2019-04-05

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Friday, April 5, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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LGBTQ+ individuals share stories of coming out at open-mic event

College Democrats committee hosts speak out encouraging solidarity, empowerment

CAMPUS LIFE

Maize & Blue Cupboard to offer produce on daily basis Organization services will include toiletries, cookware and unused food DANIELLE PASEKOFF Daily Staff Reporter

ZACHARY GOLDSMITH/Daily Co-Chair of the Stonewall Democrats, Colleen Grogan, opens up a safe space at the Coming Out Speak Out in the Michigan League Thursday evening.

CLAIRE HAO

Daily Staff Reporter

More than 60 students gathered in the Michigan League for the second-ever Coming Out Speak Out, an open-mic event for the LGBTQ+ community.

The event was hosted by Stonewall Democrats, the LGBTQ+ issue committee of College Democrats at the University of Michigan. The first Coming Out Speak Out was hosted in 2017.

To begin, LSA senior Colleen Grogan and LSA freshman Neil

Jain, Stonewall Democrats co-chairs, introduced the event, explaining it was a space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to voice their story and stand in solidarity with those who have had different coming-out stories. Grogan and Jain emphasized there is no generic coming-out story and expressed coming out is a lifelong process.

Many speakers spoke about experiencing confusion and guilt as they came to understand their identities.

Several discussed doubts they faced in feeling they had to conform

to expectations of gender and sexuality in a heteronormative society.

Others spoke of believing they were straight because they did not fit common LGBTQ+ stereotypes.

In sharing their coming out experiences, some described positive reactions and expressed gratitude for supportive communities.

Others recalled negative aspects, saying they were not yet comfortable discussing their sexuality with certain family members and friends.

Some voiced they received skepticism, disbelief and denial

from family and friends. Several expressed suffering mental health issues such as depression and experiencing suicidal thoughts. Others shared they faced verbal and physical abuse from family and experienced threats of being put in the foster system and homelessness.

A few speakers highlighted the importance of recognizing the intersection of sexuality and race, explaining individuals belonging to LGBTQ+ and POC communities experience higher rates of mental illness and violence.

See SPEAKOUT, Page 3

Maize & Blue Cupboard announced Tuesday that they will be expanding their operation and relocating to a permanent space on Central Campus. Following this week’s soft opening, an official unveiling of the new location at Betsy Barbour Residence Hall will occur this upcoming fall.

Maize & Blue Cupboard, an initiative of the Office of the Vice President for Student Life, began as a student-run organization.

The organization initially hosted monthly distribution days, offering produce and groceries to students in need and worked from the Trotter Multicultural Center. After Trotter began undergoing construction, relocating to a building right next to Betsy Barbour, students working at Maize & Blue Cupboard

moved to the basement of the Michigan League.

The expansion of the organization and its adoption through the Office of Student Life will allow for the cupboard to distribute daily instead of monthly, Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to grocery items and produce, the new Maize & Blue Cupboard will also offer cookware, toiletries and support services for students. According to the organization’s Maize Pages website, their food options for students are sourced from local food bank Food Gatherers and the Campus Farm, and unused food is then donated to Community Action Network of Washtenaw County.

Alex Bryan is the manager of the U-M Sustainable Food Program and a staff member at Maize & Blue Cupboard.

See CUPBOARD, Page 3

Students discover insects in food Outgoing Bookstore CSG execs served at several University dining halls of the year STUDENT GOVERNMENT

BUSINESS

reflect on experience

MDining faces complaints following findings of bugs in meals despite ‘triple wash’ policy

President, Vice President & Communications Director discuss accomplishments

Despite the triple wash process all produce goes through before serving, which includes a foodsafe rinse to kill bacteria and other harmful pathogens in addition to two more rinses with water, some students have still reported finding bugs in MDining salads at multiple dining hall locations this year.

MDining serves about 25,000 meals a day and nearly 4 million every year, according to Keith

PARNIA MAZHAR Daily Staff Reporter

As the term of the Eighth Assembly comes to a close, The Daily sat down with the former Central Student Government president, vice president and communications director to discuss their experience in CSG over the 2018-19 school year.

This school year’s executive team led CSG to pursue many different initiatives, pieces of legislation and events across campus.

MVision’s platform included more meetings on North Campus and monthly town hall meetings, making the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center more accessible, and increasing minority identity representation on campus and more.

The administration worked to improve student health and wellness through adjustments to the MDining policies by listing all of the ingredients in foods, as well as placing EpiPens in each dining hall and training employees on how to properly use them. The team also introduced CSG’s inaugural Mental Health Awareness Week in March which included a town hall, a Diag day and the implementation of health and wellness vending machines.

ANGELINA BREDE Daily Staff Reporter

Soster, director of student engagement, sustainability, training and development for University of Michigan Dining. He said with such a large volume of service, incidents like these do happen on occasion.

“I don’t know that we could totally ever eliminate this kind of situation,” Soster said. “But we do everything we can to prevent it.

When they do happen, we want to know so we can understand how an object made it on a plate, and work to limit future exposures.”

Nursing sophomore Maddie

Jones described two incidents last year in which she discovered undesirable items in her salad at both Mary Markley and MosherJordan Dining halls.

“The first time when I found the bug it was in Markley, and I made my salad and it was all good, and I started eating it and then I noticed something in there that didn’t look right,” Jones said. “So, I took it out, and my roommate at the time was like, ‘That’s definitely a bug,’ and I was like, ‘That’s definitely a bug.’ So I just took it out and threw it away.”

Jones did not submit any complaint to MDining for the first incident. Later that year, she experienced a similar incident at Mosher-Jordan, where she found a piece of metal in her salad.

“But then I found another thing in my salad at MoJo,” Jones said.

“I was eating my salad, and I was chewing on my beet and something crunched on my teeth and I was like, ‘What is that?’ so I spit it out and it was a chunk of metal so I was like, ‘That’s not right.’”

See INSECTS, Page 3

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Publisher’s Weekly to bestow honor on Ann Arbor literary business ANGELINA LITTLE Daily Staff Reporter

Publishers Weekly named Literati Bookstore its 2019 Bookstore of the Year on March 28.

Literati was announced in February as one of five finalists for the award, which honors independent bookstores nominated by those in the book industry. The award will be presented to owners Hilary and Michael Gustafson at BookExpo on May 30 in New York City.

Literati recently celebrated its sixyear anniversary of being in business — it opened on March 31, 2013. Since then, the independent bookstore has made a name for itself with its public typewriter, cafe and the number of literary events it hosts.

Literati co-owner Hilary Gustafson said the nomination and award came as a surprise to the relatively new business owners.

“We’ve only been a business for six years, and typically the Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year is given to bookstores that have been in the business a long time, although some of the other bookstores nominated were also new,” Hilary Gustafson said.

MICHELLE FAN /Daily

See CSG, Page 3

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INDEX

Vol. CXXVIII, No. 98 ©2019 The Michigan Daily

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

See LITERATI, Page 3

SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS...................5 SPORTS....................7

News

2 — Friday,April 5, 2019

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY:

By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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THURSDAY: Twitter Talk

FRIDAY: Behind the Story

BE HIND THE STORY

LSA freshman Ben Rosenfeld on his story “Ann Arbor-based law center sues AG, state civil rights department”: “Interviewing one of the leaders of the AFLC provided a lot of background information on the case, but the most interesting person I got to interview was probably state Representative Yousef Rabhi. He was able to provide a lot of information about the legislative measures state government takes to work against organizations like the ones classified as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He also gave an interesting perspective on the role of the Department of Civil Rights in Michigan politics and how they work with the Attorney General and other government officials to combat discrimination against minority communities.”

ALEC COHEN/Daily

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“

The university’s commitment to the importance of such dialogue for the future of our democracy underpins our interest in hosting a Commission on Presidential Debates event.”

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University President Mark Schlissel in his letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates

President had originally proposed to cut budget from $300 million by $270 million Daily Staff Reporter

On March 25, President Donald Trump expressed support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to be fully funded in a Grand Rapids rally. This turnaround came after an initial 90 percent budget cut for the initiative as outlined in the 2020 budget plan for congressional approval just weeks before. In the 2020 budget plan released March 11, Trump proposed to cut the $300-million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by $270 million.

During the Grand Rapids rally last Thursday, Trump said he would get funding for the initiative because he supports the Great Lakes.

“I support the Great Lakes,” Trump said. “Always have. They are beautiful.

They are big, very deep.

Record deepness, right? And I’m going to get, in honor of my friends, full funding of $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which you’ve been trying to get for over 30 years.”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was started in 2010 and received $475 million in 2010 at the peak of the program’s funding. According to the Initiative’s website, GLRI has received a funding amount of at least $283.5 million annually until 2017.

In the president’s initial 2020 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency, the 2020 budget for GLRI is reduced to $30 million, a 90-percent cut of $270 million from its $300 million budget for 2019.

Michigan state Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, condemned the initial budget cut for GLRI and Special Olympics in a phone

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interview with The Daily.

“The budget (Trump) proposed is full of problems,” Rabhi said. “Not just the elimination of the

In the president’s initial 2020 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency, the 2020 budget for GLRI is reduced to $30 million, a 90-percent cut of $270 million from its $300 million budget for 2019.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative monies, but also the reduction of the Special Olympics funds.”

Despite so, a fully funded GLRI bodes well for bipartisan support of environmental protection but still attracts worries from Democrats.

LSA sophomore Kate Nachazel, vice president of the University’s chapter of College Republicans, said she feels the change is positive.

“I’m glad he is doing that,” Nachazel said.

“I think that the right people in the right positions put pressure on him.”

LSA sophomore Camille Mancuso, communications

SPORTS SECTION

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Trump reverses decision on funding for Great Lakes Restortion Initiative YIFAN YU

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director for the University’s chapter of College Democrats, has concerns about the attitude of Trump’s administration towards environmental protection despite the change.

“Regardless that the initiative being fully funded, we should really be focused on the fact that it was proposed to be defunded altogether,” Mancuso said.

“This is the president’s third attempt to cut funding for the Great Lakes, which really shows that protecting the environment … is not a priority of this administration.”

Rabhi agreed that despite a positive change for environmental protection, long-term decisions affecting many are not thoroughly considered by the administration.

“While I am glad that we can use more funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, I think his inability to comprehend what is important and what isn’t,” Rabhi said.

Rabhi attributed the swift budget cut to the insufficiency of a smaller tax in supporting the federal budget.

“There (are) cuts now that we have to make for the federal budget because of his short-sighted tax policy which granted millions of dollars of tax breaks for businesses on the backs of our federal budget,” Rabhi said.

According to Rabhi, both the initial budget cut and the recovery of full funding for the initiative has disrupted people’s livelihoods.

“People’s jobs are on the line here,” Rabhi said.

“There (are) so many implications this small, tiny amount of money has huge implications, not just for Michigan but all across Great Lake states.”

