What else do you think the university is going to say?
I was there. They never stopped chanting. Not for one minute. They chanted and waved their flags and banners non-stop for two hours.
I guess you could argue that it was technically "peaceful," as there was no violence.
You weren't there. You can keep believing what you want to believe, but the facts are the facts. Talk to anyone else who was there and they will tell you that the protesters never stopped chanting or waving their flags and banners.
The POV that the protesters is supporting is irrelevant.
Their actions were disrespectful, disruptive, and rude. It wasn't that big of a deal to us, as we celebrated our son's undergrad graduation last year...and we are up in Ann Arbor quite a bit...and have a daughter who's currently a junior. But, I can't imagine how it must've affected students and families from underrepresented groups, first-gen college grads, etc...for whom graduating from an elite university probably felt like an unattainable dream a decade ago. And had the joy of the occasion sullied by a group of 50-75 disrespectful students.
Last year's student speaker was someone who was born in prison. Think of everything he had to overcome to get to that point. And there he was, on stage, with multiple degrees, addressing tens of thousands of graduates and their families. And imagine how it would've felt for him having dozens of self-centered, inconsiderate assholes chanting non-stop during his speech.
There are many other times and places that people are able to express their opinion and make their feelings known.
It was not a "few chants." It was two hours of non-stop chanting and disruption.
I would've been just as annoyed and frustrated if they had chanted "1989 UM GRAD is amazing and his son 2023 and 2024 UM GRAD is gd's gift to mankind" for two hours.
BoFan, I'd be interested to know who these "others" are from whom you are getting your "reporting."
The chanting started just after the ceremony began and continued throughout the entire ceremony...even up to and including when they played The Victors at the end.
I was sitting in row 70 of the end zone in which they were located. I could hear them throughout the entire ceremony and could see them waving their flags and other items. It never, ever, ever stopped or ceased.
Just after the ceremony began, the protesters stood up in their seats and then gathered together in the back of the middle aisle of where the students were seated. Once they were together in a group, they started moving forward toward the stage...chanting and waving flags as they were walking forward. They were met by law enforcement about halfway up toward the stage. They stayed in that location for a bit (chanting and waving flags, thus disrupting the ceremony for the roughly half of the students who were next to or behind them), until law enforcement moved them toward the back of where the students were seated. They remained in that location (the end zone) throughout the remainder of the ceremony, chanting and waving flags.
Many students who were next to or just in front of them moved, as the chanting and flag waving made it impossible for these students to hear the speakers or enjoy the ceremony.
I would be happy to talk to the "others" from whom you are getting your "reporting" to discuss this with them. I'd be interested to know where they were sitting that they were unable to hear or see what the group of 50-75 protesters clustered together was doing.
It was not a brief interruption. They chanted throughout the entire ceremony. Not sure where you are getting your reports but I was there sitting in the end zone where the group of protesters was located. They never stopped chanting. They never sat down. It was very disruptive and disrespectful.
yoyo (user name checks out, by the way), I'm frustrated because 75 protesters disrupted my son's special day (and that of tens of thousands of other people) by chanting non-stop, and that says something about where I must stand on Rosa Parks' heroism?
Eik, I apologize...as I was the first person to bring up the topic of the protesters.
Again, I support the right to protest and of one's right to express one's opinion.
What I don't support is 75 people chanting non-stop for two hours and thus being disrespectful, disruptive, and rude.
And, as a few have pointed out, they did violate the rules that the University had put in place for the graduation ceremony. But, alas, I guess you can't ask each of the thousands of students to lift up or open their gowns.
Being disruptive in a civil manner is MUCH different than CHANTING NON-STOP during a two-hour graduation ceremony...and thus disrupting the enjoyment of the rest of the tens of thousands of students and their guests.
Aught One, were you there? Do you know what did - or didn't - happen? Have you spoken to any of the students?
I can tell you that many students were upset about having their graduation ceremony disrupted for two straight hours by a group of 75 protesters chanting non-stop. It made it very difficult to hear what the speakers were saying...as well as to enjoy what should have been a joyous occasion.
Doing a sit-in at the Union or protesting at the Diag is very different from 75 protesters disrupting a joyous ceremony and degrading the experience for tens of thousands of students, family members, and friends.
LSU, I am one of the proud parents. So I guess I feel as though I'm in a very good position to comment on the entirety of yesterday's ceremony.
My son finished up his undergraduate program last year at Michigan and graduated this year with a Masters of Science in Information.
