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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 — 3A

Services report outlining the
top
five
student-identified

mental health concerns as
anxiety,
depression,
self-

esteem,
academic
problems

and relationship difficulties.
Additionally, the report found a
17-percent increase in demand
for counseling services that
year.
Nationwide,
mental

health is an onging concern
on college campuses — in a
2011 survey from the American
College Health Association,
30 percent of college students
have reported at some point in
the previous year feeling “so
depressed that it was difficult
to
function,”
and
overall,

students are seeking treatment
for mental health concerns at
higher and higher numbers,
according to the Center for
Collegiate Mental Health.

Numerous student speakers

at the event acknowledged the
support of CAPS. Todd Sevig,
director of CAPS, wrote in
an email interview Monday
night that he was glad to see
students taking initiative in the
ongoing campus discussions
surrounding mental health.

“I am so appreciative of

the Greek System for holding
this event,” Sevig wrote. “It’s
critical for our campus to
hear and understand the real
stories of how mental health
plays out in students’ day-to-
day lives. This first-ever event
is also a wonderful example
of how student empowerment
can help change lives and help
our campus culture be 100%
supportive of mental health.”

Kinesiology
senior
Joe

Filipiak, the Interfraternity
Council judicial vice president
and lead organizer of the
event, said before the event he
thought it was crucial to hold
a speak out regarding mental
health,
especially
before

exams.

“(Mental health) is a big

issue, not only within the
Greek
community,
but
on

college campuses in general,”
Filipiak said. “We see how
it affects our friends, we see
how it affects our fraternity
brothers, sorority sisters, et
cetera, and we figured it was
time to start changing the
stigma and speak out about it.”

Filipiak
also
noted
how

widespread
mental
health

issues
are,
particularly

in
a
demanding
academic

environment.

“It really affects everyone,

especially at a school like
Michigan where there’s so
much
emphasis
being
put

on your grades or academic
performance,
being
the

Leaders
and
the
Best,”

Filipiak said. “So that finals
talk can really stress people
out, so we wanted to give
people
a
reminder
before

they really hunker down and
start studying that there is a
community here if they are
experiencing any of that stress,
any of that depression.”

Wung
emphasized
the

difficulty of sharing stories
in public, saying she used her
own experiences to contribute
to the planning of the event.

“I had so many health

concerns coming to college and
especially during my first term
as president; I really got to my
lowest point and having this
community around me is what
really made the difference
between being here today and
being a different person here
today,” Wung said.

Both Filipiak and Wung said

they hope to hold future events
similar to Monday’s speak out
to continue to bring attention
to depression, anxiety and
other mental health concerns
on campus.

SPEAKOUT
From Page 1A

Noire: Blacks in American
Horror Films from 1890s to
Present,” published in 2011,
she
provides
insight
and

analysis of a unique genre:
Black horror.

Horror Noire focuses on

Black horror films, which is
distinct
from
mainstream

horror films that may have
African-American supporting
or lead actors. Coleman said
Black
horror
films
often

convey a political message to
the audience.

“It is almost like a protest

movement genre where they
are talking back to society
about social ills,” Coleman
said. “You will see Black horror
responses to police brutality
and mass incarceration.”

One of Coleman’s favorite

horror films, “Night of the
Living Dead,” was set in her
hometown of Pittsburgh and
produced by George Romero
in 1968.

“What is interesting about

‘Night of the Living Dead’ is
that it is a mainstream film
that has a Black hero,” Coleman
said. “The ending of the film is
very dramatic and speaks to a

lot of the police brutalities that
Blacks were facing.”

After
personally
viewing

and analyzing hundreds of
horror films for her book,
Coleman
also
found
that

Black death in Black horror
films differed from that in
mainstream
horror
films.

Coleman
said
typically
it

provides a political message,
like police brutality, while in
mainstream
films,
African

Americans often take the role
of the monster’s victim.

“There is a kind of disruption

of the typical representations
of Blacks in horror films,
that they are essentially meat
for some monster,” Coleman
said. “They are much more
than that; they are smart and
resourceful and that isn’t the
case in typical horror films.”

