2019-11-05

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Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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City Council says yes to affordable housing plan

Officials pass resolutions regarding carbon neutrality, housing incentives

Hong Kong Human Rights Concern Group advocates for civil liberties

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Activists create community to discuss political climate, protests in China PARNIA MAZHAR Daily Staff Reporter

To the public eye, the current situation in Hong Kong has caused violent protests, political conf licts and the potential for global interference. Behind closed doors, the conf lict has divided families.

Engineering research fellow Leo Tse, who is from Hong Kong, told The Daily his father no longer speaks to him because

of their polarizing views on the Chinese government. While Tse believes there is a lack of human rights protections in Hong Kong and is protesting against the government, his father believes in China’s economic success under the current system and does not approve any interference with the country’s policies. These differences in beliefs are not uncommon among Chinese families, according to Tse. “Is there a good outcome for

this?” Tse asked. “I don’t know, I really don’t know. But that’s the choice (for) a lot of people.

You know you’re going to piss off your parents, but you know what to do to make things right as well, so you have to do it.”

To try and better the condition and rights of those in Hong Kong, in September, Tse formed the Hong Kong Human Rights Concern Group at the University.

Made up of about 13 students and faculty members, this group is advocating for civil liberties

in Hong Kong through various initiatives.

“So right now, there are still different opinions within the group to be fair, but all of us agree upon the concept of human rights … all of us want to fight for it,” Tse said. “There might be different political views on specific events and incidents, but overall, we support human rights, and that’s why we gathered together and are doing what we’re doing.”

See HONG KONG, Page 3A

JULIA FANZERES Daily Staff Reporter

City Council passed an affordable housing ordinance Monday evening that provided incentives for private developers to include affordable housing units and also passed a resolution for Ann Arbor to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2030.

More than 50 Ann Arbor residents packed the seats of Larcom City Hall for the first City Council meeting of the month.

The Roosevelt Institute, a University of Michigan student progressive public policy think tank, collaborated with the Councilmember Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, to draft an ordinance incentivizing affordable housing. Ackerman noted that other policies to foster affordable housing, such as rent control and inclusionary zoning, are illegal in Michigan. This

Harper: SACUA discusses faculty speech, ‘U’ must sexual misconduct policy changes talk safety Professor who declined to write Israel study abroad letter addresses assembly for debate CAMPUS LIFE

ISABELLA PREISSLE For The Daily

Student Life VP responds to conflicting sex assault statistics, bus detours RACHEL CUNNINGHAM & CLAIRE HAO Daily News Editor & Daily Staff Reporter

The Michigan Daily sat down with E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life at the University of Michigan, Friday afternoon to discuss the 2020 Presidential Debate being hosted by the University, the University’s sexual misconduct policy, the transfer student credit policy and more. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The Michigan Daily: The University announced it will be hosting a 2020 Presidential Debate next October. How can students take advantage of this opportunity?

What potential safety issues does the University expect and what will the University do to prepare for them?

E. Royster Harper: It’s an opportunity to engage in the democratic process and to really think about that. It’s an opportunity for us to talk about things that normally we wouldn’t talk about.

I’m excited about the work that Central Student Government (has done), they’ve had two town halls to really try to get students to talk about what their concerns are. Of course, some students are See HARPER, Page 3A

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The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs addressed lingering questions regarding faculty free speech and University sexual misconduct policies in a meeting on Monday. Topics included the University of Michigan’s new umbrella policy for addressing sexual misconduct across all three university campuses and an ongoing issue regarding associate professor John Cheney-Lippold’s refusal to write a recommendation

letter for a student’s study abroad program in Israel last year.

The University has moved to adopt a new sexual misconduct policy which applies to all three of the University campuses. This new umbrella policy applies to all University employees and students, as well as third parties involved in a sexual misconduct allegations.

SACUA member Christine Gerdes said the content of the document isn’t much different from the original.

“The substance of much of what you’ll see (in the

document) isn’t all that different from the substance today,” Gerdes said. “But it looks a lot different.”

The new policy clarifies previous policies and includes a fixed list of definitions of prohibited conduct, specifying what to do when an allegation falls under the jurisdiction of multiple misconduct committees. The new policy also reevaluates the list of responsible employees and confidential resources within the University.

The committee addressed a policy issue pertaining

to how employees couldn’t appeal against a potential suspension. The new umbrella policy doesn’t require the employee to be notified of a future suspension or allow for the employee to submit a grievance in regards to their sexual misconduct case. While this doesn’t apply to tenured or clinical professors, SACUA agreed all parties should be given the opportunity to submit an appeal and be able to get their affairs in order before getting their pay taken away.

See SACUA , Page 3A

leaves incentives as the only viable form of policy the city can use to create affordable housing.

Previously, the city has provided market incentives for developers to invest in residential housing. The goal of these market incentives was to ensure that Ann Arbor’s new developments were more than 40 percent residential, but most developments in Ann Arbor are currently 90 percent residential.

Ackerman questioned why the city continuously incentivizes projects that developers are interested in financing.

“As of now we highly incentivize market rate housing,” Ackerman said. “And market rate premium is so lucrative that we see it used in every downtown development and rarely see other premiums used, premiums that would incentivize affordable housing and energy efficiency.”

See CITY COUNCIL, Page 3A

GOVERNMENT

Michigan Rs defend Trump to House Ds Experts weigh in on impeachment inquiry, MI Republicans letter ZAYNA SYED

Daily Staff Reporter

As the House of Representatives forges ahead with an impeachment inquiry, six Michigan Republicans sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., last Wednesday, claiming the inquiry violated President Donald Trump’s legal right to due process. However, experts claim due process may not apply, since the Constitution gives the House full control over impeachment proceedings.

According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, the letter complains the House impeachment process bill “may not guarantee the ’timely release’of transcripts from depositions.” The letter was signed by state Reps. Jack Bergman of Watersmeet, Bill Huizenga of Zeeland, Paul Mitchell of Dryden, John Moolenaar of Midland, Fred Upton of St. Joseph and Tim Walberg of Tipton.

The Free Press article said the letter does not mention Trump by name or the allegations against him.

KYTO BATT/Daily SACUA Chair Joy Beatty discusses potential policies on sexual and gender-based misconduct at a SACUA meeting in the Fleming Administration Building Monday.

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KYTO BATT/Daily Knight-Wallace Fellow Shai Gal introduces the film “The Jewish Underground” at a documentary screening in Weill Hall Monday.

Michigan House Democratic Caucus brings Reproductive Health Care Act Lawmakers introduce bill to repeal laws restricting access to abortion ANGELINA LITTLE Daily Staff Reporter

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other lawmakers in the Michigan House Democratic Caucus introduced the Reproductive Health Care Act, a plan to revoke existing laws which restrict or bar access to abortion, last Tuesday.

Abortion is currently legal through the first 24 weeks of pregnancy in the state of Michigan, though there are a number of restrictions regarding access to abortion that the RHA aims to dissolve. Among the legislation these lawmakers hope to repeal is a 1931 Michigan law prohibiting abortion. Since the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade became law, which recognizes the right to abortion as a constitutional right, federal law has trumped this state law. However, if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, abortion would again be banned statewide.

Sudoku Syndication Other laws the RHA seeks to

repeal include those which require a 24-hour waiting period after requesting an abortion, parental consent for minors seeking abortions and a ban on private insurance coverage for these procedures. The act also aims to get rid of barriers for state and federal funding for reproductive health care providers and access to medical abortion via telemedicine, which allows health care providers to consult patients remotely.

The movement against abortion is also active in Michigan, with two anti-abortion petitions currently circulating. The first, organized by anti-abortion group Right to Life of Michigan, seeks to ban the dilation and evacuation procedure unless the pregnant person’s life is at risk.

The procedure involves dilating the cervix and removing the fetus with forceps and can result in dismemberment of the fetus. The second petition, advocated by the Michigan Heartbeat Coalition,

advocates banning abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which can be as early as five-weeks gestation. Both petitions seek to enact legislation previously vetoed

by Whitmer.

On Tuesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement in support of the RHA plan.

“Women’s reproductive rights and access to quality health care are under attack across the country,” the statement reads. “Now, more than ever, we must take concrete steps to ensure the rights of all women are protected under the law.”

Some abortion rights activists have expressed concern that the bills outlined in the RHA, many of which would require a two thirds majority, are unlikely to pass in a Republican controlled legislature.

Public Policy senior Brianna Wells, co-president of the abortion rights student organization Students for Choice at the University of Michigan, supports the RHA but shared concerns regarding its longevity.

“I think it’s really HARDimportant to have something that will give people the right to choose in the case that Roe v. Wade is overturned, which is probably likely given the people on the Supreme Court right now,” Wells said.

“I don’t know how good of a chance the bill has of being passed, and even if it were to be passed, it just worries me that the next time the legislature is unfriendly to something like this it could just be gutted. So, while I totally support the bill(s), I think that eventually I would like to see something more permanent put into place, like a constitutional amendment to Michigan’s constitution or something like that.”

In a press conference on Tuesday, Whitmer addressed © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com this concern, alluding to allegations of illegal

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gerrymandering, but maintained Senior Opinion Editors: Emily Considine, Krystal Hur, Ethan Kessler, Miles that the plan was nonetheless Stephenson, Erin White important.

MAX MARCOVITCH and ETHAN SEARS “We are all acutely aware of how Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com gerrymandered this legislature is Senior Sports Editors: Anna Marcus, Aria Gerson, Ben Katz, Mark Calcagno, Theo Mackie, Tien Le and that it’s an uphill battle, but Assistant Sports Editors: Bailey Johnson, Bennett Bramson, Connor Brennan, it doesn’t mean you don’t fight it,” Jacob Kopnick, Jorge Cazares, Rian Ratnavale Whitmer said.

ARYA NAIDU and VERITY STURM Education junior Justin Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Cadarette, a member of the antiSenior Arts Editors: Clara Scott, Emma Chang, Cassandra Mansuetti, Sam abortion student organization Della Fera, Trina Pal Arts Beat Editors: John Decker, Sayan Ghosh, Mike Watkins, Ally Owens, Students for Life, opposes any Stephen Satarino, Izzy Hasslund, Margaret Sheridan change to the current laws restricting access to abortion in ROSEANNE CHAO and JACK SILBERMAN Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com Michigan.

Senior Design Editor: Sherry Chen “All of those laws that are currently in place are really good ALEXIS RANKIN and ALEC COHEN for making sure if a woman does Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com really feels like she needs to have Senior Photo Editors: Alexandria Pompei, Natalie Stephens, Alice Liu, Allison Engkvist, Danyel Tharakan an abortion … it makes sure she Assistant Photo Editors: Miles Macklin, Keemya Esmael, Madeline Hinkley, has all the time possible and all the Ryan McLoughlin information necessary to really make a super informed decision ANDREA PÉREZ BALDERRAMA Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com and very consciously deal with the Deputy Editors: Matthew Harmon, Shannon Ors consequences if she does carry out the abortion,” Cadarette said. http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ SILAS LEE and EMILY STILLMAN He highlighted parental consent Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com as one important requirement that Senior Copy Editors: Dominick Sokotoff, Olivia Sedlacek, Reece Meyhoefer should not change.

CASEY TIN and HASSAAN ALI WATTOO “Especially with minors, Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com definitely their parents need to Senior Web Developers: Jonathon Liu, Abha Panda, Ryan Siu, David Talbot, Samantha Cohen know what’s going on with their lives,” Cadarette said. “You need ELI SIDER to get parental consent to go to the Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Video Editors: Ryan O’Connor, Joseph Sim dentist, go to the doctor, even to get ibuprofen from your high school.

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CATHERINE NOUHAN Wells, on the other hand, felt Managing Podcast Editor repealing laws such as the 24-hour MADALASA CHAUDHARI and HANNAH MESKIN Managing Social Media Editors waiting period sends an important Senior Social Media Editor: Allie Phillips message about bodily autonomy.

“I think that, other than (the waiting period) just being an unnecessary barrier to people MOLLY WU Creative Director trying to seek an abortion, I think RYAN KELLY ZELJKO KOSPIC (repealing) it sends the message Sales Manager Special Projects Manager that we trust individuals enough ROBERT WAGMAN ANITA MICHAUD to make decisions about their own Marketing Consulting Manager Brand Manager bodies,” Wells said. “We don’t have to put this waiting period on it because I think that assumes that if The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during you get people to think about it long the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is enough, they won’t want to have an available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the abortion anymore, and I think that’s Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription really condescending.”

