TENANTS UNITED ORGANIZES #CANCELRENTRALLY
MAY 6, 2020 FIFTH WEEK VOL. 132, ISSUE 20
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By NICK TARR News Reporter
Miles Burton
It has been over a month since students left in-person learning at the University. As classes have transitioned to Zoom, several of the community’s religious and spiritual organizations have also found ways to adapt to the constraints of social distancing, managing to come together despite being spread out throughout the world. Some students have turned to online versions of the Bible, Torah, Qu’ran, and other religious texts, articles, and blogs. Hannah Bloomberg from UChicago Hillel said, “The rabbis writing all this literature about what it means to have a tradition core to be your being and feel like it’s changing…and I’ve really found a lot of meaning studying those texts.” Zoom has been used to hold virtual
Socially Distant but Close in Spirit
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By YIWEN LU Senior News Reporter
Caroline Kubzansky
“I came to UChicago for the house culture,” Chloe Bartholomew, a second-year in the College and the president of the House Council of Salisbury House, said about her experience with house culture at the University. “I think it’s been a really formative part of my experience being able to be in a house like Salisbury. That’s been really essential to forming different types of bonds and getting to meet quirky people that I might not have met in my classes.” As the University switched to remote learning, students who live in housing became unable to access this essential aspect of campus life in the traditional way. Now students like
House Culture Goes Online VIEWPOINTS: Preparing for the Acadmiec Job Market in an Economic Recession PAGE 7
ARTS: “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” Is Whatever Hobby You Want it to Be PAGE 9
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NEWS: Engage Slate Wins SG Executive Election by 16 Votes
SPORTS: Quar-run-tine: Sports as a Source of Sanity
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UChicago Working Paper Finds Relationship Between News Source and COVID-19 Deaths By NICK TARR News Reporter Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Becker Friedman Institute for Economics recently released a working paper that found a close relationship between exposure to different news sources and COVID-19 related deaths among viewers. The research, conducted in part by economics professor Leonardo Bursztyn, highlights the growing relationship between media consumption and behavior during the COVID-19 crisis, and points to a startling new reality— that, for some, the choice of which news program to watch could be a matter of life and death. In the paper, titled “Misinformation During a Pandemic,” the researchers compared two popular shows that air on the same network: Tucker Carlson Tonight with Tucker Carlson and Hannity with Sean Hannity, both on Fox News. The researchers point out stark differences in the early coverage of COVID-19 between the two anchors, citing excerpts of show transcripts and surveys of audience perception to show that Hannity minimized the virus’s severity.
“While Hannity discussed the coronavirus as frequently as Carlson during early March, he downplayed its seriousness and accused Democrats of using it as a partisan tool to undermine the administration,” the researchers wrote. Their findings indicate that COVID-19 deaths were significantly higher in the weeks that followed in regions where Hannity was more popular. “A one-standard deviation greater viewership of Hannity relative to Tucker Carlson Tonight is associated with 21 percent more deaths on March 28, 33 percent more deaths on April 4, and 28 percent more deaths on April 11,” the researchers wrote. Fox News was quick to respond. “The selective cherry-picked clips of Sean Hannity’s coverage used in this study are not only reckless and irresponsible, but downright factually wrong,” a spokesperson said. “As this timeline proves, Hannity has covered COVID-19 since the early days of the story. The ‘study’ almost completely ignores his coverage and repeated, specific warnings and concerns from January 27– February 26 including an early interview with Dr. Fauci in January. This is a reckless
disregard for the truth.” The researchers, however, were explicit in their impartiality. “We don’t see our paper as making a partisan claim: we’re examining effects within Fox News viewers, not comparing e.g. Fox News viewers to CNN viewers,” Aakaash Rao, co-author and a member of the University’s Class of 2019, wrote in a comment to The Maroon. “We’re not making any general claims about one partisan group or the effects of one network.” Rao also emphasized that this is a working paper and that its findings should not yet be taken at face value. “We don’t want anyone to over-interpret our findings before our paper has been vetted,” Rao wrote. While the paper has not yet been peer-reviewed, the authors’ findings are consistent with existing research on the profound impact of media on viewer behavior; the researchers cite a 2019 paper from Columbia Business School that found that judges who watch conservative news outlets give harsher sentences, and a paper from 2015 in the American Economic Review found that MTV’s 16 and Pregnant lead to a reduction in teen births, among
others. Anecdotal evidence from the president’s COVID-19 response also aligns with the researchers’ findings. WNBC reported that calls to NYC’s Poison Control doubled after President Trump’s televised remarks that disinfectants may be a viable treatment for the coronavirus. The researchers want their work to draw attention to the power of information—and misinformation—on public health, especially during the current global pandemic. “I think our paper highlights the importance of information on eventual health outcomes and demonstrates that misinformation can have significant consequences,” Rao wrote. “If I’m misinformed about the extent of the threat and I don’t think it’s necessary to wash my hands more often, practice social distancing, wear a mask, etc., then I’m harming not only myself, but also those around me—so that any direct effects of misinformation are multiplied.” Sean Hannity’s website now has the subtitle “#flattenthecurve.”
Tenants United organizes #CancelRentRally By YIWEN LU Senior News Reporter On Friday, Hyde Park tenants and residents took part in the #CancelRentRally organized by Tenants United Hyde Park, a tenant union that comprises three separate unions: Mac, TLC and Pangea Tenants United. Tenants marched from Harold Washington Park at South Shore to the Mac Properties Office on 53rd Street, protesting at Mac, TLC, and Hyde Park Properties offices to demand rent payment cancellation during COVID-19. Tenants United worked with tenants to fight for legal representation of their rights, negotiate with property companies, and organize actions such as #CancelRentRally to call for com-
munity attention. “We are hoping to demonstrate that there are tenants who are withholding their rent and are still organizing,” one organizer from Tenants United who wished to remain anonymous told The Maroon, “because May 1 is not only the first day of the month but also the second month of the crisis where people are unable to pay rent, even though people are [at home] with the shelter-in-place orders, tenants are coming out, expressing that they are in solidarity with each other and are willing to push back against you know these people who are ready to basically throw everyone.” On April 23, Governor J. B. Pritzker extended the Illinois shelter-in-place order through at least May 30. The
state-wide order came into effect on March 21. Under the modified order, people older than two are required to wear masks in most public settings, and most businesses still remain closed. To ensure the safety of demonstrators, Tenants United marked ropes with special lengths to enforce social distancing during the rally. They also provided gloves and masks for tenants and set up a hand hygiene station as demonstrators marched. The organizer said that it is not only a matter of keeping social distancing guidelines for them to provide safety measures. “There have been rules that have been put in place to restrict evictions, but one of the exceptions is for tenants who are putting the public in danger, and we already have a tenant
who is being threatened with eviction over putting tenants at danger, [which] is really retaliation to organizing with their neighbors,” he said, “so [we] make sure that people are not at risk because it becomes a matter of protecting tenants from retaliation.” Tenants in Hyde Park have long been concerned with the increasing rent and worsening building conditions. Unsafe conditions, such as prevalence of pests, broken elevators, unstable wiring connection, and fire hazards, have not been properly managed by landlords, protesters said. “I don’t think I’ve talked to a single tenant who does not have roaches in their home and in their building,” Bex León, a TLC tenant and an organizer CONTINUED ON PG. 3
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at TLC Tenants United, told The Maroon, “It’s not a personal issue. These are building-wide issues that everyone is dealing with, but the landlord will tell people that it’s their fault that these things are happening.” Similarly, Mac Tenant Theodore Bourget spoke of his experience to the demonstrators at the Mac Properties office on 53rd. “[In] the first apartment that I lived in, a radiator in our living room broke in the middle of winter, leaking water all over the f loor, and [Mac] did not do anything about it. We met a roach on day one in our new apartment. There have been roaches ever since we moved in, and it has been eight months…[Mac] hasn’t done anything.” According to León, the latest letter of demand that TLC Tenant United sent to TLC Properties was on April 16. The letter was written in accordance with the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) to demand negotiations and notify about a planned rent strike on May 1. TLC did not respond to that. Meanwhile, landlords continued to push for rent payments during the pandemic over the past two months, despite the fact that many tenants were affected financially by the crisis, Tenants United said. One organizer
