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Friday, November 18, 2016
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Mike being Mike Michael Jocz is known for being the brainiest member of the Michigan football team. But it’s not quite that simple, and it hasn’t always been easy.
» Page 4B CAMPUS LIFE
Students talk about being transgender at University PAUL AHNN/Daily
Ashley Blake, community and engagement lead at Avalon House, speaks about addressing chronic homelessness in the School of Social Work Building Thursday.
Forum explores reasons for chronic homelessness in Washtenaw County
Event highlights affordable housing, wealth disparities and available resources KEVIN LINDER
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan’s School of Social Work hosted a talk on the current state of homelessness in Washtenaw County and the efforts social workers and organizations
undertake to combat it Thursday evening. The event, organized by the Community Action and Social Change Student Board and presented to an audience of about 20 students, included speaker Ashley Blake, a community building lead with Avalon Housing, an Ann Arbor-
based nonprofit organization that both manages and develops affordable housing units in the county. According to Blake, there are currently 342 known homeless individuals in Washtenaw County, 301 of whom are unsheltered. Blake said 138 of those individuals reported
having a serious mental illness and 70 reported problems with substance abuse, both of which are issues heavily associated with causing homelessness. “People with mental illness are disproportionately affected by homelessness, so it is estimated that 26 percent of homeless See HOMELESSNESS, Page 3A
Discussion focuses on shared experiences and hopeful messages RACHEL LEUNG Daily Staff Reporter
As part of Transgender Awareness Week, the Spectrum Center and TransForm, a student organization that focuses on transgender activism and support, held a panel discussion Thursday where speakers at the University of Michigan who identify as transgender women or transgender femme shared their experiences on campus. At the discussion, attended by about 35 students, panelists told stories of when they struggled to realize their gender identities and
determine how they wanted to represent them publicly. Panelists described how they struggled with realizing and expressing their gender identities, as well as anecdotes about receiving threats and being called names on campus because of them. Panelist LaVelle Ridley, a Rackham graduate student, said it was important to discuss transgender women’s positive stories to contrast those of bullying and intimidation. “Trans women, and especially trans women of color, fall into these stories of just being harassed or See STORYTELLING, Page 3A
During town hall, campus community ‘U’ joins in Process to nationwide reflects on sustainability initiatives fill vacancy
SCIENCE
ANN ARBOR
day to stop smoking
Several offices and departments evaluate current and future long-term efforts
The campaign aims to advance national antismoking efforts
Students and staff filled the Hatcher Graduate Library gallery Thursday for the annual Campus Sustainability Town Hall Meeting to discuss the University of Michigan’s efforts to meet long-term sustainability goals. In 2006, the University set several goals for reducing the campus’s negative effect on the environment by 2025, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent and of landfill waste by 40 percent. At Thursday’s event, various University staff members addressed these particular goals by outlining initiatives to reduce both emissions and waste. Andy Berki, director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, said the University’s efforts thus far have been moderately successful, citing the relative stability of the University’s environmental footprint despite its 22 percent growth in infrastructure — an increase of 8 million square feet in the past 10 years. However, he also said additional efforts and innovative solutions are necessary to meet the reduction numbers set in 2006. “A lot of efforts are making a difference, yet our goals are not normalized,” he said. “They’re absolute. … As an institution,
JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter
Over the past month, MHealthy’s Tobacco Consultation Service has encouraged smokers in the University of Michigan community to “Quit For A Day” on Thursday as part of a nationwide anti-smoking day sponsored by the American Cancer Society. As part of their campaign, TCS connected with other branches of the University Health System by attending staff meetings and discussing their services throughout the month. The service also distributed quit kits on campus, which hold information about ways to quit, including devices like Red Hots candies, worry stones and other resources, and to patients across the health system who are interested in quitting. Additionally, TCS sponsored a webinar Tuesday led by Kate Collins, regulatory counsel in the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products, to discuss See SMOKING, Page 3A
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that’s one of the big challenges we face, is how to meet our longterm sustainability goals.” Presenters described several operations that will be implemented in the coming years, including an increase in the amount of power the University produces internally, the transition of the Big House to zero-waste production by 2017 and a boost in composting opportunities around campus.
Presenters also raised the topic of fostering a sustainabilityoriented campus climate, highlighting initiatives like the Sustainable Living Experience theme community for freshmen. The event also included various booths, manned by various University departments and student organizations that audience members could visit before and after the event. Focusing on sustainability
efforts, these booths included Planet Blue Student Leaders and the Student Sustainability Initiative, which aim to facilitate a campus-wide commitment to sustainability-related actions. Tracy Artley, an employee with the University Waste Reduction and Recycling Office who presented during the town hall, emphasized the importance of events like See SUSTAINABILITY, Page 3A
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Emily Canosa, assistant director of Sustainable Living Experience, speaks at the Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery Thursday.
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Vol. CXXVI, No. 32 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
on council commences
City must appoint a replacement for Sabra Briere within 30 days SOPHIE SHERRY Daily Staff Reporter
Preparations are in place to fill the seat of Councilmember Sabra Briere (D-Ward 1) after she steps down in December. After nine years in office, Briere announced her intention to resign last week. Briere has been an Ann Arbor resident since 1973 and the Ward 1 representative for City Council since 2007, making her the longest-seated current council member. On Nov. 7, Briere published an online letter announcing her plans to resign. She stated in the letter that she is resigning to move with her husband to Santa Rosa, Calif. to be closer to their son. Though Ann Arbor’s city charter states the council must appoint a replacement to fill Briere’s seat within 30 days of the vacancy, Briere pointed out in an interview there is no mention in the rules of how the council gets news of the vacancy or fills the vacancy, just that it must be filled. When Briere finalized her decision to See CITY COUNCIL, Page 3A
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Entrepreneurship Lecture
“White House Police Data Initiative”
Latin American Arhitecture
Positive Links Speaker Series
WHAT: David Tarver, founder and president of the Urban Entrepreneurship Initiatve, will speak about his work in corporate research and development and in a technology business startup WHO: Innovate Blue WHEN: 11:30 am to 12:30 pm WHERE: Stamps Auditorium
WHAT: Clarence Wardell, co-lead of President Barack Obama’s 2015 police data initiative, will discuss the program’s work with law enforcement agencies across the country as well as its challenges and successes. WHO: School of Information WHEN: 11:30 am to 12:30 pm WHERE: North Quad, Room 2255
WHAT: Fernando Lara, Professor of Architecture at Universit of Texas will discuss influences and culture apparent in Latin American architecture. WHO: Center for Latin Amerian and Caribbean Studies WHEN: 6 pm to 7:30 pm WHERE: Museum of Art, Helmut Stern Auditorium
WHAT: Sarah Pressman will offer research-based strategies about the effects of smiling on stress, health, and behavorial outcomes. WHO: Michigan Ross Center for Positive Organizations WHEN: 4 pm to 5 pm WHERE: Ross School of Business, Blau Hall
Diag speak out advocates for peace and love after election HEATHER COLLEY For the Daily
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s upset win last week, the University of Michigan campus has been filled with protests, vigils and rallies. However, on Thursday night, the Diag was host to an hour of rest as the musical group Love and Peace, affiliated with a new movement on campus by the same name, played a variety of blues and reggae songs promoting inclusion and equity. Peace and Love began its performance in front of Hatcher Graduate Library with a slow, keyboard-heavy and lyrical tribute to peace during tense times. Lead singer Christopher McClendon, a Business senior, said to the audience of nearly 50
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peace and love. There need to be actual services implemented to make sure every student here feels welcome, feels like they matter.” LSA juniors KeeAna Lane and Sydny Rivers said they attended the performance looking for a positive end to a taxing week at the University. “The vibe here has been intense, but I can’t let it get to me,” Lane said. “I didn’t expect the singing. I didn’t know what to expect. But it’s a positive thing, and if anything is needed right now, this is it.” Rivers echoed Lane’s sentiments, adding that events like this one had the potential to change minds in a positive way. “Election week had a deep effect on me,” Rivers said. “But maybe it’s time to push on and work together, and maybe this is the beginning.” As McClendon sang Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” to a gathering crowd of students, Public Policy junior Nadine Jawad, co-founder of the Peace and Love movement and a senior policy adviser to Central Student Government, addressed the crowd. Jawad said she wanted to magnify the voices of people who feel systematically oppressed amid prevailing political and racial tensions in the United States. “My message is about retaliation,” Jawad said. “In the last week, we’ve all been pushed and tried in ways that are unimaginable. But when we fight back with love and peace, instead of anger and frustration, we send a message. I could spend five minutes talking about how an Uber driver cussed me out last week, but instead we’re going to focus on us. Because the people on the Diag right See SPEAK OUT, Page 3A
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Fifty people gather with musical performances in show of unity students that they were there to remind University students that cohesion in the campus community was still possible amid a political firestorm. “If we just take a little time to love one another, there is power to break every chain of violence that exists in this country,” McClendon said. “It’s time to unite under one concept of love. Clap your hands and show that we are united.” As students began dancing around the block ‘M,’ LSA junior Kendall Lindsey said he came to watch the performance to support its mission, but wished it could spark tangible change at the University. “In the wake of everything that’s happened, all of the hate right now on campus, it’s good to see the love spinning around,” Lindsey said. “But that’s not the end of it — it’s not just about
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‘U’ Bicentennial Office holds Diag event to raise awareness Organizers set up booths aiming to increase student interest ALEXIS RANKIN For the Daily
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Business junior Christopher McClendon sings as part of the Love Movement on the Diag Thursday.
SPEAKOUT From Page 2A now can all work to ensure that tomorrow is better than today and two days from now are better than tomorrow.” She told the crowd that the shock of increasingly angry and discriminatory rhetoric on campus following Trump’s election inspired the creation of
STORYTELLING From Page 1A violated or experiencing violence or incarceration for whatever reason,” Ridley said. While noting it is important to acknowledge the harsh realities of living as a transgender person, Ridley said it is equally important to remind others why transgender women risk so much to express their gender identity in the first place. “I really just want to find and look for and dig for those
HOMELESSNESS From Page 1A adults staying in a shelter live with a serious mental illness,” Blake said. “Part of why this number is so high is because folks with mental illness, especially severe persistent mental illness, even if they are able to get into housing, they usually require or would like some additional support, and there’s not a whole lot of permanent support in housing out there.” Avalon Housing currently owns and operates 21 properties in Ann Arbor that serve both single adults as well as families. According to Blake, housing units on these properties currently house more than 400 individuals. She emphasized that the nonprofit operates more as a support service rather than a landlord. “There are a lot of public
SMOKING From Page 1A the FDA’s new tobacco rule. Under this rule, the FDA regulates all tobacco products, including hookah and e-cigarettes, among others. The ACA-sponsored day, called the Great American Smokeout, began in the 1970s and takes place every year on the third Thursday of November. Smokers are encouraged to either make a plan to quit smoking or use the day to kick off their plan. According to the ACA’s website, 40 million Americans smoke cigarettes, and tobacco is the largest preventable cause of health complications and death.
an all-inclusive movement. “We believe that people have a right to be angry and they have a right to be scared,” Jawad continued. “But we want to counteract all of that because if we come together as a community it can rise us up. It’s been a really frustrating week. My Uber driver cussed at me when I dropped a food crumb in his car. I told him, ‘Thank you and have a nice day,’ and that’s the model of our movement.”
McClendon reminded the group that love and peace can prevail as long as they allow it to. “I don’t care what weapon may fall against me,” McClendon said. “I will prosper because I believe in peace. I love that hijab Nadine wears. I love the timbs on my feet and my nappy hair. I love all of you, whether you’re black or white or blue or green or yellow or anything in between.”
