2018-03-05 by The Michigan Daily

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Monday, March 5. 2018

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MIKE PERSAK

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NEW YORK CITY, NY — Moritz Wagner stood with his arms in the air, facing the crowd behind the Michigan bench as the clock ran down. John Beilein walked over smiling. The two embraced as the rest of the Wolverines mobbed them. The buzzer sounded, and the team spilled onto the court, showered with streamers and the tune of “The Victors” coming from the pep band. For the second season in a row, the Michigan men’s basketball team (13-5 Big Ten, 28-7 overall) is champion of the Big Ten Tournament, beating Purdue (153, 28-6), 75-66. “It’s a surreal feeling, because you always envision it,” said senior guard Muhammad-Ali

Abdur-Rahkman. “But when you’re actually out there playing, you forget about everything you envisioned. And once you hear that buzzer sound, it all starts to sink in.” The fate of the game started to become clear midway through the second half. The Wolverines opened up a 16-point lead the same way they’d had success throughout the Tournament. Sophomore guard Zavier Simpson was attacking the basket and finding open shooters, his teammates were knocking down shots and Michigan’s defense was stifling Purdue. All the Wolverines needed was a dagger. With just over six minutes to play they got one courtesy of an unexpected breakout player. Waiting for a screen from backup center Jon Teske, Simpson held the ball at the top of the key.

Simpson drove right, slashing into the lane and drawing a double team. He dished it off to Teske. The sophomore rose up and slammed it over all-conference center Isaac Haas, drawing a foul in the process. Madison Square Garden exploded as Teske, who finished with 14 points, hung on the rim for an extra beat before flexing and celebrating with his teammates. It was the electric play Michigan was looking for, and it came from perhaps the least animated player on the team. “I don’t remember what was going through my head, just all of that emotion kind of spilled out,” Teske said. “It really gets the team going, I mean, being able to finish over a big-body guy like that, I really have no words to explain for it.” The Wolverines started the game like they were still riding

the high of their semifinal win over Michigan State. Michigan played the first half about as well as it could have, shooting 53 percent from the field without turning the ball over once. The Wolverines did miss some open threes that would have extended their lead, but they still held on to a 38-33 advantage heading into the locker room. Then they went on their run. With just over 12 minutes left in the game, and Michigan threatening to pull away for good, fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson stood on the baseline. He was preparing to inbound the ball with three seconds left on the shot clock and his team maintaining an 11-point lead. He tossed it in to Wagner, who took one step toward the corner, spun around and heaved a fallaway 3-pointer. It found nothing but the bottom of the net.

“To be honest with you I didn’t know how much time was on the clock,” Wagner said. “I just saw Duncan running for the hand-off. It must have been a little time on the clock, so I took my time and shot it and it went in.” From there, Michigan hit its shots, it played its defense, it hit enough free throws — barely — to win and it celebrated under the rest of the confetti, which came out on time as the clock ran out. It was announced after the game that Wagner, who scored 17 points in 17 minutes, was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. On stage with his team at the trophy celebration, he said he couldn’t stop smiling. It makes sense, because Wagner’s come a long way to get to this point, both literally and figuratively. But Beilein’s presence has made it easier on him. He’s

become a player worthy of high praise under Beilein, and when they hugged before the clock hit zeroes, he told Beilein how grateful he was. “It’s amazing, because he’s on me every day, you know?” Wagner said after the game. “And that’s what he’s supposed to do. He has so much belief in me and all of us as a player. He never gives up on anybody, and I very much appreciate that. If I have a bad day, he comes up to me, and it’s just something I really appreciate, and I let him know that.” There will be more basketball for the Wolverines, and they’ll find out when and where next Sunday. But there’s a celebration to be had first. There’s another trophy to hoist. For the second season in a row, Michigan is the class of the Big Ten.

Washtenaw Youth Initiative stages University First male responds to ‘die-in’ protest against gun violence gymnast

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A large crowd gathered in downtown Ann Arbor Saturday afternoon for a student-led “diein,” standing in solidarity with the victims of the massacre that occured in Parkland, Fla., at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School, as well as the 33 additional children killed as a result of gun violence since the shooting. The crowd, diverse in age and background — ranging from high school students to elected officials — took over Liberty Plaza, raising signs with phrases such as “Law Makers work for us, not the NRA!,” “I should not be afraid to go to school,” and “#NeverAgain.” Participants laid on the concrete for six minutes, approximately the amount of time the shooter was active at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, while the names of the victims and the additional 33 children were read aloud. Once the names had been read, stillness and silence overtook the park. The demonstration was organized by Washtenaw Youth Initiative, a student-run organization encompassing students of the Ann Arbor, Saline and Dexter school districts. After the die-in, additional students and speakers gave individual statements to the

SHANNON ORS

Daily Staff Reporter

It has been almost six years since Engineering senior Javier Contreras received a phone call from his father telling him President Barack Obama had signed a sweeping executive order that would allow Contreras to apply for a two-year renewable protection from deportation. Since the 2012 enactment of the Obama-era policy formally known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Contreras and approximately 800,000 noncitizen students and graduates under the age of 30 have received temporary lawful status to live, work and study in the United States. These students represent a spectrum of backgrounds and identities, yet they share the experience of having entered the United States as minors without legal documentation or have overstayed their visas. For a period, these students, coined “Dreamers”, cautiously enjoyed the protections afforded to them by DACA, but Contreras was always wary of the fragile political architecture that upheld See DACA, Page 2A

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crowd. Students stood up on the raised concrete platform to deliver monologues and personal testimonies on how they believed gun laws must be reformed in the United States. Marquan Kane, a senior at Pioneer High School, addressed the crowd in a bright orange jumpsuit, meant to portray the importance of gun reform and bring to light the

issue of mass incarceration. “We don’t have a gun problem in America, we’ve got several,” Kane said. “If you take the issues of mass shootings, suicides and gang violence, which are all exasperated due to easy access to these guns, you’ve got a huge problem.” Kane explained why this issue is personal to him. “I have lost two cousins to gun violence, and I’ve lost one

of my friends who was shot in my neighborhood,” he said. “This issue is very personal to me, and not to mention the fact that I have been held at gunpoint in my lifetime. So, I know all too well about the trauma that guns bring to our lives.”

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ON THE DAILY: STUDENTS RE-PLAN POP-UPS Business, Engineering and LSA students from the University of Michigan collaborated to form Upstart, a team that recently won the Social Impact Challenge, a contest held by the Center of Social Impact. Now, the students are talking with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation to implement their plan and to provide a boost to Detroit’s retail industry. The DEGC is an organization that aims to help entrepreneurs establish short term pop-ups. According to a press release,

members of the DEGC say they hope to utilize the teams’ ideas. According to the Detroit Free Press, Detroit’s economy has improved over the last several years, but the city still struggles to maintain retail stores. The Social Impact Challenge gives graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to work together to develop solutions to real life social issues, such as Detroit’s retail industry. Upstart is encouraging the DEGC to acquire longer term leases with building landlords

so that pop-ups will be attracted by shorter term leases. The team also proposed including renovation grants and training for entrepreneurs. Upstart member Brie Riley, a Business junior, said the group’s goal was not just to create a pop-up, but to help sustainable business. “We hope we’ll get the opportunity to work with DEGC and see these ideas implemented,” Riley said in the press release.“We don’t want to just create a popup. We want to create long-term

sustainable shops.” Kyla Carlsen, DEGC small business financial manager, said the organization is looking into ways to incorporate the winning students’ ideas to promote Detroit business and to add sustainability to stores. “We saw a need for this interim opportunity for entrepreneurs to try out their product, to set them up for long-term success and lower the barriers for people to locate in our neighborhoods,” Carlsen said the release. -RACHEL LEUNG

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pressure. Yet, Shipan suggested to the financial resources of the emphasis on the polarization all undergraduate students, narrative sometimes overlooks including DACA recipients. other contributing factors of the “DACA is a subcategory of DACA policy stalemate. the students who are eligible,” “There is a fair amount of Bhaumik said. “We have never the policy. agreement between a lot of made that eligibility contingent “These policies come with Republicans and Democrats, on DACA. The pending rescission a lot of background risks and which would be to provide a path impacts so many things in threats to our community that of citizenship for the Dreamers their lives and is something I a lot of people, unless you are and increase funding for border personally worry about for many undocumented, don’t know,” security,” Shipan said. “If that of the students that I know, but Contreras said. would be put to a vote right now the funding that this University Obama’s use of unilateral in both chambers it would win is providing is not contingent on powers to enact DACA was a because we would get a number that status at the undergraduate decision rooted in Congress’ of Democrats and a number of level.” failure to reach a solution Republicans to agree to that. Contreras was part of the fight addressing issues faced by The polarization is a problem, for tuition parity as a member of undocumented immigrants. but I actually think that gets the Coalition for Tuition Equality A legislative measure to overstated as a problem in this in 2011. Prior to the 2013 update provide a pathway to citizenship issue.” of the residency pathways, for undocumented immigrants Yet as the three government undocumented students were brought to the U.S. as children branches wrestle over the unable to qualify for in-state — known as the Dream Act — future of DACA, for many DACA tuition. was first proposed to Congress recipients, including Contreras, However, DACA recipients in 2001. Since then, the Dream the turmoil of the Trump are ineligible for Federal Student Act has cyclically been brought administration weighs heavier Aid, which includes federal back into the spotlight, including than the March 5 deadline. loans, grants and work study. In in 2012 when the Obama “Generally, if I am going to be light of this, the University has administration announced honest, I am kind of burnt out worked with DACA recipients to it would stop deporting or numb to the fact that DACA find alternative funding avenues. undocumented immigrants or the Dream Act isn’t going to “It wasn’t the same time that who fit certain criteria. When be a reality in the next year,” residency was updated, but President Donald Trump Contreras said. “Just because about a year or two afterwards, entered the Oval Office in 2017, first it was December, then it was Provost Pollack authorized his wavering position on DACA February, now it is March 5 and some unrestricted scholarship heralded an uncertain future for nothing is going to happen on funding to assist undocumented DACA recipients. In September March 5. It is constant, I hate to and DACA-mented students with 2017, Trump announced the be so pessimistic and negative, need-based resources,” Bhaumik rescission of DACA would begin but it is just the trend that has said. March 5, 2018. The timing of been following.” Contreras is grateful for SudokuonGenerator http://sudokugenerator.com/sudoku/generator/print/ the announcement purposefully The uncertainty that shadows the financial aid that has been DACA has led institutions provided to him through these like the University to evaluate allocated funds. their own commitment to “Every year (the regents) vote undocumented student on it to decide how much funding populations. The University there will be and if there will be does not keep an official any funding at all. So far, we have EASY record of the number of gotten lucky; ever since 2013 they undocumented students have been continuously voting to and University President fund it,” Contreras said. Mark Schlissel has pledged Bhaumik explained how the to protect the identity and University’s financial aid policies information of unauthorized are constantly being evaluated to immigrant students. ensure the University is acting On March 2, following the in accordance with state and Supreme Court’s decision not federal law. to hear the case, Schlissel “Right now, we think we are released a statement still operating in a way that is reaffirming the University’s both legal, defensible and in the support. Schlissel highlighted best interest of our Michigan the University actions residents, but that is constantly including collaborating being evaluated,” Bhaumik said. with other institutions, While DACA continues to be hiring Hector Galvan within at the forefront of media and the Office of Academic political dialogue, for Contreras Multicultural Initiatives to — a student activist since high assist undocumented students school — the constant state who seek support and of uncertainty has proven publishing DACA resources exhausting. and contacts online. Kristin Bhaumik, the Read more at © sudokugenerator.com. For personal use only. WELCOME BACK! puzzle by sudokusyndication.com associate director of the Office MichiganDaily.com of Financial Aid, emphasized the University’s commitment

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allowed for a six-month window in order to spur congressional action in addressing the issue. As congressional leadership has spent the month of February engaging in closed door debate over DACA, lower courts in New York and California have issued injunctions requiring the continuation of DACA permit renewals. On Feb. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court added another layer of uncertainty to the status of DACA recipients, refusing to hear Trump’s bid that DACA is unconstitutional and upholding the prior injunctions. Charles Shipan, University of Michigan professor of political science, predicted the Supreme Court would be hesitant to weigh in on the DACA program because of the court’s wariness toward political issues. Shipan cited the saturated congressional dialogue regarding immigration as a reason for why the Supreme Court would view DACA as a political issue rather than a question of legality. The Supreme Court’s deferral of the DACA case to the lower courts means DACA will stay in place at least until the U.S. Court of Appeals hears it; however, this process could take months. Shipan believes legislative inaction on DACA reflects the hallmarks of the current congressional climate: Polarization, internal Republican party divisions and presidential

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Monday, March 5. 2018 — 3A

Visiting the Newseum: The power of the press

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MiC Editors Ashley Tjhung and Na’kia Channey observe the Journalists Memorial — a tribute to those killed while reporting, photographing or broadcasting the news.