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News

Friday, April 5, 2019 — 3

PR E M I E R E O F “ T H E N OT E BO O K S” BY DA V I N C I

INSECTS From Page 1

DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily

The Chamber Choir and Imani Winds group conducted by Eugene Rogers performs the chamber setting premiere of The Notebooks by Leonardo Da Vinci, composed by Jocelyn Hagen, in the University of Michigan Museum of Art Thursday evening.

CUPBOARD From Page 1 Bryan identified the need for accessible food for students, especially because a full-service grocery store is not located on the University’s campus.

Bryan explained that the Food Sustainability Program teamed up with organizations like the Office of Student Life, Wolverine Wellness, the Office of Financial Aid and CAPS to form a task force and determine the need behind this initiative.

“There is need here, there are students that are going hungry, there are students that are surviving on ramen at best, that aren’t getting the full nutrition that they need,” Bryan said.

CSG From Page 1 The administration also focused efforts on preventing sexual misconduct on campus through initiatives like the Survivor Empowerment Fund and events like “Empowering Survivors: A Forum on Sexual Misconduct Policy.”

The Survivor Empowerment Fund provides finances to groups on campus striving to educate the University of Michigan on sexual assault prevention and aiming to empower survivors. These funds are allocated toward costs for bringing guest speakers and general programming.

The two-hour forum comprised of professional presentations on issues related to sexual misconduct, such as the Sixth Circuit Court Ruling and the proposed Title

LITERATI From Page 1 Hilary Gustafson said she was excited to see Literati’s name on the nominations list among so many bookstores that are “doing innovative things in the industry.”

She attributed the win to the bookstore’s staff over all other factors.

“Their expertise and commitment to the written word and love for books has really made our business what it is today,” Hilary Gustafson said.

Gina Balibrera Amyx, creative programs and floor manager at Literati, also emphasized Literati’s booksellers as a major factor in the bookstore’s success. Some of these employees previously worked at Borders, which was previously the main bookstore in downtown Ann

SPEAKOUT From Page 1 In an interview with The Daily after the event, College Democrats Chair Ruby Schneider, an LSA junior, discussed the importance of creating a space for the LGBTQ+ community to share

“We put together a working group … to make sure that we got everyone on the same page that we identified, ‘Yes, there’s a need.’”

Now that Student Life has taken on this project and worked to curate a permanent location on campus, the students behind Maize & Blue Cupboard are working to establish a new organization, temporarily named “MBCB Consulting,” that ensures students are still a part of the process.

Business sophomore Spencer Baxter joined Maize & Blue Cupboard in 2018 and served as vice president of operations this past fall. He was recently elected co-president. Baxter explained Student Life’s role in taking over the student

organization left the current students to determine their next steps on their own, which will include smaller projects focusing on increasing engagement and limiting food waste within the new facility.

Instead of student volunteers, Student Life will be hiring fulltime employees to oversee the organization “That kind of defeats our purpose because we were sort of a less committal organization … there are some people that would want to volunteer but not volunteer if someone is getting paid next to them,” Baxter said. “We want (to create) a part-time paid staff position to incentivize people to come.”

Food insecurity has been a widely discussed topic on campus in recent years, noting

the lack of food resources available on and near campus.

According to a study from 2016, 41.4 percent of Michigan students had low to very low food security. Campus groups like Maize & Blue Cupboard and Student Food Co. have been working to combat the issue for years, garnering support from Central Student Government and other student organizations.

CSG has implemented an Emergency Meal Fund program for students, which offers meal swipes to food-insecure students while they explore further options with the Dean of Students Office. Additionally, former CSG President Daniel Greene, a Public Policy senior, signed an executive order to establish the Food Insecurity

and Campus Affordability Task Force, which went into effect this past fall.

LSA sophomore Ben Gerstein, incoming Central Student Government president, also noted past initiatives through CSG to help combat food insecurity for students and explained that the incoming assembly will work to prioritize this issue for the next school year.

“I think it’s a great development for the student body here, and it’s going to be a consistent strong resource for students,” Gerstein said.

“In Ann Arbor and on campus, food is extremely expensive, and being able to have that in a pretty good location for students to access whenever they need … is really important.”

IX policy. Prior to the event, CSG worked with other departments to spread knowledge on how to write comments and notify the necessary parties as a result of sexual misconduct.

The executive team further worked on bettering inclusivity and equity on campus, specifically through the announcement of the Narratives, Equity and Transformation Plan.

“The program, led by CSG executive diversity officer Lloyd Lyons, aims to provide student organizations with a clear, individualized overview of key areas of improvement as well as a toolkit to help those organizations achieve their full potential,” a CSG information release stated.

Former CSG President Daniel Greene, a Public Policy senior, spoke about how valuable he believes the NET plan is for all students and organizations on

campus.

“The first thing many students do on this campus to make this big campus small is join a student organization, and until we can improve the inclusivity of the culture mentality behind student organizations … we’re not actually going to see the improvements on the DEI front,” Greene said.

In regards to housing, the executive team introduced the Housing Management Guide last semester — now the most visited page on the CSG website according to Greene — which provides students with specific information to assist them in finding the best housing options to fit their needs off-campus.

LSA junior Isabel Baer, the former CSG vice president, believes one of the largest impacts they had on campus was through the Big Ten Voting Challenge. CSG pursued social media campaigns,

made two public service announcement videos on voting and contributed to the Buses to Ballots initiative to help students get to and from polling stations.

In 2018, voter turnout at the polls in the University campus precincts tripled in comparison to the 2014 voter turnout.

“I think (the turnout rate) proves that it’s not that students don’t want to vote and are actively not, it’s more a feeling of not knowing where to go or not caring, especially with the midterms,” Baer said. “I think that was really important moving into a general election that’s happening and the first time Michigan is considered a purple state officially, so … I hope students can continue and obviously will continue as well to do that promoting.”

In addition to the larger initiatives the administration pursued, former Communications

Director Lydia Barry, an LSA senior, believes the smaller initiatives they accomplished are just as important, specifically ones in which CSG had one-on-one interactions with students, such as the recent Division of Public Safety and Security event registering students for emergency alerts.

“I think every time a student interacts with us in that way or we just want a suggestion from them or just want to give them breakfast during finals or something, I think that leaves a really positive impression with them,” Barry said.

“I’ve seen students who you know, come to get a snack or something, but then they end up saying ‘I have this idea’ … So I think CSG being that middleman is really important.”

Arbor before it closed in 2011.

“We have people who spent decades working at Borders … and we have a lot of poets and fiction writers on staff from the U-M Helen Zell writing program — so MFA students and graduates of that program — so people who are deeply immersed in that world and so they bring a lot of passion to the business as well,” Balibrera said.

Literati’s staff has grown from seven booksellers to 27 in the six years it has been in business.

According to Hilary Gustafson, booksellers stock the shelves according to what they see customers looking for on a daily basis.

Hilary Gustafson also cited Literati’s social media presence and community engagement as factors that have led to its success in its short time in business.

“We do pride ourselves on being

community focused in events and book clubs,” Hilary Gustafson said.

“We have over 150 events a year, both in store and off site, and most of them are free and open to the public.”

One of Literati’s most wellknown factors is the public typewriter in its basement on which visitors are free to leave notes.

Hilary Gustafson said her husband and co-owner, Michael Gustafson, reads through the notes left on the typewriter every day.

“The public typewriter really invites the community to participate,” Hilary Gustafson said.

“A lot of good writing comes out of it.”

Michael Gustafson published a collection of notes left on the typewriter last year with co-editor Oliver Uberti.

Those who frequent the bookstore were not surprised that

the store was awarded Bookstore of the Year.

The coffee shop on the top floor of Literati attracts students as a place to study or write. According to Hilary Gustafson, many MFA students use it as a space to write. The Gustafsons invite visiting authors to leave notes of encouragement to such writers on the “author wall,” which is crowded with their writing.

The cafe does not only attract English graduate students. Many undergraduates use the space to work as well.

LSA freshman Julia Kravchenko said she and a group of friends spend about three to four hours working in the coffee shop at Literati every Thursday.

“Literati is special because it’s very quaint,” Kravchenko said. “It has a phenomenal atmosphere that’s the textbook definition of a coffee

shop you would see in a movie or read about in a book, plus the music is always different each time we go depending on who’s working.”

Kravchenko said she thinks the Bookstore of the Year award was well deserved.

“From what I’ve browsed in their bookstore, it has a really wide variation of genres and books for a small store,” Kravchenko said. “I once found a Frankenstein Pride and Prejudice crossover work and I sort of lost it because I didn’t think that existed.”

University alum Sierra Bain said she spent a lot of time at Literati while earning her undergraduate degree.

“I feel like it’s a no brainer that it was named Bookstore of the Year,” Bain said. “I like the coffee shop upstairs, and I like the light in the space and how it overlooks our little town.”

their experiences.

“It’s really important to provide a space for queer folks on campus to be able to share out, hear from others and be comfortable with the identities and where they’re at in their coming-out process,” Schneider said.

Grogan expressed she was pleased with the audience participation and story diversity.

“I was very pleased with the participation of people in the audience,” Grogan said. “We weren’t sure people would be willing to put themselves in this really vulnerable position, but people were willing and able. And I think we had a lot of diversity of voices, in experience and background, which is really important when talking about

coming out since there is not one coming-out experience.”

LSA senior Kallie Bernas, former co-chair of Stonewall Democrats, expressed she is happy to see how the event has grown since the first time it was hosted.

“It’s really interested to see how things have grown over time,” Bernas said. “We were

pulling teeth at the first one, and people were a little bit timid …

Hearing one person talking about how the first event inspired him to come out was really powerful.

And it just felt like the atmosphere in that room was like family, everyone could relate to bits and pieces of the story, so I felt really strengthened and really proud to be a member of this community.”

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Jones submitted a comment card to MDining explaining the second incident.

She expressed her displeasure with the encounters and suggested MDining work more carefully to maintain the quality control of their products.

“I’m assuming it’s because they mass-produce everything, but that’s still gross,” she said. “They could still, like, quality control it.”

Rachel Christensen, food and occupational safety manager for MDining, explained in an email to The Daily that these types of incidents most often happen with products that grow out of the ground.

“Where a product grows in the ground, for instance, can increase the likelihood of exposure to dirts, bugs, rocks and other undesirable objects,” she wrote. “We never want to serve a product that contains foreign objects.”

LSA freshman Nora Sharba described an incident just this past February in which her friend found a cricket in their salad at South Quad Dining Hall.

“I came back from the bathroom and all my friends were standing around our table at South Quad freaking out, so I got over there and at first I couldn’t see it because it blended in with the salad,” Sharba said. “I didn’t know what the big deal was, but then I saw the cricket in there and my jaw dropped.”

Sharba said the discovery has prevented her from eating salad at the dining halls since.

“I wasn’t completely surprised because dining hall food can be made pretty carelessly when you’re trying to feed so many people in a short amount of time,” she said. “I definitely lost my appetite though and didn’t eat in the dining hall for a few days — I haven’t had a salad ever since.”

