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‘U’ expects new policy to increase complaints Sexual misconduct regulation expansion could prompt more Title IX cases
Hash Bash highlights state, campus marijuana policies Contrasts between local and federal law draw mix of student reactions
around campus — will be on the University of Michigan’s Diag Saturday afternoon. Nationally recognized since 1972, Hash Bash is meant as a rally for the decriminalization of marijuana and a more lenient drug policy nationwide. Marijuana legalization, long a controversial topic nationwide, has gained steam in recent years as multiple states have chosen to allow the drug either entirely, or for medicinal purposes. Over the past few decades,
By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
Hash Bash — an annual April event when pot enthusiasts from Ann Arbor and beyond gather to smoke marijuana and meander
studies have shown it has the potential to have powerful medicinal effects on conditions such as severe or chronic pain and cancer. Advocates for the drug also argue that overall prohibition has been ineffective, and doesn’t make sense when compared to how alcohol is regulated. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, an organization that argues for reform of marijuana laws, noted that the majority of the
American public is currently in support of legalization. “The Gallup polling of today indicates 58 percent of the population supports legalization,” St. Pierre said. “When NORML was founded in 1970, it was 10 percent.” According to the University Health System, however, marijuana is not recommended by some medical experts due to the fact it is not yet approved by the Food and Drug See MARIJUANA, Page 3
By CAMY METWALLY and RIYAH BASHA Daily Staff Reporters
Amid other impacts of a planned new policy on student sexual misconduct, University of Michigan administrators said they are expecting the changes will prompt the number of Title IX cases to increase. Title IX investigations are cases filed against the University for possible violations of federal law regarding the handling of sexual misconduct. Up until this July, they will be governed by regulations laid out in the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy. After that, the University will adopt the University of Michigan Policy and Procedures on Student Sexual and Genderbased Misconduct and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence.
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‘U’ simulation tracks impacts of oil pipe break
Study says potential spill could impact 720 miles of Great Lakes shoreline By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
A break in the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline — a 63-year-old pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac and carries up to 23 million gallons of light crude oil and natural gas per day — could potentially spill into 720 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, according to a University of Michigan study released Thursday. Researchers created a model to demonstrate 840 possible simulations of an oil spill by the pipeline and outlines of where the oil could go. Based on the model, up to 720 miles of coastline could be affected by a spill and require extensive cleanup. David Schwab, a research scientist for the University’s Graham Sustainability Institute and designer of the simulation, said due to the strong, rapidly changing currents in the Great Lakes, it would be difficult to predict how and where the oil would be distributed to. However, Schwab noted the spread would be vast and disastrous. “This is possibly the worst place in the Great Lakes in terms of how fast and how far something would spread,” he said. “If there were a spill it
WEATHER TOMORROW
would be really hard to predict where that oil would end up.” Schwab’s research in Thursday’s study goes into detail about the movement of the oil and the extent to which shorelines could be damaged. Based on the model, nearly 60 percent of Lake Huron’s open water and more than 15 percent of Lake Michigan’s open water could have visible oil in the event of a spill. The effects an oil spill would have on surrounding ecosystems were beyond the scope of the study, but Schwab said in a press release prior to this study that the potential effects of an oil spill in the area were largely unknown, this model shows the extent of the possible impact. “Until now, no one knew exactly how much shoreline was vulnerable to spills in the Straits of Mackinac,” he said in the release. “These findings show that under the right conditions, a spill in the Straits of Mackinac could affect a significant amount of shoreline and open-water areas in either Lake Michigan or Lake Huron, or both, very quickly.” Enbridge Line 5 and the danger of a potential spill has been a matter of concern for the public over the past years, including on campus. Earlier this month, the University’s chapter of College Democrats hosted a discussion on water issues in the state, which highlighted the pipeline as a threat. LSA junior Taiwo Dosunmu, communications director for See PIPELINE, Page 3
HI: 42 LO: 23
The new policy, announced last Tuesday, makes several changes, including expanding to include gender-based harassment — violence suffered due to gender identity, sexuality or orientation — and intimate partner violence. It also modifies the definition of consent and the scope of prohibited conduct, as well as restructuring the sanctioning and appeals process. Anthony Walesby, the University’s Title IX coordinator, wrote in an e-mail interview that the Office of Institutional Equity — the office responsible for processing sexual misconduct complaints — largely anticipates the rise in cases because of the inclusion of genderbased harassment and intimate partner violence. The revisions come after the release of OIE’s annual sexual misconduct report in January, which showed that though the number of reports increased by 33 percent from 2014 to 2015, the number of cases investigated by OIE stayed the same. According to the report, 29 of the 172 cases OIE See MISCONDUCT, Page 2
City Council set to vote on purchases of equipment Monday’s meeting will also include resolutions for construction grants By BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporter
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Pediatrician and sociologist Kathryn Fessler speaks on challenges faced by the transgender community in health care at the Ford School of Public Policy Thursday.
Transgender health panel emphasizes access to care Discussion aims to draw attention to barriers facing community By IRENE PARK Daily Staff Reporter
Thursday night at the Ford School of Public Policy, four panelists discussed various obstacles the transgender community face, especially concerning health care, at the Trans Health Access Panel. Approximately 0.3 percent of the U.S. population is estimated to
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be transgender — about 700,000 adults — according to a study from the University of California, Los Angeles. Transgender is an umbrella term for individuals whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Laura Jadwin-Cakmak, the panel’s moderator and Health Behavior and Health Education research director, said transgender community members face unique health care issues for several reasons, including discrimination when their gender identity does not fit in the binary male-female system. Panelist Leslie Nicholas,
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a naturopathic medicine practitioner, noted how deeply ingrained the binary system is in people’s minds, saying it does not include those who do not identify themselves as simply male or female. “When someone has a baby, we first ask them if it’s a boy or a girl,” Nicholas said. “Why not ask for the baby’s name? Why not ask how the baby is doing?” Several panelists emphasized that several countries — including Germany, New Zealand and Australia — recognize that there are more than just two genders. Jadwin-Cakmak highlighted how health care problems See PANEL, Page 3
Vol. CXXV, No. 101 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
At Monday’s meeting, Ann Arbor City Council will be voting on $3.9 million worth of appropriations for construction contracts and equipment purchases. Construction Four separate resolutions related to granting construction contracts, worth a total of 2.8 million, will be voted on. The resolutions include a $1.6 million contract award to Doan Construction Company to repair 20 percent of the deteriorating sidewalks in the city, as well as to increase access to handicap ramps across the city. Also pertaining to sidewalks, the council will vote on a $197,940 contract award to Sidewalks Plus USA for further repair services to sidewalks across the city. The other contracts are a $243,077 allocation to P.K. Contracting Inc. for pavement marking maintenance and to E.T. MacKenzie Company for on-demand construction services for the next three years for $250,000 a year. Construction Consulting Noting seasonal fluctuations in city construction activities, another resolution proposes See COUNCIL, Page 3
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Max Bultman and Jake Lourim AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily Michigan Izzat performs at the That Brown Show at the Michigan Theater Saturday.
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Mairead Small Staid reads a selection of her work at Literati Bookstore during the bookstore’s third birthday party on Thursday.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
TEDxUofM
Groove show
UMix Star Wars
WHAT: TEDxUofM is
WHAT: Groove, an energetic percussion group here at the University, is hosting their showcase called “Make America Groove Again!” The group will use both traditional and non-traditional instruments. WHO: University Activities
WHAT: UMix will host its weekly late night activities, this time centered on “Star Wars.” There will be a photo booth, Asian buffet and a screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. WHERE: Michigan
having its seventh annual conference. The day-long event will have talks focused on inspiration and discovery to spread ideas across the campus community. Besides talks, there will be performances and interactive labs.
WHO: TEDx Foundation WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: Power Center for the Performing Arts
Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán WHAT: UMS will bring
back what is considered one of the finest mariachi groups in the world, founded in the 1890s and inventing what is considered modern mariachi.
WHO: Universisty Musical Society WHEN: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHERE: Hill Auditorium
Center
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Theater
Union
FoolMoon WHAT: LHSP will host a moonlight display of community-made, illuminated sculptures carried by dancing teams. Participants will enjoy free food, performances and other activities. WHO: Lloyd Hall Scholars Program
WHEN: 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. WHERE: Downtown Ann Arbor
“Pompeii’s Great Project” WHAT: Prof. Massimo Osanna is one of the leaders of the Pompeii Archaeological sites. He will speak of his most current project, working to restore Pompeii. WHO: Kelsey Museum of Archaeology WHEN: 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: UMMA Helmet Stern Auditorium
considered themselves “very likely” to report an incident of sexual assault to OIE, while 12.8 percent reported themselves to be “somewhat likely” to do so. The survey found 22.5 percent of female students have experienced sexual assault during their time at the University. “That’s what I saw in the survey, a kind of normalizing of inappropriate behavior, and we have to interrupt that,” Harper said. “I think we reshape our thinking about the issue.” LSA senior Laura Meyer, volunteer co-coordinator for the Networking, Publicity and Activism Program at SAPAC, said she thought the revision was a natural addition to the current policy. “I think it’s important to have it in the policy because a lot of violence based on gender or on perceived gender or perceived sexual identity or sexuality, occurs at the same time or concurrently with sexual misconduct or sexual violence,” Meyer said. “And so I think it’s really important to have it together.” However, she noted that she had several concerns about how changes in the new policy could impact reporting. She pointed in
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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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State Sen. Virgil Smith resigned his seat in the Michigan Senate on Thursday, according to the Detroit Free Press. The resignation comes after a previous scandal involving allegations of intimate partner violence against his wife, as well as with the other women. Smith represented the 4th Senate district.
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Mosquitoes with Zika virus may be spreading into northern parts of the country according to the latest CDC study, The Wall Street Journal reported. The virus could reach New York City and Kansas City. There have not yet been reports of anyone contracting Zika directly in the U.S. It has only been reported after travel to infected areas.
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The Food and Drug Administration has relaxed guidelines to obtain abortion pills, according to The New York Times. The changes will give women the option to use the pill further along in their pregnancy and with less required visits to their doctor. The FDA said their actions were based on medical science.
