NOVEMBER 13, 2018
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
VOL. 130, ISSUE 14
Obamas to Speak in Hyde Park By DEEPTI SAILAPPAN news editor
Photo of the Issue: Students celebrated Diwali in Rockefeller Chapel. alexandra nisenoff
Stony Island to Close After 2019–2020 By LEE HARIS news editor
Stony Island Hall, the furthest dorm from campus, will no longer house students after the 2019–20 school year. The dorm’s closure coincides with the opening of a new megadorm slated to open in September 2020. Located about a mile from the quad at the intersection of East 57th Street and South Stony Island Avenue, Stony comprises 21 two-bedroom apartments.
After announcing the changes to current residents at a Sunday night house meeting, Housing and Residence Life sent a follow-up e-mail on Monday noting that student housing in Vue53, an apartment building on 53rd Street, will also be retired after next school year. The University rented student housing space in Vue53 at the beginning of the last academic year after an unexpectedly high yield caused the number of students in housing to exceed capacity. Stony’s closure is the latest in
a series of major developments to undergraduate student population and housing. The past decade has seen the shuttering of smaller, “satellite” dorms as the University has moved to consolidate student housing closer to campus. The newest development is the Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons, a 1,200-bed dorm currently being constructed at East 61st Street and South University Avenue. In addition to absorbing the population from Stony and continued on pg.
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Boyer: College Aims to Reach 7,000 By WILLIAM YEE news reporter
Dean of the College John Boyer said in a recent meeting with students that the College plans to eventually have about 1,700 students per class for a population of around 7,000 undergraduates. “We had our largest incoming class this fall, 100 students over from what the University planned,” Boyer is paraphrased as saying in the minutes from a recent Maroon Key Society (MKS) meeting, which a source gave The Maroon. “This had much to do with our yield rate; we were third in the country in terms of yield. The University’s goal is to bring next year’s incoming class size down. Overtime, the size of the college will end up about the same size as Harvard. The class size for each incoming class will be moving towards 1,700 and that’s where we will plateau for each class to create a population of 7,000 undergraduates.” For the class of 2021, the University admitted 2,410 students and reported a 72 percent yield.
Harvard admitted 2,056 applicants, with a yield rate of 84 percent. For the class of 2022, the College admitted 2,329 students with a yield rate of 80 percent. Harvard accepted 1,962 students, 82 percent of whom accepted their admission offers. As the yield rate for the University continues to trend upward, the number of accepted students is likely to decrease. The minutes paraphrase Boyer saying that the University is “looking to build back to the status and size of the college from before WWII. While we are comparing our size to Harvard, this has been a long historical trajectory that started decades ago and is coming to a close as we meet this goal.” In response to a Maroon request for comment, Boyer expanded upon his comments to MKS. “At the present time, we have about 6,600 students, whereas Harvard has about 6,700. Before World War II, the College was about the same size as Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. Our enrollments basically collapsed after 1950, sinking to a low of about 1,350 students
in 1953, whereas those of all of our peer universities did not. The University has sought over the last twenty years to return the College to a size similar to its peers, and we are now getting close to that level.” On the issue of rapid growth, Boyer said to the Maroon Key Society, “The University will have to address their facilities and may want to think about the nature of the academic year. I have been very open to the semester system, but that’s not the way the University wants to go, faculty would be very much opposed.” In response to a Maroon request for clarification on his comment about a transition to the semester system, he elaborated further. “As for the semester system, I have long (since the 1990s) been an advocate of our going on the semester system, but this is definitely a minority opinion, since I suspect that the great majority of the faculty favor retaining the quarter system. This issue has nothing to with under- or over-enrollment, and right now we are neither uncontinued on pg.
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For mer President Ba rack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama will both return soon to Hyde Park for events hosted by the University’s Institute of Politics (IOP) and the Seminary Co-op, respectively. Michelle Obama will sign copies of her memoir Becoming starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Seminary Co-op this Tuesday, the day it is released. On Sunday, the Seminary Coop and 57th Street Books—both operated by the same company, the Seminary Co-op Bookstores—sold a total of 500 wristbands for entry to the signing for $32.50. That price also included one copy of Becoming. On the event page for a previously announced midnight release party for the book, the Seminary Co-op highlighted Obama’s South Side roots and her membership at the Co-op. “It’s not every day that a beloved neighbor, former First Lady, and international icon releases a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling—it’s not even every 4-8 years!” the page reads. “Join us in celebrating the historic release of Co-op Member Michelle Obama’s Becoming as soon as it’s
Pawar Talks Treasurer Run By PRANATHI POSA news reporter
47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar (S.M. ’09, A.M. ’16) is a familiar face in Chicago politics and, this quarter, is on campus as an Institute of Politics (IOP) fellow. After incumbent Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers announced last month that he is not running for reelection, Pawar quickly jumped in, announcing his bid for treasurer last Sunday. Pawar had an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination late last year. He ultimately
By NATALIE DENBY
By LEE HARRIS page 7
dropped out due to insufficient funds and backed the Democratic nominee, governor-elect J.B. Pritzker. Now running on a platform of creating a public bank and refinancing student loans, Pawar said he is running because being city treasurer “is a job where you can just dive in on the policy issues, and on the public policy initiatives and just focus on that. That is sort of an environment that I thrive in.” The Maroon sat down with him to talk to him about his experiences and candidacy. continued on pg.
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courtesy of pawar’s campaign facebook page Pawar is Chicago’s 47th Ward alderman and an Institute of Politics fellow.
Grammy-Winning ThirdYear Releases Music Video With UNICEF
The Problem With Participation Points
on sale.” The memoir covers Obama’s childhood and education, early struggles in her marriage to President Obama, and tenure as the first Black first lady. The cross-country Becoming book tour kicks off downtown later on Tuesday night, with a sold-out event at the United Center. President Obama comes to campus next Tuesday, November 20, for a live taping of The Axe Files, a podcast by IOP director and former White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod that is co-sponsored by CNN. The episode will be taped live at the Logan Center for the Arts from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in an event open only to current UChicago students. The taping is also closed to the press. The IOP announced the event this past Friday, when free tickets became available. According to the announcement, the episode commemorates the 10-year anniversary of Barack Obama’s election. The discussion will also include Obama and Axelrod’s shared experiences on the campaign trail and Obama’s current work with the Obama Foundation. The podcast will be available online immediately following the event.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - NOVEMBER 13, 2018
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Events 11/13–11/16
Third-Year Releases Music Video With UNICEF By LEE HARRIS
Tuesday Oeconomica Faculty Dinner: Benjamin Brooks Saieh 21, 6–7 p.m. Join Oeconomica for a faculty event with professor Benjamin Brooks from the Department of Economics. His research interests include game theory, auction theory, games of incomplete information, and repeated games. Food will be provided. Yossi Klein Halevi & Walid Issa, in Conversation Ida Noyes Hall, 7:30—9 p.m. Author Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, and activist Walid Issa, executive director of The American Palestinian Hope Project, will discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and its challenges. The first 50 attendees will receive a copy of Halevi’s book, My Palestinian Neighbor. Wednesday Who are the “Illegals?”: The Social Construct of Illegality Harper Memorial Library 104, 8–9p.m. New Americans UChicago will welcome Professor Rene Flores of the Sociology Department for a discussion on what “illegality” is and how such a notion is constructed by society. A short Q&A will follow. Light refreshments will be provided. FOTA Presents: Late Night Latte Reynolds Club, McCormick Lounge, 8:30– 9:30p.m. Connect with UChicago’s artistic community while enjoying some fall-themed snacks and drinks. Thursday MODA Model Call Hutchinson Commons, 8:30—10 p.m. Audition for MODA’s 2019 Winter Fashion Show for your chance to walk the runway in the annual show. All body types, gender identities, and personalities are welcome to audition. Please avoid loose-fitting clothing and wear heels if possible. Friday UT Presents: Good Friday Logan Center for the Arts, 7:30—9 p.m. Artist Kristiana Rae Colon tackles issues surrounding gun violence and assault in modern times with her play Good Friday. Free preview at 7:30 p.m. at Theater West, Logan Center.
