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SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY
Definition of consent clarified by SAPAC CONNOR BADE/Daily
Students parade a giant, handmade float (LEFT) and the Detroit Party Marching Band performs (RIGHT) at FestiFools on Main Street Sunday.
Ann Arborites gather to watch parade of puppets Eighth annual FestiFools focuses on nostalgia for ‘Dejà Fool’ theme By ALAINA WYGANT Daily Staff Reporter
For the eighth year, Ann Arborites experienced a case of Déjà Fool. Sunday afternoon, University students and locals alike gathered along Main Street to watch a parade of puppets as part of FestiFools, a free public art spectacle.
This year’s theme was “Déjà Fool,” a play on the French phrase Déjà vu, or the feeling of having already experienced a present situation. Retro toys, such as Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots, were given life in the form of giant puppets held by participants. Numerous musical groups were part of the puppet procession. These included the Detroit Marching Band, local funk band The Macpodz and University ensembles including Brazilian percussion band Vencedores and GROOVE. FestiFools is organized annually by WonderFool Productions — a nonprofit
organization which, in addition to hosting the art parade, hosts workshops for the general public and works to teach art in K-12 schools. According to the WonderFool Productions website, FestiFools was inspired by cartapesta, papermâché art of the Italian Carnevale di Viareggio. Prior to the FestiFools parade, a similar procession of illuminated puppets and sculptures inhabited the same space on Main Street for FoolMoon, which took place Saturday night. Among the numerous community members who contribute to FestiFools are
University students in the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program, who create puppets through an LHSP-centric course called Art in Public Spaces. Mark Tucker, FestiFools founder and creative director, is also LHSP’s art director and teaches the Art in Public Spaces course. Subsequently, students in the course helped create this year’s theme. LSA freshman Michelle Belgrod, an LHSP student taking Art in Public Spaces, said she and her classmates took the somewhat “nostalgic” FestiFools theme to create pieces that reminded See FOOLS, Page 3A
Online educational materials updated following Daily editorial By ALYSSA BRANDON and LARA MOEHLMAN Daily Staff Reporters
Holly Ryder-Milkovich, director of the University’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, announced Sunday that SAPAC updated its website to reflect changes to language used to define consent. The change occurred following a Michigan Daily report that revealed discrepancies between language in the University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy and language SAPAC promotes and encourages students to follow. The Student Sexual Misconduct Policy says consent is a “Clear and unambiguous agreement, expressed in mutually understandable words or actions, to engage in a particular activity. Consent can be withdrawn by either party at any point.”
CAMPUS LIFE
ACTIVISM
Screening of ‘Sniper’ draws 100 students
No protests organized after controversial choice to show film By EMILY MIILLER Daily Staff Reporter
After the University called off and then reinstated a showing of the film “American Sniper,” the screening drew about 100 people, but no organized protest. During the last week, the University has received national attention for canceling a showing of the film “American Sniper” at UMix, the University’s weekly Friday evening event in the Michigan Union. After students circulated a letter expressing concern about the film, saying the screening created an unsafe environment for Muslim and Middle Eastern and North African students on campus, the
University temporarily canceled the showing, with the intention of showing the film at a later date followed by a panel discussion. However, the University reversed course after a counter petition criticized the University’s decision, citing free speech concerns. The University provided a simultaneous screening of “Paddington” as an alternative movie option. Moviegoers filled most of the Michigan Union’s Anderson Room for “American Sniper.” Shortly before the start of “Paddington,” the screening room was mostly empty. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said UMix may not have been the ideal place to screen “American Sniper,” but said the University needed to follow through with its original decision to screen the film. “I think ‘American Sniper’ didn’t quite fit this venue and this event,” he said. “But, having said See SNIPER, Page 3A
SAPAC’s definition is more stringent, identifying consent as an explicitly verbal agreement, not satisfied by silence or body language. In an editorial published Wednesday, the Daily’s Editorial Board voiced concerns about the discrepancy between SAPAC’s and the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy’s definitions of consent: “While we understand that SAPAC’s definition of consent is educational and not a standard used to hold individuals accountable to University policy, the large discrepancy between the two is troubling; ‘mutually understandable words or actions’ is too ambiguous,” the Board wrote. “The current policy sets a dangerously low threshold for consent that can be misconstrued and misunderstood.” In an op-ed published in the Daily, Rider-Milkovich said SAPAC staff have reviewed the organization’s educational materials on its website to clarify the distinction between the University’s policy and the standard SAPAC strives to promote. “It is an encouraging sign of a shift in our campus cultural See SAPAC, Page 2A
Sexist ads protested in event Fashion for Freedom holds mock fashion show to call attention to rape culture GRANT HARDY/Daily
By SARAH KHAN
Cancer survivors take the first lap of MRelay at Palmer Field on Saturday.
MRelay features stories of cancer survivors, patients 3,000 people attend Relay for Life fundraiser for cancer research By SAMIHA MATIN Daily Staff Reporter
Games, live performances and education booths covered Palmer Field on Saturday for the University’s annual Relay
for Life event. MRelay, the University’s chapter for Relay for Life that annually organizes the event to raise money for cancer research, hosted the 24-hour fundraising event for the 13th year. LSA senior Dave MullenMuhr, MRelay executive director, said approximately 3,000 people attended Saturday’s event, including representatives from dozens of student organizations, clubs, fraternities and sororities.
In total, Mullen-Muhr said teams raised more than $368,000 through fundraising campaigns and benefit concerts held throughout the year. Mullen-Muhr said this total makes MRelay the “highest fundraising collegiate Relay for Life in the world.” Aside from the games and performances, the event featured a candlelight Luminaria Ceremony, which included an opportunity for See MRELAY, Page 3A
Daily Staff Reporter
Fashion for Freedom — a student group that seeks to end a perceived rape culture on college campuses and reverse potentially degrading media portrayals of women, among other goals — staged a mock fashion show on the Diag on Friday to protest advertisements that arguably promote sexual violence and human trafficking. LSA junior Savannah Dupin, a Fashion for Freedom co-founder, said she felt the event was a fun way to engage peers in fighting human trafficking as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. “I became involved because I am passionate about preventing trafficking in high risk areas and I See FASHION, Page 3A
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Molly J. Crockett, an associate professor at the University of Oxford, and John Mikhail, a professor at Georgetown University, speak at the Weinberg Symposium Friday at the Michigan League.
Weinberg Symposium focuses on relation between science, morality Speakers discuss cognitive psych and ethics By IRENE PARK Daily Staff Reporter
The Marshall M. Weinberg Symposium — hosted Thursday and Friday in the Michigan League — focused on a key question: What does it mean
to be moral? This year’s symposium, titled “The Cognitive Science of Moral Minds,” was organized for the first year by the Weinberg Institute of Cognitive Science. The University’s departments of Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics and Molecular and Cellular Biology previously hosted the sixth annual symposium. The institute opened last April after the University
received a $7.7 million donation by University alum Marshall M. Weinberg. The Weinberg Institute aims to promote an interdisciplinary approach to cognitive science research. It also houses the undergraduate cognitive science major, which launched January 2014. Thursday’s speaker, Joshua Greene, psychology professor at Harvard University, presented a lecture Thursday titled “Human Morality: Features and Bugs.” Molly Crockett, associate professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, and John Mikhail, professor of law and philosophy at Georgetown University, also delivered lectures during the symposium. During his talk, Greene gave an overview of human morality based on findings from psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. Greene defined morality as putting “us” before “me.” “Morality is a suite of psychological features that allow oth-
erwise selfish individuals to reap the benefits of cooperation,” he said. Greene also discussed the importance of cognitive science research for studying morality. Cognitive science, he said, can change the way people ask questions about morality and help identify the underlying cognitive factors shaping moral standards. Greene, who is also the director of the moral cognition lab at Harvard, also applied his morality research to real life situations. Greene’s team of researchers found that not all people in the medical field who deal with lifeand-death situations employ the same moral standards. The team analyzed morality in two groups: medical doctors and people who work in public health. Greene said they found people in public health were, in comparison to medical doctors, more “utilitarian,” meaning that they value what produces the best outcome for the society. “The idea is that if you are in public health, you are more concerned about the society,” he said. “Whereas if you are a doctor, you are concerned about the individual in front of you. It’s about your duty for
SAPAC From Page 1A values that many students desire for affirmative, verbal consent to be included in the institution’s consent definition, and even more importantly, be fully integrated into our behaviors and beliefs as
that patient and as a doctor.” Greene also commented on the “bugs,” or discrepancies, in morality identified by his team. For example, they found that people are more likely to help someone if the person who needed help was in close proximity — like a bleeding man on the side of the road as opposed to a child starving in another country. Greene said this moral discrepancy stems from evolution. “From a biological perspective, it makes a lot of sense,” he said. “You didn’t evolve to be universally cooperative to everybody on Earth. You evolved for your tribe.” Because a number of factors are involved in shaping one’s moral standards, he said it is difficult to come up with a general principle of how people should act. This idea suggests no theory can account for the complexity of the human mind. In spite of the difficulty, Greene said humans still need a general moral standard for how society “ought to be.” Rackham student Kevin Blackwell, who said he attended the symposium due to his interest in the topic, echoed Greene on the importance of human morality research.
the expected, common practice of students when they have sex,” she wrote. “As a culture, though, we are not there yet and SAPAC makes this distinction in our educational efforts. In order to address the issue raised by the Daily’s editorial Board, SAPAC staff have carefully reviewed our website materials and revised the information provided
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“It is very important for decision-making,” Blackwell said. “I thought the
on consent to make this distinction clearer.” The updated SAPAC page on consent now includes this new addition: “One of the core values that guides SAPAC’s work is respect. And for SAPAC, consent is respect. As we work towards a world free of sexual assault, intimate
examples about public health decisions were very on-point.”
partner violence, stalking and sexual harassment, we promote equality and respect for all members of our community through our commitment to primary prevention. Our primary prevention approach is centered on our vision and hope for a future where we all expect consent for See SAPAC, Page 3A
United 2 Heal dinner fundraises to give Ghana medical supplies Student group raises $2,700 during fundraiser By KATIE PENROD Daily Staff Reporter
A University student organization raised $2,700 over the weekend to help fund their partnership
with physicians in Ghana. United 2 Heal, which fundraises to buy medical supplies for communities in developing countries, hosted its eighth annual benefit dinner Saturday evening in Rackham Auditorium. The event featured keynote speaker Dr. Thomas Crawford, an assistant professor of internal medicine. Proceeds will go toward fostering what Kinesiology senior
Nathan Palaparthi, United 2 Heal president, calls the group’s biggest project: a partnership with physicians in Ghana. The organization has sent shipments of supplies to underdeveloped areas in this region, and also works to sponsor students doing volunteer work. Palaparthi said United 2 Heal’s overarching goal is to fight global health disparities by collecting excess medical supplies from hospitals around Michigan and sending them to places lacking these resources. “Our mission is really twofold, in that first we’re trying to help individuals in other countries to obtain basic medical supplies and really equip resource-poor hospitals,” Palaparthi said. “But at the same time we’re doing so using medical supplies that are obtained from U.S. hospitals that would otherwise be disposed of.” He added that United 2 Heal recently partnered with World Medical Relief — a Detroit-based organization that provides a variety of medical supplies for individuals lacking insurance, according to its website. United 2 Heal members and other students on campus visit WMR’s Detroit warehouse weekly to help sort its stock of medical supplies. University alum Joey Perosky, one of United 2 Heal’s founders and a research lab specialist in the Medical School, discussed the organization’s transition to a partnership in Ghana from their original recipients in Tanzania.
