Dance senior, is trying his hand 
at direction for the first time. 
Since April, he’s been tirelessly 
planning how to tie this show 
together.

A 
completely 
student-run 

organization, 
MUSKET 
is 

celebrating its 60th anniversary 
this year, and though there were 
a few reservations before settling 
on this risque musical, the pay 
off 
has 
proven 
worthwhile. 

Provided with funding and no 
censorship, MUSKET is free to 
experiment in their productions 
and doesn’t necessarily have to 
exercise caution when deciding 
which show to perform.

However, producer Hillary 

Ginsberg, a fifth-year senior 
double majoring in Business 
and Screen Arts and Cultures, 
and Marketing Director Brett 
Graham, an LSA sophomore 
studying 
political 
science, 

reached out through MUSKET 
to organizations such as Students 
for Choice and the Sexual Assault 
Awareness 
and 
Prevention 

Center to set up in the lobby after 
the show.

“We are trying to make it 

so that we can convey all the 
sexuality and the intensity of 
the show, but at the same time 

people can come see the show 
and leave feeling like they’ve 
learned something — that they’ve 
progressed with the subject 
matter and not that they’ve been 
somehow upset or affronted by 
the show,” Graham said.

With the aggressive nature of 

each pop-punk musical number 
overpowering the eyes, ears and 
mind, “Spring Awakening” is 
an emotionally taxing musical 
for both the audience and cast 
members. Breaking out of the 
narrative and bursting into song, 
the actors use solos to release 
pent up emotion. Songs are used 
less to drive the plot and more as 
a reaction and coping mechanism 
for what the character has just 
experienced.

“It’s the perfect example of 

how musical theater is written 
to escalate a powerful feeling 
to the point where the only way 
to convey it is by bursting into 
song,” said Sarah Eskandari, a 
School of Art & Design freshman.

Will Ropp, a senior in the 

School of Music, Theater & Dance, 
elaborated: “It’s exhausting, but 
in a very artistically fulfilling 
way.”

Playing Melchior, Ropp, along 

with the other male leads, is in 
nine of the 11 musical numbers of 
the first act. Exhausting, indeed.

The multitude of themes, 

characters and storylines that 

transverse over the course of 
the musical creates a unique 
mood relatively unseen before in 
MUSKET productions. Though 
they have produced shows like 
“Sweeney Todd,” “Rent” and 
“Into the Woods” that exist on 
the darker end of the musical 
spectrum, they’re all dwarfed 
in comparison by the shadow of 
angst and pure power exerted 
in “Spring Awakening.” With 
songs 
alternating 
between 

“Totally Fucked” and “The Bitch 
of Living,” no emotion is spared 
and no experience is too delicate 
to be proclaimed in a pop rock 
manner that channels bouts of 
rage, ecstasy and longing into 
every word.

The time and commitment 

of the crew and 17-member 
cast doesn’t go unnoticed by 
witnesses to this musical, even 
before they have stepped foot on 
the Power Center stage.

“Every moment that they have 

experienced in this room is a 
major moment and, even as an 
outsider getting to watch, that 
is so rewarding,” Ginsberg said. 
“I think every single person who 
comes to see this show is going 
to see every single moment of 
hard work they have put into this 
show and how well they have 
developed these characters and 
their incredible story lines.”

MUSKET
From Page 1A

signed up to participate, and 
the group plans to set up a table 
in Mason Hall to gather more 
support. Raoof said their efforts 
may include a petition to the 
governor.

“We have received positive 

feedback 
from 
students 
on 

campus and willingness to join 
us in spreading the word,” she 
said.

Dahbour 
said 
feelings 
of 

frustration 
with 
the 
state’s 

unfair treatment of refugees 
inspired the campaign. She also 
said she was disappointed that 
people quickly blamed refugees 
for the Paris terror attacks.

“As refugees are accused of 

the very terror they are trying to 
flee from, we dehumanize them 
and silence their narratives,” she 
said. “They are now being denied 
safety, a basic human right, based 
on their background and/or 
religious affiliation.”

