ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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UNIVERSITY HOUSING
Pipe bursts soak halls, displace residents ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Students and Ann Arbor residents fill Au Bon Pain as it opens for business in the old University Club at the Michigan Union Tuesday.
Union debuts Au Bon Pain Cafe chain fills former home of University Club By RACHEL PREMACK Daily News Editor
Early morning studiers rejoice — there’s a new bakery in town. After months of renovations, the Au Bon Pain cafe and bakery opened Tuesday on the first floor of the Michigan Union. During its opening, the cafe served ready and custom-made sandwiches, salads and bakery items to a small crowd of students and
Ann Arbor residents. Michigan Union director Susan Pile said she was pleased with the opening day turnout, considering Tuesday’s sub-zero temperatures and not all students had moved back to campus. A student-centered opening day with free samples and performances will welcome more students on Jan. 16. Au Bon Pain replaces the University Club, which opened in 1937 and closed this summer. Renovations, which began in late August and ended at the end of the Fall 2013 semester, were conducted to maintain the Union’s heritage while updating
the space for modern students, Pile said. Pile added that the University took care to ensure the new restaurant preserved the space’s character, including the University Club’s original entry arch and flooring. “We were really intentional in working with the arch of Au Bon Pain that we didn’t want to take just their cookie cutter operation and put it here at Michigan,” Pile said. To keep the space University focused, student photography of the campus is also featured in the restaurant. Seating is in a room adjacent
to the serving area and includes between booths, group seating and couches. This seating structure allows Au Bon Pain to be used as a study and gathering space for students. “They heard us in honoring what is the Michigan Union and what is the tradition here, but updating it to make it more usable for student needs today,” Pile said. Laura Seagram, marketing and communications specialist for the Union, said the space can accommodate a stage and be used for poetry slams, a capella shows and other student events. See AU BON PAIN, Page 3A
Council agenda finished from ‘13 By WILL GREENBERG Daily News Editor
The first Ann Arbor City Council meeting of the year was shorter than usual as council members moved quickly through old and new business. The Monday meeting, held on one of the coldest nights of winter thus far, featured a handful of the city’s homeless and their advocates who came to voice their concerns about having adequate shelter during the dangerously cold weather. Several speakers during the public commentary addressed See COUNCIL, Page 3A
By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
A handful of students returning to campus this week found their rooms flooded and dorm buildings in need of repair. East Quadrangle Residence Hall, which reopened in 2013 after a year of renovation, and Oxford Residence Hall reported pipe damage on Monday morning and Tuesday morning, respectively. Though record low temperatures from the recent snowstorm caused the breakage in Oxford, the cause of East Quad’s leak remains unknown. University Housing spokesman Peter Logan said there were 17 rooms affected by water infiltration in East Quad, impacting 31 students. University maintenance workers are continuing to dry and clean rooms by extract-
ing all water and setting up fans and dehumidifiers in the affected rooms, Logan said. He added that students’ personal items that were soaked by water from the broken pipe have been sent for cleaning. The University will be providing alternate rooms during the cleaning process. Logan said students should contact University Housing if they need assistance finding temporary lodging or to report items damaged by the leak. Logan said he believes most rooms will be dried out by Friday and students will be allowed to return by Monday at the latest. “We will continue to keep in touch with them when we know when their rooms are habitable,” he said. LSA freshman Ava Tavrazich was displaced from her room Tuesday due to the leak in East Quad after she received a call telling her she could not move back into her room until Friday. University Housing arranged a temporary room for her in West Quad Residence Hall, where she said they would drive her after gathSee PIPES, Page 3A
HOSPITAL
CITY GOVERNMENT
Site plans, old resolutions quickly approved in year’s first meeting
Students in East Quad, Oxford return to flooded residences
Twelve hospitalized in intensive care for H1N1 virus at UMHS After notorious 2009 run, swine flu hits hard again By IAN DILLINGHAM Daily News Editor
NICHOLAS WILLIAMS AND ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
LEFT Ann Arbor resident Matt Wilkin shovels his car out of a snow bank during the ice and snow storm Sunday. RIGHT Snow covers campus following a storm making it difficult for students to return for classes.
Classes commence despite below-zero temperatures Provost requests accomodations for stranded students By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily Staff Reporter
As temperatures fell below zero degrees across much of Michigan, University administrators and staff are working to counteract the effects of
extreme weather conditions as students return to school for the start of the winter semester. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said the campus will not close for the extreme weather and classes will not be canceled on Wednesday. “Wednesday is the day that is forecast to turn around a bit,” Fitzgerald said. “Because of the campus’ largely residential nature, it is really unusual for the Ann Arbor campus to close
because of weather.” However, Fitzgerald advised students who may be unable to return to campus on Wednesday due to the weather to keep in touch by email with their instructors. “What we’ve learned in the past is that professors are very much understanding of those situations that are out of the control of students,” he said. In an e-mail, University ProSee TEMPERATURES, Page 3A
Twelve patients at the University Hospital are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit after contracting the H1N1 influenza virus — the same strain seen in the 2009 “swine flu” pandemic. Dr. Sandro Cinti, professor of infectious diseases, said several of the patients have been placed on an advanced form of life support known as ECMO — extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. While the procedure is intended to give patients more time to recover from their disease, Cinti said it is both “very serious” and a “last resort” for the most seriously afflicted patients. All twelve patients are currently breathing with the help of mechanical ventilators and receiving aggressive treatment to prevent infection while doc-
tors treat the underlying influenza. The patients range in age from 22 to 58 and most were considered healthy prior to contracting the disease. This range is consistent with 2009 infection patterns, which showed younger demographics infected at a higher rate than the elderly, who were most likely exposed to a similar form of the disease many years ago. H1N1 was most widely publicized during 2009 — prior to the creation of a vaccine — when it killed over 470 individuals in the U.S. Despite fading from the public spotlight, the disease has been present in every flu season since the pandemic, Cinti said. “Last year it was just at a very low level, but this year it’s the main flu going around,” Cinti said. Since the current flu vaccine is designed to protect individuals against the H1N1 flu strain, doctors at UMHS speculate the 12 individuals currently in the ICU did not receive the vaccine, or were infected before it was able to take effect. See H1N1, Page 3A
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Vol. CXXIV, No. 43 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A SUDOKU.....................2A OPINION.....................4A
SPORTS.......................6A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B
News
2A — Wednesday, January 8, 2014
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles
FREEZE FRAME
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
THURSDAY: Alumni Profiles
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
PROFESSOR DIES OF METH OVERDOSE
Yale assistant professor overdoses
NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daily
Icicles collect on a house after a storm covered Ann Arbor in ice and snow Sunday.
Medical examiners revealed Monday that 34-year-old Samuel See, an assistant professor of English and American Studies at Yale University, died of a heart attack induced by an accidental overdose of acute methamphetamine and amphetamine, Yale Daily News reported. See was found dead in jail last November after a domestic dispute with his husband, Sunder Ganglani. The two men reportedly had protective orders against one another, and both were sent to jail when police discovered Ganglani at See’s home on November 23rd. The New Haven Police Department stated that See resisted arrest, fell and was cut above his left eye.
CRIME NOTES
See received treatment for the injury at Yale-New Haven Hospital and was detained immediately after. He was found unresponsive in his cell at 6 a.m. the next day. Students and faculty members interviewed were unaware of See’s drug use, though two sources knew of his ill health. Katie Trumpener, an English professor, said See once told her he was HIV positive. Lindsey Uniat, a student and advisee of See’s, said See had referenced having health issues before, though he described them as non-life-threatening.
No card, no car
Bullet catch
WHERE: 1137 Block of Ann Street WHEN: Tuesday at around 6:50 a.m. WHAT: A snow plow struck a Blue Bus on the roadway, University Police reported. The crash resulted in damage to the side mirror and had no major injuries to passengers.
WHERE: Washtenaw Road WHEN: Sunday at about 9:40 p.m. WHAT: A driver was arrested during a traffic stop for having a suspended driver’s license, University Police reported. The subject was processed and released, with warrant authorization pending.
Lock up the drugs
Crash and dash
WHAT: Writer and performer Rob Drummond will perform a theatrical magic show where he explores the infamous stunt the Bullet Catch WHO: Rob Drummond, Arches Prouction WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Walgreen Drama Center, Arthur Miller Theatre
MWireless sorkshop WHAT: Sessions will help University students get connected better to the campus-wide WiFi network. WHO: Michigan Administrative Information Services WHEN: Today from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. WHERE: Shapiro Harold & Vivian Library
Cleaning Final strums This will be the demonstration WHAT: Final round in the SMTD WHAT: A workshop on how to clean and prepare native seeds for propagation will take place today. Participants will make their seed packets ready to plant. WHO: Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum WHEN: Today from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Matthaei Botanical Gardens
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Concerto Competition. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: 4:00 p.m. WHERE: Hill Auditorium CORRECTIONS l Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com.
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THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
As he was playing hideand-seek, a man got stuck in a washing machine last monday, the Huffington Post reported. Paramedics had to lube the man, naked at the scene, with olive oil to get him out. This was the second time this week he got stuck.
2
As a rising number of student startups shift the entrepreneurial scene in Ann Arbor, onlookers are nicknaming our area the new ‘Silicon’ Mitten. >> FOR MORE, SEE THE STATEMENT
3
Anana, Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo polar bear, was kept inside last Monday as tempratures were too cold, reported the AP. Though the record-low Chicago temps are comparable to what polar bears experience in the wild
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Duke University police arrest-
Plowin’ down
WHERE: East Medical Center parking lot WHEN: Saturday at about 12:00 p.m. WHAT: A vehicle was struck while parked in the structure between 2 and 11:30 p.m., University Police reported. There was damage to the fender and bumper. No suspects were reported.
ed a man Monday after a faculty member found him living in the Bryan Center, a central student affairs building on campus, The Chronicle reported. The man was found sleeping in the Religious Life office located in the building’s basement. Chief of Police John Dailey said the college-aged male was arrested for breaking and entering and theft. He reportedly stole several items, including an iPad and a laptop. Duke faculty also suspects the man is linked to the theft of numerous previously stolen items.
Man discovered living in Duke University’s Bryan Center
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
WHERE: Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital WHEN: Monday at about 2:30 p.m. WHAT: Initial reports were filled for a possible larceny of medications between Dec. 17 and 25. There is a possible suspect, University Police reported.
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Israeli militants captured and held by Palestinians Settlers captive for two hours before handed over to IDF
away by soldiers. Human rights groups have reported an increase in attacks by militant settlers on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank in recent years. However, Tuesday’s incident appeared to mark the first time settlers were captured and held by Palestinians. The Israeli military said it had received word of a stonethrowing clash between settlers and Palestinian farmers and that it later evacuated 11 settlers with light and moderate injuries from the building. The incident began at about 10:30 a.m. near the West Bank village of Qusra, southeast of the city of Nablus, said Ziad Odeh, the Muslim prayer leader in Qusra and a member of the village council. He said about 25 to 30 settlers, many of them masked, attacked Qusra farmers in an olive grove with sticks and stones, injuring
KARYOUT, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians on Tuesday chased and grabbed more than a dozen Israeli settlers who witnesses said had attacked Palestinian farmers near a West Bank village. The settlers were held for about two hours at a house under construction before being handed over to the Israeli military. During the standoff, the settlers huddled near a wall of the house, several bleeding from the head, and one was lying on the ground. By the time Israeli soldiers arrived, the crowd surrounding the settlers had grown to about 200 people, an AP photographer Sudoku Syndication said. People kicked and spit at the settlers as they were led
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a Palestinian boy in the head. A clash ensued, farmers called for reinforcements and about 100 youths arrived from the village, Odeh said. The settlers ran away and the villagers gave chase, said Odeh and another witness, village resident Abdel Hakim Wadi. They said several of the settlers sought cover in the building under construction, located on the edge of the village of Karyout, about four kilometers (2.5 miles) from Qusra. NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/ Daily Villagers grabbed them howAnn Arbor is covered in ice and snow following a storm that hit campus Sunday afternoon, making it difficult for many ever and turned the building students to return for Wednesday classes. into a holding area where they also put other settlers they chased down in the area, Odeh said. Some of the settlers were tied up, and most had signs of beating injuries, according to an AP photographer at the scene. all that stuff.” fingers freeze off after three Odeh said the beatings http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ The morning weather map minutes, your cheeks feel as if stopped after the settlers were for the eastern half of the U.S. you’re going to get windburn, seized. looked like an algebra work- and you work as quick as you “When they were caught, sheet: lots of small, negative can.” they were beaten, but after we brought them to the buildnumbers. In fact, the Midwest Farther south, Birmingham, ATLANTA (AP) — Fountains and the East were colder than Ala., dipped to a low of 7, four ing, we did not let anyone beat froze over, a 200-foot Ferris much of Antarctica. degrees colder than the old them,” said Odeh, adding that the captives were given water wheel in Atlanta shut down, and In a phenomenon that fore- mark, set in 1970. Huntsville, Southerners had to dig out win- casters said is actually not all that Ala., dropped to 5, Nashville, and bandages for their wounds. ter coats, hats and gloves they unusual, all 50 states saw freez- Tenn., got down to 2, and Little Odeh said the settlers involved in the attack on the almost never have to use. ing temperatures at some point Rock, Ark., fell to 9. Charlotte, The brutal polar air that has Tuesday. That included Hawaii, N.C., reached 6 degrees, breakQusra farmers were in their late made the Midwest shiver over where it was 18 degrees atop ing the 12-degree record that teens and 20s. the past few days spread to the Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano. had stood since 1884. The military said the chain of East and the Deep South on The big chill started in the The deep freeze dragged on events apparently began after Tuesday, shattering records Midwest over the weekend, in the Midwest as well, with the Israeli authorities removed an that in some cases had stood for caused by a kink in the “polar thermometer reaching minus 12 illegally built structure in Esh more than a century. vortex,” the strong winds that overnight in the Chicago area Kodesh, a rogue settlement in the area. The mercury plunged into circulate around the North and 14 below in suburban St. the single digits and teens Pole. By Tuesday, the icy air Louis. More than 500 Amtrak In recent years, militant setfrom Boston and New York to covered about half the country, passengers were stranded overtlers have often responded to any attempts by the Israeli miliAtlanta, Birmingham, Nashville and records were shattered like night on three Chicago-bound and Little Rock — places where icicles up and down the Eastern trains that were stopped by tary to remove parts of dozens many people don’t know the Seaboard. blowing and drifting snow in of rogue settlements, or outposts, by attacking Palestinians first thing about extreme cold. It was 1 degree in Read- Illinois. Food ran low, but the “I didn’t think the South got ing, Pa., and 2 in Trenton, N.J. heat stayed on. and their property. this cold,” said Marty Williams, New York City plummeted to 4 The worst should be over The tactic, begun in 2008, is known as “price tag.” a homeless man, originally from degrees; the old record for the in the next day or two, when Chicago, who took shelter at a date was 6, set in 1896. the polar vortex is expected to Villages in the area have church in Atlanta, where it hit “It’s brutal out here,” said straighten itself out. Warmer repeatedly come under attack by militant settlers, said Odeh, a record low of 6 degrees. “That Spunkiy Jon, who took a break weather — that is, near or above was the main reason for me from her sanitation job in New freezing — is in the forecast for adding that assailants also set to come down from up North, York to smoke a cigarette in the much of the stricken part of the fire to four area mosques in the last three years. from the cold, to get away from cab of a garbage truck. “Your country.
