ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, March 11, 2016
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GOVERNMENT
In 2016 elections, a focus on higher ed
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Information senior Sonia Doshi introduces a workshop at the Mental Health Monologues during the Depression on College Campuses Conference at Rackham Graduate School on Thursday.
Mental Health Monologue addresses campus stigmas Event part of twoday conference on depression on college campuses
By MADELINE MCGERSON Daily Staff Reporter
Thursday afternoon, about 60 students, faculty and social workers from across the country gathered to attend a Mental Health Monologues workshop led by Information senior Sonia Doshi, founder of Healthy Minds
Student Leadership Coalition. The workshop was part of the second day of the 14th annual Depression on College Campuses Conferences, hosted by the University of Michigan’s Depression Center. Doshi created the event last year with the aim of giving students the opportunity to share their stories and experiences with mental health and reduce the stigma of mental health on campus. Three students performed monologues during a series of workshops, throughout which Doshi explained the process and intentions of the actual Mental
Health Monologues, which will take place in April. Speakers at the Monologues are anonymous due to the sensitive and personal nature of their stories. One student shared her story of living with obsessivecompulsive disorder. “When you have OCD, it is not uncommon for your thoughts to give you superpowers,” she said. “Once you get rid of one fear, another comes back.” Following the first story, Doshi asked the audience to create a mental map, which encouraged participants to explore a theme such as pain, and then form a
script for a potential monologue of their own. “This activity simplifies the act of taking your entire life story and condensing it into a five minute performance,” Doshi said. Nyshourn Price, student services specialist at the School of Social Work, shared her experiences as a single mother during the exercise. “I saw that I was able to pull up something so quickly that is so old for me,” Price said. “There were two issues that came up for me. Grief, as I lost my mother two years ago, and my past relationship See HEALTH, Page 3
Candidates in both parties release comprehensive plans on debt, tuition By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
Among other unique qualities, this presidential election stands out in that it’s putting the spotlight on and taking new approaches to many previously under-the-radar topics — such as campus issues like college student debt and campus sexual assault. Seeking to appeal to young voters, all major GOP and Democratic candidates have presented plans to address student loan debt and restructure higher education to benefit more young Americans. From tuition-free state universities to heavily subsidized tuition to restructuring of student loans, candidates on both sides have highlighted reform efforts. The Democrats were the first
CRIME
LEGISLATURE
After incidents, ‘U’ students still riding with Uber Kalamazoo mass shooting renews calls for increased regulations By RIYAH BASHA Daily Staff Reporter
Though Uber and other ridesharing services are facing a nationwide call for increased regulation on drivers — in Michigan specifically, following a mass shooting carried out by an Uber driver in Kalamazoo who killed six — University of Michigan students continue to use on Uber as a reliable way to get around campus. LSA junior Nadine Jawad said she takes safety precautions when using Uber, such as carrying pepper spray and a charged phone, but remains loyal to the service even after the mass shootings. “My parents strongly discourage my use of Uber so often due to the recent shooting in Kalamazoo, so I can’t help but hold a tinge of fear subconsciously,” she said. “However, of the 50 times I’ve used an Uber I’ve never had an issue, (but) you never know what to expect. Personally I’m not scared so long as it’s light outside and I have a phone and my pepper spray.” In response to the Kalamazoo incidents, as well as others that have occured in the state and beyond, critics of Uber and Lyft have pointed to issues of safety originating with companies’ verification process. Uber and Lyft drivers go through a significantly shorter interview process than rival taxi companies and do not have to
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submit government background checks or pay fees to obtain city licenses, Newsweekreported. Drivers found to be violent are immediately suspended, according to Uber’s policy, but if a customer lodges a complaint against something subjective, like bad driving, the driver may not be immediately punished. Jeremy Dalton, the shooter responsible for six deaths in Kalamazoo, had a “good” rating of 4.73 and favorable feedback from riders, Time found. In an interview, Fermaish Ali, an Uber driver in Detroit, admitted the company’s hiring practices could use tweaking. “Being scared is justified,” he said. “You are given a service in which even the employer does not know the driver. Even when they have done background research on the drivers, there is no real meetings or interview after being hired. Everything from there on is online or on the phone.” LSA freshman Stephanie Harris agreed with Jawad, saying she feels Uber is more dependable than other options for getting home at night, such as walking or taking the bus. “I’ve always thought the concept of Uber is sketchy, but walking home from parties late at night is sketchier,” she said. “Living on North Campus doesn’t really give me much of a choice since the buses are so unreliable.” University Police spokeswoman Diane Brown said she woudn’t dissuade students from using ride-sharing services, but warned them to only request rides through Uber and Lyft’s official apps and to exercise caution. See UBER, Page 3
to take on the policy focus, when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) entered the race with higher education reform as a key pillar to his platform. His challenger, Hillary Clinton, also proposed her own solution, and leading Republicans soon followed suit. Now down to the last four in a race that once had 17 — with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), businessman Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — higher education has been a less prominent focus for the Republicans than the Democrats overall, but an emphasis nonetheless. Cynthia Wilbanks, vice president for government relations at the University of Michigan, in response to the call by all candidates for universities to take more responsibility for managing tuition costs, said the University is working more closely with students. “The most important thing is that we have receptive students and families,” Wilbanks said. “One See HIGHER ED, Page 3
Bills aim to up access to hygiene items for women State legislators hope to open up dialogue around menstruation By CAITLIN REEDY
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Jeanice Swift, Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent, speaks on the addition of crosswalks near Huron High School at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting at City Hall on Thursday.
City Council plans reforms to oversight of police in A2 Council members say transparency a recurring issue in department By BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission addressed City Council Thursday as the body voted to accept the commission’s recommendations regarding police-community relations. Prompted by the police shooting of Ann Arbor resident Aura Rosser, a Black woman, in 2014, the HRC extensively studied police oversight practices across the country and published a report in November 2015. Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office ultimately declined to press charges against the officer involved in the shooting in January 2015. The commission’s report
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calls for the appointment of an independent police auditor, the creation of a civilian board to investigate complaints against police and improved channels for dispute resolution and crisis intervention. Several members of the locally appointed commission — including two University of Michigan law students — were present at the meeting to speak in favor of adopting the recommendations put forth by their report. Commission chair Leslie Stambaugh, an Ann Arbor resident, told councilmembers the independent police auditor should urgently be funded by the city’s May budget deadline. “We want council to provide funding for this before the budget deadline in May so that it can get installed quickly and effectively,” Stambaugh said. “Otherwise, we fear it will get delayed even further and be implemented poorly, and that would be a waste.” Ann Arbor resident Robert
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McGee, who was in attendance, also praised the report’s recommendations and the drive for greater police transparency, but cautioned that civilian oversight should not directly obstruct the operations of the Ann Arbor Police Department. “Nowadays with the mounting societal pressure on our men and women in blue, I fully support any effort to improve relations between them and the public, and in the same breadth I also support a mechanism for the public to be heard,” McGee said. “However, I do caution the citizen oversight board should not interfere with ongoing criminal investigations, departmental disciplinary actions, union issues and any real-time events.” As the council moved to unanimously approve the resolution to accept the report, the councilmembers acknowledged the work of the commission — who are unpaid volunteers — and the See COUNCIL, Page 3
Vol. CXXV, No. 87 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
Daily Staff Reporter
In a bid to increase access, two bills were introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives last week to provide tampons and sanitary napkins for free in women’s restrooms in public school buildings and state-owned facilities. House Bills 5427 and 5426, introduced by Rep. Sarah Roberts (D–St. Clair Shores), follow another bill focused on access, HB 5234, introduced in January 2016 that aimed to remove sales taxes from all feminine hygiene products. The bills join a nationwide push to make feminine hygiene products more accessible to women, which started in January when California State Rep. Cristina Garcia (D–Calif.) introduced the first piece of state legislation to abolish the “tampon tax.” As of now, only five states have gotten rid of the tax: Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Roberts said she was first inspired to work toward making feminine hygiene products more readily available after hearing about the work of an advocate in New York. The three bills concerning tampon access currently in the House, she said, are part of a package to open up See BILLS, Page 3
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Pitaya employee and EMU student Keanu Palmer folds clothes in Pitaya on Wednesday.
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Nate Ruess of FUN performs at the Bernie Sanders rally in Crisler Center on Monday. The rally came just before Michigan’s primaries on Tuesday.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
ITS Windows Historic Students art workshop sites lecture exhibit WHAT: The Computer Showcase will address students’ ease of access with Windows 7 and Windows 10. WHO: Information and Technology Services WHEN: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, room G-312
WHAT: The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience will explore historic sites and their contemporary implications. WHO: Museum Studies Program WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: UMMA, room 125
WHAT: Chroma’s opening on Friday will present narratives of people of color through performances and visual art. WHO: Middle East and Arab Network WHEN: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: North Quad
Ross Gay reading
The Big Short UMMA after hours screening
WHAT: The National Book Award finalist and Indiana University professor will host a reading of his poetry and prose. WHO: Lloyd Hall Scholars WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Literati Bookstore
WHAT: A free screening of the Oscar-winning movie about the carsh of the housing market. WHO: University Activities Center WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Natural Sciences Auditorium
Climate change symposium WHAT: Presentations will focus on links between climate change and social conflict in the Middle East. WHO: Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies WHEN: 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium
Big Fun and Miles Davis
WHAT: Big Fun will play the WHAT: The museum electric music of Miles Davis. will open galleries and WHO: Campus Information special exhibits. Live music WHEN: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and refreshments will be WHERE: East Quad, Keene available. Theatre WHO: University of l Please report any error in Michigan Museum of Art the Daily to corrections@ WHEN: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. michigandaily.com. WHERE: UMMA
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
The Justice Department responded to Apple in its dispute over the San Bernandino shooter’s locked iPhone, accusing the company of false rhetoric and “overblown” fear, the New York Times reported.
2
A Donald Trump supporter was charged with two counts of assault and disorderly conduct after punching a Black protestor at a rally in North Carolina , the Washington Post reported.
3
Pennsylvania police are hunting for two attackers who opened fire at a backyard party on Wednesday night. The death toll from the shooting has risen to six people, according to Fox News.
