2018-01-11

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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GOVERNMENT

Gaps in tax plan effects play out for ‘U’ students Distribution of higher income brackets on campus means bill will benefit most CARLY RYAN

Daily News Editor SAM SO/Daily

Ann Arbor residents gather at the Human Rights Commission meeting to discuss the formation of a review board for the AAPD at City Hall Wednesday.

Human Rights Commision wants transparency, liability from AAPD

Councilmembers echo calls from 70 residents for civilian police review board GRACE KAY

Daily Staff Reporter

Seventy Ann Arbor residents called for increased accountability and transparency from the Ann Arbor Police Department at the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission Wednesday. This comes after several local incidents of police brutality, and institutional responses many residents view as insufficient. Because of the unprecedented number of residents in attendance,

a member of the fire department stopped by on an anonymous tip to move the HRC to the City Council Workroom. Participants carried signs with slogans such as “Civilian Police Review Now!” and “No false solutions.” Difficulties with relations between the AAPD and the Ann Arbor community erupted in 2014 when an AAPD officer shot and killed 40-year-old Aura Rosser, a Black woman, after the officer claimed Rosser had charged at him with a knife. Rosser’s death was not the

only example of the AAPD’s questionable use of force. Since Rosser’s death, numerous incidents such as the violent arrest of Ciaeem Slaton at the Blake Transit Center, the rough handling of University of Michigan student Dyshon Toxey and alleged mistreatment of several Black students during tailgates have led residents to question whether these are issues of race and how the AAPD can be held accountable for their actions. Residents have reacted to the tenuous relationship between

the police and citizens through various protests and initiatives calling for a new way of policing the AAPD. While the Ann Arbor City Council initially responded to the uproar in early 2017 by approving a $200,000 contract with a consulting firm, Hillard Heintze LLC, many residents considered the unsatisfying, and even counteractive. Long-time Ann Arbor resident Shirley Beckley expressed frustration with the long-standing impasse in relations with AAPD. See HRC, Page 2

University alum Sean Smith graduated last winter, and now works as a fellow in LSA Dean Andrew Martin’s office. When he goes home to visit his family, Smith says his family relies on him for more information on current events. Recently, his family has been pressing him about the passing of the tax bill, but narratives like his family’s are often left out of resources, leaving Smith, and many others, confused. “When I went home, the first thing my family asked me was how I feel about the tax bill,” Smith said. “They expect me to have the knowledge being first-gen, but I just haven’t been able to find it. The biggest thing that I can say is that there is no perspective from my tax bracket in the conversation. That should be telling.” In late December, Congress passed the most sweeping rewrite of the U.S. tax code in decades. The

bill slashed the corporate tax rate, doubled the size of inheritances shielded from taxes and allowed pass-through businesses greater deduction. But most startling to many students at the University of Michigan are the changes for individual taxpayers. According to PBS News, Americans making over $500,000 a year would see a net benefit worth 3 percent of their income – approximately $21,000 in 2019. However, all Americans making $30,000 will be giving up more in taxes, and middle-class Americans making between $40,000 and $75,000 will have tax cuts that dwarf in comparison to those of upperclass Americans. In Washington, D.C., Democrats voiced strong opposition to the bill. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., went so far as to say the bill is ruining America because of the financial burden it will place on low-income Americans. But at the University, which See TAX, Page 3

Panel kicks off MLK weekend events LSA SG to Homeless deliberate with discussion on gentrification in MI man found

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

ANN ARBOR

on building renovation

Students can often be culprits of rising urban inequity in both Detroit, Ann Arbor

Group also pushes toward new changes to academic calendar in coming year

To mark the beginning of the University of Michigan’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Symposium, the Institute for Social Research held a panel Wednesday afternoon discussing the various effects of gentrification in Detroit and across the United States. The University’s theme for this year’s MLK symposium is “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” which Dory Knight-Ingram, a senior editor for the Institute of Social Research, explained relates deeply to the topic of gentrification. “Gentrification is now and it is urgent,” she said. “It is a multifaceted situation, and there is no simple answer, but we are trying to raise awareness.” Piper Simmons, a coordinator for the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research which organized the day’s events, explained the consortium chose the topic of the panel with care. Gentrification, she noted, engages with both the MLK symposium theme and the University’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. The panelists examined the effects of gentrification through diverse lenses of sociology, social work, architecture, personal experience and population studies. Their overarching goal, explained Margaret Levenstein, director of ICPSR, was to provide the audience with the tools to think about this multifaceted and

ABBY TAKAS

Daily Staff Reporter

LSA Student Government convened for the first meeting of the winter semester Wednesday evening to discuss three upcoming resolutions regarding the academic calendar and building conditions at the University of Michigan. Public Policy junior Lauren Schandevel and LSA junior Meaghan Wheat attended the meeting to discuss their resolution that would create a new minor: Collaborative Learning Across Socioeconomic Statuses. Schandevel and Wheat said they hope to bring related courses together and encourage students to take courses across departments, including African and Afro-American Studies, American Culture, Economics, History, Psychology, Public Policy, Sociology and Women’s Studies. The pair said they have gathered support from various department chairs, and have received expressed interest from the Sociology and Women’s Studies Departments See LSA SG, Page 3

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KATE JENKINS

Daily Staff Reporter

fast-growing issue. “I think this is a great panel, and one of the things I really like about having a discussion like this is that people often feel like gentrification is something which happens to them,” she said. “I’m hoping that having these various perspectives will help us to understand better how we can all have agency in determining the future of the communities in which we live.” Panelist Shayna Brown, a 2017

Music, Theatre & Dance graduate, revealed she has been thinking about the effect of gentrification since her freshman year at the University when she came home from school and asked her mother about new construction in Detroit. Many have hailed the city’s comeback in recent years, with millions of dollars in investments pouring into development downtown, but residents like Brown’s family found themselves left behind.

“She was like, ‘That’s not for us, that’s for tourists,’” Brown said. “I thought, ‘That’s an odd thing to say,’ and I didn’t understand, so I decided to do research.” Brown conducted an independent study on gentrification and, like all four panelists, remains invested in the complex issue. Other panelists included Tam Perry, assistant social work professor at Wayne State See MLK, Page 3

MICHAEL BARSKY/Daily

U-M alumna Shayna Brown speaks during a panel titled Examining the Effects on Gentrification at the Institute for Social Research as part of the MLK Symposium event Wednesday.

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INDEX

Vol. CXXVII, No. 54 ©2018 The Michigan Daily

by activists in cull park

Some residents point to new hazards to A2 citizens imposed by deer cull RILEY LANGEFELD Daily Staff Reporter

Activists demonstrating against Ann Arbor’s deer cull discovered a homeless man living in a designated shooting zone for the cull Tuesday. The deer cull began in 2015 after City Council approved sharpshooters to reduce the population of deer. The demonstrators said their discovery demonstrates the city’s negligence in organizing the cull, which is currently in its third day of operation. City administrators were unaware the man was sleeping near one of the bait piles used in the cull. The homeless man, who was visited and interviewed Tuesday by The Ann Arbor News, said he is aware of the culling operations and has not been in any immediate danger. He said he is confident in the contractor’s safety protocols and isn’t concerned about his safety. Though the city does not disclose details of culling operations while they are happening, two years ago See DEER, Page 3

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6

SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7

News

2 — Thursday, January 11, 2018

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY: By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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snowy sarah @_bey0ndinfinity

MaryRose @mc472007

Lindsay @lindsay­_mccl

i’m dead AF the umich insta meme page is tryna make my selfies/caption into a meme

I have at least 9 umich football players in my class. Now I just need to memorize their faces, lear football, and become their friend.

If I had to write a book about my time at umich it would be caled “Where’s the Damn Bus and Why Is It So Cold Go Blue”

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xbox rango @kimmikelly_

I’m an extreme optimist but if Michigan’s Basketbal team can put together a good performance for an entire game (not great, just good they can be the best team in The NCAA #GoBlue

Panel discussion on gentrification. Been looking forward to this for weeks! First event to kick off the symposium. #GoBlue #UMichMLK

the cool thing about trendy businesses in Ann Arbor is that their websites have links to there Spotify but not a phone number

W O LV E R I N E O F T H E W E E K Every Thursday, The Michigan Daily will feature a member of the campus community. This week we asked: what is the strangest thing you believe?