ASHLEY TJHUNG Managing MiC Editor

As a fourth grader, my afternoon routine was simple. After getting off the bus, I’d make myself some microwavable macaroni & cheese and settle in with a copy of The Detroit Free Press. I’d usually start with the sports section (no one knew the Pistons like I did) before moving on to the news section, film reviews and, finally, the comics. The day the Freep stopped

delivering to my household was a dark one and I unconvincingly pleaded with my parents to pay for the new, much more expensive special delivery fee. My love of the news didn’t stop as I grew older (even if daily newspaper deliveries did). In high school, I joined my school paper and fell in love with being on the other side of the business. While the readership was small, I relished the power of a platform and its ability to shape conversation. This led me to join The Michigan Daily where I found my way to Michigan

in Color — the section of The Daily dedicated to uplifting voices of color. However, as a member of MiC, my rosy view of the journalism industry began to dim. MiC was founded because The Daily lacked the voices of students of color, which led to the mischaracterization and oftentimes racist depictions of students of color. The founders of MiC felt they couldn’t trust journalists to properly convey the real experiences of people of color, so they created a section where we would write for ourselves.

Fast forward to a week ago. Since I first heard about the Newseum, I’ve been intrigued. The museum is intended as a testament to the First Amendment — freedom of the press, speech, religion and petition — and its importance to a thriving society. From my first steps into the building, I felt the weight and responsibility the press puts on itself. Famous quotes about the importance of the First Amendment, and the press in particular, covered the walls while exhibits contained information and old news clips explaining the role of the press in the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and uncovering injustice around the world. Highlights included a timeline of front pages of newspapers from pivotal points in history and the sobering memorial to journalists murdered for their work in pursuing justice. The Newseum is a glorification of the press. In these hallowed halls, the press is always on the right side of history — always there to stand up for the rights of the oppressed, always objective, always the hero. However, I take issue with this the lack of nuance, and honestly, the reality of the building. The Newseum ignored one of the tenets of good journalism: Always tell the whole story. For all the headlines the Newseum showcased that exalted the Civil Rights Movement, they missed

the ones decrying its protesters as “troublemakers” or “rioters.” The Newseum can cherry-pick the front pages for the ones that portray the press in a good light, but it doesn’t erase the harmful work that has occurred and continues to this day. For its faults, I cannot entirely dislike the Newseum or the industry and values it so lovingly portrays. The press is a vital institution for a fair society and historically it has been a part of social change and progress. However, for all its virtues, members of the media must come to terms with the harm those same actions can cause. For all the Watergates and Pentagon Papers journalism unveils, it does not mitigate that the news industry was the main driver of associating Islam with terrorism. As the “first rough draft of

history,” the news often shapes what and how people think. When the only stories of people of color are negative, how will society react? When Black people who march are rioters but white people who march are protesters, what will society think? I want to be clear, this isn’t a critique of the Breitbarts of the world. This is a critique of the New York Times, Washington Posts, and Michigan Dailys — papers that strive for greatness but either ignorantly or willfully continue the marginalization of vulnerable populations. It’s easy to rest on the laurels of journalism’s success, but we cannot act like journalism is immune to the racism, sexism and bigotry that permeates society. The press often acts as an accountability measure for governments and corporations — it’s time we shined that spotlight on ourselves.

“As the first rough draft of history, the news often shapes what and how people think. When the only stories of people of color are negative, how will society react?”

Defining “presidential” Drawing power from my name: Reclaiming Nada Editor Jason Rowland reflects after seeing the National Portrait Gallery

NADA ELDAWY MiC Contributor

MiC Editor Jason Rowland photographs Barack Obama’s presidential portrait.

JASON ROWLAND Managing MiC Editor

I’m about as far from a fine arts critic as one can get. I don’t consume art and I definitely don’t study art. Whenever I go to art museums, I usually spend more time on the benches than looking at the art. For that reason, I was surprised by my sentimental reaction to President Barack Obama’s official Smithsonian portrait. As I walked toward the back of the presidential portraits exhibit to see Obama’s painting, familiar feelings of boredom and restlessness that tend to accompany these museum trips began to crop up. I passed former Franklin Presidents Pierce, James Buchanan and Chester Arthur on one side of the wall, and James Monroe, Grover Cleveland and William McKinley on the other. Almost all of the paintings were from a realistic art style, and all of the subjects had a similar pose — either sitting or standing with a stoic disposition in a plain room. Eventually, all of these portraits started blending together. As

a result, the contributions and accomplishments of the men in the paintings didn’t seem so unique. When their official representations weren’t remarkable, their administrations didn’t appear to be either. Obama’s painting, however, was different. The green leaves stood in stark contrast to the white walls (and white faces) of the museum surrounding it. Even if someone didn’t know anything about the Obama administration, he or she could easily decipher it was unlike any administration the U.S. has seen before. Obama’s years at the helm were marked by bucked traditions — namely, by serving as our nation’s first Black president. In a nation built by slaves, that is a particularly notable achievement. Admittedly, the first time I saw the portrait, I didn’t like it. “This isn’t presidential,” I thought as I scrolled through my Facebook feed. However, after seeing the painting with my own eyes, I now realize my definition of presidential isn’t an objective one; it’s simply based on what people in the past deemed

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to be “presidential.” The problem with using that standard as a criterion is that it was framed by a homogenous group of old, white men — many of whom upheld the institution of slavery and Jim Crow segregation. Going by this standard, it’s easy to see why Obama’s portrait can come off as “un-presidential.” The problem isn’t with the painting, it’s with the label. There is nothing un-presidential about a man who humbly fought for racial, gender and marriage equality for eight years, just like there’s nothing un-presidential about having a Black man as a president (even though all 43 of his predecessors were not Black). Obama’s presidency represented a different type of leadership, but it’s important to remember different isn’t inherently bad. In a similar vein, while Obama’s portrait definitely offers a stark contrast to the portraits of his predecessors, that difference alone doesn’t detract from its beauty. Obama’s painting — just like his presidency — was unique, and that’s what makes it so special.

The roommate selection process involved months of calculated messages, trying to finesse conversation, hoping the girl I met on Facebook would think I was super cool and ask to room with me. After painful awkwardness and anxiety, as well as the culture shock of a small town southern girl trying to keep up with the big-city New Yorker, we sealed the deal. During our mini interview process, I remember explaining to her that I was Muslim and would probably need part of the room to pray, clarifying that if she had issues with that I totally understood and she could room with someone else. For some reason, it felt natural for me to be on the defense about my religion, but coming from New York and being a generally good person, she was entirely unfazed. That was one hurdle that I passed with ease. The next hurdle was more difficult for some reason. I finally asked her for her number, which seemed out of order because we were already established as roommates, but I took the opportunity of a new conversation platform to slip this in. Nada: “Also, this is way overdue but it’s pronounced Nedduh.” Lizzy: “Lol oh nooo I’ve been thinking Nahdah this whole time.” And who could blame her. I was kicking myself for letting this girl who I was going to be sleeping five feet away from not know my name after months of talking. I was brought back to elementary school, introducing myself by my American pronunciation, Nah-dah; to my own sister not pronouncing my Arabic name until middle school; to taking Spanish

for the first time and getting chuckles from the whole class at my teacher’s confusion during roll. Nada means “nothing” in three different languages. Even knowing this, it was easy to just go with everyone’s assumptions and introduce myself this way.

“I started hating my parents for naming me Nada and my country for making that a possibility.”

Poet Emily Dickinson wrote, “I am nobody. Who are you? Are you nobody too?” But I was worse than nobody. I was nothing. The longer I introduced myself as nothing, the more nothingness became the foundation of my identity. There was a part of me that I associated with inadequacy and not being enough. Introductions became a source of anxiety, so I stopped making an effort to meet people. I started hating my parents for naming me Nada and my country for making that a possibility. Then, the summer before high school brought me a beautiful new opportunity. New classmates. In

what could have potentially been an awkward arranged playdate between another incoming freshman and me, I was delighted when my sister introduced me before I could sabotage myself. My new friend had no problem saying my name correctly, and she told me point-blank that I couldn’t let people continue to mispronounce my name. That would be misrepresenting who I was. She had a point; a country where children were taught to say Einstein, Guggenheim and Aristotle could surely manage two simple syllables. Together, she and I created a sort of script that stuck with me from then on. “Hi, my name is Nada. It’s like Ned, from the hit 2000s teen television show Ned’s Declassified, and then you add an –uh.” “Okay so like *insert horribly mispronounced name here*?” Cue the pause and slight squint. This is where I gave them a chance to try again, usually to no avail. “Yeah, that’s close enough.” This was a source of frustration for those close to me, when I would give up just to save someone else the effort of trying harder. I soon found out that the later realization of their mistake was even more embarrassing, especially when they heard someone else saying it correctly, usually prompting a “Why didn’t you tell me!” While my initial insistence on people saying my name correctly stemmed from a desire to save others of future uneasiness, I realized recently that I should have wanted that for myself, not for anyone else. My name ties me to my Egyptian heritage, culture and a language where Nada means the dew drops coating the earth in the morning. After 18 years, I finally learned not to compromise my identity or who I am for the comfort of others.

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JULIA COHN | COLUMN

Gun violence as a public health issue

n Feb. 14, 2018, a school shooting occurred in Parkland, Fla. at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Seventeen people were murdered, and the country was left to mourn yet another senseless killing. Since the 1999 shooting at Columbine high school, our generation has recognized the recurring incidence of mass shootings. Every time, the nation is shocked and motivated to change. But in reality, there has been a distinct lack of change on a policy level related to these shootings. The control the National Rifle Association has on politicians makes it hard to utilize the government as an agent of change. This control involves millions of dollars in contributions to numerous politicians in both political parties, making it difficult and unappealing to advocate for policies the NRA may not support. I believe after the Parkland shooting, however, national reform will finally begin to succeed. The students who survived and witnessed this act of violence have opposed the stagnation and lack of action over the past 19 years. Our generation is breaking the status quo by challenging politicians, the NRA, corporations and the American people for allowing these systemic problems to exist. As I have written in previous columns, questioning your beliefs and engaging in direct political action spawns change. Yes, we can say education as a whole is the agent that could fix our nation’s problems. This could include teaching the reason for the current state of things or how to make them better for the future. I continued to echo this mantra time after time, but have begun to realize education is only one small portion of social change. When problems have very complex solutions, it is difficult to recognize the longterm action that is required to disrupt the status quo. The solution for gun control is nowhere close to simple. It may require a shifting of public rhetoric, bipartisan support, research and education. And changing the laws and actions in our country will not happen overnight. But the most effective way could be

to look at gun regulation from a public health approach. Our nation has watched political action fail repeatedly. We have even watched a digression in regulation and laws in states across the nation. Yet, public health approaches have been used to regulate and increase the safety of automobiles and air pollution in the past. For example, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 1946 there were 9.35 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. As speed limits were lowered, seatbelts were required, and safety reporting was heightened, this rate dropped to 1.18 in 2016.

