TWO OF 910 COVID-19 TESTS RETURN POSITIVE AT MOVE-IN SCREENING
SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 FIRST WEEK VOL. 133, ISSUE 2
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Campus Opens for the Fall, Students Petition for a Fully Remote Quarter
Caroline Kubzansky
Caroline Kubzansky
Caroline Kubzansky
Man Shot Near 53rd and Lake Park Matthew Lee
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ARTS: A review of Boys State, a documentary film following 1,000 17-year-old Texan boys who are tasked with building a democratic government
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SPORTS: Fourth-year football player Vittorio Tricase is eyeing a powerlifting bid at the 2024 Olympics, representing Italy
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VIEWPOINTS: Library employees argue that reopening plans are being pushed “too far too fast.”
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Election 2020 in Hyde Park: How and Where to Vote By PRANATHI POSA News Editor Whether you’ve just gotten to campus and decided to register in Illinois, or if you’re an experienced Hyde Park voter, The Maroon is here to help you cast your vote during these unprecedented times. If you want to get a rundown of politics in Chicago and Illinois, check out this year’s local politics explainer! If you’ll be voting in a different state, you can find more information online at vote.org. Local Politics: What You Should Know Registering to Vote To register to vote in the November 3 General Election, you must • be a U.S. citizen; • be 18 by the general election on November 3, 2020; • live in your precinct for 30 days prior to the election; • not be in jail or prison. You can register to vote in Illinois online,
by mail, or in person. If you’re not sure whether you are registered, you can check your registration online at ova.elections.il.gov. Online voter registration closes October 18. Applications to register by mail need to be postmarked by October 6 to the Chicago Board of Elections Commission. You can also register in person during the early voting period (more info below) or on the day of the election. In order to register to vote in person, you will need to provide two forms of identification. Acceptable forms of identification can be found online at chicagoelections.gov. If you need to change the name or address you are registered under, that can also be done online at ova.elections.il.gov (look up your old registration first) or in person at a voting location. If you need to update the signature on your voter registration, that can be done by filling out this form and either mail it or email it to registration@chicagoelections.gov. Voting by Mail If you decide to vote by mail, you must ap-
ply for a ballot by October 29 and postmark it by November 3. All early-voting locations will have secured drop boxes that you can drop your ballot off at in its signed and sealed ballot return envelope. If you are voting by mail in the two weeks before November 3, it is recommended that you use the secured drop boxes as opposed to postmarking your ballot. Early Voting Early voting opens September 24 and runs through November 3. You can make a trip to the Loop Super Site at Clark & Lake (191 North Clark Street). If you live on campus, your early voting locations are as follows: • Snell-Hitchcock, Max Palevsky, International House, and Campus North: Ray Elementary School, 5631 South Kimbark Avenue; • Renee Granville-Grossman, Burton-Judson, and Woodlawn Commons: Dulles Elementary School, 6311 South Calumet Avenue. If you live off campus, you can refer to this
list of early polling locations, or look up your polling location here. Voting on November 3 It is recommended that you exercise the options of mailing in your ballot and early voting instead of voting in person on Election Day. However, if you find yourself needing to cast your vote on November 3, the polling locations if you live on campus are as follows: • Snell-Hitchcock, Max Palevsky and Campus North: Ray School, 5631 South Kimbark Avenue; • Renee Granville-Grossman, Burton-Judson, and Woodlawn Commons: Cornerstone Baptist Church, 1210 East 62nd Street; • International House: The Cloisters, 5801 South Dorchester Avenue. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you live off campus, you can refer to this list of Election Day polling locations if you know the precinct you live in, or look up your polling location online at chicagoelections.gov.
