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» Page 1B RESEARCH
‘U’ researchers receive honor for technology, development Professors named 2019 Distinguished University Innovator Award recipients BARBARA COLLINS RUCHITA IYER/Daily Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State, discusses her life, career and policies at Rackham Auditorium Friday morning.
Former Secretary of State talks foreign policy, career trajectory Condoleezza Rice visits Rackham as part of Weiser Diplomacy Center Series JULIA FANZERES & MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN Daily Staff Reporters
Hundreds of students, faculty and local community members gathered in Rackham Auditorium Friday to hear former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discuss life, career and her reflections on several specific points of policy. Rice served as Secretary of State under President George Bush from 2005 to 2009. She was the first Black woman to hold the position, after working as Bush’s national security advisor from 2001 to 2005. Currently, she is the Denning Professor in Global Business and Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The event was held in conjunction with then opening of the Weiser Diplomacy Center.
The Center was established with funding from University of Michigan Regent Ron Weiser (R) and his wife Eileen Weiser in order to institute a leading school of international policy in the Midwest. Since its launch, the center has been committed to bringing in speakers from the world of international diplomacy within a wide range of viewpoints. University President Mark Schlissel introduced Rice and pointed out her unique position as a figure both in the worlds of policy and academia. “It would be hard to imagine someone who typifies the confluence of academia and international affairs better that Secretary Condoleezza Rice,” Schlissel said. “Her extraordinary career has furthered both, always fueled by her deep commitment to public service.” Rice began her undergraduate
NEWS BRIEF
U.S. District Court orders U-M to lift punishment Student accused of sexual misconduct is no longer banished from campus LIAT WEINSTEIN Daily Staff Reporter
On September 30, U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson ordered the University of Michigan to lift previous punishments imposed upon a student accused of sexual misconduct. Previously, the accused student was found to have violated the University’s sexual misconduct policy and was told to either withdraw from the University or be expelled. According to court records, the accused student was found in violation of the sexual misconduct policy after having sex with an intoxicated freshman at a party hosted by his fraternity in January 2016.
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career as a student at the University of Denver with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. After attending the Aspen Music Festival the summer after her sophomore year, she realized she was underprepared compared to her classmates. As a result, she happened to take a course in international politics at the end of her junior year, and immediately felt a calling to a new career path. “I wandered into my course at the end of my junior year in international politics that was taught by a man named Josef Korbel — who happened to be Madeleine Albright’s father,” Rice said. “He opened up this world of diplomacy to me ... and I knew all of a sudden what I wanted to be.” LSA senior Kate Westa, co-president of WeListen, an organization aimed to foster bipartisan conversation on political topics attended the
event. She explained to The Daily that while she had always looked up to Rice, she specifically appreciated the ideological diversity of the speakers the Weiser Center brings, as it allowed her to understand diplomacy in a comprehensive way. “I have looked up to Condoleezza Rice since I was probably 8 years old—I used to write to the White House about her,” Westa said. “I think hearing all aspects of the foreign services and everything related to foreign policy is very important—we’ll hear from former Secretary (Hillary) Clinton as well. I think it’s so important to hear the different aspects of the job and the different perspectives because there is so much going on in international relations.” See SECRETARY, Page 2A
Daily Staff Reporter
David Blaauw and Dennis Sylvester, electrical engineering and computer science professors at the University of Michigan, are this year’s recipients of the 2019 Distinguished University Innovator Award, an honor given to University faculty who have both developed and marketed innovative ideas or technologies. The two professors will be recognized on Oct. 22 at Celebrate Invention, an event honoring inventions and entrepreneurship from University staff members. Blaauw and Sylvester first began doing research together at the University in 2001, focusing on the development of low power integrated circuits. Blaauw said the award is an appreciated acknowledgement of the work the researchers have done and recognized students as a major factor in moving the research forward. “We don’t think about awards very much,” Blaauw said. “It’s nice because we’ve been working for a long time together … It’s a nice milestone to mark, and I can reflect on all the work that (our) students have done.”
Michigan Community Scholars Program hosts 20th anniversary celebration Living Learning Community brings together alums from previous cohorts CLAIRE HAO
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan Community Scholars Program celebrated its 20th anniversary at Palmer Commons on Friday night with a dinner, sing-alongs and remarks by community members. Over 50 people attended the celebration. MCSP is a learning community founded within LSA in 1999, focused on community service and social justice. Like other living-and-learning environments at the University of Michigan, MCSP students live and take classes together in the West Quad Residence Hall. David Schoem, founder and director of MCSP, opened the event by welcoming everyone back to Ann Arbor. He explained he created MCSP to be a force of good among competing social tensions. “The challenge facing MCSP, today and in 1999, is in the face of despair and violence and hate in the broader society, how can we embrace and put all our positive and good together in an educational setting?” Schoem said. “In a community that
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actually lives and breathes and learns the values of dialogue and diversity … this has been the great opportunity of MCSP.” In his speech, Timothy McKay, LSA associate dean for undergraduate education, called MCSP one of the signature
successes of LSA. According to McKay, the program exemplifies how higher education institutions should teach students the ability to engage in civic and public life. “The work of MCSP rests at the very heart of the purpose of
liberal arts education,” McKay said. “It aims to cultivate precisely this kind of full-fledged participatory readiness … and it helps the rest of the college see how that might be done.”
Sylvester also echoed the importance of students in transformative research. He said he has worked with multiple students who believe in a technology and have the ability to take it to the market. Though he and Blaauw play a role, Sylvester said, the students become the key driver in the success of the product. “It’s a testament to the area of work that I’ve been investing a lot of my time and career into, Sylvester said. “Between David and I, we’ve worked with probably 100 Ph.D. and master’s students over the last 15 to 16 years on these topics. All of them play a role in moving the research forward and eventually getting into commercialization and impact and industry.” When they first began working together, Blaauw and Sylvester focused on computer-aided design which generated software to create computer chips. They later decided to design and build the chips themselves and have been working closely ever since, Sylvester said.
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BUSINESS
Ross alumni share work experiences as women ‘Be a Boss’ event features MBA graduates, who explain challenges in field
See MCSP, Page 2A
KRISTINA ZHENG For the Daily
Michigan Business Women and Women Who Launch hosted a “Be a Boss” event, featuring five alumni from the Ross School of Business’s MBA program Friday night in Blau Hall. The panelists first discussed their backgrounds and their inspirations for their careers. Marlo Scott, an award-winning business leader recognized for innovation and a champion of small businesses, was inspired by developing a sense of community and spreading the depth of culture from her work with her previous company Sweet Revenge, a cupcake restaurant that paired sweets with wine and beer. ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Community members gather to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Michigan Community Scholars Program at Palmer Commons Friday evening.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 6 ©2019 The Michigan Daily
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program was key to helping him adjust to a large campus as a first-generation student. Even post-college, Nuñez said, MCSP still plays a significant role in his life. “When I moved to Washington, D.C. eight years ago, it was MCSP people who met us at our new apartment and helped us unload boxes,” Nuñez said. “It’s MCSP people that we still have friendsgiving with every year. When I moved jobs a year-and-a-half ago, it was to work at an organization with another MCSP person. And of course, the person I get to spend every day with, I met through MCSP in Couzens Hall sixteen years ago.” Though the program emphasized diversity from the beginning, Schoem said he is especially proud MCSP has developed into one of the most diverse programs on campus.
MCSP From Page 1A For a majority of the celebration, more than 20 individuals currently and formerly involved with MCSP spoke for two minutes each, sharing their memories of the program and how it shaped their undergraduate experience. Danny Lambouths III was part of MCSP’s first class. Because of the positive inf luence the program has had on his life, Lambouths III said he was compelled to help create a similar livingand-learning community at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he now works. “Through MCSP, I learned the value of service and the power of student voice,” Lambouths said. “I witnessed firsthand that when you put good into the world, goodness comes back.” Sudoku Syndication Gilbert Nuñez, another MCSP alum, explained the close-knit quality of the
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When asked to give advice to the current Trump administration and members of Congress, Rice noted how the Rice delved into a discussion current administration faces an of pivotal points of foreign policy obstacle she said she did not have she influenced while in office at the time: Twitter protocol. — namely the war in Iraq. She Rice noted the decision-making acknowledged the controversial process can be corroded if nature of the decision and politicians automatically go conceded that policies were to social media to try to push largely influenced by the context policy ideas. “If I would say one thing to of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “We were a lot more on edge both ends of 1600 Pennsylvania about what could happen by the Avenue — the Congress and time of the Iraq evasion than we the White House — before you would have prior to 9/11,” Rice tweet, think,” Rice said. “If said. “I wish the intelligence you are absolutely responsible would have been better. I still for our democracy and you say think the Middle East is better whatever comes to mind, do off without (Former Iraqi you know how that’s not a good President) Saddam Hussein. But thing?” After the discussion, Public we made mistakes in the postwar period ... It’s very difficult to Policy junior Brett Zaslavsky understand a system that’s that explained he appreciated Rice’s positive outlook on America’s opaque.” Reflecting on domestic role in international diplomacy. “I think the most inspiring economic policy, Rice discussed how the so-called ‘American thing about the lecture today dream’ often feels inaccessible was that Dr. Rice outlined a http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ to many Americans. She fairly optimistic view of foreign cited symptoms of late-stage policy and of America’s place capitalism, such as growing in the world going forward,” inequality and stagnant Zaslavsky said. “I think getting mobility, as the point of growing the opportunity to hear that frustration among a large from a career diplomat and somebody who has so much portion of the public. “Particularly for a country experience with the foreign where we are not united by service was hugely insightful.” Rice advised students the ethnicity, nationality or religion, but by idea: You can come from career paths and personal humble circumstances, you passions they take up may can do great things,” Rice said. not perfectly align with the “That better be true! And for too preconceived notions society hold may hold. She challenged many people it isn’t true.” In order to help mediate this students to find something growing achievement gap, Rice they love despite what outside called on academic institutions individuals may deem suitable such as the University to for them. “Nobody would have ensure the stepping stones to a brighter future are continuously looked at me, a Black girl from available to students in lower Birmingham, Alabama, and said ‘you’re going to be a Soviet socioeconomic classes. “If you’re a great university specialist,’” Rice said. “So, your like Michigan … the one thing passion might turn out to be you’ve got to do is to make sure something that doesn’t look that these places are open to like you. I was fortunate to find the entire bottom of pyramid, something I really loved, so once so that people have a way to the you’ve done that, things have a top of the pyramid,” Rice said. way of working out.” “Because if it’s ever the case that you get to places like this from Read more at the top of the pyramid, you’re MichiganDaily.com toast.”
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Michigan in Color
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African-American
Monday, October 7, 2019 — 3A
que Lindas son las Flores ROBERTO SANCHEZ MiC Blogger
My tequila on the rocks Because rough edges make a real man.
Sin trabajo no se ase.
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR
AYOMIDE OKUNADE MiC Columnist
I’ve been staring at the checkbox labeled “AfricanAmerican” for 20 minutes now. I can’t seem to look past the dash which separates these two worlds. To be Nigerian-American is to be the Atlantic Ocean, to be divide, to have two houses but no home. I am constantly crossing the Atlantic. Some days, I slave trade my accent for whitewashed inf lections still stained enough to prove I don’t belong. Some days, I whitewash ref lections of the slave trade, say them, not us, just to prove I don’t belong. Other days, I pick
a side, bring the trade to an end. Tired of seeing my people pretend and stuff our meaning behind western culture and call it posh, call it bougie, call it right. It’s not white- I mean, it’s not right if the cream leaves you cream if your knuckles are still Black. But is this my fight? Melanin needs to come back. I’m tired of seeing skinny white women on TV. I don’t know why but something about it irks me, something about it hurts me to see how media doesn’t believe my Black body is enough. My Black body is enough. I’m tired of having to yell that while watching House of Cards. Tired of Black bodies playing second-
fiddle to the stars, we deserve the applause and the main role too. We can be president, front stage, with natural hair too. But is this my right? Other days, I can’t fight. No common ground in sight I resolve to be white. To be a blank canvas, not colored by either side, hoping to find a balance, I silence the parts of me which carry rage. I silence the parts of me which hope to engage in the war that is my skin, in the battle that is my tong ue, in the struggle that is my hair. I resolve to not care, pretend to be fair, but this only lasts for a while... 20 minutes to be exact, the question brings me back, are you African or are you Black?
