ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
ADMINISTRATION
New chief of UMPD picked after long search Former lieutenant Robert Neumann has been with the police since 1985 By WILL GREENBERG and SAM GRINGLAS Daily News Editors
Robert Neumann, previously a University Police lieutenant, has been selected as the University of Michigan Police Department’s next chief. The appointment is effective immediately. According to a Tuesday press release, Neumann was chosen from a pool of more than 150 applicants. He has served with the UMPD since 1985 and was one of the original six officers to first be sworn into the force in 1990. He became a lieutenant in 1999. Neumann graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy as well as Eastern Michigan University’s School of Police Staff and Command. He is also a Civil Air patrol captain serving as personnel officer and professional development officer
with the Willow Run Composite Squadron and serves on the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Accident Review Board. “I am humbled and honored to accept this opportunity,” Neumann said in a statement. “Having worked in the department since before it became a sworn police agency, I’ve participated in an incredible transformation of safety and security services at the University. This is a wonderful community in which to work.” In a statement, Eddie Washington Jr., executive director of the Division of Public Safety and Security, lauded Neumann’s contributions to the UMPD. “Bob’s years of successful experience in working with many campus leaders, students and other law enforcement agencies as well as managing several units within the UMPD, contributed to his strong candidacy for this position,” Washington said. “I admire that Bob consistently provides proven integrity and fairness to every situation.” Neumann succeeds current Chief Joe Piersante, who was named chief operations officer for See UMPD, Page 3A
PATRICK BARRON/Daily
Protesters gather on the Diag Tuesday to raise awareness for the recent outbreak of violence against peaceful demonstrations this past week in Venezuela.
Protest exhibits solidarity Over 100 gather to support antigovernment efforts in Venezuela By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
While scores of Venezuelans have taken to the streets of Caracas amid anti-government protests, more than 100 people gathered on the Diag Tuesday to show their solidarity with the movement. Last week, three people were killed when Venezuelan security forces used tear gas and weapons to break up the street demonstrations in opposition
to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s socialist successor, President Nicolás Maduro. On Tuesday, security forces arrested opposition leader Leopoldo López. The 42-year-old economist and Harvard University graduate surrendered himself to soldiers after delivering a heartfelt speech that inspired numerous demonstrations. In response to the unrest in Venezuela, two University students created “SOS Venezuela,” a Facebook event posted less than 24 hours in advance of the Diag rally. The event aimed to raise awareness of the government’s violent intervention in response to the mostly peaceful student-led protests. LSA sophomore Fabiana Diaz and Engineering fresh-
man Fernando Mezquita, the event’s creators, said they felt they needed to bring attention to these protests since the Venezuelan government’s Internet service provider has intermittently blocked the spread of information on Twitter and Facebook. “With all that’s been going on, we’ve been watching the news and we’ve been watching the web with everything that’s been posted and we really feel a sense of patriotism, to say the least, that we have to do what we can to help the situation,” Mezquita said. Born and raised in Venezuela, Mezquita has ties to many people still in the city and facing adversity caused by the government.
“I know people who have been directly affected by what’s going on,” he said. “The streets are covered with tear gas daily, people hear shots in the streets at all times, there are parts of the city that are completely unable to be transited due to burning cars, militia, guards just blocking the. It is total chaos at this point.” Diaz said the protest was successful in bringing the issue to the University community’s attention and spurring dialogue. “I think the event created a lot of awareness, not just for the University students, but in general,” she said. “I think these voices that were heard today are going to keep carrying on; See PROTEST, Page 3A
BUSINESS
GOVERNMENT
BBQ eaterie to fill empty space along E. Liberty
Dingell talks wildlife refuge significance
Tomukun Korean BBQ to connect to established noodles restaurant next door
Congressman hails University’s 10-year partnership with ecology group
By CHRISTY SONG Daily Staff Reporter
Empty since March, the space vacated by the Grand Traverse Pie Company will house a new eaterie by April. Tomukun Noodle Bar business partners Renee Jin, Scott Meinke and Thomas Yon plan to open a Korean barbeque restaurant on East Liberty Street. The new restaurant, named Tomukun Korean Barbecue, is tentatively scheduled to open in April. “Korean barbecue in general is more of a communal experience,” he said. “It’s a place where you go with a few of your See EATERIE, Page 3A
ALEX GALEL/Daily
Barbara Ransby, a professor of Gender & Women’s Studies and African American Studies & History at the University of Chicago, speaks during a sit-in for racial justice in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library Tuesday.
Sit-in calls for racial justice across University system Students occupy UGLi to raise awareness By CAROLINE BARON Daily Staff Reporter
The United Coalition for Racial Justice’s “Speak Out” sit-in event continued the campus discussion on the University’s racial climate as speakers,
alumni and students converged on the Shapiro Undergraduate Library Tuesday night. The sit-in was hosted by the UCRJ, which ran from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., featured free food, speeches, student-organized teach-in sessions, hip-hop performances, film screenings and action planning. It concluded Wednesday morning with coffee and breakfast. The evening opened with an introduction by former Uni-
versity President James Duderstadt and a keynote speech from University alum Barbara Ransby, a professor of history and African-American studies at the University of Chicago. Ransby, a scholar and activist, led several movements on campus while earning her doctorate in History at the University, including a 12-demand reform package advancing racial diversity and inclusiveness. These See JUSTICE, Page 3A
By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
The longest-serving member of Congress visited campus Tuesday to commemorate the University’s 10-year partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. Rep. John Dingell (D— Mich.) joined alumni, faculty and students from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment in the Dana Building for a press conference to laud the collaboration’s success. The event was prompted by the Detroit River IWR’s recent
hiring of Catherine Dennis, a SNRE alum. Dennis will join three other SNRE alumni hired by the Detroit River IWR in the last 10 years. The speakers at the conference included SNRE Dean Marie Lynn Miranda, SNRE Prof. Bob Grese and John Hartig, Detroit River IWR refuge manager. The University’s partnership with the Detroit River IWR began, just three years after the project first commenced. The SNRE also partners with the Detroit River IWR for graduate training by sending students to the site to do field-based work and using the Detroit River IWR’s resources to teach critical concepts in landscape architecture. The Detroit River IWR is the only international wildlife refuge in North America and one of the major metropolitan wildlife refuges in the country. See WILDLIFE, Page 3A
title IX today how gender is still in play for female athletes at the ‘U’
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 42 LO: 28
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Tangent: The Thought Bubble MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS
INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 71 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A SUDOKU.....................2A OPINION.....................4A
ARTS........................... 5A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A T H E S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . .1 B
News
2A — Wednesday, February 19, 2014
MONDAY: This Week in History
TA L K T H E TA L K
Harvard breaks donation record Harvard University ranks second in fundraising among American universities, the Harvard Crimson reported Feb. 12. In fiscal year 2013, the Ivy League institution raised $792 million, a 21-percent increase from fiscal year 2012 and the most raised by Harvard in a single year. According to the Council for Aid to Education ranking, Stanford University again beat out Harvard for the top spot, trumping the Ivy League school by more than $100 million. Stanford has remained in first place for nine consecutive years despite Harvard’s “Stanford Campaign,” which was created to gain the top fundraising title.
LILY ANGELL/Daily
Class Disparity “She Knows”
THE PODIUM
Twin brothers create new social media app A sophomore at the University of Illinois and his twin brother who studies at Stanford University have succeeded in creating a new social app, which is now available on the App store, The Daily Illini reported
History lecture Masters WHAT: New York Times Recital bestselling author Nathaniel
THE FILTER
Income distribution of the family incomes of University students reveals an underrepresentation of students of lower socioeconomic status. An assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Merced who conducted a five-year test affirmed that class has an effect on success in college.
Harvard’s newest campaign, which launched in September, aims to raise $6.5 billion — the largest campaign goal ever for an institution of higher education. Also on the list, the University of Southern California ranked third while Columbsia University ranked fourth.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
ON THE WEB... michigandaily.com BY EMMA MANIERE
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS
Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell gives a presentation about the challenges of adapting to climate change in Hutchins Hall Tuesday.
THE PODIUM
THURSDAY: Alumni Profiles
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
BY ALLEN DONNE
J. Cole’s music video for “She Knows,” the popular single from his second album, Born Sinner, reflects his narrative, story-telling form. The video privileges the viewer to a day in the life of a boy who abuses substances and comes home to witness his mother’s affair.
VIDEO
GOP lacks plan Gender in Soccer BY MICHAEL CASEY
BY CAROLYN GEARIG
The GOP has acknowledged legislation resignation in the upcoming months, claiming that the Republican Party will focus mainly on midterm election campaigning in 2014. The resignation reflects divides within the party itself, as well as the zero-sum game against Democrats.
The varsity men’s and women’s soccer teams at the University have recently shared their outlooks on the gender dynamics that occur on soccer teams.
Read more from these blogs at michigandaily.com
Philbrick discusses his book, “Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution.” WHO: William L. Clements Library WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library - Gallery Room 100
Discussion on Chinese art WHAT: Professor Hao, Chinese Associate Director for the Confucius Institute, discusses traditional Chinese paintings and the history embedded in them. Light lunch will be provided. WHO: Confucius Institute WHEN: Today at 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League - Henderson Room
WHAT: Selections from Beethoven, Debussy, and Prokofiev will be played by Stanton Nelson on the piano. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: Walgreen Drama Center - Stamps Auditorium
Rec sports talk WHAT: A discussion will take place on campus recreation facility renovations. WHO: Department of Recreational Sports WHEN: Today at 7 p.m. WHERE: Pierpont Commons - Commons Café CORRECTIONS l Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com.
Tuesday. Neil and Kush Nijhawan came up with the idea for their app Shortnotice in December 2012, but did not market the product until more than a year later. The brothers distinguish the application from other social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter by its ability to transfer online communication by means of face–to-face interaction. “We’re trying to create a new type of social media,” Neil said. “Right now social media is one-dimensional. It’s just about sharing in the online world, and we really want to bring it to the real world.” — HILLARY CRAWFORD
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
Jimmy Fallon’s premiere of The Tonight Show was received well by fans, reported The Washington Post Tuesday. The host opened the show with “I’m Jimmy Fallon. I’ll be your host… for now,” and starred Will Smith as his first guest.
2
When Title IX passed in 1972, athletes filed law suits against athletic departments not following the law. Read this week’s Statement to see how gender affects college sports today. >> FOR MORE, SEE THE STATEMENT
3
Consumers have a new reason to resist the Hot Pocket, after nine million pounds of meat escaped inspection in California, reported KATU Tuesdasy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture called the product, “unfit for human food.”
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com PETER SHAHIN KIRBY VOIGTMAN
Editor in Chief Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 pjshahin@michigandaily.com kvoigtman@michigandaily.com
Newsroom
News Tips
734-418-4115 opt. 3
news@michigandaily.com
Corrections
Letters to the Editor
corrections@michigandaily.com
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Arts Section
Editorial Page
arts@michigandaily.com
opinion@michigandaily.com
Sports Section
Photography Section
sports@michigandaily.com
photo@michigandaily.com
Display Sales
Classified Sales
dailydisplay@gmail.com
classified@michigandaily.com
Online Sales
Finance
onlineads@michigandaily.com
finance@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL STAFF Katie Burke Managing Editor Jennifer Calfas Managing News Editor
kgburke@michigandaily.com jcalfas@michigandaily.com
SENIOR NEWS EDITORS: Ian Dillingham, Sam Gringlas, Will Greenberg, Rachel Premack and Stephanie Shenouda ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: Allana Akhtar, Yardain Amron, Hillary Crawford, Amia Davis, Shoham Geva, Amabel Karoub, Thomas McBrien, Emilie Plesset, Max Radwin and Michael Sugerman
Megan McDonald and Daniel Wang Editorial Page Editors
opinioneditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Aarica Marsh and Victoria Noble ASSISTANT EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Michael Schramm and Nivedita Karki
Greg Garno and Alejandro Zúñiga
Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Max Cohen, Alexa Dettelbach, Rajat Khare, Jeremy Summitt and Daniel Wasserman ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: Lev Facher, Daniel Feldman, Simon Kaufman, Erin Lennon, Jake Lourim and Jason Rubinstein
John Lynch and Akshay Seth Managing Arts Editors
jplynch@michigandaily.com akse@michigandaily.com
SENIOR ARTS EDITORS: Giancarlo Buonomo, Natalie Gadbois, Erika Harwood and Alex Stern ASSISTANT ARTS EDITORS: Jamie Bircoll, Jackson Howard, Gillian Jakab and Maddie Thomas
Teresa Mathew and Paul Sherman Managing Photo Editors
photo@michigandaily.com
SENIOR PHOTO EDITORS: Patrick Barron and Ruby Wallau ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Allison Farrand, Tracy Ko, Terra Molengraff and Nicholas Williams
Carolyn Gearig and Gabriela Vasquez Managing Design Editors
design@michigandaily.com
SENIOR DESIGN EDITORS: Amy Mackens and Alicia Kovalcheck
Carlina Duan Magazine Editor
statement@michigandaily.com
DEPUTY MAGAZINE EDITORS: Max Radwin and Amrutha Sivakumar STATEMENT PHOTO EDITOR: Ruby Wallau STATEMENT LEAD DESIGNER: Amy Mackens
Mark Ossolinski and Meaghan Thompson Managing Copy Editors
copydesk@michigandaily.com
SENIOR COPY EDITORS: Mariam Sheikh and David Nayer
Austen Hufford
Online Editor
ahufford@michigandaily.com
BUSINESS STAFF Amal Muzaffar Digital Accounts Manager Doug Solomon 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 Nolan Loh Special Projects Coordinator Nana Kikuchi Finance Manager Olivia Jones Layout Manager 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.
ForUM unveils platform City council addresses centered on empowerment disputed arts funding Initiatives to focus on diversity and accessibility By WILL GREENBERG Daily Staff Reporter
If there’s one word forUM wants its members and constituents to know, it’s “empowerment.” At Tuesday night’s forUM mass meeting, Public Policy junior Carly Manes, forUM’s Central Student Government presidential candidate, and LSA junior Pavitra Abraham, forUM’s vice presidential candidate, introduced their party platform to recruit CSG representative candidates for the upcoming election. Last year, according to forUM records, the party ran 42 total Sudoku Syndication representative candidates from various schools within the University, securing 32 seats. This
year, the party hopes to support a similar number of candidates. Manes said there has already been a large number of applicants, though she was unable to confirm an exact number. Manes said forUM is looking for a diverse group of representatives who are focused on student activism and not “petty politics.” “We’re expecting and we’re looking for individuals who are passionate about empowering our campus community through tangible action and through the empowerment of one another and our communities,” she said. Manes and Abraham presented forUM’s platform to the nearly 30 people in attendance Tuesday, a collection of mostly underclassmen and some juniors. forUM’s top three initiatives are diversity, accessibility and transparency, all initiatives the two candidates have worked on in the past. Manes already has significant experience in promoting oncampus diversity, having worked
SUDOKU EASY
2 3 7 5
4
4
3 7 6 9 6 7 4
6
1
2 8
8 5
9 1 2 8 7 5
9
4 6 4 3 9 2
JUST WING IT.
© sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com
Members change ordinace but defer on final decision
with the Michigan Community Scholars Program on a privilege and oppression workshop for freshmen. forUM is working to reform the current race and ethnicity requirement for LSA, expand the By MATT JACKONEN requirement to other schools and Daily Staff Reporter increase the number of Intergroup Relations classes within Cash just complicates everythat umbrella. thing. Manes has reached out to the The Ann Arbor City Council Black Student Union as well, debated and voted on a trifecta saying many of the demands the of issues regarding the allocaBSU presented on Martin Luther tion of city public art funds King, Jr. Day this year aligned Tuesday, a night when only well with many of her goals for Councilmember Christopher campus diversity. Taylor (D–Ward 3) was absent. Engineering junior Robert The most significant resoluGreenfield, BSU treasurer, said tion, related to the other two Manes and the BSU have already resolutions, was the return of started work on reorganizing uncommitted public art funds the curriculum for the race and — amounting to $819,005 — to ethnicity requirement without their original sources. disrupting students’ schedules This resolution would return too significantly. While Greenthe funds to various infrastruchttp://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ field said the BSU has not, and ture needs including water, sewwill not, endorse any party for age, street and energy funds, the CSG election, he said Make among others — but council Michigan has not reached out to postponed a decision on that the BSU. Of the two parties, the transfer. The Council debated BSU is so far only working with three separate agenda items Manes and forUM. regarding the issue. “We will definitely make our The first issue tackled was the community more aware of votresolution to amend the city’s ing because, at least from my public art ordinance. Councilexperience, the Black commumembers voted unanimously nity doesn’t really take part in to pass the resolution, which CSG voting as much as it should,” makes it possible for the CounGreenfield said. “It’s getting cil to amend any budget — both the big points out there to make future and present — to return sure people make informed deciany uncommitted public art sions.” funds to their original sources. Low voter turnout is common However, before voting on the across the campus as a whole, resolution to return the funds, which puts pressure on candithe Council debated and evendates to make the right imprestually postponed a motion to sion on the small voter pool. establish a timeline for the city’s forUM will have to overcome the Public Art Commission to create already public presence of Make a plan to ease its transition into Michigan’s CSG presidential its future without funding. candidate Bobby Dishell, Public Councilmember Stephen Policy junior and current CSG Kunselman (D–Ward 3) said he vice president. believes the resolution is simHowever, both Manes and ply micromanagement, and said Abraham said they have already City Administrator Steve Powmade an impression on campus ers should take care of the tranthrough their own work before sitional finances himself since this year, and are optimistic it is within his power as city See FORUM, Page 3A administrator.
Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com!
“These issues can be left to the administrator, and when he submits the administrative budget to Council, he will address what needs to be done in order to finish up the public art programs that have been under way,” Kunselman said. “The resolution that we’re discussing right now loads this effort up by directing the administrator to do something he already needs to do.” Kunselman added that while he does want to create a steady environment for the Public Art Commission to make the transition, public art supporters are creating tension by “badgering” councilmembers. “I did make a commitment last year that we are going to get through this transition,” Kunselman said. “But it’s difficult when you’re getting badgered by some members of the public art community who seem to think that we’re all doing it wrong and only they do it right.” Councilmember Sabra Briere (D–Ward 1), the sponsor of the resolution, responded to the allegations of micromanagement by stating the city needs the resolution in order to have strict guidance during the transitional period as the arts commission adjusts to the reduced funding. “Whether those funds get returned tonight or not, we still need to give guidance to the Public Art Commission and, by extension, to the city administrator to finalize a plan for the transition,” Briere said. “I appreciate the concern that this might be micromanaging, but to me, it’s reaffirming.” After the postponement of the resolution to establish a transitional timeline, the Council discussed and also postponed the vote on the main issue of whether or not to return the public art funds to their original purpose of infrastructure. Councilmember Jane Lumm (I–Ward 2), one of the sponsors of the resolution, argued
that the Public Art Commission should not be allowed to “keep the money around just in case,” and said the Commission routinely provides a laundry list of possible future public art projects to simply keep the money in its hands. Councilmember Jack Eaton (D–Ward 4), also a sponsor of the resolution, said it would be effective because it allows the Public Art Commission to continue the already approved projects without sending the message that the commission must make the decision to either “spend the money on bad art” or lose the funds. “We should encourage (the Commission) to be selective in the art that they do spend their own money on,” Eaton said. The city no longer has a public art administrator to lead the projects that are already approved, and the resolution would provide $20,500 to complete the already approved projects that would probably be used to fund the position for six months.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICE PRESIDENT E. ROYSTER HARPER! HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY ON FRIDAY!
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER @MICHIGANDAILY
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
EATERIE From Page 1A friends. It’s all based on sharing.” To accommodate larger groups, Yon said the restaurant will feature large flattop grill tables with the capacity to seat as many as eight people at a time. The interior of the restaurant will mirror the contemporary atmosphere of Tomukun Noodle Bar. The new restaurant will be located next door to Tomukun Noodle Bar at 505 E. Liberty St., which will be connected for for employees to move back and forth between the two locations. Yon said he plans to use the front patio, and add a mini bar during the summer.
The menu consists of a variety of raw and marinated meats that will be cooked on the table grill, hot pots for several diners to share and traditional Korean appetizers, including tang soo yook and kimchi pancakes. The eatery will also serve beer in pitchers and will offer a line of flavored soju, a Korean distilled drink. Individual soups will be available as well. The prices will range from $15 to $20 and will include side dishes called banchan. Tomukun Korean Barbecue will cater to the dinner crowd during weekdays and Sundays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the time will be extended to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. From 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. on the extended nights, only guests 21 and older
News will be permitted to dine in. The owners said they hope to eventually open for lunch. As a second-generation Korean, Yon said opening this restaurant means a lot to him personally, as he hopes to bring a contemporary feel to Asian cuisine. “I’m more excited about this Korean barbecue restaurant than I ever was for the noodle bar,” Yon said. “Just because as being Korean American myself it hits so close to home, and it’s by far my favorite type of food.” Yon added that his travels to bigger cities with larger Asian populations inspired his idea of opening Tomukun Korean Barbecue. LSA sophomore Jessica Greenspan said she hopes the
atmosphere of the Tomukun Noodle Bar transfers into the new restaurant. “I really liked the noodle bar, and I like interactive restaurants,” Greenspan said. LSA freshman Eric Hur said he is looking forward to the communal aspect that the new restaurant will bring to campus, though there are other nearby Korean barbecue establishments, such as Rich J.C. Korean Restaurant and Kang’s Korean Restaurant. “There isn’t really a place you can go to on campus for like Korean barbecue,” Hur said. “I mean we have Rich J.C. and Kang’s, but it’s the first place where you can go to have that social aspect of Korean barbeque. It’ll be a fresh twist on campus.”
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 — 3A
Contest winners of science project talk genetics Team awarded $40,000 to research genetics and human genomes By IAN DILLINGHAM Daily News Editer
Some SNRE faculty said they are grateful for the University’s partnership with the refuge. At the conference, Miranda said she felt optimistic about upholding the arrangement in the future, stressing the common goals of the SNRE and the refuge. “I feel that Congressman Dingell, the school and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hold a very strong core value in common and that is a deep and unrelenting commitment to the preservation and protection and sensible use of natural resources of the environment,” Miranda said. In comments at the event, Grese said the partnership aids the school’s students and helps train
them to analyze an environment’s unique ecological and social characteristics, as well as create designs to harmonize the two. “The refuge has been a really important laboratory for use in terms of looking at ways we can use our unique design scales as ecological designers, to try to restore important habitats and create places that really connect people with nature as a part of the urban metro area in Detroit,” Grese said. When introducing Dingell, Hartig lauded the congressman’s persistent efforts to preserve and protect the environment. During his tenure in Washington, Dingell helped pass the Clean Water Act
of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. “Every time the U.S. Wildlife Services has needed a voice in Washington on conservation and sustainability, Congressman Dingell has been the first person to stand up and walk the walk,” Hartig said. During his speech, Dingell mentioned the beauty of the natural environment, referencing the work of President Theodore Roosevelt and his efforts in sustainability. “God didn’t make many of these wonderful places and it’s a wonderful world he gave us,” said Dingell.
as interim executive director of the department twice, which was still named the Department of Public Safety at the time. Piersante’s time as chief was also marked by issues of communication between the University’s safety and security agencies. In January 2013, these concerns led to the creation of the Department
of Public Safety and Security, an overarching public safety agency that oversees campus police, housing security and hospital security, among other safetyrelated University units. To search for Piersante’s successor, the University enlisted The Spelman & Johnson Group, a higher education consulting firm,
to assist in the process. Applicants were reviewed beginning in October by a 17-member committee that included Timothy Lynch, University general counsel; Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones and LSA junior Emily Lustig, chair of the Central Student Government’s Commission of Campus Safety.
nities. In addition to students, supporters from Toledo, Detroit and Eastern Michigan University who heard about the event through Facebook participated. Alejandro Arenas, a student at Saginaw Valley State University, heard about the event through Facebook and came out to support “his country.”
“It horrors me so much that my family’s still over there and it’s such a bad situation that we’re really worried,” he said. Sofia Altuna, a friend of a University student, also came out to support her family in Venezuela. She said she was impressed by the solidarity demonstrated by rallies across the world.
“It’s been nice to see people in New York, in Spain, in France, in Latin America, in places in Asia … it’s kind of nice to see people taking these pictures to know that there is a group of Venezuelans in all these places,” Altuna said. “It’s nice we got the opportunity to do that here as well.”
implement bus routes to grocery stores from Central Campus and establish a process of voter registration for students through the dorms. forUM will have a successful cam“My ideal is that it happens anpaign. nually, that people just get in the Abraham said she has focused habit of registering to vote just her attention on forUM’s acces- because that’s a process, it’s somesibility efforts, including a plan to thing that’s important,” she said.
“People need to know what’s going on there and give that the importance it deserves.” LSA senior Hayley Sakwa, forUM’s vice presidential candidate last year, said she’s excited for Manes and Abraham, saying they are continuing the message and platform forUM laid out last year.
“I hope that people will get excited in this campaign in the same way that they were excited about it last year,” Sakwa said. “Luckily the student body is transient, so hopefully people will forget about some of the political stuff that happened, and still really have a faith in the power of Central Student Government.”
she said. “We can have a BaskinRobbins, pick your favorite flavor of diversity, which is cosmetic and decorative, or we can have a version of diversity that says inclusion is based on the history of exclusion and oppression.” Rackham student Austin McCoy, UCRJ co-chair, said in his speech that movements such as the #BBUM campaign have raised awareness among people on campus and have inspired events like Speak Out. He said this systematic approach is an important aspect of the event. McCoy said despite any current plans in place, there needs to be a new system in regard to how the University operates overall. He said the Speak Out approach is to include a wide range of participants to gain a variety of voices. “This event has a mass base — there’s a lot of people from dif-
ferent backgrounds, and I think that’s one thing that sets this apart from, say, the Freeze Out Follow Up,” he said. In her speech, Ransby emphasized the importance of events like this are for the University climate. She responded to Duderstadt’s remarks about the campus’s improvements to diversity, adding that the school should not celebrate how far it has have come in the name of racial justice because it can be dangerous and misleading. Ahmad Rahman, associate professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, who was a graduate student in Ann Arbor, said he feels that progress through diversity at the University is hardly advancing at all. “I come here now because we do research in this library, and last year when I came here I was
shocked — on two floors of the library I never saw a Black student,” he said. “Everyone was studying for midterms and there was not a single Black student on either floor of the library, and I had never seen that when I was a student here.” Students each had a turn to speak up about their experiences as students at the University and how they were affected by the lack of diversity. Rackham student Leslie Upton, a volunteer at the event and president of Students of Color of Rackham, said she too sees a lack of diversity on campus. “There’s this idea of being a bit isolated, and really trying to find a community,” she said. “That’s what I think is cool about this event is that it’s bringing together so many different types of people and works against that feeling of isolation.”
WILDLIFE From Page 1A It encompasses Humbug Marsh, which Hartig said is designated as a “wetland of international importance.” In his address, Dingell said the refuge has preserved and protected lands, as well as opened them up to public use. “We’re leaving the wildlife here to be enjoyed and be loved and be seen and we’re doing it under one of the great conservation organizations in the world, the Fish and Wildlife Service,” he said.
UMPD From Page 1A the Division of Public Safety and Security in September. Piersante continued to serve in the role of chief until his successor’s appointment. He had served
PROTEST From Page 1A people are going to keep talking about this for a while.” Many University students attended the event, including members of Hispanic student organizations and social frater-
FORUM From Page 2A
JUSTICE From Page 1A demands are echoed in the Black Student Union’s recent set of seven demands to the University. Ransby’s speech set the tone and mission for the event, addressing what she said is the institutionalized racism at the University. Ransby said it has seeped into the structure of the school as well as the lives of its students. She said addressing the issue requires the University to rethink its definitions of diversity and challenge its notion of excellence and standards when considering which applicants to admit. “If we’re going to embrace the notion of diversity, it has to be one that is contextualized and that is unapologetically political,”
CSG resolution supports BSU After deliberation, movement passed after meetings By GIACOMO BOLOGNA Daily Staff Reporter
The Central Student Government Assembly solidified its support of the #BBUM movement Tuesday night, making diversity issues the top priority of its meeting. After deliberating for more than an hour, the Assembly fasttracked a resolution supporting the #BBUM movement in the runup to a Friday meeting between
top University administrators and #BBUM organizers. Public Policy senior Greg Terryn, an author of the resolution, said the Assembly’s near-unanimous passage of the resolution will lend CSG’s authority to #BBUM leaders during Friday’s meeting, which will include E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones and University Provost Martha Pollack. “It gives (#BBUM organizers) the ability to speak not only on behalf of their movement but on behalf of the student body,” Terryn said. In an interview after the meeting, Business senior Shayla Scales,
a member of the Black Student Union said Friday’s meeting will focus on the BSU’s budget and minority enrollment within the context of the current legal framework. Last week the Assembly passed a resolution that addressed minority student enrollment, calling for a Dream Scholarship for undocumented students, and addressed other issues regarding diversity. However, the resolution was only passed after language regarding #BBUM, the BSU and its seven demands was removed. Three representatives and three leaders of the BSU wrote last week’s resolution, which did not
make mention of the BSU or the seven demands. During the meeting, LSA senior Erick Gavin, an author of the resolution, said while #BBUM originated from the BSU, it’s important the campus community supports the movement. LSA senior Chris Mays, a representative and author of the resolution, said it’s meant to encourage constructive dialogue between #BBUM organizers and the University. “I want to make something abundantly clear: This is not a bill about affirmative action,” Mays said when introducing the resolution.
At the intersection of business and science, University researchers are looking to find innovative solutions to some complex genetic puzzles — and now they are getting some help. Team GENOMENON, a collaboration of three University pathologists who are developing software to analyze human genomes, was awarded a total of $40,000 Feb. 14 as part of the Michigan Collegiate Innovation Prize. The money, along with training provided through the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps, is intended to help Team GENOMENON and other similar projects transition their research from designs to commercial products. The Center for Entrepreneurship and College of Engineering hosted the statewide contest, which drew participants from 16 Michigan colleges and universities. After rounds of interviews, 23 finalists were chosen. Team GENOMENON was selected as the overall winner. Mark Kiel, a third-year pathology resident at the University’s Medical School, worked extensively on the project’s computer coding. He said the technology has the potential to significantly reduce the time required to analyze a person’s genome, which could have major clinical applications for patients with cancer and genetic diseases. Although methods exist to analyze the human genome, it currently takes days or weeks for clinicians to analyze the raw data. This is not only expensive, but can put patients with serious illnesses in danger as they wait for results. The average human genome contains about three billion units, known as base pairs, which provide the information necessary for all life processes. The new program could eventually bring the time it takes to analyze these units down to hours or even minutes, Kiel said “Particularly with cancer, the difference in analytic time — minutes to hours versus days to weeks — could mean the survival of the patient,” Kiel said. “The trajectory of the decrease in cost and time
actually supports the idea that we’ll eventually be able to do this in a couple of hours.” Kiel added that the algorithms speed up the process to finding the clinical scenario, or what is most important for a patient’s status. While Kiel said cancer treatment is probably the most immediate application of the new technology, many diseases have genetic components. With better understanding of a patient’s genomic sequence — the specific order of base pairs in their genome — physicians can adopt more targeted treatments, leading to better outcomes. In the more distant future, physicians will likely be able to perform complex genetic analysis at a patient’s bedside in real time, although the technology needed to accomplish this is likely five to 10 years away from development. Amy Klinke, associate director of corporate relations at the Center for Entrepreneurship, said the contest deviated from many business competitions that funnel resources to a couple of successful teams. Instead, MCIP provided training in customer discovery strategies to all of the 23 semifinalists before hearing their pitches. “We really wanted to turn that into a pipeline, where every team that entered had the opportunity to start a venture,” Klinke said. The competition’s adjusted format was intended to provide the best chance for successful business development and prevent common oversights. For instance, Klinke said many researchers try to bring products to market without a detailed knowledge of their consumer base, leading to small mistakes that make their products less viable. “It turns out, if you did something slightly different, people would really want it,” Klinke said. “A lot of companies fail that way — by not talking to their customers.” As for team GENOMENON, Kiel said it plans to use its funding and training to continue testing its new website, which will allow physicians to securely upload genetic information and almost instantaneously receive feedback on their patients’ condition. “What we’ve learned already is pretty amazing, but there’s so much more that’s yet to be discovered,” Kiel said. “There’s no question in my mind that we’re going to have a doubling or a quadrupling of our understanding of the genome — in terms of how it contributes to disease and how it contributes to normal human characteristics.”