Support Our Advertisers Page Four: This Thursday, the Lumen Christi Institute will host a free panel discussion on the Catholic Church’s response to sexual abuse. If you want to place an ad in The Maroon, please e-mail ads@chicagomaroon.com or visit chicagomaroon.com/pages/advertise.
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news editor
Earlier this year, third-year Greer Baxter, a Grammy Award–winning producer and musician, wrote “Line in the Sand,” a song about the fraught United States–Mexico relationship that will appear on the soundtrack of a forthcoming documentary text, Fandango at the Wall. On Tuesday morning, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) published the music video for the song, which it will use as part of its “Uprooted” and “A Child Is a Child” campaigns for displaced and migrant children. Baxter first worked as an assistant to Latin jazz musician Arturo O’Farrill in 2015, researching the history of the Cuban musical scene for the liner notes—the informational pamphlet in an album CD—to his album, Cuba: The Conversation Continues. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album the following year. She subsequently served as an assistant producer on the album Familia by O’Farrill and Chucho Valdés, working with the sound engineer and providing feedback during recording sessions. Along with the rest of the production team, Baxter won a 2018 Grammy Award for the song “Three Revolutions,” in the category of Best Instrumental Composition. Most recently, Baxter composed an original song for O’Farrill’s latest album, Fandango at the Wall, which is part of a multimedia project about the U.S.–Mexico border. The annual Tijuana music festival, Fandango Fronterizo, inspired the “Fandango” project. Fandango Fronterizo converges annually at the wall between San Diego and Tijuana and centers on son jarocho, a folk music style incorporating Spanish, African, and indigenous influences that originated in Veracruz, Mexico. The style includes classics such as Ritchie Valens’s legendarily upbeat “La Bamba.” While primarily focused on music, the festival is in many ways a too-accurate political microcosm, depicting the fraying relationship between the U.S. and Mexico in miniature. Since the Fandango Fronterizo’s conception in 2008, changes to the wall itself have seemed the perfect metaphor for heightening tensions to U.S.– Mexico relations.
Baxter records her song, “Line in the Sand,” with Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez. courtesy of greer baxter
When the festival first began gathering, the fence was peppered with holes, making it easier for people to speak to friends and family members on the other side of the border. As the fence has become increasingly militarized and reinforced in recent years, however, organizers say it is tougher to communicate across the barrier. “Holes once big enough to accommodate Mexican popsicles or mangoes on a stick have been shrunk,” The New York Times reported. In April, the album producer of Fandango at the Wall called Baxter and asked her to compose a pop ballad for the soundtrack. “Even though it was during midterms, I basically locked myself in the Max Palevsky music room for two days straight and came up with ‘Line in The Sand,’” Baxter said. The song she wrote, “Line in the Sand,” was conceived as “something to remind people of the human stakes involved in the fight over immigration,” Baxter told The Maroon. “It’s about the U.S. and Mexico, but it’s framed as a song about the emotional connection between two individuals.” After the producer approved “Line in the Sand” for inclusion in the album, Baxter accompanied the crew on a trip to Tijuana to film scenes for the documentary and record most of the orchestral pieces for the album. Baxter said seeing the border wall in person was a deeply moving experience. “It really brought home the issue of sepa-
rated families in a visceral way,” she said. “One thing you notice is that on the U.S. side, it’s just a big, dark wall with a bunch of armed border patrol guards standing around, but on the Tijuana side, there’s so much life and activity, and the wall itself is covered in beautiful, moving murals of children holding balloons.” Following the Tijuana trip, Baxter was thrilled to learn that Mandy Gonzalez—who currently portrays Angelica Schuyler in the musical Hamilton—had been chosen to sing her song for the recording. Baxter “demoed” the song for Gonzalez at a recording studio in New York, and Gonzalez sang it perfectly on the first try, Baxter said. “The icing on the cake was that they also asked me to play the piano accompaniment on the recording,” Baxter said. In addition to Gonzalez, the album features a slate of musician-activists including rapper Ana Tijoux, drummer Antonio Sánchez, the Rahim AlHaj Trio, and violinist Regina Carter. After the music video was shot, Baxter learned that UNICEF had expressed interest in the song and decided to use it as part of two humanitarian initiatives focused on protecting migrant children: “Uprooted” and “A Child Is a Child.” Baxter called work on the Fandango project and its subsequent adoption by UNICEF “incredibly gratifying.”
Stony’s Closure Coincides With Opening of New Mega-Dorm continued from front page
Vue53, Woodlawn Commons is expected to house the increased number of undergraduates the College plans to enroll in coming years. Dean Boyer discussed the planned population increase in recent minutes obtained from the Maroon Key Society. Law School professor Craig Futterman and his wife Kenyatta Tatum Futterman, youth program coordinator in the Office of Risk Management, have served as Resident Deans for Stony Island since 2016. “We are sad that Stony will be closing in a couple of years, because we are proud of all that it has become,” Craig Futterman said in a statement to The Maroon. “In our just few years as Resident Deans, we have seen what a special place Stony is. As a small, closeknit community, Stony has become a home away from home for so many of our students. Kenyatta and I have seen students’ support of one another. We have experienced its cool and special culture. Most of all, we have experienced our students’ love for the Stony community.” The full e-mail sent to residents from Sophia Chaknis, the executive director of Housing & Residence Life, and Richard J. Mason, Assistant Vice President for Campus Life, can be read below: “As part of our continuing efforts to expand and strengthen the residential experience for current and future College students, we are writing to share a development that
Stony Island is the last satellite dorm still in operation. alexandra nisenhoff will impact your current residence hall. At your House yesterday evening, Housing & Residence Life shared that we will no longer house College students in Stony Island Hall after June 2020. This decision, timed to coincide with the opening of Woodlawn Residential Commons and Dining Commons in fall 2020, is in keeping with the University’s strategy to strengthen the Resident Dean model and house more College students closer to campus. While we are still working out the specifics of this transition, we can share a couple of important details. First, students living in Stony Island who wish to remain in Housing & Residence Life spaces will have the opportunity to move as a community to a new House in Woodlawn Residential Commons. They may also choose to enter the Housing lottery to reside in a different location.
With the opening of Woodlawn Residential Commons, eleven new Houses will be created, and we will retire the Stony Island name in spring 2020. Vue53 will also be retired, and those residents will have the option to move as a community to Woodlawn Residential Commons. We will work with current residents and staff to plan celebrations throughout the 2019–20 academic year to recognize these changes. We look forward to involving you in this process. Finally, since Stony Island will continue to operate as an undergraduate residence hall through the 2019–20 academic year, this announcement will not have an impact on the Spring Quarter Housing lottery.” A University spokesperson did not respond to The Maroon’s request for comment by the time of publication.
THE CHICAGO MAROON - NOVEMBER 13, 2018
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Boyer Supports Semester System continued from front page
der- nor over-enrolled. Rather, it has to do with my sense of the relentless nature of the quarter system, as experienced by students, and that the semester system would afford our students a better educational learning environment. But, as I say, I doubt that the University will ever abandon the quarter system. We have had it since 1892, and it seems to have become a permanent fixture of our identity.” With MKS, Boyer also discussed how the University has recently become a “very hot college” in the past 5—10 years. He noted that the University was ranked third in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the third consecutive year. The College saw its largest incoming class enter this fall, 1,814 students—100 more than planned. This is primarily due to its high yield rate, which ranked third nationally. “We are becoming much more competitive with Penn, Columbia, Brown, and some of the other Ivy+ institutions,” Boyer explained. “What we are hearing from the entering students and families, Chicago has a profile of high intellectualism, life of the mind ideals, and for a certain section of the country, that is a strong set of American values.” However, the College’s Core Curriculum will remain largely the same for the foreseeable future, according to the transcript of the conversation with Boyer. “We last looked at the Core 20 years ago. It took three years and was enormously controversial; I think the structure is still where it should be. Faculty do create new Core courses through regeneration. We shouldn’t be in the business of having faculty teaching the same courses for 60 years.
