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Friday, March 9, 2018

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“There goes my degree”: DACA and graduation Amid increasing uncertainty with ICE, students consider extending education ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily

ELIZABETH LAWRENCE & SHANNON ORS Daily Staff Reporters

Double-check: DEI initiatives for K-12 schools assisted by students Diversity programs see increased effectiveness when partnered with student organizations AMARA SHAIKH & JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporters

In line with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan’s overarching strategy to “recruit, retain and develop a diverse community,” the University of Michigan is increasing efforts to reach into the K-12 distribution across the state and attract a wider variety of applicants to the University. However, the task of letting potential applicants know about

the University’s efforts requires more than just administrative initiatives; student organizations are also working to connect lowersocioeconomic schools to the University and make a University of Michigan degree attainable. CEO and DEI Partnership Cited in the DEI plan as a K-12-focused body, the Center for Educational Outreach was given the responsibility of serving as the campus-wide K-12 Outreach Hub by extending the presence of the University across the state, providing training for

students and faculty working with community partners and improving the University’s overall capacity. As the DEI plan enters its second year of implementation on campus, CEO hopes to continue improving upon their relatively new initiatives. William Collins, executive director of the CEO, outlined the history of the center, which was established in 2008 as a result of former University President Mary Sue Coleman’s efforts to create a more diverse community on campus. Collins highlighted

some of the CEO’s main goals: Familiarizing all parts of the state with the University, encouraging collaboration between outreach groups on campus and providing services for these K-12 communities. “Its purpose was to, first of all, expand the footprint of the University of Michigan around the state and more parts of the state would become familiar with the University and what we do,” Collins said. “To synergize efforts on campus that try to get different See DEI, Page 2

The University of Michigan has pledged not to disclose immigration status of its students. However, once undocumented students at the University graduate, the future is hazy. This is especially true with those receiving Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, which can be renewed every two years. One of DACA’s many benefits is its authorization of work permits, but with the uncertainty surrounding DACA in the government, the ability to legally work after graduation is no longer guaranteed. This is something Engineering senior Javier Contreras is thinking about as he approaches graduation. “This constant state of limbo and uncertainty is taking a great toll on a lot of my classmates and I,” Contreras said. “Just because we have enough to be stressed

with. Myself, graduating this April, if I can’t legally work in the U.S., there goes my engineering degree. It is just a lot to think about.” When these students’ DACA statuses expire, so does the eligibility for a work permit that comes with it, and the possibility of pursuing a salaried career in the country in which they got their degree disappears. DACA recipients can find a part-time job right before their DACA status expires, but once it does, they have to find a way to be paid under the table. Public Policy junior Yvonne Navarrete has peers currently navigating this struggle. “I have friends who are undocumented and they’re seniors, ready to go into the workforce but their DACA expires in the summer,” Navarette said. “So they can only work for two months and then they don’t have work authorization. So then they would have to find a job that pays in cash. But what kind of See DACA, Page 3

#BlackLivesMatter to Black liberation: LEO hosts Group of community Author-activist talks American racism city leaders

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Unfazed by death threats, Princeton professor delivers lecture at Michigan Union

According to LEO staff, members will go on strike if demands aren’t fulfilled

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an organizer and assistant professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, has never shied away from lambasting President Donald Trump in public speeches. After delivering the commencement address at Hampshire College last year, however, she received dozens of death threats, forcing her to cancel other speeches. But she did not stay away from speeches for long. On Thursday evening, the University of Michigan’s Sociology Department hosted Taylor to discuss her recent book and her research on race and class in the Trump era to a crowd of about 150 people. Taylor was introduced as one of the hundreds of people who have recently refused to be silenced, from the #BlackLivesMatter movement to the #MeToo movement. Taylor’s book, “From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation,” examines the social movements that have stemmed in response to police brutality in the United States, and received the Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Award for an Especially Notable Book in 2016. Taylor said she considers herself more of an organizer than an academic, and admitted it took her publisher several tries to persuade her to write this book. Since its publication, however, the book has reached and impacted

RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Daily Staff Reporter

The University of Michigan’s Lecturers’ Employee Organization held a community forum at its offices Thursday night with about 27 student and tenure-track allies and community activists to discuss its bargaining negotiations with the University. LEO, the union of non-tenure track lecturers for all three U-M campuses, has been bargaining with the University since October for higher wages, improved benefits and job security. Currently, the minimum salary for a Lecturer I is $34,500 for the Ann Arbor campus, $28,300 in Dearborn and $27,300 in Flint. LEO President, Ian Robinson, a sociology lecturer, began by explaining the gravity of the situation during the bargaining process. “The most basic thing to say about our platform is that it’s not business as usual,” Robinson said. “What we’re really saying this time around is we need to change from a mode where basically our pay has been determined, as far as the administration is See BARGAINING, Page 3

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many students, including those in attendance. Having been an organizer for several years herself, Social Work student Kristina Agbebiyi said she sees Taylor as a role model. “Seeing how she is able to balance organizing and academia really is inspiring to me,” Agbebiyi said. Taylor began her talk comparing headlines today with those of ten years ago, starting with President Obama’s inauguration. She recalled headlines claiming the U.S. was entering a post-racial

society –– “Racism No Longer Exists in America,” for example –– and noted the stark contrast to society and headlines today, with numerous outbreaks of violence and racism since Trump’s inauguration. Taylor argued Trump’s controversial comments are not simply a slip of the tongue, but are rather calculated steps to appeal to his followers. Citing a tweet in which David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, thanked Trump for his sympathy toward white supremacists

marching in Charlottesville, Va., Taylor said Trump himself embraced white supremacy. “The racist right celebrated their mouthpiece in the White House,” she said. She also examined the evolution of racism in U.S. politics, and how it has transitioned from explicit racial slurs to a more subtle attack, through implicit comments and unjust economic policies. “With each racist comment, the Republican party meets it See ACTIVISM, Page 3

CHUN SO/Daily

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, assistant professor of African American studies at Princeton University, discusses race and class in the Trump era at the Union Thursday.

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addresses civic duty

Community members discuss concerns over obstacles to participation SHIKHA PATEL For the Daily

About 60 Ann Arbor residents convened Thursday evening at the Ann Arbor District Library to discuss civic engagement and hear from a panel of local leaders in a community forum focused on the state of civic life in Washtenaw County. Mary Morgan, founder of the CivCity Initiative, a local organization intending to increase civic participation, moderated a panel about the importance of civic engagement and ways to increase involvement from Washtenaw residents. Several residents expressed concerns about the low level of participation from Ann Arbor citizens in local politics. Many residents feel they have little power and their opinions wouldn’t be heard. Patrick Campion, the program director for WEMU broadcasting service and one of the panelists at the forum, said there were ways of engaging in civic life people often didn’t consider. See DUTY, Page 3

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MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

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BE HIND THE STORY Every Friday, one Daily news staffer will give a behind the scenes look at one of this week’s stories. This week, LSA senior Ethan Levin wrote about faculty members’ research on replacing Confederate monuments. “I tried to get a sense of the discussion by asking students around me what they expected, making sure that I had the chance to interview the panelists after the story was done. I was kind of surprised by the amount of disagreement there was on the panel of professors. Some of them thought that vandalism and defacing the statues was a good way of expressing disagreement with the Confederate statues. I thought the event was interesting because very often students get a sense of what other students think about social i ssues and what’s going on on campus, but you don’t get to hear as much about professors. To get different professors from different points of view and different backgrounds, applying their knowledge to contemporary issues and having open conversations with each other was kind of a new thing. I’m glad that I was able to see that firsthand.” LSA senior Ethan Levin, “University scholars interrogate replacement of Confederate monuments”

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DEI From Page 1 people doing outreach work to work together and collaborate and gain some efficiency, and to offer programs of its own — which we did initially as well.” Additional focuses of the CEO include reaching out to individuals with an interest in increasing college accessibility and promoting success in their K-12 education. “Our purpose has been to partner with schools, community organizations, parents, principals, counselors, teachers, anyone who has an interest in college access, to encourage excellence in schools,” he said. “That is, we wanted students to perform their best, to do well, to expect that going to a selective Sudoku Syndication Syndication Sudoku university like the University of Michigan was a reasonable

aspiration for themselves, and to develop a college-ready within communities that perhaps originally did not have a culture of sending students on to college.” Student Involvement In order to connect CEO’s resources in K-12 schools across Michigan back to the students already at the University, CEO offers to consult services to various groups on campus when organizations want to reach out to K-12 students. Sheri Samaha is one of the program managers at the CEO, and she explained how the center worked with MUSIC Matters, a student organization that builds community through large-scale events on campus. “Students like MUSIC Matters would come to us and ... they were interested in bringing a summer program together — and they actually did a summer camp called Move — and we were

