The Wake, Issue 4, Fall 2016

fortnightly student magazine

volume 16 — issue 4

tim hortons

p. 6

q&a: guante

p. 16

love at first swipe

p. 11

spectacular activism

p. 18

mental health at the U

p. 13

changing the fashion format

p. 20

Want to get involved with T he Wake?

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We’re loo ki n g fo r ph oto g raph e r s , a r t is t s , a n d w r ite r s !

G e t i nvo l ve d at ou r n ex t m e e t in g:

@ t he _ wa ke

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Mond a y, Nove m ber 2 1st 8 PM, Fowell Room 8

VOLUME 16, ISSUE 4 MSA expanding building access

p. 5

off the mat and out of the booth

p. 7

dishonesty in documentaries

p. 9

american horrible story:gerrymandering

p. 10

no surprises from bob dylan

p. 12

mental health at the U

p. 13

Q&A: guante

p. 16

spectacular activism

p. 18

changing the fashion format

p. 20

improvising ecosystems installation

p. 21

“kanye on kanye” by kanye

p. 22

3 reviews

p. 23

©2016 The Wake Student Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Established in 2002, The Wake is a fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced by and for students at the University of Minnesota.

The Wake was founded by Chrin Ruen & James DeLong.

Disclaimer: The purpose of The Wake is to provide a forum in which students can voice their opinions. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or university as a whole. To join the conversation email avanabbema@wakemag.org.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR We now live in the aftermath of what was inarguably one of the most divisive, inflammatory elections in our country’s history. Regardless of your political affiliations, you have at some point in this campaign likely felt your values threatened. Threat to safety, threat to ideals, threat to perception of and feelings toward this country and its people. Threat of the unknown future.

Now a verdict has been delivered. The votes have been tallied, the electoral college has done whatever the hell it is that it does, and we have a president-elect.

And as the profound weight of our country’s decision continues to sink in, I want to give you all a little bit of trivia about this publication. Many of you probably don’t know, though the story is on our website, but this magazine was founded in the aftermath of the terror attacks of 9/11 – in the wake, if you will. We were a country in-shock and afraid.

The legacy of that event is not the act itself, but the ways in which we responded. We responded with aid, we responded with war, we responded with compassion and solidarity, and we responded with fear and intolerance. In the face of immense threat, we acted.

In the words of former Editor-in-chief, Kay Steiger, “We are members of a generation that lives in the wake of many things.” This is another. And the meaning of this moment in our history will be decided by what we say and do from here on out.

Here at The Wake, we will continue to share the voices of students across this campus. So take a look: read about the mental health initiatives here on campus, what Obama’s going to do next, why video game actors are going on strike, and whether or not documentaries are producing change. And after you read, think and respond. And together, let’s shape our present.

With love and respect, Emma Klingler Voices Editor

The Wake Student Magazine 126 Coffman Memorial Union 300 Washington Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

EDITORIAL:

www.wakemag.org

facebook.com/thewakemagazine

@the_wake

PRODUCTION:

THIS ISSUE:

Editor-in-Chief

Alex Van Abbema

Executive Director

Lianna Matt

Photographers

Managing Editor

Abby Richardson

Creative Director

Kate Doyle

Mariah Crabb, Xavier Wang

Cities Editor

Erik Newland

Art Director

Taylor Daniels

Voices Editor

Emma Klingler

Designers

Andrew Tomten

Sound & Vision Editors

Olivia Heuskinveld

Kellen Renstrom

Shawnna Stennes

Olivia Novotny

Online editor

Carson Kaskel

Finance Manager

Chris Bernatz

Copy editor

Alex Wittenberg

PR/Ad Manager

Effie Mogusu

Laura Beier

Social Media

Holly Wilson

Chelsea Reynolds

Web development

Laurel Tieman

Faculty Advisor

Julia Holmes Editorial Interns Avery Boehm, Bella Dally-Steele, Claire Becker, Emily Martens, Gabby Granada, Hannah Kloos, Helena Mueller, Isabella Murray, John Blocher, Liv Martin, Sammy Brown,

@thewakemagazine

Production Interns Brooke Herbert, Grace Steward, Rakshit Kalra Art & Design Interns Cameron Smith, Emily Hill, Helen Teague, Lindy Wirth, Katie Heywood, Megan Smith, Xavier Wang, Weiying Zhu

Illustrators Emily Hill, Helen Teague, Jaye Jungmin Ahn, Kate Doyle, Katie Heywood, Lindy Wirth, Megan Smith, Weiying Zhu Inside Cover Megan Smith Contributing Writers Abby Richardson, Annika Kohrt, Avery Boehm, Ben Halom, Chris Shea, Claire Becker, Cody Perakslis, Colin Miller, Emily Martens, Gabby Granada, Helena Mueller, Holly Wilson, Isabella Murray, Jack Hedlund-Fay, Jacob Van Blarcom, John Blocher, Karl Witkowiak, Kellen Renstrom, Liv Martin, Liv Riggins, Pallavi Janiani, Sammy Brown, Taylor Sharp

WINK ! ONE-PAGE MAGAZINE

R.I.P. VINE Most Iconic Vines of All Time

BY ABBY RICHARDSON, HOLLY WILSON, AND KELLEN RENSTROM We’ll miss you, Vine. Check out wakemag.org for our compilation of these iconic vines.

Back at it again at Krispy Kreme

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I smell like beef

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My pussy pops severely

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Dick Cheney made money off the Iraq war

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Where’s the lizard?

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Hillary Clinton just chillin in Cedar Rapids

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Indie girl introduces us to her kitchen

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White girl trying to remember the day she

ART BY KAT E D OY L E

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was born -

Hi welcome to Chili’s

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Heart and Soul nae nae

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I’m washing me and my clothes

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Why the fuck you lyin’?

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Girl vapes, guy goes “wow”

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Squidward dabbing

21%

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend/boyfriend?”

26% Political arguments with your racist uncle

What’s the worst part of Thanksgiving?

36%

17% Dry turkey

Discussion of your major/future

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NOV 1 4– 27

CITIES

WE I Y I NG ZH U

T H E WA K E

MSA SEEKS TO EXPAND AFTER-HOURS BUILDING AND ‘MAKER SPACE’ ACCESS Commuting students, arts students could see improved access to buildings and studio space after class and on weekends

BY LIV RIGGINS The Minnesota Student Association (MSA) is launching a new initiative to improve access to campus buildings by expanding the range of times that they are open to students. Currently, most buildings on campus are closed in the evenings and most of Sunday. Access to buildings after 5 p.m. and before 7 a.m. is cardcontrolled, meaning students are only able to access the buildings that they have permission to access on their UCard.

According to the University of Minnesota’s Safe U website, access to University buildings was restricted throughout 2014 as part of a safety initiative called the Building Access Program. This program sought to reduce public access and chance of crime by switching exterior entrances to automated, cardcontrolled access on weekends and after class hours on weekdays. While this program has made buildings more secure, the restrictions brought about by cardcontrolled access can pose a problem for many groups of students, according to MSA Infrastructure Committee Director Erin Deal.

Deal said that the limited hours could make it more difficult for students working on group projects or planning to meet after classes to find a central and accessible meeting spot. Art students and other “makers,” who may need specialized “maker spaces,” or studio spaces, to work on projects or complete homework, have also been inconvenienced by the existing building hours. Opening up the range of times that buildings are open to students could also benefit commuter students, she said, as it would give

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them a warm and safe place to wait for busses, public transportation or rides home after classes. During the winter, increased building access would also allow more students to use the gopher tunnels after classes, for a more comfortable walk between buildings.

The access to buildings initiative is set to focus on providing access to areas farthest from central meeting places first. Deal said that MSA would be working with administrators to “focus on St. Paul and West Bank, where getting to Coffman and Walter aren’t an option.”

From her experience living in Bailey Hall her first year, she said it can be “kind of annoying being an hour away and everything’s closed” on the St. Paul campus after class hours and on Sundays. Even the St. Paul Student Center is closed on Sundays, leaving students living on the St. Paul campus with few options for socializing, studying or working in groups on weekends.

She also said MSA is seeking to improve access to Bruininks Hall on the East Bank, as it is close to public transit hubs and could provide a convenient waiting spot for commuting students, or for students who live on the St. Paul campus.

Studio art spaces and other maker spaces would be another focus for improvement in the initiative.

Buildings used for arts and theater production, such as Rapson Hall, the Regis Center and Ferguson Hall, are currently open until 10 p.m., slightly later than regular classroom spaces.

Nevertheless, arts facilities still have reduced hours compared to other campus resources. The Biomedical

Library, for example, is open from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. through a combination of public access hours and extended cardcontrolled hours. While most spaces would not need that much accessibility, the open hours for maker spaces could be greatly increased and still be more limited than those of other campus resource buildings.

