ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, November 10, 2015
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Panel talks history of diversity at University ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
LSA freshman Raenell Williams marches against police violence on the one year anniversary of the shooting of Aura Rosser by Ann Arbor Police Officer David Ried. The march was organized by Ann Arbor to Ferguson and took marchers from Ann Arbor City Hall to Liberty Plaza for a candlelit vigil.
Ann Arbor activists march to oppose police brutality On anniversary of Rosser death, locals continue to advocate for change By ISOBEL FUTTER Daily Staff Reporter
After more than a year of national protests calling for an end to police brutality, Matthew
Lassiter, an associate history professor, decided University students might be interested in learning more about criminal justice issues in the United States. “I think there are a lot of undergraduate students and graduate students who have gotten really involved and really interested in the history of mass incarceration … so I wanted to bring in two scholars who have written a lot about this topic,” he said.
On Monday, Lassiter moderated a discussion between guest panelists Donna Murch, associate professor of history at Rutgers University, and Heather Ann Thompson, professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, to discuss these issues in depth. Sponsored by the Metropolitan History Workshop, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, and the Program in Race, Law and
History, the event drew about 80 undergraduates, graduate students and faculty members. Both Murch and Thompson are leading historians on topics such as race, incarceration, black power, civil rights, criminal justice and the war on drugs, and both have forthcoming books on these topics. One important topic discussed was the difference between mass incarceration and the carceral See PROTEST, Page 3
Former faculty, staff discuss similarities between past, present climate By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
Though the event’s original intent was to convene a group of leaders to speak about the history of campus activism and diversity efforts, a panel discussion Monday afternoon instead largely focused on the fact that past grievances related to many issues of race and gender at the University continue to hold true today. “It’s sad to think it is 2015 and we’re talking about the same stuff we talked about in ’49 when the first Black woman was allowed to live in a dormitory,” said panelist Charles Moody, vice provost emeritus for minority affairs. Along with Moody, four other panelists discussed their experiences working to foster an inclusive community for minority students on campus: Associate Prof. Maria Cotera, former director
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Schlissel visits SACUA to tout diversity plan President says rhetoric must be matched with progress By GENEVIEVE HUMMER Daily Staff Reporter
Ahead of Tuesday’s diversity summit, University President Mark Schlissel attended Monday’s Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs meeting to discuss the impending school-wide diversity plan and the importance of balancing rhetoric with substantive action. Monday marked Schlissel’s first time at SACUA since appearing there last November. During that visit, Schlissel spoke candidly about the University’s athletics program — a conversation that drew both praise and criticism. On Monday, Schlissel said gathering input from as many people as possible will give the University’s diversity plan the greatest likelihood for success. However, he also acknowledged that it will take time to complete and implement. “The thing I like about this process is that it’s the most bottom-up thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “It would be an easier and faster process if we took a group like this, sat in a room 10 times and issued a plan for the University of Michigan. Strangely
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enough, that’s too easy.” While encouraging patience during the long-term planning process, Schlissel also pointed to diversity initiatives the University has already implemented. He pointed to the HAIL scholarship and the new Wolverine Pathways program, as well as the increased numbers of underrepresented minorities in this year’s freshman class, as evidence of tangible improvement. Schlissel noted the administration’s talk about increased diversity must continue to be supported by “concrete actions” like these. “Any time that we devote a significant amount of time to talking, then we really do have to prove to people that talking leads to substance,” he said. Following the discussion on diversity, SACUA chair SilkeMaria Weineck, a professor of comparative literature, asked for Schlissel’s thoughts on Tim Wolfe — the University of Missouri system president who resigned Monday amid allegations of mishandling incidents of racism on the school’s campus. “I don’t really understand enough about the circumstances in Missouri to have an opinion on it, I’ve only been following it for the last couple of days,” Schlissel said. “What was interesting was at the end of the series of events that led to his resignation, there were some pretty forceful student See SACUA, Page 3
of the Latina/o Studies Program; University alum Cynthia Stephens, a judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals; Abigail Stewart, director of the ADVANCE program, which aims to advocate for female faculty in science and engineering fields and the former director of the Women’s Studies Program; and James Toy, co-founder and former director of the Spectrum Center, then known as the Human Sexuality Office. Lester Monts, a professor of music and former senior vice provost for academic affairs, moderated the conversation. The panel was part of the University’s campus-wide diversity summit, which is to be headlined by an interview between University President Mark Schlissel and Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Clarence Page Tuesday morning. The summit is a piece of Schlissel’s ongoing Strategic Plan for Diversity, which he launched in September by asking each campus school or department to design its own internal programs for enhancing diversity. Robert Sellers, vice provost for See DIVERSITY, Page 3
GSI union protests ‘U’ handling of new hire #StandWithAlex draws support for grad student terminated from job By ALYSSA BRANDON and EMMA KINERY
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Business graduate student Gautham Madhira tears down a mock Berlin Wall at an event organized by the Young Americans for Freedom on the Diag on Monday. The wall was decorated with phrases like “safe spaces,” “trigger warning” and “Political Correctness: the Iron Curtain of the University.”
Demonstration on Diag fights ‘political correctness’ Young Americans for Freedom mimic Berlin Wall, 26 years after its fall By ANNA HARITOS Daily Staff Reporter
Twenty-six years after the Berlin Wall fell in Germany, the first blows were delivered to the make-shift wall on the Diag constructed by the University’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter. The wall, created to honor the anniversary of the real wall’s destruction, was built to protest political correctness, according to
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YAF chairman Grant Strobl, an LSA sophomore. “Right now the bias hotline is against free speech,” Strobl said. “You can report a bias crime just because it’s offensive. That’s not in the constitution.” Strobl is referring to the University’s telephone hotline and online forms available for directly reporting hate crimes on campus. Members of the organization passed around a mallet, each taking a turn to smash the wall, which was covered with words like “safe space” and “trigger warnings.” However, the display was not perceived well by many of those who passed
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by, including LSA freshman Kevin Sweitzer. “It ignores all the progress we’ve made on promoting political correctness, and social justice across the University,” Sweitzer said. “It just puts it on some wall for some people who are privileged to take turns beating at. It’s unbelievable. This is a bias incident, and it needs to stop.” For many of the students who stopped to watch the display, confusion centered around what YAF was aiming to accomplish. Additional oppositions were voiced, particularly by one student, LSA sophomore Fahim Rahman. See WALL, Page 3
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On Monday, the University’s Graduate Employees’ Organization filled a hallway of the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and tweeted #StandWithelx to protest the firing of a graduate student instructor. Alex Chen, a third-year dual degree master’s student in the Taubman College and the School of Engineering, was hired as a Taubman GSI in August and signed an employment contract, before receiving an e-mail a day later stating she was not fit for the position. The reason — according to protest organizers — cited by the University was that she was not a Taubman student, as the majority of the classes she was enrolled in were for her Engineering program. Because she was fired from her position as a GSI, Chen lost her tuition waiver, health care and the salary she anticipated. According to GEO President John Ware, an Engineering graduate student, the loss has resulted in nearly $50,000 in debt for Chen and a hold on her account so she cannot graduate. See GEO, Page 3
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Friends from frisbee
What exactly is Ultimate Frisbee? I didn’t even know when I got to school, because I’d never played before. At the collegiate level, it’s 7 v 7. At the beginning of each point, there’s an offense and a defense. The purpose is to get the Frisbee into the opposite
end zone by passing it up the field. What is your role on the team? I’m a third-year player, so my role has gotten bigger. I’m one of the unofficial leaders on the team. I’m definitely expected to perform on the field athletically, and even off the field, I’ve been really involved with putting together our apparel orders and a lot of behind-the-scenes things, too. How did you get involved with the team? I was walking through Fes-
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JAKE MOYER
Kinesiology junior Jake Moyer calls himself an unofficial leader of one of the University’s less publicized sports: Ultimate Frisbee. He plays for MagnUM, a team that consists of more than 30 members who come together to play in a handful of tournaments each fall.
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tifall my freshman year and … one of the guys made eye contact with me, and handed me a flier. I saw that the tryouts were the next day, so I talked to my twin, Bobby, about it and we decided to do it.
WHAT: This is a mock networking event for students who are interested in learning more about professional networking. WHO: Alumni Association WHEN: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Alumni Center, Founders Room
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Those are my best friends that I’ve made here at school. It kinda just fell in my lap, and they’re really awesome people. I live with them, and hang out with them. The best part about it is building those friendships. —ISOBEL FUTTER
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LSA sophomore Peyton Steurer works on an architecture project that shows perspective and line harmonies.
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WHAT: Former U.S. Congressmen for Michigan Mike Rogers and David Camp will be speaking about policy. The event is free and open to the public. WHO: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Hutchins Hall
WHAT: Bloomberg WHAT: Project 22 is a movie about two veterans Financial Analytics and who cross the country on Sales recruiters will be giving a presentation motorcycles, spreading on their company and awareness about suicide prevention among veterans. internship availabilities. WHO: Career Center WHO: Veteran and WHEN: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Military Services WHEN: 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Ross School of Business, Room 2230 WHERE: Weill Hall, Annenburg Auditorium
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Panel on Iraq, Beili Liu Former U.S. Afghanistan presentation congressmen WHAT: The panelists WHAT: Beili Liu is a multi- policy talk will describe why they disciplinary artist, an MFA joined the military and what they learned on their journey. WHO: Veteran and Military Services WHEN: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Michigan Room
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WHAT: This is an assembly to give input to University President Mark Schlissel for the diversity summit. WHO: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion WHEN: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. WHERE: Rackham Graduate School, Auditorium Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.
Greenhouse gases have surpassed 400 parts per million in most of the world, The Washington Post reported. According to a World Bank report, an additional 100 million people could be driven into poverty by 2030 if sustainability policies are not put in place.
