011312 Chicago Maroon

FRIDAY • JANUARY 13, 2012

ISSUE 20 • VOLUME 123

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

At MLK keynote, the dream is education Stephanie Xiao News Staff

Egg-loo Yesterday’s flurries broke days of unseasonably warm weather, dusting the Mansueto Library with snow.

JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Geoffrey Canada, a national leader in education reform, said that a new generation must stand up and increase the quality of education when he delivered the keynote address for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration at Rockefeller Chapel last night.

Since 1990, Canada has been president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), a nonprofit organization that serves low-income families living in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. HCZ has worked toward ending the cycle of generational poverty for children across the country through public charter schools and other services.

Canada said that he believes that all children can be held to the same level of expectations and reach the same goals.

“You don’t know what’s in the heart of anybody,” he said.

“If we take Dr. King’s dream seriously, we will insist that all of these young people reach their full potential. We won’t let anyone say [that] based on where you live, the color of your skin, or how much your parents make that it is going to limit your ability to have a full and fruitful life.”

Canada said that those who participated in the civil rights movement did so not for fame, but out of a sense of duty. He said that adults today should feel that same duty to reform education.

CANADA continued on page 2

New management ruffles “Mugged” mugs lampoon Hyde Park crime, feathers at Flamingo apartments get shot down by ORCSA Rebecca Guterman Associate News Editor Residents of the Flamingo on the Lake apartment building have formed a Tenants’ Rights Organization to restore amenities they lost in an ownership transition in December.

TLC Management Co. bought the 167-unit building at 55th Street and South Shore Drive from IRMCO Properties Management Corporation for $20.1 million last year, according to “Chicago Real Estate Daily.”

Shortly afterward, the manage-

ment replaced a six-person, 24hour rotation of door attendants with a buzzer system.

Tenants were first notified of the change on December 9, according to Shane Desautels, the head of the new organization and a seven-year resident of the building. After receiving complaints, TLC restored security presence in what used to be the lobby’s guest lounge, Desautels said.

However, Desautels and other residents feel that the security is not up to the level they were TLC continued on page 3

Changes to student manual target protest, some say Ben Pokross Senior News Staff Student activists are claiming that changes to the 20112012 Student Manual will make it more difficult to stage successful demonstrations on campus and are a direct response to political actions taken last year.

In an article on the Web site for Students Organizing United with Labor (SOUL), fourth-year Patrick Donnelly Moran wrote that the changes to the manual’s language in

the “Protests and Demonstrations” section “were the only pages that were heavily revised” and are “trying to limit the success of future activism on campus.”

The article, posted October 30, 2011, claimed that the revised sections were in response to a sit-in staged by SOUL at President Robert Zimmer’s office.

“A quick scan through the entire 24-page document shows that the only pages that were heavily revised were MANUAL continued on page 3

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Temperatures in Fahrenheit - Courtesy of The Weather Channel

Celia Bever News Staff A third-year entrepreneur drew the scrutiny of the Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities (ORCSA) last week, after he set up shop in the Reynolds Club selling mugs that read, “Where fun comes to get mugged.”

Chris Stavitsky, who tabled from Tuesday to Friday, shut down his operation after a runin with ORCSA over rules violations capped off a week of unprofitable business and administrative complaints about the mugs’ message.

Administrators told the RSO adviser who had loaned Stavitsky his table space that the slogan was negative and misrepresented the University’s relationship with the surrounding communities.

Stavitsky originally intended to use the proceeds of the sale for Simulacrum, an arts RSO which he leads. However, because Simulacrum is still renewing its RSO status, it was unable to reserve a table in Reynolds.

To get around the rule, he swapped donation money with another RSO for use of its table, effectively buying space in Reynolds Club. He later discovered that this is prohibited under ORSCA policies

and apologized; the sale was allowed to continue through the end of the week.

Stavitsky, who is also a Viewpoints columnist at the Maroon, declined to disclose the name of the RSO whose table he used. However, an online ORCSA listing of RSO room reservations details a “mug sale” from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day last week under the name “FOTGCSigma Chi.”

While administrators bristled at the mugs’ depiction of University life as fraught with peril, a more peaceful image “is just not the truth,” Stavitsky said. He pointed out that a student was mugged during the week of the sale.

Stavitsky told the adviser, whom he requested be kept anonymous, that he would respond to any complainants’ direct questions and concerns.

However, no one contacted

him.

“I was kept relatively in the dark,” Stavitsky said. “I only have the vaguest idea about the complaints.”

Stavitsky said that he intended to spread crime awareness—a message which garnered a commendation from a passing UCPD officer, he said.

Though Stavitsky has never been mugged, his friends have.

He said they “appreciated” the MUGGED continued on page 2

Third-year Chris Stavitsky from Simulacrum sells mugs at Reynolds Club in the first week of the quarter.

DARREN LEOW | THE CHICAGO MAROON

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

A girl grows in Brooklyn

Chicago confronts top-ranked Titans at Oshkosh » Page 12

Winter doldrums? Doc has the cure » Page 7

In Motion

» Page 7

» Page 12

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | January 13, 2012

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Michael’s Market files for bankruptcy

Stavitsky unlikely to resume mug sales in Reynolds Club until group gets RSO status MUGGED continued from front

mugs.

Stavitsky said he would like to resume the sale at some point in the future, but that this is unlikely until Simulacrum regains its RSO status.

He also plans to update the club’s bylaws, putting less focus on graphic design and more on student entrepreneurship—an emphasis he tried to demonstrate with the sale.

“Fundraising should be treated as a business,” Stavitsky said. “Most of the

fundraising done on campus is not effective.”

Stavitsky said he originally intended to sell shot glasses reading, “Where Fun Goes to Get Shot.” He said he got the idea from a post on the Facebook group, “Overheard at UChicago.”

However, he thought the phrase was too strong and that more students would buy mugs.

Roughly 90 mugs were sold at $10 each. He borrowed the money to purchase the mugs from friends.

CAPS attendance continues to soar as pilot program succeeds With its parent company under water, Michael’s Fresh Market on 47th Street may close.

NICHOLAS SHATAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Madhu Srikantha News Staff

Crystal Tsoi Associate News Editor

Starting earlier on the track to post-graduate employment, firstyears are continuing to flock to Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS), perpetuating the office’s precipitous climb in participation in recent years.

First-year counseling appointments have more than doubled since last year, which even then saw record turnouts at CAPS. Over the last three years, there has been a 412-percent increase in counseling appointments. Last academic year, an all-time high of 435 first-years had met with advisers before the end of January.

“I think that students are coming in with a clearer sense of what they want to do after graduation, and they’re excited to work with us as partners to help them achieve their goals,” CAPS director Meredith Daw said.

At CAPS-sponsored events, talks, and conferences, first-year attendance has increased by 84 percent over the past three years.

This past fall, CAPS also hosted a résumé and cover letter workshop

Michael’s Market LLC, which owns the much frequented Michael’s Fresh Market on 47th Street, recently filed for bankruptcy reorganization according to a January 3 Chicago Tribune article. Due to the company’s financial instability, whether the store on 47th will close is still uncertain.

In its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Michael’s Market LLC attributed its financial difficulty to Premier Bank’s “freeze on lending imposed by the lender beginning in the fall of 2010” due to restrictions imposed on the bank by banking regulators.

The Chicago-based company has several locations in the city and in the suburbs of Naperville and Downers Grove.

As such, the bankruptcy filing had less to do with the business performance of Michael’s Market and more to do with the “lender’s own financial and regulatory problems,” according to the filing.

Premier Bank claims that the company owes it $23 million.

The company appears to be undergoing a recuperative process by hiring John Emery of Hyde Park Group, LLC as its chief restructuring officer. He could not be reached for comment.

Despite its distance from campus,

many students rely on the store on 47th as an alternative to less economical options.

“Michael’s is great because it’s significantly cheaper than Treasure Island, for example, but still carries highquality products,” second-year Giuliano Wrobel said.

The 47th Street store manager declined to comment for the Maroon.

Third-year Wen Loong Low voiced his concern over the possible closure of the local establishment and the disappearance of “the supermarket with the largest ethnic selection in Hyde Park.”

—Additional reporting by James DelVesco

Canada: In economic crisis, who will stand up for the most vulnerable?

CANADA continued from front

“I think the message of what makes this a great holiday is that there are standards every one of us can live up to,” he said.

Continuing the theme of duty, Canada said that a new generation had to stand up for those without a voice.

“Dr. King didn’t call on us to do the easy stuff. Question is, who’s going to stand up and do the tough stuff ? In this complicated time of shrinking budgets, economic crisis, and the belief that America can’t afford to save everybody, somebody is going to have to stand up for the most vulnerable,” Canada said.

The programs that Canada and HCZ use have served as a model

for schools across the nation and in Chicago, including the Woodlawn Children’s Promise Community on Dorchester Avenue and 63rd Street.

Ronnie Rios, an Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) director and chair of the MLK Planning Committee this year, said that Canada’s accomplishments were an influential factor in his selection as this year’s keynote speaker.

“Mr. Canada was chosen largely because of the great work he has done related to education, especially the success of HCZ,” Rios said.

Canada closed his address with an original poem entitled “Take a Stand,” in which he encouraged every person to resolve to help children everywhere: “To

say to the children of this land,/ ‘Have hope, we’re here,/ we take a stand.’”

This year’s MLK Celebration theme, “Intelligence Plus Character,” was chosen by members of the MLK Planning Committee, which included representatives from OMSA and several community and service organizations.

Koon, a Korean percussion RSO, and Soul Umoja, the University’s gospel choir, performed at the event.

The theme of this year’s celebration comes from King’s 1947 essay “The Purpose of Education.” In the essay, King argues that intelligence alone is not enough for a complete education.

“Intelligence plus character— that is the goal of true education,” King wrote.

Stand-up economist meets demand for supply of comedy Marina Fang News Staff Stand-up economist Yoram Bauman brought his comedy routine to the U of C on Monday evening as part of his “Return to the Gold Standard” tour. His jokes touched upon basic microeconomic concepts, travel anecdotes, and the current political climate.

The self-proclaimed “first and only stand-up economist,” who teaches at the University of Washington, opened with a variety of economics-related puns. “I just

let the jokes trickle down,” he quipped.