New Hyde Park Restaurants Promise to Spice Up Fall Quarter By ADYANT KANAKAMEDALA AND MATTHEW LEE News Contributors While most of the student body was away during summer break, two new restaurants—Wingstop and Taco Bell Cantina—set up shop on East 53rd Street. Wingstop occupies the space once filled
by Hyde Park Taco Station, and Taco Bell Cantina sits at what was once the home of the Freehling Pot & Pan Company. Wingstop, no doubt already familiar to many in the student body, is a chain of restaurants that sells chicken wings and chicken wing accessories, such as dips, fries, and so-called “boneless wings.” Wingstop is located at 5300 South
Dorchester Avenue. Taco Bell Cantina is envisioned by parent company Yum! Brands as an upscale version of the fast food staple Taco Bell. In addition to Taco Bell staples like tacos, burritos, and, formerly, the Mexican Pizza (R.I.P.), the location will also feature Cantina-exclusive food items. Further, true to its name, Taco Bell Cantina will offer a range
of alcoholic beverages for sale in-store, from beer to margarita to spiked freezes. The location opened after a $150,000 renovation this summer. Taco Bell Cantina can be found at 1365 East 53rd Street. Both restaurants are open for takeout, consistent with Chicago’s city-wide COVID-19 restrictions.
UChicago Settles Trademark Dispute With Barstool Sports By MILES BURTON Editor-in-Chief The University of Chicago and pop culture and sports blog Barstool Sports resolved a trademark dispute before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on in August. The dispute came about because the University and Barstool Sports had each filed trademark applications for media products with similar names. On January 11, 2019, Barstool Sports
filed a trademark application with the USPTO covering The Big Brain, a web series on which Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and other guests evaluate, and potentially fund, start-up ventures. On May 1, 2019, UChicago applied for a trademark for Big Brains, a podcast produced by UChicago News since 2018 which features interviews with scholars at UChicago about their research. According to public records, the USPTO notified the University of several issues preventing its application from being granted
on July 15, 2019, including the conflict with Barstool’s application. The University submitted an amendment resolving the technical issues with the application on January 15, 2020, leaving the conflict as the only apparent obstacle to the USPTO granting the trademark for Big Brains. The USPTO notified the University that its application would be suspended on July 17, 2020. If a trademark application conflicts with an earlier-filed application for a similar mark, it can be suspended, meaning it can-
not proceed until the conflict is resolved. This can happen in a number of ways: The prior-filed trademark may be granted, in which the second application will likely be rejected; the earlier application could be abandoned, allowing the second to proceed unimpeded; or the prior-filed application could itself be suspended for conflict with an even earlier trademark application. These situations can also be resolved if the later filer demonstrates that there is no basis for the conflict, or the parties can come CONTINUED ON PG. 3
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to an agreement allowing the trademarks to coexist without conflicting. While these proceedings were ongoing, the University was also working to resolve the conflict preventing its trademark application from proceeding. On July 11, 2019, the University filed an opposition to Barstool’s application with the USPTO Trade-
mark Trial and Appeal Board. An opposition allows a party to officially seek to block another applicant’s trademark. After nearly a year of negotiations between the University and Barstool, the parties submitted a motion to the Board on June 30 to resolve the matter by amending Barstool’s application to exclude podcasts from its trademark and withdraw the Uni-
versity’s objection. In an email to The Maroon, University spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan said, “The University agreed to a trademark settlement with Barstool Sports, Inc., a common procedure in trademark law. The terms of the settlement are not public, but there was no financial element to the agreement and the University will continue to
use the Big Brains brand.” Because this agreement clarified that each trademark would apply to a different product, the Board dismissed the University’s opposition on August 24. According to the USPTO website, UChicago’s application remains suspended and Barstool’s is pending approval as of Monday, September 21.
Out of 910 Move-In Tests, Two Students Test Positive for COVID-19 By MATTHEW LEE News Editor Two students out of the 910 students whose COVID-19 tests were processed by end-of-day on Tuesday, September 22 have tested positive for coronavirus, according to an email sent to university community mem-
bers by Provost Ka Yee Lee and Dean Michele Rasmussen. The tests were conducted as part of the UChicago residence hall move-in procedure. 1,588 students were examined in total, meaning that there are still 678 tests to be examined in this initial batch.
