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Friday, April 14, 2017
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CAMPUS LIFE
24-hour vigil highlights significance of Holocaust Held at Hillel, the ceremonies completed the day-long read of victims of the tragedy ERIN DOHERTY Daily Staff Reporter
DESIGN BY MICHELLE PHILLIPS
Native American students share uncertainty over bicentennial exhibits
The community, making up less than one percent of the University, reflect on inclusion DYLAN LACROIX Daily Staff Reporter
Some Native American students are elated by a recent exhibit that aims to bring awareness to the role Native Americans had in the founding of the University of Michigan but overall there is an underlying concern about the ways the University is representing Native Americans during its bicentennial celebrations. The “Native Americans:
Michigan’s Foundation” exhibit, which is one of seven popup art installations named “Stumbling Blocks” seeking to bring awareness to some of the difficult moments of the University’s history, has led Native American students to point to some of the issues with representing the Native American identity on campus. On Ingalls Mall, one of these “Stumbling Block” exhibits, a raised plaque, highlights a sizably smaller, permanent plaque that already exists in the
ground nearby to commemorate a gift of land from three Native American tribes to the University in 1817. For Native American student Kaitlin Gant, an LSA senior, one of her biggest concerns was the lack of dedication given to other equally significant effects Native Americans have had on the history of the University. “While I think it made a profound impact and drew more attention to the importance of Native American contributions to the campus, a sign is where the
attention stopped,” Gant said. Gant discussed the how the plaque came about as a result of Native American student activism on campus and protests led by Native students in the early 2000s advocating for the removal and University support of a student organization that historically had openly mocked and ridiculed Native American culture. The organization, then called Michigamua, reportedly appropriated Native American culture, going so far as using See BICENTENNIAL, Page 3
As part of the closing ceremonies for the SHARE vigil, a 24-hour event hosted by the Students for Holocaust Awareness, Remembrance and Education, students read names of people who died during the Holocaust and heard from five Holocaust survivors. The survivors attended the closing ceremonies Thursday night at University of Michigan Hillel to tell their stories, talk to students and share music they sang during the Holocaust. SHARE hosted this ceremony, following the reading of names out of a book in front of the Espresso Royale on South University Avenue, as one of its annual events. The students who attended the event noted how valuable it is to hear survivors’ stories, which is the motivation for many of the events SHARE plans. For LSA sophomore Lilah Kalfus, member of the SHARE
board, this sentiment rang especially true, as both of her grandparents were Holocaust survivors. “We’re one of the last generations to be able to talk to survivors, so we are just trying to provide as many opportunities to do that, like my kids won’t be able to talk to a Holocaust survivor,” Kalfus said. LSA sophomore Kyla Klein, a member of Hillel, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing how important these types of conversations are in the current political climate. “My whole life I’ve been very interested in the Holocaust and just how it happened exactly,” Klein said. “I think it’s really cool to gain this type of perspective; especially with what’s happening in the world right now, it’s important to recognize systematic oppression and genocide and the Holocaust.” LSA senior Eitan Katz, who was a board member See VIGIL, Page 3
Islamic Studies symposium keynote MTC now Volunteer rebranded address features UT Austin professor Therapaws
RESEARCH
HOSPITAL
under the name Mcity
Denise A. Spellberg discussed Thomas Jefferson’s involvement with Muslim world
Mobility Transportation Center will take on the more recognized brand
Denise A. Spellberg, a professor of history at The University of Texas at Austin, headlined the annual Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies Seminar Symposium on Thursday where she discussed Thomas Jefferson’s connection with Islam. Spellberg opened the address to an audience of 20 faculty and graduate students in the Michigan League by explaining that Jefferson knew more about Islam than most of his contemporaries. She said he went out of his way to study the faith and meet its practitioners. “As a historian of the American founders and their interest in Islam and Muslims, and as one who teaches Islamic studies, I think the precedence of Thomas Jefferson remains important, because he once imagined Muslims here in the U.S.,” she said. She went on to say the few scholarly books that consider Jefferson’s involvement in the Muslim world emphasize a “dominant negative paradigm.” She said such books emphasize “Muslim” and “American” are terms most often placed in binary opposition as the eternal “them” and “us.” Spellberg’s work focuses on challenging such a dichotomy and is documented in her book “Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders.”
SOPHIE SHERRY Daily News Editor
Building on the strength and national and international recognition of the University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center and Mcity, the entirity of automated vehicle testing has officially been branded Mcity. The Mobility Transformation Center launched in 2013 as a public-private partnership between government and industry to expand research on driverless cars. The MTC introduced Mcity in July 2015, as the world’s first testing ground for advanced mobility vehicles and technology. Mcity quickly gained worldwide name recognition, which motivated the University to consider changing the name of the entire center. In an email interview, Susan Carney, the director of marketing and communications for Mcity, highlighted the importance of capitalizing on this growing recognition. “We wanted to build on that strength,” Carney wrote. See MCITY, Page 3
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JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter
At the address, she discussed how the ideas of Islam influenced the United States’ founders and subsequently transformed “imagined” Muslims — a group considered outsiders in the 18th century — into exemplars of the United States’ ideals of religious pluralism and civil rights. “Thomas Jefferson in particular was a visionary — a man who planned for a nation that included Muslims as future
citizens, despite sometimes simultaneously expressing negative views of Islam,” she said. “The ideal of their future presence and shared American spaces — this imagined future, while notional — contains key elements of what today might be considered an aspect of American exceptionalism.” Such exceptionalism, she explained, refers to the precedent that anyone of any religion might
reside in the United States with citizenship and equal rights — ideals that she believes are attacked under President Donald Trump’s administration. In light of this statement, the symposium in general focused on the effect of the Trump administration on Islamic studies and was inspired by solidarity movements such as Black Lives Matter, the response to the See KEYNOTE, Page 3
JEREMY MITNICK/Daily University of Texas at Austin Professor Denise Spellberg gives the keynote speech about Thomas Jefferson’s connection with Islam as part of the Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies Seminar Symposium on Thursday.
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Vol. CXXVII, No. 67 ©2017 The Michigan Daily
dog brings joy to U-M
Dog brought to Michigan Medicine proves to be therapeutic for patients KENNEDY WERNER Daily Staff Reporter
Legend, a 7-year-old collie, makes his way into C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital for his afternoon shift. By his side are his owner and Jared Wadley, the senior public relations representative at Michigan News. The two are a part of Therapaws of Michigan, an organization that provides therapeutic and educational canine visits to the Washtenaw County area. Wadley began volunteering about seven years ago with his now-retired therapy dog Bella. Bella was a frequent visitor at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center for about six and a half years. Now Wadley and Legend can be found at Mott. While the process to become a certified therapy dog is extensive, Legend seemed to have some of the necessary characteristics instilled within him. Wadley noted Legend’s personality made him a good fit to be a therapy dog. “He’s just a friendly dog,” See DOGS, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7
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2 — Friday, April 14, 2017
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ON THE DAILY: NORTH CAMPUS GETS ITS OWN CUBE The Cube on the University of Michigan’s campus, located next to the Michigan Union, is a staple for prospective student tours, Instagram picture and club meetings. Now, thanks to a group of Michigan Engineering students, a new cube has come to campus — this time, in the form of a Rubik’s Cube on North Campus. The project, which was unveiled on Thursday in the southwest corner on the second floor of the G.G. Brown Building, was created and designed by two teams of mechanical engineering students. The first group of students — Kelsey Hockstad, Dan Hiemstra, Martin Harris and Samuelina Wright — worked on the cube for two years, but graduated in 2016. A new group of students took over the project this year, with the original team advising them. The idea for the cube came on Pi Day in 2014, when two students
were hanging out in the College of Engineering honors office, playing with a Rubik’s Cube. Suddenly, one of the students in the office, Harris, had a groundbreaking idea: He wanted to make a massive version, as a competitor to the cube on Central Campus. Harris, who now works as an engineer for Herman Miller in Holland, has always liked playing with Rubik’s Cubes, according to a Detroit Free Press article. “The Rubik’s Cube has been a consistent source of relaxation and mystery for me over the years, which is what I love most about it,” he said. “Since high school, I have thought of it as a physical representation of entropy. By inputting enough work, it’s possible to make the cube more organized, but its natural tendency is toward chaos.” The idea got approved as a capstone senior design project, and so, a group of mechanical
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engineering students were tasked human-manipulable Rubik’s Cube.” with creating a cube that people Engineering senior Ryan Kuhn, would be able to spin from all sides. one of the developers and producers “This is a truly amazing and of the project, is excited about having unique kinematic mechanism that a cube on North Campus that can functions as a Rubik’s Cube,” Noel compete with the Central Campus Perkins, a professor of mechanical landmark. engineering and adviser to the “Now North Campus has an students, said in the same article. iconic cube of our own,” he said. Perkins noted the production of the cube is especially impressive, - ERIN DOHERTY given the size of the project. “There is no other humanmanipulable cube like this, to the best of our knowledge,” he said. “So to be very precise, it is the world’s largest KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily Members of Mentality Magazine pose with the print issue of their stationary,
Univ. of Michigan @UMich
Chicago architect William LeBaron Jenney taught his 1st U-M architecture class in 1876 and built the 1st American skyscraper in 1884. #UMich200
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magazine at their launch party in Hatcher Gallery on Thursday.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Santa Fe Institute Symposium WHAT: A daylong symposium about contemporary and ancient topics in ecology and evolutionary biology. WHO: The Center for the Study of Complex Systems WHEN: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Graduate School, fourth floor
6th Annual Sankofa Film Series WHAT: The UM Detroit Center will be hosting a film viewing featuring five films highlighting life in the inner city, mass incarceration and Black nationalism. WHO: UM Detroit Center WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Detroit Center
Overheard @ Michigan
Art Opening
Pirates of Penzance
@UmichBullshit
WHAT: An open house at the Clements Library to display the maps, manuscripts, books and prints in the collections. WHO: William L. Clements Library WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: William Clements Library, Avenir Foundation Room
WHAT: The Residential College will be hosting a reception to commemorate the unveiling of an art exhibit featuring the work of RC seniors, which will be open through April 29. WHO: Residential College WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: East Quad, RC Art Gallery
WHAT: The University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society is hosting a showing of the 1879 classic play “Pirates of Penzance.” This is the first night of the performance series. WHO: University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society WHEN: 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. WHERE: Lydia Mendelssohn Theater
“Imagine playing Carillon for a living. People would ask what you do and you’d be like ‘Oh, I play buildings.’”
