2023-09-06

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Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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CAMPUS LIFE

Festifall attracts thousands of students despite IT outage

Students flocked to North and Central campus for annual student organization fair SNEHA DHANDAPANI Daily Staff Reporter

Thousands of students gathered on North Campus and Central Campus Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon for Festifall, the annual student organization fair. Representatives from various campus organizations campaigned their clubs from opposite ends of campus to recruit members as students learned about new organizations, signed up for email lists and collected free items.

According to Devon Vaughn, student organization program advisor in the Center for Campus Involvement, Festifall showcased more than 800 student organizations and more than 15 student organization performances over the two-day period across both U-M Ann Arbor campuses.

This year, Vaughn estimated 8,000 students would attend Festifall on Central Campus and another 2,000 students would attend Festifall on North Campus.

Festifall also observed a record increase in student organization participation with 40 more tables than the event last year. CCI, which organizes Festifall, partnered with U-M Central Student Government to offer fee waivers to more than 75 student organizations, who typically have to pay $30 to participate.

The first day of Festifall was plagued by rainstorms. Jane Macaulay, Engineering junior and vice president of communications for Phi Sigma Rho, a professional fraternity for women in engineering and technical science fields, told The Michigan Daily their

organization witnessed a lower student turnout than expected because of the storms.

“The turnout was a little different just because it rained,” Macaulay said. “We did have to move inside for a bit and then we came back out.

I think when it rained, we lost a bunch of people.”

An IT outage that defined the start of the fall semester also affected some organizer’s tables.

Vaughn said though Festifall is an outdoor event and does not rely on technology, the outage lowered the number of expected attendees by 2,000 students from the previous year and could have impacted tabling clubs who needed to print or access materials online to promote their organization.

“The outage has complicated some of the final logistics and preparations for the event, as it likely has for many of the orgs involved, but Festifall’s in-person and low-tech nature allows us to operate with few changes,” Vaughn said. “We have adjusted our estimate down a bit due to the uncertainty caused by the outage and weather, but (our estimated attendances) are well within the realm of possibility.”

Macaulay said their typical recruitment logistics also needed to be adjusted in light of the IT outage.

“Normally, we have people sign up from a QR code, but obviously, a lot of people don’t have Wi-Fi right now,” Macaulay said. “We had to shift so more people (were) inputting (their information) into an Excel spreadsheet rather than just automatically being added to our interest form.”

In an interview with The Daily, Kabir Bhatia, Engineering

BELA FISCHER/Daily

Do Random Acts of Kindness Club gets people to write kind notes during The University of Michigan’s annual Festifall Wednesday afternoon.

sophomore and production lead for the Michigan Aeronautical Science Association, said one team member built an Mcard scanner to collect email addresses in place of the QR code typically displayed on posters.

“It was kind of difficult to coordinate … because we obviously communicate on Slack and it’s hard to get a hold of people that you can directly communicate (with),” Bhatia said. “Our recruiting process has been okay because our avionics lead, Evan, wrote a piece of software that allows you to scan your Mcard

and will save your email.”

While the internet was restored before Festifall occurred on Central Campus Wednesday, the outage had lingering consequences for Lillian Schneider, Engineering senior and production manager for Building a Better Michigan.

Schneider told The Daily she relies on Festifall to recruit new members, as many of the organization’s members had graduated. Though Schneider actually preferred using an Excel spreadsheet to manually collect

email addresses than using a QR code, she said the outage’s impact on printers prevented her from printing the flyers she had hoped to print.

“I find that, each year with QR codes, people forget to fill out the Google form,” Schneider said.

“With the spreadsheet, students will be added to our email list. I had flyers, and I wanted to print flyers to use, but didn’t have access to a printer and couldn’t.”

In spite of the IT outage, Festifall allowed student organizations to

share their purpose and ideas with interested attendees. Macaulay told The Daily Phi Sigma Rho relies on Festifall for recruitment because it is a social sorority without much visibility.

“We are a social sorority for women in STEM,” Macaulay said.

“While we are Panhellenic, we don’t have the same visibility as (other) sororities do. Our main goal is just to let a lot of women in engineering and other STEM majors find out about us and just learn about what we have to offer.”

ANN ARBOR

AAPD arrests man in investigation of Ann Arbor home break-ins A 58-year-old man was taken into custody following six incidents of home break-ins and attempted break-ins downtown

ASTRID CODE

Daily Staff Reporter

The Ann Arbor Police Department issued a crime alert Wednesday afternoon following six incidents of home break-ins and

attempted break-ins downtown on Tuesday and Wednesday. AAPD released an update Thursday morning that the suspect, a 58-yearold Ann Arbor man, was arrested and taken into custody in response to one of the home invasions on N. State Street, as well as a domestic

assault at Wheeler Park.

The original alert states the intruder entered multiple residences through an unlocked first-floor window after cutting through the window screen with a knife. Other reported break-ins or attempted break-ins occured on

Catherine Street, Prospect Street, Dewey Avenue and Sybil Street. At this time, the investigation is still ongoing as to whether the suspect is involved in any of these other breakins.

AAPD spokesperson Chris Page told The Michigan Daily in

an interview that the 58-year-old man is in custody and likely to be arraigned tomorrow. He also said residents should always stay alert.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” Page said. “Try to lock your windows, especially on the first floor, especially front doors as well.

If you see something suspicious, call us … try to help your neighbors out.”

Anyone with information about the situation can contact AAPD’s front desk at 734-794-6920 if they see any suspicious activity, or to contact the tip line at 734-794-6939 or tips@a2gov.org.

CAMPUS LIFE

A look at four UMich museums’ cutting-edge research Researchers from four University museums discuss museum collections, research methods and facility operations

ABIGAIL VANDERMOLEN AND ASTRID CODE Daily Staff Reporters

The University of Michigan is credited for providing renowned resources for its students and University community, as well as hosting many impressive museums open to the public. Most wellknown museums, such as the art and natural history museums, give visitors the chance to observe and explore artifacts of interest, from dinosaur bones to Hudson River School landscape paintings. But other less-known museums on campus contribute to important academic research and feed niche interests.

The U-M Museum of Zoology, the Herbarium, the Museum of Paleontology and the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology are not open to the public, but serve an important role in the research produced at the University and in the storage and preservation of their collections.

The Research Museums Center houses the four museums and provides space for the collections to be preserved properly. Hernán López-Fernández, associate chair of the UMMZ and Herbarium, told The Michigan Daily that

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the Research Museums Center is an invaluable resource to the museums across campus despite operating largely behind the scenes.

“The Research Museums Center is a really phenomenal infrastructure for all four museums to function,” LópezFernández said. “It’s a space that has been designed basically from the ground up to respond to the infrastructural needs of our collections in their different requirements and capacity.”

Museum of Zoology and Herbarium The UMMZ and the Herbarium, which are both part of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, include some of the largest specimen collections in the world. The UMMZ has six divisions — fishes, amphibians and reptiles, birds, mammals, insects and mollusks — while the Herbarium has four divisions — vascular plants, fungi, ferns and algae. The collection of fishes and the collection of mollusks are the largest university collections in the country, and the collection of amphibians and reptiles is the second largest in the world, second only to the Smithsonian.

López-Fernández said the UMMZ and Herbarium are

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fundamental research tools for U-M community and globally.

“We send and receive loans of specimens to all over the country and internationally … it’s a really vast network of users,” LópezFernández said.

Engineering junior Mariana Fernández Correa conducted research at the UMMZ through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. In an interview with The Daily, Correa said one of the projects she did in the UMMZ was working with López-Fernández to collect data on fin shape in fish.

“My project was to collect morphometric data from specimens, which basically just means their overall shape, but in my case, it was the shape of fins,” Correa said. “So I would take the museum specimens out, and then I would pin them on the foam boards and then take pictures of them.”

Correa said her favorite part of working at the UMMZ was the hands-on aspect of her research.

“You get to work with the real specimen,” Correa said. “When you go to a museum, they might show replicas or you might be (viewing them on) a wall … I was holding them in my hand and (I’d) work with them and bend them if I needed to.”

HANNAH WILLINGHAM/Daily

Along with hands-on interaction with specimens, López-Fernández also said the museum offers a digital catalog that allows people to search the museum’s collections online.

“We also have a very strong digital presence,” LópezFernández said. “So a lot of people will never come physically here or maybe not even ask for specimens, but they will use data related

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INDEX

to things like distributions or taxonomy and things like that, across the span of the geographic coverage of our collections.”

Brad Ruhfel, collection manager of the Herbarium’s division of vascular plants, told The Daily that though some divisions of the UMMZ and Herbarium are cataloged digitally, many are not.

“A lot of it is just staying really organized, keeping the collections

Vol. CXXXII, No. 110 ©2023 The Michigan Daily

organized, keeping the database organized, so (that) if someone asks us a question, we can look it up in the database,” Ruhfel said.

“But a lot of this is not databased or imaged so we have to come out here and physically look for things if it’s a part of the collection that hasn’t been entered into the database yet.”

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News

2 — Wednesday, September 6, 2023

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ADMINISTRATION

Here’s all the news you missed at UMich over the summer Welcome back to campus! Here’s what happened in Ann Arbor from May to August

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MILES ANDERSON Daily Staff Reporter

Summer has f lown by for students at the University of Michigan and a lot has happened since the Wolverines left in the spring. From the end of the Graduate Employees’ Organization strike, to the iconic Angelo’s eatery announcing its closing at the end of the year, The Michigan Daily has campus covered with the news you may have missed from the summer.

Here’s what everyone from freshman to senior to graduate student to faculty and staff should know for the 2023-2024 school year.

May

May 11: Nursing professor placed on leave amid misconduct allegations Robert Stephenson, former professor in the School of Nursing, was placed on leave and asked not to contact students or faculty at the University due to multiple allegations of misconduct.

Two former students alleged that Stephenson abused his position as a professor and made inappropriate and suggestive comments. The students issued their complaints of sexual misconduct through the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office in February 2022, in which they expressed concerns over how their complaints and the subsequent investigation were handled.

May 14: University project team MASA successfully launches the biggest liquid student built rocket The Michigan Aeronautical Science Association, an engineering project team, successfully launched Clementine, the largest ever liquid student-built rocket.

Though the initial launch date was postponed due to inclement weather, Clementine finally launched into the sky with great success May 14.

May 18: Ann Arbor breakfast spot Angelo’s officially set to close its doors The University’s Board of Regents announced the purchase of 1100 Catherine Street, the site of the iconic Ann Arbor restaurant Angelo’s, to expand the Michigan Medicine campus.

The breakfast spot holds a special place in the hearts of many alumni, students, faculty and Ann Arbor residents, and will be dearly missed.

May 22: Michigan becomes 21st state to enact red f lag law Whitmer signed extreme risk

protection legislation into law, making Michigan the 21st state to enact red f lag law. Red f lag laws allow the courts to seize firearms from individuals who are proven a present danger to themselves or others. Michigan’s red f lag law creates a process where family members and law enforcement can petition a judge to order the confiscation of firearms from individuals proven dangerous for at least one year. The law is set to take effect in the spring of 2024.

June

June 8: UMich and GEO reach settlement on Unfair Labor Practices and lawsuit After seven months of contract negotiations between the University and GEO, both parties took legal action, with GEO filing a number of unfair labor practice charges and the University filing a lawsuit against the union and motioning for an injunction to halt the strike. In early June, GEO dropped the unfair labor practice disputes filed with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission and the University dropped their unfair labor practice dispute and lawsuit seeking financial damages from GEO for their winter strike.

Though the settlement meant that both parties were no longer seeking legal action, the strike continued on, as an agreement about the graduate workers’ contract still had yet to be reached.

June 15: Board of Regents approve 2023-2024 budget, Dentistry and Public Policy deans The University’s Board of Regents approved the 20232024 budget, which included an expansion of eligibility for the Go Blue Guarantee, a scholarship for in-state students whose family income is less than the state’s median income. The budget also included an increase in all tuition fees and housing costs.

The board recommended and approved Professor Jacques E. Nor and Interim Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes as the deans of the School of Dentistry and the Ford School of Public Policy, respectively.

June 19: City Council bans traffic stops for minor traffic infractions, initiates bidding process for unarmed crisis response team The Ann Arbor City Council unanimously voted to pass the driving equality ordinance, which prohibits police officers from stopping cars for certain minor traffic violations, such as a cracked windshield, cracked taillight or expired registration.

The council said the ordinance would help resolve policing inequities.

Additionally, the

council passed a resolution to begin the bidding process for the creation of an unarmed crisis response team in response to the ongoing national issue of police violence.

July

July 9: UMich student killed in fatal collision Rising LSA senior Seth Sugar was killed in a collision involving a motor vehicle and a motorized scooter at the intersection of Hill Street and Oakland Avenue. The Ann Arbor Police Department said Sugar was transported to the U-M hospital with significant head injuries and was pronounced deceased later that night.

July 18: Whitmer signs package to implement Proposal 22-2, expanding voter rights During the 2022 midterm elections, Michigan voters approved Prop 2, which expanded the voting rights outlined in the state’s constitution. The proposal guaranteed a nine-day early voting period and the right to request an absentee ballot, and said officials must count military and overseas ballots postmarked by election day.

The bill package also revised the system for tracking absentee ballots and allowed voters the ability to sign-up to permanently receive absentee ballots. It also created stricter regulations on absentee ballot drop boxes by requiring a box for every 15,000 registered voters, 24-hour access to the drop boxes in the 40 days leading up to election day and equal distributions of the drop boxes in a municipality.

July 18: U-M Flint Chancellor Dutta to leave for opportunity at University of Illinois Ono announced in an email that U-M Flint Chancellor Debasish Dutta would be leaving the University of Michigan for a role as the senior advisor to the president of the University of Illinois. Dutta has played a key role in the Flint Strategic Transformation Project, an initiative to grow the Flint campus and boost enrollment, which will be placed on hold until a new U-M Flint campus leader is appointed.

