2019-01-22

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

Unbeaten run ends

Michigan basketball falls to Wisconsin, 64-54, ending its perfect, school record 18-0 start to the season

» Page 1B

‘Circle of Symposium Unity’ uses honors Dr. art to call King’s fight for peace CAMPUS LIFE

for justice

Speakers discuss importance of education and equality in remembering MLK’s legacy SARAH KUNKEL/Daily

Julia Putnam, principal and co-founder of the James and Grace Lee Boggs School, discusses her school’s reformed approach to education at the MLK Day Keynote Memorial Lecture in Hill Auditorium Monday.

ATTICUS RAASCH Daily News Reporter

More than 1,000 students and Ann Arbor residents filled Hill Auditorium on Monday to hear keynote speakers principal and co-founder of the James and Grace Lee Boggs School in Detroit Julia Putnam and anti-racism activist and writer Tim Wise discuss issues of inequality and injustice

in America.

The keynote memorial lecture is just one event in a two-week series of discussions, forums and events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and his efforts in the civil rights movement.

The event began with a performance from Mosaic Youth Theatre before transitioning to remarks from Robert Sellers, vice provost for equity and inclusion

and chief diversity officer, as well as Scott DeRue, dean of the Ross School of Business. DeRue introduced University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel.

Schlissel said the symposium is one of the largest events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. in the country. He commended the work of the event organizers in his speech.

“We’re proud that the

University of Michigan Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium is one of our nation’s largest university celebrations of the life and legacy of Dr. King,” Schlissel said. “It reflects our desire to serve society and strive for a better, more equitable, more just and more peaceful world.”

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Annual gathering celebrates history of nonviolence through song, dance MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN Daily Staff Reporter

More than 100 people gathered inside Haven Hall for the 13th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Circle of Unity hosted by the Michigan Community Scholars Program.

The event, held in conjunction with the University of Michigan’s Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Symposium, brought people together to honor heritage and diversity through different art forms.

Gabe Colman, coordinator for diversity initiatives for the Michigan Community Scholars Program, reflected on the significance of the event, commenting on how it offers individuals an opportunity to come together as one in an often

polarizing time.

“It’s called a ‘Circle of Unity’ because we all hold hands and get in a circle and that’s not something we do every day,” Colman said. “That’s what makes it special, especially in the world we live in now — it’s super divisive and polarizing even on campus.

It’s cool to see people from all different walks of life get together in the same room and be able to be one.”

The event celebrated King’s commitment to social justice, peace and unity. Participants used song, dance and spokenword poetry to honor King’s legacy. Local musicians Joe Reilly and Julie Beutel were featured artists at the event, along with the Smile Bringer Singers, a club See UNITY, Page 3A

Congresswoman Tlaib supports 300 17th SAAN Female protestors outside Detroit Auto Show civil rights keynote

SHIFTING SANDS

talks media presence Conference examines justice issues facing communities of color CALLIE TEITELBAUM

SNCC LOOKS BACK

Demonstrators march for causes including the Green New Deal and GM plant closures CATHERINE NOUHAN Daily Staff Reporter

Approximately 300 protesters marched near the entrance of Cobo Center on the first night of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Friday.

Protesters came to support

causes including the Green New Deal and the prevention of the General Motors plant closures.

The Green New Deal, most notably proposed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez, D-N.Y., is a proposal aimed at addressing both climate change and economic

inequalities. Many of the signs at the demonstration represented this ideal with phrases such as, “Green Union Jobs Now” and, “Clean Air! Clean Jobs! Clean Energy!”

The first night of the auto show, before it opens to the public, is historically the Charity Preview. Attendees

get the first view of the show and are encouraged to participate in philanthropic activities.

The auto show describes the Charity Preview as “One of the most exclusive, high profile events in the nation.” w See PROTEST, Page 3A

activists revisit role

Panel discussion looks at contribution of women during Civil Rights era LIAT WEINSTEIN

Daily Staff Reporter

About 300 students and faculty attended the 17th Annual South Asian Awareness Network Conference took place Saturday at the Michigan League. SAAN is a student-run organization at the University of Michigan which focuses on spreading awareness about social justice issues related to South Asian communities and other communities of color.

The conference, titled “Shifting Sands: Amplifying Stories to Create a New Narrative,” hosted a variety of speakers to discuss social justice issues such as sexual and mental health, representation in media, immigration and transgressing gender stereotypes.

SAAN’s vision statement for the conference read, “We aim to maintain spaces that challenge the dominant narrative and support those who are not given the opportunity to tell their stories.”

Students, alumni and Ann Arbor residents who attended the event were divided into small groups to participate in group dialogues about See SAAN, Page 3A

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

Daily Staff Reporter

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the History and Afroamerican and African Studies departments hosted a panel discussion titled “Fighting for Our Rights: Three Young Women Facing Southern Racism in the 1960s” on Monday to recognize the contributions of young women to the civil rights struggle.

The panel featured activists and former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee members Bettie Mae Fikes, Marilyn Lowen and University Alum Martha Noonan.

The SNCC is an organization well known for their activism during the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s.

They began from a wave of student sit-ins and grew into a larger organization with many supporters.

The event, which was coordinated by Matthew Countryman, professor of history and American culture, was part of a larger symposium dedicated to celebrating King’s See ACTIVISTS, Page 3A

Protestors gather outside of Cobo Center, on the night of the Charity Preview opening of the North American International Autoshow, to raise awareness of GM plant closures and the Green New Deal Friday evening.

Follow The Daily on Instagram, @michigandaily

For more stories and coverage, visit

michigandaily.com

INDEX

Vol. CXXVIII, No. 57 ©2019 The Michigan Daily

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS................6

SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS...................5 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1B -4B

News

2A — Tuesday, January 22, 2019

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY:

By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

THURSDAY: Twitter Talk

FRIDAY: Behind the Story

Design by Roseanne Chao

E N S P I R E D FA S H I O N S H O W

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com

MAYA GOLDMAN

TOMMY DYE

Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 mayagold@michigandaily.com

Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 tomedye@michigandaily.com

NEWS TIPS

news@michigandaily.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR tothedaily@michigandaily.com

EDITORIAL PAGE

opinion@michigandaily.com

PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION

ARTS SECTION

photo@michigandaily.com

arts@michigandaily.com

NEWSROOM

SPORTS SECTION

734-418-4115 opt. 3

sports@michigandaily.com

CORRECTIONS

ADVERTISING

corrections@michigandaily.com

CARTER FOX/Daily Models walking the runway at the EnspiRED Runway Allure fashion show in Biomedical Science Research Building Saturday evening.

Editorial Staff FINNTAN STORER Managing Editor

Professors call for politically correct language Educators emphasize how purposeful word choice in everyday speech can create progress and positive change for the future as a part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium

dailydisplay@gmail.com

frstorer@michigandaily.com

GRACE KAY and ELIZABETH LAWRENCE

Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Sayali Amin, Rachel Cunningham, Remy Farkas, Leah Graham, Amara Shaikh Assistant News Editors: Barbara Collins, Alex Harring, Danielle Pasekoff, Atticus Raasch, Ben Rosenfeld, Samantha Small, Emma Stein, Zayna Syed, Callie Teitelbaum, Liat Weinstein

JOEL DANILEWITZ and MAGDALENA MIHAYLOVA

Editorial Page Editors tothedaily@michigandaily.com Senior Opinion Editors: Emily Huhman, Alexander Satola, Elias Khoury, Nicholas Tomaino, Erin White

debating is power,” Curzan learning.

“We have to take said. “The power to say what MAX MARCOVITCH and ETHAN SEARS words mean, and to say who responsibility for our words, Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com can and can’t use them … One and listen and know that More than 200 people Senior Sports Editors: Mark Calcagno, Jake Shames, Matthew Kennedy, Anna Marcus, Paige Voeffray, Avi Sholkoff of the things happening in PC these choices matter,” Curzan filled Angell Hall Auditorium Assistant Sports Editors: Aria Gerson, Tien Le, Rian Ratnavale, Bennett language is that a different said. “As listeners, we would B on Monday for “Fights Bramson, Theo Mackie, Akul Vijayvargiya set of people — people encourage a kind of generosity about Language and Political JACK BRANDON and ARYA NAIDU who have been historically that if someone says something Correctness: What’s at Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com marginalized — are getting that is insulting or offensive, Stake?” The discussion, led Senior Arts Editors: Clara Scott, Emma Chang, Rob Mansuetti, Sam Della Fera, to call more of the linguistic is to not assume that you know

by Anne Curzan, professor of Trina Pal shots. That’s what is feeling so intention. One of the things English and associate dean for Arts Beat Editors: Verity Sturm, Sayan Ghosh, Mike Watkins, Ally Owens, Stephen Satarino, Izzy Hasslund, Margaret Sheridan we can do as listeners is to contested about it.” humanities, and linguistics Queen commented on how say, ‘here’s what I just heard,’ professor Robin Queen, ROSEANNE CHAO and JACK SILBERMAN Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com the discussion on language because that is true … that is a addressed the term “political Senior Design Editor: Willa Hua choice can be used in stance that creates more space correctness” and what it conversations pertaining to about that. And dialogue is means in society today.

ALEXIS RANKIN and ALEC COHEN Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com how we learn.” larger social issues.

The event was a part of Senior Photo Editors: Alexandria Pompei, Natalie Stephens, Alice Liu, Annie Klusendorf Engineering freshman “A lot of people argue that the University of Michigan’s Assistant Photo Editors: Katelyn Mulcahy, Miles Macklin, Emma Richter, Hannah Coronel echoed changing language is a trivial Ruben Reverend Dr. Martin Luther Siegel, Allison Engkvist sentiments and King Jr. Day Symposium. point of intervention,” Queen Curzan’s ANDREA PÉREZ BALDERRAMA language In celebration of King, the said. “Maybe, but it’s a place to explained how Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com individuals both professors ref lected on how start. That doesn’t mean that impacts Deputy Editors: Matthew Harmon, Shannon Ors public and private thinking about language is in subtle details in everyday MADELINE TURNER and MIRIAM FRANCISCO the only thing to do. You can conversation. language can have broad Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com “These kinds of discussion think about language and the http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ social impacts.

Curzan Sudoku Syndication Senior Copy Editors: Sadia Jiban, Olivia Sedlacek, Reece Meyhoefer important to raise climate at the same time. You are began with a reminder that can think about racism and awareness, because a lot of CASEY TIN and HASSAAN ALI WATTOO Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com the words of racism at the people do not necessarily Senior Web Developers: Jonathon Liu, Abha Panda, Ryan Siu, David Talbot, take the time to look at the same time.”

Samantha Cohen Queen ref lected on how way people are represented NOAH TAPPEN non-public settings,” politically correct language in Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com forces individuals to think Coronel said. “Even if there’s Senior Video Editors: Jillian Drzinski, Aarthi Janakiraman EASY about their place within a a comment that is not as CARLY RYAN and NA’KIA CHANNEY larger society and how this out in the open as someone Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com consciousness generates making an insensitive remark Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Lorna Brown, Samuel So, Ana Maria to a newspaper, for example, more mindfulness.

Sanchez-Castillo, Efe Osagie, Danyel Tharakan “How can we be (accurate representation) is Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Grace Cho, Harnoor Singh, Nada Eldawy, Maya Mokh respectful and generous still just as important.”

After the speech, to one another — not only CATHERINE NOUHAN and JOHN FABIAN as speakers, but also as Simon Rivers, curriculum Managing Podcast Editors listeners?” Queen said. coordinator for the English CARRINGTON TUBMAN and MADALASA CHAUDHARI and Literature “How can we approach one Language Managing Social Media Editors another from a spirit of Department, said discussions love, of thinking of us all in like this is vital to celebrating the same boat, all trying to the memory of King.

“All through our school’s figure out the best ways to treat each other well? The years, we always had the day ADRIANNA KUSMIERCZYK Creative Director treating each other well off, or there was some sort of CAMERON COANE ZELJKO KOSPIC comes from goodwill on all break there,” Rivers said. “I Sales Manager Special Projects Manager think it is really important of our parts.”

ROBERT WAGMAN ANITA MICHAUD Curzan concluded that we take this day where Marketing Consulting Manager Brand Manager the presentation with we honor this huge figure a ref lection on how in American society and are politically correct language either learning, doing some The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the is the responsibility of the sort of service, participating fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available in some sort of activism or speaker and the listener © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for OPOSSUM SZN puzzle by sudokusyndication.com to uphold, adding it can be raising awareness so it is not a $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. a catalyst for productive wasteful day.”

University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. conversation and greater Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com!

MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN Daily Staff Reporter

individual word choice matters in a society focused on maintaining progression and positive change.

