TRASHED
YOUR RECYCLING ISN’T GOING WHERE YOU THINK IT IS SEE FEATURES, PAGE 9 JON ADAMS/THE SOUTH END
OCTOBER 23 - OCTOBER 30, 2013 | WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1967 | THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU | DETROIT, MICHIGAN | FREE
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Victim blaming runs rampant in headlines
STAFF CONTACT LIST
COSW spotlights issue on campus
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KEITH BROWN • EG4659@WAYNE.EDU 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 ONLINE EDITOR VALERIE SOBCZAK • VALERIE.SOBCZAK@GMAIL.COM COPY EDITOR SYDNEE THOMPSON • THOMPSONSYDNEE@GMAIL.COM ADVERTISING MANAGER NATALIE DIXON • NDSOUTHEND@GMAIL.COM
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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
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CHRISTINA CLARK Staff Columnist If you spend any time in the UGL, you’ve probably noticed that there has been a little extra decor on the railings over the last few weeks. Hanging from the railings adjacent to the stairs on the second floor of the UGL are hand-painted T-shirts. Wayne State’s President’s Commission On the Status of Women (COSW) invited faculty, staff and alumni to paint a shirt as part of the clothesline project, a project started in 1990 to address the problem of violence against women, according to a notice posted on WSU’s website. One shirt, a black one hanging on the corner just before the stairs, reads, “the way we dress does not mean yes.” It’s an interesting message, seeing as it should be
an obvious point — the only thing that could mean yes is the word “yes,” and an incapacitated yes should be disregarded. Unfortunately, the way a woman (or a man, since they can be sexually assaulted, too) dresses or how much she drinks at any given time are playing a bigger part than they should when it comes to whether the sex was voluntary or involuntary. Slate is an online magazine that publishes commentary on politics, news, business, technology and culture, according to its website. A Slate article written by contributing writer and columnist Emily Yoffe was called “College Women: Stop Getting Drunk” with the drop head, “It’s closely associated with sexual assault. And yet we’re reluctant to tell women to stop doing it.” In the article, Yoffe cited a 2009 study that found that 20 percent of female seniors will become victims and that more than 80 percent of campus sexual assaults involved alcohol. Yoffe makes it perfectly clear in her article that the
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only ones that are responsible for the sexual assault are the people that commit them. She also talked to three sexual assault survivors that agreed with the point that women should not get drunk to the point of incapacitation. Yoffe does not make any mention of men being raped in her article, but does make it abundantly clear that women, not men, need to cut out the binge drinking in order to protect themselves from possible sexual assault. Yoffe’s intentions may have been good ones; in another article written by Allie Jones, Yoffe responds to the criticisms of her article. “Yoffe insists that she was just trying to help ‘prevent at least some sexual assaults’ by ‘giving practical advice to young women about the beneficial effects of keeping their wits about them,’” the article stated. However, no matter what her intentions may have been, this article comes off as simple victim blaming, which is an appalling trend happening to survivors of sexual assault.
A person should not have to fear the responses of the general public because they were attacked. In the comment section of a post by the woman’s rights group This is Personal, a woman posted, “’Don’t binge drink, it puts you in dangerous territory’ needs to be taught to our girls! Feminism does not mean you go shot for shot with the boys.” Feminism also doesn’t mean that a woman needs to fear drinking or wearing what they want because society will blame them for the sexual assault. All people should watch what they drink; sex, not including rape, is the responsibility of both parties. Both parties need to understand what constitutes a yes, and what doesn’t. Sexual assault is the responsibility of the assailant alone. A woman should be able to attempt anything that a man can do, within the confines of the law, and should not have to worry about whether another human is going to hurt her. The victim blaming has to stop.
Tell us how you really feel! Each week we go out and ask you a question regarding current news. Check them all out on our Facebook page!
BY JON ADAMS
THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: Within two years, the graduation rate of WSU African-American students has dropped from 10% to 7.5%. Why do you think that is? ANU REDDY Pre-Medt Major
Maybe because of outside influences like hip-hop and rap; the culture talks about drugs and women. It talks about violence and isn’t educational.
DEIONTA POPE Mathematics Major
The most part is motivation and support; if they don’t have support to do something, they feel like they’re alone.
KARLY LESAGE Psychology Major
There’s not very high graduation rates in high schools in Detroit, and a lot of those kids end up going here. It follows through and continues on.
TIFFIANI THOMAS Elementary Education Major
In freshmen year, a lot of my African-American friends were partying and gradually got kicked out because of their grades. That freedom is really bad; they can’t handle it.
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NEWS
Wilson visits Student Senate President announces Student Center project ELI HOERLER The South End President Wilson addressed the Wayne State Student Senate before their regularly scheduled meeting Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center. He brought with him a message of concern for students, especially those facing barriers and challenges in their final semesters at WSU. “Students have to be our first priority. I’m particularly concerned about students who just need a little bit of help getting over the finish line,” Wilson said. He said students not graduating was “a failure on our part” and that the administration needs to see the graduation of every student as a necessity. “We owe it to them,” he said. He went on to announce the restoration of the sixth and seventh floors of
the Student Center using money from the president’s initiative fund. These renovations will happen in addition to those planned for the first, second and third floors in spring 2014. Wilson said he will start with the sixth floor and the seventh will follow. He estimated that the restoration of the sixth floor alone will cost between $700,000 and $800,000. “So it’s a significant commitment to go ahead and do that, with all these other competing priorities like research,” Wilson said. “But we also need to make sure students have a good space, so that’s a commitment that I made, and we’re going to go ahead with that immediately.” Following his remarks, he took questions from senators spanning multiple topics, including problematic scheduling of required general education classes and student access to class evaluations.
