ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Tech takes a seat in Ann Arbor
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Why more tech startups are choosing to pass on San Francisco and laying roots in the Midwest
T H E M I C H I G A N DA I LY | JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2 0 1 8
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DPSS alerts seen as too delayed by community MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN/Daily
Political groups and figures talk goals, focus points for rest of 2018
DACA, economic policy, transparency important for politicians, students this year MAEVE O’BRIEN & RILEY LANGEFELD Daily Staff Reporters
As the year begins to kick into gear, activist groups and politicians are starting to implement goals for 2018. It will no doubt prove to be another tumultuous year in U.S.
politics, as the federal government will likely tackle immigration and entitlement reform — two long-standing and particularly contentious issues that tend to arouse high passions on either side of the political spectrum. Midterm elections in November will certainly be equally hardfought, as Democrats attempt to
retake control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Michigan political world may prove just as exciting, as the federal in 2018. Members of the legislature will be working to pass a budget during the first several months, with likely Republican victories in store. Michigan Democrats will use
their comparatively smaller, but vocal, caucus to bring new issues into the statewide debate. Voters will choose a new governor on Nov. 6, bringing an end to current Governor Rick Snyder’s two terms in office. The Michigan Daily contacted a number of local politicians and See GOALS, Page 3A
After West Quad robbery, students ask for continuous emergency updates RACHEL LEUNG & ZAYNA SYED
Daily Staff Reporters
In the first hours of the University of Michigan’s West Quad Residence Hall’s armed robbery in early December, residents and staff grew concerned with the sudden unexplained presence of police vehicles outside of the dorm and officers in the building. Many residents turned to social media and their friends to make sense of the situation, and very rapidly, a rumor about an active shooter spread through campus. Fortunately for residents, the matter was determined to be a robbery — not an active shooter
situation — but the incident has students calling for a notification system that will advise the community about developing stories. For many college campuses across the U.S., recent incidents have community members asking if relaying important information to students, faculty and community members as it develops should take precedence over communicating developed crime alerts hours after the crime has occurred. The verification process is lengthy and police departments are often afraid of spreading misinformation by reporting facts unless they are absolutely certain. There are tips on the DPSS See ALERTS, Page 3A
Privacy@Michigan symposium covers Ex-official Resolution talks Iran internet privacy, security, censorship addresses
CAMPUS LIFE
Deal future and impact
Michael Rubin says no “magic formula” to solve problems in Middle East CORY ZAYANCE Daily Staff Reporter
On Tuesday, the American Enterprise Institute Executive Council at the University of Michigan — the University’s branch of a conversative leaning think tank based in Washington D.C. — held a talk on the Iran Deal and its consequences for Iran and the United States. Michael Rubin, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former Pentagon official, led the talk. Rubin’s talk focused on the specifics of the Iran Deal and Iran protests and how the U.S. has reacted to the deal and its effects in the past. “Rather than simply engage in the political fight between Democrats and Republicans about whether or not this deal is a good thing, the fact of the matter is we also need to be forward-looking in regard to our policy,” Rubin said. One of the key points of the talk centered on the premise of the Iran Deal. The main focus of this deal was to ensure Iran reduced its nuclear facilities; See IRAN, Page 3A
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Panelists highlight their individual research, ponder the future of privacy SAYALI AMIN & MARIE HIGH
Daily Staff Reporter & For the Daily
In honor of International Data Privacy Day, the University of Michigan’s School of Information and the Office of Information Assurance hosted Privacy@Michigan, a series of interdisciplinary panels on internet privacy Tuesday in North Quad Residence Hall. Approximately 100 faculty and community members attended. The first panel, “Privacy in a Connected World: An Oxymoron?” dealt with generational privacy differences and online personal privacy. Sol Bermann, interim Chief Information Security Officer, moderated the event. Each speaker discussed their personal privacy research as well as their common observances of privacy in today’s world. Prior to a question and answer session, each speaker gave a brief overview of their research. Susan Gelman, a professor of psychology and linguistics, spoke about her research on people’s feelings regarding a stranger tracking their personal items. She found a divide between the children and undergraduate students she studied. According to Gelman, children, up to about age six, did not have an issue with — and sometimes even liked — when a stranger was able Check out the Daily’s News podcast, The Daily Weekly
to track the number of items they owned. However, undergraduate students were almost entirely opposed to strangers having the ability to track their items, citing an invasion of their privacy as the main reason for the opposition. She wrapped up her section of the panel by pondering why this division occurs and what is significant about its timing. The second speaker, Sarita Yardi Schoenebeck, an assistant
professor in the School of Information, spoke on issues of privacy in social media. She showed the extensive range of ways parents have started to share everything by citing the specific nature of some parenting blogs. This opened up her main question of why parents post so much information online, to which she responded, “They feel validated as a good parent.” “For the first time in history,
children are growing up with this online (presence) established without their permission or consent often started before they’re even born,” Schoenebeck said. The second part of Schoenebeck’s talk focused on older childrens’ comments about their past online posts. She said most undergraduate students on social media tend to keep their See PRIVACY, Page 3A
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
J Alex Halderman, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, speaks about privacy and security in celebration of International Data Privacy Day at the Privacy@Michigan panel in North Quad Tuesday.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 66 ©2018 The Michigan Daily
openness from CSG
State of Campus speech focuses on sexual assault, current campus climate HALEY MCLAUGHLIN For the Daily
Tuesday night, the University of Michigan’s Central Student Government met to hear the “State of the Campus” address from CSG President Anushka Sarkar, an LSA senior, and discuss critiques of the recent Campus Affordability Guide. The assembly also hosted guest speakers from the Michigan Refugee Assistance Programand concerned campus bus-riders, and concluded with passing resolutions to ensure the transparency of CSG and to help fund the Career Center Suit Up event. The evening began with a presentation from LSA junior Courtney Caulkins, an education advocacy chair for the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program, who seeks to get refugees resettled in the Washtenaw County area. After summarizing the extensive refugee process in the U.S., Caulkins went on to discuss changes in the refugee resettlement process under the Trump administration. “The president does decide every year the ceiling for how many refugees will come into the See CSG, Page 3A
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7
Arts
2A —Wednesday, January 31, 2018
MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers
TUESDAY: By Design
WEDNESDAY: This Week in History
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FRIDAY: Behind the Story
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: THE MICHIGAN FRATERNITY SYSTEM NO.1 Jan. 19 1969 Voted so by the National Interfraternity Conference Dec. 5, 1968 For good reason 1. Michigan fraternity men’s grade point average is higher than that of non-fraternity men at Michigan. 2. Michigan fraternity system has the highest scholastic rating of all American and Canadian colleges.. 3. The Michigan fraternity system has initiated an educational trust to strengthen their scholarship programs and study facilities. 4. Michigan fraternities offer courses within their houses to supplement University curriculum. 5. Michigan fraternities have aided the Ann Arbor Free School in offering non-credit courses not offered by the University. 6. Michigan fraternities offer speakers from the university community within their
houses for members and other interested students. 7. The Michigan fraternity system also offers national speakers on contemporary subjects for the entire University community -Fall 1968- Leroi Jones and the Black Arts Theatre, Muhammed Ali, Timothy Leary, and Bill Baird. 8. Michigan fraternities offer open dances for the student body as well as concerts 9. Michigan fraternities present an all campus Dad’s Day in the fall and an all campus Mother’s Weekend in the winter. 10. Michigan fraternities maintain a half million dollar student buying cooperative. 11. Michigan fraternities have sought to increase services of this cooperative (Fraternity Buyers Association) by hiring a full-time manager. 12. Michigan fraternities have envolved themselves in the Ann Arbor Community Center teaching and entertaining the city’s underprivileged youth. 13. Michigan fraternities sponsor a charity drive in the
fall for the United Fund. 14. Michigan fraternities sponsor the bucket drive for the American Cancer Society every winter. 15. Michigan fraternities run the Student Blood Bank which supplies blood to graduates and undergraduates in emergencies. 16. Michigan fraternities. sponsor parties for orphans, retarded children, and crippled children. 17. Michigan fraternities aid international charities (Korean Orphans Clothes Drive). 18. Michigan fraternities are working to initiate a program to bring high school graduates from the inner city to this University. 19. Michigan fraternities house and feed foreign students and other visitors to the University. 20. Michigan fraternities publish a quarterly magazine (THE MICHIGAN FRATERNITY COMMENTARY) containing campus news, features by university and national celebrities.
21. Michigan fraternities publish a bi-monthly newsletter (THE MICHIGAN REPORTER), containing campus news, art and poetry features, and varying editorial opinion. 22. Michigan fraternities present radio programming for the University students. 23. Michigan fraternities aid university orientation by contacting incoming students and their parents during the summer. 24. Michigan fraternities present programs to high school seniors explaining the University. 25. Michigan fraternities sponsor tours and trips. 26. Michigan fraternity men individually and collectively participate and support all campus programs and institutions (Homecoming, Labor Day Weekend, Creative Arts Festival, Michigras, University Activities Center, Course Evaluation Booklet, Student Government
ON THE DAILY: ABDUL NOW BACKED BY THE (SHAUN) KING MAEVE O’BRIEN Daily Staff Reporter
Civil rights activist and writer Shaun King endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for governor in a press release distributed by El-Sayed’s campaign Tuesday. “(Abdul) cares about all of Michigan and will put the state on the path to be being a beacon of equality and fairness,” King said in the press release. “I believe in Abdul and will fight my heart out to help him help Michigan!”
King rose to prominence after his coverage of the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. He has since written extensively about various civil rights issues and is now a columnist for The Intercept. King is known for utilizing social media, particularly Twitter, to advocate for social and political causes such as the Black Lives Matter movement. The El-Sayed campaign believes King’s support indicates that El-Sayed’s platform is consistent with the national progressive agenda.
“Shaun is one of our nation’s leading voices for equity and racial justice,” El-Sayed said in the press release. “His support tells us that our progressive ideals and policy ideas for Michigan are consistent with a broader progressive movement toward a more just, equitable, and sustainable country.” King’s endorsement arrives after El-Sayed released an urban agenda on Monday, which includes policy proposals aimed at strengthening Michigan’s cities. In the urban agenda,
El-Sayed outlines his approach to bettering Michigan’s economy, housing market, public transportation, environment, criminal justice system and auto insurance. “Our cities can be places that generate growth and prosperity, but that will require a new vision and new policies: policies that prioritize people over profits and doggedly pursue equity,” the urban agenda stated.
Council, and THE MICHIGAN DAILY). 27. Michigan fraternities helped fight the tuition increase. 28. Michigan fraternities have worked for better relations with Ann Arbor officials. 29. Michigan fraternities present the IFC Sing, a program of popular song every year. 30. Michigan fraternities are continuing to improve and expand their houses, experimenting with new living conditions (apartment living and coed structures). 31. Michigan fraternities pay attention and continue to inform the alumni of this University of current events. These efforts help the University maintain their high level of alumni contributions. 32. The Michigan fraternity system has initiated the
National Congress of Interfraternity Organizations which gives undergraduates across the country a greater voice in national fraternity affairs. 33. The Michigan fraternity system is growing. One fraternity was chartered this year. Another fraternity has become a fraternity colony, and other fraternities are expressing great interest in establishing themselves in Ann Arbor. There are 47 fraternities on The Michigan Campus. Most of these fraterities take more time, effort, and money to maintain than Student Government Council. Yet fraternities still do more. That is why we’re the best.
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MSU trustees appoint John Engler as interim president of the University The announcement received mixed reviews from Nassar survivors, MSU and state communities JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporter
It is anticipated the Michigan State University Board of Trustees will appoint John Engler, former governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003, as interim president of MSU following the resignation of Lou Anna Simon. Simon released a statement of resignation after criticism surrounding the case of Larry Nassar, a former MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor who received 40-175 years in prison for sexual abuse.
APPLE SAUCE
During Nassar’s sentencing in Ingham county, The Detroit News released a report stating Simon and thirteen other high ranking MSU officials had knowledge of Nassar’s misconduct. “To the survivors, I can never say enough that I am so sorry that a trusted, renowned physician was really such an evil, evil person who inf licted such harm under the guise of medical treatment. I know that we all share the same resolve to do whatever it takes to avert such tragedies here and elsewhere,” her statement read.
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Last week, the Detroit Free Press reported the succession plan with potential candidates BVfor interim president including Engler, along with former
Engler is a deep political insider at MSU
Michigan governors James Blanchard and Jennifer Granholm. The board will convene at 9 a.m. Wednesday, where it is expected Engler will be appointed. Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly announce her allegations against Nassar, took to Facebook to write she is “beyond disappointed” with the selection of Engler. “Engler is a deep political insider at MSU,” Denhollander wrote. “At a time the university desperately needs, and survivors pleaded for, outside accountability and leadership, the Board chooses one of the most entrenched insiders. Despite the Board’s words about accountability, it is
business as usual. I sincerely hope the Board reconsiders.” In a later post, she acknowledged the expectation that Engler will indeed serve as interim president, expressing her hope that “he will act with leadership and integrity.” The decision to appoint Engler has received criticism from Democrats across the state, while Michigan Republicans have praised the selection. Michigan Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser stated he feels Engler will provide the experience necessary during the transition period in a previous interview with MLive. “Governor Engler is an excellent choice to lead MSU in this difficult time. Both his pride for his alma mater and his reputation as a reformer will serve this great institution well as they seek to right the ship,” Weiser said. Both state Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon have, according to the report from MLive, spoke on Engler’s connection to Attorney General Bill Schuette and his investigation of MSU, a tie that may create a conf lict of interest. According to Dillon, Engler’s previous position as Governor allowed him to assist Schuette’s political career following his defeat for a position in U.S. Senate. “I think it’s just another problem for Bill Schuette,” Dillon said. “Another day, another conf lict of interest.”
