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Tuesday, September 17, 2019
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Town hall reflects on influence of Blue Ribbon
Visa delays force international students to defer acceptance
Chinese admittees left confused following State Deptartment review process
Graduate students give feedback on report about faculty responsibility SONIA LEE
Daily News Editor
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BARBARA COLLINS & ALEX HARRING Daily Staff Reporters
As University of Michigan students began school two weeks ago, approximately 30 international students were unable to matriculate because of delays in their United States visa applications, according to University spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen. The three students interviewed in this article all requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation from the United States Department of State.
Other identifying information, such as the students’ undergraduate institutions and programs of study at the University, will also not be disclosed. The students interviewed, who are referred to as John, Sue and Bob in this article, described poor communication from the State Department and uncertainty for their futures in separate interviews with The Daily. The University’s International Center is aware of approximently 30 students who could not begin classes in Ann Arbor because of delays in
ACADEMICS
SACUA talks Big 10 event themes
Annual conference of 14 universities convenes to discuss research, academics BEN ROSENFELD Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs met Monday afternoon in the Fleming Administrative Building to discuss the Big Ten Academic Alliance, which will be held this year at the University of Michigan starting on Oct. 17. The BTAA, which is a yearly consortium of the 14 Big Ten universities, convenes for three days to discuss research, academics, university resources and faculty governance. SACUA Chair Joy Beatty led the discussion Monday, and faculty representatives suggested potential talks and panels at the three-day meeting next month. The conference tends to be attended by several faculty representatives from each Big Ten university, Beatty said. “BTAA is all the heads of faculty senate from Big Ten schools, so the chair of faculty senate, the vice chair of faculty senate and any staff members they want to bring,” she said. “It’s actually kind of a small group that’s coming.”
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processing and approving visas from the State Department, Broekhuizen wrote in an email to The Daily. She noted the majority of the students affected were enrolled in graduate programs at the University. Foreign policy under the Trump administration has led to a sharp increase in visa delays and denials, according to an article published in the New York Times in August. In an email to The Daily, a State Department spokesperson noted 74 percent of student visa applications globally were approved in the 2018 fiscal year. The spokesperson said
the department’s top priority when reviewing applicants was national security, which was the cause of any increased vetting. “While some campuses may report delays, we have also heard anecdotally that there is variation in what different campuses are experiencing,” the spokesperson wrote. The three students interviewed all said their applications were put through administrative processing, which has been likened to an elongated security check. See VISA, Page 3
Rackham Graduate School hosted a town hall to garner graduate student feedback about a Blue Ribbon Panel report on Monday. The report addressed the question put forth by University Provost Martin A. Philbert: “What ought to be the intersection between political thought/ ideology and a faculty member’s responsibility to students?” The question and report followed last fall’s controversy of faculty rescinding recommendation letters for study abroad programs held in Israel and the University’s sanctions in response. Sociology professor Sandra Levitsky opened the town hall by summarizing the recommendation letter rescindment and sanctions controversy and why the Blue Ribbon Panel was created. “What the controversy really revealed is that the University of Michigan actually has no policy in place that governs situations of this kind that
could offer clear guidance about what to do in this type of situation,” Levitsky said. “What should we do when a faculty acting on his or her perceived freedom of political thought conflicts with the freedom of another person? What should we do when the exercise of faculty freedom of thought conflicts with faculty responsibilities to students?” After gathering feedback from over 1,100 students through an anonymous form and holding four two-hour listening sessions at University campuses, the panel published its report on March 21, 2019 which included a Statement of Principle, stating facultystudent interactions “must be based solely on educational and professional reasons.” Levitsky explained that faculty need relevant and appropriate reasons to decline students letters of recommendations or research and lab work. Additionally, faculty should not treat students differently if they share or do not share similar political ideologies. See BLUE RIBBON, Page 3
ANN ARBOR
U.S. Rep. Amash talks birth, death Council of Constitutionally-based policies discusses Lawmaker commemorates day founding fathers signed Constitution JULIA FANZERES Daily Staff Reporter
In order to commemorate Constitution Day, the University of Michigan invited Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich, to speak. The former undergraduate and Michigan law alum represents Michigan’s 3rd District. While the first half of the lecture largely centered around how Amash’s philosophy as a public servant centers around the powers of the constitution, he also spoke
about political theatrics and the grim side of Congress. The conversation was moderated by Richard Primus, a Theodore J. St. Antoine Collegiate Professor of Law. Primus, who has previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, acknowledged that while he differs with Amash ideologically, he values their political discourse. “We disagree on things like taxation, health insurance,
foreign policy,” Primus said. “We disagree in the constitutional realm about things like from the proper allocation of power among the federal government to the states. And these disagreements matter. They matter a lot. If Mr. Amash didn’t think they mattered, he wouldn’t be in public life. But when I talk with him about Constitutional law, I know that I am talking to someone who has a deep commitment to be principled in the conversation
and to act upon the principles he arrives at.” Primus used to be Amash’s Common Law professor and fondly recounts teaching Amash. He remembers Amash always having deep reverence for the Constitution. “Mr. Amash sat, I think fourth row, and in the middle,” Primus said. “Almost in the center of the group. This spatially was not a reflection of his place in politics. See AMASH, Page 3
ALEC COHEN/Daily U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., shares his reasoning for becoming an independent at an event to commemorate Constitution Day in Jeffries Hall Monday afternoon.
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Vol. CXXVIII, No. 132 ©2019 The Michigan Daily
marijuana licensing City representatives speak on cannabis permits, zoning laws and police cameras JASON SIEGELIN Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor City Council discussed a variety of legislative issues facing the community, ranging from zoning laws to policing to marijuana licensing, at their meeting Monday evening. To start the meeting, Mayor Christopher Taylor acknowledged September as National Recovery Month. He gave two recovering addicts a chance to testify to the wealth of addiction recovery resources in the Ann Arbor area, including the Dawn Farm outpatient and detoxification programs. Sam, seven years clean, commended Ann Arbor’s recovery resources. “This is one of the more supportive recovery communities that I have been a part of,” Sam said. “I have never been to a place that had such a celebration of recovery and professional opportunities... where I can stand up in a City Council meeting and declare that I am in recovery.” The council then moved forward with a resolution approving a purchase order of new police body cameras to be See CITY COUNCIL, Page 3
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KELSEY PEASE/Daily LSA sophomore Emma Pinchak takes in the new art exhibit, “Other Crusoes, Other Islands: Mapping a Complex Legacy,” which recently opened in Hatcher Graduate Library Monday morning.
Editorial Staff FINNTAN STORER Managing Editor
Lawmakers introduce expungement plan State legislators share bi-partisan reform package with six separate bills aimed at changing Michigan’s system regarding sealing a past criminal offence to make them unavailable
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to address marijuana related those minor drug offenses crimes that are legal under that we should be looking at.” MAX MARCOVITCH and ETHAN SEARS Rabhi said the current law and allowing those Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com Senior Sports Editors: Anna Marcus, Aria Gerson, Ben Katz, Mark Calcagno, expungements to be expedited disproportionate nature of Several state lawmakers Theo Mackie, Tien Le convictions as well,” Rabhi said. “Again, drug-related introduced a new expungement Assistant Sports Editors: Bailey Johnson, Bennett Bramson, Connor Brennan, expungement an this package doesn’t go as far makes reform plan package on Sept. Jacob Kopnick, Jorge Cazares, Rian Ratnavale as it could, but this is a serious economic inequality issue. 9. The package includes ARYA NAIDU and VERITY STURM “If you have the resources step in the right direction, and six separate bills aimed at Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com it’s going farther than most to hire an attorney and work changing various aspects Senior Arts Editors: Clara Scott, Emma Chang, Cassandra Mansuetti, Sam through the legal process, states in the country are.” of the state’s expungement Della Fera, Trina Pal Arts Beat Editors: John Decker, Sayan Ghosh, Mike Watkins, Ally Owens, According to LSA once you’re eligible for system. Expungement refers Stephen Satarino, Izzy Hasslund, Margaret Sheridan senior Eric TerBush, who expungement, it’s easy to get to the legal process of sealing contributes cannabis content your record expunged,” Rabhi a past criminal offence to ROSEANNE CHAO and JACK SILBERMAN Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com to Detroit-based financial said. “But for the vast majority make them unavailable. Senior Design Editor: Sherry Chen news organization Benzinga, of Michiganders that don’t If passed, the bills would creating a strong, all- have access to those resources, allow for a shortened eligibility ALEXIS RANKIN and ALEC COHEN encompassing system for it’s a financial burden.” period, expungement for Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com TerBush said one concern cannabis, including criminal crimes that are currently Senior Photo Editors: Alexandria Pompei, Natalie Stephens, Alice Liu, Allison Engkvist, Danyel Tharakan justice reform, happens he has about automatic permissible under current law, Assistant Photo Editors: Miles Macklin, Keemya Esmael, Madeline Hinkley, expungement is that many incrementally. coverage of a wider range of Ryan McLoughlin “We didn’t get to marijuana convictions may offenses and more. recreational cannabis not tell the whole story of the According to one of the ANDREA PÉREZ BALDERRAMA Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com package’s sponsors, state Rep. overnight, we didn’t get case. Deputy Editors: Matthew Harmon, Shannon Ors “Something I’ve learned Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, to a wide medical system with legislators is overnight,” TerBush said. “It working issues exist with the current SILAS LEE and EMILY STILLMAN Sudoku Syndication http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ was small steps forward on that a lot of the times in iffy expungement system. Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com the hard work of a lot cases, say, violent crime with Senior Copy Editors: Sadia Jiban, Olivia Sedlacek, Reece Meyhoefer of people who are very possession, people who can CASEY TIN and HASSAAN ALI WATTOO passionate, and don’t will plead down to, say, felony Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com imagine expungement possession,” TerBush said. Senior Web Developers: Jonathon Liu, Abha Panda, Ryan Siu, David Talbot, Samantha Cohen will be any different “My only concern with an than that same hard automatic expungement would ELI SIDER HARDwork by those people be those people who might, Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com for lack of a better phrase, slip stepping forward.” NA’KIA CHANNEY and CARLY RYAN Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com Hannah Agnew, LSA through the cracks. Not that Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Lorna Brown, Samuel So, Ana Maria senior and president of right now there’s a current Sanchez-Castillo, Efe Osagie, Danyel Tharakan the Student Executive system to really accommodate Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Harnoor Singh, Nada Eldawy, Maya Committee for the for that disparity, but my Mokh Prison Creative Arts only concern would be actual CATHERINE NOUHAN Project, said while the dangerous people getting a Managing Podcast Editor package is a good start clean slate completely.” MADALASA CHAUDHARI and HANNAH MESKIN Rabhi said he was excited for tackling criminal Managing Social Media Editors justice reform, there is to see bipartisan support and collaboration for the package. more work to be done. “We’re in a very unique “I’m definitely hopeful,” Agnew said. time right now in the state of “It’s really important to Michigan where Democrats MOLLY WU Creative Director been pushing for be looking at disparities have ZELJKO KOSPIC RYAN KELLY in drug laws, especially criminal justice reforms for Special Projects Manager Sales Manager because there are many years, but we finally ANITA MICHAUD ROBERT WAGMAN so many folks that have a Republican caucus Brand Manager Marketing Consulting Manager are incarcerated on where there is an appetite minor drug laws. That for looking at these types of shouldn’t take away reforms,” Rabhi said. “I’m The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during from the fact that mass really excited to be working in the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is a bipartisan way with some of incarceration is also © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the HAVE HOPE puzzle by sudokusyndication.com affecting people with my Republican colleagues to Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription more serious laws, and push some of these initiatives rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. forward.” it’s not just people with Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com! 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“Once someone has been convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony and they have served their time, their crimes are still on their record which is something that prevents people, often, from getting employment or housing opportunities,” Rabhi said. “So, making sure people have a clean slate once they’ve paid their debt to society is important so that we can reduce recidivism and the amount of folks that are becoming reincarcerated because they can’t find employment or housing.” According to Rabhi, much of the bill puts a focus on marijuana-related charges. This comes after the passage of Proposition 1 last year, making recreational marijuana use legal in the state of Michigan. “We’ve specifically tried
