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Monday, October 1, 2018
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STILL BREATHING Michigan had to overcome a 17-point deficit against Northwestern to move its winning streak to four games.
GOVERNMENT
CAMPUS LIFE
CAMPUS LIFE
Organized by the law school community, protest follows Supreme Court hearings
Student-led symposium talks weed legalization
Over 70 protestors rally in support of assault survivors
Economics conference celebrates professor In honor of John DiNardo, students and faculty discussed his research
Green Wolverine discusses cannabis industry, effects of usage with science
ATTICUS RAASCH
CATHERINE NOUHAN
For the Daily
Daily Staff Reporter
Following the death of longtime economics professor John DiNardo last summer, about 40 friends, colleagues and students gathered in his honor to present and discuss a series of 10 research papers regarding modern labor economics. The event, hosted by the Ross School of Business and Ford School of Public Policy, took place this past Friday and Saturday. According to Paula Lantz, associate dean of the Public Policy School, prominent economists from around the country were in attendance to listen in and speak about various papers highlighting labor issues and policy. “Some of the most prominent labor economists are here,” Lantz said. “There’s 10 papers being presented and they’re all being presented by very well-known labor economists working on really important policy issues of the day. Every presenter is someone who worked with (DiNardo), people from his dissertation committee,
DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily
Protesters gather at a rally organized by law students and professors against the Kavanaugh confirmation and in support of sexual assault survivors on the Law Quad Saturday morning.
KATHERINA SOURINE Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan Law School community organized a rally of more than 70 students and faculty
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member called “Respect Women, Respect Survivors and Respect the Court” Friday in support of survivors of sexual assault at the conclusion of a week highly focused on the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh allegations.
Kavanaugh was publicly accused of sexual assault in September by Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez. The confirmation hearing concluded Friday afternoon,
after beginning on Thursday with testimonies from Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh and questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In an effort to highlight the current scientific data surrounding medical marijuana by world-class researchers, scientists and physicians, the first Green Wolverine Science Symposium took place Saturday at the Ross School of Business — ending precisely at 4:20 p.m. Student organization Green Wolverine arranged lectures and panel discussions where speakers debated the professional study of THC and CBD, the active chemical ingredients in marijuana. Speakers were given time to explain their research and sit in on panel discussions where audience members asked their own questions in response. Green Wolverine President Abigail Kennedy, a Business senior, emphasized the informative role the organization plays and how this event was created to educate students and community members about scientific features of cannabis.
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GOVERNMENT
CAMPUS LIFE
The 6th Circuit Court ruling required University to let accused student directly question their accuser
Keynote event featured discussion between Neera Tanden and William Kristol
University appeals case regarding sexual assault GRACE KAY
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan has appealed a court ruling that mandates the University allow students accused of sexual assault to directly question their accuser. The University claims the ruling will not only discourage survivors from coming forward but will also be unfair to students with lower incomes. In the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, the court held the University partial against students accused of sexual misconduct. The ruling claimed the University violated the due process rights of a male student accused of sexual assault because it did not allow him to directly question his accuser. Deborah Gordon, the accused student’s attorney, said the University is making exceptions for students accused of sexual misconduct rather than
following their long-standing process. “The University provides everyone with crossexaminations except students accused of sexual misconduct,” Gordon said. “Why would it be any different for them? It’s a longtime policy, but now the University says you can’t do that (direct questioning of accuser) when you’re accused of sexual misconduct … Yet, students accused of sexual misconduct have the most severe punishment.” The three-judge panel ruled the cross-examinations can take one of two forms — either allowing the accused student to directly question the accuser or allowing an “individual aligned with the accused student” to crossexamine the accuser. In the court appeal, the University found several issues with the two options.
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Bipartisan student group WeListen hosts first annual Fall conference MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN Daily Staff Reporter
Students and faculty convened Sunday in the Annenberg Auditorium for the first annual WeListen fall conference, a day-long event focused on maintaining open communication among individuals from different political backgrounds. WeListen, a University of Michigan student organization aimed at bridging the political divide through bipartisan discourse on pertinent political issues, supports healthy political discussion rather than heated debate. Co-president of WeListen Nicholas Tomaino, a Public Policy junior, shared the organization’s goal for the first conference. “Since its inception, WeListen has been advocating for a space wherein students from all political persuasions may talk about the things that
matter in our civic sphere, ” said. “WeListen’s first annual Fall Conference will convene 100 students from the University of Michigan to do just that: engage in dialogue, find common
ground and work to bridge the American political divide.” The keynote event featured a discussion between Neera Tanden and William Kristol — esteemed political analysts
from opposite sides of the political spectrum.
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DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily
William Kristol, founder and editor of The Weekly Standard and Republican strategist, speaks at the Conversations Across Difference event with Democratic strategist Neera Tanden hosted by WeListen in Weill Hall Sunday.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 1 ©2018 The Michigan Daily
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................5
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............5 SPORTS....................1B
News
2A —Monday, October 1, 2018
MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers
TUESDAY: By Design
WEDNESDAY: This Week in History
Student Climate Change Survey According to the 2017-2018 Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program survey, 75% of University of Michigan students, an almost 10% increase from 2015, are “extremely sure” climate change is occurring. In contrast, a 2017 Yale University survey found that 45% of Americans were “extremely sure” climate change is real.
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
FRIDAY: Behind the Story
BY THE NUMBERS
Nurses Contract Agreement The University of Michigan Professional Nurses Council reached a tentative 3-year contract agreement with Michigan Medicine administrators on Saturday. In upcoming weeks, the more than 5,700 Michigan Medicine nurses plan to ratify the agreement.
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Doctoral Student Survey
The Rackham Institutional Research office's first Michigan Doctoral Experience Study, conducted in 2017 now publicly available , found that 72 percent of surveyed students pursuing a master’s in social sciences reported they wanted to teach after earning their degrees. In contrast, the study found that only about 43 percent of surveyed students pursuing their master’s in the physical sciences or engineering reported they wanted to teach after earning their degrees.
Ross Invests in Alum’s Healthy Snack Company On Tuesday, the Zell Lurie Institute at the Ross School of Business announced a $100,000 investment from its Founders Fund into organic snack company SMPL. SMPL was started by University alum Ellis Fried, whom earned more than $17,000 in the 2017 Michigan Business Challenge while an undergraduate student. CASEY TIN/Daily
AN N UAL ORGAN CON FE RE NCE RE H E R SAL
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MAX KUANG/Daily School of Music, Theatre and Dance professors Joan Holland and Kola Owolabi rehearse on the harp and organ, respectively, for the 58th Annual Organ Conference at Hill Auditorium Sunday.
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ON THE DAILY: STUDY FINDS INVESTING IN GREAT LAKES BRINGS ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO REGION
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A recent University of Michigan study found each federal dollar the United States government spends on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative leads to an extra $3.35 of economic activity in the region. These results are conclusive through the year 2036. The GLRI was launched in 2010 and Congress has funded over $2.5 billion worth of
projects to improve the region’s environmental concerns. The economic benefits were not initially intended to be part of the initiative, but through the GLRI, approximately 1,700 new jobs in tourism have been created or supported. John Linc Stine, chair of the Great Lakes Commission, said in a Water Canada article these results leave a positive legacy for the area.
“This study describes what we already know in facts and figures: Cleaning up legacy pollution and restoring aquatic habitat on the Great Lakes isn’t only good for the environment, it creates jobs and fuels the regional economy,” Linc Stine said. “It’s a positive legacy that states and our partner organizations can leave for future generations. The Great Lakes states are ready and excited to
continue this critical work until the job is finished.” The study also found the federal dollars increased quality of life throughout coastal areas. Housing values improved by $1.08 per home, an overall increase of $900 million. GLRI was also found to increase new real estate development, waterbased recreation, tourism and a permanent young population.
Harvard professor speaks on political polarization, importance of voting ZACH BLUMBERG For The Daily
While discussing his new book “How Democracies Die”, co-authored with Harvard
professor Daniel Ziblatt, Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard University, noted the current Supreme Court nomination process of Brett Kavanaugh. Levitsky argued increased political polarization will result in increased conflict, while addressing a crowd of about 40 students and faculty members Saturday on the present state of democracy in the United States and the current administration’s role in the democratic landscape. “As we grow polarized, Americans on both the left and the right are willing to tolerate abuses against the other side,” Levitsky said. “Daniel and I had a really interesting meeting with seven Democratic senators earlier this week. One of them, Michael Bennett from Colorado, told us, ‘I’m quite sure that never again will a president without a majority in the Senate get his or her (Supreme Court justice) nomination passed. The days of a minority president nominating a
person to the Supreme Court, ever, those days are done.’” Levitsky said President Donald Trump has contributed to the public’s declining faith in U.S. government. “There are things to worry about … the impact of his discourse is accelerating the erosion of the public trust in our institutions,” Levitsky said. “Same thing with the press. An independent media and press freedom are essential institutions in any democracy. And Trump’s discourse, that the media is conspiring against him … has accelerated the erosion of public trust in independent media.” However, according to Levitsky, the United States is still in a strong position in terms of democratic prosperity. “U.S. democracy isn’t dead, it’s not dying, it probably won’t die,” Levitsky said. “Social scientists don’t agree on too many things, but there are a couple of factors they agree contribute to the longevity of democracy — age and wealth.”
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Michigan in Color
3A — Monday, October 1, 2018
D.C.’s Chinatown is for tourists
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Palipalooza: centering the Palestinian cause NADA ELDAWY MiC Columnist
PHOTO COURTESY OF NA’KIA CHANNEY
The Chinatown Arch in Washington, D.C.
LYDIA MURRAY MiC Columnist
“Do you even have Chinese cooks? This tastes like cardboard,” my mother yelled in Mandarin at the poor, unsuspecting waitress. She was very unimpressed by the food we tried at the “authentic” Chinese restaurant at Chinatown in Washington, D.C. Despite the traditional archway and the Chinese characters on the signage along the streets, there was not much authenticity remaining in this section of the city. When I first saw Chinatown in D.C., I was so full of excitement. I had never lived in a place that had a proper Chinatown before (well, besides living in actual China). I stared adoringly at the beautiful arches and the zodiac on the ground, surrounded by Chinese restaurants. I was so eager to be around people who shared my culture. Unfortunately, it was all largely a facade. My mom would later look up on her Chinese sites where the best Chinese food in the area was. The answer: Maryland. In the 20th century, Chinatown in D.C. was a bustling center for the Chinese community (who notably had to live in a segregated enclave due to racism). But waves of gentrification have pushed out much of the Chinese people who once lived there to make way for office buildings and hipster vegan restaurants — which actually make a damn
good soy milkshake, but I digress. The remaining Chinese restaurants serve highly Americanized Chinese food. As of 2015, there were only 300 Chinese-Americans still living in Chinatown, down from a peak of about 3,000. Across Chinatown, instead of actual Chinese businesses, there are Urban Outfitters and pizza spots that put up signage in Chinese characters in some borderline offensive attempt
“Across Chinatown, insted of actual Chinese businesses, there are Urban Outfiters and pizza spots” to preserve the culture of the area. Sometimes it seems like there are more University of Michigan graduates than Chinese people in this city, given how often I see the hats and shirts, especially on game day. Every day when I step off the metro and walk past the shining gates to go to work on the top floor of an office building, I can’t help but wonder if I’m part of the problem. Sure, I make less than minimum wage and am the only East Asian in my office, but I am an outsider swooping in, looking for a job and eating at the hip vegan place.
