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BUSINESS
Temporary licenses are given to A2 dispensaries Over 70 medical marijuana facilities can continue operation until March 31 ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Johnathan Jayes-Green, recipient of the 2019 Has, Jr. Award for Outstanding LGBTQ Leadership for Immigrant Rights speaks at the Creating Change Conference at the Detroit Mariott Renaissance Center Saturday afternoon.
Detroit Conference talks equality, justice in the LGBTQ community 3,000 attendees come together to discuss reproductive rights, #MeToo movement BARBARA COLLINS Daily Staff Reporter
The 31st annual Creating Change Conference, the nation’s largest LGBTQ conference, held Jan. 23-27, brought activists together from across the country to discuss freedom, justice and equality for the LGBTQ community. The event,
hosted by the National LGBTQ Task Force, was held in the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center with about 3,000 people in attendance. About 200 workshops and 50 events were offered at Creating Change. Participants could also attend day-long institutes, visit hospitality suites and utilize
complementary wellness services. While the conference primarily focused on LGBTQ issues and recognizing individuals who are working to make a difference in the community, topics such as the #MeToo movement, reproductive rights and immigration were integrated into discussion as well. Business senior Chandra Sahu,
a Ross representative for Central Student Government, said she heard about the conference through CSG and the Spectrum Center, and attended the conference as a representative of both. Sahu said she looked forward to learning more
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MELANIE TAYLOR Daily Staff Reporter
More than 70 Michigan dispensaries operating under temporary licenses were forced to shut their doors at the beginning of 2019. In compliance with a set of bills passed in 2016, reforming the way the state regulates the production and sale of medical marijuana. The result was a shortage in medical marijuana, plaguing many areas in Michigan including much of Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is home to 20 dispensaries, only seven of which have official licenses. Kinesiology junior L.J. Horowitz, a member of Green Wolverine’s founding executive board, estimated Ann Arbor has one of the highest densities of official
and total medical marijuana provisioning centers in the state. Green Wolverine is a student organization focusing on the cannabis industry. “It’s great for students and great for people who live in Ann Arbor, but that’s by far the most besides Detroit in any city in Michigan,” Horowitz said. When the shortage hit, Ann Arbor residents and business owners were disproportionately affected. Lisa Conine, community outreach coordinator at provisioning center Om of Medicine, described the scarcity as frustrating, saying patients were ridden with fear over what was to come.
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Annual MSA Sacred Time Project Panel views Ann Arbor postcards, looks at modern-day Islam, service proactively
ACADEMICS
activism in art world Brooklyn-based artist Opdyke displays new environmental installation EMMA STEIN
Daily Staff Reporter
On Friday afternoon, the University of Michigan’s Institute for the Humanities hosted a panel featuring Brooklyn-based artist David Opdyke, journalist Lauren Sandler, historian Tara Ward, and arts curator Amanda Krugliak to discuss the effectiveness of art as activism. The conversation centered on Opdyke’s new installation, titled “Paved with Good Intentions.” The piece is a collection of vintage postcards of popular American sights that Opdyke painted over. The postcards are assembled together, forming a scenic landscape riddled with environmental catastrophes and chaos. Opdyke said he has always made his art for himself and about his passions, but he has recently started being more purposeful in his creation. He said art is his form of activism and he has chosen to use his talent to try to make an impact. “I make it because I’m compelled to make it,” Opdyke said.
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CAMPUS LIFE
Student initiative focuses on being a faithful servant in the community, spirituality ALEX HARRING Daily Staff Reporter
Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans, Scholar-in-Residence at the American Learning Institute for Muslims, opened the Sacred Time Project 2019 — an annual weekend conference sponsored by the Muslim Students Association — Friday afternoon in the Rackham Amphitheatre with a session called “The Faithful Servant: Rooting Service in Tradition.” “I embraced Islam about 20 years ago,” Evans said. “I converted when I was 16 … so when I encountered Islam, it was this...uncompromising monotheism that really drew me to the faith.” Evans’s talk was one part of the Sacred Time Project, which ran Jan. 25-27. The conference included two main speakers — Evans and associate professor Su’ad Abdul Khabeer — as well as full-group sessions and other workshops and activities. LSA sophomore Areesha Shahab, who was a Sacred Time Project chair and took part in organizing the conference, said she hoped participants left the conference feeling empowered to be a servant within the community and feel more involved in the Islamic faith or spirituality. “This year, we were super heavily focused on student initiative and the aspect of being a faithful servant to the community and just being a
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good servant,” Shahab said. “I just want people to leave feeling like, ‘Oh, I need to do more’ or ‘Oh, I just need to get myself more involved in something.’” During his session, Evans discussed his discovery of Islam and experience with his faith. He also talked about similarities with other faiths, but the uniqueness of Islam comes from recognizing Muhammad’s place as a messenger for God.
He said in the past, Islam used to debate the place of God. In the present day, however, Evans said negotiations focus around understanding religion in real time. He specifically noted the conference’s focus on examining Islam and the understanding of the religion in the present day, which he characterized as a commendable quality of the program.
Evans then looked at the meaning of the term “servant” and what hierarchy entails. He said the Islamic model, as he understands it, is not about avoiding or disavowing privilege- rather, it is about helping those who are not as privileged and supporting equity.
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CARTER FOX/Daily
designs aid for workers
Federal government shutdown prompts local financial relief CATHERINE NOUHAN Daily Staff Reporter
On Friday morning, President Donald Trump signed a bill to reopen the government for three weeks, until Feb. 15. During the three-week period, Trump is attempting to negotiate with lawmakers for the Southern Border Wall. Ann Arbor and neighboring local governments took proactive measures to aid federal workers with payments and expenses accumulated if the federal government shutdown were to continue. On Jan. 22, Ann Arbor City Council passed a resolution allowing federal workers to defer payments to the city for 60 days after the government shutdown ends. Councilmembers voted unanimously to pass the resolution. Mayor Christopher Taylor introduced this resolution because he deemed it necessary to counteract the fiscal harm being inflicted by the government. “As everybody knows, the federal government is shut down and that is a condition that reflects terribly upon good
Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans, Scholar-in-Residence at the American Learning Institute for Muslims, speaks about his relationship with Islam in Rackham Auditorium.
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Editorial Staff ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily The Michigan Daily Hockey beat traveled to New York City to cover the Michigan Wolverines take on the Penn State Nittany Lions at Madison Square Garden Saturday.
Researcher talks behavioral trends regarding American energy consumption
Lauren Knapp presents work on environmental attitudes in the face of global warming
energy-related questions to add costs and benefits derived from to the University of Michigan the multitude of wind energy Survey of Consumers, and in the developments in the U.S. Knapp then noticed that fall of 2013, the Energy Survey Fifteen students, professors, depending on one’s regional was released. researchers and community The survey has run quarterly location, their concern toward members gathered in Weill for five years, taking place in the energy on the environment Hall Friday to listen to Lauren fall, winter, spring and summer. varied. In a recent investigation Knapp, a researcher at the Energy Utilizing a random-digit dialing done by the Pew Research Center, Institute, present discoveries on procedure, researchers gathered researchers found those living American behaviors and attitudes data from adult men and women in coastal areas place greater towards energy. Due to the increasing effects respondents from all over the importance on the problems of global warming, Knapp country. Approximately 500 associated with climate change. households were asked a series The study also found different believes it is important for energy of 18 questions regarding their energy prices and affordability consumers to be informed about programs might also play a role in the varying types of alternative attitudes toward energy. John DeCicco, a research this association. energy sources. DeCicco said the next question professor at the Energy Institute “Arguably one of the largest challenges in society today is and director of the Energy in the research would include theSyndication pressing need for deep, deep Survey, said the survey really is a how these findings will change Sudoku http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ energy prioritization,” Knapp “psychology-based survey,” as it human behavior. “The next kind of question studies attitudes more than is does the concern for the statistical data. “We ask pretty broad environment translate in any questions about people’s way to them acting differently,” feelings about energy, it’s DeCicco said. “Is it a general really about attitudes,” concern where they don’t do HARD DeCicco said. “We ask how anything about it. Or does it people feel about the cost of motivate them to change their energy, or how affordable behavior in some way?” One of the behaviors they feel it is. Then, we ask people about their consumers of certain utility thoughts on the reliability companies are adopting is to pay of energy and about the an extra eight cents extra per environmental impact of kilowatt hour on their electric energy, or how much they bills to get renewable energy. think energy impacts the These include wind power or solar power alternatives provided environment.” After five years of data, by local utility companies. To DeCicco, Knapp and DeCicco’s knowledge, there are Sarah Mills, senior project no programs like this currently manager at the Ford School found in the state of Michigan. So far, green pricing programs of Public Policy, began to analyze the array of serve 597 counties across 24 states feedback. Knapp specifically according to the researchers’ looked into the outpouring PowerPoint. Some of the top green of responses in relation pricing utilities include Portland to the societal value that General Electric, PacifiCorp and Americans place on coastal Austin Energy. energy, transportation and nature-based infrastructure © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. Read more at ICY OUT THERE :/ puzzle by sudokusyndication.com systems. MichiganDaily.com Within her findings, she looked into the social Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com! SAMANTHA SMALL Daily Staff Reporter
said. The research, coming from a five-year survey, showed consumer concerns about energy affordability have decreased, and concern regarding energy’s effect on the environment has increased significantly over the past five years. For a little over five years, the Energy Institute has been working in collaboration with researchers at the Institute of Social Research (ISR), the world’s largest academic social science survey and research organization, to create an all-purpose study that looks into the human concern about the environmental impact of energy usage. The two institutes developed
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Michigan in Color
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Monday, January 28, 2019 — 3A
Where are you from? It’s complicated DEVAK NANUA MiC Contributor
At the beginning of each of my semesters at Michigan, I’ve consistently felt the same uncomfortable cacophony of emotions. On one hand, I’m thoroughly bored by the end of break and am pining for the semester to start. I feel excited about the thought of getting back on campus, seeing lots of old friends, meeting new people and also getting busy again. But then as the first day of classes comes around the corner the feeling of excitement is often replaced with stress and anxiety as I start to remember what a busy college semester feels like and how meeting new people proves to be harder than it sounds.
