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Friday, March 16, 2018

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

Michigan sleepwalks to 61-47 win over Montana MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily

Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis and LSA freshman Morgan McCaul discuss the power of victim impact statements in Larry Nassar’s prosecution at Hutchins Hall Thursday.

In Nassar’s wake, prosecutor and survivor see shift in assault cases

Morgan McCaul, Assistant AG Angela Povilaitis discuss effect of victim impact statements ABBY TAKAS

Daily Staff Reporter

Despite daunting barriers to reporting, nearly 300 survivors have come forward with stories of the assault they suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar, former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor. Angela Povilaitis, assistant attorney general of Michigan, served as an advocate for many of these women over the course of a week during Nassar’s

January sentencing trial in Ingham County Court. Thursday afternoon, Povilatis — accompanied by LSA freshman and survivor Morgan McCaul — spoke at the University of Michigan Law School on the use of victim impact statements during the Nassar trials. Povilaitis explained victim impact statements are not simply powerful for the survivors, but have transformed the way perpetrators of sexual assault are being prosecuted. Originally, 90 women were scheduled to give victim impact statements during Nassar’s

sentencing. However, as the momentum and support for survivors grew, more women reached out to Povilaitis, asking to tell their stories of abuse. 156 women in total gave their statements for Nassar — and the world — to hear. Povilaitis highlighted how unique this case was considering its length, breadth, the nature of the crime and the number of victims who spoke and came forward –– about 260 to 300 survivors in total. “(Sexual assault cases) are the most difficult cases to prosecute,

there’s an inherent skepticism, there’s societal victim blaming, there’s various myths about how rape and sexual assault victims are supposed to act and behave and disclose,” Povilaitis said. “This sentencing hearing will shift that.” She went on to explain she could have brought charges for all 250 survivors at the time. However, she chose to only bring charges for 10, as it would not only be difficult and prolonged to evaluate 250 individual cases, but also unnecessary with Nassar’s See IMPACT, Page 3

WICHITA, Kan. — Michigan and Montana stood around, waiting for action to restart. There was a shot clock malfunction with just under 17 minutes to play in the second half, and it took an extraordinarily long amount of time to get it working again. When the shot clock did start ticking properly again, the game paused again moments later for the under-16 media timeout. The pauses, coupled with sloppy play all around, were enough to make the game feel tired. In the end, it didn’t matter for the Wolverines (13-5 Big Ten, 29-7 overall). They sleepwalked their way to a 61-47 win to earn a matchup against sixth-seeded Houston on Saturday. Things couldn’t have started much worse for Michigan. In the first few seconds, senior guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman got called for a foul before junior forward Moritz Wagner turned it over. Over the next few minutes, sophomore guard Zavier Simpson picked up two fouls and was relegated to the bench, while the Wolverines turned it over again. Oh, and they didn’t score a point. Even still, fifth-year senior guard Jaaron Simmons — who filled in when Simpson came out — and redshirt sophomore wing Charles Matthews did just enough to give Michigan a threepoint lead at the halftime break. The grogginess of the whole game showed through on the court for the Wolverines. The fire and swagger they

normally possess — and had possessed over the final stretch of their season as they won nine consecutive games — was almost completely absent. Wagner, the team’s leading scorer, had just 5 points all game. Simpson didn’t have the same dynamic control of the offense he’s shown down the stretch of the season, scoring just 5 points while turning it over a couple times in transition. If Montana had mounted any sort of offensive threat at all, Michigan might have been in trouble. But the Grizzlies were even more useless with the ball in their hands. They shot 33 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 11 times themselves. During the stretch when the clock broke and nobody seemed to know how to fix it, Montana was in the stretch of a scoring drought that nearly reached ten minutes before Ahmaad Rorie’s 3-pointer with 9:30 left. Beyond the contributions of Michael Oguine and Rorie, the Grizzlies’ two leading scorers, the rest of the team combined for 14 total points. At the end of the game, the clocks mercifully crawled toward zero. What remained of the 14,000 people who once filled the stands aimlessly meandered their way out of the arena. Some of them will come back Saturday to see the Wolverines take on the Cougars in the second round. It might be tough for them to remember exactly how Michigan got there, because for parts of Thursday night’s game, both literally and figuratively, it seemed like time was standing still.

Commuter students call for increased Gun safety A day in the discussed resources, accessibility on campus life: Tlaib,

ANN ARBOR

CAMPUS LIFE

at Pioneer town panel

With no data on commuters, students request further research, education efforts

Washtenaw high school students talk Parkland shooting, activism efforts

When LSA freshman Shelby Alston received a full scholarship to the University of Michigan, she began to consider how she might factor housing into her life at the University. Hailing from Royal Oak and Alston was working a job in Auburn Hills, she didn’t want to sacrifice her job to come to Ann Arbor. Alston decided commuting from home would be the best way to ensure she would be able to keep doing the work she loves. Each weekday, Alston makes the 90-minute commute to campus, the first hour driving her own personal vehicle and — after parking at the Plymouth Road Park & Ride Lot — the last 30 minutes riding the public bus. While the lengthy commute can often be an inconvenience, Alston explained, it’s the refund check she receives from a part of the University’s original room and board cost that allows her to pay her travel expenses. “If I don’t use the money for room and board, they give a portion of it back to me in a refund check, which I use for gas,” Alston said. “It worked out really well.” According to the Office of Financial Aid, the estimated on-campus room and board cost for in-state freshmen and sophomores is $11,198. University spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen wrote in an email interview benefits and resources like Alston’s commuter allowance

ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter

Following Wednesday’s gun safety rally and walkout hosted by the Washtenaw Youth Initiative, members of the Washtenaw County community gathered Thursday night to discuss what more can be done in the fight for gun control. Jeanice Kerr Swift, superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools, introduced the event, acknowledging and applauding the activist work of students in the area. “We respect the First Amendment rights of our students in Ann Arbor schools, and I am so impressed with their knowledge, with their conviction, with their ability to critically think and to articulate what their generation is feeling right now in our public schools,” Swift said. Swift also apologized on behalf of adult community members on their inability to effectively prevent the shootings taking place in schools across the country. “I feel very sorry that as adults, we have not been able to solve the problem of safety in our schools,” Swift said. “I know that many See SAFETY, Page 2

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plays a large role in reducing financial strains for students who choose to commute to campus. “Students who commute will reduce room and board costs significantly,” Broekhuizen wrote. “The allowance for commuting students is $4,814 for the academic year to acknowledge ongoing family household expenses (food, utilities, etc.) and transportation costs.” Though Alston has enjoyed the advantages of being a commuter student — financial advantages along with the ability to use the public bus system for free as a

student of the University — she said easier access to parking near University buildings would be most helpful in ensuring accessibility for students who choose to commute and save their financial aid for other expenses. “Sometimes I feel as though it’s kind of a community that’s not thought of as much,” Alston said. “We’re not really accommodated for, which is understandable — there’s such a small percentage of students who commute. I think it would be tremendously beneficial for the school to offer on-campus parking.”

According to Broekhuizen, the University currently does not keep track of data on the commuter student population, the number of students that commute or the reasons they decide to commute. This lack of data is what some commuter students believe could serve as a pipeline to creating better resources for their commutes. Business sophomore Subhan Chaudry lived on campus his freshman year, but later decided to commute from home, about See COMMUTER, Page 3

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INDEX

former MI State Rep.

24 hours with Rashida Tlaib, running to be first Muslim Congresswoman MAEVE O’BRIEN Daily Staff Reporter

Former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib has been first in many arenas over her lifetime. She was the first of 14 children, born and raised in Detroit by her Palestinian immigrant parents. After attending law school on the weekends while working during the week, Tlaib became the first Muslim woman elected to the Michigan legislature. She served as a state representative for six years and then worked as a public interest lawyer at the nonprofit Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice for the following three years. Now, Tlaib is onto her next first: the first Muslim woman elected to Congress. In early February, Tlaib announced she was running for Congress, vying for the seat vacated by former Rep. John Conyers Jr., who resigned in December. “It is something that is inspiring to many people – even if you’re not Muslim – to know that a girl like me who grew up poor in south Detroit, who didn’t speak English when I started school, See TLAIB, Page 3

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

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

News

2— Friday, March 16, 2018

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY: By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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FRIDAY: Behind the Story

BE HIND THE STORY Every Friday, one Daily news staffer will give a behind the scenes look at one of this week’s stories. This week, Business freshman Shannon Ors, with LSA freshman Elizabeth Lawrence, wrote a series on the issues facing undocumented students. “I worked on the three-part series with Elizabeth Lawrence where we chronicled the current situation with undocumented students both here on campus and nationally. We looked at their status, their security on campus, and their outlook for the future. I think one of the most interesting things I took away from reporting on DACA students was the conversations I had with some students on campus who had DACA status and just the challenges that they have to consider when they are graduating from the University go beyond securing a job. It is the challenge of if an employer will even accept their DACA status, and the past four years they have worked toward getting a degree, will that even be able to be used in the United States? And that fear is something that students who are citizens do not have to worry about, so that was a really humbling experience and also a super important thing that the student body should know about.” Business freshman Shannon Ors, “Facing graduation, undocumented students enter uncharted territory”

