11-03-2015

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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ADMINISTRATION

‘U’ defends affirmative action with court brief ROBERT DUNNE/Daily

Author Naomi Klein speaks about her most recent book “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate” at the 2015 Marc and Constance Jacobson Lecture at Rackham on Monday.

Activist Naomi Klein talks climate change, capitalism Discussion points to special interests as detriment to the collective good By DANIEL OH For the Daily

Hundreds filled Rackham Auditorium on Monday to hear

Naomi Klein, a noted Canadian author and social activist, discuss her new book, “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate.” The book discusses the detrimental path political and economic systems have carved for the environment and society as a whole. “The theme of this series is conversion … conversion of the climate, conversion of the

economy,” Klein said. “And that is at the heart of the work that I do for climate change. Climate change changes everything.” Climate change and social policy often clash when natural disasters occur, Klein said. She shared the example of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005. The storm shut down Charity Hospital, which Klein explained was “one of the only places where poor African

Americans could get health care in the city.” She noted that the hospital is still closed today as a result of negligent policies that prioritize minimizing costs over catering to constituents. “(This) is one more example of taking advantage of a crisis that was born out of a collision between heavy weather and a deep neglect of the public See NAOMI KLEIN, Page 3

ACADEMICS

By GENEVIEVE HUMMER Daily Staff Reporter

The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs spent part of their Monday session discussing the most recent Faculty Senate meeting during which a majority of the 125 faculty members in attendance voted to support delaying the release of course evaluation data. At a SACUA meeting last month, Engineering Prof. James Holloway, the vice provost of global and engaged education, announced the University might release course evaluation data as soon as the end of this semester. Holloway’s announcement was met with surprise by SACUA members, who said they were not consulted about such a release. SACUA Chair Silke-Maria Weineck, a professor of Comparative Literature, said Monday that she was pleased with the Faculty Senate meeting’s turnout. “I think a lot of it was personal outreach and people talking to their friends,” she said. “And I think it was a really successful meeting; I’ve received a lot of positive comments from people saying they were impressed with the turnout, the substance

WEATHER TOMORROW

HI: 72 LO: 51

of the discussion, so I think that was good.” During last week’s Faculty Senate meeting, Central Student Government President Cooper Charlton, an LSA senior, said he was still in favor of releasing course evaluation data in time for the winter 2016 semester. “We want this to be a collaborative effort,” Charlton said. “By no means are we here to shove your concerns into a corner and not listen to you. That being said, it’s a decision, ‘are we going to release these now or are we going to kick the can down the road?’ We see there’s two conversations going on: the immediate release of course evaluations as they stand, and the second conversation is, how can we come together, through the committee Dr. Holloway has suggested, to determine what the instrument looks like going forward?” Weineck said she met with Charlton after the Faculty Senate vote to discuss how students and faculty could work together on the issue moving forward. During their meeting, Weineck said she and Charlton agreed to form a committee, comprised of three faculty members and three students, to determine protocols for the eventual release of the course evaluation data. Weineck said she anticipates the committee’s work wrapping up by April 2016. Holloway will lead another committee — comprised of one faculty member, one student See SACUA, Page 2

By SAMANTHA WINTNER Daily Staff Reporter

No stranger to court cases regarding the constitutionality of affirmative action, the University submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday highlighting its opinion that such programs are invaluable to colleges that strive to increase diversity on their campuses. An amicus brief is a document in which a third party sends its opinions and additional information on a particular case for the court’s consideration. The University is the subject of two historic Supreme Court cases surrounding affirmative

action, and the University of Texas is the defendant in the current case before the court, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. In its brief, the University argues that the pursuit of diversity is a legitimate goal for universities, writing further that it supports the University of Texas in its endeavor to do so by operating race-based admissions programs. “That view accords with the overwhelming consensus of American universities, which have concluded that racial diversity benefits the exchange and development of ideas by increasing students’ variety of perspectives; promotes cross-racial understanding and dispels racial stereotypes; and helps prepare students to be leaders in a global marketplace and increasingly multicultural society,” the brief said. Law Prof. Richard Primus said in an interview Monday See AMICUS, Page 3

PUBLIC SAFETY

NORAH JONES

SACUA plans to work with CSG on course data Faculty, students will form committee to consider release of teaching evaluations

For SCOTUS case, University details impact of Prop 2 on minority enrollment

Fire breaks out behind Sava’s near vacant bldg. Abandoned structure was condemned by the City in August By ISOBEL FUTTER

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Norah Jones, a jazz singer and songwriter, performs songs from her album Little Broken Hearts at the Michigan Theater on Monday.

RESEARCH

Lecture on bipolar disorder explores links to genetics Genetic depository informs advances in treating mental health issues By ISOBEL FUTTER Daily Staff Reporter

When Heinz Prechter, founder of the American Sunroof Company, died in 2001 at age 59, his widow created a fund to advance research on mental illness he struggled with: bipolar disorder. The Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund started in 2001 and became associated with the University’s Depression Center in 2004. The fund engages in research on bipolar disorder, specifically through

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the Prechter Bipolar Genetics Repository, the largest privatelyfunded bank of patient samples of its kind. On Monday, the ninth annual Prechter Lecture explored the potential of genetics to inform research on bipolar disorder. Keynote speaker Leroy Hood, president and co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology, a nonprofit biomedical research organization based in Seattle, covered the ways in which researchers can address disease based on genetic information. “Genetics do not determine your destiny; they determine your potential,” he said. Leroy said he was a strong advocate for “P4 medicine,” which applies to treatment that is predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory. He said this approach helps

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result in the earliest and best treatments possible. He said research has found people can combat their genetic dispositions through wellness, with practices such as eating well and exercising regularly. Hood also said family genomics, or the study of genetic sequences within a family, have produced interesting correlations between bipolar disorder and certain genetic triggers. “We can stratify patients in so many new and powerful ways,” he said. “Stratification is really the key to complex diseases. We can bring wellness to those who are at risk to bipolar disease and those who have other genetic predispositions.” LSA sophomore Maya Eter, a data entry assistant See BIPOLAR, Page 3

Vol. CXXV, No. 23 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com

Daily Staff Reporter

The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to a fire Monday afternoon near a vacant building behind Sava’s Restaurant on State Street. The building, located at 212 S. State St., was unoccupied and according to firefighters at the scene, only trash surrounding the building actually burned. It’s currently unclear how the fire started. Firefighters at the scene also said the building looks exactly as it did before the fire, but since the vacant building was already deemed unsafe for entry, firefighters did not enter the building to assess potential damage further. The city previously issued a blight enforcement warning to the building’s owner, Bloomfield Hills developer Howard Frehsee, according to a September report in The Ann Arbor News. The city had determined the building was dangerous and sent its owner a notice ordering demolition of the structure. He had until Sept. 9 to comply. The fire was fully extinguished by 3:40 p.m. Samantha Wintner contributed reporting.

NEWS............................ 2 OPINION.......................4 ARTS...........................5

SPORTS........................7 SUDOKU.......................2 CL ASSIFIEDS.................6

News

2 — Tuesday, November 3, 2015

MONDAY: This Week in History

TUESDAY: Campus Voices

WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers

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THURSDAY: Twitter Talk

FRIDAY: Photos of the Week

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DO RE MI

App combines social platforms

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Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Isabel Signoret performs at the Voice Department Recital Monday evening at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Whether puppies on the Diag, an a cappella concert or the view from a new favorite study spot, it can be difficult to include everything in a mass e-mail or a single Yik Yak post. The new app Speakiesy aims to combine the benefits of Twitter, Instagram and Yik Yak into one social media platform to inform students what is occurring on campus. LSA sophomore Nia Ulfers is the campus representative for the app and said she has gained invaluable marketing experience through the experience. What exactly is Speakiesy? Well, the best way to

describe the app is a social media site almost like Twitter, Yik Yak and Instagram all rolled into one, but with the exclusivity of being purely for University of Michigan students, so you have a to use a University of Michigan e-mail to be able to sign up for the app. What is the purpose of Speakiesy? The purpose of the app is to let people know what is going on around campus. You could also use it for purely fun purposes as well: like posting a picture of you and your dog or how nice the Diag looks on a

WHAT: There will be a special meet & greet with a Wallenberg medalist, Masha Gessen. She is an acclaimed journalist, author and critic. WHO: Spectrum Center WHEN: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. WHERE: Michigan UnionSpecrum Center

Outdoors workshop

Residency interview info

‘Dust in the wind’ film

WHAT: The Outdoor Adventure staff is teaching a workshop to introduce students to a variety of skills to help hone your outdoor leadership abilities. WHO: Michigan Outdoor Leadership Semester WHEN: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: 36 Hill St. Ann Arbor, Mich.

WHAT: Students who are interviewing to become student staff positions in residence education can attend this event. This will help them learn how to do well in their interview. WHO: Career Center WHEN: 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Couzens Hall

WHAT: “Dust in the Wind,” a movie directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien will be screened. The movie is a love story following a young couple. WHO: Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies WHEN: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Theater

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Why did you want to become a representative for Speakiesy? I’m looking to get into marketing and advertising. There is no major (for that) here so I’m currently pursuing an Organizational Studies major, but I think that through this experience I will learn valuable real life skills: I get to experience building something from the ground up, and how difficult it is to spread word on a huge campus like this, let alone a bigger city or bigger publication.

Meet with Masha Career session Mid-autumn Major & minor harvest dinner meetup session on staffing Gessen WHAT: East Quad dining hall will be featuring a special fall menu, including local harvested vegetables and produce. WHO: Michigan Dining WHEN: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: East Quad Dining Hall

Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 jcalfas@michigandaily.com

certain day.

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

WHAT: Students who are interested in the staffing industry can attend this event to get a look into the lives of recruiters. WHO: The Career Center WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Pond Room

420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS ROSE FILIPP

WHAT: LSA students that are interested in exploring different majors and minors. This event will showcase the many different fields of study that the LSA offers. WHO: The Career Center WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library

Bill Staines performance WHAT: Bill Staines is a performer and folk artist and has been performing for six years. WHO: Michigan Union Ticket Office WHEN: 8 p.m. WHERE: Off Campus Location, The Ark Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.