But the most effective way could be to look at gun control from a public health approach. Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist, also advocates for this public health approach to decrease the rate of shootings. He argues the “liberal approach” to regulate guns is “ineffective”. One of the first steps in reducing gun violence in the U.S. is research. Our country faces a disproportionate amount of gun violence and gun-related fatalities compared to other nations. According to a study in the American Journal of Medicine, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed by guns than citizens of other high income countries. Though this striking data is important to take into account, there is an overwhelming lack of research conducted on gun ownership, training and violence. Funding needs to be allocated to federal organizations to complete this research to attain a comprehensive conclusion about the trends in this violence. Furthermore, increasing background checks and limiting the access that young people have to guns is an important step to increase the efficacy of gun regulation. Current background

checks are only required for gun sales at licensed dealers. As a result, it is not difficult for guns to change hands to other buyers after this process, undermining the goal of the surveillance. Kristof says, “Our laws have often focused more on weapons themselves (such as the assault weapons ban) rather than on access.” Mass shootings are not the most common type of gun violence, but they are often the most publicized because of their horrific display of violence. Scrutinizing individuals to strict background checks and training would make the U.S. more similar to the processes that other countries require gun owners to complete. It is too easy to get firearms in our country. A recent article in the New York Times compares how guns can be purchased in 15 countries. Australia, responding to a 1996 mass shooting, requires gun owners to be a part of a shooting club, provide reasoning for owning a gun, pass a thorough background check and apply for a permit for a specific type of gun. The multiple steps that buyers are required to undergo have resulted in a drastic decrease of gun violence. The students who survived the Parkland shooting are using their anger, grief and frustration to create important change. We cannot allow the danger and violence that stems from guns to persist. Kristof writes, “Yet more Americans have died from gun violence, including suicides, since 1970 (about 1.4 million) than in all the wars in American history going back to the Revolutionary War (about 1.3 million).” Regulating guns to reduce the number of deaths and violence will not be easy, nor will it happen all at once. From a public health approach, it requires changing the environment and focusing on taking small steps that will eventually lead to increased safety and important change.

NATALIE BROWN | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT NGBROWN@UMICH.EDU

Julia Cohn can be reached at julcohn@umich.edu

hile many of us spent Spring Break sunbathing on warm beaches, visiting friends and family or indulging in an unhealthy dose of Netflix while huddled under a mass of warm blankets, hundreds of University of Michigan students travelled to the most impoverished regions of the world to bring about positive social change. These serviceoriented students witnessed, for a week, what hundreds of millions of people experience throughout their lifetimes: Ravaging illnesses, systemic impoverishment and minimal access to basic health care. The World Health Organization cites severe shortages of sterilized needles and gloves as one of the main reasons for why 40 percent of medical injections in impoverished countries are classified as “unsafe.” Ten nations, with a combined 100 million people, have no access to any kind of cancer treatment. Even underfunded international hospitals fortunate enough to receive vaccine and medicine donations from charities oftentimes lack the basic gauze, syringes and bandages needed to administer the life-saving drugs. Despite the United States spending over $10,000 per person on health care annually, many countries spend fewer than $10 per person each year. What does this mean? It means hundreds of millions of people rely on damaged, expired, unsterilized and unsafe medical supplies. It means millions of people needlessly die of premature and preventable deaths. Conversely, the U.S. has a gluttony of excess medical supplies that end up as waste. The U.S. disposes of more than 4 billion — with a “B” — pounds of medical supplies each year. These discarded supplies end up in landfills, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, increase the cost of health care and don’t go to people in need. Though a majority of disposed medical supplies are no longer usable, 13 percent of all disposed medical supplies are never used

in the first place and an estimated 50 percent of single-use supplies could be safely reprocessed. The University is not an exception to this problem. Despite an ambitious sustainability initiative to reduce Universityproduced waste by 40 percent from 2006 to 2025, the University is failing, and waste levels have actually increased over the past 12 years. Michigan Medicine is one of the main culprits and continues to discard thousands of pounds of medical supplies every day. Worse yet, Michigan Medicine has thrown out an estimated $180 million of pristine, unused medical supplies since 2006. In the three minutes it takes you to read this article, nearly $100 of unused medical supplies were discarded in our very own backyard.

The US disposes of more than 4 billion pounds of medical supplies each year. So what can we, as students, do to address this tremendous global health disparity? Blueprints For Pangaea is a startup, nonprofit organization founded by University students to reallocate excess medical supplies from our local hospitals to impoverished countries overseas. Since 2015, Blueprints For Pangaea shipped more than 30,000 pounds of medical supplies — valued at $2.5 million — from Michigan Medicine to hospitals in Ghana, Niger and Myanmar. By collaborating with hospital administrators, doctors, nurses and volunteers, Blueprints For Pangaea is already making a major impact by reducing domestic medical supply waste mismanagement and by providing more accessible health care to countless people around the world. Nearly 10 Blueprints For Pangaea chapters have sprouted up across the country and are exponentially

increasing the amount of medical supplies that are salvaged and redistributed from their respective universities (yes, even Michigan State University and Ohio State University). Other University students on campus have joined the cause. Some are forging connections and providing medical supplies to doctors affiliated with medical disaster-relief organizations like the Syrian American Medical Society. Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and premedical students are supporting “spring cleaning” drives in their laboratories and clinics to collect and donate unneeded medical supplies. Planet Blue volunteers are increasing awareness of waste and sustainability issues. Still, other students are using alternative spring break programs as an opportunity to fill a carry-on suitcase with life-saving medical supplies as they travel to some of the most impoverished areas of the world. In ways both big and small, our fellow University classmates are saving lives. Now that Spring Break is over and campus is alive with students and future leaders, we are again called to fulfill the University’s mission statement to “serve the people of Michigan and the world.” I urge you to consider what you can do this spring to combat medical supply waste here in Ann Arbor and to help save lives abroad. Do not consider this spring’s Earth Day as an event, but a target. Between now and April 22, join a student or professional organization dedicated to alleviating international health disparities and unnecessary medical supply waste. Encourage your laboratory and clinic mentors to initiate a medical supply “spring cleaning” program if they do not already have one. Join the Earth Day 2018 movement to “End Plastic Pollution.” Do your part to help the Earth and the people on it.

Geoffrey Gamm is a Senior in the Ford School of Public Policy

LUCAS DEAN | COLUMN

My (not so) typical spring break

s I type this, I am currently sitting in a cafe on the streets of Bogotá, Colombia, about two blocks from the U.S. Embassy, waiting for an emergency passport so I can return home. The following is a true recounting of events that transpired over my 2018 Spring Break. For my Spring Break, some friends and I planned a 10-day trip to Cartagena, Colombia. We traveled in a fairly large group, 22 of us in total. I would like to think I was among the most excited for the adventures ahead, because I had never been on an airplane before, let alone traveled outside the country. Had I known what would befall, I imagine I would have felt therwise. After arriving Friday, we spent the first evening buying groceries, exchanging currencies and just settling into the apartment complex we rented. The next day we would go to the beach and see how sunburnt we could get. I have an affinity for water and, as one should expect, as soon as we arrived, I threw my bag onto the pile with everyone else’s and jumped in. Now, being University of Michigan students who generally act in rational manner and try to think ahead, we left two or three fellows “guarding” the bag pile at all times. It also turns out that being a large group of white Americans, we were swarmed by vendors like I’ve never seen before the entire time we were at the beach. As the vendors distracted us, someone was able to sneak in and grab my bag off the top of the pile. When we were all sufficiently burnt and the time came to pack up and hail a taxi back to the apartments, I noticed my bag was not with the others. My first thought was that someone was either playing a prank on me or had idly grabbed my bag, thinking it was their own. Once I returned to the rooms and interrogated everyone, I decided the next step was to call my bank and cancel my debit card

as a precautionary measure. It was then that I discovered my card had actually been attempted at an ATM near the beach, and I realized I had indeed been robbed. The fact I had been robbed was slightly less unsettling than the fact that my bag not only contained my (brand new, bought for this trip, three-day-old) phone, my wallet with all my money and all forms of picture identification, but also my passport — the only way to enter back into the U.S. They had stolen my ticket home.

I was terrified I might be stuck there for much longer than anticipated. As a foreigner in a country where I could not speak a lick of the language, it was quite difficult to figure out where to even began the process of getting home. After several calls to the U.S. Embassy, I discovered that I needed to travel to Bogotá in order to get an emergency passport. Easy, right? Fat chance. Bogotá is over 1,000 kilometers from Cartagena (or about 620 miles) through dangerous countryside and hundreds of miles of unpopulated national parks. My best chance was to fly there, but how does one fly with no form of identification? Well, several more calls to the embassy later, I now know that I must go to the police to file a report, get it signed and print a picture of my passport. That same evening, I went to the “police station” with a friend who spoke minimal Spanish. We walked in and were greeted by a lone officer sitting in a dimly lit room, only slightly bigger than my closet. His desk was bare save a typewriter that was at least 70

years old and thoroughly surprised me when it actually worked. The officer proceeded to type up a report and upon completion gave us the paper and told us we had to get to the other end of town to file it. A 20-minute taxi ride later, we discovered this next police station was only open during regular business hours and it was still Saturday evening. After foregoing most of the weekend excursions to get my paperwork in order and prepare myself for a flight to Bogotá, Monday rolled around and I was off again with my Spanish-speaking friend. Four hours of waiting in line, a game of pass-and-play risk and an hour-long meeting later, I finally had my signed police report. Thanks to the multitude of help I received from my University family, after a post to Facebook looking for English-speaking contacts in Bogotá, I was able to get a trustworthy ride from the airport to the embassy and had a ride waiting for me afterwards. As I sat in this restaurant, continuing to wait for my ticket home, I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was to be an American citizen, when so many people are being ripped from their homes and displaced by war, famine, fire or deportation. I know my country, friends and family are there for me and were ready to help me get home, when I was terrified I might be stuck there for much longer than anticipated. I have always been fond of the saying “you win or you learn, there is no losing” and I have indeed learned a great deal. I learned to always lock your valuables up and avoid traveling or going out with them whenever possible. But most importantly, I learned a newfound appreciation for my friends, my family and my country. I have learned that I should take nothing for granted. Lucas Dean can be reached at lbdean@umich.edu.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Monday, March 5, 2018 — 5A

ALBUM REVIEW

Soccer Mommy’s ‘Clean’ is great, simple indie rock MATT GALLATIN Daily Arts Writer

Covering herself in blood, dancing around her room in front of her dead boyfriend’s corpse, Soccer Mommy finds serenity. Or at least what appears serene. As she pours out red liquid from a coffee mug leaning over the edge of a rooftop, her face — bearing a nose ring, piercing hazel eyes and a stoic expression — is hard to read. Her mouth looks equally ready to break into a grimace or a smile. By killing her boyfriend, she’s released from the emotional abuse, no longer his dog to lick his feet, and she basks in this freedom. Freedom to defile him, play videogames and waltz alone.

