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Thursday, May 16, 2019

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

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coach beelines to cleveland KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

ARIA GERSON

Daily Sports Editor

John Beilein will leave Michigan to become the new coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers after signing a five-year deal, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The news has also been confirmed by Michigan spokesperson Tom Wywrot. The school has no plans for a press conference today, or in the near future, per Wywrot. According to Wojnarowski, Beilein reached a decision on Sunday and informed his staff and players Monday morning. Beilein himself confirmed the news via Twitter later in the morning. “Thanks to everyone at the Univ of Michigan for their incredible support these last 12 years,” Beilein tweeted.

NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ............................... 4 ARTS/NEWS..........................6 MiC......................................... 9 SPORTS................................ 10

“Our fans, alums, leaders, players and students are AMAZING It has been a heck of a ride and I hope you enjoyed our teams and staff as much as I did! Go Blue Forever! #GoBlue” The Cleveland Cavaliers also issued a statement from Beilein on their website alongside announcements from general manager Koby Altman and chairman Dan Gilbert. “I want to thank the University of Michigan for what has been a truly special home and remarkable place for my family and I for the last 12 years. We have achieved great success together and we could not have done it without the incredible support of our administration, coaches, players, staff, students, fans and the entire university community. We shared some of the best moments

NEWS

Police chief

of my life together and I will always be grateful for that,” Beilein said in the statement. “At the same time, I felt very strongly about this new and exciting opportunity with the Cavaliers. I am very thankful to Dan Gilbert and Koby Altman and honored to be the head coach of the Cavaliers. I love the position the team is in to build and grow and this was something I felt was the perfect fit for me. With hard work and dedication by all of us, we will grow this team day by day and reinforce a culture of success that sustains itself with strong core values. Cleveland is a great city with amazing fans and I am really looking forward to calling Cleveland home for years to come.” Altman cited Beilein’s ability to build a culture and his winning pedigree at the college level, saying

OPINION

SMTD priorities

they interviewed several candidates and it was clear Beilein would be the best fit. “He has a unique ability to create an outstanding culture that will promote the development of young players and provide a solid structure to the entire program; not to mention the fact that John Beilein wins everywhere he goes,” Altman said. “We are excited Coach Beilein is joining our organization as we continue to build the foundation that any enterprise needs to be successful and competitive year in and year out.” Beilein was hired as the coach of the Michigan men’s basketball team in 2007. Since then, he has led the Wolverines to nine NCAA Tournaments, five Sweet Sixteens and two Final Fours. During the

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MICHIGAN IN COLOR SPORTS

Detective Pikachu Jordan Peele

Community meets SMTD lecturers address Pokémon hits big screen in live action film finalists for AAPS chief recent cuts in school >> SEE PAGE 6

same time frame, he won Big Ten regular-season titles in 2012 and 2014 and tournament titles in 2017 and 2018. He revived a program that previously had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1998. In the recently concluded 201819 season, Beilein guided Michigan to a record-best 17-0 start and an eventual 30-7 record, making the finals of the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines earned a No. 2 seed in March Madness, where they lost to Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen. However, in the aftermath, several key players — wing Charles Matthews, guard Jordan Poole and forward Ignas Brazdeikis — declared for the draft, and Poole and Matthews have already announced they will remain there. See BEILEIN PAGE 11

inside

Softball

Defining the modern Black director

Softball team prepares for NCAA Tournament

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2 NEWS

Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Legislators show support of ‘One U’ 12 congresspeople sign Free Press op-ed supporting ‘equitable’ campus funding CLAIRE HAO

Summer News Editor

On Wednesday morning, state Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr., D-Lansing, and state Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, published an opinion piece in the Detroit Free Press titled “University of Michigan students in Flint and Dearborn are shortchanged. That has to stop.” Signed by a dozen state legislators, the article discusses disparities in funding and resources across the University of Michigan’s three campuses. “As members of the Michigan State Legislature, we are incredibly proud that our state is home to the University of Michigan,” Hertel and Hoadley wrote. “But we were elected to stand up for all Michiganders —

SUNNY DAY

and today, we call on the Leaders and Best to do better.” The op-ed comes one day before the One University Campaign plans to “pack” the final Board of Regents meeting to “demand equitable funding for (the) UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn campuses.” Formed in fall, the One University Campaign is a coalition of students, faculty, staff and community members aiming to promote equitable distribution of funding and resources between the University’s three campuses. The campaign also hopes to ensure long-term support for the Flint and Dearborn campuses from University President Mark Schlissel, the Board of Regents and the state legislature. In a statement provided to The Daily, One University spokesman Austin Ogle confirmed the op-ed was written in coordination with the 1U campaign.

Read more at michigandaily.com

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Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

NEWS 3

Judge orders Schlissel to district court

‘U’ appeal denied by district judge, Schlissel to appear in court June 11 ALEC COHEN/Daily

Ann Arbor police chief candidates (from left) Michael Cox, Bryan Jarrell and Jason Forsberg speak to Ann Arbor community members during the Meet the Candidates Recpetion at City Hall Wednesday evening.

AAPD narrows search for new police chief to top three

Candidates discuss police oversight commission, communication strategy at meet and greet with community members Wednesday MELANIE TAYLOR Summer News Editor

On Wednesday night, the city of Ann Arbor held an open forum event for residents to meet the three final candidates for a new chief of police: Michael Cox of Boston, Bryan Jarrell of Arizona and Ann Arbor’s Jason Forsberg. There were nearly 50 attendees from City Council members to police officers and civilians. In the casual, cocktail hour-style event, attendees were able to openly converse with the candidates. Cox, Jarrell and Forsberg each spoke with The Daily about a range of issues including their past experience, their thoughts on cross-jurisdiction cooperation with the University of Michigan police and their plans to move forward with the new Independent Community Police Oversight Commission. For nearly 25 years, Sergeant Bill Clock has served with the Ann Arbor Police Department. Clock said he and his fellow officers would want a chief who is committed to the department, open to officers’ ideas, well-educated and experienced. “I think the biggest thing for me is someone who will

listen to our suggestions and what we want and then make the decision and that’s the decision,” Clock said. “They’re the boss, and they’re going to choose.” The new chief of police will be replacing Robert Pfannes, interim chief of police, who is planning to retire May 24. Pfannes has spent 21 years with the Ann Arbor Police Department as Deputy Chief. “We just need stable leadership,” Clock said. “I think we’re open to whatever direction we go. We haven’t had a true chief for over a year, so it’s tough to kind of move forward and progress without that. Whatever candidate is chosen, I’m sure will be best for the job. We just want stable leadership.” Ann Arbor’s new ICPOC has been at the center of the search for a new chief. The commission was formed as civilian monitoring of the AAPD following the fatal shooting of Aura Rosser in 2014 by an officer, and the position’s public listing noted the commission as a unique challenge for the appointee. Councilmember Ali Ramlawi, D-Ward 5, is one of the City Council’s two lesions on the oversight commission. Ramlawi told The Daily what

