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Friday, December 8, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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CAMPUS LIFE
HeForShe panel talks occupational disparities Women in male-dominated fields talk gender inequalities in the workforce JULIA YOUNG
Daily Staff Reporter DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily
University President Mark Schlissel leads the Regents’ Meeting in the Union Thursday evening.
Spencer visit, lecturer bargaining debated at Dec. Regents Meeting
Criticsms target adminstation response to Spencer’s lawyers, lecturer demands ANDREW HIYAMA & MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporters
University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel opened the University’s Board of Regents December meeting on Thursday by expressing his dissatisfaction with the two tax bills recently passed by the U.S. House and Senate and their impacts on graduate students at the University. Schlissel said the bills end tax benefits that help
students pay for college. “If enacted, (the tax bills) would make it harder for students to earn a college degree or to pursue a Ph.D. here at the University of Michigan and across the nation,” Schlissel said. “Higher education is a key driver of social mobility and economic growth in American society. College degrees prepare students to compete in a rapidly evolving job market and to live more enriching lives. Several provisions in these bills would undermine our students.”
The meeting then continued and covered several other topics such as Richard Spencer and LEO bargaining. Richard Spencer Several students and other speakers during public comment vocally opposed white supremacist Richard Spencer’s request to speak on campus, which the University announced it would proceed with at an emergency Board of Regents’ meeting on Nov. 21. Rackham student Naomi Wilson, president of Rackham
Student Government, said it would be “careless” to allow Spencer on campus. After initially denying Spencer’s request to speak on their campus, the University of Florida allowed a speech in October after Spencer’s team threatened a lawsuit. Following the event, three White supremacists were charged with attempted murder after shooting at protesters. “I urge you all to focus and hone in on the need of students to be physically and emotionally See REGENTS, Page 3
In partnership with the University of Michigan, the national organization HeForShe, hosted Professional Women in ConversationThursday evening, a panel that highlighted the gender inequality and other challenges professional women face, especially those pursuing traditionally male-dominated careers. HeForShe is a campaign founded in 2014 by UN Women to promote gender equality and encourage women and men alike to become agents of change. It arrived campus in the fall of 2016 to reduce sexual violence and educate on gender issues on campus. LSA junior Meghan Brody, education chair of HeForShe, said Thursday’s panel was a part of a series of events held over the course of the week to raise awareness about these issues. “I really wanted to give undergraduate students who
are in male-dominated fields, be that men or women or people who don’t identify as either, an opportunity to talk to someone who is a part of (those fields) in a comfortable space where they didn’t have to feel like there was a dumb question and where if they wanted to learn more about the issues surrounding these fields they would have a space to do that.” The two panelists, Chloe Siamof and Stephanie Wightman, spoke about their experience in the sports and software development words, respectively. Siamof is a 2016 Yale graduate and a designer for the sports architecture firm ROSETTI. Wightman is a University of Michigan alum and currently a software developer at ProModel Corporation. University alum Stephanie Wightman, panelist and the president of the Detroit chapter of Women in Sports and Events, said she first experienced the sexism ingrained in her field in her high school robotics class. See HEFORSHE, Page 3
Deadline from lawyer for ‘U’ to decide Bio Station ME/NA reportedly on Spencer visit extended to January category
ACADEMICS
ADMINISTRATION
founded on taken land
Administration now has more than a month for negotiations until suit is filed
Native American band calling for investigation into land dispute claims
White supremacist Richard Spencer and lawyer Kyle Bristow are pressuring the University of Michigan to find a date and “reasonable location on campus” for Spencer’s potential speech on campus by Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Bristow announced in a press release on Thursday. “Either select a date by January 15, 2018—Martin Luther King Jr. Day—at 5:00 p.m., or else be sued in federal court just like Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Auburn University,” the release read. According to the release, as part of the negotiations between the University and Spencer’s team, the University has also already offered several dates for an event: Nov. 29 and 30 — just a week after the University announced it would be entering negotiations — and Dec. 27 and 28, when many students would be away from campus for Winter Break. “None of (the dates) have been convenient for the event organizers,” Bristow wrote in the release. Georgia State University student Cameron Padgett — a student who has been making requests on Spencer’s behalf at other universities such as Penn State University,
REMY FARKAS
Daily Staff Reporter
Native American Studies students and faculty submitted a request to University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel’s office Wednesday to investigate whether the land on which the University’s Biological Station sits belongs to the Burt Lake Band of Odawa and Ojibwa Native American tribes. According to the statement, in the late 1800s, Cheboygan County had been illegally taxing Native lands granted to them in the Treaty of Detroit. The Burt Lake Band failed to pay these taxes and their deeds were then sold to Watts S. Humphrey and John McGinn. However, the Burt Lake Band refused to leave this property. Stanford University professor Richard White wrote about this tribe in his ethnohistorical report that was included in the request. On Oct. 15, 1900, Sheriff Fred Ming and his deputies went into the Burt Lake Band village, evicted the Native Americans, poured kerosene on their homes and lit them on fire as the See BIO, Page 3
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Michigan State University and the University of Florida, and who made the original request for a potential event at the University — is now requesting a date between Feb. 24 and March 4, which covers the University’s Spring Break. The administration is considering the request, Bristow — who represents Padgett — said. While the administration has repeatedly emphasized
that students’ safety is their first priority in negotiations, students have responded there are no circumstances under which they would feel safe. At the University’s Board of Regents’ meeting on Thursday, Central Student Government President Anushka Sarkar, an LSA senior, presented a petitionagainst Spencer’s presence, which she said had been signed by over 5,000
students since being sent out Tuesday. A separate petition from alumni, she said, has received over 6,200 signatures. “I echo thousands of students and community members when I say we will not be safe if he and his followers come to our campus,” Sarkar said. “Richard Spencer should not be accommodated.” According to an email from See SPENCER, Page 3
DANYEL THARAKAN/DAILY
CSG President Anushka Sarkar presents on concerns regarding Richard Spencer’s potential visit and divestment at the Regents’ Meeting in the Union Tuesday evening.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 46 ©2017 The Michigan Daily
addressed at Regents #WeExist movement calls for identity category on University documents KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
Despite issuing a letter signed by over 715 faculty and staff members, the #WeExist campaign — consisting of students from all three University of Michigan campuses — faced conf licting opinions in response to their request to implement a Middle Eastern/North African identity category to University documents at the Regents meeting Thursday afternoon. Last February, a resolution in favor of creating a ME/NA identity category was passed by Central Student Government unanimously, while a similar resolution was passed by LSA Student Government earlier this fall. Initially spearheaded by #WeExist in November, the letter describes the problematic nature of failing to include the ME/NA identification category on official documents, especially pertaining to bias incident reporting and identifying trends in hiring faculty, staff See IDENTITY, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7
News
2 — Friday, December 8, 2017
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FRIDAY’S BICENTENNIAL FEATURE: STUDENTS SLIP-SLIDE THEIR WAY TO MORNING CLASSES Every Friday, The Michigan Daily republishes an article from The Daily’s archives from a moment in University history.
all day” said Kim Mata, a worker in the moving and trucking department, which is responsible for University snow removal. Despite the ground crews’ efforts, students complained that not enough had been done. “The roads and sidewalks were not cleared enough,” said LSA senior Geneva Eaddy, who had four classes to attend. “There were big clumps of snow and there wasn’t enough salt on the roads or sidewalks.” Third-year Law student Bernard Hooper said he was caught off guard by the storm. He didn’t expect all of the snow, and had trouble traversing the campus early in the morning. “Apparently, the ground crews at the University didn’t expect it either,” Hooper quipped. “But they did do a great job of cleaning it up between the hours of 8 and 10.”
The campus woke up to a winter wonderland surprise, as one of the most severe snowstorms in recent memory hit Ann Arbor early yesterday morning. Nine inches of snow, along with high winds that blew it all over streets and sidewalks, made the trip to class yesterday treacherous for students and faculty alike. “Well, there was a lot of snow to walk through — up to my knees,” said Kari Ifkovits, an LSA first-year student, who had an anthropology section at 9:00 a.m. “I was slipping around and fell on my butt, but I’m OK.” University grounds workers began clearing the streets at 7:00 a.m. “We’ve been working
Indeed, conditions improved as the day progressed. By 1:00 p.m. many roads and sidewalks had been cleared of snow, and traffic once again started to move. Salt was also spread in many areas to melt lingering ice slicks. But that did not help LSA sophomore Jin-Ho Chung, whose 1:00 p.m. English lecture was cancelled. Most of the students showed up for class but Professor Lillian Back, who lives out of town, found the roads impassible. “We drove for one exit in the four-wheel drive and were afraid, so we got off,” Back said. Communications Professor Joan Lowenstein, an Ann Arbor resident, said she could have held her scheduled office hours yesterday morning, but was besieged by other weatherrelated problems. “Well, because the schools
were closed, my son who usually goes to school had to stay home, and also I have a baby who goes to a babysitter,” Lowenstein said. “The roads were too dangerous for me to drive a baby to the babysitter, so I stayed home.” Most classes, however, were not cancelled. When asked if his classes were cancelled, Business school senior Paul Schwartzman replied, “Unfortunately, no.” Though his classes were on, Schwartzman had trouble making it to class from his house near Washtenaw. “The streets were really icy,” he said, adding, “there were a lot of little snowbanks, and the crosswalks were blocked.”