She was disappointed with the apparent lack of care from MDining in maintaining quality assurance over their ingredients.

“I think that the lettuce ingredients should be washed more carefully because anyone who was paying attention would have noticed something like that, and it’s pretty unsettling to find bugs in your food,” Sharba said.

Soster said MDining was not aware of these recent incidents, and has continued to increase the frequency with which they train their staff on inspecting their products.

“It’s unfortunate that the student didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask for a manager because we want to take care of stuff on the spot,” he said. “What I’d like to communicate is: If there’s an issue, let us know right then and there.”

He emphasized students are highly encouraged to approach MDining with the issue so it can be handled appropriately.

“When you approach me in a dining hall and go, ‘Here’s what I found,’ I can go right back to the kitchen and go, ‘Where did this come from?’ and then contact the vendor,” he said. “The emphasis I’m placing here is we want to fix it. We’ll fix it right on the spot.

It’s frustrating, it’s unfortunate and we just want the community to know that we keep the highest standards, and we don’t want that to happen either.”

MDining Marketing Manager Kelly Guralewski also highlighted MDining’s readiness to resolve such issues.

“Even if a student isn’t comfortable or a guest isn’t comfortable with going to a manager, they can write on the comment card, email us, send us a message on social media,” she said.

“At the end of the day if they do post it for their friends to see, then we’re still going to comment and try to make it right.”

Soster explained when situations like these happen, it is best to report them immediately so MDining can then contact the correct vendor who supplied the product and resolve the issue. Christensen echoed this in MDining’s statement.

“Our first line of defense, and what is critical to our quality control, is that we only purchase food from approved, reputable suppliers,” she wrote. “Any incident of this nature is immediately reported to the vendor to ensure they are held accountable. This ensures our vendors are aware of an issue, so they can review their food production process and adjust if needed to increase safety precautions.”

Opinion

4 — Friday, April 5, 2019

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ELLERY ROSENZWEIG | COLUMN

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CHAND RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI | COLUMN

On social media’s content moderation problem

T

his week, following conspiracy theories leading outcry related to the to Pizzagate and the use of Christchurch mass Facebook to incite violence against Rohing ya shooting in New Muslims.

Zealand, Facebook A more active announced it strateg y has taken would ban white hold in recent years nationalist and due to outcry over white separatist events such as those content from mentioned above. its platform.

Facebook has The gunman 30,000 employees livestreamed part CHAND of the attack on RAJENDRA- dedicated to safety and security, Facebook, which 15,000 of whom resulted in copies NICOLUCCI of the video spreading are content moderators, and across major social media a number of countries are platforms. The questions considering online content provoked by the attack — how regulations. But they are did the gunman radicalize? focusing on a problem which Why has it proven so hard may be intractable. Facebook for companies to handle moderates billions of posts his video and manifesto? per week in more than 100 — have highlighted the different languages. YouTube content moderation problem sees the equivalent of 65 social media platforms have years of video uploaded each struggled with for years. day. That scale would be a Namely: How do you protect perfect application for the the ideals of free speech while automation capabilities of preventing the spread of vile Silicon Valley, if it weren’t trying to resolve the nuances and dangerous content?

Some believe the solution of human discourse. Though is a matter of incentives and artificial intelligence has advocate for holding social made significant strides in media companies accountable identifying specific content for the content that appears on such as nudity and graphic their platforms. For example, violence, the subtleties and lawmakers in Germany cultural contexts of human passed a law that mandates language are not easily social media companies delete automated, leaving social offending posts within 24 media platforms and their hours of being notified or risk content moderation armies heavy fines. Others advocate playing a global game of for the internet as a bastion whack-a-mole.

This active approach of free speech, like when Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey focuses on the content referred to his platform as the moderation machine itself “free speech wing of the free — the human moderators, AI systems and policies speech party.”

Neither of these employed by social media approaches is without companies to address content drawbacks.

Holding on their platforms. However, companies accountable for this misses the root cause their content may stif le of the issue: social media’s competition and restrict design. The desire to create free speech. The overhead of a “global community,” as complying with regulations, Facebook puts it, as well as as well as the risk of litigation the emphasis on virality and from disgruntled users, could relevancy, as defined by the cripple startups who lack tech companies, are the real the resources of large social culprits. Users are inundated media platforms to deal with with content that is meant such threats. Furthermore, to grab their attention — regulation may incentivize and hold it — for as long as companies to “delete in possible. This goal to lead doubt,” or remove any users down a rabbit hole often borderline content, which leads to recommendations may have a chilling effect on of more and more extreme material. A Wall Street speech. investigation of But unrestricted speech Journal is not the answer either. YouTube found that users watched relatively A number of examples who demonstrate the serious mainstream news sources consequences of a laissez- were often fed extreme faire approach to this issue. video recommendations on For instance, see the role a wide variety of topics. For of misinformation in the example, if you searched for 2016 election, the spread of information on the f lu vaccine,

you were recommended anti-vaccination conspiracy videos.

Additionally, the emphasis on virality leads to features that quickly amplify and legitimize content.

WhatsApp’s popular message forwarding feature allows users to forward messages without any indication of their origin, making it seem as if a message which may have been shared thousands of times is coming directly from a close friend or family member. This feature was recently limited after lynchings in India were fueled by rumors spread on the service.

WhatsApp isn’t the only platform that has disabled functionality in response to tragedy. YouTube disabled part of their search feature following the Christchurch shooting, and Facebook was ordered off line temporarily in Sri Lanka after false rumors led to riots against Muslims. This tendency to disable functionality during crises is telling. When push comes to shove, the platforms themselves acknowledge that only by addressing problematic features will the problem be solved.

This is not to say a redesign of these platforms would be simple. Putting aside companies’ incentives to maintain the status quo and the legislative hurdles that would accompany any sort of intense regulation, there are legitimate arguments to be made for preserving features currently under fire. The same features that cause outcry now inspired optimism following the Arab Spring. A successful solution could not merely limit functionality, as that would ignore the capacity for good of these technologies.

Fundamental questions about free speech and the role of technolog y in society are being left to conference rooms in Silicon Valley, creating a situation where human moderators and imperfect AI systems implement a global censorship regime dictated by a handful of corporations.

The solution for this problem is unclear, but whatever it is will require reckoning with the massive inf luence of social media platforms. The model of these sites ensures they don’t simply mirror society — they change it.

Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci can be reached at chandrn@umich.edu.

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L

Size acceptance vs. body positivity

aying in my pajamas on to find out that Annie’s article a lazy Friday morning, is based off of a blog post that perusing the feed in Lindy West, the writer of the book and show, my borrowed Hulu wrote in real life. account, I begin These types of streaming the first pieces are common episode of “Shrill.” in fat activism, and In this new comedy, it was cool to see we follow the life of her experiences Annie, a writer who pan out on-screen. juggles her work and However, as relationships with the season came friends, parents and to a close, I found love interests. But ELLERY initially this show is different ROSENWEIG myself dissatisfied with from other femalecentered comedies because the ending. I was somewhat … (drum roll please) Annie is disappointed in Annie because fat! Did we finally just get a I wanted more from a character mainstream narrative of a fat who I thought represented woman where it is not entirely fat women. I thought she was about her fatness? Yes, yes we going to display someone who did. A show where the main radically and unapologetically plot is not about the fact that loved their body, even if she hates herself, that she is they do not look like the the punchline of the joke or mainstream image of beauty that she is struggling to lose and health. I wanted her to weight, but where she is just win the fights with her mom a fat woman living her life. It and boss. I wanted her to be a feels like a small victory and woman I could look up to as a sign that things could change role model for body positivity.

But with time, I soon came to in our culture.

In three quick hours, understand that this show’s I binged watched all six message is not about loving episodes and was left in awe your body or body positivity, and pain. Watching Aidy but rather is a lesson of Bryant of “Saturday Night size acceptance and body Live,” who plays Annie, take neutrality.

Two weeks ago, I went center stage and deal with the ridiculously hilarious to a talk at the School of situations that happen to fat Public Health where Ragen women was both entertaining Chastain, a fat activist, writer and relatable. Her character and athlete, discussed weight explored typical things bias and the social justice like finding out how to be issues aligned with this confident in her writing and oppression. Listening to her what she deserves in her love unpack the empirical research life. But she also had some on weight bias, fatphobia challenging moments, and and how dieting is damaging I found it quite upsetting for individuals’ mental and to watch her deal with her physical health was one mother, who was obsessed of the most empowering with dieting, or take ridicule presentations I have attended from an asshole of a boss who at our university.

As her talk came to a close, made physical exercise, or “forced fun” as they call it in I asked Chastain what she the show, a required activity thought about body positivity, the community online and the for their office.

Throughout the week, many message to love your body the of my friends asked me what way it is. She said that she I had to say about the show was conf licted on the way the because they knew I had community has transformed written a piece about “coming from radical fat experiences out” as a fat person like Annie into a space for chubby white did. It was pretty incredible women. And she asked a

question that continues to ring true to me: What about body neutrality? This is the idea that we don’t need to be in love with our bodies but we can accept our body’s size, the way our bodies look and the way they move unapologetically.

In general, the body positive community emphasizes the importance of loving your body and being as positive as possible. But if one f luctuates in the way they feel about their body, they may be set up to fail if they never reach the ultimate body love that is displayed by body positive social media accounts. So, if body positivity is not attainable, what about body neutrality? Whatever path you are on, whether it’s wanting to love or accept your body, it is probably going to be nonlinear, because it is difficult to unlearn things you were socialized to believe about bodies in relation to health and beauty.

As I am a white, fat woman who continues to discuss body size and the way our society treats larger bodied people, I used to think the body positivity movement was only empowering and benefiting individuals’ body image. But now it is clear to me that this movement is evolving and is not what everyone needs.

Annie’s story in “Shrill” is not a path to body positivity, but a path toward size acceptance and body neutrality. She is not entirely empowered or in love with her body at the end of the season, and that alone is quite radical. As more narratives about fat people are entering mainstream media, “Shrill” should be celebrated as an important step in social change and representation.

On the other hand, we must remember to think critically about the messages the show, and others like it, are sharing about fat bodies, and what social identities are being portrayed other than body size.

Ellery Rosenzweig can be reached at erosenz@umich.edu.

MARIA ULAYYET | COLUMN

A

The forgotten hero of the immigrant mother

s Women’s History Month came to an end, I spent some time ref lecting on the positive female inf luences that have shaped me into the woman I am today. Mentors, friends and teachers came to mind. But most importantly, the woman who has had the largest role in my development as a woman is none other than my mother.

The person I am today – the girl who became an outspoken woman, graduated high school at the top of her class, played sports and excelled at her extracurriculars and made it to a prestigious university – would not have been possible without the presence and inf luence of my powerful immigrant mother.

From waking up with me at 5:30 a.m. every morning to driving me 20 minutes to my bus stop so I could go to a better high school to bringing plates of fruit to my room every night while I was studying, my mother has been right by my side through it all. She has been committed to putting her children before everything and putting her education and her career on hold for us.

