ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, February 19, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
STATE
HHS Sec. visits Flint to promote health care Sylvia Burwell touts federal aid to the city following water crisis
MAZIE HYAMS/Daily
University Provost Martha Pollack, who recommended Alec Gallimore for the position of the Dean of Engineering, speaks with Regent Denise Ilitch (D) after a Board of Regents meeting in the Michigan Union Thursday.
Board of Regents appoint new dean of Engineering
Alec Gallimore to succeed Dave Munson effective in June By LARA MOEHLMAN Daily Staff Reporter
At Thursday’s Board of Regents meeting, Alec D. Gallimore was appointed as the University of Michigan’s next Dean of Engineering, effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2021.
“As a successful scholar, educator and administrator who has dedicated his entire career to advancing the study and profession of engineering, Alec D. Gallimore is uniquely qualified to lead the College of Engineering,” University Provost Martha Pollack said in a statement. Gallimore is currently a tenured professor of areospace engineering, and the recipient of two named professorships: he is an Arthur F. Thurnau professor and the Richard F. and Eleanor
Towner Professor of Engineering. He will be succeeding Engineering Dean David Munson, who announced he would step down as dean in 2015. Munson began his tenure in 2006, and over the past 10 years has formed interdisciplinary collaborations with the Medical School and other schools, as well as brought about more entrepreneurship efforts. He has also aimed to unite students and faculty on North Campus through videos and Halloween parties.
Gallimore joined the University community in 1992 as an assistant professor in Aerospace Engineering. Since then, he has earned tenure in that department as well as held a joint appointment in the Applied Physics Program in LS&A. Additionally, from 2005-2011 he served as associate dean for academic programs and initiatives in the Rackham School of Graduate Studies as well as associate dean for research and graduate education in the College See REGENTS, Page 3
By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
Sylvia Burwell, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, visited a Flint health center to observe firsthand the city’s recovery efforts Thursday. “I came here today to spend time on the ground — listening, hearing what people are saying about the issues and what we are doing as a federal response,” Burwell said. Burwell and Nicole Lurie, U.S. assistant secretary for preparedness and response, who is leading the federal response and recovery effort in Flint, met with community leaders and elected officials, including Gov. Rick Snyder (R). Federal officials have provided assistance to the city amist the water crisis. The federal and state government both declared a state
HEALTH
CITY
Potential virus outbreak traced to South Quad Confirmation of illness, suspected to be norovirus, to be announced soon BY ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
By Thursday afternoon, the number of cases of suspected norovirus on campus had grown by an additional 30 cases reported as of Wednesday according to Robert Winfield, executive director of University Health Services. Confirmation of whether the outbreak is indeed norovirus is expected by Friday or Monday, The University’s Office of Public Affairs said. While the origin of the outbreak remains unknown, Winfield said most cases from earlier in the week could be traced back to South and West Quad dining halls. However he noted the outbreak may have now spread beyond the dining halls. “It appears that most (cases) have been identified as at South and West Quads, but we’ve had as of yesterday — and I don’t know (the information as of) this morning — cases that have been seen in North Quad, Baits and Markley,” Winfield said. “Those are small numbers as far as I know. I really don’t have numbers with respect to housing, this is just what we’ve seen in health services.” Dining hall attendance seems to have drastically decreased over the past few days, as demonstrated
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 52 LO: 29
by a feature in the Michigan app that shows how full the dining halls are at any given moment. However, Winfield said now there is no need for students to be concerned about eating at the dining halls. All of the food present in South Quad on Monday was taken away and the area has been extensively cleaned, according to Winfield. In an e-mail to all LSA department chairs, to be shared with faculty members Thursday night, Monika R. Dressler, Director, LSA Instructional Support Services, provided protocol for if a student throws up or becomes sick in a classroom. Protocol includes, “Have someone escort the student to University Health Services or, if the student is in severe distress, call 911. Call LSA Instructional Support Services 734-615-0100 immediately. ISS staff will call Plant Operations to send out a cleaning crew. LSA ISS and the Registrar’s Office will work to find alternate spaces for classes (if possible) until Building Services has had time to execute their cleaning protocol.” In the e-mail, Dressler confirmed at least one student has thrown up in a classroom so far. Have your students leave the room as best as they are able. Winfield also noted that the number of cases being reported at this time are just rough estimates, saying that the University has encouraged students to avoid seeking medical services unless absolutely necessary, to avoid further spread of the illness. See VIRUS, Page 3
of emergency for the city of Flint due to toxic levels of lead in the water supply following a switch to the Flint River in April 2014. President Barack Obama declared the emergency on Jan. 16, following Snyder’s declaration on Jan. 12. The water being supplied to the residents and businesses of Flint is laced with lead due to corrosion in the city’s pipes from the effects of the Flint River water, though the supply has been switched back to Detroit water since October. Burwell toured Hamilton Community Health Network, a local health center now concentrating on providing blood-lead level testing and other services to the families affected by lead contamination of the water. HCHN was founded in 1982 in response to the medical needs of low-income families in Flint. Beside services for the health issues stemming from the water contamination, HCHN provides medical, dental and social services. The Department of Human and Health Services granted $500,000 to Flint health centers, which will See HEALTH, Page 3
Faculty vie for positions on Ann Arbor commissions City officials will not factor ties to University into decision process By MARLEE BREAKSTONE Daily Staff Reporter
SARAH SQUIRE/Daily
Former Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky discusses the importance of U.S. international leadership in foreign affairs along with former Ambassador Richard Boucher and former Department of Defense analyst Phillip Lohaus at Weill Hall on Thursday.
Ford talk focuses on U.S. international leadership Political experts discuss impact on global economy and security By TIM COHN For the Daily
Phillip Lohaus, a research fellow at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, discussed the role of America in international leadership at the Ford School of Public Policy Thursday. Lohaus, who worked as an analyst at the Department of
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
Defense from 2006 to 2012, was the editor for the AEI report “Why American Leadership Still Matters,” which was authored by former Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I–Conn.) and former Sen. Jon Kyl (R– Ariz.). The report advocates for an increase in United States involvement in foreign affairs, and the promotion of free enterprise principles globally. In his opening address, Lohaus told the audience that U.S. involvement in international affairs has had a positive impact on the international economy and global security, and current patterns of disengagement have
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Read full Regents story online MICHIGANDAILY.COM/SECTION/NEWS
INDEX
had troubling consequences. “Events, since 2013, have highlighted just how much is at stake when America pulls back from its leadership role in world affairs,” Lohaus said. “In Europe, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has annexed the Crimean Peninsula and conducted an undeclared war in Eastern Ukraine, and in the Middle East the ongoing Syrian Civil War has had a devastating toll in lives lost and refugees created and has created a space for the armies of the Islamic State to conquer key Iraqi cities of Ramadi and Mosul.” In defining “Why American See FORD, Page 3
Vol. CXXV, No. 77 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
Two University of Michigan faculty members were introduced as possible appointments to Ann Arbor city commissions at City Council on Tuesday — but councilmembers said their ties to the University will not be a factor in the Council’s decision. David Baum, assistant dean of Student Life and special counsel to the dean, is applying to be on the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission and Karie Slavik, associate director of UM Biological Station, is interested in serving on the Ann Arbor Environmental Commission. Baum has been a resident of Ann Arbor for more than 20 years and said in an interview he was drawn to the city after his acceptance at the University. He graduated in 1989, completing undergraduate and law degrees. During his time in the city, Baum has developed ties both to the community and the current councilmembers, he said. Baum and councilmember Julie Grand (D-Ward 3) are longtime friends and neighbors, and Baum attended law school with Grand’s husband. Grand said she believes Baum’s empathy makes him a strong candidate See COMMISSION, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS...............6
SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS.................5 SPORTS................7
News
2 — Friday, February 19, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: FEB. 12-18
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com SHOHAM GEVA ROSE FILIPP
LEFT: Supporters vocalize their agreement with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (D—Vt.) ideas of political revolution at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center on Monday. (KRISTINA PERKINS/Daily)
Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 sageva@michigandaily.com
Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 rfilipp@michigandaily.com
734-418-4115 opt. 3
news@michigandaily.com
RIGHT: Lillian Faderman, English
Corrections
Letters to the Editor
corrections@michigandaily.com
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Newsroom
professor at California State University at Fresno, spoke on lesbian feminist movements in the 1970’s and 1980’s at Lane Hall on Thursday. (DELANEY RYAN /Daily)
NEED PHOTOS?
MORE
Arts Section
Editorial Page
arts@michigandaily.com
opinion@michigandaily.com
Sports Section
Photography Section
sports@michigandaily.com
photo@michigandaily.com
Display Sales
Classified Sales
dailydisplay@gmail.com
classified@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL STAFF Laura Schinagle Managing Editor Emma Kerr Managing News Editor
Claire Bryan and Regan Detwiler Editorial Page Editors
emkerr@michigandaily.com
opinioneditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR OPINION EDITORS: Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Stephanie Trierweiler
Max Bultman and Jake Lourim Managing Sports Editors
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Communication History of skills workshop Latin America
Bolivian politics
WHAT: Jaqueline Doneghy of Human Resources will host a seminar to help attendees sharpen listening and communication skills and gain social confidence. WHO: Learning and Professional Development WHEN: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. WHERE: Administrative Services Building
WHAT: This lecture will focus on child labor in Bolivia, especially the Child and Adolescent Code that violates international labor laws. WHO: Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies WHEN: 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: School of Social Work Building, room 1644
WHAT: Impact Dance will be performing their Spring Show both tonight and Saturday night. Tickets purchased online ahead of time cost $8 for adults and $7 for students. All tickets purchased at the door are $9. WHO: Impact Dance, Michigan Union Ticket Office WHEN: 7 p.m. WHERE: Power Center for the Performing Arts
schlaura@michigandaily.com
SENIOR NEWS EDITORS: Allana Akhtar, Alyssa Brandon, Jacqeline Charniga, Katie Penrod, Emma Kinery ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: Riyah Basha, Marlee Breakstone, Desiree Chew, Anna Haritos, Tanya Madhani, Camy Metwally, Lydia Murray, Caitlin Reedy, Alexa St. John. Brandon Summers-Miller
See more Photos of the Week on our website, michigandaily.com.
Impact dance
News Tips
WHAT: This workshop will focus on strategies to improve freedom in environments of repression and violence, particularly regarding 19th century to present day Latin America. WHO: Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies WHEN: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. WHERE: Tisch Hall, room 1014
Arab LGBTQ dinner, talk WHAT: The Middle East and Arab Network will host a community dinner and discussion. Prof. Charlotte Karem-Albrecht will speak about the struggles that LBGTQ Arabs encountered. WHO: Spectrum Center WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: North Quad
Talent showcase
Philhamonia UMix game orchestra night
WHAT: Kappa Alpha Psi will host “A Night at the Set,” a multicultural talent showcase for students. All tickets cost $12 and can be purchased online. WHO: Michigan Union Ticket Office WHEN: 7:11 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Rogel Ballroom
WHAT: Conducted by Oriol Sands, the UPO will perform Brahms Serenade No. 1. This is one of Brahms’ first orchestral works and includes strong classical instrument performances. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: 8 p.m. WHERE: Hill Auditorium
WHAT: UMix will host a game night featuring Minute to Win It games, board games, video games and Pop Culture Clash. “Spectre” will be screened at 10:30 p.m. and will be accompanied by a nacho bar. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. WHERE: Michigan Union
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
The Senate Intelligence Committee is working on a new encryption bill, according to The Wall Street Journal. The proposed bill would create criminal penalties for companies that fail to comply with court orders to decipher encrypted communications.
2
A Chicago judge will hear testimony on Ted Cruz’s eligibility as a Republican presidential candidate, given his birthplace is in Canada, CNN reported. Illinois resident Lawrence Joyce, a Ben Carson supporter, brought the case to court.
