ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE-YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, January 8, 2016
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ACADEMICS
‘U’ scholars featured in Forbes 30 under 30 University researchers lauded for work in science and energy By CAMY METWALLY DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Cecil S. Giscombe, writer and English professor at the University of California, Berkeley, reads poems from his books at the University of Michigan Museum of Art on Thursday.
GOVERNMENT
Exec. order to expand gun requirements in Michigan State rep. and University profs. talk firearm laws and safety, health
many state’s laws, including those in Michigan, enforce. Under the executive action, proxy-business private sellers now must use background checks before selling firearms. The original clause allowing those sellers to skip background checks was intended for individuals who are not selling guns as a business and only sell a few times in their lifetimes, but it has since been used by many groups of for-profit sellers using proxy-businesses, such as individuals who sell firearms at
By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
On Monday, President Barack Obamaannounced a series of executive actions that will close loopholes in existing gun regulation, moving beyond what
gun shows. The move was criticized by several prominent gun rights groups on the grounds that it encroached on their rights. In a statement Monday, Chris Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, said the action harassed and intimidated gun owners. “The timing of this announcement, in the eighth and final year of his presidency, demonstrates not only political exploitation but a fundamental
lack of seriousness,” the statement read. “The proposed executive actions are ripe for abuse by the Obama Administration, which has made no secret of its contempt for the Second Amendment.” Law Prof. Julian Mortenson said criticisms that the action infringes on Second Amendment rights are misfounded due to the Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller. Heller upheld Second Amendment rights for individual owners, but included a clause limiting the use of firearms See GUNS, Page 2
Daily Staff Reporter
While developments in science and technology often appear in news headlines or take place in a lab seemingly a world away, many examples of innovation can also be seen here on campus. Two members of the University community were recognized for their contributions to the science community in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List earlier this week, both with somewhat unorthodox paths to their accomplishments. Matt Gaidica The brain may not differ too greatly from an electrical circuit, according to Rackham student Matt Gaidica, a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate. Gaidica’s previous formal education in electrical engineering inspired him to view the brain in a new light, guiding his current study in neuroscience. Surrounded by companies like Google and Apple in the hills of San Francisco, Gaidica and his best friend quickly joined the innovative startup culture associated with the Bay Area.
RESEARCH
PHILANTHROPY
Without paid leave, patients further strained ‘U’ study finds financial burden can impact treatment effectiveness By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
Only 55 percent of patients employed at the time of a medical diagnosis kept their jobs after treatment ended, according to the survey of cancer patients conducted by University reserachers. The study, funded by the American Cancer Society, found that those who had paid sick leave during treatment were almost twice as likely to keep their jobs than those without paid sick leave. The study focused on more than 1,300 patients with stage three colorectal cancer, or cancer of the colon or rectum. Ultimately, the study concluded that the overall financial burden for cancer patients is greater for those working without paid sick leave. Surgery Professor Scott Regenbogen, a co-author of the study, said the most important
WEATHER TOMORROW
finding of the study was that a patient’s ability to retain their jobs and avoid personal financial burden during treatment was closely related to the availability of job benefits. “We know that both of those things — retaining a job and avoiding financial burden — are also predictive of their ability to complete their therapy successfully, and the best outcome from that therapy,” Regenbogen said. Christine Veenstra, clinical lecturer in Internal Medicine and another co-author of the study, said for working patients, a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment can cause an additional burden of having to take time off of work, resulting in lost income or employment. “We hypothesized that paid sick leave might reduce patients’ need to take unpaid time off of work while they are getting cancer treatment and might also help them retain their jobs and reduce the financial burden that they face when they’re going through the cancer treatment,” she said. About 39 percent of American workers do not have access to paid sick leave, according to See STUDY, Page 3
HI: 39 LO: 37
After receiving an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University, Gaidica co-founded a small software company called Landr, which developed an application that altered media to make it work on all devices. Through this experience, he gained experience in image analysis and software, as the application pioneered innovative techniques for viewing media on mobile devices. He and his partner took the business to Silicon Valley, where it evolved into a technology that is now built into other products used by CNN, Craigslist, Airbnb, NHL and the U.S. Army. Following the sale of Landr, Gaidica began working on another startup — Syllabuster — which focused on providing students with more information about their courses and connections within the class. However, Gaidica resigned shortly after from Syllabuster due to feeling like he wasn’t contributing to society in a way he wanted. With the Pacific Ocean and rising mountains growing smaller in his rearview mirror, Gaidica drove back to Michigan to begin the next chapter of his life. As an electrical engineer and coder, he shifted gears, pondering the functions of a kind of circuit that existed before the development of See FORBES, Page 3
University to receive grant for STEM departments General Motors gives $230,000 to support minority representation MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Wayne Appleyard, chair of the Ann Arbor Energy Commission, discusses how to best approach sustainability with Ann Arbor residents at the Ann Arbor Public Library Thursday.
Forum highlights federal, local sustainability efforts Clean Energy Plan could impact city’s push to reduce gas emissions By TANYA MADHANI Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor District Library hosted the first of four planned public forums focusing on sustainability measures taken by the city and the University Thursday evening. The forum, titled “Climate and Energy,” featured
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presentations by University sustainability representative Anya Dale, Nathan Geisler, the Ann Arbor Energy Programs Analyst, Wayne Appleyard, chair of the Ann Arbor Energy Commission and Sean Reed, Executive Director of the Clean Energy Coalition Mike Garfield, executive director of the Ecology Center, introduced the forum by detailing the history of climate change activism in the country and the political challenges that scientists and proponents of clean energy have faced. “But in the last five to six years, something else has begun to happen and it gives
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM No suspects, motive in downtown tire slashings MICHIGANDAILY.COM/NEWS
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me a lot of hope,” he said. “First, very slowly and then increasingly fast, ordinary people around the world have stood up and demanded action.” Garfield said the development of local and independent solutions to create a clean energy environment has led to increased civilian and community support globally. “In short, a remarkable global movement has emerged to call for a clean energy future before it’s too late,” he said. In Ann Arbor, those solutions have taken the See FORUM, Page 3
Vol. CXXV, No. 48 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
In an effort to expand science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business degrees, as well as promote diversity, the General Motors Foundation awarded the University a $230,000 grant in December. Jackie Parker, president of the GM Foundation and director of GM Global Philanthropy and Corporate Giving, wrote in an e-mail interview that the University was chosen because of the high quality of its STEM programs. The Ross School of Business was ranked by U.S. News as the fourth best undergraduate business school in the nation, and the College of Engineering ranks sixth. Rankings for science and math are unavailable. “The grant is intended as a philanthropic effort to increase access to excellent curriculum and opportunities in STEM,” she See GRANT, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CL ASSIFIEDS.................6
SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS .............. 5 SPORTS....................7
News
2 — Friday, January 8, 2016
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Campus Voices
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
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Arbor resident Nancy Evans who is against the deer cull resolution, listens to speakers with antlers and a stuffed deer at an Ann Arbor City Council meeting at 220 N. Main St. on Monday. (AMANDA ALLEN /Daily) RIGHT: Flint resident Tassy Abeare dances with Ann Arbor resident Richard Field III Wednesday during the Wednesday Night Swing Dance held weekly in the Michigan League (RITA MORRIS/Daily)
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Change agents WHAT: Taubman college aims to explore the connection between diversity, campus climate and sudent and faculty engagment. WHO: Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on January 8 to 22 WHERE: Duderstat Center Gallery
Photographs from Migration
Yiddish Leyenkrayz
WHAT: This exhibition will feature Michael Wells’ original photgraphs from Jason De Leon’s Undocumented Migration Project. WHO: Institute for the Humanities WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: Institute for the Humanities, Common Room #1022
WHAT: This weekly reading group is open to anyone interested in discovering the classics of Yiddish culture. WHO: Judaic Studies WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: 202 S. Thayer, room 2000
Investigating algal bloom WHAT: The Smith Lecture will discuss the environmental drivers of cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom growth and toxicity in Lake Erie. WHO: Earth and Environmental Sciences WHEN: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Clarence Cook Little Building, room 1528
This Too is Iran
A capella auditions
Concert of One
A Ballerina’s Tale
WHAT: The U-M Detroit Center is hosting a collection of assorted photos that showcase the life, vibrancy and tradition from Iranian culture. WHO: University of Michigan Detroit Center WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Monts Hall, U-M Detroit Center
WHAT: Amazin’ Blue student organization will be hosting auditions for the Winter semester WHO: Maize Pages WHEN: 5 p.m to 10 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, UAC office
WHAT: The Understorey’s Jess McCumons is giving a performance covering various genres of music and taking influence from a multitude of artists. WHO: Michigan Union Ticket Office WHEN: 8 p.m. WHERE: The Ark, 316 S. Main St.
WHAT: The first Friday Flicks of the semester will be screening a feature documentary on Misty Copeland, an African American ballerina. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union Anderson Room
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
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Despite previous headlines, CNN reported that North Korea does not have a hydrogen bomb. Data collected from monitoring stations is not consistent with what was typically found after the detenation of an H-bomb.
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Prince George, the son of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, went to his first day of nursery school. The young prince attended his first day on Jan. 6 in Norfolk, England.
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The American Kennel Club recognizes two new breeds to join the largest registry of purebreeds in the world, raising the total to 189 breeds. The two breeds are called the American Hairless Terriers and the Sloughis.
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Impact of Asian carp on Great Sigma Alpha Mu leaders opt to Lakes could be overestimated take plea deals in criminal cases Using a computer model, researchers find new population predictions By MEGAN DOYLE Daily Staff Reporter
For many years, experts have investigated the effects of invasive species on the Great Lakes. However, using a new computer model, University researchers have discovered new information that shows the impact of Asian Carp in Lake Erie could have previously been overestimated. According to the new findings, a few species of fish would see a population increase in response to the influx of Asian carp, including smallmouth bass. Others could see a decrease of up to 37 percent, which is lower than the decrease in native fish population that some experts have previously predicted.
The new study, conducted by Hongyan Zhang, assistant research scientist at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, along with professors from other universities across the nation, primarily focused on aiding water quality management in the Great Lakes. The team also included researchers from the U.S. Forest Service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. The plankton-eating Asian carp are not currently present in Lake Erie, though they are established in watersheds near the Great Lakes, creating interest for such research. “We found that the Asian carp, if they come into the Great Lakes, into Lake Erie, they could be very abundant,” Zhang said. “They could become one-third of the total fish weight. That is quite a lot.” If they were to successfully invade Lake Erie, Asian carp would likely affect the food web in two regards: The carp would likely
compete with native fish by eating plankton, the food source for both native fish and the carp, and native fish could potentially feed on younger Asian carp if they became a part of the lake’s ecosystem. Scientific predictions of the impact of Asian carp on the Great Lakes differ. Some experts say they would decimate the fish populations and food webs, similar to their effect on the Illinois River, where Asian carp have become a large part of the ecosystem. Other experts argue that the Great Lakes are an unsuitable habitat for Asian carp, so the effects of introducing the fish would be minimal. This new study falls in between these two predictions. “Compared to what happened in the Illinois River, where more than 80 percent of the fish is Asian carp in that area, the percentage is not very high for Lake Erie,” Zhang said. “But it is a big lake, and it has a lot of fish, more than the other Great Lakes, and if one-third of the fish population will be Asian carp, that is very abundant. The impact on the population is to decrease most of the fish species. That is not a good thing.” This project is the first to use a food-web model to examine the effects of Asian carp in Lake Erie. The team of researchers interviewed 11 experts on Asian carp and Great Lakes ecology. They then incorporated their predictions into a computerized model projecting the effect of the Asian carp. The experts were then asked to indicate their level of uncertainty with each statement they provided, and this was included in the model as a margin of error. Ed Rutherford, a co-author of the study and a research fishery biologist at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, said the unique methodology of their research was instrumental in addressing the issue. “What was interesting to me was that with our model, we were able to put numbers to the estimates about the impact of Asian carp,” Rutherford said. “So we were able to fill in knowledge gaps of exactly See CARP, Page 3
Kaplan, Levin charged with giving alcohol to minors By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
Two former leaders of the University’s now-disbanded fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu, will enter pleas in a case pertaining to last year’s ski trip vandalism at Treetops Resorts, according to the Gaylord Herald Times. Joshua Kaplan and Zachary Levin — former president and treasurer of SAM, respectively — both face one count each of providing alcohol to minors over the incident. According to the HeraldTimes, Otsego County Prosecutor Michael Rola received an e-mail Tuesday from the defense counsel for Kaplan and Levin indicating that both would sign a plea agreement.