Bauman recounted his recent trips to China and Singapore.

“In Singapore, the government is run by a business. In China, the government is a business. In the U.S., the government is on the verge of going out of business,” he said.

His routine also featured “The Ten Principles of Economics, Translated,” Bauman’s parody of Harvard professor Greg Mankiw’s introductory economics textbook, which is used in introductory

economics courses at the U of C. Bauman reduced Mankiw’s “Ten Principles of Economics” down to layman’s terms, poking fun at the complexity of modern economics. He also placed footnotes in the PowerPoint presentation accompanying the parody to further mock the textbook.

But not all of Bauman’s remarks were fun and games. An environmental economist by day, he took some time to present a real-life economics lesson, explaining how a carbon tax or cap-and-trade sysECONOMIST continued on page 4

CAPS: 1 2 3

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that approximately 400 firstyears signed up for, according to Régine Desruisseaux, the College Programming Office’s associate director of class programs. This week, over 600 first-year students signed up for a summer strategies workshop.

Noticing the surge last year, CAPS extended walk-in hours, and advisers offered more scheduled appointment times.

According to Desruisseaux, a common challenge for any college program is drawing second- and third-year students. Desruisseaux said she believes that Taking the Next Step, a day-long event where students can meet alumni in different fields, has been effective at drawing older students.

Desruisseaux said that she thought the increase in CAPS attendance was a “sign of the times,” and reflected unease about the economy. Daw was more optimistic about the job market for students.

“I don’t want to paint a picture that things are bleak when I actually think, for University of Chicago students, things look good,” Daw said.

BY THE NUMBERS

Over the last three years, there has been a 412-percent increase in counseling appointments. Last academic year, an all-time high of 435 first-years met with advisers before the end of January.

At CAPS-sponsored events, talks, and conferences, first-year attendance has increased by 84-percent over the past three years.

From 2010-2011, reaching an all-time high, 435 firstyears scheduled appointments with CAPS this fall, a 68-percent increase in first-time visits over last year, according to Assistant Director of Strategic Programming and Outreach Shannon Delaney.

The numbers suggest that first-years aren’t making just one appointment, either. According to Delaney, there was a 95-percent increase in the number of total contacts that CAPS had with first-years during the period from July 1 to January 27.

In 2011: Undergraduate student use of CAPS has increased 36-percent overall, while graduate student use has increased 43-percent, according to Senior Associate Director for Student Preparation at CAPS Joni Krapec.

In 2011: Almost three times as many job offers had been made to fourth-years compared to last year, according to CAPS data from the end of January.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | January 13, 2012

3

Former WSJ writer ties recession to conservatives Sarah Miller News Staff Former Wall Street Journal columnist Thomas Frank (Ph.D. ’94) traced the dangerous practices behind the 2008 economic meltdown to the theories of the University of Chicago. He also predicted an American doomsday at the hands of conservative politics at a talk at International House on Wednesday.

Frank attributed the crisis to economic experimentation and a lack of bank regulation—ideas, which he credited to the U of C, that are usually abandoned in times of economic crisis, he argued.

However, the public’s response to the recession has been unusual, he said, with people continuing to support free-market econom-

ics instead of demanding extensions on employment insurance, more public works projects, and stronger unions.

“Before 2009, the man in the bread line did not weep for the man lounging on his yacht,” Frank said.

Frank said that the current reactions to the recession mark the fourth grassroots conservative movement in his lifetime.

Thirty-two years ago, President Ronald Reagan introduced supply-side economics, and Frank said that since then, the conservative economic policy has been about “deregulation, de-unionization, and privatization.”

The conser vative right is most to blame for the recession, according to Frank, because of their scandals, incompetence, FRANK continued on page 4

Where fun comes to stretch Students loosen up with a yoga routine early Thursday morning during Kuvia. The drearyeyed faithful who attended all sessions recieved their sought-after shirts today.

BEN TRNKA | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Tenants consider taking legal action if management does not respond to concerns TLC continued from front

promised when they first moved in, since the buzzer system allows visitors to enter without verifying their identities.

“I wouldn’t have paid this kind of money if there was no security,” said a female Flamingo resident who moved into the building this summer and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Representatives of TLC Management did not return numerous requests for comment.

The organization’s third meeting Tuesday night drew about 20 people, including tenants’ rights lawyer Paul Bernstein and Mark Swartz, legal director for the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing (LCBH). The tenants began formulating a cohesive plan of action and a four-person strategy committee.

After the meeting, Bernstein sent a letter to TLC asking them to meet and letting the company know that the tenants were considering legal action.

“There’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to come to an accord or agreement [through a meeting], but it’s worth the effort,” Bernstein said.

Bernstein said that the tenants’ organization will take legal action against the management if TLC

does not respond to his letter, which it had not by print time.

One possible venue for legal action is the Chancery division of Cook County Circuit Court, which deals with non-financial remedies, like restoring the full amenities, Bernstein said.

Desautels and other tenants also have sent at least five letters to TLC, none of which has gotten a response, gathered signatures for petitions, and put together more than 25 signed affidavits.

Swartz said that the LCBH was not be able to take on the case but were very interested in the potential for collective bargaining.

“This is a more stable neighborhood when you can have a great tenants’ union,” he said.

The tenants’ legal standing rests on the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance, which gives tenants ways to take action against mistreatment. The ordinance does not specifically mention security, but it is not an exclusive list, Desautels said.

Bernstein and Swartz were optimistic about the case, though they said that more tenants need to join the organization in order for them to be effective.

“People are afraid that it

doesn’t matter what’s on the paper, that they’re going to be retaliated against, and they don’t want to go to court,” Bernstein said.

Desautels said he began to organize when he found out about the changes, which affected security, levied fees on tenants who pay their rent via debit card, cut management office hours, reduced on-call maintenance staff, and opened the possibility for pet dogs.

“Slowly, one after another, amenities started disappearing,” he said.

Fifth Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston sent a representative to the group’s second meeting to make sure that the tenants had a lawyer. However, she is not getting involved further, according to Carol Parks, a spokesperson for Hairston.

“She’s supportive certainly of making sure that tenants’ rights are respected,” Parks said.

Personally, Desautels has explored a few of the options in the tenants’ rights ordinance, which got him a five-day notice from TLC warning him of eviction.

However, he has not yet been evicted.

“The only way I’m leaving this building is in handcuffs or feet first,” Desautels said.

A group of tenants at the Flamingo apartments are demanding amenities lost after TLC Management bought the building in December.

JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Daugherty: Changes only clarify existing policies

Adherence

to building closures is expected of people participating in a protest or demonstration within a University building and University officials will require that protestors or demonstrators leave at the time of building closure.”

—Building Occupancy Limits and Access “...a request to hold a protest or demonstration should be submitted no later than 48 hours before the start of the event and must be approved

by ORCSA and/or their appropriate Student Organization Adviser.”

“Student Organization Advisers, together with the Dean-on-Call, will be engaged with student protestors and demonstrators during the event to help assure that the event is effective, participants’ safety [sic], and does not disrupt the normal functioning of the University.”

—Advance Arrangements “Furthermore, a protest or demonstration that significantly disrupts the operations of the University or fails to adhere to building closures may lead to arrest and prosecution for violations of City of Chicago ordinances or State or Federal statutes.”

—Policy Application

MANUAL continued from front

those pertaining to building occupancy during protests, and those regarding the sexual harassment policy,” Moran wrote.

Not much of the wording in the “Protests and Demonstrations” section of the manual has been altered. Certain sections have been appended with entirely new sentences.

In the “Advance Arrangements” section, new mention is made of “city permits for events occurring on city sidewalks and streets adjacent to the University,” as well as “city ordinances and applicable state and federal law.”

The manual also includes provisions that may be read as allowing student protesters more autonomy from administrators. “Student Organization Advisers” (a term which never appears in the 2010 manual) may now approve student protests in lieu of ORCSA. Meanwhile, in a section that suggests more stringent supervision of protests, such advisers “will be engaged with student protesters” along with the Dean-on-Call in order to ensure that “the event is effective, [ensures] partici-

pants’ safety, and does not disrupt the normal functioning of the University.”

SOUL member and fourthyear Kelvin Ho, who participated in the Occupy Chicago demonstrations earlier this year, said that any regulation of political action is suspect.

“Any institutionalization of the rules of protest has a chilling effect,” he said.

University administrators said that the changes were not made because of protests last year or to limit student activism.

Eleanor Daugherty, Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Associate Dean of the College, stressed her commitment to allowing students the space to protest and question University administrators.

“Expressing yourself outside the classroom is just as important as inside the classroom,” she said. “This isn’t a change but a way to be more explicit about our past practices. There was a lot of language added.”

Daugherty admitted that last year, her first year in the position of Assistant Vice President for Student Life, she

”

“experienced a really strong year of activism.” She denies, however, that the events of last year had any influence over the changes that were made.

According to Daugherty, the manual is updated every summer with new material.

“We routinely edit the manual. Each year we look at everything,” she said.

Ho is skeptical that the changes are coincidental.

“I don’t think anyone can say for sure that the University is making these changes in response, but the events of last year were of a higher level than the last few years,” Ho said.

First-year Brendon Leonard, a member of the University of Chicago Climate Action Network, was more direct in his language.

“It compromises University values, and it’s frankly embarrassing for [administrators],” Leonard said.

The Student Manual contains the University’s rules and regulations and is an integral part of first years’ Orientation. Since 2008, however, no physical copies of the manual have been distributed.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | January 13, 2012

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By Rebecca Guterman

This is the first in a new weekly series the Maroon will publish summarizing weekly instances of campus crime. Each week will detail a few notable crimes. We will also keep a running count of how many have happened since January 1. The focus will be on crimes within the UCPD patrol area, which runs from 39th to 64th Streets and Cottage Grove to Lake Shore Drive.

Here are this week’s notables :

 Wednesday 2:08 p.m. south side of Ida Noyes—A male suspect attempted to steal a generator from the construction site. A witness saw and reported it to the owner of the generator, who went after the thief to ask for it back. The thief gave it back and ran off.

Diane Ziarno, UCPD Executive Director of Management Operations

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 January 5, 4:35 a.m. Ellis Ave and 57th Street—two male students were approached by two males, one with a handgun. The thieves took wallets, backpacks, an iPhone, and a laptop.

