ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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CAMPUS LIFE
Push to add ME/NA box launches on social media
Students, faculty sign onto #WeExist campaign to lobby for Arab category MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Students gather in rememberence of transgender people murdered in 2017 on the Diag Monday.
Students, faculty gather for Transgender Day of Remembrance with vigil, event Group gathered to reflect on those killed Moment of silence, vigil held for U-M to in the past year due to transphobia remember those affected by violence ABBY MURO
Daily Staff Reporter
About 40 people gathered to commemorate the 12th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Monday evening at the University of Michigan’s Trotter Multicultural Center in honor of lives that have been lost as a result of transphobia in the past year, and to
acknowledge and discuss experiences of transgender and nonbinary people. The event was organized by the Spectrum Center as part of Transgender Awareness Week. It was followed by a candlelight vigil in the Diag in honor of those who have died in the past year. Spectrum Center Director Will Sherry gave the opening See REMEMBRANCE, Page 3
JULIA YOUNG For the Daily
A moment of silence fell across the University of Michigan Diag on Monday night as students and Ann Arbor residents gathered for a candlelight vigil to commemorate those who lost their lives or suffered as a result of transphobic-motivated
violence. The vigil took place on the internationally recognized Transgender Day of Remembrance, the finale of Transgender Awareness Week. LSA senior Emily Kaufman, president of LGBT+ Michigan, organized the event to raise awareness for the struggles her trans community deals with. She said too many people are unaware of the systemic See VIGIL, Page 3
After garnering support from students and faculty at all three University of Michigan campuses, a campaign called #WeExist to add a Middle Eastern/North African identity category to University documents launched Monday night. A running online petition features more than 350 faculty and staff signatures in support of the identity box. “For the University, the ability to ascertain who identifies with the ME/NA community is a necessary step in developing programs and interventions to address any disparities and to achieve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals,” the petition reads. Data from the sample campus climate survey found ME/NA-identifying students to make up 2 percent of the
student body. Resolutions in favor of creating a Middle Eastern/North African identity category were passed by Central Student Government last February and by LSA Student Government last month — the CSG resolution passed unanimously. This lack of a Middle Eastern/North African option on University documents from application forms to financial aid is mirrored by the U.S. Census documents sent out every 10 years. The Arab American Institute has been leading the charge on this issue, saying the current method of tabulating the number of ME/NA citizens in the country is inaccurate. Including the ME/NA category, some argue, would have positive effects on issues of health, education and more. According to the Arab American Institute, adjusted for under-reporting, Michigan is ranked second in the nation for highest ArabSee ME/NA, Page 3
City Council tables development bills Emergency Minority could close after outpouring of resident opposition and female
ANN ARBOR
ACADEMICS
water lines, city supply
Public lobbies against residential zoning despite growing need for housing
Rupture might result in treatment plan shutdown and reduced consumption
After continued resistance from Ann Arbor residents, as well as several council members, City Council moved to once again postpone a decision on downtown developments. Many residents came to argue against several zoning changes on Broadway Street, seeking to defend the beauty and history of their town, and arguing for commercial rather than residential developments. With a zoning change, residents feared a high-rise would overcome the charm and integrity of their city. “What do residents get with this development? Nothing,” said Mary Underwood, a resident of Ann Arbor since 1974. “People who have to live beside it need benefits too. It should not just be for U of M students and employees. We want these areas developed, but we want to go about it in the right way for future generations. Ann Arbor is not a cookie-cutter place, and we’re proud of that.” One resident, Angela Baker, expressed concern for parking issues in her own neighborhood. “How much more do we have to bend before we break,” Baker asked. With plans for new developments, residents
MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
Water supply lines to the city of Ann Arbor water line have ruptured and could possibly lead to a shutdown of the city’s water treatment facility for two to three days to repair the lines. Craig Hupy, Ann Arbor’s public services area administrator, debriefed City Council at its meeting Monday night. Running from the Huron River, the two water lines reportedly were affected by the rupture. The initial rupture of one of the pipelines happened Saturday, and efforts to divert the flow from the ruptured line to the intact one were unsuccessful, forcing the city to bring in an outside contractor. If the repairs are not successful by Tuesday, the water treatment facility will be forced to shut down, and citizens will have to limit water usage for two or three days so repairs can take place.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com See EMERGENCY, Page 3 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
GRACE KAY For The Daily
continued to express concerns about traffic, parking and how to keep Ann Arbor a dense city with close commercial retail shops. The zoning changes — particularly the brownfield site plan — can alleviate environmental issues years in the making. Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, argued the zoning change and proposed development could
solve a $15 million issue of water contamination. Ackerman argued the developments could meet the rising housing demand, stressing the necessity for more affordable and readily available housing. “We have a huge demand,” Ackerman said, referencing the rise in the undergraduate population at the University of Michigan by 5,000 students
in the past few years. Ackerman also noted 55 percent of people in Ann Arbor are renters. “Are they attractive? No,” Ackerman said about residential buildings. “But are they housing people? Yes.” The decision to postpone the decision and the idea of a change in zoning itself was a controversial topic among the See DEVELOPMENT, Page 3
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor at a City Council meeting.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 34 ©2017 The Michigan Daily
faculty face more bias
Senate Assembly reviews DEI climate survey results with tri-campus members ZOE BAXTER For The Daily
The University of Michigan Senate Assembly, the University’s leading faculty governance body, gathered Monday afternoon to learn the results of the faculty campus climate survey. Guest speaker Robert Sellers, vice provost for Equity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer, presented the information from the 2016-17 survey. Overall, 72 percent of tenured faculty and 75 percent of nontenured faculty reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the climate — which is consistent with students and staff. However, white faculty members were more than two and a half times more likely than African-American faculty members to report they are satisfied with overall campus climate, and over three times more likely than those who are Hispanic or Latino. Seventy-one percent of the faculty sample responded to the survey, much higher than the typical climate survey response rate of 22 percent to 27 percent. See FACULTY, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
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2 — Tuesday, November 21, 2017
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ON THE DAILY: MORE DEERLY DEPARTED Ann Arbor’s deer cull is coming back, and it could bring widespread park closures around the city. The deer cull has been a hotly debated topic among residents since City Council approved the procedure in August 2015. The proposal that passed outlined a four-year plan for deer management and the exploration of a deer fertility control program. “The directive from Council arose as a result of numerous resident reports of deer damaging landscaping and natural areas as well as concerns regarding vehicle/ deer collisions and deer-borne diseases,” a statement on the city website reads. In October of this year, it was announced that the city would contract with White Buffalo, Inc. for deer sterilization and sharpshooting management services for 2018. The management program is reported to start on Jan. 2, and
locations where the shooting At the University of Michigan, Arboretum while holding signs takes place — which are largely critics are also speaking out. The with phrases such as “Stop the city parks — will be closed Friends of Ann Arbor Wildlife Shoot” and “U of M: University between 3 p.m. and midnight in Nature, an animal rights of Murder.” each day. group formed to oppose the LSA senior Aaron Brodkey, Last year, 10 city parks were cull, staged a protest last year. closed for the cull. Locations People marched to the Nichols See DEER CULL, Page 3 on this year’s list include Bird Hills Nature Area, Leslie Woods, the Leslie Park Golf Course, Olson Park and others, including some parks that weren’t used during previous culls, such as Baxter, Folkstone, Foxfire West, Glazier Hill, Narrow Gauge Way, Oakridge, Oakwoods, Sugarbush and Traver Creek Nature Area. Some parks on the list last year did not reappear on the 2018 list. The Ann Arbor community is divided on the issue of the cull, RUCHITA IYERI/Daily with over 1,500 residents Spiokazi Madida, associate lecturer from the University of the Witwatersrand in signing a petition as of South Africa, speaks during the Mellon Workshop: Decolonizing Sites of Culture this month that urges the in Africa and Beyond at Rackham Monday. city to stop the practice.
