ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Monday, January 9, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
Rough start The Michigan men’s basketball team lost to Maryland at Crisler Center on Saturday, dropping its conference record to 1-2.
» Page 1B RESEARCH
Mcity tests autonomous bus ahead of U.S. launch MAX KUANG/Daily Leseliey Welch, Deputy Director of the Detroit Department of Health, talks about the need for accessible HIV medications at the HIV Monologues in the UMMA on Friday.
HIV Monologues event challenges stigma to raise disease awareness
National Council of Negro Women, students and experts host speak-out event COLIN BERESFORD Daily Staff Reporter
More than 100 people gathered in the auditorium of University of Michigan Museum of Art Friday night to attend the third-annual “HIV Monologues,” an event which held the goal of increasing
awareness and defeat stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS through the presentation of poetry and personal testimony. At the beginning of the event — which was presented by the University’s chapter of the National Council of Negro Women — LSA senior Shannon Palmer, vice president of NCNW, shared
BUSINESS
Polarity invites all to try pole dancing Dance form an outlet for physical wellness, mental health improvement ALEXIS RANKIN Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor residents ware head over heels for Polarity, a new pole fitness studio located on South University Avenue, which celebrated its grand opening by welcoming potential clients to a two-day open house this past weekend. Polarity is the latest business venture by University alum Jessie Lipkowitz, who also owns the popular aUM Yoga studio located in the same building. The new studio consists of 14 poles, a professional sound system, a bathroom with full shower and a staff room that enables the studio to host catered events. The open house welcomed potential attendees to meet instructors, explore the space and sign up for a free class anytime that month. Polarity manager Stephanie MacDonald, who also works at aUM Yoga and is a University alum, was recently introduced to pole-fitness through Polarity and offered advice to potential clients by sharing her own experience. “The first class I went to, I was See POLE, Page 3A
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
why spreading knowledge about HIV was important to NCNW and relevant in present day. “We really brought it (HIV Monologues) to campus to bring awareness to HIV epidemic and to educate our fellow students on campus,” Palmer said. “We acknowledge the fact that HIV does disproportionately affect
all people, but especially African Americans.” The event featured seven poetry performances on HIV contraction performed by students such as LSA juniors and siblings Micah and Mariah Smith, who performed a poem written by someone whose mom dated a man See SPEAKOUT, Page 3A
French company utilizes University facilities to debut self-driving shuttle ANDREW HIYAMA Daily Staff Reporter
A new self-driving passenger shuttle made its North American debut at the University of Michigan Mcity testing site last month in the hopes it will eventually be approved for public usage. The shuttle, named the ARMA, is manufactured by the French company NAVYA Technologies. It made its first appearance in North America in Mcity, the University’s simulated city and testing site for driverless cars, according to a University press release. The shuttle, will be used to provide self-guided tours of the facility.
Mcity was designed and is operated by the University’s Mobility Transformation Center, which partners with auto manufacturers as well as the U.S. and Michigan Departments of Transportation to conduct research on automated and connected vehicles. Using installed wireless connection channels, “connected” cars will be able to communicate with other cars nearby in order to maximize safety. Since 2013, MTC has already put approximately 3,000 such cars on the streets of Ann Arbor, according to MTC Director Huei Peng. Peng expects that getting See MCITY, Page 3A
City ordinance requires drivers to stay Alum wins five feet from bicyclists, pedestrians innovation RESEARCH
Safe-passing resolution carries penalty of $100 and civil infraction to violators MAYA GOLDMAN Daily Staff Reporter
A safe-passing ordinance went into effect in Ann Arbor on Saturday requiring drivers to maintain at least a fivefoot distance when passing a pedestrian, bicyclist or wheelchair-user on the road. The ordinance serves as a reminder to drivers that bikers are allowed on the road, and that they should proceed with caution when driving near them. Originally passed by City Council in December, the ordinance supports the Ann Arbor “Walk.Bike.Drive.” campaign advocating for safe roads for all types of transport in the city. If drivers fail to follow the new rule, they could be ticketed and fined $100, though whether the situation warrants a ticket will be up to police officers. Violations will be treated as civil infractions and will not go on drivers’ records. City Councilmember Kirk Westphal (D–Ward 2), an occasional bike commuter, called the ordinance a positive step forward for the city. “I’ve heard of several occasions where novice cyclers have gotten spooked by closepassing vehicles and I think that’s a real shame,” Westphal said. “I believe that this can begin signaling to drivers that we all have a right to the road.”
Residents, however, did not meet the ordinance with unanimous support. Ann Arbor resident Kathy Griswold feels the new rule is good in theory, but unnecessary for the city to formally state. “I believe it is basically common sense,” Griswold said. “And I don’t think the city has the resources to educate the public. I definitely support the five-foot rule ... (but) Ann Arbor
sometimes passes these feelgood legislations that they then have no way to enforce.” Griswold said real change will be accomplished when a unified state law is passed. “I would like to see a state law passed that will deal with the consistency across the state,” Griswold said. “Without that, I think this can be kind of confusing.” Ann Arbor has long
been known as a city that accommodates all types of transportation. According to the city’s website, Ann Arbor received a silver-level bicyclefriendly city award from the League of American Bicyclists in 2013. There are 71.8 miles of bike lanes throughout the city, and since 2015, bicycle parking has been required to be included in all new building See CYCLISTS, Page 3A
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Housing within the Ann Arbor city limit.
For more stories and coverage, visit
michigandaily.com
INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 4 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
award for health app
Find Your Ditto program aims to connect those with similar chronic illnesses ERIN DOHERTY Daily Staff Reporter
Find Your Ditto, a project created by a University of Michigan alum and a current student in the School of Public Health, began as an entry into a University-sponsored entrepreneurial competition. The project has evolved since then and last month, it was awarded the Lyfebulb-Novo Nordisk Innovation Award at the Innovation Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. FYD is a mobile platform which creates support groups for people with hte same chronic illnesses living in the same area. The platform, while still in the works, aims to relieve people with chronic illness of common feelings of depression and loneliness. Co-founders Brianna Wolin, who graduated from the University in April 2016, and Parisa Soraya, a candidate for a Master in Health Informatics at the School of Public Health, began working together after Soraya reached out to University students on Facebook. She was See HEALTH, Page 3A
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 S P O R T S M O N DAY. . . . . . . . .1 B
News
2A — Monday, January 9, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ON THE DAILY: HARBAUGH GETS SHOUTOUT FROM FLOTUS Jim Harbaugh, the University of Michigan football coach, scored one last time with the outgoing Obama administration on Friday. First Lady Michelle Obama applauded Harbaugh in her last speech in the White House, a presentation of the 2017 School Counselor of the Year Award. Obama mentioned Harbaugh and his wife in the introduction of her speech for his charity work in promoting higher education since 2015, according to the Detroit Free Press. “I also want to acknowledge a few other special guests we have in the audience,” Obama said in her last official speech as first lady. “We’ve got a pretty awesome crew. As one of my staff said, ‘You roll pretty deep.’ I’m like, well, yeah, we have a few good friends … (such as) Coach Jim Harbaugh and his beautiful wife, who’s a lot better-
looking than him.” Obama also thanked the many notable guests in attendance along with the Harbaughs, including singer Usher, actress Connie Britton and actor Jay Pharoah, for using their status to motivate America’s young people to pursue higher education. “All these folks are here because they’re using their star power to inspire our young people,” Obama said in her farewell address. “And I’m so grateful to all of you for stepping up in so many ways on so many occasions.” Harbaugh has previously worked with the first lady on her Reach Higher initiative to promote higher education. In May 2015, he spoke with Michelle Obama at Wayne State University as part of a college signing day event for more than 2,000 college-bound Detroit high school students.
“(Going to college) is one of the best decisions you will ever make, not only for yourself and your future, but also for your family and generations to come,” Harbaugh said at the 2015 event. “It is so
Dekers Club @DekersClub
important that we celebrate all students admitted to college, not just athletes.” Harbaugh also got some time during the event to bond with Usher.
Thank you again to everyone who attended @ScottMatzka and @umichhockey gm & to our awesome alumni band! #TheMichiganDifference #MyTurn4ALS
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE
U-M College of LSA @umichLSA You’ve been warned. Michigan winters were rated 2nd most brutal in the country. Stay warm, Wolverines!
CAROLYN GEARIG/Daily Julie Libarkin, Michigan State University Professor of Geological Sciences and Director of the Geocognition Research Lab, presents on earth science in C.C. Little on Friday.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Nothing By Conquest Pop-up Exhibition
Going Live with Blue Jeans Workshop
WHAT: This exhibition of largescale abstract paintings features artwork by recent UM Art & Design grad Nicholas Williams WHO: Institute for the Humanities Exhibitions WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: Institute for the Humanities, Osterman Common Room
WHAT: This hands-on workshop is an introduction to the Blue Jeans Network service for live two-way video connections WHO: Instructional Support Services WHEN: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. WHERE: MLB, ISS Media Center Mac Classroom, 2001 B
Info Session: Advanced Spanish Study Abroad
Info Session: Italian Studies in Rome
WHAT: Information session about spring and summer study abroad opportunities in Spain and Chile for students thinking about a Spanish major or minor. WHO: Center for Global and Intercultural Study WHEN: 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Angell Hall, CGIS Office, G155
WHAT: Learn about interdisciplinary study abroad opportunities in Rome this summer. WHO: Center for Global and Intercultural Study WHEN: 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Angell Hall, CGIS Office, G155
Graham Institute @GrahamInstitute
Startup Career Fair CFE Icebreaker
Exhibition: Redefining Identity
WHAT: The Center for Entrepreneuership is holding an info session about undergraduate and graduate courses, The Startup Competition and more. WHO: Innovate Blue WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHERE: Duderstadt Center, Media Union
WHAT: The annual Stamps in Color winter exhibit begins today with a theme of “Redefining Identity,” featuring work created by Art & Design students. WHO: School of Art and Design WHEN: 12 p.m. WHERE: Duderstadt Center, Duderstadt Gallery
Winter Fest WHAT: Find more and new student organizations to join this semester. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union
UniversityofMichigan @UMich
WHAT: Audition for this classic comic opera. All roles are open for audition. WHO: University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society WHEN: 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. WHERE: Student Theater Arts Complex
KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
LSA juniors Emma McGlashen and Sophia Kaufman are working on a play for the bicentennial celebration that will follow the trials and tribulations faced by the first five women to attend the University of Michigan.
SYLLY SHORT WINTER BREAKS. SQUATSWEEK. FOR DAYS.
puzzle by sudokusyndication.com
See PLAY, Page 3A
#UMich launches mobile app and extends hours for SafeRide transportation service.
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com
“The Dangerous Experiment” RC performance will debut in February real events occurring at the University. “The title is a direct quote from a meeting in which leaders of the University debated whether to admit women into the University,” Kaufman said. “The play follows five women ... all based on real women, including Madelon Stockwell, Amanda Sanford, Alice Freeman Palmer, Annie Smith Peck, Julia Knight Edwards and Olive San Louie Anderson.” The play was commissioned by the Residential College as a part of the University’s bicentennial celebration where LSA will dedicate its winter and fall 2017 semesters to exploring the impact of the University on the world throughout history. Each semester will include a variety of programs for students, administration and the public that examines the University’s legacy from a variety of perspectives. Both McGlashen and Kaufman have backgrounds in theater at the University and worked together on Shakespeare in the Arb this past summer. The pair are also working closely with LSA Drama Prof. Katherine Mendeloff, a lecturer in the Residential College, who is producing the play and has been the artistic director of Shakespeare in the Arb since its creation in 2001. Mendeloff, who has directed a variety of plays for the Residential College, said the upcoming play is notable because it is based off primary sources as well as part of the University’s bicentennial celebration. “ ‘The Dangerous Experiment’ is unusual in that it was commissioned
U-M’s new stream restoration course offers skills to save 1 of the world’s most dangerous ecosystems @hrwc #UMWater
Auditions for “The Pirates of Penzance!”