3
Pope Francis called out presidential candidate Donald Trump for his stances on immigration, which he said weren’t in accordance with Christian values, CNN reported. The remarks came after the Pope visited the Mexican border.
sportseditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Minh Doan, Jacob Gase, Kelly Hall, Simon Kaufman, Jason Rubinstein, Zach Shaw, Brad Whipple ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: Betelhem Ashame, Chris Crowder, Sylvanna Gross, Leland Mitchinson, Ted Janes, Kevin Santo,
Kathleen Davis and Adam Theisen Managing Arts Editors
arts@michigandaily.com
SENIOR ARTS EDITORS: Caroline Filips, Melina Glusac, Jacob Rich, Ben Rosenstock ARTS BEAT EDITORS: Matthew Barnauskas, Christian Kennedy, Rebecca Lerner, Natalie Zak
Amanda Allen and Grant Hardy Managing Photo Editors
photo@michigandaily.com
SENIOR PHOTO EDITORS: Zoey Holmstrom, Zach Moore, James Coller ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Claire Abdo, Robery Dunne, Sam Mousigian, San Pham, David Song
Anjali Alangaden and design@michigandaily.com Mariah Gardziola Managing Design Editors Karl Williams Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com DEPUTY STATEMENT EDITORS: Nabeel Chollampat and Tori Noble STATEMENT PHOTO EDITOR: Zoey Holmstrom STATEMENT LEAD DESIGNER: Shane Achenbach
Emily Campbell and Alexis Nowicki Managing Copy Editors
copydesk@michigandaily.com
SENIOR COPY EDITORS: Taylor Grandinetti and Jose Rosales
Nivedita Karki
Managing Online Editor
nivkarki@michigandaily.com
SENIOR WEB DEVELOPERS: Dylan Lawton and Bob Lesser
Levin Kim Managing Video Editor
SENIOR VIDEO EDITORS: Michael Kessler, Abe Lofy, Emma Winowiecki
Demario Longmire, Gaby Vasquez, Ryan Moody, Sarah Khan Michigan in Color Editors Michael Schramm Special Projects Manager Emma Sutherland Social Media Editor
BUSINESS STAFF
Hussein Hakim Finance and Operations Manager Claire Ulak Production Manager Jordan Yob Marketing Manager Matt Pfenning UAccounts Manager Asja Kepes Local Accounts Manager Chris Wang Classifieds Manager Colin Cheesman National Accounts Manager Anna He Special Guides and Online Manager Claire Butz Layout Manager
The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Community leaders express concerns about water safety Ann Arbor’s groundwater is center of talks with officials, activists By BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporter
Amid some public concerns over the safety of Ann Arbor’s groundwater, representatives of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality took
questions from local leaders at Washtenaw County’s Board of Commissioners working session on Thursday evening. The contaminated plume of groundwater that several residents have raised concerns about — which lies beneath Scio Township and Ann Arbor and is slowly moving toward the Huron River — originated from Gelman Sciences, which improperly disposed of 1,4-dioxane into the groundwater between 1966 and 1986.
However, 1,4-dioxane has never been detected in Ann Arbor’s water supply, and a network of monitoring wells have been maintained by the DEQ and GelmanPall Corporation, Gelman’s successor company as of 1992. Public scrutiny regarding the Gelman Plume had been largely dormant for years, and was reignited after the Flint water crisis. On Feb. 1, Ann Arbor City Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding the DEQ adopt more stringent cleanup standards, in response to calls for action from members of the public. Current DEQ cleanup standards for dioxane are set at 85 parts per billion in groundwater, despite the fact that EPA guidelines state that dioxane carries a one in 100,000 cancer risk at 3.5 parts per billion. At the plume’s most concentrated points, test wells have detected concentrations in excess of 1,000 parts per billion. At Thursday’s meeting, local officials and members of the Washtenaw County Coalition for Remediation of Dioxane — a consortium of local activists and governments — put forth a series of complaints and requests to the DEQ. CARD members Kristen Schweighoefer, Washtenaw County environmental health director, and Roger Rayle, chair of Scio Residents for Safe Water, demanded the state take more assertive legal action against Pall Corporation to compel a more thorough cleanup. They also said they wanted DEQ to revise its cleanup standards to be in line with the EPA, and voiced worry that a new
northward growth of the plume poses an immediate threat to numerous residential drinking wells in Ann Arbor. “How long can we really let this plume expand without taking aggressive action?” Rayle said. Mike Moran, Ann Arbor Township supervisor, expressed frustration toward the state government for failing to address the issue, adding that he was actively exploring turning the plume into a superfund site that would prompt EPA intervention. Superfunds are sites targeted by the agency for cleanup. “Simply stated, I have lost my confidence in the state of Michigan to do what needs to be done to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion,” Moran said. In response, Bob Wagner, chief of the DEQ Remediation
and Redevelopment Division, acknowledged the importance of the group’s concerns and said the DEQ was acting on them. He added, however, that he is operating under court-imposed constraints limiting what the Gelman-Pall Corporation can be compelled to comply with. “We’re not in a situation where groundwater restoration is going to happen; we are in a risk management situation” said Wagner. Wagner also said the state’s dioxane safety standards would be revised soon, though he acknowledged that previous deadlines for revision had been missed due to unforeseen complications in the department’s calculations. “While it has taken us some time, and I’ll be the first to say that we didn’t hit our projected end date, we are still working on it, we are working on it every
day, every weekend. This will get done,” Wagner said. Yousef Rabhi (D), county vice chair of the Board of Commissioners, criticized Wagner for what he viewed as DEQ’s inadequate answers. He also accused the department of not being beholden to public interests. “Frankly, if you guys give me a timeline, I’m just as much going to assume you’re not going to get it done in 30 years,” Rabhi said to Wagner. “Your timelines have no credibility with me because you’ve broken my trust multiple times.” “What am I going to tell my constituents, ‘Sorry, you’re never going to get that water cleaned up?’ That’s what I heard,” continued Rabhi. “I am going to do everything in my power to fight that, and to make sure the DEQ must clean up this environmental catastrophe.
FOLLOW US @MICHIGANDAILY
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
HEALTH From Page 1
VIRUS From Page 1
be divided equally amongst HCHN and the Genesee Health System. Social workers at HCHN are helping Flint children and adults cope with emotional trauma from the crisis. Part of the $250,000 going toward HCHN will address these behavioral issues, as well as another $250,000 grant given to the Genesee Health System. “We are … including behavioral health issues. It will be important both to the children and to the community as well,” Burwell said. Burwell was met with many questions regarding plans for future funding toward the Flint recovery during her visit. While Burwell couldn’t give exact numbers, the department released a statement on a proposed major expansion of Medicaid coverage for the children and pregnant women of Flint. This expansion would cover blood-lead level monitoring, behavioral health services, nutritional support and targeted case management. “I don’t think the money numbers perfectly reflect all that the federal government is doing at this point. Medicare expansion will be a large part of the effort,” Burwell said. “Our objective is the community and the problem. When we get up every day we look at the charts, and we look at the progress of the two fundamental things we are trying to do.” According to Burwell, the federal government hopes to reach the point where clean and safe water is accessible to every citizen of Flint both in the short and long term. The government is also working to discern the cause of the lead contamination and how best to mitigate it. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D–Flint), who attended the event, met with Burwell and her team to address localized plans and assess the effectiveness of the federal government’s aid in Flint. “The president responded almost immediately. He asked the director of a federal agency to take the lead, which is a big commitment,” Kildee said. “This isn’t about anything but trying to get solutions for the people of Flint and spending time with citizens and community leaders. I think they really felt that they had a listening ear today.” During her visit, Burwell also addressed the general outline of a plan coordinated for everyone involved in Flint’s recovery. The federal government has put 70 people in Flint to help maintain a coordinated response between Flint and all the groups involved in its relief, she said. “I think what is fair to say is that we are working very hard … I think we can always be more coordinated and do better and more,” Burwell said. “I think most people are agreeing of the basic plan of distributing water and figuring out the interim steps… There is a basic agreement on those as being the general steps we need to take.”
This has resulted in there being no reliable way of knowing for sure what percentage of those affected are coming in and what percentage are not seeking medical help. “Now that the word is out, which is, ‘it’s going around’ and ‘don’t come in unless you need to,’ we really have no good way of grasping the total number,” Winfield said. “From that, we can say it is continuing, but we don’t know whether it’s continuing up, flattening out or starting to drop down, and we won’t be able to find that out from these numbers.” The best treatment, he added, depends on how sick a student is. “We encourage people to start with ice chips if they’ve been vomiting, and then see if they can tolerate sips of water,” he said. Once a student can drink water, doctors suggest drinking liquids such as Gatorade to rehydrate. Winfield said it could take anywhere between a couple of hours up to three days for someone to start feeling better. Over the past few days students have expressed concerns about the University’s spread of the notification about the virus and ongoing efforts related to academic accomodations for sick students. Engineering freshman Steven McPherson, also a resident of South Quad, said he would have prefered to be made aware of the illness sooner. “ I really would have liked a notification e-mail earlier than two days after people started throwing up everywhere,” McPherson said. Both McPherson and LSA freshman Cameron Misko said they found out about the illness from social media, particularly Yik Yak, and word of mouth. Winfield said there were initial doubts about what was happening that justified the delay. “There’s something that seems it’s in common with South Quad and West Quad dining services, but we have cases where we can’t make that connection,” Winfield said. “Those foods are available to us for trying to identify source of illness, but they are gone from the service of food.” “I really wasn’t sure what was going on at first and perhaps overly cautious in getting out a communication before I understood what was going on,” Winfield said. “I was hesitant to communicate before I had a better sense of what was happening.” Kim Broekhuizen, public affairs and media relations representative for Public Affairs, highlighted in an e-mail to the Daily that the University e-mail to students specified that students who were affected by the illness should isolate themselves until they are without symptoms for 48 hours. The Office of the Provost has also released an e-mail to deans, encouraging faculty members to be flexible with regard to accommodating students who report being ill and would be unable to attend class, take exams or turn in assignments, Broekhuizen said. “We are still waiting for test results to confirm whether the outbreak is norovirus,” Broekhuizen wrote. “That information is expected tomorrow afternoon or Monday.” Professors of Stats 250, the most enrolled-in course on campus, released an e-mail Thursday specifying special midterm accommodations for students who are sick or who feel they may be sick. Reports of similar e-mails have been confirmed in various University classes. “If you have experienced the symptoms that have been reported ... in the past few days and have not felt well for two days past the experience of these symptoms, do not attend Exam 1 this evening,” the e-mail read. “We do not want you to have to take the exam while ill and do not want to expose students who would not otherwise be exposed to this illness.” Amir Baghdadchi, director of communications for University Housing, said the most crucial thing sick students can do is isolate themselves from others. “We have to remember that
REGENTS From Page 1 of Engineering. According to a press release, his research interests include electric propulsion, plasma diagnostics, space plasma simulation, electrode physics and nano-particle energetics. In 1992, he created the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory, which has become a successful laboratory with 50 graduate alumnae incuding 36 Ph.D and 14 Master’s alumni. His achievements have been recognized with several academic awards, including the 2002 Aerospace Engineering Award for Outstanding accomplishments. In 2005, he was awarded the University’s Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award as well as the Air Force Decoration for Meritorious Civilian Service. Gallimore’s contributions to the Air Force earned him a spot on the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 2001-2005. Gallimore received his B.S. in aeronautical engineering in 1986 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, later receiving his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from Princeton in 1988 and 1992. “I am confident that he brings the experience, energy, and demonstrated leadership to guide the college to greater visibility as a true exemplar of innovation, thus placing it in the highest echelon of institutions worldwide,” Pollack said.