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So don’t you dare exchange our learning for your lobbyists, our safety for your semi-automatics, our dreams for donations... because pissed off teenagers that are so alive, and so in love with living, will not let you reduce use to thoughts and prayers –– to another statistic. Because we will be the tsunami that carries you out of office for good.“ Washtenaw International High School sophomore Elizabeth Blackwell, “An Open Letter to my Congressman”

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ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY and ASHLEY ZHANG

what policies they want to change. Pioneer junior Sarah Lewis described her alarm after hearing the news of the Parkland, Fla. shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. She immediately thought of friends she had in the south Florida area, and said she saw posts on Instagram honoring the Parkland victims even before the names had been officially announced. She urged the audience to think about the effect gun violence has on them, even if they haven’t been personally involved in a shooting. “I have friends who are hurting, and I am hurting along with them,” Lewis said. “I don’t say this for condolences because I never personally knew the victims myself. I say it to remind you all that this is not so far away. There aren’t so many degrees

of separation. This could have easily been our reality.” University of Michigan students and faculty members have had similar reactions of you feel the same way. It’s of shock and alarm to the regretful that this problem Parkland shooting, prompting continues to worsen and that them to think even more about we’ve allowed that to continue.” shooter preparedness and The event hosted at Pioneer prevention. Campus members High School involved a panel have previously called for of student activists spanning improvements to the emergency different parts of Washtenaw alert program and harsher gun County. Pioneer had the most control legislation. student representatives, but Skyline senior Liam Keating students from Lincoln and echoed the University’s Skyline High Schools were sentiments for reform. He said present as well. All were Washtenaw Youth Initiative’s members of the Washtenaw two largest policy proposals are Youth Initiative, a student-based banning assault-style weapons organization aiming to create and raising the minimum gun law reform. Throughout age for gun purchases to 21. theSyndication town hall, the students He emphasized his belief Sudoku tackled topics such as the Second these demands should be Amendment, voter apathy and comparatively bipartisan in the grand scheme of the gun control debate. “These are supported by huge majorities,” Keating said. “So I want you to HARD understand that this is a pretty moderate position. We’re not trying to push the nation where it doesn’t want to go. Considering these majorities and considering that our nation is a democracy, it seems unthinkable that these policies aren’t in place.” Pioneer junior Clara NúñezRegueiro credited activist movements from the past for the widespread support and passion surrounding the current student gun control movement. She specifically noted the 1960s civil rights movement, Chicano student walkouts, die-ins during the AIDS crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement and their struggles and abilities to establish a base of activism to build upon. © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. SHAMROCK ME. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com “We’re really here due to the efforts of all these people,” Núñez-Regueiro

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said. “As students, parents and MIKE PERSAK and ORION SANG educators, it means a lot that Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com you’re here to continue that Senior Sports Editors: Laney Byler, Mark Calcagno, Robert Hefter, Max legacy.” Marcovitch, Paige Voeffray, Ethan Wolfe As of last year, the Assistant Sports Editors: Aria Gerson, Ben Katz, Tien Le, Anna Marcus, Ethan Sears, Jacob Shames University’s Counseling and Psychological Services DANIELLE YACOBSON and MADELEINE GAUDIN reported the University’s Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com student-to-counselor ratio sits Senior Arts Editors: Becky Portman, Sam Rosenberg, Arya Naidu, Dominic Polsinelli at about 1,200-to-1. Lincoln Arts Beat Editors: Danielle Yacobson, Danny Hensel, Erika Shevchek, Matt senior Max McNally sees Gallatin, Naresh Iyengar similar disparities reflected in his high school and brought ROSEANNE CHAO and CASEY TIN Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com mental health issues into the gun control conversation, ALEXIS RANKIN and KATELYN MULCAHY mentioning the extremely low Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com social worker-to-student ratio Senior Photo Editors: Amelia Cacchione, Emma Richter, Evan Aaron Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Sam Mousigian, Aaron Baker, Ryan at Lincoln. McLoughlin, Alec Cohen “My school has about 1,200 students and we have three BRIAN KUANG social workers in the school,” Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com McNally said. “That’s not okay Deputy Editors: Colin Beresford, Jennifer Meer, Rebecca Tarnopol for that school or for any school http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ FINN STORER and ELISE LAARMAN in general. We’ve seen too Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com many suicides in recent years Senior Copy Editors: Emily Stillman and Allie Bopp and there’s no clear, equitable BOB LESSER and JORDAN WOLFF access to services to tackle Managing Online Editors lesserrc@michigandaily.com Senior Web Developers: Patricia Huang, Abna Panda, Hassaan Ali Wattoo, mental health issues.” Rebecca Tung Pioneer junior Seraphina Botero said she attended the IAN HARRIS Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com event because of her passion for Senior Video Editors: Abe Lofy, Robby Weinbaum, Jillian Drzinski, Danielle Kim the movement and her belief in the panelists’ platform. She said JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG she thought the community Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com aspect of the event was vital Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Lorna Brown, Zainab Bhindarwala, to the movement, especially in Christian Paneda, Nisa Khan, Na’kia Channey Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Angelo McKoy, Kareem Shunnar, Maya discounting misconceptions Mokh, Priya Judge, Efe Osagie other people may have. “I think it’s important ANNA HARITOS and KAYLA WATERMAN Managing Social Media Editors because I knew that there were some misconceptions that kids in the Washtenaw Youth Initiative were being controlled by the CLAIRE BUTZ EMILY RICHNER administration or the face Business Development Manager Sales Manager of a campaign that is piloted JULIA SELSKY DEANA ZHU and JEFFREY ZHANG Local Accounts Manager Marketing Managers by adults,” Botero said. “But by actually having a formal SANJANA PANDIT CAROLINE GOLD Production Manager Media Consulting Manager dialogue with members of the community, we’re enabling us to open up and not only accept help, but The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available answer questions.”

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James B. Angell Scholars for 7+ Terms 95th Annual Honors Convocation | Sunday, March 18, 2018 honors.umich.edu

The following students will be among those recognized during the Honors Convocation program on Sunday, March 18, 2018. These individuals have demonstrated the highest level of undergraduate academic success by achieving seven or more consecutive terms of all A’s (A+, A, or A-) while taking a minimum of 14 credit hours, including at least 12 graded (A-E) credits, and earning the designation of Angell Scholar. The University of Michigan congratulates these students on their superior scholastic achievement and wishes them continued success.

TEN TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS Paul Andrew Giessner *

School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Kayla Cerise Mathes Maxwell Robert Morrison

School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Mark Paul Adams * Vivian Joy Anderson * Megan Elizabeth Cansfield * Jennie Journeaux DeBlanc * Madeline Lee Endres Rylie Anne Haupt * Brooke Donna Huisman * Zachary Aaron Kirkpatrick * Kevin William Landwehr * Bennett Andrew Magy * Karl Marco *

Stephen M. Ross School of Business School of Music, Theatre & Dance College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Nursing College of Engineering School of Nursing College of Business, Dearborn College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Engineering

NINE TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS Timothy Mark Peterson *

School of Music, Theatre & Dance

EIGHT TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS Janice E. McCoy Anna Justine Munaco * Christopher James Nichols * Tsukumo Niwa * Dean Joseph Robinson Daniel Matija Schwartzberg * Sarah D. Taipalus Austin Edwin Waara * Claire Lillie Yerman Kevin Pan Zhu *

College of Arts & Sciences, Flint College of Engineering School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Education & Human Services, Flint School of Kinesiology Stephen M. Ross School of Business College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

SEVEN TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS Casey Thomas Aman * Jacob Ronald Anderson * Kate Arnson * Kristin A. Ball Jason Bittker Sheila Chan * Hannah Beryl Clague Daniel P. Conrad Ariana Rose Corbin Sean M. Croskey Lisa I-Min Doong * Teagan Lianna Faran Daniel Jonah Fendrick * Colleen Marie Gaffney Geoffrey Gamm Thomas P. Garton John Richard Gatti Matthew David Gilbert Andrew Meltzer Gitlin Elana Robyn Goldenkoff Sarah Brittany Henzlik * Ellie Homant Reed Wesley Hostrander Jamie Louise Huizinga Khadijah Taha Hussain Eric Y. Hwang * Nolan Matthew Kavanagh Hannah Jade Kelley-Watkins Marianne Elizabeth Khouri * Zephie Onalee Kineman Dylan Graham Lawton Carmela Leone Maxwell Weihao Li * Hope Xingyi Lu *

