2017-12-12

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

ADMINISTRATION

Harper says admin wary of being too transparent The Daily sits down with the VP of Student Life on ME/NA, Latinos, Spencer ANDREW HIYAMA & RIYAH BASHA DESIGN BY ROSEANNE CHAO

A semester in review: How CSG performed on campaign promises After historic win on eMerge ticket, Sarkar & Jawad navigate contentious campus climate JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporter

After spending the winter semester of 2017 campaigning for Central Student Government leadership on the three pillars of voice, opportunity and momentum, the eMerge party led

by President Anushka Sarkar, an LSA senior, and Vice President Nadine Jawad, a Public Policy senior, has taken several steps this semester in fulfilling their promises of last spring, including

passing a number of resolutions and initiatives.

Voice CSG has participated in actions this past semester and has continued initiatives that work aiming to give students greater opportunity to convey their concerns on campus.

Following several bias incidents and discussion on how to best respond to student needs, CSG has spent the past several months working on amending the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which, according

to an interview with Sarkar and Jawad, would include biasmotivated misconduct as both a violation and an aggravating factor in the disciplining process, and on Friday the first stage in the process was passed. The executive board also released a statement in October condemning the naming the namesake building of C.C. Little, who was a eugenicist.

“There’s other ways to look back at history, but I think when we name a building it becomes to normalized into our everyday systems on campus that we totally

forget to check in and see what it was that that president did or what the history entails,” Jawad said during an October meeting.

On Nov. 7, CSG held its weekly meeting on the Diag as another way to elevate student voice, particularly by making the organization more accessible to students — most attended the meeting to primarily talk about #UMDivest.

In addition, CSG looks to continue supporting students on the Ann Arbor City Council See CSG, Page 3

Daily Staff Reporter & Daily News Editor

The Michigan Daily sat down for an interview with E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, to discuss several current issues on campus, including a likely visit from Richard Spencer and the addition of a Middle Eastern/North African category to University of Michigan demographic data collection.

The Daily: The administration has been very clear that safety is the first priority in negotiations with Richard Spencer. Can you talk about what the University outlines as safety, and how it’s taking mental health into account?

Harper: I think the University is thinking primarily about physical safety of everybody involved, and that the rest of us are thinking about, ‘OK, how do we ensure psychological and emotional safety?’ And actually,

we talked with the team down at Florida — our director of Counseling and Psychological Services — about what they provide, when they provided it, how do you — if the decision is made for him to come, how do you get people psychologically and emotionally ready so that it doesn’t have really a detrimental effect on their mental and emotional health?

I think the challenge for the University is, it’s much clearer to think through the issues related to physical safety than it is emotional and psychological safety, because that’s different for some students.

TMD: Can you tell me about what came out of that conversation with the University of Florida?

Harper: For example, one of the things that they said in Florida is it’s really important to have people available before, during and after for some students. That it’s important to have communal spaces where folks can gather.

But there are some folks who say: ’I don’t want to be in a communal See HARPER, Page 3

SAFE and RYA host speak-out against Schlissel & 2 suspects faculty talk Trump’s Jerusalem embassy decision arrested in

ACADEMICS

CRIME

semester’s challenges

After announcement last week, Palestinians, allies worry history will be erased

Senate Assembly meeting focuses on Spencer and sexual harassment policy

Last week President Donald Trump announced the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, breaking international norms, in an attempt to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine, In protest of the decision, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality and Revolutionary Youth Alliance, A2/Ypsi organized a speak-out Monday night at the Michigan Union.

The Trump administration, despite widespread criticism around the world, will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Jerusalem.

Students addressed the group of about 25, condemning the move by Trump and voicing support for Palestinians. Many of Pro-Palestinian student chose to not to speak on the record out of fear of being placed on a blacklist for their views.

“We will be gathering by the couches of the Union for a speak-out protest of Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” the Facebook event description read. “This recognition seeks to erase the Palestinian people and their historical ties to Jerusalem. It also dissolves current, past, and future peace

MAEVE O’BRIEN For the Daily

At its last meeting of the year, the University of Michigan Senate Assembly invited President Mark Schlissel to provide remarks on University progress and challenges from the past semester. Schlissel discussed sexual harassment on campus, the effect of the tax reform bill on graduate students and Richard Spencer’s impending visit.

“It’s been obviously a really challenging semester on campus,” Schlissel said. “The challenges largely being around social issues, issues of inclusion and community occurring in a very difficult national political moment in the United States.”

Schlissel began by listing the series of accomplishments, scholarships and awards earned by alumni, students and faculty over the past year. He underscored the University’s $1.48 billion in research conducted in 2017, resulting in it ranking as the second-best university in the nation for volume of research expenditure See SCHLISSEL, Page 2

GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.

COLIN BERESFORD Daily Staff Reporter

processes, and attempts to further legitimize the brutal occupation of Palestine.”

LSA Student Arwa, a board member of SAFE, who requested to not include her last name, said the speak-out was organized in conjunction with speak-outs across the country to better inform people about the importance

of Jerusalem for many ethnic groups.

“Jerusalem is a very important city for all people of all faiths — Islam, Christianity and Judaism,” Arwa said. “So many people, all that they’re hearing is the perspective from the media and a lot of times people get desensitized to how personal this city is

to so many people and that was kind of what the speak out was about: to understand the importance and the long history that Jerusalem has played for Palestine and for Palestinians of all religions.”

One recently graduated Jewish student who wished to remain anonymous said that as See SAFE, Page 3

MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

West Quad robbery

Two arraigned on felony charges in connection with Dec. 4 crime, third at large MAYA GOLDMAN Daily Staff Reporter

Two of the three people suspected to be involved in the December 4th armed robbery in West Quad were arrested on Sunday. The third suspect remains at large.

According to a press release from the Division of Public Safety and Security, Brian White, 18, of Novi, Mich. and Deandre Jetter, 19, of West Bloomfield, Mich., were both arraigned on four felony counts: two accounts of armed robbery, first-degree home invasion and larceny in a building. The standard sentence for armed robbery is a life term, while home invasion is a 20-year felony and larceny is a 4-year felony.

DPSS spokeswoman said last week the armed robbery attacked three University students, and the incident was “not a random act of violence.” White, Jetter, and the third suspect allegedly demanded property from the students and brandished a handgun.

Students speak in opposition to President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital at an event hosted by Students Allied for Freedom and EquMality at the Union on Monday.

For more stories and coverage, visit

michigandaily.com

INDEX

Vol. CXXVII, No. 47 ©2017 The Michigan Daily

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6

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SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7

News

2 — Tuesday, December 12, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

T H E M I C H I G A N D A I LY C L A S S O F 2 0 1 7 Follow @michigandaily

Tweets

Michigan Students @UMichStudents auditions for my hip hop dance team @EnCoreUMich are jaunary 5th! come dance with us

umichARTS & Culture @umichARTS KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily The senior class of The Michigan Daily.

First row: Zoey Holmstrom, Elizabeth Dokas, Emma Kinery, Rebecca Lerner, Elisabeth Homant, Sydney Cohen Second row: So Jung Kim, Marisa Frey, Sophia Kaufman, Anna Haritos, Sam Mousigian, Adam Brodnax Third row: Betelhem Ashame, Lara Moehlman, Anay Katyal, Carly Snider, Meg Mitchell, Madeleine Nowicki, Stephanie Trierweiler, Tanya Madhani, Sivanthy Vasanthan, Joe Iovino Fourth row: Dylan Lawton, Zach Moore, Grant Hardy, Max Lubell, Kevin Santo, Danny Hensel, Taylor Grandinetti, Erik Forkin, Ibrahim Rasheed, Christian Neubacher, Nabeel Chollampat, Ted Janes

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Used Book Sale 2017 WHAT: Low prices on gently used books will be abundant at the annual book sale, featuring thousands of titles.

WHO: University Library WHEN: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library

WHAT: Linda Detterman, ICPSR’s Membership and Marketing Director, will be talking the about the department’s research.

WHO: Institute for Social Research WHEN: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: Institute for Social Research-Thompson, Room 1430

SCHLISSEL From Page 1 among public universities.

Schlissel also remarked on the promising fundraising efforts and growth of the University’s endowment, which has reached about $11 billion.

“Your university, through your efforts, is actually doing spectacularly well,” Schlissel said. “I wanted to give that little bit of a pep talk because we’re dealing with challenging issues on the campus, but I want to be sure we don’t forget that our mission is of profound importance to the broader society, and certainly to our fellow citizens and friends and neighbors in the state of Michigan.”

Afterward, he fielded questions about various challenges facing the University.

The first question regarded the current tax reform bill and its provision about taxing the tuition waivers that are Sudoku Syndication provided to doctoral students.

Schlissel promised that the

frickenxchicken @hanxmyers

Museums of the Past into the Future: The Oriental Institute and the Kelsey Museum

Electronic Chamber Music Showcase

Student-Made Video Games Showcase

WHAT: Come listen to the innovative sounds of electronic chamber music composed, staged, and performed by University students.

WHO: School of Music, Theatre and Dance WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE: Earl V. Moore Building, Chip Davis Technology Studio

WHAT: EECS 494 students will be presenting their new video game projects WHO: EECS 494: Introduction to Game Development WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Bob and Betty Beyster Building, Room 1670

currently working on a presentation for my spanish class on why the microwave is the greatest technological advancement ~just college things~

The Geography of Political Self-Censorship in an Authoritarian State

University Symphony Orchestra Performance

Late Night Breakfast

Caroline Darr @carolinedurr

WHAT: A conversation with two museum directors on the futures of their respective museums.

WHO: Museum Studies Program WHEN: 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

WHERE: Museum of Art, Auditorium (Lower level)

A Global Leader in Data Access, Stewardship and Training: ICPSR

With “Rethink Shinola,” artist & @ UM_Stamps professor Rebekah Mondrak has created biting, minutely researched critique of an appropriative re-branding of Detroit:

WHAT: A lecture by Melanie Manion, a professor of political science at Duke University, on how authoritarian governments limit political talk in public forums.

WHO: Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Weiser Hall, Room 110

WHAT: The world premire of Paul Brantley’s The Royal Revolver and more are featured on the University Symphony Orchestra’s final performance of the semester WHO: School of Music, Theatre and Dance WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE : Hill Auditorium

WHAT: Looking to take a break from the books and chow down?

Head to the closest University dining hall for a breakfast buffet!

WHO: Michigan Dining WHEN: 10:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

WHERE: All University Dining Halls

Rt if you’ve already thought about dropping out 3 times today

higher-education community harassed … we have to a culture is lobbying Congress to keep where that gets reported and this proposal out of the final people have confidence that it version of the tax code. He would be fairly and sensitively 420 Maynard St. cautioned that if it did pass, the investigated and adjudicated.”

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com University would only be able Social Work professor to financially support affected Robert Ortega, chair of the students temporarily.

