Issuu

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Monday, April 8, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

Title-bound

Michigan women’s gymnastics moves to NCAA Championships after edging out Alabama for secondplace finish at regionals in Ann Arbor.

» Page 1B

HASH BASH celebrates legalization

Festival hosts US representative Debbie Dingell and activist John Sinclair, among others SAMANTHA SMALL Daily Staff Reporter

MAX KUANG/Daily

For the past 48 years, the first Saturday of April is accompanied by a potent haze that drifts across the Diag and all the way down State Street. At “high noon,” the University of Michigan’s campus welcomes a swarm of marijuana activists, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts from across the globe, all raising a joint in unison in celebration of the annual Hash Bash festival. This year, though,

marked the start of a new era in cannabis culture. In a 56-44-percent margin, Michigan voters passed Proposal 18-1, an initiative legalizing marijuana for those above the age of 21. Michigan is the first state in the midwest to pass this legislation, joining California, Colorado and the District of Columbia, among others. This Saturday, following

GOVERNMENT

‘U’ students arrested in New York City protest Incoming LSA transfer and junior rally against Taglit-Birthright Israel CATHERINE NOUHAN Daily Staff Reporter

Two University of Michigan students were arrested in New York City Friday for their role in protests outside the headquarters of Taglit-Birthright Israel. In total, seven students from the University were present at the demonstration, which included approximately 200 Jewish members of IfNotNow, an activist group that opposes Israel’s presence in the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. IfNotNow wants Birthright Israel to address political issues such as the treatment of Palestinians and to educate participants on Palestinian perspectives on Israel’s control over the region. The students protesting Friday demanded changes to the Birthright Israel trip, the free 10-day trip to Israel for young Jewish adults aged 18 to 32. Incoming LSA transfer student Zu Weinger and LSA junior Becca Lubow were arrested along with 13 other activists for blocking the entrance to the Birthright Israel building.

the victory at the ballot box in November, a banner underneath the Harlan Hatcher Library that last year read “LEGALIZE 2018,” was adjusted with black spray paint to now proclaim: “LEGALIZED 2018.” Originally, Hash Bash was held on April 1, 1972 in protest of the conviction placed upon cultural activist and poet John Sinclair.

The decision, made by the Michigan Supreme Court, sentenced Sinclair to 9.5 to 10 years in prison for the possession of two marijuana joints. This conviction sparked national outrage, prompting The John Sinclair Freedom Rally in 1971, bringing worldwide superstars like John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Bob Seger and Stevie Wonder to the Crisler Center.

Shortly after the historic assembly, Sinclair was released in December of 1971. This year, Sinclair stepped up to the microphone to perform his spoken word poetry with guitarist Laith Al-Saadi, who kicked off the celebration with an electric guitar cover of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Before delivering his poetry, Sinclair encouraged the crowd to “light

up and join me, if you got one,” and touched on how he’s seen the legacy of Hash Bash grow. “Welcome to legalization in the state of Michigan,” Sinclair said. “You haven’t been here before unless you were here in 1972 when we started it.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............5 SPORTS....................1B

News

2A — Monday, April 8, 2019

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY: By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

THURSDAY: Twitter Talk

FRIDAY: Behind the Story

DESIGN BY VIVIAN HARBER

FOOL MOON

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com

MAYA GOLDMAN

TOMMY DYE

Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 mayagold@michigandaily.com

Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 tomedye@michigandaily.com

NEWS TIPS

news@michigandaily.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR tothedaily@michigandaily.com

EDITORIAL PAGE

opinion@michigandaily.com

PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION

ARTS SECTION

photo@michigandaily.com

arts@michigandaily.com

NEWSROOM

SPORTS SECTION

734-418-4115 opt. 3

sports@michigandaily.com

CORRECTIONS

ADVERTISING

corrections@michigandaily.com

dailydisplay@gmail.com

Editorial Staff ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily Ann Arbor residents light up Kerrytown with different luminaries during Foolmoon Friday night.

FINNTAN STORER Managing Editor

frstorer@michigandaily.com

GRACE KAY and ELIZABETH LAWRENCE

Students for choice host Vagina Monologue spin-off to capture female experience

Patchwork event included monologues, songs, dances and other forms of expression ALYSSA MCMURTRY Daily Staff Reporter

This weekend, Students for Choice hosted Patchwork, a spin-off from the Vagina Monologues, at Rackham Auditorium. The show included monologues, song, dance and other forms of expression. Patchwork had pieces from American playwright and activist Eve Ensler interwoven with student-written performances. Participants included LSA sophomore Marya Matlin-Wainer and LSA junior Isabel Saville, who performed “A Teenage Girl’s Guide to Surviving Sex Slavery” and “I Am an Emotional Creature” respectively.

OH BABY

LSA sophomores Zoey Horowitz and Ruthie DeWit co-directed and performed in Patchwork. Horowitz and DeWit collaborated with Students for Choice and agreed a change needed to be made to allow for more diverse experiences of women or those who identify as women. “We were both in the Vagina Monologues last year,” Horowitz said. “There were no directors (last year), so we decided to direct it and we talked to Students for Choice and we … kind of decided that we needed a change. The Vagina Monologues is really wonderful but a little bit outdated and just a very narrow representation of womanhood and gender expression and art

puzzle by sudokusyndication.com

form and we just wanted to open it up for everybody.” LSA seniors Chelsea Chai and Megan Burns, co-presidents of Students for Choice, have continued the tradition of the Vagina Monologues every spring, and, after talking with executive board members and the co-directors, Patchwork was created. “It’s from the ‘90s and it’s pretty white feminist, so it doesn’t include all the identities that we really wanted to represent,” Burns said. “We wanted more student-written work, we wanted more inclusive work and we wanted work that was younger, fresher and more original and representative of actual students at the university.” Performers said they appreciated the change. Engineering sophomore Aini Robertson is co-captain of Ambiance dance team and said she enjoyed the opportunity to share her feelings through dance. “I would say last year I started to discover more about being a woman, what I like about it, discovering more about myself,” Robertson said. “So this (year) is kind of like a chance for me to express myself a little bit more and hearing everybody’s monologues is always encouraging.” LSA freshman Madelynn Brady attended the event with her friends to support one of the presenters. “I think it’s a really good program that they have going and I’m glad that they call it women’s Patchwork because it’s kind of like tying stories together,” Brady said. When asked if the organization is planning to phase out Vagina

Monologues, Chai said the option could be a very real possibility. “We’re very open to that route,” Chai said. “Since our organization is very collaborative, we really rely on the opinions of our e-board moving forward … and I think

Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Sayali Amin, Rachel Cunningham, Remy Farkas, Leah Graham, Amara Shaikh Assistant News Editors: Barbara Collins, Alex Harring, Danielle Pasekoff, Atticus Raasch, Ben Rosenfeld, Samantha Small, Emma Stein, Zayna Syed, Callie Teitelbaum, Liat Weinstein

JOEL DANILEWITZ and MAGDALENA MIHAYLOVA

Editorial Page Editors tothedaily@michigandaily.com Senior Opinion Editors: Emily Huhman, Alexander Satola, Elias Khoury, Nicholas Tomaino, Erin White

MAX MARCOVITCH and ETHAN SEARS

Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com Senior Sports Editors: Mark Calcagno, Jake Shames, Matthew Kennedy, Anna Marcus, Paige Voeffray, Avi Sholkoff Assistant Sports Editors: Aria Gerson, Tien Le, Rian Ratnavale, Bennett Bramson, Theo Mackie, Akul Vijayvargiya

JACK BRANDON and ARYA NAIDU

Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Senior Arts Editors: Clara Scott, Emma Chang, Cassandra Mansuetti, Samantha Della Fera, Trina Pal Arts Beat Editors: Verity Sturm, Sayan Ghosh, Mike Watkins, Ally Owens, Stephen Satarino, Izzy Hasslund, Margaret Sheridan

ROSEANNE CHAO and JACK SILBERMAN Managing Design Editors Senior Design Editor: Willa Hua

design@michigandaily.com

ALEXIS RANKIN and ALEC COHEN Managing Photo Editors

It’s more about the overall experiences of womanhood, however that’s defined.

photo@michigandaily.com

Senior Photo Editors: Alexandria Pompei, Natalie Stephens, Alice Liu, Annie Klusendorf Assistant Photo Editors: Katelyn Mulcahy, Miles Macklin, Emma Richter, Hannah Siegel, Allison Engkvist

ANDREA PÉREZ BALDERRAMA

Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Deputy Editors: Matthew Harmon, Shannon Ors

MADELINE TURNER and MIRIAM FRANCISCO Managing Copy Editors

copydesk@michigandaily.com

Senior Copy Editors: Dominick Sokotoff, Olivia Sedlacek, Reece Meyhoefer

CASEY TIN and HASSAAN ALI WATTOO

Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com Senior Web Developers: Jonathon Liu, Abha Panda, Ryan Siu, David Talbot, Samantha Cohen

NOAH TAPPEN

Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Video Editors: Jillian Drzinski, Aarthi Janakiraman

that we will most likely have something similar in its place something that has been mentioned has more student written work that kind of drives the content.” Burns added she was grateful for other organizations’ events that allow women to speak on their experiences and believed Students for Choice could expand their message by creating more spaces. “We wanted to contribute to that and also demonstrate that Students for Choice is more than just an issue about abortion,” Burns said. “It’s more about the overall experiences of womanhood, however that’s defined, so I think in the future our events will look a lot more like this, but also still do a lot of activism based events and also panels and performative events, things like that as well.”

CARLY RYAN and NA’KIA CHANNEY Michigan in Color Editors

michiganincolor@michigandaily.com

Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Maya Mokh, Samuel So, Ana Maria SanchezCastillo, Efe Osagie, Danyel Tharakan Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Grace Cho, Harnoor Singh, Nada Eldawy, Lorna Brown

CATHERINE NOUHAN and JOHN FABIAN Managing Podcast Editors

CARRINGTON TUBMAN and MADALASA CHAUDHARI Managing Social Media Editors

Business Staff ADRIANNA KUSMIERCZYK CAMERON COANE

Creative Director

ZELJKO KOSPIC

Sales Manager

Special Projects Manager

ROBERT WAGMAN

ANITA MICHAUD

Marketing Consulting Manager

Brand Manager

The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.

Michigan in Color

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Monday, April 8, 2019 — 3A

Socioeconomic stereotypes: not so crazy rich Asians MONICA KIM MiC Columnist Throughout most of elementary school, my parents and I lived in a tiny one-bed, one-bath unit tucked away on the top floor of a house. My parents and I often took turns sleeping on the floor, since there was only one bed, and only room for two; it was a space I often felt ashamed of, a place I never invited my friends over to, a place I pushed away in the recesses of my memories. I write this because while my parents and I now belong to the middle class, there was a time when we didn’t — and this low-income situation is

a lived experience for many Asian Americans as well. It isn’t often talked about in the media, and I myself have only recently begun to be more aware of the economic disparity within this large group of non-homogenous people we call Asian Americans. One definitive reason for this is a socially constructed pervasive myth: the model minority myth. The myth posits that Asian Americans are the “model” group that all other minority groups should aspire to. We’re supposedly smart and hard-working, and those two characteristics should allow us to achieve the American dream and become successful and wealthy.

Nevermind the fact that the myth was created by white people to drive a wedge between Asian American and Black communities during the civil rights era; nevermind the fact that it was used by white people to regain favor with Japanese Americans and Japan after WWII and Japanese internment camps. The myth not only perpetuates divisive, harmful stereotypes against other minority groups, but it also pushes a large amount of Asian American struggles to dark corners—namely, those of low socioeconomic status. Asian Americans earn the highest annual income out of any group in America— including white Americans.