The transition between break and a busy college semester usually starts with the awkward round of icebreakers that one is bound to participate in the majority of their classes. This is usually when you get to find out interesting facts and talents about your peers such as “I like hummus”, “I’m double-jointed almost everywhere in my body” or even “I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels”. Like many on campus, I have spent the last few days trying to make my “fun fact” something that will make people laugh at the moment, but also something that people won’t strictly remember me by. But during these painstaking ice breakers, one question that is a little more difficult for me to answer is “Where are you from?” This is usually a question that people don’t struggle with, but person-
ally it means a lot more than just the name of the city where I was born or where I went to high school. It means: what are the places that have molded you into the person you are today? Ann Arbor, Michigan and Bangalore, India are two places that are very dear to me. I have lived the majority of my life in Ann Arbor, but I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be the person I am now without the three years I lived in India. In fact, looking back at it, as a first generation Indian-American immigrant, it meant a lot to me to have my own experience with India. Prior to that, hearing stories from my parents about their childhood, eating the Indian food my mom makes, waking up at 6 a.m. to talk to my grandparents and cousins on the phone and summer vacations to India were the extent
of my cultural exposure. But living in India really allowed me to relate to my family in a way that I hadn’t been able to before. It made it possible for
What are the places that have molded you into the person you are today?
my parents to share a lot of the same experiences that they had growing up in India. My parents showed me where they grew up, I participated in a lot of tradi-
tional festivals and holidays and I got to see my family a lot more often than I had before. Living in India gave me the opportunity to explore my heritage in a way I wasn’t able to before. It wasn’t really until after I moved back to Ann Arbor that I slowly started to realize the importance and the significance of my Asian-American identity. Before I moved, Ann Arbor was the only home I knew. In fact, while I was terribly homesick during my first month there, I made it very clear to all of my classmates that I bleed maize and blue. However, when I moved back three years later, I realized Bangalore had become a part of me that I couldn’t get rid of. I couldn’t pretend that I had never moved there. After all, I came back with a thick Indian accent and a completely different personality. It
was the first time that I had to come to terms with and accept my cultural identity for it’s the one thing that makes everyone themselves and unique. All of this would be really difficult and maybe even borderline overkill to explain in an icebreaker on the first day of class. But the next time it’s my turn, I probably won’t try to make mine as short as possible in order to get to the next person. Sometimes what may seem like a “simple question” deserves a complicated answer and can reveal a lot about a person. So please, if you have to take a couple of extra seconds during an ice breaker that’s already been going on for too long to represent where you’re from, please take them. We’re all ears.
Why the “Us” Trailer is so refreshing for Black families ARIELLE MCENTYRE MiC Columnist
When the trailer for the movie “Us” came out on Christmas Day, it seemed to shake up the nation. Not only did the film itself just look horrifyingly good, but it was also very refreshing for Black people around the country. After many questions about the film’s premise, Jordan Peele
has stated that the film has nothing to do with with race, contrary to his Oscar-winningOscar winning 2017 film Get Out. At a screening of the Us trailer, Peele told the audience that it was very important for him “to have a Black family at the center of a horror film”. Black people in this genre are very rare to see, so having an entire black family as the center of the film is exciting.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures Having Black main characters of any film will send the masses of the Black population running into the theater spending their coin out of support. But this film, in particular, in particular is refreshing because of the fact that the main characters are what seems to be a normal Black family. We are so used to seeing Black fam-
The Art of Being Self-Aware CHARLES HARRIS MiC Columnist
I guess looking up at the stars you get a sense of something much bigger than yourself. You realize that in the grand scheme of things you’re not much but a speck in the universe. But yet you sit and think for hours a day on how to change the world, or at least yours You know time is socially constructed, but live and die by it. Spending a lot of it on what I hope gives you a fulfilling feeling deep inside Even in the moments that you wish you could get back, because you believe it was time wasted, but in reality it wasn’t because here you are right here, right now. You start to realize that everything is connected, every small or big action you have done has put you in the exact spot you are in now. Not a second too late, or early. The butterfly effect starts to become very clear to you now. So now you become mindful of every small action you do, hoping that at some point all the insignificant moments in your life start to culminate into a puzzle, if you will. You live everyday with a limited perspective, until you have small epiphanic moments that broadens your perspective. Ideals and situations that were once clouded, become clear as island water untouched by man. Every breath you take, is much more refreshing because you realize the true value of every inhale and exhale. The colors are more vivid, and purpose fuels passion. The details of the hues become euphoric. So now looking up at the night sky feels different, and the stars don’t feel so distant. You realize that the grand scheme is made up of the small specks such as yourself, And every person you come into contact with help you complete the bigger picture So the importance of traveling and meeting new people can’t be stressed enough And having the right people around you is doubly as important. People come and go, and you have to learn a lesson from every situation you’re in. The silver lining, is something I have an eye for; time doesn’t stop so we can’t stress trying to stop, reverse, or forward it Every moment is a gift and a piece to your puzzle.
ilies with a parent missing (usually the father) because they are in jail or just missing for a reason that is never explained. Sometimes we see a single Black mother who has been made into the popular Black stereotype of the “welfare queen”. When we do see a middle class, nuclear Black family, there seems to be one family member (usually the daughter) who is unrealistically lighter than the rest of the fam-
ily. Based off of the trailer, the film Us will feature a darkskinneddark skinned, middleclassmiddle class suburban family who is able to be friends with white people while still listening to music such as The Luniz’s “I Got 5 On It” during family time. This is extremely refreshing for 21st century Black families who live in the suburbs and, have white friends
and acquaintances, but are also still very aware of their Black identities. While I do think that it is important for there to be multiple representations of Black people in televisions and movies just like how there are in real life- the good, the bad, and the ugly- I think that this movie will be a positive representation of how a lot ofmany Black people live today.
Opinion
4A — Monday, January 28, 2019
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TIMOTHY SPURLIN | COLUMN
The first step to fighting climate change is thinking small
T
he summer of 2018 saw a popular collective movement from companies and consumers alike as they rallied against the use of plastic straws. Companies such as Starbucks began to announce the eradication of plastic straws from their practices. In large part, this movement was in response to a viral video depicting a sea turtle with a plastic straw caught in its nose that sparked a conversation between many online. This video (thats original upload amassed over 30 million views) provided the perfect spark that triggered a movement leading to the plastic straw apocalypse. This is in large part because it is easy to enact change when the dilemma has a tangible (and cute) icon, like sea turtles, and puts a real face on the thing doing them harm: straws. In our country alone, we learned Americans use 500 million straws every single day. And so the story wrote itself — if you want to be environmentally conscious and do your part, all you need to do is forgo the straw and save a turtle! However, the sobering reality is that plastic straws only account for about 0.02 percent of total ocean plastic — a quite literal drop in the ocean of plastic. I don’t want to say this is a bad thing — quite the contrary. I am all for ditching the straw and “saving the turtle” at every opportunity. In fact, this is a good example of how nonenvironmentally-minded people can support environmental causes when given the proper motivation. As g reat as this moment is, imag ine if we could take the momentum generated surrounding plastic straws and apply it to other, larger environmental causes such as climate change — one of the biggest economic threats of our generation. Truthfully, this tactic has already been tried to no avail. Growing up as a kid, I remember watching the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” for the first time. Controversial for the era, the 2006 documentary highlighted and explained the problem of global warming and called its viewers to action to do something about it. Of the many stories and facts given during the film, the images that stuck with me the most were of polar bears swimming around, unable to find stable ice. The narration explained the melting of arctic ice was destroying these bears’ homes, and if global warming continued uninhibited, there
would be no more polar bears. This is the exact same kind of situation that led to the plastic straw craze over the summer: an innocent animal being harmed by the unintended consequences of human activity. Yet the campaign to save the polar bears failed to reach a more general audience in the same way. Perhaps that is because it was pre-social media, or that our generation is more motivated by environmental concerns than previous generations ( both of which are reasonable, plausible answers to why there was not the same kind of movement then as there
The aggregation of these small choices will result in a huge impact on climate change is today). I would offer a third possible answer. The main reason everyday people are willing to forgo straws in the name of saving the environment is not due to some newfound respect for nature but rather a result of the ease of changing actions. Saving the polar bears implies drastically changing our lifestyle — mainly the reduction of fossil fuel consumption. And regardless if you hate fossil fuels, every single American benefits from how cheap and convenient these fuels are. Even as clean, renewable alternatives are rapidly becoming cheaper and more efficient, we are still rely heavily on fossil fuels. Plastic straws and sea turtles, on the other hand, require a much simpler response. After all, unless you need them for medical reasons, refusing straws has little impact on our everyday lives. It’s much easier than trading in your gas guzzler and installing solar panels in order to save a polar bear. So the question arises: How can we get people motivated about climate change in the same way? The answer to fighting climate change lies in breaking down a seemingly impossible monumental problem into everyday, small-scale decisions. Take meat consumption, for example. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, livestock production results in greenhouse gas
emissions, primarily through the natural production of methane. In order to make a dent in reducing carbon emissions, we are going to need to reduce the amount of meat we consume. When most people hear that, they scoff and make a claim about how we are natural meat eaters, and how they would never go vegan. As frustrating as it is to hear people be so dismissive immediately, I cannot blame them. I consider myself an environmentalist, yet I still consume meat (I mean, Chick-fil-A nuggets are too good to pass up, right?). The misconception here is that changing our food consumption needs to be a drastic, life-altering vow. Instead of trying to get everyone to go completely vegan, we should start by trying to make conscious, modest yet impactful choices to reduce our consumption. The aggregation of these small choices will result in a huge impact on climate change. For instance, if every American simply forwent meat just one day a week, it would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road. When framed this way, suddenly the impossible seems conceivably possible. After all, how much would it really cost us to drop the steak dinner once a week? Even more exciting news is the development of the alternative meat industry. Products such as the Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat offer a meat alternative that tastes, feels and is otherwise interchangeable with traditional beef at a fraction of the environmental impact. Prices for these alternatives are already competing with the real thing. Pretty soon we will be able to save the environment while still getting our beef fix. If we are going to make a serious dent in climate change, and save the polar bears, Americans will seriously need to reconsider their consumptive habits. Partaking in “Meatless Mondays,” while a great beginning, is not the be-all, end-all of climate solutions. Not to mention, fighting climate change is not solely a consumerresponsible task (indeed, we will need larger institutional support as well). Changing a culture takes time, but we need to start somewhere, and if we focus on it there can be real, tangible change. Timothy Spurlin can be reached at timrspur@umich.edu
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G
U-M needs an all-female work space
rowing up as a young woman means that you are constantly on display. Everywhere you go — at school, at the grocery store, at volleyball practice, at church, at the pool, even at home — you are always open to critique, comments or questions related to your body. If it’s not, “Smile honey,” it’s, “Those pants are NOT flattering” or “Your bra strap is showing” or “Why do you have a ‘lesbian’ haircut?” And especially after the transition to young adulthood — though some girls experience this even before puberty — people view you through the lens of attractiveness. Whether it’s the creepy guy scanning you up and down at the gas station or the “I bet boys are all over you” comment at large family gatherings, your existence is always in proximity to the male gaze. It’s not just men who do this to women, though. One of the biggest scams of the patriarchy is the system in which women are punished for breaking gender norms. Some women feel it is their duty to police other women according to those patriarchal norms. For many young women, it is often older (and more conservative, by way of their age) women who push notions of what is and is not “acceptable” in public. This creates an environment where women — young women especially — experience criticism from all angles, doubly so if you are a woman of color, LGBTQIA+, differently abled, etc. It can be maddening, heartbreaking and downright rage-inducing to constantly field gendered and often sexist ridicule. Of course, the real solution to sexism is to dismantle the white supremacist heteropatriarchy, but what about right now? In Fall 2016, The Wing, a community and co-working space designated for women, opened in New York City. Founder of The Wing, Audrey Gelman, developed the idea for a space just for women after spending her birthday at a girls-only party, realizing the importance of “ladies’ nights” for women. Eventually, Gelman partnered with Lauren Kassan to open The Wing after finding that other co-working spaces couldn’t offer what they were looking for. Though they take inspiration
from early women’s clubs in the 19th and 20th centuries, Gelman and Kassen make inclusivity a priority by encouraging trans and non-binary folks, people of color and low-income women to apply for membership, even offering a scholarship to ensure it is accessible for everyone. Partly for socializing and partly for working, The Wing offers much more than a typical work space, including events with speakers like politician Hillary Clinton or actress Kerry Washington, blowouts, showers, lactation rooms, a cafe and a daycare for women with children. Since the success of the first space in Soho, New York, the company has expanded to six other locations, including Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, and plans to open in five other cities including Chicago, London and Toronto, making a total of eleven Wings. More than the amenities and chic decor, the Wing offers a space for women to exist outside all the ways in which women are marginalized. It’s not just about making a safe space for women, though. It’s about making a space where women are celebrated and can celebrate each other. A space for women allows women to create community through socializing with and supporting one another. Gelman told business magazine Fast Company, “The air feels different when it’s only women. The atmosphere is incredibly warm, there’s an absence of competition or snark or cattiness. Everyone is just really excited to be here and to meet new people.” I know the feeling, especially at the University of Michigan. I am a double major in Political Science and Women’s Studies, and I’m sure you can guess which classes are mostly women and which are not. In contrast to my male-dominated political science classes, my women’s studies classes are not just different in content but different in atmosphere. There is less tension in the air. People are friendly, understanding and supportive. No one interrupts you or mansplains to you. No one invades your personal space while pretending to be clueless about the whole thing. Everyone is considerate and professional.