While ref lecting on my mother’s self lessness that has allowed me to succeed, I have come to realize that this idea of sacrifice is a common theme among Arab Americans and those from other immig rant communities. Even though ever y mother puts her children f irst, the drive of the immig rant mother is unique. They recog nize the struggles and the restrictions of their homelands and channel their passion for change through their children.

My parents left Syria to give us the life they couldn’t have for themselves: a life where if you work hard enough, you

can achieve something for yourself. A life where speaking out won’t put your life at risk.

They recognized this sacrifice and decided to pour their hearts and souls into their children living the lives they wished they could have had.

A recent study found the “immigrant paradox” – the idea that the children of immigrants are more successful than both their parents and than those with American-born parents from similar backgrounds — to be true. The study also concluded that the immigrant status of parents did have an “indirect effect” on the success of their children. Because of the need to break barriers and achieve the highest accomplishments possible, immigrant parents tend to set high expectations for their children’s achievements. With many immigrant mothers more likely to be stay-at-home moms, the reality is that this type of achievement-focused mentality starts in the home under the influence of the mother.

Part of the reason that first-generation Americans tend to have a greater sense of drive instilled within them is the exposure to more than one culture and mentality.

The cultural diversity that first-generation Americans share allows them to take cultural tools from both sides of their identities to be the best possible version of themselves. To many immigrants like my parents, hard work and dedication mean that you will always find success. My parents were never scared to hit rock bottom because they knew life could always get better.

The optimism and dedication that my mother instilled in me translated to working harder to move forward,

something characteristic to many children of immigrants.

Coming home from a bad day at school or after not doing well on a test, I knew I would have my mother there for me to lift my spirits and reinvigorate my devotion to success.

Many immigrant women, including my mother, come from a background where their likelihood to succeed, specifically as women, was even further restrained. When children of immigrants tell the stories of their parents coming to America and trailblazing a new life, it is often a tale of the courageous father with the mother on the sideline.

The story is seldom told of the woman at home inspiring her children – from comforting them when they didn’t fit in with the other kids at school to staying up all night helping them with their science fair projects. While my mother putting me and my dreams before her own comes from a deep love for her children, she also simply couldn’t achieve her own goals because of the lack of opportunity she faced.

The American dream has special significance to the immigrant mother. The American dream, generally, is the ideal that all Americans can have equal opportunities for success. To her, the American dream is seeing her daughters do whatever she wishes she could have done at their age. The American dream is seeing her sons break generational traditions of toxic masculinity. The American dream is starting to raise families that make them proud.

And to my immigrant mother, I have not forgotten you and I have not forgotten all that you have done for me.

Maria Ulayyet can be reached at mulayyet@umich.edu.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, April 5, 2019 — 5

ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL COVERAGE

TV REVIEW

The final day at the AAFF On the ‘Lady Bird’ of TV ROSS ORGIEFSKY Daily Arts Writer

The 57th Ann Arbor Film Festival came to a close on Sunday night with a screening of some of this year’s award-winning short films. While The Daily’s coverage of the festival has largely focused on feature-length entrants, the eight shorts presented on Sunday ran the gamut of film-making techniques, packing a wide spectrum of innovation into 74 minutes. A few of the films stood out as exceptionally engaging.

As an art history major, I particularly enjoyed “Running in Circles,” a short silent film by Ei Toshinari and Duy Nguyen.

Shot at Robert Smithson’s “Spiral Jetty,” a work of land art near Rozel Point in Utah, the film shows a man running through the spiral from multiple perspectives.

This union of art forms was a common theme among a few of the shorts. Most notably, Cheri Gaulke’s short documentary “Gloria’s Call” followed the studies and travels of Gloria Orenstein in the 1970s, sharing the stories of her friendships and encounters with leading female artists of the surrealist movement.

“Gloria’s Call” explores femininity, spirituality and surrealism through a feminist lens; a refreshing presentation of surrealism’s oft forgotten

heroines. “We Were Hardly More Than Children,” a film by Cecelia Condit, incorporates the Francis Bacon-esque paintings of Diane Messinger to explore memory and pain. The film’s dream-like presentation makes the narrative, a story of an illegal abortion in 1969, even more gut-wrenching.

My clear favorite however was “La Via Divina (The Divine Way)” by Ilaria di Carlo. A parody of “Dante’s Inferno,” the approximately 15-minute film depicts a woman descending an infinite staircase. Beautiful staircases are shown one after another, each time the same woman begins from the top of the frame and continues her descent.

All sorts of architectural forms are represented in the staircases: industrial, Victorian, neoclassical.

Most staircases circle infinitely downward in spirals, ellipses and squares, while some proceed in a straight line. This ridiculously playful film is cinema at its most essential: Beautiful forms depicted in motion, vivid color and rich texture, a score which complements the direction to highlight shifts in architectural style and mood.

With “La Via Divina,” Ilaria di Carlo won the Barbara Aronofsky Latham Award for an emerging experimental video artist. “We Were Hardly More Than Children” took the Eileen

Maitland Award, and “Running in Circle” won the George Manupelli Founder’s Spirit Award, while “Gloria’s Call” was awarded Best Documentary Film. Other films shown at the screening ventures into the more avant-garde. For example, “Phantom Ride Phantom” by Siegfried A. Fruhaul, winner of a Jury Award, was a jarring and darkly post-modern symphony of aggressive audio over flashing photographs of railroad tracks.

“As Above, So Below” by Cooper Holoweski used a split screen to develop the simultaneously endearing and unsettling notion that a whole universe may exist within every neutron — that our whole existence may lie within a microscopic particle in a larger, super-universe. This film won the PROCAM Best Regional Filmmaker Award.

The Ann Arbor Film Festival’s embrace of experimentation in film is laudable. The awardwinning shorts presented on Saturday instilled in me a new appreciation for innovative filmmaking by pushing me away from a canonical perspective on the art of film. While shorts may be an occasionally overlooked subsection of cinema, they contain some of the most artistic implementation of film’s unique qualities as a medium of expression.

BOOK REVIEW

Rankine’s latest is gritty JOHN DECKER Daily Arts Writer

It is only rational to expect wonders from Claudia Rankine.

It would be foolish not to, really, especially after her unflinching “Citizen: An American Lyric,” a masterpiece that received uncountable awards and that has already bled — with seeming permanence — into the University of Michigan’s English department. Rankine is often lionized for her unique capacity to address race and expose its biasedinvisibility in poetry.

Imagine the literary world’s excitement, then, upon the news that Rankine had written a play.

“The White Card” is Rankine’s newest work to appear between stage wings, and it is violently visceral. The play is about a couple of art collectors and a Black artist, all three placed in the precarious aftermath of the entrance of the Trump administration. The couple, Charles and Virginia Spencer, in tandem with their art dealer Eric, invite Charlotte over in an attempt to woo her into selling art to Charles’ collection and foundation.

It’s an objectively good match — fantastic artist, hungry art collectors. But it is also a precarious match: Charlotte’s art centers on the Black experience and its nuances, trying to offer a lens into the space where few are allowed.

Charles and Virginia are white, both with a near-obsessive desire to do good politically, collecting art pieces on the experience of Black suffering. By the time the Spencers’ activist son, Alex, joins the dinner a quarter of the way into the play, the tension is choking.

Much of “The White Card,” to an extent, feels like that scene in “Get Out” — the one where Rose’s father, to the wince of the audience, goes out of his way to tell Chris that he “would have voted for Obama for a

third time.” It is an unveiled attempt to pander to a Black man and to assuage one’s own white guilt, to convince oneself that they are the opposite of racist and to justify it to a person of color.

The entirety of “The White Card” is brimming with experiences like this, though Rankine takes things a step further. For one, the Spencers’ underlying tones are in check by their son. Though more importantly, the Spencers are

The White Card Claudia Rankine Graywolf Press Mar. 29, 2019

not deliberate racists. They are both white and liberal advocates (or they try to be). They work outwardly to, in their view, combat racism by purchasing Black work.

Obviously, the classical white liberal in the era of Trump is a controversial and complex arc to examine. Delightfully, Rankine is not deterred.

Rankine’s judicious work on character make the two scenes of play even more provocative for readers. Each member of the six-person cast is placed deftly in the play, each stuffed full of lines almost uncomfortable with their specificity and attention to detail. It’s a design that makes attention crucial for readers, but one that pays off — readers pick

up on tics and shortcomings of each character. Subtle, inappropriate remarks from the Spencers and Charlotte’s reaction to them feel so accurate that it’s nearly painful. Rankine uses the medium of conversation to flip the switch and reveal a conversation’s unbearable tensions in a single line.

Characters always feel as though they are getting at something — each line of conversation seems to be a nod to an ideology or canned statement we employ when we discuss race.

Rankine uses this cast of characters to offer a display of the white, unsure, mediocre liberal at its finest. Then for the final, stirring scene, she flips this on its head: She addresses such shortcomings head on.

Admittedly, there comes a point in “The White Card” where things began to feel counterfeit.

Rankine’s commentary on race and politics are fantastic, but it feels as though that was all she had to talk about. Virginia Spencer speaks an almost unbelievable roll of accidentally insensitive comments, and Alex cannot go a line, it seems, without calling out his parents’ shortcomings.

While this is not dry, it sometimes feels constructed and artificial. It appears as though Rankine felt the need to check off every possible encounter one could have with race in the span of a single work.

Maybe, though, this is what “The White Card” is meant to be. In all of its cringe-worthy moments, awkward silences and unmuted realizations, “The White Card” is — an allencompassing conversation centered on race for a new age of activism and change.

A conversation in a complex, brash voice that examines culpability and what progress means.

It is time, probably, that we listen to this conversation.

And “The White Card” offers it to audiences from a stage where veils are removed for every viewer to see.

Each member of the six-person cast is placed deftly in the play, each stuffed full of lines almost uncomfortable with their specificity and attention to detail

MIRIAM FRANCISCO Daily Arts Writer

I’m trying to pinpoint the moment when I first realized FX’s “Better Things” was something special. It might have been within the first few minutes of the show, when single mother, Sam (Pamela Adlon, “Star vs. the Forces of Evil”) is talking to her youngest daughter, Duke (Olivia Edward, “The Outside Story”) in a mall bathroom.

They’re discussing the dads in Duke’s class, some of whom Sam has hooked up with in the past.

“What about Charles’s dad? What about him?” asks Duke.

“Is he tall?” Sam jokes.

“To me,” Duke says.

Though they may seem mundane or simple to the untrained eye, so many little things — the location, Duke’s response, the matterof-factness with which Sam approaches her love life — work together to elevate “Better Things” above any shows it might be compared to, though it’s difficult to even imagine anything similar.

