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cover illustration by sofia garcia; gsu letter illustration by andrew dietz
Editor’s Note Dear incoming freshmen, In your first few weeks here, you’ll meet a bunch of students who love this school, genuinely hate it, and, more often than not, love to hate it. As editors of the student paper—two of the more jaded students on campus—we can tell you that students’ cynicism generally comes from a deep affection for the University of Chicago, whether that’s the whole package or specific niches that each student finds as they make it through their college years here. Your teachers will be brilliant. Get to know them—especially adjuncts, lecturers, and graduate students, who are often the most invested in your growth and well-being. If you’re as lucky as we’ve been, you might meet a professor who’s been imprisoned in Russia for espionage, a cell of anarcho-communist instructors, an emeritus faculty member who hand-feeds baby squirrels out of the window of his lab. Take time to look up and notice your surroundings. Your UChicago ID gives you access to some of the most beautiful architecture you’ll find on any college campus. Go ruminate in Ivy-covered Bond Chapel or people-watch at Booth. In the winters, campus will be lit up by millions of string lights, the sight of which might make you forget about the cold. Leave Hyde Park. From plantains in Pilsen, to gyro in Greektown, to daal on Devon, get lost in the neighborhoods this city has to offer. Invent your own social life. UChicago can be competitive, and you want to find yourself around people who genuinely care about you, not just fair-weather friends. Those people will be the ones who will support you in your academic pursuits and professional aspirations, which, too, you shouldn’t be afraid to forge on your own. Call your parents, if you feel like it. And don’t forget to vote! Love, Lee and Elaine
Lee Harris, Editor-in-Chief Elaine Chen, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Deepti Sailappan, Managing Editor Peng-Peng Liu, Chief Production Officer The Maroon Editorial Board consists of the editors-in-chief and editors of The Maroon.
NEWS
Tony Brooks, editor Miles Burton, editor Tyrone Lomax, editor Camille Kirsch, editor Emma Dyer, editor
COPY
Mohammed Bashier, copy chief Kuba Sokolowski, copy chief Olivia Shao, copy chief
GREY CITY
Alex Dalton, editor Avi Waldman, deputy editor VIEWPOINTS
Meera Santhanam, editor Zahra Nasser, editor ARTS
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Alison Gill, editor Brinda Rao, editor DESIGN
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BUSINESS
Michael Vetter, chief financial officer Brian Dong, director of strategy Gianni LaVecchia and Kelsey Yang, directors of marketing Alex Chung, director of development James Kon, director of operations Editor-in-Chief: Editor@ChicagoMaroon.com Newsroom Phone: (312) 918-8023 Business Phone: (408) 806-8381 For advertising inquiries, please contact Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com or (408) 806-8381. Circulation: 2,500. © 2019 The Chicago Maroon Ida Noyes Hall / 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637
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Academic medical centers, undated. university of chicago photographic archive
Summer Update It’s been a busy summer. In case you missed it: Admissions and rankings After three consecutive years at No. 3 in U.S. News & World Report’s national university ranking, UChicago has dropped to No. 6. What’s new about this year’s ranking? U.S. News focused more on factors related to how well the school contributes to social mobility for students from low-income backgrounds. UChicago is poised to have the greatest cost of attendance in the country, exceeding $80,000, according to currently released data. Base tuition increased by 4 percent from last year, and so did housing and meal plan costs collectively. The yield rate for the Class of 2023 rose to a record high of 83 percent, according to numbers that a University representative
announced at a summer student networking event. At the same time, the admissions rate has dropped to a record low of 6.2 percent. On campus The University has raised the College Metcalf stipend for 10-week summer internships to $5,000, after years of being $4,000. Many students who secure unpaid summer opportunities, such as research positions or internships in the nonprofit sector, often apply for Metcalf stipends. Close to 200 retired and soonto-retire faculty members mobilized around a sudden change to the retiree healthcare plan. Emeritus faculty who signed early retirement plans were particularly frustrated because they thought the healthcare plan they agreed to when retiring would be
57th Street Beach. Photo dated 1950s. university of chicago photographic archive the one they stayed on for the rest of their lives. UChicago Medical Center nurses have been in tense contract negotiations after their last contract with the hospital expired in the spring. Leading up to a strike on Friday, September 20, National
Nurses United has alleged that the hospital is understaffed and has unsafe working conditions, and nurses rallied in July with members of other unions on campus and elected officials. A former patient has sued the University of Chicago Medical
Center, UChicago, and Google, accusing them of violating the privacy rights of patients at UChicago Medicine through the sharing of patient records containing identifiable information. The University has called the claims in the lawCONTINUED ON PG. 4
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ICYMI: Here’s what happened over the summer. CONTINUED FROM PG. 3
suit “without merit.” UChicago Police Department (UCPD) officers have begun carrying Tasers. They were previously only armed with pistols. The move comes as UCPD faces growing scrutiny over its use of firearms, particularly after a UCPD officer shot a student in 2018. Beyond While pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have continued, the University continues to run its inaugural September study
abroad program in Hong Kong focused on human rights. Stanford University cancelled its inaugural fall Hong Kong program. Former Illinois representative Joe Walsh, a Harris School alumnus, announced a bid to challenge Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican nomination. Mark Sanford, former U.S. representative and governor of South Carolina, has also thrown his hat in the ring. The Trump campaign is unfazed by the challengers. “Whatever,” one Trump spokesman said of Walsh’s announcement.
Obama Center Construction on the Obama Presidential Center is set to begin in spring 2020, Lakeside Alliance, the construction manager for the Obama Presidential Center, announced at a community meeting in August. Lakeside expects the center to be completed by fall 2023. In Local Politics Recreational marijuana has been legalized in Illinois. The law, signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker in June, offers clemency to people
with marijuana-related offenses on their records. All public single-occupant bathrooms in Illinois are required to be open to users of any gender, effective January 1, 2020.
Center at 1500 East 55th Street. Philz Coffee, a San Francisco–based chain offering California favorites like avocado toast, has opened its doors at 53rd and Blackstone. Green Living Room has opened in Woodlawn. Capital One Café is also set to open soon. But Fabiana’s, the beloved neighborhood cake shop, will relocate from its 53rd Street location, and Bibliophile will close altogether.
Food and Drink Vice District Brewing Company plans to open a new brewery in Hyde Park by 2020. The brewpub would be the second in Hyde Park, joining Jolly Pumpkin. Ascione Bistro, a new restau- Turn to page 14 for our review of rant offering Italian classics, has campus cafés. opened in Hyde Park Shopping
The Demand for Recognition: A Look Back at the History of GSU By MATTHEW LEE and MILES BURTON News Editors Returning students need no introduction to Graduate Students United (GSU), the union of graduate student workers at the University of Chicago. This June, on the last week of the 2018–19 spring quarter, GSU made itself heard across campus, holding the first graduate student workers’ strike in University history. The strike resulted from deep-rooted discontent with administration’s ongoing non-recognition of GSU. Picket lines sprouted at the entrances of campus buildings; classes were cancelled, moved, and re-scheduled; and, for three days, the quadrangles rang out with chants of “bargain now” and popular songs with union-adapted lyrics. Though the strike did not result in GSU’s recognition by the University, the union garnered national media attention, and supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders (A.B. ’64) joined the picket lines. Legal History Whereas graduate worker unionization at public universities is governed by state law, unionization at private universities is de-
termined by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a federal agency that has gone back and forth over the question of whether graduate students are considered employees. Republican majorities in the NLRB have ruled that graduate students are not employees—and therefore cannot form a union—while Democratic majorities have ruled that they are. Most recently, a majority of Obama-appointed NLRB members ruled that graduate students were employees in 2016’s Columbia decision. This muddy legal situation has shaped GSU’s organizing tactics in recent years as the Trump administration has taken steps to weaken labor’s collective bargaining power. In late 2017, graduate workers at UChicago voted by a significant margin to form a union in an election conducted by the NLRB. But GSU, in coordination with unions at several other private universities, withdrew its petition to the NLRB in February 2018 over fears that the conservative majority of Trump appointees could use an ongoing unionization petition to overturn Columbia. By withdrawing their petition, GSU and other graduate student unions hoped to deny Trump-appointed NLRB members the op-
portunity to rule on graduate student unionization. Nonetheless, the Trump-appointed majority has moved to impede unionization efforts like GSU’s. The board announced in May 2019 that it “will be engaging in rulemaking to establish the standard for determining whether students who perform services at a private college or university in connection with their studies are ‘employees.’ ”
Historically the NLRB has relied on individual adjudications, not the formal rulemaking process, to establish policies. Policies created through adjudication can be easily overturned by a subsequent adjudication (for example, in ruling that graduate students could unionize, Columbia overturned a previous case that set the exact opposite precedent); however, a policy created through rulemaking is significantly more
difficult to alter in the future. The process for changing such a rule is outlined by a piece of federal law— the Administrative Procedures Act—which requires that a new rulemaking process be undertaken with strict requirements, including public notice and comment. The NLRB is expected to finish its rulemaking in September of this year. Despite GSU’s reCONTINUED ON PG. 5
David G. Lynn, associate professor in the department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago, with a graduate student, 1985. university of chicago photographic archive
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moval of its NLRB petition, the Trump-appointed majority on the Board has the potential to stymie unionization efforts through rulemaking. What’s at Stake Graduate students perform duties critical to the operations of the University. Across divisions and departments, graduate students work as instructors, research assistants, teaching assistants, tutors, and discussion group leaders. Graduate student workers have raised a litany of grievances with their situation, among them inadequate and irregular compensation, unreasonable hours, and insufficient health insurance. GSU argues that a union would allow graduate students to leverage collective bargaining to negotiate solutions to these issues with the University through a legally enforceable contract. University Opposition The University has refused to recognize GSU on the grounds that graduate students perform duties as part of their education and are not employees. Administrators have put forth numerous arguments describing the negative impacts a union would have on graduate students. In a 2016 op-ed (“Cui Bono?” 4/11/16), Vice Provost Jason Merchant raised several concerns, arguing that “a union would add a layer of cost and bureaucracy be-
tween students and their departments.” Union fees would deprive graduate students of a significant portion of their stipends, Merchant wrote. Administrators have also argued that a recognized graduate student union could give students say in their own departments’ admissions processes, interfering with professors’ autonomy in recruiting talented candidates and potentially lowering the quality of admitted students. More recently, in an e-mail sent to the University community on the eve of GSU’s strike in June, Provost Daniel Diermeier reiterated the University’s position that graduate students receive fair compensation: “PhD students receive at least $30,000 annually, fully-paid health insurance premiums, and full tuition for the first five years of their programs.” In the spring, the University acknowledged that payments to graduate students were frequently late or simply incorrect. Administration thus opened an e-mail hotline for graduate students to report pay discrepancies and promised to complete a full audit of payrolls this summer. Diermeier’s e-mail also emphasized the University’s fundamental rejection of the characterization of graduate students as workers. “Graduate students are students, first and foremost,” he said. “They come to the university to study, to learn how to teach, and to make original contributions in their chosen fields of knowledge.”
An undergraduate looks on GSU protestors. adrian mandeville
GSU members picket. adrian mandeville
Ongoing Organization Absent a legal avenue to compel the University to recognize the union, GSU has held several public demonstrations over the past year in an effort to force the University to grant them voluntary recognition. Through such an agreement, the University would recognize GSU as the exclusive labor representative of UChicago graduate student workers. The 2018–19 school year saw an escalation of organizing activity. In October of 2018, hundreds of GSU members organized a prounion walkout, with more than 350 gathering in front of Levi Hall, home to many University administrators’ offices, to demand recognition. Spring quarter saw the most dramatic escalation in union organization. In June, following the passage of a strike authorization vote by a margin of 1,134 to 112, GSU members walked off the job for three days during 10th week. Demonstrating the days immediately preceding reading period and finals week increased the action’s potency. Had the labor action continued, fourth-years may not have graduated in time and undergraduates of all years might have been thrown into academic limbo, absent major University response. In an e-mail to students of the College, Dean Boyer stated that administrators had “planned for all contingencies.” Though whether GSU would
continue its strike through the end of the quarter was initially a matter of speculation, ultimately the union elected to end its demonstration in a vote convened after three days of striking. They did so partly out of concern for undergraduates. Administrative Response Meanwhile, the administration has explored ways to address graduate student concerns. The University convened the Committee on Graduate Education in April 2018 to investigate the state of graduate student education at UChicago. The committee produced a 595-page report addressing sources of graduate student dissatisfaction, including “changing job markets, increasing costs to both universities and students, increasing mental health issues in the student population, and the ongoing lack of diversity in the
student (and faculty) population.” In a May 2019 e-mail to the graduate student community, Diermeier promised “a holistic review of PhD programs” and “improved funding for PhD students and reform of the Graduate Aid Initiative.” He also vowed to host “regular conversations with graduate students on a variety of topics.” Moving Forward Despite the University’s recent actions, GSU has remained staunch in insisting that a union is the only route to improved conditions for graduate workers. Speaking to The Maroon at the end of the summer on plans for the 2019–20 school year, GSU member Natalia Piland declined to provide specifics on next steps. “We’re checking in with everyone,” said Piland. “We’re seeing what everyone’s feeling.”
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By GRADUATE STUDENTS UNITED
Welcome to UChicago! We’re Graduate Students United (GSU), the union of graduate employees on campus. Those in the College—and in many master’s programs—will encounter us as lecturers, teaching assistants, and writing tutors. We also work as research assistants, and in many other capacities. The top administration alternates between pretending we don’t exist, and sending all-campus messages blasting us. So we want to introduce ourselves, and to invite you to join or support us. If this were an academic paper, the abstract would be simple: We work for the university, and we want an organized voice in decisions that affect us, so we can improve our working and study conditions. That’s a broad topic, which includes our income (in an increasingly expensive area); being paid late, which is common enough that the administration acknowledged the problem; the quality of our health insurance, particularly for those with families; childcare; workplace safety, particularly in the lab; countering institutionalized racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism on campus; and the need for an independent and robust grievance procedure. These are big issues. But we believe that we can address them, and more, if the administration comes to the table to talk with us.