Senate Advisory Committee EMMA KINERY NATHAN GUPTA Editor in Chief Business Manager “I can imagine if there’s a on University Affairs and 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 very short-term and immediate Senate Assembly, subsequently kineryem@michigandaily.com nathankg@michigandaily.com change and our students are in announced that representatives big trouble, we can step in and from the Office for Institutional help people,” Schlissel said. Equity will be coming to SACUA “That’s a short-term, not a next semester to discuss NEWS TIPS ARTS SECTION PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION longer-term solution.” reporting and the culture of news@michigandaily.com arts@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com Schlissel heard questions sexual misconduct.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SPORTS SECTION NEWSROOM from faculty members at the Schlissel then fielded tothedaily@michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com 734-418-4115 opt. 3 meeting on sexual assault and questions about Richard EDITORIAL PAGE ADVERTISING CORRECTIONS harassment on campus. He Spencer’s request to speak on opinion@michigandaily.com dailydisplay@gmail.com corrections@michigandaily.com affirmed the University has campus and the University’s clear rules, procedures and response. He justified his sanctions in place, but there decision to consider Spencer’s needs to be a culture where request and attempt to find a people have confidence in the time and location where the AMELIA CACCHIONE and EMMA RICHTER reporting process. event could be safely held. He Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Evan Aaron, Alexis Rankin, “We have a scheme which I cited legal obligations and fear REBECCA LERNER Zach Moore think is a good one,” Schlissel over the University violating Managing Editor rebler@michigandaily.com Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Katelyn Mulcahy, Aaron said. “What we have to work on the First Amendment as reasons Baker, Sam Mousigian, Kevin Zheng and share responsibility for is a to permit Spencer to speak.

ALEXA ST.JOHN LARA MOEHLMAN Managing News Editor alexastj@michigandaily.com culture in which people who feel “Imagine the circumstance, Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Riyah Basha, Lydia Murray, Nisa Khan, as if they’ve been discriminated if, in the not too distant Deputy Statement Editor: Brian Kuang, Yoshiko Iwai http://www.sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ Sophie Sherry against or they’re being treated future, Michigan’s behavior Assistant News Editors: Jordyn Baker, Colin Beresford, Rhea unfairly or they’re being in rejecting the speaker Cheeti, Maya Goldman, Matt Harmon, Andrew Hiyama, Jen ELIZABETH DOKAS and TAYLOR GRANDINETTI Meer, Ishi Mori, Carly Ryan, Kaela Theut based on content gets used, Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com inappropriately, but used by ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL Senior Copy Editors: Marisa Frey, Ibrahim Rasheed Editorial Page Editors

tothedaily@michigandaily.com others to deny the speech rights of a marginalized DYLAN LAWTON and BOB LESSER Senior Opinion Editors: Anu Roy-Chaudhury, Ashley Zhang, group,” Schlissel said.

Managing Online Editor lesserrc@michigandaily.com Max Lubell, Madeline Nowicki, Stephanie Trierweiler HARD Senior Web Developers: Erik Forkin, Jordan Wolff Schissel added that BETELHEM ASHAME and KEVIN SANTO granting Spencer permission ABE LOFY Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com would avoid a lawsuit and give Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Sports Editors: Laney Byler, Mike Persak, Orion Sang, Senior Video Editors: Gilly Yerrington, Matt Nolan, Aarthi the University more leverage Max Marcovich, Ethan Wolfe, Chris Crowder Janakiraman, Emily Wolfe on the time and location of Assistant Sports Editors: Rob Hefter, Avi Sholkoff, Matthew Kennedy, Paige Voeffray, Mark Calcagno, Jacob Shames the event.

JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com “The easy thing in the ANAY KATYAL and NATALIE ZAK Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Christian Paneda, short term would’ve been to Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Adam Brodnax, Halimat Olaniyan, Tanya Madhani, Sivanthy say no; everybody would clap, Senior Arts Editors: Dayton Hare, Nabeel Chollanpat, Vasanthan Madeline Gaudin, Carly Snider we stood up for our values,” Arts Beat Editors: Danielle Yacobson, Danny Hensel, Erika Schlissel said. “We’d end up ELLIE HOMANT Shevchek, Matt Gallatin, Naresh Iyengar Managing Social Media Editor in court, we’d lose, we’d have Senior Social Media Editors: Kayla Waterman and Anna Haritos much less control over the MICHELLE PHILLIPS and AVA WEINER ultimate event and he would Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com be a hero and there’d be even a larger convening here of very CAYLIN WATERS challenging people.”

Brand Manager EMILY RICHNER Provost Martin Philbert CLAIRE BUTZ Sales Manager added that the University Business Development Manager JUEUI HONG will be sending resources out JULIA SELSKY Special Projects Manager Local Accounts Manager to faculty for them to pass to CAROLINE GOLD their students who may feel SANJANA PANDIT Media Consulting Manager Production Manager particularly vulnerable in light of Spencer speaking.

Editorial Staff

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H O L I D AY W R A P U P

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily The UM Productions Team and School of Music Theatre and Dance Students make holiday decorations at the Power Center Monday.

CSG From Page 1 Student Advisory Committee so as to have a representative within City Council to speak on issues that may not be involved with the student government, as well as to have a student sit on the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents, a position that has also been pushed for under previous administrations — the legality of which is ambiguous.

Opportunity CSG spent this past semester working on resolutions aimed at increasing accessibility for students by means of providing resources.

“A lot of resolutions have come through the assembly that have just sort of been focused on making it easier to be a student,” Sarkar said.

Five resolutions in particular have worked to address these needs, and have included the funding of charging stations in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, increasing the Career Center’s Clothes Closet to provide free professional clothing for students, a calculator loan program and, in beginning in January, free menstrual products in bathrooms across campus.

Momentum The assembly looks to build upon initiatives and projects

HARPER From Page 1 space. I want to be by myself, I want to process this.’ Sometimes a sense of wellbeing and safety doesn’t come just from a clinical practitioner. Sometimes it comes from who you know and who you feel comfortable with — and making sure that we’re mindful of all of those kinds of options for students. Some folks will choose to go home, or choose to do what they would normally do with their friends. So depending on how you respond, what makes you feel safe when you’re in a dangerous situation is what we want to make sure that we provide a lot of options.

TMD: One of the things Richard Spencer’s team said, in pushing the University for an earlier decision date, was that they need time to make arrangements to bring numerous people to campus. How big of a concern is that for the University and are they going to push back on that?

Harper: I don’t know if the University would push back about who he brings or invites as much as taking into consideration what’s the safety implications of that.

The other thing that I would offer around this idea of psychological safety and emotional safety, where we want to be really, really careful, is — and I think it’s a delicate path we walk — I don’t want my whereabouts restricted because somebody looks at me and decides I’m unsafe. Or they look at my grandson, who’s tall and lanky, and decide he’s unsafe. So for me, as an African American, this idea of not feeling safe, this idea of ‘I only want to walk down the street when I see certain people, I don’t want to get in an elevator with other’ — all this idea of ‘I feel psychologically unsafe’ really creates a ripe area for discrimination. This is what I would offer: I think students are

from last term to continue supporting programs that assist student life. For example, while no longer directly advocating for the Leadership Engagement Scholarship, CSG has continued to work on a partnership with those organizing the scholarship, hoping to have funds available by fall 2018.

Housing affordability is another issue that began prior to eMerge’s time in office, with former CSG President David Schafer and Vice President Micah Griggs’s administration passionate on finding ways to lower Ann Arbor housing costs.

Jawad, who assisted in the research process that took place last year on the issue, explained how CSG is continuing work on providing students with resources to understand where to find less expensive housing.

“Last year we did about a year’s worth of research on campus affordability, how to make things more accessible, what you can do to advocate for housing resources,” Jawad said. “We finally were able to put that into a guide called the Campus Affordability Guide.”

According to Jawad, the new housing guide, which just finished the editing process, has a tentative release date during the month of January.

Controversial Speakers In addition to taking action on initiatives and platforms

eMerge campaigned on, the representatives have also worked to find a balance between elaborating on established ideas and addressing sudden issues that have come up throughout the semester.

The presence of controversial speakers on campus is one that Sarkar and Jawad have taken a stance against and that has reflected the advocacy portion of their original campaign. In its first statement condemning author Charles Murray on campus, CSG made the distinction between the speaker’s right to free speech and students’ right to free speech in opposing speakers like Murray.

“There is a massive and crucial difference between opening our minds in order to consider new and different ideas, and allowing pseudo-academics to portray racism as ‘new ideas,’” the statement reads.

As questions and anxieties continue to arise about the specifics of a potential speech on campus by white supremacist and neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, CSG has taken an active stand against the possibility of Spencer coming to the University.

At a Board of Regents’s meeting in early December, Sarkar presented a petition, which had already received 5,000 signatures in two days from students, to stop Spencer from speaking on campus.

saying that that’s the argument we’re using. I would frame it this way: that’s the caution we’re taking. That’s what we’re trying to weigh. I’m not saying that that, in and of itself, is enough, but I am saying we should consider that. We should fold that into our thinking.

TMD: There seems to be, in all these protests and debates around Spencers appearance, a pretty clear disconnect between the students who are protesting and the administrators responding to those protests, in that administrators feel they’re listening to students’ concerns and students feel they’re still not doing enough to address those concerns. Why do you think that’s happening?

Harper: Two things happen: We behave internally, like we can have an internal conversation that nobody else is listening to.

So, if Richard Spencer and those who follow him are dangerous — and I actually believe they are, and intend to do harm — why would I publicize where, when, how? Because if your intent is to do harm, the more I tell you, and the earlier I tell you increases the likelihood that you could create more harm. So I think the disconnect comes because what’s reassuring to students isn’t just contained in that population.

We’re trying to have a kind of private conversation about how we secure our community in a public forum. And students are saying, ‘Tell us everything.’ Well, the ‘us’ is much larger than the student body or the community harmed. I think that there is an expectation from students of administrative behavior that, on its surface, appears pretty easy, until you add a layer of complexity.

There are times when everything a community wants to know, feels like it’s entitled to know, is simply not appropriate to share.

And that’s when trust becomes

important, and giving people the benefit of the doubt. And I think we’re sort of low on that right now.

TMD: What I hear students say is that they’re not able to selfdetermine their safety.

Harper: Sure they are. Sure.

You can go, or not go. If your own sense is ‘I am unsafe, Royster.’ I don’t want to hear what this guy has to say, I am not going. There is nothing he’s going to say. I do get to self-determine, I do have a choice, I do have agency. I don’t have a choice over what other people do, but I do have a choice over what I do, and the decisions I make. I always have a choice, and I’m not giving that up to Richard Spencer, I’m not giving that up to the University of Michigan, and I don’t need everybody to agree with me to use my sense of agency.

So I will not concede that. I cannot say that there is some person, or someone external to me, that takes away my agency. No. And I certainly won’t concede that to Richard Spencer.

