2015 Commencement Issue

Thursday, April 30-Sunday, May 3, 2015

The Commencement Issue

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2015

ome of us remember freshman orientation in East Quad Residence Hall, its pre-renovation character still alive. Some transferred here not too long ago and are leaving without ever stepping foot in East Quad. Some could tell you exactly where they were — what they were doing, smelling, tasting — when Trey Burke made the shot against Kansas, because, to them, that was a defining moment in their college memories. For others, that moment came in the news of Detroit’s bankruptcy filing, DeBoer v. Snyder or Ferguson.

Our paths are colored and shaped by these defining moments.

Like the brush strokes comprising Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night,” our individual pigments absorb and reflect the light of these events differently. Our myriad shades of blue and yellow flow alongside one another, each unique. But seen at a distance, they create a unified scene of what it was like to be part of the Class of 2015.

Design by Francesca Kielb Photo by Amanda Allen Text by Laura Schinagle

Heading home Messages of support, love and celebration from our families

» INSIDE

News

2 — Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015

2011 IN

February 15: Members of the Student Sustainablity Initiative worked together to send a letter to University President Mary Sue Coleman, asking her to take a firmer stance on sustainabilty issues on campus. Coleman met with students throughout the year to discuss goals for improving sustainability on campus.

September 27: University President Mary Sue Coleman announced a 14-year sustainability initiative worth an estimated $14 million.

Among the planned initiatives were decreasing the University’s greenhouse gas emissions, the carbon emitted by University vehicles and the amount of University waste sent to landfill by 2025.

President Barack Obama addresses the crowd at the Intramural Sports Building on April 2, 2014.

RUBY WALLAU/Daily

Obama speaks at ‘U’ on minimum wage proposal President visits campus for third time since 2010

By JEN CALFAS Managing News Editor

Apr. 2, 2014 — As President Barack Obama approached the

podium at the Intramural Sports Building, more than 1,400 students and University affiliates rose from their seats, eliciting a thunderous applause.

Obama traveled to the University Wednesday to speak about his proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour. In his speech, Obama

pointed to the state’s efforts to support the bill and brought a partisan tone to his speech, calling out Republicans in Congress who oppose the proposal.

“You’ve got a choice,” Obama said. “You can give America the shaft, or you can give it a raise.”

Obama noted the extreme living conditions in America today,

adding that some full-time workers are living in poverty despite holding steady employment. In Michigan, the minimum wage is $7.40 per hour.

While the average American who earns minimum wage is 35 years old, Obama noted the importance of establishing a higher minimum wage for college students — some of whom will be entering the workforce in a month.

“We should make it easier for your generation to get a foothold on the ladder of opportunity,” Obama said, with applause shortly following. “And we believe the economy grows best not from the top down, but from the mid out.”

Obama has made more visits to the University than any sitting president in history. In 2010, he served as the University’s Spring Commencement speaker. The president visited the University again in 2012 to discuss the rising cost of higher education — a point he touched on Wednesday.

“My point is we got to make sure that everybody can afford to do things that may not pay huge sums of money but are really valuable to society,” Obama said.

While many students filled the audience, University administrators and government officials also made a strong showing. Included among the attendees were University executive officers, members of the University’s Board of Regents, Rep. Gary Peters (D–Mich.), State Reps Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor) and Adam Zemke (D–Ann Arbor) and Congressional candidate Debbie Dingell.

LSA senior Mira Friedlander,

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

2012 January 27: U.S. President Barack Obama spoke in front of 4,000 people in the Al Glick Field House regarding his plans to implement a higher education financial plan. His plan included increasing federal funds to universities and colleges across the campus by $10 billion annually.

February 16: Students in the Coaliton for Tuition Equality launched a series of protests and demonstrations in an effort to gain in-state tuition rates for undocumented residents. Regents subesequently began discussing policy changes to better serve undocumented students on campus.

a restaurant server who finances her college education with her minimum wage job, introduced the president before he gave his remarks. In an interview after the speech, Friedlander said she was honored to introduce the president, especially before a speech that would hit close to home.

“It was completely surreal,” she said.

Obama’s address comes only a day after the White House announced that 7.1 million Americans signed up for the Affordable Care Act. The president cited the success of the legislation as another mechanism he has used to ensure thawt every American has an opportunity to succeed. Raising the minimum wage, he said, is another shot at granting Americans the success the country promised in its founding.

In an interview after the speech, Regent Mark Bernstein (D–Ann Arbor) said Obama’s multiple visits to campus signify the University’s role in national issues of concern.

“It speaks to the stature of this great public university,” Bernstein said. “Each time his message has been targeted at a student body that i think appreciates his message. It’s a great honor to participate in that kind of experience.”

Bernstein added that he and several other University officials met with Obama before his speech.

During the address, more than 100 students lined the bleachers behind him with an American flag draped above them on the IM Building’s brick wall. Some of these students included Business senior Michael Proppe, CSG president;

LSA senior Phil Schermer, MUSIC Matters president; and LSA senior Tyrell Collier, Black Student Union president, among other campus leaders.w In an interview after the event, E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, said the office of Student Life chose which students to invite to sit in the selected seats.

While many of them were leaders of prominent campus organizations, Harper said some represented sectors of campus that are less well known — including first-generation college students, international students, students who work in campus dining halls and some who grew up in foster care.

“We tried to be really thoughtful,” Harper said. “Some were students in leadership roles, but others were students who lead in a very different way.”

Students showed up in droves Monday afternoon to wait for their chance to secure their spot at the event. The University distributed tickets on a first-come, first-served basis Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., motivating students to wait in line overnight for the opportunity to see the president.

Harper said this commitment to engaging in campus life showed how willing the students are to interact with the world around them.

“Our students are always engaged and thinking about what’s going on in the world and they’re just smart in that way,” Harper said. “They’re politically smart. I think students on boths sides of the issues kind of want to be in the conversation.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

2013 September 2: A 2011 Department of Education mandate that clarified Title IX prompted the University to review its Sexual Misconduct Policy. Following the review, the Univeristy adopted a model that relied more on misconduct investigators rather than the testimony of complaintants.

July 18: The University’s Board of Regents approved a new program that provides in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants who attended middle and high school in Michigan and veterans.

News

2014 January 27: The University canceled classes for the first time since 1978. The National Weather Service recorded temperatures at a high of 2 degrees, a wind chill of -30 degrees and winds of up to 20 miles per hour. The cancellation came after the University received criticism for not cancelling classes during severe cold weather earlier in January.

September 5: Mark Schlissel was inaugurated as the University’s 4th president. Schlissel, who was previously the provost at Brown University, was selected as Mary Sue Coleman’s successor in January 2014 and began his term officialy on July 1.

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015— 3

2015 March 31: Central Student Government voted against a resolution that would create an ad hoc committee to investigate the University’s investments in companies that allegedly violated the human rights of Palestinians. Fifteen CSG members voted in favor of the resolution, 25 opposed and one member abstained. The vote came after four hours of discussing the resolution with commentors from the public.

March 17: A. Alfred Taubman passed away at age 91. Over several years, Taubman donated more than $150 million to the University.

After donating $30 million in 1999 to the College of of Architecture and Urban Planning, the school was renamed after Taubman.

Mark Schlissel inaugurated as University’s 14th president New president discusses goals for building diverse student body

By CLAIRE BRYAN Daily Staff Reporter

Sept. 5, 2014 — It’s official.

Students, faculty and administrators filled Hill Auditorium Friday afternoon for University President Mark Schlissel’s inauguration, the ceremony where he was formally installed as the University’s 14th president.

With speeches from Republican Gov. Rick Snyder; University Provost Martha Pollack; Ruth Simmons, Brown University president emerita; and Schlissel himself, the inauguration focused on the significant issues facing modern public higher education.

In his inaugural address, Schlissel articulated his vision for a University community marked by inclusiveness, accessibility and a vibrant civil exchange of diverse viewpoints.

“I firmly believe that we cannot achieve true excellence without leveraging the experiences and perspectives of the broadest possible diversity of students, faculty, and staff,” Schlissel said. “This is challenging work. Not only building a

diverse student body, but also creating an inclusive campus climate that is open to difficult discourse.”

Despite delivering a clear promise to aggressively pursue an agenda of inclusion, Schlissel said the process of exploring the University he now leads in ongoing.

“I am walking in new directions, and I am asking a lot of questions,” Schlissel said. “I am meeting with students, staff, and faculty, learning their aspirations, what they are most proud of, and what they are anxious about as we move forward together.”

Pollack, the University’s provost, gave opening remarks welcoming the community and introducing the University’s governing Board of Regents, deans and faculty, as well as Schlissel and his extended family. She also stressed the responsibility Schlissel has to respond to the challenges and trials facing public higher education.

Following her speech, Snyder noted Schlissel’s eagerness to learn, alluding to the new president’s recent trip around the state. He added that Schlissel will serve as the cornerstone of humanity at the University.

“What makes the University of Michigan a truly special place is not one area or sectors, it is the humanity of the University, the people,” Snyder said.

In an address that elicited thunderous applause multiple times,

Simmons, who served as the president of Brown University and appointed Schlissel it’s provost, called on universities to devote more attention to ensuring students leave prepared to resolve conflict and treat others with respect — even as they increasingly push forward new innovations in science and technology.

“Respect for others is a goal worth setting and worthy of presidential leadership,” she said.

Regent Kathy White, who is the chair of the Board of Regents, outlined a history of past University presidents, concluding with Schlissel’s formal inauguration.

The crowd gave an overwhelming standing ovation.

An hour before the inauguration ceremony, Schlissel joined the regents, executive officers, deans, faculty and representatives from 100 other universities for a formal robing ceremony held in Rackham Auditorium.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily during the ceremony, Schlissel said he was impressed by the number of guests who came to represent their university, department or college.

