2019-11-21

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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‘U’ researchers can use lasers to hack virtual assistant devices

Vulnerabilities in technologies like Alexa may result in beams imitating commands BARBARA COLLINS Daily Staff Reporter

ALISON ROH/Daily

Students form Human Chain for Survivors to protest U-M policy

The Human Chain for Survivors of Assault and their allies gather at the steps of Hatcher Wednesday afternoon.

Community members contest peer-to-peer cross examination practice chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, hosted Wednesday’s event.

Last year, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Doe v.

Baum the University must allow cross-examination in sexual assault cases. The University petitioned for the Sixth Circuit Court to rehear the trial in October 2018, but was denied. The University’s interim policy implemented the crossexaminations and added a tenet that requires the question to be peer-to-peer.

LSA sophomore Emma Sandberg is one of many

BECCA HIRSH For The Daily

About 50 students protested Wednesday afternoon in the “Human Chain for Survivors” event on the Diag in front of Hatcher Library. The protest contested the University of Michigan’s interim Title IX policy requiring a peer-topeer cross-examination in all Title IX cases, including cases of sexual misconduct and assault. The policy has been highly contested since it was implemented in December 2018. Roe v. Rape as well as the University

students who has arg ued peer-to-peer questioning forces the perpetrator to question their victim, inciting trauma and anxiety in survivors.

“When someone has been sexually assaulted, they feel a sense of powerlessness and that’s one of the big reasons why people report: to take back their power and stand up to their perpetrator,” Sandberg said. “When a university allows a perpetrator to cross-examine their victim, the university is in effect allowing that perpetrator to have power over the

victim again and I consider that to be cruel.”

Sandberg founded the non-profit Roe vs. Rape over the summer and is currently executive director of the organization.

“The group helps survivors through activism and attempts to prevent sexual assault through education,” Sandberg said.

Protestors linked together with a rope and the number of participants grew from ten to 50. Some protesters held signs in addition to the chants.

See CHAIN, Page 3

Vulnerabilities in virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant may allow laser beams to imitate audio commands and hack into these devices, researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of ElectroCommunications in Tokyo have found.

Using a laser beam with just five milliwatts of power for the virtual assistants and 60 milliwatts for smartphones and tablets, the researchers discovered the lasers can activate and hack different virtual assistants just by aiming light at different intensities into the microphones, calling the tactic “light commands.” The changing intensities of light act as sound waves that cause the microphone to react as if it is hearing sound.

Engineering graduate student Benjamin Cyr, a member of the light commands research team, said light commands can be dangerous as they can grant individuals access to important information from far distances.

“With these devices, you

Ann Arbor Facial recognition ethics event looks at highlights issues with technology in modern era Vision Zero Science, Technology and Public Policy program co-hosts talk featuring Chris Calabrese initiative ANN ARBOR

SOFIA URBAN For The Daily

City commission seeks to join movement to reduce fatalities from mobility, transportation

Chris Calabrese, vice president for policy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, was hosted by the Science, Technology and Public Policy program, Center for Ethics, Society and Computing and InSPIRE at the Ford School of Public Policy on Tuesday. About 50 students and community members attended the lecture entitled, “Show Your Face?

AYSE ELDES For The Daily

Aaron Valdez, communications coordinator at Sweetland Writing Center, has a daily eight-mile commute round trip between Ypsilanti and the University of Michigan campus. As a biker, Valdez said Fuller Avenue is a problem area for commuter safety.

“It’s one of those places where I always have a problem every single day with almost being dead or watching someone almost being dead,” Valdez said. “I’m looking for some sort of solution to prevent these daily near-misses that happen.”

On Wednesday night, Valdez attended Ann Arbor’s Moving Together Towards Vision Zero open house at Larcom City Hall. Joining a national movement to reduce fatalities resulting from mobility and transportation in cities, Ann Arbor is headed to become a Vision Zero City. The city hosted the open house, which attracted about 50 community members like Valdez, to obtain feedback on bike lanes and transportation problem areas.

See TRANSPORTATION, Page 3

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The Pros and Cons of Facial Recognition Technologies for Our Civil Liberties,” where Calabrese explained the social and ethical context of facial recognition technology.

“As we incorporate more and more technology into our lives, we need to think about the impact of that technology and what we want to do with it,” Calabrese said. “Face recognition is a really good example. It is powerful, it is useful and it is often dangerous.

Like many technologies, it is a

technology that can do so many things. It can find a wanted fugitive from surveillance footage.

It can identify everybody at a protest rally.”

Calabrese explained the basic framework of the technology.

“It is a sort of measurement of people’s faces,” Calabrese said. “It is turning them into a discrete number that can be stored in databases and used to compare against other photos to see if I get that same measurement and see if I’ve identified that person.”

In the last five years, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has confirmed massive gains in the accuracy of facial recognition technology.

This has been due to a variety of factors, including more powerful computers, greater data storage and more advanced artificial intelligence. Calabrese also commented on the privacy repercussions of facial recognition advancements.

See TECHNOLOGY PAGE 2

have them in a secure location within a home where a passerby can’t talk and have it activate,” Cyr said. “But light, if it’s focused, will travel through windows and from long distances.”

Cyr said some of the tests the team completed were able to activate the devices with a laser beam from a distance of more than 100 meters. The team tested 17 different virtual assistant devices using a tripod, telescope and telephoto lens.

Videos on the research project’s website show the team successfully injecting different commands from varying distances into the Google Home device to open a garage door and to say what time it is, once from the top of the North Campus bell tower to an office in the Bob and Betty Beyster building.

The researchers successfully hacked into virtual assistant devices using equipment, some bought from Amazon, for a total under $500. Though they had previously not heard of light commands being used to hack into virtual assistants, Cyr said the technique would be very easy for an individual to use.

See HACKING, Page 3

CAMPUS LIFE

TEDxUofM panel talks sustainable food needs Industry professionals, students reflect on how decisions can impact environement BECCA HIRSH For The Daily

About 50 students attended a TEDxUofM Salon event entitled “Eating Your Way to a More Sustainable Future” Wednesday evening in North Quad. The event featured a panel of five sustainable food industry experts from the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor community.

The event started by watching a TED Talk by Bruce Friedrich, co-founder and executive director of The Good Food Institute. In the video, Friedrich discussed how to create alternatives to the meat industry that cost the same or cheaper and taste the same or better than conventional meat.

Kathy Sample, owner and founder of Argus Farm Stop, a farmers market in Ann Arbor, emphasized her relationship with food and dedication to sustainability in her introduction.

“I feel like the community around food is what makes families strong and what makes groups of people care about each other and spend time together doing something that’s meaningful,” Sample said.

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily Christopher Calabrese, vice president for policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, discusses facial recognition technology and policy at Weill Hall Wednesday afternoon.

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INDEX

Vol. CXXIX, No. 32 ©2019 The Michigan Daily

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS................5

See FOOD, Page 3

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

News

2 — Thursday, November 21, 2019

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY:

By Design

WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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THURSDAY: Twitter Talk

FRIDAY: Behind the Story

audra puchalski @audrapuchalski today i learned that i was on a @UMich email list called “Alumni Never Givers”

silence mormon @prostitatertot UMich Democrats will be like “my parents (who are both VPs at major banks) pay my tuition and that’s class solidarity sis”

Rachael Denhollander @R_Denhollander Dear @UMichFootball and @UMich I want to believe your fans and students are better than this. Rivalries are fun. But assault isn’t a joke or a punchline.

Kat Todd @KatCantDance Never forget that someone in Ireland thought I was a literal genius for going to UMich.

What a beautifully misguided assumption.

kayleigh | GMW AU @brinadiaries OKAY BUT IM DOING A RESEARCH PROJECT ON EUGENE LINDSEY FOR MY ENGLISH CLASS AND HE WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

george kent’s 64 oz nalgene @c_merke you ever think that the university of michigan adminstrators go out of their way to make your life harder

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RITA VEGA/Daily A marble column from a Jain temple in northwest India sits beside a sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesh in the South Asia Gallery at the University of Michigan Museum of Modern Art.

LSA Student Government releases statement on misconduct policy The updated University protocol comes as result of the Sixth Circuit Court ruling on Doe v. Baum ALEX HARRING

for achieving a resolution. trained in handling these The board also wrote scenarios.

The statement comes the alternatives to The Executive Board of in-person examination, after a call from the the Universit y of Michigan such as using video chat American Civil Liberties LSA Student Government from separate locations or Union on Sept. 5 to change released a statement utilizing the text option the policy and student Wednesday criticizing of BlueJeans, an online activism on campus. A the Universit y’s interim video chat service, fall petition to change the sexual misconduct policy. policy created on Jan. 8 short.

The policy, titled the Interim Policy and “While we recog nize by the student g roup ‘Jane that these options are an Roe’ garnered over 65,000 Procedures on Student attempt by the Universit y sig natures.

Sexual and Gender-Based Universit y spokesman Misconduct and Other to mitigate the harm that Fitzgerald wrote Forms of Interpersonal this process may cause the Rick Violence, was updated complainant, we do not in an email to The Daily find these to be acceptable that, the Universit y is to include additional substitutes as the accepting feedback on options in the resolution process of direct cross- the interim policy until process and a hearing examination between Friday, in addition to where students have the Sudoku Generator y http://sudokugenerator.com/sudoku/generator/print/ the parties involved in awaiting g uidance from opportunit to crossSudoku Syndication http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ the investigation can the U.S. Department of examine other students be hurtful in any Education on g uidelines format,” the board that will apply to all wrote.

“While we universities.

Fitzgerald noted the recog nize that every student deserves a policy allows students fair and equal process the option to have the EASY MEDIUM conducted in when allegations are hearing rooms using made, we know that separate there are better ways technolog y or through written responses with no to achieve justice.” audio or video. However, Additionally, the board wrote he said the Universit y previously shown the current policy has discourages students reluctance to allowing from reporting sexual attorneys to participate misconduct and in this process alongside ultimately creates students. a hostile campus “Unlike students, environment.

The board noted differing attorneys have an ethical processes at peer dut y to represent their zealously,” institutions, such clients as the Universit y Fitzgerald wrote. “That an ethical of California, Los includes Angeles, which do dut y to vigorously cross not require cross- examine witnesses. Thus, as the courts have held, examination.

