ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, November 7, 2013
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
FUNDRAISING
Campaign organizers want to hit 5M people Victors for Michigan development drive will kick off Friday By SAM GRINGLAS Daily Staff Reporter ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
The University’s chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity (house pictured above) is being investigated after multiple hazing allegations were brought to light.
AEPi frat accused of hazing President ousted, ‘U’ and national office investigating By YARDAIN AMRON Daily Staff Reporter
New hazing allegations have been lodged against the University’s chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, the second claim in the past month.
In response, the AEPi national organization removed LSA sophomore Andrew Koffsky, the chapter’s president, from his leadership position and has opened a formal investigation into the matter. John Pierce, spokesman for the national AEPi organization, said Wednesday the latest allegations came forward in an anonymous e-mail. Pierce said he could not confirm or deny the veracity of the claims in the
e-mail or provide any details about the message’s content. “Sometimes reports like that are credible, and they are trying to protect themselves or trying to maintain some anonymity for fear of repercussions,” Pierce said. “In other cases, they’re competitive fraternities who are trying to get our fraternity in trouble.” The Indiana-based organization acted swiftly on the allegations Tuesday, sending Koffsky
a cease-and-desist letter that suspended his presidency that morning and dispatching Alex Mandel, a regional representative, to the University’s chapter house in the evening.” Mandel met with Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Aaron Dombey, vice president of AEPi, and Kinesiology junior Carl Scheller, the fraternity’s treasurer, for more than three hours. Koffsky was not allowed See HAZING, Page 3A
Though the Victors for Michigan campaign won’t officially launch until Friday, the University’s Office of Development is aiming to reach five-million people regarding the fundraising effort. Development officials said Wednesday that Victors for Michigan is on track to garner five-million “touch points” for the period spanning from Monday to Friday’s kickoff party. Touch points measure instances of contact with members of the general public and University affiliates, which can include marketing activities and word of mouth. Tom Szczepanski, senior executive director for annual giving, marketing and student engage-
ment in the Office of Development, said connecting as many people as possible is crucial to meet the a bold fundraising target. The overall goal for the campaign will be announced at a press event Thursday. “This is going to be an audacious goal,” Szczepanski said. “It’s going to be the largest campaign goal in the history of higher public education.” The University’s last campaign, The Michigan Difference, ended in 2008 and raised $3.2 billion, passing its original $2.5-million goal. Victors for Michigan aims to shoot even higher. Szczepanski said receiving a host of small gifts is as important as snagging multi-million dollar leadership gifts like Rick and Susan Rogel’s $50-million donation to the Medical School and Chinese studies program announced Tuesday. “Those gifts rightly get a lot of publicity,” Szczepanski said. “But the reality is just as there See CAMPAIGN, Page 3A
POLITICS
STUDENT LIFE
PubPol student wins election in Trenton, Mich.
Speak Out event gives survivors a safe space
University senior’s elected to city council in hometown race By HILLARY CRAWFORD Daily Staff Reporter
As the dust settled from city council elections in Trenton, Mich., about 40 miles from Ann Arbor, another Michigan man became an elected policy maker. The twist: Steven Rzeppa is a current Public Policy senior. Rzeppa became interested in running for political office after working on the State House campaign of former Trenton Mayor Tom Dorigzki in 2012. Early on, Dorigzki encouraged him to consider running for elected office in the small city with close to 19,000 residents. “He brought the idea to me that there are people who want to see younger people get involved,” Rzeppa said. Four of the six current coun-
cil members were first elected to office before Rzeppa was born. When Dorigzki told Rzeppa that two of the council members were retiring, he also suggested Rzeppa run to replace them. Even before beginning his campaign, Rzeppa benefitted from a strong standing in the community. His mother worked for the city for almost 15 years, which allowed him to build connections with the city’s firefighters and police force. In addition to encouraging active participation in the community, Rzeppa also took into consideration the long-term challenges of cities across the state by talking to constituents about the drop in property values and declines in state share revenues. The majority of the campaigning took place during the summer, when he and his campaign volunteers knocked on more than 6,000 doors — at least half of which Rzeppa said he visited personally. Although the former mayor See TRENTON, Page 3A
At SAPAC event, students talk about sexual violence experiences By CAROLYN GEARIG
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Sociology Professor Elizabeth Armstrong talks at the “Let’s Talk About Sex, a Conversation on Campus Hookup Culture” at Rakham Auditorium Wednesday.
Professor debunks myths about college hookups Armstrong speaks at TEDxUM salon on campus sex culture By AMABEL KAROUB For the Daily
On a dark, rainy Wednesday night, nearly 100 students gathered together in the fourth
floor of the Rackham Graduate School to talk about sex. Seats were filled well before the TEDx Salon event started at 7:30 p.m., and students crowded on the floor to listen with rapt attention to the speaker, Sociology Prof. Elizabeth Armstrong. TEDxUM, an independent TED student group, hosts a conference once a year along with smaller events like the salon. Armstrong, co-author of
“Paying for the Party,” discussed the positive and negative affiliations with “hookups,” which she defined as kissing, touching or full intercourse, on a college campus. Armstrong relied heavily on results from a Stanford University survey about sex on college campuses that compared average hookups, dates and relationships by college seniors. She dispelled the popSee HOOK-UPS, Page 3A
Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan Union ballroom was filled with over 100 people Wednesday evening for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center’s 27th annual Speak Out. As a part of the event, students who experienced intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault and stalking were invited to speak openly about their experiences. LSA junior Kathryn Abercrombie and LSA senior Nicole Corrigan — co-coordinators for SAPAC’s Networking, Publicity & Activism Volunteer Program —organized the event. The program leads outreach and raises awareness on campus about sexual assault. See SURVIVORS, Page 3A
How UMS got its groove back How did the Univesity Musical Societybecame one of the University’s most diverse programs”
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Vol. CXXIV, No. 25 ©2013 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A
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News
2A — Thursday, November 7, 2013
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
D O N AT I N G L I F E
THURSDAY: Alumni Profiles
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A Wolverine among Yalies
What made you want to become a professor? I am the first in my family to become a professor so I didn’t get it from my parents. Although, my two boys are both professors. I just think I am a scholarly type. I like research. I thought I would be a science professor at first, but then I got interested in economics. I just like to read scholarly works. I have always believed
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
University finance employee Valerie Haeussler donates blood at the Michigan Union during the Blood Battle drive Wednesday.
CRIME NOTES
What has been your favorite part about your time at the University of Michigan?
I tell my students they are coming for a college education. They should think of it as an opportunity to build some kind of unique human capital. Human capital is an economics term for investment in yourself and education. But literally it means the kind of skills and special knowledge you have that might be, hopefully is, unique. I tell my students to not worry so much about grades; it’s really about what you develop yourself into.
Well, it wasn’t sports. I think I went to maybe one football game the whole time. And it wasn’t dating; I didn’t do much of that. I didn’t join a fraternity. I was an assistant night editor at The Michigan Daily. I actually liked that experience but I don’t know if that was my favorite part. I suppose my favorite was just the interaction with other young people, similar students, just getting to talk to them.
International storytelling
Lusophone film festival
WHERE: East Hall WHEN: Tuesday around 11:05 a.m. WHAT: An exterior building sign for East Hall was stolen, reported University Police. There are currently no suspects and the timeframe is uncertain.
WHERE: Kellogg Eye Center WHEN: Tuesday around 4:40 p.m. WHAT: In the lab, a subject spilled formalin, University Police reported. Assistance was provided and the spill taken care of.
WHAT: The annual storytelling event will be open to all students, who can listen in on the many stories of international travel that individuals have to offer. WHO: International Center WHEN: Today at 7 p.m. WHERE: North Quad, Space 2435
WHAT: Come see the 2012 Virgin Margarida, intended to showcase the style of Portugese contemporary cinema. WHO: Department of Romance Languages and Literature WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan The-
Livin’ the student life
#GlowOut on Detroit North Campus discussion
WHERE: Campus Safety Services WHEN: Tuesday around 2:35 p.m. WHAT: A subject, who was previously issued a trespassing warning, was found using campus computers, University Police reported.
WHAT: Students and staff will gather with glowsticks, cider, and donuts, to kick off this new campaign, whereby students will discuss the problems facing us today, as well as their solutions. WHO: College of Engineering WHEN: Today 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. WHERE: North Campus Diag
Get more online at michigandaily.com/blogs/The Wire
WHAT: Rolling Stone contributing editor Mark Binelli will be discussing the future of Detroit, and the ways in which we can jumpstart its recovery. WHO: LS&A Marketing, Development and Communications WHEN: Today 5:10 to 7:10 p.m. WHERE: Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library
— CLAIRE BRYAN Read More at MichiganDaily.com
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
Lady Gaga will be the first artist to sing in outer space, US Weekly reported Wednesday. The performance will be a part of the three day 2015 Zero G Colony music festival. Her act will be taking place on the last day of the festival.
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The University Musical Society has changed a great deal in its history than began with its formation in 1879. Now, culturally diverse acts make up the eight-month season.>> FOR
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If you could give current Michigan students one piece of advice, what would it be?
Snagging some Careful with souvenirs the chemicals
MORE ONLINE Love Crime Notes?
ANDREW WEINER
in those kinds of people. I don’t watch much television, virtually zero. I get bored.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
WHERE: University Hospital WHEN: Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. WHAT: A wedding ring was stolen from a patient’s purse, University Police reported. The theft took place during a procedure on Oct. 14th.
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
NOBEL PRIZE? NO BIG DEAL.
Robert Shiller is an economist, best selling author and current professor at Yale University. He graduated from the University in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics.
Better put a ring on it
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Husband and wife turned rivals in the elections for the Waterville, Maine warden seat, The Online Sentinel reported Wednesday. The wife, a Democratic, beat out her Republican husband in the race in a 127-76 vote.
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BUSINESS STAFF Amal Muzaffar Digital Accounts Manager Doug Soloman University Accounts Manager Leah Louis-Prescott Classified Manager Lexi Derasmo Local Accounts Manager Hillary Wang National Accounts Manager Ellen Wolbert and Sophie Greenbaum Production Managers The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Detroit mayor-elect says Kerry hopeful Israelis, skin color too central in race Palestinians find peace Duggan to meet with Snyder, Detroit leaders within the next two days
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit’s mayor-elect said Wednesday that far too much had been made of his skin color during a historic write-in campaign and general
election victory that will make him the predominantly black city’s first white mayor in four decades. Appearing at his first news conference as mayor-elect, Mike Duggan said he would meet over the next two days with Michigan’s governor and Detroit’s current leaders, including the state-appointed emergency manager who currently controls the cash-
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Secretary of State spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Abbas
strapped city’s checkbook. With Detroit grappling with $18 billion in debt and awaiting a judge’s ruling on whether it can move forward with a bankruptcy filing, Duggan said the race of the mayor is not a factor. “I resent it. I’ve resented it from the beginning,” Duggan BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State said. “People in this city got past it almost a year ago, as people John Kerry waded again into got to know me and we started the nitty-gritty of faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to relate as individuals.” Unofficial general election on Wednesday, saying he was results Tuesday night showed optimistic that tensions and difDuggan, a former Detroit Medificulties could be overcome, even cal Center chief executive, between “two proud people” defeating Wayne County Sheriff struggling to reach an accommoBenny Napoleon 55 percent to 45 dation. percent. Napoleon is black. Kerry was upbeat after sepaRace, more specifically black rate meetings with Israeli Prime and white, has defined Detroit Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for generations. and Jerusalem and Palestinian More than 80 percent of the President Mahmoud Abbas in http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ 700,000 people living in Detroit the West Bank town of Bethleare black. The last time it had hem. “As in any negotiation there a white mayor, only about 44 percent of Detroit’s 1.5 million will be moments of up and residents were black and the city moments of down,” Kerry said, was only a few years removed even as both sides traded barbs from a race riot that left 43 peoabout who is to blame for the curple dead and dozens of buildings rent poor state of negotiations. burned. “But ... we are determined to “Detroit became ‘black try to bring lasting peace to this Detroit’ and the suburbs became region.” the ‘white suburbs, and people The secretary said, “We picked sides,” then-mayor and are convinced that despite the difficulties, both leaders, now convicted felon Kwame Kilpatrick told The Associated Press President Abbas and Prime for a story in 2007. Minister Netanyahu, are also determined to work toward Of the 10 cities of at least 100,000 people with the largest this goal.” percentage of black residents, Yet tension between the two only New Orleans and Montsides was running high and on gomery, Ala., have white mayors. clear display after the PalestinThe others have black mayors. ians said a secret negotiating Duggan’s election could help session on Tuesday broke down blur the color lines, but when he in an acrimonious dispute over takes office in January Detroit Israeli settlement construction. officially could be bankrupt. He Introducing Kerry in Bethlehem, the town’s mayor denounced will be expected to have solutions for lowering one of the Israeli settlements as a “siege” highest violent crime rates in the and Netanyahu opened his meeting with the secretary by bashing country — in a city that struggles to respond to 911 calls — and fixthe Palestinians for their behaving Detroit’s many crumbling ior in the peace talks. “I’m concerned about their neighborhoods. Public transportation is in shambles, as are other progress because I see the city services. Palestinians continuing with
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incitement, continuing to create artificial crises, continuing to avoid, run away from the historic decisions that are needed to make a genuine peace,” Netanyahu told Kerry as they started their two hour and 45-minute meeting in a Jerusalem hotel. “I hope that your visit will help steer them back to a place where we could achieve the historical peace that we seek and that our people deserve.” Despite Netanyahu’s slap at the Palestinians, Kerry said he was optimistic that the difficulties could be overcome. Kerry said he would continue to plug away despite the problems. “We need the space to negotiate privately, secretly, quietly and we will continue to do that,” he said. “We have six months ahead of us on the timetable we have set for ourselves and I am confident we have the ability to make progress.” After seeing Netanyahu, Kerry traveled to Bethlehem where he announced that the U.S. would give an additional $75 million in aid to create Palestinian jobs and help them improve roads, schools and other infrastructure. U.S. officials said the aid is designed to boost Palestinian public support for the peace process. Kerry said he had a “very, very good meeting” and an “excellent lunch” with Abbas, during which the president assured him that he was “100-percent committed to the” peace talks. In a bid to calm rising Palestinian anger at Abbas for a perceived acquiescence to Israeli settlements, Kerry flatly denied suggestions that Abbas had in any way agreed to “condone or accept” such activity as part of the deal to return to the talks. “The Palestinians believe that the settlements are illegal, the United States continues to believe the settlements are not helpful and are illegitimate,” he said. Kerry added, “That is not
to say that they were not aware or we were not aware that there would be construction but that that would be much better off in our judgment limited as much as possible.” Kerry said that Abbas had agreed not to take the Palestinian case for statehood to the United Nations as long as the talks are ongoing and as long as Israel continues prisoner releases. “I am convinced that President Abbas is serious about these talks and that he wants to find peace,” Kerry said, noting that Abbas had restated his understanding that compromises would have to be made. Once he finishes his talks with Abbas in Bethlehem, Kerry is to return to Jerusalem for a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres and have a working dinner with Netanyahu. On Thursday, Kerry plans to travel to Jordan, where he expects to see Abbas for a second time on his current mission. After months of cajoling, Kerry persuaded Israel and the Palestinians to reopen peace talks in late July after a nearly five-year break. But after being launched with great fanfare, the negotiations quickly ran into trouble with no visible signs of progress and both sides reverting to a familiar pattern of finger pointing. The goal of reaching a peace deal within nine months appears in jeopardy. Underscoring the challenge ahead, the Tuesday negotiating session broke down, according to a Palestinian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the pledge not to discuss the talks in public. The official said the outrage over the settlement plans boiled over at a secret negotiating session with the Israelis in Jerusalem. The official said the meeting, held at Kerry’s request, “exploded” over the settlement issue, and that the talks were abruptly halted.