On the second day of being in D.C. for Michigan in Washington, I walked a mile to get to one of the only Asian markets in the city. It is a Japanese store, so they didn’t have the special chili sauce I was looking for, but I was able to get many of the other ingredients that would sit in my pantry so I could pretend I would actually cook fresh Chinese food and not just eat two-ingredient salad and frozen Trader Joe’s pasta. (I have yet to make my mom’s favorite noodle recipe that she taught me before leaving, sorry mom.) The tiny store was crowded with the white-to-Asian ratio skewed in the white direction — partially because of the high density of Asian girls and their white boyfriends, who I made jokes about to my friends, noting the irony given I am also dating a white dude. Gentrification is a major problem facing many D.C. residents, and the impact on Chinatown is only a fraction of that problem. Across the city, minority communities (especially the Black community) repeatedly get pushed out of their homes to make way for a new office building, apartment complex or Whole Foods. This all occurs without attempts to preserve the culture of the neighborhood or accommodate for the existing people, because the new, rich, white person needs a place to stay and a bougie grocery store to go with it — at the expense of communities of color.
A foreigner on foreign wordings ALIA MELIKI MiC Contributor
I have been learning the English language for 15 years now. I have improved from learning vowels to now writing in a second language. Fifteen years is long enough to have mastered a skill, yet there are still some words in English I can never pronounce. Veggie patty, water, letter Whenever I need to use these words in my daily conversations, my brain enters a panic mode because it will need to choose between sounding like an American or like who I am. I learned in Linguistics 210 the first semester of my freshman year that these are called flaps or taps. It refers to the way the tongue has to somehow touch the alveolar ridge, but not quite. Some days I can do the American flap or tap pronunciation, so ordering water at restaurants becomes less daunting. Most days I can never pronounce veggie patty even though it’s the same way of pronouncing water. Perhaps the flap comes with practice because I have certainly said the word water a lot more than the word veggie patty. Some days I just avoid the word and eventually, I become a master of synonyms — not because of spending hours with thesaurus, but because of avoiding words
(so “mail” instead of “letter”). Mitten, kitten, badminton I can make myself learn flaps, but never these contractions. It goes against my natural instinct to just disregard the letter between ‘t’ and ‘n.’ In my first language, we never hide letters. They are there, and we vocalize them. What is it with these Americans and contractions? It gets so much more absurd in discussion sections of highly technical courses. “Moniring” instead of ‘monitoring’ or “wachh-asay” instead of “what did you say.” When I come to the U.S., I struggle with how I tell people my name. To these Americans, my name is a foreign word. Some of my friends have names that can sound foreign. My name is not like that. Arabs will try to say my name the Arabic way but I am not Arab, even though my name is. It is complicated but I like to think my name and me are a cultural juxtaposition. I also struggle in discussion class because I need a few minutes to gather my thoughts and choose “affordable” words. This often takes way too long and by the time I have come up with my thoughts, the discussion has moved on to a new topic. It must be nice to have an American tongue. How seamless it is for them to speak in discussion class without the risk of sounding like a toad.
These pronunciations don’t bother me as much anymore because I am not much of a talker anyway. No one needs to hear me talking and then after a few minutes realize I have foreign tongue. Yet what bothers me is the way in which my tongue has been Americanized to some extent. I am American enough in my thoughts and how I dress, so I cannot afford to lose my accent as well. Then one day, after reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah,” I came across the video “We Should All be Feminists.” One African accent lead me to the movie “Queen of Katwe” to Filipino co-workers. There is something about their pronunciation of English words that makes me attracted to them. It is in the way they are sort of just boasting confidence with their version of the English language. In their own version of cultural juxtaposition, I have found I do not need to pass off as American to be in the U.S. So I began becoming proud of saying my name, the way I know how. Not the American way or the Arabic way, but the Malaysian way, and every time during discussion class I can only wait for my American graduate student instructor to ask me the second time how to pronounce my name because it is so foreign to them.
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On Sept. 15, I attended the third annual Palipalooza, a Palestine-centered concert in Chicago, on behalf of Learning for the Empowerment and Advancement of Palestinians. LEAP is an organization I volunteered with this summer that provides Palestinian children living in refugee camps south of Lebanon with a six-week intensive English program to help prepare them for the Brevet, an English-heavy examination all Lebanese students must take to go to high school or vocational schools. Through LEAP, I had the opportunity to connect with people who quickly became my brothers, sisters and best friends. However, not everyone gets to witness what the Israeli occupation means firsthand and see how it affects people they love, which is why events like Palipalooza are so important. Palipalooza gave Palestinecentered vendors a chance to showcase their music, films and products. Among the vendors was Wear The Peace. Aside from providing great conversation, they also had fashionable products and an inspirational mission. For each item of clothing sold, one was donated, and 100 percent of the money raised from accessories was donated to the Helping Hands for Relief and Development and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. They sold stylish items, some with Arabic script, including jewelry saying “Love” and clothing with the word “Peace,” and they used their designs to promote resistance through fashion. Murad Nofal, co-founder of Wear the Peace, described, “Me and Mustafa [Mabruk] wanted to start a movement where we can spread awareness and peace through clothing and at the same time give back to those same causes we’re trying to bring attention to.” This is one of the few companies I have encountered
where I genuinely knew my money was going to help people in need, and their political clothing items encouraged people to learn more, even if only for the sake of knowing what they are wearing. Mary Hazboun, a Palestinian folk singer, writer and artist, was showcasing cartoons from her collection “The Art of Weeping” at another table. Hazboun, born in Bethlehem, began doodling as a way to cope with flashbacks and panic attacks that she would experience from her time living under Israeli military occupation and being forced from her home. She now uses her artwork as a platform to share her narrative and resist through her pieces. She translates her pain and experiences into unique and delicate cartoons, often depicting women with symbols of the Palestinian diaspora like the keffiyeh, traditional embroidery and the key of return. “Events like Palipalooza make me feel like I am back in Palestine, even if it is for a few hours. To be around Palestinians and other people of color activists & artists who use their creative work as a form of resistance is crucial to highlight how our struggles are interconnected,” Hazboun reflected. The emotion that was so prevalent in every single one of her drawings allowed viewers to connect to something raw and personal that none of us had actually experienced. One of the talents performing was Lakota rapper and producer Frank Waln. Waln made the connection between the apartheid in Palestine and the ethnic cleansing of his Native American ancestors, as well as the erasure of indigenous histories by the colonial settler, both points reminiscent of Mahmoud Darwish’s poem, “Speech of the Red Indian.” My favorite song he performed was “What Makes the Red Man Red?” from the classic Disney cartoon “Peter Pan.” He transformed this racist song and countered the stereotypes that
have been produced since America was founded through lyrics like “You made me red when you killed my people” and “We died for the birth of your nation,” both of which I feel apply to the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also sang a song called “My People Come From the Land,” which fought back against attempts by Americans to erase the natives’ connection to the country, describing the land as open for the settlers to come, occupy and “civilize.” This parallels an argument used by Israelis today. Waln’s final call was to tell the audience not to let what happened to Native Americans happen again to the Palestinians, encouraging us to fight back against injustice and not let history repeat itself. Waln’s music showed viewers you don’t need to be Palestinian to show solidarity in what is unjust because everyone has experience with and can recognize injustice. When I was asked to drive to Chicago so close to the start of the new school year, I was a little hesitant. However, the opportunity to meet all of these strong and talented people who were so connected to their identities made the trip more than worth it. It was beautiful to see different communities showing up in support of Palestine, and it made me realize you don’t need to have a personal connection to relate to the struggle of a people oppressed. The solidarity and coalition building shown at Palipalooza is something I hope to see reflected more often in the coming school year, and we are already off to an admirable start with the practice of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement shown by Associate Prof. John CheneyLippold in declining to write a recommendation letter for a study abroad trip in occupied Palestine. As a student body, we should take after Cheney-Lippold and refuse to be bystanders complicit in the human rights abuses carried out by Israel against Palestinians.
What are you: ambiguously brown DANYEL THARAKAN MiC Columnist
Walking into one of the many bodegas on Mt. Pleasant Street in Washington, D.C., I’m instantly greeted in Spanish by the cashier. Without hesitation, I respond in Spanish, but I am not Latino. The first time I walked into what would become my regular barbershop on Georgia Avenue, the man yelled for someone to “take care of the light-skinned guy”, but I am not black. In the elevator at University Towers last year on my way to work out, a woman tapped me on the shoulder and made me turn around and take out my earbuds only to ask “Excuse me, are you Ethiopian? I’m Ethiopian”. Mostly, I find these events entertaining, happy that I can function as a racial and cultural chameleon. On the other hand, meeting a white person for the first time, the following conversation is standard procedure: Them: “Where are you from? Me: “D.C.”
Them: “No, but where are you really from?” Me (no hesitation): “D.C.” Unlike the interactions in the previous paragraph, these leave me emotionally drained. Some are confused by this; why should an exchange in which a white person inquires about my race be more exasperating than one in which a person of color assumes it? The key difference is intent, whether conscious or not. When another person of color identifies (or in my case, thinks they identify) someone of the same race, it’s an instant connectionfinally seeing a familiar face in a sea of white ones; someone with whom you can actually relate and don’t have to tone down, or be apologetic about, your culture. This fosters inclusion. On the other hand, when a white person meets a person of color, and their first instinct is to seek out that person’s racial or ethnic identity, that is a form of direct exclusion. It means that they see that person as different than themselves and are
seeking a tangible way to ‘other’ them. More than that, it is seeking to categorize you and fit you in a neat box that doesn’t conflict with that person’s worldview. I tend to interrupt preconceived notions of race for many people because I’m mixed in a way that doesn’t neatly fit into any one box. The point of writing this, if there is one, is to say one thing, specifically to white people: stop. If my racial background is something I care to tell you, or if it’s relevant, I will share it with you. Otherwise, don’t ask. It’s exhausting and a constant reminder that society is seeking to exclude me due to the color of my skin, and unnecessary for most conversations. Initially, I thought I’d conclude with my actual ethnic background, but upon reconsideration I figured to do so would be counterintuitive to the point of this piece. I am a racially ambiguous brown American, and unless I decide otherwise, that’s all you need to know.
