Thursday, June 19, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
The Schefters: Remembering the year's best
Thursday, June 19, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com ( 3
Town-gown relationship major focus of mayoral forum
By GREG GARNO
ManagingSports Editor
It was the best of years and the
worst of years for Michigan ath-
letics.
A season that began with wom-
en's soccer on Aug. 23, 2013 and
ended with men's and women's
track on June 14, 2014 was full of
both disappointment and joy.
Regardless, the 2013-14 sea-
son was like every one before it:
unforgettable, spectacular and
heartbreaking.
The Daily's awards, named
after ESPN analyst Adam Scheft-
er, honor the best of Michigan
athletics in the past season.
Schefter was Managing Sports
Editor and football beat writer for
the Daily in the late 1980s and is
one of the Daily's most esteemed
alumni.
The only rule: An athlete or
team cannot win more than one
category, ensuring it's fair game
to any athlete from any sport.
Game of the Year: Michigan
Football's loss vs. Ohio State
Yes, it ended as a loss, but "The
Game" was tense and dramatic
right until the very last second.
It was the best rivalry in col-
lege football living up the hype
that surrounds it. The Buckeyes
entered undefeated with a chance
at a National Championship
Game berth on the line, and the
Wolverines came in reeling with
questions about the coaching
staff looming.
There were punches thrown
and middle fingers raised, as
both teams traded touchdowns
early. And even when Ohio State
took the lead in the third quarter,
Michigan fought back, marching
down the field in the final seconds
of the fourth quarter.
Trailing 42-41, with quarter-
back Devin Gardner playing on
a broken foot, Michigan coach
Brady Hoke opted to go for the
two-point conversion instead of
kick the extra point.
Gardner's pass was intercept-
ed, and the game over, but for a
moment, 110,000-plus fans forgot
about the season at hand and held
their breath.
Coach of the Year: Mike
McGuire, Women's Cross
Country
Mike McGuire has quietly pro-
duced one of the best teams on
this campus. Not just this year,
but in the past decade.
This year, he led the Michigan
women's cross country team to a
fourth-place finish at the NCAA
Championships. The Wolverines
finished runner-up at the Big Ten
Championships and first at the
Great Lakes Regional, led by Finn.
The results speak to McGuire's
continued strength at recruit-
ing, bringing athletes from the
state and around the nation away
from schools on the east and west
coasts and to Ann Arbor.
In the last decade, he has led
his team to five top-six finishes
and three straight regional titles
and has been named Great Lakes
Coach of the Year eight times.
This year, he received the honor
again.
Female Athlete of the Year:
Sierra Romero, Softball
The Michigan softball team
has always had a strong cast of
players, but few have been as
important as Sierra Romero has
been.
This year, the sophomore
standout was a first team All-
American, the Big Ten Player of
the Year and one of three finalists
for National Player of the Year.
She improved on her eye-pop-
ping numbers from last year by
hitting .491 with 18 home runs
and 72 RBI - even more impres-
sive when you consider she was
walked 66 times.
Male Athlete of the Year:
Sam Mikulak, Men's Gymnas-
tics
Any number of athletes could
have grabbed this award, but then
none of those athletes have seven
individual national champion-
ships to their name, let alone two
team national titles.
He won the all-around compe-
tition at the national champion-
ships this year, even with a fall
on the high bars that dropped his
score down nearly five points.
Mikulak completed his illus-
trious college career with first
place on the parallel bars for the
seventh title, which puts him in
a three-way tie for the most all-
time. But his presence was notice-
able as Michigan produced higher
team scores with the Olympian in
the lineup.
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ordable housing, the candidates had somewhat
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t pOliCy pOSitOiS egies varied widely, especially
when it came to the city's current
also concern1s policy frameworks.
