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STUDENTS SHOW SUPPORT OU students came together to support MSU students by writing messages on a banner expressing their love and thoughts.This is not the first letter from the editor I’ve written that addresses the epidemic that is gun violence in the United States.
What a damn shame. Our nation is failing us.
Now we are experiencing members of our generation who are graduating from one mass shooting experience to the next.
This does not happen anywhere else in the world.
Like many of you, I have spent the past week checking in on family, friends and loved ones who are part of the Spartan community.
People are grieving and only beginning to process everything that has changed since last Monday evening.
As a student journalist, I’ve also reflected on, listened to and read about the experiences and observations of our student newspaper colleague, The State News.
The Oakland Post commends you — not only for your brave reporting, but also for your compassion. When a journalist is covering a story, they could very well be interviewing someone about one of the worst experiences of their life.
Covering a story is important, but doing so in a mindful and sensitive way is even more so.
Empathy and humanity cannot be forgotten.
Good journalists understand the delicate balance required to gain useful information and respect the privacy boundaries of the subjects they are reporting on. You have done this skillfully.
As your editorial board letter states, a community needs time to heal and the proper support to do so.
Thank you for your commitment to ethical reporting. Spartan Strong.
Oakland University students Emma Garrett and Red Douglas have worked in conjunction with the Oakland University Police Department (OUPD) as well as Student Congress (OUSC) to increase the awareness of Active Shooter protocols. In light of the event which took place at Michigan State (MSU) on Feb. 13, they feel it is imperative the campus community understands these procedures.
“Simply knowing we have safety protocols for active shooter scenarios, and the various ways individuals, departments and the entire campus community can prepare for such events, may help to relieve anxiety,” Douglas said.
The first infographic helps further explain the run, hide and fight tactic that is commonly used during scenarios where there is an active shooter. The Active Shooter page
on OUPD’s website offers more information, as well as a realistic video demonstrating the procedures in a simulated scenario.
A trigger warning is advised for the video, as there are depictions of gun violence and blood.
The second infographic looks at the ways people can try to be prepared for situations like this. It touches on registering for emergency alerts, scanning for exits wherever you go and having conversations with others to best strategize ways to stay safe.
In addition to the infographics, Garrett and Douglas are working on creating and sending out an email to faculty about resources available on campus. In the memo, they stated recent conversations with the OU community showed a lack of knowledge regarding resources and tools available.
The memo discusses strategies at the micro, meso and macro levels, but will likely be revised following the MSU incident. Strategies for each include developing individual plans, department and program-created plans and the university making resources
easily attainable.
OU has multiple resources for those seeking help, whether affected by this directly or indirectly. Of these resources, OU has two counseling centers — the OU Counseling Center (OUCC) housed in Graham Health Center and the School of Education and Human Services (SEHS) Counseling Center located in Pawley Hall.
Currently, the OUCC offers four free sessions followed by a $20 copay for future sessions. The SEHS Counseling Center is free for students and is run by graduate students in the counseling program.
There are many outside resources available, as well, such as Common Ground and Headspace, which are more Michigan-oriented. There is also the nationwide mental health hotline, which can be reached by calling 988.
On Feb. 15, Oakland University Career Services hosted a networking mixer event focusing on inclusivity in the workplace in the Oakland Center Habitat. During the event, representatives from various local businesses spoke to students about company culture, employee resource groups, passion for breaking inclusion barriers, support and accommodations.
Upon arrival, attendees were welcomed to the event by representatives from Career Services, and name tags were provided for students to write down their names and majors. Icebreaker question cards were also made available to aid students while conversing with employers.
Once checked in, students were invited to the downstairs area of the Habitat. Various employers — including representatives from Ally Financial Inc., Corewell Health and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services — mingled about the room, eager to engage with students.
“For this event, we invited representatives from some of Oakland University’s most valued employers to speak to students directly and authentically,” Career Services Director Kelly Dorner said.
Students were encouraged to speak with employers about a variety of topics related to inclusion in the workplace. Industry representatives
spoke about their experiences and workplace culture readily to students.
“We focus on the topic of inclusion for this mixer event because diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are important values at Oakland University and in the workplace,” Ian Caullay, the director of employer relations for the School of Business, said. “It is important to recognize that there are many dimensions to diversity, such as race, gender, ability and working styles.”
The Exploring Inclusion in the Workplace Mixer is not a new event at Oakland University; in fact, the event began in 2019 and has recurred yearly ever since.
“I think the reason our mixer event has returned year after year is that Career Services believes passionately that every student deserves the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about employment in a non-intimidating environment,” Dorner said. “It is crucial that students are able to feel like their personal values align with the company culture before taking a long-term job offer.”
Throughout the duration of the mixer, students were able to gain valuable insight into the ways employers practice inclusivity in the workplace and support a diverse workforce.
“At Career Services, we can provide students with information regarding DEI in different industries,” Dorner said. “However, students are typically more interested in hearing from the employers themselves, which makes this event such an amazing resource.”
For the remainder of the winter semester, Career Services has many events planned.