“Better Things” follows Sam Fox, an actress and single mother raising three daughters: sweet Duke, testy Frankie (Hannah Alligood, “The Divergent Series: Allegiant”) and entitled Max (Mikey Madison, “Monster”). The tone is less “Gilmore Girls” and more like that opening sequence of “Lady Bird,” when Saoirse Ronan throws herself out of the moving car. The show is an extended inquiry into the inventive and inaccurate ways that daughters project introspection onto the world, how mothers must constantly decide whether to administer or withhold the truth in response.

One strength of “Better Things” is that the show’s focus on parenthood and

childhood puts four different mother-daughter dynamics at the forefront. Sam and her oldest daughter, Max, alternate between intense love and deep frustration; one feeling often amplifies the other. As a senior in high school, Max is old enough to think she knows her mother as a person outside their relationship, but she’s also young enough that this image of her mother is wildly

Better Things FX Thursdays @ 10 p.m.

inaccurate. Their tiffs are some of the show’s best work: Max says something ridiculous, Sam takes the bait. Max instinctively is open with her mother, but Sam prefers that she hides things. One of their first scenes alone in the pilot exemplifies this.

After Max asks Sam to buy her good weed, Sam tells her daughter not to share quite so much.

“Why, you’re my mom, I want you to know if I have sex or if I want to get high,” Max replies.

“Ah! No, hide things from me,” Sam says.

Later, Frankie bursts in while Sam is trying to watch porn.

Spread-eagle on her mother’s bed, she wonders aloud if she should undergo female genital mutilation as a protest.

“Get out!” Sam yells in response.

The scene is typical of “Better Things”: a daughter intruding on her mother, a child

saying something insane with complete, deadpan seriousness.

“Better Things” treats the absurd urgency of adolescence as real but idiotic, a drive for self-expression that endures into adulthood. The show is unique among family dramas in that it never shies away from recognizing the never-ending push and pull between parents and children. Adlon, who both writes and stars in the show, is continuously finding new ways to acknowledge the complicated net of desire and disgust that makes a family.

It’s rare that a show immediately creates a fullyformed world, but this is a feat that “Better Things” manages easily.

The characters feel real in the best way, eschewing universality for specificity.

What’s most striking and enjoyably familiar is the raw friction of seeing what happens when children and parents need radically different things from each other. Rather than leaning on tropes, “Better Things” takes on the hilarity and grief of the mundane: a woman giving her dogs their ear medicine, a daughter storming out of the DMV, a child crying over a nightmare. Nothing is special, so everything is.

Nearly every scene in “Better Things” is infused with an awareness of how quickly a moment can escalate, how sometimes every conversation between a mother and daughter feels like a test: of love, of mutual understanding, of how well-versed each is in the needs of the other. Now in its third season, the show is an underappreciated gem in both writing and performance — the rare comedy-drama that simultaneously embraces poignancy and humor, understanding the impossibility of separating the two.

ALBUM REVIEW

‘Dog Whistle’ challenges JIM WILSON

Daily Arts Writer

“Lowkey? Show Me the Body is for the freaks,” says frontman/ banjoist Julian Cashwan Pratt of the experimental hardcore band Show Me the Body in an interview with Kerrang! last week. Upon listening to the singles for their new album Dog Whistle, this sounds like a bold claim. Singles “Camp Orchestra” and “Madonna Rocket,” though excellent, appear to be pretty typical fare coming from the New York City hardcore scene.

However, within the context of the album, the singles serve a much larger purpose: They help to tell a story that, contrary to the singles’s political tones, is collaborative and personal, conveyed in a way that every listener can relate to it in someway.

Lead single “Camp Orchestra” begins the album with a bang, despite its own slow start. The first sounds of the track are a rumbling bass guitar and a twinkling, meandering banjo. They are the only instruments for the song’s first two minutes and 10 seconds (the drums don’t even start until two minutes and 28 seconds into the song!), and that’s when the song begins to catch fire.

Inspired by the AuschwitzBirkenau Memorial and their own Jewish heritage, Show Me the Body crafted a song that acutely describes the hardship and plight of their predecessors.

The song is personal to the band

while still remaining valuable and important to all listeners even if they have no personal connection to the subject matter.

While “Camp Orchestra” is more sonically typical of NYC hardcore, tracks like “Not for Love,” “Forks and Knives” and “USA Lullaby” stray far from the norm. For someone more accustomed to hardcore and punk music, these tracks will take some getting used to.

Each song, especially “Not for

Dog Whistle Show Me the Body Loma Vista Recordings

Love,” pulls many of its defining elements from noise rock. “Not for Love” features a blown-out bass guitar reminiscent of an 808 and punishing vocals ranging from guttural grunts to piercing shrieks and everywhere in between.

No part of Dog Whistle is typical. The sounds that Show Me the Body explores have probably never used before on a hardcore record. “Badge Grabber” utilizes both muted quantized drum loops and live drumming for an effect that is both a breath of fresh air and suffocating. “USA Lullaby” distorts its instrumentals so

far beyond their limits that you can almost hear each artifact of sound. This is all makes for a very exciting and challenging work, but the album’s crowning achievement, “Madonna Rocket,” is also its least daring.

“Madonna Rocket” is one of the most beautiful and touching hardcore songs ever created.

That’s a bold claim, but the track is wholly worthy of such praise.

On “Madonna Rocket,” Show Me the Body takes the inclusive and community-oriented lyrics and fast-paced, jagged instrumentals from youth crew legends like Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today and filters them through their twisted creative collective/ think tank known as Corpus. The result is a triumphant yet brutal track. Cashwan Pratt’s vocals take center stage over the rest of the band as he growls, “(W) hen I meet someone that’s good, I want to die with them / Dead friends, I still wanna say goodbye to them / Aside from me, Aside from them / All I have is family, I will die with them.”

With Dog Whistle, Show Me the Body aimed to create a community that the freaks could call home, and that they did. They also did so much more, creating an affecting album that is bound to resonate with all listeners in some capacity. At the very least, Dog Whistle will allow new listeners to access a world bigger than their own and give them a new perspective on community. Show Me the Body may be for the freaks, but it is also for everyone.

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6 — Friday, April 5, 2019

Release Date: Thursday, April 4, 2019

NEW MEDIA: PHYSICAL ENDEAVORS

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

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SUMMER EMPLOYMENT

Daily Arts really ran a marathon. We nearly won.

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

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ACROSS greeting (over) 4 Sleeps it off 1 “High” places?

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16 Mozart wrote a lot 9 Cruel was dipped for relatives? areas: Front Desk, Bell Staff, Wait and off I go, into an abyss of runners who are undoubtedly more ready JOHN DECKER of them invincibility 46 “Mom” actor 10 Papillon, e.g.

Staff, Salesfor Clerks, Kitchen, Baristas.

17 Dungeness Corddry 11 Deer sir Daily Arts Runner54 Org. operating this than I am. delicacies full-body 47 Treats, as a 12 Dole (out) Dorm Housing, bonus, and discount‑ After fighting off the thought that I just might throw up, the miles EMMA 19 Omni rival sprain CHANG scanners 13 Ballpark fig. ed meals. (906) 847‑7196.

20 One reviewing Daily Arts Runner 18 Influence seem to fly by. I’m perplexed by this the entire time I’m running, because challenges www.theislandhouse.com ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 21 Ballpark usually I start dying around mile three. Conveniently, however, my 22 Fish eggs opinions, at times JENNA BARLAGE 23 Brooding genre boyfriend shows up with my dog and an adorable sign that says “Go 24 One-__ chance Daily Arts Runner 24 One who’s got 25 Incessantly Jenna” at the mile three marker. The thought of stopping then becomes you covered 26 “When the moon 32 Pig’s sniffer impossible because stopping would fail both him and my dog, who not hits your eye” 33 Weep for feeling The Daily Artz Punk Rockers ran the Probility Marathon relay only woke up at the crack of dawn for me, but also made me a sign that 34 See 27-Down 27 With 34-Across, 35 Sch. nearlast the Sunday.

WeField shockingly placed 14th, verified by the race’s rather I’ll keep until I actually die.

Sally film U.S.-Mexico 28 More adorable Another factor contributing to the rapid passage of miles might’ve border impressive standardized results system. Writers can run, too. Ask John.

29 Make blank 36 Law school been‑the thatApt I’m listen to Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” on repeat He finished first insite, his leg.

EFFICIENCY 1 &fact 2 Bdrm 30 Piercing subject perhapsMarathon, facilitated by Epic Races, held their theRents entire time$875 I’m ‑running. Great choice in the context of running, bad The Probility Fallfirst 2019/20. range 37 Put on the cloud, 31 Scottish center? say mostchoice includein heat water. of contributing to a collaborative Punk Rockers theand context event in 32 Ann dollars Sci-fiArbor navigatorin 2012. This event raised thousands of $1850 38 Writer Deighton Showings Specifically playlist. M‑F 10‑3 Arbor Public Schools and various nonprofits. Recipients of scheduled 39 “It Wasn’tfor All Ann 36 37 Float fixer Velvet” memoirist Who really knows how I finished my leg. The important thing is that I this year’s racewith proceeds include Packard Health, Cancer Support 39 Place a 40 Asks 734‑996‑1991 bird’s-eye view and North Star Reach. Epic Races did.

I round the corner in Gallop Park to see my loyal relay team hooting Ele’s Place 04/04/19has raised a 41 One seenCommunity, in a Hanes catalog total of $205,000 for nonprofits since 2015. This number continues to and hollering for me next to the giant bus that they missed earlier that 44 Aromatic necklacegrow through their events — which not only benefit charities, but the morning just to see me start the race. I pass John the relay belt, wish him 45 “How Welocal Do runners who participate in them as well. luck and watch him fade into the distance, his long strides looking a lot (Party)” British This year’s starting line began near Michigan Stadium, directly more graceful (and productive) than my short ones. singer Rita __ 46 Predictable work of Fingerle Lumber (RIP Fingerle). The course then proceeded Though dead, I feel accomplished. I see my dad, my step-mom, my outside ... and, in a way, what the into otherthe Hill neighborhood, around Forest Hill Cemetery, through Gallop brother, his girlfriend and my dad’s so-ugly-she’s-cute bulldog waiting three longest Park and, finally, through the Arboretum, which was arguably the worst for me across the park. I kiss the dog before my dad tells me she just answers are? back puked all over my brother’s girlfriend’s leg, and my brother’s girlfriend 54 Implied leg of the run, thanks to its massive hill. The course then finished STUDENT SUMMER STORAGE 55 Chain used by start — outside of Fingerle, in view of Michigan Stadium in all its shows me the stain on her pants. I smile. I just ran 7.05 miles and not at the Closest to campus, Indoor, Clean, many contractors even dog puke can bring me down now. glory.