In order to broaden building and resource accessibility, MSA plans to work with University administrators, security and facilities to devise a plan that balances both security concerns and student access. So far, MSA representatives have primarily been meeting with administrators. Interim Vice President of University Services Mike Berthelsen met with MSA members recently to discuss the initiative. Deal said that they came away from the meeting with a list of possible buildings to begin improving, as well as the public hours, class hours and resources available at each building.

MSA plans to move forward by continuing to “tackle [the initiative] by working collaboratively, partnering with administration,” Deal said. She characterized the initiative as a truly collaborative effort, involving University community members ranging from students to administrators, security and facilities staff.

Deal said that because of the collaborative nature of the initiative, it is unclear when students will start to see changes resulting from the initiative. While there is no projected timeline for the project, she expects to be working on the initiative for the whole year, and possibly beyond that.

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THE WAKE

X AVIE R WANG

Local Vegan Deli featured at VegFest 2016 America’s first vegan butcher shop not only calls Minneapolis home, but it is changing the way city residents eat their meat.

BY JACOB VAN BLARCOM store has brought awareness to the environmental, ethical and health concerns that switching to a vegan diet or reducing meat consumption can help solve.

One doesn’t have to look any farther than Northeast Minneapolis to find the only vegan butcher shop in America. The Herbivorous Butcher has been serving its signature “meatless meats” and “cheese-free cheeses” to the Twin Cities for more than two years.

This quirky, grassroots operation by brother and sister Aubry and Kale Walch has since gained a loyal following of both herbivores and carnivores alike.

Offering tantalizing aromas and pleasing sights of the many cheeses and meats in the store, one almost forgets that everything showcased in the shop’s premier deli cabinet is entirely plant-based.

Located at 507 1st Ave. NE, the Herbivorous Butcher has done more for the Minneapolis community than just provide an accessible–and charmingly classic–outlet for people to purchase protein alternatives. In addition to providing an old-school butcher shop experience, the

“In fact, about 60 to 70 percent of our customers still consume animal meat,” said Laura vanZandt, the marketing communications coordinator for the Herbivorous Butcher. She explained that the majority of the store’s customers are limiting their meat consumption for health reasons, or are catering for vegan friends. Whatever the reason, the Herbivorous Butcher’s creations go beyond just imitating animalbased products, but rather produce a unique and satisfying culinary experience on their own.

Fitting with the shop’s core values, the Herbivorous Butcher was one of the many vendors that joined nonprofit organizations and animal rights activist

Tim Hortons:

groups at the annual Twin Cities VegFest held Oct. 28 and 29 at Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota. Offering a simple menu of diverse creations including gluten-free nachos with shredded chicken, a Seoul Dawg with kimchi, and a double-decker taco featuring chorizo and pepper jack cheese, the shop served a delicious taste of locally-produced vegan fare.

Festival-goers also had the chance to attend cooking demos and learn about local animal rights groups and other activist efforts. As a testament to the event’s success, the Herbivorous Butcher sold out its menus both days, pleasing their customers with conscientious cuisine.

How Canada’s Beloved Will Enter Minnesota’s College Life

BY PALLAVI JANIANI

The cold winters are not the only significant thing that Canada and Minnesota have in common now. Tim Hortons, the much loved coffee and doughnut chain in Canada, is all set to open stores in Dinkytown and the Mall of America.

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With campus a short walk away, the location in Dinkytown is a strong one. Caffeine thirsty and hungry college students are the perfect market for Tim Hortons. However, “Tim’s,” as Canadians know it, faces competition from nearby cafes and restaurants such as Starbucks, Espresso Royale, Al’s Breakfast and Caribou Coffee, which are prominent coffee and food destinations for college students right in Dinkytown and Stadium Village.

Nevertheless, one major advantage that Tim’s has over its competitors is that it has a broader menu than many coffee shops– ranging from coffee to sandwiches to soups

and hot bowls. Students who have tasted Tim Hortons’ food before say that they particularly like its chocolate and red velvet muffins, Tuscan chicken Panini and its original blend coffee.

Students don’t have to go to different places for different kinds of food, possibly enabling it to be a popular group study destination as well. It is widely accepted that college students in general run on coffee, and often get hungry and want snacks while studying.

Tim’s would be a perfect place for students to spend long hours in, have a meal, drink and some coffee to keep them awake. Moreover, they can have dessert for the much-needed sugar or even some breakfast foods throughout the afternoon.

Other well-established restaurants in Dinkytown cater to only one or a few of these aspects. Students have to move from one place to another, or carry the stuff if they want to enjoy all courses and satisfy all taste buds.

With Tim’s expansive menu, this need decreases and students can stay there for hours, enjoying its meals and coffee while catching up on their work.

NOV 14–27

T H E WA K E

CITIES After almost two years of unsuccessful negotiations with video game companies, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), incited a strike, which is still ongoing, at EA in Playa Vista.

A RT BY E M I LY H I L L

OFF THE MAT OUT OF THE BOOTH

On the Voice Actor’s Union’s Ongoing Strike against Big-Name Gaming

BY JACK HEDLUND-FAY

Since February 2015, SAG-AFTRA has been in talks with major video game companies including Activision, Electronic Arts and Take 2 Interactive to secure better pay and working conditions for actors and actresses performing voice-over or motion-capture work.

They are focused on four things: additional payments triggered when games sell more than 2, 4, 6, and 8 million copies; limited length for voice acting sessions to reduce vocal stress; stunt coordinators for safety in motion capture; and transparency about projects worked on.

Actors like Wil Wheaton support the strike, pointing out long-lasting health effects that the current system can cause as well as the sales value of big-name voice actors.

Strike opponents shoot back, citing poor working conditions those working directly on the games often have to endure for months or years, without residual payments.

“Negotiating working conditions is huge,” said Alan Ackerman, artist for “Diablo II” and “Lord of Destruction” and nearly 30-year industry veteran.

“Game companies will squeeze workers for everything they can.” He agreed with the union’s platform. “[Companies] have been fighting against that for artists, programmers, and product developers for decades,” he said. “If they caved to [the unions], the flood gates would be open.” Graphic artists and programmers brought

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class action lawsuits against Electronic Arts for unpaid, forced overtime, and settled for $15.6 million and $14.9 million.

Activision fired the heads of Infinity Ward rather than paying bonuses due for “Call of Duty.”

Ackerman explained the relationship between developers and actors: “I have always felt that the games industry’s love of Hollywood has been detrimental to the actual developers. The first game awards had categories like best actor in a game.”

Ackerman discussed the lack of transparency, because companies “always try to keep those things under control. No company wants leaked information getting out.”

He pointed out some downsides of leaks, including killing the buzz a company might try to generate about the game, giving away plot twists, and causing community outrage. He concluded that a possible work-around for the transparency issue would be to use codenames for the information.

“Sure, payment and compensation is certainly part of it, but it’s not all of it, and it isn’t even the biggest part of it,” said LaMont Ridgell, a performer with game acting experience and a Minneapolis local. “We really are fighting for the future of our ability to work in this business.”

Ridgell’s resume includes voice acting for “Gran Turismo 4,” “Diablo II,” and “ChronoBlade,” as well as motion-capture work with Industrial Light and Magic.

He believes resolving safety and health issues eclipses residual payments. He discussed the hazards of motion capture: “There are absolutely no safety guidelines when you’re doing all the running,

jumping, hopping, flipping and falling. I did it for an unreleased [“Star Wars”] video game. Even though we fell on mats, we had to make believe we were being shot. So fabulous falls, flips, over and over and over and over again. You pull a muscle… sprain something, you’re screwed.” As for secondary compensation, he cited precedents in film and television, and specifically the case of the unexpected success of “Aladdin”: “Robin Williams’ argument toward Disney was of lying to him and breaching an agreement not to use his voice to merchandise products inspired by the hit animated film “Aladdin.””

The sequel came out using [Dan Castellaneta] and the movie didn’t make as much money.

Disney eventually apologized to Robin and he came back to do another sequel but by that time, it was too late.”

Finally, he suggested that for in-development projects companies should take a page from film and television, giving only such information as what they are expected to do and whom they would be working with.

SAG-AFTRA’ wants the games industry’s system to more closely resemble Hollywood’s, but the integral role artists, designers and programmers in a hit game should also be respected. While it is important to ensure that actors do not suffer injuries, developers should also be treated better, and giving residuals to actors seems a bit backwards. The workers that are most essential to making a game what it is, the designers, artists and programmers, should be the first to reap the rewards of a game’s success. Games differ from films; the actors do not make or break the content.

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Ghosts and Goodbyes at the Bell Museum

BY EMILY MARTENS The historic Bell Museum on the University of Minnesota campus is closing its doors for an unprecedented renovation. For nearly 150 years, the Bell Museum has called campus home and served both the community within and outside of the University. Dec. 31, 2016 will be goodbye for the old Bell and the doors will close on this chapter of the museum. However, though the building is closing, the museum has plans for the future.