But Asian Americans also have the highest income gap between those who make the most and those who make the least. And those who make the least tend to be the most forgotten or lookedover in the Asian American community: Cambodians, Laotians, Burmese, and Hmong (these ethnic groups, not coincidentally, would also be harmed by the removal of affirmative action, though that’s a different story for another time). Moreover, though Asian Americans have the highest rate of poverty in New York City, they received 1.4% of the city’s social service funds over a thirteen-year period—again, much of

click! SEAN TRAN MiC Blogger Before I began college, my dad told me that I’d end up being friends with those who were like me—that I’d stick to my “own kind.” What he meant was that the people who I’d surround myself with would all be Asian, a stark contrast to my high school best friends. My high school friends were made up of a handful of white boys and one Vietnamese girl, all within a high school class of 450 where I could count all the Asian students on my hands. I didn’t believe him at all. However, as parents often are, he ended up being right, for the most part. I still believe that friendship isn’t something that you can force. My high school best friends are still some of my best friends today. When it comes to being homies, it’s about

whether you and another person click! For me, click!ing with somebody else just seems to be a lot easier for me when I’m with another person of color. At the core of any good relationship are commonalities, whether that be mutual experiences, upbringings or interests. In terms of the friendships that I’ve made since coming to campus, the majority of them have formed as a result of my involvement with Michigan’s Vietnamese Student Association, pushing myself into the larger Asian/PacificIslander American community as a whole. Most of my friends here are Vietnamese. We recognize that a shared cultural understanding exists between us that is essential to how we interact with one another. There’s a certain level of comfort that pervades my interactions

Dearborn’s dark side ALI ELATRACHE MiC Columnist Dearborn, Michigan is the epicenter of Muslim/ Arab American culture. It is a microcosm of the Middle East with people from every Arab country (i.e. Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, etc). There is such a diverse presence of nationalities and cultures that all contribute their own traditions while sharing similar traditions with other nationalities there . Although one might think that in this cultural hub we all have similar stories as minorities, we don’t. 36 miles away from Ann Arbor is a city that portrays diversity and acceptance to the outside perspective, and although that is true in some sense, one group of people see themselves as superior to others. Being Lebanese, I can attest to the fact that many people of my nationality think that they are better than everyone else. There is a running joke in my friend group that the Lebanese are the “white people” of Dearborn. That is to say that we are the problem. Lebanese are still minorities in the U.S., but like white people we’re privileged compared to everyone else when it comes to discrimination. In high school I would hear Lebanese boys jokingly call each other “Yemenis” as an insult , and see Lebanese kids fight with Iraqi kids for no reason.

There is a clear superiority complex and it governs social life in Dearborn. Even within Lebanese culture, southern Lebanese people see all Baalbakis (those who come from the Eastern side of Lebanon) as extremists, drug dealers, or uber-conservatives. This superiority complex is synonymous to the problems of race in the U.S. today. While minorities are being persecuted from all around, and Islamophobia has spiked in the age of Trump against Muslims and Arabs, we are still unable to recognize each other as allies. The reason I wanted to write this article is not to call anybody out, but to recognize the divergence among us. Why should colorism or discrimination among minorities with similar stories exist? As minorities, we should all recognize the fact that there we all share a similar problem: the existence of white supremacy, colonialism and people like our President who elicit hatred. Many of our parents came to the U.S. for the same reasons, whether it was to escape war in the Middle East, or for financial stability. My lesson for my Lebanese friends is to recognize that you aren’t better than anyone else. Your scat pack doesn’t make you cooler. Your jokes about Yemenis aren’t funny. Basically, if one person calls it dolma, but the other wara2 3einab (grape leaves), who cares!

this is attributed to the myths, since there is a lack of awareness about these economic struggles. Age and immigration background play an important role in the income disparities within the Asian American community too, as those who are older and had to flee their countries as refugees tend to be lower-income. There is a multitude of successful Asian Americans out there, and I don’t mean to discredit their stories, or the fact that Asian Americans do own a lot of wealth in this country. But we shouldn’t forget the fact that these statistics are a lived reality for numerous lowincome Asian Americans,

who are often overlooked in an already overlooked minority group (though that is beginning to change). I don’t mean to speak for the low-income Asian American community, because I am no longer low-income and our experiences will never be the same across the board (we are, after all, not a monolithic group). But with the recent success of a movie that focuses on crazy rich Asians, it’s important not just to stress Hollywood media representation, but to look at more concerning struggles. We cannot forget or overlook those within our community who are low-income and are left behind because of the model minority myth.

Zendaya x Tommy

with these individuals—it comes with not having to explain certain references or already understanding the things that one another may figuratively and literally bring to the table (see: nước mắm, or fish sauce, for example). We click! a little easier. That doesn’t mean that we are only aware of what makes us similar. What is more important is that we remain openminded. Comfort should definitely exist within any relationship, but what I cherish more is the ability to learn from our own unique experiences with and beyond those who share our backgrounds. Ever since I can remember, I’ve introduced myself to others as halfVietnamese and halfChinese. I am fully aware that my perspective is not the same as those who may be Asian, Black or Latinx. Despite these differences,

I’ve found a sense of unspoken solidarity among my peers of color. We don’t homogenize our identities as “others,” rather we value the unique spaces that we occupy as individuals within our own communities and among people of color as a whole. I believe that we tend to click! more often because we are open to listening and learning and speaking out about how our identities matter. We click! because we’re down for new experiences without judgment or condescension or tokenization. We click! because we know that our identities are distinct and diverse and we know not to treat them with anything less than the utmost respect. When my dad said that I would stick to my own kind, I don’t think that’s entirely true. We just, y’know...click!

NADIA DAVIS MiC Blogger On March 2nd, inf luential actress and singer, Zendaya, showed her new line in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger for the first time at Paris Fashion Week. Zendaya’s alternative and diverse fashion sense is praised by the masses, so the amount of excitement surrounding the debut of her line was only right. However, the clothes itself were not the only thing that we had to be excited about. Not only do the clothes make a statement, but Zendaya also seemed to be making a statement on representation with the structure of her show. The Zendaya x Tommy show put together something that has never been done before in fashion history--a show entirely made up of Black models.

Although all of the models are Black, not one model looked like another. Within the cast, there were diverse skin tones, a variation of hair textures and types, as well as diversity in age. The oldest model was fashion icon Grace Jones, who is seventy years old! Many of us turn to the fashion world for what is hip and in style, and to recognize what is beautiful. Until now, Black women were not seeing themselves represented in the fashion industry, or even at all. With today’s wave of feminism, we see more diversity within previously white-dominated spaces. However, Zendaya took this farther beyond the one “token” Black model. Zendaya has not only broken boundaries but has set the tone for what true feminism and inclusion looks like in the fashion world.

The model minority myth

ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELA ZHANG ANGELA ZHANG MiC Columnist I’ve never been good at math or science and seeing numbers of any sort make me cringe. This surprises people: I grew up as a classically trained pianist and attended a good private school, and of course, I’m also Asian. In high school, people would ask me if I was in BC Calc or AP Physics, even though I’ve only taken regular, collegepreparatory classes for STEM subjects. I would ask them why they thought I was in these advanced math classes, and my peers would respond with, “You just seem like a smart person and take all these other advanced classes, so I just assumed you’d be the type of person to be good at math too.” I am not “the type” of person who is good at math. And while I’m great at other things, I’ve noticed that people automatically assume I’m good with numbers all the time –– and it might not seem like a bad thing for people to assume this, but looking at the bigger picture, the model minority myth hurts rather than helps Asian students.

The model minority myth is the stereotype that Asians are seen as hardworking, smart, well-rounded people who excel at academics (getting straight A’s, top scores on the SAT and ACT… sound familiar?) and while it’s not a bad thing to care about your grades or be passionate about school work, it puts us into a box where we’re only seen as nerdy kids who study all day and are automatically good at math, which I am not. I am more than that: I love philosophy, history, politics, feminism, ‘80s music and going out on Friday nights –– just like any other American teenager. When all Asian students are put into a box, it can hurt how we perceive ourselves in the college admissions process –– this was definitely an issue I struggled with a year ago as a senior in high school. I was a good student in high school and cared very much about the classes I was interested in, was involved in a ton of extracurricular activities, and was (and still am) passionate about writing. But my standardized test scores were horrible, and the math section of my SAT’s was a total

embarrassment. I knew that I was smart enough and deserved to get into a good college, but it frustrated me knowing that I had to get above a certain score to get into more selective schools and furthermore because of my race and people’s predisposed assumptions about what “kind” of student I was supposed to be. My parents told me that I had to be twice as good as everyone else (namely my white peers) to get into these selective universities, because the competition among Asian students, who are all very qualified, is so cutthroat that there’s no way they could take all of us. And while this may be attributed to a number of

reasons, I have a theory that the model minority myth reinforces a vicious circle in which Asian students feel pressured by the existing stereotype that they have to have perfect grades and standardized test scores to stand a chance against everyone else of getting into elite universities, and this leads to a reinforcement of that same stereotype that we really all are that smart and hard working, which raises the bar even higher for those who don’t fit into that mold. We are more than just “smart” and “hardworking.” Like everyone else, we’re complicated and passionate and multifaceted and our grade point averages and test scores aren’t the only things that measure our intelligence or how much we deserve to get into Harvard or UC Berkeley. As college decisions come out this season, I want to remind everyone going through the application process: There isn’t one singular thing that quantifies how smart or awesome you are. You should be able to tell your own story in your own words and show them that talent and resilience comes in many forms and being Asian doesn’t mean you have to be the prototypical textbook STEM nerd with perfect stats –– and even if that’s easier said than done, I was in the same boat a year ago. There’s a reason why the model minority myth is just what it is: a myth.

Opinion

4A — Monday, April 8, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

DYLAN BERGER | COLUMN

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

MAYA GOLDMAN Editor in Chief

MAGDALENA MIHAYLOVA AND JOEL DANILEWITZ

FINNTAN STORER Managing Editor

Editorial Page Editors

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Zack Blumberg Emma Chang Joel Danilewitz Emily Huhman Tara Jayaram

Jeremy Kaplan Magdalena Mihaylova Ellery Rosenzweig Jason Rowland Anu Roy-Chaudhury

Alex Satola Timothy Spurlin Nicholas Tomaino Erin White Ashley Zhang

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of The Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

RAMISA ROB | COLUMN

Sexual assault is not sex

ver spring break, I met with my former classmates from a coalition of 17 international high schools around the world, schools built on the basis of a global education movement to unite people, nations and cultures for world peace. Our school breeds feminists and social justice advocates who engage in leadership for positive change. I presumed this diverse, socially aware group would hold a constructive discussion about the tricky topic of sexual violence. But I was egregiously disappointed when I was the only one — in a subgroup of five individuals — who expressed a dissenting opinion regarding the statement “rape is still sex.” If we are truly — and not just fashionably — dedicated to combating rape culture and victim blaming, we have to stop manipulating language to equate rape with sex. In 2017, a New York Times letter emphasized the necessity to stop connecting rape and sex in order to prevent the perpetrators from framing the dialogue in this way. So it’s crucial for all of us to sort out the terminology and devise a productive lexicon to talk about rape and sexual assault. First, we need to dispense the myopic mentality that cites simplistic biological notions to conclude rape is sex. In the biological definition, sexual intercourse, also called coitus or copulation, (but not “sex”), is a reproductive act in which “the male reproductive organ ... enters the female reproductive tract.” This definition itself is derived from a heteronormative understanding, and is specific only to heterosexual, reproductive aspects in animals and humans. It precludes the social and psychological implications of all sexual relationships and is insufficient to envelop all the acts we consider sex and all the acts criminalized as rape by law. In reality, when we use the word “sex” in our social circles, we don’t mean mindless penetration or only penetration. We associate sex with sexual pleasure and intimacy — commonly between two individuals regardless of gender. Famous memes on mainstream media today, stating: “Yeah sex is cool but …” reflect a general consensus in society that sex is an act that is supposed to feel good for all parties involved. While the Shakespearean era was greatly influenced by it, today’s hookup culture sells sex as a need-based commodity that fulfills sexual desires of all participants. And rape and sexual assault are not relatable to the universal meaning of sex because they do not include all participants’ sexual needs but rather involve one abuser and victim. So to those who say rape is

