Thursday, May 3, 2018
ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
inside
COMMENCEMENT
Speaker shares hope at spring convocation
NEWS
Winged Mural University commisioned street art bolsters U-M social media presence. >> SEE PAGE 2
Charles Woodson speaks on unity and hope for graduates
OPINION
Slacktivism in 2018 Slacktivism: the watered down support for an issue
By ALEXAST. JOHN & RIYAH BASHA
that requires minimal effort.
Editor in Chief & Managing News Editor
>> SEE PAGE 5
ARTS
DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN
Film: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ The latest tentpole is more spectacle than substance
>> SEE PAGE 7
MICHIGAN IN COLOR
MiC Contributor “Therse are all the things I would like to tell my mother someday.” >> SEE PAGE 9
SPORTS
Shea Patterson The Ole Miss transfer’s waiver for immediate eligibility was accepted by the NCAA. >> SEE PAGE 12
INDEX Vol. CXXVII, No. 115 | © 2018 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ............................... 4 ARTS ...................................... 6 MiC......................................... 9 SPORTS................................ 10
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MSU professor accused of sexual harassment William Jacoby under investigation by U-M and MSU By RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Summer Daily News Editor
Valerie Sulfaro, currently a professor of political science at James Madison University, was considering switching out of her international relations subfield when she was 23 years old and in her second year of graduate school at the University of South Carolina in 1989. This was when she met William Jacoby, then a faculty member at USC, who convinced her to study public opinion and voting behavior, his subfield. Jacoby is now a political science professor at Michigan State University and a director of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research Summer Program at the University of Michigan. Both MSU and the University are investigating him for
sexual misconduct. According to University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald, Jacoby will not be teaching this summer with ICPSR, though Jacoby can still be found on MCommunity. According to Sulfaro, she served as a teaching assistant for a course Jacoby taught in the fall semester of 1990. In the winter of 1990, he came to her office and closed the door. “I remember very clearly what he said,” Sulfaro said. “He said he was laying his cards on the table, and then proposed an intimate relationship with me. I was stunned. I did not say yes. I did not say no. I said maybe, because I could not figure out what to say.” Sulfaro also said Jacoby told her she was sending clear signals of her interest in him. According to Sulfaro, his misinterpretation of her feelings crushed her confidence. She then said Jacoby kissed her with his arm around her and ground his pelvis into her. “It was not an innocent kiss,” Sulfaro said. “He had not waited for me to say yes or to think about what
I wanted. And at that moment I felt like I had cheated on my boyfriend without ever intending to.” This was not the only time Sulfaro had such an encounter with Jacoby. In an email to The Daily, Sulfaro wrote Jacoby sexually harassed her while she was presenting a paper at the Midwest Political Science Association in 1996 and kissed her again without consent. At the MPSA conference, Jacoby allegedly offered Sulfaro a computer disc with nude photos of himself on it. The University’s sexual harassment policy labels unwanted sexual statements, personal attention and physical and sexual advances as sexual harassment. The policy also states the University will be unsympathetic to any consensual relationships when there is a clear power differential between the parties. Sulfaro said she considered the relationship consensual because Jacoby did not rape her and she did not run away, even though the relationship was not her choice. See MISCONDUCT, Page 3
“When you look around, I don’t want you to see Black, White, Asian. I don’t want you to wonder if a person is Democrat or Republican, gay or straight. When you look around I just want you to simply see human beings. Nothing more, nothing less.” This is the sentiment University of Michigan alum Charles Woodson left class of 2018 graduates with Saturday morning at spring commencement. Other speakers emphasized themes of service, community and Michigan fandom. University Provost Martin Philbert, professor of toxicology in the School of Public Health, was the first to make remarks at Saturday’s ceremony. Speaking on the class of 2018, Philbert said, “They have challenged us, their teachers, to examine our own ideas. In the face of new evidence and different perspectives, we thank them for reminding us learning is a lifelong endeavor.” LSA now-graduate Jad Elharake then spoke about his experiences and challenges as an Arab-Muslim student and a first generation college student, leading him to this moment to “come for everything they said we couldn’t have.” “We faced challenges, made sacrifices but experienced joy along the way,” Elharake said. “It is critical we remember those who empowered us.” Elharake introduced LSA Dean Andrew Martin, who spoke on the significance of academic freedom.
See COMMENCEMENT, Page 3
2 NEWS
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Interactive mural piques AA interest Downtown winged artwork bolsters U-M social media presence By ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter
When 2018 graduate Sejal Mehta walked by the newly commissioned mural, a pair of maize and blue wings painted by artist Kelsey Montague, at the corner of East William and Maynard streets at Tower Plaza, she saw a fabulous Instagram opportunity. She posed underneath the wings, threw her graduation cap in the air and had her friend of four years snap the photo. “It just turned out really well,” Mehta said. “I was wearing a yellow dress that went well with the colors and then I just posted the photo to celebrate being done with everything.” The mural’s clear invitation Sudoku forSyndication photo ops is exactly what the commissioners intended. The idea
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advocacy: the power of persistence, Emma Chang Editorial Page Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com and the power of the personal relationship,” Sarkar wrote in an Tien Le & Jacob Kopnick Managing Sports Editors email interview with The Daily. “I sportseditors@michigandaily.com stayed in pretty close contact with http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ Jack Brandon Managing Arts Editor the key decision-makers for this By ALICE TRACEY Read more at MichiganDaily.com arts@michigandaily.com issue throughout the year (mainly in Summer Daily News Editor Student Life, IT, and the President’s Alec Cohen Managing Photo Editor photo@michigandaily.com The University of Michigan’s office) to ensure it would be Information and Technology prioritized during the university’s Jack Silberman Managing Design Editor Services announced plans last budget process.” design@michigandaily.com Major internet access renovations Thursday to install Wi-Fi on the Diag, providing wireless internet have been underway since 2016 Olivia Sedlacek Managing Copy Editor copydesk@michigandaily.com access to the Central Campus area when ITS began the Campuswide WiFi Upgrade Project with the surrounding the block ‘M.’ Lorna Brown Managing MiC Editor michiganincolor@michigandaily.com The initiative began in Fall 2017 goal of improving wireless access when LSA senior Anushka Sarkar, in 275 locations across campus. Carrington Tubman Managing Social Editor former Central Student Government Andy Palms, executive director of president, and CSG Vice President ITS Infrastructure, said that before Nadine Jawad, a Public Policy Sarkar took initiative, ITS would senior, started their respective occasionally set up temporary Wi-Fi appointments after campaigning for outdoor events near the Diag BUSINESS STAFF on the promise of Wi-Fi on the and had discussed the feasibility Leah Louis-Prescott Sales Manager Diag. The pair took action soon of installing it permanently. But, after coming into office, contacting according to Palms, ITS did not have the U-M administration to discuss official plans to bring Wi-Fi to the outdoor internet access. University Diag. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published every Thursday during the “We’d been expecting that our President Mark Schlissel supported spring and summer terms by students the idea and ITS received funds to students and faculty and staff would at the University of Michigan. One copy add the initiative to its list of projects. be fine just with using their cell is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Sarkar noted she worked closely phones when they are outdoors,” Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall with University administrators, Palms said. “In fact, our whole term, starting in September, via U.S. mail especially Schlissel, to push the plan project that we’ve had for the last are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September three years to enhance Wi-Fi inside forward. through April) is $195. University affiliates “I campaigned on this when I ran all the buildings, we intentionally are subject to a reduced subscription rate. for CSG President because it’s an had not included outdoor spaces.” On-campus subscriptions for fall term unexpectedly important component are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. The Michigan Daily is a member of The puzzle by sudokusyndication.com of daily student life, but its success Read more at MichiganDaily.com Associated Press and The Associated is also a demonstration of two Collegiate Press. important tenets of effective student
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for the mural originated in the University of Michigan Department of Communication as part of a yearly initiative to show University constituents the impact social media has. Nicole Sunstrum, director of social media, said her department wanted to foster an appreciation of art and bolster the University’s social media presence. “The ultimate goal was to provide an opportunity for individuals to appreciate art, first and foremost, and to also take a photograph to share and tag U of M, and feel proud of their University,” Sunstrum said. To bring this project to life, U-M Social Media worked with the University Arts and Culture Initiative, LSA, Destination Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. Sunstrum said she encountered one of Montague’s wing murals in Nashville, Tenn., and after witnessing the long line of people waiting to take photos, thought it would be the perfect fit for the project. Montague’s series of
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Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MISCONDUCT From Page 1 Sulfaro has since filed complaints with the University, MSU, MPSA and two other professional organizations. After filing the complaint with the University, Sulfaro said Elizabeth Seney, U-M deputy Title IX coordinator, contacted her but never followed up with her or her witnesses. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald stated the University does not confirm nor deny the existence of the investigation against Jacoby by the Office of Institutional Equity. Rebecca Gill, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was also propositioned by Jacoby for a relationship. Following a presentation of
her paper at a 2001 conference, Jacoby approached Gill and gave positive remarks on her work. Jacoby encouraged her to take an ICPSR course he taught in the summer of 2002 at Michigan, and she did. After the last day of Jacoby’s course, Gill, Jacoby and others went to a pub to celebrate the end of the session. Jacoby told Gill about “how mysterious and goodlooking she was” and that they would both be working together at MSU. Jacoby then asked Gill to consider having an affair with him, implying the relationship would be a way to advance her career at MSU. Gill spoke to Jacoby once after this incident, soon before her graduation from MSU. According to Gill, at the time Jacoby’s wife was the graduate director of
Gill’s doctoral program. The program’s policy required that Ph.D. students with specializing in American politics had to have Jacoby on their doctoral committee. Gill requested not to have Jacoby on her committee because of her discomfort with him, and when meeting with Jacoby, was told she was mistaken about the pub incident. “I expected him to say, ‘Oh I never meant to make you feel that way,’” Gill said. “But, he just said, ‘That didn’t happen. You must be mistaken.’” Gill told The Daily she graduated late from the program, finishing after Jacoby’s wife’s role as the Graduate Director ended in 2007.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
