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Tuesday, September 3, 2019
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The Michigan football team started its season with a routine 40-21 win over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon
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UHS coverage plan will no longer cover STI screening Testing for sexually transmitted infections will not be included in tuition
University announces new Title IX coordinator
Elizabeth Seney offically named for position after controversial year AMARA SHAIKH Daily News Editor
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CATHERINE NOUHAN Daily Staff Reporter
University of Michigan student tuition will no longer cover testing for sexually transmitted infections at University Health Services. This update is part of UHS and Michigan Medicine’s new policy of billing students’ personal insurance for “laboratory testing, radiology x-rays and ultrasounds and allergy injections,” as
announced in a policy memo on July 15. Previously, these services were covered by the Health Service Fee, a mandatory fee of $199 included in the tuition paid by U-M Ann Arbor students each semester. Under the new policy, all laboratory tests, including STI tests, will be sent to Michigan Medicine laboratories, and costs will be billed to students’ personal health insurance. There are still no fees for the Sexual Assault Exam at UHS,
which may include an STI panel. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, children can remain under their parent’s health insurance until the age of 26. The insurance policy holder which for many students is their parents may receive an Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company detailing the services received at UHS, including an STI panel.
If students are receiving services no longer covered by their tuition, they will receive a f lyer detailing the billing change and information about an out-of-pocket payment option to avoid the EOB. A standard STI panel at UHS is $90 out-of-pocket. Charging students’ personal health insurance allows UHS to create a revenue stream See STI, Page 3A
The University of Michigan’s Office for Institutional Equity has undergone a number of operational changes this summer, including naming Elizabeth Seney as the University’s Title IX coordinator. Seney served as the interim Title IX coordinator and currently works as the senior associate director for OIE. Historically, the Title IX coordinator has had the power to make the final call as to whether students will be found guilty of sexual misconduct. Additional changes include OIE reporting directly to Provost Martin Philbert instead of the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and University Human Resources and the formulation of a new database and case-management system to streamline OIE processes.
POLICY NEWS
Leaders in U-M Dearborn rejects CBP call diplomacy to host training event on campus to speak at University policy disallows non-affiliated organizations from renting rooms new series Weiser Diplomacy Center to host Rice, Clinton in string of foreign policy events DANIELLE PASEKOFF Daily Staff Reporter
The Weiser Diplomacy Center, established by the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy early this year, announced a speaker series featuring prominent figures in the fields of diplomacy and foreign affairs through the end of 2019. The Weiser Diplomacy Center was established last fall after Ambassador and Regent Ron Weiser and Eileen Weiser donated a gift of $10 million towards its formation. Beyond the speaker series, the WDC will provide workshops for students interested in diplomacy, as well as funding for institutional and international internships in foreign policy. The star-studded list of speakers includes former Secretaries of State Hillary See CLINTON, Page 3A
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection called the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Aug. 14 to book a training session for new CBP employees, causing worry among those at the University, a Michigan Journal article reported. The request was immediately denied due to a policy that prohibits renting rooms to organizations not
affiliated with the University or the surrounding community. Maureen Linker, interim director of the Mardigian Library and professor of philosophy at U-M Dearborn, urged all concerned students, faculty and staff to read the University’s public statement released on Aug. 16. The statement reiterated the University’s commitment to protecting students’ private information — including their immigration status — but reminded readers that the three
University of Michigan campuses are not classified as “sanctuary” campuses. CBP Requests Room on U-M Dearborn Campus The statement also noted that CBP, not U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), called campus to request a room booking. Although both organizations operate under the Department of Homeland Security, CBP is solely responsible for border safety and trade. ICE investigates immigration-related
issues on a nationwide level and has been criticized for carrying out organized raids against undocumented Americans. Michigan has the second-highest rate of ICE arrests in the country, with 11.6 per 1,000 immigrants apprehended. The Michigan Journal article, which listed steps students should take if approached by ICE agents. There was also concern ICE raids similar to those this past July in Mississippi could See CBP, Page 3A
The department will also relaunch the search for a new senior director for OIE with asearch advisory committee led by Christine Gerdes, special counsel to the Provost. Currently, Jeff Frumkin serves as the interim senior OIE Director. The changes to OIE — the office responsible for investigating sexual misconduct reports, Title IX violations and institutional bias, among other incidents — were implemented with the hope of improving operations and speeding up investigations after facing public criticism over the last academic year. In Sept. 2018, OIE had to alter its sexual misconduct policy to include an in-person hearing between the accuser and the accused after a Sixth Circuit Court ruling. See TITLE IX, Page 3A
STUDENT HEALTH
‘U’ offers updated insurance program Blue Care Network of Michigan replaces AENTA as student health plan provider ZAYNA SYED
Daily Staff Reporter
Starting this academic year, the University of Michigan will offer a new student health insurance plan. The new plan is offered by the Blue Care Network of Michigan, a change from the AETNA plan offered in previous years. The plan spans all three University campuses. According to Laurie Burchett, administrative manager of the University Health Service, students are not automatically re-enrolled in the new plan, and must register under the new plan during an open enrollment period. University students have three chances to enroll in the new plan to earn coverage in 2020. The first open enrollment period ends September 30, and will cover care from Aug. 24, 2019 to Aug. 23, 2020.
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Students create online research platform Perch, partnering with Perch Education, aims to help undergraduates, graduates find employment opportunities, centralizes resources into single database on website academia, Nishii said. “In addition to the database of faculty and industrial research Perch, an online opportunities, we’re research platform created providing a matching by a team of mostly algorithm where we help University of Michigan search through a Ph.D.’s students, launched list of publications, Monday. The startup aims qualifications, skill to connect more students sets,” Nishii said. “We and graduates across the help Ph.D.s identify jobs country with research that are most relevant to positions. them.” Engineering and LSA On campus, Perch is senior Akira Nishii partnered with a separate came up with the idea student organization at for Perch after having the University called trouble finding research Perch Education, which opportunities when he aims to expose students entered the University. to the research world. It He found that outside now hosts the Michigan of the Undergraduate Undergraduate Research Research Opportunity Symposium, and offers Program, which is courses to equip students aimed at freshmen and Sudoku Syndication http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ with the skills to succeed sophomores, there was in research. Senior Associate Librarian at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, Jo Angela Oehrli, played a key role in Perch HARD Education and acts as an advisor for the Perch platform team. Due to her background in education, she was able to help construct the teaching curriculum from scratch Nolan Kataoka, for Perch Education. Oehrli first served as chief technolog y officer of Perch and a library mentor when Engineering senior, Perch won the Library highlighted Perch’s Student Mini Grant, and future plans for the she looks forward to the addition of graduate platform. “In the long term, opportunities. “With the skill set of we’d like to have a database of all the these Ph.D. candidates faculty in all the and recent Ph.D. earners … universities in the the research will be richer after that connection,” U.S.,” Kataoka said. Perch also helps Oehrli said. “And that can graduate students make an impact on the find employment world as well.” and streamlines the © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. WINDY puzzle by sudokusyndication.com process of helping graduates find positions outside of Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com! FRANCESCA DUONG Daily Staff Reporter
no centralized system that listed research opportunities and was accessible to all students. “A lot of students are relying on very inefficient methods, like coldemailing, or relying on personal connections to get into research opportunities,” Nishii said. He gathered a team of peers, and together they started working on a solution to centralize all the research opportunities. Now Perch has launched an encompassing database of inter-university research opportunities and research faculty. They have 16 partner universities, including the University of Michigan,
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A lot of students are relying on very inefficent methods, like cold- emailing, or relying on personal connections to get into research opportunities.
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CBP From Page 1 take place on the U-M Dearborn campus. Hani Bawardi, an associate professor of history at U-M Dearborn, said even though CBP was the agency that called campus, any DHS presence on campus can be a legitimate cause for fear. “It’s no surprise that the students would be very concerned given the current situation,” Bawardi said. “ICE is a very powerful government agency with a six-billion-dollar budget. It is sort of a byproduct of a merger between the former Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Customs Service under the umbrella of Homeland Security, and it has almost unfettered powers.” ICE Presence in Michigan According to the 2018 Enforcement and Removal report, ICE made 158,581 administrative arrests in the 2018 fiscal year, as opposed to the 143,470 arrests made in 2017. The number of arrests rose partly in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13768, signed Jan. 25, 2017, which stated sanctuary cities not compliant with ICE orders could be denied federal funding. In the past two years, CBP enforcement has increased, too: In 2017, more than 500,000 total enforcement actions were taken, including apprehensions and administrative arrests at U.S. points of entry, while over 1,000,000 were taken in 2019. Bawardi said the rise in arrests and apprehensions at the U.S. border sparked conversations at
STI From Page 1
while cutting costs. In the announcement, UHS noted this change was necessary “to keep the health service fee unchanged this year, despite significant increases in expenses, including providing greater financial support to other student life units.” Dr. Robert Ernst, executive director of UHS, said these billing changes come with an increased pressure to create multiple revenue streams for UHS. “In the context of being asked to stay creative stay innovative and hold increases in the health service fees to a minimum, the easiest first step is to let the hospital bill what they’re doing, instead of us just paying for them,” Ernst
TITLE IX From Page 1 There were also complaints regarding lengthy and inefficient OIE reporting processes. One of OIE’s main goals is handling complaints as equitably as possible, Seney said in a sit-down interview with The Daily in April. “I would say the overarching mission really is to make sure that the University is responding fairly and appropriately to concerns that exist,” Seney said. “Then, of course, we also have a role in preventive and educational work as well. So, I wouldn’t limit our overall mission to just responding to particular concerns, but I would say that is where we spend a lot of time and effort and that’s a significant priority.” Seney also spoke about OIE’s priorities with regards to investigations in the April interview. She noted how the department is tasked with dealing with reports efficiently and ensuring the safety of everyone on campus. “I would say our priority of course is always to address all of the matters,” Seney said. “And as quickly as possible, which is difficult to do, especially as we’ve had really significant increases
universities nationwide about the best ways to protect students who may be worried about their immigration status. “Since the consolidation of government agencies and the erosion of civil liberties overall, the question now is, ‘what happened to our institutions?’” Bawardi said. “‘Are they still safeguarding the rights of their constituents? Do students’ rights still matter to the university on the administrative level?’ That, frankly, is not clear.” Vikash Mehan, LSA senior and co-president of the Ann Arbor campus’ American Civil Liberties Union chapter, said it can often be difficult for universities like the three U-M campuses to offer support to undocumented students when federal funding is involved. “The University does express a lot of support for these groups, but part of the issue is federal funding and stuff, and we (the University) can’t really go against what the federal government wants,” Mehan said. “So, a lot of (the work) would have to be support of the community around Ann Arbor and around Dearborn, and them giving support to the immigrant populations.” University Action In 2017, U-M President Mark Schlissel signed a “statement of support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program and our undocumented immigrant students” along with nearly 70 other university administrators across the country. The statement was drafted by Pomona College and called for universities to resist Trump’s attempts to terminate the DACA program. According
to a 2017 statement from U-M Public Affairs, the three U-M campuses also comply with a 2011 DHS policy that defines universities as “sensitive locations.” Essentially, this means enforcement actions require special permission from DHS leadership before being carried out. Maria Ibarra-Frayre, a volunteer with the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights and a School of Social Work alum, said even with these protections many undocumented students live in fear of CBP or ICE being present on campus. “Regardless of whether or not they called to set up operations or to do a training, for undocumented students and undocumented people, the threat of ICE in general or border patrol being present is scary enough,” Ibarra-Frayre said. “So, they see a border patrol car or an ICE car around, they’re not going to know what they’re doing. But that in and of itself causes a lot of fear.” She added that the University’s public actions in support of undocumented students are important, but there is still more work to be done to make sure all students feel protected on campus. “I really appreciate that the universities are taking a stand, and that they’re going public even when it’s a difficult thing to do,” Ibarra-Frayre said.. “Universities are so powerful, and the rest of the state really is looking to the University of Michigan to what is possible to do.”