So… even my drunk I work For. Sober I’m stuck, so I want more. Lately, my garden’s fought droughts and weeds, And we must thrust ourselves forward If we want to succeed. Planta la semilla y la flor no tarda en venir... Those damn lilac soft lips, Wide promiscuous hips, And eyes that scorch me crisp A description of an angel that feels so devilish, it’s an eclipse. Una vibra no cambia aunque la pintes. The bar’s reeking of a wretched liquor settles, Instead, A fragrance of a magnificent meadow. Promising so much, I can almost feel her petals. Pero en la fortuna, existe la inconsecuencia, no como la luna
Brown eyes are simple, But yours are comforting Honey chocolate melting pots. When we saw each other, I was shot… With shocks and lots of knots. You’re right I need to shut up, I talk a lot. Talking to kissing, if this isn’t love Then what is missing? With an invitation to my dorm, a thought was sinking. Seductive thoughts, they must drown to avoid imagining the notyet-existing. Ahora no más es darle sol y pasión. Así es como el romance de la rosa canta su canción. We’ve finally made it into my environment, but I’m losing my flow. I’ll pour one in that streams like a fiery rain. “You’ve had me waiting, are you just gonna stand there?” A stare so rare that I must beware, but if I’m being honest, I really don’t care. Asking you if you were ready… my lasered sight was steady.
You had me breathing heavy, who knew oxygen was so scarce in heaven. And I have a confession, the seven butterflies in my stomach became eleven. If you were a poison, I’d want it prolonged like a slow killing venom. Ahora hasta las flores brillan con tu amor. Cuando estoy a tu lado hasta siento el color. Nada tan encantador como ese olor… Y entiendo que tus espinas te protegen, te acaricio sin sentir el dolor. I woke up and you were up changing, well here’s my number, I’ll see you soon, same arrangements? “You are the cutest. Everything good doesn’t need to last forever, ya know?” Wait — What? I mean, I guess so. But you know, I meant what I said, and more so I would’ve done it all over again, if I knew there’d never be another hello. Man wait, hell no, you know what? Thank you. Even the rose that withers too soon, still gave a beautiful experience when it bloomed.
Wanted: More Black Doctors ARIELLE MCENTYRE MiC Columnist
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF GRACE CHO
SUNGMIN CHO MiC Columnist
When you miss the dining hall hours, delivery apps are there for you. Scrolling through sandwiches, burritos and pizzas, I decided to go for dumplings today. Everything was fine until I received the plastic bag from the delivery man, who then put his hands together and said “xiexie.” First, I’m Korean, not Chinese. Just because I’m Asian and I ordered dumplings doesn’t make me Chinese. And second, putting hands together while bowing is an outdated Asian stereotype that not all of us do. Such experiences are actually not quite new to us. When an Italian vendor did the exact same thing to me last summer, I corrected him: “Thank you, but I’m not Chinese. I’m Korean.” When a French guest at a museum passed me a Chinese floor guide,
I thought it wasn’t even worth reacting. These instances can be considered as microaggressions, and here’s why. Misidentifying non-Chinese Asians as Chinese is more than just an insensitivity. It contains a context of reducing each diverse and distinctive Asian culture into one, which in this case is China. It is the selective indifference toward non-Western cultures displayed without any consciousness. Most white Americans – and even people like me – are able to distinguish and specify Western cultures, but they tend to lump all Asian cultures into one category. In their perception, Western cultures are recognized on the national level, such as French or Italian, while the rest at the continental level, Asian. Such tendencies are well reflected in my experiences in the Western world. In the media, it is not hard to find Asian characters with random stereotypes
adopted from everywhere in Asian countries. An Australian comedian dressed in Kimono to parody the trademark North Korean news anchor is the epitome of this. At a design critique, no one pointed out what was wrong about the cover of a Japanese folk tale with Chinese porcelain patterns. Such examples of false mix-ups reflect their selective indifference to distinct Asian cultures. This is not a matter of knowledge or intelligence, but a matter of lacking the willingness to show respect and acknowledge differences among Asian cultures. I do not intend to disdain those who fail to distinguish between different cultures. However, displaying selective ignorance toward certain cultures does reflect how they regard Asians in Western society. The diversity within us deserves recognition. Our cultures deserve as distinctive attention as the Western ones. Just because
someone orders pizza, doesn’t mean that person is Italian or speaks Italian. If that sounds like a nonsense, so is saying “xiexie” to a Korean.
Though I don’t believe that being a doctor is for me, I do hold the belief that more Black doctors are needed. The question is, how do we motivate young Black people interested in medicine to actually pursue it? Growing up, I was completely set on becoming a doctor. I thought that I was going to become the next best pediatrician. However, as I grew up and began to explore my passions and interests, I realized that medicine may not be for me. I know that many people feel the pressure to become a doctor throughout their childhood, and once they actually try it, are unable to carry on due to lack of motivation. However, I do believe that there are many young Black people who genuinely hold an interest of being a doctor but unfortunately something happens to push them out of it and they eventually stop their journey. I often feel guilty about holding such a strong belief that we need more Black people in the medical field, but choosing not to pursue it myself. Recently however, I had an experience that made me feel validated in my beliefs. About three weeks ago I was rushed to the hospital due to some physical issues that I have been dealing with for a while now. I ended up having to be admitted to the hospital and was there for three days. During those three days I counted three other Black people who weren’t my parents or other patients: a maintenance woman, a police officer, and a resident medical
student. While all of these roles are helpful to the general public, I felt joy when I saw the resident student. It was interesting because I feel like I have never wished more success on someone I’ve literally never talked to before. I hoped so badly that the student would successfully finish up her studies and become a doctor. I had that feeling of hope when I saw the Black medical student because during my three days in the hospital I had to talk to many doctors which was very stressful and honestly fueled my anxiety. But when I was around the Black student doctor, something changed. I began to feel much more calm and comfortable when telling my story. I learned during my three days in the hospital that having Black doctors take care of Black patients is so essential because it just makes us feel more at home. Even though I didn’t know the student at all and never even exchanged words with them, just having them there made me feel reassured that someone was actually there to take care of me. It is difficult to describe but when someone who shares an aspect of your life as close to you or important to you tries to explain something that is happening, you truly understand the impact and the passion that they share with you. I did end up having a doctor of color while I was in the hospital and though she was extremely straightforward with me and honestly did not try to beat around the bush at all, I felt so comforted after she left. I knew for sure that she was on top of the issue and was going to do everything she could to help me get better.
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Prison reform in America is far overdue
n October 2013, The Vera but because there are so few of Institute of Justice organized them — the South Mississippi a tour of prisons in Germany Correctional Institution has an inmate-to-guard and the Netherlands ratio of 23 to one — with the intent to and because they educate American only respond to the delegates about the most desperate calls systems of incarceration for help, inmates in other countries. The are largely left to condition of prisons deal with problems in these countries was themselves. There surprising to Americans are a few reasons because they were so JOEL why there are so few different from our own. guards. The first is The guards treated the WEINER that most people prisoners with dignity and respect by talking with them simply do not want to work in out of a genuine interest in what prisons because guards are paid they had to say. The policies of low wages for brutal work, like those prisons also generated a breaking up fights. The average culture of independence and salary is $44,000 per year, and self-reliance: Prisoners were correctional officers are the allowed to make their own meals second most likely profession to and wear their own clothes. In be non-fatally assaulted on the job. addition, to give prisoners a sense In addition, many prisons house of purpose and to prepare them inmates far above their capacity — for life outside the prison, every in 2013, more than 17 states were incarcerated person was required holding inmates above capacity. In Illinois, for instance, prisons were to have a job. Those are practices prisons at 151 percent capacity. in the United States should seek to emulate. The treatment of inmates in our detention centers is abhorrent. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union called three prisoners to testify in a federal case against the state of Mississippi. The inmates, who were held at East Mississippi Correctional Facility, described horrifying sanitary conditions and decrepit facilities, such as plumbing problems so severe that fecal matter would come out of Another reason for the harsh showerheads in bathrooms and drains in cells, and the kitchen conditions in prisons stems from their design. The belief that all would be infested with roaches. Prisons in the U.S. are also criminals must be isolated from severely understaffed. Every society has lead to prisons being position from guards to mental some of the most secluded parts of health specialists are in short civilization, from their geography supply. In St. Clair Correctional to their architecture. Prisons are Facility, an infamously violent often built in remote locations, prison in Alabama, a mentally ill where few people ever travel. inmate said his monthly check-ups This is mainly for public safety, were usually only about five to 10 but it also leads to a startling lack minutes long. Guards are few and of oversight. The most interaction far in between, allowing ample many Americans have with prisons time for violence and injustice is passing them on the highway, to proliferate. Sometimes, to get so few people ever see what lies guards’ attention, inmates will beyond the barbed wire fences. create emergency situations like Even when government agencies lighting fires or cutting their inspect prisons, they sometimes warn prisons in advance of their wrists. The lengths to which prisoners arrival, giving the staff time to will go to access a corrections prepare. This startling lack of officer demonstrate that America oversight has to be addressed. By does not have enough guards instituting policies that would open keeping prisons functional. Since the system up to more scrutiny, we prison staff are the sole authority can ensure that prison guards do over prisoners’ wellbeing, they not mistreat inmates. This obviously does not mean ought to be reasonably accessible,
At the center of prison reform is ending mass incarceration
dangerous, violent offenders should be in close contact with the general public. But any effective reform would, however, entail fundamentally changing the structure of detention centers to offer inmates more agency and autonomy, thus helping the incarcerated acclimate to conditions similar to those they will be released into. That will make the transition to life outside of prison easier, helping them stay out of trouble. At the center of prison reform is ending mass incarceration. The morality of unnecessarily incarcerating people aside, having fewer people in prisons would make the job of prison guards easier because they would have fewer inmates to watch, and it would prevent more violence from breaking out. These changes would not just improve the living conditions of prisoners, they would make the entire corrections system far more effective because emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment would bring down our recidivism rate, which is when released prisoners reoffend. Studies demonstrate that vocational programs and educational opportunities in prisons decrease the likelihood of rearrest after release by over 50 percent. Since the criminal justice system should help inmates become productive members of society, the recidivism rate ought to be one of the most telling statistics of its success. As such, rehabilitation programs should be at the forefront of prison reform. The issues in U.S. prisons are not just a problem for prisoners, they are a reflection of our country’s morals. We as a society are collectively responsible for their treatment, meaning the despicable state of corrections facilities is a failure on our part. As a nation that cherishes liberty, we ought to treat the removal of our esteemed freedoms with the utmost seriousness. We should be deeply disturbed at the current conditions of those we incarcerate and take actions for change. By decreasing the incarceration rate, increasing the number of guards in prisons and investing in education and vocational programs, our corrections centers can become better for inmates, prison staff and the country. Joel Weiner can be reached at jgweiner@umich.edu.