One such event is Mocktail Networking Night on April 11, in partnership with the OU Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). The mixer will take place in Founders Ballroom A of the Oakland Center from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and allow students to engage in conversation with Metro Detroit-based PR and communication professionals.
To find out more information about Career Services’ upcoming events, students can visit their GrizzOrgs page. Those who are interested in utilizing support services available through Career Services can email a representative at careers@ oakland.edu for assistance.
Oakland University Recreation and Well-Being center presented its annual Love Well Week from Feb. 13-17, hosting events across campus to promote self-love and loving one another.
The week-long event kicked off with a staple of Rec Well’s wellness programs: pet therapy. On
Feb. 13, students were able to stop by the Oakland Center (OC) to spend some time with therapy dogs and start the week with some furry friends.
Pet therapy will continue to run for the rest of the semester, with the next session being on March 7 in the OC from noon to 1:30 p.m. Future pet therapy programs and all other student wellness programs can be found on the Rec Well portal.
A new event took place on Valentine’s Day, called Positive Petals, where the Rec Well’s Wellness teams provided a heartfelt message attached to a flower to students across campus. The idea came from Rec Well’s employee wellness coordinator Caitlyn Hennings, with the idea to bring a smile to people’s faces with a flower.
“The goal of this program was to connect faceto-face with the OU Community — faculty, staff and students — and simply offer a flower with an uplifting message attached to it to as many people as possible,” Cortney Heileman, assistant director of fitness and well-being, said. “We wanted to spread smiles, joy, kindness and truly just let people know that they matter.”
They partnered with Trader Joe’s — who donated 60 bouquets of flowers — and a team of Rec Well wellness student employees, interns and professionals disassembled the flowers and attached positive messages to them. Heileman said those who passed them out likely may have experienced “helper’s high.”
“This is based on the theory that when people give or do something kind for others, our brains produce
endorphins that provide the feelings of happiness,” Heileman said. “So they themselves experienced strong, positive emotions following the selfless act of showing kindness to others. Basically, they felt just as happy as the people receiving the flowers, so it really was a win-win for everyone.”
The program was a success, with an estimated 450 to 500 flowers having been passed out.
Feb. 15 featured the popular Be My Yoga Valentine, where groups of two did a yoga class together. This event was open to romantic or friendly partners. Participants were also greeted with Cupid mocktails and sweets.
The yoga itself was partner-based, where the duo would work off each other to do the positions. The participants would be both back-to-back and face-to-face, led by instructor Amanda Hacker, as they focused on following each other’s heartbeats, breathing patterns and the like.
Christian, an exercise science graduate student, and his plus one, Jenny, agreed it was a nice mix between yoga practice and having time to do something together. It was both of their first time, and both said they would do it again.
“The instructor, Amanda, had a really good pace and flow with everything, and you feel really mindful during it,” Christian said. “It’s a good challenge, but a lot of them are like you’re challenged together — it was cool to work on it together and bond that way.”
(Continue on website)
PHOTO BY KATIE REID PHOTO BY KATIE REIDThe Oakland University Leadership and Volunteer Center (LVC) and Office for Student Involvement (OSI) hosted Kindness Week from Feb. 13-17. The organizations presented a variety of events and activities available for student, staff and faculty members to participate in, with an aim to spread intentional kindness throughout OU’s campus and the local community.
“The LVC and OSI have hosted a Kindness Week at OU for several years,” Daryl Blackburn, the OSI coordinator of leadership and service programs, said. “It is a well-attended event every year, allowing us to spread lots of love throughout the OU community.”
Kindness Week kicked off with a tabling event in the Oakland Center. OSI and LVC representatives invited students to write kind messages on sticky notes for a kindness wall display. Attendees were also encouraged to snap photos at the event to add to the OSI’s kindness campaign.
Punch cards were given to individuals that attended Kindness Week activities, challenging students to attend at least four of the events. Those who completed this challenge were able to earn an entry into a raffle for a chance to win a prize.
Just in time for midterms, therapy dogs visited campus to kick off Kindness Week on Feb. 13. Students were invited to pet the therapy dogs in the
Oakland Center Garage Room from noon to 3 p.m. The goal of this event was to encourage students to practice self-kindness by taking care of themselves physically and emotionally during periods of heightened stress.
“The goals of OU Kindness Week are to practice intentional kindness throughout the community, towards the environment and towards yourself,” Blackburn said.
Students and staff had the chance to show kindness to the local community by participating in a variety of service projects during the OU Day of Kindness which took place on Feb. 15 in the Habitat. Some activities included coloring activity placements, creating colorful photo frames out of popsicle sticks and designing superhero capes for local children’s hospitals.
At the event, students were invited to add words of support to a banner designed for the Michigan State University community, following the Feb. 13 active shooter incident.
On the morning of Feb. 16, representatives from the LVC and OSI greeted library visitors with complimentary cookies and cocoa at the main entrance of Kresge Library. This random act of kindness was organized as a simple gesture to brighten the day of hardworking students and staff.