GLOBAL LE ARNING
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES 2017 Michigan IT Symposium
Ruffled Feathers: trait inference beyond homophily
CV Writing Workshop WHAT: Senior faculty members and administrators will lead a workshop on how to write an effective academic CV. WHO: Rackham Graduate School WHEN: Noon to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Graduate School, West Conference Room
WHAT: The fourth annual IT symposium will highlight the innovation occurring across the University’s campuses. WHO: Michigan IT WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, second and third floors
WHAT: Johan Ugander of Stanford University will present and discuss his research on the phenomenon of similar people tending to form frienships. WHO: The Center for the Study of Complex Systems WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Weiser Hall, Room 747
DAAS African Diasporic Film Festival. Orkiteng Loorbaak: Rite of Elders
Fish Tacos at North Quad
Bioethics Discussion: Family in Medicine
WHAT: North Quad’s Chef Drew will be preparing fish tacos for dinner. WHO: Michigan Dining WHEN: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: North Quad Residence Hall
WHAT: Join the Bioethics Discussion Group to talk about “love, blood and responsibility.” WHO: The Bioethics Discussion Group WHEN: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Lurie Biomedical Engineering, Room 2185
WHAT: Join the Department for Afroamerican and African Studies for a film on the life cycle of the Maasai of East Africa. WHO: African Studies Center WHEN: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library, Room 100
Supporting Nontraditional Student Success WHAT: This interactive session for students, faculty, staff and administrators will go over how to best support the needs of nontraditional students. WHO: CEW WHEN: Noon to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Center for the Education of Women
Writer to Writer with Special Guest Dr. Howard Markel WHAT: Medical historian Dr. Howard Markel will discuss his own writing process and how he feels about the craft. WHO: Sweetland Center for Writing WHEN: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Literari Bookstore
Renowned author Jesmyn Ward to speak at winter commencement Daily Staff Reporter
Tulane University professor Jesmyn Ward, a MacArthur Fellow, will deliver the University of Michigan’s winter 2017 commencement address. Ward earned a master’s of fine arts from the University in 2005. She is an award-winning author of lyrical prose and graphic portrayals of Black Americans in rural Mississippi. She is known for discussing topics of racism, poverty, family and community in her work. Ward earned five Hopwood Awards for her fiction while attending and Sudoku Syndication University became the first woman to win two
National Book Awards in fiction. In her response to the invitation, she stated in a press release that she hopes to motivate students to change the world for the better. “We are proud that a U-M graduate of Jesmyn Ward’s talent, intellectual caliber and societal influence has agreed to address our graduates at Winter Commencement,” stated University President Mark Schlissel in the release. The press release also announced the 10 Bicentennial Alumni Award recipients who will be honored at the commencement ceremony. The award bestowed to alumni in honor of the University’s Bicentennial represents the impacts of recent graduates. Previously, 10 alumni were honored at the spring
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UM Bentley Library @umichBentley It’s been a while since the last sighting, but some say the North Campus Turkey still lurks in the trees by the Bentley, waiting to jump out at unsuspecting archivists #HappyThanksgiving
Brad Galli @BradGalli Yankees star @TheJudge44 is planning to attend the Michigan/ Ohio State game on Saturday. His girlfriend went to @ umich. Kayla Kranberry @KaydotM_ I’m really mad I have these petty two days of classes LET ME GO HOME @umich
A$AP Noah @noahravede after this weekend i go to 2 schools now: university of michigan and kahn academy
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FACULTY From Page 1 “The University of Michigan’s faculty vary on a number of different dimensions,” Sellers said to begin his presentation. “Overall, faculty report positive experiences.” Despite the overall feeling of satisfaction, there are disparities among the responses. African-Americans are five times more likely, and Latinos four and a half times more likely, than white faculty members to report they have been discriminated against in the past 12 months. Many other groups reported being discriminated against as well. Fifty percent of women on the tenure track, and 33 percent of women on the nontenure track report experiencing at least one discriminatory event. Twenty-two percent of those with disabilities on the tenure track and 25 percent of those with disabilities not on the tenure track reported being discriminated against as well. “The goal is not for the data to sit up in my office, but for the data to be of value to the larger University community,” Sellers said. Earlier in the meeting, the Senate Assembly met in small groups to discuss the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion relevant to their teaching or service, and what the University can do to promote the values throughout the community. Research librarians Bob Fraser from University of Michigan at Dearborn and Laura Friesen from University of Michigan at Flint joined pharmacology professor
ME/NA From Page 1 American population. The same case study reports the number of Michigan residents who claim an Arab ancestry has almost tripled since 1980. LSA senior Jad Elharake, one of the main organizers of the campaign, sent a petition to University faculty and staff a few days ago outlining the movement and his reasons why the identity category should be added. He said a number of campus communities illustrate campus-wide support for the initiative. “(The ME/NA community) is a community on campus that’s not being recognized and not being acknowledged really, especially when you don’t have a checkbox on University documents,” Elharake said. “Us not having this checkbox removes a lot of potential support for us and really puts us behind compared to many other communities on campu,s and so this is what it means to us and why it’s so critical.” Sally Howell, the director of the Center for Arab American Studies at U-M Dearborn, supports the campaign and said the high proportion of Arab-American students at the Dearborn campus and surrounding cities cannot be accurately measured without a ME/NA identity checkbox. “We don’t want to count Arab Americans or Middle Eastern Americans just so we can know how many there are but this is a community that has, for the last 20 years roughly, been treated differently by our society, been thought of different and represented differently in the media and treated differently by the U.S. government,”
VIGIL From Page 1 violence transgender people face, which is something she hopes to change. “Transgender Day of Remembrance is really important for me as a transgender woman because it’s the only day that is really dedicated to remembering the lives lost,” she said. The vigil is especially significant this year, as Kaufman said 2017 marks the deadliest year on record for
John Traynor to speak about the difficulty of uniting students from different backgrounds — especially considering the lack of diversity of the Ann Arbor campus. “Ten percent of your student population is in the top 1 percent economically,” Fraser pointed out. “Most of our students here are students of privilege. So thinking of ways to help them empathize
Ten percent of your student population is in the top 1 percent economically with other, they’ve never had to run against that before.” The members also discussed the Go Blue Guarantee, acknowledging that even with financial aid, many eligible students do not apply to the University. “It is still difficult for people from that background to come to this Michigan,” Traynor said. “I’m not saying they’re not trying.” Ultimately, the group agreed on the importance of students interacting with peers from different backgrounds. “How do we get to the place wherein we get people to be more empathetic, more understanding and more caring with one another?” Fraser asked. “There’s been various versions of forcing it (and) it hasn’t worked before,” Friesen and Traynor agreed.
Howell said. “Therefore, their experiences of citizenship and the lives of our students on campus, they’ve experienced the world a little bit differently than other people so we need to know what the issues they’re facing are. We need to know how well they’re doing as a community.” According to a USA Today Diversity Index report, the odds of selecting two Michigan residents randomly and having them be of different ethnic or racial backgrounds will jump from 39 percent to 60 percent by 2060. Faced with these reports and the already large concentration of Arab Americans in Michigan, Elharake said, after talking with alumni, the ME/NA identity category conversation has been circulated among ME/NA communities at the University for years now. “This has been a conversation for over a decade and it’s been, in a sense, every year it’s been pushed off and pushed off and pushed off, and we don’t have time for that anymore,” Elharake said. “Enough is enough and this is the time for it.” Elharake said he plans to bring the petitions from students, faculty and speakers to the next Board of Regents meeting on Dec. 7. Howell said she has seen large amounts of support from students, faculty and administration at the Dearborn campus for the initiative. She said the issue is not a question of whether the checkbox should be added but, rather, how to go about implementing it. “I’ve seen the interest,” Howell said. “The students seem to understand the issue and how important it is across the spectrum of different kinds of student organizations and students representing different populations on campus. There’s just overwhelming support for the idea.”
transgender individuals, with 25 transgender people murdered in the United States and 350 worldwide. These victims were disproportionately transgender people of color at 84 percent. Three of these murders took place in Texas, where there is no statewide law banning discrimination based on gender identity as a hate crime. Kaufman, along with several other board members from LGBT+ Michigan, read the names and stories of the 25 individuals who lost their lives in the United States this year and expressed their belief that each “rest in power.”
Tuesday, November 21, 2017— 3
Alumni develop app to store quotes and stories Echollection is a social media app that allows users to attach pictures, locations and quotes to profiles CORY ZAYANCE Daily Staff Reporter
University alumni Patrick Rabban and Chris Asmar came up the idea for their app during their senior year in college. They sought a way to organize quotes and inside jokes from friends, and thus, “Echollection” was born. Echollection is a social media app that allows users to store, organize and customize quotes. Users can attach pictures and locations to their quotes, all of which are stored on their personal profiles. In addition to organizing, users can also “like,” share and comment on other posts. Although Echollection is categorized as a “social networking” app in the Apple Store, Rabban discussed how the app functions more as a resource or tool. “Nearly every person I know keeps a word document or journal where they log all of their favorite quotes, whether
it’s from a favorite author or a family member,” Rabban said. “The feature that sets us apart is (that) you can create folders, categories, subcategories for your “echoes,” and you can even attach location and images.” Despite the app’s inception in 2011, development on Echollection began in 2015. According to Raban, the co-founders have been busy promoting the app on social media outlets, planning launch parties and networking while maintaining full-timejobs. The app is still new to the industry, however. Beta tester Salem Najjar mentioned Echollection sets itself apart by providing an organized approach to remembering special moments. “I thought the functionality was very good and I felt that it had fulfilled a need in the market, kind of white space in the industry,” Najjar said. “There should be a way to track and remember
those quotes and memories in the future because they had an impact on us the moment we first heard them.” Sandra Kizy, another beta tester, believes the app is great for use on social media posts centered around family or friends. “You hear quotes all the time, and we all have our phones so it’s so easy to put it in,” Kizy said. “This is the only app of its type that I’ve seen, so that’s what makes it unique, because it’s the only app that I know of that stores quotes.” According to Rabban, one of the most important steps in developing an app is forming a team of reliable business partners. Rabban suggested students looking to create their own apps should be cautious about whom they choose to work with. Students also should focus on the simplest form of their idea before introducing the app to the market, he added.
COMMENCEMENT From Page 2
DEER CULL From Page 2
Studies, who serves on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Economics Advisory Committee. Charles Woodson, who is another honoree, but who will not be in attendance, played football for the University from 1995 to 1997 and won the Heisman Trophy. He played 18 seasons for the NFL and established his namesake foundation to support research at the University’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital.
president of the Michigan Animal Respect Society, participated in the march, and told The Daily last winter he felt the deer cull was unethical. He wanted to see the city to explore nonlethal options. “Personally, I just think it’s maybe wrong or rash to make this decision,” Brodkey said. “I feel like we’re taking it into our own hands and playing God in this position and saying, ‘Hey, we need to massacre 100 deer for who knows what reason?’” Jim Kosteva, director of
DEVELOPMENT From Page 1 council members. Jack Eaton, D-Ward 4, and Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2, argued against the postponement and the project itself, saying the only reason to postpone would be to avoid the controversy, not for the developers to make any
REMEMBRANCE From Page 1 remarks. He discussed the importance of remembering those that who been killed, as well as protecting and honoring those who are still alive. At the University, approximately 1 percent of the student body identifies as transgender or gender nonconforming, according to results from the diversity, equity and inclusion campus climate survey. “Our individual and collective work must honor and deeply listen to the realities of people’s experiences navigating and confronting violence that’s continually perpetuated through actions and systems and structures,” Sherry said. “It’s essential to recognize the lives that have been taken and it’s also incredibly important to honor those that are here in the face
Kaufman explained many of these individuals, among these 47-year-old Stephanie Montez and 41-year-old Mesha Caldwell, were misgendered in initial reports, which Kaufman she said is the “ultimate disrespect.” Ally Steinfeld, a 17-yearold transgender teen from Missouri, was killed in September of this year. Her story was especially striking to Kaufman. “The way in which my little sister Ally was murdered galvanized me to take action,” Kaufman said. “Her murder made me furious and
Business sophomore Lucian Ramnarase said he thinks the concept behind Echollection is interesting because people use quotes on other social media platforms. “If people want to see these quotes to pick themselves up and make them smile, they can go to this app,” Ramnarase said. “You know what you’re going to get with this app, and that’s a reason why I’d use it and why I think other people would use it.” Currently Rabban and Asmar are still working to promote Echollection in multiple forms. “It’s one thing to capture that moment and phrase in context with photo and location, it’s another thing looking back years down the road we have created since college that have gone ahead and saved in there,” Rabban said. “Almost unanimously the response has been this is a great idea and I can’t believe nobody has done this before.”