“It is one of the most amazing days of my life,” he said. “I’m humbled.”

Though he technically assumed the presidency in July, Schlissel said the past week has been an experi-

RYAN REISS/Daily

Governor Rick Snyder (R) congratulates University President Mark Schlissel at his inauguration on September 5, 2014.

ence apart from the rest of his time at the University.

“It really changed a lot when the students came back to town a few days ago,” he said. “I’ve been running into students all across the campus. The energy level went up a notch and it’s just really exciting.”

However, Schlissel said there’s more he can do to become further acquainted with the campus community.

“I have to continue my efforts to getting to know people, getting to know the faculty, students and staff and what their aspirations are and how I can add to the work of the University to make it better,” he said.

After the ceremonial robing process, a processional of hundreds of gowned academics and officials marched down the steps of Rackham Auditorium and through the Diag, ending at Hill Auditorium.

Students and members of the

community who lined the pathway cheered and applauded.

Some event attendees reached for members of the processional, including President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman, to snap a photo.

In the Diag, student volunteers in maize T-shirts created a tunnel for the processional to walk through. Students chanted, “It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine” and sang Hail to the Victors.

When Schlissel exited the student volunteer tunnel, many students jumped at the opportunity to give him a high five and take a selfie.

Dozens of those participants also took positions in a postinaugural community festival set outside the auditorium. A few hundred people gathered for University-sponsored food and music set up around Ingalls Mall.

LSA sophomores Kasey

Wright and Stephanie Saravolatz served as event volunteers earlier in the day and helped cheer on the processional as it passed through the Diag.

“I am a scholarship student here and this was something I could do to give back to the University (that) has given me so much,” Wright said.

“Students started joining even though they didn’t have t-shirts and I thought that was pretty cool and I think everyone enjoyed it a lot,” Saravolatz said.

LSA junior Joe Murray, another student volunteer, said he was impressed with Schlissel’s inaugural speech and his push for valuing all voices, despite conflict or disagreement.

“I would love to see him implement those ideas he talked about as far as making sure the University stays really open to people and that we seek people from Michigan and around the

Opinion

4 — Thursday, April 30 — Sunday, May 3, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Dreams from my sister Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

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 shameful response

1/31/14 ew information regarding the intricacies of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act has revealed that the University’s recent behavior in response to Brendan Gibbons’ expulsion is deeply suspicious. In the last two days, the University has neglected any opportunity to speak out and address the public criticisms directed toward it. Instead, administrators have invoked a number of furtive internal policies and vaguely interpreted laws to explain its silence.

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At best, this case indicates an unbelievable lack of communication between University units. On Nov. 20, 2013, the University’s Office of Student Conflict Resolution signed a document stating that the Office of Institutional Equity determined there was a preponderance of evidence finding former Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons responsible for an incident of alleged sexual assault in November of 2009.

This meant that the University had already decided that Gibbons was — in the eyes of the school — responsible for a sexual misconduct that was deemed “so severe as to create a hostile, offensive or abusive environment,” which led to his eventual expulsion. Yet three days later, on Nov. 23, Gibbons was allowed to play in Michigan’s football game against Iowa. He kicked three extra points for the team.

Unless it is school procedure to allow a student-athlete in violation of the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy to participate in University-sanctioned athletic events, there was a complete and utter breakdown in communication. University officials — in OIE, OSCR, the Athletic Department or all three — knowingly allowed a perpetrator of sexual misconduct to represent the school in a football game that undoubtedly generated profit for the University. This is unacceptable on any level.

More specifically, Michigan coach Brady Hoke’s behavior has raised eyebrows in the public conversation. After OIE found Gibbons to be responsible for an act of sexual misconduct, OSCR sent a letter to Gibbons informing him of his permanent separation from the University. The letter was received and signed by Gibbons on Dec. 19. By signing the document, Gibbons waived his right to appeal the sanction. Athletic Department spokesman Dave Ablauf confirmed that Gibbons had met with the department around that time, adding, “That could have been the time that Brendan Gibbons talked to coach Hoke.” It is possible that the Athletic Department met with Gibbons without Hoke, but

it seems illogical for the head coach of the student involved to be uninformed of the situation. Four days later, on Dec. 23, Hoke announced that Gibbons would not play in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl due to a “family matter.” The University may have instructed Hoke to act the way he did in order to adhere to its ill-reasoned policy and weak interpretation of FERPA, but someone is still to blame for obfuscating the truth.

Doubt in the University’s innocence is sinking in as the administration continues to withhold answers. Currently, the University’s official stance is to cite school policy and FERPA as reasoning for its decision to decline comment. However, in an interview with the Daily, Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, stated that since Gibbons was determined by University investigators to be responsible in an allegation of sexual assault, FERPA does not apply: “They’re just wrong that FERPA applies to a finding that a person committed sexual assault.” If Gibbons’ violation constitutes a sexual assault rather than sexual harassment, the University, legally, cannot use FERPA as an excuse to keep silent.

Given the severity of the punishment, LoMonte believes that it is “highly doubtful” that Gibbons’ actions can be defined as sexual harassment. In a previous statement, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said the administration was refusing to comment in order to comply with internal policies “that are more restrictive than FERPA.” Since FERPA does not protect the school in cases of alleged sexual assault, Fitzgerald is implying that the school has a policy in place that allows the University to sit quietly while its students, alumni and faculty demand answers. If the University simply refuses to answer questions, it should say so. Attempting to broadly — and potentially inaccurately — interpret laws or school policies as an excuse for remaining mute is an act of cowardice.

Defining the “Michigan Man”

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9/16/14 n the wake of the Michigan men’s basketball team’s successful season last year, the news of both Mitch McGary’s failed drug test and subsequent decision to leave for the NBA was startling. Failing the NCAAadministered drug test left McGary with a oneyear suspension from play, and reportedly forced his hand in his deciLAUREN sion to begin preparing MCCARTHY for a career in the NBA. The University Athletic Department attempted to appeal the decision in early April, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

A cornerstone of the Michigan basketball team, prominent leader and enormous personality was leaving campus — and the students responded. Many defended McGary, claiming that the punishment did not fit the crime. It was argued that McGary had only smoked “just this once,” and countless students and fans maintained that, nonetheless, McGary would forever in their eyes be considered a “Michigan Man.” The definition of a “Michigan Man” is generally understood to be an upstanding, loyal and passionate individual; someone who is not only dedicated to the values of the University but who also embodies those virtues in his everyday actions. Bo Schembechler, the legendary Michigan football coach of 21 remarkable seasons, is universally regarded as a “Michigan Man” and remembered for his superior ethics.

However, there are more “Michigan Men” out there who do not coach a sports team, and (sorry Bo) they hail from all over the country and planet.

Too often is this term used to describe or commemorate the obvious candidates: the athletes who herald championships or the select few campus leaders who run Central Student Government. The University of Michigan has nearly 30,000

undergraduate students, more than 15,000 graduate students, and yet for years on end those who often lead the discussion about who deserves to be categorized as a “Michigan Man” select from only a small pool of students when crowning whom they believe deserve to be categorized as “Michigan Men.” I cannot comfortably justify Mitch McGary as the epitome of a “Michigan Man,” not when there are countless other students, alumni and faculty who are far more dedicated to the embodiment of true Michigan values. This campus is littered with unsung heroes and passionate leaders who deserve the recognition of the student body as well as student publications. They may not be lead scorers or team captains, and nonetheless the contributions they make to the University are oftentimes significantly more pertinent than almost winning a national championship.

With a trend of personality journalism on the rise, many writers, publishers and producers are all too concerned with their own public image — trolling their social media sites and shamelessly promoting their articles or on-air appearances via their personal, online platforms. This industry is sliding into a worrisome environment of ownership, neglecting to focus on their subjects and their stories and too often inserting themselves into the discourse.

In a community as expansively rich as this campus, I view it as wildly irresponsible not to invest the time and energy into seeking out the Michigan Men (and women) who I have heard of time and time again: the friend of a friend who has impacted many through his or her unfailing kindness and grace, the boyfriend of a sorority sister who started a revolutionary new student organization or the quiet classmate who subtly mentions their involvement in and utter devotion to social justice on campus.

A “Michigan Man” (or woman) is an individual who is rooted in tradition, yet seeks innovation and strives for constant progress. He works within the rules, while

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4/16/14 his is my last week in Washington D.C. but my mind is in only one place: Beaumont, Royal Oak’s psychiatric ward, where my sister, Caity, has been since Friday.

She hospitalized herself that night for fear of her own safety, havJAMES ing experienced BRENNAN suicidal thoughts as a result of her continuing battles against her own mind.

Some of you may have become familiar with my sister this year on campus. You may have read one of her columns in The Michigan Daily, been served by her while out at The Brown Jug or recognized her as the outspoken 23-year-old sophomore in class. What you probably wouldn’t have realized, though, is that since she was a small child, my sister has been fighting a myriad of mental health challenges, from depression to anxiety to bipolar disorder. You also probably didn’t know of her struggles this semester, on and off various antipsychotic drugs in an attempt to control increasingly perplexing problems and side effects.

Mental health issues have long been in the closet, but they no longer can be. My sister’s story is one of millions that needs to be heard.

I need to make it clear that Caity is not just any other person. I’m obviously biased because I’m her brother, but it’s true. This is a girl who had set her heart on Columbia University in elementary school because “Harvard is too conservative” and who began on the honors track in middle school. She had mastered the German language by 16, was a state championship contender in mock trial at 17, and then moved to Europe, alone, at 19. By age 20, she was able to communicate in French, Flemish,

Swedish and Spanish with little formal training, all while working as a fashion design assistant and a nanny full time.