The LVC and OSI have many events planned for the remainder of the winter semester. On March 10, the 2023 “Be the Change” Student Leadership Conference will be hosted in the Oakland Center Gold Rooms from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Student Leadership Conference — an annual event organized by the OSI — is intended to enhance the leadership skills of young student leaders on OU’s campus. Student attendees will have the chance to win a scholarship from the Oakland University Credit Union. More information about this event can be found by visiting the OSI GrizzOrgs page.
PHOTO BY KATIE REID
Oakland University senior Krystal Davis understood the meaning of the word sacrifice from a young age.
Both of her parents worked full-time jobs to provide as many opportunities as possible for Davis, as well as the many children they fostered. Through the opportunities Davis’ parents have bestowed upon her, Davis became a Keeper of the Dream Award (KOD) recipient this past January.
“My family used to do this foster care thing where we would bring people in and take care of them,” Davis said. “We would literally treat them as family, and if they left, they would still come back and call us and all that and say, ‘hey, I miss y’all, when’s the next meetup?’”
Davis refers to the foster children that have been in her life as her cousins, connecting with one named Maria, particularly. Davis cites Maria as the inspiration for the future career endeavors she has in mind.
“[Maria] is part of the reason why I am trying to become a family lawyer,” she said. “She would tell me, ‘you have a big family, a huge happy network — I want that, and it’s hard to get that kind of network in systems that don’t really support us whatsoever.’ The foster care system is just terrible.”
Davis works with the Center of Multicultural Initiatives (CMI) as a peer mentor and as a resident
assistant in Hamlin Hall. She also works at the Recreation Center as a membership assistant, and was an orientation group leader this past summer.
The importance of Davis’ work as an orientation group leader was evident; she felt she could be a friendly face to let students like her know it’s okay to be themselves.
“I want to be in a community with people that can accept me,” Davis said. “I wanted to make sure that every freshman or whoever’s here has that same
experience. When they come to OU, they see my face and they’re like, ‘oh, I don’t have to act fake. I can be my authentic self.’ I think that’s important for me.”
It came as a shock to Davis when she discovered she would be a KOD recipient. She felt she didn’t have as extensive of a resume as the other applicants. She’s thankful the experience has introduced her to the other KOD recipients, who remind her she’s not the only one at work.
“There’s so many people who have the same goal — to just spread that diversity and equity throughout campus, on and off, everywhere,” Davis said.
As she nears graduation, Davis is highly motivated to make as many connections as possible to strengthen her network. Working toward her goal of becoming a family lawyer, Davis recognizes that there is still so much work to do in regard to racial inequity and inequality.
“[KOD] is an opportunity for me to spread that ideal as I move forward,” she said. “That’s my overall plan for when it comes to being a lawyer — just dealing with those social issues and being that person that most of those foster kids don’t see in the system.
“They can look at me and say, ‘that’s my person, that’s someone I can rely on,’” Davis said. “That’s the person that I want to be.”
This article is part of a series of articles about the 2023 Keeper of the Dream Award recipients.
The tragic shooting at Michigan State University (MSU) on Feb. 13 was the 67th mass shooting of 2023. The incident put the gun violence epidemic in the U.S. on front pages once again, and has traumatized yet another community. The students and faculty of MSU, as well as citizens across the state, are still reeling from the events of last week and attempting to reckon with such traumatic incidents unfolding on a campus which was formerly a safe space for so many.
“My sister lives on campus. She goes to MSU and she lives in Landon Hall, which is right across from the union where it started,” OU freshman Jenna Alexander said. “I know she would have been walking into the building in the crossfire of it if she had not been late from course lessons that night.
“She actually had her roommate call her and tell her, ‘don’t get out of your car. Go somewhere else, because I am now barricaded in our dorm room,’” Alexander said.
The shooting at MSU has sparked fear in college students across the country who worry for their own safety while attending classes.
“I definitely felt like going to any college campus after something like that happens — it’s definitely a risk, for sure,” OU freshman Conner Cole-Salem said.
Mark Gordon, chief of Oakland University Police Department (OUPD), wants students to be aware of how they can best protect themselves in the event of an active shooter on campus.
“The best way to protect yourself should you find yourself in an active shooting incident is to be prepared in advance. That requires forethought and creating an action plan,” Gordon said.
“Here at Oakland, we teach our community the Run, Hide, Fight techniques, hoping that one of the three approaches will keep you safe.
“We know from previous shooting incidents in our nation that those with a pre-planned action plan increase their likelihood of survival tremendously,” Gordon said. “The OUPD has created a video that highlights the use of these techniques, which is located at oakland.edu/police/emergency-proceduresand-evacuations/active-shooter/.
“In addition to being familiar with these techniques, we recommend the following:
• Always be aware of your surroundings when you are on campus
• Report all suspicious behavior to the OUPD at extension 3331. Many times people will ask what suspicious behavior looks like. My response is, if it concerns you, you should report it.
• If you observe behavior in a student, faculty or staff [member] that doesn’t pose an immediate threat but is still concerning, you can report the behavior at: oakland.edu/police/campus-safety/ report-behavioral-concerns/
• When you enter your classroom or other area of campus, know the quickest route out of the room or space that you are in or will spend time in. (Classroom, office, etc.)
