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ACADEMICS
‘U’ affiliates report dozen harassment allegations Crowd-sourced sexual misconduct log includes 12 faculty, student survivors ANNA HARITOS
Managing Social Media Editor ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily
First-gen students struggle to find support in adjusting to campus life
In new academic environments, first-generation students must navigate structural hurdles ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter
Taubman sophomore Wendy Zhuo moved herself into college. She bid farewell to her parents and hopped on a train from Boston to Ann Arbor. When she arrived, four suitcases in tow, she had no idea where she was. Eventually she called a taxi, which then dropped her and her belongings at her dorm. Zhuo is part of the 8 percent of first-generation undergraduate
students at the University, according to the 2016 Campus Climate Survey on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and her story is just one of many that first-generation students have to tell. Navigating the complex academic and social environment of college is difficult enough, but it is compounded by a lack of parental guidance and, in the case of many first-generation college students, a low-income status. According to a 2017 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 27 percent of first-
generation students come from homes making $20,000 a year or less, whereas only six percent of continuing-generation students do. The setbacks these students face can create feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction with the campus climate, as shown in the results of the University’s 2016 Campus Climate Survey on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. To combat these struggles, the University has various resources and programs to help first-generation students throughout their college careers.
Adan Hussain, a firstgeneration project manager in the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, detailed the four major events he oversees: a student and parent open house at the start of the year, two large community dinners and a first-generation graduation ceremony. “The major goal is community building, so that first-gen students can meet other first-gens who might be like them, or who might not be like them,” Hussain said. “Meeting both is just really See SUPPORT, Page 3
Thus far, the University of Michigan hasappeared in 12 alleged incidents of sexual harassment and assault taken from acrowdsourced database circulating in academic communities. Since December, over 2,000 individuals from academic institutions in the United States and abroad have responded to the sexual harassment survey created by Karen Kelsky, founder of the academic career-advisory business The Professor is In. The anonymous contributors who shared their stories range from students to professors. Perpetrators, all anonymous and in academia, also have also contributed to the survey. The 12 alleged incidents centered at the University vary in demographics and situation –– and some of the incidents date back to the 1980s. The unidentified sources wrote
about inappropriate sexual advances, sexist comments and rapes. Entries ranged from “raped during my PhD program” to tenured professors “serially groping” students. According to the log, of the four cases that were allegedly reported at the University, investigations were launched for two of them, and only one incident ended in disciplinary action. Many entries do not mention specific dates, but some refer to incidents that allegedly occurred in the last decade. “He berated me for being a ‘tease,’” one Universityaffiliated contributor wrote of her experience working in a University counseling center in the 1980s. “He said that I shouldn’t have agreed to come to his place if I didn’t want to have sex. And then he pointed to his crotch and said, “What am I supposed to do about that?” And he unzipped his pants and masturbated in front of me while I sat, frozen, on the See HARASSMENT, Page 3
Ann Arbor launches Citizens Academic program to University student to increase civic engagement & voter participation
BUSINESS
launch bag start-up
25 residents will have chance to attend weekly courses on budgeting, water and sewage infrastructure in city
Luggage Teleport Inc. will transport travelers’ bags to airports, hotels
This spring, the city of Ann Arbor will welcome a cohort of 25 residents for its inaugural “Citizens Academy”. The program aims to broaden civic understanding and offer Ann Arbor residents a perspective into the functioning of local government. Over the course of six weeks from March 28 to May 2, participants will have the chance to attend weekly sessions covering topics ranging from the mechanics behind city budgeting to water quality. Each week’s session will meet at a different location ranging from the Water Treatment Plant to the Communication Television Network offices. The initial idea for an Ann Arbor Citizens Academy came from the popular Ann Arbor Citizens’ Police, Fire and Courts Academy, established in 2008, which provide citizens the opportunity to engage with public safety operations. AAPFCA has been well received by the community according to Ann Arbor Police Service Specialist Jamie Giordano, who has been at the helm of the program for the past two years. The success of the AAPFCA, Giordano said, can be seen with the participants’ willingness to contribute to the city and their
RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Daily Staff Reporter
A new student start-up company that transports luggage for business travelers to airports and hotels in the San Francisco and Las Vegas areas will launch at the International Consumer Electronics Showcase held next week in Las Vegas. Engineering junior Benjamin Eu and his co-founder Max Yong met while taking entrepreneurship courses at Stanford University last summer. Yong had previously faced issues with luggage transport because his f light arrival time was much earlier than his checkin time at his hotel. Yong had a meeting to attend, so the process of transporting his luggage and traveling to the meeting took an additional hour of his time –– the two saw an opening in the market and founded Luggage Teleport Inc. Luggage Teleport Inc. works to transport luggage for business travelers from See START-UP, Page 3
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community. application review. A point“On the surface it sounds Ann Arbor resident Mary “Last year in our group we based system will be used to like an excellent goal. Morgan, the founder of had many of the members identify the top 25 scoring In looking through the the CivCity Initiative, a that were part of our group participants who will then be application process and how nonpartisan nonprofit with also were part of the Citizens offered a spot in the Citizens selective they plan to be, I the mission to increase civic Emergency Response Team Academy. am a little concerned about participation within Ann program, so they’re are helping Ann Arbor resident Kathy whether they are going to be Arbor, was excited about the out the community in that Griswold applauded the effort selecting citizens that could announcement of a Citizens way. Many of them went on to by the city to create a citizens be like-minded and use this Academy and believes it become neighborhood watch council, but has reservations as a development for potential is too early to tell if there captains, so they are a liaison concerning the application council candidates who agree are consequences to the between the police department process. with the majority,” she said. application requirement. and their neighborhoods See PROGRAM, Page 3 to bridge the gap and get information out into the community and from the community to us. Sharing their experiences helps the relationship between our department and the city,” Giordano said. The application process includes two components. The first component is a required application form with two short answer questions. The second component is an optional photo challenge where applicants have the opportunity to send photos of themselves at various Ann Arbor landmarks. Applications are due on March 2 by 5 p.m. The city has provided a detailed explanation of the selection process on their website. Applicants must be eighteen years old to apply. Ann Arbor residents and those who indicate they can attend SARAH KUNKEL/Daily all meetings will be This spring, the city of Ann Arbor will welcome a cohort of 25 residents for its inaugural “Citizens Academy.” given preference in the
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Vol. CXXVII, No. 50 ©2018 The Michigan Daily
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Every Friday, one Daily news staffer will give a behind the scenes look at one of this week’s stories. This week, LSA freshman Riley Langefeld covered the end of net neutrality and its impact on the University. “It affects people in more ways than they would think. And I don’t think the proportionate attention has been paid to this issue, so it was gratifying to bring attention to it in a way that a lot of people can see. I thought it was pretty cool that we don’t go through Yousef’s press office or anything –– I just kind of texted him, on his cell phone, which was weird. But I also have never interviewed an actual politician or representative of any kind before, and since that’s a field I want to go into, it was really interesting to get some firsthand conversation with a guy like that.“ LSA freshman Riley Langefeld, “Politicians and professors navigate implications of the end of net neutrality”
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ON THE DAILY: STEER CLEAR OF BOVINES ON THE LAM A situation the Detroit Free Press initially reported as a single missing cow roaming around northeast Ann Arbor is actually significantly more dangerous than previously thought. Derrick Jackson, the director of community engagement for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed the animal at large Thursday afternoon was not just one cow, but two steer –– the beefier, male counterpart of the cow. “They are both around 1,500 pounds apiece –– both fairly aggressive,” Jackson said. “And really why we put the message out was to let people know that we’re in the area looking for the two steer. But if you see it, definitely don’t approach thinking it’s just a cow that’s harmless, because they’re very large, and could be Sudoku Syndication pretty dangerous.” The two steer escaped while
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being transported in a trailer by their owners. When the vehicle stopped, the trailer door –– which had not been properly secured –– swung open. “The steer literally just walked off the trailer,” Jackson said. “And they were near some residential areas, so we initially got quite a few calls just from neighbors and drivers and passerby saying, ‘Hey, there are these two very large cows kind of roaming the area.’” After the owners were located, they informed deputies it would be too difficult to corral and recapture the steer, and requested instead they put them down. A few hours after the sheriff’s office initially reported the situation at 1:36 p.m., Jackson confirmed deputies had located and killed one of the steers. As of the time of this report, the other remains on http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ the lam. -ANDREW HIYAMA
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SUPPORT From Page 1 powerful. The other is getting connected to resources and things that folks may not have known about before.” Dwight Lang, faculty adviser of the University group FirstGeneration College Students at Michigan, said the firstgeneration students he has talked to over the years claim their freshman year was the hardest. As a first-generation student himself, he helps students adjust to college life, and connect them to the University and each other. “So many first-gens I’ve talked to who’ve had problems, it’s always been the first year,” Lang said. “Many of them have said they just wanted to flee the place because it was just so foreign to them. But they have made a decision to come to college, so I tell them to try to find a reference group where people can understand them. Maybe find a staff person or a faculty member, a peer, someone they can talk to about your experiences.” Mia McCrumb, a firstgeneration business freshman, said her biggest challenge arriving at the University was having no expectations as to what college would be like. This was a stark contrast, she noted, to her continuing-generation friends at the University. She said they knew what to expect because it was always assumed they would go to college. “I never knew that I was going to come to Michigan and I feel so extremely blessed to be here,” McCrumb said. “I’ve just definitely worked so hard to be where I’m at. And I think other people have always grown up knowing they’re going to come here. It’s a very big deal; it wasn’t planned for me and it wasn’t expected for me either.” For LSA senior Hunter Zhao, president of First-Generation College Students at Michigan, he felt his biggest issues were with taking advantage of opportunities offered at the University and with not relating to continuinggeneration students from more privileged backgrounds. “It was a two-pronged thing,” Zhao said. “On one side there was that social aspect of trying to connect with kids who really didn’t understand the experiences that I was coming from. The
STARTUP From Page 1 between airports and hotels as well as hotel to hotel in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Through a mobile app, users can arrange for a worker to pick up their luggage at a designated time –– two pieces of luggage pieces cost $35, and additional items are $10 each. The company will debut at CES to introduce itself to the consumer market. Last year, more than 184,000 people attended and 4,000 companies had exhibits –– Eu said he would use it to gauge consumer interests. “We see it as an opportunity because these people traveled there...they bring stuff there and they want everything to be productive,” Eu said. “With 180,000 people coming, we are trying to watch out for interests of the market share.” In an attempt to gain customers from an obvious base, the company will also offer a 50% off code to University of Michigan students and alumni for the first three months of usage.