News
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NEWS BRIEFS
CAMPAIGN From Page 1A
LANSING, Mich.
AG proposes new laws in light of human trafficking Michigan’s top law enforcer said Wednesday that the state should treat teenage prostitutes as victims, not criminals, as it works to combat human trafficking. The recommendation to create a “safe harbor” provision for minors is among many resulting from a six-month review led by the state’s first human trafficking commission. Attorney General Bill Schuette and lawmakers who worked on the report also want to toughen criminal penalties for traffickers and people who solicit sex from 16- and 17-year-olds. “What we’re doing is putting in place a presumption that if you’re a minor and you’re forced to have sex, the presumption is that you are a victim, not a criminal,” Schuette, a Republican, said during a news conference at his Lansing office attended by legislators, advocates and trafficking experts.
SAN DIEGO
Third Navy official arrested in Asia bribery scheme Federal officials say a third senior U.S. Navy official has been arrested in connection with a massive bribery scheme in Asia that helped a Malaysian defense contractor overbill the Pentagon by millions of dollars in exchange for prostitutes, luxury trips and other bribes. Federal prosecutors said U.S. Navy Commander Jose Luis Sanchez was arrested Wednesday in Tampa, Fla. In a criminal complaint, Sanchez is accused of accepting prostitutes, luxury travel and $100,000 cash from a foreign defense contractor in exchange for classified and internal U.S. Navy information.
TORONTO
Amid controversy, Toronto mayor refuses to leave post Toronto’s embattled mayor on Wednesday rejected the advice of city council allies to take a temporary leave of absence, returning to work a day after acknowledging he had smoked crack. Deepening the crisis, Rob Ford’s long-time policy adviser resigned, continuing an exodus that started in May when news reports emerged of a video showing the mayor smoking what appears to be crack. Police announced last week they had a copy of the video, which has not been released publicly. After months of evading the question, Ford acknowledged for the first time Tuesday that he smoked crack “probably a year ago” when he was in a “drunken stupor.” But he has refused to step aside despite immense pressure.
LONDON
WikiLeaks aide leaves Snowden for Germany WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison, a key ally of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, has left Russia for Germany, saying her lawyers had advised her against travel to Britain over fears she could be prosecuted if she returns to her native country. Harrison arrived in Germany over the weekend, saying in a statement released by WikiLeaks late Wednesday that she left Snowden only after making sure “that he had established himself and was free from the interference of any government.” The statement also said that lawyers had advised her to stay away from the U.K. over fears she would be prosecuted under antiterror laws. —Compiled from Daily wire reports
are $50-million gifts, there are also $50 gifts. And to add up to the total we need to achieve, we need hundreds of thousands of gifts. And to motivate those hundreds of thousands of gifts, we need to influence a lot of people.” For the Office of Development, touch points — the term Szczepanski uses for points of engagement — are the eyes and ears on the University’s campaign. These points include contact on Facebook, Twitter, in the press and physical advertisements like t-shirts and Frisbees slated for distribution at Friday’s community festival. However, calculating exactly how many touch points the campaign has is a challenge in itself. Campaign strategists have built estimates from Twitter hashtag usage, Facebook shares, event attendees and circulation of media coverage, as well as potential viewers of signs and wearable giveaways. During planning sessions to market the campaign, Szczepanski said organizers initially planned to elicit one-million touch points during the week leading up to launch night. Due to an unprecedented amount of student involvement, the Office of Development hopes engagement will surpass their original expectations five times over. “Because the students have become so engaged, we’re now confident the reach will be much
HAZING From Page 1A into the meeting. Mandel avoided a reporter who attempted to reach him for comment near the fraternity house. Pierce said there are grounds for removing a chapter president if the national office’s executive office “deems it an appropriate first step.” He added that the office deals with each allegation separately but do review a chapter’s overall reputation. Thinking back to a previous statement made by national officials after the first set of hazing allegations, Koffsky said he feared the University’s chapter might be cut from the umbrella organization. “They said, ‘Andrew, if we’re coming back later this year, for anything, for any reason at all, we’re ending your fraternity,’ ” Koffsky said. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said he could not confirm if the University was investigating the fraternity. If an investigation is underway, it is still in its infancy, he said. “It’s really, really way to soon to draw any conclusions,” Fitzgerald said. Kinesiology senior Michael Freedman, president of the Interfraternity Council, said he could not confirm the allegations. While IFC doesn’t condone inappropriate behavior like
greater than originally anticipated, which means our campaign success will be met that much more efficiently,” Szczepanski said. Besides installing a student advisory committee to help plan fundraising, campaign branding and delivery has taken a new focus on students. The campaign’s primary priority is student support and financial aid. At the President’s Leadership Breakfast in October, University President Mary Sue Coleman announced Victors for Michigan would attempt to secure $1 billion for student aid. “Today, (students) are a lot more savvy, and they understand the impact philanthropy has on their life and how philanthropy impacts their experience as a student,” Szczepanski said. In addition, an engaged student population is key to reeling in potential donors. “Some students will give financially,” Szczepanski said. “Some students will advocate on our behalf. But every student here is tangible evidence that the University is worthy of financial support.” The campaign’s collaborative focus will be featured in Friday’s planned kickoff activities, which include a block party on Ingalls Mall complete with food, giveaways and music. In the past, campaign launches usually consisted of a private performance preceding an invite-only donor event, according to Judy Malcolm, director of executive communications in the Office of Development. This community-focused event
is a new endeavor to involve a broader community of potential supporters and donors. The University has also launched a social media campaign aimed at building student involvement and communicating philanthropy’s impact at the University. Shannon Riffe, assistant director of marketing and online engagement in the Office of Development, has lead the campaign’s overall social media initiative. For the past month, the Office of Development’s Leaders and Best social media accounts have posted an “impact story” each day leading up to the campaign. “The whole point is really telling people’s stories in their own words about how they’re impacted by philanthropy,” Riffe said. “And it’s really powerful with social media to show images specifically images of people’s faces.” In terms of finding students and faculty touched by philanthropy, Malcolm said that’s an easy task. “We have far more stories than we could ever use,” Malcolm said. “It just reinforces to us how important donor gifts are to the life of this University.” As Friday nears and the University gears up for the biggest fundraising campaign a public higher education institution has seen, Szczepanski and his staff are hoping to keep the conversation going. “Hopefully, we’ve created something worthy of tweeting and posting that people want to talk about for a long time,” he said.
hazing, Freedman said the board will always advocate for its member chapters. “We’re always going to support our IFC chapters, whether they’ve really messed up or not,” Freedman said. The previous hazing allegations were made in early October and led to a personal visit to the fraternity house by Jim Fleischer, assistant executive director of the AEPi national organization. Koffsky said Fleischer interviewed all 34 pledges to corroborate their stories. He also reviewed a Facebook group-chat between the pledges. The Office of Greek Life also conducted its own investigation of the first allegations through its Hazing Task Force. The body was created in 2006 and is comprised of 14 to 18 students selected and elected from within the Greek system. LSA junior Kristina Macek, current chair of the task force, wrote in an e-mail that any actions taken will be considered confidential for the time being. “I will not and cannot confirm or deny if any hazing allegations, investigations or hearings have occurred throughout my term as chair of the Hazing Task Force,” Macek wrote. A statement posted on the Hazing Task Force Facebook page around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday alluded to recent hazing allegations. “In light of the increase in the number of hazing allegations, we
would like to encourage all members of the Greek Community to consult the Hazing Policy, contact us, or contact the Office of Greek Life in order to determine if an activity, event, etc. is considered hazing before doing it. Ignorance is not an excuse to haze!!” The post was later deleted. It is unclear exactly what allegations were made against the AEPi fraternity, but Koffsky said that the initial set of hazing allegations were “unanimously” true — “like scarily so,” he added. However, when interviewed by Greek Life officials, Koffsky said he and other AEPi brothers denied the allegations in early October. “Essentially, we had to lie about everything,” Koffsky said. Koffsky was one of four sophomore presidents across 30 IFC fraternities. As only a secondyear student, Koffsky said he was overwhelmed in trying to manage 171 members, 34 pledges and an organization that operates on a budget of half a million dollars a year. “You don’t get prepared for any of it,” Koffsky said. “You’re thrown into the fire.” In hindsight, with his chapter facing investigations, Koffsky said he would’ve chosen a different path if he could do it all again. “Looking back on my decision to be the president of my fraternity, I probably would have heeded the advice of the people who came before me who said not to.”
Thursday, November 7, 2013 — 3A
HOOKUPS From Page 1A ular notion that a hookup won’t lead to something more. “People are reporting on average one and a half serious relationships in college,” Armstrong said. “It’s the same people who are doing all of these things. The people who are hooking up are often also going on dates and also getting in relationships. So when the media says, ‘the date is dead and no one can find a relationship,’ it’s not true.” Armstrong also covered the topic of how to close the “orgasm gap,” or the discrepancies in orgasms among women as compared to men. Data from the Stanford study reported that while the orgasm gap is reduced with a greater amount of hookups, at all levels of intimacy women reported less climaxes. Armstrong said the gap exists because men are less committed to female orgasms than women are to men’s orgasms. Discussion also focused on
SURVIVORS From Page 1A Fifteen individuals, both males and females from undergraduate and graduate schools at the University, shared stories. Many talked about alcohol, parties and date rape drugs as part of their experiences. Almost immediately after Corrigan and Abercrombie finished introductions, the first survivor walked up to one of many microphones placed throughout the room to speak. “That’s pretty rare,” Corrigan said. “I’ve never seen that happen before. Normally we actually have to wait in silence for about 15 minutes before someone gets up and speaks.” The Michigan Daily was asked not to publish specific stories that survivors told because of their sensitive content. Throughout the event, SAPAC advocates and interns were available inside and outside the room for support and counseling. An advocate is a professional trained to counsel and support victims and can also provide legal support, while interns come from the School of Social Work to provide short-term counseling. Interns can help survivors in reporting their experiences to authorities. Long-term counseling on campus is usually administrated through Counseling and Psychological Services. “This can be a really triggering or intense event,” said Alexandria Champagne, a Social Work graduate student and
how common it is for college students to have intercourse while intoxicated. Armstrong said in an interview after the event that drunken hookups can be more dangerous and less satisfying than sober hookups. “Maybe if people were more comfortable with sex, they wouldn’t have to be so drunk,” Armstrong said. “It’s more likely that people are not going to use protection or that they’re not going to communicate clearly about what one of them wants if they’re blindingly drunk.” TEDx Salon events are intended to be more discussionbased than regular lecture-style TEDx events. To that end, in small groups, students further discussed the origins of the orgasm gap. Rackham student Lina Ortiz said she believed the difference might be a cultural one. “I was told sex was the worst thing you could do unless you were married,” Ortiz said. “So I think I wouldn’t let myself have one because it would mean I was accepting that it was what I wanted.”
SAPAC intern, “So we feel like it’s very important to have support services in place so people can leave on a safe note, a good note and not leave feeling overwhelmed or extremely triggered.” Corrigan said she originally got involved in SAPAC after several of her friends experienced sexualized violence in high school. “Personally, having to experience that through them was very striking and it makes you think about things that you never did before,” Corrigan said. Corrigan and Abercrombie closed the event with a candle lighting ceremony, inviting anyone in attendance to light a candle in remembrance of those who have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault and stalking. The SAPAC office was open after the event for anyone wishing to debrief. University staff were asked to refrain from attending the event to guarantee a safe and confidential space, free from mandated reporting regulations. Many staff members are obligated to forward reports of sexual assault to the University’s Office of Institutional Equity. The Networking, Publicity & Activism Volunteer Program also runs rEVOLUTION: Making Art for Change, an art show with themes of gender, sexualized violence and empowerment during the spring semester, and sponsored a Domestic Violence Awareness Month rally and vigil in October. SAPAC’s Crisis Line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can be reached at (734) 936-3333.
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TRENTON From Page 1A played a role in the Rzeppa’s decision to run for Trenton City Council, support came from a variety of sources. He said friends here at the University and his family at home contributed to the campaign process from the beginning. “The moral support is just as important throughout the whole thing,” Rzeppa said. “There are definitely some high highs and low lows that go into it, so having people that knew a lot about what I was doing and encouraging me did wonders.”