The board requested an attorney may have an the Universit y revise ethical dut y to ‘confuse’ or even ‘destroy’ a student © sudokugenerator.com. For personal use only.its cross-examination LA VIE NO CHILL EN ROSE puzzle by sudokusyndication.com process so it is carried who is alleging sexual © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. out by a professional assault.” representative Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku, Godoku, Samurai Sudoku and witnesses. All cases open at the time of the new policy, which was released on Jan. 9, adhere to its g uidelines.

Changes to the policy came as a result of a Sixth Circuit Court ruling in Doe v. Baum. In the lawsuit, the court affirmed a student accused of sexual misconduct has a right to confront their accuser at a hearing.

In the statement, the board called the policy “problematic.”

The board wrote that while it supports students’ rights to due process, it feels there are better avenues than the current options

Daily Staff Reporter

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Arab Student Association, Period host panel on reproductive health

Panelists focus on own experiences, discuss stigmatized issues as part of Focus Week BRAYDEN HIRSCH For The Daily

Through an effort to end the stigma around periods, the Arab Student Association and Period collaborated to hold a panel where four people from various backgrounds were given the opportunity to talk about their encounters with reproductive health on Wednesday. About 30 students attended the event. ASA is currently holding a week-long program called Focus Week, where the goal is to talk about the stigmatized issues facing their communities.

Public Policy senior, Arwa Gayar, co-president of ASA, played a large role in putting the panel together.

“We thought that this was particularly important because menstrual health and reproductive health are seen as taboo in our culture, but it really affects a woman of color, particularly Arab refugees, and they are disproportionately marginalized, not just from their identity, but also their status as immigrants and refugees,” Gayar said. “So

TECHNOLOGY From Page 1

“The realit y is, when you are out in public, you do not necessarily expect to be identif ied and tracked across a series of cameras,” Calabrese said. “A nd you do not expect that record to be kept indef initely. It is a dif ferent t y pe of use of the technolog y. A nd it changes our assumptions about what privacy looks

CHAIN From Page 1 Posters ref lected similar messages, and one poster had a quote from a fireside chat given by University President Mark Schlissel earlier in the year: “We thought… it might be less traumatizing to have a peer ask questions of another peer.”

Similar messages were written in chalk around the Diag.

The activists chanted various slogans, such

TRANSPORTATION From Page 1 Overseeing the Vision Zero project, Cit y Transportation Manager Eli Cooper coordinated the event, which was one of three total open houses planned. Larcom’s lobby presented t wo interactive displays. One wall hosted posters of f ive Ann Arbor locations; underneath each, communit y members ranked how they prioritized the four transportation options of biking, walking, transit and vehicle.

“These specif ic ( locations) are similar to other roads in the cit y — or streets — that have similar characteristics,” Cooper said. “The opportunit y is to gain a general sense of what the public feels about the priorities for the various modes by the different characteristics for the corridors.”

Across from the ranking posters, A ECOM Transportation Planner Sarah Lag pacan facilitated an activit y to f ind out what communit y members

Thursday, November 21, 2019 — 3

HACKING From Page 1 Daniel Genkin, electrical eng ineering and computer science assistant professor, also worked on the project and pointed out most people think of sound rather than light in regards to a microphone, Genkin said the v ulnerabilities in virtual assistants that let light commands control them could potentially create a serious safet y issue.

“The system that responds to sound actually delivers the system that responds to sound and light,” Genkin said. “Ever y time you have this gap, you have a securit y problem … When you think about those gaps, and where we need to map them out, then we need to think, what are the implications and how do we close them?”

Using light commands, an individual could easily have access to unlock doors, go online shopping using the target ’s information or unlock and start a vehicle connected to the target ’s device, Cyr said.

LSA sophomore Kat Black uses an A mazon Alexa at home. She said the results of the study

show light commands can be a serious threat.

“There have been several times where our Alexa at home kind of malf unctioned and that was unprompted,” Black said. “I think if someone is deliberately tr ying to alter its f unctioning, it ’s ver y possible.”

Cyr said the team reached out to A mazon and Google to inform them of the securit y issues light commands may cause. They also plan to reach out to Facebook and other microphone manufacturers to help them f ind ways to f ix this v ulnerabilit y.

“Our goal is to make sure that people know what can be done to the sensors currently and then to f ind solutions so that people can trust the sensors,” Cyr said.

As for now, Cyr said those who have a virtual assistant in their home should keep them away from windows and areas where they could be easily accessible from the outside.

The research team also included EECS professor Kevin Fu and postdoctoral student Sara Rampazzi from the Universit y as well as Takeshi Sugawara from the Universit y of Electro-Communications in Tok yo.

understanding their access to reproductive, menstrual health and is very important to look at it through the lens of those identities.”

The panel consisted of four women of varying backgrounds. Public Health graduate student Ashley Rapp discussed her pointof-view on menstrual and reproductive health of her family from Iraq and being the founder of Period.

“Primarily, at least for a lot of the people that came to America, one of our biggest issues is that even though people are coming through, they’re able to access things like food stamps, and different things like that,” Rapp said.

“There’s a lot of difficulty that even some of my relatives are having with having access to, you know, things that are more than that. So that’s going to be things like menstrual products, but also different things to help their reproductive care.”

Another organization that played a large role in the planning of this panel was Period. Period is an organization centered around

service and education for women. Public Health junior Swathi Komarivelli also helped plan this event. The panel was a continuation of Period’s product drive where they collected over 15,000 products for people in Southeast Michigan.

“We just want to have this panel because we want to have an educational background behind the drive,” Komarivelli said. “Most people realize that they face disparate conditions, but, going into specifics was the idea behind this.”

Each member on the panel was given the opportunity to talk about challenges they have faced in terms of menstrual and reproductive health. Public Health senior Umaima Abbasi is a green card holder and was able to tell her story as well.

“I do have some experiences like when you’re going around the healthcare system, so I actually was uninsured up until two weeks ago… But it’s kind of hard to navigate around a system that wasn’t initially created for you to be here,” Abbasi said. “So three weeks ago, I got a really

terrible bacterial infection and I didn’t know how to go about it, like I didn’t know where I can find care, and also culturally competent care.”

LSA senior Tala Al-Saghir, president of Students Organize for Syria, was another member of the panel. Al-Saghir is currently applying to medical school and was able to provide more of a medically-based perspective on the importance of menstrual and reproductive care.

“For a lot of refugees, the primary needs, like the emergency needs are shelter, water, food and education for their children,” Al-Saghir said. “So you see that reproductive health and a lot of health issues overall just kind of get pushed to the side.”

LSA senior Ayah Kutmah talked about the importance of normalizing some of these tough, yet important topics.

“Breaking that cultural stigma is very hard, but it can definitely start with having those uncomfortable conversations, especially within communities that you identify with,” Kutmah said.

like for the average citizen.”

Despite the cautionar y commentar y provided by Calabrese earlier in the lect ure, he also pointed out the benef its of the technolog y. “ You can imag ine that maybe there is a photo that might be held somewhere in your social net work that can be cross-referenced to f ind a missing child,” Calabrese said.

Calabrese explained facial recog nition

technolog y also has ever yday implications.

For example, social media platforms use it to suggest friends and ma ke connections based on images uploaded by users.

When talking about how the ordinar y citizen is impacted by the technolog y, Calabrese emphasized the importance of reg ulation and consent.

“The f irst thing we need to talk about is consent… it can be so easy to create a face template from a

photo,” Calabrese said.

“Af ter consent is obtained, transparency will then allow people to know what facial recog nition will be used for.”

For the second half of the talk, Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of Public Policy and Women’s St udies and director of the Science, Technolog y and Public Policy prog ram, joined Calabrese to talk about accuracy and bias of the technolog y.

He explained the

accuracy of facial recog nition technolog y can var y depending on the conditions upon the capt uring of the image, especially if the subject is within complete f ield of view or if lighting conditions are optimal.

Parthasarathy also noted facial recog nition is less accurate for people of color.

“I think it is important to point out that the technolog y is most accurate among white men and then it deg rades in

accuracy,” Parthasarathy said.

In an inter view with The Daily, LSA sophomore Sujin Kim explained the relevance of the lect ure to Universit y of Michigan st udents.

“I think addressing the relevant bias in the technolog y is ver y important,” Kim said. “It addressed the inherent bias of the technolog y that someone might not necessarily know about if it wasn’t brought to their at tention.”

as: “Join the chain, this policy’s insane,” “We reject the administration’s disrespect,” “Say it loud, say it clear: no perpetrator is our peer,” and “Hey hey, ho ho, direct questioning has got to go.”

LSA junior Elyas Perry said he joined the chain in part because of his friend who has suffered similar trauma.

“I’ve experienced firsthand how neglectful some of these policies that the University has can be,” Perry said. “With the addition of this policy here,

where perpetrators can actually cross-examine victims face-to-face. I have a little bit more perspective on how damaging that can be.”

One of the protesters’ primary demands was to require attorneys to conduct the cross-examination, not the respondents and claimants themselves.

Previous responses to the issue from administration is that it raises issues of equity and accessibility with students unable to afford attorneys. In an interview with The Daily earlier

this month, E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, said bringing in attorneys would create mini-court scenes on campus and the “last thing” administration wants to do is perpetuate the broken system of handling sexual misconduct cases.

To resolve this problem, the protestors believe the University has a responsibility to cover hourly attorney costs for the duration of the crossexamination, rather than turning to peer-to-peer questioning.

“Unfortunately, when you have cross-examination in university sexual misconduct cases, it will be like a courtlike procedure.

There’s nothing we can do about that,” Sandberg said.

“All they can do is try to make the procedure as good as it can be and the current policy that they have is unimaginable.

Anything would be better than the current policy.”

Medical student Solomon Rajput, who is currently challenging U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, for her seat in

Congress, attended the event and said the turnout shows the importance of challenging the sexual assault policy.

“There are so many people who’ve decided they’re going to take the time out of their busy schedule in order to take a stance on this issue,” Rajput said. “You can’t just do what’s convenient or what is going to be polite in order to see the change that you want to happen.”

Claire Hao contributed to this story.

consider the cit y’s safest biking areas.

A wallleng th poster displayed a map of Ann Arbor streets, highlighting bikerfriendly areas in g reen.

Markers were provided for communit y members to draw in where they felt this net work needs to expand. “ We’re not going into this with any expectations of what we’ll hear but really wanting to see what people say,” Lag pacan said.

Through the project, the cit y is looking to provide a g uiding document for Ann Arbor’s current transportation policies by the summer of 2020.

