ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, February 9, 2016
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RESEARCH
Study links marijuana use to loss in memory
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN /Daily
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez discusses the importance of worker voice and inclusive innovation in the production of a successful business model in the Annenberg Auditorium on Monday.
U.S. Labor Sec. discusses ways to improve economy
Thomas Perez said businesses benefit when they increase benefits for workers
create a more prosperous national economy at the Ford School of Public Policy Monday evening. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Perez has served as labor secretary since 2013 on Monday. Perez said the Obama administration has helped create a shared economic prosperity for all by encouraging businesses to make conscious decisions to benefit their workers. Discussing national economic progress during the Obama
By CALEB CHADWELL Daily Staff Reporter
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez discussed ways for businesses and the government to
administration, Perez noted that the unemployment rate is now at 4.9 percent and that the number of jobs has grown by 14 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Perez said this growth is in part due to businesses’ starting to realize how adequately providing for their workers, pleasing their shareholders and taking care of their customers are not tradeoffs — successful businesses do all three, and gain revenue by treating
their workers well. “Businesses are seeing that investing in their workers is one of the best ways to grow the bottom line,” Perez said. “They’re embracing what Henry Ford embraced when he doubled the wages of people on the assembly line, understanding that better paid workers are more productive workers.” Perez said businesses should not view raising wages and increasing See LABOR, Page 3
Researchers find use of the drug negatively impacts verbal recollection By MADELINE GERSON For the Daily
According to a recent study by Deborah Levine, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, longterm marijuana use is associated with poor verbal memory in middle age. Levine, who is an investigator of risk development in coronary arteries for young adults, practices at both the University Hospital and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Levine, along with Reto Auer, a researcher at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, compiled data from a 25-year CARDIA study, which analyzed cognitive performance by observing and calculating the verbal memory, executive function and processing
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GOVERNMENT
AG says scams targeting Flint crisis charities Officials say Flintwater.com has illegally used government logos By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette issued a warning to Flintwater.com, a website advertised as a charity raising money to aid the Flint water crisis, for potential charitable solicitation violations on Thursday. The website was using logos from United Way, Pure Michigan, Flint Water Response Team and the American Red Cross without permission from the organizations or notification of their use, according to Schuette’s office. Earlier last week, Schuette issued a consumer alert to the public warning them to be vigilant for potential charity scams in relation to Flint. He urged people to be cautious of websites asking for personal information and checks to make sure the organization is listed on the attorney general’s website as a registered charity. Andrea Bitely, communications director at the Michigan attorney general’s office, said both state Sen. Jim Ananich (D-Flint) and United Way, a local charity, alerted the office of
WEATHER TOMORROW
the potential scam. “Jim Ananich and the United Way both called our office and let us know what was going on,” she said. “We sent them a cease and desist. They can’t have those up.” Pam Smith, president of United Way of Washtenaw County, said the organization does everything it can to prevent such scams, but often has to rely on individuals informing it of potential violations. “We do the very best we can to protect our brand,” she said. “Anybody can grab a logo shot off the Internet, so we rely on our donors, our volunteers and the general public to let us know.” Smith said after learning about the misuse of their logo, the organization took the necessary steps immediately to have it removed. “Once we were made aware of that, we immediately filed a cease and desist order,” she said. “The logo was taken down the same day.” According to Bitely, the Michigan attorney general’s office said their responses to potential scams depend on the nature of the issue. “If it’s similar we will do another cease and desist. If it’s a door-to-door scam we encourage the public to call law enforcement,” she said referring to Flintwater.com Many individuals both locally and nationwide have See FLINT, Page 3
HI: 34 LO: 18
speed of participants. According to Levine, there seemed to only be a correlation between marijuana usage and verbal memory, with no evidence of an effect on processing speed or executive function. However, Levine emphasised that correlation is not equivalent to causation. “Our results found a significant association between long-term marijuana use in early adulthood and decreased cognitive functioning at midlife,” Levine said. “However, our results demonstrate an association and do not prove causality.” With large numbers of adolescent and young-adult marijuana users and an ongoing movement to decriminalize and legalize marijuana, Levine said the issue of the health effects of marijuana is relevant. States have legalized marijuana, and many cities including Ann Arbor have decriminalized its meaning. According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, NSDUH, marijuana is the most See MARIJUANA, Page 2
Members of SACUA talk interschool collaboration Schlissel also discusses ways to augment minority student experiences By ISOBEL FUTTER Daily Staff Reporter
KRISTINA PERKINS/Daily
Marv Fox, personal trainer, basketball coach, and inspirational speaker, discusses the path to achieving personal success at the 2nd Annual William Monroe Trotter Lecture in the Michigan Union on Monday.
Speakers at W.M. Trotter lecture stress individuality Presenters at the event urge attendees to pursue personal success By BRANDON SUMMERSMILLER Daily Staff Reporter
Speakers challenged University students and faculty to succeed Monday night during the second annual William Monroe Trotter lecture at the Michigan Union. The annual lecture was created as an opportunity for
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Trotter to engage the public with its works and also for students and faculty to hear the stories of University community members who have been affected by racial inequity or have overcome obstacles. This year, the lecture featured remarks from Sean Pitt, an LSA junior and Central Student Government chief of staff, Public Policy junior Hattie McKinney, vice speaker for the Black Student Union and motivational speaker Marv Fox Jr. Pitt emphasized the importance of speaking up on the University’s campus. “Your voice matters just as
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much in a leadership role as it does when you meet a friend for coffee,” Pitt said. “Or make any other decision that reflects your values and your truth.” McKinney provided historical background on William Trotter, for whom the Trotter Multicultural Center was named, relating the history of Trotter to students’ ability to gain and exhibit self confidence. Trotter, an activist for racial equality, experienced segregation in the early 1900s and worked to combat Klu Klux Klan propaganda. “Knowing who you are is essential,” McKinney said. See TROTTER, Page 3
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University President Mark Schlissel joined the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs’ meeting Monday to talk about his goal to increase collaboration among the 19 schools and colleges within the University. “The current system and model of the traditional and decentralized leadership by means of separate schools has driven the schools to individual excellence,” Schlissel said. “We have left one more layer on top that we’ve really tried to tap into and that is the strategic collaboration between our schools.” Schlissel also said he hopes collaboriting on issues will excite not only those inside the University, but the larger community as well. “I value scholarship where it’s scholars talking to other scholars, because long-term insight comes out of that,” he said. “I also value scholarship that produces things that the public can understand and can really emotionally engage with.” Schlissel said this public engagement reinforces the value of the University and informs others of what goes on at the See SACUA, Page 3
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News
2 — Tuesday, February 9, 2016
TUESDAY: Tents and Tables
MONDAY: This Week in History
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
Voter registration, fundraising of the first entrepreneurship fraternity in the United States — also tabled in Angell Hall to promote an upcoming event featuring a hypnotist entertainer. The chapter’s founder, Business senior Alex Weiss, helped run the table for part of the day. He said the event will be the first hosted by the fraternity. “For the first time in our history, we’re doing a huge campus-wide event,” he said. “It’s happening this Friday in the Michigan Union in the Rogel Ballroom. We’re bringing in a professional hypnotist entertainer. He’s coming from Canada. He’s an alum of the University. He’s going to be putting on a great show for the students. So we’re selling tickets to that. It’s going to be a lot of fun for anyone who attends.” He said a goal of the organization is to help inspire young professionals.
“We help teach young people — college students — about entrepreneurial principles, help them instill an entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. “We have a lot of fun doing it. We do socials like a normal fraternity but we try to put an entrepreneurial spin on everything we do.” The University’s chapter of Timmy Global Health was also stationed in Angell Hall, also advertising upcoming activities within their organization. According to itswebsite, the organization aims to increase access to health care and allow students and volunteers to address global health challenges. LSA freshman Alaina Horwood said throughout the year, the club holds events on campus including a Glow Run, a Global Health Symposium and benefit dinners in order to raise money to send to Mao, Dominican Republic. -LYDIA MURRAY
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Art & Design freshman Keef Edwards models a hat he sewed in his dorm room shop in Bursley Residence Hall Monday.
WHAT: Yale University Professor Statis N. Kalvyas will present information on the Greek financial crisis and its impact on the Eurozone. WHO: Center for European Studies WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: School of Social Work, Room 1636
WHAT: Lee Gill, University of Akron’s chief diversity officer, will discuss the University’s diversity. WHO: Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs WHEN: Today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Graduate School, Amphitheater
React to Film Guest master Concert recital class WHAT: “3 1/2 Minutes, WHAT: John Sampen, WHAT: Dimitri Murrath, an award-winning and renowned musician, will offer a free lesson in perfecting violaplayers’ techniques. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 7 p.m. WHERE: Earl V. Moore Building, Glenn E.
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WHAT: Three former Supreme Court law clerks and faculty members of the Law school will share their experiences in the position. WHO: Department of Sociology WHEN: Today from 5:45 p.m. to 8 a.m. WHERE: LSA Building, Room 4154
Ten Bullets,” a film that depicts the death of a young, Black male. The film discusses the racial climate in the United States follows. WHO: Department of American Culture WHEN: Today from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHERE: North Quad, Room 2435
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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. The College Democrats were particularly active with the upcoming primary election happening March 8. Because today was the last day for filing absentee ballots, club members took shifts throughout the day to encourage out-of-state students to register to vote. In an interview, LSA junior Brendan Schroder highlighted some of the organization’s upcoming events, which include a sex education event. “Every Thursday at 8 we have an event called KickAss, which is where we all get together,” he said. “This week is a great one because it’s SexEd KickAss hosted by the Fem Dems, which is our women’s rights committee.” Epsilon Nu Tau — a chapter
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a distinguished concert saxophonist, will perform compositions. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: Stamps Auditorium Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.
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THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY Wheaton College Prof. Larycia Hawkins has agreed to leave the institution after being investigated for comments regarding Islam and Christianity, the New York Times reported. Hawkins was tenured at the college.