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Conference aims to encourage dialogue about mental health Keynote speaker discusses app that uses behavorial therapy technique By GRACE CANFIELD For the Daily
The University of Michigan Depression Center closed out its two-day Depression on College Campuses Conference with a keynote address from Dr. Robert Morris titled “Crowdsourcing Mental Health.” Thursday. Attendees were primarily University professors and alumni, as well as parents of children with depression. Dr. John Greden, executive director of the University’s Comprehensive Depression Center, started the conference 14 years ago in response to increasing calls for action to address the stigma surrounding depression and
anxiety on college campuses. He sought to involve other professors both at the University and at other colleges across the United States, eventually bringing on Todd Sevig and Daniel Eisenberg, co-founders of the University’s Depression Center, to help organize the event, ultimately expanding to include 450 registered in attendance this year. Sevig is currently the director of the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Greden said though he has been involved in the conference each year, the organizational efforts of other University members have allowed the program to expand and improve. “The credit for organizing a lot of this just belongs to a team of students, counselors, RAs, a number of administrators — I mean everybody gets together and says, ‘who should we invite this year that’s really special?’” he said. Morris, the committee’s choice, is the founder of the social platform Koko, an iPhone-based
app that strives to connect users looking for alternative methods to cope with depression and anxiety. Morris explained that he came up with the idea for Koko while struggling with depression on his own as a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He encountered a website called Stack Overflow, which allows users to post questions while learning how to program and write code, and other users will help them solve their problem. “Just as we can use this system to identify and fix bugs in our code, perhaps we can do something similar to help us identify and fix bugs in our thinking,” Morris said. The app uses an interface similar to that of Twitter or Facebook, allowing users to post about day-to-day situations and ask for advice, which is given in the form of “reframes” by anonymous users. The “reframes” are a system of commenting and refining discussion to approach an issue from a different perspective. This follows a method of cognitive behavioral therapy in which seemingly overwhelming issues are recast in a different, hopefully more positive light, with the intent to help the user find a new way to think about the problem or situation. Morris used a personal anecdote to illustrate the experience of using the app, in which he posted about a stressful situation that he encountered in his life. “My wife really wants a baby, but I’m not sure,” he wrote. “There is a chance my child will struggle with depression and chronic pain, as I have.” He followed this post with what he described as a negative thought, an explanation of the view that pervaded his way of thinking about the situation: “I worry I won’t be able to care for (the child), as I sometimes struggle to care for myself,” the post read. Morris then showed the audience multiple examples of “reframes” that he got from other users, similar to comments on See KEYNOTE, Page 3
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LSA junior Trevor Torres performs a poem as a part of Michigan’s slam poetry team at the Michigan League on Thursday.
Before national competition, slam poetry team hosts event Performance topics range from family, to health and identity By TANYA MADHANI Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan Slam Poetry Club hosted its final campus performance of the academic year Thursday in the Michigan League basement to an audience of 40 people. The themes of the poems performed centered around family, acceptance and identity. Performers at the event were LSA sophomores Laura Schwendeman and Alyssa Holt and LSA juniors Trevor Torres and Eileen Li. The four compose the organization’s National Slam Poetry Team. From April 6 to 9, they will travel to Austin, Texas to compete in the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational against more than 60 different collegiate teams. Schwendeman shared a poem during the event about her grandmother’s battle with postpartum psychosis, and
another about her relationship with her father. “A lot of the poems we read tonight aren’t specific instances or experiences that everyone in the audience might have had, but hopefully they could connect on them on some level,” she said. “That’s sort of the basis of poetry … to get people to relate to us in a way we can relate to them.” LSA junior Coral Lu said she attended the event to support Schwendeman and the club as a whole. One of the most moving poems for her, she said, was Torres’ poem about his battle with juvenile diabetes and celiac disease. “They were all really powerful and all really sad,” Lu said. “It was just really powerful how his personal experiences talked to you … I didn’t really expect it to be that personal and strong.” For Schwendeman, the evening’s performance was a chance for the team not only to showcase its work, but also to gain feedback from the University audience about its poems. Forming the national team is a long process, she said, beginning in January. In the lead up to the final decisions, there are both a series of fall events and poetry
slams each month. Lu said she thought it was important for students to come and support organizations like the Slam Poetry Club, both to provide feedback to the poets about their writing as well as to be exposed to a new art form. “I think there are a lot of amazing things going on on campus that people don’t really know of,” she said. “They’re going to nationals and it’s a pretty big thing, but not too many people know of it. And they definitely need to practice, and we need to get to know how awesome they are and what slam poetry really is.” Kylie Carpenter, a Public Health masters student, said she found Li’s poem about miscommunication between her mother’s native language and her English the most powerful, adding that she thought slam poetry gives students an outlet they wouldn’t otherwise find at the University. “I thought that was interesting, like the different perspective of the culture,” she said. “It’s something like a hobby that people have, you can’t express it during classes. It’s something you can kind of experience in a See POETRY, Page 3
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HIGHER ED From Page 1 of the ways we have been called to be more helpful is spending more time with what it is students are expected to do in terms of financial aid.” Democrats Among the two Democrats left standing, Clinton and Sanders, both agree there should be changes made to the higher education system and tuition rates should be severely cut, but their plans to do so have several significant differences. Nonetheless, Public Policy senior Max Lerner, chair of the University’s chapter of College Democrats, said he believes both candidates’ plans encompass core values “I think that Democrats, for a while now, have shown that they are the party that cares for students,” Lerner said. “They are always fighting for bigger funding, and fighting for lower tuition and making sure that states have enough money to fund their universities.” College Republicans did not respond to repeated requests for comment. For Sanders, the main policy push is ensuring all students can attend college for free. As a senator, Sanders introduced the College for All Act, which would allocate $47 billion per year to eliminate undergraduate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities. His current plan would also cut student loan interest rates down to 2.37 percent. Sanders has said if elected president, he would also expand need-based financial aid and workstudy programs to move toward making college debt-free. LSA sophomore Nicholas Kolenda, president of Students for Sanders, said he believes Sanders’ plan is unique based on its inclusive nature. “It’s a slippery slope when you exclude people from public goods because they can’t pay for it,” Kolenda said. “We don’t exclude the top 1 percent from public growth because they can privately pay for college.” This extensive plan would require funding of $74 billion each year. To achieve this, Sanders plans to tax a fraction of a percent on Wall Street speculation. In contrast, while not planning to make college entirely free, Clinton’s New College Compact plan aims to reign in rising college debt and work with universities to hold them responsible for their tuition levels. She has also said she plans to expand workstudy programs. According to her website, Clinton’s College Compact will require families to make an “affordable and realistic family contribution” to the cost of college. LSA junior Anushka Sarkar, outreach director and event coordinator for Students for Hillary, said she thinks Clinton’s plan is a much more feasible one in comparison to Sanders’. “I am confident that she will be able to (cut tuition), and there is a difference between an idealistic policy and a pragmatic policy position,” Sarkar said. “Hillary can make it more affordable and refinance student loans — that’s realistic, that’s something you can hold the president accountable for. Free college is not.” As well, under the Compact, the federal government would give grants to states that commit and cut interest rates on loans — as well as states investing in their
HEALTH From Page 1 with my ex-husband.” Another student monologue addressed depression by utilizing the metaphor of a Chinese finger trap toy. The student explained that the goal of a Chinese finger trap is to escape as quickly as possible. “I am in a Chinese finger trap,” he said. “From age 12, I was not in control. I could not control my older sister’s anger, her hating school and hating life. Her punching holes in the wall the size of my head. I could not control my sister’s depression.” The speakers of the three monologues underwent a lengthy process of practices and workshops in order to prepare for the event, which Doshi further highlighted by asking attendees to create poems from their mental maps. The third monologue was from a speaker who compared her
own public institutions. Overall, Clinton’s plan is slated to cost about $350 billion over the course of 10 years, which she has said she would raise by closing tax loopholes and expenditures for wealthy individuals. Republicans On the Republican side, the policy issue has received less of an emphasis, and the depth of candidates’ plans to combat student debt range. LSA sophomore Casey VanderWeide, member of Students for Rubio, said he believes Republicans like Rubio have a better student debt platform because of how their plans would be funded. “Rubio’s plan is superior to the Democrats’ plan because it does not rely on other people’s money,” VanderWeide said. “Sanders’ Wall Street speculation plan does not guarantee a set amount of revenue. Investors will try to avoid this tax by trading overseas. Not only big investors will be affected by this new tax but also small investors.” Rubio has laid out several efforts to modernize the current financial aid system that attempt to aid with student borrowing in his approach to student debt — one of the most comprehensive among the GOP — saying he will overhaul and modernize it. In particular, he plans to consolidate the multiple tax benefits written into the Internal Revenue Service code for students into one provision for post-secondary education, to help with applying to federal financial aid. He also plans to make all financial aid information available in one location to reduce the burden and time families spend searching for this information. Last year, President Barack Obama’s administration made significant changes to FAFSA, the free application for federal student aid, in an attempt to make it easier to use, including opening up the application earlier and using a family’s income information. VanderWeide said he thought Rubio’s particular attention to student debt and higher education stemmed from his background. “I think Rubio, out of all the Republican candidates, has the most thought-out student debt platform because, when he graduated law school, he had $100,000 in student loans,” VanderWeide said. “Marco Rubio did not come from a family of money... He understands what students are going through because he has gone through the process.” Rubio has also discussed several other main policy ideas to tackle student debt, including establishing income-based repayment for federal student loans — a partial system for which already exists under the Revised Pay As You Earn Plan, which debuted in December 2015. As well, the senator’s plan includes a provision to allow students to apply for the “Student Investment Plans” from approved investors to help young Americans finance their education. Kasich has also laid out several proposals to aid with higher education, largely based on his time as governor of Ohio where student debt is above the national average according to Forbes. During his time as governor, the state’s universities have stabilized tuition costs at their public universities, and increased funding to universities with high graduation rates under his creation of Ohio’s Task Force on Affordability and Efficiency. Whereas many states allocate funds to higher education institutions based off of the number of students who attend, schools
in Ohio receive rewards for the number of students who graduate. The Task Force presented recommendations such as incentivising students to take at least 15 credits a semester and encourage universities to build up their summer programs. In addition to encouraging students to stay on track to graduate in four years, Ohio has worked to keep tuition rates low and has gone as far as addressing the cost of textbooks. During his campaign, Kasich has said he would like to encourage programs like that in place in Ohio to expand nationally — particularly his program which allocates funds based on graduation rather than enrollment. He has also said he intends to increase opportunities for students to receive college credits while still in high school to help reduce the cost of the student’s future tuition. Among the other two candidates left in the GOP race — Cruz and Trump — neither have introduced significant policy plans, though both have mentioned the issue. When he ran for the Senate in 2012, Cruz stated that student loan debt should be a state issue rather than a federal government issue. During this same campaign cycle, he called for the abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education, reiterating that student debt policy decisions should be in the hands of state and local governments. During his presidential campaign, he hasn’t expressed much beyond that on the topic, though he has noted that similar to Rubio, he graduated with $100,000 in debt. “I just paid off my student loans five or six years ago. Economic growth is critical to young people because if we want this generation to be able to pay off their loans and develop the skills to live the American dream, we’ve got to return to an environment where small businesses are growing and flourishing, and creating jobs and opportunities,” Cruz told theSkimm earlier this year. Similar to Cruz, Trump has yet to lay out a concrete plan for higher education and student debt. However, he has claimed several times that the government unfairlyprofits from the billions of student loans. When announcing his candidacy, Trump said, “People are tired... of spending more money on education than any nation in the world per capita.” Other than that statement, Trump hasn’t said much else regarding his plans for debt should he be elected into office, though like Cruz he has suggested cutting the Department of Education. The Republican frontrunner, has, however, drawn controversy over his own involvement in the higher education industry — his forprofit college, Trump University, now the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative, is currently facing a legal suit for possible illegal business practices. As many as a 25 percent of the students have requested a refund for their tuition costs to the University, according to CNN. Regardless of who they’re voting for, students see higher education being discussed in the campaign as positive and with the potential for long lasting change. “I think we’re at a crossroads,” LSA sophomore Eleonore Edgell said. “This election is very important because I think we have the potential to create policy within these four years that can create lasting impacts for the next twenty or fifty or a hundred years. Voting is really important.”
obsessive-compulsive disorder to sneezing. “Sneezing is a universal truth,” she said. “Everyone turns and says, ‘Bless you.’ Sneezing interrupts our daily lives. But despite this need, a sneeze is usually technically voluntary.” If you can understand the nature of a sneeze, she continued, you can gain better understanding of the compulsions associated with OCD and Tourette syndrome. “They are constant interruptions in your life with tensions and urges that simply must be satisfied,” she said. “For the last year, my Tourette’s has had a physical take on flexing my right jaw muscle. Just like a sneeze, I have to do it. We have to move from sympathy to empathy. There is no ‘bless you.’ ” Price said that events such as the Mental Health Monologues are vital in continuing the dialogue of mental health on college campuses. “I do a lot of work with
disabilities,” Price said. “Mental health is one piece of it. It’s getting people to understand and walk in your shoes. Sometimes the hidden disabilities are not as easy.”
