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Trial starts for suit brought by members of ‘U’ faculty Discrimination lawsuit over violation of state civil rights law heads to court EMMA STEIN
Daily Staff Reporter
OLIVIA CELL/Daily University President Mark Schlissel speaks on the Climate Coalition in an interview with The Daily in Fleming Administration Building Monday.
President Schlissel talks carbon neutrality, Detroit Innovation Center Head of University discusses importance of youth voter participation AMARA SHAIKH, LIAT WEINSTEIN & EMMA STEIN
Daily News Editor & Daily Staff Reporters
Each month, The Michigan Daily’s Administration Beat sits down with University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel to discuss important questions about University policy, commitments and challenges. Topics discussed at this month’s interview included the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality, The Detroit Center for Innovation, the
discrimination lawsuit filed against the University and more. At the beginning of the meeting, The Daily also spoke with Jennifer Haverkamp, director of the Graham Sustainability Institute and co-chair of the President’s Commission on Climate Neutrality, about the Commission’s first interim report that was released Monday morning. Haverkamp said the report includes input from over 90 individuals and highlights the first phase of the Commission’s work, which is focused on devising strategies to reach carbon neutrality and planning for potential
obstacles in the future. Some of the goals include creating a Carbon Accounting Subgroup to estimate the amount of methane leakage in the University’s natural gas supply chain, hiring an external consulting firm to suggest ways to reach carbon neutrality and adding the Flint and Dearborn campuses to the objectives. The Michigan Daily: How will the carbon neutrality goals translate over to the Detroit Innovation Center? Mark Schlissel: That’s a really interesting question. So since the Detroit Center is quite a new concept, and actually
it hasn’t been fully designed, and there’s not a shovel in the ground, I don’t know. But yeah, there are opportunities to make that a model building. And the folks that are doing the development are thinking along those lines. Once we know what we’re going to do, we’ll announce it ... the buildings being built by outside developers that will be donated to the university. So although we have input into the building, we won’t have control of it until it’s complete and given to us as a gift. See SCHLISSEL , Page 3
Current faculty member Emily Lawsin and former faculty member Scott Kurashige filed a discrimination lawsuit in 2016 against the University of Michigan under the ElliottLarsen Civil Rights Act. Their trial began yesterday at 9 a.m. at the Washtenaw County Court and it is scheduled to continue until December 23. Kurashige and Lawsin are seeking more than $25,000 in damages to compensate for emotional distress, loss of reputation and lost salaries. They cite a “hostile work environment for faculty of color and women” at the University, “(p)atterns of racial discrimination in faculty hiring” within the Department of American Culture and racial discrimination in leadership selection and promotion, among other things, in their lawsuit. They also claim the Office of Institutional Equity failed to investigate the Kurashige’s complaints of
discrimination in a just and efficient manner. Lawsin is a lecturer IV in the Women’s Studies and American Culture departments and Kurashige was a tenured professor and the director of the Asian/ Pacific Islander American Studies Program before he left in 2014. Both began working at the University in 2000. Kurashige was removed from his position as director of the A/PIA Studies program and said he felt pressured to quit his tenured position. He now works as a professor at the University of Washington. Kurashige additionally seeks reinstatement to both his former positions at the University. They are being represented by attorneys Alice Jennings and Carl Edwards of Edwards and Jennings PC, a law firm based in Detroit. The United Asian American Organizations released a statement on Sunday in support of Lawsin and Kurashige in their lawsuit and urged students to attend the trial to show support. See TRIAL, Page 3
ADMINISTRATION
Report reveals details of carbon neutrality effort Commission releases plans for creating emission reduction recommendations ARJUN THAKKAR Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality released its first interim progress report in an email to students Monday morning. The report details the commission’s progress on its goal to develop recommendations for reducing carbon emissions on campus by 2025. In an interview with The Daily Monday, Jennifer Haverkamp, co-chair of the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality, discussed the contents of the report. According to Haverkamp, the document contains input from more than 90 individuals, including the commission’s members as well as faculty and students from advisory and analysis groups working with the commission. “(The report) is reflecting the first phase of our work, which was focused on defining the challenges in reaching carbon neutrality and planning on how we address those challenges,” Haverkamp said. Since Schlissel announced the creation of the Commission in February of this year, the commissioners have met 12 times. The Commission has held three public forums at the Ann Arbor campus to receive input from the community, and it has also created an online form for U-M community
members to leave comments directed at the commission. One key development in the Commission’s work was the formation of eight internal analysis teams to investigate different opportunities for decarbonization. The teams, composed of faculty and student research assistants from all three University of Michigan campuses, include: bio sequestration, which focuses on finding University land for carbon sequestration projects; building standards; campus culture and communication; commuting; energy consumption; external collaboration; food; and university travel for faculty, staff and students. Beyond the internal analysis teams, the Commission has also hired Integral Group, an external firm that analyzes building energy infrastructure to enhance sustainability, to present a plan to eliminate carbon emissions from heat and power systems across all three campuses. Though the current sustainability goals for greenhouse gas reduction only addresses scope one and scope two emissions — those generated on campus or through purchased electricity — the report states the Commission intends to also make recommendations for reducing scope three emissions that indirectly relate to the University’s operations.
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The Michigan Gayly provides outlet for LGBTQ+ community
New publication features students’ personal experiences, stories PARNIA MAZHAR Daily Staff Reporter
Last month, students at the University of Michigan published the first issue of The Michigan Gayly: LGBTQ+ Issues, a newspaper dedicated to publishing articles related to the LGBTQ+ community. Established this October, the organization is currently made up of about 20 undergraduate and graduate students and publishes an issue every month. Students can pick up copies of the newspaper at the Spectrum Center and the campus dorms. LSA freshman Shoshana Weinstein, editor-in-chief of The Michigan Gayly, said she came up with the idea for the
newspaper because she felt like there was not enough attention on the policy and the legislation that surrounds LGBTQ+ rights in the media and on campus. She was pleasantly surprised to see the excitement among others in the community to contribute to the newspaper. “I hadn’t realized there was such a hunger within the LGBT community to be able to tell our stories,” Weinstein said. “I thought maybe people would want to do an issue or two; I wasn’t really sure if there was going to be enough support or momentum to keep it going. But people immediately responded really passionately with all these things that they cared about.” LSA freshman Adrian Beyer
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said he became a staff writer because he was intrigued by the student-run nature of the publication, created by people who felt strongly about the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. “This is a group of people who just cared really passionately about having a newspaper and publishing queer voices,” Beyer said. “And I think it’s really important too, because a lot of other publications might shy away from some of those stories, but here, it’s kind of a chance to really be uncensored and say what you want to say.” According to the University of Michigan Maize Pages, The Michigan Gayly is the only newspaper on campus that publishes stories solely dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community. The
Vol. CXXIX, No. 38 ©2019 The Michigan Daily
newspaper has articles about politics, business, sports, health and more, all relating to the community. LSA freshman Edha Shirodkar, the news editor of the publication, said The Michigan Gayly is important in terms of giving students in the LGBTQ+ community the representation they deserve on campus. It made her feel more comfortable with her own identity because she was able to find comfort in a group of people who understood some of the experiences she had gone through. The newspaper also features articles about writers’ coming out stories and other personal experiences.
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KYTO BATT/Daily Journalist Ellen Nakashiima speaks on the role of journalism during a conversation on National Security Journalism in Weill Hall Monday.