If successf ul, Ann Arbor will be the f irst Vision Zero Cit y in Michigan, joining Austin, New York Cit y, Philadelphia and others. To qualif y, each cit y must have a clear goal to eliminate traff ic fatalities and severe injuries, an off icial public commitment by the mayor to Vision Zero and key cit y departments engaged in the effort.

“Transportation as a system responds to the demands of the users and by engag ing with our citizens that are the folks

traveling around the cit y,” Cooper said.

Using both transit and biking, Valdez has plans to follow upcoming changes in the Vision Zero project.

“A lot of times you f ind out as the thing is being built or not really informed along the way,” Valdez said. “I’m just tr ying to get more informed during the planning stages and f ind out what exactly is going on.”

Keeping communit y members engaged in the project is exactly what Cooper aims to do.

“It’s not that we have a g roup of planners off in an off ice f ig uring out what’s best,” Cooper said. “ We’re actually listening to what the publics’ interest and values are, where they would like to see prog ress.

The open house allows people to come in and learn about the project, where we are in the process, but we are also collecting information from them that we will use to shape the direction of where we’re going.”

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

FOOD From Page 1 The event was moderated

by Business junior Riya Gupta and LSA junior Shivani Bhargava, who asked the panelists two questions, and then opened the f loor for audience questions. The questions were centered on problems challenging sustainability and how much individuals’ decisions, such as to be vegan or vegetarian, have an impact on the food industry.

Lilly Shapiro, Sustainable Food Systems Initiative project manager, echoed other panelists about the current level of food production and the excess that goes to waste.

“We grow more than enough food to feed the world and we do not need more industrial farming to feed the world,” Shapiro said. “The issues are equity and distribution. The issue is not production.”

On the topic of individual impact, the panelists agreed individual actions can make a difference. Shapiro also explained individuals are only one part of the puzzle,

and there needs to be a focus on sustainability from leaders in the industry as well.

Jeremy Moghtader, program manager for the Campus Farm at the University, spoke of human behavior tendencies to do what is convenient and encouraged industry to use this psycholog y for the better.

“You design a system that makes it so that people follow the path of least resistance to the better outcome,” Moghtader said.

“It’s both about personal choice and the environment in which we make those personal choices.”

The event concluded with an exercise to physically represent individual’s daily greenhouse gas carbon footprint. The organizers gave each audience member a balloon and asked them to blow air into it to correspond to how damaging foods they eat are to the environment.

The organizers posted common food items on the board, and the equivalent puffs of air for each one.

LSA junior Elana Weberman said she liked how the activity represented personal

consumption habits.

“It’s really important to participate in events that U of M puts on that focus on sustainability because there’s so much that we can do and continue to learn about,” Weberman said. “In order to make a difference in the field of sustainability, it’s important for every individual to do their part.

Also it’s really important to have this cultural change, these behavioral changes where people come together to make a difference.”

Gupta said she learned so much in organizing the event and was very happy with the turnout. She emphasized the balloon activity seemed to have an impact on attendees.

“We really wanted to find something that’s relevant to the U-M community right now that students really care about and the Ann Arbor community could really care about,” Gupta said. “Sustainable business is something our whole team was excited about.

We just dove headfirst into it. We think it’s a really relevant topic that needs to have more awareness built around it.”

Opinion

4 — Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

DIVYA GUMUDAVELLY | COLUMN

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

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NOAH ENTE | COLUMN

W

Aid to Israel cannot be conditional

ith the Iranian administrations one day using the U.S.’s annual $3.8 billion regime’s announcement on military aid package as a way Nov. 5 that they would resume to curb Israeli policies with which they disagree. their enrichment These remarks follow of weapons-grade a similar statement uranium, it appears

by Sen. Elizabeth the Middle East is Warren, D-Mass., and about to become reflect a general lack even more chaotic of awareness of the and dangerous situation Israel faces for enemies of the and the implications Islamic Republic. that such an action That includes the would have.

United States, but NOAH The military aid this news is an ENTE that the U.S. has especially bad sign for Israel. Already facing great pledged to Israel over the opposition on nearly all of its years has been a sign of the borders from Iranian proxies enduring partnership between and groups receiving Tehran’s these countries: the American funding, it would be a crisis if the belief that a strong Israel only thousands of missiles possessed serves to make us stronger. by these groups, or Iran itself, were suddenly enhanced with nuclear payloads. An article in The Atlantic by Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., lays out the potential outcomes for the Jewish state should this reality come to fruition.

It is clear that one of Iran’s main objectives in amassing their arsenal of weapons is to take down the country which the late Ayatollah Khomeini once called “the Little Satan.”

The regime has said so itself.

With Iran’s leaders formally In his speech to the J Street signaling their resumption of conference as vice ptesident in nuclear development, it appears 2013, prominent 2020 candidate that the threat of annihilation Joe Biden said that “If there from Iran that Israelis have were not an Israel, we would feared could be more of a have to invent one to make sure our interests (in the Middle possibility.

In this context, comments East) were preserved.” This is made by prominent Democratic the sentiment that Democrats candidates for president at the need to make clear to American national conference for the Jews and the entire American left-leaning J Street group in public leading up to the Washington, D.C. last month presidential election just a year appear dangerously misguided. from now. The partnership of In their speeches, Sen. these two countries is strategic Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., along to the interests of both and with South Bend Mayor Pete cannot be put at risk over Buttigieg and Julián Castro, policy disagreements between former Secretary of Housing a particular administration.

Cutting military aid to and Urban Development, all addressed — to some degree — Israel now, in a time when the possibility of their future Israel is facing perhaps its

The partnership of these two countries is strategic to the interests of both

greatest external threats in decades, would signal a lack of commitment to the important bond between these two countries in defense, economics, innovation and science. As part of the requisites for receiving billions of dollars in military assistance, Israel and its armed forces are required to spend the entirety of the aid package on U.S. weaponry and equipment. In this way, funds that were set aside for foreign aid have been returning to the U.S. economy and boosting its military technology industry.

This policy, often accused of being a unilateral gifting of taxpayer dollars to Israel, also has tangible benefits to America and its defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. It is an arrangement that is beneficial to the two nations and should be continued under the future U.S. administration.

Politicians can reasonably disagree about the course of action Israel should take in its domestic and foreign policy.

However, it should remain a consensus that U.S. military assistance to Israel — which boosts the American economy and strengthens one of its most important and loyal allies — remains intact for years to come.

Israel faces growing uncertainty and danger in its future as regional adversaries continuously prepare to bring about its destruction. U.S. allies need to be able to count on America for consistent support, not only through rhetoric, but through our actions. Using the threat of ending military aid as a club to force the implementation of a desired policy is harmful to American interests, to Israel and to our important relationship. It is a mistake that any future leader should be sure to avoid.

SOFIA ZERTUCHE | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT SOFZER@UMICH.EDU

Noah Ente can be reached at noahente@umich.edu.

W

Learning to unlearn

of patriarchy, oppression and racism? Recently, two Indian-American New Jersey teens were arrested operating for repeatedly within forces of hurling racial slurs social control. at a group of young The limitless African-American spontaneity of our middle school girls. minds is imprisoned Surely, these boys by a variety of are intelligent internalized social enough to know structures, ones that this action we often mistake is wrong and has as the ultimatums DIVYA consequences, of life. As a result, GUMUDAVELLY yet they acted some actions or behaviors are arbitrarily in this way because of an anti-Black deemed more acceptable than internalized others. We often address sentiment that overpowered the fact that “actions have judgment. consequences,” but rarely ever acknowledge that actions themselves are rooted in some limited understanding of the world. Much of our understanding of the world and a majority of our own biases and perspectives come from rigid and internalized social structures. To develop true objectivity, we must not only be aware of the world Teaching people that and its processes but also our own preconceived notions and their actions will lead to consequences is not enough ideologies.

Our entire lives are a — we must also learn unlearn.

Unlearning quest for knowledge. In fact, to we often measure personal consists of recognizing that growth in the context of we have all been imbued the constructs of how much we have learned. with Applying what we learn, heteronormativity, patriarchy racial superiority however, is the truest and measure of personal growth, and then challenging the and this is often not possible dominant values presented to because of the limitations us. No privilege absolves an society places on us. We individual from unlearning, the responsibility are taught at a young age to and treat others the way we wish certainly does not fall upon to be treated, but how has those who have experienced this played out considering oppression to teach someone we’ve internalized systems else to unlearn. Unlearning e are all, paradoxically, agents of social change

The value of unlearning is unlimited

is not about forgetting, it is about taking the knowledge we have at hand and learning to interpret it differently and opting for alternative mental paradigms.

Acknowledging a history of racism and dismantling internalized prejudices is unlearning, while ignoring a history of racism or acting crudely in spite of it is simply ignorance.

Unlearning may be difficult, as we have a biological predisposition to act in ways that confirm our initial biases.

Recognizing these tendencies, normalizing conversations around race and inequality and incorporating in-depth discussions and studies of the work of individuals who have repeatedly challenged these norms in history can all help overcome these biases.

Moreover, the value of unlearning is unlimited.

Individuals will be more adaptive to situations, be less inhibited in diversifying their own experiences and will become more empathetic overall once they unlearn harmful constructs.

This process recognizes that nothing is black and white, and that we should practice multidimensional recognition.

Unlearning is not a process that can be taught or learned — it comes from self-awareness.

As a result, unlearning can be encouraged through diverse teaching materials and policies but must be reinforced and maintained individually. It must be encouraged, not forced.

Divya Gumudavelly can be reached at gumudadi@umich.edu.

SAM FOGEL | COLUMN

Pay attention to the movements in Latin America

T

he past few months have been tumultuous for many around the world.

From Kurdistan to Hong Kong, to the U.K. and Yemen, there are many different crises that are dominating the news cycle at the moment. But one thing that I’ve found to be inadequately covered by mainstream media, like CNN, and unknown to many is the ongoing protests occurring all across Latin America. Haiti, Chile and Ecuador all find themselves in political turmoil, wracked by protests and movements in an attempt to change the status quo. It seems like the region has exploded into a fiery chasm of demonstrations and fulminations.