TMD: In your tenure as vice president, and more specifically this past semester and year, how have you seen these issues facing marginalized students change, and how has the relationship of marginalized students with the administration changed?

Harper: I do think it’s in a national context. The national divisiveness has come on campus also. Much more difficult to not find common ground, but to hear each other’s common ground. It’s not that we don’t have it, but the national narrative is extremes. Us and they, rather than a we. And Richard Spencer is coming here to harm ‘we’ — us. Think about who he targets — I’m not sure who he doesn’t target, other than a very small portion of the population which looks exactly like him. So that we would then be in conflict, rather than in community around this, that would be a change.

Reflecting on the meeting, Sarkar explained that while she believes the administration seeks to continue prioritizing student safety, tensions increase when constant questions continue to surround the issue.

“I believe that there are people who have our best interests in mind and heart when they are in these decision-making positions,” she said. “This issue arises when there isn’t transparency around how they approach doing that.”

Jawad echoed similar sentiments, highlighting that the work they have done this past semester in condemning speakers such as Spencer and Murray also includes ensuring CSG continues to support students who feel unsafe from or fearful of a potential Spencer visit.

“We really want to be a resource for students, making sure that if people need something, if he (Spencer) was to come or even if he wasn’t, because a lot of people are experiencing just a lot of anxiety with the thought of the event coming,” she said. “We’ve really just tried to make sure that we can be a resource to students in this time.”

Divestment Reflecting on the #UMDivest movement, Sarkar and Jawad highlighted the eight-hour meeting in which the resolution passed, emphasizing students’ commitment to advocating for

We’ve got folks in Puerto Rico, months later, without water.

And the old us would’ve been busy doing that work. The new us — we’re fighting about, on the scale, way less important things.

We’ve somehow managed to get ourselves to where every issue is of the same importance. And it’s not. I don’t want to downplay Richard Spencer — but really?

At best, he’s going to come, if he’s allowed to come, talk for an hour, and go somewhere else and say the same thing. At best. But a travel ban? A tax cut that hurts education and graduate students?

A tax cut that hurts the poor? If given a choice, that’s probably not where I would spend my time and energy. If given a choice.

TMD: As you saw at the Regents’ meeting, the calls for a ME/NA checkbox on University documents and collection data is growing, and a number of supporters were at the meeting.

Do you support the addition of a ME/NA checkbox?

Harper: Again, here’s another one where work is being done. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the community saying, ‘I

Tuesday, December 12, 2017— 3

what they so passionately believe in.

“People felt so passionate about this issue, no matter where they fell on it ideologically, that they spent eight hours in the (Modern Languages Building) advocating for what they believed in,” Sarkar said. “That’s the sort of organizing and Michigan spirit of activism that I think keeps me motivated in what I do.”

Jawad, who addressed the assembly personally as a student in favor of the resolution, also reflected on this sense of engagement and discussion that surrounded the meeting.

“The thing that I took the most out of it was the ability to create a space where people can have those long discussions and being willing to be there and being so passionate that they want to be there for that long to talk about the things that they care about,” Jawad said.

At the CSG meeting following the passing of #UMDivest, however, Jawad explained she received criticism for taking the floor, as one representative questioned the power imbalance they believed she created.

“Are you all clear that I spoke during community concerns as opposed to during executive communications to try and share my narrative (despite) being an executive?” Jawad responded during the meeting. “And though I know that it wasn’t a way to take away what I am as the vice president, it wasn’t my intent to abuse my power. Are you aware that other (executive) members including the president and former vice president of student body vocally supported a stance on the actual politics and not on the resolution?”

This particular meeting brought debate among CSG members, as the impacts of #UMDivest were discussed.

Public Policy senior Andrew Watkins spoke in opposition to the resolution and voiced his concerns with specific context of the passed resolution.

“This assembly emboldened the BDS movement,” Watkins said during the meeting. SAFE previously stated #UMDivest is not associated with the “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” movement. “They did not say a word to denounce the movement, and to me, that silence rings louder than anything else they said,” Watkins said.

In a statement that signified her thoughts on the resolution released the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Sarkar explained

want to be identified, and I want to be able to check a box.’ It doesn’t matter, in the community I’m in, whether I check it or not. And I think having the numbers to make sure the resources are there, and that we can help students, I get that and support that. I think where I struggle personally is when that’s an affirmation, when that’s a way to say, ‘I’m being seen.’ But I don’t have to understand it to be able to respond to it. So this idea of making sure that we know the numbers, and that students are getting the support that they need, absolutely.

And the strategy students want to use for that is a box. I guess that’s the right strategy. There are other students who say: ‘I don’t want to be targeted that way. Leave me alone.’ There are students who don’t want it. There are students who do.

TMD: Do you think we’ll see a resolution to this debate around the box in the near future?

Harper: Boy, I hope so, as long as we’ve been working on it. And trying to figure out, how do we get at what’s being asked, separate from how it’s being asked.

the changes before signing, including removing the words Israel and Israeli and the names of specific companies, so as to investigate all investments that violate Palestinian human rights.

Looking Ahead In looking forward to the work to be done next semester, Sarkar and Jawad hope to continue building upon their resources and community organizing strategies in response to conflicts that arise rather than forgetting about the facilities already available to them during moments of intense issues.

“I’ve often observed from this position that when we have tense moments in our campus climate, we sort of put constructive counter-programming or resources to the side to evaluate the conflict itself rather than evaluating what we have at our disposal to counter it,” Sarkar said.

In particular, Sarkar looks forward to continuing work on the public service pitch competition Innovate, which will be run by CSG and will emphasize the importance of providing positive and helpful programming to students during times of a difficult campus climate.

Jawad anticipates the creation of a CSG biweekly or triweekly video that will be posted on social media to increase student awareness of programs available, specifically those campaigned on last winter.

“Some of our platform points had a lot to do with awareness and kind of just recognizing resources on campus and thinking about how we can streamline them or make them more visible to students,” Jawad explained.

Overall, the assembly looks to continue supporting students during a time when political climate has raised concerns and anxiety among many members of the University. In continuing programming already available and expanding upon ways to provide students with resources advocating for safety, student voice and constructive conversation, Sarkar and Jawad anticipate the work and dedication to be put into the coming semester.

“Because the University is so decentralized it can be very difficult to identify where you go to get something, to get a resource, to talk to somebody about something,” Sarkar said. “It’s the point of student government to be a liaison between students and decision makers and resources, so I would hope that we can continue doing that next semester.”

SAFE From Page 1 a Jewish person, he has a role to play in speaking against Zionism.

“I spoke at the divestment hearing, and I generally think it’s important as a Jewish person to … talk about how there’s this Zionist impetus to speak for Jewish people,” he said.

The student continued, adding he believes the views of Jewish students on campus differ from the views of people who are pro-Israel.

“I don’t even think it’s accurate to say that they (the University of Michigan Hillel) speak for the majority of Jews because statistically, most Jews, at least on campus, are in the middle and apathetic to this issue and they sort of present it as any attack on the state of Israel is an attack on Judaism itself and I try to rebuff that at any opportunity.”

Opinion

4 — Tuesday, December 12, 2017

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ISAIAH ZEAVIN-MOSS | COLUMN

The ongoing battle of the sexes

I

recently saw “Battle of supremacist political leader the Sexes,” a movie about who might be allowed to come tennis star Billie Jean King to our campus. I see Riggs in beating self-proclaimed “male Roy Moore, accused of sexual chauvinist pig” misconduct and Bobby Riggs in 1973. rape by currently I didn’t think eight women — the movie was very many of whom were good, but that’s girls at the time of not what I want to these allegations — talk about. I want, whom our president instead, to point out has just endorsed that the film speaks in his senatorial specifically to the election. I see Riggs, #MeToo campaign furthermore, in our ISAIAH and the slew of ZEAVIN-MOSS president himself. disgusting men who We might take have been exposed as such in the film’s title as a descriptor the past several weeks. for our contemporary moment.

Riggs, who in an effort to This is a battle of gendered drum up publicity for the match power dynamics, where men publicly made a series of overtly use women as coercible objects misogynistic statements about meant to please their perverse, male superiority, functions selfish desires. Until we have as a stand-in for all of those collectively rooted out the men who have been defamed. dynamics that allow for these Except he never tried to hide assaults to take place, we his sexism; there was never any have not done enough — the investigation necessary. It was Trumps, Moores and Riggses baldly out in the open. of the world continue to win Riggs — played by Steve the battle of the sexes. They Carell, who, when on camera, maintain their positions immediately evokes Michael of power, they continue to Scott and the 40-year-old virgin capture mainstream cultural such that I always am smirking attention, despite their publicly as I watch him — is portrayed understood and despicable as a complete nut, stuffing his words and actions. gullet with a vitamin regimen, One potential problem with alienating himself from his movies like this one, which family because of his addiction fictionalizes a watershed to gambling, hijacking a historical event of social and Gamblers Anonymous meeting political significance, is that by offering to play blackjack, they risk restricting the event and, as mentioned above, and its implications to the past. publicly defaming King and We look at the past from our all women. And, finally, he is present squishy movie theater soundly dominated by King in chair, eating popcorn and the match of his dreams, which pointing backward — look at he orchestrated. how things were. And look at Maybe one reason the how different they are now. movie’s power faltered was the This dehistoricization film’s ostensibly neutral take restricts the opportunity for on Riggs’s misogyny. The film an honest engagement with shrugs off Riggs’s comments, our own time, in terms of at best as an effort to drum up the problems brought forth publicity for the tennis match, by the films themselves. It or, at worst, as a product of allows for complacency and Riggs simply being his old, wily acceptance for the injustices of self — “boys will be boys.” our own time, for present-day Furthermore, despite the fact audiences to fall prey to the that Riggs does lose in the end, I illusion that human history is left the movie theater knowing naturally, intrinsically a story instead that Riggs — the figure of gradual, consistent increases of the overtly hateful man — in egalitarianism and equality. wins. I see Riggs in all the men That could never happen today. yet to be caught in response The movie itself does not to the public testimonies engage in this amnesiac logic, of victims, alongside the nor does the film outwardly #MeToo campaign. I see Riggs resist it. This may have been in Richard Spencer, a white another reason it fell a bit flat:

JOE IOVINO | CONTACT JOE AT JIOVINO@UMICH.EDU

It seemed not to engage larger conversations beyond this one exhibition tennis match.

The work of using this film for contemporary cultural purposes, then, falls on its audience. I think we ought to understand “Battle of the Sexes” as an opportunity to understand how far we haven’t come. To understand the ways in which men like Bobby Riggs have not lost that battle, as the film’s dramatic final scene would have its audiences believe. And instead, we ought to interrogate the ways in which Riggs and his kind have remained staples of our culture, navigating their ways to positions of exponentially more power and prestige than Riggs, whose greatest accomplishments came as a tennis champion, long before the sport had accumulated the international following it has today.

