DETROIT SOUL ON DISPLAY SEE FEATURES, PAGE 4
Author Jenny Risher and Comedienne Lily Tomlin, Wayne State alum
WSU REHAB CLINIC DANGEROUS FOR KIDS?
WSU ATHLETE HEADED TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES
PAGE 2
PAGE 7
JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 | WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1967 | THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU | DETROIT, MICHIGAN | FREE
NEWS 5221 GULLEN MALL - STUDENT CENTER SUITE 50 - DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48202 ADVERTISING: 313-577-3494 THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU
OPINION
STAFF CONTACT LIST EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KEITH BROWN • EG4659@WAYNE.EDU
Clinic puts children in jeopardy?
MANAGING EDITOR JILL LUBAS • JILLELUBAS@GMAIL.COM DESIGN & MULTIMEDIA EDITOR JON ADAMS • ED6239@WAYNE.EDU NEWS EDITOR WISAM DAIFI • WDAIFI@GMAIL.COM ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR JAMILAH JACKSON • JAMILAH.JACKSON@WAYNE.EDU SPORTS EDITOR FUAD SHALHOUT • DW8385@GMAIL.COM FEATURES EDITOR ELI HOERLER • ELIHOERLER@GMAIL.COM
Parents have reason to be concerned ASHLEIGH NORFLEET Contributing Writer When parents drop their
ter for Education Statistics,
WXYZ, Spain Elementary
child will get kidnapped or
there were 33 school-associ-
Assistant Principal Erica
be exposed to dirty syringes
ated deaths among elementa-
Rolack urged parents to talk
and drugs.
ry and middle schools in the
to their children about the
children off at school every
United States from July 2009
situation and make sure they
witnessed patients walking
morning, they typically have
to June 2010.
take a safe way home when
through the playground as
walking — instead of taking
the children were playing
two main concerns: quality and safety.
Recently, parents of stu-
A community activist even
dents that attend Spain El-
shortcuts, students should
during recess. This opens
I think it’s correct to say
ONLINE EDITOR VALERIE SOBCZAK • VALERIE.SOBCZAK@GMAIL.COM
ementary/Middle School on
avoid the clinic completely.
the opportunity for patients
that all parents want their
the east side of Detroit have
The school has also request-
to hold conversations with
children to come home from
COPY EDITOR SYDNEE THOMPSON • THOMPSONSYDNEE@GMAIL.COM
expressed concerns about
ed that they have extra police
the children and potentially
school with something new
their children’s safety since
patrol.
harm them.
that they learned that day.
Wayne State opened a drug
ADVERTISING MANAGER NATALIE DIXON • NDSOUTHEND@GMAIL.COM
LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
The South End welcomes letters to the editors regarding all inquiries and concerns from the Wayne State community. Please limit letters to 500 words. All submissions are subject to editing and may be published. Please email eg4659@wayne.edu.
CORRECTIONS
The South End corrects all factual errors published online or in print. Please email eg4659@wayne.edu.
ONLINE POLICY
The South End publishes articles online and in print. Visit our website at thesouthend. wayne.edu. While we support the right to free speech and expression, there are guidelines for morally and socially acceptable content. Comments and feedback deemed offensive are subject to editing or removal.
PUBLICATION
The South End is published Wednesdays during the fall and winter semesters by Wayne State University students. Copies are available free of charge at various locations throughout campus. The Student Newspaper Publication Board, established by the Wayne State University Board of Governors, acts as the publisher of The South End. The board establishes and ensures compliance with publication, editorial and news reporting guidelines. All complaints, comments and suggestions concerning the student newspaper should be directed to doso@wayne.edu.
It’s safe to say that most schools are successful at teaching children new and useful information. However, when it comes
Is this fair? Is it fair that
and mental health clinic next
the parents and their chil-
want the parents to know
to the school back in May.
dren have to change their
they are aware of the many
daily routine because of
concerns that have come
WSU’s medical building
a clinic they weren’t even
about as a result of the new clinic.
The same parking lot to opens up to the parking lot
aware of? Most parents, if
to safety inside of schools, a
of Spain Elementary/Middle
not all, will say no.
lot of parents are concerned.
School.
Tragedies such as Columbine and Virginia Tech made parents more cautious about their children’s safety. It could happen anywhere,
The clinic offers various
There have been com-
According to WCHBnewsdetroit.com, one representa-
plaints about patients loiter-
tive stated, “As a key mem-
services, such as a metha-
ing and abusing drugs right
ber of the Midtown medical
done clinic.
in front of the new clinic.
campus community, we take
Parents don’t want their chil-
all concerns seriously and will look into this one.”
