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Friday, January 12, 2018

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ACADEMICS

EECS dept. struggles to keep up with high demand

CASEY TIN/Daily

Beyond the Numbers: ‘U’ suicide data can identify campus trends Student suicide data helps admin improve mental health resources on campus JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporter

Engineering junior Anna Learis spends the majority of her time on the University of Michigan’s North Campus. She says learning in a less active environment than Central Campus, coupled with the difficulty of the engineering curriculum, can create a rather stressful environment for some students. As a group leader for Wolverine Support Network, a participant in mental health monologues at Active Minds and a student who has spoken at local high schools about mental health, Learis spends a lot of her time advocating for

improved mental health resources. One example of this is two years ago when Learis founded Mentality Magazine, the first mental health publication on any campus in the nation. Her experience in working with students who may be going through mental health issues has shown her the large need for on campus support systems. Attention to these issues is part of what encouraged the Counseling and Psychological Services added a Wellness Center on North Campus to allow for better access to students who may feel isolated from mental health resources on Central Campus. Earlier this month, the Associated Press surveyed the nation’s 100 largest public

universities for their annual data on student suicides. Out of the four universities surveyed within the state of Michigan, the University was one of three collecting this data, along with Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University, while Central Michigan University either does not have data or does not regularly collect such statistics. According to Sarah Daniels, Associate Dean of Students, current records of student suicide date back to approximately 2010, however, Daniels could not comment on whether or not records exist prior to this. Daniels explained that because the Dean of Students office does serve as the primary contact point for those

affected by the death of a student, the data the University currently holds in relation to student suicide is a subset of information on all student deaths. “We receive data in a number of different ways or receive information about the death of our students in a number of different ways and then we provide support and care and assistance,” Daniels said. Specific ways the Dean of Students office obtains information may include notification from the Ann Arbor Police Department, a family member, or a report filed of an incident. Though this data isn’t necessarily analyzed by the University, it can be used to See SUICIDE, Page 3

Waitlists of hundreds have students worrying about completing requirements ALEX COTT

Daly Staff Reporter

University of Michigan Electrical Engineering and Computer Science courses have developed extensive waitlists due to growing enrollment rates, graduate students registering for undergraduate classes, and limited numbers of faculty — giving students stress about being able to complete their requirements on time. The department’s administration is working to hire more fulltime faculty and acquire larger lecture halls to meet the high demand, but have struggled to succeed. Currently, the EECS department is comprised of 143 faculty, 1,882 undergraduate students and 1,094 graduate students, high enrollment numbers that have increased significantly over the past decade. Seth Pettie, professor and associate chair of the electrical engineering and computer science department, confirmed the department is aware of the waitlist issues

affecting undergraduate students and stated it has become a recent problem due to the program’s high demand. “If you look at our enrollment numbers, they go up linearly and year by year,” Pettie said. “They have been going up for the last 10 years and of course (registration) wasn’t a problem 10 years ago and things have become more acute in the last year.” Just within the Computer Science and Engineering major of EECS, enrollment has grown exponentially within the last five years. According to Brian Noble, chair of the computer science and engineering department, the number of undergraduates with declared CSE majors has doubled, increasing from 748 in Fall 2013 to 1,457 in Fall 2017. The CSE undergraduate degrees granted has subsequently increased from 211 during the 2012-2013 academic year to 520 during the 20162017 academic year. However, the size of CSE faculty has not See EECS, Page 3

Regent Weiser discusses impact of UN Vacancies Michigan at Model United Nations conference Medicine plaguing

CAMPUS LIFE

Residence Hall Assoc.

Citing an unwelcoming environment, executive resigns during meeting DANIELLE PASEKOFF Daily Staff Reporter

The University of Michigan Residence Halls Association gathered on Thursday night in Couzens Residence Hall to discuss funding for various student groups, as well as the vacant positions currently on their executive board created by the unexpected resignations of two members, one of whom cited an unwelcoming environment as a motivation. The assembly heard from a diverse group of student representatives from several organizations on campus, and voted on new legislation regarding the selection of residence hall representatives for next year. Speakers from Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA) both presented information on their respective groups and submitted requests for funding from RHA. From upcoming fundraisers to compensating for past expenditures, speakers expressed the advantage of accruing residence halls’ See RESIDENCE, Page 2

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RESEARCH

Israel condemnations cited by Weiser as “ugly” aspects of the United Nations AMARA SHAIKH Daily Staff Reporter

On Thursday evening, over seven hundred delegates, staff members and advisors gathered together in the University of Michigan’s Rackham Auditorium for the 31st Model United Nations at the University of Michigan Conference Opening Ceremony. The conference is run by University undergraduates, and offers high school students from 37 high schools across the country an opportunity to deepen their understanding of international affairs. The keynote speaker for the opening ceremony was University Regent Ron Weiser, and his speech highlighted “the good, the bad and the ugly” of the United Nations. Weiser, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia from 2001 to 2005, began by discussing the history of the United Nations in regards to former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” speech, which outlined the future of nations committed to peace during World War I. He also emphasized how the United States embodied those points as it helped to shape the U.N. after World War II. “The United States, now under the leadership of FDR, returned to Wilson’s grand strategy — to a construction of a rules-based order in which the United States and other democracies would prosper,” Weiser said. Weiser then discussed the universality present in the U.N.,

which he viewed as a doubleedged sword. He explained while the inclusiveness of the U.N. allows for actions against threats — such as sanctions — to be taken, it conversely allows countries unsolicited uses of the veto power. “On a strategic level the U.N. poses a structural flaw of universality in participation because great powers can use veto (power) to barter action against themselves,” Weiser said. “For example, during the Cold

War, the Soviet Union used the veto power 68 times, and the U.S. used it 61 times. On the other hand, universality is occasionally a significant plus, most recently the UN Security Council passed sanctions against North Korea.” Weiser considered other positive aspects of the United Nations such as the legitimacy of the Security Council, the strength of technical agencies and the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees’ aid

to over 50 million refugee families and more. Weiser also pointed out many of the flaws that he viewed as the negative elements of the U.N. Some of the issues he noted were weak performance management culture, inadequate resourcing and implementation of mandates and lack of transparency. The “ugly,” according to Weiser, was visible in the U.N.’s lack of investigation into claims of sexual misconduct as well See WEISER, Page 3

JOSHUA HAN/Daily

Ronald Weiser speaks on current pressing issues worldwide including political tensions and problems regarding the United Nations at Rackham Auditorium Thursday.

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INDEX

conducts IBS study

Partners with BioAmerica on controlled clinical trial, new diagnostic therapy KATE JENKINS Daily Staff Reporter

Last Monday, Biomerica Inc. announced it would be partnering with Michigan Medicine on clinical trials for their Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diagnostic Guided Therapy. IBS is a symptom-based disorder that may cause pain, constipation and bloating in the bowels. The syndrome affects between 25 million and 45 million patients in the United States, according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. Biomerica’s diagnostic therapy, InFoods®, aims to help physicians identify certain foods that may be removed from a patient’s diet to alleviate IBS symptoms and discomfort. It may be used with drugs currently on the market because it is not considered a drug, but rather a form of therapy. According to Dr. William Chey, director of medical services for the Michigan Bowel Control Program at Michigan Medicine, since IBS is a syndrome, not a disease, it could potentially be managed with this therapy. “(IBS is) defined by See MEDICINE, Page 2

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WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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MEDICINE From Page 1 characteristics,” Chey said. “It’s comprised of a number of different diseases. Thinking about ways that we can identify those diseases can provide a more precise approach.” Chey sees the gastrointestinal system as central to our bodily functions, connected to seven organs. In his research, he examines the role of diet therapies in treatment. He said these approaches can actually treat some symptoms better than prescription medicine. “These dietary modifications … work in about half the patients,” Chey said. “That’s fantastic, that’s better than medication for IBS.” The study conducted by Michigan Medicine will be a randomized Sudokudouble-blinded Syndication controlled clinical trial which will enroll subjects at two trial

sites: Michigan Medicine and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. The study will accept IBS patients with constipation and diarrhea as primary symptoms. In an email interview, Lina Nahlawi, a clinical subjects coordinator at Michigan Medicine, wrote the study will rely on self-reporting from the subjects, which could lead to complications in the data seeing as though the study doesn’t have a way to directly measure the impacts of the treatment. “Dietary response will be assessed via daily symptom diary reports collected from participants throughout the study,” Nahlawi wrote. Public Health student Takuro Miyazaki will be working as a study coordinator for the trials at the University. His interests lie largely in working to mitigate the effects of chronic disease.