The Palestinian AYOMIDE OKUNADE MiC Contributor
Three inches from the top One inch from the sides And one inch from the bottom Margins are the parts of the page outside the main body Outside the limit of what is important Outside the limit of the green line we found Who is not important Palestinians living in East Jerusalem Where a stone’s throw and a Jewish mother affords you Better housing, cleaner streets and the chance to live Beyond survival In the basement of an educational bookstore At the end of a room Sat a man who was not a man He was an immaterial country
The wounds of a conflict The mat of an oppressive government No More than a man He was a voice With the Jewish Israeli trumpet of triumph ringing in my ear I sat and I listened And I listened and I sat And I remained still as the sand on a beach While this tide of a man Who was really a voice Forced me from my position And into the rocks of his truth “This is a national struggle” The voice said And suddenly the Palestinian was not a resisting citizen but a rebelling nation The Palestinian is one-third of the Jerusalem municipality But 12 percent of the budget’s burden
In the West Bank he is neither citizen nor resident He is a number A statistic A terrorist The Palestinian is the wrong color The wrong religion The wrong language He is one inch from each side Surrounds the main body of Israel Is outside the wall A margin I did not pity the voice Because it was strong But I pitied his listeners because it was alone Like a tune arranged for a mass choir We heard just the tenor Or maybe a soprano But for us to understand the lyrics We must complete the choir And sit and listen some more
Opinion
4A — Monday, October 1, 2018
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Institutional reform can’t change the Supreme Court
T
he Supreme Court stands at an inflection point. Allegations of sexual assault have stalled Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the court, casting uncertainty over an appointment that only weeks ago seemed contentious but inevitable. The allegations have attracted more media scrutiny to the Senate’s upcoming floor vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation, but the controversial nomination featured intense debate and partisan divide long before these accusations surfaced. The Republicans’ mostly unwavering support and the Democrats’ steadfast opposition to Kavanaugh underscore the importance of this appointment, which is perhaps unparalleled in its potential to mold the future of the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh is slated to replace Anthony Kennedy, who was arguably the Court’s only true moderate. Kennedy was nominated by President Ronald Reagan but semi-regularly sided with his liberal colleagues on social issues to provide the pivotal vote on cases that dealt with gay rights, abortion, affirmative action and capital punishment. Kennedy’s retirement likely leaves Chief Justice John Roberts as the court’s swing vote, but aside from a few notable defections, Roberts has voted reliably with the court’s conservative bloc throughout his tenure. The confirmation of a solidly conservative jurist, such as Kavanaugh, would tilt the court decidedly to the right, allowing President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to legislate with less concern of being rebuffed by the Supreme Court. In the near future, the court could have to rule on a variety of consequential and politicallycharged issues, including whether a sitting president can be indicted or whether a president can pardon himself. These decisions carry momentous legal and political implications, and they demand a high court without a visible partisan divide. Unfortunately, the Court’s
ideological divide seems to only be growing wider. An increasingly politicized Supreme Court is not a positive development. Roberts famously likened the role of the justices to calling “balls and strikes,” but it is difficult to agree with this view when Supreme Court votes become as predictable and consistent. As an institution, the Supreme Court works best when its justices serve as impartial umpires, but in reality they have political and ideological motives that are masked by their chosen judicial philosophies. These biases influence the cases they choose to take, the way they vote and the timing of their retirements. Amid the current prospect of a majority-conservative Supreme Court for the foreseeable future, many on the left have called for institutional reform to the Supreme Court and the judicial branch in general. These proposals include establishing judicial term limits, packing the court or even electing justices. Ultimately, none of these proposals will work, because the problem with the Supreme Court is not institutional but ideological. The institution of the Supreme Court has functioned with varying degrees of effectiveness since its inception. Its early relationship with the other branches was acrimonious. After coming to power in the elections of 1800, Thomas Jefferson and his fellow DemocraticRepublicans sought to curb the influence of the judiciary, which they considered to be biased in favor of their Federalist rivals. Jefferson’s Congressional allies took the unprecedented step of impeaching a Supreme Court justice, Samuel Chase, on grounds of political bias. Chase was acquitted by the Senate and he remains the only Supreme Court justice ever impeached. Chase’s acquittal reaffirmed the court’s independent authority for most of the 19th century, though the court occasionally found its authority questioned or ignored when it waded into politicallycontentious issues like Native
American tribal rights and slavery. The court’s legitimacy was next tested in the 1930s, after President Franklin Roosevelt proposed to pack the court after it overturned several of his New Deal reforms. Despite Roosevelt’s widespread popularity, his plan failed and the court remained at nine justices. Curiously, the court reversed course and upheld several pieces of New Deal legislation, including the Social Security Act, National Labor Relations Board and minimum wage laws, perhaps sensing their political vulnerability despite the failure of Roosevelt’s court-packing scheme. In the decades that followed, the Supreme Court stayed relatively above the political fray. The court’s unanimous decision in U.S. v. Nixon led to clean, minimally partisan end of the Nixon saga. Nominations to the court, with a couple exceptions, usually enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support. Antonin Scalia, a staunch conservative, was confirmed unanimously, as were John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a solidly liberal justice, was confirmed 96-3, and even the first two of President Barack Obama’s nominees enjoyed some Republican support. However, the Supreme Court appears to now be sliding back into the partisan fray that it has avoided for so many years. The Senate’s politically-motivated refusal to even hold hearings on Merrick Garland’s nomination in 2016 ensured Supreme Court appointments for the foreseeable future will be heated, partisan affairs. Furthermore, the elimination of the filibuster on Supreme Court nominations in 2017 essentially removed any need for a president’s nominee to have crossparty appeal. Noah Harrison can be reached at noahharr@umich.edu
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CATHERINE GREEBERG | OP-ED
Polsci professors, let’s talk Kavanaugh
I
’ve sat through my classes in the past weeks and watched as students halfheartedly took lecture notes while they streamed hearing after hearing on their laptops, like a melancholy version of March Madness. I listened to my peers chat about each new development in the fleeting minutes before professors start lecturing, the conversations no longer dominated by, “So, did you do the reading?” By Thursday, we felt overwhelmed, hopeless and unable to focus in our classes. We asked each other in hushed voices, “Do you think we’ll talk about Brett Kavanaugh today?” But we didn’t. I’m in four political science classes this semester. Only one of my professors has taken time to talk about Kavanaugh, let alone ask his students’ concerns on the matter. Our professors tell us time and time again that our department is one of the best in the world. But how can that be true if we neglect to discuss what is quite possibly the most controversial political event of our lifetime? We weren’t alive for Anita Hill. We are the generation that brought discussions of rape culture on college campuses to the forefront. We marched for those of us brave enough to share their stories of survival, and we continue to stand by the courageous women who decide to share their stories. We
watched as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford cried during her testimony, and so many of us cried with her. So why did so many of our professors neglect to acknowledge the mere existence of this entire situation? I understand we cannot discuss every pertinent current event in class. I understand we must draw the line somewhere. But this isn’t where we should draw that line. Regardless of what students or professors believe about the validity of Ford’s testimony, Kavanaugh’s confirmation process has already had profound political implications. This process has been the ugliest political battle many of us have ever seen. It speaks to growing political polarization. It speaks to lack of representation in Congress, as 11 white men neglected to speak to a survivor of sexual assault, yet had no issues yelling at their colleagues in defense of another white man. It even speaks to political theory: Is it a just separation of powers if one Republican senator votes against Kavanaugh’s confirmation and Vice President Mike Pence casts the tiebreaking vote? Was that outcome the intent of the Framers, seeing as they wrote our Constitution so that the vice president was the runnerup in the presidential election? Kavanaugh’s confirmation process has already had real repercussions for political science, and I’m sure
more will come in the coming weeks. That, in and of itself, is worth talking about. But outside of the ways in which Kavanaugh’s confirmation applies to our curriculum, our professors should take time to discuss the situation for a separate reason entirely. Because at the end of the day, we’re still students. Maybe we don’t get it all, or maybe there’s a side of this entire debacle that we’re neglecting to consider. In the one class where my professor did take time to ask if we had questions or concerns, it sparked not only an intellectual conversation between students, but also a string of thought-provoking questions that the students asked our professor. The professor’s voice will always be louder, stronger and wiser in these discussions. To my professors: You are so much more likely to change our minds than we are to change each other’s. I don’t doubt that we’re getting one of the best political science educations in the world. But you also owe us an education that takes time to discuss what is unfolding in front of our eyes. So, let’s start talking.
Catharine Greenberg is a political science major in the class of 2020 who recently interned for the U.S. Senate.
I
What’s in a name?