City Council votes to repurchase property on South Fifth Avenue At a special session councilmembers supported affordable housing for downtown By RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Summer Daily News Editor
During their fourth and final decision on the “Y lot” repurchase, Ann Arbor City Council voted 11-0 to purchase the lot for $4.2 million at 350 South Fifth Avenue. The special session on Tuesday comes after postponing the decision in previous meetings. The city had sold the lot to local real estate developer Dennis Dahlmann in 2014 for $5.25 million with a promise to create affordable housing andcommercialdevelopmentsonthelot. The lot is still vacant, and Dahlmann has sued the city in order to extend his ownership of the lot for another four years. Many residents called for the affordable housing prices to be based on median income instead of a fair-market value. The fair-market rent is determined by the market value of a unit, but many residents voiced their preference for rent to be based off Ann Arbor’s median income to make the units more affordable. According to the 2016 census, Ann Arbor’s median income is $57,697 and the city’s poverty rate is at 23.4 percent. In the city’s decision, rent will be based on a fair-market rent of 110 percent
of fair market range. The city has not yet determined the number of units to be built on the property. Ann Arbor resident Sharon Ongaro called upon City Council to repurchase the lot to help those who work in the downtownareahaveaffordablehousing. “There’s opportunity for the city of Ann Arbor to step in, take control of that lot and hand it to a developer with the requirement that some number of the units be affordable housing,” Ongaro said.“Weallknowthatit’sneeded.Weall know that gentrification has taken place and shoved people out of their homes through the years and we need to have affordable housing so the people that are making our downtown tick have a place to stay.” Ann Arbor resident Sandi Smith, a local realtor and president of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, was also in favor of City Council repurchasing the lot as a way to address housing affordability issues in the city. “You (City Council) need to take some action,” Smith said. “This won’t solve everything, but you need to take some action to make sure that you get some money into the affordable housing trust fund. A good way to find affordable units is to use government-owned land. It’s smart.” Councilmember Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, sponsored the resolution as a means of improving Ann Arbor’s affordability and quality of life for citizens. “I think as we build a community with a high quality of life and a sustain-
able economy, we need to look to that same premise that intentionally promoting affordability is critical to sustain quality of life and a healthy economy,” Ackerman said. Councilmember Sumi Kailasapathy, D-Ward 1, also supported the resolution, expressing a desire to see the city stick to its project plans and not turn the property into a luxury facility. “We have seen way too many projects that are being built that are being called affordable units but are really not affordable at all,” Kailasapathy said. “I don’t want to get into a situation of voting on this and then later on saying ‘it’s not financially (liable). We are going to put luxury units for affordable units which are $1600 for a two-bedroom apartment.’ Affordable for who? That’s more than the mortgage I used to pay.” Despite voting for the resolution, Councilmember Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2, supported the city’s attempt to repurchase the property but did not support the specified resolution proposed at the meeting because of the project’s expenses. “Building affordable housing units on the city’s most expensive real estate does not make economic or financial sense,” Lumm said. “It is also not the most costeffective way to leverage taxpayers’ dollars in adding affordable housing units.” Protesters from organizations such as AnnArborOzoneHousewerepresentat the meeting calling for the city to repurchase the lot and construct affordable housing units.
NEWS 3
COMMENCEMENT From Page 1 Freedom of speech — especially in the context of racism and hate speech — has been a linchpin for the campus community this year in light of controversy over a potential appearance by white supremacist Richard Spencer. “If we don’t trust our ideas enough to sail them out of harbor once in a while, they remain unformed, untested,” he said. “Rather than wrapping ourselves in a security blanket … we raised a collective voice against those who lack collective decency.” Martin ended his remarks with the notion that, “in the long run, good ideas triumph over bad; integrity beats dishonesty.” Public Policy now-graduate Nadine Jawad, outgoing Central Student Government vice president, discussed the importance of service, following the example of the Ford School of Public Policy’s eponym, Gerald Ford. “When I think of the University of Michigan and the Ford School, I think of the will to overcome challenges and in that will I see a very distinct opportunity,” Jawad noted, discussing the challenges of the year and her college tenure but importance of looking toward change.“There is nothing more important than my service to those around me.” University President Mark Schlissel mentioned his special connection with this year’s graduates, as he began his tenure at the University of Michigan in 2014 when the 2018 graduates were starting their University careers as freshmen. He noted many of the athletic triumphs at the University in the past four years, gaining cheers from the audience with references to teams’ runs in the Final and Frozen Four championships, among other noteworthy events. Schlissel discussed graduation as a turning point for a “new community of scholars.” “Class of 2018, today you graduate into an increasingly global society where the challenges are enormous and there are no simple answers,” Schlissel said. Schlissel expressed the importance for graduates to live their lives embodying the “Michigan difference.” “I believe we all change the world in ways large and small, and each of us through our Michigan experience finds a way to make an impact,” he said. Following Schlissel and other speakers were presentations to four honorary degree recipients, including: Jeanne Craig Sinkford, who received an honorary doctor of science; Penny Stamps, who received an honorary doctor of fine arts; David Walt, who
received an honorary doctor of science; and main speaker Woodson, who received an honorary doctor of laws. Woodson, the 1997 Heisman TrophywinnerwholedtheWolverines to the 1997 co-national championship, then addressed the graduates. Woodson made lighthearted jokes noting, “You’re all stuck with me … but at least this year you have a speaker.” This referred to student disappointment surrounding last year’s commencement, at which no specific speaker was named in exchange for a Bicentennial-themed ceremony. Woodson began by drawing several parallels between him and Desmond Howard, another famed Michigan football player, Heisman Trophy awardee and national championship winner. “Once you get here, you get to witness the tradition of Michigan,” Woodson said. “…When you leave here, that’s the time when you’re really going to appreciate your time being here.” Woodson also made a few politically-charged allusions about a hypothetical wall between Michigan and Ohio — his home state — taking on commentary against President Donald Trump. “If we built that wall, neither me nor Desmond (Howard) could have come here...so scratch that.” He later shifted to a message about service. Speaking about his childhood being raised by single mother of three, Woodson said he wasn’t alone, and he couldn’t have gotten where he is without others. Then, Woodson touched on the recent anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King 50 years ago this month, and the significance of King’s activism and commitment to racial justice. “Dr. King cared about people, and he gave his time, he gave his energy, and ultimately Dr. King gave his life,” Woodson said. “But those things that were happening to people, it never stopped him from trying to help others. He helped people he knew, he helped people that he didn’t know and that’s because of one major quality that I believe that he had that I hope all of you have as you go through your life. ” He made a request to the graduating class: to look around and see people as they are. “I guarantee you, if you can begin to see people that way, just as human beings, you will begin to treat them differently,” Woodson said. “You will begin to understand their points of views … I’m asking you — I’m begging you — do not carry the hate forward.”
4 OPINION
EMMA CHANG | SUMMER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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ELIAS KHOURY | OP-ED
W
A new way forward
ith many people expecting Democrats to take back the U.S. House of Representatives — and even the Senate — in 2018, it is an opportune time to go over the way Democrats can continue to win and make gains going forward. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a Democrat. However, I do think they are preferable to the Republicans, and changing the party from within is a realistic way to achieve positive change in this country. The Democratic National Committee has made it clear there is little room in the party for socially conservative candidates. Yet, somehow, they seem to always find a place for corrupt, warmongering, corporate stooges. Take their failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Despite voting for the War in Iraq and being the architect of the intervention that has turned Libya into a failed state, she was fully embraced by the DNC. Or what about Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel? Despite campaigning on a platform of strengthening the public school system, he has since met privately with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and is currently leading the largest mass public school closing ever in one U.S. city. The DNC still fully supports him. Where do we draw the line? If these characters have the
DNC’s full endorsement, why is it considered beyond the pale to get behind a candidate who just so happens to be pro-life? Something is not right here. If Democrats want to not only win but usher in positive populist change, they must rebrand themselves as a more fiscally liberal and more socially conservative party. Now, when I say socially conservative, I do not mean they should campaign on failed, unpopular and immoral policies such as being anti-gay marriage and pro-War on Drugs. However, accepting those who are pro-life, skeptical of marijuana legalization or talk about “family values” would not be such a bad thing. Rather than putting too much emphasis on social issues and refusing to endorse pro-life candidates, wouldn’t it be better if the DNC ostracized those who took PAC money and did not support universal health care, free college and a living wage? At the end of the day, it’s all about the economy. While the Republicans push ever further right toward oligarchy, the Democrats could really separate themselves by morphing into a party pushing for a government that is created by and for the people. Social conservatism mixed with economic leftism is a winning strategy. For example, it fills a previously unfilled niche. Take the four
biggest political parties: the Republican Party, Democratic Party, Libertarian Party and Green Party. Republicans are both socially and fiscally conservative. Democrats are more socially liberal but frankly, generally fiscally conservative. Libertarians are socially liberal and fiscally conservative and the Greens are both socially and fiscally liberal. If you didn’t notice, only one quadrant remains untouched. Finding this niche and running with it would help Democrats not just to do better in red states but nationwide as well. What so few people realize is the biggest crossover vote in America is those voters who are socially conservative and fiscally more leftist. This makes sense, as they often feel as though there is no party that really represents them, and they’re right. In the 2016 presidential election, the vast majority of these people voted for someone other than the Democratic candidate. If the Democratic Party embraces this philosophy, they could not only break up Republican hegemony in the heartland but become the dominant political force for years to come. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Elias Khoury is a n LSA sophomore.
