CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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CAMPUS LIFE
Six Greek chapters suspended for damage Student leaders release statement condemning ski resort vandalism
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University Provost Martha Pollack speaks about digital education initiatives at a Senate Assembly meeting in Palmer Commons Monday afternoon.
Pollack talks importance of a diverse student body SACUA meets with ‘U’ provost to discuss engaged learning, access By CARLY NOAH Daily Staff Reporter
University Provost Martha Pollack joined the Senate Assembly during their meeting Monday to discuss several University priorities, including access and digital education. The Assembly also
passed a resolution discouraging faculty from signing confidentiality agreements when serving on University committees. During her presentation, Pollack highlighted four areas of focus: innovation in teaching and learning techniques, pursuit of bold research projects, fostering a diverse and inclusive campus and ensuring the affordability of a University education. At a time when new technology is making education formats more widely available and open, Pollack said the University is also thinking about the kind of learn-
ing experiences that will prove most relevant as students enter careers post-graduation. “If your world is uncertain and ambiguous, you need the ability to take risks,” Pollack said. “You don’t learn that by being lectured to. If the world is complex, you need to be able to synthesize various complex ideas.” Though online tools can often diversify the learning experience, Pollack said online education tools would not erode the value of face-to-face education. Apart from digital and engaged learning, Pollack also discussed
‘U’ considers data collection policy changes By CARLY NOAH Daily Staff Reporter
The University is exploring innovative methods to use existing data to improve teaching and learning techniques. Though the University currently retains student data, such as course grades, some officials argue the information should be more accessible to researchers and professors, who can in turn use it to improve the student experience inside the classroom. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, James Hilton, vice provost for digital education and innovation, said he is working with an informal group to draft a Standard Practice Guide policy to govern the use of collected data. “We’ve been discussing the issues and principles involved and we’re in the process of drafting an SPG, which would actually be the policy,” Hilton said. “Once we have that drafted, we will reshop it to get feedback on it to make sure everyone has a voice.” Hilton said the SPG would largely focus on institutionalizing the process for accessing the data and opening up access for researchers to see sets of information already collected by the University.
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“How would you go about gaining access to data to see, for example, whether or not there’s a correlation between the sequences of courses people take and their success in those courses,” Hilton said. “Those are two different data sets right now.” Because the SPG only exists as a draft, Hilton said he could not provide specific policies that may govern the use of student data. However, he added that the University collects data in a similar way that commercial websites analyze online behavior and use it to customize an Internet user’s online experience. “But what if, instead of using analytics to deliver advertisements, we use the same dataintensive approach to deliver learning objects, tips and assistance at just the right time as you go through the semester?” he said. Hilton pointed to eCoach, a classroom data collection program that uses information collected from previous students’ responses to provide customized feedback to current students, as an example of how student data collection benefits both students and educators. Many large introductory STEM classes already use the program. Currently, students who decide to participate in eCoach’s data collection complete a survey at the beginning of the semester that asks them a variety of questions about their expectations for the course. See DATA, Page 3
Daily Staff Reporter
After several University Greek life chapters reportedly caused damage at two Michigan ski resorts, six Greek life chapters reportedly involved — the University’s chapters of Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Delta Tau, Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi, Chi Psi and Delta Gamma — have now been suspended by their national chapters, according to a University release. The Sigma Alpha Mu chapter, which stayed at the Treetops Resort with members from Sigma Delta Tau, was suspended last week by their national organization. In a statement released Sat-
the importance of diversity and inclusion at the University, noting one of the institution’s largest challenges remains increasing the enrollment of under-represented minority students. In the last year, students have called on the University to address issues of diversity and inclusion, most prominently as part of the Being Black at the University of Michigan campaign lead by the University’s Black Student Union. In December, University President Mark Schlissel announced he would release a campus-wide See SACUA, Page 3
HEALTH
A F T E R N O O N S K AT E
ACADEMICS
Access to student information could fuel improved learning analytics
By ANASTASSIOS ADAMOPOULOS
urday, three student leaders published an open letter apologizing for the events and promising action to hold those involved accountable. CSG President Bobby Dishell, a Public Policy junior; Interfraternity Council President Alex Krupiak, an LSA senior; and Panhellenic Association President Maddy Walsh, a Business junior, authored the letter to apologize for the behavior of these organizations. “This terrible incident has been widely publicized across the nation, and rightly so: it was an act of shocking disrespect,” the letter said. “We, as leaders and Greeks at the University of Michigan, do not tolerate these kinds of acts, nor do we let such behavior fall under the radar. We intend to handle this situation with the utmost efficiency, and we will ensure that those responsible for the damage to the properties will be held accountable throughout this process.” The two resorts that sufSee SUSPENSION, Page 3
Discovery may impact treatment of diabetes Researchers identify pathway that monitors blood sugar levels By KATIE PENROD
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Daily Staff Reporter
LSA sophomore Matt Lawford plays ice hockey on a frozen-over mud pit Monday outside Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
First patient leaves UMHS with artificial heart Awaiting organ transplant, man receives innovative device By NABEEL CHOLLAMPAT Daily Staff Reporter
For a man without his heart, Stan Larkin is in good spirits. The University’s Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center recently provided 24-year-old Stan Larkin with a SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart that has allowed him to return home while waiting for a regular heart transplant. Larkin has biventricular heart failure, meaning his ven-
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tricles cannot effectively pump blood to his organs and has suffered from multiple heart failures and arrhythmias. Typically, patients needing a new heart are placed on a transplant list. Once on the list, it could be months to years before a patient has access to the donor heart he or she needs. Larkin is the first patient in Michigan history to leave a hospital without a human heart. He is currently equipped with the Freedom Driver, a portable pump created by SynCardia Systems, Inc., a device he will use until he is eligible for a heart transplant. Jonathan Haft, associate professor of cardiac surgery, said Larkin’s need for a heart was urgent. “His condition deteriorated
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to the point where we were considering him for heart transplantation, but we did not think that he was going to have the time to wait until that suitable donor became available,” he said. Haft said mechanical heart support has progressed since the 1970s, but Larkin’s situation is a first in that the Freedom Driver is easily transportable and allows patients to leave the hospital. “What’s new and innovative about this device is that the external component is now portable and allows patients to go home,” Haft said. “At our center, we’ve always been able to transplant patients within a five- or six-month period of time.” Larkin is still listed for a See HEART, Page 3
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Researchers from the United Kingdom and the Michigan Comprehensive Diabetes Center have identified the brain cells wired to detect glucose levels — a discovery which could improve how patients and doctors manage diabetes. Martin Myers, a researcher at the Comprehensive Diabetes Center and an associate professor of Internal Medicine and molecular and integrative physiology, said people with type 1 diabetes cannot produce insulin and must keep their blood sugar as close to normal as possible. People with diabetes, particularly type 1, have to constantly manage their blood sugar levels. But when participating in intensive insulin therapy, people run a high risk of receiving too much insulin — a problem that can result in decreased blood sugar levels. After three years of research, the scientists recently found a brain pathway that produces cholecystokinin, or CCK, a brain hormone that can detect blood glucose levels. Myers said researchers are now studying neurons in the See DIABETES, Page 3
NEWS..........................2 OPINION......................4 ARTS............................. 5
SPORTS.......................7 SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6
News
2 — Tuesday, January 27, 2015
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles Professor Campus Profiles Voices
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers Before You Were Here
THURSDAY: Alumni Campus TwitterProfiles Clubs Talk
Bipartisan leadership
What is Common Sense Action? Common Sense Action is a bipartisan advocacy organization that’s main goal is to bring Millennials to the policymaking table. It is mainly a national organization with 40 chapters
on 40 different campuses that each have their own advocacy plan. We all support the same general framework for goals, called the Agenda for Generational Equity. What is the advocacy plan for the University chapter? This semester we’re focusing on an advocacy plan to reduce Michigan’s budget deficit. If you really think about what is going to affect Millenials when we grow up and we’re living and working in Michigan, having a secure and solvent budget is one of the most important issues. Obviously the budget is pretty complicated, so we’re
ON THE WEB... THE FILTER
Screen Actors Guild Awards By ALEX INTNER Many Netflix orginal series won awards at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Award ceremony. Kevin Spacey won an award for his performance in “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” won two awards.
THE WIRE
M City vehicle test site to open By ALYSSA BRANDON M City, a driverless vehicle test site on North Campus, is set to open July 20. The $6.5 million test track will cover 32 acres. Roads have already been laid out and fake buildings will soon be added.
FRIDAY: Photos of the Photos theWeek Week
KICKIN’ IT
DANIEL KARR
LSA sophomore Daniel Karr is president of the University chapter of Common Sense Action, a national bipartisan advocacy organization that provides students a platform for policymaking and fighting for generational equality. CSA focuses on addressing domestic policy issues from the perspective of Millennials.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
focusing on three main areas. One, incarceration reform, reforming our prisons and making them more cost effective. Two, pension reform — 80 percent of Michigan’s debt comes from misallocation of funds and pensions. The third strategy is something called “reality-based budgeting,” sort of a commitment by the government to really only fund what’s most important. That means listing out in priority every single budget item. Once you run out of money you have to make cuts; you cut off the bottom of the priority list. — JING JING MA
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Instructor Portia Thomas leading her Cardio Kickboxing Class at the Trotter House on Monday.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
‘U’ library workshop
Internship workshop
“The Stakes of Hebephilia”
WHAT: Library staff will teach students about library resources for projects. WHO: Teaching and Technology Collaborative WHEN: Today at 10 a.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library
WHAT: As the season for finding summer internships approaches, learn skills and tecniques for successfully finding an internship. WHO: The Career Center WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: The Career Center
WHAT: Patrick Stingy will discuss his thoughts on the diagnosis of hebephilia and the role it plays on “sexually violent predator” laws. WHO: LGQRI, Doing Queer Studies Now. WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: 2239 Lane Hall
Healthy finances for students
“The New Black”
WHAT: Professor Yoruba Richen will discuss how race, LGBTQ rights and WHAT: University equality correlate. She will alumna Nadine Burns will discuss good finan- draw from her recent awardwinning documentary, “The cial practices such as New Black.” budgeting and living WHO: Science Learning within your means. WHO: Alumni Associa- Center, LSA Dean’s office WHEN: Today from 6:30 tion p.m. to 7:30 p.m. WHEN: Today from 5 WHERE: Lydia p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Alumni Center Mendelssohn Theatre
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Writing contest ceremony WHAT: This year’s winners of the fall semester writing contest will be announced. WHO: Hopwood Awards WHEN: Today at 3:30 p.m. WHERE: Rackham 4th Floor Auditorium CORRECTIONS l Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
A former member of the Florida A&M University band was sentenced to six years in prison for the hazing death of former band drum major Robert Champion Jr. Champion was beaten to death aboard a bus by his fellow bandmates after a game.