Perosky said the Tanzanian hospital did not give clear feedback on how they were actually using the medical supplies they received, and added that he was motivated to help after traveling to Ghana, where he observed a striking lack of medical supplies. “While conducting clinical observations in the labor delivery ward at one of the hospitals, the lack of resources was readily apparent, including adequately trained healthcare personnel, medical equipment and supplies,” he said. Crawford, the keynote speaker at the event, related his work to United 2 Heal’s mission. He works on a project in collaboration with World Medical Relief called “My Heart Your Heart.” The project’s goal is to send pacemakers previously used by deceased patients to places where people could otherwise not afford them. “I think what has united us is the recognition that there are health disparities in the world, that it’s our moral responsibility to try to attend to them and that we cannot remain silent,” he said. However, Crawford noted that Ghana’s Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital does not have a permanent cardiac catheterization lab or pacemaker implantation center, making it difficult for patients to receive the heart treatment they need. Read the rest at michigandaily.com.
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FOOLS From Page 1A them of childhood. As a result, she decided to create “a giant baby.” “I had friend volunteers help animate the puppet,” Belgrod said. “What Mark (Tucker) says is that if you’re on a parade it’s a stage. Each puppet has a message, and so you’re supposed to animate it, make it come to life with the help of people. I was the base, so I kind of hid in the diaper of my baby. It was just a giant, 20-foot baby with his eyes closed.” Belgrod added that her favorite part of both the class and the parade was interacting with fellow students as part of the artistic process. “Usually when I create art, it’s very independent and unsocial,” she said. “Traveling to the studio, helping each other out and goofing off — the people and the energy that they brought to the class made everything just so fun. It was also really great to see how people would react to my own piece and those of my fellow classmates.” Ross Huff, an Ann Arbor resident, said he enjoys FestiFools
MRELAY From Page 1A patients and survivors to share their experiences fighting cancer. LSA sophomore Mitchell Becker, a cancer survivor, discussed losing loved ones to cancer. “I choose to relay to remember the family members that I have lost and because there’s hope,” he said. “I hope that someday nobody should ever have to lose another friend or family to cancer.” In an interview, LSA sophomore Meredith Joseph, an MRelay recruitment specialist, said the event aims to be a cathartic outlet for survivors and those currently fighting the disease. “My mother, who passed away due to cancer, deserves to be remembered each and every day,” Joseph said. “When I chose to relay, I found a group
because it’s an opportunity for all members of the community to convene. “Like, this is what we should be doing in our streets,” Huff said. “It’s the community getting together and bringing it out just for the sake of having a great time. It gets people out of the house and together. It gets you to remember who your neighbors are.” “It’s one of our favorite annual traditions with the kids,” said Shannon Johnson, who brought her kids from Brighton, Mich. to the festival. “It’s just a great chance for them to see some fun, creative things.” Lori Beth, another Ann Arbor resident, recently moved into town from Lansing. She attended the event with a small group of people, all of whom were also relatively new to Ann Arbor, as a way to familiarize herself with her new hometown. Her favorite puppet was a huge, paper-mâché puppet of arcade game character Pac-Man. “I’ve never been to a parade of puppets before,” Beth said. “I really like the Pac-Man one. I’ve never been to an event where they’ve had art on display in this way. It’s just so much fun.”
who is passionate about curing cancer. Relay for Life gave me the courage and strength to open up and relate to a giant community.” LSA sophomore Lauren Gallagher added that the event was important even for those not directly affected by cancer. Gallagher attended the event with members of her pre-law fraternity, Kappa Alpha Pi. “We fundraise mostly for Relay because it’s a fun event and it’s for a great cause,” Gallagher said. “It’s really cool to see so many different sororities and fraternities come together. Plus, it’s a great way to escape and also have fun.” MRelay will return next semester to promote campuswide “No Shave November” activities as part of the worldwide event designed to raise awareness about prostate cancer.
SAPAC From Page 2A sexual activity to be verbal or oral, sober, and enthusiastic.” However, language the University’s alternative definition of consent — as articulated in the Sexual Misconduct Policy — remains largely unchanged compared to a version updated on Jan. 17, 2015.
SNIPER From Page 1A that, we made the commitment, we made that decision, and in the final analysis we needed to honor that decision that was made to show, and so tonight we have two movies.” “American Sniper” is a 2014 film adaption of the autobiography of Chris Kyle, a sniper who served four tours in Iraq and is credited with the most kills in U.S. military history. While the movie has been critically acclaimed, it has also been critiqued for its depiction of Muslims and the war in Iraq. “The reason why the film was disturbing to be played at UMix is because UMix is supposed to be fun and inclusive, and the movie
FASHION From Page 1A see the devastation that this brings all the time,” she said. “It is difficult to do this kind of work because you realize how many cultural norms are working against you.” As part of the event, student models carried signs with sexually suggestive advertisements on them, and dressed up to mirror the women in these ads to bring attention to the level of media objectification. Others held signs that read: “Sexual objectification portrays women as sexual objects rather than individuals with their own experiences and personalities,” and “Sexual objectification often portrays
Monday, April 13, 2015 — 3A
The top of the page begins by describing consent as “when someone agrees, gives permission, or says ‘yes’ to sexual activity with other persons.” The page then proceeds to note that, “The University of Michigan Policy on Sexual Misconduct by Students defines consent as a clear and unambiguous agreement, expressed in mutually understandable words or actions, to engage in a
particular activity.” During his fireside chat on Wednesday, University President Mark Schlissel told students that the University is planning to role out changes to the University’s Student Sexual Misconduct Policy by the Fall 2015 semester. He said changes could potentially include the guidance students are given in regard to seeking counsel, among other issues. The University most recently
made changes to its Student Sexual Misconduct Policy in 2013 in response to guidance from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in 2011. These alterations did not address the University’s definition of consent, but focused on amending the University’s responsibilities in the investigation process and the burden of proof applied in University disciplinary proceedings.
‘American Sniper’ raised a lot of controversy from all sides of the spectrum,” wrote LSA sophomore Lamees Mekkaoui in the initial letter calling for the screening’s cancellation. “It’s clearly not something that could be fun and inclusive. It just doesn’t go with Build-A-Bear and inflatable laser tag, those things just don’t go with ‘American Sniper.’ ” Before starting the film, a representative from the Center for Campus Involvement read a statement saying the University supported the right of the media to express viewpoints and would remove anyone who disrupted that right. Though the University’s decisions related to the movie screenings has generated controversy on campus and in the national media, Friday’s
UMix proceeded without protest or disruption. Late last week, several Muslim and Arab students reported. experiencing threats and racist remarks after many students in those communities advocated for the film screening’s cancellation. Ann Arbor resident Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, a University alum, attempted to hold a discussion after the film, unaffiliated with the University. However, students showed a lack of interest and the discussion fell through. When the University decided to show “American Sniper” at another location and time — before returning the film to the UMix schedule — the Center for Campus Involvement had promised a discussion forum following the screening.
Savabieasfahani said she came to the screening after hearing of the possibility of a student-led protest. However, a protest did not occur. Business senior Lance Feigeles said he agreed with the University’s decision to follow through with the showing. “I liked that they added the alternative movie for people who didn’t want to see it,” Feigeles said. “But I think the initial trying to get rid of it, I had a problem with that.” Engineering sophomore Nick VerSchure also said he agreed with the University’s decision. “The University is not condoning anything in this film as good or bad, they just want to show a feature film,” VerSchure said. “Personally, I’m here because I support the movie itself, and I support our troops.”
women as submissive to men.” The group asked local stores to take a pledge not to objectify women in their advertisements. Several Ann Arbor retailers signed the document, including The Getup Vintage, Pitaya, Bivouac, The M Den and Ragstock. Lisa Weiss, the women’s fashion manager for Bivouac, said the march was constructive for dialogue, but could have caught the store’s patrons off guard. “I believe in what they are doing and it is an interesting concept in order to shock and get attention (for the cause),” she said. “I didn’t have anything against them coming into the store, but I have no idea how my customers feel about it and the way it’s done could scare people.”
Attendees marched through a number of the participating stores along State Street, applauding them for their respectful advertising and protesting stores like American Apparel for sexualizing women’s bodies in their advertisements. LSA freshman Rachel Beglin, Fashion for Freedom co-founder, said she is passionate about this issue and wants to continue raising awareness by keeping people informed through events like the Fashion for Freedom show on the Diag and the subsequent march down State Street. “The models were dressed as the people in the ads to show that they are not 2-D and cannot be objectified,” Beglin said. “We were bringing them to life to show that
they are real people.” The group engaged in a moment of silence at American Apparel to show its disapproval of their ad campaigns, which members believe contribute to bigger societal issues, including rape and sexual violence toward women. LSA freshman Natalie Drobny, who modeled as part of the show, stressed that the objectification of women in the media has been an ongoing issue for decades. “I think that it is really important to raise awareness of stores that are still using ads that are derogatory toward women,” Drobny said. “We had ads from every single decade and it’s not getting any better — big chain stores are still involved. It sounded like a really cool thing to be involved in.”
Opinion
4A — Monday, April 13, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Examining “American Sniper”
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
Improve laptop equity
The University should increase access to laptops for students
W
ith education now firmly planted in the information age, laptops are becoming an increasingly crucial tool for students on campus. For those who cannot afford a laptop, there are short-term laptop loan programs available, which can be extended long-term if the LSA student or faculty member has the required paperwork. According to a recent article in The Michigan Daily, the University is working to improve the current program through a pilot laptop loan program that will launch in Fall 2015, allowing students who need the most financial assistance to borrow a laptop for the duration of their time at the University. However, for this program to be successful, this program needs to expand its eligibility and be more transparent to students. There are significant disadvantages to not owning a laptop on campus. First, the number of available desktops for students to use is limited largely to libraries and residence halls — which for some students may not be conducive work environments. This limits the flexibility in work hours. For example, a student that must go to the library for computer use may not feel comfortable going there late at night. Furthermore, not being able to keep up with taking notes during a fastpaced lecture is more difficult, if not impossible, for a student without access to a laptop. Trying to work on group projects could prove challenging without access to a laptop, mandating the group to convene in places with desktops or for an individual to be forced to constantly look at a laptop over someone else’s shoulder. There are ways the University is attempting to help students who need them but for a short period of time. According to the Instructional Support Services Media Center Loan at the University, a student can borrow a laptop for 24 hours. If no one else is waiting for it, the student can renew it for another 24 hours. It is possible to repeatedly check out computers to extend the loan or override the 24-hour rule with correct paperwork showing that a student needs it for a project or a class, but there is no direct way to acquire a laptop for a long period of time. At the Media Center Loan in the Modern Languages Building, there are six PCs and six MacBooks available in total for loan. As of April 11, there were two MacBooks and four PCs available. There is also a loan center in Mason Hall, where there are seven PCs available and 10 MacBooks available.
