michigan daily samples
TRANSCRIPT
Hillary Crawford
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo speaks to University students – MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford Daily Staff Reporter November 24th, 2014 He’s back. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, a University alum and speaker at the 2013 Spring Commencement, spoke Friday at the Ross School of Business in an event sponsored by Business fraternity Phi Chi Theta. In Blau Auditorium, Business senior Max Yoas, the vice president of Phi Chi Theta, and Costolo sat across from each other in armchairs on stage, creating an interview-‐esque setting. Yoas asked questions for the first half hour, followed by a question and answer session with the audience. Costolo discussed the growing potential of e-‐commerce and ad units, his management style and his previous career in improvisation comedy and run-‐ins with actor Steve Carell. Although scattered, each topic drew from ideas related to risk-‐taking and pursuing passions. After graduating from the University in 1985 with a degree in Computer Science and Communications, Costolo said he moved to Chicago to pursue a career in improvisational comedy. Looking back at his days spent in the classroom, he recalled being the “last person in my computer science classes to become CEO one day.” Costolo, originally from Royal Oak, Mich., said he used to worry that people would judge him for not entering a traditional career following graduation. “If you live your life trying to do what is expected of you you’ll be frozen on the stage of your own life,” Costolo said. “If you do what you’re excited about doing and care about doing things will be fine — you won’t be scared when things go wrong.” Later during the Q&A, a student asked whether Costolo felt as though he’s “made it.” Costolo responded that, as an entrepreneur, it is never certain whether one is changing his or her world – or how they will change it. “I assure you their (entrepreneurs’) emotional state fluctuates between euphoria and terror on a regular basis,” Costolo said. “The reality is making your mark is the result and left in the wake of doing what you’re passionate about doing.” For example, Costolo never imagined that his online creation would make a mark in the political ad. When he was first told that the Pope had entered the Twitter community, he believed it was a joke.
Costolo highlighted that one shouldn’t set out to change the world, but should rather do what they are most passionate about. Business sophomore Nikhil Dungarani, who also saw Costolo speak at the 2013 Commencement speech, said this message of following one’s passion stuck out most to him. “If there’s one thing I took away from today it’s that you should follow your dreams and do what you really want to do with your life,” Dungarani said. Aside from life lessons, Costolo also discussed Twitter’s business model. When an audience member inquired whether Twitter’s signature 140-‐character tweet limit would ever change, Costolo declined to give a yes-‐or-‐no answer. As business grows, he said, people involved become fearful of changing the popular product and hurting its success. But Costolo said he wants to avoid stasis. “We’re much more free-‐thinking about not having a religion about the constraints,” Costolo said. “People start to put barriers in their own way to being creative and having new ideas.” Costolo also addressed the growth in using social media to sell products. As opposed to displaying ads in a sidebar, Twitter displays ads as tweets, similar to how Facebook displays ads as posts on the newsfeed. If ads travel alongside the tweets, people are more likely to follow links. The conversation also touched on Twitter’s stock shares, which had jumped in value that morning. “We have to start to realize that going forward, the external narrative is going to be based on what’s happening on the stock price,” Costolo said. “You just have to build this mindset of mental toughness and we decided we’re going to do this despite the noise.” Yoas said PCT decided to bring Costolo to the University both because he is an alum and because of “connections within the fraternity that know him pretty well.” “I really hope that people understood the impact and the power that social media has, both in everyday life and in businesses,” Yoas said. “I think it’s a really useful tool for businesses.” Yoas and other PCT administrators of the event declined to comment on the specific subject matter of the talk with Costolo, because the fraternity decided to label the public event as “off the record.” Business Adjunct Lecturer Kai Petainen, a writer for Forbes, challenged that decision in a Nov. 22 and Nov. 23 article.
Although Costolo did not determine the “off the record” status of the event, he took no action to challenge PCT’s decision, according to Petainen. Though PCT advertised the event as open to the public, the business fraternity asked journalists not take notes or snap photographs. A member of PCT asked the journalist from The Michigan Daily to see her notes. Members of PCT tweeted updates and photos of the event. Most problematic, Petainen wrote, was that PCT wanted to withhold potentially vital information about Twitter from shareholders. “The greatest error in this event was in how the CEO’s comments were to be kept secret,” Petainen wrote in Forbes. “Twitter was a public stock, this was a public event, this was held at a public university and this was in front of a packed auditorium with hundreds of students.” Editor’s Note:While the event organizers asked that this event be held "off the record," because the discussion was held in a University of Michigan building, advertised as open to the general public, and members of the fraternity tweeted live updates and photographs from the event, the Daily has decided that it is in the public interest to publish this story in line with our normal reporting procedures. PCT was not given the opportunity to review this story or change its content before publication.