In the long run, this could put the kids in harm’s way,
dren to be exposed to such
such as the most recent
according to parents, and
things, especially at that age.
shooting at Sandy Hook El-
they have good reasons to
One parent in particular,
ementary in Newtown, Conn.
say so.
According to National Cen-
Representatives of WSU
In a recent interview with
The parents appreciate the gesture, but they just want
who was also interviewed by
to see the authorities taking
WXYZ, is concerned that her
action.
Advertise in THE SOUTH END! share your message with readers in print and online! contact natalie dixon for more information 313-577-3494
2 I JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 I THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU
NEWS JON ADAMS/THE SOUTH END
COMMUNITY
WSU prof receives grant to study freeway speeds Michigan’s differential limits for trucks may not be most efficient CHRIS EHRMANN News Correspondent Michigan is well known for having constant construction on interstates and roads, as well as for highway congestion during peak driving hours. Wayne State Associate Professor Peter Savolainen of the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering has received a $175,000 one-year grant to research freeway speeds in the state. Savolainen teaches several courses at WSU that are directly related to highway learning. Some of these classes include Highway Safety and Risk Management and Transportation Engineering. The grant will be used for, among other things, examining whether raising freeway speed limits will be effective in reducing congestion. “We are conducting a study to evaluate what the impacts would be of raising Michigan’s differential speed limits for trucks and buses on freeways,” Savolainen said. “I’m sure you’ve probably seen on freeways, the speed limit is 70. “And where it’s 70, it’s posted at 60 for trucks and buses … Michigan is (one) of eight states that currently have differential limits, and so the Department of Transportation is wondering what the impacts would be if they raised it to 65 or 70 so that there was more consistency in speeds between trucks, buses and faster vehicles,” Savolainen said.
The Department of Transportation awarded the grant to Savolainen and another professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Assistant Professor Timothy Gates. According to Savolainen, the team will use the grant money to research crash data. “We are collecting data from states all across the country including traffic crash and fatality data — information on how much truck traffic is occurring in those states, other relevant factors like what the truck weight limits is, things like that,” Savolainen said. “And we are basically going to do an analysis to see what the differences are in crash and fatality rates between the states that have the differential limits, like Michigan, or the states that have uniform limits. Then make a recommendation to the state as to what would happen if they would raise it.” Savolainen said that, in addition to crash trends, they are going to look at the speed behavior of trucks and pedestrian behavior around trucks. They are also going to neighboring states like Ohio to do similar studies. “As you know, like (Interstate) 94, for an example, runs across Michigan and Indiana, and (Interstate) 75 runs into Ohio. So we are going to do some speed studies in each of those three states,” he said. Savolainen wants to conduct studies in the neighboring states because while Michigan has a 10 mph difference between cars and
trucks, Indiana has a 5 mph differential limit and Ohio has a uniform limit. They want to see how those speeds change as truckers drive between the states. Not all of the research will be about the speed limit of trucks. According to Savolainen, the team conducting this study also has some researchers examining the air quality in relation to speed limits. He said as speed goes up, so do emission from vehicles, and he wants to find out what the effects those emissions will have on community health. Ten to fifteen members of the group, which consists of 25 students, will be collecting speed data, while Gates said others will look at additional crash data in Ohio, more speed data and trucking industry surveys. He said the group will check for economic impact on the industry. “We’ll do some basic investigations on the environmental impact. We don’t propose to do anything really highly complicated,” Gates said. Savolainen also said Michigan’s truck weight limits could be negatively affecting the quality of the freeways. “Pavement conditions are going to be a concern, because Michigan actually has the highest truck weight limits in the country,” he said. “It’s largely, I’m not sure what the origin is, I suspect it’s because we have such large commerce coming in from Canada. It’s been
that way for a long time,” he said. The two professors are trying to weigh in on the positives and negatives of raising the speed limit for trucks and buses. One of the principle negative effects that the group has found is that it can become more expensive to raise the speed limit. “You would suspect the trucking industry would want to raise the limits, because it means they can transports goods more quickly, but actually there is some opposition to it, because what happens there, as you go faster, you become much less fuel efficient. It can actually become more expensive,” Savolainen said. According to both of the professors, what they want to do with the research is report information back to MDOT so they can make a decision. “We basically want to be able to tell MDOT, if you raise it to 65 or to 70, this is what we expect is going to happen in terms of crashes. We really want to have a reasonably good estimate of what’s going to happen to each of those different measures, and then they would make a recommendation to the state legislature and it’s ultimately their decision as to whether they would do anything with the speed limits.” After the group finishes researching and conducting tests for data, they need to deliver the results to the Department of Transportation by May 1, 2014.
THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU I JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 I 3
FEATURES COMMUNITY
Detroit’s soul in
New book combines ALLISON KOEHLER Staff Writer As Rod Stewart once claimed in a song: “every picture tells a story, don’t it?” In the case of the portraits that constitute “Heart Soul Detroit,” he was right. Jenny Risher, a photographer native to Mt. Clemens, and friend Matt Lee spent three years of labor and love on the book of portraits and conversations from Detroit’s most notable, historic names. Portraits with commentary include Barry Sanders, Smokey Robinson, Mitch Albom, Tim Allen, Alice Cooper, Chris Hansen, James P. Hoffa and Dr. Jack Kevorkian. The book contains a foreword by Lee Iacocca and Lily Tomlin and an afterword by Veronica Webb. Included along with portraits are edited transcripts derived from interviews lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours. “At first we weren’t sure what the text portion of the book would entail, whether it would be short bios, pull quotes ... eventually we decided on the edited transcript approach,” Lee said. “The thinking was that we had secured these fascinating people for photo shoots and that it would be a shame not to ask them some questions about their thoughts on the city and their lives as well, since we had the opportunity.” The self-produced venture was a personal project for Risher that was inspired by a conversation she had with friend, fashionista and model Veronica Webb, who is also included in the book. “Heart Soul Detroit” was conceived while Risher was doing commercial work. “I really wanted something for myself, that wasn’t commissioned and assigned by anybody but myself; purely my interests,” she said. “We didn’t have funding, I totally paid for everything – all the travel, all the shoots, anything you could think of – I paid for. So it’s not like Matt could just take off work to fly and ask the questions. It was on me.” To celebrate the release of “Heart Soul Detroit,” the Detroit Historical Museum will host an exhibition and museum fundraiser July 12 from 6 to 10 p.m. Local celebrities featured in the book will sign copies throughout the evening. Confirmed guests include Bill Bonds, Martha Reeves, Allee Willis, Mel Farr and Jackie Kallen. Risher said others are likely to attend, but haven’t committed. If you miss the opening night festivities,
you can still catch the exhibit at the museum through September 29. Additionally, participants’ artifacts from the museum’s collection will be on display. “Pieces from the participants that they’re either donating to the museum’s collection or they’re just lending us for the show,” Risher said. “Mary Wilson is lending us three of her Supremes dresses, which actually toured the United States. So it’s a very special thing for her to lend us those dresses. “We’re pairing artifacts that they (the museum) currently have in their archives, like Al Kaline’s uniform,” Risher said. “Also, Wayne Kramer’s MC5 guitar, Ted Nugent’s guitar — it’s the guitar from the photograph in the book. And it’s cool because it’s totally worn and it’s actually his piece. It’s not like a random piece; it’s a guitar from his own collection. “To me, portraits are my favorite,” she said. “I have a very short amount of time to quickly capture the person, the essence of the person, their personality. It’s my responsibility to get that out of the person, and to convey that in a picture. Sometimes I only have 10 minutes. So for me, the challenge in doing that is my favorite thing to do.” It took Risher two years to finally get time with Eminem, who wound up gracing the book’s cover. “He was exactly my last interview and I was glad. It was the best,” she said. Another favorite? “Berry Gordy, so he’s the first page in the book,” Risher said. “For me, Berry Gordy is the spirit of what Detroit is — working hard, achieving great success, and, of course, he named Detroit Motown! You really can’t top that.” Throughout the project, Risher leaned on Lee, who would offer up advice on, among other things, how to interview. “Matt is a writer and an editor, so I really reached out to him. He’s a good friend,” she said. “I just asked him, ‘Hey, do you want to do this book?’” “She said she had started this project photographing famous Detroiters and asked if I knew a writer who might be interested in contributing,” Lee said. “I said, ‘Yeah, me!’” The two eventually teamed up on “Heart Soul Detroit” just as they had on many projects before. They first met while working for HOUR Detroit. “We would always do editorial stories together, a photographer and writer team,” Risher said. “We collaborated on some memorable assignments and got along well. Everyone knew she