from Tenants United, who wished to stay anonymous, talked with several tenants during the rally and found out that their rent still increased in the past two months. “Just this month, their rent was raised $107—that was for the last person I saw. In times of complete crisis, [there are] people who don’t have any income and have to continue to work or are being exposed to working conditions that are not safe, and in the meantime they have to take care of their kids because schools are closed or have to take care of elderly,” she said, “at times like this where other countries are actually stopping any rent, any mortgages, any loans, and…. This is inhumane. Housing is a human right.” Tenants who were unable to pay the rent by the due date nevertheless received threats of eviction from the landlords. Since the beginning of April, tenants have received 5-Day Notices, which demand that tenants pay rent in five days or face a forced eviction from landlords. “Some folks even got 5-Day Notices that were backdated—they got five-day notices that arrived on their door on the fifth day since the notice was dated,” León told The Maroon. In addition, some tenants were harassed to sign arbitrary payment plans that required them to pay a rent that
they were unable to afford, or by a close date. “Even for the ones that are the most lenient, they are asking folks to pay when folks have reported that they have lost their jobs. Because of this pandemic they don’t have a way to make money,” León added, “Folks again are worried about being able to buy groceries and support their families and pay medical bills.” “I don’t blame Mac,” Faye Porter, the president of Tenants United, said to the demonstrators, “I blame those politicians in Hyde Park that let them do it. Somebody had to let them do it.” She claimed that Mac refused to talk with Tenants United when they tried to negotiate with them. León sha red Por ter ’s thought that the broader political picture in the city of Chicago has been driving for the abuse of power of landlords. “These huge landlords [have] ridiculous amounts of power and political relationships throughout Chicago, and even in the state. In addition to that, there are a lot of relationships with large community forces, like the University of Chicago, which similarly has so much play in Chicago politics.” Many tenants have realized that under-the-table talks made it harder for politicians to truly speak for them. “For example, the calls on landlords
to sign a pledge to be more gracious to tenants is not going to do a whole lot of good because it is not something that is creating rights for tenants. It will be treated by landlords in the way that they wish to treat it, which often will be simply a chance for them to get better public images,” León added. Another organizer, who has been involved with Tenants United for three years, said this situation has highlighted the importance of a union like Tenants United, not just for rent-related reasons. “There is a surge of people joining. They are going back to the community and trying to build some relationships.… I’m working with folks on the gardening working group, where we are working on trying to figure out places where we can start planting some food because we expect that there will be food shortages.” “My goal is to just have my neighborhoods to be a place where everyone is welcome. I want to make sure that my kids grow up in a place where it is diverse and everyone is respected and that people don’t get kicked out of their homes. I don’t want my kids to be going to school with their schoolmates being kicked out of a neighborhood because they cannot pay the rent or because their apartments are not taken care of,” she concluded.
No Universal Tuition Reduction, Provost Says By AVI WALDMAN Senior News Reporter Provost Ka Yee Lee responded to demands made by student group UChicago for Fair Tuition (UCFT) last Friday, opening a channel of communication between organizers and administration. At least 200 students continue to withhold tuition in support of UCFT’s calls for a 50 percent tuition reduction, greater budget transparency, tuition relief for advanced doctoral students, and reinstating part-time status. Lee told UCFT that the administration
was not considering universal tuition reductions. The Office of the Provost’s website posted an announcement to similar effect on Thursday. The message suggested students consider using the Financial Hardship Form to apply for a payment extensions, applying to the bursar’s emergency assistance program (which does not assist with costs related to tuition), contacting the Financial Aid Office, or taking a leave of absence. “The financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the University has been unprecedented,” the Provost’s Office wrote
in the statement. “Because our focus must be on continuing to fulfill the University’s core research and education mission, we are unable to reduce tuition for all students regardless of individual financial means.” However, organizers hope to push administrators to accede to their demands that the University publicize its budget and make part-time status an option again for students. Part-time status, which was eliminated in 2018, allowed students who needed fewer than three classes to graduate to finish their requirements at a significantly reduced tuition rate.
UCFT also hopes to pressure administrators to provide grants for international and graduate students in financial distress. Much of UCFT’s tuition reduction campaign has centered on the crisis experienced by these students, who are not guaranteed that aid will meet their “demonstrated financial need” as domestic undergraduates are. The group has also set up a “strike fund” to cover possible late fees for those who are striking, which has so far raised approximately $2,500. Organizers hope to plan a meeting with Lee to discuss their concerns directly.
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“The gravity of this pandemic has provided plenty of time to reassess our priorities and beliefs.” CONTINUED FROM COVER
meetings and masses. The University’s spiritual life website has a list of several interfaith activities and events each week, similar to what they would offer on campus. Spiritual Life’s virtual living room is always open and structured events such as “20 Minutes Still,” coffee and chai chats, and gentle yoga are all available each week for people to participate in from home. For Passover, UChicago Hillel used Zoom to host a Seder meal, or “Zeder,” as they congregated through cameras instead of in person. The switch to virtual meetings has also resulted in new ways to connect. “Our undergraduate community just started an initiative where anyone can sign up to receive a weekly prayer partner—someone to connect with by phone and share whatever challenges they are facing in present circumstances,” Father Andrew Liaugminas of Calvert House said. More formally, several organizations are keeping Bible studies and masses going through both Zoom and online streaming. UChicago Cru is still leading Bible study three times a week via Zoom. Calvert House, the Catholic center on campus, as well as Augustana Lutheran Church and Brent House, are streaming masses online and encouraging students to email their respective preachers. However, while organizations have adapted well to the circumstances, some practices have been canceled or cannot be performed at home. Without in-person services, sacraments like Holy Communion cannot be administered by the church, but churches have provided resources for their people to take it in their homes. “Communion is a really essential part of the Episcopal Church’s worship,” Reverend Stacy Alan of Brent House told The Maroon, “This ritual that is symbolic of us being together across time and space doesn’t make sense yet…I think this is the time where going without something that is really important is a good discipline.” One particular loss that was heavy on the minds of people from all faiths was saying goodbye to graduating students in their communities. “We had fourth-years
and graduating grad students where, once we scattered, weren’t ever going to be this community again. It was done,” Alan said. Fourth-year Christians missed out on Easter vigils, members of the Jewish community didn’t gather for large Passovers, and Muslim students will not be able to experience Ramadan on campus one last time. “What it means to be a community and what it means to gather has changed,” Bloomberg said. Despite the physical isolation, spiritual communities have reported to have found a deep strength in this new social “normal.” Dahlia Walters, a third-year bible-study leader at UChicago Cru, said, “Community can no longer be passively fostered—the intention has to be there for community to be maintained.” “We are doing everything we can to connect with our community and to affirm that our physical distance need not mean spiritual distance,” Liaugminas said. Due to isolation, congregations have been more motivated to step up their game and reach out to members through prayer and practice. “The gravity of this pandemic has provided plenty of time to reassess our
priorities and beliefs. Most importantly, I think that this time has really established a sense of unity towards helping others and deepened the hope rooted in our faith,” third-year Cru member Jonathan Kim said. “We might find it especially challeng-
Campus religious communities have adjusted to a remote quarter. MILES BURTON
ing to be faithful when things are so unpredictable, and the times are so trying. Yet, it is precisely in circumstances such as those we face today that we witness the real power of faith, the resilience of hope, and the overcoming power of love,” Liaugminas said.