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significant in helping them build students to engage with the that as far as consulting with University. In April 2017, the curriculum, transportation, Cersonsky and Foster brought etc.,” Samaha said. the idea forward to CEO, and LSA sophomore Matthew the first workshop was held in Szuromi, MUSIC Matters June. member, praised the center “Leanna and I wanted to for helping the organization push our outreach efforts not only with large-scale tasks beyond their previous scope, such as further establishing as she and I noted the difficulty relationships with other in getting graduate student organizations, but also with volunteers to more than 5-10 smaller details like the right schools a semester and the mannerisms to use with younger general limitations of distance kids. and availability,” Cersonsky “They open a lot of doors wrote. “Together, she and I for us,” Szuromi said in an came up with the idea to equip email interview. “They have so and train teachers to conduct much experience in the field of our outreach activities in educational outreach. It is such a their classrooms. With the benefit to be able to learn about support from CEO, it grew into the strategies behind reaching a much larger idea of giving out to children ... We have made the teachers a touch point to great relationships with other the university, where they can departments and organizations spend a day immersed in the http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ facilitated by CEO. Just research conducted here.” yesterday, we were invited to the Following the workshop, University Outreach Council, two feedback opportunities where we got the chance to were given, one immediately interact with a great group of after the workshop and another professionals who specialize six months later, Cersonsky in outreach. In that meeting explained. While suggestions alone, we got a ton of interest from the first round offered and people offering to help out ideas to include more “grade our cause.” level-specific content,” the Another CEO supported second round focused on the project, Research Education usability of workshop points and Activities for Classroom in classrooms. Cersonsky said Teachers, was started by a out of the 55 percent response group of graduate students in rate, many teachers said while the College of Engineering and they did use their experiences organizes a one-day workshop from REACT more frequently where University faculty and than other methods that students present their research might inform their teaching, to K-12 teachers in order to they hope to see more ways to educate teachers on how to involve students in University facilitate discussions about research. Without direct higher education in their own involvement in University classrooms. efforts, students seeing the In an email interview, outcome of REACT training Rackham student Rose won’t see the University Cersonsky explained she, as an academic institution along with Rackham student that’s within reach for lowerLeanna Foster, started REACT socioeconomic status schools. with the help of CEO as a way to expand outreach efforts to Read more at educators at the K-12 level and MichiganDaily.com encourage more pre-college

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BEHIND THE SCIENCE BARGAINING From Page 1

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Thomas Clandinin, Chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University, discusses the science behind visual motion processing in organisms at Palmer Commons Thursday.

DUTY From Page 1 “In some ways, we need to bust a mystique that only a certain type of person can be involved at a higher level of engagement, and not just politics, but on community boards and things of that nature,” Campion said. The panel emphasized the importance of civic involvement not only on a national scale, but also at a local level, such as in city council elections and even in public schools and libraries. Several panelists indicated a crucial step in increasing civic engagement in Ann Arbor was to increase accessibility to such involvement. “I think we are in some ways purposefully complex in the way that we do business at even a very local level, and that again is a barrier to

DACA From Page 1 job pays in cash that matches a college degree? That’s the biggest discrepancy.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement generally does not focus its activity in universities because they — along with hospitals and places of worship — are considered “sensitive locations.” Once students graduate, however, they are generally more susceptible to ICE detainment or deportation. Workplaces are not afforded the same protected status. Over the summer, ICE inquired about the citizenship statuses of the employees of the restaurant owners at Café Zola and at Sava’s. In July, hundreds of Ann Arbor workers and residents gathered to condemn ICE’s increased activity. Despite the fact that universities are mostly avoided by ICE, the agency’s activity can sometimes occur on the border between “sensitive locations” and the rest of the world. The Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights works to confirm ICE activity and posts these alerts on their Facebook page. On Feb. 5, WICIR posted about the Jan. 31 ICE detainment of a Latino man outside his place of work the corner of Willard Street and Church Street — just across the street from East Quad Residence Hall. ICE did not respond to request for comment. In addition to worrying about ICE, undocumented immigrants in Washtenaw County have to face federal immigration enforcement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection because Ann Arbor is less than 100 miles from the Canadian border. While jurisdictions like the University and the City of Ann Arbor have procedures in place prohibiting their law enforcement

entry for a vast number of people,” Campion explained. “If you don’t understand how civic codes work, you can’t sit through a city council because you won’t know what they’re talking about 80 percent of the time. That’s intimidating to people.” Another suggestion to increase accessibility was to improve the standard of living for Washtenaw County’s impoverished populations. Neel Hajra, president and CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, said ensuring basic needs such as food security and childcare would give underprivileged individuals more opportunities to pursue municipal interests. “Twenty-five percent of households in Washtenaw County don’t make enough to meet their basic needs,” Hajra said. “When you live in a vibrant community with so

agencies from soliciting immigration status, according to Jim Baird, chief of the Ann Arbor Police Department, ICE often prefers not to involve local law enforcement in investigations anyway. AAPD and ICE stick to their own duties, Baird said, explaining how the inability of local law enforcement agencies to verify citizenship is a key reason why ICE does not want their interference. “If we come in contact with somebody, I have absolutely no way to know if that person is here legally or illegally,” Baird said. “There’s no way for me to even figure that out. So we don’t do the investigation, we just don’t care. It’s not relevant information for us all whether somebody is a citizen or not.” The only instance AAPD inquires about citizenship, Baird said, is when they arrest someone. This is because that person has the right to make their country’s embassy aware of their arrest. If the person is arrested for a felony or misdemeanor punishable by 93 or more days in jail, they are fingerprinted. ICE receives a notification from the fingerprinting database after a number of hours. ICE can then request a “detainer” of this person, asking the county jail to keep them two days after their jail sentence terminates. But, Baird said AAPD would not hold a person longer because of a detainer. Despite the amplified national presence of ICE and CBP, Baird emphasized local law enforcement’s unwavering commitment to protecting the safety of all Ann Arbor residents, including undocumented immigrants. “From a local law enforcement perspective, there has been no change whatsoever,” Baird said. “In Ann Arbor, we have enacted an ordinance and a policy, but it really didn’t change anything, it just kind of codified what we were

much good going on, it’s pretty easy to miss all the challenge.” Several attendees were actively involved in community organizations working to increase civic engagement. Jeffrey Smeargle, a member of the League of Women Voters of Ann Arbor, spoke of his efforts to energize Ann Arbor residents before the upcoming 2018 midterm elections. “We need for the next eight months to beat this like a drum,” he explained. “We have to get really obsessive about big turnout in the election.” The forum was the third part of a four-event series being presented by the City of Ann Arbor. The series aims to facilitate discussion about sustainability and civic involvement. The first two forums focused on electric vehicle usage and ways of tracking environmental sustainability goals.

already doing and the way we’ve been doing it for decades. It really is a federal issue.” The ambiguous future of immigration policy generates a lot of media attention surrounding the safety of undocumented immigrant populations. AAPD also works to confirm immigration enforcement activity by contacting ICE directly when they receive reports. The work of these organizations helps to verify rumors, which quickly circulate through undocumented immigrant populations when there is suspected ICE activity. Baird explained how AAPD has asked ICE to notify the department when they are working in the local area. Yet, these notifications have lately become more infrequent, which Baird speculates could be for multiple reasons. “I’ve actually seen a significant reduction in the times they’ve let us know,” Baird said. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily because a reduction of activity in Washtenaw County or if they’re just less strict about when they let us know.” The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, based in Ann Arbor, also serves the undocumented immigrant population providing legal counsel, education about immigrant rights and training for attorneys working on immigration cases pro bono. Sarah Schoettle, Washtenaw staff attorney for MIRC, has observed the barriers that prevent undocumented immigrants from realizing their rights and helps her clients navigate the confusing nature of immigration law. Schoettle cites a host of reasons that discourage undocumented immigrants from pursuing legal pathways, including language barriers, unfamiliarity with the U.S. legal system and lack of knowledge regarding their rights.