“My family, we always wash our faces with the first snow because you’re not supposed to get sick if you do that. The first time it snows a year if you go outside and wash your face with it, no matter what time it is, you’re not going to to get sick for the whole year… and I’m always healthy.” LSA sophomore Kysia Jones

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HRC From Page 1 “This is not a problem we should still be struggling with,” she said. “We should not still be struggling with issues from the 1970s.” She addressed City Administrator Howard Lazarus later in the meeting. “I don’t trust you,” she stated. “I don’t trust the police. No one has apologized for killing Aura Rosser. Not yet. But you ask us to trust you. Trust is earned.” Transforming Justice Washtenaw, a group that advocates for restorative alternatives to policing and incarceration, opened the HRC meeting with members Lori Saginaw and Julie Quiroz Sudoku Syndication reading a statement they sent

to the mayor, City Council, city administrator and HRC prior to the meeting. The statement requested the formation of a Civilian Police Review Board instead of the “Co-Produced Policing Committee” the city is pursuing. “We call on the Ann Arbor City Council to take immediate steps directing the city administrator to put in place a Civilian Police Review Board that is independent, transparent, representative and adequately funded, based on the specific features outlined below. This CPRB should be in place no later than January 2019,” Saginaw said. Several HRC members, including Dwight Wilson, shared a sense of urgency. “We need to stop dancing around and just do this. We have

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all kinds of people telling us to do residents argued a Civilian it, and even if we didn’t, common Police Review Board would take sense should tell us that we need a more direct approach. to protect the citizens,” Wilson Saginaw emphasized amid said. applause they were prepared to The HRC formally proposed take action and get involved. a CPRB a year after Rosser’s “We are ready,” Saginaw said. death in 2015, and again with “Give us a date. We want to help.” a unanimous statement in July Transforming Justice 2016. AAPD chief Jim Baird, on Washtenaw stated the CPRB the other hand, blasted the idea would exclude current and in the summer of 2016, arguing former employees of the implementing oversight before a AAPD, unlike the CPPC. third-party review would be too Furthermore, the CPRB would hasty. be a place of transparency, “Because the commission’s where citizens, City Council and report blends the national the AAPD would be regularly discussion with the Rosser informed on complaints and incident, I have concern that corresponding action taken to there may be an appetite to alleviate community relations. address national issues and Finally, Transforming Justice concerns with local policy,” Washtenaw proposes that Baird wrote in a memo. “To the CPRB would be made up presume that the Ann Arbor of nine members of various http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ Police Department’s practices marginalized people groups. are not ‘positive’ and that a Lazarus explained his review board is the best way vision for the CPRB composed to ‘ensure future adherence’ primarily of City Council absent any supporting members and commissioners, reference is ill advised... bringing new Deputy Police (civilian oversight) becomes Chief Jason Forsberg on to a mechanism for people who help assemble the team. Many are sometimes disenchanted residents and even some with police departments to councilmembers disagreed with become more disenchanted, his proposal. because all they see is the Councilmember and HRC problem.” member Sumi Kailasapathy, Throughout the meeting D-Ward 1, argued it does residents emphasized the not make sense to have law importance of a review enforcement policing the AAPD. board comprised of “I feel that a deputy of police residents rather than the leading this board, I don’t know Hillard Heinze proposed if conflict of interest is the right Co-Produced Policing, word,” Kailasapathy questioned. which would include While the residents and commissioners, policemen HRC continued to discuss the and council members. implementation of a review Similarly, residents board, the council seemed to expressed doubt regarding reach a compromise when they the effectivity of a CPPC. decided to allow residents to The CPPC cannot conduct submit their names in order to investigations and can be selected for a task force to only review from outside provide input in the formation of investigations via the a commission. AAPD’s Office of Internal Residents were advised to Affairs, working as a third- offer nominations and submit party liaison between the their requests to join the task public and the police. The force to hrc@a2gov.org.

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Thursday, January 11, 2018 — 3

SOCIAL BROWN BAG

MLK From Page 1 University; Lydia Wileden, public policy Ph.D. candidate; and Saundra Little, a founding partner at Centric Design Studio— a sustainable, design-focused firm in Detroit. Foremost, the panelists brought to light the difficulty in standardizing a definition of gentrification. They generally agreed, though, the trend involves strategic, accelerated change in a neighborhood, and often comprises increasing wealth disaprities. They continued to discuss how neighborhoods shape our lives, and examined the costs and benefits of neighborhood change. Detroit and other large metropolitan areas are not the only places impacted by gentrification. To that effect, students themselves can be involved in the gentrification process. Gentrification in Ann Arbor is particularly prominent, with costs of housing surrounding

RUCHITA IYER/Daily Second year psychology graduate student Rachel Fine presents her research on the perceived loyalty of dual nationals as part of the Social Brown Bag speaker series at East Hall Wednesday.

LSA SG From Page 1 to house the new minor, if approved. LSA SG President Nicholas Fadanelli, an LSA senior, reviewed A.R. 7-026, a resolution calling upon the University to compensate CSG members for their time and their work. This proposal was previously approved, then vetoed by CSG. On Jan. 9, CSG President Anushka Sarkar, LSA senior, reiterated her reasoning for vetoing the proposal, stating she had worries about how the resolution would affect students without the organization. “I support the spirit of the resolution and I believe

TAX From Page 1 has been criticized for its high concentration of upperclass students —t he median family income of a student at the University is $154,000 — multitudes of high-income students say they find themselves reconciling their tax cuts with the burdens low-income students could face. The average University student, then, would stand to gain approximately $2,094 in the next fiscal year under the new tax plan. The 3,000 students on campus recieving free tuition via the new Go Blue Guarantee, on the other hand, hail from families with household incomes of $65,000 or less. At most, these lower income brackets will recieve 150 percent less than the average University student. The lowest brackets could lose as much as $384 over the next two years. Public Policy junior Lauren Schandevel said the tax increases on low-income households could generate issues for them while upper-class students remain untouched. “The eventual tax increase

DEER From Page 1 members of Friends of Ann Arbor Wildlife in Nature, a local animal rights group, claimed to have seen people entering Ann Arbor parks while sharpshooters were working, uninformed the contractors were shooting at the time. Lisa Abrams, a FAAWN organizer, suggested other homeless people may be living near the cull areas. FAAWN is urging the city to postpone further cull operations until more thorough safety protocols are established. City officials emphasize that the hired contractor, White Buffalo, Inc., continues to follow the safety measures outlined by City Council. According to MLive, Lisa Wondrash, communications director at White Buffalo, said the contractor is continually observing the area to look for any other people or safety hazards. White Buffalo also utilizes night-vision technology,

in financial support in compensation for just labor as we and other student governments do, but I take issue with some of the specifics of how the resolution would actually impact students in CSG and the organization’s integrity,” she said. Sarkar stated she would be open to discussing other forms of compensation that would not risk exposing personal information or affecting internal decisions. However, at the LSA SG meeting, Fadanelli said he put out an LSA executive board statement against the proposal as many members in LSA SG have expressed concerns. LSA SG also discussed a resolution in support of a revision to the 2020-2021

and healthcare premium hike on lower- and middle-income households will make paying for college –– and necessities like rent, food and textbooks –– even less likely, while the sustained cut for higher-income households will allow wealthier students to purchase all of these things with plenty to spare,” Schandevel said. However, Engineering sophomore Lincoln Merrill, publicity chair of the University’s chapter of College Republicans, said people will face different financial impacts from the tax bill because of factors like size of the household. He said blaming the differences on high or low income is for purely political reasons. “Overall, most people will benefit with only a few people not benefitting from the new bill,” Merrill said. “However, this has nothing to do with high-income versus low-income households but rather depends on other factors such as size and location of the household among other factors. The claims that the new bill will help high-income students while hurting lower income students are completely false and likely have been made on political grounds alone as even

percent indifferent. The main concerns with the proposal were how it would affect spring/ summer programs and move-in for University housing. “The one thing we have to do as a government is weigh the pros and cons of a solution,” he said. If the resolution is passed, students and University staff would have two-years notice to accommodate for summer and move-in plans. LSA SG also discussed a resolution that would recognize United States Election Day as an academic holiday and would discourage course exams on all local, state and federal election days. Wyatt Puscas, LSA SG student advisory council for departmental affairs vice chair,

argued this would improve student turnout at elections, and cited studies that showed involvement in elections at a young age encourages continued involvement throughout one’s lifetime. Main concerns of the proposal included the financial cost of missing an entire day of classes and whether students would actually use the day to exercise their civic duties. Fadanelli reiterated the University is required to have a minimum number of days in class and if the University were to not hold class on Election Day, there would simply be another day of class added another time in the year, perhaps in the week before Labor Day. Other schools, he said, may not provide accurate parallels for the University to

low-income students will benefit, in some cases more than highincome students.” Nursing sophomore Lori Fong said her parents now make a relatively high income, but originally came from a lower socioeconomic status. She said the tax bill will only reinforce cycles of poverty, something her family was lucky to escape. “If you have parents who make a generally high income, then you are going to be more likely to succeed. You have that advantage already. People who complain about money going to lowerincome people, but then complain about there being lower-income people… it’s just hypocritical,” Fong said. Smith said articles written usually quote people who make around six figures, leaving little context for those who are already marginalized. Still, he said he doesn’t feel any resentment toward people who will benefit from the bill. “I don’t feel any resentment,” he said. I just try to inform people of the privilege they do have, but at the same time, not shame them. “I just need people to think about it.”

allowing sharpshooters distinguish between deer and people or other animals. They also have enacted security protocols, like the use of night vision technology, to make sure people don’t enter the cull areas while operations are taking place. This is the city’s third annual deer cull, and the contractor aims to eliminate 250 deer by Jan. 31. The cull will likely continue as planned in the coming days. Although the cull began from complaints regarding deer harming their properties — it has always been a subject of controversy in Ann Arbor. Supporters, such as University bioligists, claim it is the most effective way to prevent car accidents, the spread of disease, and ecological damage. However, oppononents criticize the city for not being transparent enough in its dealings regarding the cull.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

academic calendar proposed by the Office of the Registrar, which would begin classes before Labor Day. Fadanelli advocated for the proposal, stating starting the school year one week earlier would prevent final exams continuing through Dec. 23, as they have in previous years. The University of Michigan is one of the five universities in the Big Ten that begins after Labor Day. The list includes Northwestern University, which uses the quarter system instead of the semester system. According to a survey of about 800 students, Fadanelli stated about 70 percent were in favor of starting the academic year a week before Labor Day, with 20 percent opposed and 12

campus on the rise. A report by The Daily last fall found the median rent in the city increased by 14 percent from 2010 to 2015 — the survey showed the average monthly rent of respondents to be approximately $772. Luxury high rise apartments sprouting up close to campus have some students worried about being priced out. The event’s audience consisted largely of community members and University students interested in gentrification and sociology. LSA sophomore Grace Lees said she attended the symposium because it related to her Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program project on neighborhood segregation and community health. “I think it’s really cool that U of M hosts these events during the month of January. It’s evident, especially where I grew up in Boston, that there is racial segregation in certain areas,” she said. “It’s such a dynamic issue — economically, politically and socially. I’m at this event to hear a couple different sides.”

model policy off of. “Sometimes we have to be the leaders and the best,” Fadanelli said. LSA SG also discussed a resolution advocating for the improved conditions of staircases within the Mason, Angell, Tisch and Haven Hall complex, sponsored by LSA SG representatives Patrick Miller and Brian Wang. Miller and Wang expressed this complex is one of the most visited and decrepit locations on campus, and that LSA SG has received various complaints that the stairwell, especially in the math wing, is bordering hazardous. The facilities director has reportedly been responsive and expressed interest to renovate soon.