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Bartholomew are turning to virtual means to stay involved. Many houses are continuing their weekly house meetings on Zoom. With less need for the usual structure of house meetings, houses now dedicate this time for residents to check in and catch up with each other. Some have developed creative themes to engage former residents, such as virtual “pet love” events and short presentations of their chosen topics from students. “Zoom is nice because you get to see everyone’s face, and I like being able to actually see my friends,” third-year Rebecca Wixted, from Vincent House, said. “But it requires a little more planning ahead.” Wixted pointed out that using Discord, a communication software, helps with overcoming the limits of Zoom, allowing students to have casual interactions with each other. Many houses across campus have created Discord servers, which give residents more chances to interact with each other casually and hold creative, spontaneous events. For example, at Hitchcock house, the setup
of their server mimics the different components of a residence hall, and it includes channels dedicated to different interests, such as arts and crafts, knitting, music sharing, and pets. “A lot of what we are trying to do is to provide a sense of continuity. A lot of people are really displaced during this time, or have been kicked out of their homes,” third-year Roy McKenzie, Hitchcock House president, told The Maroon. “So, one thing we are doing is keeping, as many as we can…events that would happen during the quarter and [working to] translate them to these new and obviously very different settings.” Many houses have thought of innovative ways to keep their house traditions going. At Graham House, residents nominate “Heroes and Weenies of the Week” during house meetings. Residents at Vincent House have been able to continue the tradition of playing a decision-based video game in the house lounge using Discord and online streaming platform Twitch. Residential staff are also actively supporting their residents through their roles. Third-year Mateo Olve-
ra-Sandoval, an R A of Stony Island House, said that he is compiling a weekly newsletter, the Stony Chronicle, with works from house photography contests, movie recommendations, and creative Facebook poll results. “Our job is a little bit different, but we still have the same responsibilities like being a responsible employee and [responding to] Title IX if we become aware of that, and, obviously, being there for residents…whether it is academic or social life,” Sandoval said. Although the circumstances this quarter have made it more difficult for RAs to reach out and check in with residents on an individual basis, an essential part of their job, they have tried their best to continue offering their support via the internet. Third-year Jonathan Zhou, an RA at Hitchcock House, said, “What we as R As have to realize is that this is the best we can do, and it shows the residents that we still care. Even if it doesn’t feel organic to us, I think people will still appreciate it. Worst-case scenario—or maybe the best-case scenario—they say, no, I’m fine, I don’t need anything from you.”
Fourth-year Ariel Salmon, an R A at Snell House, has kept her weekly tea time to check in and chat with residents. Other RAs have also organized virtual study breaks, TV-watching parties, and game nights for students to talk with other housemates. Students agreed that having virtual house activities during the pandemic has helped them cope with the stress of quarantining. “It’s not fun to be in quarantine and not have a library to go to or to be studying with other people. Having [a house watch party] later in the day is definitely something that is keeping me productive,” first-year Cristian Molina from Vincent House told The Maroon. McKenzie also said that continuing house culture in spring quarter has helped him to stay positive amid the hard circumstances. “It would be really hard to go through this quarantine feeling disconnected, so for me [virtual house culture] has been a great asset,” he said. “I might not see them every day like I would before, but I am making that effort to connect to the community.”
The Importance of Staying In Touch During COVID-19 By SEBASTIAN VON STAUFFENBERG News Reporter Over the past few months, as the UChicago community has been uprooted by the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing has taken a toll on the psychological wellbeing of students, staff, and faculty. However, there are steps that can mitigate its effects, according to Nicholas Epley, a behavioral scientist at the Booth School of Business. An important distinction to make under these quarantine restrictions is the difference between social and physical distance, Epley said. “Everyone knows you can feel alone in a crowd of people who are in very close physical proximity, but you can also feel very socially connected when
talking on the phone with someone who might be on the other side of the planet.” People’s emotional connections do not have to be limited by physical distance. “Even though we are forced to be physically separated from one another, it doesn’t mean we have to lose our sense of connection. It requires a regular routine on our part,” he said. Epley used the metaphor of a one-a-day vitamin, taken regularly to keep one’s health in check, to illustrate the importance of this daily emotional maintenance. “You need to maintain it regularly, even if you might be reluctant to start, and you usually feel much better afterwards than you might expect.” Furthermore, studies have found that discussing deep, emotional topics rather
than your typical small talk greatly enhances social connection. These benefits were found to be even greater when done in real time (e.g. a phone call) as opposed to email or text. People do not have to feel pressured to limit themselves to a specific set of mundane topics, or to escape any sort of more personal exposure. In fact, being more vulnerable and open with people prompts greater and more meaningful conversations and relationships. Epley identified fear as a major culprit of our tendency to isolate, as it can distort our expectations of an event. “If I think it’s going to be unpleasant to talk with someone, then I won’t try, and I’ll never find out that my expectation might be wrong.” This pattern of negative, asocial behavior can be broken “the same way that you over-
come misplaced fears about anything: you try the action you’re somewhat afraid of and note how it goes.” Reaching out just once and generating a positive experience enables us to recalibrate our expectations of social connection for the better and makes us more likely to continue. This step, however, requires pushing aside our social anxieties and feelings of awkwardness. Other people’s hesitance to keep in touch does not necessarily stem from a lack of interest, but potentially from an inability to escape these social pressures. Only one person is required to break this ongoing loop of alienation. For making these conversation starters, Epley recommended “think[ing] of an old friend you haven’t been in touch with CONTINUED ON PG. 6
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for a while but would love to reconnect with.” Even if it doesn’t turn out the way you hope, he said, “Try it again, and then again, and at some point you will learn
that people tend to be happy to hear from you when you reach out to them.” It is only through experience that people fully recognize the effects of their actions. Epley stressed the point of finding “sil-
ver linings.” There is data to suggest that young adults tend to feel more isolated during this quarantine period, and it is essential that they stay “especially vigilant about choosing to maintain their social re-
lationships.” “Technology now makes it easier to connect with another person than any time in human history,” Epley said, but it is only helpful when used wisely.
Engage Slate Wins SG Executive Slate Election by 16 Votes By DARCY KUANG Deupty News Editor On Tuesday, the Engage Slate was announced the winner of the Student Government (SG)’s executive election in a three-way race. Engage received 430 votes, triumphing over the runner-up Independence Slate by 16 votes. Out of 430 votes, 376 came from the College, with 57, 160, 81, 51 votes from the Classes of 2020 to 2023 respectively. Engage, comprising President Raven Rainey, Vice President of Student Life Myles Hudson, and Vice President of Administration Alex Levi, all third-years, will head SG
in the 2020-21 school year. The slate ran on a platform of increasing support for marginalized students, vowing to create a Committee of Marginalized Student Affairs (COMSA), which would function as an alternative funding pipeline for cultural RSOs. In addition, Engage has promised to connect student activists from groups like UC United with the administration. Facing the possibility that fall quarter might remain remote, the slate has laid out a COVID-19 response plan that addresses student needs, especially those of first-generation low-income (FGLI) students. The
slate’s initiatives include negotiating to extend pay for student workers, communicating with students about available federal or state unemployment benefits, and prioritizing directing resources to FGLI students. Engage has also emphasized helping incoming FGLI students to integrate into campus life. Engage plans to mandate sexual misconduct prevention workshops for all RSOs. On the issue of Greek-life recognition, Engage’s approach will combine pressuring the administration to recognize Greek life and make improvements in sexual misconduct prevention in other areas.