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HONG KONG From Page 1A Background on Hong Kong protests Conflicts sparked in China after Hong Kong citizen Chan Tong-kai murdered his girlfriend Poon Hui-wing in February 2018 while the couple was on vacation in Taiwan. Though Chan was arrested, there was no extradition treaty that would permit him to return to Taiwan to face his murder charges.

As a result, Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, proposed the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill, a controversial extradition bill which would allow Hong Kong authorities to detain and transfer suspects from countries and regions with which it has no official extradition agreements.

These territories include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.

Many were opposed to the bill because they believe there is a lack of transparency and no guarantee that their rights would be protected within the legal system of mainland China.

According to a study conducted by the University of Hong Kong, 66 percent of Hong Kong residents surveyed disagree or strongly disagree on extraditing people from Hong Kong to the mainland for trials.

This dissatisfaction with the government spurred protests within Hong Kong, which have occurred for 22 weeks thus far.

They have resulted in violent confrontations between the police and the protesters, as well as the arrest of over 2,800 people.

According to May Chan,

CITY COUNCIL From Page 1A Ackerman, a proponent of affordable housing during his previous tenure as Ann Arbor’s Planning Commissioner, promoted the ordinance as necessary legislation due to the stark shift in rezoning laws and large hikes rent prices.

“We are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis,” Ackerman said. “Our neighbors are getting priced out of our community, and getting priced out of our community faster every year. Our zoning code, the laws that govern what gets built where serves to worsen this crisis… Many of these changes have been good… but most of this new construction has been expensive, expensive to build and expensive to rent. Now 10 years later, rent is rising 16 percent year over year. We need to take action to address rents downtown.”

The newly introduced ordinance would incentivize developers to build affordable housing, prioritizing renters who make less than 60 percent of the city’s median income. The ordinance would appeal to developers by trading their height limits zoning requirements and slashing excess parking requirements for increased affordable housing inclusion. The first two developments to sign on would only need to allot 9 to 12 percent of the units as affordable housing, while the following developments would need to

SACUA From Page 1A Other grievances with the policy included inconsistency between the timelines for employees and students when reviewing the preliminary report of their case, nonspecific language within the report and employees’ inability to appeal to the Office of Institutional Equities. SACUA chair Joy Beatty voiced these concerns, wondering aloud if employees would be allowed the opportunity to challenge a suspension.

“What is the rationale for not providing an employee with the opportunity to challenge a suspension without pay?” Beatty said. “Why are the timelines shorter for employees than they are for students?”

Cheney-Lippold also spoke at the meeting to discuss the University’s response to his

faculty member at the University of Michigan’s Medical School, seeing the violence unfold in her home city is both shocking and difficult for her to accept.

“I was born and raised (in Hong Kong), so it’s very disheartening to see how much the entire society, in terms of the governing of the city, has really deteriorated,” Chan said. “A lot of things people never thought would happen in Hong Kong are happening in Hong Kong, like all the police brutality, reports of torture by police and also, how the government is probably trying to cover up a lot of the things they’ve done.”

Though Lam officially announced that she would withdraw the extradition bill in September, protests have moved beyond the bill, as protesters formed four other demands for the government: the development of a commission of inquiry into alleged police brutality, retracting the classification of protestors as “rioters,” amnesty for arrested protestors and universal suffrage for the Legislative Council and the chief executive.

Engineering senior Edgar Chung, who moved to Michigan from Hong Kong when he was 19 years old, said it was troubling for him to learn about the protests and conflicts occurring while he was in Ann Arbor this summer for research.

“It was really sickening,” Chung said. “It was really hard for me to just read all the news.

You got this feeling where all of this is happening in Hong Kong, but I wasn’t able to do anything because I am on the other side of the planet.”

Violent protests and police brutality One of the major issues expressed by the group members

News has been the police brutality at these protests. Police have been using batons, rubber bullets, pepper spray and even live bullets, among other weapons, on protesters. Others have also complained about the minimal and delayed responses of the authorities when protesters are attacked by civilians.

According to Chan, the right for people to protest in Hong Kong has deteriorated overall, becoming less and less protected as disputes continue.

“Hong Kong people are supposed to have freedom of assembly, it is in the constitution, but somehow the police are not allowing them, basically by making it illegal,” Chan said.

“It’s taking away their freedom of assembly.”

The conflict and violence is not one-sided, however. Some protesters use weapons of their own against police, and others who hold resentment towards the Chinese government target Chinese-affiliated businesses in the city.

On Saturday, for instance, protesters attacked Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong, the official press agency of China, by throwing petrol bombs and attempting to torch the building while people were still inside.

The office’s windows and doors were also smashed, and graffiti covered the walls.

Chung said this quick and violent progression of the conflict is worrisome.

“As the protests escalate and then all the police brutality escalates, you cannot help but think, ’Oh, what would I do if it’s my friend or my family being put in that situation?’” Chung said.

Chung, Tse and Chan each have personal connections with people heavily involved in the political movement in Hong

designate 15 to 30 percent of their units as affordable housing.

Councilmember Ali Ramlawi, D-Ward 5, said adding 15 to 30 percent of affordable housing units in order to address the housing crisis is a small price to pay for the growing classism in Ann Arbor.

“I am highly concerned with the economic segregation that we have in our downtown area,” Ramlawi said. “It’s classism and economic segregation whether it’s on purpose or not, it’s just the reality. So this will will help provide more housing opportunities for those on the lower end of the economic income spectrum. Again it’s not a silver bullet, it’s not going to take care of the issues by itself but I think it would be irresponsible not to support this in light of concerns that our community has on affordable housing.”

The council also addressed a resolution for Ann Arbor to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

The resolution was approved unanimously and met with applause from the crowd. The council also voted unanimously to push the deadline to achieve carbon neutrality up from 2035 to 2030.

Initially, some members were reluctant to pass the resolution due to it’s highly ambitious nature.

Ramlawi said while he was in support of the resolution, he wanted to urge the council to consider how making false promises could be detrimental to their credibility as elected officials.

“We can pass these ambitious resolutions and these goals, and I

do support them. But I also like to throw some caution in the wind.

There is issues that we currently have, and all you’ve got is your word in this life,” Ramlawi said.

“And we’re never going to hit these targets the way we are moving on these other issues.”

On a similar note, Councilmember Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2, cautioned that the price of such an expedited climate plan would be felt fiscally among Ann Arbor residents.

“I’ll be supporting this tonight but with the concern of where this may be headed in terms of the resources required and the related impacts on other priorities,” Lumm said. “I don’t think we should try to solve global warming on the backs of our Ann Arbor tax payers.”

Other councilmembers remained positive about the carbon neutrality resolution.

Councilmember Kathy Griswold, D-Ward 2, said she felt reinvigorated by the passing of the resolution and urged residents to use social media to share their suggestions with the council.

“I am really optimistic about this,” Griswold said. “But also want to compare this more to putting a man on the moon. And one of the things we didn’t have back then was social media. And we need to realize that… if we’re going to be successful we’ve got to come together and we’ve got to tell the people out there ‘use social media to share your ideas with us so we can be successful.”

decision to rescind a study abroad recommendation letter in 2018. Cheney-Lippold said he rescinded the letter because of his participation in an academic boycott of Israel organized

by Palastenian activists. In response to the incident, the University moved to take away Cheney-Lippold’s sabbatical, freeze his pay and threatened to potentially dismiss him.

Cheney-Lippold asked to meet with SACUA to discuss faculty political freedom.

“The Dean’s office seemed to stop caring about faculty wellness at all,” CheneyLippold said. “I believe my case raises specific concerns regarding faculty academic and political freedom.”

Senate Assembly Member, Sara Ahbel-Rappe, a professor in the classical studies department, pushed back against Cheney-Lippold’s decision to decline to write the recommendation letter,

referencing discrimination within American institutions.

She said the fact that CheneyLippold isn’t boycotting the United States is a double standard.

“Black people are shot everyday because they’re Black. I find it surprising when you say that you won’t write a letter for anybody going to Israel, and you would write one for someone in America,” Ahbel-Rappe said.

The SACUA committee agreed that their original statement regarding the case was rushed and didn’t represent the true beliefs of SACUA members. Multiple committee members mentioned that Cheney-Lippold’s case was worrying because it showed the relative powerlessness of the faculty senate. Instead of having a say in the proceedings, SACUA’s statement was used to bolster the position of the University administration.

Kong.

Chung’s friend from high school, who is currently 21 years old, is protesting at the front line. He recently got arrested for possession of weapons when police found a brick in his backpack, Chung said. Many of Tse’s friends in Hong Kong are also supporting the movement by putting up political posters, which he says is dangerous — people get beaten up for doing so.

Furthermore, according to Chan, her relative was previously at the front line of the conflict and is now gathering protective gear for those currently at front line. Chan said she and her family are concerned for her safety.

“It’s scary,” Chan said. “My relative lives alone and she’s much younger than me, like 10 years younger than me. Well obviously, her family — my family — we’re all very worried about her, but we also know that she’s doing the right thing, so we’re all supporting her as much as we could.”

Group supports Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act The U.S. has also recently become involved in the Hong Kong conflict. The House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Oct. 15 with strong bipartisan support.

Among other measures, the bill would require an annual review of Hong Kong by the State Department to determine if the city is adequately autonomous from Beijing. If the autonomous status is upheld, then the U.S. government will allow Hong Kong to receive special trading status according to U.S. law.

Now that the bill is under review by the Senate, the group at the University has been actively

HARPER From Page 1A concerned about issues of safety, physical safety and psychological safety. So, we’re going to work with students around there. And then the Ginsberg Center has been working since the last midterm elections to get students registered to vote and to think about what it means to be a part of a democracy.

They’re going to lead out their efforts. We’re trying to think about what the academic offerings might be. I’m hoping when the media is just walking down the street every student they interview is really spot on and will really showcase the University well and how smart and engaged our students are.

TMD: How do you think the debate will affect political discourse on campus, and how will the University work to make sure that this discourse does not harm certain members of the community?

Harper: I know that many of the academic units are thinking about hosting teach-ins and teachouts, where we can strengthen our skills around debate and dialogue.

So, I think there will be some investment in skill development in classes and in teach-outs and teach-ins. I think student orgs will also do some of that work. We’re just going to have to practice that you don’t get good at talking to people whose point of view might be different than yours without practicing it. … The other thing is, if we stay curious, if we could start practicing being curious about how other people think about an issue, that will allow us all to grow and develop. It is when I think I know everything about everything that I’m really limited. … The other thing that there has been conversations about is creating a repository. I don’t know if it’s going to be a website or what, that has books and articles that you can read that represent multiple points of views.

TMD: What potential safety issues, whether physical safety or psychological safety, does the University foresee with this debate, and what preparation is the University planning to do to counter those possibilities?

Harper: With respect to physical safety, we have a fabulous Department of Public Safety and Security, so I think that they will do enormous work around us physically being safe as a community. Psychologically, places like CAPS, places like MESA and Trotter, many of the organizations that marginalized communities are a part of will create opportunities for students to be together and to

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 — 3A lobbying Michigan’s senators to approve the bill. The group says they met with Sen. Debbie Stabenow last week and are meeting with Sen. Gary Peters this week to discuss the bill.

They have also collected about 270 signatures from those on campus in support of the bill.

Chung says the group’s efforts in speaking with Michigan senators is a crucial step in helping Hong Kong.

“One of the reasons why our work here is important, despite being such a small group, is if we were actually able to convince the senators to vote yes for the bill, a vote is a vote,” Chung said. “It could potentially mean actually changing the future in Hong Kong.”

According to Chan, the bill is crucial because under the communist system, government officials and police can currently act in any way they would like, which puts the people of Hong Kong in harm’s way. She believes the bill would establish a muchneeded system of checks and balances in the city.

Opposers of the bill have been calling on the U.S. to stop interfering with China’s affairs, believing that its previous involvement in other nations’ internal politics have had detrimental effects.

Furthermore, according to Chung, people believe the U.S. does not have true intentions to better the human rights and democratic conditions of Hong Kong through this bill. Instead, they say the U.S. is just using Hong Kong as financial leverage against China.