Verbena sets new tone for campus clothing stores – MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford Daily Staff Reporter Oct 20th, 2014 The Ann Arbor business scene is known for its turnover — and boutiques are no exception. Pink Pump, for instance, closed its East Liberty Street doors in the beginning of 2013 with patrons blaming high prices and inconsistent hours. Chains such as Pitaya, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel are some of the few stores that prosper in the State Street area, as student budgets might not allow for the pricier clothes in local boutiques. When Verbena owner Kate Duerksen opened her clothing store in August of this year, she had her work cut out for her. The business opened its doors at 309 S. State St. on Aug. 16. All About Blue, which sold University spirit-‐wear, occupied the space until The M Den bought out the business. Duerksen managed All About Blue, which her father owned. According to the property agreement, the Duerksens kept 1,500 square feet of the space. Next door, The Victors Collection, which is owned by the M Den, is the second tenant in the lease. Duerksen graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in interior design and transformed the former spirit shop into a fashion hub. Verbena is working to appeal to the college student budget and to a wide range of styles, Duerksen said. “It doesn’t have to be expensive to be fashionable,” Duerksen said. “The student price line is probably the first thing we look for while buying.” The store caters to a host of tastes, which Kate described as urban, bohemian and earthy. In addition to selling clothes, Verbena offers unusual wares such as rustic mermaid bottle openers, knick-‐knack dishes, globes, local crafts and even small plants — yes, succulents are sold among mini-‐skirts. “I’ve been, from the beginning, envisioning the college girl and what you can do to make your dorm room your own,” Duerksen said. Clothing, jewelry and decorative products create a vibe that is unique to the boutique. “We’re quite a few things,” Duerksen said. “I think it’s important (while choosing merchandise) to look for more than just your own style and branch out.” Shortly after opening, Information junior Samantha Coffman approached Duerksen and offered to help the store connect with students through social media.
“They hadn’t had a lot of publicity yet on campus,” Coffman said. “And I kind of know the demographic.” Coffman developed a social media plan for Verbena, which included promoting the business on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. Coffman said although she helped shape the store’s advertising strategy, she sees herself more as an event planner. “They want to imitate that for the future,” Coffman said. “That's kinda where my role more is rather than just daily social media, but I definitely think my official position is I advise on social media and how they should be approaching it.” For example, Verbena recently hosted a Greek life-‐exclusive event that offered sorority members a 15-‐percent discount on merchandise. Duerksen said although this event was not open to non-‐Greek life members, she hopes to host many more events for anyone who is interested. In line with hosting events for students, the store’s broader marketing strategy focuses on appealing to locals first. However, Coffman said this is just the start. “Our goal for the future is to have the social media grow so much that the business grows as a brand outside of Ann Arbor,” Coffman said. “And to get ecommerce going for the boutique so it’s profitable not just in Ann Arbor, but online.”
Go blue, go Hollywood: The 'U' takes a new approach to Tinsel Town – MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford October 14th, 2014 A sharp rise of intonation followed by an inquisitive eyebrow — “Oh, so you’re majoring in film?” Well, not exactly. Here at the University, it’s Screen Arts & Cultures, which isn’t the same as majoring in film. That medium is dead. You’d be hard pressed to find a kid reeling film stock or splicing and mending together single frames from a filmstrip. But screen arts? It’s a combination of practice and theory, and it’s a field that is very much alive. Screen art is the modern alternative to film — the dynamic digital imagery that pops up on your laptop screen, flashes on the television and glues you to your smartphone. It’s not just the study of how to make films, but the study of the culture of making them. But with big film schools like New York University or the University of Southern California leading the pack, how does Michigan stack up? What does a SAC degree mean for a life post-‐graduation? With an interdisciplinary take on film education, students at the University are taking advantage of a more diverse set of post-‐grad endeavors. Such careers may apply to film, but it’s certainly not a set-‐in-‐stone requirement. “Do you know what film is anymore?” Terri Sarris, associate chair of the Department, asked. “It’s the stuff with the holes — celluloid.” No one at the University is a ‘film’ major. Instead, the SAC department, in line with all other LSA majors, prides itself on the diverse education it offers, comprised of both theory and practice courses. “We think of it, on one hand, like any other major in that college,” Sarris said. “Anybody who has a degree from LSA finds creative ways to use that degree.” Two-‐thirds of the department’s curriculum is based on the study of theory and history, while the other third includes hands-‐on production experience. The Screen Arts & Cultures Department is relatively new to the University. Before administrators were convinced that students could pursue viable careers in media studies, the Department was classified as the Film and Video Studies Program. Under Gaylyn Studlar, who served as director of LSA’s Film and Video Program from 1995 to 2005, it was transformed into the Screen Arts & Cultures Department, giving it the power to hire its own professors and to expand its curriculum.