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The Michigan men’s tennis team competed in two tournaments over the weekend. Redshirt sophomore Davis Crocker won six straight matches to take the singles’ title. >>FOR MORE, SEE PG. 7
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A federal court blocked President Barack Obama’s plan to postpone deportation for 5 million people living in the country illegally, The New York Times reported. The administration can now appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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$1.5 million grant to provide care for underserved Detroiters Nursing School partners with community health organization By JACKIE CHARNIGA Daily Staff Reporter
As part of an expanded partnership between the University’s School of Nursing and the Detroit n0n-profit Community Health and Social Services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has allocated a $1.5 million grant to help improve care for underserved populations. CHASS, a Detroit-based community organization, provides primary health care and support services. The program aims to apply chronic disease management to address diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and
mental health issues. This grant is the second $1.5 million gift awarded to the Nursing School and CHASS. The first grant, awarded in 2010, was intended to be three-year provision to fund nurse practitioners who would help increase access to primary health care in underserved areas. This year’s grant will allow Registered Nurse Chronic Care Coordinators to lead teams of doctors, pharmacists, support staff and social workers in the provision of health care in impoverished communities. Donna Marvicsin, Nursing School clinical associate professor, was the recipient of the initial grant and will serve as project director of the new program as well. “This first grant resulted with a wonderful partnership with CHASS that then — because we had this community relationship, we had the trust — it allowed us
then to be in the position to get the second grant,” she said. The grant’s first goal is to facilitate training for CHASS employees with University professionals. Though Marvicsin said no University hospital nurses will participate in the program, undergraduate Nursing students will have the opportunity to gain clinical experience at CHASS. Marvicsin said the Nursing School will act as a consultant for CHASS, to ensure the new training is properly completed and efficient communication occurs between patients and their primary caregivers. “In a primary care clinic, it’s just so busy, it’s hard to start new programs and make sure they’re sustained,” she said. Marvicsin said communication training is vital for an interdisciplinary team. “What they find with teams is usually interprofessional workers have different ways of communication and different culture within health care providers,” she said. “We’re going to make sure that everyone is trained with cross interprofessional cultures and communication for successful teamwork.” The program includes training in communication skills, decision making, care coordination and problem solving. The second part of the program includes work with IT professionals. The aim is to ensure all patients’ health care information is documented properly in electronic health records. The grant also aspires to help patients whose chronic conditions require frequent visits to health care professionals, in cases where health care professionals require the details of their patients’ cases before they even enter the clinic. “These are patients who are established, they have diabetes, they have hypertension, they have high cholesterol. So they’re known to the clinic and they’re followed closely,” she said. Read more online at michigandaily.com
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Donna Murch, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University, discusses her dissertation on the Black Panthers at the Historians and the Roots of Mass Incarceration Roundtable in Tisch Hall on Monday.
Professor hosts roundtable on history of incarceration Panelists consider racial bias in the U.S. criminal justice system By MAYA KALMAN Daily Staff Reporter
After more than a year of national protests calling for an end to police brutality, Matthew Lassiter, an associate history professor, decided University students might be interested in learning more about criminal justice issues in the United States. “I think there are a lot of undergraduate students and graduate students who have gotten really involved and really interested in the history of mass incarceration … so I wanted to bring in two scholars who have written a lot about this topic,” he said. On Monday, Lassiter moderated a discussion between guest panelists Donna Murch, associate professor of history at Rutgers University, and Heather
Ann Thompson, professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, to discuss these issues in depth. Sponsored by the Metropolitan History Workshop, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, and the Program in Race, Law and History, the event drew about 80 undergraduates, graduate students and faculty members. Both Murch and Thompson are leading historians on topics such as race, incarceration, black power, civil rights, criminal justice and the war on drugs, and both have forthcoming books on these topics. One important topic discussed was the difference between mass incarceration and the carceral state. Murch said the carceral state “entails multiple forms of surveillance, control and confinement … the carceral has to do with when state institutions take on a punishing function.” “Mass incarceration is the symptom. The carceral state is the cause,” Thompson said. “We’ll have a carceral state even if we let
a million and a half people out of prison and we go back to levels of 1970.” The discussion also explored the rise of juvenile incarceration, and who is responsible for the policies that encouraged these incarceration trends, as well as mass incarceration. The issue of mass incarceration is polarizing: some say it’s a result of policy shift in the 1960s and 1970s, while others say it’s due to a longstanding tradition of imprisonment. Some camps of social scientists argue the trend is a result of de-industrialization or under-policing of Black neighborhoods. The event began with a short lecture by each of the guest panelists. Murch, who is considered a pioneer in the study of mass incarceration through a historical lens, spoke about the development of of research on the carceral state. She said the group of historians working on the topic is very small, and research has been limited until very recently due to bias against the subjects of research, See CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Page 3
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Theme semesters to celebrate University bicentennial The University announced Tuesday it will devote courses in the 2017 winter and fall semesters to celebrate its bicentennial. According to a statment form Bicentennial Communications, the winter theme semester, titled “The Making of the University of Michigan,” will highlight the history of the University. The fall 2017 theme semester, “Michigan Horizons: The Possible Futures of U-M,” will focus on the challenges and dilemmas facing both the University and higher education at large. Theme semester planning was chaired by Howard Brick, a professor of history and director of the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies.
Classes cancelled at UM-Dearborn after mall shooting Police confirmed Monday afternoon that shots were fired in Fairlane Mall in Dearborn, Michigan. The shooting prompted both a lockdown of the mall and the University’s Dearborn campus, which is located across the street. Classes at the Dearborn campus were cancelled and students were encouraged to remain indoors. According to police, the shooting occurred after a dispute between two people escalated. No injuries have been reporterd. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
Wayne County to build pier at wildlife refuge The Wayne County commission voted unanimously to approve $1 million deal to build a boat dock and pier at a wildlife refuge. The commission made the agreement with the Downriver Community Conference. The conference is an alliance of 20 Wayne County cities and townships dedicated to improving the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Gateway in Trenton and Gibraltar. Plans for the project include for a 755-foot boat dock and pier that will accommodate 100 people. A floating pier will house a boat from the Michigan Sea Grant program. The program, backed by the Univeristy and Michigan State University, funds research, education and training projects about conservation and use of the Great Lakes The project is anticipated to be completed in 2017.
In light of student outcry, Missouri president resigns Timothy Wolfe, president of the University of Missouri, announced he would resign Monday after students demanded he step down for his alleged lack of attention to racial issues on campus. Following the painting of a swastika on a campus building, students at the school began protesting the university’s administration. One student pledged he would not eat until Wolfe resigned. The Missouri football team also pledged they would not partipate in any football-related activities until Wolfe stepped down. In his final speech to the Univeristy of Missouri community, Wolfe said he hopes his resingation was a step toward healing on the campus. —ALYSSA BRANDON
DIVERSITY From Page 1 equity, inclusion and academic affairs, introduced the panel, explaining that its aim was to contextualize the current state of diversity at the University before continuing to develop future plans later in the week. “Whatever progress we make in the future has already been purchased by the blood, sweat and tears of those who have come before us,” Sellers said. “Whatever heights we reach in the future, we can only reach those heights by standing on the shoulders of the gargantuan contributions of those who have come before us.” Cotera argued that despite the University’s history as a leader in
WALL From Page 1 “It’s ridiculous,” Rahman said. “Protesting against political correctness … I’m of course not for that, but I (also) think it’s really weird to equate that that to the Berlin Wall. It doesn’t make any sense.” Passersby spoke with YAF members about the purpose of the display. The wall had words like “protect left handed people” and “report me” spray painted in a graffiti-like fashion. “We chose words that were all part of this politically correct effort, to replicate an environment where people are coerced into silence from expressing their beliefs,” Strobl said. Students said they felt some groups were
SACUA From Page 1 protests.” Weineck also asked for Schlissel’s thoughts on the University issuing a formal apology to H. Chandler Davis, a former University professor. In 1954, the University suspended and terminated Davis and Mark Nickerson, a tenured faculty member, for their refusal to provide testimony to a group from the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities — as a result of both professors having had communist leanings. For similar reasons, the University
PROTEST From Page 1 state. Murch said the carceral state “entails multiple forms of surveillance, control and confinement … the carceral has to do with when state institutions take on a punishing function.” “Mass incarceration is the symptom. The carceral state is the cause,” Thompson said. “We’ll have a carceral state even if we let a million and a half people out of prison and we go back to levels of 1970.” The discussion also explored the rise of juvenile incarceration, and who is responsible for the policies that encouraged these incarceration trends, as well as mass incarceration. The issue of mass incarceration is polarizing: some say it’s a result of policy shift in the 1960s and 1970s, while others say it’s due to a longstanding tradition of imprisonment. Some camps of social scientists argue the trend is a result of de-industrialization or underpolicing of Black neighborhoods. The event began with a short lecture by each of the guest panelists. Murch, who is considered a pioneer in the study of mass incarceration through a historical lens, spoke about the development of of research on the carceral state. She said the group of historians working on the topic is very small, and research has been limited until very recently due to bias against the subjects of research, such as the Black Panthers. “There’s been a profound shift, a historiographical shift, one might say, a political shift, that’s made it possible to write about radical anti-state organizations
promoting diversity on campus — most notably through defending affirmative action in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case Gratz v. Bollinger — the administrative leadership has often minimized its commitment to diversity. She cited the critically low enrollment numbers for Black and Native American students — 4.82 percent and 0.25 percent, respectively. Noting a lack of administrative leadership in recruiting and retaining faculty of color, Cotera said the campus climate for minority students is unwelcoming. “Not a week goes by that a student of color, whether graduate or undergraduate, does not come crying in my office,” she said. “It happens every week.” Stephens said the low
marginalized by the words written on the wall. “I believe that people’s identities are being challenged based on the words on the wall,” Sweitzer said. “People who have suffered traumatic experience — you need to be aware of that when watching a movie in class, or just going through life.” The aim of the day, according to Strobl, was to draw connections between instances of institutionalized censorship. “It is our mission to fight for freedom of speech, intellectual discussion and dialogue and the opportunity to engage in this dialogue as a University,” Strobl said. “If we didn’t have this event today, I wouldn’t have had tons of discussions about this today.”