“A lot of people are saying Hong Kong is just being used as a pawn, as a bargaining chip, for the U.S. to gain some advantage in the trade war,” Chung said.

“But to be fair … so what if we’re have a sense of being in community.

Because I think psychological safety comes from a sense of being in community. I also think that our students will rally around each other, so I think students will do their own work. Then collectively, student orgs and the University and service organizations will think about what we need to make sure that students are actually safe and feeling like they are part of the community. We’ll start that work really, really early. We’ll actually start towards the end of this spring, some of the work in the summer, and then certainly when school first starts. … So, this is work we’re going to have to do together, because it’s not possible for the University separate from all of us who make up the University to provide for your psychological safety, because I don’t know what that means for you. So, we’re going to have to talk about, “OK, for you to feel safe, what is it (that) you’re needing?” and that might be very different than what I need.

TMD: Two University of Michigan reports (one from DPSS and the other a campus climate survey) had conflicting trends on sexual assault on campus.

What do you think explains the divergence? What do you hope the University can do to lower rates of sexual misconduct and increase reporting?

Harper: I think reporting, telling someone, getting support is critical for all members of our community. I think the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment is too high. DPSS reports the sexual misconduct data in terms of (the) Clery (Act), and so the law requires that universities make known that level in the community. And then there’s the other data set that you’re referring to from the Association of American Universities. These are two different surveys for two different purposes that two different or even some overlapping students might have responded to. One’s reporting to the police for purposes of the Clery Act, and the other one is a national survey that had about a 16 or 17 percent response rate. Students could choose to participate in the survey or not. … So, the differences in the responses simply speak to the complexity of the issue, the nature of the survey, and who fills them out. … I think what’s important for us is that it’s too much, too often and unacceptable in our community, and we have just be vigilant about making sure that everybody has an opportunity to be safe here, physically safe here, which then also has implications for being psychologically safe here.

TMD: What kind of takeaways do you have from these two

being used as a pawn? So what if the intentions behind it are not pure? We don’t really care, because it works in our favor.”

Tse says he understands that there is always potential for the U.S. to take advantage of Hong Kong through this bill as it has done to other territories in the past. However, he sees Hong Kong as being different than some of these other regions because the city is a vital financial connection point between China and western countries like the U.S. “Hong Kong’s value is not to become a military power,” Tse said. “Maybe, it can be, but right now, the reason why businessmen are on board for all of this bill is because Hong Kong’s value is not to destroy it; it’s to keep it as a neutral zone for business.”

If the group is able to help get the government to pass the bill, members hope to continue their group’s work by educating people at the University about the political and social environment in Hong Kong. One way is through screening films and documentaries about Hong Kong and the experiences of those living in the city.

Chung recognizes the work the group is pursuing is important.

However, for him, participating in the group is more than just achieving immediate solutions.

“It’s because me, as someone who was born and raised in Hong Kong, who has friends and family in Hong Kong, it is kind of like a responsibility, it’s kind of like a duty,” Chung said. “I’m obligated to do something about the town that I came from where maybe where my future would be, where my kids, my friends and family would be. And you know we would not have a future in Hong Kong if Hong Kong does not have democracy.” reports? Given these takeaways, what do you think the University can do to lower rates of sexual assault and increase reporting?

Harper: I think we have to keep educating, and right now, one of the things the University is doing is we have a draft of a sexual misconduct policy that’s out there, and we’re going around meeting with students and student orgs to get their reactions, their advice. …

I think students have to continue to take ownership of this issue on our campus, so I think we do have to watch out for each other in that way. Again, one of the things I’ve been thinking a lot about, I know some of this is just a function of retiring and looking back, but many of the problems that we have on our campus that are important to solve, the University alone can’t do very much. But if we see ourselves as the University, then we can do a lot.

So, students can intervene when they see something, we can make sure that there’s a policy in place, that the policy is followed, that students can trust the University and feel like something will happen when they report. Because the University is seldom in the space where the assault and harassment are happening. So, we can educate, we can make sure students understand what the reporting is, who to go to. We can make sure that when a student does disclose, they get support. We can believe students when they say they’ve been harmed. We can put in place additional resources to support students and also the support we provide for the accused. And so, we can do all of those things, and there are things that students can do, and then there’s of course stuff that our public safety and criminal justice system can do. If we’re to eradicate sexual assault on our campus, it is going to take a collective.

TMD: Could you speak to the implementation of crossexamination within the University’s sexual misconduct resolution process? The University has said that this policy was put in place for concerns of accessibility and equity, and concerns that perhaps one of the parties would bring in a lawyer, which some students might not be able to afford. I’ve heard from both people who support cross-examination in University sexual assault cases and those who don’t that if the University were forced to have cross-examination and processes, that it should allow for a third party to question the other, and that if the student couldn’t pay for it, the University should pay for it.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Opinion

4A — Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

CHAND RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI | COLUMN

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KIANNA MARQUEZ | COLUMN

Demanding a fight against systemic exploitation

A

common theme that to do their part, whether has come up during that be investing in clean my Latinx Leadership energy, adopting sustainable food practices or Program meetings taking part in land is that people in our preservation. community have For instance, been silenced and DTE Energy marginalized for far has formed a too long. The system program called was not built for us MIGreenPower and has not done in an effort to nearly enough to more cleanly include us, so I have source energy. The been emphasizing KIANNA program allows that we have to work MARQUEZ customers to enroll on breaking our silence in order to renovate the in a service that provides system into one that serves us. a portion of their energy We have to act out, get selfish from renewable sources and and actually be the ones to put a portion of their energy ourselves over the privileged from nonrenewable sources. customers for a change. Have you ever Conveniently, known what that feels like? have the option of making a Have you ever had to engage percentage of their energy and challenge bureaucratic bill from renewable sources, systems just so they serve you but the catch is that it costs and meet your needs? Whether more to do so. In this way, you realize it or not, we are this program is completely all facing the inequity and counterproductive and f lawed. degradation that come at the hands of corporate interests preventing us from being able to adopt sustainable practices into our daily lifestyles.

All of us, whether or not we belong to a distinguished ethnic group, experience discrimination every day simply due to the strain of money. Our lives have become dictated by money, and corporations continue to make it harder for us to earn and keep If the average household it for ourselves. We are forced by the system to overpay for in Michigan uses about 750 necessities and are punished kilowatt-hours of energ y per when we don’t have enough month and chose to convert of the money it takes from us. about 58 percent of their As an example, rising costs monthly bill to renewable this would add of rent and health care have energ y, been contributing to growing approximately $11 onto their financial insecurity in a third average monthly bill. While of middle class American this is arguably a modest price families, thousands of which increase, this alone creates are criminalized because of an environmental benefit of the money they owe back. In reducing only about half the one way or another, people are amount of greenhouse gases burdened by the fact that they from one car and planting have to pay and it is especially about 74 trees. One can argue alarming when these burdens this is a substantial step towards the improvement affect our needs.

With a looming climate of environmental quality, catastrophe in our lifetimes, it but we all know that these is undeniable that sustainable reductions are not enough to practices have become a have the effect necessary to necessity. And yet, not only save our planet. In fact, even are corporations themselves if the average household in contributing to the acceleration Michigan were to convert of that catastrophe through 100 percent of their monthly unsustainable practices, bill to renewable energ y, the but they are also preventing resulting beneficial effects on people from being able to the environment would still mitigate catastrophic effects not be enough to solve the by limiting what we are able global climate issue. While it’s to buy. Several corporations not entirely up to DTE Energ y have made it harder for people to be responsible for saving

Collective sustainability is only possible if it can be implementable

our planet by committing to accessible sustainable practices, I know that the effects of their initiatives would be that much more farreaching if they eliminated the financial burden they pose.

Similarly, some organic food companies have demonstrated their commitment toward sustainable practices and products by setting high standards, but without the understanding that collective sustainability is only possible if it can be implementable and accessible. What if I wanted to do something better for the environment but couldn’t afford to? Is it my fault for not being able to adopt green practices with my low-income budget? How am I supposed to care for my family and think about humanity’s future when I don’t make enough money to do both? These are the questions that DTE Energ y and other corporations are not asking themselves.

From the perspective of a marginalized community member, we are often thought to be incapable or undeserving of an opportunity to challenge our authorities. Instead, we are expected to be content with those who claim to serve us, but this is not the case. We know we deserve the chance to rise to the challenges our system places in front of us and we should not be marginalized as communities any longer. From our perspective as people challenged by the capitalist system that values money over our and the environment’s well-being, we have to know that we deserve better from our society. Corporations feed off of our susceptibility to the comfort of convenience and desire for laid-back lifestyles, but you have to know that you are capable of achieving more and you are only held back by those you place in power who limit you. We should not be limited to what we can and can’t do because of money any longer. We need to fight today because in the end, when we still have needs that are not met after all the system offers us, not only has the system failed us but we have also failed ourselves for not demanding more from it.

Kianna Marquez can be reached at kmarquez@umich.edu.

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AI for everyone

P

hilosophy, health, on AI too much or too little business, politics, and exacerbate existing biases economics, law, music — with major consequences.

Just this week, a — no matter what study found racial field you are planning bias in a health on entering, artificial care algorithm intelligence is sure to sold by Optum. have an effect on it.

The algorithm Yet, university-level AI consistently courses are typically underestimated restricted to technical the health needs audiences, making the of Black patients, topic inaccessible for potentially much of the student CHAND body. For example, RAJENDRA- affecting millions people. As AI at the University of NICOLUCCI of enters more and Michigan, you must take at least four computer more of our lives, we need science courses before you can people from a diverse range of take “Introduction to Artificial perspectives who can reason Intelligence” or “Introduction about its impacts. to Machine Learning.”

This barrier to entry, among others, is keeping out the diversity of perspectives that AI desperately needs. Already we are seeing racially-biased facial recognition systems, social media algorithms that encourage negative, primal content and increased use of autonomous weapons. We need leaders that can understand AI from a wide range of viewpoints — but this doesn’t reflect the insulated system we have now. Relying on computer This is why I believe we scientists to gain expertise in other fields neglects the value need an AI course for a nonand expertise of non-technical technical audience. I envision experts and underestimates an introductory AI class, similar introductory economics the complexity of these issues. to Computer scientists are not or statistics, that teaches the often experts in anthropology, basics of AI to students from sociology, philosophy, health a wide range of majors and backgrounds. care, economics or law, but educational often there is an assumption Creating such a class would that they can become experts acknowledge our changing in little time. This hubris is world and prepare students what has allowed Silicon Valley for challenges they will face to threaten privacy, autonomy in their careers. Additionally, and democracy. We need it would empower groups who experts from other fields who are underrepresented in STEM, understand the basics of AI, not but whose perspectives are experts on AI who understand desperately needed, to access AI. Andrew Ng, a leading AI bits and pieces of other fields.

Additionally, many jobs now researcher and adjunct professor require a basic understanding of at Stanford University, recently how AI works, what it’s good for created an online course called and what its risks are. Without “AI for Everyone” that aims a good understanding, people to teach non-technical people may make poor decisions, rely the basics of AI. More than

We need experts from other fields who understand the basics of AI

180,000 students have enrolled in it so far, demonstrating the appetite for the topic. At the University, a similar class would be a good match for our interdisciplinary academic environment and could be a model for other schools. The class could cover the technical fundamentals of AI, ethical and societal considerations, case studies involving its successes and failures and the future of AI. This would enable students to pursue AI further, whether in research or practice, gain skills and understanding that will be vital to their careers and contribute to important discussions about AI. Also, by limiting comprehension to a small, relatively exclusive group of people, we are missing out on potentially transformational applications of AI. Opening up AI could lead to more applications in finance, medicine, among other multifaceted uses that would not be possible if we relied on computer scientists alone. For example, an art collective created a piece with AI that sold for over $400,000 at auction. The University of Southern California Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society is using AI in areas such as homelessness and suicide prevention. AI is also assisting in the fight against climate change. Who knows what could be dreamt up by a generation of students with a new, immensely powerful tool?

We need an AI course for people of all backgrounds because the impacts of AI extend far beyond computer science. We have already seen the consequences of keeping this field closed off, and as the power of AI grows, so does the need for leaders who understand it.

By making AI more accessible, we can mitigate its risks and enable innovative, beneficial applications, helping to ensure a better future for us all.