said. Before this policy change, more than half of UHS’ nearly $300,000 yearly laboratory testing costs were from student STI checks, according to Ernst. According to the UHS website, for students who have Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare or any University of Michigan funded health care, bills should be covered. If a student has another type of insurance, coverage is not guaranteed. “It is ultimately the decision of your insurance company whether they will pay UHS,” the website reads. “If we do not receive payment from your insurance company, UHS will bill you and you will be responsible for payment.” UHS wants to help uninsured students enroll in Medicaid and has also released a new health insurance plan, Ernst said.
over the last couple of years and the number of reports that we’ve received, and to do them in that fair and appropriate way, make sure that people are supported.”
I would say the overarching mission really is to make sure that the University is responding fairly and appropriately to concerns that exist.
A public health junior, who has chosen to remain anonymous due to ongoing legal action surrounding her case, went through a Title IX investigation last year. She said Seney didn’t work directly with her case but interacted with her throughout the process of the investigation. Given how she said her situation was handled, the junior was
CSG Vice President Isabelle Blanchard, an LSA senior, said CSG is planning on releasing a list of other options for STI testing, as well as a survey to monitor student concerns. “CSG has already begun communicating with students about this change, and plans to release a survey to the student body to learn more about how this might affect the student experience,” Blanchard wrote to The Daily in an email. Alternative options for inexpensive STI checks include Planned Parenthood or the Washtenaw County’s Sexual Health Services building. Neither offer free testing. Some students have expressed concerns about STI testing showing up on their parents’ EOB. A student who has requested to remain anonymous for this article said in a strict religious family such as her own, there would
upset to learn Seney had been named Title IX coordinator. “Basically, she completely disregarded how we were feeling and didn’t take us seriously for a second,” she said. “I’m not very happy that she’s the Title IX coordinator.” The Public Health junior said OIE’s processes were not as fair as Seney had described them to be in the April interview. “Seney, OIE and the University as a whole (have) taught me throughout this process that they don’t care about the claimants getting justice or even having fair investigations or fair hearings,” she said. “All they only care about is not getting sued, and doing whatever it takes not to get sued.” Nevertheless, University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald commended Seney’s past work with OIE and expressed support for her new position. “Elizabeth Seney has served our university community very well as deputy Title IX coordinator and as interim Title IX coordinator,” Fitzgerald wrote in an email to The Daily. “It was clear she was the best candidate for this important leadership position within OIE.”
CLINTON From Page 1 Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power. The Public Policy School posted the schedule of dates for the upcoming speakers last week, with lecture topics ranging from U.S.-North Korean relations to security in the Persian Gulf. John Ciorciari, director of the WDC and associate professor of public policy, said the idea for the WDC began last summer and was well-received by the Weiser family from its conception. “Last summer, we started a conversation with the Weisers about the prospect of doing something a little bit larger around the theme of practical training in foreign affairs, and also around the theme of policy engagement with the diplomatic community,” Ciorciari said. “They share a priority that we have to train students not just in the classroom, but also in a variety of ways outside the classroom.” While the speaker series will bring strong figures from the world of diplomacy to the University this fall, the WDC staff itself also boasts top leaders and experts in foreign policy. WDC Senior Adviser Melvyn
be consequences for her education if her parents knew she was tested. “Billing such tests to personal insurance removes that sense of safety a student gets from knowing their parents don’t know about their sex life,” she said. “Personally, I come from a highly orthodox family and if they knew I was having sex I would face pretty serious repercussions, the lowest of which would be pulling me out of school.” If students are concerned about their parents seeing the EOB for an STI test on the insurance bill, they should consider buying their own health insurance, Ernst said. “If a student is seeking confidential healthcare that they don’t want their parents to be made aware of, they might be individuals who might be interested in exploring their own personal student health insurance
INSURANCE From Page 1 The second enrollment period covers Jan. 1, 2020 to Aug. 23, 2020, while the third enrollment extends from May 1, 2020 to Aug. 23, 2020. Each enrollment period charges a different fee. Burchett said the new plan includes the benefits from the AETNA plan — such as emergency room visits and an annual vision exam — but for a better price. “What we said is ‘we want the same plan that we had last year,’ in other words with the same benefits, but we were looking for a better price, and so Blue Care Network just did it for less than the other insurance companies did,” Burchett said. Under the new plan, students must use a Blue Care Network provider in the state of Michigan, and a Blue Cross provider outside the state, in order to be considered “in-network.” Essentially, if the student wants to receive coverage in the state of Michigan they must use a Blue Care Network provider but outside of Michigan must use Blue Cross. Still, Burchett doesn’t anticipate this will cause problems, since the company is nationwide and a big company. The Blue Care Network fullyear plan for domestic students
Tuesday, September 3, 2019 — 3A
Levitsky served as the United States Ambassador to Bulgaria and the United States Ambassador to Brazil. WDC Program Coordinator Zuzana Wiseley previously served at various foreign missions and was an Assistant to the Ambassador of India in Bratislava. As the WDC grows and student interest increases, the center is planning to expand the international policy focused curriculum within the Public Policy School. Levitsky explained the importance of having a hub for foreign affairs in the Midwest. “A lot of the schools that teach this kind of work are in Washington, D.C.,” Levitsky said. “I think we’ll offer an alternative of being away from inside the Beltway, and having good instruction, both from our regular faculty and from people like me who are former practitioners, and we’re looking forward to it.” Ciorciari also mentioned the value of the WDC’s location within the Midwest, mentioning the University as a leading force in the field of foreign policy. Beyond the continuation of leadership in the field, Ciorciari said the goal of the upcoming speaker series is to introduce more students to the WDC and the robust resources the University has to offer. “We really want to be a visible leading hub in the
Midwest for engagement with foreign affairs,” Ciorciari said. “We hope that this big launch series will help to broadcast to prospective students, to friends of the University, to the general public, to policymakers, that U-M, which has always been an important contributor to conversations on global policy issues, is going to be even more central going forward.” The WDC also recently announced the inaugural cohort of Weiser Diplomacy Fellows. The fellows receive support for up to two years of study within the fields of diplomacy and foreign affairs and can be rewarded up to $20,000 per year. Marianna Smith is a Master of Public Policy student at the Ford School and is one of four fellows in the cohort. WDC Fellows are responsible for promoting and advocating for the center on campus and assisting the WDC staff in contacting potential speakers for upcoming events. Smith’s goals as a fellow include diversifying the field of diplomacy and utilizing the WDC’s resources to further her career. “My goal would be to promote the fellowship to minority or underrepresented groups in diplomacy, to make our campus more diverse, and to make any career in diplomacy more diverse,” Smith said.
plan,” Ernst said. “At just over $1,700 a year, it might actually be more affordable for them than the extra cost to stay on their parents insurance, and then it would be certainly very confidential.” Parental disapproval is just one of the reasons students are worried about this new policy. Betsy Stubbs, Art & Design junior and SAPAC volunteer, said having free STI checks on a college campus eliminated barriers to getting tested. “People are already very reluctant to get tested for STIs,” Stubbs said. “There is such a negative stigma surrounding STIs that it makes it very difficult to work up the courage to get tested. U-M was taking steps in the right directions allowing testing to be free because that eliminated one more barrier. Handing out condoms can’t be the only thing this University tries to protect student’s
sexual health.” Rackham student Kaley Makino, who is passionate about sexual health advocacy, said this also adds financial barriers to students in addition to the stigmatization. “Privatizing sexual health screenings will undoubtedly lower affordability and access to students who may or may not have personal insurance willing to cover the cost of the testing,” Makino said. “This will further discourage students to get STI screened because they will likely have to pay some portion out-ofpocket, which is an added expense many cannot afford.” All students interviewed for this article stated they were unaware these billing changes included the loss of STI tests previously-covered in their tuition. The anonymous student said she heard of the change from a reddit thread.
is $1,709 annually with a $100 deductible for in-network and out-of-network care, whereas the AETNA plan charged a $2,084 annual fee with a $500 deductible. However, the new plan could prove more expensive if a student required costly medical care. For example, under the new plan, the out-of-pocket maximum a student might pay would be $3,500 in-network and $7,000 out-of-network. The maximum was $2,500 under the AETNA plan. Engineering senior Gabriel Shlain uses the Universitysponsored student health insurance. Shlain said the new plan works for him as a relatively healthy person, but it may hurt those with expensive medical conditions. “I assume that there are definitely other students here who have, probably outstanding medical conditions that I’m not aware of, and they might need more personalized care and more costly care that might cost more now with this plan, but for me that’s just not the case,” Shlain said. “So unless something actually bad were to happen to me or I run into a serious health condition, I prefer the plan right now, because for at least a yearly physical, testing, bloodwork, it gets the job done.” Benefits of the new plan include prescription drug coverage, clinic visits, mental health, annual vision exam,
hospitalization, emergency room visits, ambulance service, dental coverage and more. According to the Domestic Student Health Insurance Plan website, the plan was negotiated by a Central Student Government student health insurance committee. CSG President Ben Gerstein said the plan serves as a good option for students and is excited to see how the plan works for international students, specifically. “I think the plan seems like a good option for students in terms of what it offers,” Gerstein said. “It covers dental, which I know is something UHS is excited about. I believe the significant change was that they put the international student plan and the domestic student plan under the same umbrella. I’m interested to see what the effects of that will be, and obviously communicate with international students to make sure they feel the UHS plan adequately covers their needs.” Around 1,600 students were enrolled in the new plan as of Aug. 27, while around 2,900 were enrolled in the AETNA plan during the third enrollment period, previously. Burchett said she expects the number of students enrolled in the new plan to increase throughout the year as more students hear about it or age out of their parents’ insurance plan.