Opinion
4A — Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Is “girl talk” code for man talk? Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com PETER SHAHIN EDITOR IN CHIEF
MEGAN MCDONALD and DANIEL WANG EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
KATIE BURKE 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
A better balance Universities should ensure researchers can effectively teach classes
R
obert Trivers, an evolutionary biologist, sociobiologist and professor of anthropology and biological sciences at Rutgers University, was suspended from the school for admitting to his students that he was unfamiliar with the subject of their course. Trivers, whose expertise is in social evolution, sexual selection and reciprocal altruism, was instead assigned to teach a course on human aggression by the university. The case has brought to light the controversial issue of teaching requirements for research professors, who are often asked to instruct outside their specialty. This also been noted to happen at the University of Michigan, at the expense of the student experience. However, allowing students to access researchers in their field of study is invaluable to their education. The University must ensure that professors are comfortable with what they’re asked to teach, and must explore other instructing options when they aren’t. Trivers explained to The Chronicle of Higher Education that he told his “Human Aggression” students in the first lecture he knew little about the subject and would be learning the material along with them. He also recruited the help of the previous instructor of the course, Professor Amy Jacobson, to give a few lectures. Shortly thereafter, Rutgers suspended Trivers with pay for refusing to teach the course and “inappropriately involving students in the dispute.” Rutgers is currently moving to suspend the esteemed professor without pay. While it’s important that universities support the research being done on their campuses, the quality of education that the students receive must be of equal concern. It’s indisputable that the University holds its research faculty in high esteem. However, an excellent researcher oftentimes doesn’t make an excellent instructor. The skills needed for teaching are immensely different from those needed for research. When a case such as Trivers’ arises, hiring an outside lecturer rather than forcing an unwilling professor to provide mediocre quality of instruction is a viable alternative. In fact, that practice is becoming more common with some studies supporting the notion
that students learn more when taught by an outside instructor as opposed to a tenured professor. Specifically, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Northwestern University students taught by untenured professors were more likely to take a second course in that subject and earn a higher grade than students whose first course was taught by a tenured professor. The University should consider hiring outside instructors instead of asking researchers to teach courses they aren’t comfortable with. It’s also important to consider what support and training for new teachers the University provides. The Center for Research on Learning and Training offers a teacher orientation program and several teaching seminars for professors who are not accustomed to classroom instruction students. However, there are few requirements regarding which programs and how many programs an instructor must participate in. The University — along with being sensitive about which courses it assigns to professors — should mandate that professors attend some of these seminars. While supporting researchers, the University must also ensure that students are receiving the best possible quality of instruction.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Barry Belmont, Nivedita Karki, Jacob Karafa, Jordyn Kay, Kellie Halushka, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Paul Sherman, Allison Raeck, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
MEGGIE RAMM / Daily
A
couple weeks ago, a close friend and scholar of anarchist history (read: badass), sent me an article by a group of materialist feminists who call themselves “The Infinite Venom Girl Gang.” This EMILY article, along PITTINOS with being a critique of capitalism’s inherent connection to sexism, explores the theory that our culture forces heterosexual women into obsession with being part of a couple. The Gang, and the article’s primary writer Clemence X, argues that, because men tend to monopolize the intellectual, political and artistic realms of our patriarchal society, women only gain access to those malecentric spaces through romantic relationships. Furthermore, our culture promises women that we will be more sexually, socially and spiritually fulfilled if we glom onto a man and the power he possesses. This turns pairing off into a top priority for heterosexual women, making single ladies feel like “loose dogs” — unfulfilled, unimpressive and uncomfortable in environments dominated by established couples (i.e. being a fifth wheel). In this way women are slaves to the Couple Form, and The Gang argues that we need to free ourselves in order to be recognized as the individuals and leaders we truly are. Admittedly, these ideas are radical, and exclude the outlying men and women who have worked hard to become exceptions to these rules. But their argument is also painfully accurate in many respects. At one point, the article says women are so obsessed with their love lives that “they interact not to deepen their connection to each other, but to gossip about boys, to process their relationships with
men ...” When I read that, I was filled with horror, embarrassment and a heavy string of questions. Now I offer these questions to you. Ladies, when you are in a space occupied solely by women — sipping margaritas on girl’s night, on a hurried walk to class with your best friend or at a party with women you barely know — how long does it take before the conversation turns to men? An hour, half an hour, five minutes? It seems like a reflex, a default topic for straight women everywhere who are trying to find common ground. We too often resort to discussing our love lives in varying degrees of detail. If we see a friend for the first time in a long while, it doesn’t feel like we’ve caught up until we divulge our current relationship statuses. And then, if one of us is single, we are forced to say so in an almost apologetic fashion. “Um,” we mutter, “I’m not seeing anyone right now.” “Oh, that’s OK,” responds the other woman with a sympathetic glance. For one thing, it is degrading to get this reaction to our singleness because it makes us feel like we are less valuable for not having boyfriends. Secondly, leading with this question belittles the other events and struggles at work in our lives. Why don’t we instead ask about family, friendships, jobs and the accomplishments that we work so hard to achieve? We often go as far as to set aside time with other women to work through the confusion and excitement surrounding our romantic relationships. We get together just to speculate about what’s going on in the heads of men we’re dating, and to validate our actions and reactions toward our own romances. Who among us has not met up with her friends,
explained her situation with a guy and sighed the words, “I’m not crazy, right?” Why do we need other people — other women — to confirm that our feelings, suspicions and actions are reasonable? When I’ve mentioned this subject to my male friends, they’ve basically scoffed. “Why don’t you just ask the guy what he thinks?” they say. Well, to be honest, I’m not totally sure. Perhaps we worry about confirming the “emotional woman” stereotype, so we hide our feelings and opinions. Maybe we are afraid of being burned by the “unemotional man” stereotype, so we lose our confidence. Even more importantly, this reaction from my guy friends tells me that they don’t do this as much. They talk to each other about their love lives, but probably not as frequently or with as much vigor. So, why us and not them? How do they spend that time in a way that we don’t? When women are attempting to decipher the intentions of men we are romantically entangled with, what are we not discussing? Of course, I know that commiserating about our experiences with men is crucial to raising feminist consciousness. After all, we must compare our disappointments and fears in order to recognize and tackle our oppression. And I know we do talk about other things, like social issues, scientific discoveries and politics; we use our brains as well as our hearts. But we could do more often. I can’t help but think we would be closer to gender equity — and to each other — if we put discussions about men on the back burner and focused on our own passions, desires and ambitions instead.
Ladies, how long does it take before the conversation turns to men?
— Emily Pittinos can be reached at pittinos@umich.edu.
FOLLOW THE DAILY ON TWITTER Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, view cartoons and join in the debate. Check out @michigandaily to get updates on Daily content throughout the day.
SIMON RIVERS | VIEWPOINT
Angered and intimidated Following the #BBUM (Being Black at the University of Michigan) movement on Twitter, the idea of a 10-percent enrollment rate of Black students became prevalent. Many people of all races had a lot to say about this. Some folks said we brought this upon ourselves by attending a Predominantly White Institution, or PWI, rather than a Historically Black College or University, or HBCU. Some people asked us questions like, “Why are you mad that you’re the only Black person in your class?” I analyzed this question to myself several times before forming an actual response. But now I finally know the reason why. According to the Lippi-Green folk theory of race, race is biological, not a social construct. Therefore, my discontent supposedly derives from my desire to be around other Black people. That is why I’m assumed to “sit with them in the lunch room.” However, that is not the case for me. I highly value diversity. The Lippi-Green critical theory of race states that racism is actually a socially constructed, collective system that was created throughout history. And the University of Michigan is a prime example of institutionalized racism and discrimination. During the #BBUM movement, both white and Black people were saying that if we were upset, we should just transfer to an HBCU. While I have respect for all HBCUs and the students who attend them, if I wanted to go to such a university, I would have gone there my freshman year. I appreciate diversity very much. The problem is that we love being Wolverines; we just want more diversity. Finally, I will explain why I became upset
that there are not Black people in my class, besides myself, by talking about this University. The University of Michigan prides itself on diversity. There are fliers, posters, websites and social media that all show a diverse group of people. However, while attending Michigan, the truth comes out. Just take a look at the enrollment numbers for undergraduate students this past fall. It’s unusual to find not only Black people in my classes but also any other people of color. The #BBUM campaign demands 10-percent enrollment because right now, Black students make up only 4.65 percent of all undergrads. This number is unacceptable. Now, I understand the backlash about affirmative action being illegal; however, there is a huge difference between “filling a quota” and doing a substantial amount of recruiting — something that the University does not do for people of color. When I see that I am the only Black person in my class, I see that the University does not care about me. I feel intimidated. Why? There is not a large amount of Black students, which means that they do not desire to have Black students (because if they did, they would make sure that Black students were attending). And if the University does not desire Black people, this means that they do not think there are enough Black people who are “the leaders and the best,” which therefore means that Michigan does not think that there are enough qualified (intelligent) Black students to admit. Hence, this states that Black people are not as smart as other racial groups on campus. That is why I feel intimidated, and that is why I am mad. Simon Rivers is an LSA junior.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
JACOB LIGHT | VIEWPOINT
Working out the renovations Above the entrance to the Michigan Union stand two statues: the Scholar and the Athlete. They are said to represent two of the virtues that go into the quintessential Michigan Wolverine. By default, I think I am more the scholar than the athlete. My basketball career ended prematurely in fifth grade, and my high school tennis record was never going to get me into Wimbledon. Yet, during my time as a student at the University, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of staying physically active in maintaining my mental, physical and emotional health. My freshman year, I struggled to stay active. With an erratic schedule of classes, work and student orgs, I needed to find a way to exercise on my own time. Enter: the Intramural Sports Building. The classic façade, reflecting that early 20th-century style ubiquitous throughout the University’s campus, gave the impression of grandeur and splendor. Perhaps, 30 years ago, this impression would have held true. My first visits to the IM Building, and later the Central Campus Recreation Building and the North Campus Recreation Building, were categorized by disappointment. Waiting to use broken treadmills in the dungeon of the CCRB, whose lack of natural lighting will always instill in me the slight fear that I will never escape, became a regular and expected part of my day. Learning to navigate the confusing and convoluted buildings felt like an extra three credits in my schedule. Even today, I am convinced
that some of the treadmills in the IM Building are preparing to celebrate their own bicentennial anniversary in tandem with the University. This week, we have an opportunity to bring the Recreational Sports facilities into the future. Building a Better Michigan led a student-driven initiative last year to secure funding to renovate the IM Building, CCRB, NCRB and the Union. The University’s Board of Regents approved a proposal for $173 million to fund these projects, and the first of these renovations, Mitchell Field, breaks ground next week. Renovations to the Rec Sports buildings, meanwhile, are on track to begin in 2015. The building architects will be hosting two town hall meetings this week, on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Pierpont Commons Café, and on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in Angell Hall Room G127. The architects hope to hear from students about the specific needs and goals they want to see in the renovation projects. If you believe that our Recreational Sports facilities are not living up to the standard of the University, I hope that you will come out and make your voice heard. The input generated from these short focus groups will be reflected in the building updates. We have heard students’ calls for the buildings to be updated, but they will not renovate themselves. The Office of Student Life, Recreational Sports administrators and the architects leading the renovations need to hear student support to
determine the path for the updated spaces. We want to hear from the heavy gym users to determine the equipment that is most needed, and how space can be best allocated. We want to hear from casual gym users to learn about what you enjoy most out of your trips to the gym. And we want to hear from non-users to help us figure out how to make the buildings more accessible and inviting than they are now. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the recently renovated recreational facilities at the University of Illinois and Purdue University with Building a Better Michigan and the Rec Sports architects. The facilities were immaculate. Full of natural lighting and modern equipment, the buildings were everything that a gym needs to be. However, I was most impressed by the community that the buildings helped to build. It was clear that students enjoyed their time at the gym. With upcoming renovations to the IM Building, CCRB and NCRB, I believe that future Michigan students will have a greater opportunity to fulfill the vision of a Michigan Wolverine as a scholar and athlete. As students, we must ensure that our voices are represented in the renovation process. The Rec Sports buildings have played an integral role in my time as a Michigan student, and I hope to leave a legacy so that future Michigan students can have the same experience in facilities that are only fitting for the leaders and the best. Jacob Light is an LSA junior.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
EVENT PREVIEW
Famed director to 2 bring ‘Suit’ to A Peter Brooks to present latest work at the Power Center By NICHOLAS WILLIAMS Daily Photo Editor
Known as one of the foremost contributors to modern theatre, director Peter Brook brings his latest work, “The Suit” to The Suit the Power Center. Over his February 19 to 71-year career, 22 at 7:30 p.m. Brooks has Power Center done everything from $24-$60 (Student directing for rush tickets may the Royal be available.) Shakespeare Company in London, with set designs from Salvador Dali, to staging Richard Strauss’s Salome, to most recently working with Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. His style is minimalist, often breaking down works to their bare bones with subtle sets and costumes. “The Suit,” which is based on a story by South African writer Can Themba, is no different. It’s set in Sophiatown, a legendary black cultural hub just outside Johannesburg, during apartheid South Africa. The play follows the story of husband and
wife Philomen (William Nadylam) and Matilda (Nonhlanhla Kheswa). They begin wrapped in each other’s arms living a blissful love life. That same day their relationship is smashed to bits when Philomen, after being tipped off by his friend returns home early to find his wife in the arms of her lover. Instead of leaving her outright, Philomen uses his wife’s lover’s forgotten suit to exact a cruel and wonderful revenge. Gillian Eaton, assistant professor of theatre at the University, cannot attest to both the play’s and the director’s strength having worked with Brook in the ’70s on a production of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” “‘The Suit’ is Peter Brook taking a small story — this time set in South Africa — and making that small human story in it’s microcosm: It’s pain and suffering and it’s joy and betrayal, and making it huge,” Eaton said in an official UMS trailer. The play’s set and lighting is minimal, consistent with Peter Brook’s style. A few chairs are sprinkled about the stage — a few lengths of fabric hang suggesting walls. “I think he has stripped away much of what we would consider the normal trappings of theatre production,” said SMT&D professor Gary Decker. Professor Decker went on to
say that Brook views himself as more of a “story teller than a director,” focusing on “actor training” rather than straight directing. In doing so, Brooks is able to create a very real and authentic theatre experience that is in no way over the top. The Suit’s most technical trope is lighting created by Phillipe Viallatte, though in line with Brook’s usual style, even this is subtle. Theatre des Bouffes’s home theatre in Paris is small when compared to the vast dimensions of Ann Arbor’s Power Center, so this production must work to create that sense of intimacy. “I bought a ticket pretty close. … The Power Center is not an intimate space, it would be up to the actors to bring (the acting) up to a high level,” Decker said. He went on to say that that the he suspects the actors are prepared and have been doing this work for a long time. “So what we know — that we’ll always see with him — is this tremendous humanity and this cross-border, cross-cultural inquiry about how we love together and who we are,” Eaton said. “If you ask any major theatre director who he emulate or who he would like to be, he would say Peter Brook,” Eaton continued. “This is one of those milestone, I think, in UMS productions.”