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The worsening state of America’s dietary habits, a ballooning population of transplant recipients, and a dark and potentially exploitative organ trade were among the subjects of a lecture Tuesday night in Stuart Hall.

About 4,000 people die annually in the United States due to lack of kidney donors, and another 86,000 patients are on the waiting list, making kidney failure a growing problem for the medical industry, according to Lainie Friedman Ross, Carolyn and Matthew Bucksbaum Professor of Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She is convinced that the best approach to decreasing these numbers is more preventive care. “You don’t hear lectures about [preventive measures] because it’s not as sexy,� she said. “We’re getting fatter, lazier, not keeping control of our blood pressure, and more people are getting Type 2 diabetes.�

However, she said, there are ways of making kidney transplants more available— both from prospective donors and past patients. The 1968 redefinition of “death� to “brain death� allowed for more transplants

from officially deceased donors. Another contribution to kidney donations is listpaired exchange, an approach where two individuals, incompatible to the relative to whom they want to donate, are matched with other donors.

Looking to the future, Ross hypothesized that soon human donors will be unnecessary. “The day we learn how to grow kidneys from stem cells, we’re never going to use a living donor,� she said.

Ross also introduced the complexities of the human organ market, like the possible exploitation of socioeconomically disadvantaged donors—the most likely participants, she said. “The reason I’m totally against buying and selling is that people in this room are not going to be the sellers, and I’ll end right there,� she said.

The living conditions of poverty prevent 79 percent of living donors from attending follow-up appointments, Ross said, and 85 percent of people who “vended� (donated for money) said they regretted it. Doctors may not be willing to operate on a patient who simply needs the money, Ross said.

The lecture was presented by Triple Helix, an undergraduate RSO that discusses and addresses current scientific issues.

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Jennifer Standish News Staff

WEEKLY CRIME REPORT

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UCMC professor dissects the kidney industry

Mankiw a fan of economics comedy ECONOMIST continued from page 2

tem would reduce global carbon emissions. “The way to get less pollution is make polluting expensive,� he said.

Throughout his routine, Bauman reflected on the unlikelihood of his popularity. “[The YouTube video of “The Ten Principles�] is heading toward one million views.

Thomas Frank (Ph.D. ’94) speaks on his latest book Pity the Billionaire Wednesday evening at the International House.

DARREN LEOW | THE CHICAGO MAROON FRANK continued from page 3

and free-market theories. The right went on a quest for “ideological purity,� purging its centrist leaders and not acknowledging deregulation as the cause of the crunch, Frank said.

However, Frank also likened the Democrats to the General Assembly of World War I, in that both continued to fight a losing battle. He said that Democrats continue to struggle with incompetence and faulty policy, like how the British failed to recognize they were too ill-equipped to combat mechanized warfare with foot soldiers.

If American political culture continues down this path, Frank believes that there are two possible outcomes. In one, his-

tory would correct for the damage done thus far; in the second, the conservative activists would continue their campaign so vehemently that parks, highways, and Social Security will disappear.

He ended on an ominous note, saying that the situation in Washington is like a “seething Arcadia of all against all.�

Frank arrived at the event 10 minutes late because of traffic on Lake Shore Drive.

Explaining the delay, he brandished a print edition from that day’s Chicago Sun-Times with the headline, “Obama back to raise big bucks.� When an audience member asked where the big bucks were, Frank admitted that he did not know—but the purpose of his talk to was to breakdown the economic recession, or the lack of “big bucks.�

Interested in News, Viewpoints, Arts, Sports, Design, Photography, Copy Editing and more?

COME MEET THE STAFF AT THE MAROON’S OPEN HOUSE ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 19TH AT 7 P.M.

That’s a lot of economics jokes.�

Ironically, he attributed part of his popularity to Mankiw, who is reportedly a fan of Bauman’s comedy and called Bauman’s book The Cartoon Introduction to Economics “a painless way to learn economics.� “Which was nice, considering what I said about his book,� Bauman joked.

Century-old movie theater planned to re-open in Hyde Park this fall Raghav Verma News Staff After a decade of development, renovations of a 97-year-old Hyde Park theater will bring the silver screen to Harper Court this fall. The five-screen cinema will operate under the name “Harper Theater,� joining Doc Films in Ida Noyes as the second movie house in the neighborhood.

The theater at 53rd Street and Harper Avenue was acquired by the University 10 years ago but will be operated by The New 400 Theaters, a cinematic establishment based in northern Chicago. The theater will screen children’s and wide-release films and provide an art exhibition space.

Jack Spicer, a board member of the Hyde Park Historical Society, said that he was glad that the building was being renovated and not torn down. “We are—and I speak for preservationists—happy that this theater has not been demolished,� Spicer said. “It’s a beautiful

looking building, and it’s a vintage corner building at an intersection. Corner buildings are important, because you can see them from so many directions, so the renovation brings double the benefit.�

The theater building is 10,419 square feet and will also offer lunch and dinner.

General admission will be below the market price, with additional discounts for students, seniors, and children.

Harper Theater opened in 1915 and closed in April 2002 as Hyde Park 1 & 2. In 1999 the Meridian Entertainment Group bought the theater but failed to keep it open during the following year due to tax problems within the company. In the fall of 2000, the theater reopened and ran for another year-and-a-half, but was closed again in 2002 when Meridian shut down.

Tony Fox, the owner of The New 400 Theaters, said that he was interested in talking to Doc Films about potential partnerships that would expand screening options for students.

VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed JANUARY 13, 2012

Protecting protest New changes to the student manual regarding protests are cause for concern The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 ADAM JANOFSKY Editor-in-Chief CAMILLE VAN HORNE Managing Editor MAHMOUD BAHRANI Senior Editor AMY MYERS Senior Editor JONATHAN LAI News Editor HARUNOBU CORYNE News Editor SAM LEVINE News Editor PETER IANAKIEV Viewpoints Editor EMILY WANG Viewpoints Editor CHARNA ALBERT Arts Editor DANIEL LEWIS Sports Editor DOUGLAS EVERSON, JR Head Designer KEVIN WANG Web Editor ALICE BLACKWOOD Head Copy Editor DON HO Head Copy Editor GABE VALLEY Head Copy Editor DARREN LEOW Photo Editor JAMIE MANLEY Photo Editor REBECCA GUTERMAN Assoc. News Editor

At a time when the Occupy movement and pepper spray are putting the spotlight on student activism, the University of Chicago has decided to take noteworthy steps to regulate protests on its own campus. As reported in today’s issue of the Maroon, the administration last quarter made changes to the student manual in regards to students’ rights to protest. A new passage states that those participating in a protest within a University building must leave when the building closes, and goes on to say that non-compliance “may lead to arrest and prosecution.”

This and other ominous changes to the manual are at times unclear and and have left many worrying that the University is threatening to encroach on student speech.

The manual changes were first publicized not by the University,

but by SOUL (Students Organizing United with Labor), which sees the changes as a direct response to a sit-in last June in President Robert Zimmer’s office against housekeeping and food service layoffs. The protest was ultimately successful, but SOUL claims that its success is what prompted administrators to attempt to curb campus activism. Although it is uncertain whether the new additions to the handbook are a direct response to June’s events, they certainly add further constraints to the current rules for student protest.

Protests are treated much the same way as other on-campus events: A request to protest must be submitted to ORCSA at least 48 hours in advance, and any student protesters must comply with University staff directives. These

policies were put in place in the interest of containing the disruptive effects of and ensuring student safety during protests. However, the new changes are worded in an unclear manner and could be interpreted in a way such that they explicitly limit protest. After all, an essential component of any protest is to interfere with daily goings-on.

It would be wise for the University to clarify that these most recent changes concern safety to eliminate this vagueness.

Mandating that students leave when a building closes is not an extreme measure. But threatening arrest for those who don’t leave is an extreme measure for what is a relatively minor offense. It is unlikely the UCPD would arrest a regular student staying after-hours, so singling out protesters in such a manner raises questions about the

University’s regard for students’ right to assemble.

The University may not have malicious intentions with these new additions to the student manual, but it should be cognizant of what message such changes send to students. After the University’s chilly response to a student outcry against Condoleezza Rice and Henry Paulson’s planned visit last quarter, threatening to arrest protesters only contributes to the notion that the administration discourages protest. Although the U of C prides itself on being an advocate of free speech, these new changes are giving students one new thing to protest against.

The Editorial Board consists of the Editor-in-Chief, Viewpoints Editors, and an additional Editorial Board member.

LINDA QIU Assoc. News Editor CRYSTAL TSOI Assoc. News Editor GIOVANNI WROBEL Assoc. News Editor AJAY BATRA Assoc. Viewpoints Editor TOMI OBARO Assoc. Arts Editor VICENTE FERNANDEZ Assoc. Sports Editor

Irrational expectations CAPS offerings reflect troubling job market realities, not program bias

Letter: Metcalf diversity

MATTHEW SCHAEFER Assoc. Sports Editor TYRONALD JORDAN Business Manager VIVIAN HUA Undergraduate Business Executive VINCENT MCGILL Delivery Coordinator HAYLEY LAMBERSON Ed. Board Member HYEONG-SUN CHO Designer SONIA DHAWAN Designer ALYSSA LAWTHER Designer SARAH LI Designer AUTUMN NI Designer AMITA PRABHU Designer BELLA WU Designer

By Jane Huang Viewpoints Columnist

KELSIE ANDERSON Copy Editor CATIE ARBONA Copy Editor AMISHI BAJAJ Copy Editor JANE BARTMAN Copy Editor MARTIA BRADLEY Copy Editor ELIZABETH BYNUM Copy Editor NISHANTH IYENGAR Copy Editor MICHELLE LEE Copy Editor KATIE MOCK Copy Editor LANE SMITH Copy Editor JEN XIA Copy Editor ESTHER YU Copy Editor BEN ZIGTERMAN Copy Editor

The Chicago Maroon is published twice weekly during autumn, winter, and spring quarters

One of my favorite moments in the Potter Puppet Pals video series on YouTube occurs when the puppet Harry Potter thumps his head on the wall and repeats, “Angst, angst, angst, angst.”

Those five seconds encapsulate my feelings about the beginning of winter quarter. It’s cold (well, usually), the sun sets far too early, and everyone else you know is still on break.