Ariana @ariananicole97 Waking up to snow>waking up to a significant other
Overheard @ Michigan @UmichBullshit “Sex is not as good as this” - calc instructor, on simplifying equations
— BY ANDREW LEVY AND ARREBA STAFFORD
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Prison Creative Arts Project Art Auction
Into the Third Century: UM’s Archaeological Museums WHAT: A graduate and undergraduate student symposium that thinks about the past achievements and future issues facing archaeological museums. WHO: The Collaborative Archaeology Workgroup WHEN: 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Kelsey Museum
Business Etiquette Dinner Workshop WHAT: Learn how to elegantly conduct oneself and entertain guests at a corporate conference, gala or professional meeting in a hands-on training workshop that includes a $10 per person three course meal. WHO: Engineering Office of Student Affairs WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Wolverine Room
Jacob Inosencio @jinosencio12
Bach Collegium Japan
Healthy UMix
WHAT: An auction to support the 23rd Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners featuring art by incarcerated artists. WHO: The Prison Creative Arts Project WHEN: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Hussey Room
WHAT: Come listen to the Christmas Oratorio, a crisp Bach masterpiece performed by a group that has performed every Bach piece from 1995-2013. WHO:University Musical Society WHEN: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHERE: Hill Auditorium
WHAT: The last UMix of the semester will feature a wide range of energizing activities before finals, including human bowling, inflatable bungee run, Group X fitness classes and a DIY trail mix bar. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. WHERE: Michigan Union
Accidental Photographer: Seoul 1969
Modi’s Statue of Unity and the Sense of Scale
WHAT: A Q&A session with Margaret Condon Taylor, whose photography during her time as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Korea will be exhibited in the Nam Center. WHO: Nam Center for Korean Studies WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: 202 S. Thayer, Osterman Common Room
WHAT: Kajri Jain, a professor of Indian Art at the University of Toronto, will lecture about the emergence of monumental iconic sculptures in post-economic liberalization India. WHO: Center for South Asian Studies WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE : Weiser Hall, Room 110
Absinthe: World Literatures in Translation Reading WHAT: Come join the editors of Absinthe in the lauch of their upcoming issue, “Unscripted: An Armenian Palimpsest” and a special reading of the magazine. WHO: Department of Comparative Literature WHEN: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Tisch hall, Room 2024
Daily Staff Reporter
Multiple student organizations are boycotting the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs’ search for a new associate director after members of the Latino community asked for stake in the hiring process and were not given an opportunity to. The group sough to increase Latino representation in leadership positions at the University of Michigan due to the continued lack of Latino representation in University administration. After the recent appointment of Nadia Bazzy as Syndication MESA director, La Casa, Sudoku the Latinx Alliance for Community Action, Support and Advocacy, has asked
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La Casa stated they were not included in the search for a new director other groups to boycott the hiring process and asked the three candidates to decline to be interviewed until the University’s “exclusionary practices” are addressed, according to a statement. As part of the Office of Student Life, MESA offers programs, outreach and student training to promote diversity and inclusion on campus. “The lack of representation of the Latinx community in leadership positions directly opposes the University’s highly promoted goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the statement reads. “These exclusionary practices further exemplify that the Latinx voice is not valued by the University, Latinx students and community members should not aspire to be leaders on our campus, and that the
A rare phenomenon occurs in Ann Arbor every December. In most places when the snow flies the Canada Goose heads south for the winter, but here when the snow flies they flock to campus
The Black Sheep UM @BlackSheep_UM
Student groups boycott MESA over lack of Latino representation LEAH GRAHAM
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EMMA KINERY NATHAN GUPTA Latinx community has no Editor in Chief Business Manager value at the University of 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 Michigan.” kineryem@michigandaily.com nathankg@michigandaily.com In a previous statement regarding Bazzy’s new role, La Casa said they were NEWS TIPS ARTS SECTION dissatisfied “not with the PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION news@michigandaily.com arts@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com individual appointed as the new director” but with the LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SPORTS SECTION NEWSROOM tothedaily@michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com 734-418-4115 opt. 3 procedure by which she was selected, citing a hiring EDITORIAL PAGE ADVERTISING CORRECTIONS opinion@michigandaily.com dailydisplay@gmail.com corrections@michigandaily.com process that “denied the Latinx voice.” According to La Casa, Bazzy is the fifth consecutive hire MESA has made that did not result in AMELIA CACCHIONE and EMMA RICHTER the employment of a Latino Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com individual. Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Evan Aaron, Alexis Rankin, Public Policy junior Yvonne REBECCA LERNER Zach Moore Navarrete, lead director of La Managing Editor rebler@michigandaily.com Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Katelyn Mulcahy, Aaron Baker, Sam Mousigian, Kevin Zheng Casa, said programs intended ALEXA ST.JOHN to support underrepresented LARA MOEHLMAN Managing News Editor alexastj@michigandaily.com groups often don’t take Latinx Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ Senior News Editors: Riyah Basha, Lydia Murray, Nisa Khan, Deputy Statement Editor: Brian Kuang, Yoshiko Iwai students into consideration. Sophie Sherry
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“There is a disconnect with these offices as they do not actively engage with our community in order to understand our needs,” Navarrete said. “The Latinx community should have a voice during hiring processes and when evaluating candidates for positions that affect our community.” The executive board of the United Asian American Organizations and the Muslim Students’ Association have expressed support for La Casa, and stated they will not be participating in the hiring process for the new associate director. In an email obtained by The Daily, the MSA executive board wrote that La Casa’s concern about the selection of Student Life administrators was “legitimate.” “We can attest the process by which students are involved in Student Life hiring decisions can be inconsistent and lacking in transparency,” See MESA, Page 3
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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.
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BIO From Page 1 people watched, sparing only the village’s church. Today, members of the Burt Lake Band are dispersed throughout the state of Michigan. The 10,000-acre University Biological Station was established in 1909 to study environmental change. The University acquired the land from lumber barons after the trees were cleared, allowing students to study the fireravaged environment. Since its conception, the forest has rejuvenated, providing a place for biological and environmental field work for students and faculty. According to the request written by John M. Petoskey, an enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Burt Lake Band of Odawa and Ojibwa people lived less than five miles from the current UMBS, which was established after the burnout. His request is threefold: that the University
HEFORSHE From Page 1 “I was getting pushed out of all the cool mechanical stuff,” Wightman said. “But there were always ‘reasonable explanations.’ One day all five girls (in the class) and I realized we were all getting the same ‘reasonable expectations.’ So that’s when I first started noticing the gender differences.” In the workplace, women often face sexism in the form of microaggressions or gender-based assumptions. For
MESA From Page 1 the email read. “Every group on campus should have a voice. If one of us is silenced, we are all weaker for it.” The listing for the associate director position was posted for three weeks on various job boards, including U-M Careers and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Numerous MESA administrators and Interim Director Linh Nguyen reviewed applications, and after conducting phone interviews, on-campus interviews were offered to several candidates — none of whom were Latino. In an email, E. Royster Harper, the University’s vice
IDENTITY From Page 1 and the administration. The letter also addressed how ME/NA students are often forced to identify as white while filling out documents — a classification that fails to encompass their unique lived experiences in a post-9/11 America. “ME/NA students, constrained by Census categories, are expected to check the white identity box,” it reads. “However, many people of Middle Eastern and North African descent do not identify with or have the lived experiences of being white in the U.S., especially in a post-9/11 environment of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism. In addition, the lack of an identity box for U-M’s ME/NA students perpetuates the erasure that many marginalized communities experience. Given that we live in a state with the largest concentration of ME/NA individuals outside of the Middle East/North Africa, we have a unique regional responsibility to implement the ME/NA identity category.” During the meeting, several students representing the #WeExist campaign shared their thoughts regarding why they believe the University should implement the ME/NA
of Michigan create curriculum on the burnout for students who attend UMBS, to work with descendants of the Burt Lake Band to commemorate the burnout through a memorial at UMBS and that UMBS, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and School for Environment and Sustainability include in its curriculum indigenous perspectives on resource management, environmental history, ecology and environmental justice. LSA senior Elizabeth Michaelson spent three summers at UMBS taking classes and working. She studied freshwater ecology, forest ecology and soil samples from the region of the fire. “It’s known, at the biological station, of Native American archaeological deposits or storage in the ground and the Native American presences (are) known and understood and somewhat talked about,” Michaelson said. Michaelson could not recall whether she heard about the story of the Burt Lake Band burnout from sitting around the
campfire or from those working at the UMBS. She recalls Native American tribal maps located at UMBS but said she did not know UMBS opened so recently following the fire. “There is no way in this small quiet area that (the University) didn’t know about this,” Michaelson said. “I think that (Petoskey’s) requests from the biological station are very doable.” Based on her experiences at the UMBS, Michaelson feels that UMBS would be receptive to Petoskey’s requests. She said UMBS cultivated community conversation about difficult topics that emotionally effect students. “Through my summers at the bio station, whenever anything horrible or scary would happen, whether on campus or off, there would always be community conversation about what is happening and how we can move forward and support each other,” Michaelson said.
example, Wightman recalled her male colleagues being intimidated when she dressed professionally; a boss who told her she would never advance if she continued baking cookies for the office; she would go into interviews where the recruiters had assumed she was male based on the impressive credentials on her résumé. Often one of few women in a predominantly male office, Wightman said her co-workers often aren’t aware of how offensive their statements could be, because nobody has been there to hold them accountable in the past. In addition to calling
attention to these remarks outright, Wightman said another strategy she has found to be effective is to make them explain the reasoning behind their thought process. “Sometimes people say things and they don’t even realize how sexist it is,” she said. “Someone will say something (sexist) and I’ll say, ‘Wait — I don’t understand how you got to that conclusion.’ When you make someone explain their biases, they start retreating.” Siamof agreed.
president for student life, said student perspectives are “critical.” “Student participation in the hiring process helps us identify candidates who embrace the goals of the office and carry them forward,” Harper said. “When we are at our best, we create a diverse candidate pool and work in partnership to identify strong candidates for any position.” According to the University’s Enrollment Overview, the percentage of Latino students on campus has risen over the past several years; total enrollment of Hispanic students was just under 5 percent in fall 2013 and has since grown to 6.67 percent this past fall. However, the University currently has no deans or
assistant deans from the Latino community. Navarrete said the University must take steps to ensure Latinx candidates are notified about and considered for positions.
identity category. LSA senior Jad Elharake, one of the main organizers of #WeExist, emphasized the amount of work students and organizers have put into the campaign to draw attention to this lack of representation. “For over a decade, ME/ NA students have raised the same issue, but our concerns were not prioritized or acted upon. However, in the past nine months, organizers have been working towards building unprecedented support on campus,” he said. “We unanimously passed resolutions and support statements in over 15 student governments.” He further described the unique responsibility the University has to recognize ME/NA students, as the state of Michigan possesses the largest concentration of individuals that identify with this category outside of the Middle East and North Africa. A case studyconducted by the Arab American Institute reported the number of Michigan residents who claim an Arab ancestry has almost tripled since 1980. “Given that we live in the state with the largest concentration of ME/NA individuals outside of the Middle East and North Africa,” he said. “U of M has a unique regional responsibility to implement the ME/NA identity category.” Engineering junior Bassel
Salka, co-president of the Arab Student Association, echoed Elharake’s enthusiasm regarding working with University faculty and administration to make the ME/NA identity category a reality. “I was really happy to see the Middle Eastern and North African community unite over all three campuses on this project with overwhelming support from other groups and allies, this is something very special,” he said. “It will be great as an Arab myself to finally feel represented on this campus. Lastly, as for the concerns from the regents, the ME/NA community is excited to address those concerns and work together on achieving our goal.” Despite multiple student speakers at the meeting, as well as University Regent Mark Bernstein (D), expressing enthusiasm regarding working with the campaign toward implementing the category, University Regent Andrea Fischer Newman (R) said she possesses concerns about making the change and would like further discussion before reaching a final decision. “Just so we’re clear, and with all due respect to my colleague, I do have some concerns, and would like to have this discussion before coming to a conclusion,” she said. “I just want to make that clear, that there is a difference of opinion, potentially.”