Prior to the Bicentennial, students pen play on first females at ‘U’ “The Dangerous Experiment” will debut in East Quad’s Keane Theatre on Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. and run until Feb. 12. The play will depict the stories of five women who came to the University in 1871, and were a part of the first co-ed graduating class in 1876. Kaufman, also a Daily arts reporter, explained how the title of the play stems from
Follow @michigandaily
Tweets
EMMA KINERY
Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 kineryem@michigandaily.com
NEWS TIPS
HUSSEIN HAKIM
Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 hjhakim@michigandaily.com
ARTS SECTION
PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION
news@michigandaily.com
arts@michigandaily.com
photo@michigandaily.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
NEWSROOM
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL PAGE
734-418-4115 opt. 3
CORRECTIONS
opinion@michigandaily.com
SPORTS SECTION
sports@michigandaily.com
corrections@michigandaily.com
ADVERTISING
dailydisplay@gmail.com
Editorial Staff
AMELIA CACCHIONE and EMMA RICHTER
REBECCA LERNER
Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Evan Aaron, Claire Abdo Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Emilie Farrugia, Sinduja Kilaru, Sam Mousigian, Marina Ross
Managing Editor
Managing Photo Editors rebler@michigandaily.com
ALEXA ST.JOHN
Managing News Editor alexastj@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Riyah Basha, Tim Cohn, Lydia Murray, Nisa Khan, Sophie Sherry
photo@michigandaily.com
LARA MOEHLMAN
Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Deputy Statement Editor: Matt Gallatin Yoshiko Iwa Statement Lead Designer: Katie Spak
ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL Editorial Page Editors opinioneditors@michigandaily.com Senior Opinion Editors: Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Max Lubell, Stephanie Trierweiler
BETELHEM ASHAME and KEVIN SANTO
Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com Senior Sports Editors: Laney Byler, Mike Persak, Orion Sang, Minh Doan, Chloe Aubuchon, Sylvanna Gross, Chris Crowder Assistant Sports Editors: Rob Hefter, Max Marcovitch, Avi Sholkoff, Ethan Wolfe, Matthew Kennedy, Paige Voeffray
ANAY KATYAL and NATALIE ZAK
Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Senior Arts Editors: Tess Garcia, Dayton Hare, Nabeel Chollanpat, Madeline Gaudin, Carly Snider Arts Beat Editors: Caroline Filips, Danielle Yacobson, Danny Hensel, Erika Shevchek, Matt Gallatin
MICHELLE PHILLIPS and AVA WEINER Managing Design Editors
design@michigandaily.com
DANIELLE JACKSON and TAYLOR GRANDINETTI
Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com Senior Copy Editors: Marisa Frey, Ibrahim Rasheed
DYLAN LAWTON and BOB LESSER
Managing Online Editor lesserrc@michigandaily.com Senior Web Developers: Erik Forkin, Jordan Wolff
ABE LOFY
Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Video Editors: Gilly Yerrington, Matt Nolan, Aarthi Janakiraman, Emily Wolfe
JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG
Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Christian Paneda, Tanya Madhani, Neel Swamy, Adam Brodnax, Areeba Haider, Halimat Olaniyan, Sivanthy Visanthan
ELLIE HOMANT
Managing Social Media Editor Senior Social Media Editors: Carolyn Watson, Molly Force
Business Staff
SONIA SHEKAR
EMILY RICHNER
National Accounts Manager
Sales Manager
ANNA HE
Special Publications and Events Manager
Digital Marketing Manager
JESSICA STEWART JULIA SELSKY
Local Accounts Manager
CLAIRE BUTZ
Production and Layout Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $225 and year long subscriptions are $250. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
POLE From Page 1A so bad that I was so determined to come back and get better,” MacDonald said. “By the second class I was so much more comfortable and much less fearful.” She assured beginners that they would be welcomed and comfortable despite having little experience.
My whole goal is to demystify pole in the same way that I demystified yoga
“A lot of people are signing up with friends, which I think is great because it takes away a lot of fear and nervousness,” MacDonald said. “We have so many different classes on the schedule and instructors that are so welcoming that you don’t feel intimidated at all. Students will definitely feel right at home.” Lipkowitz opened Polarity with the goal of removing the negative stigma surrounding pole fitness. She strives to create an accessible studio with a welcoming atmosphere that will make students feel comfortable exploring pole as both a fitness and mental health building activity. She added that Polarity is also the new official home of the Michigan
HEALTH From Page 1A looking for individuals living with chronic illnesses to talk about what they perceived as their greatest management struggle. Wolin responded to Soraya’s post. “I personally live with Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease,” Wolin said. “I’m pretty much an open book and I wanted to see what she was interested in.” Soraya reached out later to Wolin and informed her of an annual competition sponsored by the Public Health School called Innovation in Action, which encourages Michigan students to create projects to address real-world problems. After graduating from Michigan in April, Wolin submitted the project for the Lyfebulb-Novo Nordisk Innovation Award, which strives to award patient entrepreneurs that have created projects that advance the care of diabetes. Lyfebulb founder Karin Hehenberger, the award’s
SPEAKOUT From Page 1A who had HIV/AIDS and never told their mother. “Why didn’t he show her any respect, because AIDS soon took her life,” read their poem. Rackham student Will Beischel said in an interview he attended the event because the topic is personally relevant. “I think a lot of the time HIV is kind of reduced to people getting it from being promiscuous or drug use and things like that which, you know, HIV is a much more varied story than that,” Beischel said. “A lot of the stories presented tonight were about love, and relationship and violation of those things, so I think it’s really important to hear all of those perspectives.” The poems presented focused on different aspects of living with and contracting the disease, including growing up with AIDS and how actions with someone one night can create feelings that affect the rest of one’s life with the contraction of HIV/AIDS.
Pole Dance Society, a student organization on campus. “My whole goal is to demystify pole in the same way that I demystified yoga,” Lipkowitz said. “We’re starting out with a very beginnerfriendly curriculum and are hoping to grow with our clients. As soon as we see that we’re experiencing growth and that people are coming back, we’ll add classes to the schedule accordingly.” Instructors Sylvia Chen and Laura Marthey gave demonstrations and answered questions during the open house. Marthey agreed with Lipkowitz that beginners shouldn’t be afraid to come to the studio. “The focus of the studio is from a fitness and wellness perspective and to demystify and desexualize pole,” she said. As a new studio, Chen says Polarity anticipates most clients to be beginners, so all of the classes are designed to be beginner friendly, with the intention of expanding in the future. Polarity offers several classes including Polega, Power Pole, Pole Technique, Contemporary Dance Pole and Beginner Pole. Polega in particular mixes aUM Yoga’s popular class F*** This is Hard with pole-fitness in order to improve balance, f lexibility, strength and endurance, according to Lipkowitz. Nursing freshman Caeli Lacroix was one of many University students who attended the Polarity open house. She signed up for a free class in January and was excited to try pole. “The studio was really nice and everyone was very friendly,” Lacroix said. “I’m nervous but excited to give it a try and see if I like it.”
creator, commended Wolin for her simple idea that appealed to many patients. “Four individuals picked Brianna (Wolin), the youngest person, a spunky girl — it was incredible,” she said. The award attracted applications from more than 100 people from 15 different countries. Ten applicants, including Wolin, were chosen to attend the Innovation Summit hosted by Novo Nordisk in Copenhagen. At the conference, the applicants first pitched their ideas to entrepreneurs, then to a patient panel, which ultimately picked Wolin as the winner. “Winning the award really meant that I took a circumstance given to me without an option and that I was able to turn it around into something that is impactful to others,” Wolin said. “People are finally taking a moment to realize the mental health impact of chronic illness.” For Wolin, winning the award highlighted the importance of FYD for individuals with chronic illness. When Soraya graduates from the University
“I am writing this to you today so you can share with others, tell people that getting laid, is not the same as a lover,” read a poem presented by LSA senior Javon Shell. After the poetry performances, Leseliey Rose Welch, deputy director of the Detroit Health Department, spoke. Welch began by discussing her research in South Africa regarding pediatric HIV, and touched on some of the reasons why this problem exists and what the world community can do to in order to combat the spread of the disease. “I had been on that job (in South Africa) for less than two weeks before I had gone and come back to find the baby that I saw the day before not there,” Welch said. “And one moment crystallized in my mind forever … watching this mother cry over her baby’s crib. And realizing that that mother was crying not because the medicines to save her baby didn’t exist, but because she had no access to them.” The symptoms of this problem had several causes in
Monday, January 9, 2017 — 3A
ZOEY HOLSTROM/Daily
Mcity features a freeway section with an on and off ramp.
PLAY From Page 2A for the 200th anniversary of U of M, and is developed from primary sources,” Mendeloff said. “Several storylines were taken from a novel written by one of the first co-ed graduates, Olive San Louie Anderson, who wrote about her experiences at the college as a member of that first group of women.” The directors noted how the message of the play resonated with them, especially because the inequalities women faced in 1871 have not vanished completely. They said the main characters of the play struggle to be taken seriously by both
with her master’s, Wolin is hopeful that the project can continue to be impactful. In the meantime, Wolin will continue to work on launching the project. “My work on FYD grew out of absolute need that I felt going to a university where it’s easy sometimes to feel alone,” she said. “You need to leverage what’s available until the next thing comes around. I promise to bring Find Your Ditto as soon as possible.” LSA freshman Sari Grossman currently lives with Crohn’s disease. Grossman joined the Crohn’s and Colitis Student Initiative at the beginning of her freshman year, and affirmed the need to have connections with people with similar experiences. “I have been able to meet people who had similar experiences, but also very different ones from me, Grossman said. “(FYD) would be really beneficial for a lot of people that are in the club on campus, or this is their first time talking about their illness. It will be a really great first step for people.”
South Africa, Welch said. “They weren’t missing awesome doctors in South Africa in 1998; they were missing the power, the money, the resources, and politics was preventing saving lives,” Welch said. “It’s not HIV, it’s the world. What that really means is that we are our own problem at this point.” Welch’s presentation
We are here because of a false hierarchy of human value examined the problem of HIV/ AIDS in the United States and why we still have a problem with HIV/AIDS. “We are here because of a false hierarchy of human value,” Welch said. “That really is at the crux and the root of every ‘-ism’ we know how to describe. This idea that
the administration and their male peers, and cast members used this struggle as a talking point to discuss the lives of older relatives who faced similar issues in school. Furthermore, McGlashen noted one of the main goals behind “The Dangerous Experiment” was to bring history and notable historical figures to life, through a fictionalized account of the very real pressure they faced from the community and University. “One of the main objectives of our project is to humanize the history,” McGlashen said. “To enforce the fact that these historical retrospectives that the University is doing for the bicentennial are
based on living, breathing people who experienced many of the same joys and frustrations that students and faculty experience today.” Both Mendeloff and the play’s directors said the play is a good fit for both the Residential College and the bicentennial celebration because of its basis in history and relevance to current issues faced by female students. “I think that ‘The Dangerous Experiment’ perfectly represents how the bicentennial is not only an opportunity to look back and see how far we’ve come, but to think about how we can push ourselves now even further in the pursuit of equality,” Kaufman said.
MCITY From Page 1A the ARMA on public roads will present more of a challenge, however. “I think one of the key challenges of driverless vehicles is, first of all, they need to be street-legal, and the ARMA is a vehicle designed by a French company, NAVYA, and they’re not necessarily street-legal in the United States,” he said. “And in addition to our additional rules that driverless vehicles must follow, when they are trying to provide mobility services to the general public, there are additional qualifications. So at this moment, the NAVYA vehicles cannot yet be operated on a public road in the city, but that’s one thing we are trying to achieve.” However, rather than playing a technological role, MTC is simply assisting NAVYA with the logistics and eventual implementation of putting their self-driving shuttle on public
my life is more valuable than yours, or yours more valuable than mine.” Welch included possible strategies to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS, and suggested that no one concrete solution will be the end-all to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. “I think the only thing that will get us there is love, and love in a social, political sense,” Welch said. “Love from the top down and to our core and a love that transcends the differences that we see and don’t see.” Welch ended her speech by reading two poems, the first of which discussed the pain of knowing one has HIV and the second centered on the topic of activism along with the refusal of “-isms.” Business junior Arjun Kaushal found value in the topic being presented in this manner, which worked to create a broader awareness. “People oftentimes think that HIV/AIDS isn’t here because they’re not seeing it,” Kaushal said “when in fact it’s here, and it’s on our campus.”
CYCLISTS From Page 1A developments. Business sophomore Mohammad Shaikh is an avid biker. In the warmer weather, he usually rides his bike around campus every day, and as an Ann Arbor native, he has experience biking throughout the rest of the city as well. Shaikh said he supports the ordinance, and thinks it will make Ann Arbor a safer place for bikers and pedestrians. “Because Ann Arbor is a city where parking is limited and a lot of people park on the side of the road, that kind of takes away space,” Shaikh said. “And when you add bikers into the equation, it’s hard to accommodate everyone... I haven’t had too much of a problem with people driving too close to me, but I think that we can definitely be safer.”
roads, Peng said. “Our role is not necessarily technology,” he said. “We are not helping them to develop, NAVYA, we are just trying to link them to the data they use. Again, the goal is to deploy this vehicle on the streets of Ann Arbor and
Our University bus system serves about 36,000 trips per day
understand how it can be part of the public transportation system in the city.” NAVYA is hoping their driverless vehicles will make a splash elsewhere in the United States as well, according to MTC Communications Director Susan Carney.