News illnesses like this are extremely contagious,” Baghdadchi said. “We’re encouraging students to stay in their rooms and avoid going to classes. If you want to get well, until 48 hours after you feel those symptoms, you should stay in your room.” Baghdadchi acknowledged that many students, especially those sick, are concerned about getting their meals. “Students are using Feelbetter meals, and what the students sick can do, is they can actually work with a friend to order that meal and then have that friend deliver it for them,” Baghdadchi said. “We’re making this as available as we can for all the students who have meal plans who live in the halls.” For students who are not affected, Baghdadchi agreed with Winfield and said there is little reason to hesitate going to the dining halls. “Those who aren’t ill will find when they go to the dining halls that we have stepped up cleaning procedures across our system, in all residence halls and in all dining centers,” Baghdadchi said. “We are, across all residence hall bathrooms and all dining halls, using a higher level protocol for cleaning. Extra measures are being taken to keep it safe.” There are indicators that this is not a foodborne illness but a viral-based illness, Baghdadchi added. “We are using this special higher-level protocol, where we use cleaning agents approved by the federal government that targets specifically norovirus,” Baghdadchi said. “The intensity of cleaning is much greater and it’s actually designed to target this kind of outbreak.” Jeff Bogos, kitchen manager at Au Bon Pain said the staff at Au Bon Pain has been working to maintain cleaning procedures and has brought in extra hand sanitation. “We don’t want that to spread any worse than it already has,” Bogos said. Because produce at Au Bon Pain is ordered daily, Bogos said the restaurant has been ordering extra food to keep up with the high demands. “We’re up probably 40 to 50 percent (in sales),” Bogos said. “The feedback from the students is they don’t want to eat (at South Quad) and I don’t blame them.” Sick students have also complained about having difficulty getting in contact with their professors and getting special accommodations, particularly for midterms. “The University is communicating all across faculty and through the Record and many channels so that all faculty and instructors know that this is going on on campus, and this is what students are dealing with,” Baghdadchi said. LSA freshman Kyra Jamison lives in West Quad and said she knows two people who have been affected by the suspected norovirus. “One of them went to UHS,” Jamison said, adding she later decided to go home to Sterling Heights to recover. “The other one said she didn’t want to walk there so she’s staying in her room all day.” Misko who lives in South Quad, said the majority of his hall has been experiencing telltale symptoms of the norovirus. “A lot of friends from my hall (got sick),” Misko said. “One of them did (go to UHS), but most of the other ones are just trying to handle it on their own. They are isolating themselves.” For students who have not yet caught the illness, yet live with roommates who are sick, Misko said from what he has seen, many people are trying to avoid their roommates. However, considering close quarters, Misko noted it seemed impossible to avoid the illness completely. Freshman Javin Etchison, who studies exercise science at Washtenaw Community College and works at South Quad dining hall, said the dining hall has been making adjustments based on the recent outbreak. “We’re still preparing the same food, just a little more cautiously, a lot more washing hands, changing gloves,” Etchison said. “Instead of students being able to grab the food themselves, we serve the food to them, so they can’t touch food and put it back.”
FORD From Page 1 Leadership Still Matters,” Lohaus said the collaborators on the report identified three pillars of American engagement in the world, which he stated were military security, economics and human freedom. Former ambassadors and current Ford School Profs. Richard Boucher and Melvyn Levitsky also joined the discussion panel. Boucher, a former U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, responded to Lohaus, saying he believed the report relied too heavily on platitudes. “It uses phrases like ‘proactive,’ ‘persistent’ and ‘powerful’ — which, frankly to most of the world sounds like ‘pushy,’ ‘preachy’ and ‘punchy,’ ” Boucher said.
COMMISSION From Page 1 to serve on the Human Rights Commission. The Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission, previously called the Human Relations Commission, was created by City Council in 1957 under Mayor Sam Eldersveld. The commission is comprised of nine Ann Arbor residents, appointed by the mayor and City Council, who are responsible for dealing with issues pertaining to discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. According to the commission’s mission statement, “(The commission) serves as a watchdog to protect the human and civil rights of the people of Ann Arbor.” Grand said she thought Baum’s personality would make him well suited for this position, noting that the role has little to do with his University experience. “He’s incredibly smart and just a lovely person,” Grand said. “He’s the type of person that you want to see serving the city to some capacity.”
Friday, February 19, 2016 — 3 He urged that the government should instead take a more active role in diplomacy rather than military confrontation, and use the military as a means of dealing in international affairs. In regard to the role of the military, he warned, “If you are a hammer, then everything you see becomes a nail.” Levitsky, former ambassador to Brazil, praised the AEI report, which he said was reminiscent of President Barack Obama’s 2015 report on national security strategy. Levitsky’s remarks focused on American commitment to international human rights. Speaking to American diplomatic successes in that arena, he cited the pressure that former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger placed on USSR ministers during World War II, which he said then led to the release of roughly 120,000 Soviet Jews from prisons and gulags.
“One of the things that was interesting about the (Edward) Snowden WikiLeaks was that many (of the released documents) were international cables, reports that showed how much America was doing in quiet diplomacy in a number of countries,” he said. “We were trying to convince several governments, that we had relationships with, to treat the oppositions better, to not jail them, and to release those who were jailed.” Public Policy senior Grace Lutfy, who helped organize the event, said after the event that she thought the discussion was a success. “We had a really good turnout across all generations, which was really nice to see,” Lutfy said. “I thought the panelists were fabulous; they were very knowledgeable about the issues, and the question-and-answer section really brought out their strengths on the subjects.”
For Grand, Baum’s University connection does not affect his status as an Ann Arbor resident. She said the city and the University are essentially separate entities. Councilmember Zachary Ackerman (D–Ward 3) has known Baum since elementary school, when Baum was his his third and fourth grade baseball coach, and said he thinks he would be a good addition to the Human Rights Commission. “His reputation as a dean of the Law School is as a fair and honest educator and administrator,” Ackerman said. Baum said he was contacted directly by Mayor Christopher Taylor and asked to apply for this position. Taylor was a law student at the University when Baum began his career as an administrator. “We’ve been friends and colleagues really for about the last 15 years, so I think he thought of me based on his experiences with me as somebody who might be willing and interested,” Baum said. In his application for the position, Baum said he believed he would be a good fit for the
Human Rights Commission because of his values. “I believe strongly in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and also that our society should strive constantly to eliminate wrongful discrimination,” Baum wrote. “I believe I would contribute positively to the community by serving on the AAHRC.” Additionally, Baum said his tenure on the Educational Environment Committee at the Law School, during which he worked with students, faculty and administrators to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, will help him in his new role with the city. “I, at the Law School, have been involved for years working with students who are minorities — racial minorities, gay and lesbian or disabled students amongst others,” Baum said. “My experiences will help provide me with some very helpful context with which to approach my work on the Ann Arbor Human Rights Council,” he added.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Opinion
4 — Friday, February 19, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
DARIAN RAZDAR | MICHIGAN IN COLOR 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
CLAIRE BRYAN AND REGAN DETWILER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LAURA SCHINAGLE MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Life in the time of norovirus
M
ost mornings, I am awoken by the shrill ring of my alarm clock alerting me that it is time to stumble out of bed and sleepily begin my day — an unsettling tactic, but also effective. However, this particular Wednesday morning, I was awoken by something much more troubling. While I grabbed my phone to turn off my alarm, I opened a picture message that caused my jaw to rapidly drop in disbelief. When my friend Meg thrust open her door to go to the bathroom, she was immediately confronted with the remnants of someone’s vomit splattered across the dimly lit hallway of West Quad. Of course, she had to document the moment, along with the caption, “Oh, hell no.” For something that had once been mere distant chatter, the norovirus outbreak entered our lives in a manner similar to the suddenness with which it strikes its victims. Eating pre-packaged oatmeal safe in the confines of my dorm room, I grew more and more fearful as the reports of widespread vomiting accumulated — especially on Yik Yak, the perfect breeding ground for fear-mongering alarmists. As the day wore on, I began to feel like I was starring in some sort of twisted quarantine-style horror film. I had already been wary of dining halls in the past, and the virus’s suspected connection to South Quad Dining Hall completely destroyed my appetite for any food that had been set out in the vicinity of potentially ill students. I didn’t take the buses due to reports of people getting sick on the already jampacked transportation. The Ross Academic Center was closed early to be deep cleaned. A friend that had been perfectly healthy at lunchtime was puking by the afternoon. Despite how terrible the events occurring are, I heard multiple people make remarks that the mass hysteria was sort of “entertaining” and “exciting.” Why is it that humans tend to lose all sense of rationality when outbreaks occur, and seem to delight in doing so? Though the term “contagion” is usually used to refer to the spread of illness, the more specific phrase “social contagion” refers to the idea that moods and thoughts can become contagious in large group settings. As soon as individuals enter into a group, they begin to feel that they are both “anonymous and invincible” — a feeling accelerated today by the influx of social media apps and online messaging sites available. People say whatever they want, with no fear of the repercussions because they seemingly have the entire group on their side. Then the “contagion” occurs, and the members of the group fall susceptible to extreme suggestibility. High on emotion and fear, they engage in a period of extreme interaction, finely attuned to the stress that other group members face. An “us against them” mentality is quickly created: students versus norovirus, or maybe even more so, students against the administration’s handling of the norovirus. This type of contagion was prevalent during such events as the French Revolution, the Cold
War and the Ebola outbreak, and still exists today… right in the middle of campus. However, these feelings of heightened fear can actually weaken one’s immune system rather than protect it. Worrying will not necessarily let germs into the body, but worrying increases the level of cortisol in one’s immune system, which will in turn reduce the antibodies that help fight infection. When one experiences a time of prolonged stress, his or her body needs white blood cells, but cortisol will continue to suppress these blood cells. A weak immune system, without the necessary cells needed for protection, is much more likely to become infected. As I sat in West Quad realizing I was still healthy and unaffected by the virus, the humor behind my earlier hysterics rapidly set in. With my friends, it was so easy to get all wrapped up in the frenzy and pretend that we were all inevitably going to contract the sickness and go down in flames. But now, by myself, I realized that I was simply falling victim to the crowd mentality. With something like a sickness, this type of social contagion is a little more benign. But when a crowd gathers about ideas dealing with important societal issues, this behavior can quickly become insidious. How many times have you started believing something just because those around you said it was true? As I’m writing this, the sun is shining brightly from a sky unblemished by clouds, the temperature is warm and two more of my friends spent their nights hunched over the toilet, victims of the norovirus. Yet, I’m OK. In this situation, just as much as any situation, it’s extremely important to maintain a calm exterior and not let oneself get wrapped up into the craziness. I’m choosing to go about my routine as normal, with a little extra hand-washing thrown in of course, and calmly acknowledging the extra precautions the University has instituted to keep students safe and housecleaners brandishing disinfectants and face masks. Chief Health Officer Robert Winfield sent out an e-mail Feb. 17 reminding students to wash their hands frequently and isolate themselves for at least 48 hours after symptoms subside. I can never predict what the future may bring. I’m sure that as the number of days remaining until Spring Break continues to dwindle, the sick toll will only rise. I myself have a very real chance of getting sick. Yet, unless I actually do, I’m going to actively try to reduce my own contribution to all of norovirus’ hype. Norovirus, in all of its grimy glory, is extremely unpleasant and worthy of discussion, but soon it will pass and students will find a new cause or issue to rally around. Students will begin to return to classes, vomit remnants will be scrubbed from the halls and one day — one fateful day — the South Quad dining hall will be restored to its former glory.
“Two of my friends spent their nights hunched over the toilet, victims of the norovirus. Yet, I’m OK.”
