ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, January 7 , 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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DIVERSITY
Trotter site prompts mixed responses
SINDUJA KILARU/Daily
LSA sophomore Nathan Harnden leads dance lessons for the University of Michigan Ballroom Dance Team in the Rogel Ballroom of the Union on Wednesday.
Ballroom team welcomes new dancers with lessons Members teach incoming recruits how to fox trot, swing and rumba By ANNA HARITOS Daily Staff Reporter
The 12-time national championship-winning Michigan Ballroom Dance Team opened its doors
Wednesday evening to newcomers interested in joining the group this semester. Students who attended the meeting learned the basics of ballroom dance, including how to swing and foxtrot. Amid lessons on how to dance, the team also showcased some of their best dancers. The center of the Rogel Ballroom quickly filled with over 250 students as the lesson began by separating attendees by gender. First, the males
were taught step by step how to lead a basic swing dance. As current members demonstrated the dance, the female side was then instructed. “It was a lot easier than I expected, and I want more” said LSA freshman Erica Edwards “My friends on the team have been begging me to come out and give it a try and after seeing how fun it was, I’m definitely considering it.” Soon after experienced members finished teaching
MEN’S BASKETBALL
By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer
John Beilein says he doesn’t decide until a season’s end which games are more important than the rest. It seems safe to assume, however, that Thursday’s trip to No. 20 Purdue (1-1 Big Ten, 13-2 overall) will make the list. It’s the Michigan men’s basketball team’s (2-0, 12-3) second visit of the year to a team ranked in the top 25. The first one — an 82-58 shellacking at the hands of then-No. 19 Southern Methodist — left plenty of room for improvement. “You all can just go through your books,” Beilein said. “How many times has Michigan beaten a ranked opponent on the road? You won’t find very many times. I don’t care who the coaches were and who the players were. It is difficult to do.”
It won’t help if senior guard Caris LeVert remains unavailable as he recovers from an unspecified injury to his lower left leg. The plan, Beilein said, was for LeVert to attempt to practice Wednesday and do the same Thursday in West Lafayette prior to tipoff. Beilein declined to elaborate further on LeVert’s status or the nature of his injury, saying only that LeVert will play if he can practice without pain prior to tipoff. With or without LeVert, Purdue’s perimeter defense presents a tall task. Though Michigan shooters such as redshirt sophomore guard Duncan Robinson have excelled in recent games from beyond the 3-point line, the Boilermakers’ size from top to bottom will likely create a space crunch for the Wolverines. Michigan is shooting 42.8 percent from beyond the arc as a team, but Purdue is holding opponents to 28.3 percent 3-point shooting. To combat the size disadvantage, Michigan has been practicing with sticks and pads that extend defenders’ reach by inches or even feet.
By LARA MOEHLMAN Daily Staff Reporter
A planned relocation of the Trotter Multicultural Center to Central Campus has garnered mixed reactions from the University community ranging from excitement to apprehension. Dec. 17, the University’s Board of Regents approved a proposal to relocate the Trotter Multicultural Center, currently located on Washtenaw Avenue, to State Street in an area behind Betsy Barbour and Helen Newberry Residence Halls on Central Campus. In Winter 2014, the Black Student Union called for the relocation of Trotter as part
of the #BBUM movement — a student-driven campaign sharing the experiences of Black students on campus. After the years of public discourse on the issue, many students lauded the approval, including Rackham student Austin McCoy. McCoy, a leader of Ann Arbor to Ferguson, a protest group advocating against police brutality, said he welcomed the accessibility and visibility of the new location. He noted that replacing the current multicultural center with a facility on Central Campus illustrates the importance of issues of inclusion and equity. “I think students of color and some various underrepresented backgrounds need to have a space that’s more accessible than on the margins of campus,” McCoy said. “I think Trotter’s current location actually symbolizes how students feel marginalized See TROTTER PAGE 3A
POLITICS
D A N C E T H E N I G H T AWAY
Wolverines set for conference test at Purdue Boilermakers’ stout defense matches up with Michigan’s sharpshooters
their planned steps, the team moved on to a showcase of their more seasoned members. It opened with a rumba performed by LSA sophomore Jenelle Rofe and Art & Design junior Jonny Pang. The couple has performed on the national level. Prior to joining the Ballroom Dance Team both had no experience whatsoever. Rofe said her time on the team has been rewarding and has given her opportunities See BALLROOM, Page 3A
Barbour and Newberry residents respond to center’s move
‘U’ classes help inspire careers in government Alums draw from wide range of academic experiences By REBECCA SOLBERG Daily Staff Reporter
RITA MORRIS/Daily
Ann Arbor resident Leanne Wade dances with LSA senior Ilya Beskin during the Wednesday Night Swing Dance held weekly in the Michigan League on Wednesday.
GOVERNMENT
University, state respond to ongoing Flint water crisis Snyder accepts resignations of key city officials in light of issue By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
After
building
concern
about water quality and public outcry, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) declared a state of emergency for Genesee County Tuesday. The move comes as part of an effort by the state to provide restitution for the health damages Flint’s residences experienced due to tainted water and ensure the city’s water safety in the
future. Snyder had previously accepted the resignation of Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, on Dec. 29. Brad Wurfel, the public information officer for the Department of Environmental Quality, also resigned. It followed a confirmation See FLINT, Page 3A
From helping on campaigns to running for office, University students are making an impact in politics, often with the help of classes focused on the election process. University alum Zachary Ackerman, who graduated in the fall 2015 semester with a political science degree, is indeed making an impact in the city of Ann Arbor. He ran for city office this past November and defeated fourterm incumbent Stephen Kunselman, making him the youngest member of the council. Ackerman’s age was an initial challenge during his campaign, but it forced him make personal connections See ALUMS, Page 3A
best of A look at how, why and where ‘U’ students get their local grub
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
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News
2A — Thursday, January 7, 2016
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Campus Voices
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
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THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
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Countertenor David Daniels, and Mezzo-Soprano Jamie Batron laugh over the struggles that come with singing a piece in a different language at the Walgreen Drama Center on Wednesday.
The School of Engineering wished students luck on their first day of classes in the new semester.
“
Gov. Rick Snyder (R) addressed the water toxicity currently afecting the state of Michigan.
“The sun rises on another semester. “Michigan governor declares Make the most of it & look out for each state of emergency over Flint’s other. GO BLUE! #UmichEngin toxic tap water” — @UMengineering - @weatherchannel
WHAT: The first in a six-lecture series exploring violence as classified as a contagious disease. WHO: L. Rowell Huesmann, Professor of Psychology WHEN: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. WHERE: Rave Theater - 4100 Carpenter Road
Michigan Dining Hall Job Fair WHAT: Learn about working at Michigan Dining for $11/hour with the potential for free meals with a 3-hour shift. WHO: Michigan Dining WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. WHERE: South Quadrangle
Graduate Concerto Competition Finals
Dance and fitness class
WHAT: The finalist will recieve the honor of preforming at regularly scheduled University ensembles. WHO: School of Music, Theater and Dance WHEN: 4 p.m. WHERE: Hill Auditorium
WHAT: A free dance “HIIT” class for students lead by a Body Allure Fitness instructor WHO: Trotter Multicultural Center WHEN: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Trotter Multicultural Center
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International Policy Center Film Series
WHAT: The film The Village Under The Forest explores the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict with metaphors and narrative. WHEN: 6 p.m. to 7:35 p.m. WHERE: Betty Ford Classroom - Weill Hall
Ikebana at Matthaei WHAT: An instructor will teach participants how to arrange flowers in a Japanese art of flower positioning, the Ikebana. WHO: Nichols Arboretum & Matthei Botanical Gardens WHEN: 1 p.m to 2:30 p.m. WHERE: Off Campus Location
Snowflake Making Workshop WHAT: UMHS Dr. Thomas L. Clark shares his techniques to help participants create paper snowflakes WHO: A. Alfred Taubman Health Care Center WHEN: 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. WHERE: Taubman Health Center North Lobby, Floor 1
Zell Visiting Writers Series WHAT: Poet C.S. Giscombe will read from his works of poetry and sign books. WHO: C.S. Giscombe WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Museum of Art Helmut Stern Auditorium
1
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
The NRA declined to send official representatives to a nationally televised town hall with President Barack Obama on gun violence, reported CNN. The town hall will feature direct audience questioning of the president.
2
Daily Arts Writers hang with up-and-coming rock band The Moxies, talk to student producer, YOG$, visit Third Man Records and more in a music-centric edition of The B-Side >>SEE B-SIDE, PAGE 1B
3
The United States doubts the accuracy of North Korean claims about the “spectacular success” of its first ever Hydrogen bomb, according to the New York Times. South Korea also doubts the North Korean H-Bomb.
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Salary raises proposed for Ann Arbor mayor, council members Salary raises proposed for Ann Arbor mayor, council members Pay will increase by one percent for numerous city leaders by February By MARLEE BREAKSTONE Daily Staff Reporter
For the first time in seven years, Ann Arbor’s mayor and City Council are slated to get a raise. The increase, proposed by the city’s Local Officers’ Compensation Commission, amounts to about a 1 percent bump in each official’s respective salaries — a monthly increase of $35 for Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor and a $13 monthly
increase for all 10 City Council members. The LOCC, a seven-member body appointed by the mayor and council, suggested the increase in a memo before Monday’s City Council meeting. The change will automatically take effect 30 days after LOCC’s memo, unless two-thirds of city council members vote in objection. The memo proposed that annual pay for Mayor Christopher Taylor be raised to $42,860. Additionally, it recommended that the annual pay for council members be adjusted to $16,073. Currently, Taylor makes $42,436 and City Council members make $15,913.50 annually. Though the city’s charter states that members of Council — with the exception
of the mayor — should serve without compensation, state law allows cities to establish an LOCC, which can then supersede salary provisions in city charters. Under the state law, these changes do not require voter approval, unlike changes to the city charter. If the raise goes into effect, the mayor and councilmembers’ salaries will collectively total $203,587 for each of the next two years, a $2,000 overall increase compared to previous years. City Council members gave no indication that they objected the proposed change in compensation at Monday’s meeting. “This pay raise is just one more cup of coffee at one more meeting,” said City Councilmember Sabra Briere (D-Ward 1). “It’s not a big
deal.” Taylor, who nominated a majority of LOCC’s current appointees, said he was willing to accept whatever determination the commission made, whether that was an increase or decrease in pay. In an interview Wednesday, Briere said the LOCC did not disclose to City Council members the criteria used to determine the 1 percent pay raise. She added that the body had asked councilmembers to report how much time they spent doing their jobs prior to meeting in December. The LOCC meets every two years to discuss pay changes. Briere said that this was the first time she had ever been asked to explain how much time she spent working for the community, and that she had
reported working about 30 hours weekly and about 90 to 110 hours monthly. “Honestly, I didn’t feel I was being underpaid,” Briere said. “I’m not in this for the money. The money is convenient, especially at this point in my life, but I didn’t run for office expecting to make money. I ran for office expecting to work.” City Councilmember Zachary Ackerman (D-Ward 4) echoed Briere’s sentiment about the increases. “I don’t think any of us are in it for the money,” Ackerman said. “We’re all in it to serve the community. I know I certainly am.” Pay increases for the mayor were more common in past years, which saw the mayor’s salary rise from $18,300 for then-mayor John Hieftje in
2000 to its current level of $42,436 in 2009. Yearly pay for councilmembers saw a similar trend, rising from $9,200 in 1997 to its currently level of $15,913.50 in 2009. The rest of the city’s employees have also seen increases, ranging from between 1-3 percent in the past four years. Before that, from 2009 to 2012, most city employees saw little to no pay increases as the city experienced budget challenges. Some voluntarily accepted decreases in pay in order to help close budget gaps, such as the Ann Arbor firefighters, who experienced a 3 percent pay decrease in 2010.
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Mayor Christopher Taylor expresses his gratitude to his fellow city council members at Larcom City Hall on November December 17, 2015.
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Thursday, January 7, 2016 — 3A
TROTTER From Page 1A
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LSA Senior Zachary Ackerman after being sworn into the Ann Arbor city council on November 17, 2015.
ALUMS From Page 1A with voters in order to gain their trust. “I had to run a different campaign,” Ackerman said. “It was very grassroots. We knocked on 4,000 doors, and 2,000 of those were done by myself. I just had to introduce myself to the voters and prove to them this was something I have been passionate about for a long time and I will continue to be passionate about it.” Ford School Prof. Rusty Hills , whose class — Elections and Campaigns — Ackerman took, said he advocates for students like Ackerman, who make political change. If there is one lesson Hills hopes students acquire from his classes, it’s that everyone can make a difference. “One person can make a difference and that person can be a young person,” he said. “There’s no reason why a student at the University of Michigan can’t make a difference.” Ackerman’s love for politics began as a high schooler in Ann Arbor. He said he was a nerdy 15-year-old boy, and he channeled his nerdiness into government and politics. In high school, he first began attending the Ann Arbor City Council meetings and he said “it kind of stuck.”
