2018-11-02

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Friday, November 2, 2018

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Ben Mason is consistent in his beliefs: He wants to play football, he wants to hit people and he wants to do that for a long time.

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University neglected misconduct claims against famous professor Daniels received tenure months after OIE learned of questionable behavior ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter

An allegation of rape crumbled the facade surrounding University of Michigan professor David Daniels this summer, dubbed by many as one of the best countertenors in the world.

The assault, however, is not Daniels’ only instance of predatory sexual behavior. Through police reports filed with Pittsfield Township, The Michigan Daily found the Office of Institutional Equity knew about an instance of Daniels’s questionable behavior as early as March 2018 — and the University still awarded him with tenure in May. Daniels is one of the most recognizable figures in international opera, and made waves when he joined the faculty at the School of Music, Theater & Dance in 2015.

In August, the music world buzzed about an allegation of rape made by baritone singer Samuel Schultz, who said Daniels and his husband, Scott Walters, raped him at a Houston opera festival in 2010.

Daniels made tenure on May 17 with approval from Melody Racine, former SMTD interim dean. Nowhere in Daniels’s tenure review are the March reports of sexual misconduct mentioned.

Furthermore, the Department of Public Safety and Security knew about Schultz’s allegation July 18, and on July 19, they learned from Music, Theatre & Dance senior Samuel Kidd that he had been solicited on Grindr by Daniels.

Daniels faced no public admonition or repercussions until late August when he was put on leave.

This information was confirmed through interviews with sources and a document acquired by The Daily earlier this year through the Freedom of Information Act. The document is a Pittsfield Township Police Department record concerning

a Grindr solicitation allegation Kidd made against Daniels. This record was transferred to Pittsfield from DPSS and contains information on all prior DPSS investigations into Daniels.

The Daily also requested information on investigations on Daniels from both DPSS and OIE, but both FOIA requests were denied because of University policy that prevent the offices from disclosing records that may interfere with ongoing investigations.

Allegations against Daniels are continuing to pile up. Just last Wednesday, Music, Theatre & Dance graduate student Andrew Lipian filed a lawsuit claiming he was assaulted by Daniels in March 2017. Lipian accused the University of knowing about Daniels’s abuse of students and failing to do anything about it. The suit alleges that in August, a faculty member became aware of Lipian being sexually assaulted by Daniels and reported it to OIE. As of yet, Lipian says he has not been contacted by the office.

When The Daily reached out to University Public Affairs for a statement after Schultz’s story broke in August, Associate Director Kim Broekhuizen affirmed the University’s commitment to investigating every report seriously and carefully, and its belief in maintaining an environment free of sexual misconduct.

“At the University of Michigan, every report we receive, in whatever form, is taken seriously and is carefully reviewed for appropriate action,” Broekhuizen wrote in a statement.

“We believe that no one should ever be subjected to discriminatory harassment or sexual misconduct. We are deeply committed to the creation and support of a safe and productive learning environment for all our students, faculty and staff.”

After obtaining the Pittsfield record and talking with sources, The Daily has found that, at least in Daniels’s case, the University has neglected to

SHERRY CHEN/Daily

GOVERNMENT

Daily survey predicts high voting rates for students 69 percent of respondents plan to vote for Whitmer, 14 percent for Schuette JULIA FORD

Daily Staff Reporter

According to a survey of 435 University of Michigan undergraduate students conducted by The Daily, 92 percent of survey respondents registered to vote in Michigan plan to vote in the gubernatorial election on Tuesday. Among students who intend to vote, 69 percent plan to vote for Gretchen Whitmer, 14 percent plan to vote for Bill Schuette, 15 percent are unsure and 1 percent plan to vote for another candidate.

According to Tufts University’s National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement 2017 Campus Report, only 14.3 percent of eligible University of Michigan students voted in the 2014 midterm election, as compared with 18.1 percent of students from all institutions nationwide. Political Science professor Nicholas Valentino studies political campaigns and is currently teaching a class about mass media and political behavior. Given generally low

student voter turnout rates, Valentino doubts a 92 percent student voter participation rate is feasible. However, given the increased mobility and emotional energy preceding this midterm election, he said he would not be surprised if student voting participation increased significantly.

“This is a very emotionally intense election compared to most off-year elections,” Valentino said. “It’s much more salient and it’s much more emotionally energized, and in particular the energy is coming from this emotion of anger and outrage.”

Though many students express interest in voting, the barriers they face can explain a drop-off in their turnout rates. Campus organizers, like Public Policy junior Katie Kelly, communications director of the University’s chapter of College Democrats, have been mobilizing the past several months to tackle these obstacles.

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See DANIELS, Page 2A

Political experts strive to make voters Nelson and better informed at election roundtable Hood face ANN ARBOR

CRIME

Suspects pull gun, rob Boober taxi driver Four individuals take money, blanket from driver on Diag in a.m.

RIYAH BASHA & REMY FARKAS

Managing News Editor & Daily Staff Reporter

Four individuals robbed a Boober bicycle taxi driver early Thursday morning on the University of Michigan campus, according to a crime alert sent out to students.

The Division of Public Safety and Security reported the armed robbery took place on the Diag near West Hall, close to the intersection of South University Avenue and East University

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Trends demonstrate polarization, increasing negative mobilization of voters PARNIA MAZHAR For the Daily

Democrat Nelson rejects claims of factionalism on new City Council

Three professors and political science professionals discussed what they felt was required in order to be informed ahead of midterm elections on Tuesday at a roundtable discussion Thursday at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

A host of programming and institutional initiatives this semester have focused on increasing awareness and turnout in the upcoming elections. Only 14 percent of students voted in the 2016 election. This summer, however, Washtenaw County as a whole experienced the highest surge in voter turnout across the state for the primary, jumping by 6.7 percent.

RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Daily Staff Reporter

In the 2018 midterm election on Tuesday, Ann Arbor’s 4th Ward will decide between candidates Elizabeth Nelson and Joseph Hood for City Council.

Neither Nelson nor Hood has served on the council before.

Nelson works as a substitute teacher in Washtenaw County.

She said she is concerned about factional divisions on the council after three incumbent councilmembers who regularly voted in a majority alongside Mayor Chris Taylor were

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off in Ward 4 election

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily

Stuart Soroka speaks at a round table discussion about the 2018 election at the Institute for Social Research in an

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INDEX

Vol. CXXVIII, No. 22 ©2018 The Michigan Daily

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

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News

2A — Friday. November 2, 2018

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY:

By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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FRIDAY: Behind the Story

BE HIND THE STORY

Every Friday, one Daily news staffer will give a behind the scenes look at one of this week’s stories. This week, Business sophomore Rachel Cunningham covered a vigil on the Diag and a Shemira ritual at the Law Quad following the massacre at the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. “I think from the perspective of someone that is not in the Jewish community, it was very interesting and insightful to watch the community -- both people that are and are not Jewish -- come together in a time that’s so horrible for the community. I really felt the love and appreciation that the community had for itself and its members, even when I’m not one that follows that specific religion.

It inspires me to work with people more in my stories and learn more about viewpoints that aren’t my own.”

Business sophomore Rachel Cunningham, “Community members gather for vigil after Pittsburgh synagogue shooting”

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faculty. friendly,” Student 1 said. offered him money to come DANIELS “There were a lot of “Cracking jokes, always had a over to his house and engage in countertenors there (saying), huge smile on his face … (if asked) sexual activity. After some initial From Page 1A ‘Omg I just can’t wait to see if I who was the most positive energy conversation, #GoBlue let him can study with Daniels! I hope source in the program, I would know he was a faculty member at thoroughly investigate sexual he’s in my audition room!’” probably say him as a professor.” the University about to get tenure misconduct.

Student 1 said.

And yet, these faculty members in May, and said because of this, *** Student 2, another student and students agreed Daniels’s they would have to be discreet.

David Daniels joined the in the voice department who humor was often overtly sexual.

The student told #GoBlue he Music, Theatre & Dance School requested anonymity, was Lipian’s lawyer Deborah Gordon thought he was messing around faculty in 2015. One of the Daniels’ student. He said part writes in the lawsuit that she with him, and so #GoBlue University’s most famous alumni, of why chose the University was spoke with a faculty member who revealed he was David Daniels. he enjoyed a quick rise to fame because he felt he meshed well noted Daniels’s overtly sexual To confirm this, the student asked after graduating with a master’s with Daniels, and he knew he was humor. Faculty Member 1 echoed him to send a picture of himself degree from the vocal program a huge deal in the opera world. this sentiment. touching his nose in real time. in 1992, making his Metropolitan SMTD Faculty Member 1, “It’s one of those ‘in retrospect’ The student provided The Opera Debut only five years after who also requested anonymity, things,” Faculty Member 1 said. Daily with some of the text of this graduation. Daniels was well expressed the strong sense of “He would make jokes that I Grindr conversation, as well as known in the opera sphere as the pride among the Music, Theatre wouldn’t have been comfortable the picture of Daniels touching “world’s leading countertenor.” & Dance School community that making.” his nose.

He’s so famous that Justice Ruth such a famous alum came back to Student 2 described how in his Daniels: Looking to make Bader Ginsburg officiated his teach at the school. lessons, Daniels’s humor became a hot dad/son fantasy to wedding to Walters.

“We had such high hopes for increasingly sexual over the happen!$$$$$$ Does that Daniels’s reputation has largely him,” Faculty Member 1 said. years. interest you? benefitted the University — it’s “Everybody was so proud that he “In lessons, he would Student: Face? depends if I’m attracted several prospective was on the faculty.” pretty often talk about sexual into you lol students. Student 1, a student Student 2 said part of why he things, which made me very Daniels: You come to my west in the voice department who was drawn to study with Daniels uncomfortable,” Student 2 said. side hotel , sit back to some porn, requested to remain anonymous is because of his friendly, bubbly “I never expressed to him my let daddy suck you off! You leave due to privacy concerns, recalled personality. Student 1 agreed and sexuality at all but sometimes he each time with $200 bucks. Very Sudoku Syndication http://www.sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ when she auditioned for the said her interactions with Daniels would make assumptions about discreet here. U ofM affiliated so program and the excitement were nothing but positive. my sexuality and make comments need to private (sic) and discreet surrounding Daniels joining the “Daniels was very openly as if I would laugh about certain about this. things that might be popular in gay culture, in gay sexual The student was very cultures.” distressed by this incident and This same student noted on confided in a friend. It was this several occasions, Daniels made friend who, on March 29, filed a MEDIUM sexual comments regarding report on behalf of the student, other students. keeping the student anonymous.