56 Courtroom pro Safe Reserve now at annarborstorage.

57 Take testimony I say goodbye to Emma and Verity, eat an omelet with my family and Cameron Trinh mastered the course and won the Marathon,com with ora(734) 663‑0690 from 58 Depend time of 2:49:03. That’s a 6:27 pace! For 26.2 miles! Congrats from Daily go straight to a three-and-a-half hour orientation for study abroad. I sit in 59 “The Ant Arts, and theCameron. Most of us can’t run a mile that fast on a good day. an Angell Hall auditorium in my sweaty running clothes and “love” react Grasshopper” to my relay team’s pre- and post-race selfies. My FOMO is overwhelming. storyteller *** 60 Philosophies6:00 a.m. - Verity I cheer aloud when I get the “we did it!” message a few hours later, and 61 Fort SSW of Louisville I wake up on my couch to the tinny rattle of the iPhone alarm preset, realize that, wow, we did do it. We ran a marathon.

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computer still asleep on my stomach. My roommate and I have passed

DOWN out perpendicular on the sectional again, feet kissing in the middle, 1 Shelter gp.

2 Big nameup in until three

By Kevin a.m.

Salat pounding out bad poetry analyses (sorry Marjorie).

04/04/19 Tombstone ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

7:31 a.m. - John WEBSITE.

Preceding such a gentle passing-of-the-belt, Verity, Emma, Noah

and I were meanwhile on the hunt for transportation to the hand-off www.michigandaily.com

My lymph nodes are swollen for whatever reason; my mind is weak. I somehow peel myself out of the scene and fumble around in my bedroom for a minute or ten, tossing on a couple sweatshirts and throwing back various generic cold & flu pills in an effort to Feel Better. I’m moving slow. I can’t find my earbuds, and shake my roommate awake demanding she lend me hers.

When I look at my watch it’s somehow 6:45, and Fingerle Lumber is a 30 minute walk away. I shamefully text the Punk Runners that I’m going to Uber to the start line, but then Emma offers to scoop me. Hell yeah.

I lay back down on the couch for another five, willing my headache to abate, and then she texts me “Here.” I rise, anti-heroic, and my roommate stirs awake to murmur “you’re a champion, dude.” I almost fall down the stairs and then crawl into Emma’s Chevy. “I feel like shit,” I tell her. She hands me a CLIF bar. We roll out.

7:30 a.m. - Jenna, who ran the first leg and missed the rest of the marathon Thankfully, I’m more awake now than I was 45 minutes before. I woke up late, inhaled oatmeal and spent the whole pre-race period praying that I wouldn’t vomit whilst running. The night before, I’d Googled “What to eat before running 7.05 miles,” but promptly ignored and subsequently forgot the Internet’s advice.

I also didn’t train whatsoever and hadn’t run all winter (because, honestly, who would want to). I wondered in between prayers if I could even run 7.05 miles. To chase the thought out of my head, I remember that, when Verity asked me if I could run 6 to 7 miles a week before the race, I responded with an enthusiastic “YES!” It was decided: whether or not I can run 7.05 miles, I’m going to run 7.05 miles.

Before I reluctantly leave my team to head toward the start line, John gives me a bandana, which I tie around my ponytail, and Emma and Verity hype me up for the race.

“I’m gonna win!” I say in response, knowing damn well that I am, in

point where I would take over from Jenna. Thankfully, Epic Races was providing a bus that would drive to the hand-off point. Unfortunately, we missed that bus. Granted, this was purposeful — the bus departed before the race began, and we wanted to see Jenna start. So, after she sped off, we were stuck at the finish line, race apparel doing little against the freezing weather, scrolling violently for a Lyft or an Uber that would pick us up.

Things didn’t look up much once we found a ride, though. Almost every road surrounding the race site was closed off. So, while we had succeeded in acquiring a Lyft, it was far away and struggling to come any closer. We huddled together for half an hour, watching the Lyft do circles on the map — all the while with Jenna approaching the hand-off point where no one waited for her.

At last our ride arrived. We crammed (certainly not illegally) and endured a fifteen-minute ride of near silence broken only by early morning jazz radio. Verity pulled out a copy of “Pride and Prejudice” from the dash, but it turned out to be an empty iPad case. It was silent and maybe a little awkward.

We arrived just on time to see Jenna making her way (galloping?) through Gallop Park.

8:30/40 a.m. - John encounters a woman holding a dixie cup After Jenna handed me the belt (and Verity tightened it for me — yes, I am truly that incompetent) I was off. Unlike Jenna, I didn’t have a boyfriend or a dog awaiting me at mile three. Defeating, I know. All that expected me at such a checkpoint was an older woman hunched over, holding a cup of water and saying “good job.” Which is also fine.

The miles felt surprisingly short (which is emphatically not to say easy), and I guess I could say there seemed to be some sort of friendly ambience between all of the runners as we went along. Some understanding of mutual pain coupled with the fact that we all smelled

revolting that made the movement easier. All the while I reveled in some good old Kero Kero Bonito and Polo and Pan which made me go faster (or so I’d like to believe).

The course twisted through U-M Medical Campus, through the Arb, and back down Central Campus to Hill Street where my very own abode lies. Things were feeling somewhat fantastic save a slight urge to vomit, and after my miles I finally crossed the second hand-off point, sweating violently, and I transferred the belt victoriously to Emma. Or, I would have transferred the belt victoriously to Emma, if she would have been there. She was not.

8:31 a.m. - Emma After Verity and I watched John run off in all his glory, we made our way back to the start — this time with the wonderful (and free) help of a Michigan Flyer sponsored bus. It was as good as a chartered bus could be, which means it was pretty great. With its cushy seats and temperature control system, the bus provided a welcome respite from the morning cold. Verity and I spent the superlit ride back discussing everything from the race to high school crushes; it was an enlightening experience.

The bonding didn’t stop there, though. Once we arrived at the start, we talked to Eva Solomon, the event coordinator, about the race and started to explore the amenities offered to athletes. We eventually found Gabe Solomon, a human pancake making machine, and some scrumptious breakfast burritos. All the while John was trudging along through the second leg of the race, it truly was the best of both worlds. That said, Verity and I got sidetracked exploring the start line and ran into some problems finding the exchange point for the relay. We eventually got there (and John only had to wait for five minutes.)

9:15 a.m. - Emma listens to a podcast Verity made a collaborative playlist so we could share what we all listened to while running and I contributed, like the team player I am.

But I won’t lie: I wasn’t listening to the songs I put on there. My media of choice is a podcast and I’ve been called a psycho by one person several times because of it. I still stand by my choice – the podcast in question is Crooked Media’s “Keep it” and helps me keep up on all the pop-cultureturned-political-drama I could ever ask for. The hosts are a funny trio (Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel and (my favorite) Kara Brown) and keep my mind off the fact that I am without a doubt dying while I run.

The actual run wasn’t too eventful. Did I know where I was supposed to go the whole time? Not particularly, but that’s why the other participants are there. I will admit that it took me at least four miles to remember that the plan wasn’t for me to circle back to the start, but rather end at Gallup.

Pro tip for running a race: look at the race map before you head out.

There is something oddly satisfying about running through the streets of Ann Arbor; the roads are closed just for racers and you have the whole street to yourself. I timed it well enough, or maybe I was just that slow, where there were never too many people around me, and I didn’t have to share the street with anyone but the encouraging race volunteers. My heart was light, even if my legs weren’t.

On the point of the race volunteers, I had absolutely no clue how to interact with them. Was I supposed to smile? Did I have to make eye contact? What do I do when they’re shoving water in my face? Obviously, I appreciated the water and the encouragement, but when you’re the only one in the general vicinity and have no ability to chalk up your rudeness to the fact that they weren’t talking to you, it gets real. Most of the time, I gave a half-hearted smile or quickly averted my eyes and just pretended not to hear them. I had headphones in, so that’s fine, right? My manners may appall Emily Post, but my nerves applauded the decision.

By the last three miles of the race, I was in the middle of Ira, Louis and Kara’s interview with Busy Phillips and I just have one quote to leave you with: “I know that you think that I’m like the mom down the street, and that’s chill, but I’ve also worked my fucking ass off in Hollywood for 20 years and I have some nice shit.” Busy Phillips provided all the aspirational moods I needed to get through my last mile, and I may not have worked 20 years in Hollywood by the end, but I did run seven miles and it felt great.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

DAILY GENDER & MEDIA COLUMN

The cult of Billie Eilish Classifieds

Teenage girls have been the most misunderstood part of humanity since the beginning of time. Even their own understanding of alienation is made fun of, turned into memes of “mom, it’s just a phase” and a brand of self-deprecating humor that proliferates across teen and adult society, even infecting girls themselves. It’s no wonder this is true — our media consistently pushes those few teenage girls who are selfconfident and genuine down to join the rest of their age group through unrealistic standards for everything from their bodies to the colors they are supposed to wear. We all know this, and many of us (including myself) have channeled their frustration at that pressure into classic existential angst. We pierce our noses, we dye our hair, we pick up the guitar or the cigarette, sometimes all at once. In avoiding one stereotype, we slowly move into another.

There’s no better example of this kind of response to society than the mere existence of singer Billie Eilish. Eilish is a veritable unicorn in the music industrial complex — she’s a teenage girl, yes, but she’s missed the expected transformation and hypersexualization by a thread. She’s in charge of her own songwriting, often done with her brother and producer Finneas. Eilish is partial to pairing incredibly oversized sweatshirts and pants and has developed a fashion sense that literally only she could pull off. She’s not dancing in the hallways of a Catholic school in miniskirts, she’s collaborating with hypebeast fashion icon Takashi Murakami on Hot Topicesque merchandise.

Eilish’s

CLARA SCOTT trademark is a sense of angst that never makes it into eye-rolling territory, creating an enthralling case study in what the fusion of 2019’s feminist environment and the extant pressure of her industry can do.

So it’s no wonder that the singer has accrued a devoted army of followers and fans, most of them teenagers like herself. Though it’s a surprise to remember after watching a few of Eilish’s interviews or music videos, she’s only 17 — and started making music four years ago. Despite her age, Eilish oozes a kind of beyondher-years understanding of the world that many modern girls do, too. In a world that plays to their insecurities constantly, Eilish’s main audience sees a light in her music, one that tells them their jaded perception of society is ok and even cool. In this, the singer is under tremendous pressure to maintain her image as a perpetually bored and depressed beauty, languid in the spotlight of her own creation.

This is why the cult of Billie Eilish is more complex than it may seem. The legions of supporters she has garnered through her first EP and now her recent studio album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?

expect a certain vibe from the performer at all times to mirror their own. Unfortunately for Eilish, that vibe is depressed and flippant. She’s real as hell, but at some point, that realness takes its toll. After all, the girl is only 17. Eilish may have escaped the more classic markers of industry control, but instead of those, she has now fallen into a different sort of trap. Just like those of us who left bubblegum-pink lip gloss for fishnets, Eilish has broken the restraints of Ariana Grande-style pop-stardom only to find herself in another box: that of the emo princess.

There are dozens of examples that show there is a way out of this image, namely, that of Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore. Now in her late twenties, Williams has managed to shed her early punk teenager image for that of a more balanced woman, one that still makes incredible music in the same alternative vein. This could be the path that Billie Eilish goes down, but for now, it’s up for debate.

