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NEWS: Writing Faculty Union Granted Right to Join Faculty Forward

OCTOBER 19, 2023 FOURTH WEEK VOL. 136, ISSUE 3

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Israel-Palestine Takes Center Stage on Main Quad

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Frat Vigil Condemns Terror

SJP Begins Daily Protests

By TIFFANY LI | News Reporter

By EMMA JANSSEN | Deputy News Editor

Students gathered on the main quad for a vigil organized by the Iron Key Society (formerly Delta Upsilon), Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPI), Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji), and Psi Upsilon Omega at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 16, to condemn the attacks by Hamas on Israel and express solidarity with the Jewish community amid a wave of antisemitism. Second-year Yoav Rosenthal, the social

chair of the Iron Key Society; second-year Fiji member Ben Chasin; and fourth-year Sarah Halimi, who grew up in Israel, spoke to the assembled students at the beginning of the vigil. “Since [the attacks], all I could think was ‘This could have been me,’” Rosenthal said. “This could have been all of us. My heart

Content warning: This article includes mentions of graphic violence.

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Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UChicago demonstrated on the main quad today to show support for Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in and around the Gaza Strip. SJP was joined by organizers with

NEWS: NORC Ordered to Pay Asian Job Applicants $95,000 in Discrimination Settlement

NEWS: Crime Lab Study Reveals Benefits of Situational Decision-Making Police Training

ARTS: Another Marriage Shows Another Way of Looking at Marriage

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the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Behind Enemy Lines, and other activist groups. The protestors gathered at 10 a.m. with posters, Palestinian flags, and banners. They wrote slogans in chalk on the pathway and handed out informational flyers. In a post on social media, the group stated CONTINUED ON PG. 2

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THE CHICAGO MAROON — OCTOBER 19, 2023

“Divestment is a philosophy, and funds and resources aren’t always financial.” CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

that they would “occupy the quad” every day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., “until the genocide ends.” The action comes amid Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attack. Over 4,000 Israelis and Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict since Hamas’s initial attack on October 7, according to the Associated Press. SJP issued a statement on October 11 outlining its positions on the October 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent military action in Gaza. “SJP UChicago stands in full solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for liberation and unequivocal opposition to Israel’s escalating war of erasure, ethnic cleansing, and extermination,” the statement reads. The sit-in drew a wide range of participants, including both students and community members not affiliated with the University. During the 10-minute passing periods between classes, the group of activists, numbering several dozen, flanked the pathway through the center of the quad and chanted in support of the people of Gaza. SJP’s Demands for UChicago Protestors criticized UChicago’s in-

vestment strategies and called for the University to divest from weapons manufacturers and Israeli corporations. “The University of Chicago directly funds Israel through their investments in a lot of weapons manufacturing companies, I think a few Israeli corporations,” an SJP organizer said. “That is part of our endowment, and that needs to be taken care of.” The University stated in 2016 that it would not boycott any nation or divest from companies doing business in Israel. The University has drawn community ire in the past for its investments in fossil fuels. In April, the University scored 0/40 points total in an Amnesty International report grading institutional endowments’ compliance with the United Nations’s Guiding Principles of Human Rights. “Divestment is a philosophy, and funds and resources aren’t always financial,” the organizer continued. “We at the University of Chicago have a history of providing the intellectual justification for atrocities, the intellectual justification for occupation, dictatorships, et cetera. And divestment means divesting our intellectual clout, which we have built up [from doing] great things, from doing interesting things, and some really bad things as well.” Responses to the Protest Throughout the day, small groups spontaneously formed to the side of the

main gathering and discussed the issue. Some raised concerns about the protest’s chants, such as their use of the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” One student group on the outskirts of the SJP protest displayed a large Israeli flag, which members of the group wrapped around their shoulders and held in front of them. Speaking on behalf of the group, one student said, “We’re not protesting. We’re not a counterprotest. We’re honestly just walking by, just watching.” The student, who has lived in Israel, said, “I think that America, the U.S., the rest of the world really blows everything out of proportion. To be honest, if you’ve lived in the Middle East, as many of us have, this is so not what it looks like there. If you sit in a library, you’re going to see Muslims and Jews standing next to one another, helping each other out,” she continued. “We’ve all lost people—friends who we learned died by watching [on video] their bodies being dragged naked through the ground. A lot of us have lost family. And so when you stand out there and you say they deserve it, do you mean it? And if you don’t, why are you saying it?” Later, a different student stood next to the SJP demonstration during passing periods and yelled slogans in opposition to the protest.