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1

The Russian airline Kogalymavia has blamed an “external influence” for the plane crash in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt last Saturday. According to BBC News, 224 people were killed.

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2

The Michigan men’s basketball team opened practice to fans for an hour ahead of Friday’s exhibition against Le Moyne at 7 p.m. at Crisler Center.

3

According to federal authorities, students who identify as transgender are allowed to use school locker room facilities in accordance with their gender identity, The New York Times reported.

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Alzheimer’s research links gene groups to disease progression At Bernard W. Agranoff Lecture, lecture shows promise for a cure By KATIE PENROD Daily Staff Reporter

Alzheimer’s has historically been a disease researchers have struggled to find an effective treatment or cure for — however, Stanford University Prof. Carla Shatz hopes to change that. Shatz’s work at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research was featured Monday during the Bernard W. Agranoff Lecture, an annual talk honoring the neuroscience pioneer who retired from his teaching position at the University in 2003. Shatz was the first woman to earn tenure in the basic sciences at Stanford, where she is currently a professor of biology and neurobiology. Her research

focuses on synaptic plasticity, or the ability of the gaps between nerve cells to strengthen or weaken over time, in relation to Alzheimer’s disease. Throughout her lecture, Shatz emphasized the importance of a type of gene — MHC class I — specifically the MHC gene PirB. Her research teams throughout the years have focused on studying the visual cortex in the brain to uncover whether that particular gene is involved in regulating synaptic plasticity. The MHC family of genes is complex and because the team pinpointed the family as important in diseases like Alzheimer’s, there may be more need to focus on their specific functions. Shatz focused heavily on what she called “critical periods,” during which learning occurs, in the mice she studied. She said the genes that enable this type of learning remain present in elderly people or those with Alzheimer’s, but are repressed.

Shatz also said her team found that the PirB gene inhibits the ability of synapses to strengthen and weaken over time in response to increases or decreases in their activity. This may in turn contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. “PirB downstream signaling opposes cascades that are required for synaptic plasticity,” she said. “Especially, more interesting a question for me as I get older is: Is this enough? We know that there’s a co-regulation between synaptic weakening and synaptic pruning and the PirB loss of function.” The goal, Shatz said, is to find a way to inhibit PirB in humans, which contributes the loss of synapses in a process called “pruning.” “One of the ways we investigated this question was simply to take an Alzheimer mouse model and cross it with germline PirB knocked out mice and to ask whether in the absence of the PirB receptor, these mice might be protected from memory loss,” she said. Employing basic memory tests, Shatz’s team found that when PirB receptors were blocked in mice that modeled Alzheimer’s, they performed on par with normal mice. “What we discovered was in the absence of the PirB receptor they were performing memory discrimination at the same level as model-type mice,” she said. Shatz ended her lecture on a hopeful note, saying the need for a pill to block PirB function could be on the forefront of her research. Though she said that kind of development takes time, the advances so far are promising. Neuroscience postbaccalaureate student Sharena Rice said she learned a lot from Shatz’s lecture and was especially fascinated by the way in which she conducted her research by using the visual cortex as a method of discovering PirB functions. “This opened my eyes to visual neuroplasticity,” Rice said. “It brings up more questions and we need questions to identify more answers.”

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SACUA member Angela Fagerlin, associate professor of internal medicine, discusses a student proposal for the formation of a clean energy committee and the preparation for the March Faculty Governance Conference in the Fleming Administration Building on Monday.

SACUA From Page 1 and evaluation experts — to determine whether the current course evaluation instrument is in line with best practices. If it is not, the committee will be charged with recommending a new instrument. According to Weineck, University Provost Martha Pollack wants the issue of how and when to release course evaluation data to be decided by faculty and students.

“(Pollack) seemed very, very open to having students and faculty hash this out and not get involved, which I think is wonderful,” Weineck said. In an October interview with The Michigan Daily, Pollack confirmed this desire for students and faculty to work together to find a solution. SACUA members also discussed the faculty governance conference the University is scheduled to host in March. The conference will

be open to faculty governance at other Big Ten schools, the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley. Though still in the planning stages, SACUA members hope to facilitate panel discussions about the purview of faculty governance and academic freedom, among other issues. This is the first time the University will host such a conference.

Send entries to Sam Gringlas at gringlas@umich.edu by Nov. 13. Pieces should be limited to three minutes in length.

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NEWS BRIEFS

Student the subject of armed robbery on Halloween This Halloween, at approximately 8:20 p.m., a student was robbed by an armed, unknown male at the 1100 block of Oakland Street at East University Avenue. The student’s cell phone was taken and the suspect fled on foot. The suspect was described to Ann Arbor Police by the witness as being a Black male in his early 20s, of medium build, wearing a backwards black hat. Diane Brown, University Police spokeswoman, said AAPD has no further information regarding this incident at this time. Students were notified of the armed robbery Nov. 2 at 12:49 p.m., three days after it took place on Oct. 31. On Oct. 19, students were notified of a home invasion at the 700 block of Oakland Street. This suspect involved in this incident had a similar description — a Black male in his 20s of medium build wearing a backwards denim baseball hat.

Supreme Court rejects hearing Armstrong case The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it won’t hear an appeal from the former Michigan assistant attorney general who lost a defamation suit filed by a former University student body president. Chris Armstrong was the first openly gay Michigan Student Assembly (now Central Student Government) president. Shirvell, former state attorney general, was fired in 2010 for anti-gay rhetoric against Armstrong, which then attorney general Mike Cox deemed “harassing conduct.” In February, a circuit court upheld the defamation suit, though it reduced the damages Shirvell owed to $3.5 million. Armstrong alleged that Shirvell stalked and harassed him because of his sexuality. Shirvell was ultimately fired from his position after creating a blog titled “Chris Armstrong Watch” where he argued Armstrong was using his position as MSA president to promote a “radical homosexual agenda.”

Alum John Wu donates $10M to China partnership John Wu and his wife Jane Sun donated $10 million to the University of Michigan’s Shanghai Jiaotong University Joint Institute; the University’s largest global partnership. The donation will go toward the creation of the John Wu and Jane Sun Endowment Fund to fund scholarships, professors, faculty awards and student entrepreneurship funds. Though the China-based institute is the largest global partnership the University is involved in, the University sponsors initiatives in Ghana, India and Ethiopia.

F I R E AT VA C A N T B U I L D I N G

BIPOLAR From Page 1 for the Prechter Lab, said she thought the lecture provided the audience with the science behind depression and bipolar disorder. “It was a lot to take in, but it was really interesting to see how far we’ve come,” Eter said. Eter said Hood’s view on genetic diagnosis is a developing topic in health care. “It isn’t a big focus right now, but it should be,” Eter said. “(The Prechter Lab) looks at a lot of things that relate to that disorder, and one of those things is genetics.” Melvin McInnis, principal investigator of the Prechter Fund, said the study of bipolar disorder is intriguing because the disorder in many ways represents the spectrum of human emotion. “The study of bipolar disorder is truly the study of humanity, the range of human experience, the depth of the depression, the top of the highs,” he said. “The range of expression, emotion and behavior is the range of human behavior as we know it today.”

NAOMI KLEIN From Page 1 sphere,” Klein said. “This is how our current system deals with climate change.” With weak support for constructive public policy in times of natural disasters, Klein argued, there is a great need to change the political infrastructure to implement preventative measures against future environmental disasters and better accommodate the victims of climate change. Klein also spoke about the power of corporations that wield finances to exert political

AMICUS From Page 1 it is not uncommon for institutions with expertise on a certain issue to submit briefs to the Supreme Court. He said in this particular case, the University can draw on its own experience to help the court make a sensible decision. In 2006, Michigan voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution, called Proposal 2, which banned colleges and universities from granting preferential treatment to any student based on race, ethnicity, sex or national origin. Accordingly, the University abandoned race-based affirmative action, and attempts to achieve racial diversity on its campus through a race-neutral admissions process. Regardless, in the brief, the University said it continues to believe the limited consideration of race is necessary to attain institutional diversity. “To identify promising candidates effectively, admissions officers must be able to consider the fullness of each applicant’s background

Tuesday, November 3, 2015 — 3

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

A fire broke out in a vacant property behind Sava’s restaurant on State Street on Monday afternoon.

influence. She referenced billionaires Charles and David Koch’s $889 million contribution to a network of conservative advocacy groups as an example of “slowing down the march toward collectivism.” By contrast, Klein pointed to the water crisis in nearby Flint, Mich. as an illustration of the power a collective efforts in addressing environmental justice issues. The discovery of lead in the water supply created a host of problems for the community, but local pressure to address the issue has led to progress mitigating it. “This region is so blessed to have some of the most inspiring

grassroots organizers … with a vision of a future that could be so much better,” Klein said. Klein also spoke about how benefits related to recycling, watching waste, composting and eating less meat could lower individual carbon footprints — but stressed that individual efforts cannot come in lieu of regulatory policy. “If we aren’t regulating corporations, we’re going to get nowhere,” she said. “It’s not just enough that we have a green economy … we need a fair economy. That means we need principles,” Klein later added. “The first principle: no new fossil fuel infrastructure … The money we need to pay for

this great transformation is out there, we just have to go after it, whether that means an end to fossil fuel subsidies, financial transaction taxes, increased royalties for fossil fuel extraction and cuts to military spendings.” LSA senior Nicholas Jansen, who is involved with the Divest and Invest organization on campus, an international environmentalist group that lobbies universities to divest from fossil fuels, said Klein spoke to several points the organization aims to promote. “We’ve really, especially this past year, started incorporating this climate justice narrative around our issues,” Jansen

said. “Naomi, she touched on perfectly today why these issues are important, mainly that those who have contributed the least are being affected the most.” LSA senior Valeriya Epshteyn, also a member of Divest and Invest in attendance Monday night, said she envisions a world wherein special interests and individuals don’t overshadow the collective good. “We hope to achieve this collective power and a collective vision toward climate justice which pushes forth a just energy transition where the people that are most directly affected by climate change are lifted up as the center of a narrative,” she said.