Detroit residents reflect on new building, impact of gentrification
Plans for construction of Center for Innovation sparks criticism, conversation JASMIN LEE
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan’s plan for its Detroit Center for Innovation, announced in October, has generated mixed responses from the campus community, with some students creating a petition condemning the center as a sign of gentrification. The Daily spoke with several Detroit residents about their views on the Center.. The Center for Innovation will be built on the site formerly set aside for the construction of the proposed Wayne County Jail. Construction of the jailcame to a halt in 2013 after going $91 million over its initial $300 million budget. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald Syndicationsaid the University Sudoku Syndication aims to attract businesses
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Invest in Detroiters” stated University sees that potential Senior Opinion Editors: Emily Considine, Krystal Hur, Ethan Kessler, Miles the University’s decision to too. Stephenson, Erin White “I really hope that they are spearhead the center “signals MAX MARCOVITCH and ETHAN SEARS its priorities in Detroit do seeing more as a way to create Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com not lie with Detroiters.” The impact and not money,” Dauda Senior Sports Editors: Anna Marcus, Aria Gerson, Ben Katz, Mark Calcagno, Theo Mackie, Tien Le petition said the University’s said. “Although, of course, Assistant Sports Editors: Bailey Johnson, Bennett Bramson, Connor Brennan, investment in Detroit them being entrepreneurs and Jacob Kopnick, Jorge Cazares, Rian Ratnavale Renaissance Real Estate businessmen, that’s always in ARYA NAIDU and VERITY STURM Fund LP, a firm with ties to a the back of their head. But I Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com string of evictions in Detroit, feel when it comes to initiative Senior Arts Editors: Clara Scott, Emma Chang, Cassandra Mansuetti, Sam was a sign of the University’s for a new business plan, like Della Fera, Trina Pal Arts Beat Editors: John Decker, Sayan Ghosh, Mike Watkins, Ally Owens, lack of genuine commitment the Innovation Center, I feel Stephen Satarino, Izzy Hasslund, Margaret Sheridan to the city. It also claimed like the forefront of their the University was more minds should be that and not ROSEANNE CHAO and JACK SILBERMAN Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com invested in gentrification the financials that come after Senior Design Editor: Sherry Chen and furthering business it.” LSA freshman Chanel interests than supporting ALEXIS RANKIN and ALEC COHEN attended Cass Detroit residents. Staff of Barnes Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com the University’s Semester in Technical High School in Senior Photo Editors: Alexandria Pompei, Natalie Stephens, Alice Liu, Allison Engkvist, Danyel Tharakan Detroit program also released Detroit, which is close to Assistant Photo Editors: Miles Macklin, Keemya Esmael, Madeline Hinkley, a statement questioning the the proposed location of the Ryan McLoughlin Innovation Center. Barnes Center’s intentions. LSA junior Oluwakemi said her experience at the ANDREA PÉREZ BALDERRAMA Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Dauda, who graduated University has really showed Deputy Editors: Matthew Harmon, Shannon Ors how much Detroit from the Benjamin Carson her Public Schools are lacking in High School of Science http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ SILAS LEE and EMILY STILLMAN http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ and Medicine in Detroit in providing a quality education. Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com 2017, said she, too, has She also said people often Senior Copy Editors: Dominick Sokotoff, Olivia Sedlacek, Reece Meyhoefer questions and concerns come to downtown Detroit CASEY TIN and HASSAAN ALI WATTOO about the building that and take resources that Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com have yet to be answered. residents need. Senior Web Developers: Jonathon Liu, Abha Panda, Ryan Siu, David Talbot, Samantha Cohen Barnes said she thinks “Being a site that has had so many promises the new building does not ELI SIDER HARDfor it, but that they have any direct initiative for HARD Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Video Editors: Ryan O’Connor, Joseph Sim failed, I am concerned students in the Detroit Public if this amazing idea of School system and will have NA’KIA CHANNEY and CARLY RYAN Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com an Innovation Center greater benefit for those Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Lorna Brown, Samuel So, Ana Maria is going to actually fall outside of Detroit. Sanchez-Castillo, Efe Osagie, Danyel Tharakan “It seems like they’re through,” Dauda said. Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Harnoor Singh, Nada Eldawy, Maya Mokh “My only other concern putting more of the building is how it will impact on people who are not of lower CATHERINE NOUHAN the Detroit residents. income. It seems like it is Managing Podcast Editor How does that impact going to students who have a MADALASA CHAUDHARI and HANNAH MESKIN Managing Social Media Editors residents from Detroit higher privilege of education,” Senior Social Media Editor: Allie Phillips being able to have access Barnes said. “It is in the to the Center, even if downtown area, so I see it will they are not students? have an impact on the local Are people who are students and community in MOLLY WU Creative Director students from U of M general. But I won’t say it will ZELJKO KOSPIC RYAN KELLY who are from Detroit, have a positive impact.” Special Projects Manager Sales Manager Thomas Page, a Detroit do they have access to ANITA MICHAUD ROBERT WAGMAN this center? How will it native and Los Angeles Police Brand Manager Marketing Consulting Manager retiree, has affect people who live Department returned to Michigan after around this center?” Dauda told The Daily retiring and now works in the The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during she sees potential in community by leading bike the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is rides around Detroit. the Detroit Center for © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the puzzle by sudokusyndication.com helping Detroit residents Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription and she hopes that the See DETROIT, Page 3
and entrepreneurs to Detroit through the Center for Innovation. “This new Detroit Center for Innovation enhances that legacy by meeting another pressing need — helping to further the economic development of the city and the region,” Fitzgerald wrote. “As the president wrote in his message to the campus community last month, the university will help provide a pipeline of talent and platform for research collaboration to help grow and attract businesses and entrepreneurs, while positioning the future workforce for success in a dynamic and diversified economy.” A majority of the concerns about the center lie around the building’s impact on Detroit residents. The petition, titled “#UMichRegentrifiers:
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SCHLISSEL From Page 1 TMD: One University as well as the Climate Action Coalition released a joint statement calling for carbon neutrality and financial equity across the University’s three campuses. How do you hope they respond to this progress report? MS: Well I have both respect and empathy for the Climate Coalition. We’re pulling in the same direction. I think if there are disagreements, it’s simply how fast we can go and what we’re willing to say that we don’t yet know how to do. So one of the main requests is to make a commitment to be carbon neutral by a certain day. And as Jennifer just described, we’re still defining what carbon neutral means, what do we include. We just decided to include the Flint and Dearborn campuses, which hadn’t been the case before. We’ve decided to consider scope three emissions. In other words, things people use and commuting because of work that the university doesn’t own those sources. TMD: Recently the Semester in Detroit program released a statement criticizing the University’s participation in the Detroit Innovation Center. They compared involvement to colonialism and even accused the University’s investment of indirectly supporting Dan Gilbert in tax evasion. How is this partnership with Gilbert not an instance of private interests utilizing the University at the expense of the general public? More broadly, how will the University recognize the concerns of local residents when implementing the center? MS: To be honest, I was really surprised and a little bit disappointed because Semester in Detroit is one of many spectacular things we do in the city that I’m very proud of. The leadership that spoke out were expressing their own beliefs. They don’t speak for the University — they speak for themselves, which is absolutely fine. The Detroit Center for Innovation is the most recent and significant scale thing we’re doing in Detroit, but there are hundreds of things we’re doing in Detroit. So we’re functioning at many different levels in the city doing research and teaching, which is what we do, but with the goal of helping the future prospects of the city of Detroit. The Center for Innovation is just the latest in this series of projects. It was brought to us as a proposal by the mayor’s office and one of our alums and donors Steve Ross and then joined by Dan Gilbert saying ‘Would the University be willing to anchor a Center for Innovation in Detroit if they build it?’ So the first thing to clear up, as I mentioned earlier, is the University is not building the buildings. They’re being built by developers and donors and will be gifted to the University. I recognize that Dan Gilbert has gotten adverse publicity around this issue of opportunity zones.
DETROIT From Page 1 As an alumni of the University of Detroit Mercy, Page said he believes the new Innovation building will be the catalyst for other universities to create other initiatives in Detroit. “Wow, look at what Michigan is doing here,” Page said. “And the students that Michigan attract come from all over the world… So I think it’s great,” he added. “Michigan State has a presence and I expect them to try to have a bigger presence. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the big private schools, maybe
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The zone we’re building in has long been identified as a zone that needs development and qualifies as an opportunity zone. It wasn’t the one that got caught up in lobbying that was referenced in these articles about Dan Gilbert recently — and we’re not providing resources to him. What we would do is provide the teaching and research workforce to help provide advanced-level education that would provide a pipeline of employees for businesses in the city, particularly businesses infused with technology, something we’re very good at. One thing we’re involved in now is working collaboratively with community groups, particularly in the neighborhoods near this site, explaining what we envision, hearing their thoughts and ideas, discussing ways the community may become involved in some of this project, whether the facilities we build can be made available to the community for all kinds of purposes and to do it collaboratively. So I’m not quite sure where the criticism came from, to be honest. TMD: Given the recent student protests in response to your comment about peerto-peer cross examination, some have said the University’s policy is skewed towards individuals from higher socioeconomic status backgrounds because those individuals would be able to hire lawyers. Would you agree? Why or why not? MS: This is definitely a challenging area. And I’m not sure we’re getting it right. I’m sure we’re trying to get it right, but as directed by some court decisions, we do have to provide the ability of a person who’s been accused of misconduct to be able to question their accuser in some kind of hearing that’s been mandated by a court. So we follow the law. Then the challenge is: How do you set up a hearing that is as respectful to this individuals involved, sensitive to the risks of retraumatizing a complainant, but yet satisfies what the court is demanding we do? So one way to do it would be to allow advocates for students to do the questioning. Another way to do it is to have the students themselves do it. The reason that we’ve decided on an interim basis to try having students themselves do it is because we thought that might be less traumatizing than having an advocate, because an advocate in some instances is likely to be a lawyer, and lawyers are really, really good at being really, really tough on witnesses. And one of the reasons many people don’t take these complaints to the police is they don’t want to be up on a witness stand and have a lawyer representing a respondent go through their sexual history in a public session. That’s a very difficult thing. The way we’ve set this up, the questioning is occurring in real time, but from a remote location. And there’s a hearing officer that’s a retired judge who understands how to manage questioning and the testimony. And we’ve
been doing this for almost a year. Our policies on all student disciplinary proceedings allow you to have an advocate with you. And often that advocate is mom and dad, or a friend or a sibling or grandma. But you can bring a lawyer. And what we’re concerned about is that if one person has a lawyer and the other person has a family member or friend, that may not be a fair circumstance. So if we do go to a situation where advocates are allowed to question individuals, we would think very seriously about having to provide lawyers for everybody. But we’d have to hire a lot of lawyers and now we’re becoming a court taking on all those expenses. TMD: The University has been encouraging students to go out and vote through initiatives like the Big Ten Voting Challenge and Turn Up Turnout. U of M’s student voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections tripled compared to the 2014 election. 2020’s election is a big one, especially with one of the presidential debates being held on campus. What accommodations is the University planning on making for student voters and will classes be cancelled on election day to promote everyone to vote? MS: So we don’t cancel classes, we have to add a day some other time. And we have considered this with several of the recent elections such as most recently, we worked with one of the previous CSG administrations to look at this. And we need a certain number of class days. So although the idea of cancelling class, making it easier to vote, is a reasonable idea, what we would have done to do that is taken away one of the days of the fourday weekend, the Fall Break weekend. And it turned out, overwhelmingly, that students did not want to lose a day of fun. And we need the same number of each day of the week. So, for instance, if we give up a Tuesday, we need a Tuesday. So it would have been quite perfect to give up one day of the fourday weekend and, maybe not surprisingly, people weren’t interested enough to give up a day of vacation to have a day to vote. When you’re in the real world and you have a job, or you’re a graduate or a medical student or something, you’re not going to get a day off to the year, you will get a f lexible schedule during that day. But the polls are open at seven in the morning until seven or eight at eight in the evening. And during those hours, it’s part of your civic responsibility to vote. I don’t know anybody that’s in class from seven in the morning to the evening. It is a pain, you’re busy. You’re not busier than me and I go to vote. You may be as busy as me. I don’t want to be insulting, but… you make the time to vote. So I don’t think that’s really an excuse for not voting. We’ve been putting some valid call pressure but we’ve been lobbying the state, the Secretary of State to figure out how to get more voting booths, more voting units in the Union, which will be
open again, thank goodness, and at the other polling place on campus, so that the lines move more quickly. TMD: Additionally, would you consider automatically registering students to vote when they register as a student at the University? Why or why not? MS: So that’s a really interesting idea. I’d have to think and talk to others about that. Automatically registering someone to vote a condition of being a student at a public university. That might be a little heavy handed. And one of the cool things about our democracy is you get to choose whether to participate. There isn’t a law that says you must vote. There is a you know, constitution that says you have the privilege of voting. And turning that into a requirement by linking it to your ability to get educated just feels heavy handed to me, I’d want to think about it more. My goal alternatively is to make it as easy as possible for people to register and that as easy as possible for people to vote, but you still have to take personal responsibility. TMD: In 2017, after months of bargaining sessions and sit-ins, the Graduate Employees’ Organization and the University reached a contract agreement that agreed to GEO’s demands for pay caps on mental health services, the creation of DEI Graduate Student Assistant Positions and protections for international graduate students. However, this contract will expire this coming May. Last Wednesday, the GEO’s bargaining team began contract negotiations with the University for their upcoming contract and hosted a rally on the Diag in anticipation of this process. Some of their demands include expanded transgender healthcare coverage, opening more gender neutral restrooms and reducing pay inequality between graduate students on the University’s three campuses. How does the University plan to respond to GEO’s demands? MS: Unions are great. They changed the United States, they created the middle class, they protected all kinds of people through our nation’s history from being taken advantage of. Without a doubt, they’re a public good. What unions do with employers is they negotiate. So demands aren’t negotiation — they say ’you must do this.’ The idea is to spend time understanding each others’ goals and figuring out which ones are the most important, since no one ever gets everything they want in a negotiation, and then you sit down and work. And it’s hard work. And they’ll meet a couple of times a week for many months trying to figure out what’s a win-win. There are some things GEO is going to want that they just aren’t going to get. There are other things they want that are reasonable and they will get them. There are things the University wants and won’t get and vice-versa. So couching it as demands before negotiations have even started to me isn’t a healthy approach. Our graduate
from around the world, say we want to have a presence in Detroit now too. Detroit has the land and things like that — I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the Ivy League schools do something.” Page also told The Daily he believes more good will come out of gentrification than bad. “When I moved back here, I mean, we didn’t have a tax base. We didn’t have a functioning city government. It was really astonishing and incredible to me that this investment hadn’t taken place. Now you have a tax base, a rising tax base, that allows things like good bus service, better police response, and getting roads paved in Detroit,” Page
said. “All of those things are positive. So I look upon: who’s the beneficiaries of that? Is it the gentrifiers or the people that were there? If you look at it, the gentrifiers can live anywhere. It’s the people that really benefit that might not have the resources to leave.” In an interview with The Daily on Monday, Schlissel clarified that the Center is only one of many ways the University is involved with in Detroit. He also noted the University is not involved in the construction of the center, but rather is providing the education and research workforce. Schlissel told The Daily the University is currently
working with groups in the community to receive their input and thoughts about the project. “One thing we’re involved in now is working collaboratively with community groups, particularly in the neighborhoods near this site, explaining what we envision, hearing their thoughts and ideas, discussing ways the community may become involved in some of this project, whether the facilities we build can be made available to the community for all kinds of purposes and to do it collaboratively,” Schlissel said. “So I’m not quite sure where the criticism came from, to be honest.”
