Thursday, August 1, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu Thursday, August 1, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com LETTR T O THE EDITOR SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY(H)MICHIGANDAILY.COM KATIE BURKE EDITOR IN CHIEF ERIC FERGUSON EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR ELLIOT ALPERN MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflecttheofficial positionofthe Daily's editorial board. All other signed artiles and illustrations represent solelythe views of their authors. F RO M T HE DA ILY Vote Kunselman, Higgins The Daily's endorsements for City Council primary elections With the Democratic primary for the Ann Arbor City Coun- cil occurring Aug. 6, it's election season once again in Ann Arbor. Though the fact that this election is occurring almost a month prior to when most students arrive for fall classes is extreme- ly regrettable, that shouldn't make students any less important in the eyes of the candidates. Students are a large segment of the city's popu- lation and inhabit every ward in the city, and our interests - such as affordable housing, public safety and a quality transportation system - deserve the council's attention. The Michigan Daily's endorsement has been granted to those candidates who we feel will best represent students' concerns on city council and who possess the skills necessary to make their goals a reality. Lack of student on Presidential Search Advisory Committee a mistake TO THE DAILY: I was serving as student body president in late 2001 when Presi- dent Lee C. Bollinger announced his departure for the presidency of Columbia University, and was proud to be appointed as a mem- ber of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee that recom- mended the hiring of President Mary Sue Coleman in 2002. As a junior on campus, that experience was very personally fulfilling and contributed to my future success. To be in a room with approximately 15 other fac- ulty, alumni and staff - and to be treated as an equal member of that conversation both by them and the candidates we consid- ered - was an experience that has prepared me for counsel- ing and interacting with those much more senior than me, both during my time as M&A counsel with a law firm and now as Senior Counsel to Dow Corning Cor- poration. That experience and lesson is what the University of Michigan - in a nutshell - is all about to me. I was surprised to learn that the PSAC recently announced and charged with recommend- ing a replacement for President Coleman does not include a stu- dent similarly situated. What has changed between 2001 and today to make the students' voice less important in the process this time? In an era when rising tuition, increasing revenue-gen- erating pressure and decreasing state funds are conspiring to make public universities about many more things than "just" student education, reminding the can- didates who will interview for the presidency of the University of Michigan that students are at least one of their stakeholders seems more important than ever. This decision, unfortunately, sends the opposite message. I urge the Board of Regents (three of whom were on the board in 2001) to reconsider this decision and appoint a current student to the PSAC. Matt Nolan 2003 LSA, 2006 Law School alum too. Even cooler, the rapport between all of us "press people" finally started to incline. The quiet-keep-to-yourself attitude on Friday transformed into small talk in line for the pit, which-led to some truly amazing conversa- tions and even some jokes in the pit. We started looking out for each other even when we were all tech- nically competing to get the best spot -for photographs in the pit. And yet the only competition that existed was between us photog- raphers and those nasty security guards hounding us to get out of their space. We were all there for the same reason, and it felt like we were in it together. - My day began with White Lung, a hardcore punk rock band that fueled a mosh pit full of angst- fueled teens, followed by Julia Holter, who offered pretty much the polar opposite. Holter's sooth- ing, experimental and ambient pop music left the crowd in a pleasant daze, especially being accompa- nied by a saxophonist that I found particularly intriguing -mean- ing I took a LOT of photos. Phos- phorescent came next, becoming a personal favorite of mine for its vibrant personalities and feel- good, deeply emotive tunes that made the band visually and audibly rich. While I was photographing during "Song for Zula," my heart throbbed throughout the whole song. Ryan Hemsworth, Solange, Belle & Sebastian and Rustie took up the rest of the day, which had honestly become a blur with the madness of rushing from show to show, and the completer-state of awe I was in as a result of see- ing these people literally inches away from me. While I would have loved the opportunity to actually see these performances like the thousands of people watchingwith their plastic wine glasses in hand, I