Thursday, July 11, 2019
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
inside
City releases renewable car transition plan
NEWS
‘Dearborn Girls’ University student creates podcast focused on hometown stereotypes
Ann Arbor announces plan to make all city vehicles electric by 2025
>> SEE PAGE 3
OPINION
2020
Samantha Della Fera compares 2020 Democratic presidental candidates to ‘The Bachelorette’ >> SEE PAGE 4
ARTS
‘Midsommar’ The ‘Hereditary’ director’s latest film is scaring watchers out of the theater
EMMA STEIN
Daily Staff Reporter Ann Arbor residents gather for the annual Fourth of the July parade in Downtown Ann Arbor Thursday.
>> SEE PAGE 7
MICHIGAN IN COLOR
BARBARA COLLINS & ALEX HARRING Summer Managing News Editors
MiC contributor Ashley Kim creates a piece of visual art using only pencils and paper
>> SEE PAGE 9
SPORTS
Basketball Franz Wagner signs his Tender of Financial Aid to attend the University of Michigan in the fall
>> SEE PAGE 12
INDEX Vol. CXXVIII, No. 117 © 2019 The Michigan Daily
NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ............................... 4 ARTS...................................... 6 MiC......................................... 9 SPORTS................................ 10
MAX KUANG/DAILY
Ann Arbor Jaycees host annual Fourth of July Parade downtown Young adult group presents 29th parade
‘ggone’
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor residents celebrated Independence Day with the 29th annual Fourth of July parade Thursday morning. The parade, run by the Ann Arbor Jaycees, the young adult
offshoot of the Chamber of Commerce, began at 10 a.m. downtown. Jaycees co-director Carolyn Walsh said in addition to building community and offering and outlet for celebrating the holiday, the festivities offer opportunities to learn more about community groups and nonprofits. Walsh noted there are more than 60 community sponsors this year. “It’s a really important event that binds the community together,” Walsh said. “On the Fourth of July, we have a lot to celebrate, and it gets
the community engaged with different organizations and nonprofits.” The Jaycees also host the summer carnival at Pioneer High School in late June each year. Walsh said their annual events have variation from year to year because the organization’s membership is always growing. Walsh also said she hoped attendees learned more about the parade’s grand marshal, the Buddy-to Buddy-program.
Read more at michigandaily.com
Carlson tenants allege negligence Carlson Properties tenants express frustration with ownership SAMANTHA SMALL Summer News Editor
In a light brown duplex on South State Street, Kinesiology junior Emma Keer and her two roommates lived in their newly-signed two bedroom, two bathroom home during the 20182019 academic year. A few weeks after moving in, Keer’s dishwasher and dryer abruptly stopped working.
She tried to call landlord Garret Carlson, hoping to resolve the situation quickly, but said she kept getting sent to voicemail. Without any word that he had received her call, Carlson allegedly entered the property and began working on the appliances. Quite frequently, either Carlson or his maintenance worker would come into the property without any warning, Keer claims. “He would walk in, do
whatever, and obviously that wouldn’t sit well with us,” Keer said. “Three young girls, living alone, with a strange man coming into the apartment. We told him to email or give us a call when someone is coming over, but he said it was ‘too much work’ and that ‘he can’t call them, call you and then call them back because it was too hard to coordinate with them.’” See LANDLORD, Page 8
The city of Ann Arbor aims to reduce its fleet-related fuel emissions in all city departments by 25 percent by 2025. The goal is part of a partnership with the Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative — a group consisting of 127 cities, founded by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014 with the intent of accelerating climate progress through local governments. Missy Stults, Ann Arbor sustainability and innovations manager, said Ann Arbor joined the collaborative with the goal of fully powering all city vehicles with renewable energy. The city has implemented a Green Fleets program since 2004, but created a detailed and revised Green Fleets Policy with specific plans in 2018. “For the city of Ann Arbor, we’ve got two goals that really made sense for joining the collaborative,” Stults said. “The first one is that we’ve got a Green Fleets Policy, which we’ve had since 2004, and in 2018, we upped the goal for our fleet that we want to reduce the emissions of our municipal fleets operation 25 percent by 2025. And then the other big goal is that our objective is to be powered, all municipal operations powered with 100 percent clean and renewable energy by the year, at least, by the year 2035.” Stults discussed how a Green Fleets team is responsible for slowly phasing out the current vehicles with electric ones to maintain economic stability in Ann Arbor. She also noted the team monitors the market and the scientific progress of creating more elaborate electric vehicles, such as garbage trucks.
Read more at michigandaily.com
2 NEWS
Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
A2 siblings create signery after storm ‘U’ student, brother creates signs from materials wrecked in windstorm KENDELL LEWIS Daily Staff Reporter
After a straight-line windstorm carrying up to 100 miles per hour winds devastated Northern Michigan on Aug. 2, 2015, Ann Arbor siblings Bella and Zack Pryor felt inspired to take action. They started making wooden signs out of the old fences, broken docks and scraps of wood found in Glen Arbor and selling them — thus creating MichAgain Signery. Bella, a Business sophomore at the University of Michigan, and her younger brother Zach, a junior at Pioneer High School, spend about three months each summer in Glen Arbor with their family. When the Sudoku Syndication windstorm hit, they felt its impacts first-hand.
“We’ve been coming up to Glen Arbor, Michigan since we were born basically,” Bella Pryor said. “After the storm, there were a lot of trees down and just a lot of general devastation on the hiking trails and bike trails.” Bella Pryor said wood such as docks, fences and farm structures had been damaged during the storm, and they did not want to let it all go to waste. “We just decided to get a trailer and just load up some wood and bring it home,” she said. The Pryor siblings had an idea to use the wood from the storm to make wood signs representing the parts of Glen Arbor most special to them using design and art. “What inspired us to make the signs in particular rather than other wood products was so that we could use art as a way to also express the beautiful areas that are in Northern Michigan,” Bella Pryor said.