“I remember times The student was unsure where specifically, it was after one of the report went after that. He my performances, (Daniels said) was not contacted by anyone ‘Who was that boy who played X until July, when DPSS detective role? How old is he?’” Student Maureen Burke spoke with him 1 said. “(He was) making over the phone. comments about how attractive In the Pittsfield police the person is. I don’t know, it just record, Burke and another DPSS made me sort of uncomfortable detective, Margie Pillsbury, that he was talking like that in wrote that after they learned front of me.” about Schultz’s allegations Looking back, these students against Daniels in July, they and faculty said it isn’t hard to learned of this student’s March imagine, then, that this kind of allegation—though there was no behavior was a hint at something explanation for the delay. Burke more insidious. and Pillsbury contacted OIE *** Senior Investigator Elizabeth Student 3, who requested Seney and learned the student’s anonymity due to privacy and campus security authority safety concerns, said he was had been forwarded to OIE to messaged on Grindr—a dating investigate the incident. app geared towards gay and © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only.

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Arts

3A — Friday, November 2, 2018

COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW

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DAILY GENDER & MEDIA COLUMN

G-Men combine spectacles Plaid skirts & white shirts of talent for annual G-Fest ERIKA SHEVCHECK Daily Arts Writer

A group of best friends, heartthrobs and talented singers, the Michigan G-Men are ready to let loose and have fun this Friday at their annual variety show “G-Fest.” The premier all-male a cappella group will be performing alongside other University performance groups including Revolution (a performance collective specializing in Chinese Yo-yo, Photonix, glowstick visual artists) and Midnight Book Club (an improv comedy troupe).

The G-Men have been on campus for 24 years, and their hard work has continued to impress audiences. The group commits to participating in philanthropic events and a concert tour around the country. Rehearsing for seven hours a week, the G-Men are dedicated to mastering their collaborative talent and eclectic sound, carrying with them an array of voice parts and personalities. Their sets usually consist of ranging music genres from modern pop to experimental rock and more.

Two of their untraditional but popular hits are “Eleanor Rigby” and “Skinny Love.”

During their travels, the guys have been able to share their talent as well as meet other students with similar interests and experiences. “We travel a lot and are asked to perform at competitions and

shows,” said LSA Senior Daniel Honet. “You get to connect and meet all these incredible people that you wouldn’t get to know otherwise,” which also ref lects the embodiment of G-Fest.

Their effort in creating a stimulating and entertaining performance represents the G-Men members. Many of the guys are not SMTD majors, but are involved in all types of fields and still commit time to

“G-Fest 2018” Nov. 2, 2018 @ 8:00 p.m.

Rackham Auditorium Students $7, General $12 singing and working with the group.

“The G-Men is where I can relieve all the stress that I get from academics and stuff like that,” said G-Men President and LSA Junior Kyle Kim. “We’re always having a lot of fun.”

Although the group is used to performing within a musical, a cappella setting, G-Fest shows its uniqueness by bringing together various artistic mediums. The concert showcases a “specific niche of Michigan culture, so it’s nice to see them coming together … spectacles of all kinds,” said

LSA Senior Jake Wilson.

Designing a mosaic of f lavors and artists, G-Fest is an event made for anybody to enjoy. “G-Fest is always just a really enthralling performance for the people who are in the audience because it brings something for anyone of all ages,” Wilson added. The event is hosted on parents’ weekend every year, so they can “come and see which student performing groups are on campus and what this campus has to offer.”

Whether that be parents, students or community members, the audience feeds off the performers’ energy.

Kim, Wilson and Honet emphasized the notion that when showing up with smiles on their faces, being goofy and radiating how much fun they’re having, the audience can’t help but to party alongside them. “The audience is so supportive,” Honet added. “The crowd is constantly supporting anything happening on stage, even if someone messes up.”

It’s evident that this is a notable trait of the G-Men and their familial bond.

“My favorite part about the G-Men is just having a support network,” Wilson said. “U of M is a big place, so it’s nice to have a group of people that you know are going to be there for you week-in and week-out, both in person and in spirit.”

Excited to highlight their work and the talents of other artistic collectives, the G-Men present “G-Fest 2018” this Friday at Rackham Auditorium.

CONCERT REVIEW

ANNIE KLUS / DAILY

Big Ticket Prod. organizes display of rising music acts DIANA YASSIN For the Daily

The enthusiasm was nearly as tangible as the rain as students crowded into the Hill Auditorium with their umbrellas Saturday night.

Despite the Halloween scene and festivities, there was no denying the ardent presence of the concert (soon to be party) goers donning their costumes for the A R I Z O N A concert hosted by Big Ticket Productions. The excitement for the opening acts were as high — T-shirts and posters bearing “Mikky Ekko” and “Electric Guest” were seen throughout the crowd. By the looks of it, the concert was set to be an absolute spectacle for fans who’ve been waiting for the recognition of these up and coming musicians.

I’ll admit it: I couldn’t quite grasp it at first. I came because of a friend’s recommendation, a tabula rasa and a skeptic to the alternative rock genre­that prevails oversaturated and derivative across Spotify. I couldn’t bring myself to listen to a single track before the show. Nonetheless, I kept an

open mind and curiosity for the acts of the night and the type of energy they’d exude; could it compare to the passions of their fans?

I tentatively sat between my just-as-clueless friend and a girl who screamed ecstatically when the lights dimmed to the entrance of Mikky Ekko.

As someone whose experience with opening acts is a general disinterest, I was wonderstruck by the charisma and force Mikky Ekko delivered. His thunderous, synth-heavy vibe was immersive and emotionpacked, albeit a bit chaotic; it felt as though it came in waves of percussions and dense, poetic lyricism. It paired well alongside his spazzed out dancing that carried to the beat like an exorcism. He didn’t just move to the beat, the beat moved him. His voice was calm and melodic, adding a balanced undertone to the performance.

Ekko’s closing rendition of “Stay” by Rihanna showcased how multifaceted his vocals are as he shifted to a rawer tone gainst the sparse instrumentals: melancholic and delicate. His moves were just as present and emotive, as he closed his eyes and swayed to the beat.

Following Mikky Ekko

was Electric Guest. When the lead singer stormed onto the stage with a plastic mask and animated dance moves, my friend turned to me and said: “How is he not lipsyncing?” His falsetto was perfect, energy contagious and his moves, though not as grand as Ekko’s, were deft and smooth. The lead singer could swing from low to high register with ease and overall proved a stunning performer.

Though blithe and laidback, their sound had a light, almost nostalgic energy to it with its sunny instrumentation and varied vocals. The band had a cool, LA-esque element to their music that I’m usually quick to dismiss, but their swagger and charm was contagious. The band’s penultimate song of the night “Oh Devil” now holds a prominent place in my most recent playlist.

It was roughly two hours into the show by the time AR I Z O N A finally made an appearance.

Despite their labeling as the headlining act, their performance lasted only the final hour of the show. At that point, the crowd notably whittled down then flourished, as fans of the opening acts departed and those of the

Being a schoolgirl is not sexy.

Trust me, I went to Catholic school for a whopping 15 years, from the moment I was potty-trained to the ring of “Pomp and Circumstance” in my ears. Before I came to the University, I had only gone to one school for my entire life, and barely owned clothes for the winter, because I had been wearing a uniform for at least half of the year beforehand. Plaid is in my blood at this point. But it’s interesting to see how the perception of Catholic schooling plays out in the media with a firsthand knowledge of how it actually is in real life. It’s a complicated thing to think about — some of the tropes of allgirls education are true, but gloss over the deeper realities of that experience. There are very few depictions of schoolgirls in movies and TV that actually show them as they exist, instead sexualizing or emphasizing certain traits that marr the truth behind those characters beyond recognition.

That isn’t to say that we didn’t play into it: My first year of college, at least 10 of my 28-person graduating class went as sexy schoolgirls for Halloween. Now, we already had the materials — the high school I went to was very Catholic, all-girls and everyone rolled the bands of their skirts to the point that pink slips were no longer a punishment in their ubiquity. The point of this was to be trendy more than sexy, and create some control within the rigid lines of our dress code. Despite this, no one ever dressed up. These skirts, however short they were, often countered baggy sweatshirts, giant wool blazers, messy buns and makeupless faces. But I think that the difference between media portrayals of schoolgirls and their real-life counterparts goes beyond the length of our skirts or even our image itself — we were mostly trying to impress each other rather than a male voyeur, keeping it trendy and on par with our own fashion senses, not to explicitly reflect a fantasy. The interplay between media’s expectations of us and our expectations of each other was complex, a relationship that could either act as a mirror or an example of stark contrast.

There were many layers to that

relationship, as both the media and the people around me influenced my perception of myself as a schoolgirl.

The disconnect there was more abstract than I realized when it was actually happening — while I was never the sexy archetype depicted in media imagery like Britney Spears’s “Baby One More Time” or even the conniving, manipulative version of schoolgirlery in “Kill Bill”’s Gogo Yubari or “Battle

Royale,” but those aspects of the uniformed, flirty images all around us infused a sense of self-awareness into the way I dressed and acted. I would often forget I was in uniform until I got weird looks from men on the street, and although there were several Catholic schools in my conservative, largely wealthy white neighborhood, that hyper-observation of my surroundings continued every time I was in public. There was always a consciousness in the back of my mind about what the people around me were thinking: Did they notice my skirt? Did they even care?

I have heard stories, specifically from friends who live in larger cities, that going out into the world in uniform is a treacherous thing — that the catcalls only escalate, that they feel like bait while just trying to get to school. “Schoolgirl” is a highly-searched term on any internet porn website, and that’s just the beginning. These portrayals of uniformed teenagers are often infantilized, but they exist among over-adult depictions as well. The girls that I spent every day with weren’t anything like the extreme versions of themselves shown in hyper-sexualized imagery, but they also weren’t like Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen of

“Gossip Girl” legend. We didn’t go out clubbing every weekend, didn’t have wild trysts with teachers or administrators, didn’t sit on the steps of local museums and certainly couldn’t do the kinds of things they did with their uniforms.

The schoolgirls shown in media like “Gossip Girl” weren’t girls; they were women. And I certainly wasn’t a woman when I wore that skirt, and neither were most of my friends and classmates.

However, as realism seeps into the media and more female directors take their first steps with fantastic films and TV shows, these stereotypical images of life in uniform are softening, taking more realistic shape in movies like Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”

When I saw the trailer for that film initially, I was slightly skeptical — would she do that experience justice? Would Gerwig be able to capture the awkwardness, the laughter, the tears and the intense female bonding that an all-girls school can foster? I finally saw the movie, and was sobbing by the end. It was the first time that my thoughts and feelings around life as a schoolgirl were actually realized on screen, without a sexual or violent edge like I had seen in other media before. Everything, from the gross sweatshirts to the shitty theatre department with a brother school, to the sadness that comes from a male-teacher crush in a world full of women, was accurate and piercingly honest to the pure awkwardness and reality of what being a schoolgirl really means.