PROGRAM From Page 1 “I think there is a definitely a lot of room for improvement in helping people learn about local government. So I am really happy to see the city is offering the citizens academy. It is difficult to really judge the application process that they have until you see what the outcome is. I think that having some kind of application process ref lects a level of interest,” Morgan said.
second part was the more technical aspect of not seeing value outside of just getting my degree.” According to Lang, Zhao’s bewilderment when trying to relate with wealthier students is not uncommon among firstgeneration students. Lang explained that first-generation students’ decision to attend college is simultaneously a decision to ascend to a higher socioeconomic status. This isn’t apparent to these students when they enter college; Lang said gradually their upward socioeconomic mobility starts to manifest itself, which can cause tension between them and their families. “I encourage the first-gens that are in our group to get to know middle- and upper-class peers because they’re going to have to adjust to this new social class they want to be a part of,” Lang said. “They all want to be upwardly mobile. I don’t think they all realized that in the beginning. So then they start thinking about family. If they’re going to get flak from their parents: ‘oh you think you’re better than us.’ That’s a big issue for first-gens.” LSA senior Ariana Cribbs didn’t attribute her challenges at the University to being a firstgeneration student until her junior year when she participated in the Sociology Opportunities for Undergraduate Leadership. With the program, she did research on the first-generation student experience and during her interviews with other firstgeneration students, she saw their experiences mirrored hers. “I interviewed other first-gens and figured out the challenges that I face are not just exclusive to me, they’re exclusive to firstgeneration students,” Cribbs said. “This is something I was experiencing and I didn’t realize it was because of my standing of being a first-gen.” After she moved in her freshman year, Zhuo received emails about a first-generation student dinner and from that found the First Generation College Students at Michigan student group. This year, she became the group’s treasurer. She said because of finding this community, this year has been easier for her. “As a sophomore, since I’ve done it once before, and I know how the system works now, it’s a lot easier,” Zhuo said. “Also,
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SHIF TING BE AUT Y IDE ALS
SARAH KUNKEL/Daily
The exhibition Gloss: Modeling Beauty explores the shifting ideals in feminine beauty from the 1920s to the present at UMMA.
knowing people on campus helps a lot. Having a community and building connections to people around me helps navigating the whole system.” Zhao affirmed that, as a senior, things are much easier for him because he has become more aware of the different opportunities available to him. Cribbs said she still has challenges, but the importance of her goal of being the first in her family to earn a degree keeps her persevering. “It’s still kind of a struggle to figure out the new things,” Cribbs said. “I didn’t even know going toward senior year about applying for graduation, and I had to go meet up with my advisers. That was kind of difficult but I’m just super grateful that I’m going to actually be a college graduate. Once I get my degree and I’m making more money, I can go back and support my family and my community.” The University and the First
Anne Perigo, the Associate Director for the Zell Lurie Institute at the Ross School of Business, has advised Eu on his entrepreneurial journey since his first year at the University. She also mentored the development of Carrycott, another company Eu co-founded. Carrycott offers strollers designed to be easily carried with one hand and cooling technolog y to prevent children from being hot or uncomfortable while in the stroller. In an email to The Daily, Perigo described her excitement about Eu’s new endeavor. “Benjamin is a great role model to other entrepreneurially-minded students at Michigan,” Perigo wrote. “He is willing to put in the hard work necessary to be successful and smart enough to really listen (to potential customers, coaches, advisors, judges) to know when to pivot or move on to a different idea/ venture. I look forward to seeing his success as a serial entrepreneur.” While he anticipates difficulty with attending school and managing his
company, Eu remains optimistic of his ability to balance his time between the two because of the way he and Yong will manage the company. “I will mainly be managing the technological and backend side of the operations while my co-founder will be in the state managing the drivers and operations,” Eu said. “That’s helpful for us because we are able to connect with the developers and develop the product while staying in school.” LSA freshman Kate Sherwin welcomes the idea of the company. While she is not a business traveler, she resides out-of-state and would find the service helpful for moving in and out of campus. “I think that a lot of people coming off airports don’t really want to deal with a lot of luggage,” Sherwin said. “Especially for me when I was moving into school, my family had to carry four or five suitcases...especially for students, it’s a great product and a great company.”
Despite concerns regarding the application, Morgan emphasized that the Citizens Academy is a positive step toward increasing avenues for civic participation within Ann Arbor. Morgan cited uncontested races for City Council and low voter turnout as evidence for the disengagement among the Ann Arbor community. “I think especially since the 2016 national election there is a heightened awareness of the importance of our democracy and our civic health. But a lot of that heightened attention
is directed at national level issues and to some extent state level issues like concerns about gerrymandering. I think that it starts local and you actually have the ability to inf luence outcomes more easily at the local level but people often tend to discount it. There is a lot of things that we can do as a community and I am glad to see the Citizens Academy, but of course I would love to see more,” Morgan said.
Generation College Students at Michigan student group are working to provide better resources for first-generation students. One newly established resource is the First-Generation Student Gateway, a space for first-generation students to seek guidance or mingle. According to Lang, firstgeneration student groups are popping up in the graduate schools as well. Next fall, First-Generation College Students at Michigan is launching a mentorship program which pairs firstgeneration upperclassmen with first-generation underclassmen. The upperclassmen can relay their knowledge and show underclassmen what a firstgeneration senior experience looks like. But there’s still more to be done, McCrumb said she wants First Generation College Students at Michigan to continue to grow on campus. “I hope that the group
HARASSMENT From Page 1 couch.” One anonymous graduate student described the ramifications on their mental health after an incident with their former professor. “It has taken years to heal from the trauma of being taken advantage of by a professor who claimed he had my best interests in mind. I still have to see him in the hallways and it is very triggering. It was like a slow, drawn out assault over many months of the school year,” they wrote. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald wrote in an email interview the University knows of the existence of the database and is monitoring it regularly. “We are aware of this blog and staff in the university’s Office for Institutional Equity check it regularly for allegations that reference U-M,” Fitzgerald wrote. “They look carefully at the information that is provided to determine if there is any action that can or should be taken by the university.” The status of the Universityaffiliated contributors range from an undergraduate sophomore to visiting lecturers. One common factor was the gender of their harasser: All of the incidents cited were perpetrated by male faculty. The gender of all reported perpetrators are overwhelmingly male, with only roughly 5 percent of reported harassers women. High-profile figures, many men, in politics, entertainment and media have faced serious sexual-misconduct allegations in the final months of 2017 — ousting many from their positions. The #MeToo movement, originating from actress Alyssa Milano’s tweet encouraging survivors to speak
on campus becomes more prominent,” McCrumb said. “I hope the University begins to work more with them. That’s a group I had to seek out on my own. I think giving students that information is really important.” In discussing his goals as the president of First Generation College Students at Michigan, Zhao described wanting to raise awareness and debunk narrowminded views of first-generation students on campus. “Something our executive board is working on this year is demystifying who is a firstgeneration college student,” he said. “I think for a long time the narrative of a firstgen student has been a rural white student. And we’re really hoping to expand that image. Within each racial minority, they’re disproportionately firstgeneration students. We want to encourage students to see firstgeneration college students as intersectional as well.”
