning somehow laid in you,” “I thought my dad’s teeth were disgusting / But God now look at me” and “So when somebody claims to know me / It’s hard not to ask them if they’ll bet.”

Among assertions of love, the penultimate track, “Everything,” poses a final question: “What is everything?” The closing song “Oh Lord” doesn’t answer, only promising “God isn’t dead / But it hasn’t been born yet,” where Lutz fully realizes what it means to end ‘Everything’: “The part of me that wants to die is only yearning to transcend.”

filling the humming void of the former track with orchestral gospel instrumentation and rewriting his vocals with a more mature, reflective tone. This evolving experimentation is what defines the 12 wonderfully written, exceptionally orchestrated and wildly diverse tracks of Everything is Wrong.

album’s title track introduces lonely yet lovely

synth notes setting up a liminal environment for Lutz to vocalize his sense of things going wrong — he hasn’t “been feeling / So good as of late / It’s another perfect night / to spend wide awake.”

Design by Evelyne Lee

Design by Serena Shen

STATEMENT

On casual homophobia at the University of Michigan

SAMMY FONTE Statement Columnist

Note: All names have been changed, and stories have been truncated when appropriate to avoid the possibility or implication of repeating the message relevant in each encounter.

As a student at the University of Michigan, I’ve rarely witnessed overt homophobia on campus, though I know it exists. Still, I feel inexplicably unsafe in most spaces on campus. Sometimes, I even slyly shuffle back into the closet to protect myself (the morality of which I cannot stop thinking about). But why do I feel safer there? It can’t be because of my clothes — they’re not that cute.

There is a reason I constantly bite the tongue that only wants to defend my identity. The following three instances, all of which seemed relatively harmless at first, upon closer examination revealed deeper, harsher truths about how casual homophobia can still corrode, and what steps we can take to prevent it.

Backlighting this entire narrative is French philosopher Jean-Pierre Faye’s horseshoe theory. Introduced in his 2002 book, “Le Siècle des idéologies” (The Age of ideologies), Faye posits that the far-left and far-right ideologies are more similar than the traditional left-right spectrum suggests. Though horseshoe theory generates lots of criticism (and some praise), it will work to frame my central point; on-campus homophobia usually starts with intentions of normalization, but the execution swings it around the horseshoe, resulting in some wholly homophobic encounters.

To begin, I want to take you to the East Quad basement. The pale yellow walls coupled with the basic school building lighting produces an awful orange glow, but I want you to ignore that. That innocuous Monday evening, my freshman friend group was studying at a table in the main lounge, hunched over our respective computer screens. After making some progress, I predictably got up for a dance break — Spotify shuffle had blessed me with a Taylor Swift song. Then my friend, a white, straight and affluent sorority girl, looked me up and down and proceeded to call me a “fairy.”

The weirdest part of this

encounter was that I genuinely laughed. We all laughed, and then documented the comment on our list of “out of pocket” quotes. I still find it funny now, just in a darker way.

I do not think that what happened here was malicious, or that she meant to belittle my identity, even though she did. I think that ignorance allowed two things to happen: an uneducated use of offensive terms and a humorous attempt to mimic my own language.

With all the niceties stripped away, the word “fairy,” when directed towards someone in the LGBTQIA+ community, is a slur. The reclamation of slurs by targeted communities is a storied endeavor. But a weird thing has happened with homophobic slurs: they have been adopted by all, not just the offended community. So when my friend called me a “fairy,” I almost think she meant it as a compliment — I think she was happy I felt comfortable expressing my identity around her, and wanted to show she was just as comfortable. But the execution was jarring and corrosive. She never made that mistake again, and apologized profusely. Nonetheless, it happened, and it hurt.

Our next story involves a living room on East University Avenue and, predictably, a drinking game: Kings. From the deck of cards sloppily forming a circle around a forgotten Whiteclaw, my friend (let’s call her Mira) drew a king. When you draw a king, you get to make up a rule. Mira decided to direct two straight men in the group (let’s call them Dan and Caleb) to kiss and slap Caleb’s butt every time an odd-numbered card was drawn.

Without skipping a beat, Dan said something to the effect of I would love to, we’re basically already a couple, as if gay romance and sex is some kind of joke, or something to claim as bait.

Again, Mira, Dan and Caleb did not intend to belittle my identity, even though they did. What happened here was quite simple, and possibly a good thing executed poorly. I’m glad we feel comfortable enough in our social circles to allude to sexuality in a joking and light manner. As I’m sure you know, this hasn’t always been the case.

Now, however, my friend group can talk about gay people, romance and sex so casually — which is

fantastic. But for my community to become the butt (like the one Dan was instructed to slap) of jokes made by straight people is not okay. Pretending to be gay is not funny, it is hurtful. And it happens too often.

For the third and final campus encounter follow me to the G.G. Brown Building. In this North Campus building, a few feet from the 1,500 pound Rubik’s Cube, there is a table that routinely occupies a group of me and my class friends after our lecture. In an effort to elevate our group to friends sans the class label, we began talking about our love and sex lives. Feeling safe enough, I started spilling about the triumphs and tribulations of being gay on our campus. As we went around the circle, one of the guys tried to launch into a monologue about how he was struggling to meet girls he liked. But before he got too far, another girl in the group chimed in:

“Aren’t you gay?”

It might take you a second to understand what happened. It took me 20 minutes and a Commuter South ride. But my friend, despite how well he played it off, was outed.

There were only six of us at that table, so you might be inclined to think something along the lines of ‘no big deal.’ But you would be dead wrong. Coming out is something so radically personal that to lose agency over the decision of how, when, where and whom to come out to is truly heartbreaking.

Still, outing happens entirely too often. Many people assume that because I am gay, it’s okay to out other people to me. But that’s weird, right? I mean, if my friend told me she was pregnant, no special moral permission is given for me to tell someone else this reality just because the person I told also happens to be pregnant. Both being pregnant and being gay is something that I would call radically personal. Somehow, people have lost that level of respect for the agency one has over speaking to their experiences, or their identity. Again, why?

I keep wondering why these encounters happen in a way that makes me think the intentions are good. Here goes my theory: I think that my peers have tried so hard to normalize being gay, that being gay has lost the basic respect for agency that all identities deserve.

How boarding school altered my perception of the college experience

IRENA TUTUNARI Statement Columnist

Walking out of the Chemistry Building after finishing my last final of the fall semester, I did what could only be considered to be, at the very least, necessary: I fist-bumped myself. Pow! It’s a little thing I do after every major, minor or otherwise irrelevant accomplishment of mine. Made it to class on North Campus at 1:29 p.m. instead of the usual 1:34 p.m.? Bam! Good hair day? Pow! Said hello to someone in passing on the Diag without sounding like a buffering CD? H-h-hey, uh, what’s up? Put ‘er there! So as I dotted my i’s and crossed my t’s on a tumultuous final exam, I uncrossed my whiteknuckled fingers and gave myself a final fist-bump. Okay, a few. Bam bam bam bam bam!

That last exam marked the end of mine, and about 8,000 other freshmen students’ first semester at the University of Michigan. Not that it was a secret though, as anyone who opened Instagram that day would have seen the blur of maize and blue “Semester recap!” or “Photo dump from first sem!” or the cheeky “1/8 done! (check mark emoji)” posts.

One-eighth? Now I’m no STEM major, but there was no way that statistic was going to be remotely correct for me. Try “9/16 (check mark emoji!),” I chuckled to myself, dryly, swiping out of the app and into my camera roll to compile my own cheeky little Instagram post. But the irony still remained.

While many freshmen in college were experiencing the horrors of communal bathrooms and subpar dining for the first time, I’d been around this same block so many times that it was second nature to shove my feet in a pair of dingy rubber shoes en route to the shower. Being sent to boarding school at 13 years old definitely does that to you. Or, as it was more eloquently put to me at that age, enrolling in a “college preparatory school” teaches you those things, among hopefully others. With the brightly colored pamphlets and the promise of “invaluable opportunities for personal growth,” who was I to argue? Having eight consecutive semesters of on-campus living prior to attending college afforded me a very different viewpoint, what

some might call “an edge.” Though, I’m not too sure if it’s a fist-bump worthy epiphany.

After four years at boarding school, my eyes un-widened and my tail debushed, making the whole transition to college feel like a simple school transfer. And no one, unless their school sucked, is excited about transferring to another. I certainly wasn’t. All that was waiting for me at college was an all-too-clean slate that I’d never asked for, and having been hauled off to boarding school at 13, it was no wonder that I hated change. Surveys popularly claim that adolescents who were sent to boarding schools at a young age often “face problems adjusting” after feeling such intense feelings of displacement and abandonment upon moving out.

Being completely separated from my family at 13 years old forced me to become attached to this new idea of “home” at boarding school, especially given that I and other boarding students did not have the “mental capacity for creating a coherent narrative out of these events on (our) own, as (we were) unable to process it” at such a young age. The trip to college not only ejected me from one home, but this time, from two.

Getting ready to leave for college and packing my clothes in boxes labeled “BOARDING SCHOOL” in a rough Sharpie scrawl, I was reminded of the life I was leaving behind, never to experience again. I wasn’t just saying goodbye to a school desk or locker that I’d etched my crush’s initials on with a ruler; I

was saying goodbye to my home, my family, my school. Goodbye to stifled laughter and baking in the dorm kitchen past lights-out, goodbye to being forced to sing choral music, of all things, at 8:00 a.m. every Monday, goodbye to throwing eggs at the boys’ dorm rooms on the other side of campus, goodbye to it all.

I was trading the friends-turnedfamily and the school-turned-home for a strange new girl putting up posters on the other side of my likely cockroach-infested room in Mary Markley Hall, a religious use of Google Maps and various Greek letters that made my head spin when I tried to differentiate them. Actually, it all made my head spin.