used to dread the first day of school. I didn’t dread it because it meant that summer was ending and that I’d soon spend my evenings doing homework rather than relaxing. It was because teachers never pronounced my name right. Before I started going by Krystal, I went by my non-American, phonetically spelled (yet somehow still difficult to pronounce) name that I won’t write here because I know no one will be able to pronounce it. The first day of school, I always had to listen to the teachers blunder through my name before I corrected them with the entire class watching me. Same with substitute teachers — my classmates would laugh as the teacher would try to say my name. Of course, I’m not blaming the teachers for not being able to pronounce my name. We both felt embarrassed as we became a spectacle. I know I can’t expect people to properly pronounce my name if they don’t speak the language from which my name originated. I was reminded of this trauma after hearing about two recent celebrity interviews. Chrissy Teigen recently revealed on “The Tonight Show” (after being prompted by host Jimmy Fallon) that contrary to popular belief, her name is actually pronounced “tie-genn,” instead of “tee-genn.” She said of her name: “So, correct is Tie-genn. Do I want people to call me that? Not really, because then only half are going to do it. And then, would we want my dad to be happy?” Ariana Grande also recently said on Beats Radio, “my grandpa said ‘grand-eee.’” They then discussed how her grandfather changed the pronunciation to “grand-eee” most likely to make it sound more Americanized. However, neither of these women has ever corrected the public for saying their names wrong, and only discussed the way in which they say their names when prompted to do so. Hearing Teigen and Grande discuss their names led me to think about how I used to feel correcting people about the pronunciation of my name. Often times, I felt that correcting them made no difference — all correcting them essentially did was teach them the formal
mispronunciation of my name. When substitute teachers would butcher my name and excitedly ask if they pronounced it right, I always said yes. Honestly, I don’t think I would have been so uncaring about how people pronounce my name if I didn’t hate the way that my name sounded in its formal American pronunciation. I thought that it sounded too whiny and nasally and it made me dislike my name and cringe whenever someone would address me by it, so really, it didn’t matter to me whether or not anyone pronounced it in the formal way: Either way, they would be wrong. However, in high school, I decided to go by the name Krystal after realizing I didn’t have to continue listening to my name being butchered in various ways. I chose “Krystal” because it was a name that everyone knew how to say, yet I knew that I wouldn’t become one out of a sea of many Krystals, as what sometimes happens to people with common names such as Emily or Alex. Sometimes, I feel guilty about having changed my name, as if I’m abandoning my heritage or dishonoring my parents by rejecting the name that has defined me for so many years. However, when I remember the discontent I felt when I heard my name being butchered for so many years, I don’t feel as sorry. I think of it more as protecting my name from being tainted by so many bad memories of it being mispronounced, time and time again. Interestingly enough, many of my friends protested when I told them about my choice to go by “Krystal.” They told me they didn’t like the name “Krystal,” and some of them even made it a point to not call me “Krystal” even when referring to me when with other people. While I understood some people would not like the name “Krystal,” I found it confusing some of my friends thought they were entitled to define me in the way they wanted, rather than in the way that I wanted. Perhaps it was confusing for them to understand why I would want to go by an entirely new name; but then again, they were the same people who unknowingly made me hate my name. In a similar vein, when I studied
Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” in high school, my English teacher told us in the middle of discussion she calls one of the main characters, Ikemefuna, by “Ike”, a nickname I believe she coined herself. Most of the other students followed her and started calling the character by that nickname, too. However, I always thought it was a bit insulting to “Americanize” his name in such a way without his consent. While Ikemefuna is a fictional character, and people give other people nicknames quite frequently, the sole purpose of calling him “Ike” was to make our lives easier. “Ike” wasn’t a nickname borne out of affection but of pure laziness about saying four extra syllables. Knowing what I know now about how to pronounce Grande and Teigen’s last names, I’m unsure about where to proceed. I don’t want to be complicit with the same laziness that changed Ikemefuna to “Ike” in my English class. Do I start saying their names the way they’re supposed to be pronounced? The logical answer is yes — but there’s inevitably going to be people who haven’t watched their respective interviews who are going to believe that I’m mispronouncing their names and think that I’m a complete dunce. Perhaps a better question to ask is what Grande or Teigen would prefer people to do. Because it’s their names, they’re ultimately the ones who should have a say in how we refer to them. Just as I exercised my power over my name by changing it to Krystal despite some of my friends’ opposition, they too should be the ones who get to decide how their names are said. While Teigen said she doesn’t want people to pronounce her last name the way that it’s supposed to be pronounced, Grande was less clear about how she wants people to say her last name. It’s possible that she doesn’t have a clear preference — and that’s fine, too —as long as it’s clear that she’s the one who rightfully has the power over how others pronounce her name.
Krystal Hur can be reached at kryshur@umich.edu
ALEX SATOLA | COLUMN
T
The scourge of online trolling
he United States has a long history of disinformation. One of the first major manipulations of the media took place in 1782 when Ben Franklin oversaw the publishing of an entirely fake issue of the Boston Chronicle. Printed on the pages of the issue was an incendiary story about the scalping of 700 colonists by Native Americans meant to generate sympathy among British citizens for the plight of Americans. However, the contemporary perpetrators of “fake news” are capable of far more harm than anything the founding fathers could have imagined (or concocted themselves). With the immense volume of data and ease of accessibility provided by the internet, bad actors are now able to have an exaggerated influence on public opinion. Keeping the internet free for everyone while simultaneously controlling the effects of disinformation is a balancing act, but ultimately we all as digital citizens have a responsibility to be aware of the myriad of online threats and its consequences. We know that disinformation is nothing new, but how exactly did it come about on the internet? The pioneers of this new breed of digital content are known as “trolls,” invoking the mean-spirited mythological creature that taunts its victims from under a bridge. According to Data & Society, a research institute that focuses on the social and cultural impact of data in the modern world, a troll is defined as someone who deliberately baits people to elicit an emotional response. Trolls started to pop up in the early 2000s on internet message boards such as the website 4chan, where anonymous users can post content consisting of simple words and pictures. It was primarily on these anonymous platforms that the malicious side of trolling took shape. Though many trolls claim to be apolitical — simply trolling for the “lulz,” as they like to call it, the reality is trolling is skewed much more toward “alt-right” viewpoints. For example, the users of 4chan’s /b/ subboard use deliberately offensive hate speech to create an emotional impact on their targets. As opposed to the moralistic, sometimes smug political
correctness and affinity for fairness supported by the left, trolls bring out the worst in toxic white rage, meninism, nativism and similarly twisted views about vulnerable groups that slip through the cracks of “alt-right” ideology. The effects of trolling are not limited to sub-boards, though, and in the past few years mainstream conservatives have adopted the highly sensational tactics of trolling to appeal to voters. From the first moments of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, when he rode down the escalators to announce his candidacy and said of Mexicans, “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” his speech had all the hallmark elements of trolling. Back then, people still thought that Trump was running to highlight the hypocrisy of the political elite. Yes, he was running for office from an official standpoint, but very few people thought he was serious. This represents a key trolling tactic of preserving ambiguity called Poe’s Law, an internet adage that asserts the difficulty of distinguishing between sincere expressions of extremism and satire of extremism. Therefore, trolls theoretically always have the moral authority of challenging the establishment, as Trump positioned himself so many times on the campaign trail, rather than simply engaging in hateful discourse. Unfortunately, armed with hateful rhetoric and their own version of moral justification, a very visible sub-species of trolls (shall we call them ogres?) emboldened by online trolling behavior has come to dominate today’s political discourse. In a country that supposedly champions liberal values, the most valued content in our online atmosphere proves to be sensational and damaging. Websites such as Twitter and Facebook are struggling to curtail the effects of racist, misogynistic and xenophobic accounts, most of which are run by foreign actors or fake bots designed to algorithmically post inflammatory statements. In 2017, Facebook reported up to 3 percent of its accounts were fake, totaling 60 million “users” not associated with a real person. The internet, and
social media sites in particular, are predisposed to promote content that attracts attention, yet a consequence of this is the promotion of sensational messages that sow discord and harm. Because the natural tendency of the internet is to guide users toward attention-grabbing sensationalism, we need creative solutions to take back control of our online spaces. There have been attempts at pulling the policy lever on this issue, such as legislation passed by the French Parliament that allows courts to remove fake news during election periods. However, when governments or companies gain the authority of censoring online content, it creates a slippery slope; one that may ultimately lead to the infringement of our first amendment rights in the United States. Instead, the way to combat disinformation is to make users more digitally literate. Students have it drilled into them since middle school that they need to use credible sources for their essays, but this warning should go beyond the classroom. Let us make it a personal responsibility for everyone to be conscious surfers of the web. This can be done without limiting the freedoms of any individual user, while also impacting their choices of who and what to interact with online. For example, qualified professionals in schools could teach online safety, content evaluation and personal data protection that may help students make better choices. Structuring these courses in the same way as drug and alcohol awareness or consent education seminars would be a good first step toward promoting more responsible internet usage. The internet is the biggest playground in the history of human civilization, and every playground has its bullies. But through education about disinformation, fake news and trolling behavior, it is possible to give each internet user the resources they need to function in this complicated ecosystem. A more educated populace will lead to a safer internet for all and provide a chance to reverse some of the negative consequences of unlimited information.
Alex Satola can be reached at apsatola@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
TV REVIEW
Monday, October 1, 2018 — 5A
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
Philadelphia Orchestra as the UMS season opener SAMMY SUSSMAN Daily Arts Writer
ABC