GUNS From Page 1 by felons and the mentally ill, two aspects that background checks are used to flag. “It’s not a serious argument under current Supreme Court doctrine,” he said. “The idea that background checks would be anything other than a reasonable technical method of achieving what the Supreme Court has basically said is perfectly fine is too much to swallow. I would not want to be the lawyer who had to argue that case.” Looking to the state of Michigan, state Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor) said Michigan state law does little to expand on federal law in terms of gun control, though multiple bills have been introduced over past years to change that. He pointed specifically to the inclusion of the right to own a gun in the state constitution. “Michigan is one of many states
Criminal charges have also been leveled against four other SAM members over the incident. Treetops has also brought a civil suit against multiple members of the fraternity, citing the damage done to the resort and alleged lack of cooperation at the time from members of the fraternity present. The incident additionally led University President Mark Schlissel to ban SAM from campus for at least four years in February. During the January 2015 weekend trip, SAM and a University sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, caused an estimated $430,000 in damage, according to the resort. Treetops has alleged that the students intentionally inflicted damage and did not cooperate with the resort’s efforts to halt it. The amount of damage stems from $234,000 in property damage and an estimated $250,000 from business interruptions, as estimated by Treetops accountants. The vandalism included destroying
ceiling tiles and exit signs, breaking furniture and urinating on carpets. Other former fraternity members who been sentenced in the case include Mathew Vlasic, Jesse Krumholz and Daniel Orleans. Vlasic and Krumholz received misdemeanor charges for malicious destruction of a building, and Orleans was sentenced with a charge of malicious destruction of property less than $200. All received two years of probation, $5,000 in restitution, various fees and 100 community service hours. By accepting pleas, Kaplan and Levin will avoid a trial originally scheduled for Jan. 13. Their sentencing will now be scheduled for a future date. The misdemeanor charge facing the two carries up to 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine, though in each of the previous cases for SAM members, the court has chosen to levy probation, fees and community services instead.
that has not taken any opportunity to go further than the federal regulations,” he said. “Michigan also has a constitutional provision referencing gun rights. It has language that basically says you have the right to own a gun in a way that is more straightforward than in the U.S. Constitution.” In May, Irwin co-sponsored House Bill 4590, which would take a step beyond the executive action and require universal background checks for all firearm purchases. The bill was first introduced in 2011 and has subsequently been introduced each year following, but has not been brought to a vote. The legislation aims to ensure firearm transactions are done with background checks in order to increase public safety. “That’s the kind of thing that needs to happen at the state level,” Irwin said. “We need to close the loophole and make sure as many sales as possible are being performed with a background check so we keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals.”
Public Health Prof. Marc Zimmerman said the issue surrounding gun control should not be viewed as a rights issue, but a public safety one. “The more we talk about guns as public safety the more reasonable we can all be,” he said. “As a public health professor, anything we can do to prevent injury whether it’s a fall from snow or shooting from guns, I think it’s a good thing, and I don’t think this infringes on people’s rights.” Irwin said background checks are one of the best ways to improve public safety and that the majority of Americans support universal background checks. An October CBS/New York Times poll found that 92 percent of Americans support background checks on all buyers. “This is an idea that Democrats in general and myself have been talking about for years,” Irwin said. “This is the simplest, easiest thing we can do to increase safety in a way that almost all Americans agree with.”
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a 2015 news release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Though paid sick leave could help protect workers financially should they develop a serious illness, Veenstra noted that paid sick leave is not mandatory under the Affordable Care Act or the Family Medical Leave Act, though access to benefits differ among some occupational groups. She also said researchers found patients without paid sick leave hold a much higher personal financial burden than those with that benefit, even when controlling for factors such as the patient’s income, education level and health insurance. To determine what constitutes a financial burden, the study considered factors such as whether the patient had to borrow money, had difficulties paying off their credit cards or had to reduce spending on necessities and luxuries. Veenstra said it was not just the fact that patients retained their jobs that led to the reduced financial burden; rather, it was crucial that patients maintained an income during cancer treatment even if they needed time away from work. While the colorectal cancer is an ideal model to look at the impact of paid sick leave on employment and financial outcomes for cancer patients — due to being one of the most common cancers among men and women — Veenstra said the study’s findings would apply to patients with other cancers. She added that she and the other authors of this study plan to further their research by looking into and how other job support benefits aside from paid sick leave impact patients’ long-term financial burden. “What we are hoping to find out in our other studies is whether there are other job support benefits like disability or extended time off or other things like that,” she said. “They may be helpful to alleviate some of the burden that cancer patients face.” Regenbogen said job benefits that aid patients with cancer in receiving appropriate chemotherapy would not only have significant financial improvements for patients, but could also improve their clinical outcomes. He added that said policy advocacy — specifically, arguing in favor of more availability for job benefits — and understanding how cancer therapies are designed could also help patients with long-term illnesses. “Patients face a trade-off to complete their therapy and their ability to support their families,” Regenbogen said. “Time off without pay may not really be time off at all for a patient who cannot afford to take that time off. For a lot of patients, there really is a clear trade-off between ability to complete therapy and ability to support their families. I think a lot of patients end up choosing to complete their therapy, but at real harm to their financial well-being.”
wrote. “While we evaluate many factors, this grant was awarded to U of M on the basis of the school’s excellence in STEM and in preparing students for careers of the future.” The grant will fund a variety of programs within the College of Engineering and the Ross School of Business, specifically funding programs that promote minority groups in STEM fields such as the Center for Engineering Diversity and Outreach and the BBA Black Business Students Association. In an interview with the Daily, Dean of Engineering David Munson said GM has had a long standing relationship with the University. “GM has been a longtime supporter of our programs in engineering and the University overall,” Munson said. “We have a big research partnership with them and in addition they support other aspects of our programs.” Parker echoed this sentiment, citing the ways GM’s relationship with the University extends beyond this grant. “Our partnership with the University of Michigan runs deep,” she wrote. “Not only do we actively employ UM graduates, but we remain a dedicated partner in research and development and in advancing education through hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants over the years.” Munson said one of the primary programs that will receive funding from this grant will be the Center for Engineering Diversity and Outreach, which supports minority students within the College of Engineering. “CEDO has many different programs,” he said. “They work on making a welcoming
CARP From Page 2 what would happen if Asian carp is introduced to the Great Lakes.” Overall, the increase in species could be minimal, Rutherford said. In terms of a decline, most fish species, including walleye, rainbow trout, gizzard shad and emerald shiner, could be affected according to the study, from 25 percent for most fish species, to 37 percent for a few plankton-eating species. “Although the decrease is not as bad as other people thought, or compared to what happened in the Illinois River, it is not that bad — but still, it is a very bad thing, especially for the sport and commercial fish species,” Zhang said. The same research team is now working to expand their research to predict the impact of Asian carp in the other Great Lakes, such as Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario. They are also working on a study of the regional economic impacts stemming from Asian carp in Lake Erie. Zhang’s research This project was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the NOAA’s Center for Spon-
FORBES From Page 1 today’s high-tech innovations: the brain. “I wasn’t solving the world’s problems, and I wanted to be closer,” Gaidica said. “I had talked about the brain much before at this TEDxFlint talk, and it makes a lot of sense for an electrical engineer. The brain runs on electricity, and so it kind of just became this problem that I really wanted to get into.” Gaidica spent the next year traveling and writing a book about our brain’s asymmetries, “Left: A History of the Hemispheres.” In his research, he documented the history and science of the left and right sides of the brain and explored the question of why individuals are right- or left-handed. “This is a really interesting question, not only in humans, but through evolution,” Gaidica said. “It’s really kind of a mysterious thing.” Though Gaidica has a background in engineering, image processing, software and hardware, he said studying brain asymmetries allowed him to begin using an engineering approach to study neuroscience. Despite his unconventional path to the subject, Gaidica is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience and conducts Parkinson’s disease research at the University, also working as a graduate student instructor. Gaidica uses his coding and engineering skills to design 3D printed devices and circuit boards, as well as write software to analyze the data coming out of brain imaging and neural recordings. “If we can understand the circuit behind it and what’s changing in the circuit, that then leads us to the therapies and the drugs, and the interventions, the surgeries,” Gaidica said. Forbes described Gaidica’s path as “eclectic,” recognizing his hard work and diverse achievements. Though he appreciated the praise, Gaidica emphasized it just means he has to continue working hard to prove himself worthy. “These recognitions are great, and they’re useful tools to help motivate you,” Gaidica said. “But it doesn’t make the work any easier. It doesn’t change the number of hours that you have to put in, and that’s the stuff that I enjoy.” Andrej Lenert Inspired by the efficient use
News climate for underrepresented minority students. They work on summer camps for students. They are involved in helping create academic success for underrepresented minority students.” Promoting STEM education within minority groups is important, Munson added, because for the country to remain competitive in those fields, nonwhite males will need to make up a more significant portion of the engineering workforce. “People realize that within just a few decades the current minority in the country is going to become the majority,” Munson said. “If we get to that point in time and we are drawing all of our engineering talent from what used to be the majority, predominantly from white males, then we are not going to remain economically competitive.” Both Parker and Munson said the industry’s future will be improved if today’s minority students are better supported in the STEM fields, such as through grants like this one. “Encouraging minority students to study STEM fuels the workforce pipeline with educated graduates that are prepared to compete in a global industry,” Parker wrote. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D–Dearborn) tweeted after the announcement to laud the University for winning the grant Munson said Dingell is right — the grant will increase the number of students who graduate with STEM degrees. “Whether you’re an unrepresented minority student or a woman student, I think you are probably at a little bit of a disadvantage,” he said. “These students are looking around the room and feeling out of place and may be underestimating their abilities.
of solar energy, postdoctoral research fellow Andrej Lenert is working to explore clean energy. Lenert attended the University of Iowa as an undergraduate, receiving a degree in mechanical engineering. Following graduation, he then went on to obtain a master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Although he launched his educational career with a more traditional mechanical engineering curriculum, he said the program became more interdisciplinary as he continued his graduate studies. Currently, Lenert is a postdoctoral researcher at the University, working with the Nanoscale Transport Lab. There, he studies energy transport across small-length scales and materials with structures on the nanometer scale. The research he conducted for his Ph.D. paved the way for his work at the University. At MIT, part of his research focused on combining solar-thermal and photovoltaic systems to reduce waste. “I really kind of identified the biggest bottleneck in terms of efficiency in that technology,” Lenert said. “And that was conversion of heat as thermal radiation into electricity. As a student, Lenert found himself drawn to topics involving energy, utilization and environmental engineering. He said his motivation to pursue mechanical engineering stemmed from his interests in solving problems related to clean energy. Noting the importance of clean energy and the contemporary challenges of global warming, he said the most fascinating aspect of clean energy is the way it bridges complex and interdisciplinary topics in science. “It starts off with the solar system. How we get sunlight as our natural resource really depends on the solar system and the nature of our earth rotating,” Lenert said. “And the lengthscales shrink all the way down to the atomic level where we’re trying to engineer materials that have new properties or have new functionality. Then, there’s everything in between.” Lenert is now applying to faculty positions, hoping to mentor aspiring scientists and continue to contribute to the science community through his research and discoveries.