It is less a matter of social bonding and more a matter of just being treated like a human being. It is difficult to articulate in words, like really any feeling is, but I feel a sense of comfort, a sense of ease in my bones when I am learning surrounded by women. I am no longer on display. I am no longer expected to perform — or risk punishment for breaking — social norms that cater to men. I can relax — opening myself up to new possibilities for learning, understanding and engaging. There are also concrete learning benefits for women in all-female spaces. Nilanjana Dasgupta, a Psychological and Brain Sciences professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, found that first-year women engineering students, “participate more actively” and “feel less anxious” when they are in mostly female or gender-equal groups. An all-female work space would not be disrupting the many benefits of a co-ed university, such as a wider range of perspectives and the opportunity to learn to work in teams with other genders. An all-female work space at the University, inclusive of any female-identifying person, would simply, but notably, allow female students in a work environment free from gendered pressures and expectations, a place they can be re-energized in their academic pursuits by other women. Specifically, this space might take inspiration from The Wing by holding events centered around celebrating women and their achievements through hosting speakers or educational and social events, which would elevate the space from just being a refuge to being a space for empowerment. College life outside of academic pursuits can be a soup of young people riddled with freedom, hormones and alcohol who are looking for hookups. A place for young female students to escape, to live even for just a few hours outside of the world that constantly undermines and undervalues their existence, would be transformative. Marisa Wright can be reached at marisadw@umich.edu.
ELLERY ROSENZWEIG | COLUMN
W
Soft energy is power
ith our stomachs full of popcorn and Buncha Crunch (the best movie snack combination), my brother and I drove home after seeing “On the Basis of Sex,” the story of now-Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her historychanging case on gender discrimination as a young attorney. We began our usual movie debrief and analysis, discussing how the characters were depicted, what we loved, what we would have changed and how the film made us feel. It was everything we could have asked for in a film about RBG (besides the fact that Felicity Jones, who plays her, isn’t Jewish — but that is for another column). We could not get over how strong, soft and confident RBG was depicted in the film. We were so fired up and empowered by watching her story. So I asked my brother where he thought she got her sense of security and confidence. He thought it had to be from her supportive husband Marty, who believed in her, was her equal and stood beside her always. I thought she learned it from her mother, because, in the film, they gave us some background about her teaching Ruth to question everything. But then I thought her confidence could have come from a secureness in her skills, knowledge or talent. And if she didn’t believe in herself, was she just channeling the classic lesson: Fake it until you make it? Regardless of how RBG gained her confidence, she was a key leader in change and challenged the status quo in her own way. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
harnesses soft energy, a type of spirit that is thoughtful and nurturing yet still comamands people’s attention. She is softspoken, thoughtful, detailoriented and sensitive. With all of these soft traits she holds, she also has the confidence to implement them into her work. When picking the series of cases that made discrimination of gender illegal, she looked at the details and knew how to frame it to the Supreme Court. She knows the power of her skills, knowledge and gifts and uses them to create change. As of late, I have been trying to channel my soft energy because I, too, am one big softie.
She knows the power of her skills, knowledge and gifts and uses them to create change I have always been pretty self-aware of my emotional intelligence, sensitivity, nurturing abilities and relationship skills. I thought this skill set could only be really beneficial in my personal life and caretaking for children or older adults. This past year, I became the president of my cooperative house without holding the stereotypical characteristics of a president. I didn’t have the intention of being a leader in my house, but by building strong relationships with my housemates over time, being
passionate about the future of our house and being my authentic soft self, I was able to gain this position. Being the president continues to show me how my soft traits positively impact my leadership style and power. So, if I am aware of my strengths, how do I gain the confidence to apply these traits and put myself out there to work toward positions that scare me or are further out of reach? How can I harness my soft energy the way RBG did in law school and continues to do today as a Supreme Court justice? RBG never changed herself or her style to gain a position in power. She is a great example of how feminine, soft people can lead without having an iron fist or hard, masculine energy. I’m lucky to have someone in power with whom I share identities: being a white Jewish woman and setting the path which she did not have before her. Perhaps due to her position in the world — the privileges she holds and her intersecting role as one of the few woman in a field dominated by men — she has been able to cultivate her confidence. From now on, I am going to continue harnessing my soft energ y and remember that it can positively impact my leadership and power, even if I have to fake it until I make it. I think that when we are confident in our own abilities, even if they challenge the stereotypical image of power, we can create change and lead those around us in our own way. Ellery Rosenzweig can be reached at erosenz@umich.edu.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
STYLE NOTEBOOK
Monday, January 28, 2019 — 5A
FILM REVIEW
Is Kondo’s advice realistic? RBG’s biopic is stunning PRIYDARSHINI GOUTHI Daily Arts Writer
Like every other school night, I was surfing Netf lix after completing work and stumbled across the show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” The show follows Marie Kondo, the famed Japanese organizing consultant, as she helps families across America gain some semblance of order in their lives. Kondo is most famously known for her book called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” which focuses on the technique she employs which has been dubbed as the KonMari Method. The essence of this particular method lies in her belief that every item that we own must “spark joy,” or in other words, elicit happiness from within us. If you think about that statement, it does make sense: Why should one keep something if it does not please them? I watched the first episode and was left absolutely enamored. Some part of me was even inspired to start my own cleaning drive in my room. The KonMari Method is rather simple beyond its underlying ideology, and can be broken down into two key parts: discarding and organizing. The first is straightforward and essentially recommends getting rid of any and all things that contribute to the stress of our daily lives, but that does not necessarily equate to living a minimalist life. The second part requires us to visualise the final image and find an appropriate space for each item by categorising them according to type instead of location. However, the most important yet unsaid step is to be committed to tidying up the space, and to remember to do it all at once instead of breaking it into smaller portions. It isn’t rocket science, but it is hard work. After watching the show, I really wanted to try this out for myself. Let it be known: This isn’t something I or most people would normally have a desire to do. So the question that really arises is: Why is that? Why are we only motivated when something becomes so popular?
Marie Kondo and her ingenious ways of organizations are undeniably helpful and have been becoming increasingly popular ever since Netf lix first released the show. The internet is filled with discussions on the KonMari Method, how it has changed people’s lives and that it’s the next big thing. There are countless articles analyzing the method and simplifying it further, which I found surprising for two
Marie Kondo isn’t the first person that has tried revolutionizing the way we organize our lives
reasons. The idea itself is self explanatory to a great extent and, as I mentioned earlier, it isn’t rocket science; it is simply the notion of building a habit that stays with us. Marie Kondo isn’t the first person that has tried revolutionizing the way we organize our lives, yet her way has now been turned into a movement and placed on a pedestal and as the ultimate way to get things right. I agree — it is indeed difficult to have everything in place all the time and having definite ways to go about doing so can make a difference. But are we really making that change? I love the show and how it not only shows the process of cleaning in such a clear manner, but the fact that they have remained true to her Japanese heritage and didn’t dub the language. It is indeed the small things that matter. However, I am beginning to question our immediate instinct to follow the popular trend, and this is not a new discussion. As a society, we have been asking this for a while now, and there is possibly
Classifieds
no one answer, maybe it just boils down to human tendency. The problem lies in the fact that when we simply follow something because it’s popular or famous for that period of time, we learn it, but we don’t retain it. I say this from a personal experience; I gave in to my urge and tried the KonMari method myself. The first time I did it, it was time-consuming, but it was fun. I enjoyed choosing between the gazillion pieces of clothing I own and asking myself whether that piece made me happy, and then folding it into tiny stackable rectangles. However, it wasn’t something that I would be able to keep up for more than a week. For those who do, kudos to you. You are a select minority that truly assimilated the technique into your lives. For the rest of us, the harsh truth (though we may not consciously agree) is that we probably did it to appreciate how aesthetic it looked for once and because it is the talk of the town right now. This time next week, the talk will be something else, and we will be trying that, already having forgotten the art of tidying up. We move from one idea, one trend to another at the speed of lightning. We are living in a world where sticking to one idea and completing it for an extended period of time is difficult. I believe that we need to possibly stop hyping ideas, trends and people, even, to such a great degree, and then just jump the boat. If we believe that something is truly worth the amount of attention we are giving it, we need to show it not through our articles or social media posts but by actually just continuing to do it. Given these thoughts, I still highly recommend watching the show on Netf lix, for it is wonderful and does “spark joy,” and maybe even try your hand at tidying up your life in her way. Who knows, you might actually end up loving it and incorporating it into your daily life. In the process, you might just find the next revolutionary method of organizing our lives. If you do, let us all know, because I can already see the heap of clothes piling up at the back of my room.