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019 — 3
TRIAL From Page 1 “While Professor Emily Lawsin is currently employed by the university, our own administrators have violated her lecturers’ contract in attempts to fire her,” UAAO wrote in the statement. “Professor Kurashige was forced out of his position as director of A/PIA Studies and has had his job applications completely disregarded, despite being the current president of the American Studies Association. The University has not presented valid reasons for these actions against both professors.” UAAO added they will continue to fight against discrimination at the University and they wholeheartedly support Lawsin and Kurashige. “For as long as the university’s administration routinely engages in secret and illegal acts to undermine civil rights and Title IX investigations, UAAO will continue to fight to change this system,” UAAO said. “We cannot and will not work for the best interests of the university if the university will not work for the best interests of us.” In an interview earlier today, University President
REPORT From Page 1 The University aims to reduce scope one and scope two carbon emissions to 25 percent below 2006 levels by 2025. According to the report, the Commission is entering the second phase of its work, which will center around compiling the findings of the internal and external teams and presenting recommendations to the commission for decarbonizing the campus. This phase will continue into the spring of 2020, with the third and final phase focusing on the delivery of the report to president Schlissel by fall of 2020. While the report provides ample evidence of the Commission’s progress towards achieving carbon neutrality, activists on campus remain critical of the Commission. Rackham student Sasha Bishop, an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology student and an organizer for Climate Action Movement, criticized the Commission for not acting urgently, and for a lack of transparency with the general public. “The Commission is simply not acting with the urgency that this issue warrants,” Bishop said. “One of the major complaints coming out is that there’s really no path right now for implementing community or student input. They’re at this
GAYLY From Page 1 Weinstein said these stories are crucial for those who are still discovering their identities because they can read these articles and see they are not alone. Beyer went to a high school with very few openly gay students. He explained that if he wanted talk about queer issues, it was always a test to see how far he could go before his teachers said they didn’t understand his comments or before they became uncomfortable. Writing about his personal experience in The Michigan Gayly was empowering for him because he was able to speak about the LGBTQ+ community in a way he had never been able to before. “When I first sat down to write, I was like, ‘Oh my god,’” Beyer said. “It was kind of crazy just staring at it. I could just actually say what I felt. It was a little overwhelming to have that unrestricted opportunity, but it was really fun.” Rackham student Daniel Salas-Escabillas, opinion editor of the newspaper, wrote an article about his experience being an ethnic minority as a Pacific Islander, while also being in the LGBTQ+ community. He said he intended the story to
Mark Schlissel told The Daily the University is taking this case to trial instead of settling, as it does for many discrimination claims, because they don’t feel they have done anything wrong. “The University, when it does something wrong, we take pride in recognizing and rectifying it,” Schlissel said. “We settle many, many lawsuits when we think that the claimant has a reasonable claim and we should’ve done things differently or better. In this instance, the case that’s going to trial, we don’t think that’s the case. So we’ll litigate to protect the University against claims that we just don’t think are fair or correct.” Schlissel said he did not feel comfortable commenting on the particulars of the case, but he said the University will follow to whatever the court ends up deciding. “I could sit here and go through the particulars because I’ve been briefed on things that reach this level, but I’d rather not because I’m afraid of getting it wrong,” Schlissel said. “I’m not the lawyer representing the University. But we only litigate things where we think the University is being treated unfairly. And we’ll see the outcome and we’ll certainly follow what the court says.”
point not responding to any community requests to meet. They make claims of having a student advisory panel in the report, but there’s no indication that they’ve met with the student advisory panel for the last 8 months (10 months) since its formation… there’s no indication of integration or follow up of the recommendations in those public forums.” Zaynab Elkolaly, a student at Washtenaw Technical Middle College and cofounder of Washtenaw Climate Strike, took issue with the University’s investments in fossil fuels and what she characterized as a lack of a response to the community’s input. “The work that the commission has done so far is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough,” Elkolaly said. “With the president claiming to spearhead this initiative, the situation looks rather laughable because of the fact that the university has yet to divest from fossil fuels… I’m glad that there’s dialogue, but that’s all it is: dialogue. What I’m seeing here is community outreach and administrative strategy, not the radical change that we need to be seeing from the commission in order to truly align with the goal of fighting change.”
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serve as a resource for others who may have a similar story but feel alone. “It’s very motivating for somebody to read (my article) and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I see myself in that,’” Salas-Escabillas said. “If they want to contact me, that’s okay. If not, that’s also okay. Just knowing that somebody else has gone through what you’ve gone through and hopefully giving you some motivation to go out there and do you, basically.” Weinstein said these articles are crucial in spreading awareness among LGBTQ+ allies as well. “I think that if you’re trying to be the best straight ally you could be or best cisgender ally you could be, knowing those things and understanding how your words affect people in marginalized communities is really important,” Weinstein said. “So if we can educate people about that, then maybe we’ll just be able to have an impact on how people speak and maybe just thinking more carefully before they talk about LGBT issues in front of people.” For people who do not personally know any queer or trans people, the LGBTQ+ community can seem vague or abstract, Weinstein said.
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Opinion
4 — Tuesday, December 3, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SUSAN WINEBERG | OP-ED
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SAM FOGEL | COLUMN
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Michael Bloomberg – the folly of a billionaire
ith the Democratic primary inching closer with every passing day, the field of candidates has been hardpressed to slim down from the large pool that the race started with. The three main candidates that have been garnering the most attention are, of course, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Some other notable f ig ures in the race are Mayor Pete Buttig ieg, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Sen. Kamala Harris of California, among others. I’m sure I don’t have to name ever yone, as the list is quite leng thy. With so many candidates f ighting for the nomination, you’d have to either be cocky or foolish (or possibly bot h) to enter now. That being sa id, why t he hell is Michael Bloomberg considering r unning for president? His potentia l bid for t he presidency is a depa r t ure f rom what he sa id ea rlier t his yea r. In a n opinion piece for Bloomberg News, Bloomberg rhetorica lly a sked readers if he should “devote t he next t wo yea rs to ta lking about my idea s a nd record, know ing t hat I might never w in t he Democratic nomination,” or if he should “spend t he next t wo yea rs doubling dow n on t he work t hat I a m a lready leading a nd f unding,” concluding t hat it would be more benef icia l to continue t he va rious projects a nd initiatives he’s a lready r unning. Why t he cha nge of hea r t, Michael? I don’t rea lly know. But what is know n is t hat Jef f Bezos, founder a nd CEO of A ma zon a nd t he wea lt hiest ma n in t he world, ca lled Bloomberg to a sk if he’d be r unning for president. A nd if you know a ny t hing about Bezos, his t reat ment of employees is f ra nkly appa lling. A ma ndator y 60 -hour work week at g r ueling wa rehouses, negligence in ha ndling workplace injur y a nd sla shed bonuses af ter a slight increase in wages a re a ll exa mples of A ma zon’s horrible t reat ment of its employees. While superf icia lly indicative of ver y lit tle, I’d wager t hat t here’s a rea son Bezos a sked Bloomberg directly about his prospects. If we know a ny t hing f rom t he current billiona ire in of f ice, it ’s t hat he tends to be lenient when it comes to income ta xes a nd accountabilit y for t he rich. Wit h income inequa lit y reaching f ive-decade highs in t he United States, ma ny of t he ca ndidates on t he Democratic stage advocate for wea lt h redist ribution.