His education at Michigan, he said, allowed him to grow in his love and understanding of politics. An introductory course on comparative politics with Political Science Prof. Andrei Markovits was particularly influential for Ackerman. The comparative nature of the class allowed him to realize the value of government systems outside of Michigan. “And while this isn’t directly applicable to municipal government and my work on student council, it did give me a frame that there are practices that exist in other communities and that we can’t always look internally,” Ackerman said. Additionally, interning with a congressional race in Michigan for credit instead of taking a class also helped fuel Ackerman’s political education. The action based learning, he said, was as important to him as his formal education. “If you want to make a difference in your local community, your state or nation, you really have to dive right into it,” he said. “I think the greatest educational experience I’ve had has been working on campaigns or for elected officials. This class gave me a good excuse to do this.” Along with Ackerman, University alum Travis Gonyou, who graduated in 2012, said his University education allowed him to get a greater understanding of politics that he used for his current
job as a community outreach and communications manager at the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan. Gonyou said Political Science Prof. Arthur Lupia’s political persuasion class was especially formative for Gonyou, and inspired him to think about politics in a different way. “It really changed the way I thought about the field of politics and what I could actually do in the realm of politics,” he said. “The research he presented was really inspiring. He changed the trajectory that I went on and I have to say it was influential as a mentor and advisor to me.” Gonyou said his experience during the undergraduate research opportunity program also allowed him to think beyond what he believed to be the basis of politics. “It was then that I started to realize that it wasn’t just about the difference in theory and what you see in political practice or learning about the actual structures,” Gonyou said. “But rather how our words and hand gestures portray a certain meaning within political debate.” Gonyou said his Michigan education not only gave him career opportunities, but also helped him reach an extensive alumni network — especially since connections can have an influence on politics. “It is incredible having an
BALLROOM From Page 1A
FLINT From Page 1A
to compete with accredited dancers. “It was amazing to see the professionals showcased at Nationals and compete in the same field as some of the best in the country,” she said. “Ballroom has given me so many great memories I know I’ll take with me later on in life.” Their performance was followed by a samba jive done to “Jailhouse Rock,” a combination piece, and finished with a chacha from two alumni. Wednesday’s event was the first free lesson of four more to come. The lessons are designed to demonstrate what membership in the team looks like, according to LSA sophomore Saharsh Hajela, the team’s public relations chair. “We really think for people to get the ballroom experience individuals need to actually experience the dancing itself,” he said. “This is just a taste on how a lesson would work.” He added that the team has a positive environment that doesn’t require any previous experience, which other members of the team also emphasized. “Just be brave and go for it; you never know until you try,” Hajela said. “Most of our team has little to no experience. I would say that around 95 percent of the team, including those we showcased today, started with no prior experience. We have all different kinds of people on the team from all different backgrounds majors and career paths — no one fits a mold for Ballroom.”
from the U.S. Attorney’s Office that it, in joint with the Environmental Protection Agency, will investigate the crisis. The crisis began after the city of Flint switched from Detroit city water to using the Flint River as their primary water source. Following the switch in April 2014, residents began to notice a change in the water’s quality as well as adverse health affects like hair loss and rotted teeth. Testing later revealed an unsafe amount of lead and trihalomethanes — a carcinogenic chlorine byproduct — in the water. The Flint Water Advisory Task Force was assigned to investigate the mishaps in Flint’s handling of their water in October 2015. Wyant’s resignation, as well as other state efforts, are in response to the task force’s findings. “The health and welfare of Flint residents is a top priority and we’re committed to a coordinated approach with resources from state agencies to address all aspects of this situation,” Snyder said in a press release on January 5. “Working in full partnership with the Flint Water Advisory Task Force, all levels of government and water quality experts, we will find both short-term and long-term solutions to ensure the health and safety of Flint residents.” In a statement, Attorney General Bill Schuette said despite knowing Wyant to be a hard working public servant, he believed Wynat’s
resignation was necessary to rebuilding the public’s trust in the state. “In my 20-plus years of knowing him, Dan has been a hardworking, dedicated public servant,” Schuette said. “I am committed to working with all parties, including the legislature and Governor, to ensure the public’s health and the well being of Michigan residents.” Though the city admitted to violating the federal Safe Water Drinking Act for the unsafe amount of trihalomethanes in January 2015, Flint’s emergency manager chose to keep their current water filtration system for nine more months. In October, the city struck a deal to begin purchasing water from Detroit again, amid investigation into Flint’s water quality concerns. “When I became aware that the city of Flint’s water showed elevated lead levels... I appointed an independent task force to identify possible missteps and areas for improvement,” Snyder noted in a statement released in December. The state government’s response to the crisis has drawn significant criticism, especially from interest groups in the state, as well as engagement from colleges in the area. Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan, a political organization whose mission is to hold government officials accountable, said in a statement he believes Michigan officials have not taken responsibility for the crisis surrounding Flint’s water supply.
alumni network that is one of the largest in the world and of politically-minded and incredibly intelligent people who all are looking out for you,” he said. “I think that is a huge influence on the political world.” Law Prof. Michael Barr also noted that the education at the University aids students in internships and post-grad life. “One of my students from last year, Kate Fitzgerald, is currently an intern for the Clinton campaign in New York working on policy issues,” Burr said. “I think her strong analytic timing at Michigan has helped her be an effective writer and analysist and is helping her help the campaign.” Hills said he has also seen numerous examples of his students succeeding in the political world, including former state Rep. Paul Scott, who chaired the House Education Committee during his term. Overall, Ackerman said many details from his classes still resonate with him in his day-today career. “There are some sound bites I still remember from Professor Hills,” Ackerman said, “Like be bold, which means knowing what you want and be willing to fight for it when it’s the right time. Also you can do as many things as you want, but you can only do one thing well. Which is an important perspective for a political leader.
“Dan Wyant gets to walk away from this crisis, but the people of Flint do not,” Scott saidW. “We need complete transparency so that justice for the families of Flint can be realized and the proper people can be held accountable. All documentation related to this crisis needs to be released to the public immediately.” The crisis has also prompted University engagement. Faculty at UM-Flint will offer a special course on the water crisis and other local issues. Starting this semester, the class will feature panel discussions with leaders and experts in the field. Suzanne Selig, director of the Department of Public Health and Health Sciences at UM-Flint, hopes this class will benefit the entire community, she said in a statement. “We want to promote a further understanding of this crisis and discuss lessons learned as we move forward together to promote better health for all in our community,” Selig said. “The students will have an opportunity to ‘see’ community engagement and how we can all benefit from an open dialogue.” In a January release, Snyder said he hopes the actions being taken now will help to protect the health of Flint residents both in the short and long term. “I want the Flint community to know how very sorry I am that this has happened,” Snyder said. “And I want all Michigan citizens to know that we will learn from this experience, because Flint is not the only city that has an
within the University.” While McCoy added that he supported the administration’s decision, he emphasized that the driving force behind the change was student activism. “For the University to follow through on that demand is a welcomed development, but I also think that this is an example of how student activism works,” McCoy said. “If it weren’t for the years of student activists, I don’t think this would’ve happened.” Echoing McCoy’s sentiment, Elizabeth James, a Department of Afroamerican and African Studies program associate and adviser to the Black Student Union, expressed feelings of relief and joy in response to the approval. She also highlighted the symbolic nature of the relocation, seeing it as representative of the University community’s commitment to diversity. “By relocating the new Trotter to the heart of Central Campus, we are saying that we want everyone to feel this is an inclusive campus and that this is a University that will provide a welcoming environment for all of our students, regardless of race, creed or color,” James wrote in an e-mail to the Daily. However, while many community members commend the development, others have hesitated in supporting the relocation. Rackham student Pete Haviland-Eduah, vice president of Students of Color of Rackham, said though he is in favor of the relocation, he has reservations about how the project will be executed. “We’ll also see how the new space works functionally. I would hate to see it be a space that’s not necessarily as functional for what it was meant to serve,” HavilandEduah said. “With any type of move, there’s always room for negative impact to happen, and I hope that’s minimized if it exists at all.” In recent months, other students have voiced concerns over the relocation of Trotter as well. During a September forum at Trotter, Rackham student Asya Harrison, secretary of Students of Color of Rackham, told E. Royster Harper, the University’s
vice president for student life, that moving the center to Central Campus would threaten its quiet atmosphere and separation from the stresses of classes and schoolwork. At the meeting, LSA senior Bree Sullivan expressed unease regarding the move as well, highlighting the history and importance of the current building. She noted that the facility has served as a home for underrepresented minorities, and she worried that the space may not feel as safe on Central Campus. “This is a lot of history, this building,” she said. “I want it and I want future generations to have it.” Former BSU Treasurer Robert Greenfield said he hopes the new center will have designated spaces for Black students on campus as well as students of other identities. “I really hope they don’t minimize the identities of other cultures,” Greenfield said. He added that he hopes the new multicultural center will be named after someone who is representative of the ongoing campus struggle to improve diversity and inclusion. “Already on campus, we have a lot of buildings that are named after a lot of people who, although their accomplishments with regards to the University were great, were very racist people,” he said. “I don’t want it to be named after a past president of the University from the late 1800s. I want it to be named after someone that’s representative of this newfound struggle that minority students have on campus.” Regardless of the mixed feelings surrounding the move, for some, the relocation of Trotter signifies the beginning of a new chapter at the University that will affect future Wolverines. Kinesiology senior Cap Kendall, BSU speaker, said she was pleased with the relocation of Trotter despite the fact that she will not be able to take advantage of the new center herself. “Though I won’t be here to experience it, I am comforted with the notion that countless numbers of my peers and I have done something that I hope will change the experience of generations to come,” Kendall said.
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Sick of sorry
A
fter about 20 minutes of unceasing pestering — the kind 9-year-old little sisters possess an innate talent for — my then-18-year-old brother finally agreed to go for a bike ride with me on some trails near our house. Throughout the ride, I fumbled about on the narrow dirt trails, bumping into my brother’s bike, alternating between falling too far behind and pedaling too far ahead. MELISSA I was at a very talkative SCHOLKE point in my childhood, and with every bump or wrong turn of my handlebars, I merely apologized and continued gabbing. Though I was very talkative, my brother had become aware of another pattern of behavior I’d recently picked up. He suddenly braked in the middle of the trail, turned his bike around to look at me and, with a perturbed tone in his voice, asked me why I kept saying “sorry” so often. Apparently, I’d been doing that awhile, and even when I wasn’t causing collisions, I had begun almost every sentence since we’d left the house that afternoon with the word “sorry.” I didn’t know how to respond, nor did I have an explanation for the frequency of my apologies, so I replied with what was probably the last thing my brother wanted to hear — yet another apology. He shook his head and, in a true brotherly fashion, curtly told me I should stop because I was being annoying. As he began to slowly pedal onward, he amended that statement by adding the warning that people may not take me seriously if I was always apologizing. The memory of that conversation with my brother still resurfaces from time to time, especially when my apologies seem too numerous and unnecessary. In fact, that conversation was in the back of my mind during Winter Break when I had the opportunity to catch up with a mentor and some colleagues from a project I worked on a couple of years ago. As our mentor gave us all advice about our individual work and our creative pursuits, she stressed the importance of language — how our words carry a specific magnitude into the world. But one of the most influential pieces of advice I took away from meeting with her was that what we communicate about ourselves through our words and our actions is one way we can decide how we’ll be perceived. After she said that, I sat there recalling moments when I didn’t display confidence in myself or in the work I was producing. While I took my older brother’s advice all those years ago, I still catch myself apologizing in situations where an apology is unnecessary and second-guessing myself in discussions. I thought of all the times I asked questions by first saying, “So, this is a stupid question but … ” I remembered moments when I would apologize for asking a question or saying something I didn’t think furthered the conversation. But in these thoughts, I know I’m not alone. Women, researchers and journalists alike, noticed this general and gendered pattern of
over-apologizing years ago. In fact, a 2010 study found that women apologize more often than men on a consistent basis, and that this is because women are often more likely to perceive themselves committing social offences or transgressions. As a result, we apologize, offering up acquiescence in a society where women are continually expected to be polite, to be unobtrusive, to be perpetually pleasant and to be unaggressive. Since then, there has been a slew of commentary in the media — from articles to comedy sketches — describing this societal pressure, which also plays a role in the frequency of women apologizing. According to linguist Robin Lakoff, “sorry” is a method women can use to obtain some of the power usually denied to them while still conforming to contemporary norms. Lakoff states that apologizing “lets people — especially women — get away with saying what the other person doesn’t want to hear.” At the same, another linguist, Deborah Tannen suggests that the act of apologizing is often viewed negatively as a form of dismissal or defeat. Awareness of this trend and its capability to make women appear less competent and confident has even prompted the creation of a Chrome app called Just Not Sorry. This app highlights particular phrases in an e-mail that could come as across as language that would dismiss or undermine the professional abilities of the writer. The app’s creators at Cyrus Innovation, a consulting firm specializing in women-led companies and tech teams, created the app to alert women about the subconscious word choices they may regularly use to avoid seeming too demanding. As I wrote through a draft of this column, I realized there is already so much information on this topic. Oddly enough, I began to wonder if I should apologize for bringing up a subject people have discussed for years. This goes to show that after so much discussion, women still feel compelled to say “sorry” for things that don’t require an apology, and many women may still feel anxiety about appearing too aggressive. When gender norms are so ingrained in our society, they can persist for a long time and contribute to trends of inequality. To counter this, we need to continue to facilitate awareness and discuss the causes of such trends. Whether it’s through apps, journalism, art or educating a variety of groups, this is clearly a conversation worth continuing. Each time “sorry” is the initial phrase in a sentence, it usually masks a far more important statement such as “I have an idea,” “I have a point to contribute” or “I have a question.” These words introduce sentences that people need to hear and respect, regardless of gender or any other identity trait. “Sorry” may have a proper place in our general etiquette. However, no individual should ever feel so restricted by norms that they apologize for questioning the world around them, for having confidence or for wanting to express their ideas.
