ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, February 2, 2016
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SCIENCE
With 3-year contract, Hu prepares for VP role
GRANT HARDY/Daily
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R –Tex.) discusses his desire to restore the Constitution to its original form and defend it if elected president during a rally at Johnson County Fairgrounds outside Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday.
Cruz stresses conservative credentials on path to victory Senator wins Republican Iowa caucus by roughly 3 percent
(R–Tex.) made sure Iowan voters knew he was the most conservative presidential candidate at his rally in Iowa City Sunday. On Sunday, Sen. Cruz’s final appeals aimed to cement the votes of the farthest right-wing constituents — and the final polls showed his effort drew them in, as well as others. During his remarks, Sen. Cruz urged attendees to each persuade nine other friends to caucus for him, and for those who were too
By EMMA KINERY Daily News Editor
IOWA CITY — A day before he won the nation’s first caucus by about three percent, Sen. Ted Cruz
young to vote: persuade 10. “I’m not suggesting voter fraud,” he said. “If every one of you brings nine other people to the caucus tomorrow night, you will have voted 10 times.” According to the Associated Press’s poll, Sen. Cruz won the caucuses with 27.7 percent. In second and third place were Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, at 24.4 and 23 percent respectively as of Monday night. At Sunday’s rally, the focus
rested largely on speakers who could speak to Cruz’s conservative credentials, with almost sixty minutes devoted to a range of individuals emphasizing Cruz’s devotion to conservative values and the strength of his conservative convictions. The candidate spoke for about fifteen minutes afterward to close out the rally. Over the past several years, Iowa’s Republican caucus has See CRUZ, Page 3
Vice president for research plans to continue support for innovation By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
After serving as interim in the role for almost two years, Jack Hu, the University’s current vice president for research, was approved for a three-year appointment, effective Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2018, in December. In an interview with The Michigan Daily on Jan. 12, Hu outlined several goals for his role, including supporting creating opportunities for students, supporting faculty research and innovation and fostering interdisciplinary initiatives. The search process for Hu’s position was consulted by University President Mark Schlissel with the aim of
GOVERNMENT
CAMPUS LIFE
House bill calls for tax cuts to tampons, pads Representative aims to exempt feminine hygiene products from state revenue By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan is joining several other states in the nation in working to abolish the so-called “tampon tax” through a new House bill that seeks to exempt several feminine hygiene products, including tampons and pads, from taxation among other products. Rep. Sarah Roberts (D– St. Clair Shores) introduced House Bill 5234 on Jan. 21 after hearing about an activist in New York who was advocating for removal of the tax. “I thought this absolutely makes sense that we should not be taxing women for being women,” Roberts said in an interview. “The state has a number of things that are seen as necessary items, like food and prescriptions, and I think feminine hygiene products are necessary items. It is something we cannot not have.” The bill has garnered 28 co-sponsors, three of which are Republicans. Nine of the 21 total women in the state House have supported the bill. “Women menstruate, we’ve been doing it for a very long time, and we should be talking about it,” Roberts said. “We
WEATHER TOMORROW
should make it accessible and affordable and safe.” The push to remove the tax started with California state Rep. Cristina Garcia (D–Calif.), who got the idea to make feminine hygiene products tax free after hearing from local constituents who said the tampon tax accumulates to a large portion of their income. Garcia said women are being taxed for being women and that until recently, men were afraid to approach the subject. “We’ve been taught to hide this,” Garcia said when announcing the bill. “The reality is, these institutions of power are male-dominated.” According to Garcia, the average California woman spends $7 a year on taxes for purchasing tampons and other feminine hygiene products. The state generates $20 million annually from these taxes alone, Garcia said in a press release. Nationwide, tampons are taxed more than candy and soda, according to a study from the Tax Foundation. Roberts said the average American woman will use upwards of 17,000 tampons and sanitary napkins during her lifetime, not including those used by her daughters. LSA sophomore Ashley Wilson, social media director of Students for Choice, said she thought this new initiative can positively affect women of lower income status. “The idea that having a See TAX, Page 3
HI: 44 LO: 40
identifying and evaluating senior officers who would be qualified for the position, according to University Regent Kathy White (D–Ann Arbor). During the process, Schlissel consulted with the Board of Regents and asked for their input, leading to their December vote on appointing Schlissel’s recommendation, Hu. In the University Board of Regents’ action item from its meeting in December, Schlissel summarized several reasons why Hu was a viable candidate, citing his leadership skills and experience in particular. “Professor Hu’s proven leadership skills, breadth and depth of experience, vision and demonstrated commitment to the University of Michigan make him ideally suited for the responsibilities of vice president for research,” Schlissel said. Hu was originally appointed as interim vice president following former vice president Stephen Forrest’s announcement to step down from the position and See JACK HU, Page 3
Plan-a-thon seeks input on strategic diversity plan LSA forum draws few students, some faculty to League ballroom By EMILY MILLER Daily Staff Reporter
EMILIE FARRUGIA/Daily
Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line performs at The Ark’s 39th Ann Arbor Folk Festival at Hill Auditorium on Friday.
ARTS
Ann Arbor Folk Fest brings a winning variety of sounds Over a dozen artists play Hill Auditorium as part of annual festival By ARIANA ASSAF Daily Arts Writer
Last weekend, over a dozen musical acts graced the stage at Hill Auditorium as part of the 39th annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival. Not knowing much about folk music, I went in expecting songs praising the good ol’ US of A backed by banjos and harmonicas. But like many other genres of today, folk music is not defined by such specific parameters. Friday night at the festival exposed me to a grandiose landscape of styles: from
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soft vocalists to rock ‘n’ roll guitar players and everything in between. A voice that particularly caught my attention was that of Dallas Green, City and Colour’s lead singer. Green began his music career as guitarist/lead singer of Helicon Blue in the early 2000s, co-founded hardcore band Alexisonfire after that, and released his first album as City and Colour in 2005. Since then, the project has earned him international attention, and he’s performed everywhere from his home city of Toronto to South America (along with pop-star-turnedcountry-singer Pink on their duo, You+Me). Yet for all that big-time success, City and Colour’s performance felt as intimate as old friends sharing secrets and memories in the comfort
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of a living room. Green’s casual flannel and baseball cap lent an air of relaxation to the regal Hill Auditorium that perfectly matched the calmness of his voice, allowing him to establish instant familiarity with the audience regardless of whether or not they were already fans of his music. The band kept the performance balanced with a good mix of recent work and old favorites, highlighting songs like “If I Should Go Before You,” a beautiful example of Green’s vocal and emotional range. A well-received throwback came in the form of “Grand Optimist” from the album Little Hell, as eerie “ooooh” ’s made walls vibrate and souls tingle — the kind of effect only a live performance can achieve. They ended the set with the See FOLK FEST, Page 5
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The College of Literature, Science and the Arts hosted the first of two workshops Monday to receive feedback and ideas from students regarding ways to facilitate a more inclusive and diverse climate on campus. The workshop is part of LSA’s Plan-A-Thon, an initiative to help generate ideas before submitting a college-wide plan to enhance diversity at the school. The plan, which will be submitted on March 15 and implemented next fall, is part of University President Mark Schlissel’s strategic plan on diversity, equity and inclusion. While this event aimed to engage students in the planning process according to event organizers, about half of the audience Monday was made up of faculty members. The room was setup to accommodate a large crowd, but only a few of the tables in the League ballroom were filled, with about 15 students and 15 faculty members in attendance. During the workshop, administrators presented the current draft of the plan to gauge reactions to initiatives presented and brainstorm ways to improve. Angela Dillard, LSA associate See DIVERSITY, Page 2
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SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS....................5 SPORTS....................7
News
2 — Tuesday, February 2, 2016
TUESDAY: Tables and Tents
MONDAY: This Week in History
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
Fundraisers for Flint, Honduras United’s Flint Water Fund. LSA juniors Micah Griggs and Asia Paige said NCNW wanted to contribute because of connections to the majority Black population in Flint. “We just think that Student organizations since Flint is a heavily Black tabled at Angell Hall and the population and since they are basement of the Union to being affected by this crisis raise funds for the Flint water and we’re a Black collegiate crisis and Students Helping organization, we just thought Honduras. it was in our duty to fundraise The National Council and help our neighboring of Negro Women at the city,” Griggs said. University collected water As for the entire bottles, wipes and money organization, Paige said the for relief in Flint, where NCNW also raises funds to contaminated water pipes sponsor future events hosted have corroded, allowing lead by the organization, such as into the city’s water supply. the HIV/AIDS Monologue To provide an alternative last December, by conducting for the contaminated water bubble tea and Panera in the city, the NCNW will fundraisers. She said NCNW donate its collections to Live hopes to add a capstone event
to their fundraising efforts. “We’re trying to hold an event that showcases Black culture and Black talent,” Page said. “It’s called ‘Black En Vogue.’” Students Helping Honduras, a student organization at the University that sends members to build schools in Honduras to end gang violence and poverty through youth empowerment and education also manned tables at Angell Hall Monday to raise funds. The group sold packets of Puppy Chow to complement their other, larger fundraising efforts in April and February. LSA freshman Veronica Orellana said the Angell Hall area can be a hit or a miss when it comes to collecting funds.
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
OFF THE RECORD
TABLES AND TENTS
The Michigan Daily is introducing a new rotating item, Tents and Tables, that seeks to highlight campus activities on the Diag and near the posting wall in Angell Hall.
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Art & Design freshman Nate Rieger browses albums at Encore Records on East Liberty Street on Monday.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Movie screening
Inuit musical performance
Prayer meeting Faculty music recital series
WHAT: Take a break from homework with a movie screening of “Groundhog Day.” WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room
WHAT: Tanya Tagaq will perform ancient Inuit music, accompanying a screening of “Nanook of the North,” a 1922 film. WHO: University Musical Society WHEN: Today from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. WHERE: Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
WHAT: A weekly prayer meeting will take place along with a talk on wisdom by Joseph Matthias. WHO: University Christian Outreach WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Campus Chapel
Flint water crisis debate
Open swing class
Noon lecture series
WHAT: Students are invited to debate whether the people of Michigan should recall Gov. Rick Snyder over the ongoing Flint water crisis. WHO: Michigan Political Union WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union
WHAT: A social swing dance workshop with warm-up, basic lessons throughout and free dancing at the end. No experience or partner required to attend. WHO: Mswing WHEN: Today at 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Henderson Room
WHAT: Jeffrey Moser, assistant professor of art history at Brown University, will lecture on the Zhenghe era bronze cauldron owned by Emporer Huizong in 1116. WHO: Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies WHEN: Today from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: School of Social Work, Room 1636
WHAT: Kathryn Votapek will perform Brahms Sonatas on the violin with a guest pianist. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: Stamps Auditorium
Defense lecture WHAT: Ralph Vartabedian, national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, will examine the nation’s weapons plan. WHO: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library WHEN: Today from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Gerald Ford Library
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
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San Francisco Police Department officials will launch an investigation following the December death of an unarmed Black man in December, the Los Angeles Times reported. A video of the shooting has sparked protests nationwide.
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The Michigan men’s basketball team returns home for a two-game stretch against ranked teams: No. 22 Indiana on Tuesday and then No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday.
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Seven cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Houston, ABC reported. Officials say the virus, which is linked to birth deformities, has been found in patients who have traveled to Latin countries.
