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Free speech bill Michigan senator proposes campus free speech
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University announces new Knight-Wallace Fellows
>> SEE PAGE 2
NEWS
Research grants Graham Sustainability Institute awards grant money to research projects
Thursday, May 4, 2017
DETROIT
Conference celebrates Ann Arbor and Detroit innovators UM3Detroit aims to unite all University campuses with Detroit
>> SEE PAGE 8
OPINION
By EDUARDO BATISTA Daily Staff Reporter
Missing MSU “...a school doesn’t make your happy — it’s what you make of it.” >> SEE PAGE 5 ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
The Knight-Wallace house in Ann Arbor.
ARTS
TV: ‘Catastrophe’ Co-creaters and stars Rob Delaney and Sharon Hogan soar in Amazon show. >> SEE PAGE 5
Fellows consist of 12 U.S. and seven International journalists By KAELA THEUT Daily News Editor
SPORTS
Softball Academy The softball team held its academy supporting the fight against breast cancer. >> SEE PAGE 10
INDEX Vol. CXXVIII, No. 71 | © 2017 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ...............................4 ARTS ......................................5 CLASSIFIEDS.........................8 CROSSWORD........................8 SPORTS................................ 10
The University of Michigan has announced its 44th class of KnightWallace Journalism Fellows. The new group consists of 12 U.S. and seven international journalists. Fellows spend a year living in the University’s Wallace House, where they participate in collaborative seminars and workshops, while simultaneously working on individual courses of study. The group engages with scholars from all fields, as well as visiting other journalists and creative minds. The Wallace House is a gift from the late Mike Wallace, best known for his work on the CBS program “60 Minutes,” and his wife Mary Wallace. Fellows receive a stipend
of $70,000 for the academic year, and the entire program is funded by news organizations, foundations and individuals such as Jeff Fager, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, dedicated to improving journalistic quality. Wallace House Director Lynette Clemetson, a former KnightWallace Fellow, explained how the Fellows contribute to the overall richness of the University through their facilitation of ideas and engagement with various faculty members. “When the Fellows come here, they’re really participating in the University life for a year,” she said. “The ability to have mid-career journalists in classes bringing their work experiences, their travel experiences, their life experiences into the courses they’re taking at the University — we hear from students and professors all the time that they add such richness to discussions and interactions in the class.” Over the past year, Fellows have participated in a wide spectrum of University events, most notably
in a series of panels on subjects ranging from how to maintain privacy in investigative journalism, to reporting during the era of the Trump administration. One of the new Fellows, Jennifer Guerra, a Senior Reporter for Michigan Radio, said she recently completed a project called State of Opportunity that examined how kids from low-income families can be successful in areas such as networking and education. “As one of the two main reporters on the project, I filed weekly radio stories on everything from infant health to foster care to first generation college students, and twice a year produced hourlong documentaries on topics such as networking, education and race,” she said. Guerra emphasized how excited she is to join the next class of Fellows, and use her role as a journalist to connect communities across the nation and advance civil discourse. “I have been locked in on the See KNIGHT-WALLACE, Page 3
On Wednesday, the Ross School of Business hosted the um3detroit conference, a series of events that brought together faculty, researchers and several local leaders in a packed auditorium to discuss social issues impacting the city of Detroit. The event featured well-known local leaders such as Daniel Little, chancellor of the University of Michigan – Dearborn, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Stephen Henderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. University President Mark Schlissel opened the event by explaining the purpose of the event was to bring together the wide array of organizations and community members doing research and work focused in Detroit. “Well, I have come to realize that a very large number of Michigan faculty and many students are doing projects — engaged research, service projects, fundamental research — trying to both understand the challenges that are facing Detroit and help, to actually make a difference,” he said. “I wanted to get together the breadth of our community doing Detroit-focused research to talk to one another, to tell each other what we are doing, to try to provoke collaborations, to give the community a sense of the breadth and scale in the ways we are engaging with Michigan’s most important city.” See UM3DETRIOT, Page 3
2 NEWS
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan senator introduces bill for campus free speech The bill would require campuses to allow all invited speakers to express ideas By CALEB CHADWELL Daily Staff Reporter
Two pieces of legislation — aimed at ensuring intellectual debate and free speech are allowed on college campuses — were introduced in the Michigan legislature by state Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R – Canton) on Tuesday. If implemented, Senate Bills 349 and 350 would require colleges and universities to adopt policies that would allow any speaker invited to campus and practicing legal speech to participate in a debate, lecture or forum. Illegal speech such as defamation, sexual harassment and threats of violence would continue to be barred. In a press release, Colbeck
explained barring free speech does not depend on whether or not others believe it to be objectionable. He also noted the importance of preventing the beliefs of students on campus from impacting their logical decisionmaking, a social psychology term called “groupthink.” “Constitutional experts agree that the litmus test for when free speech should be barred has little to do with whether others believe it is objectionable,” he said. “...We do not need a First Amendment to protect against the speech we agree with. Groupthink is the last thing we want to see on our campuses.” In University of Michigan’s official position on freedom of speech and expression, E. Royster Harper, the University’s vice president for student life, said opposing viewpoints have the right to be voiced and diverse opinions are valued. “The University of Michigan strives to create an environment in which diverse opinions can be expressed and heard,” Harper said.
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“It is a fundamental value of our University that all members of the community and their invited guests have a right to express their views and opinions, regardless of whether others may disagree with those expressions.” Furthermore, Colbeck also said he believes peaceful spontaneous assembly is an integral part of the First Amendment and SB 350 outlines continued protection for peaceful protest within the limits of the First Amendment. “Students and faculty are permitted to assemble and engage in spontaneous expressive activity as long as the activity is not unlawful and does not materially and substantially disrupt the functioning of the University, as the First Amendment permits,” Senate Bill 350 states. Colbeck also said protesters attempting to interrupt free speech with violence should be policed for barring the First Amendment. “If campus leaders believe some speech creates a safety concern because of unruly audience members wishing to use violence, they must police those who would break the law in order to stifle free speech, and not punish speakers by taking away their voice,” Colbeck said. “Intellectual freedom on our campuses must not be bullied into silence.” Public Policy junior Lauren Schandevel, Communications Director of the University’s chapter of College Democrats and a columnist for the Daily, said in an email interview she takes issue with Colbeck’s legislation because she sees it as an attempt to silence protesters. “Senator Colbeck claims his bill promotes and protects free speech, but he advocates for disciplinary sanctions against students and faculty who participate in ‘violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, obscene, unreasonably loud or other disorderly conduct’ in response to campus speakers,” Schandevel said. “That sounds a lot like a thinly-veiled
attempt to silence protesters, who also happen to be protected under the First Amendment.” In a February interview, LSA junior Andrew Krieger, president of the University’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty, said he believes the University plays an important role in maintaining free speech, but his peers could work on being open to the ideas of others. “So we believe that free speech allows for you to challenge your ideas and to change the ideas of others,” Krieger said. “As far the University censoring those ideologies, I think that makes racism worse in that it solidifies their convictions and doesn’t allow for them to hear the other side.” Recently, violent protests on the campus of University of California, Berkeley were staged in response to a planned talk from conservative commentator Ann Coulter, and the university canceled her appearance. Last year, The Michigan Review hosted a debate with controversial figures Milo Yiannopoulos, who recently lost a book deal due to his comments on age-of-consent laws, and Julie Bindel, who is labled as transphobic by many feminist advocates. With both banned from several schools in the United Kingdom, many University students took issue with the hosting of the event. Harper states in the University’s official position that protesters have the right to oppose the viewpoints of others, but not in such a way that would limit the speaker’s freedom of speech. “This (freedom of speech) includes the right of protesters to oppose the expression of views or opinions of others, but not in such a way as to limit or prevent the speaker or performer’s freedom of expression,” Harper said. Colbeck’s office did not respond for interviews with the Daily at the time of publishing.
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Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
KNIGHT-WALLACE From Page 1 important, challenging work of State of Opportunity for the past five years and am incredibly excited to join the next class of Knight-Wallace Fellows and to focus my energy on what’s next,” she said. “We know our nation is intensely divided, and I believe public media now more than
UM3DETROIT From Page 1
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization host a sit-in at the Fleming Administration Building.
Following intense bargaining, GEO contract ratified with U According to the GEO website, the contract went into effect May 1 By MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
After months of sit-ins, walkout speculations and negotiations with the University of Michigan, the Graduate Employees’ Organization officially ratified their new contract April 15; according to the GEO website, the contract will go into effectMay 1 and last until 2020. Advances in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Graduate Student Staff Assistant positions and protections for international Graduate Student Instructors, among other changes were included in the final contract. A sit-in occured at the Michigan Union April 10. Though GEO members had voted to authorize
a walkout the night prior, the event was called off when the organization announced a tentative agreement was reached between the graduate students and the University. According to former GEO president John Ware, about 400 members attended the first meeting after the contract announcement. They then voted to send the contract out to all GEO members for electronic ratification. GEO members — GSIs or GSSAs for the winter 2017 semester — received the contract and on April 15, 72.9 percent of eligible voters participated in the vote and 98.6 percent of those voted yes for ratification. According to the GEO website, 27 bargaining sessions for the contract resulted in approximately 130 hours at the bargaining table with the University. New GEO president Rachel Miller, who was voted in on Sunday, said the bargaining process as a whole resulted in a lot of wins for the organization.