But, like many others, my sister’s brilliant mind is at war with itself every single day, often crippling her abilities to go to school, work or, some days, hold a coherent thought.

In my short lifetime, I’ve seen far more suffering from mental health issues than any single person should.

In middle school, I saw my sister mourn the loss of one of her best friends, who committed suicide at 15. Two years later, I was calling an ambulance after my sister swallowed three bottles of pills in an attempt to end her own life. Shortly after that, one of my older cousins killed himself while only in his 20s. I’ve had my share of mental health issues as well, fighting suicidal thoughts and spending countless hours in therapy.

If I’ve learned anything from my experience with mental health problems, it’s that it needs to stop being treated so differently from every other ailment. A person suffering from bipolar disorder is like a person suffering from cancer or diabetes. This isn’t a matter of choice or control; their brain chemistry is malfunctioning and needs treatment to function properly again. Their body is physically not working, much like a sick patient with a failing immune system. The only difference is that their symptoms come out in their thinking and behavior. People are rarely “crazy” — more often than not, they’re actually very sick.

Like with other health-care issues, the people who are worst off in this area are the poor and the middle class. Since my father’s untimely death in 2011, my family has been

scraping by. My mom’s job provides health care, but there are numerous gaps, especially for mental health. I get sick to my stomach in fear of my sister losing coverage or running out of money for medication. She has the potential to do truly amazing things, impressing me and countless others everyday with her intelligence, her charm and her writing. Without help, she loses the chance to make the most of these gifts. I try not to think about it, but am constantly reminded of the hundreds of thousands of homeless and poor without any of the help Caity and I get.

This is a problem that cannot be solved by talking. This needs to be treated like the public-health crisis it is, and we need to put our money where our mouths are. Federal, state and local governments need to invest more in insurance and facilities for mental health, while schools need to provide counselors and educate students on psychiatric health like any other publichealth problem.

This needs support from our tax dollars, our charitable giving and our treatment of individuals with psychiatric problems.

The mentally ill are not just patients in hospitals. They’re the untapped potential in our schools and the silently suffering masses in homeless shelters. They’re the depressed suburban mom and the schizophrenic old woman struggling to maintain sanity. They’re our friends, our neighbors and our family, and they’re very, very sick.

They need help and we have the means to give it to them.

What are we waiting for?

But, like many others, my sister’s brilliant mind is at war with itself every single day...

—James Brennan can be reached at jmbthree@umich.edu.

Congratulations Class of 2015 Follow the Yellow Brick Road

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11/4/14 all means a few things every year: football, changing leaves and job searches.

Recruiting season in the Business School officially started, and recently I turned down my return offer to work full time in finance. It ELI wasn’t an easy CAHAN decision, nor a simple one.

The decision required a lot of self-reflection. In retrospect, the factors I considered are indeed important to the broader decisions of life in general, beyond just a first job after graduation. There were four main paradigms, four main pieces of advice that went into the decision. As a senior, I feel it my obligation to share those thoughts, such that you may too share some of the introspection as you think about life, love and the pursuit of happiness.

Climb the mountain to see the world, not so the world can see you.

There are numerous pressures on us as students throughout our schooling: financially, academically and socially. These pressures generally convey to us a sense of things we “should” do — whether grandma says you “should” be a lawyer at Chanukkah, or whether your friend says you “should” break up with that girl at the tailgate. Be wary of the “should.” The essence of this nugget is in pushing you to do things that make you feel personally validated, not socially valorized. As a Ross student, I felt like I should do banking, and to have people see my logoed-out swag would be a nice perk to that. In the

end, the T-shirt you wear in the gym means very little to anyone else if it means very little to you.

Do what you love and like, because nobody’s going to care unless you’re doing brain surgery.

As a corollary, personal validation usually runs parallel to genuine enthusiasm. While I disagree with some of what this quote alludes (as an aspiring doctor, I love and like brain surgery and people will care about it to boot…), the message is valuable. Understand what you like to do. Understand what makes you happy. Take a step back. You will not last long, nor be good at, a job (or a relationship, etc…) that is forced. Do you, in all that you do. Be authentic and genuine, inside and out. I did not like the work I was doing, and I did not like the person I was becoming.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

Now, as you do you, know that there will be difficult choices along the way. You must take ownership of these choices. The greatest blessing of college is that we may choose our path — but know that saying yes to one option often requires saying no to another. As Dorothy traveled down the road, inevitably she faced a fork, turned left, and kept walking. She was forced to see that decision out to the end. Likewise, appreciate the importance of the decisions you make — and do not regret them, nor think twice. Just make sure you see them all the way through. I said no to my offer — a definitively left turn where others might have turned right — and I take ownership of it. Let’s hope I get to Oz. To know your limits is to realize you have none.

Finally, the amazing thing about carving out your own path is how many opportunities will come up

that you never expected. Opportunities are definitely a surprise — if you saw them coming, they would have just been “part of the plan.” You would be shocked by how good of a position you are in as a University of Michigan student. So give yourself some credit, and perhaps more importantly, some time. Patience is not easy, but it is a virtue. Doors will swing open, but only when you walk far enough away from your comfort zone. And remember, you can only walk through one door at a time, so you’ll have your pick of the litter. Embrace the uncertainty. Let it surprise you. Open your sails, and let the wind carry you. I certainly hope this one may be true for me as I apply to medical schools.

So all of this is to say, if you love banking, do it. Just make sure you’re making the decision because it’s what you want, for who and how you want to be.

You’re allowed to be selfish on this one. A career is a long time, and constitutes a considerable part of your adult life. Work/life balance exists for those whose work is not a part of who they are. As such, I would encourage you to let work be a fundamental part of your life.

Don’t think of it as a balance — work on one side and life on the other. Think of it as game of Jenga — the entire substance of the shape, of your being, constructed from both, each supporting the other. But don’t worry too much.

The best thing about Jenga is that, though for a fleeting moment life may come toppling down, you can always build yourself back up.

And, your friends will be with you as you do.

also making the rules work for him. A “Michigan Man” takes full advantage of the opportunities provided by the Michigan community, while also lending a hand to those who may be less advantaged. A “Michigan Man”

is intent on being a successful, well-educated and fair citizen who invests his time back into the betterment of the University. He takes pride in the institution as a whole, as well as his own personal accomplishments. A “Michigan

Man” is a loyal, steadfast and true leader, who rises to the occasion and inspires others to do the same.

—Eli Cahan can be reached emcahan@umich.edu.

—Lauren McCarthy can be reached at laurmc@umich.edu.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

News

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015— 5

Major Univeristy donor A. Alfred Taubman dies Schlissel says Taubman’s contributions will remain a legacy

By SHOHAM GEVA Daily News Editor

The Law Quad was covered in ice and snow on January 7, 2014.

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

University cancels classes due to severe cold weather Remaining campus operations to continue as scheduled

By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA and MAX RADWIN Daily News Editor and Daily Staff Reporter

Jan. 27, 2014 — For the first time since 1978, the University has canceled classes Tuesday due to extreme weather, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald confirmed Monday evening.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures will be at a high of 2 degrees, with a wind chill reaching -30 degrees and winds reaching up to 20 miles per hour.

Campus buildings — including dining halls and libraries — will remain open. University transportation services will continue operating as normal, though delays should be expected.

This announcement marks the first time that the University has

cancelled classes due to weatherrelated circumstances since Ann Arbor was hit with 19 inches of snow in 1978.

University Police spokeswoman Diane Brown said University Police will be taking extra efforts to keep response times low to limit the amount of time that people spend outside in the cold.

After Fitzgerald confirmed the decision, University Provost Martha Pollack, Chief Health Officer Robert Winfield and Laurita Thomas, associate vice president for human resources, sent a memo to faculty and staff encouraging flexibility and telecommuting if possible for Tuesday.

“Campus operations will continue,” the memo said. “However, while staff should plan to report as usual, we ask that supervisors be flexible and make reasonable accommodations for these extreme circumstances. Travel may be hazardous, especially on foot or by bus, and we ask that all of our colleagues remain sensitive to safety concerns. Parking and Transportation Services is increas-

ing bus frequency to help minimize wait times.”

The memo added that staff who are “unable or choose not to” travel to campus Tuesday should contact their supervisors to use vacation time or unpaid time off.

Medical School Prof. Charles Koopmann, a member of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, said he feels it’s “unfortunate” that staff on main campus have to come in or be forced to take a day of vacation. However, he said he believes that the medical campus should remain open, which, according to the memo, will operate normally.

“The University needs to get a well organized plan for something like this and should remarkably improve communications,” Koopmann said.

After the controversy over not closing campus during the Polar Vortex earlier this month, Pollack sat in on the Senate Advisory Committee for University Affairs meeting Jan. 13 to discuss the University’s decision to not cancel classes.

Apr. 18, 2015 — A. A lfred Taubma n, one of the top donors in the Universit y ’s histor y, passed away Friday night at age 91. His f uneral is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Cong regation Shaa rey Zedek in Southf ield, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press.

His death was conf irmed in a statement released by his son, Robert S. Taubma n, to employees of Taubma n Centers, Inc., according to the Detroit News. Robert S. Taubma n is the current CEO of the compa ny.

“Tonight, af ter dinner in his home, a hea rt at tack took him from us, ending what was a f ull, extraordina r y life that touched so ma ny people in so ma ny wonderf ul ways a round the world,” the statement read. “R ight now it is dif f icult for me to express our sadness. One thing that will never be ta ken from us is A lfred Taubma n’s vision that will continue to g uide a nd inspire us.”

Taubma n, a Michiga n native, built his ca reer in the retail industr y developing high-end shopping malls. He at tended both the Universit y of Michiga n a nd Lawrence Technolog ical Universit y, but did not g raduate from either.