Rzeppa said he hopes to keep Trenton an innovative, youthfriendly community. “The main thing I would like to focus on is making it a place that will continue to attract younger people and provide opportunities for people at every level in the city,” Rzeppa said. “I wanted to bring a fresh perspective to the city government, and people really received that well.” At the University, Rzeppa has previously served as vice chair of the Diversity Affairs Committee in Central Student Government. He said his experience on CSG reinforced his longstanding interest in government and public service — and also revealed
the rewards that come along with it. “It helped me see the people I was making a difference for,” Rzeppa said. “And I think that’s sort of what it’s all about — seeing how other people can benefit from your actions is a very rewarding feeling.” Although Rzeppa is in the process of finishing his career at the University, he plans on returning to Trenton to maintain permanent residency in his hometown — close to his constituents. Rzeppa said he wants to wait a year before continuing his education — his new position as city council member will give him plenty to do in the meantime.
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Opinion
4A — Thursday, November 7, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
An expanded definition of ‘terrorism’
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com MELANIE KRUVELIS ANDREW WEINER EDITOR IN CHIEF
and ADRIENNE ROBERTS
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
MATT SLOVIN MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
Restoring trust in Detroit’s leaders The mayor is still the chief administrator and proponent of the city
O
n Nov. 5, winning by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent, Mike Duggan defeated Benny Napoleon to be elected the next mayor of Detroit. However, the election was overshadowed by Detroit’s recent bankruptcy and the corresponding tightening of Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr’s control over city government. This climate of pessimism culminated in low voter turnout, with only an estimated 20 to 25 percent of eligible voters within Detroit participating in the election, according to the city. That being said, Duggan shouldn’t resign himself to a seemingly powerless role as his term begins. The mayor is still the chief administrator and proponent of the city, despite the state-appointed emergency manager. And as Detroit moves forward, the city’s residents need someone who can go to bat for them. Just as significant as Duggan taking the office is how his predecessor, Dave Bing, is leaving it. Bing was elected mayor — shortly following the series of scandals surrounding the administration of disgraced former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick — on a platform of education reform and urban renewal. However, his polices aimed at the restoration and the revitalization of a beleaguered Detroit met a premature end when Orr was instated as emergency manager and the city declared Chapter 9 bankruptcy — the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history — on July 18. Just before the bankruptcy announcement, Bing declared that he would not be seeking reelection, and rumors circulated that his decision to bow out of the election was due at least in part to perceived tensions between him and Orr. On Sept. 13, Bing expressed in a statement to the Detroit Free Press how he was “concerned and somewhat frustrated about the direction of the supposed partnership” with Orr. As Bing’s term ends in January, it’s clear he’s leaving on a bitter note. The low voter turnout is concerning, but voter ignorance is not the culprit. The perceived division between the offices of emer-
gency manager and mayor has contributed to Detroit’s residents feeling that decisions about the funding of hospitals, schools and police programs are outside of democratic control. The lack of strong, elected leadership unquestionably contributes to low participation and stake in government. While it’s perceived that the mayor has little influence in the city, Orr will remain emergency manager for only one more year, at which point the reigns of city government will be passed, in their entirety, to Duggan. In the coming months, Duggan should make it clear to his constituents and to the state government in Lansing that he is responsible to the city of Detroit, not Kevyn Orr, and that ultimate decision-making authority should and will reside with him. Detroit desperately needs a mayor who’s willing to be an advocate for Detroit and gain back the citizens’ trust in its leadership that has failed so seriously in the past. And, ultimately, whether Duggan can accomplish this task effectively will determine the success of his administration and allow Detroit to continue its comeback.
A
s members of a mediaengrossed, perpetually tuned-in generation, it can often be difficult to discern our own personal levels of outrage in response to someone else’s allegations of government misconduct. JAKE Any involveOFFENHARTZ ment, tangential or otherwise, with radical politics only increases the arduousness of this task, and despite my socialist leanings and loose ties to anarchist communities, I’m often unequipped — with both time and passion — to address the host of injustices perceived by those on the far left. Consequently, I regularly find myself mentally sorting the “radical” issues from the mainstream, qualifying — sometimes accurately, sometimes not — an assertion of government repression as more legitimate if it comes from a source with conventional politics. In other words, because the anarchists, by definition, feel consistently oppressed by the actions of government, their rational calls for reform are often dimmed for me by their idealistic commitment to revolution. But when the federal government begins using intimidation tactics to target those with anti-government associations, when the mainstream media demonizes anarchists as violent extremists, and when the refusal to testify in a witch-hunt can place a guiltless political radical in prison, it quickly becomes evident that my approach is problematic. Federal grand juries are yet again being used to suppress political dissidence, and, aside from few vocal criminal defense lawyers, no one but the politically dissident seems to care. Mandated in the Bill of Rights, the federal grand jury was originally intended to function as a people’s panel, a pre-indictment proceeding for certain crimes in which the government presents evidence to prove that a case merits prosecution. Since the mid-20th century, the reality of this well-meaning protection has devolved to something else entirely, as the Federal Bureau
LAYAN CHARARA | VIEWPOINT
similar pursuits — beginning with learning the “other’s’” language. The nexus between language learning and national security interests was established decades ago, most prominently known by Title VI of the National Defense Education Act. NDEA funds the instruction of “critical languages,” also known as the languages the federal government deems essential to U.S. interests abroad. This law frames language as a tool for economic and military advancement, thus commodifying it. In the last few decades, the number of Arabic students has increased under the auspice of programs, such as the Critical Language Scholarship Program, among other things. These programs provide students with an exemplary language and cultural immersion opportunity, and more salient, the opportunity to brag about their adventures in the land of the uncivilized and oppressed upon their return. Those are always my favorite stories to hear. Alas, I digress, but such are the laments of a girl whose parents fear they will not see her safe return if they send her on a trip to her motherland in the Middle East. The commodification of language is nothing new, and the idea of a linguistic market has existed for quite some time. Language, and multilingualism specifically, is an essential resource — especially in the age of globalization — but in the case of Arabic, for whom and to what end? It’s unfortunate that the study of a language so rich and beautiful, with roots in a region that has given the world some of the greatest civilizations and inventions, is pursued with such regrettable intentions. Arabic is a linguist’s delight, and to use it to further imperialist interests and validate privilege rather than for academic, communication or trade purposes is purely exploitative. I respect Americans’ incessant desire to help the disadvantaged, but I believe their desire for such emotional experiences is poorly rationalized. Help begins by reevaluating foreign policies that muzzle democratic ambitions and frustrate economic prosperity. Help begins by respecting the agency and autonomy of people of color. And then, help should cease. The people of the Middle East must be given the leeway to reclaim their identities and freedoms in the absence of foreign intervention. Layan Charara is an LSA junior.
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cally motivated crime, has embarked on a political fishing expedition, targeting underground movements based on their beliefs and using sketchy tactics of forced coercion to build profiles on social activists. The continued imprisonment of Koch has no morally justifiable purpose. It’s an intimidation tactic used by the government to suppress dissent, a form of government harassment reminiscent of J Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO — a series of covert projects conducted by the FBI to disrupt political organizations. Koch is not the only anarchist to have spent time in jail for refusing to cooperate with a grand jury. Last summer, a series of FBI raids in the Pacific Northwest resulted in several grand jury subpoenas and the imprisonment of three anarchists. The coordinated raids weren’t an attempt to solve a specific crime but an effort to silence a community, and one search warrant detailed the Joint Terrorist Task Force’s plan to obtain black clothing, address books, flag-making material and anarchist literature. Many have pointed to this grand jury, and a host of crackdowns on environmentalist and animal rights groups in recent years, as evidence that the government is placing a renewed emphasis on repressing social movements. Many have also pointed to these inquisitions as yet another example of the erosion of our constitutional rights being justified by the everexpansive invoking of the word “terrorism.” An individual’s politics will likely dictate whether they view this increase in government hostility toward radical groups as a legitimate cause for concern or simply unfounded paranoia from the far left. What should be apparent for all, though, is that the use of grand juries to intimidate social movements is undemocratic and should not be tolerated.
The use of grand juries to intimidate social movements is undemocratic.
— Jake Offenhartz can be reached at jakeoff@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Language — a tool for imperialism For the last five semesters, the first question each of my Arabic professors has asked is: “Why are you taking this class?” At this point, I’ve heard just about every possible answer, and the things I hear never fail to induce an eye roll or two. The post-9/11 composition of students in Arabic courses at American universities is, for the most part, characterized by white people who either want to work for the Department of State or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, aid Middle Eastern women in their struggle against their aggressive male counterparts, or mediate between the Arabs and Israelis — as if there’s a shortage of Arabic speakers in the Arab world. Apparently, a clarion call has sounded and help wanted ads are plastered about. These ambitions are troubling to say the least. Learning a language to use it as a tool against its natives is an inherently imperialistic endeavor, and breeding people of privilege to believe it’s their duty to save people of color is problematic for many reasons. For one thing, such beliefs perpetuate the white man’s savior complex and reinforce antiAmerican sentiments abroad. We’ve waged several wars in the name of such ostensibly noble concerns, and to no avail. Imperialism has constantly proved that it does not solve problems so much as create them, and projecting our chauvinism abroad only exacerbates the divide between “us” and “them.” Only when the hands of imperialism remove themselves from the Middle East will the region be able to address the problems that are intrinsically its own and salvage itself. My intention is not to undermine anyone’s attempts at humanitarianism, but rather to suggest that these aspirations are misplaced. This discussion calls to mind Henry David Thoreau’s famous quote from Walden: “If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life.” What perpetrators of the white man’s savior complex fail to realize is that the marginalized can’t continue to be a bullet point on an agenda that seeks only to validate privilege. The sexualized and objectified women of the West are misguided in their efforts to liberate Muslim women. Sending bilions of dollars in aid to the Egyptian military that has violently suppressed calls for democracy from the masses strips the Egyptian people of their autonomy. The extension of such endeavors, however, continues to encourage people of privilege to boast
of Investigation and United States Department of Justice have manipulated the coercive power of grand juries as a tool for instilling fear in groups hostile to the American government. The use of grand juries as a mechanism for targeting social movements can be traced back to the 1960s. Antiwar activists — particularly under President Richard Nixon — were among the most targeted, along with members of the Black Panther Party and, most recently, environmentalist groups. When a person is subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury, they may not be told the cause of the investigation or why they are being targeted. They are denied their Sixth Amendment right to counsel and their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. They may be instructed to inform on themselves, their friends or any groups they are believed to have contact with. Resisting this demand can land a person in prison for up to 18 months. Such is the predicament of 24-year-old New York City activist and anarchist Jerry Koch, who has spent over five months in prison for his refusal to meet the demands of a federal grand jury. Subpoenaed in 2009, Jerry was believed to have been in an unspecified bar in which he may have spoken to a person with knowledge of a 2008 explosion that occurred outside a military recruitment station. Koch, only 19 at the time, stated publically that he had no such information and that he would not testify, at which point he was released. He was subpoenaed again last May, and this time his refusal to testify landed him in contempt of court for the remainder of the grand jury — a sentence deemed just for its intent to “coerce” rather than “punish.” But what exactly is Jerry being coerced to divulge? In all likelihood, the federal prosecution has no interest in a halfdecade-old bar conversation that may have never happened. Rather, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, lacking sufficient leads but recognizing the 2008 explosion to be a politi-
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Eric Ferguson, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
R
Let the kids play
ecent studies into the longterm effects of concussions and head trauma have forced parents across the nation to reconsider which sports they allow their children to participate in. While there has always been an accepted risk associated TIMOTHY with sports at BURROUGHS any level, recent studies have caused even President Barack Obama to voice his uncertainty if he would let his son play football. However, former ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated columnist Jeff Pearlman has even more doubts about the effects of team sports on youths. In an article for the Wall Street Journal, Pearlman wrote, “My children don’t need the hostilities of organized youth athletics to make them whole. If anything, they need to do without them.” Pearlman took issue with the ostracizing effect a lack of skill can have on children, and how over-competitive parents can undermine the lessons of good sportsmanship. Furthermore, he added that coaches — who should act as positive role models — sometimes confuse teaching determination with demeaning and demoralizing players. Perhaps Pearlman is right: With the sports story of the week being Dolphins’ offensive lineman Richie Incognito’s bullying and racial slurs toward teammate Jonathan Martin, maybe the whole idea of learning teamwork and positive social skills through sports is simply an outdated myth. However, Pearlman’s plan to have his children avoid youth sports is far from a solution. Personally, I had a very positive experience with sports throughout my childhood and ado-
lescence. I survived the then-devastating no-win soccer season of fifth grade and dealt with the coaches who held practice while there was a tornado warning only a few miles away. Through my sports career I learned how, through hard work and determination, I could maximize whatever natural skills I had and achieve lofty goals. For me it was never a debate: I was going to play. Pearlman ignores experiences similar to my own and focuses on the struggles of his then-un-athletic and somewhat socially awkward brother. We all had that friend or sibling growing up — mine was my brother, too. While he could, and probably still can, backpack farther in a day than I could in a week, let’s just say by fifth grade his future prospects of making our beloved St. Louis Cardinals were not looking good. In Pearlman’s eyes, this is the exact individual whose confidence is destroyed and whose growth is limited by team sports. As an Eagle Scout, Oberlin College graduate and someone who’s currently pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a scientist, I think my brother is doing just fine. Though I won’t begin to guess what lessons my brother feels he learned from his years of sports, it is a stretch to say that any challenges he faced in his youth sports career caused any consequential setbacks. While Pearlman’s arguments are not without merit, over-emphasizing these concerns can quickly lead into parents being overprotective. Beyond the proven benefits youth sports have fighting childhood obesity and reducing adolescent crime, University alum Marilyn Price-Mitchell, who has a Ph.D. in human development, outlines that though there are
pitfalls in youth sports, studies show that the psychological effects are still positive overall. Youth athletes who participate in sports through middle and high school are stronger academically and have better opportunities in job markets. She adds that many of the issues Pearlman outlines can be mitigated through balancing a variety of types of activities and participating above the bare minimum in youth sports. Instead of restricting choices, parents should encourage children to try a variety of new things to discover their own personal interests. That may include forcing a year or two of a musical instrument or signing up for a few tennis lessons, but it’s a parent’s responsibility to create, not limit, opportunities for their children. This encouragement at a young age will force teenagers to make difficult decisions when it becomes time to specialize in their respective activities. My brother had to choose between piano and the saxophone, I had to choice between baseball and soccer, but in both of these circumstances it was our choice — we have to take responsibility for it. Knowing how to prioritize and weigh consequences is a critical skill to learn early. Instead of impinging on children’s interests, parents should take an active role in their activities to ensure a positive and healthy experience. While safety concerns clearly illustrate a new challenge in deciding which sports children should play, youth sports still provide positive experiences and a chance for growth throughout adolescence.