“This demonstration shows that they have no remorse and no sympathy for Jewish blood spilled,” she told The Maroon. “There’s no difference between this demonstration and everybody chanting ‘gas the Jews’ and everybody waving swastika flags. There’s absolutely no difference.” Some students unaffiliated with the protest stood outside of the main quad watching the demonstration. “I’m unsure what the purpose of this demonstration is,” a student onlooker said. “I’d like to know if there’s something they’re asking the University to do or if they’re just sort of causing noise on campus to try to get people’s attention,” they said. A Divinity School alum who protested alongside SJP praised the discussion and debate happening alongside it. “As an MDiv alum, we are trained to be conscientious thinkers. We are being trained to enter into religious leadership, into responding to our communities, and if I do not put that into practice, then I am being disloyal to the education that I was provided,” she said. “For the most part, it has been very peaceful, as it should be and as expected, and I am happy to see counterprotesters. I’m happy to see discourse as opposed to an utter lack of anything on campus and the silence of people as if it doesn’t concern them.”

Campus Jewish Organizations Host Vigil on Quad in Support of Israel By NEIVE RODRIGUEZ | Senior News Reporter UChicago Maroons for Israel, University of Chicago Hillel, UChicago Kehillah, and UChicago Chabad held a vigil on the main quad on Monday, October 9, in support of Israel in the aftermath of attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. On October 7, Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel. According to the Associated Press, more than 1,400 Israelis

died and 2,800 more were injured. Israel declared war on Hamas the following day and commenced missile attacks on Gaza, where approximately 830 Palestinians have died and 4,250 have been wounded. Members of various Jewish organizations on campus spoke at the vigil, including Rabbi Yossi Brackman from the Rohr Chabad center. “The Jewish community has been

through a lot. But we have to remember that we are part of a large community, and it is time as a people for us to come together to recognize the common bond that unites us,” Brackman said to vigil attendees. Maroons for Israel and UC Law Students for Israel released an official joint statement on Instagram the same day. “[We] mourn the dead, rally behind Israel, and condemn Hamas and its supporters. We stand with our fellow UChicago students and faculty who have flown to

Israel to defend their homes; we hope they crush the enemy,” the post read. The statement also condemned an email sent to the University community on October 9 by Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen and Office of International Affairs Executive Director Nick Seamons, calling it “horrible.” While the University statement mentioned the attack and acknowledged the loss of life, it did not specifically condemn Hamas.

THE CHICAGO MAROON — OCTOBER 19, 2023

“Thank you for lighting the lights for the many, many lost lives.” CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

is heavy. It has been all week. But as I see you all standing here, I’m hopeful that the light of our collective conscience will shine through the cruelty, hatred, and indifference that we’ve all witnessed on Saturday.” Many of the vigil attendees have personal ties to Israel. “I have a lot of family and friends that live in Israel, and it’s been a really scary time,” a third-year student who attended the vigil said. “While I don’t know anybody directly who was killed by terrorism, I know a lot of people who were affected by it, and they know of people who were either kidnapped or killed or injured. I came here to the vigil to acknowledge that.” The vigil was also attended by students

who had Jewish or Israeli friends but who were not Jewish or Israeli themselves. Speakers expressed gratitude for their presence and support. “I’ve been feeling a level of loneliness and crushing antisemitism since two weekends ago,” said third-year Judah Huberman-Shlaes, who described himself as an American and Israeli Jew, when speaking to the gathered attendees. “For the people who aren’t Jewish or connected to Israel, for you guys to come here today—you literally have pulled me out of a depressive hole of antisemitism. I will be eternally grateful.” Candlesticks were distributed for attendees to light and hold during the vigil. “To me, that means a lot because candles represent light, happiness, and that

we’re all going to use our light…to push through the darkness that’s around us,” Rosenthal said. “Thank you for lighting the lights for the many, many lost lives,” Halimi told attend-

ees. “I hope we pray for each other because nobody, not a single civilian, deserves to die. We pray for peace and we all pray for this war to end very, very, very soon.

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NORC Ordered to Pay Asian Job Applicants $95,000 in Discrimination Settlement By AUSTIN ZEGLIS | Senior News Reporter The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) ordered social science research institute NORC at the University of Chicago to provide $95,000 settlement payments to more than 100 Asian job applicants after finding that the organization engaged in hiring discrimination, according to the department’s settlement agreement. The DOL found that NORC discriminated against 107 Asian job applicants when hiring at its COVID-19 contract tracing ventures in Maryland and Delaware. NORC partnered with the state gov-

ernments of Maryland and Delaware in April 2020 and May 2020 respectively to provide contact tracing services during the COVID-19 pandemic. NORC is most recognized for its polling, which it conducts in partnership with the Associated Press. The center also provides services like data analytics, strategic communications services, and data collection and management to clients in various fields. In a statement about the settlement, NORC said that it hired “a wide range of candidates with a need for a significant

number of Spanish-speaking interviewers,” which then led to the hiring of a disproportionately low number of Asian applicants relative to Hispanic applicants. “While denying all allegations of discrimination, NORC settled the matter with the OFCCP [Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs] rather than continuing to contest the matter as it has been in deliberation for over two years. NORC has additionally evaluated and further enhanced its auditing systems and documentation practices to strengthen our ability to execute and monitor non-discriminatory hiring,” the statement read.

