011819 by Chicago Maroon

Table 1 Class

Number of Early Applications 2015

6960

2016

8698

2017

10316

2018

11143

2019

11403

2020

12015

2021

JANUARY 18, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 13000 1892 2022 2023

VOL. 130, ISSUE 23

15000

EARLY APPLICATIONS INCREASED 10 PERCENT By OREN OPPENHEIM senior news reporter

T he Un i ver sit y r e c ei ve d around 15,000 early-admission applications for the Class of 2023 during its first round of early admissions. This marks a 10 percent increase from last year’s figure, according to comments that Dean of College Admissions James Non-

dorf made to The Washington Post. The Post quotes Nondorf in an article that discusses the general trend of increased early applications being submitted to prestigious universities. The article cites Duke University and Brown University, whose early applicant numbers rose 19 and 21 percent this year, respectively. continued on pg.

15000 11250 7500

The Hyde, a speakeasy on 5121 South Harper Avenue slated to open later this month, will offer live music, a large cognac selection, and a historic vibe. It joins several new restaurants in Hyde Park, including upscale seafood eatery Red Fish, Bleu Fish. pete grieve

3750 0

List and Suskind, TMW Center Co-Directors, Wed By CALEB SUSSMAN news reporter

Last summer, the co-directors of the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health, John A. List and Dana Suskind, were married outside of Saieh Hall. “John courted me with spreadsheets and hypotheses,” Suskind recalled. List, the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, was the chairman of the Department of Economics from 2012 until this spring and has been teaching at the University since 2005. He is a pioneer in the field of experimental economics and has worked with a litany of companies ranging from Lyft and Uber to Virgin Airlines. In addition to being the co-founder and co-director of the TMW Center, Suskind is the Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Chicago Medical Center. The author of Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain, Suskind has devoted her career to optimizing foundational brain development as well as preventing early cognitive disparities and their lifelong impact. In 2009, Suskind started her research program, Thirty Million Words, after observing that some of her cochlear implant patients were still not as capable of processing language as their peers. Through her research, Suskind has found that “differences in early language environments are the root cause of education disparities in this country.” To address these disparities, the TMW Center has worked with

parents and caregivers to increase exposure to language for disadvantaged children. While Suskind was working on Thirty Million Words, which focuses on the first three years of life, List was researching early childhood education for children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. His work uses field experiments to determine important factors in the education production function. “So we were each doing our own independent research—both interested in parents of caregivers, specifically on the critical import they have on brain development— and back in 2015 we started intersecting in terms of research and we talked, learned, and discussed quite a bit. And I told John, ‘Honestly I’ve always wanted an early childhood research center that really focuses on the first three years of life,’ and he said, ‘why don’t we do it together? We can do the full zero to five range,’” Suskind said. “As we talked, we realized that there would be significant synergies both in our interests and research, so we started the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health.” For Suskind, who went from being a surgeon and physician to a social scientist, there has been a learning curve in adopting the mannerisms of formal economics. List has helped her adjust. “At our first conference together, Dana was sitting in the front row, and I was sitting in the back row,” List said. “I started picking apart one of Dana’s colleague’s work and Dana took exception to that and started arguing against me in front of all these people, not understanding that this is

how science is done in economics.” “The conference actually felt like I was back in the operating room long ago with the lead surgeon saying, you know, ‘don’t hold the scalpel that way!’” Suskind said. Although some married academics might avoid blending work and home life, List and Suskind cherish their combined research. “It is so fun. Some people say they like being able to come home and not think about work, but really when you do something that you love so passionately, number one, it’s not work, it’s life,” Suskind said. Together, List and Suskind have eight children from previous relationships, and very different parenting styles. “I like to think I’m more laissez-faire,” Suskind said. The couple, who married on campus, say the University has played a very significant role in both of their lives. “If they can allow a surgeon to develop a research career in order to further educational equality, you know what kind of place this is,” Suskind said. Indeed, the couple is so fond of the University that they chose maroon and gray—the University’s colors—as the theme hues for their wedding. Ultimately, when it came to deciding where to have the ceremony, the choice was obvious: Saieh Hall. List calls Saieh the most beautiful economics building in the world. “I moved the department to Saieh from Rosenwald as chair in 2012, and it has a lot of history. It’s important for the University, but more importantly, it is a special place for us. So what better place?” “Saieh is where we fell in love,” Suskind said.

COLUMN: The Cost of Creativity

Swimming and Diving Team Begins the New Year

By BRINDA RAO

By MIRANDA BURT Page 4

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

The number of early applications by class year. Data for the Class of 2021 has not been reported. Data for the Class of 2022 and 2023 are approximate figures. euirim choi

EPIC Partners with Chinese University 1

Representatives from UChicago and UCAS announce the partnership in Beijing. courtesy of epic news

By MILES BURTON deputy news editor

The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) announced a new partnership with the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) to bolster their energy and environmental policy research efforts on Monday. EPIC recently launched the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) in China, which is designed to measure the potential benefits of reducing air pollution by comparing them to increases in life expectancy. The AQLI was made possible by research coauthored by EPIC director and economics professor Michael Greenstone. Greenstone’s research ana-

Page 8

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lyzed China’s Huai River policy, which provided citizens of China’s Northern cities with free coal to heat their homes in winter months between 1950 and 1980. Life expectancies in these cities are 5.5 years shorter on average than in cities in Southern China; Greenstone and his coauthors found that this discrepancy can be attributed to air pollution from the burning of coal distributed through the Huai River Policy. The partnership between EPIC and UCAS will combine “the prominent engineering expertise of UCAS with the University of Chicago’s global leadership in economic analysis,” said UCAS President Shushen Li.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - JANUARY 18, 2019