We need more media like “Lady Bird,” because I loved my life in plaid, and it wasn’t sexy; it was just fun and supportive, a community that I could fall back into when the going got tough. So the next time you see the flash of a plaid skirt on the street, don’t think of Britney Spears. Think of friendship, of laughter in hallways and the slam of lockers as school lets out. When I see my younger sister in uniform, it makes me smile. Being a schoolgirl is much more than what we look like — it’s a way to equalize, to learn under the same umbrella of terrible fashion during the best and worst years of our lives. Don’t turn it into a whistle on the street.

main act packed themselves in.

Despite A R I Z O N A’s sound having elements from those of the opening acts, their entrance was on a different plane. It was a lot less energetic, more wellpaced, upbeat and, dare I say, more conventional — it wasn’t so much that I was unimpressed but that their music felt a lot more traditionally pop. That being said, their performance was far from lackluster as the band could handle songs from all across the board, from dance jams to slower, more poignant serenades. I will say, I really preferred their slow songs and the way they flowed to their dreamy aura.

A R I Z O N A’s aesthetic is everything you’d expect from a contemporary band experimenting with ’80s synth: a bit angsty, a bit minimalistic, but very ambitious.

There were snippets of lyricism and emotion that were profound and translated well through the lead singer’s higher vocals. There were points where the synth felt flat and instrumentals underdeveloped, not unlike an incessant metronome — the saving grace of variety for this band was their skillful guitar player and his occasional solos. The singer’s vocals were also versatile for the types of songs the band played: He was a skillful live singer even when dancing. And the band has a certain magic on stage; you can tell they’re comfortable and in the zone, even when they do share a laugh or two or give one member a special, momentary spotlight (even if he didn’t want to speak; major props to the lead singer).

Overall, it was a wholesome display of togetherness many more illustrious bands fail to capture in their performances.

Packed between songs were mini motivational speeches based on the band’s tribulations, lasting the length

of a song. Though admittedly trite at times, the lead singer spoke to the experience of college students struggling to find their place in the world.

This also went on to showcase a willingness to connect with the audience beyond inviting them on stage and reaching out for their hands during performances, as his remarks were based on questions he’d ask the audience to raise their

hand to.

Despite having a similar genre and musical elements, the three acts had their own distinct glimmer throughout the show.

Big Ticket Productions did a fantastic job of organizing a concert that allowed for each artist to showcase their music and unique presence. I can definitely say that by the end of the night, I would call myself a fan of each performer.

CLARA SCOTT

Release Date: Friday, November 2, 2018

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

ACROSS 1 Service calls 6 Emotionally bother 11 Sonic the Hedgehog maker 15 Miller’s salesman 16 Audibly awed 17 Dirt handful 18 Commonly bristly covering 21 “Settle down!”

22 Watch name 23 Black shade 26 Positive aspects 27 Make the cut?

29 Christmas celebration 32 Sock part 33 Innate abilities 34 Ginsburg colleague 36 With 37-Across, an apt reminder 37 See 36-Across 39 Pile 43 Off the plate 46 Mooch 48 SHO sister channel 51 Last-minute deadline 54 Whaling weapon 56 Narrow inlets 57 Friend of Frodo 58 Red flag 59 World Heritage Site org.

61 “Things are different now” ... and an apt hint to three other answers 67 Long-billed wader 68 Like Stout’s Wolfe 69 Former National Endowment for the Humanities chair Cheney 70 Great balls of fire 71 Herd butters 72 Radiate DOWN 1 1980s TV ET 2 Call from Mrs. O’Leary’s barn 3 Dingo prey 4 Cop making a traffic stop?

5 Nosy sort 6 Mustang’s rate of speed, at times 7 Selfishness

8 Delicacy 9 Sound of disapproval 10 Special __ 11 Ponzi schemes, e.g.

12 Firstborn 13 Like lovestruck eyes 14 Pop-up source 19 Reasons to take painful steps?

20 Verb in the song “Sloop John B” 23 Mutt’s companion 24 “First Lady of Song” 25 Colorful duck 27 Polio vaccine pioneer 28 TV forensic series 30 Nasty 31 Cheese go-with 35 “Trouble ahead!”

37 “It’s __ fun” 38 Farm crawler 40 Genesis grandson 41 Water en un lago 42 Salon offering 44 Scintillas 45 Short still?

46 Squirrel away

47 Range on which 7 denotes neutrality 48 Strictly speaking 49 “Two and a Half Men” beach setting 50 Pack without an inch to spare 52 First name of a literary “Papa” 53 Family reunion attendees 55 Persist, with “on”

59 Pigmented eye area 60 Black shade 62 “Sooey!” responder 63 Blood classification letters 64 Beast that rhymes with zoo 65 Word with living or dead 66 When doubled, a Ramone

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Ed Sessa ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

11/02/18

11/02/18

Opinion

4A — Friday, November 2, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ELECTION FROM THE DAILY

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

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

ALEXA ST. JOHN Editor in Chief

DAYTON HARE

ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY AND ASHLEY ZHANG

Managing Editor

Editorial Page Editors

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Emma Chang Ben Charlson Joel Danilewitz Samantha Goldstein Emily Huhman Tara Jayaram

Jason Rowland Anu Roy-Chaudhury Alex Satola Ali Safawi Ashley Zhang Sam Weinberger

Jeremy Kaplan Magdalena Mihaylova Hank Minor Dana Pierangeli Ellery Rosenzweig

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

MARGOT LIBERTINI | COLUMN

I

Vote NO on Proposal A

CYMTOOEFS (In case of longstanding contention over you missed the onslaught the fate of the “Library Lot.” The of emails from Schlissel): Library Lot is the area above the underground parking Next Tuesday, Nov. 6, is lot near the Ann Election Day! There Arbor Public Library. will be federal, state If you can’t visualize and local elections this block of unused with state and local space, go get the best propositions on the Mexican food in Ann ballot. While you’re Arbor at Chela’s and most likely aware then walk to your left of the contentious as you’re leaving and Michigan you’ll see. gubernatorial race, According to and hopefully who is running for U.S. MARGOT the Ann Arbor Park Ballot Representative in LIBERTINI Central Committee, this is the your district (Debbie Dingell if you’re voting in Ann last free public space available for Arbor!), ballot propositions will be a public city center. The Central incredibly important this year in Park Ballot Committee is the group responsible for getting Michigan.

Marijuana legalization, Prop A on the ballot this year. gerrymandering and automatic Mayor Christopher Taylor and voter registration are all on the the majority of City Council statewide ballot, so make sure to disapprove of the idea to make do your research and make a plan the space into a public urban park to vote. For voters in Ann Arbor, and have already authorized the there will also be three citywide sale of the space to Chicago-based ballot proposals regarding a developer Core Spaces for $10 parking lot, filling vacancies on million to build a high-rise. Then Ann Arbor City Council and park two councilmembers sued the maintenance taxes. While these mayor and city clerk for this seem incredibly dull in comparison decision. Ultimately, the Central to weed and gerrymandering, they Park Ballot Committee was able to will have an effect on our local come up with enough signatures community and we should pay to let voters decide. Thus, Prop A was born. attention.

Personally, I am sick of highFor now, let’s pay attention to Proposal A, or its long-form rise construction in Ann Arbor. name: “Charter Amendment for I can’t keep track of 411 vs. Six11 the City-Owned Public Land vs. Hub Ann Arbor vs. The Yard, Bounded by Fifth Avenue, and and so on. Why can’t their names William, Division, and Liberty be more distinct? Why would Streets to be Designated, in anyone pay more than $1,000 Perpetuity, as an Urban Park and per month to live on South Main Civic Center Commons to be Street? I don’t know! Anyway — Known as the “Center of the City,” when I first heard of Prop A, I

by Amending the Ann Arbor City was all for a park if it meant one Charter Adding a New Section fewer of these buildings. And in 1.4 to Chapter 1 of the Charter.” my opinion, I think that’s how We’ll just call it Prop A. The the committee wants the issue to result of Prop A will be incredibly look — as if it is a choice between important to affordable housing in an enhanced community center or selling out our city to a corporation.

Ann Arbor.

Prop A is the culmination That is so far from the whole story,

though.

The park would cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and it would mean losing out on the initial $10 million from Core Spaces and up to $2 million in taxes from them each year. This is money that has been pledged toward worthy causes — money that would enhance the Ann Arbor community in much more substantial ways than another urban park. An estimated $5 million of the revenue from the development would go toward affordable housing projects in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor is a city of students, academics and families. Ann Arbor is an incredibly expensive city to live in — especially considering the proportion of residents who are students without a significant income. Public parks may or may not create community, but there is no community of Ann Arbor without its people. Continuing to force students to commute to school from further away than their richer peers or to be stuck in overpriced housing with failing appliances and negligent landlords is the true deterioration of the Ann Arbor community.

To invest millions of dollars into affordable housing would make a dent in the overwhelming problem that is affordability in this city.

Vote “NO” on Proposal A Tuesday. Public parks are nice — that’s why the Chicago developer has pledged to build a public park at no cost to the city on the land that it will hopefully purchase, in addition to a multi-use highrise. By voting no, we get that park, millions of dollars toward affordable housing, education and infrastructure, and the only price to pay is coping with a little more construction.

Margot Libertini can be reached at mlibertini@umich.edu.

EMILY CONSIDINE | CONTACT EMILY AT EMCONSID@UMICH.EDU

N

Vote yes on Proposal 1

ext Tuesday, Michigan will vote on a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana.

Between increased tax revenue, the birth of a new industry in the private sector and falling arrest rates, legalization of marijuana in Michigan would be extremely lucrative to the statewide economy.

Michigan is currently one of 30 states that allows marijuana use for medical purposes, but a “yes” vote on Proposal 1 this November would legalize recreational use, while a “no” vote would continue to only allow medical access to marijuana.

Michigan joins four other states who have the hot-button issue of marijuana legalization on the ballot this year, while nine states across the country have already taken initiative in legalizing. Despite a long historical taboo against marijuana, obvious economic benefits have spurred a wave of nationwide acceptance and encouragement of legalization.

We, the Michigan Daily Editorial Board, encourage our readership to vote “yes” on Proposal 1 for legalization of recreational marijuana use.

To be clear, Proposal 1 would legalize recreational marijuana use for those 21 and older and personal possession would be limited to 2.5 ounces, while households are allowed to store up to 10 ounces and 12 plants. The measure would create an excise sales tax of 10 percent on all marijuana sales at retailers, and that tax revenue would be allocated to local government, K-12 education and statewide repairs to roads and bridges.

