The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, April 8 2015 — 5

‘Dead’ end opens 
onto new world

RADIUS-TWC

‘The Hunting Ground’ explores the facts and fictions of campus sexual assault.
Confronting sexism 
in Greek life cinema 

By REBECCA LERNER

Daily Arts Writer

Human beings categorize each 

other for convenience; it’s a way 
to make a complex world easier to 
understand. When we stereotype, 
we don’t take into account individu-
al differences. But how about when 
the subjects of our daunting world 
put themselves into uncomplicated 
boxes for us?

Greek life in college does just 

this. It allows people to have the 
ability to describe 50 to 70 people 
using a few derogatory words. “The 
Hunting Ground,” a documentary 
about the severity of sexual assault 
on college campuses, devotes a 
portion of its run time to illustrate 
the problem of rape in American 
fraternities. Sitting in the theater, 
listening to statistics and personal 
accounts of Greek life, the charac-
ters created realistic identities for 
people whom I didn’t even know.

The classic sorority girl stereo-

types are often prevalent in mov-
ies, but few are so overwhelming 
as “Legally Blonde,” a film about 
Elle Woods, (Reese Witherspoon, 
“Wild”), president of her soror-
ity’s chapter, who follows her boy-
friend to Harvard Law School. 
Elle eventually realizes that she 
is more than her sorority’s let-
ters, but her friends continue to be 
portrayed as well-dressed, mani-
cured morons.

More recently, “The House 

Bunny” and “Sydney White” cre-
ate an obvious binary between the 
mean and exclusive sorority girls 
who are portrayed as the “bitchy” 
and “slutty” villains juxtaposed 

with the sweet “I’m not like others” 
girls who are allowed to care about 
other things, but who are often val-
ued for their non-sexual innocence.

The female characters in these 

movies encourage the sexism of 
the system of Greek life. These ste-
reotypes let people say that they’re 
all the same; they’re dumb; they’re 
“basic.” Sometimes even women 
who don’t participate in Greek life 
fall into this trap; they don’t want to 
be identified with what the “soror-
ity girl” has come to represent, so 
they join the ranks of people who 
look down on them.

Ask anyone on campus, even 

someone not affiliated with Greek 
life in any way, to give you one to 
two words describing a certain 
sorority and they can do it without 
hesitation. But we can’t describe 
“other” people in one to two words 
as easily. And these stereotypes 
perpetuate the idea that we can take 
multi-faceted humans and turn 
them into “basic” things that don’t 
deserve respect. By taking away the 
humanity of these women, we take 
away incentive for others to treat 
them like real people. This depreci-
ation of sorority sisters contributes 
to hazy understandings of consent 
– if someone isn’t seen as deserv-
ing of a voice, they are not seen as 
deserving of control over their own 
body.

Men also become victims of 

misogyny in the cinematic por-
trayal of Greek life. In films like 
“Neighbors,” 
fraternity 
broth-

ers are depicted as beer-guzzling 
“basic bros” whose main objec-
tive in life is to sleep with as many 
women as possible. However, their 

stereotypes are fundamentally dif-
ferent from those of sorority girls, 
because when they adhere to their 
social norms, they are celebrated – 
laughed with and not at. The main 
frat boys are never characterized as 
villainous or dangerous. The issue 
of sexual assault is rarely touched 
upon in the web of Greek life 
interpretations. The most preva-
lent example is in the satirical film 
“Animal House”, when, after much 
internal debate, a fraternity charac-
ter does not rape a passed out girl 
and he is lionized as a hero.

Greek life itself may or may not 

be inherently sexist, but its por-
trayal in films almost always is. One 
of the statistics in “The Hunting 
Ground” points out that the popu-
lation of rapists is small in compari-
son with the number of people who 
experience sexual assault, because 
the majority of men who do rape 
will be repeat offenders. However, 
because of the stereotypes that 
films perpetuate about sorority sis-
ters as being hypersexualized and 
vapid, it makes it easier to not take 
them seriously and guiltlessly com-
mit crimes against them.

The gorgeous houses in the 

inevitable montages of films about 
Greek life are built brick by misogy-
nist brick. The worst part is that 
we take those constructions at face 
value and we use them to judge 
people in our actual lives. But with 
films like “The Hunting Ground” 
that tell the stories of individual 
girls and frankly discuss facts about 
the correlation between Greek life 
and rape culture, we can see the 
structure of sexism slowly crum-
bling.