CASEY TIN/Daily

ON THE DAILY: VIDEO GAME MUSIC CONFERENCE TAKES ANN ARBOR The University of Michigan is not playing around — on Jan. 13 and 14, the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance will host for the first time the North American Conference on Video Game Music for its fifth annual gathering. The conference will feature discussions on the different aspects of video game music, such as composition and music theory, and seeks to bring together scholars who specialize in these topics. The first annual conference was hosted at Youngstown State University in 2014 and the conference is now levelling up to the University of Michigan. The 2014 conference was the first conference to address video game music relative to academia. William Gibbons,

a conference organizer at the event, spoke of the inf luence such a topic can have within

music studies. “I think it’s an extremely important event that’s happening at a great time for game studies. Video games as an academic pursuit have been increasingly popular and increasingly relevant to scholars, and game music studies are starting to catch up to that. I think it has the potential to be a really important event for the field,” Gibbons said. Music, Theatre & Dance assistant professor Matthew Thompson, who teaches a minicourse at the University on video game music and doubles as a classical pianist, is the lead organizer of this year’s event. He stated the impact of video game music extends beyond technology the scholarly world, especially and gaming as it also utilizes considering the rising the work of traditional popularity of video game orchestras across the world.

The number one reason that video game music exists is to increase immersion

“The number one reason that video game music exists is to increase immersion,” Thompson said. “Early on, the programmers were the same people who composed. Game audio has progressed so much since then, that now there are huge music budgets for these AAA games that are recorded by the top orchestras in the world and highly interactive, complex musical scores.” The program committee also includes professors from the University of Hartford, University of Texas at Austin, Davidson College, Ithaca College, Ohio State University and Youngstown State University. The conference will offer eight sessions, each highlighting a different theme and bringing forward a variety of presenters.

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MARGOT LIBERTINI | COLUMN

I

Democrats can be abusers too

n mid-November, news broke that Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., had forcibly kissed and groped radio newscaster Leann Tweeden on a USO tour in December 2006. On the morning after the story came out, I woke up and listened to NPR’s “Up First” while scrambling eggs, like every other morning. I had heard about the story via Twitter the evening before, but wasn’t aware of the details. I listened to the podcast hosts report on what had happened, and I began to deliberate about whether I thought he should resign. After a while, I decided I was ambivalent. It felt to me as if forcing him to resign suggested he was the only sitting U.S. senator who had sexually harassed someone. I thought certainly no one believed that. I discovered later that day that I was entirely wrong. My peers, most of whom are staunch liberals, were shocked by this news. They loved Al Franken — how could he betray them like this? How could such a liberal “feminist” sexually assault women? It was not only my circle of friends who reacted in this manner; even the hosts of the podcast “Pod Save America” discussed how distraught they were that an idol of theirs had turned out to be a predator. As I heard all of this, I was f labbergasted. Did my friends and favorite podcasters really believe that every time they saw #MeToo on their timelines, it was in reference to a Republican? That voting to fund Planned Parenthood and speaking against Donald Trump meant someone was exempt from being an abuser? It became clear to me that many people did believe these things. While revealing powerful liberal men also abuse women felt to me like “revealing ” a lot of the people drinking at Garage Bar are well under 21, it turns out that many very smart people

were caught by total surprise. It sometimes feels as though I’m trapped in an echo chamber with the people and media with which I surround myself, so it felt odd to have such a different perspective. The best explanation I have for my viewpoint is my past experiences. I was groped

We were all brought up surrounded by a culture of sexual assault that has allowed men to abuse their power.

at 15 by a former friend, I was raped at 16 by a former boyfriend and sexually assaulted at 18 by a former friend and current friendly acquaintance. I’ve spent a lot of time (read: a very painful five years) thinking about those moments. I’ve assessed those men and their actions for so long, and yet it never occurred to me that their political affiliation would be relevant to their behavior. That is because it is not; those three men hold wildly different views on politics in general and on women’s issues specifically. Somehow, their views on abortion never made me feel more forgiving toward or more surprised by one over another. Being a public advocate for women’s rights and a private abuser of women only makes someone a hypocrite, not a “better” abuser. Sexual assault is a violent crime, not a partisan issue. We were all brought up surrounded by a culture of sexual assault that has historically allowed men to abuse their power and

privilege without much punishment. We must all recognize that no matter how progressive or egalitarian our values are, we are affected and inf luenced by that predatory culture. For example, I was ambivalent toward Franken’s resignation for quite a while. I was convinced otherwise by Ana Marie Cox’s article in Esquire, which is summarized in this quote: “I think Franken should voluntarily relinquish a privilege in recognition that women’s voices and experiences are more important than his short-term political career.” I don’t know why that simple point was so difficult for me to understand from the start. I know I would feel personally insulted, disheartened and enraged each day if one of my abusers held public office. While I also know that there are hundreds of victims who must live with that horrible reality, it is one that we should actively try to reduce. So, if I was right, and there is at least one other U.S. senator who is g uilty of sexual misconduct, and even if there are 30 of them, and even if they’re all Democrats, I sincerely hope they will be outed and removed. If it ruins Democratic chances of ever winning back Congress, so be it. We cannot be a party that puts abusers in power and justifies it by claiming that things would be worse for women if we lost their votes. I certainly understand that arg ument; I understand that reproductive freedom is at risk, we desperately need maternity leave and that the Republican Party has no intention of helping women on these issues. I also understand that as long as we are complicit in propping up abusers, women’s safety and autonomy is not a priority of the Democratic Party either.

NATALIE BROWN | CONTACT NATALIE AT NGBROWN@UMICH.EDU

Margot Libertini can be reached at mliberti@umich.edu.

Running for thought

I

am both an early- systemic issues. Students for morning person and Social Justice emerged, and a runner. These two with the help of the school characteristics aren’t administration we launched a mutually school-wide campaign exclusive, but against sexual assault. both have one For the first time, and similarity: “This for the next two years American Life.” of high school, I was “This American able to be a leader and Life” is a podcast make a difference. produced by NPR Arriving at the and narrated University of Michigan predominantly by in early fall brought a Ira Glass. It has mix of fear, excitement JULIA different weekly and anticipation. High themes, with school had supposedly COHN stories ranging “prepared” me for the from things people regret next four years, and everyone to how Greece is helping said the best years of my life Syrian refugees. For the last lay ahead. The first few weeks six years, I have religiously of college included thousands listened to “This American of new faces, taking the longest Life” on my runs. Hundreds route to class because Google of miles logged have been matched with hundreds of stories from people all around the world. My alarm clock blares before the crack of dawn, I climb out of bed, slip on my running shoes and walk out the front door. The air has the distinct smell of morning dew: clean and fresh. I press “play” on my podcast, and I’m off, legs running and feet pounding. Ira Glass’s friendly voice rings through my ears: “Every week on our podcast we choose a weekly theme…” This opening statement is one I can recite from memory, that makes Maps did not know how to me feel comfortable; it is like navigate through the Diag and listening to an old friend. working up the courage to do One rainy morning, I turned homework in the Law Library. on my daily podcast. I heard All of these changes were new, Ira’s weekly opening statement, and I felt like I was failing to his tone noticeably more find my place. somber than previous weeks. Festifall was the most This, he said, was Harper High overwhelming event to occur School. The “This American on campus: thousands of Life” staff would be spending booths, f lyers and, of course, two weeks in an inner-city free candy. I grabbed handfuls Chicago high school exploring of f lyers and laid them out how the school deals with lack on my still-organized desk. of funding, gang violence and All the clubs seemed new, the school-to-prison pipeline. exciting and promising. I Jumping over puddles and could help refugees, join a getting more drenched by pre-law fraternity, cook in the minute, I remember tears the South Quad basement or streaming from my face and work for a handful of different mixing with the dreary rain publications. as I listened to the stories of I was a typical overlythe three students who were ambitious freshman, and all of shot, the teachers who didn’t those f lyers sat in my desk for come to class and the weekly weeks. I would occasionally f looding of the hallways from glance at them while getting dilapidated infrastructure. my next stack of notecards, and Harper High School is a a pang of anxiety would pass stark contrast to my high through my body. I had yet to school, an upper-middle class attend any mass meetings or suburban school where almost fill out any applications. Was everyone graduates and goes to I failing at getting involved? college. And this educational I felt like the only freshman disparity made me angry. So on campus who was this I decided to act. I gathered overwhelmed, but I began to the support of my peers and realize I was not alone. faculty and broke through a As the semester long-held silence surrounding progressed, my friends

I felt like the only freshman on campus who was this overwhelmed, but I began to realize I was not alone.