4 I JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 I THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU
n photographs
s portraits, insights was extremely talented,” Lee said. Risher and Lee had 70 participants, but had to narrow it down to 50 due to the prearranged page limit. “It took us three years to compile the book, so toward the end we had a feeling of ‘yeah, we’ve got to get this in the book. This one is definitely is a winner.’ Not to say the other ones weren’t, if we ever do another volume, we could use them,” Risher said. Due to Detroit’s rich music history, some of the initial participants from the music category were not among the final fifty. “That was hard, but we just had to weigh their stories and how much it was relevant to Detroit and Detroit’s history,” she said. “Plus, we’re at a point where people are starting to pass on. You know, the originals. That, again, was one of the most important reasons to get these stories told. That was one of the greatest lessons that Matt and I learned.” Did that help her in narrowing what was included? “Some of the younger famous Detroiters still have more to prove. They’re still on their journey,” she said, smiling. “The process basically went, I would do research and come up with a lot of the questions for the interviews,” Lee said. “Jenny was mobile - I’m in an office all day - and it was easier to do most of the interviews concurrently with the shoots, so she would do the actual interviews, also, of course, peppering in many of her own questions.” All of their hard work paid off in the end. “It has been really rewarding to see people responding to the interviews,” Lee said. “It’s been fantastic to hear from readers who appreciate these very personal stories about Detroit, or the subjects who have told us that they thought we did a great job.” The project only mounted as they progressed. “Our intention was always to interview and photograph the most famous, the most iconic,” Risher said. “But we learned a lot of Detroit’s history along the way.” “This all happened before Matt and I were born,” Risher said with a laugh. “Our parents maybe just didn’t expose us to it. And that’s the beauty of the book — people in younger generations can learn about Wayne Kramer or Lily Tomlin.” Detroit native Lily Tomlin studied theater at Wayne State before launching her career in show business. “Not that by any means we’re historians of
Detroit or any of that, but in working with this project, we realized how important it is to preserve these stories because they’re first-hand stories,” Lee said. “It’s not somebody’s niece heard a story that Lily Tomlin told. It’s from Lily Tomlin. So that’s why it was important for us to record these stories. “It was definitely exciting work,” he said. “There were a lot of high points, such as when we secured a big interview, or, as I mentioned, when readers have appreciated the time and energy we put in to trying to tell each subject’s story, visually or through the interviews, in the most compelling manner as possible. “Seeing it bound and printed was also, clearly, a high point. So was the opening party, at which Martha Reeves performed and Bill Bonds, Allee Willis and a few more of the subjects came out for meet and greets to very enthusiastic crowds.” Risher takes photographs for many international brands, advertising agencies and editorial publications, and has a list of clients that would make a confident photographer jealous. She earned her bachelor’s in photography from College for Creative Studies due, in part, to a scholarship she earned in high school. After CCS, she moved to New York, where she spent 16 years working as a fashion and editorial photographer. She now works mainly out of Stage 3 studio in Warren but also has a New York office where her college sweetheart husband works for Adobe. They have two children, ages six and four. Lee, a Detroit native, is editor-in-chief of Men’s Book Chicago, a general-interest men’s magazine. He formed relationships with many of those featured in “Heart Soul Detroit” while working as an editor for HOUR Detroit from 1999 to 2004. Opening night of Heart Soul Detroit Community Gallery Exhibition, a historical museum fundraiser, will be Friday, July 12, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Detroit Historical Museum located at 5401 Woodward. There will be a ribbon cutting at 7 p.m. The exhibit will run through September 29. Tickets are $35 when purchased in advance at www. detroithistorical.org or $40 at the door. Ticket with copy of book is $75. Detroitinspired food and drink are included. A portion of proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Focus: HOPE.
THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU I JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 I 5
A&E REVIEW INTERVIEW
‘Pitbull in a skirt’ returns Eve’s lyrics leave competition tongue tied JAMILAH JACKSON The South End The “pitbull in a skirt” is back. Rapper Eve has given fans a brand new album, “Lip Lock,” after 11 years. In 2007, Eve released singles “Tambourine” and “Give it to You,” but due to unspecified label conflicts, her album was shelved. After leaving Interscope Records in 2010, Eve began her work as an independent artist. During her hiatus, she created her own label “From the Rib Music” and started promoting the shelved album. Eve has officially released three songs from the album: “She Bad Bad,” Make It Out This Town” and the self-proclaiming song “Eve.” “Eve” is the first track on the album, and it lets fans and contemporaries know that Eve is back in a strong way. The former first lady of Ruff Ryders is known for her raw lyrics and delivery. “Eve” is no different. Her flow on the track is insane and displays why rapper DMX wanted her on his label. And just so you don’t forget who she is, listen to the chorus. It’s just
her name. “Lip Lock” isn’t the Eve we’re used to. It comes with the fusion of hip-hop, EDM and dubstep. A lot of rappers are doing the crossover thing, but Eve does it well. Although the production and sound of her music has changed, her lyricism and attitude hasn’t. I think the best thing about Eve’s new album is the introduction of unknown rappers. The song “Wanna Be” (which I took as a smash to Nicki Minaj) features the powerhouse duo of Eve and Missy Elliot, and also gives female rapper Nacho the chance to shine. Nacho’s raw and gritty talent is the perfect counterpart to Eve and Missy Elliot’s verses to this song. As always, Eve also leaves fans with inspiring messages. Tracks like “Make It Out This Town” and “Never Gone” tell the fans that if they put their mind to it, they can do anything. I think it’s a typical and cheesy move and doesn’t quite match the messages in Eve’s other songs like “Love is Blind,” but it still works. “Lip Lock” can now be purchased as a CD or a digital download. Guest appearances include Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, Chrisette Michele, Dawn Richard and more.
6 I JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 I THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU
SPORTS
t
WSU to host baseball camp Miguel Cabrera, Torii Hunter to make appearance FUAD SHALHOUT The South End The Wayne State baseball program will host its annual summer camp July 12-13 at the WSU Baseball Field in Detroit. Campers will be able to learn the basic fundamentals of the game and have a chance to meet Detroit Tigers players, ask questions and get their autographs afterwards. All Stars Miguel Cabrera and Torii Hunter are scheduled to appear this
year. Clinicians for the camp will include WSU head coach Ryan Kelley and Detroit Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones, as well as local high school coaches and WSU baseball student-athletes and coaches. Past Tigers guests have included Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge, Doug Fister, Austin Jackson, Victor Martinez, Rick Porcello, Pudge Rodriguez, Jose Valverde and Justin Verlander. Kelley enters his 11th season overall at WSU and fifth as the
head baseball coach in 2013. In 2012, WSU won 34 games, making it three-straight seasons of 30+ wins. He has said in the past this camp means a whole lot to him and WSU. “I think it’s a great event for the camp participants,” Kelley said. “We have a lot of kids from the Metro Detroit area who have a chance to see our campus, be on our field, play with the green monster, and then meet the Tigers, so it’s a great experience. “The thing I learned is that you see the Tigers on TV a lot, but when you
get up close and personal to them, they’re just good baseball guys,” he added. “They really enjoy helping out the kids, and they’re very excited to come down here and shake the kids’ hands, sign autographs, and tell them some baseball stories.” Jones has over 30 years of experience in professional baseball, including over 20 as a pitching coach in the Detroit Tigers organization. He was named the Tigers’ bullpen coach in 2006, marking his fifth stint in that capacity, before being promoted to pitching coach in 2011.
COURTESY WSU ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Former Warrior signs with Angels Catcher Brad Guenther reaches next level FUAD SHALHOUT The South End Former Wayne State baseball player Brad Guenther has made it to the big leagues. He signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization and will report to the team’s rookie league club, the AZL Angels in Tempe,
Ariz. The senior catcher was the 2013 GLIAC Player of the Year. He was the fourth WSU student-athlete to receive the Player of the Year award. “Our senior co-captain has been unmatched in work ethic dating back to the beginning of the academic calendar year,” said head coach Ryan Kelley, according to wsuathletics.com. “His hard work
has helped him garner a successful and impressive season individually. However, his goals and work habits were not based on individual performance. Rather, he set a goal to do everything he can to help our Wayne State University team be successful. “He has been a tremendous leader for his teammates and an example that several underclassmen have learned from regarding dedication.”
Last season, Guenther was named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team. Guenther led the team with a .361 average with 46 runs scored and 36 walks. He also collected 14 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 41 RBI and had 13 stolen bases. Guenther was also a Tino Martinez Award semifinalist, which is presented to the most outstanding player in DII college baseball.
THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU I JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 I 7
v
PHOTO STORY
“MLK WALK”
VIEW THE ENTIRE GALLERY AT THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU
PHOTOS BY JAMILAH JACKSON/ THE SOUTH END
THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU I JULY 10 - JULY 17, 2013 I 8