“This compa ny a nd all that you sta nd for were a mong the g reatest joys of his life,”

the statement read. “Just last month he was in Puerto R ico to celebrate with us the g ra nd opening of The Mall of Sa n Jua n. He was so proud of what this wonderf ul compa ny he founded 65 yea rs ago has accomplished.”

Over the past several decades Taubma n — whose net worth is estimated at $3.1 billion by Forbes — gave over $150 million to the Universit y.

He also donated to multiple other colleges, including Ha r va rd Universit y a nd Brown Universit y.

In 1999, in his f irst major g if t to the Universit y, the Taubma n College of A rchitect ure a nd Urba n Pla nning was rena med for Taubma n af ter he donated $30 million. The g if t was one of the la rgest ever received by the Universit y at the time Sta rting in 2007, he also gave a total of $100 million to sta rt up a nd f und projects within the Taubma n Medical Instit ute, pa rt of the Universit y ’s Medical School. This included initiatives such as a $56 million endowment for resea rch into stem-cell therapy a nd Lou Gehrig ’s disease. The instit ute also supports a g roup of schola rs each yea r in pursuing individual resea rch objectives.

Last yea r, Taubma n was one of several donors to support a n expa nsion of the Taubma n College, pledg ing $12.5 million of the $28 million cost. The expa nsion was approved by the Universit y ’s Boa rd of Regents last Ma rch.

At a 2008 stem cell sy mposium on ca mpus, he also a nnounced pla ns to leave $22 million to the Universit y ’s Medical School as a bequest af ter his death.

In a statement, Universit y President Ma rk Schlissel praised Taubma n not only for his phila nthropic g if ts, but also for the counsel he provided to multiple Universit y presidents over the yea rs.

“Mr. Taubma n’s legacy at the Universit y of Michiga n will forever ref lect his generosit y, impact, a nd passion for adva ncing opport unities for our ca mpus, its st udents a nd the health a nd wellbeing of all members of societ y,” he wrote. “His strong support of the Universit y of Michiga n during his life will be f urther aug mented by the provisions he made in his will for the universit y ’s f ut ure.”

In a statement to the Detroit News Friday evening, Universit y spokesma n R ick Fitzgerald called Taubma n a “g reat friend of the Universit y of Michiga n.”

Over the course of his ca reer, Taubma n faced several controversies, na mely allegations of price f ixing a nd misconduct. In his capacit y as the former chairma n of Sotheby ’s auction house, he was convicted of conspiring with rival auction house Christie’s International in 2001 to a rtif icially inf late prices a nd commissions received by both, serving close to a year in jail.

In response to the conviction, Taubman did not deny the possibilit y of price f ixing, but told the court he wasn’t aware it was taking place.

Additionally, in 2012 he was sued by a former employee for multiple counts of sex discrimination. The suit was dropped by the employee several weeks later.

Arts

6 — Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015

2011

IN

April 1: Lupe Fiasco played sold-out Hill Auditorium for 50th Peace Corps Benefit Concert.

July 23: R&B songstress, Amy Winehouse passed away at 27.

2012

March 27: Established in 1963, the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, celebrated its 50th anniversary. The six-day festival compiles independent films, music videos as well as student work.

EVENT PREVIEW

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

2013

In the early hours of December 13, Beyonce’s eponymous fifth album appeared on iTunes with zero press. The visual album, consisting of 14 songs and 17 music videos, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts with only 3 days of sale.

2014

September 18: Two members of the Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot discussed LGBTQ rights, freedom of speech and their thoughts on Vladimir Putin to an at capacity Michigan Theater.

2015

February 14: At $81.7 million, “Fifty Shades of Grey” sets record for Valentine’s Day release.

April 23: After 11 seasons, Derek Shepherd portrayed by Patrick Dempsey dies on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

MOVIE REVIEW

Pussy Riot to speak ‘Gone Girl’ thrills at Michigan Theater

By CHLOE GILKE

Managing Arts Editor

Russian protest group to participate in lecture series

By GILLIAN JAKAB Daily Arts Writer

Patriarch Gundyay believes in Putin / Would be better, the bastard, if he believed in God! / The Virgin’s belt won’t replace political gatherings / The eternal “Punk Prayer” Virgin Mary is with us in Penny Stamps our protests!

Lecture Series These are Pussy Riot/Zona Prava some of the lyrics from Thursday, September Pussy Riot’s 18, 5:10 p.m.

“Punk The Michigan Theater Prayer,” Free performed by five masked faces in Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in March 2012. They criticize, among other things, the lack of separation between the Russian Orthodox Church and Putin’s increasingly totalitarian government. The Pussy Riot members brought their message of rights for Russia’s marginalized — women, LGBTQ, youth — up from Moscow’s underground scene and into view of the world.

But they did so at a price.

Nadezhda (Nadya) Tolokonnikova and Maria (Masha) Alyokhina, two of Pussy Riot’s members, were among those arrested for the performance and were sentenced to two years of prison on charges of “hooliganism” and disrupting public order with a religious hate crime. Amnesty International and many other human rights organizations decried the prosecution as suppression of free speech and politically motivated. The women’s trial and imprisonment under harsh conditions gained international attention and an outpouring of sympathy from artists around the world.

Vigilance and pressure from the international community may have contributed to the Pussy Riot members’ early release in December 2013, though some said it was because the expiration of their terms would have coincided with the Winter Olympics in Russia.

Having endured the horrors of Russia’s prisons and legal system, Masha and Nadya have founded Zona Prava (Justice Zone), a prisoner’s rights NGO that offers advocacy and aid to prisoners, and MediaZona, a media forum that reports on issues of prisons and legal systems worldwide.

The rockers-turned-revolutionaries are publicizing their experiences and aims in a world tour that includes a stop in Ann Arbor. This Thursday evening in the Michigan Theater, University organizations The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series and the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies are co-presenting the Pussy Riot/Zona Prava members’ lecture “Punk Prayer.”

In curating the Stamps series, Chrisstina Hamilton — director of visitor’s programs at the Penny Stamps School of Art and Design — tries to choose speakers that reflect the issues of concerns and interest on campus and in the classroom.

The lineup is created via nominations from throughout the University, but the particular invitation to Pussy Riot and Zona Prava members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, was a whim of Hamilton’s own.

Hamilton was in New York this past spring when the two Pussy Riot members gave a public interview on Randall’s Island organized

by London’s Frieze Festival. The interview was conducted in a room that allowed only 100 seats and left many disgruntled feminist punk enthusiasts on the outs.

“When I was there, I said to the organizers: please put me in touch with them because I actually have a 1,700 seat theater,” Hamilton said. “Obviously they want to speak to people about what they’re doing; I can give them a much more public voice and venue in order to do that.”

The Michigan Theater is an icon in a city steeped in the history of political activism and influential artist communities. Though the scale and methods of protest at the University have shifted since the 1960s, students today grapple with issues of identity through publications such as The Michigan Daily’s “Michigan in Color” series and “What the F,” and voice their passions for social, economic and political justice locally and globally. Pussy Riot’s words, their credibility rooted in deeds, will find a warm reception here.

“Russia’s in the news constantly right now,” Hamilton said. “The fact that these young women were able to stand up to Putin, be in prison, and … have garnered this international attention, gives them a lot of power.”

Masha and Nadya are harnessing this power to shed light on the oppression of feminist and LGBTQ communities in Russia, the consequences of dissent, and the brutal Russian penal system.

“A lot of the people who are

going to come obviously know something of the story of what’s happened to them up to this point, but I think it will be very excited to hear about what their plans are now that they’ve captured the world stage, what are they going to do with it?”

Though they are rock stars on the metaphorical stage of world politics and media, they will not be performing in the musical sense on the stage of the Michigan Theater.

Right before coming to Ann Arbor, Pussy Riot joined many punk bands at Riot Fest Chicago, not on the lineup to play a concert, but to give a panel discussion.

“They won’t actually be performing,” Hamilton said. “I asked them about it when we were discussing the whole thing and their response was: they don’t perform … they’re activists. They would perform if there were a reason to, as they have done.”

“I’m looking at it more as the context of the moment that they’re performing in, which in some ways makes it more punk rock than any punk rock,” she added.

In the field of performance studies, some scholars would disagree with this distinction and tend to define performance as a public practice, analyzing “performances” spanning the spectrum from religious rituals to Shakespeare on a proscenium stage. Though Pussy Riot did not achieve its fame by merit of their music and performance art, the group’s genre of conceptual art amplifies and articulates its political message.

In their interview on the Colbert Report, Nadya and Masha say they’ve come to America to “look at American prisons, to talk to human rights activists, and to learn from their experience.”

They explain that it presents a middle ground between the inhumane prison system in Russia and the mostly pleasant conditions of the prisons they visited in the Netherlands. On campus, Nadya and Masha will get to learn more about the American prison system when they meet with Lisa Greco, the Prison Creative Arts (PCAP) events coordinator and Washtenaw County Youth Center Director, as well as Carol Morris, a local artist who works with women in prison and youth in detention and treatment. They will tour the facility and discuss the work of PCAP. “Performing” or not, the only way to experience the power of Pussy Riot is live, and this Thursday’s Penny Stamps lecture is one of a select few opportunities in the U.S. to do so.

ALBUM REVIEW

T-Swift transitions into pop on ‘1989’

By GIBSON JOHNS Daily Arts Writer

Taylor Swift recently moved from Nashville to New York City.

She craved a change in scenery that would match her new outlook on A life: an outlook devoid of famous 1989 ex-boyfriends and full of Taylor Swift famous girl- Big Machine friends, an outlook that required her to cut her hair and look effortlessly put-together at all times, an outlook that saw her finally make the switch from

country to pop. And it’s an outlook that is not-so-subtly evident on her fifth album, 1989.