BOOK REVIEW
Beah’s ‘Radiance of Tomorrow’ a brutally honest wartime novel By KATHLEEN DAVIS Daily Arts Writer
One way or another, everyone experiences disaster during their lifetime. Call it part of the human experience. Every Aonce in a while, however, Radiance of someone else’s disaster has Tomorrow the ability to Ishmael Beah touch people and change Sarah Crichton the world. Books Sierra Leonebred UNICEF Ambassador Ishmael Beah is a prime example of the bond that grows from disaster, and his second novel, “Radiance of Tomorrow,” portrays the kind that brings a community together. Born and raised in the southern part of the country, Beah was separated from his family at 13 and forced to be a child soldier in the Sierra Leonean army. For three years, Beah handled weaponry, drugs and faced unthinkable violence, as highlighted in his first novel, a memoir entitled “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier.” Beah was rescued by UNICEF and began the long and painful process of reintegration into society after living life as a dehumanized killing machine. He has since become a Brooklyn-based human rights activist after graduating from Oberlin College in 2004. While Beah is originally from the town of Mogbwemo, “Radiance of Tomorrow” is set in Imperi, an extremely rural and impoverished area of western Sierra Leone. Setting the story in the shadows of the horrific 10-year civil war, Beah weaves a personal tale of lyrical beauty, incorporating his worldly views into a fictional community that suffers from very real tragedies. Though English is not his native tongue, Ishmel Beah is a fantastic writer with a vividly poetic view of the English language. As readers immerse themselves in his novel, they feel the emotions of the community with every increasing chapter. After the war forces the surviving residents of Imperi fleeing for their lives, the painful memories of lost loved ones and
SARAH CRICHTON BOOKS
Ishmael Beah is a UNICEF Ambassador and author from Sierra Leone.
retracted security marks several years before the town’s natives begin to return. When the first respected elders begin to return to Imperi, they’re greeted by the harsh realities of the place they called home for so long: a ravaged ghost of a town left in complete ruin, still scattered with the bones of family and friends fallen years before. Slowly, more of Imperi’s survivors return and settle back into their town, beginning to establish normalcy and routine of what once was. Children who can afford it return to school, small businesses start on porches and the community gathers around a late-night fire to tell stories passed on for generations. However, Imperi’s rebuilding is short lived.
A community comes together after disaster. Unknown to the natives, Imperi is settled on land rich in resources that can only be found underground: minerals that generate a high profit overseas. Foreign miners begin to settle in the area, tormenting the natives with what begins as the deterioration of traditions and values and quickly escalates into full-blown colonialism. Corruption spreads like wildfire as individuals develop an “every man for himself” attitude towards the lack of employment and resources in the area.
“Radiance of Tomorrow” primarily follows Bockarie, a young teacher struggling to make ends meet for his large family in Imperi’s dissolving community. However, Beah’s use of omnipresent narration allows the reader to see points of view from a great range of perspectives: from community elders struggling to hold onto traditions of the past to young children losing their innocence in the evolving environment. The only perspective Beah doesn’t give the reader access to is to the foreign corporate leaders, maintaining an eerie, almost inhuman separation from Imperi’s natives. “Radiance of Tomorrow” is an emotional, brutally honest look at white colonialism from the view of an isolated community wanting nothing more than to rebuild after wartime disaster. While most of the characters suffer greatly through the length of the novel, at the core this is a story of hope, sacrifice and change. Even though disaster strikes again and again, Beah’s characters maintain a strength that may twist and fluctuate, but never ceases to exist. As the title suggests, Imperi’s residents are constantly looking towards a better future. As Mama Kadie, one of the community’s elders and leaders, says to her people in a one of the novel’s least hopeful moments, “We must live in the radiance of tomorrow, as our ancestors have suggested in their tales. For what is yet to come tomorrow has possibilities, and we must think of it, the simplest glimpse of that possibility is goodness.”
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 — 5A
HEALTH AND FITNESS COLUMN
A
Learning to forgive
nger. Hatred. Resentment. I loathe these words almost as much as I’m ashamed to feel shame and afraid to feel fear. It’s another thief of my peace, enemy of my contentment, and assailant to my zest for life. That’s right. This week’s emotion up for interrogation is … anger. Resentments bind us to our offender in a cosmic CARLY fashion, KEYES and when I use the word “offender,” I’m talking about anyone who temporarily offends us by cutting us off in traffic, substantially offends us by rear-ending our car, or permanently offends us by killing a loved one while texting and driving. No matter the severity of impact, if we hang on to our hatred for the something awful that certain someone has done to compromise our emotions, we are forever shackled to the something awful and that certain someone. Our offender could be a million miles away, but if we hold on to the offense — the words or actions used to cause us immense pain and suffering — no matter where our offender physically dwells, in spirit, he or she lives in close proximity … like a malignant growth upon our soul. He or she comes with you and your family when you go on vacation, accompanies you in the shower, follows you around when you’re at the g ym, and even when you’re asleep, he or she will often make unwanted appearances in your dreams, holding your unconscious state hostage. When we hold grudges, we allow those people who have wronged us to hold the power. Even long after the offense has occurred, we continue to cling to the pain, the injustice, the unfairness, and through this sadistic rumination we become an offender to ourselves. We prolong the healing process or halt it entirely because we’re more proactive about cultivating our deepseated anger rather than letting it extinguish. And, if we constantly pick and puncture the scab, then that wound never heals; it’s doomed to fester and bleed and scar. Harboring resentment is a form of self-injury; it’s like drinking poison and expecting our offenders to get sick. On top of the evident emotional consequences, there’s a copious amount of research to show that anger is an emotion that produces imminent danger to our physical health. Anger arouses the autonomic nervous system, which leads to the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system and associated hormonal and neurochemical changes. As it persists, anger affects the body’s cardiovascular, immune, digestive and central nervous systems, increasing risk of hypertension and stroke, heart disease, gastric ulcers and bowel disease, as well as
slower wound healing, and a possible increased risk of some types of cancers. A study by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that anger is an independent risk factor for heart disease. One study followed 12,986 adults for approximately three years and found a two to three times increased risk of coronary events in people with normal blood pressure but with high trait anger, which they define as the tendency to experience anger frequently and in many types of situations. A longer APA study followed 4,083 adults for 10 to 15 years and found that those who were lowest on anger control had the highest risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events. Thus, experts have concluded that high trait anger, chronic hostility, anger expression and acute anger episodes can lead to a new and recurrent cardiovascular disease. The antidote? Forgiveness, and it’s one of the most misunderstood, yet undeniably crucial, primal concepts we struggle to implement as we attempt to navigate our many relationships throughout the course of our shared existence on earth. I used to think that forgiveness, just like asking for help, was a sign of weakness — it’s letting the other person win. If I forgave the people who had wronged me, I thought that meant I was condoning their behavior. Forgiveness for my offenders does not mean that I’m condoning what they’ve done to wrong me. It does not mean that I’m saying that an offense didn’t hurt, didn’t sting, didn’t keep me awake at night for days, weeks, or months. When I forgive, I’m not condoning an offense done to me; I’m choosing to free myself from the misery that its memory continues to cause me in the present day. Another very misunderstood aspect about forgiveness is that we think it’s for the other person; we think we forgive to make peace with the offender. My choice to forgive is to make peace with myself. It’s for me. You might argue and call that thought process selfish, but on the contrary: It’s self-care. As part of the 12-step program I work, forgiving those who’ve harmed me isn’t just a strong suggestion, it’s required, or there’s a good chance I’ll drink again and lose the sobriety I work so hard every day to maintain. I used to drink at people … usually men. I’d feel anger and hatred and resentment towards a specific guy, say to myself, “Fuck him!” and drink. The truth? I only ended up fucking myself. I’d wake up the next day after a blackoutbinge feeling awful and even angrier than I was before, and whoever I was drinking at would wake up feeling just fine. The night I got my first DUI was one of those nights. Bottom line? I ended the night in jail, and he ended the night with absolutely no idea. But I’m not immune to the offender role. As much as I’ve been hurt by others, I’ve hurt
others, too, and so, it’s also important for me to make amends: The arduous eight and ninth steps of the recovering process. Of the twelve, these are the two steps that almost every recovering alcoholic I know will attest to dreading the most. I did a lot of harm when I was drinking … more than I’ll ever know, ostensibly. I perpetually worried, endlessly embarrassed and blatantly offended dozens of friends and family. I created myriad wreckage, and when I got sober, it was time to clean it up — to the best of my abilities. Step Eight involves making a list of persons I had harmed and becoming willing to make amends to them all. That was easy enough, but then comes Step Nine: “Made direct amends to such people, whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” Here’s another important aspect of forgiveness: Removing the toxic stranglehold that an offender wields doesn’t always require a face-to-face conversation — or a conversation at all.
Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. You know the guy I drank at the night I got my DUI? Well, there’s a story there, a long and complicated story, one for another time, for a future novel or screenplay. But for now, all that needs to be known is that there were plenty of mutual wrongdoings between us: He harmed me, but I harmed him, too. Based on the nature of this relationship, I had a feeling contacting him to make amends would “injure him or others,” and it encouraged me to know that my sponsor had the same feeling. Instead, she told me to write him a letter, a letter that I’ll never send. So I did, and I didn’t hold back. I apologized for my own lessthan-appropriate behavior and simultaneously expressed my forgiveness for his indiscretions. Then I folded the pages and burned them. As I watched the red-orange f lames devour the years of anger, hatred and resentment I carried for this man, this newfound sense of freedom and release wafted over me. It’s not a magic pill, it’s not a silver bullet — but it’s progress. Since that first experience, I’ve written plenty of letters that I’ll never send anywhere besides the fireplace. Whether it’s someone in your life who would do best to stay out of it or someone who’s passed on and has left you with residual ill will, there is always the option to forgive those who’ve done you harm, to let those wounds heal, to move on with your life and leave them to live theirs. Keyes is practicing forgiveness. To join her, e-mail cekmusic@umich.edu.
YOUR TWITTER FEED ISN’T COMPLETE WITHOUT DAILY ARTS. @MICHIGANDAILY
Arts
6A — Wednesday, February 19, 2014
TV NOTEBOOK
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ALBUM REVIEW
AMAZON
“What’s become of my banana stand?”
Amazon’s pilots Cult band stitches a can’t touch Netflix charismatic ‘Jumpsuit’
GUIDED BY VOICES, INC.
We don’t see any jumpsuits ...
Streaming empire hopefuls need quality programs By ALEX INTNER Daily Arts Writer
Last year, the online giant Amazon sent shockwaves through the industry by releasing its television pilots to the public and allowing feedback and streaming count to be a part of its decision process for ordering new series. Earlier this month, the company released this year’s batch. There are three comedies and two dramas up for consideration. Out of those, at least one from each category should get a pickup. This year’s group contains series from several high profile writers, including the return to TV for Chris Carter (“The X Files”) and a potential series from “The Wire” ’s Eric Overmyer. What separates this year’s bundle from the last one is the inclusion of the two dramas: “The After,” a post-apocalyptic drama and “Bosch,” a cop drama starring Titus Welliver (“Lost”). After viewing them, it’s clear that neither drama is perfect. In “The After” ’s 55-minute running time, only the last twenty advance the story; it takes a long time to introduce the conflict, which makes the rest almost useless to the overall arc.
“Bosch” doesn’t have the same pacing issues, but it’s yet another show with a male antihero. Welliver is a brilliant actor doing a great job, but that’s not enough to make “Bosch” a series. The show has two ongoing stories, one following a civil suit involving Bosch killing a man and another in which he solves the murder of a child. Unfortunately, neither is particularly interesting. Even with Overmyer’s name on the show, it fails to live up to expectations. Amazon’s breakout show is not a drama, but a “comedy.” “Transparent” stars Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”) as Mort, a transgender father who gets his kids together in order to come out to them. Despite some flaws, especially in its portrayal of Mort’s adult children as whiny brats, “Transparent” is the best in the bunch. Tonally, it’s more of a dramedy, following in the footsteps of shows like “Girls.” There are jokes, but the best moment is when Mort gives a monologue discussing his inability to come out to his kids. Once the kids are figured out, this show could build a lot of buzz for the streaming service. The other two comedies are not as strong. “The Rebels” is much more of a generic sitcom, with punchlines galore and a cocaine-snorting, gun-shooting monkey. Unfortunately, all the
gags not involving the monkey fall flat, even though they are presented by actors such as Natalie Zea (“Justified”) and Josh Peck (“Drake and Josh”). The third comedy, “Mozart in the Jungle,” suffers from a collection of bland characters, even though they are drugusing musicians who play great classical music. The series is helped by its setting in the world of classical music in NYC, providing a backdrop that the show can build upon. Clearly, “Transparent” is an easy pickup. It has an interesting premise and fixable flaws. As for the rest, it’s going to come down to whether Amazon thinks the shows’ issues are fixable. “The After” ’s pilot had pacing issues, but Carter’s name gives one hope that they can be solved. On the other hand, “The Rebels” is generic and bland, and Amazon really shouldn’t bother with it. “Mozart” shows more potential than “Bosch” to develop as it expands its world and adds layers to its characters. Amazon has some tough decisions ahead as it tries to build a streaming empire that can compete with Netflix. With “Transparent,” the service has what could be its first breakout hit. With the other four, it’s going to take some work to bring them up to par with shows like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.”
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
DOWN 1 Launchpad thumbs-ups 2 Review, briefly
3 Long (for) 4 Inheritance 5 Naked 6 Potent ’60s-’70s Pontiac 7 Stars in Kansas’ motto 8 Animal trail 9 Khakis, e.g. 10 Timeline chapter 11 Deceitful sort, on the playground 12 Sap sucker 13 Century units 18 “Very funny” TV station 22 Good start? 25 Architect Saarinen 26 In __ of: replacing 27 Connection rate meas. 28 Cowboys quarterback Tony 29 Fit to be tied 33 Getty collection 34 Le Carré’s Smiley, for one 35 Get-up-and-go 37 Fastener with flanges
38 Seeks, with “for” 40 Picasso’s “this” 41 Provide with new weaponry 42 __ egg 48 “The Dick Van Dyke Show” surname 49 Figure of high interest? 50 Man with a van, perhaps 51 Emulate Cicero
52 “Ace of __”: 2000s Food Network bakery show 53 Marriott rival 54 Like leaf blowers 55 RN workplaces 59 Military assignment 60 Certain chorister 61 Family group 63 West Bank gp. 65 Debatable “gift”
Daily Arts Writer
Few bands in the indie rock world are as idiosyncratic as Guided by Voices. Motivational Jumpsuit marks the B+ band’s 20th record and, Motivational startlingly, their fifth Jumpsuit since reunit- Guided by ing only two Voices years ago. In its many Guided by years of exis- Voices, Inc. tence, Guided by Voices has built up a cult following and created some left-of-the-dial classics, and this new record contains much more of the same. It’s not the best introduction point for people unfamiliar with the band, but it continues the sound that made it successful. Those who don’t know Guided by Voices will find that most of their albums sound like Green Day getting wasted before a show in some dive bar in the South. The recording quality skews lo-fi, but if you don’t get scared off by the dirty sound, you’ll find some surprisingly catchy melodies, such as on the upbeat singing of the opening track, “Littlest League Possible.” Obviously, when a band
TICKETS & TRAVEL SPRING BREAK‑SPI, TX. Sleep 6 ppl. Next to water park. Ph/txt 24/7: 866‑943‑6362 ext. 3. condorental@bor‑ der‑tech.com for rental.