The University of Michigan Bicentennial Office hosted a Diag Day Thursday afternoon to spread information about the activities and events planned for the 2017 bicentennial year. Two organizers — the Michigan Bicentennial Archive and the Bicentennial Student Advisory Committee — set up two booths in the center of the Diag with the goal of increasing interest and student involvement in the University’s bicentennial year. M-BARC focused on disseminating information about a time capsule they are developing for the occasion. Designed by University engineers, it will be launched into space this summer to orbit for 100 years and will include information stored in the form of interviews, audio and video files and DNA. On Thursday, LSA senior Paul Stefanski, a representative from M-BARC,
stories, not that they haven’t experienced marginalization, but this ever present human story of overcoming these obstacles and being triumphant and finding love and finding joy with other people and with themselves,” Ridley said. Panelist Mari Brighe, Spectrum Center graduate communications coordinator, agreed that more positive stories of transgender experience should be shared. Brighe, whose articles discussing life as a transgender woman have been featured in publications like
Vice, Mic and Bustle, said she shares her stories publicly despite receiving daily threats because she feels obligated to readers who relate to her experiences. “Honestly, every time I get an email or a tweet or a message from someone who tells me that my work is important to them, is important to them for being safe or being included or feeling welcomed or feeling like their ideas and experiences were validated, that means everything in the world to me and outweighs a million threats,” Brighe said. Mark Chung Kwan Fan,
assistant director of the Spectrum Center, echoed Ridley’s sentiments and said he hoped the panel discussion helped individuals in the University and transgender community hear more positive stories about overcoming marginalization to find happiness. “It’s really to share their experiences of not just marginalization but also success,” Chung Kwan Fan said. “Because even though you identify within an oppressed community so to speak, you do have opportunities to be successful as well.”
housing agencies nationally that are either starting to move themselves in offering permanent supportive housing or are partnering with groups like Avalon who are already doing it,” she said. “What all the research and studies show is that permanent supportive housing is what’s most effective in terms of keeping people safely housed.” Blake also highlighted efforts individuals can make to become more informed about homelessness, attending City Council meetings to hear council and community members present their positions on the issue. She noted public hearings in the past have highlight mixed attitudes of citizens about proposals and developments related to affordable housing. “What we see is sort of a mix of folks coming out,” she said. “We will see some folks who show up and say, ‘I’m so in support of there being affordable housing
in Ann Arbor.’ Then we get folks coming out saying, ‘Not in my backyard. I don’t want folks who need affordable housing living by me; I don’t want folks with mental illness living near me.’ ” In an interview with the Daily after the event, Blake elaborated, saying residents who oppose affordable housing project developments in their neighborhoods often support the idea in general. She noted that, historically, City Council has been highly supportive of Avalon’s and similar organizations’ work. LSA junior Carly Noah, a member of the CASC Student Board who organized the talk, said coming from a small, rural town, her first experiences with homelessness during her freshman year exposed her to issues of wealth disparities that are more prevalent in urban environments. “It was during the winter, and I saw people wearing Canada Goose coats, and I thought
there are so many people who are homeless, so I was really bothered by the discrepancy between the two,” she said. In her remarks, Blake also highlighted the gaps in wealth that exist in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, noting that while the county is relatively wealthy, there are a number of individuals who are of lower socioeconomic status. “We have a lot of privilege in this county, we have a lot of privilege associated with the ‘U,’ and I don’t think a lot of people realize just how much inequality there is in Ann Arbor currently,” she said. LSA freshman Paul Chamberlain said after the event that at the start, he didn’t understand the full scope of the issue and the work of advocacy organizations like Avalon. “I felt like I wasn’t really aware of the extent of the problem, and I was encouraged by what people are doing to meet the problem,” he said.
TCS Program Manager Alison Nix said “Quit For A Day” opens a window for TCS to promote its resources to people who may be interested in quitting smoking or who would simply like to experience what it would be like to quit for a day. “We feel like we have a role to share information on this day not only from an education perspective around what’s going on in the field, but also to provide information and support to individuals,” she said. Scheduling the various events to culminate on the same day as the Great American Smokeout, she added, helps TCS take part in a national conversation at a community level. “It’s an opportunity for us
to share information on a day that people are really keyed in to because it’s a historical event that’s been happening for many years,” she said. “By having it on the Great American Smokeout, it’s a day that we can focus in on and highlight the resources that we have available to help people do that.” Public Health Prof. Cliff Douglas, who teaches classes in tobacco policy and serves as the vice president for tobacco control at the American Cancer Society, noted in an interview that about 90 percent of smokers start smoking by the age of 18, and 99 percent start by the age of 26. As a result, Douglas said, efforts like “Quit for a Day” in a university setting can be very influential. He added that knowledge and awareness are
critical in a college environment and among students. “One critical focus, of course, is students,” he said. “You’ve got a fairly significant percentage of smokers who start during the college years, so it’s a key transition time when a college student who smokes will either decide to quit or will continue smoking for many years to come and suffer the consequences. Or, in some cases, it determines whether a student starts to smoke.” TCS efforts are slated to continue throughout the month — through the end of November, a wall in UMHS’s Towsley Center will continue to feature stories from people who used TCS to help them quit smoking as well as information about other methods to help quit.
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signed up interested students to be interviewed for the project. M-BARC plans to conduct 1,000 of these interviews in total, which won’t be heard until the capsule is brought down from space by the class of 2117. “No one has ever sent something into space for 100 years before or even designed anything with that intention, especially since some of the information is being stored in DNA,” Stefanski said. “It will be an interesting experiment for scientific purposes as well. Our mission is to make a time capsule unlike any that has been made before.” Nursing freshman Mary Kostesich was one of many students who signed up for an interview for the time capsule, and said she was excited to be involved in such a project. “I’m really excited for the space capsule,” Kostesich said. “I think it’s so cool that this will be the first of its kind and is being created by University engineers.” Members of the Bicentennial Student Advisory Committee also
SUSTAINABILITY From Page 1A this one that bring together different groups dedicated to sustainability. “You get a bigger bang for your buck; everything kind of reinforces everything else,” she added. “What we’re doing reinforces what Recycle Ann Arbor’s doing, which reinforces energy management, all of those kinds of things,” she said. “It’s a bigger message when we all come together to reach a bigger audience.” However, LSA senior Liz Bedrick, a board member for the Student Sustainability Initative, voiced disappointment regarding the lack of a Q&A session, which was a part of the town hall in previous years. Bedrick also said she felt the event’s scope was narrower than she expected and focused on the efforts of only a few departments. “I thought it could have been a little more comprehensive,” Bedrick said. “A lot of stakeholders
CITY COUNCIL From Page 1A move to California, she said she promptly began working with city officials to create a plan for filling her soon-to-be vacant spot, minimizing the amount of disruption that would ensue. “In other situations in the past, people have moved and resigned but because I have full warning and I’m the kind of person I am, when I understood that my son was successful in purchasing the house and I had a basic idea of when I would move, I worked with the mayor and the city administrator and the city attorney to create a reasonable process proposal, and council then looked at that process proposal and improved it,” Briere said. People interested in filling the vacancy have until 2 p.m. on Nov. 23 to complete an online application. On Nov. 28, the council will interview all applicants individually. Briere said the administration committee, which is a subgroup of the council, is currently deciding on a series of interview questions to ask applicants, which will be made public by Nov. 23. At the Dec. 5 council meeting, Briere will offer a resolution declaring her resignation, creating a vacancy and stepping away from the table to allow council members to discuss who should fill the seat. Ward 1 resident Jeffrey Hayner, who ran for the City Council seat in 2013, said he is currently deciding if he will
spoke to students in the next booth about the other 2017 bicentennial events and how they can get involved. The University will be offering classes, open to students and the public, for both the winter and fall 2017 semesters about the history, effect and future of the institution. Public Health student Peter DeJonge, a member of the Bicentennial Student Advisory Committee, said the committee is also encouraging other student organizations to get involved in the celebration. “There are a lot of ways for your student club to get involved,” DeJonge said. “If they want to incorporate a bicentennial theme they can talk to us or they can talk to the bicentennial committee, and they can integrate that into their own activities. The bicentennial year will also see campus visits from several notable alumni, seasonal festivals and other University-sponsored events.
weren’t accounted for here. They only had four people talk from three different offices, so I think they could have had a wider array of people.” Nonetheless, she said she felt the representatives from these departments demonstrated a positive trajectory for sustainability on campus. “But I think in terms of their goals they all seem to be on track, and I think a lot of the initiatives going on are really great,” she said. Engineering senior Natalie Salton said she appreciated the format of the town hall event because it provided opportunities for the community to actively engage with the topic and interact with others involved in sustainability programs. “If the University only put out reports, I think you’ll have a lot lower participation and awareness of what’s going on,” she said. “... You can still talk to people, see what things are available around campus by having interpersonal relationships. It’s a lot more effective at communicating stuff than throwing reports and fliers at people.”
apply for the vacancy, but hopes the position will be filled by someone who represents the community voice. “Sabra has done so much to promote community involvement and participation, so I really want to make sure that seat goes to whoever it is that can keep some of that going,” Hayner said. “It’s important.” Hayner also said he is
“Sabra has done so much to promote community involvement and participation”
concerned that this position will be appointed rather than taken to a public vote, especially following the city’s recent vote to move to four-year term lengths. “I haven’t read what the clerk has to say yet, but I followed some of it when they were discussing it,” Hayner said. “I don’t love it because appointments always lend themselves to abuse of the majority.” Briere said she hopes the opportunity to apply for this position will attract a different pool of candidates than those who would run in an election against an incumbent. “It is my hope that a number of people will apply who are supremely qualified, but whose names have never appeared on a ballot.”
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T
Response to #NotMyCampus
his week on campus, students continued to react to both the presidential election results and the multiple hate crimes that have occured in Ann Arbor since, culminating Wednesday when nearly 1,000 students joined Rev. Jesse Jackson in a walkout protest against racism and violence. However, one reaction stood out because of its different focus. Earlier this week, students and others began circulating a #NotMyCampus petition condemning and commenting on both recent protests and a Nov. 9 vigil on the Diag in response to the election results. Appended to the petition were personal statements by community members expressing feelings of misrepresentation by the administration and exclusion from their community for their conservative viewpoints. While it’s vital that campus is a space where all feel comfortable engaging in thoughtful dialogue about their political leanings, we feel this petition misunderstands the fact that one cannot equate these feelings of exclusion to fearing for the safety of their life, a salient concern for students in light of recent indicents of violence on this campus. We recognize that the roughly 10 percent of students who voted for Presidentelect Donald Trump feel excluded, and these feelings are legitimate. Research suggests that the kind of polarized rhetoric surrounding this election could have adverse effects on the social progress that occurs when we have conversations with those who hold different views than our own. It must be understood that many students who voted this way do not feel aligned with Trump’s offensive ideology and voted for him for other reasons. But we must also emphasize why the majority of our campus community is frustrated by the students who signed the #NotMyCampus petition. We fear the petition signers may not understand how those who are fearful for their physical safety see a vote for Trump as a vote for racism and other discriminatory ideas to reign in our world. It is impossible to divorce the idea of Trump from the offensive rhetoric and racist beliefs his campaign promoted, legitimized and normalized. It is concerning that the students who voted for Trump — regardless of whether they personally support such rhetoric — could put aside his alarmingly exclusionary and offensive claims and promises, seemingly not understanding how this kind of speech can harm our country and our campus.
The statement under most scrutiny by the petition is from a speech University President Mark Schlissel gave at the Nov. 9 vigil, in which he stated, “Ninety percent of you rejected the kind of hate and the fractiousness and the longing for some kind of idealized version of a non-existent yesterday that was expressed during the campaign.” With these remarks, Schlissel made two parallels: A vote for a candidate other than Trump is a vote against hate, and by extension, a vote for Trump is a vote for hate. Though somewhat indirect, this second parallel — along with administrators’ extensive outreach to students both over email and through presence at protests — understandably made many students who voted for Trump feel ostracized. We feel that Schlissel’s quote was not attempting to condemn students who voted for Trump, but rather prioritizing students who are grieving, suffering or fearing for their livelihood. But we also believe Schlissel should and could represent and support the 90 percent of students who voted against Trump without rejecting the 10 percent of students who did by affirming student safety and concerns without wading into ideology. It is vital that Schlissel understands this and urges our community to come together instead of deepening the divide.
We do want to acknowledge the proactive approach Schlissel and other administrators have taken. In the recent past, from the #BBUM movement to the protests against racist posters to the creation of this year’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan, administrators have been criticized by students for not engaging with students enough and not providing genuine support when students are both frustrated and hurting. This week, Schlissel and many administrators and staff have been present and supportive. In comparison to the University administration’s past responses to students’ concerns on campus, Schlissel and other administrators’ responses to hateful rhetoric should be commended. Everyone in our University community must be careful not to denounce conservative or Republican ideology and increase the harmful polarization that has made Trump the president-elect. Though the 10 percent’s feelings of exclusion should be heard, these same students must, in turn, hear and understand why marginalized communities and their allies feel their votes supporting Trump are votes supporting racism. Only when both sides have listened and heard this can we begin to move forward toward a more productive, safe and united campus.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION
Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
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NOTABLE QUOTABLE We will outlast the meanness, we will outlast hate. We will outlast violence. Love will conquer hate. — Rev. Jesse Jackson addressing protesters at the Students4Justice Walkout Wednesday afternoon.