enrollment numbers for minority students is also due to the normalization of microaggressions on campus. She said many students of color believe the University is a hostile place for minorities, even before they set foot on campus. “The University needs to come to understand that that 4 percent is in part based on how the University does business,” she said. Despite the critical words panelists had for racial diversity on campus, Toy remarked on how receptive and courageous the University was when he first conceived the Human Sexuality Office in 1971. “The University took, I believe, an enormous risk in creating what we now refer to as the Spectrum Center,” Toys said. In addition to panel members,
GEO From Page 1 Chen sought support from the GEO to submit a grievance hearing to Taubman College. Ware said the GEO believes Taubman College breached protections outlined in Article 9 of its collective bargaining agreement with the University. The article states that once an offer has been made to a potential GSI and the GSI signs a contract, the duties can be changed or taken away completely, but the pay, benefits and tuition waiver can be no less than what was promised. “This is one of the articles in our contract that is most dear to us,” Ware said. “In addition to it being an awful situation for Alex, who doesn’t deserve to be in the situation that she’s in, it’s also a threat to job security for all GSIs.” According to Ware, Taubman College has declined to overturn
suspended but later reinstated another professor, Clement Markert. Davis, a former communist, spent six months in federal prison for contempt. Nickerson and Markert were identified by the committee as potential subversives because of their former communist sympathies, but avoided federal prison by citing their Fifth Amendment rights. In 1990, the University’s Senate Assembly passed a resolution regarding the 1954 incident, which stated the faculty “deeply regret the failure of the University community to protect the fundamental
values of intellectual freedom at that time.” The resolution also established an Annual Senate Lecture on Academic and on Intellectual Freedom, “The University of Michigan Senate’s Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom.” In response, Schlissel questioned whether it is fair to condemn decisions made more than 60 years ago. “How do you feel about holding people accountable for events that happened 60 years ago, using much more modern viewpoints?” he asked. “It’s really easy to look back and say ‘Gee, these people must really
that was absolutely not true when I was in graduate school,” she said. Murch was working on a book on the Black Panthers when she realized the history of incarceration is central to research on race and marginalized groups. “It started out very empirically, with trying to understand why such large numbers of southern born migrants ended up in juvenile systems,” she said. The study of the carceral state also has implications for other areas of study, such as research on crime and drug policy. “It’s very difficult to write about a drug economy without dealing with the state apparatus of punishment,” she said. Most recently, Murch has studied political mobilization in current social movements against mass incarceration and police brutality. She travelled to Ferguson, Mo. after last year’s protests, following the fatal shooting of an unarmed, Black teenager by a white police officer, to study the “explosion of activism” there. She said these kind of events are important for shaping how researchers reinterpret the period in which incarceration rates soared in the U.S. Thompson began her discussion by agreeing with Murch’s assertion that many historians who study incarceration stumbled on the topic while studying other things. Thompson, for example, came across the topic while working on a book about Black activism and civil rights in Detroit. “We all came to this quite as a surprise to ourselves,” she said. “I didn’t even see in my own book, which is fundamentally about police brutality and
fundamentally about the carceral state … I didn’t understand what a carceral state was. I didn’t see the forest for the trees.” Thompson also worked on a book about the Attica Prison Riot, which took place in the Attica Correctional Facility in 1971. While working on the book, Thompson realized the connection between civil rights and the increasing incarceration rate. She recounted asking of herself, “Well wait a minute, something happens after Attica. After 1971 we start to lock everybody up. What’s the relationship? Is there a connection here?” She also noted that this body of research has been largely fueled by women and feminists, and that experts in this area have recently been called upon to educate legislators in Washington, D.C., an unusual request for historians. One question she answered in Washington was how to accommodate the wealthy interest groups and corporations who, like legislators and historians, believe in decarceration, but don’t know what to do when this decarceration happens. She suggested funds be diverted from the prison system into social welfare, charter schools and other services that will help those most affected by the incarceration trend. “I thought (the event) went pretty well,” Lassiter said. “We got some really good questions, including a number of really good ones from undergrads. We didn’t resolve anything today, but that’s not how historical discussions usually happen. The goal is to ask the right questions as much as finding easy answers.”
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Tuesday, November 10, 2015 — 3 a number of other distinguished campus leaders attended the discussion, including Nellie Varner, the first Black regent at the University; Harold Johnson, the first Black dean; and Henry Johnson, former vice president of student affairs and the first Black vice president. Business sophomore Dhara Gosalia said she said left the event feeling that achieving a more diverse University community must occur through an institutional, systemic way. “When I came in, I expected them to talk more about the history, but I thought it was really cool that they connected it to the present times,” she said. Rackham student Tissyana Camacho said the panel made her realize how the University
will need to remain committed to attaining a diverse student body for a while before achieving it achieves goals for inclusion. “I think my biggest takeaway was realizing that this is something that is a long-term commitment,” Camacho said. “I think many if not all of the panelists discussed that the change is not going to happen overnight.” Toward the end of the discussion, all panelists encouraged senior leaders and administrators, not just students and faculty, to make campus inclusion a priority at the University. “We need everybody involved,” Stewart said. “We know that when institutional change happens it happens when it converges from bottom up, top down leadership.”
their decisions thus far in prior grievance hearings for Chen. Monday’s protest occurred during her third grievance hearing with Academic Human Resources. Ware said a mix of more than 100 graduate and undergraduate students and University alumni attended Monday’s demonstration, but were denied access to the grievance hearing. Upon request for comment on the issue, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said Monday evening he could not discuss the matter. “It’s not appropriate to discuss these types of personnel issues publicly,” he said. “This matter is being addressed appropriately through the process outlined in the GEO collective bargaining agreement.” Ware said many people were intersted in learning the outcome of Monday’s hearing. “Everybody that was at the
Taubman building today came hoping to watch the meeting,” Ware said. “We did request a room large enough for that to take place, but (Human Resources) took the position that they didn’t want any spectators in the meeting.” According to Ware, officials closed the blinds in the meeting room and held the meeting privately while four or five police officers monitored protesters from a classroom next door. The department will have 30 days to consider Chen’s case before they release a final decision. During that time, Ware said the GEO plans to appear before the University’s Board of Regents to argue Chen’s case. “We hope that Human Resources, being intimately familiar with our contract and knowing what the contract requirements are, we hope they will overturn the decision, and that we’ll get Alex what she deserves,” he said.
have been out of their minds to fall in line with McCarthyism here at the University of Michigan.’ ” He acknowledged that some of his hesitation stems from his perspective as the University’s president. “I’m very sensitive, now that I’m the guy in this seat, to somebody 50 or 60 years from now looking back on the orthodoxy of today and saying ‘How on earth could that guy Schlissel not realize that?’ ” he said. Biology Prof. John Lehman, a SACUA member, pointed to the United States’ 1988 decision to apologize for the internment
of Japanese-Americans during World War II as an example of the importance of apologizing for an event, even if it comes years after the fact. “It’s not that governments haven’t taken steps to rectify or receive reconciliation for things like the Japanese internment,” Lehman said. “I think the government was right to turn around and say ‘this was a mistake and we should be aware of this so we don’t make the same mistake again.’ ” Schlissel said he would weigh the idea of issuing an apology to Davis with his executive team and the University’s Board of Regents.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE From Page 2 such as the Black Panthers. “There’s been a profound shift, a historiographical shift, one might say, a political shift, that’s made it possible to write about radical anti-state organizations that was absolutely not true when I was in graduate school,” she said. Murch was working on a book on the Black Panthers when she realized the history of incarceration is central to research on race and marginalized groups. “It started out very empirically, with trying to understand why such large numbers of southern born migrants ended up in juvenile systems,” she said. The study of the carceral state also has implications for other areas of study, such as research on crime and drug policy. “It’s very difficult to write about a drug economy without dealing with the state apparatus of punishment,” she said. Most recently, Murch has studied political mobilization in current social movements against mass incarceration and police brutality. She travelled to Ferguson, Mo. after last year’s protests, following the fatal shooting of an unarmed, Black teenager by a white police officer, to study the “explosion of activism” there. She said these kind of events are important for shaping how researchers reinterpret the period in which incarceration rates soared in the U.S. Thompson began her discussion by agreeing with Murch’s assertion that many historians who study incarceration stumbled on the topic while studying other things. Thompson, for example, came across the topic while working on a book about Black activism and civil rights in Detroit.
“We all came to this quite as a surprise to ourselves,” she said. “I didn’t even see in my own book, which is fundamentally about police brutality and fundamentally about the carceral state … I didn’t understand what a carceral state was. I didn’t see the forest for the trees.” Thompson also worked on a book about the Attica Prison Riot, which took place in the Attica Correctional Facility in 1971. While working on the book, Thompson realized the connection between civil rights and the increasing incarceration rate. She recounted asking of herself, “Well wait a minute, something happens after Attica. After 1971 we start to lock everybody up. What’s the relationship? Is there a connection here?” She also noted that this body of research has been largely fueled by women and feminists, and that experts in this area have recently been called upon to educate legislators in Washington, D.C., an unusual request for historians. One question she answered in Washington was how to accommodate the wealthy interest groups and corporations who, like legislators and historians, believe in decarceration, but don’t know what to do when this decarceration happens. She suggested funds be diverted from the prison system into social welfare, charter schools and other services that will help those most affected by the incarceration trend. “I thought (the event) went pretty well,” Lassiter said. “We got some really good questions, including a number of really good ones from undergrads. We didn’t resolve anything today, but that’s not how historical discussions usually happen. The goal is to ask the right questions as much as finding easy answers.”
Opinion Protecting political expression
4 — Tuesday, November 10, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF
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LEV FACHER 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
New testing plan a good (M-)STEP
A
Obama initiative will help fix Michigan exam
solution to fix standardized testing practices has recently bubbled up. On Oct. 24, the Obama administration admitted it had pushed too far in holding state schools accountable based on their students’ standardized test scores. In light of this acknowledgment, the administration called on Congress to include specific measures that address the overemphasis on standardized testing in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act — a bill previously termed No Child Left Behind. Two different versions of the ESEA were reauthorized in July by both the House and the Senate, and the fate of the bill lies in the two chambers’ ability to compromise. As part of Obama’s Testing Action Plan, which accompanied this announcement, by January 2016, the Department of Education will release a guidance plan for all states and districts detailing how to assess what standardized test practices will be fair, valid and efficient. These developments are especially compelling in the context of the disagreements surrounding the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, the new state-required standardized test that replaced the 44-year-old MEAP. The recently released and abysmally low M-STEP results indicate there are significant issues with the exam. To set Michigan students up for successful academic futures, the Michigan Legislature should use the results of this year’s M-STEP, combined with the guidelines
implementing their assessments.” Now with the resources of both more time and more money, the Michigan Department of Education is better prepared to improve the state-required test than it was at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. Calling for the state to place a cap on the amount of time districts and schools can spend testing, which the Testing Action Plan does, would discourage redundancy in the different tests schools are currently administering, and would therefore serve as a good first step toward greater efficiency. By limiting the time spent on standardized tests, the Obama administration will allow teachers to offer more content-based instruction that hones in on skills such as reading comprehension, critical thinking and rhetorical analysis.
