020414 Chicago Maroon

TUESDAY • FEBRUARY 4, 2014

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

ISSUE 24 • VOLUME 125

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

Univ. looks to expand South Side Internet coverage Natalie Friedberg News Staff

Alumnus Morgan Hartley (A.B. ’11), along with Chris Walker, a graduate of UCLA, biked from Paris to Shanghai over two years in order to document world cultures. Hartley and Walker finished their trek in December.

COURTESY OF MORGAN HARTLEY

Uncommon Interview: Alum Hartley biked from Paris to Shanghai This past December, budding journalists Morgan Hartley (A.B. ’11) and Chris Walker completed a two-year bicycle trip from Paris to Shanghai. During their trip, they contributed feature stories to Forbes and The Atlantic online, and wrote about their experiences on their website, Postulate One. The pair had numerous adventures during their 12,000-mile route through 22 countries.

Hartley, a political science major, sat down with the Maroon to discuss his

post-grad Eurasian travels.

Read the full interview at chicagomaroon.com.

Chicago Maroon: How did Postulate One come about?

Morgan Hartley: Postulate One began here at the University of Chicago. I was finishing up my third year and didn’t really know what I wanted to do next. I had some job offers on the table from various start-ups but the thought of an office was so depressing. So I

thought, what else can I do?

And then it just hit me. I have no idea where it came from—I wasn’t a bike rider before—but it hit me that I should bike from Paris to Shanghai. I went to a party that night and was telling people about my idea and they were like, “Oh dude, you should totally do it; that’d be so cool!” and I was like, “Okay, let’s do it!” I called up my buddy Chris, and I said, “Hey, I want to bike from Paris to Shanghai and I want you to come with me.” And so

it began. We spent the next six months fundraising and then in March, exactly six months later, we were on the road.

CM: Do you have a favorite story from this trip?

MH: I would say my favorite story is when we were camping on the border of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. I was cooking rice on our camping stove so I was wearing a headlamp. Our campsite was high up on BIKER continued on page 2

After committing $2 million to Gigabit Squared, a company trying to bring broadband Internet to neighborhoods on the South Side, the University of Chicago is dissolving its contract with the company. However, the University remains interested in helping expand Internet coverage in the area.

High-speed Internet is seen as a critical ingredient in community development on the South Side and across the country, with applications in healthcare, education, business, and residential use. For example, it allows for faster file downloads for local businesses, medical video-conferencing for doctors, and use of educational software for schools.

However, nearly 40 percent of Chicago citizens have limited or no access to the Internet, according to a study by Karen Mossberger from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“The cost of high-speed Internet from current funders, [like] Comcast [or] AT&T, is very expensive. We want to offer that at a lower price and offer it to residents who can’t afford it,” said Pierre Clark of the Woodlawn Broadband Expansion Partnership (WBEP), a local organization that has been working to bring high-speed Internet to the South Side.

In an attempt to deal with this issue, the University signed a memorandum on October 16, 2012, along with the City

of Chicago and the State of Illinois, to commit $1 million to the Gigabit Squared project to build fiber optic cables in various neighborhoods on the South Side. The University also pledged to raise another $1 million for the cause.

However, the University never gave Gigabit Squared the promised money, and now the two organizations have negotiated to dissolve the contract.

“Gigabit Squared asked to be released from its contract with the University, and the University has agreed,” said Calmetta Coleman, director of communications for Civic Engagement.

Two years later, Gigabit Squared has yet to make any headway on broadband expansion in Chicago, despite having received financial commitments from the University, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois. Gigabit Squared spokesperson Matt Weinland declined to comment on the reason for the delay.

Gigabit Squared unrolled a similar initiative in Seattle, and the project met a similar fate.

The company ran dry, with $52,250 in debt to the city and no high-speed Internet delivered. There were also major shifts in company leadership at around the same time, with CEO Mark Ansboury stepping down due to “strategic differences.”