the commission is looking for in a new chief, noting commitment and open-mindedness. “I think one that is open to new ideas; one that has faced some of the challenges we face here — somebody who has some longevity,” Ramlawi said. “I’d like to see someone who’s going to be here for a while, and someone who’s receptive, asking questions, interested, really trying to get to know the challenges in the community and know how to apply themselves. We’re looking for a lot of things. No one is perfect. We’re looking for the type of person who fits the needs of our community.” The oversight commission has held two official meetings, one of which was an emergency meeting Tuesday night with the city’s HR department. Former HR director Robyn Wilkerson resigned May 1 after accusations of sending inappropriate text messages which were negative toward the Black Lives Matter movement and the oversight commission. The commission convened to investigate whether Wilkerson’s actions tainted the recruitment process for a new police chief. Assistant City Administrator John Fournier was also

present at the meeting. Fournier said it was an “illuminating” meeting and provided a lot of insight to the public regarding how the recruitment process was carried out. “When you’re in a position of public importance and public service, it’s really important to be transparent, and it’s really important to be open to oversight and communication and things like that,” Fournier said. “We take that really seriously in Ann Arbor.” Ramlawi said he was satisfied with how the meeting transpired. “I feel more comfortable knowing that officials from our city have gone on record indicating (contamination of the recruitment process) wasn’t the case,” Ramlawi said. “It gives the community more confidence and comfort in the process.” Clock said he has confidence in the professionalism of the police department and does not believe they need an oversight commission, but he respects the city residents’ desire to establish one nonetheless. Read more at michigandaily.com

ALEX HARRING

Summer Managing News Editor

U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow has ordered University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel to appear in court June 11 as a result of the Doe v. University of Michigan lawsuit. On Wednesday afternoon, Tarnow turned down a motion from University lawyers which would have overturned the order requiring Schlissel’s appearance. Tarnow originally ordered Schlissel to court by May 1 during a teleconference with Joshua Richards, a Pennsylvaniabased attorney representing the University, and the unnamed plaintiff’s attorney Deborah Gordon, a Bloomfield Hills civil rights attorney. During the teleconference, Gordon echoed Tarnow’s sentiments regarding Schlissel’s attendance in court, while Richards made repeated arguments against the order. The order came out of a case involving a male undergraduate student who sued the University in June 2018. The student, referred to as “John Doe,” was on track to graduate and had been accepted to the University’s graduate engineering program, in addition to programs at other colleges. The student felt his future was endangered when the University froze his transcript and degree following a complaint of sexual assault against him. Doe’s transcript was released in June, within a week of the lawsuit being filed.

The allegations trace back to November 2017, when a female student reached out to Doe, a University residential adviser, about getting together. Doe invited her to his room, at which point they watched a movie and had sexual relations. Four months later, in March 2018, the female student accused Doe of sexually assaulting her during the interaction in a complaint filed with the University’s Office of Institutional Equity. The female student said Doe had nonconsensual sex with her in his residence hall room. However, Doe said in the lawsuit the encounter was consensual and no drugs or alcohol were involved, the Detroit News reported. There were no witnesses to the encounter in question. The lawsuit aligns with a 2017 ruling regarding the University of Cincinnati, in which a similar case founded exclusively upon “he said/she said” grounds and in which defendant failed to “provide any form of confrontation of the accuser” made the proceeding “fundamentally unfair” to the case’s defendant. Doe said in the lawsuit he was unaware of the allegations during his interview with the OIE, rendering him unable to respond adequately. Additionally, the lawsuit claimed the University refused the option for a hearing or cross-examination to Doe, even though this is provided to students facing other violations. Read more at michigandaily.com

4 OPINION

Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

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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.

MISSY BECK AND JEAN CLAUDE BIZA SOMPA | OP-ED

SMTD needs to prioritize students and lecturers, not profits and deception

s two long-serving lecturers at the University of Michigan, we understand the importance of building a legacy for generations of students to come. For the past 20 and 32 years, we’ve taken pride in working for a University that stands for what is right, that prioritizes its students over profits and that respects faculty and its obligation to honor contractual agreements with all employees. Over the past few months, however, the administration of the University’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance has shown a reckless disregard for all three. It is therefore with great disappointment that we write this letter outlining a series of deceptions, stonewalls and contract violations coming from the SMTD we know and love — because we know our University is better than this. Last July, the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) ratified a new contract with the University administration. The contract gave us the salary increases and health benefits many of us needed to live and work effectively. It also required SMTD to pay the two of us a higher salary to fairly compensate for our depth of experience and outstanding results. Rather than pay us our worth and give students the instruction they deserve, SMTD chose instead to cut our course load by 50 percent and 66 percent for the next academic year. This in itself is a travesty: The University prioritized profits over giving its students a quality

education. Even more disappointing, however, was the series of events which took place in the process of issuing these layoffs. First and foremost, SMTD violated our contract when it failed to forewarn us about the layoffs, choosing instead to wait until we approached them with questions about class cuts. Secondly, SMTD lied both to us and The Michigan Daily when it denied LEO’s new contract as the reason for the layoffs. On February 20, the Chair of the Dance Program sent an email to Missy Beck stating, “Because of the large increase in LEO salaries, the administration would like to move as many LEO courses as possible to tenure track faculty.” When prompted by The Daily, however, the chair denied the email existed and said she was “amazed at how many invented facts are circulating.” This disregard for honesty and accountability is unacceptable. Thirdly, SMTD continues to change its reasons for laying both of us off. Over the last few months, they have cited lack of qualification and low enrollment as rationale for these changes. More recently, the reasons have been “wanting to go in a different direction,” and that our job loss is “necessary (italics added) to offer additional opportunities and expand the learning experiences for our students.” Having taught here for decades with nothing short of outstanding results and consistent enrollment, however, we know none of these to be true — and are greatly

disappointed by the deception and delays in providing rational explanations for these actions. Over a dozen lecturers and other allies gathered last week to speak out against these shameful tactics. Some of SMTD’s most successful alumni have turned out in droves to write letters and film videos urging them to reconsider this decision. But SMTD continues to ignore the pleas of their alumni who are Tony nominees and winners, Oscar nominees and winners, professional dancers, heads of dance programs in higher education, Broadway performers, producers and so much more, all of whom have insisted our work has been integral to their success. Students, alumni, lecturers and community members are coming together to demand better from a university to which we give so much. It is truly disheartening to see this University treat us with such disregard after we have devoted our entire professional lives to our students with such outstanding results. The University of Michigan prides itself in providing a worldclass education for its students and an excellent working environment for its staff. We call on SMTD to live up to this creed and treat its longserving lecturers with the respect they deserve. Missy Beck and Jean Claude Biza Sompa are members of the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (AFT Local 6244), the union of all non-tenure track faculty at all three campuses of the University of Michigan.