“

changed, my classes got more difficult and the leaves began to change colors. As I continued to doubt my college involvement, “This American Life” remained a constant. My running routes shifted from f lat, tree-lined streets to the hills near Oxford Road. Ira Glass’s voice rang in my ears, sharing stories of failures, hope and the possibilities of change. Donald Trump had been in office for a year, but Roy Moore lost in Alabama. There was still hope, and I could make a difference. Hundreds of students on our own campus kneeled for hours in protest. Change could be made in any way. Making a difference did not have to mean joining clubs or starting political movements. Rather, it meant continuing to seek out experiences that made me feel empowered and showed me a purpose. Though not becoming involved in typical college organizations felt much like failure, recognizing my purpose from the environment in which I was immersed each day continued to be empowering. My surroundings have shifted, but my curiosity and desire for progress has never waned. I see this possibility in the smallest of places: contributing to class discussion, reading the newspaper during a 30-minute break or discussing politics with a newfound friend. Recognizing my peers come from diverse places and have different experiences sparked my interest in asking questions. The transition from high school leadership to discovering interests in unknown places is a new experience. But sometimes experiencing the “new” is just opening your eyes to the world around you. All of this reminds me that I am no longer in my bubble: there is possibility all around me. Now, I sit through lectures about the history of social justice and civil rights on college campuses. My professors are teaching my peers and me how to lead, pioneering generations of change. This is the kind of change that “This American Life” motivated me to think about. This is the change that I experience unknowing opportunities each day. So, “on this week of ‘This American Life,’” I will keep listening, keep asking questions and keep working for change. Julia Cohn can be reached at julcohn@umich.edu.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Certainly I’ll see what happens. But when they have no collusion, and nobody’s found any collusion at any level, it seems unlikely that you’d even have an interview.

— President Donald Trump speaking at the White House during a news conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solber when asked if he would be interviewed by Mueller

”

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Our Editorial Board meets Mondays and Wednesdays 7:15-8:45 PM at our newsroom at 420 Maynard Street. All are welcome to come discuss national, state and campus affairs.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Thursday, January 11, 2018 — 5

COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMNIST

The elephant in the concert hall

FILM REVIEW NETFLIX

Netflix’s ‘Bright’ is an off-balanced fantasy IAN HARRIS

Managing Video Editor

“Bright” is a film directed by David Ayer (“Suicide Squad”) and written by Max Landis (“American Ultra”). Anyone who has seen the work of either of the two will surely have an idea of what they will get with “Bright.” “Suicide Squad” was one of the ugliest and worst shot movies of 2015. “Bright” easily takes the cake for 2017. Subtlety is neither the writer nor the director’s strong suit. A Netflix release, “Bright” hits the audience over the head so hard with its message that some might actually feel concussed after the watching the film. Thank heavens no one will ever have to see this on the big screen. Will Smith (“Suicide Squad”) and Joel Edgerton (“Loving”) are two cops butting heads, but with a twist. Edgerton is an Orc. In the world of “Bright,” humans and elves fought side by side millennia ago against The Dark Lord and his army of Orcs. Ever since the humans won the final battle, Orcs have been seen as second-class citizens. “Bright” makes sure that the parallel between human/Orc tensions and racial tensions in the real world are as clear as possible, even if the analogy doesn’t hold up upon much

thought. It’s a strange thing to compare racism in America to divisions between a fantasy society wherein the different citizenry groups are literally different species, leaving the

“Bright” Netflix movie filled with ambiguous metaphor that is at times clever and at other times horribly tone deaf (one example is an off handed mention that Orcs have terrible verticals, and thus are terrible at basketball). The social commentary is misguided and mishandled. The world set up in “Bright” is one that actually has potential, albeit for a different movie. A world where fantasy elements such as Orcs, elves and magic wands are treated with complete seriousness, and “The Lord of the Rings” is basically ancient history, is an interesting concept that is totally wasted on a generic buddy cop story. The way magic wands are treated like nuclear weapons, and the idea of a United States Magic Bureau are fun ideas, but nothing interesting is done with them. To that end, “Bright” feels more like an extended TV pilot than it does a feature film. There are a multitude of side characters, shadowy figures

and organizations that are given only lip service here, with the clear implication being that they will get more development in a sequel or sequels down the line. One wonders if it would’ve been more interesting to take this idea and turn it into a Netflix miniseries à la “Stranger Things” rather than a Netflix movie. “Bright” has gotten a lot of flack on the internet and has been labeled by some critics as the worst movie of the year. That’s hyperbole for what, at the end of the day, is really just a generic action movie with some fantasy elements thrown in, but it speaks to the growing critical internet subculture that either aggressively praises or skewers films completely, giving almost no room for middle ground. “Bright” is bad. It is not abhorrently bad. It is not an affront to viewer’s intelligence or an insult to cinema. It is just a bad movie. The kind of bad movie that, given time, could find a future as some kind of cult classic. It’s weird, and it has got some interesting ideas floating around in it. The execution is pretty much a disaster across the board, but it is hard not to feel like there was something cool in there somewhere. If you look at “Bright” and squint really hard, you can almost see the blockbuster fantasy franchise Netflix is hoping to create. Almost.

‘Grown-ish’ premiere mirrors college experience SAMANTHA DELLA FERA Daily Arts Writer

Across our many backgrounds, identities, opinions and values, there is one thing that every single college student can agree on: Freshman year is an absolute shitshow. You’ve never had this much freedom in your life, and at the tender age of 18, you really aren’t quite sure what to do with it. Sometimes the urge to do something undeniably stupid is so strong that it takes a few minutes to stop and think, “Hey, maybe I shouldn’t have a drunken, six-hour long Cards Against Humanity marathon on a Wednesday afternoon.” (Side note: If you do, please invite me). But alongside all of the stupid mistakes and lifelong memories of freshman year, there is a level of personal growth that is unmatched by any other time in your life. This is the time to make decisions and relationships that will define the rest of your time in college, and it’s as incredibly exciting as it is excruciatingly nerve-wracking. Nothing else on television right now truly captures this moral mess that is the first year of college better than “Grownish.” A spin-off of the popular ABC show “Black-ish,” “Grownish” follows Zoey Johnson (Yara Shahidi, “The First Family”) as she gets started at university. Her stories are told from the future looking back, and the series premiere takes place

mostly in a single classroom, with each main character telling their new classmates how they ended up there in a “Breakfast Club” style confessionary. For badass Jewish feminist Nomi (Emily Arlook, “The Good Place”), it was because she missed registration while hooking up with a girl in the bathroom. Drug-dealing Vevek (Jordan Buhat) was too busy closing a sale with frat boys to register for classes. And Zoey? Well, Zoey ran away from registration after seeing her first college friend, who she had left in a pool of her own vomit at a “day party,” standing in line. Despite the questionable morals

“Grown-ish” Series Premiere Freeform Wednesdays @ 8 p.m. of the rest of the characters, Zoey’s response is the only one that draws any backlash, immediately signaling to both Zoey and the audience that this transition into college isn’t necessarily going to be a smooth one. Despite the glaring plot hole that for some reason, in the 21st century, these kids are registering for classes at some kind of office rather than at home on their computers, “Grownish” is almost uncomfortably

close to reality. As a freshman myself, watching the show felt like watching a professionally filmed recap of my first semester set to hip hop and synthesizers. The water-themed frat parties, the late-night pizza runs and, most importantly, the nagging realization that every decision you’re faced with is now yours and yours alone to make are pivotal aspects of the freshman experience. And Zoey, like the rest of us, is far from perfect when she deals with them. It is this that makes “Grownish” such an important show, especially for the younger audience that it targets. So many teenagers have an idealized version of college that they comb through over and over again in their minds before finally saying that last good bye to their parents and stepping foot on campus. More often than not, that picture-perfect fantasy world is shattered within the first week, and all that’s left is a scared kid who isn’t sure of who they really are, and certainly doesn’t know who they want to be. “Grown-ish” shows us that it’s okay to not have everything figured out, and it’s okay to be lost, because even life on a television screen isn’t perfect. For the next four years, life is going to be a series of wrong choices and huge embarrassments, but through it all there will be someone coming out of every disappoint just a little bit more grown.