On April 11, all PCs and six Macbooks were available. While effective for short-term solutions, this program is lacking for students who can’t afford a laptop and need one. The new pilot program the University wants to implement in Fall 2015 would be an effective way to solve this problem. Currently, Stanford University has a program which students on financial aid can receive compensation for certain purchases in relation to technology and computers. The University should follow this model; it provides students the help they need while also allowing for flexibility in the computers they decide to purchase. In addition to a program for students on financial aid, as a second component, the University should work toward a rental program that is cheap and accessible to all students — regardless of socioeconomic status. The University should work toward more transparency in these old and new programs, by sending e-mails at the beginning of each semester, for example, that remind students about these programs and what they offer. And when the University begins the new Fall 2015 laptop loan program, the University should include information about it in financial aid packages. Laptops may not have been a necessity in the past, but today, they are essential to being a successful college student. In order to level the playing field for all students, it is crucial that computers are accessible to all and that there are measures to ensure that students who need financial assistance to purchase them receive it.
HOLLY RIDER-MILKOVICH | VIEWPOINT
How SAPAC defines consent One of the core values that guides the Sexual Assault and Prevention Awareness Center’s work is respect. And for SAPAC, consent is respect. As we work toward a world free of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking and sexual harassment, we promote equality and respect for all members of our community through our commitment to primary prevention. Our primary prevention approach is centered on our vision and hope for a future where, as a community, we expect consent for sexual activity to be verbal, sober and enthusiastic. This vision is our aspiration, and it exceeds the definition of consent in the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy. In the Relationship Remix first-year workshop, in the online training, Community Matters, and in the presentations delivered by SAPAC volunteers, we teach the institutional definition of consent and we also share our aspirational goal for all consent to be verbal, sober and enthusiastic. We believe this is the very best way to ensure that you are treat-
ing another person with respect and that you have their consent to engage in the desired sexual activity. It is an encouraging sign of a shift in our campus cultural values that many students desire for affirmative, verbal consent to be included in the institution’s consent definition, and even more importantly, be fully integrated into our behaviors and beliefs as the expected, common practice of students when they have sex. As a culture, though, we are not there yet and SAPAC makes this distinction in our educational efforts. In order to address the issue raised by the Daily’s Editorial Board, SAPAC staff have carefully reviewed our website materials and revised the information provided on consent to make this distinction clearer. You can read the updated website language at http://sapac. umich.edu/article/49. Holly Rider-Milkovich is the director of the Sexual Assault and Prevention and Awareness Center.
WILL ROYSTER | VIEWPOINT
Onward and upward
Running for CSG president has certainly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at the University. This campaign challenged me to go beyond my realm of leadership and community. The process introduced me to so many different individuals and organizations, each with a unique voice and cause. The dialogues we held helped me understand what campus truly needs, and I sincerely thank all of those who believed in the vision that The Team, Matt Fidel and I created together. Alas, the margin of victory was five votes. Cooper and Steven worked tirelessly during their campaign and I truly congratulate them. It was a privilege to converse on so many different topics, which often challenged me to think critically about our campus. I am confident that their work ethic and vision will be a driving force for the University. I am looking forward to watching you gentlemen move big rocks. In spite of losing the CSG election, in reflec-
tion, I couldn’t be happier with the journey overall. The Team was built on values, integrity and a vision. 4,036 people shared that vision. We were able to mobilize communities and inspire others. We had the opportunity to learn from each other and building lasting and meaningful relationships. I cherish each moment of this campaign because the experience shared with each and every person is invaluable. Given the amount of support in our vision, I still hold a desire and responsibility to help create change on this campus. Looking onward and upward, I plan to continue to promote cross-campus collaboration by working closely with many student organizations through #StandByBlue. #StandByBlue has been a powerful agent for highlighting student organizations and diversity on campus. In addition, I plan to expand the Michigan Institute for the Improvement of African American Representation program, which brought 46 underrep-
T
he University’s flip-flop decision last week to screen the Clint Eastwood film “American Sniper,” a biopic about Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, at a UMix event as originally planned received scores of backlash from the University’s Mus- AUSTIN lim and/or Middle DAVIS Eastern and North African populations. These communities believed the film was ill-suited for an event meant to entertain, claiming that their safety on campus has become jeopardized by the University’s return to the decision to screen the film as entertainment instead of using said screening as an opportunity to discuss the film’s overarching themes and depictions. Since the release of this film, myriad writers have taken myriad stances both for and against Eastwood’s editorial decisions in the telling of Kyle’s story. Some have come to view Kyle via his depictions as the typos of patriotic American bravery, a crusader of freedom and liberty, a defender of the defenseless from cruel, ill-intentioned purveyors of violence. Others view Kyle as a glorified murderer, a racist who dehumanized Iraqis and set them on equal footing with extremists. These two considerations of Kyle as both an individual and as a soldier underlie opinions about the film from two respective camps: the film is either a compelling dramatization of Kyle’s life or pro-war propaganda that misrepresents facts. As a gay man, I fully understand the frustrations of Muslim and/or MENA communities in feeling misrepresented and stereotyped by media portrayals of their communities; as a student of communications and media, however, I consider myself able to recognize the editorial decisions of a text as propagandistic and misleading. As such, I decided to do a close reading of the text in hope of understanding the heated controversy surrounding the film. “American Sniper” undoubtedly provides a narrative of the Iraq War with only nominal stance in fact. Never are the political considerations of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 given
due weight in the film, and the plot’s overly simplistic “Good vs. Evil” conflicts leave much to be desired if the text were to be read as historical. The ostensible weapons of mass destruction hoarded by the Iraqi regime are never discussed. Indeed, it could even be argued that editorial decisions attribute the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks as an overture to the American invasion of Iraq. And the film’s aggressors — “The Butcher,” a sociopathic child torturer, and “Mustafa,” an enemy sniper and foil of sorts to Kyle — are depicted in stark, monochromatic contrast to the Kyle’s values, falsely depicting a war that was in actuality much more hued. These hyper-dramatized caricatures of insurgent violence are really the only Iraqis shown in the film. As such, it could be argued that this editorial decision leads to the categorization of Iraqis either as warmongering, inhuman perpetrators of very gruesome violence (e.g. drilling in a child’s head, or keeping a collection of dismembered Americans in the walk-in cooler of a restaurant), or as sympathizers to such people. Were these aforementioned traits to stand alone in the film, I would wholeheartedly categorize it as propagandistic. The extremely narrow scope of the film’s narrative perspective, however, leads me to believe that these misrepresentations are used with artistic license for the purpose of conveying a message about the shortcomings of both a war-centered culture and Kyle as its product. From childhood throughout his military training, Kyle is indoctrinated to the mantra of human classification into three categories: the sheep, those who need protecting; the wolf, those perpetrators whose goal is to harm the sheep; and the sheep dog, those who serve to protect the flock. Kyle is told by his father from a young age that every man should strive for the latter classification. As told from Kyle’s narrow view, every depiction in the film is seen through the lens of this simplistic metaphor: the American people equal sheep; Kyle and the military equal sheep dog; Iraqi insurgents equal wolves. The Iraqi people don’t fit into Kyle’s metaphor, so they’re left unconsidered, explaining the mechanical nature with which Kyle can kill and dehumanize. The film, by use of outside perspec-
tives which stand in contrast to Kyle’s, display the flaws of such a narrow way of thinking, however. Kyle becomes obsessed with defending the principles to which he’s been indoctrinated, serving four tours in Iraq, effectively abandoning his family in the process, so that he can hunt his direct adversaries. He becomes drunk off glory, especially after he’s been given the nickname “Legend.” When a comrade dies, a letter surfaces which poses the question “When does glory fade away, consume one completely?” Kyle views this as anti-war rhetoric, although in all actuality he is becoming consumed by glory himself, even to the point where he jeopardizes the lives of those in his unit by taking an unbelievable shot at one of his white rabbits without acknowledging the dissent of the group. Many die in the process, and Kyle is almost left behind. Once Kyle returns from war, he struggles with severe PTSD, but effectively finds refuge in helping veterans and being with his family. This could be considered a happy ending sans Kyle’s death, yet the film’s conclusion mirrors depictions of Kyle’s own upbringing with that of his son’s, showing the cyclical process of indoctrination. Eastwood’s choices in doing so show that Kyle’s narrow perspective is not necessarily an exception of American culture, but rather a norm; he is a product of a culture that glorifies the idea of protectionism and interventionism without understanding the culture’s naiveté. Kyle accepts this almost subconsciously, perpetrating these ideals and being affirmed by those around him along the way. Thus, the familiarity of Kyle’s views is probably why so many from the ultra-patriotic camp absolutely love Kyle and the film. Furthermore, the narrow, one-sided depiction of the war via Kyle’s perspective is why so many hate the film, condemn it even as pro-war propaganda. But these conclusions are made without deeply analyzing the film’s depictions for what they are: a critique of the system from which Kyle came, and a use of his story and patriotic perspective as a vehicle of sorts through which to display the absurdity of an American system defined by protectionism. — Austin Davis can be reached at austchan@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Rabab Jafri, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe SIGMA DELTA TAU | VIEWPOINT
Michigan, it’s our time to Speak Up! A slew of recent news events — along with allegations of rape, destruction, racism and more across campuses nationwide — have cast a negative spotlight on Greek life. The light is so bright it outshines all of the positive contributions fraternities and sororities have made and the positive impact they have had on the communities around them. It’s time to shut down that spotlight. It’s time to lift the shadow and remind us the true reason people join the Greek system: to make a difference and to be part of a community. There are many of us who joined a sorority or fraternity to be a part of something, to give back and to experience college life together. What once began as groups aspiring for unity, philanthropy and a familial-like bond, has grown to have a negative connotation due to isolated issues that get out of hand. It is time take a stand and start speaking up about bad behavior before it gets worse. Let’s take a stand. Let’s speak up. In light of recent events involving our sorority and many other houses in the Greek community here at the University, as well as on campuses nationwide, the sisters of Sigma Delta Tau are launching a campus-wide initiative called “Speak Up! Michigan.” This initiative is intended to inspire students to have the courage to speak out in the face of a potentially dangerous situation and mitigate the many issues caused by a lack of bystander awareness. Through this campaign, SDT is hoping to forge partnerships with student groups and the University to raise awareness of bystander intervention resented communities in Kalamazoo to the University for a three-day residential experience. Giving that opportunity to students has certainly been my greatest accomplishment and with the help of the other founders, I look forward to extending that opportunity to more students. Losing by five votes has taught me
and to properly educate students on how to react to threatening situations. While the campaign is only in its startup phase, the feedback has been astoundingly positive. Campus and student leaders alike have come together to back the campaign and speak out about this important issue. While we all would like to say we would know how to react when our peers are acting inappropriately and putting us at risk, we have never taken the opportunity to equip ourselves with the proper tools to take action during an actual situation. Through a series of initiatives, Speak Up! hopes to foster open conversation between groups and individuals alike about the negative consequences of being a bystander. Change never occurs unless you step up and make it — it starts with a simple stride in the right direction. To launch this effort, we invited producer-turned-campus activist Mike Dilbeck to campus. Dilbeck will work to empower us with “Courageous Leadership,” and show us how to make a difference and intervene in inappropriate situations. He believes that seizing an opportunity to act can dramatically change the campus community and allow students to make a difference. We look forward to working with Dilbeck to gain the tools, resources and confidence to make this happen and to help others Speak Up! While the semester is coming to a close, the sisters of Sigma Delta Tau and the sorority’s executive board plan to work tirelessly over the summer to plan events to run in the fall before formal recruitment begins. The goal
is to educate members of Greek life, as well as other student-run organizations, such as Central Student Government, club sports and others, on how they can appropriately respond to issues that may arise during group functions. Being prepared is your best line of defense, and that is the message that Speak Up! seeks to get across. With all the crises occurring in the world right now, it has been incredible to be able to see an issue bring so many differing minds together. It’s very rare to find a cause we, as a community at large, can get behind — which is where the importance of the Speak Up! campaign truly stems from. Bystander intervention is a prominent issue across college campuses, rarely getting the amount of attention it deserves. It’s a uniquely gender and politically neutral problem which together we have the ability to solve, and that’s what makes Speak Up! so special. No matter who you are, what you believe or what issues you stand for, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself a bystander in a situation. Taking the initiative and becoming proactive is the first step of many to mitigating the situation before it gets out of hand. So stand with us and we will stand with you to Speak Up! and make a difference. For more information, visit www.SpeakUpMichigan.com. Mike Dilbeck will discuss “The Revolution of Courageous Leadership” at 8 p.m. on Monday, April 13 at the Michigan Union.