In 1872, University legislation created “an act to provide for a geological and natural history survey of the state...” and, in turn, that “natural history and geological specimens be prepared, and a museum to be established at the University.” This was the birth of the Bell Museum of Natural History. The museum since has served as a host for over 4 million species and showcases aspects of life that are uniquely Minnesotan.

From its beginnings until now, the Bell Museum has been a place for community engagement. While University students and staff get in free, this should not discourage the rest of the community from stopping by. Throughout the school year, the museum is frequented by busloads of elementary school students on field trips. Its wide array of exhibits makes the Bell an ideal location for exploring and expanding students’ horizons. The opportunity for exposing students to the natural world is one that many schools take full advantage of.

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The Bell also acts as a host for special events throughout the year. For example, this Halloween the Bell brought back its old tradition of “The Dead Zoo.” On Oct. 29, the Bell Museum reopened its doors after hours to celebrate Halloween.

Children dressed as witches, wizards, monsters and princesses to explore the exhibits.

The traditional exhibits were accompanied by whimsical attractions such as Vegan Taxidermy, The Room of 100 Skulls, and several other spooky activities. Kids in costumes cut up Beanie Babies and performed plastic surgery to sew stuffed limbs into altogether unheard of animals. Arguably the best of these creations was a dolphin given the wings of a bat or a lion with a fish-head.

A RT BY E M I LY H I L L

The University is proudly investing in a brand-new state-of-the-art Bell Museum coming in the summer of 2018. Along with the existing exhibits and displays, countless new ones will be installed. To top all of this off, the new Bell will contain a fully functional planetarium.

Despite that the Bell has been around and adored for many years, a renovation of this proportion is unprecedented.

President Eric Kaler is excited to be a part of this change and has spoken about this quite openly. He wishes to reach the community in a completely new and impactful way.

Accompanying the myriad window displays, the museum offers an entire wing of exhibits that are completely hands on. Visitors, especially children, are encouraged to get a deeper understanding of the natural world through kinesthetic learning. Museum staff in the hands-on department let visitors hold and even pet the live reptiles. Students can learn about snakes while having one coil around their fingers. The staff at the Bell are encourage everyone to get the most out of their attendance through this type of learning.

Unfortunately, this event was one of the few remaining ones for the existing Bell Museum.

The Dead Zoo will be one of the final events in the short two months remaining. Next year signals a new era for the Bell and campus as a whole.

The Bell Museum and the University of Minnesota are coming together and inviting the community to be a part of bringing the Bell into the future. Ideas are always welcome and can be submitted online or by visiting the museum. Along with ideas, the program is also open to donations from anyone and everyone who cares about the Bell. The Bell Museum may be gone for a short time, but it will return with a plethora of new attractions.

Mark your calendars for summer of 2018, because there will be an inspiring amount of history available to those who choose to go see the new Bell.

NOV 14–27

T H E WA K E

VOICES

FROM ONE TWEETER TO ANOTHER An open letter on social media’s comparative culture

BY AVERY BOEHM It’s no surprise that we feel forced to compare ourselves to standards that are unrealistic. The pressure to meet the level of perfection shown on social media is one that can cause several serious problems for young adults.

Dear Fellow Millennials,

Comparing our lives to the small glimpse of reality that social media offers leaves us with an unattainable goal.

Social media users often do not share their bad hair days, unglamorous grocery shopping trips, bloated stomachs after a big meal, or the times when their luck has taken a turn for the worst.

We need to look past the formulated image and false reality that social media can create. We must use social media as a tool to connect with others instead of allowing it to distance us through comparisons and critiques. We are enough; so, too, are the people who inspire us, and the celebrities we follow. Our presence on social media may seem extremely miniscule.

However, no matter how many likes or follows we receive, the content we post is still forming connections and influencing followers. This is the true purpose of social media: to be social.

The carefully crafted social media accounts we use show the highlights of people’s lives: the cruise your friend from class went on with their friends, the European tours in which social media personalities always seem to be partaking, and the endless photos of celebrities on beaches in barely-there bikinis. Wine and champagne appear as bountiful as tap water, men and women have the toned bodies of professional athletes, and everyone looks, well, flawless.

A RT BY KAT I E H E YWO O D

We are the generation that grew into adulthood as technology expanded into the global phenomenon that it is today. Social media is an integral part of our lives.

Connecting with others is done through texts, comments and likes. Communication is virtual. We are bombarded at every time of the day and night with messages and images from peers, celebrities and people we admire. Staying connected with people from across the country or even the world is now unbelievably easy. Social media has provided our generation with communication skills and abilities unparalleled by any other age group.

DISHONESTY IN DOCUMENTARIES Why narrative freedom ought to be allowed

BY CODY PERAKSLIS Documentaries live in the gray. People expect art to lie to them, to use a representation to trick them into feeling emotion. People expect journalism to tell an unbiased, objective interpretation of the truth. But people cannot agree to what factual standards documentaries ought to be held, because documentaries are both art and journalism.

The filmmaker ultimately decides how to ride the gray. Some filmmakers opt to be more fact-heavy, while others focus more on interpretation and mass appeal. There is one threat that currently exists to push filmmakers to be more unbiased: lawsuits.

The more narrative freedoms filmmakers take, the more likely it is they are sued.

Lawsuits are viable if someone can claim they were hurt by the inaccuracies in the documentary and if they are ordinary citizens (famous citizens are fair game).

Even if the lawsuit isn’t viable, the act of defending oneself in court often costs an exorbitant amount of money. A lawsuit after the release of documentary can do little to make the documentary more factual; however, the mere threat of future lawsuits incentivizes filmmakers to stick to the facts.

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A RT BY LIN DY WIRTH

The greatest measure of speech is how much power it posses. The impact of documentaries on the public consciousness demonstrates the power of documentaries today. This power comes not from insignificant truth, nor from baseless opinions, but from somewhere in the middle. Documentaries must be comfortable riding in the gray area between impact and trust, because that is where it possesses maximum power.

One thing to remember about the system we have now is that it works. To force documentary filmmakers to be more factual would give more power to those who wish to censor contrary opinions expressed through documentaries. Documentaries cover a wide base of information, and a few inaccuracies are not enough to make the entire point moot. The information in a documentary should be taken with a grain of salt, but the point often contains a kernel of truth. Documentaries exist not to maintain a perfect record of the world, but to balance facts and their artistic interpretations to appeal to the masses. Documentaries may not be a perfect source of truth, but they must be allowed to live in the gray.

VO IC ES

THE WAKE In a departure from his 2008 campaign rhetoric of creating bipartisanship in Washington, President Obama plans to dedicate his post-presidency to helping Democrats by taking on redistricting reform.

His first step was to pick former attorney general Eric Holder to lead the way.

According to the White House, the president’s interest in this project comes from his belief that all of the partisanship and gridlock in Congress is from Republicans fearing that they will lose their seats if they choose to compromise with Democrats because of how their districts are drawn.

The party in control of the redistricting process can try to maximize the number of seats that they can win. To do so, they may try to pack as many voters from the opposite party into as few districts as possible. This is something that Republicans pulled off in 2010 by funding state-level races where the legislatures would have the most control over the redistricting process.

They focused on seats they could flip in key legislatures around the country, and managed to flip these state legislatures, gaining control over redistricting. By doing so, Republicans were able to impact the results of their congressional races for the next decade until the 2020 census. This was genius political strategizing on behalf of the Republican Party.

American Horrible Story: Gerrymandering The legal rigging of elections

BY CHRIS SHEA

Gerrymandering can limit the competitiveness of legislative elections and instead favor incumbents or parties on very unequal footing. The resulting election may fall short of the ideals of free choice and deliberation, limiting a voter’s ability to affect the outcome. Because of gerrymandering, most districts have become so secure that out of the 435 seats in the House, there are only around 35 true swing districts.

This helps explain why the incumbency advantage among House members is typically much higher than that of the Senate.

Many also argue that in gerrymandered districts, the favored party’s candidate will cater only to the party’s base, becoming more ideologically extreme and thus further polarizing the parties in the state’s legislature or in Congress.

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This partisanship and fear exists largely because of gerrymandering, or the redrawing of congressional seats in order to give a political advantage to one party. Its results are evident in the oddly shaped districts it creates. The term was coined in response to a redistricting plan implemented by Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry. The plan included a district that resembled a salamander, which many called “Elbridge Gerry’s salamander,” or the “gerrymander.”

Gerrymandering can serve multiple aims. It can create districts that maximize the number of voters who are racial minorities, which can ensure an election where the representatives happen to be minorities themselves.

Gerrymandering can also protect incumbents by ensuring that their districts consist of voters that are likely to support them.