Music Recital
Board Games at Markley
Social Psychology Lecture
WHAT: Zachary David Crowle, a Music, Theatre & Dance student, will be performing selected pieces from composers such as Schubert, Bizet, Ives, Mendelssohn and Schumer on the baritone horn. WHO: School of Music, Theater & Dance WHEN: 8 p.m. WHERE: McIntosh Theater
WHAT: The residents of Markley Residence Hall will have the opportunity to gather for a bonding event featuring a wide selection of board games and WiiU games. WHO: Casual Gaming Club WHEN: 9 p.m. to midnight WHERE: Mary Markley Residence Hall
Clements Library: A Century of Collecting, 1903 - 2016
Daily Staff Reporter
City Council will go ahead with a vote on a $10 million contract to sell the downtown Library Lot to Chicago-based real estate firm Core Spaces during its April 17 meeting, despite the raising of legal questions regarding the contract by former Councilmember Stephen Kunselman. Kunselman raised concerns the sale of the lot to a private firm would jeopardize the tax-exempt status of the Build America Bonds that were used to fund construction of the surface and underground parking lots the Library Lot is currently used for. Should the council approve the contract, the city will still continue operation of the underground lot. According to Councilmember Zachary Ackerman (D–Ward 3), the contract does not put the status
COACHELLA JEALOUSY.
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“So this issue was put to rest five years ago, and like a lot of things, information gets buried over time, especially when they’re legal findings,” Ackerman said. “It re-emerged now, as we’re approaching the vote, and the concern is that this memo from our bond counsel, Dykema, was never signed. We have since confirmed with Dykema that they still hold their finding to be true, and that any memo issued to a client is legally justifiable and covered by their insurance.” Responding to the email from Kunselman, Mary Joan Fales, a senior assistant city attorney, noted the absence of a signature on the memo did not invalidate the advice or its insurance. “Dykema’s professional insurance coverage applies to legal advice rendered in a memorandum to a client to the same extent as legal advice rendered in the form of an opinion letter,” she wrote. “Neither the manner in which the legal advice is rendered nor the inclusion or absence of a signature create any liability exposure for the City or alters the City’s right to rely on the legal advice provided. Bond Counsel has specifically confirmed applicability of insurance coverage and that the memorandum was prepared with the understanding the City would be relying on it.” In his email, Kunselman suggested an alternative revenue-generating plan for use of the Library Lot –– building another library. This, he noted, didn’t run the risk of using the bond-funded lot for a private purpose, and the plot of land across the street, on which the current downtown district library stands, could be sold for private use.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
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WHAT: Spike Lee, a professor at the Rotman School of Management, will be giving a talk about the psychology of mind-body relationships. WHO: Deptartment of Psychology WHEN: 11 a.m. to noon WHERE: East Hall, Room 4448
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com
Former Councilmember Stephen Kunselman raised concerns regarding the contract of the bonds at risk, based on the legal advice of Dykema Gossett PLLC, the city’s outside bond counsel. One of Kunselman’s main concerns was that a 2012 memo from Dykema was not signed and did not carry legal weight. “Basically, the 8/9/12 Bond Counsel memo was written in response to the ‘hypothetical’ and certainly one would expect Bond Counsel to stand by their ‘unnamed and unsigned’ advice on the ‘hypothetical’ cause they can’t be held accountable for that if the Core Space ‘private use’ proposal of the ‘bond financed facility’ is found to ‘jeopardize the tax-advantage status of the bonds,’ “ Kunselman wrote in an email Thursday to the council. Ackerman confirmed that even if the legal advice from Dykema were invalid, it is insured, meaning any cost incurred to the city as a result would be covered by Dykema.
raelynn snodgrass @rsnod18
City Council to vote on Library Lot sale despite legal questions on deal ANDREW HIYAMA
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BICENTENNIAL From Page 1 Native American artifacts and cultural references, such as headdresses and statues, and performing Native Americanlike rituals. “There were many protests held by Native students around 10 years ago that led to the land grant plaque and the removal of support for Michigamua,” Gant said. Michigamua has since been renamed Order of Angell, an organization which focuses on honoring senior leadership at the University. An exhibit on the history of student protest on campus, which is located on the sidewalks of Angell Hall, highlights the periods of student activism during World War I, the civil rights movement and Vietnam War, but doesn’t discuss Native Americans.
VIGIL From Page 1 of Michigan Hillel for two years, attended the event as a culmination of his participation in Hillel. Like Kalfus, all four of Katz’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors. “For me, I have a regret
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LSA freshman Maitland Bowen, who is of Native American heritage, discussed how the exhibit shows the University has made significant progress over the years, but also pointed to how the University neglects to recognize the profound significance Native Americans have had in the University’s history. “The fact that this pop-up plaque seems so novel points to a real problem,” Bowen said. “The Native land grant should not be something we remember once every 200 years, it should be something the University consciously acknowledges, respects and appreciates every day.” She described how, due to the small population of students who identify as Native American — 0.2 percent of enrolled students as of 2015 — the University does not feel a sense of urgency to fully recognize the University’s history with Native Americans. “The University doesn’t have
to answer to a large Native student population because they don’t have a large Native student population,” Bowen said. Referring to the ways in which the University represents Native American students, Bowen stated that the University still has a long way to go. “They must make a conscious and consistent effort to acknowledge Native Americans’ roles in the history of the University and to support their roles in its future,” she said. Philip Deloria, professor of American culture and Native American studies, spoke about the significance of the pop-up art exhibit. “It’s a great gesture, but it’s a gesture that also reveals the invisibility of Indian people kind of in general on campus and in American society as a whole,” Deloria said. “They make up about 1.5 percent of the population, they’re easily ignored and that’s been the case on the campus for a while.”
that I didn’t get more involved in this group, because this type of thing and Holocaust remembrance is very important to me,” he said. “So this last event is a little of me still getting involved even though I didn’t take on a leadership position in this group.” Similar to the other students who attended the event, Katz
emphasized the importance of hearing stories from Holocaust survivors. “Many of them are old and aren’t going to be here in a couple of years, so that’s really important to me, getting to know them, because stories are stories, but we if can actually put them to a face, it means so much more,” he said.
Panel outlines experience of A/PIA community in academic settings The speakers also talked about importance of mentorship, handling microaggressions MAYA GOLDMAN Daily Staff Reporter
Continuing the conversations started during the Asian and Pacific Islander American Summit in March, a panel on A/PIAs in academia was held Thursday evening, bringing together seven panelists from across all levels at the University of Michigan to answer questions about their experiences in the field from moderator and event organizer Paulina Fraser, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Education, and from the audience. Fraser said the summit inspired her to organize this event as a capstone to A/PIA Heritage Month. “After going to the summit, I wanted to do something that combined both the graduate students, faculty, post-docs and undergraduates and just get some exposure, in terms of who are the A/PIA students and faculty here,” Fraser said. “Just to increase awareness to undergraduates or other community members who might be thinking about (academia) but have never seen themselves represented here.” Kalia Vang, a Hmong-American and master’s student in the School of Public Policy, came to the event because one of her friends was a panelist, but felt she could relate to the stories of all seven speakers and appreciated the representation Fraser mentioned. “As one of few Hmong students here on campus … I think it’s a huge accomplishment but also a unique burden to be someone with a background where your community is not represented in academic spaces,” Vang said. “Coming here is sort of a great way to learn about the experiences of other Asian Americans from similar backgrounds and just sort of learn how to deal with some of the microaggressions or unique challenges that come with it.” The event began with introductions from each speaker. Though the speakers all came from unique backgrounds, many themes appeared throughout each of their individual stories. One of these themes included the search for visibility and others who looked like them in their educational experiences. Nue Lee, a Ph.D. student in the School of Education, articulated this in her introduction. “What led me to the (University’s) program was my overall undergraduate experience of being the oldest of seven from a refugee family and being the first to go to college,” Lee said. “When I got to college … I didn’t see
myself reflected in the research, whether it was in the textbooks or in the scholarly research that was being read.” Amy Stillman, professor and director of the A/PIA Studies program, came to the University in 1989 to help grow the A/PIA Studies program. She, too, went into academia because she felt the need to advocate for herself in a place where there was no one else to do so. “I had this wake-up moment in an anthropology class about Hawaiians, which was taught by a non-Hawaiian … who made a point of saying the real, traditional culture of Hawaiians was dead … contemporary Hawaiians had moved so far away that we were living in cultural degradation,” Stillman said. “And I remember thinking … if I want to talk back to these people with any degree of credibility, I need a Ph.D. too.” After introductions, the panel moved into a discussion on mentorship. Many of the speakers talked about an inability to find mentors of A/PIA heritage in their earlier education. LauraAnn Jacobs, a Ph.D. student in the School of Education, said while her dissimilar mentors still provided her with valuable assistance, there was something important in having a mentor to whom she could actually relate. “When I was choosing graduate schools, there were some programs where my adviser would have been a man, someone with a different identity from me, and I thought there’s something here that I’m not sure that you’re going to give me what I need and fulfill me personally on this emotional journey of grad school,” Jacobs said. Other panelists talked about the importance of not just finding your own mentors, but also being someone else’s mentor. Bernard Ellorin, a lecturer from the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, also brought up the idea of support groups between peers as a way to cope with the challenges of being a minority and graduate school in general. “(I’ve dealt with challenges) by having a small group of friends and individuals who are in the same position as you, who know the same struggles and who you can actually confide in,” Ellorin said. The panel then turned to a discussion on imposter syndrome — the idea that a highachieving individual might feel like they don’t deserve their accomplishments and are afraid of being exposed as a fraud. Carmen Ye, a master’s student in the School of Public Policy, said
she had a difficult time realizing that she actually deserved many of the things she’d earned in her early academic career. She told the story of working hard to be accepted into a specific program as an undergraduate, and feeling like she wasn’t worthy when she finally got in. “I spent the whole summer believing the program was going to send me back to California,” Ye said. “I’d already made it here, I was in the classes, but I just felt like something bad was going to happen and that I didn’t deserve to be here. One solution to that is I need to keep telling myself every day that I am here because I deserve to be.” Later on in the talk, an audience member posed the question of when and how to call out a superior’s microaggressions. All the panelists acknowledged the difficulty of this question and said there was no one true answer. Jacobs said when she encounters a situation like this, she tries to pose the statement as a question back to whoever said it to make them aware of how what they said sounded. “I’d say that’s a really difficult question, especially being conscious of relationships of power,” Jacobs said. “It makes you want to silent yourself and not speak up for yourself — girl, I’ve been there. But just being like, ‘What do you mean by that?’ and just repeat it like that, it seems less threatening, like the best advice for an in-the-moment situation.” Stillman built off that answer, bringing up the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan the University rolled out this fall. She said the plan isn’t reaching the department level, where many of these microaggressions and harmful actions are taking place. “How can we close the gap between what our experience is in the citizenry and make sure that those committed to the principles of DEI are very, very clear about what’s going on?” she said. “Speaking up at the moment of microaggressions, not letting it go by, is an important personal step … it also is a very important step in this institutional journey we’re on.” The panel ended with each speaker giving the audience a piece of advice they try to live by. Lee summed up the purpose of the panel with her statement. “I think it’s important to remember your roots and see if that can develop through your research agenda or your studies or the classes you want to take,” Lee said. “That will help develop growth and strengthen identity.”