There’s a new Core Course in humanities and social sciences emerging. On that level there will be a lot of change, but in terms of numerically, I don’t foresee any changes in going back to 22 classes or trimming below 15 for the Core.” When asked about the potential addition of new majors to the curriculum, the Dean of the College demurred. “Faculty are working to collect faculty and student interests to see where those intersect. There are majors in the development stages, but we are unable to share those at the moment.” The removal of part-time student status was also discussed, as some in MKS inquired if the U.S. News rankings affected the decision. Dean Boyer responded, “The part-time status decision has nothing to do with ratings. Four years ago we looked at all of our peers as it relates to part-time status and we learned that (1) part-time status effects financial aid, (2) we learned that some international students could go part-time and some couldn’t, and that’s not where we wanted to be. We slowly started taking this enrollment option away over the last few years. Students can still apply for Student Disability Status, going to three classes. Should a student feel that they need to go part-time status and do not agree with this policy, we suggest they talk to their academic adviser as soon as possible.” MKS is the College’s honorary society for third- and fourth-year students. Members serve as advisers to the Dean of the College and its Dean of Students. Applicants must be active in extracurricular activities and maintain at least a 3.5 GPA.
Tech Leaders Join Forces at Quantum Exchange
Pawar Talks Student Loans continued from front page
Pawar said his education and experience as alderman align with the responsibilities of treasurer. He received a master’s in threat response and management from UChicago’s Graham School in 2009. His IOP seminars this quarter have centered on how the degree has influenced his use of disaster response to address social issues. As alderman, Pawar spearheaded legislation that guaranteed paid sick leave, raised the minimum wage, and combated wage theft. He also helped create the city’s independent budget office—the fourth of its kind in the nation. This September, after Pawar introduced a resolution calling for a city program that would pay 1,000 families $500 per month, Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed him to a task force that will consider whether to implement universal basic income in Chicago. “I’ve got almost eight years of experience working in Chicago City Council passing budgets, working on complex financial issues, in addition to making tough decisions to right the city’s financial ship and passing legislation—building coalitions to get big things done for working people,” he said of his aldermanic experiences. He views the position of city treasurer as an opportunity “for the City to use its investment power and banking power to shape a political economy,” he said. “For all the talk of billionaires controlling government, I would like to tell people we’re billionaires too, because we control billions of dollars in taxpayer money.” His methods to generate those returns center around establishing a public bank and refinancing student debt. Pawar said that were he elected, he would limit his tenure to two terms, as a personal choice and not as something he wished to see legislated. Like the mayor, the city’s treasurer does not have term limits. “I know that when I’m given a certain amount of time to work on something, I am going to give everything I have, all day, every day,” he said. Among his most ambitious targets for a potential two-term tenure is creating a public bank.
Public banks are government-run financial institutions which use their city or state’s direct investment and leverage tax revenue for direct investment. The Bank of North Dakota is the only current example of a public bank in the United States. Since its establishment in 1919 with an initial $2 million investment, the bank has grown to support economic development in the state by working across North Dakota’s government and with financial institutions. As of 2016, it held over $7.2 billion dollars in assets. Pawar hopes to establish a similar institution in Chicago. “With the public bank, it’s going to require working with City Council and the next mayor—potentially the next governor—around the idea that we need to be investing more in communities,” Pawar said. “A publicly owned bank doesn’t mean we’re against private banks, it just means that we as taxpayers should also help shape the political economy.” He hopes his plans to implement a student debt refinancing program will help fuel the public bank. Under the refinancing program, an individual would pay back their student loans at a lower rate in exchange for 15 years of residency in Chicago. Pawar believes this refinancing would generate disposable incomes that would then go back into communities. Maine implemented a similar type of incentive in 2008. Under the Education Opportunity Tax Credit program, college graduates who move to Maine can put their loan payments toward tax credits. While Pawar’s proposed program isn’t based on exchanging payments for tax credits, he said that it could possibly combat the city’s population decline issue. Pawar believes that such programs will allow him to accomplish what he views to be the city treasurer’s main goal of generating returns. “First and foremost, the goal is to protect the city dollars and to generate healthy returns both for the pension funds and for city-based investments,” he said. Pawar said he is optimistic about getting the 12,500 signatures needed by November 26 to get on the ballot. He said his race for governor “was a very grassroots-driven campaign, and I think that’s what we’re going to do here.”
Youth Groups Discuss Halloween Violence By DIMITRIY LEKSANOV news reporter
David Awschalom, director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange. courtesy of nwo physics
By JUSTIN SMITH news reporter
“Quantum mechanics has the potential to solve problems that currently would take longer than the life of the universe in days, minutes, or even seconds,” Jeff Henshaw, founding member of Xbox, told the audience at the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) this past weekend. This past Thursday and Friday, the CQE hosted its inaugural Chicago Quantum Summit. The event featured speakers such as Dario Gil, COO of IBM Research, Jeff Henshaw, program manager for Microsoft’s Quantum Architecture and Computation Group (QuArC), Bill Foster, the only STEM Ph.D. holder in Congress and representative of Illinois’ 11th district, and David Awschalom, UChicago professor and scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. The CQE was created to bring together the University of Chicago’s Institute for Molecular Engineering with research institutions Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. In late October, the CQE welcomed its
newest partner, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (which recently spent over $15 million in the development of a new quantum engineering department) to expand the breadth of the exchange. Quantum mechanics studies the behavior of matter at the subatomic level. It is a recent field in physics, and has the potential to lead to new advancements in computing capabilities rendering existing technology archaic and useless. Joseph Lykken, deputy director and chief research officer of Fermilab, argued that quantum technology is such a complex field that “no institution can do it alone.” To achieve this ideal, The Chicago Quantum Summit brought together leaders in quantum technology in the public and private sector to discuss public-private partnerships. Kate Timmerman, executive director of the CQE told The Maroon that the purpose of the Summit was to “bring the leaders of academia, government, and industry in the field together to share their visions and where they’re going in their work.” continued on pg.
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Reverend Charlene Hill of United Church of Hyde Park and write-in candidate for state representative Denise Anita Hill led a forum, co-sponsored by youth services group Blue Gargoyle and Hyde Park Teen Halloween, on Thursday night to address the criminal activity that took place on Halloween and discuss preventative measures for future years. Teen Halloween began in 2016, behind the support of local volunteers and youth mentorship groups, with the intention of providing Chicago adolescents with an avenue to celebrate while staying out of harm’s way. This year, the large-venue Halloween party was held at The Promontory, hosting roughly 400 teens in a 500-person capacity space. In recent years, Halloween in Hyde Park has become associated with social media–organized gatherings of youth engaging in belligerent behavior and vandalism. This has led residents to question whether Teen Halloween actually serves its intended purpose or instead creates an environment that invites misbehavior by allowing large, energetic crowds to gather. “I think Hyde Park needs to decide—are we going to allow kids to come here and engage in misconduct?” one attendee asked. Another speaker echoed this, saying, “Someone could’ve been killed. We could’ve been having a very different meeting.” Other speakers were dissatisfied with both Chicago Police (CPD) and University of Chicago Police (UCPD)’s performance on Halloween
night. “I questioned the conduct of some of the UCPD that night when they were on their own,” one speaker said. Hyde Park resident Lissa Romell, who saw her son’s car vandalized by the passing crowd, suggested that the police strategy of following the crowd of teenagers on bikes to shepherd them along may have contributed to the chaos. “There were a lot of kids that were being swept along,” she said. “We were at a loss.” Captain Arthur Gillespie of the UCPD responded that the department will address any activities by officers that went against procedure and mentioned that “there will be a reassessment of the plan” for Halloween nights going forward. Two eyewitnesses, Bennie Currie and Lauren Reeves, suggested that certain security measures taken to protect local homes and businesses may have jeopardized the safety of both the teens at the party and local residents. Cordoning off streets, for example, caused a bottleneck for people leaving the event and made it difficult for some to find transportation. “They weren’t able to get home because there weren’t buses coming,” said Reeves. She added that the issue extended beyond public transportation, as the impromptu street closures made it difficult for the teens to hail Ubers. For the most part, though, speakers supported Teen Halloween as an outlet for safe, healthy fun. “What I saw at Promontory was absolute, pure joy,” said Brian McCoy, one of the organizers of the event. Ebony Lucas, a member of the party’s continued on pg.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - NOVEMBER 13, 2018
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Youth Talk Halloween continued from pg.