“(Bargaining) was incredibly successful from our point of view,” she said. “I think it really demonstrated how committed graduate student workers are to solidarity and to supporting each other and it really showed we are able to get a really good contract when we work together.” In a statement from the University, Melissa Sortman, the lead negotiator for the University during the bargaining process, said the contract brings in all three University campuses and is a good compromise for everyone involved. “This is a fair contract that recognizes the important contributions that GEO members make as part of the community of scholars on our three campuses,” she said. “We will now work closely with University Human Resources and the schools and colleges to implement the terms.” Two highlights of the contract include the creation of six contractually guaranteed GSSA DEI positions and an annual $700 co-
Following Schlissel’s opening remarks, several faculty members explained their research projects during the “Lightning Talks,” a series of sevenminute presentations. These presentations covered topics ranging from air pollution in the city and its correlation to poverty levels in the city’s neighborhoods, to studies of Detroit’s post-crisis housing markets. William Collins, Executive Director of the Center for Educational Outreach, discussed the breadth of research being done at the University, and how it contributes to innovation. “We are a very large University, very dynamic in innovation, very decentralized University, so it is
pay cap on mental health visits. As far as GEO knows, Ware said, these contract provisions are the first of their kind in the country. A cap of approximately 20 hours per week for international GSIs to make sure they don’t violate their visas was also included in the contract. According to the GEO website, GEO meetings in the past year have resulted in a future focus on furthering the strides made in the contract pertaining to international GSIs and DEI initiatives. Miller said GEO will use their new contract to push for more protections against international discrimination and more paid positions for graduate students doing DEI work. “This new hours cap is something that we really have to be vigilant about enforcing to make sure that international graduate students aren’t discriminated against,” she said. “I think we also are very committed to expanding the role that graduate students play in the implementation and design of DEI. The six positions that we
NEWS 3
ever has a responsibility to cover communities in ways that expand our understanding of one another. “ A Fellow from Nigeria, Dayo Aiyetan, the Executive Director of the International Center for Investigative Reporting, shared on Facebook how excited he is to join the program. “Nothing like waking up to such exciting news,” he wrote. “Congratulations to all fellows.”
very easy for a lot programs to be created, developed and authored, but not easy to know about them,” Collins said. “So the opportunity to learn about the extent of these programs and activities, to share information about them, to collaborate, meet people, these are the types of things that are valued in events like this.” Additionally, speakers also emphasized the shared efforts between the University’s three campuses and the city. This theme was furthered by flyers which stated “three campuses researching and learning in and with Detroit.” Little spoke about the unprecedented success of um3detroit in connecting leaders who are committed to making positive changes in the city.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
won are only really the beginning of a sort of longer, more-sweeping campaign.” Along with enforcing the hours cap, Ware said GEO is going to be watching for grievances from graduate students and following up on those cases to combat discrimination. “We’re going to have a very active grievance committee over the next year,” he said. “They’re going to be working very closely with the International Student Caucus and they’re going to be very vigilant for cases where there may be discrimination or unfair shifting of work.” Miller said another focus of GEO will be on the Lecturers Employee Organization’s contract bargaining discussions next school year. She said they will stand by LEO and support their efforts. “LEO … are bargaining a new contract this year, so just because our contract campaign is over doesn’t mean the fight for making U of M a more equitable workplace ends,” she said.
4 OPINION
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com NISA KHAN EDITOR IN CHIEF
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY | COLUMN
A
Change the narrative
day or two after Spring Break this year, as I sat studying in the Java Blu cafe in East Quad, I heard a girl say: “Well it isn’t Spring Break if someone doesn’t throw up.” She was referring to something her friend had said about someone on a Spring Break trip who’d vomited after drinking too much alcohol. Immediately, the casual way she responded struck me as odd. The way they both agreed with her statement and laughed. The normalcy with which they treated this. Unfortunately, it makes sense; this is nothing new, nothing unheard of — to drink with the intent of getting drunk and maybe getting sick. But sitting there, digesting what I’d heard, it really hit me how problematic this exchange was. I’m not here to shame anyone for drinking. Rather, it is the narrative about drinking that must change. Too often individuals don’t contemplate how what we say — that it’s OK, even normal, to drink in excess — will affect others. What’s more, television shows, movies, books and more, also help create a culture around drinking that sends the wrong message. They often reaffirm statements like the one I overheard in Java Blu and even validate them. More importantly, they also precipitate them. Though I didn’t used to admit it, one of my favorite shows was Gossip Girl. (I still rewatch
random episodes every once in awhile, but shhh, that’s a secret.) While I wouldn’t consider the show fine art by any means, I’m still a sucker for almost any show with a lot of drama. I was also fascinated by the glamorous aesthetic of Gossip Girl: the ball gowns, the themed parties, the sleepovers with French pastries and expensive art. But the one thing that always struck me was the abundance of alcohol in each episode, and all the times the characters would pop champagne in the back of a limo or drink at weddings until they found themselves too drunk to stand. Gossip Girl isn’t the only show that glamorizes teenagers drinking. Shows like Friday Night Lights and Pretty Little Liars do similar things. And in each show, while they do portray some consequences, it’s only to make the show more dramatic until there’s something else going on, and are not issues that are almost never fully addressed, made light of even. When America’s most wellknown television and movie characters are downing drink after drink, it encourages an already significant problem of binge drinking. Binge drinking is especially alarming on college campuses, where rates of binge drinking are much higher in comparison to non-college settings. While some articles,
such as one in the New York Times, pinpoint the heightened problems on lax enforcement of laws and easy access to alcohol, what gets students there is a society that is full of messages OK-ing it. Though these issues of law enforcement and access may help fuel the problem, without real changes in the way we talk about and disseminate images of drinking and party culture, tougher policing and more limited access to alcohol won’t do much. Even the Times piece cites that many students already have access to and have used substances before coming to college — so it is not college in and of itself that creates this problem. This must be addressed, as drinking is a significant part of American society and can pose risks if it’s done in excess. For instance, 26.9 percent of people 18 and older reported binge drinking in the past month. Since the legal drinking age is 21 in the United States, it is likely there are people who are not reporting their alcohol consumption truthfully, though the surveys were likely anonymous. Drinking has also been linked to creating various health problems, such as damage to one’s liver, an organ that is crucial to aid digestion and get important nutrients in your body. It can also, in some cases, affect one’s brain and has been linked to problems controlling diabetes. Arguably even more alarming,
is that around 88,000 people die from “alcohol-related causes” each year. And while the health risks associated with excessive drinking are more apparent, binge drinking does have other consequences. In 2010, binge drinking cost the United States $191 billion, which included “losses in productivity,” highlighting how it affects one’s day-to-day functions and how they can affect people in ways of which we may not even be aware. I know drinking will stay a part of our culture for a long time, seep into movies, television and songs, and I am not saying that the solution is to outlaw drinking. But if scholars, health officials and people nationwide want to combat increasing rates of binge drinking on college campuses and other unhealthy alcoholrelated habits, they need to take a good long look at the media. And for those who publish books, create our shows, produce our songs, they must think about the messages they are sending. The narrative so widely disseminated that glamorizes drugs and alcohol consumption or makes fun of two drunk people making out, must change
to reflect realistic effects of drinking in this nature. If not, these mediums, with so much power, play a significant role in preserving a culture that promotes, and even encourages, dangerous drug and alcohol use. Getting powerful actors to step up is vitally important to help effectively change the way individuals talk about drinking. Yet, while it is nearly impossible for individuals to force larger changes in the way the media portrays drinking and party culture, we can still all do something to change the narrative. On a more individual level, it is important to think about how we have talk about drinking. As long as we normalize excessive drinking, pass it off as a “typical” Spring Break when someone pukes from alcohol poisoning, or post that picture making fun of the fact we don’t remember what they did after a night of drinking, we will continue to perpetuate this larger problem. —Anna Polumbo-Levy can be reached at annapl@umich.edu.