“The vehicle was introduced at Mcity only on December 9,” Carney wrote in an email. “It was shipped to Las Vegas not long after to be used for demonstrations by NAVYA at CES (Consumer Electronics Show).” When they do end up being put into street usage, however, Peng imagines that they could help to modify bus routes at the University to make them more efficient. “Sometimes, at the end of the bus route, in many cases the bus is pretty empty,” he said. “In other words, redesign and shorten the bus route and replace part of the route with shuttles.” Because the shuttles only seat 15, though, Peng thinks the current buses are here to stay. “Our University bus system serves about 36,000 trips per day, so there are many cases when the bus is pretty full, and we don’t believe that replacing one bus with three other shuttles makes any sense,” Peng said. “I don’t think it makes sense to be replacing the buses with shuttles, but it needs to be integrated.”
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Monday, January 9, 2017
MILES MCGRUDER | COLUMN
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com
ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY
EMMA KINERY Editor in Chief
and REBECCA TARNOPOL Editorial Page Editors
MILES MCGRUDER
REBECCA LERNER Managing Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Carolyn Ayaub Caitlin Heenan Jeremy Kaplan Max Lubell Alexis Megdanoff
Madeline Nowicki Anna Polumbo-Levy Jason Rowland Ali Safawi Kevin Sweitzer
Rebecca Tarnopol Ashley Tjhung Stephanie Trierweiler
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
MICHELLE PHILLIPS | COLUMN
The stigma of curiosity
MICHELLE PHILLIPS
F
amous novelist Thomas Berger once said, “The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” When we are young, we always ask questions; questions that sometimes make our parents uncomfortable because of the answers. As children, we are curious about everything, why the sky is blue and how we came to enter this world. Before we can talk, we use our senses to investigate something we are confused upon. As we grow up, we express these thoughts through questions. This is basic human nature. Why is it then as we grow up we are conditioned to not be as curious as we once were; we are shut down by authority figures, parents and peers, who tell us to “stop being so annoying” and say things like “why did you ask that? The answer was obvious.” The stigma around asking questions in a classroom is negative. From my experience of being a student, asking a question indicates a lack of intellectual ability. Fear of asking questions in large classroom settings discourages students from gaining help when they need it. This fear comes from embarrassment students may feel by making themselves vulnerable about not being perfect. The types and number of students in a class build an environment that has a direct correlation to how comfortable students feel asking questions.
If someone is not interested in the information they seek, they will not ask questions and cannot expand upon their knowledge. Furthermore, they cannot attain any knowledge if they do not first inquire about it. It is part of human nature to ask questions when confused. Then why is it that we shame this way of thinking in many classrooms? I observed a student in my class last semester who was told by the teacher he was only allowed to speak twice a class period, because he had asked too many questions. Asking questions is a symbol for knowledge, but our own professors are putting down people because of their ability to speak their mind and ask thought-provoking questions about which their fellow classmates might also wonder. It could be argued that teachers or persons of authority feel the most challenged by these questions, which then speaks to the depth of their knowledge of the subject. If a teacher cannot answer a question provided to them by the student, then how do they expect their student to learn a topic so the message resonates with them personally? Understanding something on a personal level will give a student the tools to delve into the topic and grasp a relationship with the material in a way that resonates. Each student is different. The way individuals learn is unique to their own individual intellectual makeup and how they digest these large concepts in their brains. However, teachers and other students may see asking
Engineering education has a problem
questions as a weakness. Other students who see an individual asking a question they do not have find the asker slow, out of place and a disruption to their own learning. Empathy about what learning looks like for others on the part of students who are frustrated by it would benefit classroom culture and the students themselves. There is no harm in being curious; when curiosity ceases is when all learning ends. In a world that is growing to be more accepting of others and acknowledges diversity, one would think teachers would encourage an environment of being curious and accepting so that the class as a whole could benefit. Every student who attends this university is seeking to learn information beyond rote memorization. So why then do we as students discourage asking questions and speaking out when confused? The lessons we learn from our university experience help us to provoke our interests and apply these deep lessons we learn to our everyday life beyond schooling. University-level learning is supposed to be enriching and fulfilling in whatever subject one chooses to learn. The negative stigma surrounding the ability to ask questions diminishes the confidence of students. It is kind of ironic, that at a learning institution, other students are not encouraging students to ask questions and therefore does not promote learning as it should. I too have a question for this university: why? Michelle Phillips can be reached at mphi@umich.edu.
FRANNIE MILLER | CONTACT FRANNIE AT FRMILLER@UMICH.EDU
“Winter Migration”
E
ngineering education, as I have experienced it, has a singular obsession with theory. This obsession brings irreparable change to a student’s mentality and, inevitably, the industry they enter. I make the presumption throughout this column that engineering students enter college with a desire to create or change things for the better in some way. This fundamental desire is not catered to when students enter the classroom; it is even discouraged. This is not to say that all ability to achieve great things is completely limited by years of classroom experience. The point is to highlight how engineering education falls short of the inspiring experience it could be. A staunch focus on theory without an application element divorces theory and application. If the purpose of coming to school is to ultimately create or change one’s environment, from the beginning, school and the purpose have been separated. The mentality is then created and widely accepted that the classroom is for learning theory, and external projects, teams or jobs exist for learning the application of those theories. This likely sounds acceptable at first, but invaluable firsthand experience that would solidify and bring meaning to the theory in one’s mind at the time of learning is lost. Learning in the classroom is vitally important, but its own singular focus on theory prevents it from getting through to students and giving them the information they need to succeed. I, and surely many others, feel as though they are trudging through the school portion of their
day to go work on a project team, personal project or something of the like. This mentality is awful for thoroughly learning material instead of trying to improve relentlessly — the student just tires to get through. By trying to drill the theory into students’ minds with lectures and homework that simply reinforce the theory, the opposite effect is achieved by misplacing students’ motivation. Class treats itself as a bother to be quickly worked through and brushed aside instead of a skill to be fleshed out and thoroughly learned. Over time, treating classroom learning as something that must be gotten through simply to get a degree to get a job takes a toll on students. What was once seen as a real chance to change things for the better becomes something they do just to get by. The original passion for their subject of study is lost in the push to meet one deadline. The loss of passion reduces the quality of engineering work put out into society and, as a result, the main objective of learning in the classroom has, instead of improving society, done it a disservice. Obviously, the loss of passion does not occur in all cases, but it does occur in a significant number. Many people I know, including myself, have fallen victim to this effect and it is simply depressing to watch such potential be squandered. In a more ideal system, colleges would remove the current degree of separation and marry their discussion of theory with first-hand construction and demonstration. Students would not learn the theory by spending unnecessary hours being lectured and completing arbitrary problems to demonstrate their knowledge. Instead, the students would
be required to design and/ or build a single device by the end of college encompassing all knowledge attained. Design based on the theories covered in class would be the primary focus instead of constant problems. This should both engrain the ideas in students’ minds and show them how they may be used. Something like this already happens in introductory level and some higher-level engineering classes but gaining first-hand experience in only a small portion of classes is not enough to counteract the effects of the remainder of classes described above. Obviously, reconciling this ideal with the current system would be impossible in any short period of time. However, this system where engineering students work on a project that encompasses everything they have learned may be implemented alongside the current system relatively easily. The approach to this project could not be one similar to the introductory engineering classes where the performance of the project is irrelevant; this practically defeats the purpose of the project in students’ minds and makes it a timeconsuming chore. Instead, the students should use the concepts they have learned to make a well-functioning device of their choosing over their time in college. Whatever they have made or designed could also be shown to employers and serve as a relatively tangible display of design and/or construction capability. With this, perhaps a realignment of motivations will be brought back to engineering education and give the education itself some meaning. Miles McGruder can be reached at mmcgrude@umich.edu.
MICHAEL SUGERMAN | COLUMN
Achieveable New Year’s resolutions
N
ew Year’s resolutions that focus on dialogue around tend to be notoriously issues of diversity and attend at least vague and breakable. one of them. Listen. Ask questions. According to Nielsen, some of Learn. Make a commitment the top resolutions to understanding include staying fit perspectives different and healthy, losing from my own and weight, enjoying life encourage others to do to the fullest, getting the same. organized and Stop binge watching traveling more. “The Office” on Netflix Well folks, I’m a for the umpteenth time fan of specificity, and and forcibly re-discover in the spirit of this, my love for reading. here is a list of New More realistically, just MICHAEL Year’s resolutions pick a new show. SUGERMAN that I hope you’ll find Go to sleep at a both unambiguous and feasible. reasonable hour. One of my *** roommates, a nursing student, Wash my underwear before I frequently reminds me the run out of it and have to either: A. importance of being in touch with Go commando, or B. Order more my circadian rhythm. Google via Amazon Prime. This also “circadian rhythm.” applies to socks. Write more for recreation (read: Host dinner at my house once start a journal). Writing for an a month, followed by drinks audience is great, but so is writing and board games. Convening for oneself. friends is important. So is Explore the Ann Arbor bar competitive Scrabble. scene in more depth than the Cancel my New York gym notorious lineup of South U membership from the summer. spots. Subsequently discover that Plan to start going to the there may be more to life than Intramural Sports Building to Rick’s “Mindprobes.” work out — it’s a lot closer than Take a long weekend and road Manhattan and better for hanging trip to the Upper Peninsula. I’ve out with friends. heard wonderful things about At long last, sell back my Mackinac; I’ve also been told that freshman (also: sophomore and it’s actually pronounced “mackjunior) year textbooks to Ulrich’s. ih-naw.” Find out if the rumors It’s only fair that Paul Krugman’s are true. Potentially lose myself “Microeconomics” book has the in fudge. opportunity to frustrate another Scour The New York Times’ innocent soul. cooking site for interesting recipes. Apply for jobs. Get a job. Learn Glean inspiration from one of those about 401(k) benefits. Build addicting Buzzfeed Tasty videos. my credit. Watch instructional Diversify dinner, even though YouTube videos about how to I’d be content to defrost chicken execute more difficult styles of tie breasts, something starchy and knots. Update my email signature. something green for all eternity. Trim my nails more regularly. Take less than a week to clean up Listen to those voicemails from a the pots and pans. Eh, maybe less year ago and finally delete them. than two weeks. You know — adult stuff. Finish unpacking my clothes Use the events.umich.edu site to from Winter Break. Fold the identify cool speakers and attend clothes from my most-recent their guest lectures. Go to at least laundry run and put them away two University Musical Society in the right drawers. At the very performances. Go see some a least, throw them in the drawers. cappella shows, or some student All right, just toss them on a improv. Take advantage of the chair — at least it’s a step in the resources our school offers. right direction. Similarly, research events Continue regular Arb walks hosted by student organizations once the temperature ascends
above 30 degrees. Plan a small event in the Arb’s amphitheater after the snow melts. Achieve oneness with nature … or something. Buy a planner that isn’t an MPlanner. Use it. Wind up settling for Google Calendar. Use it. Stop perpetuating 2016 fads non-ironically. New year, new me, less dabbing. We can all benefit from less dabbing #EndDabbing2K17. Stop using hashtags conversationally. Stop using acronyms conversationally. Saying “lol” is clearly not the same as laughing out loud. Subscribe to at least one major newspaper’s daily newsletter and read it every morning. Choose at least one interesting podcast, and carve out time to listen to it weekly. Stay informed and think critically. Do not compromise on this. *** Perhaps some additional retrospection is due. There is no denying that 2016 was fraught with a plethora of conflict. From individual struggles, to the ongoing campus discussions about all facets of identity, to domestic politics, to the deaths of pop culture icons, to international diplomacy, one might understand why so many were ready for the last year to end. But know this: The New Year is not a reset button, and time is continuous. As easy as it is to celebrate the end of 2016, we need to recognize that all the problems that bubbled to the surface are just as salient in 2017 as they were before. Let’s also acknowledge that it wasn’t all bad. Appreciate the moments, whether there were many or few, that made you smile. So above all, this year, be kind to one another. Have fun when you can. Don’t shy away from the hard discussions when they arise. Let’s be resolute in our efforts to be the best we can be individually and to make others the best they can be collectively. I believe in our ability to do that just as much as I believe in my ability to wash my underwear more regularly. Happy New Year. Michael Sugerman can be reached at mrsugs@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Monday, January 9, 2017 — 5A
FILM REVIEW
ALBUM REVIEW
‘Passengers’ disappoints us, our families, the world Highly anticipated space romance fails to present anything new or interesting in the depiction of its principle relationship Arthur (Michael Sheen, “Masters of Sex”), who looks Daily Arts Writer like a human and speaks like one, dispensing wisdom and Take the common icebreaker serving as Jim’s emotional question: if you were the last rock. Though arguably the person on earth, what would most interesting character, you do? Except now consider his friendship interrupts the that you are no longer on Earth, silence needed for the gravity but the commercial spacecraft of the situation sink in. At no Avalon, point does it ever travelling feel like Jim is hundreds of truly alone. Pratt’s years through beard growth is space to the only indicator “Passengers” a faraway that a year in colonial planet. complete solitude Columbia Pictures With slick CGI has passed. Rave, Quality 16 backdrops, “Passengers” “Passengers” also attempts to hurtles an ageuntangle a bevy old question of of philosophical loneliness and questions: the idea humanity into a that emotional new age. connection distinguishes Due to a technology hiccup, human and robot, whether Jim (Chris Pratt, “Jurassic love is fated to be, the ethics World”) is jolted awake from behind hurting another to save his hibernation pod ninety oneself. years before expected. With Though it’s the rest of the five thousand clear that the passengers still asleep and no film’s intent for other hope of rescue, he reads mixing humor Aurora’s (Jennifer Lawrence, and love with “Joy”) background papers danger is to and falls in love with her and find moments wakes her up. Meanwhile, of humanity the spacecraft continues in hopeless malfunctioning and the situations, it problems eventually become doesn’t execute too big to ignore. either well. To For a movie about loneliness, pull off either a “Titanic”“Passengers” is too self- style doomed romance or conscious of its own quiet. an intellectual challenge The beginning starts off successfully, the movie had to promising: Jim’s voice echoing pick between one or the other. against deserted hallways, It doesn’t. caustic montages of him sitting The ethical dilemmas alone in large rooms full of complicate Jim and Aurora’s unoccupied chairs. romance (if it could even be Then, hearing the pause, called that) and “Passengers” it panics and sputters out fails to finish answering what unnecessary dialogue, it started. It doesn’t adequately bringing in robot bartender contextualize that their VANESSA WONG
THEO KATZMAN
How uncomfortable does this make you feel? Submit emotions below!