School of Kinesiology College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Engineering College of Arts & Sciences, Flint Stephen M. Ross School of Business College of Literature, Science, and the Arts School of Music, Theatre & Dance College of Education, Health, & Human Services, Dearborn School of Music, Theatre & Dance College of Engineering & Computer Science, Dearborn School of Nursing School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Music, Theatre & Dance College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Engineering College of Literature, Science, and the Arts School of Kinesiology College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Engineering College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts College of Literature, Science, and the Arts School of Music, Theatre & Dance College of Engineering School of Nursing College of Engineering School of Nursing

Bret Franklin Magliola School of Music, Theatre & Dance Nicholas Alexander Mastruserio College of Engineering Cody James McKay College of Engineering Zachary Robert Meves * College of Engineering Madalyn K. Moon College of Arts & Sciences, Flint Lauren Elizabeth Murphy School of Information Charles Alexander Nino College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Olivia E. Oudsema * College of Arts, Sciences, & Letters, Dearborn Theresa M. Pickell * College of Arts & Sciences, Flint Danielle Rose Rabie * College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Kristen Danielle Raue College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Trevor James Rees College of Engineering Akemi Tsutsumi Rioboo College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Natalie P. Schaefer College of Education, Health, & Human Services, Dearborn Kallen Matthew Schwark College of Engineering Jonas Emmanuelabraira Sese * College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Sharon Yingen Shen School of Nursing Alexander Lindshau-Ming Shiang * College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Elisabeth Silver College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Rebecca Ann Singer School of Nursing Lauren Elizabeth Smith College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Carl Frederick Steinhauser College of Engineering Emily Claire Thibeau * College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Jessica Lynn Todsen College of Engineering Gavin Cornelius Uitvlugt College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Jade Eliya Varineau College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Matthew Waldmann College of Engineering Hayley Walton College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Benjamin Edward Weil College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Sierre Marie Wolfkostin Stephen M. Ross School of Business Xinyue Xu * School of Kinesiology Kevin Tang Yang Stephen M. Ross School of Business Audrey Rose Young * School of Music, Theatre & Dance

*Denotes graduates

Opinion

4 — Friday, March 16, 2018

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MARGOT LIBERTINI | COLUMN

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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

ALI SAFAWI | COLUMN

Healthy minds at school

arlier this semester I wrote about mental health care on college campuses. But the truth is, college might be too late. Half of all mental health problems begin by age 14. In public health, we think of disease prevention as having three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary. Helping students manage their mental illness to improve their quality of life is a classic example of tertiary prevention and is a worthy endeavor. However, more needs to be done to prevent mental illness from developing in the first place (primary prevention) and to detect mental illness as soon as possible (secondary prevention). For both these ventures, we should look to schools. School has gotten more stressful for students. A report from the Counsel of the Great City Schools found that students take approximately 112 standardized tests between pre-K and 12th grade. The same report also found that high school juniors spend as much as 15 percent of the school year taking standardized tests. The pressure to position oneself for college is growing and begins far too early. Palo Alto, Calif., serves as an example of the worst-case scenario. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the city’s youth suicide rate is 14.1 per 100,000 people. That is almost triple the national rate of 5.4 deaths per 100,000. Extreme expectations from parents in Palo Alto are at least partially responsible for this shocking rate. As one parent put it so simply but powerfully: “What are we doing to our kids?” The mental health risk factors children and teens face extend far beyond academics. Twenty-eight percent of students in sixth through 12th grade report being bullied. At home, children can also be adversely affected by abuse and poverty. In fact, research out of Cornell University identified a host of mental health problems for which childhood poverty lead to increased risk, including reduced short-term memory and antisocial behavior. It is no surprise that there has been public discourse on an epidemic of mental illness

in our schools, a topic that NPR ran an excellent special series on. Child and teen mental illness have real consequences. Thirty-seven percent of students with a mental health problem drop out of high school, a rate higher than for any other disability. In the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, President Donald Trump and some Republican lawmakers (including ones in Michigan’s state legislature) have proposed arming teachers and other school staff with firearms. Instead, our governments would have a much greater impact on the lives of students by arming schools with knowledge and resources to promote good mental health.

As one parent put it so powerfully: What are we doing to our kids?

To their credit, the Michigan House of Representatives just passed a bill to create an optional training program for teachers on how to recognize and respond to mental illness in their students. This is a good policy, yet the training is not mandatory, nor does the bill mandate suicide prevention training for teachers as 27 other states have done. This bill needs to be amended to fix these f laws before it reaches the governor’s desk. Teachers can play a crucial role in both the primary and secondary prevention of mental health problems in students. This can be achieved by taking measures to reduce stress in their classrooms and by being aware of and on the lookout for the warning signs of mental illness. That being said, a teacher’s main focus should be teaching, as they are not mental health professionals. School nurses, social workers and psychologists must also be involved in addressing the epidemic.

Per the American Academy of Pediatrics, an estimated 80 percent of students seeking help turn to schools for mental health care. School nurses can play a vital role by noticing patterns of behavior in students that may indicate a mental health problem. But they often have minimal training in mental health and are in short supply. In fact, Michigan has a severe shortage of school nurses with a school nurse ratio of one nurse per 6,607 students in 2014, according to Parent Action for Healthy Kids. In contrast, the federal government’s Healthy People 2020 goals aim for a ratio of one nurse per 750 students. The picture is equally troubling for school psychologists. The National Association of School Psychologists estimates a shortage of 15,000 school psychologists by 2020. In Michigan, school psychologists are on the state Department of Education’s critical shortage list, a designation that incentivizes retired professionals to return to work. If you are considering becoming a school nurse or psychologist: We desperately need you. It took me four years between my symptoms developing and when I first sought help for my mental health problem. That is short compared to the average of eight to 10 years between symptom onset and intervention. Had a teacher or school nurse noticed my symptoms and referred me to the school social worker then I could have potentially gotten better sooner. I would have given anything to have had that happen. Students spend 900 to 1000 hours in school every year. Imagine if parents and schools came together to reduce academic pressure and if students were surrounded by a system of teachers, nurses and mental health professionals wellequipped to help them with their problems. We could end the epidemic of mental illness in our schools. At stake are the minds and futures of our children. Ali Safawi can be reached at asafawi@umich.edu.

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The left’s linguistic barrier

y life largely exists within my happy liberal bubble. I am a philosophy and international studies student at one of the world’s leading public universities. I am politically active within the Democratic Party; nearly all of my friends are pro-choice, liberal, feminist Democrats. And anytime you see me walking on campus or running on a treadmill, chances are high that a podcast produced by Vox, NPR or Crooked Media is playing in my headphones. For these reasons, I am f luent in the way that liberals speak. I know that when I’m referring to women’s issues, I cannot say female because that refers to biological sex and not chosen gender. I know that we call Nazis white supremacists and not their chosen name “alt-right.” I know that we say “survivors” and not “victims,” and that when introducing myself I should always provide my pronouns as well. I have no qualms with living and speaking in this way — I want to be as inclusive and intersectional as possible in my activism and existence as a whole. I have committed to a life of feminism and social justice advocacy. Therefore, it should be the expectation that I know how to eloquently and correctly speak on the issues. Most Americans have not decided that they want to spend their lives advocating for these causes. I understand that there is privilege in not being super politically engaged, but there is also privilege in our activism and our lang uage. After 2016, many Americans came to realize that it was past time to step up and march, speak out and hopefully, come November, vote. This meant that many people who had previously abstained from any political affiliation or activism were deciding to let their voices be heard by publicly opposing our predator-in-chief. There were

definitely problems with a lot of the new-found Democrats, such as the 2017 Women’s March, which was marked by pussy hats and bourgeois white feminism, while women of color and transgender women were marginalized within a movement they founded. So, more seasoned activists and SJWs rightly resisted their entrance into the territory.

We need to find a way to welcome those who have been absent.

It’s March 2018, and we have less than eight months until the midterms and two years until presidential primaries. I desperately want Democrats back in charge of all branches of government. I want protections for Dreamers, for the phrases “chain migration,” “repeal and replace” and “defund Planned Parenthood” to die hard, for the State Department to be funded and staffed, for the White House to be free of domestic and sexual abusers, for the tax cuts and bank de-reg ulations to end and more. But we cannot get this critical work done with the votes and organizing of the far-left activists alone. We need to find a way to welcome those who have been absent. I believe the first step to this is to be forgiving in our lang uage and customs. The host of “Stuff Mom Never Told You,” Bridget Todd, once emphasized “calling in.” I think this is a good place to start. When someone says something that feels a little off, maybe even blatantly problematic, we can start with the assumption that

they were well-intentioned. The lang uage surrounding social issues is legitimately hard to learn and understand, so taking 30 seconds to softly explain why phrasing something slightly differently would be more inclusive might be a useful and worthwhile approach. But too often, the left attacks. There is much to be mad about right now, but attacking those who are on our side feels entirely unproductive. For example, in early 2017, Chimimanda Ngozi Adiche ( yes, the amazing NigerianAmerican feminist most famous for her TED talk and novel, “Americanah”), came under fire for comments she made about transgender women. She said, “‘Are trans women women?’ My feeling is trans women are trans women.” To me and others, this appeared as though she meant trans women are not “real” women. If that were what she meant, that would definitely be a transphobic view and I would not consider her a feminist icon any longer. But in clarif ying her comments, she said that all she meant is that trans women have different experiences than ciswomen, but that “cis” had never been in her vocabulary before. She claimed that the left is g uilty of “lang uage orthodoxy,” and that it is exclusionary. In that regard, I believe she is right. Ngozi Adiche is a Nigerian-American, and “cisgender” is a term largely used in upper-class, Western contexts. Most of the lang uage I have been talking about is used in these contexts. So, if we liberals truly aim to de-Westernize and to be advocates for the lower classes, I don’t think we can attack those who do not enter liberal circles already knowing the lang uage.

