The Oakland Post 11.8.2023

2 | NOVEMBER 8, 2023

EDITORIAL BOARD Arianna Heyman Editor-in-Chief aheyman@oakland.edu Autumn Okuszka Content Editor aokuszka@oakland.edu Megan Parker Managing Editor meganparker@oakland.edu

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Lindsey Sobkowski Photo Editor lsobkowski@oakland.edu Brock Heilig Sports Editor brockheilig@oakland.edu Payton Bucki Features Editor paytonbucki@oakland.edu Olivia Chiappelli Arts Editor oechiappelli@oakland.edu THE CHAOS OF “CHAOS” On Saturday, Oct. 28, in a packed house in the Varner Lab Theatre,

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NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 3

Resolution to amend OU’s Medical Amnesty Policy passed by OU Senate PAYTON BUCKI Features Editor

On Oct. 19, Murruyum Farooqi, Maris Ferguson and Katya Eskander attended an Oakland University Senate meeting on behalf of the OU Student Congress (OUSC) to present a resolution to amend the existing Student Code of Conduct, specifically, its Medical Amnesty Policy.

The group’s goals in presenting at the meeting were two-fold. First, they intended to highlight the current Medical Amnesty Policy’s problematic nature, rationalizing it does not provide adequate protections for students seeking emergency help on campus.

Their second and more uncertain objective was to win the support of the faculty to bolster the momentum behind their initiative.

The beginning of the meeting was filled with business, from university financial updates to strategic planning. When Farooqi was able to present, she spoke fervently about the Medical Amnesty reform initiative.

“Student Congress began working on this project over the summer and organized a committee to review the code of conduct,” Farooqi said. “Our hope was to find a way to remove barriers for students seeking help on campus.”

Farooqi explained what she and her OUSC colleagues identified as problematic language in OU’s current Medical Amnesty Policy.

“Under the current policy, students who seek emergency assistance from campus resources while violating the university’s alcohol and drug policy are at risk of receiving conduct sanctions from the university,” Farooqi said.

OUSC’s Medical Amnesty reform resolution, according to Farooqi, recommends OU amend the existing student code of conduct to allow for the protection of students seeking emergency help from university resources. Further, the resolution advocates for the prioritization of language that encourages students to seek help from university resources without fear of subsequent retaliation.

Farooqi assured Senate representatives the proposed resolution aligned with Michigan state law, which protects individuals seeking help from criminal charges.

“We [OUSC] drew a lot of inspiration from Michigan State University’s Medical Amnesty Policy, which we feel does a good job of protecting students experiencing crisis,” Farooqi said.

Following Farooqi’s presentation, Ferguson took the podium, addressing the Senate members with an emotional appeal.

“It’s [Medical Amnesty Reform] been an

insightful project. We’ve recognized that this is a big issue,” Ferguson said.

OUSC’s efforts to enact reform measures on the Medical Amnesty Policy began in July when OUSC unanimously passed a resolution supporting Medical Amnesty reform.

Ferguson mentioned that OUSC has heard the concerns of many students regarding the current Medical Amnesty Policy. She informed Senate members these students have said they have not reported incidents in the past because they did not feel safe to do so.

“By reforming OU’s Medical Amnesty Policy, we can enforce safety on campus and ensure students feel heard,” Ferguson said.

When it came time for voting, Ferguson’s words about elevating student voices were not ignored. By a vote of 46-0, OUSC’s Medical Amnesty Resolution was unanimously approved by the Senate.

Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, OU’s provost, rounded out the business by expressing gratitude to Farooqi, Ferguson and the rest of OUSC for shedding light on the problematic nature of the current Medical Amnesty Policy.

“Thank you for bringing this important issue to our attention. We want students to feel like it is safe for them to report on campus,” Rios-Ellis said.

To read the full details of OUSC’s Medical Amnesty Reform resolution, access the full resolution here. For individuals with questions about the Medical Amnesty Reform initiative, email Farooqi (mfarooqi@oakland.edu) or Ferguson (marisferguson@oakland.edu).

PHOTO BY MAGGIE WILLARD

Camaraderie on campus — SPB wraps up successful GrizzHunt CHLOE KUKUK Campus Reporter

Oakland University’s Student Program Board (SPB) wrapped up its annual GrizzHunt event, which began on Oct. 24 and ended on Halloween night.

The week-long event saw teams of up to 10 rushing to gain the most points for the grand prize — a $500 Amazon shopping spree. The 2nd and 3rd place teams also took home $400 and $300 respectively.

Every night at midnight, a list of challenges was released on the app GooseChase. Each task was assigned a point value. Some were worth as few as 100 points, while the largest of the week was worth 2,000.

Tasks ranged from simple trivia questions about OU, attendance at SPB events, and, as SPB treasurer Cameron Roach describes, “out there” challenges.

Some included a photo in full scuba gear or tracking down a set of specific quarters from 2009.

“It definitely brings out the competitive sides of students, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed planning it the most,” Roach said. “I find it fun trying to stump students or trying to give them difficult challenges and seeing the creative ways that students go about completing what we ask of them… I get a kick out of watching the competition as well.”

Additionally, this year saw the addition of a $200 prize for an individual winner.

“I wanted the event to be more inclusive to students who maybe didn’t have a 10-person, a five-person friend group that they could do this sort of thing with,” Roach said. “That went over

really well.”

Overall, over 300 individuals and 130 teams participated in the event, translating to approximately 6,500 task submissions throughout the week. Of these teams, the aptly-named “did we win yet” took home the 1st-place prize — a stunning victory, considering the duo, made of Zachary Pedigo and Anna Schmidt, were against many teams of 10.

“I had heard of GrizzHunt last year, and I wasn’t really familiar with it,” Pedigo said. “This year, before it started, we saw a bunch of posters around campus… we were like, ‘Why not try and do this?’

Because it sounded like it would be fun.”

The two said they didn’t have any particular strategy other than to fit in the tasks whenever possible.

“We’re both just insane, and we’re super competitive, so whenever one of us had time, we would just do whatever little tasks we could,” Schmidt said. “I think I went to Salvation Army, like, 10 times within the last week looking for a mouse with a rollerball or like moon shoes or whatever.”

Although Schmidt and Pedigo are both enjoying their respective espresso machine and projector from the prize money, they also expressed how much they enjoyed participating for the sense of comradery it gave.

“Social anxiety just ceases to exist during GrizzHunt. The things we did I could never have pictured myself doing, but because neither of us wanted to let the other down, we were like, ‘Oh, we gotta do it. It is what it is,’” Schmidt said.

“It was super fun because we would also run into some other teams along the way… and you

got to see what everybody would upload on the app,” Pedigo said. “We honestly met some pretty cool people.”

SPB has several events planned before the end of the semester aside from their weekly Hump Days on Wednesdays, including Retro Rewind on Nov. 9, the Back to the Blacktop Tailgate on Nov. 14 and OU Has Talent on Nov. 16. For more information and updates about SPB and its events, visit SPB’s Instagram.

PHOTO COURTSEY OF SPB

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Oakland Center provides free Narcan in vending machine CHLOE KUKUK Campus Reporter

At the turn of the new semester in September, Oakland University revealed a brand new vending machine in the Oakland Center (OC) that dispensed Narcan (naloxone) packets for free.

Narcan is a life-saving medication for opioid overdoses, including heroin, fentanyl and prescription overdoses. Additionally, Narcan has no negative impact when used on someone having a different medical emergency.

The installation comes as a collaboration between

PHOTO BY LINDSEY SOBKOWSKI

the Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) and a committee of representatives from the Office of the Dean of Students, the Oakland University Police Department (OUPD), Environmental Health and Safety and the Graham Health Center (GHC).

It was initially installed in April 2023, but due to the end of the semester, no official ceremony was held until the beginning of the fall 2023 semester.

Between its installation and its ceremony, 205 doses were dispensed.

The possibility of providing Narcan on campus was first discussed in the fall of 2022 when the Oakland County Health Department reached out to GHC director Ann Rayford. Then, in January, Rayford said some social work students expressed their interest.

“We know that it’s a problem that people do have issues with prescription [medication], or maybe it’s a recreational thing, and it ends up being laced with [things like] fentanyl,” Rayford said. “There is a need in the community… we came together to talk and figure out if this was something we could do on campus.”

Each packet includes instructions on how to use it, and the vending machine has a QR code to an instructional video, allowing anyone to learn how to use Narcan in a crisis. The vending machine also separately offers safe sex packets that include condoms and lubricant.

The intention behind the machine is simple — to save lives, not to criminalize. No data is collected on who retrieves a packet.

“It’s really a risk reduction, harm prevention strategy that is in the community… you don’t know who takes it. You don’t know who needs it. We’re

not collecting anything,” Rayford said. “It being anonymous, there’s nothing punitive that can come from it.”

All management of the machine is handled by the OCHD, including the purchase of the machine and weekly refills. All the committee at OU had to do was provide a space, and the OC was chosen because of its extended hours and the fact it is also open to the public.

Currently, the plan is to continue having the vending machine in place indefinitely.

“It’s available to whomever, and so long as there’s funding for it, it will remain there, and the product will remain free,” Rayford said.

“It’s just a matter of getting Narcan out there and having it available,” Rayford added. “You never know when you may need it for yourself, you may need it for a family member, and you may just want to have it to be a good samaritan and help someone who maybe you cross paths with when they’re in a crisis.”

For any individuals who are struggling with substance use, OU also launched its Hope Not Handcuffs program this year, which allows individuals to seek help in the GHC or OUPD office without facing any penalty.