Bloomberg, w it h a histor y of favoring privatization, may w in t he favor of t he ult ra-rich a nd elites, but is absolutely not what t he pa r t y needs at t he moment. Spea king of income inequa lit y, it went unaddressed in New York Cit y under Bloomberg. A s New York recovered f rom t he at tacks on 9/11, he adopted policies t hat helped a ssist t he cit y in its plight. He built a nd preser ved over 165,000 units of af fordable housing, which is an admirable feat. It a ll sounds f ine a nd da ndy until you look at t he rea l ef fects of his policies. Media n rents rose in New York by 19 percent in rea l dolla rs bet ween 2002 a nd 2011, a nd t he homeless population in shelters rose f rom less t ha n 30,000 to upwa rds of 50,000. Nea ring t he end of his tenure a s mayor in 2011, t he media n income for t he bot tom f if t h of New
Bloomberg can say whatever he wants, but actions speak louder than words
Yorkers dropped to $8,844. In cont ra st, t he households in t he top f if t h ea rned $223, 285. The A ssociation for Neighborhood & Housing Development found t hat one-t hird of housing wa s unaf fordable for loca l residents. Unsurprisingly, t his led to a n epidemic of gent rif ication t hat forced ma ny N YC natives out of their neighborhoods. Sasha Zena, a New York resident, said in an inter view with The New York Times that Bloomberg “smothered the bohemian creative heartbeat of New York Cit y, trading it for luxur y housing by g iving luxur y developers huge tax incentives.” With the concerns of increasing inequalit y g rowing everper vasive in the collective consciousness, Bloomberg is any thing but a work ing-cla ss cha mpion. A s someone who is v y ing to be a n a lter nat ive to Tr ump a nd h is policies, Bloomberg doesn’t seem a ll too dif ferent when it comes to ca ring about t he lower cla ss. He is absolutely not what t he Democrat s need. There are some other concerns that I could bring up about Bloomberg. He’s been noted to be casually sexist and objectif ying of his female employees. Four women have
filed sexual harassment claims against Bloomberg. Crude remarks about him wanting to “do” female coworkers and various other instances of “locker room talk” are reminiscent of the orange despot he wants to dethrone. There’s also his support of the infamously racist “stop-and-frisk” policy used by the New York Police Department. As recently as Januar y this year, he’s gone on record in favor of the racial prof iling method of policing streets. The practice was ruled unconstitutional in 2013 in Floyd v. the Cit y of New York for violating both the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments (for unreasonable searches and racial discrimination, respectively). Only just recently has he apologized, but it’s a paltry attempt at amends. It’s clearly meant to try and address the criticisms he has garnered before his campaign starts in full. He is now six years out of office and believed in his policy up until just months ago. It’s a shallow and transparently phony apolog y. For somebody who is thought of as a “social liberal,” he certainly seems to be in conf lict with the ideals of social justice. Intrinsic to social justice is the need to fight for marginalized groups and their rights, and he has shown himself to not really care at all. Bloomberg can say whatever he wants, but actions speak louder than words. Bloomberg is obviously conf ident enough in himself to run for president and represent the Democratic Part y. He is so conf ident that he believes he can win despite missing several deadlines for states such as New Hampshire. He emanates a sense of billionaire entitlement, seeming to think that somehow, having money makes you worthy of the Oval Off ice. However, I want to stress that he is remarkably similar to Donald Trump — much more than many people think. They’re both completely separated from the American populace by virtue of being billionaires, raise suspicion in their treatment of women and actively support policies that worsen the already enormous gap bet ween the rich and the poor. He is a rich white billionaire — just another plutocrat in it for himself. He isn’t the right candidate for a part y that is supposed to represent the marg inalized citizens of our republic. Don’t let him convince you he is. Sam Fogel can be reached at samfogel@umich.edu.
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Save the Huron Street Houses!
n May 2019, our neighborhood — the Old Fourth Ward Historic District — found out that three houses within our historic district would be demolished by the University of Michigan to make space for a new College of Pharmacy. We received a three-day notice of the meeting, which was held on the Dearborn campus, making it difficult for us to attend. I wrote the Board of Regents instead of attending and got no response. Over the past several years, the University of Michigan has demolished houses they owned in the Old Fourth Ward Historic District. We were upset that even after the University promised to consult with our neighborhood group, it demolished these houses without warning. Since announcing plans to demolish the three houses, the University has responded positively to our request for documentation. When historic buildings are demolished, they are usually documented for posterity so that historical styles, methods of construction, materials used and technologies employed can be noted and passed onto future generations. This documentation is of immense value to architectural historians. The houses to be demolished form the southern border of the Old Fourth Ward Historic District, which was established in 1983. Historic districts are regulated by the city of Ann Arbor’s Historic District Commission, but the University doesn’t have to abide by these rules, being an independent body. However, these buildings are special for architectural and historical reasons. In addition, demolition is recognized by many as unsustainable behavior due to the amount of energy spent in both creating the buildings and the amount of trash that is sent to our landfills as a result of demolition. Close to 30 percent of landfills are composed of plastic and metal. As we say in the preservation community, “the greenest building is the one already standing.”
The histories of the houses are linked with the University’s history. The house at the corner of Huron and Glen was built in 1895 for Josephine Murfin, whose son James later became a University Regent. Murfin Avenue on North Campus is named after him. It is a beautiful example of the Queen Anne style with some unusual features, such as the rounded corner and the triple windows. This combination of features is rare in Ann Arbor.
The University could also set a great example by keeping these buildings in place The large limestone building at 1015 E. Huron began construction in 1905 as the Nu Sigma Nu Medical Fraternity. Unlike other fraternities that moved to Washtenaw, Nu Sigma Nu remained at this address until 1965. The building is a Georgian Colonial style with a semicircular limestone bay and a crenelated roofline. Stone quoins are at every corner, making it look like a medieval castle. The most outstanding building is the house at 1007 E. Huron. This wooden clapboard and shingle house is a rare example of the Shingle style in Ann Arbor and was built in 1891. It is characterized by its rounded windows, saw-tooth shingles and broad expanse of roof. It still retains its “porte cochere,” under which ladies would descend from their carriages. It was built by Charles Whitman, who later became the State Commissioner of Railroads. Later, it was used by two different fraternities until purchased by the University. Thus, the buildings all have
historical connections to the University and represent unusual examples of late 19th and early 20th-century residential architecture. Many other universities use buildings like these as incubators for smaller units on campus. An article published on Sept. 4, 2019 in The Daily revealed that the University was “centered on enhancing student life with an emphasis on sustainability” and that the University wanted to “bring the Ann Arbor community and the University together.” Two excellent ways to start would be by respecting our local historic districts and keeping more refuse out of the landfill. In historic preservation, sustainable preservation subscribes to the idea that there are tangible ecological benefits from reusing already constructed buildings. The National Trust for Historic Preservation notes that “historic preservation can — and should — be an important component of any effort to promote sustainable development. The conservation and improvement of our existing built resources, including re-use of historic and older buildings, greening the existing building stock, and reinvestment in older and historic communities, is crucial to combating climate change.” The University could also set a great example by keeping these buildings in place and finding another site for the College of Pharmacy closer to the medical campus. They could at least try to find a place to move these buildings. In addition, it could consult with neighborhoods that have a stake in the outcome of their projects to facilitate better town-gown relations. These actions could be a first step in showing they are sincere in their beliefs. Susan Wineberg is the author of “Historic Ann Arbor: An Architectural Guide.”
ALICE LIN | COLUMN
A prequel to 2020
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ith Kentucky voting blue in its g ubernatorial election and Louisiana following in its footsteps, Republican support seems a little shaky. In the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the outcomes of local and state races can provide some sort of prediction to see which party will come out on top. Looking at the kind of candidates who are winning in the South, presidential hopefuls may look to mimic strategies used to secure victories in Louisiana and Kentucky. However, Democrats should be wary of getting complacent in the fight for power since these races have been extremely close. If anything, the outcome of these races are more telling of the anticipated party struggle for dominance, especially in key swing states; Democrats will need to focus their attention on connecting with voters and really selling their candidates. The win in Louisiana has been pinned on the success of voter turnout from African Americans, but also the abilit y of Gov. Jon Bel Edwards to appeal to a more moderate audience. Throughout the race for president, some have speculated whether or not a more centrist candidate like former Vice President Joe Biden would be the best contender: someone who appeals to Democrats but also moderate Republicans. On the other hand, more liberal candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have also galvanized large followings with their lef t-wing policies. Uniting the people is key for any candidate to win in a polarized countr y. Compared to 2016, where some voters abstained because they disliked both candidates or
voted for Donald Trump af ter Sanders lost the Democratic nomination, candidates today need to focus on showing strong leadership and drawing in voters. Former President Barack Obama also threw in his input, calling on candidates to stay in touch with the voter landscape and stick to f ixing issues rather than revolutionizing them. Throughout the campaig n trail, the idea of needing to be the candidate to beat Trump has been a focal point of what the candidates believe appeals to the people. However, being able to beat Trump stems from the abilit y to convince voters that the candidates can deliver on their promises and improve the qualit y of life across the nation. Given the
Democrats will need to focus their attention on connecting with voters frontrunners are consistently Biden, Warren and Sanders — one moderate and two farleft leaning candidates — they need to prove that electing one of them would be significantly better than another four years of Trump for everyone. Despite visiting Kentucky and Louisiana multiple times in the months leading up to the elections in both states, it is evident that Trump’s inf luence lacks momentum in carrying Republican politicians in their bids for election. Democrats were still able to win despite Trump’s effort to endorse his party’s candidates, hinting at a potential change in the course
of Republican power. While the president’s inf luence is weakening, Democrats need to fight harder than ever to keep their progress in red states going to secure more victories. Bet ween the three front runners, it is hard to tell who will come out on top: Biden takes on a more moderate stance ref lective of Edwards in Louisiana, Warren has a plan to reform multiple issues to improve the lives of the middle class and Sanders has the recog nition and momentum from his 2016 campaig n. Biden holds the front seat in most of the polls, but even Obama has yet to endorse his former vice president. The problem with Biden is that he has yet to come out with a strong cause to champion — or maybe that is part of his moderate narrative. It may be benef icial for him to advocate for a specif ic issue to gain more traction with voters so they have something concrete to associate him w it h. A s for Wa rren a nd Sa nders, t heir a mbitious pla ns to completely eliminate st udent debt a nd prov ide Medica re for A ll sound good on paper a nd resonate w it h t he younger demog raphic, but may fa ll into t he predica ment of being too revolutiona r y. As t he 2020 election approaches, ca ndidates need to sta r t ref ining t heir ca mpa ig n tactics to appea l to bot h pa r t y followers — for t he prima ries — a nd t he genera l public for t he genera l election. To avoid a repeat of 2016, t he people need to see t he emergence of a st rong leader — one t hat ca n unite bot h sides on a plat form t hat resonates w it h t he people. Alice Lin can be reached at alicelin@umich.edu.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 — 5
CONCERT REVIEW
BROCKHAMPTON, slowthai, 100 gecs at The Masonic DYLAN YONO Daily Arts Writer