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CITY COUNCIL From Page 1 used for the next five years, provided by Axon Enterprise, Inc. City Councilmember Kathy Griswold, D-Ward 2, pointed to the benefits of equipping the city’s police force with more state-of-the-art accountability technology. “I am absolutely thrilled we are moving forward with this purchase,” Griswold said. “My one question is, this is a fiveyear contract — will this see enough money and does the contract stipulate that we are
VISA From Page 1 Students said this processing lengthened the application process and kept them from attending the University this semester. Students interviewed also pointed to the trade war between China and the United States as a possible factor in influencing their delays as students from various areas of China. The trade war has had a noticeable impact on oil prices and imports from China, and it has left students accepted to U.S. institutions unable to begin their studies as the world’s two largest economies face off. A confusing application process John came to his visa interview ready to tell his interviewer about the program he planned to attend in the University’s College of Engineering, but he was only asked about its geographical location and prior leadership experience. Three months later, after what he felt was an unusually short interview, he remains on administrative processing — or a “check,” as he and other Chinese students commonly refer to the heightened background check. “I feel confused,” he said. “I heard about administrative processing. In China, we call it a ‘check’ because it’s a process for checking your background.” The delay has also created difficulties for his program coordinator at the University, who he noted has been helpful throughout this process. John is specifically interested in studying in the U.S. because of its advanced technology. John said he and other students in similar situations have attempted to contact the State Department, but have consistently been met with surface-level responses. He said he feels frustrated with the lack of communication from the U.S. government, even if it is for noble reasons. “We send some emails to the (State Department) office, but we just receive some template,” he said. “What I want to know is why this processing is really, really long ... I can accept it if it’s related to national security, but I think that I need a reason.” Additionally, he noted the trade war may be a reason for his delay. John said the relationship between China and America has only recently become hostile and is hopeful it can be rectified in the near future. “If we consider the long period of relationship between China and America, I think peace is the main part of that,” he said. “The tradewar is just a fluctuation — a short period. Unfortunately, we made it and we are influenced by it.” John is optimistic he will have a visa before the Winter 2020 semester begins. In the meantime, he is looking for jobs related to his program of study in China. While he said he felt worried when he first received the news of the delay, John said finding other opportunities to fill what would have been his first semester of graduate school has kept his mind focused elsewhere. “At first, (I felt) anxiety and felt nervous, but after a long time, you feel calm and prepare for other things to fill this period,” John said. “For now, we just need a strong mind to solve it and to deal with it by ourselves.” Feeling left behind Sue said she underwent intense preparation before applying to the University for her master’s degree, even hiring a service to help her prepare for
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going to have fully functioning body cams for the full length of the five years so that we don’t have the problem that we face right now?” Taylor later brought the council’s focus to the expansion of legal access to marijuana in the city. Members of the council expressed considerable disagreement about the f lexibility and general size of the limit on the number of medical marijuana permits in the city. Councilmember Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2, said she was concerned about not having enough time to approve new ordinances expanding the
amount of permits for medical marijuana facilities in the city. “I think it’s too much to digest in too short a time,” Lumm said. “The council did not have our normal opportunity to ask questions; our questions have to be submitted by noon on Wednesday. We received this late, at the end of the day on Friday.” Councilmember Jeff Hayner, D-Ward 1, said some constituents indicated concern about the large amount of marijuana investment potentially overwhelming the city and crowding out small businesses offering other goods.
“I’m suggesting that we put a limit on this and … we can always come back and change it,” Hayner said. But Councilmember Ali Ramlawi, D-Ward 5, voiced a general skepticism towards creating inf lexible types of limits on the amount of medical marijuana permits offered. “Maybe you want more safety compliance facilities … or you need fewer growers or more processors … the straightacross three-dozen (limit) under all these categories I think is too inhibitive,” Ramlawi said.
her visa interview. She turned in all materials necessary to apply for her visa 120 days in advance to ensure there would be no issues, she told The Daily. During her application interview, Sue said she was asked basic information about the program she planned to enroll at the University. After sharing her plan, the interviewer told Sue there would be a check on her visa application and she would have to wait for it to be approved before coming to the United States. “I thought it would be fine,” Sue said. “But I didn’t realize that there would be something about the abnormal delay of the delivered check … I can’t get the education and program now.” When Sue learned her visa application had been delayed, she contacted the Chinese embassy by email and the United States State Department by telephone. Like John, Sue said she received template responses back that were not relevant to her specific case. Sue said the University provided comforting responses and acknowledged the issue stems from the government and not the University. “The responses from them did not focus on my case, they just replied to everyone with the same situation, responded with the same content,” Sue said. “I also contacted the University, but I don’t think the International Center can do something about this.” Following her delayed visa, Sue made the decision to continue to pursue her master’s degree at a school in China while she awaits a decision from the State Department. Sue said she longed to receive an education in the culture of U.S. classrooms. She planned to continue into a Ph.D. program in the United States after finishing her master’s at the University, but her education and career plans have now drastically changed. “Why I chose to (apply to Michigan) is because I disliked the environment in China, so I hope to change (my learning environment),” Sue said. “But if I can’t, I may have to stay here, although I feel unsatisfied with that.” Sue’s situation also had a serious impact on her social interactions. She chose to delete WeChat, a popular social networking application in China, to avoid talking about her circumstances. Now, Sue feels left behind and unsure of what her future holds. She said she feels embarrassed by the delay, even though it’s out of her hands. “I chose to lose contact with my friends,” Sue said. “I changed my WeChat social network because I just don’t want to tell them my situation. And I don’t want to always see some friends go abroad or to go to another state and go live the life that I really wanted to live. So it makes me feel very lonely. Now, I don’t want to face (my) situation.” Unable to return Bob completed his bachelor’s degree at a university in China and his master’s degree at a university in the United States. He looked forward to continuing his education through a Ph.D. program at Michigan, but during his visa interview in June — three days after he returned to China from his master’s program in the U.S. — Bob learned his visa was delayed. “I’m very frustrated,” Bob said. “I spent so much effort and put all my enthusiasm in the Ph.D. application. And after several months of waiting, I apply for the visa, but the United States doesn’t allow me to enter this state to receive my education. It’s really
frustrating and disappointing.” After learning of his delayed visa, Bob said he contacted Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, who he said told him she would be unable to help because he is not an Ann Arbor resident. Dingell’s spokeswoman, Maggie Rousseau, wrote in an email to The Daily that Dingell and her office try to help every person that calls needing assistance navigating the visa application process. “In recent years, it has been made very difficult by the Administration’s tightening of applications,” Rousseau wrote. “Mrs. Dingell has made it clear she will go to bat for any students having visa problems. She has spoken to the University about bringing cases to our attention that need assistance navigating the complicated process.” Bob also contacted the University’s program coordinator and the international office at Rackham Graduate School. They were also unable to help as the visa process is handled by the Department of State. When previously applying for his visa to earn his master’s in the United States about a year and a half ago, Bob said his application underwent a short administrative process and was approved in one month. That visa was only valid for one year, though. “This is part of a problem because the program we are going to receive is usually longer than one year, but the visa is only valid for one year,” Bob said. “After the visa expires, we cannot go out of the United States and can’t come back, which means that we cannot attend the international conference, we cannot go back to our country and reunite with our families. That limits our access to many resources.” Like John and Sue, Bob remains optimistic his visa will be approved before the beginning of the Winter 2020 semester. He said he has been in contact with the professor that he would be doing research with at the University since March. “The professor and me are very excited for the future research, and we have been on Skype meetings,” Bob said. “But because of this visa issue, we are all very disappointed and we have to wait with it for another three months to start our new research.” If the visa situation remains the same, Bob said he may decide to continue his studies at a Chinese university. Because his family lives in China, Bob said it would be easier to visit them than if he was studying in the United States. Bob said he’s received cookiecutter responses from the State Department similar to those John and Sue described. He said the State Department sent a formal and unhelpful reply that explained the administrative process would take 120 days about 95 days ago. “I think this issue is not beneficial for anyone — not for the United States, not for China, not for students, not for the University,” Bob said. “I really don’t understand (it). There are many disadvantages for us, as we delay our education and research.” Delay impacts In February, the State Department extended the timeline for administrative processing from 30 to 180 days. The State Department spokesperson emphasized the department’s focus on security while also acknowledging the department respects the timelines of applicants in an email to The Daily. “National security is our top
priority when adjudicating visa applications,” the spokesperson wrote. “Every visa decision is a national security decision, and every prospective traveler to the United States undergoes extensive security screening. At the same time, we’re committed to providing the highest quality service to legitimate travelers who constitute the overwhelming majority of our visa applicants - so they can receive swift, thorough, and clear decisions regarding their visa application.” There has been a decline in the number of visas administered in recent years, from over 644,000 students on the F1 academic visa in 2015 to approximately 362,000 in 2018. In the last decade, the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S. has quadrupled to a high of more than 360,000. More than one million international students are currently studying in the U.S. According to Broekhuizen, the University has not been impacted as drastically as other institutions. While the University has no control over administrative processing, she also noted affected students do have access to the University’s Student Legal Services, though a lawyer in the U.S. may not be able to help. She recommended students impacted stay in touch with the International Center and their academic unit. Chinese students account for approximately half of the University’s international student population. A 2018 report from the International Center found international students accounted for 14.9 percent of the student body that year. In a tweet posted June 27, University President Mark Schlissel shared a letter from the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology titled “Letter to the MIT community: Immigration is a kind of oxygen.” Schlissel wrote in the tweet that while he is “concerned about national security, our international students, faculty and staff contribute immeasurably to the success of @umich and we offer them our friendship and support.” Three weeks ago, Harvard University’s student newspaper, The Crimson, reported an incoming freshman had his visa revoked after arriving in Boston and was then deported. Following the initial article, the student’s story was featured in national news and he was permitted to enter the U.S. and begin schooling.However, the three students interviewed by The Daily have not found similar resolutions. LSA junior Jiaheng He, co-president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said he was aware of multiple students who were unable to begin classes this semester because of visa delays. He, an international student himself, said the delays hurt the University’s status as a leading global institution. “At Michigan, we are so proud of ourselves as the ‘Leaders and Best’ because we are able to attract so many scholars and students from all around the world to gather together and share their opinions,” he said. “But with the visa issue, there’s additional difficulty for us to get to the schools — not just for Chinese students, but for all the international students and scholars. It’s actually discouraged students from all around the world from coming to Michigan and share their opinions, so it’s not helpful for our diversity.”