POETRY From Page 2 creative side.” Schwendeman said she saw slam poetry as an authentic way for students to express themselves. “I feel once we got to college, we wanted something more authentic and real and raw, and this is a really easy way to tell your story 100 percent honestly,” she said. “When I first went to a poetry slam, I was floored, like ‘I have to do that!’ because you just write your story down, and then you just get up in front of a mic and say it and that’s really powerful.”
BILLS From Page 1 conversation on women’s health and menstruation. “We need to have more conversations about this topic because menstruation is a taboo subject and a girl has to feel embarrassed to ask for a feminine hygiene product,” Roberts said. “They should never feel embarrassed about a completely natural thing that happens in a woman’s body. I want to take the shame away from this issue.” The recent push in legislation parallels a change in advertising for tampons, such as ads from U by Kotex poking fun at older commercials that avoided any talk of blood or the actual function of the products the commercials were trying to sell. Joanne Bailey, director of the Nurse Midwifery Service and professor of women’s health in the Women’s Studies Department at the University, said she sees the changes in legislation and advertising as a break in the taboo previously placed on menstruation. “If we look at social media or advertisement, there’s been a real change in the messaging around
KEYNOTE From Page 2 Facebook or replies on Twitter. Other anonymous users of the app provided him with ways of rethinking the situation based on how they had perceived it objectively, allowing him to see positives about himself and the situation that he possibly hadn’t seen before. In a Q and A after the speech, University alum Dr. Neal Elkin asked about the demographics that
COUNCIL From Page 1 professionalism of the AAPD. Councilmember Sumi Kailasapathy (D–Ward 1) said the commission fulfilled its civic duty and stressed that the independent police auditor should be immediately funded for the next fiscal year due to gaps in transparency during the commission’s review. “This was a labor of love. It’s not that (the commission) didn’t
UBER From Page 1 “People need to take responsibility for their safety,” Brown said. “Just like we suggest with walking, going with another person or friend is advisable.” Both Uber and Lyft have been called into question in Ann Arbor before. City Councilconsidered a measure in 2014 requiring Uber drivers to comply with the Michigan Limousine Transportation Act and purchase commercial vehicle licenses. The
Friday, March 11, 2016 — 3 feminine hygiene products. Even the name is kind of bizarre; it whitewashes it and doesn’t talk about what is going on,” Bailey said. “If we look at the changing language and openness around it, this indicates that, as a society, we are changing our perspectives as our ability to talk about it changes.” LSA sophomore Ashley Wilson, social media director for Students for Choice, said she believes this legislation is key to opening up dialogue about the necessity of feminine hygiene products. “Periods are not this secret, shameful thing. If these products became openly available at your local secretary of state, in public schools and courthouses, it would be much harder for our society to pretend like they do not happen,” Wilson said. “The sooner we put an end to all of the stigma, the sooner we have a healthier society that is more comfortable discussing reproductive health care without fear of alienation.” Robert said she sees herself as a voice for young girls who worry about getting their period while in school, potentially taking away from their ability to focus while in class. “I felt really passionate that
these were free and available because oftentimes a girl’s period can start and she doesn’t know it, and you need exact change and the dispenser may not need work,” Roberts said. “Or they have to ask a friend or ask a teacher — and why should we make young women go through that?” Bailey said she thought an increase of women in both the legislature and advertising companies, such as Roberts, is a testament to gender equality as more women are able to take leadership positions and break taboos on issues like menstruation. “Fifty percent of the population are women, so it’s a huge marketing opportunity. It is a taboo that is breaking because more women are able to participate in the advertising and decision-making that is changing it,” Bailey said. “It feels completely invisible to men and it’s uncomfortable and a taboo topic, so it’s easy to keep it invisible, so it certainly is female lawmakers. You can’t imagine a man doing this. More women in power are challenging those questions.” Members of College Republicans were not available for immediate comment.
the app is actually able to reach, and the challenge of getting data from a website where anonymity is so integral. “Have you tracked topics that people are discussing — whether it’s bipolar disorder, depression, suicidality?” he asked. In response, Morris noted that queries are organized by the topics to which they pertain, such as marriage, parenthood, or college, not specific mental disorders, also stressing that the app is not a substitute for getting professional help.
Greden said he thought forums such as the Morris’s keynote and the conference are another way to change the way students and faculty alike think about mental health issues like anxiety and depression. “I’m really pleased to say, I think with accuracy, that the University of Michigan has been a leader in changing that trend,” Greden said. “This is the largest conference of its kind … it has gone on for 14 years. The first year we started it, we only planned it for one year, and people wouldn’t let us quit.”
think we don’t have the greatest police force, it’s because they believe in democracy,” Kalispathy said, noting the members of the commission committed hours of their time without a budget to write the report. Kalispathy added that AAPD did not grant the commission full transparency during the drafting of the report, mentioning in particular their refusal to grant access to their “use-of-force forms,” a report commonly filled out by a member of the police department after an officer is
accused of excessive force. Councilmember Jack Eaton (D– Ward 4) commended AAPD, and said increased civilian oversight is not necessarily a criticism of the department. “I don’t think there’s anyone who’s a bigger fan of our police department than I am, so I want to emphasize that asking for an oversight body isn’t criticism of our police department or their staff,” Eaton said. “The police department shouldn’t police itself.”
proposal did not garner enough votes to pass a first reading, as the five councilmembers voting against the bill cited unreasonable cost burdens on drivers. Councilmember Zachary Ackerman (D–Ward 3), who did not have a seat on City Council in 2014, but noted that city leaders still cannot pass effective, widereaching legislation. “Should there be increased regulation to ensure safety of the rider? Of course,” he said. “Locally, we need direction from the state. Until then these
services will operate in a gray area, which doesn’t work to anyone’s advantage.” Ackerman also critiqued heavy scrutiny of ridesharing, citing it as an important mode of transportation for present and future students. “I reject the premise that Uber or ridesharing can be blamed for this atrocity,” he said. “Jason Dalton was also an insurance broker. Should people be worried when they go in to buy insurance? No. This is a gun access issue. This is a mental health issue.”
Opinion
4 — Friday, March 11, 2016
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com SHOHAM GEVA EDITOR IN CHIEF
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.
Breaking millennial habits
M
y feet drag across the cement, slowly shuffling before abruptly stopping to avoid face planting into a purple backpack. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It is a passive aggressive breath. My sigh is due to the girl in front of me who is focused on her phone, her frozen fingers moving across the screen faster than mine ever could, the PAYTON boy in front of her has LUOKKALA frozen fingers, too, and so on. As if slow walkers were not enough, I looked all around me, seeing the Diag as a sea of individuals who are there but somewhere else — phones with people attached, a line of robots trudging to class. Yet, I am a hypocrite. I do it, too. Even in rooms with clocks, I sometimes take out my phone to check the time and end up doing something else without even realizing it. Maybe it is the distraction I like. I grew up in a very rural community and the area of the woods I lived in did not receive the Internet well. My addiction may not be as profound as others’, simply because my technological skills lack comparatively, but I have watched more pointless YouTube videos since coming to college than would ever be considered necessary. Lately, the ever-growing addiction and reliance on technology has become overwhelming. Time and history have shown us we can survive without technology, but what can we do about it now? Of course technology is not just mindlessly used, it has become an integral part of academic life and post-graduate hopes. As students, there are innumerable professional goals to be achieved, and with many fields utilizing the technology that has been developed, how rational is avoiding this emerging
dependence? From the current access to online class materials to reserching for and writing letters, from networking to searching for employment opportunities, all together staying away from technology does not seem either possible or beneficial. Despite this, I cannot help but feel pathetic (in addition to agitated) when I see the slow lull of text-shuffling, endless narcissistic selfies, and my own Facebook history, where it seems I have searched every person I have ever known. These habits often can waste time, distract from schoolwork, cause people to become more sedentary and lead to other negative effects. Sometimes I walk into walls when I am texting, but technology addiction can be truly dangerous. Thirty-three percent of adults admit to texting and driving, causing about nine deaths every day from cellphonerelated distracted driving. While we may not be able to completely detach, we should stop the compulsive behaviors that can be harmful. Breaking habits is hard. I am 19 and still struggle with biting my nails when I am nervous, let alone conquering a fixation that seems to have overtaken our whole society. I always tell myself I’ll try to fix the problem starting tomorrow, always tomorrow. That’s just another way of technology sucking away our time. Luckily, some people find solutions where most do not. This May, I am participating in the New England Literature Program, a University of Michigan-sponsored program where students hike along the eastern coast, gaining nine English credits along the way, and which prohibits participants from using technology in order to encourage engagement with the tangible world around them. How great it must be to be given six weeks to form better, healthier habits. With any luck, most of us will have at least six weeks to try something new. —Payton Luokkalla can be reached at payloukk@umich.edu.
JOHN LIN | OP-ED
Harbaugh as CSG president?
C
entral Student Government election season is upon us. Over the next few weeks, you will be accosted by candidates as you walk through the Diag and you will receive scores of social media reminders to vote. Come election day, if you vote, chances are you will either vote for the party your friend is in, for the party that annoys you the least or write in some campus celebrity. If you go with the latter option, more likely than not you will want to write in Jim Harbaugh. Many of your classmates will do the same, and Coach Harbaugh will take third or fourth place, depending on how many viable parties run. Conventional wisdom says these votes will be thrown away. But that might not be true. The Central Student Government Constitution (yes, there is such a thing) states, “No representative may run for election or hold office representing a constituency of which that person is not a member.” This means that a representative must be “enrolled or actively working toward their degree.” Nowhere else does the Constitution mention qualifications for office. That settles the question, right? Jim Harbaugh isn’t working towards a degree, therefore he cannot be president. Not quite. The CSG Constitution uses very specific language. It uses the term “representative” only when it refers to members of the legislative branch — the Assembly. When it refers to the president, it uses the term “president.”
IN CHAN LEE
When it refers to members of Central Student Government as a whole, it uses the terms “members” and “officers.” There is a legal canon of statutory construction called “expressio unius est exclusio alterius,” which means the expression of one thing comes at the exclusion of others. If you state one item, and not another, you only meant to include that one item. Note that the one clause in the Constitution containing an enrollment restriction only mentions representatives. It does not say “members” or “officers.” Thus, using the expressio unis canon, the text of the Constitution states that anyone — student or not — can be president, but only those enrolled as students working toward their degrees can be representatives. If the Constitution wanted that restriction to apply to all members of CSG or the president, it would have used “members” or “officers,” as it does in other sections. Likewise, if it wanted to include the president in that restriction, it could have stated, “A representative and the president,” or included a similar provision in the article on the executive branch. But it does not. Interpreting the Constitution — and any legal document — should remain faithful to the text. The text of the CSG Constitution is clear as to who is eligible to serve as president. Jim Harbaugh can serve as CSG president. — John Lin is a Public Policy graduate student.