July 23: Ann Arbor welcomes nearly 1,000 artists for annual Art Fair Over the course of several sunny and a couple of rainy days in July, Ann Arbor hosted nearly 1,000 artists during its annual Art Fair. The Art Fair consisted of three separate fairs connected geographically: the original Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Guild’s Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair and the Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair. Artists from

around the country displayed their work for Ann Arbor residents and U-M students and staff to marvel at and purchase.

August

August 9: Higher Learning Commission finds no substantive noncompliance by UMich Following a complaint filed

by GEO in early June, the HLC investigation found no substantive noncompliance while investigating allegations that the University falsified grades during the winter 2023 semester for striking graduate student instructors.

GEO said they were disappointed with the findings and still felt that academic integrity at the University was violated. The finding by the HLC means the University’s accreditation is not threatened and that the allegations will not affect future reviews of the University’s accreditation.

August 18: Donna Fry announced as interim chancellor of U-M Flint Donna Fry, dean of the College of Health Sciences at U-M Flint, was announced as the interim chancellor at U-M Flint, succeeding Dutta. Fry announced that she plans to continue the Flint Strategic Transformation Plan.

The University also began a national search for the permanent U-M Flint chancellor.

August 25: GEO accepts UMich contract offer, ends fivemonth strike After nearly five months of striking and almost a year of negotiations, the University and GEO reached a contract agreement.

This agreement averts the continuation of the winter semester’s strike into the fall.

The new contract contains significant gains for GEO in areas outlined in their initial bargaining platform. Graduate student workers received raises at all U-M campuses, as well as expanded access to mental health and gender-affirming care.

Graduate student workers at the Ann Arbor campus will receive an 8% pay increase in 2023, a 6% pay increase in 2024 and a 6% pay increase in 2025 for a total of 20% over three years. Graduate student workers at U-M Dearborn will receive a 10.5% pay increase over three years and U-M Flint graduate student workers will receive a pay increase of around 9% per year for three years until their salaries are equal to those at U-M Dearborn. Additionally, the University committed to continuing the Rackham Summer Funding Plan through at least 2026.

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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.

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News

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 — 3

GOVERNMENT

5 bills to watch in the Michigan state legislature: August 2023 Every month The Daily highlights 5 important bills being discussed in Lansing

JI HOON CHOI

Daily Staff Reporter

The following article explains five bills that have been introduced, passed or signed into law by the Michigan legislature or Gov. Gretchen Whitmer throughout the past month.

Each month, The Michigan Daily publishes a compilation of bills in the Michigan legislature for students at the University of Michigan to be aware of.

1. Further protections for youth employees Status: Introduced in the House, referred to committee Introduced by State Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids, and State Rep. Will Snyder, D-Muskegon, HB-4932 would require new safety measures to protect the rights of employees under the age of 18 in the workplace. The bill also gives more authority to the state government to collect administrative fines from employers who violate the Youth Employment Standards Act, in addition to outlining criminal punishments that they may face for noncompliance.

Whitmer proclaimed June to be Youth Employment Month in Michigan to draw attention to the prevalence of young workers in Michigan. In June, it was expected that 235,000 Michigan youth ages 16 to 19 would work in the state during the summer.

In the same month, a related bill, HB-4437 was enacted into law. This bill allocated funds to help non-profit organizations support apprenticeship and work readiness programs for young workers. In a June press release, Whitmer said it was important for Michigan employers to provide resources for youth who are interested in work just as it is important for the government to

ensure youth are protected in the workplace.

“We encourage Michigan employers to offer meaningful, safe and valuable work and volunteer opportunities to our youth,” Whitmer said. “We urge them to recognize that hiring young people, including those with disabilities, is an investment in the future of our state and nation.”

If passed, HB-4932 would open up employers to criminal liability if a minor is injured at work.

After a first reading in August, HB-4932 was referred to the Committee of Higher Education.

2. Tax credit for taxpayers who graduated from high school or college outside of Michigan Status: Introduced in the House, referred to committee HB-4934, introduced by Skaggs and Snyder, provides tax incentives for high school and college graduates outside of Michigan to move to the state.

The bill would allow them to claim a tax credit on student loans paid starting Jan. 1, 2024.

Graduates may claim a credit that equals 50% of the tax the taxpayer paid on a qualified student loan during the tax year with proof of residency and proof of degree.

Across the U.S., student loan debt amounts to $1.774 trillion and 43.6 million borrowers have federal student loan debt. In Michigan, 58% of college students had student loan debt in the 20192020 academic year. This bill, also titled “The Make it in Michigan Grant” tax credit program, would incentivize graduates to move to Michigan to launch their careers and seek employment opportunities. In an Aug. 25 press release, Skaggs said it is important to attract and retain talent in the Michigan workforce.

“We should make Michigan a

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talent magnet by rewarding out of state young people for moving and staying here,” Skaggs said. “This would be a major boost towards our goals of strong population growth.”

Michigan was the state with the fifth slowest growing population across the country in 2022. The bill’s sponsors have promised that it would help alleviate the burden of student loans for Michigan residents and spur population growth.

“We need to be more competitive if as a state we are going to deal with stagnant population growth,” Skaggs said.

“This legislation will not only help us keep our college graduates but also attract talent from other

states.”

HB-4933 was simultaneously introduced by Skaggs and Snyder and aims to provide individual income tax credit for high school and college graduates who are from Michigan and have student loans too. The bill aims to encourage in-state graduates to remain in Michigan.

HB-4934 was referred to the House Committee on Higher Education on Aug. 23.

3. More specifics for camera footage used as evidence in school vehicle traffic cases Status: Introduced in the House, referred to committee Introduced by State Rep. Nate Shannon, D-Sterling Heights, and State Rep. Graham Filler,

R-Saginaw, HB-4928 aims to add a more detailed section to the Michigan Vehicle Code about collecting camera evidence for traffic violations by attaching them to school vehicles. The bill was introduced a few months after the passage of HB-4250, which prohibited the use of mobile devices while driving, in June. After that bill was passed, Shannon issued a statement saying the state needs to continue to pass laws to help further protect Michigan drivers.

“We can’t solely focus on fixing the roads and infrastructure; we must also ensure drivers stay alert and focused while they’re behind the wheel,” Shannon said. “Passing these bills can save

lives.”

HB-4928 outlines the specific violations caught on school bus cameras that will result in a fine. The number of school vehicle crashes across the state last year was 1,041 based on data collected by the Michigan State Police. At least 24 states already have camera laws specifically for school vehicles, with Michigan allowing districts to put cameras on their school buses in 2021.

HB-4202 , which was passed in July, allows courts to consider recordings from the cameras as evidence in determining the cause of crashes.

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ADMINISTRATION

What happened with the GEO strike over the summer After 5 months, the union accepted a new contract — here’s how it all went down

MILES ANDERSON Daily Staff Reporter

In November 2022, the Graduate Employees’ Organization and the University of Michigan began negotiating a new contract for Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate Student Staff Assistants.

Negotiations continued through the school year with no resolution, eventually leading GEO to go on strike March 27.

The strike continued throughout the majority of summer before coming to an end on Aug. 25 when the union finally reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with the University.

Though a lot happened between March 27 and Aug. 25, The Michigan Daily is here to catch Wolverines up on all the labor negotiation details. Here’s what the campus community might have missed from the GEO strike this summer.

April April 20: 2 GEO protesters detained GEO held a picket outside a restaurant where University President Santa Ono was dining. As Ono was leaving the restaurant, picketers blocked his car and the University’s Division of Public Safety and Security arrived shortly afterward. Two protesters from the picket were detained and released several minutes later by DPSS. April 21: UMich withholds pay from striking GSIs University administration announced they would withhold pay from striking GSIs and GSSAs for the month of April.

This decision came after a state judge ruled GEO’s strike was in violation of their contract. In an email to GSIs obtained by The Daily, the University said it plans to require GSIs to fill out and validate a work attestation form if they want to be compensated for their April work.

Amir Fleischmann, GEO contract committee chair, wrote in a press release that GEO believes the University withholding pay is a strikebreaking tactic

“This is only the latest in a series of underhanded strikebreaking tactics that (the University) has used to try to circumvent the bargaining process and impose an unfair contract on some of its lowest paid workers,” Fleischmann wrote.

April 30: GEO strike continues but UMich grading plan remains up in the air As the GEO strike entered its fifth week, the grading plan for the University was in a state of unrest. GEO leadership agreed to make a non-binding suggestion to its members to submit all grades from before the strike. GEO had originally planned to withhold all grades until the end of contract negotiations. In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen said though the deadline to submit grades will be extended, there would still likely be some delays.

“There may be delays in some cases, but our faculty are committed to accurately assessing students’ work and ensuring grades are processed,” Broekhuizen said.

“The Registrar’s Office has extended the deadline to submit grades from 72 to 96 hours after the final exam for courses impacted by the strike. It is the expectation that faculty members meet those deadlines.”

May May 17: UMich announces a plan to input grades for striking GSIs The University created a plan to work with departments and faculty to enter missing grades from the ongoing GEO strike, despite concerns from GEO that the plan violates the principles of academic integrity. GEO expressed concerns over the validity of the entered grades, arguing they may not reflect students’ work from the winter semester. The University said it is working to ensure all grades accurately reflect students’ work from the semester.

May 23: GEO speaks to CSG about UMich inputting grades amid strike The University’s Central Student Government hosted GEO

President Jared Eno to express the union’s disapproval of the University inputting grades in the absence of the striking graduate student workers. Eno said GEO believes the University committed academic misconduct by inaccurately entering grades for students. Following the presentation, LSA senior Jarek Schmanski said he would draft a resolution to reaffirm CSG’s support for GEO. May 31: Doctorate of Musical Arts students express frustration with their exclusion from the Rackham Plan The University announced and implemented the Rackham Summer Funding Plan, which included year-round stipends in the funding packages for Ph.D. students. The funding packages are several-year compensation packages, typically including a stipend, tuition and healthcare, that the University offers to new Ph.D. students. Notably left out of the Rackham Plan are Doctorate of Musical Arts students. D.M.A. students who felt their work is equivalent albeit somewhat different to a Ph.D. student’s expressed frustration with their exclusion from the Rackham Plan.

June June 8: UMich and GEO reach settlement on Unfair Labor Practices and lawsuit The University and GEO reached a settlement on the Unfair Labor Practices each party filed with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. Both parties agreed to drop the ULPs with prejudice, meaning they are permanently dismissed.

Additionally, the University dropped its lawsuit against GEO for financial damages caused during the winter semester strike. The University still retains the ability to refile a damages lawsuit. Evelyn Smith, GEO’s lead contract negotiator, said while GEO does believe the University violated labor laws, the settlement creates an opportunity for the parties to reach an agreement.

“While we remain adamant that (the) administration’s actions throughout this bargaining

process represent clear and unacceptable violations of state labor law, this settlement means that our bargaining team — made up exclusively of graduate workers with full-time jobs — will be able to focus this summer on negotiating a great contract for our members,” Smith said. “It’s time for the administration to get serious about these negotiations and give graduate workers an offer that meets our needs.”

June 14: UMich under review from the Higher Learning Commission The University went under review from its accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, following a complaint filed

by GEO that alleged the University falsified grades for undergraduate students while graduate student workers were on strike. In an email to GEO obtained by The Daily, the HLC wrote the complaint warrants an investigation and has the ability to lead to consequences for the University.

“Upon initial review of (GEO’s) complaint, HLC determined that the matter regarding University of Michigan raises potential concerns regarding the institution’s compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation,”

the HLC wrote. “Due to these potential concerns, HLC will conduct a further review of the institution based on (GEO’s) complaint … HLC will review the institution’s response to determine what action, if any, is needed based on the evidence.”

June 27: GEO holds a protest following Stephenson harassment allegations GEO convened outside the University’s Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office to protest ECRT’s alleged mishandling of reports of sexual misconduct and the University’s refusal to bargain on this topic. The protest occurred in response to the University allegedly denying responsibility for the multiple sexual misconduct and abuse allegations against Robert Stephenson, former School of Nursing professor, during a contract bargaining session.

July July 28: HLC investigation finds no substantive noncompliance by UMich The HLC investigation into the alleged falsifying of grades by the University during the winter 2023 semester finds no substantive noncompliance by the University. The HLC’s findings mean the investigation

will cease and the University will not face any punitive actions from the HLC. August August 2: GEO announces they will respond to UMich contract proposal by Aug. 10 The University offered GEO its fifth contract proposal, which included a signed promise to continue the Rackham Plan through 2026. The proposal was offered on Aug. 2 and had an expiration of Aug. 4 at 4:59 p.m.

GEO voted to respond to the offer

by Aug. 10. Eno said the decision to respond on Aug. 10 gives the union enough time to discuss the offer and fulfill the democratic processes of the union.

“We will be reaching out to Academic HR to schedule several bargaining sessions next week so that we can clarify the contents of your offer,” Eno said. “We understand that time is of the essence; our collective view is that this timeline best balances our commitment to democratic process with the need to move expeditiously.”

August 20: UMich offers a “last, best and final” contract to GEO. Read more at michigandaily.com

Design by Matthew Prock

Arts

4 — Wednesday, September 6, 2023

‘You Are Who You Hang Out With’ and ‘LOVE + POP’ evoke evolving intimacies in antithetical experimentation SAARTHAK JOHRI

Digital Culture Beat Editor

This is my Barbienheimer.

Two of my favorite bands — The Front Bottoms and Current Joys — have released their first albums in years, titled You Are Who You Hang Out With and LOVE + POP, respectively, on the same day: Aug. 4. At first listen, their genres seem deceptively similar — the “sad boy” indie rock niche that’s done so well in the past decade — but if we dig deeper, we can appreciate their differences, especially in these new releases.