MCITY From Page 1 “Many inside and outside the university had begun to refer to the center as Mcity, not just the test facility.” Mcity Deputy Director Carrie Morton believes this name change will also help connect the various projects taking place across Mcity. “We are now uniting two separate brands that represented the full breadth of our work and what was formerly the MTC, under one very recognizable brand,” Morton said. “This allows us to really streamline and elevate our voice in this space by getting behind one brand, and leverage the brand of Mcity which was so well recognized.” The testing ground itself, located on the University’s North Campus, will now be called the Mcity Test Facility. The test facility allows researchers to conduct stringent tests that would
KEYNOTE From Page 1 shooting at a mosque in Quebec and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign. IISS coordinator Saquib Ali Usman, a doctoral student in anthropology at the University of Michigan, said it became clear in planning the event the “era of Trump” is incredibly pertinent to Islamic studies today. He referenced American scholar Sherman Jackson, who describes Islamic studies today as Islamic studies 2.0. Islamic studies 1.0, he said, refers to the discursive study of Islam through an academic setting, using the tools and genealogy of studies. Islamic studies 2.0 refers to putting 1.0 into real-life political situations in which an event is unfolding. “I think Islamic studies is
DOGS From Page 1 Wadley said. “Part of it being a therapy dog, you have to have a really good temperament. Every time you see him, it seems like he’s always smiling so that always puts people in a good mood.” With about 25 teams assigned to Michigan Medicine, Therapaws’s therapy dogs can be found at Mott, the medical procedures unit, the intensive care unit as well as the Cardiovascular Center. The dogs typically visit individual patient rooms and interact with groups. Lana Berry, a volunteer supervisor and liaison between Therapaws and Michigan Medicine, has been involved with canine therapy for 15 years. Her main responsibilities include screening the therapy dogs and scheduling dog visits to medical units in need. Berry emphasized the importance of the canine-human bond in the healing process.
Friday, April 14, 2017 — 3 typically require thousands of miles of public roads. The Mcity Test Facility is one of Mcity’s three main initiatives, which also include funding research and partnering with other groups, such as the University Transportation Research Institute, to deploy connected and automated vehicles on
the streets of Ann Arbor and potentially beyond. Right now, Mcity has partnerships with 65 companies, spanning various industries. Mcity has also invested approximately $16 million in 30 research projects such as studies on the interactions of motor
vehicles and bicyclists as well as vehicle data collection for cloud processing. “Rebranding as Mcity allows us to focus on one brand rather than two, and more effectively tell the story of the work we’re doing to advance the development of advanced mobility vehicles and technologies,” Carney said. According to Carney, the renaming of the Mobility Transformation Center to Mcity will have no effects on Mcity’s funding or mission. “In fact, I think having everything under the one brand more completely shares our mission,” Morton said. In regard to future projects, Carney and Morton said Mcity plans to continue the research on autonomous vehicles, which they have spent the past years on. “I don’t think there are any significant changes than working really hard on our plans to continue to execute our deployment plans which include automated vehicles,” Morton said.
becoming much more tied to social realities of Muslims living in the world and in the U.S., as opposed to some ideological disconnected, disembodied study of Islamic studies,” he said. Samiah Haque, the interim Islamic studies program coordinator, said the purpose of the symposium was to relate the work of individuals to the current political climate. “Considering the political climate, we thought it would be a very timely seminar and really this conference is about how different people in the field of Islamic studies are relating to what’s happening right now in terms of what they’re working on,” she said. She emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the symposium, which includes storytelling, arts and music performances, among others. Presenters were graduate students, professors, social
activists and scholars from the University and other institutions around the world. Sara Tahir, a graduate student studying anthropology at Michigan State University, presented earlier in the day on ethical labor with regard to Muslim-American women after the election. Tahir said she enjoyed Spellberg’s lecture and the overall opportunity to work alongside students pursuing similar studies. “It was really interesting,” she said. “I’m so glad it was organized because I got to meet people from the University of Michigan, especially people who are people of color, and people who are working … who have a similar sort of process with respect to what is going on in the world today, globally as well. Of course, the United States is included what is happening in the United States and how we’re projecting that to the global scale.”
“A lot of people, when they are in the hospital, are missing their own pets, so just being able to hug or touch or pet a furry dog makes them more comfortable,” Berry said. “Studies have shown that it reduces blood pressure, reduces anxiety and just overall (promotes) well-being for the patients.” Wadley, who refers to himself as the dog whisperer, has found the patients at Mott respond to visits from Legend. He added the patients gravitate toward Legend’s gentle side. This is especially the case for a young girl who suffered from a traumatic dog bite. She initially felt uneasy with the idea of petting Legend, so Wadely suggested she start petting Legend from the back, working her way up to his head. Eventually, she felt comfortable enough to give Legend a treat. “She started smiling and she felt better,” Wadley said. “Before we left, she gave him a hug. That just reconfirms what therapy is all about, especially for kids, just
making sure they have really good experiences.” Wadley has found volunteering at Mott to be especially impactful because of the anxieties that accompany being such a young patient. “A lot of times when we see some of these kids, they are going into surgery, so they are feeling a little bit nervous and apprehensive about getting the procedures that they are having, so bringing a dog there calms them down a little bit and provides a distraction,” Wadley said. The main goal of Therapaws is to bring comfort and joy to those young and old, in the form of canine therapy. Karen O’Connor, the president of Therapaws of Michigan, has been in the business of therapy dogs for nearly 20 years. “I think canine therapy is special because it takes (the patient’s) mind off of whatever is going on in their life and in their illness,” O’Connor said. “I think it’s a huge stress reliever. The dogs are entertaining, they remind them of their pets.”
I think having everything under the one brand completely shares our mission
KEVIN ZHENG/Daily
Public Policy Masters student Carmen Ye and Education PhD student Laura-Ann Jacobs discuss the A/PIA community in academia at the League on Thursday.
Opinion
4 — Friday, April 14, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MARY KATE WINN | COLUMN
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ASHLEY ZHANG | COLUMN
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Tossing out the map
ecently, I had a rather undecided about the future, polarizing incident now the undeclared are rare at the U.S.-Canada enigmas. Just last week, border. During a visit to I attended an orientation Detroit, my friend for my summer and I spotted study abroad trip the sign pointing through the College out the Detroitof Engineering, Windsor tunnel and of the 30-odd and spontaneously freshmen who were decided to go to in attendance, it Canada, because seemed as though why not? As we all of them, save drove under the one, knew what ASHLEY Detroit River, their majors were. adrenaline from As an engineer, I ZHANG the prospect of our feel that there is a adventure rushed through necessity to decide early on. our veins, but our excitement The large number of credits came to a quick halt when required does not provide a lot a Canadian border services of wiggle room to explore other agent asked us the purpose of interests while graduating on our spontaneous trip. time. Even coming in with a Lost for words and without decent number of AP credits, I a plan, we replied, “Just was dismayed to learn from my because,” and the greatest adviser that I may need to take look of incredulity, distrust and judgment crossed her face. Now, I realize that it is a border control officer’s job to treat two teenagers in a rental car and no plans with suspicion. But, the scorn with which she repeated, “You’re going to Canada just because?” felt uncomfortably reminiscent of the countless times I’ve been asked about my future career plans by adults, only to be met with disappointment when I cannot provide a concrete answer. The disbelief in her voice made me feel small. I came to college with romantic notions of it being a place to “find myself,” but it didn’t take long to realize there wasn’t as much freedom an extra semester to complete to explore my interests as I both my major in biomedical initially thought. Almost from engineering and my minor in the moment I first stepped on creative writing. This was a campus, I was asked left and major point of contention for my right about what my major was. parents, who immediately urged It seemed to be the second most I drop the minor. “What are important piece of information you going to do with a creative about me behind my name. writing minor anyway?” Though most students do not Truth be told, probably declare their majors until nothing. But my minor is the end of their sophomore the most “exploration” of a year, there is an unbelievable subject matter near and dear pressure on freshmen to have to my heart that I can muster. their next four years planned Isn’t that the point of college out much, much earlier. — to learn and take classes While at the beginning of that interest and challenge the year it was still relatively you? Unfortunately, these common to hear people were days, college seems more like
College seems like a wasted opportunity if all four years are spent fulfilling some “formula” for future employment.
ERIN WAKELAND | CONTACT ERIN AT ERINRAY@UMICH.EDU
a stepping stone to greater things, an obstacle that must be crossed in order to secure a well-paying job. I’ve been cautioned against majoring in biomedical engineering more times than I can count. Apparently, the job prospects with just an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering are poor in comparison to job prospects with an undergraduate degree in other engineering majors, such as mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. While it’s important to look out for your future, it doesn’t seem right to major in something you’re not completely devoted to and take classes that you’re not really interested in for four years with the hopes that you’ll be “employable” at the end of it. “Undecided” shouldn’t equate to “indecisive,” and it surely is no label to shame. Freshmen should be encouraged to take classes that sound interesting to them and be able to explore their options instead of being pressured to decide on the rest of their life at the age of 18. There are several schools around the country, including Harvard and Yale, that have “shopping periods” at the beginning of the semester, so students can “shop” different classes to see if they are interested. The University of Michigan could really benefit from something similar, so the focus is on the course content and the learning instead of simply fulfilling a requirement for future endeavors. There is merit to concrete plans, but college seems like a wasted opportunity if all four years are spent fulfilling some “formula” for future employment. We are so fortunate to attend such a prestigious, well-endowed university, and the only way to fully utilize all it has to offer is to occasionally toss the map into the backseat and take a spontaneous trip off the beaten path. Ashley Zhang can be reached at ashleyzh@umich.edu.