Katzman perfects the pop song on ‘Heartbreak’ ‘Heartbreak Hits,’ an album of love and loss, will leave you feeling empty, broken, yet irresistibly happy NATALIE ZAK
Managing Arts Editor
There’s this feeling, this sensation, that wells up in my chest when I hear a great song. It’s what I would like to believe is the purest expression of art affecting body and soul. What’s beautiful about this is that the feeling ranges across genre. It could be a symphony or a pop song that causes this ballooning of emotion, and when it happens my body tenses, my insides turn and my core tightens. It’s a peculiar sensation of wanting to cry and desperately scream at the same time. It’s a tingling, a pressure, that permeates every nerve in the body as your mind tells your heart: “This is something spectacular, but unbearably so.” In other words, I listened to Theo Katzman’s second solo album Heartbreak Hits. With each song I wanted to dance, shout and cry all at once. But I’ve maxed my limit on crying publicly in Espresso Royale, so the only other option is to put pen to paper instead to unravel the emotional wreckage inflicted by Heartbreak Hits. Because that’s what it’s about — upbeat or slow, heavy electric or light acoustic, this album unravels the intricacies of a broken heart while breaking the listener’s with every passing second. “Hard Work,” the first song on the album, was released months ago as the premiere single, but time hasn’t diminished its rock ‘n’ roll appeal. When placed next to the other fastpaced rock songs on Hits, it mainly reassures us that Katzman, by some divine power, has perfected the rock song. “My Heart is Dead,” “As the Romans Do” and “Lost and Found” all push this sound even further, and leave us with songs to shamelessly jam to for hours without any disruption in their power and appeal. They’re poprock meets pure, unadulterated talent. Cringe away from that word and genre if you’d like, but when done right — as Katzman has here — it’s formidable. But it’s an album about love and heartbreak, and despite the upbeat rhythms of “My Heart is Dead” and “Hard Work,” the lyrics reveal a different story. When layered with rock and encouraged by Katzman’s unyieldingly energetic stage presence, an entire audience can find itself screaming “there’s a gaping hole in the front of my chest” while smiling wildly at the feel-good vibes. The music lingers in the love, and the lyrics revel in the loss. Coming down from the heavy rock is the upbeat, yet more acoustically centric pieces; I place “Break Up Together” and “Crappy Love Song” in this
C+
category. They are slow and could change the world? sad, adjectives which inevitably Not me, because crappy love belong together, but don’t have songs have and always will be the crushing weight of songs like slowly but surely changing the “Good to Be Alone” and “Plain world. They are the breakup Jane Heroin.” “Crappy Love songs and the songs that make Song” is reminiscent of Paul your chest well with conflicting McCartney’s “Silly Love Song,” and indescribable emotion. They a song written in response to are your parents’ wedding songs Lennon’s dismissal of Paul’s gone sour — Ambrosia’s “Biggest love, love, love. Part of Me” with But it’s not in the a twist. They are same poppy vein what remind us, as McCartney’s. at the end of a “Heartbreak Hits” It rests in 37-minute album Theo Katzman sadness, while or four minute simultaneously song, that the Independent rejecting it. He world will indeed Release doesn’t want any keep on spinning. more “sad, sappy Sometime love songs about between two people who Katzman’s debut can’t get along”; he wants a happy and now, the poor man had his one, but will settle with a crappy heart broken either once or one. Still, his album is called several times. And it’s difficult Heartbreak Hits and no matter to empathize and pity his how heavy the rock is in some of broken heart when this was its songs, many are sad and about the beautiful piece he so kindly love. Irony abounds. crafted in the wake of hardship. This dynamic can be found in It’s hard to feel badly, when the the slower songs especially. “Good music makes you feel so good. to Be Alone” and “Plain Jane Heroin,” are hauntingly beautiful, their power only enhanced when placed next to the heavy rock of their surrounding contenders. They tug at the heartstrings and nostalgia of youthful love. They dig into the little details of loving and being loved, leaving no detail untouched. And to add to the genre-bending nature of RELEASE DATE– Monday, January 9, 2017 Katzman’s talent, “Good to be Alone” is his self-proclaimed country song. Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis It’s thick with ACROSS 50 Works with flour 35 Grand-scale 3 Having a beensituational and 51 Cup for café or poem 1 Rides for hire there-done-that lyrical irony, thé 36 Pres. between 5 Rapids transports attitude yet horribly 52 Blowing one’s top FDR and DDE 10 Toothed tonsorial 4 War-torn country 53 Lead or zinc 39 Sandy shade tool since 2011 bittersweet. It 54 Blissful regions 5 Goodyear offering 40 Flushed, as 14 Treaty partner recounts all the 55 Cain’s victim cheeks 6 “Relax, soldier” 15 Open courtyards 56 Commando garb 41 Down the road little details of a 7 Pre-euro Metz 16 “So that’s what 57 Stumble 46 Magician’s money you mean” relationship that 58 Kiddie lit monster syllables 8 Up to, in ads 17 Shakespearean are lost once all 61 Mischief-maker 47 Pays tribute to 9 Got a look at king 62 Modernist’s 48 “My schedule is ties are cut — 18 “Just handle the 10 Use as a prefix wide open” reference problem!” the loneliness 11 Workplace 20 Jam session that assumes standards org. ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: jammer the space 22 Signs of sadness 12 Israel’s Golda 13 Puts money (on) 23 Upstage one’s companionship 19 To-do list entry co-stars once filled. 21 Envelope fastener 26 Tavern brew Empty spaces 24 Looked at closely 27 Some motorcycles and 25 Birth certificate are a recurring datum pianos theme on this 28 “We Try Harder” 32 Lawn-wrecking car rental chain album, and pests 29 Air conditioner 36 Sewn edge maybe that’s where the power, the setting 37 __ president emotional welling, can be located 30 Suffer from 38 Big sale, where overexertion — in profound absence. “Plain you can find the starts of 18-, 23-, 31 Goes below the Jane Heroin” exemplifies this the horizon 49- and 60best. The final song on the album, 32 Senior NCO Across “Plain Jane Heroin” begins slow, 42 Mongolian desert 33 “Oops!” 34 Place for an 43 No-frills sleeper sincere, with Katzman on guitar, earring 44 Fire pit particles 01/09/17 xwordeditor@aol.com the notes echoing, untouched and 45 ’70s-’80s band floating midair. Then the drums with a steering wheel on their come in and Joey Dosik enters debut album on keys. The song builds, electric cover guitar introduced, and just as 47 Google success 49 Employ stalling Katzman is forever changed, tactics hooked on this metaphorical drug, 55 Pro on camera so are we. Because that’s what 59 Like some rays outside the music does. Whether it’s another visible spectrum album we can dance or cry to, or 60 Take into both, it inherently changes us. It account 63 Fill fully introduces us to notes and stories 64 Qatari ruler that will stay with us far longer 65 British unit of than our own memories do. The length 66 Hall of Famer music, eventually, becomes a Musial cherished memory of our own 67 Relaxed gait regard. 68 Old West search party It’s art and its eternal struggle 69 Narrow-bodied of creator versus consumer. Who swimmers gives it value? Who decides if it’s DOWN earth-shattering genius or trash? 1 Brings peace to By Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke Who has the audacity to claim 2 Native Alaskan 01/09/17 ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC that a bunch of crappy love songs
They are what remind us, at the end of a 37-minute album or four minute song, that the world will indeed keep on spinning.
Everything feels too easy and ends too quickly.
Classifieds
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
relationship was born out of loneliness and desperation, not chemistry. It incorrectly misrepresents Aurora’s forgiveness as stemming from love, not necessity. Portraying their relationship with a typical romance storyline brainwashes us to think Jim’s disturbing actions are okay. Based on its marketing, “Passengers” should have succeeded as a thriller alone, but even the action sequences fell flat. It dedicates screen time primarily to Lawrence and Pratt’s relationship, only adding thrill in its final quarter, almost as an afterthought. Everything feels too easy and ends too quickly. The ship’s commander is awakened, for no reason other than to grant access to critical areas. Then, every problem follows a pattern of Aurora wailing, “what do we do?” and Jim, who is a mechanic, telling her the solution and immediately fixing it himself. Aurora’s only role is to look distressed and repeat “this is bad,” as if the flashing red lights and sirens weren’t enough to clue us in. Jumping between action scenes, philosophical questions, jest and romance, “Passengers” aims for grandeur, trying to pack in love and life and everything in between, following the style of its obvious inspirations “Titanic” and “2001: A Space Odyssey”. But it overreaches, trying for everything and offering nothing. Though Jim has no shortage of time, the way “Passengers” hurriedly chokes each half-baked idea by the next, the movie acts like he does.
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
SERVICES
FOR SALE
THESIS EDITING joanhutchinson@att.net www.writeonA2.com
WINTEK CORP. AUCTION Wintek Corporation is auctioning over‑ seas assets and equipment. For more de‑ tailed info, go to Reorganization section at Wintek website at: www.wintek.com.tw.
FOR RENT 1 BEDROOM APTS Near N. Campus Fall 2017‑18 ‑ $900/m + $25/m Utilities Each unit has one parking space. 909 & 915 Wall St. Deinco Properties 734‑996‑1991 2 BEDROOM + Study Fall 2017 2 Parking Spaces Washer/Dryer Max occupancy is 4 935 S. Division ‑ $2250 + Utilities Cappo Mgmt 734‑996‑1991 2017‑2018 LEASING Apartments Going Fast! Prime Student Housing 761‑8000. www.primesh.com Efficiencies: 344 S. Division $855 610 S. Forest $870 ‑ 1 Left 1 Bedrooms: 511 Hoover $1045/$1065 508 Division $945 *Varies by location: Full Furnished, Parking Included, Free Ethernet
Have you purchased the
Football Book yet?