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Record-breaking frigid weather spans the nation Extreme winter conditions bring dire consequences
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS BRIEFS
PIPES From Page 1A
DEARBORN, Mich.
Ford CEO will stay at Dearborn-based auto manufacturer Alan Mulally is staying at Ford. The CEO, who was rumored to be in the running to become Microsoft’s next leader, told The Associated Press Tuesday that he won’t leave the Dearborn, Mich., automaker before the end of 2014.“I would like to end the Microsoft speculation because I have no other plans to do anything other than serve Ford,” Mulally said in an interview. When asked if this should end investor concern about his departure, Mulally said, “You don’t have to worry about me leaving.” Mulally wouldn’t say if he had talked to Microsoft about becoming CEO. But he said the speculation was a distraction for Ford.
CHICAGO
Study finds tobacco control has saved 8M lives Anti-smoking measures have saved roughly 8 million U.S. lives since a landmark 1964 report linking smoking and disease, a study estimates, yet the nation’s top disease detective says dozens of other countries do a better job on several efforts to cut tobacco use. The study and comments were published online Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This week’s issue commemorates the 50th anniversary of the surgeon general report credited with raising alarms about the dangers of smoking. In one study, researchers used national health surveys and death rates to calculate how many deaths might have occurred since 1964 if Americans’ smoking habits and related deaths had continued at a pace in place before the report.
WASHINGTON
Deadline for new federal budget extension looms Funding for implementing the new health care law and other sticking points remain, but negotiators reported significant progress Tuesday on a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September. “We are looking at narrowing the differences, looking at ... how we can compromise without capitulation on both sides,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. After a meeting of the four principal negotiators — the top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Appropriations committees — Mikulski was cautiously optimistic of reaching agreement on the massive bill later this week in hopes of a vote next week.
LONDON
Four killed in U.S. helicopter crash A U.S. Air Force Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in the coastal marshes of eastern England during a training mission on Tuesday night, killing all four crew members aboard, officials said. The helicopter crashed at about 6 p.m. local time near Salthouse on the Norfolk coast, a statement from the U.S. Air Force said. The aircraft was based at the nearby Royal Air Force station in Lakenheath, Suffolk County, which hosts USAF units and personnel. Emergency workers from the fire brigade, coast guard and police are at the scene. Police in Norfolk County said they believe there is ammunition onboard the helicopter, and the scene was cordoned off so that experts could ensure the area is safe. Apart from the crew, nobody was put in any danger, police said. —Compiled from Daily wire reports
ering her belongings. Although she is staying on Central Campus Tuesday night, Tavrazich must stay on North Campus Wednesday while her room is cleaned. She said the situation was a “bit of a pain,” and hopes her belongings are intact. “I realize they couldn’t really control the problem because of the weather, but it’s just really inconvenient,” she said. “My mom has to come and drop off my things and I have to find another place to stay.”
AU BON PAIN From Page 1A This Friday, Au Bon Pain will host a UMix Late Night event. Pile said Au Bon Pain fits the needs of students with its variety of dietary options. A nutrition facts kiosk in the restaurant lists the full nutritional and allergy information of each menu item. The fast casual restaurant has over 200 restaurants across the United States and internationally. The restaurant focuses on healthy fare at budget-friendly prices, general manager Tony
COUNCIL From Page 1A the council asking for increased shelter both at night and during the day. Many speakers specifically requested the opening of the currently vacant building at 721 Main St. However, the building in question is not up to code and could be dangerous for people staying there. It poses a liability for the city and is not likely to be utilized, even as shelter, according to councilman Jack Eaton (D – Ward 4). “There has been an ongoing public dialogue over why we would allow empty buildings like that,” Eaton said.”You have people out in this kind of weather, and you have empty buildings, and it’s not hard to draw that connection, and it’s just that there’s all those details.” Mary Jo Callan, director of Community Development for Washtenaw County, reported to the council that all shelters have been open day and night this week. Callan said Ann Arbor’s Delonis Center, which has a capacity of 200, has not turned down anyone to stay there so far. She added that all shelters have also loosened their rules on substance use for those requesting
News Logan said the East Quad damage is more severe than in Oxford. Radiator pipes in two houses of Oxford leaked, affecting six rooms and few dozen students. Oxford rearranged students within the dormitory so that students could “stay within their community.” Logan predicted that recovery will only take a few days as maintenance and repairs is already underway. Logan said that although these accidents are unfortunate, there is very little the University is able to do other than try and evaluate whether other pipes are exposed to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Campeau said. “Our concept is convenience and ease for our guests,” Campeau said. “The idea is that if you’re in a hurry, you can take a look at our signature sandwiches and salads in the refrigerated section or you can make them to order.” Next door, constructors are working on the Starbucks that was originally slated to open in November. There is no new opening date for the coffee shop. Au Bon Pain will be open daily in the Union from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and accepts Blue Bucks. The café has a 10-year lease on the space.
shelter. Aside from the discussion over the shelters, the city council unanimously passed all old and new business with minimal discussion on any item. The Traverwood Apartments site plan was approved, as well as usage of .27 acres of the wetlands for the development. The complex will be comprised of 16 buildings and will be located at 2225 Traverwood Drive. The council also approved a plan to bring new restaurants Briarwood Mall. This site plan will bring a P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Bravo Cucina Italiana to the shopping center. Additionally, council approved the Montgomery building site plan, which would add four floors to the existing building, along with a few smaller items. After minor wording and penalty amendments from council members Christopher Taylor (D – Ward 3) and Sally Petersen (D – Ward 2), the city policy for removal of on-street metered parking spaces was approved. The ordinance requires developers who remove parking spaces for new construction to pay a penalty. According to the legislation text, developers have removed over 200 parking spaces over the past few years, causing a significant loss in meter revenue.
Stocks tick up after brief New Year slump Averages rise but future remains uncertain for investments
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rallied Tuesday, ending a slump that had ushered in the New Year. The Standard and Poor’s 500 index climbed the most in three weeks, led by gains for health care stocks. UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurer, and Johnson & Johnson both climbed on recommendations for brokerage firms. After three straight declines, the S&P 500 would have matched its worst opening of a year since 1978 had it closed lower for a fourth day. The stock market’s slow start to 2014 contrasts with last year’s exceptional performance, when the S&P 500 climbed to record levels after surging almost 30 percent. “To me the trend still looks up, even though we’ve been chopping around,” said Bill Stone, chief investment strategist at PNC Wealth Management Group. The economy “seems to be in the mode that you would expect corporate earnings to continue to grow.” The S&P 500 rose 11.11 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,837.88, the biggest gain since Dec. 18. Nine of the 10 sectors that make up the index rose. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 105.84 points, or 0.6 percent, to 16,530.94 The Nasdaq
composite gained 39.50 points, or 1 percent, to 4,153.18. UnitedHealth group gained $2.27, or 3.1 percent, to $76.51 after analysts at Deutsche Bank said they expected the nation’s largest health insurance company to charge customers more in premiums this year. Johnson & Johnson climbed $1.96, or 2.1 percent, to $94.29 after analysts at RBC Capital raised their outlook on the stock to “outperform,” in part due to optimism on sales of the diabetes drug Invokana. Investors were also encouraged by the easy passage in a Senate vote late Monday of Janet Yellen’s nomination to take the helm at the Federal Reserve. The vote puts an economist in the post who has backed the Fed’s recent efforts to stimulate the economy with low interest rates and huge bond purchases. The confirmation is a reminder that the Fed’s policies of stimulating the economy will likely continue, said Kristina Hooper, U.S. Investment Strategist at Allianz Global Investors. “It’s just a nice little halo effect,” said Hooper. Investors will get more insight into the Fed’s thinking when minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee are released on Wednesday. The Fed announced after its last meeting that it would begin winding down its monthly $85 billion bond-buying program. That stimulus was a major support for last year’s rally in stocks.
TEMPERATURES From Page 1A vost Martha Pollack asked faculty to be flexible with first-day attendance and wait-list policies for students experiencing weather-related delays such as flight cancellations and poor road conditions. “Please take into consideration these unusual circumstances that are beyond our students’ control,” Pollack wrote. Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones sent an e-mail to students Tuesday evening assuring travelers that professors will accommodate students who cannot return to campus in time for their first class sessions. “Some of you are concerned about missing the first day of class because of weather-related delays in travel,” she wrote. “Students will not be dropped from a class they are unable to attend and will be given any necessary class material when they return to campus.” Business sophomore Elena Contis was stuck on the Los Angeles International Airport tarmac for two hours before her flight to Detroit took off due to inclement Michigan weather and a water main break at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Tuesday afternoon. Although she made it to Ann Arbor before classes began, Contis said she would worry about missing course material if her flight was cancelled or delayed. She said that classes should be postponed until the end of the week. “Regardless of whether or not we get punished for missing classes, we’re still going to miss information,” Contis said. “I don’t care about not getting in trouble; I care about missing potentially important material.” Contis was one of many students to face delays before returning to Michigan, although
H1N1 From Page 1A “This is a preventable disease, so people should get vaccinated,” Cinti said. “This is another example of what happens when the population doesn’t take recommendations from public health and get vaccinated.” Although UMHS usually sees several critical flu cases each year, Cinti said 12 patients is an unusual occurrence. In addition, the flu season is not expected to hit its peak for another couple of weeks, meaning more cases could be admitted. This year’s flu season, which
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 — 3A others faced canceled flights at airports across the country. LSA freshman Spencer Hagler was one of these students, waiting for six hours at New York’s LaGuardia Airport before learning his flight was canceled. He was supposed to leave Monday evening, and will now fly to Detroit Wednesday morning if weather permits. Though his first class isn’t until the early afternoon on Wednesday, Hagler said returning to Ann Arbor on time will also depend on road conditions and cab service. “It should be okay,” he said. “But who knows what else will go wrong?” The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning that will remain in affect until 7 a.m. Wednesday. With the wind chill factored in, temperatures are expected to drop to 35 degrees below zero Monday night and into Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service said this weather event is likely the coldest air to hit southeast Michigan in twenty years. Atmospheric Science Prof. Perry Samson, who teaches a course on extreme weather, said the extreme cold is part of a natural fluctuation. Samson said the polar jet stream, which is “a ribbon of high-speed air that circumnavigates the Arctic region” has developed a wave reaching into North America, causing cold air to be driven farther south. “Such undulations can happen anywhere over there northern hemisphere in our winter but, fortunately, don’t usually become this pronounced,” Samson said. The last time the University canceled class due to weather was in 1978 when 19 inches of snow covered Ann Arbor. University Housing sent out a travel alert to students, advising them to postpone travel back to Ann Arbor until Tuesday, when the “severe winter weather” is
expected to ease. Still, Housing opened campus dormitories and facilities Monday, dispatching staff to shovel snow off the walkways, work the dining halls and let new students move in and complete their paperwork. Peter Logan, University Housing spokesman, said the e-mail was sent so returning students would “consider the possibility of postponing their travels” in order to avoid the “treacherous conditions.” Logan referenced a pipe break in the East Quadrangle dormitory that resulted in minor flooding early Sunday. Maintenance staff was unsure whether or not the issue was a result of the weather. In a statement, Rich Robben, executive director of Plant Operations, said maintenance crews are addressing building issues as they become aware of them. He also said crews will complete building sweeps to scope out problems such as frozen pipes or heating issues. The University of Michigan Health System has committed to remaining open despite weather conditions. Officials said in an e-mail that the hospital plans to provide transport for essential staff and cots and food for staff that serve extra hours during the storm and following cold weather conditions. UM-Flint will remain closed Wednesday, while UM-Dearborn will resume classes as scheduled. Though the University’s semester does not begin until Wednesday, other area institutions with Monday start dates were forced to cancel classes Monday and Tuesday in light of snow and chilling temperatures. Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University and Grand Valley State University cancelled classes Monday due to extreme weather conditions. Both EMU and GVSU have canceled Tuesday classes and MSU canceled classes Tuesday through 5 p.m.
started slightly later than in the past, will likely extend into February and potentially further, Cinti said. The University accepts complex referrals from across the region, which may have contributed to the high number of critical cases. “That’s one of the reasons we may be seeing more sick patients is that we are a referral center from all over the state and from other states,” Cinti said. “This particular procedure, this machine is really unique to just a few centers in the state.” ECMO was used in a similar context in 2009 to treat critical patients. Although it wasn’t originally designed for this purpose,
it has been used to successfully treat a small number of extreme cases. “By the time you’re on ECMO, you’re pretty sick and your chances of survival or rather low,” Cinti said. Cinti advises individuals to take protective measures, such as staying home if sick, to prevent spreading the flu to other individuals. UMHS has implemented several reminders and restrictions for visitors to the health system to protect healthy patients at the hospital. Information from the University Health Service about flu vaccination availability can be found here.