Youth sports provide a chance for growth throughout adolescence.
— Timothy Burroughs can be reached at timburr@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL By ALEXA DETTELBACH Daily Sports Writer
Last season, the Michigan women’s basketball team exceeded expectations as it advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while tying a program-record 22 wins. But this is not last season. The Wolverines are in transition mode, and they welcome a lot of new faces to their sideline. Michigan returns one starter from last season — junior forward Nicole Elmblad — and only two other players that saw playing time last year — sophomore guard Madison Ristovski and junior forward Cyesha Goree. Besides them, the Wolverines welcome junior transfer Shannon Smith, three freshmen and four players returning from anterior cruciate ligament injuries, who didn’t see action last year. In other words, of the 14 players on the team, only four saw NCAA action last season. Uncertainty with this year’s lineup brings Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico to center stage. The second-year coach will have her hands full finding offensive rotations that can push the ball as well as rebound. Barnes Arico’s squad is small, and her current starting lineup features only one listed true forward: Goree. Guards The guard position is the strength of this young team. Sporting six guards on its roster, plus one guard/forward swing player, Michigan is filled with ball handlers. Leading the way is Smith, who Barnes Arico said would be the
Sports
2013 PREVIEW
team’s go-to scorer. Smith played her freshman year at North Carolina before transferring to Trinity Valley Community College, which she led to a junior college national championship while averaging 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. After Michigan lost its potent offensive ability when Kate Thompson, Jenny Ryan and Rachel Sheffer graduated, Smith will have big shoes to fill. Barnes Arico is going to look to Smith first on the offensive end and hopes the transfer can play big minutes. Joining Smith is another new face, freshman Siera Thompson. The 5-foot-7 point guard has a strong hold on the starting position and showcased her speed in the team’s lone exhibition game, putting up 13 points on 50-percent shooting to go along with seven assists. After Smith and Thompson, the starting lineup isn’t as straightforward. Barnes Arico made a last-minute decision to start Ristovski in the exhibition game because of her strong week of practice. Ristovski took advantage of her opportunity, finishing the game with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Last season, Ristovski came off the bench, averaging 2.3 points per game in 12.5 minutes. Barnes Arico praised Ristovski for her ability to crash the boards from the guard position, and with a lack of size on the team, such a knack could lead to a permanent starting role. Behind Ristovski, the Wolverines have two freshman guards — Paige Rakers and Danielle Williams. Rakers could’ve seen play-
ing time early, but she tweaked her foot early in the preseason, causing a slight setback. As for Williams, ESPN.com ranks her as the 97th-best prospect in the country and Barnes Arico’s already making comparisons to a young Ryan. In her junior season, Williams helped lead her high school to a national championship. Her role this season is still up in the air, but Williams could see more playing time if she continues making strides in practice and Ristovski’s production falls off. Lastly, Michigan has redshirt sophomore Halle Wangler, who transferred from Oakland. However, she will have to sit out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. Forwards The Wolverines have serious size issues. Last season, Elmblad started at forward — despite being listed as a guard — because of her strong rebounding presence. The junior had a breakout season, averaging 4.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 29 minutes per game. Barnes Arico will need Elmblad to step up as the only experienced starter. The fifth starter will be Goree, who saw limited time last year. But this season, Barnes Arico says Goree is a different player, having lost over 20 pounds and improved her conditioning in the offseason. In the exhibition game, Goree started out strong but soon got winded — something more game experience can help fix. Behind Goree, Michigan is very thin at forward. The Wolverines were initially counting on sopho-
CONFERENCE PREVIEW
In Big Ten, gap between haves, have-nots is bigger than ever By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer
In the early going, the race to the top of the Big Ten women’s basketball standings looks to play out just like it did last season. The difference, though, is that the number of middle-of-the-pack teams that separate the contenders from the rest of the conference might shrink drastically, if any remain at all. Three of the usual suspects — Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State — find themselves popular picks to contend for a conference championship, while 2012-13 regular-season runnerup Nebraska and Purdue, winner of the last two Big Ten Tournaments, are receiving preseason attention as well. The conference’s preseason coaches and media poll anointed Nebraska as the favorite to win the conference, much to the surprise of someone who knows better than anyone else exactly how good the Cornhuskers are. “I didn’t pick us to win the Big Ten,” said Nebraska coach Connie Yori. “I don’t know why anyone else did.” But Yori’s modesty doesn’t take away from the fact that the Cornhuskers have many of the necessary pieces in place to build on their second-place finish last year. Leading scorer Jordan Hooper is back, as is forward Emily Cady, who averaged 7.9 rebounds per game. Gone is guard Lyndsey Moore, who now plays for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, but despite the loss, Nebraska still comes into the season as one of the conference’s most experienced squads. But the Cornhuskers aren’t the only team returning the backbone of their offense. Penn State’s Maggie Lucas, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, will be back for her senior season after averaging 20.1 points and leading the conference in 3-point accuracy, converting on 46.2 percent of her attempts. But Lucas will have to adapt to life without Alex Bentley, a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, meaning that she’ll have to play the point more often. Penn State has some adjustments
Thursday, November 7, 2013 — 5A
to make, but the Lady Lions are in fantastic shape compared to many of the conference’s better teams from last year that have been decimated by graduation, particularly Michigan and Ohio State. After missing out on the NCAA Tournament last year — which cost then-coach Jim Foster his job — Ohio State also looks to play a role in the Big Ten race. The Buckeyes handed the reigns to Kevin McGuff, who compiled a 213-73 record in nine years at Xavier before spending two years at Washington. Ohio State was predicted to finish third in the women’s preseason media poll, but its success will be contingent upon senior guard Tayler Hill’s ability to recreate her 2012-13 campaign, in which she averaged 21.1 points per game and accounted for almost one-third of the team’s total scoring. “(She was) one of the most prolific scorers in the history of our program,” McGuff said. “We’re still evolving.” As a native Ohioan, McGuff is well aware of the significance of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, but the Buckeyes could struggle without Hill, and the Wolverines have a lot of work to do in order to be as successful as they were last year, when Michigan entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed. The Wolverines are looking to make the NCAA Tournament field for the third year in a row but will need to fill the void left by Jenny Ryan, who averaged 10.2 points and 5.2 assists last year and was a consistent force on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines return less than 10 percent of their scoring, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t talent. Already, three guards — sophomore Madison Ristovsky, freshman Siera Thompson and junior Shannon Smith — have shown that they can put up big scoring numbers for the Wolverines. Size and defense will be concerns, but Michigan is certainly capable of pulling off a few upsets. Barnes Arico expects to rotate her starting lineup frequently based on how players have been performing recently, an opportu-
nity afforded to her thanks to the lack of established starters from last season. “With a young team, it’s important for us to reward who is practicing well,” Barnes Arico said. “We’re trying to develop a culture of consistency. … If that mean’s we’re going to switch it up every game this year, I think that’s something we should do.” Besides, having such a young and largely inexperienced team has its silver lining — as of now, there isn’t much to go on when it comes to preparing for Michigan. Despite that, some coaches still feel that they know what to expect. “One of the things that Kim (Barnes Arico) does well is that she has a specific style of play,” McGuff said. “Even though the players will be different, the style will be the same. They’ll be uptempo, press. … We’ll still have to be extremely well-prepared.” Michigan State is looking to make waves as well behind senior guard Klarissa Bell, an East Lansing native who did it all last year, averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. But the Spartans, too, lost a key contributor in Jasmine Thomas, who averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 boards per game. But Thomas’s absence might open the door for Bell to take more shots, and with the Spartans’ balanced offensive attack (last year, five players averaged between 9.1 and 10.5 points per game) it’s entirely possible that the scoring gap will be replaced and then some in the aggregate. The media and coaches’ prediction of Nebraska at the top is a reasonable one, but whether there’s any substantial separation between the Cornhuskers and the rest of the league’s upper-echelon teams remains to be seen. Michigan State and Penn State are both more than capable of winning the conference, while Purdue, despite mediocre regular-season performances in the last two years, is still the back-toback Big Ten Tournament champion. Wisconsin is viewed as a sleeper, and a new coach might be all it takes to push a talented Ohio State team into the tournament.
TRACY KO/Daily
Junior guard Nicole Elmblad is the only starter returning from the team that earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
more Kelsey Mitchell, one of the players returning from ACL injury, but she suffered a broken foot during preseason workouts and is now expected to be out three to five months. Next up is sophomore Rebecca Lyttle, who is also coming off an ACL injury. Lyttle didn’t play last season, and her production is an unknown for this team. In her sophomore year of high school, Lyttle helped lead her team to the state finals averaging 13 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. After her sophomore season, Lyttle struggled with injuries, something that’s followed her to college. While junior walk-on Nicole Flyer is new to the team, she’s not
new to Michigan athletics. The first-year forward spent her first two years as a Wolverine on the rowing team, but when Barnes Arico assessed her team’s size problems, she had her coaches find a Michigan athlete tall enough to play forward. While Flyer fit the bill, her role on the team is still up in the air, as her game experience is very limited. Centers If the Wolverines are thin at forward, then they’re virtually non-existent at center. Michigan sports two center/forwards, who are both coming off ACL injuries. Senior Val Driscoll last saw action during her sophomore year
when she averaged one point and 0.7 rebounds per contest. Like the rest of the team, Driscoll is an unknown, but Barnes Arico says the senior is in the best shape of her life and has shed 30 seconds off her mile time. The Wolverines also have fifth-year senior Kendra Seto. The Ontario native transferred to Michigan after her freshman year at Vermont and sat out her sophomore year due to transfer rules. In her junior season, Seto played 27 games for the Wolverines, averaging 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. After sitting out last season with an ACL tear, Seto should see significant playing time with a relatively undersized team.
Sports
6A — Thursday, November 7, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Iowa stuns Michigan in Big Ten Tournament By JAKE LOURIM Daily Sports Writer
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Freshman goalie Zach Nagelvoort and sophomore Steve Racine could split time in net for the Michigan hockey team.
With two options at goalie, Berenson has a good problem By JEREMY SUMMITT Daily Sports Editor
The last time Michigan coach Red Berenson had two goaltenders share the starting job doesn’t seem so long ago. Leading up to the Big Chill at the Big House in December 2010, Bryan Hogan and Shawn Hunwick split time for the majority of the fall schedule. During warm-ups, Hogan tweaked his groin, less than an hour before he was expected to start. Hunwick got the opportunity to come in and contribute, and his 5-0 shutout victory over Michigan State was enough to make him the starter until he graduated the following year. Fast-forward three years, and déjà vu kicks in for Berenson. Freshman goaltender Zach Nagelvoort stepped in for the injured Steve Racine on Oct. 18 at New Hampshire and has made his case for the starting job ever since. “We might end up being a twogoalie team, and we might not,” Berenson said. “If they both play as well as they have played, then they’ll both play.” Boasting the nation’s second-best goals-against average (1.47) and save percentage (.948), Nagelvoort was awarded Big Ten Second Star of the Week for his performance in a sweep of Michigan Tech. It marked the second
consecutive week with such recognition after earning Third Star honors on Oct. 29. Berenson has been pleasantly surprised with Nagelvoort’s performance thus far. He knew he recruited a good goaltender, but there was some uncertainty after Racine was sidelined with the groin injury nearly a month ago. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Berenson said. “He didn’t come in with the momentum because he had been on two or three different teams last year.” Nagelvoort bounced around between several North American Hockey League teams before coming to Michigan, and he’s been forced to work his way to the top for a while now. “I never got to play in the top leagues,” Nagelvoort said. “Pretty much my whole career has been, not so much playing from behind, but being the underdog. Coming into a big program, that’s the opposite. I’m still kind of pushing from behind, and I have to make a name for myself.” Since entering the crease at New Hampshire, Nagelvoort has become more consistent and more confident in his abilities as the Michigan backstop. He’s won four of his first five starts, and all those games were decided by one goal. While many goaltenders have the tendency to stay loose in prac-
tice but tense up when the game comes around, Nagelvoort rarely falls into that category. His teammates have mentioned that he always tries to make practice fun by throwing pucks back at them to make sure everyone knows the puck didn’t hit the back of the net. He’s a talker, loves to play the puck and can be heard from the fifth floor of Yost Ice Arena, dishing out advice for his defensemen. “There’s two ways you can look at it,” Nagelvoort said. “You can go at it and be nervous and that kind of thing, or you can just go out and have fun, and that’s what I try to do.” Berenson and the rest of the coaching staff have taken note, too. “He’s not only added confidence in his own mind, but he’s added confidence from his teammates and his coaches,” Berenson said. “I think that makes the game better for everyone. When you’re not worried about your goalie, you’re just playing your game.” Having two goaltenders capable of leading the No. 2 team in the country is hardly a controversy, dilemma or any other word with a negative connotation. If history repeats itself, the Wolverines are in good shape. Last time Michigan featured two starting goaltenders, it played in the national championship.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Thursday, November 7, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
The Michigan women’s soccer team made plans to be in Champaign all week for the Big Ten Tournament, along with fellow Big Ten powers Penn State and Nebraska. But Iowa had other 1 IOWA 0 MICHIGAN plans and sent the Wolverines packing. No. 7 seed Iowa (5-5-1 Big Ten, 14-5-1 overall) scored midway through the second half and shocked No. 2 seed Michigan (9-1-1, 15-3-1), 1-0, in the quarterfinals Wednesday. Hawkeye forward Bri Toelle scored off her own rebound in the 62nd minute. Michigan coach Greg Ryan thought he saw a handball on the rebound, but the referee let play proceed. Toelle’s rebound was the fourth Iowa shot in a 10-minute span. After that, the Hawkeyes pulled back their defense and held on, avenging a 2-1 Michigan win Sept. 21. The seventh-ranked Wolverines started generating more chances in the second half, but by that time, they were playing into the wind. They ended up with only three of 16 shots on goal. “This is a game of chances,” Ryan said. “I remember them having one good chance the entire day, but that’s the one that counts. Today, we didn’t put our chances away. We had good
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moved the game from the home grass stadium to two recreation turf fields. Penn State beat Wisconsin to punch its ticket to the semifinals on the field next to the Wolverines. Now, Michigan is stuck heading home Wednesday night. It also likely lost two NCAA Tournament home games and squandered chances for rematches with Penn State and regular-season champion Nebraska. But Ryan downplayed the disappointment. “Believe me, we never look forward to a rematch with Penn State,” Ryan said. “We like playing each other because it’s a challenge, but it’s a hard game for both teams. Once a year is enough.” As for the potential title game against Nebraska, to prove Michigan is better than the regularseason champion? “But we are better than Nebraska,” Ryan said. “We beat them on their home field. “This wasn’t our last game. If this was our last game, I’d be sick.” His team will have nine days off before its next game, the longest break since the preseason. It also emerged healthy, while Penn State and Nebraska could have two more games this weekend. Zadorsky, however, didn’t have such an easy time moving on. “I think that’s a smart coach to think like that,” she said. “It’s hard for the players to think like that yet because it’s so fresh. We weren’t ready to be done here.”