JULIANNA MORANO Daily Arts Writer
To want to change the world is not an uncommon ambition. Perhaps that explains why reflex responses to this sentiment are consolidating around the form of a dismissive grunt. But what if, just this once, we paused and unpacked the aspiration before issuing a hasty dismissal? Then rescaled it to fit a cross-section of the world, and calibrated it according to the talents of its utterer, then, beyond that, situated it in a specific arena for enacting change, and, last but not least, launched wholeheartedly after that revised version of the phrase? For the promising results of this experiment, see “On the Basis of Sex.” Mimi Leder’s (“The Leftovers”) biographical drama recounts some of the lesserknown episodes of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s (Felicity Jones, “Rogue One”) quest to dismantle legally-sanctioned gender-based discrimination, culminating in the case Charles E. Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue in federal appellate court. Now, as the end of the film coincides with Ginsberg’s victory in this court case, the film errs on the side of rejoicing excessively over a small victory part of a much larger, and at times much more brutal, struggle. But all the better to err on the side of building momentum in favor of social justice than on the side of overemphasizing the limits of minute accomplishments. The latter tactic runs the risk of ingraining despair; the former leaves audiences feeling eager to carry the torch and characterizes the chief impression “On the Basis of
Sex” will leave on audiences. To achieve this effect, the film reminds us that if you plan to change the world, first, you must live in it. Whether you’re taking it to the streets, the courtroom or even the kitchen as your family prepares dinner, you will not be granted reprieve from the injustice you’re striving to upend. The filmmakers capture Ginsberg’s endurance of sex-based discrimination in various parts of her world, from the dean of Harvard Law School’s (Sam Waterston, “Law & Order”) framing of her admission to law school as nothing more than his own noble gesture on her behalf,
“On the Basis of Sex” The Michigan Theater Focus Features to an interviewer at a legal firm ogling her (concealed!) cleavage before turning her down. At the same time, the film remains conscious that Ginsburg is one woman amid an entire nation’s worth. She is not the only one who seeks justice, and the film is not mired in her vision of change alone. In various scenes in her classroom at Rutgers, she solicits the perspectives of her young students, who hail from diverse backgrounds. At home, she spars with her daughter Jane (Cailee Spaeny, “Bad Times at the El Royale”), who places greater trust in civil disobedience and Gloria Steinem than in the law. And in the process of avoiding a myopic portrait of what the struggle for equality looks like, the film renders a surprisingly comprehensive historical atmosphere and defies the tendency of historical biographical dramas to lose
themselves in the force of their main character and neglect their historical situation in turn. “On the Basis of Sex” defies other expectations. It doesn’t, for example, flatten the characters secondary to the subject of its biographical lens. In particular, Spaeny’s performance of teenage Jane Ginsburg comes to mind. She challenges her mother’s chosen arena for effecting change, at one point accusing her mother of settling to inspire another generation of activists rather than taking matters into her own hands. Later, she questions how much legal change can accomplish compared to social movements. These tense scenes will undoubtedly leave audience members reevaluating their own ideals of social change. As a film that centers genderbased discrimination, “On the Basis of Sex” also carefully avoids relying on tropes of female portrayals, especially in Jones’s portrayal of Ginsburg. Refreshingly, the filmmakers did not recycle the familiar dramas that working mothers and wives are often called to act out in film. Instead, the character simply lives her own unique story. So, when next you hear someone say they want to change the world, think before you roll your eyes. Think of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Or perhaps Jane Ginsburg. Better yet, picture an entire history of world-changing women and hear how powerful their voices are in chorus. And be grateful for the reminder “On the Basis of Sex” gives us, of the possibilities that await once we trade the complacency of cynicism for the humbling effect of a leap of faith and trust of self.
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Release Date: Monday, January 28, 2019
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
SUMMER EMPLOYMENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Take it easy 5 Cabo’s peninsula 9 Sheepish smile 13 Cabinet dept. with an oil derrick on its seal 14 Immortal racehorse Man __ 15 What kneaded dough should do 16 “360˚” CNN anchor 19 Bud 20 “How disgusting!” 21 Gave medicine to 22 “Uncle Vanya” playwright 27 Yoga posture 28 Krypton or xenon 32 Semester 34 Pea surrounder 35 One of about 268,600 in Tex. 36 You, to Yves 38 Hipster, and based on their initials, what each of 16-, 22-, 52and 61-Across is? 41 Blender setting 42 Hubbubs 44 Like Letterman’s humor 45 “See ya later” 47 Dugout seats 49 Put together, as equipment 52 “Appalachian Spring” composer 56 Lustrous bit of wisdom 59 Tokyo’s former name 60 When repeated, a Gabor 61 19th-century steel industry philanthropist who built an eponymous concert hall 66 Nod off 67 Prefix with correct 68 Dunham of “Girls” 69 Snow transport 70 H.S. math subject 71 Clog fillers DOWN 1 Becomes aware of 2 Explanatory comment written in the margin, say
3 British alphabet ender 4 Bard’s “before” 5 Title cop played by Titus Welliver 6 Came to 7 First mo. 8 Rainbow shape 9 Slots cut with a chisel 10 Fabric flaws 11 “Got it” 12 Bookish type 17 Rock’s Ocasek 18 Dumpster emanation 19 Sheep bleat 23 Half and half 24 Agent on a bust 25 McDonald’s founder Ray 26 Dove into vigorously, as work 29 Stylish men’s monthly 30 Parisian pal 31 Common dinner hour 33 Grass cutter 34 Two-__ tissue 36 Restaurant bill 37 Poem of praise 39 Approximately
40 Baseball rain delay cover 43 Like Capone’s face 46 Up to, informally 48 Partner of hearty 50 Vote out of office 51 Kiss in a busy store, for short 53 “Sweet!” 54 PC drive insert
55 Buff suffix 56 Footballer’s shoulder protection 57 Hydroxyl compound 58 Axe relative 62 Happy tail movement 63 Billiards stick 64 Legendary seasonal helper 65 “Holy cow”
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DAILY WORLD MUSIC COLUMN
Cacophony and Cornelius SAYAN GHOSH
Daily World Music Columnist
For a brief moment in mid ’90s Tokyo, a new musical genre flourished and traveled around the world to the very countries that fed into its creation in the first place. “Shibuya-kei” was a patchwork of genres that borrowed from the previous decade’s city pop and everything from MPB (Brazilian pop), French chansons and ’70s lounge music. The district Shibuya is an eclectic monument to consumerism in the best way such a description could entail, and Shibuya-kei reflects its soul. Trying to recount the complex, fascinating history of the genre in just a few short sentences would do it a disservice, so I recommend checking out a brilliant article by Drowned in Sound for a primer. Keigo Oyamada, known as Cornelius, was one of the founders of Shibuya-kei’s most iconic bands, Flipper’s Guitar. His 1997 work Fantasma (which the article names as the genre’s
“essential album”) is a result of his prolific solo career, and distills the essence of the genre he helped elevate into a cohesive yet chaotic album. Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights (in my opinion, one of the best albums ever made), takes the listener on a tour of the city in the dead of night, when its seedy underbelly comes to the surface and when one can feel the crushing isolation it induces. Fantasma rewinds a couple hours before the comedown. Manic energy is abounding, and the night is still unpredictable. Fantasma bounces around genres and time periods, with Cornelius paying homage to figures from Brian Wilson to ABBA, and injecting his homages with an infectious kitchiness. “New Music Machine” channels noise pop and shoegaze, reminding me of an amped-up version of Yo La Tengo’s “Sugarcube.” “Chapter 8 ‘Seashore and Horizon’” feels like a warped Revolverera Beatles Track. “Star Fruits Surf Rider” somehow combines a Jungle-esque breakbeat and a
beautiful orchestral interlude. “Clash” alternates between lying on a bed of bossa nova chords and bursting into a powerful chorus. The album is an interesting case study on artistic influences. Like the Greta van Fleets of the world, Cornelius wears his unabashedly on his sleeve. Unlike the Greta van Fleets of the world, he synthesizes them into a compelling, inventive and most importantly, completely novel form. You can feel his admiration and love for the artists he channels without every getting the sense he’s making a hackneyed cover of any one of them. Fantasma may veer into overtly cartoonish territory at times, but that’s what gives it its charm. Listening to it is like taking a peek into its creator’s colorful mind or like walking around Shibuya at night, with the neon signs illuminating the throngs of people around you and the cacophony of noises settling into a somewhat comfortable background. It’s overwhelming, sure, but it’s also incredibly exciting.
Arts
6A — Monday, January 28, 2019
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
The Mehmari Trio proved Night one of the Folk Fest their massive talent, again LAURA DZUBAY Daily Arts Writer
SAMMY SUSSMAN Daily Arts Writer
There’s something special about seeing a musician at their top of their game. While many musicians can perform extraordinarily difficult music, few can do so with ease and grace, making even the most complex of passages seem effortless. At the André Mehmari Trio’s concert this past Saturday at the Kerrytown Concert House, Mehmari demonstrated his mastery of his instrument, both improvisationally and technically, as he moved f lawlessly between styles and genres. From AfroCuban inf luenced music to stride piano, from ballad to swing, Mehmari fired off quick improvisational passages and lengthy melodic improvisations without blinking an eye — and this in the first two songs alone. Unfortunately, most foreign jazz artists performing in America are frequently forced to confront the prejudices held against the music of their home countries. They are forced to adapt to our stereotypical expectations, performing the music we expect of artists from their homeland. Mehmari, his bassist Neymar Dias and his drummer Sérgio Reze are from Brazil. At this concert, they performed the music of Brazilian artist Milton Nascimento from the 1972 album “Clube de Esquina.” Yet, despite my expectations for primarily Brazilianinf luenced music, the concert drew from an eclectic range of genres and styles. As described in the program, this music draws inf luences from “pop, folk music, bossa nova, jazz
and avant-garde classical.” It focuses not on stylistic continuity but on interinstrument dialogue and rapid improvisation. If Mehmari’s goal was to transcend genres, he more than succeeded. At one point, for example, Dias switched from bass to viola caipira (a 10-stringed Brazilian guitar). In a rapidly evolving eight minute improvisation, Dias quoted the “Gigue” from Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 3” and the Beatle’s “Norwegian Wood.” While this disparate assortment of musical subjects may sound illogical, it came across as the total opposite. It was just the natural next step in the ever-evolving, streamof-conscious performance style that the trio had adopted for the evening. At one point in between two numbers, Mehmari described the connection he sees between Brazilian and American music. We live quite close to each other, he said, and yet “we don’t talk that much.” Drawing on this pan-American worldview, the concert eventually seemed to settle into two specific genres: Brazilian jazz and mid-20thcentury American jazz trio music. Throughout the night, Mehmari would throw brief segments of stride piano into his improvisational repertoire. (Stride piano is the ragtimeesque piano technique common in early 20th-century America.) For perhaps five or ten seconds, he would perform complex stride lines before reverting to a more neutral 21st-century piano trio texture. At another point, the trio performed a traditionalsounding ballad. Yet during the
solo section, the piece quickly departed from the realm of the ballad into a much more lively realm, before returning back to a simple ballad texture. My expectations were constantly challenged throughout the night as the trio moved between stylistic realms. To this end, Reze’s frequent changes between sticks, brushes and mallets was refreshing. Despite having a small drum kit in front of him, Reze managed to evoke many different textures. I also became fond of his active, expressive style of playing, as he moved his entire body to match each drum stroke. In one dramatic display, he moved one hand in large circles over his snare drum, not making a sound yet still contributing to the expressive effect of the piece. Dias’s bass playing was also engaging, though perhaps in the polar opposite manner: Despite barely changing his style of playing, he managed to communicate the many different styles that the trio would cover throughout the night. If anything, I found myself wishing that Dias would branch out a bit in his playing. A walking bassline might have been nice at a few points, or perhaps longer and more varied solos. But as a background texture, Dias fit well into the trio. Overall, the concert was an impressive amalgamation of different styles and genres. It was a captivating twohour improvisatory journey. Though slightly disorienting in the beginning, I found that by the end I had learned to enjoy the rapid switches. The music was evolving rapidly, beyond my control, and I was merely along for the ride.