United Arab Emirates expected to release American man soon Minnesota man held for nine months for “defaming” online video
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An American who’s been held in the United Arab Emirates for nine months in connection with a satirical online video about youth culture in Dubai was expected to be released soon, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday. Shezanne Cassim, 29, of Woodbury, Minn., was arrested in April, six months after he and others uploaded their spoof documentary to the Internet. The United Arab Emiratesowned daily, The National, has said Cassim and his co-defendants were accused of defaming the country’s image abroad. Cassim’s supporters said he was charged with endangering state security under a 2012 cybercrimes law that tightened penalties for challenging authorities. Cassim has been in the maximum security prison at Abu Dhabi since June. In December, he was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison, a fine and deportation. Pooja Jhunjhunwala, a State Department spokeswoman, said Tuesday that Cassim has been moved to a deportation facility for processing. “We understand processing will take a few days at which point he will be returning to the
United States,” she said, adding: “We continue to work closely with the UAE authorities to ensure his quick release.” Cassim’s family said Cassim is out of his cell block and in a deportation processing section of the prison. They expect him to return home this week. “I can’t tell you how relieved our family is by this turn of events,” Cassim’s brother, Shervon Cassim, said in a statement. “We are very excited, and we are grateful to everyone who worked to free Shez.” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Cassim has been credited with pre-trial detention time and given time off for good behavior. Rori Donaghy, director of the London-based Emirates Center for Human Rights, said a defendant’s release after serving three-fourths of a sentence is customary. Donaghy said Cassim and his friends never should have been imprisoned, and the cybercrimes law needs to be changed, as authorities have continued to use it to restrict free speech. Cassim, a U.S. citizen, was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Dubai for work after graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2006. He became the public face of the defendants after his family launched an effort to publicize his months-long incarceration. Seven others were convicted with him in December. Two Indian defendants received simi-
lar sentences, while two Emirati brothers received lighter sentences. Donaghy said the Emiratis have been released. Three others — a Canadian, Briton and an American — were convicted and sentenced in absentia. They have never been detained. Donaghy said another Emirati who spoke out in support of the amateur filmmakers was arrested and remains imprisoned. Gulf Arab authorities have been cracking down on social media use over the past two years, with dozens of people arrested across the region for Twitter posts deemed offensive to leaders or for social media campaigns urging more political openness. Cassim’s video, titled “Ultimate Combat System: The Deadly Satwa Gs,” is set in the Satwa district of Dubai. It is a documentarystyle video that pokes fun at Dubai youth who styled themselves “gangstas” but are not particularly thuggish, and shows fictional “combat” training that includes throwing a sandal and using a mobile phone to call for help. It opens with text saying the video is fictional and is not meant to offend. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who worked on Cassim’s release and pushed to have his sentence include time served, said: “Jailing this young man for months for posting a harmless video made absolutely no sense, especially in a country that prides itself on being a tolerant and just nation.”
Opinion
4A — Wednesday, January 8, 2014
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Bursting the Ann Arbor bubble Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com PETER SHAHIN EDITOR IN CHIEF
MEGAN MCDONALD and DANIEL WANG EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
KATIE BURKE MANAGING EDITOR
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.
FROM THE DAILY
Buying democracy Snyder introduces bill that reduces transparency in campaign donations
O
n Dec. 27, 2013, Governor Rick Snyder signed a law that doubles the amount of campaign contributions individuals can donate. The law also solidifies non-disclosure laws that hide the names of individual and corporate donors from the public, inhibiting proper democratic oversight of the election process. During his gubernatorial campaign, Snyder blasted the lax regulations on issue ads. He ran on the promise that he would force donors to reveal their identities as well as reduce the amount of spending in political campaigns. Transparency is crucial to the fair and democratic process of government. Snyder and the Michigan legislature should introduce more legislation increasing transparency, rather than promote non-disclosure. The new bill protects financial donors to issue ads by allowing them to do so without revealing their identities. Although issue ads don’t specifically endorse a specific political candidate or proposal, the issue ads are overtly political. They usually attack a specific official’s policy and can contain a line that tells viewers to proactively take a stance on the issue by voting, calling political officials, etc. The ads have been highly successful in the past and some have even been labeled attack ads. The new law requires these ads to reveal the political group funding the ad, but it doesn’t require identification of financial donors. This allows political groups to fund biased ads that may be damaging or factually-questionable without public repercussions. Groups that place robocalls and issue ads will be required to provide an “authorized by” disclaimer, but those statements won’t give any information about donors or support groups. The new law will now double campaign donation limits, from $3,400 to $6,800 for candidates for statewide office, from $1,000 to $2,000 for candidates for state Senate, and to $1,000 from $500 for candidates for the state House. The limits will increase slowly over time. In the 2010 gubernatorial race 99.992 percent of Michigan residents did not reach the limit for campaign donations. This will only allow more affluent Michigan residents to have a more powerful say in Michigan’s gubernatorial race. This legislation also solidifies the nondisclosure laws that ensure the anonymity of donors to political issue ads. Unable to discern which individuals or what political groups may
be paying thousands to push an agenda, voters participate in government without knowing which issues are promoted by special interests With a history of controversies with transparency, including the New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify Fund, Snyder should be aiming to improve Lansing’s transparency rather than further restricting public access to information. This new law is a complete turnaround from Snyder’s platform position in 2010, when he published an administrative report, which argued that the anonymity of political donors harmed Michigan voters. The publication argued that the combination of large political contributions and anonymous donors created a “perfect storm where citizens become disenfranchised with politics ... unable to follow who is trying to influence policy and for what reasons.” The expanded funding cap furthers the movement towards monetizing governmental policy by increasing access to the wealthiest of individuals. It promotes support for special interest groups and encourages a system where the most affluent citizens are able to heavily influence government policy and elections. Since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court case, corporations and wealthy individuals have been able to donate ludicrous amounts of money in support or opposition of a candidate under their first amendment right. This creates a system in which candidates are focused on appealing to who may make the largest donations instead of focusing on the people. Snyder’s new law only further propels this trend toward buying officials, alienating the people from the democratic process.
JONATHAN HERSHAFF | VIEWPOINT
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Boom! Crash! 6 a.m. You wake up in your dorm room to loud explosions up and down the hallway. You have no idea what’s going on, and naturally begin to panic. As you rush to the front door, you notice a large flyer has been slipped underneath. It reads: #MOCKROCKETFIRE. The explosions you’ve heard are not real and are not dangerous. They have been set up to raise awareness about what life is like under the threat of thousands of rockets being fired into Israel on a regular basis. Later, you receive an e-mail from a member of the group responsible for the fake explosions, listing a host of statistics and describing a onesided, hero-versus-villain battle in the Middle East: 12,000 rockets and mortar shells fired into heavily populated urban centers in recent years, suicide bombers blowing up public buses and shopping malls, kidnappings, bombers from Gaza using children as human shields to avoid counterattacks and more. Understandably, groups with ties to the Palestinian people and, more generally, fair-minded people would consider this demonstration to be disingenuous and unfair at best, and hateful propaganda at worst. The demonstration and subsequent communications depict one side as evil warmongers while the other side is simply the victim. A group called Students Allied for Freedom and Equality — a euphemistic name that would make George Orwell proud — sent out mock eviction notices to hundreds of University students living in dorms and emailed just about every mailing list they could find to cite statistics on the demolition of housing in the West Bank by Israeli forces. They provide the count of demolitions since 1967 as well as inflammatory economic “reasons” for them, compare Israel to the era of apartheid in South Africa, and depict Israelis as war criminals. All this, while conveniently neglecting to mention the hundreds of suicide bombers and thousands of rockets fired into Israel by Palestinians over the same time period, as well as the recurring attacks on Israel’s UNdefined borders in 1948, 1957 and again in 1967 leading up to the current occupation. They call the forced evictions “war crimes” while ignoring that Palestinian targeting of civilian population centers for rocket fire and use of children as human shields by those firing the rockets have also been labeled war crimes. Reasonable observers of the conflict do not deny Palestinian suffering and hardship during
the post-1967 occupation. Many individuals have grown up during that time period facing checkpoints, poverty and near-constant war without ever having been alive during the pre-1967 wars. It is grossly unfair and one-sided, however, to highlight Israeli acts of war that have affected Palestinians while completely ignoring Palestinian acts of war that have affected Israelis. Both Palestinian supporters and, I hope, objective observers would be absolutely correct to condemn the hypothetical demonstration mentioned at the beginning of this piece; likewise, I call on the University community to similarly condemn the demonstration carried out by the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality. Hate needs to be called out whenever it is present. Is the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality a hate group, despite their euphemistic name, or did they simply go too far in this demonstration? Let’s look at their actions. This group is willing to distort a conflict completely in order to create the perception that the only Jewish state in the entire world is the sole villain in a conflict that is, at a minimum, over 65 years old and has been subject to countless wars, nearly perpetual violence, under constant threat of attack and subject to its neighbors continuing cry for its annihilation. Do Palestinian refugees face hardships? Absolutely. But, one might ask, how was this conflict chosen among others? If SAFE cares so much about refugees worldwide, where are the demonstrations for the 2 million refugees from Syria or the more than 300,000 people displaced in Darfur between January and May 2013 alone? I absolutely do not claim that Israel has been an innocent bystander in this conflict and do not make claims that one side is “more innocent” or “more guilty” than another in aggregate. Given the endless cycle of violence and retaliation, it’s easy for both sides to claim that their actions are only responses to injustices imposed upon them by the other side. What I do claim is that organizations seeking to depict this decades-long conflict as one-sided, with one hero and one villain, are disingenuous at best, and at worst, purveyors of hate-filled propaganda. We are privileged to live in a country where everyone — including the members of SAFE — has a right to free speech. However, we also have a right to call these groups out for what they truly are: a hateful wolf hiding behind a sheep’s name. Jonathan Hershaff is a PhD candidate in the Department of Economics.
L
ike clockwork, twice a year it happens: exams end suddenly, winter break and summer vacation begin just as abruptly and all of my University friends from outside Metro Detroit leave ASAP to their respective homes. Those ALEXANDER who do hang HERMANN around for any period of time either imbibe themselves emphatically (somewhere between South U and Main Street, of course) or spend an unthinkable amount of time on the couch catching up on the latest Netflix offering, both as a means of numbing the mind following their undoubtedly roughest semester yet. And who can blame them, really? Exams are stressful. The weather sucks. And at home family and friends typically claim everyone’s holiday time months in advance. But for me, this time serves as the perfect reminder that there’s so much worth seeing in Metro Detroit, including things without equivalent in Ann Arbor, and even in the United States. Unfortunately, many University students rarely take advantage of this during their time here. Though you may have missed one perfect opportunity at the end of last semester, an equally good opportunity presents itself right now at the beginning of another. So, before another “worst-semester-ever” really heats up, grab your nearest car-owning friend and burst the Ann Arbor bubble for the first time. Allow me to make a few recommendations: Middle Eastern Cuisine Of any community in Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor might have the best overall food options. From cheap college food and late-night options, to a wide-range of ethnic (or ethnically inspired, in most
cases) choices, to some finer dining, Ann Arbor offers something for everyone. But that doesn’t mean it does all food equally well. Take Middle Eastern food for example. Without pointing fingers, options on- and off-campus in Ann Arbor are of the “good-for-whatthey-are” variety. Fortunately, the city of Dearborn, with the highest concentrated Arab American community in the United Sates, is just forty minutes east of Ann Arbor. The crucial stop is Shatila Bakery on Warren Avenue that serves Middle Eastern pastries, cakes, coffee and even its own brand of ice cream. From there, you can simply just Yelp your way to Lebanese food better than anything served in Ann Arbor. That strategy paid off for my last time in Dearborn, as I enjoyed Al-Ameer restaurant leftovers, just a couple blocks from Shatila, for days after eating there for the first time over break. Detroit Considering I could — and have — devoted entire columns to discussing the city of Detroit, I’ll spare you the gritty details and leave with you just a few recommendations. Fortuitously, there are even fewer reasons for students not to visit the city now with the Detroit Center Connector offering weekend shuttle service to Detroit. For the uninitiated, the Detroit Institute of Arts remains a worldclass museum with paintings from Bruegel the Elder, Monet, van Gogh and more. Other things to do in Detroit: Slows Bar BQ is the best barbecue you’ll find (Southern challengers welcome) and Cliff Bell’s, though it’s pricey, kills the Last Word for jazz. Michigan Breweries I love Ann Arbor’s breweries as much as the next guy – Arbor Brew-
ery, Grizzly Peak and Blue Tractor included. But only Wolverine State Brewing Company holds a candle to the larger stock of incredible Michigan breweries across the state. Now, I won’t ask you all to drive out to Kalamazoo, Bellaire or Grand Rapids to try Bell’s, Founder’s and Short’s, respectively, especially considering their most prominent beers are readily available locally, bottled and on tap. But you should definitely check out a few of the closer, lesser-known options. I’m admittedly a little biased considering I grew up less than a mile from Dragonmead Microbrewery in Warren, but it offers everything that Wolverine State does, but way better. You think Wolverine State is located in an obscure, out of the way location off campus on West Stadium? Dragonmead raises you an unmarked building in an industrial complex adjacent to an expressway service drive. You think Wolverine State’s double-digit inhouse taps are nice? This week’s menu at Dragonmead offers 45 of its own brews on draft, each as delicious as the last. If you’re not up to going to Warren, there is also Bastone Brewery. A solid brewery by itself, Bastone is located in downtown Royal Oak, within walking distance of a number of other bars and restaurants in Royal Oak and, after only a five minute drive, Ferndale, probably the two “trendiest” places outside Detroit and Ann Arbor in Metro Detroit. Classes are only just beginning, and despite your best-intentioned efforts to “get ahead,” we both know what’s inevitable. So why not make “syllabus week” an extension of winter break, and check out some of what Metro Detroit has to offer?
Before another “worstsemester-ever,” burst
the Ann Arbor bubble for the first time.