$400 OFF First 10 rentals on Selected Units At University Towers Rent a FULL 2 bedroom w/ FREE HEAT as low as $1680.00. Great location, Great Service and Great RATES!! www.universitytowers‑mi.com 734‑761‑2680 *AVAILABLE FALL 2014* Large 3 bdrm. house. On Campus. 945 Woodlawn. Contact Mike at 734‑276‑3876. 4 BDRM HSE South Central Campus 1037 Packard ‑ $2500/m + utils. 2 bath, 3 parking. Wsher/dryer. Avail. Fall 2014. Contact 734‑996‑1991.
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
ARBOR PROPERTIES Award‑Winning Rentals in Kerrytown, Central Campus, Old West Side, Burns Park. Now Renting for 2014. 734‑994‑3157. www.arborprops.com THE 2ND FLOOR NEW Luxury Apartments, Right on S. U. / Central Campus. Apartments come with the BEST Service, Amenities and All at REASONABLE RATES www.The2ndFloorSU.com xwordeditor@aol.com
02/19/14
FOR RENT ! NORTH CAMPUS 1‑2 Bdrm. ! ! Riverfront/Heat/Water/Parking. ! ! www.HRPAA.com 996‑4992 ! $1485 FOR A FULL 2 bedroom at For‑ est Glen Apts. Price includes FREE HEAT, 1 parking spot and furniture. $1485 for the whole apartment!!! Call us to tour your new home today. 734‑761‑2680. EFF. 1 & 2 Bdrm apts. for Fall 2014. $655‑$1395, showings avail. M‑F 10am‑3:30pm w/ 24 hr notice. Cappo/Deinco cappomanagement.com. Contact 734‑996‑1991 M‑F 9am‑4pm
By Jeffrey Wechsler (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
02/19/14
releases five albums in two years, with each album containing about 20 songs each, not every track is going to be great. Motivational Jumpsuit averages out at less than two minutes per song, which means that any song you don’t like will probably be quickly overtaken by one you do. Everything on the album flies by, with the tracks often feeling more like sketches than fully-developed tracks. By the time you get a feel for a song, it’s already over. As expected, the album contains some great tracks and a decent number of throwaways. Singer Robert Pollard has never given a fuck about quality control (this is a man who once released a live album that consisted solely of his betweensong banter with the audience), but as with any GBV album, his expert songwriting is on display here, particularly with the unusually fully-developed closer “Alex and the Omegas” and the funny, catchy “Vote For Me Dummy.” Today, GBV might sound a little older, but very little seems to have changed in its style since the ’90s. They’re still the cult heroes of the nearly forgotten era before indie rock went mainstream, playing the same music now for older fans and younger ones who have discovered them thanks to the Internet. Motivational Jump-
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Appliance connector, briefly 7 Cairo cobra 10 Selling site with a Half.com division 14 Point in the right direction 15 Bather’s facility 16 No longer green, perhaps 17 Confederate slogan symbolizing financial independence 19 Asia Minor honorific 20 Swipe 21 Thin soup 23 Plywood wood 24 Romaine lettuce dishes 27 Literary alter ego 30 Slowing, to the orch. 31 Great Lakes’ __ Canals 32 Speak harshly 36 Co-founding SkyTeam airline 39 “Happy Feet” critters 43 Small thicket 44 Sans serif, e.g. 45 Razor-billed diver 46 “Isn’t __ shame?” 47 Sudden jets 50 Study guides for literature students 56 Cousin of edu 57 Municipal ribbon cutter, often 58 Rapper __ Shakur 62 Femme fatale 64 Sandwich choice 66 List catchall 67 Sci-fi staples 68 Rest of the afternoon 69 Modernize 70 Messy digs 71 How coal may be priced
By ADAM THEISEN
4 BDRM HSE, Fuller by North Cam‑ pus, 1010 Cedar Bend Dr. $2400/m + utils. 2 bath, 3 parking. Wsher/dryer. Avail. Fall 2014 contact 734‑996‑1991.
HELP WANTED VAX BASIC PROGRAMMER needed for part time position in Medi‑ cal Billing. PMG is a growing, multi‑ state, Medical billing management com‑ pany looking for the exceptional, quali‑ fied, person who values success and problem resolution. Applicant must: •Be experienced in Vax Basic •Be Computer Literate with an under‑ standing of data formats such as HL7, ANSI, etc. If you possess all of these qualities ‑ and more ‑ please send PMG your resume by: Fax: 734.677.1603 Email: opportunities@pmgpays.com Website: www.pmgpays.com PMG‑The Physicians’Billing Special‑ ist Personnel Coordinator P.O. Box 1108 Ann Arbor, MI 48106
WORK ON MACKINAC Island This Summer ‑ Make lifelong friends. The Island House Hotel and Ryba’s Fudge Shops are looking for help in all areas: Front Desk, Bell Staff, Wait Staff, Sales Clerks, Kitchen, Baristas. Hous‑ ing, bonus, & discounted meals. (906)‑ 847‑7196. www.theislandhouse.com
suit, like its predecessors, is pop rock with enough grunge sensibility and all-around weirdness to keep it from being more than a niche success. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not great music: Instead, it’s riffy and groovy, even unexpectedly pretty in spots. Stuck in that strange chasm between mainstream and avant-garde, Guided by Voices simply choose to give fans the charismatic rock they want. The group stumbles most when they try to stray from the straight-forward. Tracks like “A Bird With No Name” and “Go Without Packing” are way outside of the band’s comfort zone, taking on an acoustic, vaguely English, folk sound, with miserably failing results. The mistaken experiments are, however, par for the course and to be expected of any GBV record. The beauty of a band releasing such a ridiculous amount of material is that every fan will have completely different favorites. Guided by Voices mixes it up enough on Motivational Jumpsuit that nothing gets too old, and even
Fame and fortune aren’t what GBV aspires to. the bad stuff is pretty easily digested. The more you listen to its songs, new and old, the more it becomes clear that Guided by Voices could’ve easily chosen to become much more famous as working-class-style rockers. A bigger label, higherquality recording techniques and a focus on longer songs (and, by extension, longer choruses) could’ve made them a Kings of Leon-type millionaire rock band. Fame and fortune, though, are not in their cards. Pollard and the band prefer to write songs on their own terms: releasing everything they can without any second thoughts or rewrites. They want fans, but only fans who will accept them for exactly who they are — and anyone who listens to an album as strong as Motivational Jumpsuit will have no problem accepting them.
SO YOU’RE A WRITER, HUH? PROVE IT.
E-mail John Lynch at jplyn@umich.edu to request an application for Daily Arts.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 — 7A
Michigan seeks elusive second win Virtue’s vacation Wolverines have yet to finish a season with Team USA with more than VOLLEYBALL
one victory By MINH DOAN Daily Sports Writer
In its first two seasons, the Michigan men’s lacrosse team hasn’t found a way to earn a second win, Michigan finishing both at Detroit years with a lone Matchup: victory. Detroit 1-0; Now, four Michigan 1-1 days after taking When: their first game Wednesday in the program’s 7 P.M. third season, Where: the Wolverines Ultimate will go for their Soccer Arena record-setting (Pontiac, second win Mich.)
Thursday night against Detroit (1-0). “We don’t play a lot of these midweek games,” said Michigan coach John Paul on WTKA Radio Tuesday morning. “It’s a busy week and we’ll catch up on sleep another week.” Michigan will take on the Titans at the Ultimate Soccer Arena in Pontiac, Mich. after thrashing Mercer, 20-7, Friday in its home opener. The scoring output was a program high, and the Wolverines (1-1) will try to replicate that total against the only other Division I team in the state. “This is a state championship,” Paul said. “Both teams have been looking forward to this opportunity to win the state.” Freshman attacker Ian King leads the team with four goals this season. Additionally, Michigan has received scoring from 11 other players, including a hat trick by junior attacker
Andrew Portnoy against Mercer. “Porty does what Porty does,” Paul said. “We don’t have a lot of guys who can create their own shot. Porty’s the one guy down there that consistently creates.” Freshman goaltender Robbie Zonino will be in goal for the Wolverines as he and the defense will look to duplicate their surprisingly solid performance against Mercer. Zonino, with the help of steady defensive play, tallied 13 saves against Mercer. The defense also kept the Bears’ top two scorers to just three goals. “Robbie’s one of those goalies that if he makes a couple of saves early, he’s in good shape,” Paul said. “He was a big part of our success on Friday, no question. We just need him to
be consistent.” Detroit also beat Mercer, 11-10, in its only game of the year. The Titans went down late to the Bears before making a late run to notch their first win. After making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season by virtue of winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Detroit comes into the new season with most of its offensive core intact. Midfielder Mike Birney and attacker Alex Maini, the Titans’ leading scorers from last season, returned to the squad. Attacker Shayne Adams, Detroit’s all-time leading scorer, also returned after a shoulder injury sidelined him for all but four games last season. Despite the offensive success, Detroit’s defense is rebuilding after goaltender AJ Lewell, the program’s saves leader, graduated. Lewell is now on the sidelines as an assistant coach for the Titans, which will turn to goaltender Connor Flynn to keep the ball out of the net. The teams last met in 2013 at Michigan Stadium. The Titans led 4-3 midway through the second quarter, but a severe thunderstorm hit and postponed the rest of the game. The match was never finished. The only result between the teams came two years ago at the Ultimate Soccer Arena in Michigan’s first Division I game. The Titans were victorious, 13-9, behind a combined seven goals from Adams and Maini. After a first win early in their schedule, the Wolverines need to continue to assert themselves as Division I contenders. A win against Detroit would go a long way in doing just that.
“This is a state championship.”
PATRICK BARRON/Daily
Freshman Ian King picked up his first career goal in the second quarter of Michigan’s loss to Penn State on Feb. 8.
By MATTHEW KIPNIS Daily Sports Writer
The offseason is a time when most coaches take it a little easier, especially during Christmas break. The coaches could spend time with their families exchanging gifts and holiday cheer, but that wasn’t the case for assistant volleyball coach Erin Virtue. Rather than sitting around the fire with her family and friends, she was standing on the volleyball court with some of the best coaches and teenage players in the country. Virtue was busy this holiday break coaching the USA Volleyball High Performance Girl’s Holiday Camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. A total of 48 top players in various age groups across the nation were given the opportunity to train in the five-day camp. When Virtue graduated from Illinois in 2005, she started training with the national team. Virtue was a standout volleyball player and helped led the Fighting Illini to a spot in the Sweet Sixteen in 2003, earning All-Big Ten and All-American Honorable Mention accolades. Virtue trained with the national team for a year before she coached. She has worked her way up from an assistant to an associate head coach and finally earned the opportunity to coach one of the highest programs over break — the seventh- and eighth-grade team. “The high-performance program is a pipeline for young athletes to make their way from ages 12 up until they get to the senior USA national team,” Virtue said. “It’s a good introductory course for them. If they were, 10 years from now, to be on the
national team ... it is good for them to know what that takes.” Each day was busy with three two-hour practice sessions teaching the fundamentals of volleyball, and two classroom sessions dedicated to scouting videos and nutritional information. The camp was held at an Olympic training center complex, much like a college campus. Various Olympic athletes train there year-round or temporarily. Virtue’s athletes ate lunch, walked through halls and lived in the dorms with the professionals. The group Virtue coached were the best seventh- and eighth-grade players in the country, but also the youngest in the program — a clear difference from college athletes. “We were more elementary at that camp than we would be here at Michigan,” Virtue said. “As far as the basic techniques and breakdowns of the skills, those are things that players from 12 to 32 can be focused on.” Working with the USA program put Virtue in a place where she was not only teaching, but also learning. Virtue worked alongside experienced coaches from across the country. Each athlete knew that Virtue coached at Michigan. When she was in the gym, she wore ‘USA’ on her back and represented her country, but she also represented Michigan and used the opportunity to scout potential future recruits. “I would imagine there was an Olympian in that bunch somewhere,” Virtue said “I think it was a pretty special group and, a lot of those girls, if not all of them, have a chance to play somewhere in college.”
Glendening returns to Yost By ALEJANDRO ZÚÑIGA Daily Sports Editor
The man wore a maroon Michigan hockey practice jersey but also donned clashing brightred gloves and breezers. He participated in the team’s speed drills Tuesday, effortlessly reaching the other end of the ice first as his competitors’ best efforts left them several feet behind. And when most of the others had skated back into the locker room, he took a moment to challenge the goaltender crouched in the crease, finding twine easily and celebrating with little more than a smile. The man was Luke Glendening, who from 2008-12 scored 31 goals in his 165-game tenure for the Wolverines. After graduating, he signed a one-year contract with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, helping them win the AHL championship and take the Calder Cup in 201213. By the following season, the Detroit Red Wings had noticed his success and called him up to the National Hockey League. And on New Year’s Day this year, he took the opening faceoff for the Red Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Winter Classic at Michigan
Stadium in front of a crowd of more than 100,000. “It’s been a whirlwind,” Glendening said of his time in the pros. “It’s been a dream come true, and it’s been everything that I could ever ask for.” The NHL is currently on sabbatical for the Winter Olympics, and many of the Red Wings are in Sochi representing their respective countries. Those who aren’t receive a muchdeserved break, but they also try to avoid rust by training elsewhere during the time off. So when the Michigan coaching staff contacted Glendening, he jumped at the opportunity. “He just needs ice,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “He just wanted to skate for a day or two.” Yost Ice Arena looks different than it did when the forward played there. Large windows interrupt the brick of the north and south ends of the building, and some of the bleacher seats have been moved further away from the ice. But to Glendening, it still felt like home. “It looks a lot different than when I played here, but it’s still a special place to me,” he said. “So many great memories, and it’s fun to be back.” The Wolverines were
different, too. Glendening only recognized the upperclassmen, but he took advantage of the reunion, laughing with senior defenseman Mac Bennett near the end of practice. Joe Louis Arena, not Yost, is home. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, not Bennett, are his teammates. His colors are the red and white of the Winged Wheel, not the maize and blue of the block ‘M.’ After the coaches and most of the players left, Glendening stepped off the ice alone. He spoke briefly to reporters and then turned away, walking in his mismatched Michigan shirt and Red Wings pants into the tunnel. NOTES: Berenson confirmed Tuesday afternoon that freshman defenseman Kevin Lohan and junior defenseman Mike Chiasson will play Friday against Penn State. They’ll fill in for defensemen Michael Downing and Andrew Sinelli, who were suspended one game each by the NCAA for separate incidents in the Wolverines’ loss at Minnesota last Saturday. … Berenson also said junior forward Alex Guptill “should be good to go” against the Nittany Lions. He missed Michigan’s series against the Golden Gophers with an upperbody injury.
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Forward Luke Glendening, who currently plays with the Red Wings, practiced with the Michigan hockey team Tuesday.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Michigan coach Erik Bakich has helped Ramsey Romano adjust mentally to the harsh reality of winter in Michigan.