“As I wrote through a draft of this column, I began to wonder if I should apologize for bringing up a subject people have discussed for years.”
“
— Melissa Scholke can be reached at melikaye@umich.edu.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
We are fed the excuse that common-sense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre, or the one before that, or the one before that, so why bother trying? I reject that thinking.” — President Barack Obama in his Tuesday announcement of executive actions he will take on gun laws.
I
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Playing in the mud
n late December 2015, Amanda Bouldin, New Hampshire state representative, posted a Facebook status that objected to a proposed state law that would make it a misdemeanor offense for a woman to expose her nipple in public. VICTORIA Josh Moore, another New NOBLE Hampshire state representative, commented that if Bouldin feels exposing the female nipple is natural, then she must also feel it is tolerable and natural for men to grab women’s nipples. She said nothing remotely related. When anyone shares a political opinion — whether on social media, through art or in a column like this one — they expose themselves to commentary and criticism from anyone who might disagree. Unfortunately, as courteous civil discourse quickly evaporates from the political sphere, policy advocates increasingly find their words contorted far beyond their original meaning, and their character or intelligence attacked simply due to their opinion. Google almost any issue, click on a random op-ed and read the comment section. There’s a pretty solid chance someone’s called the writer an idiot, racist, socialist or worse. Or you could try looking up Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders or any of the other presidential candidates. You’re sure to find at least one piece comparing him or her to Hitler, Stalin or a war criminal. The Twitter world has even taken a few swings at Ben Carson’s wife’s appearance. Our collective inability to play nice and avoid hyperbolizing serious issues on the Internet no doubt threatens our ability to objectively evaluate candidates and high-stakes political issues. It also likely deters otherwise competent people who are passionate about serving our country from attempting to do so through political channels for fear of seeing their family’s name dragged through the mud. I’ve even heard a few of my peers in the Ford School of Public Policy remark that they’d be unwilling to publicly advocate on
certain issues for fear of backlash. U.S. political discourse has deteriorated into disparaging, meaningless mud tossing. But the issues that face our community and country — muddy or not — require our attention, thoughts and voices. I have learned the hard way that contributing my voice to political issues requires me to subject myself to criticism and mud tossing. But the willingness to subject my work to potential criticism has made me a better writer and advocate for the issues I care about. The summer after my freshman year, I wrote a Michigan Daily column titled “The Problem with Feminism.” It received dozens of comments — most of them negative and written by people who hated my piece. Their words seethed with anger and disgust with my writing. To this day, I remember word for word some of the many comments about how awful or stupid I was, not
“I became more willing to take risks, accepting the possibility that I might fail.” only as a writer, but also as a person. When I first read all the comments, the sense of pride I once felt in my work quickly dissipated. I felt dejected and defeated, and definitely cried. At the time, I might have described myself as offended by the mean comments. On a surface level, I was. But the real disappointment arose out of the dissonance between the commenters’ and my own perception of my work. Originally, I had agreed with my own opinion and had thought the column was a good one. But after reading so many negative reactions to my work, I began to adopt the overly negative view of the commenters. I started to believe I was as stupid as so many of them suggested, and began referring to the piece as “the worst column ever.” I told my editors I wasn’t going to write a column ever again. But as I processed the event over
the next couple of days, I began to read my own writing through a new lens. I came to understand that neither the commenters nor I had adequately evaluated the piece. It wasn’t “the worst column ever,” but it did have objective flaws. Some of my word choice wasn’t precise enough to accurately represent my opinion. There were holes in my argument that I didn’t notice when I proofread it the first time. Some of the sentence structure was off. This realization quickly became motivating. I knew where my work needed to improve. I reversed my decision never to write columns ever again less than a week after I had made it. For better or worse, I’ve been sharing my opinions with Daily readers ever since. Last semester during finals week, a Michigan Review writer published a reply to a column I had written on gun control. The piece took quotes from my “insane” column out of context before tearing them to shreds. But truth be told, the reply piece didn’t really bother me. I had already come to accept — even welcome — the opportunity to read dissent from my work. I had gained something invaluable from my first experience with critics: the abilities to more objectively evaluate my work and process criticism as suggestions for improvements instead of personal attacks. As a columnist, I have developed a more durable self-confidence grounded in appreciation of my abilities, and an acceptance of my weaknesses and capacity for error. I have become more willing to take risks, accepting of the possibility that I might fail. To anyone who cares about our world and the people in it, don’t be afraid to share your opinions with those who might disagree. Reading negative feedback and personal attacks against you, and seeing your words taken out of context is hardly fun. But it’s certainly worth it. Our country needs thoughtful, passionate people willing to share their views. Accepting the risks of advocating and discussing difficult, divisive issues certainly represents an opportunity not only to help make our country a better place, but for personal growth as well. — Victoria Noble can be reached at vjnoble@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
W
Not a nice neighborhood
e’ve all done it: riding around in a car, going down a street that has seen better days and saying CHRIS something like, “This isn’t a nice CROWDER neighborhood.” I’ve been a passenger with my friends many times over the past year, and I’d estimate that I would have to use both hands to count how many times I’ve heard someone say a version of this. It struck a chord with me, being from a city that people look down upon because of its name and the media’s portrayal of it rather than because of an unpleasant visit. These comments don’t add anything to the drive. It made me frustrated, mostly because what I heard came across as a blanket statement for all neighborhoods that looked similarly “bad.” The majority of the places we passed looked perfectly fine — and familiar. Everywhere we passed looked similar to my neighborhood in my city, Flint. If they thought my neighborhood was bad, what would they think of me? I’ve lived in and been to less-than-affluent neighborhoods in Flint, Detroit, Philadelphia, Mississippi and other areas across the country. Yes, the neighborhood doesn’t look great, but it isn’t bad. It isn’t “not nice.” “This isn’t a nice neighborhood” can come across like “I’m used to better — we shouldn’t go in there because in there, crime is possible, and the people there are dangerous.” In reality, those statements might or might not be true. What’s really dangerous is making those assumptions before you meet some-
one who actually lives there. There’s a difference between the action of not entering the neighborhood and the reason behind it. It’s perfectly fine to stay away because you don’t feel safe in an area where you don’t know the people. It’s harmful to avoid driving on that street because you assume you’ll get robbed if you stop at a certain gas station, or feel certain you’ll get a dirty look if you make eye contact with a pedestrian. We all face this catch-22, myself included. The high frequency of crime coverage in the media has given people the idea that bad things and only bad things happen in poorerlooking areas. There’s no message of hope. There’s no story of people working together or of comradery between neighbors. The more negative viewpoint may be the more accurate, but the stories about areas like this never consider that the glass is half-full, not half-empty. I realize, since I’m from a poorer-looking area, my perspective is different. I’m more accustomed to seeing areas like this, while others aren’t. I’ve had experiences in more run-down neighborhoods, and I came out of those places just fine. Through volunteer projects in places like Detroit, I’ve even left them in a better state than they were when I entered. I’ve seen my great-uncle’s garden (with many stalks of corn!) on Flint’s north side, and have met some of the sweetest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing in Philly and Kokomo, Ind. While others may not feel safe, I’m kind of reminded of home. I don’t live in the most crime-centered area in Flint by any means, but my neighborhood may look “bad” if someone from out of town visited. Like every neighborhood
in the world, we are not immune to crime. I’ve been affected by crime personally, but it doesn’t affect my concept of this area as home to me. On the other hand, people who live in especially crime-ridden and downtrodden areas may desperately be trying to get out. They may want to leave, and may not feel like their house is their home because they feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Their lives could be at stake. But that gives them the strongest of grounds and credibility to talk about their neighborhood. They’ve lived there and have gone down the same street every day, possibly looking at another neighborhood and saying, “I’d like to live there.” We’re all culprits of looking down on a neighborhood just because of its appearance. We’ve all been quick to assume, quick to judge a book by its cover. On the outside, we can see an area that’s poor, struggling, dangerous. But the inside might reveal a community living as a team, a group of people who have had tough breaks and are doing their best for a safe place to live. The assumptions we make can sometimes be well-founded, but it’s also possible we have been misinformed. Until we’re completely certain our assumptions are true or we have lived in the area in question, we shouldn’t say, “That isn’t a nice neighborhood.” In response to the next time I hear this, I hope to speak up and say that we can’t be sure. You know what you should say when you come across a neighborhood like this? Nothing. — Chris Crowder can be reached at ccrowd@umich.edu.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 7, 2016 — 5A
Michigan hosts Big Ten leaders By CHRIS CROWDER Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team is on a rough two-game skid to start the Big Ten season, and the schedule will only get tougher from Iowa at here as the Michigan Wolverines (0-2 Big Ten, Matchup: 8-5 overall) Iowa 12-3; host Big Ten- Michigan 8-5 leading Iowa When: and No. 5 Ohio Thursday State for two 7 P.M. out of the next Where: Crisler three games. Center Thursday TV/Radio: night, they BTN Plus will play the Hawkeyes (3-0 Big Ten, 12-3 overall), looking to right the ship. In its past three games, Michigan fell by two points or fewer to Eastern Michigan and Purdue, and suffered an overtime defeat to Indiana. Last year, aided by senior leadership, the Wolverines handled each of those teams with ease. Though the Big Ten season has just begun, it is evident that losing former seniors Cyesha Goree, Nicole Elmblad and Shannon Smith has created a tough transition period to begin the season. This year’s Michigan team is certainly different than last year’s. The Wolverines are talented, and the freshman class of center Hallie Thome, guard Boogie Brozoski, guard Nicole Munger and forward Sam Trammel will bring Michigan success by the time their careers are over. But for now, inexperience has hurt this team, especially in the close losses. The clearest example is Thome, who has gotten into foul trouble early, unable to play late in games when the team needs her 6-foot5 frame for an inside presence on both offense and defense. “We started the season playing exceptionally well, and then we hit a little bit of a bump in the road,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico in an interview with WTKA. “For the most part, (we have) kids who have never been in that position before down the stretch of tough games. So they’re learning and their confidence is shaken a little bit, but it’s something we continue to work on in practice.” Against Eastern Michigan, the Wolverines had a 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Eagles kept pecking away at the lead, even though they were facing a more talented team. Talent didn’t beat effort, and Eastern Michigan clinched an upset win on its home floor. In the last home game against Purdue, the Boilermakers scored the go-ahead basket in the waning seconds. When it was Michigan’s turn to step up, it wasn’t accustomed to the pressure. The Wolverines took the ball up the court, passed off for a worse shot and missed. After a foul, Brozoski — who is shooting 75 percent from the charity stripe this season — had
an opportunity to tie the game by making three straight free throws, but missed the first. Against Indiana, the Wolverines surged in the fourth quarter to cushion a lead going into the final minutes. The Hoosiers then went on a 12-3 run to end the quarter, forcing the game into overtime, when Michigan eventually lost again. Iowa lies just outside the top 25, but was ranked 23rd at the beginning of the season. The Hawkeyes also lost three seniors — the highest-scoring trio of all time in the Big Ten with 42.3 points per game — but are trending the opposite way as Michigan. Iowa is currently on a four-game winning streak, including kicking off Big Ten play 2-0. Led by guard Ally Disterhoft, who is averaging 17.1 points, the Hawkeyes boast three players who average double figures. In the two conference games Michigan has played thus far, it has allowed an average of 71 points, while scoring an average of 66. Iowa has done nearly the reverse, on average scoring 71.5 points and allowing 66.5. It would not be a surprise if the trend continued, especially since Iowa already has a challenging road win on its resume, in Lincoln on New Year’s Eve against Nebraska. With the toughest games ahead of the Wolverines, a win against the Hawkeyes could change the momentum of their whole season. Iowa is the better team on paper, but the Wolverines are not guaranteed a loss. If the contest is close in its last minutes, Michigan will face another situation in which the game is down to the wire, needing not just one player on the floor to step up, but all five. “The last couple weeks we watched a lot of film on areas where we need to improve and things we’re not doing exceptionally well,” Barnes Arico said. “We’re going to really watch some things and some times where we played exceptionally well. We had a 30-point win over Pittsburgh, a team that is doing pretty well right now, and (against) Xavier, a team that has only two losses, we had a 30-point win.” At the moment, Michigan does not look like a Big Ten contender. It is near the bottom of the standings and has lost three straight games that should have ended differently. If the Wolverines had closed out those games with a win, they would have just two hardfought losses to Princeton and No. 15 UCLA. But instead, they started off with three Big Ten losses, and face another difficult obstacle in Iowa. Michigan is aware of its challenge ahead, though. “I was coming over to Pizza House for the radio show, leaving the office at 6:45 (p.m.), and I had three freshmen walking into the gym to get some extra shots up,” Barnes Arico said. “It’s a great thing to see that they haven’t lost their determination and they’re still fighting.”