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Thursday, May 16,, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

AVI RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI | OP-ED

Time to end public school inequality

he effort to eliminate public school segregation in America has stalled. Our school systems are just as segregated today as they were decades ago. A combination of factors including “white flight,” gerrymandered school districts, the rise of charter and private schools and the decimation of civil rights legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, have contributed to this. A recent report estimated that predominantly nonwhite school districts receive $23 billion less than white districts despite serving the same number of students. How can this be? It’s simple. The United States, unlike most of the world, has left the education of its citizens up to individual states. The “right” to a free, public education is implied though never addressed directly in the Constitution. Federal dollars compose on average less than 10 percent of a school districts budget, while the rest comes from state and local funding. Usually a school district is first funded from local property taxes. The state usually has a minimum funding level, so if the district is unable to meet that with the money generated from taxes, the state would step in to bridge the gap to the minimum level. Sounds fair right? Unfortunately, states aren’t always able to contribute what is needed and leave lower-income districts scrambling to provide basic needs. In the wake of the Great Recession, state and local governments slashed funding for K-12 education. This, of course, hit the poorer districts the hardest. Wealthier districts, on the other hand, take in so much more money from their local taxes that they are able to deal with most funding shortages. The quality of education you grow up with is tied to where you live. By doing this, we are cementing the pathway of upward mobility in this nation with the social engineering of those in power. While poorer districts in general receive less funding than wealthier ones, the contrast is especially stark when looking at the racial disparity. In general, non-white districts receive an average of $2,226 less per student than white districts. High-poverty, white districts still receive $782 more per student than low-poverty, non-white districts and a staggering near $1,500 more than high-poverty non-white districts. “A single fact is clear — financially, it is far better in the United States to have the luck and lot to attend a school district that is predominantly white

than one that enrolls a concentration of children of color.” Even when a school district is less segregated, issues arise. It is well documented that “aggressive judicial desegregation efforts — and exposure to minorities in general — often lead to ‘white flight’ from urban school districts.” It seems a clear limitation to integration is white people’s aversion to diversity in their school districts. While we have yet to solve the aforementioned issue, we have an obligation to all citizens of the United States to reform the way we fund our public schools. Regardless of race, income or geography, all students should have the same amount of investment from the government in their futures. On average, a predominantly white district enrolls just over 1,500 students compared to over 10,000 in non-white districts. A potential solution to this issue can be seen in the South, where “school district lines are often drawn along county lines, making districts larger across the board. Researchers found that funding looks more equal in states like Georgia and Alabama.” According to EdBuild researchers, larger school districts would help balance out funding disparities, instead of arbitrary boundaries that favor keeping white and non-white students separated. Rebecca Sibilia, founder and CEO of EdBuild, said, “This confirms a theory that we’ve had, which is that the larger the tax base — the larger the actual geography of the school districts — the more you can actually balance out the difference between a wealthy white suburb and a less wealthy rural or urban area.” Additionally, pooling together the local tax revenue and redistributing it equally would end the unfair system in place today. Of course, this would raise issues: The wealthier districts would likely see their funding drop. This would lead to inevitable backlash from the parents and teachers at wealthy schools. It seems the only plausible way this policy could be implemented would be with a large increase in state funding so that wealthier school districts wouldn’t lose money. Everyone should demand increases in public school funding at the state level. Doing so will ensure that we invest the same amount in all kids, rich and poor.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com Avi Rajendra-Nicolucci is a freshman in the College of Engineering.

OPINION 5

ZACK BLUMBERG | COLUMN

The case for a globally binding climate agreement

018 was, globally, the fourth hottest year on record, surpassed only by 2016, 2015 and 2017 in that order. In the United States alone, there were 14 weather and climate caused billion-dollar disasters last year, and the cumulative cost of all these natural disasters was over $1.6 trillion (for reference, that’s more than a twentieth of the U.S. GDP, and over twice as much as the U.S. annually spends on the military). Unfortunately though, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Climate change is unlike any problem human civilization has faced before; it is a truly global crisis which impacts an incredibly diverse range of issues, from economic productivity to urban development to migration flows. However, efforts to solve climate change have thus far been derailed by a lack of binding international legislation and an amoral focus on short-term profit over the health of the planet. While the clock is ticking, there is time for humanity to right these wrongs by embracing a strong, cooperative approach to fighting climate change, and looking for the economic benefits, not drawbacks, that come with it. To begin, it’s important to contextualize how broad the effects of climate change are. One of the biggest effects of climate change, which is often an afterthought in discussions of the issue, is global migration flows. In the past five years, the European Union’s struggle to handle a large influx of immigrants and refugees has already revealed how economically contentious and politically charged the issue of mass migration is. The EU’s controversial management of the situation has unfortunately contributed to the rise of far-right movements within Europe. However, an increasingly warm and erratic global climate would only serve to drastically increase migration flows, in particular from developing nations in the global south. In 2015, a Notre Dame study found that many countries in Central and SubSaharan Africa are the most vulnerable to climate change and the least prepared for it. Many do not have the money or resources to effectively protect themselves. A report published by the European Council of Foreign Policy found that “The combination of poverty, dependence on agriculture, environmental degradation, and population growth (in Africa) are creating a vicious circle, which can be expected to translate

into increasing forced migration.” Here in the United States, the same issue is already occurring: Climate change has decimated the Guatemalan farming industry, leaving individuals with little choice but to migrate to America. The mass migration caused by climate change is problematic and highlights a fundamental problem with humanity’s handling of the issue. Even among developed nations that have acknowledged the dangers of climate change, there is no actual long-term plan in place for solving them. The Foreign Policy report explains that “The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa is typical in focusing on enhancing border control and fighting smuggling, rather than tackling the long term causes of migration.” This exemplifies the systemic unpreparedness countries have in regard to climate change, even when it touches on issues like immigration, which have already proven to be highly controversial.

A good treaty would extol the economic benefits of fighting climate change

With that said, it’s time for the global community to finally take some bold steps towards fighting climate change. Historically, there is (some) precedent for binding global cooperation in fighting climate change. The primary example of this is The Montreal Protocol of 1987, which was a global agreement to ban the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other substances which depleted the Earth’s ozone layer. The treaty, with its concrete, specific restrictions was ratified by 197 countries. Two years later, at the Noordwijk Meeting in the Netherlands, the world came agonizingly close to creating a global framework for fighting climate change, except, as a Swedish minister eloquently explained to American environmental activist Daniel Becker, “Your government is fucking this thing up!” Since then, the global response to climate change has been a bevy of half-hearted treaties with high-minded language which are unenforceable, weak and largely

ineffectual. The Paris climate agreement, hailed as a groundbreaking treaty, “requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through nationally determined contributions.” This type of open-ended requirement essentially leaves countries to do as they please, as exemplified by how the U.S. leaving the treaty didn’t seem to change anything, on any level, with regard to fighting climate change. While creating a binding treaty on such a broad issue is incredibly complex, there are a few aspects that are essential for effectively tackling climate change. Beyond the obvious requirements for a climate change treaty (promoting clean energy, finding ways to limit overall carbon emissions, etc.) there should be several other components. First, there needs to be some sort of financial incentive for countries to join; too often, countries ignore treaties they’ve agreed to follow if the agreement is solely diplomatic. This could be as simple as creating a free trade agreement between member states, creating incentives for countries to join and cooperate. To go along with that, specific environmental goals on a country-by-country basis should be instituted. While the Paris climate agreement attempts to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, it has no specific requirements for individual nations, essentially absolving countries of their responsibility to actually act. Secondly, a good treaty would extol the economic benefits of fighting climate change. Especially within the U.S., the political right has successfully created the narrative that fighting climate change is economically infeasible or unwise (even as economic disasters caused by climate change cost the country trillions). A 2016 report found that Germany, by further promoting the use of renewable energy and globally cooperating with other countries doing the same, could reduce its carbon emissions from 72 to 93 percent by 2050 without harming economic growth. By justifying the economic benefits of fighting climate change, a global agreement could win over private enterprise, leading to greater investment in renewable energy and, subsequently, more innovation in the field.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com Zack Blumberg can be reached at zblumber@umich.edu.