Soccer Mommy — the project of Nashville-based Sophie Allison — fits nicely alongside the talented class of female indie rockers who are leading the genre’s resurgence

Finally, she has the space she wanted to breathe and the room he never gave her. But at the end of this macabre party, after

dragging the deceased around for the three minutes of single “Your Dog,” Soccer Mommy rubs his arm tenderly, and looks a little sad. Her face still doesn’t betray her precise feelings, but in her fingers is longing. Soccer Mommy cites punk and

Clean Soccer Mommy Fat Possum Records grunge as musical inspirations, and the influence shows in the “Your Dog” music video. The video for Nirvana’s “HeartShaped Box” comes to mind when she draws a black cross on the dead boyfriend’s forehead, and lyrically the two songs tackle the same theme. They feel trapped in a bad relationship. Bad relationships are the running concern on the DIY indie rocker’s effective debut album Clean. Over alternatively soft and subtly vicious chord progressions, she sings about unfollowed desires, selfdoubt and disappointment. On “Cool,” the grittiest she gets instrumentally, she wishes she could have the cold, casual aesthetic of the romanticized “cool-girl,” the kind of girl who will never love back and who will never care. The kind of girl the guy she wants would want. That desire comes back again and again. It’s on “Last Girl,” a jumpy and upbeat track where she wishes she was her lover’s last girl. “I want to be like your last girl / ’Cause she’s got looks that drive you all down / Loved the way she wears her makeup,” she sings, thinking that things might go differently if only she was different, if only she was cool like the last girl. On “Scorpio Rising,” she watches as a guy she likes looks over a girl “bubbly and sweet like a CocaCola.” She’s not alone here. Soccer

Classifieds

Mommy — the project of Nashville-based Sophie Allison — fits nicely alongside the talented class of female indie rockers who are leading the genre’s resurgence, artists like Mitksi, Julien Baker, Adult Mom, Ian Sweet and Phoebe Bridgers (whom Allison is currently on tour with). Women armed with stunning guitar riffs, catchy melodies in minor keys, a tint of grunge and, often, a biting malaise. Each of these artists have played with this idea of wanting different skin, often the skin they think their lovers want. Mitski considers shedding her ethnicity for a boy on “Your Best American Girl”; Julien Baker misses a former self on “Appointments.” Soccer Mommy falls on the quieter end of this group, not as strapping as Mitski or as grand as Julien Baker. Her arrangements are sparse, almost always as simple as a stripped guitar and her clear, intimate vocals. Clean finds her experimenting with newer, heavier sounds while still honing her eye for the simplistic. Much of the album is built around the sound of breakthrough singles “Allison” and “Out Worn,” which gained traction on Bandcamp and through social media sites like Tumblr and Twitter. At times Clean can suffer from the apprehension that follows such a breakout, as if she never intended to make it in the first place and is still figuring out what kind of star she might want to be. Mostly she avoids this though, and the best moments on Clean, like “Your Dog” and closer “Wildflowers,” suggest a more confident woman behind the guitar than we’ve heard from her before, and as her first foray into producing something as large as an album, she hits the mark not by attempting the high dive, but rather by perfecting her form in shallower water.

RELEASE DATE– Monday, March 5, 2018

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

DOWN 1 Pathetic 2 Tint 3 Nest egg acronym

4 Ping-Pong need 5 Piece of land 6 Instagram upload 7 Messy campfire snack 8 Firestone competitor 9 Pitching stat with a decimal point 10 Inventor Whitney 11 Broadband option, for short 13 Maj. for a future shrink 14 “The 18-Down” poet 17 Structure with skyboxes 18 “Nevermore” speaker 20 Dip for chips 21 Like the outfield walls at Wrigley Field 22 *Oral health care network 25 Negotiations killer ... or, in a way, what each answer to a starred clue is 26 Whitewater craft 27 Amazon Echo Dot’s voice service 29 Well-worn

30 Harshly criticize 33 Octopus’ eight 34 Deer mom 35 Dalmatians, e.g. 38 Far from selfeffacing 40 Inside the foul line 42 Dalmatian marking 44 Hefty supplies? 46 Hard puzzle 48 Watched over

TV REVIEW

‘Seven Seconds’ is timely but is ultimately lacking MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN Daily Arts Writer

When it comes to developing a narrative that can be sustained over a season, the television crime drama has a few options: the classic whodunnit, the compelling whydunnit, the less conventional unto-whom-wasit-done (see “How to Get Away with Murder” season 3) or even some “Big Little Lies”-esque combination of the three. “Seven Seconds,” a new 10-episode Netf lix series from showrunner Veena Sud (“The Killing”), quickly lets us know it won’t be concerning itself with any of those questions; they’re all answered about three minutes into the first episode. In a rush to meet his pregnant wife at the hospital, off-duty Jersey City cop Pete Jablonski (Beau Knapp, “Sand Castle”) speeds through Liberty State Park and hits Brenton Butler, an African-

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FOR RENT

ACROSS 1 The Bounty, e.g. 5 Remote control targets 8 Landowner’s document 12 Subtle glow 13 Spruce oneself up 15 Addresses with forward slashes 16 *Kaput 19 *Life in a breakfast bowl, say 20 Move like a crab 23 Often-stubbed digit 24 Black Russian liquor 28 Nivea competitor 30 Invalidate, as a law 31 Rapper __ Wayne 32 Disney’s title lamp rubber 36 Sailor’s agreement 37 Stage designs 39 Emulate flowers on a hot day 40 Source of linen 41 “Dilbert” creator Scott 43 “Little Women” woman 44 Spongy cake laced with rum 45 Scammer’s targets 47 Step in a flight 49 West Coast state 51 Everglades waders 54 Layer of eggs 55 Target practice props 59 “__ you awake?” 60 Software test version 62 “M*A*S*H” actor Elliott 63 Body covering 64 Racetrack shape 65 Homer Simpson’s wife 66 Four-legged companions 67 Give a holler 68 In the future 69 Gratis

FAT POSSUM RECORDS

49 “This could be a problem” 50 Christopher of “Superman” 52 Done to death 53 Sight or smell 56 First matchmaker? 57 Make better 58 Tiny pond growth 61 “__ in favor, say ’aye’” 63 Coppertone letters

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When nearly every character is broken and dysfunctional for no reason, “Seven Seconds” becomes sluggish and devoid of feeling American 15-year-old riding his bike. It’s not what it looks like. It was an accident. But Jablonski’s supervisor in the narcotics unit, Mike DiAngelo (David Lyons, “ER”), is quick to remind the rookie cop that to a fraught American public, everything is what it looks like. Jablonski is a white cop and Brenton a Black boy. “They’re

gonna crucify you for this,” DiAngelo snarls. So Brenton Butler is left to die in the snow and a cover-up ensues. Assistant District Attorney K.J. Harper (Clare HopeAshitey, “Suspects”) and her partner Detective Fish Renaldi (Michael Mosley, “Sirens”) are tasked with investigating Brenton’s killing, a journey that leads them right back to the Jersey City Police Department.

“Seven Seconds” Netflix The fundamental question that propels “Seven Seconds,” then, is this: How deep is the moral rot of the institutions designed to govern and protect us? And is it possible to find even a semblance of justice in them? These aren’t particularly easy concepts to navigate, and at times, the show seems to crumble under their sheer weight. Literally, yes, the hitand-run takes place in the middle of winter. But there’s also an excessive coldness and gloom to the writing and cinematography of “Seven Seconds” that make it exhausting to watch. The show is littered with lingering stone-faced stares and troubled characters haunted by vaguely-alluded-to pasts, as if to say, “Don’t forget, this show is prestige television!” K.J. is a self-destructive alcoholic, and Jablonski is perpetually frowning. When nearly every character is broken and dysfunctional for no reason, “Seven Seconds” becomes sluggish and devoid of feeling. The exception that proves the rule is the fantastic Regina King (“American Crime”), who gives a rich, layered performance as Latrice Butler, a grieving, untethered mother whose faith has been shaken by the death of her son. The circumstances of Brenton’s death are admittedly different than those of Trayvon Martin

or Tamir Rice, but Latrice’s suffering still feels real and resonant.

The show is littered with lingering stonefaced stares and troubled characters haunted by vaguely-alludedto pasts, as if to say, “Don’t forget, this show is prestige television!”

Given the extensive time the show also spends focused on Jablonski and his agony, it would be easy for “Seven Seconds” to veer into what we might call “Three Billboards” territory — where Black pain exists only as an accessory to a story of white redemption, and forgiveness is doled out to brutal, hateful people who haven’t necessarily earned it. But to her credit, Sud has a remarkably light directorial touch, and there’s never any sense that viewers should be feeling one way or another. The other side of that coin is a story that’s often aimless and meandering — in desperate need of tighter editing and fewer subplots. “Seven Seconds” is occasionally rewarding, but much like the justice system itself, too slowmoving and unfulfilling to pack a punch.

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Arts

6A — Monday, March 5, 2018

FILM REVIEW

Live action Oscar shorts continue to pack a punch STEPHEN SATARINO For the Daily

The Oscar nominees for Live Action Short this year are a mixed bag in topic, tone and execution. The five nominees touch on everything from the mistreatment of deaf British school children to the systematic racism that existed a century after abolition in the South — sometimes testing the integrity of the edges of dusty theater seats, and at times accomplishing no more than a chorus of groans from the audience to skip on to the next one. “DeKalb Elementary” depicts in real time the harrowing half-hour that follows an armed intruder entering a school. All one scene, shot entirely in the school’s front office, featuring only two main characters throughout, “DeKalb” finds success in its simplicity. It doesn’t dress up the conflict to heighten the stakes because it doesn’t need to — more than enough tension is created by virtue of the situation. “DeKalb” is an ode to human empathy and understanding in the tight spaces where it ought to exist the least, and strong performances from everyone involved make it a front runner for this award. “The Silent Child” has a plot too convoluted for a short. It

pits a social worker against her patient Libby’s mother when the mother makes Libby forgo learning sign language to learn lip reading and speech therapy in its place. Difficulty explaining the plot in a sentence does not bode well for a 20 minute run time. The short could have been saved had it not lay such focus on the mother. It tries too hard to build her up as some misguided villain while losing sight of the far more interesting relationship between Libby and her caretaker. The filmmakers throw up statistics about deaf children suffering in the British public school system before the credits roll, making the whole thing feel more like a manipulative humane society ad than an Oscar nominated short film. “My Nephew Emmitt” tells an unfortunate tale of Black subjugation in postwar America. Slavery had been outlawed almost a century before, yet Moses Wright and his family are powerless to stop a group of white men who come to take away their visiting relative for flirting with a white woman in town. “Emmitt” is reminiscent of this year’s “Mudbound” in both setting and sentiment. It’s certainly not as fleshed out as the feature film (not that it realistically could be), but manages to carry a similar weight. “The Eleven O’Clock” is the only comedic nominee of

the five. The short plays off the gag of a psychiatrist whose patient is living the delusion that he is a psychiatrist, too, leading to some funny moments within the confusion. But the strong concept leaves itself a little long, and almost outstays its welcome. In a way, the interaction between the two men devolves too quickly, becoming loud and absurd too fast, breaking the suspension of disbelief that either one of the characters shown could be an actual trained medical professional. It’s difficult. “Eleven” is unique in this field of five for its playful approach, but falls short for that same reason. There isn’t enough meat behind it, yet it is a refreshing change of pace from the darker tone that pervades the rest of the category. “Watu Wote” mirrors the real-life 2015 story of a group of Muslims who protect their fellow Christian bus passengers from a group of Al-Shabaab terrorists. The Muslims conceal the Christians within their ranks, staring down rifle barrels without giving them up. “Wote” starts off slow, taking its time establishing the main character with Muslim prejudices so that they can be squashed later on. The actual event of the bus being held up doesn’t occur until about halfway through the short, but the execution of the sequence doesn’t disappoint.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

happens after fame. The concentration remains on her final years in obscurity without a comparison to her life in the spotlight. Bell and Bening deliver strong performances, milking depth out of the thin writing. Bening mixes regalness with spunky wit and tries to elevate the portrayal of Grahame. Bell also does a good job, playing off of Bening with believable chemistry. However, the lackluster script holds back both actors and does not do the memoir justice. Despite the winning acting, the casting of Bell and Bening

BOOK REVIEW

‘An American Marriage’ is an instantaneous classic JULIA MOSS

HAMBURG MEDIA SCHOOL

FILM REVIEW

‘Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool’ lacks relevance MEGHAN CHOU Daily Arts Writer

The age-gap romance has been repeatedly explored in sitcoms and soap operas, movies and literature, so the setup for “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” sounds like a tired subject matter. We’ve all seen the Gloria and Jay Pritchetts of the world. We’re used to the alarming difference in age between actors and actresses (as in a 61-year-old Liam Neeson starring opposite a 29-year-old Olivia Wilde in “Third Person”). However, the

typical gender roles are f lipped in director Paul McGuigan’s latest film. Instead of a bland, rich man with a young, attractive girlfriend, this film, based on a memoir of the same title, pairs a renowned former movie actress with a younger lover. For McGuigan, whose filmography consists largely of action movies like “Gangster No. 1,” this romantic adaptation is a surprise. “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” examines the relationship between Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening, “20th Century Women”) and Peter Turner (Jamie Bell,

“Man On A Ledge”) in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Grahame, notorious for her vanity and brief success in the ’50s, realizes her death is imminent after a long struggle with breast cancer. She reconnects with her old f lame, Turner, a stage actor, and joins his family in Liverpool. A series of f lashbacks reveal their history, but unfortunately the script does not stretch adequately into Grahame’s acting heyday. As a result, screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh avoids making a significant, relevant political statement about the treatment of older actresses and what

disservice to her colorful life. Grahame won an Oscar in 1952 for her work in “The Bad and the Beautiful” and appeared in blockbuster hits like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “In a Lonely Place.” Although the film touches on some of her most well-known works, it skates over her intoxicatingly complicated marriages and professional exploits. Bening prevents the hectic writing from swallowing this fascinating woman completely, but overall “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” kills off its best material before it has the chance to grow.