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Boogie Brozoski is one of many young Wolverines getting playing time.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Freshman forward Kyle Connor didn’t earn a spot on Team USA’s roster for the World Junior Championships, but he kept up his stellar play nonetheless.
Michigan’s quiet superstar Freshman Connor responds to World Juniors snub, earns GLI MVP honors By JUSTIN MEYER Daily Sports Writer
Through the smears on fogged glass, it is possible to just make out the Michigan hockey team’s star freshman forward crouched low in net. Fishing out pucks after a grueling midweek practice, Kyle Connor is the last player to leave the ice. Connor doesn’t seem to mind; he’s only worried it might make him late to conditioning. But that’s the 18-year-old’s demeanor in a nutshell — the attention never mattered to him anyway. December was Connor’s best month of his fledgling collegiate career. The 17th overall pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2015 NHL Draft led the nation in college goals (seven) and points (13). He had two game-winning
goals during the stretch, including a third-period tally on Dec. 29 that sent Michigan to the Great Lakes Invitational final. The accolades came, too, as Connor earned GLI MVP honors and was named the Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Rookie of the Month for December. But it was a snub, delivered by e-mail no less, that grabbed the headlines. When Team USA announced the roster for the 2015 IIHF World Juniors Tournament in Finland, Connor’s name wasn’t on the list. He hadn’t even been invited to the selection camp. Connor, who has a career .81 points per game with USA teams and starred in 2014’s U18 World Junior Championship, was shocked. “Any time you don’t make a team — yeah, sure it hurts,” Connor said. “But you know, they did a good job over there. Congrats to (Michigan sophomore defender) Zach Werenski and the rest of the team.” Team USA finished as bronze
medalists. Some think the tryout snub may date back to Connor’s USHL days with the Youngstown Phantoms. After a tremendous rookie year, Connor returned to Youngstown despite interest from the National Talent Development Program in Ann Arbor. In his sophomore season, Connor set a record for career points (74) with the Phantoms. Sleights of this sort can be hard for Team USA to forgive. “There is a loyalty towards players who have gone through the program in the past,” Dan Marr, chief scout for NHL Central Scouting, told The National Post. “It’s a little harder for someone who hasn’t been part of the process to break in.” So was that chip on his shoulder the catalyst for another breakout performance at the GLI? “I don’t think so, I just played my game,” Connor said. Even Michigan coach Red Berenson seems to be incredulous at his star’s unflappability. “I was worried how he would take the weekend he had against
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Thursday, January 7, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Minnesota and put that on the ice after Christmas, but there was no question when he came back for practice,” Berenson said. “That was good, because I was worried he might start worrying about the World Juniors and everything. He maxed out his weekend.” Connor always seems to be doing exactly what he is supposed to do. He brings it in practice, wants to be a better defender and always gives the credit to his teammates. Asked about his favorite goal this season, the left-winger said he doesn’t have one, offering only, “When you score, they don’t ask you how.” The routine borders on monotony. But the strategy is paying dividends. Opposing teams can’t ignore the freshman when he is scoring at this clip, and Connor is quickly becoming the most dangerous offensive weapon in Michigan’s deep arsenal. He has found the most boring possible path to stardom, but that doesn’t seem to bother Connor at all — he never did care about the attention.
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Sports
6A — Thursday, January 7, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
It’s (not) about Jake Rudock Fifth-year senior ends college career with strong season at Michigan By MAX BULTMAN Managing Sports Editor
Wearing a Citrus Bowl Champions T-shirt and a wide smile, Jake Rudock stepped onto the stage and, for once, there was nowhere to deflect the attention. With an MVP performance in the Citrus Bowl, Rudock had just secured one of the greatest statistical seasons by a quarterback in Michigan history, finishing with the second-most yards, completions and completion percentage in a single season. The only Wolverine on the stage at that time, Rudock walked along the front of it, high-fiving teammates who took delight in the moment. Then, Rudock noticed someone standing on the field near stage left. Redshirt junior wide receiver Jehu Chesson, who had left the Wolverines 41-7 win over Florida with an apparent leg injury, was back on the field. Rudock, who will likely someday be either a doctor or an NFL quarterback, paused to ask Chesson if he was OK. Two days before the game, Rudock’s father, Bob, could have explained the moment before it happened. Rudock’s personal mantra, his father said, is “It’s not about me.” This was a game, mind you, that Rudock had owned. He threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, wrapping up a season that put him in contention to make an NFL roster in the summer. Rudock routinely makes sure it’s not about himself, but this moment, on the stage at the Citrus Bowl, was entirely his own. So how did it feel for him to be there alone on the stage? “Oh, it was fun,” Rudock said. And then he gave his teammates the glory anyway. “The guys were loving it, they know how I am. I’d rather have the five big linemen up there — they’re the reason we were able to do everything we were able to do. But yeah, it was awesome. I’m just really happy for our guys.”
In Jake’s junior year, he hit cleanup in a batting order that featured James White, now a running back for the New England Patriots, and Giovanni Bernard, now of the Cincinnati Bengals, who hit first and second, respectively, in some games. Bernard and White are now veterans of the NFL, a level Rudock may someday attain if he can impress scouts in the coming months. But it won’t be the first time the quarterback has faced the scouting process for professional sports. By the end of his senior year of high school, even though Jake had committed to play football at Iowa, Bob Rudock was getting phone calls about his son’s baseball future. “When the draft was coming up, I had a number of calls from some (Major League Baseball) teams seeing if he was really going to go to Iowa,” Bob Rudock said. “Because they were going to draft him — not early, but they were going to draft him late (or sign him as a free agent).” If Rudock thought he would have been a high-round pick, he might have taken a shot at the MLB Draft. But as things stood, he had another love developing with football. He went to Iowa and had a successful career by most standards. Rudock started for two seasons as a Hawkeye, compiling an impressive touchdown-interception ratio, but he earned a reputation as a game manager. For a quarterback, the term “game manager” can sometimes have an underwhelming connotation. Broadly speaking, it means he wouldn’t hurt the team, but he wouldn’t be the difference in many games, either. After two years of Rudock under center, the Hawkeyes handed the reigns of their offense to C.J. Beathard. Rudock’s days at Iowa were numbered, and he had to do what was best for him, so he sought a fresh start in Ann Arbor. The “game manager” label followed him. Rudock, though, never seemed bothered by it. He wanted to help the team win games, and whatever that meant for his role was fine by him. By the end of summer camp, he was the Wolverines’ starting quarterback. He won the job, and then he started winning games. Late in the season, he found a rhythm on deep passes, and that’s when he started breaking records. Ironically, his season seemed to pivot after he was knocked out of a game against Minnesota. In the aftermath of Michigan’s goal-line stand victory over the Golden Gophers, Rudock’s arm and resilience began to come into focus. He absorbed hits at the end of runs and still never seemed scared to take off the next time. For being a “safe” option, Rudock was showing a curious amount of toughness. And Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh wasn’t shy about weighing in. “In terms of respect and appreciation, he left a deep, indelible warmth in our heart for him,” Harbaugh said of Rudock on Nov. 23, before the Ohio State
“I’d rather have the five big linemen up there.”
*** Before the Citrus Bowl or the records, and before Jake Rudock even thought about the University of Michigan, he had a chance to play professional baseball. The son of a baseball coach, Rudock had been around the game from a young age — one or two years old, by his father’s estimation. The idea was that the more Jake was around the game, the more he would learn to love baseball and sports in general. He played throughout his childhood, and when he arrived at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — where his dad was coaching — he joined a roster filled with talented athletes.
quarterback in school history. And while he was there, Rudock and a teammate, Austin Barron, who now plays at Florida State, started a saying the school still uses: “You go, we go.” “They would point around the room and point fingers at everybody and go, ‘You go,’ and then ‘You go,’ ‘You go,’ ‘You go,’ ” Smith said. “And when everybody is going, then, ‘We go.’ ” As a football player, it’s hard to find a better place to play than St. Thomas Aquinas, where Smith’s program churned out top-flight college talent regularly. But in “You go, we go,” Rudock left something lasting at the program even among so many other star players. After the school fell short of the state title his junior year, all Rudock did in his senior season was lead it to a 15-0 record as well as regional, state and national titles. His final game, fittingly, was a state championship victory at the Citrus Bowl. ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Jake Rudock went out as a winner with Michigan’s 41-7 victory in the Citrus Bowl.
game. “He is so tough. This past game (against Penn State), I mean, the toughness was on display. I know I’ve said it, and maybe saying tough as a twodollar steak doesn’t even give it real justice. This guy is tough as nails, hard as hen’s teeth. He’s been a godsend for our team.” But where did it come from? How did Jake Rudock become hard as hen’s teeth or tough as nails? That gave Harbaugh pause. “Hmm. That’s a great question,” he said. “I don’t think it’s — it’s a talent. I’ve always looked at toughness as a talent, that it’s trained. It’s not just granted upon somebody. “He’s been trained well.” *** Asked how Jake Rudock became Jake Rudock, Ken Mastrole has little hesitation. Mastrole, a former quarterback at Maryland who had stints in the AFL and NFL Europe, started as Rudock’s quarterback coach his sophomore year of high school. And in their time together, Mastrole has noticed that his pupil has benefitted from a strong support system. “Bob’s always had him around just good people,” Mastrole said on the phone last Thursday, the day before the Citrus Bowl. “Everything that Harbaugh said about him, the two-dollar steak comments and stuff, are totally dead-on accurate of his kind of personality and demeanor.” Jake Rudock learned his first three-step drop from Dave Shula, the former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and the son of legendary coach Don Shula. Shula and the Rudocks are friends, which meant Rudock got to learn the most basic skill of quarterbacking from Shula in one of the two families’ living rooms. That was the beginning of football for Rudock. “He made (the local) AllStar team (in middle school) and won the MVP as the safety, and the next year he switched to quarterback and he won the MVP as the quarterback in the local All-Star (event),” Bob Rudock said. But by the time he got to high school — when then-St. Thomas
Aquinas coach George Smith saw him — quarterback was the position that stuck. That could have led to an inflated ego for a kid who had only been playing football for a short time. But those close to Rudock say it’s just not in his nature to let the cart get ahead of the horse. Spend a few minutes on the phone with Bob Rudock, and it’s not hard to see why the refrains on Jake Rudock are about his selflessness and leadership. Just like his son, Bob is thoughtful. He thinks through questions before jumping right to an answer, and it seems to have rubbed off on his son. “(Jake is) a guy that actually listens to his dad,” Mastrole said. “His dad uses a great line all
*** There’s a side to Jake Rudock that’s rarely seen by the media. In public, he’s loose, but he rarely lets on much about himself, preferring to deflect praise onto his teammates and coaches. Even when it is about him, it isn’t about him. And that’s where the curiosity with Rudock comes to a head. Rudock is unanimously referred to as a leader, mature and business-like, but few people seem able to articulate who Rudock is at heart — the reason he is the way he is in the huddle. Asked this question over the phone Wednesday, two days before the Citrus Bowl, Bob Rudock put it better than just about anyone else could. “Jake is very … how do I say this? He’s very unassuming,” Rudock said. “He does not
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
*** The coming months will put all of Rudock’s gifts — on the field and off it — to the ultimate test. In the next year, he will either be trying out for NFL rosters
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Rudock was second in single-season passing yards in program history with the second-highest completion percentage.
the time, it’s about two lines in life. … Basically, the one line has your parents, your girlfriend, your friends ... because they tell you what you want to hear. Jake’s got a couple guys in the other line that are the guys that are really going to hold him to a higher standard. “A lot of kids don’t want to — they want to listen to the long line of people who tell you, ‘Hey, you’re great, you’re fantastic,’ and I get that. But I think people that are looking out for your best interest … you making the right decisions, using your time wisely, learning to control your emotions and being a good student and being a good leader, Jake’s really focused on that line.” That line of people cultivated a leader in Rudock, which turned out to be crucial when playing at talentrich St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas is the definition of a football powerhouse. The school has won six state titles since 2007, and its alumni — including White, Bernard, Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and others — litter NFL rosters. According to Smith, Rudock has started more games than any
like the limelight. … He’s very friendly. He’s funny — he will give you movie lines left and right if you let him get into it — but he does have the mentality where it’s his job to make sure everything gels. “It’s about him getting everybody else better.” That makes sense given his aspiration to go to medical school and someday, you know, make people better. And in a football context, that’s exactly what he has done at Michigan. Twenty-one different Michigan players caught a pass this season, assuming you don’t count the pass Rudock completed to himself off a deflection against Michigan State. He started slow, but as his chemistry with Chesson, Jake Butt and Amara Darboh developed, he ultimately turned in one of the best statistical seasons by a quarterback in school history. He threw for 3,017 yards and 20 touchdowns while also solidifying the second-best completion percentage in school history at 64 percent. Still, no matter how much success he has, Rudock’s public image only recently began to
“He’s very unassuming. He does not like the limelight.”