During the election, Hudson faced sexual-misconduct allegations which he confirmed and apologized for later in a statement. “During my first year, I danced or attempted to dance with two separate men without their consent….The morning after each incident, I apologized to both individuals via text. I wanted them to know how disgusted I was at myself for making them uncomfortable,” Hudson wrote in the statement. Third-year Itzel Velázquez is elected Undergraduate Board of Trustees with 698 votes, a nearly two-to-one margin to the second-place candidate.
UChicago Lab Switches Focus to COVID-19 Testing By RANIA GARDE News Reporter Over the past month, professor Savas Tay of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and his team have pivoted their research to investigate coronavirus testing and treatment strategies. The Tay Lab usually collaborates with Dr. Nishant Agrawal in the Department of Surgery at UChicago Medicine, working on virus detection by digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This technique amplifies very small amounts of viral nucleotides, the molecules that construct DNA. Digital PCR can detect the minuscule amount of viral DNA present among the rest of our DNA, like uncovering a needle in a haystack. Now, they continue this collaboration, but with a new target: the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The Tay Lab is designing a more accurate saliva test as an alternative to the nasal swab for coronavirus testing. The nasal swab test has a high estimated false-negative rate and may miss up to 30 percent of cases, which indicates that there is room for improvement. A patient positive for COVID-19 may test
negative by nasal swab because there are no viral particles in the nasal cavity or because of variability in how the technician collects the sample. In addition to reducing the false-negative rate, a saliva test will not require nasal swabs, which have been in short supply in some locations. The Tay Lab hopes to bring a saliva test to a clinical trial in the next few weeks. The Tay Lab is also investigating how the virus may spread through aerosols or particulate matter, in collaboration with head and neck surgeon Dr. Jayant Pinto. “Not only do [infected individuals] create little droplets of spit when they sneeze, but also they create this really fine mist. There has been the argument recently that these aerosols, communicated just by talking, might be spreading the disease,” Pinto said. Tay and his team are working to determine whether this finer mist contains infectious viral particles. This study has implications for societal regulations now and in the coming months, which may influence the social-distancing precautions put in place as people return to work and public life. “First thing we’re going to investigate
is how far one should stay away,” Tay said. “The six-feet distance guideline is probably an educated guess—we need some quantitative numbers on that.... Is it six feet when you are talking? Is it six feet all the time? How long does it linger?” The Tay Lab hopes to answer these questions by quantifying the viral load that can spread through aerosols, how far it can reach, and how long infectious aerosols linger in the air. They are planning to use condensed air samples from patient rooms to conduct digital PCR and detect viral nucleotides in the samples. If they find viral particles in this fine mist, they’ll test whether these viral particles are intact and infectious. The final project the Tay Lab is working on is a long-term investigation of COVID-19 treatments. They anticipate results in the next three to six months. Thousands of possible pre-existing, FDA-approved drugs will be tested. Candidate drugs include those whose structures fit like a lock and key with one of COVID-19’s proteins. A drug that specifically fits into COVID-19’s proteins is likely to bind
and inhibit the virus. This project takes advantage of the COVID-19 protein structures recently characterized at Argonne National Laboratory. The Tay Lab can quickly test thousands of drugs in combination with one another, thanks to their own pioneering microfluidic technology. Microfluidic devices are grids of thousands of miniature petri dishes connected to channels that allow precise input of cells, cell culture media, and drugs. As a pilot study, the Tay Lab is identifying drug combinations that combat the common cold, which is less dangerous to work with. Then, they will collaborate with the high-safety facilities at Argonne to test drug candidates on the live COVID-19 virus. In spite of the immediate need for coronavirus research, the process of disseminating scientific results, along with safety regulations, is not very different than before the pandemic began. The Tay Lab will try out new strategies at UChicago Medicine, then Tay anticipates publishing a clinical research paper, and finally working directly with physicians to implement new treatments and follow up on the results.
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VIEWPOINTS
Preparing for the Academic Job Market in an Economic Recession Students Hoping to Join the Academy Must Mediate Expectations By KIMBERLY KAY
HOANG, PH.D. DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL STUDIES, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY Just five weeks ago, the world was a different place. The unprecedented—which are ongoing—affect our physical and mental health and, for many, create a deep sense of precariousness and insecurity as the unemployment count climbs past 26 million and counting. For many Ph.D. students, new questions are emerging about how to cope
with a world in crisis. In particular, students are concerned with how to prepare for a uniquely tight job market amid public announcements of hiring freezes. I found myself in a similar situation in 2008, the start of the 2008 global financial crisis, as a third-year Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley. I saw extremely talented graduate students a few years ahead of me enter an incredibly tight job market. Not unlike today, universities had announced hiring freezes and furloughs. The luckiest among my senior
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colleagues had a campus visit and an affirmative department vote, only to have the position be taken off the market at the administrative level due to budget cuts. For three years between 2008 and 2011, nearly every person on the market in sociology moved into postdoctoral fellowships, took low-paying jobs carrying high teaching loads, or, in the worst cases, were unable to secure any position within the academy. Then, in 2011, as the market began to open up, the newest Ph.D. students on the market suddenly found themselves competing with postdoctoral fellows who had book contracts or underplaced assistant professors whose publication records would have granted them tenure just three years prior. And today, the job market in the humanities is even more competitive. Looking back to 2007–08 there were 1,826 jobs in English; by 2017–18 that number had dropped by 55 percent to 828. And the state of university finances is poised to be far worse after this pandemic as compared to 2008, with estimated shortfalls between $100 and $500 million. As we enter into this new recession, it is clear that we have not hit the bottom yet. Despite the forthcoming challenges, here are a few things today’s Ph.D. students can do to prepare for the academic job market. First, take stock and recalibrate your priorities. It is important that you take a hard look at what matters most to you personally. Undoubtedly,
some of us will have to attend to family members who are sick or working on the front lines as essential care workers in hospitals, grocery stores, and a variety of other occupations. This might mean that you have to shift your priorities in order to juggle the competing demands on your time. Second, we are in a crisis. Understand that this is an unprecedented time where society as a whole will need to share in the sacrifices made. As scientists and social scientists, we need to play our part in helping to solve this problem—even if that means shifting research agendas or getting involved in collaborative projects led by faculty nationwide. The world needs not only data, but a deep and thorough analysis of that research, in order to inform emerging questions as they relate to: the lack of data and the problems with numbers, existing inequalities tied to race and class that are exacerbated in this crisis, access to testing and healthcare, emergent forms of racism against Asians and Asian Americans, and more. Start by asking yourself how your research can be shifted to focus on what’s needed now. Third, for those who come from a working-class background, graduate school can offer security, but you need to understand that rejection rates—despite your qualifications—are increasing, so get comfortable with rejection and brace yourself for an academic job market where tenure-track jobs will be hard to come by for at least two to
three years. What I’m saying is this: Enter the market with open eyes. Cast your nets wide as you apply to jobs and be prepared to accept your lower-tier choices. Fourth, recognize that it is an extraordinary privilege to be at an institution that provides $31,000, pays your full health insurance premiums ($4,566), and covers tuition ($60,300), for at least five years—and now longer for newer students. Know that $31,000 is almost the median income in Illinois: $34,196. This funding is also significantly more than what Ph.D. students in the same city at UIC are awarded ($19,300). This guaranteed funding is something that so many talented others, who have joined the ranks of unemployment, would be grateful to have. You are one of the lucky ones. Don’t undervalue that privilege. As a mentor once said to me in 2008, “This is a time to buck up, buckle down, and get to work on producing an outstanding dissertation because your competition at other institutions are definitely doing this.” If you feel that this is too much of a challenge, or is otherwise detrimental to your mental health, this is the time to think about alternative careers that are suitable to your persona l and professiona l goals. In sum: Be well, stay safe, and grab your extraordinary privilege by its horns to get solid data, publish, and produce the best possible dissertation you can, because this is literally your job right now.