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 — 3
BLUE RIBBON From Page 1 “The report notes that faculty should not help students pursue educational or professional opportunities because they approve of that student’s politics,” Levitsky said. “And again, they can’t refuse to help because they politically disapprove. Finally, the report reminds us that it has never been the case that academic freedom is absolute. This is actually true for all freedoms in this country. No freedom is absolute.” The report explained the University has a responsibility to maintain academic integrity by treating faculty equally when it comes to political ideologies as well. “The report emphasizes that just as a faculty member cannot justify treating a student badly because of disagreements about political views, so too the University cannot treat a faculty member badly because of disagreements about political views,” Levitsky said. “Nor may the University make decisions based on pressure from outside the University, something that was an issue in the case last year.” Following Levitsky’s overview, the eight attending graduate students had a moderated, confidential discussion about how the guidelines would impact them both as students and as graduate student instructors. Rackham assistant dean Ethriam Brammer said the purpose of the Rackham’s town hall was to hear how the report and policies would impact graduate students specifically. Graduate students, Brammer said, have a dynamic position on campus because they are students but often employees as well. Because of this, the report and proposed policies would affect them in multiple positions. “They have multiple roles, it’s
AMASH From Page 1 But, it was a marker of his intention to engage seriously in the subject matter. Dead center, straight up. He cared about it deeply.” Amash cites the Constitution as the cornerstone of his philosophy as a public servant. He discusses how there were several instances when he as a conservative, could not vote for specific bills that he supported ideologically because they infringed the Constitution. “My dedication to the Constitution is what I am best known for in Congress,” Amash said. “In eight and a half years there, I have had to oppose countless bills that had no constitutional basis, or violated a constitutional provision. In many instances, I supported the bill’s policy changes but could not support the bill because of constitutional issues.” Amash recalled when House Republicans introduced the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act in 2011, which would allow nonresidents of a state to carry concealed weapons in that state. Amash noted that while he supports the right to carry permit reciprocity, he could not support the bill because there is no constitutional basis. “I opposed the bill because it was drafted specifically to rely on the commerce clause. Private individuals carrying firearms isn’t commerce,” Amash said. “So this law can not be passed using Congress’s authority to regulate interstate commerce.” When the lecture opened to a question and answer portion, Amash detailed his various grievances with the political stagnation. Earlier this year, Amash left the Republican Party and cited growing partisanship as his reason for leaving the twoparty system. “A lot of my colleagues who got frustrated just left, you know?” Amash said. “They gave up. They were tired. I’m sure you see it in the news all the time. They all pretend it’s a family consideration but they are really sick of the president in many cases. Amash cited his disillusion with the lack of legislation being passed and how the Republican Party no longer represents his ideologies. “I went to Congress with the idea that we would change things
multi-faceted,” Brammer said. “In the case of writing letters of recommendation, for example, they’ll both need letters of recommendation to continue in their career, but they’ll often be asked to write letters of recommendation. We’re hoping that the graduate students are clear on what the principles are from the Blue Ribbon report, how that impacts them on their day to day responsibilities, but most importantly to see what their perspectives are regarding the report. Following the discussion, Social Work student Lauren Fine said though the report was a step in the right direction, its policy proposals still remained unclear, particularly when applied to GSIs. “I was glad to see that they did have a focus on responsibility to the student because that’s really important and one of the biggest questions that arises from this issue,” she said. “But I also was interested to see that it was pretty vague when it came to how to handle writing letters of recommendation if you have a specific political stance … they ended up with a pretty vague set of ideas that might help guide a GSI in making a decision but also might leave some questions unanswered.” Fine is not a GSI and said hearing from fellow graduate students who were GSIs helped her understand why the report was so unclear in whether or not GSIs would be held to the same standard as faculty members, especially with regards to letters of recommendation. “There was the question of if GSIs are held to the same standards after their contracts are over, if a student approaches them for a recommendation after the fact, what’s their responsibility then?” Fine said. “I hope that they’re able to clarify some of these policies so that GSIs can make informed decisions about writing letters of recommendation.”
incrementally, that I would go in there revive the Republican Party and turn it into a party that cares about liberty and process and cares about our constitution,” Amash said. “But I found that it’s just impossible, and that it can’t be changed anymore.” Amash was the only Republican in the House of Representatives to call for President Trump’s impeachment. He notes how every term has predictable obstacles with the same solutions that rarely provide long term and constructive solutions. “More than it used to be it’s political theatre,” Amash said. “It operates largely as performance art. When I look back on a term I kind of know how each term is going to go. Like at some point … there’s going to be a government shutdown. Then, the president and the two leaders come to some sort of compromise. And at the end of the year, very little happens legislatively except another omnibus bill is passed, more money is spent.” Amash left the audience with a parting message to remind people of the fragility of the American democratic system. “I came here partly to give you a grim perspective,” Amash said. “I don’t think it’s good for people to think it works like you know ‘I’m just a bill’. It’s not ‘Schoolhouse Rock.’ It doesn’t work that way. We need to be frightened, we need to be worried about it.” While Amash may have intended to leave his audience worried for the future of a democratic government, his lecture inspired LSA freshman Charles Hilu. “I think this supplemented a love for the Constitution that I already have and more food for thought in terms of the constitutional questions in our current political systems,” Hilu said. Law School student Ameya Gehi also said she was surprised by how candid Amash in regards with all of the behind the scenes politics. “I think he was really principled and I was surprised on how honest he was about saying whether he thought something was constitutional or not,” Gehi said. “He wasn’t scared about being transparent about what goes on in the bill making process.”
Opinion
4 — Tuesday, September 17, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ALLISON PUJOL | COLUMN
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NOAH ENTE | COLUMN
The Hong Kong protests should give us perspective
T
his time of year, millions of students are moving to colleges and universities across the United States. They prepare for their classes, settle into their housing, reunite with old friends and prepare to make new connections. Though this time can be daunting for new students, it remains mostly shaped by optimism toward the expansive new opportunities awaiting these young adults. Yet as these Americans enter what will hopefully be a positive chapter in their lives, students half a world away are combatting a different, harrowing reality. In Hong Kong, mass protests have roared on since late March against an amendment to a law that many Hong Kong citizens believe created a dangerous precedent for tyranny. The amendment in question would have allowed for accused criminal offenders in Hong Kong to be extradited to China for trial, where they will likely be convicted. Opponents say the bill would essentially grant China the ability to detain whomever they view as threatening dissidents to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and bring them to China to face a bleak fate. They fear that mainland China is making advances to break their agreement that allows Hong Kong to live under its own political and economic policies. Within days of the amendment’s passage, thousands rallied in Hong Kong to demand its repeal, with the numbers of protesters growing past one million demonstrators. Among the large crowds are high school and college students, many of whom have taken leadership roles in the demonstrations. Though supported by their fellow activists, these students have been especially susceptible to threats against their lives and the lives of their families. Messages posted online and in city streets by individuals and organized groups have told students that they must stop protesting if they do not wish to see their loved ones harmed. Some threats have included the public posting of young protesters’ addresses and full names of students and their family members, warning them to stop their activity against the Hong Kong government and promising violence otherwise. The heavy involvement by college-age Hong Kong citizens in these pro-democracy protests is not without precedent. In 2014 the Umbrella Revolution in favor
of democracy for Hong Kong took place. One of its youngest and most influential members, Nathan Law, was an undergraduate student at the time. Now he is one of the faces of the movement to oppose the extradition bill and China’s interference in Hong Kong’s political affairs. Though the Umbrella Revolution saw minimal victories, the involvement of Law and other voices has helped create a culture of student activism in Hong Kong. He believes that most young adults in Hong Kong share his vision for greater transparency, the elimination of corruption and the growth of democracy.