I recently participated in the University Jazz Lab Ensemble winter concert. While we mostly performed traditional big band charts on this concert, we also performed the vocal piece “Too Close For Comfort” from the 1956 musical “Mr. Wonderful.” For about a month leading up to the concert, we rehearsed the piece without the vocalist. Though the name of the song seemed a little strange to me, I will admit that I gave it little thought. The day before the concert, we had a dress rehearsal with the vocalist (and with proper amplification) at Rackham Auditorium. As the words to the piece began to be distinguishable, I was shocked at what I was hearing. With lyrics such as, “Be soft, be sweet, but be discreet / Don’t go off your beat,” and, “Be firm, be fair, be sure, beware / On your guard, take care, while there’s such temptation,” I began to question what exactly we were condoning in our performance of this piece. Was it about a non-consensual relationship? Was this song something that I was comfortable with? What did this song mean? We had begun rehearsing this piece in mid-Oct., only weeks after The New York Times published their investigation of Harvey Weinstein. Al Franken announced his planned resignation from the Senate just hours before we rehearsed. It seemed impossible to understand this piece without thinking about the #MeToo movement. I could not help but consider the cultural implications of this piece; the deeper meaning behind the song. To other members of the ensemble, however, this song was neither uncomfortable nor upsetting. At the ending of the song, the narrator continues to narrate thoughts about the woman without ever acting on them. “She’s much too close for comfort now / Too close, much too close / She’s much too close for comfort now,” and it ends. The fact that we had a female vocalist also seemed to make the song more appropriate to some members of the ensemble. To some, it was a relic of a bygone era — it had been premiered in 1956, and it thus represented the beliefs of that time period. While by our standards it may be wrong, they argued, it was permissible in that time period. In Nov., I wrote a piece on William Bolcom’s “Dinner at Eight” and experienced a similar phenomenon — while trying to discuss the opera and the director’s thoughts about approaching the opera, our conversation almost inevitably turned to politics. This opera depicted upper class Manhattan socialites during the Great Depression. It emphasized the disconnect between this upper class and the lower and middle classes during this tumultuous time

in American history. The opera was composed in 2008 in the midst of the Great Recession; it could not have been more relevant to modern events. As I interviewed various members of this production, one thing was clear: Everyone had an idea of what this production meant. While they all agreed that the piece was about this upper class disconnect, every member of the production interpreted

SAMMY SUSSMAN and applied this meaning differently. To some, it was a veiled criticism at the elitism of the upper classes, particularly the modern upper class opera audiences. To others, it emphasized the failures inherent to the human condition that occur irrespective of class. To still others, it exposed the attempts by the upper classes to hide their failings from the lower classes. In our modern cultural environment, it seems as if all performance art is riddled with cultural, social and political implications. We are a country defined by red and blue, and it seems impossible for performance art to have no overt connections to one side of this divisive cultural landscape. For performers, this can lead to over-analysis. If performance art cannot lack a worldly relevance, if performance art must be immediately relevant to one’s beliefs, then relevance must be found even where relevance doesn’t exist. The controversy over this summer’s “Julius Caesar” at New York City’s Shakespeare In The Park, for example, generated unexpected interest in the production. While the production itself was incredibly thoughtprovoking, the references to the current political climate were successful, although slightly predictable, means of generating modern political controversy around an old classic as a means of garnering interest and attention. For creators, this cultural divide has contributed to a modern art culture almost oppressively saturated in political subtexts. Art with political meaning is being created at an alarming rate, easily overshadowing almost all non-political art. The Golden Globes this past weekend, for example, were equally as focused on politics as they were on art. Almost all non-political statements at the award ceremony were ignored in favor of the many political

statements made throughout. And while these political statements may be warranted, and they change that they are provoking may be viewed (by most people) as good, this glorification of political resistance slowly eats away at the core values shared by those on both sides of this cultural divide. Performance art can and should be used to challenge beliefs and provoke thought — not merely to confirm one’s beliefs. Performance art can and should be used as a means of protest, not a means of glorifying the concept of protest and the rejection of commonality with one’s ideological enemies. Art is the vehicle that moves culture forward, that challenges unconscious biases within culture. Art is the means by which culture is forced to improve. Art is always a step ahead of culture, pulling culture towards this next step, towards a shared vision of a utopic future that both possess. If anything, I fear that the current political climate is overwhelming art’s ability to provoke positive change. With so many disagreements between the political left and the political right, with so many fundamental differences between blue and red, with fundamental differences developing between liberals and conservatives over the very meaning of truth — art is being overwhelmed by the desire for political protest. With so many differing beliefs for both sides to challenge, art is being used to glorify the idea of challenging the other side, not the positive changes brought about by these challenges. Performance art must avoid becoming obsessed with the elephant in the concert hall. This elephant can become allconsuming and repressive. Just like members of the Jazz Lab Ensemble, I struggled to either condemn or condone “Too Close for Comfort.” Many concert-goers must now analyze the performance art they are viewing against this elephant in the concert hall, determining whether or not they support or denounce the art they are viewing. Art should make one think. Whether it conforms to or challenges one’s understanding of the world, art should force a reevaluation of position; one’s inherent biases and one’s hidden beliefs. Art should be provocative, not reactionary. Art should challenge one’s own beliefs not the beliefs of the elephant in the room. Art should be used to bring people together, not divide them. The response to this elephant in the room should not be glorification of the criticism of others. As Leonard Bernstein said, the response to this elephant in the concert hall should be, “to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

TV REVIEW

FREEFRORM

Arts

6 — Thursday, January 11, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Kelly’s ‘Matisse Drawings’ ‘The Good Place’ is make midwestern stop Schur’s best work yet at the UMMA’s exhibit SAYAN GHOSH Daily Arts Writer

ALEX SUPPAN Daily Arts Writer

Today, American artist Ellsworth Kelly and Frenchman Henri Matisse are recognized as two of the most significant artists of the 20th century. Yet, their lifetimes overlapped for a mere 21 years; Matisse was nearing the end of his life as Kelly was starting out as an artist. For the amateur Kelly, Matisse’s works served as artistic inspiration as he developed his presence and style. During Kelly’s international travels following World War II, as he discovered artists that inspired him, it was Matisse’s emboldened use of line that informed his own unique style of draftsmanship. “Matisse Drawings,” an exhibition Kelly curated in 2014 at Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, is an opportunity to “see Matisse through the eyes of Kelly,” said Lehti Keelmann, Assistant Curator of Western Art at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Kelly chose 45 seldom-shown Matisse drawings, to each of which he felt personally connected, that represent the scope of Matisse’s career. Kelly supplemented these works with nine of his own lithographic drawings that date from a trip to France in the 1960s when he studied Matisse’s expression of figure and nature through line. Kelly shared Matisse’s intention to translate — rather than copy — nature in his work. While Kelly crafted a crisp and controlled drawing style compared to Matisse’s expressive use of line, Kelly’s drawings reflect his aspiration to draw in the spirit of Matisse whom he believed “every mark on the page that he made had that sort of distinctive quality that spoke to the artist,”

Keelmann said. Keelmann took on the challenge of translating Kelly’s curatorial vision as managing curator of the UMMA’s showing of “Matisse Drawings,” on display until Feb. 18. The public is invited to view the exhibition during the UMMA’s business hours (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), as well

“Matisse Drawings” On display until Feb. 18th UMMA Free as the opportunity to engage in deeper learning of Matisse and Kelly at “happenings” hosted in the spirit of the exhibition. The museum has exciting offerings this MLK weekend. On Friday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m., John Stomberg — who collaborated with Kelly to curate the original exhibition at Mount Holyoke — will speak on the process of working with Kelly and situate the creative evolution of each artist within their respective contextual circumstances. Additionally, on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 2:00 p.m., UMMA will offer a gallery talk and tour where attendees can look forward to an exercise in close looking. A docent’s guidance will provide a roadmap to navigating the exhibition that will facilitate intimate engagement with the works on display. “Matisse Drawings” is a traveling exhibition, the UMMA hosting its midwestern destination. Detailed instructions specifying the construction and installation of the exhibition guided the UMMA’s curation of Kelly’s vision. The two artists’ works are shown in separate spaces

Classifieds

conjoined by a vibrant blue alcove. In this way, the showing of Matisse’s and Kelly’s drawings can function as separate exhibitions. This architecture, however, creates a passage between the two spaces that evinces the rapport between the two artists, and it offers a way to physically navigate the ways in which Matisse’s use of line informed Kelly’s development of his own drawing style. Furthermore, the vibrant blue passage encourages a consideration of line in correspondence to these artists’ use of color in their oeuvres. Kelly specified the height at which works were hung and evenly spaced them throughout the exhibition. He also forwent the use of tombstones that would provide context of the Matisse works — although tombstones do accompany Kelly’s lithographic drawings. In this way, Kelly curated the space in order to encourage an immersive visual experience. This exhibition is about deep looking and engagement with the medium of drawing. Both Kelly and Matisse were recognized for their use of color in their art, but they were equally creative in their use of line, and line informed their use of color. “(Kelly) was trying to showcase that, really, drawing was integral, if not foundational, for their artistic practice,” Keelmann said. Everyone has a relationship to line. “We can all take a piece of paper out and doodle,” Keelmann pointed out. “Matisse Drawings” puts two great artists’ drawings on display, but it is also an ode to the artistic practice of drawing itself. This exhibition serves to consider the creative expression of drawing, to which anyone who has picked up a pencil can relate.