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Inaugural book fair comes to Ypsi Attendees participated in book swap, family friendly events
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the bookstores and artists and EDITORIAL STAFF support vendors. She echoed Barbara Collins & Alex Harring Johnson’s sentiments about the Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com fair being a space that highlights Ypsilanti’s community and Erin White culture. Editorial Page Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com “I thought it was really cool,” Tapley said. “I just like seeing Jorge Cazares & Akul Vijayvargiya KRYSTAL HUR the community of book lovers in Managing Sports Editors Read more at michigandaily.com sportseditors@michigandaily.com http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ Daily Staff Reporter Ypsi.” According to Julie Palmer, Julianna Morano The Ypsilanti Freighthouse the assistant events manager at Managing Arts Editor arts@michigandaily.com hosted the first annual the Ypsilanti Freighthouse and Booksilanti Readers’ Fair on School of Literature, the event Alexandria Pompei & Natalie Stephens Saturday. The day-long fair was meant to evoke the sense of Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com featured book swaps, a market community Johnson and Tapley for local book shops and authors both felt. Palmer, a University of HARD Alec Cohen & Kathryn Halverson and child-friendly activities like Michigan alum, explained while Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com story times and a bookmark- a love of literature underlines Booksilanti, she wanted the making station. Emily Stillman Black Stone Bookstore & event to reflect the diversity in Managing Copy Editor Culture Center, located in Ypsilanti’s communities. copydesk@michigandaily.com “In true, unique Ypsi style, downtown Ypsilanti, was one of Devak Nanua & Sam So the vendors at the event. As an we wanted to highlight the best Managing MiC Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com African-American bookstore and and brightest from our own cultural center, Black Stone sells community,” Palmer said. “There Amir Basha books about African-American began some fun brainstorming Managing Online Editor diaspora. The store also houses and just new ideas about how webteam@michigandaily.com Black Men Read, a literacy we could celebrate many aspects program that works to normalize that are tied to a love of books, Blackness and highlight the whether it’s reading books, The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) cultural contributions of Black buying books… All of that was is published Monday through Friday people through literature. what we wanted to bring here.” during the fall and winter terms by Palmer also hopes Booksilanti Owner Kip Johnson said as an students at the University of Michigan. Ypsilanti native, he was thrilled will help draw the already One copy is available free of charge at the chance to be a part of close-knit Ypsilanti community to all readers. Additional copies may together. Booksilanti. be picked up at the Daily’s office “My personal hope is that “How could I not be a vendor?” for $2 per issue. Subscriptions for Johnson said. “Anything that’s they experience joy, community, September - April are $250, and yeardealing with literacy programs, connection, and that we continue long subscriptions are $275. University dealing with Ypsilanti, you’ve to fuel their love of reading, their affiliates are subject to a reduced love of books,” Palmer said. got to come and support.” subscription rate. Subscriptions must © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com Jessica Tapley, an attendee be prepaid. of the fair and self-proclaimed Read more at michigandaily.com book lover, said she came to see
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Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS 3
‘U’ student makes podcast about living in Dearborn Creators say stereotypes about city, women prompted need for show CATHERINE NOUHAN Daily Staff Reporter
DESIGN BY KATHRYN HALVERSON
Raccoons spread virus to pets in Washtenaw County Vets reccomend vaccinating outdoor animals to prevent virus growth MELANIE TAYLOR Summer News Editor
In early June, the Humane Society of Huron Valley noticed “strange” behavior starting to occur frequently among the raccoons and skunks of Washtenaw County. The group said they received numerous calls from concerned residents and documented a 45 percent increase in sick wildlife being treated by their facilities since the beginning of the year. On June 6, HSHV published a press release to notify the public. In the release, HSHV CEO Tanya Hilgendorf was quoted in the press release saying there was a presumed outbreak of distemper and parvovirus in the community. “We don’t want to cause alarm, but this gives rise to an important reminder to keep your pets up to date on vaccines and be very careful where you go with puppies who haven’t yet been fully vaccinated and older animals with weaker immune systems,” Hilgendorf said. Distemper and parvovirus are not a threat to human
immune systems, but can be fatal for unvaccinated, very young or very old animals. Though more common in dogs, other house pets such as cats may contract either virus through contact with the infected animals, resulting in serious gastrointestinal and neurological problems. HSHV communications director Wendy Welch said the release was issued just as a reminder for pet owners to vaccinate their companion animals as the diseases in question are easily preventable. “All of our services are to keep people with their companion animals and serve the animals and people in our community,” Welch said. Since the release, Welch said there has been a decrease in calls from concerned residents and an uptick in pet vaccinations. Welch said she has not worked on anything similar recently, but she and Molly Tamulevich, Michigan State director for the Humane Society of the United States, both said they are not uncommon. “These outbreaks pop up
time to time … and sometimes there’s an increase in reporting, especially with areas with a really high population density, where you might just have an increase in reports,” Tamulevich said. Tamulevich, an Ann Arbor native, attributes this outbreak and others like it to the increase of “urban wildlife,” animals who adapt to the city infrastructure built around them. “As our communities sometimes encroach into habitats, we sometimes displace wildlife, and that wildlife can either thrive alongside human beings or not thrive alongside human beings,” Tamulevich said. “Some species — raccoons, possums, sometimes even coyotes — they do well because human beings often provide them with intentional or unintentional sources of food. Wildlife has been existing in human settlements for thousands of years, but in a city like Ann Arbor, you have healthy populations of squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, possums, and they live alongside us and within dense human centers.”
Welch agreed and said residents’ have a responsibility to respect the animals living among them. “There’s a whole ‘phenomenon’ of urban wildlife, and as we develop as humans and live closer and closer to wildlife spaces, we encroach on animals,” Welch said. “It’s definitely affecting them, and we need to take into account where they live and how we want to live.” Welch said raccoons and skunks are commonly the “victims” of diseases, such as this spring’s outbreaks of distemper and parvovirus. Additionally, Welch said spring, which is birthing season for these animals, is the time of the year most susceptible to such an outbreak. Tamulevich advised concerned pet owners to engage in “common-sense” practices which prevent animal encroachment on their property. This “preventative maintenance” includes feeding animals inside and clearing brush. Read more at michigandaily.com
Rackham student Rima Fadlallah and U-M Dearborn alum Yasmeen Kadouh, both Dearborn natives, created the podcast “Dearborn Girl” to challenge stereotypes about themselves and women in the community they call home. Fadlallah and Kadouh said they heard people express concern about both leaving and staying within their city. Some attributed this to a lack of spaces for women to speak freely among each other and nearly everyone they have talked to said they shared the stereotype of the “Dearborn girl.” “For many in and outside Dearborn, the term means that the girl is uncivilized, loud and obnoxious, someone who doesn’t experience Arab culture outside of Dearborn,” Fadlallah said. In December, with the purpose of capturing these exchanges, Kadouh and Fadlallah filed into the Detroit Foundation Hotel in Dearborn to record a pilot podcast episode. The hotel offered their audio equipment free of cost for a two-hour time slot every week. After learning how to use the complimentary audio equipment and recording their tester, they decided to embark on the journey of creating a community driven podcast — an attempt to create a space for women in Dearborn to address their life experiences while reclaiming the term. What started as a podcast idea has turned into a much
larger project. “Dearborn Girl” expanded to videography and has 2,656 followers on Instagram after only one season of production. Malak Wazne, Dearborn filmmaker and Henry Ford College sophomore, caught wind of their project and immediately wanted to join their mission. “I have always been passionate about storytelling. After Rima and Yasmeen interviewed me on the podcast about my film and photo career, I knew this project was something I wanted to be a part of,” Wazne said. “Shortly after putting our skills and passion together, it became more evident that ‘Dearborn Girl’ was much larger than any one individual.” After a few recording sessions, Fadlallah and Kadouh realized they had enough audio to produce a full season of 10 episodes with extra to spill into a second season. On May 22, an audience of 150 attended the Arab American National Museum to listen to their debut episode, titled #proudlyaDG. In the first episode, Harvard graduate Mariam Jalloul spoke of her transition from the Ivy League back to Dearborn. In 2016, she gave the commencement speech for her graduating class at Harvard, and, while it was a significant moment for her and her family, she said she returned to the Dearborn community to typical questions. Read more at michigandaily.com