E-mail In Chan at tokg@umich.edu
A
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
The superficial media “spotlight”
t the beginning of Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate in Flint, moderator Anderson Cooper informed his viewers about the catastrophic state of Flint’s water system. “Now, we’ve come to Flint because this is ISAIAH a city in crisis,” ZEAVINCooper said. “A MOSS city where, as you probably know, the tap water is toxic.” In other words, Cooper was saying that by conducting the debate here, the national media’s attention, and, by extension, the entire country’s attention, was turning to this city, perhaps as a way of showing solidarity with the victims of the Flint water crisis. Throughout the rest of the debate, both candidates did allude to Flint and the need to give this city attention. How much does it actually help the cause if we stage an event here — one single event — and then pack it all up and keep on kicking the can down the trail? In fact, I would argue that this whole debate distinctly hurts the Flint community. If only for a moment, it gives the American people the sense that we are doing enough, because the mainstream media and political establishment are giving this city the attention it deserves. For Christ’s sake, they even hosted a debate there! In that horrible, impoverished city! They must, then, really care! One of the first questions posed at the debate dealt with the concrete action the candidates would take in Flint, long after this momentary spotlight dims. Anderson Cooper asked, “Why should the people of Flint believe that you aren’t just using this crisis to secure political points?” In her response, Hillary Clinton cited her long political career as evidence that she will be here to stay, that she genuinely cares about the people of Flint. “I think because
throughout my public career I have been evening the odds for people in every way that I could,” Clinton said. “I will be with Flint all the way through this crisis…” Upon further examination, Clinton’s rather meaningless and platitudinous statement about her loyalty to marginalized members of society does not hold weight. She was a fierce supporter of Bill Clinton’s 1996 welfare reform, which sought to end “welfare as we know it.” Clinton’s reforms tore apart poor communities by severely limiting access to social security benefits and food stamps. The crucially destructive element of Clinton’s reform, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act prohibited welfare to mothers under 18 years of age and denied aid for additional children for mothers who were already on welfare. This legislation did allow for mothers in school to recieve welfare; however, it assumes that one has resources in her life to provide for a child and stay in school. Of course, this is only true for the most privileged among us. Clinton sought to create a system where, in order to receive welfare, one had to work or be in school. This was meant to promote individuality and productivity. Additionally, because of Clinton’s 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, the largest crime legislation in this nation’s history, people returning from prison were received at home with disdain; Clinton’s legislation ignited the stigma that still surrounds ex-prisoners today. Nobody would hire them. In turn, they could not receive welfare. The Clintons, together, created this vicious, unforgiving, dividing cycle that Michelle Alexander, among other scholars, has dubbed the New Jim Crow. And yet, here Mrs. Clinton was on Sunday evening, spouting off once again a stump speech of sorts, deceitfully trying to convince residents of this city that she has always supported them, has always stood for those who face the longest odds. Bernie Sanders, responding to the same question, discussed how he had met with residents of Flint
to hear about their struggles: “(I held a) town meeting, which was as nonpolitical as I could make it, for hundreds of people to tell me and the world through the media exactly what was happening here in Flint.” One member of this community who knowingly avoided Sanders’ private community meetings was Melissa Mays, the founder of Water You Fighting For, an activist group whose target is clean water. In an interview with John Whitesides, Mays explained her absence. “I’m not going to be used like that. I’m not going to be a token. Do something first, then I’ll show up.” Mays raises a crucial point: Sanders — and the rest of the political arena — cannot expect everyday citizens to put their lives on hold to hear them speak, when Sanders and his colleagues have not reciprocated and have not taken action in the name of justice for these people. Of course, neither candidate has had the time or space to do anything concrete — they are each busy running a national campaign. But all of these words, from both candidates, given their past actions in relation to Flint or communities demographically similar to it, are absolutely meaningless. And so this debate cannot be the only national spotlight that Flint receives. It cannot be, for millions of us, our only exposure — I hesitate to even call it that — to what is going on in Flint and in marginalized communities across the country. We have an obligation to go forward, to do more, to educate ourselves and to help in concrete ways that the political establishment is unable to match. Both candidates’ flat responses, then, highlight the issue: Staging the debate in Flint on Sunday night does not help the cause because it does not concretely aid our suffering brothers and sisters in this ravaged city. If anything, the strategic staging of this political event numbs the national audience to its inaction. Ultimately, we are rendered more profoundly ignorant of, and improperly content with, our inaction. — Isaiah Zeavin-Moss can be reached at izeavinm@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 ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY | OP-ED
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Tapping out from news
hen I first began filling out required health and emergency contact forms to send to the University of Michigan as an undergraduate, my mom said to me, “Don’t just put your dad and me as emergency contacts.” Seeing the confused look on my face, she went on to explain that of course she would like me to put her as one of my emergency contacts, but given that I was going to be in Michigan, relatively far away from her and my dad who both live in California, they could be of very limited help in some situations. Someone else echoed a similar sentiment a little while later, when they advised us to have someone in-state for the University to contact in an emergency. Though parents want to help and will try to help, they may end up feeling hopeless and all it may do is scare them. In many ways, this made sense, but this thought resurfaced in my mind a few weeks ago. Trudging through the streets of Ann Arbor on my way to the library downtown, excited to see Tiffany, a girl I tutor at Proyecto Avance. I glanced at my phone and saw an alert from a news station in my hometown that read, “Breaking: Child hit, killed by car in Richmond.” My natural reaction was, of course, sadness. And for the rest of the evening, I kept feeling an underlying sadness, which seeped into the time I always looked forward to with Tiffany. That was when I knew I needed a break from the 24-hour news cycle that has become all too prevalent with the advent of the smartphone and apps that give us access to news
at the touch of a button. I needed a break. This moment allowed me to reflect on how inundated I was with information: Partly because I had been working at the Daily, and knowledge of all current events seemed imperative, and partly because I subscribed to updates from five different news outlets: my hometown news station (KTVU), CNN, The New York Times, MLive and BBC. In fact, a few weeks prior to this moment, I had been subscribed to updates from The Huffington Post as well. But walking back from tutoring that day, I realized I was still subscribed to too many news alerts. Did I need to be alerted by CNN, The New York Times and BBC that Hillary Clinton won the South Carolina primary? Now that I was living in Michigan, why did I need to know there was a crash on the Bay Bridge and there was approximately a 30-minute backup getting on to the bridge? Similarly, was it necessary or healthy for me to know about every shooting that went on in my hometown? Before I go further, I want to stress that I’m not saying I want to be ignorant of what is going on in the world. Ignorance isn’t bliss. Ignorance is ignorance, and I don’t want to be ignorant. In fact, one of the advantages of having easy access to so much information is that you can stay informed, understand what is going on in the world and participate actively in shaping the world. But I believe there is such a thing as being too informed — something that I only fully real-
ized recently. A constant stream of information isn’t just an option; it’s assumed that we want it this way. On my iPhone, unless I actively turn off notifications, I receive updates from every app that I download. This constant stream of information is also bad for our health: studies have shown that having access to all of this information at the tip of our fingers increases stress. As an excessive worrier myself, I will do every little thing I can do to reduce my stress and improve my health. I have since turned off notifications for the majority of news apps, forcing myself to pare it down to the most relevant news sources. There is something to be said for the proximity to an event. At times it is better to not know everything going on in every corner of the Earth at every minute, especially if you have no ability to do anything about what has occurred. It is important to know the rates of pedestrian-car accidents, as it may help pass legislation, but learning that someone was hit by a car approximately 3,000 miles away from you is sad, and that’s just it. When I read it, I grieve for the child, the family, the life lost. But that is all I can do. I feel helpless — powerless and stressed — just as a parent would who was their out-ofreach child’s only emergency contact. Sometimes you need to tap out before you get tapped out. —Anna Polumbo-Levy is a senior editorial page editor.
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Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV COLUMN
‘Hamilton,’ O.J. and running out of time
T
here’s this song on the “Hamilton” soundtrack called “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” that I’ve been listening to obsessively since I saw the musical last Friday. (This will not be the last time I openly brag about having seen “Hamilton.” With CHLOE the original GILKE cast. The room where it happens! I’m done for now.) I listen to the song in line at Chipotle, or in the shower; I belt it at pregames for Kerrytown house parties like I’m running out of time. But if I’m listening in public, I have to turn off the part of my brain that digests the lyrics, because the song is actually sad as hell. Eliza Hamilton sings about her efforts to preserve her husband’s legacy, to get through the 50 years she’s forced to live without her Alexander — the love of her life, that master of words who never ceased to amaze her. Fifty years a widow. At the end of the song, Eliza hopes she has done enough, that she has sufficiently preserved and curated the life they’d have built together if only he’d been around to live out that life with her. If you see me weeping in the Chipot-line, have pity, because I am definitely crying into my $10 bill. You have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story.
You have no control over who tells your story. It’s a terrifying thought, having your story pulled from your own hands, your pen interrupted. Speaking as someone who, like Alexander Hamilton, has documented their life through copious handwritten plans (of weekly TV schedules) and affectionate messages to pals (typed on my iPhone, at 3 a.m., while I wait for the microwave to heat up a leftover omelet), it’s hard to imagine a future where I’m not writing bi-weekly, self-indulgent feeling dumps about how I love television, where all that’s left for people to remember me by is a handful of TV columns and some term papers. Before I started writing this column, I counted the number of weeks left that my column will run before the end of the semester. It’s only four, including this one. I’ve got to make my words count, because I won’t always be around to write more of them. It seems like all the TV I’ve been watching lately is saturated with goodbyes and endings — Shoshanna leaving Japan on “Girls,” Coach Taylor moving to Austin for a hot second on “Friday Night Lights,” the “Mad Men” finale, which I stupidly re-watched last night in an effort to quell the nostalgia blues I’ve been feeling lately (obviously, this strategy did not work). But the most poignant of the goodbye parades, oddly enough, was on “New Girl.” Megan Fox’s character, whom I praised in this column a few weeks back, exited the show and moved out of the loft in Tuesday’s episode. With Nick’s crush on Reagan finally consummated, her leaving couldn’t have come at a worse or more dramatic time. Though their time together was brief — Fox was only on the show for five episodes — Nick felt a real connection with Reagan, and wants her to remember
him. He wants his legacy to mean something, and he thinks the best way to do this is by crafting the perfect goodbye. He and Schmidt discuss how to write the perfect “goosebumps walk-away,” “the line that haunts her, that consumes her, that rings in her ear for all eternity, granting you … immortality.” This line, which Schmidt murmurs with a murderous pitch as he stares into Nick’s eyes, is played for laughs. But there’s some truth in that statement, in the power of a good goosebumps walk-away. Words are immortality. Being remembered by the people you love is immortality. There’s no death or goodbye or sadness if that person’s words are bouncing around in your brain every day, if you can retrieve their words and think about them. Words are scripts for memories, approximations that can tide you over when that person is not around to provide you with new words. They’re what’s left. When you’re gone who remembers your name? Who keeps your f lame? Whenever I watch “American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson,” I wonder what Robert Kardashian and Johnnie Cochran might have thought of the show. In the 20-odd years since the real trial took place, Kardashian and Cochran are the only two major players who have passed away. They don’t have the chance to re-tell their stories, and their characterization is entirely in the hands of Ryan Murphy and the rest of the show’s creative team. I wonder what Kardashian would have thought about being played, with Ross Geller-esque best-friend moping, by David Schwimmer, or about how his honor is contrasted with the fame-hungry personalities of the other Kardashians. Would Cochran want to be remembered as a cutthroat manipulator, an anti-discrimination warrior or a loving father? I can’t imagine the real Marcia Clark, who actually endured the sexism and media attention that the show portrays, enjoys the TV show’s speculation about her romantic involvement with her co-counsel, Christopher Darden. “American Crime Story” is a brilliant and endlessly fascinating show, but in writing real people as sensationalized characters, the show begins to cross into an ethical grey area. What’s the real truth? What’s written-down evidence — and what’s just the TV narrative that’s presented for us as viewers? The show sparked my curiosity enough for me to check out the nonfiction book the TV show is based on, “The Run of His Life” by Jeffrey Toobin. Being a journalist, I know that there is a version of every story, and the closest thing you can do to unearthing the facts is hearing as many sides of the story as possible. I’m excited to read the book after I graduate, when I’m not so busy writing and have more time to read.