Jackie Thomas/Daily
set in the Testing Action Plan, to revise this new state-required test, and other state legislatures should follow suit. Unlike the MEAP, the M-STEP is administered in the spring, which is advantageous to students because it tests them on material they just learned, rather than testing them on material they learned three months ago the previous spring. Another promising attribute is that the M-STEP aimed to incorporate Common Core standards by allowing schools to conduct the test online and including short-answer questions, in contrast to the MEAP, which only used multiple choice. These factors should have combined to create a “better” standardized test, but as Michigan students’ unbelievably low test scores reveal, this new test is very far from perfect. In a phone interview with The Michigan Daily, Pamela Davis-Kean, professor of psychology and education at the University, said she takes the results with a grain of salt. Davis-Kean explained that by the time the federal government had made clear in 2014 the Common Core standards that state tests had to meet, there was little time for the state to actually create the new test. Also concerning is that M-STEP removed time restrictions on students taking the test. Most students took eight to 11 hours to complete the test, and some took even longer. This large range inherently causes unreliability in the data. “In general, no matter what the results are, they’re not going to be indicative of anything, because it wasn’t pretested — it didn’t go through the usual validations that most tests go through,” Davis-Kean said. Guidelines explained in the Testing Action Plan could help solve some of the problems faced in creating and administering the M-STEP. The plan states $403 million would go toward creating state assessments that align with college and career-readiness standards. A separate $25 million will go to projects that help states develop new assessment models that would allow them to “address pressing needs they have identified for developing and
Rather than requiring students to spend an excessive number of hours taking a myriad of standardized tests, a returned emphasis on class content will give students a greater breadth of knowledge and skills than teaching to a standardized test allows. The plan makes several other much-needed calls to action aimed at state governments, local districts and individual schools. One important aspect of the Testing Action Plan is that it encourages states to release test results in a timely manner and to make clear to parents, students, teachers and administrators what these results can be used for. More timely access to statewide and individual results can help students and teachers make changes to curricula and individualized teaching strategies for specific student needs. In addition, the Testing Action Plan emphasizes flexibility in teacher preparation for these tests. The plan states, “as in other areas, we believe that student learning as measured by assessment results should be a part, not the sole determinant, of determining the quality of a particular program.” Instead of implying that educators should be “teaching to a test,” the plan seems to suggest that teacher performance should not be assessed solely based upon their students’ testing performance. After over a decade of overemphasizing the importance of student test scores in teacher evaluations, this is a refreshing and critical point for the government to concede. Evaluating the results of the M-STEP demonstrate the Testing Action Plan is a longoverdue call for states to not only place a cap on the amount of classroom time schools require of students, but also create a state-administered test that is more efficient and effective in measuring student achievement. The ideal test would encompass Common Core standards and would go through extensive preparatory procedures before being given to students as to avoid the mistakes of the M-STEP. Streamlined testing will produce useful data and allow for teachers to do what’s more important — focus on teaching content in the classroom.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
D
espite being a historically liberal institution, the University fails to include the prohibition of political or intellectual discrimination in its anti-discrimination policy. Across campus, the lack of institutional protection for unpopular opinions — including conservative VICTORIA views — can have NOBLE a chilling effect on class discussion and student expression. In all academic fields, discussion is critical to understanding the nuance of claims presented about the world. In some disciplines, like public policy — which strives to educate students not only on current policies but also on how to change them — understanding multiple angles of divisive political issues and working with people who hold opposing viewpoints is essential. Discussions in my Ford School of Public Policy classes regularly prompt dialogue on contentious political issues like minimum wage laws, detention of terror suspects and the far right’s influence in Congress. Here, disagreements are political, and discussions often reveal ideology if students participate honestly. Group discussions can become more heated than average if one or two students disagree with the rest of their peers, and students may avoid expressing views that might conflict with the opinions they believe their professors hold. Despite the opportunity for disagreement, faculty members require students to participate in discussion, and give participation considerable weight toward final grades. Most Public Policy professors who I have come into contact with have been amenable to a diverse range of opinions. But, when students can’t be sure how accepting a professor will be, they may elect not to express their views at all. Susan Collins, dean of the Ford, told me in an interview that most policy schools across the country tend to have greater liberal representation, and past surveys of Ford students show that relatively few self-identify as Republicans. Despite this, Collins believes that Ford students should be exposed to a wide range of viewpoints. “I feel very strongly, and this is a view shared widely around the building,” Collins said, “that as a policy school, it’s really essential that people hear and understand and grapple with
a range of perspectives, but in particular political perspectives.” Even still, Collins said that students have expressed to her their discomfort in expressing their views in class when they didn’t think any of their classmates shared them. As a Republican in the Ford School, I can certainly relate to these students. One of my policy classes spends a considerable amount of time in small group discussions, where, in my experiences, the majority of group members have tended to share similar views on topics, and I’ve tended to disagree. Sharing my opinion to a group of people who believe the opposite can be intimidating, and has been met, on occasion, with sarcastic, less-thanflattering remarks. I tend to be outgoing and outspoken, and probably more willing than average to share my thoughts with those who might disagree. If I was afraid of sharing my opinions with liberals, I probably wouldn’t have identified myself as a Republican in the Daily so many times over the past two years. But when my peers don’t take my opinions seriously or make negative comments, it makes me think twice before choosing to participate in class discussion again in the future. If I have occasionally felt too uncomfortable to share my opinion in class, I can only imagine how my Republican peers might feel. In most classes, faculty members seem to do their best to encourage dissenting opinions and highlight multiple sides of arguments. This isn’t just inclusive; it’s good pedagogy. To the extent that the Ford School aspires to produce effective public servants, it should strive to ensure its students can effectively communicate in institutional environments with far greater intellectual diversity than the Public Policy school itself. It can’t do that if only one side of every issue is afforded serious consideration. Despite expressed openness to ideas from all areas of the political spectrum, it’s clear that the school has a long way to go if it truly wants to become as tolerant of different ideologies as it strives to be. A solid first step toward this goal doesn’t have to be Ford-specific: Adding political and intellectual discrimination to the University-wide nondiscrimination policy could go a long way to assure students their views will be respected. Should the University continue to neglect this issue, the Public Policy School should draft an anti-discrimination policy of its own that specifically prohibits discrimination based on political expression or ideology,
and strengthens existing measures to promote an inclusive environment conducive to active, vocal participation from all students, regardless of background or identity. But making the Ford School as diverse in political thought as the government bodies many Ford students want to work in after graduation will require much more than a one-off policy change. The Ford School should increase representation from political conservatives and Republicans. Better outreach to right-leaning student organizations will help students who don’t already have a network of Public Policy students to tell them about the program or help them through the application process. Even more importantly, the Public Policy School needs to become a place that can credibly claim to prospective students an acceptance of a wide range of viewpoints. This might include framing class discussions to highlight both sides of an argument, or assigning a paper in one of the required classes that asks students to argue a policy position they don’t support, prompting them to give serious consideration to an opposing point of view. It may also encourage faculty to avoid party-line generalizations that tempt students to think about Republicans and Democrats as being homogenous groups without ideological variation, pitted against each other without room for compromise. This isn’t to say that conservative students can’t find a place at the Ford School, or benefit from the excellent classes it offers. On the contrary, I think that students holding underrepresented ideologies have a unique role to play in making the Ford School even better than it already is. By creating an environment in which students challenge each other to develop best possible policy solutions, the Ford School can more effectively produce leaders who know how to work through the gridlock that plagues government today. I doubt that this can happen in classes where the viewpoints expressed are frequently the same, either because there are too few students who disagree, or because the ones who disagree don’t feel comfortable expressing their views. Progress on this issue will benefit not only campus conservatives but also the Public Policy School itself, by helping it provide a more comprehensive education for all of its students. — Victoria Noble can be reached at vjnoble@umich.edu.