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RESIDENCE From Page 1

voted to accept Venkat’s resignation. Venkat’s resignation is the second departure from the RHA executive board, leaving two vacant spots on the board. In an email, Engineering sophomore Dylan Rushton, the RHA president, wrote the executive board was disappointed to see Venkat’s resignation but hopes she has success in the future. “We are sorry to see Arsha go,” Rushton wrote. “We wish her the best in her future endeavors.” Additionally, the

funding for their efforts. Both organizations target students living in dorms for membership and support, and cited this as a reason for seeking residence hall funding. Both Omega Psi Phi and TASA received funding after describing their requests to representatives. During reports from the executive board, various concerns related to unfilled executive board positions and the potential repercussions from this drawback arose. “We (have to) Assistant Director Eric keep morale up” Aiken assured students this bump in the road would not hinder RHA’s goals for the upcoming semester, and spots will be filled as soon as possible. student representatives http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ “We (have to) keep heard from Rushton and morale up,” Aiken said Engineering sophomore while addressing student Matthew Malinak, the representatives. “Remember RHA Vice President of that you have been sworn Records, regarding a new in to be a representative resolution to amend the in order to represent the process of re-electing residents.” representatives for a second These concerns follow the year on RHA. This resolution recent resignation of LSA guarantees returning sophomore Arsha Venkat, representatives housing vice president of marketing. while serving, an incentive Venkat announced her many representatives resignation through printed found attractive. Based slips of paper that were on a very low number of distributed to student representatives returning to speakers and representatives RHA, Rushton and Malinak during Thursday night’s proposed a new way of meeting. applying for a second year. “The environment created “The best way to learn by some members of the something is by experiencing executive board has been it yourself,” Rushton said. extremely difficult to work “What we would like (are) in,” Venkat wrote. “The elections, or at least some attitudes expressed by this sort of selection process that board are not in line with allows representatives to what the University claims return to this assembly.” to stand for.” The assembly voted to Venkat did not go into pass this resolution, giving further detail regarding current representatives the the reasons behind her ability to serve another term resignation. Following on RHA more easily. the reading of Venkat’s statement, the assembly

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The LSA Institute for the Humanities hosts a pop-up exhibition featuring photos by Margaret Condon Taylor titled “An Accidental Photographer: Seoul 1969” at the Institute for Humanities Thursday.

EECS From Page 1 met this growing demand. In the last five years, the CSE faculty has only increased by 22 percent, from 50 faculty members in Fall 2013 to 61 faculty members in Fall 2017. “This is something that’s happening across the country,” Noble said. “We sort of knew this was happening five years ago and so our strategy has been to hire as fast as we can and we’ll meet the demand. The College and University have been very supportive of us hiring faculty.” However, high enrollment rates and low faculty numbers are not the only factors affecting waitlists. Graduate students have reportedly been registering for undergraduate, upper-level courses and taking seats intended for undergraduate students. Although graduate students are generally restricted from registering for these courses, some of these courses were placed on a different registration schedule. Due to high numbers of declared students, the EECS-CSE advising office organized staged enrollment phases to ensure students in need of upper-level courses for graduation can obtain them. Most upper-level courses are set on a staged enrollment schedule, with the first phase from Nov. 20 to Dec. 5, the second phase from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8, and the third phase from Dec. 11

SUICIDE From Page 1

identify certain trends that may be occurring, such as an increase in student suicides within a certain school or college. While this information is not released to the public from the University, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s report found that 24 percent of U-M students think about suicide, 11.3 percent have “seriously considered attempting suicide at least once in the last academic year” and 1.1 percent responded to having attempted suicide at least once. Learis said identifying these trends can be helpful in providing resources to areas where they are lacking, as was done last year on North Campus. “I think by having this data and seeing just how student suicides spread between majors and schools, that will definitely raise awareness of those schools within the University that aren’t having their needs met,” Learis said. Public Health junior Omar Ilyas agreed with Learis, stating such data can help the University identify more specific patterns, such as certain times throughout the year in which student suicide rates may increase or decrease.

forward. According to Noble, popular electives like EECS 442, Computer Vision, was mistakenly not on staged enrollment this term. However, with EECS 442 not on a restricted schedule by mistake, the waitlist skyrocketed to 176 students during registration and currently still has a waitlist of 64 students, according to the Winter 2018 course guide. The course was consequently filled up by masters students, since it was the only undergraduate CS class they could enroll in. “What’s happening is a lot of the Electrical and Computer Engineering masters students would like to take Computer Science classes,” Noble said. “We don’t let them into our undergraduate classes because they’re reserved for undergraduates first, but (EECS 442) was the only class they could enroll in so they flocked to it.” However, Noble emphasized the EECS department grants registration priority to students with upcoming graduation dates. “Our number one goal is to make sure we meet the obligation we committed to get students to graduate on time,” Noble said. “That doesn’t mean they’ll get the classes they want necessarily. For courses a part of our required set, we try really hard to never turn anyone away.” Although this priority system works for some seniors, others are still placed on waitlists. Data Science major Anna Ten Have, an LSA senior, emphasized she does not receive as high of a

registration priority compared to her peers. As a result, she will not know if she will get off the waitlist until well into the semester. “I only registered for one EECS class but I was 37th on the waitlist when I registered,” Ten Have said. “It’s really annoying because it’s a class I really want to take.” However, Noble explained how students with earlier enrollment times are signing up for extra classes during registration and dropping them after the first couple weeks of the term. This method subsequently leads to increased waitlists during registration and sudden decreases at the start of the semester. “The students who have early enrollment dates know they’re never going to get into something if they don’t enroll right away, or they think that,” Noble said. “That happened in the fall, we cleared waitlists really deeply. In 442, the waitlist has shrunk significantly, that’s partly what’s going on.” This reportedly places significant stress on not just juniors and seniors, but also underclassmen EECS students who are just starting out. Data Science major Isabelle Williams, an LSA sophomore, experienced this first hand when attempting to register for several EECS classes to stay on track with her coursework. “I was waitlisted for the class I wanted to take, my back up class, and my back up class for my back up class,” Williams wrote in an email to The Daily. “I was not able

Ilyas currently serves on the CAPS Student Advisory Board, working with administrators and psychologists to bridge the gap between student awareness and programs offered by CAPS. “A huge part of being a student is you do go through mental health issues (while on) campus, and I think a large avenue for that is depression, and depression in itself has so many intricacies … suicide is one of them,” Ilyas said. Out of respect for the loved ones of the affected student, the Dean of Students office does not finalize any information without confirmation from medical examiners and related officers. “We are very mindful of not ascribing a cause of death before it is confirmed,” Daniels said. “It is not for us to decide whether something was or was not a suicide or whether it was or was not a certain cause of death.” Learis noted, although this information is important in understanding certain trends, it does not provide a comprehensive look at mental health issues on campus. “I think a bigger issue with the data collection is for every suicide that actually happens, there are so many suicide attempts and those you can’t really track,” Learis said. “So even though we have suicide numbers, it’s hard to see the total trends.” When moving forward in

working to alleviate mental health issues, Daniels says the Dean of Students office continues to partner with organizations, such as those Learis and Ilyas are involved in, to advocate for an increase in student recognition of resources available on campus. CAPS, for example, made a series of videos under the title “do something: Stop Student Suicide.” The purpose of these videos, Ilyas said, is to change the current dialogue around the topic that may be considered taboo or kept secret, and to help students understand what they can do in scenarios in which their own friends may be experiencing suicidal thoughts. Additionally, each year, the Division of Student Life and the Association of Religious Counselors hosts a campus memorial to honor students who have passed away during the year. “When we experience a death in our community, we’re working with our campus partners and saying ‘what can we do, what do we need to do proactively, what should we do reactively,’ ” Daniels said. “I think we’ll continue that work and continue to talk with each other within Student Life and across the campus to figure out how to improve … areas of intervention and education, and creative ways to influence students to talk about resources that are available.”