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Study shows prescribing fewer opiods helps reduce overdoses
‘U’ researchers explore ways doctors can assign lower doses of strong drugs By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
Giving patients smaller doses of prescription opioid painkillers may prevent overdoses, according to a recent University study. Opioids, medications often used to treat acute pain from surgeries and cancer, have also increasingly been used in more recent years for chronic pain management. Amy Bohnert, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychiatry, said the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for prescription opioid medication have recently begun to suggest lower thresholds than they have in the past. The current guidelines from the CDC have not recommended not going above 90
morphine-equivalent milligrams, also called MEM, and encourage health care providers to be caution once a patient begins to receive or go above 50 MEM, according to Bohnert. Additionally, the study found the average doses of prescription opioids were much higher for those who died of an overdose as compared to those who survived. “We found that there was a substantial portion of the people who died in an opioid overdose,” Bohnert said. “Assuming that the fact that they were given such large quantities influenced the fact that they overdosed, had their treatment pattern been different, had they gotten a lower dosage, it could have prevented their death.” Bohnert said the study stemmed from the results of an original study she worked on five years ago. In that study, Bohnert said the researchers looked at the amount of opioids prescribed to specific patients and how that related to their
risk of overdosing on those medications. Bohnert said they found the greater the amount a patient was prescribed, the greater their risk of overdose. The study used date from the the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System is a national leader when it comes to having the type of medical records necessary for this research, and is why she decided to complete her research using their resources. The VA is also working with the CDC to have a complete match on causespecific mortality data. “We found that the rate of unintentional overdose, by any substance, not just prescription opioids, is twice as high in VA patients than it is in the general population, after you account for differences in age and sex.” According to the CDC, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses, specifically overdoses involving opioids, has increased 200 percent since 2000. Each day, 46 people die from an overdose of prescription opioid or narcotic painkillers in the United States, the CDC also reported. In 2012, reportedly 259 million prescriptions for painkillers were written by health care providers, equaling enough for every American adult to have a bottle of the
MARIJUANA From Page 1 commonly used illicit drug, with a total of 19.8 million past-month users in the United States. “I hope that current and potential users will consider the potential long-term effects of marijuana use on their brain health, particularly their cognitive functioning when deciding to use or not to use,” Levine said. In an interview, LSA sophomore Jason, who smokes marijuana regularly and requested to be referred to by only his first name, said the results of the study do
medication. Bohnert said the findings that there have been more prescription opioid overdoses recently than in previous years has resulted from changes in the way prescription opioid medication has been used, as the medication is now applied to both acute and chronic pain. In the study, the researchers changed the design from the original study Beohnert conducted five years ago, she said. Rather than taking an entire population of patients who were prescribed opioids, she said the researchers looked at patients who were identified as having died of a prescription opioid overdose, and were being prescribed opioids at the time that they died. The researchers then created a comparison group, whose members were matched to patients in the original study basedon criteria such as demographics, clinical characteristics and treatment characteristics. “What you’re prescribed as a patient should be tailored to what your needs are and the way in which you are unique, so hopefully by matching like we did, we’re making a much more accurate comparison,” Bohnert said. “By doing that, we still found that there were substantial
not impact his perceptions on marijuana use. “I really don’t see marijuana as a serious risk to my health short- or long-term,” Jason said. “It may affect my ability to remember a given list of words, according to one specific study, but ultimately I don’t see it as a barrier to my overall success in life or health overall.” There were 3,385 participants, 84.3 percent of whom reported marijuana use and 11.6 percent of whom continued to use marijuana into middle age. From the data, Levine concluded that an average of one out of two participants remembered one fewer word from a list of 15 words, for every five years of
differences between people in terms of opioid doses, between people who died of an overdose and their matched comparison group.” While the average dose for people who died of an overdose was almost 100 MEM, in the comparison group with patients who did not die of an overdose, the average dose prescribed was less than 50 MEM. Bohnert said there is additional preview data supporting the idea that if a patient is prescribed a higher dose of a prescription opioid medication, they are more likely to develop problems with the substance, which could lead to risky patterns of behavior associated with the substance that could lead to overdose, Bohnert said. Additionally, because patients often develop tolerance when they use opioids, they have to use more of the medication to feel the same effects. As a patient gets to higher doses, they can also develop tolerance to the medication’s respiratory depression effects, she noted, a patient has to use more medication to cause an overdose, and maybe prescribed higher doses. As a result of their growing tolerance, they are more likely to have received more medication.
With more on hand, it is much easier to overdose, Bohnert said. “The solution to this is going to require a lot of different interventions,” Bohnert said. “One of them is that prescribers are becoming increasingly cautious about escalating doses to higher levels.” However, Bohnert said that does not address how to help patients who are already on high doses and exhibiting signs showing they are at risk for adverse outcomes with the medications. Bohnert said there have already been programs to help decrease these patients’ dosages, but that there needs to be more research done to understand how to learn how these programs might dangerously impacts the patients’ risk for bad outcomes. She noted there is some controversy about whether other medications are better or should be recommended over opioids. However, there are risks to patients takingnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, common pain-relieving drugs, as well, she said. Many nonpharmacological options, such as physical therapy and cognitivebehavioral therapy, for pain that overall have less risks and future research could be focused, she added.
past exposure to marijuana. Levine said that this statistic is significant, but the investigation of the effects of marijuana consumption on cognitive function is ongoing. “Additional research would be needed to demonstrate the clinical effects of decreased verbal memory in individual day to day functioning,” Levine said. It still remains unknown as to whether occasional or lowintensity marijuana use earlier in life has long-term effects, and whether factors such as age and duration of exposure have to be taken into account. Jason said he did not believe verbal memory loss was a lifethreatening issue. “I haven’t looked too far into
the research,” Jason said. “But verbal memory isn’t threatening to my life and I assume that I’ll slow down my consumption of marijuana over the course of my life.” Self-reporting was utilized to assess the results of the study, which is sometimes considered a less reliable method of study, but Levine said this was not a primary issue for the research team. “Self-report of marijuana use is the gold standard and customary approach for measuring an individual’s marijuana use,” Levine said. “I do not feel that it is a major limitation.”
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Tuesday, February 9, 2016 — 3
NEWS BRIEFS
TROTTER From Page 1
Detroit Public Schools invests $300,000 for building repairs
“Because I have all too often encountered other people trying to tell me who you are or what they need to be.” McKinney also emphasized the negative impacts of self doubt. “We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ ” she said. “Ask them, who are you not to be? You are a child of God, and your playing small does not serve the world.” Fox delivered the event’s keynote address, focusing on the process of success. According to Fox, there are three major steps a person needs to take to be successful: dream, declare and succeed. Fox said during his remarks that people must believe in themselves and speak with confidence in order to be successful while they pursue their aspirations. “We can’t use small words for big dreams,” Fox said. “It doesn’t work.” In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Fox said his keynote connected to the University’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. symposium’s theme of “Who Will Be Next?” by asking audience members who they wanted to be, and how they could achieve a nobler purpose and positively impact the world. “When we say, ‘Who’s next?’ you’re next in the event, you’re deciding this is what you want to do with your life,” he said. Fox added that being successful begins with a
Detroit Public Schools has budgeted money from other departments to repair some of the building issues in many of its schools. This decision follows a series of sick-out protests staged by teachers speaking out against the conditions of their schools. Teachers called in sick in such large numbers that classes had to be cancelled on multiple occasions. The newly allocated money will go toward existing work orders for building repair in the system, and property maintenance and safety violations uncovered by recent inspections done by the city. The inspections done as part of a district-wide review during the end of Janurary revealed multiple code violations including instances of rodents, mold and damaged roofs. The inspections were called for by Mayor Mike Duggan after he visited four schools and saw their conditions. The public school buildings in Detroit have deteriorated as a result of the growth of the school district’s debt to a projected $515 million, leaving the district unable to pay for repairs.
Dearborn Heights man accused of planning ISIS attack on church Khalil Abu-Rayyan was accused of threatening police and a large Detroit church with ISIS attacks. Abu-Rayyan appeared before a court on Monday on the charge of possessing a firearm while taking illegal drugs. Though he was not charged on any accounts of terrorism, Abu-Rayyam faces up to 10 years in prison. The FBI alleges that AbuRayyan purchased a gun in October while regularing smoking marijuana. The FBI says that he reported that he did not take any illegal guns on an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms form at the time of the firearm purchase. The FBI had been monitoring Abu-Rayyan since May and stated in an affidavit that he was a supporter of the terrorist group ISIS and has called for violent attacks against a Detroit church with 6,000 members and against the police. The FBI states that AbuRayyan has been openly supporting and promoting ISIS since as early as November 2014. -LYDIA MURRAY
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily University President Mark Schlissel discusses his desire to establish long term communication between colleges in the Fleming Building on Monday.
SACUA From Page 1 school. Engineering Prof. Robert Ziff, a SACUA member, said a potential initiative would need incentives and budgeting from the University. “There have been some institutional problems with colleges because of overhead,” Ziff said. “They don’t want to share the overhead, they want to keep it. I think this is something that has to be broken down.” Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Prof. John Lehman, a SACUA member, said he agreed with Ziff, adding that he thought the idea was beneficial to the University. “I think it’s great because we’ve got to improve the public’s
LABOR From Page 1 benefits as charity, but rather a way to maximize the company’s overall growth. He cited that Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, as an example of this attitude, saying that one of Immelt’s core values is treating his workers fairly, a virtue that lends itself to the recent growth of his company. “Businesses are understanding that there is indeed something to be gained from what my mother taught me, which is ‘It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice,’ ” Perez said. Perez also said empowering workers is an essential part of how competitive a business is, whether that is done through labor unions or other avenues. Additionally, he suggested companies provide for workers is by implementing paid maternity leave for women and increasing diversity in the workforce. “Diversity is key to our global competitiveness,” Perez said. Perez also touched on wages, saying that during his tenure in the White House Cabinet, Perez said he has met many people who work full-time jobs and yet cannot
perception of the academy and you’ve got to get them to understand that education here is not a private good,” Lehman said. As well as increased collaboration, Schlissel also spoke on diversity, saying though the University has been addressing low numbers, it also needs to focus more on minority students’ experiences. “It has to be pushed by me and it has to be enuciated as an institutional value,” Schlissel said. Schlissel noted he has been meeting with student identity groups over the semester and felt that their sentiments toward diversity on campus have been relatively consistent. “They don’t experience the campus in the same way that the other students do,” Schlissel said. “That’s one of
provide for themselves and their family. Perez emphasized that there is still a long way to go until the United States reaches full economic prosperity. “If you work a full-time job in America, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty, you shouldn’t have to rely on food stamps to feed your family,” Perez said. “We can do far better.” Public Policy senior Julie Sarne who attended the event said hought Perez’s message about businesses providing for their workers was especially important. “I’m really interested in labor issues and how we can encourage businesses to grow and also help U.S. workers at the same time,” Sarne said. During his lecture, Perez also spoke about statewide issues with economic prosperity, including the Flint water crisis and the resurgance of Detroit’s auto industry. Perez said the water crisis in Flint was avoidable, and occurred because the community was neglected by the government. “In this most prosperous nation on the planet, zip codes should never ever determine destiny,” Perez said. “We can’t succeed in Flint if people can’t even drink the water.” On a more positive note, Perez
my responsibilities: to figure out ways to work on our climate and to take advantage of the diversity that we’re going to build, to develop a climate where we can talk about difficult things.” SACUA also discussed an upcoming faculty governance conference, SACUA nominations and the language for electing SACUA members. In particular, they addressed the terms of SACUA members if they decide to take a leave of absence. The committee decided to draft two alternate policies for the latter and have them reviewed by the Rules Committee. The policies on term-return will be voted on at the next Senate Assembly meeting on Feb. 22.