realized that I wouldn't trade my three minutes of glory for any of it. Day Three Before I knew it, Sunday was already here. The big day. The day jam packed with back-to-back huge acts. Well, huge to us Pitchforksi- ans, I suppose - you Lollapalooz- ers wouldn't understand. From Foxygen to Lil B, Blood Orange to Glass Candy, Yo La Tengo to Sky Ferreira; from Toro Y Moi to M.I.A. and R. Kelly and finally TNGHT (deep breath) my mind was already blown before any of it even hap- pened. It was, however, also day three. The last day of Pitchfork for an entire year. I didn't even want to think about it. Luckily, I immediately spotted quite the distraction as I walked in. It was the beautiful Sky Fer- reira, standing outside the press tent getting interviewed. I. Needed. To. Take. Her. Picture. This was one opportunity that I could not pass up - so I waited anxiously for that damn interview to be done. After what seemed to be forever, Sky was finally free and I was quick to go over and introduce myself. As we started to talk, she was so down to earth that I almost forgot whom I was really talking to. She was just a normal person. She even sported a skirt that I own. Woah. Sky Per- reira was just another person, like you and me. A person who also buys clothes from American Apparel - like me. I most definitely still had to take her picture. I didn'twant to be that annoying photographer/fan girl so I let her go after some time, but I couldn't deny that she totally had made my day. And then, my day was somehow made even better when Sam France and Jonathan Rado of Foxygen killed it on the Red Stage. France, with his zany expressiveness, had without a doubt the greatest stage presence I had seen at the festival yet. He climbed up the stage pillars, whipped his straggly hair around and danced until his pants nearly fell down. He was all over the place in the best way possible, and the band put on a show that was quite the workout to photograph, but incredibly fun nevertheless. As we left the pit, another photographer appropriately remarked, "Well that was something." With some time to spare before Blood Orange, I returned to the Press Tent to charge some of my electronics when I noticed France and Rado just casually hanging out. Even though I was definitely over being starstruck, I couldn't help but to go up and talk to them (and also take their picture). Sam's crazy onstage energy was com- pletely switched off - he was just a laid back, chilled out dude. He, too, proved to me the ridiculousness of the word "famous" as we started talking about all the other cool acts occurring the rest of the day. Before leaving, I did get to snag some quirky photos of them doing the quirky things that they do. My smile couldn't get any bigger at that point. Next, Blood Orange at the Blue Stage was so groovy that, with all the happiness surgingthrough my body at that moment, all I wanted to do was groove with them. The saxophonist from Julia Holter all of a sudden made a guest appear- ance, and we make immediately eye contact. He appeared again at Chairlift later in the day, fol- lowed by more eye contact. What was going on? This day was get- ting more bizarre by the minute. Seeing Sky Ferreira passion- ately play next led me to gain even more respect for her. Later, standing next to the speakers, I'm pretty sure my eardrums ruptured during Lil B's perfor- mance. The crowd was absolutely nuts, wilder than I had ever seen. People were getting thrown out left and right. It was definitely a sight to see, and definitely one to laugh at after we photographers were all out of the pit. Man, would I miss this Time flew faster and faster. Toro Y Moi: Done. M.I.A.: Done. R. Kelly: Done. R. Kelly's balloon birds released during "I Believe I Can Fly" flew away. Finally, the closing act of the night and weekend was here. TNGHT was finally here tonight. And we only got to photograph one single song before we were kicked out. So TNGHT was quickly checked off the list as well. Done. Along with the few photographers that were left during this final act, I walked out of that pit for the last time, put my stuff down and just danced away all of the emo- tions I had at that moment. I was now done, too. Done with one of the most difficult weekends of my life. Done with one of the most inspiring weekends of my life. Done working side-by-side, minute-after-minute for the past three days. Done being inches away from the talented artists we got to photograph each day. Done with the music. Done with the heat. Done with the crowds. Done with the pit. Done with the smiles and laughter at things that only we photographers would under- stand. Done with the camaraderie. Done with the job. Done with this weekend. There were too many dones happening too fast. I was overwhelmed with feelings. I was already experiencing withdrawals before I had even left Union Park. I just didn't want this all to end. As I was walking out of TNGHT in a daze, I ran into - who else? - the saxophonist that surfaced all weekend long, for whatever rea- son. He