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White House cabinet secretary stresses inspiring Black youth Broderick Johnson recounts formation of Obama’s community outreach initiatives By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
University alum Broderick Johnson, White House cabinet secretary and chair of the administration’s My Brother’s Keeper task force, delivered a lecture about his experiences in the White House at the Ford School of Public Policy Monday afternoon. Johnson — who received his law degree from the University — joined President Barack Obama’s administration in 2013. During his address, Johnson spoke of his experiences working closely with Obama and his leadership in My Brother’s Keeper,
a program created by Obama that aims to address the persistent opportunity gaps faced by young men of color. Johnson himself grew up in lower-class areas of Baltimore, he told the crowd. He said the foundation for the program was prompted by the death of Travyvon Martin, a Black teen, in 2012. “The president spoke about anger and angst after the death of Trayvon Martin,” Johnson said. “He and I talked about what we could do to use the power of the presidency to go big on this and do something significant.” Six guidelines drive the program: preparing young boys for school, ensuring they have the ability to read by grade three, making sure boys graduate from high school in preparation for college, ensuring they complete postsecondary education, entering the workforce and, most importantly, giving the population
targeted second chances. “Boys and young men of color are more likely to live in concentrated poverty, attend poorly funded schools,” Johnson said. “They too often receive harsh punishments and are least likely to be given a second chance … we can’t have millions of young people missing from this society.” Johnson also spoke about the extension of My Brother’s Keeper into the private sector. Through the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, the program also corresponds with the NBA. Their program, the “In Real Life Campaign,” aims to connect every child who wants a mentor with a player and to share some of the backgrounds of NBA players. Johnson said more than 200 communities have pledged to be My Brother’s Keeper communities to combat current statistics on educational achievement for young men of color. Last year, Johnson said, 4,000 three- and four-year-olds were suspended from preschool. He also noted that young Black men, who comprise 6 percent of the
DIVERSITY From Page 1 dean for undergraduate education, said the goal of the strategic plan was to find realistic ways to implement the goals of students regarding the climate on campus. “We did want to come up with a way to help students build their own capacity to think about how you move from a good idea to something that might become a part of a strategic plan at something like a major university,” Dillard said. Dillard said she thought the talk went well, but she was disappointed by the low turnout. “I think students aren’t connecting to this process and it’s really tough to figure out how to get them to connect,” Dillard said. Amanda Alexander, assistant
RYAN MCLOUGHlIN/Dailly Broderick Johnson, White House cabinet secretary, discusses his experiences as the chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force as a part of the Policy Talks series in the Ford School of Public Policy on Monday.
population, account for more than half of all homicides in the nation. “(My Brother’s Keeper) is about disrupting the status quo, where everyone has a fair shot and everyone is in the game,” Johnson said. “While social transformation is complex and measured over decades, I can personally see that we are getting closer and closer every day, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
professor in the Afroamerican and African Studies Department, discussed a variety of initiatives in the current draft of the plan, such as the Ban the Box initiative, which would remove questions about an individual’s criminal record from applications for admission the University. Another initiative in the draft plan calls for disarming campus police officers. Alexander said her goal in pushing to include these initiatives is to help embrace potential students at the University and foster a greater sense of community. “Whether it’s mental health, whether it’s being undocumented, whether it’s having a criminal record, there are all of these points of stigma and silence and shame that students don’t have here,” she said. Matthew Countryman,
Beyond his talk on My Brother’s Keeper, Johnson also discussed his work as cabinet secretary and relationship with Obama. Despite nearing the end of his term, Johnson said the administration has plans to continue its work. He touched on several memorable moments he shared with the Obamas: crossing the bridge in Selma, and many briefings in the Oval Office.
“Working in the White House is the hardest job I have ever had,” Johnson said. “As cabinet secretary, we have surreal and unexpected challenges with a Congress that has a lot of challenges within itself. It’s been my distinct honor to get to know the president as a friend. He is quite an amazing human being. It’s hard but incredibly rewarding.”
associate professor of history and American culture, presented on the ways affirmative action and University policies impacted minority enrollment. Affirmative action has been banned at Michigan public colleges since the passage of a statewide ballot proposal in 2006. In that year, Black students comprised 7.2 percent of the overall campus population. In 2015, Black students make up 4.82 percent. Countryman discussed how last year there was an increase in underrepresented minorities in the incoming class, which he says could be due to less early applicants being accepted than in years past. Countryman said this change implies the University could make adjustments to the admissions process that might lead to more diversity. “It’s shocking to me that a
slight tweak in the process could produce this shift when we were told for 10 years that there was nothing the University could do,” Countryman said. Faculty members also discussed how the language of plan itself may contribute to an insufficient conversation on issues of inclusion. Ruby Tapia, associate professor of women’s studies and English, said diversity may no longer be the optimal word for campaigns such as this due to it being overused, which she termed “diversity fatigue.” “People feel like we don’t need to talk about these issues because we’ve already talked about them,” Tapia said. Tapia recommended the word justice, which several participants said elicits a better sense of action. She also commended the inclusion of the word equity in the plan’s name.
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KRISTINA PERKINS/Dailly Ann Arbor resident Hope Carroll expresses her opposition to the deer cull at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting in the City Council Chambers on Monday.
JACK HU From Page 1 return to teaching in 2013. Prior to his appointment as interim vice president, Hu served as associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering, and was also associate dean for research and graduate education. Because then-current University President Mary Sue Coleman was retiring in the summer of 2014, Hu said she did not want to choose someone to serve in the position long-term. Instead, Hu was given a two-year interim appointment from Coleman, who knew him through their work experience together on the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a selection of leaders assembled by President Barack Obama to develop recommendations on strengthening U.S. manufacturing. During Hu’s tenure as interim vice president, two significant University initiatives were launched, including the M-City test environment at the University’s Mobility Transformation Center as well as a campus-wide initiative in data science. Hu said moving forward, one key initiative he wants to facilitate at the University is creating more opportunities for undergraduate research. Because of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, which is run by LSA, he said in the past the vice president’s office did not provide as much direct support for student research. “Whether that is support or making the faculty more visible to the students, I want to enhance that,” Hu said. “I don’t have a concrete plan, but I had some ideas (being formulated) last year — that is to support student teams. I think we will have something hopefully in the fall that I can announce.” Hu said he believes there could be research opportunities available for every student, though he noted the question remains as to how many students the University can support. However, he emphasized that he believed students from all disciplines should be able to participate in research. “For the University, the goal is to continue to strengthen our reputation,” Hu said. “How do we make the University of Michigan a recognized research university? We are, but the question is whether we are at the top. We have to have certain strategies in continuing to promote our reputation.” University Regent Andrew Richner (R–Grosse Pointe Park) said it is important for the vice president to have a strong academic background, be a well-respected academic leader and have vision and intellectual curiosity. “(Hu) is widely respected among the campus community,” Richner said. “He is an outstanding academic leader … he brings real discipline and intellectual curiosity to his position.” Along with new research opportunities, Hu said he also hopes to continue projects he began as an interim, including supporting research across all three University campuses and developing large-scale interdisciplinary research initiatives by facilitating the research that faculty members want to do. Along with research initiatives on campus, Hu noted that much of his job encompasses obtaining funding for research. Currently, the University receives one of the highest amounts of federal funding for
research in the country, with an estimated $1.3 billion in research expenditures. “I travel to D.C. and go to companies...to diversify the sources of funding for research,” Hu said. “The government funding has been on a decline for some time after the great recession. During that time, we had the American Reinvestment and Recovery Project, ARRA, so a lot of money was put into NIH, for example. But steadily we’re on a decline, so we have to find other sources of money to support our research effort.” Beyond the government, the University also receives funding from a number of other sources, including industry, individuals and public and private foundations. In an e-mail interview, White wrote that she saw increasing research activity and funding, identifying new research opportunities and promoting the commercialization of University discoveries, as key parts of the vice president for research’s role. Because the University is among the largest research institutions in the world, and competition is high for research funding, White said she looks forward to continued success in the competition for that funding under Hu. Richner said he thought the has already had success, in terms of of federal grant funding and research funding, during Hu’s tenure as interim vice president. “(Hu) recognizes that it’s really important to emphasize to policy makers and to other funding sources the importance of showing the progress that we’ve made in University research — what progress has been made in terms of research successes and what is being accomplished for the funding that we do receive,” Richner said. Beyond funding, Hu noted that his position also requires him to extend his work through all three University campuses because his office supports the research process and manages their government compliance programs at all three. As well, his office works with the Office of Technology Transfer, an office that manages the University’s intellectual properties for all three campuses. Overall, Hu said he wants to use several strategies to ensure the University maintains its reputation as an excellent research facility. “(The University should) promote our faculty, nominate them for the most important prizes in the field, promote our research (and) try to demonstrate how we’re impacting society, impacting policy through research,” he said. White wrote that she hopes that Hu finds new opportunities for the University to focus its research strengths on problems and issues of great importance to society. “Finding innovative ways to utilize the depth and breadth of the University to solve societal problems is something I hope we continue to do,” she wrote. Rackham student Marc Paff, a nuclear engineering Ph.D. candidate, said during his time at the University, the research programs have been beneficial, allowing him to further his own projects and network. Paff is currently working on devices often installed for border crossing that screen incoming vehicles and trucks, as well as airport baggage, for smuggled nuclear radiological material so nuclear weapons and bombs can be prevented from entering the United States. “To me, the research that I do I
think is really interesting from an intellectual standpoint,” Paff said. “I also see that it has real world application … it makes me feel like my research is relevant.” Paff said he decided to attend graduate school at Michigan due to its highly ranked nuclear engineering program and its overall reputation as a well renowned research university. However, he also noted that he would like to see research at the University become more interdisciplinary and collaborative. “Sometimes I feel like research at the University feels very particular,” Paff said. “You don’t collaborate with a lot of people outside of your immediate peers within your research program or department.” Paff cited MCubed, a project that aims to bring together grad students and professors from departments across campus, as an example of good collaboration, and said he would like to see more like it. Toni Antonucci, associate vice president for research, social sciences and humanities, said he agreed more interdisciplinary research would be good, but also noted that he thought Hu had been successful in working toward to creating opportunities for collaboration over the past few years. “He’s committed to highquality research and to providing the support that our faculty needs to do the best research that they can do,” Antonucci said. “He is interested in disciplines and areas of expertise other than his own … When I compare what we do with many other universities, those I’ve visited or that I have former students at, it’s really impressive. We are committed to high quality work, we try to support our faculty in a lot of different ways.” However, despite the positive things that University research has to offer, Antonucci said there are still many challenges that the University has to face. Echoing Hu, she said it’s sometimes been difficult to receive funding from the government. “We as a nation are not instilling in our citizens and in our young people an appreciation for what science can and has contributed,” Antonucci said. “What I think is a challenge that we’re facing right now is how to encourage interdisciplinary work within our current budget structure … We are facing challenges that need to be addressed in a different way (than they have been addressed in the past).” Those challenges, she added, include genetic research, climate change and how to increase educational levels, particularly in light of the recently revealed educational issues in Detroit. In recent months, Detroit school teachers have protested poor school conditions, resulting in closings of over two-thirds of the city’s schools. She noted that many of these issues have been considered by Hu, and that the importance of supporting collaboration is well ingrained at the University. Ultimately, Richner said beyond his experience and ideas about research, he thought Hu’s knack for dealing with people in a friendly and positive way, were also what made him an ideal vice president for research. “He’s just a pleasure to work with,” Richner said. “He really has just such a positive attitude and it’s contagious. I think that’s an important leadership skill. I think everyone that works with him enjoys working with him.”