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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.
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DOR AK ON TH E DIAG
IRAN From Page 1A
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily LSA junior Rachyl Lyons and LSA sophomore Kelly Bertoni, members of the Do Random Acts of Kindness Club, hold signs for “free thumbs up” and more on the Diag Tuesday.
GOALS From Page 1A
activist groups to assess their goals for the coming year. Below are some previews of what may be in store for 2018. College Democrats On campus, the University of Michigan’s chapter of College Democrats is focusing on increasing student and community engagement. Public Policy junior Lauren Schandevel, communications director for the College Democrats, said the group hopes to channel the political energy left over from President Donald Trump’s election into tangible action. “A lot of people are frustrated, angry or concerned about the current administration — and rightfully so,” Schandevel said. “We want to recruit these people to knock doors, make calls and get involved in ways that can not only alleviate some of the stress they are experiencing, but also make a difference in shaping the future of our country.” The College Democrats are aiming to emulate the goals and strategies of the national Democratic Party, which entails mobilizing community members. “Like the national party, we are also shifting our focus from a top-down to a more bottom-up approach by training our members to organize and engage with members of the community,” Schandevel said.
ALERTS From Page 1A website about what to do in an emergency, such as the “Run, Hide, Fight” strategy if an active attacker enters campus. DPSS also launched a new smartphone app in 2017 which provides DPSS news and crime alerts. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been criticized for its current alert system as well. The university’s newspaper published an article earlier this month citing problems with their notification system, AlertCarolina, after an alert was sent 45 minutes after an explosion near campus. Currently, all students and faculty are automatically signed up to receive emergency alerts through their University email. However, users have to manually register for emergency alerts to receive texts through the Michigan app or as text messages on their mobile devices. For text alerts, opting-in requires that users enter the Wolverine Access site online to sign up for alerts. However, many students have not seen an incentive to download either Michigan or DPSS application, other than searching for dining hall information and bus schedules, unlike the Canvas app, which allows students to check assignments and homework for classes. Kinesiology freshman Matthew Jo, a West Quad
She said the College Democrats’s mobilization efforts will be dedicated to ensuring Democratic candidates get elected into all levels of office in 2018 elections. Part of the group’s role this year will be to bring candidates to campus to discuss their campaigns and key issues so students can engage in different races across Michigan. Another main goal for the College Democrats is to increase voter turnout by collaborating with like-minded student organizations. Schandevel said this will involve College Democrats expanding their reach and participating in campus-wide campaigns like the Stop Spencer coalition. “In 2018, we hope to connect with more groups and maintain a coalition of progressive organizations that can come together and mobilize students around common goals,” Schandevel said. College Republicans The University’s chapter of College Republicans is also looking to get involved with the 2018 elections. Engineering sophomore Lincoln Merrill, the group’s communications chair, told The Daily in an email interview that his organization is excited to continue the progress made in 2017. “We will continue to be involved in the 2018 midterm elections and hope to be active throughout the year trying to help the conservative candidates,” Merrill wrote. “Overall, we believe 2018 will be a very successful year as we continue to build on our positive
resident, had been walking with his friends to the dorm when one of his friends received a text message from another resident alerting them to the presence of a shooter. “I think the text said, ‘I heard there was a shooter in West Quad. Are you ok?’” Jo said. After the incident was reported to the police, the Division of Public Safety and Security sent out a crime alert via email to students and faculty about an armed robbery in West Quad. The crime alert was not sent out until 2:00 a.m., hours after the robbery had occurred at 10:00 p.m., according to DPSS. In a prior statement about the robbery, DPSS said they were not notified of the incident until 30 minutes after it occurred. DPSS spokeswoman Diane Brown clarified the difference between crime alerts, which are sent through email, and emergency alerts, which can be delivered as push notifications through the Michigan App or optional text alerts through Wolverine Access. She explained emergency alerts are reserved for urgent situations that require immediate community action. “If we have confirmed reports of some kind of imminent emergency, where we believe a majority of our campus needs to take immediate action for their safety, we would issue an emergency alert,” Brown said. “When I said we need a confirmed report, the confirmation doesn’t necessarily mean that a police officer has gone to that location,
momentum from the past year.” The College Republicans chapter hopes to continue to grow their presence on campus by increasing membership and hosting events throughout the year. They are bringing Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative education group Turning Point USA, to campus in February. A conservative women’s panel, which will potentially include RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, is being planned for later in the spring. “We want to continue to foster good debate on campus and give conservative students an outlet to express themselves,” Merrill wrote. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell U.S. Rep Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, wants 2018 to be a year of national conversation about critical issues that are concerning to the Democratic Party. “We need to talk about the economy and jobs, pensions and secure retirement, education and student loans, the environment and the Great Lakes,” Dingell said. “There’s a lot of issues that we’ve got to talk about. This November’s election will impact what happens to those issues.” Among her personal goals, Dingell mentions improved infrastructure in Michigan, net neutrality, addressing student loans and finding a solution to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Dingell emphasized her passion for increasing access to affordable quality healthcare and addressing rising insurance
and said ‘Yes, this is what’s happened.’ But we need to have something more than someone saying, ‘You know I heard this sound in the parking structure and it sort of sounded like gunfire but it could have been a car backfiring.’” Brown explained there was a delay in emailing of the crime alert because police quickly determinde there was no imminent threat to the community. She also said in the West Quad robbery DPSS had received reports that the suspects had left the building. “There is a lot of difference between somebody having possession of a weapon and somebody having possession of a weapon, brandishing it, threatening people, shooting people, (and) running around,” Brown said. Jo said he was concerned no message from a person of authority relayed information to students during the West Quad incident. He cited the delayed crime alerts as a communication issue between DPSS and the community and suggested that DPSS should include on-going or developing story alerts. “I think that was what was frustrating for us was not really knowing,” Jo said. “I think getting that crime alert out while something is actually happening instead of when it’s already dealt with.”
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Monday, January 31, 2018 — 3A
premiums and deductibles. In Michigan, she wants to make sure the automobile industry is innovating and thriving. “I’m committed to working with everybody to make sure that we stay at the forefront of innovation and technology,” Dingell said. “It’s an important issue for Michigan. Our state’s always been synonymous with the development of the automobile.” She mentioned the SELF DRIVE Act as critical for the evolving automobile industry. Dingell is on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which unanimously passed the bipartisan legislation that improves the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ability to apply new safety standards to self-driving cars, and clarifies federal and state roles regarding the new technology. Dingell also stressed how critical student activism is to furthering the Democratic Party’s goals and achieving political change. She referenced how she was a college student when she started getting involved in politics. “I got involved when I was in college,” Dingell said. “I went door to door. I worked phones. I cared about issues.” With the 2018 midterms on the horizon, she said student groups have the power to increase voter turnout and impact election results.
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CSG From Page 1A country,” Caulkins said. “So the cap is a lot lower, and usually we don’t actually reach the cap that is set.” President Donald Trump has set the ceiling for 2018 to be 45,000 refugees — a drastic decrease from the 110,000 refugee cap enforced under the Obama administration in 2016. When Pharmacy student representative Ibtihal Makki asked what CSG could do to help MRAP, Caulkins responded with “speak out, make donations, volunteer, call your representatives and educate yourself.” Sarkar then gave her “State of the Campus” address in the mode of Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. The address covered all aspects of campus life, including University sports, financial aid, campus performances, sustainability, CSG work, sexual assault and misconduct prevention and campus climate. After discussing the 40 percent increase in reported incidents of sexual assault on campus in the past year Sarkar said the reporting process should put more faith in those willing to speak out. “When survivors speak out about the pain and abuse they’ve faced, believe them,” Sarkar said. In regards to campus climate, Sarkar discussed campus protests in response to racist incidents; Rackham student Dana Greene
lifting economic sanctions placed on Iran did that. After neighboring nation Iraq managed to hide nuclear facilities from the United Nates, stricter inspections of countries’ nuclear facilities were added to the deal. According to Rubin, Iran chose to accept — not ratify — the treaty, resulting in the country receiving new technology without increased inspections. “Whatever you think about the deal, we still need to … be forward-leaning to deal with Iran as the terms of this deal start to expire,” Rubin said. “It’s going to happen faster than many people expect it.” The talk shifted to protests within Iran and how these protests immediately turned on Iran’s security forces. The focus of the protests centered on common complaints, like those of Iranian workers, which
PRIVACY From Page 1A
older posts in order to seem more real online. “(Undergraduates) say that they are embarrassed by these old photos but typically they don’t delete them because that would be inauthentic,” Schoenebeck said. She closed her portion of the panel by concluding that parents and children should think of themselves together, not separate, in terms of social media. J. Alex Halderman, an electrical engineering and computer science professor, spoke about how privacy and security work together. Halderman said he wanted to “celebrate some of what technology is doing well” instead of focusing on the negatives related to privacy. He discussed the benefits and advancements privacy has made through encryption. “It’s never been possible before to send a message to the other side of the world with a pretty high assurance that nobody is going to be able to read it,” Halderman said. Halderman also talked about Facebook, saying privacy on the medium has improved and is not the only problem. “Many of us like to argue people are oversharing,” Halderman said. “They also provide very fine grain and detailed controls about how your information is going to be shared.” Florian Schaub, an assistant professor in the School of Information and an organizer of
taking a knee in the Diag, a swastika found in the Modern Languages Building and the possibility of Richard Spencer speaking on campus in the near future. “Marginalized students have been dealt blow after blow this past year, but not this past year alone,” Sarkar said. “It is of utmost importance that we do not let these forces of evil and hatred divide us … And if we stand strong, then the state of our campus will remain strong.” During community concerns, LSA freshman Elizabeth LarkySavin asked CSG to join her in starting an informational campaign to address issues of congestion on campus buses. Larky-Savin sent out a survey to bus-riders regarding the issues, and 82.5 percent of respondents to the survey said they have trouble fitting on the buses, due to sheer congestion or particular students taking up too much room. LarkySavin requested the assembly aid her in teaching students about bus etiquette and alternate routes they can take to avoid congestion, whether that be in an email every semester or a video at freshman orientation. CSG Vice President Nadine Jawad went on to address the recent critiques the Campus Affordability Guide has received. The guide, released last week, has been criticized for not addressing true affordability issues, but rather suggesting cost-effective tips, such as cutting down on impulse purchases, that could only be utilized by higher-income students.
according to Rubin, include unpaid wages, not foreign politics. Rubin also mentioned the effect of demographics on the protests in Iran. He discussed how young adults primarily held the protests, but as these young adults grow older and have children, they will be less likely to protest out of fear of losing their families. “Different people can think in very different ways, and I would argue that it is culturally arrogant to project our own value system onto others and assume that other people think like us,” Rubin said. Additionally, Rubin discussed a bounty the Turkish government has placed on him as a result of his analysis predicting a possible coup in Turkey. After a failed coup in 2016, the Turkish government issued an arrest warrant for Rubin and a bounty of 3 million Turkish liras (about $800,000).
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the event, was the final speaker of the first panel. Schaub focused on asking how people can learn to make better privacy decisions. “People struggle to make good privacy decisions,” Schaub said. “People are concerned about privacy but … don’t even know where to start.” Schaub outlined three potential solutions to this decision problem. The first solution was to provide relevant information to citizens, not material manufactured by legal professionals, in hopes of seeing privacy policies that are more concise and understandable. The second was to make the information in these policies easier to be acted upon. His third solution was to embed privacy into interaction. After Schaub’s talk, Bermann opened the floor to questions which brought forth many new thoughts on privacy. In response to a question on why Gelman did not include teenagers in her study, she said she didn’t believe there would be a large enough impact on this age range. “Honestly it’s because we couldn’t imagine that by 10 years of age kids wouldn’t be (affected) by privacy implications of this stranger tracking their backpack,” Gelman said. When asked a question on the government’s role in privacy and security, Halderman said he wished the government was involved in more elements of personal privacy due to their breadth of resources.
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“I hold myself accountable for the writing that was submitted because I should’ve given a more critical lens to the groups that were being marginalized in the content that we put out,” Jawad said. “I think the people that went to look in that guide were looking for something different than what we gave them … The guide was in no way intended to address or solve issues in the housing market process.” Previously, Jawad posted a comment on Facebook in response to critics, saying the Guide was the product of research on housing with the city of Ann Arbor. “As the director of this guide, and as a first-gen student who struggles with finances and costs here, this is a misrepresentative portrayal of two years of compiling research,” Jawad wrote. “My advocacy on affordable housing started with a journey through 15+ meetings with Ann Arbor commissioners and council members as well as several meetings with U-M Housing. CSG actually helped institute a student advisory board to City Council last winter as a result of some of this research. This guide is a compilation of notes, but doesn’t erase the fear of prices in an ever-increasingly expensive city that doesn’t feel like someone like me can fit in or afford. SES and inaccessibility to lowincome students isn’t a joke and is worthy of more than a string of FB comments.