“Our language choices matter,” Curzan said. “There is no language choice that is too small to matter. Every single one of us has a role in the choices that we make, and the conscious choices that we can make to thereby make a more inclusive environment.”

The discussion was based on three central themes: language choices matter, intention behind words does not outweigh interpretation and arguments about political correctness go beyond language.

Curzan defined political correctness and explained why the discussion surrounding it is often rife with tension.

“A big part of what we’re

SUDOKU

3

7

2

8

1

5

4

1

6

7

8

7

7

6

1

9

2

Business Staff

5 7

2

3

6

3

9

7 6

4 1 5

1

6

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

News

Tuesday, January 22, 2019 — 3A

Bipartisan bill calls for use of EPA funds to clean up sites contaminated with manufacturing chemicals Michigan’s Congressional delegation proposes legislation to combat PFAS, classify material as hazardous substances LEAH GRAHAM Daily News Editor

EMMA STEIN

Daily Staff Reporter

A Michigan congressional delegation introduced a bipartisan bill to designate perand polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, detected across the state as hazardous substances, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to direct funds to cleaning up polluted sites.

The so-called “forever chemicals” have been found in water sources throughout Michigan, including in Ann Arbor. Consumption of PFAS compounds, even in low levels, can lead to health problems, affecting the immune system and increasing the risk of cancer, among other things.

The PFAS Action Act,

SAAN From Page 1A individual experiences within the South Asian community and social justice issues as a whole.

In addition to a lecture by the keynote speaker, Trisha SakhujaWalia, CEO and co-founder of Brown Girl Magazine, other guest speakers presented in smaller workshops throughout the day.

During her keynote speech, Sakhuja-Walia highlighted the efforts of Brown Girl Magazine, an online publication created by and for South Asian women that uses stories to build community and empower South Asian women. The magazine, created in 2008, has published more than 4,000 original stories, reaching more than 5 million readers spanning the U.S., United Kingdom, India, Pakistan and South Africa.

Sakhuja-Walia named topics the magazine has covered, including the struggle of immigration, pursuit of creative passions, stigmas surrounding mental health and domestic violence, coming to terms with gender identity and women’s rights.

Sakhuja-Walia left her previous job one year ago to work full-time at Brown Girl. Her passion to achieve representation for the South Asian community has been the driving force behind her work at the magazine.

“Representation is more than just seeing ourselves on television or in movies or in

UNITY From Page 1A on campus dedicated to “spreading happiness through harmonies.”

After taking part in song and dance, the audience had the opportunity to publicly express their dreams for the future of society.

PROTEST From Page 1A The protesters’ location proved to be strategically chosen, as gala invitees strolled in black-tie garb and were face-to-face with protesters who could possibly be laid off

by GM. Before the march began, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., gave a speech about her family’s automotive roots and the injustice of the plant closure. She urged protesters to keep steady in their efforts to shed light on one of the GM closures.

“Understand we are here not alone with the Poletown workers, we are here to pushback against the shutdown of our government,” Tlaib said. “We constantly see that the CEOs are making 200, 300, 400 times more than their workers. Guess who subsidizes it? We do … so we are here to

written by U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, Dan Kildee, D-Flint, and U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, would allow the EPA to clean up sites contaminated by all PFAS chemicals as part of the Superfund program, a federal effort to address pollutants that pose a risk to human health or the environment.

In a press release, the lawmakers noted an “urgency and need to act” to address PFAS. Dingell, whose district includes Ann Arbor, said the chemicals were a growing problem.

“Michigan has been hit hard

by PFAS,” Dingell said. “It’s clear it’s a threat to human health and our environment. It’s been found in our drinking water, air, food and consumer products. Our bipartisan legislation will list all PFAS as the hazardous chemicals we know they are and give the EPA the tools it needs to clean up

contaminated sites.”

Currently, the EPA does not list PFAS as hazardous substances — only as an “emerging contaminant.” For several decades, the chemicals in the PFAS family were used in industrial and consumer products, such as waterproof clothing, food wrappers, Teflon pans and fire-fighting foam.

According to the Michigan Environmental Council, there are 36 confirmed PFAS sites in the state. However, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality estimates more than 11,300 locations statewide may be contaminated.

Brian Steglitz, the manager of Ann Arbor’s water treatment plant, said part of the problem is the compounds are durable and do not break down naturally.

“Many, many products that we use every day, these chemicals are in, and because they’re so stable

they get into the environment when you wash your pots and pans and clothes, and the firefighting foam can get into a storm sewer,” Steglitz said. “They’re very persistent. They don’t break down very easily, and because of that they’re in the watershed, and in our particular case they’re in the Huron River watershed.”

Ann Arbor has recently seen a spike in PFAS levels in its drinking water, but Steglitz said there were systems in place to closely monitor and remove the compounds.

“For meeting what the current water quality standards are, we are doing that,” Steglitz said.

“We’re actually well exceeding what the current standards or guidance is for addressing it and we’re using the best available technology that’s currently on the market to remove these compounds in the municipal drinking water facility.”

gigantic ad campaigns and billboards,” Sakhuja-Walia said. “Representation matters because it directly impacts how minority communities see themselves and how others in society view them.”

Sakhuja-Walia played clips of different media that have either portrayed South Asians positively or negatively. SakhujaWalia explained, while Anik Kahn’s uplifting music video “Big Fax,” containing the lyrics “damn it feels good to be an immigrant,” shed a positive light on cultural pride, Apu, the cartoon character from “The Simpsons,” instilled damaging stereotypes in society through its offensive portrayal of an Indian immigrant character voiced by a white man.

On the topic of the stereotypes of minorities in media, LSA freshman Emily Wu said the underrepresentation of South Asians is relatable for other minority groups.

“I really liked the media that was in (the presentation) … because I actually feel that too,” Wu said. “I’m Asian but I still feel that. It’s very relevant across all ethnicities that aren’t white.”

Sakhuja-Walia also used a disclaimer in her presentation, explaining that doing something out of the ordinary or engaging in certain actions as a member of the South Asian community does not make the action right. She said the actions of an individual belonging to the South Asian community don’t represent the actions of the whole population.

“Before I dive into some of the positive affirmations of media representation, I want to

acknowledge that we are finally in a time where doing something cool or out of the ordinary just because you are South Asian or brown doesn’t mean it’s always going to be right,” Sakhuja-Walia said. “Your actions speak for themselves, and the color of your skin and cultural affiliation can only do so much.”

Sakhuja-Walia emphasized the importance of continuing to share stories to create a more inclusive narrative for the South Asian community.

“No matter how far we have come living as South Asian people living in the diaspora, no matter how many times we have told our story, we will always be in the pursuit of storytelling,” Sakhuja-Walia said.

During one workshop, Amit Patel, a dancer and choreographer based in Los Angeles, spoke about his personal storytelling through dance. Patel discussed his experience as a first-generation Indian American and his journey discovering his identity through pioneering a new discipline of fusion dance called “Indian contemporary”: dance which combines elements of ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz and traditional Indian movements.

Patel explained the confusion he experienced in college regarding his identity.

“I was still very confused about my identity,” Patel said. “Who I was in terms of, ‘Should I be a little bit more Indian? Should I be a little more American? What does that even mean? What does that entail?’”

In an exploration of his identity, Patel said he turned to

different forms of movement for individual expression.

“I was trying to learn more about movement and how it was more than just a way of expression, but a mind, body and soul connection,” Patel said. “I was able to express all aspects of my being through that.”

Patel’s discovery of his identity through movement was only one of the experiences explored in the SAAN conference. Other workshop speakers included Jordan Alam, a BangladeshiAmerican writer, performer and social change educator; Alicia Virani, associate director of the criminal justice program at the UCLA School of Law; Hiba Khan, a Pakistani-Canadian artist; Neeraja Aravamudan, a social justice educator and associate director for teaching and research at the University’s Ginsberg Center and Tazin Daniels, an anthropologist and advocate for immigration and other issues relevant to the South Asian experience.

LSA junior Nikita Bazaj, small groups chair for the SAAN Central Planning Team, explained the relevance of SAAN at the University of Michigan.

“I think that SAAN is a great starting point for a lot of people who are looking to start engaging with social justice because a lot of people hear the term, ‘social justice’ and they’re afraid of it,” Bazaj said. “And I think that SAAN creates an opportunity for people to get introduced to what it is all about and listen to major speakers from minority categories that we don’t really see represented on this campus as often.”

Taubman freshman Demetrius Ford discussed how events like the Circle of Unity allow individuals to come together to celebrate King on this memorial holiday.

“MLK was such a pivotal figure in our history and in the civil rights movement,” Ford said. “His work and his contributions expand into today. I wanted to be here to show my appreciation for him and his work, and I also wanted

to see everybody here together to celebrate him.”

Engineering freshman Sage Paris commented on how Mrtin Luther King Jr. Day serves as an opportunity to reflect on injustice in this nation at large.

“It’s still important to come to events like this so we can acknowledge the significance of the day that is Martin Luther King Day, and reflect, particularly on

this day, on the rich history that has to do with all of the injustices in this country and think about the modern relevance of all of the issues that we are faced with,” Paris said.

The event concluded with a performance of gospel folk song “We Shall Overcome,” during which audience members came together in harmony as a testament to their dedication to positive social change.

stand in solidarity with every single worker.”

Later, she told The Michigan Daily about the intersection between the closure of the GM plants and the importance of the Green New Deal.

“Know that even GM’s closures show you the importance of the Green New Deal —the fact that we need to start looking at creating jobs beyond the traditional jobs that we’ve seen throughout the years,” Tlaib said. “In Detroit and around the nation, there needs to be real accountability, oversight and co-ownership when it comes to creating new jobs in our country. And the Green New Deal provides that structure to be able to have that.”

Once participants heard Tlaib’s speech, the marchers started heading toward the entrance, equipped with a small marching band. The most common tune sung during the demonstration was a repetitive question: “Which

side are you on? Which side are you on?”

The Green New Deal resonates with many young activists.

The Sunrise Movement has been a popular and growing movement in the United States and is particularly aimed at youth membership to prioritize climate change action in the national agenda. Members support the Green New Deal and are heavily involved in activism such as sit-ins outside of government officials’ offices.

Students who are not involved in the Sunrise Movement also said they see the benefits of large-scale environmental policy change.

LSA sophomore Matt Peracchi, who studies in the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment, did not attend the protest, but said he wants more investment in new forms of energy.

“Investing in renewable energy is an important first

step towards mitigating climate change. It isn’t the only thing the United States and the world needs to focus on, but GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from energy production is a huge factor causing climate change,” Peracchi said.

Many protesters said unionized demonstrations are critical to creating change in workers’ rights.

Norma Jean Haynes, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, talked about the importance of getting the workers of Detroit to participate in this demonstration outside of the auto show.

“People talk in Detroit about the revitalization, about the reclaiming of the city,” Haynes said. “And people who have lived here want to prioritize the workers, so getting people on the ground showing the vitality of that interest is exactly what we are out here to do.”

The EPA set the health advisory level for two harmful PFAS compounds — PFOA and PFOS — at 70 parts-per-trillion in 2016. However, in May, Politico reported on a study from the Department of Health and Human Services that would have recommended making the safety level for PFAS in drinking water six times lower than the existing standard that was being held up by the Trump administration.

In November, lab tests showed a combined PFOS and PFOA level of 56.40 ppt in Ann Arbor. The next month, tests said none of the compounds were found. However, because of an administrative error at the lab contracted to examine the samples, the analysis used a method with higher limits for detection and tested for fewer compounds than requested, and failed to meet the city’s parameters.

ACTIVISTS From Page 1A legacy and remembering the civil rights movement’s fight for racial justice. Other events included an MLK Day Circle of Unity and a screening of the documentary “Race: The Power of an Illusion.”

Through gospel songs and conversation, the panelists told their individual stories and recounted their years of nonviolent activism to a crowd of more than 100 students, faculty and community members.

Countryman said the goal of the discussion was to tell a more “complicated” story of the civil rights movement that included women and lesserknown narratives.

“There is a gap between general knowledge and what we can teach in the classroom,” Countryman said. “This is why events like this are important: because they tell these larger stories and present the story of a movement that is not coming from a few people at the top, but only happened because there was a larger movement at the bottom.”

Noonan, who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1964, began the talk by noting how her involvement in SNCC was born both out of necessity and personal conviction. She said the widespread belief the civil rights movement was a struggle for increased rights for African Americans is not entirely truthful.

“We were fighting for survival,” Noonan said. “We were fighting against the white terrorist structure in the South, which somehow is not captured by the notion of fighting for our rights.”

Max Grahl, an LSA sophomore who attended the event, said afterwards that Noonan’s point made him realize the civil rights movement was not only about ensuring civil rights for all Americans, but was vital to the future of African Americans.