2
The Michigan women’s basketball team took down Illinois on Monday night at Crisler Center, 70-57. Cyesha Goree scored 19 points and recorded 14 rebounds, her 12th doubledouble of the year. >> FOR MORE, SEE SPORTS, PG. 8
3
The “Vindskip” is an envrionmentally safe ship designed by Norwegian designer Terge Lade. It uses its own hull as a massive sail to propel itself forward, and will be one of the most environmentally ships built to date.
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BUSINESS STAFF Madeline Lacey University Accounts Manager Ailie Steir Classified Manager Simonne Kapadia Local Accounts Manager Lotus An National Accounts Manager Olivia Jones Production Managers Nolan Loh Special Projects Coordinator Jason Anterasian Finance Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Closing arguments in Vanderbilt trail begin Former football players plead not guilty to charges (AP) — The rape trial of two former Vanderbilt football players began wrapping up Monday with a prosecutor telling jurors that video evidence and photographs taken of the crime would be enough to convict them on most of the charges. Beyond the video footage and photographs, testimony from several athletes shows the players are guilty, Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman told jurors during closing arguments. The proceedings capped off a day of dramatic testimony during which one of the former players took the stand and testified that he was so drunk he
could not remember what happened. Former players Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey are standing trial on five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. Two other former players are facing the same charges. Vandenburg additionally faces a charge of unlawful photography and tampering with evidence. All have pleaded not guilty. Throughout the trial, jurors have seen graphic images of the alleged sexual assault that police recovered from cellphones and a laptop. Prosecutors said players took pictures of the assault and one even sent videos to his friends as it was happening. “This is normally the part of the trial where we might say that if we had this on photo or if
we had it on video, then it would make the state’s job a lot easier,” Norman told jurors in her closing. “But we actually have this uncontradicted proof in this case,” the prosecutor said of one of the rape charges. Defense attorneys have claimed that the players were drunk, one of them saying his client had an alcoholic blackout. “Ladies and gentleman, I submit to you that the only person who was unconscious and didn’t know what was going on was (the victim),” Norman told jurors in her closing arguments. A defense attorney for Batey responded by telling jurors that they would not see video or photographic evidence of his client having sex with the coed. “The testimony was he was crazy drunk and didn’t know what he was doing,” Robinson told jurors of Batey. Robinson also blamed a college culture that encouraged binge drinking and sex and said it wasn’t just limited to Vanderbilt. The closing arguments came after Batey took the stand and testified that he can’t remember the alleged sexual assault that prosecutors say he and three players carried out.
MIKE VALERIE/AP
Alexis Deschenes walks along Main Street in Acushnet, Mass., as snow begins to fall in the SouthCoast area.
Snowstorm threatens U.S. citizens in Northeast area Residents begin to prepare for inclement weather (A P) — More than 35 million people along the Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor rushed to get home and settle in Monday as a fearsome storm swirled in with the potential for hurricane-force winds and 1 to 3 feet of snow that could
paralyze the Northeast for days. Snow was blowing sideways with everincreasing intensit y in New York Cit y by midaf ternoon as f lurries began in Boston. Forecasters said the storm would build into a blizzard, and the brunt of it would hit late Monday and into Tuesday. As the snow got heavier, much of the reg ion rushed to shut down. More than 6,500 f lights in and out of the Northeast were canceled, and many of them may not take off again until Wednesday. Schools and businesses let out early. Government off ices closed. Shoppers stocking up on food jammed supermarkets and elbowed one another for what was lef t. Broadway stages went dark. “It’s going to be ridiculous out there, frightening,” said postal deliver yman Peter Hovey, standing on a snow y commuter train platform in White Plains, New York. All too aware that big snowstorms can make or break politicians, governors and mayors moved quickly to declare emergencies and order the shutdown of streets
and highways to prevent travelers from getting stranded and to enable plows and emergency vehicles to get through. “This will most likely be one of the largest blizzards in the histor y of New York Cit y,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio warned. He urged New Yorkers to go home and stay there, adding: “People have to make smart decisions from this point on.” Up to now, this has been a largely snow-free winter in the urban Northeast. But this storm threatened to make up the difference in a single blow. Boston was expected to get 2 to 3 feet of snow, New York 1½ to 2 feet and Philadelphia more than a foot. The National Weather Ser vice issued a blizzard warning for a 250-mile swath of the reg ion, meaning heav y, blowing snow and potential whiteout conditions. Forecasters warned that the wind could g ust to 75 mph or more along the Massachusetts coast and up 50 mph farther inland. New York Cit y’s subways and buses planned to shut down by 11 p.m.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com LANSING
Snyder outlines priorities for civil rights in rare visit Gov. Rick Snyder, in a rare visit Monday, urged the state’s Civil Rights Commission to consider a range of issues including drones, police body cameras and race relations while saying Native American culture should be celebrated more. Declining to give many specifics, the Republican governor also mentioned priorities such as immigration — specifically migrant farm workers — disabilities, and mental health and criminal justice issues. In response to a question from a commission member, Snyder apologized for forgetting to mention his hope that the new Legislature continues discussing a bill to add protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to the state’s civil rights law. The measure died in November.
NEW YORK CITY
Northeast winter storm could set weather record NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference Sunday, “This could be the biggest snowstorm in the history of this city.” The National Weather Service (NWS) and Weather Channel meteorologist Chris Dolce have both said the impending storm is “potentially historic.” So, what does historic mean, and how strong is this “potentially”? It depends on your definition, but this storm could be one for the record books, and not just in the highest-3 point-shooting-percentage-in-the-thirdquarter-with-two-bench-players-on-the-court-on-a-Tuesday type of statistic.
MONTGOMERY
Alabama appeals decision blocking marriage ban Alabama on Monday began the process of appealing a federal judge’s decision that overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage — a decision that was put on hold to allow time for the appeal. At least two same-sex couples sought and were refused marriage licenses because of the delay, officials said, but there were no reports of widespread problems or confusion over the issue. Attorney General Luther Strange’s office filed notice with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta saying it would challenge the ruling by U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade of Mobile.
QATAR
Freed Al Qaeda agent was part of proposed swap for jailed Americans Before he was released from a U.S. maximum-security prison last week, a confessed al Qaeda sleeper agent was offered up in a potential prisoner swap that would have freed two Americans held abroad. According to two individuals with direct knowledge of the case, the proposition was made shortly after the Obama administration traded five Taliban fighters for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Those fighters were also sent to Qatar, where they’re to remain under government watch until later this year. U.S. officials have said they’re at risk of plotting further attacks against the United States.
—Compiled from Daily wire reports
HEART From Page 1 heart transplant, as recipients of this device currently must be, but his ability to go home and be among his family for the holiday season is unique among eligible recipients. “They could call me any day and tell me they’ve got that heart,” Larkin said. “Any day.” Don Isaacs, vice president of communications for SynCardia Systems, Inc., said the timing was crucial. “It’s a lot harder to bring back a patient who has already experienced damage versus getting our heart in there before the organs suffer any type of damage,” Isaacs said. The Freedom Driver weighs about 13 pounds and can be carried around in a backpack. SynCardia’s previous device weighed 418-pound. The device is constantly pumping and makes considerable noise. It works by delivering compressed air into the ventricles through two tubes exiting the body. Larkin said the machine took some getting used to. “I had to get used to the tubes coming out of my stomach,” he said. “I had no choice but to get used to it, but it’s
DIABETES From Page 1 same brain pathway that could unlock new methods for addressing hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. “We’re looking at the neurons that live downstream of these (CCK) because our thought is that those neurons are the ones that collect the signals from the system that we just studied, but then also from a whole bunch of systems,” Myers said. “Those are the ones that I think if we can figure out what’s in them, we can probably figure out a way to target some kind of therapeutic agent for hypoglycemia.” LSA junior Krysta Walter, president of Students for Diabetes Awareness, said type 1 diabetes affects her life every day. To be prepared, for unexpected drops in blood glucose levels she said she must always carry her meter, glucose tab-
SACUA From Page 1 plan during winter semester to address the topic. Pollack said she is hopeful that the University’s efforts to reach out to high performance students from low-income areas, such as initiatives to waive application fees, will improve diversity on campus. University funding was also a point of discussion. Noting that the majority of public higher education institutions face a challenge fiscal climate, Pollack cited state disinvestment in higher education as a continuing challenge for public colleges and universities. “One thing that then happens is we become more reliant on philanthropy,” Pollack said. “The future remains challenging and we’ll have to work together to address them.” In recent years, the University has ramped up its private fundraising. In November 2013, the University launched the Victors for Michigan campaign. The fundraising effort is intended to raise $4 billion, a quarter of which will be earmarked for scholarships and other forms of financial assistance. During the session, Microbiology and Immunity Prof. Patrick Schloss asked how President Barack Obama’s higher education proposal — to make two years of community college free for many Americans — would impact the University. Pollack responded that the more the federal government recognizes the value of higher education, the better. She said it is important that a University education can be affordable as well. “If you’re an in-state stu-
News helped me so far.” Larkin said he was 16 when he collapsed at a basketball game and doctors discovered a condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. Since then, his heart condition deteriorated until Nov. 7, 2014, when his heart was replaced with the Total Artificial Heart. Isaacs said the Freedom Driver, which was approved by the FDA in June 2014 as a bridge to transplantation, is calibrated to function as a heart replacement. “People don’t die from heart disease; they die from heart disease not providing enough blood and nutrition and oxygen to the vital organs,” Isaacs said. “Biventricular failure means that both the left and right ventricles are going bad, so the point of our device is to prevent any damage to the vital organs.” Haft said the device has proved beneficial so far. “It’s not a burden for him,” Haft said. “He’s delighted to not have heart failure symptoms, and I think he’s enjoying his life out of the hospital, despite the extra effort that’s made to deal with the complexities of this equipment.” Larkin, meanwhile, is just happy to just be out of the hospital.