—Kaela Theut can be reached at ktheut@umich.edu
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Kit Maher, Madeline Nowicki, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Kevin Sweitzer, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Hunter Zhao
IN CHAN LEE
E-mail in chan at tokg@umich.edu
O
In solidarity with Flint
n Feb. 6, I attended the University of Michigan’s first tri-campus summit at the UM-Flint campus, where I had the opportunity to meet inspiring, engaged students from all three campuses. I heard the stories of students from Dearborn and Flint who do so much admirable work toward social justice and equity in their communities — those of whom I wouldn’t have been able to know about otherwise. In particular, I met students from the Flint campus who not only are committed to responding to their city’s water crisis, but are living it every day. Unlike many of us in Ann Arbor — no matter how much we think we know or want to help in this situation — these students have the experience of going to university while in the midst of one of the most public urban crises in the United States. For more than two years, Flint, Mich., has been on the receiving end of state-sanctioned violence. The city of about 100,000 people is about 57-percent Black/African American, and has been dealing with lead-laden water since the former emergency manager, Darnell Earley, decided to switch the water infrastructure from the Detroit supply to the Flint River. As many of us know by now, this had dire consequences: The chemistry of the river water proved corrosive almost immediately after the switch occurred, exposing lead in many of the pipes carrying the water — a problem that continued even after the supply was switched back to Detroit in October because of the corrosion. Flint residents started reporting dirty, smelly water and health impacts (rashes, hair loss, breathing problems, burning eyes, etc.) in the first months after the switch. This was in April 2014 — almost two years ago. Since then nearly a dozen people in Flint have died of Legionnaires’ disease (positively correlated with lead exposure), all of Flint’s children are being treated as though they were exposed to unreasonably high levels of lead, the city is under a state of emergency and communities are feeling the impact of this crisis. While community organizers and others in the Flint community
resist the water crisis by supporting each other and finding ways to care for themselves, Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the state government quietly talk about reactionary solutions. The problem I and so many others see here is that the emergency management that led to this problem in Flint is bound to the politics of race and class. Michigan’s current administration sought to — and continues to seek — ways to restrict democracy in Michigan’s urban centers. Since most white people left these centers in the decades following World War II, the cities — including Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Pontiac and Benton Harbor — who’ve experienced emergency management have been home to majorities of people of color. These are people who vote for their officials, like every other community in the United States, but are then are told by the state that they are not fit to choose their leaders. Would this happen in “white” cities? I severely doubt it. As a non-Black person of color, I write this article in solidarity with those in Flint who are critically resisting abuse in the form of water poisoning, emergency management and downright negligence — I’m close to calling it “stupidity” — on the part of Snyder and his administration. As a brown Middle Easterner, I see the state violence in Flint tied to the imperial colonialism that is tied to the history of almost every person of color in our society. I can’t be the first to find similarities between U.S. involvement in the Middle East and the politics of racial domination within our nation. In 1953, when U.S. and British forces initiated a coup d’état to oust Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in the name of petroleum interests, they sent my family’s country down a road that led to extreme Islamist control. Iran, once a close ally to the United States, finds itself always serving Western interests. Iran, once a nation where human rights were practiced daily, has become a place where those who are suspected of being gay or of political subversion are routinely killed. Really,
the white “West” has determined the course of Middle Eastern politics and economics by meddling in ways that are completely selfserving; this is why I say we still live in colonial times. And the psyche of colonization there works in the same ways here. When the white governor of a state effectively replaces the elected officials of Black-majority cities, we — Black and non-Black people of color — call out racial domination. When these emergency managers make decisions that lead to the wholesale poising of urban populations, we raise our voices against imperial colonialism. And when the same government continues charging water bills to those with tainted water — those whose wellbeing has been jeopardized by violent government practices — we see very clearly how unrelenting oppression can be. I want to highlight that we people of color share common histories, and as much as the world tries to divide us — telling us that we are too dissimilar to hold a conversation, let alone struggle together or love one another — that history cannot be erased. When the students I met at UMFlint described their experiences, and those of others in their community, I understood where they were coming from, at least in part. Though I’m wary of co-opting racial/ethnic struggles as my own, I affirm that our oppressions are linked. Not only that, I affirm that our resistance as well as prosperity are tied to each other’s as well. If we are to overcome racism (or the “imperialist-white supremacist-capitalist-patriarchy”) we must stand in solidarity with each other. I attest that it’s in our best interest as non-Black people of color to find points of solidarity and work in alliance with Black communities as we all carve paths in life and work toward mutual liberation. Michigan in Color is the Daily’s designated space for and by students of color at the University of Michigan. To contribute your voice or to find out more about MiC, email michiganincolor@umich.edu
Who can tell Detroit’s story?
I
was only 50 pages or so into “The Turner House,” a 2015 National Book Award finalist, when I thought to myself that the author, Angela Flournoy, must have been from Detroit. I was wrong. A story about DEREK a living but aging WOLFE matriarch, Viola; a dead patriarch, Francis; and their 13 children, “The Turner House” is set in Detroit and details the family’s current struggles living in the city as well as the history of how Francis and Viola arrived in Michigan to start their family. The book is mainly focused on two characters: Cha Cha, Francis and Viola’s oldest child, who is experiencing somewhat of a mental breakdown and Lelah, the youngest child, who suffers from gambling addiction, which takes her through several twists and turns with her family and old acquaintances. The plotline itself is worth giving the book a read; it delves deep into the significance and strength of family relationships, and had me thinking how my divorced parents’ families have stuck together through difficult times. It’s the setting, though, that gives the book its veracity. Nearly every detail rang true: the description of the casinos, streets and houses, for example. The discussions of white flight and deindustrialization were on point. Clearly, Flournoy has a unique, intimate knowledge of Detroit. But again, Flournoy is not from Detroit. Though her father grew up in Detroit and she visited once or twice a year growing up, she’s from Los Angeles, lived in Iowa and now lives in Brooklyn. So how exactly did she gain this insight? I spoke with her on the phone last week to find out. “I read a lot of books,” Flournoy explained. “Mostly nonfiction, sort of urban histories or histories sort
of like early industrialization in Detroit and then population change in Detroit. And then I also read some oral histories.” “But also, I watched movies and YouTube videos and just random things. One of the most useful things actually was Google Maps, particularly the street view because all those photos in street view are dated, so you know exactly what a place looked like, say in 2009, which was really useful.” I noted one crucial part of Flournoy’s research that was absent: She did not interview any Detroiters to gain an understanding of the city at the most individual level. But, Flournoy made a compelling point as to why it can actually be more harmful than helpful when your knowledge of a place becomes too vast. “When you’re not from a city, there’s a way that you can sort of channel information without the burden of feeling like every little detail needs to be included,” Flournoy told me. “So I’m from LA, but I have not successfully written anything set in LA because the setting always feels insufficient when I write it. So that’s because my knowledge of the city is so sort of detailed that it’s hard to figure out what information to prioritize and help the reader feel like they get an understanding of the place. And so in Detroit, I had a background of the city, but I wasn’t from the city, so then when I did research, I could really choose what details about the city were important to my characters versus what was important personally to me, which I think is the challenge.” And according to her, writing as an outsider about Detroit has paid off. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s been humbling because I really wanted to do the city justice and I wanted to really empathize with people who lived there,” she said. “But I don’t think I paint a rosy picture.” I wrote a column in January touching on the influence and ability of outsiders to come into Detroit and monetize its culture. Clearly, Shinola (the company I discussed)
and Flournoy’s book are very different things, but it had me questioning once again, both through fiction and nonfiction, who should be telling Detroit’s story. I think if I was asked a month ago who was best suited to do so (not that outsiders haven’t tried before), I would have said hands-down a native Detroiter. After reading “The Turner House” and speaking with Flournoy, my views have certainly shifted. Anyone, even if he or she isn’t from the city, can write about Detroit — or any place, for that matter — honestly and effectively, but there is a prerequisite: the need to be open and honest about the subject you’re writing about. When discussing this point, Flournoy recited a quote by an author who has influenced her writing greatly, Zora Neale Hurston: “Mouths don’t empty themselves unless the ears are sympathetic and knowing.” “The reason why that line was important for this book was because I wasn’t from the place,” she explained. “I had to do the work of trying to be sympathetic and the knowing part was the research. The sympathetic part was just as important, or rather maybe empathetic. I really thought it was important to try to be fair, but not be judgmental as far as various characters and their relationship to place and also their history in the place. I think if the book has succeeded on a setting level, it’s because I really tried to learn first and try to synthesize that into fiction second.” For that reason — to confront difficult truths that make up the history of Detroit — it was obvious to me from our conversation that Flournoy has a deep affection for Detroit. So I asked the natural question: “Have you thought about moving to Detroit?” “I don’t love a Midwestern winter,” she replied. Well, I tried. At least she told a story worth telling and did so with sympathetic and knowing ears. —Derek Wolfe can be reached at dewolfe@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
ALBUM REVIEW
‘Pablo’ illustrates the life of Kanye Yeezy’s careerdefining latest shows us exactly why we need him By SHAYAN SHAFII Daily Arts Writer
In 2002, Kanye West totaled his Lexus and almost died in a car accident. Fortunately for all of us, he survived, had A+ his mouth sewn up and The Life continued to of Pablo work through the wire. The Kanye West accident is an GOOD Music often-overlooked catalyst for his career, and there’s no guarantee that we would be hearing the same Kanye West today had he not almost died at 25. Near-death experiences have a funny way of realigning priorities; you exit the other side more conscious of your privilege of just being here. You take your pursuits more seriously, because you know you almost had the opportunity taken from you. You fight your oppressors more aggressively, because the force that almost took your life is the great equalizer. You express yourself to the fullest extent, because there’s a heightened awareness that the same force will inevitably return, and next time it won’t miss. Records about self-actualization are always difficult, because no one wants to be set on their ass. No one wants to be reminded how much work is left, or hear a Black man from the Southside of Chicago bridge the gap between actual self and ideal self. The Kanye West Experience inherently presents a challenge, and though the packages have varied over the course of his sprawling seven-solo-album discography, the message has remained the same. On Late Registration’s “Gone” he rapped “They say you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone / I know I got it, I don’t know what y’all on.” Fast-forward eleven years, and on “Freestyle 4” he drunkenly snarls “Y’all motherfuckers only live like half of ya level, half of ya life.” He considers the prospect of “fucking right now in the middle of this dinner table” and whether or not everyone else would follow suit. Kanye is confident that they would, and he’s right. Where most are hesitant to act on impulse, what Pastor ’Ye ultimately preaches on this “gospel album” is to live fearlessly. When someone addresses the elephant in the room, it opens the floodgates. The biblical tone of the album seems a natural development for an aging West. We’ve seen so many artists grow more reflective as they get older and produce increasingly autobiographical works; much of Pablo juxtaposes a return to traditional Midwest values with the Blackness of Southside ’Ye. We get gospel, but we also get a reminder he’s “from a tribe called ‘Check-A-Hoe.’ ” Beware of the culture vultures who laugh along when he jokes as “ghetto Oprah” at the end of “Feedback,” but call him crazy when he wilds out at the end of an SNL performance. Pablo is as Black and unapologetic as West himself — divine album opener “Ultralight Beam” makes way for a sermon from a Black toddler. Even gospel singer and choir director Kirk Franklin makes an appearance on the intro. Clunky, mechanical drums pound away at growling synths while Kelly Price howls a melody as soulful as anything else you’ll find in Kanye’s discography. And then, there’s that Chance feature. Two years ago I was in the
crowd with Chance at Kanye’s 2014 Bonnaroo performance, and I remember watching him spaz to every cut from The College Dropout. The intro to his breakout mixtape, Acid Rap, even samples a soulful trumpet melody from an early Kanye tape. Point being, Chance is a “real soulful dude,” and his fingerprints are all over the feel-good soul of “Ultralight Beam.” He drops an absolutely show-stopping verse (arguably the best of the album), where he even intertwines his narrative with Big Brother: “I made ‘Sunday Candy,’ I’m never going to Hell / I met Kanye West, I’m never going to fail.” You can practically hear how giddy he is to share the stage with ’Ye, and it’s great to see “Lil Channo from 79th” make the most of the occasion. The intro segues directly into two-part whirlwind, “Father Stretch My Hands.” The song moves at breakneck speeds, transitioning from stretched-out soul samples, to Metro Boomin tags, to lyrics about “bleached assholes.” By the time it doubles in tempo for “Pt. 2,” Kanye frantically drops pixelated raps about his 2002 accident, his mother’s death and his father’s financial losses in the market. Oh, and the song completely transforms into Brooklyn-emcee Desiigner’s “Panda.” Yes, a totally different song, which ’Ye had no affiliation with until now (though it should be noted that Desiigner has just signed to G.O.O.D. Music). No rules. In the first 10 minutes of the album we’re completely sucked into the schizophrenia that’s driven so much of West’s most dynamic and troubling work. While Kanye has a lengthy repertoire of music that raises red flags for mental health concerns, there’s something about his recent public behavior that has an element of genuine, bona fide craziness. In just one week he’s publicly defended Bill Cosby, begged the founder of Facebook for funding via Twitter and turned his Madison Square Garden album listening session into a Kanye & Friends Show and Tell.