Each of the 107 applicants will receive payments as part of the hiring discrimination claim. Other people of Asian descent who applied to a job at NORC in the given time and were not part of the original settlement can still claim the full $95,000 in back wages by emailing the DOL at OFCCP-MWR@dol.gov or calling (312) 596– 7010. NORC, formerly called the National Opinion Research Center, was founded in 1941 at the University of Denver as the first-ever non-profit polling organization. It moved to Chicago and became affiliated with UChicago in 1947.

Writing Faculty Union Granted Right to Join Faculty Forward By AUSTIN ZEGLIS | Senior News Reporter Writing Faculty United (WFU), the union that represents University Writing Specialists and advisors, was given the right to join Faculty Forward by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) at a two-day hearing in May. The union’s victory comes after Provost Katherine Baicker sent WFU an email on May 10, 2023, denying its request for vol-

untary recognition by the University, citing a lack of “community of interest” between the members of WFU and Faculty Forward. WFU’s membership is composed of Sosc writing advisors, writing and research advisors, lectors, and writing specialists. “They didn’t have a problem with an election for [WFU’s] own standalone union, but they didn’t like the idea of these writing

folks joining the existing unit,” said WFU’s legal representative in the case Sam Hensel, a staff attorney for Local 73 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), of which Faculty Forward is a part. “The University’s legal argument was that these two groups do not share a sufficient community of interest with one another. The law only permits the NLRB to certify bargaining units that are ‘appropriate,’ and units are appropriate if the employees within them

share a community of interest with one another.” Factors that might play a part in determining whether two groups share a community of interest include the similarity between the groups’ job functions, their departmental organization, and their interpersonal contact with each other, Hensel explained. WFU originally requested voluntary CONTINUED ON PG. 4

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“Our working conditions are the students’ learning conditions.” CONTINUED FROM PG. 3

recognition from the University by delivering a petition with the names of 37 members on April 28, 2023. The petition laid out four issues on which the union wished to work: better working conditions, including higher wages and more benefits; more transparency and equity with regard to the University; recognition of the members’ value to the University community; and an established voice in how writing instruction takes place on campus. Nell Pach, a writing and research advisor in the Department of English Language and Literature, has been involved with WFU since this spring. “We’re really excited that the hearing

went our way. It affirmed what we’ve been saying: that we’re teachers and that what we do is quite similar to what other people in Faculty Forward do. It’s very gratifying,” Pach said. After Provost Baicker’s email declined its request for voluntary recognition as part of Faculty Forward, WFU turned to the NLRB. “We were certainly disappointed that the University chose to spin our jobs in the way they did, which felt disingenuous,” Pach said. “We wanted to join Faculty Forward, and we voted unanimously to go forward with trying to get the University to let us, because we felt that it made the most sense.”

The hearing took place over the course of two days, beginning on May 26. But it wasn’t until recently that WFU received the verdict. WFU’s next step is a vote-by-mail election, in which members will vote whether the group should join Faculty Forward. Pach said she anticipated that the union vote would be a success but noted some of the logistical difficulties that it could pose. “There are lots of steps along the way when you have to make sure there’s no one falling through the cracks. You have to make sure everyone receives their ballot, fills it out, and mails it,” she said. Hensel said that while the University is entitled to appeal the NLRB’s ruling, he

does not anticipate any further legal challenges either. “We feel that we have a strong case,” Hensel said. “Labor law is designed to allow the fullest freedom of association among employees. That’s the best way for them to exercise their rights. To have staff and lecturers be able to be in one union together is something that we’re very proud of, and we’re glad that the NLRB saw it that way.” “We all really love our students. But there are certain baseline material conditions that need to be met, and we need to have a sense of stability. Our working conditions are the students’ learning conditions,” Pach said. The University declined to comment.

Pritzker Addresses Extremism, Gun Violence, and Past Record at IOP Event By OLIVER BUNTIN | News Reporter Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker sat down with Wall Street Journal White House reporter Sabrina Siddiqui at an Institute of Politics (IOP) event on October 10. Pritzker has seen his national profile rise recently as his multibillion-dollar personal fortune and progressive political efforts have fueled questions about a possible presidential run. Meanwhile, the city of Chicago’s high-profile struggles with crime and immigration have

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attracted national attention. Pritzker fielded questions about the persistence of gun violence in Chicago by emphasizing gun control initiatives that he has implemented, such as the assault weapons ban he signed earlier this year. “Sixty percent of the violent crimes committed with guns in the city of Chicago were committed with guns that came from Indiana because they don’t have any gun safety laws,” Pritzker said. “We need a ban on assault weapons nationally.”