The Front Bottoms comprises frontman guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mathew Uychich, with many a rotating and touring musician to round out their instrumentation and recordings (Nemes frontman Josh Knowles was credited as additional instrumentation on this album) — while Current Joys is just one guy named Nick Rattigan, the drummer and lead singer of Surf Curse.

These different constitutions are reflected in each artist’s new release: The Front Bottoms’s heavily collaborative albums vary widely in terms of concepts and quality, but even at their lowest, they deliver uniquely emotional highs. Current Joys, on the other hand, retains one man’s singular, cinematic vision. Let me explain in pizza terms: Current Joys is the Original Cottage Inn that might fit my dietary requirements with its restaurant-catered pies; The Front Bottoms is the hometown chain that occasionally spices it up but still tastes like home.

Together, the two artists encompass the whole spectrum of “sad boy” vibes — The Front Bottoms’s frenetic folk punk spirit denotes daytime drives; Current Joys’s somnambulatory sound synthesizes starry sojourns.

The Front Bottoms’s Midwest emo energy feels like the faint warmth of summer and sunlight filtering through autumn leaves, while Current Joys’s ’80s-esque alternative synths feel like sinking into the sleepy storms of winter and spring. The Front Bottoms is scream-sobbing in the shower and Current Joys is a saltier bath; The Front Bottoms is passing out in a drunken, sniveling stupor and Current Joys is a sober sorrow before sleep.

You Are Who You Hang Out With and LOVE + POP seem determined to grow past these impressions. Rattigan kicks off LOVE + POP with a cover of rapper Lil Peep’s “Walk Away as the Door Slams,” which at first seems like a traditional Current Joys reinterpretation, like his cover of Grimes’s “Symphonia IX.” Pensive electric plucking pairs with somber acoustic strumming to drive the track alongside a drum machine, while Rattigan’s near-raspy vocals ring out like he just finished crying.

The song’s second half introduces a new element to the lonely Current Joys discography, perhaps foreign to some fans: a woman. Maddy “YOUR ANGEL” Boyd takes the second stanza with an almost angelic air that reimagines the

Lil Peep track as a conversation between two lovers harmonizing on the final chorus. With this first track, Rattigan reveals the record’s new rap elements.

Now, here’s a sentence that defines The Front Bottoms and showcases how they contradict traditional music criticism, quoth emo essayist Nate the Mate: “The Front Bottoms SUCK and I love them.” The appeal is in their inconsistencies: their instrumentation ideally idiosyncratic, their oration impeccably imperfect, their ideas exquisitely eccentric. The band is at its best when these inconsistencies are all integrated thematically.

They kick off the first track of You Are Who You Hang Out With, “Emotional,” with the strumming of an electric guitar; then Sella cries out under an autotuned artifice.

The following stanzas layer more electronic instrumentation and autotune until it crashes and is abandoned at the start of the track’s second half, when Sella begins to harmonize out of time with himself.

In the final moments, “Emotional” brings both the acoustic and electronic elements back together for a dialectic denouement.

Read more at michigandaily.com

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Best-selling author Ann Patchett, delights at Michigan Theater on ‘Tom Lake’ book tour KATHRYN HEMMILA Daily Arts Writer

“Not only do we tell others stories about ourselves, but we tell ourselves stories about ourselves,” said Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Ann Patchett to a packed Michigan Theater. “We are a collection of stories of ourselves that we tell ourselves.”

This simple yet powerful understanding of storytelling and its role in our own identities was a clear undertone of Patchett’s night at the Michigan Theater on Aug. 9. Hosted by Literati Bookstore and in discussion with publisher and editor Amanda Uhle, Patchett unpacked the inspirations and experiences that have fueled her latest novel, “Tom Lake.” Set in northern Michigan, the novel chronicles the past and present of Lara, a middle-aged cherry farmer, mother and retired actress.

The novel follows two timelines, one taking place in 2020 as Lara’s young-adult daughters — forced home by the pandemic — beg to hear about the mysterious relationship between their mother and movie star Peter Duke. The other occurs decades earlier and is Lara’s recount of her summer with Duke at Tom Lake during a production of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” These dual timelines

intertwine and come together to explore all different sides of love– flaming, stable, motherly, platonic and everything in between, while acting as a reflection of changing with age and experience.

Patchett explained that a central focus in her writing of the novel was capturing the importance of different stages of life and growing up. She discussed how Lara, and herself, are able to reflect on how the things they believed and knew at their core at 24 are entirely forgotten and different at 57.

Patchett mused, “(It is) not because those things are forgettable but because they are unimportant to who you are now,” that the “scorching-hot” love of one’s 20s may seem all-consuming, and that at the time anything else would be hard to believe in, but “we do grow up, and we change” and the acceptance of these changes is what drives the cycle of life.

Patchett connects these changes to the concept of oral history and storytelling, reflecting that the changes in the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell others about ourselves evolve over time due to these life experiences and growth. She expresses a clear hope for this ability to reflect on oneself and understand different phases of life, which is communicated through the role storytelling plays in “Tom Lake.”

It is this belief in the importance of life stages that drove Patchett to make “Our Town” a key piece of the story in “Tom Lake.” She recounted to Uhle that from the time she first read “Our Town” at 14, it had been an integral part of her life and philosophy.

As she aged and read the play over and over again, Patchett noted: “At this point in my life, I really think about this play as a Buddhist text. That’s why I think I’ve always come back to ‘Our Town,’ because it reminds me to slow down, to be in this phase of life.”

Understanding Wilder’s play as being about the cycle of life and allowing it to explain the experiences of different ages and growing up is reflected in Patchett’s writing. She quipped that she likes to assume her readers are “smart people” and that they can appreciate her literary references and inspirations–which is why she has made the understanding of “Our Town” and its characters essential to her own novel and its cast.

Beyond “Our Town,” Patchett discussed her appreciation for literary works, both good and bad, as a whole. As an independent bookstore owner, Patchett described her role as “finding the fabulous” among the many, many bad books out there. She credited this process to making her a “much more passionate reader” and “a much more prolific” writer.

“The bad books are so instructive,” she remarked. “It really makes me want to write, because I have a very clear sense of what’s missing.”

When Uhle asked how readers can distinguish good books from bad and know what books to support, Patchett shared, “the only way for a book to succeed is if you read it and turn to your friend … and tell them to read it. Read.”

Read more at michigandaily.com

This image is the official album artwork for “You Are Who You Hang Out With” and “LOVE + POP”

LATE NIGHTS AT THE STATE

Courtesy of Kathryn Hemmila.

THURSDAYS AT 7:30 FRIDAYS AT 9:30 Tickets: michtheater.org/late (734) 668-8397 Box Office: 203 S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI

Ghost in the Shell

American Psycho

Night of the Living Dead

Seoul Station

9/15 & 9/21

9/22 & 9/28

9/29 & 10/5

10/6 & 10/12

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 — 5

Meet the rock stars bringing ‘rock’ back into the mainstream NICKOLAS HOLCOMB Daily Arts Writer

The 20-year cycle is nothing new in the world of media. In cinema, remakes of movies from the late ’90s and early 2000s have recently flooded the theaters. In fashion, jorts and other Y2K staples have dominated the 2020s. However, in music, this cycle seems to be a bit late. Rap, a genre characterized by the late 2000s and 2010s, still dominates the airwaves and streams, with rappers Drake and Travis Scott on top of the charts and racking up millions of streams.

Artists such as Brent Faiyaz, Daniel Caesar and The Weeknd have all brought back the R&B sound of Usher, Nelly and Pharrell Williams that commanded the early 2000s airwaves. It’s about time that rockrap gets the same kind of love.

Recent drops such as Pink Tape by Lil Uzi Vert and Let’s Start Here

by Lil Yachty further cement this phenomenon, showing a sort of rock-rap fusion that pushes the genre in a way that hasn’t been done before — and listeners are starting to tune in.

To be clear, this emerging genre isn’t like classic rock. It’s heavy, with emo-inspired guitars over trap beats. It’s visceral noise-pop transforming into gorgeous soul samples. It’s something we haven’t heard before.

The rap-rock fusion genre isn’t necessarily new. Artists like RunDMC and the Beastie Boys have used guttural guitars, bombastic bass and piercing punchlines for decades. In the mid 2010s, artists like $uicideboy$ and City Morgue gained a cult following off of SoundCloud with loud guitars over dense bass and lyrics speaking about heavy subject matter. However, artists like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty are making the sound their own with charttopping rap-rock albums.

The artists in this revamped

genre are equally as interesting as the music they make — each new artist I’ve encountered has a unique sound, and many have their own distinct rockstar personality to boot. Their dedication to music as well as the atmosphere they create keeps me coming back. These three artists, despite being less developed, have started creating something that is more than just music.

Kenny Mason This image is the official artwork for “6,” distributed by RCA Records.

I first started listening to Kenny Mason in the summer of 2022 before I went to see him open for Denzel Curry at the Fillmore in New Orleans. At the time, I was a huge fan of Curry’s discography and just started getting into the other opener: an 18 year old with two critically acclaimed self produced albums, redveil. Much like the tour I was on, Melt My Eyez, See Your Future, redveil uses a similar jazz, melodic rap sound similar to Mason’s newest EP, 6. However, Mason did not perform at the New Orleans show, tweeting just days before the show that he had to cancel for reasons that are still unknown. Although I still won’t forgive him — at least not until he comes to Detroit — he still gained a fan that day after I listened to his debut LP, Angelic Hoodrat. Although I’m not a huge fan of the entire project today, the self-fulfilling prophecy “Hit” quickly became my song of the summer. It was infectious, raw and a hit in every sense of the word.

Since then, almost everything Mason has released has been gold.

After being brought to a more mainstream audience and being featured twice in fellow Atlanta rapper JID’s critically acclaimed album A Forever Story, Mason has remained unchanged in his underground sound and creative process. Mason’s versatility is unmatched — he ranges from a very rock-heavy sound on his EP

This image is from the official music video for “ICE CREAM MAN.”

Ruffs, to a trap metal sound on his breakout feature on Dreamville’s mosh pit anthem “Stick.” Recently, he released 6, another EP that has quickly become one of my favorite releases of 2023. His melodic flow over gorgeous rock guitar arrangements and use of catchy hooks is unmatched, and he has really proven that his versatility makes him a force in the rap game.

As he figures out his sound more and more with each release, Mason is quickly becoming one of the most interesting artists to watch in rap right now.

Chase Plato The cover for the single “ICE CREM MAN” by Chase Plato.

Image of two people embracing, both wearing patterned hoodies.

This image is the official artwork for the single “ICE CREAM MAN,” distributed by Chase Plato.

I first stumbled upon Chase Plato after seeing his picture in an interview with Lyrical Lemonade. I was intrigued and

had to know more. Upon listening to his music, I found a sound I hadn’t heard before. The selfproclaimed founder of Sixth Wave Emo has a limited discography of only five songs, yet his creativity is unmatched. His song “ICE CREAM MAN” is centered around an angelic hook paired with punkfused lyrics and guitars mimicking City Morgue’s Zillakami. This is starkly contrasted with a Toro y Moi-sounding bridge to bring the listener a brief peace, only to exit with the booming guitars from the intro. His song “SET YOU FREE” intros with a Kingdom Hearts flip, which is followed by angst-filled guitars and lyrics that seem to be pulled straight from 2000s punk.

Both of these songs sound like they could be made by completely different artists, but none highlight the diversity in Plato’s five-song discography more than “STRANGER THAN FICTION.” This track is a lo-fi hyperpop song, complete with vocoder-filled lyrics

and mellow MIDI keyboards.

Further cementing Plato’s talent, almost his entire brand — musically and stylistically — is self-produced: The diverse catalog, his music videos and many of his most memorable outfits are all made by Plato himself. And what’s more amazing? Plato is only 19, and already a rock star in every sense of the word.

Paris Texas This image is the official artwork for “MID AIR,” distributed by Paris Texas.

MID AIR, West Coast duo Paris Texas’ debut album released this year, perfectly sums up their sound. The duo, consisting of Louis Pastel and Felix, are described as “electropunk, drum ‘n’ bass, hard rock riffage, buzzing synths, funky breaks, alt-rock melodics and more,” by Esquire. As eclectic as these genre comparisons are, they are apt comparisons for the rapperproducer pair. With a sound akin to early BROCKHAMPTON or Jean

Dawson, their sound is chaotic and boisterous, yet infectious. The self-released record MID AIR has been one of my personal favorites of the year, simply due to how entertaining it is. The album is filled with punk guitars, trap beats and witty punchlines that keep me coming back to their distinctive style. Hosting a verse of the year candidate by Kenny Mason on “DND (feat. Kenny Mason)” to the absolute insanity of a beat switch on the following track “SeanJared.” Another personal highlight of the album is the outro track “We Fall…” Starting with guitars ripped straight from 2000s pop rock, it slowly transforms into a typical rap track, making it clear that Paris Texas is here to stay in the underground rap soundscape.

The rest of the album is filled with elements of 2000s punk rock, all executed to rap-rock perfection.

If this is just the Paris Texas intro, they will certainly be a top group to watch in the near future.

Maybe I shouldn’t be in constant pain ERIN EVANS

Managing Arts Editor

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WHISPER WHISPER “One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.”

“Remember that a fine education can be found in places other than the usual.”

This fall, three relay teams of four Daily Arts staffers will train for and run the Probility Ann Arbor Marathon. But as writers, we can’t just run the race — we have to write about our past experiences with running, how we are preparing for the marathon, what we look forward to and what we are afraid of.

My mom and I have a word for when we’re about to put ourselves through unexpected misery: Avar!

This misery is usually workoutrelated. There’s a blizzard outside on the morning we planned to snowshoe before sunrise? Avar!