that every single voice on this campus matters. It has shown me that each and every narrative and story contributes to this great institution. As a result, I plan to continue to share my voice through poetry to relate and connect with students across campus. Together, each of our voices creates one unified voice,
which represents the greatest university in the world. As the leaders and the best, it is on us to listen to each voice, speak out, take action and together, create the campus that we want to see.
—Jordan Halper is a Business sophomore writing on behalf of Sigma Delta Tau.
Will Royster is an Engineering and LSA junior.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Monday, April 13, 2015 — 5A
EVENT PREVIEW
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Obioma to read Harriet is made for debut at Literati your summer playlist Nigerian novelist will present first novel Tuesday By COSMO PAPPAS Daily Arts Writers
Sitting at the corner of Division St. and Washington St., Literati Bookstore has taken great effort to provide the infrastructure Chigozie for a thriving literary culture Obioma in Ann Arbor. Readings This Tuesday, they will wel- April 14, come debut nov- 7 p.m. at elist Chigozie Literati Obioma through Bookstore their “Fiction at Literati” series, Free the complement to their “Poetry at Literati” series. A Helen Zell Fellow of Creative Writing, Obioma was born in Nigeria, studied in Cyprus and lived in Turkey. Obioma will give a reading to commemorate his first novel, “The Fishermen,” to be released through Little, Brown and Company the same day. “I wanted to write this story, I was inspired to write this story about a close-knit family,” Obioma said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. “What is it that can come between them and bring destruction and
By DANIEL SAFFRON
destroy the unity of the family? And not just a family, but any entity at all.” Obioma’s novel is, as Helon Habila of The Guardian describes in his review of the book, “a Bildungsroman,” a coming-of-age story. The four brothers in the novel must navigate their lives after their father departs for a job transfer. They pick up fishing as they lose their sense of routine in the absence of their father’s disciplinary guidance. But shortly after being “discovered by their neighbor who tells their mother,” “they meet the local oddball, Abulu, who has the power of prophecy, and who predicts that Ikenna, the oldest, will be killed by one of his brothers: a fisherman,” Habila says. “It is from this simple, almost mythological conceit that Chigozie Obioma’s debut novel grows, gaining complexity and power as it rises to its heartbreaking climax.” “The Fishermen” has been received positively for the ways that it balances many different projects. Describing the book as one that works with elements of “the traditional English novel form with the oral storytelling tradition” against an Aristotelian tragic arc, Habila celebrates the parallel dramas of Obioma’s book. Obioma described his interest in “parallel universes” and the way that “human beings (exist) at the same time as spirits and these ethereal creatures.”
Habila reads Obioma’s novel both as a Bildungsroman and as a sort of allegory of the postindependence history of Nigeria. Obioma seeks out this “both-and” play of narrative in both form and content, citing influences as diverse as Greek myth and epic, Arundhati Roy, Thomas Hardy, William Shakespeare, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Günter Grass and Chinua Achebe. Obioma looks to Achebe (1930-2013), the late preeminent Nigerian writer and one of the most significant and widely read writers from Africa, as a writer from whom he learns about Igbo (a major ethnic group of Nigeria) traditions, philosophies and history. “What I have always been afraid of is people reading this book because they feel it is exotic to them, and content trumping form, you know, the beauty of writing,” Obioma said. “Largely, even in the translated form, in German, one thing everyone has unanimously agreed on is the beauty of the prose, and that is the aesthetics, the art of the book, which gives me joy because now somebody cannot say, ‘Oh, I am reading this one to understand Africa because I want to.’ You know, this is not why we read, that is not why I read.” Join Obioma this Tuesday in the Espresso Bar on the second floor of Literati to hear selections from his novel and his thoughts on his wellreceived, successful debut.
TV REVIEW
‘Daredevil’ dark, edgy By MATT BARNAUSKAS Daily Arts Wrtier
The success Marvel has had in recent years is almost unprecedented. With several blockbuster franchises, a flourishing cinA ematic universe and a couple TV Daredevil shows under its belt, the com- Series pany has proven Premiere itself to be a dominant force. Netflix Now it enters the streaming game with Netflix’s newest series, “Daredevil.” The show stars Charlie Cox (“Boardwalk Empire”) as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer turned titular vigilante. “Daredevil” is probably the darkest product Marvel has produced to date. In its first four episodes, “Daredevil” questions the limits Murdock can go to as a vigilante and where the line is drawn between justice and vengeance. Set in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, “Daredevil” casts its city with little light. Shadows cover even the open areas in darkness as neon, harsh yellow and sterile blue lights evoke a neo-noir stylistic feel while capturing a comic book aesthetic. Trying to bring light to the city are Murdock and his law partner Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson, “Mockingjay: Part 1”), who have just started their own practice, with their first client being the framed Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll, “True Blood”). The three form a central trio of do-gooders. Foggy is comic relief but is competent in his own right next to the quiet Murdock. While Karen serves as little more than a damselin-distress in the first episode, the show quickly allows her to develop beyond her initial trauma as she starts investigating United Allied Construction – the company that tried to frame her after she found something she shouldn’t have. Murdock is also given a confidante, Claire (Rosario Dawson, “Sin City”), a nurse who patches him up after finding him laying wounded in a dumpster during the second episode. The relationship is the most challenging for Murdock. Claire has seen the good Murdock has performed in the form of the broken criminal victims of Daredevil, yet she openly questions the measures he takes. Simultaneously a foil and confidante, Claire provides needed interaction for Murdock in costume, humanizing his
vigilante side, but challenging his extreme measures. Murdock is a tortured character beneath his quiet visage. Blinded at a young age, Murdock learns from his boxer dad, Jack (John Patrick Hayden, “Blue Bloods”) that, “It ain’t how you hit the mat, it’s how you get up.” There’s a pride passed down from father to son in fighting for who you are, a strength and fatal flaw that claims the elder Murdock’s life when he refuses to take a dive during a boxing match. The same goes for Matt Murdock years later. As Daredevil, Murdock serves as an unstoppable presence against the criminals that plague his city. This translates into bone crushing, kinetic fight scenes that can be placed among the best on any TV show. Punches land hard, knives cut deep and no one goes down easy in “Daredevil.” This is no more apparent than in episode two’s climactic battle that harkens back to Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy.” Shot in nearly one take, a wounded Murdock enters a hallway occupied by two roomfuls of Russian mobsters. At the end of the hallway is a door, and behind that door is a kidnapped boy. The fight is an exhausting brawl that tests the young superhero’s endurance. He leans against a wall, capturing a quick breather, before reentering the fray of stumbling combatants. It’s the standout moment early in the series that combines a fantastic physical performance by Cox, expert direction by Phil Abraham (“Mad Men”), phenomenal stunt work by coordinator Philip J. Silvera (“A Walk Among the Tombstones”) and Cox’s double Chris Brewster (“Thor: the Dark World”). Murdock, though, faces his greatest foe, Wilson Fisk, a.k.a Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Full Metal Jacket”). The first three episodes are spent hyping the character up, with one character impaling himself on a spike instead of facing the consequences of just saying his name. It’s ironic then that the first time the character is fully explored in episode four, “In the Blood,” he is seen at his most uncomfortable, on a date with an art dealer (Ayelet Zurer, “Man of Steel”). In this setting, he is quiet and awkward, increasing the suspense about when his true colors will show. There’s a dread about when this character will erupt from his initially quiet disposition, and
when he does D’Onofrio doesn’t disappoint. “Daredevil” is a dark meditation on the lengths a superhero can go before they cross the line physically and mentally. With strong performance and direction in its early episodes, this is definitely a worthy tonal shift in the Marvel universe.