Friday, January 8, 2016 — 3
MATT VALLIENCOURT/Daily
Mike Garfield, director of the Ecology Center, discusses how to best approach sustainability with Ann Arbor residents at the Ann Arbor Public Library on Thursday.
FORUM From Page 1 form of mechanisms such as the city’s Climate Action Plan. Ann Arbor City Council unanimously passed the plan in 2012, with over 80 steps to reduce the city’s cumulative gas emissions by 25 percent by 2025 and 90 percent by 2050. “Our plan, in spirit and in content, is consistent with the aims of the Paris agreement,” Geisler said. “The plan does not and could not articulate, from 2025 to 2050, how exactly we get there. But there’s a lot of big things that have to happen not only in the city but also, more broadly, throughout the state.” On the federal level, in August 2015 President Barack Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency introduced the Clean Energy Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by 32 percent by 2030 based on levels in 2005. Geisler said he expects the CEP will have a significant impact on the CAP’s goals. The city experienced an increase in overall emissions between 2010 and 2015 and called for a community effort to improve clean energy, according to Geisler.
“Over 98 percent of emissions in Ann Arbor and community-wide are beyond the control of the municipality, so we really need a communitywide effort to raise awareness and build the kind of support that’s necessary to make sure that we’re doing our part in helping to meet these goals,” he said. “There will possibly be an improvement, though we don’t have all the data yet and we don’t think we’ll see a large increase, community-wide, in overall reduction.” The forum also touched on international efforts, namely the December 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. The 195 nations who attended conference, including the U.S., adopted several measures that would decrease carbon emissions in their respective countries. “I would suggest this mostly happened because people have started to seriously mobilize,” Garfield said. “However, while the Paris commitments are substantially verifiable, they are neither enforceable nor sufficient. I’d suggest here that we’ll only succeed in stabilizing global temperatures if people continue to mobilize and if local communities continue to act on their own.”
In terms of the University — which currently accounts for 30 percent of the city’s carbon emissions — Dale highlighted recent policies and goals aimed at promoting sustainability on campus. She said one of the biggest goals the University has set, in compliance with the Climate Action Plan, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent of what it was in 2006 by 2025. “Unfortunately, in 2014 we were a little bit higher than we were in 2006 and that is largely because of the way the goal was set,” she said. “The goal does not factor in how we’ve grown as a university. Our energy use is going down, but we keep growing and growing. Overall, our usage is not decreasing as we would like to see.” Some further actions that will be implemented by the University, Dale said, are expanding the use of cogeneration at the University’s central power plant, establishing a fund for renewable energy demonstration projects, expanding current energy reduction programs such as Planet Blue Energy Management and seeking additional methods for greenhouse gas emissions.
Opinion
4 — Friday, January 8, 2016
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com SHOHAM GEVA EDITOR IN CHIEF
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Politics in polite conversation
T
he old adage states that in polite conversation, there are three things you are not to discuss: money, religion and politics. And it makes sense. No one wants to know how much is in your bank account or who around the dinner table you think is going to hell. But here and now, I’m calling for a referendum on part three. The simple fact of the matter is that BRETT political discourse, in all GRAHAM its shapes and sizes, is too important to be stifled for the sake of civility. In the aftermath of the holiday season, everyone can look back and cringe at some comment made at a family meal. A simple Google search reveals hundreds of tips and tricks to endure usually ranting, possibly racist and often over-served relatives around the Thanksgiving table. And that is the general image of politics at family gatherings: biting one’s tongue, knowing that if you allow your opinion to burst forth it will end with someone storming off into the living room, offended. So you keep quiet and let it go. Next time, try speaking up. As a student at a large liberal university, it’s not every day that I come across someone with whom I disagree. I may be challenged by different approaches or the intricacies of a position that is not my own. But for the most part, I am surrounded by those who care about similar issues, who take similar stances and who will inevitably vote in a similar way as I will in the next election, and our conversations will generally fall under the blanket of liberalism. Walk into any library and count the number of Bernie stickers that have colonized laptops, water bottles and backpacks. So when my uncle at Christmas attempts to explain to me why he’s voting for Donald Trump, I don’t pass up the rare opportunity for debate. Though I refuse to accept the validity of the contemporary image of college-going millennials as thin-skinned, frivolous and too quick to protest, I will accept one critique of my generation: we’re sheltered. Through social media and conversation with the people I speak to on a daily basis, the greater majority of my political positions remain unchallenged. I have conservative friends, of course, but as I’m writing this, I’m struggling to name more than five. And through this bastion of liberalism I’ve found among my peers, I miss out on opportunities for otherwise valuable in-depth discussion. Roundtable discussions of young liberals agreeing with other young liberals can only last so long. Going home and interacting with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles from different generations and all over the country offers me invaluable exposure to a wider range of political thinking that I would otherwise scroll past on my Facebook feed or laugh at through the intermediary John Oliver or Stephen Colbert.
IN CHAN LEE
Talking through it all, persuading my uncle to support another candidate — really any candidate other than Trump — makes a difference in the long run. My uncle may not get up from the table with a changed mind, but who knows? Maybe something I said will resonate with him months down the road, or maybe his mind will never change. Regardless, this conversation forced me to vocalize my dissent, fleshing out the specifics of why and how I disagree with Donald Trump, rather than dismissing him as I would on any given day in my dorm room. Important to note as well is the fact that these exchanges operate in both directions. As much as I learn from having my ideas challenged and molded by family and friends with whom I disagree, their positions inevitably evolve as well (though they may not always let you see it). Just as my aunt explained to me why my generation is perceived as “crybabies” in our never-ending quest for inclusiveness, I’d like to think that my explanation of cultural appropriation and its importance left some sort of impression on her. For example, I will never vote for Donald Trump. It’s pretty much a physical law of the universe, like gravity or 1+1=2. However, through conversation with my uncle I have begun to understand substantially more about his appeal and why his supporters are flocking to the idea of making America great again. The simple fact of the matter is that he cannot be bought, he speaks his mind and he’s about as far as it gets from the lackluster, ineffective politicians to which American voters are accustomed. On any given day in Ann Arbor, however, I would attribute Trump’s popularity to an effective use of fear-mongering and a misguided crusade against the “evil” that is political correctness. But there’s more to the Republican frontrunner, and I know that now. For 19 years, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by stubborn relatives who don’t care about what is “polite conversation” and who are willing to speak their minds. Discussing politics around the Thanksgiving and Christmas tables has helped me formulate my own ideological identity. The idea that this practice is something that should somehow be avoided, muted or excluded is absurd to me. 2016 is set to be a maelstrom of political activity. Frontrunners in the presidential race include a reality TV star, a socialist and a former first lady whose unfavorables remain mysteriously high. Immigration, foreign policy, race and the relationship between our government and its people will be points of constant contention. So make a belated New Year’s Resolution. Don’t shy away from political discussion because it is somehow “impolite.” Take advantage of the opportunity to engage others, and, as millennials in our first-ever presidential election, make our voices heard. Because in the long run, it’s really not that impolite. And the discourse is simply too valuable to pass up.
— Brett Graham can be reached at btgraham@umich.edu.
E-mail In Chan at tokg@umich.edu
I
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Living in the real world
kicked the frozen dirt as I walked my usual 30 paces ahead of my family. Between the gray sky and the twisting PAYTON branches, the LUOKKALA path was dark; though the trees were empty of leaves, they still dimmed the day. With ears cocked like a retriever’s, I listened to my rabid sister’s chatter — not because of the cold, but because of the excitement of her college experiences. My sister is not one to miss an opportunity. I noticed my toe catch on a rock as I heard my dad snort behind me. In response, my sister halted her fantastical monologue to snarl a what? The laughter was still in my dad’s voice as he replied, “You do so many things that it is hard to keep track. How do I know what to be excited about? You have so many ideas — some you only try out in a sentence.” Her current job allows her to cartwheel down the halls between stacks upon stacks of obscure books in the lower levels of the library. She sends me pictures of her favorite titles. She also has a job plucking the feathers off birds and placing their bones into formaldehyde jars; she is a member of a dance team that mixes traditional Northern Indian folk with hip hop (although she had never danced a day in her life before joining); she organizes and referees tennis matches; she started a cross-country ski team (though she has no skis at school and lives in a sprawling urban environment0; she volunteered in a hospital for about four hours; she was a member of the crew team for the duration of an e-mail exchange. She also conducted research on bones infected with malaria and traveled up to Alaska to survey archaeological sites, checking to see if the climate had weathered them. And yesterday, she left for Senegal. She wants to be an archaeologist. She wants to be an animator and work for Pixar. She wants to be a doctor.
She wants to be a humor writer for Saturday Night Live. She wants to discover mermaids. My sister was in true disbelief at my dad’s frustration. “What’s wrong with that?” she asked. I sensed my dad’s struggle to reply, and, after a moment, I heard his hands drop to his sides and his breath stagger across the air. I found this exchange of dire importance. When should one dream on the inside instead of describing their dreams out loud? When should one live inside their own head? Could I justify being as jealous of my sister’s lively imaginative life as I was of her real one?
“Life inside works much like a good book, allowing you to transcend space and time, giving a more abundant and exciting life.”
I recognized that I spend a lot of time living inside my own head instead of the real world. I counted the attributes. Confining my world to the inside of my brain has made me prone to excessive worrying. My internality may take away from activity in the physical world. I often have a surprised tone when someone starts a conversation. I often forget where and when I am (This is frightening — what are we without context?). This seems an overwhelmingly negative way of life at first glance. However, those who live internally often are the most creative — writers, artists and inventors. A life of thought also contributes to one’s self-awareness and often leads to being conscious of and thoughtful toward others. Life inside works
much like a good book, allowing you to transcend space and time, giving a more abundant and exciting life. That last point is not a good one. In fact, it is the reason why living in your head seems so bleak. Because when one reaches the final page of a book and realizes the journey has not been a real one, the world feels empty. I tried to think of why the outward excitements of my sister and the constant buzz inside my own brain have such different effects. The best explanation I can offer regarding the difference between her and me is that she gives each idea a chance (though the duration of each chance varies). She gives them at least one gulp of oxygen as she lets them fly off her tongue. At least one. Whether spoken to my parents or via an e-mail to the rowing head coach, she gives her ideas space to be real. Never did my mother tell me to think before I spoke. I always did on my own, so thoroughly that few sentences escaped my lips. I am not one to take risks, even in speech, but if one cannot say it, how does one ever expect to accomplish it? The line between life in your head and life outside of it needs to be crossed when one senses themselves ceasing to speak. The first step to overcoming an obstacle should be to speak its name, just as it should be the first step in achieving a goal or enacting a plan. Just as silence may be the fence that traps one inside of one’s own head, speech may be the easiest bridge to action. One Wednesday night, it was quiet hours in the dorms, and I was walking out of a friend’s room laughing freely. A boy I knew poked his head out from his room into the hall, sternly reminding me of quiet hours. I did not apologize. Because I say so little, I have started to feel ashamed taking back what little sound I make. I laughed some more. It felt good to live in the real world.