— Alexander Hermann can be reached at aherm@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Rima Fadlallah, Eric Ferguson, Nivedita Karki, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Kellie Halushka, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
A
Writing our conclusion
round this time last year, I thought I’d be ready. I thought I’d be ready to close the books, bid farewell to the corners of this place we made our own and move on. I thought I’d be ready for a new city and the next phase. Now, I SARA can feel myself MOROSI holding tightly on to every piece of college that I can. For many of us seniors, May won’t mark goodbye forever. We’ll keep in touch with friends and we’ll come back to Ann Arbor. But the inescapable truth is that in four months, the meaning of this place will change. Though some will stay, many will not, forcing the last four years we spent together into a time capsule that can be revisited but not relived. While I still find excitement in looking forward, the impending end of college is making it increasingly difficult to imagine reaching the end of this chapter. Over the last four years, many of us have lived in beat-up, off-campus houses with a group of our closest friends. Through that experience, along with the laughs, we learned a lot about how people operate. We learned to take pride in calling a house a home, no matter how much paint was chipping from the walls or what you imagined to be soaked into the carpet. Before long, many of us
“
will be packing up boxes and moving in to places of our own. While the paint may be brighter and the carpets may be cleaner, we’ll miss the homes we left behind. Many of us experienced the pull between the freedom of having money and the freedom of having time. Our part-time, minimum wage jobs may not have gotten us very far in Ann Arbor, and I imagine all of us look forward to the day we can support ourselves and have money to pursue our interests. But for the past four years, we haven’t had to show up at the office 40+ hours a week. We did have the freedom to work overtime if we chose to, which meant late night treks to the libraries and coffee shops, where sometimes a little procrastination with friends seemed like a better idea than studying for that exam. Some nights we’d ditch the books altogether and choose trivia at Charley’s, karaoke at Lep or a shark bowl at Rick’s. Pretty soon we’ll all be working real full-time jobs. Lest we forget the days when drinking on weeknights was acceptable. The past four years have been fairly predictable. Our academic tracks were set, our weekends filled. We chose the people to surround ourselves with. We came to know this place like the back of our hands.
Despite the pressure to succeed in our competitive environment, our world here became familiar and comfortable. We parted ways for the summers, knowing we always had the fall. Most of us have never been here before — at a crossroad where we can’t look a year — let alone four — ahead and know exactly where we’ll be. We can look at it as scary and really exciting. I’ve come to realize it’s OK to view it as both. I assume that all of us can look back over the past few years and see the things we wish we would have done — the decisions we wish we had made, as well as the ones we did make, but wish we hadn’t. To some degree, speculation of the paths we chose is inevitable. More revealing though, is to look back and remember the things we did do — the choices we made that led us to some of the most important people in our lives, or taught us some of the most important lessons. And the best part is, it isn’t over. Graduating seniors — we have one semester left to do our best to make up for any lost time along the way. All good things must come to an end, but we aren’t there quite yet. Let’s give this chapter a good ending.
I can feel myself holding tightly onto every piece of college that I can.
— Sara Morosi can be reached at smorosi@umich.edu.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
... the South Pole this morning is 6 below. That means places like Chicago, Detroit ... are colder than the South Pole.” — Meteorologist Tom Kines at AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday Jan. 7.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
FILM REVIEW
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 — 5
FILM REVIEW
DISNEY
We’re pretty good at this.
‘Banks’ divulges rocky origin of Mary Poppins By CARLY KEYES Daily Arts Editor PARAMOUNT
Tickle, tickle.
Scorsese’s ‘Wolf’ howls with life Better than quaaludes, larger than life By SEAN CZARNECKI Daily Arts Writer
It’s lunchtime on Wall Street and Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey, “Mud”) is thumping his chest with Ahis fist. He hums and lets The Wolf of out a crowlike caw. His Wall Street eyes widen Rave 20 and drunkenly Quality 16 and gleam white against Paramount his leather skin pulled over his skull like a mask. The drinks will arrive now. They will be brought one after the other, without end, until he passes out in vomit. After all, it’s lunchtime. His guest, a recruit, sits at the table. He listens to Hanna, who snorts some cocaine. And soon he, too, begins to chant and beat his chest as though newly joined in some yammering cult. Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” never loses rhythm, and Hanna’s chestthumping is its pulse. This early scene in the famed director’s indictment of Wall Street sets the stage for all the debauchery and iniquity yet to come. It sets the film pounding forward. Here, corruption is not pernicious. The seduction of money happens like a smoking drug — quickly — as when your breath comes out silver and you suddenly go limp and you know you’re in it. “Wolf” is a sordid fever dream packed full of black comedy. Scorsese and his longtime editor, Thelma Schoonmaker (“Raging Bull”), display tight control over the rhythm of this film. Each scene pulls into the next. Years can pass quicker than a Friday night. The main character of the film itself evolves from a feeling of elation to desperation, a feeling of speed and losing control. The ending is all but inevitable.
Hanna’s recruit is Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Great Gatsby”), a corrupt stockbroker who knows neither bounds nor moderation. Each scene brings on new heights of vice. Belfort parties all night, and come morning, he must snort cocaine to wake and start his day. Prostitutes are paid by the dozen, and men line up one after the other. Party like a pornstar, indeed. In a single luncheon, Wall Street subsumes Belfort into its lifestyle. Hanna mentors him into dumping his middle class morals. He gives Belfort impunity to do as he wishes. And Belfort, being the gangster of this picture, has an insatiable appetite. You will find no starry-eyed Gatsby here. In one telling scene, Belfort wants to teach his buddies the subtle art of selling stock. He calls some unknowing tradesman, works him, makes promises and mimes having sex of the Brazzers variety. The message is clear: They screw you the same way they sell you stock. And Belfort lets us in on a secret: I know how to spend your money better than you do. You see, we just wouldn’t understand. Inside the deluded world “Wolf” portrays, what these brokers do bears no consequence on themselves. Their victims are faceless — an entire world away — except for their families, whom they punish cruelly. You will again hear Hanna’s crazed chant at the film’s end when the credits roll and the screen blackens. It booms in a deep, sinister register — steady and unchanging. Only sociopaths’ and Olympians’ heartbeats are that steady. Obsession drives all great Scorsese characters and structures his films. These characters never relent. They would rather destroy themselves. Belfort’s obsession, and favorite drug, is money. To live in mediocrity is shameful. If you’ve got the means and the will, opportunity is endless. The rest is for the bums, because the proverbial Party must go on. An actor’s director, Scorsese elongates certain scenes, thereby changing the rhythm of
the film, with no other purpose than to let his actors flex their improv muscles. Jonah Hill (“This is the End”) succeeds as the maniacal, phosphorescent-toothed Donnie Azoff. But DiCaprio also brings some of his flashiest thespianism to date in outrageous monologues and brilliant physical comedy. One drug experiment leaves him without motor function, and the results are hysterical. Much credit must be given to Terrence Winter’s (“Boardwalk Empire”) punched-up script. Here, profanity flows in voluble testosterone. Listen to the wolfish characters bat Winter’s lines back and forth. It bolsters your confidence in Scorsese’s ear for bickering wiseguys and unexpected violence. Ultimately, though, we walk a couple miles too long in Belfort’s shoes. Scorsese and Schoonmaker’s latest collaboration lacks nothing for rhythm, but its incredible length becomes its downfall three quarters through. You’ll find yourself thinking: Marty. C’mon. Quit breakin’ my balls. Make no mistake, Belfort does have a talent: He knows how to motivate people. The movie ends with Belfort performing a motivation seminar. He steps down from the stage and turns to an audience member and hands him a pen. Sell me this pen, he says. It hearkens back to an earlier scene in which he compares the act of selling pennystock to selling a pen. The irony, of course, is the pen is worth more. The last shot of this film looks out over the seminar crowd, the spectators, the victims of Belfort’s crimes who admire and envy him, and thus, enable him. Scorsese’s camera moves throughout this entire tale as an observer, but it’s not infallible to Belfort’s charm. It understands his drive for exceptionalism. It envies him as we envy him. And that should repulse you. Scorsese arms us with knowledge. In a time where income inequality has reached record disparities, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” while not Scorsese’s best film, is certainly one of his most relevant.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LONG FORM JOURNALISM ABOUT LOCAL ARTS? READ THE B-SIDE, A WEEKLY DAILY ARTS INSERT, EVERY THURSDAY.
It’s hard to believe that “Mary Poppins,” the Disney classic based on a series of popular children’s books, almost never happened. The A vocally-gifted nanny who Saving Mr. bursts into Banks sporadic song, travels regally Michigan by umbrella, Theater, Rave 20 dives into side- and Quality 16 walk chalk Disney portraits and totes a bag with enough items to effectively feng shui a bedroom – though alive and well in print and the imagination – almost never graced the silver screen via an Oscar-winning portrayal by the iconic Julie Andrews. “Saving Mr. Banks” divulges the rocky, yet ultimately successful, adaptation process behind one of the most celebrated pieces of cinema — and musicals — of alltime, thankfully thwarting what would’ve been a tragic, gaping hole in millions of childhood memories for years to come. “Audiences will rejoice,” Walt Disney (the incomprehensibly versatile Tom Hanks, “Captain Phillips”) assures author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson, “Beautiful Creatures”) as he pleads with her to sell him the rights to her beloved book. But Travers instantly nixes nearly every creative idea posed by Disney’s team of writers, which includes Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford, “CBGB”) and the Sherman brothers, Richard (Jason Schwartzman, “A Glimpse
Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III”) and Roger (B.J. Novak, “The Internship”). Mr. Banks’s mustache, the copious imaginary words contrived to rhyme song lyrics, the universally beloved Dick Van Dyke’s involvement, the use of animation whatsoever… Travers angrily objects with a solid and strong veto after veto. Even Travers’s endearing, eager and optimistic chauffeur (Paul Giamatti, “12 Years a Slave”) cannot soften her antagonistic demeanor or loosen her rigid grip on her life’s work as he suffers the bulk of her endless frustration. But Travers’s obstinacy and reticence to give Disney the outright green light grows increasingly justified as the plot delves into her past, unveiling an incredibly intimate and profoundly personal connection with her precious Poppins. For Travers, she is more than just a lovable fictional character: “Mary Poppins is family.” Despite the fact that Disney’s “Mary Poppins” is widely considered a children’s movie with its fair share of whimsy, “Saving Mr. Banks” is not for kids. As Travers and Team Disney butt heads in the present, director John Lee Hancock (“The Blind Side”) constructs the narrative with sequential flashbacks to simultaneously illuminate the devastating circumstances of Travers’s youth, which spawned the original story in the first place, and there is nothing amusing or magical about it. At the center of Travers’s challenging upbringing is her father (Colin Farrell, “Dead Man Down”) whose love for her and his family — and his occupation as a banker — is mired by an apparent and crippling struggle with alcoholism.
Unlike “Mary Poppins,” this isn’t a film for small children (the PG-13 rating is dead-on). “Banks” is largely a raw, fact-based depiction of the trauma Travers suffered in her family of origin — which just happens to serve as inspiration for her eventual fictional phenomenon — and it is not a spoonful of sugar but a strong dose of reality. “Banks” reveals nothing saccharine or delightful about the roots of the Disney-driven, heartwarming musical sensation, and it is this shockingly stark contrast that gives this story its unassuming psychological depth and the audience its ability to extract an ungodly amount of pathos in Travers’s character.
Tom Hanks shines as Walt himself. Among first-rate performances from a duo of true greats and an equally invested supporting cast, it is this dynamic method of storytelling and the jumping between Travers’s past and present — the cruelty of the cause and the complicated nature of the effect — that makes “Banks” practically poignant in every way. An indelible emotional journey with an unforgettable one-two punch, “Banks” demonstrates how thick the line between fact and fiction can be, and it teaches that within a world of darkness, sometimes it takes just one unique voice to let in the light that we need to save us.
GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW
A glowing, innovative ‘Saga’ By MAX RADWIN Daily Arts Writer
Anyone can pick up a copy of any issue of Batman, Superman, Spiderman or The Hulk and know, more or less, what is going on. You know Athat Batman is avenging Saga Vol. 1 & 2 the death of Brian K. his parents Vaughan and and that Spi- Fiona Staples derman, the death of his Image Comics Uncle. You Available at Vault know Superof Midnight man doesn’t do kryptonite and that you won’t like Bruce Banner when he’s angry. In these cases, everyone already knows the situation, and as a result, that familiarity does a lot of work to tell the intricacies of the story. Maybe that’s why DC and Marvel are the big kids on the block — they simply have the added bonus of longevity that new titles starting from scratch lack when trying to sell copies and, more importantly, tell an effective story. Perhaps that’s what makes Image’s “Saga” — the most recent project of Eisner Award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan and illustrator Fiona Staples — so impressive. The plot captivates for its uniqueness and freshness. It sidesteps old comic book tropes for the most part, and when it doesn’t, it does a good job of putting those tropes in a new light.
On the barest level, “Saga” is the familiar “Romeo and Juliet” construction: Against all odds, unlikely lovers (Alana and Marko) from fighting families attempt to run away together in search of happiness. But instead of families, it’s species from different planets. And it’s not just fighting — it’s allout, intergalactic warfare in what becomes a strange mix of fantasy and sci-fi. But the product of that mixture is weirdly grounded in realism. Vaughan takes huge chances in this new world he has created, one which seems to have no boundaries (people with TV heads, giants with big dicks and rocket ship trees) but he always keeps it grounded in the characters and their realistic struggles with caring for a new child, or the death of a parent. The reader is thrown into the reality of this world immediately — witnessing birth, sex and a prince taking a shit all in the first volume — but those things happen, and they need to be acknowledged. Vaughan doesn’t shy away. The story surprises in these unexpectedly crude ways (despite the maturity of craft, Vaughan has his characters swearing like 15-year-olds) but never really leaves a bad taste in your mouth for long. Every panel feels important and, more or less, purposeful. It’s exciting to watch this unacquainted, strange universe expand, and it does so believably. Vaughan, who wrote on “Lost” for two seasons and is now the showrunner of “Under the Dome,”
handles the complexities of his own plot masterfully. Twisting and turning in its own temporality, “Saga” jumps back and forth through time gracefully and without confusing the reader. Later chapters inform the earlier ones, which makes for a valuable second and third read-through. The art isn’t, admittedly, that magnificent. It’s simple and plain, albeit intentionally. These characters are discovering a world along with us, so there’s a lack of connectivity between principle locations and even panels. We enter the story mid-war, so most of what we see is barren lands, closed, hidden
A new take on Romeo and Juliet for comic book fans. corridors and open, black space. The art doesn’t distract, it does its job exactly and ultimately satisfies. This is not a story only for comic book fans. These first two volumes are for any reader looking for strong, brilliant writing. Issue No. 17 was released this Christmas, but bound volumes became available this summer. They certainly help to legitimize the genre of the graphic novel beyond the caped crusader looking to avenge the death of a family member.