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Opinion
4A — Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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NOAH HARRISON | COLUMN
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ISAIAH ZEAVIN-MOSS | COLUMN
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Our University and hate speech
ast week, I attended a town of strength in the face of evil. To hall meeting hosted by Stop be clear, this school belongs to its Spencer at the University students. By coming here, we give of Michigan, which was set up in these administrators work to do. order to discuss Richard They work for and Spencer’s impending alongside us. And yet visit to campus. I wanted nobody among us, to catch myself up on not even those most the current situation, informed on this the likelihood he issue, knows what’s would actually come going on. and to understand the It takes an University’s response to immense amount this saga. of exclusionary I want to respond privilege to declare ISAIAH to two different things what will make that I learned. First, ZEAVIN-MOSS our University according to the organizers stronger, especially of the meeting — who did an as marginalized communities are incredible job presenting all of the crying foul in the face of those information — administrators have declarations. To arrive at the made no contact with Counseling decision that Spencer’s presence and Psychological Services (CAPS) will ultimately be a withstandable to either understand the status of or event, one that might eventually to improve the mental well-being of bring us together and prove our their students. collective strength, ignores this This failure to coordinate conflict entirely. The solution would with CAPS demonstrates an act be to engage the entire University of callousness. And it entirely community, Ann Arbor residents contradicts the University’s and the relevant southeastern publicly disseminated, “official” Michigan communities in this position. In one of the sparse, debate. Tragically, the University is vague statements released by doing just the opposite. the University about Spencer’s What does all of this say about our visit, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald wrote, “The university will carefully consider [Spencer’s] request, paying close attention to the safety and security of our community.” Since I began writing this column, the University has announced that Spencer will not be coming this semester. I urge you, the reader, the campus community, anyone, to not understand this as a victory, but simply as the University kicking this disgusting can further down the road. Even with this news, I think we should deliberate about Spencer’s potential visit. University? What characteristics We might, for example, pause can be gleaned from this misguided and consider the debate around response? What does it say about hate speech more broadly. Why our campus climate that Richard would the University want Spencer Spencer, one of the most prominent to come here? I believe it’s because white supremacists of our day feels the University would like to he can come here, feels he would demonstrate the strength of this have enough of an audience here institution. This position might say to make it worth his time? And, that no one individual, regardless finally, why does the University of their beliefs, can tarnish what believe Spencer’s presence on this we have collectively made here. campus would make us better off? By allowing Spencer to come and By not reaching out to CAPS, continuing to function as a school, the University is failing to even after he is gone, we will leverage its power to make a real emerge stronger; victorious over difference in the mental health of this one bigot. the members of its community. But the University has arrived Apparently, mental health does at this position without any input not fit the scope of the “safety and from its students. By largely security” that Fitzgerald and his excluding its students from these fellow administrators are trying to negotiations, the University protect. is suppressing the voices of By hardly telling us — the marginalized communities — the students — anything about the victims of Spencer’s hate speech — ongoing negotiations, by not in order to promulgate this image providing any real public space for
It’s time the University stops prioritizing its lofty, mystical fake public image over its responsibility
a conversation between students, faculty and the administration to take place, thereby leaving it to uncompensated students — already coping with the psychological burden of Spencer’s impending visit — to make that meeting happen, the University is seeking to suppress dialogue. By telling us that we cannot stop Spencer from coming here based on the content of his speech and that stopping him would lead to a court battle, the University is capitulating in the face of bigotry. I say, go to court for your students. Fight for us. By protesting (as we do so often), we fight for you, we fight to make this place more equitable. Now, it is your turn for an equitable and inclusive exchange between diverse groups of people. Diversity, equity and inclusion. Sound familiar? These are principals that you, the University, claim to uphold and strive for but routinely fail to embody. Just by living here, students of color and marginalized folks sacrifice their sense of safety and their mental well-being (which you don’t even care about enough to check in with the office delegated for doing exactly that), and yet you won’t potentially lose a legal battle in the name of these students. Because it would tarnish your reputation as a premier law school in the country. It would be a drag to be dealing with Spencer in such a public way. This drag, of course, pales in comparison to the drag that so many of my peers and professors feel in having to deal with this University all the time. Maybe Spencer wants to come here because he can sense all of this in the air. Maybe he wants to come because the University’s shocking inaction has left a real void in our trust of the administration that runs our everyday lives, in the communication between us and them, in our collective feeling of security here in Ann Arbor, in our sense that we can actually do anything to advocate for ourselves in such a way to see tangible, direct, immediate results. He sees an opportunity to fill this void with his sick, twisted version of an answer to our problems. No matter his reason, it’s time this University stops prioritizing its lofty, mystical, fake public image over its responsibility to take tangible actions to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. It’s time we stop having to judge this University by noticing what it is not, what it refuses fails to do, time and time and time again. Isaiah Zeavin-Moss can be reached at izeavinm@umich.edu.
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Shutdown ends, but trouble looms
he federal government resolutions. These continuing shutdown ended resolutions are ripe for partisan anticlimactically last conflict, as evidenced by the week after three tense days, current fight over DACA. Since with a bloc of Senate Democrats their primary purpose is to simply lending their support keep the government to a Republican operating, continuing short-term spending resolutions often fail plan. In exchange, to address budgetary Republican concerns or produce Congressional leaders a plan to stabilize the promised to schedule national debt. a vote in the coming Though Republicans weeks on continuing championed themselves the Deferred Action as deficit hawks for Childhood throughout the Obama NOAH Arrivals program, HARRISON administration, their which President actions thus far during Donald Trump plans to dismantle. the Trump presidency paint a Despite the compromise, different picture. The GOP’s a renewed struggle looms in signature piece of legislation in the near future. The stopgap 2017, the tax reform bill, slashes funding measure will expire government revenue, which on Feb. 8, setting the stage for a inevitably bloats the federal deficit, prolonged battle over a long-term thus increasing the national debt. spending plan. Even with the When passing the bill, Republican Republican concessions, many leaders argued that economic Senate Democrats and a majority growth would offset the tax breaks, of House Democrats still voted leaving government revenue levels against the spending bill that the same, but this contention is ended the shutdown, raising the simply not supported by the facts. possibility that the government The nonpartisan Congressional could shut down again, especially Budget Office projects the tax bill if Congress is unable to come to will pour $1.5 trillion onto the an agreement on the future of national debt, while an analysis by DACA. An even more bitter fight The Wharton School of Business potentially waits in the distance at the University of Pennsylvania over the debt ceiling, which will predicts a nearly $2 trillion need to be raised or suspended at national debt increase. some point this year. Meanwhile, Trump seems This shutdown — and the misinformed about the national sparring to take place over the next debt, despite his campaign pledge few weeks — is closely intertwined to eliminate it within eight years. with immigration policy, similar On the campaign trail, Trump to the infamous 2013 shutdown made a disturbing proposal to revolving around Obamacare. renegotiate the debt in hopes of While policy takes the central persuading the U.S. government’s role in each iteration, the broader creditors to accept less than issue of the national debt looms they are owed — in essence, above these spending battles, even defaulting on the national debt. though shutdowns are not directly Doing so would derail the U.S. related to the debt. economy and irreversibly destroy The current hyper-partisan investor confidence in the federal political climate prevents government, as experts were quick Congress from reliably passing to point out. the 12 core appropriations And after Trump was blasted bills, as in decades past. This for the proposal, he countered forces Congress to fund the with the claim that the U.S. federal government with can’t default on the debt, since massive “omnibus budgets,” it can merely print money. This but the deep divide between is technically true — the U.S. Republicans and Democrats on Treasury could theoretically just government spending, taxation make the money it owes — but and the federal deficit makes this this “solution” is nonetheless challenging. When legislators fail ludicrous, as it would lead to to agree to an omnibus budget, catastrophic inflation and major Congress must resort to funding economic problems of its own. the federal government through Since his victory and a series of short-term continuing inauguration, Trump has stepped
back from his renegotiation proposal while making several more suspect claims. Last October, Trump blamed the debt on foreign aid, even though such aid constitutes only a minute fraction of the federal budget. Days later, Trump falsely claimed that gains in the stock market are reducing the debt. Little can be interpreted from the president’s statements about his true feelings towards the national debt, but his conflicting claims and evolving positions are clear evidence that his administration lacks a clear and realistic plan to address the national debt. In fact, Trump’s enthusiastic embrace of the Republican tax plan indicates that the debt is likely to grow far worse during his presidency. In order to truly address the national debt, a pragmatic solution involving both reasonable tax increases and spending cuts is needed. Unfortunately, such a solution seems unlikely to manifest itself in the near future given the passage of the Republicans’ fiscally irresponsible tax bill and the Trump’s apparent commitment to wasteful spending on frivolous matters such as his infamous border wall. Still, voters and legislators should not let the national debt fade into the political background. Without concrete action and responsible budgeting, Congress could easily come to rely on continuing resolutions to fund the government. If these stopgap measures become the norm, shutdowns will become commonplace and our government’s functions will consistently be held hostage to partisan gimmicks and political feuds. Though the end of the latest shutdown may bring short-term relief, it is no cause for celebration and Congressional leaders deserve little praise for the bare bones stopgap measure that temporarily reopened the government. With this spending plan only funding the government until Feb. 8, more trouble looms on the horizon, and always will unless political leaders can reach consensus on budgeting and implement a comprehensive plan to counter the nation’s growing debt. Noah Harrison can be reached at noahharr@umich.edu
ANDREW MEKHAIL | COLUMN
A
Remove the blindfold
fter Larry Nassar’s sentencing last week, the convicted sexual predator will now serve a minimum of 100 years in state and federal prison. It is an unquestionable that he will die there. Controversy was elicited by the intense, emotional nature of Nassar’s sentencing. Specifically, the behavior of Judge Rosemarie Aquilina attracted a significant amount of the media’s attention. Far from being impersonal, Aquiliana ensured her fury was felt by Nassar. She also extended her empathy to each victim immediately after they read their statement, as opposed to waiting for every victim to speak first, as is convention. Hesitation towards her approach, if not outright disapproval, could be found in varied and credible news sources. In an article for Vox, a public defender argued that Aquilina “overstepped her boundaries as a judge.” Andrew Cohen of the New Republic took it a step further, asserting that Aquilina could not be both “crusader for sexual assault victims and a tribune for those who are struggling to find their voice” while maintaining her impartiality as a judge who has sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution. For many, especially those with a respect for and a familiarity with tradition, it was jarring to see such passion in what is frequently a disimpassioned process. But as our generation begins to work in, for and against the current system of justice, it’s important that we recognize that justice is ours to define. The meaning of “justice,” as practiced, has always been contested. For some, justice means retribution, as with Larry
Nassar’s life sentence. For others, justice would mean rehabilitating Nassar, putting an expectation of restitution on him. Most times, justice entails both elements of suffering and penance. What is certain is that humans determine how justice is carried out. To be inhuman is impossible. In the 21st century, we can no longer let Lady Justice wear the blindfold. It was supposed to symbolize fairness in spite of race, gender or wealth, but I argue that the blindfold is a slap in the face. Our generation has witnessed countless instances where justice was poisoned by those tasked with carrying it out. We’ve seen police officers carry out capital punishment for noncompliance; we’ve seen the character of people of color be impugned by the media, as if any amount of teenage delinquency merits execution in the street. We know the justice system counts money. It plays a part every time rich defendants assemble legal dream-teams; meanwhile, poor young people of color are often encouraged to plead guilty to crimes regardless of their culpability, saving the system time and money. Lady Justice, to be clear, peeks out from under her blindfold all the time, because we do that same thing. But our conversation has evolved in ways that have made the pretending of impartiality a farce. The vision of a post-racial society in the wake of President Barack Obama’s 2008 victory came unraveled when segments of the public conscience realized that racism would never be a problem of the past. Even as Obama enjoyed unprecedented support from people of color, so too did his
behavior attract derision in ways it would not have if he looked like our previous 44 presidents, or the president after him. In America now we have two paths: to feign blindness, claiming that we don’t see race, gender or wealth when we make impartial decisions, or to acknowledge our vision and biases. I choose not to act, to pretend as if it’s possible not to see these factors of race, gender and wealth. I’d much rather begin the hard work of deconstructing the social mores in place that allow for prejudice to impact impartiality. What good does it serve to pretend that the justice system works the same for people of color, for each gender, for the poor? It’s rarely a good idea to remain married to the past. Perhaps more fittingly, it’s important to acknowledge that some marriages are better off ended. When it comes to the abuses of the system, it’s important that criminals are not the only ones being tried. The system itself must also come under scrutiny. The voices that flinch at Judge Aquilina’s wrath have a point. Feelings can’t be trusted to fairly inflict punishment, nor can emotion ever be expected to fairly arbitrate the outcome of a case like Nassar’s. But we cannot uphold impartiality unevenly. It is hypocritical absurdity to pretend the system is not a method of cathartic vengeance for every victim of Nassar’s, and all victims of such crimes, while looking the other way as the guise of impartiality reigns. Andrew Mekhail can be reached at mekhail@umich.edu