4 BEDROOM HOUSE Fall 2017 3 Parking Spaces Washer/Dryer 827 Brookwood ‑ $2900 + Utilities Deinco Properties 734‑996‑1991 5 BEDROOM APT Fall 2017 Washer Dryer, 3 Parking Spaces 1014 Vaughn #1 ‑ $2900 + Utilities Deinco Properties 734‑996‑1991 EFF, 1 & 2 Bdrm Apts Fall 2017‑18 Many locations near campus Rents from $850 (eff) ‑ $1415 (2 bdrm) Most include Heat and Water www.cappomanagement.com 734‑996‑1991 FALL 2017‑18 Apts @ 1015 Packard 2 Bedroom ‑ $1370 ‑ 2nd floor 3 Bedroom ‑ $1380 ‑ basement 1 parking space avail for $50/m per unit Deinco 734‑996‑1991
Do the crossword, then order one. store.michigandaily.com
Arts
6A — Monday, January 9, 2017
MUSIC COLUMN
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM REVIEW
SCREEN GEMS This season on “Botched.”
‘Blood Wars’ is an unsurprising mess Wars,” with the crux of at least two action scenes being two men Daily Arts Writer shooting each other with highpowered rifles at point blank range while screaming a la ’80s action The seriousness with which the stars. The action is further bogged “Underworld” series treats itself down by the manic editing the has always been its greatest asset series is equally well known for, and detriment, lending credibility which renders what could have to the expansive, legitimately been entertaining combat hard to impressive mythology while understand and harder to enjoy. draining the Even the story present-day doesn’t feel like it action of some has any real purpose of the fun it with regards to the could have had. world the filmmakers “Underworld: Blood The movies are have spent four films Wars” occasionally and fourteen years passable, constructing. “Blood Screen Gems if mostly Wars” centers around forgettable the rise of Marius Ann Arbor 20, action-horror (Tobias Menzies, Quality 16 flicks. “Blood “Outlander”), a Lycan Wars” feels who has the power to different than make the movie enter the other films of an incomprehensible, the franchise, as if the filmmakers choppy slow motion whenever he knew they wanted to make another comes on screen. He wants the chapter in the series, but were blood of Selene’s (Kate Beckinsale, unsure of what shape it would “Love & Friendship”) daughter, take. The result is a film that lacks but Selene doesn’t know where weight in every part of itself — she is, so he simply decides to from its story, to its characters, to kill people. It feels incredibly even the series’ particular brand of pointless. There’s also an outaction. of-place subplot featuring the That’s not to say it would be political machinations of one of fair to expect the “Underworld” the vampires, as if director Anna series to explore weighty Foerster (“Outlander”) believes themes or anything of the herself to be making some sort of sort. They’re essentially B-list monochromatic episode of “Game movies better known for their of Thrones.” trademark “swords, sandals and Even components that feel like semiautomatics” brand of insanity they should have enormous weight than any sort of complex plotting for the characters and should or layered characterization. Still, contribute to something, anything, even the action falls flat in “Blood resembling an arc are glossed over JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
DFA RECORDS
James Murphy is my dad.
If I could see all of my friends tonight, I’d say Daily Music Columnist reflects on LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends,” senior year and his first true goodbyes LAUREN THEISEN Daily Music Columnist
I used to listen to “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem and dream about when I would feel nostalgic for it. If you have never listened to LCD, “All My Friends” is its magnum opus, a bullet train of a song that’s undeniably one of the best of its generation. Over an unstoppable, unchanging piano rhythm and the slowly increasing crescendo of drums, synth and guitar, James Murphy — the unofficial spokesman of the lost, aging New York hipster — meditates on growing old while still trying to live the fast life. “You spend the first five years trying to get with the plan / And the next five years trying to be with your friends again,” he sings. “We’re running out of the drugs,” he continues. “and the conversation’s winding away.” Then there’s the line that received crazed cheers at their supposed farewell show back in 2011: “To tell the truth / This could be the last time.” And the repeating refrain to close out the song — “If I could see all my friends tonight…” — before the music seems to disappear into a puff of smoke. My senior year of high school was, of course, filled with goodbyes — but not really. I went off to a school that’s a 30 minute drive from where I grew up, if traffic is bad. I came here with over a dozen classmates I knew well. I still see several regularly, and I keep in touch with plenty more. I’m kind of proud of the fact that I have only really “lost” a small handful of friends, and even these disconnections felt moreor-less natural.
“All My Friends” was a fantastic song, one that grabbed me and didn’t let go for seven-and-a-half minutes, but it never conjured up any specific memories. It was never mainstream enough to be a song I danced to with people. It never soundtracked a celebratory occasion. It mainly just stayed in my pocket on my “Top 25 Most Played” iPod playlist. Through college, I always seemed to make a special point of listening to it at the end of the summer, usually when I realized I was driving around Livonia for the last time in a while. It turned into a ceremonial thing — I’d turn it up loud and try to inhabit the lyrics, even though I was usually just making a mundane trip to a grocery store or library. Each time, I felt like the song would touch some part of me that needed to connect, but even though I enjoyed the goofy devotion of the whole practice, I don’t know if I can say that it ever quite moved me. The line Murphy sings that always sticks out to me when I listen is the classic: “I wouldn’t trade one stupid decision / For another five years of life.” It’s tailor-made for a high school yearbook quote, and I always, every time I listen, think about whether it’s true. 2016 was the first year I started noticing the ages of celebrities who died. I subtracted my age from theirs and wondered what fraction of my life had already been lived — and whether I could
Murphy sings like an everyman, and his arrangement is visionary, so it’s the kind of song any lover of music can appreciate.
comprehend the amount of time I theoretically had left. More pressingly, I checked to see if they were younger than my parents, and if they were, I searched for mitigating factors and tried to find relief in the revelations that these famous people smoked cigarettes or lived otherwise unhealthy lifestyles. I have made a lot of stupid decisions in my life, only some of which turned out to be good stories later. There are hospital trips that could have been avoided; there’s that time I slammed a door on a friend and almost broke her mirror; the multiple times I spilled wine on carpets. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think I actually identify with “All My Friends.” Murphy sings like an everyman, and his arrangement is visionary, so it’s the kind of song any lover of music can appreciate. There’s a certain anticipation, though, that I have whenever I queue it up — I’m looking forward to powerful emotions. I’m ready to feel something that never quite hits. But now, I’m ready for actual goodbyes. The friends I never really left in high school are getting jobs out of state. I just finished up my time at the first job I ever loved. I’ll leave for the summer without the certainty of returning to see the same people again. I’ll finally be able to say “To tell the truth / This could be the last time and mean it,” and I can’t help feeling like at some point soon I’m going to listen to LCD Soundsystem and actually, legitimately start crying. I’ll start getting nostalgic and suddenly I won’t be able to stop.
I’d turn it up loud and try to inhabit the lyrics.
Lauren Theisen will be listening to LCD Soundsystem while a single tear rolls gently down her cheek. If you’d like to join email her at ajtheis@umich.
WANTED: SOMEONE TO TAKE NABEEL OFF OUR HANDS. HE GOT INTO THE CRAFT CLOSET AND THERE’S GLITTER EVERYWHERE If interested in this joint offer of an application and this unprecedented young man, contact Natalie Zak at npzak@umich.edu
D
in a matter of seconds. “Blood Wars” seems to genuinely believe that it has character arcs, but the characters are, for all intents and purposes, the same people they were at the beginning of the story. They have changed only in physical location and status. It’s hard to give “Awakening,” the previous worst film in the franchise, credit for much, but Selene had an actual emotional transition over the course of the film. With that in mind, it is difficult to criticize the talented cast for what amounts to a collection of phoned-in performances. They’re simply given nothing with which to work. Beckinsale, ever the series’ hidden weapon, manages a few scenes of legitimate emotion, but the script strands her in a plotline involving an early frontrunner for deus ex machina of the year. The rest of the characters are burdened with constantly saying exactly what they’re thinking and entire scenes pass where nothing is spoken except clunky exposition. If there’s one thing that can be said for the “Underworld” movies, it’s that they have always tried. They have aimed to create a unique mythology and to create interesting stories. Whether or not they have succeeded is up to individual assessment, but “Blood Wars” seems like the film where the filmmakers stopped trying. By the time the credits roll, the whole thing just feels meaningless and unnecessary. Hardcore fans of the series may find something to enjoy, but those on the fence will likely find it unsatisfying and overall unentertaining.
ALL THINGS RECONSIDERED
VAGRANT RECORDS
Don’t be concerned, there’s three more white boys where this came from
The overlooked predecessor to emo Music Writer Dominic Polsinelli reflects on The Get Up Kids and their lost contributions to the development of modern emo DOMINIC POLSINELLI Daily Arts Writer
The early 2000s get far too much credit for their contribution to the emo movement. Yes, the era blessed us with Take This to Your Grave, In Love and Death and Your Favorite Weapon, but 1999 gave us truly untouchable gems like the quintessential first self-titled record by American Football. Yet, the true diamond in the rough of ’99 is Something to Write Home About by The Get Up Kids, a tender forerunner of the more upbeat pop-punk to come in the following decade. I often find myself playing the “which album would I rather listen to” game with myself and, when I’m feeling the emo-punk spectrum, rarely anything beats Something to Write Home About. The fact of the matter is, The Get Up Kids did it the best before the genre ever hit the mainstream. Nearly two decades later, barely anything within today’s “Emo Revival” comes close to the genius of this record. Nothing feels quite as fresh. “Constants aren’t so constant anymore,” sings Matt Pryor on “Valentine.” Our world is turbulent. Life itself is turbulent, and it really sucks when you realize nothing is constant as you grow up. Emo music is emotional for a reason (duh), and because of this, it’s incredibly relatable. It’s also why lyrics like those found on this
album remain timeless, regardless of its tweeny sentiments. And truly it’s the success and timelessness of Something to Write Home About that is a dead giveaway as to why emo music is thriving again in the first place. It’s so easy to chalk emo music up to cliches like “sad boys” and “Warped Tour kids,” but these stereotypes only muddle the true accessibility of most of the genre. The melodies on this record are poppy and fun, consisting of rocking riffs lined with floaty synth lines, uplifted expertly with Pryor’s earnestly raspy vocals. This album is still pertinent because it showcases just how easy it is to enjoy music within the daunting and convoluted umbrella term that is emo. “My Apology” represents almost everything that makes an emo song, well, emo. It includes sentiments still present in most of modern emo’s most successful works from bands such as Modern Baseball and The Front Bottoms. Uncertainty, gaining confidence and having feelings you would really rather kick to the curb are all staples in the poignant genre showcased in this track. If lyrics like “Sometimes I’m old enough to keep routine / sometimes I’m child enough to scream,” don’t make you take a double-take at your own life, you have far more certainty than is humanly possible, dear reader. A close friend once told me that, when reviewing art, I should
ask myself, “Is this accomplishing what it wants to accomplish?” I’ve listened to Something to Write Home About at least a hundred times, and every listen feels like the first: it’s fresh, fun and unapologetically emotional like emo should be. It accomplishes these feats with flying colors by presenting its angst-ridden vibe amongst its dynamic catalogue of 12 tracks from pop-punk anthems indicative of the turn of the millennium to pianoheavy tracks that bring modern classics like “Miserable at Best” by Mayday Parade to mind. In 1999, Pitchfork gave this album a egregious 2.0 — with remarks such as “mind-numbingly uninspired, adolescent pop.” There’s an obvious issue with reducing the album to only pop music, as it clearly explores punk influences from previous decades. The reviewer goes on to say, “The Get Up Kids write from assumption, not passion,” while assuming that the rawness of the album makes it incapable of being considered “good” in the timeless Pitchfork definition. In 2017, when I listen to this album, I hear a record that is nothing if not entirely inspired and written completely from the heart. Something to Write Home About is still the charming, brilliant predecessor to the explosive popularity of modern emo, and an integral milestone in the history of the storied genre.
B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | January 9, 2017
Maryland 77, Michigan 70
NO ESCAPE. MINH DOAN
Daily Sports Editor
After the Michigan men’s basketball team came out sluggish Wednesday before clawing back to beat Penn State, there was a consensus from the Wolverines that they needed to find a way to come out strong from the start. Saturday against Maryland, (2-1 Big Ten, 14-2 overall) Michigan came out with a bit more energy but couldn’t find its shooting stroke — at one point shooting just 33 percent from the field and 15 percent from behind the arc. Though their offense found new life in the second half, the Wolverines (1-2, 11-5) couldn’t recover from the early deficit, losing 77-70 at Crisler Center
Still family
Michigan hockey alumni returned to Yost Ice Arena on Saturday night to support former Wolverine Scott Matzka in his fight against ALS.