We put on hats and mittens and fight the biting cold with our faces.

While wading through waistdeep snowdrifts, blinded by gusts of snow, my fingers crystallizing, I asked my mom why we enjoyed doing things that were kind of miserable. Why did we say “avar” instead of staying inside?

It made finishing the workout more enjoyable by comparison, I thought. Discomfort and pain let me know that I had truly accomplished something when it was over.

I knew from my time in gymnastics that pain was a part of working out. You worked through that pain. You ignored it. You didn’t let it stop you. Pain was not an enemy to avoid, but one to prove myself against.

In my roughly three years as a runner, I have experienced a new type of pain: pain that doesn’t go away. Both of my feet started hurting several months after I started distance running. I didn’t stop. In my mind, the protocol for pain was still to push through it, to run in spite of it, to prove it could not stop me.

I was impatient with my pain.

I felt like I was being generous when I sporadically did cut back on running, and my feet didn’t respond to this generosity (awfully ungrateful of them). If they were going to hurt anyway, I might as well run as much as I wanted to, setting farther and faster goals, even if that made the pain worse.

Then the woman who helped me at the running shoe store told me my shoes were deceptively too

small. Once I had bigger shoes, my feet stopped hurting. I admitted that this problem never would have fixed itself if I kept running in my old shoes, but when my foot started hurting again this April, I didn’t see a doctor. It would get better on its own — that was my foot’s problem to deal with, not mine — and I would run through the pain. If the pain was too much to ignore, even when I was sitting down, I would take an ibuprofen and try not to worry about it chewing up my stomach lining.

I didn’t stop running until the pain made it hard to walk. I spent a week despairing, then started a rigorous stretching, icing and bracing routine. My foot felt better almost immediately. Okay, so I hadn’t been taking adequate care of my feet. That was the solution.

I returned to running the day after I started all of my pain prevention tactics. I pushed off of my hurt foot on my first stride, and my ankle felt as if something inside it was ripping. I thought I might have to stop after the first block, but the pain lessened. I kept going on semi-painful runs.

Once the pain shrank enough that I thought it would soon leave me completely, I increased my regular distance by a mile.

In this process of continual increase in work, the pain never disappeared, but it was manageable. I could keep working through it. Never mind the ominous thoughts I shooed away: What if I never go on a run without pain again? What if I never get to run all the longer routes I found in Ann Arbor before this happened?

I couldn’t be certain the pain would go away. So I had to instead prove to myself that even if it didn’t, I could continue increasing my distance until I was running as much as I otherwise would be.

I ran six miles on June 23, and my foot hardly hurt. So I ran six miles again the next day. I’d been going four or five miles, two days on then one day off, with the occasional six or seven mile paired with an extra rest day or a short run. My foot hurt from the first steps of my June 24 run, but I wanted to be able to run six miles two days in a row, and the pain was mild at first. You could just go four miles, I thought.

Read more at michigandaily.com

Arts

6 — Wednesday, September 6, 2023

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

The Seven Deadly Cines: Envy and ‘Mean Girls’ ZARA MANNA Senior Arts Editor

Aren’t our modern lives a bit too … puritan? I mean, spending each and every day trying to follow all these rules and regulations and do’s and don’ts and faux pas and unwritten mandates found in that social contract we were all forced to sign — you know, it really just gets tiring.

After spending the day acting as virtuously as physically possible, it’s only right to get home, kick your feet up and get sinful. Post a selfie. Rob a bank. Fuck your ex. Slash your neighbor’s tires. Eat human flesh.

KILL! EVERYONE! NOW! Or, uh, maybe don’t do any of that actually. That would probably ruin your life. Let’s leave the debauchery to the professionals and have Hollywood take care of things for us.

And, to make your life a little easier, your favorite publication is here to give a tour through the seven most deadly sins of all. Is that something in your pocket, or are you just happy to read The Michigan Daily? It’s time to put the Sin back in Cinema and celebrate the little things that make us human. Welcome to the Seven Deadly Cines.

— Rami Mahdi, Daily Arts Writer One of the seven deadly sins manifests itself in a seemingly harmless form: young girls. Some of the most outright cases of envy I’ve witnessed have been from high school girls. They are burdened with countless insecurities by seeing others exhibit their idealistic standards every day. Maybe one girl has a smile you love that makes yours seem a little dimmer. Someone else could have the long hair you’ve always dreamed of, making yours feel short and brittle. High schools are grounds for creating envy, with girls constantly reminded of the traits they want as they pass people with them daily. I know this behavior is mostly attributed to the overwhelming desire to fit in and be liked, but the cutthroat behavior that results can get out

of hand. It’s intriguing to see how easy it is for girls to make an issue out of nothing, pitting themselves against each other with no end goal. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and young girls are unfortunately unaware of this at times.

This behavior is exploited in “Mean Girls” with a satirical spin on very real high school behavior.

Main characters Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan, “Falling for Christmas”) and Regina George (Rachel McAdams, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”) are short-lived friends-turnedrivals when they perceive each other as threats to each other’s images. Regina took an interest in Cady almost immediately, and they remained friends while their envy of each other grew. They both lived by the motto of keeping their enemies close, leading them to meticulously psychoanalyze each other’s actions, then take turns discreetly sabotaging one another to destroy each other’s images, increasing their own popularity in turn.

Regina’s envy spawns from Cady taking an interest in her ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Johnathan Bennett, “Snow Falls”). Regina originally thought Cady had popularity potential and tried to maximize it through a makeover. She wanted to recruit Cady to be one of her “plastics”: someone who looks good enough to be friends with her, but doesn’t look better than her. However, the makeover backfired for Regina once Aaron started liking Cady back and Regina realized she had someone taking the attention away from her, which meant an opponent challenging her likability. Regina began to see Cady as a real threat to her popularity and that’s where the envy was born. Regina turned the envy into an unspoken competition with Cady to retain her status and self-worth. She painted Cady as a crazy stalker and returned to Aaron out of spite. Regina did this to assert her dominance, keeping their social hierarchy in check. Even though she wasn’t dating Aaron at the

Design by Matthew Prock

time, Regina ensured Cady never had the chance. To Regina, anyone who liked Cady was inadvertently disrespecting her.

Regina also made sure everyone that could threaten her queen status stayed under her: Karen (Amanda Seyfried, “Skin & Bone”) with her stereotypical attractiveness, Gretchen (Lacey Chabert, “Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver”) with her wealth and Cady with her likability. The four of them were untouchable, and everyone else was forced to bow down to them. Many of the girls at North Shore High School tied their self-worth to this hierarchy, so it makes sense that envy plays a large role in these girls’ ideologies. Regina painted her status as unattainable so

people would look up to her, but all it did was instill envy in the young girls who wished they could reach that idealized standard. The young girls at Regina’s school compared themselves to her and grew resentful when they didn’t receive the compliments and praise that she did. In their minds, they began to wonder why Regina could be liked by so many but they couldn’t, which made them search for faults in themselves.

The problem with envy is that it easily festers. Cady and Regina’s simultaneous downfalls were apparent throughout the movie. But their demises were their own doings. Regina, who seemed extremely secure in her beauty and status, crumbled under Cady’s intimidation. Once a shy,

amiable brainiac, Cady became envious, stuck-up and insecure.

Cady’s envy stemmed from her insecurities about fitting in at a school for the first time, and she envied Regina for her popularity just like the other girls. When Regina tried to tear down her newfound likability, Cady took it as a threat. Their feud was propelled for so long because of their envy of each other. Neither of them could accept themselves for who they were. The pair couldn’t see the true friends they had in front of them, only caring about the general consensus of the high school population to determine their self-worth. The film did a good job of highlighting how both girls turned more unhinged from their pent-up resentment until

everything came crashing down.

By the end of the movie, Regina released the “burn book” that she, Cady, Gretchen and Karen wrote, making fun of many girls in the school. The book included so-called faults in the high school girls, masquerading as a way to tear down their classmates to make themselves look better and further the toxic cycle of envy. The hallways mirrored animals in the jungle: physical fights, war cries and everyone out for blood. The envy turned them ravenous.

The teachers called an allgirls assembly where everyone was forced to reveal the horrific acts they committed against their supposed friends.

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Cowabunga! ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ is the retelling of the summer ADAEZE UZOIJE Daily Arts Writer

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series is not for the faint of heart: notoriously long-winded and complicated, reboots that produce complex (but often refreshing) reimaginations of the characters and numerous antagonists that easily go from mutant of the week to villain of the year. Time after time after time, live-action adaptations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have almost given me nightmares from how ugly they were.

Nightmares aside, I was interested when Seth Rogen (“The Boys”) took the reins of the franchise and promised fans the animated movie of a lifetime. I, as an avid fan of more modern TMNT content like the

2012 and 2018 series, walked into the theater praying not to be disappointed, and my prayers were answered. With a genius cast, wonderful visuals and a great new take on the origin story of the heroes in a half shell, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is one of the best animated movies of this year.

First and foremost, the movie’s animation style is the most captivating part of this entire film, showing dedicated line art and a neon-noir aesthetic often found in urban settings.

The unique style of the movie focuses on color and lighting contrast, as the blocky settings and powerful palette make the film stand out from the rest.

The character designs are also cartoonish yet intricate, having an elaborate and exaggerated outline of misshapen body parts.

This is highlighted by the sheer creativity in the depiction of several classic TMNT mutants, from the interpretation that the mutants all formed at the same time to the ridiculously creative designs of even the most minor villains. From Michelangelo’s (Shamon Brown Jr., “The Chi”) football-shaped head to Superfly’s (Ice Cube, “Straight Outta Compton”) many-legged build to Leatherhead’s (Rose Byrne, “Insidious”) Australian crocodile nature, every individual has their own idiosyncrasies that make up who they are. And don’t even get me started on the adorable yet absolutely goopy turtle tots, which are hilariously grotesque and yet the cutest and most squishable baby turtles one could imagine.

And of course, the new changes to the TMNT’s universe

are intriguing and make for a wonderful story. The changes in the origins of the ooze and its effect on humans, Baxter Stockman’s story and how mutants ultimately interact with the Turtles is more than enough to make for another article in and of itself, but the dynamics among the brothers are ultimately about the same as usual. Unlike most recent iterations where Donatello (Micah Abbey, “Cousins for Life”) particularly has a crush on April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri, “Abbott Elementary”), this time Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu, “The Amazing World of Gumball”) is the one trying to romance her. It’s a refreshing take on Leonardo’s traditionally all-work-no-play personality, where as much as he tries to take after their adopted rat mutant father, Splinter (Jackie Chan, “Rush Hour”), even he

This image was taken from the official trailer from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” distributed by Paramount Pictures.

is not immune to stereotypical teenage wiles. And similarly to the most recent TMNT iteration “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” April O’Neil is just a Black high schooler interested in journalism who happens to have her world collide with the Turtles.

Not only does her closeness in age to the Turtles make her seem like a more relatable character throughout, but it also helps the audience truly feel like this is a teen-oriented movie rather than adult problems with teenage faces slapped over them. Another incredible thing about the film is that it absolves itself from the Smurfette Principle by adding another strong female character, Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph, “Bridesmaids”) into the mix, showing both women’s rights and women’s wrongs.

Of course, everything else goes as one would expect: Raph (Brady Noon, “Good Boys”) has anger issues that he “works on,” Donnie has every nerd stereotype known to man associated with him and Mikey is the chillest turtle mutant one could ever meet.

Even so, the new energy that the cast brings into this TMNT iteration was electrifying, leading this movie to possibly have one of the best TMNT casts yet.

Especially due to Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”) and Seth Rogen allowing the main four to record together and improvise, leading to major script changes that allowed for much better chemistry between the characters. This, along with the wonderful East Coast hiphop soundtrack, provide a fun and exhilarating experience throughout the movie.

Even with all of these amazing factors, there have been a few common complaints. For example, some have commented on the cringe that follows when writing teenage slang into a movie. It’s not great to hear the words “rizz” and “sus” used outside the context of one’s friends, but the realistic depiction of how one would expect a teenager around 16 years

old to act is something that brings a sense of naivety and lovability to the characters (again, if it’s something a teenager wouldn’t say, then the literal teenagers improvising those lines probably would not have said it). It shows just how much everything they do is with the intention of living their lives to the fullest, trying to bring change however they can conceive it.

Another one of the most significant new additions is the origin story for Splinter and the other mutants, along with how their stories are mirrored as they come together. Splinter and Superfly are explicitly shown to be foils of one another, with both of them caring for nothing but what the ooze gave them when they were mutated. Both had a family, a people to call their own when humanity refused to accept them. But while Superfly sought revenge, Splinter sought safety — he felt less of a need to hurt others in a world that wanted to hurt everything he cared for, deciding to do everything to protect himself instead. The opposing ideals of fight and flight, hurting or being hurt, seemed to be the only two options in such a blackand-white world. However, the Turtles show that there’s a third option of knowing the risks of the human world but choosing to attempt to live their lives as normal teenagers anyways.

“Mutant Mayhem” is an incredibly fun movie with amazing comic-book-like visuals to match. I rarely truly have fun watching a movie, and yet I was actively shaking my friends and laughing my head off as I watched this movie for the first time. They redefine the teenage experience to be something to enjoy and look out for, something to appreciate and strive for, and it was more than refreshing to see. There should be more fun movies back in the theater, and I’m even more excited for the post-credits scene promising another genius movie following this iteration of our four favorite turtles.