State policies keep food on the table
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s a public policy major, continued public backlash. I’m well aware of all the Either way, the program research, thought and saw a surge in donations work that goes into creating and volunteers after the policy. Good policy proposed cuts were isn’t the result of announced, so it exaggerated claims probably won’t made on campaign suffer too much as a trails to rile up consequence. crowds. Rather, The same can’t it’s the outcome of be said for local experts and analysts programs and examining a problem policy. There is and coming up with less attention paid creative responses MARY KATE to state budget based on the analysis proposals, and WINN of hard data. There is there is less a disconnect between the kind outrage when successful of policy that gathers cheers in programs get cut. There are stadiums and the kind of policy likely many reasons for this, that actually works well — and such as the decline in local this disconnect seems to be news reporting. expanding in the age of Trump. This dynamic has negative implications for successful implementation of good policy, which are compounded when legislators and presidents shift their focus from doing what is the best policy for their constituents to overzealously trimming budgets. Being frugal and conscientious with taxpayer money is essential, of course. But cutting programs that have proven themselves successful and that improve the lives of citizens should withstand budget cuts, even if they don’t get crowds A prime example of this cheering or don’t attract a lot lack of local interest is “10 of attention. Cents a Meal for School Kids On the national level, budget and Farms,” a pilot program cuts to beloved programs often that “provid(es) schools with draw outrage, which can help match incentive funding up to insulate the programs from 10 cents per meal to purchase losing their funding or can and serve Michigan-grown attract outside donors. This produce to an estimated 48,000 can be seen in the case of students in 16 grant-winning Meals on Wheels, a program school districts.” The pilot that provides healthy meals to program was implemented in senior citizens while checking September 2016, and “10 Cents in on their well-being, which a Meal” has already proven was slated to lose funding a worthwhile investment. on Trump’s budget proposal. Economically, it has increased This proposed cut drew business for local farmers, national media attention and distributors and producers. was bad press for the Trump Nutritionally, it has exposed administration. If Congress school children to a wide chooses to carry on with the variety of locally produced decrease in funding for Meals vegetables and improved their on Wheels, it will likely face access to healthy food.
Delivering this healthy diet to kids in a sustainable way that promotes the local economy? That’s just good policy.
Many studies have demonstrated the importance of childhood nutrition. Proper nutrition is necessary for fighting infections. Undernutrition can result in decreased cognitive functioning and activity levels, among other things. A healthy diet can offset health issues such as childhood obesity. Healthy eating habits are particularly critical in a school setting because, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out, “Schools are in a unique position to provide students with opportunities to learn about and practice healthy eating behaviors.” The case for high-quality, nutritional food in schools is hard to ignore. Delivering this healthy diet to kids in a sustainable way that promotes the local economy? That’s just good policy. “10 Cents a Meal,” though, didn’t appear on Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget recommendation for the 2018 fiscal year. It remains to be seen if the program will make it into the final budget, which will be determined by the House and Senate. This is a program that is good for Michigan, and cutting it just wouldn’t make sense. National outrage over unnecessary budget cuts had an impact. Why can’t we take that anger to the state level? I implore everyone to get in touch with their state representatives and make it clear that programs like “10 Cents a Meal” shouldn’t be on the chopping block. Connecting farms to schools might not be the kind of policy that gets people riled up to attend rallies and vote, but it’s the kind of policy that makes positive changes in communities. That should count for something. Mary Kate Winn can be reached at winnm@umich.edu.
APPLY TO BE A COLUMNIST OR CARTOONIST Have opinions? Love to write? Draw? Apply as a cartoonist or columnist for the Spring/Summer! Visit http://tinyurl.com/summeropinion to find out more about where you might fit in this summer. CYNTHIA SANCHEZ | OP-ED
What is the role of a higher education insitution?
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very year, students leave their homes to attend college with the hope of achieving their personal and academic goals. While acknowledging that students have diverse goals, many individuals share the aim of obtaining a college degree and participating in their campus communities in various capacities (e.g., Greek life, service learning, etc.). Through these involvements, students can learn more about their interests and other communities while becoming engaged citizens. Though students can engage in many opportunities, one question remains: “What is the role of a higher education institution?” Recently in one of my classes we read and discussed “Citizen Formation Is Not Our Job” by Stanley Fish. Fish states that “promoting virtuous citizenship is no doubt a worthy goal, but it is not an academic goal, because ... it is a political goal.” I am a current graduate student in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and a firm believer in providing students opportunities to participate in activities that will challenge their ideas and skills. This article failed to acknowledge that civic engagement and service learning provide students opportunities to learn more about communities and other individuals. Citizen formation is the role of higher education, because
it equips students with the tools they need to engage in communities and become informed citizens. Institutions should provide students service learning opportunities to reflect on their role and the impact they want to have even after they leave the institution. Fish states that “volunteerism is in general a good thing, it is not an academic thing and those who take it up should not receive academic credit for doing so.” Volunteerism is beneficial to both the student and the community, but the point is not whether a student should or should not receive academic credit for volunteering. Instead, we should ask what the students learned through their engagement in the service learning opportunities. Though higher education provides academic coursework that will give students the skills they need to secure a job, the overall goal of higher education should be to ensure that students will become committed citizens. Service learning allows students to learn about the social issues that affect their involvement in communities beyond graduation. As an undergraduate student, I participated in the Alternative Break programs. This experience challenged me to reflect on lessons learned in the classroom, to collaborate with individuals whom I otherwise would have never engaged with and to learn about the challenges communities face.
Participating in service learning allowed me think about how my work affects communities around me and how I can make an impact. One argument Fish proposes is that service learning has a political undertone that typically leans toward a more liberal point of view. I would challenge that belief and say that service learning can be done without political agendas. Students can participate in various service learning opportunities, such as literacy or tutoring programs, reading to hospital patients and coaching a youth sports team, just to name a few. If the concern is truly that there is a political agenda behind service learning, students can decide whether or not to not engage in these projects or find one that aligns more with their interests. As we try to define what the role of higher education is, we need to remember that these institutions benefit both students and society. By providing students with service learning opportunities, students are challenged to learn inside and outside the classroom. If the role of a higher education institution is to prepare students for the future, challenging students to get involved in service learning opportunities allows them to increase their civic engagement and make a lasting impact in their community. Cynthia Sanchez is a Rackham student.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts CLASSICAL MUSIC COLUMN
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Springtime, breeze and Bach on the lawn
COURTESY OF SANAM MARVI
UMS presents Sufi poetry he exposed her to the masters of Pakistani classical music. Daily Arts Writer “Anyone who wants to get into music seriously has to start “I fill this earthen vessel with studying from the basics and the love for my Beloved / I fill this basics are classical music whether earthen vessel with love for my you choose to specialize in folk, Lord / I fear only the wrath of semi classical or classical. But to Allah / I fear only the wrath gain a real knowledge of music you of my Lord” — “Mahi Yaar Di have to study from the classical Gharoli” by Sachal Sarmast, masters,” Marvi said. Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain While music in Pakistan is Sanam Marvi, renowned different than in the United States, singer of Pakistan and South Asia, it is a highly valued aspect of society. performs many Respected poets UMS Presents poems like “Mahi write the majority Yaar Di Gharoli” of the songs, and Sanam Marvi in the native folk music is an April 15th @ 8 p.m. languages of her important part country. Trained in of carrying on Rackham Sufi and folk music, traditions and Auditorium her voice captivates messages of love $22 - $42 audiences with her and faith. chillingly hypnotic “90 percent of and beautiful tones. the folk music in Pakistan consists Generally, Marvi performs in singing the poetry of the various for Pakistani and South Asian poets of Pakistan who have written audiences, where she is in high Sufi poetry in the diverse languages demand. However, she decided to of Pakistan. So people sing that return to the United States for her poetry and take that message fourth tour. forward,” Marvi said. “[I] saw it as an opportunity The messages of Sufism strive to perform for non-South Asian to teach the customs of Pakistan audiences. [I] felt that this was and to preserve these traditions great opportunity to get [my] through song. On a deeper level, music across” Marvi said through these songs serve to connect the translator Arieb Azhar, a guest audience with something within artist performing with Marvi. themselves. Born in the Pakistani province “People say that Sufism is the of Sindh, Marvi sings in languages mystical side of Islam, but the Sufis such as Sindhi, Saraiki, Punjabi, themselves say that Sufism is a Urdu and Hindi, which are message for all humanity,” Marvi prevalent around different areas of said. “The message is an inclusive the Indus River. message of universal humanity, “They are connected languages, of connecting with each other as but of course very different,” Marvi human beings before anything else. said. “The message of the poems [I The message is one of connecting sing are] the same.” with the divine inside each of us in Marvi’s career in music began at our own ways and connecting with a very young age. Her father trained the oneness of all existence.” her, and upon realizing her talent, Marvi does not sing in English, FALLON GATES
Friday, April 14, 2017 — 5
but that does not prevent anyone from understanding the true beauty of her lyrics. Whether one is fluent in a Pakistani language or not, all will be able to relate to emotion that Marvi draws from. “Even if someone doesn’t understand the language, they will understand the sounds that are being created through her vocals, through the instruments that are being played … Music is the same all over the world. Notes are the same, being in tune is the same … they will understand the feeling of communion through the performance,” Marvi said. Marvi is extremely popular in her home country. According to Azhar, her success is due to her proper training by the masters. “It was just a matter of time before [I] became exposed to the public,” Marvi said. “The first time it came about in 2009 when [I] was picked up to perform at this very respectable television program on folk and classical music.” Afterwards, Coke studio, financed by Coca Cola, signed with Marvi and she has performed with them for the past seven years. Arieb has also performed with this contemporary Pakistan program. Marvi’s career skyrocketed from there as more and more people flocked to hear her mesmerizing singing. “The only message [I] can give is to encourage people to come and listen to the music. [I hope] to put on a great performance,” Marvi said. By bringing Sanam Marvi to the University, UMS is creating an even more diverse array of performers. As a solo artist from across the globe, Marvi adds to the cultivation of the art community in Ann Arbor. Her traditions and unique style offer a voice for a culture that is often overlooked.