Community Relations for the University, on the other hand, told The Daily in early 2017 that the cull was necessary to preserve other aspects of wildlife in the arboretum. “The Nichols Arboretum, which is expected to be a showcase and living laboratory of diverse species, has been unable to establish many seedlings due to the overgrazing of the deer herd,” Kosteva wrote. “The University has also incurred a significant loss of landscape materials, particularly on North Campus, that have been consumed or damaged by deer. Replacing that material has required a costly diversion of funds that
otherwise could support more mission centered activities.” According to MLive, this year’s cull will be slightly different from previous years, as the city will also be reviewing their fencing ordinance and deer-crossing signage and increasing their deer education efforts. Despite public opinion, the cull presses on, and a statement from the city last year regarding park closings and the cull assures safety of every being is the city’s main concern. “Safety is the city’s top priority. … Information will be provided when cull activities are completed,” the press release states.
changes to their plans. “It’s the wrong direction for the opportunity that we have here as stewards of the future of our city,” Anne Bannister, D-Ward 1, said amid cheers from the crowd against the development. Ultimately, the council decided to postpone the decision once again in hopes of a compromise with developers. Ron Mucha, a
developer from Morningside, said the company would take the next two weeks to revise the site conditions by modifying the architectural expression, building materials and zoning conditions. “We owe it to ourselves and the community to see,” stated Mayor Christopher Taylor in support of the postponement. Amid the controversy regarding downtown
development, council members glossed over a water treatment plan in response to a recent water line rupture. Members were hopeful for a repair by Tuesday, but discussed plans to alert the community and implement plans for voluntary water restrictions during the repair, as well as future ideas about a building a new water line further down the road.
of violence every day.” Social Work student Alex Kime expressed the same sentiment. “Even though it’s incredibly important to honor those that we lose, more honor should be paid and recognized to the trans and gender nonconforming folks that are still alive,” Kime said. “There can be this dangerous foregrounding of all queerness as a sight of tragedy or as something that is inextricably and already ruined in some way.” After his opening remarks, Sherry introduced LSA senior Emily Kaufman, president of LGBT Michigan, who talked about the challenges she faces every day as a trans woman. “I tell people that I don’t think I’ll make it out of my twenties without personally knowing a transgender woman who is murdered,” Kaufman said. Next to speak was Information student Vidhya
Aravind. She had two sets of remarks, one aimed toward her transgender peers and one in which she addressed everyone. In her remarks for everyone, she named days she would rather celebrate rather than the Transgender Day of Remembrance, including “trans day of doing literally anything else because we all already know that trans people die all the time,” and “trans day of giving a shit about us while we’re still alive.” Aravind received laughter and support from attendees after her remarks. After Aravind spoke, two students and members of the LGBTQ community read the known names of each transgender and gender nonbinary person to have died in the world in the past year. After each name was read, the audience was asked to repeat the phrase “rest in power” to signify the deaths that occurred in a socially unjust way. After all the
names were read — which took half an hour in sum — attendees paused for a moment of silence. Rackham student LaVelle Ridley, who was on the planning committee for the event, gave closing remarks. She stressed the importance of remembering transgender issues are intersectional. “We have to remember that also indigenous American trans women, disabled trans women, non-Western trans women, women from the global south, such as Brazil, and incarcerated trans women also face high rates of death and violence,” LaVelle said. She concluded her remarks with a call to action and a quote from scholar Sarah Langley. “Our task is to move from sympathy to responsibility, from complicity to ref lectivity, from witnessing to action. It is not enough to simply honor the memory of the dead; we must transform the practices of the living,” LaVelle finished.
heartbroken. I realized I had to do this kind of event after that.” Those who attended the vigil included LGBTQ individuals and allies, all of whom hoped to bring awareness to transphobia prevalent in society and to advocate for the trans community. LSA sophomore Rachel Arone said she attended the event to stand up as an advocate for transgender individuals. “I have some very close friends who are trans and who have suffered from the rampant transphobia in our society,” she said. “I want to do anything I can to support and be present
as someone who has a voice when so many trans voices are silenced.” LSA sophomore Christine MacKenzie also attended the vigil in support of the transgender community. “I’ve known several trans people during the process of their transition,” she said. “I’ve learned about their struggles mentally, physically and societally, and it is so important to be there in support even if (transphobia) doesn’t affect you directly.” Kaufman concluded the vigil with a reading from her book, “From Death to Life,” a
collection of poems about her experience as a transgender woman. She told those in attendance to look toward the future to continue making a difference. “I want people to come out every day and call out transphobia when they see it, to stand up for our civil rights and our liberties so we are treated with some semblance of equality in society,” she said. “I want everyone here who is not trans to remember the names that were said tonight and to understand that the work that we do does not end tonight. It starts today.”
Opinion
4 — Tuesday, November 21, 2017
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ISAIAH ZEAVIN-MOSS | COLUMN
I
Lessons of a goodbye
n the past several days, my I heard play at Hill Auditorium 92-year-old grandmother’s during my sophomore year. She health has starkly declined, loved it, hugging me as she told and she is currently me how sweet a gift it in the hospital. The was. She consistently consensus among sent me checks for my family, based on my birthday and for what doctors have Jewish holidays, told us, as well as even if my name was my grandmother’s sometimes spelled chosen course of wrong. One time I action, is that she is was in the car with going to die soon. my parents and My grandma Bubba. I mentioned ISAIAH — my father’s that Diego Rivera, for mother, whom I call ZEAVIN-MOSS some time in his life, Bubba — is the only was rumored to have grandparent I’ve ever gotten to experimented with cannibalism. know. My mother’s parents were (The rumors are true.) Bubba, both gone by the time I was born, with fantastic comedic timing, and my dad’s dad died when I dryly said, “One should not eat was almost 2 years old. his own kind.” I think this made it difficult to These are some of the stories establish a precedent of having that first come to mind when I large family gatherings. Without think of Bubba. During my time that generation’s input — without in Ann Arbor, I have only seen my parents and their siblings my grandmother — except the being held accountable by their times my dad visited her — once, parents to stay consistently when we met at The Lunch Room connected to their family — and debated the merits of Hillary people drifted apart. Families Clinton versus Bernie Sanders. picked different coasts and, for Seeing my grandma, I think, the past several years, I have seen reminded me of that absence of my cousins and relatives once extended family. Reminded me every other year or so, for a few of her strained relationship with days filled with rushed catching my dad, and of the possibility up that is only performed to that families can gradually drift maintain the collective idea of a apart forever. nondescript, hazy in-the-loopAnd since she has been in the ness with one another. hospital, I have only just begun My childhood was centered, to confront all of this. The holes then, around my immediate in my relationship with my family: my older brother and grandmother, the things we did sister and my two parents. To not share about ourselves with make up for this absence, my each other, the stories we did parents would frequently invite not tell. I feel sadder now, in her friends for dinner. I looked up to impending death, than I ever felt some of these people. I gossiped happy with her in life. with my mom about their lives Bubba’s health decline has and what I noticed versus what brought to mind that I used to she saw. They became extensions lie very casually and habitually of my family. to my friends, family, teachers, Indeed, my parents, from a school administrators and very early age, taught me to try friends’ parents. Lying of this to make family out of my friends. sort is still something I struggle To create a chosen family for with. One lie I have told most myself. frequently over the years is that My grandmother and I, then, of my grandmother’s death. I never really established a strong, have used it as a way of escaping specific, intimate relationship. some responsibility or other, I would call her every now and an excuse to not have to attend then to tell her about my goings some tedious outing or once, on; I played piano for a long even just, in eighth grade, to while, and she had played all evoke sympathy and compassion her life, so we connected over in a girl I had a crush on. My that. Or when I went to the grandma and her body and her University of Michigan, and she life became props for me to play lived nearby in Novi — staying with as I navigated the social in Michigan after my dad grew situations of my adolescence. up in Detroit — there was some I feel guilty about that. And excitement about being able to now, in my Bubba’s sickness, I connect more often. feel that guilt bubbling to the Once, I bought her a disc of surface of my mind. What more sonatas composed by Bach and could I have done to cultivate a played by Sir András Schiff, whom relationship with her?