MICHELLE SHENG | CONTACT MICHELLE SHENGMI@UMICH.EDU
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MICHAEL MORDARSKI | COLUMN
Telling your friends they don’t matter
I
t was about 2:50 p.m. on a Tuesday in one of the larger lecture halls at Michigan State University. Class had been going on for nearly an hour, but my two friends and I sitting in the back of the room had basically checked out. While lazily scrolling through Twitter on my Mac, I was daydreaming about my upcoming weekend plans — I had a few parties to go to, some friends I wanted to see, and my roommate and I had to figure out how to, again, haphazardly sneak nearly sixty beers into our dorm room. And suddenly, an email popped onto my screen. In all caps it screamed, “CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO...”, and without even having to open it, I knew exactly what it was. Screaming silently to myself I realized that I was going to transfer to my dream school, one the most prestigious and elite public schools in the world, the University of Michigan. I excitingly showed off the email to my two friends. They had known how badly I wanted to be part of the University of Michigan, yet almost instantly, their dismissive sighs and shaking heads highlighted a trend I should’ve recognized. I selfishly ignored them, and switched from daydreaming about my weekend to imagining what was a pure fantasy about how amazing my life would be at the University of Michigan. I imagined that now, after having to spend my freshman year at my “safe” school of Michigan State — I was finally going to join the most elite students of University of Michigan where my “actual” college life would begin. But unfortunately that life, whether or not I wanted to accept it, already had begun at MSU. That year I spent there was not dominated by self-pity and jealousy toward University of Michigan. Instead, I experienced an incredible freshman year of college life, going on date parties, attending football tailgates, playing volleyball and spending entire nights with friends cramming for exams. I had every cliché college experience at MSU and I enjoyed nearly every second. And this life I had created was a massive investment; I had spent considerable time and energy understanding my identity and building a group of friends. I had become a permanent student at MSU — I knew every road, building, frat house and bar in the city, I had friends scattered across campus that would see me anytime and my wardrobe was adorned in MSU’s green and white that I always looked forward to wearing
with a subtle pride. Yet somehow, I allowed my pessimistic ego to get the better of me. My unending desire to be part of the elite crowd at the University of Michigan fueled a disastrous perspective that was able to blind me from all the positives in my life at MSU. I allowed my selfish thoughts to make me believe I had lost my potential and had been trapped in permanent mediocrity at the “little brother” school to the University of Michigan. So when that transfer acceptance arrived, I was overwhelmed with this selfish joy that satisfied the jealousy I had toward students at the University of Michigan. I felt “happy,” excited, and finally felt as if I had accomplished something. I wish I had known that those feelings were only temporary. Because not only do those feelings not last, but the expectations I had built in my imagination about the University of Michigan could never be met. And more importantly, I was throwing away everything I had built on MSU’s campus, and was basically telling my friends that they did not matter in this decision. That the campus, the school, the football tailgates, the late nights laughing and stumbling around the city, none of that was good enough for me. That underneath all of the fun and amazing times, I was unhappy and unsatisfied with all of them. And my transfer acceptance reaffirmed all of that. I was leaving, I thought I was better, and it looked as if they didn’t matter — that I thought I would make new, smarter, wealthier, wellconnected friends at the University of Michigan. Yet my friends seem to know something I didn’t, that the University of Michigan wouldn’t make me “happy,” that a school doesn’t automatically change your life for the better. Sometimes you have to make a decision for your future, sometimes you sacrifice things you think you love in the hope that later on, some greater return will come. But sometimes, these decisions are clouded from jealousy and selfishness. Transferring to the University of Michigan changed my entire college experience; I left behind a life I could’ve embraced at MSU and often think about what could’ve been if I had just stayed. My friends were right though, a school doesn’t make you happy — it’s what you make of it. —Michael Mordarski can be reached at mmordars@umich.edu.
ANGELA CHEN | COLUMN
N
owadays, I feel that we are out of touch with true kindness. Kindness is seen almost exclusively on phone screens through social media, where selfless people feed the homeless and leave extra-large cash tips at restaurants, where abandoned puppies are adopted by strangers and giant teddy bears distribute roses on the streets. Kindness is no more than a brief tinge of inspiration before we scroll down to the next meme, the next corgi video and the next inspirational clip to which we tell ourselves, “next time.” Guilty as any other, I decide that the people in the videos are who I strive to be — but when I pass a homeless person on State Street, when I am prompted to “donate to ___ Charity (any amount will do!),” I think about what an extra dollar can buy me with my college Amazon Prime and, begrudgingly, decide again: “Next time.” Next time, I will put a stranger’s needs before mine. Next time, I will be rich enough, brave enough to make a sacrifice. Next time, I will be kind. It has become a major trend in our generation, but it’s not that we don’t have good intentions. And it’s certainly not that we don’t care. Nevertheless, our routine hesitation to show kindness never speaks as loud as to those who are searching for it. Without realizing it at first, searching for kindness is exactly what I set out to do. While I’d developed a certain distaste for those using the internet to boast acts of kindness, I had no problem using social media to promote it. Last semester, I had recently decided to become more involved in a student organization of mine, the Pre-Pharmacy Student Organization. Seeing that it was Relay for Life fundraising season, I took on the role of the “shameless advertiser”: sharing events on Facebook, posting updates on my Snapchat story and nagging virtually every human
One of a kind soul I encountered to come to our Chipotle fundraising event today from 4-8 p.m.! And what shame did I have, publicizing a nationally proclaimed fundraiser for cancer research? I truly wanted to make a difference — to my club, to the cancer patients, to anyone I could, really — but it was the usual lack of cooperation that met my newfound bout of benevolence. The day of the fundraiser, there were the PPSO members who attended because they had to, and the few friends who attended because I told them to — earning from me a high-pitched “OMG thank you!” Mostly, there were the “next times”: the ones who didn’t have time that day, the ones who have already spent too much money on food that week and the ones who accepted my Diag flyers as simple courtesy — if at all. And I couldn’t blame them, because I too am busy, poor and experienced in the art of flyer evasion. I asked myself if I would be going to Chipotle that night if it was another organization holding the fundraiser, even though I already knew that the answer was no. Hence, it was not in particularly high hopes that I announced the fundraiser to my evening medical ethics seminar. I expected my announcement to affect one or two listeners at best, and it was no secret that my classmates, feigning interest, expected the same. Thus, it did not occur to us that when our professor decided to “end class 10-15 minutes early to get burritos — on [him]!” that he was not even a little bit joking. As he addressed our dropped jaws with a smile, I cautiously asked if he was sarcastic, to which he replied, “of course not, it’s a great cause!” And a great cause it was – to the class, to PPSO, to the Relay for Life foundation, but to me, especially. As dramatic as it sounds, I had been splashed with cold cynicism throughout my long day of minimally successful advertising, such that I began questioning
OPINION 5
why I was still pushing for the fundraiser at all. Was it truly out of desperation to help others, or simply out of obligation? Or was it just to look more passionate, more involved? Our professor didn’t want to look like anything. Rather, he wanted purely to donate to charity, sending the whole class to Chipotle with $200 in cash and wishing us the sincerest “enjoy!” before rushing home to spend time with his kids. As we walked out of Mason Hall into the cold Michigan evening, a classmate noted he was not wearing a coat. In fact, he had given his jacket to a medical resident at work, refusing to let her out in the cold without her own. It was not the first time he absolutely inspired us. Needless to say, my Chipotle bowl tasted especially good that day. There is something about the immediate presence of sheer kindness that punctuates a moment so easily mistaken for mundane. I felt more touched than I had been in a while — for the first time, I did not have to beg, persuade or offer any reward for someone to do so naturally what most would not. It was a much-needed reminder that not every modern act of kindness is of the “staged, filmed and posted online” variety, and that the most commendable of actions are free of credits, likes and a tirade of negative comments. A few months later, I can’t say that I now drop $200 on fundraisers or lend my belongings without question, but hey — I’ve developed a new appreciation for all the good causes to explore on this diverse campus, as well as the pesky Diag flyers that promote them. While I can’t say how many more “next times” are down the road, I invite us to ask ourselves: if we don’t inspire each other, who will? —Angela Chen can be reached at angchen@umich.edu.