‘A Million Little Things’ is just one giant disaster friends and family, so what could possibly be his reason? Here’s where “A Million Little Things” veers into dangerous territory. Seven or eight years ago, Rather than accept that Jon when it looked like AMC’s quiet might have been in pain for a prestige period drama “Mad long time or that people are more Men” was onto something, a complicated than we see them bunch of network execs picked to be, everyone quickly searches for reasons. Was it because Jon’s wife was unfaithful? Does it have anything to do with a mysterious business deal? “A Million Little And then the show quickly Things” arrives at the most odious conclusion of all: Maybe it took Series Premiere Jon killing himself for everyone ABC to come to terms with their own problems. It presents suicide Wednesday at 10 p.m. as romantic or necessary or beneficial to other people, when it’s none of those things. And of up the phone, presumably barked course, the whole thing is neatly “’60s!” to whoever was on the wrapped in montages set to line and we were all treated to “Riptide” by Vance Joy and “Both some of the most disastrous Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell. television ever, in the form of (ABC, you leave Joni out of this!) “Pan Am” and “The Playboy There’s a very strong case to be Club.” NBC’s “This Is Us” is the made that “This Is Us” also leans latest TV powerhouse to inspire hard on emotional manipulation such a response, though none as of its audience. But somehow it transparent as ABC’s “A Million works. The narrative twists are Little Things,” which might as earned. The emotional punches well be called “Hey, This Is Also are mostly well-crafted. And the Us!” entire show is so nicely acted “A Million Little Things” is that every character feels real the story of four friends who and worthy of our empathy. “A met while trapped in an elevator Million Little Things” just can’t on the way to a Bruins game. pull that off. Which is perfectly understandable; Release Date: Monday, October 1, 2018 it’s not easy — even Dan Fogelman, who created “This Is Us,” Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis 48 Market upswing couldn’t replicate 70 Some cameras, 30 Spellbound ACROSS its winning 50 Gold, to José 31 Artist Chagall for short 1 Crispy fried 52 Big name in 32 “Looks like chicken part formula in the trading cards trouble!” DOWN 5 Foolish sort widely-panned 53 Sam of “Jurassic 33 Mountain and 1 Dog group that 9 Neeson of “Life Itself.” Park” Pacific, e.g. includes the “Silence” 54 More adorable 35 Gourmet Akita 13 Cancún currency Not to mention, 55 Heroic sagas mushroom 2 “Tik Tok” singer 14 Nonspeaking getting people to 56 Industry mogul 38 Reporter’s 3 Author Asimov street performer empathize with 57 Zeus’ jealous contacts 4 “Yet another 15 Cellist Casals Boston hockey wife 40 Info problem?” 16 “__ it first!” 43 Before, poetically 61 Touch lightly 5 Tabloid TV 17 Complete fans is a very tall 62 Lolling trio? 45 Streetcar debut of 2007 quickly, as a test order. 46 Sonnet sections 63 Erector __ 6 Xbox 360 19 Spring melts The biggest competitor 21 Lake crossed ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: crime a show 7 Driving force traveling from 8 Colorful Ohio to Ontario like “A Million aquarium fish 22 Golf course Little Things” 9 Poet __-tzu standard commits is to 10 Active ingredient 23 Predecessor to in Advil assume that the Millard Fillmore 27 “Later, Jacques” 11 Pond growth audience watching 12 Jay of “Last 28 Northern sky it is stupid. No Comic Standing” sight one watched 15 Musical intro 31 Mixed-breed 18 “Howdy there!” barker “Mad Men” for 20 Pathetic 34 Isl. of Australia cigarettes or 24 Beatles’ meter 36 Remove mist upholstery or maid from, as a gin martinis. 25 First Irish windshield Literature 37 Sushi tuna We watched it Nobelist 38 Grabbed a chair because it told a 26 Miner’s strike 39 Praiseful poem story about deeply 29 Egg-shaped 41 Angsty music tomato 10/01/18 complicated genre 42 Lovestruck teen people struggling from Verona to make sense of 44 Houston MLBer a volatile world. 46 Unexpected problem It was a show that 47 Angelic figure never thought its 49 Transplant to a interesting setting new container was a substitute for 51 Strict ruleenforcement scrupulous writing policy and delicious 56 Margaret of emotional payoffs. stand-up And people don’t 58 Chilly 59 Get the better of watch “This Is 60 Buddhist Us” for crying meditation sites and death — in 64 Tubular pasta ... and a phonetic fact, many of us hint to 17-, enjoy it despite 23-, 51- and its schmaltz. Pro 60-Across tip: If you’re going 65 Geometry calculations to rip off a show, 66 Brazilian soccer at least bother to legend figure out what 67 Actor Baldwin made the show 68 Sore throat sign 69 Part of GPS: By C.C. Burnikel 10/01/18 work in the first Abbr. ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC place. MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN Daily Arts Writer
Jon (Ron Livingston, “Band of Brothers”) is the glue of the group, a successful businessman, devoted husband and Harvard graduate who takes it upon himself to spout such nuggets of wisdom as, “Everything happens for a reason,” and “Friendship isn’t one big thing, it’s…” — can you guess? — “…a million little things.” Rome (Romany Malco, “Weeds”), an aspiring filmmaker, is happily married to a talented restaurateur but privately struggles with depression. Gary (James Roday, “Psych”) is a sardonic breast cancer survivor who picks up women at survivor support groups and takes them on first dates to funerals. And then there’s Eddie (David Giuntoli, “Grimm”), a guitar teacher who lives perhaps the most tragic life of all, desperately trying to escape his marriage to a (shudder) lawyer, who works long hours and sometimes needs him to pick up their son from daycare. Oh, the horror! Sorry, bud, someone has to pay for the Bruins tickets. Rome, Gary and Eddie are stunned when they learn that Jon has committed suicide. Jon’s own mantra, “Everything happens for a reason,” keeps coming back to haunt them. He was strong, successful and happy, with loving
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
The opening of any concert season is an exciting event. This past week’s University Musical Society season-opener was particularly thrilling. The hall was abuzz with energy, with student and longtime subscribers lined up all the way out the door to witness the performance. The Philadelphia Orchestra was on hand to deliver a masterful performance of two staples of the repertoire and an inspired performance of a new addition. The first piece on the program was Nico Muhly’s “Liar, Suite from Marnie,” an orchestral suite from Muhly’s new opera premiering on Oct. 19 at the Metropolitan Opera. The piece featured frequent staccato passages in the lower woodwinds and strings along with longer melodic material in the upper strings. The opening was energetic, immediately grabbing the audience’s attention. After about five minutes, however, this idea began to tire. Short bursts from the basses and cellos did little to sustain the fading energy. The work was at its best in the long melodic passages that pervaded the rest of the work. Overall, however, it could never reach the frantic energy of the opening measures — as the piece continued a quick glance around the hall would reveal the audience becoming increasingly disengaged as the piece continued. As a taste of Muhly’s upcoming opera, the work was promising. His ideas were fresh and his use of accented notes in the lower strings was unexpected and intriguing. The trading of long melodic notes between woodwinds and strings was quite lovely. But one hopes that the pacing and structure of
Muhly’s opera is less predictable than that of the “Suite.” The second piece on the program was Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D Major” with soloist Lisa Batiashvili. From the very first notes of the Tchaikovsky, the orchestra seemed more comfortable with the music. This was clearly the type of playing that they do all the time, and they did not disappoint. The soloist made even the most complicated of passages seem simple, and as her playing increased in intensity, the orchestra matched her stepby-step. The audience could not help but applaud the end of the first movement though two movements were still to come. As conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin pointed out, this would have been standard practice during Tchaikovsky’s time. The following two movements were similarly magnificent. The orchestra and soloist played with a level of intensity that demanded attention from the audience — it was impossible to sit passively throughout the performance. The finale, in particular, was breathtaking. Batiashvili possesses an effortless ability to take even the most difficult of passages and make them seem effortless. She soared above the orchestra, the upper strings responding to her every move and echoing her in kind. NézetSéguin and Batiashvili clearly enjoy working together, as they frequently smiled at each other and responded to each other in kind throughout the work. After five minutes of applause following the piece, NézetSéguin and Batiashvili offered a brief encore with Nézet-Séguin accompanying her from the piano. Nézet-Séguin’s piano playing was surprisingly delicate and subtle — though he conducts
with large, sweeping gestures his piano playing was relaxed and gentle. Given that he will be returning in Dec. to accompany Joyce DiDonato in a recital of Schubert’s “Winterreise,” it is clear that Nézet-Séguin is equally as comfortable at the piano as he is on the podium. The concert finished with a performance of Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances.” Combining energetic rhythms and simple melodic material, this was Rachmaninoff’s last and arguably best work. Nézet-Séguin lead an aggressive interpretation of the work, emphasizing the complex rhythms and jarringly simple melodic material. Yet even with this aggressive interpretive angle, the orchestra did not lose momentum as they had with the Muhly. They brought a fresh vitality to the work, something that I have not heard in many other performances of it. Though musicality in some passages was replaced by brute force, the overall effect was compelling. The end of the performance was met with a nearinstantaneous standing ovation. And after five minutes, the orchestra responded to the cries of “encore” with a surprise performance of “The Victors.” Nézet-Séguin had been wearing a white shirt with shoulder pads and mesmerizing purple sequined shoes, and as he returned to the stage wearing a Michigan baseball hat, he encouraged the audience to clap and sing along. It was a fun ending to the night and an encouraging sign of what was to come this concert season. As the audience left the auditorium, the excitement was palpable. The Philadelphia Orchestra had more than lived up to expectations, and it is up to the next ensemble to match the intensity that they brought to this season opener.
LITERATURE COLUMN
Credibility, ghost stories and Christine Blasey Ford Last week, my popular horror class was discussing “Dear David,” a ghost story told last year via Twitter by Adam Ellis. “Dear David” is presented by Ellis as being a true story that he experienced in person. One of the criticisms brought up was the idea that while Ellis provided many forms of evidence that his apartment was being haunted — audio files, photographs, diagrams and videos — there was no piece of evidence that couldn’t have been faked or made up. Therefore, his ghost story was not to be believed. Personally, I’m always naturally hesitant to say that I don’t believe something. I’d probably never commit to saying I don’t believe in ghosts, or most other things some people consider to be incredulous, even though I can’t confidently say I’ve met a ghost myself. I’m not sure I would recognize a ghost if I came across one — I might brush it off, attach some other explanation to it, or miss it completely — and if I can’t say I’d recognize a real one, then I can’t fairly say I’d know when I’m seeing a fake one, either. Similarly, I don’t consider myself religious, but I’ve never committed to saying I don’t believe in God or any kind of higher power. I didn’t think too much more about the “Dear David” discussion until a couple of days later, when I was talking with someone else about the Kavanaugh hearing. The hearing has dominated the news for the last week, and particularly the last few days, with questions arising of Kavanaugh’s conduct on the stand, the demonstrability of Ford’s account of Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her and credibility on both ends. The person with whom I was speaking essentially said that
they didn’t believe Ford, because she could technically have been lying. There was no evidence that indicated with absolute certainty, without a shadow of a doubt, that Kavanaugh had assaulted her. Therefore, she shouldn’t be believed. This flippant dismissal of Ford
LAURA DZUBAY stuck out to me, in part because it reminded me so much of the “Dear David” discussion. Is that really our national default when it comes to sexual assault? Assessing it against the same metrics we’d use to pick apart a ghost story? The issue of lacking evidence has been brought up often over the course of the hearing, just as it’s often brought up when people are discussing “fantastical” claims such as accounts of encounters with ghosts and aliens. It’s true, in the case of the Kavanaugh hearing, that with little decisive physical evidence on both ends, a lot of the case is a matter of he-said, she-said. Many of our perceptions come down to what we do know: For instance, that Ford has passed a polygraph test while Kavanaugh hasn’t even taken one, and that three other women — Deborah Ramirez, Julie Swetnick and one anonymous woman — have also accused Kavanaugh of sexual
assault or misconduct. It can’t be proven definitively that Kavanaugh did assault Ford. But one of the many differences between the Kavanaugh hearing and ghost stories like “Dear David” is that one has a definite bearing on the future of our nation. With Kavanaugh up for a position of authority that he may hold for the rest of his life, a position that will have a drastic influence on the direction of our country, we as a nation need to carefully consider ideas of credibility. According to news sources including Slate, Vox and Esquire, Kavanaugh lied repeatedly and plainly while he was under oath. I’m hesitant to discount ghost stories and religion because I don’t want to commit myself to a narrow-minded perspective, simply because the evidence isn’t concrete enough for me. I think the nation should avoid committing itself to a Supreme Court Justice who has proven willing to bend and break basic courtroom practices, such as answering questions directly and truthfully, to suit his purposes. The issue at stake right now isn’t whether or not Kavanaugh is going to be sent to prison; it’s whether powerful figures are willing to look past the possibility of him assaulting someone far enough to give him a lifetime Supreme Court seat. Sexual assault survivors are not ghosts. They’re not aliens. If we approach their consistent and measured testimony with the same skepticism we bear while discussing a ghost story, we tell the world that to the United States, the stories of Ford, Ramirez, Swetnick and other survivors are just that: stories. An important decision is to be made as a result of this hearing — let that not be it.
Arts
6A — Monday, October 1, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ALBUM REVIEW
‘The Lamb’: A lot has changed for Chicago’s Lillie West SEAN LANG
Daily Arts Writer
I was first exposed to Lillie West’s Lala Lala project just over a year ago. The Chicagobased group — a three-piece on tour — was opening for Surf Curse at Marble Bar in Detroit, and their set featured visuals that were produced and projected live on a dropdown screen above the band. The image was just “Lala Lala” tiled across the screen with various effects and filters applied — relatively simple stuff — but the display hinted at an enthusiasm and willingness to create and explore different ways of presenting a project. It was technically a “multimedia” performance, I suppose, but it felt counterintuitively raw and unpretentiously DIY. I later had the privilege of seeing Lala Lala open for Frankie Cosmos, but before then caught one of Lala Lala’s bassist Emily Kempf’s other projects opening for the D.C.based Flasher. The project, called Dehd, is a collaboration between Kempf and NE-HI guitarist-vocalist Jason Balla.