The proposal also legalizes the cultivation, processing, distribution and sale of industrial hemp. However,

if passed, local communities would be able to ban or limit marijuana retailers within their municipal boundaries, thereby protecting the autonomy of local communities.

With a 10 percent sales tax, legalization would bring a much needed new stream of revenue into Michigan schools, roads, bridges and local governments.

States like Washington and Colorado bring in millions of dollars per year off of tax revenue and it is estimated that marijuana taxation alone in Michigan will rake in $100 to $200 million per year to be allocated across the state. In a state with crumbling infrastructure and an infamous public K-12 education system, it’s evident that Michigan should use every potential extra funding source. In a statewide poll in June, 70 percent of Michigan citizens agreed that public schools are not sufficiently funded, a fact that is ref lected in poor testing performance.

Michigan is one of only five states that showed a decline in reading performance scores since 2003. Without intervention, it is clear that this trend cannot change.

Meanwhile, between 2014 and 2017, the Transportation Asset Management Council reported that road conditions statewide were declining at a faster rate than they could be improved, leading to a slow deterioration of roads statewide. Roads, bridges and water sources are all seeing similar declines statewide.

The water problems in Flint could have been solved much more rapidly, or even prevented altogether had there been more infrastructure funding and there are currently multiple other water sources across the state that need

attention as well. Though the projected tax revenue may not be much in comparison to the entire statewide budget, every dollar counts in investment for the future.

The creation of an entirely new private sector due to marijuana retail will give rise to new jobs and businesses.

In 2015, the legal marijuana industry in Colorado created roughly 18,000 jobs and Michigan could see similar, or even greater, job creation given Michigan’s larger population in comparison to Colorado.

Though this initiative in Michigan could lead to similar economic benefits as other states who have legalized recreational marijuana, Proposal 1 does not fully address the past criminalization of marijuana. Though many may benefit in the future, legalization does not address decriminalization.

Those who have been arrested for marijuana use in the past would still be incarcerated or have illegal marijuana usage on their records. Though Proposal 1 is a step in the right direction toward restorative justice, those affected by the past criminalization of marijuana will still live with the consequences even if marijuana use is voted into legality. Hopefully, Proposal 1 is just the tip of the iceberg in helping thousands to expunge past infractions from their records, and allow them the capability of bettering their own lives and thus, the economy. Proposal 1 is a real, tangible way to invest in the education, infrastructure and safety of the next generation of Michigan citizens, and we at the Michigan Daily Editorial Board encourage you all to get out and vote “yes” on Proposal 1.

FROM THE DAILY

Vote yes on Proposal 2 and 3

L

ook at a map of the political districts in Michigan and you’ll find some irreg ular shapes, such as the skinny, corkscrew-shaped Fourth state Senate District or the 76th state House District, which wraps around Grand Rapids. Gerrymandering in Michigan has been cited as being be among the nation’s worst, but this year voters have a chance to voice their opinions on the issue.

Proposal 2, an initiative from the group “Voters not Politicians,” would amend the Michigan Constitution to establish an independent commission of citizens responsible for redrawing district lines, if adopted.

The proposed redistricting commission would consist of 13 citizens — four Republicanaffiliated, four Democraticaffiliated and five Independent — chosen by the Secretary of State from completed applications. To apply, citizens must meet a few g uidelines, including the stipulation that they not have run for nor held a local, state or national office in the last six years or have family that have done so. The commission, with oversight by the Secretary of State, will meet every 10 years to decide how political districts should be drawn.

While the Secretary of State is partisan, the politicallybalanced commission can only improve Michigan’s severe gerrymandering problem. Currently, the party in power has the right to redistrict the state and often does so in a way that benefits its own party — a

clear conf lict of interest given that the district lines could determine a politician’s success at reelection. Proposal 2 is a step in the right direction to win the value of the vote back to the citizens from the politicians.

A handful of other states have adopted a version of the redistricting commission outlined in Proposal 2, the closest being California’s independent, non-partisan commission that has had variable success. In addition, Arizona also employs an independent redistricting committee that has been successful in drawing fairer political state maps. Whether the redistricting commission works in Michigan or not, it cannot cause much harm to the dismal state of Michigan’s political districts. Something needs to change in order to solve the extreme problem of gerrymandering in Michigan, and we hope that Proposal 2 is the change that we need. Therefore, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board endorses voting “yes” on Proposal 2 to bring the vote back to the voters.

As Nov. 6 quickly approaches, readers should also be cognizant of Proposal 3 on the Michigan ballot, an initiative from “Promote the Vote.” If adopted, citizens qualified to vote in Michigan would automatically become registered to vote “when applying for, updating or renewing a driver’s license or state-issued personal identification card, unless

the person declines.”

They’d also be able to “simultaneously register to vote with proof of residency and obtain a ballot during the 2-week period prior to an election, up to and including Election Day.” Furthermore, one would be newly able to obtain an absentee ballot without providing a reason and to cast a straight-ticket vote for all candidates of a particular political party when voting in a partisan general election.

As of 2016, Michigan is ranked 41st out of 50 in terms of electoral integ rit y (that is, “adherence to standards of appropriate conduct during the pre-election period, the campaig n, polling day and election aftermath.”)

Proposal 3 wouldn’t implement changes radically different from those found in other states, but it would bring Michigan up to par with states performing at the higher end of the scale. As with any ballot initiative, there’s a question of whether leg islation should be done through the state House of Representatives and state Senate or immediately enshrined in the State Constitution — in the case of Proposal 3, however, the changes are uncontroversial, have been successful in other states and have the best chance of implementation through the initiative process.

Therefore, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board supports Proposal 3 this Tuesday.

Opinion

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, November 2, 2018 — ­ 5A

ENDORSEMENTS FROM THE DAILY

W

Vote Whitmer for Governer board, to conclude that she is the best candidate to create change in our diverse state.

As students, the issue of college affordability is at the forefront of our minds when considering candidates.

While Schuette’s plans for college affordability have remained vague, Whitmer has proposed to implement the Michigan Opportunity Scholarship, a program that would allow Michigan students to have two years of higher education schooling completely debt free.

Additionally, as young voters, Michigan’s public schools remain in our minds. Schuette and Whitmer strongly disagree, with Schuette supporting charter schools and the privatization of education, much like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Whitmer has come out in strong opposition of the privatization of education. Whitmer plans to improve the consistency of school funding and create more accountability for public schools.

We agree with Whitmer that this plan is a better option to improve education quality, accessibility and equality in Michigan.

ith term limits keeping Gov. Rick Snyder from running for a third term, the people of Michigan have a chance to choose a new direction for the state’s top office. Candidates Gretchen Whitmer and Bill Schuette provide starkly different visions for the future of the state.

Whitmer, a former prosecutor and state Senate minority leader has committed to “fix the damn roads,” while Schuette, the current state Attorney General, has channeled President Donald Trump with his “It’s time to win again” slogan.

The Michigan Daily Editorial Board strongly endorses Gretchen Whitmer for governor of Michigan.

Whitmer has proven her dedication to the state of Michigan through her years of public service in local government. During the debate over whether to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in Michigan, Whitmer worked across party lines to advocate for increased health insurance coverage for thousands of Michigan residents. That sense of drive and prioritization of Michigan unity is what brought us, as an editorial

Whitmer’s also supports an increase of the state minimum wage to $15 an hour, showing her dedication to the working class of Michigan and her prioritization of the standard of living of everyone in Michigan. In stark contrast, Schuette’s economic policy focuses mainly on cutting taxes and vetoing tax increases.

The most important issues in this upcoming election are the ones that affect the everyday lives of all the Michiganders who have been neglected under the current administration: road infrastructure and water availability. Whitmer has committed to a comprehensive and specific plan to improve road conditions through registration fees or gas tax increases. Schuette, on the other hand, has not included any specificity or detail in his plan and doesn’t mention where the money for any infrastructure improvements will come from, though he has firmly stated that he will work to improve road conditions.

Whitmer has also highlighted the importance of clean drinking water for all Michiganders, making

special mention of the topic in her infrastructure plan. Schuette’s plan includes few implementable policies and is sparse on details, especially concerning from a candidate currently part of the administration that enabled the Flint water crisis.

We are also concerned about Schuette’s response to an endorsement by singer Ted Nugent, who has made sexist and anti-Semitic comments in the past.

Instead of distancing himself from Nugent, Schuette

campaigned with him and welcomed his endorsement.

Schuette’s ties to Nugent are worrying when considering Michigan’s need for politicians who are able to appeal to many audiences and build communities.

Whitmer, however, is a uniter. She’s worked tirelessly to expand access to Medicaid for Michiganders, and has focused

her campaign on issues affecting every resident: water, roads and schools. Given her dedication to the Michigan community and impressively comprehensive policy platform, The Michigan Daily Editorial board believes Gretchen Whitmer is best suited to lead Michigan into the future.

KATELYN MULCAHY /DAILY

FROM THE DAILY

I

Vote Dingell, Stabenow

n the upcoming midterm elections, The Michigan Daily is endorsing Debbie Stabenow for U.S. Senate and Debbie Dingell for U.S. House of Representatives.

The Debbie duo has been working tirelessly to take care of all their citizens, from families, to students, to immigrants, to workers. The two have also worked to protect the Michigan economy and what it has been founded on: the Great Lakes.

Debbie Stabenow has been a Democratic senator since 2001, graduated from Michigan State University and was the first Michigan woman senator elected. Debbie Stabenow is a lifelong Michigan native, and her top priorities are creating jobs in Michigan by growing a diverse economy, banning oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes, and taking care of agricultural and rural communities.

Stabenow supports the

Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, the Keep Families Together Act, and comprehensive immigration reform to make sure the federal immigration system supports families, workers, businesses and farmers. She considers health care a human right and has been campaigning to increase children’s health care insurance, such as her Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act to improve maternity and infant care. She strongly believes full time jobs should provide living wages and is working to promote job opportunities in skilled trades and technical careers. As a native Michigander, she recognizes how important the Great Lakes are to our economy and way of life. She is committed to creating clean energy jobs and reducing our fossil fuel use. She has frequently voted for stricter restrictions on

guns and is pro-choice. Stabenow has consistently worked to make the voting process, as well as the government, as transparent as possible.

at Georgetown University, and was first elected in 2014. She has many similar policy priorities to Stabenow.

Her top priorities include ensuring every

Debbie Dingell, a Democratic representative for Michigan’s 12th congressional district in the U.S. House, studied

American has health insurance through her protection of the Affordable Care Act, working to reduce the cost of medicines,

strengthening the economy by supporting manufacturing, protecting the environment and improving workers’ pensions.