Watching her talk about how even the last year of her life has changed in the wake of fame, in a side-byside interview in Vanity Fair, it is worrying to see how Eilish’s dark stage persona has leeched into her real outlook on life. She represents a change in the industry towards a deeper understanding of the minds of teenage girls — but will that pressure to change drag her down? It’s hard to say right now, as she rides the wave of her album’s success this month. But in the next few years, I will keep a close eye on Eilish. She might transcend the constraints of her image, or delve deeper into their murky waters.

Hopefully, she’ll swim.

Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

Release Date: Friday, April 5, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

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ACROSS 1 Triumphant exclamation 5 Illusion 11 “The good is __ interred with their bones”: “Julius Caesar” 14 Ostrich relatives 15 Payday lender, perhaps 16 Extract with effort 17 Suffers 18 Make some cote residents angry?

20 Singer Etheridge 22 One no longer working 23 Enjoy at a leisurely pace 24 Pikelike fish 25 Nihilistic art movement 26 Calf roper’s target?

31 Put away 32 Young one 33 Storm components?

37 Ranking suit 40 Giant Mel 42 Fund 43 2019 Grammy Awards host Keys 45 40-Acr. is in it 47 Savings plan acronym 48 Birdwatcher’s journal entry?

52 “Frozen” sister 55 “Live __”: Taco Bell slogan 56 Prop for Palmer 57 Valley element?

59 Embezzlers, e.g.

63 Borden, in the 1870s?

65 Cloud of gloom 66 Golden __ 67 Singer Grande 68 Biblical twin 69 Risk 70 Identified 71 Editor’s notation DOWN 1 Group of playmates 2 Parisian love 3 Hardly inspiring

4 Good Samaritan’s offer 5 Persnickety one 6 “The Thin Man” canine 7 Help in the theater 8 Biblical mount 9 Unfavorable mark 10 In the past, in the past 11 Adams’ “Nixon in China,” e.g.

12 Let go 13 Far from laid-back 19 Out of sight 21 Work for parents 24 Juicy tidbit lead-in 26 Greek salad topper 27 Bowling great __ Anthony 28 Sewing case 29 “I can’t get no satisfaction!”

30 Farm mom 34 First name in the cast of “The Sopranos” 35 Sped

36 Christmas song swimmer 38 2008 presidential candidate 39 Actress Zadora 41 Heavy weight 44 Bedroom piece 46 Dimwit 49 Polish seaport, in Germany 50 Welcoming gift 51 Leaked slowly 52 Founded: Abbr.

53 Feudal subject 54 Reason for closed schools, perhaps 58 Show appreciation 59 Stabber 60 Still-life standard 61 Airline known for tight security 62 Turn on an axis 64 Half a slalom segment

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Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, April 5, 2019 — 7

Carson’s grand slam emblematic Storako rebounds against Toledo of freshmen success for Michigan DANIEL DASH

Daily Sports Writer

LANE KIZZIAH Daily Sports Writer

By the bottom of the second inning, the No. 23 Michigan softball team had fallen into a pattern: get walked to first on a full count, round the bases to home, repeat.

Then, freshman catcher Hannah Carson stepped up to the plate.

Before Wednesday’s game against Toledo, Carson had 35 at-bats, registering eight hits, though only two were translated into runs. Close games early in the season didn’t allow freshmen like Carson to see much playing time, but recent offensive surges have allowed her more time on the field.

In these games, the non-starters have shown their worth.

Carson, who’s had more defensive opportunities than most freshmen on the team, has proven to be an asset to the Wolverines behind the plate, not committing a single error in her 22 appearances this season.

“Hannah’s been behind the plate,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “She’s a fine catcher. She does a great job receiving, she’s got a gun for an arm and just learning to keep up with the intensity of this game — she’s done that when she’s had her opportunity. We can put her in at any time; we have confidence in her that way.”

But on Wednesday, it was her time to prove herself offensively against the Rockets.

The Wolverines were up 15-0 by the time Carson picked up the bat. With the bases loaded and two outs, Michigan was looking to extend an already long inning.

After a strike, a foul, and two balls, it looked like Carson’s at-bat would result in another walk, but that wasn’t in the cards.

On the next pitch, Carson swung hard, sending a line drive over the right-field wall —the first home run of her collegiate

career. The grand slam increased Michigan’s lead to 19.

Because the ball was so low, Carson didn’t even know whether it went out of the field.

The impressive feat by the freshman demonstrated just how impactful this class can be when given the chance.

Every player except for sophomore Meghan Beaubien made an appearance before the game ended in the fifth inning. The non-starters didn’t disappoint, accounting for seven of the Wolverines’ 24 runs.

Carson’s grand slam was followed by a home run from freshman infielder Gianna Carosone.

While Hutchins said she loved the home runs, these weren’t the highlights of the game in her eyes.

“I was most excited that (the underclassmen) were able to get in and get some meaningful time — more than one at-bat and get on the defensive side of the ball,” Hutchins said. “They’re our future.”

Carson almost repeated this performance in the next inning when she fired a ball towards center field. Just shy of high enough, the ball ricocheted against the back wall where a Rockets outfielder failed to make the catch, resulting in a double.

Carson’s hit brought two runners home, bringing her RBI total to six for the game.

“I thought it was (going out) for a minute there,” Carson said. “But it was really exciting anyway.”

In between these at-bats, Carson was substituted in for catcher Katie Alexander behind the plate, a role she will likely continue to occupy after the senior graduates.

“She’s got all the skill sets that we need,” Hutchins said. “I think she’s got the ability to be a really great player here. She’s learning how to hit at this level, which is really learning how to manage the strike zone.

“The sky’s the limit for Hannah.”

KARTIK SUNDARAM/Daily

Freshman catcher Hannah Carson hit a grand slam against Toledo on Wednesday for the first home run of her career.

Advanced metrics aid Wolverines

EVAN AARON/Daily

Senior infielder Blake Nelson saw multiple balls get by him after shifting against Toledo on Wednesday in an 8-2 win.

AVI RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI Daily Sports Writer

Erik Bakich has said in the past he believes his staff is leading the way on analytics. The defensive shift has taken over baseball, and Michigan is no stranger to using any advantage it can to make the difference.

“That’s a big picture over the long haul type of situation,” Bakich said. “So a few may have squeezed through and found a hole today, but over the course of the season by playing the non-pull side infielder more up the middle, we will actually take more hits away up the middle doing that.”

On Wednesday afternoon against Toledo, it seemed to hurt the Wolverines as senior infielder Blake Nelson saw several balls pass him after he shifted. In this case, the defensive shift didn’t pay off. But at the end of the day, it didn’t matter, as the Wolverines won, 8-2, and hope their shifts continue to pay dividends as the season progresses. And while it may seem strange to a casual fan that the defenders are leaving entire swaths of the field open, Bakich is firm in his belief that the method works.

“So, over the course of the season when the metrics are calculated and we look back at it, it’s going to be way more in the

Alex Storako took a deep breath, gripped the ball in her glove and began her windup.

With a pair of runners aboard and two outs in the inning, the freshman right-hander’s pitch froze Toledo’s Brianna Robeson — Storako’s fourth strikeout of the inning.

The four-strikeout inning is a rarity. On Wednesday, Storako achieved the feat during the No. 23 Michigan softball team’s 24-3 victory over the Rockets (1019), an onslaught that marked the Wolverines’ (24-10) 12th consecutive win.

Storako’s own blunder made the four-strikeout oddity possible. In the first at-bat of the second inning, Toledo’s Kaitlyn Bergman uncorked a vicious swing on a ball well outside of the strike zone with two strikes in the count. Bergman whiffed on the wild pitch, but the ball bounced away from senior catcher Katie Alexander, allowing Bergman to reach base

positives in our favor,” Bakich said. “Even those three or four balls that got through today — we’ve had so many outs up the middle just by having that nonpull side infielder up there behind second base.

“You see more fly balls that are hit, just across the board, you see more fly balls that go to the opposite field than more ground balls that go to the pull side. So we defend that a lot.”

The shifts are based on if the batter is right or left-handed.

If the batter is right-handed the defense will often shift to the third base side. The shortstop moves closer to third and the second baseman moves to replace the shortstop.

The scheme is simply flipped for lefthanded hitters.

The defensive strategy seems to have paid off as Michigan’s team fielding percentage of .973 is second in the Big Ten only behind Illinois at .979. To come up with the defensive shifts, Bakich and his staff have to do more than just look at stats. The coaches have a substantial process to decide how to set up the defense.

The Wolverines utilize several companies for this. To look at their opponents hitting Michigan uses 6-4-3 Charts which gives the spray charts of their opponents.

The Wolverines try to identify opponents’ tendencies on video using a company called Synergy.

“We watch all of our opponents each week,” Bakich said. “And then we know how our pitchers pitch and what our plan is against their hitters. And then we just try to put our guys where the opponents are gonna hit the ball.”

Michigan’s unique personnel allows it to be even more aggressive than most teams on defensive shifts.

For opposing teams, the bold shifts add to the challenge of playing against such a tough defensive team in Michigan.

“There’s not as many ground balls hits that are hit the other way,” Bakich said. “Certainly not down the opposite field line on the ground. Which is why we have our corner guys so far off the lines most of the time. When you have an athlete like Jordan Brewer or Jimmy Kerr or whoever it is; you’re just shrinking the field.”

That’s a big picture over the long haul type of situation.

on the dropped third strike rule. Storako received credit for the strikeout, but no out was recorded.

After plunking the next batter with a fastball, Storako appeared to be on the verge of unraveling.

The last time Storako found herself in a situation involving two baserunners, she surrendered a three-run home run to Rutgers on Saturday.

That wasn’t her only rough patch during the Wolverines’ series in Piscataway, as she failed to escape the first inning of the previous game. Following a double, walk and single by the Scarlet Knights to begin the game, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins called upon sophomore left-hander Meghan Beaubien to clean up Storako’s mess.

Storako recorded just one out in that start — the shortest outing of her young college career.

“I’d like to see Storako go to the next level,” Hutchins said after Saturday. “That’s keeping her composure and keeping her spin on pitches while she starts muscling it up and trying harder when the game gets intense. It’s time to grow. We learn and get better in moments and stress, so I’d like to see her get a little bit better.”

During Wednesday’s start, Storako showed flashes of nextlevel dominance. She hurled three no-hit innings while posting seven strikeouts and zero walks on just 47 pitches.

Storako’s pristine spin carried her throughout the afternoon until Hutchins substituted her out of the game along with the rest of the starting lineup. “(Storako) finished strong,” Hutchins said. “We need her to keep getting better and learn how to be intense every pitch without trying too hard. She’s a spin, moving pitcher and those pitchers do, if anybody, have trouble with the command.

That’s not unusual.”

By the time Storako’s day was done, the Wolverines’ 24-run lead meant the rest of the game was merely a formality.