This portrayal of overtly misogynistic public figures — as wily, unstable outcasts without any social capital, having derailed themselves with their prejudice — risks engaging the cultural amnesia I outlined above. It allows us to write off Riggs as a crazed figure of the past who has since disappeared, a name most people would not even recognize today. It allows us to dismiss this problem as one of the past, a product of our ongoing, consistent march toward a “more perfect union,” to perpetuate a notion of history that necessarily ends in some realized promised land, such that we equate the past and all the events that compose it with a less civilized and just time than the one we currently occupy.

Nobody would dismiss Donald Trump, Roy Moore, Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., Al Franken, Matt Lauer and the rest as aberrations, last remnants of a system long faded. Which means Bobby Riggs still exists today, with the vital reinforcements of maximal fame and power.

The battle of the sexes, then, is ongoing. We must remember this.

Isaiah Zeavin-Moss can be reached at izeavinm@umich.edu.

W

How to spot a bad person

hat does it mean to be a good person? In a world full of difficult choices, I find myself grappling with this question daily. Are only those people who are truly good, whose bravery and strict moral codes have changed the world, allowed to be called good people? And is there a difference between small acts of kindness and big ones? The people who donate to charity, who are polite to strangers, who are aware of how bad the world is but aren’t able to or inclined to make any drastic changes, can they still be considered good people?

Having grown up in a religious household, I was brought up aware of the existence of evil. Evil, as I was taught by my pastor and my vacation Bible school classes, was personified by the presence of a devil, the cause of all things bad in this world. I imagined the devil as the stereotypical horned, red man, carrying a trident and having a devious look on his face.

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I had convinced myself that evil could be spotted as a silly-looking man wearing a cape and that anyone who didn’t fit my own, narrow interpretation of evil could be trusted, or at least wasn’t evil. As I grew up, my image of evil grew to include more caricatures — the creepy pedophile, the violent racist, to name a few — but my understanding of what evil is did not.

A few things in my life made me question my understanding of evil. One was a World War II and Holocaust class I took in high school, where I learned how the concept of “business as usual” was used to normalize the violence against Jews and other minorities in Europe.

Up until then, my concept of evil had always been limited to individuals — Hitler was evil, Mussolini was evil; it was hard for me to comprehend that an entire population had somehow been evil or had been complicit in evil. My straightforward view on evil was being challenged, and I was struggling against it. I began to question what it meant to be a good person.

Two events have occurred recently that I feel represent our society’s inability to view evil in a nuanced way. The first has been the reaction to what has been dubbed the “Weinstein Effect,” i.e., the public downfall of various men accused of serial sexual harassment. After the downfall of her friend Louis C.K., comedian Sarah Silverman delivered a monologue on her show “I Love You, America” where she asked, “Can you love someone who did bad things?”

Second, The New York Times published a profile on a Nazi sympathizer titled “A Voice of Hate in America’s Heartland,” which was widely derided for exhibiting sympathy for the said Nazi. These two instances, though widely different, I believe exhibit a common theme in our morality: our inability to normalize evil and thus recognize evil that doesn’t fit our standards or caricatures.

Sarah Silverman, albeit unintentionally, addressed a topic often brought up when a famous or well-respected man is accused of sexual assault: that this man had a good reputation, was a friend to many and because of this, many cannot believe that he committed such a crime.

Silverman handled this issue in the best possible way she could — she addressed her emotions without denying the experiences of the survivors. Oftentimes, it is hard for friends and loved ones to imagine that someone they care about has hurt others. Men who were kind, who were feminists, who were kind to their daughters couldn’t possibly be a part of the problem, could they?

Likewise, the author of The New York Times article, Richard Fausset, seemed to be surprised that Nazi sympathizers are, in fact, human. He seemed to express confusion that not every one of their actions revolves around terrorizing people of color, that they are capable of being polite, that they get married, that they can cook pasta, that they have friends.

He ended the article with no deep conclusions, instead simply describing a scene where his

subject and his subject’s thenfiancé had a relaxing evening, stating “they spoke about their future — about moving to a bigger place, about their honeymoon, about having kids.”

All these things may be true, but what do we risk by humanizing a Nazi-sympathizer? Someone who expresses respect for Hitler, who believes that races should be kept separate?

This brings me back to my original question: What does it mean to be a good person?

Can a sexual predator or a Nazi-sympathizer be a good person? I’m going to be honest: Considering I don’t even know what it means to be a good person, these questions are beyond me.

Any attempt on my end to answer them will be disappointing.

Instead, I propose we think about this concept in an entirely different way and stop trying to grapple with the cognitive dissonance of realizing that someone who does something that is objectively wrong can also be capable of love and kindness. I would argue that considerate people sometimes do evil things and participate in evil movements. Their actions are what we describe as evil, even if these individuals don’t fit our storybook, devil-with-horns definition of evil.

In the end, our society has built up moral codes for a reason; we have determined racism is bad, sympathizing with the leader of a genocide movement is immoral, sexual assault is wrong.

I believe sometimes it is hard for us to grasp just how complicated fellow human beings can be, but I propose we stop assuming people who appear to be nice and kind aren’t capable of terrible things.

Because, overall, being a good person doesn’t really mean anything. It’s only a phrase used by individuals, and what makes a good person can vary widely from person to person. It couldn’t, and it shouldn’t, hold up any type of evidence in a public court of opinion.

Elena Hubbell can be reached at elepearl@umich.edu.

HANK MINOR | COLUMN

I

The other affirmative action

want to set aside for a moment the question of race-based affirmative action. There are legitimate arguments for both sides of that debate, and though I do have my own opinion, it need not enter this discussion of a second, more pernicious form of affirmative action: legacy preference.

My division of affirmative action into two halves — race and class — is somewhat selfserving, I have to admit. Racial affirmative action is an intricate policy problem in which any good solutions bring uncomfortable financial concerns. On the other hand, legacy preference might be resolvable in an afternoon.

It seems like all universities would have to do is publicly announce they will no longer be preferencing legacies.

I often hear the argument that legacy preference is a way of rewarding alumni and encouraging donations.

My response has always been that meritocracy is not a take-whatyou-will proposition; race and legacy are both inheritances and are thus distributed in an entirely unmeritocratic way. Legacy admits are also more likely to have higher parental incomes — at Duke University, for example, the household income of legacy students is, on average, $240,000 a year — which brings with it a host of benefits in K-12 education and nutrition. When seeking meritocratic competition, there are only so many head starts one can get before the whole event begins to look comically unjust.

The primary driver of debate over racial affirmative action is the question of what side makes the process most “fair,” with fair meaning that the most deserving students get spots at universities.

I find it hard to believe that legacy status enters this equation at all.

What academic ability does it demonstrate? What personal character does it showcase? What historical barrier has it overcome?

Legacy status does not fit within a framework for college admissions that prioritizes students who deserve the spots on the basis of their own qualities.

One might respond that elite schools — which are the focus of most classic affirmative action debates — are not moral actors and don’t need to uphold some cultural goal of meritocracy.

They don’t seek to do the most good for the most people, they seek to reward their customers.

Applicants whose parents are perceived by the university as more likely to donate, then, can actually deserve sports the most. If this is the case, though, universities cannot act as fronts for opportunity, and their customers — that’s us, at the University of Michigan — cannot pretend that our place is earned any more than a product is “earned” when one pays for it.

The University does not indicate the extent to which legacy preference affects consideration of student applications, only that it does play a role. Other universities, though — even those who have made public strides toward diversity — give a rather dismal indication of what the situation might be like here. I haven’t found any publicly available data on exactly how much legacy affects applicants to the University, however, so it’s impossible to say with certainty.

It’s important that legacy preference receives proper consideration in larger dialogues about class here at the University.

It’s often discussed as just a minor policy with minimal impact — one aspect of a holistic application!

— which obscures the actual consequences of the policy.

At Princeton University, for example, an article written in 2010 seemed to make the correlation between legacy status and an applicant’s chance of admission at the school from about 9 percent to over 40 percent. Further research indicates that the full effect of legacy status fluctuates depending on one’s SAT scores — when in the 1250-1290 range, for example, legacy provides a 13.6 percent boost; when in the 14001440 range, it rises to more than 19.9 percent.

There are institutions that have run admissions experiments which do not include legacy, thankfully. MIT and Caltech, for example, have ended legacy preference, and though reputation is partially up for subjective evaluation, I’m not aware of any status drop for either of these schools or their students.

In the end, either elite universities are pure businesses, and can act in their selfdefined best interests, or they are something different, and should thus be compelled to uphold a cultural expectation of meritocracy. We cannot have it both ways, though. If the most capable students should attend the best schools, then college applicants cannot be arbitrarily advantaged by class any more than they can by race.

Legacy preference is a form of affirmative action rooted in class that extends privilege to the already privileged. Its existence both here at the University and elsewhere directly impedes efforts to “provide an uncommon education for the common man,” and should be ended immediately.

Hank Minor can be reached at hminor@umich.edu.

This page was made in loving memory of Marcia Renée Goodman.

An avid writer and reader, but more importantly a wonderful human.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Tuesday, December 12, 2017 — 5

COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW

TV REVIEW

‘Merry Wives’ tells the original story of revenge FALLON GATES Daily Arts Writer

COMEDY CENTRAL

‘Broad’ exhaults friends JACK BRANDON Daily Arts Writer

Since the premiere of “Broad City” in 2014, the careers of Ilana Glazer (“Rough Night”) and Abbi Jacobson (“Portlandia”) have taken off. Jacobson has been able to work with the Museum of Modern Art in New York to create a podcast about fine art. Glazer has been getting more work in other films and television series. Life has changed since the duo uploaded the first YouTube short in 2011. Glazer and Jacobson obviously no longer have to worry about the same financial concerns which continue to plague the on-screen characters — yet the show never forgets the characters’ humble beginnings. In the “Broad City” universe, friendship, not money, is the most powerful tool for getting anything done.

The finale of season four, “Friendiversary,” finds the heroines reflecting on the past few years of friendship in a way that is uncharacteristic for a show like “Broad City.” Season four consisted of many moments that looked inward: Ilana’s battle with depression, Abbi’s struggles against poverty and unemployment and life under Trump (whose name is censored). The tonal shift matches the seasonal shift in the universe of “Broad City.” It’s finally winter.

For all its millennial styles

and sensibilities, “Broad City” approaches the season in a strikingly classic way. Both Abbi and Ilana are forced to face some unpleasant realities about the world and endure some hardship. Both women fail, in some respect, to live up to a set of standards and have to admit their shortcomings. Ilana gets a particularly rich character arc this season while she works under Marcel (RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) at his restaurant, Sushi Mambeaux. After a troubling shift,

“Broad City” Comedy Central Season Four Finale she confesses that her depression interferes with her ability to give it her all. Marcel forgives her and keeps her on staff, which sends the message that Ilana is important and valid while she suffers with depression.

While the season finale tackles a topic of less weight, the episode sends the same message.