Wednesday morning I knew exactly what I was going to write about tonight. I woke up to find the whole day directed toward the object of my desire, a concert by the ensembles A Far Cry and Roomful of Teeth taking place in the evening. Last week I interviewed the composers and a violinist involved in it for this publication. This week I attended a discussion by the composer Ted Hearne, whose music and presence was an integral part of the program. I hadn’t been this excited about any one single thing for several months, at least. I was going to attend the concert, go home and pour my heart out about Caroline Shaw, Ted Hearne and the incomparable virtuosity of these two ensembles. But I can’t write about it now. I just can’t find the words. It was simply too good, and happened too recently. It seems cliché, but it’s true. I’m still internalizing the experience, and before I try to tell you anything about it, I have to live with it for a bit. But here we are, and this is my last column of the year. So I’ll make this promise — in a few months time, when we all return to Ann Arbor, I’ll have figured out something to say. But in the meantime, let’s talk about Bach. During my final two years of high school, I studied music as a boarding student, at a school that was technically part of a university. Most of us students lived on campus, and — lacking a car or other means of transportation — that’s basically where we spent all of our time. Usually our days were filled with the work of honing our art, but as the end of the academic year drew in upon us in the springtime, often we would find a few hours to sit and simply enjoy the newly pleasant weather. At the heart of campus there was a little collection of grass, trees and picnic tables where I and some friends would sit and read. Across the grass there was sometimes a woman who, on particularly sunny and pleasant days, would practice the violin in the open air. It isn’t an extremely common thing, I’ve found, for a musician to
practice their instrument in a place where they can be easily overheard by others, especially other musicians. Generally the fear of judgment might dissuade one from such an act, but this violinist seemed to have no such reservations. And she was, after all, very good, and the weather was very attractive. But as I would sit reading, I would listen half-attentively to her music, which, almost invariably, was the solo music of J.S. Bach. Bach is a name that is nearly universally recognizable. Even those who aren’t musicians or listeners of classical generally know something about him (even if it’s only his Toccata in D Minor). And this is with good reason: He is, after all, generally regarded as the
DAYTON HARE greatest composer in all of history, a reputation which I find to be well deserved. Everything he touched came out perfect. There is just no bad piece by Bach, as far as I can tell. But if I were to pick just one little corner of his music to use to introduce him to others, it would have to be his music for solo string instruments. Nearly everyone is familiar with the first movement of the first cello suite (if you think you’re not, go listen to it and realize you’re wrong), but that famous piece is merely the beginning of a huge body of work that is breathtaking. Over the course of his life, Bach composed three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin and six suites for solo cello, somewhere around five hours of music. All of it is worth listening to, but there are definitely moments that stand out. The Chaconne from the Partita in D Minor comes to mind, as does the Fugue from the Sonata in C Major.
One of the most appealing things about Bach’s solo string music is the air of simplicity it conveys. While it is (like all of Bach’s music) extremely complex and nuanced, somehow he is able to convey the impression of plainness — plainness not in the sense of something boring or ordinary, but in the sense of a sort of forthrightness, a lack of pretension. The sound of someone playing alone, almost to themselves, transmits a feeling that the music is somehow speaking directly to you, that you are hearing something which no one else is hearing. More than that, it simply sounds truthful, somehow. The stunning violinist Hilary Hahn once remarked that she hasn’t gone a day since she was eight years old without playing Bach, because he is “the touchstone that keeps my playing honest.” This honesty is something that you can hear in the music. And maybe it is just the associations I have with this music, but to me it sounds like something else I inexplicably tie to honesty: a sunny day. When I hear it I think of spring weather, and when I find myself in spring weather, I want to hear it. Now that it seems spring has finally come to Ann Arbor for good this year, I took a few hours out of my week to just sit outside and listen to Bach, something which I also did last year and a practice I highly recommend. It’s a meditation of sorts, a space that you can create outside of the stress and the worry of the end of term and of finals, a place where you can exist as merely yourself, alone with the music. So, if you can find a moment for it, this is my suggestion, especially if you are feeling the pressure of the close of semestre. Go outside and take a walk, silently. Meander through the Arb or down to the Huron. Avoid thinking about all the things that trouble you. Find a pleasant patch of grass, lie down and put on a recording of Bach. Exist in that moment for as long as you can. When you’re done, I promise, for whatever reason things will be better.
TV REVIEW
Latest season of ‘Veep’ struggles to find footing can leave audiences on the note of uncertainty that the Daily Arts Writer series did in the previous season finale. “Veep” did so Although last season “Veep” with the understanding that closed — more like slammed — the inherent humor central to a door in Selina’s (Julia Louis- the show is Selina’s inability Dreyfus, “Seinfeld”) face, it to get what she wants. But this opened another one left the show in to the possibilities a tricky spot, “Veep” following her fragmenting rejection by its ensemble HBO “both the people cast whose Season 6 Premiere of America and hilarity is Congress.” The rooted in their Sundays at 10:30 acclaimed comedy dynamic, and p.m. returns for its disassociating sixth season after almost entirely Selina’s bid for the presidency from the political sphere in took a comedically unfortunate which most of its comedic and unintentionally realistic action took place. turn — something her character However, the season is quite familiar with. Though premiere does a beautiful job now she’s free to explore who reintroducing its cast, newly she is outside of the White situated in their careers House, it seems that the show’s following their ejection from writers are still figuring out the White House. The premiere what this looks like. opens on a CBS Morning While Selina’s loss interview between Selina and unknowingly foresaw the turn Dan Egan (Reid Scott, “Dean”), the real-world election would in which she describes the past take following its finale, this year following her loss and her season draws on the events reacquaintance with herself. marking the life of a former As she and Dan awkwardly president, taking its story banter, we glimpse Amy (Anna away from the White House Chlumsky, “The End of the into uncharted territory for Tour”) watching from her the series. Not many shows new fiancé’s congressional SHIR AVINADAV
campaign headquarters, before cutting to Ben (Kevin Dunn, “Code Black”) watching from the Uber office where he’s clearly the oldest and most out-of-touch employee. And from Mike’s (Matt Walsh, “Ted”) TV, we see children’s programming, marking his new life as a stay-at-home dad — though his ambition to return to work is soon revealed. Following last season, it was unclear where Selina’s staffers would end up, but we now find them in scenarios in which their personalities are least likely to gel smoothly. Amy’s crass language is found offensive by the small-town campaign staff and Ben’s lack of a social conscience is found distasteful by the other Uber employees. Though their fundamental humor as characters is well-maintained, the desire to see them reunite is not lost. Rather than focusing on the team’s former proximity, the new season taps into the unexplored potential of Selina’s relationships with some of the other characters — among which are her ex-husband Andrew (David Pasquesi, “Groundhog Day”), former bodyguard and new
HBO
daughter-in-law Marjorie (Clea DuVall, “Argo”) and most importantly, her devoted body man Gary (Tony Hale, “Arrested Development”). Gary and Selina’s relationship, though intertwined from the start, has taken a turn into new territory, as he grows even more protective of her and becomes hilariously clingy, especially making his dislike of Andrew known. While Gary overcompensates in his efforts to make his importance to Selina known, Selina’s own quest for relevance, something that has evaded her throughout her career, is met with just as many obstacles. Seeing Selina fall in the previous season finale was heartbreaking, but watching her try to climb back up is made even more painful by her desperation to return to her former office. At times it’s funny, like when she sits
behind the desk of the Oval Office replica in President Hugh’s new presidential library in the second episode, but at others it feels like a tired joke — especially as the stakes are much lower now (what’s left to pursue after losing the highest office in the nation?). Outside of the White House, Selina’s relentless ambition feels more like unbridled desperation, and her comeback plot feels unfocused as the series quickly diffuses her efforts to start a foundation then shuts down the possibility of her presidential library. While she tries to secure her legacy as president, Selina is relegated to an office in the South Bronx, where her new headquarters embody her sense of being discarded from the sphere of political inf luence. There, she argues with Catherine (Sarah Sutherland, “Shut Up and Drive”) over her
late mother’s endowment and attempts to retain what little control she has by refusing to let Marjorie call her “mom.” Though it’s all still funny, especially in the events following the season premiere — including Jonah’s failed attempt to woo his dates into the possibility of a relationship and the revelation of Andrew’s infidelity — there’s a touch of more despairing humor, possibly mirroring the dissatisfaction characterizing our nation currently. Despite the season’s initial struggle and lack of clear direction for Selina, it’s sharply written dialogue, well of Kennedy jokes and references to Selina’s constant failure find themselves right at home again in the new season.
The sixth season of “Veep” premieres on HBO April 16th.