While Taylor expressed the
By EMMA KERR belief that the city, under Mayor
Daily StaffReporter Hieftje's leadership, is already
on the right track, other candi-
the August primary dates, particularly Kunselman,
ches, all four Democratic expressed the need for redirec-
al candidates gathered Sat- tion.
morning for a forum held by Several candidates also argued
in Arbor Democratic Party that two parties have formed
ate several of the key issues within City Council and within
upcoming election. the race - those who stand with
rent mayor John Hieftje current mayor Hieftje's policies,
not seeking reelection, mak- and those who don't.
is the first time in 14 years During the debate, Briere con-
nere hasn't been an incum- demned this approach, and asked
unning for the position and candidates to focus on the cur-
cing an especially competi- rent election, not past divisions.
ce between the four Demo- "I don't belong to a faction,"
candidates - City Council Briere said. "John (Hieftje) is gone
ers Sabra Briere (D-Ward and we should get over it. Now we
phen Kunselman (D-Ward look at the future. As much as we
ly Hart Petersen (D-Ward may like John or agree with his
i Christopher Taylor (D- policies, I'm not running against
3) - vying for the seat. John and I'm not running to beat
well, there are currently no John."
licans running for mayor, As Briere emphasized her long
the primary heightened history of maintaining an open
tance because whoever minded, representative perspec-
'ill likely not face an oppo- tive on issues before the Council,
n the general election, bar- Petersen discussed her vision for
ndependent or write in improving Ann Arbor through her
igns. relatively newer, unique perspec-
ics at the forum ranged tivebytakingthe cityin adifferent
basic background informa- direction. This is Petersen's first
o questions about the Uni- term on City Council, and Briere's
's relationship with the fourth. Kunselman and Taylor
nd concerns about down- are serving their fourth and third
development and the lack terms, respectively.
rdable housing. Two over- "I am running for mayor in
g themes presented them- order to bring new leadership and
how would the elected a new plan to Ann Arbor that will
's goals for the city differ in transform the economic growth
rison with Hieftje's objec- ahead of us into much needed
nd how did each candidate revenue to pay for our priorities,"
ize the unique needs of Petersen said.
nn Arbor citizen? One of these priorities, she
nembers of the same party, added, will be to create a more
open and cooperative relation-
ship between the University and
the city. Instead of asking for
measures such as the controver-
sial payment in lieu of taxes pro-
gram, which has been brought up
by city officials several times as
a solution to the tax revenue the
city loses every time the Univer-
sity buys property and it becomes
tax exempt, Petersen said the city
needed to create a dialogue with
the University to address these
kinds of issues.
Other candidates leaned more
towards a focus on representing
the non-University portions of the
city and prioritizing the needs of
local, voting citizens, emphasiz-
ing a different kind of cooperation
from the University.
"We certainly need to have a
Board of Regents that is cognizant
that if they keep growing and buy-
ing Ann Arbor city property, they
are goingto kill the goose that laid
the golden egg because all of these
amenities downtown are going
to be nothing but a student food
court," Kunselman said.
Taylor encouraged this same
sort of education and awareness
from the University.
"They (the University) are not
evil," he said. "They just don't
understand."
Candidates also debated the
importance of prioritizing either
the downtown area, or its sur-
rounding neighborhoods.
While Briere argued that
improvements downtown will
benefit neighborhoods and
therefore should be the prior-
ity, Kunselman preferred a more
infrastructure focused approach,
providing safe, well maintained
neighborhoods and roads first
before funding downtown needs.
Petersen and Taylor remained
more neutral in their stance
on either pro downtown or pro
neighborhood, emphasizing the
need to work with both groups,
instead of being in favor of one or
the other.
The need for affordable hous-
ing, a concern City Council has
discussed for years and which
continues to be an unsolved prob-
lem in the city, proved to be one of
the most differentiating issues of
the morning, eliciting multiple
different stances from candi-
dates.
Briere argued that Council
needs to reach out to other enti-
ties in order to fund workforce
housing to achieve what she
believes is a necessary goal while
not taking money away from
roads, parks, police, and other
necessities.
In contrast, Kunselman said
as mayor, he would focus on the
Ann Arbor Housing Commission,
maintaining those residences and
attempting to create more, if pos-
sible, in lower-cost real estate
areas ?:stead of on a downtown
location. Petersen also empha-
sized the need to make afford-
able housing a priority, and said
as mayor she hoped to de-mystify
the idea of affordable housing
near other neighborhoods.
Taylor said part of the afford-
able housing problem stems from
students, and proposed incentiv-
izing onvestors to build affordable
housing downtown instead of
student housing.