“Does it bother you? The long click of the ticking clock.” It’s a terrifying thought, having your story pulled from your own hands. I don’t want to think about all the free time I’ll have to read this summer, at home in Illinois or in the ghostly Ann Arbor with all my friends moving to big cities or working dream internships. I don’t want to think that this time isn’t even guaranteed — that my narcissistic youth doesn’t take into account everything that could change if somebody blows a red light or
challenges me to a duel. I don’t want to think about my words as clues or history or imagine someone else reading this column the way I sometimes revisit an old friend’s published work, desperate for a shadow and a memory of the way their humor and their brain used to work. I don’t want someone picking up my written tics like I’ve picked theirs up, almost subconsciously, like my keyboard is driving me to tell their story and make new words that might do them proud. I like to think of myself as being everywhere at once, always talking and always writing, and it scares me more than anything else to think that I’m running out of time and space on the page. That it’ll be someone else’s headshot five lines down in the TV column, someone else in my favorite chair and other people there in the moment and talking and writing, and me off somewhere without a pen and hoping somebody’s still thinking about me, remembering me fiercely and reading the words I’ve left as clues, finishing the story I’d only just started writing.
There’s so much time, so much to say and accomplish. You really do write like you’re running out of time. When I saw “Hamilton” in New York City last week (I told you this wouldn’t be the last you heard of it), there was an overwhelming power about being in a room with hundreds of other sniffling, tissue-wielding fans during that last song of the show, standing on the precipice of a moment and watching time go by from the second mezzanine, the very back of the theatre with my seat against the wall. From the top, I could feel the minute hand on my watch scraping across its face, the night inching forward like that progress bar at the bottom of the Netflix player screen. I felt time receding into history just as everything was happening. The show I’d been waiting for three months to see was ending, the last Spring Break of my undergraduate years coming to a close, the curtain falling over my senior year. The performance I saw exists now only in the memories of the people who were there — and unless somebody recorded the thing on their phone, I’ll never see what happened onstage that night ever again. Isn’t the same true of every night? I thought of the lyrics from the Vampire Weekend song I’d been listening to earlier that day: “I want to know, does it bother you? / The long click of the ticking clock / There’s a lifetime right in front of you / And everyone I know.” It does bother me. I want to do enough, to make enough memories, and write enough stories, that these moments might live on even after they pass. I hope I’ve done enough. After the show, at the stage door, I looked around — at my two joyful friends, the glittering city rising up before me, the other fans begging for autographs and selfies with Daveed Diggs, the “Hamilton” posters in my hands and the great swaths of time behind and before me, all those opportunities to write and tell my story. There’s so much time, so much to say and accomplish. How lucky I am to have three more columns and six more weeks to do it all. Can we get back to TV? Please? If you get this reference, e-mail chloeliz@umich.edu.
Friday, March 11, 2016 — 5
ALBUM REVIEW
TDE
Oh my God, is that Welvin da Great?
Kendrick proves his legitimacy yet again By MATT GALLATIN Daily Arts Writer
Now approaching its first birthday, To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar’s masterful sophomore album, remains as Agripping as ever. As is untitled the mark of a classic rap unmastered. album, its Kendrick Lamar knots continue to unfold TDE with each new listen, and it’s doubtful that an album of such richness and density — in any genre — will eclipse it in the near future. untitled unmastered., a release of demos from that album, is a natural extension for a project with such grandeur. That role is important to remember with this release — this is not a standalone Kendrick album. It’s perhaps his first official project that can be played as effectively shuffled as frontto-back. Indeed, lacking unique titles, many of the tracks can blend together like a single burst of jazzinspired spontaneity. Each, save “untitled 07,” are labeled with specific dates. Whether the tracks were completed in full on those dates or not, the sense of rapid, prodigal improvisation is nevertheless obvious on this release. Take the final part of “untitled 07,” dated vaguely “2014-2016.” For nearly four minutes we hear Kendrick playing with spontaneous lyrics and tongue-in-cheek
jokes, a look into his process of creation. Audio that closes out “untitled 02” sees Kendrick corralling his band together: “Who doing the drums?” But along with the playful, tangential saxophones and the free-form jam sessions, untitled unmastered. above all underscores the meticulous perfectionism that has increasingly come to define Kendrick’s projects. “untitled 03,” dated May 28, 2013, debuted on “The Colbert Report” over a year and a half later in December 2014. That version differs from the version here, released as “untitled 03.” The intro is absent, a drum pattern added, a saxophone interlude replaced. Parts of the fourth verse from the live version of “untitled 08,” originally performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” are moved to an entirely different track, “untitled 02.” For a collection of demos, it’s an unusual attention to detail. That attention to detail and Kendrick’s undeniable rap genius produces an “unmastered” work that is far more effective than most rap albums could ever hope to be. “untitled 02,” a standout, is a characteristically TPAB-eradreamy track, with a one-liner that will surely be repeated constantly over the next few months — “get Top on the phone!” The marathon of a second verse is one of the most impressive here, though it has plentiful company on this release. “untitled 01,” the project opener, is another example of Kendrick
rapping at the top of his game. Flying in after a lengthy interlude, he wastes no time getting to business, describing at a dizzying speed a world of apocalypse and sin. “No more running from world wars, no more discriminating the poor,” he warns with an immediacy reflective of our current state of affairs. Kendrick’s enormous preoccupation with the state of the world has exalted him above the lowly pettiness that’s sometimes common among rappers. “You n****s fear me like y’all fear God” he spits on “untitled 07,” a tease more than an actual insult. While much has been made of the apparent cold war between him and Drake, Kendrick hovers at a level that mainstream rap can’t touch. Kendrick’s track record of consistent excellence acts as both a testament to his skill as well as a warning to the previous rap kings. One can’t help but mention Kanye West’s botched The Life of Pablo release. It’s no doubt a great album, but the separation between it and untitled unmastered. is telling. Where TLOP is unusually messy for a Kanye West album, untitled unmastered., despite its off-the-cuff nature, is yet another measured and cohesive release by Kendrick. Where TLOP was at times misguided (yes, that Taylor Swift line), Kendrick has yet to make a misstep. Plenty of rappers jostle to sit at the high throne of rap. But when the rhetoric subsides and the talent sits alone, it’s Kendrick’s claim that holds the most legitimacy today.
FILM REVIEW
A charming, sweet caper in ‘Zootopia’ By RACHEL RICHARDSON Daily Arts Writer
Most college students crave Spring Break because it’s a hiatus from the heavy class load and permits countless hours of sleep. But for me, ASpring Break is that marvel- Zootopia ous time when Walt Disney I finally have Pictures companionship for my moviego- Rave & Quality 16 ing. Ever since the trailer’s release, I anticipated my nineyear-old brother and 11-year oldsister’s fondness for the big-eyed, floppy-eared creatures of “Zootopia,” but I didn’t foresee it as being anything other than “cute yet predictable.” I was wrong. The story centers on an ambitious and intelligent bunny, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin, “Once Upon a Time”), whose big dreams of becoming a police officer are constantly crushed by both her parents and the rest of society. Being a petite female, she’s not favored to survive working as a cop. Despite these odds, Judy makes it to Zootopia, the land of opportunity, where she starts out as a meter maid but soon finds herself working the case of a lifetime when once friendly predators start turning into “savages.” Of course, she gets assistance from her perceived enemy, the sly
yet surprisingly faithful fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman, “Arrested Development”). The romantic subplot thrives on its realistic qualities. Nick and Judy smoothly transition from adversaries to companions; however, as in many human relationships, Judy’s ignorance temporarily destroys the bond they share. Now, while this really is Judy’s tale, Bateman’s vocal work proves Nick to be the more intriguing character. Bateman maintains a smooth voice, providing an essential believability to the slyness of his character. He also does a great job evolving Nick through his tonality. Initially, Nick’s endearing tone dupes Judy into thinking he’s an innocent, loving dad just trying to buy an ice pop for his young son, but the moment he leaves the ice cream shop he reveals his hustling ways. Gradually, this tough exterior crumbles, revealing a humble, caring friend. Directors Byron Howard (“Tangled”), Rich Moore (“WreckIt Ralph”) and co-director Jared Bush (“Big Hero 6”) make Zootopian society incredibly believable by presenting human frustrations, such as the slowness of the DMV, in a way that makes sense for animals to be experiencing them, i.e. having the DMV’s staff be composed entirely of sloths. There’s also more subtle humor found in a shifty weasel’s collection of pirated DVDs and a mono-
rail that has three different doors to accommodate for the varying animal sizes (tall, average and tiny). To mimic our heavy reliance on technology, all the animals carry smartphones — even the evil henchmen (who use the devices to take selfies with their captives). On a more serious note, “Zootopia” demonstrates how dangerous stereotyping can be. Many “little guys” are regarded as inefficient and thus deprived of power in the workplace, which often leads to their involvement in illegal endeavors, namely drugs. This issue is one that’s heavily sanitized, but easily understood by the older audience. Don Corleone’s appearance is easily one of the best moments of the entire film. (I’ll let you guess which animal they use to portray him.) If a “Godfather” reference in an animated Disney movie doesn’t leave you flabbergasted, just know that there’s a “Breaking Bad” reference too. An almost flawless combination of film noir, comedy and romance, “Zootopia” plays against viewer’s expectations to keep all ages entranced to the very end. But, don’t just take it from me, take it from the words of my observant brother: “Well, Rachel always tells me that movies I enjoy are so predictable so it was hilarious when she basically yelled, ‘I can’t believe they did that!’ like every ten seconds.”
