the michigan times issue 1

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“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” reviewed [4A]

•Smoking ban aims to promote health, wellness - A2•9/11 memorial installed on MCC Campus - A2•Kiva, Happenings receive multiple renovations during break - A3•SMUF, Flint Unity Movement hold Canceling Cancer Benefit - A3

Natalia Kills “Perfectionist” reviewed [4A]

DateMySchool launchesat UM-Flint [4A]

Blue Bits

Bike Share Program rides onto U campus

Submitted PhotoUM-Flint is launching a new Bike Share program that will enable students and falculty to borrow bikes for transportation around campus and the local Flint community. Each of the three current “Maize Bikes” were donated and repaired and painted maize before being set in a bike rack. Bikes are to be shared by the campus community and should be returned to a campus bike rack when not in use.

By BRITTNEY WALKERTimes Senior Reporter

This fall, UM-Flint is pedaling toward healthier living and environmen-tally friendly transportation with the launch of a new campus bike share program. The Bike Share Program is one of several initiatives developed by UM-Flint’s walk and bike work group aimed to help improve the health and well-being of the campus community.

The Bike Share Program is a pilot program mod-eled after similar programs in cities and university campuses throughout the world. UM-Flint students and faculty have the op-portunity to use a “Maize Bike” located on any bike rack around campus for transportation throughout campus and the surround-ing community. The bikes

are painted maize and are labeled with a UM-Flint sticker displaying safety information to distinguish them from other bikes.

Gary Parr, Associate Director of Recreation Ser-vices stated that the bikes are to be used exercising an “honor system,” since there is no method of determin-ing who is individually using the bikes.

“We’re hoping that people will not take the bikes or steal them or hog them for their own pur-poses,” Parr said. “We want people to share them.”

According to Parr, there are currently only three “Maize Bikes” on campus with several others expected to arrive soon. All bikes are adult sized bicycles do-nated by patrons. They were repaired and painted maize before being put out onto the bike racks.

Theresa Landis, Director of Auxiliary and Recre-ational Services, said that the group has been meeting regularly since May devel-oping the program.

“We’re going to go

through fall and see what the usage is and see if there’s interest,” Landis said.

She also said that there will be a regular audit of the bikes on campus to see

where the “Maize Bikes” are being

dispersed and used by the campus community.

Cameron Manche, a senior Enviromental Sci-ence and Resource Plan-

ning major and intern for the university’s Environ-ment, Health and Safety Department, or EHS, took

See BIKES| Page A-3

By SIRIUS WELCHTimes Senior Reporter

First Street Residence Hall was full of activity on the August 31 Student Move-in Day. Student volunteers were pushing carts filled with belong-ings through the building from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Family members, such as Kim Scott, mother to Zach Scott, a freshman majoring in computer sci-ence, were in attendance to see their children off, as they became residential students of UM-Flint. Kim Scott was not de-terred by the city of Flint’s bad reputation.

“Once we came here and visited, everyone was so friendly and it does have a very nice feel to it, so I think it will be fine,” Kim said.

She is pleased that the school and the Residence Hall are not far from where she lives.

“I can run here for any-thing. That’s comforting to me,” Kim Scott said. “If he went to a school six hours away, you can’t get to them all the time if they need you. He may not need me at all, but I like to know that I can run here if I need to.”

Her son, Zach Scott, is glad for the chance to live

on campus.“I consider it to be a

new opportunity. I want to meet new people. I was kind of bored around the house, so I figured this would be a good change in my life,” Zach said.

He also feels safe in Flint.

“A lot of people say it’s a dangerous place, but from what I’ve seen actu-ally coming down here, I don’t really think I have to worry about that,” Zach Scott said.

At least eighty students volunteered to help the new students move into the First Street Residence. They helped in loading carts, pushing carts, and helping the new residents find their way around the building. One of these volunteers was Kyle Finch, a junior majoring in health care administration.

“I’ve actually been in the residence hall since they opened up in 2008, so I felt like this is a good way to get to know the fresh-men and just help them have a good first year of college,” Finch said.

Finch is optimistic about the mentality of the incoming students.

“I felt a good positive vibe. All of them have pretty much been in-troducing themselves to

everybody. It felt like just a good, friendly, positive vibe,” Finch said.

Another volunteer was Chelsea Pepin, a junior majoring in elementary

education. She is involved on campus in the Greek organization Theta Phi Alpha. She also noticed the friendliness of incom-ing students.