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FROM THE DAILY

Demand an end to gun violence

he Parkland, Fla. massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the more recent shooting at Central Michigan University have renewed the cycle of heated political debate and media discussion surrounding gun control in the United States. For members of the National Rifle Association and others, the salience of the issue of safety in and around school grounds provides an avenue to push for an increase in armed security. However, we at The Michigan Daily believe that the wave of gun violence that plagues our nation directly results from the alarming leniency of gun laws within the United States and the culture that surrounds the NRA and the political power the lobbying group wields. Despite the devastating trends of gun violence, we are optimistic that light can be brought to the issue and that meaningful reform is possible. Gun violence is happening right in front of us — to our friends and families across the nation — at a rate that is unmatched within the developed world. Now, it is in the hands of private citizens to change the culture of guns for our country. As we have seen time and time again, Congress alone cannot be trusted to change gun laws in any significant way. Should the national and political cultures surrounding guns shift, Congress will be more likely to enact gun reform laws that will hold the possibility of tangible change. These cultural shifts begins with us. The struggle to change culture and policy has gained new life since the Parkland shooting. Currently, Parkland student activism has led to speeches, candlelight vigils and preparation drills about their experiences and the grieving process. Their conversation has drawn the attention of major national news sources like CNN, NBC’s “Meet the Press” and The New York Times. Using these platforms, the students are calling into question where our country’s priorities lie: Do we care more about protecting our guns or protecting the safety of our young people? Partially because of their efforts, major retailers have united to distance themselves from the NRA and institute higher age requirements for purchasing guns. For instance, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart,

Kroger Co. and L.L.Bean have all responded to the students’ activism by publicly stating they will no longer sell firearms or ammunition to people under the age of 21. At this point, as the Stoneman Douglas students have already so powerfully shown, we need to rely on ourselves and our ability to take action, not just the government, to institute moral and tangible change. However, if gun culture is changed, we are hopeful that government at both the state and federal level will institute the much needed reform that a significant number of people, including many of the Parkland survivors, support. Some might find it challenging, if not impossible, to reverse the culture of firearms that is so heavily embraced in this country. However, there is precedence for widespread cultural shifts in the United States; the demise of smoking’s popularity in the late 20th century shows that large-scale culture changes can occur. We at The Daily also find the extreme influence of the NRA in the political sphere another extensive barrier to preventing school shootings and gun violence. According to The New York Times, senatorial heavyweights such as Marco Rubio, Rob Portman and Tom Cotton have received more than $3.3 million, $3 million and $1.9 million dollars from the NRA since they began their political

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careers. Even without the NRA’s monetary influence, which extends to many more elected officials, the group’s impact is still highly potent due to their ability to mobilize their members to vote for the candidates they endorse. If you are as concerned about the influence the NRA has in our electoral politics as we are, we encourage you to vote and to make sure your peers do as well. The surest way to change gun policy is to remove the elected officials from office who are so intertwined with the NRA. The importance of changing gun laws cannot be overstated. Gun violence has become normalized and even desensitized because of its prevalence, especially in a generation that has grown up seeing the frequency of these shootings. This frequency and subsequent media cycles and political debate has become all too familiar. But for us as college students, inaction could be a matter of life or death. We have an obligation to ourselves, our communities and our nation to change gun culture as well as to replace the elected officials enabling the NRA to dictate public policy and hold America hostage to its views. We, at The Daily, encourage our readers to take part in the ongoing student activism by contacting their elected officials to demand reform and to vote in the 2018 midterms and beyond.

Panhel supports what IFC hasn’t

n the University of Michigan’s Angell Hall Auditorium A, the mirthless drone of a college student not much older than myself is discussing bystander intervention. Or at least, he’s describing it. He imbues the lecture with so little care that the other young men surrounding him are just as disengaged, as though he were talking about the most inconsequential of problems. For a council that has been under scrutiny in recent months, the Interfraternity Council has visibly done little that actually exhibits their commitment to ending sexual assault within Greek life. Kinesiology senior Cass BouseEaton is ready to see this change. Bouse-Eaton is one of the leaders of the Panhellenic Peer Educator program, originally created by U-M alumni Alyssa Gorenberg and Eileen Enright to educate and prevent sexual misconduct within the Greek community. Now, with over 100 members across all 17 sororities within the Panhellenic Association, they are deeply impacting with programs such as the Panhel Speak Out, where survivors from all councils were invited to speak about their experiences within the community. Bouse-Eaton, who helped organize the Speak Out alongside creator Ally Cohen, an LSA senior, is already beginning to see the indelible mark PPE is making. She spoke with me about her goals with the Speak Out, describing how she attended the annual Sexual Assault and Prevention and Awareness Center Speak Out in spring 2015 and was incredibly moved. Being a recent survivor at that time, she said that Speak Out made her feel empowered, heard and cared for in a way she hadn’t felt within a large group setting on campus. Furthermore, she believed the experience of survivors in the Greek life community could differ from the general population, and wanted to create a space for both survivors to share their experiences and allies to give their support. This is something she would like to see expand to other councils and recognizes the strides IFC has made in recent months. However, she has called on them to get these programs off the ground, saying, “IFC is making great strides on beginning a program that will work for their council, but needs more manpower and volunteers to

get off the ground.” However, even if IFC has tried to repair itself, these attempts have not manifested after the selfimposed ban. Since the suspension imposed on social programming by IFC there have been regulations placed on what alcohol can be provided by fraternities at mixers and parties. Though they have made several attempts at rectifying the excessive hospitalizations that occurred last year little has been done to change the culture of sexual assault and misogyny that has been fostered. Between 2015 and 2016, there were 88 sexual misconduct allegations reported against fraternities on campus. The suspension was, as explained by Alex Mayhan, former executive vice president of IFC, meant to launch a period where the members of the board would begin “assessing our policies and practices and developing a formal plan going forward.” Yet on issues of sexual misconduct and violence, the members of IFC have shown little effort in reforming the bare-bone system erected to stagnate this kind of behavior. They should be making more bold strides towards making fraternities safer, just as Panhel has done to raise awareness of sexual assault. Prior to the suspension, associate members of fraternities attended mandatory IFC-led programming and Change It Up!, a session offered by the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training and Education to bring, as their website describes, “bystander intervention skills to the University of Michigan community for the purpose of building inclusive, respectful and safe communities.” Yet some students see these kinds of programs as insufficient. I spoke with LSA freshman Noah Kalishman, who is currently an associate member of my fraternity. We both attended the functions, and neither of us was impressed with the execution of such programming. Kalishman described how the IFC program and Change It Up! demonstrated a clear lack of interest on both the University and IFC’s behalf in halting the sanction of rape culture within Greek life. He stated plainly that, “these programs are terrible … No one wants to get lectured at for an hour … They are simply things that

the University does to say that they taught us, when in reality they are terrible and ineffective”. And, though Bouse-Eaton was not as critical of these events, to some extent she agrees, saying, “Providing the information is so important, but just as vital is the integration of this information into the culture of each sisterhood and brotherhood, which only happens through continued conversation.” Such attitudes have even forced certain fraternities to take sexual assault prevention education into their own hands. In the fraternity Kalishman is currently joining, he described how attending the Panhellenic Speak Out was mandated by the chapter itself so that new members could gauge the effects of sexual misconduct, especially within Greek life. Kalishman was laudatory of the Speak Out, which he felt was both deeply moving and galvanizing, saying, “(The Speak Out) made me think about things that I have seen in my time at Michigan … It illustrated that anyone in the community could become a victim of sexual assault.” He felt that in the future, programming should “emulate that of the Speak Out.” He was hesitant on making the programming a mandatory, implying that it may cause people to dread attending. However, that does not mean there are ways for IFC to test out more personalized approaches. As Bouse-Eaton described, there are pilot programs the Office of Greek Life and SAPAC are launching to encourage more open discourse on sexual assault within Greek life. But, as Bouse-Eaton explained, IFC cannot rely on Panhel to do the work for them. It’s time for IFC to step up in clamping down on assault within Greek life. To do so, perhaps it’s time IFC made a visible step towards emulating programs such as PPE and the Speak Out. And in the meantime, BouseEaton says, “Keep talking with your brothers, with your friends in sororities, and do some examination of both yourself and your chapters. That’s how true culture change starts.” Note: Cass Bouse-Eaton’s personal views don’t necessarily reflect those of the Office of Greek Life or the National Panhellenic Conference. Joel Danilewitz can be reached at joeldan@umich.edu.