One senator raised the issue of smoking on campus, hoping to gain support for a subcommittee aimed at reducing smoking on campus or stop it outright by making WSU smoke-free. Wilson answered the senator with two anecdotes about attempts he’d made at previous universities to ban smoking, one of which succeeded and one that didn’t. “I think the enforcement is the main reason why. When it doesn’t work it’s because it’s just very difficult to enforce,” he said, noting that WSU police patrol the entire Midtown area. “Certainly I would prefer a smoke-free campus – I’m a doctor.” When asked for a more direct line of communication between the Student Senate and his office, Wilson replied immediately, “done.” The council expressed appreciation for his presence, as he is not a regular fixture at their meetings.
After Wilson left for another meeting, a second speaker addressed the senate regarding on-campus support for the mobile app “My Fab 5.” In-house senate business kicked off with the induction of Kelsey Skinner as a new senator. Skinner pledged to represent her fellow students and support academic success. Other business was reviewed, such as the effort to deputize a student as a city clerk, allowing students to register to vote on campus, the plan to bring mayoral candidates Mike Duggan and Benny Napoleon to campus, and discussion of new by-laws proposed by the Student Association of Michigan, the council’s overarching authority. The Student Senate meets on the first and third Thursday of each month in Hilberry A, a room on the second floor of the Student Center. Meetings are open to the public.
A&E
Back with a vengence The Big ‘80s Flashback Halloween Bash is sure to thrill TIM CARROLL A&E Corresspondent The 80s are back in Detroit, but just for Halloween. The ‘80s Flashback Halloween Bash is coming to the Corktown Tavern on Friday, October 25 for its 18th year. Starting out as a simple jam session between friends, the bash has evolved into a tribute party that no one will want to miss. The event features bands playing songs from the ‘80s era in their own style, including local band Loudmouth Baby (pictured), an all-female Ramones tribute band. “We play for the Ramones and everyone that ever fell in love with the Ramones’ music,” said Cee Cee Ramone, bass player of the group. T Also on the bill are : Twitch, Panic or Pain, Red September and The Walkin’ Talkin’ Toxins, who’ll be bringing their surrealistic guerilla theatre show, complete with lovedolls and trampolines. All bands are local and Detroit-bred. “Expect the unexpected,” said event promoter Sue Static. Concert-goers are encouraged to wear their favorite ‘80s character costumes to get free door prizes. The party starts at 9 p.m. at The Corktown Tavern, located at 1716 Michigan Ave. in Corktown. Call 313-964-5103 for info or check out www.corktowntavern.com. 21 & over are welcome and cover is $6.
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COURTESY STATIC
A&E
Animation invasion DIA exhibit brings animation history to life
COURTESY PIXAR
TIM CARROLL A&E Corresspondent It’s not just about film, it’s so much more. The newest exhibit at the DIA, entitled Watch Me Move presents an in-depth view of animation. The exhibit, which opened on Oct. 6 and runs until Jan. 5, 2014, features every kind of animation imaginable. From Walt Disney to Studio Ghibil, the exhibition covers animation past, present and future along with inventors, innovators and artists. “Visitors are being wowed by the exhibit, especially those who think they’re simply going to see some movies on one screen,” said Elliot Wilhelm, curator of film and performing arts at the DIA. “Visitors actually walk through the history of animation in its many forms, taking
in whichever moving images capture your imagination, and spending as much time with any particular work of animation as you wish.” The exhibition has more than 100 film segments broken up into seven parts, referred to as interrelated chapters according to the DIA website. The first chapter, titled “Apparitions,” covers the very beginnings of animation. Wilhelm said the DIA has a strong bond with the beginnings of film and animation. “The DIA and the motion picture have grown up together,” he said. “When the DIA moved to its present building in 1927, the large auditorium was equipped with state-of-theart film projection.” The next chapter is all about the characters of animation and the artists who developed the personalities and traits. The third chapter is on fables and how animation brought old myths and fairy tales to a brand
new generation. The fourth is about the structures of the medium and the fifth is about animated narratives in a post modern world. The sixth chapter speaks on the exaggerated, extended characters like superheroes in animation. Finally, the last chapter is about mapping animated works onto the real world. “Because so many of the works in the exhibit will spark the interest and imagination of the visitor, we wanted to present even more examples of different types of animation,” Wilhelm said. “With more than 100 works of animation on display, it would take more than 11 hours to see absolutely everything.” The exhibition is for all ages, with advertisements around the city featuring animation from children’s movies like “The Incredibles” to classic animated films like Betty Boop. Parents and their kids will be able to immerse themselves in art and ani-
mation and learn about what kind of work goes into the movies and films they’ve known their entire lives. “It’s an exciting exhibition for everyone, since the history of animation is also, to a large degree, this history of the cinema itself,” Detroit Film Theatre founder Wilhelm said. The conclusion of the exhibition is a piece made exclusively for the DIA. It features projection mapping, a new animation technique that takes films out of the frame and literally surrounds the viewer with moving images. According to Wilhelm, “It may well be the future of animation, or at least an early clue to one possible direction.” Tickets for this exhibition are $20 for adults, $10 for youth (ages 6-17) and free for DIA Members. The exhibition runs through Jan. 5, 2014. For more information, please visit www. dia.org.
Detroit on display Event shows inner workings of the city SOPHOCLES SAPOUNAS Contributing Writer The “Live, Work, Detroit!” event was hosted by MEDC and Pure Michigan Talent Connect at Wayne State and took place at Ford Field Oct. 19. Among others, it provided the opportunity to network and learn about recent development in Detroit from keynote speaker Eoin Comerford, the CEO of Moosejaw. The event was created in order to showcase Detroit to the current generation of university graduates who are looking to make the next step in life as professionals.