When BROCKHAMPTON announced the “Heaven Belongs To You” tour with slowthai and then added 100 gecs as an opener, I couldn’t think of a crazier lineup. The SATURATION trilogy was the soundtrack to my first two years of college, while Nothing Great About Britain and 1000 gecs have been at the top of my music rotation since they released in May. On Nov. 30, after months of anticipation, the three acts came to the Motor City. My journey leading up to the show was business as usual for a Detroit concert. Dump money at the gate of an overpriced parking lot, scarred by the number of $45 tickets I’ve received because I’m incapable of finding legal street parking; group up with the gang at Detroit One Coney Island on Woodward, the greatest Midtown venue pre/post-concert kickback restaurant; debate bringing a coat into the venue and stand freezing at the back of a long line either way; go to the box office at The Masonic to pick up my press ticket, and … General admission — lower level. This had to be a mistake. Now, I’d been ripped off once by promoters at The Masonic when I bought tickets to see BROCKHAMPTON in 2018, so I was very familiar with the distinction between the “lower level” and the “pit” — lower level meant the outer ring of seats, while pit meant the actual floor. Now, there’s nothing wrong with having seats for a concert. But that is not what you want at a 100 gecs/slowthai/BROCKHAMPTON event, and definitely not the perspective you want to read about in a concert review. Fortunately, a sincerely wonderful friend traded me her pit ticket for my lower level ticket, and it’s her act of extreme kindness that saved this review from being a purely clinical account. My pal and I rushed into the theatre to the sight of 100 gecs’s iconic conifer tree in center stage. Laura Les and Dylan Brady were singing “ringtone,” their vocals warped and autotuned in their live show just like they are in the studio version. Thanks to the preshow debacle, I missed “stupid horse” at the beginning of their set. This was a grave loss, one which I would mourn through the rest of the night and will continue to grieve until their next appearance in Detroit. But I did hear Laura Les’s blood-curdling growls in the flesh during the heavy metal breakdown at the end of “800db
cloud,” so I could sleep comfortably at night. Seeing the reaction from the BROCKHAMPTON crowd to 100 gecs’s live performance exposed just how much of a bubble I live in. In our hyper-art-consuming corner of The Daily, myself and many friends adore 100 gecs — I wouldn’t be surprised if my editors played 100 gecs at the Arts desk as they published this article. But for a mostly young crowd that’s into the highly accessible music of BROCKHAMPTON, such an experimental opener didn’t go over very well. In our corner of the pit, me and my fellow big Gec were jumping up and down, belting every lyric, while everyone in our surroundings was still as stone. At the very least, though, the duo had the audience’s genuine interest. A different opener of similar notoriety might have a crowd staring at their phones, but everybody at The Masonic was watching the onstage spectacle. The crowd did scream in excitement during a brief period where Laura Les shredded on the guitar, but I think most listeners were just kind of confused. When the lights returned post-gecs, my friend and I chatted with a couple that must’ve been in their mid or late 20s who were surprised to see that they were the oldest people in the vicinity. I expected a young audience — BROCKHAMPTON’s fanbase is definitely high school and college aged — but even I was surprised to see so many people getting dropped off at the venue by their parents. I was in the middle of some mid-concert networking with one of my new mid-20s friends (no shame) when slowthai came onstage and immediately jumped into his first song. Mildly professional conversation was definitely coming out of my mouth when slowthai spoke the seven magic words — “Kodak moment polaroid picture shake it yeh” — and I dropped whatever I was saying to chant them myself. Since my first concert, I’ve seen dozens of shows and dozens of openers, and none of them commanded the crowd’s energy the way Tyler, the Creator did at DTE during Kid Cudi’s 2013 tour. But slowthai came pretty close (and fittingly covered Tyler’s song, “WHAT’S GOOD”). The UK rapper had the crowd echoing all his adlibs back to him — “yuh” went slowthai, “yuh” went the crowd; “brrrt” went slowthai, “brrrt” went the crowd. After a murderous performance of “Inglorious,” slowthai literally spat into a fan’s mouth. “This is fucking punk,” he said. I found it kind of gross, but yeah, it was punk. Afterward he rapped “HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU,” his guest feature on GINGER. The crowd
After a murderous performance of “Inglorious,” slowthai literally spat into a fan’s mouth. “This is fucking punk,” he said.
seemed absurdly excited for what’s just a chill midalbum interlude. Then I realized that since it was on BROCKHAMPTON’s album, for most of the audience, it was probably the only slowthai song they knew. For his final song, “Doorman,” he opened the pit, and everyone circle-moshed in a frenzy — I somehow ended up near the very front of the pit, perfectly positioning myself for BROCKHAMPTON. slowthai put on a hell of a show, one that added him to the ranks of my favorite live
started to emerge, and before long, I almost regretted trading my ticket for the pit. After the first few songs, the drill became clear: Overuse of the smoke machines onstage, and if Kevin wasn’t already telling the crowd to open the pit, then the same high-school-senior-looking dude in the audience was on the job. Over and over and over. It got old by the twelfth time in less than half as many songs. I can’t knock BROCKHAMPTON for their audience.
performers, right up there with JPEGMAFIA and Vince Staples. I just wished his set could have been longer. BROCKHAMPTON took the stage, the show started and it was business as usual for the boys. Dom McLennon climbed to the edge of a balcony off-stage to deliver his killer verse on “BOY BYE.” Everytime bearface opened his mouth, hands with recording phones shot up from the audience; I wished I had my own phone ready when he did his raspy whisper intro from “I BEEN BORN AGAIN.” Merlyn Wood, who already breathes life into BROCKHAMPTON in the studio, doubled down on his adrenaline-infused delivery for all his verses. Traditionally, Kevin Abstract and Matt Champion have been the meat and potatoes of BROCKHAMPTON, especially on the SATURATION trilogy. But I am a firm believer that Joba is the heart and soul of GINGER, and he proved it that night. Half of my notes on the show were just song titles followed by “holy shit Joba.” Among those highlight moments were Joba’s gorgeous voice on the outro of “BOY BYE,” his stunning verse on “BIG BOY” and his terrifying rage on “J’OUVERT.” Performances from the band were show-stopping and jaw-dropping all around — no surprise there — but I had mixed feelings about all the other elements of the concert. When BROCKHAMPTON first came on, slowthai had me full of hype. Then a pattern in the show
It is what it is. But there’s something comforting about being able to go to a show, look at all the people in line, and think, “I could be good friends with these people.” That was not the vibe at BROCKHAMPTON. I was mildly perturbed when, during the chorus of “1999 WILDFIRE,” Kevin kept yelling “SING IT!” to the overwhelmingly white crowd (The chorus drops a couple N-words). During “SUGAR,” while bearface chanted “Do you love me, love me, love me,” a girl behind me — who looked like she came straight out of BROCKHAMPTON Stan Twitter — screamed back, “I DO LOVE YOU!” on the verge of tears. The band pulled several fans onstage during “QUEER,” which was cool to see, but their youth cemented that I was too old to be there (and I’m literally only 20 years old). With all those ups and downs, the experience was a rollercoaster. The final verdict on the concert is that BROCKHAMPTON is worth seeing live once before they break up, but once is enough, and watching from the lower level seats will do just fine. Every member proved that they’re infinitely talented, just not in any way that wasn’t already obvious from their studio recordings. As for slowthai and 100 gecs, I already immensely anticipated their acts, and now I’m even more eager to see them again — when they’re the headliners, that is. Until then.
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‘Servant’ is beauty & brains
dialogue. The show uses the artifice of luxury to mask a deep psychological suffering occurring within the Daily Arts Writer family. Leanne, the plain, understated antithesis to the Turners’s appearance-based lifestyle, is framed as Every scene of “Servant” is gorgeous, highly stylized exponentially creepy by simply existing in the wealthy and utterly overindulgent. Set in a historical Philadelphia space which rejects anything genuine. Sean continually brownstone, M. Night Shyamalan’s newest series refers to her as “staff” and refuses to accept her or her complements its odd premise and hallmark suspense odd behaviors. Like many horror movies, “Servant” addresses gender with a flawless aesthetic. After the death of their child Jericho, rich couple as an aspect of its most disturbing themes. Within Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose, “Six Feet Under”) and Sean the Turners’ marriage, though Dorothy may have a Turner (Toby Kebbell, “Fantastic Four”) are unable to tenuous grip on reality, Sean is the one tortured by the handle their grief. Rendered nearly catatonic, Dorothy subtle evils in his home. Frustrated with his wife and begins transitional object therapy and takes care of a doll the changes in house, Sean has lost whatever control he in the place of her son. Tired of enabling her illness, her once had and scrambles to blame Leanne for whatever husband confides in her brother Julian (Rupert Grint, may be happening to him. While what he experiences “Snatch”) about how to prevent Dorothy from being is undoubtedly real, his questioning of his own sanity mimics the gaslighting female characters in similar further consumed by grief for her son. Without Sean’s knowledge, Dorothy hires Leanne thrillers often face. In recruiting his brother-in-law Julian, Sean searches Grayson (Nell Tiger Free, “Game of Thrones”) as the for any answer that could Jericho doll’s full-time nanny. discredit Dorothy and Leanne Much to Sean’s surprise, or explain how the doll Leanne is entirely unfazed by was replaced. As he fails to Dorothy’s situation and treats understand what happens to Jericho the doll as if it were Season 1. Episodes 1-3 him, he slowly becomes more a real child. A shy girl from violent and lashes out at those Wisconsin, Leanne struggles Apple TV+ around him. “Servant” relies to adapt to the upper class heavily on an underlying sense lifestyle of the Turners and Now Streaming of increasing claustrophobia, shocks the parents by praying as few scenes take place nightly and hanging crosses outside the strangeness of the in the baby’s nursery. Suspicious of some of Leanne’s odder behavior, Sean Turners’ home. Essentially trapped in his home with a avoids interacting with her and buries himself in his mysterious nanny and a child he believes may have been work. One night after Leanne returns from walking abducted, Sean cannot escape someone else’s fantasy. “Servant” may seem like another attempt at a highly Jericho through the park, Sean hears a noise on the baby monitor, runs to the nursery and finds a real baby stylized Shyamalan comeback, but — plot twist — the has replaced the doll. Concerned Leanne or Dorothy show actually has some hidden depths worth exploring. has stolen this child, Sean and Julian investigate where However trite the concept, some of the show’s most shocking moments and cliffhangers are genuinely exactly the baby and Leanne came from. While the premise of “Servant” is not necessarily compelling and exciting. Moving forward, “Servant” has new in the thriller genre, the series masterfully blends the potential to truly embrace its aesthetic and plunge some well-used horror tropes with fresh visuals and entirely into its disturbing atmosphere. ANYA SOLLER
Servant
This past semester I was in English 425, an advanced essay writing course focused on immersion writing. Throughout the course we’ve focused on personal essay writing and immersing ourselves into a wider story covering a pertinent or engaging topic. For my first assignment I wrote a personal investigative essay about the life of my father’s mother, Gail Grober. She was a 5’3” Jewish woman who died at age 47 from breast cancer, leaving behind her young sons, Bobby and my father Vic. I was interested in writing a piece about her and investigating her life because everyone on my father’s side of the family constantly tells me I take after her despite the fact that I’ve never met her. I spent 72 hours writing the now 13-page piece, breaking down in tears more than once as I discovered more intimate details about the life of this elusive woman. The most important thing I learned about her was from her high school yearbook. Beside each senior portrait is the word “ambition” with a colon next to it. All the students included their post high school ambitions and upon searching through the yearbook the vast majority had put college, higher education or secretary. But Gail is different. Printed next to her “ambition” is the word “undecided.” While every other student in the yearbook felt so pressured to amount to greatness or reach for insane heights or brag about a seemingly perfect future ambition, Gail was apparently alright with not knowing. I fell in love with this ancestor of mine, one that nobody speaks of but clearly remembers dearly. Thank God for technology and for memory. I thought of my maternal grandmother’s kitchen the entire time I wrote this essay. I thought about how there’s no essay to write about her because every single year I come back to my grandmother’s home on Christmas day. It
is warm, she is wearing an apron and slippers. There is a lack of words for the sheer joy that swells inside this sweet blue home on Jersey Avenue. There’s luck in the fortune of knowing at least half of where you come from. There’s no essay to be written, researching a history that’s tangible and breathing and mine because I’ve lived it. I have the ability to live it every single year. There’s a heart on Jersey Avenue. There’s life. And I’m fortunate enough that I don’t have to call to say “Dad, Mom: What was she like? Tell me a story.” Instead, I can come to my grandmother’s house and simply watch her cook in the kitchen on Dec. 25th. I can sit down for Christmas dinner every year surrounded by people who know me and always will. It’s tangible. It’s full of life. None of us are history. Christmas time is nostalgic for me. It always has been a time of reflection and celebration in the midst of joyous December. Five years ago, I found out I didn’t get into Yale University. A few days later on Christmas Eve, everyone else at my high school had heard back from the University of Michigan and I’d heard nothing. I assumed I’d been denied. But even that year, when I’d assumed I was denied from two of my top choice schools right in accordance with the holidays and felt neither festive nor celebratory, I went back to my grandmother’s home and felt whole again. It’s cyclical — tradition and memory and life — and in the unexpected places we find the pieces of ourselves we couldn’t find or perhaps didn’t know we lost. Tradition may be expected or ritual. It is something that regularly comes back up each year, something that we know and anticipate. It is easy to take these types of dinners and mornings and festivities for granted, especially around the holidays. This year I will not let it pass me by: dinner at my grandmother’s, the silly game we play in the living room, the dancing on tables that takes place early in the morning in my kitchen on Christmas day still dressed in glitter. It’s important, it’s here, it’s not history and for now, it’s mine, it’s ours.