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6 ARTS
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
BOOK REVIEW
Dan Chaon discusses tragedy in new novel By LAURA DZUBAY Daily Arts Writer
The book’s inherent darkness is obvious from its very title, “Ill Will,” as well as from its introductory passage about the body of a young man sinking to the bottom of a river. But as one keeps reading, more and more new angles crop up in the story, each one propelling the narrative even deeper into darkness than the one before it. “Ill Will” tells the story of Dustin Tillman, a suburban psychologist whose parents, aunt and uncle were all violently murdered 30 years ago — supposedly by his adopted brother Rusty, against whom Dustin testified using accusations of satanic ritual abuse. Now, DNA evidence has proved Rusty’s innocence, and Dustin has to process the news of his release from prison. All the while, Dustin’s wife is dying of cancer, his son is spiraling deeper into a heroin addiction and one of his patients is convinced that the periodical drownings of drunk college boys in the area are, in fact, serial killings. “I think it has to do with trauma begetting other traumas,” said novel’s author, Dan Chaon, in an interview. “With Dustin, you have this very traumatic experience as a kid that he hadn’t really dealt with in any substantive way. So he kind of built his life around ignoring that trauma. [...] He was in a sort of happy suburban life, everything was fine, but once one domino fell, everything became much harder for him to deal with because he hadn’t dealt with the original trauma.” In the case of “Ill Will,” the trauma so inherent to the story — the underlying sense of harm, of dread and indeed of ill will — is oriented not only around specific events, but around specific people as well. There is Dustin, the unlucky protagonist turned unreliable narrator; Aaron, the heroin-addicted teenager who makes out with his best friend’s dying mom, only to have his best
friend go missing and turn up dead soon afterward; Kate and Wave, the twin sisters whose divergent beliefs during Rusty’s murder trial set them apart for the rest of their lives. With the exception of Dustin’s wife, every major character has at least one section in the book that is focused entirely on their perspective. According to Chaon, these sections were all planned out beforehand. The book does a masterful job of using them to fill-in a more complete picture of the events and the characters’ motivations, one fragment at a time. The sections f luctuate a little between first person and third person, as well as past tense and present, and this is only one of the ways in which Chaon uses the story to experiment. The visual presentation of the prose itself is innovative: The lines and paragraphs are sometimes broken up in terms of spacing, and twice in the book the pages are boxed in and divided into columns that follow multiple narratives at a time. “I think that maybe the original impetus just came from being jealous of poetry, and liking the things that you can do with poetry on the page,” Chaon said. “With this particular book, it felt like it was really vital as a way to describe the level of dissociation in the characters’ lives, and particularly in Dustin’s life. It seemed like it wasn’t just a gimmick, but it actually sort of felt intrinsic to the reader being able to understand how Dustin thought.” Chaon does a lot of his writing longhand, which he said had a tremendous impact on the evolution of the book in terms of the exploratory structure, the inventive uses of form and the revisions that took each section through multiple drafts. His opinions of the characters also
changed as he was writing the book, particularly in the case of Rusty. “When I started out, I thought of him primarily as a horrible bully who had been an awful inf luence on Dustin. Then as I went along and sort of thought about his own background and what had happened to him, I found myself becoming more — sympathetic is a weird word, but empathetic,” Chaon said. “I started to feel more compassion for him. And that was weird, because in the first half of the book he is kind of the bad guy.” One of the things that “Ill Will” does so well is indeed changing the way it presents its characters. By the end of the book, almost every character seemed significantly — at times even fundamentally — different from how they had seemed at the beginning. What makes this interesting is the fact that rarely are the earlier representations of the characters disproved or recanted; the change in their presentations comes more from new experiences of theirs being revealed, and new layers of these experiences being uncovered. “Ill Will” is disturbing and unfriendly, but it is also a nearly impossible book to put down. Against twin backdrops of Nebraska and the “haunting,” “post-industrial landscape” of Cleveland, Chaon leads the reader through a dark labyrinth of human horrors that comes closer to emotional truth than many of us may want to admit. The book is a long series of traumas and tragically f lawed relationships, and Chaon doesn’t grant any of his characters a happy ending, but through his detailed, sensitive and at times stunning prose, he treats them with a level of compassion that is the mark of truly quality writing.
The book is a long series of traumas and tragically flawed relationships
FILM REVIEW
EUROPACORP
Tom Hanks stars as the film’s antagonist
‘Circle’ tanks By BECKY PORTMAN Daily Arts Writer
Directed by James Ponsoldt (“The Spectacular Now”) and starring big-time actors like Emma Watson (“Beauty and the Beast”), Tom Hanks (“Bridge of Spies”) and strangely Patton Oswalt (“Ratatouille”) in a suit, “The Circle” is a film wrought with wasted potential. The concept is strong — it points out the omnipresence of social media and the internet within our society — but the execution is weak and disappointing. The film is based on Dave Eggers’s (“A Hologram for the King”) 2013 novel of the same name which centers on the young Mae Holland (Watson) who begins working at a giant tech company rivaling Facebook and Google, The Circle. The Circle is a millennial’s paradise, filled with Doga (Dog Yoga), juice bars and Beck (yes, Beck performs in the film, and it might be the best part). The Circle is led by the charismatic, tea-drinking, jeans-wearing Eamon Bailey (Hanks), who comes across Circle as more of a motiEuropaCorp vational speaker than a Mussolini. Goodrich 16/ At the film’s start, Rave Cinemas Mae seems hesitant and critical of the company’s strategy and philosophy, yet she decides to go completely “transparent” (documenting every moment of her life on camera), giving in to their twisted ideas on privacy. Mae’s ambivalence is never addressed or even reconciled in the film. She flip-flops from uncertainty to full on reality star in a matter of minutes, leaving her character development muddy and unclear. Additionally, the relationships throughout the film are left unestablished. Annie (“Doctor Who”’s Karen Gillan) gets Mae the job, yet the viewer knows little to nothing about their past and their friendship. John Boyega (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) as Ty Laffite is on
screen for about two minutes and somehow is defined as Mae’s love interest, yet he spends most of his limited time using his phone. Ellar Coltrane (“Boyhood”) plays Mercer, Mae’s childhood friend, who is disturbed by Mae’s ever-present internet presence. However, yet again their relationship is undefined and when tragedy strikes, grief and responsibility are overtaken by poor decisions and an unresolved plot. In 110 minutes, “The Circle” acts like an extended episode of “Black Mirror,” only that “Black Mirror” does technology gone awry and social media dominance better and quicker. The film spends more time on Mae’s social media presence, crowding the screen with “zings” (the equivalent of tweets in The Circle universe), rather than resolving the film’s central conflict. While the film tries to highlight our society’s dependence on the internet and a dwindling sense of privacy, it ends with the world in a worse place than where it started. Mae might be the film’s villain or a failure at the heroine; either way her motives and actions are unidentifiable, leaving the audience confused and unsatisfied. “The Circle” is only remedied by the few humorous scenes that turn this unthrilling thriller into a creepy, cult-like film straight out of an episode of “Portlandia.” Every member of The Circle is a little too excited to be there, yet that groupthink, robotlike, screen-obsessed mentality is too often neglected for an extraneous scene of Mae kayaking. Overall, “The Circle” is a disappointing and underwhelming criticism of our society’s obsession with constant connectivity. The film tries to dismantle the hierarchy of privacy, yet its idea of conflict resolution just furthers the issues it brings to the surface. “The Circle” begins as a hopeful, pastel-colored infomercial for Silicon Valley’s millennial Disneyland but quickly turns into a poorly developed, shallow and overall transparent film.
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV INTERVIEW
‘Veep’ star talks politics Matt Walsh discusses political satire and comedy By SHIR AVINADAV Daily Arts Writer
“That came out wrong,” was uttered not by U.S. Press Secretary Sean Spicer, but by “Veep”’s Mike McLintock (Matt Walsh) after a gaffe that earned him one of Selena Meyer’s (Julia LouisDreyfus, “Seinfeld”) famous glares. Though the bumbling former White House Press Secretary is often compared with Spicer, the series refrains from commenting directly on its uncanny parallels to the current administration. In a conference call interview with the Daily, Walsh explained what makes the comedy so salient, while discussing his character Mike McLintock on the show. The Emmy Award-winning series, lauded for its hilarious
cast and sharp satirization of American politics, has become even more of a topic of conversation in its sixth season following the 2016 Presidential Election. “I think a lot of people are more engaged now,” said Walsh of viewers. Rather than taking a partisan stance, however, the show aims to influence people’s perception of politics overall. “I think that comedy can be effective in humanizing what’s sacred, so hopefully it just reminds people that it’s just human beings trying to push ideals through in a very flawed system,” Walsh stated. According to Walsh, the Armando Iannucci (“In the Loop”) created series, taken over by David Mandel (“Seinfeld”) in its fifth season, has served as a cynical portrait of American politics from its inception. “The show has always lived and died by its insults,” Walsh said of the show’s crassness, “I think that was one of Armando’s first observations (of D.C.)