As a whole, Detroit has garnered a particularly venomous reputation as one of the most dangerous and demolished cities in America, while the recent growth and rejuvenation of the city has gone widely unnoticed. Following the industrial collapse of the early 2000s, Detroit has begun to show signs of renewed vigor, which is precisely what the event attempted to instill in the attendees. Thanks to affordable rent in Midtown and downtown, more and more people have been moving from the suburbs in order to live, work, study and play in this post-industrial city. This renewed interest began with “urban adventurers” who would come
to Detroit in order to witness and photograph the ruins of what once was the largest growing city in the nation. While deemed by some as disrespectful, Detroit nevertheless began to attract those with a knack for the arts and the surreal. With Midtown being home to an annual festival named “Dally In The Alley,” essentially an homage to the artistic spirit of Detroit, it isn’t hard to see why. Another point of influx was WSU students who, not wanting to commute, decided to instead stay somewhere that would not be too far from campus. WSU was acting as an incubator for midtown, which began to turn into a hub for the arts as well as the DIY scene.
These students would then begin to move outwards to areas such as the downtown and New Center, and attempt to build a future for themselves. With many industries and service providers closing, a renewed entrepreneurial spirit began to emerge, along with interest from investors. This has resulted in a fresh influx of start-ups backed by a strong desire to succeed in a city known for hard times. However, that is not to say that Detroit was lacking in these areas. A wide array of world class venues, restaurants, museums and businesses have already weathered the storm, but there is more to be done in order for Motown to become a truly great American city.
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A&E
‘Carrie’ flops
COURTESY MGM PICTURES
BRYAN GRECO Contributing Writer Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz) is not your average high school girl. A shy social outcast that is constantly bullied by her classmates and sheltered by her very religious mother (Julianne Moore), Carrie eventually learns that she has a gift others don’t: telekinesis. After being humiliated at her senior prom, she uses her power to get violent revenge on the people who made her life miserable for too long. “What happened to Carrie?” is one of the taglines for this movie, but in the case of the film’s quality, it is a truly applicable question. What happened? Featuring a cast of great actors, an “updated” re-imagining of the Stephen King story and technology for better effects than when director Brian De Palma’s version was made in 1976, this should’ve been the “Carrie” we all have been waiting for. Instead, we are left with a stale remake that doesn’t bother adding
anything new to a classic horror tale. One of the biggest flaws of “Carrie” is the way in which none of the actions of the characters feel genuine. Other than the way Carrie walks hunched and has messy hair, there is nothing that feels strange about her. When she walks through the halls and sees spray-painted obscenities about her on the lockers, you can’t help but feel confused as why she is bullied. High school is no doubt an awkward time, but Carrie never comes across as truly tortured. Even when nice guy Tommy Ross (Ansel Elgort) takes Carrie to the prom as ordered by his guilty-feeling girlfriend Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde), you almost completely forget Carrie has even been picked on. Classmates talk to her, Tommy dances with her and Carrie exuberates a type of confidence so quickly it feels out of character. Carrie’s cries to her mother don’t come across as someone truly tormented by their guardian, but instead as a “mom, you’re embarrassing me” type plea. There feels no sense of dread,
even when Moore is at her terrifying best. It feels like “Carrie” is just going through the motions of the original; it understands where the story needs to go and does it without pumping any real meaning into it. Another vital mistake is the heavy use of CGI. While scenes where Carrie uses her telekinesis to float objects works with CGI, many of the “horror” scenes use it with awful results. The effects are so obvious that it pulls you out of any moment where they are applied and, like in the case of the prom scene, creates a hokey, laughable mess. The very last shot of the film is so ludicrous that it makes you really appreciate the practical effects of the original. “Carrie” does feature some good performances from Moore and Elgort, but it is ultimately Mortez who feels miscast. Watching Carrie was like experiencing extreme déjà vu for most scenes, and while it isn’t terrible, it fails to offer any reason to view it other than to see different faces.
Documentaries showcase city issues Freep Film Fest aims to engage community in discussion JASMYNE KITCHEN Contributing Writer The Detroit Media Partnership announced on Oct. 13, that the first Freep Film Festival would be taking place in March 20-23, 2014. The Film Festival will showcase documentaries that focus on issues impacting the Motor City. This event will be a way to get people to engage and interact, taking a look into issues that the city faces as well as commemorating many events that have taken place in Detroit and Michigan. The Film Festival will take place in the Fillmore Detroit and The Detroit Film Theatre. These two iconic venues
add to the city heritage as well. The Detroit Film Theatre, located in the Detroit Institute of Arts, has an art collection of over 65,000 works. A special launch party will take place Nov. 7 at the Fillmore Detroit. Tickets for the party are available at ticketmaster.com and livenation.com. The launch party will be the premiere of the beer flick. “They’re pretty high quality documentaries and we felt it was the right time to draw attention to them,” festival art director Kathy Kieliszewski said. “We’re bringing all of the documentaries in under one umbrella.” The idea is to create an environment where people can discuss them as a community. The documentaries will
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discuss a whole range of things. Topics are going to address many issues. “Our goal is to bring issues that will affect metro Detroiters and Michiganders with topics that celebrate Michigan,” Kieliszewski said. Some documentaries will be profiles of people, solutions for Detroit, celebrating Detroit’s musical heritage and many more topics. There will be discussions of the documentaries throughout the four-day festival. The audience for this event is anyone who is interested in making the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan a better place to live. “As a genuine and a life-long Michigander and a native of Metro Detroit there is a lot to celebrate and anyone who loves where they live
would want to participate in some way.” Kieliszewski said. Shantice Jackson, sophomore at WSU, says, “I’m very excited to hear about the event, I’ve lived in Detroit 19 plus years and I’m glad the Freep Film Fest will bring a positive light to the city.” Students can get involved and attend the festival to learn about historical roots and gain knowledge on the Motor City itself. In a city that has gotten so much negative attention, events like the Freep Film Festival spotlight the positive aspects of Detroit. Get more information about the Freep Film Festival from Freep.com.