trended solidly to the right wing of the party, with Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum winning in the past two elections. Neither succeeded in their push for the GOP’s overall nomination, with Huckabee ending his campaign eight months before the 2008 election and Santorum suspending his campaign seven months before the 2012 election. Before Cruz took the stage, Sen. Cruz’s wife Heidi Cruz, father Rafael Cruz, U.S. Rep. Steve King (R–Iowa), “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson and conservative TV personality Glenn Beck all praised his dedication to the Constitution and Christianity. Heidi Cruz urged attendees to consider his consistent conservative ideology when voting. “I want you to leave today knowing why I fell in love with Ted Cruz, and I want you to leave today having fallen in love with Ted too,” Cruz said. During his remarks, Robertson said he attended the rally because he fervently believes religious freedoms are at stake in the election. The famed duck hunter faced scrutiny in December 2013 after GQ published an article where he spoke against the LGBTQ community based on his religious principles, which left him briefly banned from the show. Though many found his comments offensive, Robertson emerged as a hero for others
TAX From Page 1 period is an extra health concern and brings it into the realm of luxury products is ridiculous,” Wilson said. “It is really degrading, being forced to buy certain products because it’s all you can afford when it’s such a personal choice on what to use and what you want to put into your body.” Currently, only five states do not tax feminine hygiene
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 — 3 who supported his beliefs. “Do you understand why I vote Godly?” Robertson asked the crowd. “The reason I came is because the political situation in our culture is collapsing around us. In this situation you say: Who has the power to change it? You do. You have the power … I have found out about Ted Cruz; he loves God, and he loves James Madison.” Robertson said many of the issues affecting the United States stem from the lack of spiritual members within the government. “God raises these empires up; it is God who brings them down,” Robertson said. “What we have in America is a spiritual problem. You get the spiritual problem of America fixed, and the guys who make the political decisions, they’ll at least be Godly, and God will be on their side.” He also used his persona to poke fun at Trump, soliciting audience members to help him blow duck calls for him. “Trump didn’t show up for the debate with our man Cruz last night,” Robertson said. “So let’s try one more time to get Trump. Let’s call Donald Duck to come meet with Cruz.” Glenn Beck, who has never endorsed a political candidate before Sen. Cruz, also offered remarks praising him. “There’s a lot of really good people who are running, there’s one of which I don’t think is very good,” Beck said, referring to Trump. “I don’t mean that as a joke; I really think that. He concerns me gravely. I look at what he says, and if you look at the transcripts he says the same
thing: ‘I will make America great again.’ No man can provide that. It is we the people.” Beck said he believes the past two decades of presidencies have not positively represented the strong legacy of honored presidents such as George Washington, but believes Sen. Cruz’s dedication to the Constitution makes him the strongest candidate. “It’s been a rough 20 years in this country,” Beck said. “It has been a time when we have seen some nice highs in the economy, but we haven’t seen highs in our integrity in this country, and in our integrity around the world.” Following the trend set by the earlier speakers, in his remarks Sunday Sen. Cruz highlighted a list all of the changes he would make on his first day in office. “The first thing I intend to do (as president) is rescind every single illegal and unconstitutional action taken by President Obama,” Sen. Cruz said. Additionally, Sen. Cruz said he will launch an investigation into Planned Parenthood, end the persecution of religious liberty, dismantle the Iran nuclear deal and begin the process of moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Sen. Cruz, Heidi Cruz told the crowd, stands apart from the rest of his opponents in terms of both his ideas and his morals and values. “This is the real deal,” she said. “Ted is a consistent conservative, not a campaign conservative. I knew that from the moment I met him.”
products: Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Canada abolished their tax on feminine hygiene products in the entire country. Roberts said she is hoping that Michigan can be one of the leading states in this movement. “There is no other comparable good or product that has to be purchased by men, and this is something that only affects women, and I just don’t think they should be taxed for being women,” Roberts said. “I think that helps to level the
playing field.” Wilson said she sees the removal of the tampon tax as not only a financial assistance but making women feel comfortable with their bodies. “If we start to take away the stigma around periods and really start to have open discussions about why these things are necessary, it can really help gender equality and get women’s health out of political discussion and into professional medical discussion,” Wilson said.
Opinion Why we should root for Spotify
4 — Tuesday, February 2, 2016
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Inner conflict, the right way
M
onday, Jan. 25, students crowded the seats in the Pendleton Room to listen to students share their experiences with Islamophobia. The event was organized by a committee of Muslim students as well as the LSAsponsored event “Sharing Stories, Building Allyhood: Student Voices Against Islamophobia.” This event seemed to finally be a step in the right direction — with great attendance in RABAB terms of demographics and JAFRI size — because a safe space was created that allowed students affected by Islamophobia to share their stories without fear. One student was even able to lay claim to the story she had submitted anonymously to the group, thanking people for creating a space where she felt welcomed. After the first part of the event, in which students shared their stories, people broke up into groups to discuss what it means to act as an ally for Muslim students. This would have been more effective if there was more time for discussion and if there was more room capacity. Regardless, this is the kind of action that the University should be taking in order to enhance Muslim student voices. I interviewed Prof. Evelyn Alsultany, director of Arab and Muslim American Studies, afterward, and she pointed out the effect of LSA organizing such an event, as opposed to a student group organizing one. She started by speaking to me about the University administration’s plan: “I think that it’s yet to be seen in terms of ‘they have this plan for diversity, equity and inclusion, we’ll do our part by doing a report and then it’s really in their hands,’ ” Alsultany said. “I think a good sign right now is that this event was actually organized by the LSA undergraduate division, which says something. In the past it’s usually that students organize something or a mosque organizes something and it doesn’t draw a crowd like this, and I think having the support for LSA for this event was meaningful.” The event demonstrated positive aspects that I hope will be carried through in future programs. With the help of LSA, the event was advertised better than any solely student-
organized event, and done in collaboration with a group of students so that it did not feel isolated from the Muslim community. When the University organizes events with similar goals, such as the diversity summit events, they should try to use similar methods to welcome students of different backgrounds to bridge the gap and foster trust in the University. I also talked to Nadia Aggour, a graduate student in the School of Social Work who is training with CAPS, about the effectiveness of the event. Aggour attended the event and offered a lending ear in case the event itself was triggering to students, which was comforting and mindful of the organizers. I asked Aggour what she thought about the effectiveness of the event and she, like Alsutany, said some of the departments are better at being attentive to the history of the institution’s awareness of the effect of sociopolitical events on students, but that other initiatives are just meant to appease students. She also commented on the effect of discrimination on student mental health: “I definitely think any form of discrimination or fear for safety affects mental health of students. Your body is put into a completely different response when it feels you are in danger.” Recognizing Islamophobia on campus as an issue that genuinely affects students’ mental health is important. Mental health is often viewed as a separate issue that the University needs to tackle, but the intersectionalities between the minority and discrimination issues and mental health and assault were often not realized. Students at our university should not have to fight for their voices to be heard. This event also demonstrated the need for more diverse professors and faculty to be hired at the University, because their role in supporting students can be used for initiatives to improve campus climate. The final portion of the event, where students worked together to talk about how to act as an ally, served as a reminder to all students and faculty that the problem does not stem from students that are affected by discrimination, but instead stems from people who act as aggressors and those who remain silent. Rabab Jafri can be reached at rfjafri@umich.edu.
Prevent violence, fund the CDC
C
iting the 33,636 deaths the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed to firearms in 2013, President Barack Obama seems intent on placing gun violence at the forefront of our national conversation. The National Rifle Association seems equally intent on arguing the opposite of whatever he says. Neither side, though, has comprehensive, reproducible data supporting DANNY their arguments. While both rely on anecdotes and SACK natural experiments — both of which can be quite convincing — the CDC remains mute on how to achieve one of the primary roles of government: protecting its citizens. In 1996, former U.S. Rep. Jay Dickey (R– Ark.) successfully lobbied on behalf of the NRA for putting language in the budget preventing the CDC from advocating for, or promoting, gun control. This, by former Rep. Dickey’s own admission, unintentionally stymied all CDC research on gun violence prevention and has led to two decades of silence from our primary public health research center. As of fiscal year 2015, the CDC received $0 from Congress for gun violence prevention research. President Obama, in response to the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, called for an end to the moratorium on federally funded scientific research exploring the causes of gun violence. The 2015 bill, which allocates $10 million per year until 2021 for CDC research on gun violence prevention, remains buried in subcommittee. This is not to say that no private funding for gun violence prevention research exists. Several universities — including Harvard and Johns Hopkins — have centers or parts of centers devoted to firearm research funded by private sources. Private funding and the resulting research, however, can — rightly or wrongly — be accused of bias more convincingly than public funding. Private funding’s presence, then, cannot make up for the perception that the government isn’t trying to fund the CDC, which makes gun violence research a pariah to the scientific community. It also inhibits this research and effectively blocks a consensus on how to best prevent the avoidable accidents,
injuries and deaths attributed to gun violence. Contrast this with the CDC’s estimated annual $47.2 billion in medical expenses and productivity loss due to gun violence and the need for federally funded research becomes irresistibly reasonable. It is so reasonable, in fact, that Mark Rosenberg, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control — who claimed to be fired for his commitment to gun violence prevention research — and Dickey have come together to advocate for increased federal funding for gun violence prevention research. Through a joint appearance on NPR and an op-ed in the Washington Post, Dickey and Rosenberg accept that though they have vehemently disagreed with each other in the past, they now both accept that substantial changes are imperative to improving our knowledge base and protecting our citizens. Not only is public health funding necessary to fill a hole in our public health infrastructure, it is also an opportunity to inspire and train the next generation of eager students of public health. The University of Michigan, for example, is poised to open degrees in Public Health to undergraduates — following a national trend. What better way to engage a new generation of students than to address one of the leading causes of avoidable injuries and deaths? Gun violence is often associated with mass shootings, tragic events that occur with a depressingly normal frequency. But it is also at play during criminal acts, homicides, suicides and accidents. These avoidable tragedies manifest themselves differently throughout various regions and within the impressively diverse communities that define our national identity. Without federal funding, then, we cannot effectively develop, promote and prescribe tailored interventions that best decrease the needless deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year. Our federal government, to best protect its citizens and provide them with the opportunity to thrive absent the horror of gun violence, must lift its embargo on CDC funding for gun violence prevention research. Not doing so would not only be a shirking of responsibility, but a passive acceptance of a disgraceful norm. Danny Sack can be reached at sackd@umich.edu.