and experience, including socioeconomic profile, challenges overcome, cultural background — and also the applicant’s race,” the brief said. In the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a student named Abigail Fisher, who is white, is arguing that she would have been admitted to the UT Austin if not for her race. Currently, the University of Texas employs two parallel admissions systems: one is an automatic admissions program for in-state students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their classes — known as the 10 percent plan — and the other is a holistic process used to evaluate out-of-state students as well as Texans who did not graduate at the top of their classes. The court originally heard the Fisher case in 2013, but sent it back to a lower court at the time for further review. The court will hear the case again in oral arguments scheduled for December. In the Fisher case, the court will decide the future of the consideration of race in admissions procedures — if it rules in favor of Fisher, all universities, including Texas, would be required to remove

any consideration of race from their admissions programs. As the result of previous affirmative action cases, universities may not use quota or point systems to achieve racial diversity, but may qualitatively consider race as one of many factors when making admissions decisions. In 2003, the court upheld the University of Michigan’s holistic affirmative action admissions policies practicied in the Law School, but in another case that same year, struck down the University’s undergraduate policy which employed a point system. The outcome of the Fisher case could be determined by the potential swing vote of Justice Anthony Kennedy. He has tended to side with the more conservative justices against affirmative action in the past, if that is any indication of how the case could unfold. Along these lines, Primus said the University’s brief is important as an example of an institution that currently operates how the University of Texas would be required to if the court ruled in favor of Fisher. “One of the big questions for

Justice Kennedy, and therefore for the Supreme Court — because Justice Kennedy is the median justice on this issue — is the extent to which universities can be racially diverse without race-based affirmative action,” he said. “We are a good example of a university that is trying hard to be racially diverse without (race-based) affirmative action.” In support of the UT position, the University held in the brief that since raceconscious admission programs were banned in Michigan, the University has had trouble meeting its goals for diversity on its campuses. “Despite persistent and varied efforts to increase student-body racial and ethnic diversity by race-neutral means; despite committed efforts by University faculty, staff, students, and alumni to conduct race-neutral recruiting and admissions programs; and despite admissions consideration and extensive financial aid for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, admission and enrollment of underrepresented minority students have fallen

precipitously in many of U-M’s schools and colleges since Proposal 2 was enacted,” the brief said. To this end, the brief cited two Michigan Daily articles concerning minority enrollment at the University. While the ruling in Fisher will not legally affect the University (as it is already banned from employing race considerations in admissions decisions based on state law), it could have broad policy implications for other universities and colleges nationwide. Primus said other institutions currently employ the kinds of racebased admissions processes the University previously employed. “Nationwide, the Supreme Court has left the door open for certain kinds of consideration of race in admissions, so long as the system of admissions overall is careful to treat each applicant as an individual instead of as a manifestation of a racial category,” he said. “One of the questions is whether other states can continue to use the method that we used to use successfully here.”

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University to aid in regional data hub The National Science Foundation is working to create a national data hub, and the University was chosen as one of five universities to take charge of the Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub. Other universities involved are Illinois, Indiana, North Dakota and Iowa State. The Midwestern hub is one of four regional data hubs created across the United States. By creating the date hubs, the NSF hopes to create partnerships to utilize the data to fix regional problems. The city of Detroit, General Motors, TechTown Detroit, the Henry Ford Health System, Domino’s Pizza, Ford Motor Company and Quicken Loans are all partners on the project. The Midwest hub will focus on societal infrastructure, nature and health care. —EMMA KINERY

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Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Kristine Overman sings at the Voice Department Recital Monday Evening at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance accompanied by Graduate Student Trevor Chartrand.

Opinion It’s impossible to be “behind”

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L

Leveling voices

ast week, as Halloween revelries and frights were at the forefront of many minds, I learned about a different type of “troll” responsible for disturbing an entire community and causing controversy. The stories and articles I read didn’t discuss ghoulish, hideous creatures lurking in the darkness behind trees. Rather, they described a population of Internet “trolls,” exhibiting horrifying sexism as they MELISSA ominously lurked behind SCHOLKE keyboards and glowing computer screens. With immense barriers to entry and a reputation as a historically maledominated domain, women struggle to enter and be taken seriously in the technology industry. When they do so, they often are met with backlash. The world we live in is one of continuous technological advancement, where digital media is undeniably and inextricably tied to our lives. Yet, for women, when it comes to technology and media, we’re expected to merely be passive consumers. Even then, our participation in communities of consumption, whether online or in real life, must be navigated carefully. We’re expected to swallow our voices and refrain from altering, critiquing or creating anything of our own. Women who do dare to challenge the status quo of tech culture have often become victims of online harassment and — in extreme circumstances — the recipients of violent threats. GamerGate, the notorious population of Internet users known for issuing such derogatory commentary and threats to female critics of sexism within the video game industry, has spurred immense conversation about online harassment in recent months. As a result, the pressing topic of making the Internet a safer space for women is one that researchers, designers, tech experts and activists felt needed to be discussed at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference this coming March. SXSW is a digital culture festival focused on technology, music, film and journalism, and was recently in the midst of accepting discussion panels for the upcoming event. Two of these prospective panels were at the center of the online harassment discussion. One, called “Level Up: Overcoming Harassment in Games,” was comprised of women who personally experienced online harassment and sought to combat the actions of Internet trolls by modifying web design elements, such as posting options, layouts and privacy settings. The other panel, called “SavePoint: A Discussion on the Gaming Community,” was believed to have been comprised of pro-GamerGate participants and was going to focus on a broader overview of the current culture and gaming journalism ethics. Numerous threats of rape, animal abuse and violence were levied online against these panels. As a result, SXSW organizers cancelled both. Uproar, negative media attention and threats of boycotts from major media organizations, such as BuzzFeed and Vox Media, soon followed this decision. In recognition of their blun-

JOE IOVINO

der, organizers of the tech conference recently announced that one full day of the summit will be devoted to addressing and combating online harassment. The actions of SXSW organizers point to larger issues of whether tech cultures and the organizations that thrive within them truly care about diversity and being inclusive, or whether they’re more concerned about filling quotas, checking off requirements and preserving a progressive public image. Security was cited as the major rationale behind the cancellation of the two panels, and safety of participants must always remain a top priority at all times. But SXSW organizers exhibited little concern when members of the “Level Up” panel initially expressed concerns about security when their panel was first accepted into the conference program. Also, organizers of the event neglected to inform members of either panel about these threats until the forums were cancelled. Considering the sheer size and notoriety of the individuals who regularly attend the event, such as actors and musicians, obtaining proper security seems within the realm of possibility. In the announcement of cancellation of these two forums, SXSW Director Hugh Forrest stated, “If people cannot agree, disagree and embrace new ways of thinking in a safe and secure place that is free of online and offline harassment, then this marketplace of ideas is inevitably compromised.” However, it’s the potential action of almost silencing this debate that compromises the integrity of the SXSW festival. Silencing a debate about eradicating harassment against women solely in response to the immense harassment levied against it is illogical and hypocritical. This action suggests that women must not only accept the possibility of being exposed to offensive, aggressive commentary, but also that they cannot escape this harassment online or in real life. Women, as suggested by the cancellation of these earlier forums, are even inhibited from obtaining spaces where they can safely challenge the sexism they repeatedly encounter and do so in an environment where they’re respected and heard. This action begs one to question what would have happened if giant media players hadn’t admirably and rightly pulled themselves from the conference. What if there was no pressure on the organizers to buckle under? Would this discussion have merely been tossed aside and ignored? The sheer amount of threats and derogatory comments makes it clear that this conversation shouldn’t be ignored and these voices — ones that have continually been threatened and silenced for fear of retribution for speaking up — need to be heard. Women face harassment in a variety of ways, offline and online. Online harassment — in whatever form it takes — will not end easily, but if we as a society truly want a cultural upheaval, we need to stop placing impediments in front of those who try to speak up and make changes. — Melissa Scholke can be reached at melikaye@umich.edu.

E-mail Joe at jiovino@umich.edu

W

ithin 10 minutes of talking to another University student about their summer, I’ll very often start feeling very shitty about myself. Whether they interned at Tesla or spent a month touring Europe, I compare myself to this other student based LIAM solely on their retelling of how WIESENthey spent their BERGER time between semesters. And it’s not as if I’m not in on this game either; my summer before this semester was also certifiably awesome and disgustingly suited for #TBTs on Insta. I spent a month in India through a Center for Global and Intercultural Study program, worked as a summer intern at an architecture firm in Detroit and visited my family in Germany for my half-brother’s wedding. Yet, even with my own wonderful experiences, I am seemingly unable to genuinely express my happiness for others’ summer successes. Instead, when I hear of others doing well, I panic and ask myself what I’m doing wrong. This bizarrely competitive nature is not the only negative mindset I’ve recently observed in myself with regard to my peers. If I find myself talking to someone who spent their summer just taking

classes or chilling, I become aware of a distinct smugness with myself that I don’t recognize. But what has led to these stupidly competitive and assholian thoughts? One theory I have is the fact that I’ve finally started opening myself up to the world of “professionalism.” The words “networking” and “connections” still make me feel dirty, but I’ve essentially given into them and sold my soul. By building a well-stocked LinkedIn profile, and even participating in the Engineering Career Fair, I’ve opened myself up to the competitive and comparative world of Real Jobs. And now that I’m looking at myself and trying to discern my value to potential employers, I think I’m beginning to do the same with my peers. Am I subconsciously basing my value of others on their qualifications? The idea of that absolutely disgusts me, but what if it’s true? The transition from student to young professional is a crucial component of a university education, but I didn’t expect that my mindset about how I spend my time would impact me in the way it has. In the process of this change, one aspect I have always admired most about myself is now seeming to come at a price: I’ve always valued novelty and uniqueness in myself and others. In other words, I love the feeling of surprising others when I mention the seemingly unrelated, yet important activities that I’m involved with. Take, for example, my involvement in the