Additionally, the OU Counseling Center also offers the Grizz Recovery Program, which provides a recovery lounge, weekly recovery meetings and one-on-one case management services. Students can contact jcervi@oakland.edu for more information.

OUSC hosts Sustainability Town Hall CHLOE KUKUK Campus Reporter

As part of Oakland University’s Sustainability Month, the Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC) hosted a Sustainability Town Hall session on Oct. 25 in the Oakland Center (OC) Lake Erie Room.

OUSC Director of Sustainability, Katya Eskander, said the organization hosted the event to bring administration and students in closer proximity.

“Administration and their decisions feel beyond us as students,” Eskander said. “It’s nice to be able to look at them to put a name to the face of the people who decide what’s happening on our campus, in our university.”

The conversation comes after an academic year rife with controversy regarding sustainability on campus — in January, the Board of Trustees (BOT) suspended considerations for East Campus development after community pushback.

The panelists included Vice President for Finance and Administration and Board of Trustees Treasurer Steve Mackey, Oakland Center Director Christopher Reed and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Britt Rios-Ellis.

The attendees discussed, among other things, where OU stands compared to other universities regarding environmentalism. They also discussed food and water accessibility on campus, plans to get the university to net zero carbon emissions and the importance of engaging the OU community and surrounding communities

PHOTO BY LINDSEY SOBKOWSKI

regarding sustainability decisions.

Mackey said that while OU succeeds in many areas related to sustainability, the issue is these successes are not well advertised. Some of the environmental strides the university has taken include the reduction of natural gas consumption by 50%, OU’s carbon neutrality without purchasing carbon credits and the fact the campus generates 68% of its own energy.

Some areas that could be improved, M a c k e y s a i d , i s t h e u n i v e r s i t y ’s w o r k w i t h protecting biopreserves.

“Coming here, I’ve been very encouraged by what I’ve seen within my teams. We are doing a really good job in a lot of areas, and there are some areas we’re not supporting as much as we could,” he said. “The biggest problem I see is that we’re not really telling our story… there’s always more to do,

but I do think we are making an impact.”

Additionally, the community discussed plans for the future Director of Sustainability position, announced at the 2023 Michigan Climate Summit held on campus.

The Director of Sustainability position is planned to lead sustainability projects on campus and engage with the campus community on sustainability issues.

Currently, Reed said, it is estimated the role will be filled by this time next year.

“Our goal is that they’re here starting for next fall. So they will start, at the latest, August of ‘24,” he said.

“We want to get the best person we can. We don’t want to rush it,” Ross-Ellis said.

Overall, Mackey said, the future of sustainability efforts on campus is bright following the success of the Strive for 45 campaign. The campaign reached its goal in two years instead of three, giving a budget buffer of $6 million.

“The last several years have been exceptionally difficult financially… we are getting through that now. We are in a much better position now with the sustainability director position coming,” Mackey said. “We’ve got the strategic plan happening [which will] inform a lot of what our priorities are… we have not allocated that [$6 million]. We’re waiting for that strategic plan to come out.

(Continued on our website)

NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 5

6 | NOVEMBER 8, 2023

The reality of student life: School, work and life balance Ana Gjorgjevski Features Reporter

Orzol can better manage her time by getting all her homework done by Friday to enjoy the weekend.

Orzol was not always able to manage her workload effectively.

In fact, at a previous internship, she lacked time management skills. The burnout that resulted from Orzol’s previous internship opened her eyes to the importance of prioritizing self-care.

“I was at another internship, I applied there, and I got hired,” Orzol said. “I worked there for about a month, and I was like, this is not what I want to be doing, and I just had kind of a reality check.

I was kind of doing it just to have an internship, but I needed to check myself real quick. You shouldn’t be afraid to let go of something. If it’s not for you, just leave. You have got to be honest with yourself.”

As students, there is a constant need for success. Although ambition is a great trait, it should not cause students to lose sight of their well-being.

Finding the work-life balance may seem unachievable for some, but attainable for those willing to manage their time wisely and prioritize self-care.

“I always say, if you have any motivation, you can become an engineer. You just have to delegate your time,” Simoski said.

Students should be able to grow and learn from these experiences with a healthy mindset. For students experiencing mental health difficulties related to their personal, academic, or professional obligations, please refer to the Oakland University Counseling Center (OUCC).

The reality of being a student is that the role requires a great deal of sacrifices. No matter the major or class standing, there is a demand for excellence from all areas of study.

Oakland University offers a wide variety of internships and job opportunities to students in almost every field of study. Although these positions provide students with enriching professional experience, such opportunities can add a heavy load onto a timeconsuming course schedule and corresponding coursework.

Still, the question remains: How can students effectively gain knowledge from these experiences while simultaneously studying, working and taking care of themselves?

There is no simple answer to this question, and there never could be, but there are ways to make the load feel lighter.

Angela Simoski, a senior majoring in Industrial Systems Engineering at OU, has created a routine for herself in the last two years, trying to find a good balance between her professional endeavors, academics and personal life.

While maintaining two internships and a full courseload, Simoski takes every precaution to enjoy free time during her weekends.

“A really important thing that I try to do is get all my homework done by Friday. It’s just being able to sit down and grind it out,” Simoski said.

By keeping her strict schedule organized through Google Calendar, Simoski can keep track of her tasks and obligations.

Simoski is grateful that her program allows her the flexibility to work her internship around their class schedule.

Another OU student, Sandra Orzol, is in a similar situation to Simoski.

Orzol works two internships and is a full-time junior PHOTO COURTSEY OF MARSHALL B. KETCHUM UNIVERSITY majoring in Industrial Systems Engineering. As is the case with Simoski,

FEATURES

NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 7 FEATURES People of OU: Professor Elizabeth Talbert to retire ANA GJORGJEVSKI Features Reporter Following a long and rewarding career at Oakland University, Professor Elizabeth Talbert is preparing for her final weeks on campus.

“I feel like sometimes you have to close a door and make space, and then something will appear,” Talbert said. “I know myself, and I’m purpose-driven, you know? I know that I’ll stay involved, but I feel like there’s something else, but I have no idea what it is.”

Talbert’s background is in student affairs. Her career began in Ohio, receiving an M.A. degree from Bowling Green University.

“I started out as a college administrator, so I went to graduate school in Bowling Green, and then I worked at the University of Hartford as an associate director of housing,” Talbert said.

After giving birth to her first child, Talbert and her family returned to Rochester. Talbert then began looking for job openings at OU. She began working on campus as the assistant director of student activities.

From there, Talbert became the director of orientation for 10 years and later worked in the admissions office.

“OU hired me back to go to the orientation office for a couple of months just to be a steady presence and make sure the budget was in order,” Talbert said. “Dawn Aubry was there, and she was in the first group of student leaders I hired, and I kind of got them situated.”

While Talbert was getting situated in her new position, she was approached by David Lau, who believed Talbert would be a wonderful addition to the communications department.

After moving to the communications department, she began teaching leadership, organizational communication and women

in leadership.

“About halfway through the semester, he [Lau] said, you know, it feels like it’s going pretty well. Do you want to do two classes next semester?” Talbert said. “I was like, this is great because what I discovered, I loved being director of orientation, I’ll tell you that, but, in the classroom, it was like, I felt I was always just supposed to be there like I loved it.”

Falling in love with teaching was not a part of Talbert’s plan, but the profession had weaseled its way into her heart.

Along with her special lecturer position, Talbert has acquired quite a list of personal accomplishments.

On campus, she is a founding member of OU’s Women in

Philanthropy Initiative, a group of women who donate their time and money to Oakland and decide where on campus their pooled funds should go. The group has provided financial support to the OU Student Farm and some community gardens in Pontiac at the Bernstein Health Clinic.

“I like the idea of getting with like-minded women, “Talbert said. “Some are alumni, and some are just friends of the campus that want to support the campus. And just being able to direct where that money goes in a meaningful way. It’s just been a cool thing, and I think that that’s something that I’ll stay involved with.”

Not only is Talbert fully immersed in campus life at OU, but she is also very involved in the Rochester community.

One of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of her life, Talbert says, was being a trustee and president of Rochester Community Schools’ Board of Education, where she was a member for 10 years. Along with this, she is the vice chair of the Community Foundation of Rochester.

“The idea is we [the Community Foundation] really work to help projects within the community. So we have ties to anything you can think of that a community does. We do things with the hospital or through each city’s mayor’s office,” Talbert said.

“But the idea is I was raised in a small town, and I just think this is just in my DNA to give back, right? You try to make a place better in the ways that you can.”

Professor Talbert’s presence and her decades of dedication to not only her students but to OU’s campus will be appreciated and remembered for years to come.

PHOTO BY LINDSEY SOBKOWSKI

OU welcomes Howard Reich, director of ‘Prisoner of Her Past’ PAYTON BUCKI Features Editor On Oct. 25, Oakland University’s Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement and the Zekelman Holocaust Center welcomed Howard Reich, the director of “Prisoner of Her Past” to campus for a film screening and a Q&A session.

Before he ventured into filmmaking, Reich was a musician by trade. Reich holds degrees from Northwestern University in piano performance, music theory and history. Reich’s love for music led him to a career in journalism, covering music and the arts for the Chicago Tribune from 1978 to 2021.

As Reich searched for story topics week by week, he eventually found his most compelling story in the woman who had raised him, his mother.

Sonia Reich, a petite Jewish woman with delicate features, held a haunting story behind her poised presentation. Ms. Reich spent her childhood running from Nazis in her Polish homeland. The Holocaust ripped away Sonia’s childhood, leaving her with the deep, lingering wounds of trauma.