Sports
6A — Wednesday, January 8, 2014
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ICE HOCKEY
What we learned: First half By ERIN LENNON Daily Sports Writer
1. So much for clutch.
ALLISON FERRAND/Daily
Freshman guard Siera Thompson has led all scorers in the Wolverines’ past two contests, scoring a combined 38 points.
Michigan dominates glass despite size disadvantage By ALEXA DETTELBACH Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan women’s basketball team got off on the right foot Sunday when it traveled to Columbus and dismantled the Buckeyes, 64-49, to open conference play. And despite NOTEBOOK the Wolverines’ low shooting percentage — 36.2 percent for the game — Michigan (1-0 Big Ten, 10-4 overall) found its offense from the freethrow line. The Wolverines made a season-high 26 free throws and shot 92.9 percent from the charity stripe, including a perfect 20-for20 in the second half. It was the third straight win for Michigan, which will have its first home game of 2014 on Thursday. “Anytime you can come to Ohio and come away with a victory is terrific,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “That was one of the first things upon taking this job — everybody told me about this rivalry. It’s important.” Junior forward Nicole Elmblad recorded her fifth double-double of the season, with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman point guard Siera Thompson led all scorers with 18 points. DOMINATING DOWN LOW: Coming into the season,
Barnes Arico cited size as a concern, but her team ranks fifth in the Big Ten in rebounds per game and third in offensive boards. But their rebounding defense and rebounding margin, which is best in the conference, have compensated for their size disadvantage. “Our ability to box out has been great, and we really are the most undersized team,” Barnes Arico said. “But because of that, it’s something we try to work on each and every single day, and we try to make it a toughness thing.” Rebounding is leading to success, as evidenced by the Wolverines’ 10-2 record when out rebounding their opponent. A reason for the surprising ability on the boards starts with junior forward Cyesha Goree, who has exceeded all expectations as a starter. Goree is second on the team with 8.6 boards per game, but averages 10 fewer minutes than the team’s leading rebounder, Elmblad. She now has five games with double-digit rebounds and has joined Elmblad as an irreplaceable player for Michigan. It should come as no surprise, then, that Barnes Arico often cites Goree and Elmblad as the hardest-working players in practice. Both players had 12 rebounds and helped Michigan
Classifieds
dominate Ohio State on the glass, leading the team to outrebound the Buckeyes by 15. “They’ve really stepped up, and its great to have a night like that,” Barnes Arico said. “But we are continuing to work on their ability to crash the boards.” RED-HOT THOMPSON: When Thompson came to Michigan, she knew she had big shoes to fill at point guard after Jenny Ryan graduated. But the California native has stepped up to the challenge and taken the starting position by the horns. In the last two games, Thompson has scored 20 and 18 points, leading all scorers in both contests. This season, she’s second on the team with 14 points per game and has scored in double digits 10 times. Thompson also adds 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, illustrating her impact on most possessions. Her emergence is one of the reasons the Wolverines have shaken off the “transition year” and “rebuilding” labels and instead look poised to make a run in the Big Ten and reach a third straight NCAA Tournament berth in March. “One step at a time,” Barnes Arico said. “One step at a time, but this team really works hard and it’s showing.”
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
FOR RENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 __-loading: endurance strategy 5 Chance 9 Shocking weapon 14 Worker protection org. 15 Singer from County Donegal 16 Sky hue 17 *Marlin, for one 19 Prepare to make an electronic payment, say 20 Halves of fifths 21 Breaking wave feature 23 Drink for a hot day 24 Nasty expression 25 *Source of endless funds 27 “You’re dreaming” 29 Hate 30 *Common Milky Way star 34 Gallery baddies 37 Yoko of Tokyo 38 Rodeo rope 40 __-cone 41 Mount McKinley’s national park 44 *Billiards maneuver 47 Where the floor is always wet 49 Banking regulatory agcy. 50 *Part of a uniform 53 Latish wake-up time 57 Curve 58 “Woe __!” 59 “Gracias” reply 60 Spanish American grassland 62 Family relations, and what the first words of the answers to starred clues can have 64 Frequent Mastroianni co-star 65 Edger’s target 66 Spacewalks, for short 67 Range with chinchillas 68 Former partners 69 Take out
DOWN 1 Profit factors 2 Rockies skiing destination 3 Avignon’s river 4 Work at a saloon 5 They may cry foul 6 Pasta ending 7 Big name in food distribution 8 Aloha State big shot 9 “There’s the fox!” 10 Nitrogenous dye 11 *Chocolate overdose consequence 12 Undermine 13 Actress Zellweger 18 Lose on purpose 22 Give a new commercial name to 25 Mademoiselle’s matriarch 26 Dress to the nines, with “up” 28 Shunned ones 30 “Maggie May” singer Stewart 31 Cincinnati-to-NYC direction 32 *What a driver’s license may serve as 33 “Swell!”
35 Eclectic musician Brian 36 Lush 39 First president to throw a ceremonial opening day pitch 42 Cry from Cathy of comics 43 Skin wounds 45 Passed, as rubber checks 46 Like aromatherapy products
48 Quick and light 50 Half a Northwest city 51 Sock synthetic 52 Take a load off 54 Credulous 55 Words after cut or close 56 Pool stroke 59 Mafia bigwigs 61 Maiden name intro 63 Have to thank (for)
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01/08/14
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The No. 8 Michigan hockey team thrives on late-game drama, or at least it used to. During the first half of the season, the Wolverines (2-0 Big Ten, 10-4-2 overall) entered seven overtime frames and left unscathed five times, skating off with four wins. Seven of Michigan’s first 10 wins were decided by just one goal. But a seven-round shootout victory against then-No. 4 Ferris State — the game officially ended in a tie — was flanked by two overtime losses, one in an exhibition against the U.S. National Team Development Program and one against Michigan Tech in the Great Lakes Invitational. And though an exhibition doesn’t count against the Wolverines’ record, the loss to the U.S. NTDP came after two near-collapses to Ohio State. Then, at the GLI, without leading scorer and sophomore forward Andrew Copp, Michigan was burned for the first time, laying down to the Huskies in overtime, 3-2. In the consolation game, the Wolverines were shut out for the first time this season. A trademark of all good Michigan teams, according to coach Red Berenson, is a strong start to the game. This team has some of that same muscle, outscoring opponents 17-6 in the first period, but it also has an ungainly trademark of its own — allowing early leads to slip away. In order to remain a top-10 team, the Wolverines will have to ditch the drama and bear down in the third period. 2. Ready or not, here comes the Big Ten. With three ranked teams and some of the nation’s most highly touted programs, the Big Ten promises to be as entertaining on the ice as it is on the hardwood. In the first-ever Big Ten matchup between Michigan and Ohio State, an overtime thriller set the stage for what should be an exciting inaugural conference season. The Wolverines escaped with a 3-2 overtime victory at Yost Ice Arena and surrendered a three-goal lead to the Buckeyes in Columbus just nights later. In the GLI, it took fewer than two minutes into the first period
of the consolation game for Michigan State forward Thomas Ebbing to net a goal. Michigan then went on to drop its final non-conference matchup to a conference foe, 3-0. Marquee wins over Boston College, Boston University and New Hampshire, as well as a tie with No. 3 Ferris State, place the Wolverines solidly in national championship contention. Still, Michigan has yet to encounter No. 1 Minnesota, a team that has seen more time atop the standing than any other in the nation. And the Wolverines have looked far from dominant in their first three contests against unranked Big Ten opponents. With the bulk of the conference season upcoming and a crucial series against No. 14 Wisconsin this weekend, it remains to be seen if this young team is ready for Big Ten hockey. 3. Youth is not an excuse. The shutout loss to the Spartans marked the first time this season that Michigan freshmen failed to record a point in a game — and that’s a good sign. Among the many questions that followed the Wolverines from a disappointing 2012-13 season into this one was the immediate impact of an 11-man freshman class. Forwards Tyler Motte, JT Compher and Evan Allen have provided answers. The trio registered a combined 13 goals in the first half, adding to Michigan’s impressive 3.13 goals per game. When Racine, Michigan’s outright starter in goal, went down with a hamstring injury in New Hampshire, freshman Zach Nagelvoort was thrust into the net. His performance during Racine’s absence answered questions about the Wolverines’ depth between the pipes — a luxury the team wasn’t afforded last season. Still, the GLI was the first time Michigan showed signs of inexperience. On rough ice in front of a large crowd at Comerica Park, not even the presence of Motte or the return of Compher from a foot injury could prevent the Wolverines from dropping two straight games for the first time this season. 4. Defensive resurface.
questions
Before the season began,
senior defenseman Mac Bennett said the defense, the team’s biggest preseason question mark, would surprise the naysayers. While Berenson and his staff tinkered with line pairings to ignite the offense, the defense held teams off and allowed Nagelvoort to find his place in net. Meanwhile, the penalty kill quickly became Michigan’s strongest unit. Then, freshman defenseman Kevin Lohan tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Michigan Tech. Junior Mike Chaisson and other Wolverines have done well in his place, but the defense isn’t the same. At first, it lacked offensive production. The unit was held without a goal until the last weekend of November, and it wasn’t creating enough scoring chances from the blue line. But then, it faltered at its main job — defensive coverage. Michigan has allowed 40 shots in a game four times this season and has been beaten for costly goals on more than one occasion. Against the Huskies, freshman defenseman Nolan De Jong and junior defenseman Brennan Serville were beaten minutes before Bennett allowed a costly turnover — two mistakes that led to Michigan Tech scores. The defense was once a pleasant surprise, but it needs to improve to avoid becoming a liability. 5. Stick to the sign. A sign that reads “win the next game” sits in the home locker room at Yost Ice Arena, a sign that reminds a young team to play each matchup with the same intensity. Perhaps the Wolverines forgot to bring it to their locker room at Comerica Park. Still, the last-place finish is arguably the only dark spot of the first half. And that’s something to hang a hat on. Michigan entered the invitational boasting 10 wins, more than it could claim at the same time last season. The Wolverines maintained a top-10 ranking after beginning the season at No. 13 by bouncing back from losses and escaping close games. After the GLI disappointment, Michigan will have a sour taste in its mouth entering the New Year. But one bad tournament can’t erase the foundation that the Wolverines built in the first half of the season.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING
Wolverines sweep in Florida By CAROLYN KODIS Daily Sports Writer
If Michigan swimming coach Mike Bottom views this season as a series of building blocks, then the Orange Bowl Classic was a capstone for the 24th-ranked Wolverines, as the women won all 12 events. “It’s an understanding that it’s not about where you are today but about moving yourself forward and getting better for tomorrow,” Bottom said. “And since we’re a sport where everything is measured in hundredths of seconds, it’s good to see when something is working.” For senior Angie Chokaran, watching the Wolverines sweep the meet was something that she had been dreaming of since she first arrived at Michigan. “We placed first in every event,” Chokran said. “And that’s amazing to me because I’ve seen the men do that in meets in my past three years here, and I would look up to them for that. So to see our team do that, it was phenomenal. It was a great way to start off the second half of the season.” Even though the meet, which took place in Key Largo, Fla., was a nice escape from the cold for the Wolverines, it wasn’t time for basking in the sun. Chokran said the team spent its days doing “high-intensity training” in order to prepare it for the competition and the second half of its season. All of the high-intensity training paid off — Michigan broke five
meet records at the Orange Bowl Classic. The 200-medley relay team of Chokran, sophomores Ali DeLoof and Zoe Mattingly and freshman Julia Fiks-Salem broke the first record of the meet. DeLoof went on to break a meet record in the 50-meter backstroke with a time of 28.69, and sophomore Marni Oldershaw broke the meet record in the 100meter breaststroke soon after. And Mattingly, not to be bested by her teammates, broke the meet record in the 50-meter butterfly. The team of DeLoof, Mattingly, Fiks-Salem and freshman Madeline Frost closed out the meet by setting a record in the 200-meter freestyle relay. The win at the Orange Bowl Classic was Michigan’s first meet since the Winter National Championships, which took place at the beginning of December. According to Chokran, the Wolverines approached the two meets very differently, yet came out with similar results. “The Winter National (Championships) … was a great meet for us because we were all well-rested,” Chokran said. “But coming into this meet, when we’re all deadbeat tired … it was hard to have high expectations, but we’re Michigan women and this is what we do: we get our hand on the wall first.” The mid-season training trip was also an opportunity for the Wolverines to build up team camaraderie. “This trip has helped us come
together as a team,” Chokran said. “We saw each other from the moment we woke up until the moment we went to bed. We all got to bond as a team by spending so much quality time together.” Outside of the pool, the Wolverines spent their time exploring Key Largo, which included spending New Year’s Eve on a boat watching fireworks. “It was kind of symbolic for us because it was a building year last year, and this year we’re really getting the ball rolling,” Chokran said. Now the Wolverines are working toward accomplishing their goals at both the Big Ten championship and the national championship. “The Big Ten is a very deep conference, and we’re very fortunate to be in it,” Bottom said. “But I think what we’ll see is a team that will come out and race with confidence. We’re not the best swimmers in the water, and we won’t be at the (Big Ten Championship), but that doesn’t mean that our girls won’t stand up and race.” And in order to finish strong, Bottom is planning on installing the final building block for the Wolverines: speed. “We’re down to about 20 days of practice for the Big Ten (Championship) and in that time we’re going to continue to get faster,” Bottom said. “We’ve worked really hard, and we’re now ready to move onto the speed component of our training and get faster.”