While much about gerrymandering is questionable, the Supreme Court has let many gerrymanders stand. The most famous of these cases involves North Carolina’s 12th district. It was drawn to include black communities in several different cities and was in some places as narrow as the interstates. In the court’s 1993 decision, they said that the district was “highly irregular” and expressed discomfort with racial gerrymanders, arguing that they were subject to the strict scrutiny of the court because it could be a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Ultimately the Supreme Court upheld the district after North Carolina argued that the boundaries reflected a political goal— to create a safe Democratic congressional seat—and not a racial goal.

The Court’s concern about racial gerrymandering does not extend to other forms, such as partisan gerrymandering. In 1973, the Court upheld a Connecticut plan that made separate strongholds for both Democrats and Republicans to protect incumbents.

The Court saw benefits for the plan since it provided a legislative body that mirrors the composition of Connecticut voters. In following cases it was confirmed that incumbent protection was not problematic in the view of the court, along with the refusal to rule that party gerrymanders are unconstitutional.

Even President Obama is guilty of taking part in partisan gerrymandering after the 2000 census. Obama and other Illinois Democrats drew up a new set of legislative districts, with Obama drawing a new district that encompassed the South Side, North Side and Gold Coast. This allowed the Democrats gain a majority in the Illinois Senate, helping Obama establish the foundation for more legislative accomplishments and launching his future career in national politics.

While gerrymandering can give racial minorities more political power, it ultimately undermines American democracy. Instead of people selecting who represents them, political elites are picking whom they represent.

NOV 14–27

T H E WA K E

VOICES

The Skepticism of Love at First Swipe The dating app Tinder prides itself on the fact that “It’s like real life, but better,” and perhaps that’s the issue

BY GABBY GRANADA

I still don’t know how to feel about Tinder.

ART BY WE I Y I N G Z H U

Since the app’s inception in 2012, it’s quickly become a titan in the world of online dating, although “online flirting” seems to be more accurate terminology. Swiping right on a picture as a means of finding a potential romantic interest has become somewhat normalized.

Still, I find myself stuck in a strange, indecisive limbo of Tinder and dating app culture as a whole.

Perhaps my incredulity stems from constant reminders of how skewed online profiles can be, or maybe I’ve watched too many episodes of Catfish to entrust my love life to social media. Either way, I’m skeptical of the illusive dating app that markets itself: “It’s like real life, but better.”

I can’t tell if Tinder is a great social tool for a generation already fundamentally built around social media or if it degrades personal connection down to a dishearteningly superficial algorithm.

For some, the app is an effective way to cure boredom or a safe-space for harmless flirting and the occasional ego boost. Julie Beck, writer for The Atlantic, coined the term “soulless swiping” when describing the elevated level of impulse speed-dating Tinder offers. Yet, for an increasing number of users, the no-strings-attached dating app serves as a potential stepping-stone to forming surprisingly substantial connections.

Out of curiosity (and peer pressure), I tried Tinder once, then never again. If you aren’t familiar with the app, here’s a brief overview on how it works: Upon downloading the app, you must first sum up yourself in six strategic photos. In a Buzzfeed video titled “How to Get More Matches On Tinder,” Tinder’s head sociologist advises that having a head-on picture of you smiling in your profile is advantageous for more matches. If your smile is open, that’s a bonus 14 percent more likely a user matches with you. However, be weary, she reports that wearing glasses in your profile reduces your likelihood of being swiped on by 15 percent and wearing a hat deflates your chances of finding love by 12 percent. So if you have poor eyesight or enjoy protecting your head from the sun, you might consider steering clear of Tinder altogether.

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Next, it’s time to write your 500 word-limit bio. Tinderadvisor. com suggests avoiding writing a bio that comes off too deep, too funny or as if you’re trying too hard.

However, these Tinder-sages deem that, “being cute [in your bio] is ok,” whatever that means.

If you’re struggling with thinking of a clever bio, perhaps skim through Tinder Advisor’s self-help article “Best Tinder Bio to Sound Cool and Interesting!”

After you’ve conjured up six photos and a bio that you’re satisfied with, you’re ready to start swiping.

The rules of the game are simple: swipe left on a profile you’re not interested in and swipe right on one that you are. If you and another profile swipe right on each other, you match, and are then able to message each other. That’s where Tinder’s role in your relationshipbuilding ends and the rest relies on your own agency.

Tinder has found a perfectly calculated formula for courtship. Now, the endlessly exciting love life you’ve always wanted is not only attainable but can fit within the contents of your back pocket. Tinder is always only one swipe away: all novelty, no strings. The app currently enables millions of users to micromanage how they interact with others, when and with whom— how could you pass on an opportunity like that? If you find you’re not making as many matches as you’d like, you can always revamp your bio or opt to change your picture to one of you and fifteen other friends at a party. This makes for a fun (frustrating) game of Tinder Roulette, but at least it increases your chances of garnering more matches, right?

My hesitancy toward Tinder stems from the same reason I simultaneously love and loathe social media: skewed self-representation. That’s the main flaw in this dating app’s otherwise picture-perfect algorithm.

Your profile isn’t necessarily an accurate representation of who you are, it’s an accurate representation of how you’d like to be seen by others. This begs the question: Is forming an authentic connection truly possible while interacting through the guise of a carefully crafted profile?

The answers to that impossibly loaded question vary greatly depending on whom you ask, and nearly all of them are plagued with uncertainty. Perhaps the population of those who also find themselves stuck in the strange, indecisive limbo of Tinder is much larger than it seems.

The sun is shining over L.A., the feel-good dance song “Geronimo” is playing, and 20-something-year-old hipsters are care-freely laughing as Tinder assures us all in its promotional ad, “We’re bringing the world closer together,” and for a moment I believe them.

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THE WAKE

from Bob Dylan Thoughts on the artist’s initial refusal to acknowledge his Nobel Prize nomination

BY CLAIRE BECKER Bob Dylan doesn’t like to do what’s expected of him.

Whether it’s publicly sponsoring Victoria’s Secret in a wildly sexualized ad campaign, changing his entire musical style or religious belief system at the drop of a hat, pledging a frat, or, most recently, patently refusing to respond to his Nobel Prize nomination for weeks on end—the man has always marched to the melody of his own harmonica. In short: Bob Dylan has never allowed himself to be pinned down or defined by institutions or “The Man,” if you will. In this way and in many others, Dylan has always been a true “rolling stone.”

Rewind to 1964 when memories of the Cold War were still fresh in American minds, second-wave feminism was taking its first toddling steps, plans were underway to put the first American boots on Vietnamese soil, and the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. This was the tense, electrified environment within which Bob Dylan released one of his most popular and renowned albums: “The Times They Are A-Changin”. Musicians, artists, journalists, scholars and even world leaders have lauded the title track of the album time and time again as a profoundly impactful protest song with ingeniously poetic and politically salient lyrics.

Personally, I agree with these commendations. Bob Dylan, however, disagrees violently with all of them.

Dylan has historically and vehemently denied the political weight of his music. He has defined it as “a feeling,” divorced almost entirely from social justice in his mind. In a 1965 interview, Dylan told a reporter from Time Magazine: “I got nothing to say about these things I write. I mean, I just write ‘em. I’m not gonna say anything about them—I don’t write them for any reason.

There’s no great message. I mean if you want to tell all the people that go ahead and tell them. But I’m not gonna have to answer to it.”

The main idea here is that Dylan doesn’t want labels of social warrior, progressive, or activist pinned on him. He’s always rejected them. He just wants to make music; he won’t be the social justice warrior institutions like the Nobel Committee want and expect him to be.

As he states in a different track, “It ain’t me babe, it ain’t me you’re looking for.” The Nobel Committee sees Dylan as a poet, artist, and conduit for political change. I don’t think anyone would say this is objectively inaccurate

but, as Dylan said, he doesn’t have to answer to it. The Nobel Committee can go ahead and assign grand meaning to Dylan’s work, but he’s not going to have anything to say about it. It just ain’t him, babe. It never has been.

People say Dylan was ungrateful and childish in ignoring his nomination—one Nobel Committee member even went as far as to characterize Dylan’s actions as “impolite and arrogant.” And maybe it’s true. But is it surprising? I mean, come on, the man is like 100 years old. Have people not realized yet that he’s pretty much the staunchest individualist in the musical game? Has no one noticed that he’s always refused to be defined, institutionalized or co-opted to fit specific agendas?

I don’t think it should come as a surprise to anybody who’s even remotely familiar with Dylan that he was initially inclined to ignore the award. Even now that he’s granted it minimal acknowledgement, he still seems incredibly reluctant to flaunt the prize. It’s consistent not only with his erratic and individualist personality, but with his rebellious attitude when it comes to people trying to label him and pigeonhole his music.