Dingell is a strong advocate for immigration reform, announcing in a joint statement with Michigan Reps. John Conyers Jr., Dan Kildee and Brenda Lawrence, that we are “a Nation of immigrants,” and will support the DREAM Act. An environmentalist and activist, she relates economic advancement to the importance of all families having access to clean air and water as well as affordable housing, and — listen up college students — affordable higher education. She also believes in raising the minimum wage, another bonus. She is a huge supporter of renewable energy and is an opponent of Trump’s decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan and withdraw from the Paris Accords.

Like Stabenow, Dingell places great

emphasis on the importance of the Great Lakes in our economy and has detailed plans to protect these great Michigan assets. She is pro-choice and is endorsed by Emily’s List, an organization dedicated to helping pro-choice candidates run for office.

She is an advocate for government transparency as well and constantly works toward making elections free, fair and non-discriminatory.

Stabenow and Dingell have been taking care of Michiganders and Americans for the past few years, providing health care, jobs and a stable economy to all their constituents. Now it is our turn. We must take care of our fellow students and Michiganders and vote to keep Debbie Stabenow and Debbie Dingell in office. Students hold a powerful role in the upcoming election. We have the power to stand up for what is right and turn this nation around, but only if we vote responsibly. Vote for the two Debbies in the midterms.

PHOTOS BY ALEXIS RANKIN AND KATELYN MULCAHY / DAILY

FROM THE DAILY

T

Vote Acker, Brown for Regents

he University of Michigan Board of Regents, a group of eight state-elected members who have general supervision of the University and its endowment, has two seats up for election this Tuesday. Incumbent candidates Regent Andrea Fischer Newman (R) and Regent Andrew Richner (R) face stiff competition from Democratic candidates Jordan Acker (D) and Paul Brown (D).

In the past, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board and students on campus have often called for transparency from the Board of Regents, and we are excited to see that Acker and Brown both pledge ethics and transparency if they are elected. Along with their concrete plans to increase college affordability and the fresh perspectives they can bring to the board, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board confidently endorses Jordan Acker and Paul Brown for the open positions on the Board of Regents.

Acker stands out as the only candidate to have graduated from the University in the 21st century,

yet he still brings significant experience to the job. With the increasing unaffordability of a University education being a major issue for the regents, we believe that Acker understands the realities of how students manage to pay for an education in 2018 and will bring a necessary perspective to the board. He has channeled this perspective into advocating specifically for a debtfree education for all students, representing the experience of many of his classmates, who he said graduated with a debt burden unseen in previous generations.

As a former White House staffer and adviser to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, Acker is wellversed on making decisions that impact the lives of millions.

We are excited to see much of the ingenuity he brings to his platform, including a desire to broaden the reach of the University through extension schools throughout the state.

He also is a strong advocate for increased transparency,

co-authoring a 10-point plan with fellow Democratic candidate Paul Brown calling for board meetings to be more accessible to the public, rejecting campaign donations from those with business relationships with the University and other transparency reforms.

In addition to his work on the 10-point plan, Paul Brown also possesses an array of experience that makes him a superb and qualified candidate. As the only union member running, we believe Brown maintains a unique and important perspective that could be used as a regent. Brown is a proud member of the Lecturers’ Employee Organization, a group that has been influencing great change within our University.

Brown has also served as a collaborator for various public, private, not-for-profit, for-profit, start-up and public boards.

Through his positions, he has not only gained experience, but demonstrated his ability to actually provide results. Brown has a deep understanding of private-public financing, and under President Obama and the U.S. Department of Treasury, he helped implement the $1.5 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative, which has helped create more than 240,000 jobs with no cost to taxpayers.

We are eager to witness Brown impart similar creativity and diligence in the position of regent. Brown’s focus is on making the University more affordable, but still an economic powerhouse. He is aware of its profitable and

ANNIE KLUS / DAILY

influential reach, and plans to increase accessibility through decreasing tuition rates and broadening its economic and social impact throughout the state. Brown hopes to implement a bill similar to Texas, where any student graduating in the top 10 percent of their class is assured automatic admission to the public universities in their state.

In addition, he wants to expand the University’s Summer Bridge Scholars Program in order to increase and maintain socioeconomic diversity within the University. Finally, he is an advocate for educational policy change in the state, showing his desire to use the position as a mechanism for greater change. For these reasons and his pledge for transparency, we endorse Paul Brown for the position of regent.

Fischer Newman is one of two incumbent regents, and

she has served on the board for more than 20 years — first elected in 1994, and re-elected in 2002 and 2010. Fischer Newman’s experience does not fall short in the public sector, as she has served as the Special Counsel to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics under President Ronald Reagan as well as being appointed to the Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, among other highprofile positions. However, Fischer Newman’s experience here does not necessarily imply future success as a University regent, especially in an educational climate where students demand affordability and transparency.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

BETSY STUBBS / DAILY

What to know for Election Day Our generation has often been criticized for being vocal about issues yet failing to show up when our voices can affect real change — at the polls. There is some truth to the matter, with 18.1 percent of college students voting in the 2014 midterm election and University of Michigan students turning out at an even lower rate. However, if we do exercise our civil liberty, young people have the power in numbers to determine the election. As election day quickly approaches, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board encourages students to carefully consider the candidates and issues on the ballot and go out and vote on Nov. 6 Here are some things to keep in mind as you head to the polls: * Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 6. * There will be buses departing from Ingalls Mall and the Duderstadt Center lawn to take you to your polling location. * Lyft will also be providing free or discounted rides to the polls. * Bring your ID! Mcards are acceptable forms of ID. If you forget your ID or do not have an acceptable photo ID, you can still vote by signing an affidavit. * If you are in line before the polls close, you have the right to cast a ballot. * You can bring information — including The Michigan Daily’s endorsements — into the voting booth with you.

For more information about voting, check out https://www.vote.org.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

Friday, November 2, 2018 — 6A

FILM REVIEW

A24

‘Mid90s’ charms despite hiccups MAX MICHALSKY Daily Arts Writer

Jonah Hill’s career has been nothing if not dynamic. In 2007, he broke onto the scene with “Superbad,” a high-school screwball comedy that’s still mentioned as the gold-standard for the genre post-2000. Hill’s performance as the boisterous, awkward and overweight Seth would prove both a blessing and a curse, launching him to stardom but pigeonholing him as “The Fat Guy” in Hollywood.

“I became famous in my late teens and then spent most of

my young adult life listening to people say that I was fat and gross and unattractive,” Hill writes in an A24 program given to audiences at “Mid90s” early screenings. “It’s only in the last four years, writing and directing my movie “Mid90s,” that I’ve started to understand how much that hurt and got into my head.”

Clearly, “Mid90s” was a watershed moment for Hill, a creative expression of selfdiscovery both as a child and again as a young adult artist.

This is unequivocally the film’s greatest strength; from the opening credits to the final shot, it’s clear that Hill has poured

his soul into this piece. The film a niche culture within it. Hill, tells the story of Stevie (Sunny both a hip hop and skating Suljic, “The Killing of a Sacred fanatic, brings awe-inspiring Deer”), a 13-yearmeticulousness old who finds an to the world he escape from his depicts, evoking A24 turbulent home details too small, life with a group too personal to State Theatre of high school be anything but skateboarders. autobiographical.

As the guys grow closer, each Nevertheless, these moments reveals the unique struggles never fall short of relatability, and triumphs of their day-to- and it’s that ability to relate the day lives. trials and tribulations of a small While it certainly has some community to the collective engaging character moments, childhoods of a national “Mid90s” works best as a audience. I’ve never owned a film that’s less about any one skateboard, and I was born in character and more about the tail end of the ’90s, and yet telling the story of an era and Stevie’s life — his rituals, his

“Mid90s”

‘Mid90s’ soundtrack isn’t just a period piece copout ANISH TAMHANEY For the Daily

A24

The cast of ‘Mid90s’ on making it as hooligans Daily Arts Writer

This past Thursday afternoon I had the chance to call into a college conference call with Sunny Suljic, Olan Prenatt, Ryder Mclaughlin and Gio Galacia, four of the five members of the cast of Jonah Hill and A24 Entertainment’s latest hit movie “Mid90s.”

Although this was the first big screen appearance for all except Suljic, the group has actually been in the limelight for a number of years now, at least in Los Angeles, for their popular skating, clothing and cinema collective called Illegal Civilization (Illegal Civ).

Friends and collaborators with big-name musicians like Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean and Vince Staples, the group has made several tours around the globe as a result of their endeavors.

Unaware of all of this going into the movie, however, I went into State Theatre’s free early screening of the film last Wednesday fairly free of expectation, other than that the name “Mid90s” sounded to me like another “Dazed and Confused” or “Kids.”

Walking in a few minutes late, I entered to a would-yourather conversation onscreen about having sex with your mom or your dad. The group of five friends were sitting on the couches of the skate shop, the workplace-turned-home for the crew. While you’d expect to be annoyed by this conversation,

which turns to Estee leading Stevie to a bedroom, and, well, let’s just say it doesn’t stop there.

Let’s not mince words — this is predatory. Estee is only four years older than Stevie, but make no mistake: She’s a grown woman, and his voice hasn’t dropped yet. If that weren’t bad enough, he’s so drugged up that he can’t possibly consent to what is happening. So why does the film portray this hookup as a victory and then never address it again? There’s really no good answer, and were gender-roles reversed here (an older, sober guy hooking up with a wasted prepubescent girl) this scene would be sparking outrage. It’s not inherently wrong to portray these types of encounters in cinema, but to do so with such a brazen “high-five bro!” attitude is a head-scratching lapse of judgement from a filmmaker who has otherwise proven himself to be incredibly savvy and in-touch. Unfortunately, these thoughts lingered with me for the remainder of the film’s runtime.

While far from perfect and, at brief moments, concerningly ignorant in its messaging, “Mid90s” should serve as a decent addition to the evergrowing A24 “coming of age” lineup. What it does well it does really well, and what it does poorly, well, you know.

Nevertheless, the experience remains a net-positive, and if nothing else serves as a promising beginning for Hill’s directing career. Much like the era it portrays, “Mid90s” has some good times and some notso-good times, but ultimately carries enough charm and heart to be worth it in the end.

FILM NOTEBOOK

ARTIST PROFILE

BEN VASSAR

enthusiasm, his wide-eyed awe at his role models — felt at once uncanny and familiar.

This ability to transport the viewer is Hill’s crowning achievement, and the film is at its best when it focuses more on this labor-of-love nostalgia and less on dramatic tension.