4 OPINION
Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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SAMANTHA DELLA FERA | COLUMN
L
No rose for moderate Joe
ast month, Americans were treated to the first debates among the incredibly large field of Democratic presidential candidates. There are so many candidates that the debates were split into two nights — one on Wednesday, the other Thursday, with 10 candidates each. I tuned into both debates, expecting some laughs, some memes, some surprising breakout stars. Thankfully, I got all of that: laughs from Marianne Willamson’s confusing presence, memes from Beto’s Spanish moment and standout performances from Cory Booker and Julián Castro. Above all, though, I came out with two powerful emotions: frustration and anger. Frustration that former Vice President Joe Biden is leading in the polls despite a questionable political past and no new ideas, and anger that some people on the Democratic side believe that a moderate is what’s best for this country. In my view, Biden appeals to people for two reasons alone: his connection to Obama, and his position as a moderate. Yet with the Democratic Party moving left, Biden’s policy proposals, or truly, his lack thereof, are tired and worn out — he is so desperately riding the coattails of the Obama administration. I could dedicate all 1,000 of my words to why we deserve better than Joe Biden, but this is a column not just on politics, but pop culture as well. So I’m going to do perhaps the most glaringly Gen Z thing I could possibly do: compare the 2020 Democrats to contestants on “The Bachelorette.” I have just recently started watching “The Bachelorette,” but it is exactly the type of high-drama, low-brain
power television that makes my heart soar. Hannah Brown and her harem of men is also strikingly reminiscent of the current Democratic race to the presidency. I don’t know which part of the show is most similar to the race: The fact that everyone’s chasing after someone from middle America as if they stand a chance or the sheer magnitude of indistinguishable white men. There’s also a central enemy — if Trump was a “Bachelorette” contestant, he would be Luke P. He is a manipulative, misogynist, toxic man that nobody likes but everybody can’t stop talking about, and he keeps getting put through by a voter from Alabama. You hope to God that he doesn’t win, but your past has jaded you, and your lack of trust in the process makes you the slightest bit worried he just might pull it off. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s Tyler C. — sweet, respectful and smart, Tyler is my Elizabeth Warren figure. He works with multiple charities and only wants what’s best for Hannah, even if it’s not what’s best for him. He’s almost too good for the show, and most people know that he should be the obvious winner. I can only imagine Tyler would tax the ultrarich, forgive student debt, support the Green New Deal and support the rights of women, minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. To round out this scale, let’s throw in Jed. Jed looks good on the surface, he’s got everything you think the perfect winner would have. But Jed is hardly the most endearing guy on “The Bachelorette,” and Biden doesn’t even break my top five candidates. Take a peek under the surface, and there’s a
darker side. Surprise! Biden opposed bussing, voted for Iraq and failed to be fair to Anita Hill. Almost as bad, Jed had a girlfriend when he joined the show and admitted to only going on it to promote his mediocre country music. This may be lighthearted, but I stand by my analogy. Shouldn’t we expect as much from our presidential candidates as we do from random men looking for love? Democrats and liberals have to learn from their past and their mistakes. If a woman isn’t appealing to voters, then why did a woman win the popular vote? If America won’t vote for someone too far left, why is every candidate talking about the Green New Deal, Medicare for All and free college tuition? How can we just go back to the way it was in the Obama Administration, when the world has changed since then and politics in America will probably never be the same? Biden insists that if he beats Trump, Republicans will be willing to work with him. He says this as if the blockage of Merrick Garland never occurred, as if the right isn’t gleefully stripping away human rights, as if partisan politics hasn’t shifted from disagreements over taxation to fighting over whether children should have access to soap. The bigoted foundation of this country is not going to disappear alongside its president, it will fight and it will fester, growing stronger in the absence of validation. We need a disruption, not a return to the past.
Read more at michigandaily.com Samantha Della Fera can be reached at samdf@umich.edu.
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OPINION 5
Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ZACK BLUMBERG | COLUMN
AKAASH TUMULURI | COLUMN
Immigration is not a standalone issue
I
n his time as president, Donald Trump has continually used inflammatory rhetoric to stake out his political positions, from calling climate change a hoax to labeling news coverage he doesn’t like as “fake news.” However, Trump’s most aggressive outbursts are consistently focused on immigration. This makes sense: Since the very beginning of his campaign, Trump has made restricting Latin American immigration at any cost his number one priority. Interestingly, despite Trump’s xenophobic rants and inhumane policies, immigration levels have soared since he took office. Though this may seem contradictory, it serves to highlight how Trump and the Republican Party fundamentally do not understand immigration in the modern world. While Trump has aggressively pushed to strengthen the border and deter immigrants from coming into the U.S., immigration policy extends far beyond the border itself. What Trump fails to understand is that immigration is not a standalone issue that is dealt with exclusively at the border. In reality, immigration is deeply intertwined with America’s geopolitical relationships, foreign aid decisions and climate policy. Reforming immigration policy in any meaningful way requires working with those issues as well. Before diving into other issues, it is important to point out that Trump’s aggressive immigration policies — aimed at deterring migrants from attempting the journey to the United States — are likely not particularly effective. As a study published in the Stanford Law Review Journal earlier this year, that specifically looked at immigration, explains; “criminal deterrence literature suggests that people generally do not know the law, are bad at rational decision-making, and even if they can make rational decisions, will choose to commit the crime because the perceived benefits often outweigh the perceived costs.” This analysis points out several key holes in Trump’s deterrence-centric immigration policies, mainly that immigrants often don’t know how Trump’s actual immigration policies legally differ from past plans. However, the most important part of the quote is the concluding section, a line that hints at the fundamental flaw of handling immigration as an isolated issue: Oftentimes, the situations immigrants are leaving behind supercede worries about American immigration policies. Global conditions have a major impact on immigration flow, which ties a whole host of American policies
directly to the issue. Today, one of the most important factors driving migration is climate change. Many Central American countries, including Honduras and Guatemala, have large farming populations which suffer greatly as climate change destabilizes weather, limiting growing seasons and cutting into profits. Across the region, farmers are being forced to grow less lucrative crops, change their farming practices or simply not make money. With their economic prospects hobbled, many farmers are forced to migrate north to America and look for better-paying work. The United States’s huge carbon output, the highest per capita in the world, has helped create this predicament. Though American climate change policy (to the extent it exists) largely focuses on problems facing the United States, American emissions have a global impact, as exemplified by this situation. The logical response to this crisis would be to pass common-sense climate protection laws. In the past, the United States even sent American farming experts to Central America to help farmers mitigate the effects of climate change on their crops. However, in addition to railing against immigrants, President Trump has simultaneously worked to systematically destroy and undermine American climate protection efforts, subsequently displacing the same Central American migrants he talks down upon. America, with Trump at the helm, has failed to take responsibility for the role its irresponsible climate policies have played in creating this wave of migration. Another key issue which impacts migration flows is relations between the United States and Central America — particularly with respect to foreign aid. Many Central American countries struggle with gang violence, corruption and poverty, all of which are major factors pushing immigrants towards the United States. Ideally, the U.S. would combat this by providing aid to assist with these predicaments, helping ensure that Central American citizens feel safe in their home countries. Instead, Trump has taken the opposite route: Earlier this year, he drastically cut aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. This was a dangerous move which will only worsen the conditions in Central America, driving more and more citizens to try and flee.
Read more at michigandaily.com Zack Blumberg can be reached at zblumber@umich.edu.