Dylan has “historically

and vehemently denied the political weight of his music

”

I want to make something very clear. I’m not saying I “get” Dylan. Nobody gets Dylan. Stephen Hawking doesn’t get Dylan. Dylan probably doesn’t even get Dylan. He’s the great enigma of the 20th century. My thoughts here are just one interpretation of his actions, and I’m certain he would reject them all. Even in writing my interpretation of Dylan, I too am trying to pin him down— something he has never wanted.

All this being said, I’ll leave you with one final request: Just let Dylan be Dylan. Stop trying to tell him who he is and what his music means. You can call him ungrateful or arrogant all you want, but he’s not going to change and he’s absolutely not going to be who you want him to be. He’s Bob Dylan.

He’s a rolling stone. That much will never change.

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T H E WA K E

FEATUR E

ART BY H E L E N T E AU G E

A LONG WAIT The Minnesota Student Association prioritizes students’ mental health

BY ISABELLA MURRAY

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F E AT URE

Fluorescent lights shine and silence echoes as guards tackle and pin down a patient in an inconspicuous hallway at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Other patrons gaze in horror as he is carried away, his cries becoming fainter.

This scene was a part of an anonymous junior’s experience after having checked herself into Boynton’s Mental Health Clinic. Although she resisted her migration to the hospital, an expensive ambulance ride and hours waiting in a hallway with spectrally different mentally ill patients was her reality.

“They [Boynton Health Professionals] immediately jumped to conclusions. They inserted their professional opinion, and they didn’t care what I thought,” she said, “I waited six hours for a note that said I would meet with my psychiatrist in two weeks.

There should be a different system in place. You can’t just lump everyone together.”

While her experience could be described as unsavory, it wasn’t the first run-in the junior has had with the Mental Health Department on campus. In fact, she enjoyed her first experience, in which she got to talk through her problems with a caring professional.

THE WAKE

“The time it took for them to handle my panic attack was frustrating,” an anonymous senior added. “I had to wait for 10 hours in the emergency room, and then was kept in a psych ward overnight. I only got to speak with a psychiatrist the next day.”

Furthermore, the University of Minnesota’s Provost’s Committee on Student Mental Health released The State of Student Mental Health on College and University Campuses in February of this year, with an increase in mental health services as the main point of advocacy.

The provost’s research found that, “For fall 2015, there was a 51 percent increase in students who were placed on the waitlist (254 compared to 172 for fall 2014). Of these, 138 were on the list for fewer than three work days before a future appointment was scheduled.”

MSA steps in Following the research study, MSA readdressed the topic of mental health as a larger priority.

It’s these types of inconsistencies that lead the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) to look into systematic discrepancies involving mental health.

“After the research, we saw that Boynton was struggling, and they were struggling because they don’t have the funds that they need to be institutionally supported,” MSA President Abeer Syedah said. “When it comes to the funding of mental health, we weren’t sensing that it was a priority from administration. Part of what the problem was when it came down to the funding of mental health, no one was taking charge.”

While the MSA recognizes that college makes itself a place where people’s mental health isn’t going to be perfect, it is noted that the entire system can’t be broken down. What truly triggered the focus on mental health was when Student Group Outreach, a check-in between student groups and the MSA, was performed.

The MSA reacted by applying pressure to the subject until someone took ownership. In doing this, the “How Are You?” campaign was born.

During these conversations, concerning trends about wait times for mental health appointments were noticed.

This campaign was a combination of a semi-viral video, a petition and a request from students to focus on how to de-stigmatize mental health and have some strong conversations among one another.

“I’ve had to go outside Boynton just because of how overbooked they are. I had to schedule my first appointment three weeks out, and then I had to schedule another three weeks,” the anonymous junior said. “During that time, I went through three or four medications without going to therapy.”

The discussion was helpful in forcing people to think about their mental wellness. This campaign existed as a one-on-one conversation, but transformed to include discussions of larger groups. “That resulted in a lot of advocacy, I think it was a success,” Syedah said.

More services for students Last June, the University president's’ office committed half a million dollars in mental health funding for the next two fiscal years. Funding was $98,000 previously.

Additionally, Boynton has increased staffing in the past four years by 70 percent, according to Gary Christenson, a member of the Provost Committee on Student Mental Health.

“A part of this problem might be a product of our successes,” Christenson said. “We’ve wanted to decrease stigma, increase visibility of resource awareness, and educate staff and faculty. Those variables increase demands in services.”

As the success of advocacy leads to prolonged care, Boynton works to maintain a list of therapists in the community who see college students. They also provide a 24/7 crisis number, texting services and online therapy.

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T H E WA K E

FEATUR E

While the MSA works to further funding and support for Boynton, proactive approaches to mental health act as means of short term success. They’ve been focusing on de-stressing and self-care, like creating self-care workshops and self-care kits for first year students to have. They even want to add a mental health section on the Moodle homepage so that everyone can find helpful mental health information.

Long-term goals, on the other hand, include potential mental health days, the implementation of a fall break within the next five to six years, and non-mandatory attendance. The MSA is working with Boynton currently on its proposal to make it so that professors cannot require a doctor's note for a single absence.

ART BY H E L E N T E AU G E

“When a student has a mental health concern and can’t get out of bed in the morning, the last thing they want to be doing is trekking to Boynton to get a doctors note,” Syedah said. “I want to clear that up for so many philosophical reasons.”

For the MSA and Boynton, mental health is one of the least conspicuous topics they’ve worked on. As mental health exists on a spectrum, it is something that most students and faculty members have dealt with on campus, according to Syedah. She credits this to the higher education model being semi-destructive as a whole. She believes that the root of the mental imbalances is far deeper of an issue.

Mental health is the number one public health issue on campus, according to Christenson. In addition, one-third of students say that they’re unable to manage stress.

“Cultural variables such as the increase in social media presences and increased expectations have lead to some pretty remarkable changes over the decades,” he said. “Students may not be as prepared for school as they’ve historically been.”

Because of the increasing acceptance of mental health, even further action is set to be implemented in the upcoming year to further combat the discrepancies in the Provost’s research, and to appeal to the increased demands for mental health care.

Other more vast initiatives and strategies to address demands for mental health clinical services were drafted. These included streamlining access to mental health services, expanding the use of psychology graduate students at peak demand times, and developing additional strategies involving students to expand diversity in mental health staff and recruit therapists that represent underserved student populations.

These initiatives will be brought to action by both the MSA and Boynton. Boynton has held open houses in the community to pair students with therapists. Christenson plans to hold more events like this to streamline access to therapists.

The use of graduate students appealed to students as a way to combat understaffing. “I understand that they’re overbooked, but considering that we have one of the best psychology programs in the nation, you think that they could utilize grad students,” the anonymous junior said.

Finally, the MSA is resorting back to the How Are You? campaign in an effort to recognize diversity on the mental health spectrum by bringing it to specific communities.

What they’ve been doing this year is making the campaign travel by giving the brand to other student groups by giving them materials and information, and letting them have How Are You? events.

The MSA went to the African Student Association last semester where they had a conversation about mental health in the African community, and even directed the campaign toward specific colleges. In the College of Design they have problems with students engaging in really problematic, self-destructive behavior. The MSA brought How Are You? to them as well.

“We need to focus very specific research and initiatives towards specific communities.

International students on campus are untouched in this conversation, and come from incredibly different places when it comes to the issue of stigma,” Syedah said.

“Multicultural communities, veterans, anyone who has experienced trauma, and LGBTQIA communities could all benefit from an increased focus on mental health.”

On college campuses, there are generally four big issues that are of focus: affordability, sexual assault prevention, diversity and inclusion and mental health.

As mental health is the MSA’s first focus, students are suggested to work together in order to further de-stigmatize the issue of mental health and to allow for more room for healthier, stable minds.

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Q & A

by Helena Mueller

www.guante.info

GUANTE

THE WAKE

Q&A Guante

By Helena Mueller

The Wake: What would you define as poetry? Do you think this definition is different from the traditional definition people associate with poetry?

Guante: There are so many definitions and competing thoughtcurrents out there about this question, I tend to kind of side-step that discussion, especially as someone who is known a lot more as a spoken word poet than a page poet. What I can speak on, though, is the kind of working definition that I use for spoken word, which is “poetry that is written with an intention to be performed.” If I were to add on to that, it would be to affirm spoken word’s hybrid impulse, taking bits of rhetoric, theater, jazz, storytelling, and other forms and mashing them together with poetry.

Why did you start writing poetry?

Kyle Tran Myhre or “Guante” is an activist, educator, writer, and one of Minneapolis’ own. He is constantly pushing the boundaries of spoken word through his exploration of tough themes such as gender stereotypes and race.

He has made a name for himself with his unique style and honest words that have already resonated deeply with the lives of many people.