Events 1/18-1/21

Former CPS CEO Talks Mayoral Candidacy at IOP By CEM VARDAR news reporter

Friday Anna Ziegler’s Photograph 51 Court Theatre, 7:30–10 p.m. Watson and Crick are well-remembered in history, but chemist and X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin really paved the way for the scientists’ double helix DNA discovery. Photograph 51 features Chaon Cross as Franklin, and relates a complex story of science and sexism. Saturday MLK 2019 Day of Service Ida Noyes, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. University students, faculty, staff, and family members are invited to volunteer at a dozen off-campus sites on the South Side. Projects include painting, tutoring, completing crafts, and organizing spaces. There will also be an on-site micronutrient meal packaging activity in partnership with the nonprofit Rise Against Hunger and Kraft’s Micronutrient Campaign. 2019 Coase Lecture: Jennifer Nou, The Nature of the Agency Law School Room II, 12:15–1:20 p.m. Economist Ronald Coase argued that private firms arise because of market transaction costs. His theory yielded predictions about firms’ scope and structure. This year’s Coase Lecture will juxtapose these ideas against current debates. Lunch will be provided. Sunday James D. Montgomery, Sr., Full Circle: Race, Law, and Justice 57th Street Books, 3–4 p.m. Montgomery, an attorney with a record of successful civil and criminal cases spanning six decades, will discuss his life and legal work. Monday Elliott, J. Gorn, “Let the People See” Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, 6–7 p.m. Gorn’s book dives into the story of Emmett Till, using evidence unearthed when the FBI reopened Till’s case in 2005. The book also probes why Till’s story continues to hold cultural and political significance. Support Our Advertisers Page three: Shop for food, clothes, and practically everything else at the Hyde Park Target located on East 53rd Street & South Kenwood Avenue. Page seven: Students and faculty as new customers get a 10 percent complimentary discount on dental work and a free oral exam from Kaufman & Kaufman Smile Design Studio, LLC.

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Institute of Politics (IOP) Pritzker Fellow Laura Washington, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist and political analyst for ABC7, spoke with mayoral candidate Paul Vallas about his election platform at the IOP on Monday. This is the first of the IOP’s discussions with 2019 mayoral candidates, as part of its Chicago Elections Project. At the event, Vallas cited his experience as a former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO and City Hall budget director as evidence that he is best qualified to solve the City’s deep budget crisis. “When I went to the schools, I inherited a $1.4 billion structural debt and I left them with $1 billion in cash balances and 12 bond rating upgrades,” Vallas said. “Google and find out if anyone who’s ever gotten 12 bond-rating upgrades in the pension system.” Vallas disapproved of former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Renaissance 2010, the CPS program which resulted in the closure of nearly 100 public schools and their replacement by charter schools. Vallas claimed that the program destabilized neighborhoods as students were not able to attend the new schools in the same neighborhood, causing a decrease in neighborhood population and school funding. Vallas also asserted that Rahm Emanuel “made things significantly worse.” “But you were a part of the Daley administra-

Paul Vallas sits down with Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington. courtesy of institute of politics tion,” Washington said. “You were an appointee of Richard M. Daley, so why were the Daley years so terrible? Was it after you left?” “Because I left,” Vallas answered, to some laughter. Vallas also criticized the Daley administration for being shortsighted, choosing year-to-year budgeting over long-term planning, entering into unaffordable bargaining agreements, selling City assets to balance budgets temporarily, and ending funding for the pension program.

Visiting Fellow Hopes to Facilitate Community Dialogue By MATTHEW LEE news reporter

Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor, a visiting scholar at the University’s Richard and Mary L. Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry, is working to examine and facilitate dialogue between UChicago, the Obama Presidential Center, and Chicago’s South Side communities. A graduate of Brown University and a current graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Boston resident emphasizes the influence that institutions of higher education can have on their surrounding communities. “I’ve grown up in a situation where there’s a community that ’s under-resourced—next to institutions that are notably some of the most well-resourced. So how does this happen?” Josiah-Faeduwor said to The Maroon. According to Josiah-Faeduwor, this question of resources is ultimately one of ownership in Chicago’s case. “It seems like there’s a history of UChicago’s ownership—I don’t think that it’s inherently good or bad, but that presence is something that the community has acknowledged plays a role. Knowing that you can buy a house that’s on UChicago land— and that land is leased out for 99 years, even though you still own the house, that land still belongs to UChicago.” Community perception of UChicago is further complicated by the institution’s continued growth and expansion. For example, the planned Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park has been a flashpoint of the controversy between the interests of the South Side community and that of the University. “When the Obama Presidential Center chose Jackson Park, folks have expressed that UChicago bought up a lot of land around it. So this continued and growing presence of the University’s stake in certain places ends up leading to what folks have expressed is a conflicting message. “You are building this center for the community, yet UChicago’s the first entity to come in. I know there’s a partnership and that’s been an understood relationship, but

I don’t know if it’s really, from the community’s standpoint, clear who’s doing what for whom. That confusion may lead to some lack of understanding of what to expect.” In a discussion with the artist Faheem Majeed at the Gray Center, Josiah-Faeduwor stressed that bridging the disconnect between UChicago and the community would require sustained dialogue and substantial engagement with Chicago’s South Side community. “Especially in a place like Chicago, where there’s a deep rooted respect for artists and for art and culture, [art] is an important gap to try and bridge. The Gray Center, for example, with its Sankofa City Summer School, [engages] students and community residents around art and media and asking them what they want to see in the future of Chicago. With the incoming presidential center, I think it’s places like that and initiatives like that that are positioned to make a lot of inroads—but the University has to double down on that issue and really make it a priority in order to remove and address decades of a feeling of disconnection.” Josiah-Faeduwor feels that such efforts to connect with local communities, however, are perhaps complicated by the UChicago’s goals for expansion in the South Side. Managing these seemingly divergent objectives, according to Josiah-Faeduwor, will require initiative and dialogue. “I think that it’s good that [UChicago] is leaning in to that direction, I think it’s good that they’re having that conversation, I think any individual can ask themselves if they can do more. I think the biggest thing that UChicago can do is really to step out and be willing to be challenged in a really real way.” Facilitating that discussion is exactly the purpose of Josiah-Faeduwor’s scholarship. “That’s something that, in the time that I’m here, I’d love to get involved with. I’d want to work with the community to hold this institution accountable, and then work with the institution to respond to the community. I don’t think that University of Chicago is not willing. I think it just has to take some steps and needs some support to do that.”