Rick Grimes goes 

all the way in 

season five closer

By MATT BARNAUSKAS

Daily Arts Writer

Early in season five of “The 

Walking 
Dead,” 
Abraham 

(Michael Cudlitz, “Band of 
Brothers”) 
wrote, 
“The 

new 
world’s 

gonna 
need 

Rick Grimes.” 
But, can Rick 
(Andrew Lin-
coln, 
“Strike 

Back”) survive 
in 
the 
new 

world? 
That’s 

the 
question 

that drove the 
second half of AMC’s hit series 
as it found its group of survivors 
struggling to adjust to the set-
tlement of Alexandria, a place 
mostly untouched by the hor-
rors outside.

If any quote encapsulates Rick’s 

philosophy in the apocalypse, it 
would come from fellow AMC 
series “Breaking Bad” ’s Mike 
Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), 
who said, “I chose a half measure, 
when I should have gone all the 
way. I’ll never make that mistake 
again.” Rick has learned this les-
son more than once. He lost his 
wife (Sarah Wayne Callies,”Prison 
Break”) when he left an enemy’s 
fate to chance and then his men-
tor (Scott Wilson, “In Cold Blood”) 
when he let the Governor (David 
Morissey, “Extant”) get away 
at the end of season three. This 
message continues to resonate as 
the threat of Terminus returns to 
attack an already weakened group 
in the first three episodes of season 
five. All this leads to a pragmatic 
leader, unafraid to take the brutal 
steps needed to survive. However, 
within the sheltered community of 
Alexandria, Rick is a product of a 
completely different world.

Set in the aftermath of Rick’s 

violent confrontation with the 
abusive Pete (Corey Brill, “The 
Normal Heart”) and his sub-
sequent gun-waving rant, the 
season five finale, “Conquer,” 
questions Rick’s place in a civi-
lized community. Glenn (Steve 
Yeun, “The Legend of Korra”) 
openly questions Rick’s resolve 
to violently take Alexandria 
if he is voted out, comparing 

his plan of butchery displayed 
by the residents of Terminus. 
However, “The Walking Dead” 
could have looked even farther 
back into its history to find the 
strongest comparison – season 
two’s Shane (Jon Bernthal, “The 
Wolf of Wall Street”), Rick’s for-
mer friend turned rival. Shane 
displays many of the traits that 
Rick currently possesses: Aha-
rah survival instinct, the need 
to strike first and a problematic 
relationship with another man’s 
wife. The show paints Rick in a 
light compared to the eventual 
condemnation 
Shane 
faces, 

which demonstrates how far 
characters have been pushed.

In 
particular, 
“Conquer” 

pushes not only Rick, but Glenn 
and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-
Green, “Once Upon a Time”) 
to points they could never turn 
away from. Glenn faces death 
at the hands of the cowardly 
Nicholas 
(Michael 
Traynor, 

“Rectify”) while Sasha, who 
struggles to come to grips 
with the deaths of her brother 
and boyfriend (Chad L. Cole-
man and Lawrence Gilliard Jr., 
“The Wire”), is confronted by 
the hypocritical Father Gabriel 
(Seth Gilliam, “The Wire”). 
Both confrontations conclude 
with Glenn and Sasha point-
ing guns at their attackers, and 
both times, the show walks 
them away from the ledge. It’s a 
mixed-bag in term of dramatic 
results; while it’s enjoyable to 
see the usually nihilistic series 
give hope to its characters, 
there’s a sense of anticlimax, 

much like the downbeat mid-
season finale, “Coda.”

On a lighter note, it’s awesome 

to see the return of Morgan 
(Lennie James, “Low Winter 
Sun”) and his newfound Zen 
warrior philosophy and fighting 
style. Back on Rick’s side, there 
is sometimes a little too much 
justification on its protagonist 
side. The show has seen Rick 
walk the line between sanity 
and insanity multiple times, as 
Lincoln gives the character an 
undercurrent of dark madness 
that always risks coming forth. 
However, the show’s writers 
seem to be more cautious in 
embracing that darker side. 
Several characters defend Rick, 
like Abraham eloquently says 
to the Alexandrians, “There’s 
a vast ocean of shit that you 
people don’t know shit about.” 
But, the show might go a little 
too far in its defense of Jessie 
(Alexandra 
Breckenbridge, 

“American 
Horror 
Story”), 

the woman Rick is at times 
disturbingly attached to, which 
only solidifies his importance.

