JANUARY 11, 2019
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
TWO PEOPLE SHOT NEAR 51ST AND DREXEL By MAROON STAFF T wo people were shot on Thursday around 3:30 p.m. near 51st Street and South Drexel Avenue. A 53-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were transported to UChicago Medicine with gunshot wounds to the head and leg, respectively. A CPD spokesperson said around 8:30 p.m. that both men were in stable condition. According to WGN Chicago, there were lockdowns at Reavis Elementary Math & Science Specialty School and Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts. No suspects have been taken into custody. The newly renovated Garfield Green Line Station near the new Washington Park Arts Block opened yesterday in anticipation of the opening of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC). At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, mayor Rahm Emanuel said that the stop would serve as a “gateway” to the Center. courtesy of mayor rahm emanuel
Student Body Still Split Over Business Economics Major By ALEXANDRE LABOSSIERE-BARERA news reporter
This fall, The Chicago Maroon conducted a survey of the student body in regards to the new business economics track in the College, receiving responses from 179 undergraduate students. Results from the survey suggest that opinions on the track remain divided. Almost 50 percent of survey respondents disagreed with the statement that the new business economics track is in line with the values of the University of Chicago, while 31 percent agreed. However, 64 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the College should reevaluate its stance on the issue of preprofessional programs. The stance of the economics department as a whole seems to parallel that of the majority of respondents. Faculty members denied that the new business economics track threatens the College’s historic values and consider the track as a way of widening access to the major to less math-inclined students. The business economics track differs from the traditional economics major in its substitution of math classes required in the traditional economics major for business courses at the Booth School. In the survey distributed by The Maroon,
76 percent of respondents said that the business economics track is less rigorous than the traditional track, while 48 percent thought that the track reduced the value of the economics degree as a whole. Robert Shimer, chair of the economics department, disagrees with the idea that the business economics track is less rigorous than the traditional track.“There’s a lot of different notions of rigor. The business econ major that we want is not one where people are going to say that this is the easy track—they’re both going to be hard in their own ways,” said Shimer. The economics major now has three tracks that can be navigated in a singular direction. A student in the data science track, an option added this year, can easily move into the traditional economics track, or further, into the business track. However, the opposite would prove difficult if not impossible given math course requirements. This discrepancy between tracks seems to have influenced students—56 percent of respondents believe the business track should be its own major. The influence the business economics track will have on other departments is yet to be seen. Ultimately, student and faculty involvement alike will determine the future educational landscape at UChicago.
Booth Prof Wins Fischer Prize By DAKSH CHAUHAN deputy news editor
UChicago Booth School of Business professor of finance Ralph Koijen is the eighth person to win the Fischer Black Prize, an award recognizing scholars under 40 for original research relevant to the practice of finance. He is the fourth UChicago scholar to receive the prize. The Fischer Black Prize is awarded once every two years at the annual meeting of the American Finance Association and honors Fischer Black, a former MIT and Booth School of Business professor and Goldman Sachs partner. Koijen’s research focuses on insurance markets, asset pricing, and macroeconomics. He is a coeditor of The Review of Financial Studies,
Booth Finance Professor Ralph Koijen. courtesy of booth a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a national fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
20th Ward Candidates Talk Economic Policy By DIMITRIY LEKSANOV news reporter
Nine of the 15 candidates running for 20th Ward alderman gathered Wednesday night at the Experimental Station on 61st Street and South Blackstone Avenue, to debate economic development, demographic change, and term limits. The forum was moderated by Sandra Bivens, a director of the Woodlawn Chamber of Commerce, and Cliff Kelley, a radio talk show host and former city council member. Anthony Driver, a former employee at the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement, said that he would start a federal credit union for the 20th Ward. While a South Side Community Federal Credit Union has existed since 2003, Driver said that he would also like to open one specific to the ward. “I’ll be looking for private partners, and get the community to in-
vest in it, so they’re all part owners. It’s a way to reinvest in the community and keep our dollars circulating within the community instead of going to outside industries,” Driver said. Driver also called for a more robust job training program as both
a tool to attract businesses to the area, as well as to reduce crime, saying, “If we can put our youth back to work, this level of violence will go down.” Maya Hodari, director of development at the Chicago Housing continued on pg.
Andre Smith introduces himself at the 20th Ward Aldermanic Forum.
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Hyde Park Bookstore and Restaurant Opens By ALICE CHENG news reporter
Michael and Fabiana Carter, longtime owners of Hyde Park’s beloved Fabiana’s Bakery, unveiled their new restaurant, Bibliophile, this past fall, just down from Fabiana’s on 53rd Street. Bibliophile specializes in alcohol-infused desserts, but also adds another bookstore to Hyde Park.
Finding a New Home Without Leaving House Culture
Community Development, a Dollar at a Time
By NATALIE DENBY
By DIMITRIY LEKSANOV Page 6
VOL. 130, ISSUE 21
According to Michael Carter, Bibliophile originated from a desire to “provide a place where reading, food, alcohol infused desserts, and fun was just a thing.” Derrick Westbrook, the service manager and sommelier of Bibliophile, added that it was important to him to create a space that reflected the intellectual diversity of Hyde Park. “Hyde Parkers are an eclectic bunch who like to read
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and like to drink and have discerning palettes when it comes to both,” Westbrook said. Inspirations for Bibliophile came from previously established spaces w ith similar business models, like Busboys and Poets, a full-service restaurant and bookstore chain currently running in Washington, D.C., and Waterstones, a bookstore in London. continued on pg.
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