as their supposedly negative bias towards Israel. Weiser brought up U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley’s speech that looked at the number of condemnations Israel received compared to those of other nations. “The U.N. gives undo negative tension towards Israel,” Weiser said. “The Human Rights Council has passed 62 resolutions condemning reasonable actions Israel takes to defend its security. Meanwhile, human rights abusers in Syria, Iran and North Korea received few condemnations.” Weiser ended on an uplifting note, explaining to the delegates they should not let the idea of perfection disrupt their ability to work effectively. “Change is typically incremental, but perfection cannot be your goal,” Weiser said. “Someone famously said something that I quote often, ‘Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.’” Though audience members appreciated Weiser’s speech and felt his perspective was an important one to hear, others disagreed with aspects of what he presented. One of these staff members was Business sophomore Lucas Reynolds, who was unhappy

with Weiser’s U.S.-centered focus when discussing the functions of the U.N. “I enjoyed his speech to a point,” Reynolds said. “I thought some of the things he said regarding the U.N. having this vision of freedom, I agreed with a lot of that. However, I didn’t like how he focused on how the U.N. is supposed to be a U.S.centered body. I fundamentally disagree with that. Especially because now the U.N. is dealing with a lot of topics.” LSA freshman Danielle Falling shared Reynolds’s sentiment and explained while the U.S. was a part of the U.N., it did not make up its entirety. “It’s not a U.S.-centered organization, it’s the United Nations of the world,” Falling said. “I think it’s important to look at things with a grain of salt so we can’t just call the U.N. an ideal pinnacle of unity because there are problems.” Falling also touched on the relevance of Weiser’s speech, and why it was necessary for younger individuals — especially students involved in Model United Nations — to hear. “The students here will one day become the people in the United Nations, so they’re the ones who have to think about what they want to be changed,” Falling said. “It’s important to see the faults so that they can do that.”

gap. According to Noble, senior Ph.D. students, as well as recent Ph.D. graduates in the area, are teaching approximately 10 percent of CSE lecture sections on a temporary basis. Yet, with the program in high demand, the department has faced challenges with hiring long-term faculty due to competition with other universities. “We’ve been doing a tremendous amount of hiring of temporary people to help staff our classes,” Pettie said. “We’re conducting lots of tenure-track searches to increase our faculty size and it’s very difficult because of the tremendous demand for CS courses year by year — it’s greater every year.” Noble emphasized strategies, such as increasing lecture hall and class sizes and finding professors without full-time teaching appointments to teach a few classes. “In the short term, how do we scale our classes up, how do we find bigger lecture rooms, are there more of our very (own) senior Ph.D. students that can take the time out of their academics to teach a class, are there more people in the community that can teach?” Noble said. Increasing class sizes and bringing in temporary faculty can also come with repercussions. Noble highlighted the administration’s intent to get as many students off the waitlists as possible without sacrificing the University’s high education standards. “If we feel like we’re

compromising the quality of the educational experience, then the question is how many students can we take and still give them the Michigan educational experience that we really want to give them,” Noble underscored. “We want to make that number as big as we can, but we don’t want to sacrifice quality to do that.” Many EECS undergraduate students are hopeful these changes will fix the waitlist issues for the future, but current students still may not have the chance to take advantage of every opportunity they desire. “I came to this University to learn from the EECS department and it’s unacceptable that I may be unable to do that next semester because there are too many students in my field than the University can handle,” Williams said. With the administration’s long-term goals to hire permanent faculty and build larger spaces for class, such as the future robotics building, Noble hopes these advances will reduce waitlists in the coming semesters and provide more opportunities for future students. Ultimately, he emphasized the current students are the department’s main priority. “For the students that are currently enrolled, our current goal is to allow them to get the major they want in a reasonable amount of time and we are doing everything to make that happen,” he said.

WEISER From Page 1

to register for a single EECS class that counted for my major. This added considerable unnecessary stress to an already stressful end of the semester.” Even with waitlists slowly decreasing at the start of the semester, students in the same situation as Williams will never get into the classes they want. “I dropped the class I was waitlisted for because I was 112th,” Williams said. “Our professor said 50-70 students were likely to get off.” Noble emphasized these increased waitlists could also be due to the number of non-major LSA students who are registering for introductory CS courses. EECS 183 has increased to one of the highest enrolled CS classes. As a result, courses like EECS 183 have unintentionally turned into service courses — classes for nonmajor students who want to get grounding in the field. “Our 100 and 200 level courses have become service courses in spite of us, so those courses are designed for Computer Science majors but lots of other people have decided they want to be computationally literate,” Noble said. In order to fix these registration issues, the department aims to fulfill both long-term and short-term goals to decrease the waitlists while still providing students with the quality education they were promised. Pettie said he is working on hiring additional temporary and tenure-track faculty to make up for the department’s current

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STEPHANIE TRIERWEILER | COLUMN

Prioritize mental health in recruiting

ecruiting season for Ross undergrads is essentially over. Winter break offered muchneeded room to breathe for the many upperclassmen who have secured an internship or full-time job offer for the upcoming year. While students in general are at significant risk for developing mental health issues throughout college, each fall at Ross poses a unique kind of stress for upperclassmen as their recruiting schedules and academic lives strain against one another. On paper, employment outcomes for Business students look incredible. Ninety-eight percent of undergraduates receive a job offer within three months of graduation, their starting salaries average at $72,500 and they secure internships and full-time positions all over the United States and abroad. The program clearly provides students ample resources to excel in their early careers. The journey from arriving on campus as relatively inexperienced freshmen to achieving those impressive numbers as upperclassmen, however, can be a rollercoaster. This is especially true during the notorious junior fall semester in which students compete with each other and aim to land coveted internship positions. These positions ideally translate into full-time return offers, and while most students do end up re-recruiting as seniors, the pressure to perform specifically for junior year internships is immense. Mind Matters is a student organization within the Business School that raises awareness about mental health and wellness and works to decrease stigma against seeking help in the community. At junior convocation this year, members of the group showed the results of a survey administered to business undergraduates — they reported a significant spike in anxiety and depression during the junior fall semester. Forrest Cao, founder and president of Mind Matters, explained in an interview that these experiences are common during recruiting. “For students in this situation, the worst thing is for them to think they’re the only ones,” Cao said. “We’re trying to get people thinking about how this is something most people deal with. There is a community that understands and is going through what they feel.” I believe some of the stress that induces or exacerbates mental health problems in students is unavoidable due to the generally difficult nature of any job search, regardless of the program they’re enrolled in. But recruiting at a business school is uniquely systematic, extremely competitive and placed at a crucial academic moment in the college careers of students.

Of the factors that contribute to mental health problems, “issues of culture, classes and recruiting are interlinked,” Cao said. The Business School can do more to mitigate these negative outcomes by balancing its curriculum with its recruiting schedule and increasing mental health resources available to students. The most common process by which Business undergraduates find employment is the Business School’s on-campus recruiting system, which is highly regimented and combines an assortment of formal activities. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in activities the Business School coordinates such as individual company presentations and networking hours, career fairs for those applying for a position in a particular function or industry, resume drops on the school’s intranet and a bidding system for first-round interviews that take place in the Ross School of Business Building.

“I encourage the school to consider its students more in its program’s structure.”

These various events are condensed almost entirely into the months of September through November each year and consume a significant amount of students’ time. In addition, on-campus interviews routinely take place during the same hours as class sessions and companies also frequently fly out students for final round interviews during the school week. This process — combined with the inherently competitive nature of attending the same recruiting events and applying for the same positions as peers — is a huge undertaking to balance with existing academic and personal obligations. As someone who had not worked at a large corporation before or previously experienced such a stringent sequence of networking events, the months during my own recruiting process last year were difficult. I frankly had no idea whether I was asking the right questions to truly get the best feel for a company’s culture, attending the right presentations (since many occurred at the same time) or even wearing the right clothes to fit the mysterious and ill-defined expectation of “business casual” attire at my events.

Week by week, I felt a whirlwind of anxieties over my qualifications, made tough calls between completing work shifts for my part-time job and attending endlessly available recruiting events and tackled the biggest career decisions of my life so far. It was a period of tremendous learning and self-growth, but it came with emotional and physical tolls I hadn’t anticipated in myself. I saw my own experiences reflected in my peers as they moved through many of the same decisions, obstacles, realizations and struggles throughout the semester. While I was exploring my career so intensely, I was upset to find that the Business School incorporates its most rigorous academic experience into this semester and strictly assigns the junior fall course schedules for students. It plugs an entrepreneurship challenge mid-semester on top of normal coursework and schedules it in the same week as a significant number of on-campus interviews. These frictions, among others, made me constantly choose between dedicating my efforts to courses and recruiting. The school itself doesn’t implement any systematic support channels or followups about how students can best approach recruiting and prioritize their mental health. The Business School does provide psychological services from one of the University’s CAPS counselors and occasionally emails links to articles like tips for managing stress. Cao has also found that the Business School has been responsive to Mind Matters’ efforts — it provides space for the organization’s meditation sessions and is working with group members to establish an “Identity and Diversity in Organizations” session focusing on mental health. But I believe the lack of initiative from the administration itself demonstrates a passive position toward students’ well-being. I encourage the school to consider its students more in its program’s structure, reconcile its recruiting schedule with its curriculum as much as possible and continue to boost mental health resources. The Business School should recognize the unique position we are in as students, as job seekers and as people throughout these recruiting seasons and, more broadly, throughout our time in an undergraduate business program. It should build upon the work its students are already doing to promote mental health and well-being, and take direct action to alleviate some of the pressure on its community of students in such a critical moment.