Abbi, upon waking, finds a giant cardboard standup of Ilana’s head and a clue that leads to a scavenger hunt. It ends at a cheap barbeque place, where the pair devours a fat tray of chicken fingers and

slushie cocktails. However, it’s not all sunny and celebratory. Ilana reveals that the purpose of the scavenger hunt is to celebrate their Friendiversary, which Abbi has completely forgotten. Abbi’s poor attempts to assemble an equally thoughtful and elaborate gift end up leading the duo to the top of the Empire State Building on a rainy night. Long story short, Abbi and Ilana end up pursuing a man who they think threw a sex doll off of the balcony.

After they confront the man, which almost leads to jail time for Abbi and Ilana, Abbi divulges that she forgot their Friendiversary.

Ilana quickly replies that she knew, with no tinge of injury or malice in her voice. While Ilana isn’t a vengeful character, it wouldn’t be out of her range to feel neglected or forgotten. It’s a beautiful moment where the audience realizes how in-tune and intimate the characters are with each other. Abbi’s unwillingness to mellow Ilana out is matched by Ilana’s patience and eagerness to follow Abbi’s ideas. As the camera pans to a section of sidewalk where “Ilana + Abbi 2011” is etched into the concrete, the audience gets the sense of the permanence of their friendship. In times of turmoil, the most valuable resources that we have are our friends. “Broad City” never forgets this.

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

Rumor has it that Queen Elizabeth once asked William Shakespeare to write a play in which her favorite character of Sir John Falstaff (featured in “Henry IV”) falls in love. Shakespeare delivered, but it was far from what the Queen expected.

“Falstaff in ‘Merry Wives’ is in love alright, but mainly with himself and money,” said director, John Neville-Andrews.

Humor, revenge, girl power and a ritualistic fairy dance: The play has all the elements to captivate the audience and leave them laughing to the end. Put on by the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the Power Center this past weekend, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known works, and his only farce — a play of complete buffoonery.

The plot centers on two married women, Mistress Paige and Mistress Ford, who receive identical love letters from the same guy, Sir John Falstaff.

Unfortunately for Falstaff, these women are best friends, realize his fraudulence and make plans for revenge.

Retribution is a beautiful thing. In a time where women had little power, Paige and Ford seem to create their own rules for humiliating Falstaff time and time again. They pretend to respond to his advances but have no real intention of pursuing the fat, ageing man as a suitor.

The play resembles your classic girls-get-revenge-on-the-guy movie. In “John Tucker Must Die,” one guy dated several girls simultaneously; when the girls find out, they decide to seek vengeance.

They scheme embarrassing scenarios for Tucker, like tricking him into putting on women’s underwear. Similarly, Falstaff is forced to put on women’s attire at one point. While less regarded among critics, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” has certainly left an

impression upon the cinematic world since many similar plotlines have manifested themselves into the movies of today.

The play is “considered intellectually slight, having little or no depth to the characters— just a bunch of country bumpkins posing as middle class,” Neville-Andrews said. But he disagrees with the critics. “I think Shakespeare has given us a play of true comic depth; he bestowed upon us a gallimaufry of rich, vibrant characters who possess individual and hilarious personalities and who energetically demonstrate a lust for life.”

The student actors took the

Shakespeare is not for everyone.

It is a labor to understand. centuries-old script and paired it with modern tones, inflections and body language, making it easier for a contemporary audience to understand and enjoy. One amusing line, “the woman has good gifts,” would have gone unnoticed if it weren’t for the actor’s emphasis towards his chest area, indicating Shakespeare’s subtle innuendo.

Amidst the chaos of the main plot and side plots, the underrated character Simple, played by Wyatt Stromer, really stands out. His hair looked like a mop, always lopsided, sticking up and about oddly. The plot would be advancing, yet his character would remain in the corner, eating a piece of bread in the most idiotic way possible. This is the type of character that either annoys the audience or steals the show. In this case, everytime Simple was on stage, all eyes watched his awkward walking, cringe-worthy conversation skills

and odd mannerisms that so sharply contrasted the rest of the characters.

Yes, Shakespearean plays are long winded, usually stretching at least 3 hours. It’s easy for the mind to drift as the brain grows weary of trying to decipher every line one doesn’t quite understand. It’s the paradox of all Shakespearean works. On one hand, you admire the culture and value of such pieces of literature, but on the other hand, you would rather just watch an undemanding Netflix show.

Shakespeare is not for everyone.

It is a labor to understand. The culture in which it is written is so unlike the present. It was likely that many jokes flew right over the head of the audience, simply because most people lack knowledge regarding the early 1600s. One misses out on the key elements — not because it was poorly produced — but because it can be so challenging to watch.

A live orchestra would have improved the flow of the performance, as some scenes felt unnaturally quiet. Silence can be powerful, but it can also make time go by slowly and monotonously.

Since the play is already like listening to a different language, sluggish scenes can kill the whole affair.

Yet, the audience always seemed to return to a state of laughter at whatever foolish act had occurred, and they became engrossed in the odd plot all over again. It is impossible not to root for the women as they take down the egotistical Falstaff and watch them become heroes of the story.

A Shakespeare play has never been quite so enjoyable as the relatively unknown “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Master of drama and tragedy, Shakespeare can also execute timeless humor.

Seeing women hold power over the men in a classic piece was refreshing. Experts in both sarcasm and revenge, Mistress Paige and Mistress Ford broke molds and gave light to the absurd world of men.

COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

ARISTA

Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’ is indelible after 42 years SELENA AGUILERA Daily Arts Writer

One of the most pivotal albums in rock history, Horses by Patti Smith, will have circled around the sun 42 times tomorrow.

It has influenced countless magicians and artists alike and has left lasting impressions on music admirers of all tastes. For me, Horses has influenced the way I hear music, the way I identify with art and the way I choose to release myself into the world.

I’ve only had the chance to spend four short years of my life with the album, but its emotional pull has made every listen count.

Sixteen-year-old me was busy with the abrasive sounds of Powerslave by Iron Maiden, along with other variants of metal and their opposites, namely Pavement.

But nothing hit me the way Horses did with its poetic lyrics and igniting instrumentals.

Smith’s voice and her ability to make everything personal made my entire body melt, leaving my nakedness to stand on its own for the first time in my life.

The experience started in the key of E with an introductory rendition of Van Morrison’s

“Gloria.” Smith’s honey voice starts to speak with backing instrumentals that explode into waves of sexuality. With each note, Smith’s voice echoed through my ears and shook my lungs with an unapologetic strength I never knew existed, and this feeling persisted for the entirety of the album.

Listening to the whole record can be an emotionally taxing experience, as Smith pushes through uneasy emotions that come with the exploration in gender and sexuality including the neglect, the confusion and the internal struggle of selfacceptance. And she did this all with an underlying influence of the sexual liberation movement during the ’60s and the people who felt rejected by it.

Smith moves from telling the world about a lesbian suicide in “Redondo Beach” to speaking about a homosexual rape in “Land,” all with a strong tone that forces a listener to hear her out, to be aware of the grotesque side of society.

She sings about death, despair and dehumanization. Her voice damns the world and lets everyone know that she’s angry. She’s

angry about the disgusting acts in humanity. She’s angry about war, about liberation movements that fought only for a white and straight kind of equality, and she wants the world to know that she has become strong enough to begin fighting for those who were left behind.

Horses has stamped a trace of ethereal emotion into the Earth that will never be lost. It will be heard in every song influenced by its authenticity, including songs

by Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, R.E.M and bands that can’t even decide on their name yet.

It has become such a timely record regarding the inequalities our world is ridden with today, and will continue to be a timeless work of art that strums against our deepest emotions and calls attention to the world’s deepest failures.

For me, Horses became a spiritual experience of dissociation. It felt like Smith’s evocative lyrics carried me to Jupiter, where I felt the gravitational pull of 16 moons hold me in place. It was extremely heavy, and I’d give anything to anyone if I could listen to Horses for the first time again.

Live in Color adds life to campus & buildings Student organization paints murals to fill AA with color MICHAEL AZIMI For the Daily

In the basement of the Modern Languages Building, a site frequented by students and teachers alike, is a recently painted mural consisting of geometric blue triangles arranged in a seemingly abstract, yet purposeful way. What remains unbeknownst to many, however, is that it was done by Live in Color, a new club at the University.

As part of an effort to bring more bright colors to campus and beautify the drab building, Live in Color was an idea conceived

by LSA sophomores Zoe DuncanDoroff and Julian Hansen.

“Julian was discussing how MLB halls are so dry and desolate … wouldn’t it be great if we went in and painted it after hours?”

Duncan-Doroff said.

The pair joked that breaking into the building after hours to do the mural would be a great way to get suspended, so they went to the University to get the funding necessary to bring their artistic visions to life.

By creating colorful, geometric murals that improve the the overall environment rather than portraying a message, the club hopes to bring an atmosphere of happiness to university buildings that are oftentimes associated with negative sentiments and

stress. As stated in their mission statement: “There is much evidence implying that color can boost happiness, morale and mood while decreasing depression.

Our mission is to strive for these changes through art.”

Duncan-Doroff and Hansen face challenges in regards to finding available walls to paint, but are constantly keeping their ears to the ground as they wait

They aim to attract all University students with an interest in painting for new opportunities. Currently, their first mural in the Modern Languages Building is the only completed work. However, the club recently received approval from the facilities manager of the building to do another one in the German/Slavic languages department in the Modern Languages Building. The pair also has their eye on the brand new Weiser building.

“We have a small design team of student artists and a lot of interested members. We’re not holding regular meetings yet since it relies on how many locations we have. We have to split up the members into many different teams,” Hansen said.

As the club continues to generate interest and gain credibility through their exciting project plans, Duncan-Doroff and Hansen plan to increase numbers by adding more designers and painters. Hansen elaborates on the expansion plans by noting that they hope to have their first big recruiting push during Winterfest, which would then be followed by regular meetings.

What makes Live in Color so special is that they aim to attract all University students with an interest in painting and campus beautification, rather than just dedicated artists with years of experience. “One of the pillars at Live in Color is that anybody can paint [the murals],” DuncanDoroff said.

With winter upon us and the temperatures dropping, the absence of sun and color from campus will soon be much more apparent. The pops of bright colors and designs created by Live in Color in university buildings will be a welcomed sight, hopefully boosting moods as people face the inherent stress that comes with being a student.

Arts

6 — Tuesday, December 12, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ARTIST PROFILE

Michigan Underground: Yellow boyz are the future Ypsilanti duo Young Ville and Tee make music like no one else

MUSIC NOTEBOOK APPLE RECORDS

Louisiana and The Beatles LAURA DZUBAY Daily Arts Writer

When I was in sixth grade, I was living in an apartment with my mom and younger brother in Baton Rouge, LA. I had never been anywhere so hot. We drove the Penske down from Indiana ourselves — by which I mean my mother did it herself, while my brother and I read books in the front seat — and stood baking under an August sun for hours after we got there, taking turns dragging boxes of our belongings up a flight of stairs.