“still sex,” your vocabulary must be so inadequate that the term “sex” serves two polarizing sentiments: sexual gratification and violation of a human being. The physical and emotional violence, in addition to the lack of consent, renders the act an entirely different, negative concept called rape. But this does not mean “rape is non-consensual sex,” and thus sex. That shortsighted perception posits an act without consent and an act with enthusiastic consent to mean the same thing — obfuscating the necessary lines marked by legal systems to distinguish the treachery that endangers individuals. When people have “consensual sex,” they don’t narrate, “Yesterday, I had some consensual sex.” We say “I had sex with someone,” because implicit in “having” sex is consent, so the term non-consensual sex itself is an oxymoron. We have been highlighting the importance of consent because it is a part of sex, not an outlier. The fact of the matter is that without consent, including victim incapacitation and coercion, it’s not “nonconsensual sex,” “bad sex” or “sex” of any kind. It is rape and sexual assault — abusive behavior penalized by jurisdictions. The U.S. legal definition was reformed by the Department of Justice in 2012 to include victims and perpetrators of all genders, not just women being raped by men. It now states: “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” Though the law does not explicitly mention the act of “sex,” I argue that by highlighting lack of consent in the definition, the law presumes the presence of consent in having sex — which is a legal act. Without consent, the law criminalizes the act as rape and our society must not counter-productively distort this understanding. Yet, my multinational peers in London argued that my legal argument “only applies to the United States.” So let’s look at legislation in the United Kingdom. It states: “Rape: A person (A) commits an offence if he intentionally penetrates the vagina, anus or mouth of another person (B) with his penis; B does not consent to the penetration …” The law assumes there is consent when the act is legal, thereby demonstrating the innate difference between sex and the crime of rape. So this argument “rape is not sex” is not specific to a nation and does not stem from right or left politics. This is about common sense. When a thief steals someone’s jewelry, people don’t say they borrowed it without permission. If you argue rape is “nonconsensual sex” and “still sex,” you should logically say robbing a bank is “non-consensual loan, so

still a loan.” This statement sounds like you’re trying to explain the criminal’s skewed point of view. So we must recognize that while rape may be received as sex to a perpetrator, it is not. To a victim, it is a gross breach of their bodily autonomy and personal agency, which is why sexual violence is considered a human rights violation that should never be confused with sex. The University of Michigan’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center has emphasized the dangers of this misguided path, stating “By framing sexualized violence as about sex and not about violence we focus on the perpetrator’s narrative and not the survivor’s. Focusing on the perpetrator’s narrative leads society to blame the victim and to not hold the perpetrator accountable for their actions.” In other words, associating rape with sex silences the victims’ traumatic experience with empathy for the perpetrator, which is as far from “listening to survivors” as a response could possibly can be. Survivors get to choose the terminology to talk about their horror, and a society does not get to sugarcoat the allegations against their perpetrators with the troubling oxymoron of “non-consensual sex.” So in the future, reporting on disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein should stop recycling the words of the accused, such as his attorney stating that he: “...has maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sex with anyone.” It should clearly state that he: “... denied allegations of rape and sexual assault,” because those are the claims under investigation and trial. Public safety advisory emails should not report rape as “forced her to engage in nonconsensual sex.” How can one “engage” in something they haven’t even consented to? This crude participatory language is counterintuitive and negates the perversity of rapists. It fuels the persisting problem: When it comes to sexual violence, society inherently listens to perpetrators, not victims. It is urgent to judiciously frame our advocacy on victim blaming around the victim’s narrative. Many survivors don’t report their atrocities and when they do, they still bear the blame. How can we expect it to change when individuals who receive the most eye-opening education continue to say rape is still sex? From now on, I hope to never hear that preposterous statement, especially from young intellectuals who have the privilege of using their knowledge to implement productive dialogue. Words always matter, so choose them wisely. Ramisa Rob can be reached at rfrob@umich.edu.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION

Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

It’s not too late to help Puerto Rico

arlier this week, the protracted controversy over President Donald Trump’s administration’s response to Hurricane Maria burst back into the limelight with a new conflict over federal aid in Puerto Rico. Still reeling from the devastating damage of Hurricane Maria, the people of Puerto Rico are in desperate need of federal disaster relief. As loyal American citizens, the people of Puerto Rico have every right to assistance from the federal government to get back on their feet. Once again, however, an issue that should bridge the political divide has fallen victim to our toxic partisan politics. A GOP disaster relief measure that would have provided $14.2 billion in much needed emergency aid to Puerto Rico, including $703 million for Medicaid and nutrition assistance, failed to advance in the Senate this week. Senate Democrats opposed the measure, citing inadequate funding to deal with the crisis. Meanwhile, Trump has also resisted calls for further federal aid to Puerto Rico, accusing the island’s leaders of incompetence and corruption. The ongoing back and forth in Washington over who is to blame for Puerto Rico’s woes is a distressing illustration of what’s wrong in America today. Our leaders, on both sides, are hurriedly attempting to seize the narrative on this crisis for political benefit. All the while, the people of Puerto Rico continue to suffer from a lack of action, discarded as props in the broader political battle engulfing America. We cannot continue to allow Washington to abdicate its responsibility to help the American citizens of Puerto Rico any longer. Instead, we must apply pressure on our representatives to provide robust aid. Hurricane Maria, which struck Puerto Rico in September 2017, is the deadliest storm to hit the United States since 1900. Most of the carnage inflicted by Maria occurred in the six months following the storm, not initial impact. After an initial reported death toll of 64,

a study by researchers from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, commissioned by the Puerto Rican government, found 2,975 excess deaths in the six months after the storm. In those six months following Maria, the researchers found a mortality rate 22 percent higher than would be expected without the storm. The death toll in the months after Maria was particularly pronounced among the most vulnerable Puerto Rican populations. Those living in the island’s poorest municipalities had a startlingly- high 60-percent elevated risk of death while older, male Puerto Ricans had a 35-percent elevated risk of dying. While more research is needed on this catastrophe, it’s evident the bungled government response, both federal and local, led to the preventable deaths of so many Puerto Ricans after the storm. While FEMA emergency workers did heroic work on the ground to save lives, not nearly enough resources were directed to Puerto Rico in the days after Maria. A study by the BMJ Journal found the federal government was far slower in its response to Maria than comparable Category 4 storms in the same time period. Within nine days of the disaster, victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida received $141.8 million and $92.8 million from FEMA to recover, respectively. Victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico received only $6.2 million from FEMA in the same time period. The lackluster response from FEMA and the federal government had a direct impact on the well-being of the Puerto Rican people. A prime example is when over 20,000 pallets of water were brought in by FEMA and remained sitting on the tarmac of an airport in Puerto Rico for months on end while Puerto Ricans were forced to resort to drinking unfiltered spring water. It’s unacceptable Puerto Ricans were required to put their health at risk by drinking potentially unsafe water while 20,000 pallets of water were sitting on the island either tainted by heat or unused.

Both FEMA and local authorities shoulder the blame for this egregious act of mismanagement and poor communication. The heroic emergency work of FEMA and local authorities on the ground to save lives immediately after the storm’s landfall doesn’t make these appalling mistakes excusable. The inequality in federal response between catastrophic storms on the mainland and Puerto Rico is abhorrent. The people of Puerto Rico are equal citizens of the United States and ought to be treated as such. When our nation has asked the Puerto Rican people to fight for our freedoms, they have answered the call resoundingly. More than 200,000 Puerto Ricans have served bravely in the U.S. Armed Forces in every conflict since World War I. We in the continental United States cannot turn our backs on our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico in their time of need. One of the many reasons our country is so exceptional is because we rally around each other during times of adversity. Puerto Ricans are very much a part of that tradition. Our government’s response to Hurricane Maria must reflect that. Going forward, it’s evident that an improved federal government presence can make all the difference for the health and well-being of the Puerto Rican people. With the failure of the disaster relief package for Puerto Rico in the Senate this week, the Puerto Rican people continue to wait for federal assistance on matters of life or death such as nutrition and health care. While nearly two years have passed since Hurricane Maria, our commitment to our fellow American citizens in Puerto Rico cannot wane. It’s past time for our leaders in Washington to put partisanship aside and demonstrate that commitment with continued disaster relief.

Dylan Berger can be reached at dylberge@umich.edu.

SOLOMON MEDINTZ | COLUMN

Jay Inslee and the future of climate politics

here is a disconnect on climate change between Democratic voters’ priorities and the attention it is given on a national level. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, voters ranked the environment as their third most important issue. But that enthusiasm was not apparent during the 2018 midterms, where Democrats seldom talked about climate change, instead choosing to focus on health care, the Republican tax plan and corruption in President Donald Trump’s administration. I have been wondering for a long time when a Democrat would run for president primarily on climate change. In 2016, national media gave it little airtime, and candidate Hillary Clinton did not prioritize the stark differences between herself and President Donald Trump on the issue. A possible explanation for the recent lack of national climate change conversation is the partisan nature of climate politics. The same Pew poll highlighted that climate change is the issue with the largest partisan prioritization gap. Another possibility is that climate change conversations seem too apocalyptic to be inspiring. Or perhaps many Americans think dealing with climate change means losing jobs. Jay Inslee, governor of Washington and current 2020 candidate for the Democratic nomination, believes those obstacles can be overcome. By running as the climate candidate, he is trying to exploit the disconnect between the extent Democratic voters prioritize climate change and the attention candidates give it on the national stage. Coming from Washington, which has a sizable rural Republican population, he thinks he can make climate change an issue Republicans can get behind. And instead of prophesying doom as many climate advocates do, he is explicitly pushing a hopeful

message, one centered on the potential jobs a transition to clean energy brings. Though the rest of the Democratic field also calls for action on climate change, they do not make it a priority — it is just another on the laundry list of agenda items they have once in office. For Inslee, climate change should be the next president’s top priority. Inslee’s message is especially significant because, for Democrats, prioritization shapes policy. In 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama had an ambitious legislative agenda, but since he prioritized the Affordable Care Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he was unable to expend more political capital passing comprehensive immigration reform or his cap-and-trade plan for carbon emissions. If climate action proposals are just another item on the long list of policies 2020 candidates need to prove their progressive credibility, I am skeptical we will see meaningful change. Inslee’s bet does not seem to be paying off. While it is early in the campaign and Inslee does not have high national visibility, he has not been polling higher than one percent and often does not even appear in the top 12. He is not even the most popular issuebased candidate — entrepreneur Andrew Yang’s campaign based on universal basic income has been about as successful so far (and he certainly has more of a cult following). Inslee’s low polling is not a condemnation for prioritizing climate action on the national level, but it underscores the need to integrate climate into other issues Democrats are passionate about. In that capacity, he is losing out to the other, faceless climate candidate of the 2020 Democratic primary — the Green New Deal, which is the proposed framework for fighting climate change and

socio-economic inequality from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. Despite, or maybe because of, the right’s vilification of the proposal, it has polled well across the political spectrum, with more likely voters expressing support than opposition (including 71-percent of Democrats). Historically, Democratic climate policy has focused on wonky policies like cap-and-trade proposals or carbon taxes. When these were the headliners, voters were unenthusiastic, which limited how intensely the Obama administration wanted to put themselves behind climate legislation, according to David Axelrod, President Obama’s senior adviser. These efforts also ignored the ways in which climate change will first impact marginalized communities. Even though Inslee’s climate messaging is more nuanced than the climate politics of the past, by branding himself as the climate candidate, he has sidelined economic and social justice issues important to the Democratic base. And it does not help that Inslee, a 68-year-old white man, looks like the people who have often advocated for technocratic climate policies. The recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells the world that we must drastically reduce our global carbon emissions by 2030 in order to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. That requires the United States gets on board and prioritizes climate change. The Green New Deal’s popularity, and Jay Inslee campaign’s lack thereof, proves that we cannot talk about climate change by itself, but that it must be fully integrated into other efforts voters are passionate about. Solomon Medintz can be reached at smedintz@umich.edu.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