Stephanie Trierweiler can be reached at strier@umich.edu

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First generation students, a minority

s a high school student, when I began my college application process, I knew I was part of a larger group. So many people around me were firstgeneration college students, and we often struggled together. Upon my acceptance to the University of Michigan, that large group quickly evaporated. The people around me were suddenly from long lines of college graduates, and I began to feel out of place. My new found friends commented on what an oddity I was, braving the big scary school without a clue what I was getting into. According to the University’s own statistics, only 10.6 percent of the students in 2013 were first generation, of which nearly half reported their parents had actually still attended some college but received no degree. Other top universities also have first-generation student populations of less than 20 percent. In fact, according to The New York Times, “The proportion of freshmen at elite campuses who are first generation — 11 percent Dartmouth, 12 percent at Princeton, 14 percent at Yale, 15 percent at Amherst, 16 percent at Cornell, 17 percent at Brown — nearly matches that of their low-income Pell grant recipients.” The fact that these numbers have reached one-fifth of the national average might tell a tale of a deeper problem. These statistics show that there are clearly some more obstacles keeping the majority of these students out of universities. According to a 2010 study by the United States Department of Education, 50 percent of college students were first generation, defined as students whose parents had never attended a postsecondary school. That is, never pursued an education beyond high school. As a first-generation student, the challenges of pursuing a higher education are already difficult as it is. Now, throw in the most prestigious public institutions

of learning in the country and make these students a minority group, and it is not doing anything to help the situation. The University of Michigan must take steps in the right direction and act as an example for other top colleges to follow. In recent years, the University has made such steps, especially with the introduction of both the HAIL Scholarship and the Go Blue Guarantee, which was introduced last year. These scholarships provide financial help to in-state students who come from diverse backgrounds and are not able to pay their own way without taking on massive student debt.

“The university must take steps in the right direction and act as an example for other top colleges to follow.” As a first-generation student and someone who finished high school and applied to college as a homeless student, I can sympathize with the struggles involved. There are no parents to ask for college advice and often no older siblings to ask either. If you are lucky, you might have gone to a big school or had an amazing college counselor to work with. If you were like me, you were homeschooled until high school, where your graduating class was 26 students and neither your parents nor your school was much help. Some parents still think today’s world is the same one they grew up in half a century ago when you did not need a college education to be successful; you simply had to work hard. Nobody seems to understand the questions you

might have or the anxiety one might feel. The people around you will often hold a higher expectation of you then you have been accustomed to. Thankfully, the University has recently done good work looking out for their extreme minority of such students. Programs like Comprehensive Studies Program and Summer Bridge Scholars Program give students a chance to acclimate themselves to college life before being thrown into the bumbling confusion that is freshman year. These programs offer students a continued support network throughout their college experience, including specialized teachers, GSIs and small class sizes. Being placed among a group of students who are in a similar position as your own does wonders to help with the adjustment that is needed, though, in my personal experience, it is not always the best route to take for yourself. The federal government, too, has implemented many programs throughout the country to help students like me. I had the pleasure and honor of working with a group called TRIO Pre-College during my college search and application adventures. They work with students in situations similar to mine to help waive application fees, proofread essays and even take students on campus tours. I am glad to have been assisted by them and look forward to helping programs like theirs in the future any way I can. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to hold the proud title of a Wolverine. There is still a long way to go to make sure all students feel welcome at our university, and all colleges for that matter, but progress and positive change are being made. This situation often goes unnoticed and underappreciated, and I hope I am able to shed some light on the subject for all to gain at least a simple understanding.

Lucas Dean can be reached at lbdean@umich.edu

“

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?

— President Donald Trump speaking to lawmakers in the Oval Office about including immigrants from Haiti, El Savador and African countries as part of the bipartisan immigration deal

”

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, January 12, 2018 — 5

Artists and their underappreciated albums of 2017 Orc, Thee Oh Sees For 20 years, John Dwyer has been experimenting with a variety of psychedelic garage rock sounds that move in every direction, leaving drips of eccentric colors behind. After countless name changes, Dwyer and his band released 2017’s Orc as the Thee Oh Sees. Orc is a 50-minute toothnumbing catapult into a land unknown. In the first two seconds of the record, Dwyer’s screeching guitar, glued with Tim Hellman’s bass, is accompanied by both Dan Rincon’s and Paul Quattrone’s tight and rapid drum style in a way where each element begins to vibrate into an abrupt shock of high voltage energy. But as the record moves along, Dwyer doesn’t forget to

give listeners time to catch their breath. Between every aggressive, slick guitar riff is a movement into something smoother and less intense, a moment of recollection that lasts for just the right amount of time until he plunges you into another moment of chaos. This juxtaposition of sound moves fluidly within and between songs like the fourth track “Keys to the Castle.” In about eight minutes, “Keys to the Castle” takes listeners on a joyful journey that warps into a hypnotic movement of sounds, all falling into a blissful violin that creates its individual moment in the song. The record’s stimulating sounds are laced with a theme of war, of conquering a forbidden place, of violence

and the aftermath; the song titles of “Animated Violence” and “Cadaver Dog” reference a battleground and the dogs that come to pick up the pieces of the dismembered. These dark and brutal references are set upon upbeat instrumentals, making the record lend itself to feelings of dissipation, the rise of goosebumps along your arms and warm colors dancing along your eyelids. It is an album that reinvents the admired sounds of the past’s psychedelic pop and raw noise rock bands, blending genres together to create an other-worldly environment that feels enticing to be in. — Selena Aguilera, Daily Arts Writer

THEE OH SEES

Deep Dream, Daddy Issues “I was gonna write a song about you sucking and look at your pictures / Hang with your friend I planned on kissing,” opens “High Street” off of Daddy Issues’s 2017 release Deep Dream. A lyric delivered with nonchalance, monotone and a hint of spite, it acts almost like a sonic thesis for the rest of the album. And this is just a taste of the dreamy malice that Daddy Issues curates on their incredible sophomore release. Deep Dream is an album fully concerned with emotional and physical detachment. It embraces the hatred and other unhealthy tendencies that follow breakups, delivered on wave after wave of grungy rhythms, some pop

flare and sugary vocals. On “Dog Years,” guitarist/vocalist Jenna Moynihan delivers a scathing declaration: “I know how it ends / We’re not gonna be friends / In dog years you’re dead.” On “Boring Girls,” she bites over the closing shrill drone: “Boring boy / don’t hurt yourself / I don’t think they have guitars in hell.” These lyrical gems are innumerable, with nearly every track containing a poignant emotional punch, directed both outward and inward. An album revolving mostly around negativity might hardly seem enjoyable, but it’s the emotional delivery of these sentiments that contains such

brutally relatable honesty. The pop on “In Your Head” translates the scathing triumph of being the more stable half of a failed relationship. The monotone that pervades the album draws out the numbness associated with love turned to hate. Deep Dream is a harsh look at the human psyche of young adults dealing with the messiness of interpersonal intimacy, and it does so with an impressively composed delivery. Oh, and they also include a lo-fi cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer,” which in and of itself kicks so much ass. — Dominic Polsinelli, Senior Arts Editor

DADDY ISSUES

Apricot Princess, Rex Orange County Apricot Princess is butter. It’s a gorgeous collection of lo-fi tracks recorded by singer Alex O’Connor, better known as Rex Orange County, that pulls at a different part of the heart. The 19-year-old British wonder makes you yearn for your first love and your family, your sanity and your best friend. Each song slips into your mind, eases between the ears and into your soul. Before this album, I didn’t know what it meant to melt.