The big deal about the start of winter quarter, though, is that it seems that nearly everybody is trying to figure out plans for the summer. This is probably also the peak time for people to express their frustration with the limitations of career services. A sentiment that I often hear

(most recently expressed in a Maroon editorial) is that career services resources for students seeking jobs in industries besides finance and consulting should be augmented considerably. As part of the very substantial fraction of the student population looking into options besides business, I too would like Universityprovided job listings to be more in line with my interests and qualifications.

However, I also think that students may be seeking change in the wrong places.

I don’t believe CAPS is willfully ignoring students’ wishes. It’s important to examine the possible explanations for why finance and consulting offerings are so much broader compared to other sectors. The listings may simply be a reflection of the entry-level job market for college graduates. Traditional journalism, for example, is not a field experiencing blistering growth right now. Moreover, it seems to me that other professions are structured in such a way that it is impractical for them to practice business-style recruitment. First, finance and consulting firms have relatively high and predictable turnover rates. Every year, they are going to have to train a new cohort of people who will start their jobs at around the

same time. They can synchronize their hiring schedules with those of students since so many of their new hires will have just come out of school. In contrast, firms with fewer resources will probably want to avoid having a large number of jobs open up on an annual basis because it’s expensive to look for and train new employees frequently.

It also takes time and money for organizations to recruit college students.

I will venture a guess that organizations that do not pay their interns are not going to have the infrastructure in place to hold on-campus events at many different colleges. Furthermore, it is most worthwhile to recruit at the colleges where one’s organization expects to hire a relatively large number of students. That’s why it makes more sense for engineering firms to devote more resources to scoping out University of Illinois students than University of Chicago students, even though the University of Chicago has certainly graduated students who went on to work as engineers. Likewise, University of Chicago students are probably going to get more exposure to firms with a strong alumni presence, in part CAPS continued on page 6

Pressing for objectivity Comparing coverage of protests reveals American media’s hypocrisy

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The opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are not necessarily those of the Maroon. © 2011 The Chicago Maroon, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 Editor-in-Chief Phone: 773.834.1611 Newsroom Phone: 773.702.1403 Business Phone: 773.702.9555 Fax: 773.702.3032 CONTACT News: News@ChicagoMaroon.com Viewpoints: Viewpoints@ChicagoMaroon.com Arts: Arts@ChicagoMaroon.com Sports: Sports@ChicagoMaroon.com Photography: Photo@ChicagoMaroon.com Design: Douglas@ChicagoMaroon.com Copy: CopyEditors@ChicagoMaroon.com Advertising: Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com

By Anastasia Golovashkina Viewpoints Columnist Though some have dubbed Russia’s recent protests “Occupy Moscow,” they have little to do with the corporate greed,

money in politics, income inequality, or the host of other socioeconomic problems that currently hamper the US’ “democracy.” Rather, the rallies in Russia oppose electoral fraud and political corruption. Aside from having in common a driving desire for change, the two movements share very little.

But now that we’re on the subject of Occupy Wall Street, isn’t it interesting that we’ve recently been hearing more about a foreign nation’s protests than about those occurring in our own backyard—especially when ours come with the added drama of pepper spray-wielding and war veter-

an-beating police officers?

The American media’s criticism of the Russian federal government may have been strong thus far but, given its coverage of the Occupy movement, it’s hypocritical.

Regarding Russia’s protests, Fox News wrote: “State-controlled television, which generally ignores or disparages opposition groups, broadcast footage not only of the Moscow protests…but in several other cities as well.” Since December 10, the Russian media’s reports of its own demonstrations have been remarkably unbiased, showing the true OCCUPY continued on page 6

In Tuesday’s issue of the Maroon, an editorial highlighted the diversity of opportunities and connections that were available at the College’s recent Taking the Next Step program. We are excited to hear that students were able to gain information about a wide variety of career paths and to network with U of C alumni involved in various industries. We also want to point out some other exciting opportunities that are available via CCC and the Jeff Metcalf Fellows Program.

The Metcalf Fellows Program was founded 15 years ago to give University of Chicago students access to internships at some of the best organizations in Chicago and around the country. When it was launched, the program offered eight internships— during the 2010–2011 academic year, CAPS filled over 440 Metcalf internships. Of these, just 30 percent were in business and finance while 70 percent were in industry areas such as arts and culture, education, journalism, science and technology, government, and the nonprofit sector. The Metcalf Fellows Program strives to level the playing field so that University of Chicago students can take on paid internships in fields that are often unpaid, including the arts and journalism. The mission of the program is to provide experiential learning opportunities to students, regardless of what career paths they may be pursuing.

We’re on our way to filling over 500 Metcalf opportunities around the globe for the 2011–2012 year. Be sure to check CCC regularly, since we are posting new opportunities daily.

More opportunities in nonprofits, the arts, education, and public service organizations become available in late winter and spring quarters, based upon those industries’ recruiting needs. Similar to last year, threefourths of these opportunities will be outside of business.

The CAPS staff

6

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | January 13, 2012

A dangerous act The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is misguided and Internet pioneers should speak out against it

I was browsing Reddit, a popular social network, when I stumbled upon an article from digitaltrends. com discussing Congressman Lamar Smith and the controversial bill known as SOPA that he is currently trying to get passed. SOPA, the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” deals with copyright regulation and piracy on the Internet, specifically calling for the government to have the explicit power to shut down foreign and domestic websites if American companies complain about piracy or copyright infringement. In other words, the United States Department of Justice would be able to disconnect Americans from sites such as reddit.com, Reporters Without Borders, and others if an American firm reports a single copyright infringement. Even large American companies like Google, Twitter, and Yahoo, which are connected to every legal and illegal corner of the Internet, are cognizant of the strongly worded legislation’s potentially massive implications.

Politicians, pundits, and Internet users alike have argued for SOPA’s legitimacy over the past few

months, but not a single tech “pioneer” has appeared in a primetime interview or shown a public display of disapproval for the bill. Apart from Eric Schmidt, the relatively unknown CEO of Google, and a few others, the community of Internet pioneers has largely failed to speak out. Well-known figures such as Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon have remained out of the public eye and have been completely silent on this issue. This is most curious, especially when one considers how dramatic the decrease in Internet usage could be and the subsequent effect this could have on their companies if SOPA is passed.

It’s possible that they are maintaining silence in hopes of retaining credibility by refusing to partake in public arguments with politicians, and they could well be planning a massive, coordinated public opposition in the near future. Another scenario is that these Internet giants actually forecast minimal losses in revenue if SOPA is passed, or even favorable market conditions in a more extreme scenario, but both of these seem unlikely. There are rumors of an ongoing conversation among Google, Facebook, and Wikipedia, along with others, to discuss

U.S. handling of protests threaten constitutional rights OCCUPY continued from page 5 scope of the assemblies and interviewing opposition leaders. Unlike the U.S.’s own coverage of Occupy Wall Street, Russia’s news hasn’t focused on how the protesters are disorganized or violent, but instead on what their grievances are and on what they want—a fair and fully regulated election, or at least a vote recount. I’ll add that most of Russia’s major news outlets are government-run and, moreover, that influential government and church leaders have come out to support the assemblies.

Contrast Russia’s immediate and fairly straightforward coverage with the U.S. media’s begrudging willingness to report on its own nation’s protests.

For the first couple weeks of Occupy Wall Street, our nation’s major media outlets largely ignored the protests altogether, with the Christian Science Monitor choosing instead to focus on the more pressing issue of the observance of an all-important Constitution Day. Meanwhile, the weekend’s breaking local news in The New York Times covered the closing of Ray’s Pizza, a quaint pizza joint in the city’s Little Italy neighborhood. The Times waited until September 23 to mention the protests, stalling a full week to discuss the thousand-strong protest several blocks from the paper’s own headquarters.

It wasn’t until mid-October that news outlets began to write about the protests, but even then information about police brutality was largely glossed over, left to be covered by camera-bearing YouTubers and dedicated bloggers.

Fox News’s positive treatment of the Russian protests is even more striking when compared to its own coverage of Occupy Wall Street. In its most recent report on Russia’s uprisings, Fox went so far as to quote United Russia official Andrei Isayev, who said, “The opposition point of view is extremely important and will be heard in the mass media, society and the state.”

Contrast this with the same organization’s coverage of Occupy Wall Street—a movement that, unlike Russia’s, sprang up just 15 minutes from Fox’s New York City headquarters. This time, stories focused on characterizing protesters as hidden businessmen, as “thugs” who “threaten small children,” or as implicitly racist (“99 percent white”). Fox News staples Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly went so far as to call the police officers’ pepper spray a “food product.”

But perhaps the most striking comparison is each government’s treatment of its own protesters. Moscow police gave tens of thousands of protesters permission to assemble, took no action when a much larger-than-expected crowd showed up, and even permitted protests in Moscow’s historic Revolution Square. Many Russian cities have allowed “unauthorized” protests to spring up in their various parks and street corners.

Now recall New York City’s handling of Occupy Wall Street, where protesters were violently purged from Zuccotti Park at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday morn-

ing without prior warning. Meanwhile, it looks like Chicago will soon be imposing new restrictions on “locations, times, and decibel levels for gatherings,” and imposing fines on anyone who attempts to “resist or obstruct the performance of a police officer.”

Yet the US still jumps at the chance to brag about its grand liberties while arraigning others for their “violent” or “oppressive” regimes. We—and I mean our government, our media, and our people—are still too eager to point out the imperfections and mistakes made by our neighbors. We were so excited to lend our support to the Egyptian revolution and to condemn its government for instructing its police officers to take violent measures against its protesters: “Frankly, any place around the world where people are calling out for freedom and democracy, I think we have a responsibility to respond. I think listening to the Egyptian people, working with the government to bring more democratic reforms is all in the right direction,” said Speaker of the House John Boehner at the time of—and in reference to— the Egyptian revolution.

Regarding Occupy Wall Street, Boehner explained that he “understand[s] people’s frustrations” because “the economy is not producing jobs like they want.” He added that “under the First Amendment, people have the right to speak out…but that doesn’t mean they have the permission to violate the law.”

When did the constitutional rights to free assembly and expression stop applying to the U.S. and start applying to foreign countries? How—why— did our promises of press, protest, and personal freedoms become applicable to everyone except us?

