CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday November 14, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
GOING VIRAL
GOVERNMENT
Legislators to consider civil rights proposals Democrats, GOP disagree on provisions to protect gender identity By SHOHAM GEVA Daily Staff Reporter
Sparking what was predicted to be contentious topic in both this year’s lame duck session of state legislature and beyond, there are now two different versions of an amendment to the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act up for consideration in Lansing. The act as it currently stands protects state residents from workplace, housing and other forms of discrimination on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status and marital status. The first proposed amendment, introduced concurrently by Rep. Sam Singh (D–East Lansing) in the House and by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D–Ann Arbor) in the Senate in September, proposes new protections for to include both sexual orientation and gender identity or expression as protected identities — a change
Democrats have unsuccessfully sought multiple times over the past few years. The second, introduced Wednesday afternoon by Rep. Frank Foster (R–Petoskey) in the House, only proposes including sexual orientation, and was met with criticism from both LGBTQ advocates and the Democratic caucus. Rep. Adam Zemke (D–Ann Arbor), who co-sponsored Singh’s bill, said the main issue with Foster’s proposal was his omission of proposed protections for gender identity and expression. “The important thing that we need to understand is that the bill that was introduced by Rep. Foster is not a compromise,” Zemke said. “It’s sending the message that discrimination against one group of people is okay as long as we’re protecting another group, and that’s not right.” Republicans in the state legislature have argued that a recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling, which found that discrimination against transgender people qualified as sex discrimination, could also apply to the ELCRA, which they say would effectively create protections for gender identity. Democrats and LGBTQ advocacy See RIGHTS, Page 3A
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ARTS
Writers unite for 10-hour session Espresso Royale to host comprehensive Write-a-thon VICKI LIU/Daily
Maris Eisenberg, assistant professor of Epidemiology, speaks about the global response to Ebola at the “Fear, Panic, and Isolation: Ebola and Public Health” panel at the School of Public Health Thursday.
ACADEMICS
Intergroup relations to introduce minor IGR courses will also satisfy LSA Race & Ethnicity req. next semester By AMABEL KAROUB Daily Staff Reporter
Beginning next semester, students will officially be able to minor in Intergroup Relations. In addition to a formal minor designation, an IGR class will count for the University’s Race and Ethnicity requirement for the first time.
PIANO MAN
IGR, now in its 26th year, is a social justice program designed to foster discussion and learning about social identity and inequality. The program focuses on open discussions between students, as well as promoting leadership experience for the students who facilitate these discussions. IGR’s seven courses have now been formalized into the minor, complete with core courses and multiple track options to fulfill the requirements. The minor involves a total of either eight or nine classes and totals between 19 and 22 credits. IGR Co-Director Kelly Max-
well said the minor emerged in response to high student demand. IGR previously offered a Certificate of Merit for students who took a number of IGR courses, but students taking multiple classes in IGR wanted their experience to appear officially on their transcripts. Over the past year, IGR has worked to develop a proposal and curriculum for the minor, which LSA approved this fall. Maxwell said the timing is particularly ideal, adding that it’s becoming increasingly important for students to communicate with others who have See MINOR, Page 3A
By ALEXANDER BERNARD Daily Arts Writer
On the outside of the glass, people hustle by, minds buried in their cell phones and Spotify playlists. The autumn wind sweeps across their face and underneath their scarves, sending chills through the fingertips that press against scratched phone screens. On the inside, fingers drum against keyboards and typewriters as undergraduates, young authors and writing instructors hash out the beginnings of short stories, novels, poems, memoirs and the “Acknowledgments” section of their books. People stop on the street, press their noses against the glass and, in my imagination at least, wonder, “Are we allowed to feed the writers?” This Friday, Nov. 14, the Undergraduate English Association and Fiction Writers Review will host the “November Write-a-thon,” a 10-hour event dedicated to writing, editing and creating new literature, all within the toasty confines of Espresso Royale on State Street. See WRITEATHON, Page 3A
ADMINISTRATION
Schlissel calls for review of ‘U’ sustainability plan Campus struggles to meet goals for waste, greenhouse gas reductions By GENEVIEVE HUMMER Daily Staff Reporter
CHANMEE CHUNG/Daily
San Cristobal plays at the 4th Annual New Beat Happening Battle of the Bands Thursday at the Michigan League Underground.
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
Despite improvement over last year, Detroit tops nation for violent crime Students have varied reaction to comprehensive 2013 FBI report By NEALA BERKOWSKI Daily Staff Reporter
As reported by the FBI earlier this week, Detroit had the highest rate of murder and violent crimes in 2013. Four offenses are categorized as violent crime in the report:
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 35 LO: 25
murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Out of Detroit’s 699,889 residents, there were 14,504 reported violent crimes, or 2,072 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Three hundred and sixteen of those crimes were murders, which is approximately 45 murders per 100,000 people. In contrast, Ann Arbor, with a population of 116,799, saw 247 violent crimes in 2013, three of which were murders. Overall, however, violent crime fell in the city and across the nation. The estimated number of violent crimes in the U.S.
decreased by 4.1 percent, while the estimated number of violent crimes in Detroit decreased by 3 percent. Murders fell by 18 percent in Detroit and by 4.4 percent nationwide. Despite high crime rates in Detroit, some University students and student groups working in Detroit say these statistics will not change their view of the city, mainly because Detroit’s crime issues are not new to them. LSA freshman Melissa Ramirez, who was born in See DETROIT, Page 3A
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University President Mark Schlissel announced in a release last week that the University plans to review its sustainability goals. “To be the model public university — and to be a responsible leader in the communities we serve — we must achieve our full potential in sustainability,” Schlissel wrote in a release. The goals, established by University President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman in 2011, included five operations-focused sustainability goals: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, University transportation emissions and waste tonnage, to purchase sustainable food and to protect the Huron River. The year 2025 was set as the deadline for achieving the goals. Schlissel has recommended working groups review the University’s progress on meeting these goals and re-evaluate future plans related to sustainability. Hank Baier, associate vice president for facilities and operations, and Don Scavia, special counsel to the president for sus-
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tainability and director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, will lead the process. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Scavia said Schlissel received a letter cosigned by the leaders of 50 student organizations expressing their continued interest in the 2011 sustainability goals, which many of them helped to create. In the letter, students urged Schlissel to review the existing goals and to enact more aggressive initiatives. A week or two later, he received a similar letter from members of the faculty. Scavia said a review of the sustainability goals was originally scheduled for next year, but after receiving letters from students and faculty, Schlissel decided to conduct the review this year. “He thought it was important as the new president to take a look at it (the sustainability goals) and he wanted definitely to engage the operations staff as well as faculty and students to take a look at it collectively,” Scavia said. Three teams of faculty, students and staff are now working to schedule their first meetings. One team will review greenhouse gas emissions, another waste reduction and the final group will focus on the culture of sustainability on campus. While initiatives to improve University transportation emissions and purchase sustainable
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food have seen success, others have been more difficult to accomplish. Despite the 2011 goal to reduce carbon gas emissions by 25 percent, University data published by the Office of Campus Sustainability show that emissions decreased in 2012, but then increased in 2013. Transportation emissions have seen decreases, but waste production has actually increased since the adoption of the goals. “Greenhouse gas and waste reduction are priorities because those goals require the greatest investment to achieve, and our progress is not as rapid as we’d like,” Baier said in a release. Another goal of the review is to educate students, faculty and staff on campus about sustainability. Scavia said the Graham Sustainability Institute has created behavior change programs like Planet Blue Ambassadors and the Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund to engage students in current sustainability issues. The institute also works with the Institute for Social Research to conduct an annual survey that measures campus behaviors and knowledge of sustainability practices. The survey, which targets faculty, students and staff, has run for two consecutive years. The survey conducted in 2012 found that while students were more aware than faculty of camSee SUSTAINABILITY, Page 2A
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2A — Friday, November 14, 2014
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
THURSDAY: Alumni Profiles
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FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
LEFT Navy players warm up prior to the wheel-chair basketball game at Crisler Center Sunday. (McKenzie Berezin / Daily)
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RIGHT LSA senior Christa Guest sets up a pretend mummy Wednesday for the Natural History Museum’s “Learn It! Do It! Day,” held Thursday for elementary school children on field trips. This month’s theme is “World History Through Archaeology.” (Rita Morris/ Daily)
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Photography experiences
Sports and Moroccan the University Islam
Rec sports certifications
WHAT: Charlie Engelman, a National Geographic Prize Winner, will share his photography experiences. WHO: Museum Studies WHEN: Today from noon to 1 p.m. WHERE: Museum of Art Auditorium
WHAT: A series of lectures will explore the role of sports in American higher education today. WHO: LSA WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library
WHAT: If you have always wanted to be a certified cycling instructor, now is your chance. Rec Sports is doing a certification class. WHO: Rec Sports WHEN: Tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: the Intramural Sports Building
WHAT: Join a free Zumba exercise session at the Trotter Multicultural Center. WHO: Trotter Multicultural Center WHEN: Today at 7 p.m. WHERE: Trotter Multicultural Center Recreation Room
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A2 Data Dive WHAT: The A Data Dive gives local nonprofit organizations the chance to come together and work on understanding their company’s data. Anyone is welcome, and people can work together and share their knowledge of data. WHO: A 2 Data Dive WHEN: Tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: North Quad 2
WHAT: Edmund Burke III, a lecturer from UC Santa Cruz, will discuss Morocco’s unique form of Islam. WHO: Center for European Studies WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: The League
Phillips and Gelb
Great Lakes Crossing Trip
WHAT: Grant-Lee Phillips and Howe Gelb, both wellrespected American singer/ songwriters, will perform together at the Ark. WHO: Michigan Union Ticket Office WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: The Ark, 316 S. Main St.
WHAT: Students have the chance to take a trip to this large outlet mall with the International Center. WHO: International Center WHEN: Tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Great Lakes Crossing, Auburn Hills Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
Democrats in the U.S. Senate are considering the creation of a new leadeship position for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, Politico reported. Warren would serve as a liaison with liberal political groups.
2
When Stu Douglass hit a 3-pointer at the Breslin Center four seasons ago, he may have saved coach John Beilein’s job and revived the program in the process. >> FOR MORE, SEE THE BASKETBALL PREVIEW PAGE 5B
3
ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is not actually dead, The Guardian reported. He was rumored to have been killed last week by a U.S. air strike, but a recording from Thursday revealed that he is alive.
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BUSINESS STAFF Madeline Lacey University Accounts Manager Ailie Steir Classified Manager Simonne Kapadia Local Accounts Manager Lotus An National Accounts Manager Olivia Jones Production Managers Nolan Loh Special Projects Coordinator Jason Anterasian Finance Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Student voter turnout appears to drop in A 2 Campus-surrounding precincts report lower participation By ANASTASSIOS ADAMOPOULOS Daily Staff Reporter
As predicted, voter turnout for the 2014 Midterm Elections was relatively low this election year with no presidential race to bring people to the polls. On top of that, it appears even turnout on campus is on the decline. Within the Washtenaw County precincts that surround campus, where students tend to live, average voter turnout per precinct was 14.08 percent this year, down from 17.88 percent in 2010, the last non-presidential election year. In reality, it is likely that a larger percentage of students
living in these areas voted as the number of registered voters is inflated by individuals who are registered in Ann Arbor, but have since moved away, like former students. These individuals can remain registered in Ann Arbor for years before being removed. The figures also do not account for students who voted by absentee ballot in their home district. Associate History Prof. Matthew Lassiter said though the decline in voters is unfortunate, it is common for younger voters to be less involved in midterm elections than presidential ones. “I think that most students believe that being active through political parties is less effective then being active through issue based organizations and it’s hard to argue with that analysis,” Lassiter said. LSA junior Trevor Dolan, president of the University’s chapter of the College Democrats, said
there is a small group of politically active students, despite the broader trend of declining participation. He said while many may be passionate about certain issues, fewer are willing to get involved in the political process. He added that being a member of College Democrats allows him to work on the issues he cares about. “Single issues are important but by involving yourself in the Democratic or Republican parties you show that you care about a series of issues,” he said. Dolan said College Democrats have 40 to 50 members who consistently show up to meetings, and many more come sporadically. He said he believes political organizations have failed to show that they can accomplish their goals, many perceiving parties to be solely focused on winning. He added that because of this, students instead choose to join issue-based organizations instead. “Politics is just composed of all these issues, and I think that when a lot of students think of politics they think about gerrymandering, they think about political gridlock but they don’t think about that what happens in Washington or what happens in Lansing affects them directly and affects the issues that they care about,” Dolan said. Political Science Prof. Nicholas Valentino said research shows that college students tend to be less partisan while in school, usually identifying and working with one party later on. He said Democratic and Republican party organizers have worked harder recently to recruit college students through grassroots mobilization. “I think if you wanted to make just the most basic prediction about whether someone is going to participate, the first thing you usually look to is how much did their family participate and how See VOTING, Page 3A
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP
Speaker of the House John Boehner, left, and Rep. Greg Walden meet with reporters on Capitol Hill to discuss immigration reforms President Barack Obama is ready to release through executive action.