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Student life is already falling short with freshmen
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s the summer wound down and freshmen prepared for their first semester as college students, the class of 2023 received an e-mail from E. Royster Harper, vice president for Student Life. The message contained information on the online modules all new students are required to take: Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduates and AlcoholEdu for College. What I found interesting was how neutral I felt towards the modules. It has come to my attention that preparing for college comes hand in hand with the beginning of conversations between parents and students about alcohol abuse and sexual assault. Both are serious and important topics of conversation. However, most of my peers have pushed the modules aside, intending to take them as late as they can. Many don’t seem to consider the topics as pressing or important, but simply another task to check off the to-do list. “I think most people already know at least some of the logistics behind sexual assault,” LSA freshman Tyler Traskos said. “But I talked to other g uys from different colleges who also had to do the modules, and we all agree that they present the information in a way which makes people want to get through it as fast as possible, rather than paying attention.” There are numerous other universities, along with U-M, that have reached out to students to participate in the courses, however, there remains a common feeling of disinterest among freshmen. While I greatly appreciate the openness of conversation and how many schools across the nation are participating, my skepticism raises questions about the effectiveness of the program. The module is a lecturestyle presentation with interactive features and videos that admittedly grab one’s attention. However,
after completing the exam, I was unsure of what I should be taking away from the lesson. Even with my knowledge, I took the module somewhat distractedly. In addition to the repetitive questions on the exams and verbose facts from federal and state law, there was something missing.
There remains a common feeling of disinterest among freshmen
There are tactics such as not wearing a ponytail while walking alone at night, using keys as claws in-between your knuckles, or never leaving your drink unattended — all simple yet effective strategies for students the modules could promote. It isn’t enough to be aware of the proper labels of assault or where to find help at the University, but to make the issues more relatable and applicable to the real world. The module was informative, but it didn’t reach the full potential it could have. Along with the modules, freshmen are required to attend two in-person sessions, each being twohour discussions, with regard to sexual health and healthy relationships. Though the class of 2023 has yet to absorb all the information the University is attempting to share, it seems as though the discussions set a standard for other University of Michigan students to discuss these issues. “The in-person sessions were really important conversations to have, and it brought everyone to the same page,” LSA sophomore Liliana Arida-Moody said. “Overall, I think it’s a good way to establish a healthier culture with a big student population.”
It is imperative to note the privilege I had in high school being able to receive these lessons, as well as the personal conversations I had with teachers and mentors who were aware of assault and drug abuse. While it isn’t perfect, the University community is actively giving students a chance to properly educate themselves. Another reason why these modules are falling short is because the students are not fully harnessing what they learn. It is the responsibility of the freshmen to take the information and use it the best they can. It’s an unfortunate reality that the most effective way to learn the true consequences of alcohol abuse or sexual assault is experience. No one understands the grim truth of alcohol abuse and sexual assault unless affected personally, which is why I feel the need to push universities and even high schools to educate students before they reach a point of helplessness. The United States still faces a high number of unreported sexual assault incidents and alcohol abuse, especially in college settings. However, many families and educational programs do not have these necessary conversations until the students’ first year of college. How we educate students ref lects upon our society and how we discuss an issue that has long been kept underground. My hope is that, along with the online modules, in-person sessions and overall conversation about alcohol and sexual assault, there will be a spark for an even larger and deeper conversation among University students. This should be the starting point for students to actively seek better solutions and speak up about their experiences so the academic community can become more honest, progressive and find more effective programs for the incoming freshman classes. Cheryn Hong can be reached at cherynh@umich.edu
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
SUBMIT TO SURVIVORS SPEAK The Opinion section has created a space in The Michigan Daily for first-person accounts of sexual assault and its corresponding personal, academic and legal implications. Submission information can be found at https://tinyurl.com/survivorsspeak2019.
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Mitch McConnell’s meaningless prayers
en. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., must fancy himself a true patriot, and for good reason. In recent years, our Senate Majority Leader — the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history — claims he has been safeguarding the American people from the Democratic Party’s dangerously leftist agenda. Speaking in his buttery Kentucky drawl, McConnell boasted about his reputation on “The Ingraham Angle” this past June. “I am indeed the grim reaper when it comes to the socialist agenda,” McConnell said, referencing the plan Democrats would apparently force upon the country. As it turns out, McConnell’s “grim reaper” moniker suits him for more than just his success in stifling Democrats’ “socialism”— he’s also the grim reaper for the American blood on his hands. In the early afternoon of Aug. 3, America learned of a mass shooting, this time in El Paso, Texas, that cut 22 lives short. McConnell took to Twitter to console those impacted by the massacre. “The entire nation is horrified by today’s senseless violence in El Paso,” he observed, saying, “Elaine’s and my prayers go out to the victims of this terrible violence, their families and friends, and the brave first responders who charged into harm’s way.” In the early morning of Aug. 4, another shooting occurred in Dayton, Ohio, claiming 10 more lives. The following morning, McConnell tweeted that news of the event was “sickening to learn.” I have no doubt that McConnell, like every American, was deeply disturbed by the shootings. But his words of comfort are wholly irreconcilable with his actions as Senate Majority Leader, which makes his condolences insulting and void of merit. As part of his crusade against the Democrats’ ostensibly insidious leftism, McConnell has been a stubborn advocate of gun rights, a legacy that he is quite proud of. When the Republican Party took control of the Senate in the 2014 midterms, McConnell became Senate Majority Leader. His ascension to that office has granted him incredible influence as to the flow of legislation and debate in the Senate, and during his five-year
tenure, he has obstinately obstructed meaningful debate on gun control legislation. McConnell’s intransigence on the matter accords him additional blame for America’s gun problem. While support for gun control soars nationwide — 86 percent of Americans, according to a 2015 Gallup poll, support universal background checks for gun purchases — McConnell has methodically slowed the Senate’s consideration of gun reform. As recent as February, the House of Representatives passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, a bill that mandates background checks for the exchange of firearms between private parties, by a vote of 240-190. For six months, McConnell has dragged his feet when it comes to allowing a Senate debate and vote on the bill. In doing so, he has disrespected the will of 86 percent of the country. As the leader of Senate Republicans, it’s easy to target McConnell for the unforgivable lack of progress on gun control. But McConnell’s attitude is also emblematic of a more general trend that has limited gun control success — the GOP’s zealous defense of the Second Amendment, which seems to have become a cornerstone of the party’s platform. The Republican Party’s obsession with guns has become more entrenched with time. While conservative Americans have long championed an originalist interpretation of the Second Amendment, refusal to entertain gun reform is a relatively new development. As the Nixon tapes indicate, President Richard Nixon, who left the White House in 1974, privatelyfloatedtheideaofawholesale handgun ban. Nearly 50 years later, the thought of a Republican president vocalizing such a measure seems absurd. Evidently, the problem is not just McConnell’s present chokehold of the Senate, but the culmination of a decades-long process of conservative radicalization. While Republican resolve to defend against “gun-grabbing liberals” has solidified with time, the terms in which conservatives justify their firing position have
remained consistent. The argument, as presented by McConnell & Co., is typically twofold, and involves an invocation of the Second Amendment and the assertion that gun reform can’t prevent mass shootings. Arguing over the intent of the Second Amendment with supporters of gun rights is a fruitless exercise. While the language of the amendment arguably only permits gun possession for “a well regulated militia,” conservatives almost universally interpret the Second Amendment as guaranteeing gun rights for individuals. Fortunately for proponents of guns, jurisprudence has historically sided with the right, which is why appeals to the Constitution have not been the primary strategy of gun control advocates. Conservatives understand that ink on parchment — even if that parchment is the Constitution — isn’t enough rhetorical ammunition for the current state of debate. Consequently, we frequently hear the line that gun control wouldn’t have prevented Dayton, or El Paso, or Las Vegas or Parkland. We know, however, that the perpetrators of the August massacres purchased their weapons legally. The shooters, of course, may have gone through illicit channels to obtain their firearms if they could not legally buy them. But the facts remain that compared to other developed nations, the United States suffers from gun violence on an unmatched scale, and developed countries that have implemented gun control measures have seen incredible declines in gun violence. Partisan talking points aside, it’s hard to dismiss public opinion at a time when over 61 percent of Americans want stricter laws governing the sale of firearms as of October 2018. Maybe the GOP will recognize the way the wind is blowing and choose to entertain dialogue ahead of the 2020 elections. Maybe Republicans will double down on their current stance. I’d bet on the former, at least to a degree, because the polling is clear: More and more Americans can no longer accept Mitch McConnell’s prayers. Max Steinbaum can be reached at maxst@umich.edu.
DIPRA DEBNATH | COLUMN
What does maximizing our potential entail?