G: At first, it was just for fun-- messing around with words and sounds. I had notebooks full of stuff but I never performed it or showed it to people. Eventually, I got dragged to a couple of open mics and something kind of just clicked; with my personality, it’s easier for me to engage a big crowd of people than to have conversations or make small talk. Spoken word was a space where I could have a platform to talk about the things that are important to me, to engage with my community, and also to retreat back into myself when the performance was over. That was all very valuable–and very healthy–for me.

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T H E WA K E

What does your process look like today when creating new work?

G: So much of our work, as poets, is figuring out novel ways to make abstract things concrete–to take big ideas and concepts, and bring them down to earth in a more immediate, sensory way. So for me, it generally starts with a random idea for either a cool line that does that, or a conceptual “hook” for a poem. I›ll make a note of whatever that is on my phone, and then come back to it in a few days and attempt to build a poem around it. That initial process might not actually take very long– maybe a couple of hours. It›s the revision process that takes weeks, months, or years.

Especially with spoken word, we have a lot of freedom to revise, to keep tweaking poems indefinitely. I’d also mention that this process if often intensely collaborative, that many poets do not create work locked up in some cabin out in the woods; rather, we send Google-docs to each other, get feedback, have discussions, go to open mics, get more feedback, etc. It’s a community-oriented process.

How did you first decide to make your art your career and what was that process like?

Q & A

doing work that put together art, activism, and education. The key, I guess, was sustainability. I’m lucky that there’s an audience for what I do, that people are actually hungry for the kinds of deeper conversations around social justice issues for which art is such a powerful entry point. I don’t feel like I’m just shouting into a void.

What is some advice you have for people wanting to write poetry/perform spoken word for a living?

G: I actually maintain a list of resources for aspiring artists at [http://www.guante. info/2014/02/resources-for-aspiring-spoken-word.html] There’s a lot in there both on the artistic side (the importance of concrete language, for example) and the practical/life side (like how to get plugged into these spaces in the first place). The biggest takeaway is probably to just dive in. Go to open mics, go to poetry slams, join spoken word clubs, create writing circles, and build that community that is so important to being able to do this. Again, it’s a little cliche, but you do learn by doing.

And you may not end up doing it for a living–that’s difficult. But as a hobby, as a sidehustle, as a passion–there’s a lot of value in that too. But yeah, it definitely starts with just showing up.

P H OTO S C O U RT ESY O F G UAN T E

G: Not to be cliché, but it just kind of all came together organically. I happened to grow up around artists, activists, and educators, so it was a pretty natural slide into

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THE WAKE

SPECTACULAR ACTIVISM How the idea of world-changing documentary demeans physical protest movements

BY BEN HALOM

Unfortunately, like “The New Jim Crow,” the film offers little in positive policy proposals, or even a call to action beyond the call to feel sorry that all this has happened. In fact, in an interview with The Atlantic, the film’s director, Ava Duvernay said: “I’m not saying you have to join a march. I’m not saying you have to push for legislation.” The film explains a terrifying, horrific problem in American society, and then leaves it to the individuals who view it to do something, not as a movement, but as individuals. Rather than taking action, we are merely to learn what we have done wrong, to practice a sort of collective penance. Such messages are typical of activist documentaries, which tend to focus on consumer activism rather than movement building.

Films like “The 11th Hour,” “Food Inc,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” and yes, “13th,” present pressing social issues as

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problems which we all bear responsibility for, which we all take part and which we all can stop, simply by refusing, en masse, to participate. Each of these documentaries offers an individual, feel-good solution to what in reality is a very complex problem. Don’t like the food industry? Buy organic. Don’t like climate change? Buy energy-efficient light bulbs. Don’t like mass incarceration? Watch this movie, get educated.

Most importantly, never, ever, actually do anything about it. Films like “13th,” and books like “The New Jim Crow,” because of their function as money-making enterprises, necessarily sanitize and commodify activism, remove the radical element from social change and further the myth that the actions of atomized individuals can have an effect on these immense, systemic issues. Unfortunately, individual actions like these present no real challenge to entrenched systems of power like the American carceral state. Only mass movements of people united for social change can accomplish such a task, and even then only through a long and protracted struggle.

There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with a movie about mass incarceration. There’s not even anything wrong with the creator making money off it. What’s wrong is when a movie like “13th”, a movie made by a large media corporation with absolutely no real interest beyond paying dividends to its stockholders, continues to be treated as a radical act of as great a political importance as, in the words of the New York Times, “the latest black lives matter protest and the approaching presidential election.” Such reporting creates the idea that a film like this is enough to solve the issue of mass incarceration, or even that it represents any sort of significant step forward. Such uses films like “13th” as a way to recuperate radical resistance to the state

or capital, like the Prison Abolition movement or the Black Power movement, into a mode of representation acceptable to power, removing the revolutionary potential they hold and replacing it with defanged liberal platitudes.

ART BY KATIE HEYWOOD

Released for public viewing on Oct. 7, Netflix’s latest experiment in producing proprietary media for its streaming service has received widespread acclaim in both political and critical circles. The project, a documentary called “13th,” opened the New York Film Festival to a standing ovation. The documentary, named after the 13th amendment, explores the way in “which this amendment abolished slavery except in the case of punishment for a crime, and how this allowance enabled lawmakers to continue to benefit from the unpaid labor of African Americans by criminalising their behavior and putting them behind bars in ever increasing numbers.” The film continues the project of Michelle Alexander’s bestselling book “The New Jim Crow” by exploring the dynamics that led to this project of mass incarceration, and revealing the hardships of the modern prison system to the public. The film continues in the tradition of what’s known as activist documentaries, movies which seek to reveal an issue to the public in order to effect some sort of change in the world.

History presents with a trail of these spectacular activisms, these documentaries which show much but accomplish little. Despite all the effort of “An Inconvenient Truth,” climate change continues unabated. Despite the work of “Food Inc.,” our food system remains thoroughly industrial and artificial. Despite “Waiting for Superman,” inner city schools continue to struggle with lack of funding and socioeconomic disparities in learning incomes.

Because change ultimately arises from the grassroots, not from the corporate media. Black Lives Matter didn’t come into existence because of a documentary, it came into existence because people were fed up with police brutality in African American communities, and decided to organize to do something about it. The Environmental Justice movement didn’t come from “An Inconvenient Truth,” it came from the hard work of people who really believed in doing something, something physical and measurable, to really take action on an issue as a collective with collective power. Documentaries have a place, and films like “13th” deserve appreciation, as films. But ultimately, they’re just films, they’re not protests, they’re not movements, and they’re not going to change the world.

NOV 14–27

T H E WA K E

S OUND & VIS ION

A chance to explore another side of campus and a beautiful artistic space

BY ANNIKA KOHRT The art show “Fragmented Spaces” opened Oct. 27 in the Larson Gallery of the St. Paul Student Center with a charming event that included pita, hummus, and falafel.

The food wasn’t artistically relevant, but it was delicious. The show itself consisted of paintings by Sara Suppan and sculptures by Emily Swanberg, two Minneapolis artists whose work uses similar colors and forms to explore a common theme: spaces and places. The floor of the gallery was filled with white sculptures with semi-identifiable subjects. They reminded me of an architectural model, on a bigger scale and without clearly representing an actual building. On the walls of the gallery, paintings, large and small, demonstrate Suppan’s technical skill in the use of repetitive form and color.

She sticks to whites, blacks, and Prussian blue. The paintings are of empty rooms, and cold, empty furniture. The effect is both chilling and earnestly beautiful.

In a large room full of artwork about empty rooms, you are invited to fill that space.

In the words of Suppan, “the demand for information, usually asked of a painting,

is returned to the person watching it.” Emily Swanberg, the sculptor, aims to “create an altered experience for viewers, allowing them a fresh examination of assigned meaning,” as she puts it. For me, these uninhabited, cold spaces reminded me of when my family sold our house, and our home was emptied of our personal belongings so that visitors might picture themselves and their lives inside our space.

The crisp emptiness brought my mind to the ways that I fill my spaces with memories and their mementos, making my space very much my own.

In short, you should wander into the Larson Gallery on the second floor of the St. Paul Student Center and visit the works of Suppan and Swanberg. The work will be there until Friday, Dec. 2nd, and the gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended hours on Thursdays, when it will be open until 6 p.m. Try going alone to explore the solitude and quiet of the artwork. Or maybe bring a friend and some falafel. It’s up to you.

Memes Before Internet From dead gorillas to loveable undecided voters, memes are a part of popular internet culture. In fact, when people think of the word “meme,” they immediately associate it with the word “internet.” This brings up the question: Did memes exist before the internet (or at least before the internet was accessible to everyone)?

What Qualifies a Meme?