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Our silver lining
O
ne of my favorite quotes last eight years on behalf of the comes from the poet LGBTQ community, women Tyler Knott Gregson: and minority groups will be “Out of the darkness, we can eradicated. I’m disappointed make light.” In so few words, he that rape culture is so real that conveys a very simple half of the country concept: There is always is willing to allow a light at the end of the a man who brags tunnel, but only if we about sexual seek it. Silver linings do assault to be the not come freely. face of the country. It can be difficult, I I’m frightened that, know, to believe there with a Republicanwill be light in the wake controlled House of this presidential and Senate, no one election. After all, as will stop our future ASHLEY I went to sleep early president from ZHANG Wednesday morning building a wall, with Donald Trump just shy of defunding Planned Parenthood, 270 electoral votes, I thought the deporting undocumented world was going to end. Being immigrants (many of whom quite the dramatist, I literally grew up in America and know thought the world would implode no other country as home) and or explode sooner than America so much more. would elect Trump into the Yes, I am disheartened, highest office of the country. angry, heartbroken, sickened, But, as it always does, day scared, disappointed and came, and the world didn’t end. frightened, as many of us are. Nov. 9, 2016, was just another day, But that’s the important part — albeit an extremely gloomy one. we are not alone. A depression seemed to settle Walking across the Diag and over campus as students trudged seeing messages of acceptance to and from class (or skipped and kindness scrawled across class entirely) with morose faces the red brick in the wake of and empty eyes, wondering how, the election, it’s clear that this how, how could this possibly be university is devoted to diversity, reality? But don’t mistake this safety and compassion in such depression as defeat. No, we were a polarizing time. The swirling merely taking our rightful time to chalk around my feet — with mourn. And when we were done, messages such as “You belong when the shock had settled and here” and “Love trumps hate” our hearts finished sinking, we — moved me to tears. The vigil found strength and solidarity in on the Diag the night after the each other. election was haunting, as candles That is our silver lining. illuminated the faces of hundreds Of course, it’s disheartening of students who showed up to to know that the glass ceiling support marginalized peers and is still very much intact, that mourn together. America will seemingly elect Students again stood in anyone, no political experience solidarity with those who felt required, into office as long as endangered after the election. they’re not a woman. My heart Music, Theatre & Dance senior breaks for my Muslim and James Ross Kilmeade organized Mexican peers who suddenly a protest against intimidation have to fear for their lives, and Saturday night after a student I’m angry that the results of the was threatened and forced to election have emboldened closet take off her hijab. Other students racists to threaten and harass have volunteered on Facebook people of color, even here in Ann to walk those who feel unsafe Arbor. I’m sickened by the acts of home at night. hate and intimidation expressed Despite this horrible incident, on campus. I’m scared that all it is heartening to see that, for the social progress made in the every act of hate this election
has procured, this university and its students respond in love. I may be disappointed in Michigan as a state for voting the way it did, but I couldn’t be more proud of the University of Michigan for striving to make the campus welcoming and safe for everyone. It would be easy to sit back and say, “We’re screwed,” but the overwhelming action stemming from pure passion shows we will not take this loss lying down. In the midst of this darkness, the love and compassion of students is the light we need. As we enter this trying time together, we must preserve our small and tentative light, harvest it and let it grow with love. In other words, we cannot stop. We must continue to fight together against hate, racism, xenophobia, sexism and homophobia with peace and unity. We must continue to protect our Black, Mexican, Muslim, LGBTQ and female peers from those who feel emboldened to be awful. We must continue to make our voices heard. We must make this loss worth something. We must make something good out of it. And when the going gets tough, we must catch the rare silver linings. Though she did not win the electoral vote, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, which shows that a majority of this country doesn’t support Trump’s message. This election, despite its result, has sparked important conversations on race, immigration, women’s rights and so much more. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood have received an outpouring of support and donations in the days since the election. A map of the Electoral College if just millennials voted is overwhelmingly blue. We students, in all our anger, passion, generosity and empathy — we are the future. And in these dark times, we must be the light.
Ashley Zhang can be reached at ashleyzh@umich.edu
ALONA HENIG | OP-ED
Don’t let BDS divide us ALONA HENIG
M
y parents were born and raised in Israel, and lived there until they were 28 years old. They’re my only family members who don’t currently live in Israel, so the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is very near and dear to my heart. Human rights have also always been important to me. Last year, I met two Palestinian refugees around my age, and they welcomed me into their home. They offered me tea and cookies and showed me love, despite coming from a country whose military evicted them from their homes. At that point I knew I had to do something. It’s incredible what three letters can do to a student body. As soon as “BDS: Boycott, Divest, Sanctions” is heard, we shut down — we pick a side. Some consider it a divisive movement, but I don’t believe the resolution’s intention is to divide us. I genuinely believe the Palestinian students and authors of this resolution are not solely at fault for this division — we all are. It’s easy to stand divided, to surround ourselves with comfortable conversation and put down the other side. And at times, I do it, too. I sometimes shut down and tell myself BDS isn’t constructive and will drive us farther from peace. If we reject this proposal, however, then we must find an alternative, one that will also work to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and one that will ensure selfdetermination for both Israelis and Palestinians. We must find ways to strive for peace and collaboration in this effort. My goal, along with J Street U’s goal, is to end the
occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. We strive to find a two-state solution — a way for both peoples to obtain and maintain sovereignty and liberty from one another, with neither side having power over the other, which is so clearly not the case right now. The BDS movement is scary because it’s seen as a threat to Israel’s security and, globally, doesn’t recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. I understand this is a high priority for many students and faculty members at this University. When we hear BDS, we, specif ica lly Jews on ca mpus, a re concerned Israel is in da nger. This fea r is va lid — it comes f rom a genuine place, but t hat fea r ca nnot overpower t he leg itimate suf fering ta king place t hroughout t he occupied territories. That being said, economic pressure is an important part of creating change, so I’d like to propose an alternative. We, as a campus, need to fund peace projects. There are numerous organizations in the United States, Israel and Palestine working toward peace, such as Hand in Hand, B’Tselem, The Third Narrative and OneVoice. These are really incredible organizations working on the ground to bring people together and end the violence and hatred evident in this conf lict. Avoiding one another and working solely to shut one side down rather than hearing what they have to say will not bring us closer to peace. Just yesterday, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality hosted an event open to everyone to come and learn and ask questions and discuss. We, as members of the pro-Israel community, need to take it upon ourselves to attend those events.
Let me also add that we are all Wolverines here. As equal students on this campus, we all pay tuition, attend challenging classes and walk through the same Diag. CSG is a governmental body seeking to represent us all and it’s time to come together. If we, here in Ann Arbor, can’t work together and challenge ourselves to listen to one another, what does that say for any hope across countries? We have a responsibility to mobilize and work together. We must include members of all perspectives in the conversation. We have to put ourselves in conversations that may hurt and frustrate us to ultimately come out with a better understanding. One campus’s BDS decision, whether approved or not, doesn’t end the atrocities happening overseas. I call on us to carry this momentum into tomorrow and the upcoming weeks, months and even years. Work to change your lens, to undo your bias. Don’t let this be an issue we care about today but forget about tomorrow. The issue is incredibly controversial, but that is good — it brings passion. I invite you to join us at J Street meetings to learn and grow together. I encourage you to attend and listen to SAFE presentations as well as pro-Israel events. We are on such an incredible campus with so many opportunities to challenge ourselves available to us, so let’s use them. These issues are hard and I’m sorry for the hurt they cause, but if we want to see change, it has to start with us.
Alona Henig is a sophomore in LSA and a co-chair of J Street UMich.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
MUSKET’s ‘Avenue Q’ to play at Power Center
Friday, November 18, 2016 — 5A
TV REVIEW REVIEW
Musical production explores the adventures of grown-up muppets is surreal. The show, a brainchild of Robert Lopez and University of Michigan alum Jeff Marx, Daily Arts Writer premiered on Broadway in 2003 and has since won multiple Tony What happens when Sesame awards. It has also continued to Street grows up? I mean like really run Off-Broadway. The musical grows up — like when you are involves a cast of hand puppets, all of a sudden a each controlled young unemployed by actors who are puppet thrust into visible on stage but the cruel, cruel seem to fade into world of awkward the background as sexual encounters, the plot progresses. racism and internet Although porn? (With little puppetry is so often Power Center more than a B.A. relegated to the in English and likes of childhood Friday, Nov. 18 and relentless waves of innocence, “Avenue Saturday, Nov. 19 anxiety about the Q” is anything but at 8 p.m., Sunday, future.) MUSKET’s pure — showcasing Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. “Avenue Q” seeks musical numbers to explore these such as “The $7 students/ $13 tribulations Internet is for adults with candor and Porn” and muddy lightheartedness. discussions of Both director topics like religion Matt Kunkel, a and financial strife, senior in the School of Music, all played out through colorful Theatre & Dance, and actor Josh puppets akin to the ones who Knoller, an LSA freshman, spoke taught you how to count or not to of the production as something eat too many cookies. The puppets of a salve in a time of nationwide allow the cast to discuss heavier distress following the presidential topics or take certain risks that election. they might not be able to take if the “With the whole political whole production were solely live climate the way it’s been, we need ... action. to kind of have an escape from real The MUSKET cast worked life,” Kunkel said. He added that with Rick Lyon, one of the original the theater is unique in bringing puppeteers of “Avenue Q,” on people together, with people from perfecting their technique to different walks of life all sharing a give the puppets a lifelike quality, focus and space that allows them essentially, what allows the human to enter into a different world. behind the puppet to fall away And the world of “Avenue Q” from the narrative. MARIA ROBINS-SOMERVILLE
Musket Presents: “Avenue Q”
Due to the adult subject matter and “full puppet nudity,” Kunkel noted that the puppetry allows the script and music to take more risks in the content they discuss. “If it were just two humans talking on stage like that, it may be considered too inappropriate or too risqué,” he said. Knoller, who plays Nicky, referenced comedians such as John Oliver and Trevor Noah, who use satire to shine light on the tense sociopolitical moment to explain the play. “A lot of the most poignant rhetoric for people who are really upset is from things like that, somewhat raunchy but to the point commentary,” he said. He suggested that “Avenue Q” was in a similar movement, something that amid a funny and light exterior is an astute commentary that toes the line between hyperbole and truth. Both Knoller and Kunkel noted that the script was especially poignant for a millennial audience, as it focuses on Princeton, a recent grad searching for a job, a home and above all of that, a “purpose.” In this vein, Kunkel highlighted nuggets of wisdom from the show, reassuring his audience, as the “Avenue Q” script says, “It’s okay not to know. It’s okay to not have everything figured out right away.” Additionally, he tacked on a lyric from the end of the show that seeks to be a salve to the pain, fear and uncertainty present within the hearts of many. “ ‘Everything in life is only for now.’ ”
FILM NOTEBOOK TV REVIEW
AMAZON
Kiss!
Amazon’s ‘Red Oaks’ an entertaining but inessential ’80s movie rip-off Season 2 of the escapist guilty pleasure emits a trivial kind of nostalgia titular country club — surprises the two of them. The crux of the episode is Look — “Red Oaks” is, as art this awkward tension between goes, pretty inessential. It’s not David and Getty, but the standard a subversion of the ’80s movie “overbearing father” plot tropes archetype, nor is it eventually give way an homage, either; to the thematic well it is almost literally “Red Oaks” is, and an ’80s movie, has always been, only extended into more concerned “Red Oaks” a 10-episode TV with dipping into: Season 2 show. namely, David’s In its first season, inability to grow up. Amazon Prime which aired last And while the year, “Red Oaks” series eventually All Episodes went out of its way returns to its Available to Stream to establish just status quo — “Red how committed to Oaks” as a concept its milieu it was. Of is inherently course it was set in a country club incongruent if it’s not summertime full of white people in suburban at the country club, and so by the New Jersey. Of course the best second episode, it’s May 1986 and friend is a stoner named Wheeler David’s back to work — the show (Oliver Cooper, “Project X”). Of seems incapable of asking more course the primary love interest searching questions. What does is both the boss’s daughter and a it mean to become an adult? How doppelganger for Ally Sheedy in does one follow one’s passions? “The Breakfast Club.” Of course These issues are constantly our protagonist doesn’t want to be addressed (albeit through the prism a CPA like his dad, but a filmmaker of the white suburban experience), instead. but they’re just as easily denied any The new season begins with pointed analysis. And while new the requisite premiere in a plotlines are inevitably planted foreign country: David (Craig — Getty’s ongoing legal troubles, Roberts, “The Fundamentals of David’s ex-girlfriend’s impending Caring”), now enrolled in a nearby marriage to perhaps the most community college after dropping persistently loathsome and out of New York University, visits irritating character on television Skye (Alexandra Socha, “Royal — “Red Oaks” is all too eager to Pains”) in Paris, and the two of return to its comfort zone, both them are having a wonderfully temporally and thematically. romantic and artfully shot vacation But perhaps it’s unfair to until Getty (Paul Reiser, “The Paul critique this show for complacency. Reiser Show”) — Skye’s father and The John Hughes movies that David’s previous employer at the “Red Oaks” takes its cues from are, NABEEL CHOLLAMPAT Daily Arts Writer
B-
after all, more or less built on the foundation of mood over depth. The coming-of-age teen comedy isn’t always the most probing, but it’s often the one that sticks around longer in the heart. It’s a pastiche of tropes, sure, but those tropes are eminently pleasurable. “Red Oaks” seems like the product of some sort of Amazon computer algorithm that parses data from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “Say Anything…” and then spits out an ’80s teen movie, plotlines expanded and stretched into the capacity of 10 episodes. This doesn’t make it any less enjoyable to watch. The production values, as is characteristic of period shows on streaming services, are noticeably high, and while the cast, save for Ennis Esmer (“Blindspot”) and Reiser, isn’t particularly great, the actors are at least watchable. Each character is little more than a tired archetype, of course, from the thinly sketched female characters down to the old, white Reagan acolytes that populate the country club. But, for better or worse, “Red Oaks” is surprisingly empathetic toward all of its characters. It’s unbearably cheesy at times, but it successfully conjures an era in which being a trader on Wall Street was an ideal to aspire to, but being into Eric Rohmer and Francois Truffaut was edgy and interesting. The issue is in the show’s triviality. It is — for lack of a better term — a guilty pleasure, a series that offers nothing more than inconsequential, decent escapism, and is content to do so.