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

SUJAY SHETTY AND MATTHEW WILLIAMS | LETTER TO THE EDITOR

aMplify platform accommodates student safety

n a recent op-ed, Charles Callis took a brave stand by criticizing this years’ Central Student Government campaigns for failing to address on-campus acts of mass violence. He was right to do so. If we are to be serious candidates, our team must have serious discussions on this topic. It is true that the University of Michigan provides training for its staff on addressing these kinds of situations and that we have an on-campus security presence and alert system, but we can do better. And we must do better. In that vein, the aMplify Party Policy Team has revised its platform to address this deficiency. We must continue to provide support for programming that ensures all entering freshmen can receive

active attacker training from the Division of Public Safety and Security. Furthermore, we plan to create a partnership with the Residence Hall Association and University Housing to provide active attacker training workshops, facilitated by DPSS, in every residential community on campus. These agenda items will be the first discussions with University officials and other stakeholders that we have. Additionally, we will charge the Research and Polling Commission with the task of collecting feedback from the participants of these workshops, separately from DPSS or any other part of the University. We will use this feedback to communicate potential revisions of this program with DPSS. Though

we cannot assure that all of our residents will always be able to escape the acts of evil people, we also cannot continue to ignore the risks our community faces. In a world where even our campus buildings must act to mitigate the damages from acts of wanton violence, it is foolish to assume we are spared from the harsh realities of this tragic trend. We realize, too, that this initial plan is not sufficient, but in the future we pledge continued work with the administration and students to develop a full response to campus violence.

Sujay Shetty is an LSA junior and Matthew Williams is a first-year Law student.

TRUE BLUE | LETTER TO THE EDITOR

True Blue responds to Charlie Callis

n the morning of March 14th, 2018, exactly one month after the horrific school shooting that claimed 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the Michigan Daily released an Op-Ed addressing the lack of attention Central Student Government campaigns were giving to g un violence prevention. The author, senior Ford student Charlie Callis, specifically named five CSG campaigns, including True Blue, which had failed to discuss how they would help ensure the safety of students at the University of Michigan should the tragedy of g un violence ever touch campus. Tr ue Blue would like

to t ha nk Mr. Ca llis for ca lling on Cent ra l St udent Government a nd t he Universit y to ta ke action. It is cr ucia l t hat CSG step up a nd advocate for policies t hat w ill ensure t he safet y of st udents. This is why, last week, True Blue added to their platform that we will advocate to “establish a mandator y active shooter training through UMPD for all facult y on campus.” We f ind it imperative that our facult y be thoroughly trained to protect themselves and their students in the event of an active shooter. We know that this is not the def initive solution to the issue of g un violence on campus, and

look forward to creating and implementing additional solutions to improve student safet y on campus. We have built our campaign on using the insight of our students in order to make meaningful impact. We agree with Mr. Callis that we must listen to our students in order to make our campus a safer place where students can learn, thrive and know that their Central Student Government is taking measures to protect them. Our priority will always be students and their safety: physically, mentally and emotionally. True Blue is a 2018 CSG party.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, March 16, 2018 — 5

BOOKS THAT BUILT US

Douglas Adams’s ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ LAURA DZUBAY Daily Arts Writer

When I first picked up “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” it was one of those nights that doesn’t come with any specific days attached. I was 10 or 11 years old, lying on the f loor next to my brother in the darkened study of my mom’s boyfriend’s apartment in Jacksonville. I couldn’t sleep. The fact that I couldn’t sleep, in my opinion, had less to do with being on the f loor and more to do with the fact that I could hear my mom and her boyfriend talking downstairs. It was the night before Thanksgiving and before my now-stepfather’s birthday, and they were trying to have a nice time, just the two of them: drinking wine, talking in hushed voices on the couch and laughing at each other’s jokes. This was before they got engaged, before I had any idea that I would eventually wind up making a home for myself in Fla. At the moment, I was just a kid marooned in the darkness of a study, kept awake by my own anger and indignation, which resurfaced every time I heard another sound from downstairs. I had no watch, but it felt as though eternities were passing, suspended there in the darkness next to my sleeping brother while soft laughs and snatches of conversation drifted below me, annoying me for no rational reason. I ended up resorting to the bookcase, which sat against the wall only a foot or two away from me. I picked out a book at random: a smallish paperback with a shiny blue cover. I read until I couldn’t hear

anything at all. I had never read anything like “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” before, and I don’t think I ever have since. I loved it at the time because it was simply fun to read. The opening passage, which explains outer space and the position of humanity before zooming in to focus on a house, felt to me like the beginning of some broad, galactic fairy tale. The book was full of thoughtful, omniscient musings on the total improbability and absurdity of the universe, with language that sounded comfortable, as though it were possible to acknowledge such things and still feel safe and self-assured. And yet it was the characters who really stood out to me, who stick with me to this day. I loved Zaphod, with his wildly unpredictable schemes and strangely touching quest to recover his past self, and Marvin, the iconic robot who would respond to a question like “What’s up?” with “I don’t know, I’ve never been there.” I was enchanted by Ford, who accepts the dangerous and the tortuous with matter-offact fairness, and Trillian, the spontaneous mathematician who could f ly an alien spaceship and stand up for herself in a room full of men in the middle of an apocalypse. I identified with all of them in turns, but perhaps most of all Arthur, who embarks on his own journey so haphazardly and cluelessly and yet tries to do his best at every step of the way. These were characters who were faced every day with the destructive, nonsensical nature of the universe. And while they were almost never sure of themselves in anything,

they also remained unfazed. They expected nothing specific of life, and when life gave them exactly that, they didn’t feel the need to do anything other than stay true to themselves. They could get arrested by Vogons, thrown back and forth through time and space, be cornered by soldiers, shot at and have their home planets destroyed. Marvin would still be miserable, and Zaphod would still be ridiculously over-the-top. In one of the climactic scenes, Ford decides he’s going to investigate what’s going on, and he asks the others, “Is no one going to say, ‘No, you can’t possibly, let me go instead?’” When they all shake their heads, he says, “Oh well,” and stands up and goes anyway. Because that’s just what Ford would do. I ended up stealing the paperback from my mom’s boyfriend and rereading it over and over. Eventually, as a gift, I received the bound Barnes & Noble Classics edition of “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide,” featuring all five books in the series plus a short story. I fell in love with the way Adams could tell a story, deeply clever but seemingly effortless. By some miracle, each character was compelling and dynamic, despite the fact that the writing itself really doesn’t spend very much time in their heads. The story is a comedy and an adventure, but it’s also surprisingly sad, complex and thoughtful. My reaction to any given line or scene depends in large part on the day, whether I’m feeling bored — in which case I’ll turn to any given page and start laughing — or truly down and emotionally vulnerable, in which case some of the story’s more existential preoccupations will really

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stick with me. Maybe this is part of why it’s so easy to return to this story over and over again. It works for any day. I want to think like Trillian, react like Ford, party like Zaphod, love like Arthur. I don’t want to feel depressed or wry or cynical, but when I am feeling it anyway, I want to be able to articulate it like Marvin. I still have both copies with me, the black and gold classic volume and the paperback, which is now worn, with dog-eared pages and a creased spine. I flip through them whenever I need to drown out the world, telling myself, “Hey, it could always be worse. My entire planet could be destroyed — and look, these people’s planet was destroyed, and they’re still doing OK.” Then, eventually, I set the book back down and go out into my own world again, knowing that it will not make any sense and that I shouldn’t expect too much of it, and telling myself not to panic along the way.