The idea of oscillating between the two realities of boarding school and home was a confusing amalgamation at my young age, and left me not completely fulfilled in either place. Both were comfortable in their own ways, and leaving two at the same time for a place completely unknown was just about the scariest thing I could do. The back-andforth pattern of “returning home as a stranger and then leaving just as (I) settled back in (built) a psychological pattern” for me in which I feared change and shied away from a college experience that could potentially bring positive change. I never trusted that I could be fully comfortable somewhere, since there was always an ominous expiration date hanging over my head; just how many “homes” could I keep juggling?

When your pet grows old

CHINWE ONWERE Statement Columnist

Part of the hardships that many college students face while away from home is the potent sense of longing, perhaps for a specific person, place or pet. Since I stepped foot on the University of Michigan’s campus, there was one thing in particular that I truly missed: my cat. Yes, my beloved cat, whose ruddy orange fur would shed all over my black leggings, whose gritty tongue would drag all over my skin, leaving it tingling with abrasions. I never thought being away from him would be so difficult, that I would grow troubled by the way my feet turn cold at night because he cannot lay on my toes to warm them, or that I would grow to miss the chorus of his meows in the morning as if he hasn’t eaten a single day in his life.

It is in these moments that I have wondered if he reciprocates the same love that I have for him, or if the attachment he has for me is merely based on the fact that I feed and shelter him. Is it truly unconditional love?

Well, to form an attachment, there must be an existing behavioral and emotional connection that strengthens over time. Various research shows that animals play a large role in shaping a child’s social, cognitive and mental development. This, in turn, is facilitated by a type of compassion and care that is unique to pet-human relationships.

Furthermore, there is a kind of reciprocal relationship

between the two parties. The pet looks to the human as someone who makes sure their needs are met, while the pet provides companionship to their human. And thus, animals often offer a sense of unconditional love that can be found hardly anywhere else, and it is through them that we often look for security and comfort, especially in the midst of hard times.

In seasons of change, such as moving to a new state or being at university for the first time, we turn to our pets for a sense of normalcy and consolation, and in the absence of their comfort, we start to feel uneasy. Pets offer a kind of emotional support that is seldom found in other places, which is why we build an attachment to them that lasts a lifetime.

I’ve had my cat since I was six years old. We essentially grew up together, and I remember him as a playful young kitty who always got into mischief, whether it was sneaking into the nooks and crannies of our kitchen drawers or scratching the fabric of our couch into shreds. I would chase him around the house when he would get into his fits of frenzy, running back and forth from the hallway into the living room. Whenever I came back home in the afternoon, on equally disappointing, frustrating, boring and exciting days, he would be there for me, and I for him. When I was younger, I used to pray that my cat would live forever. And at the time, it seemed like he would.

The realization that he has been

in my life for more years than not, and yet my love for him seems like one that has lasted a lifetime is oftentimes shocking. A part of me doesn’t want to acknowledge his age. He can’t be that old, no, he isn’t that old. Because to me, he is still that kitten, running around in the house. And I am still that girl, running after him.

During fall break, I finally saw my cat after two months without him. I was overjoyed at the thought that I would finally be with him again. While I had seen him in pictures and the occasional FaceTime, it wasn’t the same as in real life.

But while at home for the first few days, I noticed that my cat was acting a little strange. He seemed different, out of sorts. He moved slowly, and when I tried to pet him he would growl in frustration and walk away. He no longer found interest in playing with his toys, and had a glazed look in his eyes when I would throw his favorite stuffed mouse, the one he always used to eagerly chase after before. I was unsure of whether it was the new kitten or the new house that was causing him to act this way, but I couldn’t help but reminisce about the way things used to be. Not only because of what I missed, but also because of what I wanted to believe. I didn’t want to believe that my cat was aging, that he would never be the same kitten that was carelessly running back and forth in the hallway or playing with his toys in the front room. He was different.

Design by Arunika Shee

How to underachieve and feel okay about it

Reckoning with State Street’s changes

NATE SHEEHAN Statement Correspondant

The world was hushed and dark. Shadows softened the edges of my room and the sun creeped closer to the horizon.

I imagine that before my alarm jolted me from deep sleep one early Wednesday morning, some manner of a perplexed look rested upon my face. I’ve been told that when I sleep, it appears as if I’m thinking. But when the chimes of my alarm sound, I’m completely lost in brain fog. And as those ever-faithful chimes did sound at 6:30 that Wednesday morning, an ungodly hour for my circadian rhythm, it was no different. I leapt out of bed, grabbed my phone and tapped that button to turn that damn sound off. ‘And there’s my bed, just one small footstep away’ … I laid back down, neither returning to sleep nor fully awaking. I knew I had about an hour’s car ride ahead of me. More rest felt like a good way to start my day.

I attended the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival this past weekend in Flint, Mich. I won’t bore you with a lengthy explanation of what that is or what that means. It’s less important than it sounds. It’s also, more than likely, exactly what you think it is. Theatre nerds amassed together for a weekend

of competitions, workshops and free performances. I originally planned to compete for the Student Dramaturgy Award, but dropped out last minute. The turnaround between the production I planned to submit for and the 15-page application deadline coincided with fall semester’s finals week — the timing meant it wasn’t manageable to apply. Still, I felt obligated to attend. The School of Music, Theatre & Dance already dished out the $100 fee to the Kennedy Center for me to at least go to a few workshops.

And so, with little consideration for my future self, I signed up for the festival’s odd little side competition called Design Storm, an event in which students from different schools collaborate on a production concept from an assigned play. I had too much to do the week of the competition. For starters, the deadline of this article fell right after the festival wrapped. With a busy week of my first string of deadlines ahead, I forgot about the festival entirely until a few days before, when a professor reached out to me about the driving schedule. It snuck up on me in a way that, in the moment, felt unfair.

At 7:15 a.m., I found myself still laying in bed. I didn’t want to go. I couldn’t go. How could I? I was a fraud, attending a festival

as an appetizer, not talented enough for its main course.

Anxieties swirled through my head accompanied by a numbness weighing down on my body.

Ten minutes later, I was out the door. I put my earbuds in but left them silent. Instead, I listened to the rest of the sleepy world. A little later, I pondered the guide I told my editors I’d write over the next few days.

Step 1: Ego and Self-Esteem First, I’d like to detail who this guide is for. It’s for those who have found themselves with one too many commitments and are goddamn tired. It’s for those who struggle to venture outside of their comfort zone for fear of rejection. It’s for those who catch themselves overselling and underselling themselves out of insecurity. It’s for those who feel they don’t have a choice over how they spend their time or they’ll be a failure to every expectation placed upon them.

And it’s for those who legitimately have little wiggle room over how to spend their time, otherwise their essential needs — or the needs of those that depend on them — won’t be met.

We are in an era of quiet quitting, a workplace trend that suggests applying the minimum effort required into one’s work is an acceptable avenue for achieving a better work-life balance.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

President Ono’s Inauguration Poster Session Award Students

Working Together to Tackle the Climate Crisis

When I walk along the newly renovated State Street in Ann Arbor, I feel contradictory emotions. Sometimes I see the curbless road, the string lights and benches, and think: how nice. When I’m driving, however, it feels like the worst idea ever conceived. It’s irritating, sitting there stalling. I hear honking. I witness, invariably, the stress of drivers going nowhere. I can’t help but wonder: was that $9 million dollars, the trouble for businesses and the line of cars stretching down to South University, really worth it?

Prior to the renovation, State Street had three lanes along East William Street and North University Avenue — one designated turning lane, and another lane for non-turning cars. The sidewalks were narrower, and had a curb.

LSA senior James Utley remembers driving down the street without an issue. “The difference between then and now,” Utley said, “is that now I try to avoid State Street whenever possible.”

According to Maura Thomson, Communications Manager for the Downtown Development Authority, the goal was to prioritize pedestrians’ comfort and safety. “And also to maintain an acceptable level of service for vehicles,” Thomson said.

“The State Street project has been on the DDA’s radar as a project that needed to be done for years,” Thomson said. “That corridor is a critical, iconic corridor in our downtown. It’s sort of the nexus of our downtown and campus, where they meet.”

According to a presentation by the Transportation Commission, there are approximately 8,000 pedestrians and 6,600 vehicles traveling these two intersections during peak hours (between 8:009:00 a.m. and 4:45 - 5:45 p.m.).

With State Street’s rebranding as a pedestrian zone, however, it struggles to function as, well, a street — for the thousands of vehicles that use it. When I look at pictures of the old State Street, my mind goes: this almost looks like a highway. That’s not nearly the case anymore. Perhaps the traffic is the shock of that transformation.

*** For walkers, State Street’s new design bears two changes. First, and most noticeably, is the addition of a pedestrian-exclusive signal, whereby all the walk signs are turned on, and all drivers receive the red light.

“It took me some time to figure out what was happening when no one was moving,” Utley said.

When it switches to this pedestrian-exclusive mode, I enjoy walking across the intersection diagonally. It’s a blast. The new signal’s fun-factor is undeniable, as is the added safety. The aesthetic appeal is especially welcomed among myself and others.

“I do like it a lot more. I appreciate the wider streets,” LSA sophomore Riha Hagalwadi said.

“It looks a lot better,” chimed her friend, LSA sophomore Riya Chakravarty.

Both Hagalwadi and Chakravarty use State Street primarily for walking, as they don’t own a car on campus.

I spoke with Taubman sophomore Matthew Daines, who drives in Ann Arbor, along with Utley.

“With the trees and benches, it looks more inviting and functional. Especially now with the 15-minute parking,” Daines said. As for his thoughts on driving, he pointed to the cars behind us.

“It’s very stop and start. We could follow a car from here and see it stop two times. It’s frustrating,” Daines said.

I talked to Ann Arbor resident Amelia Barnard and LSA sophomore Josh Moss, who each drew attention to the obstacles that already exist for cars around Ann Arbor.

“The bike lanes I appreciate. But

what I think might be unnecessary are the pylons,” Barnard said.