This year I will not let it pass me by: dinner at my grandmother’s, the silly game we play in the living room, the dancing on tables that takes place early in the morning in my kitchen on Christmas day still dressed in glitter.
Arts
6 — Tuesday, December 3, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
BOOK REVIEW
Debbie Harry’s ‘Face It’ is more than a popstar story
FILM REVIEW
wit and unflinching sense of honesty. From the first page, in which Harry describes Senior Arts Editor her biological parents before going into the stories of her childhood as an adopted daughter of two Even if you don’t know her name, it’s likely humdrum New Jerseyans, one is able to grasp you’ve seen Debbie Harry’s face. As the how she’s processed the somewhat accidental frontwoman of the groundbreaking sometimes- nature of her life. The musician has a keen eye for pop, sometimes-rock group Blondie, Harry’s detail and orchestration: Just when she brings up wide-set eyes and shock of bleach-blonde hair are an anecdote that seems out of place, it suddenly unmistakable, a necessary and irreplaceable part begins to make sense in the larger framework of her life — the last of music history. chapter of the book Blondie was the is all about thumbs in band, but it was her life, just because also a character she wanted to end for Harry to play, on a funny note. an ultra-feminine Debbie Harry Harry’s own sense woman in the macho of humor about both rock scene of New Dey St. Books the happy times York in the ’70s, and the sad times consistently proving of her rollercoaster her place in the experience with industry over and over again. In her own words, Harry’s “Blondie fame is what makes “Face It” a must-read. Sure, character was an inflatable doll but with a dark, two of her apartments went up in flames, one of them while she was on tour, but it made for provocative, aggressive side.” Her image was appropriated by friend, Andy a fantastic photoshoot in which she sat in burnt Warhol, in his iconic Polaroid series, in his kitchen wearing a full ballgown. Harry’s clout as a cultural powerhouse could eerie computer-generated pop art, in addition to photographs which have been taken of her by have carried her through “Face It” on a wave of every major photographer. Harry is an icon in crazy stories about shows, cheeky cameos from the truest sense of the word — just as Marilyn her bandmates and thin analyses of her own life. Monroe’s blonde curls represent a specific time But Harry doesn’t do this at all. Instead, “Face and place in the past, so do Harry’s, heralding It” seems more like a self-interrogating revision of her experiences, onlookers into a people’s occasionally punctuated history of art and rebellion by the names and stories in the greatest city on the that we expect from a rock planet. star’s memoir. “Coincidence came From someone who calling for me big-time has been funneling in the early seventies,” her experiences and Harry writes in an early inspirations into music chapter of the memoir. and art for the last 40 “Coincidence: it’s supposed years, it is clear how to mean just these easily self-analysis random disconnected comes to Harry, as she events that concur or weaves her true history collide. But coincidence into a riveting and often is not that at all. It’s the surprising narrative of stuff that’s meant to be.” serendipity and triumph. This perception makes Even if you’ve never heard sense considering the a Blondie song beyond performer’s history. “Heart of Glass” (on Wii Everything that made Just Dance 2), Harry’s Debbie Harry the icon story is one that deserves she is today is what made to be read widely. Her Blondie so popular, and voice and experiences act most of what happened as a time capsule of New in the height of post-punk DEY ST. BOOKS York in its prime. The glory seems to hinge on brief moments of interpolation between American reflex to make art, even in the craziest one world and the next. In the book, Harry of times, is most present in people like her. That remembers these flashes of coincidence in thread of passion is hard to miss in Harry’s brilliant literary detail, plunging the reader into retelling of her own story, as it is one that reaches the color and fury of her experiences with a sharp much farther than just her. CLARA SCOTT
NETFLIX
‘Irishman’ is a moving trip watching these three legendary actors interact is electrifying — their criminal endeavors made Daily Arts Writer me momentarily feel what it was like to watch the crime movies with fresh eyes. But to call “The Martin Scoresese is no stranger to messy, Irishman” a mere best hits anthology of Scorsese’s twisted characters. He has a tendency to paint career would be a severe underappreciation of its these characters with a sharp, but humanizing power. Sheeran, Buffalino and Hoffa’s stories are laden brush. This quality is what gives his films like “Goodfellas” and “Taxi Driver” (among others) with stylistic and narrative Scorsese tropes, but their uniquely hazy morality. His stories are they explore new territory too. In particular, I compelling not despite their darkness, but because found the script’s entanglement with national politics particularly insightful. The Buffalino of it. The director’s latest release, “The Irishman” is family’s friendship with the Kennedys sheds light no exception. The film offers both the delectably on a magnitude of political corruption that is gritty genre work that Scorsese’s audience has present in other crime movies, but rarely so directly come to expect as well as a tender self-reflection impactful on actual history. Scorsese leaves no detail of this story out, on the filmmaker’s own oeuvre. Following the rise of the Buffalino crime family and the Teamsters amounting in a runtime of three hours and 29 Union, the story depicts the ambitions, flaws and minutes. Yet, the film does not drag for the most part. Excepting humanity of three the penultimate gangsters with hour, a close look genuine heart. at Jimmy Hoffa’s Frank Sheeran, attempts to return played by Robert to power, “The De Niro (“Heat”), is Irishman” avoids the story’s primary Netflix feeling sluggish. If narrator, recounting anything, I’m glad his experience Scorsese decided to joining the mafia pack the story with as a hitman. De everything he could. Niro’s performance But Scorsese knows that the actors at the involves some of his most impressive acting in years, bringing back the rageful poise of his other film’s center now lack the vitality of their collaborations with Scorsese along with a softness digitally de-aged counterparts possessed in the that answers the simple question, what happens to mob’s heyday. And he uses this to his advantage, a gangster if they make it to old age? That answer challenging the audience to imagine their lives is not a pleasant one; in fact, when the glory days of without youth or momentum or glory. In this his role in the mafia are over, it is painful to watch way, “The Irishman” becomes a story about him past his prime. A similar point can be made falling from one’s peak. The nature of a high about De Niro himself, and maybe that’s what point is that it is momentary, subject to the remorseless advance of time. What Scorsese makes the film as touching as it is. At Sheeran’s side are mob boss Russel Buffalino ultimately achieves with “The Irishman” is (Joe Pesci, “My Cousin Vinny”) and President of nearly magical: It is a sad, even painful thing the Teamsters Union Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino, to watch these criminals fade, much like it is to “Ocean’s Thirteen”). The very experience of watch Scorsese himself grow old. ANISH TAMHANEY
The Irishman
HUMOR COLUMN
Release Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Desert Storm missile 5 Jed Clampett portrayer Buddy 10 Newspaper ad meas. 14 Greek liqueur 15 Like much snack food 16 German wheels 17 Optimistic viewpoint to “look on” 19 “The Way You Love Me” singer Faith 20 Comfort 21 Medieval clubs 22 Vampire played by Cruise 26 Offhand comment 29 Breathed out 31 Connects (to) 34 Eastern neighbor of Tenn. 35 “FBI” actress De La Garza 37 “Strange Magic” rock band 38 California’s Big __ 39 Know-it-all 41 UFC sport 42 Psychic’s “gift” 43 “Gesundheit!” evoker 44 For each unit 45 Emancipate 47 Middle of __: remote area 50 Restaurant chef’s workload 52 Came close to 53 Singer Joplin 55 Taste defeat 57 Strong desire 58 Samsung product 64 Any thing, say 65 Bamboo muncher 66 Black stone 67 Pigged out (on), briefly 68 Fur tycoon 69 Designer Chanel DOWN 1 Cry noisily 2 Many a stray 4-Down 3 Special forces weapon 4 Hound
5 Sprawling property 6 Barbershop quartet member 7 More underhanded 8 Flight board abbr. 9 “Bill __ Saves the World”: science talk show 10 Arid African expanse 11 Hothead’s trait 12 Wait in traffic 13 Rock’s Lofgren 18 Get better 21 Southeast Asia’s __ Peninsula 22 Camera attachments 23 Reason for absence 24 Wicked wit 25 Driveway surface 27 Jeremy Irons film based on a Christopher Paolini fantasy novel 28 Bill of fare 30 One of Santa’s reindeer 32 “Get Shorty” novelist __ Leonard
33 Lathered (up) 36 Late July zodiac sign 39 City districts 40 Slushy treat 44 “I understand now!” 46 Ally 48 GM security system 49 Blubber 51 Point of view
Face It
53 Roman queen of the gods 54 Retired MLB slugger 56 Word on a dollar 58 Place for TLC 59 Humanities degs. 60 Ad __ committee 61 Lennon’s love 62 Grand Central Sta. site 63 Skeleton prefix
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Becky Portman: Is searching BECKY PORTMAN
Daily Humor Columnist
How British pronounce appreciate Prince Charles young
This morning I Googled the following:
Charles and Camilla
Cuffing season duration
Charles and Diana
Timothée Chalamet Jewish
Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed
When is retrograde over
Was Lady Di murdered by the queen
Can you die from lack of attention
Stop biting nails
It turns out that cuffing season is until March, Timmy is Jewish, Mercury is technically out of retrograde but its effects will linger until Saturday and no, you can’t die from a lack of attention. I think our morning Googlings say a lot about us. For your reading pleasure, dear reader, here are some recent Googlings from yours truly.