For Storako, the three strong innings were a much-needed boost before Michigan’s Big Ten home stretch. The team’s final 17 games are all against conference opponents, and having multiple reliable starting pitchers will be a key. Beaubien has already thrown over half of the team’s innings so far this season, so Storako’s steady progression is a major plus.

“It’s really awesome to see her in the mindset of attacking things,” said senior second baseman Faith Canfield. “Having to be behind Meghan (Beaubien) is a hard role, and I think she can get complacent there and I don’t think she has. Having this sense of being able to come out and attack it is really going to help her in the long run.”

Added freshman catcher Hannah Carson: “I know this whole week she’s been working on her pitches and she’s been pretty disciplined. So it was really nice to see her come out and power through those hitters.”

At this point, Storako’s numbers reflect a solid overall freshman campaign.

After Wednesday’s dominant outing, her ERA is down to 2.11. She’s amassed 110 strikeouts across 89.2 innings, and opponents have posted a batting average of just .176 against her.

Storako’s only shortcomings have come in the form of walks and long balls. So far, she’s served up 12 home runs and issued 34 walks. The rest of the staff has allowed a combined five homers and 26 walks.

If Storako can pound the strike zone and surrender fewer home runs, recording four strikeouts in an inning will be the least of her accomplishments.

“Four strikeouts?” Hutchins joked. “I’d just as soon have three and get off the field.”

Sports

8 — Friday, April 5, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Position review: Linebackers ARIA GERSON

Daily Sports Writer

Back in 2015, the Michigan football team landed a coup.

Devin Bush was supposed to go to Florida State. His dad played for the Seminoles and was a legend for them. Bush was a legacy, a highly-touted South Florida kid who’d have his pick of colleges.

But Florida State didn’t have Jim Harbaugh or Don Brown.

And those two convinced him to leave Hollywood, Fla. for Ann Arbor. Along with him came two high school teammates — nowsenior safety Josh Metellus and now-senior linebacker Devin Gil. The elder Bush got a job as a defensive analyst for the Wolverines.

And anchored by Bush, the Wolverines’ defense began a new era.

In his final season at Michigan, the junior linebacker was electric. Though just 5-foot-11 and 233 pounds, Bush finished with 79 tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks and six pass breakups. Bush was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Butkus Award, for the best collegiate linebacker, and the Nagurski Trophy, for the best collegiate defensive player.

Though overshadowed by Bush, VIPER Khaleke Hudson was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention after a strong junior season. Playing a hybrid role, Hudson’s versatility was a boon to the Wolverines’ defense.

The graduation of Mike McCray in 2018 allowed others — including Gil and thensophomore Josh Ross — the chance to show their stuff at linebacker. Ross was also named an All-Big Ten honorable mention.

However, when Bush got injured and sat out the Peach Bowl, his absence proved that he was the true anchor of

Michigan’s linebacking corps, leaving the Wolverines with a hole they struggled to fill.

How others step up to fill that hole could determine how high Michigan’s ceiling is in 2019.

HIGH POINT: Bush stood in the center of the paintedwhite logo at Spartan Stadium.

Headphones in one hand, he went to work, kicking and digging his feet into the turf, defacing the once-pristine spartan.

This was, after all, a rivalry game — one with no dearth of disrespect from either side. But it wouldn’t have been a good look for Bush to have that kind of pregame outburst without backing it up on the field.

So Bush went in and showed Michigan State who was boss.

Perhaps no play was more emblematic of the game than one Bush made in the fourth quarter, with the Wolverines up 21-7 and the Spartans facing second-and-1 at Michigan’s 24-yard line just after the two-minute warning. Score a quick touchdown and recover an onside kick, and a Spartan comeback would still be possible.

Instead, Bush came after Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi and sacked him for an 11-yard loss. On third-and-long, Lombardi was sacked again. The attempted fourth-down conversion fell short, and the Wolverines bled out the clock on a much-needed win.

In a game where the defense made plays all day long, Bush’s pregame antics were symbolic.

LOW POINT: In the fourth quarter of the Peach Bowl, Florida attempted a punt from its own 20. Hudson came up and

EVAN AARON/Daily

Linebacker Devin Bush entered the NFL Draft after his junior season, leaving a hole in the middle of the Wolverines’ defense that Josh Ross will try to fill.

blocked it in the end zone for a safety.

Unfortunately for Michigan, all that did was decrease the Gators’ lead from 28 points to 26. And the linebackers were a large reason for the deficit.

Bush had injured his hip in the third quarter of the loss to Ohio State and failed to get medical clearance to participate in bowl practices or play in the game.

So he withdrew and focused on preparing for the NFL draft.

The Wolverines’ first taste of life without Bush wasn’t pretty, to put it nicely.

Ross started at middle linebacker in his place, flanked

(Bush’s) absence proved that he was the true anchor.

by Hudson and Gil. But where Bush once sped down the field, chasing the quarterback and wreaking havoc on opposing offenses, his replacements looked lost.

Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks noticed the hole and took advantage. Franks not only threw for 173 yards and a touchdown, he was also the Gators’ second-leading rusher with 74 yards and a touchdown — this for a quarterback not exactly known as a dual-threat.

Without Bush there to clog the running game, four different Florida players had runs of 30 yards or longer.

Michigan could only watch as the Gators sped away.

THE FUTURE: Losing a talent like Bush — especially one that has started for the past two years — is always going to hurt. But what the Peach Bowl

showed is that the Wolverines may miss Bush even more than they thought, for the simple fact that he made the linebackers around him better.

Hudson and Ross are talented, to be clear, and another year of experience can only help.

But they’re not the same without Bush in between them.

Ross started at middle linebacker in the Peach Bowl, indicating that he may be the future choice at the position — albeit one with a big learning curve.

Gil, fifth-year senior Jordan Glasgow and redshirt sophomore Cam McGrone are others who could fill the

vacant linebacker spot, but none incite particular excitement.

Newcomer Anthony Solomon was a four-star recruit as an outside linebacker, but as with most freshmen, he is unlikely to contribute right away.

And even if one of them does step up, none have the kind of talent that Bush did, and they won’t be the kind of defensive centerpiece that Bush was.

Only time will tell what the future holds for the linebackers, but of all of the Wolverines’ position groups, it may be the one with the most questions entering 2019. The way the season ended only makes those questions louder.

Linebacker may be the (group) with the most questions.

Position review: Secondary one didn’t have a happy ending for Michigan.

On seemingly every play, Buckeye receivers targeted Watson in coverage. And on seemingly every play, they left Watson in the dust.

The Wolverines’ press-man defensive scheme meant that the defensive line had to pressure the quarterback as much as possible, so as to avoid receivers getting free against man-toman coverage.

But Ohio State was prepared.

Its screen passes and crossing routes were intended to get the ball out quickly, matching its speedy receivers against Michigan’s secondary.

And the secondary — especially Watson — just couldn’t keep up in a 62-39 loss.

The loss was a shock in a lot of ways, but perhaps the biggest was the extent to which the secondary, which had played at a high level all year, got torched. It didn’t take long for fans to tweet in despair asking why Watson was still in the game, begging the defense to do anything. Of course, in all likelihood, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

Buckeye quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw for 318 yards and five touchdowns, a performance that cemented his status as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2019 NFL draft. The Wolverines never had a chance.

The secondary wasn’t put in a position to succeed against Ohio State, but that doesn’t change the fact that in the biggest game of the year, a highly-touted unit came up short again and again.

THE FUTURE: The

secondary enters 2019 facing a lot of question marks, and not just because of how the season ended. Long decided to forego his final year of eligibility to declare for the draft, and Kinnel graduated, leaving two big pairs of shoes to fill.

The favorite to replace Long is likely junior Ambry Thomas, who showcased his speed as a kick returner during his first two years.

But Thomas’ technique is raw, and the fact that defensive coordinator Don Brown did not trust him enough to try him over Watson when things started to go sideways in Columbus isn’t exactly a good sign.

At safety, junior J’Marick Woods is next on the depth chart behind Metellus, according to Jim Harbaugh, while junior Brad Hawkins is the favorite at nickel. Both played backup snaps throughout the 2018 season. But the X-factor here is five-star incoming freshman Daxton Hill. Hill had a whirlwind recruitment: He initially committed to Michigan, but decommitted from the Wolverines and committed to Alabama less than two months later, only to eventually sign with Michigan after all. The Tulsa, Okla. native was ranked the 14th-best prospect in the country and the top-rated safety.

If Hill proves he’s ready, he could make an impact right away.

Meanwhile, Lavert Hill decided to return and man the cornerback position for one more year. If he puts up numbers like he did last season, he’s an early favorite to garner AllBig Ten and perhaps even AllAmerican honors again.

The X-factor (at safety) is fivestar ... freshman Daxton Hill.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior cornerback Lavert Hill was selected for the All-Big Ten First Team and AP Third Team All-American last season, as quarterbacks regularly avoided him.

ARIA GERSON

Daily Sports Writer

The stats don’t jump off the page.

Michigan’s secondary had just 11 interceptions last season, tied for 60th in the country with middling teams such as Minnesota and Nebraska.

Despite that, the Wolverines’ defensive backs played at an elite level most of the year.

But the story — as with many of the Michigan football team’s other units — had a familiar ending. Secondary play crumbled in a loss at Ohio State in November and then again in the Peach Bowl against Florida, calling into question

whether the unit was really ever that elite in the first place.

That’s not to say there weren’t positives. Cornerbacks Lavert Hill and David Long had their praises sung all season long and for good reason. Regularly rated high by advanced stats, Hill’s and Long’s reputations preceded them. The pair received fewer targets as other teams feared their abilities, and when passes did come their way, they were almost always broken up. Hill and Long were both All-Big Ten First Team selections; Hill was also honored as a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press.

The safeties also got their share of accolades. Senior safety

Secondary play crumbled in a loss to Ohio State ...

Josh Metellus was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection and then-senior safety Tyree Kinnel garnered an honorable mention.

HIGH POINT: There was Brandon Watson, and then there was open space.

Maybe Penn State quarterback Tommy Stevens overthrew the ball, or maybe he underthrew it. Either way, Watson was the only player in the vicinity. The then-fifth-year senior cornerback caught the ball, ran and didn’t stop until he was in the end zone.

The touchdown put the Wolverines up, 28-0, late in the third quarter and all but shut the door on any potential Nittany Lion comeback. The rest of the secondary also dazzled,

holding Penn State passers to a collective 8-for-17 with two pass breakups.

Then, in the fourth quarter following a touchdown, Long intercepted Trace McSorley on the first play of the next drive, giving Michigan the ball back at the Nittany Lion 12. Four plays later, running back Chris Evans punched it in for a oneyard touchdown to put the Wolverines up, 42-0.

What had been a muchanticipated matchup against the No. 14 team in the country had become a laugher.

LOW POINT: In Columbus three weeks later, Watson was once again the story. But this

(Passes) were almost always broken up (by Hill and Long).

(Hill is) an early favorite to garner All-Big Ten ... honors.