I didn’t like Louisiana for most of the time we were there. It was the longest I’d ever been that far away from my dad, and from Indiana. I missed watching the trees change color with the seasons and disappear under layers of snow. There were no trees around the cluster of apartments where we lived; there was a long, straight road, some yellow fields on the other side of a fence and railroad tracks close enough to drown out conversations. There were no seasons, either. The heat was made worse by the fact that my school required navy blue uniforms — another first for me.

Of course, a lot of my discomfort — in fact, probably all of it — was your typical new-kid-at-school bullshit. I was new to this at the time, so it felt like a huge deal.

I didn’t have any friends, didn’t know anybody, etc. There were some changes that I thought were weird and interesting — like the fact that some of my classes were taught in trailers, and that the milk in the cafeteria came in plastic baggies instead of cartons, neither of which had been the case at my old school — and some that I found downright annoying, like the fact that I’d get into trouble if I didn’t add “ma’am” or “sir” after everything I said. Above all was probably just the fact that I was a kid, and I missed home.

So the bottom line is, going to school those first few months gave me kind of a sick feeling. The bus came at six, so I’d wake up at 5:20 in the pitch black and change into my uniform. I’d get into the passenger seat of my mom’s black Jeep, and she’d drive me to the entrance of the apartment complex, where we’d sit together and wait for the bus to come. It was too early in the morning for any real conversation.

Mostly we just sat, waited and watched the sun come up together.

And we listened to The Beatles.

I’d listened to The Beatles before, of course, but mostly here and there — they came up on shuffle, found their way into various mixtapes. But this was every day, this was a ritual. My mom had the 1 compilation album, the one with a red background and a patchy yellow number one on it, featuring 27 of the band’s number one hit singles from 1962 to 1970.

I don’t remember how it became such a pattern; I just remember that every day, this was all I felt like listening to. More often than not, we listened to it from the beginning in order, meaning that we’d always get through the same three or four songs before the bus would come and I’d have to leave.

Even now, that’s what I think of when I think of “Love Me Do.” Even now, every time I hear the ending chord of “From Me to You,” I’m absolutely certain that the drums of “She Loves You” are about to kick in, even though it takes me a moment to remember why.

Music is something that people are passionate about, and for every person, I believe this passion can be traced back to a unique root.

It comes from somewhere — it’s not just that it’s music and that it’s good, it’s that it’s a factor that often colors the way that we view our own lives. For me, the root was this: climbing onto a bus in the morning with the nonstop action of “She Loves You” still pounding in my head and in my heart, tapping

my foot to the remembered chorus of “Ticket to Ride” on the way to school.

I didn’t put this all together until much later, but looking back, it all seems really simple. It’s like how I love Taylor Swift because my friend and I spent middle school constantly rocking out to her first three albums, and even though I moved twice to Florida and twice came back, the music never went anywhere. When I came back to find we had forgotten crucial parts of each other, we could put on Speak Now and bake some cookies or something, letting Swift’s lyrics become the soundtrack to us slowly finding our way back to each other.

I still smile when I hear a 5 Seconds of Summer song because going to a 5 Seconds of Summer concert, even though I only knew about one and a half of their songs at the time, was the last thing I did with my friends my senior year of high school.

What’s more is that knowing this about myself helps me see it in other people, too. Once, when I was living in Florida, I went to Winter Jam with a friend of mine — not because I was Christian or knew the music, but because my friend wouldn’t stop talking about how badly she wanted me to hear TobyMac and Jason Castro. She was so excited, and I wanted to see that happiness in action, I wanted to share that with her. So I went, and we jumped up and down to Christian music for a night, and it’s still one of my favorite things I ever did with her.

With music, I think, it’s easy to get caught up in the aspects of it that are the most upfront. Who the artists are, what they look like, where they’re from. The quality of the lyrics, the genre of the music.

This all makes sense, and for the most part, it is a lot of what I base my taste in music on.

So when people ask me what my favorite band is, I always say The Beatles. It’s an easy answer because it’s an accessible one, and if people ever ask me why them, I usually give an answer that’s excited, yes, but restrained. I like them because they’re classic, because they’re catchy, because they did so much for music and were so important, because they’ve got enough variety that I’m always in the mood for at least one song.

And all of this is true. But when you get right down to it, I also believe that there are a lot of bands that are classic. There are lot of bands that are catchy, that have impacted music, etc. The fact is that there aren’t a lot of bands that made me feel at home the first time I moved away from Indiana. There aren’t a lot of bands that make me feel at home, every time I hear them, even now.

When I look back on Louisiana now, I don’t look back on a time that was largely unhappy. I don’t look back on a time that was largely happy, either — it was some sort of mix of both, like every year. I did make good friends there; I also had my first experience duct-taping all of my windows and evacuating before a hurricane. I finished writing my first book, and witnessed my first cafeteria fistfights and had my first awkward relationship with a boy.

I missed all of my friends and my life in Indiana, but I also ended up finding a life that I liked in Baton Rouge. When I went home the following year, I returned with a strange feeling somewhere between happiness at the thought of coming back, and a new ache at having to leave Louisiana.

Between sixth grade and my freshman year of college, I would move in total seven times, and a certain part of this feeling never really went away. But it’s a feeling I love, and it’s a feeling that, for me, has always gone along with good music. I don’t think any year of one’s life can be exclusively good or exclusively bad, and I don’t think that’s how music works, either. I can tell you whatever I want about why I love The Beatles more than

any other band — I could tell you it’s because they’re a great success story, or because they’re influential.

I could tell you I like Taylor Swift because she’s a talented songwriter and businesswoman, or that I like 5 Seconds of Summer because there’s something honestly exciting hidden beneath their kitschy boyband exterior (actually, I’d be hardpressed admitting that I like 5 Seconds of Summer to anyone, but for argument’s sake).

But ask me again someplace quieter. Someplace where I have enough space to explain myself, and where I feel like you might actually be listening. The fact is that I love music because it’s one big story that I already know I’ll never know all of. I love it because it’s tied in so inextricably with experience, and because that means it can help you learn really important things about other people. And because no masterpiece of a song by itself will ever mean quite the same thing to me as it does to sit somewhere and just listen to it, right in that place, right in that moment, with somebody.

MIKE WATKINS Daily Arts Writer

“I consider us now and forever underground rappers. Fuck the industry.”

These words belong to rapper Young Ville, an 18-year-old from Philadelphia and half of the underground rap duo, the Yellowboyz. He and his counterpart, Tee, have united around past struggles — including stretches of homelessness — to develop a passionate drive for respect within the music world and an energetic sound to match.

And they record their music right in the University’s backyard in Ypsilanti.

The story of the Yellowboyz begins with the members’ humble roots. When asked about his origins, Young Ville explained that he picked up a knack for wordplay at an early age, writing stories and poems to cope with surrounding familial turmoil. Eventually, he decided to couple this passion with his natural love for music, taking inspiration from artists like J. Cole, Jay Z, 2Pac, Meek Mill and Eminem. This marriage of lyricism and skillful influence is evident in Young Ville’s verses; the flow and attack with which

he delivers his smooth rhymes are ear-perking. It was not until he lost some important people, about which he didn’t go into detail, that he decided to take his talents seriously and pursue music as a career.

This is legitimate, little-known, oneof-a-kind, local underground “We’re in this for the long haul,” he said.

Tee experienced a similar start, and explained to the Daily his especially inspirational story in detail: From ages 10 to 19, Tee and his family were evicted from eight different homes due to his mother’s drug abuse. After high school, he moved in with Young Ville only to eventually move out and live homelessly, sleeping on any floor he could find for two months. After moving in with the Yellowboyz’s current manager, Tee established a positive mindset and drive to turn his struggles into success, stating, “I don’t ever want to live like

Classifieds

Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 1960s presidential monogram 4 Gremlins and Pacers 8 Lands’ End rival 14 World Cup cry 15 Naked 16 Crossreferencing phrase 17 Potato __: 61Across dish 19 Items in a 59Across lit for 61Across 20 Novelist Ferber 21 Key with four sharps 23 Wife of Jacob 24 Fervor 25 Rebecca of “Risky Business” 27 Relaxed condition 29 “¿__ pasa?”

32 One lacking manners 34 Cowboy boot attachments 36 Pack in cartons 37 Traditional 61Across surprise, aptly boxed, and spelled with the only four letters of the alphabet that don’t appear elsewhere in this grid 38 Range dividing Europe and Asia 39 “You gotta be kidding” 40 Rx items 41 Coffee server 42 Long-finned tunas 49 Nash priest, not beast 50 Roughly 54 Make __ dash for 57 Expired 58 Contented sounds 59 61-Across centerpiece 61 Two-millennia-old tradition that begins at sunset tonight 63 Football rushing plays 64 Greek love god

65 December 24, e.g.

66 Figured (out) 67 Suffix with ransom 68 Org. with narcs

33 Plow-pulling team 35 Washing machine cycle 36 Mormon sch.

43 University founder Stanford 44 Malaise, with “the” 45 Swiss peak 46 Kidney-shaped nut 47 1998 Masters champ Mark

that [again].” Similarly to Young Ville, Tee decided to combine his influences, namely Denzel Curry, with his past and use music as an outlet to share and cope with his experiences.

With these beginnings, the Yellowboyz framed their content and sound. Lyrically, the duo raps about their struggles with lines like: “Can’t take bites so we hit licks / My whole life has been like this / Making livings off them scripts / Cold cuts every day we dream / Demons make you pay your fee.” Sonically, the rappers, with the help of a few third-party producers, put together undeniably hype beats (see: “shit that kills”) that, when coupled with Young Ville’s impressive flow and Tee’s wholly unique and gritty voice, make for music that deserves more than its meager average of a thousand plays on SoundCloud.

This is not underground rap like Chance the Rapper before Coloring Book. This is not underground rap like Kendrick Lamar before good kid, M.A.A.D. city. This is legitimate, littleknown, one-of-a-kind, local underground — The Yellowboyz are exemplifying the side of music most of us never see or hear, and they’re doing it just 10 miles away.

48 Philadelphia suburb 49 Smells 51 Gathered leaves 52 Trim whiskers 53 Actor Milo 54 Home of Iowa State 55 Diner handout 56 Added stipulations 60 Regret 62 “__ as directed”

DOWN 1 Pop icon Jennifer 2 Razor insert 3 Barbara Bush’s twin sister 4 Legal org.

5 Manage somehow ANSWER TO PREVIOUS 6 Sweet liqueurs 7 Bagel seed 8 Finds out 9 Actor Cariou 10 In a shoddy way 11 She, in Paree 12 On an ocean liner 13 Quick snack 16 Music for a film 18 Hardhearted 22 Actor Voight 26 Take for granted 28 Annie, notably 29 Campus hangout 30 Addresses beginning with “http://” 31 Letter before tee 32 Dutch South African xwordeditor@aol.com

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1/12/17

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

WRESTLING

After dominant 48-0 win, ‘M’ picking up momentum CONNOR BRENNAN For the Daily

Entering the second period, fifth-year senior heavyweight Adam Coon narrowly led his opposition.