Students half a world away are combatting a different, harrowing reality
While the 2014 protests saw some concessions by the governments in Beijing and Hong Kong, and the current protests are still ongoing, the history of student activism against the CCP’s policies is quite dark. The most impactful chapter took place in June 1989 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. June 3 and 4 marked the height of protests by students and young adults throughout China in favor of increased individual liberties and against rampant corruption within the CCP government. In response to the mass protests, the most visible of which was held in Tiananmen Square, CCP officials decided to crush the demonstrations by force. After crowds of citizens originally prevented the military from reaching Tiananmen Square, tanks rolled in and forced protesters to f lee, while Chinese forces fired upon those who continued to resist and those running for their lives. An official death toll has not been released, but some lists estimate the toll at 10,000 dead. The United States is still pushing China to release the lists of those who were killed and went missing in those tragic events. The Tiananmen Square massacre, which the CCP defends to this day, caused a widespread fear of protesting against the authoritarian
government in Beijing. With the proliferation of the Chinese regime’s surveillance technology, fears of being recognized, threatened, killed, detained or labeled a dissident by the government are a real concern to the protesters. These young people, who are simply trying to preserve the autonomy that China agreed to grant them in 1997, are scared for their loved ones and themselves. Yet they continue their efforts in the face of a Hong Kong legislature that is greatly manipulated by Beijing and its sympathizers within the city leadership. The polar juxtaposition of the current realities for students in the United States and in Hong Kong is shocking and should make young Americans across the country feel incredibly fortunate. They can carry on full time with their education and mostly live free, uninterrupted lives. Though they may approve or disapprove of their national or state governments, their activism is allowed to continue and their speech remains free. The U.S. Constitution, complete with an expansive Bill of Rights and a checks-andbalances system, assures their leaders never attain totalitarian power like the CCP. They live under a democratic system that gives them direct influence in choosing the leadership in their political system. It is no coincidence that in search of inspiration in their fight for freedom, demonstrators have been seen waving the United States flag and singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” These are privileges that are easy to simply take as facts of life for an American college student. However, the students of Hong Kong are not so lucky. Thirty years after one of the most brutal repressions of protest in history, aimed at students by the same authoritarian forces, these courageous young men and women are risking the freedom they still have to demand the freedom they deserve. This fact should cause us to cherish the freedoms we hold as students in the U.S., and bring our attention to what is happening across the globe. The demonstrators in Hong Kong deserve our admiration, respect, support and — if possible — assistance. At the very least, we should not take for granted the liberty which we have, and which they seek so desperately. Noah Ente can be reached at noahente@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.
T
The Cuban embargo revisited
he United States’ opposition to the spread of communism abroad bears a long and complicated political history. Even today, long after Cold War tensions thawed, U.S. policy toward communist regimes such as China, Cuba and North Korea indicates that some hostilities have not entirely melted away. In particular, U.S. policy towards Cuba is still mired by residual antagonism towards revolutionary leader Fidel Castro’s communist regime that arose in the late 1950s. More than 50 years later, the notorious Cuban embargo that began in 1958 has remained in place with few adjustments since its original implementation. The Cuban embargo, which makes economic engagement between Cuba and the U.S. nearly impossible, has taken up more than its fair share of controversy. Originally, the intention of the policy was to display the United States’ opposition to the Cuban revolution and Castro’s subsequent communist regime, which had become violently oppressive towards its own citizens (Human Rights Watch provides a decent background on the repression thousands of Cubans faced during the country’s revolution.). The United States’ decision to maintain the embargo after more than 50 years has been criticized at length both at home and abroad. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the embargo, asserting that it causes needless harm to ordinary Cuban citizens who are powerless over their political situation and suggesting that it may even violate international law. After all these years, then, the question remains: Has the embargo worked? The best answer is both yes and no, depending on which definition of success we’re working with. If the only goal of the embargo is to demonstrate the U.S.’s dissatisfaction with Cuba’s human rights abuses and corrupt political system, then the Cuban embargo has likely achieved what its policy designers intended. Barring nearly all exports and investment between Cuba and the U.S., the embargo sends a massive political signal. There is no uncertainty about the United States’ disgust toward the Castro dictatorship and its willingness to oppress its own citizens.
If the goal of the embargo is to achieve material change within the country of Cuba, however, the results are harder to identify. Other countries that sought to challenge or oppose the U.S. — notably Russia and Venezuela — also filled the gap left by the U.S.’ cessation of diplomatic negotiations. Venezuelan oil flowed in like a lifeline to the struggling Cuban economy and provided an essential life raft for the Castro regime. Cuba’s heads of state recognized fairly quickly that the United States was not essential to the island’s economic future. And thus, like the embargo, Cuba’s one-party system has remained intact with little to no visible change. But outside of domestic politics within the United States, it is difficult to say whether the country remains the same as the one the U.S. accused of being a dictatorship in the 1960s. Raul Castro, who took control after his brother Fidel ceded power following several secretive hospitalizations, initiated broad economic reforms that allowed Cuba to thrive despite the U.S.’s embargo. Liberalization efforts encouraged a fledgling private sector (which now employs 12 percent of the country’s workforce) to grow robustly alongside trade with new allies like Nicaragua in the 1970s and 1980s. Recently, Cuba’s health care industry has flourished with results that parallel or exceed the U.S. in infant mortality, life expectancy and average health care expenditures per year despite a notable lack of resources compared to wealthier democratic countries. New changes to the Cuban Constitution allow for some private ownership of property. All in all, Cuba is proving itself to be shifting away from state-owned enterprises and towards privatization — a small but definitive shift away from communism. Because Cuba’s political growth since the 1960s has been complex, the lack of real variation in the U.S. embargo seems concerning. The president’s recent political strategy towards Cuba is even less reassuring. It seems that the embargo is likely to stay given President Donald Trump’s hardline policies, which include tightening Obama-
era travel exceptions to the embargo and discouraging U.S. foreign investment into Cuban firms or products. However, the president’s strategy towards Cuba has doubled down on the embargo’s original intentions and has shown a firm resistance to a genuine diplomatic relationship. In 2017, the Trump administration also pulled nearly two-thirds of the U.S. embassy staff from Havana, and as a result the embassy’s functions came to a sluggish halt. Policymakers, as the halfempty embassy would suggest, are choosing not to focus on U.S.Cuba relations. And they have their reasons to think that way. It is easy to dismiss Cuba as a small and insignificant country in the context of international politics — countries like Russia, China and Iran often dominate newspaper headlines. But Cuba plays a startlingly large role in international relations, and the country has often become tightly enmeshed in larger disputes between rival powers. This year alone, Russia loaned millions of euros to the Cuban military as a message of goodwill. And Oriente — the region containing Cuba’s eastern provinces — is facing economic stress and potential collapse as a result of U.S. sanctions towards Venezuela as the country experiences mass civil unrest. Whether or not the Cuban embargo’s results in 2019 are in line with its intended goals from 1958, U.S. policymakers should revisit economic policy towards Cuba. Given the changing of the guard since Fidel Castro’s death and much of the country’s recent economic liberalization, current U.S. policy towards the country is largely outdated and reflective of Cold War hostility that passed its expiration date long ago. While many claim that the embargo has succeeded in demonstrating U.S. democratic resolve and leadership, the failure to reconsider U.S.-Cuba relations will only further isolate Cuba and push the country towards an increasingly hostile and dangerous relationship with the U.S. Allison Pujol can be reached at ampmich@umich.edu.
JONATHAN VAYSMAN | COLUMN
The most important race of 2020 is in Kentucky, and it’s not the derby
T
he 2020 presidential election is just over a year away, and things are starting to heat up. Twitter is full of soundbites from the Democratic debates, polling numbers are all over the place and President Donald Trump is brainstorming new nicknames for each Democratic candidate. While many Democrats will focus on who can beat Trump, more of them should really be focusing on who can beat Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans who are up for re-election. In American society there is an enchantment with presidential elections, which is understandable. Electing the face of our nation is no small task and deserves a great amount of attention, but the Senate elections may prove to be just as important, if not more so. With recent news of the University of Michigan placing a bid to host a presidential debate, it may become even harder for the students of our school to focus on what is going on in Senate races across the country. To truly understand why the Senate elections hold such significant meaning, one must first understand the essential powers of the Senate. The Senate has the power to confirm or reject presidential appointees, approve treaties, conduct investigations, conduct impeachment trials and plays a major role in approving or blocking bills. This gives the Senate power to steer America in the direction it chooses, and the person who currently steers that ship is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell has been a senator since 1984 and has won re-election five
times, despite his low approval ratings. For those at home counting, that means he’s been in office for 35 years, making him a real relic of the Senate. If I could use one word that perfectly describes McConnell, it would be “obstructionist.” Over the past four years he has done everything in his power to block anything that he doesn’t like, even if it was accomplished through bipartisan compromise. The most obvious example of his obstructionist nature can be seen in 2016 when President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court was blocked by McConnell, who refused to even hold confirmation hearings. “One of my proudest moments was when I looked Barack Obama in the eye and I said, ‘Mr. President, you will not fill the Supreme Court vacancy,’” McConnell said. While this is a big deal, this isn’t even the thing that enrages me most about McConnell’s leadership. What should upset every American, let alone every student on campus, is the rate at which he blocks bills that are desperately needed and would greatly benefit the American people. The entire U.S. intelligence community agreed that the Kremlin meddled in our election. In response to this, the House Democrats decided to act. In just the past few months, McConnell has blocked two election security bills. Both bills passed in the House, but when they came to McConnell’s desk, he killed the bills. The bills would have given $600 million to update voting equipment, and included certain paper requirements for voting machines. This
was a real attempt to combat a foreign nation hacking our elections. Yet, McConnell saw the bill as hyperpartisan, and refused to hold a vote on it. On top of that, he has blocked numerous bills on gun control that many Americans want. After every mass shooting, we all ask, “Will something be done this time?” Unfortunately, while McConnell is leading the Senate, the answer seems to be no. Why does he do all this? Is it because he is a career politician who has been bought by different lobby groups? Yes. Earlier in the year, he received a large campaign donation from the voting machine lobby, then proceeded to block the election security bills that would’ve put a larger financial burden on voting machine companies. Additionally, throughout his career, the National Rif le Association has donated more than $1 million to McConnell’s campaigns. It’s clear why he doesn’t want to tackle the gun control issue. But that doesn’t paint the full picture. It’s also because he has had the safety of knowing that no matter what, he will go back to Kentucky and win re-election. McConnell has always been more obsessed with retaining power rather than cooperating with senators across the aisle. In an interview with NPR, McConnell would respond to criticism by continually citing that he has never lost an election for his seat.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com Jonathan Vaysman can be reached at jvaysman@umich.edu.
