The Michigan Review - Journal of Campus Affairs

John Cheney-Lippold’s Academic Activism

After asking for a letter of recommendation from a professor in the University of Michigan’s American Culture department for a study abroad program in Israel, LSA junior Abigail Ingber found herself in the midst of controversy. On September 5th, University of Michigan Professor John Cheney-Lippold denied her request for a letter of recommendation on political […]

The Beta Delta Letter and the Economics of Greek Life

When I first came to Michigan, the one thing I was sure of was that I would never join Greek life. I was scared of parties, and often thought the worse of those who chose to drink as a means of bonding. To me, it seemed less about camaraderie and more about an image. After […]

Bill Kristol, Neera Tanden Discuss Bipartisanship at WeListen Conference

On Sunday, WeListen, a student organization working to facilitate conversation between students across the political spectrum, hosted President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, Neera Tanden and Bill Kristol, founder and Editor-at-Large of The Weekly Standard. The keynote event for WeListen’s Fall Conference 2018 was an informal, open-ended conversation between Tanden and Kristol […]

A Nuclear Bomb

In October of 2013, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid had a decision to make. The Republican Party under Minority Leader Mitch McConnell seemed to take pleasure in delaying the Senate. FIlibusters were becoming the norm and cloture motions, votes to break a filibuster, had nearly doubled from the Bush era, as logjam seemed to be […]

With Blockchain, We are Headed to a Future of Decentralization

In a world of Facebook exploiting users’ data, Xi Jinping censoring WeChat, and Russia blocking the use of Telegram, the time has come for a viable solution to the data ownership crisis. In this increasingly globalized and hyperconnected age, we have incredible tools with which to conduct business, communicate with loved ones, and disseminate information. […]

My Life in the Shadows: Growing Up With a Learning Disability

After all of these years, I still remember the room as clear as day. The brown shades, the olive carpet, a green tea that drifted to my nose and back. These sensations always filled me when I walked into that room every Monday and stared across that long, dreadful table. At the other end, was […]

Thank You, Blake

When I first came to campus, I had to meet new people. As a freshman, this can become a tedious task, and I quickly became overwhelmed by the new names that seemed to fly past me. It was stressful at times, but the opportunity to get to really know people is always a treat. Generally, […]

Receding Expectations: Michigan Football in Review

“We bow to no man. We bow to no program. We are Michigan.” These words, uttered all season long in the calming cadence of James Earl Jones, linger now as a sardonic mockery of our program’s state of affairs. As Michigan fans, we unrealistically expect greatness in our athletic endeavors, ignoring the staunch unlikelihood […]

E Pluribus Unum Peccatum: The Fall of the USMNT and How they Can Rise Again

It was a cold, chilly Tuesday night, and I had just finished my first Microeconomics midterm. I made haste, walking quickly toward the C.C. Little bus stop to find the four wheels that would take me back to north campus. I clutched my phone and realized the United States Men’s National Team would soon play […]

The Debasement of Political Satire

Monty Python was a popular—and brilliant—mid-1900s British sketch comedy troupe. Recently, I’ve been watching clips of their eponymous TV series, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which satirizes British culture. Their political sketches, such as Party Political Broadcast and The Ministry of Silly Walks, critique politicians and excessive bureaucracy, respectively, and are pretty funny. More importantly, they […]

Bending Realities: ‘Westworld’ and Our Conception of Free Will

“Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?” Oh many times, Jeffrey Wright, many times—perhaps more now than ever before. I never thought a show could bring out this feeling in me, but it turns out that a TV addiction has its perks. ‘Westworld’, a show I was unfamiliar with a mere month ago, […]

Oscars Grandstanding: Since When are Celebs our Moral Compass?

For an awards ceremony that hosted its first political speaker back in 1973, when The Godfather star Marlon Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his stead, the Oscars have certainly found their (left-wing) voice. This past Sunday, 2018 Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel offered the ceremony’s signature statue as a model for the well-liked male: he “keeps […]