I don’t know, really. I have long understood I’m not as close to my extended family as many of my friends are with their families. But the sadness I feel now, I think, stems from a sense that after my Bubba is gone, I will never be able to change the content of that relationship. Instead, this will be my grandmother, this will be what she was. But maybe that’s not true. Maybe, as I grow up, I will begin to adopt new ways of thinking about my relationship with my grandmother. To learn a blunt fact of relationships — that some of them simply end, even those that were once important to you. And they will end in unsatisfying ways that will make you question if more life could have been juiced out of what you had with that person. And to know that is part of it, part of being a social being : the chance that it will fail, that you will not be able to wrap things up in a nice bow and share the wonders of that gift, together. But I ought to know, also, the potential beauty in taking this risk. To know that each time a friendship does blossom, it is despite this risk, this potential sacrifice that both parties have made. To think about successful familial relationships in the context of this risk. To remember my mother and father, for example, who came to New York City to follow their dreams to be psychoanalysts and met at a Marxist psychoanalytic conference in 1980, ultimately falling in love and themselves creating a beautiful, expansive family that means everything to me today. My grandmother, without whom my family would not be possible, lived a full, long life. Born in 1925, she witnessed a fundamentally transformative period of human history. She made and raised four children, who have collectively produced seven children themselves. No matter the extent of our closeness in life, we will always remain connected, contingent, knotted to the same web of lineage. She produced and nurtured half of my genetic makeup, half of me and my siblings. This connection with my Bubba will continue to express itself as my ongoing relationship with my family — both given and chosen — develops and evolves.
Isaiah Zeavin-Moss can be reached at izeavinm@umich.edu.
NATALIE BROWN | NATALIE CAN BE REACHED AT NGBROWN@UMICH.EDU
MICHELLE PHILLIPS | COLUMN
Destigmatize sober fun
I
t’s gameday, and I walk consequences will affect them into a tailgate and am the next morning. They might immediately a beer — lose motivation to go to class, a substance that fail an exam or get would shut down all into an argument my internal organs with a roommate. from just a sip. All The atmosphere my friends have surrounding pre-gamed the predrinking on campus game, and I know inhibits students it’s just the security from taking care guards and me who of their bodies are sober right now. and convinces I love to dance and them they won’t have fun with my MICHELLE have an enjoyable friends, but I can’t PHILLIPS experience without help but feel as if I a drink in hand. It am missing out on something is astounding to recognize the so essential to the college immense priority alcohol has experience: drinking. on this campus. When I first arrived on Why have we set such a campus, I didn’t think my standard for college students to allergy to alcohol would make be so pressured to binge-drink me stand out from my peers. a substance that can ultimately In high school, I had many kill any one of us, not just those friends and many who drank, but it didn’t affect me. I didn’t think college would be any different, and at first, it wasn’t. The more and more I went to parties, however, the more I felt uncomfortable. I joined a sorority, only to drop a week later under the pressure of alcohol-dominated activities I could not keep up with. Being in an environment where all social gatherings revolve around getting drunk and drinking with your friends makes it hard for me to feel safe. Every club I have joined and every organization I have been a part of during my time at the University of Michigan has mentioned something about working hard but “don’t worry, we like to party too.” Great! Me too! But not when it involves projectile vomit, watching people who literally cannot stand up and emergency 911 of us with an allergy? The high calls when someone has had pressure and stress that comes too much. along with being a student at the As many of us know, and as University encourage students various studies have shown, to “crack a cold one with the consumption of alcohol affects boys” when they are feeling one’s decision-making process. upset or having a shitty day. Interestingly, a University Is that because they’re too of Missouri study found that afraid to actually express their most people are aware of the feelings about their shitty day decisions they make while and turn to alcohol instead? To they are drunk, and even when get their mind off something they’re making a mistake, but that needs to be talked about? they do not care as much that Using alcohol as a way to they’re making a mistake. escape will only last so long The more people choose to for drinkers. There will come drink during their crazy night a point when they have to out, the more the negative face their problems for what
Why have we set such a standard for college students to be so pressured to binge drink a substance that can ultimately kill any one of us, not just those of us with an allergy?
“
they are and have real-time conversations about them. Is the reason we have fun on this campus just because everyone is so stressed, and we think binge drinking will solve all our problems? I challenge everyone at this University to take a look at the standard social event that they routinely attend, and try to make it into something that focuses on having fun by being there, not just on the activity they are doing. I have faced the many repercussions that come with not partaking in the activity everyone else seems to be doing. My relationships with the friends I felt closest to at this University dissolved because I wasn’t interested in having beer spilled on my body every time I went to a fraternity party. The rampant party culture that surrounds this campus needs to change. People should feel comfortable to make the decision to not drink and not be judged for it. I have felt othered so many times by choosing not to put a poison in my body. Don’t get me wrong — I enjoy going to parties where everyone drinks, but the priority our campus community creates through a binge-drinking culture promotes the idea that you can’t have fun while not drinking. The resulting stigma discourages individuals who are not comfortable with drinking and they end up staying in, instead of exploring the incredible place we live, having a good time and meeting new people. I have found the people I enjoy going out with, I have friends who care about me and watch out for me at parties. I truly believe we all need friends looking out for us, and I am so grateful for mine. But until we remove the stigma that promotes the notion that you have to drink to have fun, we eliminate opportunities for nondrinkers to feel welcome and included. You don’t have to be “black-out” to have a good time going out.
Michelle Phillips can be reached at mphi@umich.edu.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
This merger would greatly harm American consumers. It would mean higher monthly television bills and fewer of the new, emerging innovative options that consumers are beginning to enjoy. — Makan Delrahim, top anti-trust regulator, speaking about the AT&T-TimeWarner Cable merger lawsuit in an interview with The New York Times
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Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ALBUM REVIEW
Tuesday, November 21, 2017 — 5
TV REVIEW
CBS Where are you Will?
True to name, nothing happens in ‘No Activity’ ‘Everyday Is Christmas’ Will Ferrell’s absent is noticeable in the pilot of his new series is not Sia at her jolliest Sia did the thing every pop star does and made a Christmas album
MONKEY PUZZLE MUSIC
SOFIA LYNCH
She sings about puppies & sings about snow but there’s no real cheer SAMANTHA LU Daily Arts Writer
As an enthusiast of decked out halls, poinsettias and heavily ornamented pine trees, I’d assumed that Sia’s Everyday Is Christmas would be the perfect accompaniment to a hearty mug of rich, steaming eggnog. However, where I was expecting Sia’s unique, raggedly beautiful voice to gleam with holiday spirit, it only simmered, never truly exploding into color or boiling over with fierce attitude in the same memorable way that it did in last year’s This Is Acting. For the most part, Everyday is Christmas is filled with tracks that fall just short of truly memorable. “Santa’s Coming For Us” is decent pop, fueled by a bubbly cheer that can be expected from a holiday-themed album, but it lacks the catchiness that distinguishes classic seasonal tracks from merely forgettable ones. Similarly, while “Ho Ho Ho” is carefree at heart, fraught with playful references to holiday booze, something about the chord progressions sounds off — and not at all in a good way. By far the most baffling track on the album is “Puppies Are Forever.” The title alone is confounding, and the lyrics similarly so: “Puppies are forever, not just for Christmas /
Cause they’re so cute and fluffy with shiny coats / But will you love ‘em when they’re old and slow?” Sia sings, her voice taking on a droning quality. Of course puppies are forever. But what about the concept is so significant that it necessitates its own song on a Christmas album? Although it’s true that only so many holiday related words exist, it feels as if Sia didn’t even try to come up with unique song
Everyday Is Christmas Sia Monkey Puzzle Music titles, which is a problem for logical reasons: “Snowman,” “Snowflake” and “Sunshine” sound more like they should be vocabulary words in a second grade classroom than song names. And with the ordering of the tracks themselves — “Snowman” and “Snowflake” come one after the other — it’s easy to get the songs mixed up, regardless of how similar the music itself sounds. All of that ignores that there are bound to be countless other songs of the same name that already exist. There’s always a pro for every
BOOK REVIEW
con, and for this album, that would be the slower songs. In “Underneath The Christmas Lights,” the final track, Sia sheds the false, gaudy brightness that she relies on for most of the album in favor of a stripped down choral ballad that finally sounds genuine. Just as with many of the other tracks on the album, the lyrics are relatively simplistic: “You are all I need tonight / Oh, oh / Here above the Christmas lights / Underneath the Christmas lights,” Sia sings, repeating the last lyric again and again. However, in this song, the simplicity works perfectly. Accompanied by only a piano and her own backing vocals, Sia’s performance is akin to a heartfelt, deliberately measured, mellowed out version of Mariah Carey’s 1994 “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” After listening to a Christmasthemed album, I want to feel as if I’ve been plopped onto a snow covered clearing surrounded by trees strung with bright, twinkling lights. My problem with Everyday Is Christmas is that with its lackluster lyrics, repetitive, droning choruses and downright uncreative song titles, the album only seems to partially commit to its supposed subject. It’s got the jingle and the commercialism down pat, but where’s the Christmas spirit?