Arts
5 — Tuesday, September 17, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
FOOD COLUMN
FILE PHOTO / DAILY
AMAZON PRIME / YOUTUBE
‘Undone’ outdoes its trope SOPHIA YOON Daily Arts Writer
Trauma and healing, illness and health, dreams and reality. The common conception is that we can only experience one or the other, but “Undone” by Raphael Bob-Waksberg (“Bojack Horseman”) proves to us that not only are they related, but they are constantly walking hand-in-hand to challenge and alter our lives when we least expect it. Using animation like you’ve never seen on television before, the show disrupts the ideal rules of television genre by gracefully leaping over boundaries between mystery, thriller, animation, drama and fantasy whilst remaining true to life and centered in the core of the human experience. From the pilot, it delves deep into the life of Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar, “Alita: Battle Angel”) and her investigation into her father’s death. Her father, Jacob Winograd (Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”), died in a car accident when she was a child. A car accident of her own gave her a glimpse into the realm of the afterlife, and Alma begins to see her father everywhere. He’s convinced that his car accident was actually a murder, and begs Alma to investigate the incident using her new ability to manipulate time. Together, they leap into the world of time travel and shamanism to try and prevent Jacob’s accident from occurring in the past, in an attempt to change the future. Since the creators used rotoscope animation — a tactic that makes the animation look more realistic — they were able to make the characters look like their respective actors, so it feels like watching a realistic dream that contorts into fiction as it plays out. Sometimes the realism of the series makes it easy to forget that you’re watching an animation, until the show starts to bend reality and twist it into dream-like states of confusion. And while it feels like
a bad (but inexplicably good) trip, “Undone” never fails to ground itself in reality and real-life existentialism. Before Alma’s accident, she felt the all-too familiar feeling of being stuck in a routine and wondering if there was more to life. Even after the accident, even after she inherited time-altering powers, the feeling of being human and yearning for more never left her. Despite the chaos that ensues, the show hits your emotions as hard if not harder than any other show could. The show also unravels concepts of trauma, unresolved conflict and the fickleness of memory that everyone has experienced at some point in their life, and talks about flawed families in a way that most can relate to.
Undone Season One Amazon Prime Streaming Now The eight episodes waste no time developing the world of Alma, but it never feels rushed or forced. It’s original, it’s chaotic and it’s a quick but fulfilling series. It’s a 5K of emotion, tension and familiarity that’ll change the way you perceive time-travel movies in the best way possible. It executes its societal duty by including marginalized and indigineous cultures into the plot without being preachy, and if that doesn’t sell it to you, Tyler Posey (“The Last Summer”) plays a priest. And yes, his character looks like him. If you love television, you’ll love this show. It’s a refreshing glimpse of what great television can look and feel like, and I would be personally offended if it didn’t win as many awards as it deserves. Do yourself a favor, block out four hours of the day and watch “Undone.”
BOOK REVIEW
O h , the things you can eat in Ann Arbor! ELI RALLO
Daily Food Columnist
Returning to Ann Arbor in September is my favorite homecoming. Between the mad rush of students racing back to campus, the delight in the eyes of young freshman and the air of a beginning, September is my favorite month. Ann Arbor is special in that it is home to our beloved University and a city that is constantly growing and changing in accordance with demands from the thousands of students to stay on top of trends. The foodie culture and restaurant atmosphere in Ann Arbor is no exception to the rule. On any given day, one can experience a wide and diverse array of cultures and flavors through the culinary offerings lining the outskirts of the University. To pay homage to these recommendations, I’ve compiled a droolworthy list of some of my favorite places in Ann Arbor. The place to become a Sunday Morning regular: Frank’s Open since 1969, Frank’s is one of Ann Arbor’s best kept foodie secrets. Known for thick, buttery French toast drizzled with sweet syrup, loaded western omelets piled on top of chipped white plates and familiar faces, Frank’s is not exactly what it seems from its exterior. A hole in the wall tucked off of E. Liberty, Frank’s is full of home-y personality and a history that dates back 50 years. Frank’s is a go-to for a breakfast you won’t forget and a late-night option if you crave breakfast at all hours of the night. If you’re craving your grandmother’s baba ghanouj: Jerusalem Garden Jerusalem Garden began in 1987 with the family recipes of an Ann Arbor resident who was originally born in Jerusalem. Their creamy homemade hummus is layered on almost every menu item and the crispy falafel cannot be beat. Priding themselves on a strong background of family and heritage, Jerusalem Garden serves the best Mediterrean food in Ann Arbor. It is a versatile option with both dine in and to-go options. The best taco in Ann Arbor: Chela’s If you hail from the west coast and are used to authentic Mexican food on every street corner, it may come as a challenge to find similar quality eats in Ann Arbor. Chela’s, however, has cornered Ann Arbor’s market on Mexican food. If you’re looking for a perfectly seasoned pork, beef or chicken taco on a double layered homemade corn tortilla, a Cubana torta, homemade chicken tamales and a horchata, Chela’s is your place. When you want the best burger in Ann Arbor, plantain chips and an alcoholic milkshake, all at once: Frita Batidos
This cuban-inspired street food set in a chic all white space in downtown Ann Arbor may be my number one recommendation for any time of day, any occasion and any palate. The female-owned business serves fritas (chorizo-based, Cubaninspired burgers) and batidos (tropical milkshakes) in various flavors made with fresh fruit and rich vanilla ice cream. The unique, versatile menu is accented by fresh ingredients and a constantly buzzing atmosphere. Frita’s also serves 6-person fishbowl margaritas and hosts happy hour Sunday through Thursday from 4-6 PM as well as their last hour of service. When you have to recap your night out over breakfast: Angelo’s Since 1956, Angelo’s has opened its doors on Saturday and Sunday mornings to hordes of students and locals alike patiently awaiting their weekly breakfast tradition or guilty pleasure fried French toast. The quintessential diner vibe should not be overlooked. When it comes to breakfast food, the team behind Angelo’s knows what they’re doing. A family business passed down through generations, Angelo’s is the perfect place to go to in your pajamas with all your friends to recap the previous evening’s endeavors. After piling into cozy booths slightly sticky with maple syrup, you’ll leave Angelo’s incredibly full and your hangover miraculously cured. A non-awkward first date spot: Slurping Turtle A unique twist on traditional Japanese ramen bars, Slurping Turtle is a laid-back eatery serving customizable ramen bowls, sashimi and a variety of shareable appetizers. The low-stakes setting and high-top seating allows for a casual dining experience that isn’t too loud or too quiet, too fancy or too low-key. In addition to a delicious and unique menu, Slurping Turtle offers a fun cocktail list and a variety of wines and sake. Slurping Turtle is perfect for friends and family, a casual first date spot or the best comfort food when the winter months have you down. Just finished tailgating, feed me: Blimpy Burger In 1953, Blimpy Burger opened in Ann Arbor, and tailgating would be changed forever. Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger is a known fan and student favorite, cultivating lines down the road on football Saturdays with tipsy fans craving a greasy cheeseburger and crispy jumbo onion rings. With the stove right in front of you and not much seating space, Blimpy Burger is your on-the-go kind of joint. The steak fries are so good they should only really come in the larger “papa” size. The burgers are the star of the show, however, and an adventurous, hungry eater can opt for the ‘quint,’ a five-patty burger all tucked under one bun.
Classifieds Patchett elevates the mundane WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
EMMA CHANG Senior Arts Editor
The Dutch House Ann Patchett HarperCollins Sept. 24, 2019 only begin to learn about their father after his death (and their subsequent expulsion from the family house.) It takes them years to finally understand why their mother abandoned them — Danny because he never thought to ask the necessary questions, and Maeve because she never really wanted to know the answer. As new information continues to reveal itself, Patchett continually forces her readers to consider what they actually know about the people who made them. How did they meet? Why did they get married? Why would a mother leave her two kids? We really only ever know what Danny knows, and he’s the epitome of an unreliable narrator. He’s a self-centered character, and even as he injects his revelations from the future into the stories he tells, there is still an air of
Release Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
HELP WANTED
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Activist Parks 5 First bird to attack in “The Birds” 9 “¿Qué __?” 13 Overly neat, say 14 Irish New Ager 15 Deep sleep 16 Amazon founder 18 2001 bankruptcy headliner 19 Corn serving 20 Very focused, as an athlete 22 “Of course!” 24 Some dadaist art 26 Voices one’s view 27 Scolds 29 Clear dirty dishes from 30 HS promgoers 31 Tops of waves 32 Small batteries 33 Pleasing to look at ... or a phonetic hint to a two-letter sequence in 16-, 20-, 51- and 56-Across 39 Bash into 40 Rapscallions 42 Soak (up), as gravy 45 Halves of qts. 46 Look over again 47 Like Goldilocks’ first bowl of porridge 49 Send to the canvas 50 Code-breaking org. 51 Expatriate American poet arrested for treason in 1945 53 Tiresome grind 55 Had a smoke 56 Aztec emperor 60 One-eyed “Futurama” character 61 Earnest request 62 Dog food brand 63 LAX landing list 64 Some 35mm cameras 65 Open-handed hit DOWN 1 Koothrappali on “The Big Bang Theory”
2 Common bill 3 Low-crime part of town 4 __ Romeo: sports car 5 “Gosh!” 6 Opens, as a parka 7 Rhone cathedral city 8 At the back of the pack 9 Swindler with a scheme named for him 10 Cooks’ wear 11 Earlier 12 “Gunsmoke” actor James 15 Leaks slowly 17 Like an overtired child, perhaps 21 One may be hidden under a welcome mat 22 “Grey’s Anatomy” network 23 “__ goes nothing!” 25 Fall back on 28 Beast of burden 29 Scroogean scoff 32 20s dispenser
34 “Old Town Road” rapper Lil __ X 35 Cry after a stunning performance 36 Slangy assent 37 Happening later 38 Moments, briefly 41 Caribbean music 42 __ Artois: Belgian beer 43 More slimy 44 Stout relative
45 Dad 46 Original “SNL” cast member Gilda 48 Lugs 49 Small hill 52 Baseball’s “men in blue” 54 Guns from Israel 57 Univ. aides 58 UFC fighting style 59 Egyptian snake
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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09/17/19
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GO BLUE
Grudges are a funny thing — they can last for years, or be over within the span of a week. There is little to no correlation between the pettiness of the original offense and the length of the grudge. They’re a habit that make zero sense, and yet they remain a source of unnecessary strife in many of our lives. Ann Patchett’s newest release, “The Dutch House,” revolves around the familial grudges that can often drive the development of life as we know it. The story spans the lives of two siblings, Danny and Maeve Conroy, as they navigate life without a mother, a new life with their stepmother and, eventually, a life without any parents. Told from Danny’s perspective, it’s a book that emphasizes how little we actually know about the people who raise us. Danny and Maeve, for example,
suspicion as the reader takes Danny at his word. Though his circumstances are unique, it’s his conceited tendencies that makes him a relatable character. He goes through life believing that he and his sister alone are the only people who could possibly understand their situation. We’re all inclined to it, this assumption that we are the only people in the world who are suffering. Fictional stories based on the changes we experience as we grow up are a cliché, though for a good reason. Readers can connect with Danny at all stages of his life, as they reminisce over their twenties or sympathize with his struggles as a teen. What sets Patchett’s writing apart, though, is the difference in age between Danny the narrator and Danny the character. Danny the narrator is an omnipotent presence — in the midst of heated moments, Patchett inserts Danny’s reflections and feelings about the situation from years in the future. While reminiscing, he adds notes and thoughts to the action and conversations of the past. Eventually, the book begins to feel like Danny is simply having a conversation with himself, trying to figure out where things might have gone in a different direction. In these reflecting conversations, whether it’s with Maeve or Danny himself, it becomes increasingly obvious that the two characters never actually realized they held a grudge until it was staring them in the face, in the form of their contentious stepmother. Though years had passed, grudges can be tough to overcome, and Patchett eventually addresses the issue by making Danny and Maeve confront the subject of their grudge later in the future — a difficult task for many people, let alone those who might not even realize they still harbor negative feelings. All families have their issues, some more than others, and Ann Patchett turns those of the Conroys into a story spanning whole lifetimes. It’s a common premise that Patchett executes well. She’s able to touch on a wide range of problems without losing her focus on the characters, while also deftly weaving in the way family roles change as we age. “The Dutch House” manages to take a seemingly boring story of family fighting and turn it into a universal truth.