Obama to unveil plans addressing immigration President issuing series of executive orders this month WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is poised to act soon to unveil a series of executive actions on immigration that will shield possibly around 5 million immigrants living in the country illegally from deportation, according to advocates in touch with the White House. The estimate includes extending deportation protections to parents and spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years. The president is also likely to expand his 2-yearold program that protects young immigrants from deportation. Timing of the announcement is unclear, though it’s expected before the end of the year. White
SUSTAINABILITY From Page 1A pus sustainability initiatives, they were less knowledgeable
House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama would review final recommendations after returning from his Asia trip next week. Congressional Republicans are strongly opposed to Obama’s plans, and as lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill this week following midterm elections in which the GOP retook the Senate, they vowed to oppose him. “We’re going to fight the president tooth and nail if he continues down this path. This is the wrong way to govern. This is exactly what the American people said on Election Day they didn’t want,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday. “And so, all the options are on the table.” Some conservatives in the House and Senate announced plans to push for language in must-pass spending bills to block the president from acting. But other Republicans warned that
such a push could result in another government shutdown like the one last year over Obama’s health care plan. “My sense is that the vast majority of us want to do everything we can to stop it, but also want to avoid outcomes that would prove bad for the country as a whole,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. It wasn’t clear, though, what other options Republicans had. The advocates, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement, said that final details of the plan remained in flux. But the White House is likely to include parents and spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, stipulating that they’ve resided in the U.S. for some period of time — possibly as little as five years. That group totals around 3.8 million people, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
about protecting the environment, preventing waste and prioritizing sustainable foods. “One of the things that we recognized when we set the first set of goals related to greenhouse gases, water
and waste and those sorts of things, is that you can do a lot with technolog y, but changing behavior on campus is going to be a really important part of reaching those goals,” he said.
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Jury indicts Ex-CEO of coal mine that exploded, killing 29 Executive charged with numerous counts of conspiracy CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Don Blankenship, the steely-eyed executive once dubbed “The Dark Lord of Coal Country,” on Thursday became the highest-ranking coal official to face federal charges in the nation’s deadliest mine disaster in 40 years. A federal grand jury indicted the former Massey Energy CEO on numerous counts of conspiracy in the April 2010 underground explosion that killed 29 men at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia. The 43-page indictment said Blankenship “knew that UBB was committing hundreds of safety-law violations every year and that he had the ability to prevent most of the violations that UBB was committing. Yet he fostered and participated in an understanding that perpetuated UBB’s practice of routine safety violations, in order to produce more coal, avoid the costs of following safety laws, and make more money.” His attorney, William W. Taylor III, said in a statement that Blankenship “is entirely innocent of these charges. He will fight them and he will be acquitted.” “Don Blankenship has been a tireless advocate for mine safety,” the statement said. “His outspoken criticism of powerful bureaucrats has earned this indictment. He will not yield to their effort to silence him. He will not be intimidated.” But Pam Napper, whose son,
WRITEATHON From Page 1A Jeremiah Chamberlin, assistant director of the English Department Writing Program and editor-in-chief and publisher of Fiction Writers Review, sat down for an interview with The Michigan Daily, to discuss the writing process and how the Write-a-thon expands on that process. “Writing is normally thought of as a very solitary act. When someone says ‘writer,’ they envision someone alone, in a room, often a garret, in some sort of mental anguish or wonderful ecstasy as the muse either speaks or does not speak to them,” Chamberlin said. “And so I think it’s important to remember that writing is a collaborative act, and it’s a community act. While we do spend a large portion of our day writing at that desk or at that tablet by ourselves, almost every writer I know shares their work.” For writers, the Write-a-thon is a means to validate their ambitions and connect with other writers in the Ann Arbor area. Drafting is a struggle, but at least they can struggle together. “I really love the idea of writers coming together for the shared endeavor. It’s a kind of solidarity. It’s a kind of making public what’s often a solitary act … It’s reaffirming, to share a room with a dozen or twenty people who are all engaged in that act,” Chamberlin said. And in Espresso’s tiny seating area, hundreds of new ideas will be simmering in the air above the writers’ heads, electrifying the already charged atmosphere. “I also love the notion that, in this space, there are new poems, new stories, new plays, new novels, all being generated simultaneously … And I think it inspires people,” Chamberlin said. From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, through Espresso’s window front, Ann Arborites can see writers bringing novels, poems and plays to life, just a plane of glass separating chilly sidewalk strollers from the architects of tomorrow’s classic tales. “By making it in the front window of Espresso Royale, everyone who walks by looks in and sees writers, and they see writers at work. And they’ll see writers on
Josh Napper, was among the miners who died that day, said “it’s about time” Blankenship was called to account. “He was a big part of this,” she said. “He knew what was going on in that mine and continued to let it go. I hope he gets what he deserves. I am so excited. They aren’t sad tears today. They’re happy tears.” Earlier this year, Blankenship sponsored and appeared in a 50-minute documentary titled “Upper Big Branch — Never Again.” In it, he argued that regulators never got to the truth about what happened underground. “If someone wants to know the truth about what happened at UBB, they need to go ubbneveragain.com and watch the documentary,” Blankenship, in his signature even baritone, told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes early last month. But U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said the truth is contained in the indictment. In February 2013, a former longtime subordinate, David Hughart, testified that Blankenship ordered the widespread corporate practice of warning coal miners about surprise federal inspections. The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said the root cause of the blast was Massey’s “systematic, intentional and aggressive efforts” to conceal life-threatening problems. MSHA said managers even maintained two sets of pre-shift inspection books - an accurate one for themselves, and a sanitized one for regulators. The indictment says Blankenship conspired to violate standards at the mine from
January 2008 until April 2010, when the explosion tore through the tunnels. The explosion prompted federal officials to begin monthly “impact” inspections at problem mines throughout Appalachia in addition to routine state and federal visits. MSHA said last month that it has conducted 823 “impact” inspections sites and issued more than 13,000 citations since the explosion. Alpha Natural Resources bought Massey for $7.1 billion in June 2012. Blankenship retired ahead of the merger. “We can only hope that the outcome of the upcoming proceedings that were announced today will provide some level of comfort and closure for the families of the fallen miners and to the larger community where we live and operate,” Alpha said in a statement. Four investigations into the disaster found that worn and broken cutting equipment created a spark that ignited accumulations of coal dust and methane gas. Broken and clogged water sprayers allowed what should have been a minor flare-up to become an inferno. Blankenship started a blog to push his assertion that the presence of natural gas in the mine, and not methane gas and excess coal dust, was at the root of the explosion. He said getting to that “truth” was “the best way to honor the victims of Upper Big Branch ...” In the November 2010 Rolling Stone article in which the “dark lord” moniker was coined, Jeff Goodell described the former $18 million-a-year man as “the undisputed king of coal in West Virginia.”
laptops and on iPads and pens and notebooks and on manual typewriters (as donated by Harlequin Creature),” Chamberlin said. He also stressed that you don’t need to be a seasoned writer to stop in on Friday; all are welcome to find a table, plug in their laptop and write that first sentence, regardless of confidence or skill level. “Every single writer will tell you that every time he or she starts a new project, it’s as if they’re learning to write for the first time. Every novelist will tell you that while one gains more confidence with each book and learns a few tricks along the way, every project has its own unique challenges,” Chamberlin said. “So it’s just as likely that the award-winning author sitting next to you is having just as much problems.” From renowned faculty to seasoned lecturers, from MFA students to Creative Writing Subconcentrators, from freshman trying their hand at English 223 to that guy in your physics class who likes Sci-Fi, Espresso will house a catalog of writers for all 10 hours, each completely absorbed with the tedious, mind-eroding writing process, rather than the output. And all are welcome. “People can stop in for fifteen minutes, write a note on the typewriter, or they can stay for a few hours and really work away at something … I would remind all writers, myself included, that it’s the process of doing the work that matters most and the process of exploration that happens on the page,” Chamberlin said. First instituted in Ann Arbor in 2009, the Write-a-thon is a chance for Ann Arbor’s writers to sip coffee, nibble a donut and tap their keyboard a few thousand times until something remarkable happens. For 10 hours on Friday, head down to Espresso on State Street, find a table near the front and inhale the aroma of hot chocolate, sweaty palms and blind determination. The November Write-a-thon is for the writers, all of them. Whether you’re a Hopwood winner or you don’t know what that is, wander over to Espresso on Friday. Even if you’ve never touched a keyboard, there’s still plenty of reason to join. “This space is for you today … and so we’re giving free coffee and donuts while supplies last.’”
“Other Big Coal CEOs who operate in Appalachia are business-school types who have offices in other states and leave the dirty work to their minions,” he wrote. “Blankenship, by contrast, is a rich hillbilly who believes that God put coal in the ground so that he could mine it, and anyone — or any law — that stands in his way needs to be beaten down, bought off or tied up in court. “Blankenship is hated, feared and respected, but nobody wants to tangle with him.” Until now. If convicted, Blankenship could face up to 31 years in prison. Others have been convicted in the case. Former White Buck Coal Co. President Hughart, who testified that Blankenship ordered the inspection warnings, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges. Hughart, who never worked at Upper Big Branch, was eventually sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for his role. Former UBB superintendent Gary May was sentenced last year to one year and nine months in prison on charges he defrauded the government through his actions at the mine, including disabling a methane gas monitor and falsifying records. May cooperated with prosecutors. He testified at the February 2012 sentencing of former Massey security chief Hughie Elbert Stover, who was sent to prison for three years for lying to investigators and ordering a subordinate to destroy documents. It was one of the stiffest punishments ever handed down in a mine safety case.
MINOR From Page 1A different identities. “Students want opportunities for interaction across different groups — not just race, but other identities as well, and they get that in IGR,” she said. LSA senior Sarah Berkman has already expressed interest in completing the new minor. As a Community Action and Social Change minor, Berkman has already fulfilled most of the credits required for the IGR minor. Berkman said CAS was their only option for students wanting to have a minor dealing with social justice. Now, students can explore both IGR and CAS and decide which minor is right for them. “There are a lot of people in IGR dialogues and facilitating classes who decide to become CAS minors because a lot of the IGR classes fulfill CAS,” she said. “I think maybe some of those people now would do the IGR minor.” While IGR administrators were structuring the new minor, they also planned to have an IGR class count for LSA’s Race & Ethnicity requirement. The class counting for credit is Intergroup Dialogues, listed as UC/PSYCH/SOC122. The course is three credits and it is one of two core classes for the IGR minor. However, the class is open to any student and the course will fulfill the
RE requirement regardless of whether or not a student wants to minor in IGR. Last year, members of the Black Student Union lobbied the University to enact a Race and Ethnicity requirement in every school and college. In response, former CSG President Michael Proppe said the University should consider allowing IGR classes to fulfill Race and Ethnicity requirements. The comments were delivered at a meeting of the University’s Board of Regents shortly after the BSU launched their #BBUM campaign. Maxwell said the only reason the course didn’t previously count for RE is because it was only two credits, and a course must be at least three credits to be considered. IGR was considering changing the course anyway because facilitators were commenting that two hours a week was not enough time for meaningful dialogue. Due to the changes that came with the minor, Maxwell said it was a good time to increase the course’s credit hours. “With the changing demographic of our society, by 2042, there won’t be a majority racial group in the United States,” Maxwell said. “We have to be in a position to be able to understand cultural differences and be able to communicate inter-culturally in a way that acknowledges both the cultures that we come from and people from other groups.”
DETROIT From Page 1A Detroit and has family in the city, said these statistics did not change her perspective of Detroit and she will continue to visit family. “Because I already knew it was kind of a dangerous place, I don’t think this has changed my perception,” she said. “The crime is kind of why we left in the first place but we still go visit almost every weekend.” Members of Crowd 313 — a student organization focused on bringing students to Detroit
for various cultural events and exposing them to cultural and economic aspects of the city — said statistics like these have motivated them to show students that Detroit is still a place worth visiting. “Crime is a big city phenomenon, it has obvious correlations to less affluent areas,” said Architecture sophomore Olivia Howard, a Crowd 313 member. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is more likely to encounter crime if they go to Detroit and I don’t think it makes the culture any less rich or the communities any less strong.” According to the Detroit
Friday, November 14, 2014 — 3A
RIGHTS From Page 1A groups have strongly contested that interpretation. Several cities and public institutions within Michigan, including Ann Arbor and the University, have amended their own ordinances and policies to include both gender identity and expression and sexuality, but these changes are relatively isolated, making amending the act on the state level a focus for many LGBTQ groups. “The ability to be fired just because of who you are is bigger than just a theoretical debate,” said Jason Morgan, co-chair of the Jim Toy Community Center’s Public Policy committee. “It’s a very real issue for people. And there are people who’ve been fired for being gay. So it’s not just about the broader civil rights discussion. There is a very real, tangible impact on the lives of people to be protected that is necessary.” Foster, who will lose his seat at the end of the lame duck legislative session in December, introduced his revised amendment with the backing of Speaker of the House Jase Bolger (R–Marshall), who previously stated he did not support Singh or Warren’s bills. Bolger introduced a third bill along with Foster’s, the Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act, that parallels a 1993 federal legislation which permits broad exemptions to federal laws if they conflict with an individual’s religious beliefs. In a statement, Bolger said the act’s passage would be necessary for him to allow Foster’s bill to come to a vote. “I have been researching this issue for well over a year and said repeatedly that I would work on finding legislation that could strike a balance between protecting personal liberties and defending religious freedom,” Bolger said. “I believe Rep. Frank Foster’s bill on Elliott Larsen and
VOTING From Page 2A many socio-economic and skills based resources to know how to participate,” Valentino said. LSA junior Kayla Garthus, vice-president of the University’s chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty, joined the organization during her freshman year and said the diversity of the members has increased in the time she joined. Young Americans for Liberty is a non-partisan libertarian organization that had 150 chapters nationwide at the end of 2009. That number has increased to 527 today. Garthus said the organization has a mixture of people with different identities, including Republicans and Democrats. She believes that nonpartisanship has helped the group expand. “I would say that people are less inclined nowadays to be so politically active due to the unfortunate circumstances involving the government and just political parties,” Garthus said. LSA senior Sarah Cunningham, secretary of the University’s chapter of College Republicans, said the group is steadily growing stronger and the midterm elections have helped the group gain some attention on campus. She said students often do not participate in politics because, among other things, they are busy with other priorities.