said Ford, Chrysler and General Motors havebounced back from dire economic situations and are experiencing profitability success comparable to World War II. “What I love about Michigan is it’s a state of folks who understand the importance of resilience,” Perez said. “Every challenge here is met with a remarkable determination and resolve.” After the event, Public Policy senior Tommy Hoyt said he enjoyed the chance to hear a cabinet-ranking member of the federal government speak. “Perez is clearly a principledriven man who is leading with a clear ideology of how he wants labor to be done in this country,” Hoyt said. “While he didn’t dwell on too many specifics and was often a cheerleader for the (Obama) administration, it was an overall worthwhile experience and I’m glad I heard him speak.” Throughout his entire lecture, Perez spoke passionately about how the United States as a whole succeeds only when everyone has the opportunity to succeed. “The rising tide should indeed lift all boats and not just the yachts,” Perez said. “Everyone who works hard in America ought to get the chance to get ahead.”
FLINT From Page 1 been donating bottled water and funds to support the citizens of Flint, including several groups on campus. The Black Student Union started a water drive in January through a GoFundMe page. LSA senior Christopher James, BSU mass communication chair, said BSU is working directly with organizations they know and people within Flint to ensure the money they raise goes to the right places. “We’re working with places
personal choice. “Who will be the next champion? Who will be the next victim?” he asked. “It’s all dependent on what you decide for yourself.” Jessica Thompson, the program manager at Trotter Multicultural Center, helped organize the event. She said Trotter wanted to provide a platform for each speaker to share stories about their personal experiences. “I’m always so saddened by the reality that so many of our faculty and staff don’t get that, and I was hoping this would be a start,” she said. Thompson added that Trotter’s lecture connects to this year’s symposium theme by telling audience members they can be the next to lead to create positive change in their communities. “By declaring, dreaming, committing and succeeding you are saying ‘I’m going to be next — as a matter of fact, I am right now,’ ” she said. “Let’s not wait for next, let’s do it right now.” LSA freshman Alora Fleenary, who attended the event, said she liked the “declaring” aspect of Fox’s action plan the most. “Decide what you want and make it a reality,” she said. “Use the words of affirmation and speak it into being.” After the event, LSA junior Sirak Kurban said he had learned how important it is to be an individual. “We’re all ourselves and we all have a purpose in this life,” he said. “With our purpose and with our passion we’re really able to make a difference in directly within Flint, instead of trying to go online,” he said. “We are going to the city, talking to people, making phone calls to make sure everything is legit before we set foot and give money to any organization.” James said he was upset that people would try to take advantage of the plight of Flint’s citizens, but not surprised. “Obviously, I’m upset about it, but I can’t expect anything less,” he said. “Bad things happen every day, and it is what it is. You just have to pray that the good outweighs the bad.”
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Opinion
4 — Tuesday, February 9, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
KEVIN SWEITZER | OP-ED
Martin O’Malley 2020
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com SHOHAM GEVA EDITOR IN CHIEF
CLAIRE BRYAN AND REGAN DETWILER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LAURA SCHINAGLE MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Stop romanticizing exhaustion
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ast night, I had two committee meetings, got done at 10 and then still had to write my English paper!” “Well, I stayed up until KAELA 5 a.m. studying for my biology exam … ” THEUT As I sat in Starbucks on a dreary Saturday afternoon, trying to fight my exhaustion and the darkening half moons under my eyes with a steady flow of caffeine, these were just a few of the phrases I heard exclaimed by the weary students around me. While listening, I noticed a somewhat startling occurrence. It seemed like everyone was trying to one-up each other over the matter of how much sleep they neglected for studying, or how much they could push their bodies to the limit of complete debilitation. In the past 10 years or so, with a rise in competitive college applicants (and subsequently, students) across the nation, it seems that being productive to the point of deteriorating performance is the new vogue. A 2011 study by the American Psychological Association showed that students today are more anxious, depressed and have poorer sleep patterns than at any other time in this nation’s history. Psychologist Gregg Henriques attributes this trend to the economic and financial pressures of the unstable job market and the obsession with testing and grades in schools. We need to constantly be on the go, not stopping to make time for anything deemed “not productive” — or else it seems we are worthless. Those rare humans who seem to never have time even to breathe, who are slender from a diet of meetings instead of meals, are held on pedestals because we simultaneously glorify slogans such as “no days off” and “the only bad workout is a missed workout.” This semester, I purposefully scaled back on the strenuousness of my classes in order to have more time for both running and exploring extracurriculars. Though it was the right decision for me, it left me with feelings of uncertainty that I wasn’t working up to my potential. Throughout high school, I would often leave my house at 7 a.m. and not return until late at night. By the spring of my senior year, I was completely burnt out. I wasn’t sleeping, racing poorly and had little to no interest in academics. I couldn’t maintain my façade of inhuman productivity forever. Last night, I got eight hours of sleep due to the fact that I have a manageable workload and have finally figured out how to prioritize my time. Yet, I was left feeling strangely guilty about my decision to choose what worked best for me, and ultimately, the fact that I was not living up to society’s expectations of what a truly “good” student does during the night (spending it in the library). As I’m sleeping, I thought, other people are out there working hard to expand their knowledge and fulfill their hopes and dreams — while I lie here like a rock in my bed. Instead of paying tribute to the things that matter such as balance, self-care and emotional well-being, it seems that our society has turned toward romanticizing exhaustion and anxiety. Coffee is not seen as a delicious beverage, but as a way of pumping caffeine into one’s body after too many hours studying into the late hours of the night. Of course, every so often, a very
late night due to hours of work is inevitable — and part of the college experience. I am by no means declaring that students need to simply stop studying so they can suddenly morph into perfectly rested human beings. However, we can only run on fumes for so long. Our body does not function on lack of sleep. Numerous studies have shown that over time, low sleep levels contribute to higher rates of anxiety, depression, poor academic performance and even obesity. In life, it is impossible to constantly be going — we are humans, not energizer bunnies. Thus, pushing, pushing, pushing will inevitably lead us over the brink of a total breakdown. In competitive running, for example, if you never scale back, you will eventually wear your body down and experience massive declines in performance. Though it is tempting to go out and pound the pavement for miles and miles every single day, desperately chasing a dream, it’s important to listen to your body. Doing too much with no recovery time is the reason a plethora of stress fractures and other injuries leave heartbroken runners pedaling sadly on the stationary bike for large portions of their season. Runners and, to a greater extent, all athletes, are encouraged to take care of their bodies and choose sleep over “cram sessions” and adequate nutrition over missed meals. We know our bodies will simply not perform at high levels if we fail to refuel the energy we are taking out of it. However, why isn’t this message of proper refueling and balance being shared with all students? Though we all use our bodies in different ways, everyone has the same basic human needs. At our very core, food, rest and hydration keep us going — but a good laugh with friends, a day of simply doing nothing but watching Netflix and drinking hot chocolate or a nice walk in the sun never fails to boost my overall mindset. A strong GPA and work ethic will take you far in life, but someone who does not ever stop and cut back every once in a while will inevitably burnout. This belief in never taking a day off — even amid injury or sickness, or days when you simply feel like you have the entire world on your shoulders — is twisted. That mindset is how I ended up with two stress reactions in my legs and mental burnout. The belief in “no days off” that is supposed to promote success and productivity, ironically halted my progress in its tracks. Though totally transforming a recent social phenomenon is unrealistic, it’s important to know how to take care of yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. Instead of frantically pressing on amid overwhelming feelings of helplessness, take some time to slow down and address the source of your stress. It is not embarrassing to go to bed before midnight if you’re completely exhausted. You are not a failure if you have to miss a club meeting because you’ve shed tears over whether you’ll complete a paper in time for the due date. The bags under your eyes are not meant to be shown off like a shiny new purchase, but rather an indicator that you need to let yourself recover. Your body, and your mind, will definitely thank you. Kaela Theut can be reached at ktheut@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Hunter Zhao
FRANNIE MILLER
E-mail Frannie at frmiller@umich.edu
Martin O’Malley 2020. Yes, I just said that. The longshot presidential candidate just dropped out of the race after finishing third in Iowa, and his dismal 2016 campaign is now behind him. He only secured 0.6 percent of the vote in Iowa and burned through his own money at an alarming rate, while barely making a splash among voters. However, I support Martin O’Malley. Any other year in a presidential race, he would have done quite well. Most of his ideas were progressive, yet fell short of socialism, and he has a proven track record of working with the other side of the isle. The only problem for him was that this is not a normal election year. With Trump stealing airtime from every candidate, and Sanders and Clinton fighting it out on the left, there simply wasn’t enough space for a third candidate for the Democrats. It happened to be O’Malley who drew the short straw. Martin O’Malley is a quintessential Democrat. He embodies many progressive ideas, and has a set of 15 goals for the country that he would have implemented if he was elected this year. Some of them are things I hold near and dear to my heart. For example, O’Malley had a goal of having a 100-percent renewable electric grid by the year 2050. The environmental and economic impacts of that goal would be mon-
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umental for our country and our world. He also wanted to cut the youth unemployment rate in half by bringing back job programs for young people. This would make college more affordable and would put money back in the American Infrastructure. This is a pragmatic approach, proposing to put a real plan in place to accomplish a problem that everyone on the left has been yelling about for many years. Martin O’Malley is full of plans like this. Additionally, O’Malley has the experience needed to run this country. He served seven years as the mayor of Baltimore, and during that time, he oversaw monumental change. For example, he lowered the number of homicides in Baltimore to less than 300 for the first time in more than 10 years. He also passed one of the first municipal laws banning transgender discrimination all the way back in 2002, something many municipalities still do not have. O’Malley cut crime and saved money, all while revitalizing the city of Baltimore. After that, he ran for governor of Maryland, where his progressive actions continued. He championed criminal justice reform, and passed the Dream Act in Maryland, which allowed more children to get a college education. He passed marriage equality, and included “Gender Identity” as a protected status at the state level. He even repealed the death penalty
and passed gun safety laws, something many other candidates have not been so quick to support. Under O’Malley, wages have gone up, and graduation rates have, too. O’Malley is also the frontman for an Irish rock band, and was rated as one of the most attractive men in politics. He’s also the only candidate on the radar right now who has any meaningful experience with urban areas, which are a key part of American culture. In fact, he has promised to bring back America’s cities and work with local leaders to revitalize and restore our neglected cities like never before. O’Malley isn’t just a good leader, he’s the leader we need. Nobody else will work together with everybody in Washington to accomplish real progressive change with people in mind. I support Martin O’Malley — because he can bring our country together to accomplish progressive reforms in a way neither Clinton nor Sanders can. I strongly urge him to run again in 2020, and to hold strong as a Democrat and reformer. 2016 may not have been the year of O’Malley, but I firmly believe there will be one soon. So I say it again: O’Malley 2020. Kevin Sweitzer is the president of “Michigan for O’Malley,” a club that supports O’Malley. He can be reached at ksweitz@umich.edu.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
As a senator, I fought for children. I will fight for you in Flint, no matter how long it takes.” — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton expressing her support for the Flint community Sunday.