A24
See? They’re not talking, and they’re fine.
People who talk during movies suck Please don’t ruin everyone’s experience with your selfish chattering WILL STEWART Daily Arts Writer
I consider myself to be patient and compassionate, especially with the elderly. When I see a crusty Buick cruising at 50 mph on the highway, I don’t curse out the 80-year-old driver; I just pass them and go on my way, hoping that a semi truck doesn’t rear end them. When I’m grocery shopping and my cart gets stalled by a slow walking senior couple debating which off-brand cereal to buy, I smile and wait. I mean, this decision is difficult for everyone regardless of age — how could I be cruel enough to judge them for this? However, when an elderly couple disrupts my movie going experience by chit-chatting about the most mundane, ridiculous things, all patience and compassion is lost. There is no excuse for talking during a movie. If you’re guilty of doing this, stop ruining 90 minutes of other people’s lives and reevaluate your own. Last May, my older brother Cam came home from New York to celebrate Memorial Day with the family. The weekend was filled with Stewart-family rituals, like (vegetarianfriendly) backyard barbecues and late night conversations with him pretending like we know what’s best for our parents — this year’s theme was why they need to get a new dog. That Saturday, we followed another Stewart holiday weekend tradition and went to see a movie. Our happy
Midwestern family story hit its first and only roadblock here. We were decided on “The Lobster.” We were seated and comfortable in the theater, and the previews starting. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with talking during the previews. If you really care about a movie trailer, just search it on YouTube. So, when I heard loud mumbling behind me, at this point, all was well. Once the movie started, the incessant mumbling didn’t end. I turned back, giving a piercing stare, to realize that the perpetrators were a happy elderly couple. This was heartbreaking and a real moral challenge. How could I ever chew these people out? Any feelings of empathy and tolerance were thrown out the window after about three seconds. I was hoping they would catch on to my frequent aggressive stares followed by overly dramatic gestures of disappointment. They never even locked eyes with me. I’m guessing the problem was they couldn’t see much of anything in the darkness of the theater and were likely just trying to guide one another through the movie. For this, I felt kind of mean, but I stayed strong on my whole “no excuses” stand. My brother and I turned to one another and loudly whispered things along the lines of “Wow, that is so (expletive) annoying.” This didn’t quite catch on. After every time I shushed them or countered their rudeness with more rudeness, I felt this weird adrenaline rush
while thinking, “Yeah, serves them right. I feel great.” It felt no different than the tingly feeling after a rollercoaster ride. This was probably not a great sign; maybe I should’ve eased up a bit. Nonetheless, I was sticking up for my seating section, the Robin Hood of the movie theater. At this point, I probably sound like a spoiled college student with no empathy and a complete lack of awareness that people get old. I hate to throw my brother, the most compassionate and loving person I know, into the mix. Maybe that can be further proof that absolutely no one likes when people talk in a movie theater. If Cam gets upset, everyone gets upset. In our divided cultural climate, we should all come together and agree that people who talk during a movie suck, like people who leave their disgusting mess behind at the dining hall table which forces you to do some miraculous balancing act carrying their plates on top of yours to end up with all of them shattered on the ground. We all hate these things. During tumultuous periods of partisanship and division, our petty grievances remind us that we’re not so different. If you are someone who talks at the movie theater, it’s okay. You deserve a second chance. On behalf of everyone who is equally annoyed by this, you are forgiven. It is not like the perpetrators are consciously trying to ruin everyone else’s experience; it is incognizant selfishness.
MUSIC AND GENDER
“She’s dating someone in the band” CARLY SNIDER Daily Arts Writer
About a month ago, I attended a small show in Pontiac with a fellow punk-witch music writer. Let’s call her Lemina. The Garden, Heyrocco and So Pitted lured Lemina and me into the Pike Room in downtown Pontiac; they’re just the kind of grungy, off-kilter bands we crave. The night was rainy and chilly, the roads slick and shining. It was less than ideal. But the anxiety and uncertainty brought on by the weather was forgotten once we entered the cozy venue. Upon arrival, a narrow flight of stairs led us up to the Pike Room, where a smattering of flannelwearing, mosh-pitting fans patiently waited. We milled about the crowd, the room not much bigger than a classroom. The audience was talkative, and we quickly made friends among our fellow fans — music can do that, you know. One newfound acquaintance, let’s call her Alex, accompanied us to the bathroom, making light conversation. And then, you know the drill: Women’s bathrooms are a cesspool of compliments and camaraderie. Amid this fog, we made the acquaintance of another woman, seemingly a fan. She was tall and well built, with bobbed grey hair and a killer fur coat. After a few passing words, she exited with more grace than I thought ever possible in a dingy bar restroom. Alex then took this opportunity to lean into us and breathlessly state, “I think she’s dating one of the boys in The Garden, I saw her with the bands earlier.” The awe
was evident in her eyes. Having no real reason to doubt her, I nodded my head in agreement, not thinking much of the seemingly innocuous comment. Soon after, our motley trio parted ways and Lemina and I returned to the crowd, watching and waiting. We watched as Heyrocco weaved in and out of the audience, setting up their equipment on the small stage. We watched as they played, shirtless, sweaty and drinking, and again as they dismantled. The next band, So Pitted, then took the stage. There, gripping her guitar, was the girl from the bathroom — the supposed girlfriend. She wore round, black sunglasses and stared sternly ahead. So Pitted began to play and there she remained, plucking deliberately at her guitar; the extent of her her fingers and a slight sway of her hips or a nod of her head. She was raw and rad as hell. As the evening spun forward and I was engulfed in the oddity that is The Garden, there was a nagging discomfort that wouldn’t leave me. It was that comment, that assumption made by Alex in the bathroom — the one that I didn’t give a second thought to at the time of its oration. A woman seen with the band is automatically a girlfriend or a groupie, a tagalong to the real musicians. The longer I thought about it, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t immediately seen such an utterance as problematic. I’m a feminist, damnit. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how deeply engrained and pernicious this kind of
sentiment is — especially in the realms of rock, punk and grunge. This is nothing new. The role of women as accessories to male rockers has existed almost as long as the genre itself. Nearly all sub-rock genres — punk, pop, psychedelic, etc. — all share the thread of male-fronted or maledominated ensembles. Even when early punks like the New York Dolls subverted gender roles, dressing up in women’s clothing and heavy makeup, they did so without actually letting women into the scene. The music was too hard, too angry for women to pull off. But, thankfully, women have not sat idly by. We have taken action, mobilized against this musical structure that tries to limit us. I think about Pussy Riot, and their status as one of the most overtly (and successfully) political bands — male or female. Or of groups like Sleater-Kinney, The Raincoats or Bratmobile. Even musicians that don’t fall under the rock umbrella continually and boldly do what they’re told they can’t. As grateful as we are for these talents, we shouldn’t leave all the legwork to them. We — the fans, aficionados, journalists, people — can help to break down these structures. Next time you encounter an Alex-esque comment, immediately think critically. Don’t wait for it to sink down and settle in you for you to realize the meaning behind the words, like I did. Engage in discourse. Support your local, national and extraterrestrial girl groups. Slowly but surely, it will make all the difference.
Arts
6A — Friday, November 18, 2016
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Chipaumire’s ‘Portrait’ of African masculinity
Her ambitious project tackles stereotypes and fatherhood distinction between the two in the larger consciousness. Within Daily Arts Writer the Black universe, there are much clearer understandings Three bodies, one boxing ring, of who is who. And I think that several dimmed lights and an kind of nuance is what the greater immeasurably ambitious project. majority misses.” Through dance, Chipaumire’s Zimbabwe-born work explores, choreographer beyond what it Nora Chipaumire means to identify explores the as one thing, stereotypes and what it means to realities of African identify as many. masculinity using Her new piece, Downtown Boxing moving bodies as “Portrait of Myself Gym chimeras of her as my Father,” is estranged father, an extension of a 6445 E. Vernor, in a Detroit exhibit 2013 work, “The Detroit this weekend. Rite of Spring,” Since graduating which focused Friday and from the University on the female Saturday, Nov. 18 of Zimbabwe and African body as and 19 at 8 p.m. completing an M.A society’s figurative in Dance and M.F.A sacrificial lamb. Sunday, Nov. 20 at in Choreography “I was curious 2 p.m. & Performance what happens with $40 from Mills College, the black African Chipaumire male body, and has continued I found that the to create work discovery of my deconstructing father’s body kept notions of the it really personal African male and female body, and in a private arena. I don’t do gender roles and the limits/ work in which I’m not complicit, capabilities of art. it has to be meaningful to me and Her ongoing project and teach me something” Chipaumire engagement with these questions said. “Hence, trying to draw pull is one the rest of the world, out, tease out and sculpt out this thankfully, although late to the portrait of my father as this site game, has come to recognize. of male African masculinity, “The Black Lives Matter black masculinity, as the site of movement emerged after I had sacrifice.” already been in this process,” Chipaumire said in an interview. “I feel like the rest of the world caught up with what I was interested in. So then there’s the question, especially on an American landscape: Why is the black male so feared? Why is that black male such a threat?” I asked how her commitment to exploring these questions precipitated. “It was coming to America, and it being put to me that, ‘No, Currently based in New York, you’re not Black, you’re African.’ Nora and the two male dancers ” she said. “There was a clear who perform as her father, have GRACE HAMILTON
“Portrait of Myself as my Father”
Her work explores beyond what it means to identify as one thing.
Classifieds
been on tour for three months with the work, beginning in their home-base in Brooklyn, traveling to Europe and finishing with their finale in Detroit this weekend. The group has been met with standing ovations in nearly every city, an honor that is both recognized and reciprocated by the artists. “There’s so much at stake for us three Black bodies in the space, especially given this timeframe that we’re in this week,” Chipaumire said. “And there’s just this thing where the audience stands up for you in recognition of the effort they have seen you unleash, so we bow to them in recognition of their work too.” The week’s political climate was an inevitable corner in which our conversation could not avoid brushing. However, Nora and her dancer’s work challenge the understanding of many on this matter too: she doesn’t want to talk about her blackness, her femaleness, her belonging to the global South. The conversation is flipped. “For all us that always expected that white is might, well, there it is. I no longer as a person from the global south have to concern myself with describing myself to you” she said. “This is really ripe, the study of otherness, that’s gone. We are not othered; we are people.” So, with fierceness, conviction and passion, the project continues. While Nora plunges further into the arena of both personal and projected identities, she poses a challenge to many of the rest of us: “You need to tell us who you are,” she said. “I think that’s the beautiful unexpected consequence of this whole Nov. 8 conundrum that we all find ourselves in.” With such an alarmingly refreshing note of positivity, a testament to the power of art, we can all agree that’s a beautiful thing indeed. “Portrait of Myself as my Father” will offer more of the same.