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planning committee, said that the event has always been intended to “engage teens in a positive way,” adding, “We have groups that believe in what we’re doing.” “There’s not a whole lot going on outside of school,” said Caleb Wilkerson, a student at Kenwood Academy, said. “When people want to do stuff outside of school, that’s when you get to having problems, because they don’t really know what to do.” Wilkerson, who helped plan Teen Halloween, discussed the need for dialogue between teens and adult leaders. “It just really needs to be a lot more of teens working with the adults in the neighborhood,” said Wilkerson. “When we get the teens to be involved in their community, that’s when good things happen.” Others discussed one-on-one communication as a way to directly address concerns with teens inclined towards criminal behavior. Enoch Muhammad, co-founder of Hip-Hop DetoxX, a youth mentorship group, said, “To communicate—that’s to get information. So, between now and next year, we can work together so we don’t have these kinds of problems.” For Muhammad, direct communication may have already thwarted a potential incident. Lucas said that last Friday she discovered that some teens were planning another “purge” that night. She was able to reach out to Muhammad and Hip-Hop DetoxX, who in turn got in contact with the individuals in question and helped dissipate a gathering crowd. “That intervention, we believe, stopped what could’ve been something that was another incident on Friday,” said Lucas. “It let us know again how important those community partnerships are.” The meeting concluded with remarks from Alderman Sophia King of the Fourth Ward. “Collaboration is what we have to have going forward,” she said.
Chicago Quantum Exchange Hosted its Inagural Summit continued from pg.
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During a panel about the future of the industry, panelists from the CQE’s four member institutions advocated for greater involvement from private corporations in the development of quantum engineering. They mentioned allowing students to use time spent in the private sector as Ph.D. credit and spoke positively of integrated public-private labs, as well as other potential integrations. The panel also spoke on how to convince more talented students to study QE and advocated for stronger involvement in QE at both the undergraduate and graduate level at UChicago and UIUC. The panel saw quantum engineering as a practical field, while acknowledging that there is very little that it can currently be used for since it’s still so early in its infancy. The Summit accomplished its goal to bring together leaders in all aspects of the quantum engineering field. In addition to its programming, the summit offered various networking opportunities between members of different sectors. This summit serves as yet another example of how the University is investing in expanding STEM departments, and follows the “large sequence of investments” in computer science mentioned by President Robert J. Zimmer late last month. The CQE is planning to host this summit annually, as it continues to develop new advancements and partnerships to advance research in quantum engineering.
The Catholic Church in Crisis A Panel Discussion THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15 | 4:30pm Ida Noyes Library (1212 E. 59th St.) free and open to the public. reception to follow. Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute. Cosponsored by the Catholic Students Association and the Theology Club.
visit WWW.LUMENCHRISTI.ORG to register After the “Spotlight” investigations by the Boston Globe in 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established a “zero tolerance” policy toward the commission and cover-up of abuse. This panel will review the Church’s attempt to face this issue and will consider why it has reemerged in 2018, relating that question to broader issues of clericalism and governance in the Catholic Church.
Kim Daniels is associate director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown Univeristy.
Russell Hittinger is William K. Warren Professor of Catholic Studies and Research Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa.
Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP, is founder and director of the Lay Mission Project of the Western Dominican Province.
ARTS
35 Years Later, Violent Femmes is Still Challenging Norms
A grill on stage appeared to be part of the drum kit. courtesy of Kevin Hassett
By KEVIN HASSETT arts reporter
I was standing alone in the cold and rain, waiting for a bus that should have been there 20 minutes before. This felt strangely appropriate as I was headed to the Vic to see Violent Femmes’s sold-out show and one of the band’s earliest songs is called “Waiting for the Bus.” A lot of people know Violent Femmes for the song “Blister in the Sun.” What a lot of people don’t realize is that Violent Femmes is one of the best, and weirdest, bands out there. It is an acoustic improv-heavy proto-punk band with a drummer who stands when he plays, an acoustic bassist who shreds through ridiculous, balls-out solos in almost every song, a singer whose wimpy vocals sound angry about being wimpy, and occasionally a horn section that plays avant-garde noise-jazz. None of this
should work, but somehow, it all comes together. The band is credited with founding the genre of folk-punk, but it doesn’t make much sense to put Violent Femmes in a genre, because there are no other bands that sound remotely like it. Above all, what sets Violent Femmes apart is the band’s songwriting, which packages the thoughts of a horny, anxious 17-year-old misanthrope into tight, fun, timeless, bizarrely catchy songs. Before the band even came on, there were a half-dozen brass instruments strewn about on stage, including a saxophone that looked about 8 feet tall. There was a gong, a xylophone, a cajon, and a barbecue—yes, there was an actual grill onstage that appeared to be part of the drum kit. They began wordlessly with their brooding, ominous “Confessions.” As the song built up to its unsettling climax, more and more people
walked onstage, picked up brass instruments, and joined in, creating a startling, free-form cacophony that elevated the song from the recorded version into something larger and more daunting. It felt like Violent Femmes just asked some of their roadies and friends to pick up random instruments and make noise. Caroline Smith, the reserved folk artist who had played acoustic guitar before the concert, was now blowing into a trumpet, red-faced, her fingers moving wildly. And, at one point, bassist Brian Ritchie traded his bass for a conch shell. The Femmes jumped seamlessly back and forth across their discography throughout the set; songs from their newest releases held up to the standard set by their now 35-year-old cult-classic debut album. Playing a brand-new song, “I’m Not Gonna Cry for You,” they proved they have not lost their touch for gleeful irreverence. The band’s versatility was astonishing: They flew into jazz-punk freakouts in the middle of acoustic pop songs, they faded out live on “Please Do Not Go,” playing and singing quieter and quieter until becoming inaudible, they veered into psychedelia as Ritchie co-opted an effects pedal on his bass to make creepy, ethereal sound effects rather than play notes during their spacey, abstracted performance of “Color Me Once.” Ritchie recreated the ripping xylophone solo of “Gone Daddy Gone” note for note, but every other solo was altered, expanded, and brought into new territories. The most engaging thing about seeing Violent Femmes live is that the band is still willing to take risks. They do not use setlists, opting instead to play whatever feels right in the moment, even taking requests from the audience. They seem to feed off of their own unpredictability.