“I think it’s hard sometimes to visualize that this wasn’t just a crisis over rights, it was a crisis over these people trying to live their lives,” Grahl said. “It’s something that you can forget once you become disconnected and it becomes history.”

Fikes echoed Noonan’s argument by mentioning how members of SNCC and other civil rights activists were fully aware that they could lose their jobs, homes or lives by participating in the movement. Fikes, who began singing gospel music when she was 4 years old and performed with the SNCC Freedom Singers, said singing gave her strength to endure mistreatment and suffering.

“Can you believe that all those old songs that I despised so much then, I travel the country teaching today?” Fikes said. “You must

Other Michigan lawmakers have voiced concern about the chemicals as well. In late December, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., sent a letter to Andrew Wheeler, the acting director of the EPA, urging the agency to craft a plan for dealing with PFAS. Peters asked for swift action to address the problem.

“In my state of Michigan, the more we look for PFAS the more we find,” Peters wrote. “… To date, chemicals have been found at some level in the drinking water serving more than two million people around the state, and I fully expect that number to continue to climb. Dozens of contaminated sites are found in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas, in both urban and rural areas.”

Read more at MichiganDaily.com understand why I do the things I do, why singing is so important to me. One of the reasons is that it releases me.

When I have a problem that I can’t talk about, I can sing about it, whether it’s the blues, gospel or whatever.”

Fikes urged audience members to join her in singing traditional gospel and folk songs that were inf luential during the civil rights movement, such as “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” and “This Little Light of Mine.”

She said these songs embodied her commitment to fighting against injustice through nonviolent protest.

“When I see police coming today, people think I’m scared of police — no, I’m not afraid of police,” Fikes said.

“I am afraid of the injustice.

Being a Black woman, I was taught in Selma, Alabama, what freedom really meant.

And when we got together, our energy was so high that when someone asked you a question, they said, ‘Whatcha want?’ and we would holler, ‘Freedom!’”

Lowen discussed her involvement with SNCC in addition to her family’s personal struggles as European Jews in the early 20th century. As an undergraduate at Bennington College in the 1960s, Lowen joined a civil rights group and later joined the 1966 March Against Fear in the South. Referencing a photo of a Nazi police dog, Lowen noted the similarities between European anti-Semitism and American racism.

“It really struck me that this is not a cartoon — this is a real dog wearing a real Nazi swastika and he was used in the same way over there that these dogs were used on us here,” Lowen said. “This picture for me symbolizes the powerful connection between the situations then and now.”

Noonan noted how many women involved in the civil rights movement diverged from the typical female ideal and took a radical approach to fighting injustice by embracing the strength of other female activists. She referred to Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm,” a popular protest song, when describing her motivation for working with SNCC. “The notion that somehow has crept into some of the literature that we were weaklings, oppressed by men — it’s not in my experience,” Noonan said.

“Being a ’60s activist taught me to say, ‘I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more.’ In the movement, in my school, in my home, the movement strengthened me and set me free. Like those sharecroppers who formed tent cities in Haywood and Fayette, and later in Lowndes County, Alabama, whatever happens in the future, I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more. No one and nothing is going to keep me from letting this little light I have shine, shine and shine.”

Opinion

4A — Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SOFIA ZERTUCHE | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT SOFZER@UMICH.EDU

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

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

MAYA GOLDMAN Editor in Chief

MAGDALENA MIHAYLOVA AND JOEL DANILEWITZ

FINNTAN STORER Managing Editor

Editorial Page Editors

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Emma Chang Joel Danilewitz Samantha Goldstein Elena Hubbell Emily Huhman Tara Jayaram

Jeremy Kaplan Sarah Khan Lucas Maiman Magdalena Mihaylova Ellery Rosenzweig

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

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.

MAX STEINBAUM | COLUMN

D

Democrats, resist progressive temptation

ur ing t he 2018 college in 2020. If t he Democrat s’ footba ll sea son, pr ior it y is to defeat Tr ump, Mich ig a n Stadium a n autopsy of 2016 indicates t hat a prog ressive drew a n average t ra nsfor mat ion of crowd of 110,737 fa ns t he pa r t y must be per g a me. That ’s a defer red. lot of folk s in ma ize It ’s a a nd blue, a nd a counter int uit ive g reater number t ha n prescr ipt ion. The Dona ld Tr ump’s Democrat s played 2016 combined it sa fe in 2016 w it h ma rg in of v ictor y — Hilla r y Clinton — a a ra zor t h in 77,744 ca ndidate who wa s Republica n- ca st MAX as establish ment ba llot s — in t he establish ment key sw ing states of STEINBAUM a s Prog ressives rea son Mich ig a n, Pen nsylva n ia a nd get s.

Wisconsin. Wit h t he help of t hat if it fa iled t hem t hen, 46 collect ive electora l votes it w ill fa il t hem ag a in. A in t hose states, t he underdog lef t-w ing f irebra nd, in t he Republica n, a bra sh New York st yle of Sa nders or Wa r ren, populist a nd self-st yled “blue- would breat he life into a n colla r billiona ire,” cr uised to a insipid pa r t y t hat needs to comfor table 306 -232 electora l f ree it self f rom un inspir ing college v ictor y over h is old-g ua rd vest iges. It is Democrat ic opponent Hilla r y a n at t ract ive t hought for lef t ist s, but Clinton, ea r n ing a four-yea r Democrat ic stay at 1600 Pen nsylva n ia Ave. Since t hen, Democrat s have been st rateg izing on how to remove Tr ump f rom of f ice — specif ica lly musing on a prog ressive reva mp of t he pa r t y.

Nat ura lly, Democrat s were shocked a nd dismayed by t he result s of Nov. 8, 2016. Lick ing t heir electora l wounds, t hey im mediately resolved to k ill t he Tr ump presidenc y in 2020. Wh ile Democrat ic deter m inat ion to do so ha s solidif ied over t he pa st t wo yea rs, t he pa r t y ’s not a ver y st rateg ic one. A s st rateg y to reta ke t he Wh ite disappoint ing a s it may be for House rema ins uncer ta in. t h is cont ingent , t he pa r t y must There is a profound f ission avoid prog ressive daydrea m s in t he pa r t y of Wilson, if t hey wa nt to ach ieve t he Roosevelt a nd Ken nedy, a n un iversa l Democrat ic pr ior it y ongoing ident it y st r ug gle of remov ing Tr ump in 2020.

La st June, A lexa ndr ia bet ween t wo compet ing fact ions. The f irst ca mp is Oca sio - Cor tez — a Democrat ic t he stable, if unent hused, old Socia list f rom t he Bron x a nd g ua rd epitom ized by t he likes a cur rent U. S. Representat ive of Hilla r y Clinton, Chuck for New York — capt ured t he Schumer a nd Na nc y Pelosi. at tent ion of t he nat ion w it h The ot her is t he surg ing her st un n ing Cong ressiona l prog ressive w ing of Ber n ie pr ima r y v ictor y over 10 -ter m Sa nders, Elizabet h Wa r ren incumbent Joe Crowley. The a nd A lexa ndr ia Oca sio - t hen-28 yea r- old’s electora l Cor tez. Wh ile t he lat ter ca mp upset wa s emblemat ic of a urges a n ouster of t he tepid possible new t rend in t he Democrat ic establish ment a nd Democrat ic Pa r t y of favor ing prog ressiv ism a n embrace of prog ressiv ism impa ssioned to restore v ita lit y to t he over t he establish ment . In Democrat ic Pa r t y, tapping a recent spat w it h Oca sio a dy na m ic lef t ist ca ndidate Cor tez, for mer Missour i Sen. is not t he surest route to Cla ire McCa sk ill expressed a Democrat ic O va l Of f ice concer n over t he prog ressive

Progressives must keep in mind that picking a presidential candidate is a strategic affair

surge.

In a December inter v iew w it h CNN, McCa sk ill quest ioned why Oca sio - Cor tez is “ t he t h ing,” dism issively na m ing t he new cong resswoma n “a br ight a nd sh iny new object ” who “ca me out of nowhere.” The dict ion wa s undiplomat ic, to be sure, but McCa sk ill’s implicat ions hold. A so - ca lled “br ight a nd sh iny ” prog ressive dy na mo w ill impa ir t he Democrat s’ cha nces in 2020.

Ta ke a look at t he 2016 electora l map. If Clinton had won Oh io a nd Pen nsylva n ia , she would be t he president of t he Un ited States. Wit hout Pen nsylva n ia’s 20 electora l votes, w in n ing Mich ig a n, Oh io a nd Wisconsin would have put her over t he cr it ica l 270 electora l vote ma rk.

Sw ing states like Flor ida w ill, of course, be a bloody bat t leg round bet ween Tr ump a nd h is Democrat ic opponent , but if 2016 is a ny indicat ion, t he nex t elect ion could be won or lost in t h ree or four states a round t he Great La kes.

Coa sta l prog ressiv ism , in t he cor pora l for m of Ber n ie Sa nders or Elizabet h Wa r ren, sells bet ter in Sa n Fra ncisco t ha n in Sag inaw. Prog ressives must keep in m ind t hat pick ing a president ia l ca ndidate is a st rateg ic a f fa ir. You have to consider t he g reatest sw ing audience — in t h is ca se, m iddle a nd work ing- cla ss voters in t he upper Midwest — a nd w rap your package accordingly.

That ’s why t he Democrat s need non-t h reaten ing, moderate fa m ilia r it y in 2020. They need a blue-jea ns Democrat w it h folk sy cha r m , a Joe Biden or Sher rod Brow n, who ca n spea k t he la ng uage of t he ever yday Pen nsylva n ia n or Oh ioa n a nd ea r n t heir vote back f rom Tr ump. To put t he keys to t he O va l Of f ice back in blue ha nds, t he f ier y prog ressive w ing must y ield to prag mat ism in t he pr ima r ies, or r isk ex tending t heir Tr ump n ight ma re into Ja nua r y 2025.

Max Steinbaum can be reached at maxst@umich.edu.

COME TO OUR MASS MEETING Join The Michigan Daily for our last mass meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. We will be in the Holly and John Madigan Newsroom on 420 Maynard St. Come learn about the paper, each section and how to join staff.

Email mmihaylo@umich.edu or joeldan@ umich.edu for more information on the Opinion section.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

JOIN OUR EDITORIAL BOARD Our Editorial Board meets Wednesdays 7:00-8:30 p.m. at our newsroom at 420 Maynard St. All are welcome to come discuss national, state and campus affairs.

ALLIE LINDSTROM | OP-ED

Changing the Ann Arbor climate debate

A

s a born a nd ra ised A nn A rborite, I’ve a lways know n climate cha nge to be rea l. It ’s not up for debate in our school system. It ’s acknowledged by our politica l leaders.

A nd it ’s even acted upon by citizen a nd government a like. However, t he sense of urgency I’ve felt in my 20 yea rs on t his pla net is nowhere nea r a n acceptable level of ef for t when it comes to ta king action on climate.

It ’s a s t hough we’ve pat ted ourselves on t he back for choosing to ca re.

My t heor y is t hat ma ny of us feel safe a nd t hat our ow n lives a ren’t at risk. Aga inst my bet ter judgement, I feel t his way. When I lef t Michiga n for school, I didn’t consider whet her my home would be t here when I ret urned, or if it ’d weat her a ny storms. A nn A rbor isn’t facing hurrica nes or w ildf ires. A nd our f looding increa ses don’t compa re to ot her cata st rophes.

We a re priv ileged a nd luck y.

But not t h at luck y.

A nyone who fol low s t he Fl i nt wat er c r i si s or t he E nbr idg e L i ne 5 debat e k now s t h at ou r wat er i n f ra s t r uc t u re is bad ly d a m a g e d , wh ich cl i m at e ch a ng e c a n on ly m a ke wor s e. Yet , I h ave sp ent t he la s t few yea r s pr i m i ng my s t at ement s a b out cl i m at e i mpac t s w it h qu a l i f ic at ion s s uch a s “ my s t at e w i l l b e ok ay, but hu r r ic a ne s ea s on i s g oi ng t o g et wor s e.”

I a m not t he on ly one who do e s t h i s . I a l s o d id n’t t h i n k

it wa s a problem — we ’re b ei ng s o c ia l ly con s c iou s , a ren’t we? But t h i s pa s t s eme s t er, I rea l i ze d it wa s . I joi ne d t he Su n r i s e Movement i n Wa sh i ng t on , D.C., w it h a 1000 ot hers to dema nd a Green New Dea l, a package of policies including 100 percent

I was arrested with 142 others and hoped it would sway Democratic leadership renewable energ y by 2030, a federa l jobs g ua ra ntee, a nd invest ment in communities on t he f rontlines of pover t y a nd pollution. Much like P resident Fra n k l i n D. Roosevelt ’s New Dea l , it wou ld t a ke t he emerg enc y at ha nd for what it i s a nd u se ever y tool ava i la ble to add ress it . L ed by u napolog et ic yout h leader s work i ng to solve t he cl i mate cr i si s, I wa s a r rested w it h 14 2 ot her s a nd hoped it wou ld s way Democrat ic leader sh ip.