For The Daily
As the weather here in Ann Arbor changes from rosy-nosed cold and gonadally harsh to sweater shedding, sunglass prompting and frisbee conducive, we all begin to get frantic over what tunes are going to usher in that oh-so cherished oh-so missed summer lovin’. There’s nowhere better to look than perpetually summersuspended Los Angeles, where up-and-coming band Harriet promises us some of those syrupy sweet summer feels with a recent EP that makes us crave beaches, sun and aloe vera. Harriet’s members are young – Alex Casnoff, the singer and former member of bands Dawes and PAPA, is 27 and Henry Kwapis, the drummer, is only 21. However their sound is on the verge of maturity. The band has rock band set up, but is leaps and bounds from your traditional rock sound. Distant from your typical anything, Harriet EP is a cattle prod to the backside of palatable pop and radio-approved anthems. The band’s aura isn’t immediately placeable; Kwapis told me that the band was never a “genre project,” and Casnoff told me that he “(doesn’t) like when you can immediately place your finger on what (a song) is.” What is special about Harriet is that they’ve managed to earnestly represent their unique tastes, sounds and self-concept in an industry that emphasizes variations on hackneyed cookie-cutter archetypes. Harriet EP, only four tracks in length, goes many different places and capitalizes on an eclectic soundscape. “Irish Margaritas,” the first track, is fun and danceable, but under the ebullient synths, excited drums, chirpy guitar licks and pinball bass lines hides the tale of the narrator’s Gaelic-Mexican-beverage-influenced struggle with lost romance; “One more drink and I might show up at your doorstep knowing fully well the probability that he’s inside / One more drink and I might tap you on the shoulder tell you ‘baby though it’s over and I know that
HARVEST RECORDS
It’s hip to be square.
that’s a lie,” Casnoff sings. It’s the kind of song that starts in-car aux cord arguments with me and my mother – not for everyone – but its concurrent sarcastic and heart wrenching qualities are something that everyone can appreciate. “Up Against It” and “Burbank,” the second and third tracks, are different from “Irish Margaritas,” but are similar to each other. Both are reverberant, ruminative and emotionally viscous. These two songs cast the band’s songwriting prowess in a felicitous spotlight. At once sad and romantic, the album’s middle tracks hypnotize with a rose-pedals-and-red-wine seduction – tracks suited both for make outs and introspection on an open highway. The last track “Ten Steps” is somewhere between “Irish Margaritas” and “Burbank.” It’s exciting and diligently sentimental, with some of the EP’s most powerful lyrics. As a whole, the lyrics on the EP are artful and resplendent, but evocatively casual, pupil-dilating and shocking at times. In “Ten Steps,” Casnoff sings, “If you’ve been killed again / My body is still physical when I’m asleep / I hear you breathe it in / I am detective you are my crime scene,” which has the conflicting sentimentality of a teddy bear wearing latex gloves. In “Burbank,” he sings “We were in love / The cigarette / That held her lips / The pussy wet,” in a way that isn’t the slightest bit naïve or derogatory – your grandma would ask for a Kleenex if she
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Monday, April 13, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
heard it. Casnoff described his songs as “first person monologues from characters that aren’t always (him) … all who deal with similar kinds of things, maybe in different ways … (like) anxiety and not being able to figure shit out.” While being a monologue, each track feels like an intimate beer-and-barstool conversation with Alex. The last vital component to the Harriet admixture is the eyebrow skewing music videos. “Irish Margaritas” ’s video centers around a weird plastic lime literally placed on a pedestal and surrounded by TIKI torches and sparklers. In “Burbank,” a pornstar-moustached, Kenny-G-haired man assumes Casnoff’s role as the band’s singer, while Casnoff marries a stripper in front of a vending machine. The videos, which Casnoff likens to short movies, provide further insight into each track’s elusive soliloquist. I’ve followed Harriet since its inception three years ago. Now signed with Harvest Records, owned by Capitol, the band has seen some radical changes over the years with a generally positive trend. Harriet EP is a precursor to the band’s full album, which the members and I both hope to see out this summer. If you’re a fan of wellwritten, inventive music or you simply like to be that person who knows a chill band that your friends don’t, Harriet deserves a listen. I look forward to their full album release and will be keeping Harriet on my radar; I suggest you do this same.
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Arts
6A — Monday, April 13, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
‘Louie’ still stuns in fifth season
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Louie C.K.’s FX series is unlike anything else on TV By ALEX INTNER Daily Arts Writer
There’s something amazing about “Louie.” From the moment it debuted in 2010, it separated itself from everything else on A television. The series operLouie ates on a disSeason Five, mal budget as a Four Episodes way to make it Screened financially viaThursdays at ble for FX and give its creator, 10:30 p.m. writer, director, FX star and editor Louis C.K. (“Lucky Louie”) the ability to work without network interference. This leads to a show that is about whatever the comedian desires. Sometimes, the stories are hysterically funny (like the Season 2 episode “Pregnant”). Other times, the series tells thought-provoking stories (like last season’s “Into the Woods” and “So Did the Fat Lady”). Four episodes into the fifth season, nothing’s changed for the show. It continues to mix up its tone in a way that creates a fascinating series. As usual, “Louie” follows the life of a fictional version of Louis C.K. (referred to as Louie). He performs stand-up, dates Pamela (Pamela Adlon, who played his wife on “Lucky Louie”) and raises his two daughters. Louie’s various roles are built into the first four episodes of the new season, which include Louie attending a potluck, going to a cooking store, running into his
COACHELLA
“Brah, I’m totes stoked for Skrillex.” FX
“We’re not mad, we’re just disappointed.”
sister’s ex-boyfriend and spending some time with his brother. Within those stories, “Louie” shows exactly how funny it can be, and how it can tackle some more serious topics as well. The first episode, “Potluck,” falls under one of the funnier ones in the group. Louie’s scene where he has sex with a surrogate (played by University alum Celia Keenan-Bolger, a Broadway veteran) is incredibly uncomfortable, but C.K., per usual, finds humor in that discomfort. However, the season’s third episode features two of the show’s most intriguing stories. In the cold open, Louie talks to a millennial, and the result is a scene that is both hysterical and makes Louie look sad in a new way. The second half of the episode has Louie running into his sister’s ex, played by Michael Rappaport (“Justified”), an unlikeable man. Rappaport and C.K. are brilliant in creating their relationship, in a turn that could easily earn Rappaport an Emmy nomination for Guest Actor in a Comedy. However, “Louie” ’s storytelling doesn’t just shine in the stories-ofthe-week. It also does a wonderful job of telling the ongoing story of Louie and Pamela’s relation-
ship. Though the show did multipart episodes in the past, it didn’t really approach serialized stories until last season, which ended with a three-parter about Louie’s unfolding relationship with his exgirlfriend Pamela, and two of the four episodes continue that storyline. Adlon and C.K. have fantastic chemistry, and C.K. uses that to construct some brilliant jokes (look out for a scene in a movie theater). However, it’s the dramatic aspect of this arc that is more notable. In a way, these stories are sad in the manner in which they play out, but on the other hand, they show two people who genuinely have feelings for each other, which makes the end of the fourth episode that much more powerful. There’s nothing else that matches “Louie” ’s perfect balance of tones on television. While a few other shows have tried to copy the model (most notably “Maron” at IFC), none have come close to matching the pitch-perfect mix that makes the series special. Hopefully the low premiere ratings are still high enough for FX to continue to support C.K.’s vision because what he’s turning out is truly great.
Coachella: The best and worst of times By RACHEL KERR Daily Arts Wrtier
This weekend, my Instagram filled with photos of friends – you know those friends you used to get drunk with in high school but, like, not actually hang out with? – as they ran through the California desert wearing flower head bands and flash-tats. Because they’re at Coachella. And I’m not. For the first time in three years. If I sound bitter, it’s because I am. Still, those days in the Indio heat hold some of my fondest memories: my best times and my worst times, filled with some wise decisions and some foolish ones. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Best when you’re approaching the scorching desert, your car equally packed with sticky limbs and stuffed luggage and some Drake song blaring through the speakers, worst when you reach the sprawling polo field a little after midnight and have to wait hours in a line of cars ranging from Mercedes to Mazdas, Camaros to Camrys, before you can unload; best when
those hours lead to the formation of unconventional friendships, worst when some of those new friends wear “GYM, TAN, LAX” T-shirts and eat all your flavor-blasted goldfish; best when your feet first touch the field’s floor, worst when your feet get run over moments after they first touch that dead grass (though you miraculously don’t break any toes); best when you cry watching Jeff Mangum, worst when your friends make you stand through a Skrillex set; best when you’re laughing as you hold a heavy-duty garbage bag for your friend to vomit in, worst when that same friend has to hold your hair back as you throw up publicly in an aluminum trash can; best when you watch A$AP Rocky perform before you even know who he is, worst when a naked woman starts dancing on you in the crowd; best when you watch the sun kiss the desert mountains around 7:00 p.m, tinting the sky with a pale pink and purple, worst when you feel the sun rise at 6:00 a.m and with it, the temperature approaches 100 degrees.
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. Wise to finally begin setting up your campsite at 3:00 a.m, foolish when your lack of camping experience causes you to break the tent; wise to bring an air mattress for the tent, foolish to accidentally poke a hole in said mattress; wise to befriend your car-camping next-door neighbors who offer you absinthe, foolish to willingly drink it; wise to buy a few disposable cameras, foolish to think you’ll want to carry them around all day; wise to bring a reusable water bottle, foolish to forget to apply sunscreen to your fair, freckled skin; wise to fill your friend’s whole camelback with vodka, foolish to drink it all before Shlomo’s afternoon set; wise to eat a piece of Spicy Pie pizza, foolish to eat four pieces of Spicy Pie pizza; wise to take some time off in the shade, foolish to fall asleep and miss most of Kurt Vile’s show. Wise to try and forget the festival is only three days, foolish to think you’ll be able to go again after you become a college student and move to Michigan.