West’s canon will be the definitve arbiter of our time. There’s an overall air of incompleteness and sloppiness about the album that just doesn’t seem to matter. He answers a goddamn phone call while recording “30 Hours” and yet nothing feels out of place. He stitches together samples on the latter half of “Pt. 2” with the seams uncharacteristically showing. Most interesting, though, is how he simply decided that the album rollout is an indefinite window. The tracklist grew 80% in length the day after the scheduled release, and he’s just announced that the album will never be for sale. The rollout itself has become a performance art piece. The general consensus in America has been that this “New Kanye” is crazy, and that the “Old Kanye” is the one we all know and love. The Old Kanye rapped about stealing khakis from The Gap, called the president racist and interrupted Taylor Swift at the VMAs. The New Kanye just announced that he still thinks he and Taylor will have sex. He has been stepping on our toes for over a decade; there’s nothing “new” about this Kanye. If you approach this album expecting Kanye West to be your Lord and Savior, and are disappointed to find elements of humanity, perhaps you need
a moment of self-reflection. His shameless transparency has defined the zeitgeist of the past decade precisely because of his willingness to broadcast his flaws. He’s already told us that everything he’s not makes him everything he is. He is, and always has been, the lifeaffirming car accident you never had. Pablo is cluttered with evidence that his cultural martyrdom will outlive him. He looks around and sees “so many Kanyes,” and some of them are even recruited for the album. On “FML,” The Weeknd makes an appearance to let us know that all the hate isn’t helping his already self-destructive lifestyle: “Even though I always fuck my life up / Only I can mention me.” Synths jerk around asymmetrically, making the song feel like one of those violent bathroom-meltdown scenes; Kanye even recalls a specific episode he had in Mexico while “off his Lexapro.” “Highlights” features the premier weirdo-rapper of the moment: Young Thug. You can’t help but feel that the postverbal rap we’re seeing from Thugger wouldn’t be so widely accepted had ’Ye not kicked the door in with 808s & Heartbreak. Unsurprisingly, Thug sounds right at home in the middle of the orchestral accompaniment, triumphantly shouting “Tell my mama that I want my whole life to only be mine!” Their public respect for one another shouldn’t be surprising given that Thug “goes motherfuckin’ viral” every time he redefines what a rapper looks like. Ten years ago that was ’Ye in a pink polo and backpack. Away from his fledglings, the realest moments on the album have Kanye noticeably shaken and rattled — like when he confesses to paying his cousin a quarter of a million dollars to get his stolen laptop back, on “Real Friends.” Ty Dolla $ign’s voice cracks and eventually breaks under the weight of the occasion. Kanye pauses to collect his thoughts, and the beat leaves him behind. He used to be so proud of his animalistic work ethic, shamelessly boasting the months spent locked away in his room. Yet even after gaining the family he yearned for on spiritual-prequel “Welcome to Heartbreak,” the intensity of his aspirations has left much of Life still elusive to the “number one rockstar on the planet.” Brother Kanye obviously practices what he preaches, but on Pablo he comes to terms with being human. Even if Kanye never releases another album again, he can rest easy knowing that his canon of work will be revisited as the definitive arbiter of our time. His public obsession with emulating Michael Jackson brings to mind a specific quote of his that could have just as easily belonged to Mr. West: “Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it — my music, I know I will live forever.” Rooted in the Black Experience of being denied the human right to express, the inherent permanence of Kanye’s art is more than enough justification for him to scream at us. Kanye’s screaming is as imperative for us as it is for him. Just as Kirk Franklin says on the prayer that closes “Ultralight Beam”: “Father, this prayer is for everyone that feels they’re not good enough. This prayer’s for everybody that feels that they’re too messed up. For everybody that feels they’ve said ‘I’m sorry’ too many times. You can never go too far when you can’t come back home again … That’s why I need faith!” We need each other as much as Kanye West needs God; we need to listen as long as there are muffled truths. We need to love one another like Kanye loves Kanye.
Friday, February 19, 2016 — 5
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
UNCOOL RECORDS
More like STTRS
In praise of SWMRS By DANIELLE IMMERMAN Daily Arts Writer
On the rare occasion that I actually did the reading for my Women’s Studies class, I read something interesting about punk. In the context of feminism, punk is more significant than you might think. According to Milestone and Meyer (or to anyone capable of observation), before punk, the only involvement girls had in music was as members of the audience. If women ever did make it in the music industry, they made it in wholesome pop, never provocative rock. Once punk came along, however, gender relations in the music industry completely changed. Punk disrupted all preconceived stereotypes — it inspired youth cultures, it lacked the manufactured nature of the music industry — its origins were underground. As a result of this organic music, according to my Women’s Studies reading, women were able to express anger. Yay. Now, obviously it’s hard for us, in 2016, to really see the profound effects of punk, but they’re there. The problem is the lack of OG punk bands existing today, which led me to wonder if any modern band could really reflect the same sound and eventual change as past music. The issue I encountered as I pondered is that no band is really pure punk. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong has expressed frustration in this dilemma — most modern bands are slapped with the label “pop-punk” which, even if this label isn’t necessarily accurate, constricts bands to a certain image, effec-
tively diluting their potential punk persona. I’m sure there are bonafide punk bands out there, but there’s really only one new-age punk band that came to mind: SWMRS. Originally known as Emily’s Army, SWMRS is a four-piece garage-rock/punk band from Oakland, CA. I first stumbled upon the band a year ago when I saw Green Day perform at the House of Blues Cleveland — my position pressed against the barricade to the stage enabled me to have an excellent view of Billie Joe’s son, Joey, standing backstage. Now here’s the thing — Joey is quite attractive, so after the show I was like, yeah, let’s google Joey. When I googled Joey, I found his band. The problem was that SWMRS had no music under its current name until now. With the album set to be released on February 12th, Rolling Stone released the single “Drive North” early and it’s fucking incredible. The entire album is clearly garage-rock, but there are complex and flagrant punk undertones that give SWMRS a unique edge. They aren’t just any old rock band — they’re young, they’re bold and they encapsulate a new sound — a new punk sound. Describing their genre as “Hawaiianage” and showing a Facebook interest in feminism, their album reflects everything they claim to be. “Uncool,” the same name of their self-run record label, is the epitome of SWMRS. The song is angsty, punk, Californian and accessible, despite being so different from any other music out there. All of these elements shine through on each of the 12 tracks
on the record, but in entirely different ways. For example, “Miley” is angsty yet simple to let the lyrics stand-out. An ode to Miley Cyrus, SWMRS sing their praise for the “punk-rock queen.” While songs like “Drive North” and “Harry Dean” are the most traditional punk on the album, “Silver Bullet” and “Hannah” are more mellow, “I’m going to drive from LA to San Francisco in my convertible” tunes. Personally, my favorites are “Miss Yer Kiss” and “Turn Up,” but truthfully that’s not saying much because I love every song on this album. “Miss Yer Kiss” is great though because the solid beat and unique rhythm counter most of the fast-paced songs comprising the album — “Turn Up” is just a jam. I feel as if I could go on for endless paragraphs about how incredible SWMRS and their debut album is, but for your sake and mine, I’ll quit my digression. Essentially, SWMRS is about to blow up. Their massive headlining US tour kicks off on February 12th, they just put on a music festival (“Uncool Fest”) and their record label is still a thing. This, in addition to appearances in magazines like Rolling Stone and Alternative Press, is foretelling of what’s to come, especially considering their debut album hasn’t even been officially released. My message to you: listen to SWMRS. Love SWMRS or at the very least pretend to love SWMRS, because at the rate they’re going they could very easily be the next Nirvana meets Green Day meets something more tropical and you’re going to want to say you knew them when they were rookies.
TV NOTEBOOK
‘House’ of nostalgia By MEGAN MITCHELL For the Daily
When I was in the fourth grade, there were two things that assured your status in the “it” crowd. One: You had to own a remarkable collection of Bobby Jack apparel with accompanying flare capri yoga pants. Two: You had to be well versed in all of the current happenings of “Full House.” And let me tell you, fourth grade Megan was very, very in the “it” crowd. If you’re a millennial, chances are this all sounds vaguely familiar. The original “Full House” came and went before most of us were born, yet it’s a staple of the later millennial generation due to the daily reruns during our more pivotal years. Personally, my childhood revolved around “Full House,” crowding the television with friends at sleepovers and clutching our bowls of macaroni during elementary school days when we went home for lunch. Keep in mind that this exposure to “Full House” occurred during a pre-Netflix era, when our parents had to tape the episodes on the VCR for us to enjoy later, or we had to plan to watch the show live. There was no binge-watching or hitting the “rewind” button if we missed the punch line, so much like “Friends,” every episode was unique in its own right. Between the years 1987 to 1995, the Tanner family was America’s family. This past week, the first fulllength trailer for Netflix’s original series “Fuller House” premiered. And let me tell you, pre-recorded laughter never sounded oh so good.
The sequel follows eldest sister DJ Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron-Bure, “The View”) as she struggles to raise her three sons after her husband passes away. Reminiscent of the original sitcom, younger sister Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin, “Walt Before Mickey”) and childhood best friend Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber, “The Skateboard Kid 2”) move into the San Francisco home to lend a hand and add to the overstuffed craziness that was “Full House.” But that’s exactly the dynamic that made the show work. The Tanner family was a diverse family that lived under one very small roof. The playboy and rocker brother-in-law Uncle Jesse (John Stamos, “Grandfathered”) and comedian friend Joey (Dave Coulier, “Muppet Babies”) kept the laughs rolling in through domestic circumstances, usually with a ridiculous twist. (Can we also just mention the fact that John Stamos hasn’t aged like, a single day??) Changing baby diapers turned into a fiasco that took two grown men and a roll of paper towels to complete while bath time called for a “Love Me Tender” rendition in the bathtub. Overall, Jesse and Joey kept Danny Tanner (Bob Saget, “How I Met Your Mother”) sane and kept the series light and airy in a role I can only assume Kimmy and Steph will later play into in the sequel. Given what is featured in the trailer, Stamos and Coulier aren’t likely to reprise their roles as the caretakers, but rather as background leads while Kimmy and Steph take the reins and fulfill their roles as the obligatory aunts.
In 2013, Pixar Studios released their first ever prequel, “Monsters University,” as an accompaniment to the childhood favorite “Monsters Inc.” The release dates between the movies were 12 years apart, which unintentionally lined up with the age of the original audience. When Mike Wazowski went to college, so did we. Now, Netflix producers are taking a page out of Pixar Studios’s playbook with their reboot of “Full House”. In fact, I wouldn’t go as far as to call “Fuller House” a reboot, but rather a continuation of the original series. Whereas reboots are strikingly different and compete for the popular opinion of battling fanbases, this miniseries will continue the story of the Tanner family almost 21 years after we left them. By bringing the original cast back, they’re speaking directly to the original audience and relating to the struggles that life may have handed some of us over the past twenty years. They could have chosen to reboot the entire series for a new audience, but they’re providing a sequel for our generation and the next to equally enjoy. We grew up with the Tanners, so it’s only fair that they’ve grown up with us. All I can say for now is that I hope “Fuller House” stays true to the original. Without the grainy picture of the 1990s to revive the ambiance of the original, we have to rely on the cast to bring us back to the Lower Pacific Heights of the Tanner residence. As far as the trailer has us covered, I think we’re all in for a major flashback. “Fuller House” will be available on Netflix starting Feb. 26, 2016.