Record-breaking winter no match for Ramsey Romano By JASON RUBINSTEIN Daily Sports Writer
This past weekend marked a welcome change of scenery for freshman Ramsey Romano. The infielder finally got to play baseball outdoors again, and he showed no signs of rust, starting all four of Michigan’s games at the Texas State Tournament in San Marcos, Texas. Romano finally found himself in a similar environment to the one in El Cajon, Calif., where he grew up but left to play baseball for Michigan. At first, the transition to a Michigan winter wasn’t easy. He had never experienced playing indoors before, but it was always something that intrigued him because, for Romano, the allure of receiving a Michigan degree was too much to pass up. “It’s hard to adapt to (the weather) coming from California to here, but I wanted something different and something new, and Michigan seemed like the right choice,” Romano said. “Before you know it, you’re playing in sunny Texas. But it’s definitely a good change.” Romano was right, and he played like he had never left the sun. Despite one error, he registered four hits, a double, one
RBI and a stolen base. “(Romano) is a baseball player — he’s played a lot more baseball than most freshmen just being from San Diego and playing a lot,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “You can see that from his instincts and his baseball knowhow. He wasn’t scared one bit.” Romano’s fearless mentality is what guided him to start this season’s first four games. A Michigan winter might be a huge change for any person who hasn’t experienced consistent snow, let alone a polar vortex, but Romano found positives takeaways. Baseball in Michigan has its advantages because the Wolverines have an indoor practice facility. In California, many teams don’t have indoor practice facilities, which means rain could cancel a practice. In Ann Arbor, though, rain, sleet or snow won’t stop practice. But even though he’s content to practice every day, he was still plenty overjoyed to play outside. “When I got on the field this last weekend, it was closer to home with the sun and just playing and being back on the field like I’m used to,” Romano said. And after not being able to practice outdoors since November — with the only
outdoor activities consisting of shoveling snow as a team — Romano showed no signs of rust in the sun. Romano consistently played up to Bakich’s standards and proved he could be a steady contributor for Michigan’s offense and a mainstay in the infield for years come. “I think, in his mind, he expects to make an impact in this program,” Bakich said. “He was impressive at the plate and was very solid defensively.” Romano credits most of his success to Bakich’s coaching style. The second-year coach puts a large emphasis on a player’s mental game — something Romano never worked on before but was happy to learn. Romano found Bakich’s mental pointers especially helpful to combat the butterflies in his stomach before making his collegiate debut. “As a freshman this last weekend, everything started to speed up a little bit, and you start thinking too much and get into red lights,” he said. Romano and the Wolverines were welcomed back to Ann Arbor with three inches of snow. But Bakich knows that weather won’t stop the Californian from producing on the field.
Sports
8A — Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines put stellar road mark on the line at Indiana No change to game time due to roof malfunction at Assembly Hall By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer
After plunging toward the .500 mark in conference Michigan play, the at Indiana Michigan women’s Matchup: Michigan basketball team is 16-10; Indiana 17-8 treading water, trying When: to hold on to Wednesday its winning 7 P.M. record and a Where: spot in the top Assembly Hall half of the Big TV/Radio: Ten standings MGoBlue just three games away from the Big Ten Tournament. Wednesday, the Wolverines travel to Bloomington for their first and only regular-season meeting with Indiana (4-8 Big Ten, 17-8 overall), a team more talented than its conference record would reveal. “They’re a completely new team from last year,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “They took Nebraska down to the wire (on Feb. 16).” Michigan’s biggest scoring presence, freshman guard Siera Thompson, will have her hands full on both ends of the court. Indiana’s Larryn Brooks, another freshman guard, is averaging 16.7 points per game
this season and has started all 25 of Indiana’s games. “She has had an exceptional year for them,” Barnes Arico said. “It’ll be interesting to see how those two match up.” Junior forward Cyesha Goree, coming off the game of her career on Sunday, recorded just three fouls in Michigan’s 70-63 win over Illinois. Staying out of foul trouble allowed her to stay on the court for 37 minutes. The result was a pair of career highs: 30 points and 19 rebounds. Goree doesn’t need to replicate that performance for the Wolverines to be competitive on the road. Michigan’s typical trio of highscorers — Thompson, junior forward Nicole Elmblad and junior guard Shannon Smith — normally accounts for more than 29 points, as it did against the Fighting Illini. Curiously, the Wolverines are 8-1 this year in true road games. The lone loss was a 33-point blowout at the hands of Nebraska. Michigan is in the midst of its worst skid of the season, having lost five of its past eight games. Indiana, though, has lost eight of its last 11 contests, including several against middle-ofthe-pack Big Ten opponents like Wisconsin and Northwestern. That makes Wednesday a viable opportunity for the Wolverines to stay afloat in the Big Ten, get back on track in the final weeks of the regular season and maintain their remarkable road record. Note: The status of Wednesday’s game was briefly in doubt after an eight-foot metal
“They’re a completely new team from last year.”
beam fell from the rafters and into the first level of seating at Assembly Hall in Bloomington Tuesday afternoon. The incident forced the cancellation of the IndianaIowa men’s game, which was scheduled for 9 p.m. Tuesday. In a statement on the school’s website, Indiana athletic director Fred Glass said, “University engineers have advised us to postpone events in Assembly Hall until it can be determined what caused the facing to fall and ensure the safety of everyone attending an event in the facility.” The school also said on Twitter that the MichiganIndiana game “may be” rescheduled. Nevertheless, the Wolverines boarded their flight for Bloomington on Tuesday afternoon, and the gamble paid off — it was later announced that the game would be played as scheduled.
BY THE NUMBERS Michigan vs. Indiana
1
Number of losses the Wolverines have suffered in true road games this year. They boast an 8-1 record.
7
Games in a row that Michigan has beaten Indiana.
17
Wins by the Hoosiers so far this year, their most since 2008-9.
76.2
Percentage of Indiana’s points scored by first-year players.
Want to follow the game? Check @theblockm throughout the night for updates
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Freshman guard Siera Thompson will be tasked with defending Indiana’s Larryn Brooks, who averages 16.7 points.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
The Maize Rage is split between the lower and upper decks, turning the Crisler Center into a less intimidating venue.
Seeding, team chemistry, expanded student section? By DANIEL WASSERMAN Daily Sports Editor
What seed do you predict Michigan will end up with in the Big Dance? — Nathan Schweid, @Nathanschweid. In Joe Lunardi’s most recent ‘Bracketology’ on ESPN.com, Michigan men’s basketball was tabbed as a MAILBAG No. 4 seed in the Midwest region. Ultimately, I believe the Wolverines will finish with a top-4 seeding, with a very strong possibility of landing a No. 3 seed, or even a No. 2. Currently, Michigan sits at No. 16 in the RPI ratings, but its strength of schedule, No. 4 in the nation, will be looked upon very highly on Selection Sunday, as will the team’s wins in East Lansing, Madison and Columbus. If Michigan beats Michigan State on Sunday — and I believe it will — the Wolverines assume the driver’s seat in the Big Ten race, and I can’t see the champion of the nation’s toughest conference receiving a seed lower than a No. 2 slot. Do you think Dave Brandon pays enough attention to Michigan basketball’s student section? If so, what is he doing well, and, if not, what can he do to improve the experience and give our team more of a home-court advantage? — Josh Schostak, @Its_SchoTime. Brandon’s a money guy, but he also cares about image — a lot, actually. Remember, the switch to general admission for student tickets had nothing to do with money and everything to do with how Michigan Stadium appeared on television. Several games this year have had noticeable pockets of unfilled seats sprinkled throughout Crisler Center, with the exception of the student sections. Fortunately, Brandon has two things going for him. First, even in games with unfilled arenas, capacities were still listed as sellouts, meaning the Athletic Department could cash its checks for the seats anyway. Second, television cameras inside the arena face toward the Maize Rage and don’t pan out as
frequently as they do in football games, meaning that even a lessthan-full arena still appears to be hopping and filled to capacity on television. There’s no question that Crisler Arena will never compete with the Breslin Centers or the Assembly Halls of the world as long as the vast majority of its student section is in the upper bowl, but the Athletic Department is bringing in loads of money by adding a Preferred Seat Donation tag to season ticket holders’ seats, in addition to the per-game price they already pay. There’s no two ways around it — Brandon is funneling in boatloads of money by keeping his high-paying customers close to the court. As long as he’s here, don’t expect any major changes to the student section inside Crisler Center. Should Beilein consider shortening Glenn Robinson III’s minutes if he continues to let opposing players go off on him while not contributing much to the offense? — Nathan Pilcowitz, @thepilcofacts. I think Beilein answered your question when he benched Robinson for a seven-plus minute stretch midway through the second half of last week’s win over Ohio State. Aside from a 3-pointer late in the game — and it was a clutch shot that sealed the Wolverines’ win — Robinson played poorly, offensively and defensively. In his place, freshman guard Zak Irvin came in and drained a big 3-pointer off the bench, as he has done so many times throughout conference play, and proved to be a major sparkplug. Irvin is young, and his defense is nowhere near the level that Robinson has shown he can play at, especially when he’s matched up with bigger, stronger forwards in the post. The freshmen isn’t quite a complete player yet, but his ability to knock down shots and score in bunches off the bench aren’t being ignored. In Sunday’s loss to Wisconsin, Irvin’s shots weren’t falling and he struggled to bring much else to the table.
But Beilein has shown that when Robinson is struggling and Irvin is scoring, he’ll lengthen the freshman’s leash and let him play for longer and longer stretches. How have team dynamics and chemistry in the locker room changed from last year after losing two of the leaders? — Mitchell Shecter, @shecterm35. Fascinating question, and I really think this is one the biggest changes between this year and last. You mentioned the loss of two leaders, of course referring to Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., but remember the Wolverines also lost five seniors to graduation. With that said, the cohesiveness of this year’s squad is, by all accounts, in much better shape than last year’s. The 2012-13 team was Trey and Tim’s, and sometimes that led to friction. While it has sometimes appeared that this year’s team belongs to Stauskas — and it certainly looks like Michigan is better when he’s at his best — this squad truly embodies a next-man-up mentality. Irvin has stepped up at times, sophomore guard Caris LeVert has taken hold of the reigns lately, and Robinson can’t be forgotten. Finally, the players genuinely seem to like each other, meshing together better than last year’s awkward combination of five seniors, five freshmen and two superstars. And while it has nothing to do with who is and isn’t here this year, the opposing trajectories of the two teams can’t be ignored when it comes to comparing their psyches. Last year’s 16-0 start may have softened that team, because early on, everything was coming too easy. That showed down the stretch in the regular season, and it took some rough losses — at Penn State and Michigan State and the heartbreaker to Indiana in the regular-season finale — for that team to come together in order to make the NCAA Tournament run. This year’s team got some of those losses out of its system in the non-conference slate, and its trajectory has been on the rise ever since.
WOMEN’S GOLF
‘M’ struggles in Puerto Rico By JAKE LOURIM Daily Sports Writer
Nearly four months have passed since the Michigan women’s golf team’s last tournament. But when the Wolverines got off the plane in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, the results were largely the same as last fall. Freshman Grace Choi was the team’s top scorer with a careerhigh 54-hole 224, but Michigan finished 13th out of 15 at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, which ran Monday through Wednesday. No. 8 Arkansas won the event with a score of 867, 14 strokes ahead of second place. The Wolverines edged out 14th-place Missouri by three and last-place TCU by four. Six top-25 teams competed in the event. Michigan slipped with a second-round 307, which tied for last on the round. Its best day was the first, when it scored 304. Still, first-year coach Jan
Dowling found improvements in the Wolverines’ game from the fall. Choi worked in a couple of technical changes, and according to Dowling, sophomore Catherine Peters had more birdies than in the entire fall season after working on her putting over the winter. “Every individual had some different aspects of their game that they were working on,” Dowling said. “One of the hardest things to do in competitive golf is actually implement that change in the heat of the competition. They were able to successfully do that their first tournament of the spring.” Added Choi: “It’s a different mindset you have to get into. You have to kind of expect going out there that you’re not going to hit every shot perfect, not going to hit every putt perfect. We’re going to try to get all of our technical stuff down, and I felt really good about my technique.” Once the first round started,
Choi was locked in with help from Dowling. Choi shot a plus-1 73 on each of the first two days, hanging around the top 15 through Tuesday. That score tied for ninth in the tournament on the first day and tied for 16th on the second. Choi struggled on the third day, though, with a plus-6 78 that brought her down to a tie for 24th. For Choi, the highlight of the week occurred after she landed a drive behind two palm trees 135 yards away from an elevated green. She then snuck a 5-iron shot around more palm trees 135 yards away from the hole before sinking the 30-foot birdie putt. Peters shot consistently, scoring 76, 76 and 75 to tie for 34th. Senior Yugene Lee finished with a 231 on the week. Junior Lauren Gregor and senior Alyssa Shimel each struggled on the second day, shooting 81 and 87, respectively. They finished plus-19 and plus-29 for the tournament.
2B Wednesday, February 19, 2014 // The Statement
THE
list | B
UZZFEED, BUT BETTER
Top 5 Unorthodox sports
Wish the University had more to offer than just its run-of-themill set of varsity sports? It’s time to look outside the maizes and blues, and reach out to some of the more heterodox of athletic events.
1. Slamball
What do you get when you put together four trampolines and a net? That’s right — Slamball! Any One Tree Hill fan would know that Slamball is where dunks are the norm and mid-air flips are expected.
2. Sheep Racing Well, maybe it’s not a thing in the America’s yet. But Australia’s
got them, and that’s just enough reason to follow. Every October, the Booligal Sheep Races pit the toughest of sheep and riders against one another. Catch me if you can!
3. Volata In order to distance themselves from the English-roots of
traditional Soccer, Italian Facists combined the rules of Soccer and Handball into a hybrid game, Volata. Using both hands and feet, this ball game has it all.
4. Quidditch Perhaps Quidditch is more mainstream in today’s time, but
ann arbor affairs: falling in friend-love with you by sundai johnson I moved through those soft, moist bodies with friendly, inebriated smiles that tend to occupy those kinds of spaces, and on the other side, I found him. His eyes were bright when he saw me, and he wrapped me in his arms and I melted there. He began to talk rapidly as he always did and I smiled and nodded and responded as I always did. He led me outside to a group of people who I knew but would never actually know. There was a beer waiting for me in his hand. I took it, sat by the fire and nursed my beer while I watched him and remembered the way we knew each other. It was the night of my first college party the summer before freshman year. We were walking without a destination as the cool summer night airbrushed our hot, sticky skin that made our hands stick together like Velcro. Finally we came upon a hill in the middle of a neighborhood, and
that doesn’t stop it from being unorthodox. Without the help of Hogwarts and magic though, you can’t help but wonder if there is no point.
5. Oil Wrestling Slip, slip and slide away! Held each June in Turkey, oil wrestling
is your conventional wrestling — with a little extra added grease.
It’s chilly. TURN UP THE HEAT ON YOUR TWITTERFEED.
FOLLOW US.