Arts

6 — Friday, March 16, 2018

CONCERT REVIEW

Sorority Noise delivers a phenomenal final show DOMINIC POLSINELLI Senior Arts Editor

There’s an age-old air of humor that surrounds the melodrama of high school — crushes, flings, friends who aren’t friends anymore, underage drinking, prom, etc. High school, frankly, is a clusterfuck for more people than not, and, unfortunately for me, I fell into the category of clusterfucked-kid-turns-to-emo. Out of all the bands I listened to in high school, including more pop punk than is possibly healthy for any individual, few bands have stuck with me into my 20s the way Sorority Noise has, and I’ll always be grateful for the lyrics and chords that screwed (and continue to screw) my head on straight whenever I feel like drowning. This past Saturday, with support from Remo Drive and Foxx Bodies, Sorority Noise played their last Michigan show to a sold-out crowd before going on hiatus. Their final run of dates will be opening up for The Wonder Years on their UK run in April, and while this news comes as a sharp sting to the fans they’ve moved through the past few years, it was a bittersweet opportunity to reflect — during and after the show — on just how important this band was to so many people and to normalizing conversation around mental health and suicide. There’s truly no way to describe in words the reaction a

Sorority Noise crowd has when frontman Cam Boucher belts over the explosive chorus of hit single “Using”: “I stopped wishing I was dead / Learned to love myself before anyone else / Become more than just a burden!” It was a group effort at catharsis, invisible wires threading the crowd into an amalgamation of continual self-improvement. I’ve shared smiles with more strangers at a Sorority Noise show than I have anywhere else in my entire life, experiencing joint happiness in knowing that a pop-emo band was doing more to make us feel alive than anything else. Regardless of the emotionality of the band’s music, there’s also no denying that the individual musicians that make up Sorority Noise are incredible. Guitarist Adam Ackerman’s scattered solos pierce through the tight punk harmonies and light up the crowd; Boucher’s vocals range from tender croons to shrill screams (often all within the course of one song); drummer Charlie Singer and bassist Ryan McKenna deftly undercut the melodies with sporadic arrangements. At a Sorority Noise show, it’s impossible to not feel every little detail poured into their music. During their performance of Joy, Departed’s “Your Soft Blood,” the band showcased this talent, ripping through the grunge cut with intense animosity that silences the room by its final line: “Don’t chalk me up to anything less than

sin.” This is the magic of Sorority Noise — a band with the ability to write insanely good hooks and lyricism that doesn’t shy away from topics that are difficult to hash out. Each of their three records and multiple EPs tackles the difficult facets of existing in today’s world — the pervasive problem of mental health, suicide and substance abuse, to name a few. Sorority Noise let us know that it’s OK to struggle and mess up, but they also taught us the importance of self-love and selfforgiveness. Boucher even went so far to take time in between songs to give a few words of kindness and encouragement to his fans, saying of the band’s departure, “In the meantime, please take care of yourselves.” A band like Sorority Noise doesn’t come around too often, and during their encore performance of “Art School Wannabe,” I was reminded of their unique appeal. The song encapsulates the band’s best qualities; their upbeat tempos, honest lyrics and tight instrumentation all come together to make a perfect song about understanding yourself at your worst. It’s a joy like no other to sing, “I might not be as dark as I think,” in a sweaty mosh pit with like-minded individuals. And for their music, their activism and obviously their therapeutic performances, we owe Sorority Noise our utmost appreciation and can only hope to see them back soon.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

I heard at Threads (though I sadly didn’t hear as much as I would have liked, due to my prohibitively busy schedule), the latter performance deserves singling out. An emotional journey inspired by the ecology of Mich. in bygone years, Grey Grant managed to craft a work that is moving, evocative and, by the end, exhausting (in the best sense). Their feeling for drama and flow led the listener along without ever seeming to, and the members of Front Porch executed the at-times demanding music with precision and nuance. (Full disclosure: Grey is a dear friend of mine, as are the members of Front Porch,

two of whom I live with and all of whom have played my own music — which is to say that I am in no way unbiased in this

Now, Threads is back, bigger and better than ever matter). But the point isn’t that I felt these things. It’s that, judging from the reaction of the audience

TV REVIEW

‘Collateral’ is convoluted and accomplishes nothing MORGAN RUBINO Daily Arts Writer

Who would have thought that the rather inconspicuous murder of a pizza delivery guy could spark a lengthy investigation into the British intelligence bureau and government? As isolated as those two occurrences may seem, it is their camouflaged connection that immediately becomes the premise of the joint BBC and Netflix crime procedural “Collateral.” The first episode of the four-part series starts out on a seemingly unspectacular note, as delivery driver Abdullah (Sam Otto, “The State”) is chosen — notably last minute — to drop off a pizza at a London apartment. It isn’t until he is murdered in cold blood on his run that this appears to be a more carefully calculated death scheme than a random driver swap. From that moment on, the show picks up the pace and delivers a couple of knockout performances — particularly that of Carey Mulligan (“The Great Gatsby”) as Kip, the chief investigator of the case. Mulligan, in a role unlike many

of her usual prim and proper characters, is focused, hardhitting and inexplicably composed as Kip. After all, she reveals that this small-town homicide has hate-crime written all over

“Collateral” Netflix it. Syrian refugees living in a garage, Abdullah and his sisters are not only poor and desperate for financial assistance but also are facing some more global implications: immigration and human-trafficking victimization. Even though the story of “Collateral” isn’t necessarily focused solely on her, Mulligan manages to give the series some much needed stability when subplots become overly complex and cluttered. She is both easy to follow as a character and compelling to watch as an actress. With so many different parties being involved in the planning, execution and aftermath of Abdullah’s murder, “Collateral” quickly becomes swamped with storylines. The cursory cuts between the British government,

Classifieds DIY, arts festival edition Last weekend something very special happened at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. Built in 1878, the old building down by the tracks was never meant to host the sort of event it was home to throughout Saturday and Sunday, but times change and fortunately for us someone had the foresight to change the structure’s uses with it. I’m talking, of course, about Threads All Arts Festival, which, if you haven’t already heard, is perhaps one of the most exciting cultural events to happen in the greater Ann Arbor area in recent memory. The brainchild of a motley crew of 20-somethings mostly out of the University, the festival first appeared in 2016 as a collection of performances and various other arts presentations in Ann Arbor’s Yellow Barn. Now, Threads is back, bigger and better than ever. When I talked to one of the festival’s founders, Nicole Patrick, before the first iteration of the event in 2016, I initially had no idea what a wonderful thing was about to happen. But through what appears to be sheer force of will, a fair bit of funding through various sources like the School of Music, Theatre & Dance’s EXCEL program and a great deal of talent on the part of the artists involved in the festival, the Threads team has been able to pull together an event that places the focus on one of the most important

elements of creative culture today: local art. All artists start local. That’s just how it works. And the ones who end up going beyond that, those who reach larger and larger audiences, usually have some sort of backing from

DAYTON HARE their community, whether it’s a dedicated fan base, some form of funding or a combination of both. This sort of relationship is helpful to more than just the artists — it takes on a symbiotic nature fairly quickly, strengthening both the individual artists and the larger public. “We really believe that the community will feel stronger connections to the place that they live if they are also aware of the artists who live here,” Patrick told me in 2016, and I certainly agree. But the value of Threads extends beyond more than just fortifying the

bonds between artists and their community. To me, the festival’s most exciting aspect is perhaps the integration of art from all manner of backgrounds. This column is supposed to be about classical music — and it is, obliquely — but Threads incorporates things from everywhere. The walls of the Freighthouse were host to a variety of visual art, including multimedia presentations, and in various parts of the building people could stop by performers reciting poetry or playing music. Throughout the festival’s two days, there were rockers, jazz players, dancers, rappers, funk players and (here’s the justification for this column) classical musicians. And here’s the thing: The same audience was there for it all. And sure, the sorts of people who buy a ticket to something billing itself as an “all arts festival” are probably going to be fairly open minded when it comes to their artistic tastes, but nevertheless I feel it’s important to talk about how if classical music wants to reach a broader audience this isn’t a bad way to do it. The same group of people who danced to a compelling performance by Louis Picasso and the Gallery on one night listened intently to Grey Grant and the Front Porch ensemble perform original compositions out of the classical style the very next day. While I enjoyed everything

police force and military angles were not only visually dizzying in their abruptness, but also made it difficult to stay on top of the sequence of events. While it is a intriguing twist to, for once, take a crime drama out of the traditional police station and interrogation room and introduce it to the world stage, there was just way too much going on. As muddled as “Collateral” gets, its eclectic music selection remains a refreshing constant and adds some charisma to the most lackluster of scenes. Songs from the likes of Van Morrison to Queen to British reggae-rapper Stefflon Don brought rhythm to the dense rhetoric and, at times, stole my attention completely. In an attempt to make a political commentary on Brexit, Britain’s state of immigration laws and the inconsistency of law enforcement, “Collateral” loses its sense of self as a procedural and wades into unchartered territory. On paper, a crime series that tones down the mystery and emphasizes the deceitfulness of social institutions has the potential to really make a statement, but not if its plot is as loose and convoluted as this one.

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

FOR RENT

DOMINIC POLSINELLI / DAILY

CLASSICAL MUSIC COLUMN

(a standing ovation), everyone else felt them too. And that’s how you expand the genre. You give people something concrete and meaningful to grab onto. You give them a reason to want to listen. You don’t ask them to drag themselves out to the concert hall for another rendition of Beethoven, or to a glamourous night at the opera. Let them see the composer and let them wear blue-jeans. Let them eat food from the venue’s vendors while they enjoy the performance. And if you do nothing else, please — please — help break down the walls separating classical from the rest of the music world.