“It was dumb and dumber,” he said. “They wrecked the financials of the schools; they wrecked the financials of the City.” When asked about his strategy for solving these issues, Vallas responded that his plan was to fund the pension system and balance the budget by increasing the capital gains tax. He also identified the real estate transaction tax as a good opportunity to increase revenues and said that $150 million could be generated by getting rid of the City’s unnecessary contractual expenditures.

15,000 Students Applied Early in This Year’s Cycle continued from front page

University spokesperson Marielle Sainvilus confirmed that the numbers Nondorf referenced in the article about The University’s early applications are accurate. “The [complete] data will be released in the fall, when the full [2018-19] admissions cycle is finalized,” she told The Maroon by email. According to online reports on an College Confidential forum, Nondorf told accepted students at a reception last January that around 13,000 were accepted in the 2017-18 admission cycle’s early round, which is in line with Nondorf’s indication of a ten percent increase. The University’s first round of early applications were due by November 1, and decisions were posted in December. The first round includes students who applied with “Early Action,” the non-binding option, and “Early Decision,” the binding option. Early decision students have to commit unless the financial aid package offered is not enough. The University introduced Early Decision options in 2016; previously, the only admissions options were Early Action or Regular Decision. Previous increases in the number of early applications have varied from year to year; some have been more dramatic than this year’s ten percent increase. In the 201314 admissions cycle there were 11,143 early action applicants, in the 2012-13 cycle there were 10,316, in the 2011-12 cycle there were 8,698, and in the 2010-11 cycle there were 6,960, according to University news releases. Nondorf also told the Post that he is seeing a trend of more students from the Midwest and West Coast applying than in previous years, when early rounds were dominated by students on the East Coast. “Everybody is aware of [early application rounds],” Nondorf told the Post. “Everyone, everywhere uses all the rounds.”

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Paleographer Michael Allen on Virgil, Fashion, and the “Magic” of Manuscripts By ALISON GILL news reporter

UChicago classics professor Michael Allen seems to have a story about everything: the solar eclipse, Virgilian manuscripts, elm-wood ashes, clothing store TJ Maxx, Dutch libraries, and more. “I usually talk too much,” Allen confessed early in the interview, but his fascinating, tangential thoughts have become part of his repute and appeal to many students in the College. The self-described “ bookworm” has his own long history with the College. His father graduated from UChicago, and Allen himself matriculated as a member of the Class of 1985 before transferring to Tufts University in Boston. He is “one of those infamous Xs,” he said in reference to the group that attended but never graduated from UChicago, including Saul Bellow, Roger Ebert, Mike Nichols, and Larry Ellison. After spending time at Yale University and then receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Allen returned to the place and people that he described multiple times as “magical” as a faculty member in 1996. Allen is, by trade, a paleographer; his work involves deciphering mostly handwritten historical manuscripts. Educated by Benedictine monks in his youth, Allen always felt drawn to the study of the ancient and medieval periods, but it wasn’t until he felt “the magic of crackling manuscripts” in his hands at Yale that Allen turned his attention to paleography. “There’s nothing like being in front of a manuscript [where] you know who wrote it, you recognize the hand, and you see the personality,” Allen remarked on the “sense of

discovery.” It is for this reason that Allen eschews the use of a traditional academic textbook. Instead, he prefers to go straight to the source. He recalls a recent class he taught in which the students used a manuscript of Virgil from 860 B.C.E. “It was remarkable to see how much [clarity], how much more knowledge the students were able to glean from this source, even though the only notes—the small ones written to the side—were in Latin. The students were challenged to wrestle with the text a little more on their own and, in the process, learned a lot more. They had to ask questions and to find answers for themselves,” Allen recalled. In the “importance of figuring things out,” Allen insisted that there is no replacement for time: “I sometimes spend hours, days, even weeks over small patches of text. I have the good fortune to often be able to see things that other people say aren’t there and to understand things that other people say are incomprehensible…. It takes a lot of time to take a tiny bit or piece of that letter and then imagine how it can fit into a constellation of letters that create a word.” Despite his preference for ancient and medieval texts, Allen embraces technology. “I love my phone,” he admitted before adding, “I usually use it for the dictionary though. The dictionary is great because it’s friendly and docile and never interrupts me.” But he does see the larger benefits of increasing technological development. “The mark of an educated person is knowing where to look for the information you don’t know. The internet is great for that,” he said, but he also noted that easy access to answers should not act as a substitute for critical thinking. Allen predicts that digitization