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Arts
6 — Tuesday, September 17, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ALBUM REVIEW
MAFIA gives no shits on ‘All My Heroes are Cornballs’ DIANA YASSIN Daily Arts Writer
JPEGMAFIA’s All My Heroes Are Cornballs rides on the success of his 2018 effort Veteran. The same motifs, tools and ad-libs set the scene again as MAFIA traces back his anguish, trauma and anxiety in his characteristically murky, comical lo-fi rap. His signature “you think you know me” line tags nearly every track, circling back to an ever-persistent theme of there being more pain and truth beneath one’s surface persona. Much like his former releases, All My Heroes conveys his trauma as a veteran, with imagery of bullets and mental turmoil scattered across the tracks. But don’t let this fool you into thinking this album is a Veteran 2.0. “It was funny to me,” MAFIA said of Veteran’s success in an interview with Billboard. “It was interesting seeing people react to something I made in a private time, having them attach weird, preconceived notions onto it that that aren’t real.” Veteran presented itself at a point in MAFIA’s career in which he took a turn towards more personal work. Operating in the experimental underground rap scene for years, MAFIA never expected Veteran to explode onto the mainstream
All My Heroes Are Cornballs JPEGMAFIA EQT Records
rap charts. “There was nothing indicating it would be anything else. I’m glad it did receive the reaction it did, though. That was a blessing.” MAFIA is haunted by the same troubles he was 18 months ago, from being a former veteran to his mental state and aspirations for his career. This time around,
however, a lot of it is muffled under his newfound popularity since Veteran. This is projected into a lot of All My Heroes songs, a dense 18-track project cut from the 93 that MAFIA created since Veteran — with these, it’s clear that fame doesn’t afford the same ease as being an underground Baltimore rapper. “Beta Male Strategies” follows this narrative directly. Not apparent from the get-go, this song serves as a clap-back to Twitter trolls who trash MAFIA’s work and character without having a true scope of either one. He directly shifts from telling off his haters to “say what you said on Twitter right now” to proclaiming “Young PEGGY, I’m a false prophet / Bringing white folks this new religion” in reference to his embrace from publications like Pitchfork. A tried-and-true theme in the rap scene, but unlike any other artist, MAFIA manages to create a comedic bend, audibly chewing food as he recites “Ain’t no details / Ain’t no conversation” onto a beautiful, hazy synth-wave intro. Sentiments on MAFIA’s potential to disappoint haters are mimicked from Twitter throughout the entire album. “Post Verified Lifestyle” most directly taps into this energy, computer-mouse clicks ringing in the bare, bouncy lo-fi intro. MAFIA, however, follows in with hard hitting vocals, his imagery oscillating on a blurred continuum of gunshots and internet activity. “I’m treatin’ this bitch like a cuck, brrt, MAC, loadin’ it up,” he spits in the first verse. Sonically speaking, All My Heroes shudders through hard-hitting samples and keyboards to sheer twinkling, plucking synths and flutes. Never a sparse or stable moment, the album toys with our expectations as it deftly cuts back between the rougher MAFIA we met on Veteran to a softer, subdued version introduced to us on All My Heroes Are Cornballs. It’s most impressive when it morphs our perception of sound, the imperceptible pitching, coughs and sighs, gun ad-libs and looped samples subtly coloring the entire experience. This, strangely enough, ties the entire album together, shading the chaotic beat shifts and sporadic vocal outbursts well under the amplified glitchy beats and scratchy instrumentals. This blurry concept unfolds and pairs well thematically. Though certainly far from a concept album,
AMAZON PRIME / YOUTUBE
it forms itself on top of references that blend well into one another and amplify the messages carried by the sound. “PTSD” aptly conveys this. It’s MAFIA at his most exasperated, as he raps about his mental state. Its intro beat mimics the sound of multiple gunshots firing at once after an echoing narrator recites “Don’t stop” over and over again under sheer keyboards. Snapshots that paint individual songs like this carry on throughout others to generate a more cohesive feel. Notably, “Grimy Waifu”, a track that seemingly harkens back to your favorite anime intro from 2014, proves itself to be less about a potential love interest and more about his relationship to a weapon of some sort, the metaphor constantly evolving between his ideas about his job to those about war and racism. We find a similar effect even in brief references to guns in other songs’ verses, whether a gunshot sounding ad-lib or a reference to him stuffing a glock in his pocket. At the thematic core of the album is the track “Kenan vs. Kel.” A direct reference to the iconic ’90s sitcom “Kenan & Kel,” the song unfolds as a combat between two sides that should be working together. It features the most effortless beat shift of the entire album and ties in nearly all of its themes and ideas. It harkens back to
the female perspective introduced to us on lead single “Jesus Forgive me, I Am A Thot.” Through constant references to being a “thot,” MAFIA communicates his unwillingness to conform to society’s standards for his music and persona. With some of the album’s most creative bars, it manages to tie in images of him as “Prince Peach” in the Mario franchise while conveying messages on nonconformity and unwillingness to appeal to white people. At its most deft and creative, All My Heroes Are Cornballs succeeds in its capacity to tie in themes, motifs and imagery into a central motif. In a way that Veteran couldn’t, it guides and scolds the persona of JPEGMAFIA known to the public by bouncing off of Twitter references and his more elaborate fashion choices that lead to the Heroes era. This brings us closer to a MAFIA who transfers every emotion and idea abstractly into his music in a way that casual listeners and, more importantly, haters will never understand. By striving for a true, unique and personal take, JPEGMAFIA manages to convey more about himself as an artist and appeal to fans without sacrificing his originality.
FILM NOTEBOOK
HALL-OF-FAME BOOK REVIEW
The absurd corporate politics A timely throwback of ‘Network’ will never get old to Burns’s ‘Milkman’ ANISH TAMHANEY Daily Arts Writer
This summer, I saw “Network” for the first time. Then I saw it again. And again. And again. Sidney Lumet’s incendiary 1972 newsroom satire has become inescapable, lingering in my thoughts just long enough to necessitate a rewatch. Every time I return to it, I feel like I’m strapped into a roller coaster that only plummets downward. That feeling of intense, unnerving, endless vertigo is an inevitable part of watching “Network,” a movie that stretches and twists its depraved fantasy until it resembles reality. For as verbose and esoteric as it is (we’re talking about the movie that Aaron Sorkin cites as an inspiration for becoming a screenwriter), there’s hardly a dull moment in Paddy Chayefsky’s Oscarwinning script. I find myself going back to “Network” so ravenously that it plays out like several types of movies packed into one. The first act is innocent and reserved compared to the rest of the movie, a dark examination of broadcaster Howard Beale (Peter Finch, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”) and his frank consideration of suicide during his last live broadcast before retirement. When he announces this intention on the air and reinvigorates ratings for the financially floundering news division, “Network” becomes an entirely different kind of movie. It loses all notions of morality or order, if it ever had them to begin with. It becomes a story uniquely of the ’70s, a nightmare of gasoline prices, generational schism, stagflation and obscene corporate politics. What I find remarkable about the rest of the movie is how easily it pulls me into its orbit. I
buy into the absurdity time and time again not because I want to — I simply can’t help myself. If “Network” is all one big joke, then I want in on the punchline. The transformation of “Network” into a hypothetical hellscape happens so fast you might miss it. Experiencing this for the first time is akin to falling off a cliff. The movie is confidently going somewhere unpredictable and you are powerless to stop it. Howard himself is an indicator of this shift, turning from a past-his-prime broadcaster pushed out by the network to the company’s hottest product, a “latter-day prophet denouncing the hypocrisies of our time,” as he is ultimately known. “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” he complains. And America complains with him, literally opening their windows and yelling this token remark into the thunderous night. But the far more compelling character to arise from the film’s turn to violent sensationalism is head of programming Diana Christensen, played by Faye Dunaway (“Bonnie and Clyde”) in one of my favorite performances ever. Amid an office of crusty aging male executives, Christensen is far and away the most vibrant element of the movie. Experiencing her taking advantage of Howard’s explosion of viewership is purely satisfying. She is beautifully neurotic and unforgiving, planning three, four steps ahead for every possible outcome of her ambition. She moves her coworkers, even the higherups of the network, around like chess pawns both physically in the newsroom and structurally in the corporation, all of these razor-sharp calculations constantly apparent in Dunaway’s disposition. If the first and second acts have sent us off the rails and into the abyss, the
third act is where “Network” jettisons its audience into the roiling lake of fire at the bottom of the pit. It’s hard to comprehend exactly how grim the narrative turns; this is where multiple viewings have allowed me to internalize the sheer scope of the carnage. When we learn what the title “Network” is actually referring to — a web of corporate cosmology, dollars that control the world, the death of the individual — the movie becomes a little too prescient for comfort. Of course, we learn all of this through Ned Beatty’s (“Toy Story 3”) legendary and terrifying monologue for which he won a Best Supporting Oscar. It’s impossible to witness this scene and ignore its logic. “There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today,” Jensen preaches. A possible reading of this line and “Network” as a whole is as a compact time capsule, starting with its feet firmly planted in the ’70s and ending in a bleaker, more modern era. As damning as the finale of “Network” is, both to the monstrous corporations of the world and the wicked populism that fuels cable news, it’s all one big joke. It’s little more than a playlist of worst-case hypotheticals, cycled to the point of insanity. The movie fearmongers, it coaxes one into its carefully spun half-truths. By the end, it may be hard to know exactly what’s real. That’s why I haven’t been able to keep myself away from the movie. “Network” has an iridescence in its commentary: It’s satire and reality mixed irreversibly together. This flexibility makes the film a thrilling, enigmatic rewatch. And I know that for all the certainties I attach to its meaning, satirical or otherwise, the next time I watch it I will be just as unsure as I was the first time.