I let out a soft, audible gasp during The Story. I’m referring, of course, not to the 2007 hit off of Brandi Carlile’s album of the same name, but to “Vlad the Astrophysicist,” the picture book that Peter Mulvey read aloud to the audience during an intermission toward the end of the night. It felt fitting to be read a story in the midst of a night like this, the first night of the 42nd Ann Arbor Festival. Folk music is all about stories — especially in the existential vein of “Vlad the Astrophysicist,” a story about examining the place of humanity as a blip against the infinite canvases of space and time. This was the only picture book read during the night, but Mulvey, as the MC, bookended every set with performances of his own music. It was clear that it was going to be a good night from the beginning, with his earnest humor and understated performance of songs like “D.I.A.,” a song about a morning spent leaving Gregory Alan Isakov’s house in Colorado that eclipses into Johnny Cash’s “Wayfaring Stranger” at the end. The first act Mulvey introduced was The Michigan Rattlers, a folkrock band from Petoskey. The Michigan Rattlers kickstarted the night with an enthusiastic set bolstered by the good-hearted chemistry that no doubt comes from being childhood friends. Advocating for Michigan’s country undercurrents, the band made sure that the folk fest began on a high note, delivering energy and a shared feeling of fun. Haley Heynderickx took over
next, an incredible standout. Mulvey introduced her as an empathetic storyteller, an assessment that her modest, charming stage presence only confirmed. She spoke softly and sang with a striking and room-resounding power. Every song reaffirmed one of the most important notions of the night, one that would echo again and again over the next few hours: The idea that folk is an ever-changing organism, buoyed along its way as much by tongue-in-cheek humor and emotional disaster as it is by love and togetherness. The best part of Heyndrickx’s performance was the entire audience at Hill Auditorium singing gently along to “Oom Sha La La” (although her introduction of “The Bug Collector,” when she remarked upon its subject matter that “everything else has been written,” is a close second). Sam Lewis was next, a singersongwriter from Nashville. Lewis’s music was striking for its earnest, country-informed sensibility and particularly his affected delivery of songs like “Accidental Harmony.” Even for a night filled with good cheer, Lewis’s sense of humor stood out, idiosyncratic and wholly unintimidated. Then Parsonsfield took the stage, bringing an inimitable energy that felt most actualized on songs like “Weeds or Wildflowers,” “Kick Out the Windows,” and “Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me.” Parsonsfield felt like everything one could want from a single band: Each of the four members was wired, engaged, and from the looks of it, having the time of their life. The set spanned a lot of genres, from old-styled folk to Americana to bluegrass, and the
band had the instrumental and musical versatility to step up to each of these ambitions. After a brief intermission, Gregory Alan Isakov took over — initially by himself, but quickly joined by a supporting band. Isakov’s set exemplified the quieter capabilities of folk music; he lulled us collectively further into the night, together in the warm concert hall while snow drifted down outside, unknown by us except as a kind of felt beauty. The singer-songwriter played a lot of tunes off of his new record from last year, Evening Machines, like the contemplative “Chemicals” and “San Luis.” He and his band were illuminated by lights that periodically washed them in a swell of red, as well as two small globes of the planet Earth that glowed on tabletops, casting everything even more with a feeling of suspension between the past and the future, the evening and the morning. Finally, it was time for the headliner of the night: Brandi Carlile. During his introduction, Mulvey reminded us of Carlile’s beginnings over a decade ago as a busker, and how even today, she still pours her heart and soul into every performance. Carlile set about proving this from the very first song she played — “Follow,” off her self-titled debut. She told the audience after this that she often played “Follow” to “break the ice, because I get nervous,” but instantly afterward, she grinned, as if suddenly installed with confidence, and added, “Okay, here we go.” And there we went.
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ALICE LIU / DAILY
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
On youth, with Roupenian JENNA BARLAGE Daily Arts Writer
In Dec. 2017, Kristen Roupenian’s short story “Cat Person” was published in the New Yorker. Three days later, the story was viral. “Cat Person” polarized the internet. The story was heralded by many women and condemned by many men — just read the account on twitter named “Men React to ‘Cat Person’,” with over 6,000 followers. The story explores the underlying gender dynamics in modern relationships through Margot, a college-aged woman, and Robert, an older man. Roupenian’s skin-crawling description of Margot’s headspace during a sexual encounter introduces an uncomfortable discussion around a
woman’s seemingly “trivial” experience, an experience that happens to more women than not, but often goes unacknowledged. Roupenian trusts her readers completely, allowing room to fill in the blanks regarding characters and setting. Perhaps this trust is what created a legacy for “Cat Person.” Roupenian’s characters could be me, they could be you, they could be anyone. This trust carries into Roupenian’s collection of short stories, “You Know You Want This,” released on Jan. 15. Her preoccupation with sex, gender and power dynamics persist through the collection. She captures the use and misuse of empathy, the thrusting of desires on women and women’s reclaiming of these desires as their own. There is room for her stories to resonate with any reader who reaps the consequences of gender, making the collection especially profound in today’s political moment. Roupenian read from her collection at Literati last Monday. Every seat was filled and the standing room claustrophobic — some people stood behind her on the steps to listen. “I live here,” she laughed as she adjusted the microphone, “this bookstore is one of my favorite places in the world.” Roupenian read “Look at Your Game Girl,” a story that she does not publicly read often. It’s one of her most personal stories, one that is a little more autobiographical than her others. Listening to the story was anxiety-inducing in the way it was supposed to be.
The story is intense in the most subliminal way, encapsulating a girl’s coming-of-age. She interacts with an older, invasive man, who holds something like admiration for Charles Mason and the Family. The man walks a fine line between innocence and cause for concern for the girl. We feel her resulting confusion, her inability to trust herself, her perpetual reasoning and overthinking. Most of all, we feel her realization that the world is a scary place. This realization resonates with most women, especially in the context of what Roupenian names the “vague male threat.” In “Look at Your Game Girl,” Roupenian pinpoints the adolescent detection of seeing danger where there is none and not seeing danger when there is some. She weaves the overt observance and overthinking of young girls into the same fabric as their vulnerability. As a result, the confusion of her character is visceral. Through hearing Roupenian read, I was pulled back into my adolescence. I was forced to face the inexplicable paranoia and fear that plagued me during my coming-of-age. I was forced to contemplate when those emotions were misplaced and when they should’ve been placed, but were not. Did the old man at the gas station smile at me because he was friendly? Is this car going to follow me home? As she read, many nodded in understanding. I was not alone. The experiences Roupenian encapsulates are things unacknowledged but familiar, and she confronts them head on.
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | January 28, 2019
SPORTSMONDAY u o h t t r a e r o f e r e h w
? O E M O R U I 6 4 9 6 U-M
Design by Jack Silberman Alec Cohen / Daily
MATTHEWS SHUTS DOWN ROMEO LANGFORD. AGAIN. MI CH I G AN SHUTS DOWN LIFELESS INDIANA. AGAIN. Aria Gerson Assistant Sports Editor BLOOMINGTON — John Beilein didn’t want his team switching. For a team with an elite defense — one often predicated on doing just that — it seemed like a bold strategy. But, as is often the case, the Michigan men’s basketball coach knew what he was doing. Beilein wanted redshirt junior wing Charles Matthews on Indiana’s Romeo Langford in every way possible. On Jan. 6 in Ann Arbor, Matthews locked down Langford, and against a Hoosiers team lacking in depth, it was
imperative that Langford was once again kept in check. Matthews, a guy who takes every matchup personally, had no qualms with the plan. “We wanted Charles on (Langford),” Beilein said. “Charles? He likes that.” If the game in Ann Arbor was part one of Matthews vs. Langford, Friday was part two — and Matthews won this round even more handily than the first. A shot clock issue caused the PA announcer to verbally count down the time remaining on every Hoosier offensive possession in the first half. For the first seven minutes, the action at that end was a surreal sequence of numbers and
bricked shots and boos — so many boos — as Michigan jumped out to a 17-0 lead. And there in the middle of all of it was Matthews, who had four rebounds before Indiana had a single point and generated chances for his team even through periods of sloppy offensive play. Langford, meanwhile, had three fouls in the first nine minutes of the game and sat the rest of the half. “(Matthews is) just a
fierce competitor and he knows his angles really well,” said freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis. “He’s also got that reach and athleticism but it’s also the way he defends, you know, he cuts off what you like to do best and he’s quick to knowing what the player does best.” Back on the court in the second half, Langford started a mini-Indiana run with a layup and the Hoosiers cut the Wolverines’ lead to as
“We wanted Charles on (Langford),” Beilein said. “Charles? He likes that.”
INSIDE SPORTSMONDAY IN STUDENT SECTION AT ASSEMBLY HALL, FRUSTRATION BOILS OVER See Page 4B
little as nine at one point. With Langford on the f loor, Indiana’s offense seemed to have the kind of f low it was previously missing. Then, Matthews was accidentally kicked in the head and lay, reeling, down on all fours before leaving the court brief ly as both teams went to timeout. Instead of leaving injured, Matthews got back up and taunted the Hoosiers even more. He sunk both free throws, then hit a three and then a jump shot just within the arc. By then, Michigan was up 16 and the game was back out of reach for the Hoosiers. “Anytime we see Charles doing that, it kinda rubs off on myself,” said junior
guard Zavier Simpson. “Rubs off on Iggy, rubs off on the rest of the players on the court, we see that, we feel, then just keep it going.” During their first matchup, Langford still managed to get a little. He still finished with 17 points — low by his standards, maybe, but not by anyone else’s — and found a groove in the second half. On Friday, he scored just nine on 3-for-12 shooting. Thanks primarily to Matthews, one of the top freshmen in the country looked like just another pedestrian. Langford may have been on his home court, but Matthews looked like the one who had been there before.
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2B — January 28, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
At Ohio State, Parris sets the stage “Well, I obviously want to kill them every time. I want to win every single match, as a team. I want to blow them out and sweep them.” I was once told you should never start a story with a quote, but I’m pretty sure I can’t convey the Michigan wrestling team’s feelings for LANEY Ohio State BYLER better than those words from Mason Parris. Maybe those feelings came from the No. 6 Wolverines’ ranking, four spots behind the Buckeyes despite having one extra win on their record, or maybe they’re from a deep-set rivalry. Either way, Michigan rode that mentality to its ninth win of the season with a 19-17 decision over Ohio State — one where the Wolverines collected the winning points of an upset in the last match of the night. Parris won a 6-3 decision in the final bout to overcome the Buckeyes’ one-point lead, sealing the victory for Michigan. Back in November, the freshman had his redshirt pulled prior to a meet against Oregon State. That put him up against the No. 1-ranked heavyweight, Amar Dhesi, in his first meet competing attached to Michigan. Parris won that match, 11-4. That victory capped off a 33-8 win over the Beavers, which pretty much represents the majority of Michigan’s 8-0 record prior to Friday’s meeting with the Buckeyes. In half of those meets, the Wolverines scored at least 30 points, with their smallest margin of victory being a 21-13 win over Lehigh in November. With a new head coach and a lot of big names on its roster,
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily
Freshman heavyweight Mason Parris won the meet at No. 2 Ohio State with a 6-3 decision over the Buckeyes’ Chase Singletary, setting the stage for Friday’s match at the top-ranked Nittany Lions.