HANNAH HARSHE | COLUMN

“

A generational look at feminism

We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks!” This is the proclamation of Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and a survivor of the Parkland, Fla. massacre. Within four days of the tragic death of her classmates, Gonzalez, along with several classmates, organized a campaign called Never Again MSD and a nationwide protest called March For Our Lives. Their petition, which calls for stricter background checks for gun buyers, has almost 150,000 signatures. If America has learned anything in 2018, it is to never underestimate the power of Generation Z. I kept this in mind when choosing whom I wanted to feature in my column on International Women’s Day. The holiday was adopted by the United Nations in 1975, and it only takes a quick Google search to learn about it from a public figure like Emma Watson or Hillary Clinton. But, as is the case with too many pertinent issues, we don’t often hear from young people on this topic. In the spirit of reversing this habit, I had the privilege of speaking with two intelligent and powerful young women. Brianna Harshe is a 12-yearold student-athlete. She plays club soccer, and spends most of her time either training or doing homework. She also happens to be my sister. I was able to interview her via phone on her way to soccer training on Monday. Harshe was unfamiliar with International Women’s Day before I mentioned it, but, based on the name, she surmises, “It’s a day for women and what they do for the world because they didn’t get as much respect in the past.” She is quick to note the discrepancies when it comes to gender representation in the

educational system: “We learn about women mostly because they’re women and not really because of what they did. We learn about men because of what they did.” According to a study by PLOS One, three out of four scientists depicted in primary school textbooks are men. A UNESCO report released on International Women’s Day in 2016 notes that gender bias is persistent in textbooks worldwide, and this sabotages “girls’ motivation, participation and achievement in school.” Harshe says that her role model is Carli Lloyd, because, “She was one of the first female soccer players to get respect.” Lloyd was an American soccer player, a twotime Olympic gold medalist, a FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. She is also a fantastic public figure to admire on International Women’s Day. In 2016, Lloyd, along with four teammates on the US Women’s National Team, filed a wage discrimination complaint against U.S. Soccer Federation. In her op-ed for the New York Times, she explained, “If I were a male soccer player who won a World Cup for the United States, my bonus would be $390,000. Because I am a female soccer player, the bonus I got for our World Cup victory last summer was $75,000.” Lloyd may be one of the first female soccer players to earn the respect that she has, and yet she knows she has a long way to go in order to gain the respect that male soccer players have. Someday Harshe may be a professional soccer player and thanks to role models like Lloyd, Harshe will know that she is worthy of the same salary as her male counterparts. The other student I spoke with is Riley Shaughnessy, who is 13 years old. In addition to running cross-country for her middle

school, Shaughnessy is a member of the National Junior Honor Society. I am a friend of her older sister, so I had the privilege of interviewing her over the phone after she got out of school on Monday. Shaughnessy has also noted the problem of gender representation in school, and has taken initiative to change it: “I try to learn about (men and women) equally, but other people don’t. Other kids sometimes make guys higher. I think there are a lot more guys in history, but I don’t think that’s very fair.” In just 10 short years, Shaughnessy and her peers will be entering the workforce. Shaughnessy envisions that by the time she enters the workforce, the world will be much more gender equitable. “I don’t think there will be as many stay-at-home moms,” she says. “And there will be more stay-at-home dads.” This is a complex, and likely accurate, assertion. Stay-at-home motherhood, in and of itself, is in no way shameful, however, mothers are often driven to stay at home not because of their personal choice, but because of cultural norms and office policies that deem men more worthy of the workplace. Similarly, fathers often feel as though staying at home instead of pursuing a career is a sign of weakness. A truly gender equitable world would allow mothers and fathers to determine whether they want to stay at home based on personal circumstance, not based simply on gender.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com Hannah Harshe can be reached at hharshe@umich.edu.

Arts

5 — Friday, March 9, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

CONCERT REVIEW

Rhye’s show at El Club an organic expression of art SHIMA SADAGHIYANI Daily Music Editor

For Rhye, it has always been about the music. Initially starting as a joint project of singer/songwriter Mike Milosh and producer Robin Hannibal, the band fell completely under the command of Milosh due to the quiet exit of Hannibal after their debut album Woman. The years that followed were tumultuous; Rhye’s relationship with record label Polydor crumbled and, as a result, Milosh bought out his band, touring Woman relentlessly in order to ensure Rhye still had a future. His dedication and perseverance in continuing his craft is visible in every careful, measured note of Rhye’s most recent release, Blood. It was also visible in El Club on Mar. 6, as Rhye took to the stage for the Detroit stop of their tour. Under the dim stage lights, the focused concentration on Milosh’s face as he played songs from both Blood and Woman was barely discernible, yet the message was clear: This was an artist who was completely surrendering to the art he had produced. Sincerity sweetened every melody; intensity strengthened every chorus. Rhye is a band meant to be seen live. Their normally muted, stripped-down tracks were injected with new energy. The opening song — “3 days,” off Woman — set the mood for the rest of the night: Hazy blue spotlights added a dreamy tint to every rise and fall of the

keyboard, every pulse of the drum, every trembling detail within Milosh’s vocals. He crooned, “We got three days to feel each other / We got three days to sing this song,” and the tempo swelled, developing a life of its own. The rest of the show was

Rhye is a band meant to be seen live. Their normally muted, stripped-down tracks were injected with new energy

equally as dynamic. The funky rhythms of more upbeat songs “Phoenix,” “Count To Five” and “Hunger” were drawn out, backing instrumentals often veering off into elaborate solos that do not appear on the albums themselves and turned the audience into a pit of waving limbs. The slower tempos of quieter songs “Waste,” “Song For You” and “Please” were also extended — the delicate pull of the accompanying live cello and violin drawing attention to the hushed release of Milosh’s

voice. For someone who prefers to largely remain in the shadows of anonymity, Milosh had a surprisingly personable stage presence. Weaving around on stage, he danced to the beat of his own songs, moving in sync with the crowd and, like the rest of us, seemingly entranced with the music’s hypnotic sway. In between songs, he cracked jokes, politely told some audience members off for being a little too loud in the back and complimented the vibe of the venue. The last place Rhye played had been too big; El Club, he remarked, was just small enough, fostering a distinct intimacy. As always, his voice was smooth, measured — melodious even in speech. It reverberated around the expanse of the venue — soft, yet still compelling — as Milosh asked for the stage lights to be dimmed to the point of near non-existence before launching into the aching expanse of “Open” during the last half of the show. Unable to be seen, the band grew larger-than-life and painfully personal, each note delivered with a distinct caress. “I’m a fool for that shake in your thighs / I’m a fool for that sound in your sighs,” Milosh murmured into the dark, and the string arrangement responded. Somewhere out of the gloom, various brass instruments mournfully began their serenade. The song shuddered on, and as you stood, gutted and vulnerable in the shadows, you almost felt like Rhye was speaking directly to you.