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D
The importance of color in our world
uring a meeting for a improve our livelihood, it’s student organization worth noting that the green I’m involved in, we had space must be well kept in order to have these an icebreaker activity positive influences that asked, “Would on our behavior. you rather be colorIn other words, blind or lose your the pleasurable taste buds?” After and therapeutic pondering the idea for effects that viewing a couple of seconds, I nature can have walked to the side of are best conveyed the room representing when the nature the latter, where the looks natural and minority of people KIANNA stood. I justified MARQUEZ unaffected by manmade destruction. losing my taste buds because theoretically losing A Time Magazine article about my ability to see color was the psychological effect of green unimaginable. For me, there’s a spaces mentions Dr. Andrew powerful emotional significance Lee’s commentary on their to the various colors that I see functionality as social spaces: every day. Colors reflect mood, “If a green space is difficult to purpose and the uniqueness get to, has poor lighting or is not of living and nonliving beings. clean, it may be seen as unsafe I believe it’s ultimately our or inaccessible and probably responsibility to recognize that wouldn’t boost a visitor’s diminishing color from our lives, mood.” With that being said, it’s such as in the natural spaces important to let the behaviors around us and in the people of diverse and flourishing plant among us, means diminishing life carry on naturally and that our ability to mold a society we minimize drastic alterations whose functional potential can to allow them to fulfill their be powerfully multidimensional abstract healing potentials. and far-reaching. The presence of color in our surrounding environments Color in our serves as an untold essential contributor to our mental surrounding health. A 2006 study confirms environments serves that spending time in nature can counteract the toxic stress as an untold essential that occurs in our daily lives because viewing stimulating conributor to our natural scenes can create a mental health pleasurable experience for the brain. Another study discovered that plant life can have similar Not only can dynamic natural biological influences on the body as aromatherapy, a phenomenon spaces be attributed to the health essentially built on the of the people who experience it collective leverage of the visual, every day, but these spaces can olfactory and touching senses also be indicative of the health with each other. When placed in of the environment these people a workspace with a multicolored live in. When the color of an personality in its greenery and area is changed from natural, abundant sunlight, employees earthy tones to a modern white, demonstrated a 15-percent eccentric slate or abysmal black increase in reported well-being. alongside human intervention Unknowingly, we are uplifted in the area, this more often than by the dynamic structure and not suggests the poor quality of presentation of nature in ways the environment in this area. that are generally unobservable For instance, a Rice University on a minuscule level, yet we review of marine life in the would likely feel a dramatic Caribbean comments on the change if these characteristics importance of the multicolored coral reefs for the quality of of nature ceased to exist. surrounding marine While ensuring the presence their of green space can be the first ecosystem. The varying vibrant step towards using nature to colors of the coral reefs are able
to reflect sunlight differently to protect them from damage. In addition, their colors attract various species of fish for mating and shield them from predators, which ultimately contributes to the livelihood of all surrounding sea life. As a result, these coral reefs are contributing to the quality of their surrounding marine environment by allowing the many organisms within this environment to carry forth their every day behaviors that contribute to their survival and future evolution. In the many areas around the world that are suffering from coral bleaching, the loss of color in these natural spaces suggests a loss of ability for these spaces to provide for the evolution of the organisms in them, and thus the distress that is placed on the quality of these environments. It’s also important to realize that almost nothing functions as well as it could when the parts of the system don’t think or act diversely and don’t represent different functions that ultimately allow the multidimensional system to perform. It’s not surprising that some connoisseurs of capitalism and exploitation neglect the importance of diversity in nature, just as they neglect the importance of diversity in people. However, it’s imperative to acknowledge and act upon the idea that diversity in function and in representation is essential to the progression of mankind. While we waste time debating if these marginalized groups — naturally and sociallyconstructed — of our world are important enough to care about, we are ignoring a slow obliteration that is curtailing the outcome of their future permanently. The expansion of diversified characteristics is inevitably beneficial for our health, the health of our environment and the health of our society. We shouldn’t choose to ignore our ability to acknowledge color in its many visual and metaphysical forms if we have the choice. Kianna Marquez can be reached at kmarquez@umich.edu.
JONATHAN VAYSMAN | COLUMN
T
Impeachment isn’t all fun and games
he nearly three years of Donald Trump’s presidency have been an absolute whirlwind. From sexual assault accusations to the Sharpie scandal, there hasn’t been a second for us to catch our breath. Every time a scandal happens, people call for Trump’s impeachment. Yet, he seems to get past each scandal relatively unharmed. That was until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who had previously been hesitant to bring impeachment to the table, decided enough was enough and announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump (though he is still relatively unharmed). This came after a whistleblower complaint that Trump had allegedly pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. He also allegedly threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine should Zelensky not comply. While the impeachment inquiry should be exciting news to many Democrats, they should also be concerned. There are two main reasons Democrats are excited about the news of a possible impeachment, with the first being their pure disdain for Trump. More than 200 House Democrats have a burning desire to see Trump kicked out of office. Presidential candidate former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, hammered Trump as being “sick” and “unfit for this office.” The only problem is that calling someone unfit isn’t a good enough reason for impeachment. Each party will claim that a president of the opposing party is unfit — that is party politics. However, pressuring a foreign leader to dig up dirt on a presidential candidate and his son may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and it
ultimately made Pelosi fold on pushing off impeachment. The other reason many Democrats want to see Trump impeached is because doing so would set a precedent. If Democrats do not pursue impeachment, then Trump’s illegal actions will become commonplace. One of the most dangerous things in politics is precedent. If Trump can do something illegal, what stops the next president from taking the same course of action?
While the impeachment inquiry should be exciting news to many Democrats, they should also be concerned While many Democrats may be gung-ho about impeachment, they should be extremely wary of pushing ahead. I believe it is incredibly important for the Democrats to not allow a precedent to be set, but there is a much more present danger of impeachment. Should the Democrats in the House succeed in bringing up charges of impeachment, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his colleagues in the Senate would not convict Trump and remove him from office. It would be totally offcolor for McConnell. He blocked President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court appointee and has blocked numerous bills that have recently passed in the U.S. House, including election security bills and gun control legislation. In order for the Senate to convict Trump and remove him from office there would need to be a two-thirds majority in the Senate. In this political era, it’s rare to
get senators on the same page for simple things, so it would be virtually impossible to get enough of them to agree on something as polarizing as convicting Trump. What would a failed impeachment mean for Democrats? Well, for starters, the public appearance of the Democratic party would be tarnished. An impeachment without conviction would validate Trump’s claim that the continual calls for impeachment were a giant witch hunt. The bigger problem for Democrats would be the energy boost that Trump’s base would receive: His rallies would be bigger, and his donations would skyrocket. It is not hard for one to imagine the rhetoric Trump would come up with after not being convicted. There would be endless name calling and hateful Twitter rants in all caps. Giving Trump momentum into an election year would be a very costly mistake for the Democrats. It could end in disaster for the party with Trump getting elected again in 2020. All it takes is to go on Twitter to already see how his base is reacting. Many of them are claiming that it’s all a lie and the Democrats are trying to steal the election, including the presidency. Democrats have consistently said the main goal of 2020 is defeating Trump. While many see impeachment as one of the possible avenues to do that, I do not view it as the ideal pathway to Democratic success. If the Democrats really want to turn the country around, they should beat Trump outright in the 2020 general election and avoid the chaos of a failed Trump impeachment, and the inevitable division that will arise with it. Jonathan Vaysman can be reached at jvaysman@umich.edu.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Monday, October 7, 2019 — 5A
PUBLISH OUR LOVE
Publish Our Love: To Kid Cudi, the Man On The Moon DYLAN YONO Daily Arts Writer
“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 and their work, some of the people and things 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 movie with the script we’ve memorized. But who ever said futile can’t still be beautiful? In maybe the most vulnerable stage of my life, I had clear, simple mantras. Sometimes I embraced the simple truth: “I’ve got some issues that nobody can see / And all of these emotions are pouring out of me.” When I was hopeful, “One day / This will be my world.” When I was hopeless, “All along / I guess I’m meant to be alone.” My pursuit of happiness was spent in the Cudi zone. Few artists have had a footprint so large on our current era of hip hop, or an inf luence so quick to manifest — other sad rappers began following in his footsteps just as soon as he’d paved the path. Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak is often credited with ushering in an era of melancholic song writing over glamorous production. However, A Kid Named Cudi came first — and just as it began making waves, West brought in Cudi to give creative input on the upcoming 808s. The superstardom
DESIGN BY ROSEANNE CHAO
of artists like Drake and Travis Scott were to follow. The reason I give Kid Cudi the title “Man On The Moon” is to make it clear for whom my love is published. Not the 2013 Cudi releasing the middling Indicud and disappointing my 14-year-old self when he put on an appalling performance at my first-ever concert. Not the 2015 Cudi tweeting “Poopé Fiasco” is a dweeb. Not even the 2018 Kid Cudi co-creating KIDS SEE GHOSTS with Kanye West, although I do have unpublished love
Now, feeling better than ever before but barely a year removed from my last low phase, listening to Kid Cudi feels like treading in dangerous waters
for that collaboration. This is about Cudi of A Kid Named Cudi mixtape and Man On The Moon album series fame, hip hop’s heartfelt superstar in ’08, ’09 and ’10. Kid Cudi, lord of the sad and lonely. When I was in eighth grade, all was doom and gloom. My main schtick was bad posture and having no friends. Instead of other people, I made eye contact with my sneakers as I walked through school, shoulders hunched, memorizing every crease and stain. I look back on that time the same way I look at an episode of “South Park”: funny to watch and talk about, but alarming when you start to think about it. I’m happy now, all smiles and surrounded by good people. Still, there was a time when Cudi was the only voice I let in. As a lover of clever rhymes and writing, I am all about the roundabout: I could dissect the dual meaning in lyrics from MF DOOM or Del the Funky Homosapien forever. I wasn’t always like that, though. Being a troubled teenager struggling to make
sense of the puzzling social dynamics at play, I wished so badly for a presence I could understand, someone to understand me. Only Kid Cudi could capture my despair and lay it bare on the mic. People confused me. Cudi didn’t. I found comfort in his clarity. “They all couldn’t see / The little bit of sadness in me” spoke to me so lucidly. Man On The Moon: The End Of Day and Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager were not critically hailed on release, and some of the writing has not aged well. “Dudes who critique your clothes are most gay” and “I want to kiss you on your space below your navel at / The place that you keep neat, so moist, like a towelette” were always terrible lines. Even so, much of the lyricism on Man On The Moon will remain iconic. The direct lyrics envelop an intrinsic loneliness. For me, “I’m trapped in my mind, baby / I don’t think I’ll ever get out” resonated with my sustained sadness. But “They gon’ judge me anyway / So whatever” can also touch someone that’s just going through a low moment. Raw lyrics alone are not the key to Cudi’s charm. It’s also the work of the production talent surrounding him: Emile, Plain Pat and of course Kanye West (among others). The glitzy beats backing his voice are a key component in conjuring Cudi’s musical mood. But if there were a standout element of his sound to credit for becoming hip hop’s hero of sadness, it’s Cudi’s voice. His humming has been featured on every Kanye project since 808s for good reason: Cudi’s voice is an instrument no less powerful than a drum or a synth. Since I’ve grown older, separated by years from my eighth-grade aff liction, Cudi fell out of rotation for me. Listening to his music brings back frightfully vivid memories. Tears staining my pillow every night. Staring at my phone wishing anyone would text me. The creases and stains of my sneakers over the ugly tile of my middle school hallway. The thing about mental illness, though, is that once you’ve developed one, it becomes a part of you forever — even when it’s dormant, the looming risk of relapse remains. It wasn’t until I left for college, and that soul-sucking monolith of depression began bearing over me once again, that Cudi would return to regular listening. “All along / I guess I’m meant to be alone” hit me harder the second time around. Now, feeling better than ever before but barely a year removed from my last low phase, listening to Kid Cudi feels like treading in dangerous waters. The electrifying Cudi connection clicks back nearly instantaneously when I hear “The Prayer” or “Heaven At Nite.” I’ll always have love for the Man On The Moon, gratitude for the years keeping me company when nobody else did. I’ve just accepted that love might best remain at a healthy distance.