Phil Ranta, a LSA alum, focused on screenwriting when it was still the Film and Video Program. The transition was finalized in 2005, the year he graduated — a year when MySpace was hugely popular and YouTube had just premiered online. “So it was really the beginning of a revolution,” Ranta said. “U of M recognized the shift at the right time.” After graduation, Ranta became a pioneer in shaping film’s place in an online platform. Initially, he sold his screenplay for a TV pilot, which was shot in Ann Arbor during his senior year, to Turner’s comedy web outlet called SuperDeluxe.com. He stressed the importance of knowing how to write and tell a story, regardless of career plans. In this sense, his degree was applicable far beyond the world of film. “The beautiful thing about focusing on screenwriting is that everything is storytelling — independent of the medium,” Ranta said. Ranta later became the Head of Channel Partnerships with Fullscreen — YouTube’s largest network of content creators and brands that strives to “empower the next generation of artists and creators.” As their ninth employee at the time, Ranta said he plays a role in shaping the goals of the now multimillion-‐dollar company. The Department’s fusion of production, screenwriting, history and theory courses into its curriculum is a unique concept that sets it apart from the more traditional film schools. Other universities are beginning to catch on and recognize the value in a more liberal arts style film school education. After leaving in 2009, Studlar, who built up the SAC program at the University, joined Washington University in St. Louis and presently serves there as the director of its own Film and Media Studies Program. Studlar pushed to incorporate a similar ratio of theory and practice courses in St. Louis. Screen Arts lecturer Mark Kligerman has taught a variety of study-‐based courses at the University for over 10 years. Courses he has recently instructed include upper level Contemporary Film Theory; Cult, Camp Art and Exploitation; and The Animated Film, as well as various film history courses. Kligerman said that although students are being primed for a career in film production — what most would associate with the “Hollywood” career path — they also develop writing and critical skills by studying theory and history, which prepares them to go into any field, related or unrelated to film itself. He said he has seen students graduate and begin endeavors in the fields of journalism, law and even medicine. Regardless of where students decide to take their major, career-‐wise, Kligerman stressed the importance of becoming informed producers and consumers of media culture. The intention of raising profound historical awareness of media culture itself is inherent in the name of the major — Screen Arts & Cultures.
LSA senior Keshav Prasad, a SAC major, believes that the attention to experimental and unconventional forms of film sets the University apart from departments at more traditional universities that identify solely as “film schools.” Such courses include The Experimental Screen and New Media Practices. For example, in classes like Experimental Film (SAC 304), students are given free range to make any type of project they want with tampered film or digital image technology. “What separates those from courses you would take at a traditional film school is one: the lack of structure, and two: the specific attention towards counter media, or media that is non-‐narrative,” Prasad added. “We are challenging the notion of what it means to be a filmmaker and to expand our horizons and understand that there is more to media and visual communications over lapsed time than merely the production of a 90 minute narrative film that Hollywood makes,” Prasad said. “That allows students the opportunity to be artists rather than cogs in a Hollywood machine.” Allowing students to explore practices outside the norm does not take away from the curriculum’s academic rigor. In the class Screenwriting I, for example, students are required to write a full-‐length screenplay. Those who move on to Screenwriting II continue the development process as they work to revise their screenplays from the previous semester. Screenwriting courses have been incorporated into a sub-‐major of its own. “We have a first rate writing program, great production program and a great studies program,” said Jim Burnstein, screenwriting coordinator. “And as a result, most of our students when they leave here try to work in the entertainment industry.” To help catalyze the job-‐seeking process, many students have taken advantage of the large network of alumni and University affiliates on the West Coast, some of which have been established by Jim Burnstein, who has written full-‐length features such as “D3: The Mighty Ducks,” “Renaissance Man” and Love and Honor,” which he also produced. Such connections help students get their “foot in the door” of the movie industry. Burnstein served on the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council from 2003 until 2011, pushing for increased film incentives in the state. While most of his colleagues travelled to Hollywood to develop careers in writing and producing, Burnstein chose to work from Michigan and maintain correspondence with his Hollywood agent. Hollywood careers don’t have to be rooted in Hollywood. Writers, producers and directors can operate locally to stimulate a Michigan film industry that is struggling to stay relevant. One of the largest movie sets in the country sits less than an hour away from the University’s campus. Michigan Motion Picture Studios in Pontiac has over 170,000 square feet of stage and mill space, where productions like Oz the Great and Powerful were shot.