Monday, April 8, 2019 — 5A

DAILY WORLD MUSIC COLUMN

COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

PNL, part deux SAYAN GHOSH

Daily World Music Columnist

VIRGIN RECORDS

Looking back, listening fondly in the springtime BEN VASSAR

Daily Arts Writer

When you walked out your door this morning, it was probably the first thing you smelled: spring. It’s a sweet ripeness in the air that contrasts with the smokier, earthier scent of colder days weeks prior. It triggers an immediate emotional response that, at least in spring’s earliest days, is impossible to ignore. It makes us more energetic, happier, louder. The Diag is bright, crowded and unnavigable. Palmer and Elbel are ridden with runners and frisbee-ers. The library feels just that much brighter. Spring’s early days have always been injected with this kind of energy and each time they roll around, I feel great nostalgia for the places I’ve been and the person I was the past times they’ve made their visit. This year, nostalgia has manifested itself in a great appreciation for the music of my childhood: Beck, Gorillaz, Moby and Oasis, to name a few. These are artists my mom would play on our household stereo (essentially a round

boombox with CD and cassette capabilities) back in 2005. Beck’s “Que’ Onda Guero” from his 2005 album Guero is a bouncy Mexican-infused funk anthem. I only found it again while going song by song through the album, which I recognized from seeing its hard-copy form as a child. Gorillaz has a couple well-known hits from this time: “Clint Eastwood” off their 2001 Gorillaz and “Feel Good Inc.” off their 2005 Demon Days. What’s really excited me lately though have been lesserknown bops like “Rock the House” and “Dirty Harry.” Moby’s “Extreme Ways” will always be a post-9/11 era period piece for me, especially given that my mom works in news research. Oasis’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is another cover I instantly recognized when Spotify suggested “Some Might Say.” Oasis’s sound — though influenced by a lineage of English rock from the Beatles to the Clash and beyond — is incredibly recognizable, even if all you know as a University student is the “Wonderwall” frat remix. I’m still able to associate vivid memories with some of these sounds from the deepest

chasms of my memory. They make me remember the one time my whole neighborhood’s power went out, and my parents and I burned candles and listened to our CD collection as we played Go Fish (this was, in retrospect, the first time I understood the ambience of candle lighting). They make me remember making paper maché volcanoes with the Beck lyric “make their dreams out of paper maché” standing out in my head. They make me remember dancing with my best friend Nikita on a gym bench shouting, “I’m happy, I’m feeling glad, I got sunshine, in a bag!” Now, looking back, it is a bit funny that I had a vague understanding of some of these explicit themes at such a young age. It doesn’t matter if you were listening to Bruce Springsteen or Biggie, though. The tunes of your childhood still have a transportive quality that no other music you’ll discover in the future ever will. If you haven’t recently, go back to those first sounds that defined your idea of what music was. Walking on a sunny spring day, you’ll hardly feel like you’ve gone anywhere since the first time you heard them play.

FILM NOTEBOOK

MARVEL STUDIOS

The Marvel Cinematic Universe ranked, part two JEREMIAH VANDERHELM Daily Arts Writer

In the run-up to “Avengers: Endgame,” I’m running down every movie and TV show the MCU has ever put out and ranking them based on how well they tell their stories with the means available to them. This is part two of a four part series. 33. “Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger”: Season one (2018) Like so many MCU TV shows, “Cloak and Dagger” coasts for as long as it can on its leads before conjuring up anything resembling narrative

momentum. Well-built characters are, of course, the most important thing, but so often Marvel applies the same logic to TV shows as they do to movies — if the characters suit up by the end of their first outing, it’s fine. The problem is a season of TV is a long time to go without the reason people tuned in, so you end up with a show called “Cloak and Dagger” with a glaring lack of Cloak and Dagger. 32. “Thor” (2011) There may be no MCU film as uneven in quality as “Thor.” On the one hand, it’s a character-driven story in which the Thor’s arc is intrinsically tied to how the

plot progresses. On the other, that story is about as generic a hero’s journey as Marvel has yet put out. The Asgardians are further examples of Marvel’s perfect casting. The human characters are bland, forgettable and a waste of superb actors. It’s deeply funny in some scenes. Elsewhere, it falls f lat on its face. 31. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”: Season one (2013-2014) Of all the miracles the MCU has pulled off, the first season of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is one of the most impressive. The first 16 episodes are a mess of cliché characters

A couple months ago, I wrote a column about the French rap sensation PNL. While I didn’t anticipate writing another, recent events have made me want to revisit the duo, their music and why they are a national sensation in their home country in a way few artists have ever been. To recap the essentials of the story, PNL consists of two brothers: Tarik and Nabil Andrieu (Ademo and NOS respectively) hailing from Corbeil-Essonnes, a suburb of Paris. On April 5, they released their third studio album, Deux Frères (Two Brothers), after a period of three years. The level of anticipation was seeminly at unseen heights, with prolific French music journalist Mehdi Maïzi jokingly remarking on Twitter that these levels of national unity were only last seen during the World Cup (in which the French were victorious). The announcement came just a week ago with the release of a new single “Au DD.” “Au DD,” also the first track of the new album, is classic PNL. Braggadocious, aggressive, with a memorable chorus, it reached more than ten million views in two days and became the first French single to reach the Spotif y Global Top 30. The single was accompanied by a truly stunning music video, especially notable for a group that was already known for its ambitious, cinematic videos. The brothers became the first group to film a video on top of the Eiffel Tower, also transforming it into a trap house in the process. The video features several stunning drone shots and the brothers strut around with a sense of victory. The Eiffel Tower, the most iconic of French symbols, showed

up often in previous videos such as the one for their 2016 single “DA,” not just as a symbol of their beloved Paris (often referred to as “Paname” as well), but also perhaps a Paris that was far and inaccessible for two Muslim boys from the troubled suburbs. But now, just as they have conquered the French youth spirit, they have conquered La Tour Eiffel. Drake perhaps did it first in Toronto’s CN Tower, but unlike Drake, PNL is one of those rare artists (think Springsteen or Jay Z) that can imbue their music with a convincing sense of grandeur.

(“Misery is beautiful”), the brothers ref lect on the difficulty of their lives. The pair grew up without their mother and a criminal father who they were close to but was often absent as well. Ademo in particular ref lects about his nagging loneliness and difficulty with even sleeping peacefully, referring to himself with his real name as well. Deux Frères is also the most diverse albums the duo has made up to this point. Songs like “Au DD” are familiar to any PNL fan, but songs like the aforementioned “A L’ammoniaque” and “Hasta la vista” are a distinct departure of the likes of 2016’s “Bené.” The latter has a particular Maghrébien (North African) inf luence, with some labelling it as “Raïggeton,” refrencing “Raï,” a type of Algerian popular music and the immensely popular Reggaeton of Daddy Yankee, Nicky Jam and others. “91’s” is the funkiest and most danceable PNL track to date. The production value and diversity is world class on Deux Frères, which is notable since that is one aspect of their American counterparts that many foreign hip-hop albums rarely reach. PNL, in a manner similar to their compatriots Daft Punk, have reached a level of popularity in their country without any kind of external marketing, interviews or engagement. As they say, all you need to know about them is in their music. Even now, they remain completely independent, with every aspect of their work, from the writing to the artistic design, being completed by people they have known and trusted for a while. They live their refrain of “Que La Famille,” and I hope that audiences around the world will eventually come to know and love them as much as I do.

Deux Frère is also the most diverse albums the duo has made up to this point.

matched with boring storylines, a show trying to justif y its own existence in a universe defined by its big screen outings. Then, in the final moments of episode 17 everything changes, and “S.H.I.E.L.D.,” as if by magic, becomes tightly-written and paced, constantly pushing its characters to new, exciting places. 30. “Marvel’s The Defenders”: Season one (2017) Over two years, Marvel’s Netf lix shows laid the groundwork for their smallscreen answer to “The Avengers,” and when it finally dropped, it was met with a resounding, “Sure.” There’s a certain joy in watching these characters come together, but the Hand had been boring through the individual shows and is no different here. I’ll grant that the twist at the three-quarter mark is shocking, but even that only serves to make everything more boring. The fact that another Disney property, “The Last Jedi,” pulled off a similar twist much more successfully that same year doesn’t help. 29. “Marvel’s Agent Carter”: Season one (2015) It’s tempting to say “Give Hayley Atwell her own movie,” and leave it at that, but that would be a disservice to a pretty decent season of TV. In contrast to the lackluster second season, the first season of “Agent Carter” gives its star much more to do by taking place directly after the events of “The First Avenger” and showing her working through her grief while also having to deal with a postwar spy story. That story is still handicapped by its need to constantly tie itself to the wider MCU, but it was a promising solo debut for the character.

Deux Frères as a whole is, just as “Au DD,” a victory lap, but it also offers a more vulnerable and confessional PNL. “A l’ammoniaque” (“With ammonia”), one of the most understated tracks PNL has ever made, deals with a bitter love and general regret for their past life. Ademo sings, “Inch’Allah, Inch’Allah, Inch’Allah/ Que Dieu nous pardonne pardonne pour nos crasses / Pour notre manque de comprehension / Evenrs l’Homme et sa putain d’race” (“Insh’Allah Insh’Allah Insh’allah / May God forgive us for our dirty tricks and our lack of understanding of man and his fucking race”). On the standout conclusion “La Misère est si belle”

28. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”: Season two (2014-2015) The biggest challenge the second season of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” faced was translating the magic of the last five episodes of its first season into a full 22 episode run. To an extent, it works, thanks mostly to an expanded ensemble and some interesting narrative developments, but there’s also a good deal of growing pains on display in the pacing. Given where “S.H.I.E.L.D.” would go, though, that’s easily forgiven. 27. “Marvel’s Daredevil”: Season two (2016) The tight focus of the first season of “Daredevil” is replaced by a bisected structure where anything and everything dealing with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is great, forcing Matt Murdock to reckon with his actions in a way very much in line with the series’ core themes. Then there’s the other half, centered on Elektra and the Hand, which exists solely to build up to “The Defenders.” 26. “Doctor Strange” (2016) “Doctor Strange” is essentially a more visually impressive version of “Iron Man,” but it’s saved not just by those vaunted effects but by the insane talent of its cast. Benedict Cumberbatch absolutely owns the title role from start to finish, embodying Strange’s razor sharp wit perfectly. Even better, though controversial, is Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, whose final scene ranks as one of the best and most beautiful in the MCU. 25. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018) If “Ant-Man and the Wasp” has a story to tell, it’s lost on me in the barrage of car

chases, heel turns and oneliners. But in a way, that makes it the perfect movie to show why Marvel movies work even when they stumble. From beginning to end, this is a movie that finds its life in its characters, and Marvel’s willingness to focus on them even in the aftermath of something like “Infinity War” is a breath of fresh air. 24. “Ant-Man” (2015) More famous for the drama during its production, “AntMan” is nevertheless the most immediately accessible the MCU has been since “Iron Man.” Again, it’s all centered on the character of Scott Lang and builds his character and his relatable struggle before it puts him in his supersuit and sends him off on his pseudoscience-fueled heist. What follows is a stylish blast, but it’s all built upon the foundation of the characters. 23. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”: Season five (2017–2018) “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” oversteps a bit with an admirably ambitious fifth season that sent its characters decades into the future. A handful of charming new characters and Fitz’s continued struggles with his own duality are definite highlights, yet after their return from the future, the show seems to be unsure of how to proceed with its central story, throwing Hydra into the mix yet again before finally settling on Graviton as the season’s Big Bad. Next week, Marvel turns in one of the best, most miraculous seasons of genre TV broadcast networks have had in years. Meanwhile, a couple misunderstood cinematic gems get their due.