The two students that have tested positive have been notified and quarantined, according to the email. Further, the University is engaging in contact tracing to determine whether these individuals exposed any of their peers in the recent past. The University expected at least some
positive tests as students moved into residence dorms, according to the email. Students residing in residence halls are tested upon arrival and must observe a 10-day quarantine as well as receive weekly COVID-19 testing thereafter. Students not living in university housing are not required to receive COVID-19
Man Shot Near Corner of 53rd and Lake Park By MATTHEW LEE News Editor A man was shot near 5300 South Lake Park Avenue on Thursday evening at around 8:00 p.m. The altercation was the result of an argument between two acquaintanc-
es inside a restaurant, according to a statement by Robert Mason, the public information officer of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD). “The suspect chased the victim outside and fired several shots from a handgun, wounding the victim,” according to Mason. The victim was wounded in the
shoulder and leg. According to Jeremy Manier, a University spokesperson, no one involved with the incident was affiliated with the University of Chicago. The incident produced a significant police response, with dozens of cars from both the UCPD and Chicago Po-
lice Department (CPD) responding to the scene. CPD arrested a suspect and recovered a weapon shortly afterward, and will investigate the incident moving forward. The Chicago Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Petition for Fully Remote Autumn Quarter Gains Traction By BRAD SUBRAMANIUM Senior Reporter A petition to move the University of Chicago’s hybrid instruction plans to a fully-remote model has gained over 358 signatures as of September 17. The petition, organized by students in the College on August 30, demands a flexible pass-fail policy for students, course schedule flexibility for international students, financial compensation for work-study jobs and all university staff, waiving of fall quarter late tuition payment fees, closure of all non-essential campus buildings, and mandatory remote course instruction. The University implemented a similar policy during the spring quarter of 2020.
Naa Asheley Ashitey, a fourth-year organizer of the petition, said that rises in new cases of COVID-19 in and near University zip codes could result in unnecessary health and safety dangers for students and members of the Hyde Park community. There were 1502 cases in the zip codes UChicago is located in, as of September 17. “These neighborhoods are occupied by individuals who are low-income, Black, brown, native or indigenous,” Ashitey said. “We have an obligation to do the right thing not only for our community, but also the communities that we surround. We cannot just only think about our own students, faculty, and staff, we also need to think about where we are occupying.” “There have been cases where professors have been switching from remote to in-per-
son or vice versa literally within the past couple days. If I were to have that happen, that’s an issue because now I’m [not] only putting myself at risk, but others at risk,” Ashitey said. Ashitey added that other universities located in large cities, such as Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, have recently reversed reopening decisions due to rises in new infections and have returned to planning for a remote fall quarter. “A lot of other universities have taken the steps to do the right thing already. Despite the news coming out, UChicago is saying to keep going, but can we? We’re putting people at risk. Between July and August we have 2 million new cases, and now we’re about to enter flu season.” Ashitey said. “We should make the plan to keep people
safe, and that is by going remote.” Fourth-year Ruthie Catherine, another organizer of the petition, added that benefits of any kind of in-person instruction were outweighed by the risks of such a decision. “I want everybody to have a good college experience, but it’s crazy that we would put this nebulous idea of having a ‘fun senior year’ above the safety of people in Hyde Park. There are a lot of people coming in who are going to have pre-existing conditions,” Catherine said. The University of Chicago announced its plans for a hybrid instruction model on June 30. Instructors are currently able to choose whether to offer courses in person or remotely. Students must self-quarantine for the first week of classes, and in-person instruction will begin on October 5.
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VIEWPOINTS LTE: UChicago Library By ANONYMOUS The University of Chicago Library believes that a diverse and inclusive environment builds a stronger, more creative community where we broaden approaches to our work and make better decisions. We encourage open and honest discussion, ref lect on our assumptions, and actively seek viewpoints beyond our own. —from the University Library’s Diversity and Inclusion Statement The University of Chicago is welcoming students back to a campus that has been radically transformed by the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this process, the University of Chicago Library is readying its study spaces for a phased reopening, and Library staff is examining the plans closely. We understand how serious the situation is. The Library is the heart of the University, and it is a privilege to keep that heart beating. Even in this time of crisis, we want to ensure that the Library meets the challenge of serving our patrons as fully—and as safely—as possible. We want to honor the trust and faith that the University community has held us in for decades. We want to promise that the Library will be a safe place for students and faculty
Miles Burton, Editor-in-Chief Emma Dyer, Editor-in-Chief Caroline Kubzansky, Managing Editor Jessica Xia, Chief Production Officer The Maroon Editorial Board consists of the editors-in-chief and editors of The Maroon.