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Wednesday, September 6, 2023 — 7

This Fall, Explore Of The Arts To ShaThe Power pe Society

50+ public events & performances featuring local & global artists, including: Crowd on

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Library, University

of Michigan

Community Sing: Songs of Resistance & Hope

SEPT 14 I Diag I 5:30-7pm (Reception to follow)

Dark Noise Collective: poetry performance

SEPT 16 I Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre I 7-9 pm

Feel Good Friday: Umma’s fall opening Sept 22 I UMMA I 7-10pm

WET: A DACAmented Journey

SEPT 23 I Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre I 7-9 pm

Amal Walks Across America Sept 23 I Diag, Downtown Ann Arbor

visiting artists Penny Stamps Speaker Series michigan theater I 5:30pm

Sept 14

Nadya Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot)

Sept 21

Sonya Clark

Sept 28

Oct 26

Carolina Caycedo, Cannupa David Rosas & Hanska Luger Juan Macias

Nov 30

Theaster Gates

of Art, the m u e s u M -M and the Arts. ored by the U s e n c o n p ie s c is S , e c re n u a t Arts & Resist ege of Litera ll o C e h t d n a iative, U-M Arts Init

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Opinion

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 — 8

The importance of being bored Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

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Why the University needs Henderson House TAYLOR BOWIE Op-Ed Contributor

H

enderson House is probably best known for its strategically placed bus stop: A slight turn onto Hill Street, off of Olivia Avenue, bridges Oxford Houses (and us) to Central Campus.

As the only all-female Universityowned housing cooperative, Henderson House is seldom a public or popular place to live, allowing us a closed-door, prudish reputation, furthered by a fabulous but closeminded 2012 article published by The Michigan Daily.

Three summers ago, when I was anxiously deciding if I would regret living in this unique house, the decade-old article was the only student testimony I could find online. My lease at Henderson House ends this month, so let me add another voice to the small mix for future residents to consider.

First, know that, unlike all other self-governing co-ops, residents of Henderson House should expect a certain U-M influence over the house. This isn’t always a bad thing; in many ways, it offers protection and safety you might be seeking if you’ve decided to live in a Universityrun house. Expect campus security to do “nightly” walk-throughs, for you to start recognizing the U-M facilities experts that are dispatched to the house to deal with our unique (old) heating and plumbing and to file a roommate agreement that’ll feel like a relic from freshman year.

But that doesn’t mean the influence is law; residents are always somewhat at odds with the University. Being small and unlike a typical dorm means there is an inherent misunderstanding of the house’s functions. Policies from the University often descend down to the house without much sense or consideration. Most of my time in one of the house’s leadership positions was spent navigating senseless bureaucracy.

The most difficult moment came at the end of the winter semester, when the University changed the qualifications for those seeking to continue living in the house for the summer, forcing two residents to move out of Ann Arbor.

There is also enormous turnover within MHousing — I’ve seen three hall directors move through the position. This means that just as someone learns the quirks and processes of the house, they’ve found employment elsewhere.

But that’s part of the deal you make here — to play the game of University oversight, of unilateral decisions and bureaucracy — because soon enough, you’d rather keep playing the game than live anywhere else.

Henderson House is also one of the last affordable places to live in Ann Arbor. Many times, it felt like the University was grasping for control of the house, simply to claim there is still some sort of low-cost housing option it can provide. For many of us, it’s one of the few places we can afford locally.

There is little financial benefit for the University to maintain a house like Henderson. Unlike every other University-provided living accommodation, there is no profit to be made off of Henderson House. This could partly explain the department-wide misunderstanding: Why learn more about the University’s smallest housing option when so many other living communities require equally nuanced and expensive attention? This doesn’t mean that the University is funding the house due to kindness. Rather, pressure put upon the school from past and current residents allows the house to continue. This means that the only real affordable living place the University provides is built on advocacy, providing a niche 28 women need every year.

Maybe future residents are worried about our rules (don’t let boys use the upstairs bathroom, use the red rags for the toilets, stay off the roof), but if you choose to live in this all-female household, expect rules to be bent and changed to best suit the residents. The best way to bypass University oversight is to create systems that can contain and solve issues within the house, ensuring a better living environment for everyone.

“Everyone” — that’s the most important thing I need to tell you.

Maybe you’ve heard Henderson is “close-knit,” a classic throw-away

AUDRA WOEHLE

line someone on the MHousing website may have added on assumption, but they did get it right.

Over the last two years, my housemates have seen me through irrevocable heartbreak and anger.

They’ve supported me, allowed me to yell, fed me and left me alone when I really needed it. They’ve taught me how to be tricky, made me smarter and more confident. I owe them more than I can describe, including the tangential square of friends I depend on.

“Community” and “sisterhood” are loaded words, and I can’t guarantee that someone else would also find those things here, but you tend to feel a certain likeness with someone after you’ve cooked dinner for 30 together or argued with a MHousing employee at our infamous kitchen table. You feel this way when you have a passing thought on a Friday night (maybe I’ll go to the bar), and then suddenly it’s two in the morning, and you’ve been wrapped up in a crossed, stumbling parade of housemates walking home saying, “I’m so glad we’ve met, can you believe I almost didn’t live here?” It’s wonderful and girly and cliche, and maybe it isn’t for everyone, but it was for me.

A week before I moved out, I got an email from the University reminding me of their policies barring me from damaging my own room. The little square one on the second floor, the one with a closet door and roof access, the thin walls.

The one that was mine really only for a second, because first it was Cindy’s, and soon, it’ll be Jennalyn’s.

If you choose to live at Henderson, know that alumni will come back. They’ll walk through the halls, they’ll tell you the history better than I can, how things have changed and stayed stagnant at the same time: the typewriters on the ping-pong tables, the weddings, the pranks they pulled on the sorority across the street. They’ll glance into the bathroom, look at the tile and get swallowed into a memory.

“It was nice being all girls together,” Pat says, her first time back in the house in 20 years. And you see it on her face, the girlhood.

And she sees it on your face too, something to protect.

A

s a kid, I hated being bored. Before there were piles upon piles of homework, there was a lot of time to do nothing and everything at the same time. I played with toys or went outside, read books or watched TV — anything to keep my little mind occupied.

I even resented bedtime, in part because the feeling of lying there and waiting for sleep to come, felt so tedious.

Then, when I was in the fourth grade, I got my first phone. My parents originally planned on getting me one a few years down the line, but they figured I was responsible enough at 10 years old to have a smartphone. It was a tool — a way that I could contact them from school or clubs without having to go to the front office.

But phones, tablets, laptops and the like have always been more than just tools.

Sure, they have calculators capable of solving just about any formula, endless libraries of information and creative works, and cameras that capture and store any lived moment on command, but they’ve always been intended for more than that.

Technolog y is a social tool, something that can connect people — strangers, even — across the globe in seconds.

The accessibility of the internet serves to not only virtually connect people but also to foster a sense of connectedness when real-life interactions feel lacking. This probably sounds familiar: You’re at a party (or some other social gathering), but you don’t really know anyone, so you resort to pulling out your phone. You scroll through social media or play some mobile game, hoping to look busy instead of alone, and your phone becomes your

friend, your security blanket.

I’m guilty of it, and I’m guessing you are too.

Technolog y’s viability as both a social tool and a security blanket became even more apparent during COVID19 pandemic. While we were all stuck at home, our phones kept us connected to our family and friends, as well as to work and school. But when boredom reached its peak, technolog y was often the sole source of entertainment. We doomscrolled through social media, watched hours of TikTok and endlessly binged TV shows.

Phone addiction was already a cause for concern prior to the pandemic, but the lockdowns made clear just how far our dependency goes. My screen time, like many, went up dramatically as I balanced virtual schooling, FaceTiming my best friend and watching “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” on repeat. In only a short amount of time, isolation and constant connection cemented themselves as simultaneous facets of contemporary life.

Now, when we’re awkward or lonely or bored, our phones are the simple solution. But at the same time, when boredom becomes increasingly solvable, it thus becomes increasingly uncomfortable.

In many ways, I’m aware that this sounds like something someone much, much older may say, and it’s truly not my intention to downplay the positives of technolog y and social media.

As it stands, I frequently write about it, and more generally I appreciate how it has the capability to inform and facilitate communities.

Rather, I believe much of Gen Z is aware of the issue of phone addiction and would like to take steps to minimize it, no matter how small.

Smartphones, social media and the like are, in the grand scheme of history, very new.

These developments were and

continue to be exciting, but as technological progress is made, we must also remember how we set boundaries around our own technolog y use. One such way is by recognizing what might be constructive boredom; rather than scrolling TikTok in hopes of dulling that feeling of letharg y, we can use that quiet time for ref lection.

We’re constantly being stimulated by phones. Every moment of the day we’re inundated with notifications and posts and news.

Sometimes, getting away from all that means finding greater connection in the real world. The next time you feel the urge to doomscroll, read a book and learn something new, or write something of your own. Go out and meet new people. Go for a walk, hike or run. Meditate, or even try staring at a wall or the ceiling.

Now, I know I’m certainly not perfect when it comes to my relationship with my phone.

I’m old enough to remember a time before the widespread use of smartphones, but I’m also young enough to have essentially grown up with my own phone. I think it’s fantastic to live in a time where technolog y improves with accelerating speed, but there comes a certain point where our personal tech is less a tool we use and is instead something using us.

It’s about time we start getting comfortable with being bored.

Although that may sometimes mean disconnecting from social media and going out on your own, there’s something to be learned in spending time with only your thoughts. Quiet time allows for ref lective and mindful growth, and thus creates present, creative and communicative people — so allow a moment for yourself to stop, then stare at the nearest wall, take a deep breath and start being bored.

Design by Sara Fang

We’re looking at affirmative action all wrong TALIA BELOWICH Opinion Columnist

F

irst introduced in 1961 through President John F. Kennedy’s Executive Order 10925, affirmative action was established to create equal employment and educational opportunities for American minorities.

However, two decades later, in the 1978 court case Regents vs. Bakke, Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell changed the meaning behind affirmative action.

The policy that was once used to ensure equal opportunity soon became a policy used to promote diversity in education.

This altered definition promotes the idea that academic diversity — and affirmative action as a whole — exists because of affirmative action’s added benefits for white students.

For the past 45 years, countless elite institutions have implemented affirmative action policies with the aim of

preparing privileged students to live in a racially diverse society and dismantle their internal biases. The University of Michigan Law School argued for this definition of affirmative action as recently as 2003, in the Grutter v.

Bollinger court case. In the case, there was no focus on how affirmative action could benefit minority students.

Rather, the University posed affirmative action as a benefit to white students who have not previously been exposed to diversity. This concept, known as “the diversity bargain,” propels white students at elite institutions such as the University of Michigan to accept affirmative action and an arguably lower chance of admissions, not for the benefit of minority students, but for a more academically diverse environment that they will directly benefit from.

While affirmative action still benefits minority students, under this modern definition, the policy is difficult to defend.

In the June 29 Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard University court case, Harvard failed to prove that affirmative action was a successful measure for promoting educational diversity, which could not be replicated by other inclusivity methods.

It was nearly impossible to prove that the institution had reached the appropriate level of educational diversity needed to be considered racially diverse. Even with evidence of student population statistics, there is no division that constitutes a standard for diversity.

Instead of adopting affirmative action for its shaky, chauvinistic advantages towards white students, elite institutions should implement affirmative action specifically for its benefits towards racial minorities. Only then will the policy be well-protected under our legal system and earn the title of being well-intentioned.

Affirmative action should exist on the basis

of providing fair and equal opportunities for minority groups.

Racial minorities face disproportionate socioeconomic barriers that prevent them from accessing equal educational resources that would benefit them in the college admissions process and beyond. Such resources include positions at private grade schools, with Black students accounting for only 6% of the enrollment at such institutions. It has also been consistently proven that wealthier students get higher SAT scores due to increased access to private tutoring and additional test-preparation resources.

Black students face systemic inequality and barriers that date back to the roots of slavery.

With policies such as legacy admissions, which benefit the uber-rich, coupled with the systemic disadvantages that plague much of America’s Black population, it is only fair that some system is in place to help applicants with

socioeconomic disadvantages, at the very least.

It is imperative that we distinguish between providing assistance based on race and providing assistance based on socioeconomic disadvantage.

The former could be justified through the need for reparations to counter ongoing systemic racism, which affects Black applicants. The latter is not directly affiliated with race, yet will primarily minority benefit applicants.

Either policy would be better than the existing one, which benefits white people under the illusion of progression.

A recent podcast episode by the New York Times profiled three Black Americans who discussed their feelings regarding affirmative action policies. Each scholar highlighted their mixed feelings about being accepted, in part, due to the color of their skin. Regardless, there exists a paradoxical system to benefit rich students in the same way.

Legacy admissions give the

rich an advantage in the college admissions process, despite prior foundational advantages including access to private tutoring, college counselors and private school education.

As long as legacy admissions continue to exist, there must be some system to provide an advantage to those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The 2023 Supreme Court cases — Students for Fair Admissions v.

Harvard University and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina — that overturned the precedent of affirmative action bring to light the complexities and nuances of college admissions. Such instances of elite institutions declaring themselves race blind, yet continuing to give advantages to legacy students, demonstrates severe hypocrisy in the favor of the privileged.

We must dismantle the unjust aspects of college admissions, and this starts with reimplementing affirmative action.

Opinion

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Governor Whitmer, please run for president JACK BRADY

Opinion Senior Editor

T

he 2024 presidential race is looking less like a function of democracy than it is a Greek tragedy.

Complete with huge egos and fatal flaws, you know from the beginning that it ends poorly for everyone. Former President Donald Trump, facing multiple indictments, still dominates the Republican field, outpolling other candidates by upwards of 30 percentage points. Maybe Biden could beat him; he’s done it once before, and a majority of Americans say they wouldn’t support a third Trump candidacy.

But Biden’s real rival is time.

Fans of Disney’s “Hercules” can imagine the underworld Fates raising the scissors to his thread. A rematch between the two would challenge Americans’ faith in the electoral system, but it’s not inevitable.