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Read more at MichiganDaily.com
“The University should advertise positions towards Latinx professionals, because to accept a candidate pool with no Latinx candidates insinuates that the University believes our community is not capable of providing qualified leaders,” Navarrete said. “Being able to identify with faculty, staff, students and administrators who share our identity is crucial to allowing for genuine connections and providing an environment for the Latinx community that is inclusive and welcoming.”
SPENCER From Page 1 Bristow sent to the University’s general counsel Timothy Lynch, which Bristow shared with the Detroit Free Press, one of the reasons they needed a response by Jan. 15 was so his team could bring
REGENTS From Page 1 safe. Safety is critical to students, and I’m thinking about the ones who came here for the first time, thinking they would be in a university where they could thrive academically and socially, only now to be faced with a speaker who not only denies their humanity, but also would bring others like him to campus,” Wilson said. “This is simply unsafe, and careless to have someone here who could, in reality, start a riot.” LSA senior Anushka Sarkar, president of Central Student Government, presented a petition opposing a potential speech from Spencer, saying it received more than 5,000 signatures from students. She said a similar petition circulated among alumni had received more than 6,200 signatures. “I echo thousands of students and community members when I say we will not be safe if he and his followers come to our campus,” Sarkar said. “Richard Spencer should not be accommodated.” Social Work student Lawrielle West said the issue was bigger than just Richard Spencer’s presence on campus, but extended to white supremacy at the University in general. “Some might say, ‘Hmm, what do you mean white supremacy is on campus?’” West said. “Well, this is what white supremacy looks like at the University of Michigan: White supremacy looks like a Regent Board that is torn between the First Amendment right — which is not and never has been equity-distributed to all — and student safety, which should not be limited to physical, but psychological and mental safety as well.” University alum Jessica Prozinski, a leader of Stop Trump Ann Arbor, spoke directly to University Regent Mark Bernstein (D) during public comment, referencing his statement from the Nov. 21 emergency Regents’ meeting announcing the University would proceed in negotiations with Spencer. “We could deny Richard Spencer, everyone would celebrate, this board would be cheered, President Schlissel would be applauded, but we would be dancing on our own graves,” Bernstein said at the November meeting. “On our tombstones would read: Here lies the University of Michigan, afraid to do the right and difficult thing.” “Here’s the problem: Reality is the problem. You need to come
Friday, December 8, 2017 — 3 Spencer’s supporters to the event. “If a date between February 24 and March 4, 2018, will work for Richard Spencer’s speech on campus, we will need to know sooner rather than later so that travel arrangements can be made for the numerous involved parties who will need to obtain airfare, lodging, and ground transportation,” Bristow wrote.
Considering he had extended the deadline for finalizing negotiations twice, Bristow said this was the final opportunity. “There will be no further extensions of my client’s demand to be permitted to exercise his constitutional right to free speech,” Bristow said. “We’ve been patient, but our patience has its limits.”
out of the world of books and ideas and take a look around, because we’re looking not at metaphorical tombstones but at real tombstones,” Prozinski said. “That’s why lawyers are insufficient leaders in times like this — your vision is too narrow, and your trust in the law to protect us is too great.” In response to Prozinski, Bernstein said the problem was not reality, but the Constitution. “I’ve heard people urge us to say no, and you have every right, and an obligation, in fact, as a private citizen to say no to Richard Spencer’s vile and repugnant views,” he said. “But if you give government — which is what this institution is — the right to say no to speech that it doesn’t like or that it doesn’t want to hear or that may be provocative, government simply will. And what that means is the next time a marginalized community speaks out, government will just say no.” Overall, Wilson said, it was imperative the actions of the administration in dealing with Spencer be as transparent as possible. “As someone who has been at universities longer than I care to say right now, I understand the need to withhold information until necessary, but you all also must understand the lived experiences and position of students who feel that they are being left in the dark on a lot of issues circling around campus,” she said. According to a Thursday press release from attorney Kyle Bristow, a representative for Georgia State University student Cameron Padgett who is making these requests on behalf of Spencer, the University had already offered four dates — Nov. 29 and 30 and Dec. 27 and 28 — as possibilities for Spencer’s event, but Spencer is now seeking to hold an event between Feb. 24 and March 4 — over the University’s Spring Break. LEO Bargaining During public comment, representatives and supporters of the Lecturers’ Employee Organization spoke in favor of lecturers and the positive work they do in the classroom and elsewhere on campus. In recent months, LEO has been at the bargaining table with University administration and has staged demonstrations in hopes of improving benefits, wages and job security for lecturers at the University. LSA senior Neala Berkowski said lecturers have been behind some of the most meaningful work she has accomplished at the University and they deserve to be compensated fairly. She said she believes the Board
of Regents has the ability to support the work lecturers do by providing them with fairer wages and other resources. “I’m here to call you out for your amoral treatment of lecturers while you still have the opportunity to do something about it,” Birkowski said. “These are people with advanced degrees and often a lot of debt. … Lecturers bend over backwards for their students and you literally give them the scraps.” Rackham student Rachel Miller, current president of the Graduate Employees Organization, supported LEO and their bargaining, saying many departments at the University are heavily dependent on the work of lecturers. She gave her support for LEO’s bargaining efforts having come from GEO’s bargaining sessions last year that resulted in increased University support for DEI positions and mental health co-pay caps. Andrew DeOrio, lecturer of Computer Science and Engineering, said while lecturers allow students to take more classes in their interests, he is having a difficult time attracting lecturers to the University because the pay is not as high as it is in private companies. “It’s lecturers that have made it possible for every student who wants some computing in their education to do so,” DeOrio said. “As the chair of the search committee for lecturers (in Computer Science), I’ve lost a lot of recruits and potential hires. It’s really hard to get people to do this job.” Investments A $100 million investment in Y Combinator, a startup accelerator company, and a $39.5 million parking structure on Wall Street were both approved by the Board of Regents. The Y Combinator investment will provide seed funding to support the development of startups across the country. Started in 2005, Y Combinator funded Airbnb and Reddit during its tenure. The parking structure project, which will be paid for by the University’s Logistics, Transportation & Parking resources and will be seven levels with 1,050 spaces, is said to improve patient, faculty and staff satisfaction on the Medical and Central campuses. According to the action request, currently employees are forced to park farther away from the hospital and walk or use other transportation methods. The project approval also authorizes Walker Parking Consultants to propose a design.
Opinion
4 — Friday, December 8, 2017
I will fight for you
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FROM THE DAILY
Hold harassers accountable
O
ver the past few weeks, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich, has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple former employees. On Tuesday, Conyers sent a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Gov. Rick Snyder announcing his retirement effective immediately. He made the same announcement in a radio interview while also denying the accusations against him. His retirement came after multiple politicians on both sides of the aisle called for him to step down. The Michigan Daily Editorial Board believes our government officials must be held accountable for their actions regardless of the standing of their character and career. Conyers, who was first elected to Congress in 1964, co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and sponsored legislation to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday. Conyers also served as ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee for many years and has been a principal supporter of singlepayer health care legislation. He has built a robust legacy as a champion of civil rights. The day before his retirement announcement, a rally in Detroit attended by local politicians, faith leaders and activists was held in support of Conyers and his status as an icon of the civil rights movement. Despite his achievements, Conyers still abused his power as a government official and employer — actions we cannot condone. As his egregious actions have come to light, he can no longer be trusted to uphold important standards of conduct that we expect of any politician. Furthermore, in 2015, Conyers used $27,000 of taxpayer money to settle a wrongful dismissal suit against a former employee who alleged she had been fired for resisting his sexual advances. While the
use of taxpayer money for the settlement was entirely legal, we find this deeply unsettling. While we live in an
Despite his legacy, Conyers still abused his power as a government official
increasingly polarized political climate, party politics should not make a difference when addressing sexual harassment on Capitol Hill. We understand that seats in Congress can make or break important legislative initiatives, like we saw with the Republicans’ multiple failed attempts to reform health care. This issue, however, should not pose concern in Conyers’s case. Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, which he represented prior to his retirement, has historically voted democratic. Nonetheless, the issue of
sexual misconduct in Congress is not one of politics, but of ethics. If the Democratic Party wishes to be the party that champions women’s rights, they must condemn sexual misconduct within their ranks — even with elected positions with tighter races. This expectation goes beyond Conyers and includes Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who has been accused of sexual misconduct by eight women. There has been valid criticism concerning a dual standard shown by democratic leadership, one that favors Franken over Conyers. We would expect the same zero-tolerance policy from the Republican Party, particularly when it comes to Alabama senatorial candidate Roy Moore. Implicitly or explicitly supporting certain people accused of sexual misconduct while condemning others must stop. With these allegations and his abrupt retirement, Conyers will now have a complex legacy. We must recognize and accept that people and their legacies can be complex. By looking past this complexity, we lose the accountability we need within our institutions.