The governor also voiced his support for LGBTQ+ rights and criticized the Republican party’s positions on gender affirming care. “The Facebook fakery that goes around among Republicans is crazy to me. The things I see that are completely false, particularly on this issue, claiming that someone is promoting people becoming transgender,” he said. “It used to be the Republican party was, even if I disagreed with them, a bunch of rational people. I now no longer believe that.” Pritzker elaborated on his concerns about increasing extremism within the

Republican party, citing instances of women being forced to travel to Illinois to get health care. “In order for us to get past this, we’ve got to break the fever that has overtaken the Republican Party, and the only way to do that is to beat them,” Pritzker said. Before taking audience questions, Siddiqui pressed Pritzker about his political ambitions. He discussed his efforts to improve the state’s fiscal health and did not directly address the possibility of running for president himself. “I’m focused on being governor of Illinois and reelecting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Pritzker said. One student confronted Pritzker on his pivot from touting his efforts to protect undocumented immigrants to sending a letter to Biden referring to their numbers as “humanitarian crises.” Pritzker defended his language, saying, “It has been a failure of Republicans and Democrats, and we all need to come together to solve this problem. Now is the moment.” Pritzker concluded by defending Illinois’s heavily gerrymandered Congressional districts. “If you’re going to solve for redistricting, you have to do it at the national level. It cannot be done state by state because we would be unilaterally disarming,” he said.

THE CHICAGO MAROON — OCTOBER 19, 2023

Crime Lab Study Reveals Benefits of Situational Decision-Making Police Training By SHINJINI CHAKRABORTY | Deputy News Editor The University of Chicago Crime Lab held a webinar to present the findings of its study on Situational Decision-Making (Sit-D) police training on October 3. The aim of the study was to understand the impacts of the new Sit-D style of training, and it found that officers trained in Sit-D reduced both the amount of force used and the number of discretionary arrests made. The event, moderated by the Crime Lab’s Director of Outreach and Engage-

ment Ken Corey, featured the principal investigator of the study, Oeindrila Dube. “[Sit-D] was designed carefully with the intent to change how officers approach policing situations that are often high-risk, rapidly unfolding, and ambiguous. For the first time, training was paired with a data-driven evaluation process so we could see just what kind of impact [the training] had,” Corey said. Dube provided an overview of both

how Situational Decision-Making works and how the effects of this training were evaluated. “[Policing] is cognitively demanding,” Dube said. “Officers need to take in lots of information, consider many possible interpretations, all in situations that are really stressful and require them to act quickly. What decades of psychology research tells us is that it’s exactly in these circumstances under which deliberate reasoning tends to shut down and people instead start resorting to automatic

thinking—doing things like using mental shortcuts, making assumptions to reach conclusions instead.” Dube added that everyone engages in automatic thinking but cautioned against having officers rely on this type of reasoning. “If officers aren’t prepared to meet [the] cognitive demands [of stressful situations], this could have implications for both their safety and the safety of community members.” Sit-D trains officers to quickly consider CONTINUED ON PG. 6

University Reports Four Armed Robberies Near Campus By SABRINA CHANG | Deputy News Editor A series of four armed robberies took place near campus over the weekend, according to an October 16 email sent by Michele Rasmussen, dean of students at the University, and Eric Heath, associate vice president for safety and security. No physical injuries were reported. The Chicago Police Department is currently investigating these incidents, which reports indicate were executed by the same group of perpetrators, per the email. The University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) has also added more patrols in the area. Three of the four armed robberies occurred on October 14 within a span of just over two hours, according to the University’s crime log. The first one happened at 7:45 p.m. on 5401 South University Avenue, the second at 9:25 p.m. on 5631 South Kenwood Avenue, and the third at 9:55 p.m. on 1121 East 54th Place. The fourth reported incident occurred on October 15 at 8:03 p.m. on 5436 South University Avenue. In total, eight individuals were robbed between the four incidents, which all took place during the University’s Family Weekend. In the email, the University emphasized the importance of students staying informed and vigilant and shared information and resources that could be used to receive timely updates about off-campus safety. “Especially for students and families who are new to UChicago, this is

a good time to review safety measures and the ways in which we alert people to serious crimes that occur off-campus,” the email read. The University has shared similar advice in emails after previous instances of widespread criminal activity on and around campus. In addition to security alerts that all students automatically receive for on-campus crimes, the email encouraged everyone to opt in to the Community Crime Notice and UCPD Daily Crime Bulletin email alerts to be notified of off-campus incidents. The email noted that all four of the armed robberies that occurred over the weekend were included in either the crime notice or crime bulletin emails sent Saturday and today. Crime notices are sent on a timely basis to help people guide their behavior following homicides, shootings, and patterns of robberies that occur off-campus. A crime bulletin email is sent each weekday morning, summarizing serious crimes reported to UCPD. Relative to the crime notices, the crime bulletins include a more extensive range of crimes, including homicides, criminal sexual assaults, robberies, aggravated batteries, and residential burglaries classified as home invasions. Many students also use Citizen, an app that provides real-time, location-based safety alerts of incidents happening near-

by. The app also allows users to report incidents right when they occur to help notify and protect others. For general information on campus

safety and guidelines for Security Alerts, the University encourages students to visit the Department of Safety and Security website.