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Clickbait misogyny
ast week, Daryush Valizadeh, the Return of Kings founder — known to his followers as Roosh V — announced 165 group meetups, including one in Ann Arbor. Valizadeh advocates on his website, Return of Kings, for the legalization of TORI rape in private NOBLE spaces, and promotes the view that women are solely valuable for their looks and ability to reproduce. Valizadeh has also published several howto books on picking up women. The titles include: “Bang Lithuania,” “Day Bang,” “Bang Iceland,” “Poosy Paradise” and “30 Bangs: The Shaping of One Man’s Game From Patient Mouse to Rabid Wolf.” According to Valizadeh, he planned the meet-ups to provide his purportedly large numbers of followers the opportunity to “come out of the shadows and not have to hide behind a computer screen for fear of retaliation,” and “signal to all that we’re not going anywhere.” The meetings were ultimately cancelled, purportedly due to Valizadeh’s concerns that he could “no longer g uarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend.” Once I got past the irony that a bunch of rapey, self-proclaimed pickup artists cancelled their Saturday night plans out of fear, the whole story began to suspiciously resemble a really awesomely organized, strategic publicity stunt. Through announcing the meet-ups, Valizadeh got hundreds of news outlets in multiple countries to publicize his website, simply by doing their jobs and covering the story. The publicity was free, wide-reaching and effective. The website experienced such high web traffic that it brief ly crashed. Manipulating the media to
attract attention — and consequently paying customers — is not a new marketing strateg y. American entertainment entrepreneurs have been engineering “bad” publicity to ignite controversies and drive sales since at least the mid-1800s. Donald Trump’s presidential campaign does it today; his skill in attracting free publicity by spewing the outlandish explains how he has pervaded public consciousness despite spending more than 99 percent less on advertising than other leading candidates. Return of Kings has certainly benefitted from controversydriven publicity before. The first time I heard of the site was when it published “5 Reasons to Date a Girl With An Eating Disorder” back in November 2013. Several friends had posted it on social media, deriding its foul message about a disorder that impacts an estimated 8 million Americans. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I never heard someone defend the article. Even still, the article drove new readers to the site. Many probably didn’t like what they found there; if they actually did, the website may have even attracted new, reg ular readers. But the benefit of the newfound public attention was certainly for Valizadeh and his website — not the ideolog y or “movement” he represented. Web traffic largely determines online advertising revenue. Additionally, his expanding public presence may have helped him sell copies of his books. The announced “meet-ups” had a similar effect — though on a much larger scale. According to a Google Trends analysis of search terms trends between January 2016 and February 2016, the number of people searching for “return of kings” and “roosh v” relative to the total number of Google searches has increased by 4,900 percent and 962.5 percent, respectively. By the same metrics and during the same period, the popularity of the search terms “mens rights”
and “pro-rape” have doubled and tripled, respectively. In hindsight, the announced meet-ups seem destined to fail. Just as Valizadeh’s devotees have the right to meet up and promulgate their vile views about women, anyone else has the right to show up and protest. That’s exactly what many people planned to do. And while Return of Kings has every right to propagate sexist, vulgar nonsense tailored to meet the demands of angry white g uys who can’t get laid, anyone can respond by sharing countervailing views. Both actions merely play into Valizadeh’s publicity ploy, helping him and his site reach more people than they otherwise would’ve. The media firestorm surrounding the planned meet-ups may be an intended outcome of Valizadeh’s attention-grab. It’s possible that he’s little more than a shrewd businessman who’s found a way to profit off a bunch of insecure women-haters. But his followers are real, even if the meet-ups never were. The misog ynistic views he promotes really do pervade some segments of society. At the extreme, the idea that women are somehow morally culpable for any dude’s unfulfilled sexual desires result in events like the 2014 Santa Barbara shooting, where a college student killed six people to prove his superiority over the women who’d rejected him. Ideas that rape is ever permissible or that a woman’s value comes primarily from her beauty and fertility — ideas capitalized on, but certainly not pioneered by, Valizadeh — permeate everyday life. Given that one in five college women report having been sexually assaulted and that women still face unequal opportunities for advancement at work, misogynistic ideologies certainly don’t need more advocates. Tori Noble can be reached at vjnoble@umich.edu.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
LITERATURE COLUMN
Homegrown 2 literature in A E
nglish Prof. Jeremy Chamberlin opens every class with the same phrase: “Does anyone have any gigs they want to share?” He doesn’t just offer the time to share interesting happenings around campus because he’s a fantastic teacher and REBECCA cares about building a LERNER community, (although he is and does, and everyone should take a class with him if they have the chance), but because there are fascinating and neoteric ideas, groups and businesses emanating from almost every crevice of Ann Arbor. This city promotes creativity and imagination through so much of what it does, but growth has been especially surprising and noteworthy in the burgeoning literary community. Independent publishing companies in particular have been inclined to take root in Ann Arbor, as love for books generated in the University flows with ease to the surrounding areas. One such benefactor of this ardor is Fish Out of Water, run by Jon and Laurie Wilson, a husband and wife publishing team based in Ann Arbor. They have lived here for 20 years but only recently acted on their dream of going into publishing. “I met Laurie after she had moved from suburban Detroit to Manchester, England in 1988. We were married in 1989 and moved to Ann Arbor in 1993,” Jon said in a recent interview. “We had been considering the idea of starting a publishing company that would reflect our mutual love of fish out of water stories — about visiting other countries, having to integrate
yourself into a foreign culture or simply growing up as a fish out of water in your own neighborhood.” After leaving Manchester for Michigan, Laurie insisted that the Wilsons settle in Ann Arbor. Both Laurie and Jon worked in other creative industries — marketing and academic publishing respectively — before following their dream of starting their own publishing company. “In many ways, Ann Arbor feels very much home-fromhome. We have met friends from all over the world in this six square miles surrounded by reality. The diversity and vibrancy of the Ann Arbor community has provided us with a very receptive audience. This is most definitely conducive to independent book publishing,” Jon said. Listing some of the upcoming events in the local literary community, Jon said he was especially excited about them after just releasing the first book for Fish Out of Water. “This is an exciting time, with the recent addition of Midwestern Gothic’s “Voices of the Middle West” conference, along with the Ann Arbor Book Festival in mid-June and the Kerrytown BookFest in September. Both of these events have grown significantly over the last 10 years and attract writers and an audiences from far and wide,” Jon said. The first and newest book published by Fish Out of Water also bears the proud stamp “Made in Ann Arbor.” The novel, called “Love & Vodka,” was written by R.J. Fox, a teacher at Huron High School. “In my first year (at Huron High), I had a student who happened to be the son of John Wilson and Laurie Wilson all four years,” Fox said. “I was publishing pieces of my book on Facebook and (Jon) just happened to be launching a publishing business. And the types of books they were looking to
publish match the story I had, a sort of fish out of water. They approached me and asked if I’d be interested. I figured why not? It’s kind of risky. They were a new company, and there’s nothing guaranteed, but it’s been amazing. It’s their first book so they have so much at stake themselves. We’ve really just enjoyed the last few months of getting this book out there. The support here in Ann Arbor’s just been unbelievably fantastic. It’s obviously a very literate community.” Despite the challenges of a shoestring budget and adaptation to publishing and distribution in the twenty-first century, Fox and Fish Out of Water released “Love & Vodka” in 2015. It was met with spirit and warmth from the literary community, which Fox credits toward the general zeal of Ann Arbor. “I’ve been living here in Ann Arbor for about 6 or 7 years. I feel like the literary community was already in place when I got here. I feel like since I’ve lived here, they opened up some more places. Literati’s opened, and they’ve been just phenomenal and want so much to support authors,” Fox said. He added that he thought the literary community, hit hard by the recession and changing technologies, is rebounding with a life force that few would have expected. But he also made the point that in the bubble of Ann Arbor, we are fortunate in the enthusiasm that the University and the town itself generate for literature. “People say books are a dying breed, but by the same token, these stores are thriving,” Fox said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to launch a book than Ann Arbor.” Lerner is looking for a book to interpret her dreams. To recommend one, e-mail rebler@umich.edu.
FILM NOTEBOOK
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 — 5
ALBUM REVIEW
MERCURY
Daily Tooth Gap Columnist
On new Elton, Yellow Brick Road is closed By SHIMA SADAGHIYANI For the Daily
Elton John peaked at “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” Since 1994, the legendary British artist has been Don a rapid decline. Won- Wonderful derful Crazy Night is Elton Crazy John’s last- Night ditch attempt to relive the Elton John glory years; Mercury much like an aging 50-yearold dad going through a mid-life crisis, this album reeks of desperation. Throughout the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s, Elton John was a force to be reckoned with. He was spontaneous, jumping from power ballads “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” to classic rock ‘n’ roll numbers “Crocodile Rock” and “Rock and Roll Madonna.” Elton John was in the prime of his life, and everybody could tell. His rich singing voice exploded with vivacity and liveliness, making any song an instant classic. His new album is the exact opposite. Through garish and
loud melodies, Elton tries to breathe life into an already exhausted career. His effortless dream of a singing voice is offputting when paired with background tunes that are just this side of trying too hard. Wonderful Crazy Life is just a crazy disaster. At its peak of originality, the album begins with the song “Wonderful Crazy Life.” A whirl of tacky melodies nearly overpowering Elton John’s vocals sets the scene as he tries to drag his listeners back to the era of parachute pants and shoulder pads. “Some things you don’t forget, some things just take a hold / a wonderful crazy night like that takes you back, won’t let you go” he sings, and the audience is reminded why they should never try to revive the past. This song is a chandelier in a frat basement: lurid, exaggerated and completely out of place. These unsuitable peculiarities are mimicked in “Claw Hammer” and “Tambourine.” Filled with muted guitar strums, “oh, my lord”s and uninventive, tambourine-inspired lyrics, these songs are so unlike Elton John it hurts. What happened to the man that won hearts over with “Your Song?”