Michigan’s first eight wins did a lot to showcase its potential. But Friday against Ohio State, it proved just how far that potential could go. The Buckeyes are ranked second in the nation, only behind reigning national champion Penn State. They have a trio of undefeated seniors in Joey McKenna, Myles Martin and Kollin Moore, who are now a combined 36-0 and helped Ohio State to a Big Ten title last season. They’ve also got six top10 wrestlers in different weight
classes, while the Wolverines have five including Parris, who entered the weekend at seventh among heavyweights. So, needless to say, Friday’s matchup wasn’t exactly easy. Sophomore Drew Mattin kicked off the meet with a threepoint decision, thanks to a 12-6 win over Malik Heinselman. Right after that came arguably the best match of the night when top-ranked redshirt junior Stevan Micic notched a 14-1 major over No. 6 Luke Pletcher for his ninth win of the season.
Well I obviously want to kill them every single time.
“I think when you just look at matchups, obviously probably two of the higher-ranked guys wrestling each other were Stevan Micic and Luke Pletcher,” said Michigan coach Sean Bormet. “And Stevan just came out with his offense flying and he really just dismantled the kid.” But Ohio State was ranked second for a reason and by the time the last bout rolled around, the Buckeyes led by a single point, leaving the deciding match to the heavyweights — Parris and freshman Chase Singletary. Back in November, Singletary issued Parris one of his three losses of the season with a 15-9 decision at the Ohio Intercollegiate Open. This time around, Parris was quick to
take advantage — he scored the first takedown, then the second, and with a reversal in the third period, he put the score at 6-3, proving the Wolverines’ capabilities with a 19-17 upset. “We knew it was going to be a hard-fought dual from top to bottom,” Bormet said. “We knew it was going to come down to bonus points in some of those weights, us getting bonus points and trying to prevent them from getting bonus points. “We thought if that played out, that it would come down to heavyweight, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in Mason Parris. He’s a great competitor and he did an awesome job sealing the victory for us.” For a program that was ranked sixth nationally with an
8-0 record, the win over Ohio State was big. It proved that the names on Michigan’s roster are big, and they’ve got potential to make the program a contender for a Big Ten title. But that win over the No. 2 program prefaces an even bigger, flashier obstacle just five days away — No. 1 Penn State. The Nittany Lions will have had a tight hold on the top spot when they host the Wolverines on Friday, highlighted by a 54-dual win streak, 32 of which are within conference confines. That streak dates back all the way back until Feb. 15, 2015. That being said, Michigan has already proved its itself to be a national contender. Now it’s time to see if it can defy expectations as well.
WRESTLING
Wolverines ride team effort, ‘M’ falls to MSU despite late rally Parris’ confidence to 19-17 win TEDDY GUTKIN Daily Sports Writer
OWEN SWANSON For The Daily
With the dual meet and an undefeated record on the line, freshman heavyweight Mason Parris was the perfect wrestler to have on the mat for the Wolverines. In front of a packed Value City Arena and despite a slim deficit, Michigan coach Sean Bormet, and Parris himself, anticipated a favorable finish to the meet. “The team score more than anything leading up to my match excited me more,” Parris said. “I was happy it came down to me. I just had a lot of faith in myself and confidence.” The No. 6 Michigan Wrestling team (9-0 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) trailed No. 2 Ohio State (7-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) by only one point entering the final match of the dual meet between the then-undefeated rivals. The moment also offered Parris a chance at redemption wrestling against Chase Singletary, who he had lost to earlier this season. “Then this week I really hammered down the stuff I knew he was gonna do to me,” Parris said. “I knew he was gonna hit low singles on me, I figured he was gonna try to throw legs on me. I’m glad that I wrestled him before because I was really prepared for the match.” Parris’ efforts were rewarded with the deciding victory in the meet, earning the Wolverines three team points and a 19-17 win. The energy of a nearlyfull audience of Buckeye fans impacted the meet early and often. In the third match of the day, fifth-ranked redshirt sophomore Kanen Storr faced second-ranked Joey McKenna. Down 6-0 after the first period of the match, Bormet instructed Storr from the
corner to start the second period in the top position, but the 141pound Storr began the period beneath his opponent. It seemed as if the crowd noise and chaotic arena atmosphere — which the team had prepared for by blasting crowd noise during practice this week — was wearing on Michigan. “Basically what happened was when he first looked over to our corner, the official was in the way … and then as soon as he could see us he wanted to switch to bottom and the official wouldn’t let him which is a little unusual,” Bormet said. “Usually if the guy changes his mind quickly based on the corner, usually they allow the guy to change to the position they want. But it was the crowd, but also the officials blocking his view.” Storr would go on to lose by technical fall. It was the Wolverines’ first loss of the day, after sophomore Drew Mattin and redshirt junior Stevan Micic had won by regular decision and major decision, respectively, to build a 7-0 lead. The match following Storr’s was another win for Ohio State, this time a major decision for third-ranked Micah Jordan over fifth-year senior Malik Amine. The Buckeyes took the lead with Jordan’s victory, and just as soon as the momentum had shifted in favor of Ohio State, Michigan stole it right back. The Wolverines won the next three matches on the shoulders of their experience, namely fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo, redshirt junior Logan Massa and redshirt junior Myles Amine. Heading into the heavyweight matchup, Michigan had seen its 16-9 lead evaporate as the Wolverines’ redshirt freshman JT Correll lost to the Buckeyes’ topranked Myles Martin in the 184pound class and redshirt junior
I was happy it came down to me. I had a lot of faith in myself.
Jackson Striggow was defeated by Ohio State’s second-ranked Kollin Moore in the 197-pound class. The two losses put Michigan behind by one, where the score would remain until Parris rode his confidence and preparation to victory. “We thought if that played out, that it would come down to heavyweight,” Bormet said. “And we’ve got a lot of confidence in Mason Parris.” The scoreless tie appeared to have been broken at the end of the first period when Parris took down the Buckeyes’ Singletary, but it was ruled to have been out of bounds. Bormet threw the challenge brick, but the ensuing challenge confirmed the call on the mat. “Well, I for sure thought that I had the takedown,” Parris said. “I had his leg hooked and was behind both of his arms, which should have been a takedown. But I knew if they didn’t call it, it wasn’t gonna be a big deal and I had to keep my composure and my head in the match. I just had to think about taking him down again.” Regardless, it wouldn’t take long for the coach’s confidence to pay off. Parris took down his opponent two more times to secure a 6-3 victory by decision and win the meet for the Wolverines. Friday night’s victory is the most recent in an impressive season for Michigan, one that has the possibility of becoming a lot more impressive in the near future. The Wolverines head to State College for a dual meet against top-ranked Penn State next weekend. After beating the Buckeyes this past weekend, Michigan could be on top of the college wrestling world — and the NCAA rankings — in less than a week. “We’ll just continue to focus day-to-day and enjoying our training and enjoying each other and our team,” Bormet said. “And look forward to the challenge and the opportunity against Penn State a week from tonight.”
As Nicole Munger drove inside on a fastbreak midway through the first quarter in a 77-73 loss to Michigan State, she screamed in pain and fell to the ground after barreling into a Spartan defender. As Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico came out to check on her, Munger was helped off the court by two assistant coaches, leaving the Michigan women’s basketball team without one of its captains as it prepared to try to win a contest against its in-state rivals. The loss of Munger did nothing to help the Wolverines. The Spartans (15-5 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) responded with a 13-2 run to close the quarter and take a lead that they would never relinquish as Michigan (12-9, 3-6) fell in a crushing 77-73 defeat that saw them fail to complete a comeback despite a valiant late effort. “Once Nicole went down we weren’t able to respond right away,” Barnes Arico said. “And they went on a little bit of a run and took us some time to regroup.” “She’s gonna get checked out,” said sophomore forward Hailey Brown. “We don’t really
know much about that.” The Wolverines managed to keep the game fairly close for most of the second quarter, but Michigan State’s defense put the clamps on late. It held Michigan scoreless over the period’s final 3:24 and went on a 7-0 run to head to the locker room with a 41-31 edge. On the offensive end, the Spartans hit eight 3-pointers in the first half, including a stretch in the first quarter that saw them hit three consecutive triples after Munger left the game. They would finish with 11 makes from deep. Losing Munger also affected Michigan’s offensive gameplan, as the team attempted just ten 3-pointers. As the second half began, it was more of the same for both teams, with the Spartans starting the quarter on a 5-0 run and Michigan committing two turnovers. While the Wolverines would appear to be on the verge of finally making an offensive run at times, Michigan State was ready with an answer at every turn, eventually extending its lead to 15 points. Michigan, though, would eventually make its push late in the period. The Wolverines finished the period on an 8-0
scoring run to cut the lead to five heading into the fourth quarter, sending the Crisler Center crowd into a frenzy. “It goes to show that our team, we don’t back down to anyone,” Brown said. “Until we hear the final whistle, until the game is done, we’ll stop playing, but until then we’re gonna keep going and trying to get a W.” The Wolverines made one last push towards the end of the final quarter, with freshman forward Naz Hillmon’s layup cutting the lead to 67-63 with two minutes to go, but ultimately untimely turnovers by Michigan and free throws from Michigan State sealed the Wolverines’ fate. One key sequence came when Michigan trailed by four with about a minute and a half to go in the game. Senior forward Hallie Thome had a pass go off of her hands. On the court, the referee signaled it was Michigan possession, but after further review, the ball was awarded to the Spartans, who promptly gave it away after a traveling violation. The Wolverines seemed to have some hope for a moment, but Michigan turned it over after the inbounds pass was intercepted.
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Freshman forward Naz Hilmon scored a team-high 17 points along with 10 rebounds in Michigan’s 77-73 loss.