Burnstein said he worked with former governor Jennifer Granholm to convince students to stay in the state to stimulate the industry. She signed a law in 2008 creating a film incentive tax credit program with no ceiling, meaning the state could grant as many credits as they desired. A credit waives the taxes a film production would have had to pay on all purchases during shooting, which can add up to millions of dollars. According to Burnstein, when Granholm signed it into law, she turned around and said, “Jim, tell your students.” Between 2008 and 2010, over 130 movies were shot in Michigan, including “Gran Torino” and “Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon.” But it’s unclear how much revenue tax credits generate. Does publicity for the state and the money spent during shooting offset the millions of dollars in tax breaks productions receive? In an effort to track exactly how much the state is spending and receiving, Governor Rick Snyder signed new legislation in 2011 that capped spending at $25 million. About 60 films have been produced in the state since. “They had once in a lifetime opportunities to work on films, get positions right away,” Burnstein said of the state’s once-‐booming film economy. Though the incentive has become weaker over the past few years, Michelle Grinnell, senior communications advisor at Michigan Film Office, said they have tried to maximize opportunities for Michigan residents with the fewer resources it possesses. “We want to make sure that any project that is receiving an incentive is placing an emphasis on hiring Michigan crew, Michigan cast,” Grinnell said. “Film incentives especially are an ever-‐changing landscape; however, Michigan’s program has been pretty consistently one of the top programs.” Burnstein acknowledged that regardless of incentives, students internalize the idea that experiencing Hollywood, the epicenter of the entertainment media business, is a necessity. Within the SAC department, alumni help create a support group for current students looking for jobs and internships, and the cycle often continues. LSA senior Sam Barnett, also a SAC major, has had internships in L.A. for the past two summers. Two years ago, he landed an internship at Josephson Entertainment, after connecting with Sean Bennett, a SAC alum who moved on from Josephson to become the Assistant to Executive Producer at CBS Television Studios. Josephson also worked on an AMC show called Turn. Craig Silverstein, another SAC alum, is the series’ show runner. “These internships have helped me feel more secure when I go out (to Los Angeles),” Barnett said, “I definitely feel like there’s a network of University of Michigan alumni out there.” Julia Mogerman, a fifth-‐year senior, said the network is even stronger in this way because the department is relatively small in size.
“I think its small size makes it great because you get individual attention from professors and you get to know them,” Mogerman said. “They get to know your interests and lead you down different avenues.” Mogerman interned at Red Wagon Entertainment with the help of Jim Burnstein and his connection with Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher, who run the production company. Red Wagon has produced films such as “Gladiator,” “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Divergent.” “A U of M student went to Red Wagon the semester before me and paved the way and made a good reputation for us there,” Mogerman said. She said that much of what students hear about Hollywood is gossip, making it even more pertinent for each individual to spend time there and gauge his or her own opinion. SAC 455, Contemporary Film Industry, gives students an idea of how institutions, such as talent agencies, operate as market conditions evolve. “I can imagine that someone taking that class before going to L.A. would be really prepared with what to expect,” Mogerman added. “And I’m learning a lot from the class still even though I’ve been to L.A.” Hollywood itself is daunting — but so are the vast opportunities available outside of it. To provide some transparency and encourage students to get creative in their quest for jobs, the department is in the process of creating a speaker series, which has yet to be formally named. The series will bring in alumni who have stayed in the area to pursue less traditional career pathways. “It’s one thing to bring in very successful graduates who are further along in their careers but those people can seem fairly remote so I think we’re conscious of wanting to bring in students who have just graduated,” Sarris added. Sarris mentioned one University graduate who is getting in touch with more eccentric opportunities. One student is travelling with Ann Arbor musician Mr. B, documenting his ride down the Mississippi bank pulling a piano behind him. Inevitably, during production classes, SAC majors will carry camera equipment around the city of Ann Arbor. In this sense, Ann Arbor serves as a springboard for on-‐site filming, regardless of where students decide to apply the skills learned. Aside from campus, the city of Ann Arbor is much friendlier to SAC students than large cities, such as New York, which costs minimum $300 for a permit to film. Sarris said Ann Arbor, as a smaller town, is not so steeped in the film industry, so people are lenient with letting students shoot. “Understanding the history of the industry, understanding the current state of the industry, understanding cultural, societal and philosophical undertones of the world can really shape
your art, and the art you produce has direct results on the media,” Keshav Prasad said, “It makes us more aware of the power of what we’re making and hopefully gives us more responsibility with how we represent what we’re producing.”