Headlines have recently covered the cancellation of a climate summit in Santiago, but the protests in Chile are the result of tensions that have been ongoing for some time now. The reported cause of the original protests was a rise in metro fare, an increase of 30 Chilean pesos (equivalent to about 4 U.S. cents) in the cost of using public transport. It may seem insignificant to us, but for many, the increase represents the growing economic inequality in Chile. One percent of the country’s population makes 33 percent of the total income, making it one of the most unequal economies in the developed world. Many of the protesters are calling for the drafting of a new constitution, criticizing the current one for prioritizing private entities over the working people of the country. The current constitution was drafted by the government of Augusto Pinochet, a fascist dictator who won the government in a coup in 1973 (which the United States orchestrated, by the way). These protests have overwhelming student involvement, with younger generations being integral to

the success of the movement.

The initial demonstrations were organized by students, after all. One can take a glance at the situation and notice how it reflects the growing concerns of wealth inequality for the youth here in the U.S. In Haiti, protests erupted last month over growing concerns about fuel shortages, out-of-control inf lation and general exasperation with wealth inequality. The spark to ignite the powder keg, however, can be traced back to the PetroCaribe oil program, which was an economic pact negotiated with Venezuela to increase investment in public services for the country. Billions of dollars of investments in public works projects have been unaccounted for, which raises many questions about where the money was really spent. Protesters are hounding Jovenel Moïse, Haiti’s current president, pressuring him to step down amid allegations of corruption and failed leadership. Over half of Haiti’s population lives below the poverty line, landing it as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. These various conditions, corruption and few economic opportunities led to cripplingly low faith in government. In fact, only 21 percent of the electorate turned out for the 2016 presidential election.

The sentiments found here are similar to the ones in Chile, caused by economic inequality and a government ill-equipped to handle the consequences of a poorer populace.

Ecuador is another nation that’s been aff licted with protests and demonstrations this past month. Though the protests have ended, we can still look to it as an example of the recurring problem many Latin American nations have been encountering. The

protests initially started as a response to the government’s termination of gasoline subsidies, nearly doubling the price of diesel in the country.

In addition to that, many criticize President Lenin Moreno’s privatization of public services, especially with the $4.2 billion dollar austerity package he secured with the International Monetary Fund in March. The package was designed to increase economic sustainability and assist the lower class, making the inaction all the more poignant.

The stakes quickly evolved to eventually encompass many other grievances the population wanted addressed.

Abortion rights and indigenous rights became focal points of the protest as well. The protests eventually came to a close when Moreno decided to meet with indigenous leaders and negotiate an agreement, canceling the austerity package and reviewing the public debt of the nation.

You may be asking yourself why this concerns you. It seems like a world away from the struggles here in the U.S. But the protests are emblematic of a common phenomenon taking hold among the masses on a global scale. In the face of growing inequality and negligent governments unwilling to address it, people are uniting and having their voices heard — whether or not the ruling class wants to hear it. When confronted with a changing political landscape, one must ask themselves where their allegiances lie.

Young people, students and the disenfranchised alike are banding together to make a stand. The protests in Latin America are more than just momentary unrest, they are signs of changing tides.

Sam Fogel can be reached at samfogel@umich.edu.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds.

Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

Thursday, November 21, 2019 — 5

COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW

TV REVIEW

MUSKET exposes in ‘BARE’ ‘The Mandalorian’ is engaging minimalism

homophobic priest in “BARE.” “I never thought I would have such an emotional Daily Arts Writer attachment to the show,” Donaven said.

It seems that he is not the only cast member to feel this “Our priority is to do things that matter, first and way.

“There have been numerous rehearsals where everyone foremost,” said MUSKET producer and LSA senior Alexandra Niforous about the first show of the MUSKET in the room is crying because of how beautiful this show season. “BARE: A Pop Opera” is directed by SMTD senior is. Even the toughest guy in the room is in tears,” said James Harbaugh Jr. with music and book by Damon SMTD junior Sara Juliano, who portrays Nadia, Jason’s Intrabartolo (“Dreamgirls”) and lyrics and book by Jon twin sister. The production team has worked to help aid in the emotional turmoil this show brings out in its actors.

Hartmere (“The Upside”).

“Before every run all the cast and production team “There are so many stories that haven’t been told that need to be,” Niforous said. “We have such a great platform will stand in a circle and hold hands and do a breath in to share these stories with the Ann Arbor community. and out. And afterward we’ll do it the same way. We are acknowledging the people’s stories on behalf of what we’re Why would we not?” telling and it’s The story for the people’s of “BARE” is voices who don’t one that begs have an outlet to be heard. about the specific The pop opera story we’re follows a group telling,” Juliano of students explained. at a Catholic However, not boarding school all the content as they grapple of “BARE” is with issues heartbreaking. of sexuality, In fact, Juliano’s identity and favorite song to the future. Like perform in the its characters, show is “Plain “BARE” is a Jane Fat Ass.” “It musical that is fun, and I get strays from MUSKET to be silly! My the status quo. Unlike similar musicals that stick to a strictly-pop character beats herself up during the song,” Juliano said. score, “BARE”’s music is heavily influenced by rock. “She ridicules her appearance before anyone else can, Additionally, it focuses on themes that are not often found which is something a lot of us do,” “Whenever you do a show, you’re excited to make in contemporary musical theatre.

“Musical theatre in general does not have a strong a product and to tell the story. Getting to have this history with LGBTQ protogatonists — let alone more than experience and make this story is a dream come true. I am just happy to be here,” Juliano said. one,” Niforous said.

As far as preparing to watch the show, Juliano “BARE”’s protagonists are Peter, portrayed by SMTD recommends recognizing sophomore Andrew Cekala, that the content of the and Jason, portrayed by show is heavy. “You will be SMTD sophomore Nicholas affected,” she said.

Kraft, two students at the At a talk back after the Catholic school that have Nov. 23 show, audience fallen in love with each Nov. 22 and 23 at 8 p.m.; members will get a chance other.

Unlike popular Nov 24 at 2 p.m. to discuss the heavy themes. musicals that MUSKET has Present at this talk will be produced in the past, such Power Center for Performing Arts director James Harbaugh as “Legally Blonde” and Jr., music director and “Cabaret,” “BARE” never $7 Student, $11 Adult SMTD sophomore Andrew made it to Broadway.

Gerace, SMTD Prof. Jason But as Niforous DeBord (music director for explained “(We’re) eager to bring it back now. This show is more relevant than ever.” “Bare: The Musical”) and Reverend Matthew Lukens With themes as political as the ones present in “BARE,” (Rev. Canterbury House).

“I think it’s a show that begs to be talked about,” acting in this musical has proved to be challenging.

“Playing a character that lacks empathy is hard. As an Niforous said. “I don’t think the curtain closes and we’re actor, you have to try to empathize with the character, so just done. It provokes a dialogue, and I’m excited to have you can still see him as a human. My character doesn’t the opportunity to open that dialogue up.”

The stories that “BARE” brings to the table are equally wake up in the morning and say ‘Oh, I am going to be mean today,’ and I need to recognize that,” said freshman as powerful as they are delicate. They deserve to be Business student Jason Donaven, who portrays the listened to. So, come listen.

ALIX CURNOW

BARE: A Pop Opera

his helmet, due in part to his religion as a Mandalorian. Still, he’s given voice and Daily Arts Writer agency through actions, be them subtle or violent.

There were moments where I was A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the very conception of morality certain “The Mandalorian” would suffer was a defined line. There was good from its reliance on its own mythology, and evil. The long lost Jedis and the yet it manages to maintain the delicate Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker and balance of engaging its audiences in a Emperor Palpatine. Mixed into this was world both foreign and familiar. The a rich mythology, deepening with each show — taking place five years after installment. The saga filled itself with the events of “Return of the Jedi” and imaginative creatures and species — before “The Force Awakens” — nods to a with more and more heroes. But “The universally beloved trilogy to orient itself while also successfully embracing the Mandalorian” is not about heroes.

A space-western, “The Mandalorian” hidden details of that trilogy in order to follows a masked bounty hunter who explore bolder, more ambiguous themes.

However, it is the western plot that wanders the far reaches of the galaxy.

The unnamed protagonist belongs to the propels “The Mandalorian” forward. The Mandalorians — a mercenary warrior show is very minimalist, relying more on people who describe themselves as a atmosphere and arid landscapes — both “tribe.” The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal, frigid and blazing — as backdrops. The “Game of Thrones”) takes an under- technology is there, but it takes a backseat, the-table bounty, which leads him to a allowing character, environment and suspicious solicitor with ties to the now- creature to forge the ambience. Aided defunct authoritarian military regime, by twangy, distant guitars and beating the Galactic Empire. He’s looking for drums, the lonelier scenes are gripping and intense. a dangerous The most creature, fifty compelling years old and element of “The unnamed.

Mandalorian” All the is the bounty Mandalorian itself. Perhaps is given is Streaming Now it’s already a tracking been spoiled, device.

The Disney+ but I refuse bounty is to to wreck the be brought twists and back alive. turns. I will say The tracker that the bounty takes the Mandalorian to Arvala-7, where he’s is both puzzling and wonderful, almost rescued from Blurggs by a vapor farmer demanding to see its arc carried through. named Kuiil (Nick Nolte, “Angel The fact is that “The Mandalorian” is Has Fallen”). But this bounty proves bold and confident. For having slim, dangerous indeed. More than that, fast-paced episodes (that are almost though, it’s not what he thought it was at too short), the show is very willing to take its time, to ponder its setting and all.

The Mandalorian clearly exists on consequences. In the first two episodes, the vast moral spectrum of the ever- viewers are given hints of a grim past, expanding Star Wars universe. He is of questions of ancestry, integrity and willing to kill a number of people in a bar principle. In the absence of Jedis and in the very opening scene and is disposed Darth Vaders, all that remains are people, to eradicating an entire town of people, if all with questionable morals, struggling it happens to be the case that they’re also to make it through the economic ruin of shooting at him. The Mandalorian has a collapsed government in a galaxy far, an uncompromising sense of objective. far away. “The Mandalorian” is less about But his complicated bounty makes him science fiction. It’s about who we think question his complicated principles. He we are and what we might do if that’s has little personality and can’t take off called into question.