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Editor’s note: The author’s name was omitted to protect their identity. t happened on a Thursday. It was the day before Halloween. I was dressed as the devil. I remember walking outside and feeling the cold air on my face. I remember walking into the house. I remember him on top of me. Everything else is black. Those three memories are seared into my brain, permanently I think. No matter how hard I try to forget, I don’t know if I ever will. In the years since it happened, when I find myself gripped with panic and unable to catch my breath, I calm down by reasoning with myself. Mine wasn’t that bad because, thank God, I can’t even remember most of it. Some women have more violent memories. I’m one of the lucky ones, really. But how could I ever forget the part I did remember? It flashes into my mind at random times, and always before I go to sleep. It’s been three years since I was raped. Those three years have been some of the longest of my life. It took me a year to admit to myself that what happened that night was actually rape. It took even longer for me to tell my parents. I can count on one hand the number of my friends I have told. To this day, I keep it to myself out of shame and fear of how I will be perceived. We all know how people react when a woman seeks justice, or even solace, following a rape. What was she wearing? She has no proof. Why would she want to ruin a man’s life like that? Questions like these had me convinced for a long time that what happened to me was my fault. I did go to his house, after all. I was even wearing a dress. So, I allowed the shame I felt to take hold of my body. It gripped me so tightly it made it impossible to speak, even when I wanted to tell people what happened to me. Everyone who knows me knows I’m an outspoken feminist — I’m never afraid to address the injustices that exist in our society. I have supported many of my friends who have experienced the same injustice as I have. I assure them that what happened to them was not a result of their actions or words; the horrific denial of their autonomy and disregard for their humanity was not their fault. And I believe that
I
wholeheartedly. I would fight for any victim. So why couldn’t I fight for myself? Over the past month or so, I have read hundreds of posts associated with the #MeToo campaign. I’m encouraged by survivors who speak out about what was done to them. I admire their bravery. Reading other women recount their stories and their recoveries gives me hope that I, too, will be able to recover one day. However, campaigns like these, which are designed to increase awareness, feel empty at best and insulting at worst. I was not surprised by any of the posts I read or even the sheer number of my friends alone who have experienced sexual assault. This is common knowledge to me and to every woman I know. What surprised me was how men reacted: I had no idea sexual assault was this widespread! What can we, as men, do to stop this?! Women of the world, help us be better! As if women don’t have enough to deal with already, now we must fix the problem of sexual assault, too? To me, “the problem of sexual assault” is really “the problem of men who do not know women deserve respect and dignity just like everybody else.” It’s “the problem of toxic masculinity and the patriarchy” or, more simply, “the problem of power.” I realized this long before I was raped, and my understanding certainly didn’t require having a daughter or a wife first. Like many women I know, I’m tired of facilitating the conversation on sexual assault. But, for the sake of change, I will. Men reading this, listen up. I implore you to understand that even if you have not sexually assaulted someone, you are complicit in sexual assault in your silence. You are complicit in the rape jokes you make with your friends. You are complicit when you willingly participate in organizations where sexual assault rates are highest, like fraternities. Please understand how destructive your behavior is to women, to men, to yourself and to society. If you are offended by my claims, all you need to do is tune into the conversation women have been having for decades. For too long, the blame and responsibility have been placed on women. It is not our job to stop what is being done to us. We do not need to be less naive, more careful or more accepting of the “reality” of our world. Men, you
need to step up. This is not on me. This is on you. Beyond ensuring that it never happens again, men can help fix “the problem of sexual assault” by addressing the role they play in its perpetuation. Chris Brown, abuser, has a new documentary on Netflix. Kodak Black, rapist, continues to be a widely streamed artist. Woody Allen, pedophile and rapist, decorates the walls of our “progressive” town of Ann Arbor. Donald Trump, alleged rapist, is the president of the United States. The list goes on. Stop celebrating, glorifying and rewarding these men and, instead, hold them accountable. You can also help by being supportive of the people in your life who have been raped. When I told my dad what happened to me, he listened to me. He allowed me to share my experience without interrupting or interjecting his own thoughts. Most importantly, he did not doubt me for a second. The positive impact of having a man like my dad in my life during my recovery process has been immeasurable. I encourage you to be that man for someone. Listen, actually listen, to the women, and men, in your life who want to share their experiences. For a long time after I was raped, I felt helpless. I still have days when I feel things will never change. But my helplessness no longer consumes me. I’m inspired and comforted by the resilient, brave women in my life. To the women in my classes who excel despite their trauma, to my friends and family who carry on despite what was done to them, to survivors everywhere: I see you, I believe you and I believe in you. Women are strong as hell. But we shouldn’t have to be. No, the solution to “the problem of sexual assault” is not women becoming stronger and less sensitive. The solution is for men to stop. Stop. Raping. Us. Though I’m tired of being held responsible, I will continue to fight for justice until men no longer feel they possess the right to my body. I will fight for me. I will fight for you. The author is an LSA senior.
This is the eighth piece in the Survivors Speak series, which seeks to share the varied, first-person experiences of survivors of sexual assault.
BILLY STAMPFL | COLUMN
G
The case for being a believer
rowing up, we’re told that we can be anything. We’re taught to dream and imagine; we’re told that optimism beats realism every single time. Then we get older, and we start to lose sight of this idea. When we’re kids, we dream of being president. Yet when we inch closer to graduating from college and entering true adulthood, our most profound dreams are just that some company, any company, will hire us. This column isn’t about holding fast to dreams; it is more about how growing up, unfortunately, means realism and practicality overtake imagination and hopefulness. It’s not all bad, because I think most of us still hold a sense of optimism — it’s just less unbridled. But isn’t this kind of peculiar? Societal norms seem to extinguish in adults the childhood idea that if you believe in yourself, you can do almost anything, and if enough people believe in something, it can be done. I don’t plan to preach the benefits of dreaming big and never giving up. This isn’t a “hope-y, change-y” call to action. But it’s interesting that realism grows stronger as we grow up, because it is apparent that so many of the important things in the world function not because of anything real. Let’s look at an example that we all know and love: money. Money in the United States is green paper. Again, it is paper. Paper that is colored green. So are the physical properties of this green paper what make
it so valuable? Not at all. If I took a green colored pencil to a piece of loose leaf and handed it to you, you wouldn’t care. Why? Money is valuable because everyone says it is. More accurately, everyone believes it is. It has no intrinsic worth in its chemical or physical structure.
Money is valuable because everyone says it is. More accurately, everyone believes it is So belief drives money, yet society tends to push people to be realistic, and, while not rejecting the benefits of belief, to focus more on action and pragmatism as life gets more complicated. My thinking is that we shouldn’t allow our kids to relinquish that youthful sense of belief. Money and a variety of other things — the Federal Reserve, the U.S. government, human rights — are fictive constructs, not material truths. Of course there are Federal Reserve Bank buildings made of brick and mortar, and money is real paper that you can hold. These things do exist in the most elementary, physical forms. But their inherent value subsists only in our collective
consciousness. Isn’t this naive and child-like? So let’s not act like adults are so mature and perfectly realistic: They trade green slips of paper that they all agreed should have value. Then they use some of this paper to pay the government, because, well, everyone seems to think that’s how it should be. Some of them go to church every Sunday and worship things they have no idea actually exist. And nearly all of them, at least in the United States, preach that everyone has human rights, even though no doctor has ever performed surgery in which he cut open his patient and found the heart, blood vessels, large intestine, liver and … human rights. It’s about time we regain a little bit of that childhood naivety — the kind that pushes you first to imagine, then to believe in yourself and in the notion that common beliefs are all we really need. Again, this isn’t all that much of a call to action. It is simply a plea to realize our hypocrisy: There is no reason we shouldn’t dream big and use our imaginations like children, throughout life. After all, we do it with money, government, religion and the economy. So let’s try to always remember the power of collective beliefs. Let’s never encourage anyone to “grow up,” if all growing up means is relinquishing dreams because adulthood “realism” says they’re too imaginative and ambitious.
Billy Stampfl can be reached at bstampfl@umich.edu.
Arts
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Friday, December 8, 2017 — 5
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YALE INSTITUE OF SACRED MUSIC
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Bach Collegium Japan ‘Easy’ is isn’t alway easy bring Christmas to Hill MORGAN RUBINO Daily Arts Writer
NITYA GUPTA Daily Arts Writer
The classical sounds of Christmas will be coming to Ann Arbor tonight. The Bach Collegium Japan is an ensemble that was started in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki, founder and musical director of the group. They will perform J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, which is split up in parts that celebrate the major feasts of Christmas time. Bach Collegium Japan will perform parts, one, two, three and six. “I think people will enjoy the variety of expression of the music, as well as experience the story of Christmas time,” said Suzuki in an interview with The Daily. “I’m hoping to show a connection between Christmas and the passion chorale.” The passion chorale appears at the beginning and ending of the Christmas Oratorio, and Suzuki finds it to be one of the most interesting aspects of Bach’s piece. Bach has always played a huge influence on Suzuki’s music work. The Bach Collegium Japan started as a small choir, which later expanded and gave him the chance to perform some of his works. Suzuki has established himself as an outstanding conductor, organist, harpsichordist and leading authority on Bach. Suzuki has guest conducted
the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and more. He was awarded with the Leipzig Bach Medal in 2012, the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize in 2013 and the Das Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik from Germany in 2001. The Bach Collegium Japan
UMS presents “J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio” Hill Auditorium Friday, December 7th @ 8:00 p.m. Student $12 - $20 Adult $14 - $80 has also won several awards, including the 45th Suntory Music Prize and the Echo Classical Music Prize in 2014. Understandably, Bach has played a major role in Suzuki’s musical career. Suzuki noted that Bach’s music has a universal appeal to it, as it has the ability for everyone to understand the emotions and moods it attempts to portray. “Music is very powerful and dense in its structure,” Suzuki
said. “It speaks to me very strongly. The three dimensions built into Bach’s oratorio — the biblical text, chorale movements and congregational singing — will give the show a lot of variety and power.” The ensemble has also recorded Bach’s complete cantatas in chronological order, an enormous project that spanned from 1995 to 2013. Receiving high praise internationally, their work has not gone unnoticed. They have also recorded works by other classical composers, such as Beethoven’s ninth symphony and Mozart’s “Requiem.” The Bach Collegium Japan brings together musicians worldwide for its performances, coming from America, Europe and Japan. The ensemble performs all over the world and regularly in their home country’s cities of Tokyo, Kobe and Nagoya. “We work on a project basis, so every time we come back together it’s a reunion,” Suzuki said. “Especially with the spirit and theme of Christmas time, it’ll be a very happy atmosphere for us.” Suzuki is also a principal guest conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum and was on the choral conducting faculty at the Yale School of Music and Yale Institute of Sacred Music from 2009 to 2013. Suzuki and the rest of his ensemble keep Bach’s music and spirit alive through their dedication and hard work.