Indian dance community. It won’t necessarily help me get a computer science job, but it has so much intangible value that isn’t visible on a resume. And this is, unfortunately, starting to bother me. Should I even continue to expand and explore? Or should I focus on and hone in on one activity or field, and become the (leader and) best at that one thing? I seem to be constantly reevaluating my priorities as a young adult at the University. And while selfreflection is crucial and necessary, comparing myself to others is not. I called my mom at one point about this during the semester and expressed my concern about how far behind I am in comparison to other computer science majors. After patiently listening to my spiel, she calmly explained to me that there is no such thing as being behind. Everyone follows their own path in life, with different goals, values and expectations. It is literally impossible to be “behind” someone when each path is its own. While I can intellectually grasp that concept, I am still working on its execution. A little motivational competition is healthy, and it’s hard not to compare others’ success with your own, but as long as you’re forging your own academic/professional/WHATEVER path and giving it your all, you have nothing to worry about. — Liam Wiesenberger can be reached at wiesliam@umich.edu.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe CARLY KEYES | VIEWPOINT

Making up for lost minutes

On November 2, 2010, I didn’t wake up. I regained consciousness … courtesy of alcohol. Whenever I drank, I didn’t fall asleep; I blacked out, and then I passed out. I never really woke up in a typical fashion, either. This used to be routine. It was life. But now, I get to wake up, and I get to fall asleep. That’s what I did this morning, and that’s what I have planned for later, because today, I celebrate five years of continuous, uninterrupted sobriety. My life is so different from five years ago that I sometimes forget that waking up and falling asleep is a privilege. I forget about hundreds of blackouts, mortifying mornings after, losing my Division I soccer career, needing to medically withdraw from semesters, multiple drunk-driving arrests and the jail time and probation sentences, the breathalyzer that was in my car for years and the hospital visit that saved my life. I’m grateful that I don’t have to carry a torch for my past and play those old tapes 24/7, but at the same time, I keep that door ajar. While my sobriety date is sacred, the day before I got sober is arguably even more important. What I endured that day was nothing legally related or medically induced. It had nothing to do with failing school or losing a professional opportunity. This loss was nothing external. On November 2, 2010, I learned the true meaning of disappointment. I had slept most of the day. It was rare that I ever got more than a day off from my job as a server at an Italian restaurant, but that week, I’d managed to trade some shifts. Most people would use back-toback days off for running errands, fixing things around the house or relaxing and finishing a good book. For me, it meant 48 undisturbed hours of drinking without having to go anywhere, see anyone … or have anyone see me. At about 5:30 p.m., I got a call from my mom to remind me about our dinner with my Nanna (who is my world). I scrambled to throw on something a quarter-way decent from my wardrobe that had permanently shifted from closet to floor. I put on the one pair of black pants that I wore over and over again to work and an oversized sweater. I took a minute to brush my teeth, but only to hide more evidence of how I was really doing. I sped to the restaurant feeling like I’d been hit by a train, run

over by a car and dragged behind a dogsled over concrete ice. I parked haphazardly and pulled open the brilliant mahogany doors to a fancy seafood place feeling a lot more like a creature from a dish on the menu than a person deserving of a freshly starched napkin. My hair in a squirrel’s nest and my skin like smudges on a chalkboard, I then started to sweat, so you can add that lovely ingredient to the bubbling pot of scalding mess. My Nanna looked stunning. She always looked stunning. I’m sure she’d spent hours that day getting ready for our outing: doing her hair, selecting her outfit, spraying herself with perfume, just so. She was 90 years old at the time, and everything about her was pure class, pure bliss, pure love. And then, across the table, there was me. I almost didn’t want to hug her because I could sense that both she and my mom knew that I wasn’t OK, but one of my favorite things about my Nanna were her hugs. They were so deep and purposeful. Sometimes, people hug each other out of formality, but I hugged my Nanna out of necessity — every time. This is the woman who sent me a card every week that I was in rehab. This is the woman that said to me, “Carly, above all else, hold on to love.” There was no judgment here. There was no anger. There wasn’t even disappointment. There was only pain and fear. She reached out her arms, and I took them. Willingly. The true disappointment that I mentioned? That was all me. In myself. At the end, it wasn’t fun. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t even enjoyable. Drinking was … required. If I was awake, I was drinking. Not because I wanted to, but because I have a disease called addiction, and that’s the unfortunate symptom when I try to ignore the truth about my illness. I hadn’t been at the table for more than a few minutes when I needed to throw up. I excused myself politely, walked as slowly as I could manage until I was out of sight, and then I barged through yet another set of brilliant mahogany doors, sprinted over marble floor tiles and past granite countertops and ornate lighting fixtures where I arrived at my destination: looming above a five-star toilet. This happened four more times over the course of the appetizer, salad, dinner and dessert. Every

time a new batch of food came, I excused myself because I was “drinking so much water.” It was, of course, because the fifths of Absolut still oozing from my pores ensured that my mouth would feel like the driest day in the heart of Arizona. And the shrimp gumbo infesting my nostrils wasn’t helping my lack of homeostasis, but that wasn’t really why I kept needing to leave the table. I just couldn’t look my Nanna in the eye. She passed away on May 9, 2014, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t give for one more hug. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to get back those minutes that I spent that evening hunched over in the stall and spend them with her now. After dinner, I went home and I drank another fifth of Absolut Peach and a two-liter of Sunkist, and it was the last time I’ve put alcohol or any other mind-altering substance into my body. Consequences helped me get sober, but they aren’t what keep me sober on a daily basis. Devastation forced me to my knees, but it’s the freedom it brings that keeps me there — and also, a life beyond my wildest dreams that I never could have imagined for myself. The moment I made the decision to quit drinking, a whole new world opened up for me. In this world, I don’t get arrested or have to go to the hospital and leave school and give up my passions. It is a world where I don’t worry the people I love most or harbor disappointment for my behavior. This is the world of recovery, which for me is fueled by personal work within a 12-step program, participation in the Collegiate Recovery Program and Students for Recovery at the University and advocacy efforts in the name of all those who suffer from the same disease that I have. During the last years of my Nanna’s life, she became more and more immobile, and I visited her as often as I could. We’d play cards and Scrabble. We always had a proper lunch. I’d play her piano and sing to her, and she would peacefully fall asleep. But, regardless of what we did during those special afternoons, if I said I would be there, I was there, and I was there sober. She never, ever had to doubt it for a second. We can’t change the past, but we can make up for lost minutes. As long as we’re alive and breathing, we have a chance. Carly Keyes is an LSA senior.

Arts

5 — Tuesday, November 3, 2015

LITERATURE COLUMN

T

Exploring ‘Jest’

he start of my enthrallment with David Foster Wallace would have infuriated the deceased, reclusive author — it began when I watched someone else espouse his ideas in a film version of his life. I found his persona fascinating REBECCA in “The End LERNER of the Tour,” the movie adaptation of last few days of the “Infinite Jest” book tour. Upon further research after viewing the film, Foster’s magnetism drew me in even more. I decided I had to embark upon a literary journey unlike any other I have previously contemplated — I had to read “Infinite Jest.” But to read “Infinite Jest” is to voyeuristically look into Wallace’s past, which provided much of the backbone of the novel. Wallace, born in 1962, attended Amherst College and struggled with depression and addiction to drugs and alcohol throughout much of his young life. After writing “Infinite Jest,” which is 1,100 pages with 330 footnotes, Wallace continued to write and teach at Emerson College and Illinois State University. On Sept. 12, 2008, Wallace committed suicide in California. The few interviews with Wallace, who is such a soft-spoken, fumbling neurotic, are captivating and heartbreaking. The most difficult question to answer about “Infinite Jest” is: what is it about? Because the answer is everything. There are over 1,000 pages of content about depression, loneliness, addiction, tennis, familial relations and love on which you can focus. As Dave Eggers said in his original review of the novel, “Infinite Jest” is “more about

David Foster Wallace than anything else.” Eggers, who wrote the foreword for the most recent edition, is correct. It’s about Wallace’s deep desires and secrets, but most of all it’s about what he wanted for the future of his craft. Wallace was hell-bent on changing fiction­—and he did. This book is confusing and strange and downright disgusting at times. But it is beautiful and challenges its readers like nothing else ever has. It is set in the future in a unified North American superstate called the Organization of North American Nations, or O.N.A.N. There is not a chronological plot or a clear-cut conclusion — we jump from location to location, from characters we get to know well to characters with agonizing secrets to whom we are only exposed once. There are two major locations in which the stories take place: the prep school, Enfield Tennis Academy and, down the street, the Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House. The physical closeness of these two locations leads to the intertwining storylines. James O. Incandenza, the patriarch of the Incandenza Family, has recently committed suicide. He was a filmmaker and the founder of Enfield Tennis Academy, and the plot somewhat revolves around the missing master copy of his last piece of work, titled “Infinite Jest.” Canadian separatists are attempting to locate “Infinite Jest” to commit terrorist acts against the United States. The novel carefully examines the neuroses of the rest of the Incandenza family and the way that their insanity bleeds into the school. But some of the most jarring parts of “Infinite Jest” come from the sections on Ennet House, where Wallace unforgivingly examines the grotesque and disgusting parts of the human psyche. When I told people that I was reading “Infinite Jest” for

my literature column, everyone seemed to have a considerable reaction. “Wow, but it’s so long!” was a common one. A fellow Daily Arts Writer warned me that she heard it was a “bro book,” which is valid, as the novel is mostly concerned with the preoccupations and compulsions of its men. But the most common reply was “I haven’t read it yet.” In my life full of predominantly English and humanities majors and professors, only one and a half people have actually read “Infinite Jest” — one friend has read the first 400 pages three times but hasn’t gotten past that point. For all the novel’s glory and recognition, it seems impossible that so many academics and students still have not read it. I’ll admit it; the sheer depth of it is intimidating. For the first few days after buying it, it sat next to my bed while I just admired it and tried to wrap my head around the fact that I would be reading over 1,000 of the most acclaimed pages ever. Before actually plucking up the courage to start reading, I used “Infinite Jest” as a small stand for my computer and a weight for my arm exercises. But the book is incredible because even with so much content, in the actual book, it never felt like any of it was unnecessary. Even the three hundred or so footnotes are entirely essential to understanding any of the plots. Every page felt heavy with the importance that Wallace so delicately embedded in it. “The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.” This line stuck with me until the end of the novel. But this book has so much truth in it that you would have it read it about 10 more times before you ever get close to liberation. It seems the only thing to do is pick it up and start again. Lerner is setting up a game of eschaton. To join, e-mail rebler@umich.edu.

