81 Monday, June 11, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Monday, June 11, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com H5 First seen on ,he game Athletes earn Big Ten brass Hoke talks recruiting, possible BCS changes By COLLEEN THOMAS Daily Sports Editor On Thursday, two Michigan ath- letes were awarded one of the most prestigious conference awards. Softball senior Amanda Chidester and men's swimming senior Dan Madwed were honored with the Big Ten's Medal of Honor as one of 24 conference athletes that "attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work." Chidester led the Wolverines to its fifth consecutive Big Ten softball title this year in addition to a NCAA Regional championship. The Allen Park, Mich. native was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Madwed helped the Michigan men's swimming and diving team to the Big Ten title this season. The senior collected Big Ten's Swim- mer of the Year and Swimmer of the Championship honors after win- ning four conference titles in 2012. The award, which started in 1915, was originally intended for one graduating student-athlete from each university but has since expanded. According to the general release from the Big Ten, "The Big Ten Medal of Honor was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educa- tional emphasis placed on athletics. It was acclaimed throughout the nation 'as one of the significantges- tures yet made in college sports."' First seen on -the game Prices set for Winter Classic By MATT SLOVIN The most expensive ticket is in the Daily Sports Editor club levels. "(Prices) are set to be consis- Seating charts on the Detroit Red tent with previous Winter Classics Wings' website revealed official and previous big events at the Big ticket prices for the 2013 Winter House," an NHL source told the Classic and this year's Great Lakes Daily on Saturday. Invitational. The four-team Great Lakes Invi- The Winter Classic, which tational will be played at Comerica will feature the Red Wings and Park. According to the seating the Toronto Maple Leafs, will chart, every seat in the ballpark will be played on New Year's Day at beon sale for the tournament's first Michigan Stadium. The cheapest outdoor edition. tickets will be in the lowest part outfield seats, as well as seats of the stadium bowl, where sight- right along the first and third base- lines are the poorest. A majority lines and behind home plate, will go of the lower seats will be sold for for $18. The most expensive tickets $149, while most of the tickets in are in the upper deck, priced at $38. the upper rows will be worth $129. No sale date has vet been set. 25 YEARS OF SERVING ANN ARBOR DINE-IN, CARRY-OUT, OR DELIVERY OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK! 808 STATE ST. ANN ARBOR, MI 48104 (734) 747-SPOT (7768) By COLLEEN THOMAS Daily Sports Editor Michigan coach Brady Hoke's job would be so much easier if he could waltz right into an Ohio high school, sweep up all the five-star recruits and call it a day. But unfortunately for Hoke, it's a lot harder than that. "You can take all the 'stars' and all the ways the guys are rated and that's great," Hoke said in Wednes- day's meeting with the Michigan Associated Press Sports Editors. "It's great for the fan base and the public - the year-round recruit- ing. (But) Michigan's not for every- body. It's hard and demanding from an academic standpoint, from a social standpoint forwhat Michi- gan represents, and the football standpoint." The Wolverines have had some trouble with academics in the past, most notably former quarterback Tate Forcier. Though Forcier was a hot prospect coming out of high school, he struggled academically and was forced to drop out. Hoke noted that though there are a lot of players with talent that could fit into his system, he's not just looking at scouting reports and highlight reels. "If you had the kids with charac- ter who are football players, that's who you want," he said. "I think we're doing that now - there are a lot of guys who have 'stars,' but that's not what we're recruiting." Hoke has had notable success recruiting so far in his tenure, especially in Ohio. In the class of 2012, nine of 25 incoming fresh- men and eight of the 21 members of the expanding class of 2013 hail from the Buckeye state. But with Urban Meyer as the new head coach at Ohio State, the 'Brady vs. Urban' recruiting com- petition has gained momentum throughout the Midwest. Though to Hoke, it's not about recruiting against Meyer - it's Michigan vs. Ohio State. "You're talking about the great- est rivalry in sports, and I don't think that's ever changed," he said. "This has never been (about) who's the coach at Michigan (or at Ohio State) - it's about those two great institutions. It doesn't make a dif- Michigan coach Brady Hoke discussed his opinion ona new BCS system. ference, you're representing your come to fruition, however, Hoke universities." wouldn't mind hostinga site. But with technology changing "You always want to play at the recruiting landscape, Hoke home, wouldn't you?" he said. "But said colleges around the nation that's not going to happen. People, might be modifying their method. and networks - I'm getting way "We've talked a little bit more too far into this - they're going to about an early official visit cal- want to play in a controlled envi- endar, like having official visits ronment." for two weeks in June, because KING HOKE: If the NCAA then you'd have to incorporate