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Daily Arts Writer

SLICK FILMS

does not make sense with the real life people involved in the story. The down-to-earth Bening does not match the divaness of Grahame, nor does the introspective Bell align with the easygoing Turner. In the end, this story with so much potential falls short of expectations. “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” had early Oscar buzz that quickly faded following its initial release in the United Kingdom. With such a rich background to pull from given Gloria Grahame’s messy, often scandalous career, the script really does a

The title of “An American Marriage” might conjure up a stilted vision of the American dream inf lected by 1950s nostalgia: gingham-print aprons, towheaded children, suburban purgatory. It’s a white-washed understanding of Americana, and I’m not just talking about the picket fences. But this is exactly the notion of what makes a marriage “American” that Tayari Jones’s accomplished new novel interrogates, complicates and ultimately dismisses. In its place, Jones offers a vision of marriage in modern America that is raw and complex, and asks us to consider how the most intimate parts of our lives can be shaped by national narratives beyond our control. Celestial Davenport is strong-willed and formidable, a folk-artist from Atlanta who makes custom dolls. Roy Hamilton is ambitious and entrepreneurial, determined to rise above his small-town Louisiana roots and make a name for himself. Both are graduates of southern historically-Black colleges and universities, navigating what it means to be a part of “What the rest of America thinks of as middle-middle-class and what Black America calls uppermiddle-class” in a country still haunted by the preCivil Rights traumas of their parents and grandparents. From the beginning, Jones insists on the intersection of the personal and political. Celestial and Roy’s tumble

into a passionate and often volatile marriage blends easily into the canon of “universal” narratives, speaking to the optimistic ease with which young people commit to a lifetime together before they can possibly understand how

“An American Marriage” Tayari Jones Algonquin Books February 6 long a lifetime really is. But their marriage is also hemmed tightly to the particular circumstances of race, history and socioeconomic status. Celestial, who comes from greater economic privilege, is constantly aware of this imbalance in their relationship, and Roy’s mother criticizes him for not marrying a woman of his own social class so he can “Lift somebody up with him.” They both want their children to be raised in a world where they aren’t constantly reminded of their race. As Roy says, “I’m not going to remind my kids that somebody died in order for me to do everyday things.” Their expectations of one another’s gender roles adds another layer of complication to their marriage. Roy is conservative, constantly needs affirmation of his masculinity and expects his wife to be subordinate. Celestial is stridently feminist, insists that they remove “to obey” from their wedding vows and feels pressured into

motherhood regardless of her own doubts: “Is motherhood really optional when you’re a perfectly normal woman married to a perfectly normal man?” Jones’s gift for nuance makes it possible for readers to root for this couple and, in the same breath, question whether their relationship is entirely healthy. Then tragedy strikes: Roy is falsely accused and convicted of rape, and sentenced to 12 years in a Louisiana prison — known to be one of the worst states for Black men in the justice system. When his conviction is overturned five years later and he is released into the world, he and Celestial must contend with the destruction of their American dream by a systematically unjust justice system and with the new people they’ve become. The narrative is instantly classic: one part “To Kill a Mockingbird,” one part “The Count of Monte Cristo.” But it is also contemporary, immediate and keenly critical. Jones’s greatest gift as a writer, besides the lyrical beauty of her prose and compelling complexity of her characters, is her ability to see the forest for the trees, to understand the silent forces that guide our lives and to fight for the right to choose a different direction. With “An American Marriage,” Jones testifies to an expanded understanding of whose stories need to be included in the canon of “universal” American narratives, and carves a place for herself as one of the great chroniclers of American life.

Courtesy of Tayari Jones

SPORTSMONDAY

WOLVERINES WIN SECOND STRAIGHT BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP

The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | March 5, 2018

FOUR-WARD

MARCH Thursday, March 1: Michigan 77, Iowa 71 (OT) Friday, March 2: Michigan 77, Nebraska 58 Saturday, March 3: Michigan 75, Michigan State 64 Sunday, March 4: Michigan 75, Purdue 66

Photos by Katelyn Mulcahy

Design by Jack Silberman

Michigan earns title with four wins in four days MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor

Big Ten Champion hats perched on their heads, music blaring, a group of Michigan players trot off the confettilittered podium, toward the locker room, singing “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z at the top of their lungs. Water bottles fly through the visitors’ locker room — dousing the Michigan players, coaches and staff — as John Beilein turns his congratulatory speech into a teamwide dance circle. “Surreal,” said senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman as he described the scene after Michigan had capped off its second consecutive Big Ten title. The senior guard — once a two-star recruit — earned a spot on the all-tournament team. It was all real, of course. The trophy. Four wins in four days. Again. The confetti falling from the roof. The maturation of a team once an afterthought, rapidly evolving into a juggernaut. A swarm of reporters rush to the locker room to greet sophomore Jon Teske — “Jon Sleep,” AbdurRahkman calls him — the largest man in the room who so rarely garners the attention his stature would imply. Teske’s role, perhaps, has been the most steady of any player all season — the defensive-centric, offensivelylimited backup center, who plays 12 minutes a game, stifles shots at the rim, and keeps himself quiet on offense. Tell that to Isaac Haas, the 7-foot-2 center for Purdue who Teske turned into a poster and then let Haas know, en route to 14 points in the biggest game of Teske’s life. This championship was because of him. Walk out into the hallway and find Beilein with a reflective tone. “Duncan Robinson, for example,”

Champions again Helped by an unlikely breakout game from Jon Teske, Michigan overwhelemed Purdue

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Beilein says, amid a question of team growth. “Growth” is a peculiar way to describe a fifth-year senior who says he “(doesn’t) have the young legs I once did,” he said. In recent weeks and months, Robinson has been crystal clear about the need to play with urgency. These are his last few games of organized basketball until, well, maybe ever. He’s just a couple months removed from being benched for a freshman amid a prolongued shooting funk. If the 42-percent career 3-point shooter wasn’t going to make threes, what was he going to do? “I just want to help. As a guy who’s been through it, I want to help us win,” he says after playing 32 key minutes in the tournament final, in which he limited Purdue forward Vincent Edward to just four points. For a fifthyear senior who spent much of his career as the butt of opposing scouting reports, “growth” is underestimating his defensive transformation. As his 3-point stroke has resurfaced, his defensive revelation is a major reason for the team’s new defensive identity. This championship was because of him. But no one gets to claim ownership of the 6th-ranked defense, by adjusted defensive efficiency in KenPom.com, more so than Luke Yaklich. The assistant coach stands in the middle of the room, unable to drop a gaping smile. He shakes each reporter’s hand, eagerly and earnestly engaging with each

question, not skipping a beat as he high fives Charles Matthews who chooses to take a lap around the room in his towel. Freshman Ibi Watson shakes hands with Yaklich, as Yaklich turns back to him and says, “I love you, dawg.” After he was hired from Illinois State, Yaklich met with Beilein, expecting a traditional welcome. Instead he got a question he never expected. ‘What do you think we need to do better?’ Yaklich couldn’t believe that the 11-time NCAA Tournament head coach was asking him. “I need to learn how to teach defense better,” Yaklich recalls Beilein saying. This championship was because of him. It’s impossible, though, to mention the defense — one that held Purdue, a team that averaged 82 points per game, to just 66 points in the final — without talking about its leader. The first drill of practice in July, Yaklich told the

team they would be doing slides — dives on the floor. Instead of complaining, Simpson marched right up to the front and said, “I’ve got you, Coach Luke.”

“He backed up every bit of talk that he told me the first couple weeks on the job,” Yaklich said. “He backed it up with effort every single day.” Simpson shut down each of his four opponents in this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament, as the four opposing point guards shot 11-for-36. This championship was because of him. But it wasn’t just about the leaders. For a guy like Jordan Poole, who came to Michigan with more than enough swag to go around, the evolution to a championship team supercedes him. Poole, who has been asked to make winning plays, not just his personal highlights, notched two steals in the title game, forced two

other turnovers and dove into the stands to save a ball destined to go out of bounds. “When I look at stuff like this, it’s more than myself,” Poole said. “It’s definitely for the guys around me. For guys who put in so much work, when you work so hard. Guys like (AbdurRahkman), who’s been here for four years, and Duncan who’s been here for four years.” This championship is because of him. Perhaps most embodying an individual sacrifice for the greater good of the team, fifth-year senior guard Jaaron Simmons stands by his locker, removing his jersey as the whole scene unfolds. Simmons, who transferred from Ohio University this past offseason as the presumed starting point guard, didn’t start all season. He averaged just 1.6 points per game. Less than a year ago, Simmons’ name was in the NBA draft pool. None of that mattered to him. This was his first conference title. He was just excited to earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, an adventure he’s never experienced. “I can’t really explain it,” Simmons said. “I’m happy as hell.” This championship is because of him. Oh, and Moritz Wagner. The German star who nearly turned his NCAA Tournament showcase a season ago into an NBA contract. Instead, he came back to school to be the face of this team, to dazzle some more crowds with his array of skills, then ride off into the NBA sunset once and for all. But it didn’t start as planned. “I thought Moe, in that first semester was really pressing. Trying to do too much. Finally when we came to this second semester, he got through that injury, I think he understood

really how we have to do things, and really became a better defender.” Wagner rode a team-high 17 points in the final to snag the Most Outstanding Player award. This championship is because of him. Then there’s Beilein, the man at the top pulling every string, getting the most out of every player. Purdue coach Matt Painter told reporters after the game, “You learn something every time you play them.” Yet one of the most decorated coaches in college basketball had the audacity to loosen the reins and figure out why his team had never finished higher than 37th in adjusted defensive efficiency. This championship was because of him. And everyone else. Derrick Walton carried last year’s team to glory, and that’s all well and good. But this is a team that found a new hero each night. A team that played the first part of the season with a revolving door at point guard. A team that admitted it wasn’t as offensively gifted as many of Beilein’s best and didn’t make that a barrier. Instead it became one of the best defensive teams in the country. A team that needed serious contributions from two transfers after unexpectedly losing one of its best to the draft and two others to graduation. A team that begged for big-time contributions from unripe freshmen, and then got above and beyond. A team that was told all year it wasn’t tough, and didn’t say otherwise. It showed otherwise. As he stood on the podium at midcourt, Beilein summoned his best Bo Schembechler impression to consider what made this team a champion. “A team, a team, a team.”