UNITED ARTISTS
JOHN DECKER
Book Review Editor
The 2019 Man Booker nominees are out and, with a tense month of reading ahead, why not rest on our laurels and remember 2018’s winner, “Milkman.” It takes only a page or two of reading to realize that the cover of “Milkman” is deceptive. The binding of the 2018 winner of the Man Booker Prize depicts an innocuous, fluorescent-pink sunset — one of those once a year, stop-and-snap-a-photo sunsets that makes “Milkman” stands out among its fellow books. The sedative lightness of the cover seems to admit innocuousness. But “Milkman” is not innocuous. Nor is it gentle, or quiet, or apologetic — nothing that the cover may suggest about a subdued, romantic narrative. To say I wasn’t excited to read the Booker winner would be a lie — based on the superficiality of covers and excerpts, I have rooted for “Milkman” since its nomination on the long-list — but the way I fell in love with reading “Milkman” was not in the pleasant, blushing manner I had expected. It was a cycle of shock, recoil and return. Anna Burns’s third novel narrates the story of an 18-year-old girl (referred to as “Middle Sister,” as none of the characters in “Milkman” are prescribed actual names) over the course of two months. Her unnamed town is saturated with violence — violence from the ubiquitously demonized enemy countries “over the water,” violence from the renouncers of the state that control Middle Sister’s town and violence from the state police as they intervene in a village of scattered revolutionaries. Surprisingly, though, this war-zone setting is but an offhand normality in the book. Instead, it is Milkman, a paramilitary that begins making unwarranted advances on middle sister, that takes the place of chief antagonist in the book. At first glance, Burns lays out an invidious landscape that seems to hyperbolize the dark experience of growing up as a woman in the late 20th century. Maybe, Burns seems to suggest, the descent of society would look like this for all genders. But on second thought, the landscape Middle Sister walks — and how her hyperaware, rightfully-paranoid thoughts congeal in it — becomes painfully real. Middle Sister’s encounters with Milkman while walking, her fears of being drugged, the pernicious comments coming from third brother-in-law, all resonate uncomfortably with the realties meeting women today. This daring, critical kick at that experience of being a woman pays off. The apotheosis of the book’s dark and applicable portrayals is perhaps Tablets Girl, a “girl who was actually a woman,” that is one of the local outcasts in Middle Sister’s town due to her propensity to poison people. This usually takes place, most suitably and without retribution, in bars.
People flee from Tablets Girl, people watch their drinks when Tablets Girl is around. It’s not just Burns’s clear allusion to date-rape that that is to be appreciated here, but her spiked humor and exaggeration also. This is not to reduce “Milkman” down to a forced, constricted focus on genderpolitics though. Burns’s writing alone is remarkable (something I refuse to say passively). “Milkman” is brimming with endlessly long paragraphs, lose-yourtrain-of-thought stretched sentences and digressing thoughts from Middle Sister that render the book incredibly complex. At first, I was perturbed by this formal and royalesque writing, especially upon an encounter with a paragraph spanning four, almost five, pages. But as I continued, I found myself — in an unlikely way — reading Middle Sister’s voice in an uninterrupted pattern even more critical and translucent than I expected possible. This is assisted by Burns’s near-perfect draw of synonyms through the book, making her writing appear dependably careful and personal. I was enamored by the characters in “Milkman” and the abrasive humor that was tacked onto them. It isn’t often that I get a full cast of characters (narrator, antagonist, family) that are so real, so exciting to encounter. Most memorable are the “wee sisters,” Middle Sister’s three younger sisters who, despite their young ages, are infatuated with topics such as French revolutionaries, going through “Kafka phases” and eavesdropping every moment they get. Characters like the wee sisters offer unexpected gratification along Burns’s dark
EMMA CHANG
timeline of events. The real humor displayed make “Milkman” all the more authentic and pleasurable. I love “Milkman” because it is a fruitful attempt to offer me hints of a human experience I will never be able to understand, let alone be familiar with. Perhaps the most evocative and vivid account in the vein of social-rebellion and unwanted-gaze I have ever encountered, “Milkman” is a narrative that has been told repeatedly, even frequently in the 21st century. Burns’s unequivocal writing turns this narrative into a fearsome chant, one well worth shouting along to.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 — 7
‘M’ prepares for test at Wisconsin Ambry Thomas details recovery
process before season-opener
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor
It’s that time of year where people start to break out the stats. You know, like these ones: Michigan hasn’t won as the underdog since 2013. And, Michigan hasn’t won in Madison since 2001. So of course, those stats were a hot topic of conversation at Monday’s media availability going into Saturday’s matchup with Wisconsin. Michigan did its best to tune them out. “Do you feel like an underdog going into this game?” a reporter asked Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. His response: “It’s irrelevant.” It doesn’t help the Wolverines that the Badgers are ranked No. 1 in the country in both total defense and scoring defense. They beat their first two opponents, Central Michigan and South Florida, by a combined score of 110-0. They have a sour taste in their mouth from a loss in last year’s matchup. And, like Michigan, they’re wellrested and coming off a bye. Beating them will be no easy task, especially for a team that’s had its fair share of offensive struggles so far. But perhaps the Wolverines have a built-in advantage in preparing for that. If you look at SP+, a comprehensive team evaluation stat, it’s actually Michigan’s defense holding the top spot. As senior guard Ben Bredeson put it, “it’s tough, and it’s tough going against our defense, too.” And the Wolverines have the advantage of knowing they’ll be the biggest challenge yet for the Badgers’ inexperienced quarterback Jack Coan. The Wolverines know they have a history of starting slow on the road — it doomed them last year in a loss to Notre Dame and almost did the same at Northwestern. So the coaching
MAX MARCOVITCH Managing Sports Editor
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Michigan guard Ben Bredeson lived in Wisconsin before attending Michigan.
staff targeted it specifically in practice. It’s impossible to fully simulate the environment at Camp Randall Stadium, but the Wolverines have gotten as close as they can, piping in crowd noise so that it’s harder to communicate, harder to hear playcalls. Michigan has an experienced offensive line, many of whom have played at Camp Randall before. Senior quarterback Shea Patterson faced some of the toughest road environments in the country in Alabama and Auburn during his days at Ole Miss. “They got a very energetic fan base there,” said Bredeson. “ … There’s definitely a lot of red out there in the stands and it’s gonna be, everyone’s very passionate about their team in Madison. “I always found those games fun, where you get to go to the venues that are so passionate for their own teams, and even if it’s loud against you, it’s just
the energy, everybody can kind of feed off it, but it does provide some challenges.” Wisconsin has some new personnel on the defensive side, but the scheme is very similar to last year’s — when Michigan blasted the Badgers to the tune of a 38-13 win. The Wolverines have already watched the Wisconsin’s film from both this year and last and put together a game plan. Michigan’s the underdog, and has struggled to win in that situation. That much is undeniable. But the Wolverines aren’t viewing the game through that lens. “They put on their pads just like us,” said senior tight end Nick Eubanks. “We know they’re a tough team and we know they’re gonna put up a fight especially with us, especially what happened last year, they’re gonna put up a fight. So we’re going down swinging too, so we’ll see how it turns out.”
That’s why, sitting in a hospital bed in June, Thomas began to feel despair. He spent three weeks laying in bed, unable to do anything else. He lost 35 pounds. This was not how the most important summer of his life was supposed to go. “The first three weeks I was literally just depressed, laying in bed,” Thomas said. “Then that last week, when I started seeing improvement, my mom started making me get up, get active. There are some staircases right by the hospital outside, so I hit them. I walked them, I couldn’t run them. “I was very weak; my legs were cramping. I couldn’t get halfway up the steps. Like, it was bad.” Steadily, he began to regain his strength and gain back the weight; the self-confidence followed suit. While the doctors remained steadfast in their recommendation of a redshirt, Thomas had his eyes on the start of the year. At times he wasn’t in the building with the team, he was working out with his dad at Planet Fitness. Coaches and teammates remained dubious about his playing status, but Thomas was determined. Sure enough, when Michigan
kicked off against Middle Tennessee State on Aug. 30, there he was, lining up with the starting defense. His interception tied a bow on a night that, just weeks prior, seemed incomprehensible. “Everybody’s just thrilled for Ambry. I thought that was just a wonderful thing,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said on the following Monday. “He spent a lot of time in the hospital this summer, but to go out and get the interception, get the fumble recovery, make the tackles and the TFL, all the things he did in the game was really inspiring for the ball club.” His presence has steadied a secondary that otherwise would’ve been in flux. Heading into a season-shaping clash against Wisconsin, concerns among that group are few and far between. More importantly for Ambry Thomas, though, he’s back to doing what he loves at the level he expects. Gone are the days of hospital beds and slow walks. Full-speed practices and positional meetings are where he thrives. Asked how he feels now, Thomas looks up and flashes a smile. “I’m feeling great.”
Fans have known about Ambry Thomas’s offseason plight. They saw his triumphant return, featuring an interception in the season-opener against Middle Tennessee State. They even briefly heard from Thomas himself about what it meant to see the field once again after recovering from illness. But on Monday afternoon, Thomas revealed even more about the depths he found himself in over this summer, the massive hurdles he was forced to overcome on the road to recovery from colitis — a chronic inflammatory disorder in the colon — and the real threat it posed to his junior season. “If you know me, you know I’m a fighter,” Thomas said. “If nothing’s not seriously bad, I’m not gonna let health stop me from doing what I love.” It all started in mid-June, when Thomas felt something was off. He explained how he felt to his doctor and then went to the emergency room. It was there he learned of the colitis diagnosis, and slowly, the ramifications came trickling through his head. His focus in that moment squared entirely on potentially jeopardizing his junior season. “(The doctors) told me what was going on in my stomach,” Thomas said. “They told me my chances for playing this season were slim to none. All the doctors said that. I was the only one on my own side, like, ‘I’m playing this season no matter what.’ Thomas knew this year was always set to be a pivotal one in his progression. With the departure of David Long to the NFL Draft, Thomas was next in line to assume the starting cornerback position opposite NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily Junior cornerback Ambry Thomas was diagnosed with Colitis in June. senior Lavert Hill.