MAXWELL SCHWARZ

The Mandalorian

FILM REVIEW

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

‘Report’: A solid unveiling of the nightmarish truth never-ending barriers to entry that exist within the government itself. With so many layers of authority, Daily Arts Writer truth and morality both become problematically subjective. Both the Senate and the CIA have different In “The Scarlet Letter,” Hester Pryne and Arthur sides of the story regarding what really happened Dimmesdale stray from their puritanical ways to during the interrogation program. Was the treatment commit adultery by night. In “The Strange Case of of potential Al-Qaeda captives deemable as torture?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Dr. Jekyll is unassuming Was the treatment of these captives humane? In the and meek during the day, but when the sun goes fearful, frenzied wake of 9/11, the central dispute of down he becomes the ominous and unhinged Mr. the film revolves around the perceived subjectivity Hyde. Though both fictional, these classics reflect of these questions and the breakdown of ethical the very real human capacity for secrecy and duality. boundaries.

Most outstanding about the film is Adam Driver’s This quintessential literary theme of duplexity can be applied in the real world to the relationship between acting chops. Notorious for his quirkier roles in the U.S. government and the people, a relationship HBO’s “Girls,” Jim Jarmusch’s quiet arty flick built on the belief that rulers will act justly. Perhaps “Patterson” and Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” I we are too generous with our trust, forgetting that was not expecting to see Driver portraying such a it is human nature to turn to immorality when we serious character. Nonetheless, Driver excellently think that no one else is watching. Under the cover embodies Jones bringing the same intensity that we of darkness and away from society, what was once can recognize in his previous roles. A serious film that so clearly right or wrong suddenly becomes blurred. relies minimally on music, costumes or extravagant cinematography, Driver’s In “The Report,” director character’s emotional Scott Z. Burns explores reactions drive the tone this theme of light and of the film and, in a sense, dark, illuminating that serve as its moral compass. we often lose ourselves in Although Jones is not the the darkness, forgetting only one bothered by the that eventually the light Michigan Theater cruel methods of torture will come out, and when it inflicted on the suspect doesn’t, secrets will seep Amazon Studios terrorist affiliates, he is through the cracks and the the only one who feels truth will be exposed. compelled to act on it.

When U.S. Senate While the lack of effects employee Daniel Jones (Adam Driver “Paterson”) is assigned by his and excitement create a few lags here and there, they boss, Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening are a testament to the fact that the film’s purpose is “American Beauty”), to look into a post-9/11 CIA not so much to entertain as it is to educate and sober interrogation program, he never could have imagined audiences.

And the overarching theme of light and dark? what he discovers. Despite Feinstein’s warnings not to get too emotionally invested in the investigation Jones’s research facility and the torture sites process, Jones cannot help but become enthralled are located below ground, shrouded in mystery in the disturbing and unethical methods pursued and concealed from the light of day. Though the on suspected Al-Qaeda associates. Through Jones’s research room is used for investigation and the work, an internal war of sorts is born, when tensions caves are intended for torture, both facilities are erupt and heads butt between the Senate and the CIA. secretive, buried beneath the ground and concealed The more that Jones uncovers, the more entwined from the light of day and the public eye. Through in the messy web of inter-government bureaucracy Jones’s classified mission and the CIA’s wrongful he becomes, as he learns that almost nothing can be torture tactics, Burns illustrates the chilling reality that secrecy thrives and right and wrong become trusted at face value and that red tape is thick.

Much of “The Report” revolves around the undistinguishable when no one can see.

SAMANTHA NELSON

The Report

XL RECORDINGS LIMITED

‘Kid A’ for the winter blues ANISH TAMHANEY Daily Arts Writer

Radiohead’s fourth album, Kid A, can be called many things, but pleasant is not one of them. As the most experimental of the band’s work at the time of its release, the record marks the point when Radiohead ascended from a post-grunge zeitgeist to a transcendent, persisting voice for multiple generations of listeners.

Of course, this reality couldn’t have been apparent upon Kid A’s arrival in 2000. That’s because it’s neither the catchiest or the most obviously melodious of its company, particularly predecessor OK Computer. It is a withholding tsunami of electronic spasms interwoven with piercing midrange guitar licks; a journey by canoe of crystalline caves and pulsating stars and depraved lonely voices set to impatient, choppy drums. In the case of tracks like “The National Anthem” and “Motion Picture Soundtrack,” all these sonic textures overlay grand orchestral compositions that explode cathartically outward.

I’ve been unable to stay away from Kid A this week. Indeed, there is something about the clotting of snow and slush on the roads, that pricking feeling of cold air whooshing into one’s lungs that demands the detached wisdom of the album. Even from its first few notes, in that bizarrely shape-shifting synth riff which opens “Everything In Its Right Place,” the album establishes its emotional center, or rather its lack thereof. Chords oscillate between hope and dismay with discomorting frequency. This refusal to settle on any dimension of sensory clarity is everywhere in Kid A — that odd verse of “In Limbo” that seems to skip a beat by the time it repeats itself, the swingy outro of “Optimistic,”

those creepy strings that haunt the periphery of “How to Disappear Completely.”

Kid A is so multi-faceted that its modest chaos can be off-putting. But it also has an addictive quality; once you’re amid the madness, you’re unlikely to leave it without sufficient exploration.

And the best part about Kid A is how completely it rewards exploration of itself. Most obviously, the final track, “Untitled,” provides an incomplete but enriching resolution to the album’s anxieties over loneliness and broken communication. The strange combination of electronic strings and synths release in a single, awesome chord that envisions disintegration and peace as one and the same.

But the album’s draw emerges from beyond simply a single listen. Underneath its facade of isolation and doubt, Kid A tucks in moments of warmth, the briefest of escapes into infectious faith. See the second half of “Motion Picture Soundtrack,” when the song becomes overcome with the plucking of multiple harps, back and forth across the final chorus or that strange baby’s cry in the closing seconds of the title track.

Kid A is an album that heightens the feeling of walking through Ann Arbor’s snowy streets.

But it alleviates its own demons with morsels of happiness that sustain their way through the entire record.

I likely won’t stop listening to Kid A in the following months. The ability for an album to be reassuring without being trite is exceedingly rare for someone as cynical as I am. It is an album that keeps on giving, even and especially when its cutting bleakness is most easily accessible.

While Kid A is not blindingly radiant enough to be called a beacon, it is certainly akin to a burst of warmth, a sip of coffee, a random reflecting light on the bluish-white of a snowbank.

Arts

6 — Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

STYLE COLUMN

BOOK REVIEW

Velveteen Dreams: On the Do not trust Susan Choi idea of authenticity, part 1

they are perhaps even worse. Take this passage, for example: Daily Arts Writer “When he jammed his tongue into her ear she gasped ... and twisted her head to take his tongue in her Reading Susan Choi’s “Trust Exercise” is an mouth ... She tasted the bitterness of her own earwax exercise in itself, one that requires enormous … He flailed; his dead white hairy limbs appeared amounts of patience and endurance. As an impatient impaled on the stem of his unaccountably wrinkly and easily agitated person, I was almost defeated. erection which he took in his fist and seemed to squirt The novel is a finalist for the National Book Award redly at her, for he’d yanked back the covering skin.”

Somehow, the other sex scenes are arguably and has received critical acclaim from sources including The New York Times, TIME Magazine worse, one of them including a comparison of a penis and The Atlantic. Naturally, my expectations to “a single clammy mushroom … unwholesomely for this novel were high, and I felt comfortable pale and wet.” Amazingly, there is another, different sexual encounter that involves trusting Choi to deliver a ear penetration for a second transformative reading time. experience. Little did I Not only do these parts of know that “Trust Exercise” the novel make me reluctant would utterly betray me, to engage in intercourse leading me to question not ever again, they make me only the establishment, but embarrassed to even inhabit my own sense of self as a a body. Such passages are reader. objectively poorly written, The first part of and they are explicit in an Choi’s novel explores the exploitative way, especially in relationship between regards to how the scenes all Sarah and David, two contain elements of nonconsent students at a performing and power imbalances in favor arts high school, and of the male characters. In their relationships with simpler terms, these sex scenes their fellow classmates are akin to rape fantasies, and and popular teacher, Mr. are made even more disturbing Kingsley. Within a few when one remembers that chapters, it becomes clear the most intense ones largely that the characters in this involve intercourse between novel are static and boring. adolescents, further adding to It is, frankly, difficult to conjure up interest in any SUSAN CHOI their exploitative undertones.

Several reviewers have of them. Sarah and David’s relationship is unrealistic and confusing because of characterized “Trust Exercise” to be a nod to the its total lack of chemistry (even if Mr. Kingsley takes #MeToo movement, specifically in regards to a creepy interest in it). Later in the first section, the many scenarios of young women being taken matters become complicated when a group of advantage of by older and more powerful men. But visiting drama students from England cause tension the simplistic depictions of male aggressors as clearand rifts between the American students. Most of cut antagonists, characterizations devoid of any the first section of “Trust Exercise” is presented as a nuance, detracts from whatever commentary she bildungsroman young adult novel. The monotonous hopes to make. It is obvious who is the “bad guy;” narration combined with a dull plot make the there is no subtlety or critical thinking involved reading process both tedious and difficult to endure. in examining these power imbalances and their implications.

Midway through “Trust Exercise” the novel, Choi slaps nearly broke me. Other readers with a surprise readers have gushed shift in the narrative, about an inability to put presumably intended the book down because to offer an exciting Susan Choi they were so invested in re-orientation of Henry Holt and Co. the pace of the story, or the plot. This tactic were so riveted by the may work for some April 9, 2019 complex characters and authors, but the engaging plot that they decision to uproot the were undeterred by the narrative structure unintentionally comes across as a cheap attempt to novel’s graphic depictions of sexual encounters and re-invigorate the plot. In fact, it ultimately has the harassment. My experience with this novel, on the opposite effect, forcing readers to go through the other hand, forced me to question if I was lacking painful process of becoming acquainted with a new the level of intelligence required to fully appreciate cast of characters who are identically insufferable as the apparently sacrosanct text.

But then I looked down at my open book and those of the previous section.

A criticism of “Trust Exercise” would be glimpsed the underlined phrase, “a single clammy incomplete without addressing its sex scenes, one mushroom” and thought, well, perhaps this novel of the most condemning aspects of the entire novel. is an exercise in trusting oneself. Of being able Within the first ten pages, the two main characters, to hold an opinion and know when something is both barely adolescents, are fondling each other in objectively bad — even when higher powers claim the middle of theater class when their teacher dims the opposite. Perhaps this is the transformative the lights for a demonstration. This is indicative of reading experience I had initially hoped for, though how the rest of the novel will play out, written in the in an unintended sense of the term. Either way, two style of a cheap romance novel one might find in a things are clear: Do not trust the establishment, and supermarket. Although upon further consideration, do not trust Susan Choi.

