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Greek life chapters could face sanctions Six fraternities, sororities suspended for vandalism undergo review By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily News Editor
After six University Greek life chapters drew criticism last month for causing extensive damage to two Northern Michigan ski resorts, discussion about the incidents surfaced at Thursday’s meeting of the University’s Board of Regents. At the meeting, Interfraternity Council President Alex Krupiak, an LSA senior, and Panhellenic Association President Maddy Walsh, a Business junior, issued apologies on behalf of the Greek community and said Greek life judicial proceedings have already recommended sanctions for those involved. “We have been collectively embarrassed and humbled by the actions of some of our members,” Krupiak said. “We fully understand how our actions impacted everyone involved…
and that severe measures need to be taken.” Krupiak added that students have already faced the Student Organization Advancement and Recognition’s judicial process. The system referred cases to the chapters’ respective student governing body, the Greek Activities Review Panel. GARP is the judicial branch for the University’s Greek Councils — the Panhellenic Association, the Interfraternity Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Multicultural Greek Council. Hearings are currently underway and Krupiak said GARP has recommended sanctions, which are currently under review by Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones. “The only way to move forward completely from this is to ensure that every member understands the consequences of his or her behavior,” Krupiak said. “We also recognize that, regardless of if an individual caused damage or not, each member had a responsibility to be an active bystander,” he added. “Failing to do so caused See GREEK LIFE, Page 3
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(LEFT) Newly appointed chief financial officer Kevin Hegarty attends the February Regents’ Meeting in the Anderson Room at the Union Thursday. (RIGHT) President Mark Schlissel opens the Regents’ Meeting.
UT administrator approved as University’s next CFO Regents approve building projects, calendar changes By GENEVIEVE HUMMER and ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporters
At the University’s Board of Regents meeting Thursday, several renovation projects and appointments were approved,
including an updated plan for the Intramural Sports Building and the confirmation of a new University chief financial officer. Renovations to athletic buildings The regents approved a budget increase for the renovation of the Intramural Sports Building. The budget for the project has now been extended from $18.7 million to $21.4 million. The additional funds will
Regents held closed strategic session in Jan.
Task force holds open forum about honor code Students weigh possible addition to Student Rights and Responsibilities
Body discussed diversity, higher education during meeting in A2
By TANAZ AHMED
By GENEVIEVE HUMMER
Daily Staff Reporter
ZACH MOORE/Daily
The Central Student Government’s Student Honor Code Task Force held a forum Thursday night to gather student input for a new University-wide student honor code. CSG President Bobby Dishell, a Public Policy senior, established the task force earlier this month to compose a code pertaining to academic integrity, individual behavior and student rights. The goal of creating a code is to complement the preexisting Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, a University document that outlines appropriate responses to inappropriate student behavior. The forum was open to students across campus. Aside from CSG members, 10 students attended the event. CSG Vice President Emily Lustig, an LSA senior and the task force chair, led the forum. According to Lustig, some student leaders opposed the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities when it was first approved and said the honor code would give students a space See FORUM, Page 3
HI: 32 LO: 18
time it was constructed in 1928, the facility was the first collegiate intramural sports building in the country. “The project will preserve the history of the 87-year-old iconic facility,” Royster said. “It will also promote the health and wellness of our students, faculty and staff.” LSA senior Jacob Light, a member of Building a Better Michigan and a Residential See REGENTS, Page 3
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be used in part to build more group exercise rooms, add perimeter drains and install air conditioning. The additional funding will be provided by investment proceeds and the Student Life Student Fee for Facility Renewal. E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, who included mention of the renovations in her report to the regents, said preserving the building is important. At the
Associate History Prof. Rudolf Ware speaks about Islam in Black America at the Michigan League Thursday.
Professor talks presence of Muslims in African history Student group hosts event in honor of Black History Month By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
The Muslim Student Association celebrated Black History Month Thursday night with a lecture on Islam’s roots in Africa. The event, which was attended by about 50 people, was held in the Henderson Room of the Michigan League and features Associate History Prof. Rudolph Ware. In his lecture, Ware outlined the history of Islam in Africa.
He said that even before the official beginning of Islam, when Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina on an invitation to escape persecution, the religion has had a presence on the continent. In the year 615 CE and again in 616 CE, Ware said Muslims escaped persecution by crossing the Red Sea into present day Ethiopia and seeking refuge with a Christian king. However, over time, he said Blacks practicing the religion have been alienated by current Middle Eastern countries, leading to the earlier prominence of Islam in Western Africa often being forgotten. Nonetheless, one sixth of the world’s Muslim population currently resides in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ware said. In Senegal, he said 98 percent of citizens are
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Muslim. “The only Arab countries that have that percentage are Saudi Arabia and Yemen,” Ware said. “There are more Muslims in Nigeria than there are in Egypt, and Nigeria’s only 50 percent Muslim. There’s more Muslims in Ethiopia than there are in Iraq.” This number is so high because of the tradition of Qur’an schools in western Africa, he said. Dating back to the 1400s Qur’an schools were open to teach Muslim children mathematics and reading. These schools, which still exist today, promoted the spread of Islam because certain groups of scholars were trained to memorize the Qu’uran to the point of being able to reproduce it, Ware See HISTORY, Page 3
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Members of the University’s Board of Regents convened in the Michigan Union on Thursday afternoon for their monthly public meeting. In January, the regents also met in Ann Arbor, but in place of an open meeting, they gathered for closed strategy sessions. In a January interview with The Michigan Daily, University President Mark Schlissel said the retreat focused on philosophical discussions around what it means to be an excellent university and to brainstorm ways in which the University can continue to improve. He said the regents continue to bring an important perspective to the University’s policy-making process. “The regents are incredibly engaged in the governance of the University,” he said. “They’re really the connection between professional academics like me and this huge public that we serve.” In an e-mail interview after the strategic session, Regent Katherine White (D–Ann Arbor) noted that no official
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decisions were made at these meetings, but said the session gave the board a chance to focus on broad topics related to higher education. “The retreat contrasts with our monthly meetings, which are focused on the topics that need immediate attention,” White said. “Our strategic session was a good opportunity to focus on the future of higher education. It also gave us a chance to welcome new regent Michael Behm and get to know him better.” Apart from White, no other regents were available for comment for this article. Five regents did not respond to e-mail inquires from the Daily. Regents Denise Ilitch (D–Bingham Farms) and Larry Deitch (D–Grosse Pointe) declined interview requests due to scheduling conflicts. White said the closed strategic session provides the board a chance to speak openly about how to improve the University, an opportunity not afforded at the monthly meetings. “Again, this is our one chance a year to turn our attention to asking ‘What if?’ types of questions and to step away from the topics that demand our attention on a monthly basis,” White said. “It is good governance to have an opportunity to do a little blue-sky thinking and have very candid discussions. See SESSION, Page 3
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LEFT The dance team performs in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Mock Rock event at Hill Auditorium Wednesday. (Zach Moore/Daily) RIGHT Engineering junior Brandon Boot and Nursing sophomore Ariel Jordan paint the hallway wall in the Franklin Wright settlement for the third part of Detroit Week on Saturday . (Connor Bade/Daily)
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
Wheeler concert
Buddhist masculinity
Coltrane concert
Architecture lecture
WHAT: Cheryl Wheeler is a woman of many musical personalities — romantic balladeer, observational humorist and committed activist. WHO: Michigan Union Ticket Office WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: The Ark
WHAT: Prof. Ward Keeler of UT-Austin will examine how masculinity is interpreted in Buddhism in Burma. WHO: Center for Southeast Asian Studies WHEN: Today at 12 p.m. WHERE: School of Social Work - Room 1636
WHAT: The Campbell Brothers will perform a slide-guitar inspired performance of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” WHO: University Musical Society WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Theater
WHAT: Achim Menges, an architect from Frankfurt, will present his research on material design processes. WHO: Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning WHEN: Today at 6 p.m. WHERE: Art and Architecture Building
A Night at the Set XXVI
Art documentary
“Black Power Movement”
Tipping workshop
WHAT: A Night at the Set XXVI is the 26th annual multicultural talent showcase presented by Kappa Alpha Psi. Tickets are available in advance at the Michigan Union Ticket Office. WHO: Kappa Alpha Psi WHEN: Today at 7 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Rogel Ballroom
WHAT: The screening of “Les Fantomes de Lovanium,” directed by Cecile Michel, will explore the mediation of paintings in memory violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. WHO: Institute for the Humanities WHEN: Today at 4 p.m. WHERE: Modern Languages Building
WHAT: University of Pittsburgh’s Joyce Bell, along with a panel of two professors and a graduate student, will discuss her new book, “The Black Power Movement and American Social Work.” WHO: School of Social Work WHEN: Today from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: School of Social Work Building
WHAT: Representatives from the International Center will discuss customs for tipping in the United States. WHO: International Center WHEN: Today at 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Ecumenical Center, Community Room Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.
1
The state of Texas issued its first samesex marriage license Thursday for Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant of Travis County. Same-sex marriage had been illegal in Texas since 1997, NBC News reported.
2
The Michigan softball team takes its 8-1 record down South for a pair of showdowns against No. 3 Alabama this weekend. The Wolverines also play Lipscomb and James Madison. >> FOR MORE, SEE SPORTS PAGE 7
3
A group of Norwegian Muslims plan to form a “ring of peace” around an Oslo synagogue following the attacks in Copenhagen last week. The demonstrators aim to show that Muslims do not support anti-Semitism, The Washington Post reported.
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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
LIVING WELL
For Your Health: A guide to navigating the dining halls
By AMRUTHA SIVAKUMAR Online Editor
Editor’s Note: The Michigan Daily is piloting a new addition to our paper that will focus on living well on campus. Whether you’re a first year student living in the dorms or an upperclassman with a meal plan, navigating the dining halls can be daunting at times. There’s so much food, some of it may be unfamiliar-looking, and there’s no one
to stop you from eating just cookies for dinner. Sound familiar? Many students swipe into the dining hall with good intentions, and they know eating healthily is a vital component of fueling their minds and bodies and being a responsible quasi-adult. The hard part seems to be maximizing resources and planning ahead in an environment with so many choices. Since 2012, a lot has changed with University Housing’s dining. The newly renovated South Quad
and East Quad dining halls offer a new ambiance and increased options, while the elimination of trays and single-serving sizes of meals bring more portion control into daily eating. As I sat down with Director of Dining Steve Mangan and Lindsay Haas, culinary and nutrition support specialist at the University, I discovered ways in which students living on and off campus could using campus dining halls as a means — rather than a barrier — to healthy decision-making. The FDA-recommended 2,000 calories can add up quickly when there’s an endless amount of pizza, French fries and ice cream in front of you every day and your mom and dad aren’t around to make you eat your veggies. On the other hand, hitting the suggested daily consumption volumes for vitamins and proteins can be challenging. MyNutrition, in some ways, is a solution. MyNutrition, an interactive online food search tool hostedon the University Housing website, gives students the ability to search and select their meals before going to the dining hall. By adding filters for nutrition, dietary preferences or allergens, it’s easy to pick out a subset of healthy foods from the array of culinary options offered in each of the University’s dining facilities. Mangan suggested that students also use MyPlate as a guide to ensure they’re eating a healthy, balanced diet. MyPlate, a nutritional guide instituted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, replaced the popular pyramid structure for food intake in 2011. MyPlate, as the name suggests, splits a meal off into nutritional categories by sectioning a standard plate. The tool suggests eating approximately 30 percent grains, 40 percent vegetables, 10 percent fruits and 20 percent protein. A smaller circle off to the side represents dairy intake, according to PRWeb.com. Read the rest of this article on our webiste at michigandaily.com
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Professor Frieda Ekotto speaks on philosophical considerations of race and identity at the Middle East and Arab Network community dinner at North Quad on Thursday.