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There Is No Recreating Pre-Pandemic UChicago Our Responsibility is to Create Traditions and Culture Befitting These Novel Circumstances By SYLVIA EBENBACH Up until recently, a question had been on my mind that I assume has been on many others’ as well. How do we sustain the UChicago community during this time of crisis and social distancing? However, in the past week I realized I was asking the wrong question, because the UChicago community as we knew it no longer exists. Not to be discouraging, but it is impossible to feign a sense of normalcy when our situation is so abnormal. UChicago students have a new lens through which to view the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which reflects how our social identity has been altered by this crisis. I won’t try to speak for others, but I know that my individual identity has changed. Since the UChicago community is fundamentally different due to this crisis, we cannot have expectations of a return to what was previously considered “normal”— rather we need to adapt and grow to sustain our new community and prepare for the eventual return to campus. In terms of how our community is objectively different now, members are experiencing extreme hardship and loss, whether that be in the form of their own physical health, the well-being of their loved ones, financial strain, or the beginning of a mental health crisis. The University has made impressive efforts to be accommodating by allowing for a flexible pass/ fail option for students through petition. However, many students are concerned about how the decision to take classes pass/fail this quarter will impact future employment or graduate school applications. Furthermore, the pass/fail policy is not uniform across all the departments—some have placed limits on the number of pass/fail classes that may count toward a
major. Giving students the option to deviate from the norm by taking courses pass/fail while their peers opt for quality grades does not contribute to our collective unity, but rather further isolates already-struggling individuals. The “Life of the Mind” pales in comparison with actual lives. The success of some efforts to adapt to new barriers and the failure of others is evidence that new approaches are required across the board. Before the first day of classes this quarter, Dean Boyer addressed the College through video. He referred to the importance of maintaining the UChicago community, offering advice such as having virtual house and RSO meetings, and staying in touch with friends through virtual get-togethers. This is all actually great advice to maintain meaningful connections, yet realistically it is limited by different time zones, technology limitations, and unforeseen issues related to the pandemic. To state the obvious, not every activity can easily be transitioned to Zoom, and the quality of the ones that can are seriously diminished. Some extracurricular activities, like club sports, are impossible now. Furthermore, a lot of RSOs seem to be taking a step back this quarter and not meeting virtually at all. Fortunately, that’s not the case across the board. Maya, a dance organization on campus, has been publishing routines made in social isolation on their YouTube channel, Theater [24] showcased their work this quarter in a performance deemed “Radio [24]”, and The Maroon and other student-run publications are continuing to put out pieces online. Staying connected to UChicago and other students in this manner does help foster a sense of community. However, rather than represent a continu-
ation of the past, replicating the lives we led on campus, these are evolutions of the microcommunities within the larger student body, adapted to our new reality. The creative drives are the same, but the artistic and social expression that follow are innovative. These new discoveries represent the changes that have occurred in the world and the ways we connect as people. In this evolution of RSO meetings, student performances, and school publications, we can see not a replication of UChicago’s on-campus culture, but instead the creation of something new and uniquely suited to our circumstances. Clearly, the UChicago community changed during this pandemic, but it would be folly to assume that these changes will vanish when students eventually return to campus. After the pandemic, the school’s dynamics will be different—it will be impossible to return
to how things were before. Considering this, the University needs to proactively address issues that may arise. Before COVID-19, due to the intense academic rigor of UChicago, many students already faced mental health challenges. The University needs to consider how they are going to accommodate for the increased need for mental health services in the wake of a global crisis. This could mean restructuring academic demands, increasing the availability of support services, and taking extra safety precautions within the dorms as people return from all over the world. Additionally, the administration needs to create a plan for the reality that many of its students may be in a much harder position financially to afford tuition and other payments. This could mean more on-campus employment opportunities, financial aid, and reconsideration of the requirement for
students to live on campus for two years rather than one, which often ends up being more expensive than off-campus housing. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and our community at UChicago. What we need to focus on now is how to strengthen ourselves anew and grow our support systems. Nothing about this situation is easy or straightforward and so much that occurs is out of our power. It’s tempting to spend our time and energy clinging to normalcy, trying to perfectly replicate the UChicago we once knew. However, we must take inspiration from our mascot, the phoenix, who rises from ash to be born anew. We have the potential to consciously influence how we rebuild as a community once the virus is under control. The nature of our resilience will define UChicago’s character forever.
JESSICA XIA
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Let’s Get Real About Autumn Quarter We Need to Honestly Assess the Risks and Challenges that Would Come with Reopening Campus By SOHAM MALL On February 3, I submitted a column to The Maroon titled “Everything Is Bad.” It thankfully remains unpublished, but it ran through the bad news of late 2019 and early 2020, highlighting the U.S.– Iran spat, Australian bushfires, Brexit, and a “coronavirus that continues to take lives and remains enigmatic,” and argued that we could make positive change even in the face of these issues. While discussing the shelter I’d been given from the consequences of many of those events, I wrote, “I live in a country with advanced public health systems that can probably detect and quarantine cases of the coronavirus.” I’ve been on a study abroad program this year and felt disconnected from UChicago life, but I may as well have been an alien from some faraway planet with how out of touch that comment was. I should be up there with the other members of the COVID-19 Clown Crew: the IOP whiteboard girl, a Stanford scientist, the New York Post, The New York Times, the U.S. Surgeon General, Donald Trump, and the World Health Organization. I do not want to be alarmist, but students should confront the likelihood of autumn quarter being held online in light of the extensive risks and logistical difficulties of reopening campus. Furthermore, we have to understand that as much as students and professors may prefer in-person education, another online quarter will likely be the most prudent choice this fall. In an email to members of the University community on April 24, the Provost Ka Yee
Lee wrote, “Planning for the Autumn Quarter, scheduled to begin on September 29, is under active discussion, and we will need further information to make a final decision. We plan to make a decision by the end of June.” Though it did not provide any definite answers, the provost’s email suggests that the situation is up in the air. Most of us would like to return to normalcy as soon as possible, but there is a crucial distinction between “possible” and “prudent.” There are similar calls for the reopening of the economy which stem from valid fears that jobs will be lost and institutions may crumble. Christina Paxson, Brown University’s president, argued in a New York Times op-ed that colleges must reopen in the fall. Though her wish to bring students back to campus and infrastructural plans for a campus reopening are valuable to consider as part of higher education’s long-term response to the pandemic, she fails to consider that a rushed reopen is conditional on too many factors to be viable on such short notice. Will universities realistically be able to guarantee a plan by the end of June to keep their communities safe in the face of an enigmatic pandemic? The effects of this pandemic are unpredictable, and it is of paramount importance to consider contingencies other than a quick, rosy global recovery that will let us get back to our one-dollar milkshakes and sleep deprivation. Despite Paxson’s ambitions, universities will certainly not be the first to open if coronavirus restrictions are lifted gradually. Dr. Anthony Fauci advised a “rolling reentry” while
being clear that there is no definite timeline. Regarding a societal solution, UChicago professor Anup Malani contemplated the possibility of first releasing everyone but the elderly, or only those who have recovered. In a university context, the former would mean that elderly professors and members of staff would not be on campus, which would curtail normal university operations. Immunocompromised students, faculty, and staff would also be at severe risk and not be able to return to campus. If we were to allow only recovered individuals on campus, we would need mass testing— before entering campus, and at regular intervals afterwards— and tracing with little room for error, as well as the knowledge that people cannot be reinfected, which we currently do not have. UChicago reported 16,482 degree-seeking students as of winter 2020, which would make it a hotbed for infection if there were a resurgence of cases. Furthermore, international students comprise 21 percent of UChicago’s student population, which also makes the reopening of campus dependent on whether they are allowed back into the U.S. by the end of September. Even if we set aside these challenges, it is difficult to imagine a coherent set of measures that will make reopening campus viable if the virus has not been contained. The provost mentioned in her email that “forms of social distancing and other preventative measures are likely to be necessary for the foreseeable future.” Would students, faculty, and staff have to be retested at UChicago Medicine during the quarter? If social