JO CHANG

SAM KREMKE

Daily Style Columnist

Over the course of the past 24 hours, I’ve become transfixed by a T-shirt. It’s a simple, oversized, one-size-fits-all cut with an unraveling American f lag embroidered on the chest, contrast stitching and a skeleton design printed on the back. The front and back sides are different colors (one iteration pairs faded black with eggplant), both of which highlight the quality of the fabric and the dye itself. Kapital, the Okayama-based brand that makes it, offers the shirt through its Kountryline, which focuses on handmade goods and builds on a few key ideas, such as tie-dye, smiley face patches, bandana prints and the aforementioned skeleton motif. The company’s whimsical nature, backed by the arguably unmatched quality of its product and the recognizability of its perennial styles, has contributed to its cultlike status in the menswear sphere. The shirt itself communicates something that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it reckons with the hollowed out husk of Americana, a design aesthetic and an iconography steeped in midcentury propagandic nostalgia and a certain ambitious naivete. Or maybe it just looks good.

Regardless of why it speaks to me, it fits neatly in the space that Kapital has burrowed out for itself — a space that plenty of labels go out of their way to imitate.

Kapital’s “secret sauce,” so to speak, is not that they were the first label to screen print a smiley face or a pile of bones on a T-shirt, nor is it the consistent output of quality craftsmanship (though it surely doesn’t hurt the cause). There’s a whole smattering of things that they do right, but chief among them is a strong brand identity. The company has spent decades articulating its philosophy and will continue to reap the benefits of that labor. To develop a self-referential oeuvre over a lifespan that people come back to without f lashy marketing tactics, without trying each season is no small feat. It takes a community of creatives that know who they are and what they do, and it contributes to what people refer to as “authenticity.”

Authenticity is a fraught concept. Sounding it out it in my head as I type is like hearing a plastic spoon scrape the bottom of a styrofoam cup for the last pinch of soft-serve. It reminds me of Amazon ambassadors and corporate Twitter accounts trying to recreate viral memes. The behind-the-scenes: we’re all just people who could maybe be friends, and the big-brother-loves-you-basket of marketing strategies is inescapable from any viewpoint.

To reject it and chase whatever lies at the opposite end of that spectrum is a tricky game too, though, because that grass can only get so green. It’s one of the reasons that brands with cult followings like Kapital can feel more like beacons than companies that operate in

the same systems as everyone else. It’s almost like there’s a special crop of organizations that manage to f ly above the closed loop of identity-based trade. Maybe it’s because some of them built themselves up before the internet boom (Kapital was established in 1985), or because some companies are so entrenched in their perspective that newer modes of communication don’t erode their selfpresentation. The question remains, however, especially in fashion: Given that there’s no such thing as an original idea, only new ways of reinterpreting existing ones, what is it that gives a brand authenticity or a sense of truth?

It’s a stereotypical question and a highly subjective one, but it lingers. It’s unanswerable, at least not empirically. It’s one of those things that just is and there’s no accounting for it in any tangible way. It’s one of those things that disappears if you pursue it, and the mere awareness of it creates a delicate and problematic game of intentions. The same can be said for good style, good taste and artistic talent. It pays to be gifted and naive. To put effort into one’s craft is honorable, but to put effort into being good, to being genuine or “real,” is to submit to the Euthanasia Coaster of public opinion, invalidating oneself in the process. Je ne sais quois is a condition doomed to permanent change.

Kapital and brands held in a similar regard aren’t blithely unaware of what it means to produce for a prospective consumer, of course.

There are certain stipulations that come with seeking to survive, but adherence to trends and shifting with stylistic demands of the market doesn’t seem to be a part of their lexicon.

Rather, ensuring that seasonal offerings both meet a wide range of needs and fit in the evolution of their own tried and true patterns is paramount.

The fashion industry can be exhausting to deal with. After spending my formative years wading through trend reports and wondering how designers seem to show the same styles and color palettes without hosting secret council meetings, or how cultural significance can be achieved without really bringing anything new to the table, finding companies with a strong sense of self is a rare and rewarding experience. They remind me of what I stand for. They also act as something to look to, even if those qualities can’t be attained in myself. As individuals, we hoard things we’re attracted to and cultivate an identity around them. There’s a constant question of how much of oneself is innate and how much is determined by experience, simply adapting to different environments and relationships like designers do to consumer demand. It’s hardly a question worth spending time on, as there are few things more transparent than striving to be unique. We can’t forge ourselves out of thin air or self-actualize in a vacuum, but we can take our personal experiences, our own little product formula and push forward.

Classifieds

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

Trust Exercise

MUSIC SINGLE REVIEW

Release Date: Thursday, November 21, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

HELP WANTED

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Many big reds 5 Namely 10 X-ray units 14 Honolulu happening 15 Lacking significance 16 Music halls of old 17 Directive on an env.

18 Play lightly, as a guitar 19 Apt. part 20 Upscale boutique 22 Holden Caulfield’s little sister 24 Constellation near Scorpius 25 Bookstore category 26 Personal records 29 Tire spec 31 Divest (of) 32 Berkeley Breathed’s cartoon penguin 33 Old money that looks new 37 Bark 38 Handle 39 Purpose 40 Small craft on the deep sea 43 Big fishhook 44 Way to go: Abbr.

45 He broke Lou’s record for consecutive games played 46 Accolades 47 Valedictorian’s time to shine 49 Purpose 50 Liquids 51 Quarrel of yore 56 Work to get 57 In an aloof way 59 Twice tri60 Exec’s helper 61 “Try someone else” 62 Vienna-based oil gp.

63 “Luke Cage” actor Rossi 64 It helps raise dough 65 Bridge position

3 Cricket clubs 4 Summery headwear 5 Campbell-Martin of TV’s “Dr. Ken” 6 Aboard 7 Lumber defect 8 Shiba __: Japanese dog 9 Pace 10 Stiffly awkward 11 Fear of poisonous snakes 12 Churchill Downs event 13 Unchanged 21 Some discount recipients: Abbr.

23 For madam 25 NBA great “__ Pete” Maravich 26 Limerick lad 27 Herculean 28 Outstanding prize money 29 Say the Word 30 School near Albany 33 Trig function: Abbr.

34 “The Raven” writer

35 Facts and figures 36 Some emailed files 41 Diminished slowly 42 Shortage 43 Private eye 46 DIY purchase 47 Seriously reduce 48 Forensic drama set in the Big Apple

49 To date 50 Significant achievement 51 Pocket bread 52 Donation to the poor 53 Rap’s Salt-N-__ 54 Hacking tools 55 Peacemaker’s asset 58 Olympic runner Sebastian

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

DOWN 1 Applaud 2 Mercury or Saturn, By Brian E. Paquin but not Mars ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Help needed removing snow periodically for elderly father near North Campus Contact Cheryl 773-403-4245 or clf@umich.edu $25+ per job COLUMBIA

HEY. 11/21/19

11/21/19

YOU'RE DOING GREAT AND WE know you can do it.

Don't give up!

Harry, Billie have new pop SAMANTHA CANTIE Daily Arts Writer

Harry Styles is back with his new, honeyed single “Watermelon Sugar,” and now he has high-waisted pants up to his nipples. No one is mad about it. Nay, the pants to the nipples heighten excitement for the album in the same way the steamy nature of his “Lights Up” video sent fans into hysteria. The cotton candy vibes of “Watermelon Sugar” induce a similar frenzy, but one where fans are running to find a lollipop to suck on.

“Watermelon Sugar” debuted Nov. 16 on “Saturday Night Live,” a surprise release in anticipation of Styles’s sophomore album Fine Line, coming Dec. 13. The repetition of lyrics “watermelon sugar” and the catchy strumming pattern of the electric guitar emulate the optimism that Styles has brought to the table in his album promo (how could one not be optimistic about Harry Styles smiling in a pink ballerina outfit, which he used to preface his “SNL” appearance?).

“Watermelon Sugar” emanates what is voluptuous — this sexy tale of summer love

shines bright.

Billie Eilish also released a new single this week, her first since her March 2019 debut album When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? “everything i wanted” details a dream Eilish had where she commits suicide, and amid the fame no one cares that she is gone.

The cover art features an abstract painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most popular spots for suicide. Most importantly, the single showcases the enduring safe haven of a relationship she has with her older brother, co-writer and producer, Finneas.

Eilish’s new single feels like an extension of her debut album, as she sticks with eerie vocals and an otherworldly investigation of dreams. She continues to use a metaphysical dimension to comment on her waking life.

Her sweet spot — mental health, sleep, relationships and that which haunts us — continues to paint a vivid landscape, braiding the same threads as she did on her debut album. Even though she sticks with the same themes, Eilish creates a misty soundscape, as if we’re standing on the Golden Gate Bridge with her and holding her back, loving on her until she wakes up from the nightmare.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Sports

Thursday, November 21, 2019 — 7

Lockwood making impact while hurt Michigan ready for Notre Dame test MOLLY SHEA

JACK KINGSLEY

Four rows from the ice at Munn Ice Arena, Will Lockwood laid back in his chair, forced to watch the game, once again, through the glass and from the stands.

To his immediate left and right sat other teammates, extra players who weren’t dressing.

But being grouped with fellow teammates who couldn’t make an impact wasn’t where Lockwood wanted to be.

Where he really wanted to be was a section over — where the visitor’s bench was filled with the remaining Michigan hockey players as they prepared for the Michigan State matchup.

He watched his teammates warmed up without him for the third straight game. He watched alternate captain Luke Martin skate over to the referees and shake hands — a role normally reserved for Lockwood.

And as he watched the puck drop and the battle between the two teams begin, that’s when it hit him.

He’d lived this before, watching his teammates take the ice while he looked on from the sidelines. Lockwood missed the second half of his sophomore year due to a shoulder injury that kept him from his team’s run to the Frozen Four.

Back then, he felt resentment, unsatisfied by the defined success he was not a part of. But now, as senior captain, the emotions of being sidelined hit harder.

“I hate it,” Lockwood said.

“I absolutely hate it, I go to the games and it’s really hard to watch especially when the team’s not doing well. I feel like I could be out there making an impact for my teammates.”

Unlike two years ago, Michigan needs his impact. Through six Big Ten games, the Wolverines have managed to earn only one conference point and sit 14 points behind first-place Penn State.