Classics professor Michael Allen. courtesy of university of chicago will play a larger role in the study of paleography in the far future: “Many of the same fundamental questions will still exist, but instead of studying handwriting, it will probably be focused more on the abbreviations and language of the internet…. What is meant will matter as much as what is being said.” Allen, whose current project focuses on a set of 40 letters from Lupus and his students, comes across in conversation as a passionate and ever-curious scholar. Despite decades of experience, he still derives inspiration from his work. Allen repeatedly mentioned the respect he has for “the privilege of working with the materials.” His desire to learn and to work extends to all aspects of his life, including vacations. The well-traveled Allen said, “I go to a lot of places, but I go to the libraries there…. When I was in London, I went to the library, and I went one afternoon to the British Museum but that was when the library was closed…. My museum, my place of the muses,

is the library.” He cited the Leiden University library in the Netherlands as one of the most memorable and efficient, before delving into his favorite library: Joseph Regenstein library on campus. “My favorite library in the world is the Regenstein…. It’s probably the reason I came to this university. I could have gone other places, but there is no library like this in North America, just the rows of books, the devoted personnel, the impressive building and impressive ranges of books,” explained Allen. As an instructor, he aims to imbue his students with the same appetite for “always asking questions.” He wants his students to not only savor the results, but to enjoy the process of achieving them. “I try to teach discussion because we all need questions and we all need to listen more in everything we do,” he summarized. In many ways, Allen is quintessentially UChicago. He is rather well known by his students for a unique sense of fashion, wearing on that particular day a bright flo-

ral shirt and maroon ascot. In his words, “the bright colors are cheerful. I’d rather be in a camouflage suit to hide in a botanical garden than in a camouflage kit to hide in a battle zone.” The origin of his style stemmed from practical concerns, however, not aesthetic ones: “I once went with my children to TJ Maxx. There was a stack of bright red socks on sale, and I said, ‘Gee, maybe I should get those because we can keep them separate from the children’s.’” But Allen has found that his fashion is often an invitation to start conversations with others. “The covering that one puts on— people react to the covering and they don’t necessarily react to the person. I learn a lot about them from that…. Countless people come up to me to make comments about my fashion, particularly these tiny red glasses I normally wear,” he said. Allen, a self-proclaimed “melomaniac,” enjoys listening to classical music in his free time. “I carry music around in my head…but I only play an instrument in desire,” he said. He admitted, “What I work on right now gets really all-consuming. When I was in London, I forgot my coat. Can you imagine being in wintertime and forgetting your coat?” Ultimately, for all the questions Allen asks and manuscripts he deciphers, his quest seemingly centers around attaining a greater understanding and experience with “this intense distillate of humanity.” He urged that the entire student body do the same: “It’s important that we remember this human thing that we are and how it can be understood better with works of literature and philosophy.”

VIEWPOINTS The Cost of Creativity Art Students Face More Financial Obstacles Than Most Undergrads, But the University Does Little to Help

BRINDA RAO Historically, artists funded their work through the generosity of patrons. Members of the gentile class sponsored talented painters and sculptors, allowing them to study at acclaimed institutes and eventually produce aesthetically pleasing pieces, some of which found their wplace in museums. Today, artists are not so fortunate. Most a r t students do not have wea lthy benefactors funding their education or their work. Art schools and programs rarely finance their students’ pursuits, and the University of Chicago is no exception to this rule. While the University does

cover some basic supplies and offers somewhat restricted Student Creativity Grants, students predominantly fund their art education on their own. This raises the question: Is it fair to require students to independently subsidize their art education? For most students, there are simple methods to avoid paying for costly tex tbooks and supplies. Upperclassmen sell used books and calculators to incoming students. Online textbooks are available for reduced prices. Even so, these students have the choice to altogether circumvent the cost of textbooks by not do continued on pg.

Jacques Manjarrez

THE CHICAGO MAROON - JANUARY 18, 2019

“This experience made me reconsider majoring in visual arts...” CONTINUED FROM PG.

ing their reading. Art students, on the other hand, have no easy way to bypass the cost of expensive a r t supplies. The cost of creating paintings, sculptures, or fashion pieces makes pursuing an art education at the University of Chicago—taking into account its already steep tuition—extremely difficult, even impossible for some students. The trope of the starving artist is well known, and it is all too real for most people who pursue a career in art. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average sa la r y for young adults with a B.A. is $48,270, but the median earn-

ings for someone with a fine arts degree is just $36,270. Schools like UChicago, by not subsidizing the costs art students face, impose more monetary burdens on students who already have bleak financial futures. While art classes at the Universit y of Chicago do receive some funding for supplies, this is rarely enough to fully cover the creative endeavors of their st udents. A f irst-yea r in the College said, “A fter taking Visual Language: On Images, I saw the financial burdens of being an art student. W hile the class prov ided pencils and erasers, I had to buy all of my acr ylic paint, brushes, color papers, and

other supplies for my projects. I spent over $250 on art supplies for one class. This experience made me reconsider majoring in visual arts. It’s clear to me that the University’s lack of financial support to art students indicates a larger sense of disregard for art students.” UChicago is not alone in its inaction. Other universities and art schools are unwilling to meet the financial demand of their students’ art supplies. As a firstyear at Parsons explained to me, “We already have an expensive enough tuition as it is, but no one realizes how much material you’ll actually need for a class once it’s started. I’ve spent over

$200 on a single class and am expected to fund the supplies for five every semester.” This same problem is apparent in universities across the United States, at both the public and private level. A student from SUN Y Oneonta’s fashion program outlined the problem, explaining that “it ’s a struggle between getting the supplies you want with good quality but also not breaking your funds.” The question is: Should we hold UChicago to a dif ferent standard? The University has traditiona lly cha mpioned efforts to subsidize its students’ financia l obstacles. From the No Barriers program to the Od-

yssey schola rship to the new SAT-optional admissions policy, UChicago has presented itself as an accessible university for a financially diverse student body. But if students from middle- or low-income backgrounds cannot feasibly dedicate the resources to visual arts courses—let alone the visual arts major—UChicago might not be as committed to this vision as it publicly seems. Brinda Rao is a first-year in the College.