Released in April of this past year, the LP predated Rex’s breakthrough on Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy, released later that summer. From there, his fame skyrocketed. Rex’s ability to string together lyrics alongside the jazz-infused, soulful nature of his music makes his age disappear behind the noise. Songs like “4 Seasons” and “Television/So Far So Good” are both tear-inducing and dance-worthy. Every situation,

be it a family reunion or drawnout cries of “What about me?” hits personally, not contingent on whether you’ve felt the love he sings about. “Untitled” welcomes tears, “Nothing” evokes nostalgia, but the only thing the album truly depends on is what the listener brings to it. The songs are only complete then, narratives fully formed only when his notes hit our ears. — Natalie Zak, Daily Arts Writer

REX ORANGE COUNTY

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Arts

6 — Friday, January 12, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Books that built us: ‘Truth and Beauty’ such, I read Patchett’s glorious ode to female friendship when I was at the tail end of mourning a gruesome friend break-up of my own. Needless to say, it hit close to home. I first discovered “Truth and Beauty” reading Patchett’s published collection of essays titled, “This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage.” The title seeped with sarcasm and promised anything but a romantic fairytale. May relationships crash and burn, I say, as President of the Infamously Single Club. What I got, however, was a series of insightful essays on her career, the individuals that shaped her career (including Lucy) and — my favorite — a piece on her tumultuous relationship with writing itself. To paraphrase: She describes that wonderful idea, the kind that dawns on you at three o’clock in the morning, as a butterfly — free, colorful, alive. The author feeds and nurtures it in her imagination as it flutters above. But, just as the author puts pen to paper to write that damn great idea down, she inadvertently sticks a pin right in the belly of the beautiful butterfly, immortalizing the ephemeral creature in a glass box. That murder, Patchett writes, is just like the task of writing. Brutal, unforgiving, but hopefully still beautiful. Ann Patchett stuck a needle through the heart of the butterfly that told the story of her friendship with Lucy, and it must have really hurt. Lucy lost her jaw to cancer at age nine, an operation that left her with a facial disfigurement that shaped the course of her life. In a life-long search for unfound identity and untapped happiness, Lucy leaned on Ann for the sweet affirmations that stick female friendships together like honey. (Maybe male friends do this too, but on this, I cannot comment. The lack of information that men seem to share with each other continues to baffle.) “Tell me I’m pretty?” Lucy would ask Ann. She told her, and told her everything was going to be fine. But the beauty that Ann saw in her best friend was lost somewhere in the exchange of compliments, never really reaching its destination.

DANIELLE YACOBSON Managing Arts Editor

STX ENTERTAINMENT

‘Molly’s Game’ fantastic, frenetic entertainment IAN HARRIS

Managing Video Editor

If you like Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”), you will like “Molly’s Game,” his directorial debut from a script that he also wrote. If you can’t stand the guy, this movie is definitely not for you. That’s essentially the only question any audience members should ask themselves when deciding whether or not to see this film. Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”) is incredible. Idris Elba (“Thor: Ragnorak”) continues to prove why he’s one of the best working actors today. Kevin Costner (“McFarland, USA”) is kind of annoying. But none of this matters because the script is so Sorkin-esque, filled to the brim with flashbacks, quick cuts, voiceovers and fast-talking people moving at a rapid-fire pace. If you aren’t on board right from the first frame, the movie is going to blow right by you and never look back. Add in a true story component that is based on Molly Bloom’s own memoirs of her insane life, and you have one of the most purely entertaining films of the pre-Oscar season. Those who love “The Social Network” and “The West Wing” will likely find a lot to like here. Sorkin keeps the story moving as fast as physically possible, flying through years of story in what feels like a brief (if, at times, exhausting) two and a half hours. The story follows Molly Bloom, a former Olympic level athlete who slowly finds herself at the center of the

biggest and most elaborate poker game in Los Angeles. Chastain carries the brunt of the film, and if she wasn’t as strong of an actress as she is, it’s likely the sheer amount

“Molly’s Game” Goodrich Quality 16, Rave Cinemas Ann Arbor STX Entertainment of voiceover would collapse the movie under its own weight. But luckily, Chastain is as talented an actor as Sorkin is a writer, and the movie never feels bogged down in exposition, despite its heavy presence in most of the scenes. Michael Cera (“Sausage Party”) is featured prominently in the first half of the film as “Player X,” an amalgam of various real-life celebrities. Cera brings out a side of himself that hasn’t been seen before onscreen: a menacing, insane, evil presence that is legitimately frightening. It certainly seems possible that after “Molly’s Game,” Cera might have a future as a Bond villain. One storyline that not only feels inessential but also detracts from the film as a whole is the relationship between Molly and her father, played by Costner. Costner and his verbally abusive relationship with Molly is a major focus of the first third of the film before falling away almost completely in the second act, only

to reappear completely out of the blue and stop the entire movie in its tracks. Molly’s father, as portrayed in the film, is a psychologist obsessed with Freud and other methods of old-fashioned psychology. He reappears when Molly is at her lowest point in order to psychoanalyze her and explain every single action both she and he have taken in the film. It’s a clear example of something Sorkin has been habitually accused of: mansplaining. It also feels disingenuous to the story being told. It recontextualizes the entire narrative to being about Molly’s father, taking away some of her own agency in the process. The scene in question leaves a bad taste that is quickly washed away when Costner leaves the frame, only to reappear once more, briefly, at the end. However, it still feels like this scene, and this entire storyline, probably wasn’t necessary to tell Molly Bloom’s story. “Molly’s Game” is second only to the HBO series “The Newsroom” in terms of being pure Sorkin. It feels similar to “The Hateful Eight” in that the film is a juiced-up version of the director’s style. For those who will eat up anything Sorkin writes (and now, it appears, directs), this movie is a must-see. For those who find the man and his work to be patronizing and obnoxious, there is nothing here that will change your mind. For the rest, “Molly’s Game” is a thoroughly well-made piece of entertainment, one that tells a truly fascinating story in memorable fashion.

Ramona Collins in blues ALLIE TAYLOR Daily Arts Writer

“I’m old school,” Ramona Collins said with a laugh when describing what’s in store for her show this Saturday night at Kerrytown Concert House. “I know a lot of singers use a set list, but I don’t always know what I want to sing until I get to the room and see what the room is like, what the crowd is like, what the musicians are like.” Collins, a jazz singer born and based out of Toledo, is a veteran of the music scene around the state of Michigan. Throughout her 50-year career, Collins has been a regular performer at well-known clubs and venues around the area — including The Elks, the Dirty Dog Jazz Café, Cliff Bells and Baker’s Keyboard Lounge. These are staples in the greater Detroit area. “Some people think I’m from Detroit,” Collins said. “That gives you an idea of how much I must work there.” In Ann Arbor, Collins was a longtime regular at Bird of Paradise Nightclub — Ann Arbor’s longest standing jazz club — before it closed in 2004. “That’s how I got to know Ann Arbor pretty well and meet a lot of people from here,” Collins said, noting that it was one of her alltime favorite venues over the span of her career. “I loved the Bird of Paradise. I like the way the room was laid out, and the way that I was very close to the people. I like rooms where I’m close to the

people because I don’t always stay on stage — I go out into the audience. I like intimate rooms.” Lucky for Collins, and for her Saturday night audience, the Kerrytown Concert House is quite intimate, holding a maximum of 110 seats. Even the seats in the back row are likely no more than 20 feet away from the performers. This gives Collins an opportunity to connect with the audience in ways that may not be as feasible in a bigger venue. For example, Collins will likely give a “set-up” — a little story or monologue that is done prior to performing — to introduce many of the songs she will sing. “I remember in 1972, I was working somewhere and I remember a singer did a set-up before she went into the song, and I said to myself: ‘Aw man, I gotta learn how to do that.’ I was in my early 20s back then, maybe late teens,” Collins said. “Most people who know that story find it hard to believe I was ever shy, but I was.” Collins began singing professionally when she was just 18 years old, but was exposed to the lifestyle of performing long before. “My mother was a musician and she used to take me to jam sessions in Lansing when I was about 16 years old because I was very, very shy,” said Collins of her childhood. Collins never had a formal music training and is living proof that it takes more than private lessons to be a successful musician. “I was doing this before jazz went to college,” Collins said with a laugh. “I’m not formally trained; I never went to school or anything.

Over time, I acquired some skills and have mentored a lot of young people, and it’s nice that they go to school to get formal training. But I also tell people that you can’t be so formal and so technical that you’re unable to relate to people. When you’re doing a concert, you want people to feel something. Music has the power to make people laugh, cry, sweat; if you’re not able to make people feel anything, then maybe you need to really analyze what’s going on with you. Because that’s the thing about music: you have the power to use a song as a vehicle to reach people. And if you can’t do that, there’s definitely something missing. And they don’t teach that in schools. It’s something you either have or don’t have.” This is Collins’s fourth time performing at Kerrytown Concert House. “I’m looking forward to working with the cats,” said Collins. “I love these musicians. I’ve known Sean (Dobbins, Saturday night’s drummer) since he was 17 years old. I’d always see him at the Bird of Paradise, tapping his stick against the table. It’s funny, because I’m going to do a gig in February, and Sean’s son will be playing the drums. It’s funny how time flies and things change.” For this Saturday’s concert, tickets are 15 dollars for General Admission, 20 dollars for assigned rows 3-5, 30 dollars for assigned rows 1-2 and five dollars for students. Collins will also be performing with Cliff Monear on piano, Kurt Krahnke on bass and Dwight Adams on trumpet.