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 — 7A
“The sky’s the limit:” How freshman Adam Coon posted Michigan’s best start in program history By ZACH SHAW Daily Sports Writer
Freshman wrestler Adam Coon tightened his grip. His muscles tensed, Coon shifted his weight to improve his leverage, but to no avail. Seconds later, Coon released his grip, admitting defeat. The young wrestler doesn’t interact with defeat often, but after helping demonstrate the suctioning power and weight of the Earth’s atmosphere by trying to pull a glass plate off a suctioning tube in his physics class, Coon accepted the rare loss. The attentive front-row student knew the experiment was impossible to beat from the start. “(My professor) uses me for examples whenever he needs a big tough guy to prove a point,” Coon said. “He also just wants to embarrass me; for the most part it works.” The physics professor is one of the select few to beat Coon lately. Since the 6-foot-5, 255-pound heavyweight wrestler won his collegiate debut in double-overtime over Northern Illinois’s Jared Torrence on Nov. 16, no one else has beaten him. With a 20-0 record, Coon is not only the best wrestler on No. 14 Michigan’s team right now, but also one of the best in the country, recently ranked as the No. 2 heavyweight wrestler in recent polls. He’s also off to the best start to a career in the program’s 88-year history, besting the 18-0 start by eventual three-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion Kellen Russell in 2007-08.
***
The streak began in November, but anyone around Coon knows the success was years in the making. The son of a former Division III wrestler, who now coaches high school wrestling in addition to serving as director of the Michigan branch of USA Wrestling, Coon was pushed into wrestling not long after he could walk, competing as early as four years old. “We first noticed him when he was in grade school at some point in time,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “He’s always
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Freshman Adam Coon has posted the best start to a season in Michigan wrestling’s 88-year history, a 20-0 record.
excelled on the wrestling mat, but when kids are that young you just don’t know what the future holds for them in the sport. But he’s always excelled on the mat; he’s very driven.” Growing up in Fowlerville — a mid-Michigan town of under 3,000 — Coon soon became the pride of his community. In addition to winning four straight state titles and compiling a 212-3 record, Coon was a four-year letter winner in football and track, earning all-state honors at linebacker and placing runner-up in discus and shot-put. With a high school career worthy of the Detroit Athletic Club’s Michigan High School Athlete of the Year in 2013, Coon had athletic opportunities all over the country. But after deciding to wrestle, Coon felt most comfortable just 45 minutes from home. “Above anything else was the academics,” Coon said. “I want to go into aerospace engineering, and not many schools have that program, and if they do, it isn’t the top-notch program Michigan’s is. Outside of the classroom, this coaching staff is definitely one of the best in the country and that was a huge factor for choosing the right school.” *** Upon arriving to Ann Arbor, Coon didn’t take long to make waves. With four-year starter Ben Apland graduating the
previous spring, Michigan’s depth was thin at the heavyweight class. But after just a couple of practices, McFarland and his staff knew they had a worthy replacement. “We wanted to see how he was doing in practice and in the classroom first,” McFarland said. “He was making incredible strides right away. He comes in and he’s just completely focused on them. No goofing around, no talking about other things, he comes into the practice room and he starts getting himself ready.” When Coon was officially named the starter, McFarland knew immediately that he had made the right decision. “When we sat him down and told him we were planning on wrestling him, I wanted to see what kind of reaction we would get from him. I could tell by the look on his face right away that he was excited to be wrestling, and it’s been all good stuff since.” The “good stuff” includes heavyweight championships at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas and the Midlands Championships in Evanston. In the latter, Coon took down the nation’s then-No. 3 heavyweight Bobby Telford of Iowa to claim the first Wolverine title at the tournament since 2002. Often wrestling opponents 20 pounds heavier than him, McFarland feels Coon’s greatest strength is his mind. “The key to his success has
been his mindset,” McFarland said. “He doesn’t look at a guy’s reputation, he doesn’t look at a guy’s record or ranking, he just goes out and wrestles the body in front of him. “He’s ready to go to war every time he steps on a mat. He doesn’t ease himself into these matches. You can see when the ref blows the whistle he’s right across the mat into that guy’s face. He doesn’t take a backseat to anybody.” With 20 wins under his belt and now the No. 2 heavyweight wrestler in the country, Coon
knows a target has developed on his back. “My mindset’s changed in that now instead of being the underdog, I’m level with my opponent,” Coon said. “No matter who they are, I know they’re going to bring their best, so I have to increase my intensity.” Based on recent practices, McFarland doesn’t think Coon will have a problem doing that. With the early success, Coon and his coaches have increased the energy at practices in preparation for Big Ten play. Taking it all in stride, Coon has quickly transformed from a wide-eyed freshman into one of the team’s leaders. “I still have to remind myself that he’s a freshman,” McFarland said. “His approach to everything has been a great thing for the program, I think the energy he brings to our line-up has been nothing short of great. Now there are all these other young guys looking at him and saying, ‘He’s a true freshman who can go out there and beat all these top ranked guys, why can’t I?’ ” *** As the season wears on, Michigan’s optimism grows with each of Coon’s matches. As the daunting Big Ten season approaches, the Wolverines have cautious confidence that
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Coon not only aspires to win an NCAA title, but also to compete in the NFL.
Coon can be the program’s first Big Ten heavyweight champion since Airron Richardson in 1998. With eight of the country’s top 12 heavyweight wrestlers hailing from the conference, Coon knows it won’t be easy. But with four years of conference and national tournaments ahead of him, the long-term goal is clear. “I want a ring before I graduate,” Coon said. “The whole team does. From here on out we all have to be leaders and keep pushing towards that goal that everyone wants. “We have a great freshman class, and I know each and every one of them is putting in the extra time to make sure that we are going to be the elite ones down the road. I’ve put my trust into this team and the coaching staff, and if it doesn’t come this year it will come in the future.” Beyond Michigan, Coon’s goals remain lofty. In addition to an NCAA championship, Coon will make an effort to represent his country in the 2016 Olympics his junior year. After graduating, the former all-state linebacker hopes to earn a spot on an NFL team. “He’s a great role model and a great representative of the University of Michigan, and our athletic program and wrestling department,” McFarland said. “I’m excited that he sets the bar high for himself, and if he just keeps pushing himself and stays focused, the sky’s the limit for him.” Well, not quite. In addition to athletic aspirations, Coon hopes to use his aerospace engineering degree to achieve one final goal of his: to go into space. While NASA vehicles only allow a maximum height of 6-foot-3 in their crafts, Coon hopes to someday change that. Given what he’s accomplished so far, what’s to stop him? Coon once again tightened his grip. As his muscles tensed, Coon shifted his weight to improve his leverage. This time it worked, and Coon was able to duck under Iowa’s Telford, coming around top to score two points and clinch the Midlands Championships. Coon may not be able to lift the atmosphere, but that won’t stop him from making his mark on his opponents and Michigan history.
SPORTSWEDNESDAY COLUMN
What Michigan can learn from Auburn’s resurgence
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s bad as the Michigan football team was this season, Auburn was worse last year. Much worse, actually, at least record-wise. Michigan’s 7-6 record in 2013 was a chilly day to the Tigers’s 3-9 polar vortex of a 2012 season. But the college football world changes fast. Auburn played for the ZACH national HELFAND championship Monday, a 34-31 loss in the final seconds against Florida State. Plays like this make it easy to characterize the Tigers’ season as a string of miracles. And luck played an important role. More than luck, though, Auburn’s turnaround resulted from a string of discrete changes. Those changes are how Auburn went from winless in the Southeastern Conference to a play away from a championship the following season. And they provide a blueprint for a team like Michigan, hoping to go from 7-6 to something better. So what can Michigan learn? It begins with evaluation. Why was Auburn so bad? Its defensive-oriented head coach had a defense in disarray with
an offense struggling to adapt to the pro style. Its coaching failed to develop and deploy the roster’s still-formidable talent. And it lacked production at a major position — in this case, at quarterback. Sounds reasonably familiar. Michigan’s own defensiveoriented head coach, Brady Hoke, has an offense struggling to adapt to the pro style after several seasons of spread-heavy football. At most positions, Michigan has recruited well for years, but the system hasn’t suited the recruits. The Wolverines appear set at quarterback but face a similar absence of production at the offensive line. The Tigers addressed each problem directly. The coach was a problem, so he was fired. His replacement, Gus Malzahn, installed a system that was better adapted to his players’ strengths, and an influx of new recruits on the defensive line bolstered the defense. To address the quarterback problem, Malzahn recruited junior college transfer Nick Marshall. The fixes for Michigan won’t be the same, nor will the result. The Wolverines rarely get junior college transfers, and Hoke won’t, and shouldn’t, be fired after his third year. But the lesson from Auburn is this: a quick turnaround is possible by addressing each issue directly and definitively. That process resurrected an Auburn team just a helpless as
Michigan. How will Michigan address its own problems? There’s the question of coaching, especially on the offensive side of the ball. After the regular season, Hoke said he does not plan on changing his staff at all. Still, Athletic Director Dave Brandon’s exclamation-point-riddled statement of support for Hoke included praise for defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, but offensive coordinator Al Borges was conspicuously left out. Whether with Borges or with a replacement, Michigan’s offense needs a pretty major change. Its pro-style offense doesn’t really even mirror the pros anymore, mainly because the game has changed and offenses have adapted. Auburn made a major shift with Malzahn’s hurryup, speed-rushing offense. Michigan’s offense needs a change of a similar magnitude. That should also alleviate the second major issue — the mismatch between Michigan’s talent and production. Plus, it appears Michigan’s top recruit, Jabrill Peppers, doesn’t need much development to make an immediate impact, no matter the system. That should help the embattled secondary and add an explosive element to the offense. The third, more difficult issue is the offensive line. The young interior should make a big improvement from a
TERRA MOLENGRAFF/Daily
Senior receiver Drew Dileo and the Wolverines struggled, but Auburn has shown that a quick turnaround is possible.
miserable 2013. But losing two NFL-caliber tackles might result in a wash. Auburn made a personnel move to address its quarterback issue. Michigan doesn’t have the luxury of a quick replacement, so it must find a different change. The difficulty of finding such a quick fix on the offensive line means Michigan probably shouldn’t expect a season quite like Auburn’s. At the very least, though, there shouldn’t be a repeat of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, when the players shuffling around the locker room offered explanations for a failed season. “I think just a lot of guys lost
the will to play as a family,” said junior defensive end Frank Clark. “It was just our mindset from the jump,” said sophomore linebacker James Ross III. “We weren’t totally into it, I would say.” In football, things like chemistry and motivation matter. Offseason preparation matters. Before the championship game Monday, Auburn’s players talked about a culture change, a regained confidence. This offseason, inevitably, Michigan’s players will mention similar buzzwords, like “improved work ethic” and “drive” and “cohesion.” And if those things
are true, that’s a good thing for Michigan. But we tend to place too much emphasis on those intangible qualities and write off a quick resurgence as miraculous, beyond explanation. Really, Michigan’s problems are much more fundamental and much easier to see. The real miracle for Auburn was that it addressed its own problems so honestly and forcefully. If the Wolverines don’t do the same, then it might be time to pray. — Helfand can be reached at zhelfand@umich.edu or on Twitter @zhelfand
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8A — Wednesday, January 8, 2014
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2B Wednesday, January 8, 2014 // The Statement
the writer’s notebook: I’m a writer, you’re not by max radwin
Letter from the Editor
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t The Statement, we aim to tell stories that matter — stories that do work in the community, that meditate on the hard questions, that force you to chew and wonder. Our goal is to bring you a weekly news magazine that isn’t simply about ‘finding the answers’ surrounding a certain topic. Rather, we focus on the process of excavating stories. As journalists, we’re also archeologists, digging and pulling forth the story’s layers and dust. We bear witness and immerse ourselves within the story’s seed and eventual bloom. This year’s Statement attempts to bring you stories you can dig through. Stories that nourish. Stories that unfurl. We want your voice to be a big portion of The Statement, and we want this voice to be audible and heard: so we’re introducing a new video component to the magazine. Make sure to check out our weekly video features online, where we’ll be projecting student voices from around campus in a weekly series, paired with every issue’s lead story. Meanwhile, flip open to The Tangent each Wednesday for a dose of comedy, currency and culture, including “The Rules,” our unofficial “weekly survival guide” to living wildly on campus; “Trending,” for what’s hot on the globe this week; and “On the Record,” a platform for the most recent eyebrow-raising quotes our reporters have gathered. Our rotating Tangent column series will bring you up to date on topics ranging from campus love stories to literature, experimental science to virginity. And be prepared to dip into our Visual Statements, where Daily photographers will illuminate the campus community with their lenses. Finally, send us your voice! Write a “Personal Statement,” a first-person, nonfiction narrative about any experience — wacky or wonderful — that has had an impact on you. And while you’re at it, Tweet us your own stories @ thestatementmag. We hope that this magazine becomes an outlet you can digest. We hope the stories produced each issue are delicious, funky, provocative, challenging, and above all, reflective of the many flavors and voices on this campus.
- Carlina Duan, Statement Editor
I’m a writer. You’re not. At least, that’s what I’d like to think, or used to think. I’ve always held the belief that artists are born that way. They’re born writers, painters, sculptors, composers, whatever. Sure, you can practice an art. But if you weren’t born with some kind of condition — a persuasion that allows you to see the world in a way that others can’t — then you’re just another dabbling in a world not meant for your art. Of course, you can write and not be a writer. A news reporter writes but isn’t necessarily one. E.L. James certainly writes, but isn’t one. The only way to define a writer … is as a writer. But is that definition sufficient? Are there specific characteristics to be attributed to the profession? Or is it just a vague, inherited birthright? I didn’t come up with this concept. My insight is inherited from other artists: Edward Hirsch (“The Demon and the Angel,” which explores this topic in great length), Lorca, Mill, Milton or any other writer who gives credit to the muse or duende. Even the shitty ones like Stephanie Meyer credit supernatural sources like dreams — which presumably come to those individuals who have the tools to turn the metaphysical into works of art.