Ann Arbor sees uptick in luxury apartments and rent costs – MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford Daily Staff Reporter Sept 17th, 2014 Traditional college housing — the rickety, aging homes and rarely renovated apartments that smell like Ramen noodles — has had competitors from new luxury apartment buildings near campus. Landmark Apartments, Sterling 411 Lofts, Zaragon Place and Zaragon West have all opened in the past five years, and several new luxury apartment complexes are on the rise. Maggie Ladd, executive director of the South University Area Association, said prior to 2006, the association researched retail business and housing that was offered to students at different universities. Ann Arbor’s offerings, the research found, were subpar. “We felt that Ann Arbor wasn’t filling the demand,” Ladd said. Landmark is one complex erected to meet some of those demands. Its amenities are abundant: a hot tub, sauna, free bagel breakfasts, a built-‐in fitness center, granite kitchen countertops and more. The catch: monthly rent in some units can exceed $2,000 per person. “We have a very sophisticated student body,” Ladd said. “They are looking for state-‐of-‐the-‐art places to live as opposed to single-‐family places that have been turned into student apartments.” Other universities seem to be attracting this “sophisticated” populace as well. Newspapers nationwide are commenting on the new amenities colleges and their surrounding towns are offering, matching their higher-‐income student body. Rick Perlman, founder and president of Zaragon, Inc., said the University’s high tuition, which surpasses that of the other universities surrounding his properties, factors into the demand for high-‐rises. “The fact that people are paying that large amount for out-‐of-‐state tuition generally shows a higher income per capita per family,” Perlman said. Last year, The Washington Post reported on George Washington University’s “rich kid” stigma. It describes the scene at a rooftop deck at one of the city’s most expensive apartment buildings — surprisingly populated mostly by students. “The number one thing that makes you popular at GW is money,” one GW student told the Post.
Back in Ann Arbor, the housing market reflects income disparity as well. LSA junior Amina Fishburn began her lease at Landmark this September after living in Baits Houses on North Campus her freshman year and a sorority house her sophomore year. “There have been times when I don’t necessarily want to tell people where I live,” Fishburn said. “A little bit of a judgment does pass when you live in Landmark or Zaragon or any of the luxury apartments.” The first high-‐rise to sprout near Central Campus was Zaragon Place, which Perlman developed in 2009. It is located about 1,200 steps from the Diag, Perlman said. Three years later, Perlman opened Zaragon West. Perlman also owns property near the campuses of Western Michigan University and East Carolina University. He said Ann Arbor is an expensive town in terms of real estate. Ann Arbor’s urban setting means less land and thus less area on which to build housing. “There isn’t a bunch of land to build so you’re forced then to build vertically and that kind of construction is much more expensive,” Perlman said. “With much more expensive construction, you have to charge more to rent.” On average, depending on the occupancy of the unit, residents pay from $1,000 to $1,400 per person each month in Zaragon Place. The International Center approximates that the rent per person at a two-‐bedroom apartment in Ann Arbor ranges from $400 to $600 per month. Fishburn said the cost is worth it. “When it comes down to it, I don’t think people necessarily realize that for what you’re paying, you’re actually getting a lot,” she said. Ladd said the storefronts in the area are doing better because of the additional business brought in by high-‐rises such as Zaragon Place, Landmark and the soon to open ArborBLU. “We’re hoping that long-‐term, students will move out of the neighborhoods and neighborhood houses will revert back to family use.”