Arts
6 — Friday, March 11, 2016
EVENT PREVIEW
Showcase of student work “ By MARIA ROBINS-SOMERVILLE Daily Arts Writer
No Michigan student is a stranger to the flurry of flyers and enthusiastic cries on the Diag at rush hour. In their open- Writers’ ing scene, the cast members Showcase: of the Writers’ A Play Showcase play off that, promis- Sunday, Mar. ing everything 13 at 2 p.m. from bikini and 8 p.m. bodies, to a lifetime supply of Keene Theatre pizza, to Donald Free Trump’s blood. They create the zany from the familiar location of the Diag. The Writers’ Showcase, a collaborative project spearheaded by LSA freshman Christine Covode and LSA sophomore Maggie Lott, features student-written works adapted to the stage. The scenes mix drama and comedy, with a focus on themes that appeal to the average University of Michigan student. They address first loves, obsession, frat-bros, turtlenecks and football players, all in the space of an hour and a half celebration of undergraduate writing. Some pieces are clearly written for the stage, while others are poetry or spoken word, which have a more abstract narrative outline. Covode and Lott brought the idea of a Writer’s Showcase from their high school in Evanston, IL, which has a yearly production that is written, directed and acted by students. Both participated as performers and now have decided to found and co-direct a similar project here at the University. The directors started the process by soliciting writing from peers and writing some of their own scenes as well. “We asked for pretty much any type of written work, poetry, dialogues, monologues, narratives, anything. A lot of them were scenes. Maggie wrote a few. I
wrote a few. We co-wrote some of them together, ” Covode said. The process of putting together the showcase has been completely student-led and flexible, allowing space for dialogue and revision between students. “The whole thing is pretty much a collaborative process. We ask our crew ‘what do you guys see in this scene?’ We are not going to sit there and say ‘this is about this and that is it,’” Covode said. The rehearsal process reflects this mentality, as Covode and Lott sometimes take a backseat to allow actors and writers to take agency over their decisions regarding how they would like to convey the emotion and story of their work. The showcase mixes physical comedy with more still and slow moments of spoken word to simply honor the visceral emotion of the writing. “We develop an interpretation as a group and we just kind of stage it out. Some of them are just people standing on a stage and some are more acted out,” Lott said. The technical aspects of the show are minimal. There are hardly any sets and the actors wear simple uniform costumes that allow them to play different roles in different scenes. Lott and Covode intend to celebrate student writing through stage adaptation and although they value their hardworking and imaginative crew of performers, they hope to convey a message that goes beyond the humble scope of the production. Covode said through participating in Writers’ Showcase, she realized the heart of the projectwas the work. “You are so small compared to what this person is saying. It’s a tribute to this person’s writing.” Through the empowerment of collaboration and the vulnerability that comes with letting your own writing fall into the hands of others, The Writers’ Showcase creates an honest and dynamic community.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
HIP-HOP COLUMN
Where my ladies at?
Y’all see, how these bogus n****s try not to notice the dopest bitches?” The question, posed by Da Brat, alludes to a fact rap fans are all far too familiar with: the hip-hop industry is male-dominated (in other news, water is wet). Brat’s point is that no matter how dope a female rapper may be, it’s unlikely LEJLA for her to get BAJGORIC the credit she deserves. And with that, the visibility of women in hip hop dwindles. And when you aren’t seeing (because you aren’t exposed to) many female rappers, you notice a pattern and construct this notion in your mind of what a rapper should look like — a man. The cycle continues and even the “dopest bitches” fall by the wayside. The question asked by Brat-tattat-tat comes from her opening line on “Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix).” A summer anthem back in 1997, the hit was Lil Kim’s third consecutive number one on Billboard’s Rap Songs chart. It’s not surprising if you look at the all-star line-up: Lil Kim, the “Queen Bitch” of Bad Boy and, at one point, the Queen of Hip Hop as well; Da Brat, So So Def superstar whose Funkdafied rhymes led her to become the first female solo rapper to go platinum; the late, great Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, known for the colorful commentary she contributed as a member of the best-selling American girl group in the history of American girl groups, TLC; multifaceted Angie Martinez, who has a string of hits to her name, but is more so revered for her role in radio, historically being Hot 97’s leading lady. Oh, and Missy fucking Elliot, whose ’97 debut Supa Dupa Fly still sounds like some shit straight out of 2050. Still. So what gives? There’s tons of talented, boundary-breaking rappers out there who happen to be women, yet their contributions (which are massive, and we’ll get to that) go unrecognized. Some of the struggle to be acknowledged is due to socializa-
tion telling us to only take male rappers seriously. On her CRWN interview with Elliot Wilson, Nicki Minaj let the music journalist have it when he brought up her verse on “Monster,” objectively the most impressive verse on the track (this is the same song where Hov babbles off the names of a bunch of creatures of the night and calls it a verse, and we all collectively decided to suppress that from our memory). Some people (me) would say Nicki not only stole the song, but the album. But this isn’t the first time Nicki both graced and put the fear of God into us with her lyrical prowess. “I feel like a lot of people only accepted it because Kanye and Jay were on there,” Nicki said. Elliot shared that Nicki’s animated approach and use of alter-egos didn’t resonate with him … until “Monster.” “Because if I were on there by myself, y’all wouldn’t have given me my props,” she said. “I been ill… I didn’t get ill [from] ‘Monster,’ I was ill before.” Nicki implied that “Monster” was the first time many people flirted with the idea of being Nicki fans because it was the first time many people really listened. And they listened because people they respected (referring to Ye, Hov and Ross — a.k.a. men) co-signed. Another obstacle that delays recognition, stemming from gender biases determining credibility, has to do with support. If you aren’t taken seriously, there’s a likely chance you won’t receive a sufficient amount of support to breach the mainstream and attain an audience adequate enough for you to really eat off of. In the music industry, this looks like your albums being shelved in favor of a man’s. If you’re at the bottom of the totem pole, you’re going to have to wait. And this waiting either ends or seriously limits the longevity of what could otherwise have been a flourishing career. Case in point: the afropuff-wearing, “unfucwitable” and lethally lyrical Lady of Rage. Brat was the first female rapper to go platinum, yet it very well could have been Rage. But Death Row fucked up. At this point in time, Dre’s classic Chronic had been released; Snoop can be heard
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Friday, March 11, 2016
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on what feels like every song, and this was purposeful. The placement was an introduction — a way of catapulting Snoop onto the scene and implying that he had next. As planned, Doggystyle debuted a year later, solidifying Snoop’s place in the game. In similar fashion, Dre used Doggystyle to prepare listeners for who would follow Snoop. Thus, “R-A-G to the motherfuckin E” is the first to spit on “G Funk Intro.” But this time, the plan fell apart. Rage’s Roughness was shelved and, instead, Daz and Kurupt got to ride the wave of attention and acclaim with their release of Dogg Food. Roughness wouldn’t see the light of day for two more years, and by that point, Dre left, Suge was incarcerated and Pac was murdered. In other words, Death Row was falling apart. Rage shared, “I didn’t have the conductor and I didn’t have the same help that everyone else had when it was time for their albums to be produced … Everybody came in and contributed for The Chronic, Doggystyle and Dogg Food. Everybody came in for ‘Above the Rim’ and ‘Murder Was the Case.’ When it was my turn, it was just me.” It should be stated, though, that Rage was brought on to the label with good intent. She recorded some bars for an L.A. Posse tape. Dre heard her verses and immediately flew her out to California, and she was inducted into Death Row. Though her career was mismanaged, the significance of men with power in the music industry highlighting, and thus normalizing, the presence of women rappers is vital and should be encouraged. Ice Cube did this with his protégé Yo-Yo. She went toe-to-toe with him on “It’s A Man’s World” from AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and held her own. She demanded respect in her verse: “Give us credit like you should / If I don’t look good then you don’t look good.” And she demanded respect in real life, letting Cube know he wasn’t going to get away with referring to her as a bitch in his bars. And he listened. A year after she was formally introduced via her guest feature, Yo-Yo released her debut Make Way for the Motherlode, chock full of uplifting messages, sharp delivery and one of the best
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rap joints of all time: “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo.” Without such support, some of our favorite artists would still be working the underground circuit, waiting for their chance. Imagine if the Ruff Ryders dismissed Eve when she flew out to New York to audition for a spot in their crew. Eve wrote her own rhymes — rhymes that stung. After all, she was introduced to hip hop through battle rapping on the block with friends. And though she did have to work twice as hard at first to prove herself as a woman, Ruff Ryders made sure their first lady got the attention she deserved, making sure to not only include her, but also oftentimes center her. Whether it’s fellow male rappers in the game like Ice Cube, or legendary label executives like Sylvia Rhone — who played a crucial role in launching Missy Elliott’s career, all the while encouraging Misdemeanor to preserve her progressive and eclectic style — the support of gatekeepers is crucial. Because when women rappers don’t receive the recognition they deserve, one of two things (oftentimes both) happens: either their impact on the culture is overlooked or we, as listeners, miss out on some purely dope content. Both suck — whether it’s their loss or ours. A great example: Before Cube put Yo-Yo on, he himself played a role in the neglect of female rappers’ contribution to the culture. Most people’s conception of Ruthless Records is limited to N.W.A. and Bone Thugs, but before N.W.A. could introduce themselves to the world, the credibility of Ruthless had to be solidified. J.J. Fad, an allfemale rap group, were integral in doing just that. In ’88, their debut album was a smash. It was easier to digest than gangsta rap — and this was the motive — but it proved to be phenomenal in its own right. The album would become Warner’s first platinum hit, while the single “Supersonic” had an impact beyond the rap scene; an interpolation of the track was used for Fergie’s “Fergalicious.” Don’t give Ferg too much credit for her flow in her song either — sounds awfully similar to Fad’s. Sadly, J.J. Fad wasn’t included in the “Straight Outta Compton” biopic last year, which many people felt was plain foul. Thus, Juana, Juanita, Fatima, Anna and Dania’s names are forgotten, even though their impact is undeniable. And to my last point — about how we as listeners deny ourselves of some of the best content out there by maintaining a limited concept of who or what a rapper is and looks like — well, there’s too many examples to list. Though Eve got to shine, fellow Philly native Bahamadia is criminally underrated. Her debut Kollage consists of wordplay that doesn’t let you rest, complemented by laid-back, bohemian beats. Guru describes it as “a collection of lyrical and musical art that brings forth a masterful contribution to the hip-hop world” on the interlude. And he’s not overselling it a bit. Whether it’s cool and composed Ladybug Mecca and Lauryn Hill, or southern superstars Diamond, Princess and Gangsta Boo, women rappers offer the same range and versatility, if not more so, than male counterparts. Women like Jean Grae have established a capacity for longevity, while upand-comers like Junglepussy continue to push creative boundaries and infuse rap with the radical and forward-thinking dynamism that critics claim corporatization wiped out of it. While most of us aren’t in the same position as the gatekeepers I mentioned, we do occupy a position that is just as important: the listeners, lovers and consumers of the genre. If we deconstruct our conceptions of who belongs in rap, expand our palate and expose ourselves to dope women rappers, we could realistically initiate a movement starting at the grassroots — one that shakes the structure at its core and demands the incorporation and recognition that female rappers deserve. A bit optimistic, I admit, but how much longer could we go without noticing the dopest bitches? Y’all dudes should notice Bajgoric. Give her a glance by e-mailing lejla@umich.edu
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, March 11, 2016 — 7
‘M’ wins tourney opener Indiana awaits MEN’S BASKETBALL
Irvin’s late jumper sends Michigan to quarterfinals
By KELLY HALL Daily Sports Editor
By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — In a game filled with big shots, a player whose coaches call him “Big Shot” made the biggest N’WESTERN 70 MICHIGAN 72 shot of all. Junior forward Zak Irvin’s twisting, mid-range jumper with three seconds remaining in overtime gave Michigan a 72-70 win and a berth in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, setting up a Friday clash with top-seeded Indiana that gives the Wolverines a final opportunity to punch an NCAA Tournament ticket. Playing in his home state, a short drive from his home town, Irvin wanted the basketball, and Michigan coach John Beilein made sure to give it to him on the Wolverines’ final offensive possession. “The guys had been joking around, on the bus and earlier today, that since this is my home town, saying this is my city,” Irvin said. “I was just jumping around with them, saying that (again), after I made the play.” Early on, it seemed that Irvin’s big shot wouldn’t be necessary. As it opened up a 13-point lead early in the first half, Michigan seemed poised to coast to victory, rest its starters and enter tomorrow’s matchup at least somewhat rested. Redshirt sophomore forward Duncan Robinson was shooting 3-pointers, sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman was scoring inside and out, and Michigan’s defensive energy shut down Northwestern
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
Junior forward Zak Irvin hit the game-winning shot in overtime of Michigan’s win against Northwestern.