Arts

6A — Monday, April 8, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SHOW REVIEW

ALBUM REVIEW

At Michigan Theater, Lee finds himself comfortable CLARA SCOTT

Senior Arts Editor

SISTER POLYGON RECORDS

Priests explores being bad on ‘Seduction of Kansas’ JIM WILSON

Daily Arts Writer

After releasing their excellent album Nothing Feels Natural, it was hard to imagine where Priests would take their sound. The band masterfully demonstrated their post-punk chops, but that genre seems to have its limitations. It is difficult to navigate the post-punk genre and experiment within it without crossing back into punk or straying into alternative. However, with The Seduction of Kansas, Priests have totally eschewed post-punk in favor of a new genre, one much less defined, one that allows the band to full stretch its wings. Priests tackles more sounds on The Seduction of Kansas than most bands will over the course of their whole careers. This description makes it sound like the Priests is trying to do too much, but most of these new sounds are barely noticeable. They bubble beneath the surface as the band does its thing. When these sounds do break through, though, they hit hard. Album opener, “Jesus’ Son,” is a far cry from anything on Nothing Feels Natural. It sets the tone for the rest of the album, as any opener should. Simply put, “Jesus’ Son” sounds big, clearly drawing from stadium rock. The guitar soars, the drums are driving and the vocals are sharp, but it’s the bass that sets this song apart. The bassline makes the song

infectious and danceable, so much so that it’s hard to resist the urge to get up and move. The lyrics are gnarly and a little gross, and that is just how the band wants it. In a track-by-track breakdown of the entire album released by Stereogum, the

The Seduction of Kansas Priests Sister Polygon Records

band states, “Being bad is fun. Think of a villain like Cruella de Vil. The villains in the movies always have the best clothes, they always seem the coolest.” The Seduction of Kansas certainly does have this air about it. The band is doing exactly what they want, and they’re not afraid to piss anyone off in the process. On the song “Youtube Sartre,” the band takes aim at anyone opposed to their beliefs and lifestyles, particularly the perpetually-disapproving baby boomers. What’s more,

the song at first sounds like a typical rock song, but beneath the buzzsaw guitar is a dainty, bizarre vibraphone plodding along largely unnoticed and underappreciated. Unfortunately, after “Youtube Sartre,” the album begins to feel overly long. The songs themselves are good, but they just aren’t great. “I’m Clean” and “Ice Cream” are both quiet, brooding songs marked by a bass guitar lead. The songs disrupt the tone set by the record’s first three songs. The album picks up a little once it hits “Good Time Charlie,” one of its singles, and “68 Screens,” a delightfully weird track highlighted by shining synthesizer strokes and Priests’s own take on hardcore gang vocals. Outside of these two late gems though, the album fails to blow any minds. It’s by no means bad or unenjoyable, but it feels like something is missing. On The Seduction of Kansas, Priests finds themselves in uncharted territory, taking their post-punk roots places they have never been before. They explore stadium rock, shoegaze, dance and many more genres; for the most part, it works well and there are no abysmal tracks. However, some songs fail to impress, causing the album to drag at times. Despite this, Priests still manages to create a fresh and enjoyable album that warrants several return visits.

TV REVIEW

HBO

‘Veep’ remains relevant, funny and (kind of) sad SAYAN GHOSH

Daily New Media Editor

From the time it premiered 20 years ago on NBC, certain people have always wanted to believe Washington operated like “The West Wing.” They wanted to imagine slick,

educated, smooth-talking technocrats briskly walking through corridors and “reaching across the aisle” to solve the problems of the American people. Civility and respect are the name of the game in this fiction. However, if the events of the 21st century haven’t already cracked this façade, the last few

years most certainly have. It’s clear as day that our political reality resembles Armando Iannucci’s biting satire (more accurately, documentary), “Veep” — it’s made up of a bunch of narcissistic, power-hungry blowhards who couldn’t give two shits about you or me. “Veep,” entering its final

If you’ve been listening to the radio for the last 15 years, there is a good chance that you’re familiar with Amos Lee’s hit song “Sweet Pea.” “Sweet Pea” is a feat in pop songwriting: It’s happy, but carries with it a tinge of blues that colors the tune soulfully, making the track more profound and caring than most sweet love songs can be. Before last week, that’s really all I was aware of in his discography, but boy, I was in for a surprise. The 2006 single is just a glimpse into what Lee can really do, as he’s made a name for himself in songwriting and soul in the last 13 years of music. His newest record, My New Moon, is the culmination of those years in one shining record, a work that weaves classic romance, grit and soul together in one varied pattern. This comes through in his live performances, too — on Tuesday, Lee’s signature soulful charm made its way to the Michigan Theater for a memorable performance in our own Ann Arbor. Right off the bat, the audience could bet on the night being a good one — Lee’s opening act Ethan Gruska began the show with a collection of songs off of his first record Slowmotionary. It makes sense that Gruska

was chosen to travel with Lee across North America for this tour, as they both have a similar aura of wistful storytelling about them. Gruska’s set was heavy on guitar and piano and primed the audience for what would be a two-hour journey through Amos Lee’s memory and heart. After a brief intermission, the packed house rose to their feet for Lee’s first song, a performance of My New

“Arms of a Woman.” Through this and Lee’s funny banter, the show took on a life of its own, behaving more like a jam session between friends than a polished performance. This isn’t to say that Lee is less than a consummate performer, though — it was his ease and style on stage that made its homey vibe possible in the first place. He glided in and out of vocal riffs as if they were as easy as breathing, f loating between high-tempo jams and emotional ballads without a hitch. My first impression of Lee was that of a man who had been playing music his whole life, and wanted everyone else to feel how much he loved it, too. More than anything, Lee’s performance was a place for him to share how life’s tragedies (the death of his grandparents, the end of a relationship) and joys (new love, finding your groove in this world) can make great art. His anecdotes and jokes between songs carried as much weight as the songs themselves, often letting the audience in on the stories behind them. Through Lee’s showmanship, the audience was able to understand how music can color life and allow one to get through it at the same time — in Amos Lee’s darkest times, it was music that gave him joy, and when he was joyful, it was music that helped him to spread his happiness to others, creating a patchwork of emotion and beauty all present in his incomparable voice.

Lee made the nearly-sold-out Michigan Theater into his living room, as comfortable on stage as he would be talking to an old friend.

Moon standout “All You Got Is A Song.” The bass blared, and Lee’s warm vocals filled the theater easily and beautifully, setting himself and his band up for the night ahead. For the next two hours, Lee made the nearly-sold-out Michigan Theater into his living room, as comfortable on stage as he would be talking to an old friend. The musician was clearly close with all of his bandmates, and even shared the spotlight with a few of them, creating features on songs like “Spirit” and

RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT

season, is Iannucci’s second crack at political comedy, after the British sitcom “The Thick of It.” “Veep” preserves the vulgarity and cynicism of its spiritual predecessor, but Iannucci’s great achievement is making it feel distinctly American. Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Seinfeld”), the smoothed out yet in some ways more despicable version of “The Thick of It”’s Malcolm Tucker, is back with a vengeance, running for president after some soul searching. The premiere is a reassuring reminder of how brilliant and awful these familiar characters are. The unmatched, hapless former liaison to Meyer’s office turned congressman Jonah Ryan (Timothy Simons, “Ralph Breaks the Internet”) is now running for president himself. Blood-boilingly punchable as ever, he finds himself in somewhat of a scandal when the press finds out his wife is actually his step-sister, although he is adamant that it’s not that big of a deal in the first place. Dreyfus’s performance as Meyer continues to be the biggest highlight in a show with many. She is still incapable of any selfreflection, remorse or emotion other than blatant selfishness. She struggles to answer the

main question posed to her in the premiere: Why does she want to be president? As usual, she tries to come up with some of her signature faux-inspiration bullshit, but in reality, her only reason is because she is adamant that it is her damn turn. In one of the show’s more tragic character arcs, Selina’s daughter Catherine (Sarah Sutherland, “Chronic”) suffers from postpartum depression with

Veep Season 7 Premiere HBO Sundays @ 10:30 p.m.

little sympathy from her mother, who unsurprisingly refers to her baby as “it” and tries to use him as a prop as often as possible for her own gain. It’s hard to argue against the fact that at this point, she should probably just know better. It’s pretty much settled that Selina’s never going to regain

what semblance of humanity she once had, and it remains the same for most of the other surrounding characters. Amy (Anna Chlumsky, “Halt and Catch Fire”), Meyer’s chief of staff, is pregnant and Dan (Reid Scott, “Venom”) is revealed as the father. Dan, the epitome of smooth-talking, ruthlessly ambitious young Beltway careerist, is as callous as we expect, offering to “go Dutch on the abortion” even when Amy expresses a desire to keep the child. “Veep”’s elite characters love calling the American people “disgusting” as often as they can, making it hilarious and sadly ironic when juxtaposed with their own rampant bigotry. It’s hard to not wonder where these people’s lives went wrong. Were they always mild (or severe) sociopaths, or did Washington suck out all remaining vestiges of their souls? Maybe it’s better if we know just how self-serving the people we represent us probably are. Maybe we can try to change things knowing this. Or maybe we can just follow the lead of Selina Meyer’s chief of staff Ben (Kevin Dunn, “True Detective”) and drink away from our ninecup thermos filled with bourbon and Smartwater.

SPORTSMONDAY The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | April 8, 2019

CAN’T Katelyn Mulcahy & Madeline Hinkley / Daily Design by Jack Silberman

STEEL 197.275 WOLVERINES ADVANCE TO

National Championship Laney Byler Daily Sports Editor “Can’t break steel.” All season long, that’s what Michigan’s gymnasts have preached. Through injury, through tough competition, through controversy and a long season of twisting and turning and tumbling — you can’t break steel. Saturday night, the culmination of that mentality was put to the test. A day of competition in the NCAA Regional Final left reigning national champion UCLA with a hefty lead and the Wolverines in second with a not-so-hefty lead over Alabama. A quick vault rotation at the end of Saturday’s meet left Michigan waiting — waiting to see if Alabama would make a comeback on beam, waiting to see if its lead was big enough, waiting to see if SEC beam champion Lexi Graber would score a 10.000 on her best event, waiting to see if Alabama’s last-ditch effort for a trip to Fort Worth would jeopardize a potential National Championship appearance. For anyone in maize, every second of the routine was agonizing. For the Crimson, it was gold. Graber gave everything Alabama could have asked her for. Every turn was controlled, every toe was pointed, every connection was hit. For a team that needed a 10.000, having Graber anchor was the best possible option.