They are a bona fide punk band, but they play enough extended improvisational interludes to veer into jam band territory. However, rather than adopt the laid-back attitude of jam bands, they manage to maintain the urgency and abandon of punk. The thrill of watching them is that they feel as though they might fall apart at any second, but never do. Violent Femmes does not smooth down its edges, but rather sharpens and emphasizes them. It is a band that sounds—and looks— kind of ugly, and asks you, “so what?” One of the most immediately appealing things about Violent Femmes is the way its simultaneously stripped-down and in-your-face nature stands in bold contrast to most other musical groups. The band’s very existence is a challenge to norms. Sometimes, though, it is hard to understand what the band members are doing. During the set they inexplicably juxtaposed blistering anthems of teen angst with seemingly non-ironic gospel songs and a children’s polka song about an adventurer named Pongo. For the most part, though, I was right there with them as they blasted through their catalogue of deceptively simple and demented-yetsing-songy music, and they looked to be having as good of a time as the audience was. Having not expected to go to this show, and having not listened to them in a while, I quickly remembered everything about them that had originally blown me away: their brash and unique musicality, their organized chaos, their songs that chug along like a choo-choo train on a drug binge. However, what mostly gets to me is their sheer relatability. This is something that is beautifully articulated in their encore-opening fan-favorite “American Music”: “I like American music / It reminds me of me.”
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Bohemian Rhapsody: a Cursory Nostalgia Ride By JEREMY LINDENFIELD arts reporter
If you’re a film snob looking to find the perfect movie to satisfy your Kubrickian standards, perhaps it would be best to stay away from Bryan Singer’s biopic on Farrokh Bulsara, better known by his stage name, Freddie Mercury, former front man of the British rock band Queen. But, if you are in the mood for an entertaining and at times emotional delve into one of music’s most iconic figures, look no further than Bohemian Rhapsody. Without a doubt, this movie has its flaws, perhaps the most glaring being the breakneck speed with which the film barrels through most of its scenes. The first hour or so fails so incredibly at fleshing out singular moments in Freddie’s life and career that the film feels like a glorified montage. It takes no more than 10 minutes to transition from when Mercury first meets Brian May and Roger Taylor, the band’s lead guitarist and drummer, respectively, to when they are selling out concerts all over England. The overstuffing of moments takes valuable narrative space away from developing emotionally relevant storylines. Mercury’s home life, for instance, seems vital to the emotional payoff of the movie yet remains dras-
tically underdeveloped. Though his family is introduced at the very beginning of the film and scatterings of their dynamic appear in other scenes, the relationships portrayed are one-dimensional and unworthy of carrying so much narrative weight. If Singer were to have spent more time expanding on the complex relationship Mercury had with his father instead of shoehorning in some superficial dadwishes-son-was-not-chasing-his-rockstar-dreams plotline, I would have found the father’s eventual acceptance of his son far more impactful. Similarly superficial is Bohemian Rhapsody’s handling of Mercury’s sexuality and ultimately fatal AIDS diagnosis. Though they aren’t exactly glossed over, their lack of nuance left a bitter taste in my mouth. For the vast majority of the film, Freddie’s relationship with his manager Paul Prenter is depicted solely as rampant sexual desire, while his heterosexual relationship with Mary Austin (portrayed by Lucy Boynton) is presented as a loving and complex interpersonal dynamic. Additionally, the portrayal of Freddie’s AIDS diagnosis, while tragic, is significantly underplayed. The immense physical toll of the diagnosis, especially in a time when the disease carried such an awful stigma, deserves much more attention than the movie
afforded it. with iconic rock anthems, the movie campy tone of the movie. In spite of all the missteps, Bohe- certainly seizes every opportunity Anyone who goes to watch Bohemian Rhapsody shines as a poignant to make use of the rights they bought mian Rhapsody is sure to come away and humanizing portrayal of a celeb- to Queen’s discography. For the most with a new perspective on Queen and rity caught in a web of loneliness, re- part, the songs are organically intro- its powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, gret, all-encompassing performative duced (in concert scenes or scenarios and heart: Freddie Mercury. Though narcissism, struggles with sexuali- of that kind), but occasionally, as in the some flaws stick out rather noticeably ty, and love for his craft. The movie cases of “Another One Bites the Dust” and the movie fails to portray Mercuprovides the viewer with insight into and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the songs ry’s life in all of its nuance, it undoubtunexplored and harrowing sides to themselves play pivotal roles in narra- edly succeeds in the category Freddie Freddie Mercury’s life story that ce- tive development. These less natural- would’ve wanted it to: It entertains ment his place in music history while ly introduced inclusions come off as immensely. also revealing the somewhat relatable a little forced, but work well into the obstacles he had to face. All of this is due in no small part to the absolutely breathtaking performance by Rami Malek. Throughout the entire film, I had to remind myself that I was watching somebody impersonating Freddie Mercury. My familiarity with Queen’s front man, built over years of watching concert footage, was hijacked by Malek’s fantastic acting, costumes, makeup, dental prosthetics, and accent, making me suspend all disbelief and accept Malek as Freddie Mercury himself. It goes without saying that the soundtrack to the film is by far one of its strengths. There were moments throughout the screening when the audience sang along to the music, furthering the overwhelming feelings of nostalgia and passion already Rami Malek does an impressive job of replicating the singer’s voice and stage present in the film. Filled to the brim presence. courtesy of 20th century fox
Muse Trapped in a Simulation of Mediocrity in Latest Album By WAHID AL MAMUN arts reporter
After the 2015 release Drones fell flat with fans and critics alike, British prog-rock band Muse is back with Simulation Theory. It’s been more than a year since “Dig Down,” the lead single, was dropped, so this is a project that has been long in the making. Matt Bellamy and co. are keen to drag us back into the ’80s, complete with retro-futuristic Tron graphics and drum machines. Once again, however, the U.K.-based three-piece band has delivered a record that is heavy on concept, but shallow in actual substance. The only real positive from the album stems from Muse’s willingness to co-opt new sounds into its arsenal. While this has not always proven to be successful (such as when Muse flirted with cringe-inducing dubstep in 2012’s The 2nd Law), it does offer a sense of diversity and experimentalism to the evolution of their sound throughout
their discography. In Simulation Theory, this experimentation pays off at times. “Algorithms,” which sees the juxtaposition of a hip-hop drum kit sound with a dramatically ambient string arrangement, is as good of an album opener as they’ve ever had. Furthermore, Simulation Theory offers a departure from the grand arena rock songs that populated much of Drones and The 2nd Law, making room for more musical range and subtlety. The album closer, “The Void,” for instance, is uncharacteristically down-tempo for Muse’s standards. Nonetheless, it is as rich and poignant in its instrumentation as any song they’ve written before. And, through the “Alternate Reality” versions of songs such as “Algorithms” and “The Dark Side,” which are on the album’s deluxe version, Muse show that they still have the creative capacity and willingness to update, and even reinvent, the bombastic sound they’ve become famous for. Therefore, it is ultimately frus-
trating that the record suffers from a general inconsistency in its overall sound. The band’s promotional materials place Simulation Theory in the ’80s, with music videos that seem like deleted scenes from Blade Runner or Tron. Yet, at times, their sound seems to hearken back to some of their older catalogue. The best parts of the album come when songs are able to successfully straddle both of these universes. “The Dark Side” manages this synthesis elegantly by coupling a muscular guitar riff, that could have come out of 2001’s Origin of Symmetry, with ample use of synthesizers and compressed drum kits. However, these moments are few and far between, with many songs on the record succeeding, instead, in only confusing the listener. “Propaganda” in particular is extremely bizarre—it starts with a very choppy synth sample that sounds like it walked out of a rejected Pharrell song, while simultaneously trying its hardest to sound like a Prince song. There’s even a bluesy slide guitar solo. While