While Reich knew his mother had escaped the Holocaust, he did not realize the extent of her trauma until Sonia’s paranoia resurfaced, leaving her fearful of her surroundings. Reich grew concerned about his mother’s condition when Sonia fled her home one night in 2001, telling police she was worried someone was going to kill her.

Through the heartbreak of seeing his mother’s condition worsen, Reich set out to find answers for

Sonia’s persistent paranoia. “Prisoner of Her Past” details Reich’s journeys across the United States and Europe to learn more about his mother’s past.

“This moving documentary gives us an insight into the life of Sonia Reich and her experiences during the Holocaust,” Dr. Michael Pytlik, director of the Cis Maisel Center, said. “The long-lasting impact of those experiences is shown to us through this incredible telling of her story.”

It took Reich a year to finally find a name for the condition his mother was experiencing. A doctor

PHOTO BY LINDSEY SOBKOWSKI

informed Reich that his mother suffered from late-onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“Getting that diagnosis was the first step in finding out what happened to my mother,” Reich said.

After the screening of “Prisoner of Her Past,” the audience was allowed to ask Reich questions about research and experiences while making the documentary.

Reich expressed the documentary was difficult to make; however, his research was beneficial to understanding the behaviors of his mother and other Holocaust survivors.

“Prisoner of Her Past” exposed the increased need for mental health resources and treatment for Holocaust survivors. Furthermore, the film increased awareness of late-onset PTSD. “My mother was in the present, but she was also haunted by the past,” Reich said. “I have learned there was not much to do with my mother but to be present with her. I made this documentary to tell my mother’s story to others to help them understand their relatives who may be going through a similar situation.”

For those waning to learn more about Reich’s research on the Holocaust or purchasing his book, “Prisoner of Her Past,” please visit his webpage at howardreich.com.

8 | NOVEMBER 8, 2023

People of OU: Professor Andrea Eis ANA GJORGJEVSKI Features Reporter

If you had asked Professor Andrea Eis over forty years ago where she would be today, the answer would not have been Michigan. Eis always thought she would end up in a big city, like Los Angeles or New York City.

Growing up in New York and New Jersey, Eis always had a fondness for photography. Through photos, Eis captured the beauty in each sway of the leaves and every fall of snow.

“I’d been doing photography since I was young because my dad had a darkroom in our basement. So, he had done a lot of photography,” Eis said. “I always liked it [photography], and I did a lot of it in high school, and I thought this was something I like doing.”

Though the Oakland University community knows Eis today as a distinguished film professor, her journey starts at the beginning of her collegiate academic career.

Eis received a BA in classics and archeology from Beloit College. Then, she attended a year of graduate school in classics.

From here, Eis further immersed herself in the culture and language of Ancient Greece. Eis fell in love with Greek culture, leading her to live in Greece later in life.

Professor Eis has never strayed from her cultural studies of Greece and incorporates this research in her films and photography.

After receiving her BA, Eis decided to go to art school.

Upon testing the waters with commercial photography, she soon realized that it was frustrating to have people dictating what to shoot and how to do it.

To capitalize on her creative freedom, Eis took other courses at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Eis

learned that one of her professors had gone to Cranbrook College to study photography.

“He just opened my eyes to all this other world of art photography,” Eis said.

This professor opened a new world of opportunities for Eis. Stepping into the world of film — a world she knew nothing about — was a journey. The move from thinking in still images to motion pictures was a difficult transition to make.

After receiving her BFA, Eis reluctantly moved to Michigan, where she has remained.

“I wanted to go to New York. I wanted to go to LA. I didn’t

FEATURES

want to go to Cranbrook, but eventually, I did come and visit,” Eis said. “At the school, I talked to this professor who was an inspiration of mine. He said he wanted me to do film work. So, that was where the film’s part of my work really took off.”

Eis went on to attend Cranbrook Academy of Art and receive her MFA in photography. After her studies, Eis was hired at OU right out of graduate school in 1980. By 1999, she became a fulltime faculty member.

Throughout her years at OU, Eis has contributed to OU’s film and photography department.

It was not until the winter of 2011 that Eis taught her first filmmaking course. In fact, until 2015, there were no film production or filmmaking majors, only concentrations.

“I was in the art and art history department until 2015 or 2016, and I was chair of that department for six years,” Eis said. “Then, I transferred into the English department because that’s where film is.”

Though Eis’s journey in academia is rich with experience, there is no lack of determination and pure talent that stems from her. To this day, Eis works constantly on new film ideas and continues her passion for editing.

Her love and admiration for her students is a story in itself.

Eis is constantly in awe of their creativity and enthusiasm.

Much of Eis’s work can be found on her website, which includes her photography and films focusing on feminist reinterpretations of Greek myths.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINKEDIN

Zoé Rosario, Keeper of the Dream Award recipient: Where is she now?

NOAH FRANCIS Features Reporter The Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Award is given to Oakland University students who have helped foster interracial understanding and goodwill. Several exceptional students have received the award through the years, including Zoé Rosario.

Zoé Rosario was a Keeper of the Dream Award recipient this past January. Rosario applied for the award due to her advancements toward diversity and inclusion through her role as the president of the Filipino-American Students of OU. “I thought it would be a good year to do it [apply for the scholarship],” Rosario said. “Last year, I was the president of the Filipino-American Students of Oakland University. So, I felt I was kind of in my prime to apply for this scholarship.”

Since Rosario received the award in January, time has marched on, and she is now close to finishing her bachelor’s degree in social studies with history for educators and has plans to pursue a master’s degree.

“Starting next semester, I will be starting classes for that master’s program, and then I’ll walk for my bachelor’s this April,” Rosario said. “My goal right now is to really get the most out of this program. I’ll be doing my student teaching and really being immersed in the education portion of my major.”

Rosario has been working as an academic mentor for Project Upper Bound, a federally funded organization found in many colleges, including OU. “It’s a program for low-income high school students

to get the support that they need,” Rosario said. “This past summer, I worked with them as an academic mentor, which is essentially a teacher’s assistant. They have this thing called Summer Academy, where they live on campus, and they go to classes as if they’re college students to prepare them for college. Now, during the school year, I help with Saturday academies.”

Programs such as Upper Bound help train aspiring teachers, allowing student teachers to gain hands-on experience in the teaching field. Rosario explains how Upper Bound has helped her on her journey to becoming

PHOTO COURTESY OF OAKLAND UNIVERSITY Zoé Rosario with Keeper of the Dream keynote speaker Hill Harper at the award ceremony in January.

a teacher.

“Project Upper Bound has really helped me work with high school students,” Rosario said. “All the teaching experience I’ve really had from before was with college students, so this has been helping me learn how to manage a classroom. You need to be flexible as a teacher because you’re more than just a teacher. You’re also a counselor and a mentor. You never know what’s going to happen when you go into a classroom, so you have to be flexible too.”

As the months pass, Rosario will never forget the impact the Keeper of the Dream Scholarship has left on her. Rosario reflects on the award and how its meaning influences her future.

“The Keeper of the Dream is a great program,” Rosario said. “I’ve met a lot of people through it, and it’s renewed this passion that I really have for racial justice. Even though I’ve won this award, I’m not stopping now. It will be something I will always carry with me throughout my career, fighting for students of color and making sure they’re getting the support that they need.”

Students interested in the Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Award can visit its Oakland University webpage for information on past recipients and how to apply.

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On Oct. 30, various student organizations and researchers participated in Oakland University’s first annual sustainability showcase, hosted by the Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC). The event aimed to educate OU community members about sustainability initiatives on campus through discussions led by students and faculty.

Katya Eskander, OUSC’s director of sustainability, designed the showcase to provide student organizations with the opportunity to disseminate information about the intersectionality of their missions.

“I came up with the idea [for the showcase] because as a student org president myself [of the Pollinator Conservation Organization], I recognize that not everyone will join my group, but feel that we have a lot of really important and interesting information to share,” Eskander said.

The Campus Student Organic Farm (CSOF) was the first group to set up their booth for the event.

With fresh produce and flowers from the farm, the student farmers set out free samples and informational pamphlets for attendees to grab.

Hanna Letasz, a student worker at the farm, shared her perspective on how the CSOF contributes to campus sustainability efforts.

“We focus on education and food on the farm, hosting classes throughout the year to educate students about organic farming,” Letasz said. “After our day of selling at our pop-up farmstand in the fall, we donate extra produce to the Golden Grizzlies Food Pantry through the GrizzGreens program.”

Sustaining Our Planet Earth (SOPE) hosted a booth at the event to promote its mission of making OU’s campus as green as possible.

Members of SOPE pursue this mission by planning educational events for students and managing recycled items in residential buildings.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY BLACKETT

Christina Eisenman, a student representative for SOPE, pointed out the student employment opportunities SOPE provides.

“We employ students on campus as SOPE Ambassadors, who hold weekly office hours and participate in sustainability initiatives on campus,” Eisenman said. “Applications open in February.

Interested students can reach out to us via email: sope@oakland.edu.”

The Native American Student Organization of OU attended the event to educate attendees about the Native American Heritage Site on campus.

“Many students do not know where the Native American Heritage site is located,” Sada Reed, a member of the Native American Student Organization, said. “The site is behind Hillcrest Hall, between parking lots P-37 and P-35.”

Reed explained her organization promotes food and land sustainability by hosting educational events and planting native species at the heritage site.

Campus Alliance for Sustainability and the Environment (CASE-OU) is an organization that

promotes sustainability by uplifting the voices of students, staff, faculty and community members.

“We [CASE-OU] host monthly meetings, take nature walks at OU’s biological preserve, advocate for sustainability on campus and collaborate with locals on sustainability events,” Sarah Griffith, a student member of CASE-OU, said.