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

ALLISON PUJOL | COLUMN

A

Losing hope for Iran’s denuclearization

t the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, all activity is closely monitored. Twenty-four-hour surveillance of the plant is one of the conditions of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Regular inspections and inspectors having daily access to the plant from the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency are also part of the conditions to verify that Iran is in compliance with terms to have a peaceful nuclear program.

But maybe not for long. On Oct. 16, Iran announced that it would be turning back on some of the commitments outlined in the JCPOA by further limiting inspectors’ access to some of its nuclear facilities. While some have suggested that the Middle Eastern country’s focus on nuclear development indicates Iran’s desire to successfully construct a nuclear weapon, Iranian authorities have stated that the goal of these plants is to strengthen the economy. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran argues that nuclear plants like Bushehr “will provide between 8 and 10 percent of the country’s electricity after these plants come online.”

When the JCPOA was finalized in 2015, those who debated its potential ramifications could not have imagined the world’s current state of affairs. Some policy experts speculated about the potential violations to the deal’s standards, but it would be news to me if anybody would have guessed that the United States, one of the key players in the deal’s construction, would have withdrawn from the deal within the three years of its implementation.

The JCPOA provides the framework for Iran’s nuclear activities, setting internationally agreed-upon levels of uranium enrichment and mandating routine

inspections from the U.N. and the IAEA. In exchange for accepting these limits on its nuclear activities, proponents of the deal argued Iran would benefit from lessened sanctions from the United States and European countries. President Barack Obama’s decision to push for the JCPOA was likely based on his view at the time that Iran would almost certainly attempt to nuclearize in the near future. With this in mind, the White House maintained the position that the only clear strategic paths for the United States were to sanction Iran, declare war on Iran or negotiate with Tehran about giving up its dreams of a nuclear weapon.

It’s harder now to blame Iran for refusing to uphold commitments

At first, it seems easy to point fingers at Iran for what looks like a clear violation of the terms of the deal.

And Iran’s violations of the agreement terms are nothing new. Shortly after the deal went into effect, Tehran faced international condemnation for refusing to formally disclose certain nuclear facilities to the IAEA. Since President Trump’s imposition of strict economic sanctions, Iran has used more advanced centrifuges and enriched larger quantities of uranium than was agreed upon. But it’s harder now to blame Iran for refusing to uphold commitments; the United States, after all, has formally withdrawn from the deal and has reimposed sanctions on Iran. The European Union

has been accused of reneging on its part of the deal as well; Iran has argued that countries such as France and the U.K. have not improved their trade ties in accordance with the deal. The United States also has thousands of its own nuclear weapons, so why the desperate push for Iran’s compliance?

We can see a compelling case made for the nuclear deal in Obama’s push for the JCPOA. In 2015, deep in the hot month of August, thenPresident Obama gave a powerful speech at American University about the JCPOA shortly after negotiations with Iran concluded. He framed the urgent need for a solution to nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, arguing that “the choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy or some form of war – maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now, but soon.”

Arguably, Obama’s statement is more true now than it was then. Trump’s aversion to diplomacy with Iran on nuclearization might have dangerous implications – Iran has even declared that the United States is conducting “economic terrorism” on a country that is still struggling to reboot its economy.

Like much of Trump’s foreign policy, the future of U.S. policy towards Iran remains uncertain.

All relevant parties in the JCPOA’s framework – the U.S., the rest of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Germany, Iran and the EU – should work together to revitalize and/or renegotiate the deal. With Trump’s current bellicose stance and rhetoric towards Iran, further progress on the deal is unlikely. Iran doesn’t have an incentive to comply with the deal if the United States can’t comply with its side of the bargain.

Allison Pujol can be reached at ampmich@umich.edu.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 — 5A

BOOK REVIEW

Saeed Jones’s memoir a poetic, queer reckoning

TV REVIEW

LUKAS TAYLOR Daily Arts Writer

APPLE TV

Emily Dickinson pops off

anachronistic flair.

This show isn’t interested in tired period piece tropes or pretentious dialogue to make its points. At Emily Dickinson, the notoriously reclusive and the end of the season’s first episode, Emily runs to prolific American poet, goes on hot dates with Death. join Death (Wiz Khalifa, “Bojack Horseman”) in his ghostly horse-drawn carriage while “bury a friend” At least, she does in “Dickinson.”

In “Dickinson,” Emily (Hailee Steinfeld, “The Edge by Billie Eilish plays in the background. Despite how of Seventeen”) faces a life of literary obscurity and unconventional it may seem, it makes perfect sense. domestic boredom as she grows up in Amherst, Mass.. Nothing is off limits for “Dickinson,” and its subject Her father (Toby Huss, “GLOW”) prohibits her from material is only improved because of it.

While the show revels in its outlandish moments publishing her beloved poetry and encourages her to remain in his household as a proper lady. Her mother and off-kilter humor, “Dickinson” still knows that (Jane Krakowski, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) its fun comes at a cost. Limited by her gender and would rather have all the chores to herself and see her sexuality, Emily’s attempts at causing mischief in the wild and difficult daughter marry as soon as possible. name of poetry are always tinged by her deep sense Emily has other plans. Determined to become the of loneliness and otherness. Constantly referred to as greatest poet who has ever lived, she seeks adventure “weird,” Emily accepts the label happily to display her and sets off to break as many rules as she can. She unique talents, but the separation of her inner world and those around her is publishes a poem against undeniable. Her alienation her father’s wishes, is evident in every sneaks into Amherst hallucination of Death, College to attend the every Mitski song on the male-only lectures, soundtrack, every moment throws extravagant Season 1, Episodes 1-4 of twerking in a hoop skirt opium parties and protests Apple TV+ and corset. the construction of an “Dickinson” environmentally harmful Now Streaming understands its own railroad with Henry David mythology so well that it Thoreau (John Mulaney, doesn’t feel the need to “Big Mouth”).

While Emily strives to cross boundaries and create reflexively prove its sincerity. Emily’s legacy speaks change, she still struggles against the overwhelming for itself, and this depiction of her living days doesn’t pressure and strict social standards of her New attempt to explain her technical poetic genius. The England life. Her closest friend and secret lover Sue show focuses on the poet’s life as she is not often Gilbert (Ella Hunt, “Anna and the Apocalypse”) remembered: A brilliant, witty writer who felt true announces her engagement to Emily’s brother Austin devotion to her friends and family, a far cry from the (Adrian Enscoe, “Seeds”). The news sends Emily into hermit persona that has defined her place in history.

Through this new series, Emily Dickinson has a downward spiral and motivate her to fight back her own story rewritten without the burden of her against the very systems that suppress her.

“Dickinson,” however, refuses to restrict itself to stuffy, historic reputation. “Dickinson” seamlessly simply retelling the story of Emily’s life. Instead, it constructs a world where Emily can reclaim her own commits wholeheartedly to the poet’s unconventional narrative and, in its brilliant execution, grants her the style and explores her world of creativity with immortality she deserves.

ANYA SOLLER Daily Arts Writer

Dickinson

Like the sudden reminder of a like on an old Facebook picture, past versions of ourselves are often the hardest things to grapple with. Look in the mirror for too long, and you’ll start looking strangely, endlessly flawed. How much of that image is what we have created ourselves, and how much is due to the double binds society thrusts upon us?

Saeed Jones’s “How We Fight For Our Lives: A Memoir” takes an unflinching look back at a past version of himself, and in doing so examines the degrading, paradoxical situations thrust upon gay Black men.

Jones, at an all-too-young age, was shown the contrast between who he wanted to be and what society had predetermined he would be: “Being Black can get you killed.

Being gay can get you killed.

Being a Black gay boy is a death wish.”

From the start, Jones writes his youth as being defined by being pulled in multiple directions. A pull between his Buddhist, single-mother home in Texas and summers spent with his Christian grandmother in Memphis. Between his bookish nature and society’s expectations for Black men.

Between the homophobia of his grandmother, the willful ignorance of his mother and his true sexuality.

Later, he’s pulled between his home and mother in Texas, an expensive education in New York City and a debate scholarship in Kentucky. Between being asked to simultaneously fulfill the role of a child, father and husband. And finally, between the life he’s built for himself and family tragedies that interrupt that growth.

“How We Fight For Our Lives” asks essential questions about what happens when people are ground down on opposite sides. Does their edge become pliable like clay, or sharp as a knife? Jones is uniquely unafraid to ask hard questions about who those people are who are grinding them down. If it’s the ones they hate, are they necessarily evil? What if

How We Fight For Our Lives Saeed Jones Simon & Schuster October 8, 2019 it’s the ones they love?

As with other queer youth, he’s caught between who he is and who his family wants him to be. Jones’s ability to tackle these problematic issues is his most valuable asset. Even in trauma, like when his mother finds explicit instant messenger chats between him and older men, he has the understanding to ask how he’s affected his family.

As he works on updated versions of himself, Jones must constantly re-sync that self with his family.

Calling back home from college is a reminder of the

FILM REVIEW

Saeed Jones his mother knows. The memoir’s third act is the final echo of this process: Tragedy strikes his family, and Jones must re-evaluate his professional, strenuously built life with the one he left behind.

Through his adolescence, Jones learned to address trauma by writing and reading poetry. His background as a poet lends itself immensely to “How We Fight.” Jones’s poetry background seeps into every crack he can carve out of the memoir genre.

The prose is best when it embeds poetic devices in what could still be a late-night talk between old friends. If it is genuinely conversational prose, it’s

SIMON & SCHUSTER

the well-crafted version of yesterday’s argument you perfect in the shower the next day.

Jones’s imagery, phrases or deliberate use of particular words stick in your mind. Mark Twain describes history as not repeating but rhyming.

Like his poems, this memoir rhymes similarly by repeating devices or odd word choices from previous chapters. In a particularly difficult passage about sexual assault, previously used diction and syntax come back like a ghost to haunt Jones.

Even while recounting the most jarring traumatic events, Jones omits no embarrassing or complicating details. The disturbing realities of the intersection of racism, sexuality, sexual assault and family life are laid out bare. Sometimes, one can’t help but re-read to confirm a detail was actually acknowledged. The reader’s feeling of seeing the genuine, messy reality of trauma shows why these themes are best presented in memoir form.

The mood is somehow both contradictory and cohesive. Jones has confidence, even while explaining his greatest insecurities. He’s understanding of his family’s actions while acknowledging the hurt they caused him. Many of these complexities could have been lost with a less expressive writer.

All these complexities are packed into a rather short memoir without feeling rushed. Unlike other books attempting to touch on various themes, the book in no way overstays its welcome.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that his writing tiptoes through contradictions and complications in mood and theme, given that Jones is forced to tiptoe through these contradictions in his own life. Ultimately, “How We Fight For Our Lives” is a concise, but a fully fleshed-out exploration of the complexities of growing up with the world stacked against you. Jones shows queer people can’t just sit back and watch their future selves unfold. They must fight to create a life for themselves, and then often fight for their life itself.

HUMOR COLUMN

Becky Portman: Your last Halloween in Ann Arbor ‘Laundromat’ is a slacker NETFLIX

BECKY PORTMAN Humor Columnist

ANISH TAMHANEY Daily Arts Writer

“The Laundromat” recounts dramatized vignettes about the Panama Papers, a 2015 data leak that connected hundreds of public figures and elites from 200 countries to an obscure Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca. After the unexpected brilliance of his last project, “High Flying Bird,” Steven Soderbergh’s atypical foray into awards season is ultimately a well-meaning effort that falls flat.

The director is clearly fond of the small fry, a self-proclaimed champion of the underdog. In “Laundromat,” he attempts to diverge from his known playbook, instead choosing to explain the international political scandal from a decidedly titanic perspective: The partners of the Panamanian law firm held responsible.

Mossack and Fonseca, played by Gary Oldman (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”) and Antonio Banderas (“Life Itself”) respectively, are closer to narrators than characters in the story, frequently breaking the fourth wall to address the audience and divulge the nuances of their legal scheming. As a result, the talent of the two actors is largely wasted on stinging exposition and walking around through champagne-plied galas and white sand beaches. Soderbergh’s dedication to their viewpoint is compelling, elongating the single news cycle life of the Panama Papers into a measured look into their actual misdoings.