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

Killers’ classic debut By REGAN DETWILER and RACHEL KERR Daily Arts Writers

This week, Daily Music Writers are looking back on the first albums they ever loved. Today, Regan Detwiler and Rachel Kerr remember The Killers’ Hot Fuss. I first heard “Mr. Brightside” when I was nine years old, on my home town’s locally owned alternative station. It quickly became a car ride highlight, and soon my mom bought the Hot Fuss CD from Barnes & Noble. Months later when I heard it on the local pop station, I felt that first twinge of angry dejection at the injustice of hearing a song that you discovered out for the whole world to hear. (Thus began my life as an obnoxious alternative music snob.) My nine years of life thus far had been fairly — OK, incredibly — innocent. I was that kid who wasn’t allowed to watch PG movies (don’t even think about PG-13). It’s no surprise that “Mr. Brightside” sparked my excitable curiosity: I didn’t know what “taking a drag” was — dare I guess? This, and lines like “But she’s touching his chest now” and “He takes off her dress now, letting me go” made my imagination wander to places I had never been. This mysteriously and darkly ambiguous lyrical style paired with The Killers’ perfumestained velvet rock carries through the whole album, which I listened to religiously well into the next couple of years. Memorizing every word and every melody, I indulged myself in imaginative gymnastics in an effort to decode the messages waiting behind the shadowy phrases, like in “Believe Me Natalie”: “Forget what they said in SoHo, leave the oh-no’s out” — what could they have said in SoHo? What were the oh-no’s? As a sort of musical coming-ofage, Hot Fuss not only appealed to more explorative aspects of this stage in life, but also to the

turbulent emotions characteristic of pre-adolescence. Lying alone in my room, a pathetic puddle of self-pity after my first real fights with my parents, I must have listened to “Everything Will Be Alright” a million times over the course of about two years. But at least I had “All These Things That I’ve Done” to pick me back up. This was also my best friend’s favorite album at the time, so when our families made the 13-hour drive to South Carolina that summer, you know what was in the CD player. We drove through the Rockies with the sun up and the windows down and let Hot Fuss play three times through. Now when I hear a song from this album on the radio, I can start singing the next track on the album as soon as that one ends. — Regan Detwiler It’s December 2004 in Las Vegas. I’m at the Rubio’s, six minutes away from my house with my grandma, eating a chicken burrito off the kids’ menu. At the table next to me is Ronnie Vannucci, eating a quesadilla, alone. For all of you who weren’t obsessively in to The Killers, Ronnie Vannucci is their drummer and for all of you who grew up east of the Rocky Mountains, Rubio’s is a Mexican fast food chain. “That’s the drummer of the band that sings ‘Mr. Brightside!!!’ ” I whispered to my grandma. And of course, she knew what I was referring too because, in 2004, even 60-year-old women couldn’t avoid that song. She urged me to say something to him — “tell him how much you like his band!” — but she didn’t understand. I didn’t like his band, I loved his band. And would I even say? Should I start by apologizing for even recognizing him? I mean, how often does the drummer of an up-and-coming band get stopped in public places? And by a nine-year-old, no less? How did I explain that’d I memorized all their faces and that Brandon Flowers, the lead singer, was my

first real crush? Or do I just begin by thanking him for Hot Fuss, the band’s debut album, my first favorite album, full of Joy Division decadence and Depeche Mode moods? Or even further, for my yet realized love of ’80s pop-rock music, whose origin could only later be traced back to years of listening to Hot Fuss and their follow up album, Sam’s Town, on repeat? Do I mention that I, like the band, am also from Las Vegas? Or maybe explain that I noticed the influence the city had had on the album, from its grandiose production to its lush lyrics, and wanted to thank them for capturing how it feels to live in Las Vegas in a sound? Could I tell him that I really identified with the “Sin City” cynicism of the album, despite being in elementary school and not having any idea what that even meant yet? Was it weird to tell him that my dad had cried to “All These Things That I’ve Done?” To explain that the otherwise tough guy who openly discussed his atheism with his 10-yearold daughter had been deeply affected by the line “I got soul but I’m not a soldier” because it explained how he felt about grappling with faith and morality and the meaning of life. Or did I just tell him that I liked his shirt because it was a really pretty shade of blue? No, I couldn’t say any of these things to him, so I panicked and decided to say nothing. I let him continue to eat his quesadilla, while I nervously continued to gawk at him eating his quesadilla. When I got home, I went straight to my room and let Hot Fuss play over and over and over again, because how many times do you get to see the drummer of your favorite band at Rubio’s? Probably only once. And how many times to you get to have a first favorite album? Definitely only once. — Rachel Kerr

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

TV REVIEW

Triumphant ‘Dance’ By SAM ROSENBERG For The Daily

Young adulthood can be one of the most transformative periods in a person’s life, as well as one of the most challenging. It’s Aa time when you develop How to relationships, become inde- Dance in pendent and Ohio figure out what you want to do HBO with the rest of Documentary your life. How- Films ever, being a young adult also involves dealing with a lot of angst and self-doubt. In her touching documentary “How to Dance in Ohio,” filmmaker Alexandra Shiva (“Stagedoor”) offers some insight on this topic by focusing on a group of teenagers and young adults from Columbus, Ohio all of whom are on the autism spectrum. With the help of clinical psychologist Emilio Amigo at his family counseling center, these individuals spend 12 weeks preparing for their first spring formal dance, learning how to improve their social and communication skills — and of course, how to dance. Filmed in 2013 and premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “How to Dance in Ohio” gives more than a simple depiction of people with autism. Through Shiva’s sensitive direction and the film’s unobtrusive cinematography, “How to Dance in Ohio” highlights the daunting experience of breaking out of your comfort zone and how it can lead to personal growth. Nothing about this film feels manipulative or exploitative; rather, it offers viewers the chance to see both the struggles and triumphs of young people with autism. Although the film portrays the

sessions that take place at Amigo’s Family Counseling, it mostly centers around the perspectives of three young women from the group: Marideth Bridges, 16; Caroline McKenzie, 19; and Jessica Sullivan, 22. Regardless of their different ages, they each encounter difficulties in learning how to adapt to the world around them. Marideth, a self-described introvert, spends most of her time on the computer and reading random facts in world almanacs. She also likes researching, but feels uncomfortable explaining to the camera what she is researching exactly. Though Marideth’s perseverant habits and her reluctance to interact with others are common among people with autism, the film conveys just how hard it can be to live with such a condition. In one of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes, Marideth expresses to her parents at a sit-down restaurant that she might not want to have kids and wonders if she will even get married some day. It’s an emotionally stirring moment that’s guaranteed to make viewers’ hearts drop, yet it reminds the audience that Marideth’s autism doesn’t need to hinder her from living a normal life. As a director and storyteller, Shiva does a great job of showing how people with autism are just as ambitious and open to opportunities as anyone else. For example, Caroline mentions her enrollment as a student at Columbus State Community College, her hopes of becoming an early childhood educator and her dream of traveling to Japan. Early in the film, Jessica negotiates a plan with her parents to live on her own, and she is later seen working at a bakery called Food for Good Thought for young adults on the spectrum. But much like Marideth, Caroline and Jessica undergo the stresses of social anxiety and the pressures

of being perceived by others in a negative way. Caroline agonizes over dancing well at the formal and what to do if she becomes too overwhelmed to ride the public bus to class. Jessica becomes frustrated when the bakery’s owner, a psychologist named Dr. Audrey Todd, tells her that Jessica has developed a superior attitude towards her co-workers. Despite Jessica, Caroline and Marideth’s ongoing difficulties with fitting into the mainstream, the film presents their situations in a honest and respectful light. In addition, the interviews with their families showcase both the concern and support that they have for their children who go through this difficult journey every day. While the film can be very emotional at times, there are some humorous and sweet moments as well. In one scene, Marideth and her younger sister discuss Chief Keef, the irrelevance of Soulja Boy, the turbulence of Miley Cyrus’s career and long-haired men. The sequence where Caroline and Jessica go shopping for formal dresses with their mothers is also particularly heartwarming. Not only do these clips give the documentary heart and depth, but they also illustrate how young adults with autism have the same interests and goals as any other young adult. At the actual formal, the climax of “How to Dance in Ohio,” you can see how this group has developed so quickly and overcome their initial fears in such a short amount of time. The only arguably flawed moment in this film is the inclusion of Katy Perry’s pop hit “Firework” in the credits scene. But even though “Firework” makes the ending slightly cheesy, you can’t help but feel overjoyed to watch these individuals do something that most people with autism don’t get the chance to do.

FESTIVAL REPORT

YouTube all grown up By KAREN HUA Daily TV/New Media Editor

Last weekend, the third annual Buffer Festival welcomed YouTube filmmakers from across to globe to Toronto. The familiar videos we usually watch on our personal mobile devices and laptops streamed in front of live audiences in the extravagant theaters of Toronto’s historic entertainment district. And the familiar YouTubers we connected with through a screen graced a red carpet before us, discussing their work with us personally. Less chaotic than the fancrazed Playlist Live, less uptight than the business venture VidCon has become, the humble Canadian Buffer Fest emphasizes not the lucrative business behind YouTube, but the structured, scripted, high-quality content emerging on the platform. Spread over three days, videos were screened in categories: short films, comedy sketches, travel and adventure, gaming and animation, among others. “YouTube is moving toward a direction of professionalism,” said Corrado Coia of ApprenticeA Productions, one of the four co-founders of Buffer. “Some of these YouTubers have featurelength films in episodic format, and they do actually rival Hollywood quality. So they need to get the proper treatment — get them in a nice theater.” Events like Buffer also encourage creators to experiment beyond new media — to work with podcasts, long-form scripted film, TV pilots — to mix other mediums with YouTube. Adrianna DiLonardo and Sarah Rotella of the Gay Women Channel are the writer and director, respectively, of “Almost Adults,” a coming-of-age LGBTQ feature film that was funded on Kickstarter. “(YouTubers are) using new media and their fan base to launch them into what they want to be doing outside of new media.” Rotella said. “Everyone is making their own content, but all of these YouTubers are getting books and doing movies,