However, when Rick comes 

forth with the body of a walker 
who sneaks in, the show states that 
the new world needs Rick Grimes, 
because in the words of “True 
Detective” ’s Rust Cohle, “The 
world needs bad men. We keep 
the other bad men from the door.” 
That’s why Rick kills Pete after he 
kills Reg (Steve Coulter, “The Con-
juring”). In “The Walking Dead,” 
survival can’t be compromised. 
This is a lesson Rick knows, and 
Alexandria needs to learn.

A-

The 
Walking 
Dead

Season Five 
Finale

AMC

TV REVIEW

AMC

Brought to you by Band-Aid ®.

FILM NOTEBOOK

Barnet and Reuben not responsible 
for the criminal sexual assault of 
Emily Campbell is unfathomable. 
I could not respectfully disagree 
more with the final findings of the 
OIE investigation.” 

When contacted by the Daily, 

Cavanaugh said he wanted to 
discuss the case for this article, 
but his supervisor and Diane 
Brown, the Division of Public 
Safety and Security spokeswoman, 
prevented 
him 
from 
doing 

so. 
Brown 
said 
University 

Police Chief Robert Neumann 
was 
unavailable 
to 
answer 

questions 
Tuesday 
afternoon 

regarding the role of UMPD in 
these types of investigations or 
whether detectives are used as 
expert witnesses in University 
proceedings of this nature.

Timothy Lynch, University vice 

president and general counsel, 
wrote a letter to Campbell — which 
was reviewed by the Daily — in 
December 2014, stating that the 
OGC, OIE and OSCR had reviewed 
all 
the 
documents 
submitted 

by both the complainant and 
respondents “in light of continuing 
objections” raised by both parties.

“Detective Cavanaugh’s personal 

opinions on the findings of OIE, 
the credibility of the parties or the 
ultimate issue before the Appeals 
Board are neither relevant nor 
appropriate,” Lynch wrote. He 
elaborated to say Cavanaugh acted 
outside of University policies as an 
impartial investigator by sending 
his letter, and that his letter 
“cannot be characterized as new 
information.” 

In the letter, Lynch briefly 

explained what types of evidence 
are and aren’t used in University 
investigations. 

“The University of Michigan’s 

sexual misconduct policy and 
procedures are not designed to 
mimic the criminal justice system 
or civil litigation; they are student 
disciplinary 
proceedings,” 
he 

wrote. 

Lynch’s letter continued that 

while “formal rules of evidence do 
not apply,” the University attempts 
to keep the investigation fair to 
all parties, which might mean 
“disallowing proffered information 
from being considered.”

Other documents presented by 

the respondents in advance of the 
appeals process were also blocked 
from consideration. 

Jane 
Briggs-Bunting, 
an 

attorney and former director of the 
Michigan State University School 
of Journalism, said University 
disciplinary proceedings are often 
less formal than a criminal case, 
and standard rules of evidence do 
not generally apply. However, she 
said if the University is allowing 
one party to bring in extra 
witnesses, the other party should 
be notified.

Lynch could not be reached 

for comment on Tuesday, and the 
University’s Office of Public Affairs 
declined to make him available for 
an interview.

During the appeals process, 

Mortellaro said the respondents’ 
lawyers were meeting with various 
University 
officials 
and 
staff 

members to discuss this case.

The Daily attempted to confirm 

these meetings with Lynch, but he 
was unavailable for comment. The 
respondents’ lawyers also declined 

to comment on this matter.

“I think it’s highly unusual for 

generals counsel to be involved in 
student disciplinary proceedings 
and talking to attorneys on one 
side and excluding the party on the 
other side,” Briggs-Bunting said. 

Following a meeting with Stacy 

Vander Velde, associate director 
of OSCR, Mortellaro said she left 
with more questions than answers.

“I had a long conversation with 

(Vander Velde) and I just asked 
her what policy and procedure 
they were using to make these 
determinations and she said she 
had no idea, that it was all coming 
from the general counsel’s office, 
and later we found out that the 
respondents’ 
attorneys 
were 

having undue influence over the 
counsel. We were never made 
privy to that or allowed to respond 
in any way.”

The 
University’s 
Office 
of 

General Counsel is not mentioned 
in the University’s Policy on 
Student Sexual Misconduct, which 
lists offices such as OIE and OSCR 
that are traditionally involved in 
the proceedings. 

An OSCR staff member said 

Vander Velde was unavailable for 
comment on Tuesday, and the 
Office of Public Affairs declined to 
make a representative from OSCR 
available for comment.