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ACROSS 1 Hollywood special effects, briefly 4 Did, but doesn’t now 10 1970s-’80s sketch comedy show 14 “Prince Valiant” prince 15 Brian McKnight/ Vanessa Williams duet with the line “It conquers all” 16 Chain with stacks 17 Wine enthusiast’s list of killer reds? 20 “I __ Symphony”: Supremes hit 21 Hoover underlings 22 Stands the test of time 25 Out to lunch, so to speak 28 Shed tears 29 Kaput 31 Mineo of film 32 Barcelona bar bites 34 Dust particle 36 Wine enthusiast’s “That’s how it goes”? 40 Bankrolls 41 Man-to-boy address 42 Feel ill 43 It’s saved in bits 44 Stinging insect 48 Effervesce, as some wine 52 Helter-__ 54 “Uh-oh” 56 Sierra __: Freetown’s country 57 Wine enthusiast’s philosophy? 61 Champagne choice 62 First novel in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle 63 Take steps 64 Eggs sprinkling 65 Levels of society 66 __ down the law
chances, but we passed up on taking those chances.” While Ryan was pleased with his team’s chances in the second half, he still didn’t have an answer for why Michigan started so slow. Ryan estimated Michigan had possession for 70 percent of the first half but couldn’t manage a shot on goal. “Every single player and (member of our) staff is disappointed,” said senior defender Shelina Zadorsky. “It’s hard to say, but we underachieved in this tournament. We’re absolutely disappointed, but we’re going to have to move on. … But it is hard, especially for the seniors who wanted a Big Ten championship.” Freshman forward Madisson Lewis had an open shot from 12 yards out in the first half but missed wide. She later tried crossing it to open sophomore midfielder Christina Ordonez in the box but couldn’t connect. Ryan refused to attribute Lewis’s mistakes to her youth. “I don’t think so — everybody misses chances,” Ryan said. “Madi has matured so much over the year, I don’t consider her a freshman player anymore.” In the second half, senior midfielder Tori McCombs slipped behind the defense but couldn’t pull the trigger on a shot in time. The Wolverines later had two shots deflected off the wall of the defense on set pieces. Because of the threat of inclement weather, host Illinois
www.michigandaily.com
Illinois comes from behind to fell Blue For the second month in a row, Illini come back against Michigan By WILL HANSELMAN For the Daily
The Wolverines haven’t quite figured out how to close out that pesky team from Champaign. After striding out to a two-set lead in the match, winning the first and second frames by comfortable margins of seven and eight points, respectively, the Wolverines let the Illini fight back and win for the second 2 MICHIGAN time this 3 ILLINOIS season. This defeat might hurt a little more than the 3-2 loss at Cliff Keen Arena on Oct. 5 when the Wolverines relinquished a 2-1 lead. Michigan (5-8 Big Ten, 15-9 overall) came out of the gates strongly at Huff Hall in Champaign, with senior middle blocker Jennifer Cross leading the way. Through the first two sets, she had eight kills with no errors and a .667 hit percentage, helping the Wolverines cruise through the first part of the match. She finished with 14 kills, but the Illini took over from there. While Cross had a strong start for Michigan, the most important player on the court was senior outside hitter Lexi Erwin, an AllAmerican hopeful, who finished with 20 kills and two aces. Illinois (7-6, 11-12) must have had a serious talking-to at the break before the third set, as it was penalized for coming out of its locker room late and started off the third set down, 1-0. However, whatever Illinois coach Kevin
Hambley said must have gotten through to his players, as Illinois raced out to win six of the first seven points of the third game. The Illini wouldn’t look back. A key piece in the momentum shift was Liz McMahon. McMahon, a childhood teammate and friend of Michigan setter Lexi Dannemiller, finished with 15 kills for the Illini and just as importantly, got Illinois back into the match in the third game. Illinois looked like an entirely different team after the break, winning the next three sets by no less than four points in each. McMahon, Morganne Criswell and Jocelyn Birks combined for 56 kills to lead the Illini to victory. Michigan finished the match disappointingly with an abysmal .049 and .136 hit percentage in the fourth and fifth games, respectively. Illinois fans, labeled the Spike Squad and known as the best student section in the country, helped boost their home team. Cheering loudly for the entirety of the game while clad in orange, the crowd made communication and serving extremely difficult for the Wolverines. They also stomped and celebrated whenever Illinois gave them something to cheer for. “(Illinois) changed, and that happens in a match,” said Michigan coach Mark Rosen. “What I’m disappointed in is that we didn’t adjust. “We didn’t find a way to raise our level and I think we got deflated. You can’t get deflated in this conference against a level of team like Illinois.”
@TheBlockM
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Quick to talk, quicker in space on the field By ZACH HELFAND Daily Sports Editor
The running back took the handoff out of the shotgun snap and raced to the left. A charging safety sealed the edge, so he cut right, the move subtle and explosive. His body moved weightlessly, but he had separated yards from the defender. The second safety lunged and dove, but the ball carrier hopped back left, legs pumping like pistons. Escaping the attempt, Ameer Abdullah was in the open field now, racing toward the pylon. Abdullah, Nebraska’s budding star at running back, has spent a lot of time there this season. In eight games, Abdullah already has 1,108 yards on the ground and averages seven yards per carry. Both figures rank first in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation. He’s also the Cornhuskers’ most potent offensive weapon, and this week especially, the key for the Michigan defense. “All I know is he’s really, really good,” said Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. “He’s fast. He breaks tackles. He’s a really good athlete. He steps over people. He could be one of the best running backs we’ve gone up against. In my opinion, he can do it all.” This week, that includes talking. Abdullah, a junior, picked up 101 yards and a touchdown last year against Michigan. As a freshman, he didn’t see much action when Nebraska came to Ann Arbor, but he did make the
trip. That left an impression. “I didn’t play much, but, just being there, Michigan fans are nasty, man,” he said to the Omaha World-Herald. “They’re ruthless. “Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Michigan,” he continued. “Nothing would make me happier than to go up there and shut them up.” Michigan mostly let the comment alone, at least publically. Mostly, the team praised his ability. Michigan coach Brady Hoke said Abdullah was a special athlete. Junior defensive end Frank Clark said he is the best back Michigan will see this year “by far,” but said the talk is just talk. “He can talk all he wants,” Clark said. “A lot of people do a lot of talking but can’t back it up at the end of the day. And we’re just gonna go out there and play our game.” With the ball in his hands, Clark said Abdullah is small, but he can burst through holes and lower his shoulder through contact when needed. In reality, Abdullah is 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds — undersized but still only one inch and 10 pounds less than Michigan’s running back, fifth-year senior Fitzgerald Toussaint. But Abdullah runs with such a feathery quickness that he often looks smaller. He flits through holes with a twitch. In the open field, he has the vision and agility to extend runs and the strength to break through arm tackles. Abdullah emerged as a sophomore with 1,137 yards, but his
“Nothing would make me happier than to... shut them up.”
ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah is the Big Ten’s leading rusher.
junior campaign has made him the best back in the conference through two-plus months. Abdullah has rushed for more than 100 yards in every game this year except for a loss to UCLA. He had 98 in that game. Against Illinois, he went off for 225 yards on 20 carries. Nebraska will rely on that production on Saturday. In last year’s game against the Cornhuskers, Denard Robinson was knocked out with an injury, and Michigan lost 23-9. This time, Nebraska’s quarterback, Taylor Martinez, will be out with a litany of injuries. That puts the pressure on redshirt freshman quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., who is expected to start (though Ron Kellogg III replaced Armstrong against Northwestern last week). Borges said Armstrong runs the same offense as Martinez. Michigan ranks toward the top of the Big Ten in rush defense, but it hasn’t faced a talent like Abdullah thus far. Allow him one twitch, and he’ll find open field. And that will talk louder than anything he’s said this week.
Irvin hunts playing time as spot-up shooter By NEAL ROTHSCHILD Daily Sports Editor
Without even looking down, Zak Irvin back-stepped from inside the arc in the corner, hands extended over his head. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Caris LeVert pounded a hesitation dribble on the left side to get into the lane, and the Wayne State zone defense descended on him, leaving Irvin open. After a hop step, LeVert fired a chest pass to the corner. With his left foot planted, Irvin drew the right foot in and lifted, dropping in a 3-pointer in the first half of Tuesday’s exhibition win against Wayne State. A minute earlier, the same sequence revealed itself. This time, it was sophomore guard Nik Stauskas drawing attention from the left, and Irvin was on the opposite wing rather than the corner. No matter — same pass, same step, same release and same result. Two possessions after the corner 3-pointer, LeVert found himself driving once again on the left side. The Warrior double-team swarmed him, and he snapped an overhead pass to Irvin, now on the left key. With more time to collect himself, Irvin took an extra step, left then right, to get in rhythm and made the shot. That would be his third straight 3-pointer, underscoring a 13-point night on 5-for-8 shooting for the 6-foot-6 freshman forward in the 79-60 victory. But more important than helping to rout an overmatched Division II opponent, Irvin’s performance showed how he can fill a role in Michigan’s dynamic offense: spot-up shooter. “Whether he’s spotting up in the corner or whether he’s on the wing or out front, if he stands there, people will find him,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. Watch his highlight tape and you’ll see Irvin in high school and AAU creating for himself, finishing around the rim, and also
TERRA MOLENGRAFF/Daily
Freshman guard Zak Irvin is carving a niche as a shooter amid a logjam at the wing.
knocking down the jump shot in rhythm. There’s a good chance that the last skill will bring the most value to the Wolverines this season. “That’s definitely something I’ve been working on, where I’m able to get the ball quickly and (be able to put it) in the bucket,” Irvin said. With a logjam of talent on the wing, Irvin may not have a lot of creative freedom with the ball in his hands, so he can rely on the catch-and-release jump shot to convince Beilein to put him on the floor. When and where Irvin will play will hinge on the lineup Beilein opts for on a given night or in a given game situation. In the preseason, Beilein has started two big men in the frontcourt in fifth-year senior Jordan Morgan and redshirt junior Jon Horford. He’ll concoct a new lineup when sophomore forward Mitch McGary is healthy enough to return to the floor. If that new lineup retains either Horford or Morgan, it will be more difficult for Irvin to see the floor, with four wings and perhaps even a second point guard vying for two
positions on the floor. Sophomores LeVert, Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III will dominate the minutes at the “2” and “3” positions, penetrating the lane and needing consistent shooting on the perimeter to keep defenses honest. When Beilein opts for a smaller five, Irvin has played the “4,” a similar role to Evan Smotrycz two years ago, wielding a quick release from range and the ability to slash to the rim, but with more strength and athleticism. Rather than look to a player two inches taller than Irvin in the 6-foot-8 Smotrycz, Beilein compared Irvin to another recent “4,” one two inches shorter than Irvin. “Just having that one extra shooter — a little bit like when we would play small and have (Zack) Novak out there, it’s that one extra shooter out there who can really impact an offense,” Beilein said. Split the difference in height, and you get a guy with the same first name as Novak with the laidback demeanor and quiet confidence of Smotrycz, a neo-Beilein dynamic offensive threat.