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s students at the University of Michigan, we are all at some form of a crossroads in our lives. College is a time when adolescents transform into productive, adult members of society, often residing away from family for the first time and becoming financially independent. We explore new ideas and develop stances that shape our viewpoints for the rest of our lives. Among these experiences, there is another junction that often gets lost in the mix — a biological one. After spending our formative years growing physically and psychologically, we are now in our late teens and early twenties and at the beginning of the physical and cognitive primes of our lives. It is within the next decade that most of us will be in the window of time in which our minds and bodies have capacities to do more extraordinary things than they ever have and ever will again. Following this, many aspects of this potential will creep into a decline that continues for the remainder of our lifetimes. The question is: Should we make it a priority to seize this moment and capitalize on our maximum biological potential while the window is still open? For a long time, my answer to this question was “yes.” I have always been a proponent for seeing one’s potential to actuality. As such, it made sense to me that squandering time during one’s twenties that could be used for self-betterment was a waste — how else is one to see what they are truly capable of physically and mentally? The physical aspect of this notion was significantly influenced by elite athletes’ career trajectories. A classic example is Michael Phelps. Phelps, considered by many as the greatest male swimmer and Olympian ever, broke the world record when he won eight gold medals in Beijing at just 23. He would never do it again, and at the 2012 Olympics, 19 year old Kristof Milak broke the then27 year old’s record. The fact that Phelps reclaimed the gold medal in
the 200 meter butterfly and earned four more at the 2016 Olympics, at 31, makes him an anomaly as male Olympic gold medalists in swimming events are, on average, about 21 years old. Cognitive performance with respect to age has been the subject of ongoing discourse in psychology. Processing multiple tasks such as digit symbol coding, digit span, and vocabulary, peaks at about 20 years of age. While shortterm memory was measured in different ways at each age, short term memory typically peaks roughly three times over someone’s life: once at around 10 years old, the next at 30, and the last at 50. A decline in creativity, while less rigorously studied, is still evident. U2, one of the most financially successful bands of all time, has been actively releasing new music for 40 years. For their first 20 years, U2 underwent dramatic shifts in musical style several times without any drop-off in their massive popularity, a testament to their ability to remain flexible. However, the band’s last five albums, starting with 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, have been less well-received, indicating perhaps that they have lost their zeal for reinventing themselves at this stage of their lives. Since I have started college, I have thought about examples such as these, and many others, frequently, telling myself that it is important to seize the opportunities in early adulthood to see what my full potential is as a person before my biological clock sends me over my peak and the windows of my physical and cognitive maximums close. However, trying to maximize every aspect of oneself as a person is a daunting and impossible prospect, and at the end of my sophomore year, I felt that I had achieved little toward pursuing this ideal. Over this past summer, I realized that statements such as those above are implicative of an erroneous assumption that our life “peaks” must be realized during our biological peaks. We are still humans capable of doing incredible things into mid and late adulthood.
The majority of people reach their professional peaks well after their biological peaks. The average age at inauguration for presidents of the United States is 55 years; Donald Trump was inaugurated at age 70, and top Democratic presidential candidates Joseph Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren are 76, 77 and 70 years old respectively. Part of this is likely due to the value of experience. While fluid intelligence may reach its apex in early adulthood, crystallized intelligence peaks at the middle of a lifespan. From this perspective, we can actually turn back to sports and learn from athletes in skillcentered disciplines. LeBron James, who has arguably been the world’s best basketball player for the past decade, was the most dominant player in the 2018 NBA playoffs at age 33, despite having had lost a step physically, largely because the diverse skill set he honed during his career enabled him to pick apart defenses in endless ways. Both Serena and Venus Williams continue to be world-class tennis threats. Tom Brady won his sixth Super Bowl at age 41. Tiger Woods won the Masters at 43. Their body of experience allows them to keep their ceiling of performance extremely high. Though I am still a proponent of people trying to leverage their potential while they are young, my idea of “maximum potential” has changed. At the end of the day, many of us have a vague idea of what our personal or professional life goals are — some of us may have a bucket list of things we’d like to do over the course of our lives. My current viewpoint is that achieving these goals throughout one’s life, rather than solely while young, and living a fulfilling life are the ultimate signs of fully-realized human potential. Perhaps this isn’t breaking news to most, but it has changed the way in which I view my personal trajectory. Dipra Debnath can be reached at dipra@umich.edu.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019 — 5A
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FILM NOTEBOOK
MUSIC NOTEBOOK: WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
To begin: Openings, pt. 1 STEPHEN SATARINO Daily Film Editor
ANISH TAMHANEY Daily Arts Writer
In the spirit of Welcome Week, Festifall and all things post-Labor-Day, The Michigan Daily Film section has written a collection of blurbs celebrating our favorite “Openings” to movies. Here’s to another year of learning, changing, trying, failing, crying, smiling, passing, movie-watching and (most importantly) a-best-picture-awardedto-a-f ilm-that-surpassesthe-low-bar-of-not-beingproblematic-at-best-andseverly-discouraging-as-tothe-current-state-of-theconversation-on-racialequality-in-America-atworst. “Moonrise Kingdom” The best opening movie sequences all have the same type of premise. The filmmaker must set the stage, acclimate their audience to the wit or severity or drama or grief they’ll be tasked with dealing with and lay out the stakes of the world they’ve built. Writer/ director Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”) calls this his overture (even when he’s not making a musical), his chance to create a microcosm of the drama that will soon unfold onscreen. Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise
Anderson’s opening to “Moonrise Kingdom” accomplishes all the requirements of a Chazelle movie overture
Kingdom” is my favorite example of this. The writer/ director splits his movie’s first five minutes into two parts of the same whole: First, beginning the movie with a drawn out title sequence to the music of Benjamin Britten’s “A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” meanwhile sliding his camera laterally and horizontally to capture the impossibly rectangle vistas of the family’s lighthouse home, and second, giving the audience a tour of the imaginary island where most of the movie takes place, the tour g uide, an affable Bob Balaban, leading off with a resounding “Welcome to the Island of New Penzance.” Anderson’s opening to “Moonrise Kingdom” accomplishes all the requirements of a Chazelle movie overture. From the very first shot, he bottles up the atmosphere of the film — picture-book, precocious energ y — and gives the viewer a taste of what types of conf licts are to come. The unhappy household of Suzy Bishop is scanned up and down, left and right, as a thunderous storm rages outside. She’s seen holding a box of letters from her secret pen-pal, who she views as her escape from the prison of her parents. We pivot to a melody of strings as Balaban walks us around our home-foran-hour, framing with the announcement of a terrible storm the youthful love story whose drama will only be heightened by the arrival of the inclement weather. Since the break-in sequence in “Bottle Rocket” and the chapel day-dream in “Rushmore” Anderson has had a knack for setting his movies off on the right foot. Honorable mention, also, to “The Royal Tenenbaum’s” 16 minutes of go-nowhere narration that, despite being complete, blatant, youngadult-novel-chapter-one exposition, feels absolutely riveting. — Stephen Satarino, Daily Film Editor “Scream” Drew Barrymore, Jiff y Pop and a landline. These are primary ingredients of the opening of “Scream,” and they work together all too well. The first 12 minutes of
The first 12 minutes of Craven’s 1996 slasher satire compose one of the most jarring scenes ... and one of the most intricate horror sequences ever made
Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher satire compose one of the most jarring scenes I can recall from childhood and one of the most intricate horror sequences ever made. There’s so much to revere in both his camerawork and sound design. There’s an increasingly rapid pop of kernels on the kitchen stove ( leading to their eventual explosion as Barrymore is evading her stalker); the gradual unnerving tilt of the camera from shot to shot, which eventually frames Barrymore in the corner of the screen, as if trapping her there; the uncannily creepy voicework of Roger Jackson as Ghostface, quizzing his victim on the history of movie serial killers. But it’s that last part that I find most interesting everytime I rewatch the scene: The subtle hints Craven lays even in those first few minutes that “Scream” will be a horror movie that mocks other horror movies. It’s probably the first great example of the style, but certainly not the last. Between “Cabin in the Woods” and “Get Out” and even 2019’s “Ready or Not,” there’s no shortage of current meta horror. But that first scene is a microcosm for everything that comes later, not just in the movie, but in the future of the entire genre. — Anish Tamhaney, Daily Arts Write
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Synchronicity with Jacklin SAMANTHA CANTIE Daily Arts Writer
“If you send me 3 albums, I’ll send you 3 albums.” This is how I came across Crushing by Julia Jacklin, the most transformative album of my summer. Crushing was revealed to me while I sat at a booth in UCLA’s dining hall among globs of angsty high schoolers in various summer camps. A life-changing friend I barely knew at the time offered to drown out the sound of pre-pubescents by listening to music. In that dining hall booth, Julia Jacklin hit me both like a brick wall and a bag of feathers, if that’s possible. I didn’t fully acknowledge Crushing as a probable act of God until the lyrics of “Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You” popped out at me on my commute to work. The repetitiveness of “I wanna” and “I want” throughout the first verse, paired with the steady two-line chorus and the haunting descriptions of falling out of love, described the specificities of a plague I
thought could only infect me. Jacklin softly and painfully coos out: “What if I cleaned up? What if I worked on my skin? I could scrub until I am red, hot, weak & thin.” This specific sequence of words had me hitting my steering wheel continuously, screaming “oh LORD this is it.” After this moment, I was launched into a “daydreaming with Julia Jacklin on my morning commute” phase. Crushing is a steady album
The commute to a nine-to-five ended, but Jacklin never did for me
that crescendos sparingly but powerfully, so my car often felt like an enormous, beautiful, empty cruise ship that only I resided in, rocking up and down with the waves until the occasional crushing, nervous system-altering swell would come along. The commute to a nine-tofive ended, but Jacklin never did for me. She’s the release of screaming in a parking lot, creating the perfect amount of noise around abusive relationships, devastating breakups, feminism, bodily autonomy, losing and letting go. She perfectly encases all of these themes inside her lovely alt-rock, Dolly Parton-esque sound, and best of all: She’s intimately tied to my lifeshattering best friend, who physically came and went with the summer. So what I’m listening to on repeat is the angelic voice of Julia Jacklin, who is synonymous with summer, my best friend, the movies we watched and the fancy drinks we had, my new outlook on the female body, losing people left and right and the glorious taxation of relationships.