—Payton Luokkala can be reached at payluokk@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
I
Activism by necessity
cannot pinpoint the exact moment when my obsession with politics began. There was no real draw for me LAUREN to begin with; SCHANDEVEL my parents never took me to rallies or conducted fervent political discussions at the dinner table. I vaguely recall watching the 2004 election on TV with an inexplicable affinity for John Kerry, though my knowledge of the party system was finite and his policies were beyond my 8¬year¬old realm of expertise. Most of my childhood was steeped in an unconscious apathy for the outside world, resulting in a limited perspective of my country and its systemic inner-workings. I guess it really began in high school, when I realized that every aspect of society is shaped in some way by the political process. It was a line of skeptical questioning that led me to this conclusion. I had just transferred, by my own accord, from my school district of 11 years to a more affluent district located 20 minutes from my home. The difference in culture was enough to launch me into a state of utter astonishment — these kids actually wanted to learn, and intelligence was admired, even considered cool. Why wasn’t that the case before? The answer was, as it almost always is, the difference in our socioeconomic statuses. I heard this saying for the first time in my sophomore year: “In the lower class, prestige is measured by money; in the upper class, it is measured by taste. But in the middle class, prestige is measured by education.” This was especially true of the upper¬middle class, students who comprised a sizable portion of the students at my new school, and explained the hyper¬competitive academic atmosphere that I found so incredibly bizarre. I spent three years at that school
from which I would eventually graduate. There, I found sanctity in close friends, capable and compassionate teachers and riveting course material. However, despite my satisfaction with my education, the notion that it was never actually intended for students with my socioeconomic background weighed heavily on the back of my mind. I had gone out of my way to obtain it, and it had been good to me — but it was never really mine to have. From this contemplation came a fixation on the education system, which I would soon come to realize is inherently political. I became fascinated with the lifestyle of the upper class and how it factored into their superior schools and academic aptitude. They had museums and bookstores and coffee shops, they appreciated art and literature and music — surely that helped to foster their success, right? I attended graduation parties the summer after my senior year, where I admired the catered food and elaborate decorations and watched in awe as my friends’ parents, who were alumni of Yale and University of Chicago and Northwestern, bid their children farewell as they followed in their footsteps. I longed for this way of life to replace my own bland, working-class existence. I envied the elite and their seemingly effortless admission into selective schools, their distinguished careers and their articulate manner of speaking. My obsession soon evolved into an implicit resentment for anyone who had it easier than I did. I firmly (and wrongly) believed that everything they earned was a result of their upbringing, which was coincidental at best. Compulsively, I researched housing discrimination, allocation of funds among school districts, redlining — anything that could explain the disparities I observed between my world and theirs. It was then that I discovered
the harsh realities of the education system and, proportionately, the class system in general. None of it was mere coincidence, but rather a hopelessly complex, deliberate network of structural barriers historically rooted in racism, sexism and, of course, classism. It alarmed me, the idea that everything I experienced was the symptom of an insidious framework of oppression that was both established and strengthened by past events and outdated ideologies. If all of our political machines were so tightly interwoven and affected every facet of our existence so thoroughly, then I wanted a comprehensive understanding of the system in its entirety. I wanted to know who was responsible for the elevation of some schools and the impairment of others — for paving the path to higher education for some students and obstructing it for others. Though the truth can be fragmented at times, I still believe it will reveal itself as I build my understanding of the political process. If necessity is truly the mother of invention, then the need for answers has naturally created an activist. My political history may be sparse, but it has always pointed in the direction of this preoccupation with the truth. Now, as I immerse myself in activist culture at the University, I feel as though I am making up for lost time — time I spent unaware of how deeply I was impacted by a class structure designed to keep people like me from reaching their full potential. Perhaps I will never know what exactly separates me from my wellread, well¬rounded classmates in high school, but I have decided to dedicate my life to figuring it out, whatever that entails.
— Lauren Schandevel can be reached at schandla@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
FILM REVIEW
Friday, Janurary 8, 2016 — 5
VIDEO GAME NOTEBOOK
Stunning ‘Carol’ 2015’s Top Games Timely drama is a great movie and an important one By CHLOE GILKE Daily Arts Writer
During a pivotal scene in the 10 p.m. showing of “Carol” that I attended last Sunday, I heard a tinny pair of giggles com- A ing from the row behind me. Carol Initially, I was annoyed. Why The Weinstein was someone Company laughing durThe Michigan ing this gorgeous scene, Theater hee-heeing at the consummation of the blossoming emotional affair between the film’s protagonists? How could two people in the same theater as me occupy such a different position than I did — how could they be laughing at lesbians? I turned around and gave my best Clint Eastwood glare at the couple behind me. It was two women, holding hands and wearing the same raptured smile I had a minute earlier. “Carol” is both a great movie and an important one. The film, based on Patricia Highsmith’s “The Price of Salt,” details the emotional affair between the moody, compelling Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”) and naive department store employee Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”). Since “Carol” is set in the early 1950s, their relationship proceeds in a different manner than it would today: Queerness is the ultimate taboo, a symbol of moral deviance. Everything has to happen in secret, everyone who wants to be well regarded in society must operate behind closed doors. The notion of “being in the closet” doesn’t even apply, because for Carol and Therese, there is no alternative on the other side of that door.
But if you’re expecting a tragic queer melodrama à la “The Normal Heart” or “Brokeback Mountain,” prepare to be disappointed. As directed by Todd Haynes (“I’m Not There”), “Carol” is undeniably sweet, offering plenty of moments of levity, maybe even some worth a giggle. Blanchett’s performance as Carol is delectable, especially the way she initially dances around her attraction to Therese: saying “I like your hat” during their department store meetcute, pronouncing Therese’s name like it’s a line of poetry. Blanchett’s sophistication and boldness drives the narrative forward, winning Therese’s affections and eventually our own. It’s hard to watch this movie and not fall in love with Carol Aird. “Carol” ’s cinematography and production design are due credit for the film’s dreamy, romantic mood. Cinematographer Ed Lachman (a frequent collaborator with Haynes) frames the two actresses in intimate closeups, often focusing on a single body part — Carol’s electric pink nails, Therese’s blue eyes. In a film about lesbian romance, the female characters’ preoccupation with other women’s bodies is a subversion of the typical “male gaze” formula of looking at women’s bodies. Carol and Therese are discovering one another, and it makes sense that Therese would be looking so carefully at Therese — she is a photographer and artist, after all. The set design and art direction are likewise intricate and beautiful, especially the visual parallels between Therese and Carol’s six-year-old daughter. (Both have short brunette hair and bangs and are dressed frequently in primary colors and jewel tones.) This is the kind of movie you can watch over and over again and always discover a new and stunning trick of filmmaking. In addition to “Carol” ’s sophisticated style and award-worthy performances, the subject matter is especially timely. On the heels of the summer’s Supreme
Court marriage equality decision, great queer love stories have a special exigency. If Carol and Therese weren’t fictional and if they were alive today, I’d hope that the characters might meet a different end than they do in this movie. Maybe Therese wouldn’t be dating a well-intentioned but clueless man with whom she has no passion, and maybe Carol wouldn’t be haunted by her boozy, vengeful ex-husband. Maybe the world wouldn’t be so hell-bent on keeping these two women apart, and their romance could unfold in places other than hotel rooms and phone calls where no one can hear. But the secrecy and hushed nature of their courtship depict a harsh reality — people really did have to live like this, and in certain communities, they still do. One of the film’s most poignant moments comes when Therese broaches the subject of homosexual desire with her boyfriend Richard (Jake Lacy, “Obvious Child”). She asks him if he’s ever heard of people being attracted to members of the same sex. Of course he cites knowing of “guys like that,” but it’s not possible for two men to “fall in love suddenly with each other, out of the blue.” According to Richard, you’re either like that (different, taboo, deviant), or you’re not. Simply bringing the topic up is enough for Richard to grill Therese on her sexuality and berate her for not returning his affections. From a 2016 perspective, Richard’s assumptions seem especially coded with gross heteronormativity and hatefulness. He’s just clueless. When the two women behind me giggled at a love scene between Carol and Therese, I had every reason to be irked. “Carol” is a stunning romance film, elegant and elegiac and undeserving of schoolgirl whispers. It makes your heart hurt, makes you think and makes you understand. I can’t know for sure, but I think the women behind me were laughing because they appreciated all of this. They understood.
FILM REVIEW
Overwhelming ‘Joy’ By LAUREN WOOD Daily Arts Writer
On the way to see “Joy” with my mom the day after Christmas, we stopped and ran some errands. At CVS, the woman at the A counter gave me a quick les- Joy son in couponing and told me Annapurna how to use two Pictures of the receipts Rave & Quality 16 I had together to buy a new razor for only a dollar. When we dropped off a skirt to be taken in at the tailor, the seamstress talked about her holiday dinner while she penciled in appointments for the upcoming week. We ran through the thickfalling snow to the dry cleaners to pick up a couple of shirts for my dad, and after we carefully hung them in the back seat of the car, we were back on our way to the movies. In “Joy,” a struggling single mother (Jennifer Lawrence, “The Hunger Games”) works to support her sprawling family while continually slighted by her bedridden mother (Virginia Madsen, “Sideways”), aimless ex-husband (Édgar Ramírez, “The Bourne Ultimatum”) and flighty father (Robert De Niro, “Goodfellas”) who all depend on her. After being dragged on a sailboat trip where she is forced to clean up spilled red wine and broken glass with an old mop, cutting her hands in the process, she borrows her daughter’s crayons to draw up the blueprints for a self-wringing mop, finally fulfilling her dream of being an inventor after years of pushing her own life to the side. Joy works tirelessly to sell her mop on streets, in shops and later on QVC, eventually becoming a hugely powerful businesswoman and multimillion dollar corpora-
tion owner. Based on the real life of Joy Mangano, whose inventions include not only the self-wringing mop but velvet hangers, traveling cosmetic cases and portable steamers, the film holds storytelling itself up as a central theme, speaking almost anecdotally about the complications that come with achieving the American Dream. Joy’s grandmother Mimi (Diane Ladd, “Chinatown”) narrates the entire story from beyond the grave and the film is peppered with footage from the characters’ home movies, calling attention to the construction of the story itself. There is a strange mix of authentic moments and constructed ones, and Joy first comes to understand ideas of betrayal and determination through watching elaborate soap operas with her mother as a child. Additionally, as she and her husband fall in love, they sing together on a stage with fake snow falling and artificial light encircling them. It’s not exactly the picture-perfect moment of seemingly realistic but less honest films, but it also isn’t trying to convince its audience that perfect moments or successes just happen on their own. “Joy” tells its story with the determination and quiet punch of a mobster film, with Jennifer Lawrence’s unforgiving stare managing to speak to the duality of a character who has given up everything and will fight tirelessly for success, all in the form of selling a mop and acting primarily as a mother. She scouts out success in any niche that is available to her, and feminizes the mobster movie in a way that does not punch out one character to be replaced by a woman, or downplay the power that comes with the genre. The mop that brings Joy success is designed by and for women looking for better ways to clean their homes and Joy’s
young daughter hovers in the back of every scene, watching her mother’s long and winding path to reputability. “Joy” is a mob movie about the cottage industry in the midst of modernity, and it tells a story about American achievement from the ground up, showing that there is no set path toward success. As I left the theater, overwhelmed with the power that could come from this story about a mother inventing a mop with crayons and an under-the-table loan from a friend, I couldn’t help but think back to the women I had encountered earlier that day, working in stores around my hometown. “Joy”’s power doesn’t come from its elaborate cinematography, attractive lighting or perfectly paced script. It comes from the reality of the situation it is reconstructing for us on screen. Every day in innumerable ways, we encounter mothers working to construct some sort of success for those who depend on them, in any way they find possible. Whether it’s inventing a new mop or hemming skirts for a neighborhood of girls, this pocket of American success reflects from the screen into our everyday lives. In the movie, as Joy sold her first round of mops on QVC, 50,000 units each priced at the classic infomercial rate of $19.95, my mom pulled out her phone in the middle of the theater to calculate how much money was just made (around 1 million dollars). In the credits, it shows that Joy Mangano was one of the producers of the film, just another endeavor to add to her already long and diverse list. These crossovers between reality and storytelling hit hard in Joy, bringing the film from the realm of a powerful, mobsteresque movie to one about the reality of success in America and building a solid life any way you find possible.