H
I’m struggling with July
appy July, everyone. Hot take: the Fourth of July sucks. Before the comments section swells with beer-drunk, barbecuestained American spirit to chastise me, I am a patriot. I love pigging out on burgers and lathering on suntan lotion to celebrate the soldiers that fought in the dead cold with little to no food for our freedom. Sorry, I gave no warning — that was sarcasm. And burgers and suntan lotion might not be dangerously ironic, but this is: Our national holiday of independence centers around the biggest post traumatic stress disorder trigger imaginable — fireworks — in the same month that we are supposedly celebrating minority mental health awareness and veterans, a group of people highly susceptible to developing post traumatic stress disorder. Yes, July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Surprise! The final twist of the ironic blade — admittedly, a personal one — is that as a fourth grader, on Independence Day, a classmate of mine named Billy Brown told me I was not an American because I’m brown. I said, “You’re Brown, too,” though I didn’t realize last names wasn’t what he was talking about. Now I know, screw Billy Brown. But as a fourth grader, that realization sent me spiraling and shaped how I view myself today. And today I’m validated by what? A July dedicated to awareness about the mental health issues of someone like me — issues that, personally, arose in July on a day that is supposed to celebrate all Americans, but left me feeling as un-American as ever? No, I’m validated by the fact that Billy Brown went to jail on cocaine possession nine years later. Catharsis never felt so good. Let’s talk about more facts. The Fourth of July used to be a holiday celebrating American diversity, not American patriotism or freedom or whatever we claim it celebrates now. PostCivil War freed slaves claimed the holiday in 1865, at the end of the Civil War. And so, for a few years, the Fourth of July was a Black holiday, celebrating emancipation and equality.
But sadly, during the post-war period in which Black Americans were grappling for a sense of unity, community and equality, segregationists began to reclaim the holiday, barring public celebrations in predominantly African American communities. By 1902, the spectacle that took place on the Fourth in Atlanta was filled with white floats and white speakers to place an emphasis on what kind of American the Fourth was celebrating — an ideal that doesn’t exactly describe those that look like me.
The Fourth of July is a day marred by a history of discriminatory tension and violence Back to Minority Mental Health Month. The necessity of formalizing a month to focus on issues of mental health in minority communities cannot be overstated, so I’m stating it. I’ll offer a trigger warning before my quick digression, as much of this stuff needs to be said but doesn’t necessarily need to be heard: LGTBQ+ persons are 2.5 times more likely to experience depression, anxiety or a mental disorder than heterosexual persons. One in six gay men attempt suicide at least once in their lifetime. 30.8 percent of transgender-identifying persons have considered suicide. Non-whites actually report lower levels of depression than their white counterparts, but that’s a fact that can easily be misconstrued. A staggering 48 percent of white people, compared to 31 percent of African Americans and Hispanics, and 22 percent of Asians, receive mental health care. And to be diagnosed with a mental disorder, one has to receive care first, so MMHAM is clearly a necessity that must be promoted further — especially because the self-care and #thrivingnotsurviving movements that have swept through this country in the past 10 years
seem to be disproportionately representative. And finally, why July? The Fourth of July is a day marred by a history of discriminatory tension and violence, so why, four days into the awareness month, do we want to undermine minority sense of selfbelonging with a holiday that hasn’t historically reflected everyone’s values? Because the Fourth of July doesn’t seem like a holiday particularly inclined to date-related changes, then perhaps we should think about moving MMHAM. Or at least think about providing and, more importantly, advertising adequate and affordable support systems for those on the Fourth of July who may feel outcast, misrepresented or subjugated. In order to keep up with the equality and health ideals we’re supposed to be able to uphold for at least one month. Maybe all the other months are already taken, so MMHAM took the only remaining cell in the government’s “What can this month be for?” Excel spreadsheet. But adequate resources and awareness campaigns can’t afford to be hindered by bureaucratic bottlenecks like the slightly more arbitrary designation of which month we should “be aware” in. So if MMHAM is going to stay July, we need to put more effort into actually making people aware of the resources that are available to them, because I’ve had this metallic umami of “another thing done just to placate the electorate” settling onto my taste buds since this month started. This is in addition to the sharp sour of “little Billy Brown is trying to take my crown” that starts to wax nostalgic around the Fourth of July. Huh, ironic. Tastes like bleach. Final note on Billy Brown: He’s fine. He’s a white male from a suburb of Milwaukee. Nothing was ever going to happen to him. He got a day in “jail,” then was released. It’s not even on the books. He did a month of community service. He is currently going to UCSB. But I’m over it. Akaash Tumuluri can be reached at tumula@umich.edu.
6 ARTS
Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM NOTEBOOK
DESIGN BY KATHRYN HALVERSON
A ten-part ode to Anderson STEPHEN SATARINO Daily Film Editor
“You can never publish my love,” Rogue Wave chants, in the song that the title of this series riffs on. Maybe that’s true, and we can never quite account for our love on paper or in print, but we sure can try. That’s what this series is devoted to: publishing our love. Us, the Arts section of The Michigan Daily, talking about artists, some of the people we love the most. Perhaps these are futile approximations of love for the poet who told us we deserve to be heard, the director who changed the way we see the world, the singer we see as an old friend. But who ever said futile can’t still be beautiful? [An homage to David Foster Wallace’s “David Lynch Keeps his Head.”] 1. WHO THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT To date, Writer/Director Wes Anderson has made nine feature films, four short films and three highly stylized commercials. He has been nominated for seven Oscars — those being two for Best Animated Feature, three for Best Original Screenplay and one each of Best Picture and Best Director — though he has won none. A Wes Anderson piece is known by its unique pastel, tableaux style and its melancholic, deadpan humor. Anderson has been referred to as one of the few actively working ‘auteurs,’ a term associated with historic filmmakers like Mike Nichols, Luis Buñuel and
Jean-Luc Goddard. 1(A). THE FOOTNOTE FOR SECTION 1 The three directors listed as examples of ‘auteurs’ were chosen only half-arbitrarily, each of these three artists having lent something to Anderson’s films somewhere over the course of his twenty-six-year career. A hundred names of filmmakers from the last seventy years could have been swapped in or swapped out to fit this label. Auteur is a fairly vaunted title, but it’s really just a fancy way to describe a filmmaker who is intimately involved in the entire creative process, from the very inception of the idea to the last cuts in postproduction — an artist who retains a near autocratic level of control over all aspects of the film. The term originated in the sixties during the French New Wave as a way to classify directors who operated outside the Hollywood establishment, though this particular distinction has been all but lost over the years. 2. ENTERTAINMENTS WES ANDERSON HAS MADE THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE “Bottle Rocket” (1996), “Rushmore” (1998), “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004), “Hotel Chevalier” (2007), “The Darjeeling Limited” (2007), “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009), “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012), “CASTELLO CAVALCANTI” (2013), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014), “Come Together” (2016) “Isle
of Dogs” (2018) 3. THE DIRECTOR’S BACKGROUND AND OTHER WIKIPEDIA-ISH STUFF Wes Anderson was born in Houston, Texas in 1969 to an archeologist and a father who worked in advertising. His parents separated and divorced when he was eight years old, the event deeply affecting the young boy. Anderson made silent films with his Dad’s Super 8 camera as a child, using his friends and brothers as cast and crew. Anderson attended the University of Texas at Austin after graduating high school. There he pursued a philosophy degree while working part time as a cinema projectionist. At school he took as many playwriting classes as he had time for, meeting his future creative partner Owen Wilson in one of these classes in his second year. Anderson and Wilson became roommates, bonding over their love for directors like Cassavetes, Malick and Huston, as well as their shared desire to create. The duo made their first short film “Bottle Rocket” together in 1993, when Anderson was twenty-four. The short made it to Sundance, word-of-mouth eventually landing them a five-million-dollar deal for their first feature by the same name. Anderson has an older brother Mel who works as a physician, and a younger brother Eric who works as a writer and artist. Eric’s paintings have appeared in many of his brother’s films, most notably as the water-
color movie-poster for Anderson’s second film, “Rushmore.” Anderson married Lebanese writer Juman Malouf in 2010. The couple had a daughter, Freya, in 2016. Anderson has lived in Paris for many years. 4. THE PART THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE WHOLE ARTICLE “Fantastic Mr. Fox” came out when I was ten years old, and I probably saw it a year or two afterward. I remember finding it to be mostly strange and off-putting. The taxidermy-like puppets and their off-kilter family banter was a departure from the easily comedic Aardman Claymation film’s I’d adored as a kid (specific devotion paid to “Chicken Run” and “Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out”). And though I don’t think I immediately got it, “Mr. Fox” had my curiosity piqued. I got the sense that this kids movie trusted me a little more as a viewer, that there was more to this fantastical forest than I could then see — there was a dramatic texture to the movie that most family flicks go without. Having gorged myself on two “Toy Story” movies and a “Shrek” sequel, I was left forever waiting for the “Mr. Fox” sequel that never came. I ran into Anderson next at the 2015 Academy Awards, where “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was nominated for nine Oscars, winning four. I was reluctant to stay up late, knowing I’d be tired at school the next day, but I couldn’t pull myself away from the screen. What was this funny looking pink-and-purple comedy that kept getting nominated next to “Whiplash” and “Birdman?” Considering myself to be a high-brow ticket-buyer at the time, I stuck to Iñárritu and didn’t explore “Grand Budapest” any further. Two years later, during my senior year of high school I made a documentary for a C-SPAN student competition. My team and I were struck by how creative the previous year’s winner had been with her film (my then, and continued, understanding of C-SPAN as synonymous with parched). Convinced we needed to spice our direction up a bit, we hunted for fresh inspiration. It was a piece of algorithmic, targeted-marketing, divine intervention that brought to my YouTube feed the H&M commercial “Come Together” that Anderson had made that year (that week, even).