Can Michael Schur do any wrong? From “The Office” to “Parks and Recreation” to “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” his particular style of comedy sitcom manages to outclass nearly every other show of its genre, excelling at being optimistic but not sappy and featuring memorable ensemble casts. Yet somehow, even when compared to the legendary aforementioned shows, “The Good Place” may just be his best work of all. “The Good Place” returned from its winter break with the episode “Leap of Faith,” in which Michael (Ted Danson, “Fargo”) faces an unexpected visit from the all-powerful judge of the afterlife, Shawn (Marc Evan Jackson, “22 Jump Street”). However, he somehow manages to leave the meeting unscathed, actually in a better position than when he came in. Nonetheless, Shawn’s verdict renders Eleanor (Kristen Bell, “How to Be a Latin Lover”), Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Chidi (William Jackson Harper, “Paterson”) and Jason (Manny Jacinto, “The Romeo Section”) in a spot of bother. And I’ll leave it at that. Seriously, there is no better way to go into any episode of this show than completely blind. Unlike most major network sitcoms, “The Good Place” is highly serialized, speeding through its plot at a breakneck pace. Lesser shows may stretch moments,

such as a montage of Michael’s failures earlier in the season or the initial plot with Shawn into who-knows-how-many episodes, but as Schur proves repeatedly,

“The Good Place” Leap of Faith Thursdays @ 8:30 NBC this show does not play by any of our rules. The infamous twist at the end of season one lent itself to thousands of fan theories which Schur ripped apart and tore down in the space of one episode. Amazingly, even the simplest gags are present in the show’s premiere, such as “The Good Place” automatically replacing profanity with words like “fork” and “shirt.” Like always, the characters of “The Good Place” are captivating and marvelously portrayed. It’s hard to see anyone but Danson convincingly play Michael, a character that can make anyone fall for his charm while being a literal personification for evil. Bell’s Eleanor is much more clever this season and the most perceptive of the bunch. Jason, the show’s “Andy Dwyer,” makes a character who on paper is rather annoying into (like Andy) one of the show’s most loveable characters — shame he couldn’t be alive to witness his beloved Jaguars have a winning season. Meanwhile Janet (D’Arcy Carden, “Crazy Ex Girlfriend”),

the personified “foundational mainframe” of the afterlife is more advanced than ever and provides some of the show’s best gags. We see her vomit coins, play the role of a trophy wife and even feel jealousy, all while cheerfully reminding characters at every turn that she is not a human and doesn’t actually eat or feel or die. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the show is the fact that it tackles and introduces important philosophical theories and works them into the show in such a light-hearted, accessible way. After all, though modern philosophy is still viewed as a detached, academic discipline, “The Good Place” reminds us that studying philosophy may actually be a worthwhile venture. In one of the best episodes of the season, Chidi (the resident moral philosophy professor) teaches Michael and the others about the infamous “Trolley Problem,” which Michael proceeds to simulate in graphic reality. In an effort to make Michael actually care about learning ethics, Chidi makes him come to grips with the fact that he too can actually die (although in a more gruesome manner ironically called “retirement”), causing Michael to spiral into an existential and, subsequently midlife, crisis. The fact that Michael Schur has wrapped all of these strengths into a major network sitcom is a testament to his immense skill as a writer. Few shows on TV are as original, funny, thoughtprovoking and deserving of more viewers as “The Good Place.”

TV REVIEW

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FOR RENT NBC RELEASE DATE– Thursday, January 11, 2018

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Splendor 5 Lara Croft targets 10 In that case 14 Jamba Juice berry 15 “Tommy” is one 16 Chewy Hershey candy 17 Step on it 19 Activates, as a security system 20 Tossed course 21 Company that introduced Styrofoam 22 Spacek of “Bloodline” 23 Things to avoid 25 Foamy pick-meup 27 Defeat decisively 30 Tied in the harbor 33 Flowing garment 36 __ Paulo, Brazil 37 Roman poet who coined “carpe diem” 38 Creator of Iceland’s Imagine Peace Tower 39 Sleep on it 41 “SNL” writer/actor Michael 42 “Becket” star 44 Auction ending? 45 Inert gas 46 Not very often 47 Like some poll questions 49 Youngsters 51 Hamlet cousins 54 Put down 56 Crone 59 Knuckleheads 61 Wild bunches 62 Count on it 64 Lawn pest 65 “That’s too bad” 66 It might be a whole lot 67 Follow instructions 68 Covert agent 69 Safari shelter

DOWN 1 Bear feet 2 Aquaman’s realm 3 __ Cup: classic candy in a yellow wrapper 4 Hot and spicy 5 Young SpiderMan portrayer Holland 6 Pundit’s piece 7 Short note 8 Wild fight 9 Suppressed, with “on” 10 False friend 11 Bet on it 12 Shade trees 13 Way too interested 18 Dumpster output 22 Put up with 24 “Well, sorrrr-ry!” 26 Massachusetts college or its town 28 “Holy smokes!” 29 Stir 31 Letter between Delta and Foxtrot 32 “It Ain’t All About the Cookin’” memoirist Paula

33 Pigeon calls 34 Poker stake 35 Bank on it 39 Chap 40 Cause of a buzz 43 Adventurous trip 45 “Another problem?” 48 Forget-me-__: flowers 50 Shoulder warmer

52 Jenna, to Jeb 53 Unsmiling 54 Firing range supply 55 Doofus 57 Pond plant 58 Small valley 60 Editor’s mark 62 You may feel one on your shoulder 63 Even so

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What makes country music so uncool today? CLARA SCOTT Daily Arts Writer

I’ve spent the better part of my adolescence trying to be cool. I’m not going to hide it; all I ever wanted to do was be a frontwoman and pull off Doc Martens without my legs looking like toothpicks about to break under my weight. There was a solid year where I carried around “Catcher in the Rye” without even reading it. I’ve watched “Almost Famous” close to 15 times. I have a dorm drawer overflowing with band t-shirts to not only prove how annoying I was as a middle schooler, but also my passion for the grit and glitter of rock. I don’t know if I ever actually became cool in the end, because I definitely am not now, but the constant avoidance of what I believed to be “uncool” helped me recognize a set of guilty pleasures I just couldn’t give up. Even though I’ve been a proud proponent of almost every genre from London grime to experimental jazz, there was a large hole in the public aspect of that pride. Now, I have a confession to make: I like country music. This isn’t exactly a crazy revelation, but for people who know me (and my undying

worship of Stevie Nicks), it may be. But it’s true — I not only like country, it honestly raised me. I can remember watching Shania Twain’s Up! tour DVD with my sister twice a day for years of my early childhood. Even though I barely remember it, my first concert at age six was the Dixie Chicks. I went home this Christmas and found a hilarious photo of my younger self, wearing my mom’s cowboy boots and a tied-up shirt, twirling around with my toy guitar. It made me think about how much I used to love country, singing with my family in the car to songs like “Cowboy Take Me Away” and feeling unbearably happy. This year, I’ve come back to country in some ways, letting it calm me down when I’m missing my mom or dancing like a crazy person when I need a little relief from the world. But it got me thinking: What really makes something cool or uncool? What’s wrong with badass women like Faith Hill singing about their experiences in love and life, pulling your heart out with songs like “Breathe”? Why can’t I scream Hunter Hayes’s “Crazy” at the top of my lungs on the freeway without weird glances from my hipster friends? Even beyond pure, commercialized country,

people are still weird about music that even sounds similar, immediately disregarding genres like roots rock, bluegrass and folk because of country’s reputation. Look, I can understand where people are coming from when they say they hate the genre in its entirety. There are an increasing amount of bad apples in country music — people who stick to the same routine of beer, red dirt and tan legs over and over again and love to throw in a gratuitous banjo once in a while to spice it up. They’ve lost the soul that makes music good, and essentially pander to their blue-collar audiences while wearing designer clothes and living in mansions. They’re why I stopped listening in the first place. However, if you take a second to think about it, every genre has people like this. The rise of almost machine-made popular music has made a lot of people angry in every sector of the business. All I’m saying is, don’t knock it ’til you try it. It’s easy to avoid entire genres without taking a closer look, but there’s often something awesome hidden within the ugly. For now, I’m going to stick with this pursuit of exploring the uncool, and who knows — maybe I’ll come out of it with some twang.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Thursday, January 11, 2018 — 7

Increased freshmen roles raise Michigan’s ceiling T o Michigan coach John Beilein, it wasn’t

so much a dismissive comment as it was the norm of life in college basketball. In a close MAX win over MARCOVITCH Central Michigan in November, Beilein’s three freshmen combined to play four scoreless minutes in the second half. Beilein uttered a platitude that seemed more apt to fit your father’s era of college basketball. “I thought in the second half, we go down, it wasn’t a time for freshmen to be on the floor.” That came against a MidAmerican Conference team that has since lost to Eastern Michigan and Kent State in back-to-back games. Trust is fickle, but rarely final. Which underscores the importance of Beilein’s choice to go with three freshmen together — Eli Brooks, Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers — Tuesday night, in the most consequential half of the Wolverines’ season to date. Checking in with 12:29 left in the game, Brooks and Poole joined Livers on the court, down four points to No. 5 Purdue, with an upset win in the balance. Now that’s trust. And it’s trust each has earned in the two months since the Chippwas came to town. Poole was the highest recruit. Brooks earned a starting opportunity early in the season. Livers was perhaps the least likely of the three to make a major contribution this season. And yet, not only has Livers done just that, but coupling his emergence with an