Balla, in turn, releases solo material under the name Accessory, and put out the excellent Blue Tape at the end of this past summer. Seeing Dehd — their raw energy, movement on stage and incredibly hooky guitar riffs — and recognizing Kempf was actually what prompted me to
The Lamb Lala Lala Hardly Art revisit Lala Lala. When I did, I was delightfully surprised and, wanting more, I began my descent down the rabbit hole of this particular nook of the Chicago indie scene. There I discovered the connections between these artists and more: Melkbelly, Whitney, Twin Peaks, Post Animal, Grapetooth — the list goes on. It’s not all that surprising that these people know each other, but the amount of collaboration and support that exists between them is impressive and uniquely heartening. The Lamb, Lala Lala’s
second album and first since West made the decision to go sober, seems in some ways a manifestation of the camaraderie that exists within the scene and between West and other friends. Anxiety and paranoia, to which West says her sobriety has contributed, also perfuse the album. On the record’s penultimate cut, West sings “Keep my friends safe keep my friends close / Keep my friends safe night and day / Keep my friends safe now and always.” Titled “When You Die,” the track functions as a prayer, one in which West has taken the phrase “live every day like it might be your last” to heart. When she’s not around to protect those close to her, she has to make sure someone is. It’s important to note that West’s paranoia is far from unwarranted. While writing the album, she suffered more than one personal loss, and an intruder broke into her home. “I wish Herc hadn’t died, I wish I hadn’t gotten robbed,” she sings on “I Get Cut.” Compounded by her adjustment to sobriety and the stress inherent in being a young, independent musician,
HARDLY ART RECORDS
HARDLY ART RECORDS
it’s a wonder that she’s still functioning at all. It’s hard not to view The Lamb as the conclusion to some unwritten bildungsroman, but West has been careful to clarify that things aren’t so clear cut. For now, there may not be a definitive end point in her journey from addiction to sobriety. This sentiment is encapsulated in a single lyric on “Water Over Sex,” the album’s second single, where West delicately croons, “You think I’m good well I want to be gooder.” This is characteristic of her lyrical style, where communication — if sometimes extremely oblique — takes priority over correctness and blunt honesty comes through in both diction and delivery. Lala Lala’s first release, Sleepyhead (2016), was recorded as a three-piece — guitar, bass and drums. For The Lamb, West and co. break out the synths and the drum machine in a big way. The introduction of “Water Over Sex” feels like something out of Porches’s Pool (2016), and “Dove” shimmers with a warbly, aquatic glow punctuated with harsh, emotive harmonies. Where the guitar tone across Sleepyhead is brilliantly chunky, The Lamb’s is much cleaner and shares more melodic responsibility with the synthesizer. For all the differences from its predecessor — which, according to a Bandcamp piece on Lala Lala, West “doesn’t even consider … a real album” — The Lamb holds onto the same forward energy that made Sleepyhead a standout debut. West consistently discovers hooky, ostensibly obvious melodies in places
you’d think had already been drilled dry. The Lamb also finds West seriously
What she presents is a raw, thoroughly unpretentious reflection on being an imperfect human. One who lies, who sometimes drinks too much, who is hurt and hurts, who wants to be “gooder” but doesn’t always have the energy to do so, or even know how
exploring her upper register for the first time. Opener “Destroyer” might be the best example, where she sings “You are the reason my heart
broke behind my back” in a downward cascade that starts higher than she ever sang on Sleepyhead and ends in her most comfortable range, talksinging plainly but forcefully. On the same day of the album release, Lala Lala put out a video for “Scary Movie,” The Lamb’s ninth track. In it, a couple takes turns f lying a kite on the beach as skips and imperfections in the film f lash upon the screen. The man and woman in the video are West’s parents, and the film taken before West was born, though she discovered it only recently. Nostalgia f lows freely from the video, while West’s troubling lyrics f loat above: “Spilling blood is ugly / Unless I know it’s mine,” “This knowing leads to horror / There’s hands around my neck.” Captured here is the ultimate conf lict of The Lamb, where sweetness, love, protectiveness and a desire to keep getting better are all at war with paranoia, anxiety, violence and fear of abandonment. When all’s said and done, West doesn’t have any clear answers for us. What she presents is a raw, thoroughly unpretentious ref lection on being an imperfect human. One who lies, who sometimes drinks too much, who is hurt and hurts, who wants to be “gooder” but doesn’t always have the energy to do so, or even know how. One who, at the end of the day, still needs to eat. The Lamb is a bold but sure second step for West, and one that points to a bigger and better future no matter what the past may have held. Catch Lala Lala at the Loving Touch in Ferndale, MI on Friday, Nov. 23rd with WHY? and the Ophelias.
SPORTSMONDAY The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | October 1, 2018
SHEA-ING ALIVE
Michigan avoids near-devastating loss to Wildcats MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
EVANSTON — Shea Patterson and the Michigan football team’s offense stepped onto the field with 10:05 left in the game. The 14th-ranked Wolverines (4-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) had struggled all night on that side of the ball, especially in the first half, when they fell into a 17-0 deficit on the road against Northwestern (1-3, 1-1). And after halftime, when Patterson and company did string together some positive plays, they struggled to punch it in the endzone, settling for two field goals from inside the 10-yard line. With that, Michigan’s offense faced a 17-13 deficit and an opportunity to reverse its fortunes. On the first play of the drive, Patterson found fifth-year senior fullback Jared Wangler
Amelia Cacchione / Daily
Moving On Chase Winovich wasn’t chosen as a captain this season, but he has proven to be a leader for Michigan on and off the field.
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for nine yards. Patterson hit redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry for 13 yards on a corner route on the next set of downs, then he scrambled for a key third-down conversion after that. Patterson then put the Wolverines in striking position when, on second-and-10 from the Wildcats’ 28, he threaded a pass through three defenders to Gentry, who fell to the ground at the six-yard line. Senior running back Karan Higdon completed the comeback two plays later, plowing into the endzone for a five-yard score with 4:06 on the clock, as Patterson wildly pumped his fist behind him. Michigan’s defense took it from there, snuffing out any Northwestern late-game heroics and finishing off a nail-biting win, 20-17. “A lot of guys really left it out there, you know, played their hearts out,” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “Tested in the
ball game and had to show what we were made of. And (I) like what we’re made of.” Despite the happy ending for the Wolverines, the rest of the game was surely not how they drew it up. After building momentum with three, dominating wins in the last three weeks, Michigan came in heavy favorites against the Wildcats, who were fresh off losses to Duke and Akron. With that, when the Wolverines won the opening coin toss, they opted to receive in an effort to seize momentum from the jump. But their first drive went three and out, and Northwestern responded with a 56-yard drive for a touchdown. 7-0. On the next possession, Michigan went three and out again, and the Wildcats drove back down the field to kick a field goal. 10-0. The Wolverines’ third drive
started to build momentum, but a key drop on a would-be big play by junior tight end Sean McKeon ended that threat, and Northwestern’s offense went straight into the endzone again. It was 17-0 with 12:56 left in the second quarter. Michigan’s offense had 21 yards at that point. The Wildcats had 145. The Wolverines scored on a 4-yard run from Higdon on the next possession for a muchneeded response, but they still went to halftime down 17-7. “Just keep pushing. Keep pushing,” Higdon said. “You know, there’s four quarters for a reason, and that first half they were up, and we remembered a lot of the adversity we faced over the summer. You know, summer workouts and stuff like that, and we dug deep, and we came out with a win.” Added Harbaugh, on his halftime message: “I mean, what you’re made of. Can you dig
down and, you know, continue to execute and execute better than what you did? So, yeah, it’s self-explanatory. Do you have the metal? Got the gravel in your gut to win a game on the road under tough circumstances? I’m proud of our guys.” Michigan’s defense, especially, seemed to take that message to heart. Northwestern gained a total of 51 yards in the entire second half. It went 1-for-6 on third downs. The Wolverines sacked Wildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson five times in the final 30 minutes. Four of them were on third down, and the other one was the last play of the game, when junior linebacker Josh Uche brought down Thorson on a would-be Hail Mary attempt. And most importantly, Northwestern didn’t score another point. “Coming out (of halftime), we knew they couldn’t really hang
with us,” Uche said. “We (were) just having a lot of self-inflicted wounds. Went into the locker room, got our minds right, came back and dominated like we’re supposed to.” For a while, though, it looked like the offense didn’t have enough. But when Michigan needed it most, the unit, and especially Patterson, came through. In front of a road crowd that was half-filled with Wolverines fans, Patterson ended things with a fist pump after his signature drive to this point in a Michigan uniform — in a game that wasn’t supposed to need one. “I can’t even describe it,” Patterson said. “It’s such an exhilarating feeling, and you know, that’s why you play the game. You play the game for these moments, and like I said, man, I’m just proud to be a part of this team and help out any way I can.”
Design by Jack Silberman
Blitzed Michigan falls back to .500, as Northwestern scores four goals in a game for the first time in two seasons against the Wolverines.
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Sports
2B — Monday, October 1, 2018
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Winovich is the voice of the defense
efore the season began, the week of the Notre Dame game, Chase Winovich was MIKE dealt some PERSAK unexpected bad news. After a season in which he led the Michigan football team in sacks, tackles for loss and fumble recoveries, Winovich was one of the unquestioned leaders on the Wolverines’ defense which finished third nationally in total defense. He saw himself as a leader too. So, when Michigan announced its captains, voted on by the players, and Winovich wasn’t one of them, he was understandably disappointed. “That one stung a little bit,” Winovich said that week, on Aug. 28, before giving some context. “But at the end of the day, when you think about it, I came back to win a national championship. I didn’t come back to win a popularity contest, so, you know, it’s on the board. That’s all I’m gonna say. My role as a leader is still the same. I woke up that day, was not the captain. I woke up the next day, was not the captain. End of the day, it’s out of my hands. So I’m moving on.” He said that last part while mimicking wiping his hands clean. Perhaps he was telling the truth. His play has only gotten better from last year’s coming-out party — captaincy or not. Winovich is tied for the most tackles for loss in the nation through five games this
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich is tied for the most tackles for loss in the nation with 10.5 throughout five games so far this season.
season. He once again leads the Wolverines in sacks, and he is second on the team in tackles, behind linebacker Devin Bush. He is the workhorse of Michigan’s defense, and that was never more obvious than in the Wolverines’ win over Northwestern on Saturday. Winovich led Michigan with nine tackles, eight of which were solo and three of which were for losses. He practically lived in the Wildcats’ backfield all game long, breaking through their line so often you couldn’t help but notice his dominance. “The ends, I think Chase had one of his better
“Chase is a character, and a tremendous leader...”