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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | April 13, 2015
LORDS OF THE RING Women win national championship, men finish second inside IM Building By ZACH SHAW Daily Sports Writer
The biggest athletic event in Ann Arbor this weekend didn’t take place at any of the sparkling, million-dollar Division I athletics facilities known nationwide. While the new and polished fields, tracks and arenas baked in the early-spring sun, thousands of fans flocked to the sweaty, echoing gymnasium of the century-old Intramural Sports Building for
the USIBA National Championships. It was, by all accounts, a knockout event. “We got a lot of compliments about how the tournament was run, from the officials, coaches, to the teams and fighters that came from all over the country,” said Michigan coach Tony Sensoli. “They felt we were very organized and things ran really smoothly.” With the backing of a home crowd, Michigan earned five individual national championships to claim its first-ever women’s team title. Though it came up short in repeating as national champion in the men’s group, taking second instead, the biggest story of the weekend was the event itself. Drawing 150 boxers from over 30 teams and attended by thousands of screaming fans, the event showed that See BOXING, Page 4B
For Kate Johnson, success at USIBA Championships fuels a greater goal By MAX BULTMAN Daily Sports Editor
A little after 3 p.m. Friday, Sandy Johnson saw her daughter take a punch to the face for the first time ever. A few minutes later, she watched her hoist a national championship belt. Kate Johnson earned her second national boxing title when she won the 119-pound division of the USIBA College Boxing Championships. Before losing Saturday in the Golden Gloves tournament,
she was undefeated at 9-0. Just a few years ago, her parents would have never seen this coming. “She was usually pretty quiet until she got mad or riled up,” Ed Johnson said. “But she’ll hit her head on a brick wall just to get something done or prove a point.” Now a senior, Johnson grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan and was a swimmer at Divine Child High School in Dearborn. She liked to exercise, and joined the Michigan boxing club at FestiFall because she thought it might be an interesting way to stay in shape. At first, she just wanted to punch the bag. But as she dove deeper into the sport and spent more time honing her skills, the competitive itch took over. It can be difficult to schedule actual See JOHNSON, Page 2B opponents in
PHOTOS BY ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
ONE STEP BEHIND
n The Michigan men’s lacrosse team fell to Ohio State Sunday at Michigan Stadium, 13-8. Page 4B
RUTGERS ROUTED
n The Michigan softball team picked up three easy wins by a combined score of 39-3. Page 3B
SportsMonday
2B — April 13, 2015
‘M’ misses three-peat Wolverines finish fourth behind Oklahoma, Penn State, Stanford Daily Sports Writer
The third time wasn’t the charm for the Michigan men’s gymnastics team. Friday night, the secondranked Wolverines aimed for a three-peat as national champions, but came up short, landing in fourth place out of six teams. Michigan’s final tally was 437.650, behind eventual champion Oklahoma, Penn State and Stanford. “Obviously I’m disappointed because we didn’t perform up to our capabilities,” said Michigan coach Kurt Golder. “I don’t think we were a good enough team to get past Oklahoma. We would have had to be perfect and they would have had to falter in order to get by them.” Keeping in stride with their last two titles, the Wolverines went with the same event order that had worked so well in the past two years. Their first rotation of the night was the pommel horse, where senior Adrian de los Angeles led the way with a 15.00, followed closely behind by junior Nolan Novak, who scored 14.85. Despite these strong efforts, Michigan couldn’t keep up with its competition and found itself sixth after its first event. That deficit proved to be too much, as Michigan never rose higher than fourth on the night. The Wolverines made up for lost points on the still rings. With big scores from seniors Hub Humphrey and Colin Mahar, Michigan tallied its highest rings score of the season with a total of 73.90. However, the Wolverines were still in a disappointing
SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN
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By CAROLYN KODIS
ZACH MOORE/Daily
Dmitri Belanovski earned All-American honors as a freshman Saturday.
fifth place, and would stay there during their best event of the season — the vault. Despite high scores from senior Paul Rizkalla and sophomore Anthony Stefanelli, their points were not able to make up for a pair of missed landings. Michigan moved up to fourth place after a strong parallel bars performance. Freshman Dmitri Belanovski made a major contribution to the Wolverines’ fourth rotation with a 14.85. “It’s no surprise,” Golder said. “Dmitri is always a steady guy in practice. I’m so impressed with his consistency, and he’s only a freshman.” Michigan ended its night with an exclamation point on floor. Senior Stacey Ervin and Rizkalla led the way with 15.50 and 15.30, respectively. Both exercises played a key role in earning a season-high total of 75.60 in the event. Unfortunately for Michigan, the scores weren’t enough to push the Wolverines
out of fourth place. Four gymnasts represented Michigan the following day in the individual event finals. Novak and de los Angeles competed on pommel horse, and Novak, with a stunning 14.77, finished second in the event. Belanovski wowed again on the high bar, where he tied for third with 15.025, just 0.1 points away from first. Also tying for third, Ervin earned 15.575 on floor. He, Belanovski and Novak all earned All-American honors. “I find it interesting,” Golder said. “(Ervin and Belanovski) have been roommates on the road all season and they both end up tying for third in their events. It’s funny how that worked out.” A pure coincidence between a freshman and senior ended the disappointing weekend on a more positive note. And as Ervin steps down as a team leader, Belanovski steps in as a new star of the team and, possibly, a sign of things to come.
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Men’s Gymnastics
3.11
Average finish for the Michigan men’s gymnastics team in 18 NCAA Tournaments under coach Kurt Golder
1
Finish outside the top six in the nation (in 2006, when the Wolverines did not qualify for the NCAA Championships)
4
National championships under Golder, including the last two seasons, once at Crisler Center
2008
Last time Michigan finished worse than second in the Big Ten until this year, when it finished third
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Jim Hackett’s indefinite tenure
early half a year into his indefinite tenure as Michigan’s interim
athletic director, Jim Hackett hasn’t been very vocal about his stay. One of his only clues GREG as to how long his term GARNO will last is that it’s contingent on a discussion with his wife, Kathy. He noted it at a press conference on Nov. 22 and now, most recently, on April 1 after a fireside chat. Maybe he hasn’t had time to finish that talk. After all, he has been busy hiring a new football coach and working to revitalize the fan and player experience at football games. But there’s something disconcerting about one discussion impacting the athletic department’s future. It’s considerate that Jim Hackett is taking on such a big responsibility with his partner. He hasn’t been more transparent about his stay since expressing that sentiment, though, as the athletic year comes to an end with work still to be done. Because as well as Hackett has handled everything, you, the fan of Michigan athletics, should be aware of the impact of his tenure on the greater vision of the Athletic Department — the things that don’t relate to Jim Harbaugh. Jim Hackett says he won’t think of his term as a matter of time; he says it’s about accomplishing his priorities before he figures out his future. That’s a nice policy for building a house or cooking for your housemates, but not so much for the athletic director of a program that saw fans protest at the University President’s house just half a year ago. He has received praise from fans for his work with the team, but before you get too excited, consider that his interim tag could create problems on the
execution of that vision. During Dave Brandon’s tenure, the University’s Board of Regents announced an initiative to expand and revamp its athletic campus for smaller sports. Part of it, including offices and facilities for field hockey, softball and both basketball teams, was already completed before Hackett started on Oct. 31. The proposed renovations would impact two-thirds of Michigan’s 27 athletic teams, including the construction of a new track and new rowing facility as well as the expansion of Canham Natatorium and Cliff Keen Arena. You can still see the effort to bring in donations, which is a hefty, long-term project that features teams of associates spread out across the country. Those teams need someone to commit to seeing them through, which can be made easier by setting a timetable. The funding for the project is a task in itself, and it requires the help from donors, people like Stephen M. Ross. Last year, Ross donated $100 million to the athletic campus, in part because of his close relationship with Brandon — he told The Detroit News in a report published Thursday that he was in favor of Brandon staying. Ross told the paper, “Michigan now needs to hire the next athletic director because Jim is the interim one. That’s what everybody is expecting, and you can see what happens when people don’t agree with something at Michigan.” If the biggest donor to the athletic department, the one who the athletic campus is named after, is expecting a new athletic director, then it’s important to clarify his intentions for others. Many people are already on board with what’s done, but it isn’t made easier when he hasn’t set a timetable for how long he’ll be around. It might be tough to convince a donor to give money when they have no idea how long he’ll be around to
utilize it. And how does he build the relationship between the administration, including a president that still has little experience in athletics, to trust bigger decisions about the expansion of facilities or fundraising efforts? It might be tough to approve something knowing the athletic director might be out to see the project through. Hackett has already worked to bring back the tradition in the football program, letting Jim Harbaugh make the calls on music played at the Big House or even the color of the cleats. These things please donors, because they’re a return to some of the program’s core values, but how much more can Hackett finish before time is up? Music and cleats are quick fixes. Athletic facilities and stability are long-term projects that become more important in the grand scheme of things. If he were to leave now, then the department would already be set back to rebuilding relationships with coaches and players again. But being transparent about his stay is helpful in picking the next leader. Then the replacement process doesn’t have to be rushed. Maybe that person is Hackett, who has filled in admirably. But the athletic year is coming to an end, and you don’t know what’s coming next because you don’t know how long the leader will be there. And if he does know more, you don’t know what it is because he hasn’t shared. There’s no harm in setting a timetable for everyone. But what’s the benefit to keeping his tenure a mystery? As head of one of the biggest branches of the University, Hackett has managed things as well as he could have been asked. Imagine how much more he could do with one discussion. Garno can reached at ggarno@umich.edu or on Twitter: @G_Garno.
JOHNSON From Page 1B women’s boxing, though, and without connections in the sport, Johnson was unable to find a foe. She finally booked her first fight during her junior year — without telling her parents until after, when she told them she won. “We said, ‘If you’re gonna do something, put everything you have into it,’ and she has,” Sandy Johnson said. “After, when we see the film, we know that she’s won. That makes it a lot easier.” Friday, Sandy and Ed Johnson watched their daughter box in person for the first time at the Intramural Sports Building, which hosted the USIBA College National Championships. And Johnson got all she could handle early from her opponent, Army’s Gaby Barrera-Gutierrez. Barrera-Gutierrez came out with a series of frantic punches, looking to wear down Johnson. But Johnson, who, according to her father, runs eight to 10 miles per day, withstood the flurry. She stood her ground and went into the first break looking confident, while Gutierrez looked already fatigued. Normally, Johnson said, she respects her opponents so much that she doesn’t hold grudges during or after a match. This one was different, though. Johnson was actually supposed to fight BarreraGutierrez on Thursday, leaving her open for a different match Friday and an appearance at the Golden Gloves tournament in Detroit on Saturday. But Gutierrez didn’t arrive at the tournament, delaying their match to Friday and forcing her to choose between Golden Gloves and another USIBA fight. “I was mad at her,” Johnson
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Kate Johnson is a volunteer coach as well as an individual national champion.