News, Detroit was followed by New Orleans, Newark, St. Louis and Baltimore in terms of murder rates. The FBI does comparative crime statistics for U.S. cities with crime rates per 100,000 people. LSA freshman Kevin Zhang agreed that the statistics on crime in Detroit will not make him less likely to go to Detroit to watch the Tigers, Lions or Red Wings, or events like the North American International Auto Show. “The statistics impacted my perception negatively, obviously, but I think I already had a negative of view of the city in terms of violent crime, so it just
my bill on MiRFRA provide that necessary balance.” His stance was applauded by the Michigan Catholic Conference, which represents Roman Catholic bishops in the state, as an important expression of religious tolerance. However, both the state Democratic caucus and various LGBTQ advocacy groups indicated they would not support Foster’s bill, and condemned the additional legislation concerning religious exemptions. In an interview Wednesday morning, before Foster’s bill was announced, Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor), who co-sponsored Singh’s bill, said religious exemptions had the potential to reduce the impact of the ELCRA. “It’s really opening up the biggest possible loophole in our anti-discrimination laws,” Irwin said. “Because much of the discrimination that people face, if not based on religion, is justified by religious scripture.” Following the introduction of Foster and Bolger’s bills Wednesday, a coalition of LGBTQ advocacy groups announced they would begin exploring non-legislative pathways, such as a ballot question, to get the original version of the amendment passed. Irwin said any proposed amendments that didn’t include gender identity and expression, or came tied to potential religious exemptions, had the potential to halt the momentum built up around the issue in Lansing over the past few years. “If this is something we’re going to do in a bipartisan way, with some folks from both sides — though probably more votes from Democrats in support — it’s got to be something that Democrats actually support,” Irwin said. “A bill that is not fully inclusive, that leaves the most persecuted and the most discriminated part in this community behind and that really opens up a loophole for discrimination against gay and lesbian people, that will not be the kind of policy I think that progressives are going to rally behind.”
“A lot of students that I’ve met maybe stray away form being super-involved in political parties because they feel that they have become more polarized or that current representatives don’t represent their beliefs. And I think that’s even more reason to get involved,” Cunningham said. Business senior Elena Brennan, a senior adviser for the College Republicans, said she does feel that political parties are becoming less popular among young people. “The College Republicans here at U of M have actually adapted to this by creating a ‘Students For’ position on the board that heads up committees focused on specific issues that are relevant to students — issues that we care about looking towards our futures,” Brennan said. Like the College Democrats, the College Republicans has roughly 50 members that show up consistently, Brennan said. Cunningham said another basic determinant for political involvement is being able to conduct a dialogue. She said when students openly identify with a political party, other students assume they will not be open to new ideas. She added that another factor that keeps students involved with a political group are the friends they make there. As a freshman, Cunningham was an independent but she said she found a lot in common with College Republicans and identified with her peers rather than politicians themselves.
confirms sort of what I already thought,” he said. LSA senior Lauren Kissel shared the feelings of other students who have visited Detroit for cultural events or volunteer opportunities, saying she does not think crime in Detroit will impact the activities they attend in the city. “The statistics definitely kind of makes me wary, but I think the places I would be going to like the DIA or volunteering would probably be more safe,” she said. “The statistics did not really change my view of the city because I kind of already knew crime was a problem there.”
Opinion
Page 4A — Friday, November 14, 2014
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com PETER SHAHIN EDITOR IN CHIEF
MEGAN MCDONALD and DANIEL WANG EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
KATIE BURKE MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
The road to recovery
Detroit’s emergence from bankruptcy shows glimmers of hope
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etroit has struggled for more than half of a century to revitalize itself. Precipitous population drops, abandoned homes, rampant crime and the auto industry’s previous struggles has put the city in financial turmoil. In March 2013, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, a University alum, to help Detroit put the city on a stronger financial footing. A few months later, in June 2013, the city filed for bankruptcy. Over the past year, concerns over the possibility of the city’s multimilliondollar art collection being sold and the loss of pensions for retirees came to the forefront of national discussion. In order to protect pensions and the city’s art collections, state and non-state actors collaborated on a plan to get Detroit out of bankruptcy. This plan is a great start for Detroit’s renewal, but city officials and state legislators cannot allow apathy to set in as a continued push is needed to rebuild the once great city. Nov. 7, Judge Steven Rhodes approved Detroit’s exit plan, allowing the city to end its historic bankruptcy. The plan — dubbed the “Grand Bargain” — was crafted by numerous community members from local foundations, the state government, city pensioners, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. The deal reduces Detroit’s debt by $7 billion, keeps the DIA’s art collection intact, cuts 12,000 non-public safety retirees’ pensions by 4.5 percent and pledges $1.7 billion for the demolition of blighted buildings. Thanks to the collaborative effort of various organizations, the city and state government and Orr, residents now have a feasible plan for Detroit’s future. This exit plan includes a number of key points that will greatly benefit the city. The long-maligned streetlight system, that at one point had 40 percent of its lights broken, will undergo a $185-million overhaul, replacing the antiquated system with 65,000 LED streetlights. The city was provided with 100 new Detroit Police Department squad cars and 23 new ambulances, which will aid in further decreasing average EMS response times. These response averages have already decreased from 58 minutes to 18 minutes for police and to 12 minutes for ambulances. With an increased operating budget, the DPD has focused on hiring non-uniformed administrative staff in order to move uniformed officers off of desk-duty and back onto the streets. The plan envisions spending about $400 million on blight removal. The Duggan administration is also aiming to demolish about 800 houses per month. With all the whirlwind of the bankruptcy, the major success of the process was the protection of the DIA. The museum was transferred into a charitable fund during bankruptcy and, in the exit plan, was granted autonomy from city ownership, protecting the collection from any further attempts at sale or liquidation. The exit plan gives the city new
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hope: with city services improving, emergency services average response times declining and the treasured DIA saved, Detroit is moving down the path of recovery. While these steps are commendable, further steps are needed to ensure Detroit’s continued economic revitalization. The Financial Review Commission needs to do a more thorough job going forward so the that the city makes stable, sound, long-term investments and tax collection is efficient and effective. According to a Detroit News analysis, taxes were completely collected on just 53 percent of non-exempt Detroit properties. Even fewer saw timely payment. If the city is going to maintain and improve its infrastructure, an effective strategy of collecting taxes and a system to work with residents having difficulty with payment will be needed. Further, the city has a responsibility to ensure that economic improvements spread outward and aren’t to comparatively wealthier areas. This might create a dichotomous and tense social situation, and could negatively affect long-term stability, a requisite for sustainable economic growth. Moreover, pushes for voter education and registration and increasing voter turnout might also promote civic engagement and governmental stability. Finally, as the population of the city is substantially lower than it was at its peak, Detroit should recognize that reversing the mass exodus from the city is a key component to its growth. With the approval of its bankruptcy plan, Detroit has been granted a rare second chance and a pointed direction for growth. However thankful the city may be, this is not the time to relax. While Detroit’s exit plan does address a number of crucial problems, there are still numerous obstacles to overcome. The previous failures that led to this point cannot be repeated, and all those involved must be fully dedicated to Detroit’s rebirth.
Leading the change
ere we are again with Michigan athletics in the news for something other than a win-loss record or the product on the field. This time the media attention is for criticism from University President Mark Schlissel of the general athletic culture and its role within the academic institution. The continued patter of athletics having a dominant role in the media coverage of the University can be traced DAVID to one simple reason: people HARRIS want football, basketball, hockey and the other myriad of sports, are willing to pay for said methods of entertainment, and thus are given what they want. It’s the very basis of capitalism, in which a demand is filled with a service for the benefit of the producer and utility of the consumer. This makes the American sports industry a dominant force both economically and socially, and often dominant over other newsworthy events at the University. This dominance of college athletics creates a myriad of problems. It forces the NCAA and the athletic departments of its member schools to act both as a business and an altruistic organization providing educational opportunity and other opportunities to student-athletes. The NCAA brings in more than $870 million in revenue a year, and Michigan itself has revenues totaling over $140
million, while at the same time championing the free educational opportunities provided for the very students they profit off of via its monopoly. The sheer amount of money thrown around in college athletics exposes the hypocrisy that the NCAA continues to try to balance but refuses to acknowledge. This is not just a problem of the alleged bending of admissions for athletes or the time commitments involved for student-athletes. College sports have become tightly intertwined with not just the university experience but American culture itself. Because in the end, the basic desires of fans are to watch football, to watch their favorite school and to watch their favorite school be good at football, and thus a university is driven to throw large sums of money around to meet these demands. Colleges often spend more on coach salaries than they do on compensated tuition for scholarship athletes. Many schools even charge student fees that go directly toward the university’s athletic department (commendably, Michigan does not charge these fees, contributing in part to our higher-than-average ticket prices). And as a showing of the large demand that brings in the money to make it all possible, the 15 biggest stadiums in the United States are all college football stadiums. For big-time programs, football and other sports have become one of the greatest ways to market the school; for smaller schools without the resources, it becomes a seemingly necessary burden. Athletics has also been tied to the very reasons for applying and attending a school, and
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the increase in applicants to a school with newfound athletic success is called the “Flutie Effect,” named after the increase in admissions to Boston College after quarterback Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary win in 1984 over the University of Miami (although the correlation in this specific instance is disputed). Such an effect is also said to have occurred at George Mason and Butler after their NCAA basketball tournament runs, Appalachian State after its victory over Michigan in 2007, and Boise State, Northern Iowa and Auburn after recent football successes. Michigan itself was even a launching point for the commercialization of college athletics with the marketing juggernaut that was the Fab Five. Athletic royalties spiked from $2 million in 1990-91 to $6.2 million in 1993-94, the Fab Five’s last season. The number of applica-
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tions even climbed from 17,744 in 1991 to 19,687 in 1996, a 36-percent climb that then Director of Admissions Ted Spencer was reluctant to correlate specifically to athletics, but noted that in his own personal experience many students were drawn to the University because of them. Until there are enough negative externalities to warrant changing the system (which may not be far off with the danger of concussions), college sports will continue to be an extremely marketable enterprise. Yet the consequences of this enterprise interfering with the academic missions of the NCAA and its institutions will continue to be a contentious issue without a total reshaping of the culture and role of college athletics. Schlissel may have apologized and clarified some of his remarks,
but his remarks on the role of athletics within the University show a willingness to make Michigan a leader in redefining what college athletics look like. The NCAA will look incredibly different as soon as the next decade, perhaps with players being paid, a renewed emphasis on academics and graduation or by any other number of significant reforms that will be necessary for the NCAA. Despite current issues, it is clear that there is a place for college athletics and that much value that can come from them. Michigan must be at the forefront in defining the right role for athletics within the context of the University’s mission, and also as a leading institution in shaping the inevitably changing landscape of the NCAA. — David Harris can be reached at daharr@umich.edu.
Dressing like a woman
hen I was four, I always wanted to wear this patterned T-shirt that had basketballs, tennis balls, baseballs and footballs printed on the front and back. I took every opportunity to put it on, dirty or clean, which my mother found appalling. She had bought it for me without JENNY much thought, WANG imagining that I’d wear it only at night, in the privacy of our home. During the day, of course, she would dress me up in pink and frills, with a red bow clipped onto my short hair. I’m not sure why I loved that shirt so much. I’m also not sure why the first item of clothing I’d ever picked out at a department store was a pair of gray sweat pants from the boys’ section (maybe it was the amazingly gigantic pockets). I grew up watching Pokémon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, collecting Yu-Gi-Oh cards, wearing large-sized T-shirts I got from playing tennis. My mother often joked to me, “Things would be so much easier if you were born a boy. I wonder what happened.” But I did not, and I still do not, consider myself to be a “boy.” I’ve always been a girl, and I’ve never been uncertain of my “girlhood.” For some reason or another, I simply felt uncomfortable in “girly” clothing. In middle school, my mother introduced me to “skinny jeans” and suggested I have “long hair,” all to my horror.