The real celebration of rights and liberties needn’t take place on an annual “Constitution Day,” but rather every day, in a truly free society. This is something that even historically autocratic Russia has come to understand and appreciate. And it is a distinction that the United States must never forget.

Anastasia Golovashkina is a first-year in the College majoring in economics.

SUBMISSIONS The Chicago Maroon welcomes opinions and responses from its readers. Send op-ed submissions and letters to: The Chicago Maroon attn: Viewpoints 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 E-mail: Viewpoints@ChicagoMaroon.com The editors reserve the right to edit materials for clarity and space. Letters to the editor should be limited to 400 words.

Op-ed submissions, 800 words.

a coordinated Internet blackout to raise awareness about SOPA’s shortcomings. Still, this conversation remains a rumor. What is clear is that there’s growing public panic in the face of potentially fatal blows to what the Internet has accomplished over the past several years.

A subtle but meaningful feature of this conflict is the precedent it sets for future showdowns over private interests on the Internet. How “private” will the Internet ultimately become? Certainly it is not the same virtual world that existed as little as five years ago; even original YouTube videos with no copyrighted content now begin with an advertisement.

Watching videos on the Internet has, in the blink of an eye, turned into television of a different form, irrelevant ads and all. It is difficult to identify the specific repercussions for freedom of expression on the Internet as we know it if SOPA passes, but the outcome will surely be of some consequence.

The general counsel of Wikipedia, the sixth most visited website on the Internet globally and in the United States, has released a comment containing the following: “The result [of the passage of SOPA] is that, under court order, Wikimedia would be

tasked to review millions upon millions of sourced links, locate the links of the so-called ‘foreign infringing sites,’ and block them from our articles or other projects. It costs donors’ money and staff resources to undertake such a tremendous task, and it must be repeated every time a prosecutor delivers a court order from any federal judge in the United States on any new ‘foreign infringing site.’ Blocking links runs against our culture of open knowledge, especially when surgical solutions to fighting infringing material are available.”

If the worst is true, the Internet as a public space Americans love and enjoy could become a shadow of its former self. Perhaps it is time for Larry Page to emerge from his quiet Mountain View, CA office to help Washington understand the consequences of SOPA. It is one of my greatest hopes, as an American and as a human, that SOPA will not pass, or else we will have allowed the privatization and exploitation of one of humanity’s greatest achievements— the Internet.

David Gaballa is a fourth-year in the College majoring in political science.

CAPS isn’t responsible for society’s current priorities are useful, I would prefer for people not to feel that CAPS continued from page 5 because such firms know that University of Chicago they are being pushed into those sectors. The constudents want to work for them. Universities and tributions that public service, nonprofits, and cretheir students’ top employers have a mutual relation- ative professions have made to society are certainly ship. The schools provide the talent, and the employ- not inferior to those made by finance and consulters provide the jobs. CAPS isn’t perfect, but it also ing. Yet it’s the first three fields that are making a cannot control many of the factors that influence lot more headlines for shedding jobs and freezing employers’ hiring practices. paychecks. Unfortunately, I suspect that altering To be honest, I think a lot of the complaints di- societal priorities is not a part of the job description rected at CAPS are really expressions of frustration for the CAPS staff. with what contemporary American society values.

While I believe that finance and consulting firms Jane Huang is a second-year in the College.

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ARTS Winter doldrums? Doc has the cure Trivial Pursuits

JANUARY 13, 2012

Tomi Obaro Associate Arts Editor

Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) shakes his groove thang in Boogie Nights, playing tonight at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. in Palevsky Cinema.

COURTESY OF NEW LINE CINEMA

This Doc season has attracted an unusual amount of fanfare.

“We always hesitate to use the adjective ‘best’ when describing something,” wrote Chicagoist’s Robert Christoph in a blog post on January 4. “After all,” he mused, “how can we declare knowledge of everything that’s come before as well as psychically predict what’s to come?”

“Nevertheless,” Christoph continued, “even as an institution that routinely offers up some of the most creative cinema programming in Chicago, Doc Films has outdone themselves with their Winter 2012 calendar.”

Titled “Doc Films’ Best Season Ever?,” Christoph’s post is bold.

But with this season’s schedule already imprinted upon hundreds of young Clint Eastwood faces, the evidence, as the saying goes, is in the pudding.

An attractive mélange of arthouse favorites—behold Monday’s “Naruse & Takamine: Of an Auteur and an Actress,” celebrating the works of revered Japanese director Mikio Naruse and his frequent collaborator, actress Hideko Takmine—and more ironic, hipper-than-thou fare (see

Friday’s “Anderson vs. Anderson,” a runoff between Paul Thomas Anderson, who gave us Magnolia and There Will be Blood, and Wes Anderson, who gave us Rushmore and the Wilson brothers). If that’s not enough to whet collective college appetites, Saturdays will be home to some of the year’s bigger movies including Brad Pitt’s Moneyball and Lars von Triers’s Melancholia, the apocalyptic film that gave Kirsten Dunst the Best Actress Award at Cannes and made her relevant again.

The reasoning behind this drool-worthy programming ?

“We’ve been trying to restructure and reconsider Doc’s position in the wake of Netflix and movie-pirating,” wrote Doc’s programming chair, Max Frank, in an e-mail. “That was a major reason behind instituting Friday night series…to add a new feeling to Doc as a place for people who aren’t necessarily cinephiles.

We lure them in with the nostalgia of Rushmore, and then drag them out to see When A Woman Ascends the Stairs.”

A few students have definitely been enticed. Anna Akers-Pecht, a fourth-year history major, said she was really excited about the Humphrey Bogart and Anderson series, but when she saw what

else was playing she was “blown away.”

“A film about a poor, bullied British boy who befriends a falcon? Zombies? Josie and the Pussycats? There’s something for everyone!” Akers-Pecht said.

The schedule is the work of many months of grueling debate.

Hard as it may be to believe for one of the nation’s oldest film societies, Doc has an open process for soliciting material. Anyone can suggest a series, no university affiliation required.

Meetings are held every week in Harper 148 at 6 p.m. Eventually the choices are winnowed down to a selection of 10, which are then voted on by Doc’s board members (all of whom are students).

“A majority of my job involves navigating programmers through the rough waves of 35mm film distribution, so that their idea can actually become a reality. This includes negotiating contracts, tracking down foreign/overseas films, and securing sponsorships to help alleviate the costs of expensive film shipping and copyright clearance,” Frank, a thirdyear history major, explained.

Other series making the circuit include “Heist!,” a celebration of DOC continued on page 9

Poet pair gives A girl grows in Brooklyn “couplet” new meaning Emma Broder Arts Staff Sherrie Poets-in-Residence Rosemarie and Keith Waldrop, whose work in poetry, translation, and publishing spans decades, read selections of their repertoire on Tuesday in Rosenwald Hall.

Introducing the husband-wife pair, Suzanne Buffam, a creative writing lecturer, described their writing as “genre-defying,” adding that they embody “the spirit of literary community itself.” Buffam noted the “spirit of open-ended generation” that breathes through the Waldrops’ poems, and touched upon their love of collage (Keith calls it “the splice of life”). She also made note of the couple’s considerable achievements, including Keith’s 2009 National Book Award for Transcendental Studies and Rosemarie’s PEN/Faulkner Award for Poetry in Translation (a result of her work with avant-garde French poets). Combined, the pair has written over 35 books and established a small press, Burning Deck.

The Waldrops look like the grandparents you wish you had, the sages or gurus whose temple stairs you would like to climb.

What’s more, their reading voices are remarkable. Rosemarie, who read first from her work,

had a charming, old-fashioned accent—no doubt the product of her German childhood. Her voice added a certain pluck to her her poems, which are arranged in “sequences.”

She read two such sequences from her recent book Driven to Abstraction. The first, “Time Ravel,” dealt with perception, memory, and her parents: “Remains unclear how my brain chose to store this image rather than another,” she piped from the podium, and, “Memories are many, glitter in the brain, ready to be pilfered.”

The second sequence, “Driven to Abstraction,” was a description of the process of abstraction in several cultural areas of Western civilization, including painting (because of the introduction of the vanishing point) and money (the transition from goods to coinage to paper money, and finally to computerized banking ).

Though Rosemarie’s tone veered toward the cerebral, it also traced a compelling personal narrative with body imagery, resulting in lines like, “The distance between your body and mine, squeezed out.”

Keith, who read after Rosemarie, has a voice no less mesmerizing than hers, and an aweinspiring beard. His intonation is sorrowful and melodic, and he does not read his poems as much WALDROP continued on page 8

Adepero Oduye stars as Alike, a 17-year-old teenager coming to terms with her sexuality in Pariah.

COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES

Cam Bauchner Arts Contributor On the surface, first-time director Dee Rees’s debut film Pariah could easily be grouped with Lee Daniels’s Precious (2009). That film, starring Gabourey Sidibe as an obese, abused teenager, garnered critical buzz for the star turn of both Sidibe and comedian Mo’Nique. Like Pariah, the film features a black, female adolescent. Like Pariah, an actress more famous for her comedy attracted serious acclaim. But it’d be reductive to place Pariah in this same category.

Pariah comes from a much more humanistic place and its nuance and poignancy render Pariah the superior film.

PARIAH

Dee Rees AMC River East

Adepero Oduye plays Alike, a 17-year-old Brooklyn lesbian whose family is less than supportive. She is

intelligent, kind, and, above all else, resilient. On numerous occasions she is forced to confront situations that would make weaker people crumble and fall. She encounters difficulties like the rest of us and combats them with the grace and compassion of a woman far older.

The commander behind this modern epic is novice director Dee Rees, an African-American lesbian herself and a graduate of NYU’s film school, where she worked closely with Spike Lee. Rees’s direction is heartfelt and authentic but never feels personal PARIAH continued on page 8

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | January 13, 2012

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H U N G E R

S T R I K E

A tale of two goats Iliya Gutin Arts Staff People of Chicago, hear my cry.

Despite the title of this article, this is not another review singing the praises of the small-plates mecca that is Girl and the Goat. But I can understand your initial confusion; between Girl and the Goat, and the “soon”-to-be opened Little Goat in the West Loop, Stephanie Izard has a virtual monopoly over any use of the word “goat” within 50 miles of Chicago. This is an unfortunate state of affairs, dictated more by trendiness than tastiness. But if you’re willing to go a little bit out of your comfort zone, both geographically and gastronomically speaking, you will be rewarded with much better food at a fraction of the price.