said. In the second round, Johnson used that anger as fuel and capitalized on BarreraGutierrez’s exhaustion. Taking control of the pace, she landed combo blows and jabs to the side of Barrera-Gutierrez’s head, leading to a standing eight count just before the second bell. With her winning formula already established, she backed Gutierrez into the ropes at the start of the third round. Pushing her along the edge of the ring, Johnson landed a series of combos to the body and head, relentlessly exploiting openings until the referee called the match. “I realized she had a pause when she was swinging when she was tired,” Johnson said. “I figured she probably couldn’t take hard punches. So that’s what I tried to do — just clean, hard shots.” Outwardly unassuming and modest, Johnson is a tactician in the ring, strategizing while dodging open fists and ducking closed ones. And if she seems surprisingly proficient for a boxer with just two years of live fighting experience, her other role might be even more shocking. Since women’s boxing doesn’t
technically have club sport status at the University, Johnson also serves as one of the team’s volunteer coaches. When she wasn’t fighting, she was ringside, cheering the other Michigan women to the team title. Five Wolverine women won individual titles over the weekend, knocking two-time defending champion Army from its pedestal in resounding fashion. And it’s no wonder why they were able to rise to such heights so fast. Johnson’s workout routine is so intense that a SWAT team once trained with her and, as first reported by WCBN, it was so intense that some of the members threw up from it. The small, redheaded senior helped build the program to a national title contender, even without school funding or a full coaching staff, which the Michigan men have. Next year, even though she will have graduated, she hopes it will finally get some of the same advantages the men do. Johnson will hit her head on a brick wall if that’s what it takes. Maybe five individual titles and a team national championship will do the trick instead. It might save the brick wall some embarrassment.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
April 13, 2015 — 3B
Wolverines rebound to win series on road By DANNY VARGOVICK Daily Sports Writer
It won’t be the start that sticks out from the Michigan baseball team’s series this weekend. It will be the finish. This weekend, the Wolverines started horribly with an 11-1 beatdown at the hands of Penn State (10-20 overall, 2-6 Big Ten). After the game, Michigan coach Erik Bakich told his team that it just needed to put the game in the past and forget about it. And that’s exactly what it did, rallying on Saturday and Sunday to take the series with 5-3 and 8-3 wins in State College. For the Wolverines, the heroes of the turnaround on Saturday and Sunday were the starting pitchers. Freshman right-hander Ryan Nutof and sophomore lefthander Brett Adcock both went six innings, allowing only one earned run combined. Nutof wasn’t at his absolute best, but he was good enough. In his six innings, he allowed five hits and four walks while striking out two. Sunday, Adcock allowed just two hits and struck out six, but two unearned runs scored on errors by junior second baseman Jacob Cronenworth in the third inning and freshman shortstop Jake Bivens in the fourth. Bakich has been tinkering with his infield defense since the return of junior infielder Travis Maezes. At the start of the season, Cronenworth was at first, Maezes at shortstop, senior Eric Jacobson at second and freshman Drew Lugbauer at third. In Maezes’ absence, Bivens emerged into an everyday player, registering a .422 on-base percentage. Sunday, though, Maezes showed why it’s worth the
effort to juggle the lineup to accommodate him. He went 3-for-4 with two clutch doubles to bring home four Wolverine base runners. The other offensive star for Michigan was senior centerfielder Jackson Glines. After leading the Big Ten in hitting for the majority of the season, Glines was held to just two hits in last weekend’s series win against Indiana. This weekend, he collected four hits — two doubles, a triple and a single. After starting the year coming off the bench, sophomore right fielder Johnny Slater received three starts this weekend. He has dynamic speed, but so far in his career, his high strikeout and low walk rates have limited his ability to use his speed on the bases. Friday, Slater recorded a single and a stolen base. He wasn’t able to score, but he didn’t strike out. Saturday, he had two singles, one on a bunt, but struck
out twice, got picked off once and didn’t score. Sunday, though, he recorded one single, didn’t strike out and, in his final plate appearance of the weekend, walked and scored. Bakich said he has been impressed with Slater, and that players like him are what make it so difficult for opposing pitchers to get through the Wolverine lineup. This series was another testament to the Wolverines being real contenders this year. Baseball is a game that has a large and vitally important mental component, and this team had the mental fortitude to move past a debilitating 11-1 loss Friday and turn things around and win the series. After statement wins against Big Ten favorite Maryland and Big Ten defending champion Indiana in the previous two weekends, this weekend could’ve been a trap for a lesser team. But for this team, it wasn’t.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Travis Maezes went 3-for-4 with two doubles in Sunday’s series finale.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
‘M’ adds two home wins By LELAND MITCHINSON Daily Sports Writer
As the No. 14 Michigan women’s tennis team ended its match Saturday, the focus was on senior Kristen Dodge. Dodge was trying to join fellow seniors Emina Bektas and Sarah Lee with wins on Senior Day. After a tough first set in which she won in a seven-point tiebreak, Dodge cruised to a 6-1 second-set victory to win the final home match of her career. “I have had such a passion for Michigan my whole life,” Dodge said. “It’s been truly a blessing being able to be here for four years, and now I’m just glad I could make everyone proud and my family proud, to win one last match and to have (my family) see me play one last time.” The success for the seniors was part of another impressive weekend for the Wolverines, who defeated in-state rival Michigan State, 7-0, on Friday and took down Memphis, 6-1, on Saturday. Against the Spartans, Michigan took the doubles point with an 8-3 win from the No. 13
team of Bektas and freshman Alex Najarian and an 8-6 win from freshman Mira RuderHook and sophomore Sara Remynse. Bektas took the momentum to singles, winning the No. 1 singles match, 6-2, 6-0. Ruder-Hook finished her match next with an equally impressive performance, winning in straight sets without dropping a single game. Lee eventually clinched the match for Michigan, winning 6-0, 6-3. “It means so much to be part of this,” Lee said. “Mostly because of how much it has given me and sort of taught me about leadership and what it’s like to be on a team with amazing girls.” Najarian, Remynse and junior Ronit Yurovsky each added wins to the Wolverines’ total to give Michigan the clean sweep. Saturday, the weather was nice enough for the team to play its first home outdoor match of the season, when it took on Memphis. In doubles play, Lee and Yurovsky won 8-2, while the team of Ruder-Hook and Dodge won 8-3 to give Michigan the
“It’s crazy that four years have gone by this fast.”
doubles point. Following the doubles matches, the seniors were joined on the courts by their families and were honored by the team. “It’s crazy that four years have gone by this fast,” Bektas said. “I think the biggest thing I’m going to take away is the people I’ve been around. My teammates and my coaches have helped me grow as a tennis player and as a person so much.” Lee built on her success from Friday, using her drop shot to secure a win at the third position, 6-3, 6-1. “The drop shot is kind of my go-to,” Lee said. “I love hitting the drop shot but she especially stood really far back so it worked very well today and whenever I had a chance I would go for the drop shots.” Bektas clinched the win with a 6-3, 7-5 victory at the No. 1 spot. The weekend’s only loss for the Wolverines came on Saturday when Najarian lost a three-set match, ending her team-best 12 match win streak. “It’s good. You want to get pushed,” said Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein. “When you win easy and then you get put in those tough situations you might doubt if you can get through. I think this was very good for us heading into next Friday (against No. 18 Ohio State).”
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Abby Ramirez hit .889 in Michigan’s weekend series to help lead the Wolverines to a sweep over Rutgers.
Michigan sweeps Rutgers By TYLER SCOTT Daily Sports Writer
After a year and a half on the Michigan softball team, Abby Ramirez hit her first career home run Saturday. For an encore, the sophomore shortstop jacked a three-run shot to give the Wolverines the lead in the Sunday game. In nine at-bats, Ramirez hit .889 for the weekend. Ramirez was on fire all weekend, but she wasn‘t alone. The seventh through ninth hitters combined for 11 hits as the Wolverines swept the Rutgers. “We’re a team, and we need everybody on the team doing their part, because the same people aren’t always going to get it done,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “(Ramirez) was in a great groove over the weekend. … But we need the bottom of the order to contribute, and they were fantastic this weekend.” Before the weekend series, Rutgers (7-5 Big Ten, 20-12 Overall) and Michigan (10-2 Big Ten, 37-6 Overall) were tied for second place in the Big Ten softball standings. But you couldn’t tell that was the case on the field. No. 4 Michigan trounced Rutgers in games one and two by scores of 18-0 and 16-3, respectively. In Sunday’s finale, the Wolverines batted in fewer runs, but still won 5-0 to earn the series sweep. With the wins, Michigan is now alone on top of the Big Ten standings, edging out Northwestern for the lead by way of win percentage.
In the leadoff at-bat of the series, junior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence lifted a homer over the left-field wall. It was a precursor to the onslaught that buried the Scarlet Knights through the first two games. Michigan scored 17 runs in three innings as it mowed its way through Rutgers’ bullpen. Three pitchers besides the starter, lefthander Alyssa Landrith, saw action in Friday’s opener, but none could stymie the Wolverine offense. Junior second baseman Sierra Romero, sophomore outfielder Kelly Christner and junior right fielder Kelsey Susalla all homered as part of a sevenrun fourth inning. Christner homered again her next time up as Michigan added seven more runs in the fifth. “When we have good weekends, it’s usually because we’re relaxed and not getting in our own heads,” Ramirez said. “When everyone’s playing really well, we’re all playing really loose and we’re not pressing to get hits or anything, we go up there kind of relaxed.” With the bats as hot as they were, Michigan’s pitching staff had a massive margin for error, but it didn’t need one. Sophomore right-hander Megan Betsa pitched Friday, giving up just three hits and recording nine strikeouts through five innings in the run-rule victory. Senior left-hander Haylie Wagner was in the circle for game two when the Scarlet Knights scored their only runs of the weekend. Wagner allowed just four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts, but an ill-
timed error by Sierra Romero at second base allowed a runner to advance and eventually score. Rutgers capitalized on Michigan’s defensive missteps to score two runs in the second, and Scarlet Knights first baseman Rebecca Hall jacked a solo home run in the fourth to provide Rutgers its only offense. “There were a few slip ups, but we were able to bounce back,” said senior catcher Lauren Sweet. “That’s a huge thing. Defense is the most important part of the game, and our pitchers really came out to play.” Michigan sidestepped every challenge that Rutgers cooked up for it. In the series finale, Landrith returned to the circle seemingly well equipped for the potency of the Wolverines’ lineup. Instead of a slugfest like in game one, the Michigan offense was contained to just two productive innings. The three-run homer from Ramirez in the second inning was the only difference until Lawrence knocked in a tworun single in the sixth frame. Betsa chalked another superb start, allowing just two hits and striking out 14 Rutgers batters. Happy with the results of the weekend and her team’s place atop the conference, Hutchins is still looking for ways to improve her team with the postseason looming. “I want to focus on Michigan and what Michigan does well,” Hutchins said. “That’s our brand ... we swing, and we swing well. We just have to stay with that and just continue to get a little bit better around the edges.”
SportsMonday
4B — April 13, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S LACROSSE
Wolverines fail to finish big possessions vs. OSU Struggles in faceoffs doom Michigan in close loss to rival By BRANDON CARNEY Daily Sports Writer
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Junior midfielder Kyle Jackson scored two goals in Michigan’s 13-8 loss to Ohio State on Sunday afternoon.
‘M’ falls to Ohio State By RILEY NELSON Daily Sports Writer
The conditions Sunday could not have been better for the Michigan’s men’s lacrosse team as it squared off against Ohio State. OHIO STATE 13 But MICHIGAN 8 on such a perfect day, the Wolverines (1-2 Big Ten, 5-6 overall) were far from perfect, losing to the 11th-ranked Buckeyes, 13-8. The afternoon showed a hardfought battle on both sides, with a little extra fire underneath every player. The effort was there for Michigan, but the deciding factor in Sunday’s matchup was ultimately possessions. The Buckeyes won 64 percent of the faceoffs, something the Wolverines expected, but it still ended up costing them. “Initially, they got a lot of possessions, which affected us early,” said sophomore defenseman Andrew Hatton. “I think we can do a lot better of a job clearing, picking up the ground balls, getting those possessions and settling it once we have it.”