A bit of history Grad workers at UChicago formed GSU in 2007. In our early years, we helped to win various improvements in grad life, including some support for student parents (an improvement, but still insufficient) and pay increases, particularly in underfunded departments. Things picked up in summer 2016, when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled in the Columbia decision that grad workers at private universities are, in fact, employees, and have the right to unionize. We filed for a formal NLRB vote on unionization in May 2017. In the lead-up to our October, 2017 vote, the administration urged us repeatedly to vote against unionization. Despite this, with high turnout, and by more than a 2–1 margin, we voted to unionize. Instead of recognizing our decisive, democratic vote, the administration appealed to an NLRB that, by 2018, consisted of a majority of anti-labor Trump appointees. So, like colleagues at other universities, we withdrew our formal petition to prevent our case from being used as precedent to overturn Columbia. Instead, we called on the administration to recognize us of its own volition, to work together for the good of the university, as administrators at peer institutions including Harvard, Brown, and Georgetown have done
Since then, we’ve continued to advocate for and organize with our colleagues, by rallying, walking out, and holding a three-day work stoppage this past June. In the process, we’ve seen growing support from faculty, undergrads, other campus workers, and alumni. The current Student Government leadership was elected on an explicitly pro-GSU platform. Grad Council, which the administration has often tried to play against us, called on the administration to recognize GSU this Spring. Moving forward together GSU has made important strides toward improving conditions on campus. But we know from ongoing conversations, as well as our 2017 bargaining survey, that across the university, many of us continue to face the same systemic issues, which are often difficult to address on an individual basis. If you’re in a graduate program, we urge you to join. We should be visible throughout O-Week, both at campus-wide events and departmentally. As a democratic organization, we need your voice in the conversation. If you play another role on campus, we still need your support; our vision of a more just university is one that benefits all of us. You can wear a button, follow us on social media, and work with allied organizations. If we find ourselves on the picket line again, we hope that we’ll see you there.
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The University in the Age of Trump By MILES BURTON News Editor Nearly three years have passed since Donald Trump’s pundit-shocking 2016 election victory. On the night of November 9, students reacted immediately to news of Trump’s win with a loosely-organized “primal scream” on the quad, replete with chants of “fuck Trump.” Other students scrawled pro- and antiTrump messages in chalk on the Quad. Since then responses to Trump’s election—and, later, policies undertaken by his administration—have proliferated, both from organs of the University administration, as well as other members of the University community. President Trump’s tenure in the White House and the policies of his administration have dramatically shaped aspects of life at UChicago and other campuses, including the future of foreign and undocumented students, the adjudication of sexual assault cases, union organizing, admissions policies, and freedom of expression. Immigration & DACA Anti-immigrant rhetoric was a tentpole of Donald Trump’s political rise, and as President he has targeted undocumented immigrants and made moves to curb further immigration into the United States. UChicago has joined other universities in opposition to Trump administration policies on several occasions. President Trump announced that he would end the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program—an Obamaera executive order that protects undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children—in 2017. Several lower courts have heard objections to the program’s cancellation and have so far prevented the President from ending it. The Supreme
Court said earlier this year that it would take up the question, and a decision is expected late in 2020. Congress has declined to legislate on the situation despite considering proposals in 2018. In November 2017, President Zimmer wrote to President Trump alongside 300 other university and college presidents in support of the program. At the same time, the University filed an amici curiae brief (a “friends of the court” brief is submitted by someone who is not a party in a case but offers information pertinent to it) with 19 schools challenging the administration’s decision. Lobbying disclosures at the time also showed that the University spent $45,279 on efforts surrounding DACA. The University has also opposed President Trump’s efforts to use executive orders to ban immigration from several majority-Muslim countries. In a letter written to President Trump in January 2017, President Zimmer and Provost Diermeier stressed the “importance to the United States of continuing to welcome immigrants and the talent and energy that they bring to this country.” The University filed an amicus brief in February 2017 with 16 universities against President Trump’s initial executive order. That brief was followed by another in April 2017, this time with 30 other schools, in response to a scaled-back executive order intended to circumvent legal challenges that had stalled the initial order in the courts. Outside the University administration, groups across campus have organized against Trump administration immigration policy. More than 120 faculty UCHicago members, including four Nobel Laureates in economics, signed a petition in January 2017 against President Trump’s original immigration order, arguing that such a ban is discriminatory and “significantly
damages American leadership in higher education and research.” College Council (CC) responded to Trump’s election by voting to urge administrators to make UChicago a “sanctuary campus.” CC resolutions are non-binding, and thus cannot be enforced. (Though the University has avoided this language, it says it “is taking all possible steps within the law to support our students and other University community members, including those who are undocumented or who qualify for relief under DACA.”) CC also created the Emergency Fund in March 2017 to provide funds to marginalized groups, including undocumented students. CC President Jahne Brown, then a first-year representative, called the Emergency Fund “another way, if you’ve exhausted the University funds or emergency loans, that you can find a small amount of money, because Student Government is standing with you in solidarity.” Title IX & Sexual Assault Accusations The Department of Justice has made significant changes to federal guidance on the enforcement of Title IX protections that undergird UChicago’s policies on discrimination based on sex and gender. Under Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Department of Education issued new rules surrounding sexual assault on college campuses in November 2018. The new regulations alter Obama-era guidance on sexual assault established in a 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter, which dramatically redefined how campuses deal with sexual harassment. The Department received over 100,000 public comments on the proposal before a January 2019 deadline, and review of those comments could take up to a year before the rules become permanent. One of the most contentious
changes made in the new regulations could require universities to hold live hearings in formal Title IX investigations in which accusers and alleged perpetrators would be allowed to cross examine one another, as well as potential witnesses. The Trump administration’s proposed rules also use a narrower definition of sexual harassment, only require universities to investigate complaints that took place on campus, and allow universities to choose between the “preponderance of evidence” standard—the standard required by the Obama-era “Dear Colleague” letter and currently used by UChicago—or the “clear and convincing” standard, which would set a higher burden of proof in adjudicating cases of sexual harassment. Some of the proposed federal changes, including the higher standard of evidence and cross examination, directly conflict Illinois state law, with which UChicago is required to comply. In a 2017 interview, Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen suggested that the University would be unlikely to change to a standard of evidence requiring a higher burden of proof in sexual harassment cases. “It’s the standard we’ve been using now for several years. I don’t really see any compelling reason to not use it,” she said. Shea Wolfe, deputy Title IX coordinator for students, addressed the changes at a panel during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. “We are working at a really in-flux time right now. We are under draft regulations under the Department of Education, we are waiting for finalization of those regulations…We don’t know what those final regulations are going to look like or how that will affect [University] policy.” Graduate Students United A conservative majority on
the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under President Trump has shaped key decisions around labor organizing at UChicago. Graduate Students United (GSU) has been organizing for a union of graduate workers at UChicago for more than a decade. Because the new majority on the NLRB is more hostile to labor than the Board had been during the Obama years, GSU has had to change its organizing strategies. In 2017, graduate students voted by a large margin to form a union in an NLRB election, but GSU withdrew its petition with the Board in February 2018, believing that the NLRB would use its case to overturn important precedent protecting graduate workers’ right to organize. GSU has since focused its efforts on forcing the University to the bargaining table through mass actions and demonstrations. College Admissions Policies Aspects of the college admissions process—most prominently the role of affirmative action policies—have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, accelerating in the Trump era. Affirmative action in college admissions favors members of disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, particularly racial minorities that have been discriminated against in the past, in an effort to create and maintain diverse student bodies. Critics have long argued that such policies are discriminatory, and challenges based on this logic have gained strength under the Trump administration. According to a document obtained by the New York Times, the Department of Justice sought in 2017 to recruit lawyers from its Civil Rights Division for “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions.” That CONTINUED ON PG. 8
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project was to be led by political appointees installed by President Trump, rather than the Department’s Educational Opportunities Section, which is staffed by career civil servants. The highest-profile challenge to affirmative action policies has come in a lawsuit against Harvard University, which alleges that the university’s admissions policies discriminated against Asian-Americans by favoring candidates from other groups. The plaintiff in the suit, Students for Fair Admissions, is a group led by the conservative legal activist Edward Blum, who has helped push two prior precedent-setting cases to the Supreme Court: a 2016 case he lost that upheld an affirmative action policy at the University of Texas at Austin, and a successful challenge to the core of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. The lead prosecutor in the Harvard affirmative action case was UChicago alumnus Adam Mortara (J.D. ’01), who said he supports diverse college campuses and argued that the case did not address the future of affirmative action policies. Rather, Mortara told The Maroon that the suit addressed specific admissions practices at Harvard. Free Speech Concern over college campuses has long been a motif in American politics, especially on the right—William F. Buckley, an avatar of 20th-century movement conservatism, published his first book on the goings-on at just one campus—and in recent years the consternation has focused on a purported crisis of free expression. Since 2015 the commentariat has spilled a prolific quantity of ink and digital media real estate on the topic. UChicago has positioned itself in the middle of the free expression debate—famously, incoming students received a letter in opposition to safe spaces and trigger warnings in 2016, when the controversy reached a fever
First Amendment scholar Geoffrey Stone. frank yan
pitch—and the Trump administration has waded into the issue on several occasions. In 2017, Professor Geoffrey Stone, a prominent scholar of the First Amendment, published an opinion piece in the New York Times defending the right of neo-Nazi Richard Spencer’s (M.A. ’03) to speak at Auburn University. Stone subsequently declined to invite Spencer to speak at UChicago, writing that Spencer’s views “do not seem to me at add anything of value to serious and reasoned discourse.” The Trump White House convened a panel in March 2018 titled “The Crisis on College Campus,” which identified free speech as one of two crises plaguing campuses—the other being opioid abuse. In March 2019 President Trump signed an executive order “to promote free and open debate on college and university campuses.” The order made no significant changes, though it does require several federal agencies that issue grants to institutions of higher education to audit whether schools follow the law and their policies on free expression. President Zimmer, who has made a defense of free expression an important part of his tenure as University President, sent his response to the order in an email to the student body. He wrote that “any action by the Executive Branch that interferes with the ability of higher education institutions to address this
problem themselves is misguided and in fact sets a very problematic precedent.” He also reiterated his opposition to any action on free expression by the legislative or
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. gage skidmore
executive branches of the federal government. The college campus free speech controversy shows no signs of going away. Just last
month, the former Dean of Yale Law School published a book on the subject: The Assault on American Excellence.
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Election 2020: Who Did UChicago Students Campaign For? By LEE HARRIS Editor-in-Chief This summer, more than 50 current and recently graduated University of Chicago students worked on Democratic primary campaigns for the 2020 presidential race. Most students found their jobs through the Institute of Politics’ Iowa Project, a program that trains students and places them in Iowa, a key primary state, with media organizations or on campaigns of their choosing. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s campaign proved most popular, with 14 Iowa Project students opting to work for the Harvard Law professor turned progressive firebrand. Several alumni are also employed fulltime on the campaign, including staffer Samantha Slaton (A.B. ’16), who currently works as Iowa
Women’s political coordinator for Warren. The campaigns of Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Kamala Harris, junior Senator from California, attracted 10 and 11 Iowa Project members, respectively. In national polls, Buttigieg and Harris have nipped at the heels of the three frontrunners—Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Warren—but have so far struggled to break through. Charlie Rollason, a fourthyear in the College and rising firstyear at the Harris School of Public Policy, was struck by Buttigieg’s message when the mayor visited the University in February. Rollason, who is from South Florida and knew people present at the 2018 Parkland shooting, asked the young candidate whether, if elected, he would pass universal background checks and a ban
University of Chicago students campaign for Kamala Harris. courtesy dylan stafford
on bump stocks. She was struck, she said, by his unrehearsed, unequivocal answer: Yes. Although Rollason considers herself “super progressive” and cast her first-ever vote for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary, she said that she was won over by Buttigieg’s pragmatic attitude. “To me it doesn’t matter if you say you’re radical, it just matters if you make real change, and you’re making lives better. And I think that’s what Pete’s all about,” she said. Fourth-year Dylan Stafford, who worked on the Kamala Harris campaign, said he has been following Harris since 2016 and sees her as a candidate with broad appeal. Beyond her electability, Stafford added, Harris displays “that sort of ineffable quality that you seek in a candidate, in a leader—I think she has the moral clarity to lead our country, particularly after a president like Donald Trump.” After fall quarter, Stafford will have finished his graduation requirements and plans to head back to Iowa to work on the campaign through the Iowa caucuses in early February. Other students won’t wait that long. On Buttigieg’s campaign, fourth-years Adam Zabner and Ronen Schatsky will delay graduation to remain in Iowa through fall quarter, and perhaps longer. Fourth-year Jesse Martinez will also forgo fall quarter to remain in Iowa as an organizer for the campaign of Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Martinez won’t delay graduation to remain on the campaign trail, but he will have to drop his second major in Latin American Studies—he won’t have time to complete the required thesis, which he had planned to write on political outreach to Latino and Latina voters. For Martinez, however, work-
Though the first ballots won’t be cast for several more months, political heavyweights are already issuing endorsements in a crowded Democratic primary. In Illinois, former UChicago mathematics professor and State Senator Daniel Biss joined State Treasurer Mike Frerichs in endorsing Elizabeth Warren. Representatives Bobby Rush and Danny K. Davis have endorsed Kamala Harris.
ing on the campaign trail is an ideal substitute. “Honestly, the work, it feels like it’s still a part of my thesis—the only difference is that at the end of it all, I’m not going to write a 40-page paper about it,” he said. Olivia Shaw, another fourthyear on the Castro campaign, also found that the work complemented her academic studies. Castro’s focus on immigration originally drew her to the campaign: “I study immigration and care a lot about it—so I was looking for a candidate who was not only thoughtful about it but prioritized it,” she said. Shaw studies the relationship between the formal legal status of immigrants and informal markers of integration, and for her senior thesis in political science, she plans to examine Chicago’s CityKey municipal ID program to learn how people’s possession or lack of an ID shapes their sense of belonging. Relatively few students chose to campaign for Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders (A.B. ’64), the two candidates currently leading most national polls. Their campaigns attracted three Iowa Project students each. However, Sanders’s campaign boasts several UChicago students in its permanent staff, including Mike Dewar (A.B. ’18), who took the 2015–16 school year off to work for Sanders in his first presidential bid, and Hamid Bendaas (A.B.
’15), a social media strategist. Other UChicago students struck out on their own and campaigned for lesser-known candidates. Rising second-year Rory Gates worked for Jay Inslee, governor of Washington, whose platform centered on resolving the climate crisis. Inslee ended his campaign for president in late August. Cameron Edgington, a thirdyear public policy and psychology major, was not a member of the Iowa Project but independently secured an internship with Michael Bennet, a senator from Colorado pitching himself as a centrist alternative to left-wing candidates like Sanders and Warren. Edgington, for whom key issues are climate change and access to higher education, said he was surprised to learn that the mild-mannered Bennet “can also be fiery at times.” And, although he is skeptical of far-left proposals, Edgington said he plans to back any Democratic nominee for president. “Even if it was Bernie,” he offered, “I’d vote for Bernie—if he won the primary, and it was him versus Trump.” Just one student with the Iowa Project, Brett Barbin (A.B. ’19), worked on a Republican campaign. Barbin served as campaign manager for Bret Richards, a candidate for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House.