ALBUM REVIEW
TV REVIEW
Angel O.’s latest dream ‘Almost Family’ is banal and unfulfilling and also strange CLARA SCOTT Senior Arts Editor
The cover of Angel Olsen’s newest record All Mirrors defines its mythology well: Olsen stares at the viewer intently, against a hazy grey background swathed in dark fur. She looks like she’s about to speak, but is holding her words. There’s something in her eyes, but it’s hard to tell quite what it is. It’s like we’re looking at her through a movie camera, some blurred glass of emotion and context that isn’t easy to put a finger on. The music of All Mirrors is just as pleasantly evasive — cinematic, even. Each song seems like you’ve heard it before somewhere, as if it was playing in the background all along only to be pulled to the forefront of the listener’s mind. The album is Olsen at her best, capturing the nostalgia of a time in the past, all the while looking forward into the future. For those familiar with Olsen’s music, it’s clear she is already a luminary in the indie music scene, merging the traditions of her genre with a taste for innovative production and arrangements. All Mirrors embodies these traits at their highest function, bringing everything listeners have always loved about her to a new level, one that echoes the chaos and confusion of our time. She somehow makes the deepest sadness beautiful without watering down its importance. Olsen is a master of emotion in the purest sense. She harnesses the power and vulnerability of losing a lover, losing your grip and losing your mind with thoughtful deliberation, never allowing the listener to bask in their preoccupations for too long before turning onto another path. The two lead singles released ahead of the record are perfect examples of this attention to detail and mood. “All Mirrors,” the album’s title track, is a ballad full of phantasm and intensity, one that could easily be hummed in the darkness of a listener’s room or screamed out of a car on the freeway all the same. That duality is what makes Olsen’s music so intense in the first place; the fact that it captures the power of interiority without bringing it all the way outside, instead offering that choice to the listener themselves. It’s a reclamation
of emotion as something more than weakness. No, emotion isn’t weakness in Olsen’s hands — it’s a tool to wield the utmost strength. In her eyes, in her music, feeling is the thing that makes us powerful, lets us take control of our lives and narratives in a way that plain logic never could. “Lark,” the other single, captures this reclamation in plain terms. The accompanying video shows Olsen as she leaves a relationship only to walk through the night into the sunset, a metaphor for renewal and loss all at once. With a hushed tone, the songwriter begins with an admittance of hope: “To forget you is to hide, there’s still so much left to recover.” If only we could start again, pretending we don’t know each other,” she sings, breaking the listener’s heart only to build it up again as she breaks out into a loud and triumphant chorus. “All we’ve done here is blind one another,” Olsen offers to a lover no longer there. It’s impossible to get through All Mirrors without finding lines like this scattered throughout each song, to feel her words reach inside you and twist your heart with careful hands. Both “Lark” and “All Mirrors” show the sharp intensity of Olsen’s capabilities, but she is also adept at the softer side of expression, as seen in one of the record’s closing tracks, “Endgame.” This song follows the rest of the album like a sneak attack on the already vulnerable listener, soothing them with Olsen’s soft and classically beautiful voice after the exertion of earlier tracks. “I needed more, needed more, from you,” she whispers, like a lounge singer in an old movie hidden behind curtains. You can just imagine her on a stage in a velvet gown, the strings of her arrangement playing in the background with a hazy glow. It’s the cinematic quality of each song that makes them so special, like her album cover and her approach in general. For Olsen, songs are not just songs — with each word, each lilting string, each blast of synthesized sound, she is creating an encapsulated experience for her listener. She doesn’t need to make a movie to express what she wants to with her music, because each track does it for her. Listening to All Mirrors is like watching a million little films in your head, as each note, heavy with meaning, plays on.
information. It isn’t talked about except in one scene and is bypassed quickly. Daily Arts Writer What makes “Almost Family” most difficult to watch is that it seems to want to be a characterThere’s a scene early on in the pilot for “Almost driven show. This is a huge problem because the Family” where Julia Bechley (Brittany Snow, premise is so compelling. What Dr. Bechely does is “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) meets up with some so heinous and awful that the characters ought to random from a dating app. The date isn’t going so be more furious. But when the news breaks, Julia well. She has to think quick. She just goes for it. She dismisses it as media gossip. Edie is more confused tells him she wants to have sex. It works and they than angry when she finds out. Roxy’s parents do. Later on in the episode, she finds out he might don’t seem to be too concerned about their familial situation, but instead actually be her brother. hire a lawyer to ensure So, she hooks up with him they’ll be compensated. again. That’s kind of all The characters aren’t you need to know about even very interesting. how the pilot went. Despite having a talented The premise of cast, each character feels “Almost Family” is both Pilot archetypal and f lat. serious and unsettling. Fox The biggest problem Overworked lawyer the show runs into is that Edie Palmer (Megalyn Wednesdays @ 9:00 p.m. it’s premise is horribly Echikunwoke, “House of revolting. A man violated Lies”) is having marriage the privacy of hundreds problems. Former childof women. He ruined athlete superstar Roxy families. It’s a very big Doyle (Emily Osment, “Young & Hungry”) has anger problems. Julia deal. But the show doesn’t seem to want to engage is the ignored assistant to her father, the world- with the problem very much. I can’t tell if it renowned fertility doctor, Dr. Leon Bechley wants to be a comedy or a drama — or if it’s just (Timothy Hutton, “Leverage”). But all of those a very poorly executed dramedy — but the show problems pale in comparison when it’s discovered demonstrates a clear lack of consideration given that Dr. Bechley fathered hundreds of children the severity of its premise. The way the fertility by secretly using his own sperm to impregnate scandal takes a backseat to unfulfilled character patients. At least they should. But somehow they development makes me question how dedicated the don’t, which only makes the basis for “Almost show is to its plot. If the show is not committed to this plot, they probably shouldn’t be trying it at all. Family” that much more disgusting. Each step of the way, “Almost Family” is Once Dr. Bechley gets confronted, he conveniently has a heart attack and is put in the conventional and predictable. Yet it still manages hospital. As her father’s assistant, Julia hands out to fall short of meeting the most basic expectations. hundreds of DNA test kits to calm the scandal It can’t even seem to follow through on the promise down. Edie and Roxy both come in to get one. of its plot. Ultimately, the show is weighed down They quickly realize that they’re probably sisters. by uninteresting characters and a confused sense What’s strange is that this isn’t explicitly said, of self. If the show were more self-aware — or but implied. It’s as if the show forgot to confirm even more organized — there may be something that the three women are sisters. Which is even slavagable here. However, there’s no “almost” about more bizarre, because that’s half the plot of the any of this. “Almost Family” is most definitely off show. None of the women really engage with this to a confounding and disappointing start. MAXWELL SCHWARZ
Almost Family
All Mirrors Angel Olsen Jagjaguwar
FOX
Arts
6A — Monday, October 7, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
What I’m Listening To: A haunting, courtesy of Her’s SAMANTHA CANTIE Daily Arts Writer
Lately I’ve been haunted by Her’s. The haunting started at second 28 of their Paste Studio’s Performance; there’s this seamless moment of chemistry when the duo leans forward, synchronizing their body movement. The unity of their oscillation is both serious and full of jest. Stephen Fitzpatrick takes on a Donald Duck-like nature in his voice while Audun Laading (bass) goes for this wicked credit-cardswipe-move with his head. These dichotomous, “bromantic” mannerisms are characteristic of their debut album: Invitation to Her’s, a project that dapples in both the real and the fictitious, moving from an overtly melodramatic farewell for Fitzpatrick’s cat to exploring love and loss through the perspective of made-up characters. As Daily writer Jonah Mendelson covered in April 2019, Her’s died in a car crash while driving to Santa Ana for their North American tour. Fitzpatrick was 24, Laading was 25. At this brief moment when they drop into the bass line, it felt like they were alive. I watched their souls at the control booths of their physical bodies as they bop away to the bass — and they’re exuberant. In the video, they’re performing the track “What Once Was,” a song written in reference to a family member who passed. As these spine-chilling lyrics left the space of the screen and soaked into my brain, I found myself seeking explanations for the artist instead of myself. I can’t help but think they are now what once was instead of what is, as if they spoke their own fate into existence. And so the haunting began. This following has nothing to do with ghosts (although the eerie connotations are certainly there). Her’s showed up everywhere, refusing to let go of me. My roommate and I were dancing in our shabby, compact kitchen. We leaned towards each other to bounce with the music.
She looked up at me, all five feet of her, and scrunched her face to the bass. We’re a dancey duo, bouncing like Her’s did with these little idiosyncrasies that come alive with the music. The dancing continued across the kitchen tile and I thought about how duos develop and wonder if our duo gives, receives, teaches and grows just like the duo of Her’s did. My days seemed touched by Her’s. It’s a curious and confusing notion, that listeners seem to unite in phony solidarity when an artist’s creativity is cut short, only listening once an artist has died, as if we seek that specific post-death obsessing. Attaching to artists like Her’s after their death, I feel like everything is liable to higher penalties. Any sort of polarization seems to drop away from the comments section. Perhaps Her’s now displays a vulnerability in their music that isn’t preferential to a certain type of listener. It might be a universal woe that they were only permitted a launching pad, and nothing more. I don’t intend to reconcile the repercussions of Her’s tragedy. I don’t know how to do that. But I think by situating music as a beseiging of the mind, I suddenly create a creature that has a lot to teach me about the persistency, magnetism and unification of music. The personal, spine-chilling lingering of Her’s jangle pop sound took me over, and in doing so it presented lessons for the
HEIST OR HIT
experiential roots of listening. I listened to the bop and it showed up, braiding itself into my things, my people, and my objects. And we lean into music’s supernatural ability to draw parallels into our own realities. That unearthly quality of music showed up while dancing in my shitty kitchen, while swinging on the porch with my friends, while walking up to my apartment after an awful day. And simply put, Her’s ability to hit a bass like Johnny Cash and then seamlessly soothe the listener with an Ariel Pink sound deserves to be carried and weaved. With Invitation to Her’s we were invited to only glimpse Her’s potential. But now more than ever, music seems nostalgic and nagging, as if Stephen and Audun have invited me to feel music’s most gripping traits. October is the month of haunting, so let the music creep in.
WORLD MUSIC COLUMN
Jungle’s history: Appreciating an influential genre SAYAN GHOSH
Daily World Music Columnist
Even 20 years af ter its heyday, the rallying call “junglist massive” is sure to raise hell in certain circles. One of the main appeals of jungle music is the variet y of its appreciators (colloquially known as “junglists”) beyond the London youth who f irst championed and created it. From (f ictional) Irish priests to many more beyond the British Isles, thanks to the internet and a brief revival, the manic energ y that jungle can still conjure today is one of the main reasons behind its enduring popularit y. Jungle, like the hundreds of genres all sprouting up in the early and mid-1990s in North America and Europe, can loosely be traced back to house music, invented by black DJs in Chicago in the mid-1980s. Eventually, house jumped
Jungle, like the hundreds of genres all sprouting up in the early and mid-1990s in North America and Europe, can loosely be traced back to house music
the pond and g rew in popularit y in the United Kingdom, especially among youth in urban centers such as London and Bristol. Already existing in these urban music scenes was the inf luence of Jamaican musicians through the form of dub reggae and dancehall. Jungle was the result of natural crossovers bet ween the nascent House-inf luenced scene and these existing genres. While house is characterized by familiar repetitive 4/4 beats, jungle redef ined what it viewed as a rhy thmic focus. Pioneers of the genre took breakbeats from a variet y of genres and sped up, chopped and transformed them beyond recog nition to lay the foundation for the agg ressive raves where their tracks would be played. Combined with these breakbeats was heavily distorted, earth-shaking bass. This was a genre made for DJs to play around with at the (mostly illegal) raves in which the genre was f irst introduced to the public. And unlike a lot of music from the era, the genre still sounds fresh and f uturistic, with much room to revive and experiment with today. Even fans of Aphex Twin, ostensibly someone who makes a widely differing form of music, can appreciate and recog nize the unpredictable, intoxicating percussion of jungle in tracks such as “Flim.” Moreover, jungle retains a sort of utopian aspect to it, in that it is inseparable from a political ethos of multiracial equalit y, unit y and anti-austerit y against the Tor y (conser vative) government that held power in the United Kingdom in the 1990s and today. Ben Murphy of DJ Mag notes, “Jungle, though occasionally peppered with f unk, reggae and euphoric rave samples, tends to be moody and dark … it’s a heads-down sound that revels in hypnotic or sometimes fearf ul vibes.” Jungle practitioner Dead Man’s Chest, in the same feature, says, “That it should be back at the fore when America is run by a bigoted businessman and political uncertaint y reig ns across the globe, propagated by duplicitous governments through social media, makes a certain kind of sense.” Jungle at its core
is a form of rebellion against the divisive, harmf ul politics that the Trumps and Boris Johnsons of the world peddle against the increasingly multiracial societies their countries have been and are becoming. Part of the genre’s decline in popularit y was its dogged ref usal to become commercialized and to be used in peddling advertisements. Even though jungle is long past its prime, its inf luence has reached far and wide. The even more chaotic energ y of drum and bass comes out of the orig inal jungle sounds, not to mention the early works of g rime pioneers such as Dizzee Rascal and Wiley as well as more modern practitioners such as Skepta, who have gained worldwide notoriet y. Encourag ingly, small revivals have been popping out. Producers who never actually lived through the scene are tr ying their hand at making jungle, and younger DJs are themselves introducing the classics into their own sets, proving the timeless nature of the genre as well as its uniting power.