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Wahid Al Mamun, editor Alina Kim, editor SPORTS
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to undertake their work. We cannot make that promise. The Library brushed its employees aside while plotting its reopening, and most of our concerns and objections were ignored. We had no part in the planning process, and we will not ask patrons to trust in plans that we ourselves object to. As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Chicago, the University spent much of the spring and summer quarters protecting its own, and we honor that effort—the shift towards remote work on a massive scale, for instance, or the offer of expanded COVID-19 leave to cover time-off needs arising from the pandemic. The Library, for its part, made bold moves to support the scattered University community by expanding our electronic collections and bringing our librarian services online. We found so many ways to support our patrons safely. But now we are being pushed too far too fast. On Wednesday, September 2, the Director’s Council of the University Library announced a pilot program for the autumn quarter during a private meeting with Library employees. Starting on September 29, the Library will welcome a small number of patrons into its study spaces on a reservation basis. If the pilot goes well, the Council intends to increase capacity; if the pilot fails, they will reverse course and close the spaces down again. We—the rank and file of the Library—were surprised to hear of this reopening. Many Library employees are already work ing on campus. Some spend full five-day workweeks in Regenstein. Several Library workers and many other staff
on campus face heightened risk from the coronavirus arising from age and other health factors, and we wondered whether the Council’s plans would take their welfare into account. Reopening the campus to students this fall will likely have significant effects on infection and transmission rates throughout Hyde Park. The planned changes to Library occupancy pose dozens of discrete logistical and safety issues on top of these campus-wide concerns. We were troubled. In the two weeks after their announcement, the Director’s Council held a series of forums for Library staff to ask questions and voice concerns. They told us that they valued staff feedback. They told us that our suggestions were important to their preparations. We reviewed their plans and projections and we brought our issues to these meetings in the hope that the Council would reassure us. They did not. We asked: How will the University judge whether the pilot succeeds safely? We don’t know. Will the Library maintain its present single-user bathroom policy? We don’t know. Will patrons studying in reading rooms be allowed to browse the reading room collections? We don’t know. What happens if a patron tests positive for coronavirus? We don’t know. Who will contract tracers notify in such a case? We don’t know. What are the metrics—the patterns, statistics, and trendlines—that guide the University’s campus-wide safety objectives? We don’t know. Can we at least delay the program, to settle any uncertainties, and see how the cam-
pus at large responds to such a rapid increase in population? No, we have made far too many plans, and at this point we have to pilot something. How is it that there are so many plans and yet so few answers? Staff from all parts of the Library community—clericals, supervisors, librarians—posed questions and voiced concerns, but too many of our questions remain unanswered and most of our concerns remain ignored. The Council did not respect our open and honest contributions. Instead, they urged us to have faith. They told us to trust the plan and the process. W hy should we trust the Council? W here should we root our faith? The University decreed that the Library would reopen, but Library staff were not part of this decision. The Director’s Council asked us for feedback, but staff concerns were not addressed. Campus committees have monitored the pandemic for half a year, but our reopening plans appear to have come together in under a month. We are days away from reopening, and there is still much too much left to sort out. The Director’s Council says that the University has been pushing for months toward a safe reopening—though their plans barely reflect this work. Perhaps they never will. Library staff will not see the reopening plans again until they are already underway. The University claims the sole power to determine the relative safety of plans for this fall, and not even the Council knows what the University thinks is “safe.” Our community has tried to CONTINUED ON PG. 5