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Friday, November 18, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
SMTD Symphony Band presents Mackey’s ‘Ohm’ during Friday show The composer’s piece creates new sound-worlds and contrasts his education with a Masters degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a doctorate from Brandeis The act of composing music University, both in music is oftentimes both an act of composition. At present, discovery and of imitation. Mackey teaches as a professor As a part of his of music at or her process, Princeton a composer may University. sit down and Viewing music explore new as a means to sound-worlds, express the or perhaps they eccentricities of may mimic the human existence, Friday, Nov. 18 at 8 sonic events Mackey p.m. around them. composes Frequently, they works that are Hill Auditorium may do both in both explicitly Free the same piece. and implicitly Once in a while, dramatic. they may do so “I think with the same that I have a sound. predilection that the reason This dualism is no paradox, I’ve done dramatic music is and the result of such because I have an interest exploration and recollection in making things happen,” can be exhilarating. Friday, Mackey said. “I’ve always one such example will be found music to be this performed by the University wonderful mystery. You know, of Michigan School of Music, how can varying frequencies Theatre & Dance Symphony at varying intervals of time Band — American composer mean anything at all, let alone Steven Mackey’s “Ohm.” convey all this drama and “This is my first [piece for excitement and expression? a concert band],” Mackey said “And so, being in search in an interview. “I’ve written of that — finding things that a lot for orchestra. I realize really feel like they happen, it’s a very different animal — finding notes that change the orchestra and concert band destiny of a piece, the little — so it was great. It was a turns of phrase that really challenge, but it was fun.” make an impact — has been an Mackey is one of the most interest in all my music. I think successful and respected that’s led me to write dramatic composers active today, music, music explicitly for with works commissioned the stage, but I think that’s a and performed by some of sort of driving force in all my the leading ensembles in the music.” nation. Well-known for his Mackey’s piece for dramatic works — such as concert band, “Ohm,” while “Lonely Motel,” which was not explicitly dramatic in composed for the ensemble a theatrical sense, is no Eighth Blackbird and won a exception. Throughout, the Grammy in 2011 — Mackey’s drama is in some ways found in entry into the classical music the contrasts within the music. world was non-traditional. Taking its germinal idea from “I started music when I was two different sources, the about nine or ten,” he said. “But music lives out a dichotomy. I started just playing guitar, “Like a lot of my music, and in my teen years played in it starts from an accidental bands. I was very serious about discovery or experiment,” the electric guitar, but I didn’t he said. “In this case I was read music until I was 20, and thinking about all of these I hadn’t heard any classical wonderful low instruments music until I was 19. When at my disposal, — you don’t I did hear classical music, I usually have a contrabass thought, ‘Wow, that’s what I clarinet and bass clarinet and should be doing,’ and that was contrabassoon in an orchestra. in college, at the University of Meanwhile, I have a son … California Davis.” who is very interested in Star Mackey went on to continue Wars and lightsabers that DAYTON HARE Daily Arts Writer
SMTD Symphony Band
kind of stuff. The sound of the lightsaber, the vroomv, must have been in the back of my mind, because I ended up kind of creating that at the opening of the piece.” Taking inspiration from the central sound in the piece, Mackey’s choice of title also reflects a duality, in addition to being a pun. “It’s a very electric sound, so the title of the piece is a play on words between ohm, o-hm, which refers to electricity and that kind of lightsaber vroomv — and of course more metaphorically, electricity,” Mackey said. “I think it’s a pretty exciting piece, it gets rockin’ as it goes, so there’s that kind of electricity. But also, a lot of the piece has this undercurrent of low pedal tones, one note just sort of, ‘om,’ like the meditation phrase o-m, so it’s a play between those two contradictory forces, the o-m of serenity and the o-h-m of electricity.” In explaining his process of composing “Ohm,” Mackey drew attention to the fact that composition is very much an exploratory process, saying often, musical gestures and ideas are generated unintentionally. “In this case, it’s not that I set out to make that sound, it’s that I was kind of fooling around with it — I call it ‘digging in the garden,’ when I’m beginning a piece,” Mackey said. “I don’t know what I’m doing or where I’m going or what I’m looking for sometimes, I’m just seeing what I can unearth. And I unearthed something that had that electric quality, that lightsaber quality, and I recognized it. “I probably wouldn’t have been drawn to it when I discovered it, as strongly, had I not been living this fascination with my son. Yes I’m inspired by sounds around me, but partly I’m just inspired by what I discover when I’m sketching work.” In addition to Mackey’s “Ohm,” — which was commissioned by a consortium of bands — Friday’s performance will feature compositions by Robert Beaser, Steven Stucky, Percy Grainger and a David John arrangement of Ginastera.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
How the Internet Music Wormhole can give us all the magic we need One of the Web’s greatest offerings is the uncovering of new art CARLY SNIDER Daily Arts Writer
Some months ago, I ended up submerged in the depths of the Internet, blaring Taiwanese rap alone in my bed — the laptop was warm on my stomach, my fingers buzzing from their ferocious browsing. Had I ever listened to such a genre before? No, but I am glad I happened to stumble upon it. My ears were warm with the sensation of experiencing something new. Having been in this explorative, albeit horizontal, position for an embarrassingly long amount of time, I had managed to traverse countless pages and consumed a bounty of music that I had never before known. Basking in my newest findings, I realized the wealth of music that was out there waiting for me just beyond the sheen of my screen. Obviously, the Internet is a perfect way to listen to bands you already know, check out some that you’ve vaguely heard of, or find a few that are entirely new. With the expansion of streaming services, online
releases and YouTube, music is more accessible than ever. But what I experienced then was more than that — it was a titillating process of discovery, a hunt without an end. I was sucked down the rabbit hole. We have all been there — some casual browsing that oh-so-easily slips into a fullfledged information binge. You know, when you end up on Salem Witch Hunt sites for two hours and find yourself in a really peculiar headspace … or something. In my case, an innocent visit to spin.com led to some innocuous clicking on Wikipedia. Several Wiki pages later, things got out of control and the power of the hyperlink dawned on me. You could be clicking forever, one idea leading endlessly to the next. Sometimes this perusing is mindless, yielding nothing more than a brief distraction from other goings on. It’s easy to find yourself treading familiar ground or reliving previous favorites; you get caught up in the rush of nostalgia. Which is all well and good, but only for controlled blips of time. Listening to the same music forever would
be like only ever eating your favorite childhood food: exciting initially, but soon nauseating. But in special instances, magical sound bites are found — the kind of music that makes you think, This is it. Sure, there are plenty of duds out there. But for every few misses there is a glorious home run. You unearth something you never knew you needed. Music can reveal things within yourself you didn’t know how to express, or even knew you wanted to express in the first place. That’s why stepping out of your comfort zone is so essential: it allows you to explore that little quiver hidden in your depths. It brings that desire to light. The uncovering of these minute calls to action is one of the Internet’s greatest offerings. It allows a user to simultaneously find new information and facets of themself. These nuggets — a new favorite song, an inspirational new artist — are what make music so exciting, so transcendent. So let your freaky fingers work their magic. No wormhole too deep, no soundscape off limits.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, November 18, 2016 — 7A
Wolverines’ Finn one race from history Wolverines bracing to ICE HOCKEY
host U.S. Development program in exhibition Michigan to continue tradition, play against future team members Friday ORION SANG
Daily Sports Writer
From Jacob Trouba to Tyler Motte to Zach Werenski, there has been no shortage of talented players that Michigan coach Red Berenson has recruited from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. It’s a relationship that has been beneficial for both sides, especially recently. This year’s Wolverine squad features eight former NTDP players, including five of the freshmen — forwards Will Lockwood, James Sanchez and Nick Pastujov and defensemen Luke Martin and Griffin Luce all played for the NTDP’s Under-18 team last year. The two teams will meet Friday night at Yost Ice Arena in an exhibition game, a yearly tradition that has taken place for more than a decade. The NTDP moved to Ann Arbor in 1996, signing a lease to practice at the nearby Ice Cube. Players attend local high schools and live with billet families if they weren’t from the area. But according to Berenson, the proximity between both programs hasn’t provided much of a recruiting advantage over the years. He has recruited players he would’ve gone after even if they weren’t part of the NTDP — recruits who were either from Michigan or the surrounding area, or some who already had ties to the program (like Sanchez, who grew up rooting for the team). Most of the time, Michigan has already received verbal commitments from NTDP players before they even join the program. “We’ve recruited kids from that program, but when you look at the rules that we’re under as coaches, we can’t see them play any more than the coaches from Wisconsin or North Dakota can,” Berenson said. “We can only go to so many games each year. You’d think we have a big advantage, but we found out early in the process we don’t. “For a lot of kids, it’s changed their lives, (and) it’s given them a great opportunity. We’re just one of the many schools that benefit from the program.” Added Pastujov: “I don’t think it made a huge difference (in my commitment), but I think it helped just being close. We got to go to a lot of the games (and) talk to the coaches.” If anything, being so close to the NTDP allowed Michigan to continue building relationships with players already verbally committed. Recruits can take as many unofficial visits as they want, getting a taste of Ann Arbor at football or hockey games, while Wolverine coaches are able to keep in close contact. This year’s NTDP under18 team features four players in the 2017-18 class who have committed to Michigan: goaltender Dylan St. Cyr, defenseman Quinn Hughes and forwards Josh Norris and Michael Pastujov — the younger brother of Nick. Norris and Pastujov signed their letters of intent earlier this week, officially joining the program, while Michigan still waits upon signatures from St. Cyr and Hughes. Berenson had high praise for the two early signees, who
are both expected to be taken within the first few rounds of the 2017 NHL Draft. “I like (Norris),” Berenson said. “He’s a good-sized centerman. Good skater, good worker, good two-way player. I think he’ll come in and be a solid player right from the getgo. “Michael (Pastujov) is a little bit like Nick (Pastujov) in that he’s had some shoulder problems. Right now, he’s on the injured list, so we’re not going to see him tomorrow. But I think he’s going to bring skill to our team, and he’s a player that should be able to provide offense and become a real good Division I player.” Added Nick Pastujov: “I really like (Michael’s) game. I think he’s definitely a smart player. He’s got a lot of skill, and he can definitely finish. So I think he brings a lot to the table, and I’m excited to play with him next year.” Michigan’s continued recruiting presence within the NTDP signals that the ties between each program remain strong, even if the NTDP moved from Ann Arbor to Plymouth about a year ago. The NTDP has beaten Michigan in the past, and even though the Wolverines win most years, the competition is still intense between both sides — perhaps an effect of younger players trying to prove themselves to future teammates or opponents. “The atmosphere (last year) was definitely cool,” Pastujov said. “We stuck with (Michigan) for two solid periods. The crowd was really into it ... It was a really physical and fast game. Third period (Michigan) kinda pulled away, and they ended up winning, but it was still a really fun game the whole time. “It’s the first time you run into your future (teammates), and it’s kinda like a first impression — your first impression of them and their first impression of you on the ice as a player. It’s your first chance to prove a little bit about yourself.” After splitting a series against No. 5 Boston University last weekend, Michigan has just three games left — including the exhibition — before the start of Big Ten play. And while tomorrow’s result won’t count in the record books, Berenson is hoping to see marked improvement from his squad. “We have to play this game like we’re playing a Division I program,” Berenson said. “We have to take a step from (playing) Boston University and put it on the ice against this team. And the (NTDP) will do the same thing. They’ve played a lot of good programs. We’re just another game on their schedule, except we’re more of a home game. I think it’s a little special for them. All the billet families will come to the game and cheer for them, so there’ll be a mixed crowd here. “I think we’ve got to capitalize on our chances when we get chances in the offensive zone, and I think we’ve got to be stingier defensively. It’s not just our goalies, but it’s our defensemen and our forward in our zone. We can’t give up unearned goals because of poor defensive zone play. We’ve got to be better without the puck.”
“For a lot of kids, it’s changed their lives.”
“It’s the first time you run into your future (teammates).”
CHRISTIAN NEUBACHER For the Daily
Eighteen years have passed since Michigan last had an NCAA champion in cross country. Katie McGregor ran her way to victory in 1998, and on Saturday, Erin Finn will attempt to match her historic feat. A two-time high school state champion, the West Bloomfield native was already a star runner before setting foot on campus. Three years have passed since she first donned the the block ‘M’, but in that short time, Finn has ensured that her name will be long remembered in Ann Arbor. As a freshman, Finn propelled Michigan to 4th place in the 2013 NCAA Championship, a feat that earned her AllAmerican honors. She followed that up in subsequent years by becoming the first Wolverine since McGregor to win back-toback Big Ten championships, winning three overall. She also is a three-time Big Ten Athlete of the Year, the fastest Michigander to ever run a 10,000-meter race, and in 2015, she was once again named an All-American. “She’s accomplished a lot,” said Michigan coach Mike McGuire. “But she’s just getting started on her career.” Saturday, at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., Finn will have the opportunity to add another milestone to this impressive list. It will be her last cross country race as a Wolverine. McGregor has followed Finn’s career, and now, she could watch the senior match her as an NCAA champion. “I’m really confident in the talent she has,” McGregor said. “It definitely is going to be huge
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Senior runner Erin Finn is expected to contend for the NCAA individual cross-country championship Saturday.
to have her go out there and win the National Championship.” McGuire also coached McGregor to her NCAA win in 1998, and he noted the similarities between his former star runner and his current one. “Both are ferocious competitors,” McGuire said. “(They are) two athletes that have a burning desire to prepare and a burning desire to show their preparation on race day.” Despite her countless successes, Finn’s road to victory
has not been without its bumps. Ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Finn was selected to participate in the United States’ Olympic trials for the 10,000-meter category. Prior to fulfilling this dream, a foot injury kept her from competing in the trials, dashing her hopes of joining the American team in Brazil. During last year’s NCAA championships, Finn lost her socks and shoes while running, yet still managed to finish an
“I’m really confident in the talent she has.”
impressive 19th in the race. “She just does really well against adversity,” McGregor said. “No matter how high the obstacle.” While this weekend’s race could place pressure on Finn, McGregor says that it’s equally important for Finn to maintain the routines and tactics that have brought success so far. “Go there being prepared and confident,” McGregor said. “It’s more about keeping your emotions in check, because your body is ready to do it.” Added McGuire: “She has a passion to prepare, she loves everything about the sport. … She loves to prepare to compete. And she loves to do it on a daily basis.”