I’ve written in the past about the need for a third major party, and the potential for Michigan to lead the way. I’m still counting on an exciting No Labels ticket, but until then, Michigan has another way to rescue American politics. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should run for president. She’s a strong, moderate voice capable of defeating both Biden and Trump.

Polarization in Washington has deafened politicians to the needs of ordinary Americans; in a swing-state like Michigan, listening to both sides is the only way to survive.

And Whitmer is good at it.

She hasn’t used the Democratic trifecta in Lansing to push through a radical agenda; instead, she’s passed bipartisan

legislation to reduce the price of prescription drugs and expand clean energy production.

Whitmer has the perfect message for 2024: Polarization is tearing this country apart.

We need someone to unite us. I crossed the partisan divide in Michigan, and I’ll do it again in Washington. People, especially Millennials and Gen Z-ers, would love it — more than half of them identify as politically independent.

And with Whitmer’s popular positions on abortion, climate change and gun control, all highly important issues to younger voters, they would show up big to support her.

Whitmer isn’t especially charismatic, at least compared to a JFK or Reagan, but she’s clear and coherent. She can articulate a point without fumbling over her words or spewing selfaggrandizing hyperbole. And unlike the alternatives, she can successfully climb stairs and stay on script during a speech.

Whitmer’s would be a campaign of ideas. That’s what America needs right now — not another impeachment or indictment.

Should Whitmer make it to the general election, her achilles heel will be her COVID-19 response. When the pandemic came, she failed. Michigan’s lockdowns were far stricter and longer than most other states’, and Whitmer faced some of the stiffest resistance in the country.

Conservative Michiganders never bought into her policies, and they fought back hard, many of them taking their grievances (and guns) to the Capitol Building.

But, to Whitmer’s credit, when she finally did open the

state and cases started to spike, she understood her voters and refused to lock down again.

She’ll take a few jabs about it on the debate stage, but political memories are short, and most people have moved on. The lasting damage from the pandemic will be harder to forget. Parents are angry that their children aren’t learning as well in school, and many small-business owners before quarantine are now just former small-business owners.

Whitmer has managed the fallout well. Michigan’s K-12 test scores dropped after Covid, as they did everywhere, but the state still managed to boost its national ranking in math. On the issue voters care most about, their wallets, Whitmer directly contradicts the Republican narrative that Democrats are bad for the economy. Michigan’s GDP growth significantly exceeded the national average in 2021, with a surprise bright spot in Detroit. State unemployment is down to 2.9%, and the job market has recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Whatever credibility Whitmer lost during lockdowns, she’s earned back.

The Governor has the track record and the energy to beat Biden in the primaries, but she must enter the race soon. The Democratic Party desperately wants a new nominee — someone they can proudly stand behind, rather than begrudgingly vote for because they don’t want Trump.

But shaking up the race in the final hour would make her very few friends. If Whitmer enters now, she’ll have her critics, but most of the nation will applaud her courage — and thank God we’ve been spared from a repeat of 2020.

sudden shifts and altered habits.

Traffic is already a regular problem that chokes entire cities and miles of freeways every day.

So what happens when a 10-lane thoroughfare is also frequently inundated by flash floods? The inflexibility of our infrastructure will undoubtedly catch up with us, whether we choose to adapt or not. To be clear, building another elevated 12-lane freeway for millions of dollars doesn’t count as adaptation. The highlyindividualized, automobilecentric transportation system of the United States will almost certainly only increase in danger for drivers and time spent in traffic as detours circumvent unexpected road closures.

Two critical and deeplyconnected apparatuses of our society that will be impacted are healthcare and the supply chain. Spotty transportation and oft-flooded workplaces means more expensive medical goods, higher wait times for patients and overworked healthcare professionals. Lowand middle-income patients in the U.S. are, of course, at a particular disadvantage without guaranteed medical insurance.

And with a predisposition to the physical danger presented by water, weather and heat, more — especially poorer — individuals will likely need lifesaving treatment that simply cannot be adequately administered.

In all likelihood, we will all have to change our mindset about the terrain we inhabit. The static and solid maps of our cities, countries and world will shift to a more dynamic and unpredictable heuristic. In other words, more people will have to use problemsolving to get from point “A” to point “B” along with — or instead

of — relying on a navigation app and the nation’s grid of roadways.

This might be rather alarming, considering that more than 150 million people rely on apps like Google Maps, many of whom on a daily basis use these applications.

Research points to the detriments of over-reliance on GPS, such as reduced spatial cognition, so perhaps being forced to practice our navigational skills will have broader benefits. The fact of the matter remains, however, that people will simply have to change their habits and ways of thinking more often.

The gradual change in mindset might further alter how we think about timeliness. Living in an industrialized country, you probably run on, or at least try to follow, “clock time.” This perception of time involves engaging in certain activities, like social gatherings, class and work, at certain times. Arriving on time or ahead of time is generally seen as respectful and responsible, with exceptions, of course.

The counterpoint to clock time, or perhaps the other side of the continuum, is “event time.”

For example, people from several South and Latin American countries tend to participate in events more fluidly, adapting to social and physical situations as they arise. In the context of event time, if you have plans to meet with someone, you might arrive within a window of time, maybe over an hour or two, rather than at a specific minute on the clock.

This type of planning was also more common before managers began to expect perfect attendance to maximize profits during the industrial revolution.

Climate change of mind

NICK RUBECK

Opinion Columnist

H

ave you ever canceled your plans due to a flood? Or called into work because fallen trees blocked the road? Even if you haven’t, these scenarios might start to become more common — and we’ll all have to deal with it.

Since the dawn of climate science and its media coverage, stories about overflowing deltas and sinking cities have been more or less run of the mill.

Satellite observations show an average yearly sea level rise of 0.13 inches — a rate which is only accelerating. Moreover, coastal cities like New York are subsiding under their own weight thanks to loose soil and glacier loss.

And with shrinking shorelines, floods and adverse weather come intense threats to human life and activity.

As New York Times columnist David Wallace-Wells writes, we’ve been desensitized to the thousands of deaths, migrations and catastrophes caused by accelerated warming and severe weather events, including those happening less than 100 miles away. Even without denying the causes or effects of climate change, it seems that most people (myself certainly included) have a knack for climate compartmentalization.

My relationship with this climate habituation reached a tipping point last year when in Pakistan, one-third of the entire nation’s landmass was submerged by its flooded rivers, killing more than 1,600 people.

The piece by Wallace-Wells and the drowning of Pakistan have prompted me to think about how we all imagine the world we inhabit and how our imaginations about it will change. The Earth is approaching a point where, in many places, a recently-updated map might not be reliable due to ever more unpredictable changes in the landscape from flooding and high-wind events. For the first time, many relatively wealthy people from richer countries like the United States will have to grapple with the fact that the natural world around them is subject to change, whether they like it or not.

Many of the systems that the average person in the U.S. could once rely on will strain under

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Design by Aubrey Borschke

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 — 9

RFK Jr. challenges our expectations for a Democratic presidential candidate

Design by Kelly Park

MAXIMILIAN SCHENKE Opinion Columnist

H

is platform champions left-wing causes like the right to an abortion, fighting climate change and bringing the troops home. Simultaneously, he’s a candidate who repeatedly heralds and doubles down on conspiracy theories which are at best shakily based in fact.

Political heir of his infamously assassinated father and uncle, Robert Franklin Kennedy Jr. is by no means your typical Democratic candidate.

Kennedy has bet big on his success. Launching his bid for the presidency in April, the environmental lawyer has gained considerable traction for all of the wrong reasons.

His polling performance has been most successful among Republican voters, and as his campaign has progressed, his approval ratings have continuously soured among Democratic voters. Thirty nine percent of his large donations came from previously purely Republican donors, while a modest 23% came from Democrats. Of these numbers, 65% had never donated to Democratic candidates. These numbers are fairly astonishing, considering he intends to run against President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary.

While his left-leaning views are at the core of his campaign, his often outrageous conspiratorial utterances and past suspension from social media have garnered much more attention from a postTrump conservative base, who admire his MAGA-adjacent views and his conf lict with mainstream and social media.

A major difference between Trump and Kennedy remains in the way that Trump interacts with the media and his supporters. While surrounded by legal battles, Trump has continued his adversarial crusade against his political and ideological opponents. His CNN town hall was a roaring success for the world of MAGA, in which he shamelessly doubled down on his 2020 election fraud claims and danced around his legal woes, all to roaring support from the mostly conservative audience. Just as in 2016, his offense-based antics have kept him at the forefront of the national conversation and backed his spot at the top of the Republican primary.

Unlike Trump, Kennedy goes about his rhetoric in a far less adversarial manner.

The volume and clarity of his speech are hindered by a neurological condition he developed after an accident in his 40s, known as spasmodic dysphonia. While this may not be the reason for his more tapered approach to spreading his views, it has not held him

back from appearing on a wide variety of media channels to spread his message. In many of these interviews, he simply speaks about healing the divide between left and right, his family background and his campaign platform.

It is in these interviews where he deploys his beliefs regarding his uncle’s assassination, vaccines and assorted untruths which have overtaken the image of his campaign. In turn, these appearances have led those faithful to the Democratic party to relinquish their initial support of the heir to the Kennedy political lineage.

While his name and family history are presently his premier assets to lure Democratic voters to his side, it is precisely this family which wants absolutely nothing to do with his run for president. Since the start of his crusade against established truths about vaccines and his continued “drinking of the Kool-Aid,” numerous members of the Kennedy camp have emphatically denounced the many libelous statements their family’s black sheep has recently delivered during his run for president.

Kennedy’s disruption of the Democratic political landscape in some ways echoes Senator Bernie Sanders’, I-VT, failed run for the party’s nomination in 2016. Sanders was a proud, self-proclaimed democratic-socialist who garnered massive support across the country and established himself as the greatest challenger to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the eventual 2016 Democratic nominee for president. Despite his decades-long track record as a career independent politician and his emphatic support of the young, working class and underrepresented, his campaign faltered at the final stage when he failed to secure enough key states for the Democratic nomination.

His branding as a socialist — albeit a democratic one — coupled with the nation’s long antagonistic history with the political ideolog y became his undoing against the much more mainstream liberal in Hillary Clinton, with whom he had a very close race until the final stages. Despite this, his views, previously perceived as far too extreme for Washington D.C., became viable, appealing to policy shapers due to his success on the campaign trail. Although he himself was unable to put his policies into action, he paved the way for young progressives to gain traction in U.S. Congress, which has helped elevate progressive policies such as Medicare for All into the national conversation.

While Kennedy’s conspiratorial views are by

no means fit for conversion into policy, his abrupt and captivating arrival on the mainstream political landscape is absolutely a reason to reassess the potential of anti-establishment Democratic candidates such as Kennedy and Sanders, who was also originally considered a long-shot candidate when compared to the well-established Clinton.

Donald Trump, the man who clinched the presidency from Clinton in 2016, was also long considered a long shot, even among Republicans, and for months after the election, pollsters were still scratching their heads as to how he had achieved victory. Even seven years later, America is increasingly fed up with the established political elite.

In the coming presidential elections, candidates hailing from outside the traditional presidential candidacy pipeline will likely find increasing levels of support.

While Kennedy’s bid for the Democratic nomination has been thoroughly derailed by his bigoted self-sabotage, it has brought previously right-wing ideas into the left-wing political hemisphere. It remains to be seen how such ideas may mature in future Democratic presidential candidates, yet, in the current moment, such vehemently delivered untruths have rightfully made a longshot candidate into an almost irrelevant one. In this same moment in the nation’s history, political polarization has reached unprecedented levels and shoved an increasingly deep wedge between the American public and Congress, with events such as the Jan. 6 insurrection emphasizing the need to heal the divide. Much like how Sanders’ campaign sent ripple effects throughout Gen Z and ushered in a new relevance for progressive politics, Kennedy’s injection of right-wing ideas, coupled with a platform that hopes to “bring Americans together,” may be the spark within the Democratic party which motivates its members to find more common ground between two alternate political sides.

Vaccine skepticism coupled with a liberal ideology, energetic environmental activism, a prominent family and a healthy dose of antiestablishment peddling have summed up a rather unlikely yet ultimately deeply f lawed cocktail for a Democratic presidential candidate.

Where Kennedy will go from here remains to be seen; yet, considering his rapid descent in favorability among his constituents, it is unlikely he will go much further.

Nevertheless, the message of his truly unique campaign still has the potential to inspire positive change in our society and within the Democratic party.

10 — Wednesday, September 6, 2023 FOOTBALL

CONNOR EAREGOOD

Managing Sports Editor

Before the Michigan football team played East Carolina Saturday afternoon, players donned T-shirts spoofing a Jim Harbaugh No. 4 jersey. “Head ball coach,” they called him, referencing his role as foundation of the Wolverines program. Junior quarterback JJ McCarthy even added white tape with big block letters that made the statement loud and clear: Free Harbaugh.

Harbaugh, of course, couldn’t be there because of a three-game suspension levied by Michigan Athletics for recruiting violations.

Alongside offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore — himself suspended for one game by the NCAA — Harbaugh could only watch his team mimic mourning.

But what exactly should he be freed from? The overall NCAA investigation that has clouded his program since January? A threegame suspension made up by his own athletic department?

It doesn’t really matter, because all these gimmicks are meant to do is paint Harbaugh as a saint, and the NCAA as the devil. They ignore the essential fact that Harbaugh allegedly violated NCAA recruiting regulations — including contacting recruits during a COVID-19 dead period.

They also ignore that Harbaugh

Sports SportsTuesday: Jim Harbaugh isn’t a martyr

allegedly lied to investigators about those violations. Harbaugh tried to gain an edge on other programs, and he got caught.

Harbaugh isn’t a martyr.