“Everyone seems bubbly and friendly and they want to get to know everybody, so that’s pretty cool,” Pepin said.

Also around to help

was new Resident Advi-sor Jeremy Combs, a senior double-majoring in clinical psychology and

Students take root at First Street Residence Hall

Sirius Welch/Times PhotoGeorgine Coulter loads the moving cart for daughter, Cay-Lynn Coulter, a sophomore majoring in industrial organizational psychology. Assisting them are volunteers Allen Williams, a sophomore majoring in business administration and Mykera Walker, a sophomore majoring in biology.”

See MOVE | Page A-3

Tuesday, September 6, 2011 A-2 The Michigan Times www.themichigantimes.com

From the editors desk...

ONE WEEK ON CAMPUSWhen: Mon., Sept. 5, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.What: Football Club PracticeWhere: Outside Area Recre-ation Field

When: Tue., Sept. 6, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.What: Student Mcard & Park-ing Permit DistributionWhere: UPAV Lobby

When: Tue., Sept. 6, 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.What: Make a Wish Fund-raiserWhere: Outside Area U Drive

When: Tue., Sept. 6, 7 – 9 p.m.What: CAB MeetingWhere: UCEN Alumni

When: Wed., Sept. 7, 12 a.m. – 12 a.m.What: Make a Wish Fund-raiserWhere: Outside Area U Drive

When: Wed., Sept. 7, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.What: Student Mcard & Park-ing Permit DistributionWhere: UPAV Lobby

When: Thurs., Sept. 8, 12 a.m. – 12 p.m.What: Make a Wish Fund-raiserWhere: Outside Area U Drive

When: Thurs., Sept. 8, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.What: Student Mcard & Park-ing Permit DistributionWhere: UPAV Lobby

When: Thurs., Sept. 8, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.What: UM Club of Greater Flint Pep Rally Where: UCEN Happenings

When: Thurs., Sept. 8, 5:30-6:30 p.m.What: Black Student Union MixerWhere: UCEN Mich. C-D

When: Fri., Sept. 9, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.What: Student Mcard & Park-ing Permit DistributionWhere: UPAV Lobby

When: Fri., Sept. 9, 1-3 p.m.What: Student Government MeetingWhere: UCEN Happenings

When: Fri., Sept. 9, 6:30-9 p.m.What: Flint Fires Verbatim Theatre ProjectWhere: UCEN Kiva

When: Sat., Sept. 10, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.What: Canceling Cancer Benefit After partyWhere: UCEN Mich. A-D

Send your information to Campus Editor Beth Leblanc at [email protected].

The article “Whats in that building anyway? Your guide to the UM-Flint campus” in the Orientation Issue of The Michigan Times omitted the School of Management/busi-ness department from the description of the William S. White Building. The School of Management/business department is currently lo-cated on the third floor of the William S. White Building.

While The Michigan Times strives to provide the most timely, accurate information possible, occasionally errors may appear in the paper. If you spot one, let us know at [email protected] or 810-762-3475, and we will print a correction.

CorrectionsThe Michigan Times

The Michigan Times has been produced independently by the students of the University of Michigan-Flint since 1959.

Editorial Staff(810)762-3475

Lacee-Starr Horton.......Editor-in-ChiefAaron Burch................Managing EditorBeth Leblanc..................Campus EditorKerry Daly..........................Photo EditorKevin Chambers....Web Content & Social Media EditorDr. Mike Lewis...............Faculty Adviser

Staff: Austin Bailey, Brittney Walker, Chris Jones, Jason Oliver, Kiera Wright, Sirius Welch.

Submissions to The Michigan Times become property of The Michigan Times unless material is syndicated. The Michigan Times reserves the right to edit all submissions for grammar, length and content.

The Michigan Times is available in full format online and on your mobile

device at www.themichigantimes.com.

Business Staff(810)762-0919

Joseph Patterson....Advertising ManagerAvailable...............Distribution ManagerAvailable...............Distribution AssistantAvailable.....................Graphic Designer

The Michigan Times is published on stan-dard broadsheet newsprint on a weekly basis by The Pioneer Group.

The Michigan Times offers discounted ad rates to university groups. The Michigan Times reserves the right to refuse any ad-vertisement deemed offensive, distasteful or deceptive.