A bookish girl from a techy town, I stopped reading sometime in the early 2010s. It started when the Borders Bookstore in downtown Palo Alto was replaced by a Blue Bottle and ended when I (incorrectly) concluded that I was destined to go to medical school. This future dermatologist had no time for books, let alone fiction. Unlike the techy tadpoles I’d swum with in high school, Ann Arbor introduced a new cast of characters that said: “Reading is cool!” I remembered that I didn’t disagree. I started to test the waters with the whole “fiction” thing again, but soon realized that watching an episode of “Buffy” before bed was so much easier than reading a chapter of Jonathan Safran Foer’s latest. In May of 2016, I picked up Ann Patchett’s “Truth and Beauty: A Friendship” and proceeded to quickly and irreversibly fall back in love with reading. A meditation on writing, on friendship and on what writing can do to a friendship, Patchett’s first work of non-fiction is gut-wrenching and beautiful, even beautifully gut-wrenching. This book forced me to face a secret that I hid so well, I’d forgotten it myself: That, above all else, I wanted to be a Writer with a capital “W.” “Truth and Beauty” follows the decades-long friendship between Patchett and Lucy Grealy, an accomplished poet and writer of “Autobiography of a Face.” The duo met at Sarah Lawrence, their alma mater, and roomed together in the following years at the prestigious Iowa’s Writers Workshop. In writing and in life, they understood each other perhaps only the way writers could. And, while the book delineates the rocky progression of their respective careers, it’s clear that love of the craft serves merely as the meetcute of their story: Patchett’s insightful and hilarious prose on Lucy, her character and her radiance, reads more like a love letter than anything else. Art has a way of finding us when we’re most susceptible. As

Classifieds

For how often do we see the vibrancy and resilience in our female confidants who can’t internalize it themselves? Following the Workshop, Lucy and Ann wrote letters to each other, some of which Ann includes in “Truth and Beauty.” In their practice of sharing writing — one I now understand to be incredibly intimate — Ann sees Lucy’s train wreck coming, even from the other side of the world. Waging a continuous battle with herself, Lucy soon found her career and personal life joining the armed troops. In one letter, a teardrop stains the paper where Lucy writes to Ann, her depression deepening and loneliness encroaching. Ann, one helpless half of the love affair, could say nothing to remedy. In the narrative of Ann and Lucy’s love story, I was able to delineate elements of my own. We — my Lucy and I — met in high school and became best friends the way young girls can. We knew everything there was to know about each other — what the other had for breakfast, what homework awaited that afternoon, what she’d texted that boy yesterday. One night, we cried about something now insignificant while sitting on our respective beds, 3.62 miles away from each other, phones to our ears. Still, we were together. Ours was the kind of friendship we believed that, as much as anyone can believe anything, would last. We would be at each other’s weddings, our kids would get married, our husbands would die before us and we would finally be able to live together in our old age. And then life got in the way. I read “Truth and Beauty” when it had been almost eight months since my Lucy and I had last spoken. I’d finished my sophomore year of college, found new friends, often skipped breakfast and texted new boys. I suspected that she did, too. In Ann Patchett’s detailed, loving and painful recollection of her friendship with Lucy, I relived my own affair all over again. I inhaled “Truth and Beauty” in a single day. Then I read it again, and thought about how beautiful my long-lost friend is.

Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

RELEASE DATE– Friday, January 12, 2018

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

FOR RENT

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

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35 Third of a kid’s poem trio 36 TV streaming option 37 “Game of Thrones” evilness 41 Wine label info 42 “Hitchhiker’s Guide” beings, for short 43 Many a hieroglyphic insect 44 Claim

45 Semihard Swiss cheese 47 Declaration at a group wedding 50 Target of budget trimming 51 Complete 52 Birch of “American Beauty” 53 Showy bulb 55 Hunted one 58 Ford’s Crown __ 59 Like comets 60 Easy mark

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Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, January 12, 2018 — 7

Offensive analyst departing for NFL job Coon, ‘M’ set for tough WRESTLING

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will need to look for a new offensive analyst in the near future.

MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor

In the latest — and certainly not last — rotation of the Michigan football coaching carousel, Scott Turner has accepted a job as the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers, according to an ESPN FO OTBA LL report. Turner, N OT EB OO K formerly the Wolverines’ senior offensive analyst, leaves Harbaugh’s staff less than a year after he was hired. Word of Turner’s hiring comes just hours after his father and long-time NFL coach, Norv, was named Carolina’s offensive coordinator. Turner will leave the staff after a turbulent season offensively for Michigan. The Wolverines ranked 86th nationally in points per game, their lowest such ranking since the 2008-09 season. The trio of quarterbacks — redshirt junior Wilton Speight, fifth-year senior John O’Korn and redshirt freshman Brandon Peters — combined to throw for more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9), while completing just 53 percent of their passes.

Turner, who started his career with the Panthers in 2011, will head back to Carolina already having a plethora of NFL experience under his belt. Before coming to Michigan, he spent three seasons working with Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota. Turner also spent a season working as a wide receivers coach with the Cleveland Browns. While his position title of “senior offensive analyst” may not require a “like-for-like” replacement, Turner’s departure only adds to the list of coaching vacancies Harbaugh will likely fill in the coming weeks. Coaching contracts finalized While Turner and others leave, the incoming staff is starting to formally take shape. Nearly a month after moving on from strength and conditioning coach Kevin Tolbert, Michigan finalized an agreement with former Arkansas coach Ben Herbert to the same position. Herbert spent the last five seasons on staff with the Razorbacks, and previously spent 11 seasons with Wisconsin. The move comes just weeks after Harbaugh called for Michigan to “get stronger” going into next season.

“We need to do that,” Harbaugh said after his team’s bowl loss to South Carolina. “We need improvement. We need to get stronger. Need to get better.” Harbaugh’s emphasis on strength and conditioning possibly stems from the fact that the Wolverines scored zero points in the fourth quarter of their final three games, all losses. On the defensive side, Al Washington finalized a twoyear deal to become Michigan’s linebackers and special teams coach. Washington will come to Ann Arbor from Cincinnati, where he served as a defensive line coach for one season. And offensively, Dan Enos — hired last week without offering a specific title — will coach the wide receivers, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. Enos will make $150,000 his first year on staff, with a $50,000 increase each year after that, the report says. Michigan did not have a coach on staff delegated as the “wide receivers coach” last season, though Pep Hamilton largely assumed that role under his title of “passing game coordinator.” Hamilton — according to a tweet from Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports

— may be under consideration for a position in Jon Gruden’s staff with the Oakland Raiders. That enough rumors and semantics for you? Because of the Wolverines’ disappointing 8-5 finish — and the nature of their struggles — this is an offseason fraught with staff turnover and widespread change. Buckle up. It’s only January. Vegas odds and early rankings released In an annual tradition of turning attention to the next season immediately after the previous, Las Vegas released its odds to win the 2018-19 national championship. Perhaps to the surprise of some who watched Michigan scuffle to an 8-5 record, the Wolverines opened as 10-1 odds to win the title. Michigan trails just reigning national champion, Alabama (3-1), runner-up, Georgia (9-2), Clemson (6-1) and Ohio State (8-1). Those four teams combined for a 50-7 record this season. The heaping expectations for next season are largely contingient upon the eligibility of transfer quarterback Shea Patterson, who was the topranked quarterback in the 2016 recruiting class. AthalonSports.com ranked the Wolverines seventh in their “Way-too-early top 25,” citing an intriguing returning defense and the potential growth of the receiving corps. “After a rebuilding year in 2017, the Wolverines are poised for a rebound back into the top 10 in 2018,” Athlon writes. “Don Brown’s defense should rank among the best in the nation once again. This unit is slated to return nearly intact, but tackle Maurice Hurst and linebacker Mike McCray depart to the NFL. Linebacker Devin Bush and end Rashan Gary should push for AllAmerican honors, with Khaleke Hudson (LB) and cornerback Lavert Hill returning as key contributors.”