such an amalgamation of influences “find a way.” There is a broad enough spanning across genres may help to line between cliché and originality, make a song rich and extensive, it and yet Muse find themselves on the can also make a mess of an album. wrong side of this line. It’s a shame Unfortunately, songs like “Break that the lyrics are so unimaginative, It to Me” and “Dig Down” fall flat because Bellamy’s vocal delivery is because Muse sticks its fingers into as excellent as it has ever been in the too many pies, making it impossible last 20 years. On the otherwise awto find any form of musical, or even ful “Get Up and Fight,” Bellamy finds thematic, unity within the record. a strong balance between a falsetto Lyrical subtlety has never been a croon and a Freddie Mercury–esque strong point for Muse, and, in recent power belt. One wonders what this records, this has become an active record would have sounded like if hindrance to the overall quality of the lyrics were even a little bit better. the band’s releases. Drones, in particAll in all, this record shows that ular, brought out the most self-indul- Muse is undoubtedly a highly talentgent, and consequently the worst, of ed band, and is still one of the very Bellamy’s lyrics, which often forayed few big rock bands around the world into the territory of pure conspiracy willing to confront huge thematic theory. While Bellamy drops the act concerns in their work. They seem of the dystopian, red-pilled alarmist especially well-positioned to be the this time around, his lyrics nonethe- mouthpiece against the hyper-comless rely too much on trite truisms mercialized, post-truth world that to make a point, failing to inspire we live in today. The greatest disor to get the listener excited. In “Dig appointment of Simulation Theory, Down,” we are told the world is a therefore, is Muse’s inability to take simulation but that all will be good advantage of their potential. if we—what else?—“dig down” and
The Woman Who Could’ve Fallen a Little Better: Doctor Who Series 11 Mid-Season Review By BRANDON ZANG arts reporter
When the 11th season of Doctor Who was announced, nobody knew what to expect. Not only was there a change in showrunner from Steven Moffat to Chris Chibnall, but the Doctor is now a woman and has three companions instead of two. While perhaps seemingly arbitrary to an outsider, these modifications are radical to any experienced W hovian. Not once has a New W ho (from the revival on) writer challenged so many basic premises of the show,
which was revived in 2005. The last “radical” change to the show was probably the 2010 casting of Matt Smith, whose relatively young age was considered controversial. One doesn’t need to delve deep into Reddit and YouTube to see what those critics think of Jodie Whittaker today. Despite mass uncertainty in his direction for the show, Chibnall has proven himself to be a competent showrunner. The first five episodes of the new season, despite having their imperfections, were impressive. “The Woman Who Fell to Earth” and “Rosa”
stood out among the rest. The first episode effectively introduced the new Doctor’s quirky personality traits and the origins of the three companions-to-be. Emotionally driven and impeccably paced, the opener offered a glimpse of Chibnall’s vision, especially what he intends to preserve from Russell Davies’s and Moffat’s legacies: the companions come from very ordinary working-class backgrounds, and the Doctor still has absolutely no control over the TARDIS. A violent monster is defeated by cleverness and wits alone. “Rosa” proved further to be a statement of con-
sistency. Perhaps the best episode of the season yet, it followed the model of some of the most successful Doctor Who episodes in which an important historical figure is featured. In fact, the episode was reminiscent of Richard Curtis’s 2010 “Vincent and the Doctor,” one of the most emotionally charged and critically acclaimed episodes in New Who. Chibnall’s development of the three companions was surprisingly well done. The personalities and motivations behind Graham, Ryan, and Yasmin (portrayed by Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and
Mandip Gill, respectively) were revealed starting in the first episode. While we still don’t have a very thorough understanding of their backgrounds (especially Yasmin’s), their interactions with each other and the Doctor have set them up to be as unique as any other companions in New Who. While the characters were obviously greatly affected by the Doctor’s presence in their lives, we have yet to see how Chibnall will work them into the Doctor’s existence as other showrunners have. Moffat’s writing often introduced a companion’s continued on pg.
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“Emotionally driven and impeccably paced, the opener offered a glimpse of Chibnall’s vision” continued from pg.
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significance to the Doctor in the character’s first episode. For instance, Amy Pond’s crack in the wall—which summoned the Doctor in the fifth season—is the beginning of a massive plot arc that lasted two entire seasons, and River Song’s first episode initiated a subplot that began with David Tennant’s Doctor and ended last Christmas, with Peter Capaldi’s. In this sense, Chibnall channels a more traditional Davies approach. Like Rose and Donna, the current season’s companions are just normal British blokes, minding their own business until something extraterrestrial happens and the Doctor has to come and save them. Now it waits to
Wednesday [11/14] FOTA Presents: Late Night Latte Reynold’s Club, 8:30–9:30 p.m., free Get your snack-fix and support UChicago artists at FOTA’s fall gallery showcase. Mobilizing through Improvisation: A Global South & Southside Chicago Collaboration Gray Center Lab, Midway Studios, 6–8:30 p.m., free Centered on the idea of “translations,” this event features an improvisational collaboration between Brother El, an electronic musician from the South Side, with members of Ilkhom and Bata theaters of post-So-
be seen if Chibnall can pull off something as powerful as the storylines of these two companions. Jodie Whittaker is especially outstanding, creating a unique and compelling reinterpretation of the Doctor despite the conservative backlash against her casting. Her bubbly and quirky personality mirrors that of Matt Smith, in a more optimistic way—a welcome contrast with the darker themes of Peter Capaldi’s take. Unlike Smith, however, Whittaker hasn’t been given the best lines. Dialogue, especially when written for the Doctor, is the primary element that falls flat for this season. Whittaker shows a lot of potential for powerful delivery and
Exhibit [A]rts
viet Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Incorporating Central Asian instruments and synthesizers, the work will be structured around vignettes of Central Asian poetry.
Join exhibitions curator Yesomi Umolu for the opening of “Mariana Castillo Deball: Petlacoatl” at the Logan Center, followed by a tour given by the artist herself at 6:30.
Thursday [11/15] Student Night of Frankenstein Court Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $5 with UCID Multimedia company Manual Cinema combines shadow puppetry and music for an innovative world premiere of Mary Shelley’s classic tale of creation.
LOW: Double Negative Rockefeller Chapel, 7:30 p.m., General $25, students with UCID $11 Hear LOW as they perform their newest and critically acclaimed album, Double Negative. Brought to campus by Empty Bottle, the concert is bound to be an exciting start to the weekend.
Friday [11/16] Opening Reception & Tour: “Petlacoatl” Logan Center Gallery, 6–8 p.m. Free
Diwali Celebrations Light Up Rockefeller
La st Thursday, the Hindu St udent Sangnam, in collaboration with the South Asian Student Association and Spiritual Life, celebrated Diawli at Rockefeller Chapel. The puja, or offering, was part of
monologues, but so far has only been treated to awkwardly phrased interactions in even more awkward situations. The companions don’t fare much better; the timing of their interactions often seems out of place and the content of their conversations sometimes sounds cringingly forced. Many guest actors’ characters are even worse, especially Chris North, who plays American businessman– politician Jack Robertson in “Arachnids in the U.K.” The characterization was so unnatural and shallow; his entire purpose in the episode was to be a walking meme-able embodiment of American politics. Admittedly, the satirical humor wasn’t bad; it just shouldn’t have been the focus of the episode.
the Hindu festival of light, celebrating the victory of good over evil. The event was followed by performances by Raas, UC Bhanghra, Apsara, and included a catered dinner and sparklers.
Saturday [11/17] Opening Reception: “Let me consider if
In general, the season still hasn’t taken a clear direction towards good or bad. But considering the revolutionary changes Chibnall has implemented, he’s doing pretty well in keeping the same essence of Doctor Who that kept the show popular enough to be the longest-running science-fiction TV series in the world. At the end, Chibnall proves to us that perhaps concepts like the Doctor’s gender and number of companions, despite having remained unchanged for decades, really are arbitrary details, and that it’s the inspiration and emotion that comes with the Doctor’s stories that are the most important.
from here” at the Renaissance Society The Renaissance Society, 5-8 p.m., free Celebrate the opening of the group exhibition by Constance DeJong, Saul Fletcher, Brook Hsu, and Tetsumi Kudo at the Renaissance Society in Cobb Hall. Sunday [11/18] Yvan Alagbé Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, 3:00 p.m., free Join provocative and pioneering cult comic artist Yvan Alagbé for a discussion of the above work, a stylistically inventive immigrant narrative which has never before been available in English.