To contact us, send inquiries to:

The Michigan TimesUniversity of Michigan-Flint

381 UCEN303 E. Kearsley St.

Flint, MI 48502

Fax: (810)762-3023

Welcome back! I hope you all had an enjoyable summer break.

For those of you that are regular readers of the M-Times, I hope that you will continue to read and will encourage your friends, co-workers and classmates to read as well. For those of you that are new to campus, The Mich-igan Times is the weekly, student-ran newspaper of the university.

The Michigan Times has undergone a lot of exciting changes over the summer including a newly designed website, a new print layout and

the launch of our mobile site that can be accessed on-the-go from your smartphone or tablet at www.themichigantimes.com.

One feature included with our new website is the interactive calendar. I’d like to encourage Student Organizations, Club Sports Teams and U departments to send event listings to us throughout the year. Events can be emailed to [email protected] or submitted via our website. Your event will show up on our website as well as in print!

You might also notice flyers around campus dis-playing a QR code. This is the quick and easy way to access our mobile site. We know you’re busy, and now, you can get the latest campus and local news wherever you are.

Good luck this semes-ter and I hope you will continue to pick up The Michigan Times through-out the school year. GO BLUE!

Lacee-Starr [email protected]


On July 1, a smoking ban was enacted on all three University of Michi-gan campuses. This places UM-Flint in the company of hundreds of Universities with similar bans in place.

The plan was announced by UM President Mary Sue Coleman in 2009, which gave the university commu-nity two years to distribute surveys and facilitate focus groups, committees and forums in an effort to make this an inclusive process.

Peggy Vaughn, Associ-ate Director of Events and Building Services at UM-Flint, served as a member of the Subcommittee of the Smoke Free University Initiative. This committee, made up of smokers, non-smokers, and past smokers, reviewed the pros and cons of the ban and made recom-mendations to the Smoke Free University Steering

Committee. Vaughn, a past smoker,

sees the benefits of the ban. “Obvious benefits

include cleaner grounds at and around building entrances and in various locations around campus such as parking ramps, not breathing second-hand smoke when entering and leaving buildings, and perhaps a reduction in the amount of smoking mate-rial that might be consumed while students are on cam-pus,” Vaughn said via email interview.

Theresa Landis, Director of the Recreation Center at UM-Flint, also thinks the ban can have positive results.

“I think this is a posi-tive step in establishing a culture that supports health promotion and wellness,” Landis said via email in-terview. “I am not a smoker myself, but I have several family members who were or still are smokers. With

each of them, smoking has led to many chronic diseases and poor quality of life as a result. Establishing healthy lifestyle habits at a young age can lead to better health later in life.”

Vaughn says she has dif-ficulty coming up with rea-sons about how the smoke free environment could hurt students.

“Students and oth-ers who smoke may need to walk further to smoke on non-University prop-erty or smokers may find themselves outdoors longer during the winter months as they make their way to an area they can smoke, but the benefits from decreased smoking or not smoking along with the lack of expo-sure to second hand smoke are great,” Vaughn said.

In the personal opinion of Felipe Andrez, a senior majoring in account-ing and finance, Student Government President and non-smoker, the smoking ban is not a fair policy. He said that most students on campus are over the age of eighteen, which is the legal age for smoking.

“I understand the Uni-versity’s effort to promote good health among our students, but as adults it is ultimately their responsi-bility and choice to decide rather if they want to smoke or not,” Andrez said via email interview.

Andrez also believes that a restrictive ban may encourage students to cover up wrong behaviors.

“For example, it may be hard for students to help enforcing a large number of their colleagues, (if they are smokers) to follow the rules. In that case, the student may feel obligated to cope with ‘breaking the rules’ habits in order to keep up good relationships,” Andrez said.

Diana Curran, Direc-

tor of Human Resources at UM-Flint, makes it clear that there were concerns about the process.

“The main concern was to still be respectful to individuals who do smoke,” Curran said.

Jennifer Hogan, Execu-tive Director of University Relations, outlines the Uni-versity’s policy.

“This is a part of the university’s commitment to what is called the M-health Initiative, which is to create a healthier workforce and student body on campus,” Hogan said. “I’m happy for the change. At the same time, I sympathize with people who do smoke because it’s a really hard habit to break and I applaud those who have done it.”