Clean sweep The Michigan men’s hockey team swept Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament

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SportsMonday

2B — Monday, March 5, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

A mad start to Michigan’s March arch is just four days

old. It has already been full of madness. The Michigan women’s basketball, men’s basBETELHEM ketball and ASHAME hockey teams all played in the Big Ten Tournament over the weekend, and all three punched their tickets to the NCAA Tournament in the process. In Indianapolis, the No. 6 seed women’s basketball team set out to correct course after a late slide characterized the end of its regular season. A 2-4 record in February wasn’t a good look for a Wolverine team once ranked as high as No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25, even if one of those wins came against then-No. 13 Maryland. In its first contest on Thursday, Michigan breezed past No. 11 seed Penn State to earn a 77-48 victory, as its star duo of senior guard Katelynn Flaherty and junior center Hallie Thome came within six points of outscoring the Nittany Lions on their own. Thome poured in a game-high 22 points and fell one rebound shy of a double-double, while Flaherty was right behind her with 21, including five triples. But in the quarterfinal round Friday, even the trusted hands of Flaherty and Thome failed the Wolverines, as turnovers in transition on two consecutive possessions in the final 2:30 cost them dearly in a 61-54 loss to the third-seeded Cornhuskers. Despite the disappointing tourney finish, with a 10-6 conference and 22-9 overall record, Michigan is still projected to be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tour-

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

The Michigan men’s basketball team kicked off what should be an excitement-filled March with a Big Ten Tournament Championship.

nament according to ESPN’s most recent Bracketology report. After missing out on the Big Dance in infamous fashion a year ago, the Wolverines seem poised to return for the first time since coach Kim Barnes Arico’s debut season at the helm of the program in 2012-13. Back in Ann Arbor, the hockey team hosted Wisconsin for a best-of-three series in the first round of its conference tournament. Michigan wouldn’t need all three games — though that was in question at certain points of Friday’s opening period. Michigan scored first just 1:40 into the game, but the Badgers roared back with three consecutive goals, jumping out to a 3-1 lead and silencing the crowd at Yost Ice Arena. By the end of the period, though, the

Wolverines would be back on top. With three straight goals of its own off the power play, Michigan took a 4-3 lead into the first intermission. Senior forward Tony Calderone completed his hat trick to open the second period, but Wisconsin came up with a pair of power play goals as well to tie the game at five. It took a fourth goal from Calderone halfway through the third period to seal a 6-5 win. There was less drama Saturday night, but no shortage of goals, as the two teams combined to find the back of the net another 11 times. It was the

Badgers who opened the scoring and the Wolverines who answered back with three goals of their own this time around. But Wisconsin couldn’t match Michigan’s offensive firepower two nights in a row, and the Wolverines earned a 7-4 win to advance to a secondround matchup against No. 6 Ohio State next Saturday. Perhaps more importantly, Michigan is sitting comfortably at No. 8 in the Pairwise rankings, which means a nearcertain return to the NCAA Tournament in Mel Pearson’s first year as head coach after a

March has already been full of madness.

disastrous 2016 season. That brings us to New York City, the ‘Mecca of basketball’ and Michigan’s second consecutive Big Ten Tournament championship. Four games in four days isn’t easy any way you slice it, but as far as luck of the draw is concerned, the fifth-seeded, 15th-ranked Wolverines weren’t dealt the easiest hand. First up was Iowa, a team Michigan had swept but couldn’t afford to look past. Whether the Wolverines or the officials were more to blame, Thursday’s opening game did not bode well for their tournament chances. As foul trouble hindered all three captains, the Hawkeyes pushed Michigan to overtime, where the Wolverines finally pulled themselves together to take a 10-4 edge in

the decisive period. Then came Nebraska, which had embarrassed Michigan in a 20-point win in Lincoln. But Friday, the Wolverines gave the Cornhuskers a taste of their own medicine. Michigan went 11-for-13 from beyond the arc, and four players hit double figures en route to a nearly 20-point victory of its own. After that, a date with No. 2 Michigan State awaited. The Wolverines had beaten the Spartans by 10 points at the Breslin Center in January, and Michigan State was eager for revenge. But Michigan was having none of it Saturday, riding a 49-point second-half outburst to another double-digit victory. And finally, the Wolverines would have to play a championship game against the only team in the Big Ten they had yet to beat in No. 8 Purdue. And not only had they lost to the Boilermakers, they had lost to them twice. While Purdue was a topfive team in the country on both of those occasions, Michigan lost by just five points combined. Sunday, the Wolverines ran away from the Boilermakers — opening up a lead as large as 18 points late in the second half — and right to another Big Ten Tournament title. Michigan may not have won the most games, but it certainly looks like the best team in the conference. Now, the Wolverines have the trophy to prove it. With another automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, Michigan can make that point even stronger by outlasting its familiar foes in the Big Dance. That makes three Wolverine teams all seemingly destined for NCAA Tournament runs. Brace yourselves, Michigan fans. This could be a mad March. Ashame can be reached at ashabete@umich.edu or on Twitter @betelhem_ashame.

Teske’s grand slam Michigan’s sophomore center scored a career-high 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in Michigan’s 75-66 win over Purdue MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor

NEW YORK CITY, NY — It felt like a scene out of a movie. Jon Teske — the Michigan men’s basketball team’s placid, soft-spoken center — gathered his momentum outside the block, leapt and threw down an emphatic, and-one dunk. Put on a poster was Purdue’s Isaac Haas, a seven-foot-two, 290pound behemoth who makes a living bullying others in the paint. But here was Teske, the polar opposite of his demonstrative teammate Mortiz Wagner, doing the bullying on the biggest, tallest player in the Big Ten. And it happened on the biggest stage nonetheless; the lights of a championship game at Madison Square Garden can melt the composure of even the most poised players. Teske doesn’t ooze that type of swagger. His teammates and coaches have publicly noted his “quiet” demeanor and need for more confidence on the floor. But after Teske generated one of the most shocking highlights of the Big Ten Tournament, he looked like he was born for it, vaulting down the floor with a thunderous scream that was drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Duncan Robinson, meanwhile, jumped twice in jubilation. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman first-pumped like he was throwing a punch. The bench exploded like a fire had been lit under the chairs. “I’m a quiet guy,” Teske said. “That passion, my love for the game kind of all spilled out.” Added freshman forward Isaiah Livers: “Oh my. Even though my ankle was hurt, I shot up as fast as I could and was grabbing

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

“Did he really just do that?” said Isaiah Livers in reference to this rim-rattling dunk from Jon Teske during the final minutes of Michigan’s 75-66 win over Purdue.

my head like, ‘Did he really just do that?’ Because usually he’ll go up, do a little layup, get fouled. But he was thinking dunk the whole time. He was hunting.” Hunting is not Teske’s M.O. His influence isn’t typically reflected in the box score, even though he’s been an essential part of Michigan’s defensive turnaround this season. He came into the tournament averaging just over three points and three rebounds per game. But on Sunday, Teske got a vote of confidence from one of

“That passion, my love for the game kinda of all spilled out.”

his teammates, and it might’ve been the difference. “Today’s your day, man, ” Livers recalled telling Teske. “It’s a great matchup today so if you want to be a dog, I got you today.” Haas was too much for Wagner early. He scored Purdue’s first seven points and forced the eventual tournament MVP to the bench just over two minutes in. At that point, Michigan coach John Beilein yelled down his bench. He and the Wolverines needed Teske more than ever. The backup center came through. Just moments after he’d subbed for Wagner, Teske cleaned up his own miss for his first bucket of the afternoon. Then he and Abdur-Rahkman executed a pick-and-roll to per-

fection, diving into the lane for a dunk that eliminated the Boilermakers’ final lead of the evening. And with the Wolverines nursing a one-point lead late in the first half, Teske and Robinson ran the pick-and-roll again, but this time Teske stopped and popped a 10-footer. Less than a minute later, he a took a pass from redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews and hit from just inside the arc — no hesitation involved. Chants of “Teske! Teske! Teske!” filled the Garden. The pair of connections were emblematic of Teske’s growth since the start of his collegiate career. Teske played just 60 minutes all of last season. It was spurt here, a spurt there, never having the chance the make an

impact. He looked uncomfortable — even timid — on his rare chances. But on Sunday, he would let it fly on a shot he’s only attempted a handful of times this season — part of a careerhigh 14-point effort on 6-of-9 shooting. “It’s been an ongoing thing throughout the year, pushing him to play bigger than his quiet voice kind of allows him to sometimes,” said assistant coach Saddi Washington. “I’m just so happy for Jon because in this moment, when we really needed him to step up, he did it in a major way.”

Added Livers: “I think he needed the confidence, he needed the ‘go.’ He was waiting on the ‘go’ from coaches, but we’ve got his back so whatever he chooses to do, we’re right there with him.” Beilein has attached pictures of dogs to the Wolverines’ locker room whiteboard at various point over the past two championship seasons. It’s a mentality he desires his each of his players to carry — one that defies Michigan’s historical reputation as a skill-based, finesse team. Teske is no finesse player. He’s a Midwest-born bruiser. But Teske hasn’t adopted that “dog” mindset like some of teammates — at least until Sunday. Repeatedly, he frustrated Haas and center Matt Haarms defensively, offering resistance that few opponents have been able to match this season. “I’m just happy he chose the dog route today,” Livers said, “rather than the old Jon.” Nothing embodied that more than Teske’s dunk over Haas. It was a moment that surprised many, carried the arena into near-pandemonium and made the championship’s result clear with the Wolverines gripping an 18-point lead with just over six minutes to play. And for Teske, it was a moment two years in the making. Finally, he’d broken out of his shell on the floor — on the biggest stage against the one of the country’s best centers. “Our players were like in awe,” Washington said. “It was almost like he had elevated himself to that next level. The challenge for him will be, ‘You set a new level for yourself, now play at that level.’ ”

“I’m just happy he chose the ‘dog’ route today.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SportsMonday

Abdur-Rahkman gets much-deserved recognition ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Editor

NEW YORK CITY, NY. — Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman wasn’t sweating his team’s upcoming matchups with powerhouses No. 2 Michigan State and No. 8 Purdue. He was playing Xbox — Fortnite, specifically. He had time to learn the challenging game and win while he was in New York. You can’t fault the laid-back attitude. Michigan, perhaps the hottest team in the country, proceeded to pummel both teams with relative ease to win backto-back Big Ten Tournament Championships. The senior — as he has always done — was just trying to lay low each night. But with constant buzzing in Madison Square Garden and rainbow confetti veiling the top of their Champion hats two days later, the captain could no longer fly under the radar — he was literally center stage on the championship platform at midcourt. Throughout four Big Ten Tournament games, AbdurRahkman led the Wolverines with 15 points per game on 54-percent shooting and averaged 3.5 boards, 2.8 assists and a steal each contest. Despite winning the championship last year, the glitz and glam victory felt even sweeter now. “It’s a little more exciting this year because I am the captain so I have a bigger hand in it than last year,” he said. “You always envision (being a leader) until you step on campus and actually see what’s going on and what you have to do to get to this point.” Abdur-Rahkman’s sound statline warranted a place on the All-Tournament Team, a designation that came as a pleasant surprise to him. When he heard his name called, he didn’t realize what it was for. When he did, he smiled and posed for the cameras. The 6-foot-4 guard was finally noticed.