Thursday, November 7, 2013 — 7A
Sports
8A — Thursday, November 7, 2013
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
2013 PREVIEW
For transfer Smith, journey is a family thing By MAX COHEN Daily Sports Writer
Shannon Smith had a visitor. He had just gotten off of his plane from across the country. Before the guest arrived, Shannon, now a newly added transfer on the Michigan women’s basketball team, found herself alone in Athens, Texas, a small town across the country from her home, feeling defeated. Not only was Athens far away from Shannon’s home and family, but the East Texas town 75 miles southeast of Dallas had little Shannon enjoyed. There was one reason Shannon was in Athens. In the town that prides itself on its lush, rolling hills and its annual fiddling contest sits Trinity Valley Community College. The women’s basketball team at Trinity Valley bore six junior college national championships to its name. It was a haven for young women looking to rise to the Division I level. Now, Shannon sat in Athens contemplating her future. Days after arriving, Shannon wasn’t sure she wanted to be there. She had come to play basketball during the 2012-13 season, to get her career back on track. Yet Shannon wanted none of it. The environment was nothing like she was used to. There were curfew rules that were foreign to her, and Athens didn’t excite her in the least. The closest mall was an hour away. Shannon had faced enough obstacles to this point. These new ones tested her limits. She told Trinity Valley coach Elena Lovato that she was considering quitting the sport, so Lovato offered to give her four days off. She could get away from the game, something she hadn’t had the opportunity to do in years. Once an elite recruit headed to her home state’s school, North Carolina, after a star career at Gastonia Forestview High School, Shannon never thought she’d end up here. Basketball had become complicated for the 2010 Miss Basketball in North Carolina. When she committed to the Tar Heels, Shannon’s future seemed bright in Chapel Hill. “I love their campus and, of course, their coaching staff and players,” she told ESPN. “We had chemistry from the beginning.” Shannon’s early chemistry with the Tar Heel coaching staff was short-lived. She felt as though, no matter how hard she worked off the court, she wasn’t getting the playing time she deserved on it. After redshirting her first year in 2010-11 because of lingering illness, her redshirt freshman year seemed like a constant struggle for playing time. She was assured that if she worked harder, the playing time would come. Yet her playing time remained relatively stagnant, much to her chagrin. Shannon was repeatedly told that she was only a freshman, that playing time would come if she kept working hard. She wasn’t
willing to wait, believing her differences with the coaching staff were irreconcilable. North Carolina declined comment for this story through a spokesperson. After the season, she decided she would be leaving North Carolina. Looking back, Shannon knows she needed to become more mature to be able to handle setbacks, but at the time, she felt like all she needed was a new opportunity. Shannon and her parents did their due diligence in the transfer process. Their process led them back to Michigan assistant coach Chester Nichols, who had recruited Shannon as an eighth grader when he was an assistant at West Virginia. Nichols had just joined Michigan as an assistant as part of new Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico’s coaching staff. Shannon wanted to join them at Michigan. It looked as though everything would turn out perfectly. Shannon would get to complete her eligibility with coaches she liked at a school she wanted to go to. But Michigan didn’t have the scholarship availability for Shannon to come right in and play. Either she could go play at a junior college for a year, or transfer to a different four-year school and sit out for a year before continuing her Division I career. At first, Shannon was skeptical of taking the junior college route. “I was really against it at first, I did not want to do that at all,” Shannon said. Now Shannon had made her decision, but among Athens’ rolling hills and isolation, she wondered where she had gone wrong. And she asked herself: should I give up the sport? *** Thirty-five years earlier, Kevin Smith broke down and cried. The young man who had given Earvin “Magic” Johnson a run for his money just months earlier in a Class A 1977 Michigan highschool state championship game for the ages had nothing left. He felt betrayed. Kevin had never been scared of defeat. With three seconds left in regulation in that game against Johnson and Lansing Everett High School with his Birmingham Brother Rice team down by two points, Kevin stared defeat in the eyes and whisked it away with cool confidence. Defeat didn’t scare Kevin as he caught the inbound pass, slipped by his defender and hoisted the game-tying shot from just steps in front of the block ‘M’ at half court. Defeat wasn’t an option when the shot glanced off the backboard squarely in the middle of the box before gracefully dropping through the cylinder. Defeat didn’t cross his mind when the Crisler Arena crowd showered him with adulation. Though Kevin only temporarily delayed defeat that day after Brother Rice couldn’t capitalize in overtime on the momentum of his
shot, this defeat was little compared to what Kevin would feel in the months to come. Kevin sobbed in Detroit Mercy coach Dick Vitale’s office before he played a minute in the Titan uniform. Surrounded by his players, Vitale announced that he would be retiring from coaching because of ulcers that plagued the inside of his mouth. Many on the team, Kevin included, believed Vitale was taking time off so that he could become the coach of the Detroit Pistons, which he did one year later. They smelled betrayal. In less time than it had taken him to dribble up the court against Lansing Everett, Kevin’s future with the program had evaporated. Vitale was the reason he came to Detroit. Kevin held offers from elite programs with decades of tradition during his senior year of high school. He had come very close to attending Michigan, to play in a big program known for having winning expectations. Instead, he decided to play for Vitale and help forge a new winning expectation. With Vitale gone and a dream dissipated, all Kevin could do was cry. *** Thirty-five years later, Kevin got off his flight to Texas and went straight to Athens to speak to his daughter. She was contemplating quitting basketball, but he thought he could show her what was best. “A parent only wants their child to be happy,” Kevin said. “I knew my daughter wasn’t happy.” Once he arrived in Athens, he reminded her of how much she loved basketball, how much the game had meant to her throughout her whole life. He told her she needed to grow up to be the best person she could be. He told her she was staying at Trinity Valley for the year, whether she played basketball or not. “He is harder on me than anyone I know,” Shannon said. “He doesn’t care if it hurts my feelings. He’s always been supportive. He pushes me to be great, even if I don’t want to hear it.” Kevin knew that Shannon couldn’t stop playing. In his own career, he had felt the hardship of transferring. After the meeting in Vitale’s office, Kevin knew that Detroit was not his future, yet he could not fully make it his past. He knew he had to play out the season, and he did, battling through a freshman season that was not played under the circumstances he imagined when he committed. “I knew that I would still have options, so I just worked hard that year and made freshman AllAmerican,” Kevin said. Despite struggling with injuries, he was the fourth-leading scorer on that Detroit team, averaging eight points per game. Though he experienced success, when the season ended he knew he wanted to get out. The program wasn’t the one he committed to with Vitale gone. With his future up in the air, his high-school rival from the 1977 championship game convinced him where his future belonged.
Johnson suggested Kevin transfer to Michigan State. Kevin was convinced and transferred there in fall 1978. Kevin arrived in East Lansing knowing he’d be limited to practice that year. He couldn’t play. He worked with the team every day while his teammates put together a memorable season. “It was very difficult watching your teammates play, knowing you can contribute,” Kevin said. The Johnson-led Spartans reached the pinnacle of the sport in one of the most memorable college basketball games of all time, winning the 1979 national championship over Indiana State and its star, Larry Bird. Kevin was forced to watch from the sidelines, itching to play each day. After the 1979 season, he experienced great success in his final three years at Michigan State, becoming a team captain and two-time All-Big Ten player. But no matter the success he would later achieve, Kevin would always remember how helpless he felt watching his teammates compete without him. With that in mind, he knew the worst was behind Shannon. If she worked hard and stuck with basketball, she could achieve great things. Shannon’s teammates pitched in to make sure Shannon stayed on the team. Though she had lived with them for a few days, she had previously felt a world apart. Many of them had been at Trinity Valley for the summer, while she had just arrived. They all made one thing clear: they wanted Shannon on their team. Lovato echoed their messages when she spoke to Shannon. She cared about Shannon, and she wanted her to succeed at Trinity Valley. At the end of her four days off, Shannon told Lovato she wanted to keep playing basketball. Once she made her intentions clear, Shannon was determined to succeed at Trinity Valley. Her mother, Ramada, would text her about Cam Newton and made her learn about his experiences. Shannon learned of Newton’s mindset while he attended Blinn College, a junior college in Texas about an hour drive from Athens. Newton viewed his time at junior college as a business trip, a philosophy Shannon would adopt. She did everything she could at Trinity Valley to ensure that she would one day be back on top, just like Newton did when he left junior college to win the Heisman Trophy and a national championship at Auburn. Trinity Valley, she decided, would just be a blip in the road on her way to success. Things changed once Shannon fully committed herself to her team’s success at Trinity Valley. Once the season started, the victories piled up on the court. Off the court, Shannon was becoming a new person as well. Her teammates became her closest friends, or as she calls them, her family. Time not spent in the gym was spent with them, whether getting dinner at Applebee’s or watching movies at Athens’ lone movie theater. Her business trip was a new life experience. “I think that’s when the whole dynamic of our group changed,
COURTESY OF SMITH FAMILY
COURTESY OF SMITH FAMILY
TRACY KO/Daily
Junior guard Shannon Smith was Miss Basketball in North Carolina, but her journey took her to a junior college before transferring to Michigan for this season.
when Shannon decided to share herself,” Lovato said. Shannon’s newfound leadership showed on the court. Her team didn’t lose a game it played (its only loss was the result of a forfeit), and Shannon went through it all with a smile. “She was the life of the locker room,” Lovato said. “I think that they really respected her because she was so talented on the floor. They looked up to her, my freshmen did.” While many of Shannon’s previous plans didn’t unfold the way she could’ve hoped, her time at Trinity Valley couldn’t have ended more perfectly. Shannon led her team to the NJCAA national championship game, where she scored 14 points and dished out five assists before being named
the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. “The growth she showed over that one-year time span was probably more than any other kid I’ve ever coached,” Lovato said. Her transformational season at Trinity Valley was complete. She had gone from a girl who struggled to deal with adversity to a woman who conquered it. She loved basketball again, and basketball finally loved her back. As the clock hit zero in the 83-71 victory in the championship game, Shannon Smith broke down and cried. Then, she talked to Kevin and said three words. “We did it.”
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the b-side B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, November 7, 2013
DIVERSIFIED: UMS BUILDS TOWARD CULTURAL HARMONY By Jackson Howard, Daily Arts Writer
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hat do the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, Celia Cruz, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the KODO Drummers of Japan have in common? Outside of being world-renowned musical acts, this seemingly random combination of artists has performed at Hill Auditorium with the help of the University Musical Society. For most of UMS’s history, however, classical musicians and white performers and composers have dominated the program, with little room for cultural and musical diversity and nearly no community outreach. Everything changed, though, in 1987, when Ken Fischer came to Ann Arbor. A deeply engrained attitude
PHOTOS COURTESY OF UMS DESIGN BY ALLY HOPPING, JAKE WELLINS, MOLLY LESTER
Founded in 1879, the University Musical Society is the one of the oldest collegiate presenters in the country. Hosting about 60 to 75 performances per eight-month season in three University venues, UMS is easily the leading musical authority in Ann Arbor, if not all of southeast Michigan. Before Fischer’s arrival, UMS was “mainly white, mainly classical, with barely any community outreach,” said Joetta Mial, a former UMS board member and former principal of Huron High School. Fischer’s predecessor, Gail Rector, had strong relationships in the campus community and with local classical musicians, but not much else. Fischer’s mentor, Patrick Hayes, who spearheaded the movement to desegregate the theaters of Washington D.C., instilled in Fischer his personal and professional policy of inclusion, called EINO: Everybody In, Nobody Out. With this in mind, Fischer arrived in Ann Arbor in 1987 as UMS’s next president. The basis of his hiring by the board at the time was to “get us out of debt and to put people in seats,” he said. As a result, the first few years were tough. The board was excruciatingly careful of whom it collaborated with, and Fischer soon found himself fighting against a deeply engrained attitude of artistic and cultural exclusivity. In the first year of his tenure, Fischer traveled to conferences across the country in order to seek advice from his contemporaries. Over a six-month period, Fischer asked nearly 70 fellow musical directors whom they considered to be the top musical presenters in the United States. He then traveled and met with more than a dozen of these top presenters to ask one simple question: How do you do it? A meeting in San Francisco with Ruth Felt, the founder of San Francisco Performances, proved
to be monumental. Instead of providing Fischer an answer, she gave him some questions to ask of himself and his program: “How do you define your community? How well are you serving it? How are you diversifying the program?” Fischer remembers. Suddenly, his entire scope changed. Fischer understood that though UMS served the Ann Arbor community, there was a large part of southeast Michigan that had been ignored since the program’s founding in 1879. If UMS’s goal was cultural expression, Fischer realized, there was a lot of work to do. Communication, cooperation, vulnerability and reciprocity What happened next would later make up what Fischer calls the “10 Lessons Learned in Diversifying a Performing Arts Organization.” In addition to having an overarching policy that guides the work, and learning from the experience of leaders in the field, Fischer also listed, among other lessons, “starting where you are, getting out of the tower (Burton Tower, where UMS is housed) and into communities of shared heritage, building relationships with community leaders and practicing Sharon King’s four relationship principles to create authentic partnerships.” King’s principles — communication, cooperation, vulnerability and reciprocity — are defining characteristics of UMS’s gradual diversification. Fischer first debuted the 10 Lessons at a forum for SphinxCon, where he was invited to speak. Founded 17 years ago by Dr. Aaron Dworkin, a University alum, Sphinx promotes youth development and diversity in classical music by hosting competitions for African American and Latino string players across the country while also running education programs and conferences. Dworkin, who was a 2005 MacArthur Fellow and a former member of the Obama National Arts Policy Committee, started Sphinx as a graduate student at the University after becoming fed up with the lack of diversity in the orchestras he played in as a violinist. He approached Fischer, who immediately joined the cause and helped Dworkin launch what is now one of the premier programs for musical diversity. However, Fischer’s biggest impact came in the work he did directly with UMS. In the early ’90s, Fischer said, his first instinct was simply to bring in ethnic performers and that people would show up. In retrospect, not only was this approach exploitative, it was a shallow shortcut. What actually needed to happen were two of the 10 Lessons: Get out of the tower and into the communities of shared heritage and, later, build relationships with community leaders.