T
his past summer, I found myself sitting across the table from the rock band Highly Suspect, educating the ZACH group on the BROWN features of Apple’s newly launched music streaming service. This was the cooler part of my job as an intern for the New York-based record label 300 Entertainment. This internship also required me to sift through all the nuances of this new Apple Music platform. When the largest company in the world enters the music streaming space, 300 and the rest of the music industry watches. From labels to bloggers, this summer raised an important question from everyone: What is the future of music streaming? Music streaming is at a critical point — though it only makes up about a quarter of all music consumption today, it seems inevitable that streaming will become the dominant medium for listening. Music companies are engaged in a battle for market share, known as “streaming wars.” The winners of these so-called streaming wars will collect data generated from hundreds of millions of active streamers. Really, the streaming wars are part of a much larger battle for data. The music industry has collectively been trying to answer the question of how to use data effectively. With declining album sales and slowed overall growth, record labels and their artists desperately need to find ways to cut inefficiency. Labels have partnered with tech firms, and music analytics companies such as Next Big Sound have emerged — all with the hopes
of understanding data’s relationship with the music business. And while the future role of data in music is still mostly unclear, streaming services are in a position unlike anyone else to tackle this problem. Which brings us to Spotify. Already a leader in the crowded music streaming space, Spotify just announced acquisitions of startups Soundwave and Cord Project, each indicative of where streaming is headed. Soundwave will likely improve social features for finding, sharing and talking about music. When I hear a song that inspires me, discussing it with others is a natural first instinct. Better messaging systems on these streaming platforms seems obvious for that reason, but isn’t happening outside of Spotify. Apple Music’s attempt at a social network — which they call Connect — is actually not very social at all. Only artists have profiles, not users. This seems backwards. Artists have enough social networks to regularly update with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Does another one make sense? The second Spotify acquisition, Cord Project, could be even more important for its potential in the evolution of data capabilities. Not only would discovery and curation improve with a greater understanding of music consumption patterns, but Spotify could repurpose that information for record labels as well. The labels are interested in using that data for things such as optimized tour schedules, targeted marketing campaigns and more efficient album releases. As Spotify grows, it will collect more data and its product will get better. In a sense, quantity is
quality. The focus on Spotify has been to reinvest now and worry about profits later. As long as they continue to grow, profitability won’t be an issue. This is another reason why Spotify is an outlier in the streaming landscape. Pandora is a public company, Deezer attempted to launch an IPO and SoundCloud is working on a new subscriptionbased model. Spotify’s competitors are trying to cash in now, but the real money will come later. The list of competitors is deeper than you may think. YouTube, Rhapsody, Tidal and even Amazon Prime offer streaming products. Yet out of all of them, nobody else is integrating social features like Spotify is. And nobody else is working to analyze the data that such social features will help to generate either. Spotify has an opportunity to break away from the competition as it continues to acquire key startups and grow its active user base. I could be wrong, though. Between Apple, YouTube and Amazon, there are plenty of other big-name players now. Ultimately, all the investment into streaming is a good sign for a struggling industry. Music is going through a transitional phase because album sales have been cannibalized by streaming. As streaming services fight among themselves, they will be forced to solve problems that will benefit the industry as a whole. Whether you use Spotify or not, we should all be rooting for them. Creating better products and smarter ways to utilize data will connect more fans to artists and allow the music business to grow. A win for Spotify is a win for music. Zach Brown can be reached at zmbrown@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, 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, Hunter Zhao
I
Finding humor in Iowa
owa — I didn’t travel six hours to Iowa via Ford Fusion Hybrid looking for laughs (though I did have high hopes Sam and Allison, the other Daily staffers I was with, would be able to crack a couple jokes over the course of the trip). We were DEREK there to cover the impending WOLFE presidential caucus, after all — a serious matter, no doubt. Feb. 1, Iowa voters will have the first turn in voting for who will be the presidential nominee for each party. And with the races neck and neck on both sides, there isn’t too much for any candidate to laugh about. It’s a serious race to rally as many voters as possible to get out and vote, since whoever wins in Iowa has the momentum for the coming primaries and caucuses. However, when reflecting on the events I attended this past weekend, it became evident to me how important comedy is when campaigning. All three candidates I saw — former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump — all invoked humor in some form, be it through quips or prepared lines, during their events. As someone who enjoys comedy in most mediums and because I think I’m funny myself (character flaw, sorry), I place an added importance on the candidates’ abilities to be humorous. To me, humor is a sign of intelligence, especially in the form of off-the-cuff lines. If candidates use it right, it is an excellent way to connect with voters, especially with people they have little in common with. Because as much as I want to hear about policy from the candidates (How will you keep us safe from ISIS?!?), I also want to know they’re human and, even in serious times, I don’t want them to always take themselves so seriously. Clinton started her event strong on humor. Because there was a technical error that didn’t allow a
short montage to play, immediately after she walked in, she told the crowd of 200, “We had a video we were going to show you, but we had a technical difficulty, so you’ll just have to settle for me.” Though she loses points for laughing at her own joke, to me that quip represents an endearing sense of self-loathing. I’d like to believe she hadn’t had that line pre-planned. The jokes didn’t end there, though. Luckily for Clinton, this past weekend played right into her hands. Given that the town hall I attended was in Clinton, Iowa, I think everyone saw this joke coming from a mile away: “I’m pretty excited about being here in Clinton County. You didn’t have to name it, I would have come anyway.” Unbelievably corny? Yes, but it was absolutely necessary that she told it. Though the rest of her speech didn’t contain really any more jokes worth noting, Clinton shined in the Q&A portion of the event. When someone in the audience brought up how Fox News has been hammering her about her age, she responded with a smile, “They say nearly anything about me, I gotta tell you.” She then continued with a funny story about how her mom watched Fox News, and when Clinton would ask why she kept watching, her mom replied, “Well I gotta know what they’re saying so I’m ready.” Laughter, including Clinton’s, filled the room. And while discussing the role her husband, Bill Clinton, would play in her administration, she said, “The other day I said, ‘Well I’ll test him out, see how he does. You can start talking at the kitchen table, and if it’s good, we’ll go from there.’ ” There were plenty of other solid lines, even better than that one, but ultimately what I gained was that through those lines, I was given a sliver a hope that, underneath the years of being a politician and being paid by Wall Street to give speeches, there remains a real, down-to-earth person. Bernie Sanders, on the other hand,
displayed more sarcastic humor, and he used it to give validation to his campaign and his supporters. “In the last couple of weeks of campaigns, a lot of things are said, a lot of comments are made and you’ll be shocked to know that not all of them are true. I know that I shock you when I say that,” Sanders said dryly. “And one of the myths that is being perpetrated by the Clinton campaign is ‘Well you know, Bernie Sanders is a nice guy, he combs his hair beautifully … GQ kind of guy. But despite all of those fantastic attributes, he just can’t win. He can’t defeat the Republican candidates in November.’ ” This isn’t just classic old Jewish man humor (trust me, I know from experience), but it was an effective way to immediately engage the audience before he dove into discussing his platform. And though he didn’t use much humor throughout the rest of his stump, his emphatic hand gestures drew plenty of smiles. As for Trump, well, I kind of had to imagine the whole thing as one big comedy act for my own sanity. Though he did have a couple good lines about Ted Cruz, one being: “Look, you know who’s going to approve the (Keystone Pipeline) deal fast? Ted Cruz. He’s from Canada!” Other than that, I’m not sure I’ve ever been so scared for the future of this country (still debating whether the tipping point was when a Trump supporter told Sam and me, “(Trump) knows so much, he just hasn’t told us yet” or when Trump had everyone look at the media standing in back and called us “sleazebags”), but I digress. Of course, when voting for who you want to be the next president of the United States, it matters to vote based on what values you have and policies you agree with (duh). But we can’t forget we’re voting for a person, a complex entity of emotion and past experiences. So the way I see it, seeing who can get the most laughs makes a difference. Derek Wolfe can be reached at dewolfe@umich.edu.
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Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 — 5
MUSIC INTERVIEW
GENDER & MEDIA COLUMN
Missteps and missed Lawrence wants to make pop cool again flu shots
I
By MIMI ZAK
didn’t get a flu shot this year for the first time in my life. (Really taking adulthood by storm, evidently.) So, of course, this was the first year ever I caught the flu. Over the course of a week spent in bed, I finished bingewatching the entirety of “Game of NATALIE Thrones,” GADBOIS HBO’s hallmark fantasy political/ sexual drama. I now bring up “Thrones” in every conversation I can. I read episode recaps and dive dangerously deep into online fan theories. I’m obsessed, obsessed with a show that is notorious for its wishy-washy treatment of women. Laden in turn with complex and powerful female characters and laughably gratuitous female nudity, “Thrones” isn’t winning feminist awards anytime soon. I still love it, but like many things in this world, I feel obligated to continuously address its latent sexism. At the end of my week of influenza, my friends and I went to see “Sisters,” Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s newest film about adult sisters returning home for one last rager in their parents’ house. I felt a similar discomfort to when I watched “Thrones,” but for a different reason. The film is resolutely feminist, passing the Bechdel test with aplomb and inserting sly jokes about male privilege. But it also features a plot line about a Korean character who fits just about every Asian stereotype there is. Hae-Won (Greta Lee, “St. Vincent”) and her friends work at a nail salon. She is casually promiscuous, a plaything for white men and she speaks heavily accented English, a fact from which an extended joke is drawn. It was one of the most demeaning portrayals of East Asian women I’d seen in a long time. Just as I was constantly making both excuses for and criticisms of “Thrones,” I felt I needed to do the same for “Sisters,” a movie starring two feminists and written by one. A work can’t be feminist if it creates isolating and tokenizing images of people of color — by definition, that’s just not what feminism is. Take another Fey creation: the Netflix comedy “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” The
FOLK FEST From Page 1 rousing, pleading “Lover Come Back” that gave the audience just what they were in the mood for: something to sing along to, something to make them smile in spite of sadness and something that allowed them to find commonalities between Green’s story and their own. The variety of styles presented at the festival were embodied best by two acts in particular that have lasted throughout the growth and development of the folk genre, growing with it and constantly contributing to it. Music veterans Yo La Tengo and Richard Thompson, with musical releases dating back to 1996 and 1974 respectively, were brilliantly distinct and representative of tried and true music. Singer Georgia Hubley
show, which was released to universal acclaim last March, follows Kimmy (Ellie Kemper, “The Office”), a survivor of abuse and terror, as she moves to New York and starts a new life. Kimmy is a uniquely feminist character: naïve but buoyant, hard-working and honest. And despite the laugh-out-loud humor of the show, Fey does not represent Kimmy’s situation lightly, earnestly expressing her PTSD and struggles acclimating to society. But there is a catch. In the sixth episode, we are introduced to Dong (Ki Hong Lee, “The Maze Runner”), a Vietnamese delivery boy who is ultimately Kimmy’s love interest. While an intensely lovable character, Dong is painted with many of the same limiting stereotypes as Hae-Won; for me, it’s the one sour note of the series. “Tina!” I groaned to myself. The woman who wrote honestly and poignantly about her youthful insecurities in her memoir “Bossypants,” the woman who gave us Liz Lemon, who said in “30 Rock” that being a woman is the worst “because of society!” It hurt me to see a woman who I consider a personal and professional icon missing the mark by so much.
‘Thrones’ isn’t winning any feminist awards, but I love it. These representations harken back to first- and secondwave feminism, when the voices of women of color were ignored or even squashed in favor of the white constituency’s goals. That shit shouldn’t cut it anymore. All too often modern feminists are forgetting that feminism as a system is inclusionary. Amy Schumer did it in her stand up with callous jokes about Latinos. While she has since apologized, her original biases speak to a greater issue — feminism is not feminism when it continuously limits divergent identities and experiences. And frankly, works of art that ignore inclusivity just aren’t as good. I don’t follow sports; recently I was looking through my old Facebook statuses, and one
of Yo La Tengo has an almost meditative quality to her voice that makes it simultaneously relaxing and attention-grabbing. With four other instrumentalists complementing her sound, the full effect of the band’s simplistic style was a joy to experience visually and audibly.
Thompson was like the cool uncle of the night. Thompson was like the cool fun uncle of the night, telling jokes between songs and getting everyone to participate by teaching them some lyrics. Rolling Stone has called him one of the best guitarists of all time,
from the 10th grade proudly attested that I was boycotting the Super Bowl. So while I can’t tell you which teams are playing in the Super Bowl this year, I can tell you that Coldplay is performing the halftime show, featuring the Queen herself, Beyoncé. Last week, the two released the video for their recent collaboration, “Hymn for the Weekend.”