Just as any good hidden treasure, Birrieria Zaragoza is, for lack of a better word, hidden. Very well hidden. It’s on a random street in Archer Heights surrounded by car dealerships, and taking any form of public transportation to get there is a yet-to-be -discovered circle of hell.

Not much can be said for the actual interior either; four or five tables and the world’s smallest counter, all within dimensions remarkably similar to that of an “L” train. But if you need any reason to befriend someone with a car, please let this be your motivation. If you can’t manage that, then steal one—the food here is worth going to jail for.

To say the menu is goat-centric would be an understatement. It’s all goat, all the time, baby. This ain’t no democracy; it’s the North Korea of menus. You have your choice of goat, goat, or more goat; large plate of goat, a small plate of goat (a large plate of goat immediately invalidates the existence of the small plate of goat), goat tacos, or goat quesadillas. No matter, because you really can’t goat wrong. (My dignity, my dignity, I am willing to sacrifice my food-writing dignity for a goat.)

Anyway, just order a large plate of birrieria and let your journey begin.

Oh, and get some goat consommé while you’re at it. While it runs counter to any consommé in the classical sense of a pure, distilled broth, this murky bowl of goat drippings is better than any Thanksgiving gravy you’ve had or will ever have in your life.

The birrieria comes with onions, dried chilies, cilantro, some limes, and, lo and behold, freshly stamped corn tortillas. And I do mean fresh, as in you can see the nice lady pressing them to order literally five feet away from you: so soft, pliable, and warm that they make all other tortillas seem like reconstituted Doritos. Meanwhile, the goat itself is a nice halfpound slab, sitting unadorned in its juices, longing to be eaten.

Pull out the bone like Excalibur and feast away. Take the tortilla, add the goat, add your choice of

condiments, consume, lick fingers, rinse, repeat. It’s all about the “funk,” that strange and alluring aftertaste, the reminder that you are eating a barnyard animal.

You won’t find it in beef, chicken, pork, or really any other meat… you gotta go goat or go home. But it’s good. So damn good. It makes you wonder why all restaurants don’t just figure out how to do one thing, and do it incredibly.

BIRRIERIA ZARAGOZA 4852 South Pulaski Road

As I finished my goat massacre, I took a moment to smell my hands.

They smelled like paradise, if paradise were a mixture of corn, lime, cilantro, and goat. Which I am pretty sure it is in certain religions. In this moment of goat-induced euphoria, I found myself recalling a meal at Girl and the Goat earlier in the year.

The standards were all at the table: the fancy bread with even fancier butter, the Pig Face (I hope that’s not trademarked), the goat chorizo flatbread, the assortment of absurdly savory desserts laden with pork fat and the like, etc. And they were all good, barring a few quibbles here and there. But the meal I had at Girl and the Goat was generically good. It

In Pariah, teenager grapples with issues of sexual identity PARIAH continued from page 7 to the point where the audience is unable to relate. Rees is not afraid to dole out the grit—from the bassfilled strip club down by the liquor store to the hand-me-down baggy clothes and acne-ridden faces. Pariah is dark, harsh, dirty, and, above all else, real.

Pariah’s strongest attributes, however, are its characters (written by Dee Rees) and actors, whose complex, candid emotions power the film. Interactions alternate between tension- charged stare downs and lively dining room table jokes.

Alike’s father, Arthur (Charles Parnell), a nighttime police officer and unfaithful husband to a gruelingly strict mother, Audrey (Kim Wayans), shapes the influences in Alike’s life. Arthur, despite being a mostly absent presence in day-to-day life, resides as a patriarchal specter

over the family and their actions.

He is firm and short-tempered, often exploding at his wife. His temper makes him unsympathetic, but in a world so harsh to Alike he serves as a rather unconditional source of love.

Audrey, ruthlessly ashamed of her eldest daughter’s tomboyish behavior, tries relentlessly to make her family follow traditional guidelines despite the inevitable crumbling around her.

Played by Kim Wayans of the famous Wayans clan (In Living Color, White Chicks), Audrey is an easy character to hate, but her adulterous husband and seeming lack of friends provide a sympathetic element.

Through all of this Alike finds acceptance in her best friend Laura (Pernell Walker) and love interest Bina (Aasha Davis). Laura is struggling to earn her GED and, despite her boisterousness, wants to reunite with her estranged mother. Bina

and Alike, initially introduced to each other through Audrey, quickly find they have interests in common.

Hardships strike both relationships but as with her family, Alike remains buoyed through it all. If there were an Oscar for toughest character of the year, it would easily go to Alike.

Pariah exists as a movie on two planes. Each character puts on a performance, keeping his or her true self closely guarded. They are racked with insecurities and doubts. Alike emerges as the most authentic character. In some aspects, her zeal and naïvety is blatant and in others she is shockingly mature. Alike’s power, however, comes from her self-knowledge and courage. In a world where the people around her are afraid to speak and be true to themselves, Alike realizes that she must never fall into such a trap. It is in this idea that gives Pariah its biggest impact.

almost felt too easy to enjoy, but just as easy to forget. Birrieria Zaragoza was memorably good, to the point where smelling your fingers hours later conjures body -trembling shudders of deliciousness, as the entire meal flashes before your mouth, and all you can think is, in the words of Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.”

The kind of shockingly simple food that makes you disillusioned with the world of “fine” or high-end dining is really the kryptonite to places like Girl and the Goat. You come into these restaurants, order organ meats and other unconventional sources of protein, flavored with Asian spices, and pride yourself on being an adventurous and exotic eater. There are certain expectations of a tasty meal, and these expectations will in all likelihood be met. And even if they’re not, you convince yourself it was an incredible experience anyway to justify the arm and leg you left behind in lieu of the check. But walking into Birrieria Zaragoza, you honestly have no concept of the deliciousness that awaits: a meal free of pretension, and heavy on satisfaction. It’s exciting to try something truly “new” and under-hyped for a change, which is unfortunately becoming harder and harder to find in a city where it’s strange to not have crispy pig’s ears somewhere on the menu.

Talk about first world problems.

But there is a certain delicious irony in the fact that Birrieria Zaragoza, despite serving what is essentially the most traditional form of peasant food, manages to be far more innovative and interesting than Girl and the Goat or any of its ilk. I find it hard to actually put into words the pure, simple joy I experienced eating here. It was rivaled only by the joy of realizing I had feasted like a golden goat god for the price of Izard’s goat flatbread alone.

In those long, cold December days, as 2011 drew to a close, Birrieria Zaragoza just managed to redeem this food-filled year for me. The funk of the goat meat finally drew me out of my own jaded and overly critical dining funk. It was truly a flawless experience in every respect, all without anyone asking me whether I have dined at their restaurant before, being informed of the provenance of my food, or struggling to divide an ounce of meat between four people. A rare feat indeed. So while Birrieria Zaragoza may singularly cry out, “I am goat, hear me bleat,” it really speaks loudly and clearly for all of the incredible and—thankfully— undiscovered small restaurants in Chicago. Do yourself a favor and make it one of your 2012 resolutions to visit as many as you can.

Just, for everyone’s sake, remember to keep it on the down- low.

Poets-in-residence share their body of work with faculty, students WALDROP continued from page 7 as he chants them. Often, he paused before speaking the last word of a line or a sentence, and pronounced the final syllables delicately. He read from the middle portion of his book Transcendental Studies. Though he did not explain the circumstances behind the writing of his poems, he did share an anecdote about a quack doctor named Brinkley who was a local legend during his Kansas childhood. Perhaps it follows, then, that Keith’s work was more focused on the self and personal experience than Rosemarie’s, and included such witticisms, as “I myself have had objective experiences, which I would not interpret,” and, “I was born in December, and things always seemed to

come at me like January.”

The Waldrops were met with warmth and appreciation by the audience of U of C students and teachers. Though some were compelled to attend on their own, having heard of the Waldrops, others had been informed of the reading by their professors. Alannah Roche, a fourth-year French major, said, “This is the first time I’ve learned of them, which is surprising, since their work is so important.”

“Until the light falls properly on these flowers, you cannot see them,” Keith intoned early on in his reading. Despite their relatively private lives, the Waldrops have great talent and undeniable beauty when they step to the podium and into the light.

THIS COULD BE YOUR WORK. Join the MAROON Photography staff.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | January 13, 2012

Long-distance writers Tired but resilient, the writers for the 24-hour play festival pose during their playwriting marathon on Saturday night.

TIFFANY TAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Chicagoist names 2012 winter season best ever DOC continued from page 7 the crime thriller that kicked off with the iconic The Usual Suspects.

For members of the filmic cognoscenti, Sunday’s “Always Crashing in the Same Car: The Best of the British Cinema After the New Wave” will be sure to sate their cinematic appetites, as will Sergio Leone’s classic Westerns, screening on Wednesdays.

The University’s own WHPK radio station is also collaborating with Doc on the “Roxsploitation” series, a celebration of the teen subculture, on Thursdays.

It’s surprising to hear Frank was concerned

about this season’s quality. “I was actually really worried that I’d f-ed up this season, that no one would buy passes, and that the spring slate had totally topped this one. I’d forgotten over the break (when I was compiling and scheduling the spring quarter) that we actually kinda killed it this quarter.”

How effective all this admittedly awesome programming will be at getting more University students to vacate the library and check out Humphrey Bogart’s body of work on Tuesday nights remains to be seen. But one thing’s certain: It will be their loss.

CROSSWORD

with Jamie Mermelstein

1984

Across 1 Headphone maker 5 “Loser” musician 9 Woozy 14 Where to get a deg.

15 Norse deity who defeated Thor 16 Phrase book entry 17 Alternative bands are found to the left of it 19 Phila.’s state 20 Small white flower, similar to parsley 22 From ___ Z 23 Help signal abbr.

24 Twitter titter 25 Less hard 27 Soothing lotion 29 According to The Cure, what boys don’t do 32 Party shoes material 35 Prince Charles’s alma mater 37 Job listing initials 38 Harsh turns 39 1932 Marx brothers 44 Wall St. buy 45 Undergrad dwelling 46 Familiar saying 49 Jean-___ Godard 50 Bio. or geol.