A&E
Bottoms up Detroit JALYNE KITCHEN Contributing Writer From Oct. 10 through Oct. 16, “Dine Drink Detroit” brought out dozens of Michiganders and celebrated blossoming restaurant cultures in Detroit. This new event showcased 13 of the city’s coolest bars, cafés and restaurants offering their finest food and for incomparable prices. For only $15, Detroiters experienced a night of laughter, fun and great food. Some of the proceeds benefited the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. The 13 restaurants Downtown included: Woodbridge Pub, Traffic Jam, Sugar House, St. Cece’s Pub, Slows, Rodin, Ottava Via, Mudgie’s Deli, Motor City Wine,
Green Dot Stables, Mercury Burger & Bar, Great Lakes Coffee and El Barzon. These restaurants catered to all needs, from wine bars and small cafes to sports bars and intimate settings. Many Detroiters and people from other cities came out to support a great cause and experience these restaurants. Sponsors of the event included: UBER, Zipcar, Metrotimes, Midtown Detroit, Green Safe Products, Arbor Oakland Group, Hertz Schram, P.C., R. Hirt Detroit, Fresh Corp, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Module. “Everybody had great attendance, rand aised a lot of money for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy; the numbers are not yet back, put it was a great overall turnout,” event co-organizer and Rodin
chef Kate Williams said. “Rodin” is a French inspired bar and grill. Melvin Dozier, freshman from Wayne State, visited Mercury Burger and Bar during Dine Drink Detroit and says only good things. “The food was awesome, atmosphere from the crowd was really good, great vibe from overall,” he said. “This was my first time going to Mercury and I plan on going back.” Mercury Burger and Bar is known for their wide range of burgers. Pat Clemons, a grandmother from Detroit, loves to visit Downtown in her spare time. She visited El Barzon and says, “Great restaurant, tasty food, exceptional staff. My girlfriends and I had an excellent time and the view was amazing. Glad I got a chance to help out
a good cause.” El Barzon has a very unique menu with Mexican dishes and Italian cuisine. Pat Clemons plans on visiting other restaurants included Dine Drink Detroit. All the proceeds benefited the Riverfront Conservancy, and their mission is developing access on the Detroit International Riverfront. There are still ways you can help the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy by donating, becoming a member, joining Riverwalk Leadership Society and maintaining annual membership. All 13 restaurants are still open for business and were excited when picked to become a part of this new event. The restaurants gained from the experience and would love to be a part of it next year.
Phone of the dead DONALD BARNES Contributing Writer Sarah Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” opened Oct. 17 at Wayne State’s Studio Theatre. The play garnered the Helen Hayes award in 2007, and is directed by Jennifer Goff. Goff is a 25-year actress and has directed playwrights for 15 years. Born in Alaska, Goff received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Portland and her graduate degree from the University of South Carolina. Goff says viewers will enjoy seeing the production; she wants the viewers to remember their morals duringthe play. “We don’t get to choose other peoples moralities, we all have our own moral code,” Goff said.“In todays society we just don’t get to tell everyone what to do.” According to Goff, Ruhl writes “really interesting magic worlds that don’t really look like the real world.” Goff says Ruhl’s plays are recognizable through her word choice. “She started out as a poet, and then became a playwright,” Goff said. “She plays with words in a beautiful way; you can see it in the beautiful poetry of her words.” Goff says as director, her job is to paint Ruhl’s work with bodies. “The cast and I worked hand in hand to kind of shape this world and make the story make sense,” she said. “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” storyline revolves around a woman named Gene who encounters a dead man in a café. His phone continuously rings until Gene can no longer concentrate on her reading. When she confronts him, she realizes he’s dead. When the phone rings again, shocked and startled, Gene answers. From that point, she keeps the phone, serving as an assistant to the dead man, hoping to keep him alive through
her. Alexis Barrera, theatre major and fiveyear actress, describes her character Gene as quirky. “I don’t think she knows she’s strange, I think she’s doing what she believes to be right,” Barrera said. “I feel like she knows some of her quirks but for the majority she’s unaware of it; she thinks she’s completely normal.” Gene attends the dead man’s funeral, where she meets his family. Theatre major Kelly Robinson plays an outlandish and captivating strong willed mother who is introduced to the audience during her speech at the funeral. “My character’s quite outspoken, it’s her job to let everyone know her pain and to be as loud and vocal as possible about that,” Robinson said. Goff says when first encountering the material she’d be directing, she was intrigued how Ruhl uses a cell phone to draw connections to various components of the play. “Think about how much we talk about cell phones and whether they make us more or less connected,” she said. “This play was actually written the year before the iPhone was released -- think about how much the iPhone changed the way we communicate. That’s why I choose to use a smart phone, it has completely changed the way we connect to people.” The show runs through Oct. 26 at WSU’s Studio Theatre which is located below the Hilberry Theatre. According to Goff, this play is all about the intentions of the characters in an attempt to make each other happy. “I love the people in this play. I think they’re all trying so hard to be good in their own way and I think that’s admirable,” Goff said. For information on tickets for the show, please contact the Studio Theatre box office at (313) 577-2972.