It d id n’t .

Despite w idespread news covera g e a nd suppor t f rom a major it y of A mer ica n s, Democrat s br u shed a side a n oppor t u n it y for subst a nt ia l ac t ion a nd i n stead rev ived a toot h less com m it tee on

cl i mate. The Democrat ic Pa r t y i s t he pa r t y t hat k nows cl i mate cha ng e i s rea l , a f ter a l l , not t he pa r t y t hat pr ior it i zes it . However, wh i le Spea ker Na nc y Pelosi ca n br u sh a side ou r dema nd s, she ca n not s weep ou r spi r it u nder t he r ug.

When we stood i n t he ha l l s of Cong ress, tel l i ng ou r stor ies a nd si ng i ng, I t houg ht t h i s cou ld ac t ua l ly work . That t he Green New Dea l cou ld ac t ua l ly solve cl i mate cha ng e. I’ve never felt emot iona l a bout t he Ba nd-A id pol icies proposed before. The Green New Dea l i s d if ferent . It doesn’t st a r t f rom a n a ssu mpt ion of what ’s pol it ica l ly possible, it spr i ng s f rom ident if y i ng what ’s needed .

Wh i le I sat i n zip t ies, t he way s i n wh ich M ich ig a n w i l l f ace t he cl i mate cr i si s wa shed over me. It m ig ht not be a s d ra mat ic a s a hu r r ica ne, but ou r access to clea n water (a l ready t h reatened by oi l spi l l s, lead , d ioxa ne a nd PFA S), ou r cr u mbl i ng i n f ra st r uc t u re, a g r ic u lt u re a nd tou r i sm i ndu st r y a re a l l f aci ng u ncer t a i n f ut u res. I beg a n to see t he cha ng es i n my home for what t hey a re.

I’ve a lway s k now n t h i s, but I’ve never felt it before. The Su n r i se Movement g ave me rea l hope a nd opened t he door s for g r ief to pou r i n .

Allie Lindstrom is an Ann Arbor resident and can be reached at a.lindstrom@wustl.edu.

Arts

5A — Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

FILM REVIEW

MUSIC REVIEW

JAGJAGUWAR

Van Etten matures with ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’ MADELEINE GANNON Daily Arts Writer

“No one’s easy to love,” Sharon Van Etten sings — but fans of Van Etten will have no trouble falling in love with her latest release. Her new album Remind Me Tomorrow is 10 tracks of the otherworldly and strange. One may find it initially disconcerting, with its repetitive, hypnotic sounds and Van Etten’s crooning. The album even presents itself as yet another somber, indie-pop pity-party, with soft vocals and an abundance of longing.

The opening track “I Told You Everything” is quiet and lonely, the lines “Sitting at the bar / I told you everything” tinged with the subtle tone of regret. “Memorial Day,” too, feels at times almost alien. In fact, the entire first half of the album hangs on the cliff’s edge of bitter and sad.

The album, however, is anything but sad. It is truthful, it is vulnerable, it is powerful, it is a knock-your-socks-off dose of catharsis.

The album quickly grows in passion, power and energy from beginning to end. “Comeback Kid” comes roaring to life by the fourth track, all at once familiar,

willful and wild. Van Etten’s story of a directionless runaway hits close to home — maybe too close. Van Etten sings, “Don’t let me slip away,” a plea of help that resonates in the darker spaces of the mind. But again, it’s not sad or painful, but rather relieving to hear someone else put to words a fear we often bury: a fear of losing our way.

“Jupiter 4” and “Seventeen” also come bearing a dose of honesty

Remind Me Tomorrow Sharon Van Etten Jagjaguwar

— of acknowledgement — that is cathartic. Then, the penultimate closer, “Hands” is like a tsunami of emotion compared to the barebones quiet of the opener, “I Told You Everything.”

It’s almost as if a movie-styled time-skip has occurred, where the main character grows up in a series of brief, interconnected scenes. The entire album feels like a bad case of deja-vu. The songs

reach across a lifetime of follies, victories, and winding paths — the well worn and the (as of yet) unexplored. It’s only by the end of the last track that one realizes the magic Van Etten has woven into her album: The stranger Van Etten sings of is actually you.

No, not everyone has experienced the same ups and the same downs that Van Etten describes, but the lingering sense of uncertainty throughout the album brushes close to home.

Growing up is confusing and scary — full of crossroads, decisions and forked paths.

The bare orchestration of the songs, combined with the soft vulnerability of Van Etten’s singing sometimes seems as if she could be that voice inside your head, the one that knows all your secrets, all your desires and all your regrets. Alarming though it may seem to have someone look right through all the walls and defenses, the end result is so very satisfying.

“What do I do?” “Where do I go?” “How do I do this?” Van Etten embraces this uncertainty.

She completely, utterly owns it.

And from this acceptance is a rare sense of freedom. It then seems so simple for listeners to do the same.

IMPERATIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Eastwood is past prime with boomer ‘The Mule’ MAX MICHALSKY

Some actors age gracefully.

They forgo the youthful roles of their early careers, often in favor of those more mature and dramatic. Others simply ride their fame and influence to the director’s chair. These are the immortal ones, the Streeps, the McKellens, the De Niros. Some actors, however, find themselves unable to part with the roles and ideas that first made them great. They resist change with contempt until their careers are lost to obscurity. With his latest film “The Mule,” director and Western-film legend Clint Eastwood seems poised to do just that.

I went to see this film with my grandfather, both of us praying for “Dirty Harry” Clint Eastwood and not “The 15:17 to Paris” Clint Eastwood.

Unfortunately, what we got was “talking to an empty chair at the Republican National Convention” Clint Eastwood. For those not familiar, “The Mule” tells the story of Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood, “Gran Torino”), Call: #734-418-4115 a charismatic Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com horticulturalist in his early 90s who could never quite

Classifieds Release Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

FOR RENT

DOWN 1 Cabinet div.

2 Biting 3 South __, 2018 Olympics site 4 Boxing legend 5 2016 Olympics city 6 Colonial news source 7 Capital of Cyprus 8 Old Rom. ruler 9 Airport screening org.

10 Greeting mouthed to a stadium cam 11 Like home-runrobbing catches 12 RR stop 13 Typical Nick Jr. watcher 18 Venison source 19 “Patience you must have” Jedi master 24 Bundestag nos 25 Tries hard (for) 26 Part of SWAK 27 Endangered Hawaiian goose 28 Bluish gray 29 Studly dudes 33 Heirloom storage spot

34 Organic fertilizer 35 Arsenal contents 36 Lumber unit 37 Bicker 39 SpongeBob, e.g.

41 What Frosty’s eyes are made of 44 Made a misleading move 47 “W” on a light bulb 48 Thick & Fluffy waffle brand 50 Like 29-Down

51 Clamorous 52 In different places 53 Mournful song 57 Barely managed, with “out” 58 Drop by, with “in” 59 Federation in OPEC 60 One-eighty 61 Do simple math 62 Org. with Nets ... and nets 63 Dude

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Paul Coulter ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

01/22/19

01/22/19

‘The Mule’ Imperative Entertainment Goodrich Quality 16

It’s rare that I should leave a movie without a single positive thing to say, and yet here we are. The writing is corny, the performances forgettable and the action sequences strangely absent from a movie advertising itself as an action film. Beyond being an abject failure of a film, “The Mule” also seems insistent on pushing Eastwood’s dated social politics. In one eye-roll inducing scene, Earl pulls over on the side of the road to help a young Black family with a flat tire. The father

explains that he’s been on the internet trying to find a solution, to which Earl replies, “That’s the problem with you Millenials; can’t do anything without your dang Google boxes.” Earl then replaces the tire, but not without casually dropping a racial slur. When the family reprimands him, he rolls his eyes and is on his merry way to deliver the kilogram of cocaine in his trunk.

Obviously Earl Stone isn’t Clint Eastwood, but it’s impossible not to feel like the character is a surrogate for how Eastwood views himself: a charismatic bad boy full of wry witticisms and a condescending chagrin for political correctness. As a result, “The Mule” feels less like an actual film and more like a highlight reel of what happens when Eastwood has nobody around him willing to tell him “no.” It should serve as a testament to the weight that his name still carries that he managed to get Bradley Cooper (“A Star is Born”) to be in this movie, especially considering Cooper’s character, DEA agent Colin Bates, is completely forgettable. Then again, nothing about “The Mule” is particularly memorable. It feels like a caricature of a film we’ve all seen before. It’s a fitting metaphor as Clint Eastwood strays further and further into his own selfcharacterization.

COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Senegal’s capital 6 Website for techies 10 Talk show runner 14 2018 romaine lettuce concern 15 Drinking glass edges 16 “What’s gotten __ you?”

17 Mortgage check, say 20 Italian three 21 Classified ad abbr.

22 “How exciting!”

23 Brit’s sausagewith-potatoes dish 30 Benelux locale: Abbr.

31 Furniture chain also known for Swedish meatballs 32 Wash. Nats’ div.

33 “Encore!”

36 Barbara of TV’s “Mission: Impossible” 37 Patriarch from Eden 38 Calls on for help 40 Stash out of sight 42 Highland caps 43 Blockheads 45 “I don’t mind eels / Except as meals” poet Nash 46 __ nutshell: briefly 47 Had on 48 Évian water 49 42-7, say, in an NFL game 54 Consume 55 Eggy drink 56 Key lime __ 58 What ends many a line, and what begins each of the puzzle’s three other long answers 64 Citizenship recitation 65 Bad day for Caesar 66 Intrude rudely, with “in” 67 Cancún cash 68 Whirling current 69 Pretended to be

Daily Arts Writer

slow down to make time for his family. When Earl goes bankrupt, an opportunity arises for him to make some fast cash transporting contraband as a drug mule for the Mexican Drug Cartel. In short, the movie is baby boomer fantasy porn. No, seriously, a scene about two-thirds of the way through the movie sees Earl fawned over by topless prostitutes, and seems to exist with little purpose aside from being documented proof that Clint Eastwood can still get it up.

3 & 4 Bedroom Apts Avail Fall 19/20 $1800 ‑ $2680 + Utilities Laundry On Site, Parking Avail 1015 Packard ‑ 734‑996‑1991 EFFICIENCY ‑ 1 & 2 Bdrm apart‑ ments Fall 2019/20 Rents range $875 ‑ $1850 most include heat and water Showings scheduled M‑F 10‑3 734‑996‑1991

Loving and hating Ann Arbor, after four years NITYA GUPTA Daily Arts Writer

I’m writing this while watching snow fall on a frozen lake. There’s a guy zooming around on a four-wheeler with a sled attached the back, and his two tiny children are sitting on it looking like fluffy bundles of hats and scarves.

After long breaks, there’s always an undeniable thrill in coming back to Ann Arbor. You see all your friends, eat Frank’s hash browns and can spot maize and blue everywhere. As a second semester senior, I’ve spent a lot of time anticipating that moment when I take Exit 172 back into Ann Arbor or arrive at the Ann Arbor Amtrak Station.

Yet just as much as I love returning to Ann Arbor, I often find myself needing to escape once I’m there. Maybe it’s because Ann Arbor comes with the stress of school, or maybe it’s because Ann Arbor is a town of mediums: busy enough to be in constant motion but still quiet at odd hours, large enough to discover your own favorite coffee shop or bar but small enough to eventually see someone you know there.

Usually, a trip to Meijer or Trader Joe’s is enough to cure Ann Arbor’s intensity when I first come back to campus. Though they’re just a few miles from campus, these grocery store trips offer me a moment of repose and break the bubble of Ann Arbor that’s simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting.

This Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, I ventured out even further, heading up north to my roommate’s lake house. The back of their house faces Long Lake, and my friends and I have spent hours staring out the window watching people ice fish, take their children sledding or attempt to do donuts with their snowmobiles (would

not recommend). Everything here is in stark contrast to Ann Arbor, from the lack of drunk people screaming at 2 a.m. to the amount of unplowed snow I can see extending into the distance.

I realize I’m waxing poetic to something Michiganders already know: Northern Michigan is beautiful.