Speaker discusses race, identity in second community dinner Middle East and Arab Network seeks to provide space for discussion By COLLEEN HARRISON For the Daily
The Middle East and Arab Network hosted a community dinner Thursday evening, providing students who identify as Arab-American or Arab with an opportunity discuss their identities and explore their own narratives. MEdAN hosted Prof. Frieda Ekotto, chair of the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, who discussed the work of 20th century philosopher Frantz Fanon. She explored philosophical considerations surrounding his work, particularly those involving race and identity. “Questions of identity today are so problematic when people don’t have places to be,” Ekotto said. Fanon, known for his work studying the impacts of decol-
onization, was a vocal supporter of the Algerian War of Independence, which spanned from 1954 to 1962 and resulted in Algeria’s liberation from France. Many historians say Fanon’s work played an major role in influencing political and social movements across the world. The idea for hosting a keynote speaker and community dinner originated during a meeting of the MEdAN executive board. Nearly 60 students attended Thursday’s talk. Law student Emad Ansari said he attended the community dinner to hear Ekotto speak on these topics. “I think her biggest contribution here is to encourage students to think across historical contexts, and to follow ideas of identity and violence and apply them to the current time and to try and make sense of why violence occurs and how to respond to it with a peaceful solution,” Ansari said. As members of MEdAN began looking for speakers for their second community dinner, the group focused on the theme of exploring the narra-
tives of individuals or communities of people. Ekotto came to mind when the group realized they also wanted to discuss the topic through the lens of the Middle East and North Africa. LSA sophomore Mekarem Eljamal, MEdAN logistics chair, said the idea of reclaiming one’s narrative was especially interesting. “She has done work in Algeria, in Tunisia, she’s given lectures, and she’s done really interesting work on topics that MEdAN wants to focus on, so we just reached out to her and she came up with the idea of Franz Fanon in Algeria and the Algerian Revolution,” Eljamal said. Though the group holds biweekly discussions on identity, MEdAN hopes to host more events and dinners in the future. LSA junior Haya Alfarhan, MEdAN outreach chair, said the group’s regular discussion sessions, called Chai Circles, present an opportunity to foster an active community on campus. “What the Chai Circles do is See SPEAKER , Page 3
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3 — Friday, February 20, 2015
HISTORY From Page 1 said. For hundreds of years, the clerics who taught Islam were protected through an agreement with the country’s rulers. However, when the Atlantic slave trade took off in the region, African kings began selling Muslim peasants despite a long history against enslavement of Muslims, Ware said. This led to the spread of Islam to America, Ware said. “When those people are captured and sold as slaves and they’re taken away on European slave ships, and they’re dropped in places, they can reconstitute partial or entire copies of the Qur’an because they are the Qur’an,” Ware said. Though some historians believe Muslims were unable to pass their religion onto their children because of this history, Ware said he disagreed. He cited several instances where Islam was prevalent in enslaved America, namely a case where slaves kept records in Arabic because their masters could not write. Other evidence include a 1920 interview with a woman who was freed during the Civil War remembered other slaves practicing Islam and a 1860 Louisiana census which acknowledged Black Muslims. Ware noted many traditional Black superstitions in the United States come from Islamic roots, which he said additionally proved African Muslims were also a part of the slave trade.
GREEK LIFE From Page 1 major ramifications for their entire organizations and the University as a whole.” A damaged reputation for the University has been a major complaint for University administrators. E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, said in a January interview with The Michigan Daily that the “ski trip” vandalism marked a turning point in the University’s interaction with Greek life on campus. “We can’t keep going this way,” she said. “Too much at risk. Too many safety issues. We can’t keep behaving like we have this system, and because there are so many good things about the system, that makes the things that are unhealthy and dangerous about the system okay. And that’s what we’ve been doing. I think that Up North was a wakeup call for us as an institution and as a community.” University President Mark Schlissel added in a February interview with the Daily that the incident made him quite angry, and emphasized that measures were necessary beyond making those responsible pay for the damages.
FORUM From Page 1 to provide input on a new policy. “We really want this to be student-focused and based on student input,” Lustig said. The code’s tentative language was presented at the forum and most attendees’ comments were centered around the possibility that the document’s language could infringe on students’ freedom of speech. Many were concerned that the honor code gave the University too much power. “As a member of the University of Michigan community, I will honor the institution with honesty and integrity,” the proposed honor code states. The code continues by asking students to pledge to promote inclusivity and respect, uphold the University’s reputation and refrain from cheating, stealing and plagiarism. “I understand that if I fail to act in accordance with the aforementioned principles then I will face appropriate consequences to be determined by my peers and faculty members,” the code concludes. Several attendees thought the overall language of the code was broad and vague. Students also suggested the document define the code’s geographic parameters. Attendees asked if the code would apply to students while they were outside of Ann Arbor or Michigan. The desire to create an honor
A common superstition in the American South is that if someone sweeps a broom over one’s feet, in response the person whose feet have been swept spits on the broom, paralleling a common Muslim practice. “That’s the reason why for an African American convert (to Islam), it’s a reversion not a conversion,” Ware said. Engineering junior Jainabou Barry, who attended the event, grew up both in Gambia and the United States. She said through her experience, she was able to experience differences and parallels between the discussion of Islam in Africa and in the United States. “There, my Qur’an school, was focused more on the spiritual,” Barry said. “Coming here, I saw the more political agenda being pushed.” Ware said he saw America today as a unique opportunity for Muslims — one they have not had for seven or eight centuries. With freedom of religion in the United States, there are Muslims of all ethnic and racial background. “The only way that you change the nature of the conversation is by changing the composition of the room,” Ware said. “If as relatively privileged upper middle class Muslims we don’t reach out to the African American Muslim community, to the African immigrant Muslim community, to the Bangladeshi Muslim community, if we don’t do that, then we can lament the fact that this conversation hasn’t started, but the truth is, we haven’t done our job to start it.”
“Simply allowing restitution to be paid and thinking that that’s all that happens when you do something that actually seems criminal, that’s not right either,” he said. “So I do think that we need to use our existing procedures to figure out what happened, try to figure out who individually is responsible, and have an appropriate punishment that will really ask people to wake up and look at what they’ve done and consider very seriously their behavior in the future.” Walsh said leaders from the Greek community plan to work together and with University administrators to shift the Greek life culture and prevent similar events from occurring again. She also noted the importance of pairing formal sanctions with other measures. “While I cannot speak to the exact sanctions, I would expect that punitive measures would be the most effective if paired with restorative and educational efforts as well,” Walsh said. Regent Denise Ilitch (D–Bingham Farms) thanked Krupiak and Walsh for their comments and said she accepted their collective apology. She noted that, as a University alum and former member of Greek life, she was happy to see students working to ameliorate unhealthy practices.
code was propelled, in part, by incidents in Northern Michigan where six University Greek life chapters caused extensive damage at two ski resorts. Some students wanted to know if a student would always be considered as representing the University, or if their actions were only considered a reflection of the University in specific situations. Despite his concerns, LSA freshman Grant Strobl was pleased CSG hosted the forum. “I’m happy to see that the student government wants to listen to the students,” Strobl said. “I think the honor code is great. I just want to make sure that it is respecting student rights to speak freely and engage in academic and controversial topics on campus because that is what the University of Michigan is all about.” Law student Amanda Urban, associate chief justice of Central Student Judiciary, also found the forum helpful. “I think this code gives us a really great opportunity to move forward in being able create something that is student-driven with students holding each other accountable instead of a closed process where administrators are making all the decisions without students,” Urban said. “That being said, we have to be very careful of the language of the code and making sure that it’s fair.” The task force will host another forum on Feb. 25 on North Campus in the Pierpont Boulevard Room.
REGENTS From Page 1 Adviser, said during public commentary he believes the renovation will be a worthwhile investment. Building a Better Michigan is a student advisory group for the University’s unions and recreation buildings. “I invest time and energy into these projects so that my first-year residents, students that I give campus tours to, my younger brother and future generations of Michigan students have access to quality exercise facilities,” he said. “We renovate in the hopes of giving the IM building the opportunity to be self-sufficient in years to come.” Harper said the project’s planning has involved feedback from approximately 2,000 students, faculty and staff members. The original renovation plans included new racquetball courts, locker rooms, and group fitness and weightlifting rooms. Updates to plumbing, staff office rooms, wireless networking and wiring, exterior window replacement, masonry repairs, as well as lighting improvements and a gym floor replacement are also planned. The renovation is scheduled for completion in fall 2016. The board also approved the demolition of a South State building formerly owned by publishing company Edwards Brothers Malloy. The demolition is intended to create additional land for the construction of a $168 million athletic complex approved by the regents in September. The $2.4 million price tag is included in the projects total $168 million budget. The additional land will both provide for future stormwater management and reduce wetland impact during the complex’s construction. The demolition process for the building, which was vacated in December 2014, is slated to begin in April 2015, and will be completed by Summer 2015. Academic calendar revisions The regents discussed an action request submitted by University Provost Martha Pollack suggesting changes to the winter 2016 academic calendar to accommodate the Jewish holiday of Passover as well as Greek Orthodox Easter. This conversation also expanded to discuss recent outcry from students regarding the fall 2015 academic calendar, which currently has exams scheduled to end Dec. 23. These dates would effectively shorten winter break by four days compared to this year’s
SESSION From Page 1 This is the third year the regents opted to replace their January public session with closed door meetings. In 2013, the regents traveled to California where they met with officials from Stanford University, the University of California and Google. Last year, the board gathered in New York City to hear from several higher education officials, including the president of Yale University. This time, the regents chose to remain in Ann Arbor. “This meeting is internally focused and we will neither be meeting with outside speakers nor traveling outside the state of
SPEAKER From Page 1 let us have conversations about important issues in informal settings,” Alfarhan said. For Eljamal, the Chai Circles and community dinners through MEdAN have given her the chance to explore shared identities. “The spaces the MEdAN has created have enabled me to self-reflect and reclaim my narrative, and these opportunities to reclaim my narrative are so empowering, in a way that is very hard to put into words,” Eljamal said.