DONALD BARNES/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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FEATURES
Beyond GPAs Post-collegiate exam measures workforce apptitude LATONYA BERRY Contributing Writer For high school students, the goal before graduation is to score highly on the ACT or SAT and accumulate a grade point average worthy of an distinguished college or university. For collegiate students, the goal is to get the degree and get the job – but that may not always be the case. This fall semester began with numerous articles being published all over the country about the future of the Collegiate Learning Assessment, referred to as the CLA+, which is a post-collegiate exam that seeks to measure graduating students’ worth in the workforce seeing that “employers no longer trust GPAs.” In 2012, the Teachers College Record did a study on the evolution of American college and university grading. The study found that, of over 200 fouryear colleges and 1.5 million enrolled students, on average across this wide range of schools A’s represented 43 percent of letter grades compared to 28 percent of letter grades in 1960. And according to the Wall Street Journal, “only one in four employers think that
two- and four-year colleges are doing a good job preparing students for the global economy.” Meredith Booker, a graduating senior at Wayne State, said the notion of employers not trusting GPAs is valid to a certain extent. “A lot of people can skate through courses and whole semesters through different means and GPAs aren’t always reflective of a person’s actual intelligence,” she said. The CLA+ made headlines this fall semester because it is expected to grace classrooms and graduating students at about 200 American colleges and universities this spring. Last year, four schools in Michigan took the test. Booker said if the CLA+ were offered to students at WSU it would be beneficial, “especially considering how the demographic of Wayne State is nontraditional,” she said. But Warriors can rest assured, because unlike the ACT in high school, the CLA+ is completely voluntary and would be used on a resume similarly to a GPA. Matthey Ouellett, associate provost and director of office for teaching and learning, said “I think Wayne State is
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looking to make graduates as competitive as possible,” but he didn’t mention exit exams in the future of the university. If exams such as the CLA+ were offered to students and Booker was not applying to grad school, she said she’d probably take it “because it would act as a supplement to my transcript and GPA.” Cheryl Dove, career services student employment coordinator, said she’s not sure of the benefits of exit-exams. She said companies are looking for students who in addition to having the academic learning component also have the experiential learning component that comes with internships, cooperative learning and volunteer experience. “Employers are usually looking for problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, communication, interpersonal, leaderships and judgment skills. They are also looking for tenability, reliability, and ethics,” she said. Dove said these are not usually skills you can learn at home or in the classroom. They come from having professional experience. Michelle Salvatore, director of
recruiting for Quicken Loans, said education is important but it is not the only criteria that they look for or take into consideration when they are looking for team members. “At Quicken Loans, we’re always looking for passionate candidates who are motivated to help, learn and make a difference, both within the company and with our clients. Our most important asset is our people,” she said. “We have a robust internship program where we offer the opportunity for real experience,” Salvatore said. “It’s not the stereotypical internship often associated with making coffee and filing paperwork. Our internship program pushes students to achieve higher goals and get real world business experience.” Salvatore said the internship program is so popular that up to 45 percent of interns return for another internship and more than 86 percent are offered full-time positions after their internships. “This is a movement that I think is coming on board,” Dove said, pertaining to the CLA+, “but the things that I’ve mentioned are longstanding.”
FEATURES COVER STORY
Trashy business Is your recycling landfill bound? JON ADAMS/THE SOUTH END
LIZ SCUTCHFIELD Contributing Writer Where does recycling go? You’d think putting a bottle in a bin marked appropriately would be a safe bet your litter wouldn’t end up in a landfill. On Wayne State’s campus -- a supposedly green one -- that isn’t quite the case. Until a dumpster enclosure system is finished, items thrown into the green bins designated for recycling will continue to be thrown away with the trash, as they have been for several years now. This problem may be fixed soon, but it doesn’t solve the problem for the entire campus. The situation began in 2010, when Capital Waste Management was bought by Waste Management. The two companies handle recyclable material differently. Both use the three-container system seen all over campus -- a trash can next to a pair of green recycling containers with one marked for bottles and cans, the other marked for paper and cardboard. Capital used a system that had a different color bag for each container. All the bags were put into the same dumpster by WSU custodians and the recyclables and trash were separated later at Capital’s facility.
Waste Management uses separate dumpsters for trash and recyclables. Custodians take the full bags out of the three containers and put them in their appropriate dumpster. Not every building on campus had room for the second dumpster. Buildings that did received the yellow plastic-topped recycling dumpsters pretty quickly. Some buildings, like Manoogian Hall, were determined not to have the space for the second dumpster. Planning was begun to improve or create space at those buildings. In the meantime, the bags from the recycling containers have been thrown into the single garbage dumpster, where they’re destined for a landfill. “If it’s supposed to be for recycling and it says it’s for recycling, you’d think it would be recycled,” said chemical engineering student Jeremy Runyon. “Yeah, I guess that is very surprising.” Signs that were put up by Manoogian’s staff or faculty letting people know that the items placed in the bins were not going to be recycled were not well received by Donald Wrench, WSU’s director of custodial operations. Wrench believes the signs send a bad message on a campus that doesn’t recycle enough to satisfy him. “While they’re placing signs to discourage
recycling, we’re working to encourage it,” he said. Wrench believes removing the bins would have been a setback to the process of recycling education on campus. Others believe the bins should have been removed until the items put in them were going to be recycled. “People get angry when they have gone to the effort and find out it isn’t being recycled,” said Marilyn Rashid, a professor who teaches Spanish and has an office in Manoogian Hall. A lack of communication also contributed to the problem. Some in Manoogian feel Wrench’s department should have informed them the recycling would be stopping and why, so they wouldn’t have had to find out on their own. They say it would have given them the opportunity to develop their own plan until the school’s recycling started back up. There are some people who work in the building who have been taking some of the recycling from the building themselves since learning of the situation. “Community happens that way,” Rashid said. “It made people feel deceived. It’s about transparency so people can be open and help figure it out.” Wrench disagrees. He says the project is a large one, and the people who were concerned in Manoogian should have con-
tacted him. “When they saw the yellow top cans appearing all over campus they didn’t call me,” he said. “If they have a wonderful idea that they think will help the university, why don’t they bring it forward? I’m always available and I’m right online.” The transition to the two dumpster system, for the approximately 78 buildings on roughly 200 acres that are his responsibility, is about half way complete, according to Wrench. That’s a lot of recycling getting done and not getting done. According to a report provided by Waste Management for the month of August, 2013, 237 cubic yards of landfill space went unfilled because of the 67.77 tons of WSU waste material that was recycled during that one month. Another 319.19 tons of WSU trash did end up in a landfill. One can only imagine what part of that was intended for recycling. Whatever the number is, when you imagine multiplying it by the number of months that have gone by since Waste Management took over in 2010, then multiply that by the number of buildings that are still having their recyclables dumped in the trash, you come up with a staggering amount of landfill space filled up with material that people on the WSU campus thought they had recycled.