Following decision to return, Lockwood prepares for senior season TIEN LE
Daily Sports Editor
Mel Pearson sat across the table from Will Lockwood, waiting for the words that would define expectations for the Michigan hockey team’s upcoming season. Pearson’s nerves crept in with every word Lockwood said, but they had already been there the moment the senior forward called to arrange the meeting. Pearson knew what was coming. He had done this before when former defenseman Quinn Hughes called him last year to talk about his decision to return for his sophomore season. Back then, Pearson’s hopes had come true with Hughes returning. Lockwood seemed to suggest a different outcome. “I’ve been in many, many of these meetings about players, talking about whether coming back or leaving early,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “And I just felt he was leaving.” Lockwood’s tone and delivery was as solemn as could be. “Coach, I’ve come to a decision. I’ve made a decision.” Pearson recalled Lockwood saying. “... I’ve decided I want to come back and finish. Finish something that I started that I haven’t done yet.” The decision to return for his senior season didn’t come easily; it never seems to. But with Lockwood especially, a lot of things came into play. The Wolverines came into last season with high expectations, coming off a Frozen Four run that he missed with a shoulder injury, and looked to continue that success. But, a 13-16-7 record brought them back to reality and a loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament ended any hope of extending the season. “When the season ended, I didn’t even really start thinking about it for maybe a week,” Lockwood said. “Just because we didn’t really finish the way we wanted to, and it was kind of
a disappointing finish the year.” The process took several weeks. Not wanting to make a choice he might regret, Lockwood took his time and evaluated all factors. The 2018-19 season’s disappointing result was one, but his readiness for the next level and his education got taken into account. “He made an educated decision,” Pearson said, “got all the information on the facts.” His decision came over the
course of two to three weeks in March. There was no urgency with the Vancouver Canucks — the NHL team that drafted him in 2016. Though Pearson and the Michigan coaching staff took a handsoff approach, he approached them several times with questions and concerns. He went around asking friends, family — anyone, really, who he had a hockey connection with growing up — on what he should do.
I kept having my mom tell me to get my degree.
“I kept having my mom tell me to get my degree,” Lockwood joked. “But, other than that, I took my dad’s advice, he’s been a role model for me my whole life. And he was the one who just told me to kind of stick with what feels right and what feels comfortable.” And then a random morning in the spring, Lockwood woke up and just knew. He raced to tell his dad, and then, immediately after, called Pearson.
“(Lockwood) wanted to come back for a reason,” Pearson said. “With a purpose in mind, not just to come back. But come back with a purpose of No. 1, making sure he’s more ready than he was last year to go pro. And then obviously to finish his degree. And then No. 3 is to help us to get back to where we need to go.” An injury sidelined Lockwood much of his sophomore season — that year, the Wolverines pulled together a Frozen Four
(Lockwood) wanted to come back for a reason.
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Senior forward Will Lockwood returns to school for his senior season after contemplating a move to turn professional, a move that pleased coach Mel Pearson.
run. Instead of celebrating with the team on the ice after a 6-3 win over Boston University that propelled them to the semifinals, Lockwood watched from behind the glass — secluded and unable to claim the team’s success as his own. “He’s kind of battled with some injuries and missed some games and missed a good portion of our sophomore season,” said senior forward Jake Slaker. “I think that hurt him a little bit, especially because we made such a good run.” “I wasn’t really too satisfied with that,” Lockwood said. “And I wanted to be a leader on the team and come back and have a little more success senior year. His impact as a player was never in question. Recipient of the Hal Downes Trophy and Dekers Club Award, team awards for most valuable player and top freshman, he had earned his stripes as one of the team’s best his freshman year. He scored 20 points in his rookie year campaign and had tallied 11 points in 16 games as a sophomore before concluding his season with an injury. “I know if he was out there with us,” Slaker said. “maybe we would have the National Championship.” And after Michigan veered off its projected course with a sub-.500 season in 201819, Lockwood felt the need to come back, to help rectify the disaster of a season. And as the Wolverines’ 100th captain and a leading force on the team, he hopes to do “big things with this team.” It’s a title he’s earned and an expectation he’s sought. Instead of Canucks training camp, fighting for a roster spot, Lockwood spent this week opening Michigan’s practice donning the Captain’s ‘C’ for the first time. “At the end of the day,” Lockwood said, “it kind of came down to what my heart was telling me.”
Sports
8 — Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Design by Roseanne Chao
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Alec Cohen / Daily
Reflecting on a historical duo: Fahey and Minor
Brienne Minor and Kate Fahey leave the program with illustrious careers ations to other esteemed programs such as UCLA and Northwestern. But On May 25, two girls on Nov. 13, 2014, Minor dressed in matching verbally committed to white tops and navy play for the Wolverines, skirts took their posiand thus began her illustions to play doubles in trious collegiate tennis a tennis match in Orcareer. lando, Fla. As a freshman, she was But these were no ordi- All-Big Ten and a 2016 nary girls, no ordinary ITA All-American in outfits and, certainly, no singles and in doubles, ordinary match. which made her only the It was the final evening second player in school of the NCAA Division history to earn both I Men’s & Women’s honors. Tennis Tournament. The In her sophomore seatwo girls that stepped son, Minor made hisonto that court each had tory. already made history She was crowned the in their own ways and 2017 NCAA Singles were hungry for one Champion. final mark. The white Not only was she the shirts they donned were first in program history emblazoned with a to achieve such a feat, block ‘M’, a symbol that she became the first in connected them to the Big Ten women’s tenUniversity of Michigan. nis history to do so. And as the first serve She was the first Black flew over the net, Brifemale to ever win the enne Minor and Kate title. The last Black Fahey were officially athlete to win an NCAA competing for a national Singles title was Arthur championship. Ashe in 1995. Together. Bouncing back off two One last time. knee procedures that *** derailed her junior year, Brienne Minor, from Minor’s senior year was Mundelein, Ill., started impressive. She won the her career at Michigan ITA Midwest Regionals as a sought-after high title, was named Allschool recruit. She got American in doubles serious looks and gave and All-Big Ten, was strong considerSHIRA ZISHOLTZ Daily Sports Writer
2019 NCAA National runner-up in doubles, which shattered the school record for tournament advances, and closed out her collegiate career as Michigan’s all-time leader in AllAmerica citations with four. After she won the singles title in her sophomore year and sat out junior year recovering from her knee surgeries, Minor felt the pressure to perform to her highest caliber her senior year. Her team and coaches, however, were always reassuring and confident in her. “I think for (Minor), she wins the whole thing two years ago, and it’s a lot of added pressure on her to duplicate that,” said Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein on the 2019 Nationals competition. “I mean, we told her, ‘You have this forever. You don’t have to live up to this every year, because who can?’ “That’s tough, in a sense, dealing with winning (the 2017 NCAA Singles title) and the pressure that comes with that. And she did incredible. You see how she helped us this year, on
the court and off, especially.” In her four years, Minor gave Michigan much more than records – she has set an example of a strong-willed teammate, competitor and friend. *** Kate Fahey, from Fair Haven, N.J., was always one to watch. Notorious for her competitive nature and fiery on-court persona, Fahey’s career followed suit. Her freshman year, Fahey was All-Big Ten, went 9-0 in conference play, and started her reputation of win streaks with 15 straight singles victories during the 2016 season. Hungry for more, she started off her sophomore year with a bang. Fahey won both the ITA Midwest Regional Singles and Doubles Championships, which earned her an automatic berth to the National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, where she and then-junior Alex Najarian took home the crown in doubles. She also extended her conference win streak in singles to 18-0 and earned the first All-American honor of her career. Fahey’s junior season brought her two Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors, a second straight NCAA Singles berth, an Academic All Big-Ten honor, a unanimous All-Big Ten selection and a 2018 Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor, among other individual achievements. Even amid those accolades, Fahey’s senior season took her to another level. She was a two-time Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week, won a record 21-straight singles matches at No. 1, was an ITA All-American in both singles and doubles and earned a unanimous All-Big Ten selection. And, after closing out
her collegiate career as a doubles national runner-up with Minor, Fahey was named 2019 Big Ten Athlete of the Year, Michigan’s Female Athlete of the Year, and is now the winningest player in program history. “Kate’s unbelievable work ethic is inspiring,” said assistant coach Teryn Ashley-Fitch. “I mean, it’s inspiring to see. I’ve never met anyone who loves tennis more than Kate. “I think if you talked to any coach in the country, or any coach at Michigan, they would want to have someone like Kate compete the way that she does and train the way that she does. We’ve never seen anyone like her before, and I don’t know that we’ll see anyone like her again.” *** While their respective achievements and accomplishments aided Fahey and Minor in earning esteemed reputations and engraving their names into program and national history, it was actually the game they played together that made these two girls such an anomaly. Minor and Fahey were the duo that the Michigan women’s tennis team had, but never knew it needed. The unlikely pairing of two very different, talented players allowed them to connect, win and play their final game for Michigan, as a pair, for a national championship title. Throughout the four years together, Minor and Fahey were primarily paired up with other teammates and performed well with whomever they were matched up. Michigan was consistently ranked nation-
ally in at least one doubles pair, especially Fahey/Najarian in 2017, who topped the chart at No. 1. However, following sporadic losses, the coaching staff would shake things up to see who would click, knowing who had performed well level all season. A few times during the first three years, Minor and Fahey were paired up and competed at a high level, but the “normalcy” of other pairings was always returned soon after. Their senior year, as two of the strongest players on the roster, they were placed together on the court for most of the season, once the Michigan coaching staff was confident in the pairs at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. “We didn’t have (Minor and Fahey) necessarily as partners — you try to have three teams that you feel like you can get that doubles point,” said Bernstein. “This year, we put them together in the fall and then more so going into Big Tens and the end of the year. They know each other really well and I think they trust each other. I think that’s why you saw such good results.” Added Ashley-Fitch: “I mean, they’re so different. In terms of their doubles combination, we knew that they were going to be a rock solid team just because of what they bring to the table. Kate is super solid, Bri is really aggressive. And we knew they would complement each other, it was just about getting them and getting our team to the spot that we can play them together.” Read more at MichiganDaily.com