“In the case of an emergency there’s no place to pull over. Cars are already limited.”

Moss has been driving on State Street since high school. When I spoke with him, he had been riding his bike.

“They started making the lights super short, then having it stop, and having all the pedestrian sidewalks going at the same time,” Moss said. “There’s traffic from Nakamura (co-op) all the way here, just a straight line of cars, and you have to turn around and drive up Division. It’s horrible.”

“I have a friend that lives just up there,” Moss continued, motioning up the street to Kerrytown. “Before it would take probably a six, seven minute drive. Now it’s like 40.”

Maybe the ability to turn left at the intersection will be removed. Maybe the signals will go back to normal. Or it could be that State Street is simply not a place meant for cars anymore.

*** There are new intervals when pedestrians are not supposed to cross, period. This is the second big change for walkers. Pedestrians can still walk when the light turns green, but only for a few seconds. When the walk sign displays a red hand, the flow of traffic depends on pedestrians not crossing.

But pedestrians cross anyway.

While researching this piece (standing around at the intersection, basically) I saw a lot of people walk when they weren’t supposed to, blocking traffic as a result. Some would look both ways first and then jaywalk. Some just ignored the red hand altogether.

As a pedestrian, I feel pressure when crossing a street that wasn’t there before — perhaps the anxiety of my unnecessary privilege over cars. The renovation was clearly successful at prioritizing pedestrians. But did that have to come at the expense of the driver’s ability to get down the street?

Design by Evelyn Mousigian

STEVE LIU Statement Correspondant

Gabby Ceritano/DAILY

Fifty Palestinian flags rose upon Kamala Harris’s arrival

are made in conjunction with supporting the Israeli occupation’s continuous disservice to the climate.

University of Michigan students, led by a Students Allied for Freedom and Equality initiative, gathered in protest of Vice President Kamala Harris’s arrival at the University on Thursday. Protestors assembled in front of Hill Auditorium and marched towards Rackham Auditorium — the site of Harris’s speech — waving Palestinian flags and voicing chants that challenged the Biden-Harris administration’s unwavering support for the state of Israel.

“Not another nickel! Not another dime!

No more money for Israel’s crimes!”

The White House previously announced that the Vice President would be in Ann Arbor to partake in a discussion “highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic and ongoing work to combat the climate crisis.” Students took this opportunity to bring attention to the ongoing crisis in Palestine that has recently included Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, ordering a ban on public display of the Palestinian flag — confirming the far-right Israeli government’s commitment to furthering the erasure of the Palestinian identity. Additionally, students brought attention to the hypocrisy of climate efforts that

For decades, trees have uniquely symbolized the hostility of settler colonialism on Palestinian land: with native, time-honored Palestinian olive trees being forcibly uprooted to make way for exported pine trees, Israeli settlements and the infamous Apartheid wall. Extending over 700 kilometers wide, Israel’s West Bank Wall, also known as the Israeli Apartheid wall, is a pivotal point in the conversation of climate change, as it serves as a cruel, tangible reminder of the violent annexation of Palestinian land. This barrier,

deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004, required the removal of thousands of olive trees. As it continues to expand, piercing through the once fertile land beneath it, it is threatening biodiversity and fragmenting ecosystems.

The Apartheid wall surrounding the West Bank does not stand alone, as its implications stretch across to the Mediterranean coast, where Gaza exists as the “largest open air prison in the world.” Surrounded by a 65-kilometer iron wall, Palestinians in Gaza stand helpless in the face of Israeli bombardment through airstrikes and violent warfare that sometimes includes chemical weapons such as depleted

uranium and white phosphorus — which both have long-standing repercussions on environmental pollution.

Decades of power imbalances and land control have proven that Israeli control of Palestinian identity and livelihood goes hand in hand with their disregard for the land that Palestinians are indigenous to. And as the United States continues to funnel money into these efforts, they are further fueling the climate crisis that they claim to be addressing.

Since World War II, Israel has been the largest recipient of foreign aid from the United States, with foreign military financing exceeding $3 billion under the

Biden-Harris administration. This money is a key enabler of Israeli colonial projects, which are simultaneously displacing Palestinians and causing indelible destruction to the climate. And with Israel’s ecological footprint reportedly exceeding its biocapacity, it is absolutely crucial that their strategic efforts to greenwash their military occupation are exposed.

The United States has long been complicit in Israeli abuses of land and people alike, but the BidenHarris administration has the power to end this cycle.

Standing outside of Rackham Auditorium on Thursday, students were calling on Harris to end her

Chittagong at a standstill, a photo essay

When I was younger, I would go to great lengths to explain how similar Bangladeshi society was to Canadian society. In my mind, that was how I was supposed to assimilate. Life in Canada was supposed to look like it did in the TV shows that played as I did homework. I despised aspects of my life that were defined by my Bengali culture. It was always about trying to make my Bengali identity more Canadian, never the other way around. I thought I could clear similarities by making comparisons. I fell into a habit of making Bangladesh and

Bangladeshi culture more palatable for people whom I didn’t need to cater toward.

Looking back, my bad.

The two cultures are different; they’re supposed to be. The question was never about whether Bangladeshi culture was different — I knew it was, I just didn’t want it to be. The question was whether the culture was as different, destitute and coarse as the media painted it to be.

It wasn’t.

During a recent trip home, I decided to take portraits and pictures of people and places around my neighborhood in Chittagong, Bangladesh, taking my time to talk to those I photographed. We simply talked, not about anything in particular, but I caught onto snippets about aspects

support for the greenwashing of this colonial entity.

“Kamala, Kamala don’t you know?

Greenwashing has got to go!”

The Israeli claim of having “made the desert bloom” is transparently false, and it is time for the international community to introduce accountability into what has long been misconstrued as a conflict.

Joseph Fisher is a sophomore at the University, and has been a member of SAFE for the last year. He currently serves as activism chair for the SAFE board.

“Kamala claims to care about the environment, but continues to approve thousands of new oil and gas drilling permits, which further climate change, disrupt habitats and place nearby populations at risk for a wide range of diseases,” Fisher said.

This sentiment is shared by many other members of SAFE, who were waving their Palestinian flags high in the air and standing in solidarity with Palestinians who are being penalized for doing the same.

“Palestinians will not be moved,” said Noor O. Sami, a junior at the University, currently serving as SAFE’s education director. “No colonial law will ever make us abandon our flag or our land. From Jerusalem to Gaza, from Akka to Jenin — our flag will fly until Palestine is free.”

of their lives they decided were worth sharing with me.

I am from Chittagong, Bangladesh. Through these pictures, I am intentionally showcasing life in Bangladesh through my eyes, not trying to represent a whole culture, country or community. It is me, showcasing a singular moment of time, through a singular person’s eyes, not necessarily telling other people’s stories but providing a space for the lives they decided to showcase when talking to me. I am merely translating.

With that being said, here are the pictures. As you go through them, note that the pictures are not meant to be a series of generalizations. They are meant to provide an opportunity to understand the intricacies of the people and livelihood in Bangladesh.

Rahim was the first person I met on my walk. My conversation with

was short. His son worked at the

down the road –– he spoke of him with great pride. “My son works at the factory down the road, he asked me if I wanted to join. I said no.” I asked him why. “Well, I like it here. I’ve been doing this all my life.” He then talked about his welding work, asked me if I knew how it worked and proceeded to show me. I compared it to glass welding, which he also knew how to do.

“It’s

Maryam Shafie-Khorassani/MiC

ALIFA CHOWDHURY MiC Columnist

Rahim

garments factory

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Chittagong is known for its greenery, a beautiful place to witness it all is D.C. Hill Park, which is where I met Rubel. He worked alongside his dad in the park. “This is my father’s business. I just come here on the weekends,” Rubel said. I asked him if he liked working with his dad. “Yeah, for the most part, the machine breaks down time to time though. I can fix it most days.” We talked about the number of people that visit the park each day, both agreeing that the crowd can get overwhelming. The park remains his favorite part of the city, though.

A few miles away from the park is Chittagong’s famous port. Chittagong is a port city, the industrial capital of the nation. I met Abdul there; he was selling sugarcane. He said they were from his village, four hours away. Abdul and I talked about the port behind him. We both spoke of it with a sense of pride. “The port is a Chittagong staple,” he said.

why I set up shop here.” Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Being able to say I was busy used to be my pride and joy. If you were to ask me how I was freshman year, I would most likely respond with a “good — just busy with school.” I abided by the unspoken laws of being a “productive college student” and said yes to every opportunity I came across. It took a semester of burnout and fatigue to realize that my idealization of busyness prevented me from practicing healthy boundaries. Why is it hard for us to say no? I hate saying no. Could it be because the thought of people feeling disregarded scares me? Or because I love the rush of being everything and everywhere all at once? Perhaps. Yet I can’t help but think about how connected this habit is to my childhood.

I am used to no’s. My parents were strict: straight home after school, no sleepovers in other houses and no boyfriends. My immigrant parents made sure I didn’t develop only child syndrome and mostly told me no

Learn to say no

I am in my senior year of college and I am terrified of looking back.

Regardless of my many mistakes, my four years of higher education are free of regrets. I have taken full advantage of the opportunities afforded to me. I am, by all accounts, graduating knowing I’ve had an incredibly successful run. I’ve beat all the odds! Despite my background, I’ve racked up an array of achievements. I know I will wear my cap and gown, have my silly little diploma to hang up and eventually don an oversized “Michigan Alum” MDen crewneck. I will sit in my well-lit apartment paid for

when I wanted to do things other kids my age were doing. I was their only child, and for that matter, a girl. In their eyes, I had to be protected from a society with malicious men.