According to Weinland, updates from Gigabit Squared about the Chicago project INTERNET continued on page 2

UChicago declares interest in Obama library on South Side Marina Fang News Editor University officials publicly pledged their support for establishing President Barack Obama’s presidential library on the South Side of Chicago, after the announced creation of the Barack H. Obama Foundation on Friday afternoon.

Led by Obama’s close friend and Hyde Park resident Martin Nesbitt (M.B.A. ’89), 2012 Obama re-election co-chair Julianna Smoot, and Wilmette businessman J. Kevin Poorman, the

non-profit Foundation will be charged with planning the library’s logistics and raising money for its construction.

According to a statement from President Robert Zimmer, the University will collaborate with City of Chicago officials and other community leaders in bidding for the library.

“The University of Chicago is committed to working in partnership with the City of Chicago, our neighbors, civic leaders, and cultural and educational institutions to develop a plan that benefits the city and the nation,” he said.

Ultimately, the President and First Lady will decide where the library will be located. However, the University “has begun to explore a range of potential locations in neighborhoods across the South Side to help inform that choice,” according to a list of Obama presidential library FAQs from the University News Office.

In addition, the planning and bidding process will include the input of a community advisory board “composed of prominent South Side community leaders,” convened by University officials.

In an e-mail to faculty, students, and staff, Zimmer said that a faculty committee formed to investigate the possibility of a presidential library with the University’s involvement “concluded last year that it would be in the interest of the University to help bring such a project to the South Side.”

Susan Sher, Zimmer’s senior adviser and former chief of staff to Michelle Obama, will continue to lead the University’s efforts regarding the library, in tandem with city officials. The Board of Trustees, senior administrators, and faculty, some of whom served on last

year’s committee, will also advise the planning on the University’s end.

Zimmer stressed the economic and cultural benefits of locating the library on the South Side, as well as the symbolic nature of the location, given the ties that the Obamas have to the South Side.

“I strongly believe this endeavor would be ideal for one of our neighboring communities on the South Side of Chicago. Such a location would reflect the personal and professional lives of the Obamas, as well as their commitments LIBRARY continued on page 3

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

Amnesty for anonymity » Page 4

Pikachu and Mario meet Ida at twelfth annual Uchi-Con » Page 8

You win some, you lose some: Chicago sees both sides of the coin » Back Page

Andrew’s Brain, Doctorow’s latest, has its head in the clouds » Page 9

The Superfluous Bowl: an American (sport) in Paris » Page 11

Convenient conflation » Page 6

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | February 4, 2014

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Alum faced three Tajik soldiers during travels BIKER continued from front

a mountain, overlooking the river and facing a valley. Unbeknownst to me, on the other side of the river around the bend was a border-crossing bridge and a military checkpoint. The sentries had spotted my headlamp and since there was a long-standing problem of drug traffickers signaling to each other across the river, they dispatched a platoon to dispel the threat.

So I’m trying to cook dinner when, all of a sudden, we’re surrounded by huge dogs that looked like German shepherds. We were shouting and picking up sticks and rocks to try to chuck at the dogs, when out of the dark stormed three Tajikistan soldiers in attack formation with their Kalashnikovs pointed straight at us. When they saw us, they just stopped. After a second they lowered their Kalashnikovs, put them on safety, and asked us for cigarettes. That’s when we knew we were safe.

CM: Can you describe what you called “mini-adventures,” which inspired many of your blog posts?

MH: Opening up a cof-

fee shop in Uzbekistan was probably the crowning jewel of our mini-adventures: Basically, we walk into this bazaar with our camping stove and start setting up.

People start glancing at us and then start freaking out because they want to know what these white guys are doing here. Before we even managed to boil the water, we have a crowd of 60 people. They’re standing on the booths next to us trying to get a better view and, eventually, people start throwing money over other people’s shoulders. It developed into such a crowd problem that the Uzbek police had to shut the whole thing down and kick us out.

it, since you said you didn’t bike extensively before?