Part of the genre’s decline in popularity was its dogged refusal to become commercialized and to be used in peddling advertisements
Release Date: Monday, October 7, 2019
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Only president who was also chief justice 5 Storage structure for 30-Across 9 Hindu social division 14 Go back, on a PC 15 Arizona tribe 16 A, in Greece 17 Match audio and video 18 Frat Pack actor Wilson 19 Fish stories 20 Diane Keaton’s role in “The Godfather” films 23 Embitterment 24 Raid targets 25 Gave speeches 27 Desert plant 30 Lawn cutters 32 Southwestern crocks 33 “Maude” star 36 Boston Celtics’ org. 37 Harness racing vehicle 38 Nest egg letters 39 Fitzgerald’s “Great” title character 42 Until now 44 Jai alai ball 45 Soft-hearted 46 Japanese religion 48 Sheltered, at sea 49 Halloween headgear 50 “Maleficent” actress 56 On __: going wild 58 Miniature image to click on 59 Symphonic wind 60 Bond portrayer Roger 61 Fitted with footwear 62 Final or midterm 63 Private, as thoughts 64 Stew cookers 65 Former spouses
4 Bach’s “__ and Fugue in D Minor” 5 15-minute films, say 6 Coyote cries 7 Blunt sword 8 “The Flintstones” pet 9 Wedding hire 10 Pie-mode link 11 Workday with a longer-thantypical break 12 Over yonder 13 Let up 21 Heavy burden 22 “You gotta be kidding!” 26 Humanities major 27 “Nor” or “or,” in a dict. 28 “Sin City” actress Jessica 29 Trapshooter’s target 30 Word before toast or after peach 31 Like wines aged in certain barrels 33 Head-andshoulders sculpture
34 Eurasian border river 35 Red in the middle, as steak 37 Seat at the bar 40 Pentagon VIP 41 Editor or tailor, e.g. 42 Perceived 43 Lacking variety, musically 45 Pituitary and thyroid
46 Hindu guru 47 Discover, as a solution 48 In progress, as Sherlock’s “game” 51 Speech problem 52 Repeat 53 Curly-horned goat 54 Sniffer 55 Acquires 57 “How __ you doing?”
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
DOWN 1 Elephant tooth 2 Author Seton 3 Gp. responding to By Jeff Stillman Big Apple blazes ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/07/19
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
An unforgettable Jazz Showcase NATALIE KASTNER Daily Arts Writer
The University of Michigan School of Music, Theater & Dance’s Jazz Showcase by undergraduate and graduate jazz music students was presented at Hankinson Hall in the Moore building Thursday night. I was blown away. I was absolutely elevated to a more professional level of artistry than I have ever experienced at this University. (Actually, seeing Audra MacDonald at Hill Auditorium was the very top, but these students gave her a run for her money.) When I asked trumpet player/vocalist Ben Green from the band Sabbatical Bob why these showcases are so important at the University, he said the showcase “gives people perspective on where 90 percent of pop music they listen to is coming from. America’s entire music tradition is built on Black music, and ... that’s super important. Like what we were playing, the funk music and the big band music, everything we were playing tonight, it all stems from Black music.” Upon walking in, I was greeted with big band number “Without A Song,” with lyrics by William Rose and Edward Eliscu and music by Vincent Youmans and arranged by Rick Stitzel. My attention was immediately transfixed on the conductor; faculty member Ellen Rowe. Her back turned to the audience, Rowe reminded me of Edna Mode from Pixar movie “The Incredibles,” with her petite yet fiery frame commanding the Jazz Ensemble to an unmatched vibrancy. This was immediately followed by a performance of “Old Folks,” with lyrics written by Dedette Lee Hill and music by Willard Robison. The song, performed by music faculty members Ellen Rowe on piano and Dennis Wilson on a bluesy trombone, demonstrated a simple sense of humor and confident mastery of the artists’ craft. Original composition “Milkshake Boy Est Mort” by senior Mohan Ritsema was the most traditionally “jazz” composition, and it was really intriguing to see a brand new piece
of music on its feet for the first time. I’m excited to see how it evolves. The most enthralling performance of the evening had to be Horace Tapscott’s “To the Great House” with graduate jazz student Zekkereya El-magharbel leading the piece on trombone. Even counting my time in jazz clubs in New York City, I have never witnessed a performance quite like his. El-magharbel played the trombone like it was a true extension of his body, like he was giving his entire human will to perform with; to say I’m eager to see where he goes next is an understatement. He elevated the room, and fellow jazz students also performing the number around him were lifted up due to his professional artistry which provided an all around fabulous performance. Another standout was a bluegrass number titled “As Yet Untitled” written by Grant Flick and performed by jazz students Grant Flick on violin and Matt Davis on banjo. The complexity of the music and upbeat nature of bluegrass which I have only heard before in Nashville gave great variety to the show. “There’s something special about U-M, especially, that doesn’t really hold true in other places. You’ve got a funk band, a bluegrass band, a Bill Evans style piano trio, and a free improv group all in one set,” Cole Abod, a senior studying Jazz piano, said. The final numbers of the night were performed by funk band Sabbatical Bob. Jazz was originally my uncle’s favorite musical medium that he passed down to me, and he has since passed away. The majority of my childhood was spent following him in and out of jazz clubs near his home of New York City. When I met Ben Green of band Sabbatical Bob, it felt like a wink from the universe that the University’s Jazz ensemble is a program to be remembered. The name Sabbatical Bob came out of “the spirit of Bob (Jazz faculty member and acclaimed bassist Bob Hurst) on sabbatical.” Originally a band primarily playing small gigs and house parties, Sabbatical Bob are now performing at venues like The Blind Pig and Ziggy’s (their next show is there on Nov. 22) in Ypsi and have music on all streaming platforms.
When I met Ben Green of band Sabbatical Bob, it felt like a wink from the universe that the University’s Jazz ensemble is a program to be remembered
10/07/19
U-M 10 | 3 IOWA The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | October 7, 2019
SPORTSMONDAY Michigan sacks QB Nate Stanley eight times in win over Iowa
THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editor
 Jim Harbaugh felt no need to wait for questions. Walking into the press room Saturday afternoon, he had a “special guest” beside him and a message to deliver. The “special guest” was junior cornerback Ambry Thomas, a man who he introduced with a few laudatory sentences. The message didn’t need any introduction. “Obviously, that was a defensive masterpiece,” Harbaugh said, still adjusting his seat at the podium. As Harbaugh ran down the masterpiece’s exemplars — Don Brown’s game plan, the pass rush, the run defense, the secondary — his confidence in Michigan’s defense emanated. And after dispatching No. 14 Iowa in a 10-3 slugfest that moved the 19th-ranked Wolverines to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play, it’s easy to see where the confidence comes from. All week, the Hawkeyes were lauded as a replica of the Wisconsin team that routed Michigan, 35-14, two weeks ago. That game prompted wholesale dismissal of the Wolverines’ oncevaunted defense. Michigan’s response: not so fast. “Don called a great game, they were very well prepared,” Harbaugh said. “And player-wise, it was just obvious from play one to the last play of the game that everybody was hustling and running and playing with great effort.” Brown’s challenge to his defense in this prove-it week was to intercept Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley twice. Through four weeks, Stanley had been among the best statistical quarterbacks in college football, with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He finished Saturday with three. “They’re not really comfortable passing the ball, they’re not really a spread team or anything like that,” said senior linebacker Khaleke Hudson. “So (it was) just stopping the run and doing whatever we can for them to be uncomfortable.” Beneath Stanley’s stats, the Wolverines knew he couldn’t carry their offense without an efficient ground game. So Brown’s preparation focused on the run, snuffing out the Hawkeye’s ISO and power schemes in a way that Michigan’s defense failed to against the Badgers’ counter-heavy scheme in Madison. “Don, during the week, he said he might jump off a tall building if some of those (ISO) plays worked cause they really thought they had them,”
ALEC COHEN & ALEXANDRIA POMPEI / DAILY DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN
Harbaugh said. Rooftops around Ann Arbor, consider yourselves safe. Iowa’s final rushing totals: 30 carries, one yard. “We knew it’s the power Iowa, the big dogs who just run it down your throat,” said sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. “So we showed them what kind of run defense we have.” Michigan needed every part of its defense’s dominance. Early on, it looked as if the offense might be able to follow up its 52-point showing against Rutgers with a repeat against an opponent with a pulse. After an early field goal off a fumble recovery, Shea Patterson led off the next drive with a 51-yard post route to Nico Collins, showcasing the downfield passing ability that has only fleetingly popped its head above water all season. Five plays later, freshman running back Zach Charbonnet ran for his fourth touchdown of the year. That was with 8:33 to play in the first quarter. Michigan didn’t score again. “Sometimes, it’s gonna be like that,” Patterson said. “We were really fortunate that the defense came out and played the way they did, kept us in the game the entire time. … We left a lot out there. Gotta start finishing in the red zone.” Yet, among it all, the Wolverines kept their advantage on the scoreboard. For that, they had their defense to thank. Each time Iowa entered Michigan territory, it was stymied on the edge of field goal range. Sometimes it came as a result of their own undoing, with penalties and questionable playcalling. At others, it was an unavoidable consequence of the Wolverines’ eight sacks against an offensive line that was touted as a poor man’s version of Wisconsin’s. Poor indeed. “I’m not gonna lie, it felt pretty smooth on the field,” Hutchinson said. “It felt like everyone was doing their thing.” Still, kept afloat by Michigan’s anemic offense, the Hawkeyes had one final chance, taking over at their own 43 with 1:35 to play. After a fourthdown conversion on the first set of downs paved the way for three straight incompletions, Brown dialed up a blitz on fourth-and-10 with the game on the line. In the huddle, Hutchinson knew it was going to work as soon as he heard the playcall. Hudson was just excited for his shot at the quarterback. Seconds later, that’s exactly what he got, storming Stanley and forcing an emergency left-handed dump off that amounted to a hope and a prayer. The answer: Not today.