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 — 5A
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
ALEXIS RANKIN / DAILY DEAD HORSES PERFORM AT FOLK FEST
STEPHEN KELLOGG PERFORMS AT FOLK FEST
ALEXIS RANKIN / DAILY
Music & magic at Ann Arbor Folk Festival night one SEAN LANG
Daily Arts Writer
On Friday, Jan. 26, Ann Arbor locals and residents from the far corners of the mitten state alike flocked to the University’s own Hill Auditorium for the 41st Annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival. Being so close to the festival, in geographical terms, might make University students write the event off as a minor happening, but the festival is, in reality, central to the Ann Arbor music scene. At its core, Folkfest, as it’s often amicably referred to,
serves two express purposes. First, it is a fundraiser for (and by) The Ark, a local venue and hub for all things folk. Second, it draws people from all over the Midwest together to partake in an oft-underappreciated genre. A folk festival whose headliners include Jason Isbell and John Prine can only be expected to meet expectations, but Friday’s portion of the annual event far surpassed them. While the final act of the night was always sure to be a success, there was never a dull moment during the night’s earlier performances. Every set was musically compelling and
honest, and a few artists managed to touch on the current state of affairs in a way that felt refreshing and candid. At half past six, as the audience continued to fill the auditorium, Chastity Brown took to the stage. If the occasional usher’s light or the murmur of conversation were distracting, she didn’t show it, and soon after she began playing the room fell quiet. With sparse instrumentation — acoustic and electric guitar as well as a single bass pedal — she set the tone for the night: intimate, soulful, reflective. Before playing her last song, she offered her thoughts
ALEXIS RANKIN / DAILY CHASTITY BROWN PERFORMS AT FOLK FEST
TV REVIEW
‘Mosaic’ is a whirlwind MORGAN RUBINO Daily Arts Writer
HBO’s latest limited series, “Mosaic,” bears a fitting title. Not only are viewers left to puzzle through and piece together the unforeseen murder of children’s book author Olivia Lake (Sharon Stone, “Total Recall”), but also to try and decipher what “Mosaic” even is — or better yet, what it wants to be. The series grapples between branding itself as a TV show, “an interactive app experience,” a more cinematic mystery or at times all of the above. This only goes to blur the (what should be) very clear line between poignant television and one of those predictable and cringey pieces of whodunit dinner theater. Nevertheless, I’ll give it this — as a narrative, “Mosaic” is at times much too tedious, but as an experience, it’s perplexing in all the right ways. Originally released in the fall of 2017 as a choose-your-ownadventure style app, “Mosaic”’s recent adaptation into a Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven”) six-episode TV thriller explores both the moments leading up to and the dynamic aftermath of Olivia’s small-town murder. Switching between flashbacks from the night of the crime to the reopening of the investigation four years later, the core of “Mosaic” attempts to uncover the real killer and bring long-overdue justice to Olivia’s accused fiancé, Eric (Frederick Weller, “In Plain Sight”). Even though the viewer has no real capability of changing the outcome of the story in either the app or the series, a constant thread of engaging with varying
perspectives and weighing the truth is woven throughout — enough to make you feel like a detective in the case. To say the least, the first episode of the series is hard to grasp. Right from the get-go, the audience is privy to a whole slew of characters and personalities that have some sort of tie to Olivia. But without a Google search, just what that link is remains fuzzy. While leaving out any sort of formal introductions or anterior characterizations does heighten the drama and suspense
“Mosaic” Series Premiere HBO of the mystery, deciphering who is who then becomes a tiring task. It isn’t until episodes three and four, where Olivia’s almost-sister-inlaw, Petra (Jennifer Ferrin, “Hell on Wheels”), returns to town with a vengeance. With that, “Mosaic” proves its merit and prompts a full-out binge session to unearth how the murder actually went down. It is for that reason that the ending of this mini-series felt particularly disorienting because — without giving too much away — there is a, shall I say, curious lack of traditional closure in the finale. In fact, I was left with such an unhealthy amount of questions regarding certain whereabouts and specifics that I (against previous discretion) felt the urge to turn to the app version of the exact same story to try my hand at some major sleuthing. While there are a few extra details in the app that were cut from the
linear version, I still felt the purposeful level of dissatisfaction and confusion that Soderbergh so often intends in his work. Lucky for me, that void is one that can be filled by another Soderberghconfirmed season of “Mosaic,” though this time anthology style with an all new storyline. When thinking of aspects of “Mosaic” that stand out above the rest, the camerawork is the first to come to mind. The way in which there is obviously little editing or special effects adds on gives the series a very intimate, naturalistic tone. The handheld feel of the camerwork truly allows any outside viewer to sink themselves into the fictional world of Summit, Utah. It is fascinating to feel both like a fly on the wall and an intruder while watching the same piece of media. The other internal element of “Mosaic” that beams with allure is the casting. Not only is Stone compelling and tenacious as Olivia, but her male counterparts share equal degrees of charisma. Frederick Weller is gritty and captivating in his scenes behind bars, and Garrett Hedlund (“Tron: Legacy”), as an aspiring artist and murder suspect Joel, fights his inner demons and overwhelming anxiety with honesty and refinement. While it may be difficult to explain all the nuances of the plot here, you too will be sucked into the whirlwind that is “Mosaic” after a mere six-hour watch. Moving past the wandering start of the series and the cliché tropes that come along with every murder mystery, “Mosaic” presents itself as a sleek noir that sets a new standard of innovation for TV production.
on the past year, recounting in specific an incident immediately before one of her shows when a white supremacist approached her, shouting insults and threatening violence. Though the story itself was disheartening, Brown’s tone during the following song was overwhelmingly hopeful. With the mood defined and a powerful set delivered, she exited the stage. One thing that we absolutely can’t help but credit The Ark for is their efficiency. Every year, Folkfest is a demonstration not only of folk music and the culture that surrounds it, but also of entertainment at peak efficiency. Only moments after Brown exited and before her applause had subsided, emcee Joe Pug appeared stage right, guitar and harmonica at the ready. A talented musician in his own right, and even more impressive entertainer, Pug kept the audience’s attention between sets. While he played original songs and offered his tastefully subtle sense of humor, stage hands and audio engineers prepared the stage for the next set with a degree of coordination that could qualify as art in and of itself. After Brown came the duo of Dead Horses, comprised of Sarah Vos on acoustic guitar and Daniel Wolff on double bass. Though an ostensibly odd pairing, the two managed to fill the room with their hymnal-like sound, Wolff’s fingers dexterous on the neck of his bass. Next was Lori McKenna, writer of “Humble and Kind,” which took the Grammy for
Best Country Song in 2017. Her apparent comfort on stage was infectious, no doubt a product of her experience as a performer, and the songs she performed were influenced in part by her five children. Also a proud parent — though to four rather than five — Massachusetts-based Stephen Kellogg played the final set before intermission, a rousing romp that consisted of just four or five songs, ones that made me wish he would play one or two or five more. What was beautiful about Kellogg’s performance was his sheer exuberance at being on stage. He beamed out at the audience with an eagerness and thankfulness that was reflected perfectly in the energy with which he delivered his uplifting folk-anthems. It was hard not to be excited both with him and for him. Following intermission were JJ Grey & Mofro, a prolific group whose performance received an immediate standing ovation at its conclusion. The act featured not one but two trumpets, both of whom played huge solos, and John Higginbotham (aka JJ Grey) himself on harmonica. Afterward, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit took to the stage. Now, although 41st anniversaries don’t tend to be particularly notable in and of themselves, the Folk Festival’s 41st marked at least one significant change. During the final set of the night, several stadium-style lights came on, filling the hall with motion and colorful patterns. This was the first year for these features,
and more than providing pretty visuals, they signify growth for the festival, and hopefully not a departure from what has made it so near and dear to Ann Arbor’s heart for the past two generations. Isbell and company’s set made the lights feel appropriate, and guitar solos abounded. The most valuable parts of the performance, though, came between songs, when Isbell exhibited his charisma, making well-received jabs at the kind of people who leave the room when he plays “White Man’s World” and giving a nod, before his last song, to his struggles with alcoholism. It was the sort of honesty that wouldn’t necessarily be expected from a festival headliner, even if the festival were a folk festival in Ann Arbor, and that’s not even mentioning the counterintuitiveness of Isbell’s decision to write and perform a song that he knows challenges a significant portion of his listeners. At the end of the night, attendees had a choice: They could leave Hill with a splendid night of music behind them, memories of soaring vocals and subtle harmonies, harmonica solos played at a breakneck pace and softly sung acoustic-guitar ballads, or choose to see a community being fostered. Four bars of music can sound as pleasant as you want, but it’s seeing and knowing the human side of it that makes those melodies truly awe-inspiring and that brings the folk community together. It makes me excited for Folkfest 2019 — even just two days after 2018’s iteration.
EVENT PREVIEW
INTERSCOPE
Big Ticket: blackbear & Roy Woods to play Hill SHIMA SADAGHIYANI Daily Music Editor
Contemporary R&B artist blackbear and Canadian singer/ songwriter Roy Woods are to perform at Hill Auditorium, scheduling to headline a spring show on Mar. 23. A result of the efforts of student group Big Ticket Productions, these shows strive to showcase artists that reflect the University’s student body as a whole. “As an organization, we constantly attempt to gauge the interests of the general population here on campus. Our motto as a club has always been: ‘Your campus, your music,’”
said Stamps senior Alexandria are up-and-coming and provide Valdes, president an opportunity of Big Ticket for students to Productions. see their favorite This year, blackbear & Roy artists on their own campus for Big Ticket Woods Productions discounted prices,” hopes to bring said Valdes. Hill Auditorium inclusivity into Tickets to the performance will Hill Auditorium, March 23 @ 7 p.m. as well provide start at $15 for $20-45 for students an opportunity students with a for relatively new valid ID and $25 for $30-50 general artists to take the the public. Tickets public will be available to stage. “We believe our purchase on Jan. acts invite a wide 31, either in-person range of students at the Michigan Union Ticket Office who represent an audience that enjoys both at 9 a.m. or online at muto.umich. hip hop and R&B. Both artists edu at 10 a.m.
6A — Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
to his role model. That’s good enough for him, but not for us. *** The title of “Hearts Beat Loud,” the latest film from director Brett Haley (“The Hero”) comes from a song written by one of its protagonists Sam (Kiersey Clemons, “Flatliners”), one day after she takes a pre-med summer school class before
SUNDANCE REVIEW
“Hearts Beat Loud” Directed by Brett Haley
NETFLIX
Sundance: ‘Hearts Beat Loud’ & ‘Futile and Stupid’ DANNY HENSEL Daily Arts Writer
It makes perfect sense for David Wain, one of the masterminds behind “Wet Hot American Summer,” to direct a biographical film behind one of the great figures of modern comedy. Douglas Kenney, who founded National Lampoon
“A Futile and Stupid Gesture” Neflix Magazine, wrote “Animal House” and “Caddyshack” and indirectly assembled much of the original cast of “Saturday Night Live,” before they were taken from under his nose, is a master of ensemble comedy. When a number of people work on one project with different styles of comedy, the result will often be something of widely varying quality, at least in each person’s eyes. Some respond more to screwball and one-liners (like me), some
respond more to physical comedy (OK, also me). As was the case with National Lampoon, so it was with “Wet Hot American Summer.” Then why, why, why does “A Futile and Stupid Gesture,” a biopic of Kenney’s tragically short life directed by Wain feel so empty? Why does a most unconventional man, played satisfyingly but not compellingly by Will Forte (“Last Man on Earth”), receive a harshly conventional treatment? These are questions Wain must answer, both to us and to his comedy idols. Perhaps the starting point is the too often-made conf lation between bombast and being interesting. In a decision truly befitting the film’s title, Kenney’s story is told by “modern” Doug (Martin Mull, “Veep”), who committed suicide in 1980. In an attempt to further humanize the man for whom a filmic depiction should be sufficient, Kenney’s resurrection feels not only strange, but somewhat malevolent, a cinematic dancing-on-the-grave of sorts. Kenney, especially his romantic and professional
relationships, is so naturally compelling. Having his story told lifelessly and whittled down to nothing for the sake of event-retelling feels like a giant missed opportunity.
going off to UCLA. Her teacher explains that the heart beats loudly during cardiovascular stress, but also, he says with something of a wink when someone falls in love. Later that same day, Sam meets Rose (Sasha Lane, “American Honey”) and, sure enough, she takes a liking to her. Her heart, beating loudly, becomes the subject of a song that she, after refusing several times, records with her father Frank (Nick Offerman, “Comrade Detective”), who is a retired musician who now owns a fading record shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a seemingly magical neighborhood where everyone knows each other. In a sort of twist, after Frank secretly uploads the
song to Spotify and it appears on the New Indie Mix playlist, “Hearts Beat Loud” becomes something of a minor hit. While it doesn’t lead to any tangible financial benefits, and We’re Not a Band — the adamant response by Sam that Frank turned into their name — doesn’t become a major phenomenon, father and daughter become closer. “Hearts Beat Loud” doesn’t offer anything by way of twists and turns, but it’s a delightful movie at which, when it hits theaters, one can imagine in late July, audiences will have a splendid time. What’s not to love? Offerman is reliably goofy, Clemons and Lane are charming and convincingly enamored with one another. Ted Danson (“The Good Place”), who plays Frank’s local bartender and friend, delivers some great jokes. The songs by We’re Not a Band, which sound something in between “Ultralife” by Oh Wonder and “Slip Away” by Perfume Genius, erring on the pop side, are pretty great! There are some knots in the plot, which contains a tad too many threads for such a breezy movie. A strange will-theywon’t-they dynamic between Frank and his landlord Leslie (Toni Collette, “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”) feels forced and never leads to any sort of emotional peaks or valleys.