too.” The effect of their film has had a trickle-down effect. Firstly, they have integrated their existing YouTube fan base into viewership for their film. Secondly, their loyal subscribers have become devoted to the movie’s actors, who have their own upand-coming channels. Winny Clarke, a budding actress who plays Elliot in “Almost Adults,” just launched her own channel in October and plans to produce weekly comedy sketches. “The traffic that the Gay Women Channel has is amazing, so every time I do something with them, it just sends traffic my way, as well,” Clark said. The best part though, as DiLondardo noted, is that “it’s nice being your own boss.” Similarly, Louis Cole, who has gained a following of over 1.6 million subscribers with his travel videos, mentioned how he’s ready to experiment beyond vlogging. Next year, he’s scheduled to circumnavigate the world in a plane with fellow YouTuber, JP. “I’d love to explore partnering with someone and creating longform content, like a documentary, would be fun,” he said. Cole predicts the future of new media will look quite different. “I think everything will overlap, but there’ll be specific content on different platforms,” Cole said. “So there’s still gonna be the very homemade relatable content on YouTube. There’ll also be the high-end content other sites put out like with their subscription service. I don’t think that’s gonna replace the homemade content.” However, Cole’s sentiment about homemade content may be challenged by the very platform that encourages him to experiment. On Oct. 21, just two days prior to Buffer Fest, YouTube Chief Business Officer, Robert Kyncl, announced “YouTube Red” — a $9.99 monthly subscription service that that allows for ad-free, offline streaming. Red will also feature exclusive original content from the most popular YouTubers. Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie) has already unveiled a reality-horror series,

produced by “The Walking Dead” creators. A Lilly Singh (||Superwoman||) world tour documentary is also projected. Thus, Red will prompt creators to strive for high-quality, high production-value content, much like the material screened at Buffer Fest. On the other hand, many at Buffer Fest wondered if, in the aim for higher quality, YouTube is trying too hard to be the lovechild of Netflix and Spotify premium – trying too hard to become the “future of television.” “I’m not sure I want YouTube to look like cable TV when it grows up,” said author John Green in a recent vlog explaining the pros and cons of Red. “YouTube isn’t something you watch — it’s something you’re part of.” While Red protects all content creators (especially small up-and-comers) from AdBlock, which restricts advertising and thus their main stream of revenue, Red arguably creates more inequality than the level playing field it intends to. Before, YouTube was a flat, universal platform of equal opportunity; anyone with Internet had just as much potential to reach an audience as anyone else. However, Red will create two classes of viewers: those who can pay and those who can’t. Now, regular YouTube users will be without access to the high-end content that events like Buffer Fest emphasize and celebrate. One petition to stop Red already has over 16,000 signatures in just 10 days. YouTube is supposed to be an equalizer; a platform that anyone, regardless of age, nationality, experience, or socioeconomic status — can both consume and create on. I have the same opportunity to make a viral video just the same as Jenna Marbles once did with her webcam. Furthermore, YouTube as become a gateway to branch off into a variety of other mediums – films, podcasts, etc. To create inequality at the basic consumer level now is to restrict the content creators of the future. We all started as consumers, subscribers and fans.

Arts

6 — Tuesday, November 3, 2015

TV REVIEW

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

EVENT PREVIEW

Welcome but flawed Danish quartet in A ‘Supergirl’ premiere By DAYTON HARE For The Daily

Melissa Benoist highlights a shaky first effort

ter, Alex (Chyler Leigh, “Grey’s Anatomy”) — she finds newfound purpose. With a beaming smile and ceaseless enthusiasm, Benoist displays this transformation of Kara with a satisfyBy MATT BARNAUSKAS ing charisma comparable to Daily Arts Writer the optimism of Grant Gustin’s (“Glee”) portrayal of Barry Superheroes are more preva- Allen on “The Flash.” As Kara lent in media today than ever develops her suit with the help before. However, despite the of her friend Winn (Jeremy Jorgrowing numdan, “The Last Five Years”), her ber of film confidence grows as she develand television Bops the powers she has long shows featurrepressed. ing caped cru- Supergirl Benoist’s performance helps saders, very Series Precarry “Supergirl” even when few have had a the show begins to drag. It’s miere woman as the important to have women central focus. Mondays at 8 p.m. anchoring superhero franchisWhile not es today; addressing this fact excluded in the CBS in the pilot isn’t a misstep, but genre, female “Supergirl” doesn’t exactly soar characters are with the execution. Written usually relegated to the sup- by Ali Adler (“The New Norporting cast or serving as mem- mal”), the premiere overstuffs bers of a larger ensemble. Sure, itself with ham-fisted dialogue Scarlett Johansson’s (“Lucy”) meant to emphasize girl-powBlack Widow is a major member er. Some attempts work fine of the Avengers, but her preva- like a woman in the background lence is overshadowed by the expressing her happiness about likes of the franchise-anchor- a new role model for her daughing Iron Man, Thor and Captain ter. Also, a speech by Flockhart America. about the term “girl” itself has However, with its premiere the subtlety of a jackhammer, on CBS, “Supergirl” puts women but its point isn’t lost. front and center, not just in However, these moments are the lead but also in several key diluted by less than effective roles. While its lack of subtlety instances of female foregroundcan be jarring, “Supergirl” has a ing. A bland alien villain yellpersonable lead in Melissa Ben- ing, “On my planet, females bow oist (“Whiplash”), in spite of the before males,” is groan-worthy. show’s early struggles. Winn’s statement to Kara that As Kara Zor-El, Superman’s “You look really pretty without cousin who landed on Earth your glasses,” is ripped straight several years after her famous out of cheesy high school movie. relative, Benoist brings an “Supergirl” ’s focus on Kara’s infectious energy to the pilot. role as a female superhero stems Kara wants to make a difference from a lack of representation in the world, yet initially tries to of comic book heroines on the do it without her powers. Find- screen. However, the show ing herself the assistant to media puts too much of a burden on mogul Cat Graham (Calista itself to illustrate this relation Flockhart, “Ally McBeal”), Kara in its plot, which weighs its works hard but knows she can message down. Kara’s female do more. identity will probably remain Once Kara embraces her pow- a central focus throughout ers — after saving a crashing the series’ run, as it should, plane carrying her adoptive sis- but “Supergirl” can definitely

find more effective and defter ways to get its message across. “Agent Carter,” showed that comic book settings could look at issues of sexism and femaleempowerment with a relatively mature lens, and hopefully “Supergirl” can continue this tradition. “Supergirl” also struggles in other aspects of its initial development. A brief sisterly rivalry between Kara and Alex, who happens to be a secret agent, is never fully explained. Other characters like Cat and Winn lack defining dimensions, becoming relatively f lat in their portrayals. Meanwhile, the whimsy of the pilot, while enjoyable, can detract from more dramatic scenes, sparking a laugh where one shouldn’t be and preventing any seriousness from coming across.

‘Supergirl’ puts women front and center, in several key roles. However, by bringing Kara to the forefront and making Superman a faceless, distant inf luence, “Supergirl” is able to define its heroine’s role. Kara isn’t just a female version to Superman as her name suggests, but rather, she is a continuation of a legacy. She’s a powerful being and a force to be reckoned with no matter what gender she is. “Supergirl” still has some growing pains to work through before its full potential and message are realized. But, with Benoist anchoring the show in bright optimism, “Supergirl” can potentially establish roots and carve out a place for itself among the growing retinue of television superheroes.

Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle DOWN 1 “More or less” suffix 2 Gehrig who usually batted after Ruth 3 Baskers’ acquisitions 4 Invite to the movies, say 5 Gym specimen 6 “Oops!” 7 Father 8 Georgetown team 9 Youthful countenance 10 Saharan 11 Very few 12 Slick trick that’s “pulled” 13 Prepare a sunny-side-up breakfast 18 Three feet 22 Bugs and Rabbits, e.g. 23 Your, of yore 24 Where It.’s at 25 More formal “Me neither!” 29 Wriggly bait 30 “Ya think?” 32 1921 robot play 35 Span. miss

37 “Ben-__” 38 “Well said” 39 Business review website 40 Pork knuckle 41 Rigby of Beatles fame 42 Egg-based paint 44 Some English, at Wimbledon 45 Cockney abode 46 Body of eau 48 Unhappy

50 Mister Rogers 51 Scale starters 54 Religion founded in Persia 57 Drag on a cigar 58 Flexibilityimproving discipline 59 Urban haze 63 Swelled head 64 Scot’s “Oh my!” 65 Actor Knight

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to use a very pompous word.” When talking about the final movement of the piece, Adès referenced his personal experiences in Manchester as being a great influence on it. “It was a very cold winter … I remember one morning waking up and looking out the window, and it (the cabin where Adès lived) was surrounded by fields, and it had snowed during the night — and of course I had never had that experience, living in London you don’t wake up and see a whole white field of snow. And the last movement was definitely sort of born that morning.” In addition to the memory of that morning, Adès was inspired by mythology and literature when he composed the final movement. “It (the last movement) is called ‘Lethe’ — the river of forgetfulness in Greek Mythology, where the departed souls trail their hands in the water and they forget their whole life,” Adès said. “And it was a little from the end of a story by (James) Joyce, called ‘The Dead,’ which is the last story of ‘Dubliners’, and ends with this beautiful passage about the snow falling over all the living and the dead.” “All the movements have things like (Adès’s experience with the snow) associated with them. In that way … it’s a very personal piece,” Adès said of Arcadiana. The piece is also notable for its technical challenges, employing several methods of playing not frequently found in older repertoire. “The quartet who commissioned it and played the first performance … the Endellion Quartet … we had an interesting time in the first rehearsals,” Adès said. “Because it’s demanding instrumentally.” Despite the difficulty of the piece, it continues to be performed with some frequency. “Actually, oddly enough, this piece is almost one of my most played pieces,” the composer remarked. “Many quartets now do it — like the Danish String Quartet, who are coming (to the University of Michigan), and who I just heard play it in Copenhagen and actually play it stunningly. And you’ll see, they make it look easy — and believe me, it’s not.”