stopped me and we started talking. First, about the fact that he kept noticing me taking pic- tures of him. Oops. But it evolved into something much deeper - about life, and what we were doing with it, and why ... etc. He told me something that summed up the entire weekend for me: We can do great things if we do them together. We can do great things if we do them together. This weekend was so meaningful to me because it was about just that: Collaborat- ing with others to create great- ness. Whether it was with the other photographers or the artists that we photographed or just any- one that I met. We were working together to create something tarf - gible or intangible, a photograph, a feeling, a memory, a laugh, a song, a lesson - anything. All that matters is that we did it together. Do Ybur Y oga with a rope! build $70 STRENGTH ,E E 30 days unlimited release classes stress russayog.com 215 s. state ann arbor *0OO UU LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the edi- tor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com. Only the races in Wards 3 and 4 are contested Tuesday. In Ward 3, Julie Grand is running against incumbent Stephen Kunselman (D-Ward 3). Grand currently chairs the city's Park Advisory Commission and is a lecturer at the University's Dearborn cam- pus, havingearned both a master's degree and a PhD from the Uni- versity's School of Public Health. In an interview with The Michi- gan Daily, Grand emphasized a communicative and procedural process for addressing challenges the city faces, as well as public service in her current capacity as the Park Commission chair. She also identified downtown devel- opment with an eye toward the long term as being important to students, envisioning that empty spaces will soon be developed. While she mentioned core city services as one of her priorities, her knowledge of city issues per- taining to students - such as the provision requiring landlords to wait 70 days before showing their properties to people seeking a place to live next year - left some- thing to be desired. Kunselman has served three terms on the council in Ward 3 and holds a master's degree in urban planning from the University. When asked about what he per- ceived to be the most important issues for students, his immediate response was safety. Though he supported many of the student- focused apartment complexes and opposed height caps on the build- ings he does not support large developments, such as the 413 E. Huron development. He placed lit- tle emphasis on engaging the com- munity when making decisions. * While Grand clearly has a strong desire to serve the public and her communicative style is promis- ing, The Michigan Daily endorses STEPHEN KUNSELMAN for Ward 3 because of his extensive experience in city government and grasp of student priorities - but strongly encourages him to reach out to his constituents for their input on city matters. In Ward 4, incumbent Marcia Higgins (D- Ward 4) faces chal- lenger Jack Eaton. Higgins has served on the council for 14 years and has played a key role in the Ann Arbor Developing Down- town initiative. She wants to con- tinue developing the downtown area and sees increasing density there as a way to reduce housing prices citywide. While talking with The Daily, she placed much importance on building a public transit station linking Ann Arbor to surrounding cities on Fuller Road - despite the setbacks over the project in 2012 - stressing the availability of federal match- ing funds as a great opportunity for the city. Such a project would greatly benefit students - as many don't have access to cars - and her pro- fessed desire to con- nectAnn Arbor to both Detroit and Chicago deserves consider- able praise. She also acknowledged existing flaws in the city's storm drain system - which has recently flooded streets in a significant portion of the city - and expressed her support for a careful overview of the system. Eaton is a labor attorney who repre- sents many transit workers across the state and has been quite active in the Ann Arbor communi- ty, starting the Neigh- borhood Alliance and helping other neigh- borhoods organize. While talking to The Daily he repeatedly lamented students' lack of engagement in city politics and encouraged them to bring their concerns to him, rather than emphasizing a more proactive approach on . his part. He displayed a strong grasp of pub- lic safety issues, and though supportive of improved public tran- sit he believes that expanding the exist- ing train station on Depot Street would be a better idea than building a new sta- tion on Fuller Road. However, his idea for the scale of this proj- ect was mostly limited to linking suburbs to the city. While Eaton's desire for the student body to connect with him is admirable. The Michigan Daily endorses MARCIA HIGGINS for Ward 4 because of her attentiveness to the needs of students and young professionals is Ann Arbor. DO YOU LIKE- MUSIC FESTIVALS? WANT TO GO FOR FREE? Write for Daily Arts by emailing arts@michigandaily.com.