Tacked on is a thread of Frank’s mother Marianne (Blythe Danner, who worked with Haley in “I’ll See You in My Dreams”), who is repeatedly arrested for shoplifting, even in her golden years.
Artificial though it is, this is also a film with some killer indie cred
Artificial though it is, this is also a film with some killer indie cred. Mitski is namechecked (a major thrill for yours truly, who could identify when Sasha Lane recommended “Your Best American Girl” without mentioning the artist) and Frank explains the merits of Animal Collective’s “My Girls.” Once Frank realizes that he needs to let go of his too-strong attachments to his college-bound daughter and his 17-year-old record store and develop a sense of parental responsibility, there is some tender emotional digging that might bring a faint tear to the eye.
Having his story told lifelessly and whittled down to nothing for the sake of eventretelling feels like a giant missed opportunity
It’s not that the film is dramatically bad — in fact, it’s often rather funny (but not enough) — it’s just so utterly mediocre that it ends up just meaning nothing more than an excuse for Wain to pay homage
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COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Rachael Yamagata to heal Classifieds through music at the Ark
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
FOR RENT
RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, January 31, 2018
ISABELLE HASSLUND Daily Arts Writer
Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata is returning to Ann Arbor for a soulful performance on her United States tour. Yamagata has
Rachael Yamagata Thursday, Feb. 1 @ 8:00 p.m. The Ark $20 collaborated with many wellknown artists in the past (including Bryan Adams and Jason Mraz), and is now bringing her own poetic style to The Ark this Thursday. Yamagata started off her career and love of music nontraditionally. She did not enjoy piano lessons growing up, and she struggled to find herself during college, bouncing between majors and universities. She finally found her calling by playing around on the piano and seeing the funk group Bumpus play in Chicago while she was in college. This inspiration was all that she needed as validation to start her career. Yamagata became infatuated with the idea of talented people her age playing music for the fun of it and realized that a music career is what she wanted to pursue. “I’m really excited about (taking) down the fourth
wall — having a living room style, special experience,” said Yamagata, in an interview with The Daily. The intimate concert is bound to be a personal experience for everyone who comes. “(I hope my concert) can inspire people,” she said. “Almost like when you go see a movie by yourself, (and) you’re like, ‘Wow, I really felt that wholeheartedly.’” Yamagata hopes to reach every member of the audience, affecting them in personal and unique ways. Her music aims to affect every audience member differently. The audience brings their distinct experiences to the concert, while Yamagata brings her poetic lyrics and indie groove to dissect these experiences and destroy inhibitions, creating a raw experience that is meant to heal. Vulnerability plays a large role in the songs of the set: “My songs are (like a) deep dive into what makes us really uncomfortable and angular, and makes us feel like our heads and hearts are going to explode, and then I put you back together,” she said. Yamagata is fearless in the face of topics that are otherwise difficult to discuss. She strives to create a space where she encourages people to look at themselves in a different light — a concert dedicated to the introspective. She hopes to break the emotional fronts that humans put up and use the power of her music to heal the audience. She creates a safe space for people to open up by leading
by example and pouring her heart out to the audience in the way she knows best: song. In addition, Yamagata has a special place in her heart for the city of Ann Arbor.
Her concert is bound to be one of emotional depth and healing for anyone trying to find their own voice and place
“I love that it’s a college town,” she said. Being in Ann Arbor is reminiscent of her own college years, and she is excited to give students what she felt with Bumpus in Chicago: a real, raw, emotional experience with music and people. “Anyone in school, and you don’t know what you’re doing — it’s OK. You will figure it out!” Her concert is bound to be one of emotional depth and healing for anyone trying to find their own voice and place. She also encourages audiences to come to the show as early as possible to hear her opening act, Hemming, an acoustic singer-songwriter, whose compelling performance is also bound to inspire and heal.
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
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DOWN 1 Morning co-host with Seacrest 2 Muscat’s country 3 “Cheers!” 4 Sculptor’s tool 5 Be under the weather 6 Grass in a J.D. Salinger title 7 R&B’s __ II Men 8 Part of a bedroom set 9 “What am __ do?” 10 Buffalo Bill and Charles Dickens wore them 11 “60 Minutes” part-time correspondent 12 Prom queen’s crown 13 Thai snack 18 Hit the ball hard 22 Defib expert 25 Bart’s brainy sibling 26 Munro pen name 28 Pretzel shape 29 Ridge on a neck 30 German wheels 31 Makes mad 35 Present time? 36 Eve’s second
37 Theater seating arrangements 39 Putin’s no 40 Perched on 41 Like a double eagle in golf 44 Sure victors 46 35-Down song 48 On the clock 49 “How stupid am I?!” 50 Title job for Shakespeare’s Petruchio
51 PEDs, in slang 52 “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” locale 53 Poker-faced 57 Off-rd. transports 59 Bandleader Puente 60 Team on a field 62 __ volente 64 Sleep phase 65 Mexican year
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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 — 7A
Struggling power play getting back to basics Lockwood out for year
after shoulder surgery
JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer
Talk to anyone on the Michigan hockey team — or really, anyone on any hockey team — and you’ll probably hear the phrase “pucks to the net,” or some variation thereof. If you get enough pucks to the net, some of them will inevitably go in. It’s an idea that’s easy to understand and easy to repeat. But it’s not as easy a concept to put into practice. There aren’t many better examples of this than the Wolverines’ power play unit. After last weekend’s sweep at the hands of No. 6 Ohio State, Michigan ranks 47th out of 60 teams nationally in power play percentage, scoring just 15 KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily percent of the time with a man Junior forward Cooper Marody has been skilled all season, but all the Wolverines have struggled on the power play. advantage. It’s a perplexing statistic, at the that’s why Michigan coach Mel play, compared to 1.8 for their players all came to the same very least. The Wolverines rank Pearson has stressed simplicity opponents. solution: Less time spent on the 13th in the country in scoring and when addressing his team’s “All it takes is one goal to get a perimeter, more hard work in and take more shots on goal than any special teams struggles. little momentum,” Pearson said around the crease and more shots team in the Big Ten, save for Penn His answer? Getting pucks to Tuesday. “We haven’t had many on goal. State’s frenetic, trigger-happy the net. opportunities. Even in the games “We’re over-handling the attack. Michigan has its share “Just try to outnumber them at this weekend, (Penn State) we puck, I think overthinking it, of individual firepower — senior the net instead of trying to make didn’t have many, Minnesota we trying to get too cute, trying to forward Tony Calderone is tied these fancy, tic-tac-toe plays,” didn’t had many, so we haven’t make the great play instead of for the Big Ten lead in goals and Pearson said. “Just go low to high, had a lot of time to really work on just taking what they’ve given junior forward Cooper Marody get three guys going to the net and it in game-like situations, which you,” Pearson said. “... We know ranks second in assists. one of our two guys up top gets we could use more of.” we have the personnel. Some of But in power play something to the net. Meanwhile, the scoring it’s mental, some of it’s physical. I situations, where you’d expect “We need more shots. We’re on prowess of Marody and Calderone think a lot of it’s mental. You get this playmaking talent to the perimeter too much, trying to has forced opponents to key in on down, you get discouraged, you shine through even more, make these fancy plays, and we them much more closely. Physical get frustrated. And you can’t, you the Wolverines have been slow it down and we don’t get any play and close checking have been just have to get ready for the next inconsistent at best. Seven times shots.” on display from opposing teams power play.” against the Buckeyes they went Of course, if it was easy to make more and more throughout the Added Marody: “I think we to the power play, and seven the easy play, the Wolverines season — Pearson noted how need to get back to outworking times they failed to score. Over would be ranked much higher in successful the Buckeyes were in the penalty kill. It’s easy on a Michigan’s last 14 power plays, power play percentage. taking away Marody’s time and power play to just get a little they have only scored once. Pearson stated that his team space in both of their meetings. lackadaisical and not keep your “We’ve got a bunch of good showed well in power play “(Marody) and Tony have feet on the gas. If we (outwork the players, so we should be able scenarios during Tuesday’s really drawn a lot of attention penalty kill), we’re going to have to have more success than we practice. But he cited the and rightly so, because they’re success.” have (on the power play),” said difference in atmosphere between two really good hockey players, so The Wolverines know what freshman defenseman Quinn practices and actual games, and teams are really watching them they need to do to turn their Hughes. “Sometimes, you never the lack of actual chances to close,” Pearson said. “Even on the scuffling power play unit around. know, hockey is a strange game.” convert — Michigan averages power play, (they’re) going to take The keys to doing so are simple, A team should have an easier 3.8 power plays per game for the those two guys away and let one and they’ve known them for some time scoring when it has an season, but has seen just 2.9 per of the other three guys beat you.” time. additional player on the ice. contest since Jan. 5. During that But no matter what reasons But as this season has shown, There’s nothing complicated same span, the Wolverines have may be behind Michigan’s power simplicity can be deceptively hard about the math behind it. Maybe recorded just 1.1 shots per power play struggles, Pearson and his to attain.
JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer
Three weeks ago, Will Lockwood faced a choice: He could attempt to play through his latest shoulder injury and have surgery once the Michigan hockey team’s season was over, or have surgery as soon as possible. Rather than delay the inevitable, Lockwood chose the latter. After Tuesday’s practice, Michigan coach Mel Pearson said that the sophomore forward had undergone surgery Tuesday morning, and he will not play again this year. “(I) was just talking to his family, and everything went extremely well,” Pearson said. “Now that that’s done he’s on the road to recovery, and one day closer to being on the ice, whenever that is. Definitely out for the year but he should be ready to go next fall.” While playing for the United States national team in a Dec.
29 game against Canada at the World Junior Championships, Lockwood took a hit from behind and fell hard on his left shoulder. He was initially ruled out for the remainder of the tournament, and was later told that surgery was necessary after being evaluated by Michigan’s medical staff. In 16 games this season, Lockwood registered four goals and seven assists, primarily playing alongside sophomore Jake Slaker and freshman Josh Norris on the Wolverines’ second forward line. Junior Brendan Warren has mostly filled in during Lockwood’s absence, and has found success, scoring five points in his last six games. Lockwood previously missed five games his freshman season due to an injury on the same shoulder, and underwent surgery during that offseason. When healthy, Lockwood was a key player for Michigan, especially on offense. He tallied 20 points in his 30 games in 2016-17, the secondbest total of any Wolverine.
“Now that that’s done he’s on the road to recovery.”
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Sophomore forward Will Lockwood had shoulder surgery Tuesday morning.
‘M’ freshmen impress Matthews working to find balance offensively despite losing in debut Redshirt sophomore guard struggling in conference after strong start to season
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
AMIR ALI
Daily Sports Writer
Nerves are always a part of sports. Whether an athlete has been competing for decades or making a competitive debut, it’s hard to stay calm. The freshmen on the Michigan men’s gymnastics team, in particular, faced that challenge as they went up against No. 1 Oklahoma. The Sooners haven’t lost since 2014. Despite an overall team loss, two freshmen were a bright spot for the Wolverines: Cameron Bock and Jacob Moore. Bock competed in three events: the pommel horse, parallel bars and the high bar. His slow handstands and bent knees on the parallel bars reduced his score to a 12.75, and his fall on Tkatchev during his high barroutine plummeted his score down to 10.6. But Bock’s best moment came on the pommel horse. He kept his feet together well, had good swings and stuck his dismount to earn a team high 13.55 on the event. “They weren’t as nervous as normal freshmen would be,” said junior Uche Eke. “Cameron Bock hit a really nice pommel horse set. They were hitting good sets in the gym so it just showed that practice ref lects your competition.” Moore competed in four events on the day — scoring 14.05 on both the vault and f loor. He had great height during his f loor routine, and pumped his fist after sticking his dismount. “Floor, I consider that my strongest event so I don’t
really have any nerves there,” Moore said. “Before I go I take a deep breath and I just go into autopilot. To get that triple full stick dismount, that felt great.” Michigan coach Kurt Golder had nothing but praise for his freshmen and looked forward to their growing involvement as the season progresses. “About a third of the routines today were from freshmen and that number will probably go up as Jake and Cameron Bock recover from their surgeries that they had either over the summer or recently,” Golder said “And yeah, we’re going to be counting on them a real lot.” Both Bock and Moore competed in a combined seven events and got a taste of the collegiate atmosphere. “It was really fun,” Moore said. “You know, I wanted to kind of come out here and get the season started, just have a good time, and I think we did that.” Though Oklahoma beat Michigan down the stretch due to strong performances on the parallel bars and the high bar, the Wolverines were pleased at how they competed. “I think last year we were kind of lacking that energy as a team, you know,” Moore said. “I think this season’s going to be a lot different and we’re going to show some people what Michigan’s made of.” If the Wolverines can continue to work hard and make the necessary improvements on the parallel bars and the high bar, this pair of freshmen will have the opportunity to announce themselves to the rest of the country.
“I think last year we were kind of lacking that energy.”
MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor
Everything was seemingly going to plan for Charles Matthews. Through December, the redshirt junior guard averaged over 16 points-per-game and shot a remarkable 56 percent from the floor. Using his 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame, Matthews could slash around weaker defenders throughout non-conference play for the Michigan men’s basketball team. That addressed a certain level of unpredictability that surrounded Matthews before the season. After transferring from Kentucky and sitting out last season, his fit within the Wolverines’ offense was a mystery. But 15 games into his Michigan career, Matthews was a mystery no longer. Instead, he proved himself as the Wolverines’ best scorer. “I think he’s starting to understand how it all fits together,” said coach John Beilein after Matthews scored 29 points against Alabama
A&M on Dec. 22. Fast forward five weeks, and it’s been a different story for the Chicago native. Matthews’ numbers have dipped. In the nine conference games since the New Year, he’s shooting 44 percent and averaging 11.6 points per game — third on the team behind junior center Mortiz Wager and senior guard MuhammedAli AbdurRahkman. The drop led to a key conversation between Matthews and his coaches. “The coaches let me know that I had to find the balance between not forcing it, but then not over ‘letting-it-come-to-me.’ ” Matthews said. “I had to find that medium, and coaches are still working with me on that.” Matthews failed to find that balance against Maryland earlier this month. He frequently relied on off-balance jump shots, going 3-for-10
from the floor with a pair of turnovers. “I want him to hunt,” Beilein said. “But there’s certain shots that (he) hunts that are tough twos — just not good analytically, and it’s proven they’re not good shots to take.” On Monday in Michigan’s win over Northwestern, Matthews avoided many of those tought twos. In a performance reminiscent of those early in the season, he led the Wolverines with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting. But most impressive was Matthews’ offensive awareness that has escaped him at times. Twice he broke a stifling defense by getting behind the back line of the Wildcats’ 2-3 zone for dunks. That awareness was also paramount to Matthews’ ability to facilitate for others. Faced with a double-team roughly midway through the first half,
“There’s certain shots that (he) hunts that are tough twos.”
EVAN AARON/Daily
Redshirt sophomore guard Charles Matthews played well against Northwestern after struggling in Big Ten play.
for example, Matthews found sophomore center Jon Teske before Northwestern’s defense could rotate completely, leading to a bucket and a foul. It was one of five assists on the night for Matthews — the second straight game his passing ability has impressed his coach. “He had six assists at Purdue (last Thursday),” Beilein said. “That was a monumental move for him to see that and score some points.” Matthews’ blending of scoring and passing has made Beilein’s own balancing act even tougher. Matthews, AbdurRahkman and freshman Jordan Poole are all strong scoring assets, but Beilein can’t play all three simultaneously without sacrificing the presence of a true point guard on the court. When Matthews committed his first foul early in Monday’s contest, Poole was the first off the bench. Frequently, Beilein employs a flip-flopping of the two. “We understand that — that’s why we’re both laughing,” Matthews said. “We have that great relationship where it’s like, ‘He better not make this shot, because I know I’m coming in.’ “I call him J.R. Smith — the human microwave. He loves that. In fact, I’m not going to call him that because he wants to be called that.” Just as it is for Matthews, balance is the key for Poole, who doesn’t find many shots he doesn’t like. Sometimes, that draws ire from his coaches. But if he and Matthews can find a happy medium — both with the ball and in their usage — it could lead to more offensive harmony for Michigan. “We both have these crazy scoring mindsets,” Matthews said. “Every time we get open, we want to shoot, but there’s a whole offense as well. I try to mentor him as well, just trying to balance it all.”
Sports
8A — Wednesday, January 31, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Three days to learn: Inside Michigan’s game preparation ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
On average, a college basketball team gets three or four days between games. Three or four days to process the last game, get better, learn everything there is to know about the next opponent, teach it to the players, travel if the game is on the road, then go out and play. That’s a hefty order, especially when players have classes to attend. This is how the Michigan women’s basketball team pulls it off. *** The process starts at the beginning of the season. Coach Kim Barnes Arico and assistants Melanie Moore, Wes Brooks and Joy McCorvey sit down and split up the opponents, with each assistant assigned to scout a number of teams. From there, video coordinator Emma Golen — with the help of graduate assistants and student managers — gets to work. Golen’s job is perhaps the most exhaustive of anybody employed by the program. Her title is video coordinator and, while she does put together film, Golen also helps compile scouting reports and track internal stats that determine how the team spends its time. She carries a binder that could be generously estimated at four inches thick, filled with numbers of every kind and sorted by tabs marking each game the Wolverines have played this season. “The coaches will get this after the game,” Golden said, opening the binder. “They’ll get our lineup efficiencies. … All the lineups that were in the game, their plus/ minus, and then individually who was the best plus/minus. Then they’ll get a defensive efficiency. So the different defenses we were in, how well the opponent shot off of that, that type of defense, as well as a points per possession and their turnover percentage. And then our offensive efficiency.
So the plays we ran, how we shot out of them.” That’s not all. There are also individual shot charts for each player, breaking down their percentages from each spot on the floor, coded green and red based on how the player shot compared to the national average. Michigan’s offense and defense is split up by the type of possession — for example, transition — with numbers grading the Wolverines’ efficiency in such a situation. This allows Michigan to selfscout, finding its own tendencies and problems to fix after each game. “I’ll do a lot (of self-scouting), just kind of what went well, what didn’t go well, did we run plays right, did we kinda follow the game plan,” Golen said. “Before games, Coach will have her goals for the game up there, so just kinda seeing if how we performed matched up with those goals and finding just little ways that we can improve and be better.” Golen compiles much of this information during games, using an iPad app, SportsCode, to manually track the outcomes of individual plays. Not only can she record individual players, tapping a headshot of junior center Hallie Thome and then marking whether a shot was made or missed; Golen follows outcomes of specific sets and how they do against specific defenses. After the game, the data automatically links up with the game film. The Wolverines also use Synergy, an analytics service, to find uber-specific stats. “For like post moves, it splits up left block, right block and flash middle,” Golen said. “And then it’ll give the times that (players) turn left, times that they turned right, and when they turned left … a hook shot, an up-and-under,
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Michigan women’s basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico uses extensive scouting reports and video in order to prepare her team in between games.
a drop step, the number of times they do that. And they break it down into percentages.” Michigan uses self-scouting and data, in part, to figure out how to spend practice time. For example, after losing in overtime at home to thenNo. 8 Ohio State — a game they had a chance to win in regulation — the Wolverines practiced with a renewed focus on late-game situations. “We spent a (lot of ) time, end of game situations, making sure — not necessarily the right lineups that were in but everybody kinda felt comfortable playing with everyone in those kinda situations,” Golen said. “Comfort in knowing your
“Whatever they need, they have access to as well.”
teammates, getting familiar with your teammates, making sure you know the plays, first of all. It’s different on the sidelines versus doing it in practice. And then next step, doing it in a game. There’s a (lot of ) layers to kinda finally being able to be on the floor and do it right.” At the beginning of the season, Golen was talking to a Synergy employee who told her an astounding number: 90 percent of Division I conference games in 2016-17 were decided by five points or less. “So we kinda get in the discussion, like, your season comes down to maybe 30-50 possessions that can win or lose you a game,” Golen said. “So with that comes BLOBs (baseline out of bounds plays), SLOBs (sideline out of bounds plays), and after the Ohio State game, we pretty much built into every practice was BLOBs, SLOBs.” Between that loss to the Buckeyes and a win against them nine days later in Columbus, the Wolverines also focused on stopping Ohio State point guard Kelsey Mitchell, who dropped 39 points in the first matchup. “It was really important for (senior forward Jillian Dunston) to kinda see how (Mitchell) scored on her,” Golen said. “How she was able to kinda get in her comfort zone a little bit towards the end of the game and how she kinda took over that fourth quarter and overtime. For Jill and our whole team to be able to see that, (because) obviously it’s not just Jill’s responsibility to stop her. And just being able to bring that to the next game and improve on that and we were able to hold her under control the second game.” That they did. Mitchell scored a comparatively-low 20 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field the second time around, and the Buckeyes fell short. While fixing its own problems, Michigan is also, of course, preparing for the opponent itself. *** As soon as the Wolverines are done playing a game scouted by a
certain assistant, Golen starts to feed the assistant information about their next scout: a preliminary report, compiled through Synergy, detailing the team’s tendencies. Some opponents will stick to those tendencies no matter what. Others mix it up, trying to find something that will work against the Wolverines. Iowa, for example, threw a triangleand-two defense at Michigan, putting its offense out of whack in what ended up being a 10-point Hawkeye win. Since then, more opponents have flashed the triangle-andtwo at them — and the Wolverines have practiced going against it every day. “That was the first time a league opponent did it and I think it kind of shook us a little bit,” Barnes Arico said. “I think since that time, we’ve gotten better and we’ve practiced more and we’re moving the basketball better on the offensive end. So I think it’s been a combination of it being thrown at us and our players improving as the season progresses.” The end product comes in the form of a booklet, given to Barnes Arico, featuring detailed play-byplay diagrams, a page of sets run by the upcoming opponent, the opponents’ recent box scores, best rebounders, 3-point shooters, and free-throw shooters (as well as the worst freethrow shooters). In addition to a recently compiled scouting report, Barnes Arico will go through booklets from prior years as well. She finds it to be useful exercise, even if there has been a coaching or system change. “Kids have tendencies,” Barnes Arico said. “So that’s the biggest thing in your preparation, is can you get ready for their tendencies? You know, and there might be a total different style of play, but if you can, you know, ‘Hey, this kid’s gonna pull up when they go left. This kid’s gonna try to go all the way when they go right.’ So you can practice those things.” The scouting report is given to the players themselves through team-distributed iPads, on the
“A lot gets shown to us that doesn’t get shown to them.”
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team’s assistant coaches are assigned to scouting particular games.
app Just Play. “That has all the scouts on there, all the film on there, player tendency, film, full-game film,” Golen said. “So kinda whatever they need, they have access to as well.” While the assistant coaches are working on a given opponent well beforehand, players aren’t given this information until that opponent is up next. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t being prepared. “I can incorporate some of those things in practice without them knowing,” Barnes Arico said. “So if we’re gonna play against an offense that we’ve never played against before, we only have one or two days to prep for it because of our schedule, I can incorporate that a little bit earlier. Or, like, press break stuff. So, if we incorporate that five minutes every day in practice, when we’re getting ready for a press break, we’re already used to doing that. But for the kids, they don’t know it until the last game is over.” When it comes to film study, the coaches meet to decide what gets shown to the entire team. “A lot gets shown to us that doesn’t get shown to them, because there’s just not that much time and the focus on that too,” Barnes Arico said. “So we’ll take probably five or six clips per individual player.” On one day, Michigan will watch film as a team. The next, the Wolverines will split into groups, the specifics of which often vary. “We’ll do some groups in terms of position,” Barnes Arico said. “And we can do groups in terms of the Maize team and the Blue team. So we try to vary it, so it’s different learning styles, can pick things up differently. Different voices among the group are good to learn with.” Like learning the scouting report, players are also responsible for watching film at home on their iPads. By gametime, it’s on them to know everything from which way their matchup prefers to drive, to which plays will work against the opposing defense. When the ball tips, Golen opens her iPad and gets to work. It’s time to start the process all over again.
MAX KUANG/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team has embraced advanced analytics, and it’s helped them to success.
statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | JA N UA RY 3 1 , 201 8
Tech takes a seat in Ann Arbor
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Wednesday, January 31, 2018// The Statement
statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | JA N UA RY 3 1 , 201 8
Managing Statement Editor: Brian Kuang
Photo Editor: Amelia Cacchione
Deputy Editors: Colin Beresford Jennifer Meer Rebecca Tarnopol
Editor in Chief: Alexa St. John
Copy Editors: Elise Laarman Finntan Storer
Managing Editor: Dayton Hare
Brews Through: Roos Roast BY YOSHIKO IWAI, COLUMNIST
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f I have one hope for 2018 — besides finishing school, graduating, figuring out life and finding my bigger purpose in this world — it’s to drink better coffee than I did last year. Since I am coming to the final pages of this chapter of my college career, it would make sense for me to try “adulting” in all corners of my life. This includes the music I listen to, the things I eat, the things I say, the books I read, but also, the caffeine I drink. Which means putting away the Starbucks app and prioritizing quality over convenience. There are many hidden gems in Ann Arbor. Like the fairy doors, there are some things you just don’t know until you do — and then, your life is changed forever because you can’t unsee or untaste pure greatness. RoosRoast isn’t really a secret, being voted the second best coffee shop in all of Michigan and sold in every nice grocery store in town, but it has an
ambiance that is unlike any other cafe. From the moment you walk into the oddly angled door, there’s something different. It smells like rich coffee beans, but so do most coffee shops. It’s something about the way the bright yellow wall paint lights up the room — who would have thought bright yellow paint could look something other than ugly? It actually lights up the entire interior and makes me smile from the inside. I haven’t tried all of their roasts or teas yet, but it’s on my to-do list. The chai bomb is one of my favorite drinks so far. It’s something like a dirty chai without artificial sweetener. Sometimes I crave it so much, I’ll walk across campus to get one for the afternoon. Of course, the drip brews and espresso drinks are delicious. The “Bad Ass Women Blend” has this verticality to the flavor with fruity undertones; I sound like a snob, but even my amateur tongue can taste the depth.