While there is a smoking ban in place, the univer-sity is not requiring that students give up smoking. There will also be no ticket-ing or enforcers present on campus. Curran describes the ban as an “education in

awareness approach.” “We’re asking everyone

to voluntarily adhere to the University’s decision to be a smoke-free University,” Curran said.

There are signs posted around campus to remind students about the smok-ing ban. The ban does not extend to perimeter sidewalks that run through public thoroughfares, or to the inside of private vehicles. Smokeless tobacco is not banned. Anyone with concerns about the smok-ing ban can direct them to Dr. Johnny Young, Assistant Vice Chancellor for the Division of Student Affairs and Director of the Student Development Center, or to Human Resources. For more information about the University’s policy on the ban, visit http://www.hr.umich.edu/smokefree/qa.html

Sirius can be reached at [email protected].

By CHRIS JONESTimes Staff Writer

Marking the tenth an-niversary of the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers, a 9/11 memorial will be unveiled during a memorial ceremony at Mott Community Col-lege. The memorial sits in front of the Prahl Student Center by the flagpoles and features a piece of the twin towers, a 1,300 pound steel girder that was bent in half when the buildings col-lapsed.

“It’s kinda the shape of a question mark” said Michael Kelly, Executive Director of Public Informa-tion for MCC. “You really see a sense of power in the

collapse of the World Trade Center by looking at this piece. It was able to fold this steel girder in half like a piece of paper.”

MCC read about the steel girder in an article by the New York Times, which stated that the Port Author-ity of New York and New Jersey had pieces of the twin towers and was willing to donate them. Stone Special-ists of Burton installed the piece at MCC.

“Us college students, we were in elementary when that happened and it im-pacted us a lot,” Shaquille Greene, a junior UM-Flint elementary education major and Orientation Leader for Student Affairs said. “It’s

a very important part of American history so [the memorial] is a nice piece of remembrance.”

The ceremony will feature comments from Mayor Dayne Walling and honor guards of the police and fire department. Following the unveiling ceremony, a wreath will be laid on the memorial by Genesee County police and fire chiefs. There will also be a reception for first responders. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and is open to the public.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Erika Trigg, a sophomore medical technology and bi-ology major and UM-Flint Orientation Leader said. “It is the tenth anniversary

and it’s important for people to remember that it [9/11] happened.”

Chris can be reached at [email protected]

9/11 memorial installed on MCC Campus

Sirius Welch/Times PhotoOne of the signs posted on campus indicating the campus-wide smoking ban enacted on July 1.

Smoking ban aims to promote health, wellness

Chris Jones/Times PhotoA piece of the twin towers was donated to Mott Community College and will be unveiled on Sept. 11.

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The Michigan Times www.themichigantimes.com Tuesday, September 6, 2011 A-3

part in some research for the program conducted by his Winter 2011 semester Sustainable Transportation seminar.

“We looked at possible improvement of routes on campus,” Manche said. “Al-though the class was in the winter, we still saw some bike use and some activity going on a daily basis. From that we gathered that it’s possible that people would utilize bikes in the sum-mer.”

According to Landis, increased popularity of the program could eventu-ally lead to funding for more advanced systems of borrowing bikes, such as swiping an M-Card at a dispenser so that it would then be possible to keep track of who is borrowing the bikes.

Michael Lane, Manager of EHS, said the program is moving incrementally.

“We want to learn from a handful of bikes and see what kind of usage they get

and who used them, if the type of bikes we’re putting out there are sufficient and working well,” Lane said. “It’s a great opportunity to encourage people that might be willing to walk a little bit but they might even travel a little bit further and get to know the areas around the campus as well.”

The ultimate goal of the program is to improve cam-pus health and wellness, as well as preservation of the environment.

“We would like to see people, at least when the weather is decent, instead of getting in their car to drive from one side of campus to the other, we’d like to see them walking or riding a bike,” Parr said. “For health reasons, for environmental reasons, for reasons of the economy.”

For those who are inter-ested in donating a bicycle to the Bike Share Program contact Gary Parr at the Rec Center at (810) 762-3441 or [email protected] Brittney can be reached at [email protected].

BIKESFrom Page A-1

philosophy with an em-phasis in ethics, social and political theory.

“It is an exciting day. I’m one of the RAs here and I’ve been living here for two weeks just hoping that students would come and it’s just fun not being here

by myself for once,” Combs said.

Combs knows his role as Resident Advisor requires a lot of responsibility, but also knows there is backup.