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FEATURES
Detroit jazz club revival Cliff Bells brings music, history to downtown ASHLEY GAILLIARD Contributing Writer Live jazz bands, burlesque, and fashion shows are on and poppin’ in Detroit. Not many of people know spots still existed with live jazz bands housed in the essence of decades-old ambiance. But that’s what you get when you walk into Cliff Bells. After it was re-opened and renovated, owners Paul Howard and Scott Lowell, saw the light inside the once blighted space. “It has a great, rich history, a beautiful space,” Howard said. “We don’t go by the history; we present really great music, serve really good food and drinks.” Cliff Bells was named after the late-great John Clifford Bell, who established the foundation back in 1935. It was known for its dinner shows, tunes and their house band. The venue ran for 50 years, before Bell retired in 1958. In the 70s and 80s, the same spot housed a few other pubs and clubs: The Winery, La Cave and AJ’s on the Park. The building sat for 20 years, untouched. “It had a lot of water damage, grime, and soot,” Howard said. “It was a wreck.” Cliff Bells renovation began in September 2005.
”I had this idea of a Jazz club in Detroit,” Howard said. Although there was a tight time-frame“We got the job done and opened in February 2006, on the day of the Super Bowl,” Howard said. Renovations progressed through the years, but final renovation was in 2012. Now you can enjoy food and drinks while watching a live performance six nights a week (Tuesday–Sunday). A lot of the performances are local jazz talent, local groups and out-of-state acts. “We’re on a touring circuit between Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto and New York,” Howard said. A few times out of the year, Cliff Bells will present well-known international artists found by the house entertainment director. What are Cliff Bells future plans? To continue a real active agenda with annual events for musicians who return again and again. “We’re interested now in building traditions,” Howard said. Christmas and holiday events are underway. Learn more at www.CliffBells.com. Interested in performing? Submit a press package, live recording and video footage to: www.CliffBells.com or by mail to: 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, Mich. 48226.
KRISTIN SHAW/THE SOUTH END
Mortuary science program hosts open house PATRICK ANDRZEJCZYK Contributing Writer
KRISTIN SHAW/THE SOUTH END
Just in time for their annual open house, Wayne State’s mortuary science program hired licensed mortician and lawyer Mark Evely as their director following the departure of the previous director, E. David Ladd. Evely has had a nearly life-long connection to the funeral services industry. In high school, he washed cars, did landscaping and greeted mourners at services in his tiny home town of Byron, Mich. “Every job you can have in a funeral home, I’ve done it,” He said. “It took off from there when I decided I liked it.” In addition to his duties as program director and his work in the funeral services industry, Evely also has a part-time law practice where he specializes in estate planning, estate administration and will drafting. “I do three things,” he said. “I’m actively employed in funeral service. I’m the program director and I have a part-time law practice.” He knows this doesn’t exactly fit the stereotype of a funeral services professional, and he’s glad of it. “We’re not some Lurch-like undertakers from the Munsters,” he said. “Embalming and preparation are certainly part of the job… (but) we don’t spend all day with dead bodies.” Evely added, “We spend the majority of our time with the families.” Post-graduation job prospects are more interesting than the gross-out factor. Evely said the program has a
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close relationship with local morticians, funeral homes and other employers who regularly offer to hire WSU mortuary science students. “Our [job] placement is very favorable” Evely said. “Most of our students secure apprenticeships during the program.” He explained that the latter portion of the program connects students with opportunities in funeral homes and forensics labs around the state, an opportunity unique to WSU students. Evely said this is because WSU is home to Michigan’s only mortuary school. Still, most students at WSU don’t know about the program, and what they do know, Evely said, is not always accurate. “I heard it all when I started working in funeral homes,” he said. “You know, bodies sitting up (on the slab), that sort of thing. None of it’s true.” Interested students can attend the program’s Open House, Evely said. It will be held Thursday, Nov. 14th at 6 p.m., and if they like what they see, they can attend one of the monthly meetings to get acquainted with the program. He also said students can always just come over and visit. “Anybody who wants to talk to me or other faculty can call and we’ll set up a tour,” he said. There are some important things students need to consider before they apply, Evely said. And it isn’t about having a strong stomach or weak heart. “(We want) someone who cares about people and wants to help,” he said.