The struggles have been capped by a lack of offense,

After reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament each of the past two seasons, the Michigan women’s basketball team has high expectations for the 2019-20 season, highlighted by a program goal of making it to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Wolverines will have the chance to notch their first high-profile victory on Saturday against Notre Dame after opening the season with four games against mid-major opponents.

The Fighting Irish aren’t the powerhouse that made seven of the last nine Final Fours — they have opened the season 3-2, with home losses to No. 15 Michigan State and No. 23 Tennessee — but Michigan isn’t taking last year’s NCAA Tournament runner-up lightly.

“That’s a game for us that we circle on our schedule regardless of how great their start was this year,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “I know right now, their record is not what they want it to be, but their schedule has been incredibly difficult and they graduated everyone that really contributed on that Final Four team last year.”

Despite losing all five starters from a season ago — and its top five scorers — Notre Dame’s roster is far from barren. Its starting lineup consists of three top-25 recruits from the past two seasons in forward Sam Brunelle and guards

Daily Sports Writer

Daily Sports Writer

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily

Senior forward Will Lockwood has stayed involved while out with an injury.

which, as a natural goal scorer, is where Lockwood’s impact would lie. Last year, Lockwood lead the team in scoring with 16 goals.

This year, he’s tied for the lead with three despite missing the last three games.

“It’s hard on Will,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson.

“He’s really disappointed that he’s not in the battle with his friends and his teammates. I know it’d be nice to have our leading returning goal scorer in. But you can’t use that as an excuse. We have to find ways to win hockey games, but I know it’s tough on Will.”

Last Saturday’s loss was particularly hard for Lockwood to watch. Sitting in the stands, he couldn’t do anything but watch as his team surrendered a goal in the opening two minutes of the first period. He slid a little deeper into his chair.

And being in Munn Ice Arena presented a unique challenge for him. Before the game, a throng of familiar faces came to greet him before settling down and sitting in adjacent seats. In addition, friends and family not only of his own but his teammates’ as well began to surround his seat. The noise and distractions naturally followed. But Lockwood wanted his full attention to be on the Wolverines on the ice.

So, when he disappeared from sight after a period, it was apparent where he was going. He found a different point of view to watch from.

“Well, I was sitting in the stands,” Lockwood said. “And I couldn’t really focus on the

game. I actually went over to the zamboni doors and watched for a little bit. Then I watched the third (period) from the bench to have the best view of the game and as little distraction as possible.”

His dedication to the team didn’t end with him playing pseudo-equipment manager behind the bench for a period.

During the intermission, he followed the team into the locker room and addressed them.

“I just told the team we have to be a hard team to play against,” Lockwood said. “It’s a rivalry game. I thought a lot of guys worked really hard. I don’t think that’s exactly our issue. I think when you’re playing in a game like that, you’ve kind of got to have a chip on your shoulder. And play towards that rivalry. But have a bit of a chip on our shoulder and a bit of an ego during the game.”

This weekend, he’ll return to the lineup and skate alongside his linemates, freshman forward Johnny Beecher and sophomore forward Jimmy Lambert. Having Lockwood back is no instant fix for Michigan’s offensive woes, but his presence can only help.

The Wolverines need Lockwood.

Shifting from the stands to the zamboni doors to the tunnel leading to the bench, Lockwood, inch by inch, worked his way back to his team.

As his health followed the same gradual progression, the team couldn’t be more ready for him to be back. And Lockwood’s ready to prove that he returned for a reason.

Katlyn Gilbert and Anaya Peoples, and two graduate transfers — Marta Sniezek from Stanford and Destinee Walker from North Carolina. These five could cause trouble for the Wolverines because of the mismatches they create — four are guards, and the only forward, Brunelle, has attempted 40 3-pointers this season.

“It’s gonna be a tough matchup because their ‘4’ and ‘5’ are really guards, and they’re gonna faceup, they’re gonna try to take you off the bounce,” Barnes Arico said.

“We gotta constantly be moving … because we’re gonna have our posts match up with guards, and that’s gonna be difficult at times.”

While these mismatches could create trouble on the defensive end, Notre Dame’s lack of size plays right into Michigan’s biggest strength offensively: interior scoring.

“As tough as it’s gonna be for us to defend them because they don’t really have any true posts, it’s gonna be a challenge for them to defend us,” Barnes Arico said. “I think Naz (Hillmon) is playing exceptionally well inside.

I think Izabel Varejão gives them something that they don’t have, a 6-foot-5 post. How are they gonna defend that? How are they gonna defend Naz’s strength inside? So I think they’re gonna have matchup problems with us as well.”

The Wolverines will also need to clean up their offensive play in order to limit fast-break opportunities for the Fighting

Irish. Michigan got away with turning the ball over 61 times over four games and giving up doubledigit points off turnovers in each of its last two games.

Barnes Arico identified transition defense as an area needing improvement.

The Fighting Irish have scored doubledigit points off turnovers in each of their five games despite shooting under 50 percent in all of them. Allowing them to get out in transition often could spell trouble for the Wolverines.

Michigan can alleviate some of Notre Dame’s transition offense with strong play on the offensive glass. The Wolverines are averaging more than 10 offensive rebounds per game, and their clear size advantage should give them many second-chance scoring opportunities.

Michigan has a relatively young team, but the majority of its players were there last season, when the Wolverines played three games against two top-10 teams — two against Maryland and one against Louisville.

In particular, their two young stars clearly showed growth between their first and second matchups against the Terrapins.

Hillmon’s scoring total greatly improved, and sophomore guard Amy Dilk tallied 11 assists and shot more efficiently as Michigan lost by one, giving the Wolverines optimism that their best players will step up in their biggest game so far this season.

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico thinks that the size differential will make a large impact in Saturday’s game.

May Day! May Pertofsky notches game-winning kill in fifth set as Michigan tops Michigan State in East Lansing BRANDON TRACHTENBERG Daily Sports Writer

EAST LANSING — On Jam the Jenison (Fieldhouse) night, Sparty, the ear-wrenching Spartan marching band and screaming Spartan fans united to make Wednesday’s game as hard as they could for the Michigan volleyball team. But amid the noise and five sets later, the Wolverines prevailed in a contested rivalry battle in East Lansing.

“Their crowd is huge and their band is excruciatingly loud, but it’s amazing — it’s so much fun for them,” said freshman outside hitter May Pertofsky.

The No. 23 Wolverines (19-8 overall, 12-5 Big Ten) fended off the Spartans (14-13 overall, 5-12 Big Ten) in five sets. Michigan won its fourth game against all its rivals this season, and added a fifth consecutive win against the Spartans.

The match started off slow as Michigan found themselves down 2-1 after three sets.

Sloppy defensive play and a lack of communication hurt the Wolverines in the second and third sets. An increased pressure in serves for Michigan State added to Michigan’s struggles.

In a rivalry game, the pressure only builds on the opposing team, especially if they are away, like the Wolverines were.

“Going down 2-1, it becomes go-time,” said senior setter MacKenzi Welsh. “If you don’t play your best in that moment, you’re going to lose the match. … Taking that negative pressure and just using that to play to the best of your ability, and know that the game is on the line in that moment.”

After hitting .276 in the first three sets, the Wolverines came back to hit .351 in the final two sets. Michigan calmed down and played a sound game that drove

them to a narrow victory.

“We looked nervous. We looked emotional,” said Michigan coach Mark Rosen. “We were just a little frantic … and we just needed to relax and settle into our own game. I can’t blame them. It’s a big environment. It’s a rivalry game.”

The win itself was impressive and certainly one to remember, but two key players had great milestones. First, Welsh hit the 5,000-assist mark.

“It feels pretty cool, and I know it’s a really cool lifetime achievement,” Welsh said.

“I know I wouldn’t be able to without all my hitters and everyone on my team and I’m really thankful that I have the support system that I do.”

Pertofsky notched a careerhigh 18 kills in a single match,

We just kind of all ... held each other accountable.

but when asked about the record, she had no knowledge of it, and selflessly deferred credit to her teammates.

“Throughout the game, we just kind of all looked at each other and held each other accountable,” Pertofsky said. “We were like ‘Hey guys, we need to calm each other down and we need to play for each other and play as a team and love each other.’ It’s a family.

We can’t be against each other now, so we always started playing together and it came together very beautifully.”

Michigan played far from perfect, but came together and won a difficult game in a tough environment.

“Really proud of how they fought when they weren’t playing their best,” Rosen said. “Tiger Woods used to always use the thing that you have to be able to win with your B and C game … you can’t always have your A-game.

We’d like it but doesn’t always happen.”

NICHOLAS STOLL Daily Sports Writer

EAST LANSING — Sophomore outside hitter Paige Jones and senior setter MacKenzi Welsh both stood frozen as the ball dropped between them. A last-second reaction by Welsh wasn’t enough to save the ball and prevent the Spartans from tying up the set. The entire band played the Michigan State fight song, drowning out any other sound that wanted to be heard inside the fieldhouse.

The event known in East Lansing as “Jam Jenison” fostered communication issues for No. 23 Michigan (19-8 overall, 12-5 Big Ten), which it ultimately overcame to defeat the rival Spartans (14-13, 5-12) in five sets Wednesday night.

The Wolverines came out after just one day of practice this week into a rival’s home court, with the seats filled and

decibels raised.

“Everyone felt kind of shaky,” said freshman outside hitter May Pertofsky.

“Obviously their crowd is huge and their band is excruciatingly loud. ...

I think it just kind of threw us for a loop for a second because we’ve only been in the gym once before this game” And this was visible.

Michigan was making errors on both sides of the ball, hesitating on who would take the second hits and even sending sets above teammates’ heads.

It stemmed from one main issue

there’s going to be some communication issues because you can’t hear. … We can’t really be visual with our communication because you’re watching the ball, so you can’t really take your eye off the ball and look at them, so it got a little bit crazy that way.”

And to Rosen, it was obvious where at least some of the issues started. The whole pep band was there and the noise reverberated throughout the arena.

“The band makes a big difference,” Rosen said.

After falling into a 2-1 set deficit following repeated errors, the Wolverines regained control of the match.

“I feel like going down, 2-1, it becomes go-time,” Welsh said.

“And if you don’t play your best in that moment you’re going to lose the match.”

Despite the desperation, Michigan was visibly more calm and in control of their play in the fourth and fifth sets.

“We would come into the time out and they’d look at us and (the coaches) wouldn’t be upset or anything like that,” Pertofsky said. “They would just be like, ‘Guys, you need to calm down and you need to unify.’ After that we came out with a lot more fire and just talked more and communicated.”