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break, and could force out-ofstate students to travel home on Christmas Eve. More than 5,000 students have signed a petition created Monday to change the fall 2015 dates. The petition was originally circulated by members of a classroom group project titled “Crush the Calendar.” Several members of the group attended the meeting. Kinesiology sophomore William McPherson spoke to the regents during public commentary on behalf of the group. He said the late exam schedule would hurt many students due to the high cost of airline prices and overcrowded airports on days near Christmas Day, as well as cause international and out-of-state students to potentially miss Christmas due to extended travel time. “We believe that any exams on such a late day will have negative repercussions on students, faculty and families,” McPherson said. The group has proposed changing the calendar to either shorten or eliminate the Fall Study Break in October, or begin classes before Labor Day. “We would appreciate the opportunity to work alongside with the Board of Regents in an effort to find an academic calendar that works both for the administration and the student body,” he said. In response, Pollack said beginning classes before Labor Day wasn’t feasible. “Beginning classes before Labor Day simply won’t work, especially this year, for a number of reasons,” she said. “I think it is important to understand that the reason the last day of finals is so late this year is because Labor Day moved earlier and earlier and earlier, and this year it was September 1st and next year it falls on September 7th.” However, she said the regents would consider shortening or eliminating Fall Break if a majority of students agreed. “I am completely willing, and I think the board would be completely supportive, if the student body as a whole wanted to eliminate the study break,” Pollack said. “But we do need to get a sense, not just from a small group of students, but from a large group of students.” Fall Break was originally proposed in 2001 by the Michigan Student Assembly, now CSG, and approved unanimously by the Board of Regents. Pollack said she would meet with CSG President Bobby Dishell, a Public Policy senior, to discuss the issue further. New appointment approvals The regents approved several new appointments and reap-
pointments at the meeting. Kevin Hegarty, current vice president and chief financial officer at the University of Texas at Austin, was approved as the University’s chief financial officer and executive vice president. University President Mark Schlissel announced Monday that he would recommend Hegarty, who held his position at UTA for 14 years. In April, he will take over for Douglas Strong, interim executive vice president and chief financial officer. The previous executive vice president and chief financial officer, Tim Slottow, held the position for 12 years. He left his post last year to assume the presidency at the University of Phoenix. During his tenure, Slottow worked closely with University President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman to initiate several cost saving programs, including a strategic sourcing program designed to cut costs by buying supplies in bulk. He also helped launch the Administrative Services Transformation initiative, a controversial program designed to increase efficiency by consolidating departmentlevel employees in a shared services center. A certified public accountant, Hegarty was formerly the vice president and chief financial officer of Dell Financial Services LP. He serves on the boards of NewComLink and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Hegarty said the opportunity arrived at the right time for him, as other UTA administrators were also rethinking their positions. “It’s one of the number one publics,” Hegarty said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. “When we compare ourselves at the University of Texas to other great public universities... the University of Michigan is always near the top, so it’s a great opportunity.” In an e-mail to faculty and staff Monday, Schlissel thanked Strong for his service to the University as CFO and welcomed Hegarty. “My recommendation of Mr. Hegarty follows a successful and competitive search process,” he wrote. “I thank the members of the search committee for their thorough efforts leading to this outstanding recommendation.” The regents also approved Pollack’s recommendation for a new dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Chemistry Prof. Carol Fierke, chair of the department, will take over for Dean Janet A. Weiss. Fierke is a postdoctoral graduate from Pennsylvania
State University. She has published 217 research articles and reviews and received grants from foundations including the National Science Foundation and the American Cancer Society. In her time at the University, Fierke has received the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award and the Jerome and Isabella Karle Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry title, among other accolades. Weiss has held the post since 2005. “I’m honored to serve the University of Michigan in this important leadership role,” Fierke said in a University news release. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to further enhance the experience of graduate study for students and faculty.” The regents also reappointed Daniel Little to his post as chancellor of the University’s Dearborn campus through June 2018. Little has held the position since 2000. CSG president talks new projects CSG President Bobby Dishell addressed spoke on a number of issues involving CSG, including student safety and a proposed honor code, as well as a proposal to pay the CSG president. Dishell said he appreciated University Parking and Transportation Services’ additional funding to the Night Owl bus route, a service created by CSG that runs late at night to help transport students living off campus home safely. The route was initially slated to end this semester, but the funding from PTS has allowed it to continue. According to Dishell, the route transported 13,000 people in the last year. At the end of his address, Dishell voiced concerns with the potential for some students to be excluded from running for CSG executive positions based on socio-economic status. He said both he and his vice president work 30 to 50 hours per week, meaning that for students who need to devote time to work-study or off-campus jobs, the position would be impossible to do. Dishell asked the board to consider creating some form of reimbursement for CSG executives to allow more students to take on student leadership. “The current job structure eliminates many students that could potentially do an infinitely better job than I or my predecessors,” Dishell said. “Unfortunately, this means that students of privilege will likely hold these roles until we do something to fix this. And to me, that is not right, just or fair.”
Michigan,” Regent Kathy White (D–Ann Arbor) wrote in a January e-mail interview. “Instead, this session is to give the Board an opportunity to have longterm strategic sessions with our new President, Dr. Mark Schlissel.” In a 2013 interview with The Ann Arbor News, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said “a scheduling issue” prevented holding both that year’s California trip and the regularly scheduled January public meeting. “It falls in the week when these people’s schedules were already set aside for a board of regents meeting,” he said in 2013. “They decided to take that time that was already in their schedules and handle that differently.” In subsequent years, the
regents have continued to hold a January strategic session in place of a public meeting. This year, Schlissel said the group discussed efforts to diversify campus. He noted the University’s long-standing goal to diversify but said the current strategies must be improved. “It really is fair to say that there has been a long-term commitment to diversity at the University of Michigan, I think the record is really clear,” Schlissel said. “The problem is, our success hasn’t matched our aspirations despite peoples serious efforts and serious commitments.” On Monday, Schlissel held a leadership breakfast on diversity, where he gathered input from attendees and emphasized his
administration’s commitment to inclusion and equity. He also mentioned the University’s ongoing efforts to compose a campuswide diversity plan, a project which he said is slated for release in the spring. “One (component) is working on undergraduate admission and recruitment,” he said. “So we have to reach out and find talented students in all different parts of our state and parts of our country without regard for their socioeconomic, racial, ethnic background.” In addition to diversity, Schlissel said discussions touched on possible improvements to the individual schools and colleges and methods for increasing accessibility and affordability of higher education.
For Ekotto, similar conversations emerge from Fanon’s work. Ekotto took questions from students as they further discussed race, oppression, identity and colonialism. With each question, Ekotto noted how many of these considerations come up before in Fanon’s work. “I realized it’s extremely important that if we’re talking about questions of identity, because this group they’re interested in reclaiming their identity, I think it’s important that they understand the bases — how you get to even understand who you are,” Ekotto said.
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Opinion
4 — Friday, February 20, 2015
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Change the schedule
University must fix policy to avoid late Fall final exam schedule
I
n the past week, the Fall 2015 academic calendar has caused uproar within the University’s student body. A petition created by LSA freshman Lauren Siegel for her Organizational Studies class, Activism, calls for the University to change the exam schedule. As it stands, the last day for professors to give exams would be Dec. 23, and classes are set to begin Jan. 6, allowing only one day for students with exams on Dec. 23 to travel home for Christmas Eve, and shortening an already short break. As of 12:22 a.m. on Friday, the petition has 5,443 signatures. While it is not feasible for the Fall 2015 calendar to change with such short notice, the late exam schedule is expected to recur every time Labor Day falls in the second week of September. Therefore, the University must reconsider the fall schedule in future years to begin prior to Labor day resulting in final exams ending earlier. According to University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald, classes traditionally start after Labor Day due to previous faculty and student preference. In 2002, students requested the fall break, pushing the exam schedule later. Both of these factors have led to a later end of the semester. This issue arose in 2004 and 2010, and is expected to arise again in 2020 as the result of a 2013 action request written by University Provost Martha Pollack. The request reads, “There are no conflicts with religious holidays contained in this calendar.” However, while exams may not end on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, there are conflicts in this calendar. Ending exams on the Dec. 23 prevents many students, professors and GSIs from making it home in time to celebrate the holidays and potentially conflicts with religious obligations. The late exam dates add stress and difficulties for travel plans. December is often a time of heavy snowstorms and weather-related delays. If airline delays occur, or roads are unsafe for travel, members of the University community may not be able to get home safely and in time for Christmas Eve. Additionally, faculty are required to complete all grades 72 hours after the final exam is given. Therefore, if a final is given on Dec. 23 and the faculty wants to avoid grading on the holiday, there is effectively less than 24 hours to complete grading. Public Policy Prof. Paul Courant, who was Provost of the University from 2002 to 2005, agreed, saying, “For many of my colleagues it’s really hard. Not only is it that they have three days but you know one of those days is Christmas Eve and one of those days is Christmas and that matters to a lot of people.” Put simply, the University should be more understanding of this concern as it directly conflicts with academics and faculty well-being. Despite the University being a non-
religious institution, University Provost Martha Pollack wrote in an action request, “…we have made it a practice to make every reasonable effort to help students avoid negative academic consequences when their religious obligations conflict with academic requirements.” In this situation, this is clearly not the case. Due to strict exam policy, students will not receive flexibility from their professors to take the exam on a different date unless approved by the Final Examination Committee. In cases when the exam schedule does end as late as Dec. 23, the University should relax this exam policy to accommodate student travel within two days of Christmas Eve. There are also glaring inconsistencies in University scheduling decisions. Pollack’s action request for change of the winter term proposed that classes end April 18 instead of April 20 to avoid overlapping with Passover. Therefore, it is questionable as to why the University wouldn’t recognize the same concern with ending exams close to Christmas. A change in the academic calendar with such short notice would affect programs that are already planned, such as new student orientation, and therefore should not be changed for the coming fall. At Thursday’s meeting, the Board of Regents acknowledged the options to amending the calendar are shortening fall break or starting classes earlier in the year. Since fall break gives a muchneeded respite to students and was highly demanded in 2002 by the student population, it should not be eliminated. Therefore, the University should consider starting classes a week earlier, before Labor Day. While there would certainly be opposition to this proposal, it is the best solution to fixing this problem. Scheduling around Christmas should be of higher priority than beginning school after Labor Day.