The only two songs that redeemed the album from total failure were the back-to-back “Looking Up” and “Guilty Pleasure.” These two casual rock ‘n’ roll anthems were a breath of fresh air among the achingly slow and stuffy “Blue Wonderful,” “A Good Heart” or “Free and Easy.” With both the steady beat and Elton John’s vocals keeping the songs from dragging along, his abilities as a musician are somewhat vindicated. The problem is, these songs only stand out because they aren’t as tedious as the rest of the album. Standing alone, they would be only decent at best. Overall, Wonderful Crazy Life is a lackluster stab at relevancy. Through trying to keep his old sound while also trying to channel artistry from current pop hits, Elton John created a chaotic album that is a burned out husk compared to the bright flames of his past. With 30 solo albums in the last 44 years, his music is already timeless. It’s time for Elton John to take a step back and let people remember “Candle In The Wind,” “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time)” and all that he used to be, in peace.
Sundance shorts are Young DIIV plays it creative slices of life safe on follow-up LP ALBUM REVIEW
By VANESSA WONG Daily Arts Writer
“Festival shorts could be anything,” a friend warned me, but therein also lies the charm. Bittersweet, sensitive and surprisingly funny, the Sundance Shorts touring program, which came to the Michigan Theater last week, spans genres for a gymnastic study of just how agile film as a medium can be. Starting off is a naturalistic film from the US Fiction category. “SMILF” tacks “single” on the MILF (“Mother I’d Like to Fuck”) acronym and reveals the unsexy reality of motherhood in a hilariously awkward casual sex encounter. Uncomfortable physical insecurities and a mid-coitus conversation about the toddler sleeping on the bed beside them illustrate the balance between a single mother’s old freedom and shifting postpregnancy priorities. Competing in the Visual Poetry category, glacially beautiful “Object” is grounded in pursuit, a wintery underwater search from three perspectives. It switches between clean, geometric shots tracking workers methodologically cutting ice and checking machinery, claustrophobic close-ups of the diver’s face as he swims through murky water and the still serenity of unknowing pedestrians strolling far beyond on shore. Creative framing and a deft use of both sound and silence make it an immersive technical feat. Next is the silly, animated chaos of the French film “Storm Hits Jacket,” where two scien-
tists ward off a witch-induced cow storm (yes: cow storm), a doom-be-upon-all evil villain set on stealing their invention and a side of spy-on-spy romance thrown into the mix. Scratchy, cartoon-esque animation ushers in delightful and progressively weirder oddities with every turn of scene.
A gymnastic study of just how agile film can be. In one of the program’s standouts, “Oh Lucy!,” a middle-aged woman in Japan grapples with the loneliness and self-doubt of aging. She escapes colorless cubicle drudgery to conversational English classes where she adopts a Western name and the mask of a youthful, worldly persona to match. Actress Kaori Momoi (“Memoirs of a Geisha”) bares her character’s every vulnerability, and hearts pang upon witnessing her jealousy for a life and personality she does not have. In just 22 minutes, “Oh Lucy!” unearths a level of character development that many feature-length films dream of creating. Casting audition tapes act as the narrative framework for the next short, “The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul.” The camera stays locked as a
stream of dolled-up preteens in pink velvet pose prettily against a generic studio background, with tears, troubles and hopes of their nation’s post-war climate flickering poignantly beneath their pageant-level poise. The program closes with the Grand Jury Prize for Short Film winner “World of Tomorrow,” a science fiction cartoon of a toddler’s now adult, third-generation clone, Emily 3G, traveling back in time to show original Emily Prime the future. Both stick figures, Emily 3G walks her original counterpart through the spatially flat, simple vectordesigned internet void that is the new world. She explains the detachment that comes from a hyper-digitized extended life, where to experience something is rarely more than reliving previously archived memories. Her robotic monotone narrating the story reveals a startling depth of emotion, a bittersweet and wryly humorous juxtaposition against Emily Prime’s vibrant naiveté. (This short is also available on Netflix for those who missed the Sundance screening.) For viewers who don’t have much experience watching short films, this is an excellent introduction. It’s astounding how such complex stories can be compressed into mere minutes, and these award-winning shorts use that space to experiment with technical effects or niche plotlines. But for all its serious artistry, the collective program still manages to stay accessible to emotions everyone experiences. You laugh. You might cry. You definitely live.
By SAM ROSENBERG Daily Arts Writer
As a relatively new band, DIIV still has some time to figure out its approach to music. After an entrancing debut, 2012’s C+ Oshin, the Brooklyn out- Is The fit cemented their style as Is Are an eclectic DIIV cross between Captured Tracks shoegaze (My Bloody Valentine), grunge (Nirvana) and modern surf rock (Mac DeMarco, Real Estate). Despite looking like most indie rock groups trying to make it into the music industry, DIIV’s mellow and pleasant sound is oddly refreshing to listen to, especially with tracks “Sometime,” “Follow” and most notably “How Long Have You Known.” With its newest record, the awkwardly titled Is The Is Are, DIIV disconnects from its multigenre roots and instead plugs into a simpler, more relaxed sound. But by attempting to deconstruct its composed and nuanced music into something very laid-back, the group ends up creating a banal, hour-long record that moves at a gratingly slow pace. The album’s 17 songs all contain similar elements: a mid-tempo beat, glimmers of guitar screeches and reverbs, soft vocals and a general feeling of drug-induced numbness. And while it all sounds nice, Is The Is Are doesn’t take any risks nor does it break any boundaries.
Though the first few tracks radiate some potential, the majority of the record squanders any possibility for something to pop out. The enchanting “Out of Mind” opens Is The Is Are, followed by the chill “Under the Sun.” But by the third song, the droning “Bent (Roi’s Song),” the album starts to tire — and there’s still about 50 minutes left. The rest of Is The Is Are is a rather hypnotic mess; there are moments when DIIV can sound captivating, but it’s easy to tune them out. “Take Your Time,” “Yr Not Far,” “Healthy Moon” and “Loose Ends” are such examples of that: their languid speed and faint instrumentals make for good vibes, but not much else. Additionally, the dark and hollow “Mire (Grant’s Song)” is fairly reminiscent of Nirvana, yet it stands out not for its familiarity, but how much it grossly contrasts against DIIV’s own sweet-sounding musical pallette.
The songs don’t have the vitality that ‘Oshin’ displayed. On the other hand, Is The Is Are contains some highlights, particularly the drugged-out romance ballad “Blue Boredom.” Though DIIV frontman Zachary Smith
doesn’t sing on “Blue Boredom,” he gives his girlfriend and indie rock enchantress Sky Ferreira the lead, her breathy vocals energizing the drowned-out production. The title track provides some much needed escapism, even though the album has already done a pretty good job of that; the dazzling, 17-second interlude “(Fuck)” sounds like a song waiting to be finished; and the poignant, multi-layered album closer “Wasted Breath” gives a solid ending to an otherwise drab record. While these songs are decently written and well-produced, they just don’t have the vitality nor the gravitas that Oshin displayed. It’s even difficult to hone and comprehend the lyrics, as Smith’s benign vocals are buried under several strands of noise. Perhaps the album’s lack of effort and creative sparkle can be traced back to the actual recording process. DIIV began work on Is The Is Are a year after Oshin’s release but ran into some delays for a variety of unfortunate reasons: failed sessions with Chet “JR” White of the defunct indie rock group Girls; Smith’s drug addiction and arrest; controversial online remarks regarding bass guitarist Devin Ruben Perez; the departure of the band’s drummer Colby Hewitt due to an alleged drug addiction. Even with all that mind, it’s disappointing that Is the Is Are offers nothing new for DIIV or their listeners. Instead of propelling to greater musical and thematic heights, the members of DIIV just kind of sit in place, not really sure of where they want to go.
Arts
6 — Tuesday, February 9, 2016
STYLE NOTEBOOK
We need to stop enabling Shinola The corporate brand from Texas is using the Motor City like its puppet By ANAY KATYAL For the Daily
Growing up in Chicago, I always had a fascination with Detroit. For so long, I considered the Motor City my sister city of sorts — while Detroit and Chicago are similar in many ways, each city manages to have its own unique, distinguishing quirks. Detroit was endearing to me, and it came to take a special place in my heart. As a result, Detroit’s fall from grace hit me harder than it did most non-residents. Besides, a city in crisis, caused by the malfeasance and mismanagement of questionably elected politicians, is something I can empathize with fairly well. I so badly wanted Detroit to get back on its feet, that I blindly supported any shiny new initiative that emphasized any intent to “revitalize” Detroit. Shinola soon made its mark on the fashion scene and Detroit revitalization simultaneously, touting “quality, Detroit-made goods” with a dedication to “American luxury and American quality.” With its shiny branding and lofty promises, I really wanted to like Shinola. A company that wants to give Detroiters a second chance on the backs of something that isn’t automotive? Great. A second chance on the backs of Detroit-made watches and other craft goods? Even better. I told my Dad to go buy a Shinola watch, I extolled the merits of the company to my friends; there was even a point where I tried saving up for my very own Shinola timepiece. I can’t really say I fell in love with the company, because that requires a genuine, confident
feeling of attachment; rather, like many others, I had a period of deep infatuation, finding myself in love with the idea of the company and its products, rather than the company itself. The slick marketing materials that tried to simultaneously appeal to a penchant for luxury goods and love for Detroit worked on me. After the honeymoon period was over, it was pretty easy to see the false narrative Shinola was trying to sell to consumers like me. Owned and operated by Bedrock Brands, a venture capital firm started by one of the founders of Fossil, Shinola operates under the pretense of being a homegrown Detroit company, when in reality its corporate home is found in Texas, though its individual company headquarters are in Detroit. A quick look at Shinola’s website can give a fair bit of perspective. Watches aren’t manufactured in Detroit, but rather assembled using sourced parts from suppliers in Europe (the cheapest among them being ~$550). In addition to that, you’ll find $500 leather boxing gloves, $1,500 fixedgear bicycles and $50 felt pennants adorned with the Shinola logo as well as a $15,000 “vintage” American flag. Shinola bills itself as a company that works for the people of Detroit, but in reality, it’s a trendy way for wealthy residents of Bloomfield Hills or Grosse Pointe (or even Chicago, in my case) to feign a sense of empathy for Detroit’s problems. When a company that claims to serve the city of Detroit is trying to front a piece of fabric that costs more than a brand new car, one can’t help but think there are other motives at play. I don’t really have a problem stomaching many of the byproducts of the Detroit revitalization movement, or
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
TV REVIEW
the waves of gentrification that have come with it. All things considered, trying to generate a sense of positivity in a city blighted by a storm of poverty and despair isn’t really a negative thing. But Shinola’s insistence on perpetuating the idea that “Detroit isn’t as terrible as you thought, and here are some shiny, expensive products to prove it” does more harm than good for the people of Detroit.