task against Penn State JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer

This Friday, the Michigan wrestling team will seek to dethrone one of the greatest programs in collegiate wrestling and the nation’s top-ranked team: Penn State (1-0 Big Ten, 5-0 overall). Emotions will be high in what is sure to be a packed Crisler Center as the eighth-ranked Wolverines (2-0, 5-2) attempt to cement themselves as a title contender. After a shaky start to the season with a 27-9 loss to Lehigh, Michigan has righted the ship, racking up one impressive win after another. Two of those wins were complete shutouts, as the Wolverines blanked Oregon State and Indiana in back-to-back matches. These statement wins only add to the excitement that comes with facing a top program. Michigan has proven it has the chops to dominate lesser teams, but can it come up big against elite competition? Friday night’s event against the Nittany Lions will surely answer that question, with a slew of big-ticket matchups set to unfold. Highly-ranked wrestlers in nearly every weight class will face off, as matches in the 157, 165, 174, 184, 197-pound and heavyweight weight classes will feature a ranked wrestler from either team — including five matches between All-Americans. This will undoubtedly be the toughest lineup Michigan has seen thus far, as Penn State has five returning NCAA champions. This season, these wrestlers all remain ranked in the top-two in their respective weight class. “We’re just gonna have to wrestle tough,” said fifth-year senior Adam Coon. “There’s gonna be a lot of hard-nosed

matches out there, so we just have to go out there and put everything on the mat. It’s gonna be a fun dual.” To add to the big-match feel, this will be the first time that any of these wrestlers will compete in the Crisler Center. “I’m excited,” Coon said. “I know a lot of the guys are excited because it’s the first time — in at least five years because in five years, we’ve never wrestled in Crisler.” Something else these Wolverines have not seen is a win against Penn State. Michigan has come up short the last six times it has faced the Nittany Lions. Its last win against Penn State came before any of the current wrestlers were on the roster. In preparation for this titanic showdown, the Wolverines have been hard at work and are now finishing up a week-long taper to assure the wrestlers are fresh for the event. “We are always making adjustments as we go along,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “We are constantly evaluating team aspects, individuals and what the individual guys need — now we’re cutting back and making sure our guys go out there with a lot of zip.” Michigan will need all the energy and effort it can get as Friday’s match will feature the highest-ranked wrestling matchup on the Ann Arbor campus since 2010. “For all the guys, it’s gonna be seven minutes with nothing but a great effort,” McFarland said. “You’ll see a lot of action, hopefully you’ll see a lot points getting put up on the board from both teams which makes for exciting individual matches. Give it a try, if you’ve never seen a collegiate wrestling match before, we’re gonna have a great crowd.”

With stingy defense, Michigan looking for more goals against Minnesota The Wolverines have struggled to convert shots into goals over the past five games, a stretch that has seen them go 1-4 BENJAMIN KATZ Daily Sports Writer

Michigan coach Mel Pearson described his hockey team’s last two games against thenNo. 2 Notre Dame as two of its best. With a renewed energy on defense and a highly-effective — and newly-appointed — starting goaltender in sophomore Hayden Lavigne, the Wolverines (3-7-2-1 Big Ten, 8-10-2 overall) look to leverage these strengths the remainder of the season and catapult into the NCAA Tournament hunt. Last weekend in its homeand-home series against the Fighting Irish, Michigan — its team offense currently ranked second in the Big Ten and 13th in the country — peppered the nation’s third-best defense with 70 total shots. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, only two of those shots found the back of the net, leading to a pair of 2-1 losses. Just as some facets are starting to click, a major — and vitally important — piece to the equation has slowly declined: goal-scoring. Despite success in some areas, Michigan is focused on reviving its offense and picking up much-needed conference wins this weekend at Minnesota (4-71-1, 13-10-1). To get back in the win column — with only one win in the last five contests — goalscoring and the effectiveness of special teams will be keys to victory, according to Pearson. “We have to compete, first and foremost,” Pearson said. “We have to play smart and execute our game plan. I thought we did that against Notre Dame, but we didn’t

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach Mel Pearson thought his team played smart and executed its game plan against Notre Dame, even if it didn’t score enough goals.

score. One area we also have to get better at is our special teams. “But we’re doing a lot of really good things, too. We have to make sure that we continue to do the things we’re doing well and continue to get better at those. But there are one or two areas of our game that we have to clean up and that’ll help us. That’ll take us from being in a tight game and losing to being in a tight game and winning.” Pearson described senior forward Tony Calderone, junior forward Cooper Marody

“We have to play smart and execute our game plan.”

and freshman forward Josh Norris as “natural scorers.” But he noted other players don’t possess that innate ability. Instead, they need to be molded into scorers — from secondary contributors to score sheet stuffers. The coaching staff stressed scoring techniques during practice, working with individual skaters on releasing the puck faster and changing the puck’s angle when shooting. Fine-tuning these skills will help combat a Minnesota defense that allows a stingy 2.38 goals per game, thirdlowest in the conference. Michigan’s special teams are also struggling, with both the power play and penalty kill units falling f lat against the Fighting Irish. The Wolverines mustered

just five shots and no goals on four power plays and gave up two quality Notre Dame shorthanded chances. The penalty kill also sputtered, allowing both goals Friday and the game-winner Sunday. Thus, special team drills and breakouts from the defensive zone were emphasized during Wednesday’s practice at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, the Olympic-size rink used this week to match the dimensions of Minnesota’s rink. When the two teams squared off in November in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines won the weekend series over the thenfourth-ranked Golden Gophers in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion. After trailing by three and four goals in successive games, they rallied to a 5-4 overtime victory and a 6-6 tie

the next night. While Michigan ref lects on its accomplishments during the first series between the teams, it’s also conscious of the different circumstances this time around. Both teams have evolved into different identities more than halfway through the season, and Minnesota now has the home-ice advantage. “I expect different games,” Pearson said. “I don’t think they’ll be as high-scoring as we saw earlier in the year. I think both teams have gotten much better defensively and have

much better goaltending. “We have a road mentality now. You have to make sure you play disciplined, you take advantage of the chances you get, you don’t give them many chances. … I think if we can do those things, we’ll have success over the weekend.” The positives of late — including limiting turnovers in the neutral zone, squashing opponent’s scoring opportunities and elite netminding — helped the Wolverines play high-caliber hockey against one of the nation’s best in the Fighting Irish. But to get over what Pearson referred to as “the hump” and win upcoming games against formidable Big Ten opponents, the scoring and special teams will need to be improved — starting this weekend in Minneapolis. And the players are optimistic they can do just that. “We need to keep doing what we’re doing,” Norris said. “I know we’ve fallen short a couple times, but Coach always says it’s not about the results but about the process, so I think as long as we listen to what they’re saying and implementing what they want us to do, we’ll be fine. We have to bring our character and our work ethic to Minnesota.” Added freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes: “The Big Ten is obviously a really good league and that anyone can beat anyone on any given night. We’re very confident in our game right now, so we know that any night when we play our ‘A’ game, we can beat anyone. “Two big games at Minnesota, hopefully we can sweep.”

“We need to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Sports

8 — Friday, January 12, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Beilein: ‘M’ rebounding getting better

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Michigan hits the road ETHAN SEARS

Daily Sports Writer

EVAN AARON/Daily

Junior center Moritz Wagner has been a key part of his team’s improved rebounding, averaging a team-best 7.1 boards per game this season.

MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor

Even while riding a six-game winning streak, John Beilein began his press conference with a sentiment of trepidation. “If one team is gonna beat us (with offensive rebounding), it’s this team,” the Michigan men’s basketball coach said last Friday before the Wolverines’ matchup against Illinois. “They’re really strong, and that’s part of their offense.” That fear was justifiable — the Fighting Illini frontcourt is built on size and an eagerness to crash the boards, averaging a conference-high 12.1 offensive rebounds per game. But last Saturday, the Wolverines beat Illinois, partially because of their ability to compete on the glass. The Fighting Illini won the overall rebounding battle, 31-27, and grabbed 10 offensive boards. Yet, those numbers demonstrate improvement in an area that looked like one of Michigan’s Achilles’ heels at the beginning of

the year. With the losses of Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin and D.J. Wilson, the Wolverines returned just 40 percent of their rebounding from a season ago. That showed in a November exhibition, when the Wolverines allowed 15 offensive boards to Grand Valley State — a team whose tallest starter is just six-foot-eight. “We can’t let a team, I don’t care who they are, get 15 offensive rebounds,” said redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews afterwards. “That could be potentially dangerous. We’ll correct.” They’ve done just that, transforming into one of the country’s best on the boards statistically, rebounding at a rate of 78.4 percent that is good for tenth nationally, according to teamrankings.com. Last season — even with a point guard in Walton who was frequently recognized for his nose for the ball — the Wolverines finished 224nd in the category with a rebounding percentage rate of 71.9. “We’ve had some guys become

so good at boxing out, but for whatever reasons we’ve been better,” Beilein said Monday. “We’ve had some guys stand around and could never do it. We’ve got some guys who are really good at getting in front and getting the ball.” Michigan showed flashes of improvement Tuesday in a onepoint loss to Purdue. Despite facing two centers over seven feet tall in Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms, the Wolverines won the rebounding margin, 34-29, and held the Boilermakers to a belowaverage effort on the offensive boards. Still, there were moments Tuesday when Michigan was far from flawless on the glass. After guard Grady Eifert cleaned up another teammate’s miss with around seven minutes left in the first half, he found guard Dakota Mathias for an open corner-3. The shot bounced off the rim and just over the fingertips of fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson, allowing Eifert to earn his second offensive rebound of the possession. Two passes later,