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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
particular to a “Sexual History of the Parties” clause, which allows prior sexual history to be considered when there was a “prior received in 2015 were investigated, or ongoing relationship between 66 were referred to the Review the Claimant and Respondent” or Panel and 78 did not fall within the “to establish a pattern or practice scope of the policy. of conduct similar in nature by the Walesby wrote that the respondent,” as concerning. broadened scope of the new policy According to the clause, the sexual aims to create an environment history will never be considered in which more students feel evidence, but could be used in certain comfortable to report such limited number of cases to assess the experiences. nature of communication between “With the additional definitions both the claimant and respondent, of prohibited conduct in the policy, according to the policy, and establish our hope is that students will come intent or motive. forward to express concerns,” he Meyer said she thought that wrote. kind of clause is the product of an In a February meeting with even larger, underlying issue — how the Daily, E. Royster Harper, the consent is defined — noting that University’s vice president for she would like to see a definition MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily student life, expressed concern of consent that relies on “verbal, Jason Morgan, director of government and community Relations at Washtenaw Community College, speaks about about potential discourse that enthusiastic, affirmative, sober, his experiences being openly gay in the workplace at an event sponsored by the University of Michigan’s chapter of stigmatizes and dismisses sexual coercion-free consent” instead of College Democrats in the Michigan Union Thursday. misconduct, as evidenced by one that also requires trying to campus climate surveys showing understand body language as well. that many students may not “My concern with that is that the report sexual assault. She said she whole concept of using that sexual thought education, training and history is based on what I think is transparency are key to combating a very weak definition of consent,” such unawareness. she said. Sudoku Syndication http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ In a 2015 campus climate The updated policy modifies the Business junior Paul Under current Michigan law, survey, only 6.3 percent of students enforced definition of consent to Guilfoyle, chair of the the Elliott Larsen Act prohibits clarify instances of incapacitation Stonewall Committee within discrimination based on a and coercion, and also aims to College Democrats, said the variety of factors including sex, increase awareness and thus event’s purpose was to support race and religion in the state of reporting on campus through the LGBTQ+ community and Michigan but does not account changing how another issue, identify the issues they face. for sexual orientation or gender HARD stalking, is treated. While it was “A lot of people think that expression. In December 1972, also prohibited in the previous By LYDIA MURRAY after the same-sex marriage Ann Arbor stepped beyond policy, it will now be listed as a Daily Staff Reporter ban was overturned the LGBTQ state law and amended its separate category. community’s work was done,” anti-discrimination ordinance Walesby wrote that OIE has A panel in the Wolverine he said. “We feel it’s really to include protections for reviewed several instances of Room of the Michigan Union important to address the other sexual orientation, which Toy stalking that related to Title IX Thursday night discussd the issues still remaining that the co-authored. The provision was since the 2011 interim policy, with rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, community faces at this time.” further expanded in October the Office of Student Conflict highlighting political and social The panel discussed how 2014 to include provisions for Resolution addressing other changes over time and the pushes for civil rights within gender expression and identity, cases that did not violate federal continued need for advocacy to the community were sparked survivors of domestic violence, guidelines. He wrote that by fight against discrimination. following the Stonewall political beliefs, genetic addressing stalking as a distinct The panel, hosted by the Riots, a series of spontaneous information, arrest record and category, OIE hopes to highlight University of Michigan’s demonstrations in New familial status. the issue. chapter of College Democrats, York City in June 1969, and At the University, the “It’s meant to help educate consisted of Jim Toy, founder culminated in the Supreme Board of Regents adopted our campus and remind our of the Spectrum Center and Court decision to legalize same- an amendment including community that stalking is Jim Toy Community Center; sex marriage in June 2015. protection on the basis of prohibited by university policy,” he Kelly Maxwell, academic Kelly said she has seen a gender identity and gender wrote. co-director and lecturer of massive difference in rights expression in the University’s In an interview with the Daily Intergroup Relations; Rose even during her lifetime. bylaws’ non-discrimination last week, University President Maxwell, systems engineer “From the 1990s to the clause in September 2007. Mark Schlissel said he hopes at the Ford Motor Company; present, it is a huge cultural During the panel, Toy to engage the entire campus in and Jason Morgan, director of shift,” she said. recounted his attendance at the © sudokusolver.com. For personalcreating use only. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com EASY. APRIL FOOLS. reform around the issue. government and community State, city and campus Board of Regents meeting when “Our overarching goal is to relations at Washtenaw policies on preventing LGBTQ they voted on the amendment, make campus as safe as possible.” Community College. discrimination are mixed. See LGBTQ, Page 3
MISCONDUCT From Page 1
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Panelists discuss ways LGBTQ civil rights have evolved over time Event aims to highlight need for continued advocacy
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
PIPELINE From Page 1 College Democrats, said the state government needs to take the potential danger of the pipeline seriously because of the catastrophic outcome of a spill. “Because of its location in the Straits of Mackinac, the potential damage from a spill there is unimaginable,” he said. “As Democrats, we believe the Great Lakes must be protected as some of the greatest natural resources our state and our nation possesses. The environmental and economic consequences of a break in Line 5 cannot be taken lightly, especially given the current administration’s revealed inability to properly respond to water crises.” Protesters also gathered outside of last year’s Mackinac Policy Conference to raise awareness for the issue, hoping to influence policy makers to further regulate or shut down the pipeline. Mariah Urueta, Michigan organizer for Food & Water Watch — one of the groups that organized the protest at the conference— said she hopes to see the pipeline shut down because of its threat to the Great Lakes. “Pipeline 5 should be permanently decommissioned,”
MARIJUANA From Page 1 Administration, and has the ability to impair memory, judgment and coordination. Opponents of the drug argue that the medical impacts of it aren’t yet clear, and could be significantly negative. In Michigan, medical marijuana is legal, but recreational use is not, despite legislative pushes to legalize it fully. Furthermore, on campus, University policies follow federal law, meaning neither medical nor recreational use is legal — a situation that each year, Hash Bash places in sharp relief. Balancing the purpose of Hash Bash Despite likely marijuana consumption at the event, last year’s Hash Bash only resulted in three arrests. This year’s 45th annual Hash Bash will take place on April 2, and, as usual, will be directly on campus. The University’s Alcohol and Drug Policy states that possession of marijuana on University property is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and possible imprisonment of up to one year. University Police spokeswoman Diane Brown said the department’s policy is that the event itself is not something UMPD would take action against, but drug consumption is. “It’s not legal to be smoking or possessing marijuana on the Diag at this event,” Brown said. “It’s exercising of free speech, but at the same time, the University and the police and DPSS don’t condone the use of illegal drugs or the public consumption of alcohol on our campus.” Brown said in recent years, attendees at Hash Bash have made speeches and rallied for about an hour, and then continued their activities off campus. Once the attendees leave campus, any illegal activities are under the city’s jurisdiction. Currently, marijuana is decriminalized in Ann Arbor, resulting in only a civil infraction and a $30 fine. “Most of the time, the crowds at this are reasonably well-behaved — it’s just trying to manage and make sure people who look like they’re having considerable difficulty from a medical situation are provided medical treatment,” Brown said. LSA junior Erin Dunne, who is director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and on the organizing committee for Hash Bash, said the event is crucial for demonstrating political activism on campus. “It’s important for this to happen on campus because it’s an opportunity for students to both be exposed to political opinions and viewpoints and hear from a lot of speakers from the political activist network, but also the national activist network,” Dunne said “It’s also an opportunity for the community to see that students care about these issues.” Dunne said the event organizers do not advocate illegal behavior at Hash Bash and notify both the University and the city of Ann Arbor that the event will happen. Police then patrol at their
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she said. “We do not believe that any oil at all should be flowing through the Great Lakes. It poses unnecessary risks to our Great Lakes.” According to Urueta, the majority of the oil flowing through the pipeline is not consumed by Michigan residents, and is instead transported through to Canada. The group also has concerns regarding Enbridge’s ability to react to a breakage in the pipeline, claiming it could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days for the proper response team to be organized. Activists also note that Enbridge Energy does not have the best track record for maintaining pipelines. In July 2010, a different pipeline owned by Enbridge experienced a largescale spill affecting 35 square miles of the Kalamazoo River — the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history. In 2013, the National Wildlife Federationrevealed Enbridge was not following the safety guidelines they agreed to when a diver discovered Enbridge Line 5 was lacking many necessary supports. Ryan Duffy, supervisor of regional communications and media relations for Enbridge, said the company constantly monitors the pipeline and would be able to shut off the pipeline within three minutes of a detected breakage.
Additionally, Duffy said the pipeline was built to the highest standards and does not anticipate any issues moving forward. He said Enbridge has emergency protocols, like emergency response drills and sending devices inside to look for testing in case an accident does happen. “Our most important concern is safety; that’s why we do constant testing on the pipe,” he said. “But there is just no reason to make any changes. The pipe is in excellent condition.” Despite these assurances by Enbridge, along with protesters, members of the legislature have pushed for further action on the issue. Last October, Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor) submitted a resolution calling upon Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette to exercise their right to terminate the state’s contract with Enbridge and shut down the pipeline. Last week, Schuette submitted a request, along with other members of the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board for Enbridge, to release more data concerning Pipeline 5’s integrity and inspection policies. According to a press release, the current read-only form of the data severely limits the usefulness of the provided documents, preventing the state from properly analyzing risk.
discretion. She emphasized that despite the potential for people to engage in activities that might violate University policies, the University should allow for student-led events that exercise student speech. “Hash Bash is considered student speech,” Dunne said. “It’s allowed to happen because of the First Amendment. It is meant to be a political rally and not a marijuana party on the Diag, although there are some people who misunderstand the purpose of the event.” State policies surrounding marijuana usage: Marijuana — whether used for medical or recreational purposes — is currently legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. However, each state varies in what amount and type of marijuana is legalized. In Michigan, Proposal 1 dictates recreational marijuana as illegal, though it allows for legal possession of 2.5 usable ounces if used medically. So far, there are nearly 100,000 patients in the state registered for the use of medical marijuana, according to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program. Last September, State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor) proposed legislation aiming to legalize and tax the private use of marijuana for Michigan residents 21 years and older. “Prohibition is not working. It’s expensive. It ruins people’s lives, and it distorts the priorities of our law enforcement agencies,” Irwin said in a recent interview with The Michigan Daily. His bill, House Bill 4877, would make the possession, use and purchase of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older, decriminalizing the use and possession of the substance and providing a system for licensing sellers, much like alcohol regulations. It’s modeled after similar legislation in Colorado, where recreational use is legal. “If we learned one thing from Colorado, it’s that their system of legalized marijuana is working,” Irwin said. The bill has drawn opposition from Republican members in the legislature, and a range of groups in the state. On campus, LSA freshman John Sack, freshman chair for College Republicans, said he does not support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. He cited several studies regarding the use of marijuana in Colorado that have pointed to issues with people driving under the influence of marijuana, which could jeopardize safety on the road. “I think there’s a lot of drawbacks to legalizing marijuana,” Sack said. “While I fully agree with legalizing it medicinally, I think recreational use poses a lot more risks to every person and to society as a whole.” According to the National Institute of Health the known effects of marijuana include breathing problems, increased heart rate, poorer physical and mental health and lower life satisfaction.