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6A — Tuesday, Septemberw 3, 2019
ALBUM REVIEW
LITERATURE COLUMN
Cleansing with GINGER Writers writing on writers DYLAN YONO Daily Arts Writer
BROCKHAMPTON has been in turmoil since former vocalist Ameer Vann’s departure from the group in May 2018. Kevin Abstract has been the most public in wrangling his emotions: From melancholic voicemails cryptically released on his website to running on a treadmill for 10 hours on livestream in front of his childhood home, his feelings have been palpable. All the turmoil, public and private, has coalesced in BROCKHAMPTON’s most off-your-chest album. In an interview with GQ, Abstract explained, “Something we’re doing is putting those type of lyrics — like this shit is trash, anxiety, depression, all that stuff — taking those type of lyrics and putting it on a song that a bunch of people could dance to or something.” That speaks to the album’s sound as a whole: The lyrics are rarely anything but burnt-out or bittersweet. The concept comes to life very clearly on tracks like the single “BOY BYE,” where the boys speak on depression and trauma with the slickest flows over a vibrant beat. Interestingly, the band explained during an interview with Beats 1 Radio that they recorded over 100 songs for the album and just picked their favorites. But that’s not what it sounds like in the music — in fact, GINGER is more thematically coherent than any previous BROCKHAMPTON project. The band’s simultaneous distress and confidence is perfectly encapsulated over the course of the album. The boy band known for starting their albums with intense bangers subverted expectations with opening track “NO HALO,”
a beautiful but subdued track filled with depression, despair and hopelessness. The second track, “SUGAR,” is as sweetsounding as its title suggests. It’s similarly subdued but packed with smooth verses and vocal harmonies for a feeling of warm nostalgia. Ryan Beatty, a frequent BROCKHAMPTON collaborator, makes the track with his soulful contributions on the hook. It’s an Usher-like mid-2000s R&B revival, and may be one of the band’s best songs yet. Faith as a way to cope with
GINGER BROCKHAMPTON RCA (Question Everything)
struggle is an overt theme throughout the album. The whole band has upped their writing game with in-your-face downtrodden lyrics like, “And we all out lookin’ for, lookin’ for God so we never see it in ourself” from Dom on “SUGAR.” Pent-up frustration from the band peaks on “DEARLY DEPARTED,” filled with lyrical mourning, prayer and cries for help. It’s the most emotionally charged track on the record in which the boys speak openly about ex-member Ameer Vann. After following the situation and seeing the public fallout, I felt my own heart sink when Kevin sang, “What’s the point of havin’ a best friend if you end up losin’ him?” Dom McLennon, most infamous for his anger towards Ameer, ends the track with fury screaming “You could talk to God / I don’t wanna hear, motherfucker” before dropping the mic. While BROCKHAMPTON has
a track record for hardcore hits, their slappers in GINGER don’t land nearly as well as their softersounding songs. The synths in the beginning of “ST. PERCY” is reminiscent of the iconic opening track to SATURATION, “HEAT,” and makes me want to listen to that instead. “I BEEN BORN AGAIN” is a fun track — it’s exciting in the context of the band’s “rebirth” and new direction, uniting all six vocalists — it’s just a little all over the place, like many tracks on their previous album iridescence. There are also a few stumbles at the end of GINGER. Joba, who has upped his game all across the record, delivers one of his strongest performances ever on the eerie and ghostly “BIG BOY,” but the rest of the song doesn’t hold up. The mellow, repetitive deliveries from Kevin and Joba get stale very quickly on “LOVE ME FOR LIFE” despite the interesting and unique instrumental. The album still manages to finish strong with “VICTOR ROBERTS,” on which BROCKHAMPTON-affiliate and first-time vocalist Victor Roberts tells a heart-wrenching story of his troubled family upbringing. The song is a perfect closer for an album in which emotionally driven lyricism is at the forefront. GINGER, like the album’s namesake, is a palate cleanser for BROCKHAMPTON. It’s a step forward for the band as they’ve struggled to find the footing they had with their music in 2017. This is the album they needed to make: A controlled expression of depression, a fresh encapsulation of distress. Some tracks don’t land as well as others, but even within those, the impeccable and dark songwriting still shines. They’re overcoming the trials they’ve faced as a band and making it clear that the BROCKHAMPTON boys are here to stay.
EMILY YANG
Daily Literature Columnist
The often-repeated injunction “write what you know” always seemed tautological to me — can it be otherwise? Everything comes from somewhere. It’s unsurprising, though, that there are a lot of novels about writers and their social circles, and often about the process of writing a novel. As a professional writer, a certain kind of intellectual sociality is probably easier to render in detail than nearly anything else. So-called “metafiction” is only at the extreme end of this. One recent, and very good, example of a novel about novelists is “Early Work” by Andrew Martin. The story follows the would-be writer Peter Cunningham, who is working on a vaguely-defined book after dropping out of Yale’s graduate program, and lives with with his medical-school-student girlfriend Julia near the University of Virginia. Peter teaches writing at a women’s prison, a job which leaves him with incredible amounts of free time that he seems to use mostly for visiting friends and occasionally writing, seemingly without success: “As anyone who’s ever pretended to be a writer knows, ‘the book’ was really a handy metaphor for tinkering with hundreds of Word documents that bore a vague thematic resemblance to each other, but would never cohere into the, what, saga of ice and fire that they were imagining.” His charmed, stagnant life is interrupted by his sudden attraction to another young, somewhat directionless writer named Leslie, and the two soon embark on an affair. It’s a novel that could only be written by someone firmly entrenched within the milieu of its characters — overeducated, self-conscious creative types — and probably is only readable by members of the same set. The then two-couple dynamic of the plot
is a shameless cliche, something Martin freely acknowledges. The book’s interest lies in its incredibly engaging voice. Its humor is mostly subtle, communicated on the level of language. Martin always finds the exact right word to nudge a line of dialogue into absurdity, always finds a way to communicate trepidation, desire or quiet anger with the balance of a sentence. For example, here’s Leslie describing seeing a film with a boyfriend: “She usually loved boring movies, loved to sit and stare at people’s faces as they stared at other things, even when there was a second-tier jam band making supposedly joyful noise through the wall.” Like many of the novel’s scraps of inner monologue, this sentence holds many competing thoughts and feelings together in a precipitous balance — the film is simultaneously boring and enjoyable, the jam band is simultaneously annoying, but could be heard as joyful. The book is saturated with references, nearly always with attendant ambivalence. One gets the sense that there are multiple layers of cultural scripts operating in most of the conversations in the book. Leslie again, on Future’s Dirty Sprite 2: “‘Yeah, I’m pretty into monotonous drug rap right now,’ she said. ‘I mean, like everybody. I guess it’s the usual racist thing, where white people like it because it takes their worst suspicions about minorities and confirms them in lurid and entertaining ways?” To which Peter responds, “Yeah, that’s why I like it. Racist reasons mostly. I’m not thrilled about the misogyny, though.” This frequently-quoted segment of dialogue is only one example of a curious discursive form Martin plays with in a million different ways. Everyone in the book has been educated into a sense of what constitutes good art, a necessarily exclusionary concept: this makes their interactions with most everything else slightly tortuous at best. Leslie listening to DS2 isn’t the same thing as an ironic appropriation — it’s a genuine sense of shame,
MAKE THE GRADE THE RUNWE LL BACK PACK
tempered by an equally-weighted awareness of how absurd this shame is. The characters renounce and love in the same breath, arriving back at a wordier version of where they started. Martin exercises a similar ambivalence about the affair that structures the book. Peter does not try to rationalize his split affection for Julia and Leslie, and thankfully doesn’t make a caricature out of Julia. In fact, she comes across as quite personable in addition to her talents (she’s also a published poet, implicitly a more productive writer than Peter). There is very little actual parody in the book. Peter knows that he’s making a stupid decision that will hurt someone he loves, and he does it anyway. In a similar anecdote, Leslie, living in New York City, has a stable relationship with Katie, a dramaturge who “showers as much as once a day,” and feels irrationally stifled by Katie’s clipped togetherness — not because of anything Katie does, necessarily, but because Leslie doesn’t feel like she has space to be irresponsible in it. Right before Leslie abandons her relationship with Katie, she thinks to herself: “Why was there nothing goddamn mysterious about (Katie), like there was about everyone else? Why were even her adventures so cramped and circumscribed?” This is to say that Peter and Leslie are both seeking their freedom, every relationship a provisional step on the way to self-realization. Martin is compassionate toward this impulse, even while showing how ugly the fallout from it can be. The novel ultimately suggests that people can create their own fates, even as it also documents lucidly the vagueness of the disaffections that compel us to act, and the unforeseen consequences of these actions. The book is forgiving and optimistic about human nature, and this might be why it’s overall very pleasant to read despite the literal events in the plot often being rather ugly. For Martin, self-creation is what ties together romantic relationships and art-making — two noble pursuits that we can’t help but fail at.
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Tuesday, September 3, 2019 — 7A
‘Good Eats: The Return’ is as good as ever MAXWELL SCHWARZ Daily Arts Writer
When “Good Eats” premiered in 1999, it was clear that it is as much a recipe as it is a show. Each episode is a deep culinary dive into the origins, history and science of a particular dish. There is prepwork involved, research and ingredients to amass. Alton Brown maneuvers through his kitchen with rapidfire narration and snappy angles. The episodes are seasoned to taste with lowbudget skits. Twenty years later, for “Good Eats: The Return,” the recipe clearly hasn’t changed, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. The world of culinary television is weighed down by the humdrum of fastpaced cooking challenges, wasteful extravaganzas and unnecessarily dramatic contests. But “Good Eats” has always been a shining needle in that rough, crowded haystack. A departure from his chaotic persona in “Cutthroat Kitchen,” Brown’s dedication to simplicity and effort is both refreshing and relaxing. In his kitchen, intensity is absent and replaced instead by advice, recommendations and guidance. Each dish has a history, a science and is given such an incredible amount of attention that Brown will often do the
dish in multiple different ways. Waste is unheard of, as Brown uses as much of any ingredient as he can, focuses instead on multitools and encourages his viewers to save things they would normally discard for other, more experimental dishes. In his return, Brown dons a cleaner, more chic look. His once bright and colorful kitchen is replaced instead with a clean and shiny neutral space that very much ref lects modern taste. Even Brown himself looks incredibly different from the campy host who burst onto the screen in 1999, now exuding confidence and sophistication. Much like every other installment, the “Good Eats: The Return” premiere focuses on an underappreciated dish chicken parmesan. With an almost scientific accuracy, Brown establishes exactly where this dish went wrong (it’s all mushy) and how they can fix it (it needs more crunch). First, Brown takes us to Manhattan, where he boldly proposes that all Americans are actually Italian-Americans by virtue of food culture, much to the dismay, I imagine, of actual ItalianAmericans. Before long, Brown dives into the actual dish, starting with the ingredients. To Brown,
everything is important: the tomatoes, the garlic and even what kind of mortar and pestle to use. What’s incredible about “Good Eats” is that the cooking is hardly the most important thing. Instead, it’s understanding how you’re cooking. For Brown, the technique and culinary science is both the beginning and the end. We’re taught why we spritz the chicken with water before pounding it out, to broil the pasta sauce alone before adding the chicken and to distribute everything evenly. Brown even whips it up “fancy restaurant style” in case you wanted your chicken parm to look prettier. Eats: The Return” may not be different, but that doesn’t mean it’s stale. In many ways, it feels like coming back to a relative’s house, except you haven’t seen them in a while and everything’s been updated. It’s still the same “Good Eats,” it’s just been modernized. At its heart, “Good Eats” is still about appreciation, not just for food, but for the work that goes into it. It is a celebration of learning, understanding and practice. “Good Eats” doesn’t pander to dramatizations or tension. It is as it is — relaxing, thorough and, above all, good eats.