SPORTS
‘It’s Warrior Toughness’ Catching up with WSU alumnus/Chicago Bears’ GM Phil Emery
CHRIS EHRMANN/THE SOUTH END
ALLISON KOEHLER Senior Writer It was a warm autumn day in Detroit, the sun beating down on Tom Adams Field. But Phil Emery, Wayne State alumnus and Chicago Bears’ general manager, donned a dress shirt and sport coat – along with his signature cowboy boots. “It’s Warrior toughness,” Emery said, matter-of-factly. Emery was in town for the twice-annual rivalry game of his Bears versus the Detroit Lions, but more importantly, WSU versus Malone. He remains an avid fan of the football team for which he once played letter-winning offensive guard and coached defensive line. “I can’t find the score quick enough. I’m a big fan of Coach (Paul) Winters,” Emery said. “They went through a few head coaches, a couple of good men, but were never able to gain traction. Coach Winters has gained traction. People know Wayne State on the football map. Along with Rob Fournier, they’re developing a consistent program.” He was looking forward to strolling campus before the Warrior-Pioneer game that Saturday. “Though it has always been architecturally interesting, the campus is such an improvement in terms of what it used to be like,” Emery said. “The newer end of it has really made it look prestigious and given it a different feel.” Not surprisingly, Emery was especially impressed with the Matthaei Center and the weight facility. “What he’s (Rob Fournier) done with that building, making it as special as he can; a lot of positive changes.” Emery, being the master observer that he is, had his eye on Joique Bell throughout his career as a Warrior. As, then director of scouting, he had the “good fortune” of working out Bell. “I really wanted him to come to Kansas
City, but we had four veteran running backs and really didn’t have a spot for him,” he said. “He found his niche here in Detroit.” Before Emery went pro, his years were spent as a college defensive line and strength and conditioning coach; it wasn’t until he landed at Tennessee that he got the scouting itch. “It was the first time I was ever at a place where scouts would go, in bunches,” he said. “I always thought, ‘What a great job that would be.’ It really lit a fire for me.” Encompassing many of his passions – travel, athletics, athletes, evaluating talent, testing – Emery was drawn to scouting; especially the strength and conditioning side of it. Though some of his peers didn’t, Emery saw a “direct correlation” between being a strength coach and scouting. “It really helped me in terms of observing talent, trying to figure out strengths and weaknesses, and project what they could do. When you’re a strength coach, everyone is your boss,” he said. “So I’m used to meeting different demands, and understanding different people and gaining relationships with them. All of that really helped me with scouting, which helps me now. I feel very fortunate.” Emery’s plate was immediately full when being hired in as the Bears’ fifth GM in the franchise’s half-century history. The duties of his first 12 months included putting the franchise tag on veteran running back Matt Forte, trading for Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall and drafting the likes of Shea McClellin and Alshon Jeffery. Then to ring in the New Year, he made the grueling decision to replace longtime head coach (and his former boss) Lovie Smith with offensive guru Marc Trestman, a well-known head coach from the college football ranks. During the interview, when I misspoke and suggested he was the opposite of Superman, he couldn’t help but laugh. It was my failed attempt to compare Emery
to Superman when wearing his glasses and Clark Kent when he wasn’t, as he usually only wears glasses when being GM. “The practical reality of that? I can’t see my notes without them,” he said with a laugh. “When I started my first several press conferences, I had this lanyard for my glasses. Our local press thought that was beneath me. So I tried to rise to the level, and got rid of the lanyard. “No one wore a lanyard better than Al Davis. My secret is that I want to go for that special Al Davis look; that silver chain-link lanyard. If I find that, it’s coming back.” Emery’s love for sports goes beyond football, as he also played and watched basketball and baseball growing up. “I loved the Tigers,” Emery said. “My father took me to a lot of games. I was at Al Kaline’s last game. An annual ritual was going to Opening Day. If you’re in the state of Michigan, in or around the Detroit area, you would excuse yourself from school for the day,” he said, reminiscing. “We’d get on a bus, and head on down to Tiger Stadium and watch Opening Day; which we did on several occasions.” Well before the home of the Detroit Pistons was relocated to Auburn Hills, Emery found himself at quite a few basketball games. “I loved Bob Lanier, and you can’t be a Detroiter and not love Dave Bing,” he said. “They used to have some great, physical matchups against the Chicago Bulls.” One of the best memories was at the old Olympia, where the Red Wings used to play. The seats were straight up and down, and you felt like you were going to fall on the ice. It was a great old building. Emery’s size, speed and strength not only came in handy as a Tartar/Warrior, but also as a bouncer. In college, Emery worked event security at Joe Louis Arena; Bob Seger concerts, championship boxing matchups and heavy weight bouts. As for professional football, his heart once belonged to the Lions.
“My first experience watching professional sports, my father took me to Tiger Stadium where we saw the L.A. Rams play the Lions,” Emery said. “Next time, several years later, they played the Atlanta Falcons; a fairly new franchise.” More than a century later, Emery would become the Falcons’ director of scouting. Emery got to a chance to see his heroes up-close and personally thanks to his mother’s connections as a waitress at downtown Dearborn’s Meyer Seafood. “Most of her customers were Ford executives, and she developed good relationships,” Emery said. “One couple knew she had a younger son who loved sports, so they invited me to go with them,” Emery said. “They had box seats, something I had never experienced; once again, at old Tigers Stadium. “It was the thrill of a lifetime. I saw Lions greats like Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Paul Naumoff, Mike Lucci, Wayne Walker; Bill Munson was playing quarterback at the time. To see players live and that close was very special to me.” His football journey has brought him back home to Detroit a couple of times since taking on the general manager role. Emery said of coming home, “It carries a lot of significance to me. It has a special, emotional feel to it. “Every time I come back, it reminds me of how much my parents had done to get me essentially where I’m at with the Bears. The investment my mom made, the sacrifices my dad made.” His father was, then, a factory worker for General Motors. Now Emery returns the favor to his daughter, April, who was diagnosed with epilepsy nearly 25 years ago at the age of six. Beth, his “rock” of 31 years, has been there every step of the way of his football career, while also helping to care for April. If the Bears’ history of general managers is any indication, Emery’s NFL career has come full circle, beginning and ending in the Windy City.