RELEASE DATE– Friday, March 16, 2018

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

ACROSS 1 Fifth pillar of Islam 5 Puts on a patch, say 9 Intestinal tract division 14 Moises of the 2002-’04 Cubs 15 Card in a baby straight 16 Playground retort 17 *Prepares to pass the football 19 Butyl acetate, e.g. 20 Graphic novel artist 21 *Baseball position 23 Is connected 25 Water__: dental brand 26 Curator’s deg. 27 Word with idea or luck 28 Gaucho’s weapon 31 Schmoozing sort 33 Hardy heroine 35 Sweeping 37 Shocks, in a way 38 *Strokes in tennis 41 Uppity sort 44 Hospital fluids 45 Hair adornments 49 Aerobic regime, familiarly 51 Many a Black Friday worker 53 Casual negative 54 First __ 55 Two-timer 57 100 percent 59 *Basketball strategy 63 Big haulers 64 Comedic pianist Victor 65 Fair play? ... or the key to understanding the answers to starred clues 67 “Sneak Previews” co-host 68 Niagara Falls source 69 Empty 70 Pranks 71 It may be payable monthly 72 Bodily passage

DOWN 1 Natural environment 2 Amino acid used in protein biosynthesis 3 Derby VIPs 4 Diner devices, familiarly 5 Orch. section 6 Piccadilly Circus statue 7 Turned on the waterworks 8 Network admin 9 One of many seen at the NCAA’s Frozen Four 10 Mascara target 11 Puts to rest 12 Cover charge relative 13 Pestle partners 18 Smidgen 22 Barnyard rooter 24 Stellar phenomenon 29 Fellows 30 Corporate machinery, e.g. 32 Caustic remark 34 Like racehorses

36 Went like racehorses 39 Modern concert conveniences 40 Mae West persona 41 Crossed a picket line 42 Capital east of Lake Victoria 43 Requested at a drive-thru 46 Primer application

47 Wagner’s “Die __” 48 Lawyer to avoid 50 Clumsy one 52 Big cat 56 Old hat 58 Religious leader 60 Prefix with industry 61 Unwavering 62 Salt Lake daily, familiarly 66 Realize

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Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, March 16, 2018 —7

2018 Baseball Preview Michigan’s leading man: Ako Thomas ready to take charge JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer

Mount Carmel High School was in the midst of a doubleheader and in desperate need for some life. Enter Ako Thomas. The year was 2012 and Thomas was a freshman for the Caravan in Chicago, IL and was just beginning his fruitful baseball career. After not starting on the elite varsity squad at the beginning of the year, Thomas was eventually called up within the first few weeks of the season due to his promising play at the plate. The young, undersized freshman stepped up and delivered the performance of a lifetime, going 4-for-4. His inspiring performance gave his team the win — and would prove to be the birth of a superstar. But his hot bat wasn’t the most impressive display of the day. Stepping onto the infield, Thomas assumed his position at shortstop. A position that typically plays second fiddle to second base for Thomas, he fulfilled his duty well. Then, on his very first play as a high school varsity baseball player, Thomas was forced to ground an absolute rocket hit by the opposing batter. The ball skipped once on the ground then thudded off his chest. Thomas collected himself and threw the forceout to first. He had laid his body on the line to make a play, and it left a memorable first impression. “It just shows how much toughness and guts he has,”

said Thomas’ high school coach Brian Hurry. “I mean the four hits were impressive, but all that was completely secondary to that play. I thought that play really showed what the kid is all about, internally. To me, it spoke to his competitiveness and his guts more than anything else.” Added Thomas: “I do whatever it takes for the team, so if that means getting in front of a line drive then I’ll do it.” His sophomore season, Thomas found himself in a position he would come to know all too well — leadoff hitter. Due in part to his leadership and performance in this spot and at second base, the Caravan won a state championship. Thomas led another postseason surge his senior campaign, leading his team back to the state championship game. The Caravan would inevitably fall, but Thomas had made a lasting impression as an all-time great Mount Carmel baseball player. Needless to say, Thomas’ time spent at Mount Carmel helped shape him as an athlete, leader and person. Despite having an older brother who played baseball for a different high school in Chicago, Thomas elected to explore an alternative route — an all-boys Catholic high school. “I wanted something different in my life,” Thomas said. “I could see where my life was going and I wanted it to change. So I decided to go to Mount Carmel to get away from my neighborhood friends and just explore out, so that’s why I chose to go to Mount

“I wanted something different in my life.”

Carmel.” His father, Zebedee, and mother, Reeshemah, have also helped Thomas every step of the way. “My mom is always the most influential person for me,” Thomas said. “She’s just so hard-working, very independent woman and she just drives me and I just go out here and play for her and for my family.” Added Michigan coach Erik Bakich: “He’s an inner city Chicago kid, he plays with a ton of energy, a good student from Carmel High School. Good parents — Reeshemah and Zebedee did a great job raising he and his three brothers. “And he’s just a winner — that’s the word.” Thomas finished off his time at Mount

Carmel with a .397 batting average, .991 fielding percentage and 50 hits in his senior season. These impressive stats found him catching the eye of one program in particular. Three years later, Thomas finds himself in a similar situation as he bats top of the order for the Wolverines. Ever since his arrival in Ann Arbor, Thomas has shined bright both on and

off the field. His coaches and teammates cannot speak highly enough about the quality of his play and his character. His typical charisma and positive personality consistently inspire everyone surrounding him. “When I think of some of the greatest compliments a player could have, being a great competitor and being a great teammate are right there at the top,” Hurry said. “He certainly is both of them. Positive energy, he’s always smiling. He kinda lights up a room when he’s around, you just get in a better mood it seems. His attitude was very contagious to our program.” Aside from bringing energy to the program, Thomas brought a quality of play that saw him starting from day one as a Wolverine. His freshman year, Thomas accumulated a .258 batting average off 40 hits and cemented himself as an integral part of the Michigan lineup. His proficiency from the plate is not — and has never been — the only noteworthy aspect of his game as he displayed great defensive prowess, an element the Wolverines take pride in. “It’s always a thrill just to play for Michigan, period,” Thomas

said. “And then to be the leadoff hitter is awesome as well, so I’m just gonna continue to do everything I can for the team.” Thomas then broke out as one of the country’s premier second basemen in his sophomore campaign, leading the Big Ten in both batting average and on-base percentage. Amassing a .354 batting average, he ascended the ranks of the batting order. Now, Thomas is the definitive leadoff hitter and the Wolverines’ most prolific batter. Thomas’ efforts this season, however, may come in vain as he seeks to lead his team out of a rebuilding season. It’s no surprise that a squad that lost 15 athletes — 11 of those to the MLB draft — is suffering, with a 4-11 record. It’s incredibly difficult to guide a retool, rather than a rebuild, since many of the new players have yet to adapt to the pace of the college game. Nevertheless, Thomas is up to the task, willing to do whatever his team needs to get it out of its slump. “I definitely think and definitely the coaches and my teammates as well, think of me as a leader and a leading figure out there,” Thomas said. “I try my best to be the best vocal leader and just lead by my play as well.” Added Bakich: “He’ll be one of the guys that will be

instrumental in our turnaround this season, and so we’re really looking forward to him taking the reigns and leading by example like he always does.” Another area where Thomas leads is in his academics, earning Academic Big Ten Honors last year as a sophomore. A practice that began in his days at Mount Carmel, Thomas worked diligently in the classroom and on the field in hopes of acquiring the best degree he could. “I think he just epitomizes what I want all our players to be,” Hurry said. “He was a true student athlete, he worked hard with his grades, he was relentless in his pursuit of being excellent and the greatest baseball player he could be.” At Mount Carmel, Thomas’ great play was mirrored by his personality and his academics. He left a legacy of excellence and served as inspiration to his teammates. At Michigan, Thomas is on a trajectory to do much of the same as Michigan’s leading man. Of course, this is nothing new for him. So when asked about his legacy for the Wolverines, his answer makes sense. “We’ll see, I’m not sure,” Thomas said. “I’ll try to leave a good one, that’s for sure. I just do whatever I can for the team. Play hard, run hard, just the usual.”

“I think he just epitomizes what I want all our players to be.”

“I just do whatever I can for the team.”