To be sure, Swift’s in-yourface approach to her newfound pop persona works tremendously well. Throughout 1989 we hear a Taylor Swift that is more confident, bold and self-aware than ever before. It’s clear that she knows exactly what she’s doing. Her welcoming embrace of pop freed her from the constraints imposed on her by the “country” label, she’s experimenting with new sounds, intonations and writing techniques.

The 13-track album begins with “Welcome To New York,” a love

song co-written with Ryan Tedder that pays homage to, you guessed it, The Big Apple. If 1989 had been filled with 13 songs like this, it would have been an uninspired disappointment — the lyrics play on clichéd ideas of being young and independent in New York City and the production, though technically sound, presents nothing that new.

But by predictably opening 1989, her first pop album, with a song about moving to New York, Swift feeds into our expectations only to immediately turn around and shut them down. “Took our broken hearts / Put them in a drawer,” she declares. And on the rest of 1989, though she opens that drawer a few

“Gone Girl” may be a twisty and fast-paced thriller, but the film’s defining characteristic is how surprising it is.

At first A glance, the story seems Gone Girl familiar.

At Quality 16 Down-on-hisluck husband and Rave Nick Dunne 20th Century Fox (Ben Affleck, “Argo”) comes home from a day at work to find his darling wife Amy (Rosamund Pike, “An Education”) missing.

He’s not as distraught as he should be; evasive and glib, he flashes his sickening dead-eyed smile at the most inopportune of moments. Even Nick’s square jaw and “villainous” chin recall other wife-killers and smooth criminals (particularly Scott Peterson, whose parallel situation and physical resemblance to Nick cannot be coincidental). Affleck’s tabloid celebrity makes for a perfect casting choice. It’s a role built for a recognizable face, and a perfect vehicle for Affleck to showcase the finest acting of his career.

Even the most confusing casting choices make sense upon seeing the film. Pike, who’s mostly known for playing a Bond Girl and the sister of Jane Austen heroines, is flawless as a girl who’s bitter at being sidestepped and underestimated. Tyler Perry (“Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too”) is astoundingly subtle in a dramatic role, playing attorney Tanner Bolt with some slick dark humor that never veers into silly Madea territory. Emily Ratajkowski (the brunette from the “Blurred Lines” music video) plays a needy young temptress, and Ratajkowski proves she’s an adept actress even when she’s not teasing Robin Thicke. Neil Patrick Harris, famous for playing womanizing Barney Stinson on “How I Met Your Mother,” is a natural choice for calculating lover Desi Collings.

The film winks at viewers’ expectations when it comes to Harris, with even his creepiest lines eliciting giggles. His series of increasingly predatory comments are funny until, suddenly, no one’s

times, she proves that her heart is anything but broken.

On the ironic “Blank Space,” which follows “New York,” Swift directly acknowledges these expectations and the image of her that have been constantly perpetuated in the media (“Got a long list of ex-lovers / They’ll tell you I’m insane”). She’s in on the joke and she doesn’t really care if you believe her or not. This sentiment is also echoed on the album’s first single, “Shake It Off,” which is another direct call at her haters who, regardless of what she does, will continue to “hate hate hate.”

Most of 1989’s standout moments are the ones during which we hear Swift’s voice in settings where we haven’t heard it before. On “I Know Places,” her voice is erie and pointed in its verses but as soaring and hopeful as ever in the refrains. “Wildest Dreams” sees her channeling Lana Del Rey’s enchantingly drowsy vocalization in a call to past lovers to remember her. “I Wish You Would,” one of two songs written with fun.’s Jack Antonoff (who also happens to be the boyfriend of Swift’s pal Lena Dunham), would fit right in with the late ’80s electro-pop that Swift said inspired most of the album.

Perhaps the most anticipated track on 1989, “Bad Blood,” lives up to its hype. The foot-stomping, hand-clapping, anger-fueled track was written about a fellow female popstar, who’s all but confirmed to be Katy Perry, that apparently scorned her unprovoked

20TH CENTURY FOX

‘I can’t wait till it’s ‘69 Days Gone.’ How bout you?‘

laughing anymore. The reversal is jarring and one of the most startling moments of the film (I wouldn’t dare spoil anything more specific).

“Gone Girl” also plays on its recognizability as a David Fincher film. The director’s name comes with certain assumptions, and viewers walking into the theater expect to see cinematography tinted yellow, naturalistic acting and a slow and deliberate unfurling of mystery. Fincher is an auteur for the modern era, where half of the fun of watching his films come from the comparison to the rest of his body of work. While Fincher’s Missouri is doused in maize and Affleck often delivers his lines in a Jesse Eisenberg-esque mumble, “Gone Girl” is more than another Fincher vehicle. A lot of the nuance of the story is owed to screenwriter (and the original novel’s author) Gillian Flynn. She adapts her source material with an eye for the screen, and isn’t afraid to excise elements that don’t translate as well to film. (Namely, a lot of detail with Nick’s father and elaboration on their struggles in New York.)

The book’s breathless 432 pages are cut into a lean 149 minutes with just a few regrettable omissions.

The only one worth lamenting is the famous “Cool Girl” passage, which has much less impact when delivered in voice-over and placed in a completely different part of the story.

The plot twists unfold effortlessly as viewers are afforded little omniscience. You

only glimpse Nick and Amy’s relationship from their unreliable narration, which is often peppered with misleading evidence and, sometimes, blatant lies. Insight into the investigation comes from the endearing, sometimes incompetent detectives Boney (Kim Dickens, “Deadwood”) and Gilpin (Patrick Fugit, “Almost Famous”). Their leads are flawed, formed as much by the media’s perception of Nick and Amy as the calculated versions of themselves that the couple present. Nick might seem like an eager-to-please mama’s boy gone psychopathic, but even this blundering open book is capable of keeping some killer secrets. The extent of Amy’s manipulation is rarely clear, and the flashbacks as seen through her diary are mediated through Nick’s perceptions of her (though they are technically written down by Amy).

As the caricatures of the Dunnes denature into chaos, it’s impossible to discern who’s trustworthy and who’s putting on a show.

“Gone Girl” is the type of film that can still provide thrills several rewatches later, and manages to be equally stunning for fans of the book and newbies to Nick and Amy’s fucked-up, power play love. It’s not just a film, but an experience — thanks in part to masterful acting, excellent direction and the eerie score provided by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. “Gone Girl” is often emotional, darkly comic, terrifying and always, always surprising.

(something tells me John Mayer, an ex they both share, had to do with it). It’s a clear single candidate and represents a rare example on 1989 of Taylor doing what we have come to expect from her in the past — singing songs written about famous exes (friends and boyfriends) in a tongue-in-cheek manner, baiting us into guessing who they’re about. The funky “Style,” another probable single, also exemplifies this Swiftian tendency, albeit (again) not-sosubtly. Let’s just say there’s only one member of One Direction that she used to date and who essentially shares a surname with the song’s title. While 1989 excels by playing down this celebrity callout style of song, what it’s lacking is another quality of songwriting that has become classic Swift: that of little, personal details that accentuate the imagery in her music.

Part of what made Taylor Swift’s previous work so special were those instances where she got so specific with her writing that, at least on the surface, it appeared as though we were present in those intimate moments with her. Though we do get some of that on 1989, like on the building ballad “Out Of The Woods” when she sings about “[moving] the furniture so we could dance” and “Remember when you hit the breaks too soon? / 20 stitches in the hospital room,” there is markedly less detail here than on her past efforts. Is this a result of Swift’s heavy collaboration with pop mastermind Max Martin? Probably. But it’s also not

necessarily a negative. Sure, we all loved that knack for detailed lyricism that characterized Swift’s first four albums, but what we get on 1989 is more honed-in songwriting and more complex lyrical structure. We get songs that are more universally relatable.

In other words, what we get is massive, glorious, no holds barred pop.

There was a lot riding on 1989.

Swift’s break-up with country music was risky and had the potential to turn away loyal country fans. The aggressive marketing and social media presence surrounding its release implied that there is something to be wildly excited about. The troubling decline in music sales this year only increased that pressure (as did the fact that Swift’s last album, Red (2012), is the most recent album to sell over a million copies in a week). But, just like she knows exactly what people think of her and her image and her music, Taylor Swift knew this. So she delivered.

1989 is as fresh a pop album as we’d ever hope of having the pleasure to listen to, especially these days when producing a cohesive album seems to be the last thing many single-track-minded pop stars have the intention of doing. It may have been inspired by an era of pop that ended 25 years ago when Swift was born, but it brings something new and something much-needed to the mainstream pop landscape.

Taylor Swift: the pop star who will never go out of style.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015 — 7

2011

2012

April 9: Michigan hockey falls to Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2 in overtime to fall in the National Championship game. Junior goaltender Shawn Hunwick made 35 saves in the loss.

IN

September 10: Michigan overcomes a 17-point deficit to defeat Notre Dame, 35-31 in the first night game at Michigan Stadium.

Roy Roundtree scores the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left.

January 10: The Wolverines defeat Virginia Tech, 23-20 in overtime to win the Sugar Bowl. Michigan’s 11 wins in the 2011 season is a feat only reached by 10 other seasons in Michigan’s 135-year history.

March: The Michigan hockey team earns a bid in its 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament, an all-time record March 4: The Michigan men’s basketball team clinches a share of the Big Ten title, its first since 1986

Zach Helfand: Dear Denard ZACH HELFAND Daily Sports Editor

FILE PHOTO

Reciever Junior Hemingway scored two touchdowns as Michigan defeated No. 13 Virginia Tech, 23-20 in overtime to claim its first BCS bowl win since 2000

Michigan wins Sugar Bowl in overtime thriller over Virginia Tech

By TIM ROHAN Daily Sports Editor

NEW ORLEANS — Brady Hoke leaned in, hugged Junior Heming way and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

Heming way’s Most Outstanding Player Trophy sat on the table in front of him, and Hoke smiled as he took his seat.