Unfortunately, the story that accompanies this is filled with ups and downs. By the film’s conclusion, the only character arc that feels as if it’s truly been completed is the subplot about Stevie and his abusive older brother Ian (Lucas Hedges, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”). Na-Kel Smith brings some heart to the film as Ray, a seemingly aloof but kind-hearted cool guy, and offers a handful of poignant moments as the group’s resident philosopher-type. In the end, though, the film bites off more than it can chew in its scant 84-minute runtime and at least half of its many subplots stumble to conclusions that feel more like a shrug.

And we need to talk about that scene. If you’ve seen the film, you probably know the one I’m referring to, but if not, be warned: Slight spoilers ahead. There’s a sequence about halfway through the movie where the guys bring Stevie to a party. On the bus ride there, some of the guys pop adderall and Stevie, wanting to fit in, does the same. At the party, Stevie drinks an entire bottle of malt liquor and smokes weed with his friends. Now a veritable cocktail of substances, he’s approached by Estee (Alexa Demie, “Brigsby Bear”), a high school girl who’s presumably 17 like the rest of the crew. Their conversation turns to flirting

it immediately gives us insight into the sarcastic, carefree and light-hearted nature of the group.

Though their characters use certain homophobic and racist slurs that went unchecked two decades earlier, this kind of unbridled dialogue made the characters so believable that they retained their likeability.

I wondered to myself later that night while discovering a treasure trove of Illegal Civ videos whether Jonah Hill had indeed written everything that ended up being said or whether he had let the group do what they had been doing for years prior in their YouTube film shorts.

Thus, given the chance the following day, I asked them what the their working dynamic with Jonah was to get the dialogue right. Sunny answered that they wanted to make sure to get all the slurs right, and they would often work for an hour before each scene talking this over. This wasn’t really what I was looking for, however, so I interjected — “I just … would you guys follow his writing specifically?”

To this Sunny expeditiously responded that he had indeed read the script, and that none of it was improvised. Before he could finish, Ryder chimed in that all of the language was put in there for a reason, but before Ryder could finish Sunny interrupted saying: “shut the fu— yo, yo, no. I’m sorry. Continue.” From here, all cohesion in the conversation was lost. Ryder replied: “What

the hell?” as all four members of the cast laughed. When the A24 representative tried moving on, Sunny shouted, “Oh shit! I really just fucked up Ryder’s response, I’m sorry.” From here, Gio and Olan randomly quoted the movie, and before I knew it the conversation had descended into the same kind of headassery as many others had in the movie.

This hooliganism is just the byproduct of the cast’s closeness both on and off the set. In the movie, skating turns a group of kids from different walks of life into a family. Much the same is true for Illegal Civ. Their videos on YouTube promote self-expression, creativity and diversity through the common calling of skating.

The linked video is the buildup to selling out a show of 500 at the Roxy Theater in LA back in early 2017. From the start, the collective’s positive creative energy is contagious. The show, for which they managed to get Compton’s Earl Swavey and Van Nuys’s Slow Hollows, is a celebration of rap, trap and rock and demonstrates how the common bond of music can get otherwise discrete cultural groups dancing together like there’s no tomorrow.

If “Mid90s” feels like a shout for the return of ’90s skatepark culture — a time in which cultural barriers were broken down for the sake of a common love — Illegal Civilization is answering that call. Jonah Hill has his cast to thank for making his musings a reality both on and off the big screen.

Movie soundtracks are delicate things. A soundtrack can make a powerful sequence or ruin one. It can enhance a line of dialogue or overpower it. It can flow easily or echo distractingly out-of-place.

Soundtracks, depending on the degree of care a filmmaker takes to refine them, can make or break a movie. And for “Mid90s,” the soundtrack is endearing and meticulously composed.

Jonah Hill’s (“Maniac”) directorial debut may seem like just a period piece centered around skateboarding culture, but as the soundtrack reveals, it is rather a heartfelt coming-ofage story that says as much about its period setting as it does about Hill himself.

If you’re looking for a Best Hits of the Decade Compilation, look elsewhere. The truth is that the soundtrack of “Mid90s” is anything but cookie-cutter. It intentionally strays from the mawkishly overplayed singles from the era and instead aims for a far more personal connection that feels both unique and universal.

The tracklist darts effortlessly between genres, traversing Golden Age hip hop, grunge, hardcore punk and — you guessed it — Hungarian folk rock.

In particular, “Wave of Mutilation” by the Pixies

combines quirky chord changes with ragged, angry vocals, a perfect metaphor for the story’s raging adolescence.

These are clearly songs that Hill grew up with and remains close to after years. He elaborated on his thought process for curating the soundtrack on the “The Big Picture,” a podcast by The Ringer.

“A large part of wanting to be a filmmaker for me is having music be presented the way that I associate it,” he said. Indeed, the track choices, despite not being the most famous of the era, evoke a specificity in experiences and memories.

Perhaps the most endearing detail was the reason for which Hill chose the Nirvana song, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” to be on the soundtrack.

“This (song) has this deep emotional connection to me because it was the first song I learned on guitar,” he admitted.

The link one forms to a piece of music strengthens substantially when learning how to play it, and the anecdote is a perfect metaphor for the kind of individualistic attention Hill poured into developing the film’s auditory texture.

Another standout from the soundtrack is its final song, “We’ll Let You Know” by Morrissey, which ends the playlist with a grounded sense of maturity.

Hill also includes songs from previous decades as the album goes on, such as “Watermelon Man” by the jazz pianist Herbie

Hancock.

The soundtrack was released as a playlist on Spotify rather than an purchasable album, and the form points to why “Mid90s” is so much more than a period soundtrack. Hill does not want to merely drag listeners back to another decade in time; he wants to interact with us in a distinctly modern form.

The unsung star of the playlist, however, was not music from the ’90s at all. It was the film’s instrumental score, interwoven between era tracks, by none other than Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”).

The score periodically offers a break between the intense period grooves and forces listeners to confront the innately human side of the story that Hill expresses. Sure, Hill’s unmistakably personal track choices shape the experience, but Reznor and Ross elevate these nuances into mellifluous, thrumming climaxes that imbue the soundtrack with a sense of momentum.

As Hill ingeniously intends, a listener can walk away from the playlist with a view into someone’s life in the mid-90s, not a bland aggregate of timely music.

“To me, the title ‘Mid90s’ was a joke,” he said, “because people would expect it to be like that ’90s movie and then they get this kind of small emotional, hopefully moving film.”

The soundtrack, at least, is undoubtedly all of these things.

A24

PENN STATE NOVEMBER 2, 2018

EVAN AARON / DAILY

DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN

Behind Enemy Lines: PSU writer Tyler King MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

Before the season began, it seemed the Michigan football team’s entire 2018 would be defined by its three-game stretch against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State, from middle October to early November.

Two games through that stretch, the fifth-ranked Wolverines (7-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) have nearly made it out the other side unscathed.

All that is left in Michigan’s season-defining span now are the 14th-ranked Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2).

Penn State was thought to be a national title contender at the start of the season, but after two heartbreaking losses to Ohio State and the Spartans, the Nittany Lions are now fighting an uphill battle to play meaningful late-season games.

Of course, if they can overcome the Wolverines on Saturday, that narrative may be flipped on its head.

To preview the top-15 matchup, The Daily caught up with Tyler King, the football editor at Penn State’s student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, to ask about the importance of the game and how he sees things panning out.

The Michigan Daily: So, Michigan players have been talking, and the coaches have been talking a lot this week about last year’s game. I’m wondering how much talk there’s been on the Penn State end about that game.

Tyler King: Yeah, Penn State is like one of the few schools in the country, maybe the only school, that doesn’t do a big press conference, which is very frustrating from a content standpoint, but that’s beside the point. But they take this whole, 1-0 each week mentality, treating every game like the Super Bowl, which is such a cliché, but they do it. For every game, they treat every game, not like it’s Akron, but there have been misconstrued quotes from, like, last year, where James Franklin says beating a team like (Pittsburgh), an in-state rival, is just as important as beating Akron.

So, I mean, they haven’t really

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Football Friday, November 2, 2018

talked about it too much, because honestly even today, the players and James Franklin were asked about two years ago, the game at The Big House, which Michigan won, 49-10. And they kind of just shrugged those questions off, like, ‘Yeah, that happened, but we’re just focused on this year’s game and this year’s Michigan team.’ They usually like to shrug those questions off and they don’t heavily talk about that game a lot from last year. Obviously it was a whiteout game and Penn State’s had success in the whiteout the last couple of years. Obviously this year losing by one point to Ohio State, but in general, usually the whiteout has been successful.

I just think that was just a product of two teams last year where Penn State was just clearly better and in that home environment it just kind of showed.

TMD: And about those two losses, both of them have sort of come at the last minute in heartbreaking fashion. Does it feel at all like a team demoralized by those or are they sort of rallying around finishing strong here?

TK: Yeah, like I said, they do that annoying, kind of, 1-0-eachweek kind of thing, and James Franklin said that after they beat Iowa this past week. Another beat reporter asked about, you know, does this kind of, maybe breathe some life into the team?

And James kind of really just played that question off and just said, ‘Look, we’re 1-0 this week.

We’re happy we won this week.’

So, I mean, after the Ohio State game, the vibe that I got from talking to players and especially a guy like Trace McSorley, who had, I mean, just an unbelievable performance against Ohio State, they felt kind of confident. I mean, in my opinion, I thought Penn State was the better team for three quarters, and then they just had another fourth-quarter collapse and they lost by one point. So I didn’t think they were very defeated.

But after Michigan State, I could feel it, talking to players, that they were kind of defeated.

And obviously now, that was three weeks ago, so I mean, I would have a good feeling they put those two games behind them. But, I mean, definitely

BEHIND ENEMY LINES From Page 2B after the Michigan State game, you could kind of feel the vibe with the players, especially with a guy like Trace McSorley, who didn’t play his best game that day. The offense as a whole struggled, only scoring 17 points. He seemed kind of — he seemed very defeated after that game. But now I think they’ve kind of rebounded and yeah, this game right here is going to decide their season — whether or not they have a chance at a New Year’s Six bowl or whether they’re looking at, maybe like, a Holiday Bowl or an Outback Bowl or Citrus Bowl appearance or something like that.

I think of this as the toughest game on their whole schedule.

This is tougher than the Ohio State game, because that’s a whiteout game at home. This is a road game in a stadium that the Penn State program has not had a lot of success at this century. So they seem ready for this game, but like I said, they treat every game the same — at least they put on that mirage that they do.