More Than a Musical Genre Hip-hop’s Popularity and Propensity for Controversy Obscure Its Literary Excellence and Social Significance

SOHAM MALL Here’s a lukewarm take that should come as a surprise to no one: Hip-hop music is in the driver’s seat. In 2018, hip-hop/R&B accounted for 30 percent of all music streaming in the U.S., more than any other genre. As with any popular art that finds itself scrutinized by the public, hip-hop has

certainly invited its share of adulation and reprimand. To many, hip-hop—I’m going to shamelessly use hip-hop as an umbrella term for the genre—is reduced to its blemishes, a quagmire of profanity that glorifies misogyny, drug use, and violence. Others claim the extremely trite: “it all

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sounds the same.” Without glorifying it as an uncontroversial and flawless genre—though I believe it is unequaled—I want to destigmatize hip-hop and its reputation as low art. With its literary richness, social significance, portrayal of reality, and sonic potency, hip-hop deserves a lot more than your cursory glance. Here’s hiphop’s State of the Union, if you will. An overlooked facet of hiphop is the impressive literary potential it holds. The intricacy of rhyme, the potency of the simile or metaphor, and the magnetism of cadence are just a few reasons why hip-hop is such a dynamic genre. Hip-hop gives artists an incredible amount of creative freedom, engendering self-expression like no other form of music. I don’t think that the ivory tower literati who dismiss rap as shallow stop to consider the variance of diction used by rappers or the depth of emotion that a hiphop track can express. If it is so lacking in substance, how would anyone be able to produce a longform literary analysis podcast on hip-hop from Lauryn Hill, Kanye West, and Frank Ocean? How did Kendrick Lamar win the Pulitzer? The vapidity of certain artists’ work does not discredit the genre as a whole. It’s certainly poetry—if Rupi Kaur qualifies as a poet, MF DOOM certainly does. Hip-hop’s propensity for expletives is perhaps the only thing preventing it from being studied in high school classrooms the same way traditional literature is. Analyzing Joey Bada$$ might be just as productive as studying Salinger. As for higher academia, problematic subject matter and language have never barred examination. Born from soul, jazz, funk, a nd t he blue s, h ip -hop h a s emerged from art which originated in times of oppression and continues to be a torchbearer of the Black experience. Rappers such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar chronicle racism,

systemic oppression, gang violence, and poverty. Thus, hip-hop has the potential to be used in an activist capacity. Most famously, Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” was used as an anthem of solidarity by the Black Lives Matter movement. Rappers like Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., and Pusha T have rapped about working as drug dealers—not to glorify drug use, but to highlight the compulsion they faced as young Black men who lacked opportunities to progress economically in a racist country. Similarly, not all hiphop lyrics addressing gangs and violence are gratuitous—they are often reflections of grim truths. Hip-hop is, at its core, an expression of reality. It lacks the authorial distance that writers of fiction often employ; as such, it is inherently personal—the modern-day soliloquy. The braggadocio that hip-hop artists are sometimes mocked for is often testimony to their stories of success. Having “made it out,” often from rags to riches, the jewelry is not just for decoration. I conducted a research project in 2018 where I extracted every pop culture reference in 37 best-selling hip-hop albums from 2017–18. R appers shouted out lu x u r y brands like Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Ferrari, Rolex, Gucci, and Hermes in a manner that can only be described as blasé. Rolls Royce wa s na me-dropped 76 times across the albums. Luxury watch brand Patek Philippe was mentioned 53 times (mostly by Migos in their 2018 album Culture II). These symbols of wealth and success may be materialistic, but they legitimize hip-hop, and indirectly, music, as a path to success. If a Goldman Sachs employee can flaunt a six-figure salary, rappers can boast of their newfound wealth too. Recently, rappers have found unprecedented success and fame with hip-hop’s surging popularity. Historically, hip-hop’s nucleus has journeyed from storytelling to lyricism to melody, and remnants of the past still remain in

today’s music. But hip-hop has never been so catchy. Rappers now work with multiple producers to create infectious beats on which they overlay tuneful hooks. Drake has been doing this for years. Artists like Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Travis Scott, and Post Malone have cracked the code too, earning themselves multiple chart-topping hits. Hip-hop sounds good—just ask the odd frat bro who undeniably ran out of ideas and insisted on playing “Mo Bamba” and “SICKO MODE” at least five times during a party. “It’s, like, the song of the year, bro.” However, this renewed attention also means that hip-hop’s more controversia l elements have also emerged into the spotlight. Though hip-hop lyrics have arguably become less contentious since the days of gangsta rap, there is still an abundance of misogyny, homophobia, and glorification of drug use and violence. References to women as “hoes,” homophobic f- a nd d-words, and repeated references to recreational drugs can normalize harmful beliefs. The perpetuation of such themes complicates hip-hop’s reputation and blunts its potential to be conceived of as a high art form. Censorship is not a realistic option, but we need to hold hip-hop artists to a higher standard. The backlash against disrespectful lyrics has led to apologies, some of which have been unconvincing. The onus is on us all collectively; as producers and consumers of hip-hop, we cannot keep the whole and ignore the parts. Hip-hop deserves your scrutiny, but also your respect. Its brilliance supersedes its reputation. It’s a lot more than superficial, insolent rhymes set to a backing track. I firmly believe that we can celebrate its excellence while condemning its transgressions. And if I’ve done my job and convinced you, I suggest starting with Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy. Soham Mall is a second-year in the College.