T
he
press has always played a significant part in American society. Whether it was when our founding fathers called for freedom of speech or President Trump’s condemnations of liberal news outlets as “fake news,” the importance of news outlets has never wavered. Similarly, college newspapers should have an equally secure role on campuses. However, recently, student newspapers are facing evergrowing challenges that have forced them to either shut down or reaffiliate with their university. Reaffiliation not only takes away valuable independence from students, but it also reduces the integrity of the news and reporting that comes from the publication. University campuses are microcosms of the real world, and what would the real world be like without the media? An uninformed mess. Or, at least, more of an uninformed mess. Studentrun publications provide a platform for students to voice their concerns about the school as well as shed light on the issues that may or may not plague their campus.The paper provides an environment in which students can express their opinions and learn about their campus without fear of being shut down or shunned by the university. However, as more and more campus papers lose funding, the voice of the students becomes weaker. Additionally, a student paper that is funded by its university has a conf lict of interest. How are student journalists supposed to criticize the organization that is funding them? Independence from their corresponding university allows student papers to objectively look at the decisions of the university, much like independence from the government allows media outlets such as The New York Times or The Washington Post to judge the actions of our government. We all know that the University of Michigan has had issues in the past with addressing their actions and decisions and had the Daily not been an independent student organization, these problems might have been ignored and students would not be able to voice their anxieties about the University. Without student criticism and curiosity, how is a college
campus supposed to improve? The University of Michigan is not a campus free from scandal. In just the past year, we have had racist messages plague both campus landmarks and our residence halls while the University does little in the way of clear action towards change. The Michigan in Color section, MiC, provides a place where students can discuss campus climate and call out the University for surfacelevel solutions and actions. The paper is a place where students can find support and information about the more-suspicious behavior of their school. The importance of independent college newspapers isn’t in just content, though. Students create a tight-knit community when they hold the sole responsibility of representing their organization; there is no parental figure in the university looming over their heads, threatening a “grounding” of sorts should things go wrong. The unique experience that comes from this autonomy should be something that students and alumni alike should work to give their peers and future generations. College newspapers are also another way to help students feel comfortable on campus, and with more shutting down, there are fewer spaces where new people can find their way. My first year on the Daily, I met interesting people with diverse opinions and experiences in our Editboard. I learned how to move past the discomfort of having someone else read my writing. The Daily created a space where I could learn about the goings-on at our university in an accurate and objective way, without having to sift through the nonsense of Twitter and Facebook groups. It should be no question that student newspapers are important parts of universities. They’re needed to not only maintain but also create conversation surrounding issues on campus. Saving student newsrooms is a pivotal movement that we should all care about and support. If you want to learn more and read about other universities, check out the movement at savestudentnewsrooms.com.
Emma Chang is a Business sophomore and the Summer Editorial Page Editor.
JULIA MONTAG | COLUMN
I
Slacktivism in 2018
t’s 2018 and this year we celebrated the 48th anniversary of Earth Day, a global day of recognition for environmental protection. It also marks day zero of the Environmental Protection Agency “strengthening” the quality of science it uses to write new environmental rules, a decision made by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Strengthening” in this case means narrowing the scope of science available to the EPA to only findings that are reproducible and authentic, which may potentially violate the EPA’s pledge to use the best available science. Recently, I was reminded by a CNN push notification that the health of my environment, as well as the integrity of my right to take action, is deteriorating. I immediately felt there was no legitimate way for me to express my disdain for political decisions like this one. After reading, I interrupted my friend’s finalpaper-writing trance so she could commiserate with me in anger about the article. “Wow,” she sighed, “you should share that article on Facebook.” This is “slacktivism,” or the watereddown support for an issue that requires only the most minimal effort, such as expressing opinions on social media. This is how our generation takes action. Is it true that millennial Wolverines are lazily riding a ski lift up the activism mountain, while generations before us trekked and trudged to reach the top of it? It is possible we come off as the pre-cooked meals in the freezer section of Kroger that require minimal effort to enjoy – just two minutes of “labor.” We are to past generations of activists as EasyBib is to handwriting an APA-style reference. Activists across the world gather annually on Earth Day in an attempt to harness the power necessary to keep the passion alive and stand up against environmental injustice. But what classifies as standing up for the Earth? Is it when we stroll through the Diag and write down our uniqnames, signing up for the Planet Blue e-newsletter? Is it when we take a complimentary apple from a tent display and pledge to turn our lights off when we leave home? Yes, standing up for the Earth in 2018 is quite different than it was in 1970, especially on the University of Michigan campus – but how different? “Slacktivism” on our campus, unfortunately, casts a shadow on our school’s unparalleled legacy of student-driven action. In March 1970, U-M students organized a four-day-long series of events that revolved around taking action toward bettering their dirty surroundings. This “teach-in” served as a precursor to the first Earth Day just one month later. Students saw the potential for change, harnessed the success of the recent antiwar student protests and shifted it to encompass the increasing momentum of passion for the environment. The 1970 teach-in let students take
action in a way that had never been done before. They enrolled in the brand new environmental law major and walked along the Huron River to protest its deterioration. They took sledgehammers to a vehicle in the Diag that was facing a “trial and execution” for its pollution crime. They visited a former Ann Arbor Coca-Cola bottling plant and dropped off thousands of cans that were, at the time, non-returnable. They then picked up that mess of cans with their own hands. Our generation has a slightly different way of expressing disgust for the state of the environment and its policies, as shown by my friend’s suggestion to Facebook “share” the Pruitt article. We use our own two hands to type outraged, opinionated streams of consciousness onto Facebook, letting the world know our true opinions about who is responsible for polluting what. We retweet digs at Pruitt that criticize his tactics, question his motives, and press for answers about the future of the EPA. However, we need to start doing the action ourselves — the criticizing, the questioning and the pressing for answers. We’ve picked a bad time for action to shift to inaction, for correspondence with state senators to turn into retweets and Facebook shares. I say “bad time” because as a country, we exist in quite a tumultuous environment, both environmentally and politically. Just this past year, humans’ actions resulted in the inability to coexist with certain species and a climate disaster in Puerto Rico. The U.S. was one of the only countries to withdraw from the Paris agreement and remove itself from the pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Not to worry — if all feels hopeless and degradation seems inevitable, check out the University’s sustainability website, and explore the huge progress the University has made to better the Earth and work toward our 2025 campus goals. We’ve already succeeded in applying 40 percent less chemicals to the green of our campus, but we need to focus on recycling to reduce waste sent to landfills and walking or busing to class to reduce our carbon footprint. April 22, 2018 has come and gone, sweeping like a whirlwind over our country and hitting Ann Arbor especially hard. The 48th anniversary of Earth Day should serve as our push-notification reminder to wake up and smell the roses, both figuratively and literally. We are now in the same position as the 1970 U-M undergraduates that spoke up for what they believed in and inspired a national movement. It is up to us: Do we want to be a generation of environmental activism or slacktivism?
Julia Montag can be reached at jtmon@umich.edu.
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION 5
ALI SAFAWI | COLUMN
Pay attention to state government
N
ame five major pieces of legislation passed by the U.S Congress under the current administration. Having trouble? That’s because this Congress, even though the Republican Party controls both houses and the presidency, is the least effective since the Civil War. While Washington, D.C. is paralyzed, Lansing is very much in motion. Yet despite the power that state government has to change our everyday lives, most of us ignore it. That needs to change because destructive policy gets passed when the public eye is averted. I understand why the federal government gets more attention; it’s flashier. There are no shows like “West Wing” or “House of Cards” set in state capitols and no one dreams to be governor when they can aim for president. However, it may surprise people that the states, not the federal government, hold most of the governing power in this country. The 10th Amendment states the federal government only has the powers explicitly granted to it in the U.S. Constitution, leaving the rest to the states. This is not meant to be a crash course on the Constitution, but our foundational document gives surprisingly few powers to the federal government. That means state governments hold the lion’s share of constitutionally derived power. Furthermore, because of federalism, states can challenge the federal government instead of being forced to stay in line. Health? There is no mention of it in the Constitution. Education? That is a state issue as well. Now, of course, there are the federal Departments of Education and Health and Human Services but those are just creative applications of the federal government’s constitutionally derived powers. Moreover, in both health and education, it is the states that do more anyway. So what has Michigan’s government done recently? Besides the Flint water crisis, I doubt most people could answer this with any certainty. This is not to say that people are dumb, only that it is easy to forget the importance of state government and therefore not pay attention. One recent example of states flexing their muscles came when the attorneys general of seven states — Hawaii, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, New York and Massachusetts — sued President Donald Trump’s administration over the ban
imposed on Muslim-majority nations. Instead of joining his colleagues in opposing an unconstitutional and xenophobic policy, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette was busy preparing to run for governor. Once he did declare his candidacy, Trump promptly endorsed him on Twitter. Speaking of Flint, Gov. Rick Snyder announced in early April that a free bottled water and water filter distribution program funded by state and federal dollars would come to an end once current supplies run out. This decision comes as Flint residents still do not trust the safety of the water. “This is wrong,” tweeted Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician whose study of blood lead levels in Flint’s children helped blow the lid off the water crisis and state cover-up. She is right; if the state government believes the water is safe then they need to convince the people of Flint instead of spontaneously cutting off the free bottled water. The state Congress, also Republican-controlled, has its own share of troubling policy. In November 2017, the state Senate passed Senate Bills 584-586 that would allow people with enhanced licenses to carry concealed pistols into churches, schools, bars and other “no gun” zones. I believe guns should be allowed in fewer places, not more. The thought of someone, with an enhanced license or not, carrying a pistol into my younger brother’s high school is disturbing. Luckily, the bills are currently stalled in the state House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee. Last year, House Bill 4221 and Senate Bill 162 were introduced in the state Legislature. Both bills would have completely defunded Planned Parenthood and other women’s health providers that perform abortions by prohibiting the state to contract the providers. Currently, Planned Parenthood and others have funding contracts for a variety of health services excluding abortion. Another bill would have forced abortion clinics to get licenses with burdensome requirements, mirroring a piece of Texas legislation that was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. All of these anti-choice bills have not advanced to a vote. If you have made it to this point in the column, you might think all bills in the state Legislature are poorly conceived. However, Michigan’s state government has done some good. For instance, Snyder and the state Legislature worked together to
expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2013. Good bills are also sitting in the House and Senate right now, waiting to be passed. Democratic state Reps. Adam Zemke of Ann Arbor and Darrin Camilleri of Brownstown Township have introduced House Bills 5550 in the House’s Health Policy Committee to ban licensed mental health professionals from offering gay conversion therapy to minors. Fourteen of the most reputable health advocacy organizations in the country, including the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose conversion therapy as both baseless and damaging to mental health. Additionally, 37 bills have been introduced in the state Legislature to combat sexual assault in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal at Michigan State University. Many of these bills have support from both Democrats and Republicans as well as survivors of Nassar. One of the bills, S.B. 871, which was introduced by Republican state Sen. Margaret O’Brien of Portage, would erase the statute of limitations for second-degree criminal sexual conduct against a minor and would extend the statute for third-degree criminal conduct until the survivor’s 48th birthday or within 30 years after DNA evidence identifies the perpetrator. Another bill, S.B. 872, introduced by Democratic state Sen. David Knezek of Dearborn Heights, would extend the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits as far back as 1997 for those who were sexually assaulted as minors. State government matters, and who holds power can do great or terrible things for the people of Michigan. Luckily, Michiganders are going to elect a new governor and attorney general in November. All 148 seats in the state Legislature are also up for election. It is incumbent on everyone, regardless of partisan affiliation, to vote in the Aug. 7 primary and again in the Nov. 7 general election. If you are going to be out of Michigan during the elections, you can still vote by absentee ballot. The League of Women Voters Michigan is an excellent resource for those looking to learn how to vote. Whatever state you decide to vote in, please vote in these midterm elections. Ali Safawi can be reached at asafawi@umich.edu.