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Student Government: What You Need To Know By JUSTIN SMITH Deputy News Editor While not as powerful as the U.S. legislative branch, Student Government (SG) at UChicago plays a vital part in students’ experiences at the University. SG impacts almost all aspects of student life, including petitioning the administration to add or change academic departments, deciding how much funding registered student organizations (RSOs) receive, and promoting interaction between students and the local community. At the heart of SG lies the executive committee. The executive committee consists of the executive slate, which includes the president, vice president for administration, and vice president for student affairs, as well as three student liaisons: two liaisons to the Board of Trustees, and a community and government liaison. Executive committee members are elected annually in spring quarter. The president primarily serves as “the official chair and spokesperson for the Executive Committee, and more broadly is the chief representative of the Student Government,” according to SG’s website. She presides over general assembly meetings, which are held three times per quarter, is responsible for allocating rollover funding, and manages the annual budget alongside the VP for administration. The president also serves as a non-voting member of
all SG committees. The VP for administration is responsible for various internal SG operations, including co-managing SG’s annual budget and overseeing various funding-allocation committees such as the SG Finance Committee and Annual Allocations. The VP for administration also processes funding requests and keeps records of all SG financial transactions. The VP for student affairs manages all aspects of SG that impact student life on campus. This includes serving as the vice chair of the Funding Advisory Board, supervising the Program Coordinating Council, which plans various events for students on campus, and serving as the chair of both the Coalition of Academic Teams and the Committee on Recognized Student Organizations. The VP for student affairs often also manages special SG projects aimed to improve student life on campus, such as the SG initiative to provide busing to airports at the conclusion of academic quarters. One of SG’s primary responsibilities, led by the president and VP for administration, is the management of SG’s annual budget of around $2.4 million. Funding organizations such as the Program Coordinating Council and over 400 RSOs, the SG budget is what allows much of UChicago’s student life to function. A recent initiative aimed at honoring influential women in UChicago’s history, the Monu-
Student Government presidential candidates debate. university of chicago photographic archive
mental Women Project, has been funded in past years by SG. Rollover funding from the 2018–19 academic year, totaling just under $50,000, will likely be allocated toward the continuation of this initiative. The Emergency Fund, a separate organization spearheaded by newly-elected SG president Jahne Brown and created to provide students with loans or grants in times of need, has received donations from SG’s College Council in past years. Recurring SG funding also goes toward the tampon vending machine in the Reg, UChicago traditions such as Kuvia and Scav, and the aforementioned airport shuttle service. The CARE executive slate, elected for the upcoming academic year, comprises Brown, VP for Administration Brittney Dorton, and VP for Student Affairs Kosi Achife, all fourth-years in the College. The slate aims to improve mental health, UCPD transparency, diversity, archiving projects, pro–GSU projects, as well as a variety of other student life initiatives. The undergraduate and graduate liaisons to the Board of Trustees, each elected by their respective student bodies, attend quarterly meetings with the University Board of Trustees in order to update the Board on issues important to the student body, as well as keep students informed about the Board’s actions. Fourthyear Ridgley Knapp and graduate student Rohail Premjee are serving as this year’s liaisons. The community and government liaison aims to build ties between students and the local community. The liaison attends local community meetings in order to bridge the divide between students and the South Side. Second-year Natalie Wang is this year’s community and government liaison. While all elected SG members convene for assembly meetings— which are also open to any student
Left to right: Kosariche Achife, Jahne Brown, and Brittany Dorton smile after being elected to serve as the next executive slate of SG. jeremy lindenfeld
who wishes to attend—class representatives meet in two separate legislative bodies, the Graduate Council (GC) and College Council (CC), in order to pass legislation relevant to their constituent student bodies. The Graduate Council includes representatives from each of the various graduate divisions and professional schools, including the Booth School of Business and the Divinity School. The 17 GC seats are divided among the 12 graduate divisions, allocated based on division size. The College Council meets separately from general assembly at least four times per quarter to pass legislation relevant to undergraduate students. CC includes four representatives from each undergraduate class, and one additional chair responsible for leading CC meetings and breaking tied votes. Second-, third-, and fourthyear students elect representatives annually in spring quarter. Incoming first-years elect their College Council representatives fall quarter. First-years interested in running for class representative must gather at least 30 voting students’ signatures to be placed on the ballot, or alternatively run as a write-in candidate. Students from all academic years can also get involved with Student Government by applying for membership to one of SG’s 11
standing committees. The majority of these committees are funding committees. Most allocate funding to specific groups of RSOs such as the Coalition of Academic Teams, which funds RSOs such as Model United Nations, and the Sports Club Fund, which funds RSOs such as the sailing and archery teams. RSOs not covered by another funding organization are funded yearly by Annual Allocations. All RSOs can request additional funding during the year if necessary from the Student Government Finance Committee. Other committees, however, focus on improving specific aspects of student life. The Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Committee runs programming aimed at sexual assault prevention, such as the annual sexual assault prevention month. The Committee on Campus Sustainability, a new standing committee, aims to increase advocacy, awareness, and action to mitigate UChicago’s environmental impact. The Committee on Registered Student Organizations, SG’s oldest committee, approves requests for new RSOs and issues the annual RSO awards. Students interested in joining a committee can apply on the SG website, where positions are posted as they become available.
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When You Need A Hand: Health and Wellbeing at UChicago
Students at the University of Chicago received a new type of influenza vaccine to test its efficacy. Nurse Martha Cooley inoculates Freshman Jean Roff. 1941. university of chicago photographic archive
By CAMILLE KIRSCH News Editor College is an exciting time full of many firsts. But sometimes, the increased independence and responsibility that come with being in college can be intimidating. Luckily, if you experience difficulties at UChicago, there are lots of resources you can turn to for help. Academic Assistance Every incoming student is assigned an academic advisor. Your advisor is a great resource for all things academic, including course selection, grades, and choosing a major. If you have questions about specific concepts or assignments in your Core and introductory classes, the College Core Tutors are there to help. Starting second week, tutors are available between 7 pm and 11 pm, Sunday through Thursday. The College Core Tutors are located on the third floor of Stuart Hall, which is best reached through the third floor of the Harper Memorial Library. If you find yourself struggling with academic habits like procrastination or test anxiety, the Academic Skills and Assessment Program (ASAP) may help. You can get information
about ASAP sessions and about scheduling appointments with ASAP counselors on the ASAP webpage. Health and Wellness Student Health Services (SHS) offers a wide array of healthcare services. If you’ve paid your student life fee, which allows you to access most routine medical services—like physicals, vaccinations, and STI testing—through SHS at no extra charge. SHS also offers a 24/7 nurse helpline, (773) 7024156, which you can call for medical advice. If you need urgent care, you can go to the University Hospital emergency room (ER). Call 911 if you need an ambulance; otherwise, it’s a short walk to the ER from campus. Be aware that your ER visit may not be fully covered by your insurance, and ambulances are often especially expensive. The Health Promotion and Wellness program offers information and resources to help students live a healthy lifestyle. It runs many great programs, including the Pet Love program that brings therapy dogs to campus, Mental Health First Aid trainings, and the Sunny Spots Map that shows you where to catch some rays on campus!
Counseling and Support If you’re ex periencing mental illness or you want a counselor’s advice, Student Counseling Services (SCS) is there for you. SCS offers therapy and counseling to students on a short-term therapy model (usually 10 weeks). Students who would benefit from longer-term treatment are generally referred to Chicago-area therapists. All SCS services are covered by the Student Life Fee. You can make an appointment with SCS by calling (773) 702-9800 or by walking in. All appointments with Student Counseling are confidential unless your clinician feels that you are a danger to yourself or others. The university also offers support services targeted at specific populations of students. Student Support Services offers advising and aid for first-generation, low-income, or undocumented students. The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) supports students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, and offers diversity training and resources. The Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer (LGBTQ) Student Life serves LGBTQ students and hosts queer-focused events for the campus community. All of these services are housed within the Center for Identity + Inclusion. Are you looking for ways to meet other students? Participating in Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) is a great way to make friends. UChicago has more than 400 RSOs, including affinity groups for students of different backgrounds as well as interest groups for countless interests and activities. You can view the full list of RSOs on Blueprint or go to the RSO Fair held at the beginning of Fall Quarter to learn more. Residential Resources There are three tiers of Housing employees who support students: RAs, RHs, and RDs. If you or one of your friends is struggling with something and wants the advice of a peer, your Resident Assistants (RAs) are a great resource. RAs are upperclassmen who are paid room and board in exchange for providing advice and guidance for the residents of their Houses. Resident Heads (RHs) are graduate students, faculty
members, or University staff who have authority over a given House. RHs are mentors, advisors, and counselors—but they also discipline students who break Housing rules. RHs also host study breaks to help students de-stress and form social connections. Resident Deans are senior faculty members who live in Housing and have authority over a given residence hall. RDs supervise the entire Housing team in their residence halls. Crisis Resources If you are experiencing a crisis, you can call (773) 8344357 to reach the University’s 24-hour Dean-on-Call and Sexual Assault Dean-on-Call program. The Dean-on-Call can offer advice, referrals to other university services, help with reporting crimes to the police, housing assistance, and de-escalation services in critical situations. Be aware that although the Dean-on-Call is a private resource, it is not an anonymous one; your identifying information may be given to the UCPD or other university personnel. In some cases, the Dean-onCall may inform your family or friends of your call.
A rendering of UChicago’s new wellness center, expected to open Autumn 2020. courtesy university of chicago
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Who’s Who: University Administration
Robert J. Zimmer President
Michele Rasmussen Dean of Students in the University
At the top of the University’s administrative pyramid sits current president and former math professor, Robert Zimmer. Zimmer, who stepped into the position in 2006, has overseen a period of remarkable growth at the University, including the openings of the Institute of Molecular Engineering, the Becker Friedman Institute, and centers in Beijing, Delhi, and Hong Kong. He has made free speech a cause célèbre at the University, earning plaudits from political commentators like conservative New York Timescolumnist Bret Stephens (A.B. ‘95), who namedZimmer ‘America’s Best University President.’ In 2017, Zimmer agreedto serve as president of the University until at least 2022.
Michele Rasmussen is directly responsible for all departments and service areas focused on student life and support, including student health, athletics and recreation, residential and dining services, and disciplinary affairs. She oversees campus-wide services and programs, such as the University Registrar, International House, and Rocke- John “Jay” Ellison feller Memorial Chapel. Dean of Students in the College
Mark A. Schmid Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
John W. Boyer Dean of the College Often sighted while cycling around campus, John Boyer has served as Dean of the College since 1992. During that time, he has overseen the addition of new
Core courses, established the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts, and was heavily involved in establishing the UChicago Center in Paris. Beyond his work as Dean, Boyer is a historian: of Germany and the Habsburg Empire, but also of the University of Chicago. In 2015, he published the definitive 700-page tome on this institution, The University of Chicago: A History.
the Class of 2020 stating that the University does not support intellectual safe spaces or trigger warnings.
Bridget Collier Title IX Coordinator for the University, Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity Programs
James “Jim” Nondorf Dean of College Admissions and Financial Aid and Vice President for Enrollment and Student Advancement
Bridget Collier is responsible for ensuring compliance with the University’s Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct for all relevant investigations. Currently, Jim Nondorf first took over she also serves as Affirmative this role in 2009 and, since then, Action Officer and Section 504/ the number of applications to ADA Coordinator. In 2016, the the University has soared while University also added a Deputy its admissions rate has plum- Title IX coordinator, Shea Wolfe. Ellison came to the Universi- meted. Nondorf has also overty of Chicago in July 2014 from seen a host of new financial aid Derek Douglas Harvard. Ellison oversees career programs and funds, including Vice President for Civic Engageadvising, curriculum, and dis- the No Barriers program, which ment and External Affairs cipline. In the summer of 2016, replaced loans with grants in all he became a subject of national need-based financial aid packagDouglas leads many of the controversy when he penned a es. University’s efforts to engage letter to incoming students in with surrounding communities on the South Side. Before coming to the University in 2012, Douglas served on the White House Domestic Policy Council as a Special Assistant to former president Barack Obama.
Less publicly visible but more highly paid than many of his administrator counterparts, Mark Schmid oversees the management of the University’s $8 billion endowment. Before coming to the University in 2009, Schmid was Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Boeing, the aerospace manufacturer.
Jeremy Inabinet Associate Dean of Students in the University for Disciplinary Affairs
Daniel Diermeier Provost
Eric Heath Associate Vice President for Safety & Security
Daniel Diermeier, former Dean of the Harris School of Public Policy, was named the University’s provost in 2016. As provost, Diermeier oversees all academic and research programs at the University. Diermeier has faced some criticism from students for his book on reputation management, with one former Student Government president accusing Diermeier of being “anti-activist.”
Jeremy Inabinet is responsible for upholding the University-wide disciplinary system, including receiving and investigating sexual assault complaints.
Eric Heath took over his job from former Safety & Security chief Marlon Lynch in 2016. He has overseen changes to the University of Chicago Police Department including a 28 percent increase in the number of officers on patrol immediately following his promotion and, more recently, a move to equip officers with Tasers, gun-shaped devices that fire metal barbs with electric currents.
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Who’s Who: Professors Iconic, Beloved, & Infamous Ada Palmer A Renaissance historian and prolific science fiction author, Palmer teaches a spring quarter course centered on the loftiest LARP (live-action roleplaying) activity you’ll find at the University. “Italian Renaissance: Dante, Machiavelli, and the Wars of Popes and Kings” begins with eight weeks of traditional classroom study. But students spend the final two weeks of the course participating in a simulated papal election staged in Rockefeller Chapel, donning the velvet robes of cardinals, monarchs, and other period functionaries. Agnes Callard A public philosopher who can be spotted from across the quads in her colorful garb, Callard attended UChicago for undergrad and returned in 2008 to teach philosophy. She is a frequent host of Night Owls, a series of faculty-led, late-night conversations. The most well-attended: The Philosophy of Divorce, in which she and ex-husband Ben Callard, also a professor in the department, contemplated the limits of marriage, including their own. Jerry Coyne This pathbreaking evolutionary biologist made his career studying fruit flies, but now spends his days blogging about identity politics and atheism on his popular and controversial website, titled Why Evolution Is True. Although Coyne considers himself left-wing—he was arrested in college for his work against South African Apartheid— he’s bewildered by the modern left, and in particular, by some liberals’ opposition to free speech. Allen Sanderson Sanderson has taught more University of Chicago students than any other professor in University history, with most passing through his roaringly popular Introduction to Microeconomics class. Sanderson, whose colorful lectures guide students through the basic assumptions and claims of neoclassical economics, frequently takes jabs at the expense of colleagues in humanities and social science departments, and is emphatically politically incorrect—a trait that has gotten him in trouble more than once.