Course evals were created for students
A
s we rapidly approach the University’s bicentennial, Central Student Government is taking the chance to look back at the historically significant changes that University students have inspired in higher education for our country over the years. One of those major changes was the collection and release of course evaluation data. The history of course evaluations at the University is undeniable. Course evaluations were established for students, by students, in 1969. Anyone who indicates otherwise is spreading a false narrative. What’s more, Prof. Tim McKay provided members of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, and subsequently CSG, with a 1969 student viewpoint in The Michigan Daily that clearly explains the true history of course evaluations. Students, with the University’s support, established the Association for Course Evaluation, which offered students access to course evaluation data and counseling to help their peers obtain a reliable student perspective on courses in their selection process. After seeing the success of the ACE office, every single department in LSA — then referred to as the Literary College — requested copies of the results, which were then used for promotion and tenure decisions. Individual professors also began approaching the ACE office hoping to obtain the student feedback for their own benefit, and their graduate student instructors’ benefit. The history here is unquestionable; students brought this service and offered it for the betterment of all, and now students are unable to access that very service. On Oct. 26, the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs voted to continue denying students access to course evaluation data, in a shortsighted and disappointing decision that does not reflect the original purpose of course evaluations. Instead, they have attempted to indefinitely postpone student access to this data by calling for a new
instrument with no clear timeline. While we appreciate the Faculty Senate’s willingness to collaborate moving forward, this vote represents a roadblock to ensuring informed academic decision-making by students. The University currently stands at odds with its peer institutions because it doesn’t provide course evaluation data to its students. Harvard University; Yale University; Princeton University; the University of California, Berkeley; Pennsylvania State University; University of Virginia; New York University; Stanford University; the University of Chicago; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; California Institute of Technology; Columbia University; Duke University; the University of California, Los Angeles; and countless other institutions are all successfully providing their students with course evaluation data, while our own administration is not. Once leaders in course evaluation, the University has since fallen far behind our country’s other top schools. The CSG Executive Board has never wanted this to be a battle between professors and students, and we have worked hard to make that abundantly clear. Our goal is to share the true narrative surrounding course evaluation data and its historical significance, which clarifies why we have course evaluation data in the first place. We are focused on ensuring that students ultimately have access to course evaluation data. The current evaluation instrument certainly has room for improvement, and the CSG Executive Board will readily participate in the proposed University-wide committee to review the current evaluation instrument. However, we will not accept an outcome that does not give students access to the data that was, without question, originally collected to support students’ course selection decisions. That being said, it’s also unrealistic for us to enter a course evaluation review process and expect that a radically different instrument will somehow satisfy all involved. For that reason, we will stand resolute in ensuring full student access to course evaluation data by the
time of course selection for Fall 2016 courses, whether it is provided by the University or a student organization. We fully recognize the role that students must play in this. Ever since the school transitioned from paper to electronic course evaluations, student feedback has dropped notably. Even still, according to a report given to SACUA ahead of their vote, the decline in response rates has had no statistically significant impact on the evaluations. That being said, it’s important to note that course evaluation data will only be helpful for future students and faculty if current students take it seriously, but it is equally important to recognize that students need to be incentivized to take course evaluations seriously. What incentivizes students to legitimately care about and be invested in course evaluations today? Currently, nothing tangible. What would incentivize students to do so? Giving class time for students to fill them out or requiring students to fill out their course evaluations before they receive access to the data are two options. These are solutions that CSG is ready to support, but using statistically insignificant decreases in student participation in course evaluations to argue against their release is disingenuous. Moving forward, CSG President Cooper Charlton will be meeting with representatives of SACUA and University administrators to discuss our next steps regarding course evaluation data this week. At the meeting on Wednesday evening, we will maintain our commitment to the release of course evaluation data to the students of the University, signifying a return to the original purpose of course evaluations. Additionally, we will call for the University to release the data to students through academic advisors for the current course selection period, and for full access to the data by the selection period for the fall of 2016. CSG President Cooper Charlton, Anushka Sarkar, CSG chief programming officer and Sean Pitt, CSG chief of staff on behalf of the CSG Executive Board.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
FILM REVIEW
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 — 5A
TV REVIEW
‘Spectre’ doesn’t ‘Shitty Boyfriends’ live up to the hype won’t fill your gaps New Bond film falls short of spectacular previous installments
By DANIELLE YACOBSON Daily Arts Writer
By RACHEL RICHARDSON For The Daily
Despite the hype, “Spectre” falls short of being something spectacular. While not the worst of the recent Bond films, it definitely isn’t on the same level as “Casino Royale” and C+ “Skyfall.” In the 26th Spectre installment of the Bond MGM and Columseries, a video bia Pictures message from Rave and the deceased Quality 16 M (Judi Dench, “The Vote”) leads Bond (Daniel Craig, “Skyfall”) on a mission to hunt and destroy the leader of Spectre, Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz, “Big Eyes”). Predictably, Bond must seek out a woman, the daughter of “Quantum of Solace” villain Mr. White (Jesper Christensen, “Ich und Kaminski”), the easily irritable Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux, “The Lobster”), to locate the enemy. While Bond frantically travels through Austria, the rest of his team faces a mole who is infiltrating MI6’s headquarters. Hoyte van Hoytema does an excellent job with the cinematography; however, his efforts are not capable of saving the film from being a disappointment. The film’s editor executes the opening scene perfectly by synching the on screen images with the film’s theme, Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall.” Transitions from the Spectre’s octopus logo to shards of glass and snakes slithering around women’s bodies are seamless, instantly drawing the viewer into Bond’s world. As in the film itself, the extended tracking shots during the opening fight sequence in Mexico, significantly elevate the action’s intensity. Using long lenses, makes it impossible to see what or who is coming into the frame, which leads to heightening both the intensity and the suspenseful mood. The helicopter and Aston Martin DB10 stunts are incredibly executed — the best stunt is when Bond grips the outside rail of the helicopter as
MGM AND COLUMBIA PICTURES
“Fewer hop-ons than my last car.”
it does a 360 in mid-air. Craig excellently portrays Bond’s suave, seductive ways with his piercing blue eyes and sharp suits, while his stern facial expressions exude an alarming sense of confidence that only enhances Bond’s indestructibility. Of course, his massive muscles also add a degree of intimidation to Bond’s character — they’re even powerful enough to take down the freakish Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista, “TripTank”) However, without the help of Q (Ben Whishaw, “Cloud Atlas”), he would be a significantly less efficient agent. Q, whose name certainly stands for quirky, provides interesting depth to the movie with his sharp contrast to Bond, and the two have an almost brotherly relationship. Unfortunately, Q’s role in the film is very limited, so his ability to truly enhance the film is irrelevant. While Bond’s MI6 teammates strengthen the film, his enemies do not. Although they both clearly hate Bond, it’s hard to believe that either is actually evil. Oberhauser’s “villain creds” are quickly diminished by his display of affection for a f luffy white persian cat, not to mention the lackluster dialogue that makes him seem anything but menacing. Instead of being brashly threatening, the conversations between Bond, his team, the two villains feels inappropriately colloquial, much like the typical dialect of spiteful siblings and not that of hostile adversaries. Bond’s newest love doesn’t fare much better as far as credibility goes. Other than the fact
that she can put a bullet through someone’s head, Swann is just like every other girl who has crossed Bond’s path — foreign, promiscuous and moody. It’s hard to believe Swann is a psychologist given the degree to which Swann struggles with maintaining her emotional composure. Her constant whining and false-sounding grieving is painful to both watch and hear. A majority of the movie is a reference to past films instead of developing a new storyline: essentially, “Spectre” feels more like a tribute than an entirely new film. Bond wears a mask during the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico, which mimics Baron Samedi’s skull mask in “Live and Let Die.” Bond’s asking for his dirty martini to be shaken, not stirred refers back to the classic line in “Dr. No.” For the final tribute hurrah, an entire wall inside the old MI6 building is lined with posters of all Bond’s previous villains and deceased lovers, which Bond suddenly stops to view even though he’s running out of time to make it out alive. These references might enhance the experience for a Bond fanatic, but they exist for the sole purpose of being cutesy, and do not add much to the film overall. Unfortunately, what made past Bond films so incredible can’t effectively be recreated, and definitely can’t be thrown together in order to form another movie. Had it been focused on continuing Bond’s adventure from where it left off at the end of “Skyfall,” “Spectre” could have been another critical success in this new era of Bond.
FILM NOTEBOOK
Crowdfunded ‘Fury’ By ANA LUCENA For The Daily
As an aspiring filmmaker, I was excited when I saw friends post on Facebook and Instagram about an incredible short film titled “Kung Fury” that is free to watch on YouTube. Since I don’t particularly like kung fu films more than any other genre, I was hesitant to believe the hype at first. But its wild success inspired me, not only because you can finally reach a wider audience to appreciate your work, but also because it shows that anyone who believes in their craft finally has a platform where they can make it big. “Kung Fury” is a brilliant homage to the cinema of the 1980s — especially kung fu and cop films — and illustrates the maximum potential filmmakers have in the digital age. The project was crowdfunded through Kickstarter and raised more than $600,000 in funds, which, while short of the $1 million needed for a feature-length film, exceeded the $200,000 originally asked for. This garnered the short film a lot of attention, including this year’s Lovie Internet Video Person of the Year Award for director David Sandberg for his spectacular use of netizens’s support in getting his short film completed and
released on YouTube and Netflix for free. This is in addition to the positive reviews critics gave “Kung Fury.” The way the project was funded is a stark change from the difficult, traditional way to fund films, which changed my view of the profession after wondering how I would solve such a problem. My biggest concern in becoming a filmmaker is funding. Patiently infiltrating Hollywood over several years seems to be the most common technique used, but that means that I would have to wait a long time before I could quit my day job. You can’t predict what the public will enjoy, which leads to producers playing it safe when they decide what projects to pursue. This difficulty to finance films has led to mainstream cinema producing the same old movies that follow the same old tropes no matter how devoid of originality or creativity or taste they are (I’m looking at you, Michael Bay!). This makes sense, considering film production is an expensive and consuming effort. After writing and rewriting your script, you have to gather actors, props and people who know how to handle cameras, lights, costumes and makeup before you can even begin to edit and add special effects. Funding a film the way Sandberg did was unimaginable before the wide-
spread use of the Internet. A case in point is the 1994 classic “Clerks” by director, screenwriter and producer Kevin Smith. The philosophical comedy was solely funded by Smith, including maxing out multiple credit cards and dipping into his college fund. Even then, he was forced to film at the convenience store he worked at when it was closed, and had to get his family and friends to act in the movie in order for his budget to make ends meet. Fortunately for him, Smith’s deep investment in his craft paid off, winning several awards at the Sundance Screen Festival and the Cannes Film Festival and leading to the creation of the “View Askewniverse” franchise. Yet, Smith’s experience remains a rare one. The same can’t be said by all filmmakers struggling to get their vision seen. Though “Kung Fury” ’s success from crowdfunding doesn’t change the fact that making it big in the film industry is easier said than done, I expect that more people will be able to share their cinematic art this way and improve entertainment for all. And if this pushes movie studios to compete with the web’s access to such raw talent, and in turn makes them raise the standard of today’s mainstream movies, I’m all for it.
Misery loves company, and there’s no better way for women to commiserate together than gossip about the losers B they’ve dated. “Shitty BoyShitty friends,” an original web Boyfriends series from Available online executive at Refinery29 producers Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) and Dan Bucatinsky (“Scandal”), proves yet again how fictional the perfect guys in rom-coms are. Released on Refinery29, an online news and fashion outlet, the comedic show strikes a chord when you’re feeling particularly screwed over by men, but ‘Boyfriends’ won’t hold your attention for long in comparison to other more compelling content online. Amanda (Melissa Hunter, “Adult Wednesday”) is an upand-coming cartoon artist on the hunt for The One. In each sevenminute episode installment, Amanda finds herself involved with yet another deadbeat. While her exaggerated dating faux pas are comical, the stilted acting draws a noticeable divide between the show and reality. Desperately trying to abandon her single status, Amanda looks for love in the most obscure prospects that inevitably fulfill the show’s title. From one episode to another, Amanda leaves her romances without any distinct lessons learned (unless the moral is to immediately ditch
REFINERY29
Come on, gals. The headline wasn’t that bad!
the guy who gifts her a sample size Bath & Body Works spray for Valentine’s Day). Unfortunately, “Shitty Boyfriends” focuses more on ridiculing men than it does developing the heroine’s character as a strong, independent woman. The series features Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”), who slips naturally into the role of the remorseless boss with a killer fashion sense. Though Oh only appears in three of the five released episodes, her striking presence leaves the audience begging for more screentime. It seems there is more curiosity surrounding her love life than Amanda’s. The show fully elucidates the ludicrous archetypes of men in the 21st century, portrayed through the terrible men Amanda dates. The selfproclaimed happy vegan turns “free-gan” as he starts rummaging through garbage bins for food, and the guy who says they should get married after the first
date is, not surprisingly, crazy. But, though the tortured film enthusiast who enjoys watching “Schindler’s List” to wind down warrants a chuckle, “Shitty Boyfriends” is just not memorable. With entertainment powerhouses like Kudrow and Bucatinsky as producers, the show carries a burden of expectation for sidesplitting comical punches left and right, instead of awkward cringe-worthy scenarios. Refinery29’s content focuses on fashion and lifestyle, and the series is another outlet to showcase quirky style through the costumes. Sporting loud prints and colors, the characters’ wardrobe tells a story of its own. In this respect, “Shitty Boyfriends” naturally fits into the site. But ultimately, it’s clear that the web series is not destined to become the Internet’s next hit-sensation. The episodes may temporarily cheer you up after a lousy date, but they won’t be enough to keep you from drowning your sorrows in ice cream.