Don’t paint me as an NCAA fanboy just yet — I’m certainly not biased toward an institution that profits off of arbitrary rules levied against student athletes. I’m not arguing for a system that exploits those athletes for ever-increasing revenues. In fact, I think the NCAA is the maker of its own mess on so many issues.

But rules are rules, and member institutions have to follow them — or accept the consequences of disobedience. That’s what every school agrees to when it plays under the NCAA banner, or competes for its elusive national championships that bring prestige and paychecks.

Like it or not, Harbaugh broke those rules, and the NCAA is still trying to conduct subsequent discipline — a verdict it delayed to 2024. But Michigan jumped the gun to get ahead of the allegations, thus putting Harbaugh in this situation itself.

Sure, the consistent gaffeing by the NCAA makes it out to be a fool. The NCAA dragged out the investigation process until nearly the beginning of the 2023 season, exploring a four-game suspension as part of a negotiated resolution with Michigan Athletics. Then it relented, opting to re-explore the matter in 2024. No delay for

Michigan, though, as it stepped in to issue its own decree: “While the ongoing NCAA matter continues through the NCAA process, today’s announcement is our way of addressing mistakes that our department has agreed to in an attempt to further that process,” Wolverines athletics director Warde Manuel said when he announced Harbaugh’s suspension Aug. 21.

In layman’s terms, Manuel meant, “We messed up, and we’re trying to get the NCAA off our back.” And that only further illustrates the silliness of the “Free Harbaugh” demonstration.

Players are protesting their own

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FIELD HOCKEY

No. 4 Michigan outlasts No. 18 Old Dominion in overtime win LUCY DEL DEO

Daily Sports Writer

Sixty minutes of regulation and three minutes of overtime had passed in the Michigan field hockey team’s defensive battle against Old Dominion before junior forward Alana Richardson scored the first and last goal off a well-placed pass from freshman midfielder Natalie Millman.

Richardson’s game-winning goal broke the 63-minute scoreless stalemate as the fourthranked Wolverines (2-2 overall) defeated the eighteenth-ranked Monarchs (1-2) in overtime, 1-0.

The game began slowly, neither team controlling the ball for long as both teams appeared to be stuck offensively, often losing the ball at the top of the circle. Both defenses were active and aggressive, intercepting passes and committing a few minor fouls.

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At the half, Old Dominion had attempted three shots in the first half to Michigan’s four, including penalty strokes for both teams.

The Monarch’s goalkeeper, Suus Broers swallowed up every shot that the Wolverines were able to get on target, leaving the teams in a 0-0 standoff.

“Old Dominion is a very good team,” Richardson said. “We knew that they were very agile, very athletic, (they) have a lot of stick skills.”

These stick skills had Michigan floundering as Old Dominion intercepted many of the Wolverines’ pass attempts, deftly stopping fast break opportunities and sending the ball ricocheting down field before Michigan could set up its offense.

“The forward line … had a really hard time getting in front of the ball and feeding people the ball,” Richardson said. “We tried to make in-game adjustments,

school, for god’s sake.

At its root, the suspension aims to appease the NCAA, or at least give Harbaugh an out the next time it considers suspending him. To be frank, there’s minimal punishment in a school-issued suspension for three of the easiest games on his schedule and not a single Big Ten bout. There’s also no guarantee that works — the NCAA could tack on more games in the future.

But to players, fans and other supporters, Harbaugh is revered for his willingness to stand up to the big, bad NCAA. That’s all reinforced by the posturing of Harbaugh’s supporters.

When Harbaugh started his

and I think it worked a little bit.”

In the second half, sloppy defensive play from Old Dominion led to penalty strokes for the Wolverines, and they were able to create multiple openings, improving to eight shot attempts in the second half. Nevertheless, “a little bit” wasn’t enough, as they still couldn’t capitalize on any of the opportunities.

Michigan’s strong defense bolstered its sub-par offensive performance by stealing balls from the Monarchs before they could attempt a shot, controlling possession and keeping the ball on Old Dominion’s defensive end.

Late in the fourth quarter, senior midfielder Erin Reilly nearly broke the stalemate, carrying the ball downfield into the circle on a fast break. However, the Monarch’s defense converged on her and she tripped, squandering the final effort of regulation play. It was one more offensive misstep for the Wolverines in what should have been a routine win.

“We had so many circle penetrations,” Richardson said.

“We had so many opportunities, capitalizing on them will come as we get deeper into the season.”

As the buzzer sounded to end the fourth quarter, the teams were still tied 0-0. Transitioning away from the typical regulation 11-on-11 gameplay, both teams instead sent their best seven players out onto the field, opening up more routes to the goal.

Old Dominion came out of the break hot, slamming passes downfield, but within the first minute the Wolverines regained possession. A fast break towards the Monarch goal, led by Millman and fellow freshman line-mate Kelsey Reviello, resulted in Richardson’s goal, her third of the season, and the end of the line for Old Dominion. Reviello stole the ball from a Monarchs forward in the backfield, sending it flying over to Millman.

As Millman crept closer to the goal, she drew the Old Dominion defenders to her, opening up the passing lane to Richardson who sunk the goal.

It was Michigan’s first ranked win of the season, an important milestone following its losses to No. 1 North Carolina and No. 12 Wake Forest.

Although an overtime win is not ideal in the context of the rankings between the Wolverines and the Monarchs, Michigan took the opportunity to even up its record and looks to improve its offensive prowess.

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post-suspension press conference by lambasting the NCAA’s lack of student athlete compensation (which, by the way, he’s absolutely right about), he completely dominated the narrative. When he made the unheard of decision to split interim coaching duties between four coaches and named his dad as an assistant coach, Harbaugh made the NCAA look even more incompetent And on Saturday, when players wore Harbaugh shirts, or lined up on the field flashing four fingers in a reference to his old jersey number, they tried to trick the public into thinking their coach is a helpless victim. They portrayed him as someone unfairly punished by the NCAA — forget that his own AD laid down the suspension.

More than players are getting involved. Fans and even some members of the media have continuously alluded to the infamous “cheeseburger,” an alleged meal at The Brown Jug that Harbaugh might’ve bought for a recruit.

Armed with the cheeseburger story in hand, Harbaugh supporters’ martyr-making has gotten so bad that NCAA executives have been forced to debunk it themselves.

“The Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible on and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities — not a cheeseburger,” NCAA vice

president of hearing operations Derrick Crawford told multiple outlets when the original NCAA negotiations broke down.

Essentially, Crawford was so sick and tired of seeing the Harbaugh saga spun into a cheeseburger fable that he included it in the NCAA’s uncharacteristic and rulebreaking statement on an active investigation.

So what did Harbaugh’s supporters do when Crawford spoke out? They complained that Harbaugh is gagged by the NCAA’s suspension process. Thus, they turned the lone moment of clarity from the NCAA into another nail hanging Harbaugh from the cross.

But while Harbaugh and his supporters try to paint him as the unfortunate victim of an NCAA attack job, don’t forget why he’s in this situation: Harbaugh broke rules he should be aware of to give his team a competitive advantage, and the NCAA got wise. That’s why his own AD suspended him.

That doesn’t sound like a victim to me. That sounds like an athletic department trying to save face.

So while it might be funny — even vindicating — to see players wear Harbaugh merch or pay tribute to their coach, let’s be real for a second. It’s corny, overplayed and outright wrong.

Because Jim Harbaugh is no martyr, so don’t paint him as one.

MEN’S SOCCER

Despite continuous chances and second half urgency, Michigan falls 2-1 to Bowling Green ANNA MILLER

Daily Sports Writer

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — On Monday, Michigan travelled to Bowling Green hoping to add a win to its resume against a nonconference opponent.

But despite a strong second half and 26 fouls against Bowling Green that resulted in 26 free kicks for the Wolverines, it was still not enough for Michigan to pull out a win, adding its first loss of the season to its record.

Despite their abundance of free kicks and a dominating possession in the second half, the Wolverines (1-1-2 overall) failed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, and ultimately fell 2-1 to the Falcons (2-1-1).

In the opening minutes of the contest, sloppy first touches and loose passes from Michigan allowed Bowling Green to take advantage and get multiple goal opportunities. The Falcons were first to every ball, and consistently intercepted passes that led to Bowling Green breakaways.

The Wolverines’ defensive breakdowns allowed the Falcons to create persistent opportunities — evidenced by seven shots on goal in the first half — but the ball still wasn’t finding the back of the net. However, with 19

minutes left in the half, Bowling Green midfielder Kyle Cusimano dove for a header that reached the net, putting Michigan in a 1-0 deficit. The Wolverines, now down, suddenly began to play with urgency as the game moved into the second half.

“We didn’t play well in the first half,” Michigan coach Chaka Daley said. “We gave up a free kick and they took full advantage of it.”

Entering the second half, the Michigan team that walked onto the field came in with a new sense of urgency that was nonexistent in the first half.

“We reconnected at halftime,” Daley said. “We came out and were excellent in the first 20-22 minutes.”

Seven minutes into the second half, Wolverine midfielder Duilio Herrara capitalized on a breakaway opportunity that resulted in a one-on-one battle between him and Falcons’ goalkeeper Brendan Graves but Herrera could’t convert. Minutes later, however, a reproduction of this play finally connected for Michigan. Junior forward Michael Leon kicked the ball directly past Graves’ gloves and into the goal, tying the game at one.

But with 23 minutes left in the game, the momentum faded

away. Bowling Green forward Eli Shope capitalized on a breakaway, kicking a sliding shot from the opposite end of the net that landed in the bottom left corner, out of reach of junior goalkeeper Hayden Evans.

“We fell asleep,” Daley said.

“Maybe for the only moment in the second half. And that punished us.”

The Wolverines suddenly became frantic to find the game tying goal, and the Falcons continued to foul. The end of the game showed seven overall yellow cards, and 36 fouls — 26 from Bowling Green. Michigan was granted opportunities time and again.

Yet, as the clock counted down, a second goal never came, and the score remained 2-1.

“We had a lot of the ball in the attacking half (of the field) in the second half,” Daley said.

“But we were chasing shadows a little bit, and we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”

Failure to take advantage of granted opportunities defined the game and have defined several of the Wolverine’s games this year. This time, the opportunities came in the form of ample free kicks, and failure to convert was the culprit in Michigan’s loss.

LILA TURNER/Daily

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Sports

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 — 11

FOOTBALL

‘Free Harbaugh’: Michigan players make a statement about head coach suspension CONNOR EAREGOOD

Managing Sports Editor

When JJ McCarthy walked into Michigan Stadium to play East Carolina on Saturday, something felt off. Not because anything threw a wrench in his pre-game routine or meditation session. It felt off because something — someone — was missing entirely: Jim Harbaugh, the Michigan football team’s head coach.

“It was definitely him, like he has just this presence that it’s all about winning, all about competing, all about pushing through,” the junior quarterback, McCarthy, said. “Just as simple as the pregame speech — I was missing that voice.”

Harbaugh, serving a threegame suspension imposed by Michigan Athletics, couldn’t be there to manage the team — or even give pep talks. For the first time since 2014, the Wolverines’ head coach couldn’t be anywhere near the sidelines. As of Monday, Harbaugh didn’t have a plan to spend his unwanted day off. But after the

game, McCarthy said Harbaugh was watching with offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore at Moore’s residence, himself serving a one-game suspension from the NCAA. So in honor of their coach watching on TV, the Wolverines put on a show.

The entertainment began with what the Michigan players wore to the game. Some of them donned T-shirts spoofing Harbaugh’s trademark No. 4 jersey from his time as the Wolverines’ quarterback. On the front side, an outline of a whistle and a block ‘M’ captioned “head ball coach” referenced Harbaugh’s role as the current foundation of Michigan’s program.

The shirts were impossible to miss. McCarthy wore his own shirt backward and slapped white tape on the front. “Free Harbaugh,” the shirt read, telling anyone who looked at him that he didn’t agree with the suspension — even if it was his own athletic department that levied it in an attempt to appease the NCAA. When asked about the attire, he didn’t pull punches.

“It’s as simple as this: I just want my coach back,” McCarthy said. “Just as simple as that, I just want him back.”

But Harbaugh won’t be back — not until Rutgers comes to town Sept. 23. In the meantime, the Wolverines will have to carry on without him. And that will look

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FOOTBALL

Roman Wilson shines against East Carolina with three touchdowns CHARLIE PAPPALARDO

Daily Sports Editor

Early in the first quarter of the Michigan football team’s game against East Carolina, Roman Wilson watched his first pass target bobble through his hands and fall to the turf. But contrary to old adages, Wilson got a second chance to make a first impression — and he didn’t waste it.

After an inauspicious start for a position group that lost by far its biggest star in the offseason, Wilson wasted no time in bouncing back. The very next play, he bounced right, made space , and snagged a 16-yard reception for a first down. And just five plays later, he did the exact same thing in the endzone for the first Wolverines touchdown of the season.

It took Wilson just one play to get going, but afterward throughout the remainder of the contest, he was a lightning rod for the offense. In a monster performance, Wilson led the Wolverines with 78 yards, six receptions and all three of Michigan’s passing touchdowns — the most for a

Wolverines receiver since 2019.

“He was just precise,” acting head coach Jesse Minter said post game. “We talk about precision and execution on offense, and (Wilson) ran really precise routes.”

More than just precision however, Wilson had tremendous success in finding space wherever McCarthy needed him — even if it wasn’t exactly what the play design had called for. On Wilson’s first touchdown reception in the first quarter, McCarthy faced pressure and had to improvise. And following McCarthy’s lead, Wilson too decided to improvise — reviving a deadend route by bouncing off of two defenders and toward open space for a score.

And throughout the contest, Wilson and McCarthy demonstrated a clear chemistry that the Pirates had difficulty interrupting. When McCarthy was given time, Wilson found space, and when McCarthy was forced to scramble, Wilson consistently made himself an option. In the second quarter, in a manner similar to his first score, Wilson took

JEREMY WEINE/Daily

different every game thanks to his zany coaching plan for the games.