In high school, when my peers were more free to express their developing bodies through their clothing, I wore big sweatshirts that flattened my chest and baggy pants that hid my butt. “How,” my mother would plead, “are you ever going to get a boy to notice you?” I’m approaching that stage in my life when calling myself a “girl” draws puzzled looks. I hear them thinking, “Don’t you mean woman?” and I’m not sure how to answer, because for my whole life, I’ve lived comfortably in the more ambiguous “girl” category. What, after all, is a woman? Isn’t she supposed to be white, heterosexual, beautiful, slim and tall (but not taller than her man)? Doesn’t she have an hourglass figure, strutting down the sidewalk like it’s her runway, her perfect hair bobbing and flowing in the breeze? Where exactly do I fit in that image? These musings have recently sprung to my mind for two reasons. The first being my mother’s recent talks about the “M-word.” I should be married by the time I’m 26, she says. I should have my first child by 28. I should have at least two children. I should make myself look more attractive to men. I should be searching seriously while I have the time, because after I graduate, I won’t be surrounded by as many people as I am on campus. These suggestions have, to say the least, caused some unnecessary anxiety. The second reason comes as a much more welcomed and pleasant surprise. The Central Student Government has been working to expand the University’s non-discrimination
policy to include “sexual expression.” If implemented, we’ll be seeing “sexual expression” receiving protections alongside the many other identities we all carry: race, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, etc. I think, however, while race, gender identity and sexual orientation are usually at the forefront of identity politics (and rightfully so), we should also pay more attention to sexual expression and gender expression, and how they tie into each of our lives. Sexual expression describes not just the sexual activities we engage in, but also how we present ourselves as sexual beings. How we dress, talk and behave all factor into this. Along the same lines, gender expression deals with how we present ourselves within expected gender roles. I think it’s pretty clear that while these two concepts are distinct, they are also very closely related to each other. How I dress dictates how I “show off” both of these identities. In the mornings, I put on a T-shirt, a thin jacket and a pair of jeans. I tie my hair into a ponytail and brush my bangs to the sides. As I leave my apartment, I slip on my gray overcoat and step into my sneakers. I tend to walk briskly, especially when it’s cold outside, hands buried in my pockets. Sometimes, I worry what people think of me when I pass them by, but then I see all the people around me — the different ways they dress, walk and talk — and feel just a little more at home. — Jenny Wang can be reached at wjenny@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Edvinas Berzanskis, Devin Eggert, David Harris, Rachel John, Jordyn Kay, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
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Laughing away the stress
e know that rest, plenty of fluids and a marathon on Netflix is the cure for feeling icky. Just kicking back and taking a few moments for you amidst the hectic life of a college student is necessary. Between exams, projects, essays and more, SARA we get bogged SHAMASKIN down with stress and anxiety. Plenty of people say “laughter is the best medicine,” and we nod and then continue on with our busy lifestyles. But laughter can actually be helpful, and lucky for the University, we have ComCo. ComCo is the premier improv comedy group on campus that has been present since 1979, providing students with a chance to step back from their academics to enjoy a hilarious show. I talked with John Dennehy and Daniel Markowitz, two members of ComCo, to see what they had to say about their group and their presence on campus. Both seniors, Dennehy and Markowitz joined ComCo as freshmen. Dennehy, a business major, sought out ComCo before coming to campus. Markowitz, a Philosophy, Politics and Economics major, found ComCo via Maize Pages the day of auditions. But in the end, both were accepted and have since improved their comedic skills. And after four years, the influence on their lives has been profound. Dennehy said,
“… it’s a nice way to blow off steam from stress of class and everything … You have your friends which are, often, a lot like you. But then when you join groups, especially a smallknit group like ComCo, where you’re in it for four years, you really get to know people that you probably would never have met if you hadn’t joined the group.” This is such a vital part of a ComCo player’s college experience, that without it, the feeling “builds up,” as Markowitz said. “This weirdness that just needs to get out. And practice is such an open zone and allows everything to get out.” The improvised form of entertainment allows for the audience to get involved, not just sit and watch. During a show, players ask the audience for various nouns, locations and adjectives. By participating, the audience feels a greater connection by contributing their own ideas, and they step back from their own lives to become part of the show. Markowitz said he can tell that, “They love getting into it with us.” With the buzzing crowd packed into an Angell Hall auditorium, Dennehy and the other ComCo players can feel it as well. “It’s symbiotic because we feed off the audience’s energy, they feed off ours. We have a very tight relationship with our audience.” But the benefits don’t stop there. Not only is a fantastic show produced, but there are even health benefits. According to a 2010 paper published by Simon Lei and colleagues in the Journal of Instructional Psychology titled “Humor on Learning in the College Classroom,” there are several health benefits to just simply laugh-
ing. The diaphragm massages the right side of the heart, which releases endorphins, and the cerebral cortex is stimulated. Laughing also enhances self-image and self-confidence, and alleviates anxiety and depression. With all of these benefits, it is no wonder the phrase “laughter is the best medicine” is so popular. We need a chance to laugh. As students, we push ourselves to our mental, physical and emotional capacities while at a competitive university. We have to take a few seconds to forget about the grades that we feel define us and the workload ahead. From a ComCo player’s standpoint, you can’t take life too seriously. Dennehy can see that there is more to this college experience than solely sitting in a library. “Be present, listen to what others are saying … thinking that school is school and everything is what it is … there’s no fun in that. At some point you have to enjoy your life.” It’s a chance to salvage some of your own mental health, to recover from whatever stressors are present in your life. These toxins accumulate, only hurting you further down the road. But if you take one evening every month to sit in an auditorium and laugh until you cry, you will not only leave that room with aching abs, but also with a refreshed feeling. The feeling that you took some time for you, not for your professors or your friends, not for your exam or that CTools assignment, will be so restorative to your life and your mental and physical health. — Sara Shamaskin can be reached at scsham@umich.edu.
Opinion/Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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ith an epidemic of sexual assault sweeping college campuses across the nation, including the University of Michigan, there are countless topics of uncertainty and controversy. In a four-part series, James Brennan JAMES seeks to explore BRENNAN them with interviews and personal research. This is part three. Trigger warning: The following article includes descriptions of sexual assault and may be triggering. For students who have attended the University in the past few years, the issue of sexual assault will forever be synonymous with the name of a former football player. The University’s handling of rape allegations against former kicker Brendan Gibbons became a national news story last year, and for good reason. After The Michigan Daily broke the story, online editor Austen Hufford wrote a thorough piece detailing the University’s new Student Sexual Misconduct Policy, accompanied by a helpful timeline of events. Here’s a short version of (my interpretation of ) what transpired: In 2009, the University had a terrible sexual assault policy, which allowed Gibbons to be accused of assault without investigation. Two years later, the Department of Education
The pendulum issued a letter arguing that poor handling of sexual assault accusations was a violation of Title IX. Not wanting to be the kind of university that discriminates on the basis of sex, the University instituted interim rules for sexual assault while it began the process of building a new policy. After two years of tinkering, the University finalized the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy we have today. Shortly thereafter, the University expelled Brendan Gibbons on Dec. 20, 2013. The total time between Gibbons’ alleged assault and his expulsion was more than four years. This was a failure of administration on a massive scale, one the school actively attempted to obfuscate. Had it not been for leaked documents obtained by The Michigan Daily, it’s entirely possible we would never know the extent of the University’s murky inner workings. Here’s something we do know: the Gibbons case was only one of dozens, maybe hundreds, of sexual assault accusations that the University dealt with under its former, irreverent policies. As of August 2014, 76 colleges and universities are under federal investigation for their handling of sexual assault cases. Columbia University may be the school most notorious for
its failures, in large part due to student and survivor Emma Sulkowicz. Sulkowicz was violently raped her sophomore year, but the university severely mishandled and then dismissed the case. In a combination of performance art and protest, Sulkowicz has been carrying her mattress around Columbia all year, representing the weight she carries while her rapist remains on campus. Her work has gained national attention, manifesting itself through nationwide demonstrations called “Carry That Weight Day of Action”. While Sulkowicz and Gibbons’ names will forever be connected to universities mishandling sexual assault, one other name may end up having an equal influence: Drew Sterrett. Sterrett was suspended in April of 2014 following allegations of sexual misconduct. In May, Sterrett filed suit against the University, alleging violations of his rights to due process in the school’s investigation. Since the Department of Education issued the letter encouraging colleges to adopt new policies, more than 20 lawsuits of this type have been filed against universities. Criticism of how schools investigate and punish accused assaulters is not reserved to those facing the consequences. In October, 28 Harvard Law
The vast majority of sexual assault accusations are genuine — but some aren’t.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
School professors signed on to an op-ed in the Boston Globe objecting to the school’s sexual assault policies, which carry many similarities to The University’s policies. The statement, signed by liberal scholars like Charles Ogletree and Alan Dershowitz, argues that Harvard’s procedures “lack the most basic elements of fairness and due process” and “are overwhelmingly stacked against the accused.” In interviews with dozens of students, concerns about due process were barely an afterthought. Most students I asked were unaware of Sterrett’s lawsuit, and upon hearing my basic rundown of the case, gave mixed reactions. As we worked our way through the issues around the University’s policy, most students developed a reluctant desire to see better respect for due process. However, some remained largely skeptical of accused rapists being mistreated. LSA senior and former SAPAC volunteer coordinator Kathryn Abercrombie asserted that the University affords the accused appropriate due process while maintaining their support for survivors. Abercrombie also defended the school’s burden of proof, which only requires a “preponderance of evidence” — this is the lowest burden of proof in American civil law. Abercrombie argued that the University’s policies show how it tries to stand by survivors, which she feels is most important (also acknowledging that not all who’ve reported feel this commitment from the school). Moreover, Abercrombie acknowledged the possibility of Sterrett’s case being mishandled at an individual level, while also pointing out that filing a lawsuit does not mean he is innocent. Anne Huhman, SAPAC’s program manager for prevention and education, defended the University’s use of preponderance of evidence, saying the school’s sexual assault policy “follows the guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights.” According to Huhman, the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy “strives to place the rights of both parties at the core of the process.” ***
COURTESY OF DEPTFORD GOTH
“Look at this amazing article they wrote about me.”
A Deptford Goth recommendation By CARLY SNIDER For The Daily
Taking music recommendations from friends can be a risky business — especially when that friend has wronged you in the past. Previous recommendations from said companion include nondescript singer-songwriters and aggressively bubbly British pop music. So when she suggested that I check out Deptford Goth’s debut Life After Defo, I was skeptical. Would I again be stuck listening to an album entirely opposite my musical agenda, only to later face the awkward question of how I liked it? My friend’s description of simply “chill electro music” did not do much to pique my interest. Eventually my curiosity got the best of me and I let the album play, only haphazardly listening. The first time through, I quickly dismissed it as something to be played solely in the background – an ambient listening perfect only for filling empty space. I didn’t find anything wrong with it, but I also didn’t find anything special. This sentiment was reinforced by the slurred vocals, mumbled to the point of melting into the instrumentals. The overall lack of pungent downbeats or crisp notes gave me the impression of a simplicity that didn’t require a closer listen.
Friday, November 14, 2014 — 5A
It was only on the second and third listens, when I actually began to pay attention, that I realized how very wrong I had been. The f low of each song, and of the album as a whole, started to become clear to me — and it was awesome. Deptford’s vocal delivery no longer came off as half-hearted, but as honest and soulful. The sparse instrumentals suddenly made sense with the lyrics. Oh, how naïve I’d been. The seemingly simple album transformed into something entirely new and dynamic, and I could not stop listening. While the background instrumentals initially seemed to be comprised solely of synthesizers and intermittent percussion, a closer listen revealed a much higher level of complexity. Using harps, organs and various forms of percussion in combination with the synth base, the overall tone of the album is one of contemplation and uncertainty. The rise and fall of each song backs up these feelings, especially when the lyrical content of love and death is taken into consideration. Goth’s vocal style could be likened to a sleepy Sam Smith — a touch of R&B without trying too hard. His intentional mumbling is, at times, frustrating but also very impactful. I found that it allowed him to highlight the most impor-
tant lyrics of each song, even if these lyrics were unclear in and of themselves. Lines such as “Something’s coming and I can’t see what it is…” are common throughout, leaving listeners such as myself to contemplate their meanings and implications. The album seems to peak with “Objects Objects,” a track strengthened by heavy bass tones and standout lyrics such as “As if you’re telling me there is no such thing as heartache / As if you’re telling me we’ll come alive.” Its sound is both sad and hopeful — themes that run through the entire record, both lyrically and musically. There is something raw and real about this album that is relatable on the most basic human level. Its ambient quality conveys emotion, even without being able to decipher the majority of the essentially inaudible vocals. Aside from these more serious aspects, the record is also just a really cool example of electro-pop. As I now think so fondly of this album, I regret my initial skepticism. Some of the most interesting art isn’t necessarily easy to dissect or understand on the surface level. I have learned my lesson and will try to keep this in mind next time a friend suggests new music, even if the extent of their recommendation is as simple as “chill electro music.”
Before I go on further, I’ll pause to acknowledge the privileged position I come from; as a male, and as a 6-foot-2, 220-pound male, the possibility of being sexually assaulted has virtually never entered my head. I’ve never been sexually assaulted, and my ability to truly understand the trauma a survivor feels or the fear women
have of being raped is minimal. With that being said, I also come from the privileged position of having never been accused of a crime I did not commit. Nor was I ever found guilty without strong evidence and harshly punished in a way that will follow me for the rest of my life. Like any rational student, I want my school to stand up for students that have been sexually assaulted and take swift action against guilty parties. But, like any rational student, I accept that the term “guilty” cannot be taken lightly. The vast majority of sexual assault accusations are genuine and accurate — but some aren’t. The number of false accusations, whether fabrications or from mistaken identity, is not known. A widely cited statistic claims only 2 percent of reported rape accusations are false, but this number is largely without scholarly basis. Given the underreporting of rape and other difficulties in creating estimates, it’s possible that false accusations are that low — or lower. No study has found a conclusive, accepted number. Whatever this number is, we know one thing: it isn’t zero. People have always been falsely accused of crimes, and sexual assault is no exception. The University and other schools have clearly failed in their duty to protect students from rape and sexual assault, but they cannot answer by flippantly branding students as rapists. The University must continue to aggressively investigate claims of sexual violence while respecting in full the due process rights of the accused. Women “crying rape” is not a regular occurrence, and to any so-called men’s rights activists who think I’m on your side, I’m not. I consider myself a feminist and I cannot imagine what would possess a person to make up rape accusations, especially after seeing the hell that female survivors in particular go through seeking justice. As the son of an attorney, and a strong advocate for criminal justice reform, I also, however, understand the hell that comes from criminal convictions. Preventative measures — primarily education and campus activism — will play a much stronger role in limiting sexual assault on campus than threats of punishment. But rape will continue to happen, and survivors deserve justice. Expulsion is a punishment worthy of its crime,
and serves the valuable purpose of relieving at least some trauma for survivors. Similar, less permanent measures should accompany reforms to improve due process. One suggestion is immediate reviews for 60-day restraining orders after all sexual assault allegations. This would put needed space between survivors and the accused, while also maintaining a commitment to fairly evaluate the situation before more drastic action. It’s likely that instituting greater due process and standards of evidence will result in guilty offenders getting away. That is a reality we have to accept, and one we accept with our current policies. It’s a reality we have accepted in our justice system forever, and one we will always have to accept. Sir William Blackstone, the intellectual godfather of American law, wrote in 1765 that “better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent party suffer.” We demand this standard for the accused in all crimes, and sexual assault is no different. I am incredibly torn on this problem. While I’m deeply committed to respecting the rights of accused persons, I was shocked by the sheer number of women I met during the past month who have been assaulted, most of whom never saw justice served. This is an outrage. The night of the “Carry That Weight” protests, I walked back through the then nearly empty Diag. A list of demands remained papered over the ‘M’, but something else stuck out to me. Because of the mass of students walking through the Diag earlier, I hadn’t noticed the spray painted messages surrounding the M. In yellow, all capital letters, one demanded “EXPEL RAPISTS.” Another read “ADMINS DEFEND RAPISTS.” I felt a deep conflict, remembering the way my blood boiled reading the horrific details of Emma Sulkowicz’s rape and dismissal. I also shuddered at the thought of an innocent person being labeled a sex offender, consequences that last a lifetime. Between classes earlier that day, I stood somberly reading the demands, trying to listen in on other students’ conversations about the protest. “I mean, this is what we’ve all been waiting for, right?”