I was instantly enamored, watching “Come Together” and his previous Prada advertisement “CASTELLO CAVALCANTI” on repeat the rest of the school day. I showed both the films to my documentary co-conspirators and suddenly we had our muse. That was a Monday. By Saturday night I had watched every Anderson film, short and advert to date. 4(A). WHY THIS TYPE OF ARTICLE MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE I’ve found trying to nail down exactly why something is/was important to me is a tall order. I was surprised by this. I didn’t think it would be all that different to what I’ve written before, but designing this article was difficult, a frustrating process for me. I think the exercise of repackaging into tight, punchy sentences my admiration for an artist that has sprawled out of control makes me nervous that I’m going to leave something out, or not do that admiration justice. I pity my friends, family and associates who had to live through my Anderson phase, as it was all-consuming. It was quotes and Wes-only chit-chat and a subconscious structured in planimetrically framed dolly slides — I fanboyed to an embarrassing extent. Wrapping that all up into a nice little article-essay feels like a mountainous task, fear of misrepresenting both the artist and the late 2016/early 2017 version of myself always looming large. I also have doubts about how worthy of an article my affection is. When planning this article out, I was anxious about the threat of hiding the artist too much, when, really, I think this should be about them. I feel much more comfortable writing a piece about the reasons for my affection toward a work of art rather than the affection itself. The end goal, I think, is to motivate someone else to give it a try. So, maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll have a similar experience to mine. Then the purest, most sincere version of this article is probably one line: Go watch “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Experience it for yourself. Walk into it with an open mind, and maybe you’ll find your entire sense of what a movie is/ can be changed by the time you read “Directed by Wes ANDERSON.”
That was a Monday. By Saturday night, I had watched every Anderson film, short and advert to date.
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BOOK REVIEW
FILM REVIEW
‘Stonebreaker’ on memory’s power
A24
Aster’s latest raises the bar ELISE GODFRYD Daily Arts Writer
“Hereditary” director Ari Aster has been very open about the fact that his latest film venture, “Midsommar,” is at its core a breakup movie. This revelation probably comes as a surprise to anyone who’s heard of the movie, but hasn’t actually seen it. Its marketing campaign has focused on depicting the pagan cult ceremony the central characters find themselves participating in, which ultimately becomes a horrifying spectacle of shocking violence and breathtaking, sun-soaked imagery. And while at its surface “Midsommar” is exactly that, over its 147-minute runtime the film reveals itself to be so much more. “Midsommar” follows Dani (Florence Pugh, “Lady Macbeth”), a young college student struggling to cope with the murder-suicide that claimed the lives of her sister and her parents. Alongside this, Dani is also working to salvage her relationship with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor, “What Richard Did”), a relationship neither of them are fully sure they want to save. The two find themselves travelling with Christian’s academically minded friends to Sweden to witness a midsummer tradition taking place among the fictional Hårga people, whose celebration takes place only once every 90 years. Their innocent, well meaning anthropological investigation results in bloodshed, sex and a climax no one could have expected. It’s nearly impossible to think
ARTS 7
about “Midsommar” without considering its predecessor, “Hereditary,” a film so admired and beloved it’s been given the distinction by many of being a “modern horror masterpiece.” To be sure, the two films share several uncanny similarities. Both examine the depths of grief, both find horror in paganistic religious rituals, both are carried by Oscar-worthy lead performances from Florence Pugh and Toni Collette, respectively. That’s just about where the similarities end. “Midsommar” distinguishes itself from “Hereditary” by embracing an entirely differ-
Midsommar A24 State Theatre
ent approach to instilling fear in its viewers. For one, the two could not be more aesthetically opposed. In “Hereditary,” a substantial portion of the central action takes place in the dark, allowing evil to lurk and sneak up on characters in unexpected places, whereas the vast majority of “Midsommar” transpires under an oppressive and nearly blinding sun. There’s nowhere for anyone to hide, which is both comforting and terrifying. The film’s literal brightness forces us to take in its horrors with a shocking clarity. “Midsommar” further separates itself by embracing a technique
that’s wholly absent from the latter film: comedy. With Will Poulter (“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”) serving as a fairly consistent source of comedic relief, “Midsommar” deliberately disorients our expectations of what watching a horror film should feel like. The thrillingly messy concoction of horror, relationship drama and comedy that constitutes “Midsommar” creates an overall tonal inconsistency that actually serves to its advantage, generating an uncomfortable and unpredictable atmosphere. No other movie feels quite like it. Perhaps the thing that most distinguishes “Midsommar” from its predecessor is that the star of the film is not its protagonist. Its star is the world it creates and culture that exists within it. In an interview with Slate, Aster remarks, “Life is suffering. I agree with that, and I think it’s therapeutic to give expression to that … there’s also this high-minded part of me that wants to do it in the most elegant way possible. That’s where this (Midsommar) comes from.” “Elegant” is precisely the adjective that comes to mind when I think of how Aster presents the Hårga people. Their ceremony becomes a hypnotic blur of earth and sky and flower crowns and immaculate whiteness that’s as nauseating as it is beautiful. It lures you in and doesn’t let go. “Midsommar” is not “Hereditary.” It’s not trying to be. “Midsommar” is a spectacularly shot and surprisingly hilarious experiment in immersive filmmaking that without question deserves a spot alongside “Hereditary” in the arthouse horror canon.