Rudock proved to be more than capable as the leader of a Michigan offense that improved dramatically during the season.
shake the “boring” or “safe” label. But redshirt junior running back Drake Johnson says that’s a product of the quarterback’s humor and personality being more subtle. “He’s got a very sarcastic sense of humor,” Johnson said last Wednesday. “If you’re not keen to it, you’ll be (obliviously) like, ‘Oh, yeah, yeah.’ … He’s so smart that he can play with simple things.” A couple nights earlier, Johnson, Rudock, Chesson and junior quarterback John O’Korn were at Buffalo Wild Wings having dinner. They were having a fairly normal conversation when Johnson picked up on one of Rudock’s jokes below the surface. Johnson didn’t recall the joke, but he did remember his reaction. “It hits you a minute late,” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘Wait, Jake…’ and he just gave me the wink. Once I see the wink, I’m just like, ‘Damn, he got me.’ ” By most accounts, Rudock has a good sense of humor, even if it takes a bit of time to understand it. If left entirely to his own devices, with no schedule, Rudock’s dad said he would think Jake would prefer to just watch a movie with friends or family. But it’s hard for him to say for sure. “Gosh, as long as I can remember there’s been a schedule,” Bob Rudock said. “And you’ve gotta keep the schedule. You get your classwork done, you get your football done, you get your baseball done, you get your lifting in. There has not been a whole lot of free time.”
or applying to medical school, a slightly ironic dichotomy he seems destined to fulfill both sides of eventually. He’s considering attending scouting camps, plus Michigan’s pro day and, if all goes well, possibly the NFL combine. For Rudock, being drafted to the NFL is not out of reach. Otherwise, there’s a damned good chance he becomes a doctor — not a bad fallback plan. In any case, Rudock will be doing what he’s always done best: making other people better. “You hear the Bo Schembechler, ‘The team, the team, the team,’ ” Bob Rudock said. “Well, Jake was living that as long as I remember.” In the waning moments of his Michigan career, after Rudock had answered his last postgame interview question, a Michigan spokesman approached him with a visitor. Jack Harbaugh, Jim’s toddler son, wanted a picture with Jake. “Mighty Jack the Quarterback,” as Harbaugh called his son at his introductory press conference last December, had stolen Rudock’s hat, as they posed for a picture. Rudock, after the last game of his college career, told him to keep it. “It looks better on you anyway,” he said. Daily staff photographer Allison Farrand contributed reporting.
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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, January 7, 2016
Simply put, “Jane the Virgin” has it all. It’s the most compulsively watchable show of the year, with deftly executed plot twists and breakneck pacing. In the style of Mexican telenovelas, there are juicy secrets, lies and betrayal. Where the typical show would wait until a season finale to reveal the truth, “Jane the Virgin” plays its cards early and efficiently, cutting out needless wheel-spinning. One of the most refreshing aspects of the show is the characters’ willingness to admit their feelings and work through their conflicts maturely. It’s refreshing, too, to see such an expertly balanced love triangle, with co-stars Michael (Brett Dier, “Ravenswood”) and Rafael (Justin Baldoni, “Everwood”) equally appealing in both Jane’s (Gina Rodriguez, “The Bold and Beautiful”) and the audience’s eyes. The greatest strength of “Jane the Virgin” is its ability to marry its strong sense of humor with genuine sweetness and emotion. Practically every episode is a tearjerker, but practically every episode has at least a few guaranteed laughs. Whether you judge the show as a comedy or a drama, 2015 saw “Jane the Virgin” at the top of its field. — Benjamin Rosenstock
best tv show
Illustration by Anjali Alangaden
GRANT HATCH/Daily
best album
Kendrick Lamar’s attitude and musical style has significantly grown since the release of hit single “Swimming Pools (Drank)” that was mostly played at frat parties with gross beer and nightclubs with strobe lights. It evolved into a mature plea of self-expression on his newest album, To Pimp a Butterfly, that throws away the glorification of fame and instead burns people with the ugly truths of racism and socio-economic class issues. BET named Kendrick Lamar the “Lyricist of the Year”, as the album showcased his talent of creating poetry and intertwining it with music to create the masterpiece that is To Pimp A Butterfly. Songs like “Hood Politics,” “Institutionalized,” and “The Blacker the Berry” are perceptions about the experience of being Black today. Kendrick’s lyrics are raw and emotional — it’s impossible to not empathize or get pissed off with the racism that still exists creating an ache for change in the world. He sets these lyrics in front of music that has influences from multiple decades and genres to create this well rounded diverse piece of artwork. The opening song “Wesley’s Theory” sounds very Howard Johnson-esque with its funky vibe paired with some R&B components. There’s also heavy jazz influence that artists like Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington contributed that make To Pimp A Butterfly even more eccentric. To Pimp A Butterfly became one of the best pieces of art released in 2015 because each separate component melts into the other, creating this message that helps us grow inside of our own individual cocoon. Hopefully, we’ll all be able to emerge into the monarch that is Kendrick Lamar. — Selena Aguilera
Pixar’s animated movies are famously both kidfriendly and parent-friendly, and this year’s “Inside Out” continues that pattern. By telling the story of young Riley (Kaitlyn Dias, “The Shifting”) through the personification of her emotions, the film perfectly grasps the delicate balance of the feelings that wage war in our minds. It’d be enough just to spread a message of optimism, but “Inside Out” goes above and beyond by choosing to illustrate the importance of feeling sad and being open about one’s emotions. In addition, it’s hilarious and imaginative, crafting a complex interior world of memory orbs and islands representing Riley’s biggest passions. TV comedy stars Amy Poehler (“Parks & Recreation”) and Phyllis Smith (“The Office”) are perfect as Joy and Sadness, but who could forget Bing Bong (Richard Kind, “Red Oaks”), the year’s most heartbreaking tragic character? “Inside Out” shows that Pixar’s ability to create the funniest, most affecting movies of the year won’t be ending anytime soon.
best film
—Benjamin Rosenstock Illustration by Mariah Gardziola
On October 13, Piper Kerman, author of memoir “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” spoke at Rackham Auditorium on the larger significance of her story in the context of prison reform. Kerman became famous in the past few years due to the overnight success of Jenji Kohan’s Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” loosely based off Kerman’s memoir. As an affluent, college-educated white woman, Kerman is not representative of the demographics of people incarcerated in the United States, as the country’s prison system is one that disproportionately arrests and incarcerates people of color. Kerman spoke of the manner in which she was able to use this privilege to generate conversation about the severity of mass incarceration. She articulated the way that her own privilege put her at a relative advantage which highlighted the inequality within the justice system. She has been traveling to prisons across the U.S. to teach and raise awareness of the need for prison reform. Kerman discussed that within University communities, people are less likely to commit crimes and be incarcerated compared to areas where there are fewer educational and cultural resources available. She also touched on the fact that the criminal justice system relies heavily on violence and fails to address the untreated mental health issues that can cause individuals to commit crimes. As a person who has gained monumental success, Kerman spoke to show her commitment to raising overall awareness of the deep-rooted injustices of the prison system. Furthering the dialogue “Orange is the New Black” has opened through popular culture, she spotlights a community that is systematically silenced. — Maria Robins-Somerville
EMILIE FARRUGIA/Daily
best community event
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2B — Thursday, January 7, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Best Student Productions of 2015 1. Spring Awakening Standing out among the student productions of 2015, “Spring Awakening” presented edgy and bold material that left the audience dazzled, if not slightly unsettled. Brought to campus by MUSKET, Michigan’s oldest student run theater group, this pop rock opera enthralled its audience with shouts of adolescent rage and passion as it followed German school children through their struggles with sexuality and independence. The musical ebbed and flowed with the music as characters broke out of their scenes in moments of climactic emotion to relay their unbearable state of mind to the audience. Presenting songs that ranged from heartfelt ballads like “The Dark I Know Well” to fits of anger like “The Bitch of Living,” the music alternately
tugged at the audience’s heartstrings and inspired them to jump out of their seats and join the cacophony on stage. Meticulously choreographed and designed, MUSKET once again graced us with an adaptation of a Tony Award winning musical that broke every boundary, changed the meaning of taboo and left nothing to the imagination. Months of preparation and production member’s dedication made this musical a standout production of 2015, and of MUSKET’s lengthy repertoire. Sensuality and anger melded together to create a musical that made problems faced by children in 19th century Germany relevant to modern college students, and that is an achievement of epic proportions. -NATALIE ZAK
2. Tribe What defines a person? The group they were born into or the group they identify with? How does this personal association influence a person’s interests? How does it affect the way they treat those they love? Rude Mechanicals, a student run theater group, posed these questions and more in their production of “Tribes” this past fall. Exploring the strained dynamic of an aggressive and overwhelmingly critical family of five, “Tribes” centers on the deaf Billy and his talkative and highly opinionated British family. The play expands on the silent world of the deaf when Billy is thrown into the path of Sylvia, a woman who grew up in a deaf family and is slowly growing deaf herself. Having lacked support and emotional guidance in his bitterly sarcastic family, Billy seeks support in Sylvia, and begins exploring the tribes he never before identi-
3. Henry IV
fied with. Distinguishing itself among the student productions of 2015, “Tribes” consisted of a cast of six, all of whom worked to balance the family’s cries of anguish and anger with Billy’s silent, stoic demeanor. Tirelessly rehearsing to perfect their British accents, the cast worked with coaches simultaneously to accentuate their vowels and enunciate with their hands. The set introduced a version of closed captioning, allowing the characters to mime out the lines in American Sign Language and have the audience experience no loss of understanding. Rude Mechanicals’ dedication to their characters and production reflects a level of integrity that usually characterizes plays that come and go in nationally renowned theaters, but instead is conveniently available right here on campus by passionate students of all majors. -NATALIE ZAK
SMTD’s MainStage production of “Henry IV Part 1” showcased the depth of talent that SMTD students offer, while providing audiences with a captivating performance of one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays rooted in history. This play tells the story of King Henry IV, a king fearful for the fate of his kingdom once he steps down from the throne, given that his son Hal is next in line and is driven more by free spirit and youth than the constitution of a prince. Lord Northumberland and Hotspur threaten King Henry’s throne believing the king to be a usurper of it, and plot to overthrow the royal family. The SMTD cast was lively, demonstrating a clear grasp of the difficulty of Shakespeare’s language and the vocal complexity of the
text, which required accents for multiple characters. Characters Falstaff and Hotspur gave particularly captivating performances, as they added a layer of humor that was wellreceived and appreciated. Directed by Performing Arts Prof. Rob Najarian, the combat scenes were well-staged and executed and displayed the hard work and rigorous effort put in by cast members. The production took place in the Power Center, with a respectable audience turnout, many of whom were frequent Shakespeare-goers. For a play like “Henry IV Part 1,” which is a challenge for modern audiences to follow, SMTD did not fail to deliver a performance of both understanding and est eem. -BAILEY KADIAN
Best Films of 2015 2. “Mad Max: Fury Road” Someday, there will be a wonderful documentary in the vein of “Hearts of Darkness” about the making of “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The film went to development hell and back — and emerged an iron-clad war machine, roaring its engines and screeching its tires through the cosmic roads of Valhalla. Here, the unparalleled star power of Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”) and Charlize Theron (“Prometheus”) combines with impeccable cinematography and heavy
reliance on practical action setpieces to form a rhythmic chase movie that’s simultaneously larger-than-life and painfully human. This is a tremendous action film that even manages to eschew the “guy movie” label with its refreshing inclusivity. It’s amazing to see a new blockbuster that excels in both cinema art and crowd-pleasing so flawlessly. “Mad Max: Fury Road” is an achievement that anyone can enjoy. -JACOB RICH
5. “Brooklyn” “Brooklyn” follows a woman faced with a series of tough alternatives. Eilis loves living at home in small-town Ireland with her mother and sister — but what if she left for America and forged an independent life? Eilis loves Tony — but what about all the other men out there, especially the ones she has more in common with? Eilis finds a spot of happiness in her rapidly-changing life— but what if homesickness and grief threaten to wreck it all? What’s a girl to do? It speaks to “Brooklyn” ’s quality that viewers are so immediately
invested in Eilis’s fate. You’re right there with her, weighing every option, feeling every stab of pain and smiling at every turn of fate. Saoirse Ronan provides Eilis with the subtle shades of a true master. Her nuanced performance is easily one of the best of the year. Eilis is a relatable everywoman, but she — and the film itself — doesn’t want for surprises. “Brooklyn” isn’t a thriller (thankfully, there aren’t any explosions or jewel heists), but the movie successfully ramps up the tension and delivers unexpected delight. -CHLOE GILKE