increased role might raise the team’s ceiling moreso than any other player. With his play lately, it seems only a matter of time before Livers overtakes Robinson for the starting spot. And for good reason. Livers has made 12 of his last 15 3-pointers, and while that 80-percent clip is clearly unsustainable, he doesn’t have to be an elite shooter to be a clear upgrade over Robinson — who’s still hovering around a career-low 36 percent from deep on the season. Tuesday, Livers’ defense on Purdue forward Vincent Edwards changed the game. Against Iowa, his physicality on forward Tyler Cook did the same. His offensive boon has merely been a bonus, but a bonus that does not appear to be a mirage. “Duncan and Livers both could really play,” said Purdue guard Carsen Edwards. “But (Livers) is really athletic. I mean, he can move well. He matches up well with Vincent (Edwards).” Added Beilein: “I think Isaiah is playing way above what I expected from two months ago. He couldn’t figure out what was going on on defense. I thought between him and Edwards, that was a great duel between a senior and a freshman.” With Michigan clinging to a 67-66 lead with just under three minutes left, Livers caught the ball on the wing. Purdue forward Matt Haarms, adjusting to Livers’ newfound shooting stroke, closed out quickly on the freshman, who calmly gave a head fake and dribbled past Haarms, used his athleticism to finesse past the help defender, and laid the ball in over the 7-foot-3 Haarms’ outstretched arms. It’s a play Livers wouldn’t have made a week ago, much

less a month ago. Elsewhere on the wing, there aren’t many minutes to pry from redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews and senior guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman, but Jordan Poole is making Beilein try to find some anyway. Poole has flashed the substance to match his trademark flair, adding an energetic dynamic to the team each time he steps on the court. Poole has garnered a reputation for his inclination to shoot any time, from anywhere, but he has actually been an efficient scorer in his fluctuating minutes.

After Tuesday’s eight-point performance on just four shots, Poole is now shooting close to 50 percent from the field, including a 42-percent clip from deep. More impressively, Poole scores a teamhigh 0.64 points per minute on the floor. He entered the game in the first half Tuesday with Michigan trailing by 10 and immediately banked in a three-pointer. The new fan favorite jogged down the court with a smirk and shrug. But spurred by their defense, he and Livers ignited a quick 14-2 run to pull the Wolverines out of the deficit. When Poole exited the

“(The moment) certainly isn’t (too big) for Jordan Poole.”

game five minutes later, the Boilermakers’ lead was down to just three. With time winding down in the second half, Beilein even considered playing AbdurRahkman at point guard — a move he has not made all season — just to fit Poole on the court in crunch time. “(The moment) certainly isn’t (too big) for Jordan Poole,” Beilein said. “He wants it. We’ve got to continue to find ways to get him on the floor. I was actually thinking of — until (sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson) hit those two threes — to let Muhammad (Ali AbdurRahkman) run the point. But all of a sudden (Simpson) hits the two threes.” That’s certainly a long way from the “DNPs” he was collecting mere months ago. Brooks’ role has diminished

recently, which may have more to do with the growth of Simpson than any fault to Brooks. The freshman still holds down the backup point guard minutes ahead of fifthyear senior Jaaron Simmons, which says plenty about the young guard’s maturity and ability. A far cry from precluding freshmen from playing in the second half, Beilein is now finding as many ways as possible to utilize his first-year players. It’s proof that, as Beilein said, the moment is no longer too big for the freshmen. As a result, their best moments might just be in front of them. Marcovitch can be reached by email at maxmarco@umich.edu or on Twitter @Max_Marcovitch

EVAN AARON/Daily

Freshman forward Isaiah Livers (#4) and freshman guard Jordan Poole (#2) have proven that late-game moments aren’t too big for them any longer.

Wolverines improving defense with Hughes back and Lavigne emerging Despite being swept, Michigan seems to have the ingredients to eventually be able to beat elite teams JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer

After two straight defeats against Notre Dame, things seem to be looking up for the Michigan hockey team. It’s a strange statement to make, for obvious reasons. But in 2-1 defeats to the Fighting Irish Friday and Sunday, the Wolverines didn’t just hold their own. For substantial stretches, they actually outplayed the second-best team in the nation. That, in itself, might constitute a moral victory, no matter how nebulous that concept is. But that’s not the most encouraging takeaway from last weekend — it’s how Michigan was able to obtain such a “victory.” The Wolverines did it primarily with defense, a major change from the season’s first few months. For the first time since November, they held an opponent

to two goals or less in consecutive games. To Michigan coach Mel Pearson and his players, it’s the product of steady improvement and growing familiarity with the defensive system. “We did a good job managing the puck for the most part, playing in the other team’s zone more and not giving up as many grade-A scoring chances,” Pearson said Tuesday about Sunday’s game. “It’s a team effort there, not just the goalies or defensemen, but I see a lot of improvement in a lot of areas.” Added freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes: “It was a weird start to the year because no one really knew Mel or the coaching

staff that well. I think sometimes with defensive stuff like that it just takes time.” Hughes, in fact, is one of the best examples of that. The highlytouted freshman joined the Wolverines more known for his dynamic skating and playmaking. Unproven, however, was his ability to be an elite defensive presence as well, especially given his small stature — Hughes is officially listed at just 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds. “At the end of the day I’m a defenseman too so I got to play good defense, especially at the next level,” Hughes said. “If you can’t do both, coaches can’t trust you out there.” Added Pearson: “That’s his

“We did a good job managing the puck for the most part.”

biggest question mark, what people are going to question. ... Can he play defense at the highest level? We talk about that all the time.” But over the course of the season, Hughes, like the rest of his unit, has improved on the defensive end, succeeding with solid positioning and instincts, while learning when to attack and when to stay back. These improvements were clear Sunday. Just two days after returning from playing for the United States at the World Junior Championships, Hughes — who ranks third on the Wolverines with nine assists — found fellow freshman Josh Norris for

Michigan’s lone goal. This, combined with his defensive performance, formed what Pearson called “one of the best skating games I’ve seen (Hughes) have at Michigan.” This speaks volumes to the progress that Hughes has made, considering Pearson’s uttered a similar statement at least twice previously. “He’s maybe not the biggest guy, but he’s very smart, very rarely puts himself in a bad position defensively,” Pearson said. “He’s going to take some chances, but the risk/reward — you have to have a player like that do what he’s capable of doing. We just tell him to pick his spots. That’s the biggest thing. Just pick your spots, understand the game, manage the game, when to try to make something happen.” But Hughes hasn’t been the sole savior for Michigan’s defense — it’s been a team production. For one, the Wolverines, after over three months, appear to have finally found a go-to goaltender. Sophomore Hayden Lavigne has started Michigan’s last three games, allowing an average of 2.67 goals and posting a .937 save percentage — both major improvements over the Wolverines’ season totals. Not only has Lavigne given Michigan its most reliable goaltending of the season, but the five players in front of him are also finding their stride at the same time. Working ahead with one goaltender, in contrast to a nightly rotation between Lavigne and sophomore Jack LaFontaine, has the potential to boost the confidence of the other Wolverines on the ice, and allow their offense to open up and take more chances. “If you’ve got a goalie back there that you trust and know is going to make a majority of

“It’s nice to have a confident goalie.”

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes believes that Michigan has improved defensively thanks to growing familiarity with the system of coach Mel Pearson.

the saves, that can really help,” Pearson said. “You play a little bit looser, you’re not as uptight. That can give your team confidence and that’s what we’re looking for from Hayden.” Added senior defenseman Sam Piazza: “It’s nice to have a confident goalie and I think it’s really important for success. You need a good goalie if we’re going to make any type of run, so it’s nice to see Hayden heating up and hopefully we can score some goals for him.” Meanwhile, senior defenseman Cutler Martin’s return from an upper-body injury has continued to pay huge dividends. While having Martin’s leadership and physicality, accompanied by the threat he poses offensively from the point, is a boon in and of itself, Pearson pointed to the competition Martin’s return has necessitated. Sunday, with Hughes back in the lineup after international play, sophomore Griffin Luce found himself the odd man out of a now seven-deep defensive rotation, but that could easily change this weekend. “Getting Cutler Martin back really helped,” Pearson said. “It’s given us another option and forced some competition back there and competition is good. That’s one way to get players’ attention. All of a sudden you’re out the lineup and they pay a lot more attention to what they should be doing.” For all of these reasons and more, the Wolverines were able to hang with the Fighting Irish — and most promisingly, it wasn’t simply thanks to the secondhighest scoring offense in the Big Ten. As encouraging as this may be, however, Michigan will need to start consistently winning games against high-caliber opponents if it is to make a run that would vault it into NCAA Tournament contention. But the ingredients to do so, especially on defense, are there. Just a week ago, that wasn’t as clear.