lets or a juice box. Engineering senior Brianna Wolin was diagnosed with diabetes when she was four years old and said monitoring her insulin a critical part of her daily life. “You could literally go into one day and eat exactly the same thing at the same time for every meal that you did the day before and have a completely different outcome,” Wolin said. “It’s sort of the understanding that you always have to be on your toes, because if you were to relax for about more than five minutes, you could get yourself into a problem. You have to be hyper vigilant and aware because in five minutes, your entire existence could completely change.” Scientists say this recent discovery could help people like Walter and Wolin who suffer from hypoglycemia and hope the research will continue to produce results.
dent from a low-income family, a Michigan education can be essentially free,” Pollack said. After Pollack concluded her presentation, the Assembly passed a resolution discouraging members from signing confidentiality agreements or orally agreeing to not disclose information from executive sessions. In recent months, SACUA members have discussed concerns related to confidentiality agreements, particularly the agreement for members of the University’s Advisory Board on Intercollegiate Athletics, the body charged with providing input to the University’s Athletic Department. The current confidentiality agreement prevents members of the board from discussing concerns with anyone apart from the University’s president. Scott Masten, chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs and a professor of business economics and public policy, said assembly members are currently asked to serve on various University committees or advisory boards. Because these policies or judgments can be sensitive in nature, SACUA proposed that confidentiality only be invoked for compelling reasons, rather than to avoid debate or accountability. “Both I and SACUA objected to the agreement as being excessively broad and restrictive, as well as to the fiduciary language” Masten wrote in a November e-mail interview. “We also felt that it conflicted with the spirit of the regents’ Bylaws, which provide for consultation between ABIA and SACUA and the Senate Assembly.” The next Senate Assembly meeting will be held Feb. 16.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 — 3
DATA From Page 1 The University of California, Los Angeles, for example, employs a policy to govern the ways in which the institution uses data collected during the admissions process, called the Policy on Access to Student Data. The policy allows access to student data on a case-by-case basis as determined by the registrar’s office. The procedure also provides provisions for researchers and student organizations accessing data as well. Hilton said the University continues to explore new uses for data analysis. The important part, he said, is to do so with the right policies and procedures in place. “The question my office has been looking at isn’t about collecting new data, it’s about using data already collected in new ways to
SUSPENSION From Page 1 fered the damages were Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Mich., and Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs, Mich. Treetops Resort manager Barry Owens said Friday the damages would likely total between $85,000 and $100,000. In the letter, the three student leaders note that those responsible will be held accountable and will make amends for their behavior. “We will work to restore the good balance of our affiliates, and we will be looking for ways to begin repairing our relationship and trust with each resort as well as the communities in northern Michigan,” the letter said. The Michigan State Police is conducting an investigation on
improve learning,” Hilton said. “It’s about using data analytics to inform the classroom and doing that in ways that are secure and honor privacy expectations.” However, some students and faculty have advised caution as the project moves forward. Pharmaceutical Sciences Prof. David Smith, a member of SACUA, said while he believes the collection of data is a good initiative and can benefit students, he is wary of the quality of collected data. During Hilton’s SACUA presentation in August, Smith raised concerns about how a policy of optional data collection would create an unreliable data set. “If you only get people who respond who do very well or very poorly, you don’t have a good representative of the class and the data and interpretation would be skewed,” Smith said. “There has
to be some way to determine if the data is really representing the group as a whole.” LSA junior Michael Fakhoury said students providing data should have access to information about the process. “If the University is using previously collected data, the students should be aware and consent that their information will be used as part of a study,” he said. However, Hilton said the only way for the data collected by the University to be beneficial is if it is analyzed and used for research purposes. “All of the data in the world, without asking questions or analysis, is useless,” Hilton said. “Large data sets render up a whole lot of questions. A lot of people think that data automatically answers a lot of questions, but it doesn’t. You have to figure it out.”
the events. Owens also said the resort plans to press charges and is awaiting the recommendation of the Michigan State Police to the prosecutor. Both the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association are carrying out a review of the incidents. University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald said the University Office of Greek Life is in communication with the local and national chapters of the Greek organizations involved. The Dean of Students Office has also been in contact with the two resorts that were damaged. Fitzgerald said the implications of a suspension vary by national organization. “This gives us the time and space to continue to gather facts and make sure that we understand the details of the incident very clearly,” he said. “It’s more important to make sure we get
the right information and move forward following our established processes than to do it by a specific deadline.” Sam Bessey, executive director of the Chi Psi fraternity, said the University’s chapter can still live in the house, however while on suspension their social activities will be restricted. Bessey did not provide a definite duration or timeline for the chapter’s suspension. “The purpose of the suspension is to gives us an opportunity to investigate further and determine the best course of action,” Bessey said. “Once we have done that we will move forward in the way we feel is most appropriate.” Representatives for both the local chapters and national organizations of Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Delta Tau, Alpha Phi and Delta Gamma could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
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Opinion
4 — Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF
AARICA MARSH and DEREK WOLFE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LEV FACHER 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
Develop a plan on homelessness
T
he Ann Arbor City Council approved a resolution plan on Jan. 20 regarding the city’s protocol for handling homeless camps. The plan was developed in response to Forestbrooke residents’ complaints that a camp has grown in size since last summer, causing a disturbance on private property. According to Councilmember Stephen Kunselman (D–Ward 3), neighbors had previously been using the private property as a community area. The now-evicted homeless camp, known as Camp Serenity, was one of the several establishments in Ann Arbor where displaced citizens have set up tents and created a sense of community. The city responded appropriately to these complaints by evicting the members whose tents were on private property. Now, City Council is considering a more proactive plan to relocate those living under such conditions. Beyond working on short-term solutions, the city needs to develop a more thorough eviction plan that works to curb the systemic issues facing the city’s homeless population. Kunselman has made it clear that this is not an issue to which Ann Arbor can turn a blind eye. The homeless population is very present in Washtenaw County with a population estimated between 3,000 and 4,000 people. Clearly, for many campers, relocation is not realistic. Along with significant transportation issues to shelters that make many of them inaccessible, these shelters also suffer from a lack of available resources. For example, the Delonis Center only has 75 beds for its year-round residential program. Furthermore, homeless citizens might have difficulty capitalizing on assistance due to anxiety or other mental disorders. Earlier this month, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority voted to pursue an ambassador program that would put paid ambassadors on the streets to help the homeless and mentally ill, although that role is not clearly defined. While street monitors may be helpful in identifying issues of safety or pointing out individuals who need help, the money allocated, approximately $300,000, would be better spent directly on initiatives that directly improve the circumstances surrounding the homeless
population’s condition. Services such as educational programs, career workshops, psychiatric services, and drug and alcohol abuse treatment are all resources shelters must have in order to begin to change the systematic issue. Another long-term problem is the lack of affordable housing in Ann Arbor. The high costs of housing make it difficult even for employed homeless people to pay for housing and reintegrate back into society. Highridge Costa Housing Partners had plans to build affordable housing units in 2007 on the property where Camp Serenity was located . The project has not been successful because the developer has not been able to obtain highly competitive, low-income tax credits granted by the state. These problems will not dissipate if the council chooses to ignore or respond with eviction only after receiving complaints, which is what happened with Camp Serenity. In order to relocate the homeless off private property and into caring hands, councilmembers must create attainable options rather than waiting until they are forced to evict campers who are, quite frankly, stuck in the muck.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Devin Eggert, David Harris, Jordyn Kay, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Linh Vu, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe
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If you knew you couldn’t fail
was once volunteering at an elementary school in Ypsilanti when a teacher told me that it is impossible to feel safe if your basic needs are not taken care of. She then said DANI that more than 50 percent VIGNOS of her students don’t have their basic needs met. The question I continue turning over in my head is, “what are you privileged to think about when you don’t need to think about your health, safety and basic needs?” Sometimes I feel like my mind is liberated and I am living in the biggest and best game of “make believe.” Even though my heart aches every time I see someone less fortunate than me, I also recognize that I am the only person I can control, so that will have to do. I do not think I am unique in this idea; in fact, I have met many amazing individuals who seem to have this same sense of liberation. The commonality that strings us together is our desire to help people, create change and make an impact. The buzzword “social entrepreneurship” has been floating across campus and ringing in my ears for a while now. The group optiMize, a student-driven social innovation movement that spans the University campus, seeks to bring creative and socially driven individuals together. Patrick Tonks, associate director of the Institute for Humanities, has jumpstarted a University-funded collection of student interest groups that similarly gather students to talk about what really matters. Additionally, TechArb, a student startup accelerator, has similarly gathered a pool of students doing new and important things. The avenues are clearly there, and even without the guidance of these accelerator programs, many students have found sustenance in providing needs across campus and within the Ann Arbor community. Coffee clubs, book clubs, art shows and pop-up competitions are appearing out of thin air. It is prevalent and important work that is allowing University students to learn outside of the structure of a classroom and moreover, to find issues or needs that are particular to their individual and unique outlook on life. I met with Max Steir, a 2013 University
graduate and co-owner of Salads UP on East Liberty Street, and he had important wisdom to impart on students who plan on participating in similar ventures. After realizing that Ann Arbor lacked a healthy salad restaurant, he and a friend designed the new shop. The restaurant emanates sustainable and environmentally conscious efforts. From the locally sourced food to the reclaimed wood, the space radiates with a positive mission. Although the result is a rewarding experience, the process has its ebbs and flows. Steir said, “You have to deal with the fear of not exactly knowing when you are going to get your money back, but that you spent enough to know that you will get it back and that much more, and most importantly, that your operation will turn into exactly what you envisioned.” It is important not to compromise one’s beliefs, but rather to see the project through. Engineering senior Alex Ottenwess, who is majoring in industrial engineering and computer science, is embarking on a different path of entrepreneurship from a more tech-savvy angle. With the guidance of TechArb, Ottenwess and fellow teammates have designed an app called Wiz. Its purpose is to start connecting students to others in the classroom. He said, “It stemmed from a need I had in a lot of my big lecture and engineering courses where it would be 200 people, and I wouldn’t really get to know any of them. There is a big barrier to get to know people, but when I did find them, I really saw improvement in my understanding.” Wiz aims to open the doors of communication and interaction among classmates. These tokens of wisdom from students our age are inspiring and accessible. It takes the support of every member of a community to see progress, but it also takes the motivation that our student body has to offer. If one is fortunate enough to be liberated from basic fears of safety and health, it seems that positive impact and solutions for change can now occupy part of one’s mind. Every entrepreneur has a different story to tell and there is no perfect mold, but if one is able to make the change they would like to see, it becomes so much more possible than it would be if they were passively watching time go by. It is our duty to bring these issues to the surface so
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we can spark the change. As Ottenwess attested, “A lot of people have great ideas for change, but never put them into action, and it remains just an idea. When you can take that little leap of faith, even if it’s really small, that is something put
into action. It’s not going to change the world necessarily, but a lot of people struggle to make that initial leap of faith.” I’m staring at a postcard my mom wrote me when I was in a freshman spell of sadness. Its says,
“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” If you are able, try to answer this question and do nothing short of that. —Dani Vignos can be reached at dvignos@umich.edu.