TV REVIEW

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

‘Flint Town’ spotlights the Don’t just do art, teach it daily struggle of the town TRINA PAL

Daily Arts Writer

SAMANTHA DELLA FERA Daily Arts Writer

For most of the country, the city of Flint is associated with one thing: a water crisis. Whenever the Mich. city is mentioned, it is often accompanied by shots of brown water bubbling out of fountains, parents begging for proper help and politicians exploiting a city in turmoil. Yet trouble in Flint was brewing before the water crisis ever hit; that was just another unfortunate problem piled on top of a city already crushed under the weight of crime and poverty. In “Flint Town,” an eight-part docuseries premiering on Netflix, viewers are offered behind-the-scenes footage of the broken city of Flint, and the police department doing everything in its power to hold the city, and its citizens, together. “Flint Town” has no time for a soft opening. The series opens up on a black screen, with an audio of a police radio giving details about a shooting that has just occurred. As the audio continues, the black screen fades into an aerial shot of an abandoned street, dusted with snow — the only sign of life being a single cop car driving through the darkness. Soon after, a

motionless hand is shown resting in the snow, lit up by blue and red, as a woman is heard desperately pleading and sobbing: “Save my son, please. You have to save my son.” These disturbing scenes and high emotions permeate

“Flint Town” Netflix consistently throughout “Flint Town.” The once vibrant city is crumbling, and the documentary does not sugarcoat that. At first glance, it may seem like a hyperbolized “cop show,” used as a vehicle to push a pro-police agenda in a time when the relationship between police and the people, especially AfricanAmericans, is so strained. But truly it is much more than that. The emotions are raw, the frustrations are relevant and the danger that every single person in the town faces is very, very real. And while the stories are being told from the eyes of law enforcement, the show does not feel politicized. Rather, there is an apolitical aura of desperation from the police department low on resources and from

citizens who feel abandoned and betrayed. Every episode of the series builds upon the last, from veteran police officers to new recruits, many coming straight from the streets of Flint ready to reclaim their city. Watching the rundown houses, the nights full of shootings and the fear etched into every Flint citizen’s face, it is hard to believe that the city is just short of an hour drive from Ann Arbor, where 18-yearolds are more concerned about studying for finals or figuring out their plans on a Saturday night than getting shot or finding clean water. In this bubble of privilege, Flint’s struggle seems far removed, like a foreign country engulfed in civil war. But this city is our neighbor, and it too was once lively and affluent. Flint’s story may be fading from the news cycle, but that does not mean that its problems are going away. Indifference is as toxic to the city as its water supply, and the stories of “Flint Town” should not only shock you, but implore you to seek change. Highlighting the cycle of distrust and defeat between the town’s citizens, police and administration, “Flint Town” reaches beyond the city’s lines as both a call to action and a cry for help.

NETFLIX

For all the self-proclaimed artists out there, heads up: Teaching art is a lot harder than creating art yourself. I’ve done visual art all my life, but nothing could have prepared me for the morning when I first walked into Mission: City. Mission: City is the name of the community center in Brightmoor, a small town on the northwest side of Detroit. Since many Detroit public schools cut art from their curriculum, students from the University, myself included, lead children from various Detroit public schools in art and music activities after school hours. Visual art has always been my escape from reality; I’m happiest when paints and a blank canvas are sitting in front of me. Teaching art to others, especially those who aren’t fortunate enough to experience art on a regular basis, seemed immensely fulfilling. Before my first trip, I subconsciously dreamed up a fantasy where the children were sitting square in their seats, huge smiles on their faces and focusing deeply on the art in front of them. I imagined a sweet little girl raising her hand in the air for help and a University student rushing over to help her. I maintained this fantasy when we reached Mission: City and as I set up the materials for the day’s stained glass art project. Then the children arrived, the floodgates opened and all hell broke loose. Not long ago, my grandma told me about the locusts: a type of grasshopper-like insect, widely prevalent in Africa and Asia, that only appears in swarms of millions. People who have seen them say that the sky becomes brown and all sunlight is shut out while the locusts fly above. They come, wreak havoc and are gone. When the children walked into Mission: City, I knew they were going to be like a swarm of locusts. I looked at the excited smiles on their faces, watched their

feet bounce up and down with impatience and my fantasy of a peaceful Saturday morning filled with art vanished as quickly as it had appeared. When the children, about 25 of them, were crammed together in the small room, I started to explain the lesson plan for the morning. It didn’t work. One boy had started to repeatedly fall out of his chair

Maybe this defiance of the rules made the children more satisfied with their artwork, or maybe they just didn’t feel like listening

to draw attention to himself, but he was dangerously close to the wall and University students were frantically trying to break his falls. The endearing girl in front of me had given in to temptation and was eating the neon purple oil pastel that had been sitting on the table. She looked up at me and flashed a smile, her lips completely purple but her smile never-ending. Helplessly, I just stared. Ten minutes of damage control later, the other University students and I had succeeded in explaining the stained glass project. I jumped around from student to student, trying to help them brainstorm things to paint. I had overestimated their abilities — most of the children were perfectly content drawing one big heart on their paper

and calling it a day. If I was lucky, they drew multiple small hearts instead of one for variety. Where was the rewarding teaching experience I had come for? I managed to urge some children to draw landscapes, but halfway through the lesson, I looked around the room and dozens of shakily drawn hearts stared back at me. Somewhere along the line, my role had become less of teaching and more of disaster prevention. The swarm of locusts was reigning in Mission: City, and I had to prioritize safety before teaching. For the entire two hour period, I hustled through the crowded room cleaning up messes, distributing paint and walking endless children to the bathroom. But honestly, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. At the end of the session, all of the children had produced some form of art. I wasn’t able to teach them anything new, but they probably wouldn’t have listened anyway. Disregarding the rules, they had created what made them happy. An older girl of about 10 came up to me at the end of the session and showed me her painting: A large heart in which she had written the names of all the people she loved. It filled me with joy to see the girl draw something she cared about and be proud enough of her creation to share it with me. Most of the subsequent trips were filled with this same kind of chaos, but they were also filled with similar moments of happiness. Maybe this defiance of the rules made the children more satisfied with their artwork, or maybe they just didn’t feel like listening. Regardless, I found peace in the mayhem. Art can be an incredibly personal experience, and teaching isn’t always the best way to produce a love for the arts in others. In the calm after the storm, I knew I hadn’t taught much to the children, but I’d learned to let go and allow the children to find their own path in their artwork. Rules were rendered obsolete if they were creating something they truly loved.

Arts

6 — Friday, March 9, 2018

COMMUNITY CULTURE

A space in Ann Arbor for ‘Boys, Boys, Boys!’ cabaret ELI RALLO

Daily Arts Writer

When a group of gay, male upperclassmen in the University’s musical theatre department saw a need for a space to celebrate an identity that they hold so close to themselves, they created the “Boys, Boys, Boys!” Cabaret — a biennial performance put on by the group. As performers and students studying musical theatre, this group realized that there was no better way to open a dialogue about the issues surrounding representation of the gay male community in musical theatre than through performance. The lack of representation for this community is not a new conversation within the world of theatre, and this age-old trend sparked a desire in the young men of the University’s department to work to make a change. Justin Showell, Griffin Binnicker and Matthew Kemp — all juniors in the musical theatre department in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance — wrote in an email interview with The Michigan Daily, the collaborative nature of their answers a testament to how well they work together on projects like “Boys, Boys, Boys!” They spoke a lot on the catalyst for beginning the cabaret, and what it means to them. “This cabaret’s conception was initially inspired by the lack of gay male representation in the musical theatre world; particularly in the ‘leading male’ trope. Too often is the assertion made that a homosexual man’s neutral is not believable as a romantic male lead. We constantly find that society’s heteronormativity not only stunts potential in our everyday lives but also in our artistic development,” they said when asked about what ultimately inspired the event. The struggle of being a homosexual man in a world filled with heterosexual characters is often met with comments like, “Oh, he can play straight really well,” which could be countered by, “He can’t play straight at all.” These types of assumptions, in addition to others, are what makes being a gay male in the field inherently difficult. The trio also spoke on cinematic representations of the gay narrative and how

that ties into their inspiration behind holding the cabaret. “Recently, leading roles have been portrayed by openly straight men (“Moonlight,” “Call Me By Your Name,” etc.). In this climate, it can be difficult to cultivate a sense of belonging in the theatrical field.” Despite these challenges, the group is more than excited

“Boys, Boys, Boys!” Cabaret Mar. 11 at 8 p.m. Kerrytown Concert House $5.00

to have the opportunity to celebrate themselves in a way they love so much this coming weekend at the Kerrytown Concert House. “The ‘Boys, Boys, Boys!’ Cabaret is a chance to stand in solidarity and shape our

As performers and students studying musical theatre, this group realized that there was no better way to open a dialogue about the issues surrounding representation of the gay male community in musical theatre than through performance

own sense of belonging,” they said. “This will be an evening of songs, traditionally sung by female characters in acclaimed musicals, to express

the universality of love and to give us a conduit for our unique narratives.” The performance will showcase seven of the department’s upperclassmen males, all with the mutual desire to tell their stories and make a space for more dialogues to arise about the day-to-day challenges they face carrying these identities in their field. As performers, Showell, Binnicker and Kemp hope that the audience members who come to support them this weekend are able to take away many things from their performance. In general, marginalized people deserve platforms to share their narratives just as much as their normative counterparts do. In creating this cabaret, they not only create a space for themselves, but also inspire other minority groups to do so as well. When thinking about the way in which theatre effects an audience’s sense of empathy, the group also had a lot to say about the relatability of their narratives to the general audience and demographic of people they are performing to. “In representing marginalized identities, it becomes evident that people who you felt were worlds different than you actually share many similarities. When people of privilege are able to see glimpses of themselves in the narrative of persecuted people, we may find that society takes leaps forward in inclusion and tolerance of many, different cultures,” they said. This really plays into the importance of doing this kind of theatre, which seeks to start a dialogue and make a statement for a live audience. The group looks forward to performing for audiences this weekend, celebrating their own identities and having a space to do what they love with full creative agency. When asked how musical theatre is the best or most prime medium to use for this type of statement, they had plenty to say. “The musical theatre holds a mirror up to the society that the piece is speaking to,” they said. “People are far more likely to absorb and understand another side of the coin when it is presented to them in a way that is entertaining. The theatre is unexpected, and we get the most gratitude when people don’t even realize their minds are being changed.”