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SPORTS
Two red zone turnovers haunt Warriors WSU hopes to bounce back from disappointing loss against Saginaw Valley
COURTESY WSU ATHLETICS
DON BARNES Senior Writer Two red zone turnovers came back to bite Wayne State against Saginaw Valley, as they lost 14-10 at Adams Field. The Warriors are 3-4 on the season. “It was a tough loss, I thought we played really hard, obviously it didn’t end how we wanted to,” quarterback Sean Guinane said. The Cardinals chose to take first possession after winning the coin toss. Both teams’ first drives lasted two minutes consisting of three plays. In their second drive, WSU drove 84 yards to the SVSU one-yard line on its second possession of the game, gaining four first downs all on pass completions by Guinane. Guinane, who was making his second career start, completed 4-of-6 on the drive for 70 yards. On a second-and-goal from the one, Guinane was unable to handle the snap with the ball bouncing into the end zone where it was recovered by Cardinal Brian Johnson. The Warriors would be first to score dur-
ing their first drive of the second quarter. The drive lasted five minutes and in nine plays the Warriors gained 51 yards ending in a four-yard touchdown rush by running back Doug Griffin. Griffin averaged 4.8 yards a rush finishing with 55 total yards on the night. The Warriors accumulated 130 yards rushing against the Cardinals averaging 2.8 yards a rush and the Cardinals finished with 128 yards total rushing. After a stop by WSU’s defense, the Warriors once again marched down the field. Guinane had a nine-yard carry on a thirdand-10 but on fourth-and-one fumbled the snap resulting in a two-yard loss and a turnover on downs. “Those definitely cost us,” Guinane said. “You’re looking at 14 points we didn’t execute on and that would have been huge in the game, obviously, those were huge turnovers.” Head coach Paul Winters was visibly upset after those costly turnovers. “He (Sean Guinane) fumbled twice in the goal line,” he said. “You can’t do that. I would love to say he played great but we left 14 points on the board—at least 14
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points. Nothing about that gets me excited. It just makes me angry. I’m sure Sean is angry and everybody’s angry. I thought he did some good things, I thought Doug did some good things, I thought our running backs did some good things. I didn’t think there was a consistency of us putting the ball in the end zone.” During the third quarter, the Warriors scored a field goal extending the score, 10-0. Going into the fourth quarter, the Warriors held a 10-0 lead, but things quickly went south. The Cardinals ended its first drive of the fourth quarter with a 18-yard pass resulting in their first score of the game. After a three play drive from the Warriors, the Cardinals scored another seven points during a five-play, 73-yard drive. This is the Warriors’ second straight loss. “Saginaw is a good football team, they persevered, they found a way to win at the end of the game,” Winters said. “We did not execute a couple times on the goaline early that hurt us. I think we cost ourselves two touchdowns and probably there were so many more times I think we
cost ourselves points. But I’m proud of the guys for their effort and I’m proud of how our defense played for three quarters, and even our offense and special team, I think everybody played well for three quarters, but you gotta’ play for four quarters and we didn’t.” One of the bright spots for the Warriors, as usual, was linebacker Ed Viverette, who recorded 10 tackles and one sack, but was down about the loss after the game. “They just have a lot of weapons,” he said. “The quarterback has a great arm, great receiver, they’re really a well put together team.” WSU plays Northern Michigan in Marquette, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. The Warriors hope to put this behind them and bounce back as quickly as possible. “They understand you have to give great effort,” Winters said. “So I don’t want to sit there and applaud your effort and then lose in the fourth quarter. I don’t want to applaud being close because that’s not us—I’m not happy with being close. You let them know we didn’t get it done, we have to improve so that we can get it done and come tomorrow ready to work.”
SPORTS
Volleyball drops two games over weekend Coach says season has had its ‘ups and downs’
COURTESY WSU ATHLETICS
ZEINAB NAJM Senior Writer The Wayne State women’s volleyball team lost both of its matches over the weekend to ranked teams. They faced No. 20 Grand Valley State and No. 22 Ferris State. Halfway through the season, the Warriors are 8-11 overall. Coach Phil Nickel said, “The season has had its ups and downs. We would like our record to be better, but I feel like this team is getting better each day. We have a lot of young players who are really starting to step up.” WSU played GVSU Oct. 18 and were swept in straight sets, 0-3. The first set was a close one, but the Lakers came away with
the 31-29 victory. It would be all Grand Valley from than one after they controlled the second and third set to sweep the Warriors. WSU has had a good season so far but there are always things that need improving. “We are working on being more consistent with our play,” Coach Nickel said. “For us to be more successful, we need to cut down on our errors, and we need to get a little tougher mentally. We have been close in so many games, but we are having trouble finishing those games right now. We just need to be tougher.” The following day, WSU went the full five sets against Ferris State, where they lost the match 2-3 sets.
Ferris State and WSU exchanged set wins all day. The Warriors lost the first, won the second, lost the third, than won the fourth to force a fifth set. The last set began in a tie than the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to take a commanding lead. The Warriors couldn’t complete the comeback and lost 12-15. Kristen Bulkiewicz and Madison Reeves had another great weekend, which is expected, according to Coach Nickel. “Obviously, Kristen Bulkiewicz is having a good year, but we expected that,” he said. “Madison Reeves is doing a good job in her first year as a starter, as is Heather Weiss. We’ve had a number of players do some nice things throughout the season. We
are focusing on a total team effort, where everyone fills their role to the best of their abilities.” Next, the Warriors head to Aurora, Ill. to play in the GLIAC/GLVC Crossover, with the opponents still to be announced. WSU has achieved a lot so far this season but there is still more to be done, according to Coach Nickel. “We are working hard to make our sixth straight GLIAC tournament appearance, and believe that we have the chance to beat anyone on any given night,” he said. “As we continue to improve and gain confidence, there is no limit to what this team can accomplish.”
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