6 ARTS
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
ARTIST IN PROFILE
‘Handmaid’s’ is uneven, urgent Colonies are brought on screen in the style of Andrew Wyeth, muted and wistful, washed in gorgeous browns When Margaret Atwood’s novel and pastels. Like in last season, the “The Handmaid’s Tale” was first pub- camerawork veers between portraitlished in 1985, America was in her like and Kubrickian, using claustroReagan years. A fervent, nascent reli- phobic shallow focus to evoke the gious right, certain their politics were devastating personal wreckage of sanctioned by scripture, set forth to Gilead and crisp, haunting tableaus to fundamentally reshape American remind of the regime’s sheer might. public life. Last spring, Hulu’s TV Most striking are this season’s adaptation of the novel debuted as flashbacks, tender impressionistic the Moral Majority’s vision was real- scenes of life before Gilead. In the ized in the form of a first season of “The Trump-Pence adminHandmaid’s Tale,” “The istration eager to stoke these mostly served Handmaid’s the flames of bitter to establish relationculture wars. And ships and motivations. Tale” now, the show returns Now, they seem a bit Hulu to Hulu following a more pointed — acting national cultural reckas roadmaps or whisSeason 2 Premiere oning with systems of pered warnings of power and the men who exploit them. how tyranny might slip into our world At its best, dystopia takes those unnoticed. In one, June casually asks elements of contemporary society her husband Luke (O.T. Fagbenle, to narrative extremes, unsettling us “Looking”) to sign a form so she can with their uneasy familiarity and leav- pick up her birth control prescription. ing us wondering: Could it happen In another, a stern nurse insists on here? Mary McCarthy wrote in her calling June “Mrs. Bankole” despite New York Times review of the novel June’s repeated reminders that she that “The Handmaid’s Tale” lacked goes by her maiden name. This world the “shiver of recognition” necessary on the brink of totalitarian takeover is, to shock and warn, but the power of the show would like us to know, eerily the show’s second season — more similar to ours. vivid and horrifying than the first — For all its quiet, poignant moments, lies precisely in its ability to offer us though, “The Handmaid’s Tale” still a world that resembles ours; the sea- suffers from a frustrating unwillingson’s timely arrival in this political ness to leave anything up to the imagimoment gives it a renewed sense of nation. The first two episodes of the urgency and importance. second season almost seem to revel in The first season of “The Hand- female pain, leaning fully into the sort maid’s Tale” ends where the novel of horror that felt far more understatdid: The pregnant handmaid Offred/ ed last season. What should we make June (Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”) of a show that subjects its women to steps into the back of a van, neither such brutality while basking in femishe nor the audience certain of her nist glory? Gendered violence is the fate. This forces Season 2 to advance defining feature of the lives of Gilbeyond the pages of the book and it ead’s handmaids — maybe the gore quickly finds its footing as it expands is a necessary evil — but the restraint Margaret Atwood’s world, fleshing with which it was depicted in the first out the oppressive, theocratic Repub- season is so lacking now it verges on lic of Gilead and venturing outside its unwatchable. walls. Emily (Alexis Bledel, “Gilmore Luckily, the show is grounded in Girls”), who befriended June last sea- lucidity by Moss, whose every line and son, has been banished to the Colo- glance are charged with an intensity nies, toxic concentration camps for and rawness that make this easily one failed handmaids and women who of TV’s best performances. Her fellow have sinned. Emmy winners Bledel and Ann Dowd The introduction of the Colonies (“Good Behavior”) as Aunt Lydia are brings a new aesthetic dimension to mesmerizing to watch. It’s largely an already visually sumptuous show. thanks to these leading actresses that If the well kept households of the “The Handmaid’s Tale” remains the Commanders and their wives recall most beautiful, searing show on telethe painterly elegance of Vermeer, the vision. Praise be. MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN Daily Arts Writer
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Still from ‘Groove’
Ryan McDonough talks post-graduate ‘Groove’ JACK BRANDON
Summer Managing Arts Editor
A week ago, The Daily spoke with alum Ryan McDonough, whose debut film “Groove” tells the story of Melanie, a street performer in New York as she prepares for a music competition. The film has an aura of reverence for New York City and features original music and recorded live in the New York subway. McDonough graduated from the University in 2016 and went to work immediately on the film with fellow classmates. “Groove” is currently available on Amazon, iTunes, Xbox, Hulu, Google Play and Vimeo. In a phone interview with the Daily, McDonough spoke about the process of making the film and shares his personal experience as a young filmmaker. The Michigan Daily: What was the process of creating “Groove”? Ryan McDonough: Me and my friends, from the beginning, were inspired by independent filmmakers like Joe Swanberg, Mark Duplass or Lena Dunham who thought that the only way to make a movie is by doing it. So, my junior year of college, toward the end of the year, me and Joe Biglan, who was the editor on the movie, got together and planned on making something within our means. That summer, I wrote the first draft of the script and my senior year, in the fall, I took an independent study class with Jim Burnstein and rewrote the draft under his mentorship. TMD: What were those plans? Were you working with anyone else? RM: We had a team of me, Joe Biglin, Nikki Horowitz and a few other
people where we would meet once a week and figure out logistics. We changed things once we brought on Billy Offer and Zach Bruch, who are the two producers of the movie and Michigan kids too. They were very good about steering the direction of the movie and making it a reality. Our first big win was a grant from Panavision, who sent us a tractor trailer worth of equipment for free. It was insane. TMD: What came next? RM: Over winter break, Joe and I went back to New York, and to help prepare with the film, we interviewed a couple dozen subway musicians throughout the city to make the story more realistic. We then launched a kickstarter campaign and raised about $20,000. We now had a decent-sized budget, and recruited other kids in the Screen Arts and Cultures program at Michigan and some recent graduates so most of the crew was Michigan students or recent alum. And then, instead of going somewhere for spring break, we posted the casting call back in New York everywhere online. We first filtered all the casting in Michigan, and then did in-person auditions in New York as follow ups. TMD: What was the process of auditioning roles? Who did you end up selecting? RM: All the main characters, most people and some of the core crew and cast members are actual musicians that have performed on the subway. Our lead actress, she was a full-time musician before she got on Broadway. I was deciding between her and someone else and then saw a tape of her submission from NPR’s Tiny Desk and found that she was
the voice. When I told her that she got the main role, we went to one of her concerts at Rough Trade records in New York to surprise her. She was playing the cello, but it was indie rock music, and I thought it was the most badass thing. We changed the story to fit around her. The character had to play cello. TMD: After the film was completed, what was the process of distribution? RM: After Joe and I edited it back at Michigan, there was a long period where nothing happened. We had an industry screening in LA for a couple agencies in December. I naively assumed that I would shoot the movie right after college, that it would get into Sundance the following year and launch our careers. The idea for “Groove” first came about in April 2015 and now it’s three years later, finally coming out. TMD: Did you play any festivals? RM: We starting playing festivals last year. We played the Long Island International Film Expo where we won Best Director, we played the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival where we won Best American Independent Feature Film and then we played the St. Augustine Film Festival. Someone saw the movie at one of those festivals who was able to connect it to Gunpowder and Sky, the distribution company who is releasing it.