Professor Laura Landolt added that CASE-OU allows faculty members to collaborate and discern the best practices for teaching environmental issues.

Alongside organizations strictly focusing their efforts on improving sustainability on campus, many groups that, at first glance, seemed unrelated to sustainability also held tables at the event.

These organizations, which included Grizzlies for Choice, the Iraqi Club and the Vintage and Secondhand Fashion Club, educated students on the diversity of sustainability, discussing the impacts environmentallyconscious behavior has on various aspects of our lives.

Some students opted to present their independent research at the showcase, with projects ranging from “The Ethics of Fast Fashion” to “The Intersection of Mental Health and Sustainability.”

Eskander was pleased with the high volume of participation at the event.

“Walking around, I saw plenty of students stopping to read posters

and many meaningful discussions being had, so I believe a significant number of students walked away having learned something new,” Eskander said. “Administration also stopped by, so it was great to show them how important sustainability is to students.”

Eskander plans to continue promoting sustainability initiatives far beyond Sustainability Month.

“As the OUSC Director of Sustainability, I plan to continue my unfinished initiatives such as stopping the expansion of Adams Road, expanding recycling beyond the OC and clarifying/promoting the purpose of the Trash to Cash program,” Eskander said.

In April, Eskander looks forward to hosting a Swap Shop/Repair Café, wherein attendees can swap items with others and learn how to fix any broken items they may have.

For more information about OUSC’s upcoming events, refer to their Instagram page, @ouscofficial. For more information about OUSC’s sustainability initiatives, Eskander can be reached directly through email: eskander@oakland.edu.

STORY BY PAYTON BUCKI | DESIGN BY MEGAN PARKER & BARRET SCHETTLER

ARTS

12 | NOVEMBER 8, 2023

‘Chaos:’ Where student direction meets irreplaceable excitement CHELSEA BOSSERT Arts Reporter

On Saturday, Oct. 28, in a packed house in the Varner Lab Theatre, “Chaos” — a play written by Laura Lomas and directed by Oakland University student Brady Jacot — shocked both OU students, faculty and parents with its irreverent humor, physical acting and simply chaotic energy.

“Chaos” is a play about everything and nothing at the same time. It is a production that encapsulates the human experience through the unpredictability and absurdity of life.

Before the show started, the audience was drawn in through the tale of a young boy — played by freshman Paul Butterfield — monotonously bouncing a ball up and down throughout the entire 30-minute pre-show and five minutes into the main show.

The play starts with “the train scene,” an introduction to the world of “Chaos.” A young woman — played by sophomore Tanea Harris — gives a riveting monologue about her experience on the train platform and what she saw.

The scene eventually devolves into, well, chaos.

Actors on the floor, running throughout the theater, jumping into the seats with theatergoers, screaming their heads off, crying, laughing — everything all at once.

This is essentially what “Chaos” is — an absurdist look at life through loosely interconnected scenes involving only eight actors and actresses. The

absurdism in “Chaos” is what makes it beautiful. It is a comfortable level of absurdity that rarely takes the audience out of the play.

The play continued to go along, briefly referencing past scenes, foreshadowing future ones and introducing new elements and characters sporadically, which gave the audience a real sense of unpredictability because no one knew what was going to happen next.

The ending of the play was incredibly poetic.

After 65 minutes of actors screaming, crying, dancing, laughing and acting their hearts out, the

scene ends with Harris monologuing to herself and tying everything together thematically. It is a brilliant ending for a brilliant play.

Laura Lomas’s 2019 play, “Chaos,” is masterfully recaptured through the lens of Jacot.

“The hardest thing was all of the preparation,” Jacot said. “If I didn’t know what I wanted coming into rehearsal, then we wouldn’t have been able to get anything done.”

Jacot’s painstaking direction, which included blocking the intricate movements of all the characters, creating an ensemble cast and executing a near-perfect production, seemed to be worth it in the end. After 70 minutes of frenzy and fervor, “Chaos” got a standing ovation from the crowd.

“It was an ensemble cast. It was a great time being on the show,” junior Graham Kenchington said.

Brady Jacot is an excellent director, and everyone in the ensemble was amazing.”

The amount of work put into “Chaos” was truly staggering. It was a challenge for Jacot, especially since this was the first play he had directed.

However, it seems he is up for even more hard work.

“I think this was a great first show to start with,” Jacot said. “I think the end goal was really worth it, and I can’t wait to direct more in the future.”

Rating: 5/5 stars

PHOTO BY LINDSEY SOBKOWSKI

‘1989 (Taylor’s Version):’ Taylor Swift’s revamped pop bible OLIVIA CHIAPPELLI Arts Editor

Friday, Oct. 27, marked the release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” — the highly anticipated re-recording of Taylor Swift’s iconic 2014 album, “1989.”

Compared to the three other albums that Swift has re-recorded so far — “Fearless,” “Red” and “Speak Now” — “1989” has been the most anticipated due to its commercial and personal legacy for Swift.

“1989” not only represented Swift’s first major re-invention as an artist as she shifted genres from country to pop — and earned her her second Grammy for Album of the Year after previously winning for 2008’s “Fearless” — but also cemented her as an omnipresent figure in the world of music and pop culture.

It only feels right that I am the one to introduce the gift that is “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” to you because anyone who knows me knows that “1989” is my album. I also listen to that thing morning, noon and night for selfish pop culture reasons, given that its main muse is Harry Styles.

I know that I am not supposed to reduce a woman’s work to a man, but their fleeting 2012 relationship honestly keeps me up at night, and any nuggets of insight that I can dig up are the greatest gift I could ever receive — and a gift from Swift herself!

Because “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is a re-recording, I will save you and not dive into the lore behind each original track — but instead will link this comprehensive Twitter thread — and will only dissect the five exclusive vault tracks included on the new album.

There are some pertinent things I have to point out, however.

My favorite song is “Style” — for obvious reasons — and I was worried about how its iconic “raise you from the dead” guitar

intro would translate, and let’s just say my fears were valid. It sounds clunky, twangy and glitchy and doesn’t hit the same as the original — I am so sorry.

There were also some new twinkle sounds at the one-minute and 51-second mark in “Out Of The Woods” — but that is a totally normal thing to notice.

That’s enough of that!

1. “Slut!

“But if I’m all dressed up/They might as well be lookin’ at us/And if they call me a slut/ You know it might be worth it for once/And if I’m going to be drunk/Might as well be drunk in love.”

When this blunt song title was first announced, people were not expecting the soft, soothing love song about enduring slut-

PHOTO COURTESY OF VARIETY

shaming for the sake of a cherished relationship that is “Slut!”

— and it is truly one of my favorites.

2. “Say Don’t Go“ “I said, ‘I love you’ (I said, ‘I love you’)/You say nothing back.”

I was admittedly one of those delusional people who hoped for a Harry Styles feature on one of the vault tracks after reports of them writing songs together back in 2012, but after hearing this, I knew I was very wrong.

3. “Now That We Don’t Talk“ “You grew your hair long/You got new icons/And from the outside/It looks like you’re tryin’ lives on.”

This is where the vault tracks start sounding suspiciously like 2022’s “Midnights” — specifically the song “Mastermind” — in terms of the production, and I am skeptical if they were truly created back in the “1989” era. However, the now shortest song in Swift’s discography is a genuinely infectious bop.

4. “Suburban Legends“ “I am standin’ in a 1950s gymnasium.”

Now, this one is truly a “Midnights” reject. Swift did not have this intensely detailed word-vomit writing style back in 2014 — all love to my queen.

5. “Is It Over Now?“ “When you lost control/Red blood, white snow/Blue dress on a boat/Your new girl is my clone.”

Now onto the pièce of résistance. The secret snowmobile accident, the infamous photo of Swift alone on a boat postbreakup, the slew of models that Styles dated after Swift — this song is a direct callout with the most satisfying Jack Antonoffled production of the “1989” era. Perfection.

NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 13 ARTS ‘Now And Then:’ A final farewell for The Beatles CHELSEA BOSSERT Arts Reporter

In 1994, Yoko Ono — John Lennon’s widow — handed over a vocal and piano recording of Lennon to Paul McCartney. After a frustrating time trying to add, mix and master the song, McCartney dismissed the recording as “rubbish” and left it to collect dust for a little under 30 years.

Then, Peter Jackson — who recently produced the Beatles documentary “The Beatles: Get Back” — used AI technology to reproduce and isolate Lennon’s vocal track, and thus, McCartney and former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr got to work.

The finished song “Now And Then” has been touted by McCartney and the Beatles’s label as “the final Beatles song.”

The track is a piano-driven ballad with Lennon and McCartney on lead vocals and Beatles guitarist George Harrison doing backup vocals. Starr is also present on the track with a vocal snippet at the end, along with drums by him.

There is a melancholic tone to the track, and the lyrics are reminiscent of several love songs the Beatles have written in the past.

“I know it’s true/It’s all because of you/And if I make it through/It’s all because of you,” Lennon sings in the refrain.

Lennon is crooning about his wife Ono, saying she is the only one getting him through his days and his struggles.

Both Lennon and McCartney sing “I love you” in harmony at the end of the first verse. Originally, McCartney was not on the piano and vocal demo produced by Lennon and Ono. However, his subtle vocal harmonizations and inclusions on the track are a pleasantly welcomed surprise.

There is also more to his inclusion than just pretty vocal harmonies. McCartney is singing his final farewell and goodbye to Lennon on this track, emphasizing lyrics like “I love you” and “Now and

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITCHFORK

Get Back” possible — directed the music video for “Now and Then.”

The AI-enhanced audio restoration process Jackson made possible for that same documentary was used by McCartney and producer Giles Martin to finish the track.