• When on campus, try to know the address of the building you spend time in. Every campus building has an address. They can be found at: oakland.edu/police/services/campus-addresses/. During an emergency, if you dial 911 from a cell phone, you will be connected to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. Giving them the campus address will speed up response time for first responders.
• If groups or organizations on campus are interested in hosting an in-person active shooter training, or, if a staff or faculty member would like a representative from the OUPD to review shelterin-place locations within their office space, they can contact the OUPD at extension 3000 for further assistance.
“Campus safety is a total community responsibility,” Gordon said. “The police department cannot secure the entire campus without the help of all community members. If we work together and are willing to report suspicious behavior when noticed, together, we can keep OU a safe community.”
Despite OUPD’s attempts to prepare the community for a worst case scenario, some students — like freshman Faith Green — still do not feel safe on campus.
“I don’t immediately put blame on the campus security. My thought process is that it’s bigger than just the campus,” Green said. “I think it’s pretty much impossible to try and prevent violence like that when people have access to the weapons that they’re using, anyways. So if it didn’t happen there, it probably would have happened somewhere else.”
Though there are still many concerns to address regarding campus safety, OU President Ora Pescovitz is confident the OU community will remain strong in the aftermath of this incident.
“I know that our community will come together and affirm that safety, security and shared concern for each other’s welfare is something that all of us deserve,” Pescovitz said in a statement released Feb. 14.
STORY BY ARIANNA HEYMAN | PHOTO COURTESY OF OU | DESIGN BY MEGAN PARKER
If you were anywhere on Twitter or Letterboxd this past December, you’ve probably heard of White Noise starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig. In this very odd (but good in its own way) movie, a family struggles to adjust to everyday life after the Airborne Toxic Event (also caused by a train derailment in Ohio) that strikes their town. Grappling with love, life, and death, this apocalyptic movie looks at happiness and the mundane in an unpredictable world and future. However, you probably weren’t thinking that anything even remotely similar to this would be happening in the real world… think again!
What are the facts of this real-life event?
• The Ohio derailment began on February 3rd, with 50 Norfolk Southern cars crashing in East Palestine
• The toxic chemical vinyl chloride was released into the water, air, and soil — an environmental risk on many levels
• On February 6th, the government conducted an intentional controlled burn of the chemical to avoid other explosions and asked residents to evacuate surrounding areas
• Residents were allowed to return and were told it was safe Feb. 8
• Concern continues to grow as residents report the strong smell of chlorine throughout the area and are unsure of drinking-water safety
Why is this a problem? In a scientific sense, this train derailment can result in a multitude of issues. Some of them include:
• The release of noxious gas vinyl chloride is extremely toxic — affecting the liver, lungs, kidneys, and blood, many have reported headaches, nausea, and burning of the eyes and throat
• At least 5 tanker cars were pulled by this train, with all 5 releasing vinyl chloride into the atmosphere
• Ecological effects have resulted in the death of over 3,500 fish, with other animals being reported that their livestock is dying
• When vinyl chloride burns (with the fire caused by the derailment) phosgene and hydrogen chloride are the products — phosgene was used as a choking agent during WWI
• This is projected to be one of the largest environmental disasters in US history, followed by wildfires sweeping the west and water shortages throughout the country. This event does not only affect the air, but the water surrounding it as well.
“Fear is self-awareness raised to a higher level”Don Delilo, author of White Noise
Water officials from the EPA state that the levels of butyl acrylate in the Ohio River Basin and its connecting streams is low enough and keeps getting lower for consumption, but many are scared of its contamination. The Ohio River Basin provides water to approximately 5 million people – and the Natural Resources Defense Council believes this is an issue that needs to be taken more seriously, regardless of how low levels are of the chemical in the water. The NRDC states that water pollution accounts for more deaths annually than war and other violence combined. Keeping that in mind, we only have access to 1% of all fresh water for
consumption, and this problem will get worse as we approach 2050. If no interventions are made, such as taking climate change seriously and protecting our natural waterways, we could face even worse challenges in the future.
“Out of some persistent sense of large-scale ruin, we keep inventing hope” - Jack Gladney, title character in White Noise
Taking Jack’s advice to find hope even in the face of ruin, here are some ways you can help with water contamination in your own communities:
• Reduce plastic consumption and reuse whenever plausible
• Dispose of chemical cleaners with the utmost care — oils, nonbiodegradable substances, and other cleaners can be damaging towards aquatic resources, so take the time to educate yourself on how to properly discard of them
• Consider changing your landscaping and habits surrounding your yard – reduce runoff with a different layout, avoid herbicides and pesticides, and look into better ways to make the most out of water used each year
• Dispose of old medications at their appropriate locations — DO NOT flush old medications down the toilet, as this can leech into water sources!
• Notice a storm sewer is blocked? If you can, take the time to clean out any debris so that any potential natural detritus is kept out of local waterways
Holding officials accountable for their actions in this is necessary, too. Regardless of the fact that this train derailment was an accident, changes can and should be implemented to prioritize the safety of our environment and the people and animals that inhabit it. While the Biden administration believes that the response to the event was sufficient, many believe that more needs to be done – even if their requests fall on deaf ears. Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the 50 cars that were destroyed, will be held accountable financially, required to pay for cleanup of the toxic sites due to the fire and chemical spill.