Rachel Fulton Brown Medieval historian Rachel Fulton Brown receives rave course reviews for her classes on Christianity in the Middle Ages, but has also attracted the attention of national news outlets for controversial blog posts praising her friend Milo Yiannopoulos, an alt-right provocateur. Yiannopoulos, a former editor with right-wing outlet Breitbart News, wrote articles with incendiary headlines like “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.” Brown has seemed to delight in the shock Yiannopoulos provokes, recently publishing a blog post detailing “The Art of the Virtuous Troll.”
Ada Palmer helps a student into costume. university of chicago
Eve Ewing A sociologist and poet, Ewing tweets to more than 200,000 followers under the name Wikipedia Brown. Her 2018 book, Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side, tells the story of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to close 50 predominantly Black public schools in one day. Patrick Jagoda A media theorist in the English department whose work spans electronic literature, digital games, television, and cinema, Jagoda teaches interactive courses with titles like Critical Videogame Studies and Imagining Futures: Speculative Design and Social Justice.
Rachel Brown. facebook
Borja Sotomayor Beloved computer science professor Borja, as his students know him, is an avid participant on student forums like UChicago Secrets, UChicago Reddit, and Twitter, where he posts about LGBT rights, his love of dorky t-shirts, and all things computer science. Luigi Zingales Booth School professor of entrepreneurship and finance Luigi Zingales is best known as the professor who invited Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, to campus. Though Bannon never came, his invitation prompted student protests and much public discussion. Beyond Bannon, Zingales has been a vocal critic of what he calls the “unregulated market,” arguing for breaking up monopolies and other forms of regulation.
stitute aimed at improving childhood brain development, particularly for children born into poverty. Suskind, a pediatrician, is the author of Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain. List—not to be confused with the mass murderer and fugitive of the same name—is an economist who has used field experiments to examine issues spanning education, charity, and gender equity. The two married at Saieh Hall—home of the economics department—in 2018.
Geoffrey Stone and Jane Dailey Stone is a law professor and First Amendment scholar who has served as dean of the Law School and as provost of the University. Stone chaired the committee that penned the Chicago Statement—the University’s stance on freedom Power Couples of expression in higher education—and frequently moderates conversations on Dana Suskind and John List free speech. Dailey, a historian of the Suskind and List are co-directors of American South, teaches literature-fothe Thirty Million Words Center for Early cused courses on American political and Learning and Public Health, a research in- legal history.
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Student Life
Grounds of Being estelle higgins
Cafe Au Chicago: Coffee Around Campus By JAD DAHSHAN and KATIE ZHOU Arts Editor and Contributor Guarded by burger-munching gargoyles, Medici on 57th is never without customers rushing in and out—even on weekdays, when they open at 7 a.m. The wait is worth it. A triple threat lovingly dubbed “the Med,” the café and bakery are connected to a restaurant next door. The Med’s chocolaccino— espresso blended with chocolate and steamed milk, topped with the Med’s cloudlike fresh whipped cream—is a perfect pick-me-up for gloomier days, and also comes iced for those whose passions already run hot. Medici is not the only café presided over by the supernatural. Hallowed Grounds is located on the second floor of the Reynolds Club, up the creaky steps and past the spirits guarding it. Like the other undergraduate-run campus coffee shops, Hallowed serves Dark Matter Coffee. Although their espresso drinks are all solid, the Thunderbolt (iced San Pellegrino with a shot of espresso) is especially worth a try. You can also get drip coffee for $1.25 if you bring your own mug or use one of theirs—just ask for “cof-
fee for-here.” Many caffeine addicts swear by Grounds of Being, a cozy spot in the basement of the Divinity School, and their use of grounds from Milwaukee-based Colectivo Coffee, which injects variety into a campus coffee landscape dominated by Dark Matter Coffee. The dry macchiato and Irish Catholic both come recommended, and the Americano at $1.75 is about as cheap as it gets. Ex Libris, located right in Regenstein Library, is a great convenience—and a curse. On one hand, it allows for easy access to caffeine while chugging away on problem sets, essays, or other projects. On the other, Ex Lib makes it easier to develop Stockholm Syndrome at the brutalist library and stay cooped up there forever. Ex Lib is often packed, and seating is never guaranteed. But its quick eats—including sushi from The Sit Down Café—make the long line well worth the wait. Despite—or perhaps because of—the many jokes at its expense, Cobb Café continues to be proud of its drip-only coffee menu. Aside from the Dark Matter blend it serves, Cobb Café also offers one of the larger food selections of any café on campus, including
takeaway meals from a number of Hyde Park establishments, and an eclectic mix of snack items. Plein Air Café has a decidedly bookish air. With dark woods, slightly dim lighting, and deep colors, the mood inside is pensive but friendly. Plein Air’s oat milk latte is filling, dark, and gives just the right kick needed to power through a grueling school day and/ or workday. Philz Coffee, a newly opened West Coast coffee shop, is brimming with energy and warmth. Light woods, bright lights, wide windows, and a colorful indoor mural all make for a vibrant and cheerful atmosphere. Philz’s mint mojito, an iced specialty beverage, is refreshingly tangy and contains fresh mint leaves, but is sweet enough to guarantee a crash soon after drinking. Adjacent to Medici, TrueNorth Cafe’s boasts an eclectic smoothie menu that is worth a try, although, at around $7 a pop, their prices are generally too high to make being a regular affordable. Recommended is the Power Kick smoothie, an espresso-based treat. The glass-and-concrete ground level of the Campus North dining commons looks like a Google campus, and Chicago-based chain Dol-
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lop Coffee Co. fits right in. Sunlit and scattered with minimalist, industrial chic furniture, Dollop offers pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and pies from local Hoosier Mama Pie Company. However, the winner at Dollop has to be the smooth, earthy matcha latte. Build Coffee is a hidden gem tucked away on 61st and Blackstone, which falls under the Experimental Station, a non-profit which aims to develop independent cultural infrastructures on the South Side. Build’s cardamom rose latte is probably the most romantic drink tried on the mission to write this listicle. It tastes charred, like the first breeze carrying the last, singed breath of a bonfire that’s just been put out. It
tastes smoky, like a deep, chilled purple twilight. It tastes like dried magenta petals resting on the autumnal forest floor. Another off-campus jewel, Robust Coffee Lounge is a good place to get away from the life of the mind, or dive right into it, away from familiar distractions. Essentially an almond milk latte with a drizzle of honey, Robust’s honey nut latte might be simple in makeup but is nuanced in flavor. The espresso brings out an often-unnoticed bitterness in the honey. The honey’s sweetness in turn takes on a smoked, filling quality paired with the almond milk. A full version of this article is available online.
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Arts On Campus Visual Arts By PERRI WILSON Arts Editor It can be easy to forget that your brain has a right half when you’ve been staring at a P-set all day, and the Core does not exactly leave room for many arts classes. But that doesn’t mean that you have to abandon the tactile joys of making art. There are plenty of (often hidden) ways to give your left brain a break and pick up a paintbrush, or maybe just admire someone else’s creations. Seeing art doesn’t have to involve a trek downtown (although the trek is worth it). With half an hour to spare, why not drop by one of the many museums right on campus? Tucked away in an unassuming courtyard right next to Campus North, the Smart Museum of Art is the University’s main art museum, harboring a collection of works ranging from 12th-century Korean bowls to 20th-century Warhols, Paschkes, and Matisses. Their recent special exhibit, The Time Is Now! Art Worlds of Chicago’s South Side, 1960-1980, garnered national attention. Upcoming exhibits include Meleko Mokgosi’s 20-panel installation, Bread, Butter, and Power, which tells a story of sexism in southern Africa; and Down Time: On the Art of Retreat, opening October 25, was conceived and curated by a group of students. But, perhaps the occasional trip to the museum isn’t enough to satiate your fine-art cravings. Have no fear! Thanks to its Art Match program, if you arrive at the museum early enough on October 6, you might bring home a Miró or Picasso to hang in your dorm room! The museum also encourag-
es visitors to create their own works through frequent programming, including drawing workshops and after-hours parties, often complete with crafts tables. Walking into the Renaissance Society, hidden on the fourth floor of Cobb, always feels like happening upon a long-lost treasure in the attic. This small, independent museum is on Atlas Obscura’s list of attractions to check out in Chicago. Since 1915, the Renaissance Society has been known for its “experimental ethos,” and regularly features contemporary artists from around the world. This fall, the space will be home to LaToya Ruby Frazier’s new body of work, titled The Last Cruze, which documents the stories of workers and their families in a recently “unallocated” GM plant in Ohio. The Oriental Institute, meanwhile, boasts a collection of slightly older works—ancient Middle Eastern artifacts— showcasing the Human-Headed Winged Bull (Lamassu), a fragment of a Dead Sea Scroll, and a massive statue of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, among other historical pieces. If you’re reading The Epic of Gilgamesh for first-year Hum, put down your tired translation and check out the original: 4,000-year-old Babylonian cuneiform tablets (circa 2,000 B.C.E.)! There are so many ways to experience the museum: Stride through its galleries for the sake of the beautiful sculptures, or pause and read every plaque for a thorough historical understanding. The Logan Center for the Arts, located at 60th Street and Drexel Avenue, opened in 2012 and is a thriving center of campus art featuring both professional and student work. The building is teeming with
Left: A student who borrowed George Rouault’s Tropical Landscape through the Smart Museum’s Art to Live With program examines the work. Right: Alison Saar, ‘Eclipse,’ 2017, etching and aquatint. Available for loan through the Art to Live With program. courtesy smart museum of art
things to see and hear—from the unexpected student installations and drawings taped to the walls to concerts and plays. Every year, Logan Center Exhibitions’ dynamic exhibition cycle brings international contemporary artists for shows and exciting programming at the Logan Center Gallery, right at the building’s north entrance. Their current show, Tufting Gun Tapestries, will showcase collaborative textile experiments by the architecture group Assemble. Just across the lobby, Café Logan doubles as a popular study spot and exhibition space; its current show highlights 30 years’ worth of photographs taken by the Chicago Alliance of African American Photographers documenting the African Festival of the Arts. Any time you find yourself at the Logan Center, you should take a minute to visit the 20 prints from Matisse’s Jazz, on view in the basement. You can get your bearings of all that the Logan Center has to offer at the hotly attended Logan Center O-Week welcome party, featuring free snacks, swag, and performances. Wander into the Booth School of Business to view their surprisingly substantial collection of modern art, including works by contemporary
German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans and DoVA faculty members William Pope.L and Laura Letinsky. On the other end of Woodlawn, the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society holds exhibitions in its gallery. This fall, see Martha Rosler: Passionate Signals, which explores the legendary feminist video and photo artist’s works from a novel, “green” angle. Although a bit farther than the rest, the Arts Incubator on 301 East Garfield Boulevard hosts exhibitions, artist residencies, community-centered arts events and activities, and arts education. Envisioned by artist and UChicago faculty member Theaster Gates, it houses the Arts + Public Life initiative, which seeks to strengthen the University’s relationship with the South Side’s artistic and civic communities. Arts RSOs If Winston Churchill could paint in his free time, so can you. While some arts RSOs have requirements and shows, there are also plenty of laidback ways to get messy and creative. Festiva l of the A r ts (FOTA) orchestrates a campus-wide jubilee of student art and hosts workshops, performances, and gallery openings
throughout the year. If you have an ambitious vision, or a project you’re eager to complete, FOTA can help provide the resources to do so, along with a supportive community of fellow artists. Keep an eye out for information about their fall show and how to get involved. Drop by Logan every Thursday evening and join Outside the Lines at their weekly figure-drawing workshops, where seasoned pros sketch alongside those who have never drawn a live model before; pop in for 10 minutes on your way to dinner, or delve into a pose for two hours. Kitchen Sink, a group dedicated to fostering the student art community, hosts free fourhour art-making sessions every Wednesday night in Logan’s Great Hall on the second floor. Like Outside the Lines, you are encouraged to drop by for any amount of time and put their materials (and snacks) to use. If you’re lucky enough to register for a spot in UChicago Ceramics’ first-come, first-serve studio sessions, you’ll be able enjoy creating clay crafts once a week at the Hyde Park Arts Center. Meanwhile, members of ArtShould spend their afternoons teaching art classes at nearby Chicago Public Schools, and organize workshops as well as fundraising events.
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Theater By ALINA KIM Associate Arts Editor Theater at UChicago is arguably the most accessible art form. With dozens of performances each quarter, there’s something for everyone—tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited. The largest contingent participates in University Theater (UT), which produces more than 35 shows a year, reaching an annual audience of more than 10,000 attendees. UT’s 24Hour Play Festival—held the first weekend of each quarter— invites all students to create an
entire play from scratch, from playwriting to set design to performance, in just one day. If you’re looking for a bit more rehearsal time, the Weekend of Workshops, usually held during fifth week, gives directors the chance to explore their craft and put on short pieces. Students with Shakespearean inclinations may want to check out The Dean’s Men. As the University’s resident Shakespeare troupe, it stages one of the Bard’s 39 plays every quarter. Because Hyde Park is the birthplace of improvisational comedy, it’s only fitting that the University boasts not one but two excellent improv groups. Formed by Second City founder Bernie Sahlins (A.B. ’43) in 1986, Off-Off Campus can be found before the quarter even begins at their O-Week show in Mandel
Left to right: Gabriel Rourke, Emil Sohlberg and Matilda Kupfer in “The Hardy Boys & The Mystery Of Where Babies Come From” by Christopher Durang.