Daily Arts Writer
CBS All-Access premiered a new TV series, “No Activity,” on Nov. 12 in the neverending fight for relevance. “No Activity” is an American adaptation of an Australian cop comedy, centered around the police force working to bust a major drug cartel, and the criminals that abet the misconduct. The show is carried out in pairs: two detectives on stake out, two dispatch workers, two criminals waiting out in a shipping container and two Mexican tunnelers. This paired set-up allows for easyf lowing humor, developed on the innate, humorous nature of opposites forced to interact. Produced by Will Ferrell (“Saturday Night Live”), Adam McKay (“Anchorman”) and Funny or Die, and featuring an all-star comedic cast, “No Activity” seemed destined to be a slam dunk. However, the shows title concisely states the show’s biggest f law: There is no activity. I should preface this by saying I have not seen the Australian original; still, that does not forgive the fact that in the pilot episode, there is no plot movement of notable mention until the last three minutes. Prior to that final twist, the entire show consists solely of expositional conversation.
wool. Follett also focuses heavily on commerce, and is interested in the human exchange of currency, the negotiation of contracts and the dynamics of making a living in an age where people buried their savings underground. Religion is another huge theme woven throughout the Kingsbridge books. Besides the working class, key characters in the novels include priors, set in the 1100s, focuses only bishops, nuns, missionaries on Kingsbridge because travel and even holy monarchs. was difficult and dangerous in Follett explores the dynamics that century. Set 400 years later, of monasteries in “Pillars,” “Column of Fire” spans across the expansion of nunneries in Western Europe and beyond “World Without End,” and the in a narrative tumultuous Catholic that mirrors the vs Protestant international landscape of the exchange and Reformation in “Column of Fire.” exploration of the period afforded by He both exposes advancements in the corruption of Ken Follett technology (bigger religious figures and faster sailing and celebrates September 12, ships). altruistic religious 2017 One of the most zeal in an age where interesting and the Church was an Kingsbridge captivating aspects integral component of the trilogy is of life, and a its discussion of character in itself. technology and labor specific to Overall, Follett braids the Middle Ages feudal society. together these many Follett is largely preoccupied preoccupations with compelling with the lower and middle and dynamic characterizations. classes, the peasant farmers, the His characters are not static, craftsmen and the merchants. but undergo emotional changes Follett explores the intricacies influenced by experiences behind each form of labor, that mold them and alter their from securing farm work to point of view. Follett tends to transporting stone from the use a character formula, and quarry to dyeing and treating his books contain the same
In ‘Column of Fire’ Follett illuminates the Medieval
In the next installment of the Kingsbridge, Follett brings us back SYDNEY COHEN Daily Arts Writer
With his recently released generational saga “Column of Fire,” historical fiction guru Ken Follett brings the latest installment of the Kingsbridge Series to the niche community of Middle Age-enthusiasts. While revivalist Medieval literature is usually associated with dense texts written in convoluted language, Follett uses plain but literary language to color the world of Medieval Europe as a vibrant and intricate space full of the same human emotions and experiences as any age. Rife with drama, sex, intrigue, politics and romance, the Kingsbridge books are wholly captivating and impossible to put down. These sweeping generational sagas are between 900-1100 pages, but the length isn’t oppressive. Rather, it allows Follett and the reader to explore a wide range of issues in this period as well as the changes that occur over time. Published
this past August, “Column of Fire” brings the classic Kingsbridge elements lovers of the series come to expect, with some distinct differences that both help and hurt it. The overarching preoccupation in the Kingsbridge series is change. Follett is interested in architectural change, seen most poignantly in the building of the Kingsbridge Cathedral that spans the entire first and second book (“Pillars of the Earth” and “World Without End”). The narrative reflects the long and grueling process of building monuments in that time, and Follett describes the laying of each brick with an accuracy that communicates his intimate knowledge of medieval architecture. Follett is also interested in geographical change. Over the three books, Kingsbridge expands from an insignificant town to a hub of trade and commerce. The narrative scope also reflects human movement over time. “Pillars,”
“Column of Fire”
Another glaring error is the absence of the top-billed star. When you search the show on Google, the first link to come up says, “‘No Activity’ with Will Ferrell,” yet 30 minutes of my life later, I was left with a complete and utter lack of Ferrell; the man did not appear in the pilot episode. For a show seemingly building itself off the star power of the actor and producer, it is a bold move to leave him out of the first episode — which is a show’s best means of pleaing its case
for return viewers. While the writing of the show is high quality and delivers the trademark humor you’d expect from Ferrell, it suffers from a lack of action to build comedy from, and relies wholly on the dynamics between the paired characters. Each scene is shot in a play-like fashion; the two characters sit in the same position, with an essentially fixed camera perspective, leaving the viewer hungry for movement. This lack of literal and metaphorical movement in these one-on-one moments stunts their humor because the jokes that start
off strong fizzle out by the time the camera pans back to another coupling. The show’s trailer suggests that there is more quality content soon to come, but a pilot episode should always give viewers a good depiction of what’s in store, and some tension in the plot to ensure they return — this was not delivered. That being said, the comedically stacked cast gives the show its fighting chance. With no plot motion to keep viewers engaged, the f low between characters needs to be spot on — and it is. Amy Sedaris (“BoJack Horseman”) delivers her usual zany madness as the veteran dispatch worker training an unsuspecting newcomer, and Tim Meadows (“Mean Girls”) shines in the role of one half of a police partner duo, basked in the undertones of a nagging wife, due to 11 years of service together. There is the possibility that leaving Ferrell out was a deliberate act to bring people back for episode two, and if that was the case, they’ve at least hooked me. I’m left wondering if the addition of Ferrell’s character will be enough to pick up the pace on this show a bit. Plus, despite the lack of plot, the quality of the writing and acting presented a compelling enough case to give this show a second chance, and perhaps give Ferrell a chance to save it.
tropes: a male protagonist that is attractive, intelligent and a natural born leader; a strong female protagonist that is independent, headstrong and sexual, though not overly so; and a male antagonist that is cunning, power-hungry, brutally violent, amoral and asexual. While these character tropes can become repetitive and predictable, they interact in different ways and in different arrangements in each book. Another characteristic aspect of the trilogy, and what really keeps you reading, is a book-long unrequited romance between two key figures that is dramatic and overdrawn but gripping. The most controversial aspect of the Kingsbridge series is Follett’s treatment of women. His female protagonists maintain incredible agency, have a voice, making decisions largely for themselves and challenge societal ideas of women’s roles. Caris in “World Without End” runs a prosperous wool business and spearheads the development of modern medicine in Kingsbridge, while Sylvie in “Column of Fire” operates an illegal Protestant book trade across Europe. But beyond these strong female leads, women are discussed mainly in terms of prostitution and rape. Rape in these books is frequent, grotesque and viewed as an inevitable part of life. Reading these scenes is uncomfortable and disturbing, begging the question: Is this an
important aspect of Medieval life that is necessary for an accurate portrayal, or is it superfluous and indulgent? Follett writes women with simultaneous depth and superficiality that is difficult to unpack. “Column of Fire” widens the scope of the Kingsbridge series and allows for new possibilities and areas of exploration. A game board with constantly moving set pieces, the novel involves characters that originate in England, France and Spain who constantly move around Europe and interact with different people. While this is somewhat daunting and confusing at first, the characters eventually come together in classic Kingsbridge fashion. Unlike the two before it, this book is largely interested in foreign policy and diplomacy, focusing on the politics between Queen Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots and the de Guise family in France, among other monarchs. This focus on international politics spotlights an important time in European history, but the grand scale detracts from the small details of everyday life specific to Kingsbridge books. The focus on international politics makes for an exciting and suspenseful narrative that is captivating in its own way. But because it is no longer rooted in labor and the middle class, “Column of Fire” neglects what makes the Kingsbridge series unique and dazzling in the first place.
“No Activity” Series Premiere Sundays CBS
Arts
6 — Tuesday, November 21, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
DAILY HEALTH & FITNESS COLUMN
FILM REVIEW
The Alpha Female: part 2 Columnist Erika Shevchek is back, back again with the real girl talk
NETFLIX Mary J. Blige stars & shines
‘Mudbound’ proves to be a stunning familial epic Dee Ree’s latest paints a picture of war and family in the ’40s MAX MICHALSKY Daily Arts Writer
Dee Rees’s new film “Mudbound” tells the story of two families living on the Mississippi delta during the 1940s, one of them a family of white landowners, and the other a family of Black tenant farmers who work on their land. Memphis native Laura McAllen (Carey Mulligan, “The Great Gatsby”) is one day dragged by her husband, Henry (Jason Clarke, “Everest”), to Mississippi after he spontaneously decides to become a farmer. Henry’s idealized, picture perfect concept of farm living is quickly shattered as the difficult realities of rural southern society set in. Henry’s brother Jamie (Garrett Hedlund, “Unbroken”), meanwhile, is sent off to fight in World War II. Living on the McAllen’s land is the Jackson family, poor tenant farmers who have worked on the same patch of land for generations. Hap (Rob Morgan, “Stranger Things”) and Florence Jackson (Mary J. Blige, “Betty and Coretta”) are shaken when their eldest son, Ronsel (Jason Mitchell, “Straight Outta Compton”), is drafted into the army. The film deftly compares the experiences of these two families, each one in some fashion reliant upon the other. Rees tells these stories with complete and total honesty, and never opts to embellish for the sake of the plot. In doing so, she crafts a depiction of a time period that feels so real and vivid that it doesn’t need over-the-top melodrama to draw audiences in. Everything about
“Mudbound” feels real, and it makes the experience incredibly poignant. While “Mudbound” may touch on issues like war and family life, the central point of discussion in the film is race relations, and it does an incredible job of depicting them. The tendency in many films such as “Mudbound” is to offer depictions of racism and race relations that are, for as shocking as the content may be, decidedly one-dimensional; many a periodpiece have depicted racism, but few dug as deep as “Mudbound.” The film identifies a uniquely
“Mudbound” Streaming on Netflix American facet of society wherein social class is not decided by wealth, but rather by race. This is actively dichotomized with European society when Ronsel ships overseas and is shocked at the equitable treatment he receives there. The film recognizes the unique and obsessive way that Americans think about and comprehend race. Rather than trying to pigeonhole racism as an individual phenomenon, “Mudbound” depicts it as a pillar of American society, and the means by which Americans define social power dynamics. The film recognizes that racism is more than just something that children are taught by their parents, and instead recognizes it as the frame of reference through
which Americans experienced their whole lives during that time period. For as omnipresent as the film’s depictions of prejudice may be, Rees never seems to lose hope. Throughout the film, individual characters are shown to reach across lines of racial division through shared experiences. This is shown most keenly in the relationship between Jamie and Ronsel who become unlikely friends after the war as they struggle to cope with PTSD. Their friendship is never depicted as some magical cure for racism, but rather as a bond shared between individuals who have broken out of the social current of their time. While hopeful depictions of race relations are present, the film never lets audiences forget the glacial pace at which society changes, and the consequences that can befall individuals who challenge the status quo. “Mudbound” is something of a slow burn; it takes its time getting audiences thoroughly immersed before striking its emotional climax, but when it arrives the result is some of the most emotionally impactful filmmaking of the year. The film takes viewers on an emotional journey filled with both bittersweet sentimentality and, at times, unforgivingly brutal harshness. Its unapologetically honest depiction of race relations make it an extremely important film in a modern America that still feels the pain of racial tensions. Impressing on all fronts, Dee Rees has created a soulful and impactful film that will endure beyond the awards season.