Yet, the plot is fragmented by Soderbergh’s unconditional adoration of the underdog. In addition to several stories about offshore shell companies that quietly run funds from bank account to bank account, the audience follows a recurring thread about an ordinary woman who discovers the Panama Papers through her dysfunctional insurance company. Ellen Martin, played by Meryl Streep (“Mamma Mia”), is the film’s sole everywoman,

and is certainly noble in her cause to bring down the nameless corporations who control her life like the puppeteers they are. But eventually, her rigid morality feels like a performative ruse compared to the rest of the movie. There is something admirable about telling a story of corruption through a lens of rank, privileged apathy. That would be an inherently reflexive movie, immediately forcing the viewer to question their own beliefs about the politically translucent demons on screen. However, Soderbergh cannot resist his own temptations to include the layman, and the result is a wasted Meryl Streep performance that adds little to the film.

Laundromat Netflix

The result of Soderbergh’s breadth in perspectives is not enlightening, in fact, it’s hardly informative.

“Laundromat” becomes lost in its stylistic idiosyncrasies and sprawling storylines to the point of mundanity. It has all the fingerprints of an entertaining movie, but that’s all it ever is. A middleschool presentation about the Panama Papers would have covered the same amount of intellectual ground as a product suffused with movie stars, elaborate sets and high-level filmmaking.

“Laundromat” is frequently compared to Adam McKay’s “The Big Short.” But the key difference between these two trenchant and bitingly smart political comedies is clear. I walked away from “The Big Short” with an understanding of the financial crisis that was half-soundbite and halfreal-understanding. “Laundromat” only provides the former, as compact and instantaneous as the Panama Papers news cycle itself.

You walk into a bar on Halloween dressed as Margot Robbie dressed as Sharon Tate from Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” You spent 20 dollars and six hours trying to put on fake eyelashes and the bar is empty.

The guy dressed as Austin Powers you flirted with at Rick’s on Tuesday isn’t there, your roommates who couldn’t decide on a trio costume that wasn’t “Mamma Mia” or the Kardashians aren’t there.

The only other person there is a girl approximately your height also in a black turtleneck, also in an a-line, white, mini skirt, also in white go-go boots, also rocking the same flawless, golden locks. Like Carrie Bradshaw, you couldn’t help but wonder, is that girl you? Or is she, perhaps, a Kafka-esque manifestation of your own sense of self? She looks at you, you look at her, and in the pornographic version of this story, you two furiously make out.

But this isn’t the pornographic version of this story, so you look at each other for an extra second or two before she wonders aloud: Are you also Sharon Tate? You blink your fake eyelashes a little too forcefully in an enthusiastic nod. She drags you to the dance floor where her friends have assembled as the entire cast of the movie you are both dressed up as. So much for trying to be original.

Your friends enter the bar dressed as a combination of Selena Gomez, Avril Lavigne and a sexual fantasy. The same guy flirts with all of you.

He is dressed as nothing. Not the concept, which would’ve been more interesting. I guess you could say he is dressed as Jared from Saginaw who is a senior studying economics. Or you could say he is dressed as nothing.

You pose for too many pictures and try to suck in your gut so much that you almost give yourself a stomach aneurysm, if that’s even a thing. You drink shots of whiskey and chase them with pickle juice because it makes you feel mature. You think about the last three Halloweens when you were Cher Horowitz and Eleven and Gilda Radner. You

decide, collectively, that this place sucks. You then go to a suckier place, perhaps the suckiest place.

You arrive and see the line, hell no. You know it’s not worth the walking pneumonia, you wish you stayed at the other bar or never went out in the first place. Your friend reminds you that she is in Greek life, so the four of you waltz up to the masked bouncer like the cast of “The Bling Ring.”

Without a singular qualm, your friend whispers in slow motion a very specific fruit or vegetable or brand of Tequila. This is the password. You enter the establishment feeling like a king.

The feeling of superiority melts away before it has a chance to grow into confidence. Every boy is dressed as a character from “Peaky Blinders,” while his female counterpart is a devil or an angel or Ashley O. You never pay for a drink. You pretend to have seen “Peaky Blinders.” You try on different personalities like costumes, it is Halloween after all. You wonder if that boy dressed as Austin Powers will be there. He is. He doesn’t remember you. You wonder about all the people you don’t remember but then you remember that you can’t remember.

You talk to a boy or, rather, he talks to you. He tells you about his screenplay. You wonder if he will read this column and know who he is. You second guess writing this line because it could come off weird but you promise it’s not weird. Yet, saying that it’s not weird makes it feel like it really is weird. You leave it in unless your editor decides to take it out.

He asks for your number and the only digits that come to mind are 867-5309. You give him your real number and hope that his fake mustache is in fact fake.

You leave with one out of three of the friends you came in with. You get pizza for the third time in 72 hours. Your friend gets two slices and a date. You get a pie and a drunken text.

You get home, you rip off the 20 dollar, six hour, fake eyelashes in less than a second. You fall asleep on the couch with your white go-go boots on. It is your last Halloween in Ann Arbor.

Arts

6A — Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

CONCERT REVIEW

Live at The Ark: Pokey LaFarge & hella whiskey

MUSIC REVIEW

MADELEINE VIRGINIA GANNON Daily Arts Writer

RCA NASHVILLE

Miranda is playing new cards in her latest album

famous open mic night. With a slow and steady pace and lovely lyrics, the “Bluebird” showcases Daily Arts Writer just that — Lambert’s talent for songwriting.

A change in pace, “Locomotive” sounds like In early 2019 Miranda Lambert moved to New Lambert just stepped off the train in her new home, York City, secretly married a police officer and got ready to throw down — “New York City seems some new ink: A wildcard, the queen of hearts, O.K.” she declares. “Locomotive” is the closest on her inner right forearm. Cast as a “queen of thing Wildcard has to a rock song, and it also has heartbreak” by the media when her divorce from one of the album’s most clever turns of phrase: “I’m Blake Shelton in 2015 spurred a string of short- sweet tea sippin’ on a front porch, sittin’ / while term relationships, Lambert reclaims the narrative my hubby fries chicken / and I’m pluckin’ these of her up-and-down love life by embracing it. strings.” Although this scene doesn’t quite fit in In her latest album Wildcard, she puts life’s with city life, it sets up the following lyrics, “he unpredictability into words against the backdrop gives me wings.” A play on the food and the joy she of her move to the city and sonic exploration. gets from being with her husband, Lambert’s voice Each song sounds different, but full and fun, all soars alongside heavy instrumentation and the listener can’t help but feel happy for her. wildcards themselves.

Smirk-worthy lyrics set to a head-nod inducing The first track “White Trash” combats a common country music critique right off the bat. Yes, groove, Lambert praises her band, her fans and Lambert admits, she’s “upgraded from the barbed everything in between in “Pretty Bitchin’.” It’s wire” fence for a “nice picket.” And yes, she only insanely catchy. And, even though it seems like she lives in Tennessee part-time. But that doesn’t mean sings “pretty” every other word, it doesn’t get old. she should lose her country cred. A funky mix of “Life’s pretty great, life’s pretty weird” she repeats, summing up her banjo and electric contentment. guitar, the song However, follows Miranda Lambert through her house, acknowledges documenting the that her life hasn’t duct tape and dog always been so hair, which she Miranda Lambert great. On “Track attributes to her Record,” she upbringing. “New RCA Records owns up to having money, old habits” a “Past that’s Lambert explains. checkered / As the “White Trash” floor at the diner of establishes perspective, but “It All Comes Out in the Wash” Main Street” and chronicles her misadventures in sets the tone of the album. Fun and upbeat, Lambert love. But as messy as she says it is to be a “heartdeclares herself a clean slate. “You take the sin and wrecker,” the song doesn’t sound like it. Instead, the men and you throw ‘em all in / And you put that like a sunny Sunday afternoon drive, it’s bubbly sucker on spin,” she advises. With strong backup and laid-back all at once. When Lambert claims “I vocals and playful lyrics that address awkward can’t help it / I’m in love with love,” the listener incidents, Lambert lets her listeners know that the can’t help but believe her.

The album’s closer finds Lambert in “Dark Bars,” healing process doesn’t always have to be sad and an unexpected retreat into the shadows given all of lonely.

If “It All Comes Out in the Wash” is the car the light in the songs that precede it. “I’m not in sing-along song for dealing with a break-up, pain, I’m not on pills” she eases fears, “but I’m still then “Bluebird” is the diary entry of the record. hanging out in dark bars.” Despite being in a better Dark and determined, Lambert assures herself place, Lambert admits that she can be “reckless” that when the next storm blows through, she’ll and “desperate.” So maybe it does make sense to be able to handle it. “When the house just keeps end in melancholy reflection. Both the listener on winning / I’ve got a wildcard up my sleeve,” and Lambert know better than to think that all Lambert winks. And, if the world were to stop the storms have ended and that yesterday’s load of singing, she promises to “keep the bluebird in my laundry was the last. But now this queen of hearts heart.” For those who don’t know, the Bluebird knows her own, and has an album of exploratory, Cafe is a songwriter hangout in Nashville with a lyrically-sound songs to show for it.

KATIE BEEKMAN

Wildcard

Sunday, Oct. 27 witnessed Pokey LaFarge’s glorious return to Ann Arbor, headlining The Ark’s annual Fall Fundraiser. Described as a “pre-war soul” by the event’s Detroit-based MC, DJ Del Villarreal, and known to The Daily as our favorite musical timetraveler, LaFarge was a welcome sight. For those unfamiliar, LaFarge, a borderline regular on the Ann Arbor music scene, is an artist who carefully walks the line between indulgence in nostalgia and new experimentation. His music, steeped in the age-old foundations of rootsy Americana, mixes dashes of jazz, old-time country with bright splashes of French and Spanish flair.

Unsurprisingly, LaFarge put on a fantastic show.

Equal parts crowd-pleasing, fun and vulnerable, the show filled the house and there wasn’t a frown in sight. But I have already done my fair share of Pokey-centric reviews, write-ups and headlines.

There is little more to be said about the magical musical mastery LaFarge wields on and off stage. In fact, aside from a few sneak peeks at his upcoming album, LaFarge performed as expected — he’s always been a reliable, consistent artist. That’s not to say his performance at The Ark wasn’t all parts exhilarating and awe-inducing. Rather, what made this show worthwhile were the moments in between — in between songs, lyrics, people — that reaffirmed why Pokey LaFarge remains a beloved favorite both in Ann Arbor and around the world.

Here are a few of these defining “Moments in Between:” You Gotta Earn It The lights dim, the crowd took its seats and Ann Arbor’s “Honky Tonk Angel” took the stage.

Polite and well-mannered, the audience waited in anticipation, bellies full, the room warm and drowsy — but drowsy isn’t in Pokey’s dictionary. “Get up,” heaving the crowd to their feet with a command — screw angels, it seemed the God of Folk had descended from his dusty mountain cabin this evening. The crowd stumbled to their feet, joints popping, backs

cracking. “A pre-show stretch,” LaFarge encouraged; a satisfied sigh and a lazy groan answer. Grumbles turn to chuckles, “Make us earn it,” a heckler joked — LaFarge gave nothing away for free. “The Devil Ain’t Lazy” opened the show — very subtle, Mr. LaFarge.

Chit-Chat The audience clumsily sang along, mistimed claps and slurred lyrics in all their glory. A devoted fan sang word for word with Pokey — by the third song, he threw her a playful, measured look, as if in silent acknowledgment of a capable foe, then continued playing. He asked us about the Michigan mitten — we obliged. “But what about the U.P.?” We all questioned, cueing a familiar existential crisis.

The Lions won and the Giants suck; Pokey LaFarge sang “drinking tea from my paper cup;” “Sing Ave Maria,” a heckler called out — LaFarge responded in disbelief, and challenged his audience to come sing it instead. “And a clinking van is a happy van, I always say,” LaFarge instructed — and a clinking backpack is a happy backpack, I always say, when it comes to Friday hangovers. “Hold on, I got it,” LaFarge cried resolutely, obliging a song request then forgetting the lyrics — once, twice and third time’s the charm as the words finally flowed out.