While King’s principles of communication and cooperation seemed easy enough, it was the latter two, of vulnerability and reciprocity, that really changed Fischer’s attitude. In regards to vulnerability, Fischer explained: “What we eventually found was, the last thing the Arab community wanted to hear was, ‘I’m from the University of Michigan, how can I help you?’ What they wanted to hear was, ‘I’m from the University of Michigan, and boy do I have a lot to learn.’ ” As for reciprocity, Fisher said, “If you’re building a relationship, it has to be win-win. Your partner has to do at least as well if not better in what they’re gaining from the relationship.” With these ideas in mind, Fischer forayed into establishing a relationship with the massive Arab community in southeast Michigan, a community that been quietly ignored by UMS for more than 100 years. Unprecedented cooperation Ismael Ahmed, head of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and associate provost at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, was the perfect person for Fischer to talk to. Beginning in 1995, after various trips between Dearborn and Ann Arbor, Fischer and Ahmed slowly established a working relationship. “When you reach a level of comfort, trust, you really like each other … then you can ask three questions,” Fischer explained. “ ‘What do you want?’ ‘What do I want?’ and ‘What do we want together from this thing?’ ” Ahmed wanted help from UMS in performing, promoting and simply bettering the shows that he and his community put on, which Fischer was happy to do. For his part, Fischer wanted to learn as much as possible about the Arab world. As a result, Ahmed put together a couple of what he called “immersion days,” and, true to his word, Fischer piled all of UMS — board members and staff alike — onto buses and down to ACCESS. There, Ahmed taught about Arabic music, culture and geography, while also leading trips to the mosque and to meals at a variety of Arabic restaurants. Finally, after this was done, Ahmed and Fischer decided that what they needed to do together was something they couldn’t do alone and, more importantly, something that would benefit both communities. In June 2001, Ahmed and Fischer submitted a proposal to a funding agency hoping to bring the Palestinian Oud player Simon Shaheen to Ann Arbor for a performance and residency. Being that Shaheen was from Palestine but had played violin at an American conservatory, he was the perfect fit. See HARMONY, Page 3B
the b-side
2B — Thursday, November 7, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NETFLIX PIX
LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR
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George Carlin and the art of stand-up comedy
eff Dunham, Lately, I’ve found myself ruminating on the art and influence of stand-up comedy — fascinated by the way greats like George Carlin could write a comedic piece that not only compelled people to laugh but forced itself JOHN deep into the LYNCH consciousness of its audience, perhaps even altering one’s perspective of life. The impact and intrigue of ventriloquism, however, (it seems I’m the first to inform you) likely reached its peak in the middle ages, when mystified humans considered it a form of witchcraft. A 14th-century bloodthirsty mob of villagers would potentially be your most receptive demographic, though, seeing as they’d actually pay attention to your act before chasing you with torches and pitchforks and would laugh at least as seldom as a modern audience. Indeed, if stand-up is an art form, then you are a puppetclutching philistine, and calling you a comedian is a disgrace to the life and career of someone like George Carlin. The only prop Carlin’s act featured was his constantly evolving and bleakly hilarious mind. His decade-spanning career reflected the transition of American society through its most transforma-
tive eras. Hating the fact that he was a puppet of television executives, Carlin sought sanctuary in the coffee shops of 1960s college towns and established the roots of his revolutionary act. Acid and the Summer of Love granted his already rebellious mind the freedom to turn a stand-up stage into a platform for rapid-fire, philosophical routines. I remember witnessing my parents be more attentive to a VHS copy of “Jammin’ in New York” than to liturgy on Sundays — planting in my mind the seed of a perpetually questioning sensibility. Carlin opened my young doors of perception to entirely new concepts: humanity’s inconsequentiality in the universe, the illusion of American freedom of choice and the fact that an elderly comedian could follow an angry, profound rant on worldly topics with a lighthearted fart joke.
Ventriloquism went out of fashion in the 1300s For the sake of my entertainment and as an exercise in the betterment of your craft, I challenge you to open your next special exactly as Carlin opened “Back In Town”. This
Daily Arts Writers dig through recent Netflix releases to find the movies worth revisiting or discovering.
will, of course, require having your unbearably racist terrorist puppet ask the audience, “Why is it that most of the people who are against abortion are people you wouldn’t want to fuck in the first place?” and continuing to follow Carlin’s routine through the mouth of the puppet for eight minutes straight. Your blatant mimicry will be lauded as a considerable artistic improvement, and George will continue to roll over in his grave. Despite his disgust for most things on earth, Carlin loved life and his craft. Recently, I’ve found that even his interviews are thought-provoking and life-affirming. Despite a storied history of drug use and trouble, Carlin described how drugs are mind-opening and constructive, and that an intellectual mind would recognize when the benefits of a drug had run their course and therefore save itself from destruction. Thankfully, his was such a mind, and his desire to entertain and affect people constituted an inspirational life force that kept him going until the age of 71 — continually innovating the world of comedy all the way up to his death. As Carlin proved, stand-up has the potential to move audiences and minds, so it should never be merely moving the mouth of a puppet. Best, An Untethered Mind
MANDARIN
“Ip Man: The Final Fight”
“Pacific Rim”
As the remnant of a proud tradition and master of Bruce Lee, Ip Man still looms large in the imaginarium of Chinese cinema. Yet another movie based on his storied life releases this month on Netflix called, “Ip Man: The Final Fight.” Where previous imaginings focus almost entirely on his stalwart position against Western influence, this Ip Man takes a comfortable, humanistic step forward — creative interpretations notwithstanding. This movie should be watched by Ip Man fans, if only for Anthony Wong’s (“Infernal Affairs”) collected and quiet portrait.
“Pacific Rim” is one of those movies that you have to watch with a group of people. It’s a popcorn film in the most classic sense of the word — fiery explosions, massive monsters and even bigger robots are only some of the reasons it becomes fun, 15 minutes into the movie, to turn your head and watch the moviegoers sitting next to you with their mouths agape, letting out varied expletives as larger-than-life fight sequences unfold before them. The story is simple: Aliens invade the earth, humans respond with making massive fight machines called Jaegers. It’s fun, it’s simple and above all, it’s watching shit blow up.
WARNER BROS
PARAMOUNT
Lynch is opening his mind. To see what’s inside, e-mail jplyn@umich.edu
CATCH WEEKLY RECAPS OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS, LIKE “AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN,” “SCANDAL” AND “THE MINDY PROJECT.” MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE+FILTER AND IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN WRITING RECAPS, E-MAIL ARTS@MICHIGANDAILY.COM TO REQUEST AN APPLICATION TO BECOME A DAILY ARTS BLOGGER.
EPISODE REVIEW In its cold open, the 750th episode of “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Kerry Washington, holds a mirror up to itself. In Can undoubtedly political Saturday move, the Night Live show called in Washing“Kerry ton, the first Washington” black woman to host since NBC Gabourey Sidibe in 2010. In the opening sketch, Washington appears as First Lady Michelle, and the cold open quickly turns into a sardonic internal analysis of the show’s race problem, as Washington has to hurry out to change into an Oprah wig and costume since no one else on the show can do so. “SNL” being upfront about its problems is undeniably clever, but it doesn’t ease my reservations with the episode overall,
and it certainly doesn’t solve anything. I’m not at all convinced it’s a promise to make actual change happen next time casting season comes around. Throughout the episode, Washington plays stereotype after stereotype. The episode’s best moments include a spot-on MTV dating show parody and a truly wacky digital short involving ice cream and an ambulance. Washington, as to be expected from one of TV’s most talented actors, does outstanding work, even when the sketches
WARNER BROS
“The Conjuring”
“Flight”
Not a lot of scary movies come out nowadays. It’s all just smears of synthetic gore and pasty ink-blood, but “The Conjuring” provides a sorely-needed exception. The classic scares, framed by tense, slow buildup take front and center, and around it, there’s an interesting story to keep us hooked. From the outside, we’re just looking at a haunted house story, but where the film excels is bringing its inhabitants to life. None of the actors are off their game, allowing for the otherwise overly melodramatic bits of interaction flow effectively.
Denzel Washington can act. He has two Oscars, seeing his face plastered on a poster immediately draws a crowd and when he laughs, you laugh. So do yourself a favor and watch “Flight,” recently acquired by Netflix and now available for streaming online. You probably won’t laugh much throughout the course of the film’s 139-minute runtime, but if one thing becomes clear, it’s that Denzel can act. He plays an airline pilot struggling with alcoholism, and this film becomes a testament to his inability to let go. There’s a bit of overacting, but all-in-all a good film if you’re looking for something gripping and dramatic.
TRAILER REVIEW
NBC
box her in and seem completely unsure of what to do with a black woman. There was no real way for “SNL” to win last weekend. That’s because the show’s history of racism and sexism runs deep, and until “SNL” makes a concentrated effort to be more inclusive in its cast and writers’ room, episodes like this just aren’t going to sit right with me — even when Kerry herself was nailing the comedy at every turn. — KAYLA UPADHYAYA
Comic book aficionados across the planet (or realistically, the ones that read the Daily), dust off your war Ahammers and throw on Thor: The the best Loki Dark World costumes you can find Disney because “Portman: The Dark World” has arrived. Wait, that’s not right. “Thor: The Dark World” has arrived. But let’s be honest: Who here hasn’t had enough of Chris Hemsworth f lexing and grunting as that fake six-pack ripples in the sunlight (it’s too f lawless to be real)? The real reason people should be enamored by Marvel’s latest attempt to resuscitate the superhero-movie genre is the return of Natalie Portman, coming off a two-year hiatus after winning an Academy
DISNEY
Award for Best Actress in 2011. The trailer marginalizes the fantasized tale of divinity meeting humanity that defined “Thor,” looking to be a drawn-out version of the original’s initial 60 minutes. Our demigod hero marches around looking f lustered, screaming in his Australianslash-British accent as masked aliens attack Asgard. There are plenty of good
bits featuring that classic shot of Hemsworth gazing toward the sky and bellowing as lightning engulfs his hammer, but all eyes are on Portman. She carries herself with poise, giving passing hints at a sadness that may finally confirm that this is indeed her last role in a Marvel film. Is it? I guess we’ll find out Friday. —AKSHAY SETH
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
7.5 million
HARMONY From Page 1B The funding agency started to review the proposal just as the Sept. 11 attacks took place. Stunned that Ahmed and Fischer had developed this relationship before the attacks, the agency was more than happy to fund Shaheen’s visit in order to promote relationships between the two communities, especially in light of the recent events. In 2003, Shaheen came to Ann Arbor, where he stayed for a few months as a resident artist, and culminated his visit with a piece he wrote titled “Arboresque” — instead of Arabesque — as a dedication to his time spent at the University. This unprecedented cooperation between UMS and an established shared heritage community became a model for which UMS would continue to work with similar communities. The Arab Music World Festival followed, and with each subsequent outreach attempt by UMS, the Arab community was more and more responsive. Later, UMS began reaching out to programs within the University itself, like the Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies, and worked with them to truly put into context exactly what UMS does. Fischer’s desire to bring in Arab artists was not only for the audience to experience a performance, but, more importantly, to learn about another culture. Full-blown change The very first community that Fischer thought of when he began to expand UMS wasn’t Arab, but actually African American. “If I could get genuinely engaged in something that was important to them and of service to that community, and give without asking anything back, then we could really get things going,” Fischer explained. This “something” turned out to be an annual fundraising dinner that supported one of the colleges of the United Negro College Fund. For two years, Fischer sold tables to the dinner, and through this he forged his first relationships with members of the African American community. After his second year, as the team behind the dinner was wrapping up its final meeting, Fischer spoke to the group. “I really want to change the way in which we connect to your community,” he told them. “And it was like, ‘You know what, Ken? About time,’ ” Fisher
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remembered. “They said it with affection and grace, but it was clear that they had been waiting.” Around the same time, UMS received some funding to bring in a diversity consultant, Gwen Cochran Hadden. After spending the day sitting in on meetings and getting to know the staff, Hadden brought the UMS board together in the Michigan Union and provided a roadmap for action that would eventually become one of Fischer’s 10 Lessons: Start where you are. As Hadden explained, if Fischer took the time to look around his own organization to see who was already engaged, he would be amazed whom he would find just waiting to be asked. That’s when Fischer met Letitia Byrd. Byrd had been a singer in the UMS choir and a loyal volunteer for years, but UMS had never really paid any attention to her. As Fischer began to develop a relationship with Byrd, he took a trip to her house, where he discovered that she was involved in about 30 additional organizations, all of which she volunteered for. “Here was a woman that volunteered so much time and was so involved, and an organization that was so near and dear to her had not had any relationship with her,” Fischer explained. Something needed to change. In 1997, the Ann Arbor News decided it would start a Citizen of the Year award and deservingly gave it to Byrd. At the same time, Byrd joined the UMS board, and as a result her relationship with Fischer grew. Everything culminated one night in Byrd’s basement, where a group of some of the most prominent African American organizers and musicians in Ann Arbor and at the University joined, with Fischer, to discuss UMS and diversity. Willis Patterson, the first Black professor on the staff of the University’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance and a Professor Emeritus of Music, told a story about his personal experience with UMS. He described how one of the greatest thrills of his life came from UMS, when he sang in the children’s chorus in the 1930s in Hill Auditorium, accompanied by the Philadelphia Symphony. He then stated that one of the most disappointing experiences of his life also came from UMS and went on to describe the very same event in the exact same way. Fischer was confused, until Patterson ended his story: “Reason is, no one was in the audience that looked like me.” For Patterson and for many of the others in Byrd’s
Paid Attendance at Concerts
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Rise in Foreign Performances
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basement, this story was a way of relaying the unavoidable fact that, in years past, Hill Auditorium hasn’t always been welcoming to the Black community. Deeply touched, Fischer asked those in the room what to do. Byrd introduced him to two groups of Black women that support the arts — the Deltas and Links Incorporated — and suggested that these women be placed on the UMS advisory committee, which at the time was mostly white. Furthermore, for subsequent shows at Hill, Fischer had women from the two groups stationed at the various entrances to the auditorium, handing out programs and saying simply, ‘Nice to see you. You are welcome here.’ These first steps soon blossomed into a full-blown change to UMS’s structure, and subsequent meetings with Catherine Blackwell in 2005 established a stronger connection between UMS and the African American communities in Detroit. “It was one of the most learning and exciting experiences to be on that board and to be on the inside,” Mial remembered. “UMS, the whole staff and people involved in it, makes a true effort not only to integrate performers and the audience, they do specific things to make it work and happen … they have staff, starting with Ken (Fischer), that really dig in there and do the work to make it a more diverse organization.” 10 Lessons Today, though far from perfect, UMS is starting to take the shape that Fischer envisioned when he signed on to be president 26 years ago. In addition to strong relationships with the Arab and African American communities, Fischer has built connections with leaders such as Martina Guzman and Wei Shen, who have brought their own unique presence from their respective Latin and Chinese backgrounds. The effects of Fischer’s “10 Lessons” are visible today. UMS’s budget has jumped from $2.34 million in 1987 to $7.5 million in 2012, while the number of volunteers has grown from 250 to 750 in the same period. Maybe most importantly, UMS’s 1987 goal of simply presenting the performing arts has evolved into connecting artists and audiences in uncommon and engaging experiences. More, in any given season, 16
SINGLE REVIEW The Killers are old. They’re not at “elder statesmen” status yet, but based on their last C+ few singles Just you get the feeling that Another Girl they might The Killers be done with the youthIsland ful, energetic chapter of their career. After only four LP’s, the group already has a “Greatest Hits” album, a typical sign that a band has peaked creatively. “Just Another Girl,” one of two new tracks on Direct Hits, is hopefully a song simply recorded on short notice, a contractual obligation for a Christmastime “Greatest Hits” record. Otherwise, the band stands one step away from irrelevance. The single sounds like
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to 33 percent of UMS performers now come from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Israel and the Arab world. Artists as diverse as Gilberto Gil, Doudou N’Diaye Rose, Ravi Shankar and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have all graced the stage at Hill, while UMS has been consistent in focusing on a variety of influences by taking turns theming certain seasons after specific cultures. As a result of this increased globalization, UMS has become one of, if not the premier presenting university program, said Lester Monts, senior vice provost for Academic Affairs, who in addition to being University President Mary Sue Coleman’s special advisor for undergraduate education, diversity and arts, is a longtime UMS board of directors member who actually played classical trumpet at Hill Auditorium while in college. “Some performers often say, ‘I will only perform in the great concert halls of Chicago, or New York, Philadelphia, etc.’ But with UMS becoming a global institution and encompassing so much musical culture, Ann Arbor has really become a highly desirable destination for world class performers,” Monts explains. “They know that they will perform before a very sophisticated audience in a stellar performance venue — Hill Auditorium.” As for Fischer, his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Last year, he received the 2012 Mariam C. Noland Award for Nonprofit Leadership given by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, which commended his work in “creating relationships with leading corporations, arts organizations, area public and private schools and community organizations.” The work of involving everyone into UMS isn’t finished, as Fischer, Mial and Monts all acknowledge. “The arts are for everybody,” Fischer stated. “It’s our job to embrace the entire region, to make them feel welcomed, and then encourage them to work together with others.” That being said, UMS has come a long way from being a locally based program focusing predominantly on white composers and performers. “Ken Fischer is an impresario,” Monts said. “And UMS brings serious pride and prestige to the University of Michigan — it is certainly one of the ‘jewels in the crown.’ ”
Pull up a chair at Palio
wish someone had told me about Palio before the end of my junior year. Whenever I heard about Italian food in Ann Arbor, there was only mention of Gratzi on the high end and Mia Za’s on the low. And while both are good for their respective reasons, I’m here to NATE report there WOOD is an option in the middle: Palio. Situated at the intersection of William and Main Street, Palio is certainly hard to miss. The brick exterior is clumsily painted in a pastel yellow, broken up only by streaks of light gray paint assembled into faux cracks and worn areas; the result is a corner joint that looks as if it’s falling into disrepair. Circus-like awnings span the front of the building, shading patrons eating out on the sidewalk, and the rooftop is decorated with long strings of lighted bulbs. It all effectively conveys exactly what it means to: “Italian roadside cooking in a convivial setting.”
