michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, December 3, 2015
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
A look at The Moxies
» INSIDE
the b-side
‘U’ has contracted
outside search firm,
appointed selection
committee
By LEV FACHER
Managing Editor
Michigan
interim
Athletic
Director Jim Hackett describes
his tenure at the University as a
love story — one that begins with
a phone call.
This love story, however, is
coming to an end. Wednesday,
Hackett and University President
Mark Schlissel outlined the ongo-
ing search for someone to fill the
position on a permanent basis in
a teleconference with reporters.
Hackett inherited the posi-
tion from Dave Brandon, who
resigned on Oct. 31, 2014 amid a
storm of controversy surround-
ing Michigan quarterback Shane
Morris’ mishandled concussion,
increasing student ticket prices
and reports of e-mails to dis-
gruntled fans deemed by many
to be inappropriate, among other
factors.
“It
began
with
President
Schlissel calling and asking if I
could help,” Hackett said. “I have
another friend in business who
said sometimes you do things for
God and country. I love the Uni-
versity, and I felt compelled to
come and help.”
Hackett and Schlissel had dis-
cussed taking steps toward find-
ing an athletic director earlier in
the year, but decided it was best to
wait until the end of the Michigan
football team’s regular season.
With the regular season over,
the search is ongoing, and will
be facilitated by a committee
chaired by Schlissel. The six
members of the committee are
Liz Barry, Schlissel’s special
counsel; Michigan softball coach
Carol Hutchins; women’s soc-
cer player Corinne Harris; Kevin
Hegarty, the University’s chief
financial officer; faculty athletic
representative Anne Curzan; and
Dr. Stefan G. Humphries, a for-
See SEARCH, Page 3A
ADMINISTRATION
Almost 60 students
gather on Diag to
rally behind the
organization
By CAITLIN REEDY
Daily Staff Reporter
After a gunman opened fire
in the parking lot outside of a
Colorado Springs Planned Par-
enthood on Nov. 27, killing three
people, students gathered on the
Diag on Wednesday night to hold
a vigil in memory of the victims.
LSA senior Miriam Dow, co-
president of the University chap-
ter of Students for Choice, said
the news of the attack was jar-
ring, but not entirely surprising.
Law
enforcement
officials
believe the shooter’s anti-abor-
tion views lead him to target the
Planned Parenthood clinic. Some
politicians and activists have
argued the violence was spurred
by the tone of anti-abortion
rhetoric, particularly in light of
the release of videos purporting
to show a representative from
Planned Parenthood negotiat-
ing the sale of fetal tissue, which
Planned Parenthood President
Cecile Richards has denied.
“It’s finally happened; the
huge act of violence that we were
expecting with all of this hate
rhetoric being thrown around,”
she said. “It’s horrible to think
that somebody would go to that
extreme.”
Nearly 60 people attended
Wednesday’s vigil, which was
also designed to stand in soli-
darity with the employees and
patients of Planned Parenthood,
as well as in support of wom-
en’s reproductive rights, which
attendees said Planned Parent-
hood aims to protect.
Renee Chelian, the founder of
MARINA ROSS/Daily
Washtenaw Community College sophomore Casey Paige lights a candle at the vigil held by Students for Choice for the victims of the Colorado Springs Planned
Parenthood shooting on Wednesday.
See VIGIL, Page 3A
D.J. Durkin led
resurgence for
Wolverines’ stellar
defense in 2015
By JAKE LOURIM
Managing Sports Editor
The leader of the Michigan
football team’s vaunted defense is
changing schools.
Maryland announced Wednes-
day that Michigan defensive coor-
dinator D.J. Durkin will become its
36th head football coach, and will
be officially introduced Thurs-
day morning. The news was first
reported by Sports Illustrated.
Rumors that Durkin would
leave for College Park began as
early as last week. Yahoo! Sports
reported Nov. 25 that he had
already interviewed for the job,
though Durkin would not com-
ment on those rumors during his
press conference later that day.
The Terrapins fired coach Randy
Edsall on Oct. 11, eight days after
losing to Michigan, 28-0. Mary-
land finished 2-10 this season (0-8
in the Big Ten).
Durkin helped lead the Wol-
verines’ resurgence this season,
coaching a defense that finished
fourth in the country in total yards
allowed and 17th in points allowed.
For a good part of the season, how-
ever, Michigan was ranked No. 1 in
both categories.
A streak of three straight shut-
outs in the first half of the year
vaulted the unit to the top of
the rankings before a slump in
November knocked the Wolver-
ines down a few spots. Michigan
gave up 41 points in a double-
overtime win at Indiana on Nov.
14 and 42 more in a loss to Ohio
State on Saturday.
Durkin has just over a month
of head coaching experience. He
served as defensive coordinator
at Florida for the 2014 season,
and the Gators fired head coach
Will Muschamp at the end of
the season. Durkin led the team
during its bowl practices and in
a 28-20 win over East Carolina
in the Birmingham Bowl before
accepting the defensive coordi-
nator job at Michigan.
Durkin will return to Ann
Arbor on Nov. 5, 2016, when
Maryland plays the Wolverines
at Michigan Stadium.
FOOTBALL
SINDUJA KILARU/Daily
Panelist Arshan Ahmad speaks at the Ask a Muslim event at Munger Graduate residence on Wednesday.
Students aim to
address portrayal
of Islam after ISIS
attacks in Paris
By CAMY METWALLY
Daily Staff Reporter
About 50 graduate students
gathered in Munger Gradu-
ate Residences on Wednesday
evening to listen to three Mus-
lim University students discuss
their faith and experiences after
the series of terrorist attacks in
Paris carried out by ISIS.
Attendees gathered to learn
more about the panelists’ beliefs
and perceptions of the Muslim
religion. Public Health student
Ojaswi
Adhikari
explained
the importance of these kind
of events in promoting under-
standing and awareness. She
said many people hesitate to ask
certain questions out of fear of
offending their peers.
“I hope that people are able
to ask whatever they want to
ask and have an open space
where they don’t feel as judged,”
Adhikari said. “It’s important to
open up that dialogue and to feel
free to say whatever you want to
because you’re not going to have
a platform like this outside of
here.”
Many students attended with
the intention to learn more about
Islam in general. Public Health
student Erica Dancik said she
See PANEL, Page 3A
GOVERNMENT
Faculty, students
contribute to report
on increasing
advanced degrees
By LYDIA MURRAY
Daily Staff Reporter
With the help of University
students and faculty, a group
of state legislators released
a set of recommendations on
Tuesday aiming to increase
the number of Michigan resi-
dents
with
post-secondary
degrees over the next 10 years.
The report, titled Reaching
for Opportunity, was compiled
by several Michigan colleges
including the University, as
well as bipartisan group of
legislative leaders and various
other organizations. The rec-
ommendations outline paths
to increasing the percentage of
Michigan individuals pursue
higher education and obtain
associate
degrees,
techni-
cal certificates or any other
advanced degree.
See REPORT, Page 3A
INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 40
©2015 The Michigan Daily
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WEATHER
TOMORROW
HI: 46
LO: 22
Schlissel to
officially
commence
AD search
Diag vigil honors Planned
Parenthood shooting victims
Maryland hires
‘M’ coordinator
as head coach
Panelists discuss Muslim
faith, public perceptions
Plan calls
on Mich.
to bolster
higher ed.