Tea drinkers, the turmeric ginger tea will soothe your anxiety and stress. When you sit at their bar or at one of their tables, you start to forget you’re in Ann Arbor. It feels like Portland or Brooklyn or somewhere I’d like to be a freelance writer working on a new book — the romanticized part of the life of an artist I imagine, or take away from indie films. The colorful paintings, the sign “Welcome Badass Women,” the floating lobster, the hand-drawn logos. It’s buzzing with conversation and new ideas. Beanies and beards and tie-dye shirts; it’s quirky like that. The names of the coffee beans and coffee bag covers are also creations of John Roos, the founder and owner. A native of Ann Arbor, Roos is an entrepreneur and artist. People and places from his life inspire his coffee roasts: Rich French Neighbor, A-A Cowboy, Portland in the 90s. It has this personal, welcoming vibe. I
hate the word “vibe,” it’s out of character for me. But honestly, it’s the only way I can describe it. Or by saying, “Go to RoosRoast” and you’ll get it. I find myself getting annoyed at coffee shops on campus when all I overhear is the same break-up stories over and over. Inevitably, going to coffee chains seem to attract people of similar demographics, similar conversations and less diversity of thought — it becomes redundant to the dozens of coffee shops within a certain walking radius of campus. I get disappointed when people go to coffee shops without ordering a drink and taking tablespace. From what I can tell at RoosRoast, though, people are here for the experience. They come for the coffee, for the food, for the atmosphere. And stay for the taste, the energy, the vibe — at least, I know I do. It’s one of the coffee shops with the largest diversity of age, gender, color and everything in between. Sure, the music may be too distracting if you are a regular library-goer or want to read in silence. I usually compartmentalize my work and choose where I study accordingly. I have trouble thinking about cell biology when I’m surrounded by artists and music and talk about renewable energies in downtown Detroit. But when I write or choreograph or compose, I like being in stimulating environments. It helps to be surrounded by other creative energies, to feel like you’re not pushing boundaries and imagining the unimaginable alone — it’s non-judgmental and tastes like possibility. The baristas and staff are friendly, and it would make sense that they attract a similar crowd. I feel like it takes a certain type of person to say, “I want the Lobster Butter Love.” If your New Year’s resolution had something to do with better coffee, here’s a good place start. On their website, they write: “We are the home of Lobster Butter Love and highly caffeinated, freaky people who love coffee. You could call us drug dealers, but we deal in good vibes, and yes, caffeine. It’s not just a business, it’s a lifestyle. We roast Max Kuang/Daily coffee, we sell coffee, we make art.”
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 // The Statement
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Soundtracking: A Voice Crack BY MATT HARMON, DAILY NEWS EDITOR
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hy? Why would you betray me like this? I trusted you. I gave you my everything, and you went and pulled this shitake mushrooms? We all know voice cracking isn’t incredibly uncommon. It happens to the best of us. Even the best voices to ever grace our ears hit speed bumps every now and then. I bet some nights when he’s unwinding and getting ready for bed, Morgan Freeman lets a crack slip into conversation. If the king of voiceovers himself can let his inner 13-year-old out, I should be allowed to let my voice crack once in awhile. But no. For some reason, I am held to a higher standard than Freeman. By some unfounded logic, Matthew Harmon is not allowed to sneak in a voice crack without an incomprehensible amount of judgment falling upon his shoulders. We can all agree puberty was a female dog. Whoever paints puberty as a time of beautiful blossoming can take a long walk off a short pier. Yes I’m Changing — Tame Impala During my freshman year of high school, my voice was squeaking more than a rickety f loorboard. I couldn’t stop it. Every time I opened my mouth, my voice tried to do gymnastics, f lipping around and eventually crashing and burning. However, in this tumultuous time, I wasn’t alone: Almost everyone was in the same boat. Kids were accidentally hitting Michael Jackson high notes left and right. But in my 20s, I am alone. No solidarity for the occasional squeak when it comes out of a 20-year-old. Let’s set the scene. Huge lecture hall. Over 200 students staring at a screen, iClickers poised and ready to fire at a moment’s notice, some diligently taking notes and others trying desperately to stay awake. I am of the latter cohort. I wasn’t trying to doze off. It’s never my intention, but sometimes numbers just lull me to sleep. I was never a math or science person (which kind of explains why I’m spending my free time writing this column) so whenever mathematic mumbo-jumbo like logarithms and parabolas start getting thrown around, you can guarantee I just bought a one-way ticket to Snoozeville. Boredom — Tyler, the Creator If you had seen my face, you would have been bored just by the transitive property (that’s some geometry knowledge for you, you’re welcome).
ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MYERS
Everything was in one ear and right out the other for me. Though my eyes were open and the lights were on, no one was home. If you’ve stuck with this column for this long (which at this point is probably just my mom and the Statement editors), there’s something you should know about me. I get the worst second-hand embarrassment of anyone I know. If someone told me to run around in the street screaming “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire, I’d probably do it in a heartbeat, but sit me down in front of someone else doing the same thing, you’ll see me squirm and avert my eyes. I can’t explain it but it’s the gospel truth. The worst is when a professor asks a question and has the audacity to wait for someone to answer. If we don’t know, we won’t raise our hand. It’s as simple as that. However, I’d rather be outwardly wrong than sit in that professor-induced awkward moment. So when the professor in this lecture asked a question and no one wanted to answer, I knew what had to be done. Someone had to be a hero and say something. Something — The Beatles This was my moment. I was about to step into my supersuit. The entire class would lift me up and parade me out of the lecture hall for having saved them from the silence. I was ready to shine. Did I know the answer? No. Did I care? Not at all. Everything happened in slow
motion. My hand crept into the air. I saw my professor’s face light up. His arm reached out and pointed at me. I think he was more so shocked that I was even willing to speak. He knew I wasn’t in the mood for numbers but I guess he thought I was giving it the good old college try. “Yes, you in the back!” the professor said. I was ready. I opened my mouth, ready to B.S. harder than I ever have before, but instead of some meaningless mathematical jargon, a tiny peep echoed across the room. Frick me. How Could This Happen to Me? — Simple Plan “I try to make a sound but no one hears me.” In all my years of living, I had never seen more heads dart towards me at once until that day. Every single person in that lecture hall heard my vocal throwback to middle school. The entire purpose of me raising my hand was to break the silence, and break the silence I did. What did I do to deserve this fate? I’m just an average dude. I pay my taxes when applicable. I sometimes hold the door for people assuming they aren’t too far away for it to be inconvenient. I do that little white person jog across the street when a car is waiting to turn. Why do bad things happen to mediocre people? I wanted to just click my heels and magically be hundreds of miles away
from that lecture hall seat. No Place Left to Hide — Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas Have you ever seen those ostrich pillows where you can lay on your desk with your entire head covered by comfort? I wanted to bury myself 10 feet under. I couldn’t even answer the professor’s question. He waited patiently again but I was just silent. Then the waiting began again. The endless waiting. I had failed. I let my class down but somehow — more importantly — I let myself down. When duty called, my voice box kept me from realizing my true potential. Instead of being championed by the class like Rudy after the last play, I left class with my head hung low. Death with Dignity — Sufjan Stevens Shame. It’s a thing we feel from time to time. But we learn from our mistakes. We move forward, endlessly striving for better days. Did I learn anything this time around? Yes. I learned to shut my fricking mouth or else middle school Matt is going to make an incredibly unsolicited appearance. The best we can do in times like these is recognize your place in this world and laugh. And sometimes write a column about it. Lost This Time — Langhorne Slim And the award for biggest L of lecture history goes to … My prepubescent vocal chords.
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Wednesday, January 31, 2018 // The Statement
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 // The Statement
Tech takes a seat in Ann Arbor by Jennifer Meer, Deputy Statement Editor
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n October 2017, Duo Security — an Ann Arbor-based company, launched by two University of Michigan alumni in 2009 — made national headlines when it secured a $70 million round of funding that brought it to be valued at over $1 billion dollars; the information technolog y startup is known for producing two-factor authentication systems. “Ann Arbor is our home,” Dug Song, one of Duo Security’s founders, said in an October interview with TechCrunch. “With more than 350 employees based here, we’re proud of our Michigan roots and our heritage of global cybersecurity innovation in Southeastern Michigan. The region has a wellspring of talent that we will continue to invest in and hire from, and attract talent from outside the state as well.” Duo is at the forefront of a f ledgling wave of early-stage technolog y startups that have chosen to take root not in the San Francisco and East Coast technolog y hubs, but within Metro Detroit. As of 2016, there were 49 active venture-based startups in Ann Arbor, according to the Michigan Venture Capital Association Annual Research Report. These companies represent 35 percent of startups in the state, and are are primarily split between information technolog y and life sciences sectors, with the remainder scattered across advanced manufacturing and energ y. In December 2017, VentureBeat described Ann Arbor as one of four emerging national tech hubs, alongside much-larger Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Raleigh, N.C. “Given that there are currently 112 privately held unicorn companies in the U.S., it’s impressive that Ann Arbor — with a population of just 120,000 — managed to cultivate one,” VentureBeat wrote. What draws entrepreneurs to Ann Arbor are elements of a strong entrepreneurial community, a large research institution and the fact that more than half of the venture capital firms in the state are located in the area, according to Emily Heintz, associate director at the Michigan Venture Capital Association. “We believe the entrepreneurial investment community is made up of four things — research, capital, commu-
nity and talent,” Heintz said. These elements, combined with the city’s accessible Midwestern culture and relatively lower cost of living, have begun to make Ann Arbor an appealing alternative to the crowded Bay Area for some entrepreneurs, despite a regional dearth in capital. nn Arbor’s college-town atmosphere makes it easy for entrepreneurs to connect with potential partners due to the educated local population, according to Bill Mayer, SPARK’s vice president for entrepreneurial services. SPARK is the county’s publiclyfunded economic development association, which has taken a keen interest in curating the local high-tech sector. Its downtown Liberty Street office — despite a simplistic interior — serves as an incubator housing early-stage techbased startups. In terms of what draws entrepreneurs to the area, Mayer explained the coasts are far more populated than the Midwest. As a result, he believes it can be very difficult to raise capital due to competition on the dense coasts. Ann Arbor, contrarily, is a “nice size” — a smaller city with 120,000 people. “If you’re in New York or San Francisco, you can go to meetups and meet people but it’s really hard to get a meeting on Sand Hill Road,” Mayer said, referring to Silicon Valley’s arterial road known for housing the world’s marquee venture capital funds. “It sounds like everything gets funded out there, but it’s actually quite challenging to get on the radar of investors out there.” Investors know they can hire employees in Ann Arbor that won’t get stolen by Google or Facebook, he said. They can also pay these employees a comparably lower wage than they would have to in San Francisco due to lower costs of living (although Ann Arbor is still expensive relative to its region), making Ann Arbor startups far more “capital efficient.” Ann Arbor is also a place executives know their employees can thrive in, unlike San Francisco or Boulder, Colo. “From an employer’s standpoint, the fact that your employees can actually buy a house is pretty amazing,” Mayer said.
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Cash Butler, an Ann Arbor native, is one of many SPARK-based innovators. After spending several years in Boston, he relocated his company, ClariLegal, to Ann Arbor, drawn by the University community and lower costs. ClariLegal matches corporations and law firms with the vendors they need to ensure they get the best value for their work. “I came back because there was a vibrant community of innovative thinkers and a wonderful level of talent at (the University of ) Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Washtenaw Community College that I could staff my company with,” he said. Butler said he has taken advantage of hiring University students as interns and been extremely happy with the results. He also pointed to the relatively lower cost of living in addition to easier travel compared to the coasts. In the future, he hopes to collaborate more with the University, particularly with alumni, to bring in people who are interested in software innovation for the legal industry. “My biggest marketing thing is f lying people in and taking them to a University of Michigan football game,” he joked. owever, the Midwest still lacks the critical entrepreneurial infrastructure that coastal tech hubs have, namely venture capital to fund early-stage companies. Michigan startups in particular face a “capital gap” in raising their necessary investors, according to Heintz. Most of the country’s venture capital funds are based around San Francisco and the financial hubs of New York and Boston. As a result, many new Midwestern tech companies need to leave their geographic home to raise funding. As associate director of the MVCA, Heintz represents the 33 venture capital funds in Michigan, 18 of which are based in Ann Arbor as of 2016, according to the MVCA report. Of the 49 active venture-backed startups in Ann Arbor in 2016, 25 received more than $101 million from venture capital firms in 2016, according to the MVCA report. Of course, this is a tiny slice compared to the $69 billion raised in funding across the U.S. in 2016.
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Midwestern investors also tend to be more conservative than those on the West Coast, according to Mayer. This makes it more difficult for an earlystage company to raise funds; however, this means the Midwestern startups that ultimately receive a vote of confidence are generally lower-risk than something that would get funded in California. “The good news about that is that the companies that do get funded here tend to have a higher survival rate,” Mayer said. “On the other hand, from an entrepreneur’s standpoint, sometimes it can be harder to raise capital, because investors typically look for more achieved milestones, more business results, versus just kind of pitching a concept.” Heintz said it is crucial to have a robust foundation of capital in Michigan — which currently the overwhelming majority comes from out-of-state — in order to fund new companies. According to the MVCA report, every dollar invested in a Michigan startup by a Michigan venture capital firm attracts $4.61 of investment from outside of Michigan. “On one hand that’s good because it’s more money coming into the state, but on the other hand it’s something that you do want to worry about because you want CEOs and founders to be able to focus on their companies and not have to always f ly around the country looking for capital,” Heintz said. Recently, more startups are choosing to remain in the area, Mayer explained. He said 15 years ago, people would be able to raise money in Ann Arbor, but then when it was time for them to raise follow-on capital, they would find an out-of-state investor that would often stipulate they would need to relocate to California. Today, this doesn’t happen as much, largely because San Francisco has become so costly, competitive and overcrowded. “There’s so much competition for all of the employees (in San Francisco),” he said. “There are people paying over $100 per square foot for office space. You can pay $15 or $20 per square foot here. So investors do the math.”