High-scoring Wolverines to take on Howard SYLVANNA GROSS Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team has reached a triple-digit score 14 times in its history, and four of those occasions have come under Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. Most recently, the Wolverines dominated Oakland, 101-63, last Friday. After winning both games of the season-opening weekend in Crisler Center, Michigan has a chance to continue that streak on Friday and Monday against Howard and Western Michigan, respectively. If it does, Barnes Arico will push her way into the number-three slot of the school’s all-time wins list. She currently holds a .612 winning percentage. As of Tuesday, the Wolverines are ranked first in the nation for scoring offense. “Everyone that has come in has really contributed and done a great job,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said to
Michigan Insider. “Right now we’re in a rotation of nine or 10 deep that are really able to contribute.” Michigan has promising statistics to bolster its claim to victory, including coming off just the second time in program history that six players scored in double digits. Leading the charge against the Bison and Broncos will be junior guard Katelynn Flaherty, freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick and sophomore center Hallie Thome. Sophomore guard Nicole Munger and junior guard Jillian Dunston will most likely make a splash on the court, too. “This is the most depth we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Barnes Arico said. “It’s a pretty exciting time because if someone gets in foul trouble, if someone gets hurt, if someone’s not feeling well, if someone’s having an off game, we’ve had someone we’ve been able to sub in and not lose much. “It’s still early in the season,
and the competition will change, but we really were able to play the entire team the other night and not lose a beat.” Another milestone to look out for — potentially — will be senior guard Siera Thompson shooting her way to become the career leader in three-pointers at Michigan. She will need just five 3’s away to surpass Carmen Reynolds, who holds 205. Flaherty is jockeying to achieve that milestone, too, already ranking fourth all-time with 188 in just her third year of collegiate play. But whoever gets there first will still have to play Howard and Western Michigan. The Wolverines will be playing the Bison for the first time in program history. Howard lost its first two games of the season and boasts just two players who are scoring in double digits, guard Te’Shya Heslip and forward Erin Blaine. Don’t count the Bison out, though — Heslip is tied for first
in her conference for scoring with 24 points per game and leads in assists per game with an average of 6.5. Next up are the Broncos, who defeated Davidson in their home opener, 76-63. A player to look out for will be forward Breanna Mobley, who was named both the MAC West Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness MAC Player of the Week. Notably, Western Michigan leads the all-time series against Michigan 15-13 — though the Wolverines have won three straight. Looking ahead, the Wolverines are gearing up for a seven-game away stretch that will take them all around the nation. But first, they are looking to give a meaningful “see ya later” to Crisler Center. “We have a real tough stretch coming up,” Barnes Arico said. “We’re just trying to focus on one game at a time. We’re trying get better as a team today.”
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick has gotten off to a hot start for the Michigan women’s basketball team, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
Sports
8A — Friday, November 18, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
HALFWAY HOME
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. dribbles past a Marquette defender in Thursday night’s game at the 2K Sports Classic in New York City. Walton contributed a double-double, scoring 10 points and leading Michigan with 12 rebounds.
Michigan routs Marquette, advances to tourney final Friday BRANDON CARNEY Daily Sports Writer
NEW YORK CITY — Just over three minutes into the opening half of the Michigan men’s basketball MARQUETTE 61 team’s 2K MICHIGAN 79 Classic game against Marquette, Derrick Walton Jr. picked up his second foul. It was part of a string of uncharacteristic errors made by the senior guard that forced him to spend a majority of the first half on the bench. Behind Walton, the Wolverines had overcome a pair of first-half deficits against Howard and IUPUI last weekend. But when it became a reality Walton wouldn’t have that same impact against the Golden Eagles on Friday, the rest of the team did more than its part to make sure the senior’s absence wasn’t felt. After being tied 15-15, the Wolverines completely overwhelmed Marquette for the remaining 13 minutes of the first half, outscoring the Golden Eagles by 24 in that stretch en route to a 79-61 win. With freshman guard Xavier Simpson and junior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman leading Michigan’s backcourt, the Wolverines built up their advantage without Walton heading into the second half. “We have a next man up mentality,” said senior guard Zak Irvin. “I think that showed. We knew it was going to be tough once Derrick went out with two fouls. But I love that (Xavier) came on — you know,
kind of first road game, neutral game whatever you want to call it. We didn’t miss a beat. We kept it going forward, and I think that was huge for us.” Abdur-Rahkman was aggressive driving to the basket all night, scoring 15 points and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. His scoring took the pressure off Simpson, who was forced to play more than he previously had in his college career. If anyone embodied the efficiency Michigan displayed all night, it was Irvin. The senior ended up leading all scorers with 16 points. His 5-for-9 shooting fell just above the Wolverines’ 51 percent conversion from the field Thursday. Irvin’s offensive consistency, combined with seven rebounds and five assists, was exactly what Michigan expects out of its seasoned veteran. Irvin’s teammates followed his suit, and that powered the Wolverines all night. “I think we all came out pretty amped up,” Irvin said. “Obviously playing in the Garden is a great experience for all of us, and we knew it was going to kind of be like a home game for us, with all the fans that travel and come and support us, so I think that’s what got us off to the start we had.” Wilson and senior forward Mark Donnal built off strong outings in Michigan’s opening two games and put together a pair of complete performances. After being handed his first start of his career, Wilson had his third double-digit rebounding night in as many games, grabbing 12 boards.
Donnal, along with sophomore forward Moritz Wagner, outsized the Golden Eagles at the post. The pair combined for 24 points and four rebounds, all while giving the Wolverines a size advantage they had been lacking in similar matchups in years past. Both bigs also showed off their perimeter abilities, each making a shot from behind the arc. “(Wagner’s) more seasoned. DJ’s more seasoned. It’s a huge lift for us,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “Really those two guys were non-factors for us last season. It’s more about what they do as they develop.” Despite being benched in light of Wilson’s emergence, redshirt junior guard Duncan Robinson came on and looked as confident as ever doing what he does best. Robinson was 3-for-5 from 3-point range, boosting Michigan’s offense with 10 points. He helped the Wolverines shoot an impressive 39 percent from behind the arc. Michigan will have just a few hours to admire its win before it takes on Southern Methodist in the 2K Classic final on Friday. The Wolverines not only hope to close out their first tournament of the season with a championship, but also to get revenge over a team that has handed them a loss in each of the previous two seasons. “This’ll be a great, great barometer for us right now to see where we are,” Beilein said. “We’re trying to win a championship. We’d love to win this championship, get out to a 4-0 start. But we’re playing an NCAA Tournament team (in) SMU.”
Abdur-Rahkman steps up at guard in Wolverines’ victory BETELHEM ASHAME Daily Sports Editor
NEW YORK CITY — Since returning to the starting lineup after missing the Michigan men’s basketball team’s exhibition opener with an ankle injury, junior guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman has stepped up when the Wolverines needed him in both games of the 2K Classic’s Ann Arbor regional. And his timely play traveled with him all the way to New York City, as Michigan took on Marquette in the semifinal round of the tournament at Madison Square Garden. Against Howard last Friday, the Wolverines failed to score for the opening five minutes of the game. Opportunities came and went, and Michigan couldn’t capitalize, so Abdur-Rahkman took matters into his own hands. Knocking down back-to-back triples just 30 seconds apart, Abdur-Rahkman not only put Michigan on the board, but tied the game at six to stop the Bison in their tracks. Against IUPUI the following Sunday, Abdur-Rahkman played all but four minutes for the Wolverines, finishing among the team’s top scorers with 12 points. Adding in two rebounds, two steals and a block for good measure, Abdur-Rahkman made his presence felt all over the floor in a comfortable win. So when senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. committed two quick fouls and had to sit out the majority of the first half Thursday night against Marquette, it came as no surprise that Abdur-Rahkman would be the one to shoulder the burden for Michigan. “With Derrick gone, not only did he need to look to score a little bit more, he had to run the team a little bit with (freshman guard Xavier Simpson),” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “(Simpson) is still getting some of the timing on
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 15 points in the win Thursday.
some of our stuff, and so he was really running like half a point guard at that time. “So as he was out there, that was what I was thinking — ‘All right, if we ever have these injuries again, or we have two point guards out, can Muhammad fulfill this role?’ And he did at times today.” In an opening half in which the Wolverines simply ran away from the Golden Eagles, AbdurRahkman guided the offensive explosion by assuming the point guard role and facilitating the run of play. While Michigan led by double digits for much of that stretch, Abdur-Rahkman poured in 11 points, seven of which came from the free-throw line. Adopting a more aggressive approach than he has shown so far this season, Abdur-Rahkman pressured Marquette’s defense relentlessly. Driving to the basket
continuously, he cut through the Golden Eagles left and right to open up space in the middle for himself and his teammates. His up-tempo tone fed into his defensive mindset as well, forcing a pair of steals to launch counterattacks on the other end. “I think Muhammad did a great job bringing the ball up, getting us set on offense and also being aggressive as well,” said senior forward Zak Irvin. “So it’s huge when you have other players who can step up when Derrick isn’t in the game.” By the time the half came to its conclusion, the Wolverines held a 50-26 advantage and never looked back. Though AbdurRahkman scored just four points in the second half, he had already done his part, as Michigan emerged with a 79-61 victory to advance to the championship round of the 2K Classic.
NOVEMBER 19, 2016: INDIANA
2016 Schedule
Michigan owns a 20-game winning streak over Indiana dating back to 1987, but that run does not lack drama. The last time the two teams met, the Wolverines hobbled into Bloomington and struggled to stop the Hoosiers’ up-tempo offense, but rallied and pulled out a 48-41, double-overtime victory. This time, they head into Senior Day hoping to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive.
Max Bultman, Jacob Gase, Kelly Hall and Jake Lourim
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 4 6
Michigan and Indiana match up again in what has been an exciting series lately. Michael Jocz is a great student and a great football player, but his career at Michigan means much more than just that. The Wolverines still have the advantage, even if Wilton Speight is out.
Hawaii (Sept. 3): Alohahahahaha.
Illinois (Oct. 22): It turned out the Illini had no fight after all.
Central Florida (Sept. 10): Is that what it looks like to get outhit?
Michigan State (Oct. 29): They had trouble with the pitch, the ball was free and it might as well have been the last play of the game.
Colorado (Sept. 17): Colorado figured scoring 28 would be plenty.
Maryland (Nov. 5): Congratulations, DJ Khaled Durkin, you played yourself.
Penn State (Sept. 24): Might need to rename Happy Valley soon.
Iowa (Nov. 12): Kirk Ferentz is the new governor of Iowa.
Wisconsin (Oct. 1): Jourdan Lewis typed this joke with one hand.
Indiana (Nov. 19): We’re here for the chaos. We’re always here for the chaos.
Rutgers (Oct. 8): That’s it. That’s the joke.
Ohio State (Nov. 26): Who schedules a game two days after Thanksgiving? No one’s gonna go to that.
Cover photo by Allison Farrand
STAFF PICKS The Daily football writers pick against the spread to predict scores for the top 25 and Big Ten in the 2016 football season.