Freshman class looking to provide strong foundation THEO MACKIE

Daily Sports Writer

Last June, Michigan coach Erik Bakich watched as a program-record 11 players were drafted to the MLB. It was a milestone moment to cap off the fifth season of his tenure in Ann Arbor that has included five winning seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances and a Big Ten Tournament championship. “We want everyone to have the opportunity to play professional baseball,” Bakich said. “We don’t hide from it, we don’t shy away from it. We want every player in our program to play pro ball.” While this philosophy may be for the long-term benefit of the program, the unfortunate reality is that it was always going to make 2018 a tough season for Bakich and his staff. Even with six of their top seven hitters and three-fourths of their starting rotation departed, the Wolverines could not have anticipated the struggles they have endured in the first four weeks of the season. Last season’s tournament berth is now a distant memory. “We’d like to think coming into this season that we’ve put ourselves into a position to reload and not rebuild,” Bakich said after a loss to Lipscomb last week. “But clearly we’re rebuilding right now.” The hope around Michigan, though, is that its rebuilding process will be accelerated by an acclaimed recruiting class that ranked 10th in the nation — an all-time best for a Big Ten program. The freshman class includes eight of Perfect Game’s Top 400 from the 2017 class, and is headlined by left-hander Ben Dragani and first baseman Jesse Franklin, the Gatorade Players of the Year in Wisconsin and Washington, respectively. Beyond them, right-hander Jeff Criswell and catcher Joe Donovan both turned down major league draft offers to

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Michigan coach Erik Bakich has recruited a talented freshman class to Ann Arbor.

come to Ann Arbor. Donovan was named an All-American by Collegiate Baseball, while right-hander Blake Beers was All-State California and outfielder Jordan Nwogu was All-State Michigan. The acclaimed freshmen are joined by juniorcollege transfers Blake Nelson and Matthew Schmidt. Their start to life in the college baseball ranks has not been as rosy. Blomgren and Franklin — the only two freshmen with over 20 at-bats — are both hitting under .200. “Some of these guys are dealing with adversity for the first times in their lives,” Bakich said, “and we try to have a mental game toolbox to go to when the garbage is hitting the fan but sometimes it’s easier said than done. “They’re all seeing what college baseball is all about.” On the mound, Dragani has been a bright spot for the freshmen with a 2.77 ERA in a team-leading 13.0 innings pitched out of the bullpen. After giving up two runs in each of his first two outings, his recent

success has catapulted him into a relief ace role in pitching coach Chris Fetter’s bullpen. “He’s had success because he’s been aggressive with all of his pitches in the strike zone,” Bakich said. “He’s consistently been a strike-thrower every time he’s been out there and he’s executed the pitch call and game plan. He’s done a nice job. He’ll continue to get more opportunities and may have his role expanded.” The consistency for which Bakich praised Dragani has been a constant refrain throughout the beginning of the season, especially on the defensive side, where the Wolverines have mixed web gems with little league errors. This emphasis on consistency does not exclude the freshmen, who have been key contributors to Michigan’s erratic play. Last Saturday against Lipscomb, Blomgren made a beautiful diving catch over his shoulder before allowing a run to score on a bobbled grounder four innings later. Franklin, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with a run batted-in Wednesday

afternoon, but came into the game just 2-for-21 on the season. Criswell has a strikeout in each of his four relief appearances — three of which have been scoreless — but gave up a walkoff three-run homer at Stanford two weekends ago. Struggling with consistency, though, is understandable for players with less than a month of collegiate baseball under their belts. “You got kids acclimating to a lot of different areas,” Bakich said. “They’re acclimating to school and academics and social life and trying to make friends. They’re away from home for the first time, and now they’re trying to play in a very good, elite program and it’s a lot of balls in the air to juggle at once.” Added junior shortstop Ako Thomas: “Very good group of freshmen. I feel like they came in and we took them under our wing. Very willing to learn, always asking questions and I feel honored to be able to answer some of their questions because I was in their situation at one point as well, so just being a leading figure as well makes

me feel good and (they’re) just a really good group of freshmen.” As the freshmen traversed this process last semester, their progress had the coaching staff encouraged coming into the season. “We’re at a point where (in) our preseason training, we’ve started to see that maturity take place,” Bakich said at media day, “where the younger guys are more physical, they’ve gotten stronger, they can slow the game down mentally. Now, you’re starting to see some of their performance show up a little bit and that’s where there is some encouragement and some freshman that will be in some roles that they’re gonna have some opportunities to compete in early and make early contributions.” Despite their occasional tribulations, Bakich’s preseason prediction has come to fruition. The volatile nature of baseball prevents it from mimicking the one-and-done factory that is college basketball — freshmen are rarely key contributors in baseball. The Wolverines, though, regularly pencil Blomgren and Franklin into their daily lineup. Donovan has found his way into over half of Michigan’s games, while Nelson has earned himself back-to-back starts. On the pitching side, Dragani and Criswell have repeatedly found themselves trusted with high leverage situations. “They’ve been complementary pieces so far, would be the way I would describe it,” Bakich said. “They’re in a learning and growth stage still and they’re paying attention, they’re learning, they’re adjusting to the speed of this game and the level of competition here and some of them are playing more than others.” Despite a 4-11 start, the Michigan coaching staff — especially recruiting coordinator Nick Schnabel — must be credited for putting together a class that has been ready to contribute since day one.

Recruiting to Ann Arbor is no easy task. The minimum temperature required for outdoor practices is zero degrees, a mark that has been flirted with more than a handful of times over the past few months. As a result, the Wolverines spend the first month of each season on the road — this year, migrating from San Diego to Palo Alto to Nashville over the opening month, and they reside thousands of miles from the sport’s recruiting hotbeds in Florida, Texas and southern California. Instead, Schnabel and his staff must sell Michigan’s academics. “The school is certainly one of the main reasons that we can attract (this) type of talent,” Bakich said “… For all those kids out there that are very good students that want to play at a very high level, this is an attractive option for them. So we’ve gotten in the conversation for players that are the best students and the best baseball players.” Recruiting is a process that compounds, and recently, the Wolverines have been able to use the success of previous classes to reach new heights on the recruiting trail, culminating in their record-setting 2017 class. “A baseball program that — even though we’re in a hiccup right now — has been ascending,” Bakich said of his team. “And the trajectory has been up so people see the school, they see the athletic department, they see the facilities, they want to be a part of this. “I think (these freshmen) will all make an impact by the time it’s said and done,” Bakich said. “There’s some guys that are very talented out there. So we’re certainly excited for those guys and their continued development.” For Bakich and his staff, the job is to ensure that 2017 was not the pinnacle of the program’s trajectory. If that job lies in the hands of their freshman class, they have full confidence.

Sports

8 — Friday, March 16. 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Position-by-position breakdown: Wolverines not as deep as last season CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer

At the end of last season, Michigan lost 11 players to the MLB Draft — pitcher Oliver Jaskie, infielder Drew Lugbauer, catcher Harrison Wenson and infielder Michael Brdar. Jaskie was the team’s ace and was drafted in the sixth round. Lugbauer led the team in slugging percentage, home runs and runs batted in. With such significant roster turnover heading into this season, some minor growing pains were to be expected. Whether a current 4-11 record can be called “minor,” though, really depends on how well Michigan fares in conference play going forward. A recruiting class ranked tenth nationally was supposed to plug the remaining holes in the roster. But the youthful Wolverines have struggled so far to do so. At times, Michigan has shown that it is capable offensively. Through 15 games, the Wolverines have recorded 107 hits and taken 65 walks. On the flip side, a .221 team batting average and 4.13 runs per game average have let them down. The pitching staff has also proved to be inconsistent thus far, posting a cumulative earnedrun average of 4.66. Defensively, Michigan has recorded 27 errors with a fielding percentage hovering around .950. As the Wolverines begin a five-game homestand with a three-game series against Bowling Green beginning Friday, The Daily breaks down the team position-by-position: Pitchers Though Michigan lost Jaskie, senior Mac Lozer and others to the draft, the team does return many from last year’s pitching staff. Seniors Alec Rennard and Jayce Vancena have starting experience from last year, but have stepped into the spotlight as two of the main starters.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior pitcher Alec Rennard has been a consistent starter for the Wolverines thus far, pitching 16 innings with an earned-run average of 3.38.

Rennard has pitched 16 innings thus far with an ERA of 3.38 and 13 strikeouts. Vancena is still regarded as one of Wolverines’ top pitchers, despite an 0-3 record, and a 9.35 ERA through 8.2 innings. Sophomore Karl Kauffman, who pitched a total of 13 innings last year, has really come on in his second season. With Vancena’s struggles early on, Kauffman has staked his claim to become the No. 2 behind Rennard. Kauffman has posted a 2-2 record with a 4.64 ERA. He had stellar outings against Army and Stanford, letting up only a single run between the two. Another sophomore fighting for a starting position, lefthander Tommy Henry, has put up impressive numbers as well. Against Stanford, Henry went seven scoreless innings and has a 2.74 ERA in 23 innings. In the bullpen, junior William Tribucher and freshman Ben Dragani have been the go-to guys. Tribucher has an ERA of 2.53, while Dragani has allowed just six hits and four runs in

13 innings of work. Junior Troy Miller and freshman Jeff Criswell are also set to see a lot of time in relief going forward. Catcher The position battle that received the most attention this offseason was behind the plate. Senior Brock Keener may have seemed destined to fill the void left by Wenson, but three younger guys have also been in the mix for the job. Sophomore Harrison Salter, redshirt freshman Marcus Chavez and freshman Joe Donovan have all seen time at the position this season. Keener has been the most productive offensively of the four, recording a .280 batting average, while Chavez and Salter have performed well defensively. Altogether, expect it to be somewhat of a revolving door behind the plate, with all four seeing playing time going forward, especially if the team continues to struggle. First Base In the sixth inning of Michigan’s first game of the season, fifth-year senior

Hector Gutierrez powered a grand slam to right field to give the Wolverines a nine-run advantage against Army. “Guti” as he’s been christened by his teammates, is one of the team’s best hitters and as a result has alternated between first and third base in order to get at-bats. Keener and talented freshman slugger Jesse Franklin have also seen time at first. All three can be offensive weapons on their day, so expect to see a lot of rotation here throughout the season. Second Base When the bottom of the first inning rolls around at any Michigan home game this year, the first song is T.I.’s “Bring Em’ Out” — junior Ako Thomas’ walkout music. One of the best all-around players on the team, Thomas burst onto the scene last year as an All-Big Ten First Team selection. Symbolic of the Wolverines’ struggles so far, Thomas, who helped solidify one of the best defensive teams in the nation last year, leads the team with seven errors.