Using “Relative wealth” as a launching point for change
I
’m sure that many of you have read the recent column published in The Michigan Daily titled, “Relative wealth.” If you’ve read my previous columns, then you probably know how deeply I care about socioeconomic issues. You might think I read the article and came away shocked and horrified by what was described as middle class. To an extent, I was. However, my eyes also MICHAEL glazed over the words. SCHRAMM The author clarifies that she’s “privileged” in a way that she can afford more than necessities; however, the way in which she describes her finances makes me feel like she believes she doesn’t benefit from the privilege of a high-SES status — much like many people do on this campus. When I read someone arguing they’re middle class because their $2 million house only has three bedrooms and two baths, I can’t help but feel frustrated. It’s the same type of complaint that I hear all the time on campus. Someone complains because they can’t afford another Ralph Lauren Polo, or they’re angry that their parents won’t pay for them to go on spring break this year. Typically, I would overlook these comments, but they’re problematic because they overshadow real financial problems experienced by people on this campus. Real financial problems are not being able to pay your rent. They’re canceling dinner plans because you don’t have the money in your bank account.
They’re the twinge in your gut when your friends talk about past vacations because you know that your family could never afford one. Upper-class financial “problems,” perpetuated by not just the author but many others on this campus as well create a climate where people with genuine financial difficulties hide their struggle. Who wants to blow away their friend group with their tale of poverty? I know I don’t. According to the Office of Registrar, in 2011, 63 percent of incoming freshmen reported coming from families earning over $100,000, yet the median family income in the United States is slightly over $50,000. Earning over $100,000 constitutes a person as upper-middle class, so this is indicative of the fact that a majority of students on campus come from upper-middle class families. Though this climate makes low-SES stories difficult to tell, this only makes them more important. Within these narratives lie stories of strife, heart, overcoming and oppression that deserve a platform. They create a way for people to empathize with genuine financial issues, and this empathy is the start to social change that this campus so obviously needs. So, no matter how much I hate it, it’s time for my story, and then it’s time for yours. Until college, I lived with a single parent and another relative. Both worked low-income restaurant jobs, and one ended up with medical conditions that left her unable to work. This equated to serious financial issues. I never owned a real winter coat until college. I looked up in the shower every day to see plastic covering the roof of our bathroom. I remember the day our auto company foreclosed on our car.
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My childhood was spent in a constant string of financial panic, as I hid behind the rail of our staircase to hear the next saga of financial ruin. My heart raced with anxiety that electrified my body in horrifying ways. I overthought, freaked out, cried. Poverty was the scorching-hot glue that held my childhood together. And it sucked. There’s no silver lining in being of a lower socioeconomic status. It’s not some character-building wonder to those struck by it. It’s a terrifying roller-coaster ride. That’s my condensed story, and like I said, it’s time for yours. We can’t spend any more time bashing “Relative wealth.” That’s not an effective use of this notoriety. The reality is that many high-SES people are more ignorant than hateful or judgmental. We need to use this energy proactively to share the stories that need
to be shared. If you are lower SES, I implore you speak up the next time these conversations surface. If you’re in a group setting where this becomes a topic, don’t shy away from your story because it’s shameful at this University. Be bold. If people don’t speak up, upper-class perceptions of financial strife maintain their status as actual problems. Additionally, if you believe your story needs to be shared in a setting bigger than a conversational context, I would highly encourage you to seek out a publication or speaking opportunity. From my experiences, writing a column has been crucial in helping me navigate my experiences with low-SES. Oh, and one more thing. I hope — no, expect — that articles like this get just as many reads and shares as “Relative wealth.” If you complained about that article and
give it more attention than ones like this, you are just as problematic as you believe the author’s viewpoint is. It shows that you’re willing to give more time, energy and attention to the problem than to the solution. It also shows that you’re willing to elevate stories of privilege over those of raw pain. I don’t want this conversation to end with a hateful flicker into the wind. Let’s take this energy and turn it into an opportunity to educate and change our campus’ culture. Read Jenny Wang’s powerful, candid, poignant response to “Relative wealth.” Listen up for what your low-SES friends have to say. Challenge yourself. And most importantly, don’t allow yourself to be part of the problem that you hate. — Michael Schramm can be reached at mschramm@umich.edu.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550 to 850 words. Send the article, writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
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Revisiting vegetarianism
rom 2007-2011, I was kind of a vegetarian. What I mean is that I wanted to be a fullon vegetarian, but since I was a middle-schooler who couldn’t make these sort of life-changing decisions without consulting her parents (and if I’m being completely ELIANA honest, because I HERMAN had a deep passion for my omnivorous lifestyle), I just didn’t eat red meat. My decision to become a nonred meat eater was based on the fact that I thought animals were cute and the thought of eating dead pigs, cows, etc. — regardless of how delicious they are — filled my 11-yearold heart with terror. I’m not sure what shocked my parents more: the fact that I even wanted to give up my diet of ribs and burgers and brisket (let me reiterate, I loved eating meat), or the fact that I kept up my red meatfree diet for four years. What surprised me the most was that once I got accustomed to this pattern, it was very easy to keep up. And even though I started eating red meat
again in the summer of 2011, I definitely do not eat as much red meat as I did before 2007. The reason I started eating red meat again was not because I gave into temptation — honestly the burger I ate at camp was probably one of the worst burgers I’ve ever had (and it wasn’t even a cheeseburger… the Jewish camp struggle). I ate that subpar burger because the image of a dead baby animal was no longer as graphic for me. My initial reason for taking up pseudo-vegetarianism felt far away and disconnected from my life as well as from the overcooked burgers that all my friends were eating. And yet, in the last couple weeks I’ve started thinking about vegetarianism again. And this time it’s about more than just some cute animals. After reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollan and “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us” by Michael Moss, I learned that eating meat is doing more damage than just killing innocent animals (although this is a convincing argument on its own). While a double bacon cheeseburger sounds wholesome and delicious, in reality, the system that produces this delicacy goes against the natural food system, releases
huge amounts of carbon dioxide and other emissions into our atmosphere and destroys the ecosystems where grazing animals like cows are mass-produced and slaughtered. If all that isn’t enough, this type of eating is killing us as well: clogging our arteries, causing diabetes and numerous other health problems that come from lack of regulation and sanitation. Okay, I’m done with my tirade for now, but if you’re interested in learning more about this broken system, I thoroughly recommend the aforementioned books, which are full of information that is simultaneously interesting and horrifying. Having said all that, I would be lying if I said I have taken up vegetarianism again — I’m still in the early stages of contemplating this life change and forgetting that I want to make this change and eating a ham-and-cheese sandwich. But I think I will do it, because while it is horrifying to think that eating meat can cause so many environmental and health problems, it is kind of amazing what a positive impact cutting out or just eating less meat can have on the world. — Eliana Herman can be reached at erherman@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Linh Vu, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe PAYTON LUOKKALA | VIEWPOINT
A poet factory It is well known that Ann Arbor is popular for our world-renowned University, sports teams and traditions, our first-class medical facilities, an abundance of great restaurants, liberal politics and our art. Is everyone fully aware of the ART? It is a rather ambiguous term, but what my focus is and what I have come to know Ann Arbor for is the poetry. The city is basically a poet-growing factory. Although American classics like Robert Frost lived in Ann Arbor for only a short time, we share so many writers with the Detroit area, and we have so many others who visit our city. I am speaking of the poets that are growing here now — from seeds, the very beginning. It is all relative to when you start, of course, so I consider myself a seed. I am 18 years old. There are so many events that are always happening, through the University and outside of it, to help develop young poets. The University’s Zell Visiting Writers Series, in partnership with UMMA, hosts free events, inviting speakers (poets and other writers too) to both read and have Q&A sessions, allowing young writersto-be to pick the brains of those more experienced. Beyond the teachers in the English department — who are great
— there is the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program, a Michigan Learning Community focusing on writing and the arts, where the teachers are awesome in their own right. They help us learn not only in the classroom, but in the world that is the Ann Arbor poetry scene. (Note to others and myself: Write details of the events down, because as much as I would like to hope, we will not remember them, and these are events you do not want to miss!) Educators are a great way of tying together what is happening within the University and what’s occurring outside of it, because although we may like to think we are aware of both, we often don’t attend these events as much as we could. Local bookstores frequently participate in shaping young poets. Literati Bookstore often has writers read their work. (I know this may sound like a lot of listening, but there is so much to be learned from listening alone.) To see how your poems play against an audience, Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room on Main Street hosts a poetry open mic every second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 7-9 p.m. Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea on Washington presents the Skazat Poetry Series on
the third Tuesday of each month, which includes an open mic to start the night, and ends with a featured regional reader (so it’s the best of both worlds). An event that I have attended repeatedly is the Ann Arbor Poetry Slam (which happens at 8 p.m. every Sunday at Silvio’s Organic Pizza). There is a suggested $5 donation, but they are extremely understanding of us poor college kids, and I just give whatever change I have in my pocket at the time. The night starts with an open mic for those who want to share, but not compete. The competition, the main event, is next. Each time I have been there, it has consisted of six or seven people performing. Some are more practiced than the others, some clearly beginners. It is apparent that it is a learning experience (I have not tried it yet, because I am a chicken), but it is also just plain fun: great pizza, snapping, clapping and appreciation fill the air. Although you might learn technique or emotion elsewhere, an event like this one is where a poet learns to be confident. So come on down — maybe by then I will have convinced myself to participate. Payton Luokkala is an LSA freshman.