FX
Let the record show that the defendant was great in “Snow Dogs.”
Shinola thinks it’s better than any other company.
‘Crime Story’ takes a bold look at O.J. case By SAM ROSENBERG
By simply choosing Detroit as a backdrop for its products, Shinola thinks it’s better than other companies in the same business. Their ad campaigns feature smiling white people riding their expensive bicycles on city streets juxtaposed with smiling little Black children rapping, with their CEO remarking how residents of the city are “really nice” and “looked you in the eye,” as if the people of Detroit aren’t as savage as outsiders thought. There isn’t a genuine intent to see Detroit improve on the part of Shinola. They hope that by using Detroit as Shinola’s puppet, they can push a caricatured ideal of what it means to invest in America and cities like Detroit. I can’t see Shinola’s business model defaulting on their intended goals anytime soon, but for the sake of Detroit and its residents, remaining conscious of the reality of Shinola’s business practices would be a good first step to take.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, February 9, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Daily Arts Writer
Along with the multitude of other shows Ryan Murphy is producing at the moment, “American Crime Story” is an anthology series Athat acts as American a companion piece to Mur- Crime phy’s other Story: The popular FX show “Ameri- People can Horror vs. O.J. Story.” For its first season, Simpson “American Series Premiere Crime Story” Tuesdays at takes the audi- 10 p.m. ence back to the 1990s and FX the 1994 trial of football star and actor O.J. Simpson. Arguably one of the most notorious trials in recent history, the O.J. Simpson case and its not guilty verdict still resonates with people to this day. This is an event that divided an entire nation, that the media made a huge spectacle of and that
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many already know the outcome of. But with daring camerawork, intelligent writing and spectacular acting from a talented cast, “American Crime Story” is already setting standards for gritty television drama. The show’s opener, “From the Ashes of Tragedy,” thrusts the audience into the story of O.J.’s trial, moving swiftly from one sequence to the next. It opens on a rather dour but relevant note: archival footage of the Rodney King beating and the subsequent 1992 L.A. riots. Though the Rodney King trial doesn’t hold a direct connection to O.J. Simpson’s case, the parallelism between the two signifies how the show wants to be perceived as not just a commentary about race, class and culture clashes, but about America itself. While it’s only the first episode, “From the Ashes of Tragedy” covers a lot of fascinating material, from the cops finding Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman’s dead bodies in front of Brown’s condo to O.J.’s suicidal behavior. Cuba Gooding Jr. delivers an emotionally stirring performance as the season’s titular character, probably his best since his Oscar-winning role in the 1996 sports drama “Jerry Maguire.” Though he looks and sounds nothing like his real-life counterpart, Gooding Jr. emulates O.J.’s charisma, aggressiveness, pillpopping habits and despair during the most devastating moment of his life. David Schwimmer (“Friends”) does his best in conveying Robert Kardashian, one of O.J.’s closest friends, despite somewhat whitewashing the role (Robert Kardashian was 100% Armenian). University alum Selma Blair (“Legally Blonde”) also makes a powerful impression as Kardashian’s ex-wife and current reality show gem Kris Jenner, evoking both Jenner’s physical features and personality. Though John Travolta (“Wild Hogs”) matches the mannerisms of O.J.’s confidant and defense lawyer Robert Shapiro, he falters slightly by giving an exaggerated caricature of Shapiro’s character rather than a three-dimensional portrayal. On the other side of the O.J. case is Marcia Clark, played devilishly by “American Horror Story” favorite Sarah Paulson. In addition to Paulson, the best performance comes from Courtney B. Vance (“Joyful Noise”) as Johnnie Cochran, a TV personality and the integral lawyer in O.J.’s defense and criminal acquittal. In the brief moments he appears on-screen, Vance steals every scene he’s in with
his gripping presence and says some of the episode’s best lines. During one tense scene between Cochran and his co-worker and ultimate rival Christopher Darden (Sterling K. Brown, “Supernatural”), Vance chillingly utters, “The world needs more Black men willing to make a difference.” Amen to that. The behind-the-scenes craft of “American Crime Story” is almost as good, if not better than the show’s actual depiction of events on-screen. Screenwriting duo Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (“Goosebumps”) create powerful dialogue, while executive producer Murphy directs the episode with exceptional skill. The cinematography is wellexecuted and immersive, with the camera capturing some fantastic close-ups and wide shots. Interestingly enough, two specific shots give some insight into O.J.’s moral ambiguity: both show O.J. from the back, the first being when he discovers the death of his ex-wife over the phone and the second being when he stands over her body at her funeral. We understand O.J.’s pain and suffering, but showing only his back clearly conveys some of his character’s restraint and uncertainty. It’s as agonizing and frustrating as one would expect when thinking about the ethical dilemmas imbued in the O.J. trial. The episode’s very last scene — O.J. escaping from the cops in a white Ford Bronco that would become an infamous chase on the freeway — makes it all the more haunting, especially with Nina Simone’s “I Shall Be Released” scoring the final seconds.
Not just about race, but America itself. The deeply rooted issues within the O.J. Simpson trial still exist today. The show poses tough questions about the case (the most important being: Did O.J. really do it?) — and doesn’t give many answers. But luckily, what “American Crime Story” has done, and will most likely continue to do, is highlight the case as a way of engaging viewers in having an honest conversation about what’s going on in our society, whether it’s about issues of race, class, fame or America as a whole.
R.I.P. SPOT SULPIZIO, 15-AND-A-HALF YEARS YOUNG (78 IN DOG YEARS) ENJOY EATING TOMATOES OFF THE VINE IN BEAGLE HEAVEN
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 — 7
‘M’ looks to retool pitching staff Wolverines third WATER POLO
at Stanford Invite
By ORION SANG Daily Sports Writer
Backed by an explosive batting lineup and a lethal pitching staff, the No. 2 Michigan softball team enjoyed a magical run to the Women’s College World Series last season. And though the Wolverines graduated All-American pitcher Haylie Wagner, this year’s pitching staff has the potential to be just as good, if not better. All-American and 2015 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Megan Betsa is poised to anchor the staff. The junior went 31-5 with a 1.72 ERA last year, and she believes that her big year, along with the experience of pitching in the WCWS, was a big part of her growth and development. “Megan had a great year for us,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “She’s come into her own as one of the greats.” Now, she looks to add to an already impressive career. “We’ve talked a lot about not having expectations,” Betsa said. “Just because I was an AllAmerican doesn’t mean I need to try any harder. I need to focus on my preparation, and realizing that my spin is what makes me good.” Betsa has become more of a leader as well. She is now an upperclassman with two full years of pitching experience under her belt, and has tried to pass on some of her wisdom to her pitching counterparts. “(Freshman right-hander Leah Crockett) has been working really hard on developing her mental game as much as her physical game,” Betsa said. “She has a lot of questions, and I’ve tried to take her under my wing because I was in a similar situation — I had to work on my mechanics and get stronger mentally. I’ll be able to help her out and get a head start on that.”
By BILLY STAMPFL Daily Sports Writer
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Junior right-hander Megan Betsa will anchor a pitching staff that should be among the Big Ten’s best in 2016.
Betsa isn’t the only experienced pitcher on the roster, however. Fifth-year senior Sara Driesenga has pitched extensively for the Wolverines over her career, and was 4-0 with a 0.78 ERA in 2015 before missing the rest of the season because of a rib injury. “She didn’t hesitate to come back as a fifth-year,” Hutchins said. “She wanted to be here and to have her senior year. We’re very fortunate. It was a blessing in disguise, because she beefs up our staff and she can help us be great.” Driesenga has had a long hiatus from pitching, but Hutchins believes she can continue to get back in the groove of things as the season gets underway. “She still isn’t in the form I feel she’s capable of,” Hutchins said. “But she’s come a long way, and pitching in games is what’s going to help her get there.”
In addition to the two upperclassmen, younger pitchers will push for playing time. Sophomore right-hander Tera Blanco was a ballyhooed high school recruit, ranked as the No. 1 softball recruit in the Orange County region, and started most games at first base her freshman season. Hutchins now looks to her to bolster the pitching staff. “I told her at the end of the season that we need her to pitch,” Hutchins said. “She’s improved a lot, worked really hard and stayed here in the summer. She couldn’t train with us (because of NCAA rules), but she trained with our strength and conditioning coach and worked with one of our local pitching coaches. “The big thing with Tera is she is a gamer. She is going to get a lot better when she gets the chance to get on the mound and I do expect
you’ll see her.” And while Hutchins thinks Blanco is ready for an expanded pitching role, she believes that Crockett needs more seasoning before taking a rotation spot. “If I had my best wish, I’d like (Crockett) not to pitch and to continue getting better,” Hutchins said. “She comes to us raw and physically strong.” How the pitching staff shakes out is currently unknown to Hutchins. Just like seasons before, she thinks it will continue to evolve as the season plays out. However, she is sure of one thing, and that is how large of a role the pitchers will play in her team’s push for a national championship. “(Betsa) can’t do it by herself,” Hutchins said. “We need a pitching staff. To me, how our pitching staff evolves is the key to our season.”