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Russian Classical Ballet to perform ‘The Nutcracker’ TRINA PAL
Daily Arts Writer
Like it or hate it, the holiday season is undeniably upon us. A walk down Main Street offers proof of this: Bright lights wrap themselves gracefully around trees, Christmas carols ring from inviting Kerrytown shops and couples walk hand-in-hand with a seemingly newfound sense of happiness. If you’re like me and love the spontaneous comradery that springs up during this time of year, or just need a way to escape the mounting stress of finals, you’re in luck. The classic holiday special “The Nutcracker” will make a reappearance this Saturday at the Michigan Theater This performance of “The Nutcracker” is presented by the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet, based in Wixom, Michigan. The Academy is made up of talented ballet students from Michigan and Ohio who learn the traditional Vaganova (Russian) style of classical ballet. The Academy also holds a Professional Trainee Program for students intending to pursue ballet as a profession. This is the third time the
Academy will perform “The Nutcracker” at Michigan Theater, and they intend to keep the performance as close to the Russian Bolshoi Ballet Company’s rendition as possible. As a way to follow the
Academy of Russian Classical Ballet Presents “The Nutcracker” Michigan Theater Saturday, December 9th @ 6:30 p.m. $35 - $45
original ballet, this particular rendition doesn’t “have a specific wooden Nutcracker doll. We have a younger dancer who performs the role,” said co-director of the Academy Jessica Morschakov in an interview with the Daily. The dancers are excited that their version of “The
Nutcracker” stands out from other modern interpretations. “For the Spanish (corps), it’s really interesting to do the original choreography rather than something newer,” said Nina Schotland, a dancer in the Spanish dance sequence. Schotland, an LSA freshman, performs in the Waltz of the Flowers and in the Spanish corps as a soloist, in addition to other roles. Professional ballet dancers from Moscow Ballet in Russia will join the cast of local ballet students on Saturday. “Our young Clara and young Nutcracker are Michigan students,” Morschakov said. After Clara, the main child protagonist of the play, enters her dreamland, the Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince. The Russian professionals will perform “the grown-up version of Clara and the Prince.” Tchaikovsky’s score for “The Nutcracker” is timeless, even for the dancers who’ve performed it many times before. “I listen to it a lot. I wake up to it,” said Luke Eller. Eller will play the role of the Fritz, Clara’s mean brother and the Nutcracker in the first act, among others. The Oakland Homeschool
Even as it enters its second season, “Easy” remains one of the year’s most underrated and overlooked TV displays amidst the flood of fresh Netflix originals. The anthology — with each episode presenting different, individualistic characters and storylines — continues on to explore more diverse Chicagoans and their experimentation in the realms of business, romance and culture. Whether it be trying out an open marriage, broadening entrepreneurial endeavours or raising an angsty teen, the experiences within the show are extremely approachable. After a binge-watch of season two, it is evident that much of the allure of the series is due to writer and director, Joe Swanberg (“Drinking Buddies”), who fuses his indie, improvisational and highly unconventional structure with captivating and introspective character development. I have to admit that at first glance, “Easy” had me feeling the opposite of what the title implies. I was confused and somewhat uncomfortable, not quite sure how to approach the mumblecore vibes, ever-changing plot and overall unpredictability of the show. The characters talk over one another, the tone is almost too relaxed and conversational, and the situations that the various personalities are dealing with come off as somehow intensely serious and humorous at the same time. But after a few more vignettestyle episodes, I came to accept that my very uneasiness is an integral element of the show’s intent. The spontaneity and tackling of ultra-contemporary issues like sexuality, status and race are what give “Easy” its honesty. The way that I became invested in new characters who then disappeared after a mere
Choir, a local children’s choir that gives homeschooled children a chance to participate in musical education, will provide live music as per the original. “The music of Tchaikovsky ... was written with the Children’s Choir of St. Petersburg singing during the Snow scene,” Morschakov said.
30-minutes left me hoping for the expansion and elaboration of certain stories into stand-alone pieces. It must be said, however, that not all of the episodes and stories had as equal an impact and intrigue to them. The significance of each episode was entirely dependant on how devoted I was to the featured personas and scenarios. While some of the stories picked up as a continuation of season one, most were unfamiliar and innovative, allowing similar opportunities for a sparked interest. The most
entertaining and compelling episodes of “Easy” were the ones that highlighted experiences that I could envision myself encountering in real life, which prompted the self-investigation of, “How would I handle this?” Hands down the funniest episode of the season is the first, where a group of dynamic and hyperbolized suburban couples form a neighborhood watch to catch a package thief. Though simple in plot, the focus on mob mentality, or how one’s perspective can sway the group’s, and Aubrey Plaza’s (“Parks and Recreation”) subsequent unconvinced and unimpressed facial expressions are enough comedic payoff in themselves. In fact, the genuine and palpable acting within “Easy” is one of its greatest successes, as this season spotlights some Hollywood geniuses like Joe Lo Truglio (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Judy Greer (“Arrested Development”), Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”) and
stand-up comedian Kate Berlant among others. These actors take on roles of various races, ethnicities, sexualities, ages and professions, and they lend a real authenticity and normalcy to diversity and difference. In a time when diversity in media is so often included to “check boxes” of character variety, the character portrayals in “Easy” never appear forced or unnatural, remaining legitimate and relatable throughout countless storylines. It becomes evident that the premise of “Easy” is not to feel content after each episode wraps up (even though each story does culminate with some sort of conclusion), but to continue wondering about the trials and tribulations of others, and maybe even look at your own life with a different lens. The show teaches compassion and consideration for those around you, especially those who may look or seem different, and to acknowledges that not all of life’s situations have an immediate happy ending. This underlying message is not only comforting and surprisingly uplifting, but is extremely relevant and necessary in today’s often idealized society. Season two of “Easy” reveals that aside from what it seems, life is not, in fact, always easy. The series represents a mishmash of varying personas and perspectives and consequently leaves viewers with a mishmash of feelings and emotions, which interact in an uninterrupted and natural way. “Easy” breaks down the reserved sheltered way that traditional comedydramas portray sex, romance and money-making, and is a hit with millennials because of that candor. With seemingly endless scenarios that future storylines could follow, I’m hopeful that the series will return with a season three and continuing inquiring upon the often untold truths of our types of diverse and dynamic people.
They aim to parallel this effect with the Oakland Homeschool Choir. “To let people enjoy the beauty and artistry of classical ballet is a really unique experience,” Schotland said. The performance boasts beautiful backdrops, intricate handsewn costumes and a mystical
ambiance combined with that of the Michigan Theater. The passion of the Academy is sure to whisk the audience away to a wonderful winter dreamland. Saturday’s performance of “The Nutcracker” promises to add a magical touch to the holiday season.
“Easy” Season Premiere Netflix
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TV REVIEW
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Comic Broussard wants to make you laugh & think RYAN COX
Daily Arts Writer
AMAZON
‘Mrs. Maisel’ stands out with lovable protagonist SAMATHA DELLA FERA Daily Arts Writer
New York City in the ’50s was truly a time. The cars were gaudy, the clothes were lavish and the women were confined to the domestic sphere, subordinate to their husbands. It was a lifestyle few dared to question, and for a while, Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, “Patriots Day”) was among the compliant. Midge is the ideal housewife. She measures herself every day to ensure she keeps up her figure. She waits to take her makeup off until her husband is asleep, and she has it back on by the time he wakes up. She supports her husband’s hopeless side job as a comedian, even bribing club owners with homemade brisket to get him the best time slot. The world according to Midge is perfect, and for the first 30 minutes of the Amy ShermanPalladino (“Gilmore Girls”) comedy, it seems like things are going to stay that way. But “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” would not be the unsuspecting gem that it is if our title character did nothing, well, marvelous. Though her quick wits and thick vintage New York accent are charming, the moment you fall in love with Midge is the moment her life falls apart. After her husband Joel (Michael Zegen,
“Brooklyn”) admits to an affair with his secretary and leaves her, Midge downs a bottle of red wine and drunkenly taxis to the club that she would usually attend to watch Joel do his (stolen) comedy routine. With her makeup running and her usually-compact physique bloating, Midge turns the story of the worst day of her life into
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Series Premiere Amazon a uproarious comedy routine, one that catches the attention of both the star-spotting bartender and the policemen that cart her away for public indecency. It’s a sharp departure from the pastel and pristine homemaker we’d seen before, but one that propels the episode and the series into something worth watching. “Marvelous” hits that sweet spot between funny and touching that so many comedies try yet fail to achieve. And at a time when our male comedic heroes are dropping one by one, the magic of “Marvelous” is crusaded by women, from the writers behind the scenes to the actresses lighting
Classifieds
up our screens. Midge is not a housewife in need of saving: She is painted as a strong female whether she’s making latkes or pursuing stardom as a potential stand-up comedian. She reeks confidence so much that it leaps off the screen and fills the viewer with assurance that absolutely nothing will ever stop this woman. It’s rare to find a show in which not a single aspect feels wrong or out-of-place, but “Marvelous” is truly about as flawless as a show of its genre can get. Everything from the upbeat, retro soundtrack to the pleasing aesthetics of oldtime New York to the lovable banter between Upper West Side Midge and take-no-shit Susie (Alex Borstein, “Family Guy”) crafts a show that is worthy of nothing but praise. Best of all, “Marvelous” is just a lot of fun to watch. Viewers are treated to the story of a bad-ass Jewish woman who finally comes into her own all while making unlikely friends, fighting off an unworthy ex and breaking into the comedy industry, an industry which, to this day, is dominated by men. It’s enough to inspire you to dump your lowly lover or write that book you keep putting off until tomorrow. Or, at the very least, down a glass or two of red wine and share your secrets with the world. You never know who might be listening.