By JACOB RICH Senior Arts Editor
1. Undertale (Toby Fox, PC) The greatest children’s fiction is rooted in fear. Think about the moment of death in your favorite Disney movie, or the terrifying zombies in “Zelda,” or the gore and violence in Spielberg’s ubiquitous blockbusters, or the Unforgivable Curses in “Harry Potter.” The best kid literature emphasizes the joy and wonder the world has to offer while acknowledging the aspects of life that are, ironically, often deemed too scary to discuss with kids. “Undertale” expertly employs this synthesis of joyful and frightening. It’s a role-playing game that’s full to the brim with goofy, wonderful characters, laugh-outloud clever dialogue and beautiful, quaint environments. It’s also a narrative about genocide. By allowing the player the choice of either fighting or talking to the game’s randomly encountered ‘enemies,’ “Undertale” becomes an inversion of the classic ‘chosen hero’ mythology found frequently in RPGs. Being a hero in “Undertale” isn’t about slaying evil monsters. It’s about finding mutual understanding; discovering the reasons why people are different and learning to accept them, even though the process can sometimes be painful. It’s moral absolutism, but it’s so well meaning that it’s tough to criticize. But you can also kill everything. You can live out your video game power fantasy, like you did in “God of War” and “Shadow of Mordor.” But once you do, there’s no going back. Not even if you delete your save file. The game remembers. Decisions in “Undertale” have consequence unprecedented in the medium, because it refuses to abide by rules that have long been standard in its genre. There’s too much great stuff in “Undertale” to discuss in a little blurb for a top ten list. I can’t believe I haven’t even touched on the soundtrack (the best of the year by a mile), or the savage but loving parodies of dating Sims and “Final Fantasy VI,” or the little character moments that are completely unnecessary but contribute so much to making the game’s world worth caring about. You’ll never forget the time you spend with “Undertale.” 2. Bloodborne (From Software, PS4) It’s 2015. Video games are more diverse and inclusive than they’ve ever been. If your game is still structured around blood and gore and killing stuff, you’re going to have to be the cream of the crop to impress me. “Bloodborne,” 2015’s goriest, bloodiest game about killing stuff, impressed me. Since their 2009 breakthrough game “Demon’s Souls,” developer From Software (which I imagine consists of dozens of depressed Japanese salarymen who have similar worldviews to me) has been lauded as the last bastion of old-school difficulty in action games. They’re the heir apparent to games like “Ghouls and Ghosts” and NES-era “Castlevania,” where killing gross monsters was a simple pleasure and even the shortest games were so hard they took ages to beat. From Software has been doing the best work in the genre for years, but now they have a budget. “Bloodborne” blends top-ofthe-line monster-slaying combat with a strange, environmental otherworldliness influenced by Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Exploring the city of Yharnam is like a fever dream of violence and surrealist imagery, but “Bloodborne” ’s violence is less Hot Topic pseudo-edginess and more intimately crafted depravity. This might be meat-and-potatoes video game, but it’s the best damn meat-and-potatoes I’ve eaten all year. 3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (CD PROJEKT RED, Xbox One, PS4 and PC) “The Witcher III” makes me proud to be Polish. If you haven’t heard of it, “The Witcher” is a fantasy mega-franchise that’s essentially the equivalent of “Game of Thrones” in the country (there’s books, shows, movies, and games). The games in particular have really hit in the United States, with this entry in particu-
lar taking home numerous American game of the year awards. It’s for good reason — this is a fantasy universe that’s made the transition to open-world gameplay with stride, providing a fantasy narrative that’s actually mature and interesting where many games fail to be. Pogroms, abortion and rural superstition are tough themes to explore in this format, but “Witcher” deftly handles these weighty topics using intimately crafted cutscenes and complex characters that are given lots of quiet moments to develop in between epic monster-slaying adventures. Oh, and its combat system emphasizes thoughtful preparation over in-the-moment RPG reflexes, which is a nice change of pace. It’s also incredibly meaty with content, and pro-consumer developer CD PROJEKT RED has a nice habit of providing lots of free DLC to reward its loyal fans. “The Witcher III” is quite the package: it’s games as art, entertainment and service, all done right. 4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions, Xbox One, PS4 and PC) How can a fifth entry in a hugely popular blockbuster series be the most daring game of the year? This open-world magnum opus is the first big stride the genre has made in many years thanks to Kojima Productions’ complete 180-degree turn in design philosophy. Where the previous “Metal Gear Solid” games wore their genre film inspirations on their sleeve, this one prioritizes emergent sandbox gameplay. “MGSV” transforms what could have easily been another boring open-world shooter into a gleeful, flamboyant, ultraviolent romp through base after base of enemy soldiers — the clay for the player to sadistically mold with an immense arsenal of brutal weaponry and stealth trickery. The scummy microtransactions added since the game’s launch diminished its lasting appeal, but the base game is so good that not even the terrible business practices of publisher Konami can keep it from its rightful place high on this list. 5. Sonic Dreams Collection (Arcane Kids, PC) At its core, “Sonic Dreams Collection” is deep sexual fear. It’s a twisted, nihilist parody that relishes in the weird stuff we do with our doors closed and our Internet browsers open. Possibly the first instance of the “found footage” genre in video game history, this game was announced as a discovered set of “Sonic The Hedgehog” prototypes SEGA made for their failing Dreamcast console in the late 90’s. But once the “Sonic Dreams Collection” devolves into furry prom night threesomes, feeding fetish porn and nightmare gastrointestinal nativity scenes, it’s pretty obvious that the familyfriendly Japanese developer had nothing to do with this. But that doesn’t change this game’s raw power; the power to discomfort and terrify and, best of all, elicit laugh after laugh. This game and developer Arcane Kids’s 2013 masterpiece “Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective” are a one-two punch of profoundly affecting avant-garde challenges to form. Do not write this game off because it’s a free download. This is one of the best video games of the year. 6. Batman: Arkham Knight (Rocksteady, Xbox One and PS4) I’ve felt that the transition to open-world gameplay was the wrong direction for the “Batman: Arkham” games since “Arkham City.” While there are definite improvements in player movement and visual design in “Arkham Knight”, debut game “Arkham Asylum” still remains the best interactive Batman experience. Its contained environment that had only been seen in glimpses in the comics provided an incredible nightmareplayground to get acclimated to. By the end, it felt like home. There’s no familiarity with bigass open-world cities like the one in “Knight.” That being said, “Knight” is the Batman game that does the most
interesting stuff with the idea of Batman, both as a mythologized symbol and as a human character. Throughout the game Batman is wracked with fear, paranoia and self-doubt, visualized in one of the most ingenious uses of game form I have ever experienced. You’ve probably already had it spoiled for you if you follow games, but if you’ve somehow missed it, head into this one blind and see where it takes you. You won’t regret it. Note that the PC version is not included in this ranking. I hear it’s a quite sub-par version of the game. 7. Fallout 4 (Bethesda, Xbox One, PS4 and PC) Let’s just come out and say it: “Fallout 4” isn’t the leap ahead for Bethesda open-world games that “Skyrim” was. “Skyrim” will live on as perhaps the most important blockbuster video game of the 2010s, while “Fallout 4” will be remembered as a nice, but ultimately too iterative follow-up. Still, the wonderful specificity of exploration at your own pace (an experience so unique to video games and so wonderfully achieved in Bethesda’s RPGs) has not been lost here. Fallout 4’s immaculately detailed world was a joy to turn over from beginning to end, providing some wonderful new characters and great little story beats along the way. It’s the most-good game you can get for $60 this year, but it’s not the best. 8. The Beginner’s Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd., PC) Davey Wreden’s personal opus begins as a simple walk-and-talk showcase of an indie developer’s unreleased video games, a sort of museum tour of a person’s internal creative energy. Things get interesting when the game design starts to talk back. “The Beginner’s Guide” transforms into a commentary on sadistic voyeurism and personal privacy, centered around a moral quandary — is it okay to assign meaning to art that isn’t yours? Is that what I’m doing with this entry in this top ten list right now? I’m not sure, but I think it’s safe to say that you should buy and play “The Beginner’s Guide.” It’s cheap to say it’s unlike anything you’ve played before, but believe me on this one. 9. Until Dawn (Supermassive, PS4) “Until Dawn” is the greatest realization of R.L. Stine’s “Give Yourself Goosebumps” the world has ever seen, and I mean that in the best way possible. A teen horror tribute with elements of “Evil Dead,” “Scream,” “Saw,” and “The Descent,” “Until Dawn” is a choose-your-own adventure novel presented with possibly the best visual design, performance capture (Hayden Panettiere and a pre-“Mr. Robot” Rami Malek light up the screen here) and kinetic cinematography in video game history. It’s a bit disappointing that the narrative structure changes little from playthrough to playthrough (especially since the game hints at such a feature up front) but what’s amazing about this game is that the player’s actions really do determine who lives and who dies. Any combination of the game’s eight cute teens can survive the night, and the game really understands the fun of gory horror film death without feeling mean. What a lovely piece of trash. 10. Rocket League (Psyonix, PS4 and PC) In a way, “Rocket League” is an elaboration on “Pong”: head-tohead multiplayer with two goals and a ball. But “Rocket League” has cars with rockets strapped on them pushing around a giant soccer ball. The beauty of it is that it’s an idea we’ve all had – what if real-life sports were crazy dystopian messes of steel, engines and explosions? “Rocket League” lets us live out this essential human fantasy. This is a so-dumb-it’s-genius idea married to great gameplay. A revelation in physics-based object manipulation, “Rocket League” manages to capture the competitive spirit of soccer and simplify it to work perfectly with a controller. This was my go-to competitive game for intoxicated hangouts this year, and I don’t see that changing for quite some time.