To any so-called men’s rights activists who think I’m on your side, I’m not.
James Brennan can be reached at jmbthree@umich.edu.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
Arts
6A — Friday, November 14, 2014
EVENT PREVIEW
Minimalist exhibit comes to UMMA By ALEXANDER BERNARD Daily Arts Writer
You don’t have to be a woman, or an artist, to feel the unifying sentiment behind this exhibit. Each work UMMA Diawas created by a different logue: Two artist, with a Generations broad range in scale and of Women materials. One Minimalist piece is woven with string to Painters create patterns Through on a large January canvas, while 25, 2015 another is a 3D block painted 3:00 p.m. to in geometric 4:30 p.m. shapes. “Reductive Minimalism: Women Artist’s in Dialogue 1960-2014” is an exhibit at UMMA, running through Jan. 25. The concept behind the exhibit, curated by University alum Erica Barrish, was to pair minimalist paintings from the movements’ origins in the 1960s, with works from its contemporary resurgence. The exhibit contains nine pairs of paintings, each focusing on a specific element that both old and new artists explores. The pairings draw attention to the common ground these women artists share despite generational and cultural differences. Barrish, the Director of Sales for the Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York and a long time art specialist for Christie’s Auctions and Private Sales, is the guest curator of the exhibit. On Nov. 16, from 3-4:30 p.m., both she and Alison Gass, associate director for Exhibitions, Collection and Curatorial Affairs at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, will be speaking at UMMA regarding this exhibit. Barrish’s study of fine arts and art history at the University prepared her well for the different facets of the
art world. “My early education as a studio artist has allowed me to work today in the commercial marketplace identifying with working artists as well as working with historical material,” Barrish said. “While art history at Michigan has allowed me to speak the vernacular that has helped me academically, but also commercially.” As the curator, Barrish built the conceptual structure from which the exhibit evolved. Once she knew the themes of the exhibit, it was a matter of finding and accessing works that would form the exhibit. This process is often why exhibitions take so long to come to fruition. From start to finish, Barrish estimated it took her two and a half years to compile all the elements of this exhibit. “Part of being a curator is knowing where the bones are buried, and not in the obvious places. That takes a career of being in the marketplace. You see things that people don’t know exist,” Barrish said. The treasure hunt proved to be especially challenging for this exhibit because she needed to gather works from two separate periods of art. In addition, each piece needed a comparable work from a different period, meaning that matching complementary pieces was crucial. The original female minimalists did not receive the commercial success that modern female minimalists have received, making Barrish’s knowledge of the art market’s evolution even more valuable. Barrish elaborated on the process of finding themes to explore in exhibitions. “It starts by wondering why there were certain voids in a collection, then looking at other institutions’ collections and looking at what their voids were … they were remiss at some of the historical material.”
Though the search and acquisition process was extensive, knowing when to cut was equally important in the building process. Originally Barrish had over a hundred pieces in mind, and eventually whittled it down to 18 works, making nine pairs. This selectivity allows for both a greater focus on each piece and amore streamlined experience for the viewer. Barrish purposefully sought out work made by a broad spectrum of artists. For one artist, Svenja Deiningeran, it was her first show in the United States. Barrish’s experience as the Director of Sales for the Marianne Boesky gallery exposed her to young talent throughout the world. “Coming from a commercial vantage point with a historical background has allowed me to understand the seismic shift she has presented as a painter and also (to understand) that she is somebody worth paying attention to,” Barrish said. Barrish stressed that the pairs in which the artists were not only living during different times, but in different places, were often the most successful. For example, artist Shirazeh Houshiary, an Iranian artist, is the only Middle Eastern artist in the show, and her work is juxtaposed with Sally Hazelet Drummond, an American artist who rose to prominence in the 1950s. “When you look at her (Houshiary’s) work in comparison to Sally Hazelet Drummond, who is as American as you could possibly get, there is no question that those woman are speaking exactly the same language about syncopated brushstrokes and tactility of surfaces,” Barrish said. “Not only are they separated by several generations, they are separated by continents, and their work couldn’t be more synergy. For me that’s one of the strongest comparisons in the entire exhibition.”
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Friday, November 14, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
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GENDER & MEDIA COLUMN
For my mom and Miranda Hobbes, two working mothers In true Silicon Valley trailblazing fashion, Apple and Facebook changed the momgame last month when they announced they would begin offering up to $20,000 to female employees for them to freeze their eggs — effectively granting women NATALIE more time GADBOIS before their biological clocks begin to run out. Female employees now wouldn’t have to worry nearly as much about stalling (and thereby hurting) their careers in order to have children. Science gives them the ability, and now their employers are giving them the cash, to wait. The move has been both heralded as a progressive response to the serious plight of the working mother, and concurrently criticized as a selfish attempt to control employees for the companies’ gain. While this new policy is a generous way of granting women agency over both their careers and their family lives, it seems to me like a sad submission: Apple and Facebook are throwing in the towel, basically telling working women “No, you can’t have it all.” It’s a BandAid for a greater social issue, insinuating that if women want to be successful in the corporate world, they should wait to have kids, rather than the companies finding productive ways to accommodate women’s choices so that their careers aren’t negatively impacted. When I began thinking about this column, I knew I
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didn’t want to get into a discussion of the Mommy Wars, the slightly derogatory term for the difficult choice mothers make to stay at home or work. Clearly, everything would be better if we lived in a world where moms and dads and stepparents and those without children all had the agency and means to do whatever they wanted with their lives. Unfortunately, we don’t. The dichotomy between working mothers and non-working ones is no better represented than on TV. We have Olivia Pope and Kalinda Sharma, fierce and sexy and hardedged, firmly childless. Or we have Claire Dunphy, a stay-athome mom who is frustrated and unfulfilled. There isn’t much in between. However, those few, there are television (and real-life) women who have been able to juggle careers and children without following Apple and Facebook’s edict that they should to delay having children in order to be successful. When my friends and I discuss which “Sex and the City” characters we are, I consistently yell, “I’m a Miranda!” Miranda Hobbes, the cynical, neon-haired, ambitious lawyer who spends much of her time on-screen judging the off-kilter choices of her more glamorous friends; Miranda, who gladly works 80 hour weeks and (hilariously) fights back against sexism in her office; Miranda, who gets pregnant in her late 30s and decides to keep both her baby and her high-powered job, a choice rarely represented on television. In one particularly poignant scene, she tapes her face to the mobile hanging above her son’s bed, terrified that he won’t remember her. Miranda can balance single motherhood and a career, but the show isn’t afraid to show how hard it is to do so — she isn’t anything close to a superhero, and when she loses control she is at her most relatable. On NBC’s “Parenthood,” Julia Braverman-Graham is the youngest of the four central siblings, and from the beginning she is depicted as another ambitious, go-getter litigator. For the first few seasons of the show, it seems as though Julia truly does have it all: she works insane hours, but finds time to make it to her family’s bi-weekly gettogethers (why the extended Bravermans spend so much time together is beyond me.) Her husband Joel takes care of their daughter, navigating the perils of the PTA so she doesn’t have to. It’s almost too picture perfect, which is why it was so powerful when Julia’s carefully constructed façade began to unravel in season four, beginning when Joel decides to go back to work. She makes a fatal mistake at the firm because she’s worried about her newly adopted son, and then misses her daughter’s recital to cover up for that mistake, and suddenly, poignantly, we find Julia standing in her kitchen, breakfast burning behind her, as she repeats, “I can’t do it anymore.” It takes a show fully aware of its characters to portray this kind of breakdown realistically — but “Parenthood” doesn’t stop here. Julia doesn’t become a content, non-working mom. After a few months with a listless lack of structure, she falls apart, achingly demonstrating that some moms are better when they are working, happier and healthier when they have lives outside of their children. Julia’s desperation and the ravaging effects it has on her family is painful
to watch, but also a deeply complex representation of a woman who is earnestly trying to figure out how to make things work best for her and her family. Both Julia and Miranda are f leshed-out examples of corporate working mothers — high-powered, Ivy-educated execs who also happen to change diapers and go to tee-ball games. But not all powerful portrayals of working mothers take place in the corporate world. In a manner that mirrors actress Connie Britton’s own mid-life revival, her character Tami Taylor on “Friday Night Lights” is a f lawlessly f lawed example of a woman who took the traditional route and stayed home with her daughter before deciding to embark on a career. Tami works as a high school counselor, bringing the same prescription of measured pragmatism and nurturing warmth to her career that she does to her family. She doesn’t fumble while adjusting to this new role, but rather is able to tailor her charisma into her job, growing as an advocate for her students and her family. Tami is not a leader in the same way as Miranda and Julia, and her job grants her some basic f lexibility that the corporate life doesn’t. However, she is unapologetically ambitious in her career, just as they are, moving from counselor to principal and ultimately college administrator. Tami also doesn’t have the freedom within her relationship that the others do; unlike Miranda, who raises Brady mainly on her own, and Julia, who relies on Joel to stay home with the kids, Tami also must compete with her husband, Eric, constantly reasserting that her job is just as important as his. She is effectively waging a war on three fronts; her career, her children and her husband. This constant struggle makes it so much more empowering that the show ends with their family moving for her career rather than Eric’s. Why do these women matter so much? While TV isn’t perfect, the past few years have shown a meteoric rise in powerful female role models, these characters included. Why must the Julias and Tamis and Mirandas be distinguished from the Olivias and the Claires — admirable and successful in their own right? Because Apple and Facebook’s announcement shows that while they care about the women who work for them — and I do believe their move is in many ways progressive — they are giving up on Miranda and Julia and Tami, giving up on the idea of a world in which it’s OK for women to choose to have kids and a career within their own chosen time frame. Because my mom has worked a high-powered job my whole life and also raised three children. Because she has missed some of my brothers’ soccer games and fed us chiefly Stouffer’s frozen lasagna. Because this morning she called me from the airport three times to give me advice on this column. Because I call myself a Miranda due to the fact that she has always said she was one too. No one can have it all — and the idea that we must strive for that sets an impossible standard — but as I begin to think about what I want to do for the rest of my life, I need to know I can do it all, whatever my “all” is. Miranda, Julia, Tami and my mom taught me that I can. That’s why they matter. Natalie is a mama’s girl. If you are too, e-mail gadbnat@umich.edu.
Arts
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TV NOTEBOOK
Friday, November 14, 2014 — 7A
TV REVIEW
HBO
“I don’t wanna see that!”
‘Comeback’ makes The resurrection long-awaited return of ‘Walking Dead’ AMC
Sunday Mass 2.0
By CHLOE GILKE
Daily TV/New Media Editor
By MATTHEW BARNAUSKAS Daily Arts Writer
You would think that being the biggest show on cable (with an audience that challenges the biggest broadcast network shows) would bring stability. However, the opposite has been true for perennial AMC juggernaut “The Walking Dead,” a series that despite behind-the-scenes troubles has grown to be a recordbreaking program. Now in its fifth season, “The Walking Dead” finds itself at a crossroads in a shifting TV playing field. If you haven’t heard about the behind the scenes drama surrounding the show, it’s enough to create its own drama series. Originally adapted from a comic series by Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption”), “The Walking Dead,” premiered in 2010 on AMC and was an instant hit. Despite its success and renewal, AMC and Darabont clashed over budget, and halfway through the second season Glen Mazzara (“The Shield”) replaced Darabont. And after an anticlimactic season three finale, series writer Scott M. Gimple was handed the reins. That many showrunners in such a short time has led to many of the issues “The Walking Dead” has faced, most obviously the periods of uneven pacing and struggling character development that have plagued portions of the series’ run. The stagnant second season where the characters were largely stuck on a farm is a reminder of the series’ struggles. Poor characterization of certain characters, most
notably comic favorite Andrea, left much to be desired. However, despite the struggles of constantly shifting creative visions, “The Walking Dead” continued to show stretches of brilliance that kept making the show must-watch television for millions. Under Gimple, the series may be able to turn these flashes into consistent highlights. As a writer for the show Gimple consistently delivered solid episodes, including arguably the best episode of the series, “Clear.” His first season as showrunner corrected many of the mistakes that slowed the previous season while providing some much-needed development in the supporting cast. This has continued in the first half of season five as the show navigates between major arcs established by the comic series. For now, Gimple has found a solid balance between action, character development and questions of morality that makes a post–apocalyptic series interesting. Maintaining this balance is even more important now considering the shift in AMC’s programming. With “Breaking Bad” ’s exit last season and “Mad Men” ending next year, AMC is losing both of its major award-winning dramas that have claimed six of the last seven Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama along with several other wins and nominations. Of the rest of AMC’s current slate of dramas, “The Walking Dead” stands as its most noteworthy series and the one with the best chance to inherit some of the emptied awards slots. “The Walking Dead” may be
able to leverage its overwhelming popularity into success during the upcoming awards season. “Breaking Bad” ’s exit frees up nominations in acting, writing, directing and most importantly, best drama. If “The Walking Dead” continues its consistency, it may find its way into some of these categories; whether it’s for Gimple’s writing, the cast’s performances (particularly Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes and Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier) or even Greg Nicotero’s direction of the explosive premiere “No Sanctuary.” But “The Walking Dead” is trying to break into a crowded field that has become increasingly difficult to enter. Five of the last season’s six nominees were nominated in their first season of eligibility for drama series and have been nominated every year since. The only exception was winner “Breaking Bad,” which began its string of nominations in its second season. With one guaranteed spot open next awards season, several shows find themselves in the same position as “The Walking Dead.” This includes previous nominees that didn’t make the cut in 2014: “The Good Wife,” “Homeland” and “Boardwalk Empire.” There are also shows that have never been nominated and series yet to air; the most anticipated being AMC’s “Better Call Saul.” “The Walking Dead” still has some of the most potential out of any TV series. Now that it is living up to some of it, it might have chance of earning recognition and establishing itself as an elite program.