Song that goes duhduh duh duh duhduh Jobs Chicago Jobs New York Jobs Los Angeles
Nick Jonas nipples Jobs anywhere Larry David young 12/03/19
What do I do after graduation Bernie Sanders young How to poach an egg Dog swimming How to write a comedy column Dog with human teeth Why is Michigan a basketball school Dog with human eyes How to make turtlenecks look cool for four days Dog with human nose Human with dog nose How to ask your crush out How to ask your crush out in a way that’s cool and chill and not weird
Is it safe to drink an open bottle of vodka you found on the street Am I dehydrated or do I need more coffee How much coffee is too much coffee Can you die from too much coffee
How to ask your crush out in a way that’s cool and chill and not weird and also not awkward How to buy vibrator on parents credit card without them knowing By Robert E. Lee Morris ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
12/03/19
How to pronounce appreciate
How often should you wash your sheets No but really, can you die from lack of attention
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 — 7
For seniors, a familiar season’s end ‘M’ season ends in disappointing fashion with Sweet Sixteen loss THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editor
Shea Patterson has only been at Michigan for two years, but that didn’t seem to matter. The question — What went wrong in the third quarter — lingered in the air for eight seconds, then nine, before Patterson muttered his response. “I don’t have anything for that,” he said, his voice cracking as he shook his head. As Patterson held back tears, it was hard to feel anything but sympathy. He grew up in the epicenter of this rivalry, a Michigan fan from birth. When he transferred two years ago, it was with the promise that he could be the one to lead the Wolverines past Ohio State — something they hadn’t done in six tries up to that point. Now, that streak is at eight, with Patterson’s two shots at the Buckeyes ending in blowout losses. Michigan’s traditional seniors at least had victory within their grasp as freshmen and sophomores, but they too leave winless. Only a meaningless bowl game now separates them from the end of their college careers. “It’s very, very frustrating,” Patterson said, sitting beside sophomore running back Hassan Haskins at the podium postgame. “What we do all year leading to this game is for them. We know it’s an emotional game. Luckily Hassan’s got a few more shots at them.” Implicit in his comments is that Patterson and the rest of Michigan’s seniors don’t. That doesn’t, in and of itself, make their college careers a waste. Patterson has 19 wins in his two years here. The four-year seniors have 37. Those, like fifthyear senior Jordan Glasgow, who have been here for Harbaugh’s entire tenure have 47. “I don’t think this result should have been the result that we should have seen,” Glasgow said. “But it’s the one that we
JARED GREENSPAN Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior quarterback Shea Patterson has lost in both tries against Ohio State.
have. We just gotta live with that.” On Saturday afternoon, though, living with that was easier said than done. All week, these same seniors emphasized the importance of this game. The national championship and Big Ten title hopes that they arrived with four years ago were gone, but beating Ohio State — just once — could cure all. “I just love playing in these big games,” senior guard Ben Bredeson said Monday. “There’s no bigger stage in college football than Ohio State-Michigan. That’s why we all come to the respective schools is to play championship football and with that, play each other, be a part of the greatest rivalry in college football.” A week later, that opportunity has been evaporated into history, joining relinquished championship hopes in Michigan’s latest lost season. It’s a feeling that five generations of seniors have now had to put into words. For five years, they’ve taken to a podium — whether in Ann Arbor or
Columbus — and been asked how it feels to leave Michigan without a win over their biggest rival. And for five years, there hasn’t been anything new to say. “Wish I could’ve got a couple wins in it,” safety Tyree Kinnel said after last year’s 62-39 loss. “That’s the toughest part. I’m gonna have to sleep on that the rest of my life, that I was not able to win in this game.” A year earlier, John O’Korn fought through tears to deliver the same message. “The hardest part for me is that you come here to win this game,” O’Korn said then. “And our senior class wasn’t able to do it.” Now, it comes from Patterson and Glasgow and Bredeson. All took different paths to get here, but all entered Saturday with one chance to etch their names in Michigan history. Instead, they leave with an eight-game losing streak in their wake. “Definitely really frustrating, especially for the seniors,” said senior tight end Sean McKeon. “It’s just kind of the same thing every year.”
It all seemed too good to be true. Derick Broche found himself all alone, green grass the only thing between him and the opposing goalkeeper, his feet the recipient of a ball that split the Wake Forest defense. One accurate touch and the sophomore forward would tie up the game. The equalizer, though, wasn’t meant to be. Broche’s shot, seemingly destined for the net, trickled harmlessly past the post, wide right. Broche’s gaffe, arguably the most egregious error in a game rife with missed opportunities, was microcosmic of Sunday’s 3-1 Sweet Sixteen loss for the Michigan men’s soccer team (11-5-6) against Wake Forest (15-4-2). As the missed chances built, Michigan’s chances at winning the game dwindled away. “It was just a hard fought match and, in the end, it was a game of chances converted,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. “They found their chances, and we missed ours.” In the 70th minute, just moments after the Wolverines missed their golden opportunity, the Demon Deacons capitalized upon one of Michigan’s defensive mistakes. Senior defenseman Abdou Samake was whistled for a foul going for a
loose ball in the box, which led to a Bruno Lapa penalty kick goal. Lapa’s strike buried the Wolverines in a two-goal deficit, capping off a sequence that served as the nail in the coffin to Michigan’s season. “Momentum swings, that’s football,” Daley said. “When the momentum swings, you know we’re one-on-one twice in the game, goals change games for sure. And that sequence certainly changes the game in the end.” In the 24th minute, graduate transfer forward Nebojsa Popovic missed a chance that began equally as promising as Broche’s. Popovic received a through ball from senior winger Jack Hallahan that led him behind the last row of defense, yet his one-timer was deflected out of bounds on a lunging save by Wake Forest goalkeeper Andrew Pannenberg. Throughout, the Michigan attack continued to create chances with six shots on goal, growing into its own as the game went on. Failing to convert on said chances, though, plagued most of the opportunities. Scoring became an even more challenging task for the Wolverines when Hallahan — the team’s third-leading goal-scorer — left the game in the 53rd minute due to an apparent injury after being inadvertently struck in the face. Michigan’s defense, meanwhile, was in bend-but-not-break
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily
The Michigan men’s soccer team was eliminated by Wake Forest on Sunday.
mode from the opening whistle, struggling to keep one of the nation’s most potent attacks at bay. In the first half, the defense held its own. In the second half, it finally broke. The Wolverines deployed an aggressive press, which left them vulnerable to counter attacks and long passes down the wing. Five minutes into the second half, Wake Forest forward Machop Chol burst by junior defenseman Austin Sweich on the right flank and launched a cross towards the box. Freshman goalkeeper Owen Finnerty dove off his line, yet the ball came inches away from grazing his outstretched right hand. Instead, it found the head of Demon Deacon forward Kyle Holcomb, who wasted no time in giving Wake Forest the 1-0 lead. “Defensively, we pressed them pretty well, kept them uncomfortable for a large portion of the game,” Daley said. “We were pretty good until we made those mistakes in the second half, and they were really sharp on capitalizing on our mistakes. That was the difference in the game.” Michigan finally broke through in the 77th minute when junior midfielder Marc Ybarra rifled a kick from outside the box, and the ball pinballed through the defense until it found Broche’s right foot and the back of the net. The Wolverines’ stay on lifesupport, though, proved shortlived. In the 83rd minute, Holcomb struck again, blasting a one-timer off a right-side cross over Finnerty directly at the net and notching his second goal of the game. The plug had officially been pulled on the Michigan’s season. “It’s a sad locker room,” Daley said. “Never easy to end your season. But at least we ended our season to a very formidable opponent. We want to compete against the big boys of college soccer and that’s what we came to do and the boys were up for it. Just disappointed in the end.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Michigan learning how to bend but not break How a full-court press unleashed an offense BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer
Kris Mayotte’s favorite saying is ‘Bend, but don’t break.’ It’s been parroted around the halls of Yost Ice Arena enough times this season that every time someone says something to that effect, everyone knows where it came from. But the Michigan hockey team has largely struggled to fulfill what its assistant coach has been asking. In three of the Wolverines’ seven Big Ten games before Sunday’s game in Madison, Michigan held a twogoal lead in the second period — four times if you count both the 2-0 and 3-1 leads over Michigan State on Nov. 14. All three times, the Wolverines broke under pressure as their opponents came back to win. In the conference opener at Ohio State on Nov. 1, redshirt sophomore forward Emil Öhrwall found the back of the net for his first goal in a Michigan sweater halfway through the second period. The Wolverines led, 2-0, and had all the momentum. Six minutes later, the Buckeyes halved the deficit, and Michigan couldn’t get its feet back. Just over a minute into the third, Ohio State found twine
again. And not even two minutes after that, the Buckeyes took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Wolverines bent, and then they broke. Two weekends later against Michigan State, the breaking point was even more damning. Sophomore forward Garrett Van Wyhe had just given Michigan a 2-0 lead when the Spartans marched down the ice on the next shift and made it a 2-1 game. But the Wolverines bounced back — for the time being — when freshman forward Johnny Beecher fired a sharp-angle shot over goaltender John Lethemon’s shoulder and Michigan regained a two-goal lead. As you either know or can guess by now, that two-goal lead was doomed. Michigan State made it 3-2 by the end of the second period and 3-3 just under four minutes into the third. By the 8:51 mark of the third period, the Spartans had taken the lead. Once again, the Wolverines bent. Then they broke. “There’s times where were just get too high or get too low and then you can see that in the game,” said sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg after that game. “Or some shifts don’t go our way, and you can kinda see that happen. (Mayotte) says, ‘Bend, don’t break,’ and I
think we gotta keep working on that.” It felt as though blowing a two-goal lead — twice — on home ice to its biggest rival would either be a turning point or a breaking point for Michigan. The game two nights later in East Lansing seemed to prove it was a breaking point, as the Wolverines were shut out for the first time all year in a 3-0 loss. It was the Spartans’ first sweep over Michigan since 2009. And when the Wolverines returned to conference play this past weekend at Wisconsin, the same story returned. Michigan got out to an early lead and led 2-0 in the second period. In a blink, it was 2-1 after forward Dylan Holloway beat sophomore goaltender Strauss Mann when the Wolverines got caught in a slow line change. Minutes later, defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk made it 2-2 when he danced through all five Michigan skaters on his way to the net. Inevitably, the Badgers took the lead just over halfway through the third period when defenseman K’Andre Miller’s shot bounced off freshman defenseman Keaton Pehrson’s skate and into the net. For the third time in four weeks, the Wolverines blew a
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
The Michigan hockey team held onto its two-goal lead Sunday, getting its first Big Ten win against Wisconsin.