Best TV Shows of 2015 4. “Mr. Robot” “Hello friend,” Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek, “Short Term 12”) says, introducing the viewer to the world of “Mr. Robot,” a haunting mirror of today. Unexpectedly hosted by USA Network, Sam Esmail’s (“Comet”) “Mr. Robot” draws from the crises and worries surrounding technology to explore loneliness and uncertainty in a time of constant connection and information. Anchoring the show with a powerhouse performance, Malek captures the disturbed figure of Elliot, a hacker that simultaneously knows so much and so little about himself and those surrounding him, including the enigmatic title character devilishly played by Christian Slater (“Breaking
In”). Wracked by social anxiety, addiction and hallucinations, Elliot becomes the unreliable narrator of a series that begins as a techno-thriller and spirals into a dark, twisted odyssey of personal identity in modern times. In an era where people project carefully constructed identities online and corporations wave an invisible hand of influence over every aspect of everyday life, “Mr. Robot” challenges viewers to look through the shadows of ambiguity, peel back the layers of deception and dig through all the bullshit that makes up society to reveal the insanity behind it all and ask the question: What is real? -MATT BARNAUSKAS
3. “Room” For 9-year-old Jacob Tremblay, who plays 5-year-old Jack, this will be known as “the performance that started it all.” As Jack and his 24-year-old mother, Ma (Brie Larson), physically and mentally transition from their kidnapped life in captivity in a tiny shed to “the real world,” emotions spin out of control both on screen and in the audience. Instead of distinct bursts of sadness, anger, or happiness, it’s a powerful movie-long sensation of sadnessangerhappiness. Watching a young boy experi-
4. “Spotlight”
ence his firsts (first friend, first bowl of ice cream, first haircut) while also seeing his mother struggle with PTSD makes us feel everything at once. Composer Stephen Rennicks enhances these moments with a soundtrack that causes streams of crocodile tears just as a wide smile starts to spread. When the end credits appear, this amalgamation of emotions subsides and one thought remains: our past is and always will be a part of us, but it doesn’t define us. -RACHEL RICHARDSON
6. “Phoenix” A beautiful web of secrets and suspense, “Phoenix” takes a loud plot and quiets it, finding power in subtlety rather than overt drama. Nelly Lenz (Mina Hoss, “Barbara”), rendered unrecognizable in a concentration camp, returns to Berlin at the end of the war in search of her husband. She finds him at Phoenix, the location of her prewar gig as a nightclub singer. He doesn’t recognize her but offers a cut of her own inheritance if she agrees to impersonate herself. Why does she agree to it? We
“Spotlight” is not a hero’s film. Portraying the journalists who uncovered the 2002 child abuse scandal in Boston’s Catholic diocese, the film adopts its reporters’ restraint and illuminates the story rather than engaging in “prestige cinema” self-promotion. Stripped of stylistic frills and cheap sensationalization, no one escapes its critical eye. Both the victim and perpetrators’ lawyers navigate moral grey areas, and refreshingly, the complexities of each party’s strategic decisions are not demonized, glorified, or glam-
ourized. The victim portrayals are also handled with care, appealing to audience empathy without exploiting personal experiences. This unobtrusive cinematic philosophy lets “Spotlight” ask big-picture questions. How do institutional structures affect transparency? Are strategic sacrifices morally unacceptable or necessary? And most importantly, if people all over Boston turned a blind eye to this for years, what could you be missing? -VANESSA WONG
7. “Creed”
don’t know, for “Phoenix” itself is as secretive as its characters, keeping its audience on the edge of epiphany. Because it doesn’t get lost in its own plot, the film is able to become a powerful picture of the world in the aftermath of trauma, where victims and their tormentors walk the streets together. “Phoenix” is a mystery of identity, a drama of betrayal, and a beautiful testament to human survival capped by one of the strongest final scenes in recent history. -MADELEINE GAUDIN
2. “Master of None” No one had quite the breakout this year like comedian Aziz Ansari (“Parks and Recreation”). Any fan of Ansari’s standup knows that he loves to talk about modern issues, whether it’s the growing omnipresence of technology or the underlying insanity of monogamy. With his new 10-episode Netflix series “Master of None,” Ansari further infuses insight and depth within his topical humor by giving viewers a refreshing take on the comingof-age narrative. In an age where hyperconnectivity and ambition
reign over the average millennial, Ansari captures the deep-seated anxiety and excitement that comes with life’s unpredictability. Not only is the show endlessly funny, beautifully filmed and well-acted, but “Master of None” also works on multiple levels. It charms as a witty romantic comedy, thrives as a thought-provoking commentary on race and gender and gives a poignant portrayal of a man uncertain of what he wants in life. -SAM ROSENBERG
After a remarkable inaugural season, “Fargo” had to answer questions about whether lightning could strike twice. Much like “True Detective,” expectations were high for its sophomore effort. However, unlike the HBO limited series, “Fargo” was able to pull off a second season that improved upon the first. The series told a story which had a higher degree of difficulty, featuring a full-on gang war among the Gerhardt crime family, which runs the Fargo and Kansas City crime syndicate. This intersected with the story of Ed Blumquist (Jesse Plemons, “Breaking Bad”) and his wife Peggy (Kirsten Dunst, “Spider-Man”), who accidentally run over the youngest Gerhardt son with her car. What’s truly remarkable about this season is how it brings the disparate stories together, and has everything click. The season builds the individual pieces into a whole that is as tense as it is
quirky. There’s an extraordinary juxtaposition between the “Minnesota Nice” tone and the brutal violence of the gang war. It’s as horribly gruesome as it is hysterically funny. (Only “Fargo” could insert a UFO into a scene and have it actually make thematic sense.) Meanwhile, the show’s cinematography remained top-notch, as it again made good use of the snowy landscapes. An expanded ensemble features magnificent performances from Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring”), Jeffrey Donovan (“Burn Notice”) and Jean Smart (“Frasier), each of whom look like they’re having a great time playing tough characters. This year, “Fargo” showed that it could do something unexpected in its second season: bring even the most contrasting elements together into something better than its first.
5. “Fargo”
-ALEX INTNER
In a year filled with franchise reboots like “Mad Max” and “Star Wars,” “Creed” rises above them all. Taking the “Rocky” mythos and turning it on its head, director Ryan Coogler delivers an honest and often brutal picture about fathers and names. It’s a distinctly millennial meditation — making a name in a world already dominated by those of our parents — that’s placed front and center in the unforgiving, vicious boxing ring. The struggle of our hero, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan, “Fantastic Four”), perfectly inter-
links with the struggle of his mentor, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone, “The Expendables”), a relic of a time long past, searching for meaning in the modern day. The result is a beautiful reflection of love, legacy and family, captured by some of the finest cinematography of the year (including a one-shot, two round fight scene), tense action, powerful performances and a marvelous score. “Creed” has the heart of a fighter, and the punch of a champion. -JAMIE BIRCOLL
3. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” Plot-driven and emotionally powerful, “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” makes us believe that superheroes are people too. Private investigator Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter, “Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23”) puts her superhuman strength aside as she struggles to move on from her past. The Netflix show, based on the Brian Michael Bendis comic series, explores common dynamics of power and manipulation within the context of a supernatural world. Among other outstanding accomplishments, the Marvel series captures
the all-consuming psychological manipulation of sexual assault without ever showing the abuse on screen. Instead, the show focuses on developing complicated characters to drive the 13-episode arc forward. Unapologetic, witty and inarguably flawed, Jessica brilliantly exhibits a raw vulnerability often lost in flashy dramas, and is able to tell a moving story while sporting a single pair of faded jeans and downing countless bottles of whiskey. -DANIELLE YACOBSON
6. “Orange is the New Black” The highly anticipated third season of “Orange is the New Black” brought a new set of unexpected twists, backstories and comical and endearing subplots that underpin the series by adding a unique flavor to the overarching plot. Like previous seasons, the precarious balance between comic relief and poignant storytelling succeeds in its eccentricity. Its supporting characters continue to come out of the woodwork through flashbacks, allowing their individuality and vulnerability to shine. In the third season, the inhumane treatment
of the inmates by Litchfield’s new business-minded corporate managers renders the deputies powerless in making decisions that affect the dayto-day lives of the women. However, the show illustrates how through small acts of defiance and creativity, the women take some of their power and individuality back. Netflix’s binge-worthy season has no lack of hilarious, uncomfortable and touching moments that continue to weave together an unconventional and moving story. -SHIR AVINADAV
the b-side
3B — Thursday, January 7, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Best Singles of 2015 1. “Alright” Kendrick Lamar “We’ve got to wake up at a certain point and recognize what’s going on here!” In perhaps the most poetically ironic statement of the year, Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera made a resounding appeal for the Black Lives Matter movement when he attempted to criticize Kendrick Lamar’s performance of “Alright” on the BET Awards. Forget that his idea of waking up involves completely disregarding the concerns of Black Americans and condemning rap music as the primary cause for their struggles (because it’s certainly not discrimination!). Waking up to Black Americans’ reality is what rap music — and Kendrick Lamar’s music especially — has always been about. Accordingly, Lamar’s sophomore album, To Pimp a Butterfly, is a masterpiece of Black protest art. With the weight and intricacy that carries this album, the genius of “Alright,” one of its most straightforward and commercial tracks, could be initially missed — it doesn’t take more than a single play to understand what “n***a, we gon’ be alright” means. But this kind of blunt activism is exactly what 2015 calls for. With its clear message highlighting police brutality and the roiling racial tensions across the country, “Alright” has become a clearly articulated
4. “Let It Happen” Tame Impala
rallying cry for the fight. Demonstrations across the country have featured the infectious hook shouted alongside speeches by Al Sharpton and prayers for Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland and the scores of other Black men and women killed by police in 2015. “Alright” also happens to be a fantastically well-executed hiphop song. The psychedelic pop energy that opens the track sustains itself from start to finish, propelled by Lamar’s urgent delivery. It’s this energy that allows “Alright” to function both as a party-ready single and a protestready chant. Many have listened to this song during a pre-game or on the way to the bar, enjoying the beat but failing to listen to the lyrics and recognize its poignancy. The powerful music video for the song, however, makes it clear that this isn’t typical radio fodder. Ending with a police officer shooting Lamar down like a hunter takes out a waterfowl to be hanged on the wall, the message of “Alright” is by no means made quaint or complacent. Yet, even with such a heavy burden, Lamar manages to keep the positivity. It’s something that we all need to remember, whether we’re facing a mountain of racial issues or you’re just worried about that upcoming test: we gon’ be alright. -MATT GALLATIN
2. “Good Times” Jamie xx Ft. Young Thug Lyrically, the track is lifeaffirming. For most, it was a groovy, easy beat that many matched with the windowsdown, warm-summer and smooth-drinks moments of their summer. Artistically, the track is exceptionally accomplished. What is more important than the catchiness and happiness of the track are the names attached to it: “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” put Young Thug on popular radio. Jamie xx introduced Young Thug, one of the most important rappers of this year and, surely, the upcoming, to those who had not found him yet. Thug and his gloriously eccentric, outwardly clever, and quietly complex rasps were sampled by the American public in this 2015 summer jam. We were given something a little more strong, a little more sonically pungent, to counter the sugary overload of the summer’s pop music circus. Jamie xx set the rap weirdo free on the track, bal-
ancing out his raspy words and screams with samples from The Persuasions’ 1972 single, “Good Times.” Popcaan, an up-andcoming Jamaican dancehall artist, added inventive twists and turns to the tracks. His added reggae undertones, pressed up against Thug’s melodic, strange screams, encourage that involuntary head and hip sway. Jamie xx’s “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” is a smooth balance of something tangy and something sugary. It’s the second-best banger of the year, and it’s actually good. And it actually introduced new, daring artists of the sometimes myopic music industry. It mixed the mainstream, Billboard Top 100 with that which is harder to find. Jamie xx is helping you be better. He is helping you grow. And Young Thug is helping you get better. Because “you don’t got to struggle/ baby girl sit it down….” -AMELIA ZAK
3. “Hotline Bling” Drake Is it R&B? Reggae? Merengue? Drake drew from innumerable sources to synthesize “Hotline Bling,” seeming to anticipate everything consumers would want as their anthem. A mix of musical styles just eclectic enough to be interesting, but not enough to alienate the mainstream listener, with lyrics specific enough to be believable but general enough for everyone to get behind and with a video from Director X with the potential for infinite meme adaptations: “Hotline Bling” has exploded
into omnipresence. Drake said himself he drew inspiration from the creative process of dancehall — a derivative of reggae in which one or more DJs improvise over the same recorded or live beat — and the merengue-esque rhythm (and dance moves) are impossible to ignore. Take it for what you will — as a sexist anthem of a commodity fetish, that song you hate to love, that song you love to love or all three — we all know when that hotline bling. -REGAN DETWILER