Arts
6 — Friday, April 14, 2017
ALBUM REVIEW
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
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AMELIA CACCHIONE/DAILY
‘Lonely’ quitely compels Reflecting on Michigan with Glee Club’s latest rock basslines do. The lyrics themselves are relatively simple, Daily Arts Writer which isn’t necessarily a bad thing: “When you are next to me Lovely Little Lonely is difficult and the music is loud / Singing to listen to while sitting still. ‘Hey Nineteen’ somewhere in It has the kind of undeniable the crowd / We are up so high pop rock vitality that demands / They can’t touch us now / We movement and are thousands perpetual action. of feet from the Lovely Little Lonely But what the ground” lead The Maine album does best is singer John rooted in its quiet O’Callaghan 8123 components, such sings. “Don’t as the shorter, Come Down” mostly instrumental interludes makes great use of rhythm, that “Lovely,” “Little” and using short, snappy lyrical “Lonely” deliver, and the passages that really power the intentional lulls in some of piece. the more intense songs on the “Bad Behavior,” the first album. Formed in 2007, right at single released from the album, the cusp of the emo renaissance has the same bouncing beat as of the early 2000s, The Maine “Don’t Come Down,” but the quickly rose to prominence cheery sound of the song hides alongside several of the “new an underlying unhappiness. wave” alternative rock bands At multiple points, the lover that floated into being at the end is compared to a drug, adding of the 2000s. The sixth studio a depth to the piece that album the band has released, distinguishes it from a typical Lovely Little Lonely comes after love song: “Oh, I inhale you in 2015’s slightly less pop oriented small doses / But adore you like American Candy and has much the roses / When you’re bad for of the same energy and balance me, yeah.” that is characteristic of The Lovely Little Lonely is meant Maine. to be listened to in order, all the “Don’t Come Down” starts at a way through; it’s the only way medium pace that quickly builds to fully appreciate the graceful, in intensity and complexity. seamless transitions that occur With a vibrant, infectious spirit between tracks. “Bad Behavior” and bouncy instrumentals, the cumulates in a single, striking first track is equal parts pop beat, then follows with hovering, and rock. Unlike more standard wispy sounds before “Lovely” styles of alternative rock, the echoes into being. “Lovely” has bass used in the track is light a fluid, underwater soundscape, and almost weightless, which and is characterized by an highlights the carefree sound of intentional blurring that makes the piece rather than deepening listeners feel as if they’re and darkening it the way most listening through a haze of fog. SAMANTHA LU
Classifieds
The lack of lyrics make for a pleasant, quieter break from the first two intense songs before transitioning into “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu.” “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu” is by far one of the most memorable tracks on the album; it’s no wonder it was the second single to be released. Contrast plays a huge role in the song, and most of it centers around variations in how the chorus is sung: “I lose my voice when I look at you / Can’t make a noise though I’m trying to / Tell you all the right words / Waiting on the right words.” At times, the electronic instrumentals fall back and O’Callaghan’s voice becomes a tender croon, and at other times, his words are filled with a fiercely desperate longing. The transition into “Little” is every bit as smooth as the ones that came before. Unlike “Lovely,” “Little” has a far more ghostly feeling, along with a whistling, eerie vocal overlay. Rather than completely stopping the flow of the album, “Little” makes listeners feel as if they’re suspended in time for a little bit; once again, the lull provides a nice pause, heightening the emotional impact of the songs both before and after. Ultimately, it’s the quiet calm of these passages that brings the album together as a cohesive whole; by giving space for the smooth and the intensity to complement one another, these sections fit together like a puzzle, and Lovely Little Lonely becomes one.
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Friday, April 14, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
AUTOMOTIVE
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Tablet input 5 Stick (on) 10 Groovy 13 “The Quiet Man” co-star 15 Take in, maybe 16 Mauna __ 17 Insensitive zealot? 19 Wine bottle figs. 20 Asian capital 21 Where Gauguin painted “Woman With a Flower” 23 Lays to rest 26 Eye parts 27 Gung-ho 28 Concurrent with 29 Poetic praise 30 Like Mandarin Chinese, linguistically 32 ’80s-’90s slugger Fielder 35 Popular wine region 37 Summer Triangle twinkler 39 All there 40 View 42 Get rid of 44 Rotation meas. 45 Downgrade, maybe 47 Tot’s indigestion area 49 Grows periodically 51 Sad, on the Seine 52 Sweater wool 53 Rodeo critter 55 Item under a top 56 Reprobate’s regular expense? 61 Funny pair? 62 Like Mexico’s Pyramid of the Magician 63 Part of UTEP 64 Whiskey option 65 Rested 66 Casual refusal ... and, another way, a hint to this puzzle’s four longest answers
DOWN 1 Bashful comrade? 2 “I thought so!” 3 1860s White House boy 4 Tell, memorably 5 Part of UTEP 6 Fronton game word 7 Kind of deviation: Abbr. 8 Wobble 9 Unpredictable 10 Golf course equipment of the future? 11 Big artery 12 Rationale 14 Genesis mount 18 Like wild horses 22 Duncan of baking fame 23 Shackles 24 Clay-court legend 25 What many golfers regularly engage in? 26 Yardstick 28 Reel, for one 31 Fledgling launching spots 33 Feedback
34 “I wanna try!” 36 End of __ 38 Frying preparation 41 Self-evident actualities 43 Least spoiled 46 Ham’s accessory 48 “The Queen” (2006) star 49 Color in “America the Beautiful”
50 Like many bar jokes 53 Blow a fuse 54 Canvas shelter 57 Actress Carrie who was married to Dick Cavett 58 Skeletal opening? 59 Toddler’s downtime 60 Japanese market letters
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Michigan and being very proud of their own contributions and Daily Arts Writer experiences here at U-M,” Kiessling said. For those aching with Following the True Blue nostalgia for their cherished concert by just one week, college days, for students there is a palpable excitement finally seeing summer surrounding the concert. After approaching and for those in a successful premiere of “I Will a celebratory mood, the Men’s Remember My Michigan” by Glee Club Spring Concert at alum William K. Brehm at the Hill will bring people in from True Blue concert, anticipation all across the University’s runs high. expansive For those campus. who missed the This Saturday, premiere of the Men’s Glee Club the Glee Club will new Michigan 157th Spring be celebrating song, the Glee Concert the state and Club will be University of performing it Hill Auditorium Michigan as a again at their April 16 @ 7:30 p.m. Spring Concert. part of the larger Bicentennial. It is For those keen General Admission, a time to ref lect on catching $15 - 20 on another year a premiere, a Students, $5 — and another work composed century — of by University groundbreaking of Michigan work. professor of “I think that composition, the bicentennial is a really great Kristin Kuster, may just fill opportunity to ref lect on all that niche. A collaborative the things that have occurred work with music written by at the university in the past, Kristin Kuster and lyrics and all the different ways the from Glee Club’s lyric audience has engaged with submission contest, the piece the university,” said Glee Club explores different methods of President Patrick Kiessling. “I composition. hope that our concert will help “We had people submit highlight those aspects as well lyrics, as long as they had as inspire people to keep doing any sort of affiliation with these great things that we are the University of Michigan celebrating.” whether they were a current Casting their net over all student, an alumnus, a faculty of the Ann Arbor community, member, retiree, we sent out a reaching anyone with the call for lyrics, we got a bunch slightest affiliation to the and ended up doing a blind University, the Glee Club will collection process,” Kiessling bring in a dynamic range of said. people for their celebration. With this contest, the Glee Showcasing traditional songs Club compiled the lyrics of of the University, songs an undergraduate student, featuring Michigan’s historic a graduate student and an lumberjack industry, several alumnus. While many of the original compositions by works in the concert will University students and faculty appeal to the more traditional and songs that “evoke the ear, those interested in beauty of both the University exploring alternate music and state of Michigan,” the forms are bound to be satisfied Glee Club will be showing as well. their gratitude in the best way The Glee Club will also they know how. perform more collaborative “I hope that the audience works from the collection comes away from the “Searchlight Soul” by William experience seeing how vital Bolcom. the U-M Men’s Glee Club is “Those pieces are to the musical scene here at particularly interesting in that ISABEL FRYE
they are works from 2009, and they’re set to texts by writers who were Michigan students at the time, so they’ve got some really interesting lyrics,” Kiessling added. Kiessling stated that the concert will largely be “engaging with the state of Michigan’s history.” “One of the things that I am really the most excited about is that we are doing a Motown medley, which is a little more contemporary than some of the pieces that we typically have in our repertoire, but it is just a lot of fun,” Kiessling said. “We have choreography, and some really well known songs that I am sure our audience will really identify with and really enjoy.” While Kiessling hopes to show “how vital the UM Men’s Glee Club is to the musical scene here at Michigan,” it is evident that the Glee Club works without borders, extending their inf luence across all of campus. With members of all different years and disciplines, the Men’s Glee Club serves as an icon for the University as a whole. “We’ve got all different years, we’ve got grad students, freshmen, seniors and from all different schools as well. I’ve got friends in the business school, the architecture school, engineering, and the music school, but maybe I would have otherwise never met,” Kiessling said, ref lecting on the effect that Glee Club has had on his friendships. In an ensemble of students from all over the university, the Glee Club is creating ties all around campus, making a university with a student population of 44,718 feel united and just a little bit smaller. With 19 different colleges consisting of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff, along with several local business affiliations, one common interest has the power to bring vastly diverse and extraordinary groups of people together. The Glee Club is just one of many that the University of Michigan has to commemorate.
R.I.P 2017—2017
HERE LIES THE ARTICLE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE WRITTEN HAD YOU JOINED DAILY ARTS. Regretful? Good, you should be. To make good on your mistakes, email arts@michigandaily.com to join.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, April 14, 2017 — 7
What to Watch For: Michigan football spring game TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
While the quarterback controversies of years’ past will get a break this go around, Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff are tasked with the job of refilling Michigan nearly the entire offense Spring and defense. Game Over the last When: few weeks, Saturday 1 a handful P.M. ET of names Where: have begun Michigan to separate Stadium themselves from the pack. Those standout players will be revealed this Saturday, as the Michigan football team takes the field for its annual spring football game. Harbaugh’s third spring game means his recruits are finally taking over the majority of the roster, and underclassmen will be called upon to fill many of the available voids this upcoming season. Players like sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary and freshman wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones are the spotlight names for a team that lost its “face of the program” player Jabrill Peppers. The Maize and Blue teams go head to head on Saturday afternoon. Here’s what to watch for during the spring football game. 1. Try and keep up with Chris Evans The days when former running back De’Veon Smith beasted, clawed and powered his ways through opponents’ front lines are long gone. Smith’s brusing style — and his superior pass blocking — will be sorely missed, but a new slate of tailbacks have emerged. Leading the group is sophomore Chris Evans, who recently discussed his offseason progress after a
strong freshman campaign. His speed became evident in the opening game of 2016, when he scored on two long touchdown runs against Hawaii. Evans has also mentioned his growth physically as he aims to boost his blocking abilities and also overpower opponents like his predecessor, Smith. Evans shapes up to be Michigan’s go-to running back, after leading his position group in all but one category of testing at the team’s spring combine. Other running back candidates to keep an eye on are redshirt freshman Kareem Walker, fifth year senior Ty Isaac and junior Karan Higdon. 2. Early enrollees getting in the mix Another handful of open spots on Michigan’s offense are out wide. With the departure of Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh — Michigan’s core wide receiving pair for the last two years — more starting spots have opened up. According to redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight, a pair of early-enrollees — Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black — have been making remarkable catches in practice and are in a position to earn serious playing time this fall. People-Jones and Black will dress up in the maize and blue for the first time Saturday, and expect to see Speight and possible backup quarterback freshman Brandon Peters (more on that below) sending the ball in their direction. Other receivers to note are sophomore Kekoa Crawford, senior Maurice Ways, senior Drake Harris and sophomore Eddie McDoom. 3. Meet and greet the new defense Defensive coordinator Don Brown is a mean, angry dude. No wonder 10 of the 11 starters decided to leave. Only fifth-year senior
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Sophomore running back Chris Evans flashed breakaway speed last season and will be among a group of running backs tasked with replacing De’Veon Smith.