Drinkin’ Whiskey As patrons filed out the doors, the dedicated — the old-hats — waited patiently. Chants of “Encore, encore” gradually grew in momentum. Half the room was empty, doubt crept in — would Pokey really leave us hanging, just like that? It was as if we were all jilted lovers, taken by surprise, betrayed. Then, when hope grew most bleak, LaFarge ambled back on stage — only to hop right off. Climbing onto a chair and gathering us around like a flock of sheep, he strummed his guitar for one last song. “We’re drinkin’ whiskey tonight,” the audience danced feverishly around him, as if in ritual. Patrons happily belted “Drinkin’ whiskey” in bawdy drinking-song style. We danced with Pokey, we danced with one another: Eyes smiling, teeth flashing — it was a moment of pure revelry, unfiltered happiness. Who needs whiskey when you got good music?

THIRD MAN RECORDS

COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

Release Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2019

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

ACROSS 1 Works on a quilt 5 Team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 8 Winter skating sites 13 Yawn-inducing 15 Melancholy 16 Love to pieces 17 Burr, to Hamilton 18 Black-and-yellow pollinator 20 Fodder for fantasy football 22 Cause for a handshake 23 Waited to be found, maybe 24 Tense tennis moment 26 Classroom staffer 27 Word after drinking or driving 28 Maple extract 29 Many an eBay user 31 Curtain holders 33 Jack of “Dragnet” 36 Honeycomb units 37 Volatile situation 40 Lion in “The Chronicles of Narnia” 43 Marquee name 44 24-hr. banking conveniences 48 Sits on the throne 50 Picture file suffix 52 Fish-to-be 53 Batting practice area 54 Body part that provides limited motion 58 Fire pit residue 59 “Soldier of Love” Grammy winner 60 Much paperwork 61 Mobile download for single people, and what the starts of 18-, 24-, 37- and 54-Across have in common 64 Takes a breather 66 Kagan on the bench 67 “Take that!”

68 Chuckleheads 69 Guitarist’s aid 70 Moth-eaten

71 “Pretty Little Liars” series novelist Shepard

DOWN 1 Pronoun for a mom 2 Way, way back when 3 Sparked, as one’s appetite 4 “Poison” shrub 5 Flash drive port 6 Riyadh resident 7 Jingle-writing guys 8 Veil of gloom 9 Poem from an admirer 10 Ritzy San Francisco neighborhood 11 Hanukkah toy 12 Farm machines 14 Traditional stories 19 Dugout rack items 21 Produce offspring 24 Spoil 25 Opinion pages 26 Echo Dot assistant 30 Prefix with friendly 32 Place for a play 34 Wager

35 North Carolina fort 38 Place for a stay 39 Court filing 40 Hangouts for video game players 41 Chef’s condiment 42 Not as heavy 45 Dietary supplement once pitched by Anna Nicole Smith 46 Centaur or chimera

47 __ foot in: enter 49 Fluffy rug 51 Norwegian inlet 55 Twin Falls’ state 56 Mount Everest is on its border with China 57 Layered cookies 59 Piece of cake 62 Once __ while 63 Deg. of distinction 65 Retirees’ benefits org.

Final papers and finding thanks: An analysis of ~Friendsgiving~ ZOE PHILLIPS Daily Arts Writer

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By C.C. Burnikel (c)2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

11/05/19

11/05/19

Last week I waited with bated breath for the final star of Halloween’s night sky to melt into the morning sun of Nov. 1. Put your skeleton decorations away, people.

The winter solstice fast approaches!

I may be known amongst friends for having a particular proclivity for the holiday season, but it’s not just Christmas carols and Thanksgiving turkeys that put a smile on my face. It’s also definitely not the aisles of environmentally unfriendly wrapping paper and plastic fall-themed wreaths, either.

There are plenty of drawbacks to the most wonderful time of the year. Among the upticks in stress and trips home to childhood dining rooms lie conversations with relatives who insist you’re still growing and elders who question your career prospects.

In between these unfortunate details we — the college student body — learn to create magic within the cracks of campus life.

This brings me to the holy grail of the university holiday season: Friendsgiving.

How has this unconventional holiday become so emblematic of the holiday season? Is it the potluck dinner of ramen and instant mashed potatoes? Or, perhaps, it’s the leftover Halloween candy hiding on the top shelf, or a trip to South Quad’s taco bar. Maybe it’s literally just wine.

The beauty of this holiday lies in its

open-endedness. Its flexibility matches our youthful rejection of tradition, but make no mistake; its importance does not go unnoticed.

Together, we inhabit Ann Arbor in communal states of elongated temporal existence, ever-avoiding the concept of impending graduation. This holiday season, take time to remember this fact not out of sadness, but for specified appreciation of its uniqueness.

Look away from your papers and flashcards and too-long readings to bask in the ease of finding a night for everyone

COURTESY OF EMMA CHANG

to convene in the same place on someone’s floor — and apologize to the downstairs neighbors for the noise it might cause.

In this spirit, here are some of the people I am thankful for: The friend who reads all my Daily articles without me telling her I’ve written them.

The friend who works at Starbucks and recently brought home an entire carton of the Strawberry Refresher concentrate because he knows it’s my favorite drink.

The old roommate who once taped a stuffed animal to our dorm-room ceiling while I was asleep because she knew it would make me laugh in the morning.

The friend that I met in a sleepy English class who texted me her summer address last May so we could be old-fashioned pen pals.

The friend who recently told me to think of myself as an extra large Mission-line flour tortilla, whereas my ex-boyfriend is the small store-brand corn alternative.

The friend who I met while studying at a different university, but will Facetime me exactly when she knows I need it the most.

My twin brother, who lives across the street from me and convinced me to transfer from a school where I was truly unhappy.

And to everyone else who I continue to meet far into my college years. To the friends who may be strangers today but I might one day call family, all thanks to this crazy little microcosm of Southeast Michigan.

ALEC COHEN / DAILY

DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN

2B

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019

MICHIGAN BASKETBALL

PREVIEW

TIPOFF 2019

SCHEDULE 2019-2020 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 27-29 Dec. 3 Dec. 6 Dec. 11 Dec. 14 Dec. 21 Dec. 29 Jan. 5 Jan. 9 Jan. 12 Jan. 17

Appalachian State Creighton Elon Houston Baptist Battle 4 Atlantis at Louisville Iowa at Illinois Oregon Presbyterian College UMass Lowell at Michigan State Purdue at Minnesota at Iowa

Jan. 22 Jan. 25 Jan. 28 Feb. 1 Feb. 4 Feb. 8 Feb. 12 Feb. 16 Feb. 19 Feb. 22 Feb. 27 Mar. 1 Mar. 5 Mar. 8 Mar. 11-15

Penn State Illinois at Nebraska Rutgers (MSG) Ohio State Michigan State at Northwestern Indiana at Rutgers at Purdue Wisconsin at Ohio State Nebraska at Maryland Big Ten Tournament

3 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 7

Michigan is built on a different bedrock under Howard.

Juwan Howard has grown as a coach, and has the scars to prove it.

Michigan’s roster for 2019-20, broken down position by position.

What you need to know about the Big Ten.

STAFF PICKS The Daily men’s basketball writers do their best to predict what will happen in the world of college basketball this season.

Michigan regular-season record Big Ten champion Big Ten second place Big Ten third place Big Ten Tournament champion Big Ten MVP Big Ten Coach of the Year Big Ten surprise team Michigan MVP National Player of the Year National Freshman of the Year Michigan’s season ends here NCAA “Bracket Buster” NCAA Final Four

Daniel Dash

Abby Snyder

Connor Brennan

Jacob Kopnick

20-11 Michigan State Maryland Ohio State Ohio State Cassius Winston Tom Izzo Penn State Zavier Simpson Markus Howard Cole Anthony Round of 64 Harvard Michigan State Duke Florida North Carolina

21-10 Michigan State Maryland Purdue Michigan State Cassius Winston Chris Holtmann Indiana Isaiah Livers Cassius Winston Anthony Edwards Round of 32 Tennessee Michigan State Louisiana State Duke Kentucky

22-9 Michigan State Maryland Michigan Michigan State Cassius Winston Tom Izzo Illinois Zavier Simpson Cassius Winston James Wiseman Round of 32 New Mexico State Kansas Michigan State Louisville Kentucky

20-11 Michigan State Ohio State Maryland Ohio State Jalen Smith Tom Izzo Illinois Isaiah Livers Cole Anthony Tyrese Maxey Round of 32 VCU Michigan State Memphis Kentucky Louisville

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019

3B

Only the jerseys When Juwan Howard steps on the floor as Michigan’s coach, nothing will be the same as it was before

W

hen Michigan’s season tips off tonight, only the Wolverines’ jerseys will remind you of yesteryear.

By now, most have grown numb to the fact that John Beilein is gone. The DANIEL shock doesn’t DASH register nearly as much as it did only a few months ago. But on Tuesday night, it will resonate more than ever before. The man who spent the last decade-plus building the Michigan men’s basketball team into a perennial contender walked out the door on a midMay morning, following in the footsteps of three early roster departures.

Despite coming off back-toback 30-win seasons for the first time in program history, the defining elements of Michigan basketball suddenly felt unhinged. When Juwan Howard was hired, they went out the window.

And by no means is that a bad thing.

Howard will build his program on a completely different bedrock than Beilein, who began his coaching career as a junior varsity high school coach and worked his way up the ladder to Ann Arbor. His successor, however, spent the last twoand-a-half decades playing and coaching at the ladder’s highest rung. Naturally, they see the job through different lenses.

Take recruiting, for example.

Beilein never signed a McDonald’s All-American, but that didn’t stop him from coaching a Monday night game in both April of 2013 and 2018. In doing so, his program became the gold standard of developing talent. That process started at square one, with Beilein’s teams notoriously beginning each season with the most basic of passing drills.

Howard, on the other hand, has employed his NBA pedigree in his attempt to shoot for the stars. Following his formal introduction at the end of May, he extended 13 scholarship offers to

top-45 prospects over the summer, per the 247 Sports 2020 Composite Rankings. Among that group was five-star power forward Isaiah Todd, who ultimately chose Michigan over Kansas, which had been recruiting him since eighth grade.

Todd’s pledge is more than a commitment. It’s a seismic shift in the Wolverines’ recruiting, which now appears eager to go toe-to-toe with the nation’s top programs. Eight of the aforementioned top-45 recruits have already committed, five of which selected Duke, Kentucky or North Carolina.

While adding Todd doesn’t automatically make Michigan a one-and-done factory, it sure defines exactly who Howard wants to be on the recruiting trail.

Howard has been as aggres-

sive as any other recruiter in the country since his hiring — an effort that appears aligned with the Wolverines’ anticipated transition to an NBA-like brand of basketball. Last season, Beilein’s offense finished 341st in the nation in possessions per game.

In Friday’s exhibition onslaught, Michigan’s used every transition opportunity to attack the rim or create uncontested jumpers, while 19 first-half possessions ended in shots off one pass.

There’ll be growing pains, particularly with shot selection, but that type of up-tempo offense was previously absent in Ann Arbor.

“If you’re open, I want our guys to shoot it,” Howard said on Friday. “I don’t want them to have a second guess or think the game and play like robots. I just want them to read the game, read time and possession.”

Coach Beilein liked quick shots if they were wide open.

The philosophy led to 31 threepoint attempts — a figure which Michigan eclipsed just twice all of last season.

“Coach Beilein liked quick shots if they were wide open,” said junior forward Isaiah Livers. “Coach Howard likes quick shots, but smart quick shots — not a contested shot. He wants to run. If we get stops, we better reward ourselves. “ … It’s just the adjustment of you get a steal and there’s two guys ahead of you, you’re like, ‘Ah, I’m gonna hold off.’ That’s how it used to be. Coach Howard’s implemented you get up to that halfcourt and you get to that free throw line and then you make your decision of if you’re going to pull it out or go. ‘Just be a basketball player,’ that’s what he tells us.”

That message is in line with

Howard’s idea of positionless basketball. With multiple players on the roster athletic enough to guard multiple positions, there’s room to get creative.

Against Appalachian State, the country will get a glimpse of what, exactly, that entails. And Ann Arbor will get a glimpse of what, exactly, hiring a firsttime head coach with no college coaching experience entails.

The transition won’t be seamless, but early returns suggest Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel nailed this hire in the wake of Beilein’s sudden exit. It’s now up to the ones who wear the unchanged jerseys, not suits, to prove it.

Coach Howard likes quick shots ... smart quick shots.

Dash can be reached at dashdan@umich.edu or on Twitter @danieldash428.

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

The Michigan basketball team is set to unveil its reinvented self Tuesday when it takes on Appalachian State, ushering a new era in which hardly anything is the same.