Earlier, Heming way cried on his mother’s shoulder while celebrating Michigan’s 23-20 overtime victory in the Sugar Bowl over No. 13 Virginia Tech. Hoke always said he’d lead with his seniors, and a fifth-year senior had capped the coach’s blessed first season with a win.

“You’ve got to have g uys who can make those plays, and when (Denard Robinson and Heming way) are the ones doing it, you feel pretty good about it,” said Hoke, whose team became just the fifth in modern Michigan football history to win 11 games.

On a day Michigan amassed just 184 yards of offense, it wasn’t Denard Robinson or Fitzgerald Toussaint that saved the day, it was “Big Play” Heming way, as Robinson calls him. No one will be quick to call Michigan’s win pretty, but the few plays Michigan did make came at the most crucial of times, when the game was in the balance.

The first half had belonged to Virginia Tech, but Michigan held the lead. The second half belonged to the Hokies too, but Michigan had overtime. When overtime came, Virginia Tech’s third-string kicker — who had was a perfect 2-for-2 to that point — missed a 37-yard field goal.

Michigan’s Brendan Gibbons made his 37-yarder.

After the game, Hemingway found his place on the stage at the 20-yard line, maize and blue confetti falling, right near where he initially caught in his first touchdown catch-and-run.

At that point, right was left. Up was down. And, still, Junior Heming way was celebrating in the end zone.

Call it magic. Call it luck.

But Robinson and Hemingway routinely made plays like this all season.

Robinson had thrown a

pick on just his second pass attempt of the game, when he lofted a ball toward Hemingway, who had a one-on-one matchup. Earlier this week, Robinson said he wouldn’t second-g uess himself when he looked towards Hemingway.

“We had a lot of confidence in that combination,” Hoke said.

With Virginia Tech romping and the half winding down, Robinson had Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech’s best cornerback, reaching for his ankles.

But the junior quarterback reloaded and fired off his back foot as two more Hokies crashed into him.

The ball f loated. Virginia Tech safety Eddie Whitley whiffed on the pick, while his teammate, Antone Exum, was two steps out of place. The ball landed neatly in Hemingway’s hands. The fifth-year senior raced for a 45-yard touchdown.

For Robinson, it was another head-scratching decision that turned out OK. Borges has resigned himself to the fact that his quarterback doesn’t always listen to the advice he gave him before the season: “Make plays and let God do the miracles.”

“Sometimes he elbows God outta the way and decides he wants to do it anyway,” Borges said.

On that play, Michigan inexplicably took its first lead, 7-6.

Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas had put on an aerial show, lasering passes in and around a Michigan secondary that lived almost exclusively by the motto “bend, but don’t break.” His favorite target was receiver Danny Coale, who was a nuisance for the Michigan secondary all game.

And Thomas’s running back, ACC Player of the Year David Wilson, found room on the edges, where so many teams exploited Michigan this season.

On defense, the Hokies’ front seven blitzed Robinson, containing him to modest gains. Toussaint’s quickness wasn’t always enough, either.

Virginia Tech had more yards in the first half than Michigan did the entire game (185), but the Hokies were held to just six points due to an opportunistic Michigan defense and timely mistakes.

“This defense made this game happen,” said redshirt sophomore tackle Taylor Lewan.

“Because God knows our offense didn’t.”

On Virginia Tech’s first drive of the game, facing a first-downand-goal, with the ball on their own 4-yard line, Wilson bounced outside. But he quickly aborted the original plan, as his offensive line lie obliterated on the ground. Thomas Gordon, Craig Roh, Jordan Kovacs, Jibreel Black and Jake Ryan stared him down like a pack of foaming dogs. Relentless, they chased Wilson as he retreated.

Brief ly, Wilson entertained the thought of running around them. But Ryan accelerated, wrapping Wilson and hurling him down 22 yards from where the play started.

Virginia Tech settled for a field goal.

Then, with a chance to demoralize Michigan and build on a 6-0 lead, facing a fourth-and-1 again on the Wolverines’ 4-yard line, Thomas tried to sneak the ball himself. Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Ryan Van Bergen stuffed him.

Virginia Tech came away with no points.

After Hemingway’s touchdown catch — and right on cue — senior special teamer J.B. Fitzgerald forced a fumble on the kickoff and Michigan tacked on a field goal.

Early in the second half,

“You’ve got to have guys who can make those plays.”

the defense complemented “Big Play” Hemingway again.

Freshman defensive end Frank Clark snatched a screen pass out of the air, and four plays later Hemingway was celebrating.

Robinson threw the ball high and far, where only Hemingway could reach it. He tiptoed the sidelines and came down with the catch. The play was reminiscent of his missed opportunity at Iowa, when Hemingway couldn’t come down in bounds with a high pass.

In his head, he thought: “Please, Denard, throw this up. Please, I want you to so bad.”

The 17-6 lead allowed Michigan breathing room, as Thomas led the Hokies back with two consecutive scoring drives — a field goal and a touchdown. A beautiful pass to the back of the end zone converted the two-point conversion, tying the game.

But Michigan no longer needed “Big Play” Hemingway’s services.

Coale, who kicked in high school, was called upon to punt earlier in the game for the Hokies. He was no slouch kicking the ball, but with the game tied 17-17 midway through the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer elected to call the fake.

The Wolverines had trouble covering the Hokie receivers and slowing Thomas’s quarterback runs, but they snuffed Coale’s run out. Then Gibbons nailed a 39-yarder, which was enough to get Michigan to overtime.

His teammates knew Heming way had carried them there.

“Real big impact,” Toussaint said. “I’m kind of speechless about that. He was outstanding tonight.”

TAMPA, Fla. — Even after it was over, Denard, you made three strangers smile.

After the miracle attempt failed and the clock ran out Tuesday, after South Carolina pulled out a 33-28 victory in the final seconds, you walked to the middle of the field and shook hands.

For once, you didn’t smile.

A group of three stadium staffers approached you with a camera phone. It was 4:44 p.m., two minutes after your career ended.

The pain was still fresh — you hadn’t even made it off the field.

Yet, at your lowest point, you posed with them for a photo.

One last memory.

Thirty-seven minutes later, at your press conference, you talked about memories, sitting on a black plastic chair in a dim concrete alcove beneath Raymond James Stadium. On the cinderblock wall above your head, on laminated paper, someone had scrawled “16 Robinson” in red dry-erase marker, as if a reminder were necessary. Here, still no smile, just downcast looks and shiny glass eyes.

“I want (the fans) to remember whatever they want to remember,” you said. “The ups and downs.”

They already do. They remember the little things.

A teacher from western New York took his friends to their first Michigan game. It was your first too. You fumbled a ball and picked it up and ran for a touchdown. They’ve been fans ever since.

A law student watched your freshman year, and at first, he thought you were just a speedy athlete. Then he saw the look on your face after you threw a game-ending interception at Iowa. He saw how devastated you were; he saw how much you cared. From that moment on, he cared too.

Ups and downs.

A sophomore watched your improbable win over the Irish two years later. After your gamewinning pass to Roy Roundtree, he felt like he was swept up in a wave, like the student section had swollen and burst. He hugged weeping strangers.

Everyone has his own photograph of your career.

The reporters asked questions about your legacy. You said you don’t know what it should

be.

These four years were long and messy. How do you condense four years into a neat picture? How do you define a legacy?

Sometimes your crazy scrambles worked. Sometimes they didn’t. But like the law student, we cared because you cared.

Because you danced with us at basketball games. Because you were one of us.

We cared because when there wasn’t much to be excited about, you supplied the excitement. As Desmond Howard said of you Tuesday, “The whole nation, when they watched him play, just kind of held their breath.”

It was messy, but that’s okay.

We don’t need to define you. We have our memories.

As you talked, nearby, your teammate, Quinton Washington, described what he’d remember about your career. It’s not just the plays on the field. It’s the effect you had on people off it.

Just this year, a junior saw you walking into Angell Hall.

You smiled at everyone as you held the door for your classmates. You told her to have a good day, and she did.

Last year, a senior sat next to you at the library. Surely you don’t remember him. But he’ll remember forever. You offered him a piece of your Kit Kat. Chin up, Denard, we need your smile.

But we didn’t get the goodbye right, did we? After four years, 10,776 yards and a lot of magic, your end came on a sideline in Florida with your helmet in your hand — watching an offense that used to be yours — and a photo with three strangers. A frown instead of a smile.

In your first game, you did no wrong. You had the fumble touchdown on your first carry.

Your last rush, after you set the NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback, was a threeyard loss. Your last pass was a duck.

Your team didn’t need you anymore.

The big plays happened elsewhere, and often you just watched, like everyone else: a Gardner sneak or scramble; a Jeremy Gallon catch; a Drew Dileo fake punt.

After the photo, you jogged toward the tunnel, stopping to walk off the field with your fellow captain and friend, Jordan Kovacs.

8 — Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015

2013

March 31-April 6: The Wolverines defeat Florida, 79–59 to make their first Final Four appearance since 1993. Michigan then defeated Syracuse by a score of 61–56 in the Final Four. In the National Championship game, the Wolverines fell to Louisville by the score of 82–76.

March 31: Michigan men’s swimming and diving clinches its 12th national championship, its first since 1995.

September 8: In its second-ever night game, Michigan Stadium sets attendance record when 115,109 fans watch Michigan defeat Notre Dame, 41-30

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

2014

2015

March 8: Michigan men’s basketball clinches its second Big Ten title in three seasons, going 15-3 in conference play.