My daughter just completed her sophomore year at Michigan, so we'll be back for graduation again in two years.
The disruption caused by the 75 protesters did detract from the joy we felt going in to the ceremony. This has nothing to do with whether I agree with the protesters' POV. I would've been just as annoyed if 75 people had chanted "1989 UM GRAD's son is awesome!" for two hours.
Overall, it was a wonderful day. All of the speakers were interesting and inspiring (and surprisingly brief; always leave them wanting more...not less). The weather was nice. Michigan Stadium was packed. Etc.
Just because no one was arrested doesn’t mean the protesters weren’t disruptive, disrespectful, and rude.
As for the university’s statement, what else do you expect from a large public university? They have to keep it generic. I can tell you from people very high up in the University that they are just trying to get to the end of the year without inflaming tensions any further. Pointing out the disrespectfulness of the protesters would not have been in furtherance of that objective.
yoyo, just because no one was arrested doesn’t mean the 75 protesters weren’t disruptive and disrespectful and rude to the tens of thousands of other attendees.
The ceremony did not go along “fine.” I have to assume that the students sitting in front of the protesters did not feel it was “fine.” I was in the end zone behind the protesters and it was not “fine” to have them disrupting the ceremony and making it difficult to hear the speakers. It has nothing to do with whether i agree or disagree with their POV.
They were disruptive throughout almost the entire ceremony.
They have taken over the entirety of The Diag and defaced the "M," making it impossible for grads and their loved ones to visit The Diag and take a picture with the "M."
It was a great day to be celebrating our grads! (Other than the very disrespectful group of students who chanted throughout and ruined the ceremony for the students who were seated in their vicinity)
Every Jewish Michigan alum living in the Birmingham/Bloomfield/Franklin area is kvelling right now! Mazel tov to Avery and his family for choosing to Go Blue!
A lot of Michigan fans seem to be underestimating OSU.
They are stacked at pretty much every position. Bringing back a lot of experience from a top-5/10 team. Defense improved quite a bit from 2022 to '23.
Harbaugh had the same questions swirling around going in to 2021. I am no OSU or Day fan, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them undefeated going in to The Game.
Anyone who thinks Harbaugh left because of Warde is misguided. Harbaugh does not have a "lifetime" mindset. He's always looking toward the next challenge. He's always going to have conflict with "management."
Warde could've given Harbaugh everything he wanted, and Harbaugh still would've left.
He won a "natty" (as the kids say). What else was left for Harbaugh to accomplish?
He wants to win a Super Bowl. Can't do that in college football.
He's got to be frustrated with NIL, recruiting, dealing with the NCAA, managing kids and their parents, etc. Don't have that in the NFL.
It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved. We loved Jim and we lost Jim...but he gave us the "natty."
That's less than one per year throughout Harbaugh's tenure.
And while they all might've been in the two-deep, you could certainly argue that none of them would've started for Michigan had they stayed at Michigan.
mGrow, the difference is that Sparty has lost quite a few contributors from what was a 4-8 team.
Michigan has lost two contributors off of a (checks notes) 15-0 team.
Michigan presumably has more "next men up" on their championship team (which has been recruiting at a top-15 level) than MSU has on their under .500 team (which has been recruiting at a top-30/40/50 level).
I was the sports editor of the "The Catalyst" at Farmington Hills Harrison High School (of blessed memory) in the mid '80's.
Our photographer was very talented but also very lazy. I still have vivid memories of dragging him up and down the sidelines at Harrison's football games so that he'd be in the right position to get the best shots.
I was at dinner last night with a very partisan and somewhat delusional Sparty. Last time I saw him, he let me know that he was very confident that Urban becoming their next coach was pretty much a done deal.
His comical statement last night: "You at least have to admit that Harbaugh's tattoo is pretty bad."
They really are great at grasping at whatever thing they can find to make themselves feel better about their current situation.
Yeah, I'm pretty torn up about the fact that the guy who led Michigan football to a National Championship has a shitty tattoo.
It is not easy being an American Jew - with two kids at the University of Michigan - these days.
Sad about the situation in Israel.
Sad about the proliferation of anti-Semitism.
Sad about what's happening on some of our college campuses.
Sad also for the innocent Palestinian people in Gaza.
I think what's being lost in today's discourse is that multiple things can be true at the same time. I am a proud Jew and Zionist...who is also opposed to the current Israeli government/leadership...while still hoping that somehow Hamas can be eradicated which would lead to a better situation for the Palestinian and Israeli citizens.