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Arts
5 — Friday, February 20, 2015
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TV COLUMN
EVENT REVIEW
‘Shameless’: the show Nostalgia abounds at you need to watch Chaplin retrospective S
By GRACE HAMILTON
poiler Alert: This column contains spoilers from the fourth and fifth seasons of Showtime’s “Shameless.” There’s a running joke among some of my friends that I’m constantly raving about shows nobody watches or has even heard of. It’s frustrating. “Bates Motel” ALEC really is great. STERN DirecTV’s “Kingdom” — yes, the one with Nick Jonas — was the biggest surprise of 2014. And don’t get me started on “Hannibal.” My recent Anthony Hopkins trilogy binge reaffirmed just how inventive and spectacular NBC’s imagining of the character really is. But of all the shows that are so aggravatingly underappreciated, Showtime has managed to put three of the best together all on the same night. I can say with confidence: Showtime’s current Sunday night lineup — “Shameless,” “House of Lies” and “Episodes” — is the best night of television you aren’t watching. “Shameless” has flown under the radar since its debut in January 2011, despite being an increasingly steady performer for the network. Though even as it’s amassed consistent acclaim and a loyal audience, “Shameless” lacks one critical ingredient: buzz. “Game of Thrones” has buzz. “Homeland” has buzz. Hell, even “The Affair” has some. No matter how many people actually watch it, it’s talked about. Blogs recap it. It trends on Twitter. People argue that it was snubbed. That special X factor. But like “The Americans” or the aforementioned “Bates Motel” and “Kingdom” — all worthy series — “Shameless” is still struggling for everyone’s attention in an immensely crowded marketplace. And just as “House of Lies” and “Episodes” do on Sunday nights, the comedies have followed “Shameless” ’s quiet lead. “House of Lies,” the Don Cheadle-led series, has been a consistent comedy force for four seasons. Along with Cheadle and Kristen Bell, his business partner and onagain-off-again love interest, Ben Schwartz and Josh Lawson round out one of the strongest half-hour ensembles on television. In its current season, more so than ever before, the chemistry among the four lead consultants is palpable. While you might know Bell from
“Veronica Mars” and her scattered big-screen efforts, or Schwartz for his role as Jean-Ralphio on “Parks and Recreation,” all four of the principle actors have steadily been delivering their best work as key ingredients of “Lies” ’s consulting quad. Following “House of Lies” is “Episodes,” or the closest we’ll ever get to another season of “Friends.” In the biting show business satire, Matt LeBlanc plays a fictional version of himself as he makes his return to sitcoms in the ill-fated “Pucks.” But there’s more to “Episodes” than its many references to NBC’s iconic comedy or Jennifer Aniston — though isn’t that really all it needs? Unlike “Shameless” and “House of Lies,” “Episodes” is a straight comedy, with each episode delivering laugh-out-loud one-liners and gags. But no matter how good both comedies are or have been in the past, the story of Showtime’s Sunday nights is undoubtedly “Shameless,” a show that’s simply too good to be ignored. This year, “Shameless” did manage to finally make its way into the awards conversation with its controversial move from drama — where the series had been submitted for consideration for its first three years — to comedy, despite its fourth season being its darkest and most dramatic yet. This coincided with “Orange Is the New Black” ’s — another difficultto-pin-down dramedy — decision to enter the race as a comedy after spending some time categorized as a drama. In 2015, “Orange” lead Taylor Schilling was nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the Golden Globes, despite being nominated for the same role in the drama category the previous year. But as with “Orange,” “Shameless” ’s category swap did manage to work some magic, landing William H. Macy an Emmy nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award win for his portrayal as Frank Gallagher. It had been a long time coming, not solely because Macy has shined in the role for years, but because all of these Academies and Associations and Guilds are usually very quick to honor Showtime’s leading actors. Claire Danes, David Duchovny, Mary-Louise Parker, Don Cheadle, Edie Falco, Matt LeBlanc, Toni Collette, Laura Linney, Liev Schreiber and Lizzy Caplan have all consistently been honored for their work on the network. But while William H. Macy’s name can now be added to that list, there is still one person who is sorely lacking the recogni-
tion she deserves. As Fiona Gallagher, the Chicago-native in charge of caring for her five younger siblings, Emmy Rossum has been delivering television’s single greatest performance. More dimensional and complicated than Macy’s Frank, Rossum’s nuanced, natural performance stands at the show’s core — the battered, beaten, tough-as-nails, resilient heart of “Shameless.” Whether the series is funny or sad or serious (in reality, it’s all of these things), Rossum handles her scenes with dedication and care, masterfully weaving between genres as well as, say, Rose Byrne, an actress as great in the dark, dramatic television series “Damages” as she is in the summer blockbuster “Neighbors.” But Rossum takes it even further than Byrne, with the pendulum of emotions swinging so quickly in “Shameless,” as if Byrne’s character in the Seth Rogen romp were meant to face off with “Damage” ’s Glenn Close at “Neighbor” ’s conclusion. In the season four episode, “There’s the Rub,” Fiona’s at-that-moment blissful exuberance comes crashing down when she discovers her toddler-brother unconscious, having inhaled the remainder of her celebratory cocaine. That shift in Fiona, exemplified with perfection by Rossum, should have ended the Emmy conversation right there. In an ideal world, Julianna Margulies’s second statue for “The Good Wife” would be on Rossum’s mantel. But this isn’t an ideal world, and Rossum’s performance went without even a nomination for the fourth year in a row. This season, the emotional roller coaster of Fiona Gallagher hasn’t ceased to roar on — a shotgun wedding in one episode, the return of former love Jimmy in another. Even better, “Shameless” ’s surrounding action continues to shine as well: Frank’s attempts to remain sober, Lip’s struggle to balance his new life at college with his old friends on the South Side, Ian’s tragic surrendering to his bipolar disorder and Kev and V’s fractured relationship post-pregnancy. With each episode, “Shameless” accomplishes so much. It’s dramatic. It’s hilarious. It’s unique. But most importantly, it’s raw, real and relatable. “Shameless” is television at its finest. Why aren’t you watching?
Daily Arts Writer
The rows of The Michigan Theater are filled with heads; bald heads, wrinkled ones, grey ones, coupled ones and many invisible ones that do not reach the top of the seat. The great big golden room is filled with the soft conversation and laughter that usually precedes highly anticipated operas and blockbuster films. To my left is a pair that looks to be in their ’80s and to my right a young girl and her parents. There are also some of that academic looking species sprinkled around the aisles, conversing with one another. The gentleman responsible for our gathering, in case the description didn’t give it away, is Charlie Chaplin. On February 8, four of his short films were screened at the Michigan Theater as part of the theater’s Family-Friendly Film series, with live organ accompaniment from Andrew Rogers on the theater’s 1927 Barton organ. The films included “The Floorwalker,” “The Immigrant,” “The Masquerader” and “The Rink,” all made between 1914 and 1917 as part of Chaplin’s contract with Lone Star-Mutual (a division of the Mutual Film Corporation created solely for the purpose of making Chaplin’s films). The theater will continue to pay homage to Chaplin every Monday until April 25th by showing newly restored prints. Over the course of his career, Chaplin starred in over 80 films, 65 of which premiered during the years of 1914 and 1915. He rose almost instantly to superstardom, mainly through the popularity of his on-screen persona, The Tramp, who appears in these short films as well. “The Tramp” is a playful and mischievous character with a big heart, who often finds himself in trouble by trying to disguise his lower social status. Chaplin spends the last 10 minutes of “The Immigrant” scheming to find a coin to pay the daunting waiter at a small French café with his love interest beside him. Chaplin’s childhood was defined by poverty and hardship. His father passed away, and his mother struggled with mental illness. By age 14, Chaplin had left school and turned his focus to
MUTUAL FILM CORPORATION
“So I went to the barber and said ‘Just fuck me up fam.’”
acting. By the time of his work with Mutual, he was the highest paid movie star in the world and praised for his artistry. His career was filled with many controversies, mostly surrounding his strong and often vocalized anti-capitalist beliefs. After leaving the U.S. for London in 1952, he was denied re-entry to the country, returning again for the first time in 1972 to accept an award. On this Sunday, the theater roared with laughter at Chaplin’s antics, like the running staircase in “The Floorwalker.” The children giggled, the old man shook in his seat and the bald man in front of me threw his head back in amusement. “So, what is it that makes someone an icon?” I wondered, awed by the ability of a silent film from a past era to draw such pleasure from this odd crowd. Clearly, it’s more than just talent or an interesting look that makes someone stick. “Creative genius” is a weird phrase that people use without really knowing what they mean to say, except that they know when they see it. I use it here in this style. Chaplin wrote, directed, produced and starred in nearly all of his films. His genius is magnified by the lack of speech in his work. The audience must rely on movement, gestures and grainy faces to understand the story. Chaplin silently directs the action of the characters around him, the force of gravity that keeps the narrative firmly grounded. Music adds grandeur to the
Stern is proving that there is such a thing as a TV hipster. To get a link to his Tumblr, email alecs@umich.edu.
films. Rogers sewed transitions between the four with the familiar tune of Chaplin’s “Smile,” composed in 1936 for his film “Modern Times.” The melodies help provide cues to direct the responses of the audience — sadness, shock, laughter, suspense. The experience is quite unlike anything today. In a way, the magnificent progress of film in the last century has detracted from its purity as an art form; it has become something else all together. Special effects and CGI amaze, yet often distract. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just different. Returning to Chaplin’s work, almost 100 years old now, I feel as if I am viewing film with fresh eyes. Chaplin created comedy that was dually a form of meaningful social commentary, a delicate balance that is not often achieved in the genre today with quite the same grace. On top of that, his films leave room for sadness and sympathy. I’m relieved to avoid some kind of confession that silent film is after all, very boring; every opportunity to disprove criticisms of generation Y’s cultural apathy is a lucky one. Chaplin’s films are gems at the core of a medium that has come to dominate modern culture. Whether it’s this important aspect that draws you in, the simple promise of a good laugh, the organ or even just an interest in the time period itself, Chaplin deserves your trip out of bed and a standing ovation.
STYLE RECAP
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Marian Hill needs to have a wider audience By CATHERINE BAKER For the Daily
In the midst of an extremely busy week, I’ve turned to Marian Hill for solace. After recently being introduced to the Philadelphian electronic pop duo, the seven songs they currently have on Spotify have kept me company as I walk to class and struggle through what should be an illegal amount of homework. It’s amazing what a good saxophone solo can do for the soul. Since the pair has not been introduced to Wikipedia yet, I’ve had to glean what little information I have from their Facebook page, which has just under 14,000 likes. Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol first came in contact with each other at a middle school talent show where Lloyd heard Gongol sing for the first time. After drifting apart, the pair reunited in Lloyd’s bedroom studio many years later and formed Marian Hill. Lloyd and Gongol’s first EP, Play, was released in early 2014 and contained five songs, each of which use different aspects of electronic pop and
sultry lyrics to create a sound unique to Marian Hill. Their more recent releases, “Lips” and “Got It,” continue the development of carefully constructed beats and overlaying harmonies introduced in Play, but the minimalist lyrical style leaves plenty of room for variations in rhythm. In today’s Top 40, I struggle with finding new and interesting lyrics — there are only so many times I can listen to a sad song about a one night stand or an anthem about partying on a weeknight. I understand these ideas are recycled due to their relevance to the audience, but isn’t there anything more interesting to write about than the club going up on a Tuesday? Why not make it a Wednesday and shake things up a little? I am not asserting that Marian Hill isn’t a newfound lyrical genius that writes about every aspect of the human experience. My fantasies of new and untouched topics are a pipe dream because, let’s face it, nearly every emotion under the sun has been sung, played or rapped. Lloyd and Gongol simply take these same ideas that
many other songwriters use — love, commitment, heartbreak — and simplify them down to their very bones, combining raw emotions with haunting vocals and interesting blends of classic instruments and electronic pulses. The point isn’t that they magically come up with new topics to sing about; the point is that they sing about these common topics with a new spin that many pop icons often lack. Though I am not a fan of pure electronic music, I appreciate their more synthetic tracks simply because of the individuality coursing through each piece. Even the popular saxophone solo finds a place in “Got It,” yet still retains its own contemporary twist. Marian Hill may never become a household name, but I wouldn’t write them off just yet. As I’ve written this, their Facebook page gleaned another 1,000 likes and their next EP is set to release on Feb. 17. While Marian Hill is still in its early stages of development, I look forward to seeing what the duo has in store and eagerly await the day they have their own Wikipedia page.