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improve the work of the Council and guide them towards better decisions. The Council has not moved. The University says that it is sworn to protect all of its stakeholders— though University HR has other priorities. After spring quarter, the University opted not to extend the expanded COVID-19 leave policy put in place in March, forcing staff who fall ill to the pandemic to either exhaust their standard time-off accruals for a disease that takes weeks to overcome, take unpaid leave in a time of economic uncertainty, or return to the workplace and risk infecting their peers. Newer hires who have yet to accrue reserves of sick time face an impossible choice. At the same time, older and more vulnerable members of our community have been ordered back to campus with no respect for their greater risk. Our worries are rooted in student wellness as well as our own. There are serious concerns about accessibility, contact tracing, testing, staff-patron interactions, policy enforcement, bathroom usage, rates of responsiveness, reallocation of space over time, sanitation, water fountains, and site-specific safety orientation, to name a few. These are questions that affect every single person who sets foot in the Library, and in turn every person who interacts with Library patrons and staff members. Problems in the Library will ripple outwards through the campus, the neighborhood, and the city. There is so much left to plan and no way to test these plans without bringing patrons into the line of fire. But the Director’s Council has made too many plans and has to pilot something. There has been no clarity about the metrics by which the reopening experiment will be assessed. If this pilot program succeeds, it succeeds in spite of hasty planning and the objections of the staff who work with students every day—but if the pilot succeeds, we will increase capacity. If the pilot fails, the Library will reverse course and close our spaces again. The pilot fails when people get sick. The pilot fails when people die. Our administration has decided that
the lives and welfare of students, staff, and faculty are an acceptable risk. They have prioritized vague ideals and mission statements over the very human needs, concerns, and vulnerabilities of their employees. They have thus far refused to actually explain their decision-making process to the University community. They have, by action and inaction, brought mortal danger upon the people of Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and the greater South Side, and they have made the Library complicit with their moral failure. It would be different if the administration could explain, in plain detail, the metrics they will monitor to
alvin shi
ensure our safety. It would be easier if they would tell us where the limits are, and at what point we will turn back. But even the Director’s Council, which has a direct line to the provost, is in the dark. The students, staff, and faculty of the University deserve openness and honesty from the people entrusted with their lives and livelihoods, and the administration refuses to answer. The administration makes its decrees, but they do not offer the resources and knowledge that campus leaders need to make the best decisions for staff and scholars. We are forced to scramble and driven to fail. As things stand, the Library is not
ready to help. This is hard to say because we want to support our patrons. The Library is the heart of the University, and the students and faculty are our lifeblood. But in the rush to reopen, our leaders have ignored our concerns and made pledges that we do not believe in. We rebuke their hollow promise. We cannot promise that our practices are the best practices. We cannot promise that our patrons will be safe. We will not betray your trust or faith by doing so. The authors are unionized employees of the University of Chicago Library and have requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation by their employers.
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ARTS Boys State: If William Golding Had Cameras By ADRIAN RUCKER Associate Arts Editor What do you get when you send 1,000 17-year-old boys from across Texas to the state capitol to construct a democratic government from the ground up? One year after the highly publicized passing of articles of secession by Texas Boys State participants, filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss made their way to the Lone Star State to find out. Founded by associates of the American Legion in 1935 as a bulwark against socialist youth programs, Boys State is a selective weeklong summer program that attempts to teach young men (there is a separate program for young women) about the operation of local and state governments in the United States. Participants are randomly assigned into one of two political parties and work to construct party platforms, pass bills in the legislature, and run for office. Boys State, winner of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, follows four ambitious participants of the 2018 conference from different geographic, political, and demographic backgrounds. Steven is the quiet, principled son of immigrants, determined from the outset to win the governorship through a strategy of individual connection and earnest dialogue. At first he struggles to acquire enough signatures to make the Nationalist Party primary ballot, but after a series of impassioned speeches he enters the primary runoff with a commanding first-ballot lead over Robert, a boisterous private-school student from Austin who dreams of attending West Point. Robert initially comes off as someone who attempts to coast to success through charisma and appeals to the base instincts of the largely conservative audience; individual interviews with him, however, show another side to his personality. Robert explains that his personal beliefs are much more liberal than he lets on in his speeches, but believes that someone who shares his