But residents are still wary, and rightfully so. Who is to say what kind of impact this will have on their community a few weeks, months, or even years into the future? It is no secret that our country fails to prioritize the effects we actively make on our environment each day. While the CDC is sending out health professionals to perform public health testing and analyses, the true damage of this disaster will not be quantified anytime soon.
If this event makes you angry, sad, or a combination of both, keep that energy and use it to motivate yourself and your communities towards making a difference. Climate change and other environmental disasters are preventable with the help of many. Take this red flag and make it green.
Oakland University senior and musical theatre major Kennedy Vernengo has had a love for the arts since she was a young child. She would travel to Chicago’s theater district to watch musicals, look up at the actors onstage and think to herself, “I would love to do that one day.”
Through her education at OU, as well as the many projects she has been involved in, Vernengo has seen her childhood dream come true.
Vernengo first stepped foot into the world of theater in her freshman year of high school. She participated in an outdoor production of “Footloose,” which she said was really bad but incredibly fun.
“It was really hot, and the rain canceled half of our performances, but I still remember loving it so much,” Vernengo said. “That [production] definitely holds a special place in my heart. Even though it was really bad, I knew at the time I really, really enjoyed it.”
When Vernengo first decided on becoming a musical theatre major, she didn’t know where to begin. She wasn’t sure which university would have her best interests at heart, and she didn’t know that
getting into a musical theatre program was a long and strenuous process.
“The process is insane,” she said. “You have to audition for all of these schools. You had to go in and you had to sing for them, and you had to do a monologue and a performance.”
Vernengo was leaning toward attending the University of Michigan until she went to a performing arts college fair and was introduced to OU. Vernengo knew her relationship with the university was meant to be when she booked a tour of the campus and had the opportunity to sit in on a few theater classes.
“I loved how [OU’s musical theatre program] felt like a family,” Vernengo said. “I knew that you would get a lot of one-on-one attention.”
Vernengo has been a part of several productions during her college career, her favorite being the recent staging of “A New Brain.” Vernengo played Mimi Schwinn, the main character’s mother.
“People were telling me that they thought I was actually a 50 year old woman, which did great things for my self-esteem,” she said, “but it was a good thing if they believed that I was, actually.”
This past January, Vernengo was nominated for an Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) for her role in “A New Brain.” She had to perform two monologues and a scene in front of a group of adjudicators.
Vernengo did not expect anything to come of her experience at KCACTF until she was announced as a semi-finalist, and then a finalist. Though she did not win, Vernengo beat out over 800 people in the Midwest region in her quest for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship.
“Acting is like a tool — if you don’t use it for a while, then it gets rusty,” Vernengo said. “If anything, [KCACTF] was something to shape up
my performing skills and something to keep me in check. Getting that far — I felt super proud of myself.”
Most recently, Vernengo starred in a production of the one-woman show, “Love, Linda,” a story told from the perspective of the wife of famed composer, Cole Porter. Though the thought of performing a one-woman show was intimidating, Vernengo said it ended up being a positive experience.
“I loved performing it,” she said. “It was perfect for Valentine’s Day, because it was all about love and it tells the story of the ups and downs of [Linda and Cole’s] relationship. Cole Porter was — and not a lot of people know this, but he was actually gay. They had a very interesting relationship.”
With graduation right around the corner, Vernengo is following any opportunity that comes her way. She is slowly venturing into the film, TV and commercial world in the city where her love for the craft first began.
“I would love to eventually book something on-screen,” Vernengo said. “I know Chicago is a big place for that. I’m just going to see what opportunities come my way.”
Arts Editor
“Blues in the Night” is the latest musical to grace the Meadow Brook stage. Between the live band, entrancing harmonies and vintage vibes, what’s not to love?
This show is an homage to the Modernist movement in the early 20th century. Modernism reflects the desire for change and transformation in Western culture at the time. Art, literature and philosophy of all kinds experimented with reconstructing the world as we know it into something…else — something abstract, something new.
That being said, the show itself has no rigid or distinct throughline which is in part due to it being a musical revue — a combination of songs, dances and scenes all pertaining to a particular theme.
I thought it was brilliant that “Blues in the Night” was written how it was, seeing as it is representative of Modernist themes; the writers played with the structure of traditional musical theater, allowing audience members to have liberty in interpreting what they’re watching.
“Keep in mind that part of the allure of this show — especially our production
with the set, the lighting, the costuming — is to pull you into this world,” Angela Birchett, who portrays the Lady of the Road, said. “If you start from there, […] the stories will unfold because you’ll start to see a throughline of everybody — how they’re different, how they’re similar and why these particular people are there. You’ll figure that out or come up with that for yourself.”
There are a couple moving parts to note while watching “Blues in the Night.” First, the music is a theme in itself — however, it’s not easy to trace exactly what the blues entail. It’s a style of music that’s developed.
“As I started listening and getting more exposure to different types of music […], I understand what the blues is about,” Parnell Damone Marcano, playing the Man in the Saloon, said. “I understand that it wasn’t always just about, ‘oh, my life is so terrible,’ but it’s that common human [need] to get [some strong emotion] up out of me as opposed to carrying it in.”