Candidates also discussed
inspiring commercial develop-
ment and the possible re-zoning
of Main St., better non-motorized
transportation, the City Council's
relationship with the Downtown
Development Authority, and how
to further utilize the University
as a resource to the city's growth
and development.
The Ann Arbor Democratic
mayoral primary will be held
Aug. 5. Five additional debates
between candidates are sched-
uled within the next few weeks.
Sam Mikulak won an all-around national title and led Michigan to the team title.
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Team of the Year: Michigan
Men's Gymnastics
As the only program to win
a national championship, the
Michigan men's gymnastics team
has earned this honor.
Led by Mikulak, the Wolver-
ines won their second straight
title - the first Michigan team to
win back-to-back titles since the
trampoline team did it in 1976-77
- in dominant fashion. They led
from the first round all the way to
the sixth in front of a home crowd
that energized all of Crisler Cen-
ter.
Michigan never lost a dual
meet this season and finished
first in every scored meet. Con-
sider that Michigan is in arguably
the hardest conference for men's
gymnastics, and the feat looks
even more impressive.
Perhaps it's time Michigan be
referred to a "gymnastics school."
Career Achievement Award:
Mac Bennett, Ice Hockey
Mac Bennett will probably tell
you he didn't expect his last two
years to end without an appear-
ance in the NCAA Tournament,
not after 22 straight years of qual-
ifying asa team.
But the senior defenseman
was the face of the Michigan
hockey team, in moments when
it excelled and moments when it
faltered. He remained the anchor
of the Wolverines' defense, even
when he was injured.
In 2012-13, Bennett injured
his back, missing several weeks,
and last season he sat out for four
games with a punctured lung. But
he was at every practice watch-
ing and learning even when he
couldn't skate.
This award isn't necessarily
given to the best athlete. Bennett
knows other defenseman before
and after were better players, but
it's given to the athlete who best
embodies the team over his four
years.
He made the right plays, even
if they didn't show up on the
scoresheet, finishing his career
with 14 goals, 51 assists and a
plus-40 mark on the ice. But as
a two-time captain, Bennett also
made everyone else around him
better, setting up goals or mini-
mizing mistakes.
And he was rewarded when he
signed with the Montreal Cana-
diens this April, where he'll take.
his energetic attitude with him.
VIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily
Mayoral Candidate Sabra Briere (DWard 1) speaks at a dehate hosted by the
Ann Arhor Democratic Party at the Ann Arbor Community Center Saturday.
TECHNOLOGY
From Page 1
Potentially, platforms like
Unizin could also protect property
rights. The system ensures profes-
sors have control over who gains
access to their research, and that
they receive due credit for their
work.
The partnership also paves the
way for advancements in digital
learningatthe University,delivered
via massive open online courses, or
MOOCs. The University currently
offers 12 of these courses on Cours-
era, an online platform that allows
individuals from around the world
to access University content and
instruction for free.
While Unizin is not designed as
a platform to host online courses,
Business Prof. Gautam Kaul said it
provides "the ecosystem needed for
us to flourish in that environment."
Kaul highlighted the importance
of being on campus for students, so
theycouldinteract withfaculty and
gain hands on experience in their
respective fields. However, he said
the current methods of education
should be carefully reconsidered
to improve learning efficiency and
to get students to campus with
greater knowledge, prior to ever
stepping in a classroom.
"A lot of the stuff that we do in
residential education doesn't need
to happen (in residence), quality
stuff needs to happen," Kaul said.
In one of Kaul's finance courses,
students complete online content
the summer prior to the start of
the course. He said students come
to campus with about 25 percent
of the course material alreadycov-
ered, allowing the class to cover
more topics, in greater detail, by
the end of the semester.
It remains to be seen whether
the implementation of online
courses can add value to education
while reducing costs, but Kaul said
the advent of MOOCs signifies
that price is an increasing concern
on college campuses.
"Education shouldn't be that
expensive," he said. "I think the
public is saying, 'Let's take a break
here and see if we can do a better
job keepingcosts under control"'
While MOOCs could provide
an alternative for U.S. students
who can't afford to come to cam-
pus, he added that they have major
impacts abroad as well, especially
in areas where they may be the
only option available for individu-
als seeking an education.
"We are talking about choices
here," Kaul said. "(In other coun-
tries), they mightnot have choices,
but digital education could pro-
vide them one."