A work can’t be feminist if it tokenizes POC. The song fucking rocks, groovy yet soaring in all the right places. On the other hand, the video, which features Chris Martin and Yoncé donning traditional Hindi garb and dancing in front of groups of Indian children celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival of color, is a travesty and a misstep. It’s cultural appropriation in the most basic of terms, simplifying complex cultures and people into pretty background props, expressing abject poverty with no context or recourse. It’s bad. And it comes from Beyoncé, a publicly proud feminist who has spoken out about recognizing women of color in the feminist community. How does this still happen? How can women who speak with such depth and resonance about navigating a patriarchal world be so tone-deaf about other cultures? Their feminism, and their art, is so much better without these stereotypes and appropriations. I want these women I love to be better, because with every limiting comment or joke, they not only hurt the community they are addressing — they hurt feminism as a whole. Feminism loses credibility in the minds of those prone to knocking it down and weakening the system by isolating female voices that should be included. I won’t stop loving Tina and Amy and Bey, but criticizing their feminism is another step to making feminism better. Just like “Game of Thrones” would be so much better with a few less naked women and a few more naked men. Gadbois encourages you all to vaccinate your children with feminist theory. To innoculate yourself, e-mail gadbnat@umich.edu.
and if you’re inclined to compare his fame with that of the younger generation, it’s interesting to note that his most recent album, Still, reached number six on UK charts. Earlier in the evening, the rocking Ben Daniels Band — who just released a new EP on iTunes — opened the show, followed by the angelic voices of Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke of Penny and Sparrow. Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line contributed bluegrass vibes, and The Oh Hellos brought nine people on stage to create the biggest sounds of the evening. Originally a sibling duo, Maggie and Tyler Heath have certainly grown beyond bedroom recordings, releasing two full albums and an EP since 2011. Their appearance at the festival is just one stop on their current North American tour that will include sets at the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival and Bonnaroo.
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Daily Arts Writer
Pop music gets a pretty bad rep, but the genre still serves its original intention: it’s an amalgamation of various kinds of sounds that acts as the monoculture from which our national (and international) music community ebbs and flows. Pop music was once used to mark the best original music of the time. The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and The Beach Boys were once defined by the now doubtful musical distinction. Where did the change occur? What dragged pop music from something that was both organic and relatable to something highly manufactured and irrelevant to anything outside the allegorical club? The descent of pop music could be traced back, as so many things can, to the rise of technologies and the Internet. Music streaming sites created an inundation of artists, with most searching for fame at any cost. Artistic value and organic material fell behind the stronger industry algorithms for cookie-cutter pop music. Lyrical depth and sonic originality became harder to find. At the end of the 20th century and at the turn of the 21st, things of the musical sort were excessively dubious. The music of those 15 years matched the economic and political stagnation of the times. Nothing dared to be too original. No one wanted to cross genres. The times were too hard for that. But, in looking at the Top 40 of the past six years, the fight for difference appears to have returned. That strangeness that once possessed our former kings and queens of pop, like Michael Jackson and Madonna, have started to re-enter the airwaves. Most recently, Drake’s “Hotline Bling” was a Billboard hit with emotional depth and sonic variety. Omi’s “Cheerleader” had a horn section playing from the speakers of the backyard frat party down the street. “i” by Kendrick Lamar reintroduced the Isley Brothers to the Top 40 listeners who were formerly unaware of their pop music importance. Genres and specific stylings have started to blur. And among these new mixtures of soul with jazz or pop or rap, the constant has started to edge further away from the unfeeling party hits of yesterdays. However slowly, and however gradually, a new era of bands like Lawrence, an edgy pop duo, are fighting for the resurgence of good pop music. “We love the idea of pop music,” said Clyde Lawrence, one of the two Lawrence siblings at the forefront of the band. “The accessibility of it, the ‘hookiness’ of it, the catchiness of it all, the ability to hear something once and totally be into it; those are all a lot of things that I love. I just don’t happen to currently like a lot of the pop music. I would love to call our music ‘pop music.’ In fact, I think that our music sounds like what I wish pop music would sound like.” Gracie Lawrence, the female powerhouse of the band, just graduated from high school. She’s putting off her recent acceptance to Brown University to go on tour with the rest of the band. Clyde Lawrence just graduated from Brown University with most of the other band members. Having used college as a place to collect musicians and create music with them, Clyde never molded his time for the sole purpose of academics. “For me, college was ... well, I looked at it as a musical opportunity in a lot of ways,” Clyde said. “I don’t mean to belittle the educational opportunities that I received at school. Brown’s a really great academic school, but I went to school with the pure intention of trying to put together a band.” So Clyde and Gracie Lawrence and their band of college musicians played gigs in and around the Brown University community. At dance halls, public parties and small gigs up and down the East Coast, the band used their soul-based pop sound and long list of cover songs to attract a
groovy college crowd. “I had always heard that college is a great place to kind of get a start and get a bunch of a shows under your belt,” Clyde said. “If you talked to anyone who knew me at Brown, they would tell you that that was definitely my biggest priority over homework. So for me, it wasn’t either college or music; it was ‘how do we make this music experience count?’ ” The band’s upcoming album release has been a long time coming for many of the band’s followers. After Clyde’s solo EP release in 2013, Homesick, the band has been taking its time in creating an album they believe will best match the sound they hope to emulate. Under the direction of Soulive member Eric Krasno, the famed producer has helped Lawrence with connecting their upcoming album release to artists with a similar mission and sound. Krasno’s network and his connection to the Brooklyn blues, soul and funk world, aided the Lawrence clan in collecting musical bedfellows of similar sound and transcending taste. “We were joking that we should really hit up Cory Henry, the organist from Snarky Puppy and get him on our album,” Gracie said. “And we made that joke in front of Kras and he responded with, ‘Should I call in Henry, do you guys want Cory Henry?’ Same with the drummer from Lettuce, Adam Deitch, Krasno set us up with him to collaborate on our album.” What about Lawrence, though, is so unique? What places them above or among the soul/pop sounds of today? All these questions are answerable: Lawrence automatically finds originality in the placement and following of their music. The band is categorized by fans as a modern act whose sound and message are linked. Lawrence is like Leon Bridges, Vulfpeck, Lake Street Dive, Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, White Denim and many others because of the visceral, emotional, almost tangible reaction that naturally flows from the soulful character of their sound. Forget the conveyor belts of music production where people create the music they think will sell. Lawrence has placed themselves among a selection of modern artists whose music is eternal because they mix catchiness with genuine feeling. They are bound together, across a variety of genres, as those who want their audience to connect as much as they want them to dance and awkwardly sway. “The whole concept behind the album is that we want it all to feel as though it can coexist with the old and the new,” Clyde said. “You
should be able to put on one of our songs at a party right after playing a Stevie Wonder song and it should be able to continue whatever vibe or feeling the audience was just feeling. Then that song could be followed by a Beyoncé or Bruno Mars track.” With Paul Simon’s Graceland and Carole King’s Tapestry or anything by Stevie Wonder in mind, the band Lawrence placed an intense amount of focus on creating a cohesive album with an overarching emotional arch. “We are less jammy and less improvisionational than other bands in the soul and funk world because we are so focused on creating the song,” Gracie said. “We’re too focused on the emotion and structure of the song, and then the album as a whole, to allow for too much jam band-like action.” The art of the cohesive, allfeeling album isn’t lost with bands like Lawrence. Time and specific detail was placed on the ebb and flow of each song in the context of the larger album. Emulating the vision of artists they adore and appreciate, Lawrence has created an album that tells a story, or includes some sort of journey, instead of just a collection of separate pop singles. “The vibes of each and every song are distinct,” Gracie recounted. “And I don’t know if people still listen to full albums, but hopefully they will because that’s how we wrote our album. We placed intense detail on the emotional journey of the album. We want it to be exciting for the album to tell its own story, and for every song to share its own kind of sound.” Lawrence, with the help of Eric Krasno, are working against the torrential wave of cookie-cutter pop music that tends to overtake the music industry. Because it’s a band like Lawrence with whom the masses can connect. It is bands like Lawrence who could and should be well-known, but they’re not. And many can’t understand why. I don’t necessarily understand why they aren’t more popular. There is a magnetic and powerful kind of sound that emanates from anything mixing the genres of soul and pop. Lawrence is one of those bands that deliver something magnetic, who feel like a well-kept secret. They’re holding something that more should know about, but they have to look a little harder to find. They’re just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up. Lawrence’s new album will be arriving sometime in the coming month. This coming Monday, February 8, Lawrence is performing at the Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan. Tickets are $10, and doors open at 7 P.M.
Arts
6 — Tuesday, February 2, 2016
CONCERT REVIEW
Protomartyr live at the Blind Pig Post-punk Detroiters play a show of raw emotion By SELENA AGUILERA Daily Arts Writer
When I walked into the Blind Pig, I found myself surrounded by guys with waxed mustaches, drowning in PBR. I came to the realization that I was in the center of “dad culture.” You know what I’m talking about. It’s like that awkward stage hipsters fall into when they feel too young to take life seriously, but they dress and act like dads. They’ve got the flannels and corduroy pants, their mustaches are straight from the ’70s like their favorite folk band, and they have a small beer belly. Probably every person you’ve met who has succumbed to dad culture was at this Protomartyr show. It was an experience. The night started off with the Deadbeat Beat. They’re a soft punk band from — as their Facebook page says — “AROUND TOWN, MI.” Their sound was as vague as that location, but the guitarist and front man Alex Glendening was shredding so hard that one of his strings broke mid-set. Accompanied by an insanely talented female drummer, they were captivating. I wanted to sway back and forth and close my eyes to immerse myself in this weird punk rock that made me think of summer and the beach, but the crowd was close to lifeless during their whole set. It was kind of a bummer. My soul was revived again
when the second band, Rebel Kind, took the stage. The band was composed of three women (hooray for all-girl bands!), and they totally kicked ass. They sang about boys and being broken and piecing themselves back together again, which sounds kind of sappy and lame, but they displayed it in such a punk-rock way. Each member contributed some vocals, but front woman Autumn Wetli had a particularly dreamy voice. It was soft yet aggressive and sounded like it should smell like vanilla. They made me feel like I should put on a velvet skirt and punch someone in the face and there’s just something about that strange combination that makes me feel — as corny as this sounds — alive or something. They announced that it was their drummer’s 29th birthday and I remembered that the lead singer of Protomartyr, Joe Casey, is 38 years old. Just try to picture his lifestyle for a second – being almost 40 surrounded by people a decade younger than you who try to dress like you, traveling on the road probably eating McChickens every day. And just that simple thought made me appreciate their set so much more because of this dynamic. There’s this crowd of people stuck between adolescence and adulthood trying to have a good time on a Friday who probably have a passion they can’t afford or are too afraid to follow. These bands aren’t giving up; they’re trying to fulfill their dreams and passions by evoking some emotions in at least one person. That’s what Protomayrtr did.
Surrounded by mustached guys, drowning in PBR.