When people think of what Ann Arbor is known for, things like academics, sports and culture usually come to mind. Most of the time, Ann Arbor’s comedy scene is left behind in comparison, forced to fight for some recognition. However, with historic venues like the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, bringing in comedians like Matthew Broussard, the scene seems to actually be thriving, and not just surviving, despite the lack of attention. Founded almost 34 years ago, the venue opened when comedy clubs weren’t really that common. “It was really the beginning of this industry, there weren’t that many comedy clubs across the country before 1980,” said cofounder Roger Feeny in an interview with The Daily. Since then, the club has really built a name for itself, which is why it’s able to bring in such big name comics, including Matthew Broussard. Broussard’s witty style of comedy is a perfect fit for the crowds of Ann Arbor. “They’re a smart crowd,” Feeny explained. “They’re very intelligent and very up on their popular culture, which brings us to Matthew.” Not only are Broussard’s jokes clever, but he also has the brains — and a degree — to accompany them. Before pursuing his career in standup, Broussard completed a degree in mathematics at Rice University. After college, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue the strategic art of making people laugh. And this decision seems to have been a good one for him. Since
moving to LA, Broussard has been featured on programs like Conan and Comedy Central, as well as a variety of other TV shows and movies. Even though he’s strayed a bit from his mathematical background, these skills have actually been able
Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase presents “Matthew Broussard” Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase Friday, December 7th @ 8 & 10:30 p.m. Saturday, December 8th @ 8 @ 10:30 p.m. $14 in advance, $16 at the door
to help Broussard with his routines, weaving their way into his jokes from time to time. “Joke writing itself is about finding patterns and breaking them,” Broussard said in a phone interview with The Daily. “And having a background in math really helps with that kind of analytical thinking. And while his main goal is to get a laugh from the audience, he also likes making them think. “I enjoy a joke where you laugh, but
after the show, you realize you now know a little tid-bit you didn’t. You can maybe one-up people in a conversation at a party when people ask where … Propecia comes from,” Broussard explained. But his jokes aren’t purely academic. Broussard also draws upon observational humor and references to pop culture. “I just want to address this up top: I look like a douchebag,” he said on a recent stand-up he gave on Conan last year. “It’s not a joke, I just want to let you know that I know… I’ve seen mirrors, I know that even before I started talking, most of you didn’t like me. And that’s okay, because ’80s movies have taught you to not trust someone with my hair and bone structure.” While his jokes have found success in the mainstream, Feeny believes that they resonate particularly well with Ann Arbor audiences. “Talking about smart audiences, Matthew touches on subjects that you never hear comics touch on, like physics and grammar,” Feeny stated. “You wouldn’t expect these bits to be funny. But the first time he came in, he impressed us greatly.” Feeny attributes his success here to the fact that the club draws in such a smart audience. Even though it’s a bit colder than Los Angeles, Broussard still looks forward to coming back to Ann Arbor for a second time. When asked about Ann Arbor and the Comedy Showcase, Broussard stated: “It’s one of my favorite clubs. The crowds are just so smart, and they’ll go anywhere with you. They’re far smarter than I am, and far more educated than I am. It’s really a treat. My favorite things is a smart audience, and Ann Arbor has that.”
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 “Yeah” 6 Whack 10 They’re corny 14 Spaghetti Western director Sergio 15 Refine 16 Spread for dinner, say 17 Two foes of Rocky 20 Request to go out, maybe 21 Cease 22 Airs 23 Mountain nymph 26 Form of love in Paris? 27 Two loves of Homer 32 Implies 33 One may accompany a finger snap 34 Small battery 35 Mine entrance 36 Meddle 37 Artist’s array 38 Large brewer 39 Blunted blade 41 Blots 43 Two specialties of Spock 46 “Heartburn” novelist Ephron 47 San Diego State athlete 48 Advances 50 Chemical suffix 51 Fertility clinic supply 54 Two priorities of Blondie 58 Between ports 59 Bridge site 60 A lot 61 Milk by-product 62 Oracle 63 Entourage DOWN 1 It parallels the radius 2 Get wind of 3 Hurrying, with “it” 4 Acapulco article 5 Cock and bull
6 Sterne’s Tristram 7 Hopper on a pad 8 Gothic novelist Radcliffe 9 Important place for good manners 10 Pupil’s cover 11 Cassini of fashion 12 Honey bunch 13 Ground cover 18 Soul mate? 19 Feature of many a list 24 Common medical advice 25 In-flight info 26 Name at the end of many a “60 Minutes” episode 27 MLB Network analyst Martinez 28 Put on 29 What supply shortages often do 30 Big dos 31 Bridge column word 32 Caesarean section?
36 Clinton transportation secretary Federico 37 Tony relative 39 Low-price prefix 40 Service aces? 41 Stunned 42 NYC dance troupe 44 Kind of 45 Stadium sign
48 Eye piece 49 Arch type 50 Convenience 52 Competes 53 Bad marks in high school? 54 Margery of nursery rhymes 55 Female antelope 56 Floor cleaner 57 Tabloid topic
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‘Elf’ is peak Christmas JEREMIAH VANDERHELM Daily Arts Writer
Over the course of November, I was subjected to “A Bad Mom’s Christmas,” “Daddy’s Home 2” and “The Star” in rapid succession. These movies have two things in common. One, they are all ostensibly Christmas movies. Two, they’re all godawful, poorly written messes made with all the thoughtful consideration of a Christmas card with your name spelled wrong. When the best movie of any given bunch costars Mel Gibson as a hot shot former astronaut who has to learn to say “I love you” to his son, it’s enough for even Santa to let out a “Humbug.” That’s part of the reason I was so excited for this Thanksgiving Break. Not only would I be able to spend time with family and gorge myself on buttery dinner rolls, but my family would be beginning our holiday season as always: watching Jon Favreau’s (“Iron Man”) “Elf.” Having grown up with the movie, I’ve always had an appreciation for it that, as I grew older, perhaps could have been chalked up to simple nostalgia. There was something different when I sat down to watch “Elf” this time, though. Maybe it was the string of duds I was coming off enduring. Maybe it was the aligning of the sun and stars. Maybe it was the eggnog. Whatever the reason,
halfway through the movie, I had to a realization. This wasn’t just a good Christmas movie. For increasingly cynical times, “Elf” is just about the most perfect Christmas movie imaginable. There’s an earnestness, heart and imagination to every frame that is almost unmatched. At the center of it all is Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, one of the best roles of his career. Ferrell has made a career out of playing man-children in movies like “Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights,” so the role of Buddy — a human raised by Santa’s elves — is perfect for him. But where parts like Ron Burgundy relied on audiences laughing at his more juvenile moments, the abject glee of Ferrell’s performance here makes it feel much more like we’re laughing with him. Even jokes that shouldn’t work, like an eleven-second long monster of a belch, do because of Buddy’s enthusiasm and Ferrell’s spot-on comedic timing. Also key is Favreau in the director’s chair, wisely not allowing real world logic to get in the way of the story he’s telling. It’s a world where the North Pole is portrayed as a partially animated wonderland filled with stopmotion arctic puffins. Heavy use of forced perspective is used to allow for Ferrell to tower over the other elves in indoor sets that do terrific worldbuilding all on their own. There’s an obvious contrast between this world and New York City, but Favreau finds the perfect
balance between the two tones. He also makes sure to ground everything in Buddy’s story. The job woes of Buddy’s father, Walter (a perfectly deadpan James Caan, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) is something any of last month’s movies would have built entire agonizing scenes around. Here, they’re kept short and even add to the emotional heart of the film. There’s a thankful lack of dated references, as well, that’s positively refreshing given more recent comedies. Yes, “Daddy’s Home 2,” I’m sure all those “Sully” references will play just as well in 14 years as they do now. But eventually, it all comes back to the heart of it. Buddy the Elf lives in a cynical world. The children’s books executives are moneygrubbing jerks. Santa Claus (Ed Asner, “Up”) has become reliant on technology instead of Christmas spirit and, in a hilarious bit of implied backstory, has had at least one run-in with the Central Park Rangers. There’s no singing in the North Pole. It’s a world just like ours. There’s a certain catharsis, then, to watching Buddy’s optimism slowly win over everyone around him. The finale, bolstered by John Debney’s (“The Jungle Book”) terrific score, is nothing short of magical, and in a time when even Christmas feels in danger of succumbing to the monotonous daily grind of modern living, that little bit of magic and spirit “Elf” offers is something to hold onto.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, December 8, 2017 — 7
2017 Season in Review: Defensive backs BETELHEM ASHAME Managing Sports Editor
With the Michigan football team’s 2017 regular season in the books, the Daily looks back at the performance of each unit this year and looks ahead to the future in 2018. In this edition: defensive backs. The performance of the secondary might be the biggest surprise of the season for the Wolverines. For a unit that lost both of its starting cornerbacks and safeties — all of whom were seniors — coming into this year, it would have been expected for Michigan’s pass defense to take a step back. The apparent successors were a trio of sophomores and a junior who had taken few, if any snaps, for the Wolverines before this season began. But the quartet of defensive backs — cornerbacks Lavert Hill and David Long and safeties Josh Metellus and Tyree Kinnel — outperformed expectations in 2017, and then some. Despite being thrust into starting roles, all four looked like veterans, both as individuals and a unit. But the most veteran member of the core, Kinnel, had the best season. Kinnel excelled in his free safety role, racking up a whopping 67 tackles — five more than sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary — including 4.5 for loss. He tallied a careerhigh 11 of those tackles in one game against Minnesota, in which he led the team in the category with seven solo stops. His strongside partner, Metellus, wasn’t far behind with 49 tackles of his own. He and Kinnel spent the year shutting down opposing receivers, combining for 12 pass breakups. Metellus also forced
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Junior safety Tyree Kinnel had a breakout season in his first year as a starter, racking up 67 tackles (4.5 for loss), seven pass breakups and two interceptions.
a fumble in the season opener against Florida. The duo of Hill and Long proved to be reliable forces as well, recording 24 and 20 tackles, respectively. They came up only one short in the pass breakups category, tallying 11, and also had two interceptions apiece. Kinnel had a pair of picks as well, and only Metellus was shut out in that regard. For much of the year, Michigan boasted the topranked secondary in the nation based on team passing efficiency defense. The Wolverines are currently third, behind Wisconsin and Alabama, with a rating of 100.17 — just the Badgers and Crimson Tide have maintained doubledigit ratings over the course of the whole season. Michigan, though, has
allowed the least opposing passing yards in the country with a total of 1712, an average of just 142.66 per game. By comparison, Wisconsin and Alabama have allowed 2088 and 1964 yards through the air, respectively. The Wolverines have also given up just nine touchdowns on the year while accumulating nine interceptions. HIGH POINT: Michigan’s secondary put together multiple standout games this season, but the two that stand out the most are the Wolverines’ matchups with Cincinnati in September and Maryland in November. The common thread between both contests is the sheer number of pass attempts from both opposing quarterbacks, in contrast to the lack of success they found moving the ball through the air.