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
A blast from the past with McLaughlin and Herring Acclaimed guitarists performed last Friday at the Michigan Theater ANDREA PEREZ For the Daily
This past Wednesday night, a diverse group of Ann Arbor residents gathered at the Michigan Theater to enjoy an evening of music by famous guitarists John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring. Part of the John McLaughlin Farewell U.S. Tour, the performance at the Michigan Theater consisted of three sets. Jimmy Herring and The Invisible Whip was the opening act, in which the guitarist played a variety of songs accompanied by musicians in the keyboard, drums and bass. John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension followed in a similar manner, with McLaughlin playing songs of his choosing accompanied by the band. The finale the guitarists collaborating on exciting jams, in which they played Mahavishnu Orchestra
classics. This jazz-rock fusion style pioneered by Mahavishnu brought forth a calm but lively atmosphere. It showcased the talents of both guitarists while letting McLaughlin backtrack to his early works from the ’70s and ’80s. Mahavishnu songs were crowd pleasers, but the electricity and love for this genre of music was especially felt during McLaughlin’s interpretation of “El Hombre Que Sabía,” a song he dedicated to his collaborator and longtime friend Paco de Lucía. McLaughlin explained that he had co-created the song with Paco, but Paco passed before the project was released, so McLaughlin reached to heaven and played it as a token of appreciation. After this heartfelt dedication, the chitchat in the crowd fell to an instant silence and remained this way until the end of the song, when applause filled every corner of the theatre. During the performance, the
air in the Michigan Theater was filled with nostalgia, applause and happy cries of admiration. Excitement was oozing from the f loor as audience members struggled to stay in their seats during the finale. It was clear that the people who sat in the Michigan Theater that evening were Mahavishnu amateurs and John McLaughlin lovers. Interpretations of the music were shared among the crowd, as well as a longing for a seemingly impossible reunion of the group. From beginning to end, Meeting of the Spirits: Music of Mahavishnu Orchestra was a head bobbing, feet thumping, heartfelt homage to John McLaughlin’s incredible musical career. Accompanied by his band members, his tour partner Jimmy Herring and an audience full of his biggest fans, John McLaughlin was able to give a stunning farewell performance to Ann Arbor residents and University students of all ages.
Alpha Female is an attitude. It’s an attitude that is not perceived negatively, but an attitude that serves as a role and as a mantra for every alpha female. A woman may not even know she has this role, this attitude; I was fascinated by how the alpha female attitude can affect one’s mind, physical being and emotional state. I did some research and talked to some ladies, all in pursuit of seeking an answer to the idea of how alpha female mindfulness is embodied — when we embody the energy of a certain attitude, does it become us? I just so happened to find some answers to my questions, and for the sake of their truthful, vulnerable answers, I choose to keep these women anonymous. I interviewed three women who I believe are alpha females — women who I see wearing the attitude with pride and confidence. These women, however, interpreted their alpha-ness in three very different forms, and they explained to me how this role affects them in various mediums. A career-focused busy bee reflected on her alpha-ness, and she feels this attitude strongest when she’s doing something that she loves. “I feel it emotionally and spiritually, especially when I know something I have been working hard on by myself has payed off,” she said. Nonetheless, when I asked her whether or not she believed she was an alpha female, her answer was surprising. She said that she never thought of herself as one, but she believed she contained some of the qualities that an alpha female possesses, like “know(ing) what I want and am willing to do whatever it takes to get there. I love setting difficult goals for myself and I am always pushing myself to be better.” While one didn’t even believe she was even an alpha, another woman didn’t discover her alphaness until later in her life. With household hardships, this alpha female felt as though she was transformed through a mix of a choice and a duty to become an alpha.
“It took me years to be comfortable with identifying as an ‘alpha female,’” she told me. At the age of nine when her parents divorced amid her father’s own internal struggles, her verbally abusive stepfather came into the picture and her younger sister needed protecting — her adversity designed her to become an alpha. “I didn’t identify as an alphafemale, and didn’t believe that I was worthy of the praises that were being sung of me, because I was just doing what I had to, to survive,” she said. “Raising my sister, protecting her from John (stepfather), taking care of my dad, staying on top of school, and working as much as possible, none of that seemed
ERIKA SHEVCHEK extraordinary.” “Whatever it was inside of me that sparked at age 9, and continues to smolder to this day, is what makes me an alphafemale,” she continued. “I am incapable of accepting injustices that are happening to me, or the people I love ... I won’t settle for ‘just enough,’ I can’t maintain superficial relationships, or accept anything but my all … what you see with me is what you get, I am strong, resourceful, assertive, and protective. I didn’t want to be a sad-story written by misfortune. I decided to create my own story, because I had to get out of what had become my reality.” As explained, she believes that her alpha-female energy is strongest when “faced with a great challenge, or emotional/physical hardship … My ‘alpha-female’ is something that I feel emotionally and spiritually more than anything else.” Last, but so not least, is an alpha who is fully conscious of her alpha
Classifieds
role. When asked whether or not she believes in her alpha female attitude, she confidently answered: “Yes. I am a boss ass bitch and I don’t really follow society’s standards/expectations, or others around me.” The youngest of four girls in her family, she has been surrounded by powerful female energy her whole life. She is reminded everyday of her alpha-ness, especially when she surrounds herself with other girls. “I feel my best / strongest when I’m with my group of girlfriends,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s just because they all inspire me so much, or because they are so confident and loving that it reminds me why women are so awesome. We can do the impossible and it’s like nothing to us. I think it’s just the positive vibes and love that I receive and give back.” I interviewed three alpha women, three alpha women with three different interpretations and experiences of this attitude. One is still making her own definition of an alpha, another felt empowerd to become an alpha and there is one who knew of her alpha role all along. Regardless of how they view themselves, they all understand how this role (and how attitude and personality) makes such an effect on themselves as human beings. These women proved to me that if you believe it, you can be it. Unfortunately, to some, this statement is cliché or seemingly impossible. But through spirituality, personal reflection (like meditation) and overall mentality, this belief is absolutely possible. These three women have discovered their alpha female-ness at different moments in time, but because they began to believe what they were, they owned it. We will embody the attitudes, the mantras and the personalities we believe we are, both the positive and the negative ones. This leads me to my still-in-the-works conclusion: Any female-identifying person can be an alpha if they so choose to be. If you flaunt the attitude, feed the energy, believe in the confidence of your personality and prove to yourself that you have the power, that’s it. You’ve got it.
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, November 21, 2017
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Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, November 21, 2017 — 7
Michigan finishes in top-10 at NCAA Championships The men’s cross country team delivered a strong ending to the careers of its six fifth-year seniors DYLAN CHUNG Daily Sports Writer
The six fifth-year seniors on the Michigan men’s cross country team had careers defined by ups and downs. In their freshman and sophomore seasons, the Wolverines finished ninth and 11th in the nation. But last year, Michigan failed to even qualify for a spot in the NCAA National Championship race. Coming into this year, it wanted to regain some consistency. Thanks in large part to those fifth-year seniors, the Wolverines returned to churning out strong, consistent performances, culminating in a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Louisville. Michigan ended the race with the best finish of any Big Ten team, scoring 328 points — 254 points behind national champion Northern Arizona. Fifth-year senior Ben Flanagan led the Wolverines by finishing 20th overall, ending an excellent senior season in which he was named the Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year by becoming Michigan’s first All-American since 2014. “He’s got a fierce desire to win,” said Michigan coach Mike Sullivan. “And he’s a guy who’s not really satisfied with anything less than being on the podium.” Fellow fifth-year senior Connor Mora also turned in an excellent final performance, finishing 48th — just eight spots out of All-American qualification. In the final two kilometers, he maneuvered past seven runners. He was one of several Wolverines to move up the field toward the end of the race, as both redshirt senior Aaron Baumgarten methodically brushed past 61 runners and freshman Jack Aho moved up 15 spots over the last
four kilometers. “For us, it was just about being cautiously aggressive at the beginning and then trying to find a good spot to work up from through the race,” Sullivan said. “We didn’t plan much besides to get out hard, and try to race from 5k onwards.” Michigan’s strong performance in their final race of the season can partially be attributed to the excellent leadership of its six redshirt seniors. “I think (senior leadership) was really important in a situation like today for a couple reasons,” Sullivan said. “We were relying on some freshmen and sophomores that have never been at this stage
before and those guys had the experience to kind of walk them through it, walk them through the emotions leading up to the race. That type of leadership is gonna help us as the seniors graduate and our younger guys take over the leadership roles.” With the massive senior class graduating, the burden of leadership will likely rest on Jack Aho and redshirt freshman Isaac Harding, who rounded out the Wolverines scoring five with a finish of 132nd at nationals. After failing to qualify for nationals last year, Michigan’s strong top-10 finish was certainly a satisfying end for its fifth-year seniors, who were able to close out their careers on an upswing.
That type of leadership is gonna help us
The women’s cross country team extended its streak of finishing in the top-10 to three years RIAN RATNAVALE For the Daily
The No. 8 Michigan women’s cross country team crossed the finish line of its season Saturday, finishing ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships with 295 points. In the 31-team competition, fifth-year seniors and AllAmericans Jamie Morrissey and Gina Sereno anchored the Wolverines, both finishing in the top-30 individually in the tight six-kilometer race. For the third year in a row, the Wolverines finished as one of the event’s top10 finishers, ending the race just ahead of Wisconsin, and only 31 points behind sixth-place Boise State. “They were inspired and focused all year,” said Michigan coach Mike McGuire. “I think we
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Fifth-year senior Ben Flanagan finished 20th overall to lead the Wolverines.