She said refugees already 

have to go through a multi-step 
program to enter the United 
States 
— 
a 
process 
which 

typically takes one to two years 
— and said moves to prevent their 
entry is rooted in prejudice, not 
security.

Business sophomore Sunny 

Demirjian fled Syria as a refugee 
in 2012 with her siblings to 
come to Michigan and live with 
their grandmother. She said the 
transition was difficult and it 
took them about a year to adjust 
to life in the United States. On 
top of that, they were rarely able 
to speak to their parents due 
to difficulties communicating 
with people in the country. 
Demirjian’s parents were able to 
come a few years later.

“It’s very underestimated how 

much immigrants go through 
when they leave their country,” 
Demirjian said. “It’s just such 
a struggle, especially for the 
parents because they are literally 
giving up everything they have 
and even their future to provide 
for their kids, and also for the 
kids.”

Since 
his 
initial 
announcement, 

Snyder has clarified that Syrian 
refugees already in the process 
of coming to Michigan before 
the attacks will not be prevented 
from entering. However, some 
legal scholars say governors 
actually have little authority 
to 
prevent 
refugees 
from 

entering their states, and say 

the decisions are largely made 
by the federal government. In 
September, Snyder said he was 
working with the Department of 
Homeland Security to help with 
the resettlement of refugees in 
Michigan.

On Sunday, his office released 

a statement saying Michigan 
would not accept any refugees 
until the state investigated the 
screening process further. He 
later penned an op-ed in Time 
Magazine 
titled, 
“We 
Must 

Welcome 
Refugees 
— 
After 

Screening Them.”

“I let it be known that 

Michigan can be a place where 
thousands can experience safety 
and freedom—and a growing 
community where they will be 
embraced and comforted by a 
support network,” he wrote. 
“It’s the right thing for us to do 
as Michiganders, and the right 
thing for us to do as Americans. 
But the events of recent weeks, 
including the violence in Paris, 
Beirut and the skies over Egypt, 
remind us of the dangers our 
world faces from extremists 
who are becoming increasingly 
sophisticated in their methods of 
doing us harm.”

History 
Prof. 
Pamela 

Ballinger, whose work focuses on 
the history of human rights, said 
the response is alarming.

“The 
growing 
chorus 
of 

governors who wish to block 
resettlement of Syrian refugees 
in their states is a worrisome, yet 
sadly predictable, response to the 
terror attacks in Paris,” she said. 
“These governors displace blame 
onto 
the 
literally 
displaced, 

victims forced to flee their homes 
as a result of the same extremist 
violence that shook Paris last 
week. Such a view ignores that 
the U.S. commitment to take 
Syrian refugees is already low, as 
well as the fact that the process 
of refugee vetting in the U.S. is a 
slow and careful one.”

Unlike 
proposed 
measures 

in other states, Snyder said 
Michigan’s ban is only temporary, 
and would be revoked after 
the state reviews the federal 
government’s screening process 
for refugees.

“It’s 
disappointing 
that 

Michigan 
Governor 
Rick 

Snyder, whose previous pro-
immigration and pro-refugee 
stances had distinguished him 
from the majority of his fellow 
Republicans, has joined those 
calling for a halt to Syrian 
resettlement,” 
Ballinger 
said. 

“To be fair, Snyder has not 

closed the door on accepting 
refugees, instead urging caution 
and a ‘pause.’ This contrasts 
with those politicians — notably 
New Jersey’s Chris Christie — 
who apparently find even tiny 
orphans a threat. Nor has Snyder 
indulged in the ‘Christians only’ 
rhetoric of Ted Cruz or Jeb 
Bush.”

Law Prof. James Hathaway, 

who directs the Law School’s 
Program 
in 
Refugee 
and 

Asylum Law, expressed similar 
sentiments.

“Governor Snyder’s reluctance 

to welcome Syrian refugees 
to Michigan is very, very sad,” 
Hathaway said. “The United 
States is accepting only an 
incredibly tiny share — less than 
one-fourth of 1 percent — of the 
Syrians who have been forced 
to flee their homes, and who 
are entitled to international 
protection. For so many U.S. 
governors to refuse to do their 
fair share to reach out to these 
victims of brutal violence is just 
shameful.”