@thestatementmag COVER BY RUBY WALLAU & AMY MACKENS
THE
statement
Magazine Editor: Carlina Duan Deputy Editors: Max Radwin
Photo Editor: Ruby Wallau Illustrator: Megan Mulholland
Amrutha Sivakumar Editor in Chief: Design Editor: Amy Mackens
Peter Shahin
Managing Editor: Katie Burke Copy Editors: Mark Ossolinski Meaghan Thompson
lay on our backs, claiming our stake. After long moments of quiet, I like you Sundai rolled over his lips like a melody. I turned toward him — not smiling because he wasn’t — and told him I liked him too. And then he turned toward me, and finally he was smiling, and finally he was kissing me. We were lying under the trees, under the stars, and it was impossible and magical all the same. What I expected to materialize after that night did not happen. I was angry and sad and hurt and confused
THE
when he wanted to be with other girls instead of me. Because he’d held my hand and kissed me on a hilltop and told me he liked me. He had this soul that was powerful and captivating and as much as I wanted to walk away and remember him only as a moment in time, I could not. So I set aside all ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEGAN MULHOLLAND animosity I had against our shattered romance and sacrificed My beer was still cold in my hand the bitterness I wanted to feel, to as we went inside and danced to have him as a constant in my life. music that made us nostalgic. And as We were more beautiful this way we sat on the couch later that night, than I’d ever imagined we could be. in that house, my head buzzed from The deeper our friendship grew the half of a bad beer and happiness and more I realized that this was how he was dreamy from slight sobriety, things were meant to be. There interrupted by a few puffs of Mary. was a loyalty that existed between For the last time, he leaned over and us that could not have existed had kissed me, more softly and sweetly it been any other way. Not to say than he ever had before. It was just that we weren’t reckless with our once, slowly on the lips, and as he friendship at first. We jeopardized pulled away, just for a flicker of a it often with slurred words and sto- moment, before he became aware of len kisses at late-night after-parties what he had unknowingly revealed before I insisted that I make my way to me. home. We never talked about these I looked into his eyes and I knew moments — either because they felt then that he loved me and would love normal or because it was easier to me as long as forever might possibly believe they were imagined. These be. It was a love that was baffled and moments occurred less frequently heavy. Full of heard words and apoluntil eventually, they ended all ogies that never had to be spoken. together. For a time, the memory of Our friendship, and this love we’d that moment on that hill when time cultivated, was whole and intentionstood still misguided me and led me al and deeply anchored in an almostto believe that we were meant to be. romance that had blossomed out of But our world wasn’t fit to hold that that summer we’d spent covered in kind of love, only the love we had sundust with hills of grass molding created that was and would always to the dips in our backs. solely be ours. Sundai Johnson is an LSA junior.
rules TMD’
S WEEKLY SURVIVAL GUIDE
No. 540:
No. 541:
No. 542:
A USA v. Russia hockey game is not Cold War 2.0, folks. It’s just the Olympics, and it’s about time we moved on.
A date with your Netflix on Friday night is nothing to be ashamed of. We all needed our Frank Underwood.
Take a lesson from Ellen Page’s book and step up out of your box. Your identity is all you’ve got going for you.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 // The Statement 3B
the thought bubble
“
on the record
“Being a Canadian, I think curling is a great event. But that’s not as popular down here.”
– RED BARENSON, Michigan Hockey coach on the Olympics
“We have a chance here in Michigan to recapture national leadership with the growth of our public universities,” Coleman said. “I firmly believe that states that do not invest in higher education will not win the 21st century, and I want desperately for Michigan to win.” – MARY SUE COLEMAN, during a speech about the importance of Higher Education this past Thursday
PHOTO BY RUBY WALLAU
“It better be delicious. We’ve waited long enough for it to be good.”
“Tell us a crazy story about traveling abroad.” “I once tried to buy alcohol in Egypt and I ended up in a minefield and I had to be rescued by Israeli military personnel. Don’t try to buy alcohol in Arabic countries.”
– AMELIA RUNCO, LSA sophomore, on the opening of the new gelato station in East Quad
– EPHRAIM LOVE, ALUM ‘13
The actress, who starred in movies like Juno, Inception and X-Men came out as gay on Valentine’s Day this week at the the Human Rights Campaign’s inaugural Time To THRIVE conference.
trending #TJoshie #JohnHenson #HouseOfCards
USMAGAZINE.COM
Last Saturday, the St. Louis Blues center scored all four of the USA hockey team’s shoot-out goals to beat the Russian hockey team. ABCNEWS.COM
#Dunnverdict #EllenPage #ChancetheRapper #CraiglistMurderer #StandwithSam
CHICAGOMAG.COM
Campus was buzzing on social media this week when students got word that the 20-year-old rapping phenom was coming to Hill Auditorium in March.
Mizzou students formed a human wall to block the Westboro Bapists Church protest of DE Michael Sam, who came out as gay last week. Sam’s decision to come out marks the first-ever openly gay college football player. COLUMBIATRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 // The Statement
Kinesiology senior Kristin Nagle
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
GEN DER EQUA L IT Y I N SPORTS IN HOME STR ETCH BY Z ACH SH AW
L
SA Senior Shannon Niznik hasn’t brushed her hair in three days. Her face is buried in an LSAT book, and she is studying anonymously in the Business School’s Winter Garden. No one asks to pose for pictures with her; no one asks for her autograph, no one gawks, points or even gives a second glance as they walk by. In today’s age, the sighting of a high-profile male athlete can be compared to seeing a movie star in person. Even if they aren’t recognized immediately, the University of Michigan athletic apparel and the infamous blue backpack are enough to garner at least a few hushed loks. But for Niznik, she only causes a stir on game days, when — as a senior member of the Michigan cheerleading team —she is asked to pose for pictures with kids, students and husbands. “On game days we’re always posing for photos, holding babies and talking to people,” Niznik said. “Cheerleaders are well known for the uniform that we’re wearing, but people don’t know a thing about us. Only until recently on the website I was just Shannon the cheer-
TITLE IX TIME LINE
1898
leader. They don’t even realize we exist outside of the uniform and pom poms, it’s an identityless entity.” Such is life for many female athletes. Even in the modern era, female athletes sometimes lack the recognition and — in many cases, respect — that male athletes receive. Across the nation, every Division I school has roughly the same scholarships for men and women, facilities are equitable nationwide, and women are given ample opportunity to compete for their teams, just like men. But the problem of gender equality in sports remains unsolved. More than four decades after Title IX, the push for gender equality in sports has reached what may be the difficult final stretch. A legal history When Title IX of the Education Amendment Act was passed in 1972, the future of college sports was merely an afterthought. The act was put into place to ensure that the quality of edu-
Michigan female freshmen play against female sophomores in basketball, winner plays EMU in first UM women’s intercollegiate game
1960 Joan Spillane becomes first female Gold medalist, taking part in two swimming relays
cation in America was equal for both males and females. Doors opened for female faculty and administrators; standardized tests were monitored and altered to fairly assess to both genders equally; arts, music and theater programs were designed to balance male and female participation and involvement. But as the years wore on, it became clear that athletics would be the biggest but most controversial change under the law. In the late 1970s, female athletes began to file lawsuits, claiming athletic departments weren’t taking the law seriously. The 1980s saw progress, but according to Michigan Softball Coach Carol Hutchins — who was hired as an assistant in 1983 before taking over as head coach two years later — the movement was far from desired equality. “We were just a cut above intramural sports,” Hutchins said. “Title IX passed in ’72, but it wasn’t being well received when I arrived. Athletic departments recognized they had a federal court case on their hands if they didn’t comply, so schools had women’s sports, but they weren’t being supported real well.”
Michigan introduces 6 varsity sports (tennis, basketball, swimming and diving, synchronized swimming, volleyball, and field hockey
1974
she said. Despite offering a women’s gym class and even introducing a women’s basketball team that played against Eastern Michigan in 1898, the University didn’t offer varsity sports until they lawfully had to, and didn’t comply with Title IX’s mandate on scholarships until 1989. Equal focus on male and female sports at the University wasn’t given until the ruling of the 1992 Supreme Court case, Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools, which ruled punitive damages should be awarded to those who suffered when Title IX is intentionally avoided. It was then, Hutchins said, that women’s sports finally had the attention of the University Athletic Department. “Out of those 40 years (of Title IX), the first 20 we weren’t playing for championships, we were playing because we had to have a team out there,” Hutchins said. “We never started a practice before 8 o’clock in the middle of the winter because we had to let all the men’s sports go before us. They were fully funded; we were on shoe strings. Around the mid-90s we were taken more seriously, and now we’re seeing women’s sports looked at based on their success on the field just like the men are.” Today, the effects of Title IX can be seen all over the sports world, and Ann Arbor is no exception. Nearly a million viewers watched Hutchins’ softball team fall to Washington in last year’s Women’s College World Series. Michigan currently boasts 14 varsity women’s sports, one more than men’s varsity sports teams, and the University complies with Title IX on every documentable level. Women’s participation in sports is at an alltime high, but according to Sport Management Prof. Ketra Armstrong, an associate dean of kinesiology, compliance with the law is only the first step toward equality. “Title IX has caused female athletes to have greater participation and more empowerment in sports,” Armstrong said. “But there were unintended (bad) consequences. The whole idea was to provide equality, but what came with Title IX was a decline in female coaches and administrators.” Armstrong noted that before Title IX, women held the majority of administrative positions in women’s sports. Yet after Title IX, the number of women’s coaches for women’s teams dwindled to 43 percent. Though Armstrong’s numbers are based off national research, the University follows trend in terms of the declining numbers of female administrators. Three decades ago, the year before Hutchins took over as Head Coach, nine of the 10 women’s varsity sports were coached by women. Today, seven of 14 women’s varsity
1981 Women’s athletics being competing in the Big Ten
Michigan has equal number of male and female scholarships
1989
coaches are male. Armstrong, who has played, coached and researched at a Division I level in addition to working with the NCAA and Olympics to promote social justice and gender equality, feels that the administrative loophole has prevented athletics from reaching true gender equality 42 years after Title IX passed. “We aren’t seeing the same parallel improvements across the board in women’s athletics, even today,” Armstrong said. “The number of females in managerial roles today is disheartening, because that’s where the effective change stems from.” Women on the field On the field itself, female athletes still face an uphill battle gaining the same respect as males. According to Armstrong, the atmosphere of apathy or hospitality stems from centuries of societal norms. “Sport has always been perceived as a male domain,” Armstrong said. “Sport was the way in which men practiced masculinity, it was a rite of passage. Due to this, women have always been perceived as invaders, and that’s made it hard for them to really earn the same level of respect.” Despite the societal prejudice, science might be the biggest obstacle. According to Michael Messner, author of “Power at Play: Sports, and the problem of masculinity,” the average adult male is 5 inches taller than the average female, and is comprised of 40 percent muscle and 15 percent fat, while females are have about 23 percent muscle and 25 percent fat. This equates to greater buoyancy in water, skeletal structure, better balance and superior flexibility. Due to these bodily differences, girls tend to participate in higher numbers in synchronized swimming, gymnastics, cheerleading and other “softer” sports. “Some sports have become gendered as feminine,” Armstrong said. “They’re non-contact and allow women to look girly. It’s a sex-role conflict by virtue of the female identity, and we see girls being funneled into these sports more often.” Among those funneled into the “female” sports is Kinesiology senior Kristin Nagle. Since the age of two, Nagle has done gymnastics, eventually earning a spot on Michigan’s team. A self-professed tomboy, Nagle struggled fitting in for as long as she can remember. “I always tried to adapt and form to what women should be,” Nagle said. “Hair, makeup, earrings, looking back it’s kind of sad, it wasn’t me. I was just trying to fit society’s mold and fit in with my sport, it wasn’t who I am.”
2001
1993 Female atheletes are finally rewarded same size varsity letter as men
”
4B
This concept of societal pressure is what Armstrong refers to as “cognitive dissonance.” The idea is that to avoid being perceived as too masculine, female athletes accentuate femininity. From fashion to speech patterns, even the most masculine women try to assume the same identity as everyone else. After leaving the gymnastics team to join the Olympic weightlifting club last year, Nagle found that the shame of being masculine only increased. She carried the identity normally reserved for men everyday, and only when she accepted it herself did the heavy load lighten. “When I told people I did weightlifting, I wasn’t OK with it myself,” Nagle said. “I thought it was very manly, and something felt wrong about it. I think women have to be stronger, find their own strength inside them. We’re trained by society that men are athletic and women are not. It takes a female to be ok with it herself first. It sucks; it’s not cool, not fun.”
Wednesday, February 9, 2014 // The Statement
remember thinking ‘I don’t know who these people are or what they did, and I’m creeped out because I’m half-naked in a bank.’” The role of cheerleaders is different than any other sport — male or female — on campus. The team must simultaneously train to defend their National Championship and represent the face of the University. “Everyone knows the uniforms and what cheerleaders are,” Niznik said. “So when the University needs a stand-in or wants to make their presence known they just send us, because we have pretty faces and shiny pom
People are viewing women’s athletics
a heck of a lot better than they were
society is still evolving, but we always
have to vigilant for equality. By the next
A changing role
generation, we’ll be pretty close.
Shannon Niznik just wanted to practice. As a member of the Michigan Cheerleading team, she was taking part in August practices, in which the team was preparing for both the football season and to defend their 2013 National Championship. As the first half of the 12-hour practice wound down and a lunch break was set to begin, the team was given an assignment several days before its first class. “This bank gave Michigan a donation, and they were having a party,” Niznik said. “So we all had to stop practice and go to a bank on Main Street and clap for them as they walked out of a meeting.” Without any time for questions, concerns or even background as to whom the people were or what they did, the team quickly got ready for the impromptu performance. As the bank staffers walked out of their early afternoon meeting they were greeted by the same maize and blue pom poms that have greeted the nation’s winningest football team for decades. “Of course they were all loving it because we’re half-naked in our crop-tops with all these old executives walking in,” Niznik said. “I just
Field Hockey team wins first women’s team National Championship
Women’s lacrosse begins competition as Michigan’s 14th varsity sport, tied for third most in the nation
ley pointed out in 1993, male athletes don’t have to be role models. The success of male sports continues to grow, and society will go on if Barkley or other male athletes fail to live up to moral or societal standards. But today, women don’t have that luxury. “They have to be good citizens,” Hutchins said. “They have to be good students and represent the University as ambassadors. (Softball player) Sara Driesenga had to walk out of the locker room door after pitching a loss and giving up the winning hit and still be on her A-game for the kids. It’s important to recognize that all these little girls look up to you and want to be you.” Fair play: The future movement Throughout history, sports have paved the road for change in society. From uniting social and economic classes to breaking down racial barriers, equality on the field has often been achieved first, with society following suit. If Title IX were a living woman, she’d be middle-aged. At 42, the law enforcing gender equality between federally-funded activities has begun to do just that. But the law can only control so much. The way women’s athletics are perceived is far from equal to men’s. From January 2000 to June 2011, Sports Illustrated featured women on just 35 of their covers — roughly 4.9 percent of 716 published issues. According to Armstrong and Hutchins, this pattern won’t last long. The two figures who have overseen the development of women’s sports feel the recent focus on women’s sports has had an impact on the young adults of today, and believe it won’t be long before today’s youth will lead society to a state of complete equality. “(Women’s sports) are still evolving,” Hutchins said. “My father’s generation couldn’t even fathom gender equality, but it’s generational. People are viewing women’s athletics a heck of a lot better than they were 10, 20 years ago. It’s evolving, just like society is still evolving, but we always have to be vigilant for equality. By the next generation, we’ll be pretty close.” A look inside Armstrong’s “Gender and Sport” class proves Hutchins’ point. As the sun crept over the horizon at 8:30 a.m., students slowly filed in. Once the class began, students engaged in lively discussions, ranging in topic from the caliber of the NBA All-Star game to locker room culture to Sheryl Swoope’s sexuality conflict and the media’s portrayal of lesbian athletes. But throughout the class, the thread of hope remained clear. “This generation gets it,” Armstrong said. “When I teach my classes, my students are phenomenal. Hope is on the horizon. This generation embraces the social justice concept and has the belief that gender equality is something society needs, that life should be fair and rules are there to promote fair play.” Laws are put into place to lay the foundation for change. They can’t dictate the reaction, perception or acceptance of those affected by the law. Title IX has pushed women’s sports from an afterthought to an obligation to an opportunity. Now, the burden is on those involved in the sports world to ensure women’s athletics garner equal recognition and respect as men’s sports.