But, seeing Northern Michigan has made me think about my relationship with Ann Arbor. It’s not that I don’t love the city, because I truly do. It’s filled with a sense of community for me, whether through writing or school or yoga. It’s where I’ve made so many wonderful friends, (somewhat) learned how to cook and grew up from the freshman I once was.

For many of us, Ann Arbor is a temporary home away from home, a place to live as we learn how to be young adults. Though the future is always uncertain, many of us know these years will be the only ones we spend in Ann Arbor or even the state of Michigan.

And maybe that’s why I feel the overwhelming urge to leave Ann Arbor on occasion. I know the time I have left in the place I began to call my home is running out, so I walk up and down State Street thinking about how in a few months I will graduate and leave Ann Arbor. I’ll no longer walk past South Quad and get nostalgic or stroll into Frank’s for breakfast or run into three of my friends in Angell Hall on the way to class; being in Ann Arbor reminds me of that.

As bleak as that may sound, I’m still missing Ann Arbor right now, even while sitting in front of a massive window watching children sled on a frozen lake.

Because I love Ann Arbor for being intense and thrilling and the perfect medium between a college town and a real city.

Also, how can you not love Frank’s hash browns?

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Tuesday, January 22, 2019 — 6A

TV REVIEW

DAILY HEALTH & WELLNESS COLUMN

An origin story for any millennial online JOEY SCHUMAN

Daily Health & Wellness Columnist

NBC

‘This is Us’ is uneven and convoluted, as it usually is MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN Daily Arts Writer

There are shows we turn to for unswerving excellence, there are shows we love because they never make any discernible attempts at quality and somewhere in the murky middle, there is NBC’s “This Is Us,” which shuffles across the spectrum like a chameleon on roller skates. “Oh, you thought we were good?” the show sneers at its audience each Tuesday night. “No, how silly of you, we’re actually quite bad.”

But then, at the precise moment you make your peace with the show as a weepy melodramatic trainwreck with no hope in sight, the ghost of “This Is Us” will re-emerge and cry in faux disbelief, “What are you talking about? We’re inventive and layered and structurally brilliant with knockout performances!” I think this is what people these days call ‘gaslighting.’

This surely is the most frustrating fandom, the uniquely painful kind that shaves years off one’s life. It requires both a boatload of faith and an equal amount of distrust. It’s the equivalent of that year Sandra Bullock won the Razzie for Worst Actress and the Oscar for Best Actress in the span of one weekend. It’s like watching Russell Westbrook chuck brick after brick every night and finally tucking your Thunder jersey away in the attic only to head back downstairs in time to see him drain the clutch game-winner. How can something so good be so bad? How can

something so bad be so good?

The drama’s third season has served up some lovely, pitchperfect episodes and some blah misses. After a midseason hiatus, “This Is Us” made its return last week in the most “This Is Us” way possible: The mediocre acting was frequently groan-worthy, occasionally moving, and all in all, perfectly average.

A year ago, it seemed impossible that the weakest storyline on “This Is Us” could be Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown, “American

‘This is Us’ Season 3 Midseason Premiere NBC Tuesdays 9 p.m.

Crime Story”). He and Susan Kelechi Watson’s Beth (“Louie”) have frequently saved the show from descending into Sad Sack City, anchoring it with charisma and chemistry and a rare, totally functional onscreen partnership.

But Randall’s campaign for a city council seat in Philadelphia, which once seemed like the show’s way of teaching him a tough lesson about his excessive righteousness, has now swallowed him whole while indulging the character’s worst tendencies.

Fortunately for him, Randall lives in a bizarro universe where the electorate is won over by spirited oratory. (Aaron Sorkin called. He wants his naïve worldview back.

Also, he made some Gilbert and Sullivan reference I didn’t quite understand.) Never mind that Randall is a Philly resident by technicality, and actually lives in Alpine, NJ., which is about as far away from Philadelphia as you can get while still being in NJ. It’s equally surprising that Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley, “Revenge”) has emerged as the third season’s strongest character, deciding to learn more about his father’s experiences in Vietnam while pursuing a relationship with the sometimes closed-off, “complicated” documentarian, Zoe (Melanie Liburd, “Dark Matter”). His portion of “The Last Seven Weeks” works nicely as a link between both of these processes, culminating in an earned, moving moment of character-growth. Kate (Chrissy Metz, “American Horror Story”), finally pregnant this season after struggling to conceive, is sidelined with a C-plot this episode, a zany quest to retrieve her husband’s Star Wars action figures after accidentally donating them, but Metz makes the most of it.

So where does “This Is Us” go from here? Who knows. There are still several loose ends to tie up, a flash-forward mystery yet to be resolved and, from Kevin’s Vietnam digging, a potential long-lost family member waiting in the wings for his story to be told. All that’s certain is that the remaining episodes of this season will be a little excellent and also a bit terrible. So let’s buckle in: After all, this is a show that killed a character via Crock Pot, and did so beautifully.

EVENT REVIEW

‘The Great Tamer’ shows humanity through nudity DANA PIERANGELI For the Daily

In the week leading up to my seeing “The Great Tamer,” conceived, visualized and directed by Dimitris Papaioannou, the only thing I knew was that it contained full frontal nudity. So, naturally, I asked my dad to accompany me for a unique fatherdaughter bonding experience.

Unfortunately, he was unable (or unwilling) to join me on what promised to be “a visually stunning production of ten dancers that grapples with the meaning of life and the mystery of death.” So on Friday night, I shuffled into my seat, dad-less and defenseless, not even close to ready for the self-proclaimed “surrealist nightmare” and the experience of a lifetime.

When I took my seat, there was already an actor on stage.

I checked my phone. I wasn’t late, still five minutes to show time, but he was just hanging out center stage, looking around at the audience. Then, the play began. The house lights remained on while the man on stage slowly began undressing himself. There was no music, no sound, just the occasional uncomfortable cough from the audience. Once he was fully undressed, he laid down on a white sheet of what I assumed to be plywood. Another man appeared to cover him in a

sheet. As soon as that man left another man uncovered the naked man. While I was still trying to wrap my head around how he was comfortable enough to be fully nude in front of an audience of 500 people, there were murmured chuckles from the audience as the cycle started over. And over. And over. By the 13th or 14th time, the chuckles subsided in place of a fatigued anticipation for a new bout of action.

And action it was. Soon enough, the stage was alive with movement. If I diverted my gaze to one person, two more people would appear onstage, usually naked, always in the midst of a new interpretive scene. These scenes built upon one another, fluidly moving from one to the next and often recurring throughout the show. Even the covering tarp came back once or twice. With so much going on, not every scene’s meaning was apparent. In fact, very few scene’s meanings were apparent. I genuinely wish I could say what the play was concretely about, but to be honest, I’m not exactly sure myself.

Even calling it a play is a stretch; there were no words and only limited music. The performance featured twelve dancers who spent the hour and forty-five minutes contorting their bodies into visually stunning and unimaginable shapes, depicting puzzling yet

fascinating — sometimes even grotesque — interpretations of human existence. Each dancer was barely distinguishable from one another, always dressed in black and thrown together in various formations, often being used as singular body parts making up one whole human. While many parts of this performance were confusing and disturbing, some parts were relatable and beautiful.

There was a man who entered in a full body ceramic cast. He could barely move, needing a crutch just to walk.

When the other man onstage realized his problem, he began breaking the ceramic shell off his body by hugging him.

Though they had just met, the man in the cast had to learn to trust his new friend quickly, at least enough for him to put his hands around his neck. With this deep sense of trust, the ceramic man allowed his friend to break through his tough outer shell to see the person he was beneath. With one final heart and ceramic-breaking hug, the man was free from his binding cast. He patted himself down, in awe of his new body, shook hands with his friend and left. The friend was left with nothing but a handshake and a pile of broken, ceramic hopes.

Read more at MichiganDaily. com

I think I was in third grade when my mom received a call from the mother of one of my friends. This particular mom sounded nervous. “Do you think there’s any chance Joey might have, um, introduced Nick to ‘YouTube?’”

Well, that was certainly possible, my mom replied. Joey laughed a lot at those online videos, after all, and had even showed his sister some of his favorites. No issues there.

There were issues. Nick came from a Mormon family.

Forget about even uttering a curse word; these folks (among the kindest and most compassionate I’ve ever met) were intensely devoted to their religion, which meant they were altogether prohibitive of anything that might corrupt their children.

Well, maybe it worked. Nick definitely didn’t turn out as poorly as the rest of us. In 2019, however, I think I’ve begun to scratch the surface about why my entire generation ended up in our collective medley of fuckedupness: YouTube.

Could it be? You’re probably wondering how you got here, too, so do join me on this journey of spirituality. In order to figure out what you’ve become, you need to rediscover your origins. Here’s what your first YouTube video says about you.

Evolution of Dance

Thriller dance exists your sensitive being, one who dances not for some soulfulfilling form of expression but for instant gratification from others. You understand that, while you’re only as good as your best Milly rock, your true worth is founded in who you share those Milly rocks with. So Milly rock all you want; just make sure there’s an audience.

Numa Numa You’re incredibly ready for the real world. In fact, you are the real world. So much of life, it turns out, depends on your mastery of the clout chase, and Numa Numa makes up the very foundation of Clout. It’s true: just exercising your ability to bring this dance staple to life equals relevance in university and professional circles. At the very least, being able to keep these moves in the back pocket most definitely led to a total domination of Bar/ Bat Mitzvah or school dance circuits, and that charisma counts for something.

I think I heard cuts from “Shoes” at more than one club in Berlin during my fourmonth stay there, which, if it doesn’t say enough in itself, should signify how freaky this stuff really is. First, I guess, I commend you for your bravery.

More importantly, I laud you for your elevated consciousness.

If something like “Muffins” launched you into the world of online entertainment, that means you probably learned what postmodernism was in, like, sixth grade. Big stuff.

Daft Hands – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger My first thought upon first seeing this video: who could possibly have had the gall to steal a Kanye West sample?

My second thought: I’m a dummy. My third thought: oh shit, mom made pizza rolls again. Everyone else who was introduced to YouTube through this video: hold my fanny pack, time to Festival Shuff le for no one in particular.

Leeroy Jenkins HD 1080p

Nyan Cat 10 hours (original) You’re a sadistic dirtbag. No one forgot about all the bad jokes you made just as everyone was about to fall asleep at sleepovers in 2009, no, we most certainly don’t care about your Fushigi, and yes, of course we’ve seen your super dope mix-every-fountain-drinkin-one-cup move. Find a new slant, Mendeleev.

I’m entirely positive that this video is the sole reason for Twitch-streaming celebrity Ninja’s existence. Shame on you, then, for watching— and thus cultivating—this country’s most dangerous cultural sensation since Smosh. Speaking ofSmosh I’m sorry for you.

On the surface, you form your strongest relationships didactically, dominating hangouts with news of the latest Twitter beef (and having fun hyping it all up). But look deeper. There are layers to you. Under your Twists and technical perfection of the

Boom Goes the Dynamite Testosterone. Testosterone?

Testosterone.

That’s you.

Testosterone! Testy Testy. Test, Test, 1 2 3. Testosteroneous Rex. Liam Kyle Sullivan

*We didn’t forget about you, Potter Puppet Pals, Grape Lady falls, Charlie Bit My Finger or (sigh) Charlie the Unicorn.

Maybe you ended up best of the bunch. Maybe you didn’t.

B The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | January 22, 2019

SPORTSTUESDAY

It Happ-ens.

WISCONSIN 64 - MICHIGAN 54

Katelyn Mulcahy / Daily

26

puts up strong performance as U-M finally loses

points

10

rebounds

7

Design by Jack Silberman

ETHAN HAPP

assists

INSIDE SPORTSTUESDAY WOLVERINES STUGGLE TO SCORE, UNRAVEL LATE IN MADISON See Page 4B

SportsTuesday

2B — January 22, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SportsTuesday Column: A familiar inflection point As Mel Pearson sat down in the offices at Yost Ice Arena on Monday, he admitted he was disappointed MIKE with his PERSAK Michigan hockey team.

Pearson had just walked in from the Wolverines’ practice, and coming off a bye week, Pearson’s team didn’t have a great Monday practice.

It was clearly weighing on Pearson’s mind. At one point, he went off on a bit of a tangent, seeming to speculate about why his players were a bit lackluster.

“I’ll be fine when I leave here.

I’m fine. I’m not gonna let them ruin my day,” Pearson finished, perhaps trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.

Any of Pearson’s frustrations make sense in the midst of this season, though. The Wolverines began the year ranked fourth in the nation. But they haven’t strung together wins like many expected them to — currently sitting at 8-9-6 — and time is running out for Michigan to climb the rankings and keep postseason hopes alive.