» Page 3B
on Saturday. Michigan improved its offense in the first half by attacking the rim, but its defense left much to be desired and Michigan went into the halftime break down, 37-28. “It’s just very frustrating,”
Well, a couple times, we closed out short and dared them to shoot it
said sophomore forward Moritz Wagner. “When you’re out there on the court and work your butt off,
and then get beat at home like that. “There are just moments where it seems like we fall asleep collectively.” Junior guard MuhammadAli Abdur-Rakhman and senior guard Zak Irvin led the team in the first half with six points each, while Maryland forward Damonte Dodd led all scorers with 11 points. Michigan caught a break with Maryland’s Michal Cekovsky, a 7-foot-1 forward, out of the lineup Saturday. But Dodd, who stands at 6-foot-11 and had been averaging just 5.9 points per game before entering Saturday’s contest, filled in nicely for the Terrapins and finished with 15 points. The second half was a bit more favorable for Michigan. The Wolverines started the half
on a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to one. But every time Michigan got close, Maryland responded. The Wolverines closed the deficit to two multiple times in the second half, but each time, the Terrapins answered with a bucket of their own to extend their lead. “It was tough,” Beilein said. “When we made a big play to cut (the lead) down, they’d make one coming right back. It’s hard to keep doing that.” A lot of that was because of Maryland’s Melo Trimble, who started to heat up in the second half and finished with 13 points and 6 assists. Forwards Justin Jackson and Jared Nickens also added 15 and 12 points, respectively, for the Terrapins.
Maryland ended the game
There are just moments where it seems like we fall asleep collectively
shooting 51.9 percent, and made 10-of-15 from behind the arc. “Today, we were locked in,” said Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. “We made shots today. “We made some tough ones. We’re a really good shooting team and we’re still getting
used to each other. … But we made shots today.” On the other side of the court, Wagner led all scorers with 17 points. While another Big Ten loss isn’t crippling for Michigan’s NCAA Tournament hopes, it leaves little room for error the rest of the way. But in the meantime, the Wolverines have a lot of work to do, mainly on the defensive side of the ball. “We have to really close out on shooters,” Beilein said. “We need to get the shooters. Like today, (Maryland guard Kevin Huerter), Jackson and Nickens, those are not guys you close out short and contest, you just run them off the line. Well, a couple times, we closed out short and dared them to shoot it, and that’s what they do well.”
Some perspective The Michigan football and basketball teams have left something to be desired in their respective seasons, but they have come a long way.
» SportsMonday Column, Page 2B
SportsMonday
2B — January 9, 2017
SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN
L
et’s start with a couple of facts about the Michigan football season. First, it was a disappointment. The Wolverines finished 10-3. They hoped and expected to finish better. Second, there was a fair amount of heartbreak involved. Michigan lost on the final play of the game three JAKE times, each LOURIM different than the last. They all uniquely hurt the Wolverines. Michigan did a fair amount of watching, too. The Wolverines watched Wisconsin and Penn State play for the Big Ten Championship, Ohio State in the College Football Playoff and Penn State in the Rose Bowl. For all of those reasons, it’s going to be tempting for fans to sit down again Monday, watch Clemson and Alabama play for the national championship and feel ungrateful. Disappointment and heartbreak are reasonable emotions to have. It is an enviable position to feel them after a 10-win season. Let’s not forget that it could be worse. Let’s admit another fact about both of Michigan’s highest-profile programs. The football and men’s basketball teams are stagnant this season. The football team finished 10-3 last year and 10-3 this year. The men’s basketball team exited in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season and seems to be headed for a similar finish this season. In the same way, it’s easy for fans to watch another Michigan men’s basketball loss like Saturday’s, in which the Wolverines were outplayed in a 77-70 home loss to Maryland, and wonder how much better things
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
How quickly we forget
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has made his team national contenders again.
Michigan coach John Beilein has led his team to six NCAA Tournaments.
could be. But don’t forget how good they are, either. First, football. Many of the 137 teams in the history of Michigan football have finished better than 10-3. There’s no denying that. But you would have been thrilled two years ago if someone had told you the Wolverines would win 20 games in the next two seasons. Now and two years ago differ in many ways, but consider this one: This season, Michigan traveled to Piscataway and humiliated Rutgers, 78-0. The last time the Wolverines made that trip — not in a different era, not even five years ago — they lost that game, 26-24, in 2014. Michigan’s players have grown confident in the program they have revived. After that game two years ago, then-junior tight end Devin
finest jobs in American sports today, and we will have great options.” But even then, it seemed a bit unlikely. Later that month, the Daily printed a list of seven coaches Michigan might consider: Dan Mullen, Craig Bohl, Les Miles, Tom Herman, David Shaw, Butch Jones and Jim Harbaugh. All but Miles are head coaches now, from Texas to Wyoming. Some may have been good fits here, but there’s not much of an argument that anyone could have turned around the program as quickly as Harbaugh has. And then there’s the men’s basketball program, where excitement might be a little harder to see. Still, a journey through history lends a bit of perspective. In 2007, when Michigan fired Tommy Amaker and hired John
Funchess was stuck saying, “Wins and losses, that’s just a statistic.” The Wolverines now have a lot more wins. The embarrassments of 2014 need not be relived. So much is different now. Two years ago, as Ohio State marched toward a national championship and Michigan missed a bowl game, in the days leading up to the matchup thenredshirt junior center Jack Miller admitted: “They are playing for a lot, and we’re not.” This season, that was not the case in “The Game.” The following week, theninterim Athletic Director Jim Hackett did what he had to do and fired Hoke. He gave a positive press conference in which he vowed, “The head coach of Michigan football is one of the
Beilein to become its new head coach, the Wolverines had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1998. Worse, enthusiasm surrounding the program was low, Crisler Center was an afterthought and the team showed few signs of forward momentum. The week Beilein was hired, the Daily wrote that one of his first priorities would be to maintain the commitment of a highly touted recruit, a Michigan Mr. Basketball winner from Redford by the name of Corperryale “Manny” Harris. Beilein did that, and Harris led the coach’s second team to the NCAA Tournament in 2009. Much more prosperity followed, and the basketball program rose in stature as a result. In the Daily’s coverage of Beilein’s introductory press conference, this newspaper wrote, “The other major issue
at hand was Michigan’s lack of practice facilities. Beilein acknowledged that he and (former Athletic Director Bill) Martin have a general plan for the future, but said nothing was set in stone. When pressed on the fact that he indeed, wasn’t guaranteed a new practice facility, Beilein deflected the question.” “That’s all I can ask, is give us a chance to compete with our competitors and recruiting young men, practicing and developing our players,” Beilein said that day. Ten years later, he has a pristine new practice facility, the William Davidson Player Development Center, and Crisler Center is newly renovated. Back then, the future of the program under Beilein seemed uncertain. In breaking down the pros and cons of 12 possible hires, the Daily wrote that Beilein, then 54, “may not be interested in coaching for much longer.” A decade later, it’s safe to say he was. Beilein has led Michigan to one of its longest runs of success. Wednesday, he won his 200th game at the helm of the program, and he will likely go down as the best head coach in its history. It’s funny what happens when you look back on those moments. Two years ago, the Daily predicted the chances of each of those coaches being Michigan’s next hire. In the section about Harbaugh, the answer to the question “Could it happen?” was “No matter how hard you wish, it’s not likely.” The paragraph added, “But if Hackett were able to swing the deal, it could the beginning of a turnaround.” He did, and it was. Michigan has Harbaugh, it has Beilein and it could do a lot worse. Don’t forget that. Lourim can be reached at jlourim@umich.edu and on Twitter @jakelourim.
Wolverines experience a turbulent week in recruiting ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan football team was looking to do something no other team has done since rankings were introduced to the recruiting process: sign backto-back No. 1 overall prospects. The Wolverines signed Rashan Gary — ranked No. 1 in 247Sports’ composite rankings of the 2016 class — and were looking to do the same this cycle with Najee Harris, a running back from California. While Michigan was able to hold off a late surge from Clemson to sign Gary, it was unable to flip Harris, a longtime verbal commitment to Alabama, despite an aggressive year-long pursuit that included a satellite camp held in Antioch (Harris’ hometown), an appearance from Jim Harbaugh at Harris’s homecoming game and a late official visit to Ann Arbor in December. It was a razor-close finish — the type to be expected for a player of Harris’s caliber — that will leave a sour taste in the Wolverines’ mouths, especially considering Harris or someone in his camp led them to believe that he would be a Wolverine at some point in the process, according to Steve Lorenz of Wolverine 247. “Finding out as close as it sounds like it was, I believe (Harris) was just a conflicted kid who was going back and forth in his mind on what he was going to do,” Lorenz said. “He was not someone who was going to be influenced by Tua Tagovailoa, that type of stuff. It was all him, it was his call.” Missing out on Harris leaves Michigan with two running backs in the class — verbal commits Kurt Taylor and O’Maury Samuels. A third running back, AJ Dillon, recently switched his commitment from the Wolverines to Boston College. Lorenz believes that Michigan may choose to stand pat at the position, similar to how it has approached the tight end position. The Wolverines may add a running back if they find someone they believe to be good enough or flip a commitment from another school,
but “they’re not going to reach just to fill that slot”, according to Lorenz. “... You could see them maybe make a run at Chase Hayden, Arkansas commitment,” Lorenz said. “(Hayden’s) a player that (running backs coach) Tyrone Wheatley really, really liked. … There were rumors that they’re recruiting AJ Davis… I don’t think anything is going to happen there, though. Opinion wise, I would be interested to see if Michigan tried to recruit Khalan Laborn out of Virginia Beach. He’s committed to Florida State. I could see Michigan maybe saying, ‘Do you want to split carries with (Cam Akers) or be the guy in our class? ’... It’s recruiting. It’s wide-open as always. My hunch tells me they may try to stick with what they have right now, unless something falls into their lap.” It wasn’t all bad news for Michigan over the weekend, though. Chuck Filiaga, a consensus four-star prospect and the No. 98 overall player in the nation, announced Saturday at the Army All-American Game that he would be joining the Wolverines. Filiaga is the sixth offensive lineman in Michigan’s class and the second highest-ranked after center Cesar Ruiz. It was a big win on the trail for the Wolverines, who recently missed out on Isaiah Wilson, a five-star tackle who chose Georgia over Michigan. According to Lorenz, Michigan views Filiaga — along with Ruiz and Andrew Stueber — as potential contributors next season. “(Filiaga) was silently committed to Michigan for a while,” Lorenz said. “… He’s a perfect fit for the program as a player and a person. … I’m interested to see where Michigan wants to put (Filiaga), because he played right tackle this week, which is not where he’s used to playing. He had some difficulty picking up the steps from a footwork standpoint because he’s only ever played left tackle. I think that’s why he didn’t start in the (Army All-American) game on Saturday. “I think it’s a big win for Jim
Harbaugh. Michigan hasn’t done well in Texas. I know he’s not a Texas native (Filiaga moved to Texas from California for his senior year) … (but) they had to beat out Big 12-type area programs to get him. It’s a big win for them in that regard, and it’s a huge win because, as big as a loss Harris is, (the) offensive line was still their biggest need.” Meanwhile, Michigan also received some news regarding the recruitment of Aubrey Solomon, a highly-touted defensive tackle from Leesburg, Ga. Solomon committed to Michigan while in Ann Arbor on an unofficial visit over the summer, but decommitted just months later, citing a recruiting letter sent by Michigan that mispelled his name as the primary factor in his decision. Considering prospects who decommit from a school rarely end up playing for that same team, most had written off the Wolverines. But Solomon’s recruitment took yet another interesting turn this week while he was in San Antonio participating in the Army AllAmerican game. “Aubrey’s recruitment is going to be the biggest mess — that’s my early prediction from here until Feb. 1,” Lorenz said. “ … 48 hours (ago) he says, ‘Fuck Michigan’ on Periscope and 48 hours later, if signing day was today, he would be signing with Michigan. That’s where this recruitment is at right now. “Some people around him have questions about Alabama as a fit … Michigan has a lot of plusses in their favor.” Lorenz says the Wolverines have done a great job with Solomon’s mom while also recruiting him harder than any other team. Michigan can also offer an opportunity that other schools may not: immediate playing time. Several interior defensive linemen will graduate this spring, leaving an opening for a freshman to make an immediate impact. Solomon happens to be the type of recruit who could do so — Lorenz, who attended practices for the Army All-American game
this past week, thought Solomon might have been the best defensive tackle there. “One of the (Army AllAmerican) coaches was saying that (Solomon’s) already a really great player, but he has the potential to take an even further step up and be a game-changing guy in the middle,” Lorenz said. Solomon is expected to make a final decision sometime close to National Signing Day on Feb. 1, and with the turns seen so far, it wouldn’t be a surprise if there are a few more left in store. While Michigan may be in the lead now, it will have to compete with Alabama and Georgia for his signature. Willie Gay, a linebacker from Starkville, Miss., is another top target for the Wolverines who spent the week in San Antonio, and the news surrounding his recruitment was slightly less positive for Michigan. Louisiana State lost a linebacker commitment, stepped up its pursuit of Gay and is now in strong contention for the four-star
prospect. “... To me, it’s a typical, classic, ‘Does he want to stay South or is he willing to go North?’ type battle,” Lorenz said. “(Gay) has members of his camp that are really high on (Michigan’s) program. The funny thing about him is he’s the biggest Jabrill Peppers fan, and I think that’s been a big thing for him.” Michigan is hoping to add Gay to its class as the sole SAM linebacker — according to Lorenz, Jordan Anthony and Drew Singleton are slated to be WILL linebackers, while Josh Ross and Ben Mason will be MIKEs. “Basically the way Michigan is angling it is, ‘We have an open SAM spot in this cycle. We need a guy to come in and play this spot. You could be that guy if you sign here, and you get to take the spot of the player you idolize,’ ” Lorenz said. “That’s a big deal to (Gay) — he thought it was awesome. He’s like, ‘Even when Michigan started recruiting me, I didn’t realize that this is how it would end up. That I would get the chance to replace the player I’ve always looked to
as my favorite college football player.’ ” Gay is expected to pick his final destination on National Signing Day, and Lorenz says that Michigan hopes to host Gay for an unofficial visit (he took his official visit for the Illinois game Oct. 22) sometime before his decision — most likely after his scheduled visit to LSU on Jan. 20. The one factor that may help Michigan win this recruitment is head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is expected to focus his recruiting efforts on Gay after previously acting as the point man in Filiaga’s recruitment. The finish to the Wolverines’ last recruiting cycle was hectic, to say the least, as their 2016 class underwent significant changes over the final stretch. While Michigan’s 2017 class should undergo less upheaval this time around, its pursuit of Solomon and Gay should go down to the wire and will provide two more opportunities for the team and its fans to experience the twists-andturns of recruiting.