EVENT PREVIEW
James talks jazz By CAROLYN DARR For The Daily
University alum and worldrenowned jazz keyboardist, arranger and producer Bob James is coming home to play Hill Auditorium this An Evening Saturday. As part with Bob of the University James, UMS Musical Society’s Jazz Jazz Series Series, “An Evening with Nov. 15, 8p.m. Bob James” will Hill Auditorium feature James $10 to $54 backed by a quintet of handpicked musicians that are sure to awe and inspire. Growing up in the small town of Marshall, Missouri, James did not have much exposure to jazz except for a few recordings his parents owned, but this was enough to inspire him to make the art form a lifestyle. His father, who had attended law school in Missouri, wanted James to follow in his footsteps, but James wanted to pursue his music professionally, and so chose the University’s distinguished school of music. “The Michigan Music School had a strong reputation so I chose it back at the time for that reason not realizing until I actually got enrolled that there was no jazz department,” he said. “I was pretty frustrated about that and
it took me awhile to realize it was going to be more important to get a well-rounded education taking advantage of the broad aspect of the University of Michigan and the classical education I would get there.” From 1957 to 1961 James studied for his undergraduate degree in composition and ended up staying and receiving his masters in 1962. Following the completion of his training, James moved to New York City and began his career as an outstanding jazz artist. Discovered at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, James went on to record 58 albums and win a multitude of awards, including two Grammys and most recently the George Benton Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. James’ smooth jazz has also influenced other genres, including hip-hop. Two of James’ most famous songs, “Nautilus” and “Take Me to the Mardi Gras,” have been sampled by well-known artists such as Public Enemy, RunDMC, Ghostface Killah and many more. Last Saturday, James was honored as one of the 2014 inductees into the University of Michigan School of Music Hall of Fame. Presented annually since 1977, this award was created to recognize and honor alumni who have made significant contributions to the school, their profession and society at large.
“It is especially significant to me (to be inducted) because when I was at school there was no jazz department so there was no opportunity to take classes in jazz education,” he said. “Now there is, and that change alone I’m very happy about and I am happy to be someone represented there in the Hall of Fame who has spent my whole life in music specializing in jazz.” The forthcoming concert at Hill Auditorium is, of course, a bit of a homecoming for James, who has played there multiple times in the past. As a student, he played at Hill multiple times and later was featured as a solo artist. On Saturday, he will be joined by guitarist Perry Hughes, bassist Carlitos de Puerto, drummer Harvey Mason and saxophonist Andy Snitzer — all of whom are celebrated in their own right. “I’m extremely excited to be going back (to Hill Auditorium) and reliving old memories,” James said. “It’s a great venue, a great facility. I heard a lot of other artists — pop and classical and jazz artists — perform there back when I was in college, so it’s recognized as one of the great performing venues in the world. It’s a very big deal for me to be going back there. Michigan has been a big deal for me my whole adult life, so it’s very sentimental. It’s certainly not just another concert gig for me, it’s very, very special.”
When it aired its tragically brief, brilliant flame of a first season in 2005, “The Comeback” was a parody of a genre that Abarely existed. Before the advent of the Kardashians and the Real Season 2 Housewives, a Premiere show follow- Sundays at ing an abrasive 10p.m. fading star HBO and her messy personal life could only have so much cultural weight. “The Comeback” wasn’t just “before its time,” but downright uncanny in the way it predicted the future landscape of reality and comedy television. A 2014 “limited series,” packaged in the prestigious, elusive HBO lingo, gives “The Comeback” the perfect opportunity to prove its relevance to the post-network era. Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow, “Friends”) returns as vivacious and delightfully delusional as ever, searching for a way to revive her languishing career. In the nine years since “Room and Bored” (the awful laugh-track sitcom Val deemed her first “comeback” to television), she’s starred in a series of student films, appeared on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and launched a wildly unsuccessful haircare line. Valerie would do anything to regain her position as the “it girl” of TV, and she chases every meager lead she sees to be back in front of the camera. A camera crew of students (not even film students) is following Val around to record a demo tape for Bravo’s Andy Cohen, her endeavor based only on the fact that she had a cordial interaction with Cohen on Twitter. The show’s sense of humor is
The Comeback
entirely based on how pathetic Valerie appears. Watching the renowned and talented Lisa Kudrow jump around a crowd of paparazzi, screaming desperately to catch her more-famous friend’s attention, induces only the cringiest of laughs. You laugh at Valerie because she’s ridiculous. Everything from her terrible Matthew McConaughey impression (an “alright, alright, alright” performed in her own shrill intonation) to her suburban mom haircut turn Valerie into a walking punchline. She’s old, she’s silly and it’s funny because no matter how hard she screams from the sidelines, nobody cares enough to notice her. But Kudrow’s performance is anything but schticky and overdrawn. Valerie is the amalgamation of fallen sitcom queen types like Valerie Bertinelli and Kirstie Alley (who also had their own “comeback” reality shows), a tragic reminder that a woman’s opportunity for the spotlight is unfortunately brief. “The Comeback” ’s cringe comedy sometimes borders on overly acerbic and mean-spirited as the show puts Valerie through the ringer. The nausea-inducing, jerky camera and lingering looks of the people reacting put us right into the scene with Valerie, but never with the comfort of experiencing exactly what our heroine sees. We’re forced to watch every eyeroll and dismissive smile, often in close-up shots. Seeing Valerie make a fool of herself has diminishing returns, and in the first half of the episode, when Val looks back on the past nine years of her career and films her Andy Cohen demo, the tone is too cruel. “The Comeback” is at its best when it depicts Valerie as going against the grain, cheerful and determined despite all the obstacles she trips over. Seeing her with no agency, dancing around in front of the camera with no hope of her “comeback,” slows the episode down. Only when Val
sees a spark of an outlet for her talent does the show regain its proper tone. Valerie’s new opportunity, ironically, comes in the form of playing herself. Her former boss Paulie G. (played to douchey perfection by Lance Barber, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) is making a prestige dramedy for HBO called “Seeing Red,” based loosely off his experience working on “Room and Bored” and his tumultuous relationship with the show’s redheaded star. Naturally, Val is pretty pissed that Paulie is using her star to forge the ultimate accomplishment for a writer in 2014: he gets to write and direct every episode, and receive automatic auteur cred whether it’s warranted or not. This is all without Valerie’s permission. She storms HBO demanding that somebody let her see Paulie G., and stumbles into a casting meeting. The executives hesitantly give her a script, make her read a “dramatic” scene in which Valerie’s character expresses her frustration at being “old, annoying and unfuckable.” The producers evidently had been planning this all along, but didn’t have the courtesy to include Valerie in on the joke. More ambitious than anything its first season attempted, Valerie is actually giving up her identity this season, diminishing herself to a character written by her worst enemy — anything to be back in the spotlight. The first half of the episode is admittedly bland, but once Val starts calling her own shots and making her own decisions (in short, once she chooses to embarrass herself rather than allow embarrassing things to happen to her), “The Comeback” reaches the same hilarious heights it did nine years ago. And though Valerie seems poised to degrade herself even further in pursuit of fame, she’s certainly come back from worse. She will survive.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
The Brooks return By GREG HICKS Daily Arts Writer
Garth Brooks is the bestselling country artist of all time. Garth Brooks has sold over 130 million albums in the U.S. Garth Brooks has 11 CMA Awards. Garth Brooks has 18 ACM Awards. Garth Brooks has two Grammy Awards. And now, Garth Brooks has the worst comeback approach of all time. Back in July at a Nashville press conference, Brooks announced the end of his retirement, and since then, it’s been a step-by-step disaster on a multitude of levels — from marketing to music. Let’s begin with the most obvious bit of nonsense in his strategy: refusing to utilize popular digital marketing. To recap, none of Brooks’s music is available on iTunes, Amazon or any other popular digital marketplace. Brooks felt so strongly about people purchasing full albums that he fought the digital (singledriven) system by entirely disassociating his work from it. Even Brooks’s own recentlyestablished digital marketplace, “GhostTunes,” has an albumonly sales policy. If you want the singer’s new, fresh-outta-
retirement single “People Loving People,” you have to order the entire upcoming record. And why won’t you do that? Because the single is dreadful. It’s as if Brooks didn’t once flip on the radio during his retirement to hear what contemporary country music sounds like. Breaking news: it doesn’t sound like hippie anthems. “People Loving People” doesn’t come off as refreshing for being worlds away from bro country themes — it comes off as oblivious. Brooks may be a bestseller, but he’s never been much of a trendsetter, hence the lackluster peak at No. 19 on airplay. Frankly, this alleged “comeback” is insulting to those who have actually committed to staying in the game. Take Tim McGraw as an example. The “Something Like That” singer is a meager five years younger than Brooks and has barely skipped a beat in his career, even during record label transitions. McGraw put in every ounce of effort to upgrade his sound, maintain his image and sustain his stage presence. Meanwhile, we have Brooks waddling in with nothing but his prestige, blurting out “Hey guys, I’m
back. What’d I miss?” Brooks may have run circles around McGraw back in the ’90s, but here in 2014, he’s become the poster-dad for The Wrong Way to Achieve Musical Longevity. Start from the bottom, Garth. Make a Facebook page. Create a Twitter account. You don’t even have to manage it. Hire it out. Have an online presence bigger than sending typewriter font-narratives over an email listserv. (I’m not joking, this is an actual thing that happens.) Putting music on GhostTunes is a start, but don’t expect a pat on the back for achieving less than the bare minimum of what today’s music consumers expect. After all, if an album drops in an off-brand digital forest and nobody’s around to hear it, it probably doesn’t make much of a sound. Maintaining principles is noble in theory, but everything Brooks stands for at the moment is a stand against leading a continually successful career. And while the stance is admirable, wasting people’s time and effort is not. Fans would rather see Brooks lighten up on a few self-proclaimed ethics than watch the superstar bludgeon the remains of his musical future.
8A — Friday, November 14, 2014
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Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Projecting ‘M’s postseason By ALEJANDRO ZÚÑIGA Managing Sports Editor
The Michigan football team has two tries to win one game and qualify for a postseason berth. The best shot comes next Saturday, when the Wolverines host a mediocre Maryland squad. If it loses to Ohio State, Michigan would finish 6-6 by beating the Terrapins. Here’s where the Wolverines could end up this winter. Revisiting the selection process: The Big Ten has adopted a tiered system that gives the bowls more autonomy in selecting teams. The top tier after the College Football Playoff includes the Orange Bowl (the Rose and Sugar Bowls are being used as playoff semifinals), while the second tier features the Citrus Bowl, Outback Bowl and San Francisco Bowl. Then there’s tier three — comprising the Music City Bowl, Foster Farms Bowl and Pinstripe Bowl — and the lowest grouping, tier four, which includes the Heart of Dallas Bowl and the Quick Lane Bowl. Let’s be honest: Michigan isn’t making the College Football Playoff. It also isn’t making a toptier bowl. So, barring a major turn of events — incredibly, the Wolverines can still win the Big Ten — Michigan’s season will be over by New Year’s Day. The Pinstripe Bowl: ACC vs. Big Ten; Dec. 27: The University boasts a large amount of living alumni, and many of them live in New York City. So, while the Wolverines have had a disappointing year,
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
The Michigan football team needs one win to be bowl eligible. As for what happens after that would be anyone‘s guess.
they might be a good get for a middling bowl. Regardless of the record, bowl officials know the Wolverines could draw more fans than, say, Iowa. In terms of fan support, New York is certainly a popular holiday destination. But watching a football game in frigid weather with the sightlines of Yankee Stadium isn’t all that attractive. The Heart of Dallas Bowl: Big Ten vs. Conference USA; Dec. 26: Fun fact: In 1981, Michigan played its first postseason game in the state of Texas. It beat UCLA, 33-14, in the Bluebonnet Bowl. If the Wolverines accept a bid to the Heart of Dallas Bowl, it could face an intriguing matchup against Marshall, one of the nation’s three remaining
undefeated programs. But other than that, there’s nothing intrinsically exciting about facing a Conference USA team. The Quick Lane Bowl: ACC vs. Big Ten; Dec. 26: The Wolverines have never played a bowl game in Detroit. And while it would almost certainly feel like a home game at Ford Field, many in-state fans would be reluctant to spend money and time watching Michigan again — after all, tickets have been readily available for games at the Big House all year. The Quick Lane Bowl’s website already has a picture of Devin Gardner on the home page. The image is probably a placeholder, but if it transpires, at least it’s a short drive. Staying home:
With a win last Saturday, the Wolverines clinched back-toback victories for the first time all year. They’ll likely need one against Maryland to qualify for the postseason, and that’s no small task. The Terrapins have just three losses: blowouts to Ohio State and Wisconsin, and a narrow defeat to West Virginia. They also boast wins over Iowa and an impressive road triumph over Penn State. If Michigan loses, fans will be treated to an iteration of The Game where the Wolverines are fighting for any sort of postseason berth, while the Buckeyes continue to compete for a spot in the very first College Football Playoff.