“I just had that chip on my shoulder all season and ever since I got on campus,” AbdurRahkman said. “I’m glad to see that the hard work is paying off. I’m kind of a guy that goes unnoticed a lot so when you get that recognition it feels good.” Beyond just his nickname on the team — “Rahk” — AbdurRahkman was Michigan’s figurative rock all season. Whether it was his gamewinning free throws to top Maryland, his double-double and late triple to conquer Texas or his unconscious shooting displays at Maryland and Purdue, the Wolverines needed him to win. The tournament was no exception. Abdur-Rahkman squashed the Spartans’ comeback attempt with a late three that swirled around the rim before sinking through. When Purdue gave its last-ditch effort in the finals, his mid-range jumper hit the iron, climbed over and in to halt the Boilermakers’ momentum. And each game, he shut down his opponent on the defensive end. Abdur-Rahkman’s confusion of being on the All-Tournament

team really shouldn’t have been confusion at all. It was proof of how a quiet captain gripped the reins of his team and flourished. He knows he’s not a vocal provocateur like fellow captain Moritz Wagner or a rambunctious personality like freshman Jordan Poole, but his presence is still palpable and loud in its own right. “Man, he’s been the most consistent player we’ve had all year,” said assistant coach Saddi Washington. “But it’s not surprising because if you look at his career, he’s just grown a little bit every year, every game. And this year, he had to take the responsibility of turning into Batman and stop being Robin.” But even Batman would try to conceal his true identity. While his natural ability was no secret to his teammates, his consistent play perplexed defenses all season. He was, as Washington calls him, the “silent assassin.” “You see how throughout this

“It hasn’t been a fluke, he’s been super duper consistent.”

Daily Sports Writer

Music blared out of a portable speaker in the dugout. The Michigan softball team began to dance. With their game against No. 8 Baylor in a rain delay, the 25th-ranked Wolverines used the break to stay loose and have a little fun. That attitude paid off as Michigan went 5-0 in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., this weekend to raise its overall record to 13-6. At first, the Wolverines’ offense seemed rife with the same inconsistencies that had plagued them all season as they struggled to climb out of an early 2-0 hole against Loyola Marymount. Luckily, Michigan had Tera Blanco. With a runner on third base and the Wolverines trailing, 2-1, the senior utility player smacked a single down the left field line to tie the game. Two innings later, with runners on first and second, she hit a walk-off single that gave Michigan the win, 3-2. Throughout the tournament, Blanco and junior second baseman Faith Canfield served as catalysts for the Wolverines. In Thursday’s second game, a 5-0 win over Charlotte, Blanco got the win on the mound while Canfield had three RBIs. Blanco continued her hot streak the next morning. She stepped up to the plate in the first inning with two on and nobody out against the Bears, then smacked a home run to give Michigan a 3-0 lead with one swing of the bat. That was when the offense flipped a switch. The Wolverines put up three more runs — including one on a home run by Canfield — for a 6-3 win. “We saw (our upperclassmen) step up,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “ … And the confidence that it gave our team, we carried through the whole weekend.” No. 18 Louisiana Lafayette couldn’t quiet Canfield, as her home run and two-run single provided the Wolverines with

SOFTBALL

Blanco feels right at home TIEN LE

Daily Sports Writer

There’s no place like home. Tapping her heels together, those magical words enabled Dorothy to go full circle in her journey — from Kansas to Oz, and then back to Kansas. For Michigan utility player Tera Blanco, no words could have described the situation better as she recorded her second home run of the season against No. 8 Baylor at the Judi Garman Classic held Friday in Fullerton, Calif — a meeting ending with a 6-3 Wolverine victory. Watching the ball sail past the fence, she made her way across the bases towards a familiar place. First base. Second base. Third base. Home. Blanco — a California native from Huntington Beach — is no stranger to hitting home runs. A former All-American, the senior had a career total of 26 home runs coming into the season. She produced a .404 batting season her sophomore year. Despite her production dropping last year, Blanco proved against the Bears that she still has it with her first at bat of the game. Coming up to bat, she walked to the home plate she had been accustomed to for years. Growing up less than 30 miles from Fullerton, Blanco attended the very event that she would take part in years later, playing for the team she found herself watching time and time again. Now she had the chance to do what she had always dreamed of as a child. Standing at the plate, Blanco readied herself to face a Baylor pitcher and staff that had only allowed more than two runs in a

game once all season. An early run was essential for instilling confidence in offense that had been inconsistent throughout the season. “We give our kids certain, ‘front-line focus,’ we call it,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “Front-line focus is a military term and to focus on, you know, the message, which is to simplify the game for them. Most games we have a plan where there’s a certain pitch to hit, where there’s a certain way to stand in the box and that’ll change from game to game, and really from pitcher to pitcher, but they embraced and they believed in it and so they executed it well.” Front-line focus was what the Wolverines needed to build consistency. Just before Blanco came up to bat, junior second baseman Faith Canfield led off the game by hitting a single. With a runner at first, junior outfielder Natalie Peters hit a ball toward third base that was mishandled by the Bears third baseman, allowing the two to advance a base. Standing at home plate with her family in the crowd, Blanco watched as two pitches flew by in front of her. Both were called balls. Cocking back her bat for the third pitch, she could tell right away it wasn’t going to be the same as the last two. And the home run proved it. Her eyes trailed the ball as it flew past left field, and she grinned while making her way around the diamond. With an entourage waiting to meet her at home plate, and her hometown and family close by, she tapped her heels not against each other, but against the plate — feeling right at home.

Front-line focus was what the Wolverines needed.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team.

‘M’ sweeps Judi Garman Invitational ARIA GERSON

entire year he’s been stepping and being big for us, making big time shots,” Poole said. “And it hasn’t been a fluke, he’s been super duper consistent.” Abdur-Rahkman and consistency pair together like peanut butter and jelly. They have essentially acted as synonyms, a benchmark for the rest of the team to work for. With an unusually long break between the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines will have to strategize how to continue their hot streak into March Madness — staying consistent, if you will. Abdur-Rahkman, despite garnering attention and accolades, will fill the time between now and then the best way he knows how — laying low. “I think I’ll just stick to playing Xbox. A little Fortnite and Call of Duty.”

Monday, March 5, 2018 — 3B

all the runs they needed in a 3-1 win. And on Saturday against Cal Poly, the offense truly let loose and put up 11 runs in a blowout. Senior utility player Aidan Falk had three RBIs, including a tworun home run, while Blanco added a two-run double. “We just try to simplify things,” Canfield said. “We felt like in Texas (last week) we were trying to do a little bit too much and so (we) just came to play it and have some fun. … When we have fun (we) just play better.” But Michigan’s offensive outburst didn’t just come from the seasoned veterans. Freshman utility player Lou Allan came up clutch with a pinch-hit two-run single to open the scoring in the game against the 49ers. And on Saturday, sophomore catcher Abby Skvarce hit a game-ending tworun homer against the Mustangs — the first of her career. “Sometimes they’re trying too hard,” Hutchins said, “but I liked our groove. I liked our confidence and it gave us some, they were a little more loose in the end.” The usually-dominant pitching, meanwhile, did just enough to secure wins for the Wolverines. Freshman lefthander Meghan Beaubien gave up runs in all three of her starts

— against the Lions, Baylor and Cal Poly. But she also escaped a jam against the Mustangs after re-entering with runners on second and third and one out and took over in the seventh inning against the Ragin’Cajuns to earn the save. Blanco picked up two wins. One came in a start against Charlotte — in which she pitched five scoreless innings with five strikeouts — and the other against Louisiana Lafayette, where she was tasked with keeping the Ragin’ Cajuns off the board with runners on first and second and Michigan clinging to a 3-0 lead. And though Hutchins used a quick hook with her, freshman right-hander Sarah Schaefer continued getting looks. She allowed only one run across three appearances, though she recorded four walks with no strikeouts. “Our approach is just to get outs and focus on one pitch at a time,” Blanco said. “Just do our part and be effective.” For a team that has at times seemed tight and tentative, the Judi Garman Classic was a completely new look. And if this weekend was any indication, a fun-loving approach could be what sparks the Wolverines to more wins. And if it does, they’ll have plenty more to dance about.

FILE PHOTO

Faith Canfield was a catalyst for Michigan’s offense over the weekend.

BASEBALL

Michigan’s early season struggles continue in series against Stanford CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer

A spring break tour that was so promising two weeks ago finally came to an end Sunday as the Wolverines (3-8 overall) lost to No. 8 Stanford (11-1) by a score of 7-4. The trip had not only offered Michigan the chance to finally play some meaningful baseball after a long offseason, but also to escape from the winter weather. After a quick three game series in Florida against Army, the Wolverines traveled west to California, where they participated in the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament, played a game against San Diego State and then wrapped up with a four game series against the Cardinal. The Californian portion of the trip was particularly dismal for the Wolverines, with the 3-1 series loss to Stanford capping off a tough start to the season. Michigan only recorded two hits in a 7-0 shutout loss Friday. Striking out twelve times and stranding all three of their baserunners, the Wolverines weren’t able to get anything going offensively against Stanford’s starter Tristan Beck. If you can’t score you can’t win. Michigan’s pitching staff faced an uphill battle all night long. With that being said, the Wolverines’ number one, senior Alec Rennard, didn’t pitch his best game. In five innings of work, he let up six hits and had four earned runs. Junior reliever Troy Miller also saw time, allowing two runs on two hits. Saturday’s early matchup was a much closer affair though. In fact, Michigan was up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth, when freshman Jeff Criswell gave up a walk-off three run homer to Stanford’s Tim Tawa. The ending wasn’t indicative of the Wolverines’ overall performance. Sophomore lefty Tommy Henry allowed only

five hits in seven shutout innings. Coming off the back of the demoralizing loss earlier in the day, Michigan bounced back to a degree in Saturday’s second game. Sophomores Karl Kauffman and Jack Weisenburger showed just what the Wolverine pitching staff is capable of, allowing three hits combined as they shutout the Cardinal in a 5-0 win. “Tommy Henry and Karl Kaufmann pitched really well Saturday,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. The most important thing for them is to throw their off-speed pitches for strikes. When you get in to an extended outing, for Tommy and Karl to pitch deep into the game they need to throw multiple pitches for strikes, and that’s exactly what they did. Very encouraging signs for sure.” Offensively, shortstop Jack Blomgren had two RBIs on two hits, while senior catcher Brock Keener scored twice. Michigan also took advantage of four errors on the part of the Cardinal defense. If Saturday’s second game showcased the best of the Wolverine’s pitching staff, Sunday’s loss accomplished the exact opposite. Excluding a great performance by freshman Ben Dragani, who didn’t allow a hit in four innings, Michigan’s pitching was at times mediocre. Senior Jayce Vancena allowed five hits and four earned runs in just over an inning of work. Junior Will Tribucher didn’t fare much better, as he walked three people and allowed a run in relief of Vancena. On the other side of Dragani’s performance, junior Jack Bredeson also struggled before the team turned to freshman Angelo Smith to pitch the eighth

inning. “Yeah Jayce didn’t have a good day,” Bakich said. “It was just as simple as that. He’s one of our starting pitchers, he’s one of our better guys. In order for our team to have a good season, we’re going to need him to be good. I would say today was just more a fluke than anything else.” The Wolverines out-hit Stanford but were unable to turn their baserunners into runs for the most part. Redshirt junior outfielder Miles Lewis led the way going 2-3 with 2 RBIs and a run. Ako Thomas, Michigan’s most prolific hitter in the series, also went 2-4 and scored on an RBI groundout by junior outfielder Jonathan Engelmann. A series loss to the eighthranked team in the country wasn’t necessarily unexpected for the relatively young and inexperienced Wolverines. The team showed obvious improvement over the course of the series, and played much better than they had in their first four games in sunny California. Michigan’s start to the season is clearly worrisome, but as they return to Ann Arbor, optimism is still in the air. “I think (the team) is encouraged,” Bakich said. “We were a couple plays away from being 3-1 this weekend instead of 1-3. “We challenged ourselves. I just looked at the schedule numbers, we have the number one strength of schedule in the country. For a young team with a lot of guys who haven’t gotten a lot of repetitions, this (trip) has been good. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got really hot because of getting punched in the mouth over the past couple of weeks.”