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Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
BOOK REVIEW
Ono’s debut is filled with spirit
FILM REVIEW
behavior of animals is essentially explained, but their purpose is not, Summer Senior Arts Editor leading Takeru to associate meaning Straight from the title, “Lion however he sees fit. He dreams of Cross Point” places high literary an aquarium dolphin named Johnstock in animals. Birds, mammals nie with purported healing powers and sea creatures populate its pages, and seeks comfort in a future trip enclosed by prose in this paper zoo. to the idyllic “Dolphin Village.” He Monkeys stumble around backyards feels secure in a playground referred and graveyards, dolphins escape to to as “Zebra Park” because of the the open ocean and an octopus is col- presence of a plastic zebra next to orfully gutted and boiled. In up-and- the swings. He identifies two juniorcoming Japanese author Masatsugu high girls with an alpaca and an owl Ono’s latest, the featured animals are as they unintentionally bring him to more prevalent and intricate than the verge of tears parroting about most human characters. Johnnie’s disappearance from the The common bond that unites aquarium. For Takeru, animals are a all animals of the novel is mystery: way to both liven his distressing life They are painted as and soften the conmurky, unknown symstant fear he faces. “Lion Cross bols obscured by the Translated sparPoint” realities of life. As the ingly into English by reader puzzles over Angus Turvill, the Masatsugu Ono their significance, language of “Lion so does Takeru, the Cross Point” is at Two Lines Press young protagonist of times strikingly April 10 “Lion Cross Point.” minimalist and Surprisingly and devoid of definition. stoically silent for a fourth grader, Often a paragraph will be lost on the Takeru spends the summer in the reader, floating away after initial home village of his mother, living consumption and clouding the subwith his new caretaker Mitsuko stance of the writing. Ono also flirts and befriending his plucky neigh- with the premise of a supernatural bor, the even younger Saki. While ghost story at times as a strange figthis sounds like the setup to a heart- ure by the name of Bunji inhabits warming coming-of-age story, the Takeru’s memories and observaweighty narrative is grounded in tions. This Bunji may or may not be solemnity and poignancy. the shade of a delicate youth who Superficially, Takeru is a caring vanished long ago at the titular locayet shy boy who loves Pokémon and tion and eerily mirrors the brother baseball and is almost never seen of Takeru. This phantom narrative without his FC Barcelona or Man- thread is never fully developed due chester United cap. However, the to Ono’s conservative style, so it real Takeru, the Takeru who hides mostly ends up obfuscating the plot. behind a façade of silence, is a child Another source of confusion comes who’s been forced to grow up too in the way Takeru is focalized; how fast. He’s been forced to bear wit- the omniscient narrator relates his ness to terrible domestic abuse and thoughts and actions and how he the psychological destruction of his deals with hardships makes Takeru mother who seemingly abandoned frequently seem like a middle-aged him. He’s been forced to assume the protagonist better suited for the oeucaretaker role for his older brother, vre of Kenzaburo Oe. who seems the younger because of While most of the novel’s probhis undetermined mental disability. lems stem from a lack of discernible Takeru is wrought by grief, anger, detail, at points it purely clicks and shame and regret, unable to over- introspective clarity is achieved from come his trauma due to his inno- simplicity. There may be no hopeful cence. future or happy ending in sight for Perhaps that is why Takeru muses Takeru — really, there’s no ending at about animals so often — they are all. constant in their obscurity, unlike the people in his life who puzzle Read more at and confuse him with their oscillatMichiganDaily.com ing decisions and personalities. The ROBERT MANSUETTI
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is expansive, yet patchy help or hinder Thanos in his plans. This leads to a large portion of the Daily Arts Writer movie feeling very segmented as we How does one review a film bounce around the universe, often like “Avengers: Infinity War?” To leaving people alone for 40 to 50 list the cast would take half the minutes before returning to them. article. Describing the plot in any It’s easy at times to forget Iron Man kind of detail would be viewed as or Captain America are even in the a colossal spoiler. It’s not trying to movie, not to mention the scores of sell itself to newcomers because, secondary and minor heroes and by now, the entire world likes villains who crop up to fight, die superheroes. A movie this big, with and fight again. The sheer scope this many characters, attempting is impressive, although it’s truly to make good on ten years worth impossible to say how the film will of promises, simply cannot be land with any given group of people. reviewed as though it is any other. Conservatively, it’s safe to say It is wholly true enjoyment of this unique both movie is almost entirely “Avengers: in terms of dependent on how Infinity War” the Marvel invested one already is Walt Disney Cinematic in the Marvel universe Studios Universe and these characters on as well as a personal level. Outside Rave Cinemas filmmaking at of Thanos himself (who large. is arguably the true lead character Here’s the basic plot: Thanos of the movie), no one character (played via motion capture by gets much of an arc or any kind Josh Brolin of “Hail Caesar!” in a of typical character development. make-or-break performance for “Infinity War” doesn’t even try to the movie) has finally decided to give all of these characters a story, get off his ass and collect the six counting on the previous 18 films to infinity stones, mystical artifacts do the heavy lifting. The people who that, when collected together, allow made this movie clearly believe the one to control all of reality, time amount of buildup will allay some and space. The Avengers — led by of the narrative shortcomings of the Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr., “The actual movie. Judge”), Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Part of the problem, then, is that “12 Strong”) and Captain America the buildup to this film has, for the (Chris Evans, “Gifted”) — must most part, been incredibly poor. unite with old friends and new in Despite appearing as early as the order to save not just planet Earth, original “Avengers” movie in 2012, but the entire universe. There are Thanos himself has never received anywhere from a dozen to twenty- an ounce of characterization prior some major characters in this movie, to now. In fact, the first act of this depending on who’s counting. movie largely revolves around the The storyline is broken up into five heroes discovering his identity and or six different narrative threads, his motives. For a villian who has following various groupings of the been the subject of all that buildup, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy they should already know. and others as they work to either The opening sequence of this film IAN HARRIS
ARTS 7
also feels strangely out of step with last year’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” taking place seemingly seconds after that movie ended, but totally upending and destroying the entire purpose of that film in the process. This kind of poor planning is the main thing holding “Infinity War” back. It feels like an Act Two without a true Act One. The MCU has for a decade coasted by on minimal stakes, maximum jokes. Now here comes an ending and the filmmakers have decided to get back to telling an actual story. However, the elements necessary to make the story work are missing, including underdeveloped relationships that cause the two biggest emotional beats of the film to fall flat. When a major storyline depends on how much we care about C-listers like The Vision and Scarlet Witch, the audience starts to lose interest. Keeping every other film in the MCU exactly the same, this story would’ve worked better spread across three films, not two. Despite being marketed as the end to a decade-long saga, “Infinity War” is only half a story. Like so many Marvel movies before, until we find out if the payoff is worth it, it’s hard to truly judge the film on its own. For the most adamant “Avengers” fans, “Infinity War” might just be enough. For everyone else, they’ve still got another year before they find out whether or not they’ve wasted ten years. Regardless of the eventual outcome, it’s clear Marvel really tried with “Avengers: Infinity War.” They wanted to make an epic that will stand the test of time. Next May, the world will finally know if they succeeded. It’s doubtless that many are already thinking about getting their tickets — all according to Marvel’s plan.
8 ARTS
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Jim Jorden talks football and film MEGHAN CHOU
Summer Senior Arts Editor
Released this April on Amazon Prime, the documentary series “All or Nothing: The Michigan Wolverines” follows the University’s football team from their spring trip to Rome to the 2018 Outback Bowl. The series offers glimpses of the lives of student athletes like leaders Rashan Gary, Karan Higdon and the various
quarterbacks as well as the enigmatic Coach Jim Harbaugh. Amazon paid the University over $2 million for the rights to create this must-watch series for fans of Michigan football. Recently, The Daily had a chance to speak with director Jim Jorden about tackling this ambitious project. The Michigan Daily: How did the idea for this documentary come about? Jim Jorden: Amazon has a series with the NFL called “All or Nothing.”
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, May 3, 2018
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Liberty __ 5 Troublesome types 9 Cleaning tool 13 Any number 15 River through Florence 16 Natural analog of sonar 18 Toyota RAV4, e.g. 19 The best policy, so it’s said 20 VW Golf model 21 Fronded plant 23 Small cube? 25 Facebook __ 28 SDI weapon 31 Jazz singer Laine 32 Ones who have class? 35 Developing, biologically 36 Old General Motors model 43 Literary award with a spaceship logo 44 Head for the hills 45 Nothing new 47 Billiards concern 49 Phantasy Star game maker 50 Big name in ATMs 51 Egret habitats 58 Braggart’s abundance 59 Ice cream features found, in a way, in this puzzle’s circles 62 Hard to control 63 Harley-Davidson Museum city 64 Cholesterol nos. 65 Presently 66 Scrip items DOWN 1 Hats like Maurice Chevalier’s 2 Intestinal 3 Director with three Oscars 4 Welsh : llyn :: Scots : __ 5 “__ your side” 6 “The Wind in the Willows” figure
7 They know the ropes 8 Schism group 9 Wasn’t used 10 Squirm 11 “And __ thing ... ” 12 Fish that sound good in Spanish 14 Density symbol, in physics 16 Like bodybuilders 17 Right at sea? 22 Book before Esth. 24 Hessian pronoun 26 Crime movie genre 27 Name on a museum wall 28 When some news shows begin 29 Sugar source 30 Half of a call-andresponse game 33 Whopper 34 “Very nice!” 36 Area around the altar 37 Bent (over) 38 Asian appetizer 39 Remote control abbr.