decided to make Brady Hoke king an early signing date," Hoke said. for a day, what would he change "The technology is what has made about college football? (recruiting) go faster. I don't know "I've neverthought ofit, because if I like it, but I think it's kind of I don't think that's ever going to the world we live in right now, (so) happen," Hoke said. we've talked about (it)." But if Hoke really had to choose, POTENTIAL PLAYOFFS: In he said he knows exactly what response to the debate over the would be revised. validity of Alabama's spot in last "They need to redefine what the year's BCS National Championship academic year is in Division-I foot- Game, the major conferences have ball," Hoke said. "The academic been discussing an alteration of year right now is September until college football's postseason. May for us, where we have contact Big Ten commissioner Jim Dela- (and) we can be with our players. If ny opposes the four-team playoff there are class issues, there can be idea, and Hoke doesn't necessarily consequences. (But when) summer think the current system is flawed. starts, (the) academic.year is over "Look at the BCS (and) what's (and) we aren't allowed to be with going to happen," he said. "I don't our players." have any problem with that and Because of the NCAA no-con- (Alabama) playing (for a national tact rule, many of his players that title)," he said. "Conference cham- take spring and summer classes pions ought to be part of (deciding can't be monitored and Hoke said who plays for the title). they cannot be provided with the "Whatever happens, I hope they right kind of guidance and assis- think about the kids and the fami- tance. lies of those kids that are out there "They'll be in class through- on the field. These aren't profes- out the summer," he said. "I don't sional athletes - they have classes. know if there's a Division-I school Yes, we all know it's about money that won'thave kids in classes dur- (and) it's about TV ... but let's think ing the summer. We can't go class about what's best for the kids." check like we normally would, (so) If the post-season playoff does I'd change that in a heartbeat." As a teenager, I, like many other girls, loved "The Notebook." It was the ideal love story and, more importantly, it included Ryan Gos- ling. Since my teenage years, my definition of romance has changed, though Ryan Gosling will always hold a special place in my heart. "The Notebook" follows a famil- iar yet alarmingpattern: boy wants girl, girl does not want boy, boy pressures girl, boy gets girl. Gavin de Becker, a specialist in security matters, explains in his book "The Gift of Fear" that, "Girls are taught from a young age to expect this kind of behavior ... it is shown to be a model for a love story, where man pursues woman and gets her regardless of her consent." It's notable that in movies like "Fatal Attraction," where the roles are reversed, the ending is drasti- cally different; instead of the girl getting the boy, she ends up dead. Movies like these perpetuate a dis- turbing double standard. They sug- gest that when a man says, "no," it's final. But when a woman says, "no," it means try harder. Though it's unfair to blame society's attitudes solely on the messages we find in movies, films often reflect what we deem accept- able as a culture. Unfortunately, the norms enforced by Hollywood can translate into chilling real- life situations. For example, in 2010, one group of Yale frater- nity pledges chanted, "'No' means 'yes!' 'Yes' means 'anal!"' in front of women's dorms. The ramifica- tions of these attitudes go beyond offensive chants. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 25 per- cent of college women are victims of attempted or completed rape, and 90 percent of these victims are attacked by someone they already know. These facts demonstrate why our society desperately needs a romance makeover. We must ensure that both indi- viduals in a relationship respect their love interest's boundaries. This means separating persis- ALICIA KOVALCHECK E-MAIL ALICIA AT ALIMARKO@UMICH.EDU. I 'JLI. C.ONTINUE tTO ir;(sO T . TOTNOT TI-EItG H -TSoOr FOO. THE PRi'hlTOOF II pTHE r oP f'icHI(:ANt , UNoRN, PO\T KELSEY TROTTA Redefine romance Lessons from childhood tence from courtship and teach- ing people to honor the word "no." While rejection is difficult for everybody, accepting it is essential for both parties. Gavin de Becker asserts, "'No' is a word that must never be negotiated, because the person who chooses not to hear it is trying to control you ... " Ser- enading somebody with the help of the school marching band ("10 Things I Hate About You"), watch- ing somebody sleep ("Twilight") or attempting to sabotage a wedding ("My Best Friend's Wedding") in an effort to win someone over all may seem romantic in the context of a movie,rbut in fact suggest per- sonality traits that could lead to unhealthy relationships and poten- tially unsafe situations. Many fear that chivalry will die if we change our interpretation of romance. Redefining courtship may be difficult, but it does not mean that traditional elements of dating, such as roses and choco- lates, need to disappear - they will just play a different role in roman- tic pursuit. Besides, the roses will smell sweeter coming from some- one whom the receiver wants in his or her life. Hollywood, fortunately, already has examples that demonstrate what ahealthy courtship looks like. For instance, in "The Notebook," there is a scene where