beliefs wouldn’t make it very far in Boys State, suggesting a rather cynical view of politics, one that he himself criticizes. Steven’s ultimate victory over Robert in the primary stands out in the film’s underlying narrative about the nature of American politics: that cooperation and bipartisanship are their own ends to be aspired towards. Quickly reconciling, Steven and Robert come together to focus their campaign against the Federalists. Ben, who is first introduced via his love for Ronald Reagan, initially plans to run for governor but soon realizes his personality and disposition give him a better chance of success working behind the scenes. The only major film participant assigned to the Federalist Party, he soon assumes a Dick Cheney—style role as chair of his party and campaign strategist for the Federalists’ gubernatorial candidate. Ben finds his foil in René, a liberal Chicago transplant and party chair of the opposing Nationalist Party. René, the only participant that the filmmakers did not meet before the event, immediately makes his presence felt in the caucus room and on-screen. Although his ability to force cooperation brings support from a vast majority of his party, René continually faces challenges to his leadership from within his ranks, many of which are rooted in his identity as one of the few people of color at Texas Boys State. As the gubernatorial race heats up, Ben exploits the Nationalist Party’s internal strife through public accusations that René is biased in his role as debate moderator, and an anonymous online meme campaign that degenerates into racist attacks against René (which Ben is quick to denounce). The Federalist candidate, supported by Ben, ultimately prevails over Steven in the event-wide gubernatorial race. Heartfelt scenes of the participants’ reaction to their respective victories or defeats precede the film’s conclusion. The film ends with Steven’s impassioned speech at the Texas Democratic Party Convention about overcoming partisanship and ideological labels.
The editing and narrative structure of the film suggest that the filmmakers’ sympathies tend to lie with a less cynical outlook. courtesy of the new york times
While the actual results of Boys State were beyond the filmmakers’ control, the editing and narrative structure of the film suggest that their sympathies tend to lie with a less cynical outlook, one that believes in politics as more than opposed interest groups exerting power over one another. Of the two main narrative arcs, the first—the primary race between Steven and Robert—seems to support this view. Steven begins as an underdog and ultimately triumphs in the primary through his personal integrity and genuine commitment to his values. However, the second narrative arc, the post-primary election roughly revolving around Ben and René’s strategies, suggests the opposite conclusion. Politics as shared discourse is replaced with politics as military strategy. Through no fault of their own, the participants of Boys State inherit a flawed system: They are automatically assigned into two opposing parties; there are institutional constraints that they must abide by; and victory is treated as its own end. A view of politics with limited imagination is built into the very structure of the event. Part of this is no doubt pedagogical in purpose, meant to reflect the existing state of American politics, regrettable as it may be. In an interview forum with the directors and participants of Boys State, several critiques of Boys State
as an institution were brought up. The obvious problems of making a separate program for women, the overrepresentation of rural participants (which in Texas also means white and conservative participants), and other critiques were all raised. The ability of the film to properly wrestle with these critiques is limited. Shot on location with a fleet of camera crews following the participants through the chaos of overachieving high school boys, Boys State is a prime example of cinema verité. There are individual interviews for some participants, but those interviews are also shot on site and only capture in-the-moment feelings. In an interview, McBaine and Moss pointed out that the film took a week to shoot and a year to edit. Putting aside critiques of the film, many of which are part of the nature of the medium, Boys State is a riveting film with compelling characters that, while perhaps unsure of itself politically, usefully shines a light on the real origins of political polarization in the United States. Extending the film’s effectiveness beyond itself requires the viewer to be convinced that Texas Boys State is a microcosm for national politics, something successfully achieved through careful editing and a unique narrative structure.