out, is at the forefront of national conversations around sexism. Sexual harassment cases at the University more than doubled in 2017 from 25 to 60 incidents reported to the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, according to the University’s annual public safety report. Sexual assault incidents increased from 124 to 125 cases in the same year. When asked about how the University is combating sexual harassment in the wake of #MeToo — including a flood of charges at universities around the country from Michigan State’s gymnastics program to the University of Arizona’s firing of former Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez — Fitzgerald did not mention any new scrutiny on harassment. He referred The Daily to its own stories on the University’s history of misconduct policies. “The Daily has numerous stories in its archives on the longstanding policies against sexual misconduct and the extensive educational efforts that are in place on our campus to help students, faculty and staff understand and combat sexual misconduct.” he wrote. Sociology graduate student Nicole Bedera studies college sexual violence and masculinity. Bedera said she was neither surprised when she saw the database, nor when she heard the percentage of women harassers. “We know that the vast majority of harassers and sexual assailants are men,” Bedera said. “Which doesn’t mean that women don’t engage in these practices, they absolutely do, but one of the central reasons people engage in sexual harassment or assault behavior is masculinity. It’s a gendered crime.” Bedera referred to the database as a “whisper network,” a hushed chain of conversations between women about men regarding rumors, allegations
After senior year, the journey for first-generation college students is not yet over. Cribbs applied to graduate schools last semester and said she is now anticipating the obstacles of being a first-generation graduate student. “Knowing what I know now about being a first-gen, I’m looking forward to when I go to grad school and connecting with first-gen grad students,” Cribbs said. First-generation seniors have four years to adjust and to openly discuss their first-generation identity. But Lang thinks it’s best to tell people from the start. “My advice is to be open and honest about who you are and where you’ve come from your first year here,” Lang said. “Be proud of who you are. You’re a risk-taker, you’re a boundary crosser. That’s a real strength that you have. You got a lot of guts coming here to college. You might as well be open about it from the get-go.”
or known incidents of sexual misconduct, harassment or assault. “The only thing that makes this list different from it is that it’s written down somewhere so that everybody can see who is on the whisper network, including those who are being whispered about,” Bedera said. Incidents reported in the log occuring at the University described the disruption of everyday life for survivors. Three contributors noted they were less trusting of men in general following incidents, and would avoid social situations with their male colleagues. As a whole, survivors cited irreversible impacts on their careers. “I don’t sit next to male faculty/colleagues if I can help it and I avoid any events where drinking is involved,” a contributor wrote. “I’m not sure whether this would be considered harassment,” one contributor wrote of a professor asking her for a kiss. “It did make me feel uncomfortable and ended any future potential research collaborations. Fitzgerald wrote to the Daily that students should not hesitate to report incidents of this nature. “It also is important to know that we always encourage anyone who has experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault or is aware of someone who has experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault to contact the Office for Institutional Equity so those experiences can be investigated and appropriate action taken,” he wrote. Kelsky’s list shares some similarities with the “Sh*tty Men in Media” list, which is an anonymous database centered in the New York City media and publishing community.
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T
Trump, two years later
his month a year ago, Donald Trump was sworn in as President of these United States, and many of us were bracing for the worst. It seemed too simple — 30 seconds with his hand on a Bible, rain drizzling down on the CNN camera — for such a momentous event. I’d spent the last three months dreading that moment, reevaluating how great a sin it had been for President Barack Obama to be such a mild liberal. And then, all at once, it was over. I think the biggest surprise is how accommodating our society and political structure have been for someone that seems so out of the ordinary. Every scandal, for me, has this moment where I think, “this is it, this is the one that’s just too much.” Trump seems to weather each media storm with ease, though, and so it seems that outrage alone isn’t enough to actually affect anything. We know that, if nothing else, people opposed to Trump only have to wait him out. It’s still uncertain whether or not we’ll see him after 2020, but it’s impossible that we’ll see him after 2024. President George W. Bush had some ridiculous moments, but after eight sanitizing years of the Obama administration we have largely forgotten these moments — and Bush was much more destructive than Trump has been with regard to civilian life. In spite of all of the energy of #resist, we are largely resigned to the next three years and everything they might bring. Just over a third of the country is fully on board with Trump; the rest is waiting with a patience that is uniquely, admirably, American: remembering that Trump is only temporary. Organizers and political activists know this more than anyone else, especially now that many are questioning whether the indignant backlash of late 2016 and early 2017 has started to fade. It’s nearly impossible to force a Republican-led government to suffer the electoral damage
that impeachment or another drastic action would cause — it would alienate a significant portion of their base, embolden liberals and would hurt the party’s overall brand. Grassroots alternatives suffer from their own problems; people don’t actually want to march for four years, even if they’re angry. Even given the above problems, I don’t know whether or not waiting until the 2018 and 2020 elections is an acceptable strategy either. On one hand, there are millions of people who could be hurt by the policies implemented during Trump’s presidency. On the other hand, Trump is just a figurehead. It’s easy to forget that the Senate and House of
People don’t actually want to march for four years, even if they’re angry Representatives, along with the Supreme Court, also have a Republican majority when the man at the head of the party is making so much noise about himself. Our situation isn’t the product of one choice — Hillary Clinton or Trump or protest vote — it’s the result of numerous other small decisions. Low turnout for state-level elections means that 67 of 99 of state legislatures are Republican controlled. Low turnout in midterm elections may have inf luenced the resulting Republican majority in the House of Representatives in 2010 and the Senate in 2014. There were chances to take back these institutions; there were chances to hobble a Trump presidency the way Republicans had hobbled Obama’s second term. Liberals didn’t manage it, though. Midterm elections
don’t get the media attention or national scrutiny the way presidential elections do, but the legislative balance of power depends on them. The use of a president, however accomplished or charismatic, is limited significantly when — as with Obama for the majority of his years — they have no legislative power behind them. Politics has to be more than a “sport for nerds,” and if we intend to win we have to focus on turnout, not the number of nominal partisans in one area or another. When trying to stop someone accused of sexual misconduct, hammering home the fact that he’s assaulted a number of teenage girls and women isn’t going to f lip his voters (it may, in fact, strengthen their resolve). Bringing more of the people who already oppose him, or who support his opponent, to the polls is more effective than trying to convert people who are already resistant to the Democratic party’s ideas. In one year, the first 2020 candidates will be declaring their candidacy for the position of president. In two years, we’ll have seen a number of debates, and will be coming up on the primary elections (perhaps in both parties). Trump, as he has this last year, will most likely have made an impossible number of gaffes and horrible statements during this time. In three years, we’ll have another presidential election — and a House of Representatives election that will determine leg islative redistricting af ter the census. It’s critical, especially af ter Trump’s surprise victor y, that we remember the many people who are already decided on prog ressive ideals, but still need to be reminded to vote in support of them. Make sure, if you’re already wear y of this president and his politics, that you show up to cast a ballot.
Hank Minor can be reached at hminor@umich.edu.
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O
ur campus, like many college campuses across the nation, has been rocked by a number of upsetting behaviors in the preceding months. Look at any news outlet and you will quickly see that binge drinking and drug use are harming college students both on and off campus. Scroll through your Facebook feed, and with the emergence of campaigns such as #MeToo, you will realize that some of your most idolized heroes, and perhaps even closest friends, have suffered sexual harassment and assault. Individuals and administrators at the University of Michigan should be taking action to do whatever they can to limit any activity in which students may harm themselves or others. This is indisputable. What I do not agree with, though, is the decision on many college campuses, including our own, to place disproportionate blame on the institution of Greek life and its members. There is a stigma that members of Greek life are more likely to drink alcohol at levels that may endanger themselves and others, that members of fraternities commit sexual assault at higher rates than their non-affiliated peers. While these statements may be an exaggeration of reality, I don’t dispute the truth that is at their core. Rather, I dispute that these issues stem from Greek life and its culture, and the dissolution of this institution would result in the removal of these problems. This piece is not a defense of Greek life, but rather a reminder that with the end goal of creating a safe and educated student body, perhaps we are looking for solutions in the wrong places. From my personal experience as an active member of Greek life on our campus, the demographic that typically feeds into Greek life is that of a more social and perhaps more risk-inclined variety. The
removal of Greek life would not stop students from participating in unsafe actions, but rather it would simply scatter and disorganize these students who are more inclined to engage in this type of behavior. I contend Greek life is highly correlated with, but isn’t the sole cause of, the culture and behavior universities are trying to expel from college campuses. Binge drinking and sexual assault are important issues that affect our entire generation, and they are issues an organized Greek life system may actually be able to help control. The University doesn’t have the authority to enter a student’s off-campus, private residence and investigate behavior occurring within those walls. The University cannot monitor the kind of alcoholic drinks that might be served at a party, nor can it ensure support is at the party in case something does go wrong. Sure, police can be called to a house party, and students may be sanctioned by the school if they are found breaking laws, but this influence pales in comparison to the power University administrators have over Greek life today. The Social Responsibility Committee and Greek Activities Review Panel are two student-led initiatives at the University that work to create a safer campus environment through their ability to both create and enforce restrictions. The ban of hard alcohol at fraternity houses, the requirement of sober individuals to be available to help distressed students and the member-education requirements surrounding drinking and sexual assault are examples of policies that could not exist in the absence of organized, complying organizations like Greek life. The system we have today is by no means perfect, but at least it currently portrays a framework for which future programs can be instated.