On a weekend when a lot of people asked the No. 7 Michigan water polo team if it knew Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines made a name for themselves with their stellar play in the Bay Area. Michigan (10-3) won three of its four matches against ranked opponents and claimed third at the Stanford Invite on Sunday. It also rebounded from a loss to No. 1 Stanford on Saturday by winning out for the rest of the weekend. Following a 12-7 defeat to the Cardinal on Saturday morning, Michigan slipped by No. 15 Loyola Marymount later that day, 9-8. Backed by strong defense and three goals each from senior Ali Thomason and freshman Kim Johnson, the Wolverines downed the Lions after overcoming what Michigan coach Marcelo Leonardi called “the proverbial Stanford hangover.” “I told them, ‘We can’t allow a team like (Stanford) to physically push us around,’” Leonardi said. “And I thought they responded really well.” Michigan, heeding the advice of its coach, answered with a stronger second half against the Cardinal and, following the aforementioned slow start against Loyola Marymount, a win over the Lions. “(The Stanford game) was kind of a wake-up call,”
Thomason said. “We realized we had to push harder, and I think that carried over to our later games.” The Wolverines kept their momentum going into the next day, beating No. 8 San Jose State, 8-7, in a game that saw Johnson score the winning goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. “(Johnson)’s been able to learn the system,” Thomason said. “She has a great skillset — she can post up, she can defend, she can shoot — which is why she’s been able to contribute so much.” Thomason herself scored seven times for Michigan in Palo Alto, making her the ninth player in program history to record 150 career goals. She added one goal against No. 10 UC Irvine in the final match Sunday afternoon. Not just an excellent player in the water, Thomason offers great leadership out of it for a young, still-growing team. “(Thomason)’s development at this university is second to none,” Leonardi said. “Everybody looks to her at the most difficult times to lead us through challenges.” Led by Thomason and Johnson, the Wolverines hope to continue to play up to the standards of top competition. Leonardi may not be quite as famous as Jim Harbaugh yet, but the coaches have one thing in common: They don’t let their teams get pushed around.
“Everybody looks to (Thomason) at the most difficult times.”
BASEBALL
‘M’ strong on hill By ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan baseball team lost some firepower from its pitching staff to the MLB draft and graduation last season, but that hasn’t seemed to be a problem in the 2016 preseason. The Wolverines, who are ranked as the No. 15 team in the nation according to Baseball America, are looking to improve on the mound after finishing 79th in Division I with a 3.81 team-earned run average last season. To lead this charge, Michigan will rely especially on senior lefthander Evan Hill, who missed the first two months of last season recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery. In the 38 innings he was able to pitch last season, he managed to fan 37 batters. His most remarkable performance came in the NCAA Tournament against Bradley, allowing only one run and striking out six in 6.2 innings. After finishing strong last season, but missing out on the MLB draft, Hill pitched in the Cape Cod Baseball League over the summer and finished with a 5-0 record and a 1.80 ERA. Hill is anxious to get on the mound and be at full strength for his final season. “The rehab was frustrating, not being able to get out there and help out in the ball games,” Hill said. “I feel comfortable now. I’m healthy and I couldn’t be happier.” Hill credits pitching coach Sean Kenny for helping all of the pitchers improve their mechanics and watching game film with them. “(Kenny) is there to make sure we are all on the same page,” Hill said. “We take the same approach going into every season: Stay relaxed, throw a lot of strikes and put the pressure on (the batters).” The Wolverines also return their ace in junior left-hander Brett Adcock, who finished last season 10-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 17 starts. In 90 innings pitched, Adcock struck out an impressive
95 batters. In the Big Ten, Adcock ranked second in strikeouts, tied for third in wins and fifth in opponent’s batting average. Though the prospects of Adcock and Hill are promising for Michigan, it will be difficult to replace closer Jacob Cronenworth, second on the Wolverines’ career saves list, who was selected in the seventh round in the 2015 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. Junior left-hander Carmen Benedetti, who gave up just four hits in 18 relief appearances last season, hopes to help fill those shoes. Michigan coach Erik Bakich believes he could be used a lot more out of the bullpen this year. “(Benedetti’s) growth is impressive in a lot of ways,” Bakich said. “He was a hard-throwing left-hander whose command and secondary pitches were not as polished. Now, not only is Carmen throwing two pitches, but he’s throwing three pitches. He has a breaking ball and a changeup to go along with fastball that’s improved in velocity. “He’ll be counted on heavily at the end of the game in highleverage spots. If he’s in there, it’s because it’s an important part of the game.” Benedetti, who also led the Wolverines last season with a team-high 71 runs batted in, focused a lot on pitching this offseason. He, like Hill, played summer ball in the Cape Cod Baseball League and worked with retired Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Bill Bray to improve his pitching repertoire. “Getting (Bray’s) knowledge about the game, what he has experienced, and with some pitching tips that he gave me definitely helped me and gave me more confidence towards the season.” Alongside Adcock and Hill, sophomore right-hander Ryan Nutof is also returning to the rotation as the third starter. With so many returning arms and promise in the bullpen, the Wolverines have a reason to feel confident heading into the 2016 season.
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Junior Nicole Artz was part of a bounce-back day on the beam for the Michigan women’s gymnastics team against Maryland and Eastern Michigan on Monday.
Wolverines set season-high score By MATTHEW KENNEDY Daily Sports Writer
Last Friday, the balance beam was the Michigan women’s gymnastics team’s nemesis, causing the Wolverines to drop their first meet of this season against Nebraska. Monday night, in a tri-meet against Eastern Michigan and Maryland, the beam became the team’s best friend. No. 3 Michigan (3-1 Big Ten, 7-1 overall) set a season high at the meet, easily beating the Eagles and Terrapins, 197.425195.875 and 197.425-194.075, respectively. “What we did after the loss to Nebraska was just sort of try to make sure that our athletes knew that we had not lost any confidence in them,” said Michigan coach Bev Plocki. “Just tried to make sure that they understood that we believe in them completely and totally and we need them to believe in each other completely and totally. Just go out and be aggressive
and confident and they were able to do that tonight.” Junior Nicole Artz, who has been named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week twice this season, won the all-around title with a score of 39.550. Sophomore Brianna Brown, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year a season ago, finished second in the allaround with a 39.300. The night’s dominant tone started off early when freshman Emma McLean stuck her landing on the first vault of the night, receiving a score of 9.850 and loud cheers from the crowd. The rest of the Michigan gymnasts had great rotation throughout their vaults, capped by freshman Olivia Karas getting judge-pleasing height and almost sticking her landing, helping Michigan to a meet-high 49.300. The Wolverines followed up their success on the vault with an even better uneven bars, an event in which Michigan is ranked sixth nationally. The Wolverines consistently had
good extension and stayed straight when perpendicular to the floor, leading to a 449.350 on the day. Most surprising, though, was Karas’s fall off the bars when she jumped from the higher bar to the lower bar. Karas, who was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week last week, had usually been sure-handed on the bars. She did recover from the fall, though, and managed to salvage a 9.150. “I really like that as a freshman, she showed a lot of maturity to be able to snap back from a mistake and do great on beam and floor,” Plocki said. “I’m really proud that she came back and did a great job on the next two events.” After the uneven bars, the Wolverines had to go on the daunting balance beam. This time, though, the team had no issues, performing the best on the beam of any event on the beam. The team began with Karas, who quickly recovered from her fall on the bars to score
a 9.875 — the fourth best score on the day in the event. Artz and junior Talia Chiarelli capped off the beam by both sticking their dismounts, helping Michigan to conquer the previously-disastrous beam with a meet high 49.450. “Beam is the event where if there are nerves, you tend to see them all,” Plocki said. “I thought that they competed relaxed and confidently and it showed.” With one event remaining, the Wolverines were all but assured of winning the meet. Michigan had just the floor event — an event in which it is ranked first in the nation. With great height and powerful rotation on their jumps, as well as multiple stuck landings, the Wolverines were able to best both teams by a half point on the floor with a 49.325. “This group of athletes loves to perform,” Plocki said. “We work a lot on that aspect of it. We really try to make sure they are having fun, and when they are having fun, they make it look easy and the crowd gets into it.”
Sports
8 — Tuesday, February 9, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
The curious case of Caris LeVert T
his isn’t what was supposed to happen for the Michigan men’s basketball team. They were supposed to be a deep, experienced team capable of beating elite teams and making JACOB noise in the GASE Big Ten. They were supposed to lean on senior leadership from Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht, the faces of the program and the last two players remaining from the 2013 run to the Final Four. They were supposed to rebound from a disappointing 2014-15 campaign and make an NCAA Tournament run, and maybe even more, as John Beilein’s teams have become accustomed to. But now, the team’s leaders sit on the sidelines without uniforms, no win seems like a guarantee, and press conferences that were once full of optimism and anticipation are now dominated by vague injury status updates, questions of mental toughness and a fear that all hope is lost. Albrecht’s career is over, after nagging hip injuries and concern for his future well-being proved to be the only things that could keep him off the court. The Wolverines don’t have depth — they’re really only six or seven players deep, with no players beyond that showing any signs of making a positive impact in a game. They’ve beaten one elite team, No. 2 Maryland, but they were run out of their own building twice last week in blowout losses to Indiana and rival Michigan State. And in perhaps the most mysterious story arc of the sea-
son, what initially looked like a minor lower-left-leg injury sustained against Illinois on Dec. 30 has turned into a 10-game, 40-day absence (and counting) for LeVert, the Wolverines’ unquestioned best player. It’s been labeled a day-today injury from the start, but as weeks turned into a month without any further clarity on what happened in the first place, LeVert remained held out of practice despite showing up to games without crutches, a walking boot or any other obvious signs of injury. There were rumblings of LeVert potentially returning against the Hoosiers or Spartans, with Beilein saying he was finally practicing. But when he took the court before both games, LeVert was in sweatpants and barely even touched a basketball. “I don’t even know where he is right now,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo told reporters in East Lansing leading up to the rivalry game. “I’ve never seen anything so quiet in all my life. I guess they’ve got better media than we’ve got, ’cause you guys would’ve dug in.” He’s partially right — LeVert’s situation has been shrouded in mystery for weeks, but it’s not for lack of trying on the media’s part. Beilein has been asked about LeVert at every press conference since the injury, so much to the point his tone borders on frustration when he spits the noncommittal clichés, “He did more today than yesterday” or “I’m not gonna share a timetable.” Might LeVert be voluntarily holding himself back? Not likely — according to roommate Derrick Walton Jr., they talk all the time about when he’ll make his return to the court. After all, he could’ve left the Wolverines for the NBA last year and nobody
would have blamed him, but he came back to help the team. And why is Beilein so cautious and guarded about the situation? To some, it might seem unnecessary, but more likely, it’s just classic Beilein — being ultra-conservative, never tipping his hand to opposing teams, never wanting to share more than he has to. And really, all things considered, why should he be hasty? Why should he rush LeVert back? After all, LeVert has a professional career to think about, and considering this is the second straight year he’s missed substantial time with a lowerbody injury, bringing him back too soon and risking re-injury could have catastrophic effects, for both him and Michigan as a whole. For a while, it didn’t really seem to matter that Beilein was playing it safe. In LeVert’s absence, Michigan played tough on the road against teams like No. 18 Purdue and No. 4 Iowa, beat Maryland at home and took care of all the lowertier Big Ten opponents it was expected to. But now things have gotten ugly, and the typical questions about leadership and mental toughness have come to the forefront. Suddenly there are no illusions that the team is fine without LeVert — it’s letting games get way too out of hand way too quickly. Beilein has brushed off those excuses, claiming the Wolverines simply aren’t good enough to hang with teams of that caliber, regardless of who is injured and who is healthy, or who is leading the team and who is “mentally tough.” And even with LeVert out, leadership is probably not the problem. Walton and fellow junior Zak Irvin have been thrust into the role before, gaining wisdom beyond their years
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Caris LeVert (second from right) sustained an undisclosed left leg injury Dec. 30 and has not played since.