Green Line Performing Arts Center Opens
In a continuing effort to develop the “A rts Block,” UChicago A rts celebrated the grand opening of the Green Line Performing Arts Center this past Saturday. The event featured performances by avery r. young and de deacon board, Honey Pot Performance, and The Tofu Chitlin’ Cir-
cuit, among others. The venue joins the Arts Incubator and Currency Exchange Café on the historic Garfield Boulevard, where the Universit y hopes to ex pa nd education prog ra ms a nd per forma nce opportunities for the Washington Park neighborhood.
CLASSIFIEDS MR. MIKE JAY DUBENSKY, LMT, MLIS; THE FLAMINGO APARTMENTS; 5500 S. SHORE DR #1203; CHICAGO, IL 60637. E-MAIL DUBENSKY@ UCHICAGO.EDU. PHONE #: (773) 9524337. ILLINOIS MASSAGE THERAPIST #227.005171.
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VIEWPOINTS The Problem With Participation Points Participation Grades Overemphasize Verbal Participation and Put Introverts at a Disadvantage in the Classroom
NATALIE DENBY The word “ef fer vescent ” doesn’t often pop up in ordinary conversation, but it’s burrowed its way into the chitchat lexicon. Ha r va rd’s admissions g uidelines (since revised), released in the recent affirmative action trial, called the ideal applicant “effervescent” and emphasized extroverted personality traits. The revelation prompted some editorial angst about whether introverts are undervalued in the admissions process. Most of us are probably not surprised by the premium placed on extroverts—not just at some colleges, but essentially everywhere. If you interviewed, wrote an application essay, talked with a counselor or alum, or did literally any component of the application process at all, for any school, you may have taken pains to present yourself as a cross between a bubbly chatterbox and a library. You’d have had cause to reflect on whether we occasionally overvalue peppy loudness. It’s not just a quirk of undergraduate applications: Between the Core and required classes in every socially minded major, participation (read: talking a lot) is a constant,
non-negotiable part of the UChicago College experience. You end up spending a significant portion of your time as if fused to a megaphone. Most of the time, that’s great. People make comments in participation-based classes that range from extraordinarily insightful to purely insane. In those cases, the chattiness quota pays real dividends—by adding either to your education or to your class’s ent er t a i n ment . At t he ver y least, it can ensure your classes don’t lapse into complete and soul-crushing silence. But this constant expectation can also be ridiculous. When classes allow only verbal participation, they put introverts and extroverts on a tilted playing field, by punishing reserve without allowing for other avenues of contribution. And verbal participation doesn’t guarantee a good discussion. Participation usually requires one thing only: saying something. Say ing something meaningful is sometimes a wholly unrelated venture. Sitting in a lounge on campus recently, I heard a first-year trashing a Core class. As sixth
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week began, many of his classmates had begun to worry that they hadn’t spoken enough. Scanning the classroom, he saw a few peers sweating bullets as they presumably tallied up the number of times they’d participated or mulled the logistics of spacing out their three remaining insights for maximum impact. That’s an anecdote which feels almost universal on this campus. I remember wa lk ing away from the same course a few years ago convinced that the number of times people spoke was inversely correlated with the odds they’d done the readings. And when I hear the phrase “participation grade,” the image that springs to mind is a roomful of students nearly punching the air in their haste to get their hands up quickly, while the questions are all still the sort of easy freebies you can answer in a heartbeat. These situations obviously aren’t helping anyone learn or serve as a better classroom contributor. They just turn participation into a rat race to say something quickly, before (God forbid) someone else voices the same half-baked thought. The fundamental problem is that most classes accommodate a single way to contribute. Since
students in those classes need their teachers to remember them as vocal participants to do well, they feel pressured to speak often, and because they’ve got to speak often, they leap at easy opportunities to chime in, not just deep and insightful ones. If students aren’t loud, that pressure is more intense, and those easy opportunities are more appealing. The result is that participation can encourage volume over substance and keep student’s minds far from the meat of the syllabus. This is the problem w ith overvaluing bubbliness generally: When you require a class to talk a great deal, students who have good ideas begin to spew nonsense in the rush to say as much as they can. Regardless of what a teacher intends, the message you get from participation-based classes is that you should try to dominate the classroom discussion, not necessarily improve it. And often a handful of students will do precisely that—something which rarely adds to anyone’s education, but could jeopardize others’ grades. It hardly matters that anyone can tell when you’re talking for talking’s sake. Ensuring you’ve talked enough to make an impression can mean making obvious points or rehashing what
another classmate’s already said. There should be more ways for people to contribute other than by talking alone. It’s not a new idea, and it ’s practiced in plenty of classes already: These classes allow students to participate not only by speaking in class, but also by sharing their essays, talking in small groups, providing feedback online to their peers, participating in Canvas discussions and class workshops, and so forth. If we’re going to require participation, that ought to be the norm. These avenues for contribution give students more space to thoughtfully share their developed impressions, particularly for those who aren’t vivacious jabberers. They should be implemented more widely at this university. It’s not just that they could improve some students’ contributions, and everyone’s understanding of class material; they could also help rectify the unfortunate fact that, by cutting off perfectly legitimate and valuable avenues for contribution, we (unnecessarily) treat introversion as a liability to be discouraged and penalized. Natalie Denby is a fourthyear in the College majoring in public policy studies.
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SPORTS UChicago Narrowly Eliminated by Aurora University VOLLEYBALL
By MATTHEW LEE sports reporter
On Friday, the Maroon women’s volleyball team dominated the University of Dubuque Spartans 3–0 in the first round of NCAA DIII regional. Playing at home, the Maroons routed the Spartans 25–13 in set one before winning a back-and-forth set two 25–20. Despite an early 7–2 Dubuque lead in the third set, the Maroons fought the Spartans off to 17–17 before taking eight of the next 11 serves to seal victory and advance to the next round. Friday night’s strong performance is made evident in the Maroons’ dominant statistics. Offensively, the Maroons boasted a hitting percentage of .222 and recorded five aces. Defensively, Chicago held Dubuque to a paltry 0.082 hitting percentage and tallied six blocks
throughout the night. The Maroons’ offense was highlighted by several dominant performances. Fourth-year Sarah Muisenga and third-year Madison Pearson rallied the team offensively, tallying 12 kills each. Second-year Emma Griffith recorded a team-leading 23 assists. Griffith also recorded a team-leading 23 digs. The Maroons played the second round of the NCAA DIII regional at home against Aurora on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Aurora Spartans, however, would prove to be far more difficult opponents than those from Dubuque. The Maroons lost a drawn-out 3–2 battle Saturday evening, ending their hopes of taking the NCAA DIII regional. Chicago got off to a quick start, routing Aurora 25–18 in the first set. Yet the Spartans quickly responded with a blow of their own, seizing set two 25–17. The blows continued
throughout the night, as Chicago narrowly won set three 25–23 before falling 30–28 in a laborious third set. With the match tied at two sets apiece, the Maroons were unable to contain an ascendant Aurora team early in the fifth set. The Spartans started off set five 8–3 before taking seven of the next 14 serves to advance to the next round of the tournament. The Maroons’ loss can be partly explained through the game’s statistics. Aurora’s defense proved insurmountable as they recorded 10 blocks, five more than the Maroons could post. The Spartan offense was similarly potent, recording eight aces to Chicago’s four and 114 digs to Chicago’s 97. Despite the strong Spartan team, several Maroons recorded excellent games of their own. Second-year Mikayla Hardy had the best game of her career, recording 15 kills and 15 digs. Pearson scored 12 kills. Meanwhile, sec-
ond-year Emma Griffith’s 57 assists were five away from tying the school record for assists in a game. To this sum, she piled on an incredible 21 digs, rounding out an incredible game and a strong season. Fourth-years Muisenga and Audrey Scrafford played well in their last game, a fitting tribute to a pair of incredible Maroon careers in which each tallied over a thousand kills apiece. Muisenga recorded 11 digs and seven kills while Scrafford tallied up 12 kills throughout the night. The Maroons thus ended their 2018 season with an overall record of 29–5 and a conference record of 6–1. The team’s 0.853 winning percentage is the highest in school history. 2018 was also the first time the Maroons have ever attained the No. 1 regional ranking and thus the first time the University of Chicago has ever hosted the NCAA regional.