“We were a couple plays away from being 3-1 ... ”

SportsMonday

4B — Monday, March 5, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Michigan seals semifinal berth, likely NCAA Tournament bid with 7-4 win JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer

The chanting began with 17 minutes to play in the third period. Michigan sophomore defenseman Griffin Luce lasered a shot from the left point past Jack Berry, giving the Wolverines a three-goal lead. “Be-rry, Be-rry, Be-rry,” the Children of Yost taunted the Wisconsin goaltender, who had allowed six goals off 22 shots for a ghastly .727 save percentage. Later in the period, the jeers returned — “You suck!” followed by an obscenity. With four minutes to play, Berry was gone. The Badgers pulled him in favor of an empty net, sacrificing their last line of defense for a desperate chance at the two goals that would have extended their season. The Children’s chants kept coming. But the goals didn’t. With a 7-4 victory Saturday at Yost Ice Arena, the Wolverines (20-13-3 overall, 11-10-3 Big Ten) not only clinched a semifinal date with No. 6 Ohio State next week, but also all but punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament in coach Mel Pearson’s debut season. Wisconsin (14-19-4, 8-133) opened the scoring just 23 seconds after the initial puck drop when forward Ryan Wagner slipped around junior defenseman Joseph Cecconi and fired just above sophomore goaltender Hayden Lavigne’s right shoulder. But Michigan was quick with a response. Four minutes and 18 seconds into the game, Badger forward Trent Frederic was knocked off the puck in his own zone, the loose change bouncing to Dexter Dancs in the high slot. On Friday, the senior forward hit the pipe deep in the third period with the Wolverines up one, missing a chance to potentially seal the game. Dancs made no such mistake this time, snapping

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Sophomore forward Jake Slaker helped seal the Michigan hockey team’s 7-4 win over Wisconsin on Saturday night with an empty-net goal.

a wrister into the upper-left corner to equalize. The rest of the period trended in Michigan’s direction. With 6:19 remaining, sophomore forward Nick Pastujov found Jack Becker with a line-drive pass from the right wing, and the freshman forward’s eighth goal of the season gave the Wolverines a 2-1 lead that stood until intermission. It could have been more — just 30 seconds prior, sophomore forward Adam Winborg’s tip off a point shot was disallowed after official review. In the second period, it was Michigan’s turn for a firstminute goal. A hard-nosed forecheck effort by junior forward Brendan Warren led to an attacking opportunity, but Wisconsin defenseman Peter Tischke cleared it inches in front of the line. Tischke was merely delaying the inevitable, though

— the rebound bounced outside to freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes, and Warren finished what he had started by tipping Hughes’ point shot past Berry. However, the Wolverines were unable to make it four straight goals, as the next 19 minutes were effectively played on a seesaw. Six minutes into the period, Badger forward Linus Weissbach shot just wide from the point, but Lavigne left his left post open and Cameron Hughes took advantage off the rebound to make it 3-2. Twenty-six seconds later, Michigan came roaring back. Senior forward Niko Porikos jumped on a turnover in the Wisconsin zone and bolted down the left flank, with Cecconi and freshman forward Dakota Raabe joining him on a threeon-one. Four flicks of the stick later — Porikos to Cecconi to

Porikos to Raabe to the net — the Wolverines were back in front by two. “I’ve talked about that a lot, our secondary scoring — we’ve got more guys contributing which we need,” Pearson said. “And I think that’s part of the success of the second half, that’s why we’ve won, whatever it is, 12 games second half of the year. But we’re getting more contributions from more players. We put a couple guys in tonight, we won a game, we were able to slot two guys in tonight. Porikos does a nice job on the one goal, makes a great play to Raabe.” Wisconsin replied halfway through the period, as its top line continued to match Michigan blow for blow. Wagner found Frederic all by himself in the middle of the slot, and Frederic’s shot hissed past Lavigne’s glove. The two teams held serve for

almost the entire remainder of the period. But “almost” wasn’t enough for the Badgers — on a two-on-one with seven seconds to go in the period, Dancs, who opened the scoring, fired home the eventual game-winner to put the Wolverines up, 5-3. “To be honest, I didn’t know there was seven seconds left on the clock,” Dancs said. “We were in the middle of a shift, and I just shot and it went in, and it was a good goal.” Wisconsin forward Matthew Freytag added a garbage goal in front of the net with 4:42 to play, forcing Michigan to keep its feet glued to the gas pedal. The situation was reminiscent of so many that took place down the stretch of the season, where Pearson has constantly stressed the importance of learning to play with a lead. “I was never comfortable in

the game,” Pearson said. “Even when it was 6-4, I was never comfortable until that last goal, then you could breathe a sigh of relief. That’s just the way the game was. They’ve got so many dangerous players, you give them a little bit of room or time or space, they make plays and they can score.” But Lavigne was never seriously threatened, needing to make only one save. And with 18 seconds left, sophomore forward Jake Slaker chipped home the empty-net clincher, allowing Pearson and the Wolverines to breathe easy. Michigan was able to exhale in a larger sense, too. With the win, the Wolverines maintained their position at No. 8 in the Pairwise Rankings, far beyond the precarious influence of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Their season is basically ensured to continue, regardless of whether or not they fall to the Buckeyes next weekend. “Well, I hope so,” Pearson said. “I don’t know where we’re at, but we’ve got a goal of winning the Big Ten championship. We’re trying to get as far as we can and then let the chips turn and fall where they may. We know that if we just continue to win, we’ll be in great shape.” Of course, winning the Big Ten championship would automatically put Michigan in the tournament — no ifs, ands or buts about it. And the Wolverines — after winning just 13 games last year, their lowest since 1987, after being picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in a loaded Big Ten, after languishing in the high-20s in Pairwise as late as mid-January — are now just two games away from doing so. “We’re playing really good hockey right now,” Slaker said. “We have six games left to win a national championship. We’re not looking too far ahead, we’re just going to focus on the next game.”

Led by Calderone and Dancs, Wolverine seniors secure legacy at Yost JACOB SHAMES Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan hockey team’s Senior Night officially took place last Saturday against Arizona State. After the Wolverines closed the regular season with a 5-3 victory over the Sun Devils, the sellout crowd at Yost Ice Arena honored the six-man senior class — forwards Tony Calderone, Dexter Dancs, Alex Roos and Niko Porikos, along with defensemen Sam Piazza and Cutler Martin. Traditionally, Senior Night marks the last time that a graduating class plays in its own arena in front of its own fans. But that wasn’t the case this year. One week after the festivities, Michigan was back at Yost — this time to take on Wisconsin in a best-of-three quarterfinal series of the Big Ten Tournament. With two straight wins, the Wolverines advanced to the semifinals, where a road trip to No. 6 Ohio State awaits. Saturday’s 7-4 triumph over the Badgers was, in all likelihood, Michigan’s last game at Yost this season — only a Wolverine win in Columbus, coupled with a Penn State victory over Notre Dame in the other semifinal, would change that. However, there was no official tribute, no large-scale displays of gratitude, no post-game tears at centerice — after all, you can only say goodbye so many times before its significance is diluted. Instead, this weekend’s series felt like an encore from Michigan’s seniors — a show of thanks to their fans, their program and their university, giving them one final moment to remember them by. Calderone and Dancs, firstline mainstays all season, scored the game-winning goals on Friday and Saturday, respectively, and led the way with six of the Wolverines’ 13 goals. Piazza and Porikos added crucial assists both nights as well. “Really happy for our seniors,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “If this is our last

game at Yost, which it might be, good way to go out.” Calderone, in particular, saved his best for last. The Wolverines’ leading scorer found the net a career-high four times in Friday’s win, striking in every way possible. A searing one-timer from junior forward Cooper Marody off an odd-man rush. A closerange redirection of freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes’ shot from the point into the net. Another one-timer off a gorgeous feed from Hughes. And to cap it off, a garbage goal after a rebound off the goaltender’s pads, giving Michigan a 6-5 lead that it would hold for the rest of the game. “He’s a shooter, he’s a scorer,” Pearson said. “I’m so happy for him. You want your seniors to have your best year and he’s far exceeded my expectations. He’s not done and we’re not done.” While Piazza and Porikos didn’t light the lamp themselves, they were integral in the buildup

to two of the Wolverines’ prettiest goals not just of the weekend, but the entire season. During a power play in Friday’s first period, Piazza received the puck on the left circle with no Badger in his vicinity. With oceans of space, Piazza sliced the Wisconsin penalty kill wide open, firing a pass across the slot to an open Jake Slaker for the game-tying goal. A day later, Porikos won the puck after a neutral zone giveaway and burst down the left wing. Porikos, along with junior defenseman Joseph Cecconi, freshman forward Dakota Raabe and sophomore forward Adam Winborg, bore down on Badger defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk at full speed. The resulting “tictac-toe” goal — Porikos-CecconiPorikos-Raabe — belonged in the

Louvre. And then there was Dancs, the oft-overlooked member of the high-scoring “DMC” top line, with just 22 points on the season compared to Marody and Calderone’s 44 and 39, respectively. No one would be able to ignore the North Vancouver, B.C. native’s presence on Saturday, however. He made that clear with a wrister from the high slot four minutes into the game to tie the score at one apiece. And another wrist shot on a two-on-one with just seven seconds remaining in the second period took Michigan to the intermission riding all the momentum. Guess who assisted on both goals? None other than Calderone.

“He’s a shooter, he’s a scorer. I’m so happy for him.”

“It’s really special, obviously Tony’s night last night was incredible and he had another great night tonight,” Dancs said. “He’s been my best friend for four years now, and we’ve played together for pretty much our whole time here. So for him to get the assist on those goals, it’s pretty special and will be something to talk about for our whole lives.” As the Wolverines’ seniors skated off the ice after the final horn, the poignant realization that they had likely done so for the last time had yet to hit home. “Last weekend, senior night was sad, and this weekend was all business and stuff, try not to think about it, I’m sure,” Dancs said Saturday. “Tonight and tomorrow, the seniors will talk about it and it will kind of sink in, but we’re enjoying it right now.” And courtesy of Michigan’s senior class, there’s a lot to enjoy. It’s a group that has been through just about everything

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Senior forward Dexter Dancs played a crucial role in his team’s 7-4 win over Wisconsin on Saturday night, scoring a pair of goals.

in four seasons. As role players just finding their way in college hockey, they came oh-so-close to the NCAA Tournament their freshman season, losing in the Big Ten Tournament championship to Minnesota. A year later, they would get their revenge on the Golden Gophers in the title game, helping the Wolverines return to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year drought. As juniors, they endured the malaise of Michigan’s worst season in 30 years, despite playing more prominent roles than ever — Calderone led the team with 15 goals, while Piazza led all defensemen with 14 points en route to being named the Wolverines’ only All-Big Ten honoree. This season was supposed to be one of transition. With a firstyear head coach and young talent such Hughes, Slaker, Josh Norris and Will Lockwood continuing to grow and develop, the upperclassmen were expected to bridge the gap and impart their wisdom on the youthful Wolverines in hopes of building an eventual juggernaut under Pearson. Instead, they took the reins, leading Michigan to 12 wins in its last 16 games and an all-butguaranteed NCAA Tournament bid. “They’ve had some struggles here and they’ve had some good moments here also,” Pearson said. “Really happy for them. You need your seniors to be your leaders. … Those guys have really stepped up so good for them and good for us, we need them.” The seniors’ time at Yost is probably over. But with a dominant performance in their final appearance, their legacy is secure. Oh yeah, a second Big Ten championship — and maybe more — is still very much in play. “It’s been an awesome ride here at Yost,” Dancs said. “Sad that it’s coming to an end, but … I love the team we have right now, we’re really hot, so we’re having a lot of fun right now and we’re going to try to keep going.”