Delaney soars By SAM ROSENBERG Daily Arts Writer
It’s remarkable how quickly Amazon’s “Catastrophe” became one of the best new comedies of the 2010s. Usually, it takes some time for TV comedies to attain critical success before they find their footing. But for some reason, “Catastrophe” — which first aired in 2015 on British network Channel 4 — has consistently delivered on each of its 18 halfhour episodes. Co-creators and stars Rob Delaney (“Life After Beth”) and Sharon Horgan (“Divorce”) have taken a wild premise — an American man impregnates an Irish woman in London after a one-night stand — and fleshed it out with an honest, unflinching and hysterical look into marriage and family dynamics. Now in its third season, “Catastrophe” unspools the complexity of its protagonists and their unconventional relationship — while remaining hilarious as ever. Unlike Season Two’s time leap, season three of “Catastrophe” begins right where it left off: The schlubby Rob (Delaney) asks about a receipt for a Plan B pill from his wife Sharon
… and that was one of the things he wanted to satirize.” With the profusion of crude insults being hurled around, the absence of references to presidents beyond Reagan and Selena’s undefined party affiliation may escape notice. That’s what makes the show different in Walsh’s opinion. “It operates on this fiction, which I think gives us a lot more latitude to comment on the greater truths about what’s happening,” Walsh said. For Walsh, telling the truth through comedy is one of the most rewarding parts of being on the show and of being a comedy actor. “I love the power of making people laugh,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to be on the stage and write something that can get this huge response from people.” Walsh’s experience with comedy started at an early age, ultimately leading him to found the Upright Citizen’s Brigade alongside comedians like Amy
Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”) and Matt Besser (“The UCB Show”). “I think comedy and improv and sketch are about life experience,” Walsh said of his improv experience. “I think ultimately you have to develop very keen listening habits.” He fostered those habits as a psychology major at Northern Illinois University, where his training would later on help him “identify patterns in behavior” that helped him develop characters like Mike. “I feel like I’ve had a hand in creating Mike’s evolution and creating … the details of his backstory and the details of his character flaws,” Walsh said. Mike’s flaws are especially visible in his new role as a parent this season. “I think he feels older, and he feels more overwhelmed,” Walsh said. “I think in Mike’s situation he feels unfulfilled just being a dad, because he’s not creatively stimulated.” This season, Mike is faced
with an unruly child whom he adopted from China under the impression that she was three years younger than she really is, in addition to the birth of twin babies, all while dealing with his recent unemployment. However, Walsh claimed that yet “of all the characters, Mike has the happiest life outside work.” Walsh related Mike’s arc for the season: “I think as always, Mike’s main obstacle is working for a terrible boss — also, it’s a tough business (politics) … for Mike I think it’s always that struggle between personal happiness and professional happiness, and I think that continues this season as well.” As for the show, Walsh praised the writers for their imagination and fearlessness as well. “What I love about our show is they’re willing to rip up the premise,” Walsh said in citing Selena’s unexpected ascension to the presidency then to herdevastating loss in the bid for reelection following a his-
ARTS 7
toric Electoral College tie as an example. Often, scenes in the script are revised using improvisation during rehearsal — a method Walsh claimed helps identify what’s not working in the script. During filming, Walsh said there are few free takes (after which the scenes as written have completed shooting), but that those opportunities provide Walsh with the chance to further put his improv chops to use. Additionally, Walsh credits his comedic prowess on the show to the exchange between castmates. “I think most comedy involves a scene partner, and I think that’s where great comedians show themselves — is their ability to listen and use what their partner’s giving them,” he said. “Mike McLintock has been one of my favorite roles, and it’s such an honor to come back as an actor and as a returning character,” Walsh added of his experience on the show.
TV REVIEW
(Horgan), who drunkenly engaged in a quasi-affair with a stranger the night before. Though the infidelity storyline only lingers for that first episode, it leads to an ongoing tension between the two hapless lovebirds that plays out as both entertaining and unnerving. “We communicate on a wavelength,” Rob tells his eccentric friend Chris (Mark Bonnar, “Undercover”) in the second episode. Even with this casual aside, the pain and lack of Catastrophe communication between Rob and Season 3 Review Sharon goes much Amazon deeper than Sharon’s one-night fluke. As each episode shows, the couple is still grappling with learning how to be fully-functioning adults, parenthood and marriage being the biggest obstacles to attaining that ideal. Along with confronting a thread of issues like house mortgaging, job hunting and family disconnect, Rob and Sharon must come to terms with their own personal qualms that threaten to destroy their already dysfunctional marriage. What makes these characters so
absorbing and different from any other TV couple is primarily due to the dynamism of Delaney and Horgan’s on and offscreen partnership. They write and act out their roles so well they could easily pass for being a real-life couple, simply replaying their everyday experiences for a TV audience. Delaney infuses both a boyish smugness and gentle vulnerability in Rob, while Horgan paints Sharon into a complex, frustrated wife whose indecision often conflicts with ambitions of her own. Together, they’re comedy gold with a wicked hint of gravitas. Despite a bit of a lull in the middle of season three — episodes three and four are not the strongest of the bunch — almost every moment feels like an important contribution to “Catastrophe”’s characters and overall narrative. After being fired for a misunderstanding involving a sexual harassment complaint, Rob’s desire to find work is upended by his arrogance and day drinking. The arrogance aspect makes for some great comedic material, as he zig zags his way through failed interviews with prospective employers. But the drinking aspect
lands as much more troubling, and keeping that bad habit a secret from Sharon makes for a disheartening reveal in the season finale. Meanwhile, Sharon struggles to make sense of her own self-worth, whether it’s being an underappreciated elementary school teacher or an undervalued daughter and sister. But despite her vulgarity and immaturity, Sharon gains some closure with herself when dealing with her dementiariddled dad Des (Gary Lilburn) and childish brother Fergal (Jonathan Forbes, “Black Mirror”). These moments of tenderness and melancholy, interspersed with Rob and Sharon’s shenanigans, pull hard at the heartstrings. It’s difficult to incorporate drama in a comedy without making it seem trite, but “Catastrophe” tramples those expectations with grace. Season three’s unexpected cliffhanger is no exception; it’s as jawdropping as it is heart-wrenching. Despite being more serious than the first two seasons, the third season of “Catastrophe” still maintains its raunchy roots. It welcomes the return of Ashley Jensen (“Ugly Betty”) and Eileen Walsh (“Pure Mule”) as Sharon’s kooky friends Fran and Kate,
as well as a brief but amazing guest appearance from Domhnall Gleeson (“Brooklyn”) as Rob’s reluctant recruitment consultant. Continuing the role of Rob’s mother from previous seasons, the late Carrie Fisher (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) delivers one of her greatest final performances, imbuing a sinister mix of black humor and pathos in her attempt to curb Rob from destroying his family with his alcoholism. With these layers lifted, “Catastrophe” gradually sheds from its risqué cocoon and blossoms into something much more substantial and potent. After all, the core of “Catastrophe”’s plot is the constant threat of disaster and how to handle those kinds of situations. As messy as Rob and Sharon are on their own, they find a way to come together even in the darkest of times. Their evolution from restless strangers to a married couple is a journey that challenges the two to acknowledge their imperfections instead of repressing them. But perhaps it’s their instinctual ability to achieve peace within themselves and one another during intense, earth-shattering fights that makes them, and “Catastrophe,” great to watch.
8 NEWS
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
New grants fund shared sustainability research By JENNIFER MEER Summer Managing News Editor
On Friday, four University of Michigan research projects received almost $500,000 total in grant money
from the Graham Sustainability Institute— an initiative that supports research and education at the University under the Office of the Provost. All four studies are related to sustainability and are funded by the Institute’s Emerging Opportunities Program, which provides funding for
Classifieds
University research in sustainability and promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration with external partners. In the Graham Institute’s announcement of the awards, University President Mark Schlissel said the projects are reflective of the University’s work in sustainability.