Art Fair wraps up 55th year – MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford Daily Staff Reporter July 19th, 2014 Nearly 1,000 artists flocked to the streets of downtown Ann Arbor Wednesday through Saturday to display their work at the 55th annual Ann Arbor Art Fair. Though the fair is comprised of four separate art shows, because each fair is connected to the others, attendees feel as though the event is singular in nature. Debra Clayton, Executive Director of the Guild of Artists and Artisans, said the guild has a tagline they use — four fairs, one event. The Ann Arbor Art Street Fair was first to emerge in 1960 as an “Experiment in Arts and Crafts.” Shortly after in 1967, the State Street Area Association established its own fair in its commercial district, and the fair continued to grow when the Free Arts Festival found local artists to participate in 1970. This fair is now known as the Summer Art Fair, sponsored by the Guild of Artists and Artisans, and is located on Main Street and the portion of State Street which runs along the University’s campus. After the Original Street Fair moved to the streets surrounding Burton Tower in 2003, the South University Area Association hosted artists in the area formerly occupied by the Original Street fair. Clayton said overall, though each portion of Art Fair may differ in their specific mission, it’s a collaborative event held together by the city’s overall atmosphere both for the fairs and for other groups downtown, such as businesses. “People like to come here, experience our stores, our restaurants, the University campus, the museum,” Clayton said. “ You find it’s a happy marriage and it’s a family and you think that part of this family is the artists, the stores, the restaurants, the University—everybody kind of benefits.” AJ Davidson, vice president of the Bivouac store in Ann Arbor, has worked outside of his store during Art Fair for the past 15 years. He said the event allows the store to sell old merchandise and bring in the new, making rotation both easier and more efficient. “It brings a lot of people downtown, which is a lot of people into our store and it’s great,” Davidson said. In addition to art, nonprofit organizations are also given space at the fair. Organizations present this year included those representing animal rights, different political leanings, news publications, and various religious stances, among others. “I think they’re all doing the same thing— mostly to promote awareness,” said Dave Arnoldi, a volunteer at the Huron Valley Humane Society.
When it comes to the artists themselves, those who exhibit their work at the fair include both longtime returning individuals as well as new ones. Maureen Riley, Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Street Fair, said the amount of new vendors has grown as baby boomers retire, resulting in a shift in the aesthetics. She added that the Art Fair itself continues to grow in the diversity of work it tries to present. “That’s the beauty of the Ann Arbor Art Fair,” Riley said. “Anybody can find something they like, and at a price point they can afford.” One artist, David O’Dell from Lake Orion, Michigan said he was mostly accustomed to participating in galleries. He creates rock ‘n’ roll posters as well as prints of cars, taken from photographs his father took decades ago at events such as Beatles concerts and the Indie 500. “I’m trying to figure out what goes well in a fair,” O’Dell said. “But people said you should try the Ann Arbor Fair—it’s fabulous.” Jerry Wygant, an artist from Pentwater, Michigan who works with various types of wood he collects himself, was stationed on State Street in his permanent spot for the 12th year. He began working with wood to make jewelry and other accessories over 25 years ago. “The reason I love the whole show is that I meet so many educated people here,” Wygant said. “They’re working on doctorates and they’re from all over the world and they’re interesting people.” Oil painter Kevin Liang has been coming from New York to sell his work at the event for 28 years. Like many artists, he said he makes a point of including the Ann Arbor Art Fair in his road trip itinerary, comprised of various fairs across the nation. While the fair attracts artists from long distances, it also holds the attention of local residents. Ann Arbor resident Carolyn Garay, an artist at this year’s fair, said she was waitlisted for the past three years and was assigned her own tent for the first time this year. Although sales are always welcome, she said she hopes primarily to gain exposure and learn from those passing by. “Seeing the work outside my own eyes and making connections with people is really what it’s all about,” Garay said. “It’s finding that human connection over the cross of very different people.” During Art Fair, Clayton said, Ann Arbor serves as a locale where these different people with different tastes can come together and share their work with others. “We’re part of the whole personality of this city, we’re part of the energy and the culture,” she said. “And this wouldn’t happen without the artists, and it wouldn’t happen for the artists without Ann Arbor.”
Botswana ambassador talks relations overseas-‐ MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford Daily Staff Reporter June 18th, 2014 The Center for the Education of Women hosted the Ambassador of Botswana to the United States, Tebelelo Mazile Seretse, on Wednesday to facilitate a more international focus in the department. Seretse, who became ambassador in February 2011, is Botswana’s first female ambassador. Prior to her current position, she served in Botswana’s Parliamentary cabinets from 1999 to 2004, holding various positions including Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Wildlife and Tourism and Minister of Works, Transport, and Communication. During her time on Cabinet, she successfully facilitated stronger relations with the United States as she negotiated a partnership agreement with Washington to establish an International Law Enforcement Academy in Botswana. Additionally, Seretse pushed for Botswana’s inclusion in the Africa Growth Opportunity Act to increase trade with the United States. In addition to legislature, Seretse also has experience in the private sector as an entrepreneur and director of her family’s business, Diragake Ltd, an oil company in Botswana. In her address, Seretse said because she has experience in both the public and private sectors, she believes there are higher expectations of her as ambassador. She added that such expectations reflect the success of her nation in the past decades since it gained independence from the United Kingdom. Seretse primarily emphasized the heterogeneity within Africa and criticized many Americans’ conflicting tendency to refer to the continent as one would to a country. Monica Porter, assistant vice chancellor of student success and director of the Office of International Affairs at the University of Michigan-‐Dearborn, travelled to Botswana as a Fulbright scholar in 2004. She said during her yearlong stay in the country, she gained a new appreciation for the diversity present within the country, as well as a heightened awareness of how individual actions can lead to change internationally. “Whatever we do in the States or within our own departments, it impacts everyone and this is a global community,” Porter said. “We may not see the impact, but it’s a rippling effect.” During the speech, Seretse highlighted both Botswana’s strengths and some of its challenges. Botswana currently stands as the world’s number one producer of global diamonds, and also has a strong tourism sector. Seretse even called Botswana “more peaceful than the United States,” and said policeman don’t need to carry guns.