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“We see strong effects in the first four months after the training.” CONTINUED FROM PG. 5

the potential contexts of the situation they face through four leading principles. First, Sit-D teaches officers to understand their triggers, the factors that can cause them to not think rationally. Second, officers are instructed to employ self-regulation techniques, such as breathing techniques that control physiological stress, that will enable them to think more carefully. Third, Sit-D encourages officers to recognize “thinking traps” that operate similarly to cognitive biases that can cloud rational judgment. Fourth, officers are taught to think of alternative interpretations of events. “We give [officers] techniques to avoid these types of thinking traps, and a key component of this is training them to rapidly consider alternative interpretations by having them engage in a variety of different scenario-based trainings,” Dube said. To evaluate the effects of the training,

Dube ran a randomized controlled trial with members of the Chicago Police Department. Out of 2,070 officers who graduated from the police academy and were going through service training, half of the officers received Sit-D training while the other half served as the comparison group. The Crime Lab compared the performances of these two groups by testing how they responded to various scenarios. Dube and her team found that officers who went through Sit-D training were faster at deciding when lethal force should not be used. Dube’s team also observed that officers were able to think of more ways to appropriately respond to situations. They were also able to gather more information about situations and decide on their interpretation of that situation faster than the control group officers could. Dube claims that these positive benefits were seen not only in training scenarios but also in the field. Officers trained

in Sit-D were 23 percent less likely to use force in non-lethal situations, 23 percent less likely to make a discretionary arrest, and 49 percent less likely to suffer an injury. Dube stated that these effects were gained without reducing how active they were in the field. Dube stated that she and her team could not limit spillover effects from occurring in their study, as the Sit-D-trained officers and the control officers had to continue working together to maintain public safety and could not be separated for training purposes. This means that behaviors present in one group of officers may have spilled over to, or influenced, the other group. “That being said, what we can do now is look and see…if having a larger fraction of [Sit-D]-trained officers produces larger effects. We see definitive evidence that it does. What that suggests is that there are some spillover effects, meaning having more of the control officers limits the extent to which the trained officers are

actually improving their outcomes.” While this implies that the training may not be totally effective until a majority of the officers complete Sit-D training, Dube stated that this limiting effect meant that the data they gathered would only be a partial picture of the full extent of benefits. “Twenty-three percent reduction in uses of force are just an underestimate of the true effect [of the training]. The true effects are even larger than what these numbers suggest,” Dube said. Sit-D training will require annual refresher training as its effects fade over time. “We see strong effects in the first four months after the training. Then, if we look in months five through eight and months nine through 12, the effects aren’t individually significant, but we can’t really say they’re actually significantly different from the first period effects, but [the effects] appear qualitatively smaller for uses of force starting in month five and for discretionary arrests starting in month nine.”

ARTS In a Babymetal Galaxy Far, Far Away... The ultimate kawaii metal group (and no, that’s not a contradiction) takes on Chicago. By SOFIA HRYCYSZYN | Senior Arts Reporter Creepy orchestral music—overlaid with soprano vocals—slowly filled the Aragon Ballroom. Instrumentalists in horned silver masks filed onstage: two faceless guitars, a drum, and a bass. As the minor-key mood intensified, a booming voice-over said, “in a Babymetal galaxy far, far away.” Three young Japanese women stepped onstage, wearing black pleated skirts underneath gold armor. The lead singer, Suzuka Nakamoto, assumed her position center stage, flanked by backup vocalists Moa Kikuchi and Momoko Okazaki. As the opening song, “Babymetal Death,” built into a heavy metal drumbeat, the women began to dance. Their choreography often mimicked guitar- or drum-playing

movements. A rough male voice chanted “death,” and on the occasional pause in instrumentals, the artists alternately shouted “Su-Metal,” “Moametal,” “Yuimetal”—their respective stage names. For the 2023 Babyklok tour, Babymetal teamed up with heavy metal band Dethklok. Babymetal is often categorized as “kawaii metal,” a genre that integrates heavy metal and J-pop; there’s an interesting tension between their heavy instrumentals and their feminine vocals and frilly outfits. Dethklok was formed to create the songs for a fictional band featured on Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse. Dethklok has a more traditional heavy metal sound, with guttural vocals and screaming, but, linked with Adult Swim,

Babymetal performs on their Babyklok tour. sofia hrycyszyn. has its roots in animation. The visuals broadcast on the screen behind the performers, while depicting violence and bloodshed in a hellscape, allowed Deth-

klok to retain a fantastical element that complemented Babymetal. Babymetal’s duality is best exemCONTINUED ON PG. 7