distancing measures are still in place, would large lectures continue to take place online, with small classes taking place in large lecture halls to ensure distancing? Dining halls would also be a concern—would we cap dining hall capacity? Would students be assigned time slots to access dining facilities? It is likely that all undergraduates in campus housing would require single rooms as a matter of safety, but our current dormitory infrastructure cannot accommodate such a change. If there were to be a resurgence of cases, we would endanger not only the UChicago community but also the other residents of Hyde Park and Chicago. By contrast, if autumn quarter is taken online, the UChicago experience will be severely diluted, a fact we are already observing this spring. Incoming first-years will miss out on O-Week and in-person RSO fairs during a high school–college transition that is often challenging even during non-pandemic times. With no sports and a dearth of extracurricular interactions, even if some RSOs are able to meet online without difficulty, making friends and sharing experiences in college will be doubly difficult. The best memories I have of my college experience so far are of sitting with my friends in the west lounge of South (try doing that over Zoom) and pretending to do homework, then taking the shuttle to Ratner at 10 p.m., playing basketball for an hour, and then rushing to Baker to get to fourth meal before being kicked out at midnight. I cannot imagine trying to make friends through Zoom lectures. We will miss out on brilliant minds, inf luential
speakers, ideas, research, art, and so much more. For those of us looking for postgraduation jobs in a debilitated economy, not being able to meet potential employers in person will undoubtedly hamper our opportunities. Some schools are already considering canceling their autumn terms and postponing the start of the academic year to 2021. If UChicago decides to follow a similar plan, the administration will have to decide whether to have the summer quarter be mandatory to make up for the lost term— implying an uninterrupted year of school for most students—or to have the Class of 2021 graduate in autumn 2021, which seems unlikely unless there is some national shift in graduation dates across universities. Even if summer quarter is not mandatory, a cancelled autumn quarter will necessarily lead to an uptick in summer enrollment with students trying to negate the effect of the missed quarter. Overall enrollment will also be affected if autumn quarter is held online. Students who wish to and are able to afford a leave of absence may pause or defer their degree until campus is reopened. This may disproportionately affect international students, especially if border controls are unclear or if certain countries lift restrictions too early and spark further flare-ups of the virus. Even if campus is reopened, some students may still not return out of fear of a resurgence or if the decision to reopen is made too hastily and without proper prevention measures. If enrollment numbers are down, will CONTINUED ON PG. 10
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The best we can do is to prepare for unpleasant possibilities and hope that they don’t come true. CONTINUED FROM PG. 9
UChicago be able to continue paying faculty and staff and to provide sufficient financial aid for those who need it? As a university with a high sticker price and a substantial endowment, UChicago may not be as acutely affected as other universities, but this question is nevertheless necessary to consider. Because I was abroad before the University transitioned to distance learning,
I haven’t seen campus in almost a year. I don’t want my final year to play out like this. I will be overjoyed if we are able to curb this pandemic and find a concrete solution, not only for the University but a panacea for everyone in the world dealing with this issue. The timeline is incredibly hazy, and it is difficult to predict what will happen even next month. I do not want to cause any panic and am well aware that
none of the contingencies I addressed may actually match the reality of the coming few months. However, the best we can do is to prepare for unpleasant possibilities and hope that they don’t come true. Considering these possibilities early comes at minimal cost. I hope the administration is taking all these factors—and others—into account and will keep us updated as circumstances
change and decisions are made. As members of the University community, we need to keep these possibilities in mind and make sure we communicate our individual concerns to the University, so that they may be considered when the final decision is made. In the meantime, I hope everyone is following social distancing guidelines and doing their best to keep themselves and others safe and healthy.
ARTS “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” Is Whatever Hobby You Want It to Be By JULIAN STUART-BURNS Arts Reporter If you were looking forward to any film, album, or video game in March or April, there’s a good chance you were left disappointed. Would-be blockbusters like *Mulan* and the new James Bond movie are among some of the dozens of movies that were delayed as the pandemic forced movie theaters to close nationwide. Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys delayed albums as concert venues similarly shut down. And while video games would seemingly be the perfect medium to weather the storm, some highly anticipated releases were pushed back. But some games still managed to make it to market, and perhaps the biggest breakout hit was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as it rides the self-care culture wave to new sales heights. In this entry in Nintendo’s famously cute franchise, you play as a villager who moves out to a picturesque deserted island along with an adorable cast of animal peers, like the tanuki Tom Nook, who handles the money, and the dog Isabelle, who does the morning news announcements. Once you’re there? Well, you pretty much do whatever you feel like. Tom Nook provides some guidance, perpetually granting you loans and expanding your house, but there’s no deadline and no interest. So for the most part, you’re then left with an empty island full of potential. And I think that potential has been so alluring for so many players because of the different ave-
nues of creativity Animal Crossing creates, providing a relaxing, self-paced artistic outlet for many people during a deeply stressful and volatile time in their lives. The activities in Animal Crossing vary in their complexity. Some are basic and will be standard for almost all players, like catching fish and bugs for your island museum, or pulling weeds. But others have layers and layers to them. The world of Animal Crossing flower breeding is an intriguing one. Gathering all the different species of flowers available in the game is already a feat of its own, as you have to visit your friends’ islands to get their native flowers and fill any gaps with visiting islands of players you find on Twitter or forums. But that’s just the start. If you hope to breed rare colored petals to adorn your island with, you’ll have to arrange the intended “parent” plants near each other and water them every day. Best of all, it was recently discovered that the reproduction process follows actual Mendelian genetics. To get that Black Tulip or Blue Rose, it’s time to bust out the Punnett squares, water your garden, and bide your time. There’s a whole host of tactics to maximize your income of bells (the in-game currency) for the econ bros of the world. You can play the “stalk market” by buying and selling turnips, whose price fluctuates day by day and island by island. Alternatively, you can connect to global Animal Crossing commerce through third-party sites like Nookazon, where players trade item recipes, rare CONTINUED ON PG. 11
“New Horizons” stands out as a return to “Animal Crossing.” COURTESY OF NINTENDO
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Is the cat Raymond—whose cute business attire and smug attitude have fans swooning worldwide—one of your neighbors? CONTINUED FROM PG. 10
fossils, or coveted in-game albums. People even trade villagers, having a player visit another player’s island to convince a certain villager to move. Is the cat Raymond— whose cute business attire and smug attitude have fans swooning worldwide—one of your neighbors? If you’re willing to part with him, you’ll be a “bellionaire.” While charting out flower patterns or turnip profits offers the nerdy joy of learning how to optimize a system, the most fundamental kind of creativity at work in New Horizons is aesthetic. The game has thousands of fashion items and thousands more interior design elements, from wallpapers
and rugs to televisions, dish drying racks, and gumball machines. Animal Crossing already has ways of encouraging decorating and dressing up, but for me, the biggest inspiration has been the game’s social media community. For weeks my Instagram “Explore” page has been almost exclusively Animal Crossing design and fashion inspiration, which Nintendo encouraged with a snazzy “fit” screen to document your threads. The unique shareability of New Horizons screenshots has massively popularized the game, since at this point it’s transformed into a pop culture phenomenon. It welcomed a lot of people I know who didn’t really play video games before, and most were pleasantly
surprised at the comfort the game provided during quarantine. But the supportive, laid-back creative freedom that makes Animal Crossing so comforting in a time of crisis isn’t coincidental. Professor Naomi Clark of the NYU Game Center offers insightful analysis about how original Animal Crossing was developed and released after one of the longest recent recessions in Japan, where homeownership was at historic lows as urbanization was rising. And around that time, Japanese tourist agencies heavily promoted the ideal of the furusato, which is basically a family’s historic, rural, family hometown. In the furusato, families would often be growing crops
for a living, but that left them with a lot of leisure time (or at least, that’s the dream). Clark further explains that Animal Crossing is clearly constructed from this fantasy, as the player’s perpetual debt calls back to the 18th century, where these idealized villages would take on collective debt to pay for supplies and equipment. But much like Tom Nook’s no-interest, no-time-limit loans, these debts weren’t even really meant to be paid—they mostly just gave people a stake in the community: “You can’t go to the busy city, you’ve gotta pay off your debt, stay with us and catch dragonflies with the family (or whatever you feel like!).”