She dismounted the beam, and all eyes, Alabama and Michigan alike, were trained on the scoreboards. In neon lights, the number flashed on the screen. 9.950. The waiting game was over — Michigan was going to the NCAA Championship. Sam Roy threw her arms in the air, Emma McLean hugged Lexi Funk (and anyone else she could find) and a tearful Olivia Karas was overcome with emotion. “It was a nail-biter. It was one of those things that you don’t know until the last score comes up,” Karas said. “To be honest, I don’t think anyone really knew what to expect. You just don’t know with scoring, and I didn’t watch any of the routines because I was too nervous. But it was definitely one of those very raw, ‘Oh my god, we did it!’ moments, and you don’t get those a lot in life.” Michigan’s final score of 197.275, a thread above Alabama’s 197.225, was built up through an evening of heavy scoring and intense competition. The all-around left Karas and Natalie Wojcik tied with Nebraska’s Sienna Crouse at second with identical scores of 39.475, which would have topped the charts if the Bruins’ Kyla Ross wasn’t Kyla Ross. But she was, and she swept the beam and bars rotations with a 10.000 in each, along with a 9.950 to tie teammate Katelyn Ohashi for floor. UCLA rounded out the top-three

INSIDE SPORTSMONDAY NEMITZ WALK-OFF PROPELS MICHIGAN TO WIN See Page 3B

on floor with Gracie Kramer, and if you haven’t seen a Gracie Kramer floor routine, it’s a completely different breed of energetic, passionate gymnastics. The Bruins stacked the event, and with top placers in every other rotation, they built a first-place finish early on that no team could replicate. That left three teams bidding over one ticket to Fort Worth. It was going to be tough, a complete battle, for any of the three to earn it over the others. Cue the motto: “Can’t break steel.” After Kramer came three Wolverines in a nine-way tie for fourth on the floor — McLean, Karas and Abby Brenner. No Michigan gymnast took an individual title from the event like Ross did for the Bruins, but each placed high enough to rack up points for a tiny, gutsy lead over Alabama. Wojcik did her part, leading the Wolverines on beam and barely topping Karas’ 9.900 to be the lead scorer for Michigan in the event. Lauren Farley dominated the bars for the Wolverines, earning a 9.875, while three gymnasts — McLean, Brenner and Anne Maxim — all earned a team-high 9.850 on vault. Individually, there were no titles. But that’s not what the NCAA Regional Final meant to Michigan. “It’s incredible,” said Michigan coach Bev Plocki. “This team has been through a lot, and they say what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger and

that’s sort of the motto this team has taken. ‘Can’t break steel.’ “I’m just so incredibly proud of them, just really staying together as a team. And people say this is an individual sport. It’s not. We succeeded because we have stayed together as a team, and when there’s one blip on the screen, everyone else steps up and has that person’s back. We’ve been doing that all season long, and last night and tonight.” UCLA punched its ticket early, by no surprise. For the Wolverines, it took a little bit longer, a little more waiting. But when the moment came to punch that second ticket to Fort Worth, they’d put in the work. They earned their spot as one of eight teams left in the nation to compete next Friday, collectively, as a whole, together. “Can’t break steel.”

SportsMonday

2B — April 8, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Sainristil impressing in spring ball Jack Lint lifts himself to victory ETHAN SEARS

Managing Sports Editor

Mike Sainristil was one of those guys in high school. The kind that played seemingly every position and did it well, his athleticism the prevailing reason he stepped on a football field and stayed there nearly the whole time. Even when he committed to Michigan, it was unclear whether Sainristil’s talents would be best fit at wide receiver or cornerback. A few weeks into spring ball, Jim Harbaugh said, “Defensive coaches would be fighting to have Mike as a corner.” But, for now, the defensive staff has lost that battle. Sainristil is a wide receiver. And, by all accounts, he looks good doing it. “He has a level of quickness, change of direction, speed,” Harbaugh said last Wednesday. “Been really eye-opening and really good for the team. He’s also tough. He’s blocking.” For now, with juniors Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins out, Sainristil is taking starting reps as the H receiver, in the slot. For someone who juggled multiple positions in high school, his game already has an unusual refinement. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis

tweeted a video last week of the early enrollee running an out route and doing so with the technical ability required of a college wide receiver. At Michigan’s open practice on Saturday, Sainristil stood out in the same way. During red zone drills, he effortlessly hauled in a touchdown off a crossing route from Dylan McCaffrey. Minutes later, he caught a bullet over the middle from Joe Milton. “Wow, he is quick. He’s a really good football player,” said junior Ben Mason. “A really tough guy, too. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there and make a block. So he’s a guy that I’m really confident having on the field with us.” There’s enough spring hype to go around, but as far as early enrollees go, Sainristil is getting the brunt of the compliments. Though just a 3-star recruit, thanks to his 5-foot10 stature and the lack of high-end recruits in Massachusetts — and a 3-star without a clear position at that — he seems to be doing everything right thus far. That goes beyond the field. It means going into class, getting in the weight room and doing it all on time. “He’s doing everything to a T,” said senior guard Mike Onwenu.

“He’s taking a lotta reps. … He’s stepped up to the plate. It’s crazy to see that as a freshman.” Both Harbaugh and Mason brought up the blocking as well, a characteristic that shows up on Sainristil’s high school tape despite his 179-pound frame. He seeks out contact and looks to lay guys out. That’s the type of thing that endears him to Harbaugh. “There’s probably three examples where you can see his second, third, fourth effort down the field,” Harbaugh said. “Sometimes 20, 30, 40 yards down the field, blocking for whoever does have the ball. If you don’t have the ball, then you become a blocker. He’s been really good and can’t say enough good things about him.” Michigan’s receiving corps lacked depth last season. Outside of Peoples-Jones, Collins and tight end Zach Gentry, nobody earned the consistent trust of quarterback Shea Patterson. That’s a hole Sainristil — along with tight end Nick Eubanks and a healthy Tarik Black — can fill. “Mikey, just keep doing what he’s doing,” Harbaugh said. “... Doing a great job. So all compliments to Mike Sainristil, as long as he takes that flattery and, as they say, ‘Don’t inhale,’ should be good.”

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has praised freshman Mike Sainristil for his play during spring practices.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Fifth-year senior Jack Lint became second-highest decathlete performer in Michigan’s program history.

JACOB COHEN For the Daily

When he was sitting on a hospital bed 18 months ago, Jack Lint would have never predicted that he would be the secondhighest decathlete performer in Michigan’s history upon return. As the fifth-year senior nursed his shoulder immediately after surgery, he could not have imagined throwing a javelin 56.79 meters, a distance over four-anda-half meters longer than his previous best. But he did — putting himself into prime contention for a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. “I really didn’t expect it to happen this soon or that well or that I would get a huge (personal record) like that,” Lint said. It seems unlikely on the surface, but Lint delivered with a comefrom-behind win at the Jim Click Shootout, winning the event with an overall personal score of 7,596 points. 690 of those points came from the javelin throw, which was essential for him to win the overall event. The throw prevented Lint from falling 125 points behind, as his original throw would have

had him do. The latter throw allowed him to surmount Texas Tech freshman Axel Hubert, the eventual runner-up, with a 116point comparative victory in the 1,500 meters. Thanks in no small part to an extreme level of dedication and an admirably positive mentality, Lint completed the race of his life. “I was rehabbing, you know, two or three or four hours a day, every day,” Lint said, “pretty much all the way through at least February or March and then after that, you know, continuing another hour or so every day. … My goal was always to come back and compete, you know, throw. So I kind of kept that in the front of my mind the whole time. “My rehab process was definitely a lot longer than anticipated or expected, so just to keep that in mind, even though things weren’t happening fast. ‘Eventually I’ll get back’ was what I was telling myself.” Lint worked incredibly hard in pursuit of his goal, fighting to get back to full strength even in the face of setbacks and complications. “I couldn’t even really run until November or December (2017),” Lint said. “So three or four months

without running, and no running fast until January, so this past year has just been building back to where I was.” Despite that being what Lint has had to do over the last year, his actual performance does not reflect as such, a result he chalks up to confidence. Lint told his coach that he was going to throw a personal best in the javelin during warmups for the event, a remark met with a laugh that looks foolish in hindsight. “I just had confidence that it was gonna work out well,” Lint said. “And then in warmups, everything was going well. It just came together.” Whether it was confidence, ambivalence or just good juju, the result was everything Lint could have hoped for. His journey back to the level he wants to compete at is far from over, but he certainly laid an auspicious groundwork and has plenty to be excited about moving forward. “It was just really awesome to get a personal best in the whole decathlon, and then also to know that my shoulder is back to being better than it ever was,” Lint said. “I think that was definitely the highlight of the entire trip.”

‘M’ makes its mark against Illinois Wolverines play sharp in Boston LILY ALEXANDER Daily Sports Writer

There was some doubt in the air after the Michigan women’s tennis team dropped the doubles point. However, after four consecutive wins in singles to follow up, all doubt was cleared. No matter the result of the final two matches, the Wolverines would win — and they did, 4-3. Against Illinois, seniors Brienne Minor and Kate Fahey set the tone, opening the meet with a 6-1 win. The team ultimately dropped the doubles point, but in the end, it did not matter. “We are really balanced down the lineup and it is very exciting to see what this group can do,” said Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein. “I am proud of our effort for winning the four singles points after not having that doubles point. The team works hard

and believes in each other. The biggest thing is to show toughness and be willing to compete and be uncomfortable at times and fight for that.” Minor won six of the last seven games, allowing her to leave the court after winning just two sets. “My main goal was to be positive,” Minor said. “I think that really helped me. I really focused on getting a good start. I got on the ground and was feeling pretty good. My positivity and energy carried me through.” As a pair, Brienne Minor and Kate Fahey are unbeatable. After four years on the team together, the No. 33-nationallyranked duo has definitely found its footing. “They know each other well, trust each other well,” Bernstein said. “They have done a great

It is very exciting to see what this group can do.

job and won every match. They give us a lot of confidence on the team having them together right now.” After being a doubles pair in the fall, both Minor and Fahey were paired with other players to try out a different lineup. However, they were put back together at the beginning of Big Ten season. Ever since then, the two have been a powerhouse. “It was like nothing had changed,” Minor said. “We knew how we played together. We just know our games really well. We played together a little freshman year, sophomore, and junior year, so we just trust each other.” Minor attributes the team mentality to her success on the court. “I go out to the court and focus on the team and not myself,” Minor said. “It helps me get through my individual match because I am focused on getting that win for the team.”

My positivity and energy carried me through.

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Brienne Minor and Kate Fahey set the tone by opening the meet with a 6-1 win as the Wolverines topped the Illini, 4-3.