Irwin said he does not see his bill getting passed, given conservative control of both chambers in the state legislature, he has also invested time into theMILegalize campaign, a petition drive to try to legalize cannabis. Under Michigan law, a petition drive can place a legislative change on the ballot if a group garners enough signatures. “People on both sides of the political spectrum are realizing that prohibition isn’t working,” Irwin said. “It’s been a huge, huge failure and it’s incredibly costly. People are realizing that marijuana is a more benign substance than even things like alcohol, which are legal and available.”. St. Pierre echoed Irwin’s statements, also saying there is little merit to arguments suggesting that marijuana use will rise following legalization. “One out of three youth between the ages of 15 and 24 use marijuana regularly,” St. Pierre said. “If one just takes the fearful argument that there will be an increase in marijuana use, consequently there will probably be a decrease in alcohol use and binge drinking. There will probably be a decrease in tobacco and opioid use.” Sack, however, disagreed, pointing in particular to issues he said educational institutions could face following a nationwide legalization of marijuana. “If you look at Holland and Portugal, where they legalized (recreational use of marijuana), and actually Amsterdam, their mayor actually had to go back and ban students from smoking marijuana,” Sack said. “Because they would go into class stoned, grades would drop, productivity would drop.” St. Pierre also noted that legalizing marijuana could lead to changes in the justice system, pointing to the fact that young Black males are five times more likely to be charged with a marijuana crime than young white males. “The data doesn’t lie that the arrests, prosecutions and worse, incarcerations, that have to do with marijuana are totally racially disparate,” St. Pierre said. Enforcement on campus Even as state and national groups push for recreational legalization, policies on the University’s campus remain completely restrictive — no medicinal or recreational use, and a misdemeanor charge, not a civil infraction, if caught using it. Brown said because the University receives federal funding as a public university, federal law takes precedence over state law on campus. “In order to have legal possession of marijuana you have to have a valid medical marijuana card and there are a number of restrictions you have to adhere to,” she said. One particular area this becomes quickly clear in is University Housing. Because University Housing policies restrict all illegal substances, students who use marijuana for medical issues are not allowed to use marijuana on campus. Sack said while he doesn’t support full legalization, watching
Under the initial 1953 agreement between Lakehead Pipeline Company — laterpurchased by Enbridge — and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources, there is a termination clause allowing the state to revoke its agreement under certain conditions, including if the pipeline is not operated under the best practices. The resolution provides several reasons why the termination clause should be invoked, such as high water pressure on the pipeline and its age. Irwin said though Enbridge Line 5 may not fail, the potential harm it could cause is too great to risk. “The likelihood of the problem is probably relatively small,” he said. “But the magnitude of the harm would be tremendous. The concern if there is a mistake — like there was in Kalamazoo — the magnitude of the harm is enormous and the ability of Enbridge to fix it is not there.” Schwab said he hopes the new research will impact future policy on the state level to address the pipeline. “We hope this information will inform spill-response planning and will help government officials make sound decisions about the oil pipeline beneath the straits,” he said.
a family member struggle to manage their health issues due to restrictions on medical marijuana at the University led him to support medical legalization, echoing a position other students on campus also expressed. In response to these kinds of concerns, Brown said she recognized the policy makes it difficult for those with a medical issue to manage their condition, even with a legitimate medical marijuana card, but nonetheless reiterated University policy. However, several students said they felt that regardless of actual policy, enforcement of University policies surrounding both marijuana and alcohol is not consistent. An LSA junior, who requested to remain anonymous because of admitting to illegal activity, recalled getting away with openly smoking and drinking in her residence halls. “My freshman year I lived in Bursley, and there’s nothing else to do in Bursley except smoke weed,” the student said. “I know a lot of people who smoke for (a medical) reason, but they don’t have a card, because they don’t need one here.” She said her freshman year, she acquired marijuana most often through a mutual friend whose family grew marijuana. Despite smoking fairly frequently, she said she has never gotten caught for possessing marijuana, and does not know any other students who have gotten caught. “So many people smoke at this campus,” she said. “Every party you can find shit and get it. Every party that I go to, someone is smoking weed on the back porch. It’s everywhere. Where do people get it? How? I don’t know. It’s just there.” The future of the legalization of marijuana Ultimately St. Pierre said he believes there are multiple reasons marijuana prohibition has been kept in place by lawmakers for so long, such as law enforcement opposition and long-term advocacy efforts against it “(These organizations) waste billions of dollars a year trying to enforce a prohibition the public no longer wants,” St. Pierre said. “If government really, genuinely would like to achieve its stated goal of reducing the amount of marijuana used — notably amongst young people — to make it illegal and propagandize against it the way they have hasn’t achieved any of its stated goals.” Regardless of the long-term prospects for legalization, however, one thing is clear — this Saturday in Ann Arbor, at least one side of the arguments and controversy surrounding marijuana will be on full display, as it has been for the past 44 first Sundays in April. That display, organizers said, will hopefully at the least spark some discussion about campus and state policy if nothing else. “Hash Bash is fundamentally a rally to change laws,” Dunne said. “And get the conversation started about legalization and harm reduction.”
Friday, April 1, 2016 — 3
PANEL From Page 1 affect the quality of life for trans individuals, citing that 41 percent of trans individuals have reported to have attempted suicide, much higher than 4.6 percent of the overall population. Panelist Kathryn Fessler, a pediatrician and sociologist, said during 20 years of working with more than 100 young transgender individuals, she has worked with only one person who did not suffer from depression or anxiety. However, she added that this does not mean mental health disorders and transgender people are linked. “There’s this idea that all trans people need mental health care,” Fessler said. “That’s not true. The reason why trans people need mental health care is because they are living in horrible conditions.” The panelists also discussed how difficult it is for transgender individuals to find transgenderinclusive and transgenderaffirmative medical providers and how uncomfortable the experience can be at the doctor’s office. “We get asked questions about our bodies all the time in health care settings, even when it’s unrelated to the reason why we are there,” said Elliot Popoff, a
COUNCIL From Page 1 contracting Stantec Consulting for $200,000, Alfred Benesch and Company for $175,000, Perimeter Engineering LLC for $150,000 and OHM Advisors for $175,000. If the resolution is approved, these companies will provide construction support and consulting services to the city’s Project Manager Service Unit on an as-needed basis as construction projects progress.
LGBTQ From Page 2 saying he worked on the issue for over 20 years. “We advocated for two decades to add sexual orientation to our University’s non-discrimination bylaws,” he said. “One day, I got a call from a friend who said ‘Get your butt over to the Regents’ meeting. They’re going to vote up this amendment.’ So over I went, and they voted it up.” Morgan, who is running for Washtenaw County city commissioner, discussed his experiences in politics, noting that running for office as an openly gay man may be problematic in other areas, but not in Ann Arbor. On the national level, few politicians are openly gay. Only seven members of Congress are openly gay or bisexual, despite 3.4 percent of the U.S. adult population identifying themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender according to Gallup Poll. “My mom, when she found out, sat me down and said, ‘You are never going to be able to work in politics if you’re gay,’ ”
project manager at the SexLab. Along with discussing the issues, panelists also touched on potential solutions. Panelist Bré Anne Campbell, a community specialist at the University’s Center for Sexuality & Health Disparities, emphasized the importance of hiring more transgender individuals. A 2011 national survey showed that 26 percent of transgender individuals lost a job due to discrimination and 50 percent were harassed on the job. Nicholas said the nontransgender community must be welcoming and treat transgender individuals as human beings. She added that mistakes are OK as long as people have the best intentions and try to understand. “It’s not rocket science to treat each other as human beings,” Nicholas said. “Best intentions are well received by people who know you are trying. We’ve got to be welcoming.” Public Health student Jack Andrzejewski, who attended the event, said the topics discussed during the event aligned with his research interests at the SexLab, which include sexuality and gender identity. “(The event) spoke to our personal interests in terms of our research and the work that we have been doing,” Andrzejewski said.
Equipment Purchases To procure materials for the city’s water infrastructure, two resolutions purchasing a total of $544,244 of equipment will be voted on. This includes a resolution authorizing the purchase of $189,480 worth of copper piping and brass fittings from the Michigan Meter Technology Group and a resolution approving the purchase of $354,764 worth of water equipment from HD Supply Waterworks, including pipes, fittings and fire hydrants.
he said. “She genuinely meant it as a worry for me, but there’s nothing I can do about being gay — I’m not going to hide it. I’m certain that no one in Ann Arbor that’s going to vote for me anyway is not going to because I’m gay.” The panelists also each made recommendations for how to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, highlighting the importance of interacting with state legislators and speaking openly about the issues facing the community. Maxwell said openly participating in the discussion and making people more aware of the issue can have a large impact. “Be active, be vocal and be out there so they can see us,” she said. “We were invisible for so long, and it’s amazing what just showing your face does.” LSA freshman Kellie Lounds, who attended the event, said she thought it was key in informing the population on issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. “I feel like it’s really important to educate yourself to be aware of how you can actively help other people,” she said. “This is a really great opportunity to do so because it was a very candid discussion.”
Opinion
4 — Friday, April 1, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MIKE PERSAK | OP-ED 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.
TINA AL-KHERSAN | MICHIGAN IN COLOR
H
HoMe
ome. If you look the meaning up in the dictionary or online, it says that home is a permanent residence. To me, home is a physical place, yes, but it is also defined by how I feel when I am there. In my opinion, home is where one can go to feel relaxed and comfortable — comfortable enough to feel uncomfortable — and welcomed. When I came to Ann Arbor in 2013, I thought that I had found my hoMe. I have met, and continue to meet, some of the best people I have ever known, and they make me feel comfortable. I have found this one spot by the river in the Arb that never fails to make me feel relaxed after a stressful day. I have been able to critically think while at this university and push myself outside of my boundaries because I have felt comfortable enough to feel uncomfortable. However, I have never felt fully welcomed. As a Muslim student on this campus, I have known that my hoMe is not perfect, but I have to remind myself that no home is and perfection is not what I am striving for. What I want is to make this campus a more welcoming place for Muslim students. As a part of these efforts, my peers, staff and I hosted an event this past January titled “Student Voices Against Islamophobia.” People of all identities on campus were invited to hear Muslim students’ experiences at the University of Michigan. After their stories were heard, there was a session on allyhood intended to increase solidarity between Muslim and non-Muslim students, faculty and staff. Tonight, a few members from our group, including myself, were attending an event where we were awarded for our successful Cross Cultural Programming. Ironically, as the award was being announced, my peers and I were notified of messages on the Diag. Among them were messages that stated “#STOPISLAM.” In that moment, I felt that no matter how much I try to move forward and create a welcoming environment on campus, Islamophobia is
right there pushing me back. It feels like I am constantly hesitant to call this campus hoMe. I fear that if people constantly see Islam as a threat, then they will begin to believe this message that Islam is something to fear and Muslims are people to hate. So for the next hour, my peers and I wiped the Diag clean of these hateful messages, and I scrubbed as hard as I could. As I watched the letters fade, I began to think that if I just scrubbed fast enough, fewer people might see, and therefore believe, this message. In the back of my mind, though, I could not help but think of how degrading it was to be cleaning up these messages that were left by someone else in my supposed hoMe. I kept bouncing back and forth between being unsurprised and utterly shocked. While I knew that this was the dominant narrative surrounding Muslims on the news, I could not believe (but sadly I kind of could) that this narrative would exist at this University. However, I refuse to let days like these hijack my religion and take my hoMe away from me. So to whoever wrote that message on the Diag, it is NOT Islam that you have to worry about stopping. In fact, you should consider the hatred that you yourself are spreading by supporting that message. But above all, I want you to know that my religion is not the reason that hatred exists in this world. “Indeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves” Quran (10:44). In fact, my religion is the reason that I know how to respond to animosity with love. “Good and evil can never be equal. Repel (evil) with that which is better, and see how, then, someone between whom and you was enmity shall become a true friend” Quran (41: 34). —Michigan in Color is the Daily’s designated space for and by students of color at the University of Michigan. To contribute your voice or find out more about MiC, e-mail michiganincolor@umich.edu.