TMD: From a national perspective going into the year, the narrative around Penn State was, how are they

gonna replace Saquon Barkley. How do you think they’ve replaced Saquon Barkley both on the field and from a leadership standpoint?

TK: Yeah, from a leadership standpoint, I don’t think there’s been any — they have plenty of good veterans on this team and quality leaders. Obviously with Trace McSorley they have that.

And replacing (Barkley) from a production standpoint, I mean, James Franklin said before the year, you can’t replace Saquon Barkley because he’s a once-in-a — the program’s never gonna have a player like Saquon Barkley again, because just his innate talent and his work ethic and things like that, it’s just never gonna happen.

But in my opinion, and I’ve said this all year long, I think Miles Sanders is a better fit for this Penn State offense than Saquon was.

Watching Saquon for three years and being a huge NFL fan like I am, I think Saquon is better fit for a prostyle offense where the quarterback is under center, and Penn State never goes under center. So I think Miles Sanders is just more fit for this type of system. And, obviously, he doesn’t have the same numbers that Saquon did last year, but I still think he’s been

incredibly productive. I mean, he had a game against Illinois in which he ran all over them. He had exactly 200 yards and three touchdowns.

He’s put up big numbers in just about every game except I think two: against Ohio State and then this past week against Iowa he didn’t really do much. But he didn’t have a lot of touches in either of those games for whatever reason.

Yeah, I think Miles Sanders is up there. When I mention (Michigan running back) Karan Higdon in the top three (running backs in the Big Ten), I think Miles Sanders is in the top three as well. I think he, (Wisconsin’s) Jonathan Taylor and Karan Higdon are the three best running backs in this conference. I think Sanders has done a very good job this season.

TMD: McSorley has taken a slight tick down, I would say, statistically this year. Have you seen any sort of drop-off, or is that not necessarily representative of how he’s been playing?

TK: Definitely passing, his stats are down (from what) they were the past two seasons. I think, just, with the way this offense has had to adjust and had to work this season, I wrote a story last week about Trace

McSorley and his ability as a runner this season, because he’s become that. He’s no longer this player that is chucking it deep to his talented wide receivers and letting them go get it as a product of Joe Moorhead’s offense. … But yeah, Trace McSorley the last two seasons had 10 total 300yard passing games — five in each season. This season, through eight games now, he doesn’t have any.

I think he’s only thrown for over 230 yards once. So, I mean, as a passer, yeah. The stats show that he’s taken a step back, and there have been some games where he hasn’t looked as accurate, but he’s really just getting no help from his wide receivers. I mean, one of the big talking points this entire season has been the inexperience of this wide receiver group and the drops that have plagued them. Even the veterans that they have like DeAndre Thompkins and Juwan Johnson haven’t been nearly as productive as many people thought they would coming into the year.

The only two, receiving — reliable, consistent, receiving targets that McSorley has is redshirt freshman KJ Hamler … and then another freshman, true freshman tight end

Pat Freiermuth who has been really impressive. … (McSorley) has been whatever Penn State needs him to be, and I think that is the biggest thing this season for him. He’s still playing at a Heisman-caliber level in my opinion, and even though that’s not as a passer, it’s more as a runner, he’s still been incredibly impressive.

TMD: If Penn State’s gonna win this game, they need to do…?

TK: It’s gonna come down to, can they play well enough on offense to get the job done against this really talented Michigan defense.

TMD: Do you have a prediction?

TK: Like I said, I don’t really think it’s gonna be all that close. I think this Michigan team is really dominant, and like I said, Penn State in the past has not really had a lot of success at The Big House. And the offense, right now, is just not at the level where I can fathom them scoring more than, like, 20 points against a defense like this on the road. I mean, they struggled to move the ball against an Iowa team that really wasn’t that impressive to me on tape.

So, yeah, I think I’m gonna go somewhere around Michigan 31, Penn State 17.

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

The Michigan and Penn State football teams will face off on Saturday for the first time since the Nittany Lions dominated the Wolverines, 42-13, in front of a whiteout crowd in State College last season.

TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com

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KATELYN MULCAHY & EMMA RICHTER/ DAILY

DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN

‘He was put on this earth to play fullback’ Ben Mason, making your bed, and a vestige of a dying breed

MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor Ben Mason speaks and it’s hard not to be startled.

His voice lowers. His eyes wander. His mohawk protrudes.

“It’s just a football position,” he says with a visceral appreciation for being a fullback. “For football players.”

This is one side of Ben Mason; the overtly gruff brute of a human being.

This is the Ben Mason who will tell you how much he enjoys hitting people as many times — in as many ways — as you’ll ask. In two short years, that public persona has evolved from cult hero to the stuff of legend. “Bench” Mason, he’s called. That’s all real.

Those who know him best speak to another side, though.

His friend and high school teammate, Tom Long, tells of the Ben Mason who, at an eighth grade dance, requested the DJ play an Adele song so that he could sing it in front of the whole class, channeling his best impersonation.

“Spot on, too,” Long said.

That’s the Ben Mason who compelled his high school team to partake in the “Mannequin Challenge” when it was making the rounds on social media.

Former Michigan fullback and now4B

graduate assistant coach Henry Poggi tells of a young freshman looking to find his way. The two were roommates during Mason’s first fall camp. Poggi — a starting fullback at the time — referred to Mason as his “son.”

After watching a Facebook video on the virtues of making your bed, Poggi decided it would be the first thing he did each morning. Mason, being the impressionable freshman he was, decided he would do the same.

Then, one day during camp, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh asked Mason to give the “Wise Words” after practice — a tradition in which one player offers a message of inspiration before ending the day. Players take the opportunity seriously, especially younger players like Mason looking to make an impression. Some opt for an inspirational quote or advice a coach gave them. Others choose a poem.

Mason took a different route.

“Ben had been talking to me about it,” Poggi recalls, “and he said he wanted to talk about how we make our beds every morning and how that gets us going.

“I’m like, ‘All right, you wanna run it through with me, so that it’s fresh in your mind so you sound good up there?’ ” Mason declined. He had it all covered.

FootballSaturday, November 2, 2018

That is, until his moment arrived.

Called up in front of the team to deliver his remarks, Mason’s mind wandered.

He stared off into the distance for 10 seconds, Poggi estimates.

“People are kinda looking around like ‘What on earth is this guy gonna say?’ ” Then he started talking.

Every day, in the morning, me and Poggi wake up, and we yell at each other! And then we make our beds!

“And people are, like, waiting for it,” Poggi said. “He didn’t really know what else to say, he just knew that he wanted to talk about making beds. But he was so excited, he hadn’t thought about what really the point was to making beds.”

And it gets our day going!

From there, with nothing else to offer, Mason sprung into full panic mode, looking around in a plea for help.

Harbaugh stepped in and gave Mason a hug.

“Ben,” he said, “that was awesome.”

“It was the best “Wise Words” because it was so genuine, so Ben Mason,” Poggi said. “Some guys will go up there and just talk and talk and talk.

“Ben, a man of few words, just wanted to talk about making beds.” *** Ben Mason wasn’t always a fullback,

though those around him seem to think the position was a matter of preordained fate.

“Ben is like a natural fullback,” Poggi said “He was put on this earth to play fullback.”

The first time Poggi met Mason was during Mason’s recruiting trip. The Newtown, Conn. native was donning a skin-tight blue jacket.

“Wow, who on earth is this kid?” Poggi thought. “Hopefully I’ll be gone before he gets here.”

At the time, Mason still held out some hope of playing linebacker. Defensive coordinator Don Brown recruited Mason at the position while he was at Boston College. When Brown was hired at Michigan, Mason came too.

He loved Brown’s scheme and the defensive coordinator’s passion.

Mason enrolled early and spent most of his first spring on the defensive side of the ball.

“I think that’s where coach Harbaugh wanted him at first, when they were initially recruiting him,” said Steve George, Mason’s high school coach.

“I think Ben really wanted to play linebacker at the time.”

He was fast, but not quite Devin Bushbeating-a-running-back-to-the-edge fast. He was agile, but hardly Khaleke

Hudson-shedding-blockers agile.

His strengths, unsurprisingly, were in run defense and sheer physicality.

Harbaugh and his staff liked what they saw when Mason went forward. So after Mason’s first spring they asked a simple, but ultimately prophetic, question: Why can’t he do that all the time?

“We felt like he was so good as a downhill type of linebacker that, to be able to do that all the time, to be a downhill, aggressive football player,” Harbaugh said, “fullback would be a great position for him.”

One day, Harbaugh called Mason and asked what he thought of a full-time move to fullback. Mason didn’t hesitate in his response.

“Oh, I would do anything that was right for the team,” he said Wednesday, thinking back, “and that I was excited to do it.”

To some, that cliche of “doing anything for the team” comes off as disingenuous lip-service. This was anything but.

“The biggest thing with me: I wanted to come in and make an impact no matter how I could do it,” Mason said. “And I was going to find a way no matter to

come in and make an impact.”

This was a guy who would find his way on the field or die trying.

There was a time when Mason thought that would come on special teams exclusively, so he honed his craft at long-snapper. He still wants to play long-snapper.

“I’m still thinking of doing that in the next couple years,” says the sophomore fullback with six touchdowns on the season.

He means it, too. *** After he accepted the head coaching job at San Diego, Harbaugh promised Bo Schembechler that as long as he coached, there would be a fullback on the roster.

Now, 14 years later, that sentiment still stands at Michigan. Fullback is a foundational component of this program, inextricably linked to its identity. That extends to the role on the field, sure. But to Mason, it’s deeper than that.

“I think playing the fullback position is a mentality more than anything else,” Mason said. “It’s not something physical, it’s not even your athleticism … when it comes down to it, just having

It’s just a football position

TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com

the mindset that you’re going to come downhill, and you’re going to make plays for the team no matter what.”

Harbaugh once said he thinks football is “the last bastion of hope for toughness in America in men.”

If you subscribe to that kind of rhetoric, Mason might be your Messiah. His high school tape is an absurd — even comical, if you partake in Schadenfreude — array of bludgeonings.

His nearly two years at Michigan have been full of the same. Physicality is his persona, and he wears it in his emotions, his interests, his voice and, mostly, his play. A pure fullback.

And yet, the ilk of Ben Mason is a dying breed across the sport of football.

Michigan currently lists six fullbacks on its roster; six of the other top-12 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings don’t even list one.

Michigan’s embrace of the fullback isn’t just abnormal in this modern era of football. It’s borderline unprecedented.

In 2017, Pro Football Focus graded 18 fullbacks total in the NFL. Roughly 10 percent of snaps in the NFL this season have included two-back personnel, according to sharpfootballstats.com.

As teams at all levels of football use

more spread concepts, the fullback has rapidly devolved.