Kelly Hall
Jacob Gase
Max Bultman
Ted Janes,
Jake Lourim
Ross School of Business
No. 3 Michigan (-24) vs. Indiana
Indiana
Indiana
Indiana
Indiana
Michigan
No. 1 Alabama vs. Chattanooga
Alabama
Alabama
Alabama
Alabama
Alabama
No. 2 Ohio State (-22.5) at Michigan State
Ohio State
Ohio State
Ohio State
Ohio State
Ohio State
No. 4 Clemson (-22.5) at Wake Forest
Clemson
Clemson
Clemson
Clemson
Wake Forest
No. 5 Louisville (-16) at Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
No. 6 Washington (-27) vs. Arizona State
Washington
Arizona State
Washington
Washington
Washington
No. 7 Wisconsin (-28) at Purdue
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
No. 8 Penn State (-28) at Rutgers
Penn State
Penn State
Penn State
Penn State
Penn State
No. 9 Oklahoma (-3.5) at No. 14 West Virginia
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
West Virginia
No. 10 Colorado (-4.5) vs. No. 22 Wash. State
Colorado
Colorado
Washington State
Colorado
Colorado
No. 11 Oklahoma State (+4.5) at TCU
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
No. 12 Utah (-14.5) vs. Oregon
Utah
Utah
Oregon
Utah
Utah
No. 13 USC (-13.5) at UCLA
USC
USC
USC
USC
USC
2
No. 15 Auburn vs. Alabama A&M
Auburn
Auburn
Auburn
Auburn
Auburn
No. 16 LSU (-14.5) vs. No. 23 Florida
LSU
LSU
LSU
Florida
LSU
No. 17 Florida State (-17) at Syracuse
Florida State
Florida State
Florida State
Florida State
Florida State
No. 18 Nebraska (-13) vs. Maryland
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
No. 19 Tennessee (-16) vs. Missouri
Tennessee
Tennessee
Missouri
Tennessee
Tennessee
No. 20 Boise State (-28.5) vs. UNLV
Boise State
Boise State
Boise State
Boise State
Boise State
No. 21 Western Michigan (-35) vs. Buffalo
Western Michigan
Western Michigan
Western Michigan
Western Michigan
Western Michigan
No. 24 Stanford (-11) at California
Standford
Stanford
Stanford
Stanford
California
No. 25 Texas A&M (-27.5) vs. UTSA
Texas A&M
Texas A&M
Texas A&M
Texas A&M
Texas A&M
Iowa (-9.5) at Illinois
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Northwestern (-2) at Minnesota
Northwestern
Northwestern
Minnesota
Northwestern
Minnesota
Notre Dame (even) vs. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Last week
14-10-1
13-11-1
14-10-1
16-8-1
--
Overall
128-126-3
121-133-3
126-128-3
126-128-3
--
FootballSaturday, November 19, 2016
‘M’ ready for new-look Indiana team Wolverines may start O’Korn on Saturday against Hoosiers, who also feature new starting quarterback KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
Though the Michigan football team hasn’t lost to Indiana (3-4 Big Ten, 5-5 overall) since 1987, a win over the third-ranked Indiana at Wolverines would mean Michigan more to the Matchup: Hoosiers this Indiana 5-5; week. Michigan 9-1 Michigan When: Saturday (6-1, 9-1) is 3:30 P.M. in College Football Playoff Where: Michigan contention, Stadium and Indiana will try to take TV/Radio: ESPN advantage of the Wolverines while they’re still reeling from their first loss of the season. On top of rebounding from last Saturday, Michigan also likely faces a major change on its offense. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight has grown leaps and bounds over the last nine games, but now reports say he may not play for the rest of the regular season. Harbaugh said the injury is day-to-day, and if Speight doesn’t take the field on Saturday, redshirt junior John O’Korn should do so instead. Though O’Korn hasn’t started a game this season, he has played plenty in garbage time. He also has over a year of starter experience from his time at Houston, so there may not be as much of a decline as some fans are bracing for. Running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley hasn’t noticed much of a change in practice this week, with O’Korn and redshirt junior quarterback Shane Morris taking most of the reps. “We don’t look at it as a drop-off,” Wheatley said. “We don’t look at it as anything different. It’s the next guy in. Game normal. We don’t look at it as, ‘Hey, now it falls on us.’ To be honest with you, hell, it always falls on us. That’s the way I always like to look at it. It’s nothing different.”
Senior running back De’Veon Smith told some of his teammates that they needed the loss and could grow from it after the group rushed for just 98 yards and averaged 2.8 yards per run in their loss to Iowa. If the defense is as effective as Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has praised it to be, then the Wolverines may see a replay of last week’s rushing game. “(Indiana coach Kevin Wilson is doing) well, really coaching a good football team,” Harbaugh said. “Doing a very good job. The defense is an aggressive, athletic, fast (group). They create turnovers, they tackle extremely well, they cover a lot of the field physically. Really good defensive linemen. Active, athletic backers that cause a lot of the havoc and very good players in the secondary.” But Indiana ranks 55th in overall team defense, allowing 156.2 yards per game on the ground, so the Wolverines will
“They have one of the best receiving corps that we’ve faced.”
still have plenty of opportunity to create space. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers are just one slot behind the Wolverines in total offense. This can be mostly attributed to quarterback Richard Lagow, who has thrown for 2,866 yards already this season. Though he has thrown 13 interceptions, he has a completion rate of 61 percent. “They’ve got a good offense,” said defensive backs coach Brian Smith. “They have one of the best receiving corps that we’ve faced so far. The quarterback’s got a strong arm. He can throw it deep. He can make all the throws. Just know that their tempo and different things that they do schematically can pose different problems for you, so we’ve got our hands full this week.” Indiana has its work cut out, but its fast pace can throw off opponents. It worked against Michigan State, Rutgers and Maryland, but it wasn’t sufficient against Big Ten powerhouses Penn State and Ohio State. The Wolverines will certainly be occupied on Saturday, but they should easily be able to escape the scrappy Hoosiers.
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Jim Harbaugh’s (top) team prepares to bounce back from its first loss, and it may start John O’Korn (bottom) at quarterback in place of the injured Wilton Speight.
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
3
CLAIRE ABDO/Daily
JAKE LOURIM
Managing Sports Editor
A few weeks ago, Ben Braden recalled sitting around watching the Ohio State-Penn State football game the previous Saturday night with his roommates. He listed them: Ben Pliska, a fifthyear senior offensive lineman; Greg Froelich, a redshirt junior offensive lineman; Mike Jocz — “You guys know, the really smart guy,” Braden said with a laugh. That label follows Jocz, a fifth-year senior tight end, around Schembechler Hall. It’s understandable. He is, after all, well on his way to earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering after graduating with a team-high 3.964 GPA in the same major. So it’s no surprise that Jocz’s academic prowess has captured media attention. His teammates routinely field reporters’ questions on the subject, and coach Jim Harbaugh has faced exactly one question about Jocz this season, on the same topic. “We always kind of joke about how he’s the genius of the group,” said
4
redshirt sophomore Ian Bunting, a tight end like Jocz. Coaches seize it as a motivational tool — tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh even created the Michael Jocz Honor Society to recognize the tight end with the top score on the weekly playbook test. It is usually Michael Jocz. Jocz seems more than comfortable with the notion that he will follow a different path than many of his teammates who land in the NFL next year. He hopes instead to earn headlines for designing concussionpreventing helmets or improving selfdriving cars. Either way, to many, Jocz’s path has captured two labels: great student and great football player. Braden’s joke aside, those close to him know him as much more. “To them, I’m just their friend that happens to do well in school,” Jocz said. “I’m with them all the time, hanging out with them, so they just think of me as one of the guys.” He doesn’t often think of himself as an incredible student or an incredible athlete. Those are just two things he enjoys doing. His career at Michigan has really been about realizing a
FootballSaturday, November 19, 2016
lifelong dream — but if you thought everything has gone smoothly, you’d be wrong about Jocz again. *** When Jocz was little, his family put an addition onto their Novi home. After months observing the head carpenter every day, 2-year-old Michael walked up to the man and said, matter-of-factly, “You have a new saw, don’t you? I’ve been watching you, and you’ve got a brand-new saw.” Sure enough, the carpenter had just purchased a compound miter saw. Michael’s father, Warren, watched in shock and wondered: “What 2-yearold picks that kind of thing up?” Michael took off from there. Soon, he beat everyone at adding up the dice during Yahtzee games, and he’d calculate how much change his mother, Ann-Marie, would receive at the grocery store. Before long, Warren — who also earned a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering from Michigan — began enlisting Michael’s help in chores around the house. Warren, a Ford Motor Company
engineer for the past 29 years, was a worthy teacher, and Michael was his eager student. In that sense, Jocz’s path to mechanical engineering wasn’t a surprise. His place on the football team, on the other hand, wasn’t easily forecast. Jocz didn’t even begin playing
“We always kind of joke about how he’s the genius of the group.” football until his freshman year in high school. His prep career netted a handful of Division III offers, but Jocz only ever wanted to go to one school. He wore Michigan T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats nonstop. He estimates that 17 of his family members across five generations have
gone to the University. As a kid, he even dressed up as a Michigan football player for Halloween. So committed to this dream, he applied and committed to attend before the football team was even an option. That’s when his offensive coordinator at Novi stepped in and sent his highlight tape to former Michigan assistant Al Borges, who offered Jocz a spot as a walk-on. “I got this opportunity to play for the winningest program in football history, and it was something that I’ve always dreamed about doing,” Jocz said. “I was like, ‘You know, why not? I’m never going to get this opportunity again, and why not make the best of it?’ ” With that, Jocz joined the team, and he’s been there ever since. On the surface, it sounds like a charmed journey. Getting here required much more work. *** On the third day of his first fall camp as a freshman, Jocz wanted to quit. In fairness, so did Vincent Smith, then an established senior running back.
Jocz’s parents dropped him off on an August Sunday in 2012. By Tuesday, he wasn’t sure if he would last. He was struggling and exhausted, and another walk-on tight end had already quit. In times like those, Jocz often calls his parents to talk through them, and this time he told them he wasn’t sure if he’d make it. Warren Jocz recalls Michael relaying a similar sentiment from Smith, who was in his fourth fall camp. “I just want to call home and tell Mom I quit,” Smith had told Jocz in an ice bath after practice. “It was huge going forward, because it helped me know that obviously I wasn’t alone, and that everyone was going through that, so I could make it through,” Jocz said. Jocz broke things down: First he’d make it through the first week. Then the next. Then the duration of camp. Then the first game. Finally, he ran out to midfield at Michigan Stadium, touched the banner and thought: “I’m going to do everything I can to do this for the next five years.” Over time, Jocz took enough small steps to see where he was going in the end, though it took a while. He spent his first two years almost exclusively on scout team, going up against the starters, doing the hardest of work and receiving no recognition. As he worked on the scout puntblock team, he presented a problem: He kept blocking punts. In drills intended to give the starters practice covering the kick, Jocz wouldn’t let it get that far. He once showed his mother a bruise on his arm from the impact of the ball. Mary-Ann Jocz made her son a prediction: “One of these days, you are going to block a punt in a game, and it’s going to change the whole game.” Just like in that ice bath, Jocz wasn’t sure things would ever work out. But he kept at it, eventually earning himself game reps on special teams. On Sept. 17, in the third game of Jocz’s fifth year, the Wolverines faced their first adversity of the season. Down 14-0 against Colorado early in the first quarter, they sent out Jocz and the punt-block team to try to shift the momentum. As four Michigan players broke through the line against three blockers, Jocz charged at the punter untouched, once again sticking his arm into the ball’s path. Sophomore wide receiver Grant Perry turned the loose ball into a touchdown, permanently shifting the momentum. The Wolverines went on to win, 45-28. The man who never thought he’d play for Michigan had proven his mother right. “Obviously, when it happened this year, I was like, ‘Mike…’ ” Ann-Marie said, “and he just smiled at me and he goes, ‘Mom, I know.’ ”
Strange as it sounds, Jocz faced that adversity in the classroom, too. Two years ago, Jocz had adjusted to Michigan football, proven himself on the scout team and even saw the field a few times. He had found a way to manage all of it, and yet he feared it could all come crashing down. The more difficult mechanical engineering classes stressed him out. The pressure to perform in front of 110,000 people on Saturdays compounded that. He pushed his body to hold that spot on the field, but suddenly lost it. He spent long hours studying heat transfer in an Evanston hotel room, but the same week he struggled on an exam. The student perceived as perfect experienced one of his first brushes with the stress most students know so well. Again, Jocz thought to himself: Man, this is getting to be a little much. He called his parents again. Ann-Marie remembers that call. She remembers her son sweating, his heart racing, his mind again doubting whether he could handle the workload. Jocz went back to breaking things down. First he made it through that week, then back onto the special teams unit, then to an “A” in the class. It was not his best semester. He did not sleep enough. He did not relax much. His team went 5-7, its worst finish of his career. And yet he grew. “I learned that I can push myself further than I think I can,” Jocz said. “Your mind oftentimes gives out
before the body, so your mind is telling you to stop well before your actual limits. Football, you can always take another snap, give a little bit more. And in the classroom, if you put your mind
“When you’re with your friends, you’re just Michael.” to it, you can retain more information, you can figure stuff out better. I think it’s just more that I can do both.” Each time Jocz overcame one of those hurdles, he gained confidence that his work would help lift him over the next. In the end, he found perspective. “It was a lot of self-induced stress, but then again, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be doing this,” Jocz said. “I don’t think I’d be able to push myself or put in the amount of time at any other school besides Michigan. It’s just kind of what I’ve dreamed about. So I don’t mind staying up later trying to get this stuff done, because I take a lot of pride in succeeding at both.” ***
Saturday, Jocz will run out of the tunnel at Michigan Stadium for the last time. His dream ride is almost over, not so much the one of being an engineer or the one of being a football player, but the one of being at Michigan, the school his family attended, the school he grew up at, the only school he’s ever known. Football and engineering are only parts of that. Asked what more he’d want to be known for, Jocz paused before saying, “I guess it’s how much I care about my teammates and my friends. Some of my best friends I made on the team, I’m living with them now. Some of the friendships I’ve made with them will last a lifetime. Some of the memories, I’ll do anything for my friends. That’s what people don’t really know about me.” Jocz’s intelligence and athleticism are just two facts about him. Here are some more: He is engaged to be married in July to Natalie Paul, his high school sweetheart who graduated last spring from Washington and Jefferson (Pa.) College. He has a younger sister, Kathryn, 9, and an older sister, Jennifer, 25, who also graduated from Michigan and is now studying toward a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. “She got more brains than I did,” Jocz quipped. He certainly got plenty. When he’s in the locker room, he stands out because of his academic ability. When Jocz is in the classroom, he stands out because of his football ability. When he’s with his
friends, he’s just himself. “It’s always nice, to get away from both,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be known as the smart guy and the athletic guy, but it’s nice to not be thought of as one or the other. When you’re with your friends, you’re just Michael, just as they’re Ben Braden, Ben Pliska, Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Greg Froelich.” With those four offensive linemen as roommates, Jocz has good company for dinner. Jocz’s father calls him a “home body,” more interested in spending time with a small, tight-knit group of friends than going out and being part of a bigger party. He likes to tease his roommates and have them tease him back. He likes to laugh. There, he doesn’t have to trumpet his status as an academic or a football player, either. (“If you talked to him and didn’t know that,” his mother adds, “he’s not going to tell you.”) As his career winds down, Jocz may go down as one of the top scholars in the history of the football program. He hopes to be more than that, but in the end, he’s grateful for every part of his dream. “When you’re at football, you’re focused on football. When you’re in class, you’re in class,” Jocz said. “But then you can really be yourself outside with your friends. It’s nice to not be thought of one as the other. “But I guess (they’re) not bad things to be known for.”