During my time as a member of a fraternity here at the University, I have been exposed to numerous experiences that helped me develop the moral compass to which I adhere today. Freshman year, the new members of my fraternity and I participated in a candid conversation about sex with an on-campus group, exposing us to concepts and perspectives about consent that I had never previously considered. Had we not been obligated to attend this session by the Office of Greek Life, I might not have taken the initiative to explore these ideas myself. Mandatory alcohol education classes, mixed with risk-management seminars led by older members, taught me when to put down my pride and pick up the phone to call for help if I recognized somebody to be in danger. While all freshmen are required to attend seminars regarding alcohol, drugs and sexual activity, the current Greek life system has the opportunity to require continued education on these topics. Fraternity and sorority members should accept responsibility for any dangerous behavior that occurs within the walls of their houses or committed anywhere by their members. But rather than pointing fingers and using Greek life as a scapegoat to prove how the University is taking actions to make our campus safer, the University should partner further with the Greek life community. The existing systems in place give our school the ability to help teach its students right from wrong, and how they can have a good time in a safe, controlled environment, something I fear they may lose if they maintain their current stance. Matt Friend can be reached at mjfri@umich.edu.
DANIELLE COLBURN | COLUMN
W
Women are not our savior
omen won’t save the world. Maybe a woman will. Maybe the efforts of many women will. But when we look at “women” as a sing ular entit y, we ig nore all of the many qualif ied, hardworking women who are individuals making up this collective. We ig nore the women who have been working to make change for years, who are people with stories, not faceless members of an underrepresented g roup. It has become harder and harder to ignore the foundational problems of the culture we live in, especially in the recent climate. I’ve heard some interesting solutions posed, where people have been saying, “We should just let the women take over.” As in, “We’ve royally screwed it up, maybe someone else could come clean this up.” I’ve seen this in response especially to the #MeToo movement, when it was revealed that many powerful and once-respected men wielded their power over others to harass, assault and silence their victims. This idea that women are the answer, even when shared as a joke, is problematic because it sheds light on a very real mindset. It seems to suggest that women are better for the job just as a default. Not because of qualifications, effort or skill, but just because men apparently can’t be trusted in that position. It ignores the women who have worked hard, who have faced discrimination based on one or many identities and have been systematically shut out of positions of power. Women deserve to be in power not simply as backups to men who have shown themselves unworthy of the power they’ve been given, but because they have worked for it tirelessly. Last year, I took an English class on medieval women with the fantastic Dr. Gina Brandolino, an English lecturer at the University of
Michigan. We talked about the ways in which medieval literature categorized women and put them in one of two places: the g utter or the pedestal. That is to say, the literature would often shame women by making them less than their male counterparts, or it would revere them by exalting women and their purity. Ultimately, the literature would treat women as if they transcended human behavior. Women were things to be degraded or protected, not agents with the ability to act. Revering women seems better than shaming them, maybe, but both serve to generalize women and ignore the individual, and result in the same thing: the removal of women from the human sphere until they are acted upon, not capable of action themselves. We only studied this categorization in medieval texts, but I say it happens today as well, in the real world. When we hold women as a group applicable to some kind of higher, unattainable standard, it leaves no room for natural, inevitable mistakes. It condemns women for human error. It expects some kind of salvation to come without calling for a change in the culture that created the problems women are somehow expected to fix. It’s not the job of women — or any victim, from any group — to fix a broken system. The system has to be changed by those individuals most ingrained in it by stepping up and calling for consequences. There’s also a problem with thinking women are the only group being wronged, the only silenced people who deserve to have a voice. It’s not just women who have been preyed upon by those abusing their power. It’s not just women who have been shut out of corporate offices, writing rooms, center stage. What we should be looking for is to put the best people in positions of power — that means people of any identity.
That means any individual who works hard, who proves themselves worthy of the position, who is willing to take a stand against a system that they might benefit from, even to their own detriment. It also means acknowledging that it’s far harder for women to get there, especially women of color, especially women in the LGBTQ community, especially women with any number of intersecting identities who bring their own experiences. And so, women deserve to be in power. But not just now, not just suddenly after these f laws in the system have been exposed. For as long as there has been a system, as long as there have been roles with power, there have been women who deserved to hold them. Not women as a group, but individual women, whose sing ular accomplishments matter. This should not be happening because of a hope for a magic fix, but because eyes are finally opening to mistakes that are decades — centuries, even — old. The identit y “women” doesn’t sig nif y a cleaning crew coming in to deal with a mess that is years in the making. There are real solutions to the problems we’re seeing; those who abuse their power should be called out and held accountable so ever yone knows there are consequences for exploiting others. There are ways to make spaces safe so incoming women aren’t forced to devote half their minds to warding off unwanted advances. Imag ine the prog ress that will be made when a working woman can g ive all of her brain power to the job at hand. Imag ine the good that will be done when a woman’s work can be seen for what it is, free of prejudice and biases. Women won’t save the world. But letting individual women into places they have always deserved to be could. Danielle Colburn can be reached at decol@umich.edu
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
GENDER & MEDIA COLUMN
Queering Everlasting: thoughts on ‘San Junipero’ Every winter break, I try to catch up on all the reading, writing and music I haven’t had time for all semester. Inevitably, over the past few years, this has extended to include catching up on all of the films and TV shows — or at least episodes — that I’ve missed out on. So, I finally watched “San Junipero,” the Emmy award-winning episode of “Black Mirror,” (which, as of a few days ago, I am now over a year late to) especially because it’s still making its way onto all of the year-in-review listicles about bisexuality in media in 2017. In this episode’s world, certain people are alloted weekly hours in a simulation that transports them to San Junipero, a paradise on Earth where they can live in the bodies of their youth, chasing whatever partytown adventures they desire. Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis, “The Martian”) a reserved, bespectacled young woman who walks as if constantly expecting verbal attack, steps cautiously into a club after watching Kelly, a charismatic and compelling woman, enter it. Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, “Belle”) slides into Yorkie’s booth to enlist her help in fending off a guy. They’re successful; they dance; their chemistry intensifies. Yorkie pulls back abruptly, despite her obvious attraction — she has a fiancé. It’s complicated. After eventually getting to know each other biblically (which both thoroughly enjoy), Kelly starts avoiding Yorkie, who doggedly looks for her week after week. Eventually, they decide to stop ignoring their attraction and decide to meet in real life. This is when we find out that Kelly is an elderly woman who needs help getting up and down stairs, and Yorkie has been comatose for decades. Both are getting ready to “pass over.” Yorkie’s fiancé is an amiable man who has agreed to marry her solely so she can have the afterlife she desires; on a whim,
Kelly decides to propose to her instead, and the two get married in real life before Yorkie passes over. The next time they see each other in the simulation, Yorkie tries to convince her to stay in San Junipero forever. Kelly, in an impassioned speech, rebukes Yorkie for her naive self-centeredness; Kelly had family who died the natural way, without uploading their consciousness. Though this rupture is not insignificant,
SOPHIA KAUFMAN the ending of the episode is hopeful — a rarity for “Black Mirror.” It hints that Kelly chooses to live in San Junipero with Yorkie, rather than pass over completely. Staring at the credits roll on my screen, I was more nonplussed than anything else, at first. Most stories like this that I know end the opposite way: The person who decides that the Great Unknown would be the better, more noble choice — and gives the kind of speech about it that Kelly does — generally veers in that direction, like “Tuck Everlasting.” And often, stories that do have a character choose a kind of immortality — the White Witch in “Narnia,” Voldemort in “Harry Potter” — live a kind of tarnished, sometimes cursed, life. I think we’ve been conditioned to expect those elements in any stories that include some degree of immortality. So it took me some time to figure out how I felt about “San Junipero.” I had originally decided to watch it
because I had heard so much praise for the sensitive and touching portrayal of the queer storyline. While I think the exploration of the trajectory of their relationship was, for the most part, well-written and directed, I don’t think that it in and of itself is what sets this episode apart as especially outstanding. What I think makes “San Junipero” stand out is that the subversion of the usual choice protagonists make when confronted with any kind of immortality becomes radical, in this case, precisely because of the queer element. While Kelly had a happy and full life with her husband — a relationship that is given the space and respect it deserves, another rarity in portrayals of bisexuality on TV — she is allowed another shot at a different kind of happiness in this simulation; a kind of happiness that would have been much more difficult to pursue while she was growing up, being a bisexual woman of color. What makes “San Junipero” radical in its ending is the fact that the possibility of a happy forever for Kelly and Yorkie would have been unthinkable while they were growing up, a reality hinted at throughout the episode. The reclamation of a happiness that wouldn’t have been conceivable, in the past, in real life, in real time, for this queer couple is what earns “San Junipero” its ending. A heterosexual storyline just wouldn’t have felt so feverishly urgent. Finding spaces like “San Junipero” — spaces of at least partial escape, happiness to be found on unwatched street corners, on timeless dance f loors — is still a radical enough feeling for queer people. Perhaps that’s why the main song in the episode also struck a chord with the show’s young queer audience (despite being slightly before their time) for its impractical hope, its hint of possibility: “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”