Tweet, tweet! We tweet cool stuff. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @thestatementmag COVER BY RUBY WALLAU
THE
statement
Magazine Editor: Carlina Duan Deputy Editors: Max Radwin
Photo Editor: Ruby Wallau Illustrator: Megan Mulholland
Amrutha Sivakumar Editor in Chief: Design Editor: Nick Cruz
Peter Shahin
Managing Editor: Katie Burke Copy Editors: Mark Ossolinski Meaghan Thompson
THE
After Frank O’Hara died, scraps of paper were found stuffed into his desk drawers. They were poems that he had written “spontaneously” as he walked around New York City, and which were published with little to no secondary editing. He was a poet — a true poet — so why would they have to be edited? I got this way of thinking into my head early. It made me believe that I was artistically superior to pretty much everyone. And while I act like a prick because of it, I also think that you kind of need that mindset if you want to be good, and so I’m almost thankful for it. I take big risks creatively because I hold on to that sense of artistic authority. And I have that artistic authority because I’m a born artist — a born writer, which I could, until late, only define tautologically. And it’s that circular logic that
gave me problems, often without even knowing it. When a short story of mine was recently workshopped, there were major experimental sections that people responded to negatively. My initial response was, “It’s not my fault if you don’t get the premise. This is exactly how it’s supposed to be written.” I even went so far as to think, “Perhaps this will be appreciated when I’m gone. It’s too ahead of its time.” In reality, I had failed to accept something that needs to happen in first drafts. My conceitedness had led to some artistic bravado, but had stunted the advancement of my project. I started a lifetime habit of voracious reading when I was young not only because it was immersive, but also because I knew I was honing a skill that was rare and valuable. See WRITER, Page 3B
rules TMD’s weekly survival guide
No. 507:
At least lots of snow means no fat, invasive squirrel populations...
No. 508:
Better to get H1N1 now than during exam week.
No. 509:
Don’t expect to get your elliptical of choice at the CCRB this week. #NewYearsResolutions
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 // The Statement 3B
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WRITER From Page 3B But I wasn’t actually writing during that period of my life. Despite not actively partaking in the practice, I associated myself with the profession. And retrospectively, I recognize that that way of thinking was detrimental to my development as a creative writer. I was a thinker and a philosopher — maybe — but not a writer. And who wants to be those useless things? I needed to put those thoughts and philosophies into action, into application. Into my art. That application is the sole defining factor: What is a writer? It’s simple. A writer is someone who writes. Now, I write almost everyday, though reading and philosophizing are still important. My profession finally is my practice. Maybe you’re a writer too. And if you want to join the club, all you have to do is pick up a pencil.
on the record
“We had our goals set, we wanted to be a 10-win team, and we didn’t achieve that. We had our goals set, we wanted to be able to finish the season, and we didn’t achieve that.” – FRANK CLARK, Junior defensive end, after losing 31-14 to Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
“Racism is toxic, but race doesn’t have to be. Race is some way to describe who we are … there are all kinds of diversity.” – MICHELLE NORRIS, NPR Radio Host and Winter Commencement Speaker
“Be thankful for the experience, remember the experience. Life is about moments. You remember moments — you don’t remember everything.”
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– MIKE BABCOCK, Detroit Red Wings hockey coach, after losing 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Winter Classic.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEGAN MULHOLLAND
This trend just won’t seem to go away. On Jan. 4, Justin Bieber posted a picture — an usie — on Instagram of him and Selena Gomez, captioned “Love the way you look at me.” Only time and paparazzi will tell if Jelena will once again go strong.
trending #PolarVortex #BCSChampionship #PocketBoom
BUSINESS INSIDER
For the next few days, think twice before put ting down your winter parka. Cold winds have been hitting the Midwest, bringing some of the coldest temperatures in the last 20 years.
#MichaelBayMeltdown #Jelena #CES2014 #ChiBeria #SasheerZamata
AP PHOTO/Jae C. Hong
Consumer Electronics Showcase opened up in Las Vegas on Monday, showcasing over 3,000 innovations, including a toothbrush that analyses brushing techniques, smartphonecontrolled jumping robots and flying drones.
Sasheer Zamata will join SNL this Jan. as its only female African American cast member. Prepare for her to take a shot at some of your favorite influential black women, and hopefully pave a way for diversity in the comedy world. SASHEER.COM/Cate Hellman
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Wednesday, January 8, 2014 // The Statement
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 // The Statement
The Silicon Mitten Michigan’s changing entrepreneurial landscape
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It’s gone viral. It’s all across campus. It’s not an app, but in recent years, it’s a movement buzzing with energy all across phone screens, Facebook profiles, posting walls. And it’s rapidly evolving.
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by K.C. Wassman, Daily Staff Reporter
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ntrepreneurship. These days, it’s a buzzword heard across the University, from MPowered events to student startups. Entrepreneurial efforts abound us on campus, but its role at the University is hard to define. If it can be defined by one trait, it’s the ongoing process of change. “Change” is a fitting definition for the entrepreneurial climate on campus — with an increased focus on the topic over the last year and a half alone. In 2013, there have been two hackathons, a “Month of Entrepreneurship” and a newly created entrepreneurial adviser position. With another hackathon rapidly approaching and the Central Student Government’s Commission for Entrepreneurship renewed for another semester, it seems last year’s change is only the beginning. The rising ‘rock stars of the world’ You may be hearing more about entrepreneurship on campus, but it’s hardly a new concept. It’s a spirit politicians say America was built on, and the increase in entrepreneurship on campus mirrors a national trend. According to a 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reporton the United States, total entrepreneurial activity is at its highest level since 1999. Though it’s hard to determine exactly when this increasing trend toward entrepreneurship started, Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, believes it comes from a changing business model in the United States. “The current generation of students — whether they’re
undergraduate or graduate students — grew up in the period of time when there was a real loss of faith in the long-term, bigcompany employment model that their parents and their parents’ parents had gone through,” Thornhill said. “There were all these huge employers which had previously been seen as very stable forms of employment … now all (of a) sudden (they) are not so stable anymore. Your job could literally disappear overnight.” Apart from the changing business model, Thornhill also cited increased media coverage, a new social culture and the desire for people to control their own destiny as reasons for the growth in entrepreneurship in the United States, and consequently, on campus. Thornhill said “Shark Tank” — an ABC television show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to receive funding from investors — is a prime example of how entrepreneurship is infiltrating popular culture. “The entrepreneurs are now the rock stars of the world,” Thornhill said. “They’re on TV programs and magazine covers. So you’ve got this whole sexiness thing that 20 years ago wasn’t really associated with starting your own business.” Indeed, there are many well known entrepreneurial “rock stars” nowadays, Mark Zuckerberg being one of the most famous. Zuckerberg started Facebook in his early 20s while a student at Harvard University, and has since turned his dormroom project into a multi-billion dollar empire — increasing his personal net worth to $19 billion in the process, according to Forbes. Engineering junior Chris O’Neil serves as the current president of MPowered, an active student entrepreneurial group on campus that seeks to unite and enhance student
startup culture. O’Neil said during his time at the University, there has been an increase in student entrepreneurial involvement and believes it can partially be attributed to a “Mark Zuckerberg effect.” “It’s definitely more known than it used to be,” O’Neil said. “Everybody knows that a couple of kids that went to Stanford started Snapchat, and just got offered $3 billion. … Whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship or not, you’re going to know about that story. It builds this awareness of entrepreneurship and you can get people thinking.” A student movement Thomas Zurbuchen, now the senior adviser for entrepreneurial education, has spearheaded entrepreneurship on campus during his time at the University. In 2008, he started the Center for Entrepreneurship, a resource hub for campus startups and students interested in created new businesses. While originally exclusive to engineering students, the Center has since expanded its program availability to most students at the University. Zurbuchen said the increase in entrepreneurial opportunities from the University initially came as a result of increased student demand, adding that he founded the Center for Entrepreneurship for the students — not for institutional prestige. “In many ways I think Michigan entrepreneurship, as opposed to other schools, is entrepreneurship that has started bottom-up,” Zurbuchen said. “It turns out that students have taken tremendous ownership of entrepreneurship.”
Zurbuchen cited the number of entrepreneurial-minded clubs on campus as an example of student initiative. MPowered was one of the first entrepreneurial student groups on campus when it was founded in 2006, but is now one of 16 listed on the Center for Entrepreneurship’s website and one of almost 50 on campus, according to Zurbuchen. While entrepreneurship was primarily pushed by students in the beginning, Zurbuchen said the current entrepreneurial climate is being supported by both the students and the University administration. “What’s really interesting about this movement on campus is that it comes from both directions,” Zurbuchen said. “I think it is a coincidence of sorts that the students see this as absolutely critically important and something that they can act on, but we at the University-level see it as absolutely essential and a huge opportunity for the University to have an impact … in our state, and in our future of the U.S., and the world.” Changing an institution The switch to entrepreneurship overdrive may have been slow at the University through the lens of the fast-paced startup world, but for an institution that’s turning 200 in three years, the shift is fairly quick. Over the course of the last 15 years, the University has seen large amounts of entrepreneurial growth. Zell Lurie was founded in 1999, the Center for Entrepreneurship in 2008 and Zurbuchen’s role expanded to help foster entrepreneurship on campus in 2013.
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Zurbuchen’s new role as senior entrepreneurial adviser may not seem as consequential as the opening of two entrepreneurial powerhouses. However, his appointment marks an important shift in the way entrepreneurship at the University works: from the individual to the collaborative group. One of Zurbuchen’s jobs is to design an academic program in entrepreneurship which will be available to all majors, which is a stark contrast from where the different entrepreneurial programs started. Originally, Zell Lurie and the Center for Entrepreneurship stayed in their respective corners: Zell Lurie in the Ross School of Business on Central Campus, and the Center for Entrepreneurship in the Duderstadt Center on North Campus — primarily supporting only their home communities. As the buzz around entrepreneurship grew, so did students’ desire to utilize both Zell Lurie and the Center for Entrepreneurship, regardless of whether or not they were majoring in business or engineering. Mary Lemmer was one of those students. Lemmer started Iorio’s Gelateria with her brother Nick while she was in high school, and decided to come to the University to further her entrepreneurial ventures through Zell Lurie. However, when she learned about the Center for Entrepreneurship’s speaker series, she decided to try and attend those classes as well as Zell Lurie’s. Though it was difficult, Lemmer worked with both departments and was eventually allowed to take the courses with both Zell Lurie and the Center for Entrepreneurship. The Center for Entrepreneurship offers about 40 courses available to students from other colleges, a 9-credit Program in Entrepreneurship certificate program, and collaborations with Zell Lurie on many different programs including the Masters in Entrepreneurship program, a joint degree from the College of Engineering and the Ross School of Business which was started in the fall of 2011. “If I would describe (the Center for Entrepreneurship) in comparison to a company’s life cycle, it was the early-stages of really focused entrepreneurial resources for students on campus, and now they’ve grown a lot, which is great to see,” Lemmer said.
to be available from the University just since graduating.” While the TechArb has been around campus a long time — for a startup — the Center for Entrepreneurship is currently working on a new resource for student entrepreneurs called MEngage. MEngage is a new program that focuses on growing entrepreneurial programs outside of the University to make the programs on campus stronger. The two programs will be based out of Grand Rapids and the Bay Area of California, and both will work to connect students with successful entrepreneurs who operate in the same sector. Tom Frank, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, characterized the program as “match.com” for entrepreneurs. “For me the goal is to match the best talent to the best advice,” Frank said. “I don’t mean to oversimplify it, but getting good advice from someone who knows (and) understands the business sector you’re operating in can make all the difference in the world in terms of how fast you move forward with your idea.” Frank added that while both locations have the same mission, they will do different work based on their locations. The Grand Rapids hub will revolve around creating more opportunities for students to explore design manufacturing innovation in the state. Frank said this will include anything from finding more internships to helping students build relationships with Michigan incubators and accelerators. Furthermore, the Grand Rapids hub will attempt to create an easier path for students who want to stay in-state to build their company. In contrast, the Bay Area hub will focus on long-distance mentoring between experts in the area, and students in Ann Arbor. Frank said participants will be using Skype video screens to help facilitate the relationships and leveraging the University’s expansive alumni network to find mentors. Both locations of MEngage are set to launch in the first few months of 2014.