51 Chicago Manual of Style rival 52 Where you might find the ends of 20-, 32-, and 39Across 57 Capital of Yemen 58 Bicycle or Kayak, usually 59 Actor Olive 60 Pivot 61 Rts. defender 62 Broadway’s Bob 63 Orange gem 64 Mothers and daughters Down 1 Muslim women’s garments 2 Working independently 3 Chinese take-out request 4 1960s singer Sands 5 Hospital affliction 6 Patrik, of the New Jersey Devils 7 Kinfolk 8 Pottery oven 9 Alumna’s document

10 Perfect 11 Penny material 12 Area 13 Sumac of song 18 Inception 21 Model MacPherson 26 Lays out in the sun 27 Bench warmers 28 Tons 29 Game of wits, perhaps 30 Spanish king 31 Cent. parts 33 Literary adverb 34 Dropping 35 Doubting sounds 36 Toddler 40 Teach 41 Meeting places 42 Vexed 43 Beethoven’s girl 47 Gene form 48 Friend of The Carpenter 49 Atty.’s exam 50 Sister, in Paris 52 Debussy contemporary 53 Santa ____ (hot winds)

54 Bottled water brand 55 Like Miley Cyrus in “Party in the U.S.A.” 56 Sheepish sounds 57 Coppertone no.

Thursday 01/06/12

9

10

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | January 13, 2012

MEN’S BASKETBALL UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

School Emory Washington (Mo.) Brandeis Carnegie New York Rochester Case Western Chicago

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Jake Davis Austin Claunch Andy Stein John DiBartolomeo Matt Johnson

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Youri Dascy Tom Summers Carl Yaffe David Thompson Andy Stein

Record 12–0 (1–0) 9–3 (1–0) 7–5 (1–0) 6–6 (1–0) 10–1 (0–1) 9–3 (0–1) 8–4 (0–1) 7–5 (0–1)

Win % 1.000 .750 .583 .500 .909 .750 .667 .583

Points per game School Emory Emory New York Rochester Chicago

Per game 19.6 18.3 18.1 18.1 17.5

Rebounds per game School Brandeis Case Western New York Case Western New York

Per game 9.0 8.4 8.4 8.3 7.5

Assists per game Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Austin Claunc John DiBartolomeo Tyrone Hughes Kyle Stockmal Ben Hoener

School Per game Emory 7.2 Rochester 5.7 Brandeis 5.0 New York 4.1 Washington (Mo.) 3.8

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

School Chicago Rochester New York Case Western Washington (Mo.) Emory Brandeis Carnegie

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Hannah Lilly Emily Peel Misha Jackson Evy Iacono Taylor Simpson

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Shelby Coon Emily Peel Taylor Simpson Misha Jackson Samantha Anderson

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Savannah Morgan Cara Bonito Hannah Cain Bethany Morrison Ally Zywicki

Record 12–0 (1–0) 12–0 (1–0) 9–3 (1–0) 8–4 (1–0) 10–2 (0–1) 9–3 (0–1) 7–5 (0–1) 6–6 (0–1)

Win % 1.000 1.000 .750 .667 ..833 .750 .583 .500

Ratner to host annual Chicago Invitational Men’s Swimming & Diving Derek Tsang Sports Staff The undefeated men’s swimming and diving squad will play host to the Chicago Invitational this weekend, where it will compete with an eye toward the looming UAA Championship meet that is just a month away. In the multiple-session meet, the Maroons will go up against several other Midwestern schools, including traditionally strong programs such as Calvin College and Lincoln College. We’re going to try to continue to improve, and work on the little things. Things that we didn’t do so well last week,” Head Coach Jason Weber said.

The Maroons are coming off a dominating win over Kalamazoo (214–86) that saw four Chicago divers set NCAA candidate times, with third-year Bobby Morales setting the school record in the three-meter dive. Morales posted a score of 315.60 on the record-setting plunge. However, Weber and his squad will not be satisfied with regular season success.

“This meet, as with most of our season, is another training opportunity…working into our weekly plan,” Weber said.

Despite the team’s head-to-head successes, Weber said, “[There are] still a lot of things we can work on…things like race plans, turns, and starts.”

At the Invitational, the Maroons will go as

The men’s swim team competes at a home meet in the Ratner Athletics Center.

COURTESY OF JOHN BOOZ

far as their first-years take them, as has been true the majority of the season. Out of a class of 11 first-year swimmers, three have already been named UAA Athletes of the Week, contributing many of the team’s wins in individual races. “They’ve done really well,” Weber said of his first-years. “They haven’t been through a season, so I don’t know how they respond to full, taper, and rest….Hopefully when we get to conference championships we’ll see personal bests.”

Considering the youth of his team, Weber is especially excited about the format of the upcoming invitational.

“The number of races [they’ll swim] is

something that’s good for them,” Weber said.

“We don’t have too many meets like this.”

Heading into the Invitational, the men’s swim team is on pace to compete for one of its best seasons ever, especially with regard to NCAA qualification. So far, only second-year Andrew Salomon can be considered a lock—he has the nation’s second best time in the 500-meter freestyle—but Weber is optimistic that the team can potentially qualify up to eight Maroons in the last meet of the season.

The Chicago Invitational will take place at Myers-McLoraine Pool at 6 p.m. on Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Points per game School Emory Carnegie Emory Case Western Chicago

Per game 17.7 17.0 14.0 13.8 13.8

Rebounds per game School New York Carnegie Chicago Emory Brandeis

UAA doubleheader looms large Despite the size advantage Case Western possesses heading into Sunday’s game, the Maroons will look to beat the Spartans with speed and ball movement.

Per game 11.8 11.3 8.8 8.0 7.5

Women’s Swimming & Diving Liane Rousseau Sports Staff

Assists per game School Per game Emory 5.0 New York 3.9 Brandeis 3.8 Washington (Mo.) 3.6 Rochester 3.4

MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

School Case Western Chicago Carnegie Rochester New York Washington (Mo.) Emory

Record 8–0 4–0 7–1 3–4 2–4 1–3 0–3

Win % 1.000 1.000 .875 .429 .333 .250 .000

WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

Case Western: David Thompson

6’9” Maroons: Steve Stefanou

6’8”

Case Western: Connor Edel

6’8” Maroons: Tom Williams

6’7”

Men’s Basketball

UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

School Chicago Carnegie Rochester New York Washington (Mo.) Emory Case Western

Record 4–0 6–2 5–2 3–3 1–3 1–3 1–7

Win % 1.000 .750 .714 .500 .250 .250 .125

WRESTLING UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3

School Chicago New York Case Western

Record 5–4 2–4 0–2

Win % .556 .333 .000

VISIT WWW.CHICAGOMAROON.COM FOR MORE SPORTS CONTENT

Maroons take on best in region this weekend

Alexander Sotiropoulos Senior Sports Staff Chicago looks to bounce back in UAA action at both Carnegie Melon and Case Western this weekend after falling to rival Wash U last Sunday.

Despite defeating Carnegie (6–6, 1–0) in four of their last five meetings, the Maroons (7–5, 0–1) are not ready to call a win too soon.

“Carnegie plays with tremendous energy,” Head Coach Mike McGrath said.

“They play very, very hard.”

The Tartans’ energy showed against Case. Carnegie beat the Spartans 75–63.

“When they’re able to play with that kind of energ y and also execute…they can be really, really tough,” McGrath said. “I haven’t watched enough to know if they’ve done that all year, but they definitely did it at the Case game. It makes them scary

Case Western: Adam Schrecengost

6’7” Maroons: Matt Mackenzie

6’6”

when they do.”

The Maroons are mostly concerned about the mobility of the Tartans.

“They have some very, very good skill perimeter players and, interestingly enough, a couple of 6’4” guys who aren’t big per se, but may just be big enough to guard some of our bigger players, while creating some problems at the other end of the court,” McGrath said. “How those match up combinations go will be very interesting.”

The key players that Chicago will keep a close eye on at Carnegie are forward John Duhring, forward Christian Manoli, and guard Rashaun Riley. All three Tartans are scoring double-digit point totals per game.

Past Carnegie, however, Sunday’s game at Case (8–4, 0–1) will involve a complete overhaul in mentality.

“It’s going to be kind of the opposite of Carnegie, which will make it a really interesting weekend,” McGrath said. “They’re huge, but they don’t move that well.”

M. BASKETBALL continued on page 11

It is a huge weekend for the women’s swimming and diving team. Taking place at their very own Myers-McLoraine Pool is the Chicago Invitational, which features stiff competition from some of the best teams in the region.

“This is our first big meet since we’ve been back from winter break,” fourth-year swimmer Amanda Kim said. “We’re really excited to swim against some great competition.”

In that mix will be Calvin College, IIT, and Lawrence University, among others. Despite facing some top swimmers, the Maroons are still confident in their team.

“We expect to win,” Kim said. “Practices have been harder and we’ve been putting in extra work in hope of a successful weekend. Big meets like this require more endurance than dual meets, so we’ve been putting in some extra effort.”

The Maroons have every right to expect to win. Turning in several impressive individual performances, Chicago won the Invitational last year and is still undefeated this season.

Although the Chicago Invitational is important in its own right, success here has implications for the rest of the season. Not only would a solid performance Friday be another huge confidence boost for the Maroons, but it would also have implications toward Chicago’s conference and national standings.

“Every meet is part of the preparation for UAAs,” Kim explained. “We’re really excited to do well here and carry that momentum toward conference championships and hopefully Nationals.”

To catch all the action and some potential photo finishes, stop by the MyersMcLoraine pool this weekend on Friday and Saturday. The women will kick off the meet Friday afternoon with the 200-yard freestyle relay. The events will continue Saturday morning with overall team results announced in the afternoon.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | January 13, 2012

Opening against the champs Women’s Track & Field Jake Walerius Sports Contributor The Chicago women’s indoor track squad heads into its season opener at UWOshkosh this Saturday with a new emphasis on the team. “A lot of people talk about track and field as an individual sport, but I don’t believe that to be true,� Head Coach Chris Hall said. “When our programs have gone after team goals before individual goals, we’ve been much better overall. I feel we lost that a little bit last year and now we’re getting it back.� The focus on the collective has spread to the athletes. There is a clear understanding that if the team is to have a successful year, they must work together. “In order to improve on last season, we need to work on being a team, which we have been working on, slowly and steadily.