Arts
6 — Friday, February 19, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
HIP-HOP COLUMN
FILM REVIEW
Moore travels to seek out answers New documentary explores American ideals abroad By DANIEL HENSEL For the Daily
“Oh, we live in sick times, sick, sick times.” About two minutes into his 1997 film “The Big One,” documentarian Michael AMoore (“Roger & Me”) relays Where to his political Invade outlook to an Next audience at Northwestern State Theatre University. During the IMG Films presidential campaign that year, Moore had sent $100 checks signed by groups with objectionable names (Pedophiles for Free Trade and Abortionists for [Pat] Buchanan are two examples) to each of the four prominent candidates at the time. “And who do you think cashed the check first?” Moore asks the audience. Nearly 20 years later, in his new documentary, “Where to Invade Next,” Moore is as unabashedly progressive as ever. This film, though, takes a more subversive path. While Moore’s previous films prominently featured the documentarian and his crew attempting to speak to CEOs at their offices to question their efforts to outsource labor and lay off American workers during record profits, “Where to Invade Next” finds Moore off American soil, seeking to improve America by “invading” other nations and claiming their ideas as our own. Moore finds himself speaking to Italian business executives and Portuguese police officers, Norwegian prison guards and Icelandic politicians. “Where to Invade Next” is endlessly hopeful. Though each
interview features cutaways to relevant tragedies in contemporary American history, the end of each segment seems to stare into the eyes of Americans and say, “We can do this. We can fix these problems.” And while Michael Moore could have cemented his work’s legacy as a response to Bush-era politics, “Where to Invade Next” finds relevance in the still-unsolved problems in American politics and society over the last few decades. Labor, education, nutrition, student debt, drugs, prisons and women’s rights are all discussed, and it is in this way that Moore creates his most relevant film in some time. His ability to touch on all these matters with a heightened sophistication — rather than attempting to ambush executives to identify problems, here he talks to problem solvers who discuss their solutions — demonstrates his dedication to actually address these issues in the real world, beyond the cinemas.
Moore is as unabashedly progressive as ever. And although he’s more sophisticated, Moore is still his acerbic, subversive self. By framing the film as a form of non-violent and self-serving imperialism, Moore not-so-subtly reminds his audience that the practice of invading nations to steal their good ideas can be as American as actual military invasion. “Make Love, Not War” becomes “Steal Ideas, Not Lives.” And as we learn near the conclusion of the film, these ideas all came out of America in the first place. The Norwegian practice of putting prisoners in
more trusting and friendly prisons was adapted from America’s 8th Amendment, forbidding cruel and unusual punishment. Tunisia’s recent wave of women’s rights bills was inspired by the Equal Rights Amendment, which was heavily debated in 1972 but never passed. At 119 minutes, “Where to Invade Next” certainly drags and feels redundant, especially later in the film. We see two different segments on labor rights, two different segments on education and two different segments on women’s rights. Moore’s unapologetic progressivism also prevents him, and us, from effectively understanding the complexities of each issue. Sure, these are great solutions for these countries, but what are the drawbacks? What are the sacrifices? Would these solutions work in America? Further, what should we do about it? Those with the foresight to stay through the credits will be able to see what Moore makes of his ending message of guidance, but for all the solutions Moore provides, he ends the documentary without guiding the audience to knowing how to actually institute these changes. The important questions are left unanswered, perhaps strategically so, to leave a slightly disillusioned aftertaste. Still, “Where to Invade Next” shows Moore at his most poignant. One particular scene features a German school, with young students learning about the Holocaust. Their education teaches them to be critical of their government, but the students are no less proud of their country. They’re Germans who are aware their government failed their people and other countries’ people in the past. This scene is an apt analogy for Michael Moore and his relationship with America; regardless of one’s opinion of him, it’s hard to deny that Moore doesn’t have its citizens’ best interests at heart.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Friday, February 19, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle DOWN 1 “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria 2 From the top 3 Suspected of misdeeds 4 Certain student 5 Hams 6 First-serve figs. 7 Island reception 8 Spent 9 If nothing else 10 Depend 11 Pal 12 Start of an engagement? 13 ’60s protest org. 16 Big bag carrier 20 Modify to fit 23 State Department neighborhood ... and what 3-, 8and 29-Down all have? 24 Philly trademark 25 “They that have done this deed are honourable” speaker 26 Changing place 27 Examined closely 29 Psychedelic rock classic of 1967 31 Seek redress
34 Brazilian-themed Vegas hotel, with “The” 37 Tsk relative 39 Nebula Award genre 42 One may begin with “In a world ... ” 44 U-shaped, more or less 47 Longhorn rival 52 Adlai’s running mate
54 1997 Elton dedicatee 55 “Spenser: For __” 56 Annoyance 57 Hessian article 58 Achieves 59 Fifth-century conqueror 60 Athlete’s wear, for short 61 It increases during plant growth: Abbr.
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
xwordeditor@aol.com
02/19/16
FOR RENT 1 & 2 Bedroom Apts on Wilmot Avail Fall 2016‑17 $975 ‑ $1575 Plus Electric to DTE Coin Laundry Access, Free WiFi Parking Avail $50‑$80/m CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apts on Arch Avail Fall 2016‑17 $1050 ‑ $2500 + electric contribution CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 2, 3 & 4 Bedroom Apts @ 1015 Packard Avail for Fall 2016‑17 $1400 ‑ $2700 + gas and water; Tenants pay electric to DTE; Limited parking avail for $50/mo; On‑site Laundry CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 2016‑17 LEASING EFFICIENCY and 1 & 2 BDRM APTS 344 S. Division $835/$855 610 S. Forest $870 508 Division $925/$945 1021 Vaughn (1 left) $1410 Bylocation:FullyFurnishing,ParkingIncl, and Free Internet Prime Student Housing 734‑761‑8000 www.primesh.com 4 BEDROOM HOUSE NORTH CAMPUS/HOSPITAL 1010 CEDAR BEND ‑ $2400 + utilities PARKING & LAUNDRY 734‑996‑1991 4, 5 OR 6 BEDROOM HOUSE 1119 S. Forest ‑ May or September $2800 ‑ $3500 based on number of ppl Tenants pay all utilities. Parking and laundry available Showings M‑F 10‑3; 24 hour notice required. www.deincoproperties.com 734‑996‑1991 5 BEDROOM APT Fall 2016‑17 $3250 + $100/m Gas & Water + Electric to DTE, 3 parking spaces 1014 Vaughn #1 ‑ multilevel unit w/ carpet CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991
By Steven J. St. John ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
02/19/16
lot of binaries we use are helpful; by placing parts of the world in opposing categories, we create order out of what is otherwise chaos. In the same vein, a lot of these binaries are also bullshit oversimplifications that can be just as harmLEJLA ful as they are helpful. BAJGORIC Gender and sexuality, for example, both exist on a spectrum, but throughout our lives, we’re taught otherwise. You either enter a men’s restroom or a women’s one. If you’re a guy, you either go to prom with a girl or (assuming you attend a progressive high school and feel safe enough to) a fellow dude. One or the other. No inbetween. No overlap. And you’d better believe this logic is ever present in hip hop as well: The binary of interest is none other than underground vs. mainstream. I’d like to apologize in advance for writing about this — it’s always an annoying conversation because it’s always impossible to come to a resolution. But the fact that these conversations never result in an answer is the answer. The guidelines determining whether much of hip hop belongs to the gritty underground or the glamorous mainstream are built on a weak foundation, and with just a few case examples, the binary comes apart at the seams. “If skills sold, truth be told/ I’d probably be/ Lyrically/ Talib Kweli/ Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/ But I did 5 mill — I ain’t been rhyming like Common since” In just a few bars in “Moment of Clarity,” Jay Z summarizes the entire supposed foundational distinction between underground
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Fry 6 Kung __ chicken 9 Market Fresh sandwich and salad seller 14 Time of old Rome 15 Unevenly distributed, in a way 17 Brought on 18 Write-off 19 Charming 21 D.C.’s Walter __ National Military Medical Center 22 Mennen lotion 23 Govt. mtge. insurer 26 One hoping to provide many happy returns? 28 Hammer number 30 Big name in hairstyling 32 Hyperbola part 33 Sudden stream 35 Pull on 36 Flee 38 Adjudicates 40 Maple syrup target 41 Nearly 43 Take badly? 45 Taoist complement 46 Uncommitted 48 Farrow of film 49 Ottoman title 50 Tack on 51 “A Death in the Family” author 53 Relative of Rex 55 Energetic and enthusiastic 59 Run up the score on 62 Place for a CharBroil 63 Removes restrictions on, as funds 64 Hole __ 65 Third-longest African river 66 Uncertain no. 67 Handles
A
What defines the underground?
ARBOR PROPERTIES Award‑Winning Rentals in Kerrytown, Central Campus, Old West Side, Burns Park. Now Renting for 2016. 734‑649‑8637. www.arborprops.com
! NORTH CAMPUS 1‑2 Bdrm. ! ! Riverfront/Heat/Water/Parking. ! ! www.HRPAA.com ! IDEAL SMALL OFFICES/STUDIOS 2nd Flr UM Campus‑ Short or Long Term Leases. Call 860‑355‑9665 campusrentalproperties@yahoo.com NEAR CAMPUS APARTMENTS Avail Fall 16‑17 Eff/1 Bed ‑ $750 ‑ $1400 2 Bed ‑ $1050 ‑ $1425 3 Bed ‑ $1955 Most include Heat and Water Parking where avail is $50/m Many are Cat Friendly CAPPO 734‑996‑1991 www.cappomanagement.com 6 BEDROOM FALL 2016‑17 Central Campus House 335 Packard ‑ $3800 + Utilities Parking, Laundry, Lots of Common area www.deincoproperties.com 734‑996‑1991
SERVICES THESIS EDITING, LANGUAGE, organization, format. All Disciplines. 734/996‑0566 or writeon@iserv.net
HELP WANTED DOMINICK’S HIRING FOR spring & summer. Call 734‑834‑5021.