BOOKS THAT BUILT US

‘The Little Prince’ is more than just a child’s story ROBERT MANSUETTI Daily Arts Writer

I don’t really remember much after stepping on the tarmac in that cold Jan. winter. I remember finding it odd that you have to take a bus back to the airport terminal in Germany instead of strolling down the jet bridge, but that’s about it. There were no impressive details of settling into a new home, going to a new school and meeting new people in a completely new country. What I do remember — stupidly, vividly — was the moment my parents dropped the earth-shattering news right on top of me. To set the scene, I was in the fourth grade, living in the quaint little upstate South Carolina town of Anderson. I was by all

means a normal boy (LEGOs, books, screwing around with friends outside, etc.), yet in that normality lay a blissful sense of childlike ignorance. For the first nine years of my life I marched to the tune of my family’s drum, living life without questioning. But completely uprooting and relocating to a whole new continent when you have hardly been outside of state borders for your entire life will make anyone question, even a kid. So, when I was told my family would be moving to Germany, I naturally had questions. Only I had no idea how to answer them, so I opted to f lip on Cartoon Network, holding back tears as I refused to acknowledge my new reality. Settling into this new home wasn’t hard ( being a “new kid” gives you a certain mysterious,

alien-like aura that allures fourth graders). The hard part was making it feel like home. No number of friends I made and adventures I went on could shake the feeling that I was living in a European spinoff of my life in South Carolina. However, there was one book hidden right under my nose which could’ve made me realize the spinoff is sometimes as good as the original: Saint-Exupéry’s magnificent novella “The Little Prince.” On the surface, “The Little Prince” is a beautifully illustrated and imaginative children’s story. The protagonist is a downed aviator stranded in the Sahara who chances upon the Prince wandering the desert. As he fixes his plane, he gets lost in the tales of the Prince, his home planet and his interstellar

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journey. The essence of the novella, though, is much more poignant than any child should be able to understand. It is the sincerely short tale of a lost soul; a child who quests to find understanding in a world of confusing, boring and vain grown-ups. “The Little Prince” does not get caught up in wistful adult tragedy but instead seeks childhood certainties

“The Little Prince” does not get caught up in wistful adult tragedy but instead seeks childhood certainties and inner peace

and inner peace. SaintExupéry dedicates the book to a longtime grown-up friend of his while looking to his child readers for forgiveness because “All grown-ups were once children,” adding, “but only few of them remember it.” The book is targeted more at the parent reading than the child sitting on their lap — on one page, it’s a critique on materialism before turning to a meditation on the nature of human relationships, all expressed via delicately simple prose. Each word is carefully chosen — its most memorable aphorism, “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye,” was rewritten about 15 times before Saint-Exupéry was finally able to settle on the

most to-the-point yet eloquent way of writing what he needed to write. “The Little Prince” eluded me growing up. My mom read it to me here and there when I was young, and soon after moving to Germany we read it as a class at my new international school. Even then I had no real memories of it, other than a f leeting mental image of the famous drawing of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant. It wasn’t until recently rediscovering the novella did it have a profound impact on me. Now almost a decade older and far removed from the days when my mom and I would take a day trip to comb through children’s literature at a Books-A-Million, I went and got a copy of “The Little Prince,” partly due to the offhand recommendation of a friend who cherished it. After finally reading it by myself for the first time, I felt like a child again, in no small part due to the happy tears streaming down my face. Even when I moved back to the United States, I never felt like I had a proper home. “Home” is a word I associate with a childlike nostalgia for a predictable comfort and warmth that I unfortunately have never been quite able to replicate post-moving. For me, home is not where my family is or where my friends are, it’s where my heart lies; it’s a feeling of belonging. Houses are only interchangeable background sets for me at this point. Often, I’ll find myself wandering around my current abode half-jokingly dreading the day when I’ll have to yet again help my parents pack up the sheer amount of stuff that has nestled itself in the corners. The titular prince’s home is a small asteroid, small enough so one “would watch the twilight whenever (they) wanted to” simply by scooting their chair. It is populated by three volcanoes — two active and one extinct — and a rose

Classifieds

he comes to love. In embarking on an astronomical journey to seek what the universe has to offer, he has to leave his home behind to discover what home truly means to him. In a piece of ageless wisdom, the Prince comforts the aviator when it comes time for the two to depart: “You’ll have stars like nobody else … When you look up at the sky at night, since I’ll be living on one of them, since I’ll be laughing on one of them, for you it’ll be as if all the stars are laughing. You’ll have stars that can laugh!” If only I knew the stars were laughing with me when I stared out of my skylight at the glimpse of the dark German landscape. Those same stars

The book is targeted more at the parent reading than the child sitting on their lap were laughing with my friends back in South Carolina, the people that I thought I had already said goodbye to for the last time. Reading “The Little Prince” again taught me that even though we may physically lose people and things as we travel down our journey of life, they remain part of us forever. Our past experiences link us to what we have left behind, enabling us to build a place that feels like home whenever and wherever we feel is right. While the little Prince of the book ultimately returns to his original home, for me it will not be the same. All I know is whenever I find my true home, there will always be a spot on my bookshelf for SaintExupéry’s little masterpiece.

Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

FOR RENT RELEASE DATE– Friday, March 9, 2018

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 In need of mopping 6 Apple app mostly replaced by Messages 11 Clock std. 14 Some plankton 15 Iconic Vivien Leigh role 16 2014 World Cup Final host 17 Bungles 18 Stable moms 19 “What is THAT?” 20 What Darwin did aboard the Beagle? 23 Far from fresh 24 Reduced to crumbs, perhaps 25 London supermarket sections? 30 Behaved like a lovestruck heart 31 Lakeside temperature gauge? 32 End 35 Love interest for WALL-E 36 Word that may follow a president’s name 39 Carrier merged with Delta since 2010 41 Game with Reverse cards 42 ’50s sitcom name 44 Something to wrestle with 46 Figure out 48 Tie shoes professionally? 52 Walking aid 54 Distributed 55 Lacking a critical watch-making supply? 60 Hitter’s stat 61 Sometimes plucked instrument 62 Dorothy, to Em 64 Common base 65 Impulses 66 Showman’s talent 67 Braz. neighbor

68 Flirt 69 “Voting Rights Trail” terminus DOWN 1 Sink 2 Slam (into) 3 Movie lab helper 4 Battle of New Orleans pirate 5 Short Golf drive? 6 Insect with eyespots on its wings 7 Be irritated by 8 Plucked instrument 9 Region 10 Academic hanger 11 “Nice work!” 12 Onslaught 13 Symbolic yet insubstantial 21 München cubes 22 RSVP holders 25 Word after well or ill 26 Techno club event 27 Winter recreation 28 Solar wind particle 29 Use a needle

33 R.E.M.’s “The __ Love” 34 Cargo pickup site 37 Ubiquitous rodent 38 Warning sound, perhaps 40 Southwest routes 43 Recon target 45 Interchangeable components 47 Mean 49 Lumber remnant, in Liverpool

50 Ascended again 51 “Blast it!” 52 Wavering word 53 Potato or yam 56 “Try this” 57 Contemporary of Nadia 58 Computer giant 59 In retrospect, it may have sounded too good to be true 63 SFO posting