Hall. Occam’s Razor, an improv troupe known for their more laidback style, puts on three free shows each quarter in the FXK Theater or at The Revival. Those looking to combine their love for history and theater may be interested in the Classical Entertainment Society, which produces works based on Classical sources, or UChicago Commedia, which specializes in the commedia dell’arte theater style of the Italian Renaissance. Ever dream of running away and joining the circus? Also housed under UT, the student-run Le Vorris & Vox Circus welcomes all those affiliated with the University the chance to learn a plethora of circus skills, ranging from aerial silks and trapeze to group acrobatics and juggling. If you don’t have time to leave Hyde Park but still want to get your fix of professional theater, Court Theatre puts on shows on Ellis Avenue, next door to North Campus. Once called “the most consistently excellent theater company in America” by The Wall Street Journal, Court will open this season with August Wilson’s King Hedley II. Try out! Fresh thespian blood, experienced or not, is what keeps the theater groups alive and im- Top: Maya. Bottom: Ballerinas poise en-pointe in UBallet’s “Swan Lake.” proving each year. jeremy lindenfeld / brooke nagler
natalia rodriguez
Dance By ALINA KIM Associate Arts Editor The University Ballet (UBallet) is a clear choice for lovers of the classical. UBallet offers free classes weekly for the curious-at-heart, the long-time masters, and everyone in between. The company typically performs two full-length ballets each academic year at Mandel Hall; previous shows include La Esmeralda and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Sleeping Beauty. In a celebration of the contem-
porary and the modern, UChicago Maya fuses several dance styles to create masterful choreographies uniquely their own. Their minimalist look perfectly juxtaposes the extravagance of their performances, ranging from exploratory jazz to the examinations of the limitations of rhythm. Recent performances include Haiku Lab at the Logan Center for the Arts, and Threshold. For those who grew up watching Fik-Shun, 1MILLION Dance, or Quick Style, Excolatur Dance Crew (previously known as PhiNix Dance Crew) delivers exhilarating hip-hop choreography,
hosting dance sessions and classes every week at Bartlett Dining Commons with professional urban dance choreographers. Explore the beauty of South Asian music through RSOs such as Bhangra and Raas. Bhangra puts on energetic, fast-tempo performances that take pride in Indian culture, and shines at events such as the annual South Asian Students Association (SASA) show. Raas impresses with a tremendous quantity of leaps, jumps, and delicate footwork that holds onto rapid rhythms, but perhaps their brilliance is made most obvious through their handiwork of the spinning of the dandiya, or
decorated wooden sticks. Rhythmic Bodies in Motion (RBIM) is the largest dance RSO on campus. Representing K-pop, modern/urban, Bollywood, and hip-hop—along with many others—RBIM puts on a showcase every spring at Mandel Hall. RSOs such as Chicago Swing Dance Society, Tap That!, and UChicago Ballroom & Latin Dance Association (BLDA) cater to the romantic soul. Swing Dance began at C-Shop, but recently relocated to Ida Noyes Hall to accommodate its tremendous popularity. For the daring who wish to learn the spinneroo, consider giving their weekly Java
Jives a whirl any Saturday—featuring DJed open dancing. Tap That! is one of UChicago’s newest dance RSOs, but they won’t hesitate to bring the nostalgic era of the ’30s–’40s, instructing members of all levels the precision of the step-heel heel-step or the single buffalo. BLDA offers over 19 different styles of dance, including salsa, bachata, and samba. Can’t get enough of performing arts competitions? Several of these dance troupes compete in the Where Fun Comes to Dance competition every spring, hosted by the UChicago Dance Council.
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Performers with Dirt Red Brass Band. Bottom: Students in the crowd at Summer Breeze 2019 adrian mandeville jariela subar
Marching to the Beat of Your Own Drum: Music at UChicago By JANE JOZEFOWICZ Arts Contributor Band geeks and orch dorks, unite! Students from all backgrounds and academic interests can get involved with the Department of Music’s vibrant Performance Program, which attracts more than 700 musicians across campus and puts on more than 100 concerts each year. For classical buffs, the University Symphony Orchestra, University Chamber Orchestra, and University Wind Ensemble—now under the direction of clarinetist Nicholas Carlson—offer a diverse repertoire ranging from modern literature to renowned orchestral masterpieces. Jazz cats can sharpen their improvisational claws with the Jazz X-tet and Jazz Combo, which push the boundaries of the wide-ranging jazz idiom. Those with more early modern musical cravings can follow the Early Music Ensemble for a taste of 15th- to 17th-century tunes. Meanwhile, those interested in pursuing genres outside of the Western canon can find affinity with groups like the South Asian Music Ensemble, and the Middle Eastern Mu-
sic Ensemble, at the music department’s informal open house Tuesday of O-Week. Is voice your instrument of choice? Choral ensemble options are just as ample: There’s the Motet Choir, an a cappella ensemble that specializes in Renaissance music but is no stranger to gospel charts; the Women’s Ensemble, which explores and celebrates the power of women’s voices; the Rockefeller Chapel Choir, a staple at weekly Sunday services; and the University Chorus, the largest and most inclusive vocal ensemble on campus. Watch out for the above groups auditioning during O-Week. Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) are vital to UChicago’s campus community, and many cater to the fine arts. If you’re on “The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory,” you might find your home in one of the single-sex (Unaccompanied Women, Medusa, Run for Cover), co-ed (Ransom Notes and the award-winning Voices in Your Head), or specialty student-run ensembles (like the South Asian fusion group Aag, the music ministry chorus Make a Joyful Noise, or the suitably-named Rhythm n’ Jews). Attend the
17 a cappella showcase Monday of O-Week to see who’s in treble this year. You’re bound to hear the music of student-led bands ringing throughout the ivied walls as you shuffle through the quad. Be coached by the artist-in-residence in the Chamber Music Program. Hear the resonant 72-bell Rockefeller carillon chiming every day, thanks to the Guild of Carillonneurs, who offers free weekly lessons in the fall quarter to potential guild members. Get your groove on at a basement party hosted by the Dirt Red Brass Band, a New Orleans–style band who has played with the likes of Vulfpeck and has even performed for UChicago alumnus Bernie Sanders (A.B. ’64) himself. If you’re more of a music connoisseur than performer, you’re also in luck. University students work with South Side community members at the campus radio station WHPK, promising “music not commonly heard in the mainstream.” Tune in at 88.5 FM, listen online at whpk.org, or audition to be a DJ. Major Activities Board brings much-anticipated entertainment to campus every year: a fall concert, a winter comedy show, and a day-long music festival in the spring known as Summer Breeze. Past headliners include U2, Eminem, and Chicago’s very own Chance the Rapper.
Practice and performance spaces are plentiful, especially at the seven-year-old Logan Center, boasting 20 practice rooms, three ensemble rehearsal rooms, one piano studio, and a state-of-the-art Performance Hall. The facility hosts myriad concerts, including the free Third Tuesday Jazz series in Logan Café, and other events like the biweekly variety show Logan Center Cabaret Series. Hoping to stay closer to campus? Pop in a practice room at Goodspeed Hall and stay for a teatime concert in Fulton Recital Hall while you’re at it. For residents of some campus dorms, including Renee Granville-Grossman (South Campus), slip into the practice rooms located within the building itself, complete with music stands and pianos. The on-campus concert series UChicago Presents gives Maroons the chance to hear world-famous artists on a student’s budget. It hosts some 25 contemporary, early, classical, jazz, and world music concerts every year, in spaces ranging from the intimate Mandel Hall to the formidable Rockefeller Chapel. A student ID will get you $10 tickets, or you can take advantage of the Sponsor-a-Student Program free tickets provided through the UChicago Arts Pass Program.
AUDITIONS Department of Music Performance Ensembles and Programs
Open to ALL undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and community members. Choral • Instrumental • Chamber Jazz • Early Music • World Music Piano • Vocal • Percussion
Sign-up to audition: September 23-30 Logan Center for the Arts, 8th Floor music.uchicago.edu @uchicagomusic
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Arts Off Campus By ARTS EDITORS Ask any aficionado, and they’ll tell you that Chicago’s music scene is one of the most vibrant in the nation. From jazz clubs to concert halls to DIY venues, Chicago has something to offer for all music tastes. Hyde Park was once a crucible of Chicago jazz, drawing greats like Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk. Charlie Parker played his last Chicago gig here, near where Trader Joe’s will soon be moving in. While many of the legendary hole-in-the-wall jazz clubs of yesteryear are long gone, Hyde Park keeps their spirit alive with its own thriving music scene. 53rd Street boasts plenty of local venues: Record store by day, music venue by night, Hyde Park Records (1377 East 53rd Street) offers a sample of Chicago’s rich musical history; The Silver Room (1506 East 53rd) combines community-driven music and art events with a locavore commercial space; and, restaurant-venue The Promontory (5311 South Lake Park Avenue; 21+) has one of the most well-curated and popping concert series around. On September 28 and 29, get off the O-Week grid by checking out the annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival, a free, two-day, world-class festival that hosts a rich assortment of local and national jazz artists. Plus, the Hyde Park Jazz Society performs year-round on Sundays at Room 43, on the border of Bronzeville and Kenwood. For jazz beyond Hyde Park, check out the Jazz Showcase in South Loop and, if you can, the timeless Prohibition-era Green Mill in Uptown (21+), where you can sit in Al Capone’s old booth. If you’re there on a Tuesday, you’ll also be treated to a live performance from The Fat Babies, one of Chicago’s best jazz bands, as well as dancing by local swing dancers. You can catch some of
the city’s best new music at Roscoe Village’s Constellation, a laidback venue specializing in the avant-garde. There is no shortage of chances to your favorite bands perform live in Chicago. This quarter, swing by the United Center for larger stadium acts like Cher and The Chainsmokers, the Riviera Theatre for indie darlings like Lauv and Angel Olson, and Vic Theatre for an assortment of diverse acts ranging from Yungblud to Ingrid Michaelson. If you’re looking for dinner and a show, check out Pilsen’s Thalia Hall, complete with restaurant, bar, and concert space, or Wicker Park’s Chop Shop. Lincoln Hall (Lincoln Park) and its twin Schubas Tavern (Lakeview) likewise offer drinks and grub to accompany their indie-oriented programming. If you are more musically adventurous and want to check out an eclectic range of underground and up-and-coming acts in an intimate setting, both Bottom Lounge (West Loop) and Sleeping Village (Avondale, 21+) are worth checking out. Also, keep your eyes peeled for UChicago Arts Pass perks and student ticket prices for concerts—especially at expensive venues. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has one of the best student-ticket programs in the country, offering $15 tickets for a respectable number of subscription concerts. Lyric Opera of Chicago is similarly affordable. At the northern edge of Millennium Park, behind the Frank Gehry–designed mane which frames Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Harris Theater is an avant-garde music and dance venue whose programming is not to be missed: it offers $10 student tickets for select performances through Arts Pass. It is home to Hubbard Street Dance, a contemporary dance troupe whose
performances need to be seen to be believed. And Chicago’s dance scene wouldn’t be complete without Joffrey Ballet. Catch them at the Auditorium Theatre.
Art Museums Guarded by two bronze lions at its South Michigan Avenue entrance, the Art Institute is a world-famous art museum renowned for both its gorgeous Beaux-Arts interior and carefully curated collections. Its impressionist wing is always breathtaking, but don’t overlook its lesser-known works, including Japanese screens, African wood carvings, and the intricate miniature rooms. Required visiting is the Modern Wing, a 2009 renovation dedicated to the works of 20th- and 21st-century artists.
Admission is free with UCID. Located about a mile and a half north of the Art Institute is the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, which offers several floors of post-war art. Here can be found artwork that pushes the bounds of the conventional. The MCA Stage program brings to the city cutting-edge performance art that blurs the lines between traditional disciplines. Admission is free with UCID. Located in Pilsen, Chicago’s own Mexican-American heritage neighborhood and one of the city’s cultural hubs, the National Museum of Mexican Art boasts a colorful collection of art that doubles as an educational resource for Mexican history and culture. The permanent collection is organized chronologically, from pre-Columbian times to Chicano resistance art. Be sure to see Abyss: Rocío Ca-
ballero before it closes in mid-October. Admission is free. Doors fly open along the blocks in the Chicago Arts District (Pilsen) from 6 to 10 p.m. on the second Friday of each month, ushering in a night of gallery-hopping and an eyeful of diverse contemporary art. The Fine Arts Building (South Loop) also opens artist studios to the public from 5 to 10 p.m. in the evening those dates. Hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Open House Chicago provides incredible access to more than 350 Chicago architectural gems on October 19 and 20. Highlights include Prairie-style private homes, as well as Fourth Presbyterian Church, where Julia Roberts tried to thwart My Best Friend’s Wedding— to a fictional UChicago third-year, no less! Admission is free.
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The Lumen Christi Institute fall 2019 Events Weekly Non-Credit Course on Modern Science and Catholic Faith TUESDAYS, OCT 8-NOV 26 6:00PM Dinner | 6:30PM Lecture
Genome Editing with CRISPR: Dignity and other Faith-Based Concerns Nicanor Austriaco, OP, Providence College THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 5:00PM
Symposium on The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila: A Biography Carlos Eire, Yale University Bernard McGinn, Univ. of Chicago Susan Schreiner, Univ. of Chicago THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 5:00PM
John Henry Newman’s Apologetics of the Imagination Ian Ker, University of Oxford THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 5:00PM
for more information and to register visit www.lumenchristi.org
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Some of the best professional theater in the country is in Chicago. The Goodman Theatre is the city’s oldest active nonprofit theater organization, and the Steppenwolf Theatre has produced alumni like Gary Sinise, Jeff Perry (both founding members of the company), Laurie Metcalf, and John Malkovich. Not to be missed are Chicago’s excellent smaller companies. Check out the Lookingglass Theatre, based in Chicago’s historic Water Tower; Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park, for their commitment to premieres; the experimental Neo-Futurists in Andersonville; and First Floor Theater in Wicker Park, which was found-
ed by UChicago alumni in 2012. Prefer to see something you can belt along to? Don’t throw away your shot to attend Lin-Manuel Miranda’s runaway hit Hamilton, still running at the CIBC Theater. The Oriental and Cadillac Palace Theaters are also consistent hosts of freshoff-Broadway musicals. In the spring, even the stately Civic Opera House trades in Rossini for Rodgers & Hammerstein. Lyric Opera of Chicago caps off its season every year with a musical. Live comedy reigns supreme in Chicago. Second City is the most laureled comedy troupe in Chicago and possibly the country, producing more Saturday Night Live stars than you can count. The more affordable iO Chicago is another local improv juggernaut and big-time SNL feeder—their, jaw-dropping Improvised Shakespeare troupe is a can’t-miss.
Though 57th Street Books, Powell’s, and the Seminary Co-op are all within walking distance of campus, it is worth venturing to other neighborhoods to explore the myriad bookstores and comic shops Chicago has to offer. South-Side gems include the old school Alternate Reality comics and The Underground Bookstore, which specializes in Black literature. If you’re heading further north, visit the home of Ernest Hemingway in Oak Park and stop by the Book Table, which has discounts and plenty of staff-recommended reads to keep you busy. For the more eclectic, Quimby’s offers obscure titles and an extensive collection of ’zines. Horror and sci-fi lovers should check out Bucket o’ Blood for a great selection of books, movies, and music. For those obsessed with the smell of books and old libraries, step into Wicker Park’s eclectic atmosphere and immerse yourself into Myopic Books, an award-winning used bookstore. On an uneventful Monday, you can always stay awhile with their Live-Music Mondays, an experimental series that runs through the evenings. Just a few feet away is Volumes Bookcafe, a quirky hybrid between a coffee shop and independent bookstore. Many bookstores hold readings and open mics, but The Poetry Foundation brings in the most distinguished writers. Known for POETRY, one of the most famous poetry magazines in print, The Poetry Foundation is among the world’s largest literary organizations.