6 ARTS

Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

FILM REVIEW

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Perspectives on ‘Pikachu’ CASSANDRA MANSUETTI Summer Editor in Chief

STEPHEN SATARINO Daily Film Editor

The video game movie is a genre that precedes itself, and not for good reason. Video games are an inherently interactive medium, and film is not; you do the math there. Part of the joy of playing video games is the ability to control something (in most cases, a character) and then have that something romp around the world of the game — in essence, a digital playground. Darting from Florence rooftop to rooftop as a Renaissance assassin is infinitely more fun than watching Michael Fassbender’s stunt double do the same in the “Assassin’s Creed” movie. While some video games have compelling narratives and spectacle the same as a movie — take the “Uncharted” series for example — most have a standard good versus evil plot that exists only to tie its characters to its world. You play “Street Fighter” to make Chun-Li kick the shit out of your friend’s fighter, not to obsess over cutscenes stitched together to make an (often poor) excuse for a story mode. Even returning to the example of “Uncharted,” the movie-like quality of which has attracted a Hollywood production, the whole point is that you’re basically playing a movie. Shoving it onto the silver screen makes it no different than your gar-

den-variety action blockbuster. All these trappings of a video game movie were almost certain to set up “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” for failure. Battles between fantastical little creatures, the core mechanic of “Pokémon” games, function entirely on a turn-based system: One player acts while the other has to wait, and vice versa. This would be nigh impossible to port over to the realtime nature of movies. Yet somehow, some way, “Detective Pikachu” manages to capture not the mechanics of any “Pokémon” title, but the emotional experience playing one elicits. The best decision they made regarding “Detective Pikachu” was choosing not to adapt any plot already covered in the wider “Pokémon” universe — the anime has already done that to death. Instead, they took the fundamental principle of a low-profile spinoff game of the same name and ran with it. You have Pokémon, you have humans. They coexist. There’s a special Pikachu, he’s a detective. From just these blasé story elements, the film finds something special. When I first saw the trailer for “Detective Pikachu,” I was very much put off by the realism of it all, the scary scaliness of movie Charizard clashing with the simply killer design of “Pokémon Red” that I fell in love with all those years ago. But actually seeing the movie and how it decided to bring these Pokémon to life (which are admittedly horrifying; I mean, look at any Pokédex entry for a ‘mon that isn’t cute and cuddly and you’ll be met with tales of lost dead forest children turn-

ing into spirits) very much quelled that initial distaste. The more Pokémon that populated the screen, the more I thought, “Damn, they totally would be like that in real life.” You have something like Lickitung, a Pokémon with a constantly exposed tongue larger than its body, given a short scene where it makes use of that tongue, and then you realize it is fundamentally disgusting even as an 8-bit sprite. Even with the few frightening designs, it was an absolute treat to see these Pokémon scuttle, scamper and saunter in and around the central location of Ryme City. Greninja was as ferocious as Bulbasaur was adorable. There’s even some great action scenes thrown in that stay grounded in the source material. I was transfixed by an underground battle between Blastoise and Gengar that saw the latter sending out a barrage of familiar moves like Shadow Ball, warping ghastly around the arena as Blastoise spun around on its shell, using its water cannons to dispel of the creepy Gengar clones. “Detective Pikachu” does have its fair number of flaws. For every genuine emotion shared by the two lead characters, Tim (Justice Smith, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”) and Lucy (Kathryn Newton, “Blockers”), there’s a hamfisted line or reaction right around the corner. Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool 2”) fully invested himself in voice acting the titular role, but oftentimes the script puts a little too much stock in him, and his constant one-liners start to lose steam. However, for all the shortcomings on the human side of the

film, the Pokémon more than make up for it. I think the best review of “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” I can give is that I spent 90% of the movie pointing at the screen and giddily naming off all the various Pokémon I saw to my friends. “Emolga! Octillery! Rufflet!” I felt like a kid again, and I loved every second of it. It might be the most average movie, but “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is the most fun moviegoing experience I’ve had in years. — Cassandra Mansuetti “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is a great technical showpiece that proves — along with Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Jungle Book” — another staple of millennial and Gen Z childhood can be brought to life on the big screen, even if the film’s plot structure leaves much to be desired. In a post-“Sonic the Hedgehog”live-action-movie-trailer world, we can all breathe a sigh of relief in the comfort that comes with the comfort that comes from knowing they didn’t fall into the same trap of bad and unfaithful CGI. The Pokémon in “Pokémon” are great. They’re cute when they’re supposed to be cute, they’re tough when they’re supposed to be tough and all the time they’re as hilariously linguistically Hodored as we ever could have asked. There’s a lot to be happy with in this introduction to a cinematic Pokémon universe, even if it does lean on modern storytelling tropes a little too predictably. The escalation in the third act of “Detective Pikachu” is disappointing. The movie falls into the same trap that brought down the first “Fantastic Beasts” movie — a transition away from a small, self-contained story about a few characters and their own personal quests, and toward a big blockbuster flick with world-ending danger and city-saving heroics. “Detective Pikachu” was an interesting, character-driven movie for about sixty minutes. Around that mark, it’s revealed that, for Tim to complete his personal mission of finding his father, he will have to defeat a villain that threatens the entire city (and ostensibly the entire world when they wake up the next morning). The ever-expanding plot arc of “Detective Pikachu” is now another example of big-studio cinematic universe-itus wilting away a perfectly good trio of characters when they force them to save the world. The advent of the MCU and its twentysomething movies of fire and brimstone seem to have convinced us all that every movie’s plot has to put the fate of the world on the line. “Detective Pikachu”’s Ryme City is an

engaging and vibrant enough world without the possibility of its total destruction. Characters can introduce you to these worlds even if their task isn’t to save everyone’s day. The movie lost much of its interest when it decided that Tim’s character-driven arc, which had been guiding the plot up to that point, wasn’t enough anymore. These gripes aren’t all that relevant, though, since “Detective Pikachu” is a movie aimed at giving kids a chance to see their favorite Japanese battle monsters come to life in the real world. The script wasn’t written to be a cinematic juggernaut — that wasn’t ever the filmmaker’s agenda — but I stand by the sentiment that a plot structured like that of “Detective Pikachu” is dangerous since it only further entrenches this idea that all films have to implicate the lives of everyone in the world to have a point.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu Warner Bros. Pictures Ann Arbor 20 + IMAX, Goodrich