linebacker Mike McCray returns, and right in front of him will be four new starters on the defensive line. Expect to see sophomore Rashan Gary and senior Chase Winovich earn lots of playing time as defensive ends. In the middle at the defensive tackle positions, look for fifth-year senior Maurice Hurst and senior Bryan Mone. Gary played in all 13 games as a freshman but did not start. With one sack and five tackles for loss last year, Gary is expected to pick up where former defensive ends Chris Wormley and Ryan Glasgow left off. The back of the defense will feature a lot of new names, as well. The Wolverines have to replace their entire secondary. Thus far, sophomore cornerbacks
Lavert Hill and David Long have gotten praise, while junior Tyree Kinnel and sophomore Josh Metellus appear to have locked up the safety spots. Meanwhile, at the hybrid VIPER spot, sophomores Khaleke Hudson and Jordan Glasgow will have the unenviable job of filling in for the now-departed Peppers. 4. Speight’s backup is… Freshman quarterback Brandon Peters? Fifth-year senior John O’Korn? While former Wolverine Shane Morris announced his transfer earlier this year, O’Korn made his intentions clear — he was staying. Regardless, the starting quarterback spot is locked up. Speight led the Wolverines’ offensive unit last year, and plays an even more important
role in 2017 as one of the few returning starters. Unlike in the previous two years, there is no debate about who will start. The Morrisor-Rudock and Speight-orO’Korn battles won’t repeat for a third time, but if Speight suffers another injury, as he did late in the regular season last year, someone may have to take over. Peters seems the likely candidate. The redshirt freshman will start for the Maize team this year — Speight is starting for the Blue team — and has clearly impressed the coaching staff in recent practices. Bonus: Versatility And just for fun, keep an eye out for Michigan’s potentially most versatile player since
Jabrill Peppers. Fifth-year senior holder Garrett Moores announced via Twitter that he will be playing for both the Maize and Blue teams at the spring game this year. Moores was the recipient of the Mortell Holder of the Year Award in 2016, and even ran for a two-point conversion against Rutgers last season. The 2017 Michigan football spring game will feature new faces on all sides of the ball, but perhaps no position is more secure. Moores has his spot locked up better than anyone else does. Editor’s note: Janes wrote this story from Hong Kong. The Daily felt that was worthy of acknowledgement.
‘M’ downs Oklahoma Competition emerging in the backfield for first ranked win BASEBALL
BETELHEM ASHAME Managing Sports Editor
HUNTER SHARF Daily Sports Writer
If only looking at the hit column, it would seem that No. 18 Oklahoma had done its job against the No. 13 Michigan baseball team. The Sooners held the Wolverines to just four hits, well below Michigan’s season average of 9.96 hits per game. However, the Wolverines (6-3 Big Ten, 27-7 overall) found other ways to manufacture runs in their 5-2 win against Oklahoma (5-4 Big Twelve, 27-10 overall). “Well you got to look at the number of guys on base,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “Holding the zone and taking advantage of some mishaps by their starter – and their starter is a good pitcher. If we chased and did him some favors, he could have had a quality start today. We did a nice job of swinging at the right pitches or not swinging at the wrong ones.” Headed into the matchup, the Wolverines knew they had their hands full, as Oklahoma ranks fourth in the country with 10.1 strikeouts per game, sixth with 6.95 hits allowed per nine innings and ninth with a 2.73 earned-run average. “We like to say we treat every opponent the same, and we do,” said junior left-hander Oliver Jaskie. “When we play a good team we don’t do anything different, but everyone was definitely excited for this one, this was marked on our schedule.” It’s easy to see why. The victory marked the first win against a ranked opponent for the Wolverines of the season. After Jaskie pitched a onetwo-three top of the first inning, Michigan tallied zero hits in the bottom half of the inning. Yet the Wolverines still managed to score three runs, on five walks and a hit batter. Sophomore second baseman Ako Thomas started the inning off with a walk and proceeded to steal second. Lugbauer walked two at-bats later. Then, redshirt
sophomore Miles Lewis walked and so did Jake Bivens – scoring Thomas. Senior designated hitter Nick Poirier was then hit by a pitch, scoring Lugbauer. And in the next at-bat, sophomore right fielder Jonathan Engelmann walked to drive home the third and final run of the inning. The very next inning, the Sooners responded with two hits to produce a run of their own, making it 3-1. Through the first four innings, Michigan could manufacture only one hit. Following a leadoff walk in the fifth by senior centerfielder Johnny Slater, the Wolverines earned their second hit on a home run to dead center by Lugbauer, pushing the lead to four. The homer marked Lugbauer’s tenth of the season. Oklahoma showed some fight though. The next inning, first baseman Austin O’Brien hit a solo shot that cleared the elevated wall in left field, cutting the score to 5-2. But, that would be the last run of the game for the Sooners. While Michigan finished the game with just four hits, they managed eight walks and a hit by pitch for 13 total base runners. Jaskie also returned to his typical form following a subpar start last Friday against Illinois. In seven innings pitched, Jaskie allowed just two runs on five hits and struck out six, his fifth win of the season. “His outing couldn’t have gone worse last Friday,” Bakich said. “And to be able to pitch seven (innings) and only give up two (runs) was exactly what we needed and a good bounce back for him as well. It speaks to his character. He’s a kid who is extremely well trained, very mentally tough.” Getting the first win of the series may prove the difference for the remainder of the series. “It’s like a postseason atmosphere,” Lugbauer said. “To get a big win like that on a (Thursday) night is just good for our confidence going into our next two games.”
Jay Harbaugh was almost 1,300 miles away from Ann Arbor when he found out about his new job. At about 11 p.m. in Houston in January, Harbaugh was sitting in his hotel room when he received a phone call from his father, Jim. The elder Harbaugh delivered the news — Jay would be the new running backs coach next season. While some might have been surprised by the decision given that the younger Harbaugh had never played or coached the position, Jay went to bed excited to take on a new role in his father’s program. Between his time spent with the tight ends for the Michigan football team last year and with the quarterbacks for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens a few years back — where his uncle, John, is the head coach — Jay seems equipped to handle the challenge. “The way that coaching works is — if you’re doing it right — you’re kind of absorbing everything,” Harbaugh said. “… There’s a totality in coaching, whether it’s offense or defense, of seeing the big picture.” In his experience, quarterbacks focus on pass protections and tight ends focus on route running and run game blocking, so the main difference with running backs is carrying the ball — a skill Michigan’s talented backfield crop already possesses in spades. Though they must recover from the loss of senior De’Veon Smith, the Wolverines still return key contributors from last season’s squad, namely rising sophomore Chris Evans, junior Karan Higdon and fifthyear senior Ty Isaac. The trio combined for 1,495 yards on 234 carries with 15 touchdowns while splitting time behind Smith. Clearly the feature back, Smith gained 901 yards on 181 carries and scored 10 touchdowns on his own.
Without a clear number one this season, Evans, Higdon and Isaac all have an opportunity to emerge as major facets of Michigan’s run game. “You’d like to be able to trust your whole group,” Harbaugh said after spring practice Thursday. “I’ve never liked thinking about running backs like that, assuming that two or three guys aren’t going to be good. I want everyone to be good.” Added Higdon: “I definitely think we’ll have multiple guys in there, considering everybody brings something different and every guy is different and can attack the game in different ways. We’ve got a lot of weapons, so it’ll be fun.” While all three will likely earn their fair share of playing time, that doesn’t mean they aren’t fighting for carries. Just like at seemingly every other position for the Wolverines this year, Evans, Higdon and Isaac have been locked in a tight battle over the course of spring camp. That
spirit of competition has been exemplified by the posting of depth charts in the meeting room of each respective position group. These depth charts shed light on both the good and bad areas of each player’s performance in comparison to his teammates. Listing dropped balls and missed assignments as much as yards and carries, these depth charts serve the purpose of keeping Michigan on its toes. “It’s a meritocracy around here, so it just makes sense for everyone to understand and to have it out in the open,” Harbaugh said. More than just a simple motivational tool, the depth charts amp up the level of intensity between the Wolverines, who understand how much effort they have to put in to bypass the players ahead of them or maintain their edge over the players behind them. “It’s definitely a stiff competition,” Higdon said. “Each and every day, you gotta
bring it. Each and every day, you see someone do something that makes you go, ‘Wow.’ ” Added Isaac: “I’m going into practice every day trying to be the starter. If you’re ahead of me, I’m trying to beat you out. If you’re behind me, I’m trying to put some distance in between us.” The way Harbaugh sees it, the spring game will be a turning point in the competition between his trio of backs. Besides quarterback, running back is the one position where the tempo of live competition can make a sizable difference in the relative performance of a player. Isaac, part of the Maize team, and Evans and Higdon, members of the Blue team, will face off head-to-head with the chance to separate themselves in the competition. Saturday, any one of them could take the first step toward earning more playing time on Saturdays in the fall. “It starts now,” Higdon said. “Spring is what sets you up for the fall. Spring is where you make your statement.”
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan running backs coach Jay Harbaugh is hoping to use every running back at his disposal through 2017.