MARGARET DECKER | MICHIGAN IN COLOR
The danger in denying racism I have been taught that racism is over. It’s no longer a problem, so it’s time to stop whining about it. “We have a Black president!” “I don’t see color!” “Everyone faces challenges in life, not just minorities!” In light of the lack of indictment in the Michael Brown case this past November, and in light of the many other black victims of police violence, I would like to disagree. Racism is real and present, and it is dangerous. It seems that most people in the United States agree that racism is bad. People were outraged when racial slurs were hurled at current Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner, the n-word is pretty much off limits for non-Blacks, and the general consensus is that the KKK has no place in our society. No one wants to be labeled a racist. I am a biracial Black woman, and I have hidden behind the privilege of being light-skinned. I have distanced myself from what it means to be Black in America. But when cashiers at the grocery store always ask my Black mother for her ID but never my white father, I can’t remain separate. When Black friends speak of being followed in department stores, I can’t distance myself. When I see peers post on Facebook that “it’s not about race” and remember specific times that I’ve heard each of them make derogatory racial comments, I can’t ignore it. It seems like we are not all on the same page in terms of what racism really means. By definition, racism is the belief that certain racial groups are inferior to others, accompanied and legitimized by historical inequity and unequal power dynamics. Racism is not only racial slurs, or housing discrimination or not hiring someone for a job because of their race. It’s the perceptions held by the group in power and the actions that result from those perceptions. Racism is very hard to recognize and very easy to internalize. Biases are stronger than we give them credit for. They linger in the background of our lives, quietly whispering messages that cause us to lean certain ways. I’ll give the example of Black representation in the media. When Black people are mentioned in news stories, the story often contains the words “thug,” “animal” or other dehumanizing terms. Hearing these representations over and over creates the racist idea that Black people are dangerous. But those exact
I
words will never be uttered aloud, so the racism behind those thoughts will never be acknowledged. And then you watch movies or flip on the TV, and Black characters, or any characters of color, are rare. If they are present, they are often supporting someone white, or play an insignificant role. My roommate last year prefaced a question with, “I’m not trying to be racist…” and then asked why there were “Black” movies, and why Black Entertainment Television got its own channel. I explained to her that the rest of popular culture could accurately be called “White Entertainment Television.” One study showed that out of all movies produced in 2012, the proportion of black characters featured was 70 percent less than that of the Black population in the United States. Black people are unimportant and unappealing. These notions are subtly spread from person to person. After a basketball game where my primarily white high school faced a primarily Black high school, my high school friends ogled at how “Maddie’s talking to those Black guys!” Black men are scary. Over the summer, another student in my internship talked about how a bar “had great reviews on Yelp, but when I went in there were all these homeless Black guys!” Black people are poor and do not belong in the same circles as me. When a group of Black U of M students arrived at a house party I was attending, the host suddenly decided there were too many people and it was time for the party to end. I do not want dangerous Black people in my house. I don’t know how many of my friends have joked about getting shot in “ghetto Detroit.” Black cities are violent. Every Black person I know has been followed by employees while shopping in a store. Black people are criminals. I, and other Black friends, have been told by white peers that it was “easier” for us to get into that school, or to get that job offer, as if we are unqualified but were given a boost by our skin color. Black people are unintelligent. So many Black people have had negative experiences with the police. In the first half of 2014, out of all those stopped because of New York City’s “Stop and Frisk” practice, 53 percent were black, whereas Blacks represent only 25 percent of the New York City population. Black people are suspicious. Black
people are up to no good. But no one said the n-word, no one said a slur, so these many instances were not recognized as racism. And this is a huge problem. When a problematic behavior is being exhibited, yet people are constantly affirming themselves that it is not problematic, the behavior is encouraged and continues. Denying the existence of racism is actually promoting and perpetuating it. It’s hard to admit it, for fear of being labeled racist, but everyone has biases. And when you acknowledge this fact, you can actively work against it. However, ignoring biases causes action that is much more serious than crossing the street when a Black person approaches at night. All of these biases compound and lead to violence. I do not believe that when an unarmed Black man or woman, or in the case of Tamir Rice — an unarmed Black boy — is killed by the police, that the police officer simply shoots them “because they are Black.” And I do not deny that there is also police brutality against whites, and every other race. But I do believe that years of internalized racism have caused distrust and fear toward the Black community. And these subconscious, but still racist, biases cause the officer to be more suspicious, more on edge, more afraid, if a person were Black than if they were white. They are more likely to expect violence and to assume criminal activity, they are more likely to respond with excessive force. They are quicker to draw their weapon. They are quicker to shoot. It is unproductive to pretend that racism is not a problem. It is unproductive to continually treat each time the police murder a Black person as an isolated incident. It is unproductive to think that just because racism doesn’t happen to you, it doesn’t happen. Until we change our culture, until we stop perpetuating stereotypes through the media, until we reject internalized racism, nothing will change. Until we can label our biases as what they really are, until we can name racism, there will be another Aura Rosser, another Tamir Rice, another Michael Brown. Margaret Decker is an Engineering senior.
We’ve become coldhearted
t is five degrees below zero. There are about three blocks between where I currently am and the warm, toasty interior of Sweetwaters where I’m headed. I sprint as fast as I can down State Street because, though the wind may be a whiplash, to sulk and shiver KAREN idly would be HUA an even more aggravated, elongated torture. In my tunnel-visioned hurry, I sweep past figure after hooded figure nested in the nook of each street corner. They are the same homeless people who are there every day, except today their hands are folded inward from the cold. I don’t realize that their involuntary immobility, the exact one I try to avoid, must make the needle-sting of the cold hurt that much more. When I finally arrived in the comfort of my destination — overpriced coffee in hand — I read an article that slapped me harder than the wind chill did. In 1973, John M. Darley and C. Daniel Batson of Princeton University published “From Jerusalem to Jericho,” a piece in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. In their study, they analyze the way our egocentric society alienates those out on the street. However, they explain how it’s our self-absorption and consequent lack of awareness that prompts us to not acknowledge the needy, even when they are by our feet. As they sum up, “Ethics becomes a luxury as the speed of our daily lives increases.” As individuals, we have all become
increasingly busy, cramming activities and meetings into our schedules until the white spaces on our calendars disappear. We are always hurrying everywhere; to events we will perpetually be late to — even on Michigan time. As we rush to our destinations, our heads are bent down — if not in cold, then immersed in the egocentric universe of our smartphones. Our Facebook statuses are always “on the go,” our tweets complain about how we’re always on the go and our GPS destinations are forever nomadic. In our self-centered worlds, we forget about everyone else around us, because we — me, myself, I — need to keep going, going, going… I am from Boston, born and raised, and I harbor an East Coast mentality that puts me in an eternal state of self-centered hurry. At North Station, you will be trampled if you intend on slowing the sea of traffic. Growing up, my parents and teachers always taught me to avert my eyes forward, focus on my destination and ignore all beggars on the street because they most likely have adverse intentions with your money. Now, I reflect on my first day at Michigan, my first stroll through downtown Ann Arbor with a Mitten-native friend. As we passed rows of homeless men and women lounging on the cement, I noticed that my friend nodded at each person who made eye contact, while I desperately avoided any connection. When explicitly asked for money — whether in a rough or gentle tone — he politely declined, apologized or simply said, “have a nice day.” Regardless, what astounded me was that he simply acknowledged their presence. He was able to reach the same “destination” as me, without a penny fewer from his pocket, but he validated the efforts and existence
of these fellow human beings. That day, I felt strange seeing my friend act with a kindness toward strangers who I didn’t quite understand, but I knew I was not the only one. As Darley and Batson underline, “A person (sees) another, consciously (notes) his distress, and consciously (chooses) to leave him in distress … The empathic reactions usually associated with that interpretation (have) been deferred because they (are) hurrying … Because of the time pressures, they (do) not perceive the scene as an occasion for an ethical decision.” So, by perpetually being in a hurry, have we made ourselves less empathetic as basic humans? It is our hurry that makes us more selfish, less aware — and I guess, by default, less compassionate. I am not overtly wealthy and I unfortunately do not have change or resources to give every homeless person I encounter. It will be difficult to loosen our schedules, slow our perpetual rush or eradicate our fascination with our mobile devices. Each person I meet on the street may also not have genuine intentions or altruistic means when asking for money. However, at the core, we are all one and the same — trying to get somewhere with our lives. We are all human beings who deserve to be treated as such, regardless of whether we are squatting or standing on the pavement. A simple nod or “have a nice day” will not actually hinder me on my way to my destination, nor will it make the biting wind any softer. Regardless, I’m quite sure the cold is much harsher on their end of the sidewalk. — Karen Hua can be reached at khua@umich.edu.
Arts
5 — Tuesday, January 27, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
FILM REVIEW
‘American Horror’ finale freakishly bad By MATT BARNAUSKAS Daily Arts Writer
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
I have many leather-bound books (and first editions of The Iliad).