Introducing a new generation of moviegoers to the big screen with flick after flick of down-and-out underdog facing off versus the allpowerful essence of evil, hell-bent on destroying the world for whatever goddamn reason (probably because they love hell and darkness) maybe isn’t a good way to bring them into the cinema’s fold. It creates false expectations of what a satisfying story must be, and leads to further erosion of storytelling in the medium. This isn’t a problem of “Detective Pikachu”’s making, and the film shouldn’t have to shoulder all of the blame. It’s a much larger industry issue. Hopefully, it’s one that will start to get addressed now that we are in and out of the “Endgame.” In the end, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” delivers on a lot of what anyone could want from a Pokémon movie. It’s a great way to spend an hour and forty-five for a family movie night, and it should succeed because of it. It’s a shame Danny Devito never got tapped up for the role of the man behind the little yellow rat, but what are you going to do? — Stephen Satarino

Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

TV INTERVIEW

Representation in comedy: A talk with Ramy Youssef ALLY OWENS Daily TV Editor

Despite the countless positives associated with the recent surge in representation within our media landscape, it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of accomplishment. The mere presence of diverse faces does not mean that the seemingly never-ending journey toward parity has been completed. That’s right, whites. Put your pussy hats back on, this party’s far from being over. Currently, to be a person of color with a platform in the media, your visibility comes at the cost of your individualism. The beast of fame is indiscriminate in its scrutiny of those in the public eye, but only those from marginalized groups know the fatiguing extent to which their identities amplify this magnification. In the same way that the only Black kid in class is expected to retain a doctorate in American slavery by middle school, creators of color are expected to use their projects to speak for an entire community. Part of this stems from a longstanding legacy of underrepresentation. When a people has been deprived of representation for — well — forever, each starved member has ample time to dream up their own unique expectations

that one show cannot possibly satisfy. This pattern also stems from the long-established normalization of the privileged, and the resultant “othering” of everyone who does not meet a certain criterion. Even shows featuring niche sects within privileged groups, take Irish Catholics for instance, avoid the expectation to speak for all members of the community. This is because, as Ramy Youssef (“Mr. Robot”), creator of a new, selftitled Hulu show, pointed out in his group interview with The Michigan Daily, privileged groups have historically been afforded the right to nuance. Marginalized groups? Not so much. Ramy Youssef is out to combat this norm. To the untrained eye, “Ramy” appears to be yet another vehicle for a stand-up comedian too lazy to think up a title for a show loosely based on themselves. There’s been “Seinfeld,” “Roseanne,” “Ellen” and even (yes, I’m bringing it up) “Mulaney.” Only this

time, the old trick comes with a layer of complexity unfounded in its predecessors: “I think it’s really important to have people authentically being themselves. And I think, for me, my approach in calling the show ‘Ramy’ was to highlight from the beginning that this is just one Arab-Muslim story.” In developing “Ramy,” Youssef made it his mission to create a show with subtleties usually only reserved for white, presumably Christian characters. In doing so, he has forged a path for future creators of color who dream of a day when their identities can be present in their work without overshadowing the actual story, or at the very least, express themselves in their work without the constant anxiety of appeasing everyone within a community. Produced by A24, “Ramy” is now kin to some of the most talked-about coming-of-age stories of recent years: “Lady Bird,” “mid90s,” “Eighth Grade,” the

Currently, to be a person of color with a platform in the media, your visibility comes at the cost of your individualism.

list goes on. Although this is exceptional company to be in, I had to wonder, in addition to centering on an Arab-American man, how else does “Ramy” distinguish itself as a narrative from the seemingly never-ending stream of projects falling under the category of Confused Millennial Finding Him/Her/Their selves™? Youssef’s answer was unexpected to say the least. And not just because genteel women never discuss it during dinner. Religion. Make no mistake — Youssef, dressed as though he could have just clocked out from a long day at VICE News, is not out to convert the masses or spread the word of how “cool” religion can be like a cargo shortclad youth group leader. His aim in emphasizing religion in his passion project is merely to shed a light on the crossroads he has been met with throughout his life in attempting to own his faith while willingly participating in aspects of secularity. While most comedies geared towards the coveted 18-34 demographic evade discussing religion in an earnest way and feature characters either ambivalent toward or outwardly disinterested in any element of faith, “Ramy” attempts to bridge this divide by crafting a nuanced depiction of a man who is not attempting to escape his religion and culture, but, on the contrary, to “be his best spiritual self.” A distinction that is on display from the onset of the series, in the first episode alone, fictional Ramy Hassan must have an awkward conversation with his hookup regarding her misconceptions about his faith. She assumed he was “culturally Muslim” in the same way that she was “culturally Jewish.” She was incorrect. I couldn’t help but picture the scene as a meta exchange between Youssef himself and other popular comingof-age comedies of today. Comedy and religion are an odd couple of sorts — with their only successful merger to date being the archaic setup for jokes about a rabbi and a priest inexplicably sharing a drink at

ARTS 7

Applebee’s. Youssef is not blind to this reality, reasoning that, “church, the mosque, the temple … whatever are almost always the punchline.” As much as I like to perceive millennials and Generation Z as a hold-no-punches bunch, shying away from no topic too taboo, I had to wrangle with the possibility that maybe we did avoid religion like Christmas Eve mass. Just because I am a disillusioned Catholic (read: only stuck around for the wine, then bounced), does that mean that I cannot appreciate a show about someone else’s relationship to their faith? My fear in beginning Youssef’s series with this in mind was that it would be akin to the Christian movies they showed at my Catholic middle school: preachy, poorly acted and (maybe?) with an arc related to high school football. It would be an understatement to say that this is not “Ramy” in the slightest. No spoilers: There’s a condom full of water, a cringe-inducing car makeout and hookah. There are clearer traces of “Atlanta” inherent in “Ramy” than the Catholic school staple, “Facing the Giants.” Rather than being a hindrance to my enjoyment, Youssef’s exploration of religion provided for a compelling internal struggle that was refreshing to see. In discussing the possibility of renewal by Hulu, Ramy and co-star Dave Merheje (“Mr. D”) both expressed high hopes for a second season. With commercial and critical praise continuing to pour in for the show, this appears to be a very plausible matter. And for Youssef, who was credited with penning about half of the first season’s episodes, he shows no signs of writer’s block: “The importance [of “Ramy”] lies in that we get to highlight that you can be very specific and do ten episodes in a season and there’s still so much that hasn’t been touched. And I think if there’s anything that is important about (this), it’s that. We get to highlight how hyperspecificity is a wealth of story and probably profitable too.”

Youssef’s exploration of religion provided for a compelling internal struggle that was refreshing to see.