OSCAR DE LA RENTA
“Lose yourself in my well-kempt beard.”
NYFW: Oscar de la Renta’s brand lives on By CAROLINE FILIPS Daily Arts Writer
Oscar de la Renta once said, “the great thing about fashion is that it always looks forward.” It’s true — designers of esteemed fashion houses and editors of high-brow fashion magazines foresee and create our sartorial future. In the midst of winter, top designers showcase next fall’s collections, and the September issues of high-brow fashion magazines are planned years in advance. De la Renta looked forward, too. He forecasted both fashion’s future and the fate of his eponymous empire. Merely a week before he lost his eight-year
battle with intermittent lymphoma, de la Renta appointed Peter Copping as his successor. Though maintaining de la Renta’s signature elegant femininity posed an undeniably daunting task, it’s clear Copping’s debut collection exceeded expectations. All of the industry’s most scrutinizing eyes were given the benefit of the doubt as Copping delivered a quintessentially Oscar collection with appropriate and innovative personal touches. Copping paid homage to the late tastemaker with fairytale frocks, dirndl skirts and lettuce hems, yet added an edgier, gothic flair with a black fringed ’70s shift
dress and ball gowns consisting of unconventional, sheer bodices with textured overlays. In typical de la Renta attention to detail, subliminal romantic touches of ornate embellishment and unlined lace beneath coat and suit dresses added a sophisticated polish to many looks. Immaculate eveningwear stole the show, particularly a strapless, ombré magenta mini dress with textured rosettes and a fitted, floor-length gown of jeweled applique atop cobalt faille. As the finale concluded, the show’s audience and livestreamers alike were relieved knowing Copping successfully wrote the new chapter of ODLR.
Arts
6 — Friday, February 20, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
DAILY BOOK REVIEW
‘Jinx’ shows truth Dark, moving ‘Rich and Strange’ delights at its most grizzly By FRANCESCA KIELB Daily Arts Writer
HBO docu-series explores crimes of Robert Durst By DREW MARON Daily Arts Writer
In 2001, a Texas teenager found a dismembered torso in the Galveston Bay. The subsequent investigation became one of the most Aenigmatic cases in United States ‘The Jinx’ history. This is how HBO’s doc- Series umentary mini- Premiere series “The Jinx: Sundays The Life and Deaths of Robert at 8 p.m. Durst” begins. HBO At the start, director Andrew Jarecki (“All Good Things”) makes a clear statement to the viewer: reality is always more gruesome than fiction. The series’ primary subject is the perpetrator of the crime, Robert Durst, the son of one of New York City’s wealthiest real estate moguls. Between the 1980s and 2000s, Durst was twice acquitted for murder and has been linked to at least three known disappearances. In 2001, he was the center of a high-profile manhunt across multiple state lines. Now, with “The Jinx,” he has agreed to sit down with filmmaker Andrew Jarecki for a tell-all, face-toface interview. The first episode, “The Body in the Bay,” doesn’t feature the interview itself but it sets up for a miniseries that promises to shock, provoke, thrill, appall and mesmerize all who watch. The series’ opening features real photos of the crime telling us that if you’re too disturbed by it, change the channel to “Law and Order.” This case is real. “The Jinx” draws viewers
HBO
Anthony Hopkins has nothing on this guy.
in with interviews, video clips, photographs and evidence from the crime. The case extends to Durst’s relatives, friends, and any other individuals somehow connected or affected by the case. In this, the film creates a web of intrigue with Robert Durst at the center. In his essay, “The Simple Art of Murder,” crime-fiction icon Raymond Chandler once said Dashiell Hammett — whose contributions to American crime fiction rival those of Edgar Allan Poe — “gave murder back to the kind of people who commit it.” This authenticity is what makes “The Jinx” more enthralling than any hour on CBS where good-looking movie stars dodge explosions with snarky quips. Not to say that fictional shows can’t capture the reality of American crime — just look at “The Sopranos,” “True Detective,” “The Wire” and “Breaking Bad.” But what Jarecki proves is truth will always be more interesting than fiction, and this miniseries is most certainly the truth, in all its filthy, horrible, grotesque magnificence.
The series premiere might disappoint some hoping to see the interview with Durst, which is treated as a cliffhanger at the end of the episode. There’s also quite a bit of focus on the goriness of the Galveston crime. The real-life violence will paralyze most with its explicitness, but you wonder if the gritty details depicted will distract and turn off certain viewers from the series’ more interesting aspects. As for Jarecki’s style, the filmmaker that most comes to mind is Errol Morris, whose 1988 true crime classic “The Thin Blue Line” revolutionized cinema when it saved the life of a man falsely accused of murdering a police officer. The cool, slick and atmospheric reenactments and the Philip Glass-inspired score are highly reminiscent of Morris. It’s too early to say what surprises Jarecki and his subject, Robert Durst, have planned, but the first episode promises that “The Jinx” will be well worth watching … as long as the viewer remembers to keep the lights on.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Friday, February 20, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
DOWN 1 Affectionate text 2 It’s often just inches 3 Syrian leader
4 Full deck Nero wasn’t playing with? 5 Gave a thumbsup 6 Like some soccer games 7 Pope before Benedict III 8 Plant 9 Taylor of fashion 10 Pressure 11 Finish, as a tat 12 Finished 13 Where to see MMM 18 “Toy Story” character who draws 19 County on the Firth of Forth 24 Composer Satie 25 Gag __ 26 Isaac’s eldest 27 Team whose logo involves a “wishbone C” 30 Mustangs’ sch. 31 Trivial objection 32 One-spot 33 Pan for Yan 34 Recipe words 35 Mojito ingredient 36 Not yet determined, in skeds
38 It’s surrounded by white 39 Game ender 40 Morlock prey 41 Bomb 45 He served between Warren and Herbert 46 Bay State motto starter 47 Like most rafts 48 Rorschach image 49 Ache
50 “__ Men Out”: baseball scandal film 51 Pequod co-owner 52 Chopin’s “Winter Wind,” e.g. 53 Orchestra group 54 Fish feature 55 “Hi, sailor!” 59 Vezina Trophy org. 60 Lao Tzu principle 61 Some pop-ups 62 Brother
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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HELP WANTED
By Frank Virzi ©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
02/20/15
elated, almost feel like you’ve conquered the darkness and can close the book, Rash reels you back in with renewed vengeance. He delves into the lives of those caught in a culture of meth addiction. You feel hatred as they harm those around them, then sympathy as they harm themselves. I experience a place where “food and warmth and clothing were no longer important,” where “the only essentials were the redand-white packs a sudafed in the passenger’s seat.” Rash rips away the hope he works so hard to instill, only to build it back up again.
You will question the likelihood of salvation. Through waves of pride, hope and desperation you find yourself and the characters searching for deliverance. A boy seeks refuge from addict parents in a snowy wood and climbs into a crashed airplane. As he sits among the dead and dreams for a world in the sky, he almost believes that the plane will take off. The boy “knew that they had taken off and risen so high that they were enveloped inside a cloud, but still he looked down, waiting for the clouds to clear.” And then you feel an indescribable yet powerful need for some, any, subliminal force — for the existence of a beyond. While reading Ron Rash’s “Something Rich and Strange,” you never really know if your hope is warranted, you will question the likelihood of a salvation, but at the end of each story you will always flip to the next one, hoping to find out. Take a risk — don’t be comfortable. Maybe you’ll find something worth crying for. I certainly did.