PHILLIP CALDWELL Daily Sports Writer

On Saturday, Saint Francis (Pa.) was ill-prepared for the Michigan water polo team’s suffocating defense, going scoreless until the final minute of the fourth quarter. The final score told a story of a massive disparity in play, and the Wolverines won, 18-1. The Red Flash (9-20 overall, 0-2 CWPA) took just 12 shots the entire game, to the Wolverines’ 31. Later that day, Michigan faced Brown (15-11, 0-3) and brought the same high-level performance, winning 21-2. The pair of commanding victories came on the opening day of a weekend in which the sixth-ranked Wolverines (18-8, 3-0) traveled to Boston to start conference play at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool. The first day was characterized by total dominance on both offense and defense for Michigan against its conference opponents. Sunday saw a far closer battle against No. 15 Princeton, in which Michigan ultimately prevailed. 9-6. With their strong showing, the Wolverines are now 3-0 in conference play. Senior Julia Sellers was a force on offense in the first two games, scoring three goals against Saint Francis and a career-high six against Brown, including four straight in the first quarter. “She was the cog that carried us on the offensive end,” said Michigan coach Marcelo Leonardi. “Generating a lot of one-on-nobodies, a lot of exclusions, a lot of scoring opportunities for others as well.” While the first two opponents offered little resistance, the team knew it would have to be ready for a tenacious Princeton team. “I wanted to make sure that

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior Julia Sellers scored in each of Michigan’s three games on the weekend.

our bench got a lot of minutes early on in the first two games,” Leonardi said. “And then the third game we were fresh enough to play.” Against Princeton, it initially looked as if the Wolverines might run away with the win again, getting off to a 5-1 lead in the second quarter. But unlike Michigan’s first two opponents, the Tigers rallied on offense, with five players each scoring goals, as they cut the deficit to 8-6 with roughly three minutes remaining in the game. Just as it looked as though the Tigers might tie the game in regulation, Sellers managed to draw a penalty during a breakaway. On the subsequent penalty shot, Junior Maddy Steere secured a hat trick and put the game out of reach for Princeton with a goal. “You win by one, you win by 20 it’s still a win,” Leonardi said. “I felt composure-wise in the fourth quarter we did a good job of just showing a bit of maturity and composure to finish the game off.”

And then the third game we were fresh enough to play.

Much of Michigan’s success against Princeton was due to the team’s effectiveness in drawing penalties and converting them. Senior Kim Johnson stood out as she drew six exclusions and three penalties, and Steere scored on three of the four 5-meter penalties in the game. Leonardi attributes much of the team’s poise and success this weekend to the difficult road schedule the team has endured this season. Three weeks prior, the Wolverines traveled to California to face a gauntlet of three ranked teams in a single weekend. Michigan has now played 23 games against ranked teams this season and won 15 of them. After a strong conference debut, the Wolverines will emphasize cleaning up their play and improving gametime decision-making as they approach the end of regular season conference play and the upcoming CWPA and NCAA championships. “We went 3-0, which is always important,” Leonardi said. “We also got a lot of minutes for our second and third teams and then our first unit got challenged against Princeton. So, I felt overall we had a good weekend.”

(Sellers) was the cog that carried us on the offensive end.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SportsMonday

April 8, 2019 — 3B

Walk-off

Mackenzie Nemitz’s walk-off double caps weekend sweep with thrilling comeback win, moving win streak to 15 AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA Daily Sports Writer

Watching their team down 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the crowd started to clear, anticipating Michigan’s first loss in the Big Ten. But the Wolverines didn’t back down. Facing a 3-2 count with two runners on base, senior MacKenzie Nemitz swung hard, finding a gap between center and right field that propelled the Wolverines to a 7-6 walk-off victory over Indiana. “It’s a great win,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “Hopefully we take confidence from it, we should take a lot of good things. But they should take our energy in the seventh inning that we had. We were all one heartbeat. Every kid in that dugout was on point. And that’s how you win big.” But this win was by no means pretty. On a gameday dedicated to her, senior first baseman Alex Sobczak made sure that her impact was felt right in the first inning. After an infield single by fellow senior Natalie Peters, Sobczak hit a high fly ball to center field. However, instead of making the catch to end the inning, the Hoosiers’ Taylor Lambert dropped the ball, giving an RBI double to Sobczak for the first run of the game. On the very next at-bat, Sobczak got help from another senior, this time Nemitz, who sent Sobczak home on a triple, giving Michigan an early 2-0 lead at the end of the first. But after a silent second inning by both squads, Indiana came to life. After getting a runner on base on a perfectly executed bunt, the Hoosiers tied the game at two off a two-run homer to left field by Grayson Radcliffe. Michigan, however, recovered with a home run of its own on the flip side of the third inning. And it was none other than the red-hot Sobczak who went yard. With

freshman Lexie Blair sitting on second base off a two-out double, Sobczak drove a high-flying ball over the center field wall and was bombarded by her teammates at home plate as she rounded the bases for a second time today, putting the Wolverines back in the lead, 4-2. In the top of the fourth, Hutchins, hoping to get four innings out of today’s starter, freshman right-hander Alex Storako, was forced to substitute her out for Beaubien in an attempt to limit Indiana’s hits. However, Beaubien could not find her AllAmerican form, giving up an RBI double to Katie Lacefield before hitting Juvia Davis and walking Taylor Lambert, which loaded the bases for Indiana with just one out. Then Radcliffe, who hit a home run earlier, drilled a single to left field. However, rather than scooping up the easy grounder, Blair took her eyes off the ball too early as the single rolled past her and turned into a bases-clearing

triple, giving the Hoosiers a 6-4 lead after the fourth. And right when Beaubien, who threw for five strikeouts and no more runs the rest of the game, finally locked in, the Michigan offense could not string together a series of hits to spark any sort of comeback – until with one out in the seventh inning. Senior second baseman Faith Canfield took a solo shot straight to center field, reigniting a team and crowd that seemed to have lost all life. All of a sudden, Peters found herself as a tying runner with a shallow double down the left field line. After giving an intentional walk given to Sobczak, Nemitz made sure Michigan came out still standing at the top of the Big Ten. “If our pitcher struggles, we need to come through,” Nemitz said. “If we struggle, our pitchers need to come through. We complement so well and the whole game, I had a weird inkling that we were going to get it done together. As a team.”

LANE KIZZIAH Daily Sports Writer

Like many of the No. 23 Michigan softball team’s series, the Wolverines’ bats started slow in this weekend’s matchup against Indiana. In Friday and Saturday’s contests, the Wolverines failed to get on the board until the third inning in both games, registering just seven runs over two days. But, also like many of the Wolverines’ games, all Michigan needed was a spark. While the Wolverines came out on top in all three games, it was close each game, beating the Hoosiers by three runs on Friday and one in each of the final two. In each game, the offense was sparked by a different player: junior third baseman Madison Uden’s home run on Friday, sophomore shortstop Natalia Rodriguez’s bunt on Saturday and Natalie Peters single on Sunday. After Peters reached first in the first inning of the series finale, a

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior designated player Mackenzie Nemitz hit a walk-off double to lift Michigan over the Hoosiers on Sunday.

fire had been lit. One batter later, senior first baseman Alex Sobczak — the third of the power trio which had kept Michigan afloat earlier in the series — kept the streak going. Sobczak drilled a ball deep into center field for a double on which Peters reached home from first base. This section of the lineup — from Peters to Sobczak — accounted for over half of the Wolverines’ runs this weekend. Senior designated player Mackenzie Nemitz extended this hot streak with her first triple of the season, sending Sobczak home and increasing the Wolverines’ lead to two. “Early in the game, we’re just trying to be on base,” Nemitz said. “I see (Michigan coach Carol Hutchins) waving me around and I’m like, ‘Is she sure?’ I even hesitated running around the bag for a second. It’s just about going hard the whole game. Don’t take any play off. Don’t take any at-bat off. It’s a fight.” Blair returned to the plate in the bottom of the third, where she fired off a double to center field. Sobczak filed a ball to the same spot as her earlier at-bat, the only difference being this one cleared the center field wall for a two-run homer. The Wolverines struggled to keep this fire lit later as the game progressed, going through three innings with only one hit — a problem they’d struggled with all weekend. In both Friday and Saturday’s games, Michigan scored all of its runs between the third and fourth innings. While they continued to get runners on base, the Wolverines failed to get another runner all the way around the

diamond for the remainder of each game. When asked what accounted for the offensive slowdowns, some players cited a lack of patience at the plate. Hutchins thought it had to do with something else entirely: mentality. “I didn’t think we swung well all weekend until the last inning,” Hutchins said. “Their pitchers knew how to keep us off balance but we didn’t adjust — we never adjusted.” Sobczak, known for swinging early, thought Michigan was more patient facing Indiana’s pitchers in Sunday’s contest, though Hutchins disagreed. “They were so locked-in in the seventh and they were not lockedin in quite a few innings,” Hutchins said. “We had a lot of bad at-bats. I did not agree with their assessment of their pitch selections at all. We gave away a lot of at-bats. We were sitting on pitches — meaning we were hunting for a specific pitch — and we were still mishitting them.” Whether it was an issue of patience or a mental shift, the Wolverines made a change in the final inning, regaining momentum in a way they hadn’t been able to earlier in the series. Down by two, senior second baseman Faith Canfield shot a ball out of the park, bringing the Hoosiers’ lead down to one. After Blair popped out to center field, Peters hit a double. Indiana righthander Tara Trainer intentionally walked Sobczak, putting two runners on base with Nemitz at the plate. With a walk-off double, Nemitz ended the game. “It doesn’t matter when you score,” Hutchins said. “As long as the game doesn’t run out.”

Don’t take any play off. Don’t take any at-bat off.

Wolverines dominate Minnesota, 8-0 Clutch hitting lifts ‘M’ past Gophers AIDAN WOUTAS Daily Sports Writer

With the bases loaded and an angry home crowd, it seemed like the Wolverines’ early success against Minnesota was about to stall. The mood in Ray Fisher Stadium had grown frustrated as the umpire called ball after ball on starting sophomore righthander Jeff Criswell’s pitching. That quickly fizzled away, however, as a double play ended the fourth inning as a groundout from Minnesota’s Cole McDevitt was caught by senior Blake Nelson, flung to second and then to senior Jimmy Kerr at first to catch Jordan Kozicky. This sharp fielding was on display throughout Michigan’s 8-0 win in the final game of its weekend series against the Golden Gophers on Sunday afternoon. The Wolverines were eager to round out the series on a high note after hard-fought games Friday and Saturday that ended 4-6 and 5-3, respectively. They did that and more. The Wolverines’ scoring started early as sophomore Jesse Franklin fired off a home run to right field in the bottom of the first — foreshadowing a home runheavy day. Not to be outdone, Kerr launched another one to right field for Michigan’s first at-bat in the second. “I think we really just had the

mindset of attacking them from the beginning,” Franklin said. “They’re a good team and after this weekend we wanted to get a series win. “We were all ready to go. I just got up to bat sooner than the other guys.” Clutch plays from Michigan, as well as reliable pitching from Criswell, prevented Minnesota from ever gaining any kind of foothold offensively. In the top of the second, Blomgren and Kerr combined to turn a ground out into an inning-ending double play. Criswell, meanwhile, excelled all day in detecting the Golden Gophers’ attempts to steal bases. “I thought Jeff (Criswell) had his best day today,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “He did a really good job pitching us out of huge jams … they had plenty of scoring opportunities and to minimize those opportunities was a huge storyline this weekend.” Even when he didn’t, Michigan’s strong fielding stepped in. When Minnesota’s Drew Hmielewski slipped behind Criswell in the top of the third and sprinted toward second base, sophomore catcher Joe Donovan reacted instantly, firing the ball to senior Ako Thomas at second base to stop him in his tracks. The Wolverines’ consistent defense was certainly integral to

their win. “We played great defense,” Bakich said. “Those double plays were huge momentum plays, all three to end the inning in really high-leverage, high-traffic situations.” The fifth inning showcased Minnesota’s difficulty in breaking through. Righthander Brett Schulze, who came from the bullpen in one of the team’s numerous pitching changes, cycled through nine of Michigan’s hitters and allowed a two-run homer from sophomore Jack Blomgren. In the bottom of the seventh, the crowd erupted in cheers for Criswell as he was relieved by sophomore left-hander Angelo Smith. A close call with the bases loaded in the eighth was once again extinguished by a fast-paced Michigan double play to end the inning and keep Minnesota scoreless. Two more runs from Donovan and Lewis brought the final score to 8-0 — a far cry from the close games on Friday and Saturday. “I didn’t really feel like we played too well Friday or yesterday,” Bakich said. “So our challenge going into today was really to have a complete game from a pitching, offensive, and defensive standpoint … to play championship-caliber baseball. “Our guys responded to that challenge very well.”