Fitzgerald declined to discuss 

policy used to determine admissible 
evidence or testimony, referring 
the Daily to the University’s 
Student 
Sexual 
Misconduct 

Policy. He also declined to discuss 
standard 
language 
used 
for 

advising students on hiring an 
attorney during the process, citing 
the Student Sexual Misconduct 
Policy’s provision that students 

may have a “Support Person” 
participate in the process. The 
policy does not stipulate whether 
the University is required to 
notify the other party when 
a 
complainant 
or 
respondent 

involves a support person, such as 
an attorney.

“It’s just about equity, and that’s 

why we filed with the federal 
government,” 
Campbell 
said. 

“Their rule is that the University 
can decide either way as long as it is 
equal, but it wasn’t. You can’t pick 
and choose what evidence is seen.”

Part 
Four: 
Communication 

concerns

Campbell did not hire her own 

lawyer until November 2014, 11 
months after the alleged assault, 
when she decided to file a civil 
suit against Barnet and Reuben. 
The decision not to hire a lawyer, 
Mortellaro said, was made based 
on trust in the University’s process 
— trust she and Campbell said they 
feel the University abused. Because 
they were advised that they did 
not need a lawyer, Campbell and 
Mortellaro said, the investigation 
and appeals process was filled with 
miscommunication and confusion. 

“They told us it was completely 

unnecessary to have a lawyer 
to work through the University 
process,” Mortellaro said.

Nacht, the attorney representing 

Barnet, said he regularly represents 
women and men in the University’s 
sexual assault process. 

“It is normal for a student or for 

that matter a university faculty 
member or staff member going 
through the process to want the 
assistance of counsel,” he told the 
Daily in a statement. “The fact 
that women and men continue to 
contact our firm indicates that the 

need is there.”

Mortellaro 
said 
the 
status 

of Campbell’s case was always 
unclear during the appeals process.

“All of the sudden, this had gone 

up the chain of command, and no 
one could tell us why or who was 
making decisions, or what they 
were basing those decisions on,” 
Mortellaro added.

Prior to submitting Campbell’s 

request for appeal, however, the 
University was clear about its 
policy. As is publicly stated, the 
process did move in a predictable 
way, Campbell said. When the 
incident was originally reported, 
Campbell was offered a resolution 
by OSCR, which would have been 
to have the respondents complete 
an essay or come to some other 
informal agreement to solve the 
conflict, which Campbell rejected.

Once the University found the 

respondents not responsible for 
sexual assault, and after Campbell 
requested an appeal, both she 
and the respondents were able 
to submit any new, relevant 
information for the appeals board 
to review. After this, Mortellaro 
said everything seemed to come to 
a stop.

“There came a point in the 

appeals process where we went 
off of that flow chart and no one 
could answer why, and that’s 
when we discovered that the 
respondents’ 
attorneys 
were 

having 
private 
meetings 
and 

e-mails and conference calls with 
the general counsel’s office with 
the University,” Mortellaro said. 

The University’s Student Sexual 

Misconduct Policy states, “Upon 
receipt of a report, the University 
will strive to complete its review 
within sixty (60) calendar days.” 

Campbell reported the alleged 
assault on Dec. 6, 2013, and the 
review was completed on June 
26, 2014. The final report from the 
appeals board was issued on Dec. 
22, 2014 — more than a year after 
the alleged assault. The suggested 
timeline 
for 
completing 
the 

appellate process is within 15 days 
of the appeals board’s receipt of the 
appeal, and Campbell submitted 
her request for appeal on Sept. 29, 
2014, and received a final decision 
on Dec. 22, 2014. 

“I think the respondents have 

great legal representation and that 
they played the system beautifully,” 
Mortellaro said.

Mortellaro said she made 

numerous phone calls during 
the three-month period of the 
appeals 
board 
deliberations, 

including e-mailing and calling 
the office of University President 
Mark Schlissel multiple times 
asking to reflect on Campbell’s 
experience with the University’s 
process. The Daily could not 
confirm this, and Fitzgerald 
declined to comment.

While motions to dismiss the 

civil case are pending, Barnet 
and Reuben are able to return to 
campus as soon as January 2016. 
Their return to campus is pending 
their submission of a 2,000-word 
essay — which is to be based on 
a series of required readings 
provided by the University — 
and their attendance at multiple 
mandatory, individual meetings 
before and after their return 
to campus. They will be on 
disciplinary 
probation 
and 

are 
prohibited 
from 
having 

contact with Campbell for the 
remainder of her enrollment at 
the University.

POLICIES
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