“It’s a lot of responsibil-ity, but I think that the way they have everything set up here with lobby guard and all the different systems here, we’re really good with security,” Combs said. “It’s

a lot of responsibility, but we have a lot of support and backup from the rest of our staff.”

Combs is thankful to live in the residence hall.

“It’s a wonderful school, a wonderful residence hall. I’m thankful to be living here considering it’s so new, so all the rooms are really nice,” Combs said.

The building is currently

at its full 310-student ca-pacity, but there weren’t just new students at First Street Residence Hall. There was also a new multipurpose room on the second floor and a game room. Two new outside picnic tables are forthcoming.


MOVEFrom Page A-1

Sirius Welch/Times PhotoSamantha Newton and Jessica Woodruff, both junior history majors, help Zach Scott, a freshman majoring in Computer Science, move into the dorms on Aug. 31.

KIVA, Happenings receive multiple renovations during breakBy AUSTIN BAILEYTimes Staff Writer

Two areas in the Uni-versity Center, the KIVA Theater and Happenings Room, underwent major changes over the summer as part of a movement to improve the UCEN.

After Student Govern-ment made a push to update the open areas of the UCEN, the university decided to start updating its conference rooms as

well. “When the planning

started for some updates, the university made a decision to hire a design architect from the Ann Arbor campus to consult and implement a cohesive update in not only the open areas of the building but to carry the updates into some conference rooms,” said Peggy Vaughn, Associate Director for Events and Building Services.

In its 32 years of exis-

tence, the KIVA, aside from the stage floor, had not received any renovations. However, a concern for safety made renovations of this area a top priority for the university.

“Since the KIVA seating was seen as having several safety issues, the room was the first on the list to up-date,” Vaughn said.

In addition to the new carpet and glass doors in KIVA, permanent theatre-style seating was installed

to enhance safety and comfort.

The Happenings Room, however, has had previous renovations performed. Upon the opening of the UCEN 32 years ago, the Happenings room did not have a first floor ceiling. It was exposed to a “catwalk” that circled the top of the room. The use of this room was for volleyball and exer-cise classes, as a one-room recreation center. Later on, there was a higher demand

for meeting room space, and with the addition of an actual recreation center, it was changed into a meeting space.

The main goal in reno-vating the Happenings Room was to improve its poor acoustics.

“It was time for a renova-tion that included wall treatments to subdue the hollowness of that room,” Vaughn said.

The Happenings room also received new carpet

and glass doors. The room is expected to be completed within the near future.

Next spring, the univer-sity plans on updating all four Michigan Rooms in the UCEN. These renova-tions were made possible thanks to the funding provided by the office of Vice Chancellor for Busi-ness and Finance, David Barthelmes.

Austin Bailey can be reached at [email protected].

By BETH LEBLANCCampus Editor

Students Moving the UCEN Forward (SMUF) is teaming up with the Flint Unity Movement for the upcoming Canceling Cancer Benefit on Sept. 10. The benefit, which will generate funds for cancer treatment and research, will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the UM-Flint theatre. The benefit will be

followed by an after party organized by SMUF in the Michigan Rooms from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

According to SMUF President Dre Leslie, the benefit will focus on the spoken word and feature speakers from all around the United States.

SMUF Vice President Isaiah Pitts hopes that students will identify with the benefit’s cause.

“Come out to campus,”

Pitts said. “Show some sup-port. Others would do the same for them.”

While proceeds from the benefit will go toward cancer research, benefits from the after party will contribute to the SMUF budget. SMUF advocates on behalf of students and hopes to use funds raised at the after party for a student leadership scholarship that they will hand out at this year’s President’s Ball.

SMUF also hopes to generate enough funds to make it possible for mem-bers of the group to attend a student leadership con-ference in Boston. Since SMUF is not a registered student organization, their main source of income comes from fundraisers around campus.

While the benefit is open to the community, Leslie said that the after party is only open to students.

“Being the first week of school you want to get out and involved and see what the campus has to offer,” Leslie said. “It’s a great way to meet people.”

The Canceling Cancer Benefit is $15, but $10 for those with a valid student ID. Students attending the after party can pay $10 at the door, but must have their student ID with them.

Leslie hopes that the SMUF after party will also

generate enough funds for the group’s future activities on campus, such as Hallow-een activities, wind downs in the cultural lounge and a love connection event in February.