Beating the game of learning
W
hat would a course look like if students were able to choose how they earned their grades? Gameful learning, one of the biggest revolutions in pedagogy, seeks to address just that. At the University of Michigan, gameful learning comes in the form of GradeCraft, the brainchild of Barry Fishman, Arthur F. Thurnau professor of REBECCA Learning Technologies in TARNOPOL the School of Information and School of Education. The project is currently sponsored by the Digital Innovation Greenhouse. Since its conception, more than 2,000 students have enrolled in at least one of the 29 GradeCraft courses the University offers, and that number will only continue to grow. What sets a GradeCraft course apart from most other courses is that most — if not all — assignments are optional, and students build their grades in the class from the bottom up, instead of starting with 100 percent and losing points along the way. GradeCraft is structured like a video game wherein students earn points by completing assignments, allowing them to “level up” one-third of a grade level once they reach specific point benchmarks. Such a system intends to give students flexibility in a course, allowing them to capitalize on their strengths, to pursue assignments they find most interesting and to take risks without fear of destroying their grade. (After all, students can earn points, but they technically cannot have points taken away.) The end result is a course custom-made for each student, one where students leave feeling they have learned a lot and are proud of the work they’ve done. This semester, I had the opportunity to take my first GradeCraft course, Honors 232: Deep Time: The Science of Origins. I was excited and curious about the freedom of choice the platform would provide in my studies. And with the semester nearing its close, I can safely say that while I like the philosophy behind GradeCraft, I believe it fell short of fulfilling such purpose in practice. There are plenty of things I like about GradeCraft. Perhaps the thing I like about it most is that it gives me a lot of flexibility in my schedule, allowing me to plan my schedule for this course around exams and papers due in other courses and over material I’m most interested in. It also opens up plenty of opportunities for instructors to create unconventional assignments. In Deep Time, for example, I could earn points for attending talks and events related to course topics, which — especially as a first-year student — provided many fantastic opportunities to
make the most of what Ann Arbor has to offer. But, as I mentioned before, gameful learning is not without its faults. One of the side effects of having a course structured like a video game is the inevitable “tutorial” that lasts an indefinite period of time at the beginning of the course. For 10 to 15 minutes each lecture and discussion period for the first few weeks of class, we’d discuss the logistics of the course: how to navigate the platform, where to turn assignments in, which assignments are open indefinitely and which ones have strict due dates. As a result, students lose quite a bit of time that could have been used to engage more deeply with the subject matter. Coming into a class with a nontraditional platform, however, I expected this learning curve. From my experience, gameful learning’s tragic flaw lies in the defining feature of its design — its gameability. Whereas the platform seeks to foster deep, meaningful work, it isn’t hard for a student in a GradeCraft-based course to scrape up enough points to earn the grade they want in the course by merely doing surface-level work. In fact, I have found that gameful learning more or less encourages students to take the easy way out and do the minimal amount of work possible to earn the grade they want in the course. Unfortunately, I feel these factors were present in my Deep Time course. As I look around the lecture hall, I notice very few students even take notes on the material covered in lecture. Students can easily skip assigned readings, but then be rewarded for showing up to the discussion section, unprepared for conversation. This cutting-corners mentality adversely affects the learning not only of the individual student, but of the class as a whole: Without a concerted effort around a common goal from all students in a gameful course, the richness of learning in that class quickly deteriorates. This creates a gaping, pedagogical flaw in gameful courses: There is no guarantee that students learn new skills or even live up to the course expectations within the framework of a GradeCraft-based course without limiting the freedoms the platform brings to the table. Without a compulsory obligation like an exam or paper looming around the corner, there seems to be no incentive or for students (beyond genuine interest in the subject matter) to actually learn all of the material. While I definitely can say I still learned quite a bit in this course, both GradeCraft and instructors’ and students’ interactions with the platform are most definitely still in beta. The platform has promise, but unfortunately students will have to miss out on some valuable learning in the process. Rebecca Tarnopol can be reached at tarnopol@umich.edu.
T
Dear Michigan State Police
he first time I had a seizure was one of the most terrifying and confusing events of my life. Everything that happened was a fog. One moment, I was volunteering as a referee for the local youth football league, and the next, I was staring up at a group of paramedics and my parents, who I knew had not been present during the football game itself. From that moment on, I underwent multiple tests from different doctors, and they all gave me the same diagnosis. I had epilepsy, but they weren’t sure what things might trigger it. I was given a prescription, and I went on my way, pretty much living my life as usual. Unfortunately, this wasn’t my first exposure to epileptic seizures. My mother also has epilepsy, but her case is much more potent than mine. She can’t attend fireworks shows, her seizures can be triggered by flash photography and even sunlight shining through trees while driving on a highway can be dangerous for her. Though my triggers are not always the same as my mother’s, I am always conscious of flashing lights. Most of these things are easily avoidable. Stimuli like fireworks and flash photography are possible to avert for the most part. I also make sure to get a reasonable amount of sleep every night, because it may be dangerous for people with epilepsy to be low on sleep. But one thing that is all together unavoidable — that can, at any time, spur on an epileptic seizure — is police lights. Police cars in the state of Michigan are each equipped with one solitary red “gumball” light on the top of the car. While this sounds tame compared to most police cars, each light contains 12 light heads, with nine LED bulbs in each head. This equates to 108 lights on each car. When these lights are used by police officers, they are blinding, and for somebody with epilepsy, they can be a nightmare. Of course, I realize police must use their lights when pulling people over or chasing down criminals, but there are occasions when police lights are used inappropriately. My parents recently visited me at the University of Michigan for a basketball game. As we walked out of Crisler Center after the game, we were shepherded toward our car by police who had stopped traffic. To do this, the police parked their cars sideways in the intersection and turned on their flashers. This forced my mother and me to look
downward at the ground and shield our eyes, while my father walked in front of us, leading the way. We were extremely fortunate that my father was there at the time. Think for a moment about what would have happened if he hadn’t been there. My mother would’ve almost definitely had a seizure while crossing that intersection. I would’ve tried to help her, but I might have been rendered useless by the flashing lights, too. Bystanders would’ve attempted to help, but because of a lack of public knowledge about epilepsy, they might not have known exactly how to help. It may have been just as effective to put out barriers indicating the road was closed. Instead, the police cars parked in the intersection created an obstacle for those of us who have epilepsy to enjoy what was an otherwise great night. Though epilepsy isn’t something that is widely understood in our society, this doesn’t mean it isn’t prevalent. One in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some time in their life. And these seizures aren’t simply an inconvenience or an annoyance. Many people with epilepsy aren’t like me. Not everyone can recover as quickly after a seizure. In some cases, people can cause substantial harm to themselves while having a seizure, such as hitting their heads on the ground and giving themselves concussions. During one of my own seizures, I fell facedown and awoke with blood staining my clothes and the ground below me. Seizures may also cause extreme physical fatigue. When regaining consciousness after a seizure, people often feel as though they have just finished running a race. People can run into an enormous number of places with unexpected flashing lights in day-to-day life. That is why the police force should be pioneering a movement to reduce the times they utilize flashing lights. They should be the ones setting the example. This is particularly important with epilepsy, because it isn’t at the forefront of the public’s mind. People don’t consider who might have epilepsy around them before they take a picture with flash in a dark restaurant. People don’t stop and think who might be coming to a party before they turn on strobe lights. Of course, flashing police lights were obviously implemented in the first place for a reason. According to blogger writer Bogdan Popa at
autoevolution.com, law enforcement vehicles used to only have a single light beacon on their cars “to attract everyone’s attention and let them know that an official vehicle is approaching,” according to Bogdan Popa. But eventually, these alerting lights evolved into the bright, flashing lights of today, coupled with blaring sirens. I am not asking for anything enormous. I don’t think it would be too much to ask to simply turn off the flashing lights when police direct traffic. I don’t think it would be too much to ask for the lights on a police car to not flash at all. If the lights themselves get people’s attention and indicate an official vehicle, then it stands to reason they could do without flashing entirely. Bright lights and sirens alone would appropriately identify an active police car. Changing this small detail would not only help people with epilepsy in interactions with police cars, but those without epilepsy would notice the change as well. They would wonder why these changes were made and hopefully begin to engage in an important conversation on epilepsy awareness. I realize it isn’t possible for flashing lights not to exist in all of society. I realize people have a right to take flash photography, watch fireworks and use strobe lights. But at the same time, there has to be some sort of concession made for those of us who have epilepsy. Of all people, it seems like police officers should be the ones to draw that line. Those with epilepsy should not be relegated to their homes, unable to attend large events for fear police cars might flash their lights outside of the event. I implore you, the Michigan State Police, to consider this out-of-sight minority. I ask you to consider who might be attending those concerts and sporting events where you direct traffic, and I want you to consider making the lights on your cruisers less potentially triggering. I believe the changes you could make would be small and would not affect your officers’ ability to do their jobs. But at the same time, these could be instrumental changes toward a wider consideration of epilepsy. At the very least, it would be something my family and I would greatly appreciate. Hopefully heard, Mike Persak Mike Persak is an LSA freshman
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Kit Maher, Madeline Nowicki, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Kevin Sweitzer, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Hunter Zhao
M
When I grow up