‘Boy Next Door’ successful camp Self-aware film brings laughs as well as thrills By CHLOE GILKE Managing Arts Editor
“The Boy Next Door” has all the ingredients of cinematic garbage. The January release date, the $4 million budget that was apparently spent Bsolely on perfect salon blow- The Boy outs for J.Lo Next Door and bad digital rain effects, Universal Pictures the dialogue so Rave & Quality 16 heavy-handed and ridiculous that the screenwriter obviously hasn’t even seen a movie, let alone written one — you don’t even need to know that “The Boy Next Door” has an 11 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes to know that this movie isn’t going to win any awards. But “The Boy Next Door” is aware of exactly what kind of movie it is. It takes its trashiness in stride, embracing all the elements that should make it objectively bad and spinning crap into pure entertainment. Jennifer Lopez (“Monster-inLaw”) plays Claire Peterson, a high-school English teacher with a needy teenage son and a husband who cheats but is really sorry about it. J.Lo is actually a very talented actress, and it’s a shame that this role doesn’t give her much to work with. But Lopez is naturally likeable, and the fact that she carries
her historically rom-com oeurve wherever she goes adds another dimension to the plot. For the first twenty minutes of the film, the audience is just waiting for her Channing Tatum type to show up and sweep her off her feet. That Channing Tatum type stand-in is handsome new neighbor Noah (Ryan Guzman, “Step Up: All In”), who, immediately upon moving in with his sick uncle, shows up to Claire’s house to fix her car and make her blush. Their chemistry is irresistible, despite the fact that Claire’s awkward son is still hanging around and that titular “boy next door” is only 19 years old. Noah is dropdead gorgeous with emphasis on the “drop dead,” youthful and forbidden and a little dangerous, but all the more appealing because of it. ... Until he becomes just plain terrifying. Guzman plays the switch from sweetheart neighbor to lethal stalker surprisingly well; he literally becomes a roaring, bloodied, vengeful monster in front of our eyes. His irrational actions are never really explained (beyond the fact that he has a “bad temper” and a history of violence), but that makes some scenes all the more terrifying, since the audience sees events unfold from Claire’s point of view. When she slept with Noah, Claire had no idea that he was a master hacker, fighter and all-around criminal mastermind. With each new revelation at how far Noah will go to enact his vengeance, we’re still completely in the dark as to his motivations or what he’ll do next. Whether or not this effect was intentional, it’s genuine suspense. But though “The Boy Next
Door” adds up to an entertaining, somehow coherent whole, its parts are still hilariously trashy. The writing is just horrendous, alternating between awkward, out-of-place dialogue (J.Lo telling her son to wipe the “schmutz” off his face during dinner, because apparently her lexicon features a fair amount of Yiddish) and wordless fight scenes. Most of the subplots just don’t make any sense, like why Claire’s son is bullied for having allergies and why he has an allergy attack while boxing. Actually, very little in this movie makes sense logically. How did Noah get a first edition copy of The Iliad? Why does it look like a book of fairytales? Why did Noah get expelled from school, and why does the movie make such a big deal out of that without even attempting to provide an answer? What’s the purpose of all those Greek epic allusions unless it was all leading to the moment when a metaphorical cyclops got stabbed in the eye with an EpiPen? “The Boy Next Door” doesn’t want to be thought provoking. It assumes that every viewer is going into this theater to see a dollar-store remake of “Fatal Attraction.” It assumes you’re there to laugh and stare at Ryan Guzman’s chest and pay $10 to watch it, because the movie only needs to sell a couple tickets to make a profit off its microscopic budget. But through all its absurdity and thoughtlessness, the movie remains wildly fun and fast-paced, even bringing a few nuggets of real thrills and suspense. “The Boy Next Door” is a beautiful, trashy, hot mess of a movie, and it’s pretty damn proud of itself.
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
Timeless ‘Evil’ shines By JACOB RICH Daily Film Editor
Like it or not, re-releasing old titles has become an institution in the video game industry. As games become increasingly complex, they’re also A increasingly expensive to Resident make. Sales Evil (2015) numbers for Capcom re-releases of games are sur- PS4 (reviewed), PS3, Xbox One, prisingly solid, Xbox 360, PC even when compared to their original release sales numbers. Re-releases just make financial sense for developers and publishers — they can cash in on past popular titles for minimal redevelopment time and cost. In 2014 alone, we saw upgraded re-releases of “Pokémon,” “Grand Theft Auto,” “Halo” and “Tomb Raider” games hit the market. Now, for the first video game rerelease of 2015, it’s the seminal survival horror game “Resident Evil.” Wait … doesn’t this sound familiar? It should, because “Resident Evil” already had its turn. Six times. “Resident Evil (2015)” marks the seventh time the 1996 classic has been re-released in some form. So how is this week’s “Resident Evil” ’s release at all relevant?
To put it simply, it’s because the game is still fantastic; “Resident Evil” is a game that each generation of gamers should play. It’s still scary. It’s more beautiful than ever. It’s meatier and much more memorable than the vast majority of video games released today. For the uninitiated, “Resident Evil” is an extremely influential survival horror game, pioneering gameplay mechanics that would be genre staples for years to come. “Resident Evil” ’s genius is its revolutionary use of restriction to instill fear in players. It was among the first games to limit the player’s ammo and the number of times they could save, and was certainly the first to use these restrictions fairly and effectively. This combination of limiting factors forced frantic resource management and a pervading feeling that at any given moment, you might not have enough stuff to survive. Another restriction in “Resident Evil” is its camera, which aims in fixed angles depending on the location of the player in the room. This allows the game to hide scares extremely effectively and makes for some interesting visual puzzles. The game is full of puzzles — actual interesting, complex puzzles — which mainstream video games seem to avoid at all costs lately. Perhaps the only thing wrong with the original “Resident Evil” was the time and place it came out. The 1996 Playstation version
looks, well, terrible compared to today’s popular hits. Its simple polygonal characters move statically and the game relies too heavily on FMV (real video of real actors — yeah, it was real bad). It’s aged worse than almost any other classic game with similar levels of acclaim. In 2002, “Resident Evil” received a remake (note that remakes are more effortful ventures than re-releases that alter the way an old game looks or plays) on Gamecube. This remake was so good that it made the original look completely unplayable by comparison. It completely overhauled the graphics, sound and cutscenes of the original, giving the cutscenes in particular a slick CGI treatment instead of FMV. “Resident Evil (2015)” is an HD upgrade of that game. Now, it’s playable in widescreen HD, with a new, optional control scheme that upgrades the archaic tank-like controls that plagued the 2002 treatment. The only knock on this game is that the CG cutscenes weren’t upgraded to HD like everything else, so they feel very out of place. Otherwise, this is the very best version of a seminal video game. If “Resident Evil” doesn’t already occupy a spot in your collection, there has never been a better time to change that. “Resident Evil” was reviewed using an advance digital copy provided by the publisher.
Note: This review contains major spoilers for the Finale of “American Horror Story: Freak Show.” Well, that went downhill. D+ The premiere of American “Freak Show” Horror had promise: Story: a potentially terrifying con- Freak Show cept, which Season 4 called back to finale the cult classic “Freaks,” filled FX Wednesdays with opportu- at 10 p.m. nities for social reflection. But then the train really went off the rails with never-ending preoccupation with unnecessary characters and subplots. One week it was a weird mash-up of ’50s horror and “Glee”-style musical numbers, the next, Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) showed up. Salvaging a broken product was all that the finale “Curtain Call” could do. It opens with psychopathic Dandy (Finn Wittrock, “Unbroken”) in charge of the titular freak show after Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange, “Big Fish”) abandoned it to pursue her dreams of Hollywood stardom. How will the freaks respond and survive with a character that can be turned into a killer at a drop of a hat? “Not very long” is the answer, as it takes all but 15 minutes into the finale before Dandy goes off on a shooting spree in the camp, and there’s not a bit of surprise to it. Dandy snapping on the freaks was inevitable, but having it happen so soon killed any illusion of dread or suspense along with the majority of the freak show. The well-shot massacre should have been terrifying, but it was too clear who was going to live and who was going to die. If the cast member was part of the
FX
This is the last “American Horror Story” article for a while, we promise.
repertoire of “American Horror Story” regulars, they were just fine. The side characters, like Paul (Mat Fraser, “Cast Offs”), were just there for the body count and were doomed from the start. According to “AHS,” Angela Bassett (“ER”) ’s three breasts are just sexier than real-life disabilities. But even with its failings, “Curtain Call” was still able to wrap up several important threads. Dandy’s death was fitting, even with the ham-fisted “You are the biggest freak of all time!” line thrown in to remind viewers that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – if that wasn’t already painfully obvious. But there was more than a half hour left in an already bloated runtime. And with a flash forward, “American Horror Story” became “The Jessica Lange Show,” and a passable finale to a disappointing season became insulting. In 1960, Elsa has become the “Queen of Friday Night” with a variety show and everything else she wanted, despite the fact that the show has, on multiple occasions, pointed out that Elsa isn’t that talented. Despite her success, Elsa is lonely. “I’m bored,” she says at one point, echoing my exact sentiments. With her career facing ruin as her past catches up with her, Elsa decides to perform on Hallow-
een. This is an obvious excuse for Edward Mordrake (Wes Bentley, “The Hunger Games”) and his ghostly crew to show up again and kill her on stage. This season, Elsa has sold a character into slavery, killed her best friend and sold her freak show to not one, but two madmen leading to most of the freaks’ deaths. So what punishment awaits her? Nothing. All is forgiven as Ethel (Kathy Bates, “Misery”) greets Elsa in freak show heaven. The explanation? “It’s like you always said, sweetheart: ‘Stars never pay.’” Bullshit! An ending where the bad guys win is fine, but this was something else — this was a despicable character who got everything she wanted, still wasn’t happy and was rewarded with undeserved salvation. At no point did Elsa do anything redemptive or possess the necessary selfawareness to earn the ending she got. The audience is served up an ill-advised love letter to star Jessica Lange from series’ creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. This odd adoration spits in the face of the show’s own logic, which has condemned similar characters (in the same episode) for many of the sins Elsa has committed. The ending basically says, “Yeah this is a mess, but isn’t Jessica Lange just the greatest?” No. Just no.