THE CHICAGO MAROON - JANUARY 18, 2019

ARTS Shakespearean Eye Candy By JESSICA JIWON CHOE arts reporter

I thin k we ca n a ll ag ree f rom hig h school English class that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s more convoluted plays. Apart from having to follow three plots—the four lovers, Oberon and Titania/Theseus and Hippolyta, and the mechanicals—the audience is also expected to glean truth regarding the nuances and complexities of love, as well as the contrast (or arguably the overlap) between reality and illusion. Clearly, there is a lot to follow, and if the production is not careful, it is easy for the viewer to get lost in the intricacies of the play. What Chicago Shakespeare Theater did uniquely well was also part of its downfall: The intricacies of the play made it all the more difficult to keep their audience. Piled on top of the original drama are a myriad of ostentatious costumes, disco music, and snow flurries that, while captivating, ultimately end up distracting from the action of the play. It seemed like the original content was lost in this sea of add-ons. Much like choosing a good dessert over a substantial meal, this performance of Midsummer Night’s

Dream chose sweet phenomenal additions rather than focusing on the original substance. That being said, I want to point out that these additions were indeed phenomenal. The liberty taken by individual actors to heighten aspects of their characters was highly appreciated. I especially enjoyed Flute (Alec Silver)’s Justin Bieber aesthetic as well as the newly conceptualized romantic tension between Peter Quince (Joe Dempsey) and the lady mechanical Robin Starveling (Sara Sevigny). Of the four lovers, the actress playing Helena (Christina Panfilio) had genuine comedic f lair that continually drew viewers into her various charms and allowed her to hold her own in group scenes. Bottom (T.R. Knight) stood out as a star player as he delivered his spunky characterization with such brashness and enthusiasm that one could not help but pay attention whenever he graced the stage. The little nods to contemporary pop culture and hilarious gimmicks such as random stuffed poodles were well-received, rousing hearty peals of laughter from the audience. Lastly, the set design was gorgeous, with almost circus-like features in the looming circular platforms

Bottom (T.R. Knight) attracts the affection of fairy queen Titania (Alexandra Silber) with her attendant First Fairy (Adrienne Storrs). courtesy of liz lauren that extended from the ceiling and the f lashy f lowers. It certainly made for an eyeful and contributed to the dynamism of the play. There were no monotonous scenes because something on stage was always visually captivating the audience’s attention. Yet, such overabundance of detail ultimately achieved more distraction than

Puck (Sam Kebede) leads the Fairies’ mischief. courtesy of liz lauren

emphasis or explanation. Sometimes, I had difficulty keeping up as I tried to take in the explosive set design while simultaneously concentrating on the depth behind the dialogue. At the end of the night, I had few clear takeaways as I stood with the rest of the audience, clapping more for the spectacle of the evening than the story. These tawdry finishes seemed to be applied more heavily to secondary characters than for the four main entangled lovers. The continuity of the four lovers was rooted in their conformity to Shakespeare’s original script; they had fewer line changes and improvisations. This served to push the focus of the play to the less prominent cha racters because they of fered unique interpretations of the play. In this sense, I think the decision to watch this production is based more on personal taste than any other factor. For those familiar with the plot and looking for an exciting experience, I would highly recommend the production for its unique twists and striking changes to the characters. For Shakespeare lovers in search of a more traditional experience geared towards gauging his commentary on love and life, I think this production might fall below expectations. W hile the Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production offers comedic gems and fascinating aesthetics, it is ultimately a spectacle for the senses rather than an opportunity for learning and reflection.

Black String Ensemble Treads Line Between Ancient and Modern By ALINA KIM arts reporter

W hen we think of Korean music, we often turn to the popular modern K-pop movement: electronic music, elaborate d a nc e c hor e og r aphy, BT S , Day 6 , CL , Blackpink, and even the iconic “Gangnam Style.” But the Korean music ensemble Black String offered the audience in the Logan Center for the Arts a glimpse into ancient Korean history and culture. The intense pieces were per formed on traditional instruments, such as the geomungo, a stringed Korean zither; the sanjo, its modern equivalent; the daegeum and danso, the Korean bamboo flutes; the yanggeum, a hammered instrument; and the janggu, the hourglass-shaped drum. As a Korean American, I was brief ly introduced to these instruments through my fa mily, obser v ing per forma nces in South Korea. But with Black String, I was instantly struck by their incorporation of electric guitar, modern percussion, rhyth-

mic blues, and pulsing electronic sound into the traditional Korean pieces. This move seemed to defy the “unified bloodline” conscience Korean culture passionately values. Conser vative South Korean culture holds pride in a social construct we call “purity.” Korea boasts of a uniform political ideology of ethnic nationalism, a cultural trait that emerged from the Japanese annexation of Korea in the twentieth century. Black String’s fusion of Korean folk music and foreign tunes seem to invade this construct—perhaps conveying the message that “purity ” is merely a my th, and culture itself is malleable, mobile, and susceptible to globalization. This concept was readily apparent in the first piece, “Seventh Beat,” in which the thrumming of the geomungo was met with the wailing of the bamboo flute; the static noise of the electric guitar and the pulse of the electronic beat juxtaposed the traditional Asian tone. In a complicated juggle of domination between each instru-

ment, the ensemble gradually built up to a crescendo, the janggu furiously thudding. It then ended with a dramatic diminuendo that left nothing but the cries of the flute echoing throughout the hall. Rather than having one instrument in control of the entire piece, Black String seemed to tie the cacophony altogether, implying that musical instruments—whether ancient or contemporar y ones—can harmonize together and still create something that presents Korean culture. The string instrumentalist Yoon Jeong Heo introduced the next pieces, “Mask Dance” and “Song from Heaven,” in the tradition of one of the oldest types of Korea n music. “Mask Da nce” bega n w ith a throbbing electronic pulse, met w ith equivalent energy through the plucking of the sanjo and the flute and guitar mimicking each other’s high-pitched shrieks. After a brief silence hung in the air, the ensemble mesmerized the audience with a vocalization from percussionist Min Wang Hwang, a series of vibratos and wordless

yells that are characteristic of traditional Korean chanting. The chants oscillated bet ween encha nting to unset tling , Hwang ’s voice thundering through the hall with no space for a break in tension between his melodies. “Song f rom Heaven” wa s the piece that remained glued in my mind after the concert finished, with its minor and meditative chords accompanying the lamenting—yet hopeful—vocalization by Hwang. Upon listening to his chants, I realized he was repeating a religious hymn, perhaps calling Buddha (as is common in Korean religious history), to join the gods and find enlightenment after death and love and peace in life. In discussing the song with my parents, they were quick to identify that this type of song was sometimes performed at funerals and sacred temples; the musicians delivered a somber piece worthy of such characterization, but sprinkled in glimmers of hope of reunification and grace as well. continued on pg.