DOWN 1 TV/radioregulating agcy. 2 Job for a plumber 3 Top spot 4 Part of many a six-pack 5 Country club instructor 6 Windy City hub 7 Put off 8 Steamy room 9 D.C. big shot 10 “Dinner’s ready” 11 Energetic enthusiasm 12 Grasp intuitively, in slang 13 “Eek!” 18 Ensnare 19 Not as costly 24 Message to employees 25 Plucked instrument 26 Far from rattled 27 Dodge 28 Raising money for a children’s hospital, say 30 Had food delivered 33 Actress Gardner 34 Fine-grained wood
35 Ironworks input 37 Sunscreen nos. 39 Prepare frantically for finals 40 Amer. ally in WWII 43 Self-gratifying pursuit 45 Man bun 47 Greed and pride, for two 49 Xbox One rival
51 Sporty wheels 52 Smoothie insert 53 Curt 54 What top seeds may get in tournaments 55 Film part 58 Perimeter 59 Very long time 61 Some Caltech grads 62 NHL tiebreakers 63 Banned pesticide
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02/02/16
While the Screen Actors Guild Awards may not be the most popular or have a controversial host, the trends we saw on the red carpet, as well as on the main stage, are worthy of some notable mentions. Leo DiCaprio won a SAG for his work in “The Revenant” and basically sealed the deal for an Oscar win this year. If you didn’t catch the awards, apart from Leo’s momentous win, he brought a pretty interesting date: his vape pen. Don’t believe us? Google it. Most celebrities who were in attendance brought their A-game to the red carpet, while others failed in more ways than one — here are the best and worst dressed. Rooney Mara: Best Dressed Mara attended the SAG Awards with her sister, Kate, in a black Valentino gown. The gown features a deep-v neckline and open back. Mara donned a black cape over the gown, which she removed for pictures. The “Carol” actress wore her hair in a high, slicked back ponytail and boasted neutral-toned makeup that accen-
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
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ACROSS 1 Weight-watcher’s bane 5 Pea jackets? 9 Little marketgoer of rhyme 14 Winans of gospel 15 Long-necked pampas bird 16 Cheri of “SNL” 17 Obeyed the corner traffic sign 20 Coach Steve of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors 21 Philosopher Descartes 22 North Carolina university 23 Place to buy a Nikon 26 Hors d’oeuvres bit 29 Capital of Yemen 31 Cosmetics giant 32 Turkey club spread 36 Uses Redbox, say 38 Soft pitch 39 Conceal, as misdeeds 41 Bank acct. entry 42 Track team member 44 Stuns 45 “I’m ready for the weekend!” 46 Ballerina artist Edgar 48 Gets weak in the knees 50 “For Better or for Worse,” e.g. 54 Nanny’s nightmare 56 Message from the teacher 57 Swedish furniture retailer 60 Warning about sealed-off escape routes from the police, four of whom are aptly positioned in this puzzle’s circles 64 Cow on a dairy container 65 Over and done with 66 Prayer start 67 Oozes 68 Meadow moms 69 State fair structure
The best and worst dressed: 2016 SAGs By DAILY STYLE WRITERS
Witnessing this 38-year-old man and even some of the older people in the crowd get totally entranced by music was inspiring. There were 30-year-old guys throwing down in a mosh pit screaming the lyrics of “Boyce or Boice” at the top of their lungs while making friends out of strangers. The experience was a reminder that no matter how old you are, live music allows you to regress to a simpler time. There’s something kind of beautiful about being surrounded by sweaty bodies in intense heat, accepting gross conditions to hear something you love. And listening to a man who could be your drunk dad just makes it a little better.
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STYLE ROUNDUP
The band of four took the stage and with minimal crowd interaction, they put on a very enticing show. Joe Casey sounded like an angry drunk dad in the best way possible; he was enveloped in the music. His words came out harsh and cut the audience with every syllable. I could even see the beer spit fly out of his mouth — which was kind of gross — but with his eyes closed and head turned to the ceiling, he gave the set raw emotion.
HEAD OVER TO ITUNES TO CHECK OUT THE NEW DAILY ARTS PODCAST, “PAUL MCCARTNEY IS DEAD.”
RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, February 2, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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tuated the plunging neckline and open back of the dress. She followed suit by wearing minimal jewelry except for a couple of rings. — Carly Colonnese Nicole Kidman: Worst Dressed To be honest, I totally forgot about Nicole Kidman. So first of all, due to my lapse of judgment in regard to her existence, I thought nothing could shock me more than seeing her at the SAG Awards, but then the hideous, multi-colored ruffled catastrophe she had on managed to do the job. Gucci dropped the ball on this one. Reminiscent of the cartoonish colored scheme of the Powerpuff Girls, nothing can make me like this dress, or Nicole Kidman for that matter. Call me biased if you must, but this thing is beyond saving. Nicole, not even Scientology can help you now. — Mariam Sheikh Alicia Vikander: Best Dressed It’s official. I just so happen to have the biggest girl crush on Alicia Vikander. And why not? She is a powerhouse these days in Hollywood in both the film and fashion departments. Her gowns for each award show this season have all been equally on point. Donning a sequined, floor-length, colorblocked gown by Louis Vuitton, Vikander managed to bring both class and trend to the carpet even though she showed up solo without her boo Michael Fassbender (whom I also love). Power couple made in heaven, if I ever saw one. — Mariam Sheikh Julianne Moore: Worst Dressed Julianne Moore has been doing these carpets for years. She has a routine; she shows up wearing the best makeup looks, high-end jewelry and she is always wearing some Givenchy. So one would expect nothing to go wrong with this foolproof equation, right? But her get-up did go horribly wrong: she stepped out in a Givenchy creation that had potential, with the exception of its vomit-green color. Looking like Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street, all Moore was missing was her silver garbage can to dump that piece of trash in. Too harsh? Just look at the outfit. — Mariam Sheikh Kiernan Shipka: Best Dressed Truly, Kiernan Shipka can do no wrong. Not only does she have the poise and confidence of someone that knows they have Jon Hamm’s unfailing love and support, she has the red carpet prowess to be on par with Alicia Vikander and Emilia Clarke. The 16-year-old shined in a floral gown by the always-cool Erdem. The strapless eggplant gown with gorgeous blue florals and delicate bustier, matched with Shipka’s perfect blown-out blonde tresses, give us hope that the next Emma Watson is on her way. — Mara MacLean Christina Hendricks: Worst Dressed Compared to her “Mad Men” co-star, Kiernan Shipka, Christina Hendricks sadly was the ultimate red carpet fail. Wearing a Christian Siriano design, Hendricks appeared swathed in metallic fabric. The gown featured a chunky bow and oversized train that didn’t add to the actress’s gor-
geous frame. The bow, the shiny fabric, the one-shouldered sleeve and the massive train all made for a completely overwhelming look. Hendricks tried for dramatic and came out drab. —Mara MacLean Saoirse Ronan: Best Dressed Saoirse Ronan’s red carpet look paralleled her acting: simple, powerful and mesmerizing. In a soft pink Michael Kors dress with Giuseppe Zanotti heels, Ronan showed just how stunning a pared back look can be on the red carpet. The Irish actress pulled her look back to show off her gorgeous Forevermark Diamond earrings that twinkled to compliment her softly sparkling pink sequin gown. — Mara MacLean Brie Larson: Best Dressed Me, you and your grandma have a lot in common as of late, and by that I mean Brie Larson is our “it” girl. She somehow managed to upstage her Golden Globes look with a powder blue Versace number, replete with Swarovski ties. Any client of Donnatella’s is a friend of fashion indeed. — Caroline Filips Kate Mara: Worst Dressed Kate Mara stepped out in a beige Valentino gown. Along with her sister Rooney, Kate’s gown featured a deep v-neck and side cutouts. However, Rooney’s black gown completely outshined sister Kate. Weirdly, at some angles, Mara’s gown looked incredibly elegant; the black bands perfectly accentuating the soft dress and the actress’s elegant frame. From the front, sadly, the dress looked more like taupe slivers of grandma’s curtains barely covering Kate’s chest — bummer. — Mara Maclean Kristen Wiig: Best Dressed I have a soft spot in my heart reserved for any starlet that deviates from the requisite awards season regalia and opts for a jumpsuit on the red carpet, and Wiig secured her spot with a Rouland Mouret one-piece. A double take revealed the asymmetric back detail and fully stole my heart. Ily, Kristen, ily. — Caroline Filips Kate Winslet: Best Dressed If you’re ever looking for “class” on the red carpet, Kate Winslet is always there to serve it. This year she wore a polished, green Giorgio Armani dress. With a plunging V and the soft structure of a mermaid gown, Winslet and her curves are looking better than ever. — Hannah Sparks Leonardo DiCaprio & his vape pen: Worst Dressed Seriously disappointed in Leo right now. So, he started off fine on the red carpet in a Giorgio Armani tuxedo. Later on during the actual ceremony, a clip of DiCaprio using a vape pen flashes across the screen. Why, Leo? Smoking that vape makes you look like a huge douche. Please, never again. — Hannah Sparks Claire Danes: Worst Dressed I don’t know why, but the Stella McCartney dress that Danes chose to wear to the awards reminds me of a stewardess’s uniform. At first glance I was feeling the two-tone vibe. After a close examination of the situation, I decided she looks like a stewardess. Danes is such a pretty woman, and the dress does nothing for her. Time to leave before you miss your flight, Claire. — Hannah Sparks
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 — 7
The hardest-working individuals in America By BRAD WHIPPLE Daily Sports Editor
Pink shoes. Pink headbands. Pink warmup shirts with the words “Hope, Fight, Cure” printed on the front. Sunday, it was clear that the players of the Michigan women’s basketball team weren’t competing for the hardest-working team in America. Instead, the Wolverines were competing for the hardestworking individuals in America. Michigan didn’t skip a beat in pulling off a 92-76 win over Minnesota during its annual Pink Game, which serves to promote breast cancer awareness as well as celebrate the life of former North Carolina State coach Kay Yow, who passed away from stage 4 breast cancer in 2009. The pink game also celebrates survivorship for those in attendance at Crisler Center and across the nation. Six breast-cancer survivors were invited to dinner with the team Friday, introduced the starting lineup Sunday and received a
pink basketball from the player they introduced — a tradition that began with the arrival of Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico in 2012. One of those survivors is Barnes Arico’s stepmother Donna, a 10-year cancer survivor who has made the trip from New York to the Pink Game every year. “This is one of the greatest days of the year for our program,” Barnes Arico said. “It’s really a special (thing) for us to honor those women — those strong, powerful, determined women that are persevering through struggles that are much tougher than a basketball game.” For Barnes Arico, she didn’t just want her team to throw on some pink-colored apparel without it carrying some weight. Instead, she wanted the outfits to speak on a personal level with her players and have a special meaning behind it. So Friday night, the team had dinner with a group of survivors at the Ron and Eileen Weiser Family Club inside Crisler
Center. The survivors — handselected by Abby Samuels, the senior community manager for special events at the American Cancer Society’s Southeast Michigan office — told stories of their battles with breast cancer and answered questions from the team about how to be more proactive with their own health. “It’s really special to have a dinner with the ladies that get to teach us so much about life that we don’t get to see all the time,” said senior guard Madison Ristovski. “Everybody here is always curious about it. “At the end of the day, it’s in the back of people’s minds that, ‘What if that happens to me?’ ” Samuels’ network at the American Cancer Society and strong volunteer outreach enabled her to find individuals to invite to the dinner. The leading factor in the decision was an the individuals’ involvement with the organization in recent months — for example, attending the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk held in October at
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team held its annual Pink Game on Sunday in honor of breast cancer awareness.