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he University of Michigan’s research and human capital contribute heavily to the entreprenurial appeal of Ann Arbor. When Mayer began working at SPARK, he was surprised to learn only about 20 to 30 percent of the companies SPARK works with originate from the University of Michigan. Nonetheless, he said the University serves as a key catalyst to successful entrepreneurial activity — conducting $1.5 billion of federally-funded research each year, the largest research funding budget of any public university in the nation. Some of this research translates into commercial application and can be licensed directly to industry — that, or a startup can sometimes spin off. “The good news about the University companies is that the potential of those companies tends to be very high, because almost always they have some kind of high (intellectual property), they have patents, they have millions and millions of dollars of federal research already done,” he said. In the private sector, startups launch outside of large research institutions and depend on competitions and grants; student startups often fall into this category. In general, one advantage to starting up in Ann Arbor, Mayer explained, is the close proximity to University experts and departments available for collaboration. Clinc, located in downtown Ann Arbor, builds conversational AI software that was based on the work of the University’s Clarity Lab. Their work builds on the research conducted in Clarity Lab, directed by Jason Mars and Lingjia Tang, assistant professor of computer science at the University. Hauswald and alum Michael Lorenzano worked with Mars and Tang as doctoral students, and all four are co-founders of the company. Clinc raised at least $7.5 million in a funding round as of early 2017, according to Crain’s Detroit Business. The dark interior of the Clinc office compliments the view of downtown Ann Arbor in the winter. On a Friday afternoon, instead of already leaving for the weekend, they were hard at work — in meetings in a glass-walled conference room and scrutinizing code while hunched over their desktops. Johann Hauswald, co-founder and chief architect at the company, is a three-time University graduate. Hauswald is the perfect representation of his company — laid back and casual, but extremely astute — a description denotative of Silicon Valley. One of the team’s objectives was to examine intelligent personal assistants like Siri — to find out how the technolog y was built and then insert it into customer-facing apps. The team ultimately created their own
intelligent personal assistant software. Now, companies can adopt the technolog y and personalize it to their domain so their customers can communicate with a more customized assistant. One area the software is particularly helpful in is banking, demonstrated by Hauswald as he opened his banking app and asked his phone how much money he had spent on food in Ann Arbor in the past month. The virtual assistant responded with an amount and the screen presented a report. Hauswald explained Mars and Tang could have moved their entire research lab to Stanford University to take advantage of the nearby investors. “It sounds attractive, but from our perspective, we had this tight connection to the University, there’s this whole research lab of Ph.D. students that are at the University,” he said. “Ann Arbor is an awesome city, it’s cheaper. There is a lot of tech in downtown Ann Arbor, and also in Michigan in general.” tartup ventures are a risky business and not all of them are met with success, and this is no different in Michigan. Cribspot began as a class project by University of Michigan Business undergraduates, but ultimately launched as a property management startup in late 2013. By summer 2014, the company had raised $660,000 in investment, primarily from Michigan-based venture capitalists.
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Inside of Clinc’s office in downtown Ann Arbor.
Cribspot compiles and crowdsources off-campus housing options for students, and grew to include over 100,000 users at 175 schools as of early 2018. “It’s actually a really growing community of startups in Ann Arbor and Detroit,” Cribspot co-founder Jason Okrasinski told The Daily in 2014. “There’s maybe a handful of startups, so it’s a tightknit community and all together, it’s just a really great place to start a business and really start to grow it.” Yet four years later, The Daily reported Cribspot is expected to quietly shutter its Ann Arbor operations. A former Cribspot employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Daily in early January the company leaders couldn’t agree upon a direction for the company, suggesting this caused its operations to be economically unsustainable. “Essentially what happened — to the best of my knowledge — is that the company was kind of going in two different directions, one more tech-oriented and the other more concerned with the physical business of Ann Arbor housing management,” he said. “With this in mind, it was starting to look less feasible for the latter to continue functioning if the company was to follow these two separate paths.” Meanwhile, back at the Clinc offices, Hauswald said the company has no desire to relocate from Michigan.
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“Never at any point did we think we have to move to California in order to make this work,” Hauswald said. “We did get sort of hints from investors — like, ‘If you want to be a successful startup, you have to go the Valley.’” According to Hauswald, finding talent and engineers has never been a problem for Clinc. He added, however, business executives don’t necessarily live in the area. To overcome this issue, companies needs to be able to have people working remotely, and be able to pay them. Like Butler, Hauswald noted Clinc hires many student interns, many of whom come from West Coast schools like Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. “They are coming and applying to us for internships,” he said. “They don’t necessarily think of location, they think, ‘What are the interesting problems?’” Connor Borrego, a serial entrepreneur and 2017 LSA graduate that currently works in product marketing at a local startup, said the geographic expansion of the tech industry would be a socially beneficial long-term trend. “I think there’s a lot of concentration of wealth and talent and education on the coasts of this country, and I think it has lead to a silo of communities across the country,” Borrego said. “By spreading the talent, spreading the wealth out across the country, I think you’ll do a much better service to democracy as a whole.”
Amelia Cacchione/Daily
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Wednesday, January 31, 2018 // The Statement
How Did I Get Here? BY SYDNEY LAUB, CONTRIBUTOR
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got a text from my mom on a hot, busy afternoon in July. Of course, all of your July afternoons are hot and busy when you spend so much time taking care of 7-year-olds that you almost have no time to take care of yourself. The text read, “Call Dad. It’s important.” My Nana had been sick for years. Ovarian cancer is a relentless battle, one that she had both lost and conquered g racefully. I braced myself for the news as I dialed the number, subtly noting that there really is no such thing as “bracing yourself.” But the news my dad broke to me over the phone, as I stood alone in the woods getting eaten by mosquitos, wasn’t the death of my g randmother. It was my dog — a victim of cancer
as well. Boomer was put to sleep that same evening. I wasn’t going to make it home from camp in time to bid him a formal goodbye, so Facetime had to suff ice. I shed tears on the screen of my iPhone and felt real loss for the f irst time in my life. I felt something else too, though. Something so strange I wasn’t sure I could even talk about it: relief. I was relieved that it wasn’t my g randma. Emotions are complex and hard to decipher. Sometimes we simply can’t comprehend them. Sometimes they’re too overwhelming and the dissonance is too discomforting that all we can do is push them aside and continue to live our lives. And that’s exactly what I did.
I f inished the summer with an acute sense of accomplishment and tried to ref lect on ever y thing I learned: taking care of kids is 99 percent instinct, takes 100 percent commitment and energ y, but is one of the most g ratif ying things I’ve ever done. I learned that the innocence of a 7-year-old g irl with so many mistakes to make and so much to learn still ahead of her is both refreshing and nostalg ic. It made me wonder what I would do differently if I were in her shoes and could do it all again. Life after camp seemed to revolve around only one thing: college. It was hard to breathe with the omnipresent weight of the future on my shoulders. It was supposed to be an exciting time for me, but the thought of
leaving the people and places that watched me g row up stung a little. And the thought of ever yone who had weathered the last four years with me moving on to a new life scared me most of all. Amid of all my end-of-the-summer activities, I got a call, this time, from my mom. My response was, “ You’re telling me this over the phone?” So I got in the car and drove home in violent sobs, almost pulling over at one point to throw up on the side of Woodward Avenue. The next day we were on a plane to New York. It was good to see my dad’s family. And it was good for my dad to see my dad’s family. I learned, that week, that ever yone handles g rief differently; the prescribed f ive
Photo courtesy of Sydney Laub
Wednesday, January 31, 2018// The Statement
stages aren’t necessarily the same for ever yone. I also learned that the anticipation of death doesn’t make it hurt any less. You can tr y to imag ine what
parents. I became more obser vant of ever yone and ever y thing around me. I learned that change and fresh independence inherently comes with loss, but that’s OK.
I set a picture of Boomer on my desk and slipped one of Nana’s rings onto my finger, and moved forward.
life will be like when someone is gone, in a morbid sort of attempt to prepare yourself. But when you get the call, when the f inalit y sets in, it doesn’t matter how long you spent preparing, or how many times you said goodbye. It hits you hard and hurts all the same. I spent too much time thinking about death that week, tr ying to f ig ure it all out until I decided that you can’t “f ig ure it all out.” I came home and enjoyed what was left of my summer. I said too many goodbyes and then moved to East Lansing and tried my hardest to feel OK about ever y thing. I set a picture of Boomer on my desk and slipped one of Nana’s rings onto my f inger, and moved forward. I fell into a routine: wake up, exercise, class, homework, sleep. On the weekends I went out. Hangover. It got old fast. I tried to construct meaning out of things that I knew meant nothing to me. I made new friends and I missed my old friends. The ex-relationship ensued. The silence was both peaceful and deafening. I kept reminding myself that it would get better. Change is hard, but it just takes time, right? It felt like I was losing at some arbitrar y game. Who was I losing to, though? Myself ? I looked at old pictures too often. I was homesick. I found joy in little things, though. Like the walk down the path behind my dorm to the Starbucks in Michigan State’s College of Business, and Friday morning runs around campus with a new friend. I learned about things that interested me and had long phone calls with my
The last time I heard from my dad was Tuesday, Nov. 8. I texted him on Wednesday. No response. And again on Thursday. I said, “ What’s going on with the stock market?” I was expecting some parag raph about the economy that I didn’t totally understand, ending in “ever y thing will be OK.” He was always like that — making me feel safe. No response. I didn’t think much of it. My mom told me on Friday. I had just gotten home from chemistr y lecture and I was sitting in my bed drinking Teavana orange tea. My g randparents were already almost at my dorm to pick me up, she told me. And I remember asking my roommate if I needed to bring home black tights for the funeral. I remember the f irst week he was gone through a blurr y, tear-stained lens; I was drowning in a tsunami of g rief. I wasn’t ang r y, just in shock. After the funeral, we f lew back to New York and broke the earth next to Nana. I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces inside my chest and wondered if it would ever feel whole again. It felt hard to breathe for a while after that. It still does sometimes. My dad has been dead for over a year now. I found out later that my brother was supposed to stay at my dad’s house on Thursday night — the night before we found out. So he drove over there, but he forgot his key. He knocked and no one answered, so he left. It’s funny how the world works like that. It’ll take away your dad, but protect you from what’s behind
the locked door. Somehow it meant ever y thing and nothing all at once; I had nothing left to learn, except ever y thing. When you lose someone too young, too suddenly, you also lose a future you were supposed to have. You’re left with all these things that were supposed to happen and now they won’t, they can’t. So without a choice, we adjust the plan, we accept the cards we’re dealt and we tr y our best. We tr y to f ig ure ever y thing out. We g rieve. We cr y. We pick up the shattered pieces, slowly. And we tr y, desperately, to make sense of ever y thing, even when it doesn’t make sense. I really don’t know what I believe in anymore. I don’t know if there’s a God or afterlife or fairness. But I know it’s harder to believe in nothing at all. Slowly, time will f ill parts of what’s empt y now. The thought of loving something so much and having it taken away from me again terrif ies me. But the only thing that scares me more than the potential for loss is having nothing to lose. Sometimes, I think about the person I was one year ago when my world was shaken and I questioned ever y thing. Sometimes, I can’t believe that person was me. Sometimes, I wonder how I got here: I go to a different school, my hair is
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his veins stopped pumping blood to his heart. It was a side effect of his anatomy. It was an unlucky, random stroke of fate. We don’t really have control over a lot of things that happen in this life, but we do have control over how we choose to deal with them. After you get the call, after the earthquake cracks the g round beneath you, who will you be in the aftermath? That’s when we get to choose. Maybe the memories will always invade my dreams and I’ll always see him in crowded rooms, having to remind myself it’s not him. Maybe I’ll always search for artifacts, for something tang ible to hold onto, from the life my dad lived. I’ll wipe the dust off the photog raph from the abandoned box in the basement and tell myself that he’s smiling like this somewhere. It’s crazy to me how the days come and go quietly and then suddenly it’s a new year in a new cit y, strangers became friends and friends became strangers and right now I am here — made of all the people that have come and gone, all the places and moments that came before this. I learned that sometimes happiness becomes a choice you need to make; you can f ind it in your friends and in your family and most importantly in yourself. I think I’ll always exist with reg ret and heartbreak and loss, but I’ll also live with health, happiness,
When you lose someone too young, too suddenly, you also lose a future you were supposed to have. less curly and blonder, I still bite my nails and question ever y thing, my ears are studded with faux diamonds, I don’t drink orange tea anymore. I know less about sports than I used to and more about health care in Haiti and still have no idea who I am. But here’s what I’ve learned from this: My dad, along with so many others, wasn’t particularly deser ving of what he got. My dad died because
love and the exciting uncertaint y of the future. So f inally, I ask myself what I can do to repay the people who have touched me so deeply, the people that taught me so much, even though they weren’t here nearly long enough? What can I do with my tiny part of this massive whole that can somehow make up for them not being here? Because I am here. I’m right here.
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Wednesday, January 31, 2018 // The Statement
VISUAL STAT E M E NT:
INSIDE THE TECH SPACE Photos by Alec Cohen and Amelia Cacchione
This week, the lead brought our photographers to Ann Arbor SPARK and Clinc, a local AI startup