TV REVIEW
‘Flesh’ has potential By DREW MARON Daily Arts Writer
“Flesh and Bone” is the new limited series from Starz about the gritty underbelly of the New York City ballet. If that sentence makes B you giggle a bit because it Flesh and has both the Bone words “ballet” and “gritty” Series Premiere in it, well, that Sundays at 8 p.m. seems to kind Starz of be the point. The series comes from the mind of Moira Walley-Beckett, the master behind some of the best episodes in “Breaking Bad,” including the nerve-shattering “Ozymandias.” Like her previous series, “Flesh and Bone” seeks to destroy the disparity between the sacred and of the profane. Many have already grown skeptical about the show, going so far as to compare it to the reviled “Showgirls.” Yet, while the series does fill the screen with beautiful people engaged in exploitative and overly-sexualized activities, “Flesh and Bone” seems use tropes of premium-cable dramas to say something not only relevant to the world it creates, but to the greater landscape — and intersections between — contemporary art and entertainment. The show follows Claire (Sarah Hay, “Black Swan”) as she runs away from her troubled home in Pittsburgh to become a ballerina in the prestigious American Ballet Company. The leader of the company is Paul (Ben Daniels, “Locke”), a sociopathic artistic director who believes his dancers are his property. Though many might compare the character to Vincent Cassel’s sex-obsessed director from “Black Swan,” Daniels seems more concerned with maintaining his power rather than just sleeping with his dancers. Daniels is an intimidating force in the pilot, even if the character might be one we’ve seen elsewhere, whether in “Black Swan” or “Whiplash.” Unfortunately, it’s
STARZ
Maybe it will be as good as “Breaking Bad” some day.
a character whose reality never stretches beyond the veil of believability. There really are people out there — whether in film, music, theatre or journalism — who do sink this low, while relishing their unchecked authority over those who are vulnerable. With the same gothic sensibility Walley-Beckett brought to “Breaking Bad,” the repressively polite world of ballet is ironically juxtaposed with the sordid underbelly of exotic dancing. This aspect of “Flesh and Bone” — along with its pervasive use of nudity and sexuality — might draw the series its most criticism. Yet what separates “Flesh and Bone” from other premium-cable dramas is that the nudity has a purpose connected to the overarching themes of the show. “Flesh and Bone” is very much about the male gaze and the physical, emotional and psychological punishment it inflicts on those caught in its sight. In his world, director Paul is god, and all must shape themselves according to his vision. In a manner, the show feels like an apt companion piece to the Cinemax original series “The Knick,” giving us the sordid details allowed by premium cable — whether that be the gore in “The Knick” or the sex in “Flesh and Bone” — but just in a subversive context. The ballet, in a fashion, can be looked at like premiumcable, itself: an environment in which the wealthy and powerful indulge their baser instincts under the guise of sophisticated
cultural engagement. After all, premium cable might have given the world “The Sopranos” and “The Wire,” but it’s also been the home of “Max After Dark.” Whether or not, WalleyBeckett is intentionally playing around with premium cable’s reputation for both cutting-edge art and deliberate exploitation remains to be seen, as the show has yet to achieve the same nuance as “Masters of Sex.” However, Walley-Beckett succeeds by providing the viewer with an almost voyeuristic frame in which to pull back the curtain on a seemingly high-brow form of art. Neither the world of strippers and gangsters nor that of the ballet is necessarily appealing to Claire and, like “Breaking Bad,” Walley-Beckett intelligently negates the notion of a high and low path. In both worlds, the characters are thrown to the dogs; the only choice they really have is which pit they’re more comfortable being devoured in. There are many who have already criticized the show, and not without reason. Some of its characters become cliché (the dominating dance teacher, the street smart fellow dancer, the prudish main character); however, in the hands of Walley-Beckett and director David Michod (“Animal Kingdom”), the pilot manages to transcend its lesser qualities to deliver a perverse, entertaining hour of television, and hopefully only the first entry in Walley-Beckett’s oeuvre of original dramas.
Arts
6 — Tuesday, November 10, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
TV NOTEBOOK
‘Teresa’ exploits Hey, it’s Millennials family struggles and we love Disney Giudice legal problems explored in ‘Housewives’ spin-off By SHIR AVINADAV Daily Arts Writer
Whether from shock, or pure interest, I could not peel my eyes away from 14-year-old Gia Giudice’s heavily made-up face as she was interviewed on the latest episode of the threepart series “Teresa Checks In.” The eldest of four daughters to Teresa and Joe Giudice — who were recently sentenced to jail for bankruptcy fraud — is put in the spotlight alongside her father and siblings in lieu of her mother, who has only contributed to the show through phone calls. In a thinly veiled effort to exploit this, has Bravo officially crossed the boundaries of reality television? Or has this been a long time coming for the Giudices? “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” has followed the Giudice family, in addition to the family’s multiple other cast mates for the last five years — digging deep into their personal lives, extravagant lifestyle, ludicrous spending habits and most of all, family drama. Though much of this content is edited and even scripted by the show’s producers, the couple’s legal issues began long before the show. Manipulating these circumstances to make for more emotional television would have been just plain tacky. Yet, as with the show’s nature, the “Housewives” franchise has become successful doing just that – using emotional situations to entertain audiences and create TV personas with large fan bases. “Teresa Checks In” is just a test of her fan base, whose support she needs now more than ever. What’s especially ironic is that the very show that put the spot-
By DANIELLE IMMERMAN
light on the Giudices during their grapple with their legal issues, is now the primary media source redeeming them from their negative public image. According to Joe, “being in the public didn’t help,” yet it is being in the public eye that propelled Teresa’s cookbooks, haircare line and other businesses, garnering millions of fans. However, these fans seem to be lacking with the recent premiere of the show, which follows the family during Teresa’s absence. Just 1.2 million viewers tuned in to the first episode. Teresa’s attempt to salvage her fame and regenerate her and Joe’s lost fortune overestimates the loyalty fans have to the superficial figures created through Bravo’s depraved formula for reality television. This formula (essentially, wealth + scripted television = exorbitant antics) is the source of success behind various other shows that draw millions of viewers, such as those who follow the “Real Housewives” series. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” is one such example. Most of the show’s 18 to 34-year-old audience, including myself, have been keeping up with the family since the show’s early episodes, which premiered in 2007. As the audience has aged, so has the show’s cast, making it feel as though they are a part of the family’s lives. We’ve accepted two divorces, three kids, a few lip injections and a gender transition as much a part of our lives as theirs. The reality on screen has become our own — online, in newspapers and magazines, in books and so on. It’s even second nature for us to refer to them as if we know them personally. As far as this goes for Teresa, her fame — which shed an undesirable spotlight on her and her husband’s financial indiscretions — has had repercussions not only on her and her family, but also on viewers everywhere. When a convicted
white collar criminal continues to receive fame and money after being held responsible for their actions, it sends a perplexing message to the millions of people who observe this. Once sentenced, most criminals do not have the luxury of mending their public image and making money by means of carefully composed reality television. In fact, this got Teresa into some trouble, when she asked her daughter Gia to tweet on her behalf and thank her fans for their “support.” Given her experiences, Teresa may have been knocked down a notch or two, but she doesn’t seem to fully grasp the extent to which she must take responsibility for her actions. And her fans seem to agree. Though “Teresa Checks In” presents only a sliver of her current reality, it is a shoddy attempt at reshaping the family’s image and extorting whatever publicity it can from the remains of Teresa’s Bravo legacy. The problem with reality TV, simply put, is that it’s not real. Whatever the content, it’s a means by which to distort perception. Whether it’s painting the Giudice family as wellmeaning people who are truly remorseful for taking advantage of the system to fend off their growing debt, or the wealthfueled antics of the Botox-laden Kardashian clan — reality programming shapes its viewers’ ideas of right and wrong — what is desirable and what isn’t and what the appropriate responses are to inaccurately fabricated situations. When it comes to cases as ubiquitous as “The Real Housewives,” the monstrous public figures they have shaped out of affluence and scripted antics wield an alarming amount of power over viewers. The consequences of this power: a representation of reality so misconceived that the very notion of what is acceptable and what is not has become skewed.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Daily Arts Writer
This week, Daily Music Writers are looking back on the first albums they ever loved. Today, Danielle Immerman remembers Disney Channel greats. I don’t believe in favoritism. I can barely decide which cookie I want at Insomnia, so please don’t ask me to decide what my first favorite album was. Also, asking a music lover what her first favorite album was is kind of like asking Donald Trump what his imperfections are — you won’t get an answer. Seeing that I don’t believe in favoritism, I decided to ask all four of my friends here at the University of Michigan what tickled their fancies early on in life. My dear friend Mallory Robbins, an LSA freshman and proud srat sister of Alpha Delta Pi, proclaimed that the 2006 hit Hannah Montana is the first album she fell in love with. According to my Mal pal, “Hannah Montana is my idol — she’s amazing and really had the best of both worlds. Her wig was phenomenal and just changed my life.” Too true, Mal. Hannah Montana did indeed change all of our lives. LSA freshman Natalie Gray, a salty resident of Bursley and the most exuberant member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sisterhood, took me for a walk down memory lane. Hilary Duff’s
62 Hawaii’s Mauna __ 63 Those, to José 64 Shorthand pros 65 Sinusitis-treating MD
34 Woman’s name from the Latin for “happy” 35 Scenes in shoeboxes 36 Actress Jolie 37 Place for a bath 38 ’60s war zone, briefly 39 Drop in the sea 42 Product identifier similar to UPC 43 Ballroom dances
45 Little lump 46 West Coast state 47 Cardinal’s headgear 49 Entr’__: play intervals 50 “Dallas” Miss 51 __ Heights: disputed Mideast region 55 Fire: Pref. 56 Stone and Stallone 59 Able, facetiously
DOWN 1 Soak up 2 Bar bottle contents 3 “I’m not the only one?” 4 Farming prefix 5 Air Force One ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: VIP 6 Metal-threaded fabrics 7 Atlantic or Pacific 8 Soccer star Hamm 9 Resemble 10 TV’s “Kate & __” 11 Name on a blimp 12 Detective’s promising clues 13 Swears to 18 Reaches 22 Trawling gear 25 Red flag 27 300, to Caesar 28 “__ Haw” 32 March follower 33 Moo goo __ pan xwordeditor@aol.com 11/10/15
By AMRUTHA SIVAKUMAR Daily Arts Writer
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them open for Hannah Montana back in the day and elaborated profusely about this experience by saying “it was lit.” I asked Cat why she loves The Cheetah Girls so much and she responded, “I honestly don’t know. They were just boss-ass bitches before I even knew what that meant.” Truth, Cat, truth. As you can see by this massive survey I conducted, there is very little variation in millenials first favorite albums. Basically, if it wasn’t on the Disney Channel, I doubt any of us would dub it our favorite first album (unless you actually knew what shitty music sounded like when you were eight years old). In conclusion, I would like to thank my gaggle of friends for taking thirty seconds of your life to answer my pivotal earthshattering questions. You are all true day-ones, but Hilary Duff is still better than you.