BY KARL WITKOWIAK

The answer is yes. Granted, while people didn’t readily use the term meme, the idea of memes still persisted through popular sayings, pictures, or even songs. One of the most recognizable of these memes are with dance crazes or dance songs. We have had songs like “Gangnam Style” or “The Harlem Shake” gain popularity through the internet, but that doesn’t mean viral songs were nonexistent before the internet was readily accessible. Take “The Macarena” for example. Back in the late ‘90s, the dance and the song were nearly inescapable, and all it took was radio success, word of mouth, and being played at wedding ceremonies and dance clubs throughout the world.

Image memes even existed before the accessibility of the internet as well. The most memorable out of these are Che Guevara and “Andre the Giant Has a Posse.” Argentina Marxist Che Guevara was known for his role in the Cuban Revolution and his famous photo called the “Guerrillero Heroico”, which is now known for being the man on the T-shirt of that guy that tries way too hard to be edgy. The “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” meme was originally a poster to promote heavyweight wrestler Andre the Giant through a badly drawn pastel portrait. If you’ve seen a picture/poster lately of a strange face with shadowed eyes with the word “OBEY” under it, then you’ve seen “Andre the Giant Has a Posse”.

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HELEN TEAGUE

One of the most recognizable memes before the internet was “Wazzup,” which originated from a Budweiser commercial in December of 1999 and became the go-to greeting for drunk frat guys for the next three years. Even now, the phrase is still recognized, even if it is hilariously out of date.

Memes are often used to encompass what is popular within a certain group of people, and with the internet, memes are even more widely recognized and accepted. While memes were pretty downplayed in the past, they have certainly evolved over the years as well as constantly shifting, meaning the internet culture can truly never get enough meme-y goodness.

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CHANGING THE FASHION FORMAT

BY HELENA MUELLER

Current high fashion is all about being the most memorable, the most cutting edge, and the most unique in both their presentation and clothing. However, fashion shows have not always been this way. As DuJour News states, fashion shows were initially created during the early 1800s to bring buyers in. Instead of having the main goal be to showcase designers’ work, most fashion shows were private events with low publicity surrounding them so as to keep companies’ trade secrets, a secret.

Since that time, fashion shows have transformed into elaborate productions with the goal of promoting the brand via social media and broadcasted shows.

Recently, Kenzo paired with H&M to create a unique runway show. With dancers, MCs, brass players, and the usual slew of fantastic models, Kenzo and H&M truly showcased how fun fashion can be. With H&M, a consumer focused brand, Kenzo is able to widen the audience that sees their work. That pairing, mixed with Kenzo’s history of extravagant shows that generally incorporated multiple art forms, makes this showcasing of fashion unique.

However, this over-the-top performance can also be read as gimmicky. GQ used the phrase “[i]t was lit” to describe the show, a phrase that would never be used to describe other high fashion lines. That being said, this phrase is popular amongst the general H&M buyer demographic, teens to early 20s, so this atypical or casual phrasing by GQ can be perceived as appropriate in that sense.

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Kenzo has been introducing multiple art forms into their shows since the ‘70s with stars as big as Grace Jones being a part of these first performances. In that respect, this over-the-top display should be expected, and yet they still stand out in how their shows are run when compared to other designer brands.

When thinking of the great names in the world of fashion designers, many people can identify Dior, Chanel, or Louis Vuitton. These shows stick to the more stereotypical views of how fashion shows usually run.

For Dior’s Spring 2017 Ready-To-Wear line, they had an exceptionally simple setting for their show with white walls, rough wooden benches for their audience to sit in, and a simple brown catwalk. These simplistic elements helped to showcase the art that was on display, instead of possibly detracting from it.

Because these brands are well-established, they seem to prefer minimal sets so that the audience can focus on the clothing. For example, Chanel uses bright colors in their clothing, but usually keeps their backdrops and choice of venue open with neutral colors to showcase their beautiful fabrics. For Louis Vuitton’s Spring/ Summer line for 2016, they chose to set their show in a space that had a warehouse feel. With exposed, poured cement walls and raw cement flooring, they forced the eye to focus on their unique silhouettes. This was also the case for Dior who had predominantly white and black as their clothing color scheme, but still utilized a neutral environment to bring the clothing to the forefront.

Kenzo’s performance format has yet to reach some of the typically considered high-fashion brands, and yet it has started to enter into the world of direct consumerism with brands that people see on the street everyday. One of the best examples of this is Victoria’s Secret’s yearly fashion show. With huge names in the modeling industry to showcase their clothing and popular singers such as Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, they are able to appeal to large masses of people.

Instead of simply a fashion show, they have created a yearly event that LA Times recorded having over 9 million people tune in to watch.

ART BY MARIAH CRABB

A look at the showcasing of fashion over the years.

Fashion is one of the most fluid industries that exists today. This industry is always changing as different brands compete to be the most innovative and popular, making it impossible to predict what these shows will look like in the next five, 10, or 15 years. However, the simplistic approaches to fashion shows have withstood the test of time. As these new shows that meld fashion with pop culture start to emerge and become more popular amongst everyday consumers, it will be interesting to see how this affects the fashion industry. Perhaps this introduction of music, dance, and whatever else they can think up is what will take these shows to the next level.

NOV 14–27

T H E WA K E

S OUND & VIS ION

Interdisciplinary University Group Explores Nature Using Improvisation Improvising Ecosystems group to perform installation about water

BY LIV MARTIN Improvising Ecosystems is an innovative group on campus that combines different disciplines through the study of musical, artistic, and dance improvisation with a special focus on nature. The group was founded by guitar professor Maja Radovanlija with fellow School of Music faculty member Scott Currie, a saxophone professor. The pair went to Iceland together for a program that focused on improvising. “We got to improvise and interact with our environment. I decided that we needed something like this at our university,” said Radovanlija.

Every semester, the group focuses on a topic relating to the environment. In years past they have focused on the forest, for example. “For our installation about the forest we had basically a covering on the floor that was a big metal floor with a contact mic under it with pine needles that were activated as people walked upon it. This became a compositional space as pine needles were gathered, swished, and dropped at varying rates to create improvised sonic atmospheres,” said Willow. There were other components to the performance as well, including the sounds of instruments specifically crafted to make creaking noises and an interactive video microscope that people used to create projections of their movements.

video and sound engineering. Musicians are working on themes for an improvisational piece that Radovanlija, who is overseeing their work, has christened “Breathing Lake.”

Dance students are busy creating movements that mimic water.

In past years, the group has been able to travel to a variety of different locations including Cedar Creek, a famous conservation area. For the forest-themed installation, they traveled to Cloquet Forestry Center, where they gathered inspiration from the sounds and sights of the Cloquet Forest.

Improvisation has always been at the core of the group’s exploits. “Our work centers on the role of improvisation in creative work and our varying approaches to improvisation as explored in the medium of each collaborator,” said Willow. For students, this seems to be a really important part of their experience with the group. “I like that we use our instruments in unconventional ways,” said Tess Hu, a sophomore and music student specializing in guitar and traditional Chinese instruments.

“We did this one thing called sound meditating. We imagined a water sound and then tried to create the sound ourselves”

The focus for this semester’s installation is water. For inspiration, the group received funding to take the faculty and students on a trip to Duluth to visit Lake Superior. The trip inspired many of the students, and one in particular, Mitty Sheen, who spoke in wonder of her experience. “We did this one thing called sound meditating. We imagined a water sound and then tried to create the sound ourselves,” said Sheen, a senior piano and composing student.

Another facet of the project is exploring ecological research sites. During their ventures outside of the university, they often go to ecological research sites and meet with scientists. The scientists walk them through their research, educating the students about the environmental aspects of the project.

The project has been made possible by both the Institute on the Environment and the Institute for Advanced Study at the U. Though, it is the creative minds and different perspectives that allow each semester’s installation to take on life. Willow calls the installation an experience that is “completely interactive and participatory.” On Nov. 17, they will perform their installation of this semester’s project on water in the Beacon Room at the University Recreation and Wellness Center.

Since the group was formed four years ago, faculty from other disciplines have become involved. Diane Willow, an art faculty member, has a background in art and technology and oversees the artistic part of the collaboration. Mike Duffy, another advisor to the project, manages technology in the School of Music as well as composing. The four faculty members–Radovanlija, Currie, Willow and Duffy–agree that this project is not about them. “Students definitely bring as much to the project as the faculty,” said Willow.

This year, the group is made up of about 20 students from all around the university. There are art students working on pieces that express the fluidity of water through painting,

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Music professor Radovanlija argues Improvising Ecosystems offers educationally unique and valuable experiences.

“Especially for music students, it is really important for them to get out of the practice room and to collaborate with other students from different areas. I know that when I was a student, I just spent my time in the practice rooms and went to my classes. I wish I had had something like this back then!” said Radovanlija.