January 8: Hockey coach Red Berenson leads Michigan to his 800th career win, a feat only matched by three others in history

March 28: The men’s gymnastics team clinches it second-consecutive national

March 21: Michigan hockey falls to Minnesota in the Big Ten Championship game, ensuring basketball, hockey and football all missed the postseason for the first time since 1973

December 30: Michigan introduces former quarterback Jim Harbaugh as head football coach

April 4: 60,000 fans file into Michigan Stadium to watch Jim Harbaugh’s first game as head football coach, a school record.

Bye, Trey EVERETT COOK Daily Sports Editor

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Sophomore guard Trey Burke drained a last-second 3-pointer to topple Kansas in the sweet 16. Michigan went all the way to the 2013 National Championship.

Trey Burke makes last-second shot DANIEL WASSERMAN Daily Sports Editor

ARLINGTON, Texas — One night, and one more time Thanks for the memories Maybe the Fall Out Boy hit was just a part of the Kansas pep band’s routine playlist, but maybe — with the Jayhawks leading 63-52 during a timeout at the 9:59 mark of the second half — it was an early tip of the cap, an ode to the end of the 2012-13 Michigan men’s basketball team. And why not? Kansas was dominating all facets of the game and well on its way to the Elite Eight.

So thanks for the memories, cheerleader Alexandria DeLuca.

You’re a senior, so it appeared to be your final game cheerleading for Michigan, and you knew the tears were on their way.

Thank you, LSA junior Zachary Salander. As a mellophone player in Michigan’s pep band, we’ve heard you during each and every home game, though we wouldn’t recognize you if we passed you on the street.

And thank you, Josh Bartelstein and Matt Vogrich. The pair of senior guards battled day in and day out in practice and provided invaluable leadership but played sparingly this season.

Both of your basketball careers looked to be over, and in nine minutes and 59 seconds, your real-world lives were set to begin.

But most importantly, thank you, Trey Burke. You were the catalyst behind an improbable Big Ten Championship last season,

and as college basketball’s best player this year, you put the Michigan basketball program back into a spotlight that hasn’t shined on Ann Arbor since the Fab Five days.

One night, and one more time Thanks for the memories For much of Friday night, as the Wolverines couldn’t keep up with the Jayhawks, it was time to reflect on the memories of a season full of ups and downs, and of course, Burke’s illustrious twoyear career. By the 9:59 mark, Burke was shooting just 4-for-12, good for just eight points after being held scoreless in the first half. His time in a maize-andblue jersey was fleeting as each second ticked away on the massive Cowboy Stadium jumbotron.

Kansas continued to pour it on, eventually stretching its lead to 14 with 6:50 to play. Meanwhile, not even lottery-pick money could buy Burke a shot in the game’s first 38 minutes. The sophomore missed 12 shots on Friday.

But then something changed.

Staring down an eight-point deficit with 1:22 left to play and stuck on 10 points, Burke channeled his inner Jordan — yeah, that Jordan.

“I grew up watching Michael Jordan,” Burke said in the locker room nearly an hour later. “I’ve seen him make so many shots, and I’m not comparing myself to him, but — ” He paused to collect himself, before referencing his favorite MJ quote.

I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the winning

shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.

And that is why I succeed.

“I think that described me tonight,” Burke said calmly.

At the 1:15 mark, he nailed a 3-pointer: five-point game. With 14 seconds left, a layup: three-point game.

And with six ticks left, after Elijah Johnson missed the front end of a one-and-one, Burke pulled up from around seven feet behind the 3-point line: tie game.

“The moment it left my hand, I knew it was good,” Burke said.

So from Bartelstein, who was so confident that Burke’s shot would go in that he jumped out of his seat while the ball was at the peak of its arc, thank you, Trey Burke.

“That’s not how it was supposed to end. I’m not even sure what happened,” Bartelstein said. “I don’t recommend normal people taking that shot,” he continued. “It was an iconic shot from an iconic player.”

“I just want to sit here forever,” he said aloud, but to no one in particular, from his seat in the locker room. A few minutes later, as he was still reveling in the moment, his dad texted him an underwhelming message that called Burke and teammate Mitch McGary “good.”

“We’ve got the best player in the country on our team,” Vogrich said. “I never thought it was over. But that’s the greatest game I’ve ever seen. Unbelievable. That was nuts, man.”

“I was right under the basket, and he shot it and I was like, ‘It’s going, it’s going, this is going in,

this shot is going in the bucket!’

And then it went in,” Salander said. “It was just absolutely insane.

“I jumped and screamed and like, I — I just went crazy.”

After a brief celebration when the overtime clock read zero, and Michigan had escaped with an 87-85 win, he calmly walked off the floor.

But the moment he stepped into the tunnel, hidden from the public’s view, he jumped and let out a feverish scream.

“Oh my gosh, it was just total excitement,” he said. “It was hard to contain myself.”

And then there was DeLuca.

The tears that, as Michigan trailed throughout the game, she expected still did stream down her face.

“There were actually two moments that I cried,” she said, noting both the immediate aftermath of Burke’s game-tying 3-pointer and Kansas’ buzzer-beating miss in overtime.

“It was overwhelming,” DeLuca said. “You don’t want it to be over, so I was really just hoping that we could pull it off, that it just wasn’t over yet.”

It wasn’t over on Friday night, and come Saturday morning, when Bartelstein, Vogrich, Salander and DeLuca could’ve been boarding planes back to Michigan, they’ll instead still be in Dallas.

So the journeys of these four, out-of-the spotlight upperclassmen will continue until at least Sunday afternoon, where for at least one night, and one more time, we’ll say to you, Trey Burke, thanks for the memories.

ATLANTA — With six minutes left in Michigan’s 82-76 loss to Louisville in the National Championship, Trey Burke launched himself off the ground and toward the backboard, stretching his arm as far up as it could possibly go, trying to stop the trajectory of Louisville guard Peyton Siva.

It was a breakaway play in transition, one-on-one, point guard against point guard. Siva rose up with his right hand, cradling the ball, trying to slam it up and over Burke.

Any other point guard either lets Siva go or tries to strip the ball in the air. Burke tried to block it.

Ninety seconds prior, the sophomore point guard had been lying facedown on the court, trying to recover after being fouled hard on a drive. He had been beaten up all game by the physical Cardinal defense, and it was starting to take its toll.

Burke got up and walked to the free-throw line, head down. Jordan Morgan caught him before he got to the stripe, telling Burke to lift his head. Morgan knew his point guard was hurting. The redshirt junior center told him, “Just keep fighting. Just six more minutes.”

Burke nodded, but missed the first free throw. He muttered something under his breath, took a breath, stepped forward and made the second one. He was in pain.

But in the open court against Siva, the 6-foot Burke got up higher than he had all season. Half of his forearm was above the rim, where his hand met nothing but the ball. It was a clean rejection, a perfect defensive play and a perfect snapshot of two leaders leaving everything on the line.

Then, a whistle. Burke was called for the foul, and Siva made both his free throws.

After the game, 11 players and coaches were asked if the play was clean. All 11 said it was, but all said it ultimately didn’t affect the outcome. There were so many other plays that swung the game.

All 11 praised the point guard for being able to even get there.

“If there’s one person who can’t hang his head, it’s Trey,” said freshman guard Nik Stauskas. “He’s carried us all year long.”

There’s a story that Michigan assistant coach LaVall Jordan likes to tell about Burke.

In the first open gym of Burke’s Michigan career in the summer

of 2011, Jordan approached Burke and asked him, “You like winning, don’t you?” Burke, then 19, responded, “Coach, I win. That’s what I do.”

Jordan knew that Burke had won the Ohio State Championship as a sophomore in high school, so he laughed and nodded, trying to humor his young point guard.

Dead serious, without a glint of humor, Burke looked up at Jordan, shook his head and said, “Coach, I win. That’s what I do.”

That’s not the interesting part. The interesting part is that Jordan believed Burke, the soon to be freshman who hadn’t yet played in a collegiate game.

Jordan could see the drive that earned Michigan a Big Ten title last year and brought it six points away from a national championship this year.

After two years, Ann Arbor has seen it, probably for the last time Monday. He almost left last year, but on April 9, 2012, he said, “I felt like it was the best decision for me to stay my sophomore year and compete for a national championship next year.”

After sweeping the four major National Player of the Year awards and getting the Wolverines to Atlanta, Burke accomplished what he wanted to. For him, there’s nothing left to accomplish at Michigan. It’s almost a foregone conclusion he will play in the NBA next year.

But on Monday, he was still a Wolverine, and he was still the best player in the country, still the player capable of making shots 30 feet from the basket. Every time it felt like the game was slipping away, there was Burke, willing Michigan back into it.

He finished the contest with a game-high 24 points while missing just four shots and tallied six of Michigan’s last 10 points. He couldn’t, wouldn’t let his team let it slip away.

“He’s a superhero. A mythological figure,” said senior captain Josh Bartelstein. “I’ve never enjoyed playing with anybody so much. He’s the best basketball player I’ve ever played with, and I’ve played with some good players. That kid is going to have an unbelievable career in the NBA.” It’s not a one-man game, though. With 40 seconds left, Burke knew Michigan needed to foul, but also knew he had four of his own. Manically, he tried waving freshman guard Caris LeVert — or anyone he could find — over to commit the infraction. Nobody else understood, and time kept ticking away. Burke’s last two shot attempts fell short.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015 — 9

For third year in a row, hockey misses tourney

By JEREMY SUMMIT Daily Sports Editor

DETROIT — Red Berenson leans back in his chair with a scowl. He sips some water as he tries to process how the past hour could have left him smiling.

For the third straight season, his team has missed the NCAA Tournament.

For the third straight season, it has been only one game — in fact, one period — that has kept the Michigan hockey team from receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Sometimes, even legends are defeated.

Berenson hasn’t been to the national tournament since 2012. Before that, he had led his team there for 22 consecutive seasons.