Mathias took advantage and hit the same shot he missed seconds before. Saturday, the Wolverines will need to avoid those plays facing a Michigan State team with a dominant frontcourt. The fourth-ranked Spartans boast the country’s second-highest offensive rebounding rate of 39.4 percent. And despite a loss to Ohio State and lackluster effort against Rutgers this week, Michigan State has the talent to soundly defeat Michigan. Forward Miles Bridges and center Jaren Jackson Jr. are expected to be among the top picks in this summer’s NBA draft. Cleaning up on the boards will be paramount to the Wolverines’ chances of challenging a strong frontcourt and nationally-ranked opponent for the second time this week. “Playing teams like Purdue and Michigan State, it’s tough rebounding offensively and defensively,” said senior guard Muhammed-Ali Abdur-Rahkman on Saturday. “So we’ve got to stick to our game plan: box out and want the ball.”

Besides the victory itself, perhaps the only positive to come out of the Michigan women’s basketball team’s win over Indiana on Wednesday night was its rebounding. No matter how poor the Wolverines’ defense got during their 84-79 win, Michigan was buoyed by a 38-18 margin on the glass, pulling down as many offensive rebounds as the Hoosiers did defensive rebounds. The No. 23 Wolverines (3-2 Big Ten, 14-4 overall) should win on the offensive boards again Saturday, as they head to Lincoln to face Nebraska (3-1, 12-5). Despite strong numbers on the offensive glass, the Cornhuskers have just a 68.1 percent defensive rebounding rate, ranking 165th in the country, per HerHoopStats. That could be a recipe for disaster against Michigan — a team that loves to crash the offensive glass, reaching the double-digit mark in each of its last eight games. “We were exploding to the ball really well,” said junior shooting guard Nicole Munger after Wednesday’s game. “For the majority of the time, the people that were in the triangle did a great job of chasing after boards.” Michigan should also have an easy enough time scoring against the Cornhuskers. Nebraska gives up a middling 64.8 points per game on defense and could struggle to contain senior guard Katelynn Flaherty. Though Flaherty has struggled from beyond the arc of late, she has managed to put up over 20 points in eight straight. Already the leading scorer for the Michigan women’s program, Flaherty is just 11 points away from passing Glen Rice to become the school’s alltime leader. Having hit that mark in all but one game this season, doing so shouldn’t require heavy lifting on Saturday. However, teams have started to chip away at Flaherty’s efficiency

of late by face-guarding her. There isn’t much reason to believe the Cornhuskers won’t become the latest to do so, but at the same time, Flaherty is starting to find better looks when teams pull that hat out of their bags. “I don’t really think she takes very many bad shots anymore,” said coach Kim Barnes Arico, “and I think she sees the floor and has become a better and better passer.” The next step will be regaining her stroke from beyond the arc. Since hitting 10 three-pointers against Penn State, Flaherty is seven of her last 33 from outside. If that turns around, the Wolverines should win easily. Defense will be the question for Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines have coughed up over 70 points in three of their last four — as many times as they did over the season’s first 14 games. Nebraska’s offense has carried the team in its last three games, all road victories. Its scoring is distributed fairly evenly, with four players averaging double-digits. However, Hannah Whitish and Taylor Kissinger, both guards, could be issues for Michigan. The two are shooting 38.9 and 38.7 percent from three, respectively. Save for an abysmal 61.3 free throw percentage, the Cornhuskers are a potent offense. Their 49.2 effective field goal percentage is in the 80th percentile nationally, their 71.1 points per game in the 74th. The Wolverines will be on a relatively short turnaround, playing their third game in a week. With a trip to Columbus looming on Tuesday, however, a loss would be a tough pill for Michigan to swallow. The Wolverines dropped a home game to No. 10 Ohio State on Sunday and a win will be tough to come by when they face the Buckeyes again. A Saturday loss could be the precursor to losing three of four early in Big Ten play, an alarming prospect for a team trying to cement itself in the NCAA Tournament field.

Behind Enemy Lines: Michigan State’s sophomore wing Miles Bridges disappointing results, why do you think this team deserves a topfive ranking in the polls? MB: We got a lot of returning pieces. We’ve got four starters, we have people that could have started last year returning from injury and we have great freshmen coming in. That’s why you come to Michigan State, to live out those expectations. Coach says we’ll play anybody. We play for that ‘Spartans’ on our chest. TMD: Last year, you had guys like Carmelo Anthony and John Wall come to a Michigan State

game. How does it feel to have those type of guys coming to watch you play? MB: That’s two of my favorite players, so hopefully they can come to another game when we play better. It’s crazy. I used to talk to John Wall a little bit when I was getting recruited by Kentucky. He never told me to go to Kentucky, but he was just telling me how much he liked me as a player. TTMD: How different should we expect your game to look this year?

“It’s gonna be a great game between these teams.”

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Michigan State forward Miles Bridges (left) is his team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.5 points per game.

ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Editor

“New year, new me” is as applicable to you as it is to the Michigan State men’s basketball team. In the 2016-17 season, the Spartans began the year ranked at No. 12, eventually sliding to become a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and ducking out in the first weekend with a loss to Kansas. Against its in-state rival, Michigan State defended home court against Michigan, and then got blown out by 29 the next week in Ann Arbor. But in 2017-18, the fourthranked Spartans (4-1 Big Ten, 16-2 overall) are facing outsized expectations. Beating Michigan (3-2, 14-4) after last year’s defeat will only strengthen an already resolute claim. Featuring one of the most talented lineups in the country, Michigan State has it all to be a national title contender: size, speed and shooting. The Spartans’ frontcourt — anchored by standout forwards Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. — leads the country in blocks. Guard Cassius Winston leads the Big Ten in assists. And star guard Miles Bridges, perhaps the most athletically gifted player in the

nation, does just about everything on the court — he averages 16.5 points, 7.5 boards and 3.1 assists on a roster with no shortage of firepower. Before this past week, Michigan State had won 14 consecutive games, taking the nation’s top ranking in the process. But then the Spartans, who had averaged 104 points per game in the prior five-game stretch, suddenly went cold. First they lost to Ohio State on the road by 16. Then they nearly lost to perennial conference doormat Rutgers at home, eking out a 76-72 overtime win Wednesday night. Bridges has struggled over the past two games. He has shot 10-of-29 from the field. As Bridges goes, so does Michigan State’s offense — which means this only adds to the notion that he is their most important player. The Daily sat down with Bridges at Big Ten Media Day in October to talk about his surprising decision to forego the NBA draft, his expectations for himself and Michigan State this season and more. The Michigan Daily: Your return was unexpected to just about everybody on the outside.

What factors drove that decision? Miles Bridges: I knew we had a good team coming back, we had a lot of returning players. I feel like I didn’t live out my college experience like I wanted to, so me coming back is about spending time with my teammates, and hopefully making it far in the tournament. My mom, she wanted me to go, but it was my decision and she supported me at the end of the day. That’s why I say Michigan State is brotherhood. They were gonna support me no matter what I did, if I left or if I stayed, and that’s why I love Michigan State. TMD: If Michigan State doesn’t get to that stage of the tournament, is there any point of regret from that decision? MB: I won’t have any regrets, everything happens for a reason. When it’s my time to go to the NBA, I’ll know it’s my time. TMD: How different is life from only a year ago? MB: I’m more comfortable. I’m more well-known now — the whole team is. Even with my team I have a lot of chemistry with them. And class is different, too, because even the teachers know me. TMD: Given last season’s

MB: I’m going to be a lot more versatile. If I have mismatch in the post, I’ll be able to post up. Mismatch outside, I’ll be able to use my guard skills. My conditioning is a lot better, I’ve slimmed down a lot. I’m down to 225 (pounds) now. I do a lot things better now. I rebound, I pass better, I shoot better. Going to the ‘3’ spot on the wing is a great transition for me. TMD: Michigan State split the rivalry with Michigan last year, but the last loss was quite lopsided. Is there an added intensity to that game this year? MB: We’re definitely gonna play with a chip on our shoulder. I wish we would’ve played them at their place again this year. We only have them at Breslin. It’s gonna be a great game between these teams.