8 NEWS

Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

City launches water transparency initiative Ann Arbor residents express satisfaction with new program, call for statewide expansion to ensure quality SAMANTHA SMALL Summer News Editor

MICHAL RUPRECHT Daily Staff Reporter

Starting in late 2018, Ann Arbor residents have grown increasingly concerned about dioxane and PFAS contamination in Washtenaw

County’s drinking water. With Ann Arbor residents calling for a more transparent reporting system, Ann Arbor Water Treatment Manager Brian Steglitz released a plan to publish updated water quality newsletters every month. Because May is “Water Awareness Month,” Steglitz published the initial issue of

Classifieds

“A2H20” on the first of the month. To further inform residents about water quality, city officials also added a page to their website with the monthly report, information about fire hydrant flushing and water rate changes. In the report, Steglitz mentioned dioxane and PFAS infiltration are not a new phenomenon.

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

Release Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

FOR RENT

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

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8 Isn’t straight 9 Big stretch 10 Deeply regret 11 Mo. town 12 High winds 13 Honolulu-born singer 14 Go back for a second helping 18 A dandelion’s are called blowballs 21 Fox NFL analyst Aikman 22 “Ick!” 23 Fled 25 Future JD’s exam 26 Mongolian tent 30 Shaggy rug from 12-Across 32 Kosovo neighbor: Abbr. 33 Surfeit 34 How-to presentation 35 Bearing 36 Prominent New York City feature 37 Give a little

38 Not post42 Short dogs, for short 44 Like some scarves 45 Works out 46 Last family to keep a White House cow 48 Dangerous virus 49 Lennon love song

50 Twist 51 Fleet 54 Heated state 55 Large green moth 56 One may be choked back 57 Dedicatee of 49-Down 58 __ alone: not to mention

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

“Dealing with water contaminants is not new to us,” Steglitz wrote. “Throughout my tenure of almost 22 years, and in the decades preceding, the city has successfully addressed and overcome several water quality challenges.” In an email to The Daily, Daniel Brown, Huron River Watershed Council planner, referenced the ongoing water crisis in Flint. Now more than ever, he suggested, there is a need for transparency regarding the current state of Ann Arbor’s water. “Post-Flint, it is clear utilities need to be proactive in providing customers with as much information as possible,” Brown wrote. “PFAS and 1,4 dioxane contamination concerns add to the urgency of that messaging in Ann Arbor specifically.” Breeches in 1,4 dioxane — classified by the EPA as a likely carcinogen — have been an ongoing problem in Ann Arbor for over a decade. In a 2001 press release, Sue McCormick, former Ann Arbor Water Utility director, said the city found trace amounts of dioxane in the water supply during a routine test. Now, according to the first newsletter published by Steglitz, dioxane is at .029 parts per trillion (ppt), which is considered undetected. Last summer the Department of Environmental Quality found traces of PFAS around the state,

including in the Huron River. Even at low levels, consumption of PFAS chemicals can lead to a multitude of health problems such as a higher risk of cancer, a weakened immune system and child growth impairments. Since 2016, PFAS levels in Ann Arbor’s water have continued to rise. There are 36 confirmed PFAS sites in Michigan, according to the Michigan Environmental Council. However, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality believes there could be over 11,300 locations statewide could be contaminated. Since then, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed a PFAS water drinking standard to be implemented by July 1, 2019. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, echoed support for Whitmer’s proposal, calling again for the Environmental Protection Agency to set a national maximum contaminant level for all PFAS compounds and distribute funds to all contaminated sites. According to MLive, there was a significant spike in PFAS levels in Ann Arbor’s water this past March reaching up to 41.7 ppt. However, Lisa Wondrash, Ann Arbor communications director, said she wouldn’t consider these past three months’ PFAS levels — which were all around 4 ppt — to be a spike as the water drinking quality goal is set at 10 ppt.

Read more at michigandaily.com

05/16/19

THANKS FOR FOR READING THE MICHIGAN DAILY! Find more online at www.michigandaily.com

05/16/19

The Ecology Center holds its annual membership meeting at the Ann Arbor Public Library Wednesday evening.

Thursday May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

MICHIGAN IN COLOR 9

We know no cause for OMAR UDDIN MiC Columnist

Every day is a battle for a war with no known cause

PHOTO COURTESY OF Rich Fury/Invision/AP

Jordan Peele is no Tyler Perry KAYLA THOMAS MiC Blogger

Recently, Jordan Peele, director of the hit movies “Get Out” and “Us,” got a lot of attention for saying that he plans on continuing his pattern of casting Black people for his leads. He goes on to say that he has nothing against white guys, but won’t use them in his films because he has “already seen that movie.” When I saw somebody post his words on Instagram the other day, I was shocked that he was so blunt about his decisions, but also glad that someone powerful in the entertainment industry is dedicated to opening the door for Black representation. When I read through the comments, the reviews were mixed. There were some who were against his words, (arguing the typical “but if someone of a different race said this, it would be seen as racist) while there were some who appreciated his stance in the same way I did. The comment that struck me the most was when someone went on to say that his Peele’s comment and subsequent actions were no problem because Tyler Perry has been doing the same thing for years. In this context, they were right. However, in general, I wouldn’t even think to equate the two. In my mind, Jordan Peele is no Tyler Perry. And the proof is in what they produce. Almost every prominent artists has trademark aspects of their works. Peele’s is social satire and elements of suspense/ thrill. Perry’s, on the other hand, is baby mama drama, unfaithful partners with STDs and domes-

tic violence. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of Tyler Perry movies and sitcoms (I used to watch “Meet the Browns” very faithfully). I also get that these stories are real for some people, and they deserve to be told. However, it is pretty obvious the different manners in which these powerful men have chosen to regularly represent the Black community.

With Perry being one of the only black directors in Hollywood, I needed a break from the typical. And that’s what Peele is. This is something that hs actually started to disgrace Tyler Perry in recent years. For decades now, Black people have been typecast into negative portrayals. Most of the roles we are set to play are either characters that are a personified version of our stereotypes, some kind of villain, or an irrelevant sidekick. The only exception to this is when we are slaves. So it’s start-

ing to rub people the wrong way (myself included) that this Black man with a multi-million dollar platform is using it to reiterate demeaning images. And these images continue to impact how we are seen on the screen, but also how we are perceived in real life. I understand that his extremely successful platform wouldn’t exist in the first place without the type of work media that he creates. However, many artists change their tune after accumulating enough mainstream success. For example, Beyoné played it safe for so many years. But when she became a bonafide and irreplaceable icon, her music started to showcase her as one of the most overtly pro-Black musicians in the industry today. Perry has/had the option to do this, but he hasn’t. Peele, on the other hand, has built his empire by casting Black people in more unique and inspiring roles. He puts them in positions that include character development and relatability. You go through the movie actually rooting for somebody. His films have introduced Black people into new roles and new genres. He entertains his audience without having to bounce around in a dress. Tyler Perry’s works definitely have a time and a place. They definitely serve as a good source of entertainment sometimes. However, with Perry being one of the only Black directors in Hollywood, I needed a break from the typical. And that’s what Peele is. To me, it is obvious that Jordan Peele is no Tyler Perry. And to be quite honest, I’m glad.