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Curing my summertime sadness: from NYC to A2 ISABELLE HASSLUND
Daily Community Culture Editor
In his return, Brown When “Good Eats” dons a cleaner, more premiered in 1999, it chic look. His once and colorf ul was clear that it is as bright is replaced much a recipe as it is a kitchen show. Each episode is a instead with a clean deep culinar y dive into and shiny neutral space the orig ins, histor y and that ver y much ref lects science of a particular dish. There is prepwork involved, research and ing redients to amass. Alton Brown maneuvers through his kitchen with rapid-f ire narration and snappy angles. The episodes are seasoned to taste with low-budget skits. T went y years later, for “Good Eats: The Return,” the recipe clearly hasn’t changed, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. The world of culinar y television is weighed down by the humdrum of fast-paced cooking challenges, wastef ul extravaganzas and unnecessarily dramatic contests. But “Good Eats” has always been a shining needle in that rough, crowded haystack. A departure from his chaotic persona in “Cutthroat taste. Even Kitchen,” Brown’s modern dedication to simplicit y Brown himself looks different and effort is both incredibly refreshing and rela xing. from the campy host In his kitchen, intensit y who burst onto the is absent and replaced screen in 1999, now instead by advice, exuding conf idence and recommendations and sophistication. Much like ever y other g uidance. Each dish has a histor y, a science installment, the “Good The Return” and is g iven such an Eats: incredible amount of premiere focuses on an attention that Brown underappreciated dish will of ten do the dish chicken parmesan. With almost scientif ic in multiple different an Brown ways. Waste is unheard accuracy, exactly of, as Brown uses as establishes much of any ing redient where this dish went as he can, focuses wrong (it ’s all mushy) instead on multitools and how they can f ix it and encourages his (it needs more crunch). viewers to save things First, Brown takes us to they would normally Manhattan, where he discard for other, more boldly proposes that all A mericans are actually experimental dishes.
When summertime fades into remembering rather than making memories, it’s easy to feel stubborn to change.
Italian-A mericans by virtue of food culture, much to the dismay, I imag ine, of actual Italian-A mericans. Before long, Brown dives into the actual dish, starting with the ing redients. To Brown, ever y thing is important: the tomatoes, the garlic and even what kind of mortar and pestle to use. What ’s incredible about “Good Eats” is that the cooking is hardly the most important thing. Instead, it ’s understanding how you’re cooking. For Brown, the technique and culinar y science is both the beg inning and the end. We’re taught why we spritz the chicken with water before pounding it out, to broil the pasta sauce alone before adding the chicken and to distribute ever y thing evenly. Brown even whips it up “fancy restaurant st yle” in case you wanted your chicken parm to look prettier. Eats: The Return” may not be different, but that doesn’t mean it ’s stale. In many ways, it feels like coming back to a relative’s house, except you haven’t seen them in a while and ever y thing ’s been updated. It ’s still the same “Good Eats,” it ’s just been modernized. At its heart, “Good Eats” is still about appreciation, not just for food, but for the work that goes into it. It is a celebration of learning, understanding and practice. “Good Eats” doesn’t pander to dramatizations or tension. It is as it is — rela xing, thorough and, above all, good eats.
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8A — Tuesday, September 3, 2019
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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | September 3, 2019
MICHIGAN 40 MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 21
Alec Cohen & Alexandria Pompei / Daily
Design by Jack Silberman
First look at Gattis’ offense offers mixed bag Max Marcovitch Managing Sports Editor Two Michigan offensive staffers paced briskly back and forth from the sideline to the edge of the field. There were hand motions and wild gesticulations, some yelling and alternative forms of communication. Behind him, another dutiful staffer held signs — a Nike swoosh coating one side. From the press box, Josh Gattis looked on, stoic, conducting his orchestra from a perch. Moments later, senior quarterback Shea Patterson handed the ball to sophomore running back Christian Turner. A gain of two yards. Then onto the next play. Gattis was hired to be Michigan’s offensive coordinator exactly 234 days ago. Much of the time since has been spent speculating as to what his offense might look like. There were expectations of
improvement from a unit that plainly needed overhauling. There were well-publicized promises of “speed in space”. There were rave reviews from those in and around the program. Saturday, finally, it was all there for the public to see in the Wolverines’ 40-21 season-opening win over Middle Tennessee State. The early returns? Some good, some bad and plenty to digest. “Lot of good things,” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “Still, we know, we’ve seen in practice that we can operate cleaner. That’s what we’re all going to strive for this week in practice. As I said at first, this is a new offense. I thought for a first time out, it was good. Could it be better? Yeah, sure. And that’s what we’ll be striving for.” The night began, though, with a thud back to reality. On the Wolverines’ first play from scrimmage,
Patterson scooted for 11 yards, before fumbling the ball away. MTSU recovered and scored a touchdown three plays later. “Obviously didn’t get off to a great start,” Patterson said. “I gotta take care of the football. A win’s a win, but I think everybody in that locker room knows that we didn’t live up to our standard.” Overall, though, the statistics bear an overwhelmingly positive performance. The offense totaled 453 yards, with 220 coming through the air and 233 on the ground. Eight different players carried the ball on runs and nine different receivers caught a pass. The speed was there. At times, the space came, too. Patterson followed up his initial miscue up with five consecutive scoring drives, including a 36-yard strike to junior receiver Tarik Black. Black featured heavily on the next series, too, serving as the
vessel for two consecutive runpass options (RPOs) — looks that are integral to Gattis’ offense. That possession ended with a 28-yard touchdown catch by Nico Collins on a picture-perfect post route. That led to a gaudy first half for Patterson, who was 16-for-25 for 197 yards and three touchdowns in the opening frame. Gattis took his entire treasure trove and threw it out there. At times, it hummed. Others left more to be desired. “I mentioned to someone earlier, I don’t know how many different plays we ran in the game, but it was a lot,” Harbaugh said. “A lot of the offense that we’ve been practicing we ran. It was all facets of it — play-action pass, drop-back, the RPOs, inside zones, outside zones. It was a good amount of offense that got called tonight.” All of this, fan hysteria aside, should be expected from such a
drastic offensive overhaul in its debut. Flipping the switch from a run-first, pro-style offense to a modern, spread scheme will come with its share of growing pains. After the game, Harbaugh lamented some of the penalties and miscommunication that clouded Saturday’s performance. Michigan completed just one of its first eight passes in the second half, and had just 23 passing yards after the break. The two-quarterback looks and newfangled option sets often appeared disjointed or ill-conceived. But the framework is there. And any struggles, Patterson crucially deduced after the game, does not stem from any identity crisis. “Overall, pretty darn good for the first time seeing a new offense,” Harbaugh said. “It’s come so far from where it was in the spring to now. Keep trying to build on it.”