Beth LeBlanc can be reached at [email protected].

SMUF, Flint Unity Movement hold Canceling Cancer Benefit

Aaron Burch/Times PhotoFollowing a number of interior changes to the University Center, the Happenings room, has been renovated with new carpet, glass doors and acoustic reinforcement after a growing concern for acoustic integrity had been raised. “It was time for a renovation that included wall treatments to subdue the hollowness of that room,” said Peggy Vaughn, Associate Di-rector for Events and Building Services. The room is expected to be completed in the near future.

Aaron Burch/Times PhotoUntouched for 32 years, the KIVA theatre in the University Center has received a series of renovations to accomodate a growing concern for safety. These renovations include new doors, new carpet and permanent theatre-style seating. “Since the KIVA seating was seen as having several safety issues, the room was the first on the list to update,” said Peggy Vaughn, Associate Director for Events and Building Services. These renovations were also made on behalf of the office of the Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance.


Enter a new kind of social network - a place that boasts safety, exclusivity, control and anonym-ity to search engines. This place, which has over 31,000 members and recently added UM-Flint to its list of schools, is the college dating website Date-MySchool.

The website re-quires its users to have an .edu email ad-dress, which all UM-Flint students have, in order to maintain a one person to one email ratio. This also assures users that members on the website really are stu-dents at a university.

The idea for Date-MySchool came to the Columbia University-educated creators, Balazs Alexa and Jean Meyer, when a nursing school female com-

plained about her classes being 90 per-cent female. Mean-while, Alexa and Meyer were in busi-ness school, which was 80 percent male. They put two and two together and created a website that makes it easy for its users to find fellow students at their school, other Michigan campuses, or other college students around the world with whom they could communicate.

Melanie Wallner, Director of Public Relations at Date-MySchool, highlights the possibilities that UM-Flint students have at this website.

“With a diverse community of 8,000 students, we wanted to help freshman find friends on cam-pus, upperclassman branch out to new folks and alumni meet new people in their new homes,” Wallner said via email inter-

view.Wallner also dis-

cusses multiple suc-cess stories that have been shared through the site’s Success Stories email.

“This one time, I was IMing with a girl on DMS and after a few minutes, we realized we were both typing in the [same] library. We then switched to talking. We now talk about 80 times a

day,” Ryan L said in a message to the web-site’s Success Stories email.

Even people at DateMySchool have found success through their usage of the website. Alexa, the co-founder, has started dating some-one he met through DateMySchool. Likewise, Wallner’s first online date was with someone she met

on DateMySchool, a date that later helped her strategize to get a job there.

So far, the big-gest shared success story has been that of Andres Lalinde and Michelle Przybyski, who married shortly after meeting on the website.


DateMySchool offers new dating option for U students

By KERRY DALYPhoto Editor

Teeth, monsters, and a spooky mansion with a secret basement should all add up to horror movie gold, right? Well…sort of. Fans of Guillermo del Toro (writer and director of “Pan’s Labyrinth”) will definitely see his sig-nature style in this film that he co-wrote and produced. The film has a touch of the other-worldly atmosphere that made “Pan’s Laby-

rinth” so intriguing, with the cinematography and lighting adding to the eerie mood of the film.

Architect Alex Hurst (Guy Pierce, “The Hurt Locker”) and his interior designer girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes, “Batman Begins”) set out remod-eling a historic mansion in Rhode Island with the hopes of making the cover of Architectural Digest. When Alex’s daughter, Sally (Bailee Madison, “Just Go With It”) comes from Los An-

geles to live with them, she makes the grim discovery of creepy creatures living in the basement that feed on children’s teeth.

The beginning of the movie is especially creepy as del Toro keeps the creatures hidden. You hear them talk in whispers and get small hints at what they may look like. Once they’re revealed, they become decidedly less scary - almost laugh-able.

I loved the feel of the

first half of the movie. Unfortunately, I felt the second half was a bit anticlimactic and unable to deliver. It’s worth seeing - espe-cially if you are a fan of Guillermo del Toro,

just don’t expect to find yourself sleeping with the lights on.

VERDICT: B

Kerry can be reached [email protected].