I grew up guarded by the sayings “no one we know is going” or “no is no.” My younger self felt sabotaged by the experiences my friends had because I craved a normal teenage lifestyle. Of course, I can’t ignore the fact that the things I asked for were almost always out of reach or impossible, like the time I asked my parents if I could go to a Justin Bieber concert but I didn’t know anyone that was going and the ticket prices were three-digit numbers. The Belieber in me was so furious by their denial that I recall wanting to run away the night of the concert. I remember asking my parents if I could get a job in downtown Chicago because the downtown rush excited me. The answer was no.

I was a very curious child — I wanted to know what life had to offer outside of my small family. So, as I received no’s, my curiosity grew. Although I understand the reasoning

behind their no’s, I wish they knew how hard it was to be denied as a child of immigrants who was already being denied by the standards of a “normal American teenager” — I was told, “we have food at home,” when I asked to make a stop at McDonald’s. Yet, it hurt to remember how normal it was for my friends to do simple things like getting McDonald’s.

During my high school years, I learned that my childhood desires were a luxury my family could simply not afford. As I gained independence and my curiosity to explore increased, I chose to say yes. An opportunity to serve on a student advisory council for the school district? Yes. Want to serve on my high school’s student council? Yes. I wanted to do everything and sought to reverse all of the no’s I had been told.

I loved adventuring with my friends, staying after school for meetings and looking for extracurricular activities. I loved being busy.

College came around, and that urge to always be occupied only strengthened. I signed up for all of the student organiza -

tions I found interesting and filled my Google Calendar with weekly events. It was a humble brag to say I was good but busy when people asked me how I was. Everyone in this university seemed to always be busy, and I didn’t feel productive if I took a nap once I got back from my classes. Commitment became easy and many times I sacrificed personal time for commitments I didn’t need to have. Why wouldn’t I want to finish a task for my job knowing it was already past 5 p.m? Why wouldn’t I want to set up meetings back to back knowing I had no time to eat in between?

Maybe because I loved being in demand. The day in the life of a college student videos I watched didn’t warn me about over commitment. In school, there is little to no discussion about how easy it is for college students to overwhelm themselves with unnecessary commitments. Overproductivity violates all laws of having a balanced and healthy lifestyle. And it is only harder for students of Color who are expected to be “competent college students” despite day-to-day

encounters with social injustice.

The emotional and academic consequences of always saying yes came to a head last semester. I was enrolled in 14 credit hours, worked part-time and added two more organizations to my calendar. I developed unhealthy eating habits, felt emotionally exhausted and the thought of studying for hours drained me. I dreaded school days and couldn’t wait for the semester to be over. I was in survival mode.

Near the end of the semester, I met with my research mentor to discuss our weekly tasks. As we were discussing how much capacity I had to finish the weekly tasks, I assured her that I would get everything done, despite it being a little more work than usual. In bewilderment, she said, “Can you really, Luz?” She caught me off guard. Could I really? That was a good question. I could, but that would require me to spend less time studying and taking care of myself. I was tired and she noticed. So I swallowed my pride and told her no. Our talk forced me to think about

Post-convocation isolation

by the kind of job that makes my peers’ eyes go wide. I will be comfortable. And, despite all that comfort, I will look back and know that the comfort is an isolating one, meant only for me alone.

The worst part of “making it” is knowing you can’t bring everyone with you. Being someone who has “beaten the odds” means being someone who comes from a family and community that are plagued with those very same odds. We lack the money, connections and support others are blessed with. Beating those odds is a reflection of what luck and opportunity come our way. A particularly dedicated counselor, a well-timed application submission, bumping into

someone with the right connections or, in my case, coincidentally working at a cafe frequented by the right people. Who knows where I’d be if that job hadn’t triggered a chain of events connecting me to outlandish opportunities I never even knew existed. A chance introduction to one of the most important people on campus changed my life, all because they wanted a cup of hot tea.

Unfortunately, deservingness is not something that comes into play when it comes to who’s able to work their way around an empty bank account and lack of resources. We all deserve it. Only some of us are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time around the right people. We all work

hard. I got lucky. One thing they don’t tell you about attending a renowned predominantly white institution (PWI) is that it will draw an invisible curtain between you and your loved ones. Something shifts just so and you suddenly exist on different planes, neither fully understanding the other. No more freezing waits at bus stops, no more day-old discount bread. Your life becomes something alien, filled with stand-up meetings and coffee chats. Should you choose to carry through, you will be successful. You will get the job that pulls you out of poverty. You will turn around, do your best to help your loved ones. You will realize there’s only so much you can do, and

only so many people you can reach. You will give your mom some money, maybe your siblings. You will refer a friend to a good job. You will drown in the fact that everyone you know and love is poor and stripped of opportunity — your meager success will never be enough to change that. No matter how strongly you believe everyone is entitled to a base level of ease, you will never be able to cure them of all their struggles.

I wish I could give all my friends secure, comfortable jobs. I yearn to buy my mother a house and a car, to put my younger siblings through college. What I wouldn’t give to pay my grandmother’s medical bills and help my neighbors fix their windows. To even the

my conceptualization of commitment and availability. She advised me to show grace to myself and the commitments I made because time is the most precious thing we can spend. The promises and commitments I was making were not purposeful if I kept saying yes without considering my true availability. I was not creating boundaries that protect my health and wellness.

As I reflect on last semester and look forward to new beginnings, I am ready to say no more often. It is important for me to recognize that my personal time is just as valuable as attending class. Scheduling work meetings may be an investment for my career, but scheduling “me time” is an investment for my energy and peace. I can’t forget that

I am the first one in my family to attend a university with responsibilities that extend beyond the classroom. What I practice today will influence future generations, and I can only hope that I can pass down the willingness to choose yourself, to say no when society wants you to say yes.

playing field, even the score, give everyone what they really deserve and build a reality where a life of comfort is guaranteed regardless of money and connections. The guilt of being the only one to make it out is the kind of thing that eats you alive.

I am a senior in college and I am moving forward, bittersweet as that is. I have my postgrad job and am looking for an apartment. Throughout all this, I am grappling with the reality that I cannot bring all the people I love up here with me. I will put on my cap and gown, hug my mother in the Big House, and then I will leave. I will look back. I will know I can’t take them all with me, no matter how much I want to.

LUZ MAYANCELA

MiC Columnist

Luz Mayancela/MiC

HUDA SHULAIBA MiC Columnist

SHANNON STOCKING AND KATE WEILAND Editor in Chiefs

Ammar

Julian Barnard Brandon Cowit Jess D’Agostino Ben Davis Shubhum Giroti Devon Hesano

ZAPOLI AND JULIAN BARNARD Editorial Page Editors

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

For the campus

From The Daily: build, Santa, build

JULIA VERKLAN MALONEY AND ZOE STORER Managing Editors

Cleaning up our act: How to eliminate a hidden cost of college

TYLER FIORITTO, RILEY KINA AND JACK HANDZEL Guest Contributors

We all remember the first semester of college, for better or for worse.

Moving into your dorm, having to cope with the pressures of a new city without the comfort of hometown staples and learning how to live on your own. Taking responsibility for things that you accepted as givens when you were younger is often when you realize you’ve become an adult. And with adulthood comes the non-negotiable responsibility of managing expenses.

As any college student knows, college expenses are a burdensome source of stress. They can eat away at your time and mental health. But, beyond the obvious line items on the semesterly invoice, such as tuition or housing rates, many students don’t realize the extent of the hidden costs tacked onto their bill. These include, but are not limited to: laundry, food outside of the dining halls and other out-ofpocket necessities that the average college frequently fails to make obvious for prospective students. Once on campus, the most wellhidden expense quickly becomes obvious: laundry.

When students live in a dorm at the University of Michigan, they first have to pay for laundry supplies such as detergent, fabric softener and bleach. Then, they have to pay the University (to which they’ve already given tens of thousands of dollars) for access to the machines themselves, a cost never advertised during their supposedly “complete” tour of the University. The many aspects of cleanliness on a college campus generate expenses that can easily add up, and yet are absolutely necessary for a healthy lifestyle.

Let’s break down the numbers for laundry costs. The University charges $1.25 per load for washer machines and $1 per load for dryer machines. Boxes of detergent cost anywhere from $5 to $15. Meanwhile, the average cost of just a single bottle of fabric softener usually ranges from $3 to $7. Heavy loads may require multiple washes, stacking these already high variable costs on top of one another. Put

together, it can be estimated that each student pays roughly $90 to $200 a year out of their pockets to do laundry on campus, with no opportunity to cover these costs through financial aid.

We shouldn’t accept those numbers as inevitable. After all, such horrific statistics don’t exist at so many other peer institutions — many of which the University of Michigan is ranked higher than in general quality of life metrics. Many other colleges have made the move to include the use of laundry machines in their tuition. These include Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University, other colleges in the Big Ten such as the University of Illinois and the Ohio State University and the one school which fits both of those criteria: Michigan State University. This practice is a widespread standard for many schools with the University of Michigan’s traits because it has many self-evident benefits to students. Including laundry fees in tuition relieves students of a deceptively heavy burden, and that’s just the start of the positive consequences for students.

There are numerous benefits to including laundry fees in housing costs, both for students and the University. By making students pay for laundry at the beginning of the year, it encourages them to do laundry in the future through the psychological effect (and economic fallacy) known as “sunk cost.” Doing laundry improves physical health by minimizing chances of sickness. Moreover, the removal of the pay-per-use barrier will increase general clothing cleanliness, enhancing the respectability of University students.

When students no longer have a price shoved in their face every time they try to wash their belongings, they’ll no longer want to messily shove all of their laundry into one machine to save money. And if their clothes don’t get fully dried in one load, or a machine malfunctions, students will be able to complete multiple cycles and fully cleanse their clothing without fear of further unbudgeted expenses. But it’s not just a matter of making the activity of laundry less urgent and stressful. Folding laundry

machine fees into the University’s official housing or tuition rates also means that hundreds to possibly thousands of students would be able to pay for laundry with financial aid, scholarships and grants. Clearly, laundry being part of housing rates would benefit all University students, especially those who struggle with college expenses.