Arts
6 — Friday, January 8, 2016
FILM REVIEW
Misplaced focus in ‘Danish Girl’
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM REVIEW
Eddie Redmayne film not the story we deserve By REBECCA LERNER Daily Film Editor
In 2015, the transgender community had more exposure in the mainstream media than ever before. This representation B+ wasn’t always positive — there The Danish was the horribly disrespect- Girl ful transgender Focus reveal of the Features sociopathic A of “Pretty Lit- State Theatre tle Liars” and the superficial view of trans issues brought up by Caitlyn Jenner’s reality show “I Am Cait” — but there has also been realistic and positive representation in the recent film “Tangerine” and the television shows “Transparent” and “Orange is the New Black,” which more accurately portray the transgender experience. “The Danish Girl” contributes to this mixed representation of the transgender community. Directed by Tom Hooper (“Les Misérables”), the film is a beautiful yet superficial depiction of the life of a transgender pioneer. The film’s protagonist, the Danish painter Einar Wegenar (Eddie Redmayne, “Jupiter Ascending”), struggles with “the mistake of nature” that made him a biological man instead of the woman he truly is, a dangerous identity to claim in the 1920s. From our first glances of him brushing his fingers over racks of dresses and gently fixing his wife’s lipstick, it is clear that Einar is drawn to the tactile sensations that come from a traditionally feminine experience. When his wife, fellow artist Gerda (Alicia Vikander, “Ex
WARNER BROS.
Which one is Gary Busey?
FOCUS FEATURES
“Will I get another Oscar for this?”
Machina”), needs him to don a dress, heels and stockings so she can finish a painting, Einar has a visceral reaction to the femininity of the materials. Einar’s experimentations with the flexibility of his gender start as a joking game with his wife. It begins with him wearing Gerda’s camisole under his outwardly masculine attire, but becomes much more serious when his wife dresses him up entirely in women’s clothes, his wife’s friend christens him with the name Lili and Lili goes to a party in the place of Einar. As Lili, Einar becomes who she was meant to be. With Gerda’s unwavering support, Lili seeks sex reassignment surgery — the first person to attempt it. After meeting with several doctors and being diagnosed with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, they finally find an understanding doctor willing to discuss the possibility of surgery. “The Danish Girl” fits in perfectly with the rest of Hooper’s directorial repertoire, with its beautiful pastels and elegant establishing shots of Denmark and Paris reminiscent of his other works. The movie itself is well done and affecting, but its story focuses more on the cis-
gender protagonist, Gerda, than Einar’s transition to Lili. This isn’t to say that Gerda’s narrative is unimportant, as the emergence of Lili and the loss of Gerda’s husband is a traumatic and compelling storyline. But even the film’s title, when said in the movie, is referencing Gerda as “the Danish girl” in Paris. It makes one wonder whose story this movie is actually telling. The film has also faced backlash for its employment of a cisgender actor, Redmayne, in the role of a transgender person. While Redmayne performs admirably and will surely be nominated for a myriad of awards for his role, it’s a shallow interpretation of an incredibly meaningful event in the life of a transgender person. His interpretation of Lili is lovely and sad, but superficial in its attempt to show the emotions behind the new identity. “The Danish Girl” tells the tale of two transformations — that of Einar to Lili and that of Gerda from happily married to single. Unfortunately, the prominence of Gerda’s arc indicates that while the story that’s there is beautiful and imaginative, audiences may have to wait before a transgender narrative can be the first priority.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Friday, January 8, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
DOWN 1 Fake it 2 “We’re on!” 3 Green shelter? 4 “Hard __!”: captain’s command
5 Baker’s neighbor in “Into the Woods” 6 Jaded state 7 Barren 8 Shopper’s mecca 9 Dire destiny 10 Cosmetics giant 11 What you will 12 Landed, with “in” 14 Gloomy air 21 Shocking swimmer 22 Sailor’s ability 23 __ roll 27 Sovereign symbol 29 Bygone muscle car 32 Small juice sources? 33 Ace 34 Org. with subs 36 Prefix for a lifesaving “Pen” 37 Mosquito Coast country 38 Reaction to suddenly becoming flush? 39 Concerned parent’s installation 42 Employment
43 Mandated amounts 44 Remove, as bindings 45 Expands, as a deck 47 Sales meeting metaphor 48 Conservative leader? 51 Outlet for one’s thoughts
52 Densely populated area, briefly 53 Spirit 56 Emperor famous for playing an instrument that hadn’t been invented yet 57 Wind in the reeds 61 Ranch closing?
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01/08/16
By MATT BARNAUSKAS Daily TV/New Media Editor
Remakes are nothing new in Hollywood. Some of the greats, like Alfred Hitchcock and Cecil B. DeMille, have even D+ remade their own works. Point But there’s Break something depressing Warner Bros. about the current remake Rave & Quality 16 movement presently ensnaring the cultural landmarks of the ’80s and ’90s. In attempting to adapt the excesses of these eras to the modern day, filmmakers have decided that sucking all the energy out of these films is the best course of action — draining all shades of fun until the new version is as dull and colorless as their desaturated visuals. “Point Break” is a continuation of this disappointing trend, following in the footsteps of films like “Total Recall” and “RoboCop.”
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Short one at the bar? 4 Flabbergasts 8 One taking up slack? 13 Landlocked African country 15 Thread bits 16 Running bowline, e.g. 17 Prepare to take off 18 Mediterranean landmark 19 Dessert that just sounds wrong 20 Cuisine to swear by? 23 __ orange 24 Trail follower 25 Downed a link, say 26 Traps for 15Across 28 Caught porgy and bass 30 Ice __ 31 Feuding house of Verona 35 Site of a mortician’s monopoly? 40 Swift output 41 Café freebie 43 Charmingly retro 46 Rejects 49 Link for Ludwig 50 Believes 54 Actress Graff 55 Ode to a Nightingale? 58 Shock source 59 Bit of concert memorabilia 60 Quinoa alternative 62 Latin stars 63 New Yorker cartoonist Peter 64 Rent-__ 65 Drives off 66 Linking device 67 Med. care option
‘Point Break’ misses the point and breaks
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The original “Point Break” is far from a work of genius. It edges into the ridiculous, but it fortunately cast future icons of the time including Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix”), Patrick Swayze (“Dirty Dancing”) and, for better or worse, Gary Busey (“Lethal Weapon”). The memorable cast paired with the high-energy filmmaking of the then on-the-rise Kathryn Bigelow (Oscar winning director of “The Hurt Locker”) elevates the film into the memorable territory of cult classic. However, the remake is a dour affair of little entertainment value filled with weak, flat characters and ideas. Following former extreme poly-athlete Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey, “The November Man”), “Point Break” sees its protagonist join the FBI after a tragic motorcross accident claims the life of his friend (Max Theriot, “Bates Motel”). When a series of high stakes heists perplexes his superiors, Utah theorizes that the perpetrators are attempting the legendary “Ozaki Eight,” a series of extreme sports trials meant to honor nature. Going undercover, Utah immerses himself within a radical group of athletes and eco-warriors, led by Bodhi (Édgar Ramírez, “Deliver Us From Evil”). While “Point Break” keeps the same overall story of its predecessor, the filmmakers fail to breathe new life into the characters. Bracey continues the line of Australian, Sam Worthington/Jai Courtney types that grow increasingly bland with each new incarnation. His Utah is formulaically brooding as he tries to find his place in life between the wildness represented by Bodhi’s crew and the structure of the FBI, signified by the figure of Pappas (Ray Winstone, “The Departed”). Bracey never sells this inner conflict, mainly because screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (who wrote the underwhelming “Total Recall” remake) never gives him any opportunities. Utah just gets swept up in whatever side is convenient, his attachment never truly developing for either of the causes. Meanwhile, both Bodhi’s crew and the FBI struggle to make any impression. Wrapped in selfseriousness, the two groups are a drag to be around. The extreme athletes are a boring bunch with hardly any distinguishable characteristics between them. Instead of personalities, every member just spouts the same pseudophilosophical rhetoric about finding balance, pursuing their “line” and protecting the Earth. Early on when one member dies snowboarding, it becomes hard to remember which one he was or even his name — he had blonde hair … I think his name was Chowder? Oh well, let’s skip to the next party scene so we can get some generic product placement and attractive women dancing. Winstone hardly does any better, trying his best in a thankless role that amounts to being a gruff veteran with no other personality traits outside of occasionally putting Utah in
his indecisive place. Ramírez is the only actor to at least make an impression with his role, but even his talents can’t lift the leaden preaching of Bodhi. The film tells the audience how connected characters are instead of developing these relationships organically through genuine interactions. This failure is most egregious in the romantic subplot between Utah and Samsara (Teresa Palmer, “Warm Bodies”), who only seem to talk to each other in broad platitudes — at least the pair look pretty, if that’s any consolation. Like its other remakes, the characters take themselves far too seriously in “Point Break,” robbing them of any relatability or humor. They’re shallow cutouts who go to fight clubs and flip off the camera with a scowl, all in the name of being gritty. Every line is delivered with a straight face and no selfawareness of their own ridiculousness. At one point, Bodhi declares “The only law that matters is gravity” — he must have never learned about the laws of thermodynamics or any other laws of physics. The line is so unaware of its own absurdity it becomes laughable. Because “Point Break” is so engaged in its own self-importance that it forgets to have fun with itself, its over-the-top moments become even more unbelievable.
The year’s longest GoPro commercial. These problems are all really unfortunate, considering the stunt work in “Point Break” is actually quite impressive and employs some of the best extreme sports athletes performing on location. However, Director Ericson Core (“Invincible”) never elevates these scenes to reach their full potential. It’s hard to invest in these highwire acts of daring when the characters that are performing them in the film are so forgettable that you can’t remember or don’t care what happens to them, forming scenes that are dramatically empty and devoid of momentum. With its energetic source material and solid stunt work, “Point Break” has no right to be boring, but it somehow finds a way to become increasingly dull and unexciting as it slogs through its nearly two-hour runtime. Whether it’s dimensionless characters or a need to weigh down every scene with overt seriousness, “Point Break” is a joyless labor to get through. Instead, go see a film like “Creed,” “The Force Awakens” or “The Hateful Eight” — productions that use ideas from their predecessors in new, engaging ways instead of draining the life out of them. Or just buy the original “Point Break” — it’s on sale on Amazon.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, January 8, 2016 — 7
Michigan upsets Hawkeyes Mitchell powers
‘M’ to big victory
By BRAD WHIPPLE Daily Sports Editor
At first, it seemed like the Michigan women’s basketball team was going to add another loss to its Big Ten 75 IOWA record. MICHIGAN 81 At first, it seemed like the Wolverines were going to let their inconsistency get the best of them once again. At first, it seemed like Michigan had no chance of a comeback. Instead, the Wolverines did the unthinkable. For four minutes in the third and fourth quarters, Iowa (3-1 Big Ten, 12-4 overall) went cold and allowed Michigan (1-2, 9-5) to slowly claw its way out of the hole it had dug during the first half. Initially, the game seemed like it was on the path to be a blowout. But the Wolverines dominated the fourth quarter and came away with an 82-75 win — its first win in the conference. The comeback sent a previously quiet Crisler Center into an absolute frenzy. By the sound of it alone, Michigan might have just won the Big Ten Tournament. “It’s really been a difficult couple of weeks,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “We’ve lost a lot of tough games, and our confidence was really shaken at some times. … (Iowa) went on that run and got it to 17, and we stopped looking at the scoreboard and really just buckled down, tried to get one stop at a time and then score down the other way. “A lot of people stepped up and made really tremendous plays for us, especially down the stretch. … Just proud of our total effort and bounceback.” That bounceback wouldn’t have been possible without sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty and senior forward Kelsey Mitchell, who each made huge strides in the final 10
By CHRIS CROWDER Daily Sports Writer
SINDU KILARU/Daily
Sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty’s 24 points led the Wolverines to an upset of Iowa on Thursday.