Halloween at The Ark with Wild Child Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
APARTMENT ON A horse facility. New one bedroom, 15 min from main campus. Must be an accomplished horse person. Light farm and horse work and farm sitting in exchange for rent. Email all inquiries to jchaconas@ccim. net
Metamorphosis is her first fave album. Nat Gray backs up this confession by saying Duff “was a real day one that spoke true words.” Well, Nat Gray, if we’re being completely transparent here, I would probably have to agree with you. Emily Cornelius, another LSA freshman (because those are the only people willing to talk to me), divulged that her first love is none other than Mr. Lupe Fiasco. Lasers is number one on E Corn’s list because back when she was a youngster, “Lupe just really got me.” (Fun fact, when I pronounced Lupe wrong, Mal Pal bitched me out by saying “Jesus, Dan, you can’t pronounce it like that; it’s disrespectful to Mr. Fiasco.”) LSA freshman Catherine Karns, a fellow Donald Trump hater, can’t seem to shake the memory of The Cheetah Girls from her mind. Cat watched
CONCERT REVIEW
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 __ Khan: Rita Hayworth’s husband 4 Composure 10 Turkish title of honor 14 Life story, briefly 15 Cigar-smoking George’s spouse 16 Swag 17 *One of three in a daily diet 19 Former Mississippi senator Trent 20 Where sailors go 21 Like a disengaged engine 23 Plant anchor 24 *A roll of two, in craps 26 Bring up, as a topic 29 Grant permission 30 “Dig in” 31 Glacial historic period 34 The Macarena, pet rocks, etc. 35 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, e.g., and, literally, what the first words of the answers to starred clues can be 39 One, to Beethoven 40 Regular practice 41 Quagmire 42 Fed. assistance program 44 Key related to D major 48 *Opening night “Best of luck!” 52 Pear center 53 __ powder 54 Unevenly balanced 57 Confident “Are you the one for this job?” response 58 *Guffaw from the gut 60 Copenhagen native 61 Abode that’s abuzz
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I hadn’t heard a lot of Wild Child before Saturday. But one look at the audience, and I knew exactly where I was. There was a comfort, a cheerful warmth at The Ark, Ann Arbor’s staple folk venue, on Saturday night. What started as sweet serendipity quickly turned into one of the best indie folk experiences of my life. Clad in Halloween costumes ranging from simple mustaches to the “Ann” of Ann Arbor, the Austin-based, seven-piece band wove every sad story on their discography into a saga of forgiving and moving on. “Victim to Charm,” from Wild Child’s 2011 release The Runaways, harmoniously blended vocalists Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins with a powerful mix of violin and cello. In seconds, the venue was glued to every word. The strings echoed just long enough after every verse ended to keep everyone feeling privy to the magic shared on The Ark stage. “Break Bones,” from Fools, the group’s latest album, darkening lyrics were almost inappropriately masked in an infectious piano-backed melody, which made me take until the end of the song to question how I was feeling. It didn’t take long for the
entire venue to catch on to the familial joy being thrown around stage. For “Cocaine Hurricane,” not a single person shied away from trying to catch all the childish syllables of the song in a single breath. As “Crazy Bird” ‘s familiar introductory riff hit cellist Sadie Wolfe’s bass strings, the crowd was visibly awakened. Lead vocalist Kelsey Wilson has the ability to bring peace to sadness and weave melancholia into just another memory. The rather unusual harmonies between ukulele, cello and violin — held together by Wilson’s salient vocal — spread to every corner of the Ark, making it impossible to not share joy with every other fan in the sold-out venue. “You feel like you’re together in something — like you’re experiencing the whole thing together. It’s a family therapy with a lot of dancing,” Wilson said of her music on the band’s website. Therapy is right. Two hours later, I felt refreshed. Maybe, I felt, this is what music was created to be. An outlet for all the weight we feel on a day-today basis. A place where secrets become just another story, and struggles become something to be cherished and learned from.
YOU KNOW THAT VIDEO WHERE MARIAH CAREY’S DOG ATTACKS HER CAT??
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Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 — 7
Penalty still irks Harbaugh Crocker wins six MEN’S TENNIS
By MAX COHEN Managing Sports Editor
Two days had passed since the Michigan football team’s dismantling of Rutgers, and Jim Harbaugh still wasn’t quite over the game. Earlier in the season, Harbaugh emphasized that he generally takes just a few hours to enjoy a victory. After that, his focus turns to the next game. That mantra clearly doesn’t apply when Harbaugh is upset about something from the previous game. In his weekly press conference Monday, Harbaugh explained that he was still “offended” by the unsportsmanlike penalty call on his team late in the first half Saturday, when junior tight end Jake Butt made a 51-yard reception down Michigan’s sideline, only to be called back because the referees ruled that the play was intended to deceive the opponent. Harbaugh insisted after the game that the Wolverines were not trying to deceive the Scarlet Knights. In Harbaugh’s version of the story, Butt was simply going to line up out wide. The fact that he trailed other players who were going to the sidelines was irrelevant. Harbaugh did not change his tune Monday, discussing his disappointment with some of the calls made against his team at length, much of it unprovoked. He did not particularly understand the nature of the penalty that was called against this team. “I take the rules very seriously, understanding the rules, understanding the consistency, the clarity of the rules,” Harbaugh said. “Not just the rules, but the spirit of the rules, and doing everything that we can to follow the rules.” Harbaugh said he would like
specifics so that he can show his team the proper protocol for substitutions, and ensure a similar incident doesn’t happen again. He also said he would like to know what else could be considered deception. What if, Harbaugh asked, a team decided to throw a backward pass into the dirt, only to have a player pick it up and throw it? Would that, too, be deception if the defense stopped playing? The part that seemed to offend Harbaugh most, though, was not that his team was accused of attempting to deceive the opponent. It was that the Wolverines were accused of being unsportsmanlike. Harbaugh, by nature, doesn’t always seem like a coach obsessed with sportsmanship. Sideline tirades are not uncommon, and videos have captured him hollering expletives at referees. Still, he frequently preaches sportsmanship to his team. His players have had standing orders all season to refrain from trash talking and showboating. Redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers was worried that Harbaugh was going to yell at him for strutting into the end zone Saturday on his secondquarter touchdown run. “I take my sportsmanship very seriously,” Harbaugh said. “(You) want to do it at the highest level, and you also want to be able to talk to your players about what the rules are to give them clarity.” Michigan’s players preferred to let Harbaugh sort out any qualms about officiating and interpretation of rules. “Players play, coaches coach, officials officiate, so we just do our part,” said junior defensive end Taco Charlton. Michigan senior linebacker Joe Bolden, who was ejected from the Wolverines’ game
straight for title By COLE ZINGAS For the Daily
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Jim Harbaugh voiced disappointment at the officiating during Saturday’s game.
against Michigan State in a call that also bothered Harbaugh, offered a similar perspective. Playing football is his task, not worrying about officiating. Harbaugh said Monday that he did not want his focus to be on the officials, professing respect for what he considers a difficult job. His ire instead falls upon the rules themselves. The intent to deceive call was not the only rule that offended Harbaugh. He used the same expression to describe his feelings about the lack of a penalty on a punt return from Saturday’s game, when Michigan redshirt sophomore long snapper Scott Sypniewski was upended by a hit to his upper body. The play was reviewed for
targeting, but no penalty was called after the targeting call was overturned. Targeting calls have mystified Michigan this season, and Saturday’s was just the latest example. Charlton said referees came to one of the Wolverines’ practices earlier this season, but even that did not clear up the ambiguity. “A player looks like he made a decision to hit him, hit him high, hit him in the back,” Harbaugh said. “At least should be a block in the back. Should be unsportsmanlike for making that play, so I’m offended for our defenseless player, so you can put that on the list of things.” It is worth a reminder that Michigan won Saturday’s game, 49-16.
The Michigan men’s tennis team traveled to Iowa City this weekend for the Big Ten Singles Championship, which ran from Friday to Monday, and one player stole the show. Monday, redshirt sophomore Davis Crocker took home the title in a highly talented field, and did so in dominant fashion. Crocker dropped only one set during his six-match streak to win the tournament. According to Michigan associate head coach Sean Maymi, Crocker’s first tournament title is a testament to his hard work. “He’s probably the hardestworking guy we have,” Maymi said. “It’s not a surprise that the results are starting to come for him.” Crocker ran through the 64-player field in three days, first taking care of opponents from Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska and Penn State. Crocker then defeated Northwestern’s Ben Vandixhorn, who took down Crocker’s teammate, junior Kevin Wong, in the quarterfinals. That landed Crocker a spot in the final against Nebraska’s Toby Boyer. Crocker went down 3-0 in the first set, but won the next six games to take the set before dominating the second set, 6-2, to finish the job. Crocker’s determination has
led him to a good start to the year thus far, and his coaches hope the improvement can continue. “I think the difference between last year and this year is him playing a consistent gamestyle that he’s buying into, which creates a lot of problems for his opponents,” Maymi said. Crocker led the charge for a group of Wolverines who all had some positive moments in the tournament. Along with Crocker, Wong and freshman Lubomir Cuba made the Round of 16, but only Wong joined Crocker in the quarterfinals. Maymi said that he saw a great deal of improvement out of Wong and Cuba this weekend, and also saw promising results from junior Tyler Gardiner, who lost a tough three-setter in the first round. Michigan had a split squad this weekend, with the remainder of the team traveling to the USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational in Orlando, Fla., but none of those Wolverines advanced past the quarterfinals. Going into the final week of the fall season, Crocker’s victory gives a boost to the entire team, which will compete at the Lakewood Ranch Invitational in Sarasota, Fla., this weekend. “For him to come out and beat some of the best players in the Big Ten is a positive thing for us,” Maymi said. “The whole team gains confidence from this.”