the protago- nist, Allie, debates between stay- ing engaged to her fiance, Lon, or reuniting with her old boyfriend, Noah. After Allie tells him about Noah, Lon says, "I love you, Allie, but I want you for myself. I don't want to have to convince my fian- cee that she should be with me." When Allie chooses Noah, Lon leaves her alone. His actions were a powerfulmicrocosm demonstrat- ing what romance should be about: respect. After the movie, I kept wonderingif Lou ever found some- body. Because that is a love story I would want to hear about. Kelsey Trotta is a LSA senior. Since the death of the leg- endary sci- ence fiction author Ray Bradbury last week, there have been many statements of admiration and respect MICHAEL from a wide SPAETH variety of people who were influenced by the man and his stories. One of the first state- ments after Bradbury's death is particularly interesting. Speaking with io9.com, Bradbury's grand- son, Danny Karapetian, lovingly stated that Bradbury "was the biggest kid I know." Bradbury's childlike enthu- siasm toward nearly every topic he discussed is clearly evident in video clips of the author. In sev- eral of these clips, Bradbury has a large plastic dinosaur in his house, a visual representation of the unbreakable bond between his childhood interests and his final years of life. It's remarkable that he remained so consistently excited and loved life so intensely since the 1920s. It's difficult to know for certain how he accom- plished this feat, but it's helpful to pay attention to the children around us to gain insight. Anyone who has ever seen the wide eyes and half-open mouth of a toddler knows that young chil- dren in particular are extremely curious about the world. While we remain curious about top- ics within our major, most stu- dents aren't overcome with curiosity about every little thing we encounter in our day-to-day lives. In contrast, young children are fascinated with almost every- thing around them. Their eyes frequently scan their surround- ings, fixating on objects both large and small. Neil deGrasse Tyson, astro- physicist and host of "NOVA scienceNOW," is a prominent advocate for the benefits of curi- osity, particularly among chil- dren. "Kids are born scientists," he said in an interview in Decem- ber. "They're bornprobing the natural world that surrounds them." He argues that children should be allowed to conduct their own "experiments" by get- ting messy, banging household items together and touching their natural surroundings. "I think the best thing a parent can do, when raising a child, is simply get out of their way," Tyson said. It seems that as we become preoccupied with additional responsibilities and become more cynical about life, we lose some of this natural curiosity about the world around us. Yet, even though we aren't children any- more and many of us won't enter a science-related career field, all of us can still use our natural curiosity in more constructive ways than we could have as chil- dren. This allows us to use more sophisticated tools to explore our surroundings and run a lower risk of accidentally hurting our- selves in the process. Perhaps most importantly, a sustained, high level of curiosity allows our minds to actively consider new or less obvious concepts, which could help spark innovative ideas for a rapidly changing world. Above all else, we should fully engage in everything we do and enjoy every minute of it, no mat- ter how boring it may seem. One of the best examples of this con- cept is a popular YouTube video of a 3-year-old boy conducting the fourth movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. In the video, his exaggerated gestures and emo- tional facial expressions show that he's completely in love with the music. At such a young age, he's unrestrained by formal technique or the notion that he may possibly look foolish. He's free to enjoy the music in an incredibly pure way. Unfortunately, we seem to lose some of thisjoyful innocence aswe become older. Live like a kid again and explore. Ray Bradbury also had a very strong, pure love for books, comic strips and movies. In interviews, he repeatedly described how he "fell in love" with just about every- thing he did throughout his life. His enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring. Asa result of Bradbury's unwavering love for life, he cre- ated innovative stories that have inspired generations of readers. We're still young and have the ability to change our attitudes about the world around us. If we get in the habit of being curious about everything we do, con- stantly asking questions and dig- ging deeper, the world becomes a much more interesting and beau- tiful place. And when we love a beautiful world, we naturally become curious about everything surrounding us. The powerful interaction between curiosity and love could be the secret to not just a successful career and a more innovative world, but also a more fulfilling life. Bradbury himself summed up his life in the best words possible: "Here lies Ray Bradbury, who loved life completely." Summer break is full of free time and infinite oppor- tunities for discovery and enjoy- ment. It's the perfect time to start living by Bradbury's example. Michael Spaeth can be reached at micspa@umich.edu. FOLLOW DAILY OPINION ON TWITTER Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, view cartoons and join in the debate. Check out @michdailyoped to get updates on Daily opinion content throughout the day.