4B

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019

JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer

It was a practice just like any other for the Miami Heat.

The starters were out on the floor running through their offensive schemes against the scout team. Among the latter, per usual, was then-assistant coach Juwan Howard.

Howard, having played 19 years in the NBA, standing at 6-foot-9 and doing everything he can to keep in shape, almost always ran with the scout team in practice.

In a typical pick-and-roll play, Howard handled the ball at the top of the key. It was all set to run smoothly — the player came over to set the pick for Howard who then dribbled around him to execute the play.

Fighting hard through the screen, guard Dion Waiters barrelled through the defender hitting Howard square on the chin, and cleanly knocking out one of his teeth.

So how did Howard react?

He held his tooth in his hand, waited for the right moment to head to his office, placed it down on his desk and resumed practice.

After subsequently seeking medical attention, Howard returned to the Heat facilities later that day to coach that night’s game. There was even a rotation of the assistant coaches who had to talk to the media at halftime, and Howard’s number was called.

“And I still talked, tooth missing and everything,” Howard told The Daily. “Why not? A) we’re gonna make no excuses and B) you gotta embrace the suck. And that time I embraced the suck.”

For Howard, the act of palming a recently-separated tooth and continuing on business-as-usual was summed up in the question “Why not?” It was an afterthought — a testament to his professionalism and commitment.

For his players, though, the act revealed a man who was undeniably committed to the game, his team and his family.

“When his tooth came out, he didn’t even come out of the game,” then-Heat guard Josh Richardson told The Daily. “And I remember just being like, ‘That’s crazy!’ And we’re all looking at his tooth like, ‘Uhhhhh, you gonna get that?’ He just like had it in his hand.”

Tooth in hand, Howard continued down the road of a transformative time in his career with the Heat. *** If there was one thing the players knew Howard for as a coach it was energy. Energy, energy, energy. He would routinely singlehandedly liven up flat practices or get on guys for not showing an attitude up to his standards.

And typically, he did that the only way he knew how: by being vocal and playing basketball.

Talk to former players on those Heat rosters and they will regale you with tales of ‘17’ — the nickname given to Howard by LeBron James for his 17 years (really 19) in the NBA. They recount stories from practice where Howard, unlike nearly all other assistant coaches, would run with the scout team and do everything he could to dunk on players often 10-plus years younger than him or block their shots.

And the team loved it. Vociferously screaming, “Get that shit out of here!” after registering a block or dunking right on a guy’s head, Howard would revel in the team’s cheers.

Walking in the building every morning, Howard made sure everyone knew where the level of energy was going to be that day — as high as it could possibly be. Getting excited about things as banal as a cup of coffee, Howard would bellow, “Got my coffee today!” strolling down the halls of the

facilities.

Howard’s honesty also enamored his players.

As an assistant with the Heat, Howard’s official responsibilities included developing the big men on the roster and optimizing defense. In these efforts, Miami’s centers Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo are testaments to that.

Ask either one and they will be quick to point to Howard’s honesty as a trait that sets him apart. He will tell you like it is every time regardless of whether it’s something you want to hear or not.

“He was honest,” Adebayo said. “He never lied to me. He never ran away from the fact that I needed to hear something, he would say it, he never shied away from that.

And I feel like that’s what really brought me closer to Juwan was that he was so honest with me.”

Added Whiteside: “He was like the guy that’s like, if there are guys playing around or something, he’ll let ’em know. He’d say, ‘You’re not taking this serious,’ or he’d let you know. I mean he was just honest. He’d keep it to you straight every time.”

For almost all of Howard’s Miami coaching stint, he was just an assistant.

Assigned to player development and defense, he was never able to use his leadership skills as the man in charge. That is, until the 2016 Summer League rolled around.

Each year, each NBA team selects one of the assistant coaches to lead its Summer League roster in early competition. In 2016, it was Howard’s time.

It was Howard’s first time ever serving in a head coach position. In many ways, it

was the perfect opportunity for the you coach — an ability to get his feet wet with t position without being completely thrown the wolves.

While he wasn’t reinventing the whe or tasked with redesigning Heat concep Howard was able to learn some of t minutiae of the position — how to talk timeouts, who to call on when games a getting close, how to scream on the sideline “He defined guys’ roles early, and I thin that was good for a coach to be able to that,” said Richardson, one of the key playe on that Summer Leag team. “He would give go speeches, get his messa across, and he’s a go speaker in front of guy and I know that’s probab tough in your first coachi job having to give opening speech at traini camp, or having to be t guy talking to the tea every timeout and stu like that, but I think he d a great job navigating th for the first time.”

The Heat would place fourth that ye going 3-2 through the tournament.

But Howard left with something far mo valuable than the trophy — confidence his ability to become the head coach of basketball team someday.

“It taught me a lot in that I enjoyed t experience, I learned from it,” Howard sa “I left there that summer thinking, ‘Y know, I can be a head coach in this league.’ gave me a vote of confidence.”

Before that, Howard had had no proble being vocal. No experience talking to a tea with the title of “head coach,” sure, but h always been a leader in the locker room.

And no one recognized that more th

He’ll give you the shirt off his back, that’s the type of person he is.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019

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Howard’s old coach on the Portland Trail Blazers, Nate McMillan.

Howard often credits McMillan with being the first person he spoke to about his desire to coach, but McMillan saw it coming long before those words ever left Howard’s lips. Once Howard joined the Trail Blazers, McMillan immediately saw an opportunity to use Howard not only as a liaison between the players and the coaches but as an excellent resource with a high basketball IQ. “When I had the opportunity to work with him in Portland, I really wanted to pick his brain,” McMillan said. “I wanted him to be a part of that organization because I knew he could assist me with the players in getting my message, whatever my message was, across to them both as a player and as a coach.”

Any first glance at Howard’s credentials may not tell the whole story. Some may be inclined to write off his first year at the helm as an adjustment period — some time off from Michigan’s recent success due to 17’s lack of experience. Perhaps a faulty assumption. Howard’s been doing this for a long time. *** Minutes after the Michigan men’s basketball team dismantled Saginaw Valley State in an exhibition win, the ex-big man sat down at the podium, nearly ready to address the field after his first game coaching in Crisler Center.

He asked for a few minutes to prepare before glancing down at a freshly printed stat sheet. He poured over the numbers, evaluating his team’s first official performance then addressed the media.

A small gesture, but a testament to the man’s process. Making the transition from the NBA back to college is no small task, and Howard is going to need to pick up every detail along the way.

Many will speculate about how Howard is adapting to the more frequent use of the zone on defense or the pace of play in the weeks and possibly even years to come.

But Howard will have to make leadership adjustments, too.

College students are at different points in their lives than professional athletes. While the days of Juwan swatting balls in practice may be over as he takes on a different role with his players, Howard promises to continue his signature brand of honesty, fun and professionalism to the job at hand.

“I’m an even-keeled guy,” Howard said. “I’m also a guy that’s gonna hold you accountable when you’re not doing your job.

I’m not a big yeller or screamer, but I know how to make sure my voice resonates and carries so when I speak, the group listens.

“I want my players to know this: we’re gonna compete hard. There will be some moments when we hit some rough patches in the season, but at the end of the day, I want us to be able to say, once we look back at the end of the season, ‘We did have fun.’”

More than that, his approach for on-thecourt development may differ as well.

Working with big men in the NBA, the focus was not so much about technique at the big man position but rather about the mental game — how to be patient and goade the defense into making mistakes. How to be a professional.

“Being patient. I feel like that was the No. 1 thing he helped me with,” Adebayo said.

“Just taking my time in the post. It wasn’t really on moves, but if you’re patient and let the defense make mistakes, and I started seeing that as the years went on and last year the last 30 games I started catching onto it and started realizing it.

READ MORE PAGE 8B Alec Cohen / Daily Design by Jack Silberman

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Tuesday, November 5, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019

Roster breakdown Wolverines looking for production from newcomers and unproven sophomore class in coming year CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer

Roster turnover — and adjusting to it — is an inherent part of college basketball. A top program’s best players tend to move on annually to the professional ranks as a new batch of heralded freshmen take over.

Michigan, which can now be classified among the very elite programs in the sport, is no different. Jordan Poole, Charles Matthews and Ignas Brazdeikis all moved on from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team, taking 57 percent of the Wolverines’ scoring production with them. With the loss of that trio, a few newcomers and a completely different coaching philosophy being implemented under new coach Juwan Howard, there is no shortage of uncertainty accompanying this year’s Wolverines.

And yet, the cupboard is far from bare. Three linchpins and a number of talented, albeit unproven, players return to Ann Arbor. Whether the latter can step up to the plate will likely dictate how far this team goes in Howard’s first season.

The Daily broke down what’s still stocked in that cupboard for the coming season.

Guards Since he officially secured the point guard job as a sophomore under former coach John Beilein, Zavier Simpson has become the heart and soul of the Wolverines.

In his senior season, expect more of the same.

Simpson is the unquestioned leader of this team and one of the best point guards in the country.

He earned All-Big Ten second team honors a season ago, but only because Michigan State guard Cassius Winston also plays his position. Though not a potent scorer as evidenced by his 8.8 points per game last year, Simpson and his patented hook-shot have become a nationwide phenomenon. A floor general in every sense of the word, Simpson registered a 3.2 assist-toturnover ratio last season, which ranked first in the Big Ten and sixth in the country. He also led the team in steals and was named to the Big Ten’s All-Defensive Team.

Simpson’s contributions to Michigan extend well beyond

statistics, though. Hard-nosed, vocal and sometimes brash, he will hold his teammates accountable and is about as dependable as it gets on this roster.

Junior guard Eli Brooks, on the other hand, will be asked to step up more than ever before. Serving primarily as Simpson’s backup last season, Brooks averaged just 12.8 minutes per game. Now without Poole, Brooks will likely start alongside Simpson in the backcourt. Although he struggled with confidence a season ago, Brooks is a capable shooter and defender. In the Wolverines’ exhibition game against Saginaw Valley State on Friday, he notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Teammates and coaches have repeatedly praised his work ethic and understated leadership this offseason. If Brooks improves his decision-making and is more aggressive on offense, he could make a much-needed leap.

Sophomores David DeJulius and Adrien Nunez fall very much into the “talented but unproven” category. Both are slated for significantly more playing time than last season and will be key in replacing the loss of offensive production from a season ago.

Despite only being 6-foot, DeJulius is an energetic, athletic and crafty ball-handler who can score in the paint and knock down an open shot from deep. Nunez is a long, sharpshooting wing, who will be more of a “catch-and-shoot” option on offense. Defensively, there are question marks surrounding both of these players and their ability to lockdown opposing guards.

Forwards Isaiah Livers flashed his potential multiple times last season as Michigan’s sixth-man.

Now without the wing presences of Matthews and Brazdeikis, the junior — who averaged just under eight points per game a year ago — has an opportunity to shine.

He’s a threat from behind the arc (42.6-percent last year) but is also athletic at the rim. As demonstrated by his team-high 24-point outing against SVSU, Livers has the potential to lead the Wolverines in scoring. Already a versatile defender with his 6-foot-7 frame, Livers’ work in the offseason to get in better shape should pay dividends

on the other end of the floor. With two years of playing experience under his belt, he joins Simpson as a respected upperclassman.

Though inconsistent overall, Brandon Johns Jr. showed some promise off the bench last season as a freshman. While he has a professional build, a good motor and can provide a scoring burst if needed, he struggled at times to stay in front of his man defensively and battle for rebounds with other bigs. Shoring up those areas of his game could be key to him getting more playing time.

A similar sentiment holds true for his classmate, Colin Castleton.

At 6-foot-11, Castleton is a shotblocking big who can also step out offensively and knock down a perimeter shot. As a freshman though, he was overpowered by other bigs on the glass and wasn’t skilled enough around the basket to make his presence felt offensively.

Realizing Michigan lacks depth downlow, Howard has been working closely with Castleton to help him along.

Johns Jr. and Castleton will be relied on even more during the first few weeks of the regular season

due to the absence of highly-touted freshman Franz Wagner, who suffered a broken wrist in practice two weeks ago. Just 18 years old, Wagner played professionally for Alba Berlin in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga last season and earned the 2019 BBL Best Young Player Award. Though he has inevitably received comparisons to his older brother, Moe Wagner, he’s arrived as a more polished offensive player — with a sweet stroke and good distribution skills — and is a more willing defensive player. The coaching staff has raved about his temperament and savviness, so look for him to possibly take over a starting role upon returning to action.