The patio is the closest thing to Florence outside of Italy And convivial it is. When I think about it, the multiple times I’ve been to Palio have all been to celebrate my or a friend’s birthday. The setting is so conducive to laidback conversation, drinks and good food that it’s an automatic choice for such gatherings. I’m immediately suckered in to the appeal of Palio by its electronic menus. A trend that’s becoming more and more popular, the menu is perused by flipping through virtual pages on the restaurant’s Android tablets. And besides the obvious novelty, it’s also practical. Each dish has a pop-up picture for you to drool over and suggested wine pairings from the programmed-in sommelier. Moreover, you can sort the wine list by color, price, body and a number of other cool features to put even the most novice oenophile at ease. But fret not, technology haters: The old-fashioned waitstaff is equally as helpful and knowledgeable. We start with glasses of dry wine that we pretend to appreciate, and move on quickly to the more appealing bread and oil. As long as they don’t run out right before closing, Palio serves up its house-made bread, which is crusty on the outside and chewy,
tacky on the inside. It’s perfect for dipping in the table’s dark green extra-virgin olive oil (first press, I’m sure), sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. My only complaint is that the bread isn’t served warm. The appetizers (“antipasti”) are hit and miss, taste-wise. The pizzas and bruschetta are mediocre, but the mussels are quite good. Served in an interesting departure from the norm — a tomato-cream combination broth spiked with saffron threads — the appetizer makes both a good first bite for a mussels-loving table to share or an entrée for those with smaller appetites. The main courses tend to be more uniform in grade. They’re not out-of-this-world amazing, but also fall far from flat. In other words, I’ve never been wowed by the food, but it’s always satisfying. The Cavatappi con Pollo, Pumate e Pesto — grilled chicken breast, sundried tomatoes, pesto and cream — is a safe choice enjoyed by all. And with prices comparable to Olive Garden, Palio is my pick over the tired chain any day. The food I can brag about here, though, is the dessert. Made fresh every day, the rotating list of sweet finishes leaves nothing to desire. There’s dense carrot cake, rich gelato, smooth panna cotta, crunchy-creamy cannolis and more. But one dessert “takes the cake.” The tiramisu is immaculate perfection. Its ladyfingers have soaked up just the right amount of espresso and booze and are layered between generous slathers of whipped, sweet mascarpone heaven. Topped with cocoa powder and made to share (or not), this popular Italian dessert is a must. And while winter finds you noshing — obligatorily — inside, one of the most attractive offerings at Palio otherwise is the seasonal option to sit outside. The Palio Del Sol, the rooftop at Palio, is an experience that I wholly recommend to each and every University student. At no other place in Ann Arbor can you sip Pinot Gris and fork hot ravioli under a dimly lit patio while overlooking the hustle and bustle of Main Street. It’s as close as my mind and body can get to what I imagine dinner in Florence to be. At the hour of a summer’s dusk, there’s no better place. So — inside or outside — pull up a chair. Swipe through the menu. Dip your bread. Pry open a mussel. Savor dessert and, more importantly, the friends surrounding you who are doing the same. Rinse (with wine), and on the next birthday, repeat. Wood is ordering a second tiramisu. To share, e-mail nisaacw@umich.edu
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW
ISLAND
a skeleton of any average, recent The Killers song. Over mid-tempo guitars and keyboards, singer Brandon Flowers tells a slowly crescendoing, lovesick story with the blandest and most cliché lyrics possible. You hear everything coming two minutes before the notes are played. The drums even go into double-time as Flowers
Number of Ticketed Regular Performances
FOOD COLUMN
UMS EXPANSION
1987
Thursday, November 7, 2013 — 3B
sings through the climax, just in case you weren’t already 500-percent sure what band you were listening to. The good news: When a band copies some of the best songs of the last decade, the results won’t be terrible. Unfortunately, though, new Killers songs are becoming copies of copies of copies of copies. —ADAM THEISEN
Yoko Ono pays a lot of roles — avant-garde artist, filmmaker, peace activist, musician, widow of John LenB non — but one thing Bad Dancer she is not Yoko Ono is a good Chimera dancer. At least, that seems to be the message behind her brand new song, “Bad Dancer”, and the accompanying music video. The track — co-written by Mike D and Ad-rock of the Beastie Boys — features the 80-year-old (!!!) swaying to a club beat, gleefully proclaiming, “I’m a bad dancer / With no regrets.” (I guess it was all planned? Whatever the case, it’s never fun watching octogenarians gyrate onscreen.) In addition to Yoko, the video features not-so-good dancing from the likes of Questlove,
CHIMERA
Reggie Watts, Ira Glass, Roberta Flack and other marginally famous, art-world names (I still love you, Ira). For three minutes, they bounce, bob and frolic through a futuristic, foilcoated room while Yoko spatters black paint on a canvas.
The whole thing is baffling and silly, but when you’re done being confused, you’ll realize how surprisingly fun the song is. And then you’re going to want to dance. You’re going to want to dance badly. —JAKE OFFENHARTZ
the b-side
4B — Thursday, November 7, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
DANCE OF DUALITY
MARLENE LACASSE/DAILY
IASA gears up for yearly cultural show Performance to stress dichotomy of IndianAmerican experience By MAYANK MATHUR Daily Arts Writer
Cultural events at the University occupy a pedestal of importance because they showcase various aspects of a culture to a larger community of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. They promote diversity and unity by encouraging our community to experience and embrace a slice of a culture. For 30 years, the Indian American Student Association (IASA), the University’s secondlargest student organization, has promoted these values through
its annual cultural show, which celebrates Indian culture through dance. LSA senior Mallika Sarma, the show’s co-coordinator, explained: “Each year, it is a reflection of that particular student body that is participating in the show. Last year’s show is very different from this year’s show because the people are very different.” The inherent difference between the shows is the theme of each production. This year’s show is “Silesha: The Power of Duality” and is thematically centered on the dichotomy that the IASA represents. Duality is represented in the nine dances, which combine different tonal and stylistic elements. “One of our choreographers is a traditionally trained Bharatanaty-
MARLENE LACASSE/DAILY
Students like sophomore Sureel Shah spend two hours on weekdays preparing.
am dancer, and the other choreographer is a ballet and hip hop-trained artist … so they both did their research on their different styles and different ways on how to integrate them,” Sarma said. Engineering sophomore Jinesh Shah, IASA’s publicity chair, stressed the importance of the theme with respect to the dances. “Last year, the theme wasn’t that prevalent and not that focused upon. The theme this year is duality, and we’ve focused on contrast between different dances,” he said. About 250 performers are involved in the performances, which are based on different Indian styles of dance. For this particular show, the IASA core has focused on moving away from Western fusion dances to a more Indian setting by reintroducing certain dances, like “Gypsy” and “Raas.” Shah and Sarma agreed that the dances represent the diversity within India itself. Each dance can be traced to a different part of India, and therefore the show celebrates the nation as a combination of cultures. The show serves to promote diversity on other levels. Engineering senior Anshul Mehta, the show’s co-coordinator, said it showcases diversity from an ethnic perspective as well as diversity from the standpoint of different ethnic backgrounds. “We have Caucasians, African Americans, Indians … you name the race, and they’re in our show,” Mehta said. He added that the event features many international students as well as students
who were born and raised in Ann Arbor. Performers of varying calibers also come together for the dances. “You can have someone who’s going to be the next Bollywood star or someone you’re surprised can dance at all,” Sarma added. The show encourages students who have never before stepped on stage to perform in front of a huge crowd at Hill Auditorium. Despite their relative inexperience, many dancers unite with their colleagues and choreographers to present the University’s biggest cultural show. The core prides itself on IASA’s diverse membership and the event’s representation of that diversity. However, what makes dance the ideal medium through which people of diverse backgrounds unite despite their differences? According to the core members, music and dance represent a universal language that people, regardless of their cultures, can enjoy. The unique flavor of Indian dance, added to the ubiquitous appeal of music and dance itself, makes the event all the more attractive to a wide range of the student population. Newcomers share the stage with experienced performers, making it an all-inclusive event. “It really comes down to IASA’s philosophy of ‘anybody can dance.’ I’m not a very good dancer, and I would never have the opportunity to dance in college unless something like IASA gave me that opportunity,” Mehta said. Naturally, planning such a massive event requires foresight and hard work. According to Sarma
and Mehta, preparations for the event began in February, which is when the show’s coordinators are chosen. In March, choreographers are handpicked through two sets of interviews. The choreographers are the most vital element of the show, and the selection process is one of the most difficult aspects. Once the choreographers are chosen, they are given time over the summer to conceptualize a sevenminute dance. In some cases, even three months of summer vacation aren’t enough to prepare. A dance’s co-choreographers could reside in different locations for the summer. Internships, family commitments and the leisure of summer break often get in the way, forcing the choreographers to resort to digital technology to communicate their ideas and decisions. “You’re not necessarily with your co-choreographer, so you have to make do with things like Skype or Google Hangout,” Mehta said. When school begins in September, the most strenuous part of the preparation process begins: the execution of the choreography. The process was described by the coordinators as nothing less than a job, with some members often remarking that it’s like a 10-credit class. “I planned my entire class schedule knowing that I had the IASA show to coordinate. I told myself that I will take minimum credits this semester so I have as much time as possible to run around and do IASA stuff,” Sarma said. Now that the show is just
around the corner, things are ready to go and merely on standby. The main focus of all those involved is to have an amazing time performing the show for a huge audience. The core members believe that the thrill of performance more than makes up for the stress of preparation. An entire week of hype precedes the event, and a Diag Day is planned to raise awareness about the show. A 10-month process culminates in a single, adrenaline-fueled event, and performers display their hard work and passion in a fourhour display. The nights before and after the event are packed with celebrations as dancers are rewarded for their efforts with close friends and family watching in the audience. “People fly from states far away to see this show. People carpool and drive for five hours from the nearby states to see their children perform,” Sarma said. Sarma likened the atmosphere in Hill Auditorium to the Big House and said that the feeling of performing on stage at the annual cultural show is similar to the feeling of watching Michigan play Michigan State in football. One of the many unique aspects of the show is that it entices students in the crowd to join IASA and perform on the same stage next year. Shah went a step further by comparing it to playing football with the team in the Big House. “Imagine you take 200 football fans in the Big House, you train them for a whole semester, and then you invite them to play on game day.”
THE D’ART BOARD
Each week we take shots at the biggest developments in the entertainment world. Here’s what hit (and missed) this week.
Loaded Gunn Anna Gunn is headed to Fox’s “The Mindy Project”
Fleetwood Mac Sex Pants Chris Pratt reveals he used to be a stripper
High-fiving a million angels NBC gives straight-to-series order to Tina Fey-created comedy
We’ll really miss you, Mrs. K “The Simpsons” pays a heartfelt tribute to late voice actor Marcia Wallace
Design by Nick Cruz
You better work Britney Spears releases second Britney Jean single, “Perfume”