BOXING From Page 1B college boxing is entering a new age of growth, and Michigan is right in the middle of it. “It’s fantastic,” Sensoli said. “The line I keep saying is that ‘These are the good ol’ days. These are the peak times we’ve ever had for Michigan boxing.’ It’s going to be hard to top the last two years.” In most people’s minds, the golden age of boxing was generations ago. A varsity sport until an athlete death ended such competition in 1960, the combative and gory nature of boxing that once made it one of America’s most popular sports was also its downfall. This sentiment returned just a few years ago, when Michigan club boxing was kicked off campus, unable to compete. Practicing in coaches’ backyards and becoming selfsufficient, the Wolverines not only came back swinging, but with a fresh new look. Joining the newly formed USIBA and emphasizing a female team, Michigan found
The Wolverines were strong in the first half, leading Ohio State by one or two goals for most of the second quarter. Michigan redshirt sophomore goaltender Gerald Logan and the rest of the defense did not allow the Buckeyes to score for over 20 minutes at one point. But when Ohio State did score, things fell apart for Michigan. The Wolverines only had 14 successful clears on 21 attempts, giving the Buckeyes more opportunities than they deserved. “We knew it was going to be a possession battle coming into it,” said senior attacker and co-captain Will Meter. “Obviously, they’re very good offensively, so when you give them opportunities, it’s going to be pretty tough for you.” Meter, along with five of his teammates, each tallied one goal, while junior midfielder Kyle Jackson notched two goals.
While both the statistics and team say that the lack of possession was the deciding factor of this game, Michigan instead chose to focus on the positives. “Our effort was outstanding,” said Michigan coach John Paul. “The energy to start the game was outstanding. If we could bottle that first quarter and bring that out every single time we play a quarter of lacrosse, we’re going to be in pretty good shape no matter who we’re playing.” Added Meter: “Everyone’s really excited with the direction of the team and where it’s going. We don’t look at it as there’s two weeks left in the regular season and we’re fighting for our lives to get a position. There’s an opportunity in front of us, and let’s see where we can get a seeding position. I think if we continue the confidence … good things are going to happen.”
“We knew it was going to be a possession battle.”
previously unheard of success, winning more individual national titles (12) in the past two years than in decades of club boxing. But as this year showed, the rest of the nation is following suit. Newcomer Virginia Military Institute took the men’s title, while numerous other teams made their debuts in Ann Arbor. The increase of teams makes the event a special one in the boxing world. “I’ve never seen support the teammates have for each other as we have in college boxing, no matter where we go,” said USA Boxing Chief of Officials Mac McCadden. “A lot of it is because these young folks, they’re not going to be professional boxers. They’re going to be doctors, lawyers, take care of my cars. They have all these other aspirations. They do this because they love to do it and it’s fun. “I can’t tell you how much improvement we’ve seen. The resurgence of college boxing is tremendous for us. You can tell with the increased number of athletes and quality of fights in just a few years. As long as it
The combination of one of the nation’s tightest defenses and country’s top faceoff men proved fatal for the Michigan men’s lacrosse team. Coming into Sunday, the Wolverines understood all scoring opportunities were going to be at a premium against No. 11 Ohio State (3-0 Big Ten, 10-3 overall). Knowing how valuable every offensive possession would be against the Buckeyes’ No. 9 scoring defense, the Wolverines had to change their mental mindset while attacking. Michigan (1-2, 5-6) ended up taking 35 shots, just four fewer than Ohio State, but converted a mere 22 percent into goals in a 13-8 loss. Last week against Rutgers, Michigan was drastically beaten in the faceoff circle, yet found ways to finish and score with high-percentage shots in its 10-8 victory. Facing a similar setup against the Buckeyes, the Wolverines lost the faceoff battle Sunday, 16-9, and couldn’t repeat what had worked with limited possession against the Scarlet Knights. “Every team in the Big Ten is so loaded at faceoff that we know how big the possession battle is,” said senior attacker Will Meter. “We prepared for that and it was a part of our offense but once we were late in the game and fell back a couple goals, that’s when we started
pushing the tempo.” The most noticeable difference for Michigan between the Rutgers and Ohio State matchups was its speed on the offensive end. Slow, methodical attacks helped the Wolverines score when they needed to last week. But against the Buckeyes, Michigan found itself often rushing to get shots off, especially when trying to come from behind in the second half. The Wolverines broke away from their offensive identity, costing them a chance at an upset. “Usually, we’d need to slow it down, and make sure our defense is resting,” Meter said. “That’s hard. When you’re behind in a game, you can’t fall into that (tempo) so many times. It kind of creates a spiral where we’re trying to go too fast, and if we lose the possession then it goes back to the other end, and that’s where we got stuck.” In addition to poor shooting as a result of the faster tempo, the Wolverines made several small mental errors that ended up having a large effect on the game’s outcome. Michigan committed 14 turnovers and four penalties that mostly occurred in transition, leading to easy goals for Ohio State. “We thought we’d be able to clear the ball better,” said Michigan coach John Paul. “We were making some pretty fundamental errors there. If we clear the ball better and
get a few more possessions, then maybe some of the other numbers mean something a little bit more.” As much as the Wolverines hurt themselves during crucial attacks, the Buckeye defense stepped up and stopped Michigan from finding any offensive momentum. Ohio State managed to force the Wolverines’ top scorers into harder shots and fewer opportunities to pass. Sophomore attacker Ian King and sophomore midfielder Mikie Schlossler combined for 17 shots, but scored just twice due to defensive pressure. Despite what happens on the attacking end, the key to solving Michigan’s possession problem will have to take place at where it starts. The Wolverines were crushed on faceoffs all day, and rotated between three players to take draws. Michigan finally settled on sophomore midfielder Chase Brown, who also was the Wolverines’ only healthy option in defensive midfield. Whether it’s Brown or Michigan’s starting faceoff man — junior specialist Brad Lott — taking draws in the future, Paul just hopes someone will step up and fix the Wolverines’ possession troubles at the source. “We’ve got to be better at facing off,” Paul said. “When we’re playing very good teams and we’re also at a faceoff disadvantage everything else has to go perfect. If it doesn’t, then this is what happens.”
“Every team in the Big Ten is so loaded at faceoff.”
MEN’S TENNIS
Michigan rebounds for Senior Day win By ALEX KHALIFEH Daily Sports Writer
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Alec Sensoli and Dylan Gooch fought for the heavyweight crown Saturday.
continues to grow, the sky’s the limit.” For three days the IMSB gym was constantly filled with bouts of all weight classes and skill levels. But in contrast to college boxing competitions of the past, it was clear that boxing was no longer a boys’ club. “I remember my Dad coming home a few years ago saying like ‘There’s a girl trying out,’ and we all thought it was kind of weird,” said junior Alec Sensoli, whose father coaches both teams. “Then that one girl blossomed into more, and now it’s just this big thing, and it’s amazing. They went from nothing to team champions.” Behind the training and leadership of defending champion Kate Johnson, the women’s team not only bested the competition, but obliterated it en route to the team title. Looking to match, the men sent seven competitors to the finals, including an open bout between senior and team president Kevin Bosma and VMI’s Nick O’Leary that proved to be the apex of the event. But the two-time defending national champion Bosma fell by TKO, leaving the younger Sensoli as the lone male champion. “Kevin’s OK, (but) that was a rough one,” Tony Sensoli said. “He’s our leader and the backbone of our team, he’s carried us through these last couple years and is a big part of where this team is. He’s the best kid that I’ve
ever coached, or as a person. So I hate to see him go out this way, but I know he’ll bounce back, he’s a terrific kid.” More importantly, both Michigan and college boxing found success on its biggest stage yet, ensuring that it can be a main event for the good ol’ days to come. “I used to go to practices and fights when I was younger, and it kind of died off,” Alec Sensoli said. “But now it’s getting big again, and it’s just awesome to see. Boxing’s kind of making a little bit of a comeback, but it’s great seeing college boxing where it is today.” Added McCadden: “The quality of the boxers has improved tremendously in three years. I think a lot of it has to do with the enthusiasm, the camaraderie these teammates have for each other, and the ability to not be envious of each other and share each other and to support each other.” “That’s something you don’t see in any other level of boxing.” Following the final bell, fans, athletes and officials were mingling around the area, taking in the final moments of the experience. When a group of elementary-school girls were shadow boxing outside of the building, it was clear that the resurgence of college boxing also marked a clear change in culture around the sport, making it a comeback that just might last.
“These are the good ol’ days.”
It’s not easy to compete in backto-back matches on consecutive days. Struggling in the first one doesn’t make it any easier. But that’s what the Michigan men’s tennis team went through this weekend when it faced Minnesota on Saturday and Wisconsin on Sunday. With the the Little Brown Jug on the line, Michigan (2-7 Big Ten, 5-15 overall) faced early deficits in each of its three doubles matches against Minnesota (8-1, 17-6). There were opportunities for the Wolverines to shift momentum in their favor. The No. 2 doubles duo of redshirt freshman Alex Knight and freshman Leo Hua attempted to come back against the Golden Gophers’ Felix Corwin and Leandro Toledo, cutting their lead to 7-5. But Knight and Hua were unable to ride their momentum, ultimately losing, 8-5. In that case, and overall, the Wolverines were unable to capitalize. “(Corwin and Toledo’s) returns were really good,” Hua said. “They were on top of us after their returns … we weren’t dictating the points … they had a good edge over us.” Though Hua and Knight lost in doubles, Hua’s performance at No. 3 singles was worthy of recognition, as it was the only point Michigan won in a 6-1 defeat. After taking a loss to Minnesota, Michigan found much more success against Wisconsin (3-6, 7-15). The Wolverines came out strong, as the No. 3 doubles duo of sophomores Kevin Wong and Tyler Gardiner won six straight games to come back and beat the Badgers’ Jakhongir Jalalov and Michael Sinha, 8-6. The comeback secured the doubles point for the Wolverines.
“I think, mentally, (Gardiner and Wong) felt like (Jalalov and Sinha) weren’t better than them,” Michigan coach Adam Steinberg said. “They got a game and saw what happened. … (That match) was huge. We needed that.” The doubles point, followed by three straight singles victories by Hua, Wong and Knight, helped Michigan earn a 4-0 lead against Wisconsin. Though the match was already decided, eyes focused on seniors Michael Zhu and Alex Petrone, who looked to grab victories in their final matches at the Varsity Tennis Center. While he was frustrated by his play against Wisconsin’s Jalalov, Petrone made efforts to work on his court movement and got to balls quickly. Despite the adjustments, Petrone lost in a third-set tiebreaker, 10-5. Zhu faced similar difficulty against the Badgers’ Josef Dodridge. After losing his first set, 7-5, Zhu struck back in the second, to the tune of winning four straight games. He went on to win, 6-1. In the tiebreaker, with his chance to serve and leading 9-8, Zhu committed a double fault. “(After that error), I was pissed off at myself,” Zhu said. “The only positive aspect about getting pissed off is you use it to drive yourself to win the next point. It’s bad to let it consume you.” Zhu showcased his ability to let go of the mistake, securing the tie breaking set with two straight points and winning, 11-9. For Zhu and Petrone, they say goodbye to a place they called home court for four years. But Zhu found time to put his final game into perspective and not let the emotions get ahead of him. “Just thinking: It’s the last time I’m warming up before a dual match,” Zhu said. “It’s the last time hearing the national anthem, last time huddling together over the block ‘M.’ But once you start playing, it’s like any other day.”