Lately, AI-generated and AI-produced songs have garnered controversy in the music scene — and for good reason.

AI-enhanced projects like audio and color restoration are monumental technological advancements and only positively augment art. AIcreated content, on the other hand, only burdens art and damages its integrity.

AI is still a new and foreign concept to the general public — and even most in the music industry. We should not completely cut it out, but we should not let it run rampant in the artistic world.

Like many things, there needs to be a gray area.

Art is delicate, but it is also a resistant thing — even if it is threatened, it will continue to impress and inspire billions across the globe. People will find a way to adapt and move forward.

Paul and Ringo certainly have.

then/I miss you/Oh, now and then/I want you to be there for me” by harmonizing with Lennon.

Peter Jackson — the mastermind behind adapting “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” series as well as making enhancements with film and audio restoration technology that made “The Beatles:

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2023 OLIVIA CHIAPPELLI Arts Editor

This year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place on Friday, Nov. 3, and honored iconic artists who have made significant contributions to not only rock and roll but also to music history as a whole.

This year’s inductees included Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin and Don Cornelius.

The night specifically honored DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray for the Musical Influence Award, Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin for the Musical Excellence Award and Don Cornelius for the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

“This year’s incredible group of inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock & roll. We are honored that this November’s induction ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture; the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop,” Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation John Sykes said on behalf of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The night’s performances started with a duet of Crow’s song “If It Makes You Happy” with singersongwriter Olivia Rodrigo. Crow later brought out Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks to perform

Crow’s song “Strong Enough” — making Crow’s set a heartwarming tribute to musical influences of the past, present and future.

Chaka Khan took the stage with artists H.E.R., Sia and Common to perform some of her hit songs, including my rom-com favorite “I’m Every Woman.” Khan was also honored with a video that included interviews with Queen Latifah, Joni Mitchell and H.E.R. Dave Matthews, of the rock band Dave Matthews Band, introduced Willie Nelson to the stage — paying tribute to his many accomplishments in the country music genre — and Nelson subsequently performed with fellow country music artist and collaborator Chris Stapleton.

Missy Elliott also made history as the first female rapper inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was honored by Queen Latifah — who noted Elliott’s talent and influence on iconic music stars in terms of production, writing and performing.

Latifah also honored Elliott’s legacy beyond simply the production of music and highlighted her role as a leader in combating misogynistic stereotypes and obstacles faced by women in the world of hip-hop.

My favorite moment of the night was when rapper and record producer Big Boi inducted witchy singer-songwriter Kate Bush — a truly unexpected genre crossover. Big Boi went on to explain his forever love of Bush — even before her resurgence of popularity from her song “Running Up That Hill” being featured in “Stranger Things.”

He even anticipated questions the audience might have, like “What does Kate Bush have to do with hip-hop?” and “What does Kate Bush have to do with rock and roll?”

Big Boi explained how Bush’s musical integrity, innovation and unconventionality — paired with her ability to give her music a new life when performed live — makes her an unparalleled musical icon that surpasses all boundaries of genre.

“It’s no surprise that she had a surge of popularity decades after she emerged on the scene. After all, if you were hearing Kate’s music for the first time, why wouldn’t you believe she was a current artist?

The only mistake you might make is that the artists she influenced had influenced her,” Big Boi said in his speech.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITCHFORK

ARTS

14 | NOVEMBER 8 , 2023

The one where we grieve a friend: Remembering Matthew Perry MOE DEL ROSARIO Arts Reporter

Saturday, Oct. 28, marked the passing of an actor, advocate and friend to all, Matthew Perry.

Perry, 54, was found dead in his home in California.

Police are thoroughly investigating his death but have ruled out several things. Not much else has come out about his passing, so instead, people have come together to discuss his life, and remember him for who he wanted to be remembered as.

Perry will be remembered for many things he accomplished throughout his life — not just his acting career.

While it was known that Perry also struggled with substance abuse, he was well on the road to recovery for a long time. Perry eventually became an advocate and spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, a nonprofit organization.

“Sometimes I think I went through the addiction, alcoholism and fame all to be doing what I’m doing right now, which is helping people,” Perry said in an interview with The Washington Post.

Perry also received the Champion of Recovery Award from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2013.

He will also be remembered as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. It was revealed that a storyline written for his character Chandler in “Friends” was him sneaking into a gay bar for a sandwich, which was used for comedic purposes — something Perry

immediately vetoed.

Aside from his work helping other people struggling with substance abuse issues, Perry was most notable for his character Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom “Friends” — which ran from 1994 to 2004.

Perry also had numerous acting roles in TV shows and movies like “The West Wing,” “Fools Rush In” and “The Whole Nine Yards.” He even had some experience in theater and video game voice acting for “Fallout: New Vegas.”

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of

Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” Perry’s “Friends” co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer said in a joint statement for People Magazine.

It should be noted that TMZ allegedly broke the news of Perry’s death before it had become public record — informing some family members before anyone else could tell them, which was entirely unfair to him and his family.

Learning about his death has been beyond tragic for many, myself included. Matthew Perry was a staple in many childhoods. Perry wanted nothing but to help others and watch them grow. He wanted to be known for this instead of just his work as Chandler or other acting roles.

Hollywood has unfortunately lost an icon and genuine actor. It is tragic that after fighting for his health and others for so long, he couldn’t have more time. But in a time of remembrance, we honor his life with his accomplishments and dignity intact.

“When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want [helping people] to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that,” Perry said in the podcast Q with Tom Power.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

‘The Marvels:’ Everything you need to know MOE DEL ROSARIO Arts Reporter

In the teaser trailer released back in April, we learned that whenever one of the three superheroes used their powers, they would switch positions.

This was introduced in the finale of “Ms. Marvel,” but it had not been revealed that Monica would also be included.

The teaser also revealed that the film’s villain is a gender-swapped comic character, Dar-Benn. DarBenn — played by Zawe Ashton — is a general of the Kree Empire who wants to restore her homeland.

It is unknown why Dar-Benn was chosen as the main antagonist, however, as her comic book counterpart had only two appearances in the comics.

On the other hand, Monica Rambeau is a familiar face we see in the trailers. After “WandaVision,” it was unknown where the agent ended up, but we now know the answer: space. Monica now has a grasp on her powers and a seeming dislike for whom she formerly viewed as family.

It is unknown why Monica resents Carol, but it has been speculated that it is because, after her mother Maria’s

death, Carol did not return to Earth for years.

The film calls for them to be put in a high-stress situation together, and the audience can assume this will mend that relationship.

Kamala Khan is the last character introduced.

With a goofy attitude and a heart of gold, I have no doubt she will be the person to ease the tension between the two, as well as the fan favorite. It helps that Kamala’s actress, Iman Vellani, knows a great

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPACE.COM

deal about her character — even being a writer for one of Kamala’s comics.

“It’s also so surreal the fact the words that I’m writing I wrote in my childhood bedroom, and now people are going to read it in their homes,” Vellani said in an interview with Marvel.

“The Marvels” also introduced some new characters, such as Prince Yan — who was engaged to Captain Marvel in the comics — and brought back familiar faces such as Goose the loveable Flerken and Nick Fury.

“The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that it’s really wacky, and silly. The worlds we go to in this movie are worlds unlike others you’ve seen in the MCU. Bright worlds that you haven’t seen before,” “The Marvels” director Nia DaCosta said in an interview with Total Film magazine.

The runtime for the film is set at a shocking length of 105 minutes — the shortest film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I hope to be impressed with the film as a fan of all three characters and an avid lover of Captain Marvel.

ARTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 15

‘Javelin:’ Sufjan Stevens’s tragic letter to love MOE DEL ROSARIO Arts Reporter

Telling a story through song is nothing new, but when the story centers around a theme such as love and loss, it can get repetitive.

Sufjan Stevens’ tenth solo studio album, “Javelin,” is a testament that it does not always have to be this way. Stevens successfully tells ten stories with the heartbreaking theme of love and loss — and the different variations of it.

The first track of the album is arguably the most heartbreaking. “Goodbye Evergreen” is a gut-wrenching mix of a powerful ensemble of instruments and beautiful antiphony. This song was written as a goodbye to Stevens’s partner- who passed away in April 2023.

“This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson…. He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity and joy. He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a lifetime — precious, impeccable, and absolutely exceptional in every way,” Stevens said in an Instagram post when the album was released.

“Javelin (To Have And To Hold)” is another reflection of his marriage and the loss of his partner.

This track discusses the trauma left over from death and the hurt it stirs from his own vows. It also discusses the fault of death between two partners.

“A Running Start” and “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” are listed back to back in the album — an ironic approach. The former of these songs is about the anxiety and excitement of kissing someone for the first time. Meanwhile, the latter is a plea for love for the right reasons.

Sufjan Stevens also commonly uses Christian imagery in his songs. “Genuflecting Ghost,” “My Red Little Fox” and “Everything That Rises” are three songs that tell a story with this added imagery.

For years, this imagery had fans asking who Stevens’s songs were about.

“My love of God and my relationship with God is fundamental, but its manifestations in my life and the practices of it are constantly changing. I find incredible freedom in my faith,” Stevens said in an interview with Pitchfork.

While most of the album basked in the sounds of electronic instruments, “So You Are Tired” is a throwback to his album “Carrie & Lowell,” with the same soft acoustic properties of the song. It is an emotional tale of a partner getting tired of him and their love slowly wasting away.

“Shit Talk” is the longest song in the album — with a duration of eight minutes and 30 seconds.

It is similar to “So You Are Tired” as it discusses a relationship slowly withering away. The relationship is doomed, and neither partner has hopes for amendment. They simply have to let the relationship go.