Washtenaw Community College. The Wolverines, of course, were waiting at the end of the walk, high-fiving survivors, giving them roses and cheering them on as they crossed the finish line. “They’re amazing volunteers,” Samuels said. “Them coming out to Making Strides allows them to see the impact they’re making with things like the Pink Game. … One of the great things about Michigan and Michigan athletics is that they teach integrity, and those women really have integrity.” At age 25, just months before her wedding, Christy Rodriguez was diagnosed with breast cancer. The longtime Michigan fan was invited to Barnes Arico’s dinner Friday night after completing the Making Strides walk. Now in her late 20s, Rodriguez has been cancer-free for three years. “I’m really happy that I got invited to be a part of it,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s super awesome that they do something like this every year … Being up there at the beginning and getting the basketball from the player, that was really awesome. Probably one of the coolest things I’ve done. I’ve gotten a lot of different opportunities I didn’t expect from having breast cancer, and things like this are some of the positive things that come out of it.” Rodriguez joined a group of survivors on the court during halftime and were given a “survivor sash” by Michigan softball coach Carol Hutchins, who donned a pink No. 15 jersey of her own. According to Samuels, Barnes Arico and Hutchins’ vision to
emphasize the “game of life” within their programs ensures their players walk away with valuable life lessons aside from just what they learn from playing on the court or the diamond. Now in her fourth year at the helm, Barnes Arico sees education as a major cornerstone of the program she’s leading. She wants to educate her players on what breast cancer because, as she mentioned, “You’re never too young to get it.” More importantly, she wants her team to see the value in having a positive attitude, being focused and staying determined. Friday, it was these three lessons that the six survivors spoke of when describing their path toward a cancer-free life — in addition to faith and family. Barnes Arico wants her team, by understanding the adversity these women have had to face, to understand that life isn’t always about basketball, and reality doesn’t exist within a perfect bubble. “We’re playing college basketball at the highest level and we’re at the University of Michigan on a college scholarship, that there are people out there that are going through struggles and different hard times in their lives,” Barnes Arico said. “Sometimes it’s a great reminder when we get to be surrounded by people that are overcoming such great obstacles and such big challenges. “At the end of the day, a basketball game is a basketball game, and this is about the survival in their lives.” As for Michigan’s role in the fight against breast cancer, it can
“This is one of the greatest days of the year for our program.”
continue to provide an outlet of empowerment for survivors in the meantime. The Pink Game gives survivors like Donna Barnes and Christy Rodriguez the opportunity to come together and share their stories of survival while promoting awareness for those still fighting the battle. “I think that basketball is a vehicle to teach (our players) about perseverance and about hard work and being part of our team,” Barnes Arico said. “That’s part of our mantra, that we are the hardest-working team in America. “But really, if you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, you have to be the hardest-working individual to overcome that.” Friday’s stories of perseverance must have hit the right emotional note with the Wolverines on Sunday afternoon as they pulled ahead of Minnesota down the stretch — all in front of a sea of pink. Little things made the difference for Michigan in its victory — defense, free throws, intangibles. But then there were the little things, such as a pink basketball, that made the difference for survivors in their own victory. When Ann Arbor native Mimi Schork returned to her seat before the game, she waved her newest momento around in the air while wearing a wide smile. She looked as if she had just won an award, and those sitting around her began to cheer. In most ways, the pink basketball was an award. It was a reminder of what she had been through and how she overcame it. She deserved the cheering, as did the rest of the survivors who received a standing ovation at halftime. They hoped, fought and continued to work toward a cure. For that, they were recognized as the hardest-working individuals in America.
Quick Hits with Tyler Motte Michigan preps MEN’S BASKETBALL
for top-25 battle
By JASON RUBINSTEIN Daily Sports Writer
After the Michigan hockey team’s weekend sweep over Penn State, junior forward Tyler Motte has found himself in a spot he never dreamed of being: the leading goal scorer in the nation. Through 23 games, Motte has netted 22 goals to go along with 13 assists. His previous career high for goals in a season was nine, and his productivity has blossomed in the 12 games since Michigan coach Red Berenson put him with junior forward JT Compher and freshman forward Kyle Connor on one line. For all those reasons, Motte became the focal point for this week’s edition of Quick Hits. The Michigan Daily: You’re the leading goal scorer in the NCAA. How does that feel? Tyler Motte: It feels good. I’ve never been one to go back and look at stats and compare myself to even my teammates, but having that confidence in your back pocket never hurts. TMD: Did you expect this of yourself? You always joke that you’re not a skill player and those are the ones who usually are at the top of the leaderboards. TM: I don’t think I would’ve ever been the top goal scorer in the country. Like you said, I’ve never really been that type of player. I’ve always tried to be a 200-foot type guy, and that is really my game. But the chemistry with my linemates has worked out. TMD: Your line has been pretty good. Is there a thing between you and JT where you guys are making sure Kyle, the freshman, doesn’t lead the nation in goals? TM: No. (Laughs.) Not at all. We’ve been joking around with the guys about this. But it’s great to see a guy dominate as a freshman similar to (how) Dylan Larkin did it last year. Each of them dominated in different ways, but it’s great to see freshmen come to Michigan and be able to do that. Just to see JT and how he works and puts
By SIMON KAUFMAN Daily Sports Editor
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Junior forward Tyler Motte leads the nation in scoring with 22 goals in 23 games for the Wolverines this season.
up numbers, he’s proud of that. TMD: Well, JT had a nice toe drag this weekend. Were you like, “Wow, JT, how did you do that?” TM: Yeah, he might joke around and tell you he is a skill guy, too, but it was a phenomenal play, something he has in his back pocket. TMD: It’s been coined the “CCM line.” Are you guys trying to earn a future sponsorship from them? What’s with that? TM: I didn’t quite know what it meant at first. I thought it was because we all used their sticks, but then JT doesn’t, he uses Bauer, and then I realized it had to do with our names. It’s pretty creative, though. It’s pretty good. I’ve definitely heard worse names for lines. TMD: The team has been giving you crap for the beanie you wear. I see it’s changed colors. TM: Yeah. I got a new one. I found one in my closet. Some might call it bad press with that haircut article there, but it’s
good, it’s fun. TMD: You won’t take it off until you start slowing down with your points, right? TM: It’s no superstition. TMD: Nolan is the team barber. Should one of our writers get a haircut from him? TM: I don’t know how open the barber shop is to walk-ins. But he does a good job. If he doesn’t make it in hockey, he could definitely open his own barber shop. TMD: Describe Max Shuart. TM: I don’t know if there is one way to describe Max Shuart other than he’s a character. He sits next to me in the locker room and sometimes is a peanut gallery. He really has a good balance of having fun and enjoying things while also doing it the right way. TMD: Could he beat Michael Downing in a fight? TM: I’d like to see a best-ofthree or best-of-five series there. I could see it going either way. TMD: You, JT and Kyle are all up for the Hobey Baker Award,
“The chemistry with my linemates has worked out.”
but it can only be one. TM: Yeah. Unfortunately, that is how it goes. I think it could be unbelievable to see a freshman win back-to-back years. TMD: When Kevin Porter won the Hobey in 2008, his linemate Chad Kolarik, who was up for the Hobey, wanted to vault Porter to win and pushed for it despite being a strong candidate as well. Have you guys discussed this? TM: I don’t think any of us focus on it that much, but to have another Hobey Baker winner at Michigan would be huge. TMD: You took a nasty hit at the Garden. There are some pictures that show you chewing your mouthguard rather than wearing it. Why do you do that? TM: Well, I’ve had the same mouthguard here since my freshman year so it doesn’t exactly snuggly fit any more. Most guys don’t even wear them even more. TMD: Will you wear one now? TM: We’ll see if the old one still fits. I might. TMD: You’re growing quite the beard here. What’s with that? TM: There is no superstition behind the beard. I do tend to trim it up a bit. In the winter, I don’t like to go clean-shaven. It’s comfy.
The Michigan men’s basketball team ended the first half of the Big Ten season with a four-game sweep against the bottom half of the Indiana at conference, Michigan downing Matchup: unheralded Indiana 18-4; Minnesota, Michigan 17-5 Nebraska, When: Rutgers and Tuesday 9 P.M. Penn State Where: Crisler teams. Now, sitting Center at exactly the TV/Radio: midway point ESPN in conference play, the Wolverines (7-2 Big Ten, 17-5 overall) face a two-game stretch of top-25 talent, hosting No. 22 Indiana on Tuesday and No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday. The Hoosiers (8-1, 18-4), led by senior guard Yogi Ferrell, come to town atop the Big Ten standings following a six-point win over Minnesota on Saturday. Ferrell, who opted to return for his final year at Indiana instead of entering the NBA Draft, has been one of the conference’s top performers, pacing 17.5 points and nearly six assists per contest. The Indiana native has a history of torching Michigan. In five games against the Wolverines in his career, Ferrell has shot better than 60 percent and averaged more than 16 points per game — and he’s done it in a number of ways. Last year, he used a variety of made jumpers to tally 14 points against Michigan; the season before, he knocked down seven 3-pointers to put up 27 to help take down a then-10thranked Wolverines team. “His quickness is such that, yeah, there’s a lot of things you do (to try to stop him),” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “What’s really good is you have a really good player playing
against him that can stay in front of him, and that’s our hope, that a combination of (junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. and sophomore guard MuhammadAli Abdur-Rahkman) can do that and that we don’t have to give as much help. But he’s going get his points; he’s going to get to the foul line; he’s going to get his assists. Try to not let the other guys beat you, that’s another thought.” The biggest problem for Michigan is that those other guys who surround Ferrell are just as dangerous. Indiana has two other starters averaging 12 points or better in sophomore forward Troy Williams (13.1) and freshman center Thomas Bryant (12.4). It will take a team effort for Michigan to contend against the country’s secondbest shooting team. “(We need to) try to stay out of foul trouble and not make it a 1-on-1 matchup,” Walton said. “Remember that it’s all about winning. There’s going to be some times tomorrow (Ferrell) makes a really good play or I make a really good play or either of us go on a tear, making three or four plays in a row. It’s all about just staying with the team goals of the night and game plan. … When the game is over, the better point guard is the one that wins.” What could be the biggest lift for Michigan, though, is the potential return of senior guard Caris LeVert. Beilein has been cryptic about LeVert’s return date since he injured his left foot against Illinois on Dec. 30, causing him to miss the last eight games. But Monday, Beilein said that his return could be soon. “Caris did more (Sunday) than he’s done at all,” Beilein said. “This was the first time he really tested himself more than he has. So it’s day-to-day, and we’ll wait and see when he’s ready to go. It’s ultimately going to be his decision. It could be soon. It could be later.”