Released in April of this year, “Perfection-ist,” the debut album of pop singer Natalia Kills, has produced three singles. The only one of substance is “Wonderland,” one of several catchy Lady Gaga-ish songs on the album. “Mirrors” sounds like a cross between Ri-hanna's hit “S&M” and Corey Hart's “Sunglass-es at Night.” The third single “Free” is a stan-dard pop song that any pop singer could sing. Complaints aside, this is still an excellent album, though not exactly what you would expect from a perfectionist.

I think it would be fair to describe Kills as a darker Lady Gaga. The darkness is ap-parent in songs such as “Love is a Suicide,” “Acid Annie,” and the album's strongest (and catchiest) song, “Kill My Boyfriend.” These songs show a level of dark-ness that no other cur-rent pop star is willing or able to show. It is in songs like these where she hits the mark.

One wouldn't usu-ally characterize a pop album as being slow-paced, but that is how I would describe this album. This is not a bad thing and does not take away the catchiness of even the slowest songs on the

album. Two particularly noteworthy slow songs on the album include “Broke” and “If I was God.”

Overall, “Perfection-ist” is a strong debut from singer-songwriter Kills, whose dark lyrics set her apart from the competition. Unfortu-nately, this individuality may wind up hurting her chances of big-time success in the future. Her music is like the movie “Jennifer's Body,” in that it had a lot of good things going for it—dark humor, hor-ror, and a strong female presence—but there just wasn't an audience for it. If Kills can find a way to consistently write lyrics that other

artists are too clean-cut to sing, she will make a defined musical path of her own that others after her may follow.

VERDICT: A-


By JOSEPH PATTER-SONSports Columnist & Adver-tising Manager

Tick, tock, tick tock. Looking out the window, the world appears lifeless, reduced to shades of gray. From winter to spring to the dog days of summer, a once vibrant lifestyle has slowly become dull. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Pizza boxes and bottles of flat Moun-tain Dew are strewn about the house. Bills pile up in the corner.

Tick, Tock, Tick Tock,

Feelings of de-spair, depression, and disgust over-whelm you. Each day is pointless; Monday, Saturday, who cares. It’s all the same.

Tick, Tock, Tick…Tock…

Then the phone rings.

“Hello? Yeah, that Wednesday works for me, thanks.”

The call you’ve been waiting for so long, you forgot what it was like. Your mind begins to reboot, assessing the quagmire that has become your life. You glance out the window and things are coming into focus. It’s back! You clear away the pizza boxes from your desk, prepar-ing your command center. Opening a window blows away the stench of despair that had permeated your life. You are born anew. “This will be my year. This year I know exactly what I need to do,” you say to yourself. Purpose has found you once again. A smile comes across your face. You open your calen-dar and add the event to that fateful Wednesday night…the coveted Draft Party.

My fellow Wol-verines, get out your spreadsheets, renew your ESPN Insider subscrip-tion, and put on that Suh or Fairley jersey that’s been languishing in your closet. It is once again time to get out and show your friends that you know more about football than they do. The message boards and video posts are waiting for your smack talk. Best of luck to you all; may your first rounder stay injury free. Action begins this Thursday with the Packers and Saints. Tick, tock, tick, tock...

Joseph can be reached at [email protected].

Sumbitted PhotoThe home screen for Datemyschool.com. Only users who have a valid university email may register for the site.

“Perfectionist” rates less than perfect

Latest del Toro may not leave you afraid of the dark


Tick. Tock. A pre-season

cheers to fantasy football

New StudentWelcome Day

Wrap-Up

The Michigan Times www.themichigantimes.com Tuesday, September 6, 2011 A-5

Kerry Daly/Times PhotoTrevor Carpenter interviews Sarah Tinnin, a senior chemistry major about the chemistry club on campus where Tinnin is treasurer.

Kerry Daly/Times PhotoSandy Manssur and Ashley Alcala from the Urban Health and Well-ness Center on campus, talk to Jacqulyn Leary, an incoming fresh-man and Visual Communications major. The UHWC is a primary care clinic located in the William S. White Building that is open to students, faculty, and members of the Genesee Health Plan.

Kerry Daly/Times PhotoA University of Michigan Flint inflatable greets students outside the University Center for New Student Welcome Day on Sept. 1. A complimentary lunch was provided by the Student Government and many clubs, organizations, and local business were on hand to give out information and freebies.

Kerry Daly/Times PhotoBrandon Wilson, a freshman biology major chats with Zoe Lazar Hale, marketing coordinator for the department of public health and health sciences about possibly pursuing a healthcare minor.

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