Amid Quarantine, the Arts Core Gets Creative By SAUMYA JAIN Arts Reporter Although silence has filled the UChicago campus, classes are still very much in session. Students and professors continue to adjust to online learning, but certain courses have had more difficulty in ensuring students receive the same quality of education as before. The various arts Core classes are some of the most popular subjects for students, challenging their minds in a different way, but this experience is not the same for them in this new atmosphere. In Visual Language: On Images, students participate in studio exercises, visit museums, and develop a unique approach to art and its various forms. This 2-D art class involves studio work and critical discussions, teaching students basic principles of art and concepts to expand their understanding of others’ artwork. However, this, of course, isn’t the same this quarter. Visual Language: On Images hasn’t had traditional Zoom meetings as other classes, but they communicate regularly through Canvas discussions, as teachers try to ensure students get as thorough an experience of the course as possible. With everything run on Canvas, students aren’t able to get the same ex-
perience. While they still create their artwork at home, they aren’t able to showcase it in the same manner to their peers. “One of the biggest cons of online classes [is] the lack of critiques,” second-year Jude Brewer noted. “The way we are currently doing critiques is uploading our works on a discussion page and having others comment.” While this still allows students to interact with each other and observe others’ works, Brewer feels that “there are some elements to traditional work that you have to see in person to give a well-rounded critique.” This course also normally offers students a chance to escape to the Logan Center from their normal study spots, and although they can’t physically be there, the art and curriculum are helping them “de-stress during this weird time,” as Brewer said. Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS) classes are designed to introduce students to new skills and concepts across different genres, styles, and settings. Many of the classes normally consists of readings and discussions, but students also attend performances and screenings across campus and Chicago itself. Now online, this course still emphasizes collaboration and communication through discussion boards on Canvas and Zoom breakout sessions.
Professor David New, instructor for Drama: Embodiment and Transformation, has approached this by having students watch Broadway films at home and discussing them later as a group. Alexa Silfen, a first-year, shared with The Maroon how this “is very productive and still allows us to share our thoughts as a group.” On a regular basis, they also do communication exercises to promote a more open environment. This large focus on collaboration allows students to still grasp an understanding of an introduction to TAPS, even if it’s not in the optimal way. Across the same field, Acting Fundamentals, another popular TAPS course, is known for its quirky curriculum, as students get to read, improvise, and perform. Performing scenes over Zoom isn’t easy, but professor Thomas Pasculli adds fun dancing sessions into his classes to keep his students on their toes, both literally and figuratively. First-year Adil Dahlvani shared, “The in class dance parties are fun, but the collaborative projects outside of class are hard because my peers are too far away.” Introduction to Film Analysis covers famous works, film techniques, and general concepts of film analysis. Watching films is normally a major part of the curriculum, and students have been able to
implement that into their own homes. However, collaboration has been harder for this course online. Emily Nagler, a first-year student in professor Ian Jones’s class, noted, “The class has a lot of group work which is really difficult to do with a different group every week especially online.” In professor Jenisha Borah’s class, first-year FJ Marsh also emphasized the strong presence of collaboration and group work: “We’ve been using breakout rooms, which are sort of awkward, but I think as we’ve gotten to know each other (even if it’s just during class time) and gotten used to virtual learning, we’ve been able to start opening up more.” Despite this challenge, students have gotten the chance to understand filming from a point of view they otherwise wouldn’t have seen. Borah’s class is even doing a video essay for a project, which is not typically what students would expect in the curriculum, but they are open to the new approach. Although this isn’t the ideal scenario, the students and their professors are making the best of the current situation. With everyone adjusting to this new way of learning and living, many students find comfort in their arts classes, which in turn provide them an odd escape from the normal UChicago workload.
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SPORTS
Quar-RUN-tine: Sports as a Source of Sanity By JACKIE ROSA Sports Reporter
With the cancellation of all varsity spring sports, many athletes have found themselves at a loss. As both a cross-country and trackand-field athlete, I am in competition yearround. Preseason begins at the end of the summer, cross country starts in the fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring. Ultimately, I am constantly training and competing without any official offseason besides the summer. When the spring track season was confirmed to be cancelled, the common sentiment from my team was disappointment. We had an incredibly strong senior class, who were predicted to contribute amazing final performances to the NCAA Indoor Championship, which was abruptly cancelled. Head cross country and track and field coach Chris Hall described the heartbreaking moment when he was informed of the decision that the meet was cancelled, “For our women’s team that had a real opportunity to challenge for the championship this was hard to take, and for Alex Scott, a senior on the men’s team ranked No. 2 in the country in the shot put. The team understood the decision, but learning about it so late was really tough.” Despite the sadness surrounding the meet and outdoor season cancellation, Hall remains optimistic for the upcoming 2020 cross
country season due to the “competitiveness” of the teams returning next year. Personally, this time of quarantine and having a season taken away has put into perspective how much I enjoy running for the sake of running. I feel very grateful to be a runner because my daily run adds some sort of structure to my schedule. Every run feels like a little victory for the day, which is important during these times of uncertainty. I have found this time in quarantine to be an opportunity to savor running and working out, which is often a struggle when I’m at school and my daily schedule is much busier. With more time on my hands, I have engaged in alternative forms of working out such as biking, hiking, yoga, and more lifting. Although there is uncertainty of when our next official season of competition will be, my motivation to train is still high because I find exercise to be the most therapeutic part of my day. I have no control over when I’ll be able to compete again or when I’ll even be able to run with my teammates (which has been the biggest struggle for me), but with running I have control over the outcomes of my fitness and overall well-being. Although cross country and track are often perceived as individual sports, my team is incredibly close and has maintained communication despite being quarantined in different parts of the country. Morale and motivation remain very high for the team. When asked about what has been her motivation
for training and her greatest difficulty with losing a season of track, third-year Annika Hildebrandt said, “I have kept up my motivation for training by looking forward to the next time I can safely practice and compete with teammates again. The greatest difficulty with quarantine and losing a season of track is not being able to run with teammates and it made me realize how grateful I am for the friendships I have on the team.” Second-year Val Figueira has maintained a positive attitude by finding the silver lining to the season being gone. When asked about the loss of the spring track season and the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming cross-country season, Figueira said, “My morale was lowest when the weekend that would have been
conference came up. As a steeplechaser, the event is only run in the spring, and I felt that I could have made big improvements in my running career. Although the season is gone, I can work on getting better from a training perspective, mentally and physically. Even if the fall season is lost, too, if I am able to be in Chicago with my friends, that is a bigger victory than an athletic season.” During this unpredictable time, running has been the one constant. I am grateful that my sport can be practiced anywhere, any time, and even during a crisis like this. Although my season is lost, my motivation and appreciation of competing and being with teammates grows every day.