We’ll be here all weekend Check MichiganDaily.com throughout the week for updates
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Wolverines set for Detroit By MINH DOAN Daily Sports Writer
When the doors swing open for the first time at Crisler Center this season, the stands will fill up, the jumbotron will be turned back on, and maize and blue jerseys will once again be seen on the court. The Michigan women’s basketball team will be back — and with some lofty expectations — when it opens up its season this weekend with games against Detroit Mercy and Bucknell. For a program that has lost only one key starter and adds the No. 23 recruiting class in the nation, expectations may be higher than they’ve ever been in Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico’s threeyear tenure. And it all begins Friday against Detroit. Not only is it the season opener for both teams, it also gives Michigan junior guard Madison Ristovski another matchup
against her sister, Haleigh, who plays guard for the Titans. Last season, the Wolverines played Detroit on the road. Michigan went on a 11-2 run early in the first half and never looked back, running away with a win. After a 6-24 season, Detroit is looking to bounce back from a season marred by injuries. The Titans return guards Ellisha Crosby and Rosanna Reynolds, who both missed a significant portion of last season due to injury, with Reynolds playing in just three games. But Detroit will be without last year’s team MVP in guard Senee Shearer, who had a schoolrecord 97 3-pointers last season. But Crosby scored 17.5 points per game before her injury, and Titan coach Autumn Rademacher will rely on her once again for scoring. After Friday’s bout, the Wolverines will get one day off before they hit the court again against Bucknell — the first
meeting between the two teams. Bucknell went to the Women’s College Basketball Invitation last season and returns Patriot League Rookie of the Year forward Claire DeBoer, who is from Grosse Pointe and will be playing in Michigan for the first time in her NCAA career. DeBoer led Bucknell in rebounds last season and will provide tough competition down low for Michigan senior forwards Cyesha Goree and Nicole Elmblad. The Bison also return last season’s leading scorer in forward Audrey Dotson, who will certainly make it tough for the Michigan forwards to operate inside. But what the Wolverines lack in size, they make up for with their guard play. While the first two games of the season won’t exactly determine how Michigan does the rest of the year, a good start could go a long way in foreshadowing its fate this season.
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MI CH IGA N BASKETBALL TABLE OF CONTENTS 4B PLAYER BREAKDOWN: There’s still plenty of talent on this team, especially at guard.
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THE SHOT: Michigan faced a pivitol moment in 2011, but Stu Douglass’ shot put the program on the upswing
8B BEILEIN’S PARADOX: Can
he do it again? It’s possible, but we shouldn’t expect him to pull off the magic again.
PREVIEW TIP OFF 2014-15
GET TO KNOW THE FRESHMEN
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KAMERON CHATMAN
5
One word on why you chose Michigan: Winning Favorite NBA Player? James Harden Which teammate would make the best President? I don’t think I can pick one Favorite Movie? He Got Game Pregame Superstition? Take a Shower
MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR RAHKMAN
Favorite NBA Player? Dwyane Wade Which teammate would make the best President? That’s a tough one. I can see Austin (Hatch) Favorite Movie? Friday Night Lights Pregame Superstition? I put my jersey, socks and stuff the same way. Starting from the left to right.
AUSTIN HATCH One word on why you chose Michigan: Integrity Favorite NBA Player? Kobe Bryant — in his prime Which teammate would make the best President? Either Andrew Dakich, or perhaps Spike Albrecht. Favorite Movie? Saving Private Ryan Pregame Superstition? Get shots up and listen to the Dave Matthews Band
DJ WILSON Why you chose Michigan: Family-oriented Favorite NBA Player? A lot. Right now Kevin Durant Which teammate would make the best President? Spike (Albrecht) Favorite Movie? Space Jam. Pregame Superstition? No, not really
24
AUBREY DAWKINS
32
RICKY DOYLE
Why you chose Michigan: Opportunity Favorite NBA Player? Kobe Bryant. “I think he’ll surprise some people. Which teammate would make the best President? I got to go with my man, Sean Lonergan. Favorite Movie? Batman Trilogy Pregame Superstition? None
One word on why you chose Michigan: Excellence Favorite NBA Player? Kevin Love Which teammate would make the best President? Ooh I don’t know, probably Austin Hatch Favorite Movie? Fight Club Pregame Superstition? I need to eat. Nothing specifically.
Cover by TERESA MATHEW Infographic by NICK CRUZ
STAFF PICKS The Daily men’s basketball writers do their best to predict what will happen in the world of college hoops this season. Michigan regular-season record Big Ten champion Big Ten second place Big Ten third place Big Ten Tournament champion Big Ten MVP Big Ten Coach of the Year Big Ten surprise team Michigan MVP National Player of the Year National Freshman of the Year Michigan’s season ends here NCAA “Bracket Buster” NCAA Final Four
Daniel Feldman
Jake Lourim
Simon Kaufman
Max Bultman
22-8 Wisconsin Michigan State Michigan Michigan State Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin Bo Ryan, Wisconsin Iowa Caris LeVert Kaminsky Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky Sweet 16 Murray State Kentucky North Carolina Villanova Florida
23-7 Wisconsin Michigan Michigan State Wisconsin Terran Petteway, Nebraska Richard Pitino, Minnesota Minnesota Zak Irvin Jahlil Okafor, Duke Okafor Elite Eight Georgia State Kansas Kentucky Iowa State Louisville
23-7 Wisconsin Michigan State Nebraska Ohio State Kaminsky Ryan Maryland Irvin Kaminsky Okafor Round of 32 Colorado Wisconsin Arizona Kentucky Nebraska
22-8 Wisconsin Ohio State Michigan Ohio State Petteway Thad Matta, Ohio State Minnesota Irvin Okafor Okafor Sweet 16 Georgia State Kentucky Duke Arizona Kansas
Lev Facher 21-9 Wisconsin Michigan State Nebraska Michigan State LeVert Tim Miles, Nebraska Nebraska LeVert Montrezl Harrell, Louisville Okafor Round of 32 Louisiana Tech Arizona Duke Iowa State Virginia
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We’ll see you in Indianapolis
was going through some Michigan Daily volumes recently and came across one from 2015. Shocked that I had records from the future in my hand, I peeked to see what was in store. I don’t want to ruin any big surprises, but there are a few things you should keep an eye out for. SPOILER ALERT: Hillary Clinton ends up running for President. The Denver Broncos beat the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl. The Ebola thing, people stop talking about that and resume conversation about the Kardashians. SIMON In Michigan KAUFMAN news, the football team has a new coach, and people already want him fired. There’s a series of Mac computer thefts in February and the local news labels the suspect “The Apple Eater.” That mild winter they said we were going to have didn’t happen, but the University does get its second snow day in as many years. And finally, the men’s basketball team doesn’t disappoint. Check out this excerpt from March 31, 2015.
CLEVELAND — With time expiring and the Michigan men’s basketball team down two points in its Midwest Regional matchup at Quicken Loans Arena, freshman forward D.J. Wilson caught a pass from fellow freshman forward Kameron Chatman. Wilson cocked the ball over his right shoulder, fired and knocked down a contested 3-pointer. Game over. And for the second time in three years, the Wolverines are headed to the Final Four. Don’t believe me? I’m not claiming to be Marty
If
TERESA MATHEW/Daily
The Michigan men’s basketball team wasn’t supposed to do as well as it did in recent years, which is why you shouldn’t be surprised when they do it again in 2015.
McFly or Phil Diffy, but you probably wouldn’t have believed me have if I had told you a Trey Burke 3-pointer taken from inside Michigan coach John Beilein’s pocket would send the 2012-13 team to Atlanta, or that all five starters from that Final Four team would be in the NBA two years later. You wouldn’t have bought that a lanky kid from Mississauga, Ontario would be the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year and the program’s highest NBA draft pick in 14 years. You might not have predicted that an under-recruited freshman who grew up in Detroit could fill the shoes of the program’s first Naismith Award winner.
And you sure wouldn’t have put your money on a guard that hasn’t broken six feet — but nearly broke Louisville fans’ hearts in the National Championship game — and a gangly junior who wore braces for his first two seasons becoming the faces of the program. You wouldn’t have believed a team that lost Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. could make another March run. So I don’t expect you to book tickets to Indianapolis for a team that just lost five players — three to the NBA, one to graduation and one who transferred. No, this is not the same team as last year, and it sure isn’t the same squad as two years ago. This is a
Spoiler alert: Hillary Clinton ends up running for President
group with six true freshmen and just three upperclassmen. But if Caris LeVert can take a page from Nik Stauskas’ book and have the swagger to complement his skillset, Michigan will play in Indy. If Chatman can prove why coaches from Oregon, Arizona and Connecticut were drooling over him, Michigan will play in Indy. If sophomore Andrew Dakich can find a new bench buddy, and new reasons to dance, Michigan will play in Indy. If sophomore Zak Irvin can attack the rim and force defenders to give him some room from behind the arc, Michigan will play in Indy. If guards Spike Albrecht and Derrick Walton can share the ball, and a good deal of the leadership, Michigan will play in Indy. If Wilson can play half as loudly as his hair, Michigan will play in Indy.
freshman Austin Hatch can inspire his teammates to believe that loss doesn’t prevent future triumph, Michigan will play in Indy. If freshman Ricky Doyle and redshirt freshman Mark Donnal can become a formidable tandem down low, Michigan will play in Indy. And if John Beilein does what he does best — turn underrecruited high school kids into NBA draft picks — Michigan will play in Indy. This team is young, new and for the most part, it hasn’t been there before. But they’re not selling themselves short. Neither should you. One last thing: The snow day, I was kidding about that. See you in Indy.
Kaufman can be reached at sjkauf@umich.edu and
FOLLOW THESE WRITERS IMMEDIATELY IF YOU DON’T, THEY’RE FIRED: @danfeldman31, @sjkauf, @m_bultman, @jakelourim, @levfacher ***EDITOR’S NOTE: PLEASE DON’T FOLLOW THESE PEOPLE***
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Pointguard Guard Point
Derrick Walton Jr.
Walton showed flashes of brilliance in his freshman season, and is widely expected to show increased maturity in ball distribution and orchestrating the Michigan offense in transition. His inexperience last year masked the fact that he can be an electric player. He can shoot, he has handles and he can finish in transition, all traits Wolverine fans can expect to see more of this year.
Spike Albrecht Albrecht is the only player in the country who could score 17 points in one half of a national championship game and still be overlooked two years later. As an upperclassman, Albrecht is well established in the locker room, and he’s underrated as a passer and offensive facilitator. He’ll get major minutes this season, even if Walton’s improvement is greater than expected.
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Michigan Men’s Basketball
2014-15
Roster Breakdown The Michigan roster’s most notable trait is its fluidity. Of the 11 players listed below, almost all can and will slot in at multiple positions throughout the season, and John Beilein will vary lineups constantly. Derrick Walton Jr. and Spike Albrecht, for instance, are sure to see the floor at the same time, and Kameron Chatman could see minutes at four different positions by season’s end. Regardless, here’s the Daily’s stab at a depth chart for the 2014-15 Michigan men’s basketball team.
Small Forward
Shooting Guard Shooting guard
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Caris LeVert
LeVert has come a long way from his freshman year. The off-guard was skin and bone when he arrived on campus in 2012, and was widely expected to redshirt. LeVert forced the issue, though, and improved in his first two seasons to the point that he briefly considered leaving for the NBA after his sophomore campaign. But he’s back, and is widely expected to carry the load for the Wolverines and make noise on a national level.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman “Rahk” is the only player in the history of the Lehigh Valley Conference to be named to Pennsylvania’s all-state team four times. Rahkman is multidimensional as a scorer and is certainly not short on talent. Consistency will dictate Abdur-Rahkman’s participation or lack thereof. But minutes might be tough to come by for the roster’s fourth true guard.
Power Forward
Power forward
Small forward Zak Irvin
Kameron Chatman
Irvin proved last year that he can shoot, but needed to add a dimension or two in order to become the dynamic force Michigan needs to replace Nik Stauskas — from behind the arc and also at the rim. If Irvin’s physicality and ballhandling progress, he’ll continue to see major minutes and be a key cog in the Wolverines’ offense.
Chatman is a major X-factor going into the season for the Wolverines. As much hype as he has received throughout his recruitment and first months on campus, nobody seems to know where he’ll play, or how often. He seems to fit in best as a small forward, but Irvin has a solid hold on the swing and Chatman is simply too athletic to sit on the bench. Power forward it is.
D.J. Wilson
Aubrey Dawkins The second spot at swingman is home to yet another talented freshman who will have to fight tooth and nail to draw minutes away from the likes of Irvin and Kameron Chatman. Dawkins has the size to compete at a forward position and could even earn a few minutes at shooting guard, but his competition is stiff.
Friday, November 14, 2014 // Tip Off
Center
Center
The exercise of assigning Wilson a position is a bit silly, because he’s capable of playing almost anywhere on the floor. But Wilson is big, athletic and capable of shooting from range — if he’s a natural fit anywhere, it’s power forward. His consistency will put him on the court or maroon him on the bench, so Wilson will need a strong showing in the early weeks of nonconference play. If he produces, Beilein will have reason to keep him on the court frequently come Big Ten play in January.