deadly demons looms over a careless Anya, who aspires to defy DIANA YASSIN the concerns and expectations Daily Arts Writer of those around her. Despite the arduous task of saving her brothWhen I first opened my copy er in the last novel, everyone “Stonebreaker” by Peter Wart- from her father to the friendly man last week, I pursued it as I demon Toris doubts her ability to would any other graphic novel. make it through another advenI flipped through to admire the ture. She nonetheless perseveres artwork, marvel at the color through the doubt cast on her scheme, take in the very mid-’10s and strives to defy the odds. This style animation. I read it cover to inevitably places her in the same cover, fully engrossed in its dys- dilemmas she faced years ago as topian sci-fi appeal. Then I took she wrestles with the tension of to Google to gain more insight memories and reality, hoping to on what exactly makes Wartman find answers she suspects and and his “Stonebreaker” protago- believes to be true without any formal indicators. nist Anya tick. The magic of “StonebreakA skim at the second link brought my attention to the glossy er” presents itself in the way it evolves from black “Book 2” its predecessor. label across both Thematically front and back Stonebreaker speaking, Anya covers and the Peter Wartman finds herself in spine. I sighed the same preas I immediately ODOD Books dicaments she took to hunting faced in the last down its predeJuly 8, 2019 book, from the cessor “Over the grand desire to Wall,” a graphic help her brother novel that, conveniently for me, was initially to the more abstract question published serially online on Ship- of what she’ll move on to in her wrecked Planet. Although I ini- future. Wartman, however, is tially found the task of going back able to wrap these ideas into more and forth between the two novels mature packaging as we follow an tedious, this provided me better older Anya in her ever-evolving insight into how “Stonebreaker” town with some new characters came to be and what it represents, — it’s not just Anya’s story this time around. Intersecting her independent of its predecessor. Set four years apart, “Over the narrative is the orange-paneled Wall” and “Stonebreaker” detail adventures of Kohjen and Barathe adventures of Anya, a heroine dei, two outsiders from Tatchan living in a fictional, post-apoca- seeking mysterious focus stones. They too are familiar with the lyptic metropolis called Noridun, forbidden to women and separat- “Stonebreaker” myth as told in ed from the countryside by a wall. the beginning of the text through Whereas “Over the Wall” warms Anya’s flashbacks to memories of us up to the dystopian backdrop her grandmother. The myth itself and Anya’s aim to find her miss- circles around the ancient begining brother she can’t remember, nings of Noridun as a civilization “Stonebreaker” jumps headfirst and its cruel demon leader, Stoneinto Anya’s desire to recover both breaker, and what became of him. his and her missing memories — Intersecting with this plot is the her brother doesn’t even remem- backstory of Toris in the form of flashbacks from a past life that ber his own name. Rather than embarking on this scatter his memories sporadically adventure out of sheer familial throughout the pages in pale blue commitment, we realize early on paneling. that she’s older (16, to be exact) and more assured of herself Read more at michigandaily.com this time around. The threat of
8 NEWS
Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
LANDLORD From Page 1 Later in the year around midFebruary, Keer heard an unsolicited knock on her door followed by the turning of the door handle. Without notice, Carlson allegedly entered her property. This time, Keer said she decided to speak up. “I told him all that we wanted just a phone call to let us know in
case someone wants to shower or if no one was home,” Keer said. “He got up and started yelling at me and waving his hand in my face and stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him. It was the most unprofessional interaction I’ve ever witnessed, and my roommates and I were absolutely shocked. We talked to him the next day, and I told him to never raise his hands in my face again because we felt very threatened. He never emailed back
Classifieds
and did not respond to any of our questions for the rest of the year, even when the dishwasher was leaking and there was a bird in our apartment.” Until the last few weeks of the year, Keer said Carlson ignored her and her roommates’ phone calls and emails, which Keer thought was because he was upset by the February altercation. When Keer’s lease was about to end before her and her roommates finished their finals,
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
Release Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
FOR RENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
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DOWN 1 Russian country house 2 Cultural spirit 3 Work stoppage? 4 Elaborate cake layers 5 Easy marks 6 Kazakhstan, once: Abbr. 7 Split into thirds 8 Inscribe 9 Start liking 10 Astronomical time period 11 Lit __ 12 In the matter of 13 Kohler rival 18 Academic goal 22 Churchill’s “so few”: Abbr. 25 Bay leaf source 27 Moon and Starr of the NFL 28 Skewered fare 29 “And another thing ... ” 30 2003 Masters champ Mike 31 Brings home 32 Locker room sprinkle 33 Brain wave
34 Admit frankly 38 To a great degree 40 Equally hard to find 41 Contest where participants stand for a spell 44 Figures 47 Elevator __ 48 Bring out 51 He played Ugarte in “Casablanca”
52 Eyeball benders 53 HGTV topic 54 Two before marzo 55 Reddish shade 56 Where to find Java 57 Student of Seneca 58 Just all right 60 Hungarian wine region 63 Rehab symptom, for short
CENTRAL CAMPUS, FURNISHED rooms for students, shared kitch., laundry., bath., internet, rent from $700 and up. Call 734‑276‑0886.
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
one roommate decided to ask Carlson to stay a few extra days to finish out the semester. For the first time in months, said Keer, Carlson responded. “He replied something like, ‘given the way I was treated over the last year, I have no interest in letting you stay,’” Keer said. “But my roommate’s aunt is a lawyer, so she called him and he let us stay for three extra days — which was good — but that was pretty much all the communication we had with him toward the end. Although it was an unfortunate situation, there wasn’t anything that could be done.” Like Keer, recent Business graduate Aishu Chandra didn’t think her situation with Carlson could be remedied. Taking legal action would be too much of a process, and fighting with Carlson to fix the heat in her roommate’s room wasn’t going anywhere: the only option, Chandra said, was to just deal with it. “We were just so busy with stuff, and I had lived in (horrible) places before,” Chandra said. “I honestly just didn’t know what our rights were; I feel like we just lost a lot of energy.” In an email to the Daily, Carlson denied tenants’ allegations of carelessness, failing to address claims in a timely manner and entering properties without notice. “Since 1976 we have offered top-of-the-line houses and apartments for students seeking the very best housing on the U
of M campus,” Carlson wrote. “We do not enter the properties unless we have been asked to by the tenants to fix something or we are preparing for an upcoming city housing inspection in which case the tenants are prior notified. For maintenance requests our tenants have the option to leave a voicemail, send an email or submit a maintenance request through our website whichever is most convenient for them. All emergency maintenance issues such as no heat are fixed promptly.” Gayle Rosen, staff attorney of Student Legal Services, said she commonly sees attitudes like Chandra’s and Keer’s, where students — if they even come to Student Legal Services at all — don’t want to pursue any legal action as the process can become lengthy and expensive. “I’m sure there are students out there that don’t know we exist, or that there is an option here,” Rosen said. “One issue that I see sometimes that I see with students that come to my office, they didn’t come here to litigate. They don’t often want to resolve things through litigation, so that’s a big issue too ... There are some situations where there is really no choice, there are certain situations where there is a little bit of a choice because the circumstances maybe are annoying but not really too bad, and they may not want to do something.”
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07/11/19
THANKS FOR FOR READING THE MICHIGAN DAILY! Find more online at www.michigandaily.com
By Paul Coulter ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
07/11/19
New students come forth regarding allege negligence from Carlson Properties.
KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
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MICHIGAN IN COLOR 9
Creative content: “ggone,” by Ashley Kim
10 SPORTS
Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Confidence high for Pastujov heading into senior season JORGE CAZARES
Summer Managing Sports Editor
Heading into his freshman season with the Wolverines, Nick Pastujov was tasked with more than just preparing himself for the transition to college hockey. A shoulder injury and its ensuing surgery added injury rehabilitation to the to-do list for the then-freshman forward. And in the 28 games he played in his first season, Pastujov recorded just one goal and two assists. Now, heading into his senior year, the forward has had three consecutive summers of development –– seeing an increase in production every season with the Michigan hockey team. This summer, he attended the New York Islanders’ development camp. The camp’s roster featured other college players in their program, junior-level players from the Canadian Hockey League, recently-signed players by New York and various talent the Islanders are scouting. For the former 2016 seventh-round selection by New York, this is all part of an offseason that has resulted in Pastujov’s confidence
being as high as ever. “I definitely think my game has matured every single year in a different way,” Pastujov told the Daily. “And I’m kind of starting to find myself and my identity and how I want to play after college.” Last season, Pastujov scored 11 goals and collected 13 assists. Beyond the numbers though, Pasujov’s role with the team evolved as he was often slotted alongside the team’s leading scorer — thenjunior forward Will Lockwood — after then-sophomore forward Josh Norris’s season-ending injury in early January. Norris announced earlier this summer that he will forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and make the jump to the National Hockey League. As a result, the duo of Lockwood and Pastujov figure to be spearheading the offense this upcoming season. “Next year a lot of the things
that I’m going to look forward to bringing to the table is more or less just controlling the game, definitely being a dominant force out there,” Pastujov said. “I think my specialty is being able to center players that can definitely produce — guys like Will (Lockwood). Last year we had a lot of success because I think my specialty is being out there and being able to shut down a lot of the defensive aspects of the game and get guys like that the puck to where they can kind of go on offense and do their thing.” On top of losing one of their most dynamic forwards in Norris, the departure of top-assist man, sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes, leaves another hole on offense — making Pastujov’s role as a table-setter even more essential for Michigan. “This year we have a good core of our group coming in,” Pastujov said. “And I think the guys that left are not necessarily
“We have a good core of our group coming in”
going to be replaced by a lot of the good freshmen, but we have a good freshman class coming in. “I think this last spring term and summer, looking forward, the guys are working hard … it’s a night and day difference just the confidence guys have in their own game and ability to kind of control the puck and make plays.” Last year’s team fell short of expectations for a program coming off a Frozen Four appearance and one that is accustomed to making deep tournament runs. They bowed out early in the Big Ten Tournament and failed to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. This offseason, the team has addressed that disappointment. “I think last year the guys that were on the Frozen Four team that made it two years ago know that it’s going to take a lot more than what we had going last year,” Pastujov said. “… the team as a whole has come together and realized it was not necessarily a
f luke but that’s just something that can’t happen again. We all kind of got together and realized we’re going to have to work a lot harder to dial it in on this upcoming year.” Pastujov is one of 12 players remaining from that Frozen Four roster. With less than three months remaining before the Wolverines’ season kicks off with an exhibition game against Windsor, the team’s sights are set on returning to the Frozen Four. If there was any extra motivation needed to get there, it will be hosted pretty close to home for Michigan this season. “I think we have a unique opportunity,” Pastujov said “It’s not only my senior year but having the Frozen Four in Detroit — I think that’s a huge motivator for the team and everyone. … I don’t see any reason why we can’t make it to the Frozen Four and take it all the way.”
“I don’t see ... why we can’t make it to the Frozen Four”
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Senior forward Nick Pastujov will be able to build upon his relationship with senior forward Will Lockwood from last year as Pastujov hopes to spearhead a Frozen Four run for the Wolverines this upcoming season.
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SPORTS 11
Wetterstrom, Glavinic, Smith aim to replace departed stars DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
In the cyclical nature of college volleyball, good players come and go. Coaches recruit their next batch of talent, rosters adjust and teams move on. But program cornerstones don’t come along nearly as often, and even the best teams struggle to fill the shoes left by such departures. For the Michigan volleyball team, the close of the 2018 season marked the end of outside hitter Carly Skjodt and libero Jenna Lerg’s storied careers. Skjodt finished her tenure with the seventh-most kills in program history, while Lerg moved into second place on the program’s alltime digs list. The void left by their production won’t be easy to fill, to say the least. Even so, that’s just what Michigan spent the spring trying to do. The graduation of Skjodt and Lerg opens up starting spots at outside hitter and libero, creating healthy competition within the program. That was on full display when the Wolverines made their 10th trip to the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Showcase, an annual spring tournament featuring Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
The Wolverines dispatched the Chippewas and Broncos in the afternoon before taking the court against the Spartans. Last November, Michigan swept the season series with a pair of four-set victories against its in-state conference foe. In their first glimpse of Michigan State’s 2019 roster, the Wolverines triumphed in five-set fashion in front of a full house. “We went to battle,” said Michigan coach Mark Rosen on the Rosen Report, his monthly video. “It was a great match. I thought both teams were very evenly-matched … It was a great way to finish our spring. Instead of playing some fun no-meaning match, it was a match that felt like a Big Ten match — good opponent, good atmosphere, a lot of pressure. Our players responded well.” Rising senior outside hitter Sydney Wetterstrom stood out all spring long and, fittingly, delivered a strong performance against the Spartans despite a shaky start. Wetterstrom missed 11 matches in her junior season, but proved to be a reliable offensive option when available. She recorded eight double-digit kill performances and posted a .220 attack percentage on the right side, earning her first double-double against Rutgers and a career-high .883 kill clip against Purdue along the way.
“(Wetterstrom) has played a lot but her role is different now because she’s a senior and the expectations are different of what she needs to carry,” Rosen said. “I thought she advanced so much throughout this whole spring. A great example was the match against Michigan State … She struggled in the first set but still found ways to impact the match in a really positive way with her passing and blocking. And then as she started getting into the match a little bit more, then all of a sudden we noticed she was making a pretty positive impact offensively and by the end she was playing great. “That’s a skill to be able to recover that throughout the day. A lot of players start hot and keep that going or start bad and don’t ever recover it, but she was able to learn how to recover it. Good strides for her.” This season, Rosen could call upon Wetterstrom to make the jump to outside hitter. Slotting her at the left pin alongside rising sophomore Paige Jones, who tallied a team-best 38 kills at the showcase, would allow rising senior Katarina Glavinic to be the Wolverines’ full-time opposite hitter. After starting last season on the bench, the 6-foot-3 Croatian transfer from Seattle University
EVAN AARON/Daily
Rising senior Sydney Wetterstrom will have big shoes to fill at the outside hitter spot.
played a key role in Michigan’s tournament run. She posted four block assists in the tournament’s opening round against Navy before recording a season-high five total blocks in the Wolverines’ upset of host Pittsburgh to reach the Sweet 16. This spring, Glavinic picked up right where she left off. “This spring (was) a huge development for (Glavinic),” Rosen said. “She’s taken her game to a whole other level and throughout the spring was probably our best point-scorer. In the match against Michigan State, she proved to be that. She started well and finished even better, and I thought she did a really nice job throughout the
match. To see players like those coming along and developing, that’s what spring is all about.” While Glavinic and Wetterstrom appear poised to contribute offensively in Skjodt’s absence, rising junior Natalie Smith made a strong impression at libero. She recorded a teamhigh 30 digs at the showcase and represented Michigan on the Big Ten Volleyball Japan Tour, signaling her status as Lerg’s successor. Skjodt and Lerg can’t be replaced overnight, but seeing strong springs from Smith, Glavinic and Wetterstrom is an encouraging sign for the Wolverines.