“We talked, and we’re in playoff mode,” Pearson said. “Just like, you know, this is playoff hockey. You’ve got to play every game like it’s your last game. And I know it’s a cliché, but you really have to. I mean, you really have to show up and play hard.”

Luckily for the Wolverines, they were in nearly an identical position last season.

Last January, Michigan needed to pile up some signature wins. It responded with a sweep of Minnesota which catapulted the Wolverines to wins in 11 of their last 14 games, allowing for a postseason run to the Frozen Four.

The similarities are even

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Junior forward Will Lockwood said that the 8-9-6 Michigan hockey team needs a spark ahead of its pivotal series with Penn State in order to make a return to the NCAA Tournament this season.

deeper than that.

Last season, Michigan lost a top producer when forward Will Lockwood suffered a seasonending shoulder injury at the World Junior Championships.

This year, sophomore forward Josh Norris went down at the same tournament, leaving the Wolverines comparably hamstrung.

Lockwood says he has given Norris some advice here and there and will continue to do so as Norris needs it.

The bigger point, though, is that Lockwood’s injury seemed to be a bit of a rallying point for Michigan last season. If that’s the case, he can help advance the hunger to mimic the results of yesteryear.

After all, Lockwood, one of

the few players on the roster who didn’t get to experience last season’s magic, will be looked upon to help orchestrate another run. And perhaps he is already trying to help with that, as Pearson complimented Lockwood’s practice Monday despite his overall feeling about the team’s day. “(Lockwood) comments about that,” Pearson said. “He enjoyed it, but he felt like he wasn’t a part of it almost. So no question about it, yeah. And he’s been good. He’s been really good. And he worked hard today. “... And he wants a little taste of that, which is good, because he didn’t get it his first year. You know, we weren’t very good that year. We went 13-19. Last year we took a step, but he doesn’t get to

participate, so you want that.”

Added Lockwood: “It’s weird.

You get it taken away from you, and you don’t really know what you have until you’ve lost it.”

Lockwood was talking about his injury, but the same can be said for a season.

At some point, obviously, it will end. There will only be one national champion, and the rest of the teams will be left wondering what more they could have done to reach the top.

Now is a point that the Wolverines may look back to in a few months, for better or worse.

No. 15 Penn State comes to Ann Arbor on Thursday before the Wolverines go to New York City to face the Nittany Lions on Saturday. It’s a prime opportunity to start climbing the Pairwise rankings.

If last season taught us anything about the Wolverines, it is that they have a penchant for playing well with their backs against the wall.

When they had no option other than to win, they did just that, over and over again.

It isn’t a healthy way to live in college hockey, a sport in which upsets are common a night-to-

“We have a chance to make a run. ... I look forward to it.”

night basis, but it worked once.

And it is the reality Michigan faces now.

“You know, I think we need to have that spark,” Lockwood said.

“And we know it’s not just gonna happen. And we can’t say, you know, ‘We did it last year. It’s just automatically gonna happen.’ It starts from hard work and hard work in practice. And, you know, I think once we get a bit of a spark like that and win a couple games in a row, I think we have a chance to make a run, and I look forward to it.”

Pearson shares that sense of urgency.

When asked when Michigan must get going before it’s too late, Pearson made sure to leave no room for interpretation.

“Now.”

After up-and-down freshman year, Michigan suffers loss in exhibition Dakota Raabe maturing off the ice DANIEL DASH

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

Sophomore forward Dakota Raabe is maturing in his second year at Michigan.

BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer

Dakota Raabe walked into the Michigan hockey locker room last January to find his locker empty.

Then a freshman, Raabe had been dealing with some academic issues and the Wolverines decided to send a message to him.

“You have a responsibility here as a student-athlete,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson on Monday. “Our program, I can only speak for our program, but you go to class, you’re on time.

You represent your family, your teammates, the program, the athletic department. There’s a responsibility there, and if you’re not doing it, you’re not entitled to play hockey. It’s a benefit.”

A year later, Raabe is one of the players Pearson frequently calls out — praising his growth and increased maturity over his time so far at Michigan. The sophomore now plays on a line that Pearson says he’d match up against any team’s top line.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Last season, while trying to find his way as a freshman, Raabe struggled to understand his role and do the little things he needed to do to be successful.

“With him, it’s just, I think (telling him) that you are important to the team,” Pearson said. “Regardless of your role, how minimal or whatever it is might seem. Maybe that was part of him, doesn’t think he’s that important, ‘Because I’m not Josh Norris, I’m

not Quinn Hughes, I’m not Cooper Marody.’

“You can get a tendency to think, ‘Well, they’re going to do it.

I just have to show up and I’ll be fine.’ But that’s not the case.”

This year, Raabe has been a nearly constant presence in the lineup — he’s missed only one game all season. Along with that consistent playing time comes a deeper understanding of his role and the importance of his contributions to the team.

“He’s worked a lot harder, but that’s part of understanding how you have to do it each and every day,” Pearson said. “You just can’t do it once in a while, you just can’t be satisfied with being in the lineup. You have to do what you’re good at and try and bring it every day.”

As Raabe has grown on the ice, his role as a leader has developed off it. On a team with 10 freshmen, any player that wants to add leadership is welcomed.

And Raabe is largely trying to show the freshmen exactly what Pearson wanted him to learn last year.

“I’m just trying to show that each day, you have to bring it,” Raabe said. “Just from the situation I was in, it doesn’t matter what your role is or whatever as long as you just accept it, work

hard at it, and then, when you’re given an opportunity, you take the chance.”

Raabe and his linemates, freshmen forwards Garrett Van Wyhe and Nolan Moyle, have played together in almost every game this year. As a sophomore playing with two freshmen, Raabe’s leadership is even more important with his linemates.

But it seems he is not the only leader on that line.

“He’s playing with a guy like (Van Wyhe) that’s really helping him,” Pearson said. “Garrett’s a pretty mature kid for being a freshman. … They complement each other well, how they play.

And Garrett’s a hard worker.

That’s his M.O., work hard, so I think sometimes that rubs off or should rub off on your linemates and your teammates. I think it has.”

The hard work and commitment that Van Wyhe has helped instill in Raabe shows itself when the two play together on the penalty kill for the Wolverines.

Perhaps no example of this is more striking than when Raabe and Van Wyhe — along with junior defenseman Luke Martin — killed off two minutes of a fiveon-three advantage for Ohio State two weekends ago.

Those two minutes showed Raabe’s ability and willingness to sacrifice his body to block a shot and make a play. And that willingness, especially in contrast to his freshman season, is exactly what Pearson wants to see from him.

“That second year, you’ve matured, you understand what it takes,” Pearson said. “And you’re just willing to do it. I think that’s it.

“He can skate, he can score, so he’s just got to believe in himself.

But he’s been much better. We need him to be good going down the stretch. He’s taken big steps.”

“I’m trying to just show that each day, you have to bring it.”

Daily Sports Writer

afternoon. Fahey — a threetime All-Big Ten selection who entered the season tabbed as the nation’s No. 3 singles player — found herself in a quick 3-0 hole against Tennessee’s Sadie Hammond. With the set on the brink of slipping away, more glimmers of frustration began to shine through.

“My energy was a little negative,” Fahey said. “I was trying to yell and be expressive but it wasn’t in a positive way.

I’m a super competitive person — I express my emotions a lot, and everyone knows that. I shut down when I stay within myself, so I like to yell.”

Following the rocky start, Fahey found her footing during the match’s second changeover.

She rallied to force a tiebreaker, but Hammond answered with a decisive 7-3 win to take the opening frame.

Instead of unraveling after seeing her comeback bid fall short, Fahey hit the reset button.

The New Jersey native’s ability to manage her fierce competitive drive has earmarked her storied career, and she comfortably captured 6-1 victories in the ensuing two sets to win the match.

Fahey wasn’t the only Wolverine who put on a strong singles showing — Minor, junior Chiara Lommer and junior Giulia Pairone also secured victories against the Volunteers.

Lommer and Minor both won in straight sets — 6-1, 6-1 and 6-3, 7-5, respectively — while Pairone was put to the test in

her Michigan debut. The junior transfer from Arkansas won the opening set, 6-4, before losing a tight tiebreaker in the following frame. Going into the third set of her singles match after already playing doubles, Pairone knew she was in a battle against both fatigue and Tennessee’s Gabby Schuck.

That didn’t stop Pairone — she came out firing on all cylinders, igniting an emotional spark that propelled her to a 6-1 win. “(Pairone) was on a high level,” Bernstein said. “When you watch her, the biggest thing is that her energy is great. We’re really happy to have her.”

Though Saturday’s results weren’t encouraging, the Wolverines’ confidence didn’t waver in the slightest. If anything, the positive takeaways outweighed the shortcomings by showing a glimpse of this unit’s potential.

“We almost got to the Final Four my freshman year, and I really think we can do even better (this year),” Fahey said.

“On a national level, we can do really big things with this group.”

When Fahey slammed her racquet on the court in frustration, it came away unscathed. Not even a scuff.

Rather than breaking, the racquet lifted her to a roaring comeback over Hammond just moments later.

After a lackluster first day, Bernstein can only hope her team has the resilience of her star senior’s racquet.

Kate Fahey slammed her racquet against the court in frustration after watching yet another forehand sail long.

It was that kind of a start for the No. 10 Michigan women’s tennis team, which saw its Big Ten Tournament title defense begin on the wrong side of a lopsided upset. Ohio State took the Michigan Invitational by storm on Saturday, sweeping the hosts in an exhibition fourmatch doubles series.

When the dust settled, the Wolverines dodged a bullet.

Because of the event’s exhibition status, results don’t factor into team and individual records — thus saving No. 10 Michigan from the stain of a 4-0 doubles loss against an unranked opponent.

The Buckeyes underscored their dominant performance by toppling the Wolverines’ 15th-ranked tandem of Fahey and fellow senior Brienne Minor, the NCAA’s 2017 singles national championship, in the top doubles match. As unforced errors mounted, the duo lacked energy in a 6-1 loss against Ohio State’s 47th-ranked pairing of Shiori Fukuda and Isabelle Boulais.

But if there’s anyone who can diagnose and cure the problem before its destructive onset, it’s Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein. Now in her 12th season at the helm of the program, the five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has guided the Wolverines to seven Big Ten championships since 2010. “(Doubles play) is something we’re working on,” Bernstein said. “It’s not just the result — it’s that our energy wasn’t there.

They need to feel us, and I didn’t feel us in the building today.”

With the sour taste of the doubles sweep still lingering, Michigan took the court again — this time for an eight-match singles series against Tennessee.

Highlighted by a Fahey comeback win, the Wolverines MAX KUANG/Daily earned four victories against the Volunteers to cap off the Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein said her team’s energy wasn’t there on Sunday.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SportsTuesday

January 22, 2019 — 3B

Punch to the Bucks!

Michigan stages fourth-quarter comeback, beats Ohio State 62-58 to keep NCAA Tournament dreams afloat BENNETT BRAMSON Daily Sports Writer

With 13 seconds remaining in Sunday’s matchup with Ohio State, Michigan women’s basketball freshman forward Naz Hillmon delivered a gamewinning layup, completing a 12-point fourth quarter comeback in a 62- 58 victory.

In their only regular season contest against one another this season the Wolverines (12-7 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) defeated the Buckeyes (7-9 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) in what was a thrilling, scrappy game thanks in large part to Hillmon and senior guard Nicole Munger.

After scoring 19 first quarter points, the Wolverines seemingly fell asleep for the next two quarters, only scoring a combined 18 points. Then the fourth quarter came, and everything changed.

“We were talking about, in the third quarter, how we couldn’t have been playing any more (tightly),” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “We were really low energy at that point, with the exception of Nicole. We said, ‘We have to get some stops if we’re going to win this game.’ … So we started to score and I think when we started to score we gained some confidence back.

“They were scoring with us at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but then they got tight.

And I think us scoring, our fans behind us, the crowd getting rowdy, we were able to get stops.

And not only were we able to get stops, but we came up with the rebounds. And I think our kids were really selling out, doing everything they could to come up with those rebounds down the stretch.”

Michigan entered the quarter down nine, but quickly battled back to cut the lead to six with 6:15 remaining in the game. It then rattled off three straight layups to tie the game before an

Ohio State three with 1:36 left on the clock.

On the ensuing possession, Munger calmly knocked down a three to yet again tie the game and send Crisler into a frenzy.

The Buckeyes failed to convert on their next possession as senior center Hallie Thome blocked an attempted floater with 41 seconds on the clock. For their final possession, the Wolverines found Hillmon on the right block to give Michigan the lead for good.

“That’s just our team fighting back,” Munger said. “Being at home helps so much. The crowd was incredible. It was nice. The crowd made it happen. The team played really well and went out and grinded. It’s just a lot of fun.