y childhood was spent exploring the world with wide-eyed wonder. I was constantly being told I could do and be anything I wanted. I’m lucky and very privileged in that respect. I have a supportive family who has OLIVIA trusted every PUENTE decision I’ve made in my academic career and hasn’t pushed me toward one area of study or another. They raised me to do what I want and value my happiness above all else. If I wanted to drop out of school tomorrow and just work for the rest of my life, my dad would stand behind that decision if it was what was going to make me happy. Not that I ever would, but the fact that the option is even there means my happiness is valued in my family above all else. Then I arrived here and our bustling school was full to the brim with opportunity. Here, I really can do anything. But the conversations behind whether taking the opportunities that truly make us happy are shrouded in the constant wondering of how these decisions affect the incomes of our futures. Choosing classes at orientation swiftly moved from fun to anxiety-ridden. I remember scouring the course guide and fleetingly wondering if there were still spots in orgo despite the fact I had absolutely no interest in any area of study related to the sciences. I ended up signing up for Introduction to Buddhism. But I couldn’t help but
be plagued with the question asking whether or not I had done something wrong by signing up for classes that were far from sensible in the grand scheme of my degree. I thought it was a mistake to take such an obscure class that I would definitely enjoy over something deemed useful on the road to a successful future. I wish I could say it was with that decision that I resolved to covet my happiness above all else. Unfortunately, I struggled with similar anxieties for a while. Society still tells you to be whatever you want. Except major in English. Also Women’s Studies is useless unless you want to go into even crazier debt for graduate school to make your degree worth anything. Right now, I’m a double major in International and Women’s Studies. I came in wanting to do humanitarian work and travel, which brought me to International Studies. To be quite honest, I accidentally became a Women’s Studies major. One day, I realized I was more than halfway done with the degree requirements and suddenly I was declared. I’ve since realized I want to take an entirely different career path than the humanitarian work I had originally planned, yet, I’m still an International Studies major. I think I’ve kept it for the cushion it gives me when explaining my studies to people. Out of both of my majors, at least one is reasonable, right? Still, I keep hearing how much money I’m not going to make and how little my degree will be worth. Whatever happened to just doing what we want? When did a higher education become worth it only if you were studying something “practical”? For some people, job
security and wealth will make them happy. For people like me who enjoy studying the “impractical” things, money is the last thing in mind. My peers’ strong opinions on what I should study threw me into an anxiety-ridden existential crisis. At one point last year, I found myself on the University of Michigan’s Program in Neuroscience website, trying to make myself interested enough to sign up for some classes. Instead I applied to minor in writing. I was accepted into the program and I’ve since realized I want to be a writer. Writing doesn’t even break the list of 20 lowest-paying college majors to avoid. But why does this list even exist? I’ve been getting more and more fed up lately with the complete lack of appreciation for education we all have. Nothing has been about learning for a long time. In high school, everything was for the grade. Now, it’s for the degree and what kind of job you can get. It’s fine if you value money and a job title. I don’t. Now I’m going to sound pretentious here for a minute, but I really do not care about money. I just want to be happy. My inevitably lower income doesn’t mean I won’t be. It’s almost worse to be told it’s useless to try to do something simply because I won’t make money. I don’t have to make six figures a year to be happy. The truth of the matter is, my degree is probably going to be useless. I am not going to get a job with a women’s studies degree. But, that doesn’t discredit the work I’m putting into getting this degree. I’m learning. I’m happy. Let’s remember what matters. Olivia Puente can be reached at opuente@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
EVENT COVER
Narayanan talks progressive retail At Ross’s “India Marching Ahead” conference, Myntra CEO stands out By ANAY KATYAL Daily Arts Writer
Last weekend, the Ross School of Business hosted the seventh iteration of the India Business Conference, with the theme of “India Marching Ahead.” A variety of Indian business leaders and former bureaucrats sat down to talk about strides being made in the realm of business in India, and how the business relationship between the United States and India has been changing for the better. Among the list of panelists, which included esteemed guests such as Yum! Brands India President Niren Chaudhary and former Minister of Finance for India Yashwant Sinha, Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan and his talk about changing waves in the Indian retail industry through his retail app stood out. Narayanan has a colorful history within Indian enterprise. Previously serving on McKinsey & Company’s product development and automotive practice teams in South Asia, Narayanan’s background isn’t immediately indicative of someone with fashion expertise. But he emphasized that heading Myntra requires more than rudimentary style knowledge. “[Myntra] works hard in understanding the quirks of the Indian consumer base,” Narayanan said during his talk.
And this is important considering the rapidly developing economy India has right now. Myntra’s parent company, Flipkart, has only recently ushered in the advent of online, Amazon-style shopping in the country. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, India’s e-commerce market itself has grown around $9 billion between 2009 and 2013. In 2014, Amazon made an effort to cash in on this trend with a $2 billion investment in their Indian business. The industry for online purchases in India is much like the Wild West in its open landscape; with Myntra, Narayanan is among some of the individuals trying to capitalize on the opportunity, creating a new generation of fashion-conscious Indians in the process. Myntra was acquired by Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart (Amazon’s biggest competitor in the region) in early 2014. While Flipkart mainly functions as a “one stop shop” online destination for Indian consumers, Myntra was a strategic buy for Flipkart in their efforts to target India’s new, trendy and financially empowered youth population. Flush with Flipkart’s cash and boasting an impressive inventory of the latest in fashion and athletic wear, Myntra utilizes a variety of mobile and online channels to reach their targeted demographics, oftentimes pushing an app-centric shopping experience in a country whose mobile phone adoption has grown to over 1 billion subscribers according to Forbes. Not only has Myntra been engaging Indian consumers in innovative ways, but they’re
also among a select few Indian companies engaging India’s millennial populace on issues relating to gender and identity in Indian society. Their recent “All About You” advertising campaign employs Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone to challenge longstanding myths about the kind of colors and clothes Indian women should wear; in a joint campaign with Indian fashion label Anouk, Myntra broadcasts a commercial depicting a lesbian couple and their anxieties around meeting each other’s conservative Indian parents for the first time. Evidently, Myntra is a remarkably progressive company in a country that has been blighted with issues of misogyny and homophobia, marking a change in India’s social direction from the country’s youth, and companies like Myntra helping to empower them. Time will tell if India’s consumers will bite when it comes to Myntra’s advances, but the company is making laudable strides in increasing fashion accessibility to Indians. By giving young Indians a platform to both more easily express themselves through their styles, and affirm their beliefs and values, Myntra is a refreshing addition to India’s corporate landscape. With India on track to be the world’s youngest country by 2020 (according to the New York Times), Myntra’s efforts in targeting India’s emerging millennial middle class and the newfound disposable incomes they possess are paving way for an empowered, independent and socially conscious Indian populace.
ALBUM REVIEW
Domo Genesis goes beyond Odd Future By ANAY KATYAL Daily Arts Writer
During Odd Future’s peak, critics of the collective liked to parrot the notion that the group was nothing but a loosely Atied collection of crass, Genesis offensive, teenage hooligans. Domo Genesis They skateOdd Future boarded, their music pushed the limits of what was defined as “explicit” and their live shows were often likened to the bombastic and reckless punk concerts of the genre’s heyday. Oftentimes, these critics had considerable fuel for their argument, especially when dissecting some of the solo projects from OF’s frontman Tyler, The Creator, or Earl Sweatshirt’s breakout single “EARL.” It’s an argument the general public generally accepted if they had not been exposed to much of the group’s work beforehand, but for those who actually took the deep dive into the crew’s music without having the conservative predispositions of a suburban soccer mom, the group’s diversity of talent and the mischaracterization of those beliefs becomes fairly clear. Frank Ocean became the neo-soul enigma the music-loving public has become infatuated with. Matt Martians and Syd Tha Kyd started successfully making smooth and sensual soul arrangements under the moniker “The Internet.” Earl Sweatshirt, with his dark, brooding, sonically distinct bodies of work, can be accurately likened to a younger MF Doom. With Genesis, Domo Genesis joins the ranks of OF alumni that illustrate the overlooked level of talent that permeated the group during its height.
When profiling each member of Odd Future, Domo Genesis is often touted as being “the most underrated” or “the most slept on.” Often times, people who said that wanted someone to validate their pretentious love for his debut mixtape Rolling Papers, but there was some truth to the idea. No one dared call Domo the best of the group; after all, he isn’t as technically gifted as Earl, nor is he the kind of bombastic character that Tyler is. Despite that, he quietly pushed out three mixtapes, each increasing in skill and mastery, slowly exchanging the teenage immaturity Domo was susceptible to for more technically astute, complex lyrics and beats. Having been in the works since early 2013, Genesis’s elusive release almost became as similarly storied as the video game “Duke Nukem Forever” and its 15 year protracted release date. In those three years, Odd Future has essentially disbanded, leaving Domo without the free hype he was afforded earlier. As disappointing as it is, Domo still manages to drop one of Odd Future’s strongest solo projects. Smooth, jazzy production and consistently clever lyricism had me rewinding plenty of Genesis’s songs (namely “Wanderer” and “My Own”). Domo used to be a rapper who crafted fairly generic bars about weed and life, but Genesis shows a rapper with an impressive level of self-awareness and maturity. As much as he can talk about getting fucked up with his squad, Domo can also lament life regrets, and rap about the motivators behind his musical career. Genesis’s focal point, “One Below,” opens with an emotional spiel from Domo’s mother, before he raps about feeling lost as a teenager, and how music helped him find fulfillment.
Throughout the album, his lyrics often deal with the influence music has had on his development. Considering that, Genesis is an apt name for Domo’s debut LP, symbolizing the advent of Domo finding purpose, something he largely owes to his musical career. Though Genesis is a testament to how much Domo has grown as a rapper, collaborators on the project also play a significant part in making the album the enjoyable listening experience that it is. “Go (Gas),” an eclectic combination of Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa and Tyler, The Creator, contains an entertaining level of goofiness and liveliness. On “Coming Back,” Mac Miller’s sing-songy hook is integral in maintaining the song’s intended vibe. Anderson .Paak’s smooth, hybrid R&B and rap performance on “Dapper” will have anyone dancing in their seat.
One of hip hop’s most cohesive works so far this year Genesis has the makings of being an overlooked work, largely thanks to Odd Future’s general nonexistence and the maligned reputation some of its members are unfairly slapped with. But considering that Genesis is one of hip hop’s most cohesive bodies of work so far this year, it might deservedly lend fame and credibility to Domo once and for all. Domo’s career timeline has been a long-winded journey toward Domo finding his musical identity, and with Genesis he finally does that.