Season four of ‘Black Mirror’ is all girl power the human condition while addressing the qualms of pervasive technology. The show has acted as a sort of The six bingeable episodes prophet for current events and of season four of “Black technological advancements, Mirror” are dominated by ranging from coincidence to virtual reality anxieties, straight-up creepy. In season showrunner Charlie the foreboding presence two, of increased surveillance Brooker predicted the rise of a f lippant and and most profane TV star importantly, a kick-ass in “The Waldo Season 4 ensemble of Moment,” a piece empowered lady of fiction that hits Premiere protagonists a little too close to Netflix home. Similarly, who lead season three took the season with decisive clarity and social media celebrity to a confidence. Often cast whole new level in the episode aside as propaganda for the “Nosedive,” reminding us of technologically weary, “Black the power of a “like.” With Mirror” provides insight into a skill for honing in on the BECKY PORTMAN Senior Arts Writer
“Black Mirror”
relevant and emphasizing the relatable, Brooker creates an alternate reality so close to our own, it becomes difficult to differentiate fact from fiction. In expert fashion, this season takes on such issues as helicopter parenting, dating apps, toxic masculinity and the commercialization and curation of tragedy. Every episode tells a new story with a new set of characters in a new world with new laws of nature. The singularity of the stories makes every movement succinct, yet necessary; every conversation f leeting, yet memorable; every painful sequence short, yet powerful. The first episode of the fourth season, “USS Callister,” plays like every nerd’s wet
Friday, Janurary 5, 2018 — 5
Interview: Harry Dolan on crime, critcism, comfort To start off a mysterious crime novel by directly identifying the sinister killer is a bold move. Yet Harry Dolan’s latest book, “The Man in the Crooked Hat,” thrives on such twists. Smart, subtle and subversive, Dolan’s latest lights a needed fire under a genre that often falls victim to formulaic, predictable plots and cardboardcutout protagonists. With an intricate, unpredictable plot layered over a web of complex characters, events and motives, “The Man in the Crooked Hat” cleverly presents its intricacies and manages to keep the reader thinking as it burns to a fiery conclusion. Recently, The Daily had a chance to sit down with Mr. Dolan and discuss his newest novel, his writing career and his meditations on writing itself. The Michigan Daily: How do you avoid falling into the same holes that most average crime thrillers are plagued by? Harry Dolan: I do a lot of plotting of the books in advance. I’m thinking very deliberately about the plot twists. That’s sort of my business. It’s all about misdirection, of course, there are two things going on in the book — what the reader thinks is happening and is going to happen, and then what’s actually happening. You need to be thinking about that all the time, and that’s what I think about when I’m planning these books. I focus on trying to make it plausible, then create mysteries that the reader would not even be expecting. In this book, I reveal the name of the killer, Michael Underhill, right at the onset, so what the reader is expecting is how the story is going to follow the detective Jack Pellum finally finding the man who killed his wife. So when Pellum goes to investigate separate, possibly related murders of high school students, it turns out that those expectations of the reader are overturned. Obviously, the tricky part is figuring out how to do that. It’s hard to talk about this without giving too much away [laughs]. Raymond Chandler talked about this because even in his time, crime novels were becoming formulaic and it was hard to surprise the reader. His solution was to throw in a problem that the reader
doesn’t even know about, small background details or minor characters that come to the forefront by the end of the book. That’s one way to think about that. TMD: What do you think makes your book stand out from the sea of similar novels out there? HD: First of all, there’s the setting. Southeast Michigan serves as the backdrop for the story, in and around Detroit and small towns like Belleville and Chelsea. I spent a lot of time in Detroit while I was writing the book, especially in the Midtown area around the Detroit Institute of Arts. I walked around that neighborhood, I sought an apartment building where my protagonist would live, I know his address and the places he would go and the sights he would see. I think another big thing is the way “The Man in the Crooked Hat” deals with the killer. You know his name from the start, and there are a lot of scenes written from his perspective. All this makes the character of the villain richer because, in a lot of mystery novels, the villain never appears until some final confrontation at the end, they’re just this shadowy figure that acts in the background. However, there are a handful of scenes with Michael Underhill; his parents and childhood are detailed, he has a romance with this one woman he’s falling in love with and building a house so they can live together. He’s got goals, but he also has a dark past he needs to get away from. You can even sympathize in some cases with him. TMD: If authors covered novels like musicians covered songs, what novel would you want to cover? Not necessarily make it better, but give it your own personal spin. HD: The thing that comes to mind first is a book by Donna Tartt, “The Secret History,” which is about this group of college students who commit a murder. The whole book is about the motivations behind it, the psychology of this group of characters. I’ve actually thought about writing a novel at a college like that, this question is not entirely hypothetical. I love the rest of Donna Tartt’s work, but especially that one. It’s the book I would want if I was trapped on a desert island. TMD: Do you ever read
reviews of your books? How do you respond to positive and negative criticism? HD: I always tell myself I’m not going to read them, but I always ended up reading them [laughs]. I’m lucky in the sense I’ve got mostly positive reviews for my books — I still get negative ones, definitely. I read them, but I try to forget about it soon after. I don’t know what good comes from worrying about it. You like to have good reviews obviously, but you can’t let it affect what you’re writing. I’m not trying to please some reviewer I don’t even know, although sometimes it’s tempting to try. TMD: Since your last four novels are all similar mysterious crime thrillers, do you ever feel constrained by the limits of the genre? Any plans to write outside your comfort zone? HD: I like to read a lot of genre fiction, and when I was a kid, I was reading a lot of fantasy and science fiction. When I was younger and thinking about becoming a writer, I thought that’s what I was going to do. I loved [J.R.R.] Tolkien, I wanted to write books like that. I didn’t have the first idea on how anybody got to be a writer, though. In college, I really got into mystery novels. I was studying philosophy but reading a lot of crime novels, basically everything the college library had. I went to Colgate University and took a class on fiction writing with a novelist named Frederick Busch. He was very encouraging to me, and he was the one who told me to keep on writing, outside of the short stories I wrote for his class. As much as anything, that gave me the hope that I could make it as a writer; I’m indebted to him. Anyways, since then, I haven’t really been tempted to write anything else, the plan is to keep on doing this, albeit with some new differences. The book that I’m writing now leans more on thriller than mystery, so there’s more action. It’s about an ex-soldier, a veteran of the Iraq War, who brings back with him treasure that’s been looted from the National Museum in Baghdad. He gets in trouble with that and there are some very dangerous people after him. That’s all I can say about that now, but it’s in the early stages now and I’m still figuring out where it’s going to go.
dream: the possibility to be the hero in your favorite science fiction franchise. The appeal of this episode is the expert character development. Every role and persona is crafted with the utmost care and attention. The episode is led by stellar performances from FX’s “Fargo” alumni Jesse Plemons (“The Post”) and Cristin Milioti (“The Mindy Project”). By day, Robert Daly (Plemons) is the nebbish coder at an emerging tech company, but by night, he is the charismatic and brilliant captain of the U.S.S. Callister, a spaceship reminiscent of “Star Trek”’s very own U.S.S. Enterprise. Daly’s fantasy is no dream; he is an active part of it through virtual reality. He has created the characters in his crew to resemble those of his co-workers. As Daly rules over
his crew on the U.S.S. Callister with an iron fist, he cowers behind his screen at the office. The episode attacks Internet trolls, as well as subtle and overt workplace sexism and racism. Milioti’s Nanette Cole combats Daly’s misogyny with confidence, empowering women everywhere to stand up and be heard. “Black Mirror” tapped the notable actress, producer, director and general rock star Jodie Foster (“Elysium”) to direct the ominous and pertinent “Arkangel.” The episode follows a nervous single mother (Rosemarie Dewitt, “La La Land”) who, after a traumatic incident, decides to volunteer her young daughter to try an experimental tracking device. The device keeps a tab on the child’s whereabouts while
providing a creepy feature of looking through the child’s eyes. The device even blurs and obscures potentially harmful, damaging images and sounds — working in real-time to censor reality. The episode provides a biting commentary on helicopter parenting and presents the downfalls of editing reality for one’s child in the hopes of protecting them from the world. The real star of this season of “Black Mirror” is the dominant and unyielding female-led cast. With incredible performances ranging from disturbing and nuanced (Andrea Riseborough in “Crocodile”) to poignant and twisted (Leitia Wright in “Black Museum”), the ever-changing characters and transitory narratives are worth dwelling on.