The last song of the album, “There’s A World,” is a cover originally written by Neil Young but with

an added folk style to it. It is a perfect ending to the album and wraps it into a nice bow for the listeners.

“Goodbye Evergreen” is my favorite song on the album, but when listening, I found myself loving each song. I had only known Stevens from his hits like “Mystery of Love” — which first appeared in the 2017 film “Call Me By Your Name” — and “Fourth of July.” This album certainly made me fall in love with his voice as well as his style of songwriting.

I recommend this album to anyone and everyone.

It is beautiful in many ways and heartbreaking in every other way. You can find “Javelin” on any music streaming service.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITCHFORK

‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ film review NOAH FRANCIS Features Reporter

“Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF)” is a survival horror game series created by Scott Cawthon. The FNAF survival horror games involve resource management and are filled to the brim with jump scares. However, the most exciting part of FNAF is the lore, which is sprinkled throughout the series as cryptic secrets.

With the franchise’s popularity skyrocketing through ‘Let’s Play’ YouTube channels and a mountain of speculation videos, the series has branched off to spin-off games and even a book series. After years of anticipation, FNAF finally landed on the silver screen on Oct. 27.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s,” directed by Emma Tammi, is based on the lore of the video game series while bringing new ideas to the story. While the main premise of the movie stays faithful to the storyline portrayed in the games, the film gives extra character to the animatronics and the main protagonist.

The movie’s protagonist is Mike Schimdt, the new security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place. Schmidt reveals a disturbing backstory at the beginning of the film: his younger brother was kidnapped in front of him as a child, leaving the traumatic experience haunting him throughout his adult life.

Schmidt’s backstory is unique to the film, weaving a unique subplot into the main premise of

the FNAF storyline.

While the animatronics in the game series serve the sole purpose of being a source of nightmare fuel, the film also includes a more lighthearted side to the unsettling robots, showing their childish nature.

The film’s adaptation of the animatronics was incredible, thanks to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

The Creature Shop’s lifelike portrayal of the creatures was certainly preferable to CGI.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEADLINE

The casting for “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was superb. Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard, Elizabeth Lail and Piper Rubio gave incredible performances as the main characters of the film.

While the acting was spot on, the screenwriting

felt subpar in some regards.

As for the horror factor, the film relies significantly less on the jumpscares that made the games so popular. The film attempts to scare the audience without cheap shots through the unsettling nature of the Freddy Fazbear crew and their eerie backstories.

While the story was enthralling in some aspects, I felt the film should have aligned more closely with the plot of the video game series.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is an exciting film for those unfamiliar with the franchise. It is a cinematic retelling of the events of the first game that brings first-time viewers up to speed on some of the main lore from the games.

For fans of the series, it is hard not to love the callbacks, easter eggs and cameos from the FNAF community. While the story strays slightly from the set canon of the FNAF universe, it is easy to tell that heart and effort were poured into this film for the fans who grew up watching the many videos explaining the lore.

Rating: 7/10

ARTS A dull present into a bright future: ‘Sonic Dream Team’ 16 | NOVEMBER 8, 2023

NOAH FRANCIS Features Reporter

For the majority of the 1980s, Nintendo has been an overwhelming juggernaut in the video game industry, with Mario being the character at the forefront of Nintendo’s popularity. While many companies tried to make rivals for Nintendo’s plumber boy, none were as effective as Sega’s blue blur, Sonic the Hedgehog.

If the 1980s were for Mario, Sonic dominated the 1990s with style and speed, making him a worthy contender against Mario. In the 90s, Sega was marketed as everything Nintendo wasn’t.

Where Nintendo had slower and cuter titles for their consoles, Sega’s games were fast-paced and cool. Where Nintendo was family-friendly, Sega wasn’t afraid to use gore. At the time, Sega did what Nintendo didn’t.

Fast forward to today, Sega has long since dropped out of the console market and has gone primarily multiplatform. Sega has yet to allow Sonic to fade from the public despite his recent escapades being mixed among the gaming communities.

“Sonic Frontiers” and “Sonic Superstars” are the most recent original games in the series, received decently by fans. Both titles received a 7/10 from IGN and GameSpot, yet “Super Mario Bros.

Wonder” triumphed over the titles, receiving 9/10s across the board.

Despite the recent drop in quality, Osamu Ohashi,

an executive director of Sega and 2nd division manager, recently spoke about the future of Sonic the Hedgehog. While Sega’s 1st division is focused on the successful “Ryu Ga Gotoku” series, better known in the West as the “Yakuza” or “Like A Dragon” series, the 2nd division is solely dedicated to Sonic.

In an interview on the 2nd division’s webpage, Ohashi explained several aspects of the 2nd division, including Sonic’s direction going forward.

“Simply put, I want to surpass Mario,” Ohashi

PHOTO COURTESY OF X

While the older battles between franchises have been primarily about each company’s games, Ohashi alludes to other aspects he would like to see Sonic excel in over his rival.

“I want people to play it all over the world, including Japan, like Mario, and I want the movie [“Sonic the Hedgehog 3”] to be a bigger hit than Mario,” Ohashi said. “I would like USJ [Universal Studios Japan] to create a “Sonic Area” as well.

That’s our goal for those of us who love Sonic.”

Fans may say Sega has a long way to go to reach and surpass Mario, but Sonic’s newfound time in the spotlight could come sooner than we think. Two weeks after the release of “Sonic Superstars,” Sega revealed a trailer for “Sonic Dream Team,” the newest title in the Sonic franchise, coming to Apple Arcade.

From what was shown of “Sonic Dream Team,” the game seems to have more open levels, including six playable characters, new and old, that embody climbing, flight and speed. Taking place in Dr. Eggman’s dreams, the bosses shown off are creative and wacky.

With a fresh color palette to play with and a new soundtrack composed by Tee Lopes, “Sonic Dream Team” may be a step in the right direction for Sega and the game fans have been dreaming about.

said. “Sonic is a game that was originally developed to compete with Mario, and it still hasn’t achieved that goal. Our goal is to catch up and surpass Mario because we respect Mario.”

‘Gen V:’ Setting the stage for ‘The Boys’ season MOE DEL ROSARIO Arts Reporter

“The Boys” was first released on Amazon Prime in 2019 with a groundbreaking 4.1 million viewers within the first 10 days — making it the most streamed Amazon original show. In 2022, it was the most popular superhero show on any streaming service — beating those on Disney Plus.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of gritty superhero stories, a spin-off set in the same universe was announced on Sep. 20, 2020. “Gen V” was first released on Sep. 29, 2023, and has released a new episode every Friday.

“Gen V” brings us a different point of view of the supes, instead now being in the point of view of college students attending Godolkin University — a school for supes in training.

We meet a new set of characters who each have their flaws but interact with each other in interesting ways.

The story casts Jaz Sinclair as the blood manipulator Marie Monroe, Maddie Phillips as the telepathic Cate Dunlap, both London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li, Chance Perdomo as the metal manipulator Andre Anderson and Lizze Broadway as the size alterer Emma Meyer.

“In the Gen V world, the kids are still idealistic.

They’re not fully formed into either a hero or a villain,” Sinclair said in an interview with Collider.

The show introduces a new mystery in the shared universe, but not before showing the audience what

supe college life can be: drugs, sex and murder.

The main conflict is the death of the school’s resident golden boy, Luke Riordan, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger — not to mention the professor, Rich Brinkerhoff — played by Clancy Brown — whom Luke murders before his own death.

The introduction of the mystery behind “The Woods” sets up the future of the shared universe.

It ties “Gen V” and “The Boys” together, with the group finding out Cate was secretly betraying them — ultimately causing them to lose their memories any time they got too close to finding out the truth about her identity.

With this, the group realizes what Dean Shetty was up to — creating a virus to kill supes and making it airborne. This revelation subsequently leads to her death at the hands of Cate — with the support of Luke’s brother Sam. Victoria Neuman enters “Gen V” as an already fleshed-out character from “The Boys” and stirs up more problems when she reveals her powers are the same as Marie’s and acts as her sponsor for Goldolken. She also adds tension to the show when she murders Dr. Cardosa.

The finale ties the next season of “The Boys” into the show entirely when Homelander appears to fight Marie, and the group paints Cate and Sam as the heroes to the public.

The mid-credit scene of the show includes Billy Butcher meeting the now-imprisoned group — the screen goes black.

I’m excited for the upcoming season of “The

Boys” and what it will lead to. With the supe-killing virus and the possibility of seeing Cate and Sam again — but now maybe in The Seven — the show has a variety of plotlines to choose from. Season two of “Gen V” has also already been announced

by Amazon Prime.

If you’re interested in watching “Gen V” but haven’t watched “The Boys,” don’t fret!

“You get something extra out of it by having seen ‘The Boys.’ But there’s nothing that you’re not going to understand without it,” showrunner Eric Kripke said in an interview with Variety.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON

POLITICS

NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 17

The problem of antisemitism and islamophobia NOAH THOMASON Political Reporter

The Israel/Gaza conflict has resulted in a significant rise in hate crimes globally against both Jewish and Muslim people. Recently, there was a mob of people at the Makhachkala Uytash Airport in Dagestan, Russia.

In an attack likened to an attempted pogrom or the organized massacre of an ethnic group — typically Jewish people — we saw many wanting to possibly murder anyone Jewish or Israeli who came off a flight from Tel Aviv.

Within the U.S., there have been significant concerns about rising antisemitism on college campuses, with one example of a student at Cornell University allegedly threatening to shoot Jewish students on campus.