However, Seretse also addressed gender-‐based violence in the country, as well as the issues faced by women in all nations. “I never want any woman to put herself down,” she said after speaking about the lack of appreciation for the work that women do as housewives. CEW Director, Gloria Thomas, said by promoting her own country while still acknowledging the challenges that remain, Seretse is doing her job as ambassador. “Yes, there are challenges, and she talked about violence against women as one of them, but there’s a lot going on that’s going well,” Thomas added. Olayinka Davids, who runs an NGO in Nigeria that promotes the success of women, brought a degree of urgency to the issue of gender-‐based violence as she asked the audience to pray for the girls abducted by Boko Haram. “Because of the incident happening in my country — the missing girls — I needed to come out, to appeal, for all the others to join us in praying,” Davids said. Seretse referenced Rwanda as another African nation who faced intense violence and genocide, but still persevered on equal rights issues. In spite of its violent past, the country has progressed in terms of gender equality in politics, and she said it’s the world leader in the number of women holding political office. “Sometimes when I look at all the good that Rwanda is doing following the genocide, I think it is because they have women (in political office),” Seretse said. “We need to move away from just talking about democracy — we need to talk about participation in democracy.”
Acclaimed indie filmmaker donates work to 'U' archives – MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford Daily Staff Reporter June 4th, 2014 A ribbon-‐cutting on Wednesday was lacking in a ribbon. Independent filmmaker John Sayles snipped a 35-‐millimeter film strip as he officially introduced his collections to the Hatcher Graduate Library’s American Film Mavericks at Michigan collection. Since his directorial debut in 1979 with Return of the Secaucus 7, Sayles has directed 17 additional films. Go For Sisters, which had a budget of $1.2 million and was shot in just 19 days, will be shown at this year’s Cinetopia Film Festival. Several of his films has reached universal acclaim, such as The Secret of Roan Inish from 1994 and 1983's Baby It's You. The library hosted a symposium titled “Declarations of Independence: John Sayles as Author, Auteur, Founding Father,” which lasted for the duration of Wednesday afternoon. Various Screen Arts & Cultures professors and administrators spoke at the event, separated into segments discussing Sayles as a screenwriter and author, the themes of gender and race in his films and the changing landscape of American independent cinema. SAC Prof. Jim Burnstein, also a screenwriter, played a part in opening the ceremony with an account of Sayles’ identity and beginnings as a writer. Sayles began his career as an author; his works include four novels, two collections of short stories and numerous screenplays — the best of which he claims have unfortunately never been produced. “John Sayles is the Godfather of the American independent film,” Burnstein said. Sayles said although it is harder today to raise money for independent film and sustain a career, it allows him to tell the stories he wants to tell as an auteur. “When I’m writing a movie for somebody else, I’m an employee,” Sayles said. “There are people who don’t raise their money independently and who make their own movies—they’re a lot more successful than I am and they also don’t get to do everything they want.” Sayles came to this realization early on in his career when he began writing novels that allowed him to sculpt his own world, narratives and characters. Sayles has since translated this creativity to the screen but plans to write at least one more novel, which will most likely be based on one of his screenplays that are not yet produced to be films. Currently, Sayles writes screenplays for TV and features by other directors to raise money for his own individual directorial projects, which he plans to pursue in the future. The SAC department’s emphasis on writing grew with the acquisition of the Orson Welles and Robert Altman collections, Burnstein said. The Sayles collection will be joining both of these archives.