Every Tuesday, Young Chicago Authors hosts Wordplay, the open mic artists like Chance, Noname, and Saba have performed at. Beyond that, they hold workshops and puts on the annual Louder Than a Bomb, a festival that draws over 1,000 high school and college poets to compete in individual and team performances. For Chicago-based publications, check out Newcity, which is known for publishing cartoonist Chris Ware before his rise to fame. A newspaper-turned-magazine, Newcity follows Chicago artists, writers, film, and music venues. The Chicago Reader, the alternative weekly that also details Chicago pop culture, is most known for their long-form journalism. If you are interested in literary journalism, check out articles like Ben Joravsky’s “A Simple Game” that won the Reader awards and spots in anthologies. A magazine with a strong connection to UChicago is The Point, a biannual literary magazine founded by UChicago alums that publishes essays on politics, literary criticism, and culture. Each issue features a section called “Symposium” that is devoted to questions exploring the purpose of oft-challenged traditions, disciplines, or institutions pertinent to today’s society. Also popular among UChicago students is the South Side Weekly, a long-form news magazine dedicated to “supporting cultural and civic engagement on the South Side.” Published every Wednesday, the Weekly covers local happenings usually untouched by mainstream media and publishes more extensive narratives and essays.
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Theatre
Literature
Film The many AMC Theatres you’ll find downtown might make for a fun cinematic excursion, but Harper Theater, located at East 53rd Street and South Harper Avenue, is the closest off-campus option for your movie and popcorn consumption needs. Students can check out new releases on one of five screens in a historic early-20th-century building. If you’re looking for a more extensive movie outing, Navy Pier boasts an impressive IMAX theater. In Lincoln Park, Facets Cinematheque screens obscure indie films, and the historic Music Box
Theatre is always an experience. If you just can’t get enough alternative film, Lake View’s Landmark Theatres screens studio-backed indie films and hosts midnight screenings of lesser-known films. The Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s longest running international competitive film festival, offers an amazing film selection with a variety of themes. This year catch one, or 10, of their screenings between October 16 and 27th. Other festivals worth checking out include the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, the Chicago Latino Film Festival, and the Chicago Underground Film Festival at the Logan Theater in Logan Square.
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Life of the Spirit: Religion on Campus
By OREN OPPENHEIM News Editor When I was deciding on where to go to college, I paid close attention to where I could find a strong Jewish community. Since I’m a Modern Orthodox Jew, I wanted to be sure I’d have support for my religious practices on campus. Fast-forward two years and I’m at Hillel almost every day for prayer services, a work-study communications internship, and Jewish life events; I also frequent the Chabad House’s bagel café and Shabbat dinners. Here are some of the religious student groups and organizations you can find at the University of Chicago and in its surrounding neighborhoods. This list is not exhaustive; check out Spiritual Life at University of Chicago’s website (spirit.uchicago.edu) to see more information about religion on campus, including interfaith and interdenominational events. If you’re not connected to a particular religious tradition, two chapels on campus—Bond Chapel (on the main quad between Swift and Haskel) and Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (5850 South Woodlawn Avenue, 59th and Woodlawn)—are nondenominational and host a variety of programs for multiple faiths. Spaces and groups on campus UChicago Hillel (5715 South Woodlawn Avenue, a block east from Reynolds Club), where I’ve spent the lion’s share of my time at UChicago, has prayers, weekly Shabbat dinner and lunch, and Jewish learning and social groups. On most Shabbats, there are Egalitarian, Reform, and Orthodox services; the Yavneh Orthodox group holds weekday services every morning at 7:45 a.m. Across the street, Chabad at UChicago (5700 South Woodlawn Avenue) hosts homey Shabbat meals and services, the Sinai Scholars learning program for
Jewish undergraduates who want to explore texts and tradition, and a neighborhood-famous twice-weekly bagel café, Café Shira. The UChicago Muslim Students Association holds a weekly Friday Jumu’ah prayer service at 1:30 p.m. in Bond Chapel as well as other programs such as Koran study, social events and guest speakers. Second-year Zeeshan Khan, the Association’s president, told the maroon that while the group is a registered student organization, it acts as a community. He was “pretty much involved as soon as I got to campus,” he said. A Prayer Room for Muslim students sits the lower level of Ida Noyes (1212 East 59th Street, corner of 59th and Woodlawn), nestled between the maroon’s own office and the office of Spiritual Life. The prayer room, scattered with prayer mats and soft cushions, is open during Ida Noyes’s regular hours, and can be accessed by ID card with permission from UChicago Spiritual Life. The Body and Soul Lutheran Campus Ministry at UChicago, which is connected to the Augustana Lutheran Church (5500 South Woodlawn Avenue, next to Campus North), holds Sunday services, Scripture discussions, and more. Students at UChicago serve as peer ministers, fostering the ministry’s programming, including a Comfort Food for Finals night and volunteer opportunities. Cru UChicago hosts weekly Bible study classes in South, North, and Reynolds Club, and students involved with the group go on retreats and run outreach events on campus such as dinners and speakers. Episcopalian Brent House (5540 South Woodlawn Avenue, midway between 55th and 56th on Woodlawn) is a campus ministry that hosts Sunday Eucharist services every week at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner. Their Wednesday service at 5:30 is fol-
lowed by a guest speaker, Bible study, or social event. Reverend Stacy Alan, Brent House’s chaplain, told the maroon that she’s always available to meet with students of any faith to “talk about what’s on their minds… remind people who they are, in our language, beautiful children of God.” The Calvert House at the University of Chicago (5735 South University Avenue, a few doors down from Saieh Hall) offers daily Mass (Sundays at 11 a.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.; Monday through Friday at 12:30 p.m.) and communal Monday night dinners at 6 p.m. And members of the Catholic Students Association attend service events and retreats that provide students the chance to “pray and reflect on God’s movement in their lives,” according to their website. The Hindu Student Sangam holds weekly meetings with prayers, songs, and food in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel’s Uncommon Room, Tuesdays around 7–8 p.m. Every year, the group also
holds a Diwali puja (worship) in Rockefeller Chapel, where any student can come watch the prayers and light a candle, as well as a Holi celebration every spring where tons of students join in celebrating by playing with the holiday’s well-known colorful powders.
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gogue at 5200 South Hyde Park Boulevard. Both synagogues will hold High Holiday services this fall and have weekly Shabbat services. Outside the synagogue walls, Moishe House Hyde Park hosts Shabbat meals and Jewish learning events geared towards Jewish graduate students and young professionals, although all Off-campus are welcome. The Protestant University Masjid Al-Faatir, the first Church (5655 South University free-standing mosque built in Avenue, diagonally across from Chicago, sits at 47th and South Reynolds Club) holds Sunday worWoodlawn on land donated by ship at 10:30 a.m., while running boxing legend Muhammad Ali. special events like yoga classes The turquoise-domed house of and initiatives such as a sexuality worship hosts Jumu’ah prayers and gender book club. on Fridays at 1 p.m. and keeps the Right next door, the First times for its daily prayer services Unitarian Church of Chicago updated on its website. (5650 South Woodlawn Avenue) Hyde Park is home to a historic is a Unitarian Universalist conJewish community and two syna- gregation that emphasizes inclugogues. The Reform congregation sivity. They hold Sunday services KAM Isaiah Israel, Chicago’s weekly at 10:00 a.m. and use the oldest Jewish congregation, is at sign outside of their building to 1100 East Hyde Park Boulevard; often speak about campus issues, Congregation Rodfei Zedek such as Graduate Students United. is a Conservative Jewish syna-
Cloisters outside Bond Chapel. university of chicago photographic archive
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A History of Resistance: Politics and Activism on Campus The quad appeared somewhat unrecognizable during finals week last quarter. Juxtaposed to the green idyll of a manicured, springtime UChicago were picket lines encircling each ivy-clad building. Graduate Students United (GSU) held a week-long labor action last June as part of their ongoing effort to gain recognition from the administration, and dozens of undergraduates skipped class to join the lines in solidarity. The activist display garnered national attention, and while visually striking, wasn’t wholly unusual; it was a particularly clear instance of the political engagement that is a prevalent aspect of life at UChicago. A key orchestrator of undergraduate support for the rally was UChicago Student Action (UCSA), a progressive organization founded in 2004. UCSA fights for economic, environmental, and social justice through campaigns like Fair Budget UChicago (FBU). FBU has advocated for improved mental healthcare for UChicago students, demanding the administration to hire more counselors trained in LGBTQ+ sensitivity, and shorten wait times for counseling appointments. A more recent addition
to UChicago’s activist scene is IfNotNow UChicago, a group of Jewish students organizing against the Israeli occupation in Palestine and urging Jewish Americans to cut ties with the Birthright foundation. The group held teach-ins and rallies on campus, and some members joined the national IfNotNow demonstration in front of Birthright headquarters in New York last April. For those interested in traditional, two-party politics, the University is also home to chapters of national College Democrats and College Republicans organizations. The clubs meet weekly, coordinating guest speakers, conversation, and opportunities for students to canvas for political candidates. Last school year, College Republicans hosted a speaker event with Congressman Sean Duffy (R-WI), and a mock Chicago mayoral election with UCDems. Members of both organizations actively bring discordant, domestic policy debate to campus. In May, former College Republicans President and College Council (CC) member Brett Barbin presented a bill to CC that would have prohibited the use of student life fees, a mandatory cost for all Univer-
sity students, to fund abortions. The move was met with vehement opposition and ultimately failed. Members of UCDems, College Republicans, and Phoenix Survivors Alliance (PSA) were among those who attended the assembly where the bill was proposed, representing UChicago’s wide political spectrum and quintessential dedication to rigorous discourse. Perhaps the most renowned of all UChicago political organizations is the non-partisan Institute of Politics (IOP), founded by David Axelrod, former campaign strategist and senior adviser for President Barack Obama. Housed under IOP are initiatives such as Leaders of Color, dedicated to promoting on-campus leadership roles for students of color; The Gate, a political journalism publication; and several fellowship and internship opportunities such as the Iowa Project. Boasting a plethora of avenues for student civic engagement, UChicago is a microcosm of an energized U.S. political climate. And with 2020 presidential primaries just months away, this school year will undoubtedly be marked by vigorous political action and debate. - Zahra Nasser
Students protest an SG proposal and carry signs reading “Access to abortion saves lives” and “Do you hate poor students that much?” adrian mandeville
Carenotcops rally on camps to protest UCPD practices
carenotcops
Left: Protesters march towards downtown Chicago to join a demonstration against the Vietnam War. Undated. Above: University of Chicago student on a hunger strike to protest the apartheid regime governing South Africa, 1985. university of chicago photographic archive
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Cody, it’s been such a joy and honor to watch you grow and mature into the young man you are today.
I am so proud of all you have accomplished; I know you will continue to do amazing things over the next four years and beyond. Dream big, sky is the limit!! Love you, Mom
Alonzo C. Finch
Wishing you all the best! Enjoy your time at UChicago
We will miss you. Love, Dad, Mom & Alexander
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We’re so proud of you. Here’s to your future success. We’re behind you all the way. Love, Mom, Dad, Kelly, Erin, and Sara
THE CHICAGO MAROON — SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
Chicago & Local Politics
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The Fight for Jackson Park and the Obama Center Rages On By EMMA DYER News Editor The future of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) and Jackson Park, the planned site of the Center, remains uncertain after a summer of legal action and community activism both for and against proposed construction plans. The community’s concerns and resistance towards the project no longer take issue with merely the OPC. The extent of the community’s attention spans the logistics of plans to reshape Jackson Park in its current form not just by adding a Center, but by fundamentally changing the geography of the park and surrounding area. Lakeside Alliance, a joint venture group of construction managers building the OPC, released a new construction timeline for the project in early August. The construction managers proposed to complete construction by fall 2023. As proposed plans for Jackson Park begin finalization processes, the summer has
seen activity from three major fronts that will have crucial implications for the project’s future and Lakeside Alliance’s estimated timeline. First, environmental activist group Protect Our Parks is not letting up on a lawsuit filed against the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District for allowing the Obama Foundation, a private entity, to build the OPC on public parkland. Second, local activists and aldermen have introduced an ordinance in City Hall that would legally bind developers of the OPC to requirements meant to prevent rising rents and displacement. Lastly, the OPC remains under scrutiny by city and federal agencies as part of a federal review process. In the midst of increased activity within each of these areas in the Jackson Park project, the City of Chicago ushered in new leadership in late May with the election of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The new mayoral administration has been received by the community as an opportunity to address issues that
Rendering of the Obama Presidential Center. obama foundation
former Mayor Rahm Emman- plans on the South Side, activuel was unwilling to negotiate. ists have been vocal about their desire to put in writing a ComThe Legal Battle to Relocate munity Benefits Agreement, a the Obama Presidential Center legally binding document that In early June, Federal Judge obligates the city to guaranRobert Blakey in the Northern tee conditions on the project District of Illinois dismissed such as contracting with local a lawsuit brought by Protect firms and protecting renters Our Parks (POP) against the rights to ensure locals benefit Chicago Park District and the from the project’s construcCity of Chicago. The plaintiffs tion. President Obama and the argued that the OPC violated Obama Foundation as well as public trust doctrine and was former mayor Rahm Emanuel an improper use of land, fight- did not move forward with any ing for the OPC to be relocated plans to make a formal CBA and offering Washington Park agreement despite communias an alternative. ty outcry. POP responded to the disEarly in her mayoral cammissal by saying Judge Blakey, paign, Mayor Lightfoot had “refused to acknowledge the said she was in favor of a CBA. shell game taking place and But when Lightfoot entered act to stop it, and he could not into a runoff later in the elecresist the hidden influences of tion, her response when asked all the powerful interests hell if she supports a CBA became bent on stealing Jackson Park more equivocal. to indulge their selfish desires.” “I will work to help resolve POP has filed an appeal for outstanding issues in a way the case, for which one of the that is respectful of communilegal counsels will be Univer- ty needs as articulated by resisity of Chicago law professor dents,” Lightfoot said to WBEZ Richard Epstein. Chicago. “I am concerned After the federal review of about the Obama Foundation’s the Center found adverse ef- reticence to sign a community fects on Jackson Park caused benefits agreement, especialby the currently proposed ly for a project that is receiving OPC plans in early August, POP more than $100 million in pubasked Judge Blakey to re-open lic funds.” the original case to consider In July, Fifth Ward Alderthe new information. The city man Leslie Hairston and 20th argued against reopening the Ward Alderman Jeanette Taycase, countering that the new lor introduced a CBA Ordiinformation is not relevant nance. The ordinance places to the lawsuit’s question of restrictions on the timeline of whether the city has legisla- property sales to give renters tive authority to authorize the time to either counter offer OPC’s construction in Jackson buyers or find new housing and Park. both incentivizes and requires affordable housing in future Negotiating a Community property development, all of Benefits Agreement which counteracts threats of As early as a few months af- displacement. ter the introduction of the OPC In September, an additional
study conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago commissioned by the CBA Coalition found that rents and housing prices in the area around the OPC are rising to a level that residents can’t afford. Preserving Historic Jackson Park A series of federal reviews are required to ensure the integrity of the park is maintained and that any thing deemed historical by the federal government is not adversely affected by project plans. A formal Assessment of Effects (AOE) is made and consulting parties must come to an agreement on how to modify the project to do away with anything that adversely affects the historic property. The AOE report released at the end of July found many adverse effects caused by current plans on the historic areas of Jackson Park, but found no adverse effects on the surrounding area. Many consulting organizations sent letters stating their concerns to the first draft of the AOE. The most notable consulting party, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation stated that in the first draft of the AOE “not enough detail is provided to properly characterize the nature and intensity of the adverse effects.” The plans for Jackson Park must also undergo reviews of project ’s environmental impact, an assessment of adverse impacts caused by any new roadways, and it must be assured that new recreational land is created to replace and previously recreational land lost because of the construction of new buildings, namely the OPC.