SUMMER EMPLOYMENT WORK ON MACKINAC Island This Summer – Make lifelong friends. The Island House Hotel and Ryba’s Fudge Shops are looking for help in all areas beginning in early May: Front Desk, Bell Staff, Wait Staff, Sales Clerks, Kitchen, Baristas. Housing, bonus, and discounted meals. (906) 847‑7196. www.theislandhouse.com
and mainstream rap. Intricate rhymes that may take multiple listens to reason through, like Talib’s, aren’t found in the mainstream because they don’t have mass appeal. Nonetheless, they’re more impressive, so it’s likely that the most talented, technical MCs are down below in the dungeons of rap. But even the earliest rappers wanted to be able to eat off rhyming. And there’s no money in that complex, usually conscious and often political underground shit. That’s why Hov dumbed down his lyrics — to “double (his) dollars.” There are categories spawned in academia that are relevant and actually line up really nicely here. Shorthose and Strange (2004) describe pure artistic work as that which is an “expression of one’s creative capacity through self-determined labor.” On the other hand, managed creativity is “alienated work within orthodox capitalist relations of production.” Regardless of which explanation you resonate with more, they both distinguish art in the same respect. The real, the raw, the good stuff is in the underground because it isn’t confined to commercial stipulations for success, which also means it isn’t going to pay any bills. From Eyedea & Abilities and Big L, to MF Doom and Immortal Tech — yes, some of the most multifaceted rappers with uncanny abilities to manipulate the English language never breach the mainstream. But the most critically acclaimed and almost most commercially successful album of 2015 (behind only Drizzy in units moved) was from a rapper many would dub conscious, even if he denies it: Kendrick. An adequate account of the genius that is To Pimp A Butterfly requires an entire column of its own. Needless to say, it’s as intricate as it is intense, confronting still-unresolved racial skeletons lying in America’s closet. TPAB is bold, brooding and extremely Black — far from the “money, clothes, hoes” mantra so strongly associated with Billboard top charts. With topics as explicitly political as police brutality and Black power, complemented with a funky soundtrack fused with jazz and sprinkled with soul, the kid from Compton still went platinum. How Sway? Doesn’t that go against the guidelines? This rule is often broken in the alternative sense as well — when underground rappers think they’re being revolutionary, key word think. Brand Nubian’s 1990 release One for All is widely lauded as being one of the coolest, most colorful and socially-conscious projects of its time. The biggest hit, “Slow Down,” may be accompanied with a melodic hook and hypnotic beat, but there’s nothing mesmerizing about the relentless misogyny, only growing worse from verse to verse. It culminates in Grand Puba expressing his anger at “stunts” [’90s for “hoes”] who like to have sex, maybe in exchange for “a forty and a blunt, that’s all she really wants.” He everso-intellectually ponders “what makes a bitch want to act in this way,” but, in the end, realizes he doesn’t care: “If you want to live foul and be a dumb diddy dumb dumb bitch/ Well go ahead.” He’s still not down with it though, and so continues to pass judgment and wants to make sure you know it through the use of redundant word choice: “You’re living foul.” Great, got it. The underground can be just as regressive as the mainstream. But the mainstream can also be as monetarily discouraging as the underground. “Y’all a disgrace to C-P-T/ Cause you’re getting fucked out your green by a white boy, with no Vaseline.” Jerry Heller is the white boy Ice Cube refers to, infamously known for managing NWA and
favoring some members over others while doing so. Though Eazy-E was best taken care of by Heller, it was Cube who was the best writer in the group and composed the majority of the lyrics heard on Straight Outta Compton, the group’s best selling release. Remember “Express Yourself”? Remember thinking, damn, Dre can really rap after hearing it? Yeah, Cube wrote that too. Eventually, Cube said fuck it and left. And understandably so. Though Eazy was something like the star of the show, the compensation simply wasn’t fair; in fact, E didn’t write much if anything at all. But it was Eazy who founded Ruthless Records with Heller, so it was Eazy who’d see most of the returns. Lesson learned: Just because you make it, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to make much anyway. And NWA isn’t an exception to the rule. It actually is the rule: Specifically, “Industry rule number four thousand and eighty/ Record company people are shady.” There’s a long history of labels exploiting their artists. I’m not going to get into the TLC story because, honestly, it’s too sad. But read up if you’re unfamiliar. In this day and age, though, exploitation follows a perfected pattern: Sign the artist after he drops a dance hit that catapults him onto the scene, milk him for all he’s got, and either shelve any projects he’s interested in or release him soon after. Much of the exploitation — the only way you can get some dollars is if you dance for it — bears eerie resemblance to the legacies of slavery. So going mainstream doesn’t guarantee a steady income; in some cases, it can actually threaten it. Meanwhile, there’s a host of underground artists who release projects predominantly for free, yet are able to put food on the table through touring, merchandise sales and the like. And avoid dealing with any label execs along the way. There are a lot of important conversations to have regarding underground vs. mainstream rap. Many have to do with the transition from the former to the latter and the stages artists go through, beginning with the humble come-up and ideally culminating in platinum plaques. In the Internet age, where so many have the ability to release music of their own, what implications does this oversaturation of talent have? In addition, there’s a lot of contention surrounding going commercial and it being equated to selling out; and in the world of hip hop, not much is more important than keeping it real. How is this assumption complicated by artists who maintain their artistic integrity and still manage to reach best-seller lists? And when artists evolve upon garnering mainstream attention, and their sounds change, is it unfair to get mad at them for not having a static identity throughout their career? I don’t have the answer to many of these questions, but before we can really get into any of this, it’s important to complicate the underground vs. mainstream distinction. When categories are placed on opposing ends of a spectrum, they’re easier to understand but more difficult to work with. A little confusion can actually bring us some clarity. By accepting that there are a lot of exceptions to the rules used to differentiate between underground and mainstream, so many that it’s questionable to even refer to them as exceptions, there’s room for variation, for richer propositions. Finally, it becomes possible that the next time you do engage with this topic, you won’t end up wanting to hurt somebody. Bajgoric’s e-mail is probably too underground for you to know, so here it is: lejla@umich.edu
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, February 19, 2016 — 7
Wolverines to take on Ferris State Michigan set for SOFTBALL
Seminole faceoff
By JUSTIN MEYER Daily Sports Writer
The No. 6 Michigan hockey team takes a break from Big Ten play to take on in-state rival Ferris State on Friday night at Ferris State Yost Ice Arena. The unusual at Michigan disruption in Matchup: conference play Ferris State will be a rare 14-10-6; opportunity Michigan to watch the 18-4-5 Wolverines When: Friday play a stout 7:35 P.M. defensive Where: Yost opponent. Ice Arena The Bulldogs have posted a TV/Radio: MGoBlueTV respectable 2.5 goals-against average this season — good enough for 20th in the NCAA — but have been especially impressive in the second half. Since Jan. 1, they have lowered that mark to 1.7. In contrast, Michigan’s GAA of 3.0 ranks in the bottom half of Division I hockey. The game is a throwback to the CCHA era for the Wolverines in terms of opposition — Ferris State was a fellow member — and playing style. The Bulldogs have given Michigan (9-2-3 Big Ten, 18-4-5 overall) fits since the dissolution of the conference three years ago, compiling two wins and a tie in three games. “Ferris State has been good about reaching out to Michigan,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “When the Big Ten formed three years ago, instead of us having to schedule four non-conference games, we have to schedule 14. Why not play some of the teams from the CCHA that still want to play us?” This year, Ferris State (12-8-4 WCHA, 14-10-6) has been held together by standout freshman
By AVI SHOLKOFF Daily Sports Writer
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Freshman forward Cooper Marody is expected to return to the Michigan lineup against Ferris State on Friday.
goaltender Darren Smith. Since assuming the starting role, Smith has provided a solid foundation for a team that has been otherwise tumultuous. His .932 save percentage is the second best among freshmen, and the best when limiting that group to netminders who logged over 1000 minutes. “They can skate and they can play, but their DNA has been their defense,” Berenson said. Wolverine fans will also be happy to see freshman forward Cooper Marody return to the ice after a prolonged absence from illness. Berenson plans to play Marody alongside senior forward Justin Selman and
freshman forward Brendan Warren. “(Cooper) feels good,” Berenson said. “He wants to play and he’s had a few practices now. It’s going to take him a little while to get caught up in terms of quickness and conditioning, but that’s why you have to play.” Marody’s return, and a potential shakeup on defense, will result in a lineup shuffle. Sophomore forward Tony Calderone is out, while sophomore defender Cutler Martin took reps at forward in practice. He would give Michigan a bigger physical presence on offense while sophomore defender Sam Piazza
fills the void on defense. As senior goaltender Steve Racine’s play has improved, much of the spotlight has been focused on the shaky defensive unit. Michigan’s coaching staff has reiterated the emphasis on bringing down the goals-against average before the postseason, but one stat supporting the Wolverines’ case as contenders is goal margin. Michigan’s goal margin per game mark of 1.78 is fourth in the nation. When Ferris arrives with its hard-nosed style Friday night, it should offer the best chance yet to evaluate just how far the Wolverines have come on the defensive end.
‘M’ hosts Penn State on Senior Day By TED JANES Daily Sports Writer
Sitting at No. 9 in the Big Ten standings, the Michigan women’s basketball team is still on pace to avoid the four-team play-in series Penn State that kicks off at Michigan the Big Ten Matchup: Tournament. But as Penn State 10-16; Michigan Michigan coach Kim 15-11 Barnes Arico When: has said Saturday countless times 12 P.M. this season, anything can Where: Crisler Center happen on any given day, so TV/Radio: all is still up for BTN grabs in this final stretch. The Wolverines (7-8 Big Ten, 15-11 overall) have three games
left to solidify a spot in the Big Ten’s top 10, and it starts Saturday when they host Penn State. Michigan played the Lady Lions (5-10, 10-16) back on Jan. 17, escaping Happy Valley with its first win there since 2001. The 15-year drought ended when three of Michigan’s guards — sophomore Katelynn Flaherty, freshman Boogie Brozoski and senior Madison Ristovski — combined to go 13-for-14 from the free-throw line in the last minute of play. Penn State remained in the game down the stretch, but Michigan was able to seal it from the charity stripe. “Anytime you get a win (at Penn State)… well, it’s not an easy place to win,” Barnes Arico said after the game. “To come away with a win is satisfying. We led most of the game and really made great runs, but they made
big baskets.” In that game, Flaherty scored a team-high 23 points to lead the Wolverines to a 91-87 victory. The midseason game was a huge confidence boost for the Wolverines, who were coming off a narrow loss to Maryland. Oddly enough, Michigan has a similar script written this weekend. Having lost to No. 6 Maryland on Wednesday by 20 points, despite leading at halftime, Michigan has yet another chance to bounce back after the Terrapins halted its three-game win streak. A flight delay scrambled the Wolverines’ travel plans,
landing them in Maryland at 3 a.m., much later than scheduled. Barnes Arico commented after the game that the delay and lack of rest may have been part of the reason the Wolverines “were exhausted in the fourth quarter.” This weekend, though, Michigan stays home and there are no excuses. Saturday’s game at Crisler Center also marks the last scheduled home game for Michigan’s three seniors — guards Madison Ristovski and fifth-year Halle Wangler and forward Kelsey Mitchell. Wangler does not make regular appearances, but both Mitchell and Ristovski have taken on larger roles as starters this season, and their additions have supported the Wolverines at crucial times. Ristovski (6.7 points per game, 3.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds) and Mitchell (7.2 points per game, 4.8 rebounds) have both been consistent in boosting an underclassmen-heavy team. While Michigan could return to Crisler in the postseason for the WNIT, the seniors have been nostalgic about their last run since early in the campaign. “It’s very weird that I’m already a senior,” Ristovski said on the team’s media day in October. “I feel like the last three years have gone by so quickly.” Ristovski’s career has seen many ups and downs, highlighted by an NCAA Tournament appearance her freshman year and a deep run to the WNIT semifinals last year. NCAA Tournament chances are waning, and making a run in Big Ten Tournament is the team’s best hope. Another win against Penn State this weekend can put the Wolverines in a position to do just that.
“I feel like the last three years have gone by so quickly.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Senior forward Kelsey Mitchell could be playing her last game at Crisler Center against Penn State on Saturday.
On Feb. 21 of last year, fifthyear senior right-handed pitcher Sara Driesenga threw five solid innings to lead the Michigan softball team to a 13-1 victory over Oklahoma. It turned out to be her last game of the season. As the Wolverines chased their second national championship in Oklahoma City, Driesenga could only help her teammates from the dugout due to a rib injury. Now, a healthy Driesenga has No. 2 Michigan (4-1) in prime position to make another deep run in the Women’s College World Series. In four games — including two starts — Driesenga leads the Wolverines pitching staff with a 1.85 ERA and 11.1 innings pitched. Needless to say, Driesenga loves pitching in the circle again. “We had our fall games and it was good to get back out there,” Driesenga said. “(But) to be out there when it matters, to know that everyone is still behind me no matter what happens, it’s great.” Driesenga and the Wolverines will look to build on their successful showing from their first weekend in Tallahassee, where they will take on Florida State and Virginia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wolverines have experience playing against the Hokies, defeating them, 3-1, in the final game of last week’s USF Wilson-Demarini tournament. Despite the previous result, though, Michigan has chosen to downplay the victory, instead focusing on how it can improve. The game was the only one that lasted the full seven innings, and the Wolverines scored just three runs, their lowest total in their four wins. As a result, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins believes her team must play better both offensively and defensively this time around, as it may once again face Hokies right-handed pitcher Maggie Tyler, their innings-eater and No. 1 starter. “We were definitely getting behind and swinging at her
pitches,” Hutchins said. “When a pitcher is ahead, and they’re smart, they won’t give you something good to hit. So I think we can command the zone better and force (Tyler) to bring it in, that will be our strategy.” Some Wolverines, though, believe the rematch against Virginia Tech will prove beneficial in preparing for games later in the season when the team will compete in three-game series. “If we do see that pitcher again, a lot of us will have a game plan in mind,” said senior outfielder Olivia Richvalsky. “We will definitely be taking what we learned from the first game to get ready for Big Ten.” In Michigan’s other two games, it will face the Seminoles, who it defeated twice last season. The Wolverines will pay close attention to Florida State’s two Jessicas: infielder Jessica Warren, who hit 19 home runs last year and has seven RBI thus far, and redshirt junior pitcher Jessica Burroughs, who has a 1.65 ERA on the season. In last weekend’s tournament, Michigan drew 22 walks, a testament to the team’s emphasis on patience at the plate. “We definitely emphasize commanding the zone, (taking) what they give you,” Hutchins said. “If they give you a meatball, smack it. If they give you a ball, take it, because walks are as good as hits. We emphasize being on base, anything you can do to be on base (because) walks are equally effective.” While Driesenga is back and injury-free, junior right-hander Megan Betsa is still ailing. She was considered questionable before last week’s slate of games but managed to pitch 10 innings and strike out 20. Hutchins believes Betsa will play, but how much remains unclear. “She’s improving. I expect she’ll pitch some innings,” Hutchins said. “How many will be dictated by how she’s feeling.” But with a healthy Driesenga and a strong, patient offense, Michigan will have a good chance regardless of its ace’s health.