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily

Sophomore right hander Jeff Criswell did not allow an earned run in 6.2 innings pitched in Sunday’s win.

ABBY SNYDER

Daily Sports Writer

Offense seemed like Michigan baseball’s weak spot. Its starting pitchers were dominant, its relievers capable and its defense talented. Going into the season, the biggest question about Team 153 on paper was how much its lineup could produce when it mattered. Against Minnesota this weekend, those questions were finally answered: This team can hit. ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily Clutch performances up and down the lineup made the Sophomore center fielder Jesse Franklin hit a home run on Sunday. difference in the Wolverines’ two-run homer from Franklin success on this weekend wasn’t victories Saturday and Sunday in the bottom of the first, they just limited to the long ball. In over one of their toughest Big could not find a consistent spark, Saturday’s game, Michigan tied Ten competitors. In Saturday’s stranding nine runners on base the contest in the bottom of the 5-3 win over the Golden Gophers, and falling 6-4 as their ninth- second inning off a two-run single from Franklin. On Sunday, senior second baseman Ako inning rally came up short. Saturday’s game was a battle, Kerr, Franklin, and sophomore Thomas made the difference, launching a two-out double to but Michigan was eventually designated hitter Jordan Nwogu score the winning two runs in able to wear down the Gopher all notched RBI on smaller hits: the bottom of the seventh inning. pitchers. After taking a 2-1 a single for Kerr, a sacrifice fly On Sunday, it was sophomore lead off a two-run single from for Franklin, and a double for center fielder Jesse Franklin. Franklin, the Wolverines tied Nwogu. Over the course of the He homered off the first pitch the game at three on an oppositeweekend, the he saw in the opening inning to field home run Wolverines put the first run on the board from junior right came up with Jordan for Michigan. He later plated fielder hits when they before sophomore catcher Joe Donovan Brewer needed them on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of taking the lead most. A seventhThomas’ the seventh inning to help the on inning go-ahead Wolverines to a comfortable 8-0 double. double to tie Sunday was a victory. the series. A “We had the mindset of different story. go-ahead home attacking them right from the Franklin’s home run to win a beginning,” Franklin said. “We run sparked the weekend series and were all ready to go as soon as offense, against a major we got up to bat. Everyone was it didn’t slow just really focused. We’re good down for the rest of game. In conference competitor. Team enough that when we’re focused, the second inning, senior third 153 is starting to look more and we can beat good teams like that baseman Jimmy Kerr hit his more like the serious competitor sixth home run of the year. Kerr that Bakich described at the 8-0, so it was great to do that.” Going into the weekend, also scored in the bottom of the beginning of the season. “You just want to try to Minnesota’s presented a fifth as sophomore shortstop formidable challenge. No. 1 Jack Blomgren knocked a blast of put those competitive at-bats together, and string those starter Max Meyer came into his his own. “Having our offense score in quality at-bats together,” Bakich start Friday with an earned run average of 1.72. Their offense all but two innings, being able to said. “When we’ve had our best was hot off a 14-4 midweek keep a lot of pressure on them, scoring days, it’s when we’ve win. Of the Big Ten competition we really just had a lot of quality had quality at-bat after quality Michigan has faced or will face at-bats,” said Michigan coach at-bat together, and getting a this season, the Gophers might Erik Bakich. “When we get a ball big hit that clears the bases. The to smash – something we can do mindset is always just continuing be the toughest. In Friday’s game, that damage with – it’s about taking to improve and continuing to get challenge appeared to be too advantage of the ball and getting better. That’s just where we are. We’ve just got to keep getting much for the Wolverines. Though a few home runs.” But Michigan’s offensive better.” they got on the board first on a

It was, ‘Let’s play championshipcaliber baseball.’

SportsMonday

4B — April 8, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

“We’re going to Texas” Propelled by improvement on bars, Michigan moves on to NCAA Championships with second-place finish in regionals MOLLY SHEA

Daily Sports Writer

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior Olivia Karas scored a 9.900 on bars to help Michigan finish second in NCAA Regionals on Saturday.

PAIGE VOEFFRAY Daily Sports Editor

After the first rotation of the NCAA Regionals, the No. 7 Michigan women’s gymnastics team was in first place and had just notched its highest score of the season on vault. But its next event, bars, proved to be a bigger challenge than anticipated. Many of the gymnasts seemed to struggle with their handstands, nearly falling out of the handstand the wrong way. Neither freshmen Abby Heiskell nor Maddie Mariani could break past a 9.800, and the team already looked shaky. So when freshman Abby Brenner bent on her handstand and swung the wrong way, she was forced to let go of the bar, collect herself and resume. While the fall didn’t end up counting towards Michigan’s score — the lowest score is dropped — it put more pressure on the gymnasts to follow knowing every mistake counts. Brenner ended up scoring a 9.250, a score that would have been detrimental to the Wolverines had it counted. The Wolverines needed a clean routine to shake off the nerves, and that’s what senior Olivia Karas provided. While she didn’t hit all her lines, she landed with a clean stick — good for a 9.900. Rounding out the event was freshman Natalie Wojcik and sophomore Lauren Farley, and while both routines were clean, there seemed to be some nerves

coming from the Wolverines, and their scores ref lected that. The gymnasts scored a 9.825 and 9.800, respectively, both scores relatively low for them. Michigan finished the rotation with a 49.050, its lowest score of the weekend. While the score wasn’t disastrous for the Wolverines, they ended the day in second place. They advanced to the regional finals, which meant they would start Saturday’s competition on bars. “There are so many things that factor into higher or lowing scoring,” said Michigan coach Bev Plocki. “Different judging panels can be tighter or looser, and sometimes it’s not even about what your performance is. We didn’t get hung up on (Friday) at all. We were excited about this rotation. “… I’m certainly not going to say that we deliberately finished second, but I knew that it was a possibility to finish second and we still made that decision because it was all about (Saturday).” In practice leading up to the event, Plocki and the team made a point to practice sticking landings — specifically on vault. But that’s not to say it can’t transfer to other rotations. They proved the practice had paid off during Friday’s vault rotation where nearly every gymnast stuck her landing. Then it was time to transfer that to bars. “It’s definitely nervewracking when you’ve had

some mistakes and you have to start there,” Karas said on Saturday. “I think we handled it really well. I think we left yesterday in yesterday, and we looked at today with a new mindset. I couldn’t be more excited. I think this team did great.” It was clear from the beginning that the Wolverines were off to a better start than the day before. Each routine looked cleaner and more confident, and it ref lected in the scores. All gymnasts either matched or improved their score from the day before, including Brenner, whose score jumped by 0.575. Not all the routines were perfect, and the dismounts will need to be perfected to assure those stuck landings if the team wants a chance at the national title, but just making those small corrections can make a big difference. Michigan finished with 49.200, just 0.150 better than the day before. In a competition where only the top two teams advance, Michigan just barely edged out Alabama for second place. The Wolverines managed a 197.275, while the Crimson Tide missed out with a 197.225. Had the Wolverines’ bars performance been similar to Friday’s, they may not have punched their ticket to Fort Worth, Texas. So the focus for Michigan will be making the small changes and practicing as usual, because the final result can come down to mere tenths of a point.

Lauren Farley jumped up and down, threw her hands in the air and cheered: “We’re going to Texas. We’re going to Texas!” Mere moments earlier the No. 7 Michigan women’s gymnastics team had punched its ticket to the NCAA Championships. “It’s honestly the best thing I could have asked for,” said senior Olivia Karas. “There’s no better feeling.” The competition to advance to the final round kicked off Friday afternoon, and the Wolverines faced No. 22 Ohio State, No. 24 Penn State and No. 10 Alabama. Walking into Crisler Center, they had one goal — advance to Saturday. Opening the meet on vault, Michigan did what it’s been aiming to do all season — stick landings. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Wojcik led the charge earning a 9.925 for her nearly perfect Yurchenko oneand-a-half. The scores added up to a season high of 49.425. “We’ve been working so hard on improving our lands on vault,” said Michigan coach Bev Plocki on Friday. “We saw it pay off today and I hope that will give us more confidence going into tomorrow.” Despite a strong first rotation, the team looked stiff on the bars. Its handstands weren’t 90 degrees, and the landings weren’t stuck. On floor, traditionally a high-scoring event for the Wolverines, they only received one score above a 9.900. Karas — ranked twenty third on floor nationally — did not compete. Wojcik won the event for the day with a 9.925. Plocki made the decision to scratch the sixth

gymnast because Michigan had clinched the second qualifying spot already. Overall, the Wolverines had a solid performance, but Plocki saw room for improvement. “We made, not major mistakes, but we made some, some things that we’re going to have to clean up for tomorrow,” Plocki said. Saturday night featured No. 10 Alabama, No. 2 UCLA, No. 14 Nebraska and the Wolverines. With such fierce competition, Michigan couldn’t afford to make the same mistakes on bars where it opened the meet. Routine after routine, the Wolverines stepped up and got the job done. Their score had improved by .150 from Friday afternoon, but they sat in third place after the opening rotation. With ground to make up heading to the balance beam, Michigan needed to hit its routines. Freshman Maddie Mariani tied her season-high score of 9.850. Wojcik anchored the rotation and tied her season-high score of 9.950. These scores carried the Wolverines to score of 49.425 for the rotation, good for second place and a .075 lead over Alabama. “I got them together after beam,” Plocki said. “And I told them, ‘This is what great teams love. You thrive on the

competition when it is like a half a tenth and you’re dueling it out routine for routine. We have to be that team that is hungry and is going to thrive on that adrenaline and not choke under the pressure.’ ” Michigan spent the third rotation on floor. Karas was back in the lineup in her usual spot as anchor and hit a routine filled with personality and sass. She earned one of three 9.000s helping the Wolverines to a 49.450 and further extending their lead over the Crimson Tide. Closing the meet on vault meant the Wolverines would finish earlier than the other three teams. Their rotation wasn’t as strong as it was on Friday — stuck landings were nowhere to be found. Still, they earned a 49.200 and a final score of 197.275. Alabama sat in third place and finished the meet on beam. By the time Michigan finished vault, the Crimson Tide were only halfway through their lineup. So they did the only thing they could do — wait. “When we finished vault before and they were still doing beam routines I told every single one of them I was proud of them,” Plocki said. “It wouldn’t have mattered the outcome.” Needing a perfect 10 to tie, the Crimson Tide’s last gymnast mounted the beam and performed a nearly flawless routine. Her score flashed — a 9.950. The Wolverines went wild.

You have to be that team that is hungry and is going to thrive.

We’ve been working so hard on improving ...

I didn’t watch any of the routines. I was too nervous.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY PROGRAM CONFERENCE KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

PLANET IN PERIL

Lauren Farley threw her hands up in celebration after Michigan clinched a spot in the NCAA Championships.

EVERYONE IN THE KNOW,

Averting Climate Catastrophe Through Law and Social Change

KNOWS THE

April 11-12, 2019

IS THE PLACE

Jeffries Hall 1225 University of Michigan Law School For a complete conference schedule, visit

law.umich.edu/elpp Co-Sponsored by the Environmental Law Society and the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law

FOR SUMMER CLASSES. Washtenaw Community College offers a wide range of Spring/ Summer semester classes to help you catch up, stay on track, or get ahead to ensure timely graduation. Class schedules are available at WCCNET.EDU/SCHEDULE Registration for Spring/Summer and Fall classes is now open.