ballgames,” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh after the game. “Just the way he was f lying around and hustling all night. I mean, play after play after play after play.” Winovich’s production obviously helped the Wolverines in their emotional, comeback win. And after every game like that, there are questions asked and stories told about sideline or locker room interactions that fired up a team or an individual player. On Saturday night, Winovich was the subject of a few stories. “Chase is a character, and he’s a tremendous leader on this team,” said junior
quarterback Shea Patterson. “All he’s gotta do is look at you, and you know what he’s saying. He sparked a fire in me in the locker room and on the field in the third quarter. That helped me out a lot.” “I told a lot of the guys when we were down, I looked each person in the eye, because I didn’t want the message to be dispelled,” Winovich said. “I said, ‘This is the part where we double down on all the hard work we’ve done. All the preparation that we’ve gone through. And they can’t take this from us.’ Even when we were losing I said that. It was our game. It was nothing they could do. But I’m just so fired up about that
“But I’m just so fired up about that game, and it feels great.”
game, and it feels great.” Another story that popped up was from practice last week. On Thursday, Winovich spoke to the defense in an effort to inspire them for a game that may have looked like a cakewalk. “I said, you know, ‘It’s in a sense their season, and it’s our season.’ ” Winovich said. “You know, we lose this game, who knows how that affects our chances at the playoffs and a Big Ten Championship. And for them, this would have been the greatest night of their lives. And obviously we spoiled that.” It might seem odd to hear these stories of Winovich’s leadership from Winovich
himself. For many people, that would make the stories less believable. But Winovich isn’t a bullshitter. He’ll call an opponent’s offense predictable after a game if he feels that’s the case. He’ll tell you candidly that he was hurt when he wasn’t named captain. There was one more bit of truth from Aug. 28. After a question about his offseason and the progress he had made, Winovich started by mentioning the tools he’s added and credited strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert. Then he finished with a prediction. “It’s gonna be fun,” Winovich said. “That’s all I’m gonna say about this season. Yeah, it’s gonna be fun.” In hindsight, that almost looks like foreshadowing. Winovich had fun on Saturday. His team did too. “It was electric,” Winovich said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a Michigan locker room that was that — like, the juice was f lowing through everyone from the coaches to the managers to the equipment staff. It was going through everyone.” Part of that can be credited to Winovich, who has stayed true to his word that his role has not changed. He has dominated on the field and done his best to inspire his teammates. Winovich didn’t win the popularity contest at the beginning of the year. But he’s moved on from that. The reason Winovich came back — his national championship goals — are still in play. And Winovich is leading the push.
“I didn’t come back to win a popularity contest...”
Persak can be reached on Twitter at @MikeDPersak or on venmo at @Mike-Persak.
‘M’ suffers from frequent penalties MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor
For yet another season, Michigan is one of the country’s most penalized teams in 2018. Teams have accepted an average of 9.2 infractions for 84.2 yards per game against the Wolverines — 13th and 15th worst nationally, respectively. That’s up nearly three penalties a contest from 2017, marking the third season Michigan ranks below average in the category under coach Jim Harbaugh. Yellow flags were again plentiful for the Wolverines in their come-from-behind victory at Northwestern on Saturday. Michigan was called for six penalties in the first half, their effects compounded by the costly moments in which they came. Facing third-and-long early in the second quarter, Northwestern threw a fade to the endzone, looking to capitalize on a man-to-man matchup between David Long and receiver Bennett Skowronek. The junior corner fell behind the route, however, and was forced to grab Skowronek to prevent an easy touchdown. Long was called for pass interference, setting up a punch-in score for the Wildcats two snaps later. Junior corner Lavert Hill was flagged for a hold later in the second quarter, as he and Long struggled against Northwestern’s quick passing plays and slants early. Thorson completed nine of his first 11 passes. But perhaps the most momentum-thwarting penalty was a false start by redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry late in the second quarter. Looking for points before heading to the locker room, Gentry jumped on fourth-and-three, forcing the Wolverines to bring on their punting unit in Wildcat territory. While Michigan adjusted both its discipline and play in the second half, those errors were far from confidence-inspiring. As nearly 16-point favorites in front of a split crowd, the Wolverines were expected to cruise through
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
The Wolverines were called for six penalties in the first half of Saturday’s game.
Saturday. They showed they could have with 20 unanswered points to finish the game. But those penalties and self-inflicted errors created Michigan’s razor-thin margin for error. It was also the second horrid defensive start on the road for the Wolverines in as many tries. A month ago, Notre Dame jumped out to a 21-3 lead after now-backup Brandon Wimbush torched the Wolverines secondary. Penalties had their roll then, too. Junior safety Josh Metellus was ejected after a targeting call on the game’s second drive. Khaleke Hudson has become all too familiar with that controversial player-safety rule. For the second consecutive week, the junior VIPER sat out the first half after targeting penalties the week prior. Fans, meanwhile, will point to a questionable penalty that didn’t go the Wolverines’ way. On a zone-read in the fourth quarter, senior running back Karan Higdon was penalized for a hold Harbaugh said was a “phantom call.” “I asked for it specifically just
to make sure they didn’t come back later and say it was some other player,” Harbaugh said. “They called it on 22, they called it on Karan, so I asked the referee, ‘Go ask the side judge who he called it on.’ So there wasn’t some different explanation days from now.” Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich also said he was “baffled” by what he thought were a litany of missed holding penalities against Northwestern’s offensive line. Officials make mistakes. It’s part of college football. Many of those mistakes happened to not benefit Michigan on Saturday. But it doesn’t discount a worrying trend. Penalties, for yet another week, proved numerous and detrimental. And as the Big Ten slate heats up, it could be only a matter of time before they culminate in another loss for the Wolverines. “We’ve got to make it clear that there were no penalties, so there’s no grey in-between for the refs to throw that flag,” said junior linebacker Josh Uche. “Like I said, it was self-inflicted stuff, but we adjusted.”
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Monday, October 1, 2018 — 3B
FOOTBALL Northwestern’s blitz too much for Wolverines ‘Evil genius’ Don Brown ANNA MARCUS Daily Sports Editor
Heading into Friday night, the Michigan women’s soccer team may have anticipated that Northwestern’s backline would give the Wolverines the most trouble. The Wildcats’ defense had surrendered just five goals over the first 11 games of the season, and thanks to brickwall goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood, seven of those games were shutouts. On Friday though, Michigan’s demise came at the hands of a rapid offensive onslaught, as No. 17 Northwestern (2-2-1 Big Ten, 8-2-2 overall) defeated the Wolverines in Evanston, 4-1. A lot about Friday’s game was unusual. For starters, Michigan (2-3-0, 6-6-0) outshot the Wildcats, 7-6, in the first half KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily of the game—the same frame Sophomore midfielder Alia Martin scored Michigan’s lone goal in the Wolverines’ 4-1 loss to Northwestern on Friday. Northwestern saw all four of allowing the Wildcats to catch its goals scored. The Wildcats minutes later. Northwestern a defensive powerhouse. By the 30-minute mark of them in transition and not hadn’t scored four goals in a capitalized on another set piece opportunity, this time the 90-minute game, all of the giving away as many corner game in two seasons. The first three goals came off with a header from defender scoring that would happen had opportunities—the detrimental f law of the first half. corner kicks, as Northwestern Kayla Sharples, putting them happened. Michigan exuded confidence jumped on opportunities when ahead, 2-0. It wasn’t until the Almost immediately, dwindling seconds of the in the final 15 minutes of the they were able to create set-ups Michigan responded with half that Michigan regained game after a back and forth and slow the game down. “I think it came down smart passing up the pitch momentum, crisply passing start to the second half. The midfielders and Wolverines created five or six to attention to details, and from senior midfielder Ashley between they capitalized on us,” said Calcagno to redshirt junior forwards in center of the pitch, viable scoring chances, but were unable to convert on any, Michigan coach Jennifer Klein. midfielder Katie Foug. After but it was too late. At halftime, the Wolverines leaving the game’s score the After a contentious first 10 fighting off a defender, Foug minutes that saw somewhat crossed the ball to sophomore knew they had significant same as it was at halftime. Klein felt proud of her team’s sloppy play characterized by midfielder Alia Martin, who work to do with a three-goal second half appearance, noting midfield turnovers from both sent the ball in to cut the deficit. “I told them (at halftime) I that Michigan’s play didn’t sides, Northwestern began to Wolverines’ deficit in half. “I think our ability to come think we can come back and necessarily ref lect in the box differentiate itself. At the 10:45 mark, the back and score, we had great win 5-4 if we clean up details,” score. “I was proud of the team’s Wildcat players crowded the control of the ball in the run- Klein said. “I think we were box on their first corner kick up play, we moved it really unfortunate to not get a goal response in the second half of the game, drawing the nicely, creating good chances,” in the half, but again, I thought to continue to fight and push, we controlled a lot of play but we just were unfortunate,” Wolverine defense inside. This Klein said. left Northwestern forward Over the course of the next and really had the ball for the Klein said. “It got close at the end, I told them that we needed Brenna Lovera open on the 15 minutes, Northwestern majority of the second half.” And in the second half, to be a team that was okay outside to smash the ball into tacked on two additional the top of the net, opening up insurance goals — the first Michigan was able to clean doing some dirty work, and I off yet another corner kick — things up. The Wolverines thought we could come back scoring in the game. The Wildcats wasted little running an efficient offense made a series of defensive and find a way to get a result. time, striking again under six for a team primarily known as adjustments, such as not Unfortunately, we didn’t.”