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“These projects reflect an exceptional range of sustainability initiatives being led by U-M faculty in partnership with local and global partners,” he said. “I’m confident the results from these efforts will lead to meaningful and lasting impacts.” The awards consisted of two types of grants: Transformation and Catalyst. The Transformation Grant — the larger of the two — is a three-year, $150,000-per-year opportunity. According to an informational slideshow on the Emerging Opportunities Program, it supports collaborative research and assessment projects and “projects with potential for significantly greater impact” than Catalyst Grants. Catalyst grants — four to six of which are awarded each year — support more short-term collaborative projects; studies that receive these grants are typically at an earlier stage of research. John Callewaert, the director of the Emerging Opportunities Program, said the program aims to encourage collaboration between disciplines — those from the School of Public Health, the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Urban Planning Program, among others. “We’re trying to leverage the breadth and depth of sustainability activity at the University,” he said. “In the request for proposals we put out, we say the team of researchers has to reflect at least two U of M units — (for example,) someone from Engineering and then someone from outside of Engineering … The reason for that is twofold. One is sustainability challenges are not just defined to one discipline… The other thing is there are few institutions like U of M that have the excellence across so many disciplines. What we’re doing is trying to do what we can to leverage that, bring that together and encourage it.” Another element of the research projects, according to Callewaert, is they incorporate partners from outside the University. Transformation grant A project entitled “Leveraging existing data and insights into the policy process to accelerate progress toward achieving sustainable diets in the global south” received this year’s Transformation Grant. In partnership with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture — a non-profit organization that works to improve farming techniques in developing countries — this study aims to analyze
data on, and improve, sustainable diets in Kenya and Vietnam. According to the Michigan News, poor-quality diets underlie many diseases, while agricultural production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. In Kenya and Vietnam, almost a quarter of preschool-age children are stunted and the countries face increasing obesity. Andrew Jones, John G. Searle Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the School of Public Health, is the project leader. According to Jones, CIAT has committed to addressing sustainable food systems in Kenya and Vietnam. It is supported by the Agriculture for Nutrition and Health research program; both CIAT and A4NH are part of CGIAR — a global research partnership for sustainability. “They’re very much interested in understanding how to carry out research that looks at food systems and sustainability of food systems and also to develop, not just research for the sake of new knowledge, but also to put it into action and make sure it is applied for further human development goals,” he said. Jones explained the researchers are looking at data on diets, nutrition of women and children and many aspects of food systems, such as environmental impacts of food and spatial data sets to help understand distribution of different aspects of food systems. “We’re trying to bring together currently-available data to understand where the gaps are in terms of what our knowledge is around food systems and sustainability of food systems and also to understand what are the information needs of key stakeholders in these countries — decision-makers, in particular, who are going to be making decisions around what our food systems will look like ten years from now, twenty years from now, thirty years for now, and how to make them sustainable,” he said. LSA senior Selena Joarder is the president of FeelGood, a student organization that seeks a “sustainable end to extreme poverty,” according to its website. In an email, Joarder noted the importance of the study’s impact on policy. “Sustainable food systems and sustainable diets promote environmental and individual health,” she wrote.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS 9
Ann Arbor observes University research buildings May Day by social honored in competition for inequality protest increased energy efficiency Hundreds of students and organizers gathered for festival with social and political focus By EDUARDO BATISTA Daily Staff Reporter
On Monday, hundreds of students and organizers gathered in Ann Arbor for the May Day Festival of Resistance, an event with a social and political focus. The origin of May Day dates back to 1886, when the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions proclaimed on May 1 that eight hours of work would constitute a legal work day. Since then, workers from all around the globe gather on that day to protest against harsh and illegal working conditions. Despite the protest’s historical focus on denouncing poor labor conditions, May Day has grown throughout the years to tackle other issues, such as social struggles and liberation movements. In Ann Arbor, specifically, protesters said they strived to not only criticize capitalist practices, but also to raise awareness about the water crisis in Flint. Rackham student Katherine Crocker said she joined the protest because she is against both fascist and capitalist movements. “A friend texted me saying there was an anti-fascist, anti-capitalist protest, so I got my red-shirt from my office and joined,” she said. “I am personally strongly against capitalism and all of the many racist policies and laws we have that were enacted by the Southern colonial project.” At this year’s May Day event, representatives from several nationally-organized social movements protested in the streets of Ann Arbor. Among these groups were A Day Without Immigrants, the Movement for Black Lives and the Women’s Strike Committee. Protesters were also careful not to identify themselves as leaders of the movement, calling it instead a “leaderless protest,” in the words
of historian Peter Linebaugh. Now retired, Linebaugh has taught history at several universities including Harvard and Tufts University. He is also the author of “The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day.” Linebaugh explained May Day is a celebration of life, as well as a gathering meant to enlighten students of the false information being conveyed to them. He referenced the struggle for water in South America. In an article Linebaugh wrote for CounterPunch on Sunday, he mentioned the struggle for clean drinking water in Cochabamba, Bolivia. “May Day is a festival of life,” Linebaugh said. “It’s a festival of red blood whose basis is water. This is what is being threatened around the world, our blood and our water…The indigenous people of South America have fought for water as a human right rather than something to be privatized by the corporate pigs and butchers who rule us and through the International Monetary Fund with false ideological concepts such as progress and development. These are sham notions that are conveyed to our students as if it was knowledge.” Students walking by the Diag said they recognize the protest’s aim to discuss social issue, but were having trouble identifying the main message of the protest. One student, Business sophomore Christina Panagoulia Triantafillopoulos, believed the protest was about police brutality. “I really don’t know what it’s about; I think it’s about race brutality perhaps,” Triantafillopoulos said. Education sophomore Madeleine Caughey said she thought the protest was about mass incarceration due to the group’s chants. “I think it might be about mass incarceration,” she said. “They were saying abolish slavery, abolish mass incarceration.” Linebaugh said that ultimately, the overall message of the protest was to bring awareness to, as well as change, the current class system based on the wealth of the one percent. “In fact what we have organized is a class system for the enrichment of the 1 percent,” he said. “The final thought is that we can change this
Kellogg Eye Center achieves annual savings increase of $15,000 By CORY ZAYANCE Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center and Medical Science Research Building III were honored last week after dramatically increasing their energ y efficiency during the Michigan Battle of the Buildings — an energ y reduction competition for businesses in the state of Michigan. The Michigan Battle of the Buildings is a program that honors reductions in energ y use and is open to all industrial, commercial and multifamily residential buildings in the state that runs from March 31 to Dec. 31 every year. Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for the Battle of the Buildings, shared the competition’s goals for Michigan companies and buildings. “It is a friendly competition designed for buildings to be more energy efficient, and they also provide information for companies to become more energy efficient,” Boyd said. “It’s all about promoting energy efficiency. There are easy steps buildings can take to save energy and money.” The 2017 Energy Summit celebrated the 2016 competition’s “biggest losers” and welcomed new competitors for 2017. In addition to the awards presentation, the Summit featured peer-to-peer learning platforms for attendees to learn how Michigan companies are reducing their energy consumption without sacrificing comfort or productivity. Keynote speakers were also in attendance, discussing a range of energyrelated topics.
Cheri Holman, Battle of the Buildings creator, shared the main focus of the competition. “The overall goal is to educate on energy efficient practices within the state and to gather energy leaders so they can all learn from each other,” Holman said. The University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Michigan’s number one ranked eye center, achieved an energyuse reduction of 5.30 percent and annual savings increase of $15,000. This feat was achieved
The education is that there is simple, lowhanging fruit to innovative technology, a mix of everything is what we are encouraging. by adjusting the exhaust fans to rebalance the air f low through the building. David Shaw, Regional Energy Manager of University Energy Management, provided a reason for this change. “As buildings are used and age, the controls can drift or fail,” Shaw said. “Recommissioning brings our systems back to what they were designed to do and restores them to their original efficiency.” Medical Science Research Building III managed to increase its energy efficiency by implementing a series of conservation efforts. These advances included recommissioning the facility’s office and lab ventilation controls, the installation of
occupancy sensors in offices and encouraging building occupants to turn off lights and close fume hood sashes when not in use. These efforts resulted in a net decrease in energy use of 21.5 percent. “The education is that there is simple, low-hanging fruit to innovative technolog y,” Holman said. “A mix of everything is what we are encouraging.” The Energ y Management Team’s five managers, who worked on both the Kellogg Eye Center and Medical Science Research Building III’s renovations, are now tasked with helping the University reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2025. Up to now, the University has managed to reduce its emissions by 8 percent per year. “The energ y savings achieved at the Kellogg Eye Building and Medical Sciences Research Building III directly contribute to this goal,” Shaw said. The University hopes to meet their sustainability goal by looking for efficiency gains from energ y they buy and produce and how energ y is used in current buildings. Planet Blue, the University’s multidisciplinary sustainability initiative, is committed to fostering sustainability education, research and community engagement on campus. By 2025, the University aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent, obtain 20 percent of its food from sustainable sources and decrease vehicle carbon output, among other efforts. Shaw shared the University’s future projections for energ y reduction and savings. “We look continually for new technologies and new ways to use existing equipment to cost-effectively maintain and operate our buildings safely and efficiently,” Shaw said.
10 SPORTS
Thursday,May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
LACROSSE
Michigan fires men’s and women’s coaches
Michigan Softball Academy makes impact
Athletic director Manuel dismisses Paul and Ulehla, citing need for fresh start JACOB SHAMES
Summer Managing Sports Editor
The Michigan men’s and women’s lacrosse teams will be getting a fresh start on the field with the opening of the South Competition and Performance Complex in 2018. But this isn’t the Wolverines’ only fresh start – they will also have new coaches leading them into their new home. Athletic director Warde Manuel announced Tuesday that men’s coach John Paul and women’s coach Jennifer Ulehla will not be returning next season. After 70 years as a club sport, Michigan elevated its men’s lacrosse program to varsity status in 2011. The team began NCAA competition the next year with its first official game, a 12-9 loss to Detroit. Paul previously had coached Michigan’s club lacrosse team for 14 seasons, and continued as head coach with the Wolverines’ move to NCAA competition in 2012. In six seasons at the helm, Paul recorded a record of 23-61, with a 2-24 record in Big Ten play. His last season was his most successful – Michigan won a program-record eight games, finished above .500 for the first time in program history, and defeated No. 10 Penn for its first-ever win over a ranked opponent. However, the Wolverines were winless in five games against conference opponents. “We are extremely grateful
to John for his personal and professional investment in helping to build the varsity lacrosse program,” Manuel said in a statement. “John has invested over two decades in the growth of lacrosse at the University of Michigan and we owe a debt of gratitude to John for getting the men’s lacrosse team to this point. Building a program is no easy task and, through his efforts, we are in position to take another step competitively on the national level.” Michigan upgraded its women’s lacrosse team from club status to varsity program in 2011, along with the men’s team. However, the Wolverines only began play in 2014, two years after the men. Ulehla posted a record of 20-49 in her four seasons as head coach, with a 1-21 overall record against Big Ten opponents. This season, Michigan went 5-12, equalling its record from the 2015 season, and won its first-ever conference game – a 12-11 overtime victory at Ohio State. “After evaluating our women’s lacrosse program, I have determined that a change is necessary at this time,” Manuel said in a statement. “We are thankful to Jenny for her efforts in starting the program, and wish her success in the future.” Manuel announced that Michigan will begin a national search for its next lacrosse coaches immediately.