I think we’ll have a really good team this year if we work together,� third-year Julia Sizek, who will be running the mile on Saturday, said.

The Maroons start their season against a sturdy opponent in the form of last year’s national champions, UW-Oshkosh. Hall is confident, though, in his team’s ability and welcomes the dual meet as a good challenge. “We’re a relatively young team, but we have high expectations for the season,�

Hall said. “This will be a wonderful test for us and it will be nice to go toe-to-toe with the national champions. It [will serve as] preparation for us later in the season and it is an opportunity to gain some confidence by competing well against them.�

Along with the optimism and the commitment to the team, it seems a little apprehension is unavoidable as individual athletes will finally find out what shape they are in after a long break from competition. “I’m unsure as to how fast I am right now and the kind of shape I’m in. These concerns about fitness levels are shared by many people on the team at this point in the season,� Sizek said. “Of course, there’s only one way to determine how fit we are, and that is to run a race.� The meet gets under way at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

McGrath: “If we lose...it puts a lot of pressure on us.�

M. BASKETBALL continued from page 10 With five Spartans listed at 6’7� or taller, the Maroons are at a height disadvantage.

Chicago’s two tallest players are fourth-year forwards Tom Williams (6’7�) and Steve Stefanou (6’8�).

McGrath believes sweeping the games this weekend is pivotal. With one UAA loss on the road already, McGrath said that the worst-case

scenario would be for Chicago to lose three more UAA road games before season’s end. In all, Chicago plays seven UAA games away from Ratner. “If we lose these two [games], does it put an end to everything?� McGrath asked. “No, but it puts a lot of pressure on us.�

The Maroons will face Carnegie in Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. on Friday and Case in Cleveland at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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Perseverance in Chicago cold brings sweet success COLUMN continued from back Athletes, or at least the good ones, thrive when things get difficult. It’s what separates the great from the good, the gold from the bronze, and the Michael Jordans from the LeBron Jameses. Peter Snell, the great New Zealand runner and two-time Olympic champion, used to relish the icy cold rains of winter. While he was out training, he could be sure his opponents were resting nice and warm by the fire, and in those moments he could know he was gaining an advantage. The challenge invigorated him, and that’s what made him great.

A Chicago winter is a similar challenge. It’s easy to bemoan the cold. It’s easy to sit on the couch and reason that a trip to Ratner just isn’t worth it.

It’s easy to wish you were somewhere else, some-

where warmer. But it is specifically that adversity which has the capability to propel athletes to the next level, a level that other athletes in less daunting environments can’t possibly hope to reach. If you weren’t in Chicago, you would never get the opportunity to learn what kind of athlete, and, by extension, what kind of person, you really are.

That’s not to say that athletes in warmer climates don’t face challenges as well. I’m using the cold as one example of the million obstacles that athletes face in their day-to-day lives. Athletes, or at least the great ones, pile these challenges on because each challenge overcome makes it that much harder to quit when things become difficult.

So embrace the cold. Embrace the adversity.

It’ll make success just that much sweeter.

South Siders take on top-scoring guard W. BASKETBALL continued from back ers they have are two of the top players in the league,� Roussell said. “Erin Hollinger doesn’t need to take a backseat to anybody in the discussion for best player in the conference, and Iacono can light it up from the

guard spot. She’s one of the best guard scorers in the conference.�

Both games will be streamed live at athletics.uchicago.edu. Tip-off against Carnegie is set for 5 p.m. (CST) and at 2 p.m.

(CST) against Case.

New coach McElroy excited about opportunity M. TRACK continued from back first-year jumper Semi Ajibola said, “but it will definitely be a wake-up call and make us aware of our weaknesses, [as well as] what we need to change in order to reach the level we want to be competing at.�

For McElroy, in her first meet at Chicago after 10 years spent as an assistant coach

at North Texas, it should be an interesting start to a new challenge. The meet begins at 2 p.m. “I think that the University of Chicago is going to be a great fit for me,� McElroy said, “and I look forward to assisting Coach Hall and the program in their quest to win a National Championship.�

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SPORTS

IN QUOTES “If Henry is still on the Arsenal team when we play them next month, we’ll have to bring back Graham Roberts or Paul Miller out of retirement to kick him.”

—Harry Redknapp , manager of Tottenham Hotspur of the UEFA Champions League.

Chicago confronts top-ranked Titans at Oshkosh Men’s Track & Field Matthew Schaefer Associate Sports Editor Remember the Titans? No, not the football team. Remember the UW-Oshkosh men’s indoor track and field team, which finished fourth in the nation last year?

You know, the 2009 co-National Champions? The Titans that are ranked third in DIII? The Chicago men begin their 2012 season this Saturday in Oshkosh, WI, in a dual meet against those formidable Titans from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Hopes are high for the Maroons; Head Coach Chris Hall’s squad is coming off a 2011 indoor season where the team finished second in the UAA conference.

“This is a great test for our guys,” Hall said, “and I am anxious to see how they respond to a high-powered team this early in the season.”

“They are one of the best teams in the country, which will naturally

Third-year Dee Brizzolara and second-years Theo Benjamin and Zihan Xu race in a track meet at the Henry Crown Field House earlier this year. The team will open this season at UW-Oshkosh this weekend.

COURTESY OF DAVE HILBERT

increase the intensity,” said Laurie McElroy, the team’s new associate head coach. “It will be nice to see how the athletes respond and just to get an overall feel for where we are starting.”

Hall’s biggest concerns are about his team’s nerves and, compared to the Titans, its lack of depth in certain events. In regard to the former, however, Hall remains optimistic.

“My biggest concern is that our

team doesn’t get intimidated,” Hall said. “We have a very good team and [athletes] that have shown they rise up in championship meets.”

Ultimately, Saturday’s race is a chance for the team to learn and

improve—and, who knows, maybe turn that old Remember the Titans story on its head.

“I feel like this first meet won’t necessarily affect confidence,” M. TRACK continued on page 11

No. 2 Maroons face conference foes In Motion

First-year Hannah Ballard drives for the hoop at a home game earlier this week.

DANIEL SELLON | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Women’s Basketball Mahmoud Bahrani Senior Editor Chicago will head east this weekend to play Carnegie Mellon and Case Western after overpowering Marian (WI) at home

on Tuesday. Carnegie (6–6, 0–1) and Case (8–4, 1–0) are not powerhouses in the UAA, sitting in last and fourth, respectively, and the Maroons have already defeated Wash U, perhaps the strongest team in the UAA aside from themselves. Chicago (12–0, 1–0) also has a strong history in

the weekend after playing their rivals—they’re 14–0 in such contests in the past seven years. However, neither coaches nor athletes are taking either game lightly.

“Every team in the UAA is a threat and we prepare for each accordingly,” fourth-year forward Meghan Herrick, who scored 12 points in 19 minutes on Monday, said. “We never take any upcoming teams for granted. We don’t care if a team is undefeated or has lost every game.”

Carnegie is still a dangerous team despite being last in the UAA, with three prolific scorers: forward Emily Peel (17 points per game), guard Gabrielle West (13.6 points per game), and guard Jacquie Shaw (11.7 points per game). Peel also grabs more than 11 rebounds per game and will be a handful for Chicago’s interior defense to contain. Head Coach Aaron Roussell is confident in his team’s ability to handle Carnegie’s robust offensive squad, given the way it has played against other top-ranked opponents.

“I feel really good about where we’ve been defensively over the last month. I [also] feel pretty good individually about our match ups on key players, but just as a team I think we’ve done well about not giving up easy baskets over the last couple of weeks,” Roussell said.

After playing Carnegie on Friday, the team will travel to Cleveland to face Case Western. Case defeated Carnegie handily last weekend, by a score of 63–51. The Spartans seem to be the tougher of the two opponents, featuring two of the most prolific scorers in the UAA in senior forward Erin Hollinger and junior guard Evy Iacono.

“I think those top two scorW.BASKETBALL continued on page 11

By Mahmoud Bahrani Sports Editor

Like many Chicagoans, I seized the opportunity to travel to warmer climates over winter break and went to Los Angeles to visit my girlfriend. As soon as I stepped out of the airport I was bathed in sunlight and a cool breeze played across my face; considering the hail/rain/snow/fog brew in which I had been running just a few hours before, it was a welcome change.

It was nice to think that I was going to be working out in an ideal environment for the next two weeks. I imagined the great work I would put in, taking the chance to train in a way that I could not while at my Chicagoland home.

Two weeks later, as I was on the plane back home, I realized that I had done only a fraction of the work I thought I would. If weather wasn’t the deterrent, then what was?

Winter is an odd time for people

who enjoy working out. On the one hand, there is the drive and determination to stay in shape, as well as the fun that one has while competing. On the other hand, it’s incredibly cold and miserable. Getting off the couch to walk over to Ratner or Henry Crown for basketball or indoor soccer is a much more daunting prospect when it’s a balmy zero degrees outside. But what I came to realize in California is that the cold shouldn’t be thought of as a deterrent, but rather, as a motivating force.

That might sound odd, so let me explain. I’m an early riser. During the summer, I like to get my workouts in really early, at around six or seven in the morning. During the winter, however, going out for a run has to wait until two or three in the afternoon when the sun has been out long enough to take those early-morning, single-digit temperatures and push them to a somewhat tolerable place. In California, that early-morning workout was still available to me. But when I woke up at seven on the first day with the intention of going for a run, a voice in the back of my mind whispered, “Go back to bed. It’ll be nice later. You can run whenever you want to.” Sure enough, five minutes later I was back asleep.

COLUMN continued on page 11

CA LEN DA R Friday

1/13

- Swimming and Diving hosts UChicago Invite, 6 p.m.

-Women’s

Basketball at Carnegie Mellon, 6 p.m. (ET) -Men’s Basketball at Carnegie Mellon, 8 p.m. (ET)

Saturday

1/14

- Wrestling at Elmhurst Invite, 9 a.m.

- Swimming and Diving host UChicago Invite, 10 a.m./5 p.m.

- Track and Field at UW-Oshkosh Dual, 2 p.m.

Sunday

1/15

- Men’s Basketball at Case, Noon (ET) - Women’s Basketball at Case, 2 p.m. (ET)