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Babymetal’s songs are catchy in a way that most metal isn’t, which has allowed the group to attract fans of both metal and pop. CONTINUED FROM PG. 6

plified by their second song, “Gimme Chocolate!!” The song began with a deep male voice demanding, “Give me chocolate,” at whose cadence the women erupted into movement. Bathed in red light, they bounced to crashing drums, heavy guitar riffs, and reeling electronic notes. The singers then added in cutesy or cute-sounding lyrics, which roughly depicted the conflict felt by a woman who wants to eat sweets but worries about gaining weight. Babymetal’s songs are catchy in a way that most metal isn’t, which has allowed the group to attract

fans of both metal and pop. There were, of course, the hardcore metal fans being pulled out of the pit—but there were also a few children, and an all-black outfit didn’t seem to be mandatory. Keeping the energy high, the group moved into “Pa Pa Ya!!” With similar electronic riffs and heavy drums, “Pa Pa Ya!!” was notable for its intricate choreography. From their hands to their feet, the women’s movements were intentional and in constant flux. Clearly, their “Pa Pa Ya!!” featured Thai rapper F.Hero, whose rap increased the energy in a way distinct from Babymetal’s typical drums

and guitar. The trio performed a string of favorites including “Distortion,” which is closer to traditional metal; “BxMxC,” which is more electronic and autotuned, and “Maya,” which centers on Nakamoto’s airy vocals. With the staccato opening notes of “Metali!!,” the artists started to build the show into a close. The song and its dance draws on elements of traditional Japanese culture, as much of Babymetal’s work does. Toward the middle of the track, the singers motioned for the crowd to sit down. While we were kneeling, Momo performed kabuki, a tra-

ditional form of theater with a distinctly wavering voice and complementary writhing movements. After Momo’s last, questioning “metali?,” the beat dropped and the crowd sprang to their feet. The band maintained the energy through their top hits “Megitsune” and “Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!” which both expertly combine classic Babymetal guitar riffs, Nakamoto’s light lyrics, and the group’s intricate choreography. Listening to Babymetal’s music offers a window into the trio’s unique sound, but it pales in comparison to their presence and movement on stage.

Another Marriage Shows Another Way of Looking at Marriage Associate Arts Editor Miki Mukawa reviews Steppenwolf Theatre’s Another Marriage. By MIKI MUKAWA | Associate Arts Editor Steppenwolf Theater’s Another Marriage started quietly: The theater was still bright, as if the show had yet to begin, and the stage was bare save for a park bench. Red-haired Jo (Nicole Scimeca) sat on it, typing away at something on her iPad, as she began to narrate the story of her parents’ marriage—and eventual divorce.

Another Marriage, written by Steppenwolf ensemble member Kate Arrington, follows Sunny (Judy Greer) and Nick (Tim Hopper) and their lives as young lovers, a married couple, parents, and eventually divorced co-parents. The play maintains the tone that it sets at the beginning throughout. That isn’t to say that it is boring—but

Ensemble members Ian Barford and Judy Greer in Steppenwolf Theatre’s world premiere of Another Marriage. courtesy of michael brosilow.

it’s certainly not flashy. In fact, it benefits most strongly from quintessential rawness and the central, very human question: What does it mean to have a successful marriage? And perhaps, by extension, a successful life? Sunny’s journey through her career, marriage, and motherhood seems to provide one way to answer that question. She meets Nick in college, and the two are bound by their shared dream of achieving authorial stardom. Reality hits when Nick’s career takes off instantly, in part because of his famous name (he comes from a family of authors) and the advantages afforded to him as a man in the industry. But when Sunny becomes a mother, she realizes that motherhood is instead her life’s true calling. In the aftermath of Nick’s infidelity and her ensuing divorce, Jo keeps her mother afloat—which allows Sunny to find the passion for a new career path. Stories like Sunny’s are seldom represented in the media. An empowered woman, audiences are often told, is one who follows through on her dream childhood career and lives to work. But Sunny’s story is true to a different definition of success: to be a present, reliable mother for one’s child, in the way that Sunny’s own mother

(who passed away giving birth) wasn’t able to be. Ultimately, Sunny finds herself much happier than her ex-husband Nick, whose career as a successful author is cut short. Throughout Another Marriage, the audience is kept on the edge of their seats as to whether Nick and Sunny may rekindle their romance. There’s a lingering gaze here and there, a longing reach of hands, and, eventually, a short kiss. But by the end of the show, it’s made clear that Nick and Sunny, though they may still have chemistry, will never get back together. In the play’s last scene, Sunny, Nick, and their now-college-aged daughter sit around a table, laughing over late-night Italian. Their marriage may have ended in divorce, but that doesn’t necessarily make the marriage unsuccessful. At the dinner table, Jo pokes lighthearted fun at Nick for his two failed marriages, at which point all three erupt in laughter. Though short-lived, it is Sunny and Nick’s marriage that has given life to their daughter, who now tells their story— and who chooses to end the tale in a scene of happy laughter. Kate Arrington’s Another Marriage was at Steppenwolf Theater from June 15 to July 30.