Laundry fees being included in housing or tuition rates would also be beneficial for universities, as it will persuade students to live on campus. At the University of Michigan, freshmen are not required to live on campus. Therefore, a notable minority of first-year students choose to rent apartments or houses. However, they might consider it more worthwhile to live on campus if they didn’t have to worry about the ever-changing, undisclosed costs of University housing — such as, say, laundry.

In fact, an improvement of the campus laundry paradigm could also help the administration by increasing application rates for the University of Michigan. After all, although the University typically ranks very highly in national publications for most categories, the U.S. News and World Report ranks Michigan as tied for the 65th spot in first-year experiences. Antiquated and confusing rules, such as paying for laundry separately, could contribute to this dismal ranking of this statistic. When comparing costs of colleges through means like these very rankings, students will see the tangible benefits of having “free use” laundry machines. Having the costs of laundry be included in tuition fees could make college much less of an overarching burden on students, and it could be a key motivating factor for where students choose to attend college.

So what should the University do? Central Student Government recently passed a resolution stating that it would like the University to revise its housing rates to include laundry machine fees, making them a flat fee under room and board costs. This wouldn’t solve all of the hidden costs we deal with on a daily basis; however, centralizing one of the University’s most major hidden costs would be a great start.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

THE MICHIGAN DAILY EDITORIAL BOARD

Last month, University of Michigan President Santa Ono revealed the University’s plans to construct a new undergraduate residence hall on Elbel field, which is located southeast of the South Quad Residence Hall. It will primarily house incoming freshmen, with a proposed capacity of 2,300 students. The building’s location on Central Campus is intended to help alleviate the growing demand for on-campus housing among students.

“Demand among students for affordable, on-campus housing on or near Central Campus continues to rise,” said Martino Harmon, vice president for student life, at a Board of Regents meeting. Harmon, among other faculty members, are hopeful that the addition of the new building will help address problems of limited housing for the University’s growing student body.

With the University continuing to admit record-breaking numbers of students, this reaction does not adequately contend with the scope of the housing problem within Ann Arbor. Though much of the stagnation in housing construction in Ann Arbor is the result of city land use policy, the University has a golden opportunity to increase the number and variety of housing options available to students. Essentially, it’s time to think bigger.

The last residence hall for firstyear students at the University was constructed in 1963, making the addition on Elbel the first expansion of freshman housing in about six decades. By not expanding its housing capacity and the variety of offerings, the University has left many students with no other choice than to seek off-campus housing. An astonishing 72% of students currently live off-campus, where they are left to grapple with the high rent and limited availability of housing in the Ann Arbor area. In luxury apartment complexes such as Sterling Arbor Blu, rent rates can range anywhere from $1,694 to $2,644 per month, per bedroom. Consequently, the Ann Arbor student housing market has historically been ranked as one of the most expensive in the Midwest. Although Elbel is a step in the right direction at addressing the housing crisis, it comes as a temporary solution to a deeper-rooted problem.

The new Elbel Field residence hall comes at a time when housing in Ann Arbor is as competitive as ever. With rent for a studio apartment averaging $1,684 a month and over two-thirds of apartments costing upwards of $2,000, many U-M students are searching for cheaper housing options amid the growing costs. This search is often difficult, especially for first-year students, who have to navigate through a competitive and sometimes

carnivorous housing market for the first time. The additional rooms and living spaces that the dorm on Elbel Field will offer for students who choose to stay in on-campus housing, however, will make the market better even for students who choose to live off campus. The fact that 2,300 fewer students will be bidding up the price of off-campus housing will surely assuage pain to renters caused by the supplyconstrained Ann Arbor housing market, at least initially. As long as the number of the entering freshman class continues to outpace the construction of new housing units, though, the core problem will not be solved.

For the 2022-23 school year, the average monthly cost of on-campus housing for a double room setup is just under $1,300 dollars (or $15,719 per year). Though this cost is cheaper than the average Ann Arbor apartment, it is still around $600 greater than the state average. And for upperclassmen who cannot find a spot in the dorms, there are a limited number of affordable choices — almost none of which are sponsored by the University.

The Ann Arbor Cooperative Houses are an inexpensive option for housing, but the Inter-Cooperative Council at Ann Arbor comprises of just 16 houses throughout the city. The University has a similar option in Henderson House, a cooperative residence under MHousing that offers the social and practical amenities of an off-campus house and was designed explicitly for sophomores, upperclassmen and graduate students. However, Henderson House has a capacity of just 28 students. This is a living situation that could appeal to many upperclassmen and could be made more affordable than dorm-living — as residents are responsible for maintaining the house — if the University were to expand it.

While incoming first-year students are somewhat sheltered from the housing problem, the University’s growing student population and the failure of University infrastructure to properly respond to it has resulted in many sophomores and upperclassmen struggling to find on-campus living. With roughly 97% of incoming freshmen choosing to live in residence halls, accommodation for others cannot be guaranteed. Space limitations placed the University in a difficult spot last fall when they had to deny placement of more than 2,300 returning students in the dorms.

This last figure is perhaps the most prescient point of this entire discussion; many current offcampus students want to live on campus. Additionally, those who don’t want to live on campus as a second-year or beyond are not averse for reasons of facilities or location, but because the University can not offer many of the intimate and pro-social living arrangements found in shared houses and apartments.

Climate change is an opportunity for Michigan

JACK KAPCAR Opinion Columnist

On a visit to campus

last Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris joined Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Kyle Whyte, a professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, to discuss climate change and the role young people can play in solving the climate crisis.

Rather than focus on young people’s role in organizing and activism as a means to solve the climate crisis, however, the event had a broader focus on infrastructure. “Just about anything that the students here are studying will relate to and lift up this new movement and this new economy,” Harris said.

The decision to host an event in Ann Arbor was politically

savvy given the city’s blue slant within a reliably purple state. But Harris’s decision to speak specifically on climate infrastructure investments reflects a growing realization that climate change may be an opportunity for economic growth in Michigan. With its temperate climate, manufacturing roots and availability of jobs, Michigan has the potential to emerge as a national leader amid the climate crisis.

Already, American workers are beginning to move as a result of climate change. Thirty percent of Americans say climate change is a motivator to move, and many climate-vulnerable states such as California are beginning to see their populations decline.

Though some southern states have been growing in population recently, this isn’t predicted to last. “Cities like Detroit … will see a renaissance, with their excess

capacity in infrastructure, water supplies and highways once again put to good use,” predicted one New York Times article. A separate study corroborated that claim, predicting that the Great Lakes region’s low exposure to natural disasters, as well as low social vulnerability, will lead to population growth as climate change persists.

As more Americans move north, Michigan has an opportunity to attract displaced, highly skilled workers and convince them to settle in the Great Lakes State. Tourism efforts have already been successful in stimulating economic activity in Michigan, but to convince visitors to make a permanent move, new jobs need to be created.

Those jobs can be created by new green industries. Ahead of her conversation with Harris, Granholm, a former Michigan governor, focused largely on the

role technology and infrastructure investments passed by Democrats last year will play in strengthening green-energy solutions in Michigan.

Thanks to its climateprogressive state government, Michigan has already risen to dominate green-energy industries. One of the most prominent was a $7 billion investment in electric vehicle manufacturing in Michigan, expected to create 4,000 new jobs. Other investments have been made to strengthen electric vehicle battery manufacturing and renewable energy production. As demand for these green technologies continues to increase, these investments will become more and more valuable for the state.

Harris was quick to point out that it isn’t just manufacturing jobs that these investments are creating. “We are building a clean energy economy,” Harris said, “It’s

Many of the Michigan Learning Communities offer this social environment — the guarantee of a stable community into a student’s sophomore year — and see students remain in the community beyond their freshman year at a higher frequency than in traditional dorms. Even then, the University only offers 10, some of which are specialized to an academic discipline or require a competitive application process.

This is not unique to on-campus housing at the University of Michigan.

Nationwide, universities have heterogeneous approaches to on-campus housing. From traditional dormitory living for freshmen, to apartments with kitchenettes for upperclassmen, there are plenty of ways that the University can make on-campus housing options more diverse. The Stockwell, North Quad and Fletcher Residence Halls have historically followed this model, catering their offerings and services to upperclassmen.

If there were more tenable on-campus options for upperclassmen, such as university-sponsored cooperative houses, more Michigan Learning Communities or more on-campus apartments for undergraduates, students would be able to both live with friends while also not being subject to the cut-throat nature of the Ann Arbor housing market.

A substantial increase in the variety and capacity of on-campus housing is, of course, a years-long endeavor. Nevertheless it is useful to set goals for our administrators as they consider the University’s place within a rapidly changing Ann Arbor. The new construction on Elbel Field is a good start to solving a dire problem and well worth the $6.5 million price tag.

Despite a nationwide dip in recent years, a near record number of Americans are attending college. Ever expanding application pools, especially to the nation’s most selective schools, have proven difficult to accommodate. After announcing the Elbel Field residence hall, Ono explained to The Michigan Daily that since 2004, undergraduate enrollment at the University has grown by 8,000 students.

Universities are not strangers to capacity problems. The University of California, Berkeley notably had its 2022-2023 enrollment temporarily frozen at 2020-2021 levels after a lawsuit from environmental groups. Berkeley’s housing crisis was a prime motivator for the freeze.

Paired with a precipitously declining acceptance rate, the University of Michigan must contend with its place in a growing, gentrifying Ann Arbor.

The University is responsible for much of Ann Arbor’s cultural and financial wealth, but its presence poses unique public challenges. Until this reckoning, though, the University ought to meet the satiable demand of its students: a new and varied housing stock to meet the needs of a growing community.

new. It’s new jobs … We’re going to need HR specialists because these are new industries. We’re going to need comms folks who know how to communicate the importance of this work.”