TV REVIEW
‘The Fall’ enthralls By KIM BATCHELOR Daily Arts Writer
Finally, the long-awaited sophomore season of the Irish crime drama “The Fall” has hit Netflix. The series focuses A on the cat-andmouse chase The Fall of serial killer Season 2 Paul Spector (Jamie Dor- Available to stream on nan, “Fifty Netflix Shades of Grey”) by the Belfast police, led by Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson, “The X-Files”). This season brings the pair much closer until they are practically on top of each other – literally. The premiere picks up almost exactly where the season one finale left off. The episode’s dark themes are beautifully echoed in the low lighting and muted tones, and characters are often only silhouetted by single-point light. The music and dialogue are similarly hushed, with large swaths of silence where nothing can be heard but the sounds of breathing. This sets the mood for the whole season to come — dark and dangerous — but not like a fast explosion. Rather, it is slow and creeping, silent and deadly, like a concealed dagger. And, in case we’d forgotten over the hiatus, we are quickly reminded of the eerie feeling that no one is ever safe. Finally, the dramatic turn from slow burn to sudden attack at the end pushes the show forward. The real high points of the episode are the character interactions. Paul’s love for his daughter, Olivia (newcomer Sarah Beattie) is soured by the use of his skills as a murderer to comfort her. His kind smile toward
Rose Stagg’s daughter (Valene Kane, “Jump”) before his kidnap is purposefully jarring. Nevertheless, it is the women of the episode who steal the show. Aisling Franciosi’s (“Quirke”) character, Katie Benedetto, gains complexity as a character and develops from innocent bystander to fully immersed in the thrill. In Stella’s interview, Karen Hassan (“Hollyoaks”) ’s poignant performance in her role as a survivor of one of Paul’s attacks, paints a believable picture of not only a murder survivor, but a sexual violence survivor. This season, even more so than the previous one, employs the practice of surveillance and the feeling of being watched. This theme carries out with the installation of cameras in the Spectors’ home, the videotaping of victims and Paul’s secret observation of Stella. This makes many intimate moments public, and it forces viewers to face their own positions as voyeurs in these people’s lives. At one point, we are even called out as spectators, when Spector asks “Why are you watching this? You sick fuck!” “The Fall” also relies on some strong cinematography. This season continues the trend of visual doubling — the use of mirror images and juxtaposition of everyday actions with those of sinister intent. The visuals are written into the plot at the very level of the character’s personalities. Where Stella is clinical and Paul is sensual, both are sexual beings who strive for complete control in their lives. It is these similarities that allow them to get in the other’s head, constantly outdoing the other, and driving the show. Dornan’s soft-spoken serial killer, Paul, is slowly losing his humanity with his separation
from his family, which he plays with subtle and cold dead eyes. Meanwhile, Stella is warming up, with Anderson opening up cracks in her armor and bringing out real emotional depth. Additionally, Stella is the Queen of the inversion of the Male Gaze, using the men around her to her advantage. The supporting characters are further fleshed out in this season as well. John Lynch’s (“Black Death”) character, Assistant Chief Constable Jim Burns, provides a wonderful example of a man who is tired of a job he has been in for too long, while Niamh Mcgrady (“Holby City”) and provides his counter as an ingénue who still sees the best in people with her character, Police Constable Danielle Ferrington. A new addition to the team is the young and upstart Detective Sergeant Tom Anderson (Colin Morgan, “Merlin”) who is described as both promising and attractive – both things true of the character and the actor who plays him. It will be interesting to see where his character goes in the next season, especially with the parallel lines drawn between him and Spector. The season wasn’t without its shortcomings. Unlike its predecessor, season two felt the need to spell out the visual comparisons it made verbally. This aspect has not only weakened one of the show’s greatest strengths, but underestimated the audience’s ability to figure it out on their own. “The Fall” is the kind of show meant to make you think, and to dumb it down is to patronize those who enjoy the challenge of a good puzzle. Overall, season two does not lose momentum and honors its strongest points: the complex characters who are portrayed with depth and respect by the talented cast.
Arts
6 — Tuesday, January 27, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM REVIEW
EVENT REVIEW
Tour de force ‘Majeure’ Bechdel talks comics & life
Swedish film dissects tense family drama
Acclaimed cartoonist headlines Penny Stamps lecture
By ANDREW MCCLURE Daily Arts Writer
Sounds seem, and maybe are, louder in isolation — screeching tires, a baby wailing, an avalanche. Such is the model with- Ain which Swedish filmmaker Force Ruben Östlund Majeure (“Play”) works in his some- Magnolia Pictures times absurd, funny in a look- Michigan Theater away-kind-ofway exercise in family drama set in the quietude of a tiny Alps ski resort. And it’s really quiet — from the hissing of skis down an unpopulated run to the sun-kissed mountains playing with sleepy zephyrs. It’s also gorgeous. The terrain, the Kubrickian ritzy hotel and, of course, the family of four, in their matching, tailored baby-blue pajamas and blemish-free skin, on which the film centers. Doubtless, Östlund might have one of the tightest grips on naturalistic familiality I’ve seen — like when Mom’s so mad at Dad, she actually laughs. The film title’s thematic significance becomes apparent within minutes (“force majeure” means someone fails to uphold a contract when something unforeseeable happens): while lunching on a hillside with a marvelous view, a distant “controlled” avalanche suddenly becomes not so distant or controlled. Diners begin
By CAROLINE FILIPS Daily Arts Writer
MAGNOLIA PICTURES
Is that Shaun White?
to freak, screaming and running for dear life. The father, Tomas (winsome newcomer Johannes Bah Kuhnke), on instinct, nabs his iPhone and shades, then bolts, ignoring his two young children and wife Ebba (played by lissome rookie Lisa Loven Kongsli), who blankets her children like a mother should. The result is anything but cataclysmic — no injuries, no trauma, just a few snow-dusted butter plates. Tomas returns to the family table moments later, but, with deft subtlety, the table is so far from “family” that we don’t even know what it is. The emotional maelstrom begins to whirl. The implicit tension amid the family hurts and is hard to watch. Östlund slices these moments with a few smart tools: Hyperkinetic baroque music akin to a Wes Anderson film and noiseless chairlift rides that let us breathe, prepping for the next teeth-clencher. It doesn’t feel entirely unique, it just feels right — Östlund has a gut for
this fusion of well-cast art house and Malick-esque sublimity. The intrafamily conflict gets exposed by an anxious Ebba over drinks with a couple when hiding behind a faux smile, she says that Tomas “ran away from the table like a little girl.” Her smile just sits there, eyes tired, while everyone else looks anywhere but toward her, as if they can’t even fathom her bewilderment. Then, not because we want to, the lens flashes to a broken Tomas. We almost feel bad for him. This scene owns an emotional quotient unmatched by any movie this year, one that makes you respect Östlund as a talented filmmaker, as a human being. “Force Majeure” is not devoid of flaw. Ebba’s divorced brotherin-law and his 20-year-old girlfriend at first provide an effective soundboard for Ebba’s troubles, but soon fizzle out, Östlund trying to shoehorn an otherwise redundant device into an already compelling yarn. This soon grows
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
irrelevant, getting lost in the oozy subtext of marital gender roles, male conniption fits, the politics of infidelity, the male gaze and the hidden imperfections of an aesthetically perfect family. And, like, other stuff, too. All of this framed like a hovering specter via Fredrik Wenzel’s cam adds a witty, self-aware mystique, inviting us in without ever allowing us to feel at home. And the acting. The parental performances, by these two nonames, feel real in an unreal way, a way that our parents growing up would seldom reveal, but when they did, it felt cinematic. Östlund smothers us in pulchritude — the modelesque cast, the hotel amenities, the perfectness — without abandoning the root: Nobody lives like a J.Crew catalog, all smiles and riches and no rub, not even the J-Crew mannequins. It’s a fine study on Top 0.01 Percent Problems, but even more, a nuanced mediation on familial psychology.
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ACROSS 1 Help for Holmes 5 All hands on deck 9 Baby food, usually 14 “Can you give me a __?” 15 Bass’ red triangle, e.g. 16 Dove rival 17 Fraternal meeting place 19 Sense & Spray air freshener maker 20 “Here are the facts,” briefly 21 Garden outcast 22 Dark suit 23 Central church area 25 Pacific Northwest capital 27 “The Cask of Amontillado” writer 31 Reduced in number 32 Track tipsters 33 Train cos. 35 Yankee nickname since 2004 36 Asparagus, mostly 37 Nemesis 38 ENE or WSW 39 Set straight 40 Golfer Palmer, to fans 41 Where to read candidate endorsements 44 Much of the time 45 Kitchen add-on? 46 Yemenis’ neighbors 49 “__ been thinking ...” 50 NASA thumbs-up 53 Acme’s opposite 54 Periphery ... and, literally, the periphery of 17-, 27- and 41Across 57 Most clubs in a pro’s bag 58 Scott Turow memoir 59 Vulcan mind __: Spock’s skill
43 Low parking 27 Like 27-Across’ garage floor work 46 Bad mood 28 Clothes 47 Bern’s river 29 Fruity drinks 48 Noodle bar order 30 Bert’s buddy 49 List component 31 Fleeting fashion DOWN 51 Gawk at 34 “Get it?” 1 “Cutthroat 52 Classic sneakers 36 Schedule Kitchen” 54 “That knocked openings competitor the wind out of 37 Sassy tyke 2 Easter bloom me!” 39 Initially 3 Critical comment 55 Sorbonne one 40 More fitting 4 Aliens, briefly 56 Aussie runner 5 Prosperous, after 42 Salt additive “in” 6 Took the bus ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 7 Fabergé creation 8 Reason for handwringing 9 Sloppy farm digs 10 Tanning booth light, for short 11 Freeway, e.g. 12 Earth, to Hans 13 Windows to the soul, so they say 18 “Reading Rainbow” host Burton 22 Mattress supports 24 Matured 25 Liqueur in a fizz 26 Barnard grad 01/28/15 xwordeditor@aol.com 60 Principle 61 Superstorm response org. 62 Functions
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She came. She spoke. We laughed. As soon as cartoonist and writer Alison Bechdel appeared on stage at the Michigan Theater and graced the nearly-full crowd with her presence, she too laughed … at herself. “There’s an old saying that cartooning is a field for people who are mediocre artists and mediocre writers, and I would say that in my case, those things are pretty much true,” Bechdel remarked. Soon after, Bechdel presented the audience with her rejection letter from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s that genuine, self-deprecating humor and her idiosyncratic cartoons that captivated the audience on January 22. But her accolades, such as her 2014 MacArthur Genius Award and breakthroughs for the LGBT community, prove that she’s far from mediocre in her profession. Bechdel was selected to speak about her biographical graphic novels and the art of cartooning for part of the Penny Stamps Speaker Series, which has partnered with The Zell Visiting Writer Series and The Institute for Research on Women & Gender. Speaker Series Director Chrisstina Hamilton said Bechdel has been requested to speak numerous times and is highly regarded by Stamps students. Though ultimately delivered with insightful, witty candor, Bechdel’s presentation tugged at the audience’s heartstrings as she spoke about her unconventional upbringing, defined by the dramatic twists and turns within her family life. She evinced her signature ability to find humor in misfortunes rather than succumb to them, proving her greatest talent lies beyond her work.