Blues is a style of music with range. As Marcano said, it’s not simply an expression of the dreariness of life, but of any powerful feeling: passion, desire, excitement. That being said, the technicalities vary, as well.
Blues music consists of many musical
motifs borrowed from jazz and gospel music, but remains distinct in its own way. The genre, from a technical standpoint, is equally as broad, and thus complicated, as it is from a thematic point of view.
“Blues is its own thing,” Birchett said. “It’s not something that you can fake.”
A second crucial part to pay attention to during this show is the underlying commentary about the style of life in the 1920s and 1930s. Speakeasies, prohibition, flapper girls — all staples of this time period speaking to city-folks’ seductive, lavish ways of life.
In addition to the normalization of luxuriously scandalous lifestyles, this post-war era was also known for the Harlem Renaissance — a golden age for Black artists in America.
“You cannot talk about American History and not talk about Black people […] if you want to tell the full story,” Marcano said. “It’s great when shows like this come up, because it makes people [realize] that the music that connected, that despite powers that wanted to keep people from listening to race music, something about the music just […] makes people respond.”
Historically, Black American artists have paved the way for American music and culture, so it’s only natural to have a
show devoted to celebrating blues.
To be entirely honest, I was not exactly enamored by the idea of this show at first, but it exceeded my expectations. I was taken aback by how carefully-handled the blues-style was, and by how strategically put-together the production design was.
The stage is set so there’s never a dull moment. Its abstract nature — floating windows, various levels — struck my attention as identifiably Modernist. In combination with the lighting design, costumes and performance, of course, “Blues in the Night” is an accurate display of life in the early 20th century.
“The focal point of this show is to immerse yourself in an era that is very specific to American music and culture,” Birchett said.
Everything about this show is uniquely American. From the structure, to the music to the themes. “Blues in the Night” captures the true essence of American culture. Well done, Meadow Brook.
Tickets range from $37 to $46 and are available by calling the Meadow Brook Theatre box office at (248) 377-3300 or going online at www.ticketmaster. com. Discounted tickets are available for students at the box office for $12.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNEDY VERNENGOThe time has finally come to see if those pricelessly-awkward red carpet photos of Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon translated to the big screen!
Friday, Feb. 10 marked the official release date of Kutcher and Witherspoon’s new movie “Your Place or Mine,” where the two romantic comedy veterans are finally paired together in a predictably tropefilled romance flick.
Kutcher and Witherspoon play Debbie and Peter, two long-term, total-opposite best friends who also happen to live on opposite coasts — sweet, sweet symbolism. Debbie decides to travel to New York to complete an accounting program — I know — and when babysitting plans for her tween son fall through, Peter offers to take care of him in Los Angeles. And thus, our plot is born.
While it seems like this movie was set up to sweep me off my feet “The Holiday” style with its traditionally excellent house-swapping plot device, my feet remained planted. I have a few bones to pick with “Your Place or Mine,” and I would like to get into them here.
First off, I don’t know who wrote the rulebook where Witherspoon has to constantly be relegated to the overprotective, post-it-noting, Southern mom type and Kutcher gets to remain the frat bro man-child from “Punk’d,” but I would like to see some variety.
If the sweater-wrapping masterpiece that is “Big Little Lies” taught me anything, it’s that Witherspoon has range — and, quite frankly, after watching that series, I don’t want to watch anything where she isn’t given an arsenal of one-liners and scathing roasts to deliver on deserving characters.
Secondly, if you were worried about the crosscountry distance affecting the chemistry between
our two supposed lovebirds, you would be absolutely correct. Almost the entirety of Kutcher and Witherspoon’s interactions occurred over the phone, split-screen style, which was — as you can guess — not the best. It kind of just felt like a bad iPhone commercial.
Thirdly, this film looks like it was shot on an iPhone. The cinematography was not visually thrilling at all, and while that isn’t necessarily criteria for the perfect romcom, it did remind me I was watching a Netflix movie (negative).
To get back to the actual plot, somehow Witherspoon finding an old poker chip in a manila envelope hidden under Kutcher’s bed illuminates to her that they have been experiencing a decadeslong unspoken romance. But to be honest, I must not have been following that subplot very well, because I did feel out of the loop on that front.
This then leads to your stereotypical runningthrough-the-airport love confession scene, which was only surprising to me because it reminded me how long it had been since I had seen Kutcher and Witherspoon in the same frame.
My favorite part of the movie was Tig Notaro’s completely monotone “Hey, girl. Hey,” said to Witherspoon in the school drop-off line. I have never heard anyone use that specific deadpan inflection while delivering that phrase, so for that, I am genuinely grateful.
I hope this isn’t too slanderous!
Rating: 1/5
Arts Reporter
What’s the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for “Bridgerton” fans? Well, besides a Season 3 announcement, the long awaited teaser trailer for Shondaland’s newest story in the “Bridgerton”verse: “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.”
Fans got a sneak peek at the prequel spinoff based around the fascinating character of Queen Charlotte and her relationship with King George III of England.