EMMA RICHTER/Daily
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
VOLLEYBALL
‘M’ seniors exorcise demons, top Purdue CONNOR BRENNAN For the Daily
DARBY STIPE/Daily
Senior outside hitter Katherine Mahlke ended the game with 14 kills on .500 attack percentage, leading in efficiency.
capitalize, converting only seven kills. Purdue eventually went on a 9-4 run to win the set, 25-23. The Wolverines looked to stay aggressive though. On the first play of the second set, junior libero Jenna Lerg chased a ball to the far sideline, before quickly withdrawing her arms in response to the pleas of her teammates. The ball landed out of bounds. It was another mistake by Purdue, and though it committed less of them in the second frame, Michigan took advantage of any opportunities given to it. And every opportunity was needed in the back-and-forth set. In the end, the more offensively efficient Wolverines pulled through. Michigan finished with 18 kills on a .342 attack percentage and 18 assists, more than doubling the offensive numbers from the initial set to win the second set, 25-22. The set was highlighted by junior and sophomore outside hitters Carly Skjodt and Sydney Wetterstrom, respectively. Skjodt had six kills off nine attempts while recording a set-
high seven digs. She ended the game with 16 kills and 16 digs, her seventh double-double of the season. Wetterstrom had five kills in the set, with two coming at the end, where she scored back-toback points to clinch the frame. She ended the game with 12 kills and four digs. The third set came in runs. Michigan started with a 4-1 run, allowing Purdue to score off of an error by redshirt sophomore middle blocker Cori Crocker. However, the Boilermakers quickly answered with a 3-0 run to tie the game. Despite the third set being the cleanest error-wise for Purdue — it committed just five attacking errors and one serving error — they were made at the costliest times. Michigan capped off the frame on a 3-0 run with two of the last three points coming from errors committed by Purdue. The dynamic between Mahlke and sophomore setter Mackenzie Welsh was evident in the fourth set. Recognizing Mahlke had the hot hand, Welsh found her early, allowing her to score back-to-
back points to set the tone for the frame. Down 13-6, Purdue mounted a comeback, going on a run to tie the game at 18. But Mahlke scored three straight points for the Wolverines out of a Michigan timeout before the Boilermakers ended the set with three straight errors. “She’s just got such a live arm,” Rosen said. “She swings fast and high when she gets going. And I thought (Welsh) did a great job of using her at the right time, really, managing her hitters. And (Mahlke) was just delivering. I thought (Mahlke) was just super relentless tonight; she was just going after it. That’s just how she approached the match tonight; she was just going after it.” Mahlke ended the game with 14 kills on .500 attack percentage, leading the game in efficiency. Despite putting up a fight, Purdue’s errors proved too much to overcome, committing a total of 33 attacking errors and nine service errors. Michigan, not taking any point for granted, took the opportunity at hand as it sent off its seniors with a win.
doubt, due in large part to the underclassmen on the team. Michigan started the race seventh, fell to eighth at the four-kilometer mark, and ended ninth. Junior Claire Borchers and sophomore Madeline Trevisian both placed in the top-100 of the race and should be in prime position to be key contributors on the team, along with other familiar faces and new blood. “We’ll have several athletes that ran this meet that will be returning next year, so this will be a great growing experience,” McGuire said. “With graduating our first two runners as fifth-year seniors, someone has to assume the new role. That (search) will begin tomorrow. “We got a solid season from Maddie and (junior) Avery Evenson, and Claire was hugely improved over last year. Haley Meier, a fifth-year senior who is eligible for a 6th year, has shown a lot of growth. … We got some people who are waiting in the wing and some incoming people too.” Each runner will continue to develop over the winter, and many of the cross country runners will compete in the indoor track season, trying to sustain Michigan’s streak of top-10 finishes. “The strength is depth and the weakness, which we hope to address and resolve through growth, is that at this level, we don’t have an established frontrunner,” McGuire said. “That’s going to be the biggest question moving forward.” With a new recruiting class and continued growth, Michigan should find an answer to that question soon.
They were inspired and focused all year
Fifth-year senior Gina Sereno finished 27th overall to anchor the Wolverines.
Wolverines force mistakes, ride them to upset There were nothing but smiles on the faces of the Michigan volleyball team’s players as they honored senior middle blocker and outside hitters Claire Kieffer-Wright, Katherine Mahlke and Adeja Lambert on their senior night. Ending a nearly eight-year drought against Purdue, the Wolverines (9-9 Big Ten, 19-11 overall) upset the 15th-ranked Boilermakers (11-7, 21-8) in the last home match of the season. In doing so, Michigan showed its recent season success was no fluke as it claimed its second consecutive win against a ranked opponent, this time in four sets. Retaining the winning strategy they implemented against No. 8 Michigan State earlier in the week, the Wolverines emphasized aggression and hustle to counter Purdue’s imposing physicality and size. “One of the things we talked about in our scouting of (Purdue) is that their team gets really physical and they do some freakish things as attackers, but what they don’t like is ... to get blocked and they don’t like to get dug,” said Michigan coach Mark Rosen. “As soon as they get blocked or as soon as they get dug, they make some drastic changes, and they try — we call them avoidance errors — but all of a sudden, they try to do something really different, and next thing you know, they’re making errors. I thought we did a good job of leading them into making errors.” It was evident as early as the first set that Purdue could not find a rhythm with Michigan’s disruptive game plan. Recording 20 digs and four team blocks, Michigan forced mistakes from the Purdue offense that had been otherwise consistent. Ranked third in the nation for team attack average with .316, the Boilermakers finished the first set with a percentage of .118. Even still, Michigan failed to
set out and achieved most of our goals. You can set goals and work to those goals and we did that all year. They displayed a good work ethic and were there for each other throughout the year.” Next year, Michigan will lose its two All-Americans. Without the dynamic duo, the Wolverines will miss a steadily improved runner in Morrissey and one of the best runners in program history in Sereno. Sereno specifically ran strong in the beginning, hitting the twokilometer mark in the leaders’ pack, but gradually drifting to a 27th-place finish. For the duration of the race, the Wolverines’ fate was not in
Beat Purdue. That is something the senior class of the Michigan volleyball team, and several before it, haven’t been able to do. “We talked about it,” said coach Mark Rosen. “We don’t have a lot of secrets in our program, we don’t skirt around things. We haven’t beat them since 2010. I asked them, ‘where were you guys in 2010?’ and a lot of them were in sixth grade. So it’s a long time ago.” But the streak finally ended Saturday night, as the Wolverines disposed of No. 15 Purdue in four sets. The three seniors — outside hitter Adeja Lambert, middle blocker Claire KiefferWright and opposite hitter Katherine Mahlke — all contributed immensely to the win in their final game at Cliff Keen Arena. Lambert finished with seven digs, while Kieffer-Wright had 7.5 points and ended a few long volleys with pivotal kills. Offensively, Mahlke led the way, finishing the game with a team-high 14 kills and a .500 hit percentage. “Kat really came out with some major kills when we needed them,” said junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt. “She stayed aggressive the entire match.” Added Rosen; “She just has such a live arm. She swings fast and high when she gets going. Kat was just delivering, and one of (the) things we talked about against a team that big and that physical was you have to be aggressive. “If you f linch or pull back a
little bit on your swing, they’re going to block you. I thought Kat was just super relentless and going after it.” That aggressive play paid off for the Wolverines, as the senior class capped off an impressive home record of 49-16. Michigan will certainly miss the leadership and play of Lambert, Kieffer-Wright, and Mahlke next season, as they have all been regular contributors since their freshman years. “You don’t know what you miss until you don’t have it,” Rosen said. “We know we’re going to miss a lot, but we won’t know the specifics until they’re not here. And we’re not really in a hurry to figure that out. We want to make this go as long as possible, and enjoy their experience here.” It’s an experience that may last a little longer, as the Wolverines — who finish up the regular season with two away games — seem to have clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament after Friday’s result and a victory over No. 8 Michigan State on Wednesday. But regardless of their postseason fate, the seniors can rest easier knowing that they closed out their home careers with a win against a formidable foe in front of a sold-out crowd. “I say this every year, but this is my least favorite night,” Rosen said. “I mean, we beat Purdue, that’s great, but it’s just hard to say goodbye to those guys. Four years go by so fast and it never feels like it’s enough time. And I guess that that’s a good thing. The year we want our seniors to graduate, that’s probably a bad sign.”