Climate change is also bringing renewed focus toward improving infrastructure in the U.S. Better transportation infrastructure results in more efficient travel, ultimately leading to a decrease in emissions. As pressure builds for more environmentally-friendly infrastructure improvements, federal and state governments will be under more pressure to make investments.

Michigan’s transportation infrastructure currently ranks in the bottom half of the nation, and destructive natural disasters will compound the need for improvements. Though the state’s poor roads and bridges may seem to be a hindrance to fighting the climate crisis, they may actually

be an opportunity. Already, investments are being made across the state. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to “rebuild Michigan” is bringing a $3.5 billion investment that will put 90% of the state’s roads back to “good or fair” condition by 2024. A more significant federal plan is bringing $7.3 billion in road improvements, as well as $535 million in bridge investments.

These investments aren’t just significant in the amount of money they are injecting into Michigan’s economy. Many of these investments are being made with climate change in mind. In addition to improving roads, the federal plan outlined above includes a $66 billion investment in public transportation, as well as $7.5 billion to set up a network of electric vehicle charging stations across the state.

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

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

QUIN

Unsigned editorials reflect the of f icial position of The Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

Ahmad

Sophia Lehrbaum Olivia Mouradian Siddharth Parmar Rushabh Shah Zhane Yamin

Nikhil Sharma Lindsey Spencer Evan Stern Anna Trupiano Jack Tumpowsky Alex Yee Quin Zapoli

In defense of lip fillers, botox and plastic surgery Opinion

NAMRATHA NELAPUDI Opinion Columnist

The “clean” aesthetic — matcha, 20-step skincare routines, gua sha, 4:30 a.m. yoga, minimalist makeup and nude-toned shapewear — went viral in 2022. It’s a stark difference from the pouty lips, bold eyebrows and spray tan aesthetic of the 2010s. Coupled with the rise in social media, the new trend to be as natural-looking and dewey as possible has elevated criticisms of cosmetic enhancements. Our favorite celebrities that were recipients of unnatural plastic procedures, especially those keen on hiding any of these physical alterations, are no longer cutting it.

But despite the fact that post-pandemic plastic surgery demand has skyrocketed, the negative perceptions surrounding cosmetic enhancement are still widely held among everyday people. Those cognizant of how the beauty industry profits off of insecurities often draw the line at permanent body modifications, such as lip fillers and botox, as the product of poor decision-making by women. Sentiments against these injections — either from their medical irrelevance, seeming superficial motives or health risks — revolve around the larger idea of body neutrality, or honoring one’s body as it is with neither positive nor negative feelings. However, today, it is next to impossible to abstain from being profited off of and be body neutral. There exists a spectrum of participation with exploitative medical practices, but a greater understanding of the plastic surgery industry’s versatility is vital for greater acceptance of cosmetic body

modification.

For example, the products made by Juvéderm, one of the most popular dermal filler brands, are made almost entirely of hyaluronic acid (HA). This acid, also known as hyaluronan, is a “linear polysaccharide” that is both abundantly produced in the body and ubiquitous in key “visual” tissues such as skin, nerves and epithelium. HA’s magic has to do with its ability to bind 1,000 times its own volume in water — giving it plumping superpowers for aging, wrinkly, inelastic and dry skin.

HA, in addition to popular hydroxy acids (AHAs, BHAs, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, etc.), is a massive selling point in topical skincare products. These acids have deep exfoliating and hydrating properties that work against common dermatological issues like acne and hyperpigmentation, making them vital active ingredients in cleansers, sunscreen and everything in between.

Why, then, is it so negatively perceived to have a naturallyoccurring compound subcutaneously added to tissue when that same compound already exists in our bodies and is encouraged to be applied topically? The answer partially lies within the anticosmetic augmentation crowd. These critics largely view all enhancing procedures as a monolith — a byproduct of the larger view that any cosmetic-driven effort is an effort against body neutrality — when, in practice, no two procedures are the same. To clump butt implants and lip filler into the same category, for example, undermines the intrinsically natural and low-risk concept of HA formulas and inappropriately

sexualizes the motivation for all injections.

On another token, as someone with lip filler and botox, I’ve been told that I’ve pursued a scheme to fit more comfortably within the patriarchy and oppress other women in the process. It’s ironic considering that this criticism came from white women — a demographic that has imposed Eurocentric

the male gaze because doing so grossly takes the blame away from themselves for the ways they subjugate ethnic women to Eurocentric beauty standards — a malignancy that far supersedes that of the patriarchy when not used in conjunction with it. Furthermore, it is an inherently feminist act for women to choose for themselves

progress just as much as rejecting beauty standards does. Because of plastic surgery, transgender people are better able to affirm themselves with genital reconstruction or facial feminization surgery, breast cancer survivors can receive breast implants and postpartum women can undergo stomach liposuction. None of these procedures are

that this accessibility was a big reason many of my classmates and I pursued fillers and botox.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that only two years ago, roughly 768,000 cosmetic enhancements were pursued by women ages 20 to 29 — a statistic they predict will be on the rise. However, the pursuit of plastic surgery does not, in any way, negate my feminism or integrity in fighting beauty standards. Instead of focusing on the rise of cosmetic enhancement in young age groups, we should be advocating against the root of social structures and power dynamics that successfully coax women into considering inauthentic versions of themselves that they never wished for.

beauty standards on melanated women, specifically Black women, for centuries. Skin bleaching, hair perms, colored contacts, rhinoplasties and blonde hair dyes are all cosmetic modifications that continue to pervade various countries victim to colonization. Yet, white “feminists” often focus on the ways in which women are subjugated by

what they want to happen to their own bodies. The crux of criticism toward elective plastic surgery or fillers actually perpetuates the idea that bodily autonomy should only be a woman’s choice if it is for medical necessity (such as in cases regarding abortion). In reality, personal empowerment through elective procedures contributes to broad social

needed to maintain a pulse, but they instill a priceless confidence and a new sense of self.

College-aged women are in a tricky spot when it comes to self-image; we are toggling between residual teenage acne scars and budding forehead wrinkles alike. Ann Arbor has over 10 plastic surgery clinics, and I will be the first to say

Simply put, throughout the history of time, cosmetic enhancement has been an easy and superficial way to criticize women for distracting, vain and self-sexualizing behavior. With medical advancements in plastic surgery and dermatology that blossomed into the 21st century, these deprecating themes continue to encircle women who physically and mentally benefit from going under the knife. Properly advocating against cosmetic enhancements requires a deeper, nuanced understanding of each treatment — including motivations, risks and consequences. A cosmetic surgery-free future will only come to fruition with advocacy against social structures, not against women themselves.

It is simply lazy to brand all women who pursue elective injections or surgeries as agents of the patriarchy, because it lacks critical analysis of individual motivations and goals while navigating the backdrop of various unattainable beauty standards.

Leader of the flock: What’s needed for the next CEO of Twitter

ox Populi Vox Dei,” a tweet from Elon Musk which embodies his stepping down as CEO of Twitter. The eccentric billionaire’s decision came on Dec. 20 in response to a Twitter poll he set up to see if he should step down as Twitter’s CEO. The results showed that 57.5% of the 17 million who answered were in favor of him stepping down. Musk, in response to the poll, tweeted “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!” While the identity of the next CEO is still unknown and possibly undecided, there should be certain values and actions Musk should look for in his successor or successors to ensure that the “town square of the internet” reaches its full potential.

In acquiring Twitter, Musk had a variety of goals for the platform, from increasing the number of users to 931 million to quintupling the revenue from the platform by 2028. Among these goals has been

a wider plan to make Twitter an everything app — a vision that makes Twitter a one-stop shop for news, shopping and payments.

Although this goal for the platform is highly ambitious, it creates a framework to build off of for the future of Twitter and its executives.

With such a large vision for the platform, Musk should first look at the fundamentals of Twitter’s successes and failures before attempting a full push toward his grand plan of creating an everything app. Building on the smaller aspects of Twitter could be the determining factor between Musk achieving his goals and improving the platform and Twitter becoming the next MySpace. When looking back on past successes, Musk should first take a deep look at the user base of Twitter.

Twitter, like any other social media platform, exists because its users generate content and the platform generates revenue from selling ad space and, sometimes, selling user information and personal data. Since Musk has taken control of the platform, he has reported, despite Twitter not

officially publishing their user numbers, that users on the site are at an “all time high,” proving his dedication to one of the most essential parts of the platform.

Alongside its users, Twitter also has had successes with the accessibility of news and other world events for users. This has become another part of Twitter that Musk has looked to strengthen. Musk has championed the use of Twitter as the main hub for people to receive information about the World Cup, for example. Although Musk has been able to bring forth many successes to the platform, other policies enacted by him and prior Twitter executives haven’t been as successful.

One of Musk’s major actions, which was overwritten the same day, was the banning of links to other platforms on Twitter. Although this action made Twitter mutually exclusive to itself, it also cut Twitter off from the rest of the internet, which upset the majority of users.

A key factor that Musk and the heads of Twitter did not consider was Twitter’s current place within the ecosystem of the

internet. As of right now, Twitter serves as an auxiliary social media platform, which content creators on other platforms as a means to communicate with others and promote their content on other social media platforms, such as YouTube and Twitch, where they can gain greater revenue. While Twitter still supplies some revenue to its largest content creators, Twitter should recognize that, even if it becomes a main source of revenue for a creator, it cannot bar its users from the wider internet ecosystem that benefits everyone in it.

Alongside potentially cutting off greater user engagement, Twitter has also shown failures by some users, which caused backlash for their alleged barring of information. Musk has also faced similar backlash for banning the journalists covering ElonJet, a Twitter user (who was also banned) that Musk claims violated Twitter’s doxxing rules. Although Twitter has guidelines for banning users, executives within the company have displayed some power in determining which users get banned on the site without

needing to abide by the rules in Twitter’s terms of service.