“Building a program is no easy task”
“We are thankful to Jenny for her efforts”
MARINA ROSS/Daily
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins has helped raise over $700,000 to fight breast cancer through the Michigan Softball Academy.
MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Writer
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins stepped from the first baseline toward home plate. Her smile couldn’t have been larger. “Alright, let’s go baserunners,” she screamed emphatically. Unlike most cases, though, she wasn’t critiquing her players’ form or implementing game strategy. Hutchins was rooting on a handful of the participants at the 8th annual Michigan Softball Academy. And looking around, it was hard to find anybody at the facility — coaches, players, staff, participants — without that same beaming smile. The Softball Academy is a training camp-esque environment, run by the players and coaching staff. Participants, donned in pink, rotated through stations run by the players, working on a different skill at each spot. The event’s culmination was a social mixer after the on-field activities. In its eight-year existence, the program has raised over $700,000, according to Hutchins, with hopes of surpassing $1 million soon. All of the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society with the intent of fighting breast cancer. This year’s event raised a total of $135,207. The Academy was created in 2010 at the Michigan softball summer camp. The team had participated in a walk for breast cancer awareness prior, so the issue was already on Hutchins’ mind. Then, when several parents who were dropping off their kids jokingly asked why they couldn’t also run the bases — and perhaps drink wine afterwards — the idea for the academy was born. Hutchins had several conversations with Tami Rummel
at the American Cancer Society, and thus, the Michigan Softball Academy was formed. And for the veteran coach, the message of the event to her team is clear. “Life isn’t about you, life is about making this world better, and making your community better,” Hutchins said. “We have this platform in this fantastic environment called Michigan softball, with these priviledged kids need to leave here understanding that they’re the luckiest people on earth, that they’re very priviledged, and their duty is to give back to this community.” Janet Quaine is an original member, having gone to the event regularly since its inception in 2010. A breast cancer survivor treated at the University’s clinics who was also an avid softball player and fan, Quaine marveled at the importance of the event — and the job Hutchins has done promoting it to participants and players alike. “I was under the age of 50 and had breast cancer that… most of the time you’re not even supposed to get a mammogram,” Quaine said. “It kind of all fit together, because I love softball and U-of-M saved my life.” “It’s just very nice that all the girls take all this time to do this, and Coach Hutch is just awesome to do that… there’s just smiles and grins everywhere. … All goes for a good cause, too.” The participants are here for a good cause, no doubt. But they’re also here to play softball — some more seriously than others. “I was checking the MVPs into the locker room,” Quaine said. “Some of the people were coming and saying, ‘You didn’t bring a glove?’ ” Quaine, a former shortstop, hung
up her glove several years ago. She played softball throughout her youth and after high school. Times were different then, and she never pursued a chance to play in college. “I came from the thumb,” she said, pointing to her small, rural hometown of Westland, Michigan. “So it was Class D, and nobody ever said ‘Hey, you should go to college and play ball,’ which I probably should have.” For people like Quaine — who now works in the University’s clinical department — the event cultivates a fun softball atmosphere while serving as a crucial fundraiser for the future of cancer research. For Hutchins, it also doubles as a necessary educational experience for her team. “Years ago, when we first did this, (former football coach) Lloyd Carr asked me ‘Why do you pick the night before your biggest weekend of the year’ — which is typically when we have it — to do this?” Hutchins said. “And I said, ‘Because, there’s nothing like giving, giving, giving to make kids really understand that this world isn’t about them. And honestly, their sense of empowerment, the joy they get in knowing they’re contributing to such a great cause, I mean they’re proud as peacocks, and they have a great time doing it.” Sophomore catcher Alex Sobczak, one of the many Michigan softball players with ear-to-ear grins today, certainly heeded that advice. “Personally, it’s my favorite time of year,” Sobczak said, in reference to the Pink Game and the Softball Academy. “To give back and just realize how much these people are sacrificing for a greater cause.”
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S GOLF
SPORTS 11
BASEBALL
Wolverines place ninth Despite injuries, Michigan overcomes at Big Ten Tournament Freak outfield collision proves to be turning point of series Michigan now awaits NCAA Tournament ROHAN KUMAR For the Daily
Over the weekend, the Michigan men’s golf team started its postseason play at the Big Ten Championship at the Baltimore Country Club in Maryland, looking for a better result than its 11th place finish at the last tournament. This turned out to be a challenging task due to unexpected injuries, but nevertheless, the Wolverines shot 878 (296288-294) to finish ninth out of a 14-team field, 49 strokes behind the winner, Illinois. “We had a couple guys even battling injuries through the week, just not really feeling very good, and not being able to swing it the way they wanted to swing it,” said Michigan coach Chris Whitten. The Wolverines were led by sophomore Nick Carlson and senior Bryce Evon. Carlson was tied for seventh after two rounds, and he finished tied for 16th with a 214 (71-70-73). Evon had a slower start with a 76 in round one, but bounced back with a 71 and 72 in the final rounds for a total of 219. Evon finished tied for 33rd. “I think two of our guys, Nick Carlson and Bryce Evon, played very steady golf. I’m sure they still wish they had played better,” Whitten said. “Nick had one of his more poor events the last time out, and worked hard and made some good changes and led our team this week which was good to see. Bryce was very consistent this week and I thought he did a good job. Those
two guys were improved.” Seniors Reed Hrynewich and Tom Swanson and junior Kyle Mueller were in Michigan’s lineup as well and finished tied for 41st, 66th, and tied for 44th respectively. “Overall, (we) were good around the greens which I thought would be the challenging part of this golf course, and we just struggled in our approach shots,” Whitten said. “Getting the ball positioned was a big deal. … (The greens) had a lot of tilt and if you missed the green in the wrong place there was almost no chance to pitch the ball close.” On Thursday, the NCAA will reveal which teams are selected to move on to the Regional Championships, which will take place May 15-17. “We have to wait until Thursday to see how the rankings change and if we’ll be selected for the postseason for the NCAA Regionals,” Whitten said. “Until that time we’re just gonna prepare assuming that we’re gonna go. I think we have a really good chance to be selected.” Michigan could make a deep postseason run if it keeps improving, especially if it isn’t further troubled by injuries. “Some guys need to get healthy and actually need some rest — maybe about three days of rest,” Whitten said. “A couple other guys need to get back to work on their game. We will probably have a little bit of qualifying within the team to determine the lineup for the postseason.”
“We had a couple guys even battling injuries”
“I think we have a really good chance to be selected.”