Not only does Hathaway find 

it embarrassing for the state, he 
sees the move as a recantation of 
the freedoms the United States 
promises.

“It makes a mockery of their 

commitment to freedom and 
justice for all, as those coming 
are the victims of the brutality 
we say we condemn,” Hathaway 
said. “It is also ridiculous for 
governors to rationalize their 
isolationist posture on security 
grounds, as refugees resettled 
to the U.S. must undergo an 
incredibly 
thorough 
vetting 

process before they are allowed 
to travel here. So let’s condemn 
this action for what it is: knee-
jerk, uninformed and not worthy 
of America.”

However, 
while 
Demirjian 

said she believes refugees should 
be let in, she understands why 
states can’t take in everyone.

“From 
a 
humanitarian 

perspective, I’d say they should 
definitely let the people in,” 
Demirjian said. “However, when 
you look at it from Michigan as 
a state, from their perspective, 
they just want to maintain their 
bounds in terms of how many 
people are there and in terms of 
job availability. They just don’t 
want to gather further burden on 
them because these people are 
coming in looking for resources 
to survive. So makes sense 
logically, but I know it’s not the 
best in terms of a humanitarian 
perspective.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, November 19, 2015 — 3A

SNYDER
From Page 1A

TALK IT OUT

MARINA ROSS/Daily

School of Music, Theatre, and Dance sophomore Giovanni Bellegarde speaks at the Intergroup Relations discussion 
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2-News

demonstration on the steps 
of 
Hill 
Auditorium. 
During 

the demonstration, members 
protested 
stagnant 
minority 

enrollment and demanded the 
University meet seven goals for 
improving campus climate and 
diversity of the student body. 
A new location for the Trotter 
Multicultural Center and an 
improved Race and Ethnicity 
requirement were among the 
demands made by the BSU.

The University has since 

addressed 
several 
of 
the 

demands outlined by the BSU, 
however, in a one-year follow-
up with The Michigan Daily in 
January 2015, both University 
administrators and the BSU 
agreed 
increasing 
Black 

enrollment to an amount equal 
to 10 percent was, and still is, 
the most difficult demand to 
address.

University 
alum 
Robert 

Greenfield, 
who 
served 
as 

treasurer of the BSU when 
#BBUM was launched, was 
fundamental in both drafting 
the demands and subsequent 
negotiations 
with 
University 

administrators. In an e-mail 
interview with The Michigan 
Daily, Greenfield looked back on 
the creation of both #BBUM and 
the BSU’s seven demands. 

 
How did #BBUM start? 

What 
was 
the 
catalyzing 

factor 
that 
led 
to 
the 

movement? What sparked it?

Our BSU Executive board 

wanted to start a campaign 
to help mend the fractured 
black community on campus 

— 
particularly 
the 
black 

organizations on campus that 
were at odds with each other. 
Tyrell [Collier], the Speaker 
at the time, came up with the 
“#Being Black at the University 
of Michigan” and Cap [Kendall] 
came up with the abridged 
version “#BBUM.” It was not 
sparked by racist activity on 
campus, though that helped 
it gain momentum — and it 
changed it from a dialogue 
within the black community, 
from 
the 
black 
community 

to a dialogue from the black 
community about the campus 
environment as a whole. A 
catalyzing 
factor 
was 
the 

“Hood 
Ratchet 
Thursday” 

party hosted by the IFC Greek 
fraternity and the worsening 
racial climate nationally. People 
must understand that [the racial 
climate] has always been like 

this (or worse), it’s just that the 
majority ignores it most of the 
time.

How did that movement 

turn into the seven demands?

Once we gained national 

attention, we (had) leverage 
to go back to the U of M black 
community and ask what they 
wanted to have done/fixed. 
Many of the demands are lasting 
agreements that the University 
never came through on (but 
agreed to) — this included the 
10 percent critical mass of black 
students on campus.

Why 
were 
these 
specific 

demands 
chosen 
and 
why 

only 
seven? 
Explain 
the 

reason behind the demands 
and the process leading up to 
the Martin Luther King Day 
demonstrations.