Accounting for the successes and failures of Twitter so far, the next head or heads of Twitter should look for greater transparency and understanding of the internet as they look to grow user-retention and first-time users. In order to first reinforce the success that Twitter has already had, the next leader of Twitter should look to innovate how the platform is used. This innovation should be more than just copying other sites as well, a trap that Facebook and Instagram have fallen into.

Along with increasing its users, Twitter should continue to market itself as a thoroughfare of the internet, tying major events to the platform itself, making it synonymous with everyday use on the internet.

In looking to fix failures within the site, the future head of Twitter should have a greater understanding of the internet’s unofficial ecosystem and know how to improve Twitter’s standing within it. Although there is no clear answer for how this can be achieved, making it a desirable

place for content creators to base their content on is a major part of doing so, which involves greater income for their creators.

Another major part of fixing failures on Twitter is its problem of unmoderated power. In order to solve this problem, the board of directors, as opposed to a singular CEO, needs to come to the forefront. By having multiple people make executive decisions on the platform, the ability of a single individual to impose their will on users will weaken.

On top of this major decision, having more transparency with content moderation and control is important to stop decisions that may harm the network.

Though Musk may have already decided on his successor or may take many more months to consider, he should account for more than just a singular goal.

By reflecting on what has been done and what can be done by the next leaders of Twitter, Musk can account for what’s most important for the platform and its users, and what needs to be done in order to make it as he calls, the digital town square of the internet.

Design by Arunika Shee

“V

TOM MUHA Opinion Columnist

Design by Emma Sortor

Michigan’s defense falters in Bulldog Fest, goes 1-2 on the weekend

TASMIA JAMIL Daily Sports Writer

After an undefeated start to its season, the No. 7 Michigan water polo team entered this weekend with the chance to match up against some of the nation’s toughest competition in the Bulldog Fest.

But in the end, it didn’t all go according to plan. The Wolverines (5-2 overall) captured a win over No. 8 Fresno State (0-4) while struggling defensively in their blowout loss to No. 6 Hawaii (4-0) and even in their contentious game against No. 4 California (3-0).

“It was really small mistakes that were leading to really big outcomes,” Michigan coach Cassie Churnside said. “Changing those small mistakes went a long way later with California.”

While the Wolverines’ offense dominated in its first game of the weekend against the Bulldogs, Michigan’s defensive lapses were already evident. The Wolverines allowed 42 shots — 26 on goal — and

MEN’S BASKETBALL

came mere inches from losing their lead in the game. Senior goalkeeper Alex Brown came up big with 17 saves, though, propelling Michigan to a 13-9 win over Fresno State.

In its second game of the day, the Wolverines were pitted against an undefeated Hawaii — Michigan was not prepared.

The Rainbow Wahine generated open shots and converted in transition early in the game, giving Hawaii a substantial 8-3 lead at the half. While the Wolverines’ offense remained stagnant, their defensive woes continued as they allowed 24 shots on goal. With three of its players scoring hat tricks, Hawaii thrashed Michigan, 15-6.

“We took a shocking punch to the face and we faltered,” Churnside said. “We just dug ourselves a hole that we struggled to climb out of.”

Following their first loss of the season, the looming question was how the Wolverines and their new head coach, Churnside, would respond as they faced another top-ranked

team Sunday. Michigan opened the game with back-to-back

2-1 lead against the Golden Bears. However, California soon took the lead and never

looked back, leaving Michigan to trail the rest of the game.

The Wolverines’ offense — led by Utassy and junior attacker Sammie Monroe — made a late push to cut the deficit to three points with just four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. That glimmer of hope, though, was quickly erased as California scored on the next possession. Michigan’s struggles to return on defense effectively disrupted and neutralized the Wolverines’ momentum, ultimately leading to a 13-10 loss.

“We had a little rough bump against Hawaii… and the girls saw the level they have to rise to,” Churnside said. “But we came this morning and gave Cal a run for their money.”

Even though the takeaways remain positive for Churnside, the biggest conclusion from the weekend is clear: Michigan needs to establish a defensive identity if it wants to find success against top-ranked teams. In the Bulldog Fest, the lack of identity left the Wolverines to dry.

Michigan escapes pesky Minnesota, 60-56

JACK GLANVILLE Daily Sports Editor

Gophers are pesky. Always ruining the perfectly-kept lawns of homeowners, messing with underground sprinkling and doing, well, whatever else it is that gophers do.

And while the Michigan men’s basketball team’s metaphorical lawn is far from perfect this season, the Golden Gophers proved true to their name, serving as a pest to the Wolverines all Sunday afternoon.

A pest that Michigan (11-8 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) barely fended off as it escaped Minnesota (7-11, 1-7), 60-56, in a dogged contest.

“Sometimes you just have to win in the mud,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. “That’s one of those victories where we learned a lot from competing.”

Michigan’s first test of the night came early, when the Gophers took a 10-point lead. As the Wolverines’ starters struggled to get anything going, Michigan responded by turning to its bench. Redshirt freshman forward Will Tschetter and freshman forward Tarris Reed Jr. brought an energy that stifled the Minnesota offense, opening the door for the Wolverines to work their way back into the game.

And Michigan did just that, but not by way of offensive firepower. Instead, the Wolverines held strong on the defensive end, preventing

the Gophers from scoring a single point for seven minutes midway through the first frame. That defensive stand gave the Michigan offense — which finished the first half 10-for-30 from the field — room to struggle without creating a tough hole to dig out of. With that, the Wolverines clawed back and entered halftime deadlocked at 23.

“It really just comes down to not letting how we’re playing offensively dictate how we’re going to play on defense,” Tschetter said. “We just need to have that mindset that every time we come down the floor on defense, we need to be locked in to what we’re doing.”

Michigan’s trials continued in the second half — this time without freshman wing Jett Howard, who exited the game with a left ankle injury late in the first half.

Despite that, the Wolverines rose to the occasion. Led by junior center Hunter Dickinson and his game-high 23 points, Michigan’s offense began to show some signs of improvement. Dickinson attacked the rim like he was mad at it, frequently drawing fouls and converting on all seven of his free throws in the second half.

But Minnesota just wouldn’t go away.

Gopher forwards Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia — who combined for 27 points — hit timely shots to keep the Gophers in the game.

Michigan always answered, though. Even when the Wolverines weren’t making their shots, they found ways to win the game.

In the final seven minutes of play, Michigan made just two field goals. But they found success by repeatedly getting to the line, forcing nine turnovers in the second half and holding the Gophers to zero second-chance points in the final frame. With their scrappy play, the Wolverines endured.

“It was one of those defensive matchups where you’re competing and you’re fighting, and clawing and scratching,” Juwan said. “Sometimes, that’s Big Ten basketball that people do not like, but as a competitor we embrace it. It’s fun.”

Michigan looked to finally break the back-and-forth by trotting out its thump and bump duo of Dickinson and Reed with 10 minutes left. Going big worked once again, helping expand Michigan’s lead to nine at the two minute mark.

But with the odds stacked against it, Minnesota didn’t disappear. Gopher forward Joshua Ola-Joseph connected from deep with 1:49 left, and forward Pharrel Payne followed it up by finishing at the rim. Suddenly, the Wolverines clung to a four point lead while Minnesota had a glimmer of hope.

Despite that glimmer, Michigan held strong down the stretch. While not making a field goal in the final three minutes of play, the Wolverines once again did just enough defensively to slow down the Gophers. And when Minnesota resorted to the foul game, Michigan made its free throws, keeping the game just out of reach.

“I appreciate all kinds of wins, no matter what it looks like,” Juwan said.

Whatever it looked like — and it wasn’t pretty — it was still a win. And to Michigan, a win is all that matters.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘Next man up’ mentality helps Michigan scrape by Minnesota with win

ABBIE TELGENHOF Daily Sports Editor

As freshman wing Jett Howard lay sprawled on the floor writhing in pain just minutes before the end of the first half, it was clear he wouldn’t return to the Michigan men’s basketball team’s matchup with Minnesota. Restrained to the bench with a boot on his ankle, the scene left Wolverines coach Juwan Howard with no choice but to begin the second half with one of the game’s non-starters.

Juwan selected graduate guard Joey Baker to fill the hole Jett’s absence left. Alongside redshirt freshman forward Will Tschetter and freshman forward Tarris Reed Jr., Baker and company took on substantial minutes. Although none of them put up particularly impressive stats, the bench players did just enough against Minnesota to grind out a win for the Wolverines.

“I love how our guys respond as far as next man up mentality,” Juwan said. “And still not making excuses for themselves because they have the right to. But they still love going out there competing and are going to lay it all out on the line.”

But the bench got involved even before Jett went down. Just six minutes into the contest, Juwan subbed Tschetter in for junior forward Terrance Williams II, hoping to ignite a spark. Michigan had quickly dug itself into a hole, allowing the Golden Gophers an 8-0 start to the game.

Minutes later, Reed joined Tschetter on the floor after taking junior center Hunter Dickinson’s place. While neither had an immediate impact on the stat sheet, their presence on the floor was enough to keep them in check and generate a little offensive momentum before the under-12 timeout.

“Will came in and brought big time energy in the first half and that’s what I expected, because he’s a competitor,” Juwan said.

“He’s also an all-in kind of guy, and his teammates cheer for him and trust him and know what he’s capable of.”

After the timeout, Baker joined Tschetter and Reed on the floor, rounding out a trio that saw plenty of playing time in Sunday’s game. As Michigan’s starters continued to flounder on both ends of the floor, the bench squad’s minutes proved crucial in shifting the tide midway through the first half.

Tschetter added a key bucket off a spin move in the lane. Baker nabbed defensive rebounds and blocked a Minnesota shot in the paint. But as the half wore on and Michigan failed to take a lead, the trio was sent back to the bench in favor of the starters.

Although they finished the half on the bench, it was their contributions that ensured the Wolverines entered the locker room tied at 23, after trailing most of the half.