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Who’s Who in Local Government By ELAINE CHEN Deputy Editor-in-Chief
areas directly west of the planned site of the Obama Center. In the spring, Jeanette Taylor beat out eight other candidates in one of the most crowded aldermanic races in the city. As three of the past four aldermen before her have been indicted on corruption charges, Taylor ran largely on protecting community trust—which she had long built up through leading a hunger strike to keep a local high school open and pressuring the University to open a trauma center, which the University did in May 2018. Taylor campaigned from the beginning in strong support of a CBA ordinance, and has been working with Hairston to push their ordinance through City Council.
The University of Chicago is situated in a politically active, contentious, and ever-evolving city. Here’s a breakdown of who you need to know in the executive and legislative branches of the city government. Mayor Lori Lightfoot (J.D. ’89) beat out 14 other candidates in one of the most crowded mayoral races in Chicago history this spring, going head-to-head with another alumna, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (A.B. ’69, A.M. ’77) in a historic final runoff. She succeeds Rahm Emanuel, who served two terms and was about to run for a third, before dropping out as he grew increasingly unpopular following controversial decisions regarding education and police reform. In addition to being the first mayor who has graduated from the University, Lightfoot came into office embodying many other firsts: She’s the first Black female and the first openly gay mayor. As mayor, Lightfoot’s primary duties include planning the city budget, exercising veto power on legislation passed by the Chicago City Council, appointing members to boards and commissions, and appointing aldermen in the case of vacancies. Several big issues loomed over her head as she assumed office, including a $838 million city budget deficit and tense contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union that most recently led the union to set dates for a strike authorization vote. Lightfoot’s notable accomplishments since she assumed office revolve around reforms for aldermen, many of whom— historically, but also in the past year—have been implicated in corruption scandals. In her first act as mayor, Lightfoot signed an executive order limiting aldermanic prerogative—a privilege giving aldermen final say over development and zoning in their wards, thereby centralizing more power in City Council decisions. She also introduced an ordinance that passed in City Council that bars aldermen and city employees from doing work outside of City Hall that could pose conflicts of interest.
Lori Lightfoot winning the mayoral election in April, 2019. adrian mandeville
Aldermen Chicago’s 50 aldermen make up City Council. They primarily propose and vote on legislation, as well as oversee and manage funds for development projects in their individual wards. The University and Hyde Park span an area that lies in three wards, so there are three aldermen to watch .
She has long been an ardent supporter of the Obama Center, and has historically opposed a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) ordinance, which would bind developers of the Center to requirements aimed at preventing displacement. After residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the ordinance in a referendum, she said she has changed her mind, and—with Alderman Jeanette Taylor (below)—introduced a version of the ordinance in City Council.
Sophia King in an interview after her re-election in spring 2019. adrian mandeville
Leslie Hairston speaking after the February 2019 city elections. sophia corning
Leslie Hairston, Fifth Ward The Fifth Ward spans most of campus and Jackson Park, the site of the forthcoming Obama Center southeast of campus. Leslie Hairston, an alumna of the UChicago Laboratory Schools, has been alderman since 1999. Some of her accomplishments in office include the $162 million renovation of South Lake Shore Drive, the construction of the Midway Plaisance skating rink, and the establishment of the Comer Children’s Hospital.
Jeanette Taylor speaking at a rally during the GSU strike in spring 2019. adrian mandeville
Jeanette Taylor, 20th Ward The 20th Ward spans the area directly south of the Midway, including residential
Sophia King, Fourth Ward The Fourth Ward spans the area of Hyde Park north of campus. Sophia King was appointed interim alderman in 2016 by then mayor Rahm Emanuel, after the previous alderman resigned. She was officially elected alderman in a 2017 special election. King’s accomplishments in office include leading a mental health task force to examine the possibility of expanding mental health services in response to the city closing down half of its mental health facilities, as well as carrying out the renaming of a major street after prominent African-American female journalist Ida B. Wells. Most recently, King is pushing an ordinance through City Council to raise Chicago’s minimum wage.
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Welcome to Chicago! After you’ve settled in, set foot in the Reg for the first time, and unpacked everything in your new dorm room, you may be wondering: What else is out there in Chicago? If the school’s fantastic athletes waging war on Stagg Field isn’t enough to satisfy your sports cravings, then it’s time to hit the city and enjoy some of the best that Chicago sports has to offer. Baseball will be wrapping up its season by the time O-Week begins, with the Cubs finishing up their last homestand of the year against the rival St. Louis Cardinals on September 22, the day after move-in begins. If the Cubs hold their position in the National League Wild Card race, then they’ll be on the road on October 1, the first day of classes, to play the Washington Nationals for the last spot in the National League Divisional Series (NLDS). If they advance, then playoff baseball will return to Wrigley Field. On the South Side, the White Sox, wrapping up yet another losing season, will be in the midst of their last two home series during O-Week, with games against divisional foes like the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers. A fun and cheap introduction to Chicago baseball, if one doesn’t mind paying to potentially see the home team lose, is a game at Guaranteed Rate Field before they come back around again during Spring Quarter. On the gridiron, the Bears have just kicked off their 2019 season, with a defensive showdown resulting in a 10–3 loss against the Packers on September 5. The game was a disappointing showing from quarterback Mitch Trubisky, as he could only muster 228 yards and one interception. Despite this slow start, there’s a reason to be hopeful down at Soldier Field this year. Last year’s Bears squad had a record of 12–4, good enough for first in National Football Conference (NFC) North and the franchise’s second playoff berth this decade. The season ended in tragedy, as the Bears lost to the defending champion Eagles in the NFC Wild Card game on a missed field goal, known across Chicago
now as the infamous “double doink.” Only time will tell if the Bears will be as good as last year. Home games this year will be against the Saints, Chargers, Vikings, and more, if one is willing to bear the chilly Chicago fall wind to cheer “Da Bears” on. In the world of hoops, the Bulls suit back up for their regular season a little later, with their first game on October 23 against the Charlotte Hornets and their first game back in the United Center on October 26 against the defending champion Toronto Raptors. Although the Eastern Conference is especially weak this year, the verdict is still out on whether the young players that the Bulls have been stockpiling for the past couple years have taken the next step to get the franchise back into playoff contention. Picking up Coby White from UNC with the seventh pick in the 2019 NBA draft was a good move, giving the team a speedy point guard to pair with Zach LaVine in the backcourt. Free-agent acquisitions like Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky will hopefully give the locker room the veteran presence it’s been missing since the days of Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose. With 41 home games this year, there’s plenty of opportunities to get down to the Madhouse on Madison, so make sure to get a game before the bitter cold hits Chicago again. Lastly, on the ice, the Blackhawks also kick off their season in October, with their first home game coming against the San Jose Sharks on October 10. Despite three Stanley Cups earlier in the decade, the Hawks have seen a rough couple of seasons, failing to make the playoffs for the last two years. However, they still have a talented roster, with the championship core of Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Jonathan Toews still around and ready to make another push. Can they close out the decade the same way that they began it, hoisting the Stanley Cup high? Diehard fans throughout Chicago certainly hope so. As with the Bulls, who conveniently share the United Center with the Hawks, there are 41 home games for people to get out to, so bundle up, don your favorite jersey, and enjoy all the sports that Chicago has to offer.
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VIEWPOINTS Dear Incoming Freshmen: It Will be Okay I’ve come to believe that when a student finishes their first year at UChicago, any lingering freshman naiveté is instantaneously replaced with a smug condescension toward anyone about to go through what they just did. Suddenly, they’re experts on all things UChicago, eager to dispense advice that, although occasionally useful, often serves more to bolster the advice-giver’s ego rather than to provide a useful roadmap for the advice-recipient. It’s not all bad, and I doubt any upperclassman advice-giver has malicious intent, but the truth is that incoming first-years will wind up receiving advice that is not just unsolicited, but actively unhelpful. There’s the blatantly misleading “You’ll meet all your best friends first week and they’ll stay with you forever,” the blatantly biased “You have to join Greek life if you want to party!” and the blatantly condescending “Oh, you think you know your major? That’s cute, but it’ll definitely change!” In fact, aside from a few purely practical tips (“Don’t go to Bar Night every week. Don’t take UChicago Secrets too seriously. If you climb buildings on campus, make sure the way down is at least as easy as the way up.”), I think the majority of good advice I received as a first-year can be summed up like this: It will be okay. You might meet your best friends during O-Week—but many people don’t, and that’s okay. You might meet your best friends during O-Week and then find you’ve all changed so much by the end of winter quarter that you spend all spring starting over socially—that’s okay, too. Your house might become your family on campus, or you
might decide you prefer to meet people through Greek life, or the debate team, or work-study, or on the bus. Maybe the major you checked on your application will be just what you thought, and you’ll decide to focus on a joint master’s degree in lieu of exploring other fields—that’s great. Maybe you’ll realize that you need to take classes in lots of areas before settling on a major, and that’s also cool. And maybe you’ll find your dream major, just to change your mind again and again. That’s okay, too. Sometimes, it won’t feel okay at all. You might have to pick between your first real relationship and an A in a hard intro sequence. You might pick the A and still get a B. You might wind up feeling like you don’t have time for anything but school, and then spend your few free minutes looking around and wondering how oth-
er people manage to date, go to the gym, party, and join RSOs. You might rush Greek life only to find that your new brothers or sisters aren’t people you relate to. The professor with great class evaluations might turn out to be a bad lecturer, or a great professor might not have time to give you any feedback on your writing. There will probably be times during your first year when you feel lonely, and times when you’re embarrassed, and times when you’re really, really, really tired. But hey. I hope and believe that these moments of suck will come interspersed between goofy adventures, great conversations over Fourth Meal, and crazy fun nights. I can only speak for myself, but after a year, UChicago is one of my favorite places in the world. From the branches of old oaks on the quad to the gleaming Ratner ellipticals to the lofty 11th
floor balcony of Logan, I’ve found pockets of magic and refuge on campus where I go when things don’t feel okay, and I hope you find the same. And now, having spent a full column bashing not just advice to first-years, but advice-givers themselves, I’ll indulge in the input impulse for a moment and dispense some advice I hope is not misleading, biased, or condescending: You’re smart. So are other people. How happy you are at UChicago tracks pretty closely with your ability to hold those two facts in the same thought and not let either take away from the other. Stay in your own movie! You know why you came to UChicago, or, if you don’t, your first year is a good time to find out. Nobody else is here for the same reason as you are, and their joy and success don’t detract from yours.