ROBERT MANSUETTI Daily Arts Writer
TV REVIEW NETFLIX
NETFLIX
Arts
6 — Friday, January 5, 2018
Required Listening: kicking off the new year
Recreational Hate, Lemuria Back in August, the indie rock gems in Lemuria put a “secret LP” up on their webstore. About a week into December, the band finally announced that the secret release would be a brand-new studio album titled Recreational Hate. However, don’t let the dismal title fool you: The album is full of feelgood, indie-pop riffs, and it’s the perfect way to start out 2018. “More Tunnel” reminds us that it’s OK to not yet be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Christine Perfect”’s cathartic chorus and pop hooks are excellent mood-lifters to
start the new year during the dead of winter. The jangling drum beat, tangled guitars and muted trumpets on “Wanted to Be Yours” mingle perfectly with the lighthearted tale of falling for a stranger. It’s an album full of possibilities and new beginnings, all without being gushingly optimistic and retaining the humanity of failure. In a year where pop music was rather lackluster, its presence in other genres fills the gaps left in 2017. Recreational Hate not only fills but also bridges the gaps between the realism of rock and shimmer of pop. It’s no secret that 2017 has been a rough
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year in America, arguably even historically, and Lemuria sent this shitty year packing with a bang, equipping us to take on the new year with a refreshingly grounded album. Recreational Hate stands out as a wonderful hybrid of indie, rock and pop, attaining accessibility without sacrificing impressive musical prowess. Dropped during the turmoil of December, which is saturated with end of the year lists and emotional closure, the album is a pop-soaked sucker punch through the gloom to keep us moving. Lemuria is a damn good band, and their talents have never shone quite as brightly as on Recreational Hate. — Dominic Polsinelli, Senior Arts Editor
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
genuinely funny characters with distinct personalities, including a lab-created “Franken-bull” who “says nothing and feels nothing, including pain.” There are dance sequences that come out of nowhere and end just as pointlessly as they began, but there’s also a heart to “Ferdinand” that it unabashedly wears on its sleeve. The first two acts of “Ferdinand” are defined by the struggle between these two parts of itself: the genuinely good animated film it wants to be and the shameless cash grab that it’s expected to be. The resultant tone is uneven as the movie flails wildly from poignant to groan-inducing on an almost scene-by-scene basis. A fantastic conversation between two characters discussing their insecurities is followed shortly by the aforementioned danceoff. A hedgehog-centric caper
gives way to a maturely delivered revelation with a serious impact on Ferdinand (John Cena, “The Wall”). A fun chase scene ends only for another nearly identical chase to immediately begin — this one set to a wildly out of place Pitbull cover of The Rolling Stones’s “I’m Free.” However, that second chase, boring as it is, gives way to the third act and climax, which is not only hands-down the best sequence of the movie, but one of the best scenes of any animated movie this year. It’s laudably thoughtful and restrained, with even the rapid-fire dialogue of Kate McKinnon’s (“Ghostbusters”) incorrigible “therapy goat,” Lupe, falling silent. In fact, there’s little dialogue at all, as director Carlos Saldanha (“Rio”) chose to do most of the storytelling through visuals alone. Like all the best children’s movies, “Ferdinand” doesn’t talk
down to its intended audience and instead allows the kids in the theater to consider everything that’s happened and everything that’s at stake. Of all the things I was expecting from “Ferdinand,” a climax that gave me goosebumps wasn’t one of them. That’s what I got though, and that scene and the movie it came packaged in was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. To be clear, “Ferdinand” isn’t perfect. It gives into the lesser impulses that have previously led Blue Sky to make films like last year’s “Ice Age: Collision Course” too often for it to be truly great. But the heart on display, and the way it is usually communicated through terrific voice acting and a willingness to get real with kids about the realities of bullfighting makes it worthwhile; a worthy adaptation of Munro Leaf’s classic book.
‘Happy’ is anything but (Christopher Meloni, “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later”), who can see Happy — the imaginary friend of a little girl named Hailey (Bryce Lorenzo, “Orange Is the New Black”). While the plot is rather random and curious, the show keeps up with it at a good pace. There are a lot of moving parts that don’t necessarily seem to fit. For example, Hailey is kidnapped by this empirically creepy man dressed as Santa. He puts her in a box (so
OLIVIA ASIMAKIS Daily Arts Writer
Based off of the comic book series by New York Times bestselling author Grant Morrison and artist Darick Robertson, “Happy!” is anything but. Syfy’s newest crime dramedy is far from joyful. It’s jam-packed with uncomfortable amounts of blood, violence, kidnapping and badass fist fights. The comedy follows the life of alcoholic ex-cop turned hitman, Nick Sax
scary), and her flying unicorn imaginary friend (Happy) escapes and finds Nick. There is no context given as to why Nick is the only person who can see and talk to Happy (which actually leads to some pretty funny yet concerning moments when Nick appears to be talking to himself ). Happy seems to believe Nick is the only person that can save Hailey — but why?
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TV REVIEW
SYFY
Pop 2, Charli XCX Next to the bubblegum pink backdrop of the “Boys” music video exists the cutting edge, synth-infused dystopia of Pop 2. Such is the duality of man or, more specifically, the duality of Charli XCX. To solely know her as the mastermind behind Stormzy seductively eating cereal or Tom Daley smiling like a goddamn movie star while soaking wet would be to rob her of her true genius: She’s a visionary pushing the boundaries of pop. Pop 2 is pop 2.0. Distorted echoes of half-completed melodies take the place of tired choruses; rough
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experimentation takes the place of polished superficiality. Charli XCX’s eclectic mix is a welcome reprieve from both the monotony of mainstream chart-toppers and the hellscape 2017 became. With Pop 2 you could follow Charli XCX down the rabbit hole. Cruising in the backseat of a neon Porsche, you stumble into a glittering fantasy of dizzying afterparties and pulsing strobe lights. Pop 2 is a mixtape; a sprawling collection of scattered pieces. The swaying vocalization of “Tears are rollin’ down my face, now you gotta go, go, go” in “Tears” stands next to the pounding destruction of “Crashed your daddy’s Lamborghini / Charli, baby / Pull up, pull up to the party” in “I Got It.” The spontaneous
electronic crash of “Femmebot” stands next to smooth minimalism of “Porsche.” These songs are not cohesive. Yet, they all seem to exist within the same futuristic feverdream. Charli XCX’s impossibly pitched, Autotune-slathered voice coats every track with an otherworldly saccharine sheen. Within the twisted, almost extraterrestrial, expanse of Pop 2, Charli XCX offers up a new way to shape the genre. So the next time you find yourself pushing 100 mph down a dark highway, allow Pop 2 to blast and let Charli XCX turn the empty unknown between flickering street lights into a supernova. — Shima Sadaghiyani, Daily Music Editor
‘Ferdinand’ starts off uneven, ends triamphant JEREMIAH VANDERHELM Daily Arts Writer
“Ferdinand” tells the story of the titular bull, a pacifist forced into a world where he is pressured at every turn to give in to the violence around him. It is only through constant perseverance, bravery and faithfulness to his moral code that he eventually gets his chance at a return to a peaceful life. In other words, “Ferdinand” is pretty much “Hacksaw Ridge” with adorable animated bulls. And it’s actually quite good. If you’re a cynic like me, the quality of Blue Sky Studios’s
newest outing may come as a shock, Happy Meals, plenty of poop and as the marketing made it appear as fart jokes to keep the kids giggling nothing more or less than a cash- and a talented enough voice cast in on a beloved children’s tale. to trick parents into thinking It would check all there might be the lowest common something under “Ferdinand” denominator kid’s the surface. Quality 16, Rave flick boxes: There And yes, there Cinemas Ann Arbor is plenty of all would be at least one scene with all that, montages 20+ IMAX the main characters and all. More 20th Century Fox dancing and at importantly, least two montages however, there backed by pop music — one upbeat actually is something more going song and one slow song — that on. There are plenty of poop will be dated by the time the Blu jokes, but there’s also smart Ray hits shelves. There would physical comedy. There are not also be a plethora of pointless one, but two trios of pointless animal sidekicks who don’t add sidekicks — one of horses, one of anything to the plot but do sell hedgehogs — but there are also
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RELEASE DATE– Friday, January 5, 2018
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
FOR RENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Fey of “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” 5 Ready to rock 10 Mug shot subject 14 “I got this!” 15 Wheels since 1986 16 Adidas rival 17 Attire with a spreadsheet design? 19 Minor points 20 Under 21 More than tickles 23 Liquor in a Singapore sling 24 Disreputable court proceeding? 26 Unskilled in 29 Hebrides tongue 30 Arrived, in a way 31 Hardly an original 34 Office administrations 38 Superstation that broadcasts some Cubs games 39 Old Testament prophet 41 Creature for whose shape Anguilla was named 42 “Broca’s Brain” author 44 Speed away, with “out” 45 Syrup brand since 1902 46 Cuts (off) 48 Sacred crawler 50 Extracts from Wrigley Field’s walls? 55 Monopoly quartet: Abbr. 56 __ network 57 Emit 60 Greased auto part 61 Transports for fertilizer? 64 Scholarship consideration 65 Umbilical variety 66 Lover’s greeting 67 Old U.S. pump sign 68 Bluto and Pluto 69 “Echoes in Rain” singer DOWN 1 Ring site 2 Sydney band originally called The Farriss Brothers
3 “Good work!” 4 Swallowed one’s pride 5 Needle point? 6 Soreness 7 Museum offering 8 Miss on “Jeopardy!,” e.g. 9 Involving nudity, maybe 10 Cure-all 11 1980 Tony winner for Best Musical 12 Bat mitzvah, e.g. 13 So yesterday 18 Superboy’s girlfriend 22 Disinfectant brand 25 Like many “Buffy” settings 26 Kittens play with them 27 Lingerie brand 28 Whirling toon 32 Drink with a Zero Sugar variety 33 __ out a meager existence 35 Mark on a Dear John letter, perhaps 36 Zeus’ jealous wife
37 One who doesn’t pick up much 39 __ Gay 40 “The Complete Short Game” author 43 Fettuccine sauce 45 Bar attraction 47 Ministry 49 Bed with enclosed sides 50 Absurd 51 Annoys
52 Celebrated seasons 53 Pipe cleaner 54 Chemise fabric 58 Salon assortment 59 Site for handicrafts 62 “Reflection” musician 63 Issuer of five million-plus IDs annually
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01/05/18