A growing resource hub
From new events to new CSG committees, entrepreneurship has infiltrated the minds of the student body. Many of the most recent student-lead changes can be attributed to University alum Manish Parikh, former CSG President, who ran on a platform of promoting entrepreneurship on campus and followed through on his campaign promise. During his tenure, CSG dedicated 10 of its 59 executive projects to the entrepreneurial community, which included the creation of an entrepreneurship commission. The commission, which has been renewed for the semester, is comprised of leaders from student organizations that focus on entrepreneurship, and aims to shape the University with the top student-driven entrepreneurial culture in the country. Since its inception, the commission has worked hard to promote entrepreneurship on campus, including hosting a “Month of Entrepreneurship” in March 2013. The month was a six-week period comprised of over 30 events featuring entrepreneurial topics. It included events like the inaugural MHacks, which has become one of the largest student hackathons in the country, and will be hosting its third hackathon this month. The Month of Entrepreneurship was well received not only on campus, but also by the Obama administration. The White House dedicated a blog post to the University’s Month of Entrepreneurship, where they interviewed Parikh about the event as well as growing entrepreneurship on campus. When talking to Parikh on a long-distance phone call from India, it’s hard not to hear the smile in his voice when he talks about entrepreneurship at the University. While discussing the entrepreneurship commission, he sounds like a proud parent. And when it shifts to the White House his tone switches to one of honor. See ENTREPRENEURIAL, Page 6B
Apart from expanding programs to other schools, the University has increased the available resources to student entrepreneurs. The University’s TechArb is a student startup accelerator program run between the Center for Entrepreneurship and Zell Lurie, and gives student startup teams the office space to work on their businesses. Nestled in the lower level of an office building on East Liberty Street, the TechArb also offers other resources besides physical office space, such as mentors and introductions with venture capitalists. Like many students, University alum Jason Bornhorst didn’t come to the University thinking he’d delve into entrepreneurship. He thought he’d get his degree in computer science, graduate and get into the startup scene later. Instead, Bornhorst got involved with the Center for Entrepreneurship and later founded MadeVentures — a student group which together to talk about University-based startups in Bornhorst’s apartment over beer. Bornhorst founded the group initially because he felt there wasn’t a central place for student entrepreneurs to gather and share ideas, but eventually with help from faculty and a local real estate company, Bornhorst and the students of MadeVentures became the first class in the TechArb. Since graduating in 2009, Bornhorst has founded his own software company, Filament Labs. He’s returned to the University since graduating and recently spoke at the Center for Entrepreneurship’s Entrepreneurship Hour Speaker Series. Bornhorst said he was impressed with both the students he met after speaking, as well as the progress the University has made in helping student entrepreneurs. “I think it’s incredible. I think students have access to a ton of new resources today,” he said. “For example, I would never feel the need to start MadeVentures today based on what I perceive
Changes by the leaders and the best
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Wednesday, January 8, 2014 // The Statement
ENTREPRENEURIAL From Page 6B Parikh’s time at the helm of CSG brought entrepreneurship to a more campus-wide consciousness, but that was not without the help of other student groups on campus like MPowered. MPowered’s mission is to expose students to entrepreneurship, which it does through large-scale events like its 1,000 Pitches competition, where students from the University and Pennsylvania State University compete to give the best pitch for their business ideas. O’Neil, the MPowered president, said events like these are meant to excite University students about entrepreneurship. Over the past few years, O’Neil said he’s seen an increase in participation in events like 1,000 Pitches. The last 1,000 Pitches event occurred this fall, and garnered over 6,000 entrepreneurial pitches total — with 5,000 of those pitches coming from the University alone. “Students at Michigan are already amazing, you don’t need to hold their hands. All they need is that excitement,” O’Neil said. Branching out: an interdisciplinary approach By now we all know the dream: start a company and become the next Mark Zuckerberg. While this idea may conjure up images of coffee-fueled business students typing away furiously into the night, startup and entrepreneurial culture is not only growing in Ross’ Winter Garden. Some of the best startups come from teams with mixed educational backgrounds. Before he dropped out, Zuckerberg was studying psychology. Though entrepreneurial programs were initially restricted to business and engineering students, the recent push to include all majors has allowed the University to foster a more inclusive environment. This has been done through co-University sponsored events like Mingle ‘n’ Match nights, which aim to help student entrepreneurs from any school find members for their startup teams as well as help them network. Large-scale events like MHacks II, hosted in Michigan Stadium last fall, also strive to enhance networking and communication platforms between student entrepreneurs. O’Neil said the past 1,000 Pitches event included a proportionate amount of students from each college at the University. This representation shows that entrepreneurship is no longer being seen as “just a business,” or “just an engineering” endeavor, but rather something open to the entire campus. Parikh said he believes the growth of entrepreneurship amongst all schools at the University has made it a concept that unites the student body, much like Michigan Football. “Kind of like our football stadium, the Big House, (entrepreneurship) encompasses students from all kinds of disciplines and all kinds of ages,” Parikh said. “Together we
come together, like in the Big House, to create a solidified impact.” Thornhill said the diversity of students involved in entrepreneurship is beneficial for student startup teams. “Having a team of just business students, or just engineers, or just life science students … creates a gap in your skill set,” Thornhill said. “If I were going to invest in a company I’d far rather look for that diversity of skill profile than a group of students that came from one concentration.” Though the University has started to increase the collaboration between schools, O’Neil believes some students still face difficulty trying to find team members from other colleges. “You often find business students or engineers who have these great ideas, but they don’t know how to find or talk to the developers who also have these great ideas,” O’Neil said. “They often can’t find common ground — which is a huge problem.”
being really receptive to each other’s ideas, and more importantly, I see people volunteering to help each other in a way that I don’t see other places.” Apart from an open environment, there is a large amount of venture capital — money invested in a new or growing business — available in Michigan. Such venture capital has been increasing over the past 13 years. According to Carrie Jones, executive director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association, the number of venture capital firms in Michigan has grown from between five and seven in 2001, to 20 in late 2013. The amount of venture capital available has increased exponentially because of those firms redirecting investment dollars to Michigan. According to Jones, there is now $1.5 billion in assets under management of firms that are actively looking for early stage companies to invest in. Though there is an increased amount of capital available, Jones said many aren’t aware of the potential in Michigan which can result in it
The entrepreneurs are now the rock stars of the world. They’re on TV programs and magazine covers. So you’ve got this whole sexiness thing that 20 years ago wasn’t really associated with starting your own business. Stewart Thornhill, Executive Director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies The ‘Silicon Mitten’ California’s Bay Area has become synonymous with startup and tech culture, earning it the name Silicon Valley, but could Michigan become the next great startup and entrepreneurial community? Despite the bankruptcy and bad press, Detroit has seen several large companies move to its downtown area — most notably Quicken Loans, an online mortgage lender. In a 2013 interview with Reuters, Quicken Loans CEO Dan Gilbert said his interest in Detroit was partially to help stop the state’s brain drain and give young people a reason to stay in Michigan. Frank said he thinks that although entrepreneurship is growing across the country, it’s growing more in Michigan because of its central location and its entrepreneurial spirit increases opportunities for startups. “I’ve never seen such an open environment as I do here,” Frank said. “I see people
being ignored by new companies looking for a place to locate their headquarters. “A lot of people don’t think necessarily of Michigan right off the bat as being an entrepreneurial state,” Jones said. “But if you go back to Henry Ford and the auto companies, they were started by entrepreneurs who built those companies … and built Michigan to be the automotive hub of the world. There is still very much that spirit in Michigan and it’s good to see that resurgence.” Lemmer, who grew up in Michigan and has since moved to San Francisco, said while Michigan and Detroit were built on entrepreneurship going back to the fur trade and automotive industries, she doesn’t think the area will ever be fully comparable to Silicon Valley. “I don’t think Detroit or Michigan is even vgoing to be on par with the Bay Area,” Lemmer said. “I think it’ll be different; I think they’ll both have a different entrepreneurial culture and that’s great. They shouldn’t be
exactly the same. I think it’s going to take a long way for Michigan to get there, but we’re on the right path.” While student entrepreneurs usually dream of getting their first job in Silicon Valley, there are many student-lead initiatives at the University that focus on improving Detroit — some of which are entrepreneurial. One example is the Detroit Entrepreneurial Network, an organization which aims to give high school students in Detroit a “toolbox of business knowledge and Detroit energy” in order to help them bring their business ideas to fruition in the Motor City. MPowered is launching a similar initiative called Startup High School, which will allow Detroit students to explore, share and execute their entrepreneurial ideas. Another student initiative currently investing in Detroit is MHacks, an event put on by MPowered and Michigan Hackers. MHacks III will be held in Detroit over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend and is being sponsored in part by Quicken Loans. O’Neil said that while there were other factors, like the amount of venture capital available in Detroit, influenced the decision to move MHacks, they also needed newer, larger spaces with more office equipment to have a fully functioning hackathon. “It made a lot of sense to go to Detroit where the buildings are really new and innovative in the way that they’re designed,” O’Neil said. “They’re quirky and they show off what it means to be a hacker, what it means to be an entrepreneur and think differently.” Engineering junior Jack Wink, president of MHackers, said they decided to move MHacks off-campus, not only because it offered the promise of nicer spaces but also because they want to disprove popular misconceptions about Detroit. “When these students come to Detroit if they have a good experience they’re going to come back and say, ‘Wow, Detroit is an awesome place all these companies that are booming in the area are willing to help out.’ They’re going to remember that and if they ever do end up pursuing their hackathon app they might consider Detroit and move back, which would be a big win for Detroit,” Wink said. Hail to the innovators While student entrepreneurs at the University usually focus on building their own companies, throughout the years they have been busy building something else from the ground-up: an entrepreneurial community. This was achieved through Zurbuchen’s ingredients for entrepreneurial success: hard work and an active mindset for growth. “Entrepreneurship is a way of thinking, taking innovations and turning them into real-life change,” Zurbuchen said. “Entrepreneurship is of course starting companies, but there are many activities that are totally entrepreneurial that don’t involve a start-up … It’s about taking a big idea and turning (it) into action.”
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 // The Statement
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Greg Harden: Man on the sideline by Michelle MacMahon
ILLUSTRATION BY MEGAN MULHOLLAND
As I reflect on my student-athlete journey beginning six years ago as a freshman walk-on at the University of Michigan, I can’t resist shedding light on a topic that remains unmentioned in today’s culture and sports media. Playing a sport at Michigan was a dream come true for a local west Michigan girl like me, who pretty much came out of nowhere as a nobody. Though there are many perks to being an athlete, there are equally difficult mental trials and tribulations that every student-athlete must face. While it’s easy to point out the perks, many people forget to consider the 40-plus hours a week put in behind the scenes when 100,000 fans aren’t showing up to cheer. Sure, the glitz and glamor of game day is pretty incredible, but there are also the day-to-day difficulties of mentally managing the constant pressure of being a studentathlete. Whether a highly touted recruit or a walk-on, the intense level of daily pressure, expectation and discipline remains the same in the classroom and in one’s sport, especially at Michigan. So it is quite easy to imagine how quickly the mental stability of a student-athlete can spiral downward when succumbed to the vast pressures from coaches, professors, family and fans. Who knew
you could go from hero to zero on campus in a matter of seconds if you missed that buzzer-beating shot or that last field goal of the game? There are resources for student-athletes with off-the-field problems that so many fans forget to factor in when making their criticisms, and that I dealt with so frequently when I was at the University. There are differencemakers off the court as well as on. The difference-maker for this University is a special member of the Athletic Department who gives all of his mentees a mental edge over their competitors: Greg Harden, director of Athletic Counseling and associate athletic director at Michigan. Harden is a man who puts in all of the work and receives none of the credit, which is why he deserves the title of unsung hero. Harden is the man behind the scenes selflessly molding the mental strength of some of Michigan’s finest talent — the man on the sidelines endlessly supporting every student-athlete without expecting any glory or awards. He is the man who supports you when you throw that game-winning touchdown pass, and the same man who never turns his back on you when you “blow the game.” Despite the great memories I have from my experience, I also
really struggled throughout my athletic career at Michigan. Academics and making friends came easy, but the anxiety of going to practice every day ate me alive on the inside. I was not confident, certainly didn’t believe in myself and a complete mental disaster. I was struggling at rock bottom and needed help. The turning point in my story was Greg Harden. I remember my first meeting in his office freshman year. I was so caught up in my self-pity, part of me expected him to coddle me and tell me everything was going to be OK. To my surprise, I received quite the opposite — the definition of tough love. His first reaction was, “The inner child in you needs to grow up.” Ouch. That one hurt. But he was right. I’m surprised he didn’t turn and run the other direction when he heard I was coming back for round two the next week. “Never feel sorry for yourself,” he said. “Your current situation is difficult, but you have two choices: play the victim or adjust your mindset. Control the controllables — you are the only one that has control over your mind. Nobody else can touch that or take that away from you. Stop letting others determine the way you feel about yourself. Your volleyball experience is a merely stepping stone in the process of life.” Hello, reality check.
From day one he never guaranteed me playing time, or that practice would be easier; the only thing he ever guaranteed was that I was going to believe in myself and know exactly who I was by the time I left Michigan. “By the last day you walk out of my office your senior year, you will be able to point out your strengths, but more importantly your weaknesses, better than anyone else. Your sport is what you do, it should never define who you are. I want you to surround your life with the word, ‘believe’ from here on out.” He began molding my mind to believe and think like a mature adult. He always had an endearing way of telling me everything I did not want to hear about myself, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. I quickly realized this man was not just a sports psychologist. He opened up my world, reframing my mindset through his tough love and honest truths. He continuously challenged me to turn my self-defeating attitudes, thoughts and behaviors into self-confidence through assertiveness. Every week for four years this man empowered me with an unwavering positive attitude and mindset that I carry with me to this day. Every athletic program deserves a “life coach” — I can’t fathom my experience with-
out one. When I think about my Michigan experience, two short years ago, and continue to embark on my unconventional life path at age 23, I am frequently reminded of his everlasting impact. During my last meeting senior year, I told him my dream was to be on television for sports broadcasting. He looked me in the eye and smirked: “I already know you will, so go and get it. You are special, kid.” And at that moment, for the first time in my life, I truly believed in myself. Upon graduation, I achieved this dream at the Big Ten Network serving as a volleyball analyst in the fall. None of this would have happened without my mentor behind the scenes — the man who believed in me before I did. I am a tiny speck in the pool of Michigan student-athletes who have been so lucky to have this man as a mentor, and I credit all of my current life success to him. So on football Saturdays when the television camera zooms in on the star players, I’m looking past the winged helmets for the man on the sideline, the man in the background grinning in the success of his mentees, the man who would never take any of the credit — the unsung hero of Michigan Athletics. Michelle MacMahon graduated in 2012.
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Wednesday, January 8, 2014 // The Statement
T H E V I S U A L S TAT E M E N T: J O U R N E Y S Over break, Daily photographers documented their travels across the globe, adventuring from Argentina to Seattle to New York and beyond.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
A view of the Space Needle through the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. Paul Sherman found new treasures in Portland, Oregon and rediscovered old ones in his native hometown in Seattle, Washington.
For the complete photo stories VISIT MICHIGANDAILY.COM
TERESA MATHEW/Daily
Trekkers passing through the high walls of the glacier. Teresa Mathew navigated the twists and turns of the south-facing side of the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina.
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Gustav and his father from Sweden fish off of a pier in Key Largo Florida. Adam Glanzman traversed the country from Ann Arbor to Tempe to Key Largo to New York City.