thanks to Michigan’s NBA draft turnover and injury problems of the last few seasons. The two are fine leaders — Irvin went on a fiery outburst during a second-half timeout against Michigan State, questioning the team’s resolve at a volume that startled many members of the nearby students in the Maize Rage; and just a day after Walton vowed to “make his presence felt” against the Wolverines’ in-state rival, he engaged in a physical, back-andforth battle with the Spartans’ Bryn Forbes. But despite Irvin and Walton’s best efforts, none of that was enough this week, and it probably won’t be enough going forward. According to Beilein, it’s tough to stop a team with a player like Michigan State’s
Denzel Valentine, who can take over a game by making a few plays himself. The thing is, the Wolverines have one of those players, too — he just hasn’t seen the floor since December. “Take a player out of the lineup like Denzel (or LeVert), it’s tough,” Izzo said after the game Saturday. “(Beilein) won’t make an excuse, so I’ll make one for him.” Of course, Beilein may be right — maybe the Wolverines really aren’t good enough to hang with teams like Indiana and Michigan State, even if LeVert were healthy. Maybe the Wolverines’ win over Maryland was a fluke, and maybe people’s expectations are just too high. Still, the Wolverines may be able to get into the NCAA Tour-
nament — they already have 17 wins, a few more winnable contests on the schedule and résumé wins over the Terrapins and No. 24 Texas to go with a name-recognition advantage. But if Michigan wants to avoid getting its doors blown off by an elite team yet again in the tournament’s first weekend, then it better hope LeVert’s mysterious timetable doesn’t keep getting pushed back. LeVert alone may not be enough to save the Wolverines’ season, and his long-term health should always come first, but one thing is for certain: Michigan sure could use him right now. Jacob Gase can be reached by e-mail at jgase@umich.edu and on Twitter @JacobGase
ICE HOCKEY
Wolverines get wake-up call By KEVIN SANTO Daily Sports Writer
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team learned lessons from a group of alumnae this past weekend.
Alumni weekend inspires By CHRIS CROWDER Daily Sports Writer
Before the Michigan women’s basketball team began its contest against Illinois on Sunday, the Wolverines borrowed a football tradition. Preceding the playing of the National Anthem and opening tipoff, alumnae of the women’s basketball program held up the classic banner reading, “Go Blue M Club Supports You” for the players to run under. Michigan players ran out from under the banner during layup lines, going into the game hoping to come out with a win to make those who came before them proud. The special weekend also included an alumnae game before the current Wolverines squared off. This year’s team may have gotten the most out of this weekend not from the game, but hearing their predecessors speak. Saturday, after a morning practice, the alumnae and current roster came together to have brunch. Former players, ranging from last year’s stars Nicole Elmblad and Shannon Smith to all-time great Penny Neer — who played basketball, softball and ran track and field at the University — talked to players about their experiences. Sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty, who scored a career-high 36 points Sunday afternoon, not only enjoyed running under the
banner for the first time, but took in all the wisdom the players of the past had to offer. “I think a lot of (what the alumnae mentioned) was not what they regret, but what they would tell their younger selves, just to be confident and have fun,” Flaherty said. “They said to enjoy their four years here, which I think sometimes within this process some of us kind of get lost, you have bad days. It just reminds us to appreciate where we are and the opportunity we have and that we’re at a great university playing under a great coach.” The weekend also reminded Flaherty of fleeting time, as she realized she’s more than halfway through her sophomore season, and in turn, close to being halfway done with her collegiate career. It renewed her mindset to appreciate every moment she dons a Michigan uniform and steps onto the hardwood when her name echoes through Crisler Center during the starting lineup announcements. Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico also talked about the opportunity to wear a Wolverine uniform for the program, adding to Flaherty’s statements by saying it is something special that comes with pride and tradition. Barnes Arico loved having the connection between the alumnae and her team, as most of the alumnae told
the players to be mindful while enjoying their time at Michigan. “I think one of the common themes (from the weekend) was that the opportunity to play college basketball at this level at the University of Michigan is one of the greatest opportunities in the world, and to really embrace that,” Barnes Arico said. While the Wolverines have gone through their ups and downs this season, losing in heartbreaking fashion by missed free throws or running out of gas down the stretch, the effort has always been there. Barnes Arico wants to ensure that each player is doing what they can, whether that means making an extra pass, taking a charge or even providing encouragement from the sideline. The weekend only brought that point home even more. Playing on a team means being part of something bigger than yourself. It’s like having a club there for support before the game even starts. And Michigan didn’t need the banner to remember that. “It doesn’t matter if you play five minutes a game or 35 minutes a game,” Barnes Arico said. “To be able to be a part of something bigger than yourself is really what the experience is all about. A lot of times, it’s about the people that you meet through the course of your career, more than, in 30 years, the wins and losses.”
The ‘Iron D’ trophy is currently sitting somewhere in East Lansing. After allowing a goal in overtime Friday night, the No. 5 Michigan NOTEBOOK hockey team was left as the loser of the Duel in the D at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, while Michigan State claimed hardware to make its upset victory even sweeter. The Wolverines recovered to defeat the Spartans, 4-1, at Munn Ice Arena on Saturday, but realistically, Friday wasn’t a game they were supposed to lose. Michigan State entered the matchup with just two wins in the Big Ten and averaging 4.30 goals against per game. Michigan, on the other hand, hadn’t lost since Dec. 12 and was leading the nation with five goals per game. Furthermore, the Wolverines beat the Spartans twice before, 9-2 and 6-3, in January. That’s why, after Saturday’s victory, senior forward Justin Selman dubbed the loss a wake-up call — a sentiment his teammates agreed with. “We definitely didn’t come out the way we have been these past few games, especially after coming off a huge weekend in New York,” said senior forward Boo Nieves. “We can’t let teams creep up on us like that. “Every game counts at this point, and we really want to win the Big Ten. To stay on top of that, we really need to show up every game and make sure that we don’t (need) to have any more bounce backs on Saturdays.” By no means are the wheels falling off for the Wolverines. They are still first in the Big Ten, but the loss wasn’t pretty and dropped Michigan two spots in the PairWise Rankings to No. 6. They’re still in the driver’s seat, but the loss could end up being the wake-up call the Wolverines needed. “Sometimes when you’re winning, you’re giving up too much,” said associate head coach Billy Powers. “You can work on
it, you can focus on it, but there’s not the urgency because you feel pretty good about what you’ve been doing as a player.” RACINE IS ROLLING: It was quite the weekend for senior goaltender Steve Racine. The veteran netminder put together his best series of the season against the Spartans, recording a .949 save percentage to the tune of 71 total saves. The Wolverines allowed four goals in two games, the lowest total in a two-game series since they played Dartmouth Nov. 27 and 28. Earlier in the season, Michigan coach Red Berenson stressed how important it was to find a way to win games when the Wolverine offense can’t pour goals into the net. Now, it appears Racine may be the key piece of that equation. “He’s definitely doing his job and his part in a huge way,” Powers said. “In attempting to obviously contribute to that (goals-against) number coming down, I think he’s found a groove, found a game that is working for him — a mental makeup that is working for him. I think he’s backboning our defensive mindset, trying to improve.” BIG STAKES IN THE BIG TEN: The state of the Big Ten doesn’t do Michigan any favors. Half of the conference has losing records, and any loss hurts the Wolverines’ position in the PairWise Rankings. That’s evident from the past two weekend’s results. The sweep against Penn State boosted Michigan to No. 4 in the PairWise rankings, but the overtime loss against Michigan State dropped it immediately back to No. 6. “You look at the Big Ten’s nonleague record, and I haven’t done that, but I’m willing to bet that there’s one or two leagues that we probably played against that we have not fared well with,” Powers said. “That’s a league issue. We have to be better as a group in our non-league schedule.” Added Nieves: “It can be frustrating to see teams that
maybe you think you’re better than or maybe you beat, they rank up higher than you or drop a little less quickly than you. It’s just the way the system is and we can only control what we can do.” With half the Big Ten in disarray, every game holds enormous weight — as losses to teams like Wisconsin can ruin their standing, but wins to close out the season against Minnesota and Penn State could be statement victories. A REALLY BIG RINK: Michigan will travel to take on Wisconsin this weekend for the second time this season. The last time the Wolverines played the Badgers, though, was on home ice. Now, Michigan has to play on an Olympic-size ice rink in Madison — something the Wolverines will prepare for by practicing at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube for the next few days. But the change may be good for Michigan, which may be able to take advantage of its speed on the larger rink even more so than they already have this year. “Well, when I have the puck, I don’t mind (the bigger rink),” Nieves said with a laugh. “It’s fun to play on a bigger rink. It definitely changes the game up. You can use the perimeter better. Rink-wide passes are a little more dangerous.” STUDY BREAK: About half the Wolverine squad didn’t take the ice for practice Monday. And part of the reason for that? Midterm season is approaching. While Berenson gave the team an optional practice partly due to the physicality of last weekend’s rivalry series, he also recognized the players’ academic responsibilities — something he has become known for over the years. “We talked after Saturday, (and) we knew that this would be a busy week in school,” Powers said. “We’ve done it in the past. … It worked out really well that you can get a mental break, or a physical break from going out on the ice, but you can feel good about having a few extra hours to work on school.”