Cliff Keen Arena was rocking and Coon seemed to feed off the atmosphere. In quick succession, Coon escaped Cody Crawford’s grasp, tallied a swift two-point takedown and then polished off the succession with a decisive fall.

With that result, No. 9 Michigan had completed a shutout of Oregon State, 48-0, in the third annual Joe Wells Classic.

“It was fun to watch,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland.

“I think the big takeaway for us is we’ve been working a lot of different positions in the practice room and really trying to break things down, and we saw a lot of that today.”

The Wolverines built on their successful second-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational last weekend, where Ohio State was the only team in a 49-team field to better them.

After a shaky start to the season in which it was blown out by No. 11 Lehigh, Michigan is bouncing back.

“Against Lehigh, we got punched in the face,” McFarland said. “There were some things leading up to that that we felt we needed to work on, but we got beat on the basic fundamentals out there, we got beat on mat wrestling, and so we’ve been working a lot in those areas. We’ve made some big strides in those areas.”

The strides were obvious

against Oregon State, as three out of the nine matchups ended with Wolverines scoring a fall, and two others finished as technical falls.

Fifth-year senior Kevin Beazley scored arguably the most impressive of the falls, pinning Oregon State’s Corey Griego, in the first period. Griego was the nation’s 11th-ranked wrestler in the 197-pound weight class.

“I’ve never been a part of a shutout in college wrestling, so that was really cool,” Beazley remarked. “We don’t train for each opponent, we train for the end of the year. That’s the biggest point we need to get across. In every match we plan on getting better and peaking for the national tournament in March, and hopefully coming home with a team trophy.”

Though the national tournament is a few months away, the Big Ten season starts Jan. 5 with an away dual meet against Indiana.

With four other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, now is a perfect time for Michigan to gain top form.

“We want to continue to have some good training sessions, and work on some of the things that we have been the past couple of weeks,” McFarland said. “We’re going to keep training. We’ll send these guys home and I know these guys will stay on top of their training. Then we’ll come back on (December) 27th and get some good practices in.”

Whatever the Wolverines have been doing in practice recently has been working. If this progression continues, a Big Ten and possibly even a National Championship may not be a pipe dream.

Sports

Tuesday, December 12, 2017 — 7

Wolverines flex muscles in win over Oregon State JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer

As he stepped onto the mat, fifth-year senior Kevin Beazley knew he had the most daunting challenge of the day.

The 197-pounder was the only Wolverine facing a nationally ranked wrestler during Michigan’s matchup against Oregon State. Tensions rose throughout Cliff Keen Arena as the wrestlers squared off, but all doubt was quickly erased as Beazley pinned the 11th-ranked Corey Griego in the middle of the first period.

The match started off poorly for Beazley, who was taken down

by Griego early in the round.

Beazley responded in kind by quickly escaping and then taking down Griego before grinding out a hard-earned fall. Beazley inevitably won with a lefthanded headlock.

“That was a great moment,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “He had to dig his

heels in and really drive through that — but he stayed tough and kept driving and driving through it and was able to get him on his back and secure the pin.”

This match was largely indicative of the meet as a whole, as every wrestler found his hand raised by the referee at the end of his match. Michigan looked dominant from start to finish as the Wolverines shut out the Beavers, 48-0. In total, the meet contained two falls and three technical falls, a feat which helped the Wolverines (2-1) earn a statement win for the program.

Michigan had suffered a sluggish start to its season after squeaking by 11th-ranked Arizona State, 21-18, and losing big to 10th-ranked Lehigh, 8-27. However, the Wolverines are showing signs of a massive momentum shift after an impressive showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and a shutout win against Oregon State (2-1).

“Against Lehigh, we got

punched in the face,” McFarland said. “We got beat on basic fundamentals out there, we got beat on mat wrestling, and so we’ve been working a lot on those areas — and we saw a lot of that today.”

The numbers corroborate McFarland’s claim, as no Wolverine wrestler trailed at the end of any period throughout the meet.

Another bright spot in Michigan’s performance can be found in freshman 157-pounder Reece Hughes. Hughes’ redshirt was pulled as he subbed in for the injured redshirt sophomore, 165-pounder Logan Massa.

Not only did Hughes win his collegiate debut, 5-0, but he did it while wrestling up a weight class.

“I’m real proud of him,” McFarland said. “It’s tough — you go out there for the first time, in a Michigan singlet, in front of the nice crowd, but he stayed totally focused, was on task and did a great job.”

From here, the Wolverines

have a break until they begin Big Ten play on Jan. 5. McFarland wishes to continue along this positive track through the break and further refine his wrestlers’ abilities.

“This break is going to be awesome,” Beazley said. “We get to break down some technique and keep getting better. Focusing on getting better mentally, getting better physically and just improving every time we step on the mat.”

The Wolverines’ shift in momentum may also be attributable to the friendly rivalry that exists within the Michigan squad. The wrestlers frequently compete with each other to see who will earn the most points in a given meet or even score the most falls in a season.

“I think the biggest thing is feeding off of each other,” Beazley said. “We had a little bit of trash talk going in the group chat — and we just feed off each other, so we’re just pushing each other and having fun when we’re out there.”

I’ve never been a part of a shutout in college wrestling.

MAX KUANG/Daily

Michigan wrestling coach Joe McFarland was pleased with his team’s performance in its dominant 48-0 win over Oregon State on Sunday afternoon.

Hard work pays off for Dancs in senior season JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer

Goals in hockey aren’t like home runs in baseball or touchdowns in football.

When pucks go into the net, there exists an element of pure chance that’s not as present in almost any other sport.

That’s why it can often be challenging to glean too much from them — goals only tell part of the story. But for Dexter Dancs last season, they told more than enough.

A seven-goal, 17-point sophomore campaign gave way to a disappointing junior season in which Dancs only found the net once. Dancs wasn’t alone in his struggles, as Michigan’s entire offense plummeted from 4.76 goals per game in 2015-16 to just 2.63 last year.

“It’s no secret I haven’t had the best three years here,” Dancs admitted to the Detroit Free Press at Michigan’s media day in September. “(I) haven’t played as well as I’ve wanted to or the coaching staff wanted me to.”

During the offseason, Dancs knew what he needed to improve upon to put the sour taste of his junior year behind him, so the North Vancouver, B.C. native went back home,

something he hadn’t done in any prior offseason. His training focus changed, too.

For the first time, he worked primarily on his f lexibility and mobility on the ice.

“I worked with a guy back home and my body feels a lot different than it did the last few years,” Dancs said. “I feel good — not necessarily faster, but I just feel stronger in my skates and my edges and things like that, so I think it’s been big for me.

“Last year I would get the puck in my own end and guys would catch me, or I would get it in the corner, I’d spin off a defender and get caught. This year I just feel better.”

At the Wolverines’ media day, coach Mel Pearson stated that Dancs had the potential to be an “x-factor,” calling him a major key towards Michigan having success. And through the first two months of the season, a more physically fit Dancs has proven him correct.

In just 16 games, Dancs has already surpassed his scoring output from last season, with five goals and eight assists comprising his 13 points — good for third on the team.

With this success, he has asserted himself on Michigan’s top line alongside senior

Tony Calderone and forward Cooper Marody, anchoring the Wolverines’ 15th-ranked scoring offense.

While Marody’s total of 1.5 points per game is tied for fourth in the country, as are Calderone’s 13 goals, the Wolverines’ veteran triumvirate has owed its success just as heavily to the contributions of Dancs. His size, strength and hard-nosed play in physical situations provides space for Michigan’s other playmakers. As Pearson stated after a victory over Minnesota in November, Dancs gives the line “a little bit of everything.”

“He’s always been a hard worker, but I think all around the ice he’s doing a lot of good things,” Marody said. “In practice, he’s always pretty consistent on a daily basis and he’s working really hard — getting pucks, he’s using his shot, he’s using his big body to take it to the net.”

It’s also telling toward the line’s chemistry and cohesiveness as a unit that Calderone was quick to credit his linemates for his hat trick against Michigan State on Thursday, saying that they “made it easy” for him.

“Dex, he’s a workhorse,”

MAX KUANG/Daily

Senior forward Dexter Dancs improved his body this offseason, and his play has followed after a lackluster junior year.

Calderone said. “He gets into the dirty areas, gets the puck, gives it to Coop, who’s an allaround great passer, great with the puck and shooting, so we’ve got three guys that complement each other well.”

While Marody gave praise to Dancs’ work ethic, he also put forth experience and confidence as reasons why Dancs is enjoying the best season of his career.

“As a senior, you’ve had a lot of years to know how you have to play on a daily basis, know how to play in the games,” Marody said. “He’s been here for four years, worked hard four years and sometimes it just comes with time. You get more mature, you learn more things about the game, you learn more things about your game, what it takes to have success and I think he’s learned that and he’s been very good so far.”

But despite this praise from teammates and coaches, Dancs was more lukewarm in his evaluation of his play this season, noting his streakiness — 11 of his 13 points came during an eight-game stretch from Oct. 27 to Nov. 17.

With three weeks until Michigan takes the ice again, against Bowling Green in the Great Lakes Invitational, Dancs hopes to develop that consistency.

“The last five or six games I haven’t really been happy with my game,” Dancs said.

“It’s good that we have the 20 days off so I can kind of look back on it and see what made me successful and bring that to the second half of the season.”

After a summer dedicated to improving his game and redeeming himself after a selfprofessed unexceptional three years, Dancs has blossomed into not just an “x-factor” for the Wolverines, as Pearson had hoped, but a major force for one of the more surprising offenses in the country.

And while there’s plenty of hard work involved, maybe it’s as simple as pucks finally going into the net.

FOOTBALL

Michigan special teams talented but inconsistent KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

TED JANES

Daily Sports Writer

Entering 2017, all the talent was there.

Unfortunately for Michigan, though, the talent didn’t yield many highlights.

HIGH POINT: Any time a Wolverine kicker sets a record, Michigan fans are bound to tune in. That’s exactly what happened earlier in the season when Nordin became the first Wolverine to ever hit two 50-yard field goals in the same game.

Nordin did so against Florida, in Cowboys Stadium, in the season opener. He converted four out of six field goals that game, boosting Michigan to a 33-17 win, and the hype behind the kicker escalated quickly.

But just as quickly as the hype rose, it would fall just as hard — but more on that in the section below.

The Wolverines didn’t have many big plays on special teams this season, but freshman Donovan Peoples-Jones’ 79-yard punt return touchdown against Air Force added at least one highlight to the reel.