We did it together. That was what was most important. They couldn’t stop Naz inside, so we kept going to her. Hallie had such a day. Her block at the end there isn’t something a lot of people are going to remember but it was game-changing. I think everyone played such an important part in this win and that’s what makes it so incredible. So kudos to everyone down the line. 1-14.

Proud of us.”

Hillmon, who came off the bench only 1:45 into the game after Wolverines sophomore forward Hailey Brown got into early foul trouble, left her mark scoring eight first quarter points while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.

In the second quarter, Michigan struggled to find the basket. Hillmon scored twice in the first three minutes of the quarter but, after that, the Wolverines didn’t score again until Thome converted a hook shot in the low post with 2:45 remaining in the period. And while junior guard Akienreh Johnson followed Thome’s shot with a 3- pointer just a minute later, outside of those four buckets, the Michigan offense could get nothing else going.

On top of the lack of scoring, the Wolverines committed 11 first half turnovers and nine team fouls, seven of which coming in the first quarter.

However, Michigan still clung to a one-point half time lead, 28-27, thanks to a strong defensive showing in the second quarter, holding Ohio State to 5-for-14 from the field.

Then the third quarter came.

In front of what had been a raucous crowd in the first half, the Wolverines came out flat in the third quarter, not scoring until a pair of Hillmon free throws with 4:15 remaining and not making a field goal until the final minute.

While Michigan shot a mere 2-11 from the field, the Buckeyes, meanwhile, went 6-10 and dominated the Wolverines, forcing five turnovers and outrebounding Michigan nine to seven.

“I think we had too many turnovers, we were trying to force the ball,” Barnes Arico said of the team’s struggles. “Now here’s the opposite side of ok (we’ve) got all these great post

players and we’re trying to get them touches, but everyone in the country knows that we’re trying to get them touches. So they’re packing the paint. Extremely packing the paint. And we’re still throwing the ball there. And we were forcing it instead of getting ball movement, instead of getting better touches.

“So that’s why I think we struggled with our turnovers, really weren’t getting good shots and struggled without movement of the basketball. And that’s kind of a work in progress. It’s something that we know we have to get better at but we’re gonna keep working on it.”

But, after Munger knocked down her third 3-pointer with 18 seconds to cut the lead to nine, the Wolverines suddenly had life heading into the final quarter.

Munger scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch three point to tie the game immediately following an Ohio State three with just over a minute remaining in the game.

The rest is history.

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily

Senior guard Nicole Munger helped lift the Wolverines to a comeback win.

CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer

Naz Hillmon may have led the Wolverines in scoring.

Hailey Brown made two critical layups to keep Michigan within touching distance in the fourth quarter. And point guard Amy Dilk demonstrated poise at the helm by knocking down two clutch free throws late and providing her teammates with open looks on multiple occasions.

There were multiple performances from Michigan players that contributed to a come-from-behind win over bitter rival Ohio State on Sunday afternoon — many of them by underclassmen — and yet, the two biggest plays of the game came from the two senior Wolverines — guard Nicole Munger and center Hallie Thome. For a team largely characterized by its youthful exuberance and inexperience, the veterans stepped up in a massive way.

When Ohio State took a three-point lead with a minute left, Munger responded by drilling a three of her own.

“Being a senior she’s got to know ‘You’re getting you the ball.’ She is a tremendous shooter,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “The way she shoots the basketball in practice is incredible. She doesn’t miss. Now the same shots she’s not always getting in the game … but she’s just stayed the course and kept working on it.”

Seconds later, Thome blocked Makayla Waterman’s floater on the other end and snatched the rebound. From there, Michigan never looked back.

At times this season, both Munger and Thome have struggled to give the Wolverines the consistent

on-court output they’re capable of, but their commitment to the team and the guidance they’ve provided for their younger teammates has never wavered.

This game was just another example of that.

“It’s like having a coach on the floor,” Hillmon said. “Coach talks about how important the experience of Hal and Munger is and you can definitely see that. Just in our huddles, they’re the main ones talking.

“Nicole’s throwing her body everywhere. She’s sacrificing for the team. If there’s one person that’s for the team, the team, the team, it’s Munger. She goes out there every day and if her shot’s not falling, she’ll play good defense. Anything she can do to pump us up.”

Against the Buckeyes, Munger was dangerous offensively — pouring in 18 points. Thome’s scoreline may not have been as impressive with just six points, but her presence was undeniable.

Whether she and Thome filled up the stat sheet or not, they had a tremendous impact on the outcome of this game.

Though the Wolverines still sit tenth in the Big Ten, this game was as close to a must-win as any they’ve had this season and still keeps their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. In the fourth quarter, there was a discernible sense of urgency on display from the team in white, and Munger and Thome — with their days at Michigan numbered — were the catalysts.

“Hungry dogs run faster and we’re hungry,” Munger said.

“We need wins. Every game in the Big Ten is gonna be like this. It’s gonna be a grinder.

We try to stay hungry and keep attacking each day, try to get a little bit better.

If we do that, at the end of the season we’ll be a lot better than where we started.”

‘M’ looking to move on Wojcik earns third-straight title in home opener WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

MAX MARCOVITCH Managing Sports Editor

Maddie Mariani stood tall, took a breath and composed herself. Then the freshman sped down the runway and gracefully launched herself over the vault. She landed cleanly on the mat, where she was mobbed by her coaches and teammates.

The scoreboard flashed a solid 9.825.

For Mariani and her teammates, it was a moment of exhalation, energy and, for the first time in over a week, normalcy.

Eight days after Michigan initially hired former senior vice president of USA Gymnastics, Rhonda Faehn, to be an assistant coach — and four days after she was fired — the Wolverines returned to the mat.

They did so with an eye toward moving on from a tumultuous week.

“It was kind of an emotional weekend — a high and a low,” said senior Emma McLean. “We pulled it back together, and it’s not anything we can’t handle.

I think our foundation is so strong that at this point nothing is going to shake us.”

Faehn departed USA Gymnastics in the fallout of the Larry Nassar scandal. She was hired by Michigan on Thursday, Jan. 10. She was fired four days later.

Sunday evening, in the statement announcing Faehn’s firing, athletic director Warde Manuel characterized her hiring as the “wrong decision.”

The decision to part ways with Faehn was met with displeasure from many on the team. Senior Olivia Karas was among those who reacted negatively at the time, tweeting Sunday, “Disappointed that this opportunity has been taken from us. No one seems to care that we were so excited to have Rhonda joining us this season.

Very very disappointed.”

Friday, though holding to a similar sentiment, Karas struck a softer tone.

“(The coaches) were very transparent with us, and we were really excited to have her here,” Karas said. “I’m really upset about losing her on our coaching staff. However I understand the backlash and understand how there could be feelings towards it that could make it not necessarily a good idea. But I am very sad. I really liked her.”

Michigan coach Bev Plocki, meanwhile, kept her focus on the meet, one in which the Wolverines topped Michigan State, 195.975-194.050.

“Yeah, I’ve talked about that,” Plocki said Friday, when asked about her decision to make the hiring. “Right now we’re going to continue focusing on moving forward.”

In Saturday’s announcement of Faehn’s hiring — issued a day after The Daily learned of it — Plocki offered effusive praise.

“I have known and respected Rhonda Faehn for over two decades,” she said in the statement. “Her accomplishments in our sport speak for themselves. Her technical knowledge and experience will greatly benefit our student-athletes.”

Faehn was fired a day later after multiple regents publicly called for her removal to the Detroit Free Press.

Karas confirmed to The Daily that Manuel addressed the team this week, though she declined to comment on the nature of that conversation.

For the players, Friday’s meet was a chance to move past the turmoil. It was a chance to celebrate freshman Natalie Wojcik, an emerging star; an opportunity to speculate on a team brimming with potential; a day to move past a controversy that was never in their control, into a future that will be.

“We were doing it without (Faehn) before and we can continue to do it without her,” McLean said. “Whatever we have in ourselves is whatever we need. We have whatever we need to make the best of it.”

ANNA MARCUS Daily Sports Editor

It’s been more than just a big week for Natalie Wojcik. You could say it’s been her month.

Three weeks ago, in the opening meet of the season, the freshman gymnast broke Michigan’s record for highest score in a collegiate debut with a near perfect 39.625 — good for the all-around title at the Cancun Classic.

One week later, in front of 10,000-plus fans in Tuscaloosa, Ala., she claimed that honor again and won the individual vault and balance beam events.

Wojcik’s breakout performance in her first competition with the Wolverines landed her a selection as Big Ten Gymnast of the Week. In just two weeks, she had already received recognition as Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Twice.

But Friday night, when the award ceremony wrapped up and Wojcik’s name was called for her third all-around title in three weeks, the achievement had new meaning — she had done it at home.

In an animated Crisler Center, Wojcik stole the show with a meethigh 39.325, aiding the No. 8 Michigan women’s gymnastics team to a 195.975194.050 conference and homeopening victory over Michigan State.

Currently sitting at No. 3, No. 6 and No. 21 in the nation in the vault, beam and uneven bars events, respectively, Wojcik has set a precedent of sustainable precision for herself in competitions this season. And Michigan coach Bev Plocki has taken note.

“She’s a perfectionist,” Plocki said. “She’s very in tune with what she’s doing, she gives 100 percent in practice

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Freshman gymnast Natalie Wojcik scored a meet-high 39.325 points in Michigan’s victory over Michigan State.

every single turn she takes every day. And that shows up on the competition floor with confidence and with consistency.”

Wojcik’s performance on Friday, particularly in the uneven bars and beam rotations, embodied the artistry and skill the freshman has brought to the Wolverines’ roster this season.

Wojcik has anchored the vault, uneven bars and beam rotations for the Wolverines in their first three meets.

Pressure is inherent to this role, as the anchor is the last gymnast to perform in a rotation, representing a final opportunity for a team to boost its score in any given event.

But from the moment Wojcik made her first leap onto the bars Friday, the pressure didn’t show. She wound up for her double layout, gaining speed as she circled the high bar. She released, flipping with perfect form.

Her feet connected with the mat. Flawless landing. A minute later, the scoreboard read 9.900.

“She’s beautiful, everything is so precise and perfect.”

“I do get a little bit nervous, but it’s more excited nervous, though,” Wojcik said. “So reminding myself that this is what I train for every day in practice and knowing the team is behind me really helps to calms me down.”

The weight of Wojcik’s role as anchor is especially evident when other preceding Michigan routines do not score as high as would be desired.

This was the case on the balance beam Friday night, and the squad was looking for a knockout ending from Wojcik to head into the floor exercise with a significant edge over Michigan State.

As Wojcik gracefully executed a switch leap followed by a split jump, she couldn’t have looked more composed on the thin beam. The gymnast transitioned from a back handspring into a back layout without any signs of slipping following the flip. She finished with a clean dismount and stuck the landing.

Again, Crisler erupted. This

time, the board flashed 9.950 — her top beam score thus far this season.

“That moment when I landed my dismount and had everyone cheering and high-fiving me was really exciting,” Wojcik said.

Added Plocki: “Her beam in general, is like, exquisite.

She puts the artistry in artistic gymnastics.

She’s beautiful, everything is so precise and perfect — and that’s from focus and repetition.”

As a topscoring gymnast on a top-ranked program the past three weekends, Wojcik is a strong link on a team brimming with young talent, one that includes powerhouse freshmen in Maddie Mariani and Abby Brenner, who regularly hit solid routines in competition.

“This is definitely going to be a team that’s hopefully going to peak as we continue to go through the season,” Plocki said.

And if the best is yet to come for Plocki’s team, the potential for a dominant Michigan season is looking pretty bright.

“She puts the artistry in artistic gymnastics.”

SportsTuesday

4B — January 22, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Streak snapped Michigan takes first loss at Wisconsin, 64-54, ending 17-game winning streak to start season, now must learn from it ARIA GERSON

Daily Sports Writer

MADISON — On the floor of the Kohl Center, there was madness.

Players and fans and coaches rushed the court, a mass that exuded exuberance.

In the Michigan locker room, there was quiet.

After every other game this season, the No. 2 Wolverines (17-1 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) had sung the fight song. On Saturday, for the first time, they didn’t. That’s a festivity reserved for wins, and Michigan had fallen, finally, to Wisconsin (12-6, 4-3), 64-54. There were turnovers and missed baskets and an all-around ugly offensive performance and finally, the Wolverines, undefeated no more.

“We just weren’t able to knock down shots,” said junior center Jon Teske. “The mistakes, we forced. … We had some dumb turnovers.

That’s not us.”