JACOB SHAMES
Summer Managing Sports Editor
In the Michigan baseball team’s game against Rutgers Saturday, what should have been a harmless first inning f ly-out was anything but. Left fielder Miles Lewis sprinted into the gap in leftcenter field in pursuit of a high f ly ball off the bat of Scarlet Knight designated hitter Mike Carter. Meanwhile, senior center fielder Johnny Slater ran just as hard towards the ball — and Lewis. As the two outfielders converged at full speed, Lewis slid to catch the ball. Slater dove over him, and his knee collided with Lewis’s forehead, knocking the redshirt sophomore to the turf. After nearly 10 seconds, Lewis rose from the ground a “bloody mess”, according to Michigan coach Erik Bakich. Bakich has previously described Lewis – a former high school football player – as “absolutely shredded, ripped, very strong” and “someone who could play tailback for Coach Harbaugh”. So even though Lewis required nine stitches in his forehead, that wasn’t the immediate concern. “It was a clean cut, it was across his eyebrows and up,” Bakich said. “I was worried that he might have some dizziness or symptoms of a concussion, but he described it as a football hit. I didn’t think he’d return that quickly.” Yet there was Lewis – concussion-free – back in the lineup and batting second Sunday. And as if the previous day’s incident had never happened, he laced two hits in his first three at-bats and scored two runs. Slater, though, wasn’t as lucky. The senior center-fielder appeared fine immediately after he exited the game along with Lewis after the collision. But a
short time later, Slater and the coaching staff discovered that the AC joint in his shoulder was sprained. “When you have a sprain of a joint it’s kind of day-to-day, week-to-week,” Bakich said. “He will be back this season, I just don’t know if it’s going to be this weekend, next weekend or the weekend after that.” It seems strange to say that such a gruesome accident could have a silver lining. But coming off a 12-5 blowout loss in the series opener against Rutgers, Bakich pointed to the collision as a turning point in the weekend – and possibly the season. “It was definitely something that we talked about immediately,” Bakich said. “Gathering the team together and saying, we’re going to have to fight our asses off without these guys and we’re going to have to do it for them. “That was a defining moment in the weekend where that weekend could have gone one of two ways. It would have been easy to point to a losing weekend and the reasoning and the excuse that we had a couple big injuries. But our guys did a great job of not letting that be a reason.” Perhaps most importantly, the most important contributions to Michigan’s series-clinching wins on Saturday and Sunday came from the players who were directly called upon to replace Michigan’s injured starters. Saturday, freshman Christian Bullock replaced Lewis in left, while redshirt freshman Joe Pace took Slater’s spot in center. Despite having combined for just 14 at-bats up to that point, the pair made an immediate impact. Pace went 2-4 with a double, while Bullock was 1-2 with two
“That was a defining moment in the weekend”
RBIs and a stolen base. Meanwhile, sophomore Jimmy Kerr started all three games at second base due to sophomore Ako Thomas’s broken hand suffered last week against Indiana. In the five games Thomas has missed, Kerr hasn’t just held down the fort: he’s hit .571, including seven hits in 10 at-bats and three RBIs against Rutgers — a performance that earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Much of the Wolverines’ success this season has stemmed from their consistency. Since Slater was moved to the second spot in the lineup for the first time against Maryland, Michigan’s batting order has remained for the most part unchanged, and with great success — until Thomas’s injury against Indiana, the Wolverines had been on a 14-1 streak. However, lineup consistency, while overwhelmingly beneficial, comes with a catch – it is heavily contingent on health. For most of the season, Michigan has enjoyed nearly perfect health. Against Indiana and Rutgers, for the first time, this was not the case. The Wolverines knew they needed to adapt. “We had to make the adjustment to our offense, in terms of, we might have to do some things we haven’t done as much of in the past,” Bakich said. “Bunting, some gadget plays, and running different types of defenses. But that’s what we train for as well.” Obviously, Michigan would rather not wait for Thomas and Slater to return to the lineup. But once they do, the Wolverines will be a different team than before. Their ability to adjust and react immediately to injuries or other unforeseen changes was unknown until just recently. Saturday and Sunday, this ability was tested, and Michigan passed the test.
“We had to make the adjustment to our offense”
12 SPORTS
Thursday, May 4, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Michigan falls in Big Ten Championships PAIGE VOEFFRAY Daily Sports Writer
After a long rally, freshman Chiara Lommer changed the direction of the ball and hit an inside-out forehand across the court. But the ball landed just wide, ending the Michigan women’s tennis team’s chance of winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship. The Wolverines overcame Indiana and Northwestern in the early rounds of the tournament, winning 4-0 and 4-1, respectively. However, Michigan fell in the final to Ohio State, 4-0. Michigan had its best results when it got out to an early lead. Against both the Hoosiers and the Wildcats, the Wolverines clinched the doubles point easily. Lommer and sophomore Brienne Minor handily took care of their Indiana opponents, dusting them 6-0. But it was the No. 3 doubles pair of junior Mira Ruder-Hook and freshman Valeria Patiuk who clinched the point for the Wolverines. After losing the first two games, the duo rallied to win five straight games, eventually taking the match, 6-3. Ruder-Hook and Patiuk were the first off the court against Northwestern, but it was sophomore Kate Fahey and junior Alex Najarian’s turn to win the doubles point against the Wildcats. Fahey and Najarian charged the net, forcing the Wildcats to sail the ball long. When it came to singles play, Michigan didn’t slow down. Najarian dropped the Wolverines’ lone singles match, but she still managed to force it to three sets. Fortunately for the Wolverines, Minor and Fahey battled to win their three-set matches to send Michigan to the finals. Earlier in the year, the Wolverines faced the Buckeyes as part of their non-conference slate. Ohio State came out in top form, winning the matchup 5-1, and Sunday’s final was no different. After taking the No. 3 and No. 2 doubles matches, 6-2 and 6-3, respectively, Michigan was in an early hole. “We knew the doubles point was going to be important and we unfortunately came out on the wrong side of it,” said Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein. “There was a big deuce point at No. 2 that we didn’t win that could have gotten that match back on track. With the way doubles works
now, you have to get a good start and we came out of the gates a little slow.” The Buckeyes continued their domination into singles play by winning all six first sets. Perhaps the most anticipated match of the day was the No. 1 singles contest between Fahey and topranked Francesca Di Lorenzo. The pair kept the match close, exchanging breaks back and forth. But it was eventually Di Lorenzo who claimed the first set, 7-5. The match was abandoned, however, after Lommer’s loss gave Ohio State their fourth point. The second point came against Patiuk, who dropped the first set, 6-0, and fell into a 5-1 hole in the second, but still managed to fight off two match points. But a driving forehand down the line from the Buckeyes’ Ferny Angeles Paz sealed the match. The next Wolverine off the court was Najarian. She approached the net and attempted to hit her opponents’ return cross court, but sent it into the bottom of the net to put Ohio State within one point of the championship. At the conclusion of the contest, the three remaining matches were abandoned. Ruder-Hook had just won the second set, Minor managed to force a third set, and Fahey was in a 3-0 hole in the second set. Things may have turned around for Michigan, but it was all too little too late. “We had our work cut out for us in singles and we weren’t able to get it done,” Bernstein said. “(Fahey) hung in there at No. 1 and played a great match. (Minor) and (Ruder-Hook) were able to stay on court with wins in their second sets. “We played well in some spots and not so great at some others, but it is a team sport and you need to win at multiple spots.” While the Wolverines didn’t manage to win the Tournament, they will likely still have a chance to continue their season in the NCAA Tournament. They will learn their fate on May 2 and can hopefully learn from the loss to the Buckeyes. “As much as this hurts, we still have a lot of tennis left this season,” Bernstein said. “We have a really good chance of hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament and we are looking forward to that. We will get back to practice this week and get ready for the rest of the postseason.”
Wolverines beat Western Michigan Michigan run-rules Broncos in final regular season home game
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
The Michigan softball team tallied 11 hits and five extra-base hits in a 8-0 run-rule defeat of Western Michigan.
MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Writer
In its 10th annual “Pink Game” to raise awareness for breast cancer, the Michigan softball team capped off an undefeated regular season home record with an 8-0 run-rule victory over Western Michigan Tuesday. The win gave the Wolverines (38-10-1 overall, 17-3 Big Ten) a perfect home record of 17-0 to end the season, a feat it hasn’t accomplished since 2009. Western Michigan (21-26, 9-12 Mid-American) entered the game hoping to play spoiler, as winners of five of its last six. But in a swift, one hour and sixteen minute affair, Michigan emphatically took care of its business against its MAC foe, pairing 11 hits and five extra-base hits with a shutout start from Tera Blanco. The junior right-hander shut down the Broncos in efficient fashion, allowing just four baserunners and needing to throw just 63 pitches to put the Broncos away. Sophomore second baseman Faith Canfield sparked the blowout early with her seventh home run of the season in the bottom of the first. With the first two runners on base, Canfield took an 0-2 pitch on the outside corner and shot the ball to rightcenterfield on a line, just clearing
the fence. And it was off to the races for a Michigan offense that has barely left the track in nearly two weeks. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, senior third baseman Lindsay Montemarano skied a high fly ball down the left field line which landed in the bullpen just right of the foul pole. The power could be a welcome sign for Montemarano, who is now hitting .500 in her last nine starts after hitting .226 prior to that stretch. The senior attributes that improvement to her emphasis on the lower body. “I’ve been working on getting some whip in, using my legs a lot more than I had been in the beginning of the season,” Montemarano said. “I was using way too much upper body, I formed a couple of bad habits due to a couple of things going on. “But I feel really loose and really strong in my lower half, and I’ve been working really hard on getting some whip back. I’m seeing the ball well and trusting the work that I’m putting into it.” Added Michigan coach Carol Hutchins: “(Montemarano’s) working. She’s coming in early, and she’s accepting constructive criticism, and she’s accepting ideas. She’s had better energy, and I think as you play better,
you get better energy. Hopefully hitting her stride. Good time to hit it.” Sophomore catcher Alex Sobczak capped the game off with a solo home run to rightcenterfield in the bottom of the fifth. The sophomore has forced her way back into the lineup after losing the catcher battle to start the season to sophomore Katie Alexander. “Alex is another one who just stayed on course even though things didn’t go her way throughout a good period of the year,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “I’m happy some of her hard work is paying off, because she’s worked hard.” With three more home runs Tuesday, the Wolverines have now hit 11 in their past 4 games, and 14 over the past six games, with production coming throughout the lineup. The next time Michigan will play at Alumni Field will be the end of next week, for the Big Ten Tournament. And for the first time possibly all season, Hutchins thinks her team is ready. “I want consistency in our offense,” Hutchins said. “And I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I sure feel like I’ve seen it these past couple of weeks.”