Friday, April 1, 2016 — 5
FILM REVIEW
ESPAÇO FILMES
>Tfw your face is an electrical outlet
‘Boy & the World’ is attractive but flawed By DANIEL HENSEL Daily Arts Writer
“Boy & the World,” an animated Brazilian film directed by Alê Abreu (“Garoto Cósmico”) and nominated for B the Academy Award for Boy & the Best Animated Fea- World ture, never Espaço Filmes lets you go. It’s one of Michigan Theater those films with pacing so perfect, it’s impossible to look away. For an essentially silent film (the only lines of dialogue are few and far between, plus they’re reversed recorded Portuguese), that pacing is critical to keeping the story progressing. In “Boy & the World,” we follow an unnamed protagonist, a young stick figure boy from the countryside whose father, pressured to work harder, one day boards a train to head for the capital. The boy immediately becomes distressed, seeing visions of his father, who then fades away, leaving the boy alone. In his rural home, the animation is simple, bare and childlike. Small doodles in wildly varying colors comprise the grass, houses and clothes. There, a five-tone folk melody plays consistently, a recurring musical cue for the untouched naturalism of his home and the melancholic memory of his father — a well-remembered
and vacant part of his life. Our protagonist summons the will to search for his father. Traveling far from his home, across the rural landscape, the boy traces his father’s path to the grand metropolis. Along the way, he gains a few companions who provide him with housing. In the city, the boy walks through the vice district, among rush hour traffic and overwhelming layers of advertising. Houses are stacked upon each other to form impractical, menacing towers. In this futuristic world, where cities float in glass capsules in the sky and flying sailboats are a safe and practical method of transportation, anything seems possible. But, alas, it comes with a cost. This we can determine by the animation. In the cities, everything is processed, fake. Abreu uses magazine cutouts for objects instead of drawing them, like in the countryside. Even the news anchors and models have hair, lips, eyes cut out from magazines. While the film’s visual effervescence is quite attractive, the story suffers from its format. Dialogue-free, hand-drawn films are dangerous; many of the characters look the same, and without dialogue as a reference for characters, a number of scenes immediately become confusing, especially when Abreu uses flashback and visions to convey ideas. Is this our protagonist as an older man or is this his friend? Minor ques-
tions like this bogs down the film. Beyond its obvious coming of age message, “Boy & the World” is primarily an environmental parable. Environmental destruction is far from subtle; Abreu would prefer to animate in broad strokes than leave interpretation up to the viewer. One particular scene, a truly jarring and surprising sequence of environmental destruction, clearly demonstrates his intention. But that’s no hurdle for the film. This is a serious problem, especially for Abreu, a Brazilian who is undoubtedly wary of his nation’s destruction of the Amazon. Abreu wears his influences on his animated shoulders. Channeling the fast-paced, musicfocused animated shorts of Walt Disney, the stunning large-scale choreography of Busby Berkeley, and the dystopian metropolitan cityscapes of Fritz Lang, Abreu clearly has a wide appreciation for 1930s film. And it couldn’t be more relevant. For a story so deeply concerned about capitalist environmental destruction, Abreu turns to the 1930s, a decade in which artists had to confront economic turmoil through their art. “Boy & the World” is as much a pointed criticism of today’s environmental woes as Chaplin’s “Modern Times” was of the Depression. And, like Chaplin before him, Abreu keeps you on your toes, right until the very end. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a pretty view, too.
EVENT PREVIEW
A historic ‘Sleeping Beauty’ production By MERIN MCDIVITT Daily Arts Writer
For the 25th anniversary of the University Musical Society’s lauded dance series, something special was in order. American Fortunately for them, Ballet and for local Theatre’s audiences, the perfect “Sleeping opportunity Beauty” presented itself when Mar. 31-Apr. 3 American Detroit Opera Ballet Theatre House announced it would be Sold Out going on tour with Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty.” There could hardly be a better time for the performance. American Ballet Theatre appeared in the headlines last year when they appointed the legendary Misty Copeland as a principal ballerina, the first Black woman to ever win that position in the United States. The audiences on Friday and Saturday will even get the opportunity to see Copeland
dance in a minor role. And during the end of March, many on campus are craving an escape from the drudgery of work and studies. “Sleeping Beauty” promises to be one of the most lavish productions the area has seen in recent years, featuring an exquisite set, period costumes and an enormous number of performers. Bringing a huge, luxurious production here was far from easy, as Jim Leija, UMS’s director of education and community engagement, can attest. “It’s also a really big collaboration between UMS and the Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit,” Leija said. “We don’t really have a stage or venue that’s big enough to do this kind of classical production in Ann Arbor.” The collaboration, which will continue in future productions, worked out beautifully for both partners, resulting in stellar production values that stay true to the show’s original production in New York City. “It’s a really beautiful production. It’s quite lavish,” Leija said. “There are something like 200 people in the performance,
and about half of them are from the local community.” In the weeks leading up to the production, American Ballet Theater has participated in community workshops and other engagement events with UMS. Dancers led master classes at the University of Michigan as well as at Wayne State University and Oakland University, and Detroit high schoolers even had the opportunity to “meet the artists,” Leija said. They also visited the Ann Arbor YMCA to lead a “You Can Dance” collaboration with adults of all ages interested in movement, dance and expression. The dazzling show runs through Sunday, the culmination of years of planning and months of preparation for UMS, Michigan Opera Theatre and American Ballet Theatre. Then the ballet will hit the road, bringing their fantasy of slumbering royals and magical kisses across the country. But the promising partnership between UMS and Michigan Opera Theatre, beginning with this impressive high note, will continue in the coming years.
Arts
6 — Friday, April 1, 2016
EVENT PREVIEW
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
EVENT PREVIEW
ASA to celebrate ‘U’ students start a new local music fest African identity By DAYTON HARE
Eighteenth annual show fuses music, dance, comedy, fashion and stories By MARIA ROBINS-SOMERVILLE Daily Arts Writer
We were. We are. We will be. These are the lines that both divide and unite the theme of this year’s Annual African Culture 18th Annushow, an annu- al African al tradition Culture created by the African Stu- Show: dents Associa- Afrolution tion that fuses music, dance, Apr. 2, comedy, fash- 7:30 p.m. ion and rich Power Center storytelling to explore the $10 students/ $12 roots of many non-students African students on campus. LSA senior Lukonde Mulenga, president of ASA joined the club her freshman year in hopes of connecting with other African students in a way that was unavailable to her in high school. “My parents are from Zambia, and not many Zambians immigrate from Zambia,” she said. “So where we were living
Daily Arts Writer
the closest people from Zambia to us were an hour away.” LSA junior Seun Oladipo, ASA’s social media chair, said he hopes to ensure that the Culture Show includes a broad and diverse representation of Africa’s 54 countries. “We try and get a very regional representation,” Oladipo said. “The campus can be very much West Africanbased, so we try to span different regions within Africa. It should be a really educational, but really fun experience for everyone.” “I want to leave with ASA knowing that they are representing the entirety of Africa and not just one part,” Mulenga added. Historically, the African Culture Show has been lively and well-loved and Oladipo said she feels the pressure to exceed expectations for this year’s performance. “I think one of my biggest challenges this year is making sure that people aren’t complacent,” she said. “We did really have a good show last year, and I feel like some people came into it thinking, ‘oh it’ll be amazing,’ not really realizing that there is a lot of work that goes into making the show.” About 60 people are involved in producing Afrolution this year. The group gets support from their graduate chapter and, has worked to bring in acts
from outside of the University of Michigan community and even from outside of the United States to perform. The fashion show, which features students exclusively, is a mainstay of the African Culture show. The group holds open auditions for models and combines African-inspired fashions with authentic clothing donated by students and their families over the years. “One place where the theme is really apparent is in the fashion show,” Oladipo said. “You can see the progression of the clothes, how it was pre-colonial to how a lot of Africans are dressing now to where you see the fashion aesthetic going in the future.” She noted that with the show in particular, attendees will see some differences — though they’ll have to wait until the show to find out what they are. “Something that we’ve been trying to do differently is the way the fashion show is structured,” Oladipo said. “In previous years it’d be sectioned off by the tempo of the walk, so we’d have a slow walk and a medium walk and a fast walk, and we kind of stuck with that for a bunch of years.” In combining history, pride, music and identity, ASA links generations to celebrate what it means, has meant and will one day mean to be part of a vibrant African community.
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Pütisserie cake 7 Sold for, as a stock 15 Derby racers 16 Taps, essentially 17 Reprimand to one not picking up 19 Pound denizen 20 Biblical birthright seller 21 Oldest of the gods, in Plato’s “Symposium” 22 Rail transport landmark 26 At a minimum 27 Swimmer’s option 32 Invite 35 Game winner 36 Lunch order 39 Minuteman, e.g. 42 Smoke and mirrors 43 “The Soul of a Butterfly” memoirist 44 Essen article 45 Concluded, with “up” 46 First 12 children of Gaia and Uranus 49 “How surprising!” 54 Light, colorwise 58 Chanel No. 1? 59 Columnist Barrett 60 Sir Edward Elgar composition whose title has never been solved ... and a hint to this puzzle’s circles 65 Exercises displaying great strength 66 Conventioneer with antennae, perhaps 67 “Don’t budge!” 68 “Honor Thy Father” author
8 Journalist son of Mia Farrow 9 Debate 10 Some evidence 11 Carlisle Cullen’s wife in the “Twilight” series 12 Evil follower? 13 And 14 Word with coin or ring 15 Places to clean and press 18 Powder room containers 23 Tied up 24 Online finance company 25 Hard-to-miss signs 27 Trig function 28 Hosp. personnel 29 Like much of Australia’s interior 30 Noah of “The Librarian” TV films 31 Look wrong? 32 Reichenbach Falls setting 33 Teed off 34 “I __ it!” 37 Stradivari’s tutor 38 Lombardy’s capital 40 Co. merged into Verizon
41 Start one’s law practice 47 Composer Stravinsky 48 Hit 49 Caesarean section? 50 Mayflower figure 51 Errant golf shots 52 Musical with “jr.” and “KIDS” versions for young performers
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In the not too distant past, it was sometimes maddeningly difficult to gain access to art of interest to you. If you wanted Threads to hear a piece of music, you All Arts had to go to the Festival record store and hope they Apr. 1-2 had it. If you The Yellow Barn wanted to read a somewhat $5 Two-Day Pass obscure book, you had to visit your local library and hope it was somewhere in their system. Visual art could be seen in galleries or in picture books. But in the present hyperconnected age, when we’re all supersaturated with various forms of media, entertainment and art via the Internet, we can find almost anything we want with a few clicks and keyboard commands (indeed, the challenge today is mostly sorting through the vast quantity of information to determine what is worth our time). While it’s excellent to have such easy access to so much, one of the regrettable side effects of this situation is that we now have a tendency to overlook the work of local artists, having removed the immediacy of being local, one of their main advantages. But it’s important to note that by so doing we potentially lose something extremely valuable — a sense of community. A sense which is constructed
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more. “We kind of wanted to touch on every genre that we got,” Patrick said. “A few electronic things too, and DJs as well, that are also using projections and stuff like that.” Threads will incorporate far more than just music however, giving a platform to all sorts of artists, such as modern dancers, poets, film artists and visual artists. This diversity of art genres and performances is reflected in the name of the festival, Threads All Arts, which Patrick said was a name long in its conception. “It came from one of the people on the team — Karen Toomasian, who’s an architect, just graduated — she was standing in the doorway, with her backpack on,” Patrick said. “And — this is how she says it — she was looking at the rug that was on the floor, and she was like, ‘Man, there’s a lot of things that make up this rug, and that’s cool because it’s a pretty rug, and threads, there’s a lot of threads on here. Guys we should name it threads!’ And it was finally the first name that everyone didn’t totally hate, so we had to keep it.” The festival will be held on Friday April 1 and Saturday April 2 at the Yellow Barn, a local performance space.