We 
chose 
seven 
because 

they were the most important 
— there is no significance to 
the number itself. The reason 
behind the demands was to 
(for the most part) have the 
University follow through on 
blank promises it made [in the 
past]. The MLK demonstrations 
served as an official unveiling 
of the demands on a day that is 
supposed to be about change 
(not just about remembering the 
past in this “supposed” post-
racial world).

What did negotiations with 
administrators look like? 

What aspects of it stick out in 
your mind? Any difficulties?

It was slow and political. 

Administration 
is 
slow 
(at 

least in my eyes). At times it 
was aggressive. Many of the 
executive board felt like we 
were getting stringed on long 

enough to eventually graduate 
(and so end the movement 
given that activism like this 
unfortunately 
dies 
with 

the 
founding 
activists 
that 

graduate and leave campus). 
The main difficulties were 
convincing 
admissions 
that 

they are doing a poor job with 
black recruitment.

****

Meetings 
between 
the 

University, 
the 
BSU 
and 

community 
members 
are 

still ongoing. Last week, the 
University held a weeklong 
diversity 
summit 
intended 

to 
garner 
input 
from 
the 

community 
on 
improving 

equality 
and 
inclusion 

on 
campus. 
As 
for 
future 

demonstrations from the BSU, 
Greenfield had a short message 
for the University community.

“Stay tuned,” he wrote.

BBUM
From Page 1A

uncovered costs.

“When I first got here, I 

couldn’t 
believe 
the 
living 

conditions of some of the NASA 
students,” she said. “I think 
the University is awesome, but 
they say free tuition and it’s not 
really free. Living expenses are 
so high.”

This semester, the University 

enrolled 
92 
students 
who 

identify as Native Americans. 
Though it’s an increase over 
previous 
years, 
panelists 

agreed the number was still 
too low. University President 
Mark Schlissel’s recent push 
to improve diversity, equity 
and inclusion on campus could 
be doing more to assist Native 
American 
students, 
Gaillard 

said.

“They say they’re open to 

hearing ideas from us, but I 
think they need to realize and 
accept that we’re also students 
… they need to create avenues 
for our voices to be heard,” he 

said.

Aside 
from 
the 

administration’s 
relationship 

to Native American students, 
panelists spoke at length about 
proper engagement with the 
community at large. Because 
the University is located on 
land ceded from a number of 
tribes — the Ojibwe, Odawa, 
and 
Potawatomi, 
Shawnee 

and Wendat all signed treaties 
with territorial governors — 
speakers urged consideration of 
surrounding native populations.

“It starts with getting to 

know (them), asking who they 
are,” said Lynn LaPointe, a 
Lakota tribe member who works 
for the Michigan Department of 
Education. “Whose land is the 
U of M campus on? Being aware 
sounds daunting but it’s really 
not.”

Joseph Gonne, an associate 

professor 
of 
psychology, 

agreed that cultural sensitivity, 
especially 
in 
light 
of 
the 

historical 
tension 
between 

Native Americans and white 
America, is key for allies.

“Come ready to contribute, 

but don’t assume that you know 
what to contribute,” Gonne said. 
“Action and understanding are 
paired together.”

NASA 
looks 
forward 
to 

broadening the organization’s 
scope on and off campus. The 
group played a major role in 
advising the Ann Arbor City 
Council on their decision this 
week to rename Columbus Day 
to Indigenous People’s Day, and 
is hosting more cultural events 
and conversations this month.

MESA 
Associate 
Director 

Linh 
Nguyen 
attended 
the 

panel, and noted the importance 
of the University’s facilitation of 
dialogue on Native American 
students’ needs.

“As we talk about racial issues 

on campus, their perspective 
is nuanced and needs to be 
incorporated,” 
Nguyen 
said. 

“As someone who’s on staff and 
working towards diversity and 
inclusion, experiences like this 
are reminders to me around the 
complexity of how we actually 
address issues like this in terms 
of the diverse students and staff 
that we have.”

NATIVE AMERICAN
From Page 1A

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