center Alex Olah. Olah had other ideas, riding Northwestern’s second-half rally into the game’s final minute, when he cut Michigan’s lead to one point with a 3 from the left wing, then sent the game to overtime on a putback with 0.1 seconds remaining. Olah entered the game averaging 22 points in his last three tries against Michigan, but was limited in the first half to just two points and three rebounds, in large part because redshirt junior Mark Donnal was able to repeatedly swat rebounds inches away from Olah’s grasp to the perimeter. “That’s just the way it played out,” Donnal said, comparing the first half to Olah’s 19-point performance on Feb. 24 at Crisler Center. “We had a better game plan going in on Olah. We had a little more help this game.” Olah finished strong and ended up with 20 points and 13
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Robinson leads ‘M’ By SIMON KAUFMAN Daily Sports Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — After the Michigan men’s basketball team’s overtime win versus Northwestern in its first day of play at the Big Ten Tournament, redshirt sophomore guard Duncan Robinson described the game as one with “a lot of ebbs and flows.” The game, in some way, was a perfect picture of Robinson’s season — one with ebb and flow. Robinson started the season as Michigan’s most lethal option from deep and turned heads early on for his ability to hit from anywhere beyond the arc. But as the season wore on, it appeared as if Robinson had lost his stroke. Going into Michigan’s game against Rutgers on Jan. 27, Robinson was shooting better than 50 percent from 3-point range. In the Wolverines’ final 10 games to close out the regular season, he shot worse than 30 percent from deep, struggling to find his rhythm. Thursday, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it looked as though Robinson’s season was playing out in a single game. In the first half, the 6-foot-8 guard couldn’t miss. He drained his first try from deep to help Michigan push out to an early 11-3 lead. “I just think when he makes his first or second shot, he may be a little bit more — have more energy to shoot it again, have a better attitude about shooting it again,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. Later in the half, when a 3-point opportunity wasn’t there, Robinson didn’t hesitate. He dribbled in and knocked down a jumper. Two minutes later, when the defense was tough on him from deep again, he pump faked and drove to the hoop, drawing a foul. On Michigan’s next possession, he drew another foul, this time from beyond the arc. He knocked down all of his free throws, picking up five points from the charity stripe in a span of 19 seconds. Robinson finished the half with 14 points on 4-for-5 from the field. In the second half, though, much like in the second half of Michigan’s season, Robinson was a nonfactor. With 14 seconds left and
Michigan up one point, Northwestern fouled Robinson to send him to the line. Robinson made the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity — his first point of the half — but couldn’t convert on the backend, setting up Northwestern center Alex Olah for a put-back basket that forced overtime. Between the end of regulation and the extra five-minute period, senior guard Spike Albrecht made sure to tell Robinson to keep his head up. “I was just like, ‘Keep your head up, man,’ ” Albrecht said. “I think he kinda blamed himself. So I was like, ‘Dude, you’re fine. Stay confident. We’re going to get you shots in overtime.’ ” Beilein shared a similar message with his guard after the missed free throw. “I told him, ‘We’re going right back at you. You’re going to gets 3s to help us win the game,’ exactly what I said.” Beilein said. “He was one of the guys we looked in the eyes and said, ‘You’re gonna bounce back and help us win this game.’ ” The confidence from his coach and teammates paid off. On his first touch in overtime, Robinson nailed a 3-pointer to give Michigan some much-needed momentum. Later in the half, after two Northwestern free throws pushed its lead to three, Michigan took a 30-second timeout and drew up another play for Robinson. On the ensuing trip down the court, the Wolverines executed. Robinson came off of a screen from sophomore forward Ricky Doyle, caught a pass from junior guard Zak Irvin and fired. “I couldn’t see the rim because Olah was on it — he was so large, he looked nine feet tall to me when he came out,” Beilein said. “Duncan put a little extra arch on it, and all I could see was the net swishing at the very end.” When Michigan needed him most, Robinson came through. Asked after the game if it was the biggest shot of his career, the former DIII player hesitated for a minute. “Can’t think of anything else,” Robinson said. “So yeah, I guess you could say that for now.”
rebounds, again in a losing effort. Northwestern’s Trey Demps tied Robinson for a game-high 21 points, while Irvin and the Wildcats’ Bryant McIntosh each scored 19 and Abdur-Rahkman scored 14. Robinson could easily have had 22, but he missed a critical free throw that would have put the game away late in the second half. Charity-stripe miss notwithstanding, Beilein didn’t hesitate to dial his number in overtime, and the gamble paid off. Robinson’s 3-pointers in the overtime period’s first and last minutes helped the Wolverines avoid disaster, and the second set up Irvin’s game-winner. “I told him, ‘We’re going right back at you,’ ” Beilein said. “ ‘You’re going to get 3s to help us win the game.’ Exactly what I said. … We needed to pick everybody up, and he was one of the guys that we looked in the eye and said, ‘You’re gonna bounce
back and help us win this game.’ ” Michigan, notorious in recent years for its struggles inbounding the basketball, needed three tries to get the ball in against a ferocious Northwestern press, but eventually got the ball in to Robinson, who got away with a travel and made a pair of free throws to give Michigan another two-point lead. “Yeah, that was ugly again, wasn’t it?” Beilein said of his team’s recurring struggles on inbounds plays. Michigan didn’t win in the way it wanted to, given the early lopsidedness and its game less than 24 hours from now. Irvin, Abdur-Rahkman and Walton played 42, 41 and 41 minutes, respectively, meaning they won’t have fresh legs for tomorrow’s win-or-go-home clash against Indiana. For now, however, the Wolverines are simply happy to be alive.
INDIANAPOLIS — The first thing that comes to mind when Michigan fans think of No. 10 Indiana is the 25-0 firsthalf run that Indiana vs. effectively Michigan ended the Matchup: teams’ Feb. Indiana 25-6; 2 contest at Michigan 21-11 halftime. When: Friday The 12 P.M. Wolverines came out of the Where: Bankers Life Crisler Center Fieldhouse locker room to claw back TV/Radio: ESPN from a 21-point deficit, but the Hoosiers — specifically guards Yogi Ferrell and Robert Johnson — were too much for the Wolverines. But that was a month ago. Friday, Michigan (10-8 Big Ten, 21-11 overall), will get the chance to face the Big Ten champion Hoosiers (15-3, 25-6) in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals with the team’s postseason fate hanging in the balance. After a down-to-the-wire victory over Northwestern on Thursday, the Wolverines will have to recoup and recover quickly before the Friday matchup. “We gotta rest right now,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “We gotta rest and get ready for tomorrow. We’ll have shoot around time here — we won’t use it — we’ll just walk and talk and watch clips of the Indiana game, as well as watch for similarities between this game and what Indiana will do.” The Wolverines can’t afford that kind of run right now, with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line. “That run was something crazy, for sure,” said redshirt sophomore
guard Duncan Robinson following Thursday’s game against Northwestern. “They have a lot of firepower on the offensive end, so we (have to) just try to make them uncomfortable, don’t let them get easy catches, that sort of thing. Yogi Ferrell is a great player, so you do what you can to try to take him out of his groove. I’m sure Coach B is already thinking about the game plan for that sort of thing, so we’re excited for it.” The Hoosiers have four players scoring in double digits, and they will also be coming off a five-day break from game action. Sophomore guard MuhammadAli Abdur-Rahkman noted that the Wolverines would have to key in on defense on Friday if they want a chance. After all, the Hoosiers are averaging 82.7 points per game compared to Michigan’s 74.8 points. “They’re a great team and can put five guys out there on the court who can all shoot the ball,” AbdurRahkman said. “You gotta play tough on defense and you’ve gotta be more on the help and in the gaps and things like that.” Junior forward Zak Irvin added more to Michigan’s defense on Thursday, grabbing eight boards while also scoring the Wolverines’ winning jumper and logging 42 minutes in his home state of Indiana. Friday, Irvin will hope to lead the Wolverines against the Hoosiers as he did on Feb. 2, but with a different outcome in mind. Though the Hoosiers will effectively have a home crowd against Michigan in Indianapolis, Irvin will, too. “It helped (Irvin) a little bit,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “A little home-court advantage kind of thing. Playing in your hometown definitely helps, and it gives you that extra chip and that extra grit that you want to win the game.”
Sports
8 — Friday, March 11, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan preps for final home series Stribling readies for senior season FOOTBALL
By JUSTIN MEYER Daily Sports Writer
By MAX BULTMAN Managing Sports Editor
Channing Stribling was as surprised as anyone on Monday when Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown fired off his first tweet since Oct. 2015. It was a picture of Stribling with a graphic reading “Michigan football Dude of the Day.” Stribling was initially unsure whether it was the work of an online photo editor or his coaches, but when he realized Brown had sent the tweet, it started to make sense. The senior cornerback had three interceptions in practice last Friday, a performance Brown apparently deemed worthy of receiving the first award. “I saw it on Twitter and I was like, ‘What is this?’ ” Stribling said Thursday. “I didn’t know nothing about the Dude of the Day.” In fact, the coaches hadn’t even communicated anything about the honor to the players. At first, Stribling thought the award might be given once a week, but then Ben Gedeon earned the honor after Tuesday’s practice, a sign that there could be many Dudes to come. With his title standing currently as a Dude, the senior cornerback was understandably excited to be recognized. But his Dude-dom didn’t come out of nowhere. Ahead of his fourth season as a Wolverine, the cornerback has spent the offseason striving to improve his consistency and is battling for a starting spot opposite All-American senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis. “I know that’s been my problem for the last three years,” Stribling said. “I mean, people say it, but I mean, I guess it’s true. So consistency is the main thing I’ve gotta try to step up on.”