SportsTuesday
2B — September 3, 2019
SportsTuesday Column: At QB, quantity isn’t quality
T
here’s an old football platitude that if you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none. It’s one of those folksy cliches you hear when the Miami Dolphins are sifting through the pile of rubble to decide whether Gus Frerotte or Sage Rosenfels MAX should be the MARCOVITCH one to lead them to a 4-12 season. As it pertains to this Michigan football team and its quarterback room, that sentiment couldn’t be further off. The Wolverines have two capable quarterbacks in Shea Patterson and Dylan McCaffrey. They are a good football team, with aspirations to be a great one. There are (or should be) no questions about which of the two is the starter. In the quarterback room, the lone question left to answer — how do you best maximize both of them? — is one of immense luxury. This group is a far cry from the John O’Korn/Wilton Speight/ Brandon Peters wilderness that came to define the early Jim Harbaugh years. But that question is still one that seems like it will continue to linger, and in the modern era of college football, it’s a question that must be treated with caution. Still, while Michigan’s quarterback depth is one of this team’s biggest strengths, that doesn’t justify using it on some milquetoast gimmicks. This is not a position in which an excess of quantity on the field generally translates to quality. Frankly, if there is a single important play this season in which Patterson isn’t under center, something has gone wrong or someone has erred. Saturday’s display was a clear
example of how excess creativity could backfire. McCaffrey’s first appearance against Middle Tennessee came in the middle of the first quarter, lined up as a wide receiver. He came in motion while Patterson faked the handoff and eventually gave the ball to Christian Turner for two yards. Moments later, Michigan was flagged for an illegal substitution, with confusion swirling. The very next play, McCaffrey came in motion, while Patterson once again faked the handoff. McCaffrey then caught an ill-conceived screen pass and took two body blows on a oneyard gain. The drive stalled. The Wolverines punted. Tensions heightened. Later on, with the game well in-hand, McCaffrey led two drives as the quarterback. Harbaugh said after the game that Patterson had been banged up and that he wanted to give McCaffrey some zone read looks in order to avoid exacerbating any nicks and bruises. He scored on a 6-yard read-option rush. In the context of the game, it made sense. Harbaugh has consistently stated his desire to play both quarterbacks, starting at Big Ten Media Days in mid-July. Doing so, the thinking goes, keeps both (mostly McCaffrey) engaged and ready, while also using the skill set he possesses. Some of this reasoning is sound. McCaffrey is faster and therefore a
better weapon in option looks. Giving Patterson a breather here and there could help ensure his health when it matters most. Getting McCaffrey ample in-game looks could help appease any qualms he has about sitting second on the depth chart for another year, avoiding the disgruntled transfer that has become so prevalent throughout college football. And if all goes according to plan, McCaffrey will be atop the depth chart a year from now. From all we’ve seen, he has the potential to be a high-caliber Big Ten quarterback. For now, he’s vital depth. Soon enough, he’ll matter far more. None of that is to degrade McCaffrey’s value to this team right now. Newsflash: Football is violent. People get hurt. Things do not go according to plan. If Patterson — Michigan fans, knock on wood — were to go down, as Speight did in 2016 and 2017, as Peters did in 2017 and as hundreds of other football players do every year, this team has the great fortune of not folding up shop and calling it a year. That, more than any trick plays or fancy packages, forced gimmicks or out-of-rhythm rotations, is the value Dylan McCaffrey brings to this team. It should stay that way. Marcovitch can be reached on Twitter @Max_Marcovitch or via email at maxmarco@umich.edu
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Quarterback Dylan McCaffrey played in multiple two-QB sets Saturday.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Patterson shows off ability in Josh Gattis’ new scheme ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
After eight months of hype and hysteria, it was only expected that Michigan’s new offense would be a motif when Shea Patterson spoke to the media following the opener. Nobody, though, expected the senior quarterback’s response to be a repeated shake of the head, followed by, “I gotta take care of the football.” Patterson fumbled on the season’s first play from scrimmage Saturday night, handing Middle Tennessee State the ball in Michigan territory, and soon, a 7-0 lead. He fumbled again later, pouncing on top of the ball before things could repeat themselves. The Blue Raiders’ lead didn’t hold up and never had much of a chance of doing so — in the end, the Wolverines won 40-21 without much consternation — but it never strayed far from Patterson’s mind as he took questions afterwards. Asked about the offense in general terms, the first words out of Patterson’s mouth were, “I gotta take care of the football.” After a follow up, he finished complimenting his receivers, then said, “We gotta play better.” After a question regarding Michigan’s use of two quarterbacks at a time, he replied, “I don’t know how to answer that, but yeah. I got the ball in my hands every single play, and I gotta take care of it.” As he talked, his lips barely moved. He did not bear the demeanor of someone paying lip service to improvement. “A win’s a win,” Patterson said, “but I think everybody in that locker room knows that we didn’t live up to our standards.” Patterson, in reality, was his own worst public relations manager on a night where, by and large, he played just fine and maybe even better than that. Patterson completed 17 of 29 passes for 203 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 151.6 rating,
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Shea Patterson threw for 203 yards in Michigan’s win on Saturday.
which is squarely in the middle of the pack during his time at Michigan. This is different, because it came against a clearly inferior opponent, it was Patterson’s first time in Josh Gattis’ offense and it wasn’t the beatdown that everyone from Michigan fans to Vegas oddsmakers thought it would be. Still, he orchestrated the Wolverines’ best moment of the game, a four-play, 67-yard drive in just over a minute at the start of the second quarter. He pulled the ball and found Tarik Black on two straight run-pass options, then found Nico Collins on a well-placed throw to the end zone, putting it where only Collins could get it. Two of Patterson’s three touchdown passes, Jim Harbaugh said, came from plays where Patterson got to the line of scrimmage and checked Michigan into something different. That kind of quick-strike decision making is what Patterson can bring to this offense, and it’s what an offense predicated on no-huddle and option football requires from its quarterback. “He was outstanding in that regard,” Harbaugh said. As he himself was more than happy to say, Patterson had his issues, ball security chief among them. According to Harbaugh, he was also evaluated for an
undisclosed injury at halftime, which likely helps explain why he threw the ball 25 times in the first 30 minutes and four in the latter 30 minutes. But when you’re playing in a new offense and the biggest concern after the first game is ball security, that’s a good problem to have. It’s not a commentary on the offense, nor his fit in it, that Patterson fumbled twice. Harbaugh pointed out that the quarterbacks handle the ball a lot in this system, but ball security hasn’t been a major issue for Patterson in the past and likely won’t be in the future. What matters is Patterson making the right decisions at the line of scrimmage. What matters is his comfortability in playing fast and putting the defense in conflict. What matters is his doing all that while being the same effective passer he was last season. And for now, what matters is that he checked all of those boxes on Saturday. In all of his morosity at the podium, Patterson offered one moment of clarity. “I think we definitely know who we are. From Day One, I think we knew who we were right when the guys came in, coach Gattis came in. We worked so hard all spring and all summer. “It’s just a matter of taking care of the little things.”
Behind new offense, Michigan bests Middle Tennessee, 40-21 THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editor
As the crowd filed toward the exits, the clock ticking toward zero and the score meandering toward a 40-21 Michigan win, the Wolverines’ slow start — and the f leeting doubt over Saturday night’s result that came with it — had faded into memory. The game’s early uneasy feeling started before kickoff, when junior receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was dressed in street clothes and a walking boot — an early blow to new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ promise of a high-f lying spread offense built around the Wolverines’ slew of star receivers. And when a Shea Patterson fumble ended Michigan’s first drive on the first play from scrimmage, doubt continued to creep into Michigan Stadium. Even if the Wolverines would still stroll to an easy win against an overmatched opponent, the grand reveal of Gattis’ offense
was temporarily on hold. The dominant, make-youread-it-twice scoreline No. 7 Michigan (1-0) might have been hoping for against MTSU (0-1) never came — two turnovers in its own half and inconsistency on the offensive line made sure of that. But the diversity of Gattis’ offense shown through plenty in the Wolverines’ fivetouchdown day. “I was pleased, really, with the way (the offense) operated,” said head coach Jim Harbaugh. “… A lot of the offense that we’ve been practicing, we ran. All facets of it — the play-action pass, the drop back, the RPOs, the inside zones, the outside zones.” Tarik Black — part of a talented, but often underutilized junior receiving trio featuring himself, PeoplesJones and Nico Collins — put the Wolverines on top by streaking
down the field, unguarded on a go route as he allowed himself to collapse beneath the ball for his first touchdown since the first game of his career two injury-riddled years ago. Two minutes into the second quarter, his stat line stood at four receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown — better than or equal to his totals from a year ago on all three counts. Black was also the leading beneficiary of Michigan’s run-pass option, one of Gattis’ most anticipated offseason introductions. “He’s gone through a lot and when healthy, we have probably one of the best receiving corps in the country,” said fifthyear senior linebacker Jordan Glasgow. “So seeing an athlete and a receiver as good as him be able to come back out
I’m just happy that (Tarik Black) got back out there.
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Junior wide receiver Nico Collins scored one of Michigan’s five touchdowns in its 40-21 win over MTSU on Saturday.
here, make plays and get that touchdown. … I’m just happy that (he) got back out there, able to make plays.”
With Black and Collins at full throttle, bursting the top off the MTSU defense at ease, Saturday’s game had already served its intended purpose by the time Collins capped off Michigan’s fifth drive with a leaping touchdown catch. The Wolverines’ lead stood at just 17-7, but any hope for a MTSU miracle faded into the night with junior cornerback Ambry Thomas coming up with an interception and recovering a fumble on consecutive drives. On the other side of the ball, Gattis’ proclaimed staples of downfield passing and RPOs manifested themselves in a first half that looked unlike anything Michigan showcased last season — to the point, Patterson attempted 25 passes in the first half, matching his full-game average from a year ago. The dream-like domination many envisioned when Gattis
arrived only shone through in spurts, hence the 19-point victory in a game that closed with a 36-point spread. But while Patterson’s first words postgame included the phrase “I think everybody in that locker room knows that we didn’t live up to our standard,” Harbaugh offered a more balanced perspective. “This offense, they handle the ball a lot,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a lot — the snap, the ride, the decision, the pull and throw. So actually it’s quite good. Obviously, we’re not taking a deep, long bow. We know we can play better. That’s an area we’ve got to get better at, be more efficient at.” As for that early doubt over the Wolverines’ nascent offensive identity? “I think we definitely know who we are,” Patterson said. “From day one, I think we knew who we were, right when Gattis came in.”
This offense, they handle the ball a lot. ... It’s quite good.
SportsTuesday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
September 3, 2019 — 3B
Zach Charbonnet shows off Hayes creates questions at OT potential in pass protection THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editor
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet was perfect in pass protection, going 9-for-9 against Middle Tennessee State.
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
The question was about quarterbacks, so naturally, Jim Harbaugh wanted to talk about running backs. The Michigan coach had already heaped praise on freshman Zach Charbonnet following Michigan’s win Saturday night, and before that, anointed him the starter in the backfield. The action spoke louder than the words could anyway. None of that praise was ill-conceived — after an offseason of questions surrounding the position, Charbonnet gave Michigan some answers. He attacked the holes that opened up for 90 yards on eight carries, including a 41-yard gallop during which he blasted through the line, got into the open field and picked up a handful of extra yards once Middle Tennessee State’s defense caught up. To some extent, that’s expected. A top-50 recruit is supposed to solve problems on the depth chart, or at least make himself heard. But perhaps not this soon, and perhaps not this emphatically. And for all he showed running the ball, it was his pass protection that Harbaugh heaped praise on Monday. “Zach Charbonnet had nine pickups in protection, which, I don’t think we’ve had a back get nine pickups in a protection since we’ve been here, one single back,” Harbaugh said. “And to be 100 percent, nine
out of nine, that’s like, wow. That’s really good.” Charbonnet’s rushing ability is important. But pass protection is arguably more integral to his playing time. It’s how Tru Wilson got on the field as a walk-on last year, and it’s how Charbonnet could cement his place as the starter this year. “He just was handling it, with not even a misstep,” Harbaugh said. “So, it’s rare. That’s rare. I’ve had pro guys that don’t understand the protections as well as the freshman back in this game.” The Wolverines’ offense keeps it simple under, Sean McKeon said. They’re playing up-tempo, looking to the sideline for play calls via signals. That does not mean it’s easy, especially for a freshman. “You gotta scan the whole field, basically, to figure out who’s blitzing,” said senior tight end Sean McKeon, explaining the job. “Gotta see the offensive line calls and points, so it’s definitely not easy as a freshman running back.” McKeon said that Charbonnet’s focus towards football reminds him of defensive lineman Ben Mason, which in Schembechler Hall is akin to saying that your local congressman’s speaking ability reminds you of Barack Obama. Mason’s voice is loud and direct. He is often
Nine out of nine, that’s like, wow. That’s really good.
portrayed as every stereotype of a football player, holding a deep appreciation for football and seemingly nothing else. It’s easy to understand why Harbaugh might like it if Charbonnet has the same disposition. “It’s just, it’s eye-catching with Zach Charbonnet cause it just looks like it comes easy to him,” Harbaugh said. “It’s like, difficult math equations that guys just get. And so, it catches your attention.” None of this is to say Charbonnet will suddenly become Michigan’s bell cow. Christian Turner and Wilson competed for the starting job throughout camp. Turner got the most carries of the three on Saturday. Harbaugh liked what he saw, highlighting a tightrope run on the boundary after the game, then again on Monday. Eight different players carried the ball for the Wolverines, and even accounting for the inevitabilities of a blowout, it’s safe to say that Harbaugh and Gattis are comfortable with their depth. They f lashed an array of option looks, jet sweeps and a twoquarterback package that probably needed work. Even if Charbonnet is the starter, that title is largely ceremonial. But that reality doesn’t change what Charbonnet showed everyone on Saturday. “He’s locked in,” McKeon said. “He’s really impressive for a freshman.”