Aerial view of the University of Chicago bookstore. university of chicago photographic archive
Conversely, if people make you feel bad when you’ve done well, they’re not on your team or in your corner. You get to decide how much time and energy to offer those folks. Find older people on campus whom you admire and who are willing to talk about their path to and through UChicago. It doesn’t have to be networking, and there doesn’t have to be any professional endgame. Whether they’re older undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, or professors, whether they’re in your field or just people you think do great work, it’s helpful to remember that life is long, and that your immediate struggle, be it for a grade, internship, or social life, is probably just a monster of the week. Good luck! Have fun, and seriously. Don’t go to Bar Night every week. - Ruby Rorty
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Starting College After a Gap Year In the past couple of years, an increasing number of students in the U.S. have opted to take a semester or more off in between high school and college. This concept of taking a “gap year,” which has long been popular in European countries like Norway, Denmark, and Turkey, where over 50 percent of students take a gap year before college, has finally reached the United States. While students consider taking a gap year for a variety of reasons, I personally started to research gap years when Malia Obama took one in 2016. I was not the only high school student intrigued by the idea of breaking from the tunnel-vision approach to education in America, in which students often push themselves to excel academically throughout different levels of education without necessarily considering their own well-being and desires. In fact, in 2015, the American Gap Association found that 30,000 to 40,000 American students decided to take a gap year, representing a 22 percent increase from the previous year. Now, there are more resources than ever to help “gap students” figure out what to do during their time off, from internships to travel programs. While a gap year does allow burnt-out high school students to take time away from a traditional school environment, it offers the opportunity to learn in unconventional ways—for example, through travel or handson experience. With increasing amounts of data on the benefits of gap years, this alternate route seems to be a good choice for many students. However, less information is available concerning how to adjust to the return to school at the gap year’s end. During my gap year, I traveled with two service-based programs, first in Southeast Asia and later in South and Central America. While at home, I worked as a tutor at a nearby center for elementary students. I’ve met many people in my class at UChicago who took a
gap year, and no story is the same. As someone who took a gap year and is one year into college, here is my advice on how to best adjust to the college environment after taking a break from school. Don’t worry about being older than the other students in the incoming class. Looking back, this seems like a no-brainer, but I was concerned that my age (a year older—oh no!) would differentiate me from my classmates. I quickly realized I had absolutely nothing to be worried about. While it is true that many of your core classes will be with other first-years, you will meet students from other years in classes required for your major, in your dorm, and in Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs). People of all ages hang out together either way. Furthermore, college is not the same as high school, where there is often a huge difference between the maturity levels of freshmen and seniors. Everyone is on the same page in terms of trying to figure out early adulthood, so being a year older won’t make much of a difference. If you feel out of practice in certain subject areas or in terms of studying in general, reach out for help and take advantage of the resources that already exist. Personally, when tasked with completing a chemistry problem set after not thinking about polarity or chemical equations for over two years, I knew I needed help. At UChicago, a good place to start is the College Core Tutor Program in Harper Memorial Library, which is open Sunday through Thursday in the evening, no appointment needed. For example, if you (like me) find yourself a little bewildered in calculus after not taking math for a year, there are upperclassmen math majors available to answer your questions without judgement. Additionally, professors and teaching assistants almost always appreciate when students come by during office hours to ask questions. There’s no point in being embarrassed to ask for
help; it is much better to tackle the problem when it arises than to wait until finals week. Furthermore, remember that many skills you likely developed over your gap year, like organization and problem-solving, are translatable to an academic environment and can be used to help you succeed even after time away from the classroom. Your new peers are going to ask about what you did on your gap year, so think about your response ahead of time. I found that it is not easy to sum up an entire year of new experiences and feelings into two sentences on the spot. You don’t want to lecture people on every detail, but you should also do justice to your gap year. I was given the useful advice to have three available responses to this question: one that gives a brief summary, a second that tells the listener what you did during the year but also how it may have changed your perspective, and a third that details your experiences with a couple of anecdotes. Your first response could be to someone you do not know that well and who may not really care too much. The third would be for a close friend, and the second for someone somewhere in between. Connect with other students who took gap years and who can relate to the experience of returning to school. Now, a year later, some of my closest friends also took gap years! During my gap year, there was a Facebook group and group chat for students in the same position. UChicago encourages students to consider gap years, so you’re likely to run into many other first-years in a similar situation. Reaching out to someone you can relate to about your decision to take a gap year and ask about the acclimation to college life can feel both comforting and familiar. Try not to compare your experiences, friends, and emotions at school with your gap year, or even high school, equivalents. I often found myself longing for the
excitement of travel (and warm weather), especially during winter quarter. While it is tempting to complain to yourself about how stressed you are about classes or social life while only a year ago, you were exploring and able to freely choose how to spend your time, remember that there are highs and lows both in and out of school. The decision to take a gap year because it would benefit you is just as important as the decision you made to attend UChicago. It is normal to feel overwhelmed by the changes that accompany starting college, but by reminiscing too much on the past, you draw attention away from what you are experiencing in the present, making it more difficult to focus on overcoming the obstacles that are making you unhappy right now. Don’t let school take over your life, remember the bigger picture. Whether you took a gap year because you felt burnt out from high school, to earn money, or for any number of reasons, you probably had many experiences that were removed from grades, tests, and papers. Assuming that you will-
ingly choose UChicago, with its intense academic reputation, there’s a good chance you care about doing well in school. However, the insight you garnered during the gap year will help you understand that there is more to life than how well you perform on paper. Health, happiness, drive, and curiosity are far more important and will allow you to succeed both in school and in life. The first year of college is a transitional period for everyone and comes with a unique array of challenges and thrills for each individual. Your experience adjusting to college after a gap year is not going to be the same as someone starting directly from high school, but that’s okay. By trying to keep perspective and this advice in mind, you will be able to carry all the benefits of your gap year on with you to college. Good luck, and remember that even though your gap year has ended, the experiences you had and the wisdom you gained will serve to better your time at UChicago and beyond! -- Sylvia Ebenbach
siena fite
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CIA Recruitment On Campus Must End On August 24th, I got an email from the Career Advancement office with “CIA Networking Opportunities” in the subject line. I read the email, and it included a link to RSVP for an information session for a recruitment event on campus at the beginning of the quarter. “The CIA is currently seeking undergraduate and graduate students in all fields of study to fill open internship, co-op, and full-time job opportunities for over 100 occupations,” the email read. I think it’s natural for incoming first-years and returning students to be stressed about future career prospects. When they see a lucrative opportunity to join one of the most well known government agencies in the world --the CIA-- an organization so famous its acronym needs no explanation, why shouldn’t they take it? I’m here to tell you what Career Advancement and the CIA recruiters won’t: the CIA actively works against the national self-determination of countless countries and commits some of the most brutal human rights violations in modern history. Take the coup in Iran for example. In 1953, the CIA orchestrated a coup that resulted in the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he threatened to nationalize the oil industry in Iran. In his place, the CIA appointed Mohammad Reza Shah to strengthen the monarchical order in
Iran and protect Western interests. He would go on to dictatorially rule for 26 years. A similar situation unfolded in Guatemala in 1954, when the CIA overthrew the democratically elected Jacobo Árbenz in a coup after he improved the conditions for workers and peasants and threatened the interests of the United Fruit Company. The 36 year-long civil war that would follow killed 200,000 civilians. The same thing happened in 1961 when the CIA staged a coup in the Congo to remove democratically elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, launching the country into the Congo Crisis which permanently destabilized it through civil wars and genocides while plundering its natural resources (uranium, cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold, and lumber). Many millions died as a result of this intervention against a democratic process. Moreover, in 1961, the CIA trained a counter-revolutionary rebel group to overthrow the popular revolutionary government in Cuba in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Their invasion failed, as did their hundreds of assassination attempts on Fidel Castro’s life. This pattern of coup after coup and invasion after invasion on the CIA’s part demonstrates an intense violation of the self-determination of people all over the world and a complete disregard for human life. The CIA trained governments in the use of torture, financed death squads, and enabled countless human rights violation
Kent Chemical Laboratory, undated. university of chicago photographic archive
in Brazil under Operation Condor from 1964-1985 during the period of military dictatorship, and in Uruguay, Indonesia, and most notably in Nicaragua and Chile. After the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua, in which the masses led by the FSLN overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayle and put an end to his family’s 43 year rule, the CIA financed the Contras, rightwing paramilitary groups and remnants of the Somoza regime, using funds they gained by selling arms to Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. This became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans were killed during the Contra War, and more than a million people were killed during the Iran-Iraq War. The CIA’s involvement in these countless coups and invasions has resulted in colossal casualties and has only threatened democracy abroad under the pretense of protecting US interests. Given the CIA’s track record, UChicago should not in any way endorse the CIA, and that duty extends to UChicago Career Advancement. In 1970, Chile elected a Marxist president, Salvador Allende, after which then U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered the CIA to “make the economy scream” in Chile. On September 11th of 1973, Allende was overthrown in a bloody U.S.-backed coup. Augusto Pinochet, the U.S. puppet put in place, ran a military dictatorship for 17 years. Tens of thousands of people were tortured and killed.It’s worth noting
that during that time, Pinochet’s economic advisors were the Chicago Boys, a group of economists trained by the University of Chicago’s Department of Economics under Milton Friedman. They used Chile as a playground for neoliberalism and wreaked havoc before exporting it to the rest of the world. These incidents are all indicative of the CIA’s broader trend of committing gross human rights violations. Given that the University of Chicago already has historic roots in human rights violations abroad (most notably the Chicago Boys), and that in Brazil, the current Minister of Economy of Bolsonaro’s genocidal, ecocidal, right-wing government, Paulo Guedes, is also a “Chicago Boy,” the last thing we need is CIA recruitment on this campus. Some might object to my call to oppose recruitment by arguing that their job or internship with the CIA doesn’t have anything to do with bloody coups and rightwing paramilitary death squads. To them I say that while that may be true, the organization they work for certainly does. Careerists like them keep the gears of the imperialist machine well greased; even working for an organization that commits gross human rights violations, no matter how divorced from those violations your day-to-day work may seem, makes you complicit in the CIA’s atrocities. Others may say that all that is in the past, that the CIA is no longer in the business of coups and death squads. Besides the crude indifference to a history of violence, the truth is that the CIA is still responsible for human rights abuses to this day. You don’t need to look any further than the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” (their euphamism for torture) at black sites all over the world. We need to stand against CIA recruitment on this campus. No matter how prestigious internships and job opportunities posted by Career Advancement may be, we should always look into the history and track record of organizations before deciding to work for them. We have a responsibility to our community and to the people of the world to respect their national self-determination and to oppose human rights violations committed by our institutions. - Adrian Mandeville
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CECILIA STROTH We are so excited for you! You are amazing. We wish you all the love in the world! Love, Mommy, Daddy, Henry, and Andrew
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Benjamin, Appreciate this education
Explore the city Experience the culture Value your friendships Respect yourself Be Thankful for His blessings ...and enjoy the deep dish! Love, Mom, Dad, Bri, and Doug
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Add-Drop We all have that one class. For many of my friends, it was chemistry or calculus or Econ 100. And for me, it was taking the Advanced Biology sequence the first quarter of my first year at UChicago. Looking back, the signs were all there. I had been warned by numerous upperclassmen before the school year had even begun, many of whom were finishing the biology major themselves, to drop the class as soon as possible. When the quarter started, I went through three lab partners, as one by one they decided that they didn’t want to devote so much of their time to one subject at the expense of their other classes, being active in RSOs, and enjoying a social life in college. I insisted on taking the class anyway, and regretted every moment. Now, I’m not saying that Advanced Biology (or chemistry, or calculus, or econ for that matter) is a horrible course. I’m not saying that any of these are hard classes, either. Obviously, each person has different strengths, and sometimes classes can be surprisingly easy or difficult depending on your skillset. For me, the first couple weeks of Advanced Biology were overwhelming; it felt like everyone else had a better grasp of the molecular biology we were studying, while I was always slightly behind. Yet, for many others sitting in the same room as I was, the class was rewarding. They felt like they were taking the first steps in pursuing a lifelong career in biology. Now, I know what you, an incoming student to the University of Chicago, are thinking: “Well, I have had a lot of experience taking difficult classes in high school, so I can handle anything this place throws at me!” Or perhaps you’re on the other end of the spectrum: “Everyone here seems to be so much smarter than me; how will I ever be able to manage?” Although it didn’t feel like it at the time, the experience I had with Advanced Biology is extremely common here at UChicago. As we all come to one place from different backgrounds, histories, and experiences, it follows that we will have varying levels of comfort in different areas of learning. And don’t
forget: Nine times out of 10, the “smart” kids in your classes are just better at nodding confidently at the professor than you are. Just ask my Advanced Biology classmates who, despite seeming to understand everything during lecture, still struggled to complete the P-sets just as much as I did. Throughout our four years at UChicago, we hope to take our varying talents and use them to find the subject matter that interests us the most, which ends up shaping our majors and later, our careers. But what about *now*? How can we make sure we’re taking the right classes at the beginning of our college careers, instead of struggling through dozens of classes we can’t stand? No need to panic! There is a very simple way to customize your time here so that it is the most fulfilling and rewarding for you: adding and dropping classes. Seriously, it’s that easy! Dropping classes was not a thing at my high school, so I wasn’t comfortable at first with what felt like just “giving up” on a class. I considered myself a driven student and was willing to devote every waking hour to Advanced Biology rather than dropping it first week and moving on simply because doing so felt like admitting defeat. Ultimately, I didn’t even do badly in the class, but I came to realize that, especially at UChicago, the grade isn’t the only thing that matters. We have hundreds upon hundreds of subjects, courses, and professors to choose from: Why spend a quarter or a year taking a class I don’t even like, when there are so many other things I could be learning? Within the biology major alone, there are multiple different sequences to take instead of Advanced Biology. I chose to opt out of the winter quarter continuation of the sequence, and instead took some classes that not only challenged me, but actually made me feel happy as well. At UChicago, add/drop lasts for the first three weeks of each quarter, so you can switch up your classes without any penalty. (Just remember, some classes—such as language classes—need to be added in the first week of the quar-
ter, but can still be dropped for the first three weeks.) If you dislike a class, feel free to drop it and add another one. If you think that your placement in a class wasn’t high enough and you want to be challenged more, it’s easy to request to take a harder class. The whole process is efficient and there are no questions asked if you decide to drop a class—you don’t even have to talk to the professor if you don’t wish to. I recommend using add/drop to your advantage. If you’re trying to add a fourth class to your schedule, consider “sampling” multiple classes by sitting in on them (after asking the instructor for permission, of course) and then
decide which one to add based on what seems the most interesting. Conversely, if you’re a first-year unsure if you can handle a four-class schedule, start by taking four classes and, if necessary, simply drop the fourth class a week or two into the quarter. Keep in mind, in order to be considered a full-time student at UChicago (which is likely a condition to your financial aid), you must be taking at least three classes a quarter. Good luck to all of our new students at UChicago! I hope this is a place where you can thrive, take command of your schedule, and truly come to enjoy! - Areeha Khalid
William Rainey Harper Memorial Library, undated. university of chicago photographic archive
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THE CHICAGO MAROON — SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
WANT TO JOIN THE MAROON? COME TO ONE OUR HUSTLING SESSIONS 9/26, THURSDAY 6 PM — IDA NOYES BASEMENT, MAROON OFFICE 9/29, SUNDAY 2 PM — IDA NOYES BASEMENT, MAROON OFFICE 10/2, WEDNESDAY 6 PM — HARPER 140
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BIANCA, all the best this school year!
Go Maroons! Love you always! Mom and Dad, Alyssia, Paul
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The Chicago Maroon: A User’s Guide Reading Who we are We print every Wednesday while school is in session. The paper is Student-run: We depend on student volunteers for every element of available for free at locations on campus and around Hyde Park. A our operations. Students write and edit nearly every piece that the summary of our reporting and other news relevant to campus is paper publishes. They determine how the paper will look in print and sent to more than 4,000 subscribers every Tuesday and Friday. Sub- online, and sell the advertising that supports the paper’s operations. scribe at chicagomaroon.com/pages/newsletter/. You can like us at The strength of the paper, the depth and breadth of its coverage, defacebook.com/TheChicagoMaroon; follow us on Twitter @Chicag- pends on the contributions of students like you. oMaroon; and on Instagram @chicagomaroon. Independent: The students running the Maroon determine its editoTips rial line and approaches to the stories it covers. The Maroon sells ads Send information about happenings on and around campus that to cover the costs of publication—it does not receive funding from the people ought to hear about to news@chicagomaroon.com. Tips can University or from Student Government for daily operations, and is also be sent anonymously through a form at chicagomaroon.com/ not a registered student organization. Our staff elects our leadership pages/tips. every winter quarter. Contributing We will hold the first event in our fall recruiting cycle Thursday, September 26 at 6 p.m. at our office in the basement of Ida Noyes Hall. Anybody interested in joining the Maroon’s staff should attend. People interested in working for The Maroon can also email editor@ chicagomaroon.com.
Aerial view of promontory point. Undated. university of chicago photographic archive
University-focused: The Maroon is the only independent news organization dedicated to covering the University of Chicago. More than 14,000 students attend the University, and its role as an institution of higher education only begins to describe its role. It is a landowner and developer. It is an employer—the largest on the South Side. It is an investor. An institution that sprawling and powerful demands