We arm the trenches, rifles in hand, toying with the spiritual symbols around our necks, shooting invaders — sometimes alone and other times in masses — that seem to live for our suffering Out of ammo, we fall victim and they ravage the city we’ve built behind us, pillaging And once we’ve found and neutralized them, we look ahead once more to rebuild a city we know no cause for There are times we feel helpless watching as the demons destroy everything, unsure of whether we should or can rebuild — what the whole point of it is One might be compelled to think all this suffering and hassle is to one day realize why that city ever existed, clinging on to that bliss that might be

10 SPORTS

Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Michigan to host NCAA Tournament regional round at home DANIEL DASH

Daily Sports Writer

Two weeks ago, it seemed out of the cards. But after a pair of massive dominoes fell into place, the Michigan softball team was selected as one of the 16 host sites for the four-team regional round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Heading into the final weekend of conference play, the Wolverines found themselves one game behind Northwestern in the Big Ten standings. With the help of third-place Minnesota’s series win over the Wildcats, Michigan used a sweep of Maryland to clinch the outright regular season conference title. On Saturday, the team captured its 10th Big Ten Tournament championship in program history with a thrilling win over the three-time

defending champion Golden Gophers to sweep the Big Ten titles. “(Hosting a regional) is the goal,” said coach Carol Hutchins on Apr. 28. “To be honest, it’s the number one goal of all the goals we have. Don’t get me wrong, championships are great, but to host the regional and be a seeded team would be a tribute to this senior class … It would be really special.” On Sunday night, Hutchins and the 15th-seeded Wolverines achieved their goal. Following two weeks of uncertainty, Michigan seniors Faith Canfield (.418 batting average), Natalie Peters (.358), Alex Sobczak (.336), Mackenzie Nemitz (.288) and Katie Alexander (.280) will in fact have their “tribute,” as Hutchins put it. Each senior is a member of the team’s starting lineup.

The Wolverines will welcome St. Francis (PA), James Madison and DePaul to Alumni Field this coming weekend. On Friday, Michigan will take on St. Francis while James Madison squares off against DePaul in the first leg of the double-elimination round. The winner of the Ann Arbor regional will face the winner of the Los Angeles regional, hosted by No. 2 seed UCLA, in next weekend’s super regional. If the Wolverines and the Dukes both advance, Saturday will present an opportunity for Michigan to avenge one of its five non-conference losses against ranked opponents. On March 7, then-No. 21 James Madison downed the Wolverines in nine innings at the Arizona State Invitational. Now, Michiga n w ill host t he reg iona l round for t he f irst time since 2016.

ALEC COHEN/Daily

The Michigan softball team won the Big Ten Tournament and will host a regional.

That yea r, t he moment um of sweeping t he reg iona l propelled t he prog ra m to t he Women’s College World Series.

If Hutchins and the Wolverines are searching for one more tribute, there wouldn’t be anything more fitting than returning to Oklahoma City.

Warde Manuel’s career-defining decision Warde Manuel has been here before. In 2012, as athletic director at Connecticut, he oversaw the men’s basketball program’s transition from retiring Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun to the BENJAMIN hiring of Kevin Ollie. And just KATZ two years ago, as Michigan’s athletic director, Manuel appointed Mel Pearson to assume reigns of the Michigan hockey team, succeeding legendary coach Red Berenson.

John Beilein’s announcement Monday morning to leave the Michigan men’s basketball program and coach the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers means Manuel is faced with a similar task once again. But this will by far be the biggest decision during his tenure in Ann Arbor — and possibly his career. “My priority now is to commence a full national search for our next basketball coach,” Manuel said in a statement. How does one replace the alltime winningest and greatest men’s basketball coach in school history? At Monday’s Big Ten meetings, Manuel acknowledged he prepared for this moment since Beilein was in talks with the Detroit Pistons

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is tasked to find a new basketball coach.

last year. Knowing the coach’s possibility to ascend to the pro ranks despite a virtual lifetime contract signed last summer, a shortlist of candidates has been at the ready. It’s what Manuel does with this shortlist, and the results which stem from the impending decision, that will define his career at Michigan. Coaching changes are never easy, but Manuel’s track record demonstrates nothing but smooth transitions — and fast success. Two years after Ollie arrived, the Huskies won a national championship. Their first season under Pearson, the Wolverines advanced to the Frozen Four. But this one is different. This is a change from a coach with no connection to any semblance of foul play or scandal, a coach who excelled in player development and a coach who, over the past 12 years, redefined Michigan basketball and made it, once again, a top-tier program nationally. This decision is unlike the others where quick accomplishments represent the greatest litmus test for a positive replacement. This outlines the future of the program, one that can enter an era of rebuilding or continue to produce winning seasons year in and year out with Sweet Sixteen appearances

essentially the norm. This is one that needs to steady a ship that has now entered unchartered waters, its captain gone from the helm. “The way he’s carried himself with class and dignity and doing things the right way, I’m just so proud to work with him and to have him at Michigan,” Manuel said minutes after the Wolverines clinched their sixth Final Four berth in 2018. “John is the stability of what we’ve been doing in basketball for the last decade and we didn’t have this kind of success consistently until John came. “For me, I couldn’t ask for a better person.” Now begins the search for a successor, one who can fill Beilein’s enormous shoes and maintain a high level of excellence expected by the athletic department and fan base alike. Should Michigan hire from within or look outside the program? How will this affect current players potentially transferring or assistant coaches possibly departing? Will this hurt recruiting in the long run? The announcement is still fresh, but questions have already been raised and will continue to be obsessed as Manuel contemplates the choice in front of him. The rumor mill of potential Beilein replacements has already been at work with Butler’s LaVall Jordan,

Texas Tech’s Chris Beard and Miami Heat assistant and Fab Five member Juwan Howard thrown into the mix. On top of that, Manuel said Monday he has received multiple calls from those with interest in the coveted vacancy. The timeframe for the decision? “The timeline is I want to get it right,” Manuel said Monday. “While I’d like it to be done ASAP, I’m also going to take the time to make sure that we find the right person for Michigan.” In the following weeks, Manuel, along with Turnkey Search, will conduct interviews and eventually name the 17th head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball team. The so-called “culture driver” in Beilein has left for Cleveland and it’s up to Manuel, in his biggest move yet, to get to vetting and selecting a replacement who will also leave an indelible mark in Ann Arbor. Warde Manuel has been here before. But unlike with Ollie and Pearson and any other past appointments, this move changes the trajectory of an elite Michigan basketball program for years to come — and cements Manuel’s legacy as athletic director, for better or worse. Katz can be reached at benjkatz@umich.edu or on Twitter @benkatz27.