On a positive note, my brisket this year is A++++. Tender and tasty.
Gross. Always gross. But especially since he's in his mid-50's and thus literally old enough to be her father.
It is astounding to me that men continue to behave in this manner. Like every woman should be interested in them or pleased to receive their attention and admiration.
And, because of the OP, I'm now not sure how to properly spell Ms. Clark's first name.
So, per Janet Jackson's orders, I will continue to refer to her as Ms. Clark.
Edited to add that his Wiki entry has already been updated to reflect the situation!
Recent Comments
drjaws with an another example of the #MichiganDifferenceTM
"Pustulent Taintwaffle"
Is it ok if I steal that one from you?
Would you like me to cite you every time I use it or can I have carte blanche?
Am I the only one who doesn't find this type of thing clever? Who thinks that it doesn't land the way some people think it lands?
"scUM" "Hairball" "O$U" Etc. Referring to males as "she." Not funny. Kind of offensive.
Michigan alums and fans should be better than that.
"We want 16 inches."
That's what she said.
RobM wins MGoBlog - and the entire internet - for the day!
What else do you think the university is going to say?
I was there. They never stopped chanting. Not for one minute. They chanted and waved their flags and banners non-stop for two hours.
I guess you could argue that it was technically "peaceful," as there was no violence.
You weren't there. You can keep believing what you want to believe, but the facts are the facts. Talk to anyone else who was there and they will tell you that the protesters never stopped chanting or waving their flags and banners.
The POV that the protesters is supporting is irrelevant.
Their actions were disrespectful, disruptive, and rude. It wasn't that big of a deal to us, as we celebrated our son's undergrad graduation last year...and we are up in Ann Arbor quite a bit...and have a daughter who's currently a junior. But, I can't imagine how it must've affected students and families from underrepresented groups, first-gen college grads, etc...for whom graduating from an elite university probably felt like an unattainable dream a decade ago. And had the joy of the occasion sullied by a group of 50-75 disrespectful students.
Last year's student speaker was someone who was born in prison. Think of everything he had to overcome to get to that point. And there he was, on stage, with multiple degrees, addressing tens of thousands of graduates and their families. And imagine how it would've felt for him having dozens of self-centered, inconsiderate assholes chanting non-stop during his speech.
There are many other times and places that people are able to express their opinion and make their feelings known.
It was not a "few chants." It was two hours of non-stop chanting and disruption.
I would've been just as annoyed and frustrated if they had chanted "1989 UM GRAD is amazing and his son 2023 and 2024 UM GRAD is gd's gift to mankind" for two hours.
BoFan, I'd be interested to know who these "others" are from whom you are getting your "reporting."
The chanting started just after the ceremony began and continued throughout the entire ceremony...even up to and including when they played The Victors at the end.
I was sitting in row 70 of the end zone in which they were located. I could hear them throughout the entire ceremony and could see them waving their flags and other items. It never, ever, ever stopped or ceased.
Just after the ceremony began, the protesters stood up in their seats and then gathered together in the back of the middle aisle of where the students were seated. Once they were together in a group, they started moving forward toward the stage...chanting and waving flags as they were walking forward. They were met by law enforcement about halfway up toward the stage. They stayed in that location for a bit (chanting and waving flags, thus disrupting the ceremony for the roughly half of the students who were next to or behind them), until law enforcement moved them toward the back of where the students were seated. They remained in that location (the end zone) throughout the remainder of the ceremony, chanting and waving flags.
Many students who were next to or just in front of them moved, as the chanting and flag waving made it impossible for these students to hear the speakers or enjoy the ceremony.
I would be happy to talk to the "others" from whom you are getting your "reporting" to discuss this with them. I'd be interested to know where they were sitting that they were unable to hear or see what the group of 50-75 protesters clustered together was doing.
Nope, BoFan. That's not the case.
We had friends sitting in all areas throughout the stadium. Everyone was aware of their presence and heard their non-stop chanting.
It was not a brief interruption. They chanted throughout the entire ceremony. Not sure where you are getting your reports but I was there sitting in the end zone where the group of protesters was located. They never stopped chanting. They never sat down. It was very disruptive and disrespectful.
yoyo (user name checks out, by the way), I'm frustrated because 75 protesters disrupted my son's special day (and that of tens of thousands of other people) by chanting non-stop, and that says something about where I must stand on Rosa Parks' heroism?