At the start of the second half, Baker once again took the floor in Jett’s place. And in a similar fashion to the first, Michigan looked to the bench trio to halt the quick lead the Golden Gophers had built. Baker helped do so by nabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back up and in.

But just minutes later, Baker lunged for a steal but missed the breakaway layup, and Minnesota capitalized with a transition 3-pointer on the opposite end.

With the mistake, he was sent back to the bench in favor of Tschetter. That series of plays was indicative of the bench players’ ability to provide a spark, but not completely put the game out of reach for the Golden Gophers.

As Minnesota continued to keep the game close down the stretch, Michigan decided to turn to its big lineup, with both Reed and Dickinson working the paint. Reed continued to find his footing drawing key fouls and spreading the floor for the guards.

Tschetter also faced clutch shots at the charity stripe with just 30 seconds left. Despite attempting just nine three throws on the season, he made both, giving the Wolverines a five-point lead — one they’d narrowly hold onto until the final buzzer.

“Will’s our spark,” freshman guard Dug McDaniel said. “He’s always high energy even though he’s not doing the right thing, his energy just picks us up and frustrates the other team because he’s so high motor.”

Baker, Tschetter and Reed didn’t lead in any statistics. They didn’t nab the most rebounds or play the most minutes, but the intangibles they contributed were necessary in Sunday’s must-win game over the Big Ten bottomfeeding Golden Gophers.

Season records highlight Michigan’s Simmons-Harvey dominance

The Simmons-Harvey Invitational made it apparent that the Michigan women’s track and field team could end the season with multiple Big Ten season records. In their first scoring meet of the year, the Wolverines took first place with 195 points, cruising to a 79 point win over Ohio State, Michigan State, and Purdue.

Junior Samantha Tran set the tone with an early mile victory. With a late kick, she passed fifth year Kayla Windemuller on the last lap and crossed the line to finish at 4:45. Three of the top four finishers in the event were Wolverines — a harbinger of their continued success.

Sophomore Savannah Sutherland followed up Michigan’s

dominance in the mile by setting a Big Ten season record in the 400 meter at 53.01. Her time clocked in at almost a second and a half faster than the Purdue runner in second place. Sutherland improved on her previous personal best by two seconds and set the meet record by over a second.

“That was a really great opener and I’m really excited to see how it goes throughout the season,” Sutherland said.

This wasn’t the only conference season record the Wolverines broke, though. Record setting was a pattern in the 2023 Simmons-Harvey Invitational, and fifth year Aurora Rynda’s 600 meter run was arguably the most dominant, clocking a time of 1:28.57 — more than four seconds ahead of senior Amber Gall.

“It’s definitely exciting to see those (records) so early,” Michi-

gan assistant coach Charnay Ryland said.

With one lap left in the 800 run, Ohio State runner Aniya Mosley appeared to have the win locked up. Sophomore Samantha Hastie bounded past Mosley around the outside of the final turn and held her off for the final 60 meters to lock in the win.

“It definitely felt good to come back against (Mosley) at the end,” Hastie said. “I … came off the curb with some acceleration and that definitely helped me get by her.”

The meet’s point leader, junior Ziyah Holman, was dominant, bouncing back after a last place finish in the 60 hurdles to come in first in the 200 dash. It was a new PR for Holman for the event, and she did so in a competitive eight-runner field. Michigan’s three runners placed in the top five, ostensibly solidifying its win

before the distance runners had even seen the blocks.

While the Wolverines had all but assured the win, they didn’t let up. Fifth year Samantha Saenz recorded the fourth fastest 3000 meter time in the Big Ten this year and added another win for Michigan. After sitting in the middle of the pack for the majority of the race, she took the lead with two laps to go, fighting through Ohio State competitors and around backmarkers to break her previous record by over 10 seconds. Saenz has started her 2023 campaign with back to back PRs in the mile and the 3000 meter race, respectively, and will look to maintain her success as the season continues to unfold.

The 4×400 meter relay A team rebounded after a second lap spill from Sophie Isom, winning the race by more than eight seconds.

Savannah Sutherland dominated the second leg of the relay, running the fastest 400 meter split of the event at a blistering 51.4.

Rynda proceeded to hawk Michigan’s B team and Ohio State before handing the baton to the anchor Holman. With the crowd at her back, Holman ran five seconds faster than second place Ohio State’s anchor, capping off a remarkable comeback and showcasing the resilience and raw talent of the team.

“It felt crazy,” Sutherland said. “The 4×4 team is chasing to go to Nationals. … That’s the hope for the rest of the season.”

In the field, junior Mia Manson recorded the third-best Big ten pole vault mark this season at 4.16 meters. Her mark was a personal PR, and she came close to clearing 4.31 meters on her last attempt. If Manson can find

even more height going forward, Michigan could have an important, consistent field scorer. Elsewhere, senior Ameia Wilson and sophomore Riley Ammenhauser set personal bests in the long jump and triple jump, respectively. Ammenhauser’s 12.81 meter jump set a Big Ten season record — one of many for the Wolverines this past Saturday.

It felt like every event saw a Michigan runner set a personal record or land somewhere in the top five of the Big Ten, a positive sign as the Wolverines head to road meets until the Silverston Invitational Feb 17.

“When we move into other people’s turf, I think we have that mindset of being dominant,” Ryland said. “We take a lot of pride in competing at home and defending our turf.”

Consider the turf defended.

goals from

junior center Elise Walker and junior attacker Kata Utassy, giving the Wolverines an early

SAM ADLER/Daily

After struggling on the defensive end, the Wolverines suffered their first two losses of the season in the Bulldog Fest.

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

LUCAS SZENTGYORGYI For The Daily

GABBY CERITANO/Daily

GABBY CERITANO/Daily

JOHN TONDORA Daily Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS —

The two-minute intermission before overtime Saturday night had an eerie feeling.

It was a grim feeling, a dooming feeling, an ‘it’s going to happen again’ feeling. A feeling, that for the No. 8 Michigan hockey team, was all too familiar.

The Wolverines had been there before. They’d seen the ending, and it wasn’t pleasant.

Yet, in the moments that make or break entire seasons, Michigan (14-9-1 overall, 6-8 Big Ten) escaped the clutches of déjà vu, surmounting No. 2 Minnesota in a heavyweight, 5-4 overtime victory.

Rejuvenated by lineup changes, the Wolverines benefited from the dualthreat potency of their new top-six against a mammoth opponent.

“They’re a really good hockey team,” freshman forward Gavin Brindley said.

“Lot of firepower over there, some big boys who can skate.

I just think (we were) playing really good defensively and taking care of our own zone and (letting) them make the mistakes we could capitalize on.”

The new top six, sporting Brindley’s promotion to the first line and sophomore forward Mackie Samoskevich headlining the second trio, had already found success in its Friday night debut.

Tallying four total points and finishing with 20 of Michigan’s 34 shots, the two lines were all over the ice in the overtime loss. Evidently fatigued by the finish, they left it all out there.

Thus, while sitting on the bench after the third period Saturday night, anticipating their second overtime finish in as many nights, that eerie feeling couldn’t help but begin to creep in for the Wolverines. Michigan had once more done all it could and yet somehow, it couldn’t put the Golden Gophers away.

But that eerie feeling wasn’t always there.

GOLDEN GOALS

Wolverines couldn’t hold the Gophers down for long. Minnesota came out of the break with renewed fervor. A flurry of shots and two goals later, Michigan’s once proud lead evaporated into a 3-2 deficit.

Yet when the Wolverines needed it most, the new-look top six responded.

Before the raucous cheers of Mariucci Arena could dissipate, freshman Jackson Hallum raced toward the net, firing a shot off the pad of Minnesota goaltender Justen Close that found its way to none other than Adam Fantilli for a 3-3 tie.

“They’re a great team and it took everything from us to have success,” Naurato said. “Proud of our guys for dealing with some adversity and just keep fighting back and sticking to the plan — it’s great.”

The plan, evidently, was to trust the top-six as the Gophers threw the kitchen sink at Michigan across a ferocious second period.

Defending numerous offensive chances — including a 5-on-3 powerplay — the Wolverines’ top six guided them through thick and thin en route to a 4-3 lead entering the final 20 minutes.

And amid a nail-biting final frame, Michigan slipped one final time. With three minutes to go, the Gophers had one final rabbit in the hat — just as they had the night before. Minnesota forward Logan Cooley lifted a backhand pass onto the stick of undefended forward Bryce Brodzinski.

Suddenly, the Wolverines were transported back to a nightmare. As time expired and Michigan crowded around the bench one final time, déjà vu crept in.

The Wolverines came alive from puck drop, hoping to wash away Friday’s wounds.

Michigan smothered the Gophers through the first ten minutes of play; off the backs of none other than the same line changeups that brought them success the night before. The Wolverines eyed a rapid victory as a rebound strike from freshman forward Adam Fantilli put them up 2-0.

But Minnesota is the second-ranked in the country for a reason, so the

But for Michigan, led by its new-look top six, it wasn’t so.

“Stuff happens, it’s hockey right?” Brindley surmised.

“It’s a game and teams are going to score with two minutes left. It’s going to happen so it’s all about how you respond and we got the win tonight and it’s all that matters.”

It didn’t take much time either. Less than a minute into the final period as Fantilli and Brindley changed for fresh legs, sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes punctured the offensive zone and sent a pass to junior defenseman Jacob Truscott, who rifled it back into the net. As Truscott erupted in a walk-off triumph, Mariucci fell silent.

Rendering once-raucous Mariucci lifeless requires near perfection. To do so Saturday night, Michigan’s rejuvenated top six came through when it needed them most.

After heartbreaking Friday finish, Michigan delivers in overtime thriller

It was a grim feeling, a dooming feeling, an ‘it’s going to happen again’ feeling. A feeling, that for the No. 8 Michigan hockey team, was all too familiar.

As time expired and Michigan crowded around the bench one final time, déjà vu crept in. But for Michigan, led by its newlook top six, it wasn’t so.