SportsMonday
2B — October 7, 2019
W
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday Column: Why Pride Day matters
hen I walked into U-M Soccer Stadium 45 minutes before the first game on Sunday, nobody was in the stands yet but “Dancing Queen” blared over the speakers. So, I guess there were never any plans to be subtle. That’s somehow both fitting and ironic, and it can fill both boxes because the Venn DiaETHAN gram of gays SEARS and sports is usually just two circles bumping up against each other. It’s fitting because it’s Pride Day here, for the first time ever, and we aren’t exactly shy about things like this. It’s ironic because we’re at a sporting event and athletes still swing heavily towards a muted, nonemotive way of carrying themselves. It’s still abjectly weird to break that mold, especially in the way LGBTQ folks stereotypically break it. That’s why there are exceedingly few openly gay athletes in collegiate or professional sports. It’s why those who come out stress for years about it, and it’s why I spent the first 20 minutes after I got there thinking about the social dynamics of playing “Dancing Queen” while some soccer players warmed up. There’s a deep-seated element of self-consciousness I still have about things like this. It’s not as bad as it was in high school, but it lingers now as my head goes in circles about this song. Nathan Brechd, the man who organized this day, seems to have shaken that element of himself a while ago. When I asked where to find him before the game, I was told by someone in the press box, “He’s the tall guy dancing near the table with
the Pride flag.” It turns out that Brechd is not gay himself, but an ally. That’s somewhat beside the point. If you’re working in sports and dancing around with a Pride flag, your level of unease with breaking norms is below zero. Brechd started researching last spring about whether other Big Ten teams had done something like a Pride Day, and the conversations started to heat up about three months ago. Sometime in between, the Athletic Department heard from the Department of Equity and Inclusion that some student athletes had asked about doing a pride day in an anonymous survey. Soccer — especially women’s soccer — has natural ties to the LGBTQ community, so it made sense to do it here. Brechd went on Maize Pages and reached out to every LGBTQ-affiliated group he could find. “I just wanted to be as authentic as possible,” Brechd said. “I didn’t want this to be a day that members of the LGBTQ community came out to and felt like we were being gimmicky or inauthentic.” They hung pride flags of various LGBTQ groups over the press box, gave away rainbow flags to fans in attendance, and set up face paint and chalk. At halftime, they played a video highlighting the Athletic Department’s inclusivity. It all felt somewhat understated and quaint, but in a comforting way. “I think it’s pretty great,” said Cyvvie Barton. She was in the stands with her partner, Laurel Hanna. “There are a lot of kids here. A lot of families here, which is cool. I haven’t been to a soccer
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
The Michigan men’s and women’s soccer teams hosted their first ever Pride Day on Sunday afternoon, a positive step for the Athletic Department.
game before, so I don’t know if the crowd compares or if it’s bigger or smaller than it usually is.” Both of them work at the University, for DEI. They heard about the event on social media and came anyway, sitting with a pride flag draped between them. I explained to them that I wasn’t quite sure how to write this story, how much I wanted to talk about my experience as a gay man and that I didn’t really know how to navigate these waters. Truthfully, I was hoping they’d help me find some coherence to this story, but as you’ve
I just wanted (the day) to be as authentic as possible.
figured out by now, that didn’t quite happen. “We were just talking about how many Pride events that we’ve been to this summer and stuff like that, so this is kind of like a great cherry on top of the year,” Barton said. “But yeah, I think women’s sports in general are more open to people being different than the standard. So LGBT initiatives kind of fit well into that narrative, I guess. Or people in general. “Whereas I think in a lot of men’s sports, especially professional sports, it’s not good to be different unless you’re the best person on the field. So it’s a little easier in some ways with women’s sports.” She was surprised that Pride Day wasn’t just for the women’s team. Neither of them saw men’s sports as being particularly wel-
coming to LGBT communities because, empty rhetoric aside, they’re not. That’s not meant to imply that there aren’t people trying to fix the problem or say that there hasn’t been marked progress being made. It’s not meant as a dramatic statement either. It’s just a fact. That shows itself in big ways — there’s no hiding the fact that throughout the four major professional leagues in America, there somehow isn’t a single openly gay man — and small ones, too. When the men’s soccer team took the field for warmups on Sunday, rap music played.
Nitpicking things like that belies the point, though. Some people like to dump on any progress that isn’t both wholesale and done in completely their way, going out of their way to find reasons things are still bad or will never be good. I hate those people, because underscoring all of those issues, however big, is an undercurrent of progress. On Sunday, thanks to Brechd, Michigan took a small step forward.
This is kind of like a great cherry on top of the year.
Sears can be reached at searseth@umich.edu or on Twitter @ethan_sears.
Freshmen shine Beecher, York, Pehrson all tally goals as Michigan rocks Windsor, 8-2, in exhibition matchup on Sunday afternoon BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer
The minute-long review of Johnny Beecher’s power-play goal was the only thing that caused doubt at Yost Ice Arena on Sunday afternoon. The freshman forward appeared to have kicked the puck into the net, but upon review, the referees determined that the contact with his foot was unintentional and Michigan was awarded the goal. The tally gave the Wolverines a 2-0 lead over Windsor heading into the first intermission, and the game didn’t get much closer from there. Michigan poured in six more scores to win, 8-2, in its season-opening exhibition. All the usual caveats about this being an exhibition game against a team in a lower division apply, but the Wolverines showed flashes of the team they could be this year. From the opening moments of the game, it was clear that one team had an advantage. Michigan didn’t allow the Lancers into the offensive zone for the first three minutes, and Windsor finished the first period with just three shots, all of which sophomore goaltender Strauss Mann stopped. “I thought there was a lot of good things that came out of that game, and that’s what we look for out of one of those games,” said senior forward Will Lockwood. “We kind of looked at it like it was a regular season game, so we came out hot. We didn’t score right off the bat, but pucks started to go in. I think we let off the gas a little bit which is what we want to focus on not doing, but overall, I thought it was good.” Sophomore forward Garrett Van Wyhe opened the scoring on a tipped pass from senior defenseman Luke Martin, and Michigan didn’t look back from then on out. Beecher’s powerplay score left the Lancers in a 2-0 hole to close the opening stanza, and the Wolverines picked up where they left off in
the second. Freshman defenseman Cam York lit the lamp for his first of two times on the afternoon when sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg fired a shot from the top of the right circle that caught York’s stick and snuck behind goaltender Jonathan Reinhart. Minutes later, freshman defenseman Keaton Pehrson unleashed a slapshot from the left circle that Reinhart didn’t have a chance of stopping. “I liked our freshmen, especially our two defensemen,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “You can see that they’re both good defensemen. We’ve really got some potential on offense with them.” By the time Windsor got on the scoreboard, the hole had already been dug. After York went down behind the net, forward Mel Melconian picked up the puck and passed it to teammate Ryan Shaw. Shaw’s shot went over senior goaltender Hayden Lavigne’s right shoulder for the Lancers’ first tally of the night, but Michigan still led by three. Michigan quickly extended the lead once again in the closing minutes of the second period on a highlight-reel backhander from York and another power-play tally, this time from sophomore forward Jimmy Lambert. Lambert’s power-play goal was the second of three for the Wolverines — out of six opportunities. Pearson made some changes to the power play this offseason, giving associate head coach Bill Muckalt the reins of the unit. “You have systems but then you have to have players that can just read off of that,” Pearson said. “Not everything’s going to go tic tac toe, so you have to take what they give you and then create some things offensively. And I thought we didn’t score on some of our best chances on the power play, but it looked good.” The biggest question mark of the night was Lavigne, who allowed two goals on 14 shots
for a save percentage of .857. Lavigne entered last season with the starting job, but he quickly started splitting time with Mann, as was the case Sunday. Mann faced fewer shots than Lavigne, but the second goal Lavigne allowed came on a play where he didn’t get his pad across in time to make what could’ve been a straightforward save. “(Lavigne) was good,” Pearson said. “He made some tough saves. You know, I’m sure he’d like the second one back but when you haven’t played for a long time, it’s just a fluky thing. He made some real hard saves. I liked his alertness. I liked the way he moved the puck. I thought he was good, too.” Coming into Sunday’s exhibition, Michigan wasn’t worried about getting the win. It was almost expected, and the biggest things Pearson hoped to learn were about this team’s potential. After putting up eight goals on a goaltender with a career save percentage above .900 and allowing just two, the Wolverines look poised for a better year than last year. It was only an exhibition, but the pieces seem to be there for a strong season.
ROHAN KUMAR Daily Sports Writer
When it comes to college athletics, no matter how talented a recruit is, there is always uncertainty as to how well the skills will translate. The Michigan hockey team was no stranger to that this preseason. The Wolverines brought in a freshman class of five — including first-round NHL draft picks in defenseman Cam York and forward Johnny Beecher — hoping to find some key contributors. It takes more than one game to rid uncertainty. Regardless, Sunday’s exhibition win against Windsor shed some light on what the underclassman can bring to the program. York, Beecher and defenseman Keaton Pehrson were the three freshmen who saw the ice in Sunday’s 8-2 victory — with forwards Eric Ciccolini and Nick Granowicz ruled healthy scratches — and all three notched tallies on the box score. Of the three, York’s presence shined brightest. Six minutes into the second period, he received a quick pass near the
left circle and delivered the puck past Lancer goaltender Jonathan Reinhart. That goal marked the first of his college career — one he’s thought about for a while. “I’ve been dreaming of playing out there for a long time,” York said. “Just to have that opportunity to put it in the back of the net was a dream come true.” Less than 10 minutes later, York was back in the spotlight. This time, though, he flashed more showmanship. Streaking down the right wing, York collected the puck and moved it through his legs with a creative ease before scoring his second goal of the night. “In practice every now and then, I’ll get a pass that’s a little bit behind me and I’ll do that,” York said. “It’s just kind of an ‘in the moment’ type of thing. It worked out, so that’s pretty cool.” Though Beecher and Pehrson didn’t show quite as much craft, they still made their names heard. In the final minute of the opening frame, Beecher strategically positioned himself in front of the crease, and a deflection
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Freshman defenseman Cam York scored twice in Michigan’s 8-2 exhibition game win over Windsor on Sunday.
off his foot led to Michigan’s second goal. With all the energy and emotions built up leading into their first game, the Wolverines scrapped with opposing players after whistles were blown, a few times. Beecher got in the action at one point, after taking a hit near the boards. Though Michigan coach Mel Pearson hopes for more discipline out of those situations, the play proved Beecher is not afraid to get involved. “Johnny got hit up high, but, again, you have to be able to take that,” Pearson said. “You have to turn the cheek and play hard and let the referees call the game. It’s a physical game and a physical sport and sometimes you don’t like getting bounced around a little bit, but you have to understand, we have to control that. Johnny’s a big strong guy, so he can handle himself. He’ll be fine.” Pehrson had his moment in the middle of the second frame. Sophomore forward Luke Morgan sent the puck his way from the right to left circle, and Pehrson showed off his strength, rifling the puck past Reinhart. The Lancers aren’t at the caliber of opponents Michigan will face here on out. They normally don’t compete in the NCAA, so it was easy for Pearson to give the newcomers substantial ice time. That said, he was pleased with their performances and is keen on keeping the freshmen involved. And if their adjustment to the college game continues to go smoothly, it could pay dividends moving forward. “I’m not surprised they’ve got the skill, it’s just a matter of learning what it takes every night and how hard you have to play and how much quicker the pace is and stronger. And it’ll even go up a notch or two from tonight to the next game,” Pearson said. “But like I said, they’re good hockey players and you could tell that tonight.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
October 7, 2019 — 3B
Michigan’s OL and what could have been ‘M’ cruises over ‘Cats MEN’S SOCCER
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
As Michigan’s offense stalled to a halt on Saturday, prompting worry and disbelief from everyone except coach Jim Harbaugh, one area emerged without widespread critique — the offensive line. Shea Patterson was sacked just twice, and any pressure on him usually felt like a result of his standing in the pocket too long. Michigan’s run game vacillated between solid and slightly belowaverage with 3.6 yards per carry. On the few drives where the Wolverines moved the ball, the line got a noticeable push. AJ Epenesa, the Hawkeyes’ stud edge rusher, had a relatively quiet day, with two tackles — albeit a sack and a TFL. All of this is to say that the line wasn’t much of a story in Michigan’s 10-3 win over Iowa. It played just fine — a line that has held firm for most of the year. It did for most of last year, too. An area that, during a week one loss at Notre Dame in 2018, seemed poised to halt any progress the Wolverines had made, is now the least of anybody’s concerns. Saturday was an apt time to think about this, because an alternate history came with it. Alaric Jackson, a 6-foot-6 junior from Detroit, lined up in an Iowa uniform. Jackson will be in the NFL one day — if not next year, then in 2021. If Michigan’s line hadn’t figured itself out in the last year, he might have been standing there on the sideline Saturday as one of the most glaring recruiting misses of the Harbaugh era. As 2016’s recruiting cycle came down to the wire, Harbaugh had Devery Hamilton, a four-star tackle from Baltimore, signed, sealed and delivered. He was supposed to be the next big thing. Then he got into Stanford late in the process. Hamilton flipped. Michigan, suddenly, was left with a spot to fill. “It looked like a need,” Steve
STEEL HURLEY For The Daily
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Michigan’s offenive line continued its consistent play, allowing just two sacks against Iowa on Saturday afternoon.