While both signal callers — Cincinnati’s Hayden Moore and Maryland’s Ryan Brand — threw for 132 and 136 yards, respectively, it took them 15 and 16 passes apiece to reach that figure. Worse yet, Moore and Brand threw the ball 40 and 35 times, respectively, on those days — good for completion rates well below 50 percent. To add insult to injury, Michigan picked off both quarterbacks twice in those contests. Kinnel and Hill came up with the first set against the Bearcats, while Long and sophomore VIPER Khaleke Hudson came up with the other pair against the Terrapins. LOW POINT: While the Wolverines recorded four picks in those two games, they came up with just five more in their 10 other contests. For a secondary with as much
Against Gamecocks, Higdon gets crack at his former favorite team KEVIN SANTO
Managing Sports Editor
The ‘Old Ball Coach’ has an admirer in Ann Arbor, whether he realizes it or not. Thursday afternoon, junior running back Karan Higdon admitted he “liked what Steve Spurrier was doing” at South Carolina before his retirement in 2015. Really, though, Higdon’s admiration for the Gamecocks goes beyond the program’s former patriarch. He rooted for South Carolina in high school, and it was a fandom born from familiarity. He had a friend who went there, and kids in his local area took their talents to Columbia, too. He was close friends with the cousin of former Gamecock wide receiver Ace Sanders — who played at Manatee High School, just over 18 miles away from Higdon’s alma mater — so the duo frequently tuned into his games. And he said he loved the way Marcus Lattimore ran. As it turns out, Higdon visited South Carolina a couple times. It was an offer he coveted as a recruit. It was also one he never received. If he did, this year’s installation of the Outback Bowl might look a little different. Asked what would have happened if the Gamecocks did offer him, Higdon didn’t hesitate. “I would’ve went,” he said with a laugh. Now, though, when the Wolverines face the Gamecocks on Jan. 1, Higdon’s story will have come full circle — thanks to an unconventional set of circumstances that got him to Ann Arbor in the first place. Higdon met Lattimore on one of his visits to South Carolina. The former Gamecock running back was a fourth-round pick in 2013, drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. He never took an NFL snap, as he struggled to recover from an injury in 2012
in which he tore every ligament in his right knee and dislocated his kneecap, before eventually retiring in 2014. But Lattimore still met Jim Harbaugh while they were a brief player-coach pairing in San Francisco. Higdon eventually did, too — part of a whirlwind recruiting process that saw him visit Ann Arbor in the week leading up to National Signing Day and eventually flip his commitment from Iowa to Michigan. And Lattimore was a part of it. “Actually, before I came here I stayed in touch with Marcus Lattimore, and he helped me make my decision to come here,” Higdon said. “He informed me a
lot about the type of person Jim Harbaugh was, the type of coach. He led me. He was a big part of me coming here.” The decision has paid off. Higdon leads the Wolverines’ backfield with 929 yards on 147 carries and 11 rushing touchdowns, and he’ll be the first Michigan running back to face South Carolina since the Outback Bowl in 2012. That game, of course, didn’t end so well for one member of the Wolverines’ backfield — as Vincent Smith was the victim of a Jadeveon Clowney tackle that popped his helmet off and turned into an internet sensation. It’s a hit that Higdon remembers well, and it’s one that
They didn’t offer me, and now I’m playing against them
he cheered for — even if he has never admitted such to Smith. “Now me and Vincent are cool so I’m like, ‘Dang,’ ” Higdon said with a laugh. “But I was (cheering). And that was the year I had just visited there. … That happened and I was like, ‘Gollee.’ And I had saw Jadeveon at the game when I was visiting and I was like, ‘This is a huge dude.’ And then he does that.” Of course, Higdon won’t be facing anyone of Clowney’s stature in Tampa, and the Gamecocks rank 12th in the SEC allowing 127.6 rushing yards per game. Higdon could very well become Michigan’s first 1,000yard rusher since 2011 at the Outback Bowl. And if he does, it will come against the team that never offered him. “I just loved them,” Higdon said. “… They didn’t offer me, and now I’m playing against them, so, I’m back.”
EVAN AARON/Daily
Junior running back Karan Higdon admitted that he rooted for South Carolina in high school, and might have gone there.
talent as Michigan has, that number should be much higher. The other teams in the country ranked near the Wolverines in pass defense have interception totals well into double-digit territory. Throughout the year, Michigan struggled with the turnover battle, as its offense ran into trouble finding a consistent rhythm. While the defense can only save the offense to a point, there were certainly opportunities for the secondary to lend a helping hand, but untimely drops seemed to be a consistent theme for the Wolverines’ back four. The most significant came in the second quarter against Ohio State when Michigan had a 14-0 lead. Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett telegraphed a pass to Metellus, but the safety couldn’t come up with it and
Ohio State scored on the next play to kick off its comeback. THE FUTURE: The Wolverines will have the benefit of all four starters returning to the team in 2018. With a year of experience under their belts now, it isn’t farfetched to expect that Kinnel, Metellus, Hill and Long will be even better in their second go-around. The biggest loss will be senior cornerback Brandon Watson, who served as a backup-turned-starter after Hill’s concussion injury late in the year. But Michigan has plenty of young defensive backs coming up the ranks. Freshmen J’Marick Woods, Ambry Thomas and Benjamin St-Juste, as well as senior Jordan Glasgow, are all in line for playing time as part of the second unit next season, which means the secondary should be in good hands for the near future.
BY THE NUMBERS Michigan’s 2017 Pass Defense
9
Touchdowns given up
67
Tackles recorded by junior safety Tyree Kinnel
100.17
Team passing efficiency defense rating
142.66
Average yards allowed per game
MEN’S BASKETBALL
‘M’ to take on UCLA MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Editor
Once again, the Michigan men’s basketball team is in need of a bounce back. Last week, after being trounced by North Carolina, the Wolverines (1-1 Big Ten, 6-3 overall) recuperated with a win over Indiana to regain some positive UCLA at momentum. Monday, Michigan that semblance of Matchup: UCLA 7-1 momentum overall; came to a Michigan 1-1 screeching Big Ten, 6-3 halt. When: Michigan Saturday 12 jumped out P.M. ET to a 20-point Where: Crisler lead over Center Ohio State TV/Radio: before watching it CBS evaporate into thin air in an eventual nine-point loss. With the result, the issues that plagued the Wolverines in Chapel Hill resurfaced. They still don’t have a clear answer for their opponent’s best shot. And it still isn’t clear who will step up when they need a basket. “We did a lot, again, of what we did in the North Carolina game and the LSU game,” said Michigan coach John Beilein after his team’s loss to the Buckeyes. “When things got a little tough, we really had trouble stepping up. So it’s a big area we’ve got to work at. We’ve got to somehow get them to understand the importance (that), at that time, people do embrace that part of the game and get it done.” Now, the Wolverines will welcome UCLA to Ann Arbor on Saturday. And though the Bruins have played a relatively easy schedule so far, their 7-1 record and status as a marquee program is enough to provide a stout test for Michigan.
UCLA – which was No. 21 in the AP Preseason rankings – is led by guard Aaron Holliday. Holliday is averaging 16.5 points per game and 5.5 assists per game, and the junior is the Bruins’ go-to player. Beyond Holliday, freshman guard Jaylen Hands has shown himself to be a lethal offensive threat, particularly from beyond the arc. Hands has shot 50 percent from deep, and while it’s a limited sample size, the rookie’s 12.9 points per game have made him a viable weapon. Despite UCLA’s preseason ranking, it has disappointed slightly so far this season. In the Bruins’ first game, they barely edged out Georgia Tech, were taken to overtime by Central Arkansas and beat a bad Wisconsin team by just three points. On top of that, they have a loss to Creighton, and off-the-court issues led to the suspension of three of their players. It has been a tumultuous start to the season for UCLA to say the least. Even still, Michigan will have its hands full Saturday. Holliday is one of the best players the Wolverines will face all season, and their current rut won’t make it easier to take on one of the better teams in the country. Don’t expect Michigan to figure everything out in one game, though. Beilein said Monday that the season would be “a journey” until the younger players grow and the older players step up. But he does take some of the blame for himself. He sees his team’s inability to step up in crunch time as his own shortcoming. “We just have to continue to toughen up,” Beilein said. “Get some – what does Jim Harbaugh say? Get some steel in our spine when things are tough, and not necessarily look to the coach for the answer. ... We didn’t make any of those ( big) plays, and that’s my job to make us get better in that.”
Sports
8 — Friday, December 8, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines earn 4-0 victory over State Hurst undecided on FOOTBALL
JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer
In the last game of the 2017 calendar year at Yost Ice Arena, the Michigan hockey team gave its fans two things they had been waiting all season to see. Buoyed by a perfect, 21-for-21 performance between the pipes by sophomore goaltender Hayden Lavigne, the Wolverines (3-4-2 Big Ten, 7-6-2 overall) took down Michigan State, 4-0, on Thursday night, recording their first shutout of the year. And with three minutes remaining, senior forward Tony Calderone scored his third goal of the game, capping off an emphatic victory over the Spartans (1-71, 7-9-1) with his first career hat trick. Each of Calderone’s goals came differently. The first took place with five minutes remaining in the second period. Senior forward Dexter Dancs’ pass hit Calderone on the edge of the crease, with just Spartan goaltender John Lethemon in the way. Calderone coolly took his time, dancing to the goalie’s left and firing the puck into the top of the net. Calderone lit the lamp for a second time halfway through the third period. Junior forward Cooper Marody and Calderone worked a two-on-one to perfection, as Marody’s cross-ice pass hit Calderone’s stick and he finished with a one-timer. The final tally, with 3:28 left in the game, materialized out of a scrum around the net, and the Wolverines’ captain knocked it home. “I’ve had a couple two-goal games, it’s not something always on your mind too much but to get the third one really felt awesome,” Calderone said. “My linemates made it easy today. Dexter made a great play on two of them, Cooper made a great pass on the second so I think they made it really easy and they’re the reason it happened.”
Added Michigan coach Mel Pearson: “He scores in a bunch of different ways. The goal I really liked was the second goal of the game where he gets it all alone. It’s hard when you don’t have any speed and momentum, the goaltender’s just standing there with you. He made a bunch of moves, and he just made it look easy. I’m really happy for him, proud of him and the senior class the way they performed tonight.” Despite statistics that might have predicted otherwise — Michigan State came into the contest ranking just 53rd in the nation in goals per game — the Spartans were the more threatening team in the game’s first five minutes. Quick, dangerous puck movement forced Lavigne to make several tough saves, and Michigan State held an early 5-0 advantage in shots on goal. Surprisingly, though, Michigan might have come away from the first period with a stronger feeling of missed opportunity. After a Spartan penalty, the Wolverines began their first stretch of extended attack, and nearly came out of nowhere to shoot into the lead when the puck bounced to freshman forward Josh Norris in the crease with the goaltender way out of position. Norris’ shot, however, sailed over the pipe. While Michigan couldn’t capitalize on its power play, the Wolverines did appear to be settled down from that point, as the rest of the first period was much more evenly matched. The script of the initial stanza was flipped after the first intermission. This time, it was Michigan that had better chances — most notably, a flip shot by freshman forward Jack Becker that bounced over Lethemon and across the crease. All that threatened to change, however, when Becker was penalized for cross-checking five minutes into the period. Sophomore defenseman Griffin
playing in bowl game The fifth-year senior defensive tackle
said he is still weighing his options TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
The Michigan hockey team came out with an emphatic win over the Spartans.