Save the date: May 4, 2023 is when the show is set to debut.
With season 3 of Bridgerton still being filmed, many fans are speculating when more news about the trailer and release date for the third season will be announced.
There is a lot to unpack in the teaser trailer for the upcoming show. It opens with a shot of young Charlotte riding in a carriage on her way to a palace. She is greeted by an adoring crowd of people clamoring to see her.
The trailer then shows a clip of young Charlotte addressing young George as “Your Majesty,” and then him immediately reaching for her arm. We get a few shots of what appears to be the young couple dancing at a ball together.
We then hear someone say, “Your marriage is the business of this country. This cannot go wrong,” and “You are the first of your kind. You must secure
your position.”
The trailer ends with young Charlotte saying, “This is my home. I am the queen.” This is followed by a few shots of the couple’s coronation as king and queen of England.
The young versions of the characters are almost spitting images of their current “Bridgerton”
counterparts. The trailer is very well-put-together, foreshadowing the journey of young Charlotte and her love story with King George. The teaser shows the couple when they first meet, and the chemistry between the two is spot on.
“Bridgerton” actress Golda Rosheuvel will revive her role as the outspoken Queen in the spinoff, while her younger counterpart will be portrayed by “Sex Education” actress India Amarteifio. Love interest, young George, will be played by Cory Mylchreest.
Other returning characters are Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Ruth Gemmell as Lady Bridgerton and Hugh Sachs as the Queen’s advisor, Brimsley.
A fun fact about the show lies in its release day: May 4 happens to be just two days before King Charles’ coronation that will be taking place at Westminster Abbey.
There isn’t a lot known about the additional characters to the series, but in searching for the cast, an interesting revelation was found: Lady Danbury’s deceased husband, Lord Danbury, will make an appearance. Cyril Nri will portray the character.
Lord Danbury is not the only new character set to debut in the limited series. There are a few new characters to get acquainted with in this spinoff.
Princess Augusta will be played by Michelle Fairley, young Brimsley will be played by Sam Clemmett, Lord Bute will be played by Richard Cunningham, Adolphus will be played by Tunji Kasim and the royal doctor will be played by Rob Maloney.
PHOTO COURTESEY OF PAGE SIX
BROCK
Three years ago, a junior transfer from Olney Central College by the name of Jalen Moore stepped foot on Oakland University’s campus. Moore was an undersized yet crafty point guard who was looking to take the next step in his career by playing Division I basketball at Oakland.
Moore played basketball for two seasons at Olney Central before transferring to Oakland.
It was a pretty big step for Moore. Olney Central is a small community college in Illinois with an enrollment of just over 1,000 students. Oakland University is — well, quite larger.
Moore averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Olney Central. He was the go-to scorer, as a player of his caliber should have been at a school as small as Olney Central.
It seemed Moore had outgrown his surroundings, and he made the transition to Oakland to play for Coach Greg Kampe.
Oakland outnumbers Olney Central by about 15 to 1 in terms of students. It was a drastic change for the junior, but one that wasn’t insurmountable.
It wasn’t clear how Moore would handle the transition, but he did so easily. So easily, in fact, that he led all of NCAA Division I in assists per game, along with scoring just shy of 18 points a night.
It’s been history in the making for the talented point guard ever since. Moore was named to the Horizon League First Team in each of his first two seasons at Oakland, and he’s been keeping a mediocre team
afloat for much of the 2022-23 season.
Through all of the success Moore has had in his collegiate career — he’s never averaged fewer than 15 points per game — there’s one thing that he has yet to experience: the NCAA Tournament. The Big Dance. March Madness.
The time of the season when records and stats can be thrown out the window. It’s all irrelevant in the NCAA Tournament, because any given team can beat any given team on any given night. We saw it in 2018 when 16-seed University of Maryland, Baltimore County upset top overall seed Virginia in the first round, and in 2016 when 15-seed Middle Tennessee
knocked off second-seeded Michigan State.
Some Cinderellas are even lucky enough to make it past the first round. We saw it just last year when 15-seed Saint Peter’s advanced all the way to the Elite Eight.
Saint Peter’s guard Doug Edert’s social media blew up over just the span of a couple days. Edert was America’s sweetheart last March, and he was one of the most recognizable names in sports for a two-week period.
It’s not nationwide attention or a massive social media following that Moore is interested in, though.
“I just want to win,” Moore said after a crushing 96-74 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Mercy Titans on Friday night. “I don’t care about the career highs, stats, none of that. I just want to win.”
Every Division I program in the country is given an opportunity to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, as each conference holds a postseason tournament. The champion of each conference tournament is rewarded with an automatic bid into the bid dance.
Oakland might have to catch fire down the stretch, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
“It’s my last year here,” Moore said. “Three guaranteed games left. I just told the guys in the locker room, ‘I just want to win, bad.’ They all have to want to win as much as I do — and I think they do.”
There will always be more seasons of Oakland basketball. NCAA Tournament opportunities will never fade for the program.
But for Moore, it’s now or never. Literally.