40 Cause of a paper weight increase 41 Brightened 42 Tries for a better price 46 New Mexico county bordering Colorado 48 Punk rock subgenre 52 Diva Gluck
53 Dust Bowl deficiency 54 WWII invasion city 55 Cut 56 Spanish “that” 57 Like many laps 60 Pitcher Young and painter Twombly 61 Presidential nickname
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
By Jeffrey Wechsler ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
A couple years ago, the first one came out with the Arizona Cardinals. When I watched that show, I thought, “Wow, this would be a perfect distribution model for college football.” Usually these shows run once a week as the season goes on or maybe a one-hour episode when the season’s over. This was eight onehour episodes that came out half a year later. As a storyteller, you have a chance to look at all the material for the whole season and shape the story in a special way. And with eight hours, you have the time to tell a really good story. I thought we should try to do this for college football. I arranged a meeting with Amazon. They were interested in three programs: Alabama, UCLA and Michigan. Amazon liked Michigan best based on the alumni, winningest team of all time and how interesting Coach Harbaugh is, especially as a dad with four young kids. But for covering college, they’re kids. The thing you always have to keep in mind is in the NFL, they’re pros and it’s a job, but in college they’re students. A big pitch for the project was wanting to put the “student” back in student athlete and “college” back in college football. We really tried to show the whole college experience. TMD: What were the logistics of covering such a large team and organization? JJ: I helped start “Hard Knocks” back in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens. When we did “Hard Knocks” each year with the NFL and HBO, we would come in with a small
army and take over. The college setting is so intimate, so we wanted to be a fly on the wall with a small group. We only had two cameras and relied heavily on Michigan’s internal camera staff to help us with footage. We didn’t have a big crew at all. And when you’re shooting over the course of a whole football season, you don’t have to shoot so much stuff. We have sayings like, “don’t shoot everything, shoot the right thing.” Then when we edit, “work with what you have, not what you don’t have.” We didn’t want to shoot a ton of stuff or bother people, just be at the right place at the right time and document the right things. We wore Michigan gear. We really were a part of the Michigan team. We’ll all be fans of Michigan forever now because you get to know everybody, and you understand where they’re coming from. TMD: Did you use your own game footage? JJ: We tried to never use anything shot by a network. We shot everything ourselves because we shot with a different style. I found that shooting sports comes down to three things: lenses, angles and film speed. You can have the same camera standing next to the same person, but if they’re shooting at different speeds it looks different. If one person’s down lower or higher, it looks different. We tried to capture the games in a way that TV doesn’t do: A lot closer, a lot more personal. We wanted it to feel like you’re on the sidelines. TMD: A lot of the intimate
interviews happened in cars as the subjects were driving around Ann Arbor. Why did you choose this set up? JJ: One thing that Amazon was really keen on was never having an interview where anybody spoke in the past tense like I’m doing now. Sometimes in this show, you’ll see really well lit interviews where it’s taking place after the actual filming is done. Amazon didn’t want to have that and there wasn’t time to take out of someone’s schedule for interviews like that. We just filmed it on the fly, while we’re going around. A car was a great time to talk to somebody because we’re just driving, they can just talk as they drive and it’s not distracting. A lot of times there’s interviews with guys just sitting in the field. We were just trying to get everybody right in the moment. TMD: Something that really struck me were the class differences between players and, essentially, why they play. There was a sharp contrast between Rashan Gary and his mother eating at Red Lobster, while Wilton Speight and his girlfriend ate out at Black Pearl. Was this comparison intentional? And were there other greater themes you wanted to convey? JJ: We just followed people around wherever they naturally wanted to go. We weren’t from Ann Arbor so for me there wasn’t any difference between restaurants.
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05/03/18
05/03/18
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MICHIGAN IN COLOR
On the Words I Can Never Tell My Mother
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PHOTO COURTESY OF AUTHOR By KHANG HUYNH MiC Contributor
There exists this word, or sentiment, in Vietnamese: “đau khổ.” Individually, the words translate to “pain” and “suffering”, yet together, they form something along the sense of an intense anguish that transcends any attempt at a linguistic description. It’s more than just the sum of both pain and suffering, but rather, it’s this profoundly unsettling and deep-rooted unhappiness; it is a pain without promise. The phrase carries with it this intensity even in how it is pronounced; the harshness of the first letter in “đau” followed by the hauntingly questionable nature of the tone mark that is placed on “khổ”. Đau khổ is something best felt, rather than described, but I can’t really comment on how efficacious it would be to write this piece to serve as an avenue towards the feeling of this sentiment, so for now, my descriptive explanations will have to suffice. My mother grew up as the eldest and least appreciated of five children. She was never supposed to have moved any further than the steps outside of her parent’s home. She had every expectation to stay back and care for her own parents and live a life of ennui in the same town she was born in, and yet somehow, some happenstance chain of events inevitably allowed her to come to America. She wasn’t expected
to amount to anything more than just a simple woman living a simple life, but here she is, living with her husband and children in a home that nobody from her family back in Vietnam could ever dream of owning. As a child of war, my mother was born in the midst of the most violent events to occur in Vietnamese history. She came of age during these gruesome years, and it was as if she was never able to live a childhood independent of đau khổ. All she ever knew from the moment she was brought into this world was both pain and suffering. I remember stories that she would tell me while I was growing up; stories of how she saw the decayed corpses of soldiers being driven back en masse to her small town all to be redistributed back to their respective families. These soldiers weren’t people anymore. They were just vessels of rotting flesh waiting to be returned like property. She would tell me that she still remembers the stench, that disgustingly familiar aroma of death and decay. These things never really left her. I can’t imagine how things like that could ever leave a person, but despite these hardships and horrors, she endured and overcome so much. There is so much of her life that I don’t know about. There is so much about my own mother that I still don’t know about. I want to understand her
on a deeper level as I continue to grow into adulthood, but I have to come to terms with the fact that by doing so, I would be forcing her to revisit some of the most traumatic events she has ever witnessed. I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to pry. She saw so many horrific things during this war. She was only six years old then. To say that I can empathize with my mother’s own đau khổ would be a stretch of the truth. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to comprehend the magnitude of pain and suffering she has so carefully kept hidden from me. The horrors of war, the tragedy and loss of seeing her entire country crumble before her eyes, the despair and discrimination she faced at the hands of the communist government; these were all kept a secret from me until I was taught about them in school. I understand that people choose to cope in different ways, but I don’t really know what to even call this. I can’t blame her for anything she chooses to do, or rather, not do. It would be unfair of me to decide on how my own mother chooses to cope with trauma I could never even begin to grasp. In 1998, my parents were given the opportunity to immigrate to the States. This was a pretty late time to come to the United States in comparison to the Vietnamese refugees who came here after the Fall of Saigon on the 30th of April in
1975. While a community was being built in Grand Rapids by refugees who had been able to make a living and thrive, my parents would be thrown into it with nothing to their names except the ill-fitting clothing given to them by others who had come here first. Neither of my parents attained anything above a high school education in Vietnam. The communist government barred my family from obtaining any form of higher education. It was a punishment they felt fit the “crime” of my grandfather holding a major position in the South Vietnamese army. My mother left behind the only life she ever knew in a blind attempt toward the promise of a brighter future. She boarded the plane en route to the US, cradling me in her arms, not knowing when she would ever see her family again. Not being able to speak English, she would do her best to find any work in order to support us. I don’t have it left in me anymore to try and mask the tragedy she has had to face with beautiful words. My mother has suffered through so much for me. My mother is still afraid to go to stores alone. She’s been living in this country for almost two decades, but she is still so flustered whenever she has to speak in English. I don’t want anyone to judge her. I love her so much. I still go with her to the bank and Meijer to translate for her when-
ever I am home because of the stares. People don’t look at her how I look at her. They see her as somebody burdened by the inability to speak English. She tells me about their tone; the glares of disapproval and the judgment she hears when she stumbles on simple questions while grocery shopping. If only they knew how bright, wonderful and loving she was in Vietnamese. These are all things I would like to tell my mother someday. I think it’s a combination of a language barrier and an emotional barrier. I don’t have the vocabulary necessary to tell her these things, and she doesn’t have the emotional capacity to liberate herself from past trauma. It always brings her to tears. I take after my mother a whole lot. Everyone around her has always told her that I was born in the exact image of her. Sometimes I look at pictures of myself as a child and I can really see the resemblance. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that my coping mechanisms mirror those of my mother in exactly the same way that my face mirrors hers. My mother internalizes so much of the pain she has encountered and continues to encounter in her life. She builds walls around this pain so that, while she won’t be able to see them, they continue to exist. I wish I could explain to her the concept of closure or at least the semblance of such an
idea in a way she could understand. My whole life has been built around a series of these walls. All of my life I’ve dealt with the inability to connect with my parents in the same way others did. Friends would often complain about how overbearing their parents were, but I distinctly remember longing for a life in which over-communication with my parents was a burden. It’s something I’ve learned to internalize as well. I wish things were different. As selfish as this may sound, I’ve found that one of the major reasons why I want to understand my mother’s struggles and trauma is that in doing so, I believe that I can begin to understand myself on a deeper level as well. I always wonder why I am the way that I am. Perhaps my mother could answer these things for me on the off chance that we can find a mutual avenue of communication that lacks the barriers and obstacles we currently face. Despite these difficulties, I know that the most significant piece of knowledge that we share with one another is the mutual understanding that I love her very much. I will never be able to thank her for the literal life she has given me and the life I continue to live to this day. Her story teaches me that even in the deepest trenches of đau khổ, there always exists some form of hope.