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Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Barnes Arico sets record for wins ROHAN KUMAR Daily Sports Writer
Following a road loss to thenNo. 23 Iowa on New Year’s Eve, the No. 22 Michigan women’s basketball team looked to bounce back Thursday night at Wisconsin. That’s exactly what happened. The Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 13-3 overall) notched an 80-57 victory against the Badgers (0-3, 7-9). Michigan’s offense started hot, finding success in the paint. Center Hallie Thome showed off quick footwork and scored a couple quick baskets to get the Wolverines on the board early. The junior finished the night with 20 points. With Thome and contributions from freshman forward Hailey Brown, Michigan outworked Wisconsin down low throughout the opening quarter. But the Badgers didn’t call it quits, tying the game at 11 just over six minutes in. The contest would remain tied for the next two minutes, as both sides failed to execute on offense. But when freshman guard Deja Church came charging down the court, things took a turn. Church attacked the basket hard from the right side and scored a quality layup to break the tie and
provide some energy in what was becoming an uneventful game. Church’s play created a spark for Michigan, and senior guard Katelynn Flaherty followed up with a three-point play to further build the momentum. The Wolverines then began pressing. This caused a turnover, which led to another Michigan bucket and an 18-11 lead at the end of the quarter. The second quarter was evensided, but the Wolverines faced some challenges. Thome got called for her second foul early on and had to sit out for most of the stanza. To make matters worse, Flaherty struggled to get into her rhythm offensively and was, at one point, 1-for-7 from the field. Wisconsin’s zone defense was locked on her, and she appeared to be a bit rattled. But when Flaherty struggled, junior guard Nicole Munger stepped up. Midway through the quarter, Munger dove on the floor for a loose ball, winning the possession back for her team. Munger’s hustle — coupled with her 10 points on the night — helped Michigan’s offense compete when its stars were having trouble. But the Badger’s leading scorer, guard Cayla McMorris, then
settled in on offense. After missing the last three contests, she finished the night with eight points, and her 3-pointer in the second quarter helped keep the game somewhat close and Michigan’s lead at 31-24 at halftime. Though Wisconsin cut into the Wolverines’ lead early in the third quarter, the second half, overall, was more of what you would expect when a ranked team faces the last team in the Big Ten standings. After finally finding more strength on defense and leadership from its stars, Michigan started to pull away. Flaherty looked more like herself, and ended the night with 25 points, despite going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. The Wolverines were up 54-42 heading into the final quarter when they really put the pedal to the metal, outscoring the Badgers, 26-15, to secure their victory. Not only did the victory provide Michigan the confidence it lacked following its previous loss, but it also helped Barnes Arico make history. She now holds the record for the most wins in program history, with 124, passing Sue Guevara.
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Friday, January 5, 2018 — 7
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Behind Enemy Lines: Illinois forward Finke talks Michigan
The redshirt sophomore spoke at Big Ten Media Day ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Editor
The Illinois men’s basketball team hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since they entered as a No. 7 seed in 2013. With a new coach in Brad Underwood, as well as the loss of one of its best players in program history in Malcolm Hill, the learning curve doesn’t make a hopeful tournament bid any easier. And after three Big Ten games and the entire nonconference slate, the training wheels are definitely still on for a growing Fighting Illini team. They toppled Missouri in St. Louis, and have taken Northwestern and Maryland into overtime, but to no avail. On the other hand, they were put away swiftly by lowerranked teams such as UNLV and New Mexico State. Illinois (0-3 Big Ten, 10-6 overall) will enter Crisler Center on Saturday off an uninspiring — but expected — 77-67 defeat at the hands of Minnesota Wednesday night. Praise and blame during its up-and-down season has fallen upon a carousel of different players. One of them is redshirt junior forward Michael Finke, who is averaging 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game — a dramatic improvement from only a season ago, when he posted 6.9 points per game. The Daily sat down with Finke at Big Ten Media Day in October to discuss a changing dynamic
with a new coach, putting Illinois back into conference relevancy and more. The Michigan Daily: Having a new coach in the mix, how have you seen the demeanor of the team change? Michael Finke: The intensity has changed a bunch. Just offensively and defensively, he wants us to be much more aggressive. Attack on defense, (he) really doesn’t want your man to catch the ball, trying to stop offenses from running their normal plays. It sounds easier than it really is. Honestly, it’s been tough, but we’re grasping it well. Offensively, it’s a whole different system I’ve never been used to. Really spreading the floor, moving the ball. TMD: In the few months Coach Underwood has been here, Illinois has one of the top recruiting classes in the Big Ten for next season. What has he and the team done to start bringing Illinois back into the conference spotlight? MF: Recruits talk to him and they see how good of a guy he is, first and foremost. Just how tough he wants the players to be here, and for our identity to be toughness. He wants a tougher team. For recruits to see that going forward, and to see that
“Losing a leading scorer in Illinois history, it’s big.”
“... He wants us to be much more aggressive.”
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico became Michigan’s all-time winningest women’s basketball coach on Thursday.
I
he’s won everywhere he has been is important. TMD: The team lost leading scorer Malcolm Hill to graduation, so how do you make up for this missing production? MF: Obviously Malcolm is a great player. Losing a leading scorer in Illinois history, it’s big. But honestly in the system that Coach Underwood brings to the table, there are so many options and so many threats. We have counters and counters, and counters for those. So many plays that we have really open the floor, get the ball out of people’s hands and moving. One night, (redshirt junior forward Leron Black) might be scoring 20, the next night Mark Smith will. TMD: Has anyone taken it upon themselves to be the team’s new on- and off-court leader? MF: A lot of people on our team are stepping up. (Leron and I) are taking leadership roles. The freshmen have come in working super hard and doing their piece to make this team better, too. TMD: As an upperclassmen, what do you expect for yourself individually? MF: I’ve been working really hard this offseason, being in the gym as much as I can looking for an improvement. So I think I’ve become more of an offensive threat than I’ve been in the past, especially in this new system.
Livers could be the answer at ‘4’ t took Iowa mere seconds to expose the weakness
provides that, even when if he Cook — his second steal of the 3s as part of a five-for-six effort “I think that I could be more remaining schedule. This does create mismatches for the night. from the floor. of a Duncan Robinson,” Livers month alone, it will face two Wolverines defense. And in the paint, the 230His shooting stroke was said. “I could shot fake, get the highly-rated NBA prospects in Michigan’s But Tuesday, freshman pound Livers held his own, even reminiscent of the sharpdefender in the air, and I could Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson basketball forward Isaiah posting a shooter above go right past him Jr. and Purdue’s Isaac Haas. team endured Livers showed positive-21 plus/ him in the and get to the Already, opposing frontcourts without he can provide minus rating. rotation. bucket or make have been instrumental in two forward D.J. the best of both “Now he’s With the open passes for of the Wolverines’ three losses Wilson. worlds. In 27 engaged on Wolverines my teammates.” this season. On the first minutes, Livers defense,” said offense stagnant, Added Beilein: Tuesday, they came out on possession had a careersophomore the Hawkeyes “Isaiah should top — thanks in part to Livers’ of Tuesday’s high 13 points point guard embarked on a be playing more blending of offense and defense MARK matchup, Zavier Simpson. 7-0 run to cut in the future. while playing for Robinson CALCAGNO along with two Hawkeyes rebounds and “He’s getting their deficit to He has been down the stretch. forward Tyler three assists. 50-50 balls, he’s single digits working on that Now, if Livers can extend that Cook snapped the ball behind And he was playing good with roughly jump shot and beyond Tuesday, the freshman his back, took two clean steps equally as defense, which 10 minutes to his numbers are could be the forward Beilein has and threw down a highlight-reel impressive on the defensive end. we need out of him.” play. But on the next possession, good in practice. He hasn’t done been searching for. dunk. Midway through the second Of course, Michigan doesn’t Livers spotted up from the arc, it in games, but maybe this a Left in the dust was fifthhalf, Livers thrust his hand into mind Livers’ offensive showing. caught a feed from Simpson and breakthrough.” Calcagno can be reached year senior forward Duncan the passing lane between point Looking more confident than buried a triple as the shot clock Plenty of players like Maye at markcal@umich.edu or on Robinson — simply unable to guard Jordan Bohannon and ever, he knocked down a trio of expired. and Cook line Michigan’s Twitter at @MWCalcagno compete with the ballhandler’s quickness. Minutes later, Cook took advantage of Robinson yet again. Utilizing his six-foot-nine and 255-pound frame, Cook backed him down with little resistance, leaving Robinson no choice but to foul. “We all know Duncan Robinson is a mismatch ‘4,’ that we don’t have another answer (for) right now,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “D.J. Wilson was the answer (last) year, and he’s not here.” That was apparent Tuesday. Robinson finished minus-18 and played just four minutes in the second half. Cook, meanwhile, scored 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting to lead all scorers — just one of the outbursts Michigan has surrendered against sizable and skilled forwards. In November, Luke Maye scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead North Carolina to a comfortable win. A week later, Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate combined for 32 points to key the come-from-behind Buckeye victory. Sure, Michigan — despite a dramatic turnaround this season statistically — isn’t one to prioritize defense. Beilein primarily thinks about floor AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily Freshman forward Isaiah Livers has shown that he is a very capable defender already. Now, coming off a game against Iowa where he was also a threat offensively, perhaps he is the answer at the ‘4.’ spacing and shooting. Robinson
“He’s getting 50-50 balls, he’s playing good defense ...”