Man, you must've gotten an A+ in logic class.
Eik, I apologize...as I was the first person to bring up the topic of the protesters.
Again, I support the right to protest and of one's right to express one's opinion.
What I don't support is 75 people chanting non-stop for two hours and thus being disrespectful, disruptive, and rude.
And, as a few have pointed out, they did violate the rules that the University had put in place for the graduation ceremony. But, alas, I guess you can't ask each of the thousands of students to lift up or open their gowns.
Being disruptive in a civil manner is MUCH different than CHANTING NON-STOP during a two-hour graduation ceremony...and thus disrupting the enjoyment of the rest of the tens of thousands of students and their guests.
You really can't see the difference?
Aught One, were you there? Do you know what did - or didn't - happen? Have you spoken to any of the students?
I can tell you that many students were upset about having their graduation ceremony disrupted for two straight hours by a group of 75 protesters chanting non-stop. It made it very difficult to hear what the speakers were saying...as well as to enjoy what should have been a joyous occasion.
Doing a sit-in at the Union or protesting at the Diag is very different from 75 protesters disrupting a joyous ceremony and degrading the experience for tens of thousands of students, family members, and friends.
LSU, I am one of the proud parents. So I guess I feel as though I'm in a very good position to comment on the entirety of yesterday's ceremony.
My son finished up his undergraduate program last year at Michigan and graduated this year with a Masters of Science in Information.
My daughter just completed her sophomore year at Michigan, so we'll be back for graduation again in two years.
The disruption caused by the 75 protesters did detract from the joy we felt going in to the ceremony. This has nothing to do with whether I agree with the protesters' POV. I would've been just as annoyed if 75 people had chanted "1989 UM GRAD's son is awesome!" for two hours.
Overall, it was a wonderful day. All of the speakers were interesting and inspiring (and surprisingly brief; always leave them wanting more...not less). The weather was nice. Michigan Stadium was packed. Etc.
Just because no one was arrested doesn’t mean the protesters weren’t disruptive, disrespectful, and rude.
As for the university’s statement, what else do you expect from a large public university? They have to keep it generic. I can tell you from people very high up in the University that they are just trying to get to the end of the year without inflaming tensions any further. Pointing out the disrespectfulness of the protesters would not have been in furtherance of that objective.
yoyo, just because no one was arrested doesn’t mean the 75 protesters weren’t disruptive and disrespectful and rude to the tens of thousands of other attendees.
The ceremony did not go along “fine.” I have to assume that the students sitting in front of the protesters did not feel it was “fine.” I was in the end zone behind the protesters and it was not “fine” to have them disrupting the ceremony and making it difficult to hear the speakers. It has nothing to do with whether i agree or disagree with their POV.
They were not peaceful.
They were disruptive throughout almost the entire ceremony.
They have taken over the entirety of The Diag and defaced the "M," making it impossible for grads and their loved ones to visit The Diag and take a picture with the "M."
It was a great day to be celebrating our grads! (Other than the very disrespectful group of students who chanted throughout and ruined the ceremony for the students who were seated in their vicinity)
Every Jewish Michigan alum living in the Birmingham/Bloomfield/Franklin area is kvelling right now! Mazel tov to Avery and his family for choosing to Go Blue!
A lot of Michigan fans seem to be underestimating OSU.
They are stacked at pretty much every position. Bringing back a lot of experience from a top-5/10 team. Defense improved quite a bit from 2022 to '23.
Harbaugh had the same questions swirling around going in to 2021. I am no OSU or Day fan, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them undefeated going in to The Game.
Magnus, this is spot on.
Anyone who thinks Harbaugh left because of Warde is misguided. Harbaugh does not have a "lifetime" mindset. He's always looking toward the next challenge. He's always going to have conflict with "management."
Warde could've given Harbaugh everything he wanted, and Harbaugh still would've left.
He won a "natty" (as the kids say). What else was left for Harbaugh to accomplish?
He wants to win a Super Bowl. Can't do that in college football.
He's got to be frustrated with NIL, recruiting, dealing with the NCAA, managing kids and their parents, etc. Don't have that in the NFL.
It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved. We loved Jim and we lost Jim...but he gave us the "natty."
I think you're missing the key point. The primary advantage of living in a hub city is being able to fly almost directly anywhere.
Unless you like connecting flights and delays...in which case I guess this would be a disadvantage?