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

03/09/18

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Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, March 9, 2018 — 7

Doubt Zavier Simpson? Prepare to be proven wrong MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor

When he first came to campus, Isaiah Livers didn’t know much about Zavier Simpson. So during one of the Wolverines’ summer workouts, the freshman forward decided he’d post Simpson up. It seemed like obvious mismatch. Livers, listed at six-footseven, 230 pounds, is one of the most physically imposing players on the Michigan men’s basketball team. Simpson, meanwhile, is sturdy but stands at a layman’s sixfoot-nothing. Livers bent his knees for leverage, faked one way and attempted to beat Simpson going the other. He got nowhere. At that moment, Livers learned everything he needed to know about Simpson. “I tried to post up on him — no way,” Livers recalled last weekend. “He’s so low to the ground. “He’s a pitbull.” And if Simpson’s a pitbull, the defense is his marked territory. Teammates are quick to acknowledged that the diminutive point guard keys the Wolverines’ ninth-ranked scoring defense. Livers calls him Michigan’s energy guy. Junior forward Mortiz Wagner said he’d be lying if he didn’t say Simpson sets the tone defensively. Simpson knows this. He says he’s the Wolverines’ middle linebacker on hardwood, where is energy is contagious. “If they see me start doing it,” Simpson said, “they’ll start doing it.” On the surface, it’s no surprise that Simpson is where he is. That power and grit he flashed against Livers has helped him become an essential part of a Michigan team primed for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. But none of this came easy to Simpson. At almost every stage of his career, he has been doubted, looked over and passed up. Many players would become discouraged by such disappointments. But that’s the point: Most players aren’t Zavier Simpson. *** Back in high school, Simpson probably irked some of his teammates, especially when it came time to run. Quincy Simpson, Simpson’s father and coach his junior and senior year at Lima Senior (OH), would put 60 seconds on the scoreboard. The drill was simple: Run 10 lengths of the floor in the allotted time — suicide style. The whistle would blow, and the whole team would burst off the baseline — with the exception of Simpson. He wanted more of a challenge, starting after each of his teammates had run the first length, charging towards them like a mad man while yelling in their faces. “He wouldn’t always win,” recalled Lima Senior assistant coach Brock Howe. “But he would still make it under a minute and beat half the team.” And when his teammates didn’t make the time, Simpson would really go in. He’d yell for another 60 seconds to be put on the clock repeatedly until all his teammates made it. Sometimes, it got to the point where even his coaches wanted to move on. “He would call out every kid who didn’t make it like, ‘You’re faster than that, you’re faster than that,’ ” Howe recalled. “ ‘Man, you’re going to state in track, and you can’t make this time? Because you’re soft.’ ” It was that type of work ethic and leadership that defined Simpson’s high school career. Even when they weren’t at the same school, Quincy and Simpson would head to the YMCA for workouts at six in the morning four times a week. And when Simpson didn’t think that was sufficient, they went even earlier — sometimes 5:00 or 5:30. “Everything that he’s gotten at this point has been earned,” Quincy said. “He wasn’t blessed with a lot of natural abilities, so therefore we had to work extra hard.” Added Howe: “I’ve never seen anyone enjoy being in the gym more than him.” It all soon began to pay off. Simpson scored 59 and 65 points in games during his senior year. Scouts crammed into high school gyms to watch him play. He was rated as a four-star recruit, and the offers started to stack up.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson craved his rematch agianst rival Cassius Winston in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, and it showed.

For a while, though, there wasn’t one from Michigan. Coach John Beilein and his staff were instead focused on Detroit Jesuit star Cassius Winston — their primary point guard target for the 2016 class. Winston, however, was set on Michigan State. That opened the door for Simpson to fall in love with Michigan and follow the footsteps of fellow Ohioans Trey Burke and Caris LeVert. But even as Simpson found a home with the Wolverines, he wouldn’t forget about Winston — the man who could’ve taken his spot. *** Simpson was hesitant to admit it publicly before the semifinals of Big Ten Tournament. But he craved another battle with Winston. So much so that fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson said Simpson was literally licking his fingers in anticipation of the matchup. It showed. Simpson was keyed in during an emotion-filled affair, diving for loose balls and talking trash throughout. He held Winston to a lackluster 3-for-10 effort, as the Wolverines topped the Spartans en route to back-to-back conference championships. For all the firepower Winston has and all the criticism Simpson receives for his offensive shortcomings, the stereotypes have been flipped in their two matchups this season. Winston was stymied twice, shooting just 35 percent with 22 total points. Simpson, meanwhile, scored a combined 31 points on 9-of-16 shooting. And therein lies another piece to Simpson’s game: he takes every matchup personally. It doesn’t matter if it’s suicides in a high school practice or postseason basketball in Madison Square Garden. “I’m not the type of guy who likes to get scored on,” Simpson said. “When you have pride in your

defense, you’re not going to be passive. You’re going to take things personally if you get scored on, and you’re gonna try to win your matchup.” That’s something Quincy has preached throughout his son’s basketball career, emphasizing the value of taking the opposing player out of the equation. In an age where point guards are becoming more and more offensively adept, Simpson is a rarity. A look around the country and the NBA shows that an efficient outside stroke is paramount, and youth and high school coaches are teaching accordingly. In that sense, Simpson is an old-timer. Defense, not shooting, comes first. “I feel like it’s just my mindset and my pride,” he said. “Just not wanting him to score — that’s what it comes down to. There’s no secret, no special ingredient, just taking it personal and not wanting to let him score.” But with that mindset comes aggressiveness — and sometimes too much of it. Simpson played just nine minutes per game last season. Of course, he was behind a four-year veteran star in Derrick Walton. But when Simpson saw the court, fouls kept him on a short leash as he averaged nearly six infractions per 40 minutes. “Last year, we couldn’t put him on the floor because he’d foul somebody within 30 seconds,” Beilein recalled, “and it wouldn’t help anybody.” Though Simpson had moderate expectations for his freshman year, he didn’t realize being a backup would equate to such limited playing time — which contributed to some apprehensiveness. Simpson seldom looked comfortable on the floor. He couldn’t finish around the rim. His offense stalled frequently. “I always told him there was no reason to be timid or second-

“I’m not the type of guy who likes to get scored on.”

guessing himself,” Walton said. “We already (thought) he was good enough. We know you’re good enough.” Naturally, Simpson’s struggles culminated in frustration. Here was a player who’d always been the best on the floor, now barely seeing it. “It was definitely a hard pill to swallow,” Quincy said. Added Walton: “I told him, ‘I’m only here for a couple more months. So you only got to deal with this for a little longer.’ ” *** It was supposed to be a straightforward progression for Simpson. Learn behind Walton for a year, then run the show the next. But a month after Walton played his last game in a Michigan uniform, Beilein called Simpson into his office. The message was direct: The coaches hadn’t seen enough out of Simpson; they had decided to add graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons as insurance. Suddenly, it seemed like Simpson would have to wait another year to take the reins. Simmons was a star at Ohio, averaging nearly 16 points and seven assists per game. He possessed the offensive acumen the Wolverines had missed with Simpson on the floor. “I had three options,” Simpson said. “Beat him and (freshman point guard Eli Brooks) out for the position, be in-between, or be last.” Simpson chose the first. Thanks to his knowledge of Beilein’s complex offensive system, Simpson was the starting point guard at the onset of the year. But he wouldn’t be there for long. Those fouls crept back into his defense. He couldn’t move the ball effectively on the other end. Beilein thought Michigan’s offense had more flow with Brooks. So just four games into the season, Beilein made the switch. “Zavier didn’t earn it,” Beilein said. “He was starting because he knew more than the other guys, and then he wasn’t doing some of the intangibles you need.” It was back to square one for Simpson. This was supposed to be his opportunity. Yet, a freshman had just taken his job.