She pointed to “Jurassic

Park”
as
an
example
of

how African Americans are
portrayed in most mainstream
horror films.

“If
you
have
this
big,

loathsome dinosaur monster,
how do you show how wickedly
bad it is?” Coleman said. “You
introduce a Black character,
and if the monster can beat
that figure, then it must be
badass.”

Having spent years studying

African popular culture and
media studies, Coleman said
she has also found that there
have been significant changes
in how African Americans
are
being
represented
on

television, pointing to current
shows on network television,
such
as
“Scandal”
and

“Blackish,”
feature
African

Americans as leading actors.
She said other media viewing
sites such as Netflix and
Youtube have the potential
to provide a deeper look into
African American life.

“Outside
of
network

television, you see the most
innovative
presentations
of

Blackness that dig deep into
Black life and culture in an
interesting
way,”
Coleman

said.

In
class,
Coleman
said,

she makes it a priority to
challenge students to think
critically about the content
they are viewing on the screen,
emphasizing the human lives
behind the camera.

“I
want
them
to
be

thoughtful about the things
that they contribute to media
or to discourses about Black
life,” Coleman said. “I want
people to be more thoughtful
in how they represent who I
am.”

FILM
From Page 1A

said.

The
lecture
began
by

introducing
the
inspiration

for the subject of the book
and its cover, an image of an
upside-down tree. Pfeffer said
while watching an interview
between Oprah Winfrey and
Thomas Beatie, a transgender
male who became pregnant,
she
was
intrigued
by
the

intense audience reactions that
ranged from shock and anger
to acceptance and curiosity
toward his relationship with
his wife.

She
said
she
was
first

attracted to the cover image
of “Queering Families,” an
upside-down,
barren
tree,

because it was simultaneously
recognizable and ambiguous,
reflecting the complexity of the
relationships the book features.

“Were those barren branches

or life giving roots?” Pfeffer
asked. “Are those blue clouds
floating in the sky or a water
source
towards
which
the

roots
are
stretching?
And

the branches or roots where
someone might see barrenness,
Halloween or death, others
might
see
something
more

arterial. A pathway. A place
where vital sustenance and
growth can happen.”

The rest of the discussion

was based off one specific
chapter
from
“Queering

Families,”
titled
“Partners

Negotiating Bodies, Sexuality,
and Intimacy.”

“(The chapter) really details

sexuality, bodies and intimacy
in the context of cis women’s
partnerships with transgender
men,” Pfeffer said.

It discusses five different

themes:
trans
sexual

embodiments, destabilizing the
penis, new queer lexicons and
sexual imageries, penetrating
myths
and
realities,
and

monogamy.
During
her

remarks,
Pfeffer
introduced

each of these themes and
used information from the
interviews
in
“Queering

Families” to provide context.

For
example,
Pfeffer

discussed
trans
sexual

embodiments and addressed
the
varying
positions
on

bottom surgery within the
relationships
of
cisgender

women and transgender males.
She said she found that many
cisgender
women
reported

being
disinterested
in
the

surgery due to the expense and
risk.

In
regard
to
monogamy,

Pfeffer found just two of her
interviewees
were
raising

children with their transgender
partners
at
the
time
the

interviews
were
conducted.

For younger queer cis women,
forming an open relationship
with a trans partner was more
common.

“For
younger,
queer-

identified
cisgender
women

in particular, forming an open
relationship
structure
with

a trans partner may serve as
one way in which this group
engages in social innovation,”
Pfeffer said.

She discussed the fourth

theme, penetrating myths and
realities, by explaining what
she called a broadening sexual
language and practices that
have occurred as trans people
become more visible in society.

“Trans
people
and
their

partners
are
carving
out

innovative
and
generative

pathways
full
of
pleasure

and joy that are nuanced,
complicated
and
deserving

of broader and more focused
sociologic attention,” Pfeffer
said.

Several students at the event

declined to discuss the lecture
with Daily reporters.

AUTHOR
From Page 1A

CAROLYN GEARIG/Daily

Carla Pfeffer, assistant professor of sociology and women’s studies at the University of South Carolina, answers questions after her talk on
relationships between cisgender women and transgender men at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender Tuesday.

ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily

Dundee resident LeRoy Whipple owns and manages Whip’s Dog Days Hot Dogs, which serves hot dogs out of the back of a trailer near C.C.
Little. “I do it for the students,” Whipple said. “Students come a lot during their time here and then graduate. My favorite part about being out
here is just working with the community and being a part of it. After being out here this long, you become part of Ann Arbor.”

WHIP ’S DOG DAYS

application with information

for sexual assault to extend
the
University’s
current

efforts to educate students on
bystander intervention, healthy
relationshipsand
responsible

decision making.

“Funding for the Ann Arbor

campus will support the creation
of a web-based application
that provides information and
resources focused on well-
being, healthy relationships and
sexual violence,” the release
says. “The app will reinforce
key skills and messages included
in
university
programming,

such as Relationship Remix
and Change It Up, which are
provided to students during
their first weeks
on

campus.”

FUNDS
From Page 1A

kid that is totally engaged

in
a
tough
curriculum,”

Berenson said. “We’ve had
kids in the business school,
we’ve had other engineers,
we’ve
had
pre-med,
and

good for them. That’s what
their passion is and they’ve
been able to balance it with
hockey. I’ve given them time
off if they need it, (Piazza)
hasn’t asked for any time off,
but if they need time off for a
study session or whatever, I’ll
give them time off.

“He’s quietly just going

about his business and doing
really well. He’s a real good
student and a serious player.”

PIAZZA
From Page 2A

After
their
performance,

the actors held a Q&A with the
assembly in which they discussed
possible ideas for collaboration and
plans for a resolution. The group
included seven students, including
LSA senior Ramiro Alvarez, who
said the group was interested in
allocating a certain amount of
supplies to selected high schools
or groups. This, he said, is so they
can focus in on long-term solutions.
One solution he suggested was to
compete against Michigan State
University, mimicking the success
of Blood Battle, to collect the
supplies.

Over
the
duration
of
the

crisis, CSG discussed ways to
have campus-wide efforts toaid
Flint residents by reaching out to
fundraising groups, supporting
organizations helping Flint and
creating
a
partnership
with

UM-Flint’s student government.

Alvarez also said he believed

CSG could represent the students
interested in helping Flint to
the Board of Regents. The CSG
president speaks before the Board
at each Regents meeting.

“Right now, you can step out

and get a drink of water from the
water fountain,” Alvarez said.
“But 45 minutes away from here,
people can’t do that. And we know
that it is a lot to just drop on you
all but … we are here to work with
CSG in any capacity that you can
think of. Do something long term.”

Public Policy junior Nadine

Jawad suggested the group could
focus on elementary schools,
since the water crisis has been
associated with severe health
risks
among
young
children.

The group agreed, detailing the

developmental issues appearing in
children from Flint, which include
lower IQ scores, developmental
delays and behavioral issues. Lead
contamination in young children
is considered incredibly hard to
reverse once it has occurred.

Other
effects
from
the

contaminated water include teeth
damage, severe bone pain and
cancer.

Not everyone on the assembly

was in favor of the performance.
Rackham student Andrew Snow,
CSG’s Ethics Committee vice
chair, took fault with the skit’s
portrayal of Snyder. The group
satirized Snyder’s response to the
Flint crisis as unprepared and
uninterested in the city’s crisis,
interested in only votes and his
image.

Over the past year, Snyder has

attempted to demonstrate ways
in which Flint can trust their
filters by vowing to drink from
Flint for a month in April. He and
the state government have drawn
significant
criticism
because

of the slow response and lack
of oversight from government
officials from the Michigan state
government.

Snow noted that Snyder’s

daughter attends the University
and said she does not deserve to
see the caricature of her father.

The group disagreed, stating

their form of acting allowed
them to channel their worries
about the crisis in productive
ways.

“This is a way of us processing

the disillusionment, sadness and
grief that comes with the little
support that isn’t there,” Alvarez
said.

CSG
From Page 1A

Read more at
MichiganDaily.com