The inflection point of Michigan basketball story by Daniel Feldman, Daily Sports Writer
Max Bielfeldt Mark Donnal The race to play the low post has seen a clear frontrunner emerge in the form of Donnal, who is embarking upon his second year in Ann Arbor following a redshirt year. Donnal’s grasp of John Beilein’s offensive system and ability to crash the boards against taller and stronger opposition will be critical if Michigan expects to defend its conference title.
Text by Lev Facher
The team’s lone senior, Bielfeldt’s role as a leader is likely more important than his role on the court. Though he has spent two straight seasons on the cusp of major minutes, Bielfeldt’s turning point has yet to come. His experience alone could turn him into a major on-court contributor, but Donnal and Doyle’s collective talent and higher upsides leave Bielfeldt with a steep hill to climb if he wants off the bench.
Ricky Doyle An ankle tweak and other minor, undisclosed setbacks killed any chance Doyle had at cracking the starting five in his first few games with the Wolverines. But the physical big man’s talent is substantial enough that he’ll keep Donnal on his toes throughout the year, and Michigan will need the depth in the post.
Design by Teresa Mathew
The Michigan men’s basketball team is in a slump as it enters the beast that is the Breslin Center the night of Jan. 27, 2011. Losers of six straight games and carrying a 1-6 conference record, the Wolverines are in East Lansing having not won there since 1997. Up 57-55 with 33.3 seconds left against Michigan State, Darius Morris catches an inbounds pass from the sideline. Before the game, John Beilein
told Morris to shoot it if the Spartans went through a ball screen. This was news for a player who led the team in assists and would go on to set a single-season program record in the statistic. As Morris dribbles over half court, Keith Appling guards him before switching off as Morris gets to the free-throw line. With the shot clock down to four, Morris plants his lead foot on the Spartan logo in the paint
and dishes the rock toward Stu Douglass, who stands behind the 3-point line on the right side of the court. “It’s only fair to say that game was an inflection point of where the program’s heading,” said Zach Novak. “If we win this game, the season is turned around. … If we could win that game, we could win any game.” ***
After a disappointing 2009-10 season, not much was expected of Michigan in 2010-11. The team had lost its four tallest players and two leading scorers — Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims — and was picked to finish last in the Big Ten. With no seniors on the squad, the team lacked any true veterans besides Douglass and Novak. The preparation for the season started earlier than usual for the
Wolverines. Allowed an overseas trip every four years, the team traveled to Belgium to play four games against professional teams. Beilein found it to be advantageous for such a young team to begin practicing in August. The team went 1-3 on the Europe tour. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to suck,’ even though we were playing top-
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level professional teams,” said Jordan Morgan, then a redshirt freshman. “Our expectations for the team were extremely low.” “I don’t even think the coaches necessarily thought that we could be an NCAA team,” said Jon Horford. “That’s not to say they didn’t want that to ultimately be the result, but I would not say going into the season that this was going to be a tournament team.” After opening the regular season with three straight wins, the Wolverines went to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to play in the Legends Classic against No. 9 Syracuse and UTEP. Michigan would lose to both, though just by three to the Orange — its first of six losses to ranked opponents by fewer than 10 points that season. Despite the losses, though, Beilein saw potential in his team. With a trip to Clemson on the horizon for the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, Beilein saw an opening to get the the Wolverines back on track, as well as an opportunity to get the program its first win in the challenge in five years. “We went to Clemson, I remember that — that was like a place that was a checkmark on everybody’s schedule,” Beilein said. “If you can win at Clemson with this young team, and then we went and we won by double digits. That was a moment we said, ‘Wow, we could be onto something with this group. Just stay the course with what we’re doing.’ ” And for a while, that’s just what Michigan did, winning seven straight games. Then came the stretch from hell. At Wisconsin, home against No. 3 Kansas and No. 2 Ohio State, at Indiana and Northwestern and home against No. 15 Minnesota. Michigan would win none of those games. “It was frustrating,” Morgan said. “Everybody was kind of frustrated. We couldn’t really get it together. They weren’t all bad losses. We lost some close games, games we think we should have won.” Indeed, the Wolverines could have won a few of them. They went to overtime against
Kansas, before the Jayhawks pulled away to win 67-60. And it nearly made up a 12-point secondhalf deficit against the Buckeyes. But it came up short in each of those.
FILE PHOTO/Daily
*** Douglass catches the ball with less than five seconds on the shot clock and 23 seconds left in the game. It’s decision time. Draymond Green is approaching Douglass, ready to defend. The fate of Michigan’s season, the team’s well-being and perhaps even Beilein’s tenure are riding on what Douglass does next. Douglass’ fingers are caressing the ball. Green is about to jump in his face. A decision needs to be made immediately to not only determine the fate of the game, but the fate of the program. *** Though Michigan battled, the losing streak continued. The team got blown out at Indiana and then suffered an embarrassing 14-point loss to Northwestern. With a new coaching staff, including firstyear assistant coaches Bacari Alexander and LaVall Jordan, as well as Jeff Meyer in his first full year on the sideline, a new culture was in place. But if Michigan didn’t turn it around quickly, a culture change might have been necessary. Beilein might not have been back at the helm for a fifth year. As much as the coaching staff helped preach a new mindset, it was up to the players to adapt it. “It was getting to a point where we had to put our minds where we could make a change,” Morgan said. It was following the Northwestern game that Beilein tried to instill confidence in his downward-spiraling team. “I remember Coach (Beilein) telling that team they’re going to be an NCAA Tournament (team),” Alexander said. “This team, this program, is going to be in the NCAA Tournament. And we lost that game, and I thought
“If we win this game, the season is turned around.”
it inspired a belief and gave the group some hope.” But things only got worse when Michigan lost to Minnesota by five. “When you look at the Minnesota game, it was just a perfect storm,” Alexander said, “a culmination of us trying to find our identity at a time when we were still establishing that on the court.” For Beilein, the pressure was mounting. After being ranked in the preseason a year earlier and then ultimately missing out on the NCAA Tournament and NIT, some began to call for his job after the 1-6 conference start. “I think he probably was (on the hot seat),” Morgan said. “One year, you’re going to the tournament. The next year, you’re ranked in the preseason and we didn’t even make the NIT. To come in and have another terrible season … I think that put a lot of pressure on him. It put pressure on the players. We just wanted to do well.” Added Beilein: “It was a real low point in that season. And in my coaching tenure, it was a low point.” Beilein wanted to believe the type of play the team showed in the non-conference season and in earlier losses would come back. Michigan had played too many close games to not show anything
for its effort. But at the same time, Beilein had his doubts. “I know in this business, when you’re paid my salary, when you have this type of commitment to the basketball program, you’re not going to survive — you have to win enough games,” he said. “One and six in the Big Ten. So, do we go 1-17? That’s going through your mind sometimes. When you lose at Northwestern by 25 points, right? And you lose to Minnesota at home. You’re thinking, ‘When are we going to win another game?’ ”
meeting almost,” Novak said. “We kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Alright, it’s time to turn this around.’ ” At some point, the team had to click. But with Michigan State next on the docket, would it happen in East Lansing? “We had nobody with really any experience playing (at Michigan State) or being successful there,” Morgan said. “Going there, we didn’t know what to expect, especially the way things had been going.” ***
*** Beilein called the team out after the Minnesota game. The players knew their effort wasn’t enough. They decided to hold a playersonly meeting to hash things out. They had to become more accountable. They had to become more coachable. They’d had flashes of good play but couldn’t put it together. The players believed in Beilein’s principles. They believed they truly had the pieces for a good team. “It was like a coming-to-Jesus
Without hesitation, Douglass releases the ball from his hands. Green is hanging in the air. “When I shot it, Draymond (Green) contested it pretty well,” Douglass wrote in an e-mail. “I didn’t even really see the shot until it was touching the net.” Taking a high-arcing path, the ball rotates toward the basket as the players on Michigan’s bench rise from their seats. Seemingly in slow motion, the ball swishes through the net. Michigan is up by five with less than 20 seconds left in the game.
“I didn’t even see the shot.”
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Friday, November 14, 2014 / Tip Off
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It’s over. “What sticks out the most from that game was the silence from the crowd after the shot,” Douglass said. “The energy of the building was immediately gone. That possession was so charged up and loud, and once the shot went in, it was immediately flat. You could feel the disappointment of their fans. “Not many things beat hearing the silence of an opposing crowd that hates you.” *** Michigan would end up going 7-3 after beating the Spartans to finish 9-9 in the Big Ten — good for a tie for fourth in the conference. The Wolverines would beat Michigan State again at home to conclude the regular season. Earning a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan would cruise past Illinois in a quarterfinals matchup to prove itself worthy of an at-large NCAA bid. Garnering a No. 8 seed, the Wolverines destroyed Tennessee in the second round, 75-45, as five players scored in doubledigits and two more tallied eight points each in a laughingstock of a second half. Michigan would nearly topple
FILE PHOTO/Daily
No. 1 Duke in the next round, but a Morris runner with two seconds left missed, sealing a 73-71 win for the Blue Devils. While the loss ended Michigan’s season, it would have ended much sooner were it not for Douglass’ shot. Without his shot, Michigan may not have snapped its sixgame losing streak. It may not have snapped its losing streak at
Michigan State. But instead, the shot opened up doors for Michigan. Soon, it was winning an NCAA Tournament game. Then, winning a share of the Big Ten title. Soon after, making it all the way to the NCAA Championship Game and the Elite Eight after that. The success fans associate with Michigan and Beilein would not have existed without the shot.
Without that shot, Beilein might have lost his job. And who knows what would have happened next? Without that shot, the success of Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Fresh Five might not have come to fruition. Without that shot, Michigan might not have flipped the script against the Spartans and won five out of seven meetings since.
“I think winning that game helped legitimize the growth we were making as a program at that time in the eyes of fans and recruits,” Douglass said. The overlooked guard from Carmel, Indiana, hit the shot that saved the overlooked team. Then, silence. When the Breslin Center cleared out, where there had been chaos, there was calm.
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Friday, November 14, 2014 // Tip Off
The Beilein Paradox I
watched the 2013 NCAA Basketball Championship game from a Pizza Hut in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the only other people in the restaurant were an impassioned, older Michigan fan and a MAX woman who BULTMAN sat quietly with him. Throughout the second half, that fan yelled at Trey Burke, berated John Beilein and my God did he scream at Luke Hancock. I didn’t get it. I couldn’t trace his anger. Michigan wasn’t even supposed to be in the national championship, but the game was close right to the very end. Now, after another year and another deep tournament run, I think I’ve finally figured out what that guy was thinking. He set the bar for the Wolverines at their ceiling and then expected them to clear it. If
that sounds like a contradiction, that’s because it is. That’s the standard John Beilein has built for the Michigan men’s basketball team. Not a screaming, disappointed fan in a Pizza Hut, but a team that beats the odds with such regularity that fans have come to expect it. Beilein’s teams have been a refuge for Michigan fans lately, not simply because they’ve won, but because they’ve done it with dramatic flair, even when they weren’t supposed to. Fans know what his most recent teams have done, and now they want it by the pound. Expecting Michigan to repeat the kind of success Beilein’s teams have had in the last few years just isn’t fair. Not when it will rely heavily on unproven freshmen in the frontcourt and play in arguably the best conference in the nation. And yet, as we temper expectations for the Wolverines, we do so with one caveat: They could defy logic again. We predict one result, and then we anticipate them outper-
forming that forecast. What kind of logic is that? Call it Beilein’s Paradox, because Michigan’s veteran coach is directly responsible for this puzzling phenomenon. It’s easy to forget that the Wolverines lost to lowly Charlotte in the championship of last season’s Puerto Rico Tip-Off. They were a young team that didn’t know who to look to for a big shot — exactly what they were expected to be. And yet, by late January, Michigan was right where it wanted to be — undefeated in league play and first in the Big Ten. Beilein coaches with a bigger vision in mind. He doesn’t so much mind a stumble here or there if he ends up in the right spot at the end. The approach is conducive to stability, and in PAUL SHERMAN/Daily turn, growth. John Beilein has a flair for taking teams with low expectations and exceeding them. Keeping with that approach, the Wolverines never lost backwin 10 straight, including three Beilein’s teams have also had a to-back games last season. And consecutive wins over teams penchant for magic. Trey Burke’s when a loss was especially ranked in the top 10. shot against Kansas comes to painful, they seemed to learn And after Wisconsin rocked mind, as does Glenn Robina proportional amount. When them at home, the Wolverines son III’s buzzer-beating layup Michigan dropped a heartbreakcame right back to beat Michigan against Purdue. So does the Jorer to Arizona, it proceeded to State by nine. dan Morgan charge. So does the other Jordan Morgan charge. Those moments are special for a reason — they’re a factor you can’t count on. But Beilein makes it easy to expect them anyway. Here’s what reality says: True freshmen are going to look like true freshmen at times, and Michigan could rely on five of them this year. It’s too early to tell whether Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. are ready to shoulder larger loads. The Big Ten is going to be as tough as ever. Knowing all of that, the media didn’t pick Michigan to finish in the top three of the Big Ten. Some say they’re not sure if the Wolverines will be in the top five. There might not be any enchantment coming the Wolverines’ way this time. But it’s getting to the point where nothing a Beilein-coached team does will surprise anyone. They could win the whole thing, and few would be stunned if they do. And in a funny way, that’s its own brand of high expectations.
Max Bultman can be reached at bultmanm@umich.edu or on Twitter @m_bultman