“He’s probably the hardestworking guy we have.”
ICE HOCKEY
Inconsistency leaves goalie spot available Ex-forward Larkin back in town to watch practice By KEVIN SANTO Daily Sports Writer
One of the biggest issues the Michigan hockey team faces as it prepares for Friday’s matchup with Niagara is its goaltending. NOTEBOOK The problem has carried over from the 2014 campaign, and it appears there is still no easy solution. In the Wolverines’ matchup with Union on Oct. 23, senior goaltender Steve Racine made a sprawling stick-side save, extending the entire length of the net to keep Michigan (4-1-1) from conceding a goal early. Yet after his display of excellent netminding, the veteran went on to allow five goals. The following day against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, junior Zach Nagelvoort went in between the pipes and allowed just two goals — an improvement over Racine, considering one goal was simply a well-orchestrated play from the Engineers. Nagelvoort went on to start against Robert Morris, when he allowed three goals but stopped a flurry of shots in the final two minutes of the third period to bolster a 5-3 Wolverine victory. But then he, too, fell prey to inconsistency. In the second game of the series against the Colonials, Nagelvoort allowed three goals in the first period, Racine replaced him. Both goaltenders have struggled to replicate those strong performances, showing flashes of brilliance before faltering and conceding weak goals. Then there is freshman Chad Catt, the mystery man of
Michigan’s goaltending trio. Fans have gained only a glimpse of Catt, who played one period in an exhibition against Toronto on Oct. 4. At this point, Michigan coach Red Berenson has indicated that the starting job is open to all three candidates. “(The starting spot) is open for whoever takes advantage of their chance,” Berenson said. “That’s the other thing. We can’t play all three goalies in one game or one weekend. But as the season progresses, it’s going to be guys moving up or moving down. It’s going to be up to them. It’s not like we’ve got a starting goalie that plays all the games.” HIGH-ENERGY PRACTICES: Due to a bye week, by the time Michigan takes on Niagara on Nov. 13, 12 days will have passed since its last game. Following the Wolverines’ loss to Robert Morris, Berenson expressed that he would much rather forego the bye week and have another game sooner. That being said, it may have seemed concerning that Michigan had over a week to mull over a bad loss at home. But despite Berenson’s original concerns, the man at the helm likes what he is seeing out of his team to begin practice this week. “I think our tempo was good,” Berenson said. “You can feel there’s a little bit more enthusiasm, you know. We know we’ve got a game in sight now. It seems like we haven’t played for a month. But I think our team will have a good week.” LARKIN RETURNS TO
YOST: The Wolverines had a special guest observing their practice on Monday: former forward Dylan Larkin, who left Michigan for the NHL after the 2014 season. It’s not the first time Larkin has returned to Yost, and following the practice, he spent time connecting with his teammates and coaches from last season. Larkin has picked up where he left off after his 47-point freshman season. The 19-year-old rookie is plus11 in 14 games for the Detroit Red Wings, and has tallied four goals and six assists. But that doesn’t mean Larkin has forgotten the good times he had donning the maize and blue, and he had words of advice for his old teammates if their time in the NHL arrives. “(I just miss) being a student athlete and being here with all these guys,” Larkin said. “(They should) just enjoy their time here. When everyone gets there, be confident and realize that even though there are some players that you grow up watching, that you’re there for a reason. You’re on the same ice as them, and you can’t take a back seat.” INJURIES: Junior defenseman Kevin Lohan will be unavailable for Friday’s game against Niagara after suffering an upper-body injury prior to the Robert Morris series. But Berenson is optimistic about the blueliner’s return. “Lohan will be out for this weekend,” Berenson said “But I think next week, we’d probably say he’s a candidate for the following game (against Boston University).”
“It seems like we haven’t played for a month.”
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Junior defensive end Taco Charlton on Monday discussed Michigan’s path to the Big Ten Championship Game.
‘M’ embraces opportunity By ZACH SHAW Daily Sports Editor
When then-No. 7 Michigan State fell to Nebraska on a lastminute touchdown, Michigan fans cheered. Sure, having the Wolverines’ in-state rival lose is exciting, but the loss brings a new level of excitement to Ann Arbor. Now, if Michigan and Ohio State both win their next two games, the Nov. 28 installment of “The Game” will have more on the line than bragging rights: The winner will earn a berth in the Big Ten Championship. “I’m sure they’re aware of that,” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “If not, we’ll make them aware of it. I’m sure they are.” At 7-2, the 15th-ranked Wolverines sit tied for second in the Big Ten East. The team tied with them, Michigan State, would beat them in the head-tohead tiebreaker, but the Spartans still have to travel to Columbus and must win to stay alive. If they lose, Michigan gets new life. “It would mean a tremendous amount,” said junior defensive end Taco Charlton. “We came here to win a Big Ten championship and hopefully
win a national championship, so the fact that we’re going in that direction, things are getting that way, that it can still happen … that’s what we want.” To get there, though, Michigan has to do its part by beating Indiana and Penn State on the road. But if the Wolverines did, they would have a chance to win their first Big Ten title in 11 years, likely playing No. 7 Iowa for a berth in the Rose Bowl. The statistics website FiveThirtyEight.com has given Michigan a 13-percent chance of winning the Big Ten, an eightpercent chance of making the College Football Playoff and a one-percent chance of winning the National Championship. But until further notice, that’s all a pipe dream. Players and coaches have been adamant that the focus this week is on Indiana, despite the Hoosiers’ five-game losing streak. The Wolverines will be favored in both games but are sticking to the onegame-at-a-time approach that has worked so far. “Guys know, and they know what needs to happen for us to get to the championship,” said senior linebacker Joe Bolden. “Most of our guys are smart enough to figure it out, but Coach Harbaugh, it’s black and white
with him. He’ll let you know if you’re in the race or not.” To be in the race, however, Michigan will need Ohio State to beat Michigan State. The Buckeyes would enter the game undefeated, but a Wolverine win would give them a head-to-head tiebreaker. That creates a moral dilemma for the Wolverines, who were trained by fans, coaches and family alike to root against Ohio State. “Rooting for Ohio State is a very bad, I would say, not a very good phrase,” Bolden said. “Obviously, we want to get to the Big Ten Championship, and for them to win that game (against MSU) here in a couple weeks would be awesome, but at the same time, I don’t really care what happens there. All we care about is Saturday. We can’t get there without continuously winning.” But as the weeks wear on and Michigan keeps winning, the possibility of a Big Ten championship berth remains, and “The Game” can gain a whole new meaning. “It’d be interesting,” Bolden said. “It’d be very interesting and a heck of a day. That last Saturday of November would be a heck of a day.”
Sports
8 — Tuesday, November 10, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Wolverines could run on Duncan Robinson gives Michigan another 3-point threat By SIMON KAUFMAN Daily Sports Editor
Friday night, Duncan Robinson did his best Nik Stauskas impression. After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, Robinson made his long-awaited debut in an exhibition against Le Moyne. The redshirt sophomore guard entered the game with 13 minutes left in the first half, caught a pass from redshirt freshman forward D.J. Wilson on the left side of the arc and fired. Swoosh. “Coming off the bench, I
usually like to get a couple of minutes under my belt before I jack one up,” Robinson said. “But D.J. made a good pass on that first one, and I found myself open.” Just 64 seconds into his Michigan career, the Williams College transfer looked to be as smooth-shooting as advertised — as Stauskas-like as advertised. Truth be told, Stauskas wasted even less time introducing himself to Michigan faithful. On Nov. 1, 2012, in an exhibition contest against Northern Michigan, Stauskas debuted five minutes into the first half. Six seconds after coming off the bench, then-freshman forward Glenn Robinson III dished to Stauskas, who drained a 3. A bit less time off the clock than it took Robinson, but that might
be the only difference. Consider this: In Stauskas’ debut, he went 5-for-8 from the field, 4-for-6 from 3-point range and tallied 17 points in 19 minutes. On Friday, Robinson was 6-for-10 on field-goal attempts, 3-for6 from deep and totaled 15 points in 18 minutes. Robinson might be just the piece to fill the void Stauskas left beyond the arc. In the 2013-14 season, the Wolverines attempted 794 3-pointers and made 319 of them. Stauskas accounted for 29 percent of those made. Last
year, after Stauskas left to the NBA, Michigan suffered from the perimeter — making 70 fewer 3-pointers and attempting nearly 100 fewer. In Stauskas’ sophomore season, Michigan ranked first in 3-point percentage in Big Ten games, but without him last year, it ranked eighth. Take away two inches from Robinson’s 6-foot-8 stature and add three-finger goggles in front of his eye after a made 3-pointer, and you might not be able to tell the difference between him
“There’s definitely some advantages to coming off the bench.”
and the 6-foot-6 sharpshooting Stauskas. Robinson might not have all the swagger that Stauskas had, but he does have one thing that the former Wolverine doesn’t: Michigan’s practice shooting record. Last December, Michigan men’s basketball coach John Beilein said Robinson broke the team’s practice shooting record that formerly belonged to Stauskas. Stauskas — now playing with the Philadelphia 76ers — told the Daily this summer he has heard that Robinson might even be able to take him in a 1-on-1 shoot-off. One thing Stauskas had that Robinson doesn’t have yet, though, is a spot in the starting lineup. The last time he came off the bench was in high school; he
doesn’t completely remember when. At Williams, Robinson was the only freshman starter who coach Mike Maker had in his six years there, and for good reason. Robinson led the Red Foxes to a 28-5 record and shot 45.6 percent from deep in his only year with the team. For now, Robinson is OK with his off-the-bench role. “There’s definitely some advantages to coming off the bench,” he said. “You’ve got to get a feel for the game in the first couple of minutes. Maybe see what’s working offensively as a team, what (the opponent) is doing and stuff like that. (It’s a) new perspective, but I’m willing to embrace any role on this team.” Any role. The reemergence of a Stauskas impressionist wouldn’t be a bad one for him to fill.