“Let’s make our own festival and see what happens.” Threads is also partnering with UMS to showcase some of their local artists in residence, who will be performing in the festival. “(UMS has) helped us a bunch, really in term of promotion,” Patrick said. “It’s really great.” Patrick said he hopes that this weekend’s festival can be the first of many, emphasizing the value of local art. “We really believe that the community will feel stronger connections to the place that they live if they are also aware of the artists who live here,” Patrick said. “The cool thing about Ann Arbor is that it’s so small that it’s like, your cashier is also your friend, is also your neighbor, is also this person who’s been releasing albums that you haven’t known about for 10 years. And we really want to be sort of like a vessel for artists trying to establish themselves in this town … it’s pretty inspiring, I think, to know that you’re walking on the same sidewalk as someone who has those feelings and expresses themselves in that way.”
LOOK FOR AWESOME ARTS COVERAGE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THIS SUMMER
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through the togetherness of people enjoying the art of their neighbors. All well-known artists were once local. Without the support of those around them, the great artists of history may have failed to achieve the fame they ultimately possessed. After all, The Beatles started as a group of Liverpool teenagers jamming together. For all of those reasons, it’s very exciting that this weekend Ann Arbor will have an opportunity to consume a tremendous quantity of local art, gathered in a single place as part of the Threads All Arts Festival. “There’s a bunch of things happening in Ann Arbor, there’s a lot of people who come through Ann Arbor, but there’s not a lot of people who go to the shows of the art that’s happening here,” said Nicole Patrick, School of Music, Theatre & Dance senior and one of the founders of Threads. “So we were kind of like ‘Let’s make our own festival, and see what happens.’ It was kind of a joke at first, and then we wrote a proposal, and then it wasn’t a joke — no, mostly a dream, not a joke.” Patrick and her friend, School of Music, Theatre & Dance senior Samuel Schaefer, initially had the idea to start an arts festival after attempting to gain funding for another project of theirs. “Sam also works on a project out of our house — we also live together. We turned our attic into a recording studio,” Patrick said. “It’s called Stereo Parrot, and it’s a recording label … they’ve released five to seven albums since they started. We wanted to get a few dollars for that going.” The pair submitted grant proposals to the EXCEL Program for three projects. The program provides entrepreneurship training and career services for University students within the performing arts. “We had that idea, kind of came up with a grant proposal. I took it into my drum teacher, Michael Gould,” Patrick said. “He was like ‘Yeah that’s great, but you guys should just like, apply for everything you ever wanted to do. Don’t just write one proposal.’ So we submitted three: one for Stereo Parrot, one for Threads and one for our band Rooms.” The application to get funding for Threads was ultimately successful, and in the time since the proposal, Patrick, Schaefer and an additional four friends who joined the project have worked to bring a diverse array of arts and artists to the event — from the Balkan brass band Rhyta Musik to contemporary dancers. This year, Threads will have over 50 performing artists present, most of which are musicians, with rock bands, original classical compositions, jazz and
E-mail katjacqu@umich.edu & ajtheis@umich.edu for an Arts app.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, April 1, 2016 — 7
Michigan set to begin Big Ten play What to watch for: ‘M’ Spring Game
By COLE ZINGAS Daily Sports Writer
In the eighth inning on Tuesday, Bryan Pall was on the mound and the Michigan baseball team was leading Central Michigan, 9-6. Pall had just Michigan at walked the N’western bases loaded and was pitching Matchup: Michigan 17-5; to Robert N’Western Greenman with 7-18 only one out. When: Friday It was a 1 P.M. high-pressure situation, but Where: Rocky Pall kept his Miller Park composure and TV/Radio: forced a crucial Nusports.com 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and keep the game out of reach for the Chippewas. Moments like these have become routine for the Wolverines’ bullpen early in the season. The starting rotation, composed of left-handers junior Brett Adcock, sophomore Oliver Jaskie and senior Evan Hill, along with right-hander sophomore Ryan Nutof, has been dominant. The four have posted a combined ERA of 2.39 and started 21 of 22 contests. But especially in recent games, it has been the bullpen that has led the Wolverines to victory. Clutch outs late in games from pitchers such as freshman William Tribucher and junior Mac Lozer have helped Michigan (17-5) to its best start in 20 years. And not only do these key outs hold the opponent at bay, they also ignite the batting order. “It is instantly able to energize the offense and get the momentum back into your dugout,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “Guys are hustling off the field, fired up and ready to go hit. Added junior outfielder Johnny
Fans will get peek at QB competition, WR depth, new D.C. Don Brown By KELLY HALL Daily Sports Editor
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Carmen Benedetti has given the Wolverines a boost both on the mound and in the batter’s box this season.
Slater: “Fighting at the end of the game like that — we get a lot of momentum from that.” After dramatic endings in the last two games — a walk-off win against Illinois-Chicago on Sunday and stranding the bases loaded in the eighth on Tuesday against Central Michigan — Slater thinks the team will carry that energy into this weekend, when it faces Northwestern (7-18) for a three-game set in Evanston. Momentum has been on the Wolverines’ side lately, as they ride a six-game win streak into their first conference games of the year. Maintaining momentum can depend on a solid relief staff. And Michigan seems to be getting better as the season goes. Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Lamb hadn’t pitched in almost 12 months due to an injury, but he made his season debut last
weekend. He closed out the ninth inning in two of the last three games for the Wolverines. Junior left-hander Keith Lehmann is also coming off an offseason injury, and he showed that his arm is ready to join an already-deep Michigan bullpen. Lehmann threw four innings on Tuesday and allowed two earned runs on three hits. Lamb and Lehmann’s recoveries aid a staff that is also boosted by junior first baseman Carmen Benedetti’s ability to help the Wolverines on the mound in addition to hitting in the 3-hole. “Whenever (Benedetti) is in there, it’s going to be in a situation that is an important part of the game,” Bakich said. Benedetti’s 92-plus miles-perhour fastball and improved offspeed pitches have come in handy for Michigan. Sunday, he held a
one-run lead over UIC, pitching 2.1 innings and striking out four without allowing a hit. The Wolverines’ schedule ramps up starting Friday, with a stretch that includes 12 Big Ten games over the next three weeks. The bullpen — comprising newcomers like Tribucher, situational pitchers like Benedetti as well as now-healthy pieces Lamb and Lehmann — will hope to continue its successful support of the dominant Michigan starting pitching. As the Big Ten favorite, Michigan will want to show right away that it doesn’t have weak spots on the mound, whether it is the beginning of the game or the ninth inning. And if they continue to get strong showings, the Wolverines have a good chance to start conference play in dominant fashion.
Wolverines relaxed ahead of regionals ‘M’ hopes to ride home advantage By LANEY BYLER Daily Sports Writer
Three days before the NCAA Regional Championships, one would expect to hear all the sounds of a grueling practice in the women’s gymnastics team’s training center, whether it be sprints on the runway to the vault, the squeak of uneven bars or tumbling passes on the floor. Instead, all that could be heard was laughing. There’s no doubt that the laughing came after a grueling practice, but it was laughter all the same. For No. 7 Michigan, this kind of confident, relaxed attitude is the engine pushing it to do well in competitions. Less than two weeks ago, it garnered the Wolverines a Big Ten Championship, and Saturday, they’re hoping it’ll get them an NCAA Regional Championship. Watching individual gymnasts on competition day, one wouldn’t notice this attitude. Whether it’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year Olivia Karas prepping for a Yurchenko 1 ½ that got her a second-place finish on vault at the Big Ten Championships, or junior Talia Chiarelli pausing before a dismount on beam, each athlete is completely focused. But if you look just behind them on the sidelines, you can see the rest of Michigan’s team smiling and cheering like it’s any another meet. “The coaches are always telling us to stop during practice because they’ll try to have meetings and we’re just being loud and funny,” said senior Lindsay Williams. “We have a lot of fun together, and that helps us when we’re competing because we’re relaxed. We do way better that way.” Michigan plans on going into the regional tournament with this same attitude. But facing teams like No. 6 Auburn, No. 18 Stanford, No. 24 Eastern Michigan and No. 25 Penn State, the Wolverines know they’re
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore Nichelle Christopherson has made an impact this season filling in for an injured Briley Cassanova.
going to have to focus on more than just their confidence to get them a finish on top. “We have been tracking hit percentage for landings; that is a huge focal point for us,” said Michigan coach Bev Plocki. “The difference between a team that goes to the Super Six and the team who doesn’t are those stuck landings.” Near the end of the regular season, the Wolverines battled with some of those landings. At the Big Five meet — a qualifier for the Big Ten Championships — they had struggles with multiple landings on beam and on bars. But at the Big Ten meet, Michigan looked like a completely different team. There were stuck landings all across the board, most noticeably by junior Nicole Artz, who won two Big Ten individual titles on floor and beam. However, with competition coming from No. 6 Auburn this time around, the Wolverines know that despite their strong
performance at Big Ten, they can’t take that win for granted. Michigan had back-to-back regional titles in 2013 and 2014, but fell short last year. And while the Wolverines are hoping their confident attitude and work on landings will give them a chance to claim another title, they have a safety net. “I can’t emphasize the importance of the depth in our lineup enough,” Plocki said. “Having Karas doing the job as a freshman, along with Brown and Artz — they’re incredible all-arounders. “But you can’t be successful as a team with three great athletes. I’ve got Chiarelli, who is phenomenal on three events but goes unrecognized because she’s not an all-arounder, along with Sheppard and Christopherson. At meets like these, it can come down to one kid, one kid can be our savior. Sometimes, that’s the kid who doesn’t get recognition.” Sophomore Nichelle
Christopherson is a prime example of this depth. Christopherson, who preformed just four routines on uneven bars her freshman year, stepped up to the plate this year. After senior Briley Casanova faced a sidelining back injury, Christopherson filled in. She not only filled in on the majority of the uneven bars rotations where she had previous experience competing, but also on floor. Michigan’s roster has just 11 athletes, and with 24 events in a competition, this could be a struggle for the Wolverines. However, with athletes such as Christopherson to fill in any gray areas, these low numbers don’t prove any problems. According to the rankings, Michigan should be one of the two teams advancing to the NCAA finals. If the Wolverines use their depth along with their home advantage, they could be restarting their Regional Championship streak.