THE CHICAGO MAROON — OCTOBER 19, 2023

SPORTS The Chicago Bulls Are Stuck in NBA Purgatory By AUSTIN ZEGLIS | Senior Sports Reporter Over the past few years, the Chicago Bulls have been just bad enough to leave their fans without any hope of succeeding in the playoffs. But they’ve also been just good enough to prevent themselves from receiving a high draft pick, selecting a top prospect, and kickstarting a new era of the franchise. This is the NBA’s purgatory, and the Bulls are stuck right in the middle of it. After a 40–42 finish last year and a heartbreaking loss to the Miami Heat in the NBA’s new play-in tournament, the Bulls will enter the 2023–24 season with far more questions than answers. And for a team as directionless as they are, Chicago stayed relatively quiet throughout the offseason. This summer’s free agency was mainly about bringing back key players from last year’s squad. Nikola Vučević, Coby White, and Andre Drummond all signed new contracts to return to the team this season. It was Vučević new contract that garnered the most attention from fans, especially after he told Yahoo Sports’ Jake

austin zeglis.

Fischer that the team “know[s] it’s kind of our last chance as this core of guys to do something.” But this isn’t to say that the Bulls didn’t bring in any new blood. Torrey Craig signed a two-year, $5.4 million contract after playing in Phoenix last year. Chicago also brought in former Milwaukee guard Jevon Carter, who signed a three-year, $20 million contract. Carter is expected to provide solid defense and three-point shooting off the bench, something the Bulls could have used down the stretch last year. Craig is an elite defender as well, but he told NBC Sports Chicago that what he really feels he can bring to Chicago is grit. “That was one of the reasons I decided to come here, because I felt like I could bring that extra edge and try and win some of the close games we’ve been in or try and motivate my teammates to get over the hump,” Craig said to reporters after an October 4 team practice at Belmont University in Nashville. While Craig and Carter will certainly

bolster the Bulls’ depth, their signings seem like consolation prizes given the other opportunities available this summer. Fred VanVleet’s contract with the Houston Rockets and the Bulls’ loss of Patrick Beverly to the Philadelphia 76ers loom large as potential missed chances. Similar to their free agency, Chicago’s draft night was relatively quiet. Their only selection in June’s draft was Julian Phillips, a forward out of Tennessee whom the Bulls took with the fifth pick in the second round. The Bulls gave their 2023 first-round pick to the Orlando Magic as part of the trade to bring in Vučević. Whether Phillips finds his way onto the court this year remains to be seen— the 19-year-old wasn’t a very proficient scorer in college and only had five games which he recorded 15 or more points. But at 6’8” and 200 pounds, he holds potential as a solid defender and post scorer. Enough about the offseason, though. If we’re talking about expectations for this year, it all comes down to a few uncertainties that still need to be worked out before the season opener. Three of the spots in this season’s

starting lineup have been more or less figured out, as fans can expect to see Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Vučević in the first unit with (almost) 100 percent certainty. But finding a starting point guard is something that Executive Vice President Artūras Karnišovas sees as a top team priority between now and their October 25 season opener. “I think it’s going to be a fierce competition.… That’s the mentality we’re going into training camp (with). I’m looking forward to it,” Karnišovas said on WSCR-AM 670. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, along with Carter and veteran Alex Caruso, are all in the running to secure the starting role. Either Caruso or Carter would be the clear choice if Karnišovas and head coach Billy Donovan prioritize defense at the point, while White or Dosunmu would be better offensive weapons. The Bulls also need to figure out who the second forward in their starting lineup will be, and that decision comes down to three names. Fourth-year player Patrick Williams has shown some promise as a power forward so far in his young career but hasn’t been able to consistently get going offensively and still projects to mostly a defense-first player. Recent signing Torrey Craig could also vie for the starting spot. Craig, entering his seventh year in the NBA, started 60 games for Phoenix last year and is no stranger to a high-volume role. And Caruso, who played more than his fair share at the power forward spot last year despite being listed as a guard, could also get the nod from Donovan. All in all, this doesn’t appear to be a very promising season for the Chicago Bulls. There hasn’t been enough meaningful change in the roster or the coaching staff to assume that this season will go any differently than the last. But, as Vučević said, this could very well be the last chance for the trio of him, LaVine, and DeRozan to play together in the Windy City. And maybe, just maybe, that alone is enough to motivate this group to the next level. Maybe.

THE CHICAGO MAROON — OCTOBER 19, 2023

The Tumultuous Summers of UChicago Student-Athletes By BLAIR PENN | Senior Sports Reporter The daily routine of a student-athlete is a difficult act to balance, so one might expect that the summer takes a load off their plate. In reality, that could not be further from the truth. During the school year, UChicago students usually attend classes for a few hours a day. Varsity athletes then face a 2.5-hour practice afterward, often in the 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. range. Working around these obligations, athletes fit in their social lives, extracurricular activities, and academic assignments. At UChicago, most student-athletes on paper enjoy a full summer off, leaving them time to find an internship or travel. Teams that begin the season in fall, such as soccer, football, and cross country, return to campus in August for their preseasons. Still, that leaves at least two months for fall athletes to enjoy their summers. This is one perk of DIII athletics: It allows athletes to explore career interests and passions during the summer. At many DI schools, players get about a month off to go home before spending the rest of the summer on campus, running camps, or at team workouts.

courtesy of bella alfaro.