10 SPORTS
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S TENNIS
‘M’ falls in Big Ten Tournament By BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer
Mattias Siimar was down 5-3 in the second set of his singles match, and the No. 3 seed Michigan men’s tennis team needed him to win to move ahead of No. 6 seed Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The freshman battled back and won four straight games on his way to a 6-4, 7-5 match win in the fourth spot of the singles lineup. The victory propelled the Wolverines to a 4-1 win over the Badgers to advance to Saturday’s semifinal, where they fell to No. 2 seed Illinois, 1-4. “That was a big win for (Siimar), winning that match on Friday,” said Michigan coach Adam Steinberg. “It was great for his confidence. He lost to that guy pretty badly a week before, two weeks before, so that was huge for him and the team.” Friday’s quarterfinal began with Michigan’s No. 2 and No. 3 doubles pairs winning their matches — senior Alex Knight and freshman Harrison Brown by a score of 6-2 and the nation’s 72nd-ranked pair senior Runhao Hua and Siimar 6-3. The wins secured the doubles point for the Wolverines, putting them at a 1-0 advantage early. “We’ve won, I think, seven or eight doubles points in a row now,” Steinberg said. “It’s been a big boost for us. Obviously on Friday — the first round of the Big Ten tournament for us — it was really important.” Senior Carter Lin notched the first singles win of the day for Michigan with a straight-set win at the No. 5 singles spot. His match was close — 6-4, 6-4 was the final score — and foreshadowed a tight day for the Wolverines. Junior Myles Schalet lost his match in three sets, giving up the only point of the day for Wisconsin. Knight, Hua and senior Davis Crocker all took their first sets to tiebreakers, but all three won those tiebreakers to go up a set on their opponents. Michigan’s best chance to advance to the semifinals rested on the shoulders of Knight. After winning his tiebreaker, Knight fought for a 6-4 win in the second set to earn the individual match victory and secure a win that would not have come without strong play from the bottom half of the lineup. “I think we have some of the best, if not the best depth of any team in the
country,” Steinberg said. “The bottom of the lineup is so strong that we have a lot of confidence in those guys. .” Saturday’s competition began with Michigan winning the doubles point once again. But another day of tight matches in the singles play came just after that, and this time, things didn’t go the Wolverines’ way. They didn’t win a first set in the singles play, setting them up for a long day. Schalet lost a lopsided singles match 1-6, 0-6 — by far the most unbalanced loss of the competition for Michigan — and that quick loss allowed the Illini to tie the match early. Knight lost in straight sets as well to give Illinois a lead that the Wolverines were unable to overcome. Lin lost a quick first set 2-6, then came back to win the second set, 6-2, and give Michigan an opportunity at its first singles win of the day. But Lin dropped the third set 3-6, and the Wolverines were in trouble. Both Hua and Siimar got up 4-1 in their first sets, but neither could maintain the lead and lost the set, Hua 5-7 and Siimar in a tiebreaker. Hua recovered to win the second set, 6-4, but his match went unfinished in the third set when Siimar lost his match to end Michigan’s day. Siimar once again found himself down 3-5 in the second set, but his comeback to tie the set at 5 games apiece fell short as he lost his match 6-7 (2-7), 5-7. “We were up in a couple of them big and losing those first sets after winning the doubles point was not how we planned it, that’s for sure,” Steinberg said. “It hurt us. We couldn’t recover, and we tried to come back, and we did, you know, Davis came back, and (Hua) came back, and Carter came back, but it was just a little too late. We needed to grab a couple of those first sets and really put pressure on Illinois, and we couldn’t close it out, and that’s why we went home early.” Closing out tight matches will become even more important for the Wolverines with the NCAA Tournament coming as the next — and final — event of their season. “We need a little more belief when those moments come,” Steinberg said. “There’s going to be adversity, especially in the NCAA Tournament when it’s win or go home, so we have to stick together and play the Michigan way, no matter if we’re up or down.”
Wolverines shatter records
FILE PHOTO / DAILY
The Michigan men’s throwing team shattered school records over the weekend event as testament to its commitment.
By JACOB KOPNICK Summer Managing Sports Editor
In a sport designed to highlight individual achievement, teamwork and camaraderie are often overshadowed. For the Michigan men’s throwing unit, the opposite is true. The tightly bound crew together soars through the highest of highs and suffers through the lowest of lows, constantly feeding off the success of their teammates. Perhaps the most apt display of this unit cohesion occurred this past weekend at the National Relay Championships at Arkansas. The relay meet — the ultimate test of togetherness — scored only the running relay events with all other athletes essentially competing in open competition. Heading into the meet, the throwing unit was completely aware that every throw throughout the day would not be counted towards the team’s score and would only serve as a testament to its commitment to the sport. In light of this, the throwers delivered their greatest performance of the season and shattered the Wolverine record book. Leading “The Meat Factory,” as they have so fittingly dubbed themselves, was senior Joe Ellis who shattered his own school record in the hammer throw twice and ended the weekend with a winning bomb of 72.16 meters. In his conquest, Ellis also humbled a pair of topranked throwers from Florida. “It’s all about competing,” Ellis said. “Those guys have a lot of years under their belts. They’re both from
Europe and started from a young age and had a significantly higher PR than me, so it’s one of those things where you never like not being the top-ranked guy going into a meet, so both of those guys had a bulls-eye on their backs.” One of the Florida throwers, Anders Eriksson, took the lead heading into the event’s finals. Ever a flare for the dramatic, Ellis overcame him with the record-shattering throw. Setting a record of his own and contributing to the ethos of “The Meat Factory” was junior Andrew Liskowitz. Not to be outdone by his teammate, Liskowitz delivered two back-to-back record-breaking throws in the shot put to not only win the event, but move within four centimeters of the 2018 nationalleading throw. Liskowitz finished with a throw of 20.28-meters and a statement to the collegiate throwing community. While not setting a school record, senior Grant Cartwright set a personal record with a 67.12 meter hammer throw to add an exclamation point on his unit’s weekend. “The Meat Factory’s” success could be attributable to an entire season of hard work and training, the energy that the squad gives each other—or a mix of both. Whatever it was, there is no denying the chemistry between the teammates and how the athletes feed off it. “We’re pretty much just always in each other’s corner and it’s a very special relationship,” Ellis said. “It’s definitely something that I’ve never been a part of in sport before coming to this school and it’s defi-
nitely boosted me to do better than I would’ve thought possible, especially considering the small amount of time we’ve actually been training.” Beyond training, the group of throwers all live together to create the ultimate culture of brotherhood and success. This particular type of bonding has clearly produced promising results and is something Michigan coach Jerry Clayton hopes to distribute to other event areas. “They push each other both in practice and in the weight room, but they all live together too, so they’re all focused and the culture’s there,” Clayton said. “So the whole team needs to do that and that’s what we’re looking to do in other event areas as well.” From here, the throwing squad appears to be in an ideal condition entering the big postseason meets beginning with the Big Ten Championships in two weeks. “Tomorrow’s gonna be a super heavy lift,” Ellis said. “You gotta set your nervous system back so you can be super prepared for when our conference meet is, and then it’s just finalizing technique, working on the rhythm of the throw. You can’t make many too many major changes two weeks out, so you just gotta get ready for the event and then go in with a very expectant attitude and just do what your training has taught you to do and just compete.” Granted that they stick to what they’ve been doing, “The Meat Factory” will stake their claim not only in Michigan history, but in NCAA throwing history as well.
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS 11
NATSUME ONO / DAILY
Jesse Franklin’s incredible freshman turnaround By THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Writer
Before the six home runs in nine games and before the back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards, Jesse Franklin sat quietly in the dugout of Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, Florida, waiting for a passing thunderstorm to subside. He was coming off a disappointing junior year and needed to make the most of the summer showcase circuit to impress college coaches. As it turns out, the coach Franklin wanted to impress most was 1300 miles away. As he waited for play to resume, his phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number and only one piece of information— the location, ‘Ann Arbor, Michigan.’ On the other end of the phone was Michigan coach Erik Bakich. By the time the storm abated and Franklin returned to the field, he had found his top choice school. “Honestly, I had never really thought about Michigan (until then),” Franklin said. “ … (But) from that point on, (Bakich) was really honest and really straightforward with me and believed in me. And that’s the main reason that I picked Michigan.” Across the country, Max Engel, Franklin’s high school coach at Seattle Prep, was out working in his driveway when he received
the call from Bakich. The two talked for an hour and a half, about everything from baseball to schoolwork to Franklin’s work ethic and relationship with his teammates and family. Much like his star outfielder, Engel left the conversation sold on the Wolverines. “I thought he asked all the right questions,” Engel said. “… I walked away from that phone call feeling like that would be a great place for Jesse.” A former first baseman at Santa Clara University, Engel knows the importance that coaching has on a college player’s development. So when big name schools in California and the SEC came calling during Franklin’s dominant senior season, Engel continued to push Franklin toward Ann Arbor. While he felt coaches at those programs merely had Franklin’s name on a list of equally talented outfielders, Bakich showed both the coach and player a unique sense of caring about the individual. “In all of my interactions with coach Bakich,” Engel said, “you walk away feeling that he really has the best interest of these players in mind and that he’s gonna build a program around caring for the person. “And I think to Jesse, that’s something that really appealed to him.” Just a month into his
college career, that mindset began to reap benefits for Franklin. 14 games into the Wolverines’ season, the freshman’s batting average sat below .100, with four times as many strikeouts as hits. Like most coaches would have, Bakich reduced Franklin’s role, and he saw just eight at-bats over an eleven game stretch in early March. But unlike other coaches, Bakich had the faith in his freshman to give him another shot. *** Four years earlier, Franklin made his high school debut when Engel needed a player and the JV coach recommended him. That afternoon, he started for varsity against Andrew Summerville, a Stanfordbound senior at the time. Franklin, a freshman who had been on JV that morning, notched two base hits. The next year, he broke out with a .532 average as a sophomore and was named to the Seattle Times’ allarea team. His performance dipped a little his junior year, which Engel attributes to increased expectations, before winning Gatorade Player of the Year in the state as a senior with a .557 batting average, 20 extra-base hits and just two strikeouts. “We probably knew (he was special) that day when we called him up,” Engel said, “and he cemented his spot in the lineup but it sure
was a thrill watching him develop and get better and better and better each year.” His performance was so dominant that by the end of his senior year, he personally knew most Major League Baseball area scouts in the pacific northwest. Engel estimates six to 12 showed up to every game, often requiring Franklin to take special batting practice. Once, Engel took his seat on a ferry ride to a game and was approached by two scouts, swarming him with questions until the boat reached shore. Somehow, Franklin never felt the pressure. “I didn’t care what they thought because I was just gonna come here,” Franklin said. “But the day Bakich came to see me, I was kinda messed up.” Last year, Seattle Prep did a service event with an agency called Bridge of Promise to play baseball with youths and adults with disabilities. Franklin dedicated his day to a kid named Dillon, who could not hold a bat at the beginning of the afternoon. By the end of the day, he was able to hit soft toss pitches. A month later, Franklin won Gatorade Player of the Year and made the accompanying donation to Bridge of Promise. After the original donation, Franklin chose to write an optional essay describing his experiences with Dillon and ultimately won Gatorade’s
essay contest, earning the charity an additional 10,000 dollars. *** Whether it was his attitude or work ethic that caused his turnaround, Franklin quickly flipped the switch. “He really showed us— myself, the coaches, his teammates—a lot when he started off the season very poorly,” Bakich said. “He had adversity for the first time and that’s where you find out a little bit about yourself. “He was not only working on his swing and his defense but he’s working on his speed, he’s out pushing sleds, he’s just very driven, very driven kid to succeed. He showed everybody a lot with that work ethic and that consistency, and he just has a drive to be great.” Franklin’s drive is not just a simple ploy to win more playing time. Engel describes Franklin as the rare star who is also the team’s most coachable player. Even in high school when he was hitting over .500, Franklin was always the one grabbing gear and hustling on and off the field. So when he was confronted with a slump that may have derailed many freshmen’s seasons, nobody close to him was surprised when Franklin remained unfazed. “I knew that little slump wasn’t going to hold up,” Engel said. “And then when he got hot, it was like ‘there
it is, he’s figured it out.’ “Everyone back home, we all kind of knew, that’s not gonna last.” After not appearing at all in a weekend series against Bowling Green in mid-March, Franklin established himself in Michigan’s lineup the following Tuesday against Oakland in fitting fashion. He blasted his first career home run the opposite way to left field — something he and Engel had worked on together every batting practice. “I’m sure if (Engel) was here, he’d like that,” Franklin said. Since then, Franklin is hitting .369 with eight home runs. Seven of those shots, along with 27 runs batted-in, came in just a 16-game stretch. He has been named Big Ten player of the week, won three of the last four freshman of the week awards, and is the front-runner to be crowned the conference’s freshman of the year. Franklin’s ultimate goals, though, extend far beyond personal accolades. For the first-year, putting his team on the map is paramount— not just in collegiate baseball circles, but in Ann Arbor as well. “I really want to go to Omaha … because we want people to take Michigan baseball seriously.” If the slugger keeps up his tremendous play, Franklin’s wish just may become reality.