Despite the suspension, Harbaugh is still active in game preparations. This week, he coached practices all week and helped prepare defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to take the

advantage of a chaotic, pressure-filled, play and slipped into open space undetected as McCarthy rolled out of the pocket and delivered him the ball.

The Pirates’ defense simply couldn’t keep up with Wilson’s speed, and again and again he burned them by forcing separation.

“That man right there (Wilson) is one of the most special players in the country,” McCarthy said adamantly post game.

“There’s not many DBs or corners or safeties that could guard him. … He’s gaining separation, he’s making the tough catches, he’s going up and getting it. It’s a tremendous honor to have all my receivers on my team, but especially (Wilson).”

But it was in the third quarter that Wilson put a bow on his performance. Already up 23-0, Michigan loomed on ECU’s 15 yard line and Wilson took off on a route, beat double coverage and reached over his head to grab a ball lofted into a tight pocket.

“I was just doing my job,” Wilson said coolly. “The third touchdown, to be honest I was out there, I was dying — it was hot. I know I’m from Hawaii, but it was hot out there today. I just knew I had an opportunity to come open, and he threw me the ball so every opportunity I get, I’ve got to take advantage of it.”

For his part, after the first play of the game, Wilson did take advantage of almost every opportunity that came his way.

In the process, he established himself as a bona fide WR1.

As Michigan trotted off of the field victorious, the turf may have been hot — but Roman Wilson was on fire.

field as Saturday’s temporary head coach.

In their first game without Harbaugh, the Wolverines took care of business. Minter’s defense began with a stalwart three-and-out stop.

But when the offense took the field, the fingerprints of another coach appeared on the game script. Because while Moore couldn’t be there Saturday either, he had a parting gift for his offense to start off with.

As the offense broke the huddle, all 11 players stood in a line — referencing Harbaugh’s trick play train formation — and flashed four fingers on each hand. In a reference to Harbaugh’s number, they let the whole world know — from the Big House to the Peacock stream — just what they thought of the suspension.

“It really sucked going out there the first game (with) him not being out there,” McCarthy said. “Because he put as much blood sweat and tears into this as much as we have.”

Those efforts paid off on the field. Michigan rollicked its way to a 30-3 victory — a shut-

out only spoiled on a last-second field goal. McCarthy completed 26-for-30 passes with 280 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a performance that the Wolverines created for their coach, taking care of the program when he couldn’t.

“Before the game, I texted coach (Harbaugh),” senior running back Blake Corum said. “I said, ‘Play as hard as you can, as fast as you can and don’t worry.’

And that’s what he tells us before the game. I miss hearing that, it kind of gets me pumped up.

“And then after that, I said ‘We got you coach’ and he said ‘I know you do.’ ” Much more than through words, Michigan backed up its coach all throughout Saturday’s game. Whether it was visible protests like the train formation or perfectly placed touchdown passes from McCarthy, the Wolverines played for the coach that couldn’t be with them.

And as Harbaugh finishes the last two games of his suspension, they’ve got even more time to share that statement with the world.

FOOTBALL

‘Guardian of victory’: Jesse Minter finds success in first career head coach outing JOHN TONDORA

Daily Sports Editor

On the eve of Jesse Minter’s head coaching debut, Jim Harbaugh had one piece of advice for the promoted defensive coordinator: “Be you.”

Tasked with taking the reins for the No. 2 Michigan football team’s opening clash against East Carolina on Saturday, Minter attempted to be the week’s “guardian of victory” for a team with sky-high aspirations. Operating in place of the suspended Harbaugh, Minter guided the Wolverines to a nearlyseamless win — even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“We’re trained for this situation,” Minter said. “The way we operate, the way (Harbaugh) empowers our players, the way he empowers our coaches. He breeds confidence in our team with how he operates.”

While Minter humbly deflected any praise for his coaching success — nearly pitching a shutout in the 30-3 win — he was indeed the head coach for the day. Even as Jim Harbaugh actively participated with the team throughout the week leading up to the game, he was unable to be on site Saturday, leaving Minter as the guy.

As multiple players continued to emphasize postgame that something felt “missing” without Harbaugh on the field, it became evident that Minter’s impact was no mediocre feat. The team was his burden to bear and thus the victory was, at least partially, also his success.

The Wolverines were expected to win — and win big at that — but it still fell on Minter to right the ship whenever necessary. He, however, saw it in a different light.

“I equate it to a first time driver

getting to drive the safest, most durable, reliable car possible,” Minter said. “… My opportunity was to take over a really well oiled machine that Coach Harbaugh has built here over his time.”

To his credit, Minter did not have his hands on everything.

Quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell called plays for the offense, stepping in for Sherrone Moore as he served a one-game suspension of his own. Michigan also has a bounty of returning senior veterans and back-to-back College Football Playoff experiences. Nevertheless, for as easy as Minter made it seem for things to go right for the Wolverines, they could’ve gone wrong just as fast.

Backed up to the two yard line on its first offensive drive, Michigan ran the ball three straight times, nearly avoiding safeties on two of the three rushes. After a difficult punt landed East Carolina on Michigan’s 47 yard line following three-and-out, the Wolverines and Minter found themselves in an inopportune position early.

Minter — who maintained his normal role captaining the defense — didn’t flinch. Holding his composure, Minter refused to get hasty.

Three plays later, after Michigan’s defensive line stifled the Pirates’ run game, a mistimed pass by East Carolina quarterback Mason Garcia ended up in the hands of graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil.

Michigan never looked back.

Eight plays later and the Wolverines flew into the endzone, keeping Minter’s temporary role as head coach under control.

“He took that role just in stride,” junior linebacker

Junior Colson said. “He’s meant for that role, and I wanted that shutout for him, man. First debut as a head coach, let’s go.”

What separates Minter’s experience from many of his coaching counterparts is that the acting head coach has never previously held that position, in any capacity. Beginning his career with Cincinnati as a graduate assistant, Minter’s 18-year career took him nearly everywhere in the football coaching world — but never to the top.

Saturday though, Minter displayed capabilities beyond his skills as a coordinator. Skills which Colson believes will take him further than his current position at Michigan.

“I think he’ll be a phenomenal head coach some day,” Colson said of Minter. “After this year maybe, but I’m happy for him. I love that man to death.”

Minter won’t return to the head coaching position for the Wolverines again soon, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

But in his debut, he made the choices that led to Michigan’s success. For a team missing its ultimate leader in Jim Harbaugh, that’s all that mattered.

Missing a shutout by an East Carolina field goal converted with just five seconds left in the game, Minter made a strong case for why Saturday was his first, but not his last time as a head coach.

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WOMEN’S SOCCER

Patient possession carries Michigan through third straight shutout in 1-0 win over Cincinnati NOA GREEN

Daily Sports Writer

Branching out from the midfield, the Michigan women’s soccer team created a calm environment that was evident as they shifted the field and created calculated opportunities at the net. Despite the struggles with finishing chances, the teams patient possession ultimately led to victory.

The Wolverines (2-1-2 overall) shutout Cincinnati (1-2-1) with a 1-0 win, extending their shutout streak to three games for the first time since 2016. Reflecting Michigan’s lack of accuracy at the net, the final score hardly shows the reality of Michigan’s dominant possession throughout the game.

With Cincinnati utilizing a twostriker attacking formation, the Wolverines implemented a defensive strategy of two holding midfielders to counteract the Bearcats’ forwards.

“We felt like it would be good just to give us a little more mobility to protect the space in front of our back three,” Michigan coach Jennifer Klein said. “Also, with them playing with two attacking it felt like it allowed for us to not have to have too much rotation in the midfield, we could kind of match up evenly which would give us some more stability and easier organization.”

While the opening five minutes of the game were played on Cincinnati’s terms – fast and compact – Michigan’s plan eventually proved effective. The Wolverines maintained around 60% of the possession throughout the game, an improvement from games past.

Michigan executed its game plan, controlling the pace and calmly countering Cincinnati’s attack. It created goal-scoring opportunities off its numerous possessions, waiting patiently for windows of space to attack.

“We talked a lot about spac-

es we could exploit,” Klein explained. “I thought our two wide players, our wingbacks, did really well to manipulate space to open up things to play. I also thought our forward movement

was good as well. Again, to open up spaces to break that final line.”

The Wolverines finally reaped the rewards of their labor in the 34th minute of the game. Junior defender Avery Peters took

KATE HUA/Daily

advantage of the open space created in front of her by the holding midfielders and played a long ball over the heads of Cincinnati’s defensive line. Simultaneously, senior forward Sammi Woods ran onto the ball between the Bearcats’ central defenders, timing her run perfectly to strike after one bounce, to send it soaring past Cincinnati’s goalkeeper into the center of the net.

Michigan held onto its lead for the remainder of the game, making only minor adjustments to the defense. Defensive centerbacks were afforded more space to join the attack and involve the wingbacks as well, creating cleaner possessions and more chances for the strikers up front.

The teams composed demeanor, however, did not translate to second chance opportunities as the Wolverines were flustered and continuously came up short in the half.

The Bearcats’ quick counterattacks proved to be their most

effective strategy against a very solid Michigan defense, which called upon senior goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski to make difficult saves. The Wolverines were able to hold off Cincinnati across the field, but only managed to narrowly outshoot the Bearcats despite their increased time of possession.

“There’s still spaces in which we could be a bit cleaner but we’re growing and getting better every day so you know, that’s all you can ask for,” Klein said. “Listen, 1-0 against a very tough Cincinnati team on a Sunday at one o’clock, I will absolutely take it.”

With conference play only two games away, Michigan hopes to create more chances in the attacking third of the field and continue building off its ability to control the pace and play of the game. Keeping possession of the ball is a step in the right direction but only counts if Michigan can turn it into balls in the back of the net.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY

MICHIGAN 30

EAST CAROLINA 3

Bombs Away

Michigan passing attack sinks Pirates, 30-3, to open 2023 season PAUL NASR

Managing Sports Editor

T

he coin toss that opened the No. 2 Michigan football team’s 2023 season started with a little hiccup.

East Carolina’s captains initially walked toward the south end zone after the Wolverines deferred the ball until the second half.

The referee told the Pirates, “ECU, you’re over here,” and they quickly realized their mistake. They walked across the 50-yard line to swap sides before shaking hands with Michigan’s captains lined up across from them.

Perhaps that gaffe was a simple mistake, but while East Carolina (0-1 overall) eventually figured out what end zone it was defending, it never figured out how to defend it in a 30-3 rout. The Pirates didn’t have

an answer to the Wolverines’ (1-0) passing attack, getting thrashed up and down the field to the tune of three touchdowns and 280 yards — no matter what end zone they were actually supposed to defend over the course of the game.

“To shortchange any win in college football, I think is ridiculous,” defensive coordinator and acting head coach Jesse Minter said postgame. “… Any time you get a chance to play against another team, it’s not about them. You want to play up to the standard that you have for yourself. So our guys really wanted to play well.”

The Wolverines stormed into the Big House as a team boasting plenty of similarities to last season’s College Football Playoff squad, fueling their current nationalchampionship aspirations. But it was the differences from 2022 that defined their 2023 season-opening

win. Who called plays was different as coach Jim Harbaugh served the first game of his three-game suspension, but how they moved down the field was different as well.

The Wolverines’ run-first identity — backed up by being repeat winners of the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s best offensive line — gave way to a passing attack that pillaged the Pirates of their upset hopes.

At least for a game, Michigan was pass-first behind junior quarterback JJ McCarthy’s arm and a relatively clean pocket.

By the time the Wolverines grew their lead to a practically insurmountable 30-0 clip in the third quarter with a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Roman Wilson — his third of the game — Michigan had attempted 26 passes compared to 16 rushes, a whole new dynamic compared to previous game plans. That air-raid tone,

resulting in McCarthy’s 280 passing yards by game’s end, was established after an early failure of the run.

The Wolverines’ first drive started on their own 2-yard line after an East Carolina punt.

Following three rushing attempts and multiple near safeties, it ended on the same 2-yard line with a Michigan punt of its own. From there, the Wolverines began airing it out on ensuing possessions, and they did it with ease.

“I mean, everyone saw what we did last year. We were smashing, pounding the football, doing our thing,” McCarthy said. “And teams are going to prepare for that, especially ECU that just went all offseason trying to stop that. So it was just an opportunity for us, as a passing game, to capitalize.”

East Carolina’s game plan didn’t bother senior running back Blake Corum, even if it came after him

aggressively.

“I expected them to drop a little bit more, especially after (McCarthy) started throwing it over their heads,” Corum said. “… They wanted to stop the run, and I think they would die trying, but overall (our) average per run was still up there. But if teams want to do that — please, we’ll keep throwing it.”

Michigan’s ground game eventually got going, with Corum scoring a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give it a 14-0 lead and contribute to its 122 rushing yards in the game. But the Wolverines consistently relied on McCarthy’s arm when it needed things to happen.

Be it third-and-longs or drives that just needed a spark, McCarthy dotted up the Pirates’ secondary in his three-touchdown showing to keep Michigan ahead of the chains. He spread the wealth to

eight different receivers, found his rhythm early and often and bought extra time in the pocket with his feet to let plays develop downfield.

And he felt good the whole time.

“This one just felt effortless,” McCarthy said, comparing it to becoming a starter last season. “It felt uplifting, every single snap. It just felt like everything was going right, and it was a beautiful feeling.”

In a week one game against an overmatched opponent, Michigan did what was expected. But with a pass-first approach, it did it in some unexpected ways.

That left the Pirates with plenty to figure out. And from the coin toss to the goal line to East Carolina’s own offense being totally overwhelmed, the Pirates couldn’t figure any of it out — ensuring the Wolverines kept their treasure to themselves.

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