Phil Hallman, Film Studies field librarian and curator for the Screen Mavericks at Michigan Collection, said he hopes to expand the archives. Including Sayles’ work in the collection marks a significant step in this direction. “The hope is to create a center for the study of independent filmmaking at the University of Michigan,” Hallman said. “All of these filmmakers have worked outside of the traditional Hollywood system.” Students from Professor Mark Kligerman’s American Independent Cinema (SAC 455) class viewed numerous Sayles films. Their next assignment was to organize his work in a way that would be accessible to scholars — a hands-‐on endeavor they pursued throughout the duration of the Winter 2014 semester. Screen Arts & Cultures junior Katherine Sherry, a student in SAC 455, addressed the audience, distinguishing her experience from that of other classes. “So many times, you do the paper, you turn it in and it’s a checkmark,” Sherry said. “This has been an opportunity to really learn and it’s been kind of what education should be. The actual primary documents is something far more important anything that we see in a lecture or textbook.” Melissa Gomis, an Instructional Technology librarian at Hatcher, played a large role in organizing and designing the exhibit and frequently met with both students from 455 and Hallman to discuss progress. Gomis said the project itself, given the time span allowed for completion, was very ambitious, but its universal message will make the effort worthwhile. “Whether you’re doing something that’s visual or more textual, you’re trying to tell a story and I think the story he’s (Sayles) telling has a lot of universal appeal,” Gomis added. “There’s a lot of humanity in them and I think that’s something that you don’t always see in films and it’s something I wasn’t expecting to see.”
University alums form take-‐out box company after success on campus-‐ MichiganDaily.com By Hillary Crawford Daily Staff Reporter September 28th, 2013 In a quest to reduce waste in a way that appeals to business and consumer interests, University alums Rich Grousset and Raphael Meyer created Bizeebox, a reusable takeout container that can be sold to restaurants and reused up to 350 times. Grousset and Meyer say Ann Arbor alone disposes of at least two-‐million takeout containers per year. Bizeebox could meet the takeout demand with less than one percent of that quantity. “A better future is possible where we aren’t just creating unnecessary waste,” Meyer said. “So we plan to start with reusable takeout containers and prove that people are willing to reuse, prove that people are willing to put in a little extra effort.” The idea is pretty simple: customers will be able to request Bizeebox from participating restaurants and later return the registered box to the restaurant for cleaning and recirculation. Grousset and Meyer, who graduated with dual degrees from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment and the School of Business, initially piloted the idea on campus in order to gauge feedback and learn what needed to be improved before applying the idea to downtown Ann Arbor. In graduate school, they created the Go Blue Box, the predecessor of Bizeebox. The container was beta tested at the former University Club Restaurant in the Michigan Union. Although Go Blue Box and Bizeebox are separate entities, they both promote environmentally friendly dining options. As one of the first four grantees of the Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund, the team was given $8,000 to launch the Go Blue Box in the University Club last year. “You get those moments where people say, ‘Oh, this makes a lot of sense. Why aren’t people doing this everywhere?’ ” Grousset said. “There’s a large segment of people who go to restaurants and care about the environment and sustainability.” LSA senior Emily Jaffe, president of Michigan Student Athletes for Sustainability, said the idea has great potential to grow into something much bigger. “When I was using the Go Blue Box, it was so nice to be able to walk out and return it the next time I was around, and with Bizeebox, there will be more places to return them in Ann Arbor, so I don’t think it will be a hassle,” Jaffe said.
During the nine months that the Union restaurant used the Go Blue Box, Grousset and Meyer estimated five thousand less disposable boxes were used. Upon leaving the University, the team’s focus on Go Blue Box graduated into the development of Bizeebox, which could be used off campus. A few Ann Arbor restaurants have already expressed interest. Next, the duo must raise enough money to begin a manufacturing run, which the founders hope to finance through an Indiegogo campaign. While Bizeebox is on its way to being launched, a student organization, the Reusable Takeout Container Program, has taken initiative to continue the Go Blue Box’s legacy and promote dining sustainability among students. Rackham student Rohit Narayan, president of the organization, said he and other group members are pushing the University to bring back the Go Blue Box to support waste reduction in other venues on campus. “A lot of classes in engineering now support sustainability, so there is a general push towards making the campus more green and now we just need the right opportunities,” Narayan said. For now, Bizeebox will be for only off-‐campus restaurants, but Meyer and Grousset are looking ahead to what their nascent company can work on next. “In nature there is no such thing as waste. Everything gets reused, recycled and put back into service some way,” Meyer said. “It’s up to our generation to make the future what we all want to see.” Grousset said he and Meyer have taken an optimistic approach to rewind the damage done on the environment by the overuse of one-‐time containers. “You look at all of the problems in the world and can get pretty depressed,” Grousset said. “Our sense of humor gave us playful interaction, and we want to project that in our business. We’re solving problems, but we’re having fun doing it.”