Next generation of Michigan defense emerges MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor
As the Michigan football team mounted its largest comeback in the Jim Harbaugh era Saturday against Northwestern, fans saw a team clawing for its season. They saw an offense do just enough, led by a quarterback who showed guile and resolve. They also saw a defense show a prolonged glimpse into what the future holds on that side of the ball. Junior Josh Uche and sophomore Kwity Paye, in particular, asserted themselves in career-best days. Uche and Paye — dubbed as two of the players expected to fill the shoes of fifth-year senior Chase Winovich and junior Rashan Gary — notched two sacks each. Their contributions proved game-altering against the Wildcats. “Like I said, talked about it at halftime,” Harbaugh said. “We were being tested, this is time to find out what we’re made of. And our guys really responded.” Though oft regarded as hard-working players, stubborn about taking even one play off, Gary and Winovich intentionally cede time in practice to get Paye, Uche and others more reps. “Rashan and Chase, in practice, make sure I get my reps, make sure I know what I’m doing,” Paye said Saturday. “They quiz me sometimes on what I’m doing in those situations.” The writing is on the wall, with Paye specifically, to ascend into a a more regular role next season. Gary and Winovich know it. Paye does, too. The sophomore has been operating in practice at both the “end” side and “anchor” side, taking all the reps Winovich and Gary relinquish. It’s made Paye — a natural edge pass-rusher — a more wellrounded defensive end, he says, but remains a challenge nontheless.
aids defense in 20-17 win MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor
It was a familiar punch to the jaw. Just as Notre Dame racked up three quick touchdowns in the season opener, Northwestern dealt the Michigan football team blow after blow early Saturday. The Wildcats ran 17 plays for 145 yards on their first three drives, seemingly converting everything they wanted. Quarterback Clayton Thorson completed slant after slant, resembling a prized fighter meticulously shredding and wearing down his opponent. He consistently had a clean pocket to throw from — the Wolverines defensive line’s “twist” stunts weren’t getting home. Michigan couldn’t avoid its own jabs, either. Its defense was penalized three times for 40 yards, as yellow f lags dismantled any resistance the Wolverines could muster. Late in the first quarter, a nine-play, 52-yard touchdown drive extended Northwestern’s lead to 17. It looked like a potential knock-out punch, especially with Michigan’s offensive sputtering. “We let small missed assignments turn into a big gains,” said sophomore defensive end Kwity Paye. “We just had to settle down.” “Settling down” is certainly not Don Brown’s M.O. The third-year defensive coordinator is known instead for his fiery personality, “solve your problems with aggression” mantra and endless pursuit of the quarterback. But that’s exactly what Brown did for the Michigan defense. After the first quarter, the Wolverines allowed just 119 yards of total offense and kept the Wildcats from truly delivering that KO. “He’s an evil genius of the defense,” said fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich. “It’s more than just his coaching style, it’s his ability to manage relationships, which requires a certain level of genius in itself to get everyone on the same page.” Naturally, aggression was Brown’s key to finding that page. Moving away from those twist stunts for a traditional pursuit, Michigan sacked Thorson five times in the second half. “It was like, ‘Let’s put our best pass rushers out there and straight pass rush them,’ ”
Paye said. The problem met aggression, and Brown had the answer. Calling blitzes like you’d expect from an “evil genius,” Brown made Northwestern’s offense look lost down the stretch, its quarterback picking himself off the turf consistently. Thorson couldn’t rely on those slants anymore, either. As they had two weeks ago against SMU, safeties Josh Metellus and Tyree Kinnel struggled early on quick passing plays in man-to-man coverage. But Brown had his solution, and of course, it was based in physicality. “We came in knowing that was their go-to — the short game,” said junior linebacker Josh Uche. “We just had to get better hands on the receivers coming off the line.” And as Metellus and company did just that, Michigan’s defense was officially settled in. Those penalties, quick passes and points all mostly disappeared during the second half. “Don Brown had some tremendous calls,” said coach Jim Harbaugh. “We got free runners to the quarterback, and that was big … We started getting our hands on some of those balls in the secondary and started applying pressure, and it really helped us.” So did the play of Uche and Paye, which was especially critical considering Rashan Gary left injured in the third quarter — he did return eventually. In breakout performances, the pair collected two sacks each during the absence of the junior defense end. True to his adjustment, it was Brown’s call that sealed Michigan’s largest come-frombehind victory since 2011. On the game’s final play, Uche speed rushed off the right edge to dispatch Northwestern’s tackle — no twist stunt needed — and sack Thorson. “It was good for him to show himself that he could ball,” Paye said. “Rashan got injured, and he stepped up and made some big plays for us.” Most importantly, they were the kind of plays Michigan needed with such a thin margin for error. With his team bruised and on the ropes, Brown helped Michigan settle in the only way he knows how: with aggression. “This would’ve been the greatest night of (their) lives,” Winovich said. “I think we spoiled that.”
“We just had to get better hands on the receivers...”
“Don Brown had some tremendous calls.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore defensive end Kwity Paye recorded a career-best two sacks in Michigan’s 20-17 win over Northwestern.
“I think (defensive line coach Greg Mattison) knows those guys are getting ready to leave,” Paye said last week. “So I feel like he’s trying to prepare me to try and eventually take over, eventually fill those spots. But as of right now, I’m just trying to contribute.” But it’s not only about the future. Given that opportunity to contribute Saturday, with Gary in and out of the lineup due to injury, Uche and Paye made the most of the present, too. In the fourth quarter, with the defense needing to get off the field on third down, Paye noticed Northwestern quarterback Thorson drifting to his left with the pocket eroding. Showing his athleticism, Paye exploded right at Thorson, finishing with vigor for a 10-yard sack, his second on the day. Uche, touted as a potential up-and-coming pass-rushing force for years now, seems to finally be emerging into just
that. He earned two sacks of his own by dipping his shoulder and sneaking past the tackle, the latter of which ended the game. As Harbaugh rattled off names of guys who impressed after Saturday’s game, Uche and Paye neared the top of the list multiple times. “Josh Uche, some of those speed rushes he had on the edge were huge,” he said. … “And also Kwity Paye, thought he really stepped up.” Then again later. “Kwity Paye, also showed up, as I said, Josh Uche,” he said again. “Two of those speed rushes went fast and powerful.” When Harbaugh mentions a player off-hand, that alone merits note. He, along with Mattison, will undoubtedly be finding more ways to get the duo on the field. Perhaps that means sliding Gary inside on some downs. Maybe it means resting the banged-up Gary in lower-leverage spots. It could just mean a more frequent
rotation in general. These are good problems to have. That these questions even need to be asked speaks well to the depth up front, and the future of the defense. And it wasn’t restricted to Paye or Uche. Freshman Aidan Hutchinson continues to demand playing time on the defensive line. Sophomore defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour played his best game in a Michigan uniform. Sophomore linebacker Josh Ross made several key plays, including a thumping passbreakup on a third down in the second half. The list could go on. Saturday’s game will be remembered in several ways. A late comeback on the road. A quarterback finding a way. A game that was closer than it should’ve been. But perhaps the most lasting memory? The emergence of the next generation of Michigan’s defense.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Defensive end Chase Winovich notched three tackles for loss on Saturday.
Sports
4B — Monday, October 1, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Patterson shows resilience in comeback win
Each week, Daily sports staffers fill out ballots, with first-place votes receiving 10 points, second-place votes receiving nine and so on.
MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor
EVANSTON — Saturday wasn’t Shea Patterson’s best performance in a Michigan uniform. It’s not one that will litter his highlight reel or show off to NFL scouts. His statistics won’t jump off the page come Sunday morning. But with 10:05 left in the fourth quarter, down by four points, Patterson took the ball and showed the very reason Michigan went and got him in the first place. He showed talent. He showed moxy. He showed emotion. In the process, he went out and won a Big Ten football game on the road, roaring back from an early 17-0 deficit to beat Northwestern, 20-17. “I saw a guy with poise, confidence and belief, a lot of faith,” said junior running back Karan Higdon. “When you work with somebody like that, who knows what can happen?” Against Notre Dame four weeks ago, that comeback effort fell short, as Patterson fumbled on a potential gametying drive with 46 seconds left. That game crept into the back of Patterson’s head as he took the huddle, down 17-13 in the fourth quarter, with the game in his hands. “I love when the moment’s big, even when I fail,” Patterson said. “I love that situation because you’ve got to fail to succeed.” Patterson, who entered the decisive drive 12-for-21 for just 152 yards, found Jared Wangler on a nine-yard checkdown in the f lat, surveying the field and choosing to dump the ball down to his fifth-year senior fullback. It was Wangler’s first career catch. Then, after two consecutive Higdon runs amounted to four yards, Patterson and the Michigan offense faced 3rd down. He knew he was dropping back. Northwestern knew he was dropping back. The whole stadium knew. Patterson dropped back anyway, firing a 13-yard strike to redshirt junior Zach Gentry on the sideline, entering
The Michigan Daily Top 10 Poll
1. Alabama: Ugh. 2. Georgia: Trade Justin Fields to Clemson for draft picks. 3. Ohio State: What did you expect? 4. LSU: If he keeps winning, Coach O is gonna get some looks from big programs like USC. 5. Clemson: The Tigers could really use a backup quarterback right now, like Kelly Bryant maybe. AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Junior quarterback Shea Patterson threw a pass to fifth-year senior fullback Jared Wrangler to spur a comeback win.
Northwestern territory as the clock continued to tick. Two plays later, he faced a third-and-six once again, this time eluding a linebacker to gain nine yards with his legs. He got off the ground and shimmied and signaled a first down with his arms. “This is why we play the game, situations like this,” Patterson said. “It was just a fun feeling. Call a zone read, get the first down, get excited about the game. I love it.” Then, the decisive play. The throw that will be seared into fans’ memories, the one that reminded everyone why it was imperative for Michigan to bring him in. Moments like this. Patterson fired a dart to Gentry for 22 yards, who was running down the seam. It was the perfect location — on Gentry’s right shoulder. It had the perfect speed — just miliseconds before the safety could come over the top to make a play on the ball. “They gave up a lot of stuff over the middle, and I think the adjustment in the second half just let your guy go make a
play,” Patterson said. “Put it in the vicinity, and that’s the kind of guy Zach Gentry is.” Def lect praise, as he may, it was an NFL throw. It was a winning throw. It also brought Michigan into a goal-to-go situation, where, two plays later, Higdon walked in for the game-winning, fiveyard score. Patterson pumped his arms and sprinted back to the sideline. “I like what we’re made of, starting with the quarterback,” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “He really stepped up big, took the game into his hands in a lot of ways there in the second half.” His resilience? “A-plus-plus,” Harbaugh added. In the first half, Patterson was uncharacteristically errant on a few throws, lamenting a potential touchdown to senior Grant Perry in the third quarter that was overthrown. Throughout the game, he stayed positive, entering offense, defense and special teams huddles to keep the team morale up. In the second half, he told
fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich, “ ‘You take care of what you need to take care of,’ as Winovich recalled. “We’re going to score this ball, we’re going to score this touchdown.’ ” And when it mattered most, he backed up those words. He made every throw when he needed, he found first downs with his legs when the situation called for it. He orchestrated and executed the 17-point comeback at the helm, on the road. But there’s something with Patterson right now that supercedes his talent. An ambiguous “it” factor that has been noticeably absent in the quarterback room the last few years. Some call it leadership. Higdon opted for “belief.” Winovich, Patterson’s roommate, took it step further. “I don’t know the statistics beside the W. I just know there’s something about him. I saw it the very first time we had met. He was a major factor in me coming back because there’s just an aura about him. … He’s a football player.
6. Notre Dame: Lol Ian Book? What a nerd. 7. Oklahoma: Gonna be a tough matchup next week, since Texas is definitely back this time. 8. Auburn: Remember when Jarrett Stidham played for Baylor? 9. Penn State: It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the Nittany Lions didn’t lose because James Franklin called a few horrible plays but because a few players don’t do their schoolwork. 10. West Virginia: Other sections of The Daily have told us we can’t make a Country Roads joke here.