I’ve had pro guys that don’t understand the protections.
Eight seconds into the first game of his college career, Ryan Hayes faced his first test. Khalil Brooks, Middle Tennessee State’s star linebacker, was barreling into the backfield, straight toward Shea Patterson’s blindside. Looking off a head fake from defensive end Malik Manciel, the left tackle dropped back, stared down the charging Brooks and nearly discarded him to the turf, allowing Patterson to escape the pocket. Sixty minutes later, Hayes was Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s offensive player of the game. “He graded out right there with Ben Bredeson and Cesar (Ruiz) and Mike Onwenu, which I thought was really impressive,” Harbaugh said. “Ben was a little higher, but considering it was Ryan’s first start, first game, seeing him and the effort that he gave and his ability. He made some fine blocks, was good with his hands.” Hayes, a redshirt freshman converted from tight end, ascended the depth chart after a strong offseason in the weight room. “To see what he looked like from his first day to Saturday, it’s like night and day,” redshirt
freshman right tackle Jalen Mayfield said Monday. Despite his strong offseason, Hayes came into Saturday as the clear backup, stuck behind fifth-year senior Jon Runyan at left tackle until an injury held Runyan out of the season-opener. Across a line anchored by three returning starters on the interior, Mayfield saw his first career start at right tackle through similar circumstances, breaking into the starting lineup after Andrew Steuber’s preseason ACL tear. Now, on the back of Hayes’ performance, a starting offensive line that seemed to be set once Steuber went down has been cast into doubt again. Monday afternoon, Harbaugh called Runyan “arguably our best lineman” but admitted the position is a meritocracy, also noting Hayes’ ability to slot in at right tackle. “Is there ability to compete at the other tackle spot? Sure, that opens up options if he’s come this far, he’s playing this well,” Harbaugh said. “Bodes well for the team.” According to Harbaugh, Mayfield didn’t grade out as high as Hayes — hence the possibility Hayes could move to the right side of the line after Runyan returns.
Mayfield got beat on a stunt for a third-quarter sack and seven minutes later to the outside for a quarterback hurry. Still, he remained a steady presence on an offensive line that Harbaugh and Patterson repeatedly credited postgame. “I think we did really well, first game, we were very prepared,” Mayfield said. “Extremely excited to see what we can do in the future, too. This was our first ever game as two redshirt freshmen playing at tackle so I think that’s really interesting that we did really well.” But while it was the two redshirt freshmen who stood out considering the circumstances, Mayfield credited Michigan’s experience on the interior offensive line as the catalyst for his and Hayes’ performances Saturday night. On the first play of the game, as Hayes threw Brooks to the turf, Mayfield handled his assignment with ease. The nerves, though, permeated until he remembered the advice Bredeson gave him before the game: play confident and have fun. “The veteran group of guys in the middle just helped us a ton,” Mayfield said. “Cesar (Ruiz), Mike (Onwenu) and Ben (Bredeson). And I think sky’s the limit for us.”
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Redshirt freshman Ryan Hayes made his first career start on Saturday against MTSU, filling in for Jon Runyan Jr..
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SportsTuesday
4B — September 3, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thomas returns from colitis ‘M’ defense hoping to add polish ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor
Ambry Thomas knew the play Middle Tennessee was about to run. He’d seen it before, a couple plays earlier. He had a feeling he’d be the target. Then, there he was, reacting, knowing he had to make a play. Blue Raiders’ quarterback Asher O’Hara threw the ball at him and he picked it off like there was nothing to it, halting Middle Tennessee’s momentum in the middle of the first quarter in an eventual 40-21 win. Mere weeks ago, such a key play from the junior defensive back seemed nearly impossible. But Ambry Thomas had no regard for the odds. On August 13, Thomas wasn’t even on the roster. That was when Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh explained that he’d been diagnosed with colitis and had missed all of fall camp — not practicing, not playing. He’d lost weight. He could only do conditioning and wasn’t cleared for full practice until last Sunday. A realistic expectation seemed like three weeks. Maybe four. But Saturday, on the first defensive snap of the first game of the Michigan football team’s season, Thomas was out there on the field at cornerback. He was nails in coverage all night, finishing with an interception, a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss. “It’s a little adversity I’ve fought through,” Thomas said. “And that’s all it was.” While his teammates weren’t sure when exactly Thomas would return to play or if he’d start Saturday, Thomas knew from the time he was cleared that it wouldn’t be long before he was back making plays. All he needed was a few reps. Going from conditioning only to starting at cornerback in just
nine days would be a tall task for anyone, but Thomas — often heralded as one of the hardestworking players on the team — was up for the challenge. He regained the weight, he got back into game shape and shook off the rust as best he could. “I was worried about him going into the game week,” said fifth-year senior linebacker Jordan Glasgow. “I knew that he’s a great corner, obviously, as you can see from his play, but he had a lot less preparation than a lot of our opponents and us as a team. So to see him come out and make the plays that he did, it was just great to see.” The next drive after Thomas’ interception, the Blue Raiders had the ball on third down at their own 21. Receiver Terelle West caught his pass, but sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson hit him and forced the ball out. Thomas fell on it. Two plays later, Michigan was in the end zone and a stunningly close 10-point game had become the blowout it always seemed destined to be. Thomas’ two big plays
changed the complexion of the first quarter, but more than that, they marked a shift in mindset for a player who was understandably still apprehensive. “That fumble recovery and pick, it built my confident thoughts in the game,” Thomas said. “My confidence wasn’t there because in practice, I ain’t really did enough of practicing, I had only been practicing, like really practicing, since Monday, full go practice. It just felt good to get my confidence up there.” The rest of the game, Thomas was near untouchable and the confidence showed. More than a handful of plays against a subpar team, that was what Harbaugh noticed. Asked about Thomas in the postgame, Harbaugh noted the pick and the pounce, his coverage and his tackling, but the best part wasn’t any of that. The best part was the smile that cracked across Thomas’ face, the adversity fading into the background as he settled back into his role, playing football and having fun.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor
Asher O’Hara looked done for. The Middle Tennessee quarterback was cornered by two defensive linemen and a linebacker. The play seemed sure to end in a sack. On third-and-3 from Michigan’s 18-yard line, such a play would have likely forced the Blue Raiders into a field goal. But somehow, none of Khaleke Hudson, Michael Dwumfour nor Kwity Paye could finish the tackle, and O’Hara scrambled all the way into the end zone. After Middle Tennessee’s first drive, the score was a shocking 7-0 in favor of the Blue Raiders. Eventually, the Michigan football team cruised to an easy 40-21 win. But that wasn’t how things were supposed to go for
one of the top defenses in the country, facing the No. 101 team in preseason SP+, much less on the first drive. “A win’s a win, and that’s great and everything,” said sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson after the game. “But it wasn’t how we wanted it.” On one hand, the defense looked fine after that. Of the other two Middle Tennessee touchdowns, one came after a muffed punt in the Wolverines’ territory and the other was in garbage time against the second-string defense. But on the other hand, Michigan seemed to struggle after sudden changes and were plagued by fits of sloppy play all game. In the second quarter after the muffed punt, the Blue Raiders drove down to the two-yard line. Then, sophomore defensive back Vincent Gray failed to pick up on a rub route in the end zone and gave the receiver too much space, leading to seven more points for Middle Tennessee. In the third quarter, senior defensive back Lavert Hill dropped what should have been an easy interception with no one standing between him and the end zone. Against a team like the Blue Raiders, it’s easy to disregard such mistakes as growing pains. But when the Wolverines plays tougher teams — starting next week with Army — such messy play won’t cut it.
A win’s a win. ... But it wasn’t how we wanted it
“Just eliminating selfinflicted wounds, eliminating plays that harm us and give the offense advantages,” Gray said. “We want to eliminate all of that.” But for a defense that lost a lot of production from last year to the NFL — linebacker Devin Bush Jr., defensive ends Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich and cornerback David Long — there were some positive signs. Michigan finished with five tackles for loss and three sacks — including one by senior linebacker Josh Uche for 13 yards. Uche also forced a fumble that junior defensive back Ambry Thomas recovered, and Thomas also snagged an interception. The Wolverines picked up just three defensive penalties, and only one for more than five yards. That’s a good sign for a team that struggled with too many personal fouls in last year’s nonconference slate. In his Monday press conference, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t show any signs he was disappointed in his team’s performance and mentioned several of the team’s new defensive starters as standouts. Perhaps it’s just a matter of shaking off the rust, of gelling together to avoid the same kind of lapses that led to the Blue Raiders’ first two touchdowns. “(This defense is) a lot faster, we’re a lot stronger,” said junior safety Brad Hawkins. “But … we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s week one, so definitely going forward, we’re definitely going to be improving. We definitely try to go out there and get 1 percent better every day.”
(This defense is) a lot faster, we’re a lot stronger.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Cornerback Ambry Thomas had an interception and fumble recovery on Saturday after battling colitis during fall camp.
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