Thursday, May 16, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SPORTS 11

As Beilein leaves, an unmistakable legacy is left in his wake ARIA GERSON & THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editors

The last time the Michigan had to replace its head coach, the program was unrecognizable to those familiar with the current Wolverines. Michigan in 2007 had barely scraped relevance since the breakup of the Fab Five in 1993. It hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1998 — an appearance later vacated by NCAA sanctions. It lived under the shadow of the football team and a group of recruits who had since been banned from the program. CJ Lee, a Michigan guard from 2006-09 and current director of program personnel, was there when then-coach Tommy Amaker was fired. Even with Amaker’s uninspiring record, his firing still incited some disappointment. After all, he had helped drag the program out of its sanction-induced low point in the early 2000s. Lee, though, knew the Wolverines were getting someone good in John Beilein. Lee went to high school in western New York, where Beilein recruited some of his AAU teammates and had seen Beilein’s success at West Virginia. The Beilein he knew of back then was a coach who ran a unique offense and a 1-3-1 zone, a coach with a good reputation but questions about whether he could stick at a high-major program like Michigan. Twelve years later, when Beilein

BEILEIN From Page 1A Last summer, Beilein was reportedly in talks to become the coach of the Detroit Pistons, but decided to remain at Michigan. In July, he signed a contract extension through 2023, with a rollover clause that would keep him in Ann Arbor as long as both sides desired. However, this time around, the Cavaliers were too enticing to pass up. According to Wojnarowski, Beliein had become frustrated with the world of college basketball recruiting and the nature of top teams losing their players year after year. Beilein was also an appealing choice to NBA teams for the work he did rebuilding the Wolverines into a

left the Wolverines to take the helm of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday morning, he was a coach who still ran a unique offense, albeit one of a different vein, but had ditched the zone — and ditched control over his defense, hiring assistants with greater expertise in the area. He was a coach whose reputation had exploded, who hadn’t just succeeded at a high-major program but taken it from no-man’s-land to consistent contender. He was a coach who had become, in some ways, impossible to replace — the unenviable task that now falls on the shoulders of athletic director Warde Manuel. “The first couple years, people were kinda wondering, does (Beilein) have what it takes?” Lee told The Daily. “And it just shows that his ability to morph, his ability to adapt, his ability to change, his ability to figure out that place and figure out his way of doing things here — it was incredible. And it worked.” Beilein got Michigan back to the NCAA Tournament in his second year, and the Wolverines have made it in eight of the past nine years — with five Sweet Sixteens and two appearances in the national title game. His performance surpassed even what could have been considered the best-case scenario. “It goes without saying, he brought Michigan basketball back to prominence,” Lee said. “I would say he restored the image in the hearts and minds of a lot of people, probably in the court of public opinion. Certainly, coach Amaker did a great

job in his time, coming out of the sanctions, and then coach Beilein took it to a level where you’re back in the Final Four.” Zack Novak, a Michigan guard from 2008-12, joined the program in Beilein’s early days. Back then, the team was filled with Amaker holdovers, and Beilein was tasked with not only developing his young players, but getting buy-in from his older ones — a test he passed with flying colors. Then, he began to build the foundation of the Wolverines’ new identity. Novak saw the beginning of that foundation, with Michigan’s NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. By the time he left in 2012 — with a Big Ten regularseason title and a No. 4 seed in the tournament — he saw a program that finally stood on solid ground. “From day one, when coach starting recruiting me, the first step was, get back to the NCAA Tournament,” Novak told The Daily on April 13. “But he was very firm that Michigan should be a premier program and we needed to build the foundation to get back to where it should be. And so, I think from day one, he had a vision and he had his guys that bought into the vision. “And I think you gotta give credit to a lot of the guys who came from coach Amaker, who rolled over. Kind of a difficult situation, right? Two very different styles of playing. And those guys easily could have been cancers on the team and not bought into the vision, and instead they did the opposite. And really

set the foundation for what was to come. Now, with that being said, I’m not gonna lie to you and say that I thought we’d be in two national title games in the next 10 years. I think it’s gone a bit beyond what the original vision was.” From there, Beilein built Michigan into what it is now, all with the perception that he runs a clean program. Beilein is one of the few high-major coaches who is widely believed not to cheat. He instilled his values in every player, from Lee and Novak until now. Former Michigan sports information director Bruce Madej remembered Beilein as someone who always talked about family and community. Even as Beilein began to crave the greater challenge that the NBA would bring, that community was what the Wolverines were to him. In a way, the NBA is a culmination for Beilein. This is someone who has never held a permanent position as an assistant coach, instead climbing the ladder from high school JV to community college to Division II to mid-major to Michigan. Professional basketball was the one step he had never taken. “What has happened to John Beilein in his life and in his coaching career has been miraculous, it’s really been magical,” said Jeff Neubauer, the current Fordham coach and a former Beilein assistant at Richmond and West Virginia from 1996-2005. “... Who he has been throughout his life is to take on a massive challenge — most of them

were places where people didn’t think he could succeed. So he’s gone to different schools throughout his career and done amazing things over and over. So my speculation would be that this is his opportunity to take on another huge challenge, climb another mountain.” Now, Beilein is firmly entrenched as a Michigan legend. No matter who you talk to, former players, assistants and people around the program have nary a bad word to say about him — as a person or a coach. And regardless of what the future holds, Beilein will always be remembered as the coach who brought Michigan back to soaring heights, the coach who firmly implanted a new culture and the coach who did things the right way — in every sense of the word. “I tell people all the time when they ask me about playing for, working for coach Beilein, is that as good of a basketball coach as he is, he’s a better person,” Lee said. “And I think that, over the last 12 years, the fan base and college basketball in general has got to witness an incredible, incredible human being who happens to be a basketball coach on the sidelines, in Ann Arbor. “And I really hope that they cherish that. I hope they recognize how special that is to have the human being, the coach, the man, the success. How rare that is, for it all to come together like that. So I just hope that people are appreciative and he is honored for his time, because he did a tremendous job.”

top national contender after years mired in mediocrity. “We could not be more thrilled to name John Beilein as the new coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Gilbert said in a statement. “First, John is a great human being. He cares deeply about his players and others who work for him and around him. He defines the words class, integrity and character. He is a tireless worker who obsesses about finding better ways and the inches that will help his team and the organization grow. John is a brilliant basketball mind and last but not least, John Beilein is a winner. I also want to thank Koby and his hardworking staff for turning over every rock while relentlessly searching for our new head coach since the minute this past season ended. It is no surprise that Koby and his team landed on John Beilein as great cultures

attract others who hold the same values as the foundation for everything they do. I can’t wait for next season to begin.” Staying in Cleveland will also allow Beilein to stay relatively close to home, as well as just a few hours drive to his son Patrick, who is now the coach of Niagara. In a statement released Monday afternoon, athletic director Warde Manuel thanked Beilein for his time at the University and said that he would commence a national search for the next coach. Michigan hired the search firm Turnkey Search — the same firm it used to hire Manuel in 2016 — according to the Detroit Free Press. “I was saddened when John told me this morning of his decision to leave Michigan for a head coaching position in the NBA. However, I am incredibly thankful for his 12 years of service to this university,” said

Manuel. “Above and beyond being our all-time winningest coach, John is a tremendous role model for the game of college basketball. He is an outstanding educator,

community member and a man of great integrity, and he and Kathleen will be missed. My priority now is to commence a full national search for our next basketball coach.”

ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily

Former Michigan coach John Beilein said that he is leaving Michigan on Monday.