The UChicago cross country teams at the Augustana Invite (2019).
COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS
Athletes Receive All-American Honors for Unfinished Seasons By ALISON GILL Sports Reporter
The absence of athletic competition has not prevented UChicago athletes from garnering conference, regional, and national acclaims for their abilities. The NCAA’s decision to cancel winter championships and the entirety of the spring season, made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has shuttered all university life, abruptly ended seasons—and careers—for some of the top athletes in the country, including many Maroons. Without the ability to compete for individual or team championships, the UChicago student-athletes have searched
for and found closure in the concept that “the journey is the goal,” as track standout fourth-year Alexander Scott said. Yet, in an attempt at normalcy during a time where that seems otherwise unthinkable, many collegiate governing bodies have proceeded to dole out their typical end-ofseason awards for seasons and championships that never occurred. We will never know what storylines we missed out on: a podium sweep for the female divers, the expected dominance of men’s tennis, the continued ascension of the lacrosse team into postseason play? But we can still recognize the accomplishments of the Maroon student-athletes whose sustained excellence
never quite got the platform it deserved. “The [All-American] accomplishment is different because I feel like I didn’t quite earn it,” second-year diver Elizabeth Cron admitted. After earning All-American status last season, along with the rest of the female divers, she said of this year, “Our whole team earned our spots at nationals…and I’m disappointed I didn’t get the chance to dive at that meet again.” “In terms of being named All-American, it is just a title. There is so much more everyone else and I can work towards in this sport. I know most of us never gave the [award] a lot of thought going into the season—we just wanted to do our best for the team,” said first-
year swimmer Arthur Kiselnikov. For the athletes who have garnered these awards, there will likely always exist some question of “What if?” Kiselnikov said that, while he had felt content in the moment of cancellation, he has since been nagged by that question: “I definitely wonder what the team may have achieved if we competed at nationals and that ‘not knowing’ is what still gets to me.” When the “last dive” meant a literal last dive, Cron initially felt disappointed although she soon recognized the importance of going home to family. “I’ll remember the 2020 season for its duration, not its end…. CONTINUED ON PG. 12
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“I’ll remember the 2020 season for its duration, not its end.” CONTINUED FROM PG. 11
Being at the national championship meet does not mean as much to me as competing for my team and with my team, which I was able to do at each meet during our season. While I would have loved to compete with our senior, Agnes Lo, at her final nationals, I got to compete alongside her and cheer for her at our last meet of the season—where our women swept both boards—which will be a pretty incredible memory for a long time…. We finished on a very high note,” said Cron. While the 2020 season met an unexpected and unwanted end, the athletes have shifted their focus onto the next season. Kiselnikov is “very much” looking forward to the team’s return to the pool, although he knows it will be “strange” to be back with the team after a long hiatus. He said that the 2020 ending “definitely adds fuel to the flames…. Losing the opportunity to compete for a national championship makes me think of coming back next year and really showing a huge leap in strength as a team and shocking our competition.” Cron, too, advised that
the competition take heed because “I know that we will come back next year even stronger. Watch out.” After such a long break, though, Cron anticipates great excitement upon her return to the pool and joked that she imagines “the dives will not be too high quality for a while…. It’s hard to get back on the boards and not fall off every time after being off for more than a week. So it will be an interesting—and funny to the observer—time.” The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America selected 32 UChicago swimmers and divers as All-Americans, based on the criteria of having qualified for the NCAA national championship. The total of 32 national qualifiers was the highest in school history, and the Maroons represented the third-largest total of All-Americans in the nation. Among standouts, fourth-year Byrne Litschgi earned the distinction in six events, including the 200-yard backstroke, in which he is the defending national champion, and rookie Arthur Kiselnikov similarly tallied six. On the women’s side, third-year Gillian Gag-
STAR-SPANGLED BANGERS By CHRIS JONES Across 1. Tollway system for Illinois 6. Litmus test nos. 9. Shade of purple 14. Structure typically oriented east/ west 16. Follow, as advice 17. Band with the hit song “Deconstructing Chicago”? 18. Nadella of Microsoft 19. Tax expert, for short 20. Band with the hit song “NO SLEEP IN NASHVILLE”? 22. Wifi
forerunner 23. Adds sprinkles, say 24. Descarte s therefore 25. Ides utterance 27. Some shirt sizes: Abbr. 29. Stick end? 30. Bring home 32. Michelangelo masterwork 34. Soph. and sr. 35. Band with the hit song “Trumpets Over Omaha”? 38. Emergency! 41. Does some presses 42. Cut 45. Tsk! 46. Place: Abbr. 47. Mario Kart character
49. Resting on 51. [Sigh!] 54. Space station that fell into the Pacific Ocean in 2001 55. Band with the hit song “Tallahassee Bop”? 59. Intense indignation 60. Some pet store visitors 61. Band with the hit song “Indianapolis is my home, but I’m a free kinda girl anyway”? 63. TV show that portrays serial killers in the first person 64. High-___ 65. Descartes
and Magritte 66. Glance at 67. Lays down Down 1. Result of some chilly dripping 2. Examine, physically 3. Home of the Braves 4. To be, in Beijing 5. Mailed 6. Followup to 42- Across 7. ___ chill (isn’t calm and cool) 8. Sadly unrestful 9. Fem. s opposite 10. I haven t got ___! 11. Absolutely 12. Name of the manmade object farthest from Earth 13. Drives mad, in a way
nard paced the team with five distinctions, and a trio of female divers—fourth-year Agnes Lo and second-years Elizabeth Cron and Alice Saparov—once again repeated with a clean sweep of All-American honors in the one-meter and three-meter dive events. The nationals-bound trio of wrestlers also earned All-American honors, as selected by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. For the second time in his career, fourthyear Steve Bonsall was placed on the Second Team at 157 pounds. First-year Cole Fibranz capped off a 24–3 debut season with Second Team All-American status at 285 pounds. After a 26–1 season and four invitational titles, second-year Ben Sarasin was named a First Team All-American in the 184-pound weight class, garnering consecutive All-American honors in separate weight classes. Fourth-year Laura Darcey was voted the National Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. The honor, bestowed by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association came after a historic season wherein Darcy tallied the top pentathlon perfor-
15. Four-footed forest female 21. NCOs two ranks above cpl. 26. Keats’s Ode on a Grecian ___ 28. Rice wine 31. Famous first name of 1969 32. Fighting for mothers (or maybe against them?) 33. 007 creator Fleming 36. Like the Core 37. U-verse creator 38. Newsroom employee 39. Last longer than 40. Substituted (for) 43. Arrivals 44. Bon Appétit furnishing 48. Rastafarian hair style 50. One who has
nothing to lose but their chains, according to Marx
mance in the nation. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) awarded six UChicago athletes with All-American honors. Second-year Lauren Park earned the status after posting a teambest record of 17–4 at the top singles slot and winning the ITA Central Region singles title. The dynamic rookie combo of Perene Wang and Claudia Ng was also recognized; the duo won the ITA Central Region doubles title and tore through their season with a 19–2 record. On the men’s side, second-year Joshua Xu had a 6–4 season en route to All-American honors in singles. In doubles, the combination of third-year Jeremy Yuan and fourthyear Erik Kerrigan earned the honor with a perfect 8–0 record. In addition to All-American honors, UChicago athletes picked up a number of other awards, including All-UAA and UAA All-Academic standing. As the status for fall seasons continues to face uncertainty, we will look to continue providing coverage on all athletic information pertinent to the University.
52. Time, if you believe a common idiom 53. Actor
Murphy of Shrek 56. Terrorist group that calls itself a caliphate
57. Feel unwell 58. Scion 62. Single-bond suffix