Jewish and Israeli people are not the only groups that have faced discrimination as of late. Only one week after Hamas attacked Israel, a landlord in Illinois stabbed one of his Muslim tenants and her six-year-old child, with only the mother surviving.

These are just some examples of the rising tide of hate crimes in the U.S. and globally that have been motivated by the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Hate crimes against Jewish people have been motivated by Israel’s disturbingly brutal campaign in Gaza after the attack by Hamas, which has resulted in the death of around 8,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children There was also a recent attack on a refugee camp in Jabaliya, which was reported to have killed at least 50 people after six Israel air strikes hit the camp.

The justification behind these hate crimes varies as some are genuine antisemites who use the war to commit and call for violence against Jewish people. Others are angry and are taking that anger out in a misguided way, often being fooled by purposeful antisemites.

The main issue here is the conflation of Jewish people, Israeli people and the Israeli government as all being a part of the same group when this is untrue. Jewish people live across the world and

have different political and religious beliefs.

Israeli people can also have different religious and political beliefs. Not everyone in Israel is Jewish or agrees with the actions of the Israeli government.

The Israeli government is a state like any other that seeks to sustain its existence and power through any means possible, which can include the oppression of Palestinians.

The Israeli government is the only one to blame for the attacks on Gaza, as their military bombed Gaza and spread propaganda to justify their actions.

Israeli people have grown up under a state that teaches them that Palestinians are their enemies, and so is anyone else who does not support Israel.

They are no more to blame for the behavior of Israel than the average Russian taught to believe the U.S. and much of Europe are their enemy and are to blame for the actions of the Russian government.

This is especially true, considering not all Israeli people agree with the actions of their government.

For this dissent, Israeli schools and institutions have been cracking down on Israeli citizens who speak out in any form about Israel’s actions.

The conflation of Palestinians, Muslims and Hamas has also led to similar violence, and a similar thing can be said about how Hamas does not represent all Palestinians or Muslims.

These groups shouldn’t be conflated as this leads to harm done to innocent people. Jewish people being synonymous with Israeli people plays into long-standing anti-semitic ideas that Jewish people are not loyal to their country or community but are instead to “the Jewish race and state.” Jewish people, like every other group of people, are not a monolith, and they are not represented by one single state.

Just as the conflation of people, religions and states can be used to push hatred and discrimination, this conflation can also be used to silence dissent and criticism against the actions of the Israeli government.

Students and student groups have been doxed, targeted and harassed for taking an anti-Israel stance. One example of this is a billionaire named Bill Ackman, who called for the names of Harvard University students who signed a letter stating Israel was solely to blame for the attack by Hamas. Another student at NYU’s Student Bar Association who said Israel “bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life” lost a job offer from a law firm that said it would refuse to tolerate any antisemitism.

There are also examples of ultra-Orthodox Jewish people being assaulted by Israeli police for their support of Palestine and their opposition to Israel. They didn’t target hate against Jewish people, only voicing disapproval of the actions of the state of Israel and the idea of a religious and ethnic supremacist state that has discriminated against non-Ashkenazi Jewish people located in an area religiously and culturally significant to many different groups.

There is legitimate criticism of the behavior and structure of the state of Israel that has been buried under accusations of antisemitism. If positive change is to happen in the region, there must be a positive dialogue where grievances are heard.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEENAH MOON VIA GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORKY SIEMASZKO WITH NBC NEWS

-Kamala Harris

POLITICS

18 | NOVEMBER 8, 2023

An overview of House Speaker Mike Johnson NOAH THOMASON Political Reporter

After three weeks of voting, the U.S. House of Representatives has its new Speaker of the House, and his name is Mike Johnson. Johnson is a hardright Republican from Louisiana who won the votes of every Republican in the House.

This is surprising, as past contenders for the speaker position were never able to get those last few holdouts to vote for them. Many of these holdouts were more centrist Republicans, who, for various reasons, were unwilling to vote for a farright candidate.

One probable reason Johnson won when previous candidates were unable was because of Johnson’s less abrasive personality. According to Republican Rep. Ken Buck, “In addition to being abundantly qualified, he just is one of those nice people that builds coalitions and doesn’t make people unnecessarily mad.”

Why Johnson was able to get the support of the holdouts is hard to say, but regardless, it seems farright Republicans have gotten what they wanted.

So, what do we need to know about Johnson?

With such an important position as the Speaker of the House, it’s worth noting Johnson served on former President Donald Trump’s defense team for his first impeachment inquiry while also voting against the certification of the 2020 election. The justification for not certifying the election was

based on unverified claims of voter fraud.

Beyond Johnson’s election denialism, there are also serious concerns about his record of being anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ. Last year, Johnson sponsored a bill commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would nationally ban education on gender identity and sexual orientation in some elementary school grades.

This is a problem because the bill misrepresents the discussions teachers have. The bill claims

PHOTO COURTESY OF TING SHEN

teachers promote the “sexualization of children” and aims to ban discussion of sexual activity, although there is little proof of this happening.

Given these children might know people who are LGBTQ or might grow up to be LGBTQ, they must have a reasonable understanding of the community.

The “Don’t Say Gay” bill could create an environment of fear and distrust, even for teachers not teaching these grade levels. Teachers could be called out by parents who take issue with their children learning about LGBTQ people. It sends a message that talking about their lives is somehow inappropriate.

On top of his work on anti-LGBTQ legislation, Johnson has also worked with conversion therapy groups, which use religious and counseling methods to attempt to change the sexual orientation of gay and lesbian people, which can be very harmful.

More recently, Johnson has worked with the House to approve $14 billion in aid to Israel, which passed 226-196. The bill received significant opposition from Democrats because it exclusively gave aid to Israel and included cuts to the IRS, which would affect their ability to audit high-income earners and would increase the deficit.

While Johnson has signaled his support for Israel, he has shown a lack of support for Ukraine against Russia, which Democrats also wanted to give aid to.

Johnson has said he is willing to support Ukraine, but he wants the aid packages to be separate and wants to focus on supporting Israel first.

Future of Trump legal case in doubt as loyalists plead guilty NOAH THOMASON Political Reporter

As the days go on, more Donald Trump-aligned people have either pleaded guilty or asked for immunity regarding their involvement in overturning the 2020 presidential election.

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty to a felony charge regarding her involvement in Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia. This makes Ellis the fourth defendant in the Georgia lawsuit to plead guilty.

The Georgia election case charged former President Trump and 17 other people for violating an anti-racketeering law, which has been Fulton Count District Attorney Fani Willis’s method of prosecuting this situation. The law targeted mobs and their leaders, but it is also broad enough to have other uses.

Ellis pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements and writings. This included aiding in statements made by Trump’s lawyers, Rudy Giuliani and Ray Smith, who claimed that “tens of thousands of minors, felons and dead people voted in Georgia’s 2020 election,” a claim that was found to be baseless.

These guilty pleas in Georgia were gained with the promise that Ellis and the others would provide honest testimony at future hearings and trials in compensation for multiple years of probation, thousands of dollars

in fines and a written letter of apology. These punishments are relatively light, considering violating the anti-racketeering law in Georgia is a felony that could result in five to 20 years of prison time along with a minimum $25,000 fine.

The goal of these plea deals is getting truthful testimony to make it easier to secure guilty verdicts on targets who are more important to the election denials and interference, such as Trump.

Trump’s former Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, was granted immunity over his involvement with the promise that Meadows would testify under oath.

Meadows has already spoken to Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team, saying that he told Trump that the allegations of voter fraud were baseless.

This admission to Trump is very different from what we saw publicly from Meadows, as he was a strong supporter of Trump and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

These guilty pleas in Georgia, along with Meadows seeking immunity, are worrying signs for Trump and anyone being indicted that are still loyal to him. As more people close to Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election offer to testify about their involvement and knowledge to protect themselves, this could result in a domino effect that encourages the remaining Trump loyal holdouts to offer their testimony in exchange for immunity or lighter sentences.

The more people are willing to testify against Trump in the Georgia anti-racketeering case and the election interference case, the harder it will be for

Trump to defend himself. This could put a strain on Trump’s financial physical ability to fight the other court cases he’s involved in.

We will see what this means for Trump and the rest of those involved in the Georgia case in the coming weeks.

PHOTO COURTESY SETH WENIG

NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 19 SPORTS Oakland Athletics: A week in review (Oct. 29-Nov. 4) BROCK HEILIG Sports Editor

It was another quiet week for Oakland sports teams as the calendar flips from October to November. Some fall sports teams are beginning to wrap up their seasons (the women’s soccer team is already done), but men’s and women’s basketball is right around the corner.

Here is a full breakdown of how Oakland fared in its athletic competitions this week.

Men’s soccer The women are through with their season, but the men are thriving. Eric Pogue and the men’s soccer team won the regular-season league title with a 6-3 Horizon League record.

Oakland capped off the title-winning season with a 2-0 victory over its rival Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. The Golden Grizzlies finished the season with 18 points, which was one better than runner-up Green Bay. As the league champion, Oakland will host the semifinals and finals of the conference tournament, which began on Sunday. After securing the No. 1 seed, Oakland enjoyed a rest day on Sunday as seeds three through six all competed to advance to the semifinals.

Oakland is set to take on No. 5 seed Purdue Fort Wayne at home on Thursday at 1 p.m.

Pogue’s squad beat PFW, 2-1, in the only matchup between the two teams this season.

Should the Golden Grizzlies win, they’ll advance to the conference championship match, facing

Green Bay or IUPUI. The winner of the league tournament will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Volleyball Oakland won its only match of the week last week as it defeated Cleveland State in a five-set thriller.

The Vikings entered the match below the Golden Grizzlies in the league standings, so it was a good win by Oakland to keep the competitors at bay.