Lorenz, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports, said this week. Jackson was local and wellregarded, a high-level 3-star prospect. Michigan kept an eye on him in case this scenario came to pass, though it hadn’t extended an offer. That’s the luxury of being the biggest program recruiting a kid in-state. Jackson would have gone to Michigan with an offer, and Michigan knew it. After Hamilton flipped, Michigan offered Jackson. Then, at the last second before signing day, the Wolverines pulled the offer. “It’s still up to (Michigan),” Lorenz said. “They still have to send the letter in for him to be able to sign with them. “... I suspect it was much more of a numbers type thing (than Jackson’s ability). Not that they were full, necessarily, but sometimes the decision is, do we bank a scholarship for next cycle or do we take this guy? And there were a couple (players) at a couple different positions that Michigan did not send a letter to that same day.” There’s nothing particularly untoward about Michigan’s behavior. The Wolverines likely
told Jackson of the situation ahead of time, knowing he had an Iowa offer in his back pocket. It comes down to the reality of recruiting, and the reality of where Michigan thought it was at that point — in the second year of the Harbaugh era and ascending. Judging by the next class when it signed, you wouldn’t have batted an eye at the decision. On the line, it featured center Cesar Ruiz, tackles Andrew Stueber and JaRaymond Hall and guards Joel Honigford and Chuck Filiaga — all highly-touted. Of that group, only Ruiz starts now. Stueber got hurt before this season. Filiaga and Honigford are backups, though there still is a notable optimism around the former. Hall is no longer with the program. On the first day of the 2017 season, Michigan started a group that lacked in experience. It didn’t go well. The Wolverines finished that season 117th in adjusted sack rate, and the problems seemed to carry over into the 2018 opener against the Fighting Irish. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where Jackson grabs a starting tackle job from Jon Runyan Jr. or Juwann Bushell-Beatty after that
game, then runs with it. It’s easy to imagine he does so before then. “You go across the line, Runyan’s (class of ) ‘16, Bredeson’s ‘16, Ruiz is ‘17, Big Mike (Onwenu) is ‘16 and then Mayfield is ‘18, right?” Lorenz said. “So, you look at that, it’s hard not to imagine Jackson wouldn’t be one of the starting tackles right now.” Instead of Jackson starting, Runyan flipped a switch and turned himself into one of the most dependable tackles in the conference. Bushell-Beatty had a fine senior year and now, Mayfield seems to be a long-term starter. On Saturday, Mayfield sat at a Crisler Center podium taking questions following Harbaugh who, minutes earlier, went out of his way to highlight the line. “I thought our offensive line played really good. Played really physical,” Harbaugh said. “And played against some really good players, too. They got some really — they got guys who can put pressure on the quarterback. That showed up a few times.” So, hypotheticals, what-ifs and future NFL tackles passed over aside, Michigan is pretty happy with what it has.
Persistence pays off. It’s an old adage that constantly finds modern applications. The Michigan men’s soccer team (5-2-3 overall, 2-0-2 Big Ten) found the truth of that on Sunday as it beat Northwestern (5-5-1, 1-21) by a score of 3-0. The game got off to a slow start, but picked up in intensity in the second half. Both teams struggled to create scoring opportunities in the first half, and failed to turn any of the sparse chances into goals. The best opportunity of the first half came in the 23rd minute, when Wildcat goalie Miha Miskovic came out to clear a long throw by junior defender Austin Sweich but was beaten to the ball by fifth-year forward Nebojsa Popovich. But Popovich’s header harmlessly struck the crossbar with the open goal gaping. The Wolverines began to ramp up the pressure in the second half, coming out of the locker room on the front foot and staying there throughout the rest of the game. Nine minutes into the second half, junior defender Jackson Ragen headed a corner from senior forward Jack Hallahan back across the goal to the near post, where it was smashed home by junior midfielder Carlos Tellez to break the deadlock. Three minutes later, junior defender Joel Harrison played in Tellez through the right hand side, but Tellez’s chip past the goalie drifted just wide. Tellez had a breakout game off the bench, playing a very influential role after his introduction in the middle of the first half. His high work rate and ability to read the game kept Northwestern pinned back for all of the second half and kept chance after chance coming for Michigan. “(I’m) doing everything for the team, whatever role that
takes,” Tellez said. “Whether it’s starting, coming off the bench, coach knows I am always there for whatever role needs to be played. So I am just happy to come off the bench and help the team in whatever way I can.” The Wolverines doubled their tally with 33 minutes left in the game after a fantastic driving run by Popovic with the ball, where he drifted past several defenders before unleashing a shot into the top left corner. A beautiful give-and-go between sophomore midfielder Kevin Buca and Tellez with 13 minutes left allowed Buca to put a cross in to the far post, where senior midfielder Umar Farouk Osman was waiting unmarked. Osman calmly settled the ball and slotted it past the charging Miskovic and into the net, increasing the lead to three and effectively sealing the game for the Wolverines. Hallahan was his usual influential self, continually providing a threat to score. He had two assists on the night, and proved instrumental as a playmaker and facilitator throughout. “Jack is a difference maker … he’s a special player … most importantly, he’s a great team guy,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. “He really is a selfless player who works hard for the team.” The defense held strong again, limiting Northwestern to just six shots and recording its third consecutive clean sheet. Ragen led the way with a stout defensive performance, and senior goalkeeper Andrew Verdi had a good game as well. “Our first half performance was pretty solid,” Daley said. “Defensively, we gave our team a chance to win the game and that just stayed contagious throughout the game. The first goal … created confidence within the group for all the positive soccer that we were going in the right direction.”
Wolverines’ pass rush proves worth Cazzie Russell on Howard’s next steps JACOB KOPNICK
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
Daily Sports Editor
Early this week, Don Brown offered his defense a challenge. Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley had thrown eight touchdowns and zero interceptions on the season. The Michigan defensive coordinator told his guys to try for at least two picks. But when sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson dug into the film, he noticed something else: Stanley rarely got hit. With ample time in the pocket, of course his throws were clean. So Hutchinson and the rest of the pass rush vowed to pressure Stanley and force him to make plays. Eight sacks, three interceptions and a 10-3 Wolverines win later, it was clear: Stanley failed the test. “After today, we smacked him,” Hutchinson said. “And that showed what happens when you apply pressure on that guy.” In a game Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called a “defensive masterpiece,” it was the Wolverines’ vaunted pass rush that provided the most luster. Brown frequently called blitz packages, and no matter who was tabbed with chasing down Stanley, they got to him. Five different players — Hutchinson, junior defensive end Kwity Paye, fifth-year senior linebacker Jordan Glasgow, sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone and fifth-year senior defensive end Michael Danna — had at least one sack. Michigan’s eight sacks were not only the most in one game since 2016, they were more than Stanley had been sacked in the Hawkeyes’ previous four games combined. Brown knew that Iowa was
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson had a sack in Saturday’s win.
a bruising, run-it-down-yourthroat type of team. He saw how much the Wolverines had struggled against a similar style against Wisconsin two weeks ago. But the Hawkeyes didn’t have a Heisman-candidate running back like Jonathan Taylor, so Brown predicated his game plan on one thing: stopping the run. And as senior viper Khaleke Hudson put it, “the results talked for themselves.” Iowa finished the game with one rushing yard. Michigan forced Stanley to pass, and when he dropped back, the Wolverines brought the blitz. They constantly forced the Hawkeyes into third-andlong situations, making Iowa’s offense as one-dimensional as the Badgers made Michigan’s. “They’re not really comfortable passing the ball,” Hudson said. “They’re not really a spread team or anything like that. So just stopping the run and doing whatever we can for them to be uncomfortable.” Iowa was so uncomfortable that, in an effort to stop the Wolverines’ rush, they committed two consecutive holding penalties on one drive in the fourth quarter. That, combined with a false start, set up third-and-19 at Michigan’s 39 — at which point Stanley was
We didn’t need any Supermans or any superheroes.
unceremoniously sacked again. “That’s huge,” Harbaugh said. “That’s how you get the one yard rushing, when you can get those big plays, those big tackles for losses and sacks. Brought a lot of pressure, plus it led to a lot of penalties. Our guys were getting held quite a bit and that showed up in the game.” The Hawkeyes had one last shot to win the game in the fourth quarter. They drove into Michigan’s territory with the clock winding down, and on fourth-and-10, Stanley dropped back. The Wolverines brought the blitz. Some tried to strip the ball out while others aimed to bring Stanley down. Somehow, Stanley escaped, throwing the ball with his left hand to an open receiver who seemed to have lots of space in front of him. But Michigan still stopped the play for a loss, mostly due to the pass rush pushing Stanley back so far even a catch had little chance. Then, the offense kneeled out the clock for a win. “Everybody had to do their jobs, stick to their assignments,” Danna said. “We didn’t need any Supermans or any superheroes.” He was referring to the defense, and how it was a team effort that led to the win. But really, the Wolverines — with a paltry offensive showing — did need a superhero, and as Stanley faltered under pressure again and again, the passrushers might as well have been wearing capes.
up with the program. Following the team since his departure to the NBA in 1966, Russell was quick to share his thoughts on the decision to bring on Howard to stand at the helm. And judging by his questions, Russell is just anxious as the rest of us to see what Howard’s squad is going to look like. “I think that it’s a great hire for several reasons,” Russell told The Daily. “It always was a dream of mine to come back and coach at my alma mater. It’s gotta be a great feeling, having played here. “He seems to be well aware, very cognizant of where he is in terms of this program. So it’s good. I think he’s going to do well, of course we need to wait and see what type of game would he like to play. Up-tempo, how his team’s gonna be defensively? Will they do a good job of implementing some inside and outside stuff and not just specifically one facet?” Perhaps Russell’s time with the program could lend some answers to his own questions. But he’ll be the first one to tell you that that was then, and this, as it goes, is now. It may be an understatement to say that college basketball and the Michigan program specifically have changed since the ‘60’s. The three-point line wasn’t even added to NCAA courts until 1986. “I drove around to look at even the great improvement down by the athletic department,” Russell
said. “I mean, that’s a city within a city. A lot of things have changed, and you look at the impact of the changing of time, and what things are necessary to keep up with the program and keep up with other teams. “There’s a lot of things you have to do to stay competitive, so I get a chance to look at all this. I mean your own catering service. I mean, man, please!” Now, all Russell can do is sit back and see the manifestation of the blood, sweat and tears he left in Ann Arbor. After the signing session, Russell got up and went over to a reunion dinner with the remaining members of that 1966 team — a tradition upheld since their graduation. And among the shared laughs, food and drink, it was inevitable that the conversation turned to legacy and how those players have left their mark on Michigan history. “It’s fascinating to me to see this progression and then to think back on 1962 up until now, but you’re part of that history,” Russell said. “You look at everything, and maybe, just maybe, you might’ve had an impact or influence on things getting started in this direction. So you think back about how blessed you are to reflect about this history. “No matter what anybody says, they can’t take away from the fact that you were a part of this history.”