Center If Simpson and Livers are the first two linchpins for the Wolverines, 7-foot-1, 265-lb senior Jon Teske is the other. “Big Sleep,” as he’s known to his teammates, has steadily improved throughout his time at Michigan, culminating in a junior statline of 9.5 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game. He possesses 3-point range but arguably relied on that too frequently a season ago. As a rim-

running center always active in transition, he should benefit from Howard’s up-tempo, transition offense — though his conditioning will be tested. Defensively, he’s one of the conference’s best shotblockers and has the size to match opposing bigs in the post.

Backing up Teske at the ‘five’ is senior Austin Davis. Davis is a physical post player who can finish strong at the rim but isn’t particularly technical.

He’ll provide a high-energy option off the bench for the Wolverines.

Outlook The 2019-2020 installment of Michigan is notably athletic but lacks a refined scorer, especially while Wagner’s sidelined.

Howard’s emphasis on pushing the ball up the floor will cater to the team’s athleticism but its halfcourt offense may be suspect.

The Wolverines will undoubtedly rely on their tested veterans like Simpson, Livers and Teske. But the development of last season’s fringe contributors — Brooks, DeJulius, Johns Jr. and Castleton — will largely dictate how far Michigan progresses in Howard’s first year.

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Junior forward Isaiah Livers slimmed down this offseason in order to increase his athleticism and positional versatility.

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Tuesday, November 5, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019

What you need to know about the Big Ten basketball season ABBY SNYDER

Daily Sports Writer

Every year for the Tipoff edition, The Daily’s basketball beat puts out a preview of the entire conference. Plenty of other outlets do similar pieces around the start of the season. They’re big, they’re unwieldy, and, honestly, they can get a little boring.

Not this one.

If I’m going to write this Big Ten preview, then I’m going to have some fun with it. And I’m not going to waste your time.

Let’s just talk basketball. *** No. 1 Michigan State Tom Izzo. Cassius Winston. So, yeah. They’re gonna be good.

Izzo isn’t just one of the best coaches in college hoops right now.

He’s an all-time great. Izzo has brought the Spartans a national championship, eight Final Four appearances, including last year’s, and nine Big Ten championships.

This team looks as formidable as any he’s coached, especially with a top-ranked offense and a senior point guard in Winston who’s a favorite for National Player of the Year. The Spartans have been at or near the top in pretty much every projection this year and with good reason.

Honestly, it’s hard to see anyone else winning the conference this year. This is a team that should

repeat as Big Ten champs, a team that could cut down the nets in April – and a team that just might.

No. 18 Ohio State Chris Holtmann is doing some things in Columbus. When the now-third-year head coach took the helm in 2017, the Buckeyes were a middling program that spent most of the year near the .500 mark.

Holtmann has since led that oncemiddling program to the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons as head coach, and this season doesn’t look to be an exception.

Holtmann returns 10 players from last season’s roster, including two of his top three scorers, Kaleb and Andre Wesson. It’s a young Ohio State squad – Andre Wesson is the team’s only senior – and Holtmann admitted to some growing pains, especially on defense. But Holtmann has proven himself more than capable at turning teams with depth questions into contenders in March, both at Ohio State and before that at Butler.

There’s no reason for this season to be any different.

Wisconsin I’d like to dedicate this section to my summer internship in the office of Congressman Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., after which I am proud to call myself an honorary Wisconsinite, despite what my beatmate Jacob Kopnick might say.

This year marks something of an inflection point for the Wisconsin

program. The Badgers lose an alltimer in Ethan Happ, a three-time all-Big Ten first-teamer who carried the team for much of his time in Madison.

If Wisconsin wants to stay near the top of the conference, it’ll have to bring out a much-different look than what’s worked in the past. But the pieces are there: The Badgers are bringing back three players who started every game last year, and with the likes of senior guard Brevin Printzil ready to take on a bigger role in Happ’s absence, their roster is plenty talented.

So honestly, dear reader, I don’t have a solid feel for this Wisconsin team. It’s going to depend a lot on that new look. At this point, it’s just wait and see.

No. 7 Maryland My home and native land! The Terps are coming off a secondround exit in last year’s NCAA Tournament, and with most of their roster returning, they’re a projected top-five team in the Big Ten, and easily a top-25 team nationwide; KenPom has Maryland ranked at No. 16 going into the season, and the AP Poll puts them at No. 7.

There’s a chance I’ve been brainwashed growing up half an hour from College Park, but Mark Turgeon’s a hell of a coach and experienced, too. He’s been able to mold this young team, and it’s got a chip on its shoulder. After a .500 Big Ten finish in 2018, and what they

see as a too-early 2019 tournament departure, these Terrapins are still hungry. If that weren’t enough, they return two of their top three scorers, including one of their most exciting – and intimidating – players in sophomore forward Jalen Smith.

Fear the Turtle, indeed.

Iowa I drove through the entirety of Iowa twice this summer on my way to and from the College World Series in Omaha. I have nothing to say about Iowa as a state. So let’s talk about its basketball team.

The Hawkeyes could go either way this year. Iowa was a tough opponent last year, but some of the key pieces of that team are missing.

Forward Tyler Cook, keystone of last year’s Hawkeye front court, is gone, having declared for the NBA draft, redshirt senior guard Isaiah Moss transferred to Kansas and senior guard Jordan Bohannon underwent potentially-seasonending hip surgery.

But there’s plenty of talent elsewhere in this Iowa roster.

Sophomore guard Joe Wieskamp is a dangerous shooter, and at 6-foot11, junior center Luka Garza will be a force to be reckoned with on rebounds.

This Iowa team probably won’t be as much of a challenge as last year’s. But I wouldn’t overlook them, either.

Indiana

Luckily for me (and you), my fellow Hebrew school sufferer and good friend Matt Cohen covers the team for Indiana’s student newspaper, the Daily Student.

Here’s what he has to say about the Hoosiers this year: “Well first off, don’t appreciate that you’re insinuating we haven’t always been good friends. It’s fine.

I’m not hurt at all.

“IU is in a bit of a transition period. Gone are the days of Juwan Morgan leading IU inside and Romeo Langford providing the star power, even if that lasted for just one season. But while IU may not have the primary scoring options it had a year ago, it has significantly more depth. IU potentially goes 11 deep this season. The front-court depth has been bolstered by the addition of graduate transfer Joey Brunk from Butler and the return of redshirt freshman Jerome Hunter, a top-100 ranked recruit, from injury.

“Archie Miller has a roster that may not boast the star power of a year ago, but it might be a better overall team. These Hoosiers seem like a team that should hang around the sixth-to-eighth place region of the Big Ten standings which, at least in prior years, has been enough to make it to March.”

Having known Matt for as long as I have, I can tell you he’s optimistic almost to a fault (this is a kid who thinks Joe Flacco is a Hall of Famer). Then again, I did pick Indiana as my Big Ten surprise team this year. So for the sake of my dignity, let’s just hope he’s right.

Illinois I tried to think of a fun and interesting way to start this section.

I really did. But I’m tired. So let’s just get into it.

Sophomore guard Trent Frazier, freshman guard Ayo Dosunmu and freshman forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili headline a roster as talented as any in the Big Ten. Their offense looks dangerous, and they’re a team that’s young and tired of being overlooked like so much of the state they represent. Their non-conference schedule is smooth enough that they could be in a good spot heading into Big Ten play, and from there, this is a team that has the potential to take off.

With a roster this talented, this could be a breakout year for the Fighting Illini. Let’s just hope the announcers figure out how to pronounce those names.

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily

Michigan State senior point guard Cassius Winston was voted a unanimous first-team All-American and is considered a favorite for National Player of the Year.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8B

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Tuesday, November 5, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily

The Michigan basketball team lost all three games against Michigan State last season, putting a dour on an otherwise successful season that ended against Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA

BIG TEN From Page 7B No. 23 Purdue First order of business: Boilermakers? Really? I’ve just never understood it. Nobody mansplain it to me in the comments. I don’t care that much.

Frankly, they’re probably going to be pretty good. KenPom puts them at No.7 overall. They’ve been a pretty consistent force in Big Ten basketball over the past few years. They busted up my junior-year homecoming date’s bracket pretty good a few years back when a team he told me was overrated made it to the Sweet Sixteen instead of losing in the first round, and they got to the Elite Eight last year before falling to eventual champion Virginia.

Purdue’s roster is talented enough to make up for the loss of Carsen Edwards, with players like junior guard Nojel Eastern and junior center Matt Haarms poised to step in and lead the team.

Honestly, that’s about it. This team is definitely going to be good. They might even be great. They’re certainly heading in that direction.

Nebraska Sophomore guard Cam Mack has high hopes for this Cornhusker team.

“This year, this team – we can get to the Sweet Sixteen,” he said at Big Ten Media Day. “We can win a couple games in the tournament. We’re gonna shock a lot of people.”

But I’m going to be straight up with you here: Nebraska’s probably going to be a bit of a pushover this year. They’ve got just two returning players, only one of whom has even played a minute of Big Ten basketball. The Cornhuskers have 14 new faces, and two transfers sitting out. It’s a rebuilding year.

But they’ve got a really exciting new head coach in Fred Hoiberg, usually remembered for his unsuccessful tenure with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls rather than his imposing offense at Iowa State. Hoiberg used transfers and his recruiting talents to turn his alma mater into a serious tournament contender, and his excitement about Nebraska and the program he wants to build there is palpable. It’s hard to find a reason Hoiberg can’t work the same magic in Lincoln.

This year, the Cornhuskers are probably going to be a bit of an alsoran. But with the energy around this program, I don’t think it’s going to be that way for long.

Northwestern I wanted to write “nerds” and leave it at that, but my editors said I had to write more than that. But honestly, things aren’t looking great

this year for Northwestern. The Wildcats made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, and even got a first-round win over their fellow nerds, Vanderbilt. It looked the Wildcats might have finally gotten their heads in the game.

I don’t know what happened to that program, but it sure as hell hasn’t showed up since then. Northwestern went 15-17 in 2018 and 13-19 last year.

This year doesn’t look like it’ll be much different. They graduated much of last year’s already-tepid offensive production. And while newcomers like freshman forward Robbie Beran, a four-star prospect, and freshman point guard Boo Buie show some potential, it’s probably unreasonable to expect them to contribute much right away.

Stick to studying, Wildcats.

Rutgers Last year’s basketball beat wants me to reiterate their firm conviction that Rutgers will make the National Invitation Tournament this year.

Other than that, there’s no way I can follow up Ethan Sears on Steve Pikiell and this program, so I’ll let him do the talking. *** So there you have it: a hopefullynot-too-painless preview of this year’s conference field.

Now let’s play some basketball.

FEATURE From Page 4B “The off the court stuff also.

How to dress, how to carry yourself and be mannered. He didn’t only try to make you a better basketball player, he tried to make you a better person.”

Another identity Howard has associated with his new team since his announcement as head coach has been family. He is a family man through and through as evidenced not only with the way talks about and deals with his team but through small acts such as bringing his kids to the facilities when he was in Miami.

Including his three sons, all basketball players, in his work undoubtedly grew their appreciation for the game. In fact, Howard’s eldest, Juwan Howard Jr. was even on a Heat practice squad in 2016. The younger Howard blended right in, befriending the players, even playing video games with Whiteside.

During this time, Howard didn’t treat his son any different — mixing honesty and family, telling his son what he needed to work on, the lessons of his playing and coaching days coming into full effect.

It is these qualities that will perhaps aid Howard in the biggest adjustment to the college basketball coaching lifestyle: recruiting.

Howard is now tasked with selling himself and Michigan as a premier temple of college basketball development. Ask those who knew him as a coach, and it’s not hard to see what that pitch might sound like.

“I think the No. 1 thing that will stick out for him is that he’s a people person, and he’s about kids,” Adebayo said. “Like he doesn’t want anything from us. Like he’ll give you the shirt off his back, that’s the type of person he is.”

This is a man who embodies commitment. A man who cried when he was introduced as the head coach of the men’s basketball team.

This is a man who would give you the shirt off his back, they say. And maybe, if you hang around long enough, the tooth from his mouth.

...he’s a people person, and he’s about kids.