”
10, 20 years ago. It’s evolving, just like
poms and really stick out.” While cheerleaders can be the face of the University, other women’s sports find themselves with the added burden of being an inspiration as well. In the early days of the Title IX era, the role of women’s sports in college was simply to fill scholarships. Today, women’s sports still fail to generate enough revenue to support themselves, but the role female athletes play has changed. “Women’s athletics has always been a place to show what women can accomplish in society,” Armstrong said. “Sports has been a leader in empowering women, and today many girls even in areas other than sports are inspired by athletes, but because the athletes are successful in a visible way. “It’s not about what they do in sport, but how they navigate the gendered terrain. By doing well in sports, female coaches and athletes can show what women can do in other male-dominated areas, and that can have a tremendous impact on society,” she said. In her 29 seasons as head coach of the Michigan softball team, Hutchins has never had a losing season. Unsurprisingly, the Michigan softball team has more Twitter followers and 2014 receives more media coverage than the baseball team. Yet of all the accomplishments her teams have had over the years, Hutchins knows the biggest one is inspiring female leaders of the future. As NBA hall-of-famer Charles Bark-
5B
6B
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 // The Statement
Emerging from the shadows: LGBT life in the locker room by Jake Lourim
In 2005, Stephanie Hoyer came east from Englewood, Colo., to one of the biggest college athletic programs in the country. She practiced field hockey in the shadows of Michigan Stadium, and in world-class facilities named after legends like Schembechler and Yost and Crisler and Oosterbaan. Hoyer had a strong freshman season. She scored six goals, added three assists. She netted a game-winner early in the season, then later scored in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But that season was nothing compared to what she would do the following year. The next fall, she told her teammates the biggest secret of her life — she was bisexual. In 2005, in a culture steeped in the uncertainty about how to handle lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people — let alone athletes — Hoyer was met with open arms. Playing on the same campus as future Olympians, Hoyer had a fine situation on the surface. Her life or someone else’s could be very different right now had it not been for the compassion she found inside the hallowed halls of the University Athletic Department. But to understand how we got here today, and how Hoyer succeeded at Michigan eight years ago, you must first understand a story from a similar, yet entirely different college town and through a sprinter named Paul Farber. Paul Farber came to the University of Pennsylvania in 2001 among a class of about 20 track athletes seeking an Ivy League education, athletic success and an experience among the world’s brightest people. Instead, when he stepped on the track early during his freshman season, one of the first words he heard was a derogatory gay slur. Farber is gay. Inside, this environment ate at Farber. He felt depressed and worn down, physically and mentally. It was his worst academic semester yet. At one point, he tried his coach for advice. But even his coach showed him apathy. He told him that in his time coaching at Penn, two athletes had come out and fit in well with the team. Another, however, ended up getting in a fight and had to leave the team. “So make sure you make the right decision,” Farber recalled his coach, Charlie Powell, telling him. The decision, when it came down to it, was between being an athlete and being himself — which, in the end, wasn’t much of a choice at all. Farber chose himself, quitting the team his freshman year. The following year, in an attempt to create a more welcoming environment for gay athletes than the one he encountered, he helped establish Penn Athletes and Allies Tackling Homophobia. Its goal was to confront what he saw as the taboo of homophobia in athletic culture. Four years later, Farber’s story and Michigan’s intersected. Working toward a PhD. in American Culture at Michigan, Farber became a GSI for Professor John U. Bacon’s class on the
history of college athletics. Farber skimmed the list of topics in Bacon’s class and noticed that many examined sports as an avenue for realizing social change, but homosexuality in athletics was never discussed in class. So he started the discussion — or, rather, he brought it out in the open. “This is an issue that cannot be managed with silence,” Farber said. “It’s been on the back of student-athletes and willing administrators to carry forward the conversation.” To carry on the conversation at the University, Farber established the Michigan Athletes and Allies Partnership. Similar to PATH, MAAP created a space for athletes and allies.
Hoyer was a key member. So was former gymnast Evan Heiter, who graduated in 2011. Along with other athletes and allies, the two helped Farber start the alliance in 2008. And the culture they helped build at the University was very different than the one Farber encountered in Phila- delphia 12 years ago. In 2007, Heiter started as a gymnast at the University. Did he feel pressure? Yes. Surrounded by athletes who pushed him to be his best, he constantly felt motivated. Did he occasionally have trouble finding himself? Yes. But so would any 19-year-old from the Ann Arbor area going out on his own. The atmosphere in which Heiter competed early on was not just open to gay athletes — it was even more accepting, he found, than his own family. He came out to his teammates before he told his family. He came out early in his career to a group of
teammates, several of whom were gay themselves, either open or closeted. When he did, he found that nothing changed. “The people who looked back at me after I came out to them, I just knew that nothing had changed,” Heiter said. “It changed nothing for them. They still saw me as exactly the same person.” Last week, former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, who is projected as an NFL Draft pick, came out publicly. If selected in May (a near certainty for the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year), Sam would become the first openly gay NFL player in a sport known for its masculine lockerroom culture. Starting Sunday, Sam will compete at the NFL Combine, where NFL teams will scout him before the upcoming draft. He will be judged for his speed, his hands, his strength, his personality and now, perhaps, his sexuality. Sam put a lot of money on the line by coming out when he did. Heiter and Hoyer said they look forward to the moment when a player like Sam’s news isn’t the news story it has become — but for now, they’re happy to watch it unfold. “I think where we are right now, it needs to be a spectacle,” Hoyer said. “The attention is necessary. There’s been so ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily much hurt and pain caused and suffered for years, for gay people and straight people.” Heiter and Hoyer agreed that everyone has his or her own journey and that everyone is ready to come out at different times. But both of them anticipate the time when everyone is ready at some point — no matter how many Michael Sams it takes to get there. When a former softball player, who asked not to be identified by name because she is not openly gay to everyone, came to Michigan in 2008, she found an atmosphere in which homosexuality was a “you-didn’t-talk-about-it thing.” But the culture changed substantially over the player’s four-year career. She told herself she would be herself at college, and as her teammates got to know her, that was OK. “By my senior year, it was just part of who you are,” she said. “You don’t need to say it if you don’t want to. We just went along with our
daily lives because it didn’t affect anything for us.” When it stopped affecting things, the player enjoyed her experience at the University. The true moment of peace for her came before her sophomore season, when she was unsure of how incoming freshmen would respond to her sexuality. “We’ve got your back,” the senior players told her. “We’re not going to let anyone say anything. We’ll take care of you.” When the player came to Michigan, MAAP was already established. For her, it was more than just a place to go — it was an organization that carried her through her college experience and helped her accept who she was. When she had early college problems, the group helped her. When she needed a group to hang out with, the group gave her that too. Hiding the secret, though, doesn’t always pose a problem. These athletic teams often become players’ families. In fact, Hoyer, Heiter and the softball player each told their teams before they told their families. The team proceeded normally from there. Bacon, who spent significant time around the Michigan Athletic Department while working on his 2013 book “Fourth and Long,” said that reaction coincides with what he saw. “What was acceptable 10 years ago probably isn’t now,” Bacon said. “I didn’t have too much doubt that guys I was around there for three years would accept a gay teammate.” Sam came out to his team in August. Because he was openly gay, coaches, support staff and even some reporters knew he was gay. According to Yahoo Sports, the Missouri student newspaper knew Sam was gay before last weekend. A reporter arranged an interview with him about it, and when he cancelled, the newspaper didn’t run the story. In each of these cases, the people around the athletes haven’t hidden the secret because they are avoiding the issue or because they don’t want to create conflict. They have hidden it because it’s not their secret to share. Think back to Paul Farber. Remember that not all coming-out stories are like Hoyer’s or Heiter’s. Remember that this issue is not resolved. Ten years ago, Farber told his coach the most intimate secret of his life and was met with apathy. Five years ago, a Michigan softball player came into an environment in which homosexuality wasn’t discussed. Ten days ago, a college football player told the world he was gay, risking his future in the process, doubters be darned. There will be a day when an athlete like Michael Sam tells people he or she is gay and no one bats an eye. This day might not be tomorrow, or the next day. It might take more Evan Heiters and Stephanie Hoyers and Paul Farbers to get there. But once it comes, they and the thousands of other people who have helped make it happen will watch and smile. To see the full version, go to michigandaily.com
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 // The Statement
7B
Personal Statement: Party’s over, now what? by Katie Steen
ILLUSTRATION BY MEGAN MULHOLLAND
I remember the day I first moved to Ann Arbor. It was a very typical, almost archetypal University of Michigan “freshman” experience. I remember moving into South Quad as a timid (but eager to “break out of my shell!”) Honors freshman and being bombarded by a neat arrangement of new friends, thanks to my Move-In Maker roommate. Before I had time to unpack my posters of indie bands and boxes of string lights (because that’s how people decorate their dorms, right?), I was whisked off to the cafeteria — that social jungle of sterile surfaces and outdated wall decorations — where I engorged myself on a tray of tofu and chickpeas. I was going to “try out” vegetarianism in college. The conversation at the table was fastpaced and brutal, but I managed to stay afloat. Soon after, we ran off to play a game of pick-up soccer at Elbel Field like the energetic, fun-loving freshmen Wolverines we were learning to be. During the game, I got stomach cramps from all the chickpeas and thought about the boyfriend I had just broken up with (because that’s just the inevitable course of events when a couple goes to different colleges, right?). Later that night I called him, saying I missed him, of course. After getting bubble tea and devouring free samples from Jimmy John’s minions scattered around campus — all the while proclaiming numerously how we couldn’t “wait to explore Ann Arbor!” — the focus of the conversation quickly shifted to parties. We shared with one another the catalogue of parties we had been invited to on Facebook at the various frats we had minimal-to-no connection to. “G.I. Joes and Army Hoes could be fun … ” “High-lighter
party! Oh, but you need a wristband to get in ...” “What’s a foam party?” We eventually settled on a “Blackout Party,” and scrolled through the Facebook event. “Wear white,” the event page read. Thinking nothing of this incongruous instruction, we obliged, and headed out the doors of South Quad in the shape of a 20-deep crew of freshmen all wearing white t-shirts. We looked ridiculous, but at least we had a “good ratio.” We wandered through a block party on the way over, and realized almost immediately the grave mistake we had made. Of course the party was a cruel joke. Of course we were instantly recognized in the crowd. Of course we endured endless jeers of “Freeeeeeeshmaaaaaaan” from congested porches. Of course we attempted to laugh it off and party on like normal. But after several unsuccessful and uncomfortable attempts to get to the keg, we resolved to give up — at least for that night. We began our trek back to South Quad — carrying our white shirts like truce flags and our solo cups as red as blood spilled on a battle field. (On our way down Hill Street, a benevolent upperclassman advised us to throw out our empty solo cups in order to avoid the “Minor in Possession” experience. Thank you, whoever you were). We were clueless, and while I can’t say that night was fun, I look fondly upon my failed attempt at partying my first night of college. And while I can’t say that I’m still friends with all 20 of those people or even that I would even recognize some of them should I pass them on State Street, I did make a few friends — best friends, actually — several of whom now share the same co-op with me. I’ve had what I consider to be a fulfilling
three-and-a-half years at Michigan so far, but I can feel things beginning to change. Now, instead of staying up for 6 a.m. sunrises and Hippie Hash with friends, I wake up at 6 a.m. — to go student teach at a high school. Instead of gorging myself during “lazy breakfasts” of never-ending dorm pancakes with chocolate milk on the side, I inhale five-minute breakfasts of offbrand cereal and rush out the door toting a half-full coffee thermos with an “American Express Brokerage” ad on the side. Instead of wearing overpriced jeans from Delia’s with names like “Jayden” and “Olivia,” I slip into overpriced “professional” pants from Express with names like “Editor” and “Columnist.” Now, I have button-downs, cardigans and a semi-complete LinkedIn profile. Now, as I make sure I can graduate in May, I hear echoes of “Just take whatever interests you!” from Honors peer advisors, and think, “Fuck you.” Over this past Winter Break, I visited a newly-graduated friend’s apartment in Hamtramck, Mich. I sat in a sparsely decorated living room as the conversation somehow morphed into a bleak synopsis of what life is like after college. In a span of 20 minutes, we discussed the pull of graduate school, a “not bad” day job at Qdoba, announcements of wedding engagements on Facebook, tweets from some guy at that one party, how unwalkable Detroit is, the evolution and inevitable falling-out of certain friendships and the night we first became friends after an excess of peppermint schnapps. Toward the end of our talk, my friend had said something like, “I don’t know anyone who is enjoying their first year of life after college right now.” Last year at this time, I couldn’t wait to
get the hell out of Ann Arbor. I had had it with the Saturday football crowds, the same, incestuous groups of people at every party, the rotating choice between studying at “Ambrosia or Espresso?” (NEITHER!), the unquestionable praise of Zingerman’s and TEDx and the Farmers Market, the Timberland boots of South Campus and the leather backpacks of Kerrytown, the Arbor Vitae shows I don’t really care about, the overzealous rush to reserve seats for Restaurant Week and the impending culinary takeover of the whole goddamn city by Sava herself. Needless to say, A-squared felt exponentially smaller every time I walked to and from the Diag. But now this claustrophobia has turned into coziness, and I’m going to have to fly the coop (er, co-op) soon. Waking up before sunrise every day and not seeing my friends until I’m back home from teaching is a gradual dip into the reality of a working post-grad life, and I can’t help but feel a peculiar sense of loneliness around alarm number four that goes off in the morning, when I finally force myself out of bed and shiver over to the shower. I know I still have friends and parties and bullshit for now, but I understand that soon these will be replaced by acquaintances from work, with whom I will “get drinks” with at bars on the weekend. I know I should be worrying about getting a job and making money while also contributing to the world in a positive and influential manner. I know I’ve changed and matured in many ways, and have a stronger grasp on who I am and what I want to do with my life (ish). But part of me feels like I’m still the clueless freshman who just wants to have friends and a sense of belonging — and maybe even have a party to go to.
8B
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 // The Statement
T H E V I S U A L S TAT E M E N T: R E L E N T L E S S R O W I N G
Kinesiology sophomore Emma Burke works out on the indoor rowing machines.
Kinesiology sophomore Emma Burke rinses down the boats’ blades after a practice in Tampa, FL during a spring break training trip.
W
LSA sophomore Madeline Shields cools down from a row on the water during a training trip in Florida.
LSA sophomore Nora Shepard recovers from blisters received from twice a day practices.
e’re not Denard Robinson or Mitch McGary. There’s no chance of being recognized in class, and if we happened to wear a Michigan Rowing shirt the typical response is, “Oh, I know someone that was on the rowing team,” or, “That’s a varsity sport?” A Division I athlete was a label I never planned to have in college after turning down offers from track and field teams at smaller schools. I didn’t even know that rowing was a college sport until a few months before trying out. That didn’t make me any less defensive of the sport to which I had never expected to dedicate my heart, soul and time. Believe it or not, rowing is really difficult. The team has a huge turnover of athletes every year, and there’s a reason for that. As 160 freshmen quickly discover, waking up at 7 a.m. for classes, heading to practice at 3 p.m., returning to do homework after 9 p.m. and then
attempting to get to bed at a decent time in order to wake up the next day and do it all over again is no easy task. But the 18 freshmen who stick it out to the end are rewarded as the few, the proud, the Big Ten Champions. As Michigan athletes, we are expected to be relentless at every practice, straining our bodies every day to our physical limits in order to make our team faster and stronger. The individual goals we meet and the glorious triumphs we earn with our teammates make these exertions worth it. Still, the amount we work outside of the competition context is what truly measures our dedication. What defines a student-athlete is how she functions in her other passions and relationships, while still being able to get into the athletic mindset of kicking ass. It often seems that there’s no personal choice — it’s all about the team, the team, the team. But that’s the choice athletes make. PHOTOS BY LUNA ARCHERY