The turning point came with Michigan up one six minutes into the second half. Teske fought for a board and attempted a half-court pass to sophomore guard Jordan Poole, but Poole couldn’t corral it and Badger forward Ethan Happ grabbed the ball just before it went out of bounds, then took it down the court for a layup. Suddenly, Wisconsin was up one and it only cascaded from there.

Once Wisconsin took the lead, Happ took over, icing the game almost single-handedly. Alleyoop. Another dunk. Hook shot.

Rebound. A couple free throws.

The Wolverines, ultimately, had no answers as the Badgers slowly built their lead.

“We always feed off (Happ’s) energy,” said Wisconsin guard Brad Davison. “ … It’s infectious to the rest of the team.”

The first half was relatively inconspicuous for both teams.

For long stretches, sophomore guard Jordan Poole was the only Michigan player who could find

the basket — and during the final stretch of the game, he sat on the bench with four fouls. At one point, neither team scored for 2:54 before Poole hit a jumper that capped off an odd 8-0 run for the Wolverines.

Then things started getting ugly for Michigan. Wisconsin took a timeout after a charge on sophomore forward Isaiah Livers and promptly went on a 7-0 run spurred by Happ and forward Aleem Ford to put the Badgers up four.

At halftime, the Wolverines’ two-point lead seemed almost undeserved, given the number of missed shots, bad possessions and turnovers, not to mention a 1-for7 mark from 3-point range. And in the second half, it caught up to them.

“When you’re playing a really good team, anybody has (16) turnovers against a team that doesn’t turn it over is not gonna win any games,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “Their defense is just so good in contain.”

And though Michigan had some good individual performances — junior guard Zavier Simpson, Poole and Teske all finished with double digit points — it was all ultimately too much. The crowd and the turnovers and too many trips down the court with nothing to show for it left the Wolverines gasping for air.

With just a minute left, freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis — who scored zero points for the first time all season — was called for an intentional foul off the ball, sending Happ to the line, where he hit 1-of2. On the ensuing possession, Happ made a layup, then a defensive rebound that led to a dunk.

Another turnover and another foul on the Wolverines sent Davison to the charity stripe with four seconds left. He made both free throws to provide the final dagger.

After the game Michigan had, it was all too appropriate.

A

fter a mostly meaningless December win against Binghamton — a game in which Michigan didn’t play particularly well, but still blew by the Bearcats — you couldn’t be faulted for looking forward.

Big Ten ARIA play was GERSON about to resume. The Wolverines were undefeated with a program-record start within reach. The questions were inevitable.

Do you think about being undefeated?

Michigan men’s basketball coach John Beilein shot down any such idea instantly.

“We talked about, the goals this year weren’t to be undefeated,” Beilein said. “The goal was to win all our home games, so we did that. Compete for a Big Ten championship, that’s still in front of us. … So just take it a little bit by little as we go forward, but we don’t talk about going undefeated and there hasn’t been a team go undefeated since ’76, is that right? So we don’t talk about it.”

The thing about a winning streak, though, is that it’s impossible to avoid talking about it, especially when it meets its demise. On Saturday, the fifth-ranked Wolverines fell to Wisconsin, and the questions switched from handling the pressure of a streak to how they would move on.

There was another significant thing Beilein said at that press conference after Binghamton.

The question was again about being undefeated. But the answer was about learning.

“It’s really hard to keep that going,” Beilein said. “We’d probably prefer it the other way. …

That certainly was sometimes where they needed to get their memory jogged about how we got to that point was incredible defense, incredible attention to detail, et cetera.”

Beilein said he’d prefer an early-season loss or two because it’s harder to remind the team of that when it hasn’t faced adversity. In that sense, Saturday — where the defense failed to contain the Badgers’ Ethan Happ and Michigan gave away 16 turnovers — was one hell of a memory jog. Going forward, that could help the Wolverines.

Friday afternoon, freshman

forward Ignas Brazdeikis was brash and confident, letting the world know that he wasn’t scared of any team. The next day, he scored zero points and was instructed to intentionally foul Happ off the ball, leading to a flagrant foul that completed Michigan’s unraveling.

Brazdeikis hadn’t had a day like that before. He’d scored double-digit points in all but two games and never put up a goose egg. He’d never experienced the eerie silence of a post-loss locker room, a stark contrast to the loud, confident atmosphere after a win.

For everyone else, too, it had been a while since they’d made mistakes like that, been outplayed like that or lost like that. Other than a 62-60 scare in Evanston in early December, there hadn’t been any semblance of trouble all season. Now that they’ve hit some struggles, the Wolverines are better equipped to correct them.

“We don’t usually make those mistakes,” said junior center Jon Teske after the game. “But for some reason we did, and we’ll learn from this and we’ll grow from this.”

That, above all, is what Beilein was talking about after the

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Redshirt junior Charles Matthews scored just five points as Michigan suffered its first loss of the season at Wisconsin.

blowout against the Bearcats.

There’s a reason the last team to go undefeated was over 40 years ago. Every team, no matter how good, is going to have one of those games. All of Beilein’s goals are still attainable. Michigan is still perfect at home. The Big Ten title is still within reach.

Last weekend, the Wolverines were simultaneously reminded about what made them great before and what mistakes to correct in the future. The schedule will only get tougher as the season goes on, with road contests against Indiana and Iowa and home games against Minnesota and Ohio State in the next two weeks. So as tough as it is to see any streak end, perhaps the loss came at just the right time.

“You’re a victim of your own success in the sense that any losses will magnify, and that’s really not the truth,” Beilein said. “The truth is the schedule is much different in the first 18 than it is in the last 13. … So, it’s when you try to explain that to your team, without taking away confidence and without scaring them for the future. You try to make sure they know who our team really is, what we’re capable of, things like that. A loss is a loss, learn from it and move on.”

Inevitably, the questions about the streak will die down now that it’s over. No longer will every win be potential history, and no longer will any loss be the end of something. Instead, Michigan can focus on the strengths that led to the streak in the first place and the weaknesses that ended it. It is only with both of those together that the Wolverines can become the best version of themselves.

And that’s just the way Beilein wants it.

Gerson can be reached at amgerson@umich.edu and on Twitter @aria_gerson.

‘M’ offense flails in loss at Wisconsin Wolverines struggle down stretch ETHAN SEARS

Managing Sports Editor

MADISON — Thirty minutes after Michigan’s first loss of the season, John Beilein was asked about the Kohl Center. He started to give a stock answer, complimenting the crowd, the venue and so on. Then he stopped himself.

“People don’t lose here because it’s the Kohl Center,” Beilein said.

“They lose here because of the style of play that Wisconsin plays.

They don’t beat themselves, and they’re just tough to play. There’s so many good places in the Big Ten and this isn’t one we say, ‘Oh, we don’t wanna go to the Kohl Center.’ We say, ‘We don’t want to play Wisconsin, cause they’re so good.’ ” This year, it’s unclear just how good the Badgers are. They sit at 12-6 after boosting their resume by handing the Wolverines their first loss of the season on Saturday, 64-54. They are likely on track to make the NCAA Tournament but still sit a tier below the Big Ten’s best.

What is clear is this: Wisconsin forced Michigan to play on its terms Saturday.

Each team had 64 possessions.

They were slow, monotonous and ended in frustration more often than not. That’s Wisconsin basketball.

The Wolverines didn’t make a 3-pointer until late in the first half. By the time the game was over, they had made just 5-of-18.

When they tried to get inside, they were met by a wall in the form of Nate Reuvers. When they tried to run the floor, they turned it over.

When they tried to play in the half-court, they turned it over still, finishing with 16.

And Michigan, a team whose calling card has been that five different people can be its offensive lodestar, had no offense at all.

Redshirt junior forward Charles Matthews, the Wolverines’ most comfortable midrange shooter, scored all of five points when the Badgers spent the game daring Michigan to take midrange shots. Sophomore guard Jordan

Poole, who managed to carry the offense in the first half, found himself in foul trouble and scored just three points in the second after Wisconsin switched up its coverage. Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis, a day after being asked about top-ranked Duke and declaring, “We feel like we’re definitely better than them,” was held scoreless.

The locker room, boisterous and loud with the fight song after each win, fell quiet when Beilein walked in.

“I didn’t realize it, we always sing the fight song after every win,” Beilein said. “It’s the first time the guys have never sang the fight song.”

A loss after 17 straight wins is as inevitable as it is painful. Any loss is a learning experience, but this one was a harsh reminder that Michigan still has bumps to smooth over — its offense being exhibit A. “Tomorrow’s film session will dig in for our guys,” Beilein said.

“It wasn’t exactly easy when you’re trying to get your guys to run because you’re mad at them after they just beat Northwestern

by 20 points. … We have a lot of weaknesses. And we gotta shore them up.”

Other than junior center Jon Teske, who finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and turned it over just once, it’s hard to pinpoint anyone who played particularly well on the offensive end throughout. Those games do happen, and for the Wolverines, they have been few and far between. That won’t change today though.

“We try to make it our team against their team,” said Wisconsin coach Greg Gard. “Our team defense has to be better than their team offense.”

Just before that, he had been asked what the Badgers’ defensive priorities were going into the game.

“Don’t let Michigan score,” he said.

“Don’t let (Zavier) Simpson score. Don’t let Teske score. Don’t let Brazdeikis score. Don’t let Poole score. Don’t let (Isaiah) Livers score. Don’t let Matthews score. Don’t let (Austin) Davis score. Don’t let (Eli) Brooks score.”

They didn’t.

THEO MACKIE

Daily Sports Writer

MADISON — For the better part of three months, the Michigan men’s basketball team has strolled to wins with minimal barriers along the way. With the exception of a 62-60 win over Northwestern six weeks ago, each of its 17 victories had come by at least eight points.

So when the Kohl Center crowd rose to its feet as Wolverines coach John Beilein signaled for a timeout with four minutes to play and his team trailing by six, Michigan had no answers.

“We just needed to capitalize,” said sophomore guard Jordan Poole. “But we also haven’t been in a situation like this too many times.”

Instead of capitalizing, the Wolverines came out of the timeout and allowed the same type of basket they had all night — a hook shot by Wisconsin forward Ethan Happ, his 21st and 22nd points of the afternoon that sent the Badgers on their way to a 64-54 win.

On the ensuing possession, junior point guard Zavier Simpson

uncharacteristically drove into traffic and saw his layup attempt stuffed at the rim. But when junior center Jon Teske hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three a minute later, Michigan had its opportunity to regain control of the game.

After a free throw from Happ, Teske — perhaps buoyed by his previous make, but perhaps rattled by the unfamiliar situation — let loose again from deep. Only this time, there was a man in his face and the shot barely scraped the front of the rim. A D’Mitrik Trice miss afforded Michigan another opportunity to trim the deficit but shot selection again stifled the Wolverines on their next trip down the floor.

Poole took a dribble handoff beyond the arc with 20 seconds on the shot clock as two defenders closed in on him. Rather than assessing his options as he had done in a familiar 11-point first half, he dribbled into traffic and hoisted a three that never had a chance of finding bottom.

“I think it was only the Northwestern game was the game that we went down to the wire like this,” Poole said. “You know, which

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis went scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting at Wisconsin on Saturday as Michigan’s offense struggled to find points in a 64-54 loss.

shots you can take, which shots you can’t, clock management. It’s just little things like that that you won’t be able to see in the game if you win by eight, nine, 10.”

Added Beilein: “Those are not good plays down the stretch. If we’d already gone through that once, it might have helped us today.”

Even after the Badgers extended their lead to six on the next possession, Michigan wasn’t quite dead yet. Sophomore forward Isaiah Livers hit a three on the next possession to bring the Wolverines within three, but it remained uncharted territory.

So, faced with a situation that he hasn’t been in for nine months, Beilein called for freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis to intentionally foul Happ — a 49 percent free throw shooter — off the ball.

The only problem? The rule book.

A flagrant 1 personal foul is a personal foul that is deemed excessive in nature… Examples include but are not limited to: …

Fouling a player who is clearly away from the ball who is not directly involved with the play.

The Wolverines had not had to overcome a late deficit all season, and it showed. The basketball execution was there — Brazdeikis did exactly as he was told, Livers’ three was a beautiful step-back jumper and Simpson forced a pair of steals down the stretch. The decision making — on and off the court — was not.

“One of the big things is we haven’t had the opportunity to grow from losses,” Beilein said.

“And we needed that growth today, because we weren’t as good as we’d like to be.”

On the other sideline, Wisconsin had already lost a trio of Big Ten games by a combined 15 points.

Down the stretch, their motto was “unfazed.”

“It’s strictly about mentality,” said Badgers coach Greg Gard.

“And the mentality to fight through adversity. You’re gonna have some days when things don’t go well, how do you respond?”

The problem for Michigan? The last time it had one of those days was in April.