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One of the most sacred responsibilities in friend groups is bestowed upon he who manages the aux cord. In a room or car full of people with eclectic tastes in music, it’s crucial to select something that everyone can vibe to. There’s always the classic rock enthusiast, the hip-hop head, the “whatever is on the radio” type, and the aux cord DJ has to manage
all of these personalities by playing something universally agreed upon as “dope.” “Let It Happen” is just that: a certified aux cord crowd-pleaser. Despite clocking in at damn near eight minutes, no one ever seems to notice its ridiculous length. The only moment that might cause some head-scratching is about halfway through, when Kevin
5. “Hello” Adele I’ll never shut up about her eyeliner, and neither should you. And who knew sepia was still available as a filter? Was that a flip phone? Is that faux fur coat from Saks? Do they have Saks in London? These are the thoughts that cross our minds when “Hello” starts playing on the radio. All we have to do is hear those fatal opening lines in our cars, and we’re toast. Doomed. Goners. “Hello … it’s me.” (The ellipsis is essential.) This instantaneous recall — and depression — is a testament to the strength of a signature aesthetic, of her music videos, her
ballads, her voice. These ingredients blend into one another, creating the acrylic-nailed, cherub-voiced conglomeration that can only inhibit one name: Adele. Let us not forget that Adele released this monumental tune a mere three months ago, in October. It quickly broke many records, achieving over a million digital sales and 4.79 million online streams in a week. Its video surpassed Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” in acquiring around 27.7 million views on YouTube within a 24-hour span. What more is there to say? After a painfully
Parker seems to mash his fist on a particular excerpt that loops just long enough for everyone to notice. But then there’s “the drop.” Across all genres and personalities, everyone loves a good drop, and this one more than delivers. At this point in the song the vocals return for a now-familiar melody, but this time soaked in a Daft Punk-esque vocoder that makes it pleasantly indecipherable (word to Young Thug). Countless synths layer on top of one another to build a tastefully pop, angelic banger. The title alone suggests some sort of divine advice you
already know but need to hear from someone else. Parker almost commands you towards the end of the track with “Try to get through it / Try to push through it / Take the next ticket / Take the next train.” Does the power of Tame Impala compel you to fight the current, as the vortex-shedding album cover suggests? Or perhaps just let it happen and see where the tide takes you? Or maybe you should focus on what you’re playing after this? I don’t know, man. Your call.
lengthy hiatus, people wanted Adele back. And she came to us, finally, in 2015. The thing is, though, it’s not the videos, the glitz or the glam that cemented her place on our list. All of that helps the situation, yes, but Adele’s fundamental magnetism is her voice. Equally smoky as it is powerful, that London-laced instrument has spawned some of the best ballads of the decade. Drake couldn’t have sung the sumptuously devastating “Someone Like You.” Selena Gomez wouldn’t be able to carry “Chasing Pavements” past the first verse, not in a hundred years. Can Ellie Goulding’s pint-sized pipes handle “Rolling in the
Deep”? Ahem. Alas, no one could’ve said “Hello” to us as melodiously as our most favorite Brit, probably the finest talent to cross the pond since Winehouse. Adele is able to twist a phrase, a banal word, into a mellifluous plea that somehow taps at that little empty space in our hearts, put there in the first place by some awful ex-boyfriend, girlfriend, lover, life. And in doing so she reassures us we’re not alone out there, in the sepia-toned daylight. She’s here for us. “Hello,” she says, unapologetically. “It’s me.” And I can’t stop staring at her eyeliner. -MELINA GLUSAC
-SHAYAN SHAFII
Best TV Episodes of 2015 1. “Loplop” “Fargo” What happens when a selfactualizing housewife, her stressed out husband and a misogynistic criminal are confined inside a small cabin? The result is “Fargo” ’s eighth episode, “Loplop.” Fleeing from both sides of the law, Ed and Peggy Blumquist (Jesse Plemons, “Breaking Bad” and Kirsten Dunst, “Spider-Man”) hold one pursuer, Dodd Gerhardt (Jeffrey Donovan, “Burn Notice”), hostage in a desperate bid to save their skins. A near-perfect display of dark humor unfolds as Ed realizes how in over his head he is and Peggy slowly loses her grip on reality to the detriment of Dodd. Between stabbings, failed extortion and cheesy Ronald Reagan movies, cabin fever sets
in as everyone starts to go crazy. As the couple bumbles through their kidnapping, the terrifying Gerhardt enforcer Hanzee Dent (Zahn McClarnon, “Longmire”) circles closer and closer on their location, leaving a trail of violence in his wake. Stoically intimidating, Hanzee injects pure tension into every scene he inhabits. The show slowly brings his suffering to light as he lashes out against ignorant degradation. A large part of “Fargo” ’s success comes from its ability to make viewers laugh through their gasps of horror. “Loplop” exemplifies this tendency, setting itself apart in a season full of stellar episodes. -MATT BARNAUSKAS
2. “Five-O” “Better Call Saul” One of the many excellent aspects of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” spinoff, “Better Call Saul,” is its winning performances. While Bob Odenkirk (“W/ Bob and David”) continues to make Saul Goodman the most charismatic crooked lawyer of Albuquerque, it’s Jonathan Banks’s (“Community”) acting as the hapless Mike Ehrmantraut that made “Better Call Saul” such a standout this past TV season. In the show’s sixth episode, “Five-O,” the nonlinear plot delves into Mike’s
backstory as a Philadelphia cop and the mystery behind his son’s untimely murder. Though Odenkirk showed both comedic and dramatic depth as Saul, viewers got to see some raw emotion from the usually expressionless Mike. As both Saul and Mike grapple with morally ambiguous decisions, “Five-O” plays out like some of “Breaking Bad” ‘s best episodes; it’s heartbreaking, thrilling and devastating to watch, making for powerful television. -SAM ROSENBERG
3. (Tie) “Kina Hora” “Transparent” Opening a TV season with a four-minute-long take of a wedding portrait session is a bold move. For any other show, starting with a static camera and bickering family might appear a desperate attempt to appear cinematic — clever filmmaking tricks have been enough to win movies Oscars and earn shows their fanboys for life. But Amazon’s “Transparent” isn’t trying to show off. That opening shot is meant to reacquaint viewers with the Pfefferman clan and remind them just how uncomfortable it is to spend time with that family. “Kina Hora,” “Transparent” ’s second season premiere, is full of gorgeously framed shots and top-notch performances,
but the episode never feels like it’s bragging. The swoops across hotel windows and claustrophobic tight shots augment the episode’s dramatic tension. Writer-director Jill Soloway (“United States of Tara”) pulls out all the stops to portray the horror show that is Sarah (Amy Landecker, “A Serious Man”) and Tammy’s (Melora Hardin, “The Office”) wedding — and imperfect wedding portraits are only the beginning. “Kina Hora” shatters the illusion of normalcy and happiness for almost every character, sending them spinning on arcs that take them through to the end of the season. Family dysfunction never looked so good. -CHLOE GILKE
3. (Tie) “Hardhome” “Game of Thrones” Season five of “Game of Thrones” had its ups and downs. On the one hand, it failed to grow interest in major plotlines (*cough* Dorne *cough*) and completely ruined the character arc for the once strong Sansa Stark. However, there were some moments where the show reminded me why I loved it, and the biggest example was “Hardhome,” an episode of television that made every battle that came before it in the series look cheap. In the hour, Jon Snow (Kit Harington, “Pompeii”) leads a group of the Night’s Watch to a town of Wildlings to save them from the incoming White Walkers. What they, and us as viewers, were not expecting was a full-fledged battle between the
parties. The episode’s visuals could compete with any from cinema, with broad landscape shots and brutal but beautiful violence. One of the last shots of the episode, where the lead Walker raises his arms to bring the battle’s dead back to life, still sends shivers down my spine when I think of it. It established the White Walkers as a real threat, forever changing the course of one of television’s most important series. There was nothing on TV in 2015 that matched the scale and size of “Hardhome,” and there will likely be nothing that comes close, at least until the next season of “Thrones.” -ALEX INTNER
4. “One Last Ride” “Parks and Recreation” “Parks and Rec,” like “30 Rock” and “The Office,” signified the end of an era. For seven whole seasons, we grew along with Pawnee through marriages, children and town mergers. What was most beautiful was watching Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live”) “pipeline dreams” become a tangible reality. Though we were left with a Lil’ Sebastian-shaped hole in our hearts, the series finale offered the perfect closure — even bringing back our beloved Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones, “The Office”). After the finale, we were left desperately YouTub-
ing gag reels, madly scrolling through Tumblr GIFs — anything for a little more time with these characters. All we’d ever wanted was a happily ever after for each of them — and we got that. For so many actors — Aziz Ansari and Nick Offerman, to name a few — “Parks and Rec” was their big break; for Leslie, Pawnee was her own big break toward her presidential dreams. But for both the fictional characters and their real-life actors, they will never be “too good” for Pawnee, even when they move on. -KAREN HUA
5. “Trust No Bitch” “Orange is the New Black” Was there a more purely joyful moment this year than when the inmates of Litchfield briefly escaped from prison and spent the day at a nearby beach? Everyone knows that it’s just a temporary excursion; soon, they’ll be rounded up and brought back. But for now, that’s okay. Even forgetting about that moment at the lake, though, “Trust No Bitch” is full of excruciatingly beautiful moments. Black Cindy’s (“Adrienne C. Moore, “30 Rock”) attempts to prove her Jewish beliefs turn
from selfish to sincere in a stunning monologue about faith. Morello (Yael Stone, “Spirited”) weds her frequent visitor Vince (John Magaro, “Not Fade Away”), inspiring tears from the stoic Healy (Michael J. Harney, “Deadwood”). In a series that usually (and rightfully) lingers on the injustices of the criminal justice system, “Trust No Bitch” is the rare episode that celebrates life, friendship and love. It’s absolutely awe-inspiring. -BEN ROSENSTOCK
the b-side
4B — Thursday, January 7, 2016
Best Albums of 2015 2. Currents Tame Impala
Apparently, people actually take the time to stalk my music preferences on Tinder because I got a message from Luke, eager to know what I thought of Currents. Both Tame Impala fans, Luke and I hit it off immediately. We both agreed — Currents is the Australian band’s best album to date. But unfortunately for us, we disagreed on the album’s best songs. Luke jams to “Let It Happen” and “Past Life,” but when I claimed that “The Moment” and “Eventually” are the best songs on the album I was promptly unmatched. It’s whatever; I’m over it. I’m over it because obviously I’m right. “The Moment” and “Eventually” are both smooth indie classics that have already secured a tenured spot on my “car tunes” playlist and
my “summer vibes” playlist. These songs, like the 11 others that comprise Currents, demonstrate just how ephemeral psychedelic indie rock can be. Tame Impala managed to produce a magical 13-track album that’s perfect for any occasion. You can play it when you ~chill~, you can burn incense and dream about Coachella to it and you can even use the soundtrack to justify buying things you can’t afford at Urban Outfitters. Additionally, it makes for the perfect, “I don’t want to go to class but let me walk melancholially to class anyway” album. You can even *gasp* just lay in bed and listen to the album on repeat without wanting to look at your phone to Snapchat the moment. -DANIELLE IMMERMAN
3. Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit Courtney Barnett Last March I volunteered to review Courtney Barnett’s debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit without knowing anything about her music. In the review, I gave it a B+. Almost ten months later I can only think “what the fuck?” My review wasn’t wrong, I thought her album was good, but it’s stunning. It’s without a doubt an A+. Sometimes I Sit … is a lyrical masterpiece. Barnett throws 11 short scenes at listeners and expects them to keep up throughout the entire ride. Every track is lyrically dense no matter the speed of delivery. “Pedestrian at Best,” “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t” and “Debbie Downer” are the catchiest and offer the most insight into Barnett’s internal (and beautiful) ramblings. Others offer less catch and drone on. “Small Poppies” morphs rock star guitars and monotone delivery of “an eye for an eye for an eye for an eye,” creating one
of the most weirdly pleasurable tracks on the LP. “Kim’s Caravan” is soft-spoken reflection on Australia’s coral reef that builds with repetition and tone. “Depreston” does the opposite — Barnett talks through a story of looking to buy a house in Depreston that “seems depressing.” The track ultimately finds its center on the repetition of the realtor’s line “If you’ve got a spare half a million, you could knock it down and start rebuilding.” Each delivery drives home Barnett’s point. It emphasizes the ridiculousness of the trip and exemplifies Barnett’s ability to beautify the mundane. Barnett killed 2015. Her debut album was praised. She was one nomination the VMAs got right. She played killer shows across the world. (I saw her at Bonnaroo and it was transcendent.) Now, in 2016 she’s going for “Best New Artist” at the Grammys. It should be a nobrainer who wins this year. -CHRISTIAN KENNEDY
4. Carrie & Lowell Sufjan Stevens Listening to Sufjan Stevens is great for when you need a good cry, when you miss someone or when you suddenly remember that abandoned cat you saw three years ago and can’t stop wondering what happened to it. But really, he makes you think. Playing Stevens’s record requires a confrontation with your being — it’s impossible to take in his signature spry instrumentation and delicate vocals without at least being prompted to think about something bigger than yourself. Carrie & Lowell
tackles Stevens’s relationship with his mother and stepfather — their lives, struggles, deaths and beliefs. Stevens holds nothing back, tackling the most intimate of questions regarding what it means to be in a family, both the good and the bad. The album is gentle and beautiful, with Stevens’s pleasant voice contrasting his emotionally heavy lyrics. Carrie & Lowell is a masterful, standout addition to Stevens’s already impressive body of work.