Maroons Qualify for NCAAs Women Soccer Ends in Tears CROSS COUNTRY
By ANDY PRESHER sports reporter
Both the Maroon women and the Maroon men put in strong performances on Saturday, November 10, at the NCAA DIII Midwest regionals; both teams were bidding for an at-large berth at the NCAA championship. The Maroon women finished fourth out of 36 teams, while the Maroon men finished sixth in a field of 35 teams. Highlighting the results was the selection of seven Maroons for All-Region honors: first-year Henry Myers, second-years Sophie Elgamal, Emma Dyer, Ryan Cutter, and Chase Gardner, and third-years Maggie Boudreau and Claire Brockway. With both the men’s and women’s spots for the NCAA championship confirmed on Sunday, the teams will head to Winneconne, Wisconsin to compete one final time this season on Saturday, November 17 at the championship meet. The Maroon women were led to their fourth-place finish by a 10th place individual finish by Elgamal, who completed the six-kilometer course with a time of 22:08. 28 seconds later, Boudreau, the first of a pack of three UChicago runners, finished the race. She was followed four seconds later by Brockway, who completed the race two seconds before Dyer, the final runner in the trio, who finished with a time of 22:42. Their places were 21st, 23rd, and 25th. Boudreau commented on the pack’s impressive finish, saying, “We worked off each other’s energy throughout the race. It was really motivating to have teammates nearby on the last hill and into the finish chute.” The Maroons rounded out their performance with times of 23:08 for first-year Kaitlyn Van Baalen, 23:21 for second-year Abigail Shoemaker, and 23:22 for first-year Lucy Jeffs.
SPORT Volleyball
L
Football
W
Cross Country
The first finisher among the Maroon men was Cutter, who took 15th place with a time of 25:04. He was followed by Myers, whose time of 25:19 was good for 22nd place overall and first among all first-years. In the 33rd place was Gardner, with a time of 25:34. He was followed by first-year Sam Craig, who added to the positive news regarding the Maroon men’s future as he became the second finisher among firstyears with a time of 25:43 and an overall finish of 39th. Myers agreed with the assessment of what is to come for the team and commented, “I think we all sort of know that this is just the beginning.” He later added, “If we can stay healthy and work hard, I would expect big, big things in a couple of years.” Three upperclassmen closed out the Maroon men’s performance as third-year Tim Koenning finished in 57th with a time of 26:03, fourth-year Ansel Richards finished in 63rd with a time of 26:07, and third-year Andrew Kates finished in 106th with a time of 26:56. Solid performances on both sides were highlighted by impressive finishes from Maroon first-years. However, the optimism about the future of both teams does not end there. The men’s squad for regionals consisted of two first-years, two second-years, two third-years, and only a single fourth-year. In comparison, North Central, who won the men’s race, had a top-finishing squad with only a single runner who is not a fourth-year. The likely return of six of the seven runners from this race is good news for the Maroon men. The women’s squad at the Midwest Regional contained two firstyears, four second-years, and a third-year. With a strong showing at the regional meet and both squads bringing back a majority of runners next year, the future looks good for UChicago cross country.
SCOREBOARD W/L
W
SOCCER
OPPONENT
SCORE
Aurora
3–2
Lake Forest
48–16
NCAA Regional
4th of 36
Men’s Soccer
W
Carleton
2–1
Women’s Soccer
L
Grove City
2–1
W
Illinois Wesleyan
77–76
L
Illinois Wesleyan
81–73
Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball
By ALISON GILL sports reporter
The University of Chicago men’s and women’s soccer teams both competed in exciting matches in the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament to varying outcomes. In a match that came down to the wire, the women’s team lost 2–1 to Grove City College in the first round, capping off another strong season with the program’s 18th NCAA appearance. The Maroons, who earned an at-large bid after finishing the regular season 13–4–1 and fourth in the UAA conference, traveled to Kentucky. Led by four-time All-UAA performer, fourth-year midfielder Jenna McKinney, the team entered the postseason with high expectations, after advancing to the National Championship last season, where they fell 1–0 to Williams College. On Saturday, though, the team could never quite break through. Grove City struck first, when Ruby Mattson scored on an unassisted shot in the 25th minute. The Wolverines wouldn’t lead for long. Less than five minutes later, the Maroons tied it, 1–1, as first-year Nicole Willing found the net on an assist from second-year Katie Jasminski. The score remained knotted through halftime and well into the second half. Throughout the match, the Maroons seemed destined to take the lead but were unable to capitalize on their offensive attack. With only four minutes left on the scoreboard, Grove City’s Williams notched the game-winner on an unassisted strike. The Maroons continued to fight, but several late scoring chances proved unsuccessful. The Chicago women will graduate one of the most successful classes in program history, as McKinney, Madison Navarro, Dana Ulrich, Sydney Mathis, and Naomi Weiner depart. McKinney finishes her career with 43 goals and 107 points, both second all-time in UChicago history. During their tenure, the team captured competed in four NCAA Tournaments, advanced to two Final Fours and one National Championship game, and compiled a cumulative record of 66–18–2. The team’s outlook for next season remains promising. The team returns eight starters, including four All-UAA performer and a bevy of underclassmen, including eight rookies who saw action on Saturday. The men’s team played in a similarly exciting match, but this time it was the Maroons who emerged victorious due to first-year Kyle Ruark’s late-game heroics.
After winning the UAA conference and receiving a first round bye, the Maroons suited up against Carleton on Sunday evening. Chicago’s potent offense continuously produced scoring chances, but, time and time again, Carleton’s organized defensive effort kept the Maroons off the scoreboard. The Maroons recorded 24 shots (11 on goal), while the Knights seemed content to sit back on defense and counterattack in spurts. The match took a dramatic turn, though, in the 27th minute as the Knights’ counterattack led to a questionable foul call. Carleton lined up for a free kick and unleashed a shot that hurtled off the crossbar and into the goal. The Maroons continued their direct attack, but, as the minutes ticked off the clock, their hopes dwindled. It seemed as though Carleton, riding a 16-game winning streak, would pull off the stunning upset, until Chicago third-year Dayo Adeosun notched the equalizer. After a flurry of opportunities in front of goal, Adeosun collected the ball out wide on the left. He cut into the middle and uncorked an astonishing shot from the top of the box. The low strike in the 79th minute swerved into the net’s right corner, and the Maroons had finally tied the game. Both teams searched for the decisive goal in the last 10 minutes, but the game seemed nearly certain to head to overtime. With less than 90 seconds on the clock, though, the Maroons found their winner. Koh sent the ball from the right sideline across the net, where a crowd of players awaited. The ball slipped through the tangle, and Ruark emerged out of nowhere to redirect the cross into the goal. The final Carleton shot was deflected, and the Maroons celebrated their astonishing comeback win. Of the win, Mateus said, “It was a pretty crazy game, but our team trusted each other to the point that we knew that, regardless of us being down a goal, we’d still come back from it. A comeback win with 12 minutes remaining really is a great way to start off the tournament, and now we want to keep pushing for more and end up in the national championship game at Greensboro. The whole team knows this is special, and we all feel that this could be the year we go all the way.” The thrilling last-minute conversion from Ruark sent the Maroons on to the Sweet 16, where they will play Trinity University at home on November 17. The game will likely be another exciting one, as the two teams tied, 3–3, early in the second game of the season.