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

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

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Woman who turns up in Rick’s gin joint 5 41st or 43rd president 9 National park in the Canadian Rockies 14 __-chef 15 One of Pittsburgh’s three rivers 16 Like a loud crowd 17 Just swell 19 Itsy-__ 20 Generous __ fault 21 Serious romantic outing 23 Hot beverage server 26 Personal ad abbr. 27 Sawmill input 28 Pursue and catch 31 South Seas wrap 33 Freshman and sr. 34 Aussie hoppers 36 Affected coyness, with “the” 37 Stylist’s appliance 40 Hot under the collar 43 Button pressed for silence 44 Pal of Huck 47 Cellphone reminders 49 Yosemite granite formation 52 Dues payer: Abbr. 53 Chocolate pooch 55 Like Huck and Yosemite, nounwise 56 Sitcom with Richie and the Fonz 60 Hosp. trauma centers 61 Outwit 62 Lowe’s rival 66 Ionian Sea island 67 Spellbound 68 Mickey and Mighty 69 Cheez Whiz company 70 Shakespearean villain 71 How many TV shows are shown, and a hint to the seven longest across answers’ common feature

The string quartet is one of the most iconic and enduring genres in classical music. Its history stretches back to the Classical Period in the Danish 18th century, String and the quartet Quartet has been ubiquitous ever Friday, Nov. since. Musi- 6 at 8 p.m. cians’ mythos attribute the Rackham quartet’s Auditorium invention to the composer $24-$50 Joseph Haydn, but this is not entirely true — he certainly did more for it than any of his predecessors, but he wasn’t the first to write for an ensemble of two violins, a viola and a cello. Over the course of his life, however, Haydn wrote a mystifying quantity of quartets — around 69 — and when his younger friend Wolfgang Mozart took up the pen to emulate the elder composer, the genre was permanently affixed to the tradition of Western Classical music. In the centuries following, nearly every major composer (and innumerable minor ones) wrote quartets. Wherever one looks, a string quartet can be found, often central in the works of any given composer; the late quartets of Beethoven are sometimes ranked as masterworks on par with the 9th Symphony — the only surviving chamber composition of Giuseppe Verdi, the great maestro of Italian opera, is his String Quartet in E minor — when Schoenberg first revealed his radical theory of free atonality to the world, he chose to do it through the medium of his String Quartet No. 2. With so many masterworks, it’s hardly surprising that some of the best ensembles performing today are string quartets. For much the same reason, however, many ensembles today neglect those quartets written by contemporary composers. The quartet that will be performing in Rackham Auditorium on Friday is not one such

negligent ensemble. The Danish String Quartet is internationally renowned. Only 75 percent Dane, despite their name — their cellist is Norwegian — the four Scandinavians are known for their superb technical and musical ability. On Friday, they’ll be presenting a program containing old favorites of the genre (Haydn and Beethoven), but also a relatively new work by respected contemporary British composer Thomas Adès. While one might expect that string quartets have been written for so long now that any new venture into the genre is bound to be anachronistic and unoriginal, Adès’s Arcadiana dispels any such notion with its enchanting music. “I had this idea to write this particular piece about these sort of imaginary idylls from various points in art and culture,” Adès said of Arcadiana in an interview with The Michigan Daily. “I was 23 or something like that when I wrote it … It was a period when I had my first job as composer-inresidence at the Hallé Orchestra, in Manchester.” Adès spent the early part of his life in London. When he started his job in Manchester, it was the furthest he had ever lived from his home, an experience which worked its way into Arcadiana. “I was actually living in the countryside — again, which was a first for me, a very remote place — writing this string quartet,” Adès said. “I don’t know why I wasn’t writing orchestral pieces, I think I just was preferring to write this.” Conventionally, string quartets have four movements. However, for much of the 20th century this tradition has been regarded by composers as being more of a suggestion than a rule, and Adès’s view is no exception. “There are seven movements (in Arcadiana), and the second movement is like a kind of electronic mashup of The Magic Flute (by Mozart),” Adès said. “The fourth movement is very much a tango — I was listening to Pizzola at the time, as we all were, and I was enjoying the kind of odd things he was doing with tango … the sixth movement has a kind of Elgar ‘ancestry’, I suppose you would say,

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This week, Daily Music Writers are looking back on the first albums they ever loved. Today, Melina Glusac remembers Regina Spektor’s Begin to Hope. The year? 2006. To this fledgling music writer, nothing in the world housed more promise — more ecstasy — than the CD section in Best Buy. I would stroll and stumble, extending a lanky arm to caress any shiny plastic jacket that caught my eye, avoiding the side-eyes of the half-blue, half-khaki employees. Who was Joni Mitchell? Fifth-grade Melina didn’t quite know. But she knew the cover of Blue was cool and intense and “funky fresh,” as the incomparable 2006-Ciara would say, and that was good enough. So you can imagine my surprise upon noticing nifty cover art and an artist’s name I recognized — that elusive duo — one day in Best Buy. I remembered Regina Spektor from VH1’s weekly music countdowns (yes, I am 85 years old), and I remembered how much I loved her song, “Fidelity.” It, of course, was on the album I had in my hand — but it was also the only song I knew off the album. After 10 minutes of contemplation, Fall Out Boy’s Infinity on High in one hand, pure doubt in the other, I decided to purchase this doubt, this Begin to Hope thing, too. Hey, maybe all the other songs on it would be as catchy as “Fidelity.” Little Mel decided to carpe diem. I got home, grabbed a book about Paris and sat down to listen. Cue all clichéd descriptions of first experiencing a piece of art that changes your life. Tears, joy, sorrow, rejuvenation, blah. Good? Okay. Now onto the more vital (nerdy) stuff: When we delve further into Begin to Hope, we find its façade of semi-pop piano tunes is not at all evocative of Spektor’s depth. So we tear that down listen after

listen, and find that she tickles the ivories like no other, but — unlike her contemporaries — the tickling technique differs stunningly with each song. “Fidelity” (still one of my favorite music videos) employs a choppy, kitschy style and juxtaposes the fluidity of “20 Years of Snow.” Spektor’s punk tendencies shine in “That Time,” which is fun and sexual and weird (“Hey, remember that time when you OD’d? Hey, remember that other time when you OD’d, for the second time?”). And no one does slow like ReSpekt. “Samson” rips me to shreds with every listen, as its Biblicallyinfused lyrics continue to feed new meanings, metaphors and bits of poignant imagery. “Field Below” is a diamond in the rough, but soulful — and soul, I’ve come to find, is Spektor’s forte. Her love of jazz beams in “Lady,” a wink at Billie Holiday, complete with a smoky, Sonny Rollins-esque sax solo. Then there’s “Summer In The City,” my favorite, favorite, favorite. No words here — it’s all in the feeling, the slight slur in her speech, the desperation. Someone stop me, please. Begin to Hope was everything to me, then and now. I mark it as the beginning of a “musical awakening,” an era I’ll probably live in my whole life: where music reigns and I am its voyager, venturing to foreign lands in search of fiery mixtapes and the cure for heartbreak. Hope also started a lifelong love affair with Regina Spektor, whom I regard as one of the best songwriters of our generation. It exposed me to her brilliant discography (special shout outs to Soviet Kitsch and Far). I cried Kim Kardashian-style at her Detroit concert my sophomore year of high school. Her lyrics pop into my head almost every day, at random times. But, most importantly and existentially, she’s there: The CD section at Best Buy is almost gone, but Spektor will be with me always.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Tuesday, November 3, 2015 — 7

After moment in spotlight, Speight no longer unknown Teammates laud quarterback’s poise in leading comeback against Minnesota

ICE HOCKEY

For Nieves, a lonely road back to practice Senior returns to practice after sustaining concussion Oct. 24 By JUSTIN MEYER

By MAX COHEN

Daily Sports Writer

Managing Sports Editor

Just a few months ago, Wilton Speight was a relative nobody on the Michigan football team. He had arrived in Ann Arbor in the winter of 2014 as a highly touted quarterback, but one who had to bide his time. Devin Gardner and thensophomore Shane Morris were firmly entrenched as the team’s top two quarterbacks for the 2014 season under Brady Hoke. But then, after the 2014 season, Hoke’s firing and Jim Harbaugh’s hiring shook things up at the position. Harbaugh declared the quarterback job would be won in an open competition. Speight, like everyone else, had a shot. Things did not go according to plan. Speight, after his redshirt season, was injured during the spring and did not appear in the Wolverines’ Spring Game. Then, when summer rolled around, Jake Rudock arrived as a transfer student. The competition carried on, but Rudock and Morris were the leaders the entire way. Speight noticed and took it as a little bit of a slight. He lived with junior tight end Jake Butt and redshirt freshman wide receiver Drake Harris over the summer, and they sometimes discussed the team’s quarterback competition. Speight, with starting aspirations, was not enthralled by the idea of being an

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Redshirt freshman quarterback Wilton Speight drew high praise from his teammates for the comeback he led Saturday.

afterthought, but he attempted to use it to his advantage. “Sometimes it’s good not to be talked about,” Butt said. “You can just sneak in behind the scenes and just keep working hard, and that’s what Wilton did. He made it a point that he wanted to get his name out there.” So when Speight received his opportunity Saturday night, with his team trailing in the third quarter at Minnesota and the Little Brown Jug on the line, it was natural that Butt —

who considers Speight a close friend — wanted to help his quarterback calm down. He went over to Speight when Rudock went down and gave the backup some encouraging words. He was planning to do the same after Speight’s first three passes fell to the ground, incomplete. But then he realized he didn’t need to. He saw Jim Harbaugh whacking Speight on the sidelines to amp him up and simulate the sensation of being hit. He figured Harbaugh had

“He made it a point that he wanted to get his name out there.”

it under control. The coach was not hitting Speight lightly. “Booom, boom, banging on his pads, smacking him in the chest, smacking him in the helmet,” Butt said, pantomiming smacking motions. “I guess after that, you’ve got to be ready to go.” And Speight was. His first pass on Michigan’s final drive was a completion to Butt. The inexperienced quarterback kept the momentum going, despite the inconvenience of leading his team into Minnesota’s howling student section. He completed two more passes to score the game-winning touchdown, and then another on the ensuing two-point conversion to give Michigan a three-point cushion. See SPEIGHT, Page 8