The possibility of Simpson transferring seemed realistic. He already didn’t match Beilein’s traditional, 3-point heavy offense. Now, he’d been handed another roadblock in young career already chock-full of frustration. But that’s not Simpson. He’s too hardworking, too competitive to quit. “We never even discussed (transferring),” Quincy said. “I told him to keep his head up, keep working. I told him to be a good teammate and challenge and compete daily in practice. It’s adversity.” *** After a month of inconsistency at the point guard spot, Simpson returned to the Wolverines’ starting lineup on Jan. 6. As has sometimes been the case this season, his performance didn’t exactly stick out in the box score — five points on 1-for-5 shooting. Still, it was a vote of confidence from his coaches — one that Simpson needed. In the games that followed, he began to play more freely and, most importantly, became a player who Beilein could trust to play both ways. “It’s not like the other guys flunked the test,” Beilein said. “He became a defensive stopper, and a guy who was playing winning basketball.” Since taking back the starting job, Simpson is averaging almost 10 points with four assists per game, helping Michigan find an offensive rhythm it occasionally missed earlier in the year. In mid-January, when Nebraska’s defense stalled the Wolverines by switching screens — a strategy Beilein anticipated others would follow — it looked like the Cornhuskers had cracked the code to defending Michigan. Instead of relying on Wagner’s pick-and-pop game, the Wolverines needed a slasher to keep the opposition honest.

“I’m tough on him, but he always responds.”

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Simpson has been a large part of Michigan’s transformation into a defensive juggernaut, with teammates referring to him as a “pitbull.”

Simpson stepped up. Against Purdue’s massive frontcourt two games later, he rendered the Boilermakers’ defense ineffective with a newfound aggressiveness, scoring 16 points en route to Michigan’s best offensive performance of the season. “At the beginning of the year, he still had some of his rough spots,” said assistant coach Saddi Washington. “At the point things clicked, the game slowed down for him, and he really was able to take control of the team on both sides of the ball. I think that’s when our team really started to catch our flow.” Of course, just like in high school, Simpson’s influence extends beyond just the floor. On Feb. 24, Michigan finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak, capped off by a drubbing of Maryland in College Park. During the next practice, though, a sleepy feeling loomed around the team. “We were just lethargic,” Beilein said. So Beilein turned to the player who could most effectively ignite his team. Not captains Duncan Robinson and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman. Not Wagner. Rather, it was Simpson who Beilein called over. “I talked to Zavier, ‘We need you right now, right now,’ ” Beilein recalled. “He started getting after people a little bit, and practice changed.” From a distance, Simpson is reserved — quiet even. In front of the media, he contrasts the unabashed energy of freshmen Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers, or the brashness of Wagner. But away from the cameras, Simpson is the epitome of a vocal leader, challenging teammates with both his voice and play throughout workouts and practices. “I think when Derrick left, there was a void there, and I think he’s really stepped into it,” Robinson said. “He’s very very vocal, and that’s huge for us just because of his energy. He’s always talking during practice, so I think that’s been big.” Simpson has always been this way. In high school, his dad described him as a coach on the floor, a coach in the locker room and a coach off the floor. Even in the summer of 2016, Walton knew Simpson had the potential to lead the team. “He was kind of like I was — just strong and demonstrative,” Walton recalled. “When he’d say stuff, he’d mean it.” *** It was unintentionally fitting. Simpson, despite consistently holding the conference’s best point guards below their season averages, wasn’t a selection for the Big Ten All-Defensive team. Another day, another look-over. Simpson, of course, has bigger things to worry about. The NCAA Tournament starts next Thursday, and the Wolverines are trying to balance what will be nearly two weeks off before since their last game. But if the past is any indication, he won’t forget about the snub. “We were all shocked he didn’t get any All-Defensive team love,” Washington said. “But because (he’s) is such a competitive kid, he’ll really use that to motivate (himself).” Such has been the case throughout Simpson’s career. He wasn’t Michigan’s first choice for the class of 2016. He barely played as a freshman. He wasn’t trusted to be the point guard immediately after Walton. He was benched in the fall. And yet here he is — the Wolverines’ definitive spark plug, leading Michigan its best basketball of the year when it matters most. “Talk about a chip on your shoulder,” Beilein said. “He’s got the chip now, and that’s really been good. … I’m partially guilty of putting that chip there, and I want to keep it there. “I’m tough on him, but he always responds.” That’s simply what Zavier Simpson does. Just ask Cassius Winston.

Sports

8 — Friday, March 9, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

HOCKEY

In Big Ten Tournament Semifinal, ‘M’ faces toughest foe: Buckeyes JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer

Ohio State is a very good hockey team. The Buckeyes are ranked

sixth in the nation in both the USCHO and USA Today polls, and fourth in Pairwise. They’re

11th nationally in scoring and fourth in goals against. Their power play percentage is better than that of all but seven teams, and their penalty kill is second to none. They’ve won 23 games, lost eight and tied five. “Personally,” said Michigan senior forward Dexter Dancs, “I think they’re the best team in the Big Ten that we’ve played so far.” Notre Dame may have won the Big Ten regular-season title and might be ranked ahead of Ohio State in every poll. But it’s easy to see where Dancs is coming from. Back in late November, the Buckeyes walked into Yost Ice Arena and stomped all over the Wolverines, leaving with wins of 3-2 and 5-1. Two months later, Michigan traveled to Columbus a different team, coming off four straight wins against thenNo. 9 Minnesota and then-No. 12 Penn State — and Ohio State walloped the Wolverines again, by a combined score of 9-3. This Saturday, in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal in Columbus (7:30, Big Ten Network), they’ll get a chance to change that with a spot in next Saturday’s conference championship game on the line. Michigan is rolling right now. Two straight wins over the nation’s top-ranked team and a 12-3-1 record in its last 16 games prove as much. But none of those victories have come against the Wolverines’ fiercest rival. “We love to hate Ohio State,” said senior forward Tony Calderone. “So definitely just playing them even if we’ve beat them already, I think (not having beaten Ohio State) gives us a little extra fire.” What makes the Buckeyes just so tough? For one, they appear to be specifically engineered to exploit any and all opposing weaknesses. Their sterling statistics with the man advantage and when shorthanded attest to that.

At the same time, it’s been inconsistency and little mistakes — such as neutral and defensivezone turnovers and meaningless penalties — that have cost Michigan more than anything throughout the season, even during its most recent surge. The Wolverines’ four losses to Ohio State, then, went exactly how you might have expected. They outshot the Buckeyes, 131120, during the season series, but allowed five goals on 14 Buckeye power plays while failing to score on any of their 12 chances. “That’s how Ohio State plays,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson, who stated that his team “beat themselves” in January’s series. “... (The Buckeyes are) very patient and they just wait to capitalize on your mistakes and they’re very good at it. But we just tried to do too much. We were getting behind and then we pressed, we started pressing, and when you start pressing sometimes you try to do too much and get out of position, you play on the offense and that’s what happens, you turn it over.” Added Calderone: “We got to stay out of the box, we got to eliminate our turnovers around the blue lines, which is something we’ve struggled with recently. So as long as we can eliminate their chances we won’t beat ourselves.” But even if the Wolverines eradicate most, if not all, of their prior mistakes, it may not make a difference. Ohio State possesses a deep forward corps, with six in double-digit goals this season. Their top line — Big Ten Player of the Year finalist Tanner Laczynski (41 points), Mason Jobst (41) and Matthew Weis

(36) — is one of the few anywhere that can go blow-for-blow with Michigan’s “DMC” trio of Dancs, Calderone and Cooper Marody. Sean Romeo (.925 save percentage), meanwhile, might be the best goaltender in the conference not named Cale Morris, and is liable to steal any game at any time. “They’re the favorite. To me they’re one of the top three, four teams in the country, easily, easily,” Pearson said. “So it’s just like you’re going to be playing somebody in the (NCAA) Tournament if you get in. Good opportunity, good measuring stick for us, and we’ll be ready.” Now, about that NCAA Tournament. Saturday’s contest begins a new phase of the Wolverines’ season. Their previous 36 games held no win-or-go-home implications — save for the Great Lakes Invitational in January. But from this weekend on, there are no more Friday-Saturday matchups. No more best-ofhowever-many series. For the rest of the season, Michigan has only one game at a time to achieve its goals. “You play to win. You can play a shorter bench because you only have one game,” Pearson said. “… So you’re not concerned about resting guys or not giving them as much ice time because you know you have to play the next day. This is it. It’s all on the table and you don’t play again for another week. … You play for that moment, to win that game.” This game, however, is likely the Wolverines’ biggest test of the season. Thus, coming out on top will take their strongest performance of the season as well.

“Good opportunity, good measuring stick for us ...”

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