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
***
Tight end Michael Jocz has played five years for the Michigan football team and carried a 3.964 GPA in mechanical engineering, but his career at Michigan means more than that.
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
5
Breakdown: How will Speight’s absence affect Michigan offense? MAX BULTMAN
Managing Sports Editor
The hope for an undefeated season is gone, but the Michigan football team has plenty to play for. One week after a jarring loss at Iowa, the Wolverines return to action Saturday when they host Indiana at Michigan Stadium. Michigan still controls its own destiny, but any safety net it had is no more. The Daily breaks down the key matchups for when the teams take the field. Michigan rushing offense vs. Indiana rushing defense With a unit that gives up just 156.2 rushing yards per game, Indiana could be poised to stuff the Wolverines on the ground. Michigan struggled on the ground at Iowa last week, and with Speight likely out, it’s a safe bet that the running backs will be counted on. Watch for the Hoosiers to stack the box, a look that has given the Wolverines trouble at times this season, particularly against Central Florida. Senior running back De’Veon Smith still leads Michigan’s crowded backfield, but against an Indiana defense that has totaled 70 tackles for loss this year, it may need production out of the whole backfield committee to have success. Edge: Indiana Michigan passing offense vs. Indiana passing defense This is the great question mark of the week. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight will reportedly miss the game with either a shoulder or collarbone injury, leaving redshirt junior John O’Korn to guide the offense in his absence. A former starter at Houston before he transferred to Michigan, O’Korn has sufficient in-game experience to lead the offense, though he has not played meaningful minutes as a Wolverine. His greatest advantage, perhaps, could be his mobility. Whereas Speight relied on his size and strength to stave off tacklers, O’Korn has the quickness to elude them with his feet. Armed with a loaded receiving corps made up of fifth-year
6
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis and Michigan’s secondary draw a tough test against an Indiana receiving corps led by Mitchell Paige, Ricky Jones and Nick Westbrook.
seniors Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh and senior tight end Jake Butt, he will have plenty of weapons to help him ease into the game. Fortunately for O’Korn, Indiana’s pass defense has fallen short of stellar so far this year. The Hoosiers are giving up an average of 235.8 yards per game, and while they do have 10 interceptions, that could be a sign O’Korn will have some room to work on Saturday.
There’s no doubt the Wolverine line will be fired up to reassert itself after a loss, but sometimes that aggression leads to mistakes, too. Once again, this one is close, but Michigan’s track record is enough to earn the benefit of the doubt.
Edge: Michigan
Hoosiers quarterback Richard Lagow has the unenviable task of attacking the nation’s most effective pass defense Saturday. In senior cornerbacks Channing Stribling and Jourdan Lewis, the Wolverines boast an athletic pair of corners capable of changing the game on any play. Lewis has hardly been targeted this season, and Stribling has capitalized with four interceptions. Saturday, though, they’ll be guarding an impressive trio in Ricky Jones, Mitchell Paige and Nick Westbrook. Westbrook has accounted for 793 yards and five touchdowns this year, while Paige leads the team with 49
Indiana rush defense Michigan rush defense
vs.
Gone is Jordan Howard, but Indiana’s Devine Redding has kept opponents on their toes all season. Against No. 8 Penn State last week, Redding rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns, putting a scare in one of the nation’s top-ranked teams. Given that Michigan has struggled in recent weeks against Michigan State’s LJ Scott and Iowa’s Akrum Wadley, it wouldn’t be a shock if Redding had a similar measure of success on Saturday.
FootballSaturday, November 19, 2016
Edge: Michigan Indiana passing offense Michigan passing defense
vs.
receptions. All three are capable of stretching the field, and this may be the toughest test for Michigan’s secondary since Colorado visited Ann Arbor in September. We’ll give the slight edge to the nation’s top pass defense, but don’t be surprised if Indiana makes some noise through the air. Edge: Michigan
chance to field some punts. Hoosier kicker Griffin Oakes is having a rough year, making 12 of 21 field goals, so Saturday’s special teams battle may come down to who makes fewer mistakes. Oakes knocked in a big 47-yard field goal against Penn State last week, and if he is indeed back in form for the Hoosiers, they could win that battle.
Special teams
Edge: Indiana
Just as the Wolverines got their field goal problem figured out, new troubles have emerged on special teams. Michigan was hampered by a series of penalties against the Hawkeyes, including a targeting penalty on freshman linebacker Devin Bush and a critical lategame facemask on redshirt junior linebacker Mike McCray. With Jabrill Peppers neutralized in the return game of late, the Wolverines do not appear as dangerous on fourth down as they did earlier this season. Meanwhile, Paige is a dangerous return man himself, and he may actually get the
Intangibles On one hand, Michigan will be looking to rebound from a major letdown last week. But Indiana will still view the third-ranked Wolverines as upset bait. The Hoosiers can qualify for a bowl game with a win, but on Senior Day at Michigan Stadium, it’s hard to give this one to anyone but the home team. Edge: Michigan Prediction: Michigan 34, Indiana 17
Behind Enemy Lines: Marcus Oliver Indiana’s linebacker and captain has 72 tackles this season for improved Hoosiers’ defense visiting Saturday KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
Last year, Indiana took the Michigan football team down to the wire in Bloomington. The contest was decided by a second overtime goal-line stand, and the Wolverines escaped shaken, but unscathed, 48-41. This year, the two teams will meet in Ann Arbor for No. 3 Michigan’s senior day. Indiana linebacker Marcus Oliver, who has recorded 74 tackles this year for the Hoosiers (3-4 Big Ten, 5-5 overall), will be looking to improve his leadership skills this year after being upset with his role against Michigan last season. In July, The Michigan Daily chatted with the team captain at Big Ten Media Days about last season’s crazy finish, his role as a team leader and the food at Media Days. The Michigan Daily: The game against Michigan last season was pretty intense. What do you remember from that game, and what are you going to take with you going forward into this season? Marcus Oliver: There were a lot of times — I remember watching film — a lot of times where instead of linebackers bringing their feet and driving through them, it allowed them to be third-and-one or pick up the first down on third down. There were a lot of times when we gave up extra yards when we shouldn’t have. That was probably my worst leadership year I had. I was frustrated, and I learned a lot and was able to be a better leader from then on during the season, so there were a lot of things we were able to take from that game. TMD: So this year, playing in the Big House, what are you going to do from a leadership perspective that’s different from last season? MO: Make sure everyone keeps their confidence and plays each play. Not every play is going to go the way you want it to go. Not every quarter or half is going to go the way you want it to go. (Our game against Rutgers last season) was the perfect testament to just playing every play and
keep playing and keep battling. Anything can happen in a game. Question: How much more comfortable are you this year than last year? Coming in and getting back and playing again, how much more confident and comfortable are you? MO: I’m extremely confident. This offseason, I was able to work on things that I had to work on. I feel better than ever, and I’m just ready to go. I’m ready for camp to start.
Q: How good was last year’s bowl just to kind of break through? MO: I think the best thing about last year’s bowl was just getting a taste of it. Anytime someone gets a taste of something they want more and more and more, and that’s when you see guys start to work harder and start playing better and start preparing better. I think that’s the best thing we got from it, and the bowl was awesome, it was great to be there. It was a cool experience.
“That was probably my worst leadership year I had.”
TMD: Being named a team captain, especially as a younger guy, what did that mean to you? MO: It’s a huge privilege and honor. It doesn’t really happen around here, or any team. It just says what the team thinks about me because the team is the one that votes. To be able to picked with all of those great guys still there and leaving, it’s a huge honor. TMD: How have you been enjoying your media day? MO: It’s been neat. I’ll tell you what, I can’t eat nothing else. I’ve been eating since I got here. The food is really good and you meet some really great people. This place is huge, so I think I got all of my walking in for the rest of the month.
BY THE NUMBERS Indiana Defense
70
Tackles for loss by Indiana’s defense in 10 games this season, led by linebacker Tegray Scales’ 15 and fellow linebacker Marcus Oliver’s 10.5
31.2
Third-down conversion rate by Indiana’s opponent, making the Hoosiers’ defense the 13th-best in the nation at stopping those opportunities
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Redshirt junior linebacker Michael Oliver (44) ranks second for Indiana with 74 tackles and is also a first-time captain for the Hoosiers, who can secure a bowl berth Saturday.
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
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What to Watch For: O’Korn, running back, defense, chaos Michigan, Indiana head into rematch of 48-41, double-overtime thriller last season in Bloomington JACOB GASE
Daily Sports Editor
Home games have been a cake walk for the No. 3 Michigan football team this season — the Wolverines are 7-0 at Michigan Stadium, with only one win coming by fewer than 17 points. But after losing its first game of the season at Iowa last week and perhaps losing its starting quarterback for the season, Michigan (6-1 Big Ten, 9-1 overall) enters its final home game against Indiana (3-4, 5-5) with a lot more questions than it has had in a long time. Here’s what to watch for on Senior Day in Ann Arbor. 1. Is it John O’Korn time? Redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight suffered an unspecified shoulder injury near the end of the game in Iowa City — some reports claim it was a broken collarbone, which would sideline the Wolverines’ starter for the rest of the season. In any case, Speight seems unlikely to play on Saturday. His likely replacement is redshirt junior John O’Korn, a transfer from Houston whom many fans believed would win the starting job before the season. Despite being a backup all year, O’Korn has earned a reputation among his teammates for being a hard worker and an avid film studier, and Michigan says it isn’t expecting much of a drop-off. Because the Wolverines have won so many blowouts, O’Korn has been fortunate to see the field in six games already this season. He has been fairly sharp — admittedly playing largely against backup defenses — completing 13 of his 18 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. One thing that O’Korn hasn’t shown too much of yet, though, is a quality that sets up apart from Speight: his mobility. If he can replicate some of the success he had his freshman
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GRANT HARDY/Daily
Senior running back De’Veon Smith (4) had some trouble getting going Saturday against Iowa, but he’ll be back in the starting lineup this week against Indiana.
year at Houston — 3,117 passing yards and 104 rushing — Michigan should be in good shape. 2. Which running back carries the load? Running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley continues to rotate four backs every week, and the result keep changing. Senior De’Veon Smith remains the go-to guy, and Wheatley has made it clear he trusts Smith the most. Wednesday, Wheatley cited Smith’s offthe-ball talents (including pass protection, experience and field awareness) as qualities that set him apart. Smith has been up and down so far in terms of statistics, though. He ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns against Maryland
FootballSaturday, November 19, 2016
two weeks ago, but the Hawkeyes held him to just 28 yards on 12 carries last week. Shifty freshman Chris Evans was the team’s leading rusher with 52 yards and is averaging 7.8 yards a carry this year, but he hasn’t earned enough trust to be a lead back yet. Wheatley has proven all year long that he’s willing to ride the hot hand, but it’s anyone’s guess which back will perform the best against an opposing defense in any given week. 3. Can the Wolverines’ defense keep up? Over the last few weeks, the Wolverines have been sliced and diced by screen passes, with Iowa running back Akrum Wadley and Maryland’s entire offense
finding tremendous success on the edge. Michigan’s defense has had some uncharacteristic tackling problems as well, further exasperating those struggles. Those challenges could come to the forefront again this week, as the Hoosiers’ up-tempo offense has been known to give defenses trouble. The Wolverines are no exception — last year, thenrunning back Jordan Howard ran all over an exhausted Michigan defense for 238 yards and nearly helped his team pull off an upset. Michigan has one of the most talented defensive fronts in the country, but its conditioning is sure to be tested this weekend. 4. Chaos. Indiana is certainly not the
best team in the Big Ten, but it may be the most unpredictable. It currently sits right at .500, one win from bowl eligibility, but the Hoosiers have put up a fight in losses against No. 2 Ohio State, No. 8 Penn State and No. 18 Nebraska. The Wolverines have seen Indiana’s “chaos team” potential firsthand over the last few years, but they have been fortunate to come out on top every time. Michigan hasn’t lost to the Hoosiers since 1987, but games like a 63-47 shootout in 2013 and a 48-41 double-overtime thriller last year have threatened that streak. With the Wolverines looking more vulnerable than ever, the seeds for more chaos this weekend may already be planted.