A unique style of the craft, one tinged with honesty. Bechdel’s graphic novels examine what most are shy to admit — let alone publish — such as the poignant tale of her father’s secretive, sexual double life that led to his eventual suicide. Yet openness and freedom from inhibition is the essence of Bechdel’s powerful storytelling. Staying true to her childhood dreams, Bechdel made a name for herself and developed a unique style tinged with honesty. “I always wanted to be a cartoonist, even when I was a little kid,” Bechdel said. “But it was soon pointed out to me that was not a very practical career choice.” No stranger to grit and perseverance, Bechdel kept at her craft even when prospects were bleak. “It took a lot of work and a lot of years before it actually became my job,” Bechdel said. “I had to keep pursuing it, keep pushing it, slowly let go of my paying day jobs. It was a long process committing to it.” Bechdel emerged in the cartooning field with her marginal lesbian comic strip, “Dykes to
Watch Out For,” (1983-2008), which originally was not intended for publishing. Instead, the comic was the medium through which Bechdel extracted humor from the lifestyles of her and her friends. “After I graduated from college, I had recently come out as a lesbian and I just started drawing these comics for me and my friends about women like us, women who looked like us,” Bechdel said. “It was very unusual in the early eighties to see any kind of different looking women in the media, you would just see very feminine women and we were all countering that kind of image and looking kind of wild, crazy and androgynous.” Though well known for her comic strips and darkly humorous graphic novels, Bechdel is also the creator of her surname-titled test, which assesses the gender bias in films. The Bechdel test deems a film as feminist if it satisfies three requirements: one, if there is a scene with two women, two, the women have a conversation and three, if that dialogue is about something other than a man. For fans of Bechdel and those who missed the presentation, a comprehensive showcase of her work will be on display at the Institute for Humanities through February 25. The exhibit features original diaries from Bechdel’s youth, the infamous rejection letters, notable comic strips and clutter from her creative process. Amanda Krugliak, arts curator for the Institute for Humanities, modeled the exhibit after Bechdel’s childhood home with great attention to detail, even mimicking its wallpaper. “Conceptually, the idea of the room is to place it in the context of the house she grew up in, which was this kind of Victorian house,” Krugliak said. “Her father was really interested in interiors and getting something just right from the Victorian period. I thought it would be interesting to use that as a starting point and think about all these things coexisting in this room — past, present, her work, but also bits and pieces of growing up.” Bechdel also touched on the media’s response to the Jan. 7 terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French newspaper targeted because of its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. “I think everybody can see the significance of cartoons and comics especially right now,” Hamilton said. “We’re sort of in a very fresh and precious moment with the terrorist acts that happened in Paris just in the last couple weeks that were directed specifically at cartoonists.” Though intended for comedic effect, comics are undoubtedly a powerful tool. As evidenced by the recent, horrific Parisian tragedies, it’s clear that they can have formidable effects. Yet, the influence of the medium’s worldly succinctness is one to admire. “Obviously the power of the cartoon is sometimes more powerful than words can solve, that visual element can take it to another place,” Hamilton said. “The ability for comics and cartoons to juxtapose real-world issues in a visual and separate world formant give people the ability to instantly see things that otherwise might take a novel to explain.” Rather than acting in haste after the world deals us an unfavorable card, perhaps we can move forward from adversity by taking a note from Bechdel and extracting humor from our misfortunes rather than succumbing to them.
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Sports
‘M’ hosts surging Nebraska Wolverines continue to battle injuries coming off heartbreaking loss
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Zak Irvin leads all healthy Michigan players with 13.6 points per game and is shooting 35.8 percent from 3-point range.
players are ailing this week. The player Michigan can least afford to lose, it seems, is sophomore guard Derrick Walton Jr., who led the team with 17 points against Wisconsin, including a gametying 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left. He has been nursing a toe injury since late November and appeared to be limping in overtime Saturday. If Walton can’t play, freshman guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman might need to step in. He has looked increasingly comfortable on the floor since the beginning of Big Ten play and could be a candidate to start. Abdur-Rahkman chipped in nine points against the Badgers and looked impressive on a pair of drives and finishes at the rim. But picking the right bodies for the starting five is only half the battle. Even if the lineup stays in tact, the Wolverines are sure to be worn out after a long, physical game Saturday against the class of the conference.
Defense still ranks near nation’s worst The No. 13 Michigan hockey team’s offense is the reason this team has earned its highest ranking since the home NOTEBOOK opener Oct. 18. The offense is the reason the Wolverines overcame a fourgoal deficit Friday, en route to its second straight series sweep. In doing so, it proved the recent scoring outburst — which culminated in a 10-goal rout of Ohio State — was more than just a hot streak. It leads the nation in scoring with a commanding average of 4.36 goals per game. But Michigan coach Red Berenson won’t soon forget a coach’s favorite mantra: defense wins championships. “It’s the defensive part I’m concerned about,” he said Monday. Prior to the series opener, the Badgers had scored just two first-period goals in 18 contests this season. In the first period Friday, they scored three. In stark contrast to the offense, Michigan carries the No. 44 defense in the nation. It allows three goals per game and kills penalties at a rate under 80 percent. And given the inconsistency in net — junior goaltender Steve Racine lasted only one period in his only start against Wisconsin — that number has the potential to go up. Michigan’s recent streak hasn’t seen tight games, but the numbers suggest this offense can’t afford to have an off night. An NCAA Tournament appearance hinges on it. ONE-GAME WEEKENDS: It will more be than one month until the Wolverines play on a Saturday. In the middle of a sevenweek stretch away from Yost Ice Arena, Michigan will have two straight one-game weekends
Nebraska coach Tim Miles and his Cornhuskers were getting a little more attention before this season started than they had received the previous year. Nebraska was picked by the media to finish fourth in the Big Ten at the beginning of the season. The year before, the Cornhuskers were picked 12th out of 12 teams in the preseason conference predictions. The press had taken notice, and after making the NCAA Tournament last year, Miles’ table at Big Ten Media Day in October was a little more crowded than in past years. His newly acquired popularity prevented the Daily from questioning the coach about how he plans on covering Michigan’s big men and his thoughts on whether junior Terran Petteway will come back for his senior season or declare for the NBA Draft, but we still fired off some questions regarding the more serious issue at hand: How does Miles always give the best press conference? It was true at his 2013 Big Ten Media presser when he lightheartedly discussed his wife giving him a hard time for not recruiting enough and made selfdeprecating comments about being picked to finish last. It was true at his postgame interview
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
ICE HOCKEY
Daily Sports Editor
Behind Enemy Lines: Nebraska’s Tim Miles Daily Sports Writer
Daily Sports Editor
By ERIN LENNON
MEN’S BASKETBALL
By SIMON KAUFMAN
By MAX BULTMAN
Fighting to stay afloat in the Big Ten standings, the Michigan men’s basketball team is gearing up for a team that’s just now hitting its stride. Nebraska at Following Michigan an overtime loss to then-No. Matchup: 6 Wisconsin on Nebraska 12-7; Saturday, the Michigan 12-8 When: Wolverines will try to avoid Tuesday 7 P.M. an untimely Where: Crisler hangover when Center Nebraska visits TV/Radio: Crisler Center ESPN on Tuesday. The Cornhuskers (4-3 Big Ten, 12-7 overall) lost their first two games in conference play but have been much improved since, winning four of their last five and holding Illinois, Rutgers and Minnesota to under 50 points each. Against an injury-plagued Michigan team still looking for consistency on offense, their stingy defense could pose a significant threat. “(Nebraska is) maybe the best defensive team in the league right now, if you look at their numbers,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “They’re staggering with what they’ve done with their field-goal percentage both at the 3-point line and defensive field-goal percentage.” Beilein said Monday that the Wolverines (5-3, 12-8) could once again be looking at a change to the starting lineup as a result of injury, but did not specify which
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 — 7
to close out the first half of conference play. The Wolverines will take on Michigan State in the “Duel in the ‘D’” on Friday before the in-state rivals travel to Chicago to face off in the Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field. Given their recent dominance, the Wolverines would like a chance to win every night in order to maintain their position to make the NCAA Tournament, especially with the weakness of the Big Ten. “We’d like to play more,” Berenson said. “The Big Ten sets the schedule, so we’re at their mercy.” The Wolverines will return to a two-game weekend schedule in a rematch with Minnesota in Minneapolis on Feb. 27. STARTLING STATS: After Saturday’s 6-0 blowout win, Berenson compared his current team to the 1997-98 national championship squad. And he had good reason to do so, given the tear this offense has been on of late. For starters, after relinquishing an early lead, the Wolverines scored 12 unanswered goals in four periods, stifling any and every Badgers offensive rush in the neutral zone. Michigan’s seven-game winning streak is now its longest since March 2011, back when the Wolverines made the NCAA Tournament year after year. In addition to leading the nation in scoring, the Wolverines record the third-highest average of shots per game (35.14). The Wolverines have also had the luxury of beating up on a noticeably weak Big Ten. After dropping its first conference matchup against Penn State at home, Michigan went 7-0 against its next three opponents — including then-No. 12 Minnesota and Ohio State — scoring 52 times for a stunning average of 6.5 goals per game.
“We put a lot of energy into that game,” Beilein said. “Coming back on two days rest is not as easy as you’d think. We’re a tired group right now, and we’re going to have to find a way to find energy right now.” Looking to capitalize on Michigan’s exhaustion will be Nebraska forward Terran Petteway, who scored 32 points in Nebraska’s 79-77 win over Michigan State on Saturday. Petteway was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team after a breakout season in 201314, during which he averaged 18.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. This season, he has upped those numbers to 19.6 and 5.1, respectively. The 6-foot-6 swingman poses a mismatch problem for Michigan, but keeping him in check will be key to the Wolverines game plan. “You have to pay a lot of attention to him,” Beilein said. “No matter what defense you’re in, you better mark him well when he doesn’t have the ball.
When he gets the ball, he should see 10 eyes looking at him. … He can just get baskets where you’re gonna shake your head and say, ‘How did that go in?’ ” But while Petteway will attract all the attention when the Cornhuskers have the ball, Michigan will try to spread its scoring around the floor. Sophomore forward Zak Irvin continues to work through a shooting funk, but he leads all active Wolverines with 13.6 points per game. And while the emphasis on Irvin’s struggles has fallen on his 3-pointers, Irvin has actually shot a higher percentage from beyond the arc (34.1) than he has on 2-pointers (32.8) since conference play began. But as will be the case for the rest of the season, Michigan will take any kind of scoring wherever it can get it. “This is one of those years where I don’t think we’ve ever had the rotation figured out,” Beilein said. “Hopefully we’ll get to that point.”
after losing at Michigan in February, when he muted himself in place of using a curse word and referenced Seinfeld. And it was true at Big Ten Media Day in October when he suggested a happy hour for the media. Miles had to run from Media Day early to catch a flight back to Lincoln to make an afternoon practice, but that didn’t stop us from learning the art of a good press conference from the guy who practically invented it. The Michigan Daily: Who gives your favorite press conference? Tim Miles: I don’t watch any; I should probably. I’d probably get some good tips on how to act. TMD: After last year’s performance at Big Ten Media Day, did you prep at all for today? TM: Nope. TMD: Honest? TM: I don’t prep. Nebraska Sports Information Director: He didn’t prep. He has actual Big Ten knowledge. TMD: What’s the best question you’ve ever been asked? TM: Yours. That one right there. TMD: If you could ask any basketball personality a question, who would you pick and what would you ask them? TM: I would ask Bo Ryan how he does it. I think he is an unbelievable coach. (The Big Ten) has all of them. But Bo, being a guy that’s gone from a small college like me, and being so successful in the Big Ten, (getting) inside into his world would be great.