However, the “offseason” for many athletes does not include a complete break from their sport. Summer is often used as a time to reflect on the past season and prepare for the next one. Athletes grind over the summer to come back a newer, better version of themselves for the next season. Balancing a nine-to-five job and these offseason goals is arguably harder than balancing school and athletics. On the one hand, with a nine-to-five job, you do not have any homework; however, it also requires one to spend eight consecutive hours in the office. After a long workday, it can be hard to carve out a 2.5-hour block to drill and train. Think about the average employee with whom you worked at your internship this summer. How often did they go to the gym? According to the New York Post, six out of 10 office workers “barely even attempt to exercise” and only one out of 10 work out frequently. A nine-to-five job crunches the time you have to go to the gym into two compact windows: either before 9 a.m., which means you will have to wake up by 5:30 a.m., or after work, during the busiest

time of any gym. Most gyms fill up from 5–8 p.m. with those who prefer to work out after work, and it is impossible for college athletes to have the space and equipment that they need as designated by their college workout packets, like squat racks. With the structure of school, athletes have practice during times that do not conflict with their classes. Some athletes are subject to the brutal grind of morning practices, and many athletes practice sometime in the early evening once their classes have ended. Wanting to continue your “offseason grind” during a nine-to-five while also training for at least two hours a day as an athlete would during the school year comes with a price: sacrificing much-needed sleep or your social life immensely. Third-year Jane Chen, a member of the women’s lacrosse team, worked in investment banking this summer at Seale and Associates. Her daily routine illustrates the type of strain that a nineto-five job puts on a college athlete. Normally, Chen would wake up around 5:20 a.m. and go to the gym to work out. She would aim to be back by 7 a.m. and leave for the office at 8 a.m. to work until

7 p.m. She would get home around 8 p.m., eat dinner, hang out with her dog, and get to sleep as early as she could. “It was hard to balance work because there was no free time. Also, waking up so early in the morning to work out was really hard. I found time to prepare for sports by sacrificing sleep,” Chen said. Third-year Bella Alfaro plays for the women’s basketball team and spent this past summer as a consulting intern at Boston Consulting Group’s Atlanta office. Alfaro’s day looked similar to Chen’s. She would wake up at around 6:30 a.m. and go to the gym to lift weights or run. She would then work from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., heading straight from work to the gym or a court to play pick-up basketball or get more shots up on her own. She would then get home around 10 p.m., get ready for bed, and oftentimes do some more work before going to sleep. “Finding time to train was definitely more difficult for me during the summer than it was during the school year,” Alfaro said. She added that once she was able to develop a consistent routine, things got a lot easier. Then, there were only a few days where she had so much office work that she did not have time to work out properly. Jack Goldstein, a third-year on the baseball team, agreed that keeping up athletic training while working a nineto-five job is tough. He said that working for eight hours rather than having class for three hours crunched his schedule. Over the summer, Goldstein worked for a sports memorabilia company doing consumer behavior analysis. He enjoyed the work but agreed that dealing with the nine-to-five lifestyle wasn’t easy. His dedication to baseball and training comes with a lot of different and time-consuming demands like physical therapy, the weight room, and baseball-specific training sessions. Michael Nelson, a second-year javelin thrower on the track and field team, spent the summer working at a microbiology lab at WashU in St. Louis. He worked under a postdoctoral fellow, doing a mixture of wet lab and dry lab activities. His opinion on how training fit in with work was slightly different from those of previous athletes. He said he felt he had CONTINUED ON PG. 11

THE CHICAGO MAROON — OCTOBER 19, 2023

“It was hard to balance work because there was no free time.” CONTINUED FROM PG. 10

more time during the summer to work out in comparison to the school year. “Once I finished work, I had no extra assignments or homework to do,” Nelson said. However, his training in the offseason wasn’t without challenges. “Motivation was the harder part,” he said. “I was able to follow our lifting plan closely, which is the primary focus of our offseason training, but I rarely found the effort to throw in addition to the workout.” In addition to his team-mandated workout plan, Nelson trained for and ran a half-marathon. Nelson feels confident about the work

he put in over this offseason. He said what he was most looking forward to this season was “making some big improvements with some of the extra strength [he had] gained this summer.” Even though the workload of a nineto-five alongside the commitment of college sports is grueling, it can be possible to balance it all and still have time left over for travel. Alfaro was able to find some time to travel over the summer. Prior to her internship, she went to Chile with her mom and sister. She and two teammates also traveled to Japan to stay with another member of the basketball team.