His .224 batting average this season also hasn’t been on par with the offensive numbers he put up a year ago. And yet, if the Wolverines are going to turn the tide, Thomas will most likely be the one to lead them. Shortstop The departure of the surehanded Michael Brdar left a gap at the shortstop position coming into the season. Freshman Jack Blomgren has stepped up to fill that void. Blomgren, another member of this recordbreaking recruiting class for the Wolverines has struggled at times this season. Blomgren has recorded six errors and a .154 batting average. Despite this, the coaching staff appears content on having the freshman press on. Third Base As has been a theme at other positions this year, no one has excelled at third base. Junior Jimmy Kerr is widely considered the starter at the position, but only has a .880 fielding percentage and a .125 batting average. Kerr is a respected veteran on the team though, and

despite his struggles, he will remain a fixture in the starting lineup. Outfield As a redshirt sophomore, Miles Lewis started every game in left field for the Wolverines. Now a year later, Lewis should do the same barring injury. The current clubhouse leader in RBIs and home runs with 12 and two respectively, Lewis typically hits in the two-hole. In addition to hitting for power, the hulking 6-foot-1, 200-pounder is quite capable of getting on base and getting into scoring opportunities, having recorded 29 walks and 19 stolen bases last year. A 1.000 fielding percentage this season also speaks to what a great all-around player Lewis is. To the right of Lewis is another powerful junior, Jonathan Engelmann. Typically Michigan’s cleanup hitter, Engelmann currently is hitting at a rate of .237 with a team-high 14 hits. Like Lewis, the young Wolverines look to Engelmann for not only an offensive spark but also as a source of leadership. Sophomore right-fielder Christian Bullock rounds out the outfield and leads the team with four stolen bases. The speedster has been capable of getting on base as well, hitting .250 and reaching base on four walks. The outfield as a whole has been fairly consistent defensively, with Bullock owning the only error, which occurred at the top of the 7th inning against Lawrence Tech on Wednesday. DH Sophomore Dominic Clementi has been a major contributor this season as a designated hitter, though he could also play in the outfield. As a freshman he finished last season with a .409 batting average through 18 games. Thus far, Clementi has been hitting at a significantly lesser rate of .242. As the season goes on though, Clementi could be a valuable offensive weapon for Michigan.

Big Ten preview: Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana set to challenge for title BENNETT BRAMSON Daily Sports Writer

Snow and baseball are not two things that people commonly associate with one another, but that’s typical in the world of Big Ten baseball. It is difficult for the conference to reach a level of national success when many of its schools still have weather below freezing in midMarch. Despite this, the Big Ten is coming off a season in which five conference teams made the NCAA Tournament — tied for a conference record — and an impressive 35 combined players were drafted. The Big Ten has developed into one of the better leagues in the nation, and looks poised to continue its recent success in the upcoming season. Michigan (4-11) has kept up with the rest of the conference in recent years and has positioned itself near the top, though early returns hint that this year may be different. This season, like last, the Wolverines should see a plethora of tough conference competition, highlighted by defending Big Ten regular season champion Nebraska, defending Big Ten Tournamentchampion Iowa and NCAA Tournament-participant Indiana. Nebraska: Last season: (167-1, 35-22-1) This Season: (0-0, 10-7) Following their Big Ten regular season championship — and a season that would ultimately end with a defeat in the first round of the tournament — 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year Darin Erstad and Nebraska look to bounce back from a disappointing end to the season. Following last year’s campaign, the Cornhuskers return all but seven players, including All-Big Ten First Team senior outfielder Scott Schreiber and All-Big Ten Third Team shortstop Angelo Altavilla. Erstad will rely on Schreiber and Altavilla to carry the offensive load come conference play. Schreiber, after hitting .330/.376/.494 last year, has followed up with another stellar season thus far, hitting

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The Indiana baseball team made it to the NCAA Tournament last year and could do so again; the Hoosiers currently own the conference’s best record.

.348/.436/.606. Altavilla, on the other hand, who posted a .316/.401/.406 stat line last year, has struggled at the plate, hitting only .246/.421/.298. The rest of the team has also struggled to hit the ball, as the team’s average is just .258 thus far, compared to last year’s team average of .281. On the mound last season, Nebraska had the Big Ten’s second-lowest team earnedrun averaged at 3.73, but lost its top two starting pitchers to the draft. This season, the Cornhuskers have registered a significantly worse team ERA of 4.92, good for fifth highest in the conference. Redshirt junior Jake McSteen, who recorded a 2.04 ERA in 39.2 innings of relief for Nebraska

last season, has struggled with his transition to starter, posting a 6.00 ERA thus far. Senior Luis Alvarado, on the other hand, has excelled as the Cornhuskers’ top starting pitcher with a 2.70 ERA in 23.1 innings. If last year is any indication, this Nebraska team could become very dangerous if they can find their groove come Big Ten play. But for now, they are playing at just above .500 and have had their share of struggles. Iowa: Last season: (159, 39-22) This Season: (0-0, 8-6) After a good but not great regular season, Iowa entered the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 5 seed. Led by the Big Ten Player of the Year, All-American first baseman Jake Adams, the

Nebraska could be very dangerous if it finds its groove.

Hawkeyes scraped their way to an unlikely Big Ten Tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. Adams and his impressive .335/.417/.747 stat line, 29 homers and 71 RBIs, as well as All-Big Ten Second Team shortstop Mason McCoy are gone, and Iowa has had to look for offensive production and leadership elsewhere. Junior outfielder Robert Neustrom (.321/.403/.415) and senior catcher Tyler Cropley (.300/.417/.420), both All-Big Ten Second Team selections last year, have stepped up to the challenge. Iowa, however, has not seen the same offensive success it saw last season overall. The team is hitting just .248 this season, as opposed to .284 last year. Iowa has salvaged a meager 8-6 record so far. It has remained above .500 due in large part to a weak schedule, playing only five games against over .500 teams, winning none of those contests.

The Hawkeyes’ pitching has been a different story from their hitting, taking full advantage of the weak offensive competition. Despite losing AllBig Ten Second Team pitcher Nick Gallagher to the draft, redshirt junior Nick Allgeyer — who has 24 strikeouts and a 1.82 ERA in four starts — and the rest of the roation have combined for the fifth-best team ERA in the Big Ten (4.20). While Iowa has players who can continue to produce all season, the team’s lack of success against above-average competition and offensive struggles signal red f lags for the team heading into conference play. Repeating the success they saw last year seems unlikely, but still possible, at

this point. Indiana: Last season: (149-1, 34-24-2) This Season: (0-0, 12-4) After placing a disappointing sixth in Big Ten play last season despite being showered with praise, Indiana, the only Big Ten team currently ranked, has made the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five years and is poised to further its recent success this season. Despite losing their top hitter from last season, Tony Butler (.314/.418/.454), the Hoosiers have started the season strong, holding the conference’s best record. Senior All-Big Ten Second Team outfielder Logan Sowers (.333/.413/.537) decided to return to school for his final season and has stepped into the role as team leader, helping Indiana obtain the fifth-best team batting average in the Big Ten at .275 thus far. Unlike other most other teams in the Big Ten, Indiana’s offensive focus is more on the big hit as opposed to stringing together multiple singles; it is second in the conference in both home runs (15) and doubles (38). While the offense has been good for the Hoosiers, their true calling card is their pitching. With a miniscule 2.92 team ERA, Indiana’s pitching leads the Big Ten in ERA by nearly 0.3 points. All-Big Ten Third Team pitcher Pauly Milto has a 2.36 ERA in four starts to go along with a batting average against of only .216. All-Big Ten Freshman Team pitcher Cal Krueger has been dominant in his sophomore campaign, not allowing a single run thus far in 11 innings of relief. Indiana’s hot start does not appear to be cooling off anytime soon, and the Hoosiers should be successful in Big Ten play this year. They are serious contenders, if not favorites, to win the Big Ten title.

Indiana’s hot start does not appear to be cooling off.