“So my question is what’s the next step?” asked ESPN writer and analyst Matt Bowen.

Some believe there will come a day in which the fullback as we know it disappears. Others think it will remain but continue to dwindle in relevance.

Bowen has theories of his own.

Right now, he sees a role for fullback with different skills, rather than the traditional downhill style. He points to Kyle Juszczyk of the San Francisco 49ers as a prime example.

“I think the first thing is versatility.

Can you catch the football? Can you play a role in the passing game? Because if you don’t, then you’re limited in terms of game situation,” Bowen said.

“And also formation flexibility. You want to be able to line in an I-set and get downhill. I think you also have to be able to motion to shift outside to run a route and catch a football.”

Both his coaches — George and Harbaugh — seem to think Mason has that ability.

George: He has a lot of different weapons in his arsenal. He has very good hands. He’s a tough runner. Really good north/south runner. ... He’s also a very good blocker. He picks up the

schemes quick. When you have a kid like that, I think it’s very easy to introduce him into the offense and work him into the different sets and plays.

Harbaugh: He’s got the ability to do a lot. Catch the ball out of the backfield, block, run. It’s an expanding package with Ben. In an ecosystem predicated on zigging while others zag, Bowen sees a possibility — even a likelihood — for the return of smashmouth offense.

“You’re going to see a return of more power football, where offenses say, ‘OK, if you’re going to build your defenses on speed, we’re going to start bringing back power football and getting downhill more,’ ” Bowen said.

“If that’s the case and that happens, then you’ll see the return of the fullback.

“I think it’s gonna come back. I really believe that.”

Mason, for his part, isn’t going to lose sight of who he is or what drives his passion. If you asked him whether he loves football, Don Brown posited Wednesday, “he might swing.” (This reporter didn’t dare test that.) He’s certainly not going to conform to some trend to appease any NFL

goals.

But he has NFL goals and he’s

not blind to what he might need to accomplish to get there. He strays from confronting those goals directly (his team goal is “to win” and his individual goal is to “help the team”). Above the fame or fortune, Mason wants to keep playing football because he couldn’t imagine life without it.

The sport of football is so deeply ingrained in who Mason is; he won’t let some modern-day trend deter that. He’s just trying to hit people.

And make a living doing it.

If that means expanding his repertoire to adapt? All the better.

“I think down the line, I definitely have to prove myself as a reliable route-runner, pass-catcher,” Mason said. “I’m looking forward to doing that.

“I’m thinking right now of a snowball effect. In anything, once you do something and you’re productive with it, they’re only going to give you more of a role.”

Anything specific?

“What more can I do?” he poses rhetorically, as if there’s a selfimposed limit.

As if the answer is anything short of “whatever I’m asked.”

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FootballSaturday, November 2, 2018

What to watch for when No. 5 Michigan faces No. 14 Penn State ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Writer

There is no sugarcoating what is at stake for the Michigan football team in Saturday’s matchup against No. 14 Penn State.

Win, and the team’s floor — barring shocking upsets against Indiana and Rutgers — is a New Year’s Six bowl game. Lose, and that scenario becomes a lot more difficult. Coupled with the desire to avenge last year’s 42-13 beatdown in Happy Valley, the fifth-ranked Wolverines (7-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) simply have more to lose than the Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2).

Michigan is coming off a bye week riding a seven-game win streak, while Penn State visits Michigan Stadium after escaping with a 30-24 home victory against Iowa.

The Daily breaks down what to watch for in the third game of the Wolverines’ self-proclaimed Revenge Tour.

Containing Trace McSorley Alternatively, this could just be titled “Devin Bush Jr. needs to have a career game.” Sure, a defense that surrendered 506 yards and five rushing touchdowns a year ago is a call to arms for all 11 guys on the field.

But last year, McSorley and nowNew York Giant Saquon Barkley did much of their damage from over-pursuing defenders and pure speed. It was a particularly tough night for Mike McCray, who was burned on two of the Nittany Lions’ scoring drives by the duo.

For Bush, spying McSorley effectively is priority number one.

McCray wasn’t an answer last year, and Josh Ross or Devin Gil shouldn’t be the replacement.

Miles Sanders has displayed All-American ability and could present similar problems, but he’s not Barkley.

Thus, eyes are cast squarely on the quarterback. Imagine this scenario: Chase Winovich and Kwity Paye seal the edges, leaving a running gap open up the middle with Penn State receivers streaking up field. Except you don’t have to imagine, because

EVAN AARON/Daily

Redshirt freshman Tarik Black is seemingly going to return from injury against Penn State on Saturday, after sitting out the last 18 games for the Wolverines.

Barkley did it out of the wildcat and McSorley succeeded with it too last season.

McSorley is also a capable passer, of course. Speedster K.J. Hamler is the prototypical slot receiver that can catch the ball and fly behind Michigan’s linebackers. Six-foot-4 Juwan Johnson and 6-foot-5 Pat Freiermuth have combined for five touchdowns themselves.

McSorley is a serviceable quarterback, but his 110 rushing attempts this year make the message clear: keep him from taking off.

Keeping the Michigan offense on the field Michigan ranks seventh in the country in time of possession, averaging around 34 minutes per game on offense.

For a Wolverine offense that can be maddeningly slow, it’s easy to dismiss the number. Defensive coordinator Don Brown can tell you why he loves it.

“There were a couple points against Michigan State I’m like — I’m sitting with the guys

“(You) sell your soul to get off the field, and you’re...

and Bush is here and Khaleke (Hudson is) here and I’m like ‘Dude, that’s five minutes off the clock,’ ” Brown said. “And that’s huge when you can go out there and just sell your soul to get off the field, and you’re rewarded by the offense just dominating the clock. That’s a big deal.

Don’t have to score, but field position and giving you the rest so you can be 100 miles an hour, that’s a big deal.”

Brown even put on his research cap on to dissect the impact even further.

“I did this study last year on us, and when we are below 70 snaps — in the sixties — we’re pretty good now,” Brown said. “When we get into the high seventies, eighties, that’s when trouble starts. That’s when fatigue’s done, concept is out there and it’s a bad deal.

“In the last seven games, we’re somewhere high-forties to midsixties, which is a heck of a deal.

I think if you asked a couple Big 12 defensive coordinators, they’d take it and run.”

Penn State averages nearly 84.9 defensive plays per game, and 92 its past three games. Keeping Michigan’s offense on the field seems easier said than done, but it could be the key to topping a team

that lost some playmakers.

Tarik Black is back On Tuesday, senior wide receiver Grant Perry offered some encouraging, but curious insight regarding the health of Black, who is eyeing his first game action of the season after fracturing his left foot. He also missed the last 10 games last year from a broken right foot, earning him a medical redshirt.

“Coming back from an injury like that, there’s going to be some cloudiness coming back on the field, definitely some doubts,” Perry said.

“He’s definitely overcome that gap and he’s back to being Tarik.”

What does being Tarik mean?

Based on limited anecdotes from one spring game and three games over a year ago, it means being a playmaker that can spread the field that much more. Black can catch the deep ball, and can also play inside like he did when catching his first and only touchdown in his career debut against Florida in 2017.

Coinciding with improvements made by counterparts Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins, and tight end Zach Gentry, the various formations that the Wolverines can employ with Black in the lineup could leave opposing defensive coordinators sweating.

Bottom line Penn State has the offensive weapons to expose holes in Michigan’s defense. But its offense is still worse than last year, and the Wolverines’ defense is the same, if not better.

McSorley doesn’t have the same parachute to get out of tricky situations.

Michigan’s offense, on the other hand, has trended upward week over week. Penn State’s defense has allowed at least three touchdowns in four straight games. And yeah, Shea Patterson in Ann Arbor is an improvement over John O’Korn in Happy Valley, to put it mildly.

Prediction: Michigan 28, Penn State 17

... rewarded by the offense just dominating the clock.”

TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com

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After much improvement, another test awaits Jon Runyan MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor

Jon Runyan Jr. was hesitant to watch his team’s season-opening loss at Notre Dame. The redshirt junior left tackle knew it would make him sick to his stomach. But last Friday, for the first time, he chose to anyway.

What Runyan saw was not always pretty. There were plays he, selfadmittedly, got caught in the heat of the moment. There were others where his technique evaded him.

“Just looking at it like, ‘Wow, that was probably actually a really bad play I had right there,’ ” Runyan said.

So why did Runyan relive the Wolverines’ lone loss during his only off-weekend of the fall? He wanted a reminder of how far he had come.

Runyan thinks his improvement started in Michigan’s win over Nebraska on Sept. 22. Then he felt another jump two weeks later against Wisconsin.

“Those two games, I thought I played really well,” Runyan said. “We were just having fun out there. Those games were really fun. Especially (Wisconsin) under the lights, on ESPN, 8:30. Those are the games you grow up watching and live for.”

After allowing three sacks against

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the Fighting Irish, the Wolverines have allowed just ten combined quarterback drops in the seven games since.

The offensive line’s collective growth was most apparent in Michigan’s victory over Michigan State. Against one of the country’s topranked run defenses, Michigan ran for 183 yards as its offensive line helped seal the victory down the stretch.

“Watching the Michigan State game as a unit with the offensive linemen, in the locker room, it was just unbelievable,” Runyan said. “I’ve never seen a locker room with that much atmosphere in there. Everybody in the Michigan State game had an overwhelming sense of pride in what we did.”

That’s quite the contrast from the sickness Runyan felt when replaying the Notre Dame game. During his press conference Tuesday, he repeated that his goal for the remainder of the season was to feel that way again.

A test to that, however, comes this weekend. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said that Penn State has the best defensive line the Wolverines have faced this season.

And on paper, even with the likes of Michigan State and Wisconsin in the rearview mirror, it’s easy to

FootballSaturday, November 2, 2018

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Redshirt junior left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. was part of an offensive line that allowed Michigan to run for 183 yards against MSU.

understand why Harbaugh feels that way.

The Nittany Lions rank fourth nationally with 28 sacks on the year.

Yetur Gross-Matos — the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week — has two sacks in each of Penn State’s past two games. He and defensive end Shareef Miller have combined for 10 tackles

and 21 tackles for loss this season.

“Really, the whole group is impressive,” Harbaugh said. “Like I said, I think it’s the best that we’ve played so far. Aggressive group that is very strong (on) inside pass-rush, as well as speed and power on the edge.”

That combination of speed and power is one that Runyan struggled

against on Sept. 1. His improvement since then has been undeniable, but Gross-Matos and Miller will test just how far Runyan has come.

“We did a good job (against Michigan State),” Runyan said. “…

Hopefully we carry that over to Penn State. Cause their team really likes to bring pressure, too.”