Peoples-Jones weaved in and out of the Falcons’ return coverage, speeding past the entire unit for Michigan’s first touchdown of the day. Peoples-Jones made a handful of questionable decisions regarding fair catches this season — it even cost him his job at one point — but Harbaugh stuck with him, and it seems like the right decision.

LOW POINT: For all the success Nordin had to open the year, things quickly turned sour.

Given its place in the Wolverines’ season, it’s almost fitting that Nordin’s season began going off the rails in Happy Valley.

Michigan quickly fell into a 14-point hole to open the game thanks to Saquon Barkley. The Wolverines’ first punch back came at the beginning of the first quarter, when junior running back Karan Higdon found the end zone.

Out trotted Nordin. Moments later, he trotted off having missed the extra point wide left.

And so began his downward spiral.

He missed from 37 and 49 yards against Rutgers and another extra point against Minnesota.

Then things came to a head in College Park. Nordin missed from 31 yards before getting into what looked like an animated conversation with coach Jim Harbaugh.

After the game, Harbaugh clarified there was no animosity in the conversation. But he did deliver a simple message.

“He didn’t really snap back,” Harbaugh said of Nordin. “I said to him, ‘I’m giving you one more shot.

You’ve got to make the next one.’

And he said, ‘I got this. I will make the next one.’ ” As it turns out, Nordin did. He briefly corrected course against Wisconsin — converting on each of his field goal and extra-point attempts. But his last kick of the regular season ended with a block by the Buckeyes.

THE FUTURE: Not a whole lot will change for the special teams crew.

Nordin will be back, and freshman punter Brad Robbins will be back, too. In the return game, Peoples-Jones will stick around to return punts, and freshman defensive back Ambry Thomas, who returned kickoffs all year, will also be available next season.

The most notable change, and perhaps the most significant, is the loss of holder Garrett Moores.

Moores, the previous Mortell Holder of the Year award winner, is out of eligibility after this season. Though he failed to repeat as the HOTY winner — an accomplishment no holder has previously ever achieved — Moores still had a solid season.

And for all the parody videos he makes on Twitter in the name of self-deprecating humor, Moores was good at his job.

It has yet to be seen who is going to take his spot, but they’ll certainly have big shoes to fill.

Sports

8 — Tuesday, December 12, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Shea Patterson announces transfer to Michigan ORION SANG

Daily Sports Writer

It’s official: Shea Patterson is coming to Ann Arbor.

Monday afternoon, Patterson announced his intent to transfer to Michigan from Ole Miss, capping off a recruitment that only came to light recently.

“Thank you to the wonderful people, teammates and coaches at Ole Miss. It is a special place and I will always have great memories of my experiences in Oxford,” Patterson wrote in a statement on Twitter. “I am now excited to announce my commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at The University of Michigan. It’s time to go to work.”

Things between the two parties progressed quickly. Jim Harbaugh paid a visit to Oxford last week before Patterson — along with two teammates,

Deontay Anderson and Van Jefferson — returned the favor this past weekend. The trio was seen at Saturday’s men’s basketball game against UCLA. Patterson’s decision to transfer was likely influenced by the punishment handed down to Ole Miss by the NCAA, which included a two-year bowl ban and multiple scholarship restrictions, in addition to the school’s self-imposed bowl ban this season.

By now, of course, most fans will have heard of the sophomore phenom.

Formerly the top-ranked quarterback recruit in the nation, Patterson started 10 games over his first two years playing for the Rebels. As a freshman, he filled in capably for an injured Chad Kelly, leading Ole Miss to an upset road win over then-No. 8 Texas A&M in his first collegiate game.

Patterson won the quarterback competition entering this fall. Through the first seven games, Patterson completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,259 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions before a torn PCL sidelined him for the remainder of the year. At the time of his injury, he was leading the conference in passing yards.

Both Wilton Speight and Alex Malzone have announced their intent to transfer from Michigan, which would leave Patterson as the most experienced quarterback on the roster next year — and the quarterback with the most production, as well.

Historically, Michigan is not a school that pursues many transfers, let alone multiple from the same school. But Harbaugh does have experience in successfully pursuing

quarterback transfers. In early 2015, Jake Rudock left Iowa as a graduate transfer to finish his career at Michigan. Around that same time, John O’Korn chose to transfer from Houston, sitting out one year before appearing in 16 games over the past two seasons.

It remains to be seen whether Patterson will be able to display his talent next year as he — and Michigan — awaits word on whether he will have immediate eligibility.

Harbaugh and Michigan have yet to provide official comment on the transfer. The official Michigan football Twitter account did, though, tacitly acknowledge the news by retweeting Patterson’s tweet announcing his decision.

Patterson was unable to speak with media during his visit this past weekend, as transfers fall under NCAA recruiting rules.

2017-2018

Shea

Michigan Quarterbacks

Patterson

9

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS

17

2,023

PASSING YARDS

2,259

54.5

COMPLETION PERCENTAGE

63.8

8

INTERCEPTIONS

9

6.72

YARDS PER ATTEMPT

8.69

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Ole Miss transfer quarterback Shea Patterson announced via his Twitter on Monday that he will be transferring to Michigan for next season.

DESIGN BY CASEY TIN

Despite win, Michigan Wolverines prepare for road test at Texas bench still struggles WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MIKE PERSAK

Daily Sports Editor

ETHAN SEARS

Daily Sports Writer

As Kent State jumped out to an early lead over the Michigan women’s basketball team on Sunday, Katelynn Flaherty found a lane and drove through it. On her way to the hoop, a Golden Flash defender stepped in front and drew a whistle, earning the ball back with Kent State already up 8-2.

Everyone on the Golden Flash bench got up. Everyone cheered. It echoed through the confines of Crisler Center on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The Wolverines eventually found their footing and came back to win 54-41. In doing so, however, not once was their bench anywhere near as loud as Kent State’s when the Golden Flash were up.

This isn’t a one-game issue either. When Detroit jumped out to an early lead over Michigan last Tuesday, the Titans were jumping around the bench, yelling encouragement and celebrating. The Wolverines were sitting.

“I don’t think we’re like a rah-rah team,” junior guard Nicole Munger said. “I think we’re more like a working, bluecollar team.”

Added freshman forward Hailey Brown: “Even if our bench isn’t playing, at timeouts, they’re always telling us stuff about personnel or just things that are going on in the game. So it may not be the loudest, but it’s still, like, subtle conversations that we’re constantly having.”

The team’s messaging on this issue, however, wasn’t especially consistent.

“I think our bench has great energy,” coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “And I think Jillian Dunston, Deja Church are our biggest energy kids, but our bench is usually led by Deja Church, Kayla Robbins – she always has a voice on our bench – as does Sam Trammel.

So I think our kids have great

energy, great focus.”

According to Munger and Brown, the team’s solemnity on the bench is a good thing.

According to Barnes Arico, there is no lack of energy on the bench. Both of those things can’t be true. It’s hard to believe either of those things could be true.

There’s no reason more energy on the bench wouldn’t stop Michigan from giving strategic advice. If anything, it might help if everyone was up and cheering.

In fairness to Barnes Arico, there are ways to give the team momentum other than shouting encouragement from the bench.

Dunston, Church and Robbins have all done so on the court by grabbing loose balls, playing hard defense and doing any number of other things.

Outside of the coaching staff, however, it’s rare to see any Wolverine standing, clapping or doing anything else other than sitting when it comes to the bench itself.

“When you have that (ranking) next to you, it means a lot more than just a number,” Munger said. “It’s like a target on your back. So they’re playing like a targeted team. So we need to know that coming in that everyone’s coming to beat us.”

And as far as intangibles go, energy does matter. It’s easier to build momentum when your teammates are up and excited.

“The conversations we have with our bench (are) more crucial than them just being rah-rah because they’re giving me advice, things that they see that I don’t see on the court,” Munger stressed. “If I’m busy looking at this, this, and they say, ‘Skip,’ well there’s (Flaherty) wide open in the corner.”

In that hypothetical, though, wouldn’t it be nice to hear the Wolverines cheering after Flaherty hits her open 3-pointer?

Before Michigan’s season began, it was easy to identify the toughest part of its schedule: the beginning.

The Wolverines’ first 12 games included matchups with No. 7 North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio State, UCLA and several tough games at the Maui Invitational.

Tuesday, that stretch will conclude when Michigan (1-1 Big Ten, 8-3 overall) travels to face Texas (6-2).

Through eight games, he was averaging 15.3 points per game and shooting 52.4 percent.

It appears the Wolverines are catching somewhat of a break, as Longhorns guard Andrew Jones – the team’s leading scorer – will miss Tuesday’s game with a wrist injury.

After finishing third on the team in scoring last

year, Jones tested the waters of the NBA Draft this offseason before ultimately deciding to return to school.

Without Jones, Texas will turn to one of the best frontcourts Michigan will face all season. Forwards Dylan Osetkowski and Mohamed Bamba average 14.0 and 10.7 points per game, respectively, while combining for 18 rebounds per game.

The Wolverines actively recruited Bamba, who was the No. 3 recruit in the class of 2017. In fact, the 7-footer took a visit to Ann Arbor in September of last year, before choosing to sign with the Longhorns.

Osetkowski, on the other hand, played his first two years at Tulane, where he averaged 8.9 points per game before transferring

to Texas.

“Mo Bamba’s a tremendous player, but the transfer they have from Tulane is the guy that’s

We just play basketball and try not to focus on that really been tremendous for them this year,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “That’s the guy that, maybe, they were missing last year. A guy – an inside threat, outside threat. He’s really a good player.”

Another challenge that Michigan will have to overcome is its trouble

playing on the road this season.

When the Wolverines traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C., they were run off the court. A week later, they blew a 20-point lead to Ohio State. In both games, Michigan was unable to effectively respond when its opponents went on runs.

Perhaps the Wolverines have exorcised those demons, though. Saturday, they overcame a 15-point deficit to beat UCLA. Now, they have to prove that they can do the same thing on the road.

Michigan experienced trouble in road games last season, but it’s a different team now, and the Wolverines have to prove once again that they can contend with good teams away from Crisler Center.

“It’s been tough in the past, too,” Wagner said.

“Last year, I remember, we were 0-6 (up) to the Indiana game in the middle of the Big Ten season on the road.

So, it’s obviously tough, whether that’s young or old and a (more) mature team.

But we don’t have that in the back of our mind. We just play basketball and try not to focus on that.”

The Longhorns and Wolverines have an opponent in common this season. Both have played VCU, and both beat the Rams in close games.

Those contests could act as a barometer for how close Tuesday’s game could be.

Currently, Texas is listed as a six-point favorite. Beilein, for his part, believes that’s true.

“They’ve got enough good players,” Beilein said. “… And we’re going to have to play, probably, our best game of the year to get a win at Texas.”

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Michigan coach John Beilein and the Wolverines will attempt to exorcise their road demons when they travel to Austin on Tuesday to face Texas.