A lot of them were in sixth grade. So it’s a long time ago
Sports
8 — Tuesday, November 21, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
With history in the rivalry, McCray Katelynn Flaherty to lead Michigan against Ohio State sets scoring record WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BETELHEM ASHAME
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
Daily Sports Writer
Mike McCray grew up an Ohio State fan. As the son of former Buckeye captain Mike McCray, Sr., his allegiance made sense. But now, the fifth-year senior linebacker is a captain for the Michigan football team. And Monday, his final week of preparation for ‘The Game’ began. According to McCray, his father is now committed to the Wolverines as well. “He’s rooting for us, so that’s all that really matters,” McCray said. “We have a great relationship. ... He’s cheering for us every weekend, so he doesn’t really care about Ohio State right now.” McCray Sr. may accept that his son is a ‘Michigan Man’ now, but he was initially caught off guard by his son’s interest in the program he used to regard only as “that team up north.” McCray initially visited the Wolverines in September of 2012 at the first night game in Michigan Stadium history. The Wolverines may have fallen to Notre Dame, but McCray returned home to Ohio with a collection of Michigan gear. “(My dad) was like, ‘What’s going on?’ I just told him I really liked it,” McCray said. “He was a little surprised because it was my first time ever being up here. It kind of shocked him a little bit, but overall he was just happy for me.” McCray admitted Monday that he never hated Michigan. Even though his father did, McCray Sr. quickly changed his mind about the Wolverines when his son decided that is where he wanted to spend four years of his life. McCray is in the midst of his
Every day after the Michigan women’s basketball team finishes practice, Katelynn Flaherty stays on the court and takes 1,000 extra shots. “I’m like, ‘Katelynn, we just had a three-hour practice,’ ” said junior center Hallie Thome at the team’s Media Day. “But no, it’s Katelynn. I mean, it speaks to her.” Flaherty’s work paid off last Thursday, when she passed Diane Dietz – who had held the record since 1982 – as the program’s all-time leading scorer in just the third game of her senior year. Coming into the season, this was an inevitability, but Flaherty blitzed to the finish. She not only averaged 24 points per game over the Wolverines’ first three contests, but on Thursday – just nine points from the record – Flaherty came out and nailed her first three 3-pointers of the night. A few minutes later, she hit a fourth for good measure. She isn’t the type to leave things unfinished. “The record was not on my mind,” she said Monday. “I was just kind of taking what was wide open and I just knew that’s what we needed to do to score and get points on the board. And usually I don’t get looks like that right away, so I just felt good taking them.” In the heat of the game, there wasn’t even time for it to sink in. Michigan was scrambling to keep up with No. 5 Louisville, a task the Wolverines ultimately
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Fifth-year senior linebacker Mike McCray has a chance to end his career with an elusive win over the Buckeyes.
fifth. He needed one more to accomplish his goal of becoming a captain at Michigan. He may not have followed in his father’s footsteps in Columbus, but he still did in Ann Arbor. “It sunk in the day that I got voted captain,” McCray said. “... It was just one of those moments (that) was kind of surreal. I don’t know too many people to ever have the opportunity — him being a captain at Ohio State and me being the captain here. It’s one of those things you can’t take for granted.” Throughout his career, McCray’s father has been by his side. He records the Wolverines’ games and evaluates his son’s play. He offers his advice to prepare for each game, and now that his son is a captain, he provides tips for him to help his teammates succeed as well.
“Ever since I committed, he was all in,” McCray said. “He’s a big supporter of me and a big supporter of our team, so I thank him for that. Probably after this game and the bowl game, he’ll go back over to the dark side.” Saturday, McCray will be leading Michigan down the tunnel and onto the field for the final Ohio State game of his career. He has never beaten the Buckeyes. None of the Wolverines have. Michigan has lost to Ohio State 12 times in its past 13 tries. The Wolverines are eager to reverse that streak, especially in light of the dramatic nature of last season’s overtime loss. McCray is especially motivated to secure his first victory over the Buckeyes. “In my eyes, it’s really
ROBERT HEFTER Daily Sports Writer
“Another gritty character performance by our players.” That was how Michigan coach Mel Pearson categorized his team’s play against Wisconsin on Saturday. Such has been the storyline for the majority of the season – a firm Wolverine front that comes from behind and gives its opponents no reason to feel comfortable. Sophomore forwards Jake Slaker and Nick Pastujov epitomized that storyline Saturday, tallying two comeback goals in the third period against No. 9 Wisconsin. The two drove down the slot and delivered perfectly timed wrist shots that stunned the crowd and the Wolverines’ bench in Madison. The No. 17 Michigan hockey team (2-2-2-1 Big Ten, 6-4-2 overall) is no stranger to that type of performance. Against Vermont, sophomore forward Adam Winborg equalized in the first period after an embarrassing 1-0 deficit. Against Penn State, despite the series-opening loss, senior forward Dexter Dancs and junior forward Cooper Marody netted come-frombehind goals in the second and third periods, respectively, that did not end up being enough. An onslaught of six comefrom-behind goals in the Wolverines’ tie to Minnesota displayed this resiliency again despite how the Golden Gophers prevailed in a shootout. “They continue to battle,” Pearson said. “And that’s what I really appreciate about this
team is they stay with it.” Added Calderone after Michigan’s shutout win over Wisconsin: “I think we showed resilience again. It’s been a common theme this year, but I think we like to not put ourselves in that situation so it’s something that we ought to work on, but once again we came back and that was huge.” However, as evident by the four goals that the Badgers netted in the first and second periods Friday night, late-game efforts sometimes aren’t not enough. A common thread, even in tough situations like Friday’s loss to Wisconsin, is that the players – and Pearson – believe that grit is consistently present. In a weekend that was full of defensive lapses, some of the players saw that there could have been improvements in communication. “You just have to compete,” Marody said. “You have good communication with the defensemen, have good support on the pucks in the scrum. “We definitely have to tighten up some stuff, and we’re gonna work hard in practice this week to do that.” This is the fourth time that Michigan has split a weekend series, but banking on late goals from the likes of Calderone, Marody and Dancs has become commonplace. Facing off against two of the best teams in the Big Ten in Minnesota and Wisconsin already, the battle-tested Wolverines have a culture of resolve when it counts. Going forward, that steadfastness should be able to steamroll lower caliber opponents.
Another gritty character performance by our players
That’s just crazy and still doesn’t feel real as of right now
Changing his legacy
ICE HOCKEY
Michigan’s resiliency on display in 1-1 series
important,” he said. “I don’t want to go back home and hear, ‘Oh, you never beat Ohio State while you were up there.’ ” McCray understands that this is his final chance to make a mark on arguably the most historic rivalry in college football. He and his father may have been on different sides of the rivalry during their college careers, but Saturday, McCray Sr. will be cheering on his son against his former team one more time. “It’s my last game at the Big House, and it’s my last time being able to try to beat Ohio State since I’ve been here,” McCray said. “Everybody here hasn’t beaten them, so it’d be a great memory to have if we win.” Even McCray Sr. would likely smile if his son and his team managed to pull off the feat.
weren’t up to as the Cardinals pulled away late to win 74-49. “But after the game it definitely set in,” Flaherty said. “And it was pretty cool just to reflect on past years and think about it.” Added coach Kim Barnes Arico to WTKA after the game last Thursday: “I had heard about Katelynn since she had been in the third grade. We lived in the same state and it was going around that there was this third grader who was going to be special. And now here I am today, she was eight then and 22 now, and I am just lucky to be her coach.” Now, when Flaherty walks into Crisler Center and looks up into the rafters, behind the basket where Michigan hangs its retired numbers, it comes with the realization that her #3 will likely join Bill Buntin, Cazzie Russell, Phil Hubbard, Glen Rice, and Rudy Tomjanovich. Flaherty would be the first women’s basketball player to join that club, but it’s hard to imagine a reason why it wouldn’t happen. “It’s just crazy to think about,” Flaherty said. “Even just thinking when I walk in the gym, I’m the all-time leading scorer on the women’s side, and I think that’s just crazy and still doesn’t feel real as of right now.” With the Wolverines looking at their best chance to make the NCAA Tournament since Flaherty has been in Ann Arbor, don’t expect her to slow down this season. After all, practice is over and there are still 1,000 shots left to take.
Y
ou could forget all about the humiliation and the wrenching losses and all the interceptions and missed passes in between. You could forget the way Michigan’s season turned for the worse against Michigan State, the way it squeaked past Indiana, and the way it got trounced in Happy TED Valley. JANES You could forget all about how a transfer quarterback from Houston lost back-to-back position battles. And you could toss away the memories of how that fifth-year senior only played when his superior got injured, and how he lost the job to a redshirt freshman anyway. John O’Korn could wipe away all his critics, remold his legacy, and go from zero to hero in a heartbeat… He just has to beat Ohio State. Welp. On Monday, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said redshirt freshman Brandon Peters was going through the concussion protocol for a hit he took against Wisconsin. Harbaugh said Peters was making progress, but he still has to go through medical assessments before he even gets the chance to practice without contact. Michigan’s other quarterback, Wilton Speight, began practicing without contact last week after a shoulder injury he suffered in September, but it’s difficult to imagine either him or Peters ready to play this weekend. Without those two, the weight shifts onto O’Korn’s shoulders. An upset, though, obviously would take more
than just a career game from the quarterback. A lot needs to happen for the Wolverines to beat the eighth-ranked Buckeyes. Michigan’s defense needs to shut down quarterback J.T. Barrett, and it needs to keep running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber in check. The Wolverines’ run game also needs more from junior Karan Higdon and sophomore Chris Evans. The offensive and the defensive lines must hammer down against one of the most physical teams in the country. But no matter what happens elsewhere on the field, no single player has more on the line than O’Korn. It was O’Korn who threw three interceptions in the rain against the Spartans, and it was O’Korn who couldn’t pass for more than 60 yards against the Hoosiers.
When O’Korn has struggled, so has the team. When he has excelled, it has only been for one or two plays at a time. Michigan fans have yet to see the same O’Korn that Houston witnessed in 2013. Imagine a season where he threw for over 3,000 yards, 28 touchdowns and won his conference’s Rookie of the Year award. He did all that as a freshman for the Cougars, yet he hasn’t done the same in Ann Arbor. He has been the Wolverines’ backup quarterback since he arrived, but there is one thing he shares in common with all those quarterbacks who have played while he’s been on the bench. None of them ever beat Ohio State. No Michigan quarterback has in five years. Jake Rudock never did it, and Wilton Speight couldn’t
do it after him. Devin Gardner played Ohio State three times, and he never won in the rivalry game either. The last quarterback to beat Ohio State was dual-threat, fan-favorite Denard Robinson. In 2011, the Wolverines beat Ohio State, 40-34. In that game, Robinson threw for 167 yards, passed for three touchdowns, rushed for 170 yards and ran for two touchdowns. A performance like that from O’Korn is obviously not very likely. Honestly, calling it impossible wouldn’t be farfetched. Nobody expects much from John O’Korn, and that’s exactly why an upset win would change so, so much. Janes can be reached at tedjanes@umich.edu.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn has a chance to change the perception of his career against Ohio State.