STYLE RECAP
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 “Invisible Cities” author Calvino 6 “I ran away from you once. I can’t do it again” speaker 10 Ford Field player 14 Surgery acronym 15 It’s a gas 16 “Snow White” character flaw 17 Forgeries that are easy to spot? 20 By way of 21 French pronoun 22 Habituate 23 Dude in the CIA? 28 Essen’s valley 29 Spotted 30 Slug relative 33 Roll 34 Word after clip or pop 37 Trivial blunder? 42 Colorado native 43 “About his head he wears the winner’s __”: “The Two Noble Kinsmen” 44 Guanaco cousin 45 Beantown athlete 47 Peek follower 49 Pancake cook in pinstripes? 54 Some Highlanders 56 U.N. workers’ agcy. 57 Roasting time in Toulon? 58 “My fireplace is defective!”? 63 “Footloose” costar Singer 64 Word after “funny” that clarifies its meaning 65 1995 Stallone title role 66 City NNE of Boston 67 Senate Republican leader before Frist 68 Sources of wisdom
I never cry while watching movies. To me, the beauty of fiction lies in observing another world without having to actually take ‘Something part in it. But I Rich and have to tell you how refreshing Strange’ it is, every once in awhile, Ron Rash to really feel Nov. 4, 2014 something. To Echo be transported. To feel the pain of those you never have and never will meet and come out on the other side somehow different. Author Ron Rash captures the beauty of intense, gritty reality by using small poignant scenes to get at underlying truths. He transports you to places that you know exist but spend your days ignoring. Yet once you start reading, you don’t want to stop; you don’t want to put your blinders back on. In fact, you can’t. The 434 pages of Rash’s “Something Rich and Strange” are sliced into 34 separate short stories. The stories take place in different times and have different perspectives, some first person, some third. They all take place in the same Appalachian region. Rash provides many small scenes and snippets of lives that when read together give the reader an understanding of a regional culture. Series of short stories often run the risk of feeling disjointed when placed side by side, especially stories such as these, with such drastic plot, character and time shifts. Rash is successful in his compilation because the stories, though technically different, explore the same themes from a variety of angles. His characters are driven by forces such as pride, hope, desperation and a need for deliverance that any reader, regardless of their walk of life,
can relate to. These themes are addressed in all 34 of his stories, providing the reader with a medley of related yet distinct emotional responses. And yet each story doesn’t try to cover all four of these themes. Instead, stories will alternate which themes are the focal point and which are merely undercurrents. Some stories vaguely reference these universal struggles, and some succinctly spell them out. Instead of trying to skim the top of all 34 stories, I, like Rash, want to use small telling moments to convey the essence of the text. In the first story, you are thrown into a world of extreme poverty. You find yourself wanting to discover who stole eggs from the aging couple Jacob and Edna. You cry when Edna accuses the starving neighbor’s dog and the neighbor takes his dog right then and there and cuts his throat “just in case.” You feel your own stomach churn as Jacob tries to give food to the starving family, but the father, Hartley, refuses because, “I ain’t got no money to buy it.” His willingness to suffer rather than lose what little pride remains brings tears to my eyes. Tears I don’t waste on make-believe. Now I’m crying about imagined dead dogs and eggs goddamnit. Still I read on. Now I’m reading about a woman who lives her life in solitude after a traumatic accident. She takes up a job running the night shift at the radio and slowly starts to feel an intangible connection with the audience she talks to every night. The station’s red beacon is described as a pulsing heart, “giving bearing to all those in the dark adrift and alone.” I start to believe that maybe there is a common thread that ties us together, even those wandering alone. That maybe those in the deepest darkest holes of isolation which Rash portrays so well are not lost — not hopeless. Yet just when you almost feel
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NYFW: Erin Featherston
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Flirty, sweet and the epitome of charming, Erin Fetherston makes everyday beauty seem effortless. Her designs are the kind of clothes you would want to wear when you meet your boyfriend’s family for the first time — with options for the possibility of attending a wedding, a casual brunch or even a funeral (distant relatives, only). Fetherston’s NYFW 2015 collection has incredible range and covers all occasions. From casual red carpet chic, to cocktail night with your ladies, to brunch the next morning, to date night that evening, just pluck a wearable combo from the line and walk out the door. These are the kind of clothes I hope I would wear if I were a working woman in a working city and wanted to seem on top of my game, but also like I woke up with no real agenda other than appearing ethere-
al for the entire day. Fetherston plays with organic textures, opening the show with white doily cut out patterns and slowly transforming the fabric into a sheer deep turquoise pattern by the end. An incorporation of bright, rich jewel tones was an unexpected surprise after a continuous stream of black and white looks. Flirty capes, ankle strap heels and a clean, pulled back look dominated the captivating runway. High collars and full skirts that may have looked timid on any other runway played off as expressively demure. Top looks include a refreshing take on a tank and skirt combination with a play on proportions, allowing the plain tank to fall delicately over a patterned, flowing skirt; a white tank with swing floral pants; and a buttoned high-neck black coat layered over a ruby red shift dress that indicated a mood shift near the end of the show.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Big Ten announces 2015-16 matchups Michigan to play MSU, OSU only once next season By LEV FACHER Managing Editor
The Big Ten announced the outline of its men’s basketball schedule for 2015-16 on Thursday, unveiling a slate that is, at least for Michigan, light on rivalry games. After playing home-and-home series against Michigan State and Ohio State this season, the Wolverines will play each of those teams just once next year. The clash with the Spartans will take place at Crisler Center, while Michigan will travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. The Wolverines have homeand-home series scheduled with Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue next season. One of the contests with the Nittany Lions, though, will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York. Per MLive. com’s Brendan Quinn, the New York game will be Penn State’s home game, and the teams will also meet in Ann Arbor. Single-play games at home, in addition to Michigan State, are Indiana, Northwestern and Rutgers. Maryland’s visit to Ann Arbor will be its first as a member of the Big Ten. To round out its schedule, Michigan will travel for singleplay games at Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin. All schedule dates — with the exception of the “Big Ten Day” clash in New York — have yet to be determined, as have game times and television broadcast
information. The 2016 Big Ten Tournament will be held at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis after spending the 2013 through 2015 at the United Center in Chicago. The Big Ten’s schedule has changed substantially in recent years as the conference’s membership increased from 11 to 14. Nebraska joined the conference in the summer of 2011, while Maryland and Rutgers joined the conference in the summer of 2014. The additions forced a drastic increase in single-play competition. With an 11-team membership, the conference was able to facilitate home-andhome series for the vast majority of pairings, an ability that vanished when the membership grew by three teams and the conference schedule held steady at 18 regular-season games. Since the league’s expansion, Big Ten teams play five opponents twice and eight opponents once. Michigan had single-play pairings just twice per season in 2009-10 and 2010-11, the years before Nebraska’s addition to the conference. In both seasons, the Wolverines played Purdue and Illinois once each, alternating venues each season. In 2011-12, the first year of the Cornhuskers’ membership, Michigan played four teams — Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa — only once each during the Big Ten regular season. The Wolverines’ home schedule features four of the seven teams currently in the top half of the Big Ten standings: Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana. Similarly, the road schedule features four teams currently in the bottom half.
Sports
Friday, February 20, 2015 — 7
‘M’ travels to Tuscaloosa By TED JANES Daily Sports Writer
With mixed results against two southern powerhouses already, the No. 5 Michigan softball team will look Easton for another Bama Bash early-season statement Matchup: against No. 3 Michigan 8-1; Alabama. The Alabama 11-1; Lipscomb Wolverines travel to 5-4; James Madison 3-2 Tuscaloosa this weekend When: Fridaylooking to Sunday keep their Where: Tuscaloosa, eight-game win streak Alabama alive. TV/Radio: For the ESPN3 (Friday third time 5 p.m., Saturin three day 2:30 p.m.) weeks, the Wolverines (8-1) are going up against a top-10 opponent. Michigan has shown it can play with the best, beating No. 6 Florida State twice in one day. Next in line is the Crimson Tide. Throughout the weekend, the Wolverines will also play two games versus the Lipscomb and one against James Madison. While those games might not present the same challenge that the Crimson Tide pose, Michigan’s approach will be the same. One of the Crimson Tide’s best assets this season has been pitcher Alexis Osorio. Last Sunday, the freshman ace threw a no-hitter against Pacific in a 10-0 victory and has a 4-0 record to start her career. Michigan will be ready, though, having already faced some very talented pitchers, most notably Florida State’s Lacey Waldrop. Osorio will surely be another tough test, but Michigan coach Carol Hutchins
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Sophomore outfielder Kelly Christner has reached base safely in all nine games this season for Michigan.
is making sure to keep her players calm while at bat. “(Hutchins) is still focusing on staying loose and not trying to make too much of our swings,” said sophomore left fielder Kelly Christner. “A lot of what we’ve been practicing has been situational hitting. So not always thinking about trying to hit a home run but thinking that if there’s a runner on third, you need to try and hit to the outfield to score them.” For Christner, consistency in the batter’s box has been key. She has managed to reach base in all nine games so far this season, finding a way to hit against every pitcher she’s faced. “I just try to see a lot of pitches,” Christner said. “It really depends on the pitcher. If she’s trying to attack you first and you want to swing at that first one, go ahead, but whenever you see more pitches, at least for me, I feel better in the at-bat. I feel like I can see
the ball better, and I’m not just giving her an easy out. I want to make her work for that out.” While the team is always focused on improving its hitting, Hutchins turned to the defense as the focus of practice this week. In the first game against the Seminoles last weekend, Florida State managed to hit its way back to a one-run lead by three consecutive infield singles. “We want to show up with our short game defense,” Hutchins said. “It wasn’t very good last weekend. It’s just a matter of getting a little more certainty. It’s tough, especially when you have to deal with slappers and bunts. We’ve worked on that a bit now.” The battle for starting infield spots has been evident thus far into the season. Hutchins has not determined any starters at these positions, and multiple infielders have seen playing time, including freshman Taylor Swearingen. Swearingen, who
has started six different games in three different spots, is hoping to get into the starting lineup more consistently. “In the beginning of the year, I would’ve said I play best at first base,” Swearingen said. “But I’ve been getting a ton more comfortable at all of my positions now, and I’ve been practicing all over the field. I want to prove my consistency and be a little more aggressive.” Because of the star power in both dugouts, fans will be able to watch the games against the Crimson Tide online. Friday afternoon, the Wolverines will play at 5 p.m. on ESPN3. Michigan has already made clear it can compete with the best, but this weekend it will have the chance to let fans everywhere see that live. “I hope fans think, ‘Wow, Michigan has incredible energy,’ ” Christner said. “ ‘They’re always playing every pitch to win, never letting an inning up.’ ”
Behind Enemy Lines with Wolverines seek historic center Amanda Zahui B. MEN’S LACROSSE
win over Fighting Irish
By MINH DOAN Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team desperately needed a win Wednesday night to stay in the NCAA Tournament picture. And it got one in the form of a 68-52 victory over Indiana at Crisler Center. Freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty got her first start since November and excelled, scoring 21 points while senior guard Shannon Smith and sophomore guard Siera Thompson totaled 16 and 15 points, respectively. Down low in the post, senior forward Cyesha Goree was able to operate with her usual intensity. She only picked up one foul, unlike her last two games, in which she fouled out. After knocking off Indiana on Wednesday night, the Wolverines (7-8 Big Ten, 15-11 overall) had to quickly change their mindset and focus on traveling to Minneapolis to play the last team on its regularseason schedule ranked higher than them in the Big Ten. Currently ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 37 in the RPI, the Golden Gophers come into Saturday’s game riding a four-game winning streak including, most recently, an impressive 93-80 win over No. 13 Iowa on Tuesday, and a win over Minnesota would give the Wolverines a big win before the Big Ten Tournament begins in two weeks. The Golden Gophers (10-5, 21-6) have played a majority of the season without Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year guard Rachel Banham, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament on Dec. 10 against North Dakota and is out for the season. In the absence of Banham’s
Michigan 0-16 alltime vs. ranked teams; plays Notre Dame on Saturday
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
By BRANDON CARNEY Daily Sports Writer
RITA MORRIS/Daily
Cyesha Goree faces a tough test in Minnesota’s Amanda Zahui B. on Saturday.
22.1 points per game last season, Golden Gopher center and 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Amanda Zahui B. has taken over the bulk of the scoring. Zahui totaled a career-high 39 points and 29 rebounds in Minnesota’s win over Iowa. Zahui is also in the hunt for the John R. Wooden Award, given to the best player in the nation, as she was named to the Top 20 list last week. The Daily sat down with Zahui at Big Ten Media Day in October to discuss her upcoming season, the weather in Minnesota and the transition from Swedish to American basketball. The Michigan Daily: It’ll be your second year at Minnesota. How do you improve on last year’s All-Big Ten First Team performance? Amanda Zahui B.: Well, this year, I just want to become more versatile and become faster and quicker on the court, so I can match up against the bigger
players. TMD: Coming from Sweden, what was the biggest difference in the style of play between American and Swedish basketball? AZ: Well it’s quicker, fastpaced and it’s rougher, if I can put it that way. TMD: Like more physical? AZ: Yeah, more physical, but definitely the pace is the biggest difference. TMD: You were on the Swedish national team. How did playing internationally help you out when you came to Minnesota? AZ: I got to play against players that played professionally, while on the national team, that had more experience playing against some of the best players in the world in the Euro League. I also got to play against other players in college. It was fun, it really helped me develop my game because you mixed a lot of cultures of basketball together.