minutes of regulation. Flaherty, who ended the game with 24 points, looked confident with every shot and continued to drain them from all over the floor. When the game was within one possession, Flaherty drove inside the paint and rolled the ball off the backboard and into the net, falling into the cameraman behind the net before quickly reorganizing herself to get back on defense. That basket kept Michigan up by only one point with a minute left. “There’s no words to describe it,” Flaherty said. “What we’ve been going through the past couple of games, it’s just a reminder to all of us that we can win and we can be one of the best teams.” Mitchell followed up Flaherty with a layup of her own before making a huge defensive block on the ensuing Hawkeye possession, which ultimately ended with a turnover. In her
first start since the Wolverines’ last win, Mitchell finished with her first career double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. Michigan’s comeback started in the third quarter when it changed its defensive strategy. After Iowa plowed through the Wolverines’ man-to-man defense to open the second half on a 6-0 run, Barnes Arico called a timeout and switched to a triangle-and-two defense. She also subbed out freshman center Hallie Thome for Mitchell, who added the physical grit that Michigan needed. When the clock started, Michigan went on a 12-0 run to close the scoring deficit to just seven points as the Wolverines face-guarded the Hawkeyes’ two starting point guards. “Even if a post player got the ball, they were immediately shaded or doubled,” Barnes Arico said. “It just got Iowa out
of what they wanted to do, and they were never really able to get in rhythm again.” Iowa, which didn’t stand a chance against a Michigan team quickly gaining momentum, went on another four-minute scoring drought in the final frame. At that point, the Wolverines opened with a pair of 3-pointers from junior guard Danielle Williams and freshman guard Nicole Munger. The Hawkeyes couldn’t score for the final 1:51 of the game, resorting to fouling to try to inch back into the game. But by that point, the game was decided, and Michigan finally found itself on the other end of a nail-biting game. “We’ve been tested like that so many times in different situations, and we’re just sick of losing, sick of working so hard and coming out on the opposite end,” Flaherty said. “It was our time to close a game out.”
Michigan kicks off second half against in-state rival Spartans By MINH DOAN Daily Sports Editor
When the Big Ten preseason polls were released at the beginning of the season, the No. 8 Michigan hockey team sat atop the Michigan vs. rankings. Michigan St. Just two Matchup: spots down in Michigan 11-3third place was 3; Michigan Michigan State, State 5-13-2 led by the 2015 When: Friday Big Ten Player 6:30 P.M., of the Year in Saturday goaltender Jake 7:05 P.M. Hildebrand. Where: With half Friday: Munn the season gone Ice Arena, and two weeks Saturday: Yost of Big Ten play Ice Arena completed, the TV/Radio: Friday: Wolverines (2-1-1 Big Ten, ESPNNEWS, Saturday: BTN 11-3-3 overall) have lived up to their expectations, dropping just four points out of 12 in their first four games and winning the
Great Lakes Invitational. The Spartans (1-3-0, 5-13-2), on the other hand, have not. Their season, filled with promise at the beginning, has unraveled, and the Spartans concluded 2015 with two heartbreaking overtime losses in the GLI. Hildebrand has had little support from the players in front of him, especially the defense, which was one of Michigan State’s strengths coming into the season. A 2015 first-team All-American and Mike Richter Award finalist, Hildebrand has a save percentage of just .903 on the season. In front of Hildebrand, forward Michael Ferrantino and Mackenzie MacEachern led the team with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Freshman defenseman Zach Osburn and freshman forward Mason Appleton have impressed in their first season in East Lansing, but the duo has not been enough to turn around the Spartans’ dismal season. Despite Michigan State’s
performance, Michigan-Michigan State has always been a big rivalry, and this year is no different. “No matter where (the Spartans) are in the Pairwise Rankings, I think that it’s such an old rivalry that it’ll be a tough game no matter what,” said sophomore defenseman Cutler Martin. “Whatever team that comes out to play is the team that will come out on top.” With a majority of players on both teams hailing from Michigan, there will be familiarity between the two teams. But with six crucial points on the line, the players have made it clear that the friendliness stops as soon as the puck is dropped. “When the game starts, it’s all business,” Martin, an East Lansing native, said. “They’re not my friends anymore, but I’m sure in the summer time, there are bragging rights for who takes care of business.” Added junior forward Tyler Motte: “It’s a rivalry. Maybe you give someone you know a bump after the whistle to say ‘How’s it
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Junior forward Tyler Motte is tied for the team lead in goals with 12 heading into Michigan’s series this weekend.
going,’ but between the whistle, it’s game on, especially against those guys.” For the Wolverines, confidence has been high all season, and the GLI championship was a cherry on top of a solid first half to the season. While Michigan has prided itself on its offensive firepower all season, it was the depth of the defense that shined through during the GLI. Missing in action were sophomore Zach Werenski, who was busy captaining the U.S. Junior team at the World Championships; junior Michael Downing, who was suspended from the GLI after a dangerous hit against Minnesota; and senior Kevin Lohan, who has been injured since November. Yet, the Wolverines let in just four goals in two games. In the trio’s absence, sophomore defenseman Sam Piazza was given a big opportunity. And he delivered, earning a goal and three assists, as well as All-Tournament honors. “It was different because it wasn’t the usual lineup, but I think we are very deep on defense,” Martin said. “It was good second-effort hockey. Everyone blocked shots.” But no one was more impressive at the GLI than freshman forward Kyle Connor, who many hockey experts thought should’ve been playing in Finland with Werenski. Connor was named tournament MVP after registering a goal and two assists, and capped off a month that saw him score 13 points in six games en route to winning the Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Rookie of the Month for December. Michigan will go into the back end of its season on track to make it back to the NCAA Tournament, a place the Wolverines have not been in three years. But to get there, they will need to continue to play well. And it all starts Friday in East Lansing.
Typically, Kelsey Mitchell is a soft-spoken person. But on Thursday night, she screamed. Following an emphatic block in the waning seconds in a win against Iowa, the senior forward roared after her energy-sapping rejection, staring down the Hawkeye who was sprawled out on the hardwood. “She’s a pretty even-keel person,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “But she does show emotion, and I think her showing emotion is a really good thing.” In her fourth career start, Mitchell took over in the fourth quarter. With 44 seconds left in the game, she scored to give the Wolverines their first lead since 1:52 remained in the first quarter. After Michigan’s deficit reached a high of 17, Mitchell led the team in the next three possessions with an offensive rebound, help on a defensive stop and another layup for a three-point lead. It was Mitchell’s turn to step up and take the reins of her position, and on Thursday night, she made the case that her spot in the starting lineup should be cemented. Her 15-point, 11-rebound doubledouble led Michigan to a muchneeded 82-75 win. “It was just a rush,” Mitchell said. “I was thinking, ‘We came too far to lose now, so we might as well come out with the win. It’s just one step at a time.’ ” The Wolverines have struggled at the ‘4’ and ‘5’ positions over the past few weeks. With the ‘4’ position in need of a consistent starter and freshman center Hallie Thome getting into foul trouble early in games, Barnes Arico needed her taller athletes to play disciplined in order to stay close against Iowa. Thome picked up two fouls in the first minute of Michigan’s last contest against Indiana, though did not commit any in the first quarter Thursday. Her 6-foot-5 frame kept the paint guarded, and she was able to pick up six points
in the quarter as her teammates easily tossed the ball over Thome’s defender for a quick catch-andshoot layup. At the ‘4’ position, Mitchell earned her fourth career start and scored four points to help Michigan stay tied, 19-19, with the Hawkeyes at the end of the first quarter. Her first basket came off of a slick spin move toward the basket that dizzied her Iowa counterpart. But while Thome stayed away from fouls, Mitchell fell victim to them. With 6:20 left in the second quarter, Mitchell picked up her third. Sophomore forward Jillian Dunston and freshman forward Sam Trammel took Mitchell’s place at the ‘4’ while she sat on the bench, but the pair only combined for two points by the end of the first half. Thome did look hesitant at times, sometimes allowing Hawkeyes to drive into the lane without their shots being contested in the paint. With just under two minutes left, Iowa guard Whitney Jennings missed a shot from behind the 3-point arc, but was able to grab her own rebound and zip past Thome for an easy two points. The basket sparked a 7-2 Iowa run to give the Hawkeyes a 43-34 lead going into the halftime break. Mitchell didn’t start the second half. Instead, her spot was occupied by junior guard Danielle Williams as the Wolverines went with a small, guard-heavy lineup. Mitchell replaced Thome with 8:06 left in the third quarter. After the substitution, Michigan went on an 8-0 run, anchored by a Mitchell layup. When the Wolverines cut the deficit to one, Mitchell took over again. “In the past, I feel like we pondered on mistakes a lot,” Mitchell said. “But in today’s game, our goal was to look past it and go with the next play.” Mitchell came into the lineup like a whisper, but ended with a much louder pitch. The noise she made is still sounding. “Tonight was Kelsey’s night,” Barnes Arico said.
SINDU KILARU/Daily
Kelsey Mitchell chipped in a double-double in the Wolverines’ upset win.
Sports
8 — Friday, January 8, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Purdue too much for ‘M’ By SIMON KAUFMAN Daily Sports Editor
WEST LAFAYETTE — Five minutes into the second half of the Michigan men’s basketball team’s game against MICHIGAN 70 PURDUE 87 Purdue on Thursday night, 7-foot Boilermaker center A.J. Hammons received the ball just outside of the paint. He dribbled once, thrust his backside against junior forward Mark Donnal, bodied himself into the paint, turned around and put away an easy shot. Three minutes later, 7-foot-2 center Isaac Haas used a screen to slip by redshirt freshman forward D.J. Wilson. Teammate P.J. Thompson lobbed up a pass, and Haas threw down a dunk to complete the alley-oop play. The Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 12-4 overall) played each of their four big men in an attempt to combat the 20th-ranked Boilermakers’ size, but Purdue’s (2-1, 14-2) frontcourt proved too much to handle, as Michigan fell, 87-70. The Boilermakers bullied Michigan’s bigs, outscoring the Wolverines 42-18 in the paint. Donnal started at the ‘5’ position for the second straight game after impressive performances against Illinois and Penn State. But Michigan coach John Beilein had a short leash on his big men in the first half. Wilson — who has been Michigan’s last big off the bench this season — was the first one off it Thursday. Wilson replaced Donnal less than two minutes into the contest after Donnal picked up his first foul. But Wilson didn’t last long himself and was replaced by sophomore forward Ricky Doyle after committing a foul of his own. The rotation continued with freshman forward Moritz Wagner subbing in for Doyle and eventually exiting soon after picking up his own foul.