In three seasons at Michigan, Stribling has appeared in 34 games, starting four times at cornerback. He intercepted two passes last year while battling a hamstring injury for part of the season and splitting time with Jeremy Clark. Now, going into the 2016 campaign, he appears poised to compete for a full-time job as a starter. But in battling for that spot, he’ll have to beat out Clark, a fifth-year senior and Stribling’s friend. “That’s my boy,” Stribling said of Clark. “We try to push each other every day. (Former defensive coordinator D.J.) Durkin always told us, in order to play in the league, you’ve gotta be able to take a grown man’s job. So we tell each other that every day, like, ‘You’ve gotta take my job,’ or, ‘I’ve gotta take yours.’ That’s only going to make us better.” As a senior, though, Stribling knows that his on-field production is now more important than ever. In his final season at Michigan, and his last year to try to impress NFL scouts, he’ll need to earn, and then maximize, his playing time. And in talking to Lewis, who could have declared for the NFL Draft after last season but instead elected to return for his senior year, Stribling said the All-American had simple advice for him. “Just play your game,” Stribling said Lewis has told him. “You’ve been doing this for four years. I know you’ve had some bad plays or whatever, but we know you. Everybody else doesn’t see you as Strib, but we see you as Strib.” If he wins the job opposite Lewis, perhaps everybody else will get to see the “Strib” Lewis referenced this fall. But until then, Dude will have to do.
When the No. 9 Michigan hockey team hosts No. 14 Penn State this weekend, it will the be the last tuneup before the Big Ten Penn State Tournament, at Michigan the last home Matchup: stand for a small Penn State core of seniors 20-10-4; and, quite Michigan possibly, the last 20-7-5 time Wolverines coach Red When: Friday 7:35 P.M. Berenson will ever stand Where: Yost behind the Ice Arena bench for a TV/Radio: game at Yost Ice BTN2GO Arena. The longSAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily tenured coach is in the final year of his contract and is undecided on Michigan coach Red Berenson does not yet know whether Saturday will be his last game coaching at Yost Ice Arena. his plans for next season. before dropping three of its last play at home for the last time in season.” “I don’t know if this will be four contests against Minnesota their careers. Racine, one of the Wolverines’ my last weekend at Yost or not, so and Ohio State, respectively. Selman and Nieves took most discussed players of late, I’m not going to worry about it,” For the Wolverines, the somewhat divergent paths in their has caught the brunt of the blame Berenson said. “My last game in timing seems abysmal. They hockey career when they arrived for struggling defensive units, the NHL, I couldn’t have told you, I all but cemented an at-large at Michigan, but both have grown while his own play has fluctuated don’t even remember when it was. bid for the NCAA Tournament into major roles on the team, between phenomenal and It didn’t matter. two weeks ago, but the sense of becoming close friends in the somewhat disappointing. “I just want us to have a good excitement surrounding the team process. “Racine’s always been a goalie weekend at Yost.” has collapsed into something Selman struggled in his first that can win a game, but he’s also The series features two of the resembling trepidation as the two seasons before recommitting a goalie that might lose his focus top three teams in the Big Ten, losses mount. himself and becoming a jack of all or not be as ready,” Berenson said. and two of the highest-scoring It’s not that the offensive trades for the Wolverines. “But I think he’s matured to the offenses in the country. In a production has slowed down — “I don’t know if it’s always been point where he can play back to previous matchup this season, Michigan has 17 goals in the last the best thing for him, but it’s back games and play well.” which took place at Penn State’s four games — but a combination definitely been a good thing for Berenson’s quite adept at Pegula Ice Arena and at Madison of poor timing and defensive the team,” Berenson said. “When capturing the heart and soul of his Square Garden, Michigan (10-5-3 meltdowns have hobbled the team. (freshman forward) Cooper players when he talks about their Big Ten, 20-7-5 overall) outscored Penn State is led by senior (Marody) was out and we needed time about Michigan, but he’s not Penn State, 13-7. Both games were David Goodwin with 33 points. (Selman) at center, he came out ready just yet to contemplate what closely contested, but the two-win Also creating a strong impact is in New York and had a dynamite it might mean to coach his final weekend jumpstarted the hottest freshman Chase Berger, who has game.” weekend behind the bench at Yost. stretch of the Wolverines’ season. netted 13 goals on the season. Nieves is an obvious natural Thursday, he immediately When the puck drops Friday The Nittany Lions generally talent with tremendous speed at dismissed the thought that Senior night, each team will be in a very rotate netminders throughout 6-foot-3. He had a phenomenal Day affects the way the team different place than it was a two the weekend, though freshman freshman season, but struggled approaches the game. months ago. The Nittany Lions Eamon McAdam has a far superior to elevate his game in the two “If our team lays an egg, then (10-7-1, 20-10-4) have faltered after save percentage at .924. following years. the seniors are going to feel terrible a hot start and has not swept a Big On the other side of the ice, “He got off to a good start, and no matter what,” Berenson said. “If Ten series since mid-January. three Wolverines’ — forwards then he’s been pretty good and we win, they’re going to feel good.” Michigan tore through the Justin Selman and Boo Nieves, very good at times,” Berenson said. It’s not hard to imagine that middle of the regular season and goaltender Steve Racine — will “I think this is his best, consistent Berenson feels the exact same way.
FOOTBALL
SOFTBALL
Isaac hopes to make up for lost time Romero, ‘M’ look to maintain pace By JAKE LOURIM
Managing Sports Editor
On his bedroom door, Ty Isaac keeps a list of goals for himself as his redshirt junior season on the Michigan football team nears. Every day as the running back leaves for class, he looks at everything — personally, physically, football-related — he needs to improve this season. Or, put another way, to avoid where he ended up last season. The Southern California transfer began last season as arguably the most highly touted player in the Wolverines’ backfield. He came in prepared to revive Michigan’s struggling ground game. Instead, he finished fifth on the team in carries in 2015, behind three other running backs, fifth-year senior quarterback Jake Rudock and even senior fullback Sione Houma. Rising senior running
back De’Veon Smith ended the season with 180 carries, six times Isaac’s total. “I obviously got humbled a little bit last season, but you still gotta work the same, just as hard,” Isaac said Tuesday. “It’s De’Veon’s job to lose, which gives you a little bit of extra motivation, but my mindset hasn’t changed. I’m still going out every day trying to compete to get that starting spot and be ready to carry the load when the season comes.” At his lowest point, Isaac was left off the depth chart for two consecutive games last November. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called the issue an “internal matter,” adding that it was “none of your business.” Isaac said that at one point last season, the disappointment got to him, and while he declined to say exactly when, he acknowledged that it was
around the time of the depth chart snub. Then, he turned to people close to him in his life who would tell him what he needed to do to turn it around. He found his way back onto the depth chart later that month, and after the season, he met with running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley to iron out more of the issues. “Just being more intense, more focused,” Isaac said. “Paying attention to the little details — stuff that I knew I needed to work on, but we kind of went over it together just to be clear about everything that I needed to do for myself.” Isaac came back, dropped some weight and turned up his intensity in practice. He’s further down the depth chart than where he started last season, but to him, that only means he’ll have to work harder to make up the deficit.
He believes in his own skill set, and if one thing is certain on Harbaugh’s team, it’s that everyone will have a chance to compete. Isaac admits, though, that it won’t be easy. “De’Veon’s been doing really well, so it’ll be tough, but as long as you can play within yourself and do that on a consistent basis, I think you got a shot,” he said. Wheatley insisted Tuesday that Isaac’s decreased workload last season wasn’t a result of anything the running back did wrong. He worked hard; Smith and others worked harder. And for a player who was in serious contention for the starting job at the beginning of the season, that wasn’t easy to handle. “It’s something in life you have to deal with,” Isaac said. “You just kind of sit back and say, ‘OK, this isn’t where I thought I was going to be, but how can I start moving forward? What do I need to do?’ ” For Isaac, the answer to that came in the form of his list. Isaac had one of the Wolverines’ early highlights last season with a 76-yard touchdown run against UNLV, but he almost disappeared after that. After fumbling twice at Maryland on Oct. 3, he carried the ball just four times in the following two weeks and not again for the rest of the season. The list of goals is his way of putting those struggles in the past. Smith, redshirt junior Drake Johnson and even others may be ahead of Isaac in the competition this season, but Isaac is ready to give them his best shot. “I wouldn’t say reset, but I had to gather myself,” Isaac said. “It’s one of those things where it’s never as good as you think it is, and it’s never as bad as you think it is. I just had to calm down, relax and understand that there were things I needed to work on. “It’s not like it was going to be the end of the world for me. I still have opportunities.”
By AVI SHOLKOFF Daily Sports Writer
Sierra Romero is no stranger to receiving accolades. Since her freshman year, the senior infielder has racked up award after award, and this year is no different. Romero recently garnered the Big Ten Player of the Week and two prominent national awards from the National Softball Coaches Association and USA Softball. Romero earned those honors after going on a tear last week, hitting .500 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Adding to her résumé, she is currently in the midst of a 12 game hitting streak — the highest of her collegiate career. But despite her many awards, Romero continues to push herself. “She’s the most locked in player that I have,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “She’s never satisfied. She hits .500 and says, ‘I should’ve hit .600.’ That’s why she’s the best player in the country.” Romero and the second-ranked Wolverines will look to maintain their highly powered offense in their final non-conference tournament: the Louisville Softball Classic this upcoming weekend. While Michigan’s offense is scoring 8.95 runs per game — fourth best in the NCAA — its pitchers need to improve their control before Big Ten play begins. Working behind such prolific hitting definitely aids junior righthander Megan Betsa and her fellow pitchers in times of trouble. Against UCLA last Wednesday, for example, the offense came through after some erratic pitching by Betsa. In just two innings of work, she walked four and struck out only one batter and allowed the Bruins to tie the game. “A lot of (the walks) are on me, that’s my biggest part,” Betsa said. “(To) get ahead of the hitters, spin the ball to the zone and stay within in myself.” While she continues to rack up strikeouts, Betsa looks to
develop better control in games, something difficult to simulate in a workout atmosphere. In practice this week, Betsa and the other members of the staff participated in drills designed on pitching in the strike zone. “We have these strings that we set up for our workouts, and they can work for any different pitch,” Betsa said. “But (Wednesday), we just set up the strike zone. My objective was to start the ball in the zone, and it had to break out of the (zone) by the time (pitching coach Jennifer Brundage) caught us to make sure my ball was moving enough.” At Louisville, Michigan will once again play Illinois State, who it defeated 12-0 in five innings on Feb. 12. Additionally, the Wolverines will face off against the Cardinals, who are led both on the mound and at bat by freshman Megan Hensley, who leads the team in both home runs and earned run average. Michigan’s other two opponents include a struggling Dayton team and an Eastern Kentucky team that has a dynamic duo of pitchers in ninegame winner Hayley Flynn and Alex Salberg, who has a 1.62 earned run average. As Betsa mentioned, Hutchins believes that Michigan must better its accuracy on the mound. “I’d like Betsa to throw it through the zone, for (sophomore right-hander) Tera Blanco to hit the black of the plate,” Hutchins said. Let’s hope guys can get ahead, they can have their way with the hitters, but we’re throwing around with way too many hitters.” With stellar offensive performances from every spot in the lineup, highlighted by continued greatness from Romero, the Wolverines’ hitting attack will look to maintain its torrid pace. Michigan’s pitching, however, must put extra emphasis this weekend on throwing strikes and not giving up too many free runs.