I live in Detroit and fly quite frequently and typically get through security in DTW in about five minutes.
Heh heh. He said "seminate."
Agreed re: airline hub.
We've got family in Cleveland, and they have to take multiple flights to get anywhere.
We are traveling to Japan in a few weeks, and my friends from other states are surprised to hear we have a direct flight from DTW to Tokyo.
The Birmingham/Bloomfield/Franklin area in Metro Detroit is a great place to raise a family.
Top-notch neighborhoods and schools.
Easy access to shopping, parks, etc.
This is great news.
He can be a really solid 6th/7th/8th man off the bench.
Still need a high-scoring wing at the 3/4.
I have no idea how they got thru the filming of that episode.
He came.
He went.
He came again.
He went again.
(that's what she said)
AHHHHH. YOU PUT IT THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS.
That's less than one per year throughout Harbaugh's tenure.
And while they all might've been in the two-deep, you could certainly argue that none of them would've started for Michigan had they stayed at Michigan.
mGrow, the difference is that Sparty has lost quite a few contributors from what was a 4-8 team.
Michigan has lost two contributors off of a (checks notes) 15-0 team.
Michigan presumably has more "next men up" on their championship team (which has been recruiting at a top-15 level) than MSU has on their under .500 team (which has been recruiting at a top-30/40/50 level).
I was the sports editor of the "The Catalyst" at Farmington Hills Harrison High School (of blessed memory) in the mid '80's.
Our photographer was very talented but also very lazy. I still have vivid memories of dragging him up and down the sidelines at Harrison's football games so that he'd be in the right position to get the best shots.
They said "bye" five times, just so each member of the group could have their moment in the sun.
+1 underrated
Also, +1 for the cat profile picture.
I was at dinner last night with a very partisan and somewhat delusional Sparty. Last time I saw him, he let me know that he was very confident that Urban becoming their next coach was pretty much a done deal.
His comical statement last night: "You at least have to admit that Harbaugh's tattoo is pretty bad."
They really are great at grasping at whatever thing they can find to make themselves feel better about their current situation.
Yeah, I'm pretty torn up about the fact that the guy who led Michigan football to a National Championship has a shitty tattoo.
Obligatory "he must've gotten the Deacon Blues" comment.
Enough with the Camp Sanderson BS.
There are other S&C coaches who can get it done.
Time to move on.
He can also lead the team Passover Seder next year!
Chag Pesach Sameach and l'chaim to Danny for transferring to the good guys!
-1 for the very shitty thread title.
+.5 for a somewhat informative post.
You've left me unsure as to what to do about this post.
Jewish holidays move around a lot on the calendar, as they are tied to the Hebrew calendar...which doesn't coincide with the "regular" calendar.
For example, Hanukkah typically falls anywhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Thanks for this!
It is not easy being an American Jew - with two kids at the University of Michigan - these days.
Sad about the situation in Israel.
Sad about the proliferation of anti-Semitism.
Sad about what's happening on some of our college campuses.
Sad also for the innocent Palestinian people in Gaza.
I think what's being lost in today's discourse is that multiple things can be true at the same time. I am a proud Jew and Zionist...who is also opposed to the current Israeli government/leadership...while still hoping that somehow Hamas can be eradicated which would lead to a better situation for the Palestinian and Israeli citizens.
On a positive note, my brisket this year is A++++. Tender and tasty.
I - for one - don't think this is a snowflakey post. There are often things that get noticed upon a rewatch relative to viewing a game live.
Between him, Jones and Burnett, you're looking at three relatively tall combo guards.
-1 for referring to yourself in the third person.
+1. Underrated.
Gross. Always gross. But especially since he's in his mid-50's and thus literally old enough to be her father.
It is astounding to me that men continue to behave in this manner. Like every woman should be interested in them or pleased to receive their attention and admiration.
And, because of the OP, I'm now not sure how to properly spell Ms. Clark's first name.
So, per Janet Jackson's orders, I will continue to refer to her as Ms. Clark.
Edited to add that his Wiki entry has already been updated to reflect the situation!
Note that it’s for the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Maybe if it were for the 1st round. Maybe. But not likely.
Wow. There is a LOT to unpack there.
Sounds like he will fit in nicely in Columbus.
They are clearly NOT building the same type of culture we are seeing in Ann Arbor.
They might win a lot this coming season due to the stockpile of talent, but I don't think they are building a sustainable program.