Boo Nieves was in decidedly high spirits on Monday, flashing a smile as he left the ice and unstrapped his helmet. Heading into the final game of the New York trip in October, Nieves was off to one of the hottest starts of his four-year career at Michigan. The senior forward had two points in three games and was tremendous at both ends while centering the Wolverines’ top-scoring line. All that momentum came to a screeching halt with a concussion Nieves sustained in a win against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Oct. 24. Nieves didn’t practice for the rest of the week and was relegated to the bench for a home series against Robert Morris the following weekend. Junior forward Justin Selman and freshman forward Kyle Connor missed the presence of their center against the Colonials; the pair of wings tallied only one point on the weekend. “We were rotating the third guy in, which is always a little bit of a challenge — trying to find the chemistry each shift with a different guy,” Selman said. “Boo brings a ton of speed to the game, he brings a ton of puck possession and he’s a big body out there. It’s going to be good to have him back.” The time away wasn’t easy on Nieves, either. The mental

exhaustion that can accompany concussions is well documented. “It’s very frustrating,” Nieves said. “Even in practice, it’s tough sitting there watching them do what you want to do. I think the best way to stay with it is watching practice and being around the guys. I wasn’t around them for the first two days last week, and I started to feel a little out of the loop.” Once his symptoms started to dissipate, Nieves was glad to hang around the team more, saying it made him feel better about being left out of the lineup. He returned to practice Monday, confirming that he didn’t have any symptoms on or off the ice. Now appearing outgoing with a disarming smile, the lonely center doing homework at practice last week seems like a distant memory. Nieves is just happy to be talking hockey, giving his take on Saturday’s loss. “The second game was tough,” Nieves said. “We did look a little sluggish out of the gate, but it’s going to happen. We just couldn’t find a way back. “It’s also easy to sit out and watch from above and critique everything.” There is still progress to be made before Nieves can start taking contact in practice, and concussions have a nasty habit of recurring in hockey. With a two-week break, though, both Nieves and Michigan coach Red Berenson seem confident that the center will make it back for a home game against Niagara on Nov. 13. For now, Nieves is content just to be back on the ice. “Practice was the best part of my day, easily,” Nieves said.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘M’ opens practice to fans for an hour By SIMON KAUFMAN Daily Sports Editor

Usually, before the season starts, the curtain is closed at Crisler Arena. Michigan men’s basketball coach John Beilein doesn’t like to allow too many NOTEBOOK looks at his team before it starts facing other competition. But on Monday night, the Wolverines made an exception: The team hosted an open practice for fans followed by a chance to take selfies with players and Beilein. The open session ran for only an hour, but it provided a sneak peek at the Wolverines before they tip off against Le Moyne in an exhibition contest on Friday. With the regular season less than two weeks away, the Daily offers a few takeaways from the open practice. MO WEEZY, MO STREAKY: Moritz Wagner, or “Mo Weezy” as some teammates like to call him, is six feet, 10 inches of potential. The squad’s only scholarship freshman showed flashes of greatness Monday night amid moments of raw play. In a 5-on-5 scrimmage at the end of practice, the Berlin product stole the ball, drove, spun and finished over D.J. Wilson’s outstretched arm. “He’s 6-feet-10 and a half, and he’s only 18,” Beilein told the crowd after. “He still could be in high school.” A few minutes later, Wagner picked up another steal and finished with a big dunk followed by a fist pump, and he followed it with a 3-pointer a few possessions later. But his moments of “wow” were mixed in with freshman moments, too, and it’s easy to see why Beilein says he’s still a work in progress. Early in the practice, he missed an assignment on defense. On the offensive side, he still doesn’t always look comfortable with the ball in his hands, sometimes picking up his dribble before

he knows what he’s going to do with the ball. In his best moments, Wagner looks like a poor man’s Dirk Nowitzki — a comparison his former coach in Berlin made — but as of now, there are still more times when he looks like a lost freshman just trying to get the fundamentals down. GO D.J., THAT’S MY D.J.: A year after D.J. Wilson took a medical redshirt due to a knee injury, the redshirt freshman looks a lot stronger and more comfortable on the court. On Monday night, he showed why he’ll be a key piece for Beilein this season. Wilson looked at ease with the ball in his hands at the top of the key and used quick passes to help facilitate his team’s offense. He was stronger down low, confidently posting up on offense and boxing his man out on defense. He also didn’t shy away from shooting from the perimeter, knocking down a handful of 3s over the course of the night. At 6-foot-10 and up to 240 pounds after weighing just 215 a year ago, Wilson could be opponents’ biggest challenge with his dual inside-outside ability. DAWKINS LEAVES: In a full court 3-on-3 drill, sophomore Aubrey Dawkins landed on sophomore forward Kameron Chatman’s foot after coming down from an alley-oop dunk. Dawkins immediately hit the ground and reached for his right ankle, grimacing in pain. He limped to the sideline, where he walked around for a few minutes, still appearing to be hurt. He returned to drills soon after, but eventually left the practice early to go to the locker room. Dawkins did come out to take pictures with fans afterwards, indicating that he was OK and had just landed on his foot awkwardly. He was still favoring his left leg more than an hour after practice.

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers has played eight different positions this year, making an impact on offense, defense and special teams.

Jabrill Peppers, standout and tiger By MAX BULTMAN Daily Sports Editor

Jabrill Peppers is many things. For starters, he’s a triple threat, a player who changes the game in all phases. He’s also the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, an honor he earned for the second time this season Monday after totaling 100 all-purpose yards and breaking up two passes against Minnesota. Monday, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh talked about the ways Peppers is special — a term that’s nearly impossible to measure — and no one batted an eye. But the redshirt freshman didn’t need Harbaugh to say he was special. His play has spoken for itself all season long. Peppers is a safety, a cornerback, a nickelback, a punt returner, a kick returner, a running back, a wide receiver and, on occasion, a quarterback. Sometimes, he’s all of those in one game. But redshirt junior Erik Magnuson has another way to think of him. “Have you ever seen the Netflix documentary, ‘The Tiger and the

Monk?’ ” Magnuson asked a group of reporters Monday. “It’s about this monk who lives in the jungle in Thailand that has 16 tigers. I think Jabrill would be a tiger.” Strictly speaking, you don’t need to see the documentary to get the comparison. “It just gives you a better idea of how cool tigers are,” Magnuson said. “They’re very, very, very peaceful. Accept their inner peace. But when it’s time to attack, they strike.” For Peppers, that fits quite well. His normal position, safety, requires a great deal of flexibility. Sometimes he lines up over the top, sometimes in man coverage. But like Magnuson’s tiger analogy, he also knows when to attack, whether it’s blitzing or going back to return a punt or kick. Against Minnesota, he flipped the field twice, returning a punt for 41 yards and a kickoff for 43,

setting up a pair of touchdown drives for the Michigan offense. On one of the drives, Peppers scored his first touchdown of the season, a six-yard run on which he lined up as a quarterback in the wildcat formation. It was part of a recent swing that has seen him taking more offensive reps. Working Peppers into the offense was hardly a surprise development — fans and media alike wondered how long it would be until they saw Peppers on offense, and even junior tight end Jake Butt admitted to wondering when the Wolverines would use him there. But as far as getting him acclimated, Peppers has had to make use of limited practice reps with the offense. “Since we only have him for a little bit, we’ll run through all of the plays that we have with him like, back-to-back-to-back-to-

“He’s got something you can’t coach.”

back,” Butt said. “And some of the plays he’ll be coming back like, hands on the hips, and coach will just tell him, ‘All right, you only need to go like five yards on this play,’ you know? Try to save his energy a little bit.” Still, having him run those plays while worn out is good practice. Peppers was on the field for more than 90 plays against the Golden Gophers, which makes his numbers even more impressive. “He’s just a … man, it’s hard to describe,” Butt said. “He’s got something that you can’t coach.” But for as large an impact as he makes on the game, and the larger-than-life personality he portrays, Peppers’ teammates say it’s not an around-the-clock energy. Jabrill Peppers might, in fact, have an off switch. “He’s kind of a quiet guy around the locker room sometimes,” Butt said. “But when he’s on the field, that juice is flowing, for sure.” Quiet until it’s time to attack? Maybe Magnuson was on to something, after all.

8 — Tuesday, November 3, 2015

SPEIGHT From Page 7 Speight’s task has not been a simple one. His first meaningful passes as a college quarterback were game-deciding ones. Morris, the man many assumed to be Michigan’s backup quarterback, remained on the sideline after Rudock’s injury, his redshirt preserved according to plan. Even Harbaugh, known as “Captain Comeback” during his NFL playing career, was not sure Monday if he had ever been put in the situation of leading his team to victory after he came off the bench. After a moment of consideration, the former quarterback acknowledged that he had experienced success in the department.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com “Well … I’ve had some good ones, I guess,” Harbaugh deadpanned. After Speight came through with his own comeback, his teammates showed their appreciation. They appeared to be personally proud of Speight. Some of them affectionately call him “Wilt the Stilt” as a play on his first name. Fifthyear senior Desmond Morgan sought out Speight for a postgame hug. Morris lauded Speight on Twitter. At the end of their joint postgame press conference Saturday night, redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers smiled and yelled, “Wilt the Stilt, baby!” toward Speight. Redshirt junior wide receiver Jehu Chesson, the recipient of the game-winning pass, made it a point to commend Speight for his efforts Monday. The recognition was his

“We don’t have any doubts on our backup players.”

reward for commanding Michigan’s huddle, one filled with older players, with poise. “He’s respected,” said redshirt junior offensive lineman Erik Magnuson. “We don’t have any doubts on our backup players, backup quarterbacks. So when he came in there, it wasn’t like, ‘Oh no, we’ve got to step our game up because we’ve got Wilton in.’ It was just like, ‘Let’s get going. Let’s do what we’ve got to do.’ ” The possibility remains that Speight could get another chance Saturday against Rutgers. Rudock’s status is still in doubt. Harbaugh said the plan was to see how much Rudock could participate in practice Monday, but the starter would be determined by who would give the team the best chance to win. If Rudock is healthy, that will likely be him. But at the very least, Speight will always have Saturday night, when he came off the bench as an unknown to deliver his team a trophy. He is an afterthought no more.