Sports
8 — Tuesday, February 2, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Fighting the hidden battles By KELLY HALL Daily Sports Editor
Garrick Roemer was scared. The 17-year-old wasn’t comfortable in the back of the ambulance. He didn’t want to be there, and on the surface, it didn’t look like he belonged there either. His mom, Cathy Radovich, overheard him nervously asking the paramedics if his emergency trip to the hospital was going to follow him, if people were going to hear about it. Outside that ambulance, Roemer seemed to be living out a reality he had strived for. As a 2012 graduate of Saline High School and lifelong Michigan fan, he grew up a hop, skip and a jump away from Ann Arbor as he ran to an AllState title in the 400-meter dash. He committed to Michigan’s track and field team as a preferred walkon, rejecting a partial scholarship from Michigan State in order to don the maize and blue. There are pictures of Roemer dressed in Michigan apparel from the age of 2 onward, and a scholarship offer from his rival wasn’t going to sway him. He came to Ann Arbor to fulfill his dream. But you can’t always tell what’s really going on from the outside looking in. On that day, the future Michigan track athlete didn’t want to go to the hospital, didn’t want to talk about his problems — but Radovich knew he needed to. The spring of his senior year of high school was difficult for Roemer, so after consulting his therapist, Radovich called the paramedics, and Roemer reluctantly got in the ambulance. He looked physically healthy, and he wasn’t sick in the traditional sense. But he had threatened to hurt himself in front of people at school, and that was enough cause for alarm. When people suffer from a heart attack or a stroke, they don’t worry about seeking medical attention. But when people need an emergency psychiatric evaluation, they very rarely seek the help they need. Sitting in an ambulance with his life in danger, Roemer was wondering what other people would think. For most athletes, the biggest battle takes place internally. And far too often, that struggle goes unheard. A 2014 study conducted by Dr. Daniel Eisenberg and Ph.D. candidate Sarah Ketchen Lipson at the University showed that of a random sample of approximately 7,000 students at nine colleges, just 30 percent of those with depression or anxiety sought mental health services. For student-athletes, the statistic was even lower. Just 10 percent of student-athletes with depression or anxiety used mental health services. In May 2014, following his second year at Michigan, Roemer committed suicide. According to Radovich, a “perfect storm” of events had hit her son, including injury and an isolating redshirt sophomore year that prevented him from traveling with his teammates. “I think stigma really was a part of what stopped him from getting the help he needed, and that’s kinda why I’m here (talking about it),” Radovich said. “Whether you’re an athlete or not, it hovers over you.” ***
Almost two years later, on Jan. 22 of this year, Radovich sat at a table describing the thoughts she believed her son may have had that spring day. The only way the stigma would go away was if she talked about it. Sitting next to her was Will Heininger, a former Michigan football player who left his job in Chicago when he realized that he wanted to join Athletes Connected, a University organization dedicated to supporting student-athlete mental health and one of the first programs of its kind. On that Friday afternoon, the Athletes Connected Advisory Board — a sort of “think tank” for current and former studentathletes, interested community members, clinicians and psychiatrists to suggest ways to improve mental health on campus — met for the second time. The Athletes Connected initiative first formed when Eisenberg, an associate professor in the School of Public Health, saw a posting for the NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant. He learned about the grant about the same time as Trish Meyer, the manager for outreach and education at the University’s Depression Center, and the two reached out to Barb Hansen, one of three athletic counselors employed by the Michigan Athletic Department. In April 2014, the Athletes Connected initiative received a $50,000 grant to conduct research on student-athlete mental health. Athletes Connected was born as a partnership between the School of Public Health, Depression Center and Athletic Department, with the major goals being to reduce the stigma of mental health issues, promote coping skills and encourage help-seeking. The group moved quickly, conducting student-athlete and athletic trainer focus groups over the summer. Throughout the 2014-15 school year, Athletes Connected presented to every athletic team and its coaching staff, and provided biweekly 75-minute support groups with a clinical social worker for student-athletes who wanted to listen or share their experiences dealing with stress. Athletes Connected first told the coaches about the initiative in September 2014, and then checked back in to update them with results in May 2015. Next, they opened up the floor for questions. Which coach put his hand in the air first? Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh. “He started asking questions and then other coaches got involved,” Meyer said. “It was really, really encouraging and heartening because they care so much for their student-athletes and they want to know that there’s a system in place that going to support them in that way.” *** Michigan men’s basketball coach John Beilein has seen a lot over his 40 years of coaching. Like Harbaugh, he was an active participant during the Athletes Connected presentation, and for good reason. “Over my (career), I’ve probably had four or five kids with depression,” Beilein said. “During that time, I was virtually helpless as a coach. I would talk to them and
there wasn’t anything happening. They needed clinical help. That’s why this is so important.” He’s a strong believer in the power that mindfulness can bring to the court and even cites a time that Jordan Morgan, a former Michigan captain, added meditation to his game-day routine to alleviate any nerves about free-throw shooting. Morgan, a subpar foul shooter who made 56.5 percent of his free throws in his career, made seven of eight shots in a 2014 NCAA Tournament game against Texas. Beilein credits the standout performance to the fact that Morgan happened to mediate three times that day, focusing on seeing himself make foul shots. It’s not uncommon for seasoned coaches to get stuck in their ways. Beilein has run the same offense his entire career, but he readily admits that his viewpoints on mental health have changed over time, especially as he started to grasp what was really at stake with his athletes. “There are so many things going on with these kids; mental health and their mental development is huge for them,” Beilein said. “I’ve seen it over these years. I wish I knew more about it when I was a younger coach. I would just blame it maybe on, ‘Oh he’s not tough enough,’ or, ‘He doesn’t have the ice water in his veins to play.’ “That’s all he needed, was someone to talk to.”
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
A recent study found that just 10 percent of student-athletes suffering from depression and anxiety seek help.
I can do something about it, just like if there’s something off with my knee, I can do something with it.’ ” Heininger often makes that analogy, that, as an athlete, if there’s something wrong with your body, you take care of it immediately. He wants every athlete to know that issues with mental health can be handled in the same fashion. That’s why, after two years of working a finance job in Chicago, Heininger decided to come home to Ann Arbor. When he received the call asking if he would like to come back and work with his former counselor as well as Eisenberg and Meyer, he experienced a moment of “serendipity.” “It was like, what do I want to spend my days doing, like what matters to me?” Heininger said. “And that was during the time that I was realizing how critical mental health is and its impact on society.” Heininger may have left his job, but he found his calling.
“Whether you’re an athlete or not, it hovers over you.”
*** Back in his playing days, Heininger decided to talk to someone, and it changed his life. According to a video featuring Heininger on the Athletes Connected website — the same video Athletes Connected shows every Michigan athlete — he started “hating himself and his life” and had “all the classic symptoms of depression, but didn’t know what it was” during his sophomore year of college. As an Ann Arbor native who attended Pioneer High School, which sits kitty-corner to Michigan Stadium, he dreamed of playing football at Michigan. He had no idea why he was feeling the way he was. Finally, an athletic trainer noticed he was in pain and set him up with Barb Hansen, the Michigan athletic counselor now involved with Athletes Connected. They worked on coping techniques, highlighted by the video, and he opened up and stopped hiding his feelings. Ultimately, he recovered from depression and became a “better student, player and person.” Now, Heininger is 27 and teaches new athletes the same coping techniques Hansen taught him. Athletes Connected is hoping its presentations help studentathletes realize why they feel the way they do so they don’t get caught in the dark like he once did. “In a cool way, just knowing — like I didn’t even know what depression was, right? I had no idea what had happened to me,” Heininger said. “But I’ve had a number of freshmen now, who are like, ‘Yeah, I get it. If there’s something off with my mood, then
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
Athletes Connected seeks to remove the stigma from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
*** When Jaimie Phelan first saw e-mails and fliers about the new Athletes Connected meetings, she was instantly curious. The junior cross country and track athlete didn’t say anything the first few times she went, but not too long after hearing others open up, she did, too. She found out that most other athletes felt the same pressures she did. “At a young age, a lot of athletes are taught to tough things out and fight through the pain,” Phelan said. “For our everyday life and for our own mental health, it’s not always the best approach to tough things out, and I think a lot of us struggle with that, too, to be able to take a step back and say, ‘All right, I need to take a day off,’ or ‘All right, I need to rest for a bit for my mental health if I’m mentally drained.’ It’s like the same as a physical injury.” She felt the same sense of belonging when she first saw the initial Athletes Connected presentations. Athletes Connected always shows the same two videos, one featuring Heininger and the techniques he used to overcome depression, and one featuring Kally Fayhee, a former Michigan swimmer who overcame an eating disorder. “That hit a lot of us hard, just being able to hear someone else’s story and have them share and be a part of all of us, too, that gave a powerful message,” Phelan said. “It helped me open up more, and I wanted to go to Athletes Connected to help deal with any stressors that came on.” After the presentations, every athlete took a survey, and 99 percent indicated that the videos were relevant to either themselves or their teammates. More stunningly, 63 percent of student-athletes reported that “emotional or mental health issues” had affected their performance in the past four weeks. That means that more than half of student-athletes realize they’re experiencing emotional distress. But if more than half of the student-athlete population is affected by emotional issues on a regular basis, then Athletes
Connected has a problem. Though the organization is still conducting research on student-athletes, the attendance at its biweekly support groups has dipped. In the first meeting of 2016, only one student-athlete showed up. “We keep trying to find the magic spot,” Hansen said. “I think it’s a combination of things, why the attendance is so low. I think part of it is always that time crunch. There just isn’t that perfect ideal time. … I think there’s still, certainly for some people, that fear, that stigma of, ‘I don’t want to go and tell all my business or worry what people might think of me.’ “But at the same time, feedback is really consistent that they value hearing from other students in other sports, not just their teammates, that it’s an opportunity to get together with other people who are maybe experiencing some of the same challenges.” Phelan — one of the few athletes who has taken advantage of the biweekly meetings — wholeheartedly agrees. The students care about the program, even if they can’t always find time for it. This year, they decided that Athletes Connected would be the beneficiary of the athletes’ annual Mock Rock charity event on Feb. 23. “I think everyone that I’ve talked to who has been to Athletes Connected, when they’ve left, they’ve all said that it’s been beneficial,” she said. “It’s just the fact that they’re trying to get more people to go if they want to, and they don’t have to be clinically diagnosed, just go and sit, listen, and you never know how much it can help you.” *** When you first walk in to Barb Hansen’s office, you see a few words scrawled in dry-erase marker on her board. “Just a cold, dark night on Mt. Everest.” At first glance, the words could mean anything. But you soon find out the words are applicable to nearly anyone who has taken on responsibility. In March 2015, Dr. Alicia Crum gave a speech at the Depression on College Campuses Conference hosted by the University, Crum told a story about one especially late night working on her thesis, in which a colleague of hers consoled her by using that same phrase. Hansen took note. “When people climb Mount Everest, what do they expect?” Hansen said as she recounted Crum’s story. “They’re expecting it to be cold and miserable and harder than hell. … ‘I’ve chosen these things. Did I expect it to be without stress?’ Really reframing stress as, ‘You know, we choose these things and we’ll manage and we’ll get through.’ ” The quote has worked for some of her student-athletes, allowing them to modify their view of stress to fit a healthier standpoint. It has stayed on the board since. But it’s also applicable to college students everywhere. Though Athletes Connected is focused first on helping student-athletes, everyone on the team makes it clear that they fully intend on rolling it out to the general college population. As the de facto pioneer in studying student-athlete mental
health on this grand of a scale, Athletes Connected wants to make sure they get it right first. “Because it’s a collaboration between the Depression Center, Public Health and Athletics, we are able to use the momentum of this — which is specifically student-athlete mental health — to spill over to the rest of campus, high schools around the country,” Heininger said. “One of the things I’m most proud of in the past year is all of the interest from other colleges and universities.” Added Eisenberg: “As a public health person, I’ve always been interested in having a wide impact on a large number of people. While I think the student-athlete population at Michigan is an important population, it’s still only 900 people, which is tiny compared to the whole U of M community.” In the past year, Michigan club sports, ROTC and the marching band have reached out to Athletes Connected, seeking information on how to improve their students’ mental health. “I would hope that there will be really useful information that generalizes to the college population,” Hansen said. “That’s my hope, because even if you think about the larger college population, there’s other schools and groups that are also performance-based. I think students across campus feel that pressure to do really well and to compete.” *** There are three athletic counselors at Michigan. All three have packed schedules. According to Hansen, it’s a rarity to have three counselors working just for an athletic department. But each counselor’s workload indicates that it’s a necessity. After Athletes Connected showed the student-athletes the videos featuring Heininger and Fayhee, 40 indicated on the post-presentation survey that they would like to make an appointment with an athletic counselor to address “immediate concerns.” If 40 students realized they wanted help after watching a few videos, then it’s not hard to imagine the impact programs like Athletes Connected could have on campuses across the country. “A lot of schools have great facilities and a lot of schools will give athletes a lot of gear, and ‘Woo-hoo, it’s great,’ ” Heininger said. “But what about developing them as a person, what about if they’re not going to go pro?” And that’s why Radovich is involved in Athletes Connected. Last year, all of the donations to the Garrick P. Roemer Memorial Fund went to the program. But more importantly than that, she’s talking about what happened to Garrick so other people know what they’re up against. The stigma surrounding depression and anxiety may be hard to shake — especially for athletes — but this community is taking its best shot. “If it just helps one other person … I think that even if Athletes Connected would have been here, he may still not be with us,” Radovich said. “But if it would have prevented it, I’ve got to do it. We have to try. We have to try to help other people.”
“We have to try to help other people.”