Sports

8 — Thursday, January 11, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

HAILEY’S COMET

Wolverines eke out tight, 84-79 win over Hoosiers ETHAN SEARS

Daily Sports Writer

It was just another inbounds pass after just another shot during just another game. Senior forward Jillian Dunston to senior guard Katelynn Flaherty, like always, towards the end of the third quarter as Michigan held onto a one-point lead. Except for one twist: on this inbounds pass, Flaherty was knocked down by the player defending her, falling to the ground as Dunston tossed the easiest pass in basketball out of bounds. It was a crescendo of frustration in a game that seemingly featured nothing but. Still, the No. 23 Michigan women’s basketball team (3-2 Big Ten, 14-4 overall) escaped Crisler Center with an 84-79 win over Indiana (1-4, 8-10) on Wednesday night — a victory the Wolverines didn’t especially deserve and shouldn’t be especially happy about. Michigan came into the fourth quarter down by one and came all too close to finishing behind an inferior Hoosier squad. The two teams went back and forth to start the final quarter, trading baskets until the 7:07 mark. That was when — after grabbing her own offensive rebound — junior forward Nicole Munger drew a foul on a putback attempt, the fifth on Indiana’s Amanda Cahill. Cahill hadn’t just been providing an offensive spark — 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting — she was also one of the few Hoosiers able to compete with the Wolverines on the glass. Without her, a major advantage turned into a area of utter dominance for Michigan, which finished the contest with a 38-18 rebounding advantage, including six in a row to end it. Munger hit both free throws to tie the game at 61 and, without Cahill, the game’s complexion changed. Though Indiana took

the lead its next time down, the Wolverines grabbed it right back off a Munger 3-pointer that fell through the basket after two offensive rebounds extended the possession. Next time down, junior center Hallie Thome found Dunston out of a double-team in the post, who promptly swung it to freshman forward Hailey Brown in the corner for another triple. Michigan wasn’t out of the mud, yet though. The Hoosiers led the Wolverines with as few as four minutes to go in the game after a Buss layup gave Indiana a 71-69 lead. With Indiana face-guarding Flaherty — a now-common deterrent to the program’s alltime leading scorer — and doubleteaming Thome in the post, the Wolverines turned to Brown. She delivered, nailing an elbow jumper off the catch to tie it at 71 for her 22nd and 23rd points of the night, a career-high. At that point, it was Flaherty’s turn to get in on the action, drawing a foul in transition and hitting both free throws. The Hoosiers didn’t hold another lead the rest of the way. Make no mistake, however, Michigan got away with one. The Wolverines turned the ball over 22 times, their highest mark since November, while coughing up over 75 points for the third time in four games. “I just think we weren’t locked in and focused,” Munger said. “... Ohio State, we came out extremely locked in and extremely focused, and I think we just need to do a better job of taking that next step and being mature — like a mature team — and taking every scout and knowing every scout like completely.” Barnes Arico touched on the seeming lack of preparedness as well, attributing it to a tightly packed schedule. “We played (last) Thursday — so we traveled Thursday — we played

Sunday, we played Wednesday, we play Saturday, we play Tuesday,” she said. “Count those days and count how many games and travel — three of those on the road — that (isn’t) that much time. “Not a lot of time to practice, not a ton of time to prepare. Trying to figure out the fine line between rest and preparation. And using our experience to make sure we’re prepared and following the scout instead of reps. And tonight, I didn’t think we did a great job of that and I even called our older kids out on that. ‘Hey, we gave you a day to rest your legs, but then you gotta follow the scout. Or else we’re gonna practice.’ ” One thing is clear: Michigan can’t deliver a similar performance again and expect to get away with it consistently. The Wolverines are about to embark on a two-game road trip, facing a solid Nebraska team and Ohio State, a top-10 program that beat Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday. Simply, if the Wolverines play like they did Wednesday, they’ll return home under .500 in Big Ten play.

Freshman Hailey Brown gets career-high 23 points ROHAN KUMAR Daily Sports Writer

Following an exhilarating overtime loss to then-No.10 Ohio State, the No. 23 Michigan women’s basketball team looked to clinch a routine win against Indiana Wednesday night. But there was nothing routine about it. With under four minutes remaining in a tied game, senior guard Katelynn Flaherty passed the ball to freshman forward Hailey Brown, who nailed an elbow jumper to give her team the lead. The Wolverines went on to win, 84-79, at Crisler Center, but it didn’t come the way they expected. The team’s stars — Flaherty and junior center Hallie Thome — were closely guarded from the start and struggled to score early on. Meanwhile, Michigan’s defense couldn’t seem to limit the Hoosiers, causing a close game. But two of the Wolverines’ three freshmen — Brown and guard Deja Church — stepped up,

leading the team to victory on a night that reeked of upset. Brown started hot, accounting for eight of Michigan’s first 10 points. She went on to finish with a career-high 23 points, while grabbing eight rebounds. It was a special night for the Canadanative. “It felt good,” Brown said. “It was different cause a lot of people were asking if I was in my zone, but every shot just felt good. I guess once you start hitting them you become more confident.” Added Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico: “I thought Hailey was terrific. … It’s incredible when you have different people step up.” Church’s contributions were also impressive. Though she finished with just nine points, a few of her baskets helped prevent the Wolverines from falling behind early. The contributions from these two freshmen couldn’t have come at a better time, as Michigan looked out of sync from the beginning of a contest it couldn’t afford to lose.

AARON BAKER/Daily

Freshman forward Hailey Brown scored a career-high 23 points, as Michigan barely defeated Indiana on Wednesday.

But Brown’s stellar performance along with Church’s contributions gave Michigan the spark it needed, creating breathing room for others in the process. The duo’s success shows how much they have grown throughout the season. Though Church is a reserve, she has already established herself as the first player to come off the bench and receives significant playing time. Whenever the Wolverines find themselves in a slump, they look to her to energize the team with her quick, confident style of play. “Deja Church is key for us,” Barnes Arico said. “She runs our team. She is a good defender, she’s the fastest kid we have on our team, so she provides a lot of things for us and tonight we saw her again getting better and better. I think as the season progresses, she’s gonna be a kid that just improves the more experience she gets and the more the basketball is in her hand. But she’s a sponge — she’s willing to learn and she really contributed great minutes to us tonight.” Brown, on the other hand, has started every game this season, and her improvements have been crucial to her team’s success. In her first game for Michigan — against George Mason back in early November — she went 2-for-11 from the field to finish with just four points. But she improved week by week, and Wednesday she thrived, going 10-for-12. Her confident shooting made the difference. “(Brown) missed like two shots all night,” said junior guard Nicole Munger. “You can’t guard that. You can’t guard that at all.” Though the Wolverines faced problems against Indiana, the quality play from the freshmen saved them from a potentially devastating defeat, while also providing a promising glimpse into the future.

Zavier Simpson bringing steadiness to Michigan’s point guard position With 15 points in two of his last three games, Simpson seems to have added reliable offense to his stellar defense MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

At some point for Zavier Simpson, something clicked. It could have been before the Michigan men’s basketball team took on UCLA, when Simpson’s defense against Bruins guard Aaron Holiday earned him extra minutes. He took advantage by adding a career-high 15 points in the comeback win. Simpson matched that total against Iowa last week, and it got him the starting spot that he’d lost after a lackluster start to the season. On Tuesday, against No. 5 Purdue, Simpson dropped 15 points again in a last-minute, one-point loss. And it was the manner in which Simpson scored those points that was most impressive. With 5:34 left and the Wolverines down by three, junior forward Moritz Wagner corralled an offensive rebound off a missed free throw. He kicked it out to Simpson, who calmly waved Wagner over to set a screen. When Wagner did

set the screen, Simpson dribbled to his right, drawing 7-foot2 Boilermaker center Isaac Haas — who was guarding Wagner — to pick him up. A few passes later, Simpson had the ball again with the towering Haas guarding him. Simpson eyed him, rose up and drilled a 3-pointer. Tie game. A little under a minute later, with the score still tied, senior guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman drove into the lane and kicked it out to Simpson, who was deep behind the 3-point line. The sophomore calmly rose up again and hit another. They were clutch shots that you might expect to come from Wagner or redshirt sophomore guard Charles Matthews, but maybe not Simpson. Yet, with the improvements Simpson has made in his offensive game, and

the control he’s beginning to take over his position, the shots shouldn’t come as a surprise. “Every day he’s learning he needs to evolve as a player, and he’s doing that,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “I like how receptive he is to it, but he’s never gonna give in. He’s gonna be more hardworking than anyone we have. And it paid off a little bit tonight.” At the beginning of the season, Simpson struggled. After a game against Southern Mississippi where he was held scoreless with only one assist in 22 minutes, his minutes were severely chopped. Simpson started the next game against LSU, but he played just 10 minutes and again had 0 points. Meanwhile, freshman Eli Brooks began to look more and more comfortable. He took Simpson’s starting spot just five games into the season, and

“Every day he’s learning he needs to evolve as a player.”

EVAN AARON/Daily

Sophomore guard Zavier Simpson has brought stability to the point guard position with his play in recent games.

it wasn’t until recently that Simpson took it back. But now Simpson’s beginning to command respect. His 3-point percentage of 43.3 is the second-highest mark for the Wolverines, and his 5.7 points per game are a respectable sixth-best on a team that has plenty of other offensive options. “He’s just learning right now how you play at this

level as far as a big-time high school player (who) really had success and all those things,” Beilein said. “But just like when you go to the pros, there’s a whole other level of understanding of the game.” With all that being said, Simpson will likely never be a go-to offensive player. But nobody’s asking him to be. Michigan just needs some sort of offensive threat from its point guard position in order to

“There’s a whole other level of understanding of the game.”

have a well-rounded offense. That could mean hitting a tough layup in traffic, like he did in the first half against Purdue. It could mean distributing and protecting the ball — Simpson’s 2.77 assist-toturnover ratio ranks him 39th among all NCAA Division 1 players. Or, it could mean a clutch 3-pointer when his team needs it most. Tuesday’s game may not be enough to prove that Simpson can be that kind of point guard all season, but if his recent performances are any indication, he may be as sure a bet as the Wolverines have.