“I think (Bo Ryan) is an unbelievable coach.”
Weekend sweep proves depth By ERIN LENNON Daily Sports Editor
On more than one occasion Saturday night, Alex Talcott’s shot rang off the goalpost, inches from his first career goal. Prior to the game, the freshman forward hadn’t played in a game since Nov. 1. Of course, Michigan didn’t need the tally. The 13th-ranked Wolverines had already established a commanding fivegoal lead over Wisconsin, and soon finished off a sweep on the road having scored 13 goals. But scoring chances from Talcott and several other forwards showed that an offense that averages more than 4.36 goals is as deep as it is top-heavy. “We’re pretty well-balanced,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “It seems like when we need a goal, we’ll get it from one of our top nine. “We’ve had different players step up on our lines.” In fact, the Wolverines’
success in Madison came despite noteworthy absences from the lineup. Senior forward Travis Lynch — the fourth-line center and key feature of the penalty kill — did not make the trip after undergoing wrist surgery last week. Sophomore Evan Allen, who has seen playing time on the line this season, was also out with a concussion. Senior defenseman Mike Chiasson also stayed in Ann Arbor with a concussion. In Lynch’s place, junior forward Boo Nieves was set to anchor the fourth line before getting sick and missing out both games. His absence forced the Wolverines to roll three lines out, more or less, each night, putting added pressure on the offense. “It’s been a work in progress,” Berenson said. “Boo has shown some spurts of his potential. … I think he’s starting to come into his own.” Without those players, senior
forward Zach Hyman continued to put on a clinic around the net, while fellow scoring leaders Dylan Larkin, Alex Kile and Andrew Copp all contributed big weekends. But the offensive production wasn’t limited to the top five forwards. Junior forward Justin Selman, for example, tied his career high of five goals in a season Friday by virtue of his first career hat trick. Selman missed several weeks in October with a broken wrist and has shown significant improvement since. He and Nieves both have double-digit points totals, which was not the case in the two seasons prior. “He’s a different player now,” Berenson said. “This is the best hockey I’ve seen Justin Selman play since he came to school.” Scoring isn’t just limited to the forwards, either. Michigan’s final goal of the weekend came from freshman defenseman Zach Werenski.
With two goals on Saturday, Werenski now has 18 points on the year — second among Big Ten freshmen behind Larkin. He is one of four blue-liners with more than nine points this season. As a unit, the defense has tallied 67 points, accounting for a quarter of Michigan’s offense this season. This offense is so deep that reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year JT Compher — who led the team in scoring last season — ranks No. 9 on the team in scoring. He’s not struggling, but on a team whose goal-scoring leader sits among the top five in the nation in scoring, Compher’s mediocre four goals don’t tell the whole story. “I feel like whoever is on the ice has a chance of scoring,” Berenson said. The offense is so deep that when Talcott’s shot rings off the crossbar, it’s more likely than not that a Wolverine will be there to redirect it in.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Justin Selman recorded a hat trick in the Michigan hockey team’s 7-4 comeback win at Wisconsin on Friday.
Sports
8 — Tuesday, January 27, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan extends home win streak By JACOB GASE Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team entered Crisler Center on Monday night having won five straight home games, including its first three against Big Ten 57 ILLINOIS opponents. MICHIGAN 70 For a struggling Illinois squad to have any chance of securing a streak-snapping upset, it needed to both outshoot the Wolverines and contain senior forward Cyesha Goree. The Fighting Illini (2-6 Big Ten, 11-9 overall) weren’t able to do either. Michigan (5-3, 13-6) jumped out to a quick lead by making nine of its first 12 field goals. Goree also picked up her nowcustomary double-double (19 points, 14 rebounds), allowing the Wolverines drop Illinois handedly, 70-57. The Illinois post players gave it their best effort, but they simply had no answer for Goree on either side of the ball. On offense, senior guard Shannon Smith and Michigan’s other passers frequently pushed the tempo in transition, looking for Goree in the paint early and often. Even on transition plays when she was triple-covered, the Wolverines had little trouble forcing passes into the paint for Goree, who scored eight of Michigan’s first ten points. “We really did a great job of sharing the basketball, having a ton of assists and finding Cyesha,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “We found her a ton early, and then we kind of got greedy.” On the other end, Goree’s
tough post defense left very few offensive opportunities for the Fighting Illini. Matched up against two different 6-foot-3 forwards, Goree still managed to pick up three blocks and help her team win the rebounding battle, 41-28. While Goree’s presence down low was invaluable, Michigan truly separated itself with its long-range game. Facing a significant height disadvantage and a tough zone defense, the Wolverines were forced to look for open shots around the perimeter, and they delivered. Sophomore guard Siera Thompson, whose shooting percentage has fluctuated throughout the season, made four of her eight shots, including two 3-pointers and a long-range 2-pointer. Freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty, whose 3-point shooting prowess is a key in most opposing scouting reports, found numerous wide-open shots from beyond the arc and knocked down five of them. “My team creates (those shots) for me,” Flaherty said. “They find me in great positions. As you can see, a lot of my shots I really don’t have to put the ball on the floor for. They look over the top of the zone, or the guards attack into the middle of the zone and see me spotting up, so it creates shots that are easy for me to hit.” Conversely, the Fighting Illini struggled mightily when
Michigan’s defense forced them to the outside. Illinois shot just 21 percent (4-for-19) from beyond the arc, with three shots missing the rim by several feet. Even on one memorable firsthalf play where both Thompson and senior forward Nicole Elmblad tripped and fell to the ground in a heap, the Fighting Illini failed to convert an uncontested triple. But Illinois still managed to stay within 10-15 points of the Wolverines for much of the game because of a several mistakes in transition. Michigan lost 25 turnovers, including several errant passes in the first half that sailed out of bounds. “(Illinois) played kind of crazy, which forced us to turn the ball over,” Flaherty said. “We need to be more patient, more confident at times.” But thanks largely to a sharp improvement from Smith, who scored all 13 of her points in the second half, the Wolverines finished strong to seal a 13-point win. “You can make a couple bad plays in a game, or you can have a bad half, or you can have a bad 39 minutes, and maybe make one play to help your team win the game,” Barnes Arico said. “But if you let all that stuff bother you, mentally, you’re not in a good place to make that play. “(Smith) is good enough to make a play that’s going to be a difference maker for us.”
“We need to be more patient, more confident at times.”
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Junior forward Cyesha Goree finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds as Michigan moved to 5-3 in the Big Ten.
Inside-out game leads Michigan to victory Post presence opens perimeter for hot 3-point shooting night at home By BRAD WHIPPLE Daily Sports Writer
Cyesha Goree had three players hovering over her, and with barely any room to maneuver, she made a layup anyway. Monday night at Crisler Center, the senior forward faced multiple triple teams, but she nonetheless managed to fight through most of them. In every other instance, she was double-teamed, and that was even easier. When it wasn’t Goree, it was senior forward Nicole Elmblad, who in the opening minutes salvaged a missed triple by senior guard Shannon Smith to set up the offense for another basket. And when the Fighting Illini prevented the duo from wreaking havoc down low, sophomore guard Siera Thompson, freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty and junior guard Madison Ristovski cleaned up nicely from the 3-point line. With a strong and physical game in the paint that opened up the floor for other shooters to step in, the Michigan women’s basketball team easily pulled away with a 70-57 victory over
Illinois. “It makes it hard for teams to defend you,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “When we go through preparing for opponents, we try to say, ‘What can we take away?’ … If you have people like Cyesha inside and people that can shoot it from the outside, then who’s gonna help? I think that really opens up the game for us.” Though the Fighting Illini scored 10 more points in the paint than Michigan, it was the Wolverines who dominated on the glass, outrebounding Illinois, 41-28. The game came down to defensive rebounding, where Goree and Elmblad — who collected 14 and 12 total rebounds, respectively — led the charge. With 7:52 left in the second half, Illinois was looking to make a comeback when center Chatrice White drove inside the paint. Goree and Elmblad covered the Illini’s leading scorer almost instantly, forcing a lane violation. Meanwhile, on offense, Michigan continued to find Goree under the basket in transition, allowing her to pick up quick baskets. When Illinois began to pack the paint to stop the inside threat, Goree started to find herself trapped on the baseline.
The outside game willed the Wolverines to victory. Finding themselves open on the outside, Flaherty (five), Thompson (two) and Ristovski (one) played a threatening 3-point shooting game, going a combined 8-for-18. As for Flaherty, she was always open. “We’re great when we go inside and back out,” Flaherty said. “It opens up the floor a lot, especially when (Cyesha) is down inside because she can make shots and is a good passer. … She knows how to get me in good positions to score.” Added Goree: “If I’m doubling in the paint, then I know I have Katelynn outside for sure. I’m confident she’s going to make nine out of 10 of those shots. … (You gotta) know (defenders are) gonna collapse and you gotta get it out quick.” Both Barnes Arico and Goree refer to their team as a selfless one, always willing to share the basketball. That’s why four Michigan players scored in double digits, and it’s why the Wolverines set a goal to average 20-plus assists a game. Against the Illini, it worked in Michigan’s favor, and if the Wolverines can keep things consistent, it will continue to work in the games to come.
“I’m confident she’s going to make nine out of 10 of those shots.”
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BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Women’s Basketball
4
Michigan players with double-digit scoring: Cyesha Goree, Nicole Elmblad, Katelynn Flaherty and Shannon Smith
12
Double-doubles this season for Cyesha Goree
6
Consecutive home wins for the Wolverines
19
Largest lead for Michigan, with 2:05 left in the first half
25
Michigan turnovers in the game, a season high