THE CHICAGO MAROON - JANUARY 18, 2019

“I was left awestruck by the synthesis achieved by Black String” continued from pg.

The ensemble finished the night with the “La Sureña,” “Stra ngeness Moon,” “Flowing, Floating,” “Blue Shade,” and “ Da ng , Da ng , Da ng.” “ La Sureña” wa s derived from melodies in Spanish music, w ith motifs reminiscent of the famous r ep et it ion i n “ H a b a ner a .” “ St r a n ge ness Mo on” a nd “ F low i ng , F loat i ng ” demonstrated Heo’s undeniable skill in avant-garde composition of ritual music. Heo’s fingers scratched at the strings of her sanjo, her nails scraping against the wooden instrument as she f lickered in and out of sync with the f lautist, A ram Lee, and guitarist, Jean Oh. The daegum flute often flirted with the guitar over the rattling of the janggu, which loomed large but never manipulated the course of the pieces. “Blue Shade” was a marriage of American rhy thmic blues and Korean swing, w ith the ja zz y sy ncopations blend ing smoothly with the somber yet punchy dissonance of the flute. The onomatopoeia of “Dang, Dang, Dang” served as an allusion to the repetitive plucking of Heo’s zither, and encouraged audience participation as the accelerando through the progression of the piece called for rhythmic clapping. It featured a lengthy percussion solo, in which a hollow, thin noise captivated the audience with its firmness in tone, as well

Members of Black String from left: Aram Lee (daegeum, yanggeum), Yoon Jeong Heo (geomungo), Min Wang Hwang (ajaeng, janggu), and Jean Oh (electric guitar) courtesy of black string as a rapid, fiery, flutter-tonguing beatbox flute solo that demanded absolute silence from the other instruments as well as the audience. Walking out of the Logan Center, with

Hyde Park Art Center’s Health Club Exhibition Is Not Just For Pre-Meds By LYNN CHONG arts reporter

I walk into the exhibition space, instantly noticing Balas & Wax’s sculpture, Vacancies (2018). I circle around what is supposed to be a hotel registration desk a couple of times, trying to figure out which side is for the customers. I hope for a clue as I open Registration, the book embedded in the desk, but the words are written in so many different directions that I have no idea where to stand. Giving up, I flip through the book and read: “We are attentive to your needs, don’t hesitate to ring the bell.” There indeed a bell on the desk, but I am too terrified to ring it. A mere desk successfully drowns me in debilitating hesitation and helpless vulnerability, introducing me to the world of Health Club. Hyde Park Art Center’s current exhibition, Health Club, explores the profound influence of manipulated space on the human mind and body. The exhibiting artists challenge preconceived notions of space and continue the 21st-century discussion of “placemaking”: “the human act of creating spaces that fulfill an emotional or practical need to connect with each other,” as defined by curator Allison Peters Quinn. The artworks on display freely traverse the grounds of architecture, public policy, service, medicine, and history, making the exhibition a truly interdisciplinary and intellectual experience for all. Charo Garaigorta’s painting series Airports (2018) illustrates the travel routes of airplanes and architectural ground plans of airports. What is organized chaos at first glance is made clear upon closer inspection; human bodies drawn with airplane-like physiques represent all of the jets. Rows of connected human bodies are spread across the large canvas, yet you can always trace them back to the origin: the airport. Garaigorta’s work questions the agency of human beings under the systematic control exerted by large architectural spaces, leaving

the audience with an eerie chill. But institutional spaces do not always have to be so daunting. Nelly Agassi and Andrew Schachman’s collaborative work Building As Care (2015) explores the integration of architecture and therapy. By deconstructing the floor plans of hospitals, they inquire how the care for human well-being can be prioritized in architecture, and how this mentality can become apparent on a rigid grid. Health Club recognizes that the relationship between space and the human condition is not simply unidirectional; human experiences can transform spaces as well. Nelly Agassi’s Horrortopia (2018), animated by Maya Raviv, is inspired by the quaint nature of postcards sent by 20th-century mental institution patients to their loved ones. The photographs on the postcards only capture the picturesque gardens and lush forests surrounding the hospitals rather than the buildings themselves, hiding the real conditions of these institutions. Agassi’s animated work further intensifies this fabricated representation of environment and shows that spaces can be a complex fusion of reality, imagination, and memory. Similarly, Kevin J. Miyazaki’s Camp Home (2007) series uses current-day photographs of former WWII Japanese internment camps to document the ironic reuse of historical spaces and the malleability of those spaces to their inhabitants’ touch. Health Club, though a small exhibition, takes time to walk through. It displays a diverse group of artists with varying backgrounds and methodologies in order to deliver a comprehensive exploration of space and “placemaking.” It challenges the audience to engage, transform, question, and imagine with every piece they encounter, and such rigor makes the exhibition a profound and personal experience. Treat yourself to comforting drink at the Bridgeport Coffeehouse right next door—their coffee never tasted better than after my latest visit to the Hyde Park Art Center!

the traditional rice drink sikhye in one hand and modern-day chocolate Pepero sticks in the other, I was left awestruck by the synthesis achieved by Black String—a musica l endeavor that cha llenges con-

servative Korean values and kindles the possibility of transnational identity—all without forgetting the aesthetics and power of Korean musical culture.