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
January 28, 2019 — 3B
Madison Square Meltdown
Wolverines fall to Penn State in New York, 5-2, and the season hangs by a thread BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer
NEW YORK CITY — For the second time in two periods, sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes turned the puck over near center ice. And for the second time in two periods, No. 15 Penn State (14-102 overall, 6-9-1-1 Big Ten) took its chance and ran with it. This time, the turnover came when the Wolverines were on the man advantage and hoping to cut into the Nittany Lions’ 4-1 lead early in the second period. Hughes lost control of the puck in the middle of the ice, which allowed forward Alex Limoges to grab it and skate in right in front of junior goaltender Hayden Lavigne. Lavigne sprawled out to make the save as Limoges wound his way to the front of the crease, waiting to shoot the puck until Lavigne was flat on the ice. One quick flip of his stick later and Penn State led, 5-1. Though Michigan (9-10-6, 5-64-2) tacked on another goal in the third period, the comeback came up short. The Nittany Lions went on to take the second game of the series, 5-2. “We did not get the result we wanted,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “Very frustrating in the locker room because we know we’re a better team. We beat ourselves tonight, plain and simple.” Penn State averages an NCAAleading 4.52 goals per game, and the Wolverines allowed them all of that and then some Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Early in the first period, freshman forward Jimmy Lambert lost the puck at Michigan’s defensive blueline. Forward Evan Barratt, who ranks second in the country with an average of 1.45 points per game, took advantage of his opportunity and fired a shot
that beat Lavigne to the upper corner of the net. Five minutes later, Hughes’ turnover at center ice led to a oneon-zero breakaway for Penn State and Liam Folkes converted. “It was nice,” said Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky. “(Scoring on breakaways) hasn’t been the case in the past, either. It was nice to get it early. Any time you can capitalize on anything, I think it’s important, but we were able to capitalize on a couple of their mistakes as well.” Just before the horn sounded to end the first period, junior forward Nick Pastujov had an opportunity on the power play — but his shot rang the post, just as all three of his shots did in the game. And as the puck went down toward Lavigne, Penn State was able to capitalize on a third one-onzero chance with a goal from Alec Marsh. With another 40 minutes left to play, Michigan faced a threegoal deficit that looked — and was — insurmountable. “We made some horrendous turnovers, they took advantage of it,” Pearson said. “That was the game. They got the lead 3-0 and we couldn’t outscore our mistakes tonight.” Down 4-0 early in the second period, the Wolverines found twine on a shot from Hughes that redshirt junior forward Luke Morgan was able to send past goaltender Peyton Jones. But it proved to be too little, too late as the Nittany Lions extended their lead back to four goals just minutes later. And once that goal went in to make it 5-1, Lavigne was pulled in favor of Strauss Mann. The freshman goaltender stopped all 19 shots he faced the rest of the way. “Excellent,” Pearson said of Mann’s performance. “You know, we really like him as a goaltender, and we think he has a bright future at Michigan. I didn’t want to have to get him in like we did but he
went in and I give him credit, that’s a tough situation to go in and he played extremely well. He gave us an opportunity to try and get back into the game.” But despite Mann’s play, defense — or lack thereof — was Michigan’s downfall, just as it was what allowed it to beat Penn State 5-1 at home on Thursday. “Disappointing outcome, especially after Thursday night’s game,” Pearson said. “I can’t tell you our team wasn’t prepared to play. I thought we had a pretty good first period, outshot them 22-8, out-attempted them 37-16. Hit four posts. But we didn’t make a commitment to team defense.” Michigan outshot the Nittany Lions for the majority of the game, though Penn State finished the game with a 39-37 shot advantage. Catching the post four times put the Wolverines within millimeters of making it a much closer game. But as Pearson said, they couldn’t outscore their mistakes. Coming within millimeters just wasn’t enough.
RIAN RATNAVALE Daily Sports Writer
NEW YORK CITY — If you count striking iron, Nick Pastujov had a hat trick in the first period alone, and Michigan led Penn State, 4-3. Officials don’t though, and nothing in the rulebook would have aided the Wolverines’ offensive execution on Saturday night. When Nittany Lions’ goaltender Peyton Jones blocked junior forward Will Lockwood’s shot eight minutes into the game, Pastujov shifted to Jones’ weakside, the puck careening towards right towards him. With nothing between his stick and the back of the net beside the puck itself, he reared his stick and f licked the puck forward. It hit the crossbar. Michigan got the puck back seven times after his miss before Jones gloved it. The result? Seven missed shots. All
from point-blank range. Six minutes later? Pastujov took another shot. Again, a familiar clank echoed throughout Madison Square Garden. Pastujov found the bar once more, and in a period where it outshot Penn State 22-8, Michigan had nothing to show but a three-goal deficit. “That’s just the way it goes sometimes,” said sophomore forward Luke Morgan. “We came out ready to play, we hit a bunch of post. We had a lot of great opportunities. I think we got a little frustrated with that. When that happens, it led to mental mistakes and some of it we can work on, but sometimes it’s just the way the game goes.” Against Minnesota and
Michigan State earlier this season, the Wolverines took 45-plus shots but failed to capitalize on many of their easier attempts. The difference against the Nittany Lions, though, was that Michigan consistently got good opportunities in the crease and actively screened off Jones instead of blindly shooting into the opposing team’s blue line. “It’s frustrating, but that’s going to happen,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “ … And that’s the game and what you have to do is you can’t get away from your game.” By the time Penn State jumped out to a three-goal lead, it was too late, though. All of the Wolverines’ offensive pressure and momentum was rendered moot by their inability to finish, and completely eviscerated each time the blue line coughed the puck up deep in the defensive zone and yielded to a Nittany Lion odd-man rushes. Contrary to what the 5-2 score suggests, Michigan, just like before, had every chance to walk out of Madison Square Garden with at least another point. Instead, it walks out of Madison Square Garden lamenting a game it had in control. It’s easy to focus on the back-breaking defensive turnovers, but in a zero-sum game, offensive miscues hurt the Wolverines just as much. “Coach said ‘we can’t outscore our mistakes,’” Morgan said. “We have to play a solid 60 (minutes) the whole way through.”
We came out ready to play, we hit a bunch of post.
ALEX POMPEI/Daily
The Michigan hockey team’s season is on the brink after it fell flat in a 5-2 loss to Penn State at Madison Square Garden.
Different city, different defense Hughes’ faults on display in loss JORGE CAZARES Daily Sports Writer
NEW YORK CITY — The script flipped quickly for the Michigan hockey team: Five goals scored Thursday. Five goals allowed Saturday. Any momentum the Wolverines generated from Thursday night’s five-goal outburst against Penn State was abruptly halted when they gave up five goals themselves on Saturday. In Thursday night’s 5-1 victory over Penn State, the Wolverines were dialed in from the opening faceoff to the final buzzer. There were few lapses on the defensive end and few opportunities came easily for Penn State. The Nittany Lions had few, if any, odd-man rushes throughout the game. The lone goal came more than mid-way through the third period when the Michigan was leading 4-0. A pass from behind the net deflected off senior defenseman Nick Boka’s skate and trickled past junior goaltender Hayden Lavigne. Moreover, the Wolverine defense jumpstarted the offense after its lackluster first period. The first goal for Michigan was
set up after freshman forward Jimmy Lambert collected possession in the defensive zone and flipped a pass to sophomore forward Dakota Raabe in the neutral zone. It resulted in a breakaway goal for Raabe to give the Wolverines the lead. Saturday’s 5-2 loss at Madison Square Garden was in complete contrast to the near perfect defensive performance put forth on Thursday by the Wolverines. It was a tale of defensive gaffes. “We didn’t play on the right side of the puck,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “We did not sense danger — and I don’t want to say our whole team, but a few individuals. We just didn’t sense that urgency or the danger and they made us pay.” Four of Penn State’s five goals were a direct result of a defensive lapse. Just over five minutes into the game, a mishandled pass by Lambert near the defensive zone blue line lead to a wideopen shot attempt forward Evan Barratt. He capitalized on the opportunity to open up scoring, putting the Nittany Lions up, 1-0. Minutes later, a turnover from sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes near center-ice resulted
in a breakaway goal, handing Penn State a 2-0 lead. And just before the first intermission, senior defenseman Joseph Cecconi lost his footing as he was turning to skate up the ice, allowing for another breakaway. This time, forward Alec Marsh finished past Lavigne to make it 3-0. Midway through the second period, the Wolverines had a chance to climb back into the game with a score of 4-1, and Michigan on the power play. As Hughes was advancing the puck up towards center ice, he looked to dump a pass back to a trailing junior forward Will Lockwood. The pass was intercepted, and the Nittany Lions, once again, successfully capitalized on a breakaway opportunity, 5-1. The play was a microcosm of the game. A Michigan misstep led to a Penn State goal. This one was a backbreaker against the Wolverines from which they were unable to recover. “It’s a game of mistakes and you have to limit your mistake and try to make less than the other team,” Pearson said. “And you have to try to take advantage of the mistakes. We did that on Thursday night, they got us tonight.”
ALEX POMPEI/Daily
The Michigan hockey team’s defense was sloppy, allowing five goals to Penn State in a blowout loss on Saturday.
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
NEW YORK CITY — Quinn Hughes went into the locker room and turned to the team. After a poor showing defensively, Hughes did what he had to do. He was accountable for his sloppiness in Saturday’s game against No. 15 Penn State, one that the Michigan hockey team lost, 5-2, with the sophomore defenseman at the epicenter. “I just thought he had a tough night as far as a couple of his turnovers,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “And he knows. He stood up in the locker room and took responsibility for them.” It’s easy to point the blame. Anyone can do it. But when two goals are scored directly after a player’s turnovers, it becomes even easier to point the finger a certain way. “As long as you play this game and you’re a hockey player,” Pearson said. “You’re going to have some nights that are hard and it’s one of those nights for him.” It began with a normal play — Hughes with the puck bringing it up the ice to start the offensive push. As a skilled skater and, as Pearson notes, an elite player, it’s a norm for him to push the puck through the neutral zone. However, midway through the first period, he was contested on his offensive zone entry attempt. Stick extended. Sticks clashed. Puck out. Hughes had seen the opposing player speed toward him and held his stick out wide to try and protect the puck from the contest. Despite his attempt to protect the puck, the two sticks clashed against one another and resulted with the puck leaking toward Michigan’s net. Nittany Lion Liam Folkes took the one-on-none chance and increased Penn State’s lead to two. The main problem with
ALEX POMPEI/Daily
Sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes’ turnovers led to two Penn State goals.
Hughes’ turnover was that no one was back to defend the breakaway. Senior defenseman Joseph Cecconi had pushed far up to take a more offensive stance, yet when the puck was loose, he lagged behind the play. “We had a defenseman back,” Pearson said. “He’s the last man, we’re trying to beat a guy in the neutral zone and his partner is not backing him up, he’s ahead of him. So, he gets stripped, there’s no support. Breakaway.” Of course, Cecconi shouldn’t have been as far up as he was, but Hughes should have recognized that and the risks of a turnover in that situation. The only thing separating Lavigne from Folkes was Hughes, and he failed to recognize it. His second lapse was the nail in the coffin. Down three and on the power play in the middle of the second period, the Wolverines needed to convert the man-advantage in the worst way. A goal would have brought them within striking distance. Instead, a Hughes’ turnover resulted in insurmountable deficit. Hughes, again, brought the puck up to the neutral zone. He
made a pass back to a trailing teammate. However, no one was in the vicinity that could get to the puck in time. Instead, Nittany Lion Alex Limoges stole the puck from the intended pass and hammered it home after beating Lavigne on the one-onnone. “Obviously in the start of the second, a power play, we made a drop pass to one of our guys and we don’t have support,” Pearson said. “We’re all by the puck. We didn’t play on the right side of the puck. We did not sense danger — and I don’t want to say our whole team, but a few individuals. We just didn’t sense that urgency or the danger and they made us pay.” Again, the presumption that there was a player behind haunted the Wolverines and allowed a direct confrontation with Lavigne. Hughes was unable to recognize it, and his turnovers caused goals. He did, however, recognize his faults. “I think once you speak out, and take responsibility, then you gotta step up and you gotta do it on the ice,” Pearson said. “And it’s hard. You know. It’s hard to admit your faults sometimes.”