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SPORTS On and Off the Field: Vittorio Tricase Profile By BRINDA RAO Sports Editor Between his successful career on the football field and ardent work in the weight room, rising fourth-year Vittorio Tricase exemplifies athletic mental perseverance. Although Tricase’s football career is over, he has high aspirations to launch a potential bid for the 2024 Olympics in powerlifting. Tricase began his football career at four years old with an initial venture into tackle football. He has played as a running back his entire life, having an apt comfort with carrying the ball. After moving to Naperville in his middle school years, Tricase transitioned to a higher weight class. He went on to tote up several exceptional feats in his early days: playing teams from all over the country, competing in the National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame Stadium in seventh grade, and being named the MVP at the eighth-grade national championship. These accomplishments are not without effort. Tricase had a childhood affinity for the Rocky movie franchise, attempting a one-handed push-up after watching Sylvester Stallone’s titular character perform one. Following this, he began doing 50 push-ups and 50 sit-ups each night, increasing the amount annually. Tricase explained, “By eighth grade, I was doing 800 push-ups and 800 sit-ups every night.” Tricase’s high school football career took off at Glenbard North High School, where he briefly shared a field with Los Angeles Chargers running back Justin Jackson. After recovering from a collarbone injury in his sophomore year, Tricase’s close relationship with his high school coach and ardent training led to two dominant high school seasons. He set his school’s record with 39 touchdowns in his senior year and had three games with over 300 yards of coverage, attracting the eye of several college coaches. After a decision between UChicago and Northwestern, Tricase chose to take an offer from UChicago, valuing academic rank and playing time.
Creating a bond with upperclassmen, Tricase began to get into the stride of his college career. While Glenbard North used many heavy-offense plays, UChicago favored a spread offense, with frequent passing. Tricase quickly adapted to the change in environment, noting, “I got close with older guys on the team. Chandler Carrol, one of the best running backs at this school, mentored me. I spent time with him learning from his football experience and increased my own football IQ.” Following his first year, Tricase was named starting running back in his second year. This was followed by a hamstring injury that should have kept Tricase out of games for the entire season. However, after intensive rehabilitation and strength training, Tricase recovered in six weeks. He played in three games with breakout performances. In the Maroons’ 2019 game against Cornell College, Tricase set a school record for the longest touchdown run with an impressive 95yard run. Tricase’s successful performances do not come without an appreciation for the training. “It’s an unpopular opinion, but my favorite part of football is the twoweek summer camp. We train during the hottest part of the day and are busy from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., always doing something. But during those two weeks, we as a team get closer and build a culture that allows us to succeed.” While the University intends to host a socially distant form of autumn varsity sports practices, Tricase, along with a majority of the fourth-year members of the football team, has opted to not report. “It’s bittersweet as we were all looking forward to our senior season. The thing that hurts me the most, is I didn’t know my last play would be the end of my football career. Cherish every moment as much as possible, as you never know which will be last.” Tricase’s football career may be over, but he has high hopes for his powerlifting career. To anyone who frequents Crown’s weight room, Tricase’s presence in the weight room is a guarantee. When he’s not training himself, he can be found as-
sisting teammates and others with their forms and technique. While Tricase started lifting in high school, his career ramped up in college with daily sessions in the weight room. During his first year of college, Tricase was squatting 485 pounds with one rep and benching 350 with one rep. In his second year, Tricase added the hex bar lift with an impressive 720-pound rep. Training intensely, he’s brought his squat up to 605 pounds and bench press to 465 pounds. Tricase reflected on his lifting career: “There’s no limit on how strong you can be—just how much strain you can keep onto your muscles. With lifting, under the right training, there’s never a stopping point.” Tricase’s lifting career is just taking off. He will be training over the next few years with the intention to pursue a bid for a spot on Italy’s Olympic team in
2024. Tricase’s father was born in Bari, Italy, making Tricase eligible for the team as he has both Italian and American citizenship. Despite Tricase’s excellent performances at his seasoned lifting events, Olympic powerlifting is different, consisting of the clean and jerk and snatch. Tricase is currently working on building a foundation for these events. Through rigorous strength training, Tricase is tailoring his skills to the Olympic events. Once he gets his numbers up for these foundations, he plans to work on the technical nature of snatches and clean and jerks. Following the end of his football career, Vittorio Tricase is seeking a new challenge to motivate himself. He noted, “With football over, I’m now onto the next game. The Olympics give me a goal to push myself and drive forward.”
Tricase’s skills in action during a 2019 game. courtesy of vittorio tricase