Spring football usually comes and goes quietly, with its 15 practice sessions wrapping up almost as soon as fans even knew they began. But for the Michigan football team, the offseason practices were anything but reticent. The Wolverines received scrutiny and praise for Spring Break travel plans while also garnering a captive nationwide audience left wondering what Jim Harbaugh would do (or tweet) in his second year at Michigan. Friday night, its wellwatched spring season will come to its close in a fitting way: under the lights and in front of hoards of curious fans in the Big House. Here’s what to watch for when the Maize takes on the Blue in the Wolverines’ Spring Game. 1. Who’s under center? Jake Rudock was a morethan-capable signal caller in 2015, but the fifth-year senior transfer from Iowa was only a temporary fix at quarterback. Following his departure, three quarterbacks have separated themselves from the pack, but the coaching staff says it hasn’t gained enough confidence in any player to name a starter. Redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight and redshirt juniors Shane Morris and John O’Korn are still battling it out, but Friday night should provide insight to who has the best chance of playing on the gridiron on Sept. 3. Both O’Korn and Morris sat out last season, but Speight did see some game action. Against Minnesota, the 6-foot-6 player came in for an injured Rudock and led a game-winning touchdown drive, proving he can play under pressure. While the Spring Game provides a clear checkpoint and will show how the other two react to a large audience, things will still change over the summer months. 2. O-line chemistry Of the five offensive linemen who played regularly last season, four are returning. After playing two seasons at left tackle, sophomore lineman Mason Cole is expected to take over at center following Graham Glasgow’s graduation. Cole’s move will leave a spot open at the left tackle position, which sophomore Grant Newsome will likely assume. Newsome, who made his college debut against Minnesota in 2015, contributed as a true freshman on the O-line. Now, with a season of experience under his belt, Newsome is expected to perform. Redshirt junior Patrick Kugler could
also play into the mix, if he plays well enough at center. If so, Cole could be pushed back to the outside and Newsome would move to the bench. A lot of team leaders will be returning on the line as well, including three fifth-year seniors: Kyle Kalis, Ben Braden and Erik Magnuson. With as much experience as it has, the O-line should be a good match Friday for a unit that ranked fourth nationally in total defense last season. 3. Receivers who aren’t named Amara Darboh or Jehu Chesson Last season, Darboh and Chesson made names for themselves as starting wide receivers, but the Wolverines could have benefitted from more depth at the position. Michigan passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch listed Moe Ways as a receiver who was making strides in the offseason, but the sophomore recently injured his foot and had surgery on Tuesday. He’s expected to be back in time for the start of the season, but he will miss critical practice time throughout the summer that will lead to more opportunities for others. Michigan natives Grant Perry and Drake Harris could step up, but the sophomore and redshirt sophmore, respectively, will need to prove they can play under pressure. The Spring Game will be another good test for that. Early-enrollee freshman Ahmir Mitchell has turned heads throughout spring practice and received more than a few reps at the spring practice held at Ford Field. Don’t be surprised if the young wide receiver grabs attention on Friday night, too. 4. Don Brown’s new defense (starring Jabrill Peppers) Redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers could be found on both sides of the ball last season, but so far this spring, he’s spent all of his time on defense. Peppers is a big asset for firstyear Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown, who’s using Peppers in multiple ways. Brown likes Peppers at the SAM linebacker position, estimating that he spends about 70 percent of his time at the position. He likely allots the rest of his time at safety or nickelback. The Wolverines might put Peppers on offense for the first time during the Spring Game for the crowd’s enjoyment, but don’t expect too much from him there. No promises on defensive scores, though. Brown left Boston College after leading the Eagles to the best total defense in the nation in 2015, and he’s taking over the remnants of the fourthbest total defense. With the combination of returning talent and coaching, it’s expected that Michigan’s defense will be of similar strength to last season’s. Brown is known as “Dr. Blitz” for a reason, so keep watch on the defense if you can tear your eyes away from the quarterback competition.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Jim Harbaugh believes he has a more athletic team this spring than a year ago
Sports
8 — Friday, April 1, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan ousted from WNIT By CHRIS CROWDER Daily Sports Writer
Throughout the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, Madison Ristovski has told her teammates, MICHIGAN 62 71 FGCU “This isn’t going to be my last game,” while still playing like it will be. With every performance Ristovski had in the WNIT, she has played the best basketball of her career to delay the last time she dons the maize and blue. But in the Final Four against Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, the senior guard could no longer prolong the end. Ristovski scored
19 points, but it was in vain, as the Wolverines fell, 71-62, to end their season. Since the Eagles’ inaugural season in Division I in 2007, they have won more than 90 percent of their home games at their home Alico Center — a win percentage second only to Connecticut during that time span. That figure alone was a hint that Michigan would need everything they had to pull out a victory in its first time away from Crisler Center in the WNIT. “It definitely helps in this tournament to play on your home court, a place where you shoot and practice every day,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “I think that definitely
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played into their advantage, but they still made shots and they did what they needed to do to seal the game down the stretch when we made that run.” The Eagles (33-5) scored the first basket of the game with a 3-pointer, but soon after they went into a four-minute drought, shooting 0-for-8 while the Wolverines went on a 9-0 run before a timeout at the 4:54 mark in the first quarter. Florida Gulf Coast didn’t remain quiet for much longer, though, as it knocked down its next three 3-pointers to take the lead. The Eagles used their hot shooting from distance to cap off the first quarter with a 13-2 run to take the lead, 16-11. Michigan (22-14) struggled to take care of the ball in the first frame, committing six turnovers that turned into 11 points for the Eagles. The Wolverines went on an 8-0 run and took over the lead twice for brief moments in the beginning of the second quarter, but Florida Gulf Coast regained momentum at the end of the first half with a blocked shot and a coast-to-coast layup to go up by six. The Wolverines had one more opportunity to score before the end of the half, but freshman center Hallie Thome was denied at the rim. “I wish I had that first and second quarter back to change the tempo a little more like we did in the second half,” Barnes Arico said. “They exposed our young defenders and they did a great job of that.” Florida Gulf Coast’s defense, which allows 49.1 points per game — second-fewest in the nation behind Connecticut — proved its legitimacy against Michigan in the first half. The Wolverines shot 10-for-28 from the floor while giving up 10 turnovers to fall behind, 28-22, by halftime. The Eagles made only one more shot than the
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Madison Ristovski scored 19 points in a losing effort in the WNIT semifinals on Thursday to close out her career.
Wolverines, but they made four more 3-pointers and six fewer turnovers, giving their seniorladen squad confidence going into the break. Zero Michigan players scored in double digits at the half, as sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty led the Wolverines with six points on 30 percent shooting. “They scout the heck out of you and I think that they know their personnel and make other people have to beat you,” Barnes Arico said. “They take away your top guys and they put everybody else in the paint and they make those other guys have to play to beat you. They block out, they give you one shot, and they get back in defensive transition.” Michigan didn’t score in the first two minutes of the third
quarter, turning the ball over two more times along the way before Ristovski knocked down a 3-pointer to get it going. But Florida Gulf Coast matched the shot with a triple of its own to push the lead to seven. The Eagles led by as much as 10 in the third quarter, but finished it leading by just two due to Ristovski’s play. Putting the team on her back while the cold-shooting Flaherty was on the bench for the majority of the half, Ristovski dropped 12 points and dished out two assists in the third quarter to keep the Wolverines close while the rest of her team struggled. The game stayed close deep into the fourth and, with just over three minutes left to go in regulation, Flaherty sank two free throws to cut the deficit
to two again, 59-57. After a defensive stop, the Wolverines took the lead after Flaherty made her first 3-pointer of the game. But again, the Eagles battled back with another make from behind the arc. Florida Gulf Coast’s next possession ended with another 3-pointer that deflected off the rim and went in at the shotclock buzzer to push the lead to five with a minute left. Only managing a pair of free throws down the stretch, Michigan was unable to climb back again. The Wolverines saw their season end at the exact same point this year as they did last year — in the Final Four of the WNIT. And even with a desperate effort from Ristovski, the team once again fell short of hoisting its first banner at Crisler Center.
Michigan seeks to answer questions against Indiana By TYLER COADY Daily Sports Writer
In the Michigan softball team’s loss to Northwestern last Friday, Sierra Romero filled in at shortstop. As a routine ground ball made its Michigan way to the at Indiana senior, it slipped through her Matchup: Michigan 24-3, legs, allowing Indiana 20-10 two Wildcats to score. And When: Friday with the added 6 P.M. cushion of Where: Andy those two runs, Mohr Field Northwestern TV/Radio: survived the BTN2Go Wolverines’ spirited seventhinning comeback and won, 13-12. The next day, Romero moved back to second base as junior shortstop Abby Ramirez made her return to the field, injecting a sense of normalcy into Michigan’s infield and exuding confidence in the lineup. “(Ramirez) is a player who shows up to do her part,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “That is one of the things I love about her the most.” Though she usually hits second, Ramirez hit ninth and notched one hit in four at-bats, keeping her batting average above .400. “I thought she did as well as she could do,” Hutchins said. “I don’t think she is … 100 percent or her speed is all there, but we just need her to do the best with what she has.” In Ramirez’s three-game absence, due to an ankle injury, Hutchins inserted freshman Faith Canfield at second base for Romero. Canfield excelled, hitting .333 with a home run and three RBI. “Faith is a role player, not a bench player,” Hutchins said. “Her role is to fill in where we need her and … she is very capable of doing anything we need her to do.” As strength is restored to the Wolverines’ middle infield, questions surround the rest of
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Junior infielder Abby Ramirez gives a sense of normalcy to the Michigan infield.
No. 2 Michigan (2-1 Big Ten, 24-3 overall) as it prepares for three away games in Bloomington against Indiana (3-0, 20-10). During the Wolverines’ collapse on Friday, catcher Alex Sobczak’s inexperience showed itself as the freshman struggled to deal with low-thrown pitches, allowing several to make their way to the backstop. Sobczak lost her place in the lineup for the series’ final two games, giving way to sophomore catcher Aidan Falk. Hutchins gave no hints as to who will be catching against the Hoosiers, stating only that, “(Sobczak) is one of our catchers.” Though uncertainty marks the catcher position, there is little doubt as to the improved performances of junior pitcher Megan Betsa on Saturday and Sara Driesenga on Friday. Coming into Friday’s game in a relief role, Betsa struggled, garnering zero outs, walking three and allowing four earned runs. Saturday, Betsa continued to give up an inordinate amount of walks — five in total — but found a way to work through
jams, as 12 strikeouts proved to be the difference between further Northwestern scoring and Michigan returning to bat. As the public relations department touted the game as “Sara Driesenga Day,” last Friday turned out to be anything but for the hard-throwing righthander. While Driesenga started in commanding fashion, the top of Northwestern’s lineup got to her in the fifth inning, when she put two early runners on base. The Wildcats used that as a springboard to construct a sevenrun scoring inning. Returning to the mound for the series finale, Driesenga tossed four solid innings, allowing only one earned run and restoring confidence to Michigan’s beleaguered pitching staff. As Betsa and Driesenga return to their confident selves, the return of defensive stalwart Ramirez is sure to be a boon for the defense. However, it won’t solve all of the Wolverines’ problems, as more consistency from the pitching staff holds the key to Michigan’s success against the Hoosiers.