Former Michigan star Carly Skjodt to join Pepperdine beach team DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
After a record-setting tenure at Michigan, Carly Skjodt is heading to the West Coast. The two-time All-American will take a fifth year with the Pepperdine beach volleyball team as a graduate transfer. “We are really excited to be Carly’s and her family’s home for her last year in the collegiate level,” said Waves’ coach Marcio Sicoli in a release. “I can’t wait to add her skills, personality and work ethic to our team culture. She will be a fundamental piece on the quest to our national championship goal.” Pepperdine, which finished last season ranked sixth in the national poll, figures to be in the thick of the race for next year’s
national title. Adding Skjodt is a huge boost to an already strong crop of returning talent. For Skjodt, the opportunity to spend her fifth year playing on sand provides a new challenge before wrapping up her volleyball career. “I chose Pepperdine for the opportunity to challenge myself and grow,” Skjodt said, “in the classroom, in the sand and in everyday life.” In 2018, Skjodt put the finishing touches on a memorable career in Ann Arbor by leading the Wolverines to the Sweet 16 for the second time. She averaged a teamhigh 4.20 kills per set on a careerbest .256 attack percentage en route to a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection. In the classroom, she became the program’s first two-time CoSIDA
Academic All-District honoree. Skjodt served as Michigan’s workhorse for most of the season, leading the Wolverines in kills in 24 of their 34 matches. She recorded 29 double-digit kill performances and eclipsed the 20-kill mark seven times. During her high school career, Skjodt was ranked among the nation’s top prospects in the 2015 class. PrepVolleyball named her the National Senior Player of the Year, while she was also selected as the Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year and USA Today All-American after leading Carmel High School to a state championship. With her indoor days now in the rearview mirror, Skjodt’s name is a staple throughout Michigan’s all-time record book. Her 1,395 career kills are good for seventh-
most in program history, while her 4,102 attack attempts are third-best among any Wolverine. When it mattered most, Skjodt’s presence made all the difference for Michigan. Her 108
postseason kills and seven aces are both third-most in program history as well. Skjodt will presumably spend most, if not all, of next spring in the Waves’ starting lineup.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Fifth-year senior Carly Skjodt will switch from playing indoors to outdoors next year.
12 SPORTS
Thursday, July 11, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Franz Wagner signs with Michigan for the upcoming season AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Summer Managing Sports Editor
Guard Franz Wagner will be joining the University of Michigan starting this upcoming year. The 17-year-old was on a dualcontract with Alba Berlin and SSV lok Bernau Alba this past year, deciding between staying overseas and coming to play in the NCAA. In the end, he chose the latter, following the footsteps of his older brother and former Michigan forward Moritz Wagner. Wagner announced his decision on Saturday via Instagram. This will be second commitment the Michigan basketball team has secured since the hiring of head coach Juwan Howard. He was able to keep wing Cole Bajema — who had initially committed while John Beilein was head coach — which leaves the Wolverines with two more scholarship openings for the 2019-2020 college basketball season. Wagner did make an official visit to Michigan the day after Beilein’s departure, and assistant coach Saddi Washington
is the only coach still on staff since that day. “We are extremely excited to announce Franz has committed to join the University of Michigan in the fall,” Howard said. “Franz gives us another talented guard with size who possesses a wonderful basketball IQ and a growing skillset that could be impactful for us right away.” Unlike Bajema who is already practicing with the team, Wagner will not arrive on campus to practice until the fall as he’s scheduled to play for Germany in the 2019 under-18 European Championships in Greece through August 4th. Wagner boasted a high shot percentage, making 52.9 percent of his shots over 35 games for Alba Berlin while shooting 50 percent from the field in nine games for SSV lok Bernau Alba last year. He primarily came off of the bench, though, starting only six games for each team. Wagner was awarded 2018-2019 Basketball Bundesliga Best Young Player Award for his efforts in
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Juwan Howard has two more scholarship spots left for the 2019-2020 season after signing Franz Wagner.
the BBL finals, where Alba Berlin finished as runner-up. Many thought that Howard had possibly violated an NCAA rule as he mentioned Wagner’s name
on a radio talk show earlier in the week. However, sources told The Daily that Howard did not commit any NCAA violations in the process of recruiting Wagner.
This story is developing and will be updated as The Daily learns more information. Additional reporting was done by Ethan Sears and Jorge Cazares.
The standout performers of the 2019 Michigan baseball season ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
As the baseball team’s 2019 season comes to a close, and Michigan’s magical run through the postseason comes to an end, the Daily presents these awards to members of Team 153 that stood out over the course of the season. Most Valuable Player: Jordan Brewer This one needs little explanation. Brewer was the backbone of this team all season. Offensively, he led the team in batting average, at a .329 clip on the season (even after a postseason slump), and slugging, with a slugging percentage of .557. He stole 25 bases in 29 attempts, the most on the team, and notched 59 RBI, secondhighest of the Wolverines. Defensively, Brewer had what Michigan coach Erik Bakich called his “explosive” raw athletic potential on display all season, throwing runners out at third base from deep right field while robbing hits left and right
on the warning track. He notched 12 outfield assists on the season. He earned first-team All American Honors from the College Baseball Foundation as well as first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. Clutch Genes: Tommy Henry Henry was Michigan’s projected ace heading into the 2019 season and performed as such during much of the first half of the season, but nagging bicep tendonitis saw him struggle with his consistency down the stretch. When it mattered most, though, the junior left-hander was practically untouchable. In Michigan’s win-or-go-home contest against No. 1 UCLA in Game 3 of the super-regional, a flu-ridden Henry pitched seven dominant innings, earning the win in the victory that sent
Michigan to the College World Series for the first time in 35 years. In his first College World Series start, he tossed a 100pitch complete-game shutout of Florida State in what Florida State coaching legend Mike Martin described as a “masterpiece.” And in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals, he tossed 8.1 dominant innings in Michigan’s only victory against Vanderbilt. Whether Henry can hold onto the lights-out performance he demonstrated this postseason remains to be seen. But when the Wolverines needed a win, there’s a reason they turned to Tommy Henry. Breakout Player: Jeff Criswell Criswell was solid out of the bullpen last year, but he really came into his own this season
(Criswell) really came into his own this season
when he transitioned to a starting role. He finished the season with the lowest earned run average of Michigan’s three regular starters at 2.72 over 17 starts and 106 innings. He and pitching coach Chris Fetter spent the entire offseason working on the transition back to the starting role in which Criswell was so effective in high school, earning him first-team all-region honors from Rawlings Perfect Game his senior year in 2017. He and Fetter worked mainly on smoothing out his pitching motion and using his legs for more power and endurance. Their hard work paid off in spades. Criswell developed his fastball to the point that Fetter described it as “major league” caliber. He also saw major growth with his two other pitches and leaps in his control and placement, as was on display in his Apr. 13 start at Ohio State, the Wolverines’ lone victory over the Buckeyes this season. Criswell was also lights-out in relief throughout much of the
postseason, as Bakich often used him in high-leverage situations to account for an often-leaky bullpen. Best Single Game Performance: Jimmy Kerr against Texas Tech on June 21 For three years, Kerr was a nonstarter with the occasional bright spot. But he was so productive offensively in 2019 that he almost took Criswell’s title as Breakout Player. But unlike Criswell, Kerr found his best success in singlegame bursts. Most notable was his fourfor-four day against Texas Tech. Kerr was involved in almost half of Michigan’s scoring plays, helping the Wolverines notch seven of their 15 runs that day. Kerr himself scored four runs, had three RBIs, two home runs, a double and a single. Kerr also gets an honorable mention in this category for a five-for-five day against Michigan State on March 30 in which he hit two home runs, two doubles and a single, scoring five runs on the day in Michigan’s 16-2 victory over the Spartans.