Artist and producer Claire Boucher, better known for her most recent project as Grimes, delivers in her highly anticipated follow-up to her 2012 release, Visions. Released in November, Art Angels is avant-garde; it’s kawaii; it’s horrifying; it’s incredible. Grimes ushers listeners to their seats with “laughing and not being normal,” violin and synth chords clashing against one another, a sinister organ and her vocals verging on choral yielding a sonic aesthetic that places 19thcentury gothic in the present. But straightaway we’re brought into “California,” which plays with juxtaposition once more, its fluid guitar and sugary sound pushed against melancholic lyrics of the ephemeral and dehumanizing nature of hype. Juxtapositions
and contradictions are everywhere in this album: “California” sounds sweet but then we get “SCREAM,” an ice-hot and semihorrifying nu-metal collaboration with Taiwanese DJ Aristophanes. She’s avant-pop but unrelentingly claims to represent the alternative, to press against what we think of as going together. Art Angels shows us that women can do the technical work of producers, that producers can be experimental artists, that cute can be “too scary to be objectified” (in the artist’s own words), that happy and angry can coexist, that pop can be alternative, that the individual can be whatever they want to be, and that life is fucking confusing and dark and fun all at once, all the time.
5. Art Angels Grimes
-CARLY SNIDER
-REGAN DETWILER
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
2. Audra McDonald On the evening of September 17, Hill Auditorium was packed with an audience eager to see the widely known and beloved Audra McDonald, who returned to UMS for her sixth appearance in concert. McDonald is a six-time Tony Award winner and has found her place both on the stages of Broadway and the opera. Her concert’s set list borrowed from various works, opening with “Sing Happy” from Flora the Red Menace, and including Sondheim’s “Moments in the Woods” from “Into the Woods,” “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from “The Sound of Music” and concluding with “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz.” The concert also featured music from McDonald’s most recent recorded work,
an album titled Go Back Home. UMS ticket holders responded to McDonald’s performance with raving reviews, describing the concert as “amazing” and “fantastic,” believing McDonald to be someone who has an “incredible understanding of what drives the human soul.” McDonald’s vocal range is remarkable and audiences are continuously amazed by the range of musical theater pieces she is able to perform. Her most compelling gift, aside from the inordinate talent she already demonstrates, is her storytelling through music which leaves audiences captivated and in awe of not only her vocal abilities, but also the stories she tells through them. -BAILEY KADIAN
3. Patti Smith On October 8th at the State Theatre, musician and writer Patti Smith read from her newest book “M Train,” a book that serves as something of patchwork, chronicling moments of her life spanning from Café Ino, a lower Manhattan coffeeshop, to Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul in Coyoacán, Mexico. Smith invites the reader to explore various settings, historical moments and landscapes that influence the writing and music she has produced. The stories are punctuated by Smith’s black and white photographs and moments where the lines between poetry, prose, reality and imagination are blurred. During the event, she read from a couple of chapters of the book and an audience Q&A followed. In her responses to the Q&A, Smith was blunt and direct, providing unvarnished insight into the philosophies that have inspired her work as an artist. She spoke of her art as an obligation, one that she had always managed to fit in
around raising a family, working odd jobs and coping with the loss of her beloved husband, Fred “Sonic” Smith. She boldly denied the notion that art is a mere hobby or profession — stating that to artists it is like food or shelter, a need that is crippling when unfulfilled. When asked about the practice of well-known artists pursuing activism, Smith, who has often called for an alleviation of injustice in her music and writing, suggested that artists were not responsible for activism. She did suggest, however, that pop stars should “pool together their money and bail out our cities.” Although only the reading and Q&A were advertised, Smith surprised the audience with a performance of her 1983 hit “Because the Night,” accompanied by her son Jackson Smith, leaving her signature mark as the godmother of punk. -MARIA ROBINS-SOMERVILLE
Best Community Events of 2015 4. Sankai Juru As the lights slowly dimmed, an audible diminuendo spread throughout the Power Center, which was filled to capacity with people sitting collectively in stilled breath. There in the quiet and semi-darkness, the lone source of light emanated from the stage before the audience, in the form of a soft glow reflecting off a pillar of falling sand, which gracefully streamed from the ceiling to the floor. If one were to listen closely enough, the soft sound of the earth-bound particles landing could be heard; as the minutes passed, the shifting pile beneath the pillar began to multiply. Into the light of the stage stepped a figure of somewhat androgynous appearance, bald and covered in white powder, wearing long flowing garments. Slowly, the figure began to dance, and over the course of the evening he was joined by others similarly adorned. The dancers were all members of the Japanese dance group Sankai Juku. The ensemble
is dedicated to Butoh, a Japanese avant-garde dance form which originated in the 1960s as a means to express the intensely grotesque and perverse. Throughout the performance, the dancers embodied numerous moods and ideas, often juxtaposing extreme stillness with rapid movement, moving in and out of shifting scenes of colored light, as ethereal music enveloped the space. At one point, the dancers opened their mouths and seemed to scream silently at the sky in a moment of cathartic release. At another moment, they lay on the floor, curled fetus-like into balls, periodically scrabbling against the ground in order to shift their position. At the end of the evening, the audience walked away from the performance with a melancholy mix of emotions, having witnessed something profoundly sad, yet undeniably beautiful. -DAYTON HARE
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Best Viral Videos of 2015 1. Drake’s “Hotline Bling” Music Video
It seemed like the Internet was imploding when Drake blessed us with his flashy new moves in the “Hotline Bling” music video. The minimalistic set allowed viewers to gawk indefinitely at the 28-year-old rapper’s quirky dancing, which quickly racked up over 307 million views and infinitely more imitators. In true 2015 fashion, fans took to social media to share their interpretations of Drake’s choreo. Memes circled the web of Drake tossing pepperoni slices, destroying at Wii tennis and playing with
light sabers. Even Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders joined the revolution as Ellen DeGeneres superimposed his Drake-inspired moves onto the “Hotline Bling” music video stage, yet another example of the way politics were taken just as seriously as this generation’s most prominent rappers. Drake taught us to pair turtlenecks with sweatpants and reminded everyone in 2015 to dance like no one was watching. -DANIELLE YACOBSON
2. Alanis Morissette sings “Ironic” with James Corden 2015 was the last year of a period of upheaval in the late night space, as staples such as Jon Stewart and David Letterman said goodbye, and newbies, like James Corden, took the reins. Cordon treats his show like a variety show, with similarities to the current version of “The Tonight Show.” He is best known for his Carpool Karaoke segment, where he and a singer will drive around in a car. However, my favorite segment was this one where Corden and Alanis Morissette updated the lyrics of Morissette’s hit “Ironic” for the digital age. Instead of “rain on
5. DJ Khaled’s Inspirational Video
your wedding day,” there’s “An old friend sends you a Facebook request / And you only find out they’re racist after you accept.” Or, “It’s a traffic jam when you tried to use Waze.” He and Morissette have a clear chemistry, which makes their mid-song interactions even more fun. Corden is an underthe-radar talent and is actually beating Jimmy Fallon at his own game. Hopefully 2016 is a year where more people notice his talent because he’s only going to be creating more segments like this. -ALEX INTNER I watched DJ Khaled’s “Motivational Speech” on YouTube for the first time before finals in December. My roommate, her sides splitting, grabbed me as I was heading out to study and handed me her phone. Just under two minutes, the video centers on Khaled, wearing a sweatsuit and bling, as he delivers an inspirational
3. “Things Everybody Does But Doesn’t Talk About, Ft. President Obama”
BuzzFeed has no shortage of hilarious videos to distract us from our responsibilities, but this video takes the cake. The video, featuring the leader of the free world, promotes the launch of healthcare.gov, but mostly reminds us how cool the President is. No platform is out of bounds for Obama to reach constituents, and BuzzFeed is no exception. In under two minutes, the President shows us how relatable he is by practicing his finger guns and checking himself out in the mirror, taking pictures
with a selfie stick, stumbling over the pronunciation of “February,” doodling a picture of Michelle in a notebook and practicing some fake free throw shots while no one’s looking. He even sarcastically mutters “Thanks, Obama” after he fails to dunk a cookie in his glass of milk. Though 2015 was filled with criticism for Obama, he takes amusement in it while getting a message out, making this one of the year’s most entertaining videos. -SHIR AVINADAV
4. “Close Encounter” “Saturday Night Live” might not be as funny as it once was — according to my parents and a bunch of other people who were watching it before I was born, etc. — but every once in a while, they come up with something truly hilarious. A sketch titled “Close Encounters” is one of the best that “SNL” has seen in the past few years, and it went viral for good reason. Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon and host Ryan Gosling are interrogated by government officials (Aidy Bryant and Bobby Moynihan) about their alien abduction. While Strong and Gosling had experiences with a creature made of “pure light,” McKinnon’s character had a different ordeal, with 40 gray aliens, steel bowls speech that’s absurd and uplifting at the same time. The gist of the speech is this: “We the best. You smart, you very smart. You loyal,” and his catch phrase, “Another one.” As he explains, “another one” refers to push-ups or crunches, where you get on the floor while Khaled coaches you to your better self. The “All I Do is Win”
and a lack of pants. McKinnon’s performance is what makes the sketch an instant hit. Breaking character is something “SNL” ’s actors generally try to avoid, but “Close Encounters” wouldn’t have been nearly as funny if the actors didn’t break. The mirth in McKinnon’s eyes as she ashes her cigarette and gently begins “batting” Strong’s “knockers” as a demonstration is reason enough to press “replay.” Gosling just gives up, laughing into his shirt. They are having just as much fun performing as we are watching, and that’s what makes it great. That, and Kate McKinnon. -SOPHIA KAUFMAN producer repeats the phrase several times, emphasizing that we should “win no matter what,” whether it’s finishing a set of push-ups or buying houses for our mamas. Ridiculous? Yes. But exactly what we needed to get through the semester. Another one! -HAILEY MIDDLEBROOK