Sports
8 — Friday, April 14, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Unwanted, unconventional and unrelenting ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
NCAA Division I football programs can give just 85 scholarships per year. Those 85 recipients are considered the lucky ones. They’ll receive a free education, provided they stick it out long enough, and they’ll also receive stipends that can ease the burden that comes with being a student-athlete. That scholarship is also sign of status. It means that player was wanted. It means that player didn’t just receive the customary letters detailing interest, but that they were wooed by the coaching staff — perhaps even invited on an all-expenses-paid official visit. It means that player was seen as part of the future of the program — that hopefully one day, they would play a crucial role for a winning football team. Michael Wroblewski didn’t receive any scholarships coming out of high school. He was never invited on any official visits. He didn’t even have the guarantee of a spot on the roster that some non-scholarship players — deemed “preferred walkons” — are given. Yet, on Saturday, Wroblewski will run onto the field at Michigan Stadium for his final spring game, four years after his first as a member of the Michigan football team. Now entering his final year and on a full scholarship, he is expected to be one of the leaders of a defense littered with young but talented players — nearly all of whom were highly-touted prospects offered scholarships by either the current or previous coaching staff. Wroblewski was not one of those prospects. He took the less-traveled path. When Wroblewski arrived in Ann Arbor, all he had was a lifelong affinity for the Wolverines, his conviction and the opportunity of a general tryout. As it turned out, that was enough. It didn’t take long for the Wroblewski family to instill a passion for Michigan football in their son. His father, Mike, bought him a winged helmet from a garage sale when he was just three years old. It hardly fit Wroblewski. But the budding young athlete insisted on carrying it with him everywhere — even wearing it for pictures. During the fall, the family would drive to his great-grandmother’s house by Lake St. Clair on the weekends to pick grapes and make wine while listening to Michigan football games on the radio. So Wroblewski quickly grew to love football and the Wolverines. He convinced his parents to sign him up for flag football, where he got his first taste of playing the sport. He began playing other sports, too: basketball, baseball, soccer — anything he could get his hands on. Football, though, remained his primary focus. His goal had been — and always would be — to play it at Michigan. Even when he became one of the better players in the state after arriving at the University of Detroit Jesuit, that didn’t change. By Wroblewski’s junior and senior year, he had achieved AllAmerican status in lacrosse and
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Fifth-year senior linebacker Michael Wroblewski came to Ann Arbor as a regular member of the student body, but he turned his dream of playing for the Michigan football team into a reality.
was one of the most decorated players to ever emerge from the program. It was around then that he began fielding overtures from the Michigan lacrosse team, as well as hearing interest from several Division II and III football teams. The only problem was that Wroblewski had no interest in listening to anyone besides Michigan — to the slight consternation of his parents. “It was kinda funny because I couldn’t believe there were no offers coming in, so I had talked to the athletic director, and I asked him, ‘Nobody’s interested in him for playing football?’ ” said Laura Wroblewski, his mother. “And he said, ‘Oh yeah, we can get offers, but Michael said if it wasn’t Michigan, he didn’t want to entertain any of them.’ And I was furious! I thought, you’ve got to at least hear what they have to say!” Added Mike: “He had finally said, ‘I like lacrosse, but I love football. I’d rather play in front of 100,000 people than 1,000 people.’ ” Yet there remained zero contact between Wroblewski and the coaching staff he really wanted to hear from, then led by former head coach Brady Hoke. His high school team’s on-field struggles may not have helped matters, either — Detroit Jesuit’s football coach resigned the summer leading up to Wroblewski’s senior season, and despite Wroblewski’s best efforts (he played both ways at running back and linebacker), the team struggled against a loaded schedule and finished 2-7. “Mike was everything to us,”
said Nick Kocsis, Wroblewski’s athletic director and football coach at Detroit Jesuit. “He’s just a throwback, gritty, blue-collar, tough kid, who happens to be — from what I remember — a brilliant student. “We used to joke because he was so aggressive and so big and physical, we used to kid him that one day he was going to end up being a doctor and save one of our lives, but we’d be scared to death to see him in that room because of the way he acted on the football and lacrosse field.” His high school career was over, and Wroblewski had yet to receive a modicum of interest from Michigan. The other options — lacrosse or playing at a lower level — had dried up, too, after the programs figured Wroblewski wouldn’t budge from his plan. Only one door remained: attend the university as a normal student and make the team through tryouts. “I knew I could do it academically, but I was really coming here for football,” Wroblewski said. “I didn’t even think about (a backup plan). I just had the one mindset of ‘I’m going to do this,’ and no plan B.” He spent the rest of his senior year grinding through nightly three-hour workouts. Most didn’t know what he was up to — after coming across several naysayers, Wroblewski had stuck to confiding his plan with just his parents and a few close friends. In the fall, he stepped foot on campus with the rest of the general student body as yet another nondescript freshman enrolled in the College of Literature, Science,
“I didn’t even think about a backup plan.”
and the Arts. Then came the tryout — essentially what he had spent most of his life preparing for. Wroblewski had no way of knowing in real-time whether he was impressing the coaching staff enough to earn a spot. He was confident afterward that he performed well, but then came a period when he didn’t hear back from anyone. “He was nervous, but he was trying to be confident like, ‘I gave everything I could on that field,’ ” Laura said. “So he never said he was worried they wouldn’t pick him, (but) we could just tell that he was worried about it because we’d ask him, ‘Did you hear anything? Did you hear anything?’ and he’d say, ‘No, no, but I’m sure I will.’ He was confident within himself, but still a little nervous.” After a long two weeks, Wroblewski received a phone call. He picked up, and a voice asked if he wanted to play for the Michigan football team. His parents had an inkling of what had happened when they received a call from their son. “Whenever he wants to have us on speakerphone, we know it’s usually something pretty good — or bad,” Mike said. “But this time it was, ‘Yeah, I’ve got some good news.’ ” Added Laura: “The first (call) when he made the team, that one totally made us cry because it’s your kid achieving his dream at such a young age. This was his lifelong dream, and he made the team. It was almost surreal.” Wroblewski had dreamed of making the team for much of his life. His next two goals — of earning a scholarship and finding playing time amongst a talented and experienced linebacking corps — would take longer to come to fruition. Two years later, his parents were on the other end of a much more unpleasant phone call. It was the spring entering what would have been his redshirt sophomore season, and Wroblewski was participating in a fullbackrunning back position drill. He was tackled, and his left knee twisted the wrong way. Wroblewski told them he was walking into the hospital and said he was going for an MRI because his knee didn’t feel right. Then he said he couldn’t talk anymore, and hung up. It took some time for the swelling to subside before Wroblewski returned to the hospital, this time with his parents. The diagnosis was as feared: a torn ACL, one of the more catastrophic injuries a football player can suffer. It is an injury that, at the minimum, typically means a six-month recovery period.
Newly-hired head coach Jim Harbaugh, then in the midst of conducting his first spring practices, and Jim Minick, the associate athletic director for football, visited Wroblewski in the hospital while he recovered from surgery. Harbaugh told Wroblewski he really enjoyed having him on the team and that he liked his work ethic. That conversation helped at first. But then a few days later, Wroblewski was on crutches back at home in St. Clair Shores, watching as his team played its spring game without him. It was as if he was back to square one all over again. “He didn’t say one word (during the game),” Laura recalled. “We didn’t say anything, either. It was just the hardest game to watch. And afterwards, he just went into his bedroom and shut the door. That broke our hearts.” His parents helped take care of him for a few days before they drove him back to Ann Arbor. Football was a secondary concern at that point — simply reaching his bedroom on the second floor became an ordeal. “It was very hard to just leave him there,” Laura said. “We took care of him after the surgery and then to just drop him off and be like, ‘Well I hope you can get around,’ was just very hard. His story is inspirational but hasn’t always been all fun. To get so far and to tear that ACL and have to go back to the bottom of the list — it was just very heart-wrenching.” Once again, Wroblewski’s parents were faced with the same uncertainty they had experienced when he went unrecruited by Michigan. They didn’t know how their son would physically recover from the injury, and they worried about how he would respond mentally, too. It was only after several trips to Ann Arbor to check on Wroblewski that they realized everything — like before — would turn out okay. “We would come and take him out to dinner, and we’d run into some of (his teammates’ parents) just walking around Ann Arbor,” Laura said. “These kids would come up to him and say (to us), ‘Your son is so good in that rehab room. All he does is try and pump us up, and he tries to get us all excited to work our hardest, to get back out there, to be our best.’ “As parents, that made us feel good. He didn’t make it all about himself. He was like, ‘We’re all going to get better, and we’re all going to get out on the field.’ ” Wroblewski recovered fully from the injury. He remained with the team, working his way onto the depth chart as a MIKE linebacker. And then last year, during fall camp, Harbaugh called him into his office and said, “We’d like to put you on scholarship.” Wroblewski is usually stoic. His
“It’s that rare to be that kid.”
parents said that themselves. But even he admitted feeling emotional during that meeting and during the subsequent phone call home. After all, he had not only achieved his lifelong goal of playing for the team but also earned a mulligan on the recruiting process, proving himself worthy of a full scholarship nearly four years after the first go-around. Things were going much more smoothly for him now. Wroblewski went on to see his first-ever game action last season as part of the nation’s No. 1 defense, appearing in nine games and tallying four combined tackles. Along with fifth-year senior Mike McCray and sophomore Devin Bush Jr., Wroblewski is expected to lead this year’s linebacking corps — due in part to his comprehensive knowledge of the defense, especially as a group of mostly inexperienced Wolverines continue to learn defensive coordinator Don Brown’s scheme. “Wrobo helped me a lot last year,” Bush said. “He helped me a lot with the calls and understanding the defense. He was there when I needed him. If I was feeling out of place in the defense or I felt like I wasn’t getting things done, he was there to stay in my ear and tell me to keep pushing.” Added Brown: “Mike Wroblewski is another guy that I’m watching in practice last year … can’t even believe it’s the same guy, you know? You talk about a selfmade football player. But a guy that knows it all. I’ve never had to do this before — he’s telling the secondary, making their on-rights and lefts call ... he’s making the tight call, he’s making the detach calls for the outside linebackers, and it’s finally like, ‘Hey Wrobo, you need to shut up and let those guys make those calls themselves.’ ‘Oh yeah, coach. Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ That’s how well he knows the scheme.” Wroblewski said it himself: It has been a long road — and the journey is still incomplete, with 13 more games and the chance for a championship season looming several months ahead. Yet no matter what happens during his final season, that journey will be looked upon as remarkable. There are thousands of kids who hope to one day wear a winged helmet and touch the banner at midfield amidst a hundred thousand cheering fans. There are much fewer who achieve that goal — and even fewer than that are the ones who do so after being passed over the first time around. “It just speaks to his drive,” Kocsis said. “Mike’s done that all himself. It speaks to his work ethic, his ability and his ability to get the most out of what he has, because he’s excelled there beyond any expectations I would have have. “That’s not selling him short. It’s that rare to be that kid. That kid who walks on and then ends up playing in nine games last year on a Big Ten (contender) and this year is looked at as a team leader.”