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh helped the Wolverines reel in an impressive trio of recruits for the 2017 class.
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
January 9, 2017 — 3B
Michigan alumni help one of their own in Scott Matzka Former Wolverines and Red Wings came together to play a game at Yost Ice Arena to raise money for ALS awareness. AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer
The tunnel from the Michigan hockey locker room opened and 28 former players skated onto the ice at Yost Ice Arena on Saturday night. Some players knew Scott Matzka personally from their time in Ann Arbor. Others participated simply to see old friends and to help a member of the “Michigan family.” But one player stood out from the rest. He was a bit younger and a few feet shorter. Wearing his father’s No. 10 jersey, Owen Matzka joined his father’s former teammates in the pre-game skate and would later score a goal. “That’s probably the most difficult emotional thing I’ve had to deal with,” Scott Matzka said. “I see the guys out there, laughing and having a great time, but seeing (my son) really pulls at my heartstrings. “It’s so cool that he’s getting some of these cool experiences, and stuff he’s never gonna forget. I’m trying to not cry and not get emotional, but I see him out there and then I’m tearing up.” Matzka was diagnosed with ALS in the summer of 2014. The event Saturday featured Matzka’s former teammates taking on the Detroit Red Wings alumni club to raise money for ALS. After the pre-game skate, Matzka and his family stood at center ice and participated in the ceremonial puck drop. Matzka thanked the 1,500plus fans in attendance. Then, Matzka joked with the players, urging them to avoid suffering a heart attack during the game.
COURTESY OF JAMES COLLER
Former Wolverine Scott Matzka, who has ALS, was honored with an alumni game between his old Michigan teammates and former Red Wings players.
Designed to raise awareness and funds for Matzka’s ALS foundation (MyTurn), the event also reunited former Wolverines, some of whom have lost touch with each other over the years. Josh Langfeld is only one example. They played together at Michigan but distance keeps them from seeing each other regularly. This game, though, provided an opportunity for the former linemates to reconnect. “It was awesome,” Langfeld said. “A truly great experience. Scott was my roommate freshman
It was awesome. A truly great experience
year in West Quad. We won the national championship together, we did a lot of great things. … He was my guy. We leaned on each other a lot over the years, so it’s a great thing to celebrate.” Added Matzka: “I haven’t had a chance to stay in touch with all these guys, and it sucks that it has to be under these circumstances, but it’s incredible to see everyone that’s shown up. The guys, the fans, people that are helping out around the rink. It’s hard to put into words.” It wasn’t just former Michigan players who enjoyed participating in the game, as the event also involved a team of former Red Wings players. Dave Coulier, perhaps best known as “Uncle Joey” from the television show “Full House,” relished the
opportunity to play with the Red Wings while supporting Matzka’s cause. Coulier has played with the Red Wings alumni team before and heard about the event from some of his friends who went to Michigan. Though he lacks a personal connection to Matzka and the disease, he recognized the importance of the event and what it meant to Matzka and his family. “I think you’ve got a lot people with big hearts, who realize the importance of life, and how something like ALS can affect family and friends and personal
lives,” Coulier said. “It’s brave on a whole other level, and guys just want to come out and support that. (They say) ‘Hey we’re looking out for you and we’re here to lend a hand.’ “It’s something we love to do. We love to get together and play hockey, but it’s especially great when you can take that and turn it into helping someone and their family.” The game itself featured 17 goals, with the Wolverines’ alumni holding off a late comeback by their Red Wings counterparts in a 10-7 victory. The score had little importance,
With two small kids and a wife, it breaks your heart
though. What mattered was that Matzka’s teammates all returned to support, honor and play for him. “Obviously as a team, especially being from the class of 1998, and then you go ‘99, ‘00 and then ‘01, whenever you have a cause like that, the Michigan men assemble,” said former Wolverine forward Matt Herr. “It was great to see everybody. Whenever there’s a cause or a teammate needs you, nothing ever changes, the guys are there. “It was fun tonight to get out there, put the skates on, and great to see Scott and his family. I think it meant a lot to these guys to be able to do that with Scott. If there is anything we can do to help another Michigan man, it is always good.” 28 players took the ice for the Wolverines, but Herr believes many more could have participated. Numerous alumni reached out to Chris Frescoln and L.J. Scarpace, who helped organize the event. Herr guesses that Michigan had the potential to “fill six teams.” The night included reunions, tearful hugs, jokes about college life, and of course, a hockey game. Yet, most importantly, it honored Matzka and his fight against ALS. “Thank you on behalf of all of Michigan for your strength and for everything that you are doing,” Herr said to Matzka during the event. “It takes a lot of courage, to stand up and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna battle this.’ With two small kids and a wife, it breaks your heart. “He could have done a lot of things like (say) ‘Hey, I feel sorry for myself.’ But that’s not the Michigan way, and that’s not Scotty Matzka. Instead, he’s chosen to get the word out and help other people, and hopefully that carries on and keeps battling ALS.”
Wolverines dominated by Iowa Amine bests fellow All-American PAIGE VOEFFRAY Daily Sports Writer
As soon as redshirt freshman Logan Massa claimed Michigan’s first victory of the evening in the 165-pound weight class, it appeared that it could turn the dual meet around. Massa dominated his opponent from beginning to end to remain unbeaten, but it wasn’t enough to propel the wrestling team to victory, as it fell to No. 3 Iowa (2-0 Big Ten, 6-0 overall), 31-7. Massa finished with seven takedowns, five of which came in the first period. With 2:30 minutes of riding-time, Massa cruised to a 16-6 major decision victory. Redshirt freshman Myles Amine wanted to keep the momentum going in the 174-pound match, and he didn’t disappoint. He earned an early single-leg takedown against 13th-ranked Alex Meyer to give him the lead, but even after a tough first round, the score was just 2-1. After a locked-hands call against the Wolverines and an escape from Meyer, the score was tied at five. With Amine’s riding time dwindling, he needed to act fast in order to secure the win. Amine delivered with a late reversal, winning 6-5. Massa and Amine cut Iowa’s lead to 10, but Michigan proceeded to drop the next three matches. The Wolverines lost too many matches that could have easily gone the other way, and Iowa capitalized on Michigan’s weak moments. Redshirt freshman Stevan Micic and No. 1 Cory Clark were evenly matched at 133 pounds, as two stalemates were called in the first period resulting in a tie at the outset. Micic had the sold-out crowd on their feet with a reversal, but after complaints from the Hawkeye bench there was an official review. Fortunately for Iowa, the call didn’t stand and the second period ended with both men still scoreless. Clark escaped quickly at the beginning of the third period and finished with a 1:55 riding-time advantage, ultimately securing a
2-0 win. “Things didn’t go the way I planned it to,” Micic said. “If the match would have changed a little bit I would have had my hand raised, but it really doesn’t matter right now. It only matters what happens at the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Championships in a couple months. “That’s what I’m training for everyday. That means little improvements and seeing mistakes I make now and fixing them for later.” With an 18-point deficit heading into the final match, Michigan’s hopes for a win were impossible. The only thing the Wolverines could hope for was to try to cut the Hawkeye lead by as much possible. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, freshman heavyweight Dan Perry couldn’t overcome his inexperience against No. 6 Sam Stoll. There was an official review after Perry wasn’t awarded
what Michigan thought was a takedown, though in the end he was not given the points. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because Stoll pinned Perry with 38 seconds left in the first period. Stoll grabbed Perry’s left leg to throw him off balance, forcing Perry to fall on his back. His inexperience as a freshman may have led to a slight panic, which allowed Stoll to overpower him. “I just told the guys, ‘Guys, we had opportunities to win these matches, we just didn’t do the work.’ ” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “We can get a little tougher, we can get a little better. Some of that’s just working on our grit. “In some of those close matches, we just melted in the third period and let some of those matches get away from us. And all that is is hard work and believing in yourself, and doing the little things you need to do to win the match.”
Things didn’t go the way I planned it to
MAX KUANG/Daily
Redshirt freshman Stevan Micic fell to No. 1 Cory Clark in a close contest.
SOPHIE CLOHERTY Daily Sports Writer
It was the first minute of his match against Iowa’s No. 13 Alex Meyer and Myles Amine made it clear that he had been saving all his energy while on the sidelines for the mat. “I try to stay calm,” 174pound redshirt freshman Amine said after winning, 6-5. “ ... I don’t want to waste too much energy screaming or yelling. I’m definitely rooting for those guys and hoping that they win the match, but I have to stay calm and reserve all my energy before I wrestle. Mentally, probably I will be cheering these guys on but physically probably you won’t see me getting up there and screaming at the ref or doing anything crazy.” Right off the bat, a doubleleg takedown put Amine in the lead. Going into the second period, he had notched over a minute of riding time. In the second period, Meyer managed an escape to even the score before surpassing Amine’s riding time to take the lead in the third period. With the score tied at 5-5
in the final minute of the match, a reversal gave Amine a one-point advantage that eventually earned him the victory. Amine’s win was one of two matches falling in favor of Michigan in its sold-out dual meet against the Hawkeyes last Friday night. “I think the best point in that match was that one right off the whistle,” Amine said. “Going forward, I think I wrestled a pretty tough third period, just staying offensive and kind of pushing myself. I think I could have gone a little harder in that third period … That’s something to work on.” The match marked the third time this season that Amine has won against an All-American, and the fourth time he has won against a ranked opponent. Amine only recently moved into the top-10 nationally after being unranked at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 2-3), where he beat two All-Americans. “He panicked there a little bit at the end,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “But he’s a tough kid, he’s got a huge upside.”
MAX HUANG/Daily
Redshirt freshman Myles Amine secured a late reversal to win his match, 6-5.