Sports Editor
Oakland University welcomed the IUPUI Jaguars to the O’rena on Wednesday, Feb. 15 as it began a four-game home stand to finish off the regular season. Despite IUPUI having one of the worst seasons of any Division I team in America, the Golden Grizzlies only narrowly defeated the Jaguars, 85-81.
The win propelled Oakland to a 10-7 record in the Horizon League.
The teams traded punches throughout the entire first half. Neither team could put together a run of any sort, and it was a back-and-forth affair throughout the first 20 minutes.
Neither team opened up a lead of more than four points throughout the first half.
It was much of the same in the second half, too, as the teams continued the close battle. IUPUI jumped out to a five-point lead early in the second half, but Oakland quickly retaliated.
The teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch, and with 2:10 to play, the Golden Grizzlies boasted a six-point lead — the largest of the game for either team.
Free throws from Rocket Watts and Jalen Moore put the game on ice for Oakland, and the Golden Grizzlies finished off the Jaguars, 85-81.
Moore and Trey Townsend both registered 23
points on the evening, and the duo carried the load for Head Coach Greg Kampe’s squad.
Watts added 14 points in the victory, and Keaton Hervey was the fourth and final Grizzly in double figures with 10 points.
“I think you give IUPUI a ton of credit,” Kampe said. “Both times we’ve played them this year, they’ve looked like a team that doesn’t have the
record they have or the rankings that they have, and I think you’ve got to give their coach a ton of credit for that.”
Kampe was quick to point out that, although Oakland was just 15 points shy of 100, it still hasn’t been shooting the ball well as of late.
“As a team, we are 3 for our last 30 from the 3,” Kampe said. “If you look at today and the second half at Milwaukee — after starting the first half at Milwaukee seven-for-10 — three-for-30 now, since then. We just don’t shoot it. We just consistently can’t shoot the ball.”
As Kampe pointed out, Oakland certainly didn’t shoot the ball well — just two-for-18 from deep on the night — but what concerns him most is the defense.
“We just didn’t have any energy, any sense of urgency,” Kampe said. “It bothers me because of the time of the season it is. But a lot of teams would’ve lost, had the same scenario happened to them. We found a way to figure it out and get the win.
“I think we need one more win to guarantee ourselves a top-eight finish, which would give us a home game [in the Horizon League Tournament],” Kampe said. “We’ve got three left here, and we’ve got to get at least one of them to guarantee that.”
A home game in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament would give the Golden Grizzlies a major advantage as it relates to its quest toward winning the conference tournament.
PHOTO COURTESY OF OAKLAND UNIVERSITY ATHLETCIS
This past Friday, the University of Detroit Mercy Titans had the Golden Grizzlies’ number and they defeated Oakland at home, 96-74.
Blake Lampman jump started the game for the Golden Grizzlies with a triple that settled the fans of the O’rena in. Soon after, the Titans went on an 11-0 run.
They made seven out of their first 11 shots and four of those were from 3-point range. Jalen Moore had a 3-pointer of his own that would start his remarkable night to help bring it within two.
He had 12 points with 7:28 to go in the first half. He ended the game with a career-high 37 points that didn’t go unnoticed.
There was a lot of back and forth between the two teams, but Detroit Mercy eventually stopped the back and forth, having a response everytime Oakland scored.
Jalen Moore’s layup would conclude the first half and the Golden Grizzlies were down, 47-34.
There wasn’t anything new happening in the second half, and the Titans still were in front. Oakland was down 20 at the 13:20 mark of the second half, as the number two leading scorer in
NCAA Division I history, Antoine Davis, drilled another one of his 3s.
He led the Titans with the most points, with 30 and went 11-18 from the field and 7-13 from deep. Oakland couldn’t seem to get their offense going
and were not able to find the bottom of the net for over four minutes. Osei Price delivered a 3-pointer to soften the blow, but the Titans still remained in charge that led them to a 96-74 victory.
Coach Greg Kampe had some things to say on how the game played out.
“I think you have to give credit to Mike Davis. I think you have to give credit to Antoine Davis and the other kids on their team,” Kampe said. “I think they played a great basketball game. They shot it, they came with confidence.”
“They were in a hostile environment, they handled the hostile environment. They had a week to prepare for us and they did a great job of coming up. They completely changed what they did offensively than what they did the last two, three years.”
The Golden Grizzlies can definitely learn from this and move forward.
“We’ve got to move on, if this game were in January or something like that, I think it would stick with me a lot longer but we got to get ready for Wright State,” Kampe said. “We’re a week away from the most important part of the year. In our locker room after it was very quiet, no screaming and yelling, nothing, it was, ‘let’s get ready for the next one.’”
Oakland will play Wright State on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at the O’rena.
the journeys of five scrappy, queer artists from the margins of the underground comics scene to mainstream acceptance. They tackled the humor in queer lives in a changing world and the everyday pursuits of love, sex and community.
The film will be followed by a discussion with Kel Neveau, OU alum and creator of “The Sacrifice’s Purpose” comic series, and Isabel Clare Paul and Tim Retzloff, creators of “Come Out! In Detroit,” a comic that tells the story of Michigan’s first LGBTQ+ Pride celebration. Light refreshments will be served.
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