Now, with three regular-season matches left

PHOTO BY LINDSEY SOBKOWSKI

to play, Oakland will need to continue to win to qualify for the Horizon League tournament. Only the top six teams in the league earn an invite to the tournament, and Oakland is currently sitting in fourth place with a 10-5 record.

Matches against IUPUI, Green Bay and Milwaukee loom this week in what will be a crucial week for head coach Krista Rice and the Golden Grizzlies.

IUPUI is near the bottom of the conference standings, but Green Bay and Milwaukee are ahead of Oakland, so it’ll be a tough challenge.

The first round of the league tournament is set to start on Nov. 17.

Men’s basketball Greg Kampe and the men’s basketball team played their second and final exhibition game of the season on Monday, Oct. 30, and the Golden Grizzlies looked solid in an 86-71 win over Wayne State at the OU Credit Union O’rena.

Jack Gohlke led all scorers with 25 points on 6-15 shooting (all 3-point attempts) and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe.

Trey Townsend added 19 points on 7-12 shooting.

He also shot perfectly from the free throw line, going 4-4.

Oakland officially began its regular season on Monday against Ohio State, but the Golden Grizzlies will face another Big Ten foe in Illinois on Friday.

The first home game of the regular season will be on Tuesday, Nov. 14, against Bowling Green.

Brock’s Thoughts: Trade deadline passivity will haunt Lions in playoffs BROCK HEILIG Sports Editor

The success of the Detroit Lions this season has been well-documented. It’s unlike anything anyone has ever seen from this franchise before, and the rest of the NFL is starting to pick up on the fact the Lions are a really good football team.

At the time of this writing, the Lions would finish as the NFC’s No. 2 seed, right behind the Philadelphia Eagles, if the playoffs started today.

Of course, the playoffs are still more than two months away from starting, but it’s clear Detroit is among the conference’s best teams.

However, general manager Brad Holmes and the Lions were oddly passive during last week’s trade deadline. While other NFC contenders like the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Eagles all addressed areas of weakness, Detroit sat back and watched other teams take their potential playoff runs seriously.

Holmes and Detroit did make a trade, acquiring Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick, but it seems there was plenty of meat left on the bone.

There was likely more meat left on the bone than was eaten.

The 8-1 Eagles added All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.

The 5-3 Seahawks traded for veteran defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

And perhaps the one that stung the most was when

the 5-3 49ers acquired former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young from the Washington Commanders in exchange for a 2024 third-round draft pick.

Yes, you read that right. The former Ohio State star, one of the most talked-about prospects coming out of college, was acquired by one of the NFC’s leading contenders in exchange for only a thirdround pick.

Great for the 49ers, but it certainly makes you wonder why the Lions didn’t make an offer at Young — the asking price wasn’t high — or any other defensive end, for that matter.

It’s not like the defensive end is a weakness of the Lions’ by any means — Detroit has its own former No. 2 overall pick in Aidan Hutchinson — but pairing a stud pass rusher on the other side of the defensive front would cause opposing offensive lines nightmares.

Imagine Hutchinson and Young on opposite sides of the line. Pick your poison, opposing offensive lines. Either way, you’re going to lose.

The biggest advantage having two elite pass rushers provides a team is neither can be doubleteamed without leaving the other in a one-on-one situation. As things currently stand, Hutchinson is being doubled much more than the Lions would probably like, and since Detroit doesn’t have a consistent threat on the other side of the line, teams can get away with doubling No. 97.

All in all, is missing out on Young a huge deal? No. After all, Lions fans would rather complain about being too passive at the trade deadline than

complain about the on-field product.

But if the Lions are looking to be serious contenders in the NFC and potentially make a run at the Super Bowl, being passive is the last thing Holmes and the team need to be.

I still believe Detroit will win the NFC North and host a playoff game at Ford Field for the first time.

However, I think the passivity shown at the trade deadline will haunt the Lions either in that openinground game or the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JUNFU HAN

SPORTS

20 | NOVEMBER 8, 2023

To bench or not to bench: Analyzing Jaden Ivey’s role with the Detroit Pistons KURT SZYMANSKI Sports Reporter

In the electrifying world of professional basketball, the name Jaden Ivey has been steadily gaining prominence.

However, the most significant question mark surrounding Ivey and the Detroit Pistons this season involves Ivey coming off the bench with the Pistons’ second unit.

Just a season ago, Ivey averaged 16.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 41.6% from the field and 34.3% from deep. Notably, Ivey started in all but one of the 74 games he appeared in and led all rookies in assists per game.

While it may seem odd that a young prospect with so much potential doesn’t start — especially on a team like the Pistons — there is one main reason why the team has relegated Ivey to the bench: defense.

Pistons head coach Monty Williams has made it clear that defense will be a massive focus for the Pistons this year. Through six games this season, the Pistons have recorded a defensive rating of 109.4.

This is a noticeable improvement, as last season, the team had a 117.8 defensive rating.

With a shifted focus on defense, especially in the starting lineup, Ivey simply does not fit what Williams is looking for. Last season, Ivey had the second-worst defensive win-share rating among rookie guards who played 15 minutes or more in the regular season.

In comparison, Killian Hayes, the player Ivey

would replace if he were a starter, finished last season with a better defensive rating than Ivey.

Hayes also nearly cracked the top 20 in average steals per game among all guards in the NBA. Notably, the lineup Williams has consistently started this season has recorded a defensive rating of 112.6. In comparison, the most-played lineup this season, which includes Ivey on the court, has registered a defensive rating of 130.2.

However, many positive things could come with Ivey on the bench. One thing to keep in mind this season is the other bench players Ivey will square off against on defense likely won’t have the same offensive talent as the starters.

While you could argue Ivey should guard the top guys to improve his defense, it’s important to remember defense is a development trait that cannot be rushed, especially in the NBA. By defending less prominent players, Ivey can hone his skills and build his defensive confidence more effectively than if he were constantly pitted against elite offensive talents. This approach allows him to make strides in his development while simultaneously contributing significantly to the team’s performance.

Additionally, with Ivey coming off the bench, it gives the Pistons a noticeable advantage on the offensive side of things, something Ivey undoubtedly excels at with the second unit.

Take, for example, Ivey’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, Oct. 30. In just 19 minutes, Ivey recorded 20 points and shot 7/13

from the field. Having a player like Ivey who can torch an opponent’s second unit on any given night is a luxury not many teams in the NBA have.

Furthermore, Williams benching Ivey sends a message to the rest of the team. To become a starter for the Pistons, it’s something you have to earn, which forces the team to stay not only competitive on the court but with each other.

As the season unfolds, this unique approach to utilizing a rising star like Ivey will continue to spark conversations and debates among basketball enthusiasts and the Pistons’ faithful.

The decision to move Ivey to the bench highlights the dynamic nature of the Pistons and will make their NBA journey this season an exciting watch.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALONZO ADAMS

Golden Grizzlies emerge victorious against Cleveland State in five-set match SUMMER WEATHERS Sports Reporter

The women’s volleyball team clinched a significant victory this past Friday in their match against the Cleveland State Vikings in an intense five-set match at Wooding Gymnasium. Despite losing two of the first three sets, Oakland came back to secure the victory.

In this fiercely contested encounter, the Golden Grizzlies faced adversity in the form of dropping the first and third sets with scores of 25-17 and 25-20, respectively. The Vikings, who were well-prepared, executed a strategic game plan with precision.

The Golden Grizzlies, although possessing remarkable defensive capabilities, found themselves momentarily without answers to counter the Vikings’ strategic attacks.

However, the Grizzlies demonstrated their mettle and resilience by outplaying the Vikings in the second set with a score of 25-21. Their spirit and determination shone through as they clawed back to contention. Fueled by this momentum, the crucial win in the second set laid the foundation for a comeback in the final two sets, where they dominated with scores of 25-16 and 15-9, ultimately securing a memorable victory.

The Grizzlies showed their ability to read the game, anticipate plays and react swiftly and six players on the team recorded double-digit digs. They showed exceptional skills and tenacity throughout the game,

with standout defensive performances from key players.

Emily Wichmann led the way with 27 digs, showcasing her prowess in the backline that left a lasting impact on the game. Notably, Kennedy Dolmage contributed significantly with 25 digs.

Additionally, Patti Cesarini’s role as a hitter extended beyond this, demonstrating her defensive acumen and registering 17 digs. Rachel Rossman had 13, and Ella Martin and Sarah Turner had 10.

This further emphasized the well-rounded defensive efforts that prevented their opponent from gaining an upper hand. Their collective achievements not only showcased their individual skills but also underscored the team’s commitment to all facets of the game.

On the offensive front, the Grizzlies made their presence felt with dynamic and powerful performances.

Cesarini, Martin and Gentry Brown played crucial roles, each having 14 kills. The sophomore sensation Martin had an exceptional showing, which marked her personal best and was a career highlight, solidifying her importance to the team’s success.

As the regular-season schedule approaches its climax, Oakland is gearing up for its final two games of the season. Their upcoming match is against the Green Bay Phoenix on Friday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.

The team is focused on making a resounding statement, and they are poised to take the court with a shared goal as they aim to conclude the season on a very high note. Following the match against Green Bay, the Golden Grizzlies will remain in the heartland of Wisconsin to take on Milwaukee in

their conclusive contest of the season.

With their impressive recent performance, the team is locked in and ready to go, leaving no stone unturned in their quest for success, meticulously preparing and pushing their limits.

Oakland currently sits in fourth place in the Horizon League, and the final two games of the regular season will have a huge seeding impact on the conference tournament, which is set to begin on Friday, Nov. 17.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BIJON STIGGER