2-0 lead and lost. The loss was characterized by mental lapses, of a team that just couldn’t find a way to win. A team that had long since passed its bending point and was now, truly, at its breaking point. “But we have to find a way, we have to stick together and work through this time that we’re having,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson on Sunday. “Then once we find a way to win some games, we’re going to win our share of one-goal games. We just have to stick together as a group and continue to work. It’s the only way we’re going to get out of it.” So, when Michigan found itself up 2-0 early in the second period in Sunday’s game, there was little reason to expect the script to be flipped. When freshman forward Nick Granowicz went to the box for roughing in the third period and Wisconsin’s Cole Caufield made it a 2-1 game with six minutes left, it looked to be, once again, the same story, different night. But for the first time in Big Ten play, the Wolverines didn’t break. An empty-netter from senior forward Jake Slaker sealed things with 46 seconds left for Michigan’s first conference win. “They’ve had some tough losses,” Pearson said Sunday. “And every time you lose like that it’s like somebody reaches in and rips a piece of your heart out, but they’ve continued to come and believe and work and so from that standpoint, it’s a huge win.” Three times, the Wolverines broke. On the fourth, they bent — just a bit — and then managed, somehow, to hold strong. It’s way too soon to make determinations about whether this win is a turning point for Michigan, because the Wolverines may well find themselves at another breaking point this weekend when firstplace Penn State comes to town. But for the first time, Michigan managed to do what Mayotte has been begging for all year. Bend, but don’t break.
KENT SCHWARTZ Daily Sports Writer
So far this season, the Michigan women’s basketball team’s greatest advantages over its mid-major opposition have been its size, speed and strength. Every player in its starting lineup is over six feet — a rarity in women’s basketball. With three starting forwards, it looks to dominate the paint every game. And the Wolverines succeed, when they find space and hold onto the ball. Sophomore forward Naz Hillmon is the team’s leading scorer, followed by freshman center Izabel Varejão and senior forward Kayla Robbins. Their length is their strength — 58 percent of points come from shots inside the arc. Against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 27, though, Michigan struggled early on producing offense. Missed shots, missed free throws and turnovers plagued the team in the first quarter. And then on Sunday, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico changed the game plan completely. The entire team played in the first quarter, as the Wolverines struggled to take a lead against Morgan State. Barnes Arico decided to press the Bears. “We’re trying to figure out with our rotations and what’s the best lineup to be able to (press),” Barnes Arico said. “It’s hard if you’re playing (Hillmon) 37 minutes a game to be pressing the entire time, but tonight with an opportunity to use our 11 players, we were able to press a little bit more, which is great.” The shift started early in the first half, when sophomore guard Danielle Rauch came on the court for sophomore guard Amy Dilk. There would be no break from the onslaught of pressure for the visitors. After a tight first half, the Bears finally
broke — turning the ball over seven times and giving Michigan 13 points off turnovers. “We were able to get into the open court in transition so it was higher percentage shots,” Barnes Arico said. “In the first half we were taking sometimes contested (shots) and turning the ball over a lot, so I think our defense helped us create our offense which helped us settle in a little bit more.” Added senior guard Akienreh Johnson: “When we don’t get stops on defense it kind of messes up our offense because we lose our confidence, things like that. But our ability to get stops, get steals, get rebounds, things like that, we really pride ourselves on that.” When Morgan State finally crumbled under the Wolverines’ press, the floodgates opened for Michigan’s offense. Shooters like freshman guard Michelle Sidor enjoyed an abundance of time and space to get shots off, Sidor sank four 3-pointers on her way to a career high 16 points. As a whole, the team shot 61 percent in the second half, compared to 47 percent in the first. Thanks to the press, the Wolverines had found their rhythm. “In the first half we kind of tried to do one pass and shot a lot of the times,” Johnson said. “But in the second half we calmed down and got the two, three, four passes and then the duck in or the kick out to the three. So I think it was a lot more of rhythm and then confidence.” In the second half against Morgan State, Michigan put a lid on its turnovers — its biggest early-season problem — committing just three. For the first time all season, the Wolverines seemed to use their dominant athleticism in another way beyond controlling the glass, freeing up their guards to steal the spotlight in a way they haven’t all season.
Sports
8 — Tuesday, December 3, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Howard’s marriage of culture and fundamentals shines through
F
or the Michigan men’s basketball team, Juwan Howard’s undefeated start is a pipe dream-turned-reality. Just seven games into his tenure, the first-year coach has already scored a pair of top10 wins. In doing so, he slayed two DANIEL coaching DASH juggernauts in North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Gonzaga’s Mark Few — both of whom rank top-10 in all-time winning percentage — en route to claiming last week’s Battle 4 Atlantis. When Howard was first introduced, it appeared he’d be inheriting a shell of last season’s Sweet 16 team. The Wolverines’ three leading scorers jumped to the NBA, while the coach who built the program into a perennial contender followed suit soon after. With only one recruit set to join the program following the decommitment of four-star forward Jalen Wilson, it seemed as though Howard’s first season could be discounted given the surrounding uncertainty. Instead, he retained four-star guard Cole Bajema’s pledge and lured Franz Wagner away from Alba Berlin of the EuroLeague. For a program that was widely expected to take a shortterm step backward under Howard, early returns have produced the opposite. And now, six months after losing Jordan Poole, Ignas Brazdeikis, Charles Matthews and John Beilein, Michigan is ranked No. 4 in the nation after a record-tying leap from unranked territory. It’s not a fluke — rather, it’s a product of Howard’s hiring
and the culture he’s already established. “First and foremost, (Howard is) just telling us it’s a player-led team and allowing us and giving us responsibility,” sophomore guard David DeJulius said after beating the Tar Heels. “When you get that responsibility, you take ownership of your own team. Other than that, he does a great job of having open, candid conversations with us on and off the floor. “When you have a coach that you know cares about you genuinely, both on and off the floor, then you’ll run through a brick wall for him.” This type of immediate success isn’t run of the mill, even in the highest-profile coaching gigs. By now, Howard has made it tough to believe he’s only a month removed from his first game at the helm, in which the Wolverines came dangerously close to squandering a 30-point lead against an Appalachian State team that finished 11-21 last season. In each game since, Michigan has taken a step forward. An eye-opening one, at that. It’s a credit to Howard’s culture, which the nation noticed for the first time in the Bahamas. “(There’s an) open-door policy,” junior guard Eli Brooks said after Michigan’s win over North Carolina. “Anytime you need (Howard), he’s there. He’ll let you know that, too. You can really feel it. Some people say it’s not real, but with him, it’s real.” For Howard, such a culture is representative of his coaching style. By putting the power in the players’ hands during games, his preachings become more than just words. “Coming out of half, usually, most coaches you may know want to adjust and control the game as much as possible,”
junior forward Isaiah Livers said in Atlantis. “But we’re lucky enough to have a coaching staff where they let us dictate our own coming out in the second half, and then we rely on (Howard’s) words. He’s more of a players’ coach where he understands the game. You can’t play the game if you’re being controlled the whole time.” From a technical standpoint, Howard has been equally effective in the same capacities that made him a well-regarded NBA assistant coach. During his six-year stint on the Miami Heat’s staff, he was responsible for the ascension of centers Hassan Whiteside and Bam
Adebayo. Senior center Jon Teske is the perfect case study of Howard’s early impact in Ann Arbor. After posting 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds across 27.9 minutes per game last season, he’s averaging 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds on a career-best 56-percent clip from the field across fewer minutes per game (27.4) so far this year. Howard’s impact on Teske was most apparent against the Tar Heels and Bulldogs, in particular, as the 7-foot-1 center tallied a combined 29 points and 23 rebounds en route to tournament MVP honors. “Since the first day, (Howard)
has been teaching me, showing me tips,” Teske said. “He’s got a lot of knowledge of the game, so just asking him questions and he’s more than willing to help me, and it’s showed the last couple of games.” At this point, Howard appears to be well on his way to crafting the perfect marriage of culture and fundamentals. Granted, most of this group was part of last season’s team, which climbed as high as No. 2 in the national poll following a program-best 17-0 start. After mid-January, though, Michigan lost seven of its final 20 games. To first-year associate head coach Phil Martelli, who
spent the last 34 years at St. Joseph’s, the attention around Howard’s immediate success is anything but an overreaction. In Howard, he sees someone with everything needed to reach the pinnacle of coaching. “I’m here to help Juwan Howard coach on a Monday night in April,” Martelli said in October. “ … Because he’s going to do that.” A month into Howard’s tenure, that proclamation is starting to sound a whole lot more plausible.
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Michigan coach Juwan Howard has emphasized a culture of open communication en route to a 7-0 record after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis on Friday.
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