12 SPORTS
Thursday, May 3, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SOFTBALL
‘M’ has timely hitting against Spartans in win By ARIA GERSON Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING — It was the top of the fourth inning, and another opportunity was about to slip away. Leading off the inning in a scoreless tie, junior center fielder Natalie Peters had singled just past the shortstop. Then, a hard line drive off the bat of senior first baseman Tera Blanco dropped just inside the foul line for a double. The No. 14 Michigan softball team (16-2 Big Ten, 41-9 overall) was in business. But a walk by junior catcher Katie Alexander was sandwiched by a popout and a strikeout, and suddenly there were two outs and still no runs and one last chance to make something out of the inning. Sophomore left fielder Haley Hoogenraad took the first pitch she saw into right field for a single. Two runs scored, and instead of a wasted chance, the Wolverines had a rally. What had been a pitcher’s duel became a one-sided affair halted only by the run rule, as Michigan defeated Michigan State (7-11, 21-25), 8-0, in five innings. Through the first three innings, the Wolverines and Spartans traded outs back and forth. At-bat after at-bat for Michigan resulted in a groundout. Michigan State struggled to muster even that — freshman left-hander Meghan Beaubien struck out four Spartans in the first three innings, and the lone baserunner she allowed was gunned down trying to steal second. “(Beaubien) was efficient. She got ahead,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “ … She did a good job with managing the zone.” With Beaubien keeping Michigan State locked down, all the Wolverines needed was a little offense. But timely hitting was something Michigan had
struggled at times to find, and when second and third with no outs turned into bases loaded with two outs, it seemed it would escape the Wolverines once again. Then Hoogenraad broke the stalemate. “Haley really is kind of our silent assassin in a way,” Blanco said. “She always gets a clutch hit.” And once Hoogenraad broke through, it didn’t take her teammates long to break the stalemate. Sophomore designated player Thais Gonzalez tacked on another run on an infield single to make the score 3-0. After Beaubien set down the next three batters in order, Michigan kept riding its momentum. Junior second baseman Faith Canfield, Peters and Blanco loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Sophomore third baseman Madison Uden singled Canfield and Peters home. Alexander lined a triple into the right field corner — scoring Blanco and Uden — and scored herself when the throw went into the dugout. By then, the score was 8-0. “We basically attacked more, hit the first good one, and that really helped,” Blanco said. “ … And once one person gets a hit, and two hits in a row, it’s kind of contagious in that way.” What had a mere two innings earlier been a tie game was now a blowout, and all Beaubien had to do was throw a scoreless bottom of the fifth to end the game and secure a run-rule victory. The first two Spartans reached base, but Beaubien was unfazed. Two strikeouts and a fielder’s choice later, she sealed the deal. “We started swinging better and making (the pitcher) put it in the zone and we connected and then we got going,” Hutchins said. “Once one connects, it kind of inspires — it takes the pressure off everybody.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE / DAILY
Patterson given immediate eligibility By MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor
The wait is over — and it’s just the news Michigan has been waiting for. Quarterback Shea Patterson will be eligible to suit up right away, providing a sizeable boost to the Wolverines’ quarterback depth chart. He will have two more years of eligibility, after spending two seasons at Ole Miss. The NCAA granted the redshirt sophomore immediate eligibility after reviewing his waiver, which detailed misguidance from the previous Rebels staff about impending NCAA sanctions during Patterson’s recruitment. In December 2017, Ole Miss was hit with a host of restrictions, including a two-year bowl ban. In that 18-page decision, the NCAA wrote, “Ole Miss lacked institutional control and fostered an unconstrained culture of booster involvement in football recruiting.” Patterson announced in December he would transfer from Ole Miss to Michigan, with the question of his eligibility still in the air. He and his lawyer appealed to waive the normally-mandated redshirt season for a transfer, on the grounds that he was misled by the Ole Miss coaching staff — a claim the Rebels initially objected to. The Wolverines announced Friday afternoon the two schools worked together
in the “last several days” to put forth a joint waiver for Patterson’s eligibility. As a result, Michigan withdrew its previous waiver and submitted the new one. Friday, the NCAA approved that waiver, granting Patterson the immediate eligibility he — and the Wolverines — coveted. “That new application was submitted this week by the University of Michigan and supported by both schools,” the statement reads. “The University of Michigan has withdrawn its previous waiver application and all associated materials in favor of this new, cooperative approach based on facts which all parties agree to. The waiver has now been approved by the NCAA and thus football student-athlete Shea Patterson will be eligible to compete in the 2018-19 academic year. “Both schools are ready to move forward and appreciate the assistance of the NCAA staff in bringing this matter to a resolution. While the process has been complex at times, the solution was simple - two flagship universities and the NCAA staff working together with a focus on student-athlete well-being.” Patterson’s abilities, and his wealth of accolades, have been well documented. He brings a five-star pedigree — and a year of SEC experience — to the Wolverines’ quarterback
room. In seven games as the starter last season, Patterson completed over 63 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,259 yards and 19 touchdowns. All three of Michigan’s starting quarterbacks combined for just 2,226 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games last season. “Everybody gets excited when he’s out there,” assistant coach Pep Hamilton told reporters last week. “If he makes a special play you can feel the energy throughout our team, you can just feel it… and he is a playmaker.” Patterson will walk in the favorite to start September 1 at Notre Dame, though it’s too soon to annoint him just yet. Hamilton went on to say all four quarterbacks — Patterson, redshirt sophomore Brandon Peters, redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffery and freshman Joe Milton — were splitting reps evenly, both in terms of sheer numbers and with the first team. When asked when he’d like a frontrunner to emerge, Hamilton promply replied, “Yesterday.” All of that is to say, Patterson won’t merely waltz to the top of the depth chart. He will have to beat out Peters and McCaffery, fairly and squarely. Peters, to his credit, has a year of experience in the system — one that produced freshman-esque ups and downs a season ago. His six starts showed signs of a
potential long-term starter at times, and causes for concerns at others. And McCaffery has done nothing but impress since he stepped foot on campus, claiming the offensive scout team player of the year in his redshirt season a year ago. But these are good problems to have. Patterson’s presence alone provides a significant boon to a position group that has experienced its fair share of inconsistency over recent years. Either way, in 121 days Michigan will walk out on the field at Notre Dame stadium to take on the Fighting Irish. And the Shea Patterson era will begin. “There are a lot of people who worked really hard to help make this transfer process a success. I want to thank Coach Harbaugh, the University of Michigan and the NCAA for allowing me to continue my education and football career at one of the best universities in the country,” Patterson wrote in a statement Friday afternoon. “A special thanks to Michigan’s Compliance Staff and to (Patterson’s lawyer) Tom Mars for his personal guidance for me and my family during this time. With this decision behind us, my family and I are fully focused on the upcoming season. My teammates and I are always committed to competing at the highest level and winning championships. Go Blue!”