SportsMonday
4B — January 28, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines lead from tipoff to buzzer in 69-46 win over Hoosiers JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON — Two Indiana defenders converged around Zavier Simpson as he dribbled inside the arc. Suddenly and inexplicably, they were gone. The junior point guard took another dribble and tossed in an easy layup. Hoosier coach Archie Miller stormed onto the court, unable to call a timeout fast enough. A once-raucous crowd stood shell-shocked. Michigan had taken a 12-0 lead within the game’s first four minutes. It would somehow get worse for the Hoosiers. Indiana’s first points came at the 12:57 mark, already down by 17. It needed almost three more minutes to get its first field goal. While the Hoosiers selfdestructed, the fifth-ranked Wolverines (19-1 overall, 8-1 Big Ten) continued to play basketball. They cruised to a 69-46 win that, thanks to an opening sequence that sent Assembly Hall into a fugue, rarely seemed even that close. “We were just so mentally prepared for this game,” said freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis. “We watched a lot of film on them, we knew exactly what we had to do defensively and offensively. None of us were shying away from shots. … We were really confident in ourselves and we were ready to go.” For a moment, the Hoosiers had hope. After being booed off the floor at halftime — the result of a 33-18 deficit and a 5-for-25 shooting display — Indiana (12-8, 3-6) came out of the break energized. A 3-pointer by Rob Phinisee three minutes into the second half cut the deficit to single-digits and restored life to the arena. Just as quickly, however, Michigan snuffed it out. Brazdeikis, who led all scorers with 20, threw a stiff-arm by calmly nailing a catch-and-shoot trey on the next possession to push the lead back above double-digits. It would stay there for the rest of the night.
The Wolverines continued to create distance. Redshirt junior forward Charles Matthews, who finished with a double-double, scored seven points in 70 seconds to make the score 48-32, while the Hoosiers suffered through multiple droughts of over three minutes without scoring. “They might score two and then we make a three, and then we get a rebound, we make a three,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “All of a sudden I look and we’re back to 16 or 18. That’s really hard to come back from.” These two teams met on Jan. 6 in Ann Arbor. In that game, the Wolverines also stormed to a 17-point lead within 10 minutes and won, 74-63. This was different. The first meeting was a nationally televised battle of two teams with sights on a Big Ten title and a deep run in March. That was a Michigan explosion after a lethargic month of December. That was the Wolverines hitting big shots, jumping passing lanes and throwing down dunks in transition. Friday night, by contrast, saw Indiana come in on a five-game losing streak that began with the loss three weeks ago. This was a struggling squad desperately needing a resume-booster and injection of energy. This was the Hoosiers not getting it at all, appearing sluggish and half-awake instead. This was a nightmare performance at the worst possible time, a plunge further into a month-long abyss. The performance of star guard Romeo Langford, an almostMessianic figure in Bloomington, was representative of the entire night. The freshman committed three early fouls and never found his rhythm, totally stifled by Matthews. He scored just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting. “They came in here and did what they wanted, when they wanted, how they wanted,” Miller said. “Our team in general right now is soft. We’re also, for
whatever reason, scared. You could just tell by the way that we played. Fight isn’t there right now and the confidence isn’t there on either end of the floor.” Even Assembly Hall wasn’t ready. A clock malfunction just seven seconds into the game led to a six-minute delay. The shot clock on one side of the court never got going, forcing PA announcer Chuck Crabb to shout out the time at fivesecond intervals. “That place was charged up like I remember it was in (2013) when we came here as the number one team in the country and you couldn’t hear yourself think,” Beilein said. “And our kids went out and just executed. Says a lot about who they are and how they adjust.” Michigan adjusted to the delay with a series of punches. Brazdeikis nailed a corner three on the first possession. Simpson used a hesitation dribble to blow by for an easy bucket. Matthews hit a triple off an Indiana turnover. The Hoosiers were unable to do the same. After the Wolverines extinguished Indiana’s second-half run, it never threatened again. When the final buzzer sounded, you could hear a pin drop in the storied arena.
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
BLOOMINGTON — Charles Matthews stood in the back of Crisler Center’s media room on Tuesday night, wearing a sly smile and a sober tone. A little earlier, the redshirt junior had won a game for Michigan, hanging in the air for what seemed like a millisecond too long as ball found net, the buzzer sounded and the Wolverines avoided disaster. You wouldn’t have known it from talking to him. Michigan had let Minnesota inch back into the game until it was the Wolverines who had their backs against the wall. That was what Matthews cared about. “Usually, we all have a saying,” he said. “We usually come out to the game looking, we be like, ‘Alright, let’s run ‘em out the gym.’ And we usually put our foot on their neck and touch it to the floor. But this game, they made some big shots.” The subtext: We let them make some big shots. Four nights later, as 17,222 fans at Assembly Hall rose to their feet, the Hoosiers having slowly cut into a Wolverines’ lead until a
domineering performance again turned into a single-digit game, a defender collapsed off Ignas Brazdeikis and the ball found the freshman forward in the corner. The ensuing shot found bottom. The ensuing run — keyed by Matthews, who responded to a literal kick in the head by scoring seven straight points and continuing to make Indiana’s Romeo Langford his plaything on defense — put away an eventual 69-46 win. The Hoosiers, who came into Friday’s game the losers of five straight, then started it by embarrassing themselves and letting the Wolverines jump out to a 17-0 run, had every reason to throw all the effort they had into the second half. If that was what they did, it didn’t matter. “At the end of the day, I felt like the energy’s gonna change,” said junior guard Zavier Simpson. “Once we see Charles doing that (to Langford), it kinda rubs off to myself, rubs off to Iggy, rubs off to
the rest of the floor, players on the floor. We see that. We feed off that. Just keep it going.” The thing about a 17-0 start, whether it be on the season or in an individual game: it lends itself to complacency. On Friday, Michigan refused to fall into that trap. This game could have easily gotten close. The Wolverines suffered multiple offensive lulls. The crowd stayed in it until the very end. Indiana’s chances were there. Michigan didn’t let it take them. “I don’t think anyone realizes as a coach how you envy that situation where you got off to a great start, how difficult that is to manage,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “When you get off to that great start, what happens in the game, if you lose that game, it’s nothing. To up that much that early. Nothing. To manage and have your kids persevere through it is really good, especially when they make that little run to get to 10.” That’s a product of a culture instilled by Matthews and Simpson and Beilein — one of accountability, that doesn’t allow satisfaction to creep in after a poor performance that happens to have a W next to it. “We maintain (intensity),” Simpson said. “Look at what we control, know our scouting reports. Get the Xs and Os from coaches. Just maintain it. There’s no special or secret ingredient to what we do. We just play together, listen to the coaches and do things we can control.” Simpson was then asked whether that had been a particular focus this week. “It’s emphasized every single day,” he said. This week, two completely different games proved him right.
Once we see Charles doing that, it kinda rubs off.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Junior guard Zavier Simpson has helped the Michigan basketball set a culture that emphasizes maintaining intensity.
As Michigan delights, Assembly Hall’s student section dismays THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON — Look up any list of the toughest road environments in college basketball and Indiana’s Assembly Hall will inevitably be slotted at the very top. Alternatively, you could just ask Michigan coach John Beilein. Just six days ago, when the Wolverines fell at Wisconsin, Beilein made sure to remind reporters that, “People don’t lose here because it’s the Kohl Center,” instead praising the Badgers’ on-court product. But this, he explained, was different. “They have a tremendous home court atmosphere in Bloomington,” Beilein said on Thursday. “… You’re on the road, in an environment, and you’re not comfortable. Then, all of a sudden, you look like a shell of who you can be. And it just happens.” Beilein’s prediction could hardly have come further from fruition, as Michigan stormed out to a 17-0 lead, reducing the Hoosier faithful to a stunned silence. “I love that,” said freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis after the game. “One of my favorite parts of basketball is shutting the crowd down. I love going on the ALEC COHEN/Daily road.” The Indiana student section reached an extreme level of frustration as the Hoosiers fell down 17-0 to Michigan on Friday, starting what became an embarrassing 69-46 loss to the Wolverines. Anticipating that boisterous “Can’t wait to lose our home crowd that Beilein opening three with a rejection belonging to Connor, a freshman national champion cheer team Indiana coach Archie Miller after bid,” shouted referenced, I perched myself in at the rim on Indiana’s first from Chicago — offered up his — when Indiana forward Juwan the game, providing a cleaner tournament the middle of Indiana’s student possession, it drew a cacophony only bit of optimism for the night, Morgan bounced a pass off the version of the students’ dismay. someone a few rows back. “To the NIT?” Caleb “Inept. I mean, you can’t get even if it came doused in a heavy courtside advertising boards. section, planning to write about of frustration. responded — a thought that As the Wolverines got the ball down 20-2 against Michigan.” the challenge the Wolverines “Classic IU start, we’ll be down dose of sarcasm. Though a pair of free would have seemed insane just “We’re really good guys, I back, another voice behind me would have to overcome. 7-0 before we score,” predicted Before the game even tipped Caleb, an out-of-state sophomore swear we’re really good,” he said, pled for Michigan to “Just hit a throws got the Hoosiers on the six games ago, when Indiana fucking dagger. End our misery scoreboard at the 12:57 mark, the went to Ann Arbor ranked 21st in as Michigan took possession. off, I realized that angle might who grew up a Duke fan. frustration persisted. the country. It hasn’t won since. Seconds later, junior guard right now.” not hold up. As the students Turns out his estimate sold the The jumbotron — seemingly So, when an Aljami Durham Zavier Simpson snuck behind Redshirt junior forward struggled to fill the upper reaches Wolverines 10 points short. of their allotted section, I turned 7-0 came and passed on a the Hoosier defense to score an Charles Matthews promptly dedicated to distracting Indiana airball prompted the kid in front to Justin, the kid next to me, and wing three from sophomore uncontested layup and make it obliged, draining a wing three fans from their misery — provided of me to order an Uber before expressed my surprise at the Jordan Poole, before Brazdeikis 12-0. to put the Wolverines up 15-0. a look at the school’s new $17 the halftime buzzer had even made it with 10 by driving past Connor’s next words? The misery, though, did not end million dollar wrestling arena, sounded, it was hard to blame attendance. “WHAT THE FUCK WAS there. as the students rained scattered him. “Yeah dude we suck,” Justin Hoosier guard Zach McRoberts, A few plays later, the girl to my “Just give me one bucket boos toward the announcement. said, explaining that he didn’t a common target of fan criticism. THAT?!” “Can we please put our money right made her way to the exit The dismay returned after please,” Connor begged two think the Hoosiers had a “Fuck this motherfucker,” chance of toppling fifth-ranked sounded a voice behind me, who the under-16 media timeout possessions later, after the deficit toward a new basketball team?” and never returned. At halftime, a steady exodus followed. Michigan. spent the rest of the evening — highlighted by Connor had ballooned to 17. His pleas Connor pleaded. “Thank you!” As an and-one from Brazdeikis And unless they really wanted Within minutes, it became proclaiming that McRoberts exclaiming, “Wow we have a were predictably met by the clear that he wasn’t alone. “should not be on this team.” good team at this school. Who Hoosiers’ fourth turnover in five expanded Michigan’s lead yet to be present for a resounding again, the student section’s chorus of “Fuck you” and “Fuck After a turnover on Indiana’s knew?” when the jumbotron possessions. When junior center Jon Teske this,” they didn’t miss much. the Hoosiers’ “It’s just an inept offense,” said despair turned macro. followed Brazdeikis’ game- next possession, that voice — introduced