As he sat there embracing both old and new fans of Michigan basketball, Cazzie Russell didn’t miss a beat. Despite not having donned a Michigan jersey since 1966, the Wolverine legend’s presence loomed just as large. Signing autographs as part of the release of a line of Michigan basketball memorabilia on Friday, Russell sat there as a beaming fan regaled him with a tale of his first Michigan basketball game — a rousing affair in which the legendary guard dropped 48 points. Next up was a woman who clung onto a framed old newspaper article portraying Russell headlining that year’s All-America team — a squad that included current Miami Heat President and NBA legend Pat Riley. Russell, sitting at a table with a 20-foot photo of himself standing in the midst of a construction site that would become Crisler Center in the background, was as chipper as ever. His presence in Ann Arbor harkens back to the early chapters of the basketball program’s successes and calls for a moment of reflection before it’s set to enter a new era — one marked by freshly minted head coach Juwan Howard. Recognizing the potential impact a visit with a program legend could have on his team, Howard brought Russell in to talk with his players last week. While Russell’s drop-in may have been more of a formality, a nod to the two-time consensus first team AllAmerican player, there is no doubt his mere presence elicited ideas of the heights to which a Michigan player can soar. After all, this is the No. 1 overall pick in the 1966 NBA Draft, the 1966 College Player of the Year and the man who led the Wolverines to three consecutive Big Ten titles and two Final Fours. When the Crisler Center construction was eventually completed, they dubbed the new stadium, “The house that Cazzie built.” FILE PHOTO/Daily With that pedigree, it’s Michigan legend Cazzie Russell commended the hire of Juwan Howard. unsurprising that Russell has kept
SportsMonday
4B — October 7, 2019
End the Harbaugh whiplash
I
don’t know about you all, but I’m exhausted. Saturday, a pretty-goodbut-flawed Michigan team beat a pretty-goodbut-flawed Iowa team, 10-3, in a game that clearly highlighted MAX both team’s MARCOVITCH merits and shortcomings. The Wolverines were favored by 3.5 points — and that seems about right. Their defense shone, their offense sputtered. The former outlasted the latter, and so Michigan is now 4-1 instead of 3-2. It was the fifth top-15 win of the Jim Harbaugh era, none of which have come away from Michigan Stadium. That’s a game Michigan wins at home and might not on the road. And that’s all it was. We’re five years into Harbaugh’s tenure now, and all of these narratives follow a remarkably consistent path. It’s time to stop treating every “big” game as a referendum on the Harbaugh era. This Iowa game, that coming Notre Dame game. Hell, even this Ohio State game. In all likelihood, none of it will bring about the “breaking point” that so many in the national media ecosystem seem to clamor for. Some, like Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, billed this Iowa game as such. “I believe that Saturday is the defining moment of the Harbaugh era,” Klatt said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “… If they do (win), there’s at least hope. If they don’t, they’re in trouble. I think it’s in-defendable if they lose this weekend.” This is not to pick on Klatt specifically, who is merely one in an assembly line of analysts who recite similar tropes. This specific team has some real flaws, no matter if its coach wants to acknowledge them, publicly
or otherwise. Asked to assess his offense — which gained 267 yards, totaled under four yards per carry for the fourth consecutive game and failed to score in the final 53:33 of the game — Harbaugh said: “I really do think they’re hitting their stride. Got great faith in our players and our coaches.” Some diagnosed the characterization as wrong and tone deaf or — undoubtedly worse — correct and indicting. Others dismissed it as a defense mechanism for his players, who will face the brunt of criticism this week for an offense that looks lost. Criticism is wholly warranted right now. This offense, billed as a bale of goods has, instead, been a bundle of mediocrity. No spin will change that. But what the head coach says publicly doesn’t matter if the actions behind the scenes dictate otherwise. What it shouldn’t be, as everything seems to funnel back to these days, is a commentary on the future of the Michigan football program, and specifically on the Harbaugh era. Michigan is a top-10-to-15 football program in the nation. It is a good program that almost always wins the games it should and almost never wins the games it shouldn’t. The latter is what
prohibits upward ascension. That boils down to recruiting, execution and, yes, coaching. No, the momentary satisfaction of removing the head coach would not be the salve to vault this program into that elite upper-echelon. This doesn’t seem to be the year that move happens, if it ever does. As it turns out, that leap is quite rare and quite difficult to sustain — particularly when your primary rival is among the best programs in the nation. We’re five years in now. This is what it is. Not every game is “Harbaugh’s breaking point.” Most are not. When Michigan goes to Penn State, it will have a chance to win a road game of the ilk it has yet to do under Harbaugh. Take it to the bank that some commentators — national media, in particular — will bill it as some form of a breaking point. An inflection point. A moment of truth. Choose your cliché. Win or lose, there will be some wildly reactionary narrative that will stray to one polar end. Then, we’ll gear up for Notre Dame weekend to do it all again. Sometimes a mid-season home win over Iowa is just that — no more, no less. Let’s stop pretending otherwise. Because I’m getting pretty tired of it.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Defense puts together ‘masterpiece’ MAX MARCOVITCH Managing Sports Editor
With 1:35 left in the fourth quarter, Michigan’s offense asked its defense to step up one more time. The unit had been bailed out all afternoon — the offense mired in a bewildered mess, the defense responding emphatically. Rinse, repeat. The whiplash hadn’t hindered defensive coordinator Don Brown’s unit. To that point, Iowa had a single rushing yard. Its quarterback, Nate Stanley, had been picked off three times. The Wolverines were flying. Eight sacks. Twelve tackles for loss. Up 10-3, they just had to do it one more time. And, really, was there ever a doubt? “When the game’s on the line, that’s what we want,” said senior defensive end Mike Danna after the game. “We wanted the defense up. Everybody on the sideline had juice. The coaches had juice. It was all about energy, and that’s what we want. We wanted our backs against the wall. We had the opportunity and came out on top.” Despite advantageous field
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s program has yet to make the leap so many national commentators expect it to.
position and a fourth-down conversion to keep their brief hopes alive, the Hawkeyes succumbed to the Wolverines’ swarming defense one last time. With Iowa’s hopes growing ever fleeting, faced with a fourth-and-10 from the Michigan 44-yard line, Stanley dropped back once more and quickly felt the heat of multiple incoming pass rushers. He somehow managed to release a left-handed prayer to his checkdown back, who was stopped well short of the line to gain. It was a fitting capper to one of the best defensive showcases of the Jim HarbaughDon Brown era. “Obviously that was a defensive masterpiece,” Harbaugh said. “Our defense, Don Brown, the coaches, the players. Don called a great game. They were very well prepared. Player-wise, it was just obvious from play one to the last play of the game, everybody was hustling and running and playing with great effort.” Michigan’s 12 TFLs marked the 18th time in Brown’s tenure the defense registered double-digit TFLs in a single game. Perhaps most notably, the Wolverines held Iowa’s purportedly vaunted bruising rushing attack to one yard, just the fourth time in recorded history the Hawkeyes had been held to one or fewer rushing yards in a game. The latter point underscores the progress this defense has made since the 35-14 drubbing in Wisconsin two weeks ago, when the Badgers marched through this defense with remarkable ease. The 358-yard disparity between those outputs tells the entire tale. The players knew coming into the week that Iowa would try to mimic some of the looks that gave them fits two weeks prior. Brown challenged his defense to rise to the challenge. There’s no
parsing the obvious: Challenge accepted. “I think we all just played our asses off on the defense. We knew it was power Iowa, the big dogs who just run it down your throat,” said sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, with a noticeable chide when rehearsing those cliches. “We showed ’em what kind of run defense we had.” Added Harbaugh: “Don, during the week, he said he might jump off a tall building if some of those isolation plays work. They really thought they had them, and really thought the players had a great week of practice, and knew exactly what to do, how to do it, and did it with great intensity and great effort. “To hold a team to one yard rushing, that’s a masterpiece.” The running game wasn’t the only facet which the defense emphasized in the lead up to the game, though. Stanley came into the game without having thrown an interception all season — and having been sacked more than four times only once in his career. Brown’s defense picked off Stanley thrice and sacked him eight times. “We knew Stanley, coming into this game, didn’t throw any picks,” Hutchinson said. “After watching all the film, you see he never really got hit. After today, we smacked him and that showed what happens when you apply pressure on that guy.” And still, in spite of a thoroughly-dominant defensive effort, Michigan’s defense stepped onto the field with just over a minute and needed a stop. They’d been on the field for 32:27 to that point. They’d allowed just six of 17 third- and fourth-down conversions. They’d played 13 drives and allowed 17.6 yards per drive and three points. In short, they’d done all they’d been asked. So what was one more?
FOOTBALL
Harbaugh: Offense is hitting stride ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
An hour after a game in which Michigan scored just 10 points, averaged just 4.5 yards per play and gained less than 300 yards total, Jim Harbaugh sat behind a microphone and declared that his team’s offense was “hitting our stride.” There are a lot of ways to deflect criticism after a game like Saturday’s. Harbaugh might have pointed to Iowa’s defense. He might have said things are still working into place under offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, that even in the second month of the season, it’s OK to be working out kinks in a new system. He might have reiterated what he had said five minutes prior — that the Wolverines took what was there against an opponent whose games always look like Saturday’s 10-3 Michigan win. It’s hard to sell that the offense actually played well. It’s harder to sell that this was some kind of peak. Because if there’s even an inkling of truth to it, then the Wolverines have a long eight weeks ahead. Whatever good will built up since Michigan’s 52-0 demolition of Rutgers a week ago — the first time Gattis’ offense seemed to have a clear, well-executed plan of attack — evaporated into confusion and consternation against Iowa. After a solid first few drives in which the run game seemed to get some momentum, senior quarterback Shea Patterson found junior wideout Nico Collins on a jump ball and freshman Zach Charbonnet ran for a two-yard score, Michigan failed to string together another coherent set of plays until the start of the fourth quarter. When that finally happened, it ended in Jake Moody missing a 34-yard field goal. While the defense played to the moment, showing the kind of urgency needed to win against a top-20 opponent, the offense looked listless and disinterested.
Patterson finished 14-of-26 for 147 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. It added up to a 93.6 rating — worse than every game he played last season in an offense that was accused of being antiquated and out of style. “Once we hit that (pass to Collins), they started to back off a little bit and we started to take our underneath reads,” Patterson said. In other words, the Hawkeyes’ defense dictated what Michigan could and couldn’t do. Gattis has said he wants exactly the opposite to happen in his system, one predicated on putting players in conflict, so no matter what choice they make, it’s wrong. And yet, his unit has been the one forced into impossible choices repeatedly — and it happened all day long on Saturday. “I thought Shea in particular took what was there and sometimes there wasn’t anything there,” Harbaugh said. “And managed the game extremely well.” But Harbaugh didn’t recruit Patterson as a game-manager. The nervous tension in the building when Patterson took a seat next to Harbaugh at Crisler Center for a basketball game two years ago, and the explosion of joy in Ann Arbor when he eventually committed wasn’t because Michigan had secured another Brandon Peters or John O’Korn. Patterson came here to fix an offense that, in 2017, looked a whole lot like the offense we saw on Saturday. One that couldn’t keep a drive going, get opponents to respect the passing game or take advantage of the talent on the field. For a year in between, Patterson’s first under center in a Michigan uniform, things were not perfect, but they were markedly better. The run game
hummed as the offensive line overperformed expectations. Patterson proved to excel at creating something out of nothing, running around out of the pocket with a knack for finding whoever would inevitably break open. It didn’t look great against Ohio State, and Florida stopped the Wolverines in their tracks, but it’s hard not to acknowledge that Michigan might have spent this offseason trying to fix something that wasn’t broken. The first five games of this season are the result. The Wolverines managed to win four of those on the back of their defense. But every opponent left is either on the road or ranked, and most of them won’t commit the comedy of errors Iowa fell victim to at times on Saturday. “That’s just kinda football. That’s how it goes sometimes,” Patterson said. “You’re gonna have days like that. And when the defense is playing lightsout like that, just stay patient.” It would be much easier to buy that if Michigan hadn’t waded the last five games of the season like a team searching for an answer. Or if they seemed any closer to finding one against Iowa than they were before. “I really do think they’re hitting their stride,” Harbaugh reiterated when pressed on his answer. “Got great faith in our players and our coaches.” He was asked in exactly what ways that might be the case. “In every way,” he said. Then he repeated himself. “In every way. That’s what I see.” Harbaugh knows far more about football than most people on this planet. But it doesn’t take a genius to realize what anyone can see with two plain eyes. If this is Michigan’s stride, then Michigan’s offensive reclamation has failed.
I really do think they’re hitting their stride. ... In every way.