As if Amine’s win wasn’t impressive enough, it also came at a critical time. “He was out of practice for a little while,” McFarland said. “He’s just getting back into it after being off the mat for a period of time, so I was a little worried about where he was going to be. To be honest with you, a couple days ago we weren’t sure he was going to go wrestle, but he’s that kind of kid. That didn’t deter him at all.” Of the 10 wrestlers in the starting lineup, he is currently one of seven redshirt freshmen. For McFarland, the lack of experience creates a learning curve, but he can look to wrestlers like Amine as an example. “Believing in yourself and doing the little things, that’s what you need to do to win the match,” McFarland said. “Those matches that we won — Logan Massa, Myles Amine, those guys did the work, they did all the hard things.” Amine finds the energy of his teammates to be a motivator. Specifically, he highlighted redshirt freshman Logan Massa, who is currently undefeated and ranked at No. 2 in the national rankings. Massa also won his match Friday against Iowa’s Joey Gunther. “I try my hardest not to focus on the matches before me,” Amine said. “But when you watch somebody go out there on your team and just dominate, it kind of gets you excited, gets you ready to wrestle. It’s a good one-two punch with Logan and I. He comes first and he’s always going to bring the pressure and the heat, so sometimes I feel the thing I (have) to do is to keep up and to not let the nerves get to me.” And as Amine just cracked the national rankings, McFarland can clearly see what the trajectory of his career may be. “He’s going to be really really good,” he said. “We need more of those kind of efforts. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
SportsMonday
4B — January 9, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan’s depth an issue against Terps Wolverines fall short WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
to open their season
BRANDON CARNEY Daily Sports Writer
Forward Zak Irvin and guard Derrick Walton Jr. both entered Saturday’s game MARYLAND 77 against MICHIGAN 70 Maryland ranked in the top-five of minutes played per game in the Big Ten. While the pair of seniors have insisted that they can handle the marathon of spending so much time on the court, their seemingly bottomless gas tanks finally hit empty. It wasn’t just Walton and Irvin who were challenged by the workload down the stretch versus the Terrapins, junior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman and redshirt sophomore forward DJ Wilson each sat just three minutes of Saturday’s contest. After facing a nine-point deficit at the half, Michigan had the muscle to reduce Maryland’s lead to within a single possession multiple times. But the Terrapins took advantage of their depth and week-long break, finding the energy to overcome the Wolverines’ comeback attempts time-and-time again to down Michigan at Crisler Center, 77-70. “I was concerned about the third game in (seven) days,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “We came back 10 days ago. We haven’t really had a day off, and I was concerned about that coming in.” Added Maryland coach Mark Turgeon: “I thought we had the deeper team today. Our guys were great in the first half and gave us great depth, and we had some fresh legs down the stretch.” The Wolverines used just three substitues the entire game, and the trio combined for 35 minutes — the lowest amount of bench minutes thus far in Michigan’s three conference games. Redshirt junior guard Duncan Robinson barely played in the
Michigan loses to Utes for 14th straight time in as many years ANNA MARCUS For The Daily
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Freshman guard Xavier Simpson has been working to become a viable option off the bench this season.
second half, primarily because he wasn’t giving the Wolverines the production they needed on the defensive end to close the deficit. Robinson logged just 11 minutes, and in that time, had just three points from three shots with a plus/minus of minus four. He wasn’t adding enough offense or defending the perimeter well enough to be relied upon down the stretch. Beilein’s only option to make the defensive stops the Wolverines needed was to stick with his starting five and manage his timeouts well. “I thought that was our best defensive team on the floor,” Beilein said. “If you noticed, I called a timeout so we can use the (media) timeouts. When you have eight minutes to go, you’re going to have two media (timeouts), and I called a timeout and (Maryland) called one. There’s no reason to make a
I was concerned about the third game in (seven) days
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Mitchell too much for ‘M’ NATHANIEL CLARK Daily Sports Writer
COLUMBUS — The Michigan women’s basketball team and No. 11 Ohio State rely heavily on their two star guards, juniors Katelynn Flaherty and Kelsey Mitchell, respectively. Both players wear the number three, are in the conversation for All-American honors, and are the keys to success for their teams this season. The pair of standouts lived up to their lofty billing Saturday in the battle of the final two undefeated teams in the conference. While both led their respective teams in scoring, Flaherty outscored Mitchell, 38-26. However, the Buckeyes would ultimately outscore the Wolverines, 96-87. “I think everyone around the country who caught that game got to see a great matchup of two of the best guards in the country,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “(Flaherty) was kind of in a struggle as of late, but that’s not typical of her.” Added Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff: “She’s a really good player. She can score in a variety of ways, she has a really quick shot and she is incredibly accurate.” Flaherty came out hot against the Buckeyes, scoring 10 points in the first quarter — two more than she tallied in the entire contest against Wisconsin on Jan. 1. But Mitchell answered Flaherty with eight points of her own, which kept Ohio State within one at the end of the quarter. Mitchell took the lead in the second quarter, continuing her ferocious attack with eight more points, including a 3-pointer that gave the
change.” One option Beilein did have that could deliver defensively off the bench was freshman guard Xavier Simpson. The freshman has seen a rise in his minutes the past couple outings, and he showed that he had the skill and confidence to disturb Maryland’s guards. “(Simpson has) made the progress in practice,” Beilein said “It’s good to have (Walton) be a little more rested. We got to find another way to have (Walton) play some offguard at times, or maybe have those guys out there together.” Simpson’s final contribution was nearly picking the pocket of Maryland guard Melo Trimble from behind, but the ball went out-of-bounds before any Michigan defenders could come up with it. Simpson was replaced by Walton following the play, and Walton subsequently left Trimble open to drain a
Buckeyes a 33-32 advantage with 3:30 to go until halftime. But Flaherty countered Mitchell with eight more points as well, which featured a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cut Michigan’s deficit to 45-43 at halftime. On the other side of the break, Mitchell responded to Flaherty’s three with a trey of her own. She went on to score five points in the quarter to push Ohio State’s lead to 69-59 entering the fourth. “(Mitchell) is a great player,” Flaherty said. “She can score at will. A lot of our game plan was to stop her. Even though she still scored a decent amount, I thought we did a pretty good job.” The Wolverines might have been run completely out of the gym during that frame if not for Flaherty’s 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc. Flaherty added 10 more points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome Michigan’s deficit. “I just stayed in the gym and kept shooting,” Flaherty said. “I built my confidence back up, and my teammates found me in great positions today. That’s what really got me going.” Even though their individual performances stood out the most, Flaherty and Mitchell were certainly not the only contributors on their respective teams. Junior guard Jillian Dunston notched her second double-double of the season, and the Buckeyes had five players score at least 10 points, including forward Stephanie Mavunga, who nearly netted a double-double of her own with 12 points and nine rebounds. But while the stars of both teams lived up to their hype in Saturday’s contest, only one of the pair came out on top.
She can score at will. A lot of our game plan was to stop her
3-pointer seconds after play resumed. Allowing Simpson to ride out the momentum he had found for just a few more plays could have stopped the Terrapins from scoring those critical points in such a close contest. It could have also given Walton and AbdurRahkman a few more seconds of rest and a chance to regain some mental sharpness to lead the Wolverines in crunch time. As the Big Ten schedule rolls on, Beilein will need to challenge his bench players, especially Simpson and Robinson, to make up for their shortcomings and enter games ready to contribute. While Michigan’s starters have shown they can carry the workload, they can still fall victim to fatigue. The Wolverines won’t be able to go nine-deep in their rotation like the Terrapins did Saturday. What will matter most is the quality, rather than the quantity, of minutes they can receive from their bench. If the quality is high enough, Michigan may have the ability to overcome, or even prevent, the setbacks it has experienced early in the conference season.
For the past 13 years, Utah has had a perfect record against the Michigan women’s gymnastics team. That trend continued on Saturday, as the Wolverines lost their first season opener since 2009. However, Michigan coach Bev Plocki described the showdown as a perfect start for the team. “Had we had an uncharacteristically great meet, I think that people would have been pretty satisfied with what they are doing,” Plocki said. “I think it would have negatively affected us down the road.” With plenty to improve upon in the upcoming season, the seventh-ranked Wolverines fell to the sixthranked Utes, 196.625-195.525, in Salt Lake City. Three freshman — Maddy Osman, Polina Shchennikova and Lexi Funk — got a taste of national championship-caliber competition facing Utah in their collegiate debuts. The three competed in front of over 14,000 people, with Osman in the lineup for vault and floor, Shchennikova in bars and Funk on the beam. Despite the loss, the meet had no shortage of highlights for Michigan. Senior captain Talia Chiarelli had a stellar performance on the vault, floor and beam with scores of 9.850, 9.800 and 9.850, respectively. Her scores earned her a nod as
performer of the meet for the Wolverines. Although junior Paige Zaziski had some hiccups early on in the meet, she bounced back, with an impressive routine on the beam. The Wolverines followed her lead, putting together a solid overall rotation. The 2016 Big Ten Champion on bars, junior Brianna Brown kicked off the season with a strong start, finishing as Michigan’s top scorer in the event with a 9.850. She followed it up with a strong performance on beam, scoring a 9.825. Sophomore Emma McLean and senior Nicole Artz also had standout showings in the meet. McLean earned a career-high vault score with a 9.850 and performed an exciting floor routine that secured her a 9.825. Six-time All-American Artz earned a team-high score of 9.875 for her floor routine. Plocki, who is in her 28th season at the helm, attributed Michigan’s opening loss to the young nature of her team, which is still learning the ropes of the college stage. “Until the freshmen gain more confidence and competitive experience, there’s bound to be a few mistakes here and there,” Plocki said. Though Utah continued its streak, the Wolverines can take away the competitive experience of the meet heading into this week’s practices, as they prepare for their upcoming quad meet against Ohio State, Washington and Kent State next weekend.
There’s bound to be a few mistakes here and there
Michigan’s perfect conference start ruined by road loss to the Buckeyes Despite Flaherty’s 38 points, the Wolverines suffer defeat in Columbus SYLVANNA GROSS Daily Sports Editor
COLUMBUS Entering Saturday’s matchup, the Michigan women’s basketball team and No. 11 Ohio State were two of just three undefeated teams that MICHIGAN 87 remained OHIO STATE 96 in the Big Ten. After the matchup, though, only one team maintained their untainted conference record, as the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines, 96-87. In its quest to remain undefeated, Michigan faced Ohio State in what will be the only meeting between the two teams this year. It was the Wolverines’ second consecutive Big Ten road game, and thus far, they haven’t fared well away from home. With the loss to the Buckeyes, Michigan is now 5-4 away from
Crisler Center. “I thought it was a great basketball game, a great rivalry game,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “We started out terrific, but I think (Thome) getting into foul trouble early really turned the tides and went in Ohio State’s favor. But they did an outstanding job rebounding the basketball and that was an area we really struggle with.” The Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 13-4 overall) quickly raced to a 10-3 lead against the Buckeyes (4-0, 14-4) within the first four minutes of play, as junior guard Katelynn Flaherty and sophomore center Hallie Thome notched six and four points,
respectively. By the end of the first quarter, Flaherty had already soared to double-digit scoring, surpassing—by a large margin— her total of eight points in the Wolverines’ most recent win over Wisconsin. By the end of the game, Flaherty had a seasonhigh 38 points — good for the second most points scored in program history. “Katelynn has been working extremely hard,” Barnes Arico said. “She might be the hardest working kid I’ve ever been around in my entire coaching career. So we knew as a staff and a team she was going to break out of (her recent scoring struggles) and tonight, she did.”
I thought it was a great basketball game, a great rivalry game
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Junior guard Katelynn Flaherty recovered from a shooting slump in a matchup with Ohio State on Saturday.
Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell changed the game with three minutes left to play in the second, pushing the Buckeyes ahead for the first time all game, 33-32. It was a close lead Ohio State wouldn’t give up. While freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick led a Wolverine comeback that tied the game at 40 in the second, it was the last time Michigan wouldn’t trail for the rest of the contest. “Kysre has been outstanding, she’s great for us,” Barnes Arico said. “I think tonight, when you come into an atmosphere of a top team in the country, on their home court, that was a little eyeopening for her. She’s going to have a wonderful career for us.” By the end of the half, the Wolverines were trailing 45-43, despite tallying double-digit triples — marking the sixth time this season that the team has done so. Flaherty, herself, went 8-for-15 from behind the arc to claim a program record for most 3-pointers in a single game. “She’s always moving,” said Ohio State forward Shayla Cooper. “She gets one step advantage on you, it’s hand down, man down. She’s going to lock down the shot.” The Wolverines closed the deficit to eight to begin the fourth quarter, but even that proved to be too large for Michigan to come back. It was ultimately the Buckeyes’ defense that hindered Michigan. The Wolverines have consistently shown scoring depth off their bench, Ohio State limited them to 11 points in the final five minutes. Despite a double-double from junior forward Jillian Dunston, a team-high 10 assists from senior guard Siera Thompson and Flaherty’s 38-point outburst, Michigan didn’t have enough to steal a win in Columbus — pushing the Buckeyes’ all-time series advantage to 53-11.