Luce joined him in the box just 13 seconds later, and the Wolverines found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun. Michigan State, however, couldn’t pull the trigger. The Wolverines jammed together in front of the net, laying out to block shots while desperately trying to withstand the two-man deficit. Upon returning to full strength, Michigan wasted no time breaking down the ice. Junior defenseman Joseph Cecconi launched a missile from the point, which Norris was there to tip home for a 1-0 lead. From there, the Wolverines didn’t look back. While Calderone’s performance is the one that will undoubtedly be remembered from Thursday, Lavigne was superb in his own right. The sophomore commanded both sides of the net from the very beginning of the game, spreading out to deny the Spartans on numerous occasions.
Pearson was quick to give Lavigne the credit for Michigan’s first shutout, bemoaning the numerous “grade-A” opportunities that Michigan State had. “We gave up too many grade-A opportunities,” Pearson said. “As you watch the game back, I’m not going to like it. Some of the opportunities we’re giving up, especially at key times in the game — I think Hayden bailed us out tonight. We’ve to be better, we’ve got to cut down on grade-As. You need goaltending, obviously, and he did a phenomenal job.” Regardless, that criticism did little to erase the significance of the result, especially for the Wolverines’ senior class. “I told the team after the game, the seniors, it’s your last game here in Yost against Michigan State — last regular season game at Yost,” Pearson said. “What a way to end your career against Michigan State at Yost Ice Arena.”
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. has a long future of football ahead of him, but next on his plate is the Michigan football team’s bowl game. Whether or not Hurst will play in that game, though, is still up in the air. Hurst, who projects to be a high first-round NFL Draft pick, spoke to media Thursday afternoon and said that he has not yet decided whether he will play in the bowl game. “I’m not really sure. Right now, it’s just business as usual,” Hurst said. “I haven’t made a decision.” The risk of playing in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 relates to injuries. Last year, Michigan’s senior tight end Jake Butt tore his ACL in the Orange Bowl. Butt was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the first pick of the fifth round, No. 145 overall, but could have likely been picked much higher — and earned a significantly higher pay check — had he not been injured. Butt spoke before the Orange Bowl and said that he fully understood and respected the decision of players like Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, who chose not to play in a bowl game to avoid the risk of injury.
Nonetheless, Butt decided to play and unfortunately faced a devastating outcome. “Being there,” Hurst said, “and seeing (Butt) go down, it was heart wrenching to see the emotion on his face.” Hurst, now in the same position that Butt was in a year ago, contemplates the same decision. He said that he’s going to be talking with his family, coach Jim Harbaugh, Butt and guys like former defensive end Chris Wormley — who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens. Hurst hopes to have the decision finalized sometime in the next two weeks. Pro Football Focus added Hurst to its All-American First Team for defense, and rated him as the top-graded player in the country for both sides of the ball. His talent is obvious, and his stats back it all up. He has contributed 132 tackles, 33 tackles for loss and 13 sacks over the course of his Michigan career, and was a consensus first team AllBig Ten honoree by both the coaches and media. One of the only things not on Hurst’s resume is an NFL contract. But that really will come, regardless of his decision about the upcoming bowl game.
Being there and seeing (Butt) go down, it was heart wrenching
Michigan pulls out 82-76 win Deja Church, ‘M’ guard of future ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
With the outcome suddenly uncertain, the ball found Nicole Munger on the right wing. She took the shot and sunk the three, putting the Wolverines up by five with just under three minutes to go, the most important moment of Michigan’s season thus far. The 24th-ranked Wolverines hung around in the first half, took a commanding lead in the third quarter, then nearly blew it in the fourth in a roller coaster 82-76 win over Marquette. After Michigan (6-2) opened up a 16-point lead with just under eight minutes to go in the game, Marquette (4-4) started making shots. Suddenly, the Golden Eagles were on a 9-0 run and the lead was cut to just seven. Minutes later, it was cut to two after an Erika Davenport layup and disaster was impending. “Once we got the lead, we became very, very complacent,” said senior forward Jillian Dunston. “And we allowed them to get any shot off that they wanted.” Michigan, however, managed to pull through thanks to Munger’s three, a timely charge by junior center Hallie Thome and an and-1 layup from senior guard Katelynn Flaherty. Those elements combined to get the lead to six. Crisis averted. “(Coach Kim Barnes Arico) pretty much told us just to stay calm and the clock was our friend and the time was our friend,” said freshman guard Deja Church. “We were taking quick shots, she told us to pull the ball and let’s run the clock out a little bit and just stay calm, don’t let the defense rattle us.” Marquette will lament this loss, and with good reason. It had a chance to put the Wolverines away early. It didn’t. It had the chance to pull off an impossible comeback in the fourth. It didn’t. The Golden Eagles jumped
out to a 10-4 lead in the game’s first five minutes as the Wolverines sleepwalked. From Munger missing two open shots to Dunston turning the ball over on an entry pass, Michigan didn’t look sharp. The chance was there for Marquette, but it couldn’t seize it. By the time Church went coast to coast and laid the ball in to finish the game’s opening quarter, the Wolverines had cut the deficit to four. From there, it was a tugof-war. With Flaherty held to seven points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field in the first half, Michigan had to batten down the hatches and play defense. That they did. The Wolverines limited the Golden Eagles to just .868 points per possession in the first half, an admirable mark against a team that ranked 16th in the country in points per game coming into the contest. That was enough to keep Michigan in the game going into the break, at which time it trailed 33-29. The Wolverines’ two freshmen standouts — Church and forward Hailey Brown — ignited that effort. Church, who has lived up to her reputation as a strong one-onone defender, did so again on Thursday, forcing misses as easily as Flaherty hits shots. As for Brown, she provided vital rim protection, notching two blocks in the first half and three in the game. As play opened in the second half, she forced a miss at the rim, then came down on the other end to for a layup, cutting Marquette’s lead down to two. One possession later, Munger hit a corner three to give Michigan its first lead of the night. The Wolverines never squandered that lead, despite their best efforts. “I was nervous before the game that we couldn’t handle their pressure, but at halftime I was confident that we could handle their pressure and we could score against them from what I saw in the first
half,” Barnes Arico said. “(At halftime), I said, ‘Try to go over the top, try to get rid of the ball when they’re double-teaming you and we’ll score easy baskets.’And I think we did.” After Michigan took its initial lead, Flaherty put in a layup to extend the lead to three and it looked like the floodgates might open. No matter, the Golden Eagles’ Selena Lott nailed one from downtown to tie the game a few possessions later, stopping the impending cascade. However, she couldn’t stop the trickle. The Wolverines spent the rest of the third methodically adding to their lead. A Flaherty layup here, two Thome free throws there and good defense throughout. After a few minutes, Michigan had pulled together an 8-0 run to go up 50-40. By the end of the quarter, the lead grew to 11. A few minutes into the fourth, it stood at 16. That lead proved insurmountable.
HUNTER SHARF Daily Sports Writer
In Deja Church, the Michigan women’s basketball team may have found its guard of the future. In the young season, the freshman standout has already made an impact as the first player off the bench. Her high level of play was on display in the 24th-ranked Wolverines’ 82-76 win over Marquette on Thursday night. Church went 5-for-8 from the floor to tie her career-high of 12 points. “Deja was incredible,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “I think she’s getting better and better every time she steps out on the floor. She was outstanding on both ends of the floor, and she had a block that should make the SportsCenter highlight loop.” Her most significant basket came with 3:54 left in the game when she hit a layup as the shot clock expired – giving the Wolverines a 71-67 lead. In her 26 minutes on the floor, Church undertook much of the
ball-handling responsibilities. For the most part, she seemed unfazed by the Golden Eagles’ full court press. She found success driving the lane and was able to knock down shots through contact. But a lot of what Church brings to the court goes unnoticed in the box score. She is a high-energy player that aggressively attacks the basket. She plays stingy defense and always fights for loose balls. With these intangibles and a high level of passion, Church takes after senior forward Jillian Dunston. Barnes Arico thinks Church’s fiery personality will be important in years to come. Dunston seems to agree. “I love the comparison,” said Dunston. “And she has a lot of heart. I’m excited to see how she develops.” Church, a Michigan native, prepped just down the road at Southfield A&T High School. As a senior, Church averaged 24 points per game, 10 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.1 steals while leading the Blue Jays to the semifinals of the state tournament. She earned
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Freshman guard Deja Church stood out against Marquette, going 5-for-8 from the floor to tie her career-high of 12 points.
a bevy of accolades, including a Class A Co-Player of the Year Award, OAA Player of the Year nod, a Michigan Miss Basketball finalist and a nomination for the McDonald’s All-American game. Ranked as the 67th overall recruit by Prospects Nation, Church’s talents were sought after by many schools. Despite originally committing to Minnesota, Church ultimately decided to stay home. “All my family is here,” said Church. “My family never missed a game in high school or AAU, and that really sunk in. So I changed my commitment to come here.” It seems that Church made the right decision. Thus far, she has averaged 7.78 points per game while shooting an impressive 66 percent from the field. Granted, at times, she has still looked like a freshman. Her four turnovers and pair of fouls in the fourth quarter undoubtedly contributed to Marquette’s near-comeback. Even Church is certainly not a finished product. Barnes Arico feels she just needs more experience. “I think the biggest thing for any freshman is to be consistent night in and night out and even throughout the course of the game,” Barnes Arico said. “I think mentally when we got up 16, Deja kind of relaxed for a second and then there were a couple of mistakes.” For Church, the biggest adjustment has been the quick pace of play at the college level. She seems to be getting more comfortable, though, scoring 12 points in each of her last three games. As the season progresses, she will likely be a bigger focal point of the offense. Coming into the season, questions remained over who would be the starting point guard after former guard Siera Thompson graduated. This year, Church isn’t the answer. Barnes Arico shifted senior guard Katelynn Flaherty to the point position. But while Church has big shoes to fill by replacing the Wolverines all-time assists leader in Thompson and all-time scoring leader in Flaherty, her success seems imminent.