His glossy eyes match his players’. It isn’t any easier for a 75-year old Hall of Fame coach to stomach the gut-wrenching blow his team was dealt on Saturday — a 4-2 defeat against Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament championship.

“He was pretty heartbroken like we were,” said freshman defenseman Zach Werenski.

Berenson didn’t say much to his team after the game. Words are tough to construct in a state of such heartbreak.

There’s little you can say to the faces of grown men when those faces are coated with tears.

Even in his 31st season behind the Wolverine bench, Berenson is often stoic and stern. He would have welcomed a reason to smile after Saturday’s loss, but there

wasn’t any.

After fielding questions from reporters, Berenson walked straight to the team bus. He sat there as his team filed out of the locker room, heads down and optimism dashed. Berenson sat in the front of the bus as thoughts on another season of underachievement rushed through his head.

Hardly anyone takes losing as hard as Berenson does.

“You know what, I went through that three-year stretch where we didn’t make it,” said Minnesota coach Don Lucia.

“You don’t even want to watch the NCAA Tournament because you’re bummed out, because you’re competitive, and Red is as competitive as anybody else.”

Berenson has said he would be the first to step down if he thought he couldn’t lead the Michigan hockey program to its full potential. The team means too much for him not to.

But his coaching ability hasn’t faded.

The Wolverines needed their best weekend of hockey to have a chance at winning the Big Ten Tournament and, defensively, they got that.

In the final month of the season, Berenson pushed his team to buy into a defensive philosophy that was lacking beforehand.

Following a disheartening loss to Ohio State on Feb. 20, Berenson called a team meeting.

The Wolverines’ defense was in flames, and Berenson’s message was simple — play better without the puck. It took time for

the team to buy in, but it bought in this weekend, when it mattered most.

Berenson preaches defense, and he preaches work ethic. His team played through the philosophy of its legendary coach.

The effort was there, the desperation was there and the defensive JAMES COLLER/Daily corps was consistently stout for the Michigan coach Red Berenson speaks to media after the Michigan hockey lost in the Big Ten Championship game March 21. first time in a long time. he loves competition, but he loves coach- his stature.

Winning and losing are separated by ing most when he gets to watch his young He has won two national championthe smallest of margins. The dichotomy players grow as people and as hockey play- ships with Michigan, coached dozens of between how a person feels after winning ers.

NHL players and created a program built and how a person feels after losing, how“Our team really came up and our on hard work and integrity. ever, is immense. young guys came up,” Berenson said. “I After Saturday’s game, Berenson insist“Very few teams and individuals get mean, who would have thought (Cutler) ed the podium wasn’t his to take, though it to finish their season on a winning note,” Martin would be playing regular, the way has been his for the taking throughout his said undergraduate assistant coach Mike he has, as an unknown coming in and so entire career.

Komisarek. “So, that’s where we want to on. I could go through our lineup, and “Look, I don’t want to take any more be, and that’s where we want to get at.” it wasn’t just the freshmen, it was the time,” he said. “This podium should be for And Berenson will be a part of it. He has seniors as well.” the winners, OK? Thank you.” one year remaining on his contract, and he As a man of few words, Berenson likely He then sauntered out of the room as has admitted he thinks about retirement a won’t express how much this weekend a coach whose season ended prematurely lot. stings, nor will he admit how long it might and as a legend who has been left emptyBut this is not the summer that Beren- sting for. He’s used to being at the top of handed. There wasn’t anything left to say son walks away from what he’s most pas- the hockey world. This is an uncomfort- anyway. sionate about. He loves coaching because able and unfamiliar position for a coach of Berenson had his chance to speak at the “Pommel horse is the most difficult event to perform on,” Golder said. “But I have a lot of confidence in this team. That’s actually our most consistent event, and that’s very rare.”

On its third rotation of the night, vault, Michigan made uncharacteristic errors that seemingly opened the door for competitors to get back into contention. But the Wolverines slammed that door shut on the next rotation, parallel bars.

Mikulak once again led Michigan with a score of 16.050 – only .050 less than the NCAA record, set by Mikulak himself two weeks ago at the Big Ten Cham-

FILE PHOTO

The Michigan men’s gymnastics team celebrated back-to-back NCAA championships at Crisler Arena in March, 2014

Gymnastics wins backto-back national titles ALEX TAYLOR Daily Sports Writer

The word ‘perfect’ is almost never mentioned in gymnastics, a sport that adheres countless deductions to the smallest of errors, but the Michigan men’s gymnastics team’s performance Friday night came pretty darn close.

After finishing the regular season undefeated and then winning the Big Ten championship, the second-ranked Wolverines wrapped up their perfect season by winning the National Championship with a score of 445.050. Competing at home in the Crisler Center, Michigan edged out second place Oklahoma and third place Stanford

to reach the pinnacle of collegiate gymnastics for a second straight year.

The Wolverines earned the first repeat national championship in school history since the Trampoline program did so in 1969-1970.

Friday also marked the third championship in five years for Michigan, and its sixth all time.

“It just doesn’t get any better than winning it at home,” said Michigan coach Kurt Golder. “And this is my fourth one, and they are all great, but winning it in front of a Michigan crowd in Crisler Center.

And then it being a repeat, it just makes it all the sweeter. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

In addition to winning back-to-

pionships. Graduate student Syque Caesar and Hunter, with scores of 15.200 and 15.050, respectively, also contributed to the overall score of 75.95 – the highest of any team competing.

“You know you’re going to have adversity, and we talked about this quite a bit, and you just have to handle everything,” Golder said.

“We had that fall on vault and the rest of the guys stepped up and we moved to the next event (parallel bars), and we hit a grand slam and a home-run.”

The Wolverines sealed the championship with perhaps their best performance of the night in the sixth and final rotation on floor

exercise. Junior Hub Humphrey, participating in his first event of the night, set the tone for Michigan with a score of 15.15. Junior Stacey Ervin, competing despite a torn bicep, topped Humphrey’s routine with a score of 15.30. But Ervin, too, was upstaged, as Mikulak’s score of 16.05 was the highest on the night on floor exercise by .50 points.

“We are very consistent on floor and once we got three hits out of the way, our two big guys finishing off the meet, we knew it,” Caesar said. “Once Stacey hit, we knew we had it. It just made it all that much better when Sam stuck the dismount, and we all went ballistic.”

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back team championships, senior Sam Mikulak also took home back-to-back all-around titles, with a total score of 91.10. Mikulak had the highest score in three out of the six events on the night, highlighted by his performances on parallel bars and floor exercise.

Though starting the competition on one of the hardest events — pommel horse — the Wolverines took the early lead and never looked back. Mikulak paced Michigan with a score of 15.600 in the event – good enough to tie for first.

Michigan also got a pair of 14.950s from junior Nick Hunter and senior Matt Freeman on its way to a total score of 75.100.

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10 — Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2015

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Jim Harbaugh returns to Michigan GREG GARNO & MAX BULTMAN

Managing Sports Editor and Daily Sports Editor

Jim Harbaugh’s first press conference as Michigan football coach was filled with laughter and clapping from the players, coaches and family looking on.

But the room of hundreds went quiet when Harbaugh was asked if he was inheriting a turnaround program.

“This is Michigan,” Harbaugh said. “There are no turnarounds at Michigan. This is greatness.”

He added in his statement: “Throughout my life I have dreamed of coaching at the University of Michigan. Now I have the honor to live it.”

The Michigan Athletic Department announced the hiring of the former San Francisco 49ers coach on Tuesday afternoon, the

20th coach in program history.

Harbaugh agreed to a seven-year contract paying a base salary of $5 million per year.

Hoarse-voiced from a gatorade bath in his NFL-finale Sunday, he handled his first press conference

“I really made a decision from the heart.” nearly an hour after addressing his team for the first time. Harbaugh didn’t give a timeline for when he planned to name a coaching staff.

A former quarterback under Bo Schembechler, Harbaugh was an All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist, but he’s been part of

the Wolverines’ program since he was nine years old. Harbaugh’s father, Jack, was the defensive backs coach at Michigan while Jim was growing up.

It was then, Harbaugh said, that he first dreamed of coaching at Michigan.

“When I was nine to 10 years old, there was a time when I was sitting in coach Schembechler’s office. I was sitting in his chair; I had my feet up on his desk,” Harbaugh recalled. “He walked in and said, ‘How ya doin’, Jim?’ And I said, ‘I’m doing great Bo, how you doin’? He said, ‘Whattaya doin?’ and I said, ‘I’m sitting in your chair, coach!’ ... There’s just been times in my life where I’ve thought about it, dreamed about it, and now it’s time to live it.”

In addition to his $5 million base salary, Harbaugh’s contract includes incentives for playing in

($125,000) or winning ($250,000) the Big Ten Championship Game, a $50,000 bonus if he is Big Ten Coach of the Year and a $150,000 bonus for each year the team’s Academic Progress Rate is 960 or higher. He can also earn $300,000 for playing the College Football Playoff or $500,000 for winning the national championship.

His contract includes a $2 million signing bonus.

Michigan marks Harbaugh’s fourth head coaching job in the last 10 years, most recently in San Francisco, where his base salary is roughly the same as it will be with the Wolverines.

“I kind of think of myself as a construction guy,” Harbaugh said.

“You build this home, and hopefully it’s a great cathedral, and then afterwards they tell you, ‘Go build another one.’ And I feel like

LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily

Jim Harbaugh was introduced as Michigan head football coach Dec. 30

that again. … But I’d really like to live in one permanently. And that’s what I’m really hopeful for here.”

Harbaugh insisted his decision to take the Michigan job had little to do with his salary or financial considerations.

“I really made a decision from the heart, which I thought was best for myself and my family,” Harbaugh said. “I’m very excited by it and very challenged by it.”

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