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S O UND & V I S I O N

THE WAKE

OUTSTRIPPING THE SPOTLIGHT Proud Dummies Lose Hard Online

BY JOHN BLOCHER lyrics in court have become less of a worry, for talk is cheap. But if they were to check Retch’s Instagram, and happened to see the video of him hoisting a five-pound bag of weed in a Walmart, well, then they might have a case.

Over the last few years, more and more celebrities have flocked to social media as a means of promoting their images and lifestyles. It’s a trend that’s tough to blame and even harder to ignore. An instantaneous platform that is all you all the time is a marketing dream. Yet the overextension of such a powerful tool has proven disastrous for some stars as of late.

A good example of using social media in a more tactful way is Beyoncé. She neglects her Twitter for months and proceeds to drop her single “Lemonade” on the site like it’s nothing. Or that time when she burst onto the Super Bowl halftime show with “Formation,” and the next day the song’s video showed up on YouTube.

Kim Kardashian’s flamboyant stardom recently landed her in trouble—more than 9 million dollars’ worth. You can almost hear Kanye saying, “We want prenup, we want prenup, yeah!” It’s hard to say whether the live tweets and stunt-worthy Instagrams are to blame, but with posts like, “Paris Squad” and “Kourtney and Kim take Paris” it’s at least apparent that the jewel thieves had a decent heads-up.

Her husband Jay-Z appears to have been woke since 2006, when he remarked in his song, “Beach Chair,” “I never surf the web, no I’ve never been on MySpace. Too busy lettin’ my voice vibrate, coughin’ out my space.”

H E L E N T E AG U E

Even lesser known figures could see their success diminish by standing too close to the limelight. New Jersey rapper Retchy P is one of the latest examples.

He’s known to post videos of himself rolling around, and rolling up, with some of his Uber drivers in broad daylight. In March of 2016 he was facing 20 years in prison for armed robbery. Prosecutors using rapper’s

“KANYE ON KANYE” BY KANYE

Setting the record straight (The Life of Pablo Deluxe Edition) We need to talk, Minneapolis.

Your third most prominent underground hip-hop society has released a diss track, threatening to boycott ME if I boycott the Grammy Awards (if Frank Ocean is omitted).

Hello Wake magazine, I’m saying Kanye West is unboycottable. It’s impossible, because I’m many people.

I’m Kanye, the family man. I play with my Kanyettes–that’s a Kanye-ism (in between albums and my clothing line I’m writing an encyclopedia on everything I know, from Jay Z’s favorite dinosaur to operating crutches). I put Saint’s drawing on the fridge next to my improved version of it. I asked Kim: “How do I microwave with the door open? It’s important.”

I’m Kanye, the artist, running for mayor of Allentown, Pa. I don’t understand why people shake my hand but never follow with a friendly thumb war. I have eccentricities, but hey, admitting is the first step. They’re a byproduct when one obsesses over his art. Just like how da Vinci originally painted the Mona Lisa with a longer nose, giant white teeth, and as an elephant, I’m thinking only of my Kanyart (Kanye Art, see pg. 1548 of the encyclopedia).

LINDY WIRTH

BY TAYLOR SHARP Civil War letters. I check my kids’ closet for boogeymen and the dumpster for boogeyraccoons.

I’m Kanye, the safety expert. My artistry seems like it exists to erase the line that separates inviting friends to my post-Grammy party and banning Ninja Turtles from attending, but by boycotting me you are boycotting somebody so dedicated to art that contact with reality or a sense of right and wrong are outside his periphery. Boycotting only makes sense when I’m the one who’s doing it. Got it, Minneapolis hip-hop hygienists?

Meanwhile, I’m fulfilling my artistry, fulfilling the prophecy that foretold I would be the one who defeats the dreaded Shadow King. Understand my bigheadedness comes from passion, rendering most niceties invisible. If you’re passionate or wacky, you’ve got some Kanye in you.

I’m Kanye, the charitable. I tip waitresses with rare, bulky paintings of seashores. I executive-produce a trendy soup kitchen. I read to children as long as it’s from old

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NOV 14–27

S OUND & VIS ION

Lizzo Jimmy Eat World Integrity Blues

BY KARL WITKOWIAK Fifteen years after their initial break-out success, Jimmy Eat World return with one of their most emotional albums to date. Jimmy Eat World offer an album that is perfect for fall–airy tones and feelings of melancholy, even tranquility. The general sound of “Integrity Blues” is very reminiscent of ‘90s soft alternative rock, as is most evident in the soaring choruses of “It Matters” and “You With Me.” However, Jimmy Eat World diversify their sound to make for instantly memorable hooks like the fuzzy electronica of “Pretty Grids” or the creeping guitar chords of the jaw-dropping “Pass the Baby”.

Lyrically, Jimmy Eat World takes a long-awaited crack at self-awareness. They’ve always been a band that has shined with relationship and breakup songs. As such, going deeper into this subject matter makes them more mature in their presentation. Lead songwriter Jim Adkins is both empathetic and even self-critical, pointing out how breaking up with his love on songs like “You Are Free” and “The End is Beautiful” is for her benefit and that neither of the two are at fault, but he understands when something needs to stop. “Sure and Certain” is one of the most complex songs on the album, exploring his ideas and notions of perfection. Adkins notes how appreciating everything around you beyond what is right in your face will help you grow, something which will resonate with first-time listeners of the band.

“Integrity Blues” is an exploration into self-observation that is a good fit for the band. Those looking for an emotional album as well as a good autumn record will find a lot to like about “Integrity Blues” and will be eagerly awaiting what else Jimmy Eat World have in store.

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J AYE J U N GM I N A H N

H E L E N T E AGU E

M EGA N S M I T H

T HRE E RE VIE W S

Coconut Oil

BY SAMMY BROWN After a whiplashed summer of ceaseless hair tosses to Lizzo’s self-love anthem, “Good As Hell,” my ears were greedy (and my neck was nervy) for her new EP, “Coconut Oil.” Last March, when this big grrrl signed to a bigger label, Atlantic Records, I wondered if this Minneapolis star’s zest might temper. It didn’t. Within six songs, Lizzo reaches optimum flavor with dance jams and flute solos, all while glorifying black beauty and sisterhood.

“Coconut Oil” exudes what Lizzo is all about—celebrating yourself to the max. Her first track, “Worship,” lyrically commands that she be praised. However, its catchy hook makes it impossible to not sing along—soon enough we’re declaring ourselves deserving of worship, too.

After the first few minutes of the album, I thought, “Okay...another self-love-pump-up jam—like ‘Good As Hell’ with an intro reminiscent of the ‘George Lopez’ theme song.” Right as I started to wonder if this feel would continue the entirety of her EP, she hit me with the zinger: “Phone.” Lizzo sonically nails the sloppy urgency one has upon losing the almighty cell, jolting listeners with that “What’s going on?” rush that often accompanies her tunes.

Though not as hip-hoppin’ as previous albums, this EP digs further into her roots. The title track, a stark contrast to “Worship,” humbly returns to Lizzo’s younger years—a time she didn’t feel worthy of the selfacceptance she preaches today. Singing the advice of her mother and the powers of coconut oil, Lizzo revels in her black womanhood and inspires others to do likewise. This EP is a beam of light that shines through the ugly parts of society and reminds everyone of the importance of loving yourself.

Regina Spektor Remember Us To Life

BY COLIN MILLER The first few bars of the quirky, nostalgic anti-folk icon’s latest opus mark a pop-oriented deviation from the emotional carnival realized in previous albums. Hardly an unwelcome shift, the inclusion of digital blips and surging synths in the opening track “Bleeding Heart” lends a large-scale feel to this incarnation of Spektor’s sound. Mainly, however, “Remember Us to Life” comes brimming with the jaunty piano leads and highly theatrical song structures the Russian-American singersongwriter has led listeners to expect. Not to mention darkly charming quotables like “Enjoy your youth/sounds like a threat” on “Older and Taller”.

Violins and upright bass elevate the drama of the stories Spektor weaves, which are often allegorical in nature, while precise applications of reverb on her vocals make narrations distant and ethereal. In contrast to the wryly melancholy lounge singer aesthetic she’s cultivated in the past, the versatile-voiced daughter of the East Village plays sincerer on this record, as time’s passage takes with it some—but certainly not all—of the wit and whimsy that was once a staple of Spektor’s style.

“Small Bill$” is another song from the album that would have seemed out of place on any other, potentially influenced by artists like FKA Twigs, Sia, and Kacy Hill.

However, Spektor’s lyrics, ripe with metaphor and insight, are what keep her personal brand most consistent. With punctuated restraint, she sings, “He had spent it all on chocolate and vanilla/he had spent it on ‘didn’t even feel it’.” Perfect for drinking wine alone and staring out a window while taking stock of your remaining years and purpose, “Remember Us to Life” is just the touch of sensitivity this crazy world needs right now.

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