Four minutes. Four different big men. Four fouls. On the offensive end, both teams struggled to find their respective strokes early on, combining to shoot 2-for-10 from the field in the game’s opening minutes. Michigan was able to keep pace in the first half, limiting Purdue’s bigs from finishing down low. The Wolverines held a four-point lead with less than five minutes, but a 12-0 Purdue run gave the Boilermakers a 35-28 lead into halftime. “The first half, I was so proud of the way our guys played defense,” Beilein said. “We were all over the place, we had the right — quick man we call it — when you can get the shooters, when you can give help off somebody. We made it tough for them. Second half, we just were not as good defensively. “Post defense is something you try to work at. Then you play the best in the country at post offense and it’s an eye opener.” Michigan’s second-half shooting was not enough to make up for its 10-for-31 first-half clip. The Wolverines’ big men struggled against Purdue’s size. Hammons tallied 11 points in the frame. After shooting 42 percent from the field in the first half, the Boilermakers went 16-for-21 in the second frame, including 7-for10 from 3-point range. As well as being undersized, Michigan was undermanned, too. Caris LeVert sat out for the second straight game with a left leg injury and did not partake in pregame warmups. Beilein said he shot around earlier in the day and was still in pain. Sophomore guard MuhammadAli Abdur-Rahkman started in his place and did his best to fill the shoes of Michigan’s leading scorer. Abdur-Rahkman used a quick dribble drive to penetrate Purdue’s defense and finished 10-for-16 for a game-high and new career-best 25 points. “We were dialing him up,”
By JORDAN HERBSTMAN For the Daily
The Michigan wrestling team was down, 6-0, and decided to turn to redshirt sophomore George Fisher to get the team going. For OREGON ST. 9 a sudden MICHIGAN 27 and muchneeded victory, Fisher defeated Oregon State’s Jack Hathaway, 3-1, to break the Beaver shutout and catapult No. 13 Michigan to a 13-0 scoring run. The scoring run launched the Wolverines (1-0 Big Ten, 5-1 overall) to a come-from-behind victory over the Beavers (3-4). The Wolverines continued to show signs of dominance after Fisher’s victory when sophomore Alec Pantaleo took to the mat and carried the momentum from Fisher’s victory. Pantaleo started his match strong with two quick takedowns and ended the first period with a 4-1 lead. In the second period, Pantaleo took control of his opponent, scoring both a takedown and a four-point near fall to give him a 10-2 lead going into the third period. Pantaleo finished off his match with three takedowns in the third period, leading to an 18-4 personal victory and a 7-6 overall lead for Michigan in the match. But this wasn’t Pantaleo’s first time facing redshirt junior Joey Delgado. “I wrestled that kid actually a month before at the Cliff Keen tournament and it was only a two or three-point match,” Pantaleo said. “I watched my match against him. I knew exactly what he was gonna do, and that’s why when I wrestled him, I didn’t go charging
at him. I stayed back. The wrestling was a lot smarter. The little tweaks make a big difference.” After going up 7-6, the Wolverines did not look back, losing only one of the six remaining matches. Another burst of dominance came right after Pantaleo’s match, when junior Brian Murphy earned a pin over Oregon State wrestler Abraham Rodriguez in the second period of their match. After a fourpoint near fall in the first period, Murphy finished off his opponent with the pin to give Michigan a 13-6 lead. “I brought up the intensity a little bit,” Murphy said. “I think that he wasn’t going to be able to hang with me, and I was able to eventually get the pin.” After an Oregon State victory to push the score to 13-9, Michigan turned to redshirt sophomore Davonte Mahomes to
Abdur-Rahkman steps in for LeVert By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored a career-high 25 points Thursday.
Beilein said. “He’s got that ability — I call it an East Coast type of thing — where he can get buckets, in the wind, in the rain, outdoors, indoors, crooked rims, anything. He just finds ways to score.” But the rest of Michigan’s roster struggled from the field, and Purdue turned defensive rebounds into made baskets on the other end. Purdue guard Rapheal Davis guarded redshirt sophomore Duncan Robinson — Michigan’s best option from deep — and helped limit him to just five attempts from beyond the arc and two makes. Junior guards Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin also struggled to find their strokes. Walton went 3-for-9 from the field for 12 points, and Irvin made just two field goals in 38 minutes. Abdur-Rahkman’s 15
Michigan rallies past Oregon State at home Wolverines go on 13-0 scoring run after falling behind 6-0 vs. Beavers
MEN’S BASKETBALL
regain the momentum. After leading 4-1 after the second period, Mahomes turned up the intensity and scored 10 points, en route to a major decision with a 14-2 victory. This gave the Wolverines a 17-9 lead and squashed any hopes of a Beaver comeback. “At first I started off a little slow,” Mahomes said. “But once I got really into the match, I started getting warmer and was constantly thinking scoring point after point.” The team effort put away Oregon State, and helped Michigan end on a 14-0 scoring run, leading a 27-9 final victory. “I’m happy with the way that I’m training and the way the team is training and how everything is looking right now,” Mahomes said. “It’s very important. It’s a team, so everyone has to perform at that high level, at the high caliber.”
second-half points helped keep Michigan in it, and the Wolverines trailed by just six with five minutes left. But they were never able to close the gap, and another 12-0 run by Purdue put the game out of reach. “We just tried to (cut the lead) as a team,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “Try to get back into a flow of offense and not be hammered by their defense, just get into our offense, play our game.” But Michigan’s game wasn’t enough to overcome Purdue’s size on both ends of the court. “They’re better defensively than us, there’s no question about that,” Beilein said. “We were getting tough baskets. They were getting easy baskets. We answered with it tough — they were getting it easy. Pretty soon, you’re not going to make the tough, they’re going to make the easy.”
WEST LAFAYETTE — Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman was raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania — close enough to the Atlantic Ocean, in Michigan men’s basketball coach John Beilein’s estimation, to qualify him as a basketball player of the “East Coast” variety. Or, translated from Beileinism to English: On certain nights, Abdur-Rahkman can essentially score at will. “He’s got this ability — I call it an East Coast type of thing — where he can get buckets in the rim, in the rain, outdoors, indoors, crooked rim, anything,” Beilein said Thursday after Michigan’s 87-70 loss at Purdue. “He just can find ways to score.” It certainly seemed that way, as Abdur-Rahkman dropped a career-high 25 points and almost singlehandedly kept Michigan close in a game that, despite the lopsided final score, remained competitive through its first 34 minutes. The outburst eclipsed the sophomore’s previous career best of 18 last season at Michigan State, a game that forced AbdurRahkman into the spotlight with then-junior guard Caris LeVert sidelined by a fractured foot. Eleven months later, with LeVert nursing an injury to his left leg once again, AbdurRahkman went a step further. Undaunted by the Boilermakers’ size, he took the ball to the rack repeatedly, lowering his shoulder and refusing to shy away from contact even in the face of his defenders’ chests. Though Abdur-Rahkman found ways to score last season, attempting to replace LeVert’s production for the first time, this type of performance on
the offensive end was out of the question. “Last year, early in the year, any time there was body contact, he wasn’t finishing,” Beilein said. “He’s probably made the best (season-to-season) jump. He just really takes it at you.” Abdur-Rahkman finished through contact, and when he did bounce away from a body-tobody blow, he seemed to always finish — most notably with a pair of twisting, turning layups on consecutive possessions early in the second half that kissed high off the glass before finding their way down. He got the job done outside the paint as well, bookending his performance with 3-pointers early in the first half and late in the second. The ability to avoid the outstretched arms of Purdue’s outsized front line was no accident. There’s no way to truly prepare for a game against a team with multiple 7-footers in a hostile Big Ten arena, especially as a 6-foot-4 guard. But somehow, Abdur-Rahkman’s shooting kept the Mackey Arena crowd of 13,063 grumbling throughout the second half, keeping Michigan alive as Purdue threatened to pull away. “I’m usually left open,” AbdurRahkman said. “I just try to knock down shots and keep the same game plan as usual.” Abdur-Rahkman was guarded closely far more often than he was left open Thursday, but regardless of his defenders, he may have to stick to the game plan a while longer. Beilein, as usual, gave few specifics as to LeVert’s status, saying merely that he participated in shootaround, experienced pain and did not play. But whether LeVert is out for another game or for another month, AbdurRahkman’s ability to shoulder the scoring load should provide at least some solace.
Underclassmen shine for ‘M’ By ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Writer
It has been a month since the Michigan wrestling team last used its starters in a match. Yet on Thursday, the Wolverines’ top group had no problem picking up right where it left off. Michigan hosted Oregon State in the first annual Joe Wells Classic, honoring former Michigan assistant coach and Oregon State head coach Joe Wells, who passed away last April. The match showcased quickness from the 13th-ranked Wolverines (1-0 Big Ten, 5-1 overall), who overwhelmed the Beavers (0-0 Pac 12, 3-4 overall) en route to a 27-9 victory. But the most significant takeaway from Thursday’s match was the performance of Michigan’s underclassmen: redshirt sophomore George Fisher, sophomore Alec Pantaleo, and redshirt freshman Davonte Mahomes. Fisher had been fighting a
near-even match against Oregon State’s Joey Palmer in the 133pound match, but Fisher gained momentum after a late 3rd-round escape, eventually earning a takedown in an overtime round to win the match, 3-1. At the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December, Pantaleo was only able to amass a slight 5-3 decision over the Beavers’ Joey Delgado. But on Thursday, Pantaleo dominated, beating Delgado handily in the 149-pound match, 18-3, to earn a major decision. Pantaleo finished with six takedowns and a near fall. One of the youngest members on the team, Pantaleo dismisses the notion that age matters. “With our team, there is no kind of age barrier,” Pantaleo said.
“Whether it be Max (Huntley) being a fifth-year senior or me being a true sophomore, we all know that when we step on the mat, it doesn’t matter.” Mahomes had a similar outlook. “It’s a team, so everyone has to perform at that high level,” Mahomes said. “That has to happen to everyone no matter if you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior.” Mahomes handled Oregon State’s Tyler Chay with ease, winning 14-2 in what was his best match of the season. Mahomes tallied three takedowns and a four-point near fall. Mahomes nearly got the fall, but he ran out of time in the final round. Junior Brian Murphy, who had the only pin of the night against Beaver wrestler Abraham Rodriguez in the 157pound match, spoke highly of the underclassmen and their performances against the Beavers. “We don’t think of them as underclassmen anymore,” Murphy said. “They’re so mature in their wrestling and everywhere else, so I don’t really notice it. I don’t think of them as underclassmen.” If Fisher, Mahomes and Pantaleo can continue to perform like they did against the Beavers, the Wolverines may find themselves back in contention for a national championship. “We don’t think of them as underclassmen anymore,” Murphy said. “They’re so mature in their wrestling and everywhere else so I don’t really notice it. I don’t think of them as underclassmen.” If Fisher, Mahomes and Pantaleo can continue to perform like they did against the Beavers, the Wolverines may find themselves back in the conversation for a national championship.
“With our team, there is no kind of age barrier.”
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Sophomore Alec Pantaleo started his match with two quick takedowns and finished with an 18-4 victory during Michigan’s decisive 13-0 scoring streak.