The men’s lacrosse team is already enjoying a historic week. For the first time in program history, Michigan received votes in the Notre Dame Inside Lacrosse at Michigan rankings, Matchup: while sopho- Notre Dame more attacker 1-0; Michigan Ian King was 2-0 voted Big Ten When: SatOffensive Play- urday 1 P.M. er of the Week Where: after earning a Oosterbaan school single- Field House game record of eight points against Detroit last week. Saturday, the Wolverines will have the opportunity to make more history when they play No. 2 Notre Dame in front of an expected record crowd at Oosterbaan Field House. In its brief three plus years of existence, Michigan is 0-16 against ranked opponents. An overtime defeat at the hands of then-No. 15 Cornell last year was the closest the Wolverines have come to knocking off a top-20 team. “After our Cornell game last year and how we prepared that week, we’re all looking forward to this game,” said senior attacker Will Meter. “This year it’s different. We’re not saying we can hang with this team anymore, we’re saying we can beat them.” After opening the season with two comfortable victories, confidence is flowing among players and staff. The Wolverines currently lead the country in caused turnovers per game, own 52 shots
on goal and have outscored opponents 18-3 in the second half. “Something we’ve never been able to do in the past is put together a complete game, especially in the second half,” Meter said. “It shows the confidence we’re all playing with.” While Michigan had little trouble taming Bellarmine and Detroit, Notre Dame is a whole different animal. The Fighting Irish return three All-Americans from their NCAA runner-up team. The fourth-ranked incoming freshman in 2014, Mikey Wynne, started his collegiate career by scoring six goals in a 14-12 victory over Georgetown. “(Wynne’s) IQ of the game and the way he goes about the game really makes him effective and unique,” said freshman midfielder BJ Mattheiss, Wynne’s high school teammate. “He helped us win in so many ways. I can’t speak enough of him.” For years, the Fighting Irish have been best known for their airtight defense, but recently, Notre Dame’s attack has been grabbing all the headlines. Led by attacker Matt Kavanaugh, who earned 75 points last season, the Fighting Irish will bring one of the country’s most dynamic offenses to Oosterbaan on Saturday. “Right now, you watch them on film, and their offense might be scarier than their defense,” said Michigan coach John Paul. “They are a complete team. For us to compete in a game like that at the stage we’re at right now, we’ve got to play a mistake-free game.” Saturday’s matchup has the potential to be a high-scoring shootout, especially if the Wolverines’ offense can maintain its
BY THE NUMBERS Michigan Men’s Lacrosse
8.1
Average margin of defeat in 16 games against ranked teams (232-107 total)
14
Goals for Michigan in its closest loss, 15-14 to Cornell in overtime in 2014
15
Largest margin of defeat in such games (22-7 at Penn State in 2014) recent form. Michigan’s new offense includes fast-paced transition, and the Wolverines have already created more opportunities in transition than all of last season. Overall, Michigan’s 31 goals are the second-most the team has ever scored in a two-game stretch. “We’re pushing it a lot more now,” Paul said. “We have the athletes to do it. It fits what we’re trying to do in our game, and the guys love it.” The odds may not be in the Wolverines’ favor heading into Saturday, but that could help Michigan’s cause. With nothing to lose and everything to gain against Notre Dame, the lack of pressure combined with recent success and growing confidence could be enough to spark an upset for the Wolverines’ history books. “I think the excitement and the morale of playing the big, No. 2 team in Notre Dame makes our team that much more motivated and to go out and get the win,” Mattheiss said.
“We’re all looking forward to this game. This year it’s different.”
Sports
8 — Friday, February 20, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan reschedules tourney, ‘M’ faces revamped, will play four in Georgia instead healthy OSU team ICE HOCKEY
Weather moves Wolverines to Savannah for four weekend games
Wolverines have won nine of 10 against Buckeyes
By NATHANIEL CLARK
Daily Sports Writer
By ZACH SHAW
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan baseball team had long planned to travel to Greenville, North Carolina to participate in the Keith LeClair Classic along with host East Carolina, No. 25 Liberty and St. John’s. But Mother Nature put the kibosh on the tournament as very cold temperatures and ice forced East Carolina to make schedule changes that kept the Wolverines (1-2) from traveling there. Michigan will instead travel to Savannah, Georgia to take on Tennessee Tech and Davidson in alternating games Friday through Sunday. The Wolverines will play in two contests on Saturday. The trip to Greenville was supposed to be a poignant homecoming for Michigan coach Erik Bakich and recruiting coordinator Nick Schnabel: In 1999 and 2000, the two men manned the infield for the Pirates under then-head coach Keith LeClair. LeClair tragically passed away in 2006 after a fiveyear battle with ALS. “I’ll always be a Pirate in regard of loving the school that I got to be a student-athlete at,” Bakich said. “Keith LeClair was an incredible man.” The scheduling alterations came with short notice for the Wolverines. The announcement that Michigan would not travel to the Keith LeClair Classic came Wednesday, and the Wolverines did not know whom they would face or when they would play until Thursday night. Michigan’s first opponent, Tennessee Tech (2-1), posted 40-19 record in 2014, meaning they will likely give Michigan a challenge. The Golden Eagles’ biggest threat is Jake Farr, who
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Michigan coach Erik Bakich’s team will play Tennessee Tech and Davidson in Savannah, Georgia this weekend.
went 5-for-9 with six runs in a Saturday doubleheader versus Longwood. As for Davidson (1-1), the Wildcats split a pair of games with Appalachian State last weekend. They find themselves in a similar situation as the Wolverines, as Davidson’s scheduled contests with Lehigh and Army were scratched due to inclement weather. Despite the spontaneous plan changes, Bakich expressed confidence in his team going into the weekend. “I think we match up well against anyone when we play our best baseball,” he said. “I would put us up against anyone when we’re firing on all cylinders.” Against Long Beach State, Michigan looked far from smashing this ceiling. The Wolverines dropped their first two games against the Dirtbags, 3-2 and 7-2, respectively, before winning Sunday’s contest, 5-3, in 10 innings. “Long Beach State was very crafty in the way that they pitched us, and gave us some trouble,” Bakich said. “We didn’t get very many fastballs, and so we just have to do a better job of taking what the pitching gives to us. It was a good opportunity to
use as a teachable moment.” The Wolverines were also forced to contend with some injuries during the series, including one to junior shortstop Travis Maezes, who sat out Sunday’s win. “(Maezes) hurt himself in the Saturday game,” Bakich said. “We held him out as a precaution on Sunday, but he’ll be back this weekend according to the training staff.” While junior first baseman and pitcher Jacob Cronenworth hit a game-winning, two-run single in the top of the 10th inning on Sunday, he was unable to come out of the bullpen to close any games against the Dirtbags due to soreness. That forced the righthanded trio of senior Donnie Eaton, junior Matt Ogden and sophomore Mac Lozer to take a stab at the closing role. The closing job is Cronenworth’s, but Bakich isn’t afraid to look further down his bench if needed. “It would be a group of guys making a group effort,” Bakich said, regarding his relievers. “That’s a nice option that we have. We can match up well with righties and lefties and different hitter strengths based on our strengths.”
Cronenworth, however, is expected to be healthy for the series against Tennessee Tech and Davidson. “(Cronenworth) didn’t have anything unusual,” Bakich said. “Everyone is dinged up, but the guys are doing a great job competing. Our training staff does a great job at keeping our guys off the injury list or keeping their stays on it very short. I’m confident that we will be full steam ahead going into this weekend.” In spite of the losses and injuries, Michigan got promising performances out of several of its freshmen pitchers versus Long Beach State. Southpaw Michael Hendrickson and righty Bryan Pall teamed up for a combined 5.2 innings of relief pitching Saturday, allowing two runs with five strikeouts. Right-hander Ryan Nutof pitched 5.2 innings in his start Sunday, letting in only one earned run and striking out four batters. While playing the Golden Eagles and the Wildcats wasn’t the original plan for the Wolverines, with the temperate weather, they will still relish the opportunity to compete this weekend.
To say the Michigan hockey team has had the upper hand against Ohio State recently would be a gross understatement. Since 2011, the Wolverines (8-4 Big Ten, 16-10 overall) have gone 9-0-1 against their neighbors to the south. The Buckeyes have been outscored 52-28 in those contests, 18 of those coming in just two games this season. But as No. 15 Michigan has lost three of its last four games, Ohio State (3-9, 8-16-2) has improved and, more importantly, gotten healthy. The two teams will battle it out once again in Columbus on Friday, then in Ann Arbor on Sunday. “They’re a different team, let’s face it,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson to MGoBlue.com. “When we played them last game (on Jan. 16), they had seven regulars out, they couldn’t even dress a full lineup of players because of injuries, so they’re a whole different team, a different animal. “They’ll want revenge, and we’ve go to go down there and keep pace.” In addition to injuries, the Buckeyes have struggled to get the most out of their players who are on the ice. Ohio State leads the conference in game misconducts, surrender 3.5 goals per game, hasn’t been able to get the most out of what was thought to be a two-headed force in net between Matt Tomkins and Christian Frey. The Buckeyes have dropped seven of eight games during the stretch, ruining any postseason aspirations. “It really came down to whoever was less bad would play,” said Matthew McGreevy, a student reporter and broadcaster for Big Ten Network and Ohio State
student radio. “It was pretty hard to watch. They had the injuries, but the problems were so much more than that.” This time, however, the Buckeyes are much closer to full strength. With injuries, suspensions and position battles pretty much over, a new energy has arisen in Columbus. “Wednesday’s practice was really the first time since November that everyone was back,” McGreevy said. “The team seems really excited to play, rather than just saying they’re excited.” After dropping three of its last four games, though, Michigan is more than ready to move on, especially against one of the Big Ten’s worst teams. “We know that it’s a rivalry against Ohio State, but we’ve got to stay focused on what we’re going to do and how we’re going to win,” said sophomore forward JT Compher to MGoBlue.com. “It’s not going to be about them, it’s going to focus on how we play and how focused we are on getting the win.” In addition to returning to competition, the Wolverines are excited about another longawaited return. Sunday’s game will mark Michigan’s first home game since Jan. 10. “It’s been a while,” Compher said. “I think everyone’s excited to get back to Yost, but we have a game in Columbus on Friday that’s at the forefront right now, so we’re focusing on that first.” Michigan has dominated Ohio State for three seasons. But with a rejuvenated lineup, Berenson knows that edge can be far from safe. “I think any time you have an edge on the team, you’ve really got to pay attention to detail,” Berenson said. “We’re going to see their best hockey, and we’re going to need to play better than we did last week. “The records don’t really mean anything. I think they’re better than their record because of all the injuries, and we need to get better if we’re going to have a good record.”