Sports
8 — Friday, February 19, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Donnal finds himself as ‘M’ big man After long quest for confidence, junior forward appears ready to carry load By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer
As a high-school sophomore, Mark Donnal sat down with Bryan Borcherdt, a longtime coach and family friend, to discuss his future prospects. Borcherdt asked Donnal a simple question: How do you envision your future? The coach saw a 6-foot-9 prospect who could run, shoot and defend, one with the potential to succeed at the highest level. For some reason, Donnal saw something different. “I remember him looking at me, saying, ‘Maybe a midmajor?’ ” Borcherdt said. “I don’t think he realized.” Donnal may not have been aware of his potential then, but his abilities soon became obvious and unavoidable. That potential was never more apparent than on June 15, 2011, when Borcherdt let a call he never expected to receive go to voicemail. He had since been hired as the head coach at Anthony Wayne High School in Monclova, Ohio, and was engrossed in running a summer youth basketball camp, too busy for the unrecognized number on the other end. When Borcherdt checked his messages a few hours later, he saw the call might have been worth taking after all. Waiting in his voicemail was a brief greeting from Chris Collins, then an assistant coach at Duke and now the head coach at Northwestern. Collins wanted to speak with Anthony Wayne’s budding star in the low post: Mark Donnal. The Blue Devils had come calling for a player who had
thought, albeit fleetingly, his potential more closely corresponded to a program like Toledo or Bowling Green. But upon consulting with Donnal, then a rising junior at Anthony Wayne, Borcherdt could only smile. Duke was too late. As it happened, June 15, 2011, was also the day Donnal committed to play for Michigan and for John Beilein. “Mark said, ‘Tell them I’m a Wolverine,’ ” Borcherdt recalled. It was a day Donnal never could have envisioned, even during his check-in with Borcherdt a season before. In that year, Donnal morphed from a player who didn’t think he had a shot to play in the Big Ten to a player comfortable enough in his destination — Ann Arbor — to turn away interest from a program that had won the national championship the year before. Donnal says the decision seems stranger now than it did four years ago. Turning down any level of interest from Duke simply seemed like the natural thing to do at the time, and he has never regretted the decision not to pursue Collins’ interest, saying he was “locked in” at Michigan. It’s not that Donnal had a crisis in confidence. It’s simply that those around him assumed, perhaps too optimistically, that he knew his true potential. In the end, Borcherdt and the other influences in Donnal’s life needed to spell things out more explicitly. They told Donnal he was destined for a successful program in a Power Five conference, not a run-of-the-mill Midwestern mid-major. “Just to hear somebody
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Junior forward Mark Donnal, who lost the starting job at the ‘5’ position in each of the past two years, is now back in the lineup and averaging 10.3 points in Big Ten play.
express that level of confidence in me was huge,” Donnal said of his early-career conversation with Borcherdt. “I think that was something of a turning point.” Borcherdt was eventually proven right. Donnal is averaging 10.2 points per game in Big Ten play this season and has embraced his role as a big man who can rebound, take charges and play defense, even against players who dwarf him in the low post. Donnal’s junior-year emergence, however, was difficult to predict. He spent his freshman season redshirting, working to build strength and size so he could contend in a conference where big men take a beating. The work paid off, at least in the short term. Donnal began his sophomore season as Michigan’s starter at the ‘5’ position, but struggled in the early going and quickly lost the job to true freshman Ricky Doyle. This year, Donnal once again began the season as Michigan’s starter, but once again, his earlyseason performance wasn’t enough to keep Doyle out of the starting five. Donnal scored just 3.4 points per game that season, serving as a jarring symbol of the Wolverines’ lackluster year, in which they finished 16-16 and missed the postseason entirely — all on the heels of an Elite Eight appearance during Donnal’s first year and a Final Four run the season before. Playing time came inconsistently for Donnal last season, especially as Doyle excelled in the early season and Max Bielfeldt came on strong toward the end. Donnal played 15 minutes or more just seven times, leaving him far short of where
“It’s just that I haven’t spent that much time in the spotlight.”
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Donnal burst onto the scene with a 26-point outing at Illinois on Dec. 30.
he’d hoped to be after his year on the bench. To add insult to injury, Michigan announced at the beginning of the 2015-16 season that Donnal had been reclassified from a redshirt sophomore to a junior, meaning that a potential fifth year would have to be earned, not assumed. “There are really two directions people can go when they’re frustrated,” said Donnal’s brother Andrew, a former offensive lineman at Iowa who currently plays for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. “Some people introvert. They go inside, they kind of clam up. Other guys come out, and that’s definitely Mark. He definitely excels in his game when things aren’t good.” Determined to not let his sophomore season repeat itself, the younger Donnal did exactly that, punctuating an earlyseason comeback with a 26-point outburst at Illinois on Dec. 30. That performance harkened back to a similarly defining moment during Donnal’s highschool days. His AAU squad, the Indiana Elite, traveled to Bloomington in May 2011 to face a team featuring three future college stars: Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr., Xavier’s Trevon Blueitt and current Utah Jazz forward Trey Lyles, who left for the NBA last year after his freshman season at Kentucky. Donnal was unfazed. “Mark kicked the living hell out of them,” said Dan Dakich, the current ESPN analyst and former assistant at Indiana, who coached the Elite at the time. “He tore up Trey Lyles in Assembly Hall when those kids were sophomores and juniors.” Donnal’s 23 points paced the Elite, and his block of Blueitt’s buzzer-beating shot attempt sealed the 78-77 upset. “I think there are definitely parallels,” Donnal said, comparing the AAU performance to the breakout game in Champaign. “Both were huge confidence boosters.” After the Illinois game, Donnal said, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his back. On the court, the difference in his confidence is palpable, especially in games when he’s forced head to head with some of the country’s elite interior players, like Maryland’s Diamond Stone or Purdue’s A.J. Hammons. Donnal seems to be in the right place at the right time far more often, and after fighting off a bout of earlyseason foul trouble, he’s playing vertical defense and rebounding against 7-footers, keying the Wolverines’ upsets of then-No. 18 Purdue on Feb. 13 and No. 3 Maryland on Jan. 12. It’s similar to the process that took place after the earlyhigh school conversation with Borcherdt, after which Donnal says he was more able to embrace his ability to excel. Playing with the mentality of a player who can excel at Michigan, Donnal says, has been a similar process, one that seems to be nearing its final stages. Confidence, though, is hardly the only aspect of Donnal’s emotional profile that has changed
since high school, when many close to Donnal say he needed to be angry to play his best. “I told John Beilein, and I told Jeff Meyer when they were recruiting him, look, you can’t be nice to Mark,” Dakich said. “If you were nice to Mark, that was a problem. Because if you want him to be angry, you need to be angry.” Donnal chalks that up to “highschool Mark,” saying Dakich’s assessment rang more true in high school than it does now. “Coach Dakich was always good about letting me know there’s another gear,” Donnal said. “The coaching staff here is the same way. I don’t know if it’s necessarily about a need to be frustrated, but they definitely let me know there’s always another level.” Regardless of whether he plays to that level, Donnal displays little emotion during games, especially compared to teammates like Spike Albrecht or Zak Irvin. Donnal prefers to do his talking on the court, and whether he’s getting stonewalled or playing the game of his career, that’s the way things have always been. The quiet on-court persona, however, isn’t necessarily intentional. “It’s not necessarily that I prefer to fly under the radar,” Donnal said. “It’s just that I haven’t spent that much time in the spotlight.” If there’s anybody who knows how Donnal behaves when he’s frustrated, it’s Andrew, who claims to hold an advantage over his younger brother in a one-onone driveway basketball series that now dates back more than a decade. “Everything was a competition,” Andrew said. “Who could drink their drink the fastest, who could eat dinner the fastest. We loved going in the driveway and playing basketball and beating up on each other.” Mark disputes his brother’s claim that he was at a disadvantage in their sibling rivalry, three-year age gap notwithstanding. The two have obvious strengths and weaknesses. Mark, a willowy 6 foot 9, has a body better suited for basketball; Andrew’s stocky, 6-foot-6 frame is suited better to the duties of an NFL offensive lineman. As Andrew recalled, a loss in the driveway used to generate roughly the same emotional response — outwardly, anyway — as a win at Crisler Center does today. Mark agrees that he’s not one to clue somebody into his emotional state or his mind’s inner workings unless they’re in his inner circle to begin with. Donnal is as reserved when speaking to the media as he was before he was a starter averaging double-digit scoring totals, and rarely lets his frustration after a loss — or, for that matter, his elation after a win — show. Andrew, of course, is a member of that inner circle, and Mark hasn’t hesitated to use
his older brother as a resource, especially given their similar experiences as Big Ten athletes. Andrew also redshirted his freshman year, and though the hiatus was more expected for a developing offensive lineman than for a basketball player, he made sure to discuss the proper mentality for a year off during Mark’s freshman season. “A lot of guys are physically ready and have the skill set out of high school,” Andrew said. “And it’s not that Mark didn’t — I just think that for him to be able to compete better in the Big Ten, he did need to get bigger and stronger. I just told him that it can be frustrating, because you’re the only one that’s gonna be redshirting. All the other freshmen he came in with were going to be playing.” To add to the frustration, one of those classmates — junior guard Zak Irvin — made 3-point shooting his ticket to playing time during his freshman campaign. Donnal, known as much for his shooting ability as with anything else during high school, was forced to learn quickly that as a ‘5’ at Michigan, he wouldn’t get the perimeter looks he enjoyed in high school. “In our league, in our area, having a 6-foot-9 player, I’d have been foolish to not have him in the post,” Borcherdt said of Donnal’s inside-out game in high school, when he dealt with the same dilemma. Beilein has spoken similarly of Donnal’s transition, saying he likely came to Michigan assuming 3-point shooting would be his meal ticket. Michigan, in its media guides last season, even dubbed Doyle “The Rim Rocker” and Donnal “The Shooter.” Donnal prefers the simpler set of nicknames bestowed upon the pair by assistant coach Bacari Alexander: “Thunder” and “Lightning.” In his renaissance, Donnal has learned to play more like Thunder, showing off the type of competitiveness Andrew remembers from him as a child. “He is emotional, but he’s emotional in his own way,” Andrew Donnal said. “He’s not outgoing, he’s not a hoo-rah guy — he’s a guy who’s going to come to work every day and do his job and not make a fuss about it.” Donnal has certainly never made a fuss — not when Beilein told him he’d be redshirting his freshman year, or when Doyle beat him out for the starting job last season, or when it seemed for a two-week stretch this year that recent history had repeated itself. Now carrying the confidence of a Big Ten big man, Donnal seems ready to carry the load down low for the Wolverines, doing whatever’s asked for a team still reeling from two season-long injuries impacting its two senior stars and struggling to stay afloat. For that responsibility, Donnal finally seems ready. “Highschool Mark,” as Donnal put it, might be surprised.
“Mark kicked the living hell out of them.”