THE CHICAGO MAROON - JANUARY 18, 2019

SPORTS Track and Field Excited to Continue Strong Start TRACK & FIELD

By ANDY PRESHER sports reporter

This weekend, UChicago’s track and field teams will compete at Illinois Wesleyan University’s annual I-55 Triangular meet. Following last week’s impressive victory at the Phoenix Invitational meet, the Maroons are ready to take on their second meet. Competition amps up with this weekend’s meet; Wash U and Illinois Wesleyan present formidable challenges for the teams. The teams will get a preview of what their competition has to offer for the season and where their runners stand in this early meet. Third-year distance runner Andy Kates said, “This meet, which we have gone to for the past several years, is a really great early-season opportunity to see how we match up against Wash U which traditionally has a very strong team. This is usually the only time we see a team from our conference before the conference meet in indoor track (arguably our most important meet), so it’s a special opportunity.” The Maroons’ months of training paid off in scores last week-

end. The women’s team scored 309 points while the men’s team scored 290 points. Both teams beat their competition by a giant margin. Experienced and new members alike debuted the season with impressive feats. Fourth-year Owen Melia’s 800-meter first place (1:59.17) was complemented by first-year Dillon O’Loughlin’s 400-meter first place (51.29). From the women’s team, a slew of upperclassmen debuted with first-place wins in the 200-meter, 5,000-meter, 1,600-meter, and 3,000-meter races. Two first-year members debuted their season with first-place victories: Kaitlyn Van Baalen with her 800-meter race (2:21.83) and Meg Fitzpatrick with her 400-meter race (1:00.72). Wins were paramount across the sprinting, throwing, and distance teams. With strong momentum for the season, both teams look forward to taking on the competition promised at this weekend’s meet. The teams have begun to cut back on building up mileage in preparation. The long-distance team ran a couple of easier outdoor workouts this week. However, after this meet they plan on ramping up intensity in prepara-

UChicago competes at last year’s NCAA track and field championships. courtesy of uchicago athletics tion for upcoming competitive meets. Second-year distance runner Ansel Richards said, “I’m running the 3,000-meter this week with a lot of teammates and some very good competition from Wash U. I expect we’ll run a bit faster than last week as we build fitness and encounter elite competition.”

Although it’s early in their season, the Maroons expect great things from their distance, sprinter, jumping, and throwing teams. In combination with the formidable presence of the veteran team members, the first-years hit the ball running with stellar performances in practice and at their first meet. The

victorious and competitive atmosphere of the Maroons’ training and first meet of the season has led to their zealous energy for this upcoming meet. The Maroons will compete in Bloomington, Il at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Swimming and Diving Team Begins the New Year SWIMMING & DIVING

By MIRANDA BURT sports reporter

The University of Chicago men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams open up 2019 this weekend hosting Lewis and Olivet Nazarene on Friday, then traveling to DI opponent UW–Milwaukee this Saturday. The men’s team so far has one loss on the year to a non-DI opponent; they also have two losses to DI opponents Northwestern (204–76) and Illinois (176–118). The Maroons have beaten Wheaton, Claremont Mudd Scripps, as well as all 10 teams from the Phoenix Fall Classic to close out 2018. The South Siders’ only loss to a DIII opponent comes at the hands of the rival Bears from Wash U (197–83). The women’s team so far on the season is undefeated against DIII teams. However, the women have lost three times to DI opponents Northwestern (206–85), UIC (178– 121), and Illinois (224–75). Fourthyear diver Anna Girlich, who was the 2015–16 UAA Women’s Diver of the Year, has been very encouraged by her team’s progress so far this season. Girlich said, “Our last meet of the fall was our Phoenix Fall Clas-

sic which is our largest invite of the year, and a taper meet for the swimmers. It was a really good checkpoint to see how we were doing so far in the season, and had amazing performances, and several records broken! Training trip was our hardest training we will have all season, but coming off of that and into winter quarter, we are feeling really prepared, and excited to see how we’ve improved since Phoenix!” Looking forward to Friday night, the Maroons will have a rematch with No. 25 Lewis. Lewis lost to UChicago 1,322.5–973 back at the Phoenix Fall Classic. The Flyer women come into Friday’s meet with a 4–6 record, also finishing second to UChicago on a 1,666–796 score last season. Olivet Nazarene University is a NAIA school who is Second-year Joseph Zhao is pictured finishing a dive at a meet last season. alexandra nisenoff winless on the season. The Tiger men have lost to DI opponents (In- of three teams in the Toby Tiger In- are all excited for our meets this an awesome start—we are confident diana, Purdue, Western Illinois, and vite and fifth of six in the Wheaton weekend, it’s been a while since we will perform well at UAAs and UIC), and finished last of six teams Invite. we’ve competed, so it will be real- into NCAAs and earn one of the top in the Wheaton Invite. Their womThe bigger challenge will come ly fun to see all of our hard work places at both of those meets.” en’s team possesses NAIA Swimmer when both squads face off against hopefully pay off! We are just hopFriday’s meet takes place at of the Month Andrea Vega, but they UW–Milwaukee, whom the Ma- ing to keep the ball rolling this home at 6 p.m., and then the Mahave not seen any significant team roon men knocked off last season. weekend, and for the rest of the roons will travel to Milwaukee for a results yet this season. Olivet has The Panther men are 1–2 so far this season, since UA As is going to 1 p.m. start time on Saturday. lost to DI opponents (Indiana State, season, while the women are 2–1. come fast! We think this year will Indiana, Purdue, Butler, Western Girlich is extremely excited to be one of the best seasons for us in Illinois, and UIC), but finished first get back in the water. She said, “We a long time since it is already off to

UPCOMING GAMES

SCOREBOARD SPORT

W/L

Wrestling

Track & Field

OPPONENT

Elmhurst Invite Phoenix Invite

SCORE 3rd of 12 1st of 5

SPORT

OPPONENT

Swim & Dive

Lewis

DAY

TIME

Friday

6 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Brandeis

Friday

6 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

Brandeis

Friday

8 p.m.