The Wolverines were able to close out the last two sets, 25-15 and 17-15, respectively, despite the crowd growing louder than before. With the tight, 3-2, victory over Michigan State, Michigan finishes its regular season with a 4-0 record over rivals Michigan State and Ohio State.

“With our backs against the wall, in a place like this, I was really proud of how our team responded,” Rosen said.

They would just be like, ‘Guys, you need to calm down.’

— communication.

“It is a little hard to communicate,” said Michigan coach Mark Rosen.

“So

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily

Freshman outside hitter May Pertofsky had the game-winning kill over Michigan State on Wednesday night, giving Michigan its 19th win of the season.

Sports

8— Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Danna making the most of his chance Why has the Wolverines’ offense

clicked? It’s all in the little things

ARIA GERSON

Daily Sports Editor

Michael Danna had never experienced anything close to this, running out on the field for one of the best-known rivalry games in college football, helping his team blow that rival to bits and hoisting the Paul Bunyan Trophy up in the Michigan Stadium end zone.

These were the moments Danna — who spent the first four years of his career at Central Michigan before joining the Michigan football team as a grad transfer — came here for.

The moments Danna will never forget.

And as they’ve come, Danna has taken the time to absorb them. Even the biggest NFLbound stars usually get three years at a school. Danna got one.

He’s known since he got to Ann Arbor that he has to embrace every last second before they slip through his fingers.

“I feel like I just got here and it’s coming to the end,” Danna said Tuesday. “But it’s been the blink of an eye and it’s already the end of November and I’m just trying to make the most of every opportunity I get being here.”

Danna still talks to his friends with the Chippewas and has been following their quest for a MAC West title. But he has no regrets of leaving the place that was home for four years — after all, with the Wolverines, he’s gotten to play on the biggest stage.

Beyond that, he’s upped his game and proved he belongs in the Big Ten. When asked in what area he’d improved the most, Danna listed off the two aspects of being a good defensive end: pass rush and run stopping. At Central Michigan, he played almost exclusively as an edge rusher. With the Wolverines, he’s done that in addition to 2-technique, 3-technique and 5-technique as part of a fourdefensive end package defensive

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

Michael Danna’s lone year with the Wolverines is almost at its end.

coordinator Don Brown designed because of the wealth of passrushing talent.

Though Danna comes off the bench, he’s become even more useful simply because he’s developed that versatility.

Coaches know he can play anywhere. So they find a spot for him.

“Everyone thought he was a pass-rusher only, so (impressed with) how he’s handled the run game and the role that he’s played,” said defensive line coach Shaun Nua on Wednesday.

“It’s hard to not start and just go in there cold.”

He later added: “Anytime you have a great player like Mike Danna, you can’t leave him on the sidelines.”

Danna’s bright-eyed attitude has been key in his ability to step in seamlessly. This is his only shot, so he can’t miss out on anything. Because of it, he’s worked that much harder. When he first arrived in the offseason, Danna got to work in the weight room, and others noticed. They knew someone with that kind of effort would fit right in as one of them.

“It’s not easy because you’re coming in, first you’re leaving a

family you have in terms of the last team he was with,” Nua said.

“And then a different culture there, adjust to a new culture, whatever it is, it’s not easy to go in and just be accepted, be welcomed with open arms but that kid’s attitude is — that young man’s attitude is special.”

Since he got to Michigan, Danna hasn’t worried about tomorrow. He hasn’t worried about next week. He hasn’t worried about anything but the seconds unfolding in front of him.

It’s a mentality that’s allowed him to carve out a role even among a glut of pass-rushers — the 30 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries speak to that.

And as the moments come and go, one thing is for certain: Danna will cherish every one.

“Gratitude is a very special thing, and that’s exactly what Mike Danna has,” Nua said. “He appreciates every single second that he gets, every little moment that we go through, good or bad.

And he learns fast from it.

“I just wish I had him for four more years.”

I feel like I just got here and it’s coming to an end.

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily

The Michigan football team’s offense has found its rhythm of late.

ETHAN SEARS

Managing Sports Editor

Over the last month, as Michigan’s offense has rounded into shape — finally starting to look like the high-powered machine that was promised during the offseason and what it so plainly wasn’t during the season’s first five weeks — the explanations from the program have been simple.

Better execution. A lack of turnovers. The natural learning curve that comes with a new offense over the course of the season.

It’s not rocket science, or even a wholesale change on coordinator Josh Gattis’ part, to hear the Wolverines tell it.

Merely, it’s just the little things.

“Just playing good. Playing better,” said running backs coach Jay Harbaugh. “I think steadily over the course of the year, we’ve gotten better and better and cleaned things up that were — things that weren’t going our way early, whether it be taking care of the ball or just being assignment-sound.

“Gradually as we’ve gone on, individuals have gotten better.

The units, the running backs, the line, receivers, the quarterbacks.

Everyone’s kinda elevating their play, and you’re just seeing that

happen here at the end of the season, what it looks like when a bunch of different individuals do it together.”

During the early part of the year, when the offense couldn’t get started against the likes of Army, Wisconsin and Iowa, Michigan couldn’t seem to stop fumbling. After an Oct. 12 win at Illinois in which the Wolverines nearly let the Illini claw back after jumping out to a seemingly decisive lead, Michigan led the nation with 17 fumbles. Senior quarterback Shea Patterson, dealing with an oblique injury, seemed reluctant to run the ball.

The offense itself didn’t run smoothly.

Since the following week, when the Wolverines came tantalizingly close to a comeback at Penn State, all of that has shifted. In the last 14 quarters, they’ve scored 141 points, including blowing the doors off rivals Notre Dame and Michigan State. Patterson has made use of his legs like he did in 2018, keeping zone-read looks when defensive ends have overplayed the run and forcing them to acknowledge the threat. And Michigan has lost just one fumble, which came toward the end of a blowout win.

It’s undeniable that certain tweaks have been made in the

offense — that much is plain for any onlooker to see. But the little things, those that don’t come through Gattis’ headset on Saturday, are what seem to matter most.

“A lot of people say the Penn State game (was when things changed), second half, and I think it definitely started there for sure,” said senior tight end Sean McKeon on Monday.

“Kinda just eliminating all the turnovers was a big thing. Really being able to finish drives with a kick, like coach Harbaugh says, either a punt, field goal or extra point.”

Senior left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. was asked Monday if the preseason characterization of the offense — that it would walk into the opener against Middle Tennessee State ready to light the world on fire — was unfair in retrospect. He didn’t give a yes or no, but noted that an adjustment period was needed. He didn’t need to add that those outside the building weren’t particularly willing to acknowledge that at the time.

Now, though, it’s obvious not only that an adjustment period was needed, but that it has passed. The Wolverines moved the ball on Michigan State with ease last Saturday, scoring 44 points and finishing with 470 yards. They ended every drive but two with a kick, and things have looked that way for nearly a full month of games.

It’s not what people envisioned in August. But it bodes well nonetheless.

“It’s a little bit expected to get better as the course of the year goes,” Jay Harbaugh said.

“Obviously you’d like to do that from the get-go and play your best, but unfortunately that’s not how it goes all the time.

“You’re always gonna start somewhere and graduate, gotta build from there.”

How Juwan Howard’s push for faster pace of play has affected Jon Teske CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer

Jon Teske is a busy man these days.

As the starting center for the Michigan men’s basketball team, Teske has done it all so far this season. Through three games, the 7-foot-1, 265-pounder has played 93 minutes and averaged 16.7 points, nine rebounds, 2.7 blocks and shot 55.9 percent from the field.

Teske has developed from only playing 61 minutes as a sophomore into one of the Wolverines’ most reliable players and one of the best bigs in the conference.

Even during his time as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat, now-Michigan coach Juwan Howard admired Teske’s game from afar. Now, under Howard’s tutelage, the hope is Teske takes another leap as a senior.

“With Jon, his game has improved year by year,” Howard

said after the Wolverines’ 70-50 win over Elon on Friday night.

“He played a lot away from the basket so when I got the job here, I was like, ‘I want to utilize his post presence.’ He embraced it.

We worked on it this summer.

We’re gonna use him in that post, as well as from the outside.”

So far, it’s gone according to plan. It’s still early and Michigan has yet to enter the meat of its schedule, but Teske has asserted himself both offensively and defensively. No one has been able to challenge Teske in the paint and while his perimeter shooting isn’t on par with last year’s percentages, opposing teams are still forced to respect his range.

In addition to focusing more on Teske’s post game, Howard’s emphasis on up-tempo, transition offense has also benefited Teske’s statline. He was already a capable rim-runner for his size, but the Wolverines’ quick pace highlights that aspect of Teske’s game and has made for an entertaining brand of basketball.

“Everyone can run the floor,” said sophomore guard David DeJulius. “Even (Teske), he’s 7-foot-1, is running and beating guys up the floor. It feels real good, once I get the rebound, I push it out to (Zavier Simpson).

Zavier takes two dribbles and then throws the lob to Jon. Just the atmosphere, it’s very fun basketball. Not just for us, but also for the spectators.”

With that said, Howard’s offensive philosophy does have a downside: It wears on his team.

Teske specifically has looked visibly winded after spurts of transition offense.

With little frontcourt depth though, Michigan can’t really afford to have him not on the floor. Sophomore forwards Colin Castleton and Brandon Johns Jr. provide some length off the bench but are too inconsistent to rely on for long periods of time. Redshirt junior center Austin Davis has some experience, having played in some important games under John Beilein, but doesn’t appear

to be a go-to option for Howard.

Against Creighton, the best team the Wolverines have faced and another fast-paced offense, Howard had to replace Teske seven minutes into the game due to fatigue.

“Big fella was working hard,” Howard said after the Bluejays game on Nov. 12. “Big Jon at times got a little tired. You’re playing against a team who plays with pace. They loved to get up and down in transition. They also shoot threes in transition and want to put our ‘5s’ in a lot of ballscreens, to make them guard. It’s a lot of movement.”

Going forward, Michigan will have to grapple with the fact that a play style that accentuates some of Teske’s best qualities may also pose problems for him later in games. As of now, the lack of reliable length behind Teske — and his stellar performances — means the more he plays, the better.

In up-tempo games though, that’ll surely be a balancing act.

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily

Senior center Jon Teske is adjusting to the pace of Juwan Howard’s offense.

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