“I think that I could be more of a Duncan Robinson.”
Sports
8 — Friday, January 5, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan hires new strength coach Reports: Washington to join staff ORION SANG
Managing Sports Editor
After a regular-season ending loss to Ohio State, Jim Harbaugh said his team needed to get stronger. At the time, it wasn’t clear if he meant that literally. But it’s clear now that Harbaugh believed in making a change, as the Michigan football team announced Thursday afternoon it has hired Ben Herbert as the team’s new strength and conditioning coach. Herbert held the same position at Arkansas under former coach Bret Bielema for the past five seasons. Bielema, Herbert and the rest of the staff were let go earlier this offseason. The Wolverines previously employed Kevin Tolbert at the position. Tolbert worked under Harbaugh in stints at Stanford and with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, and was with Michigan throughout its preparation for the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl. Herbert will come without significant ties to Harbaugh, but he does have shared history with the Big Ten. Herbert was a defensive
lineman at Wisconsin, where he was a four-year letterman. He then spent 11 seasons with the Badgers on the strength and conditioning staff, eventually earning the position of head strength coach under Bielema. In the winter of 2012, Bielema left for Arkansas, bringing Herbert with him to Fayetteville. He explained his philosophy in a video produced by the school’s athletic department in the summer of 2013. “My overall philosophy encompasses a lot of different things,” Herbert said. “I think everything starts from a development standpoint, with how well you take care of your body, the types of foods that you eat, your meal frequency, the types of fluids that you put in your body — we place a huge emphasis on water.” Herbert also touched upon which areas he places emphasis on in the weight room. “From a weight room development standpoint, the most important thing right out of the gate for our young guys when they come in is developing their lower body and developing their back,” Herbert said. “A lot of guys spend a lot of time
(bench) pressing in high school. They don’t spend a lot of time pulling and they don’t spend a lot of time training their lower body. That’s where we see our biggest gains. “Teach guys how to eat well, teach them how to hydrate properly, teach them how to train the right way, focusing on lower body and back development, and we set them up for a great result.” One of Herbert’s biggest success stories at Arkansas, former tight end Hunter Henry, tweeted out support of the hiring on Dec. 30. “One of the best hires in the country!” Henry, a secondround NFL Draft pick, wrote. “This guy is legit. Might have to make a trip up to Ann Arbor now.” According to Michigan’s press release, Herbert is a certified member of the National Strength Conditioning Association and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. He was named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach in 2015, “the profession’s highest honor,” and was the youngest coach to win the award.
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said after the Ohio State game that he felt his team needed to get stronger.
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown has worked with newly-hired assistant coach Al Washington before.
ORION SANG
Managing Sports Editor
It appears Jim Harbaugh has made a significant addition to his coaching staff. According to reports from Sam Webb of 247Sports and Brandon Justice of The Wolverine Lounge, Michigan has hired Cincinnati defensive line coach Al Washington. Webb tweeted earlier this afternoon Washington will likely serve as a linebackers coach, working with the SAMs and VIPERs, and has already informed Cincinnati signees of his departure. While relatively young — he was a three-year starter at defensive tackle for Boston College from 2002-2005 — Washington has a wealth of coaching experience and also has ties with defensive coordinator Don Brown, whom he previously worked under on the Eagles’ coaching staff. After Washington’s playing career, he broke into the coaching ranks right away, with stops at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, North Carolina State
(as a graduate assistant), Slippery Rock and Elon. Following 2011, which he spent as a linebackers coach at Elon, Washington returned to his alma mater, where he was a jackof-all-trades for Boston College. In 2012, he was the special teams coach. Between 2013-2015, he was the running backs coach, overlapping with the tenure of Brown, who was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the time. In 2016, he served as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator. This past season, Washington was the Bearcats’ defensive line coach under former Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell. Washington has a pedigree as a talented recruiter. At Boston College, he signed Jon Hilliman, a highly-touted running back from New Jersey, and Harold Landry, a defensive end currently projected as a first-round NFL
Draft selection. In 2016, Landry led the nation with 16.5 sacks and earned All-American honors. In his one year with Cincinnati, Washington signed two players — including threestar defensive end Malik Vann, the Bearcats’ second-highest rated recruit in their 2018 class. It’s entirely possible — perhaps even likely — this will not be the only hire Harbaugh and Michigan make this offseason. According to a report from Bruce Feldman of Sports Illustrated, offensive tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey is set to leave the Wolverines for Florida State, his alma mater, while the Wolverines have also been linked with former Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos. And thanks to a measure that the NCAA approved last spring, programs will soon be able to hire a 10th on-field assistant coach. The new rule will take effect Jan. 9.
Washington has a pedigree as a talented recruiter.
Michigan to face dominant No. 2 Notre Dame in home-and-home series BENJAMIN KATZ Daily Sports Writer
Tuesday afternoon, the Michigan hockey team captured a come-from-behind, 6-4 victory against Michigan State to claim third place for the second straight year in the Great Lakes Invitational. Three days later, the Wolverines (3-5-2-1 Big Ten, 8-8-2 overall) will need to carry this momentum on short rest as they face their toughest opponent yet: No. 2 Notre Dame. In its first conference matchup of 2018, Michigan will square off against the powerhouse Fighting Irish (10-0-0-0, 16-3-1) in the first of two home-and-home series this season — this Friday in Ann Arbor and Sunday in South Bend. With Notre Dame joining the Big Ten this season, the two programs renew their annual rivalry. It officially started in 1921 and spanned from 1971-1981 and 1992-2012, when the Fighting Irish were part of the WCHA and CCHA, respectively — two conferences in which many Big Ten teams also competed. With a quick turnaround
following the GLI, the Wolverines have had limited practice time, taking a mandatory day off Wednesday and participating in a short skate Thursday. “It’s a weird week,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson Tuesday. “You’d like to have a normal week to practice and prepare, especially for a team like Notre Dame, but maybe that’s okay. Maybe it’s okay we played a couple of games and we had to battle.” Notre Dame, on the other hand, is well-rested, idle since dominating Wisconsin, 6-2, on Dec. 9. Unstoppable of late, the Fighting Irish have won 13 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the country and school history while competing in a NCAA Division I conference. They are the first Big Ten team to win its first 10 conference games in a season. Notre Dame is also the nation’s only team without a road loss, and its 8-0-0 record is tied for the most wins in the NCAA on unfamiliar ice. During the current win streak, sophomore goaltender
Cale Morris started each game, posting a .960 save percentage, 1.38 goals-against average and four shutouts. Sophomore forward Cal Burke leads a balanced offensive attack with a team-high 12 goals, including seven over the last five games. Senior forward Jake Evans boasts 28 points — seven goals and 21 assists — through 20 games. The Wolverines have a hot hand of their own in forward Cooper Marody. The junior is coming off a five-point performance at the Great Lakes Invitational, including his second career hat-trick against Michigan State, earning him Big Ten First Star of the Week. However, Michigan will continue to play without three of its best players. Sophomore forward Will Lockwood, freshman forward Josh Norris and freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes were selected to the United States National Team for the World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y., taking them off the Wolverines’ roster from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Despite the wear and tear from the hard-fought GLI
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Junior forward Cooper Marody will have to continue producing offensively if Michigan wants to upset Notre Dame.
games, lack of preparation time and shortage of star playmakers, Pearson is still confident his team will be ready for the Big Ten’s best. “They haven’t played in a
while, so we have to be ready to go and I think we will be,” Pearson said. “We have to get after them. I’m really looking forward to it, the opportunity for our team to play Notre Dame at
Yost Ice Arena. “It elevated the whole Big Ten by adding Notre Dame. They’ve been really good, and good for them, but we’ll show up on Friday.”