CM: How many cups of coffee were you able to sell?

MH: I was a track runner.

My freshman and sophomore year I ran track. That was basically it. I was a firm believer that this was not where fun goes to die, so I definitely had a lot of fun while I was here. My love of storytelling really developed over the last two and half years. It was something that I didn’t completely understand before I left, but the trip honed my passion for it.

MH: I was a commuter biker and also a long-distance runner. While I was at UChicago I sometimes ran up to a hundred miles a week so I was in pretty good shape. While in France I did a few training rides. But mostly the trip just whipped me in shape. Spending seven hours a day on the bike— after two weeks you are like a rock.

CM: What were you involved with on campus, and did those activities help you develop your passion for storytelling and journalism?

MH: Two. There were 60 people, and we had one drip-coffee filter. Chris was essentially doing a stand-up comedy show to the right of me, doing whatever he could to keep the crowd entertained. So we only made two before we were kicked out.

CM: Obviously it was a physically grueling trip.

How did you prepare for

—Sara Cao

Follow us @ChicagoMaroon

CRIME IN LAW AND LITERATURE ROW : SCOTT TU R E K A E P S PLENARY TROOM 2/7 5:15 P.M., COUR ORGANIZED BY AL

ISON LACROIX,

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FEBRUARY 7–8, 2014 University of Chicago Law School 1111 East 60th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 Reception to Follow

For the complete conference schedule, visit http://www.law.uchicago.edu/events/crimeinlawandlit This conference is free and open to the public. No response is required but seating is limited. For more information, please contact Bill Watson at fwwatson@uchicago.edu or by calling 612.408.9745. For special assistance or needs, please contact Rebecca Klaff at rklaff@law.uchicago.edu or 773.834.4326.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Facilities Services

Alum likely next

set to relocate

Microsoft CEO

Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is undergoing tests at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s intensive care unit after falling ill on a business trip on Friday.

Daley, 71, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy, was attending a conference in Scottsdale, Arizona when he began to feel sick and disoriented, according to the Chicago Tribune. Upon returning to Chicago on Friday afternoon, he was immediately taken to the hospital.

He will remain at Northwestern Memorial until the middle of the week to undergo further testing so that doctors can determine the exact cause of his illness.

Chicago’s longest-serving mayor, Daley stepped down in 2011 after 22 years at the helm.

He was then appointed to a fiveyear fellowship at Harris. As part of his fellowship, he established a program with the city of Gary, Indiana, in which Harris students and faculty are working to help revitalize the city.

McShane Construction Company of Rosemont, Illinois announced this month that it will manage the construction of Facilities Services’ (FS) new, 86,000 square foot facility at 5225 South Cottage Grove Avenue, set to be move-in-ready by next January.

While little was known previously about the project, new details about the building have emerged now that the University has made the selection. Projected to meet LEED-Silver certification, the second of four LEED certification levels, the building will also have its own geothermal heating and cooling system.

“Utilizing our in-depth knowledge and expertise, we are confident that McShane will deliver a completed facility that meets the goals of the University,” Jeffrey Raday, president of McShane Construction, said in a press release.

According to a construction announcement from the University, the building will house various FS personnel, including residential and landscaping staff.

The adjacent parking lot will also hold 68 of its fleet vehicles.

Booth alumnus Satya Nadella (M.B.A. ’97) is likely to be named the next CEO of Microsoft Corp, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News.

Microsoft began their search for a new CEO to replace current CEO Steve Ballmer five months ago.

Nadella is a veteran of the company, having been with Microsoft since 1992, and he is the current Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise Group. Before his 22-year career at Microsoft, Nadella worked at Sun Microsystems.

In a 2008 visit to the University, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that “[Nadella] has perhaps one of the most challenging jobs at Microsoft, he’s merely in charge of competing with Google, runs our search business. He’s a graduate from the school, and we’re in very good hands with the great talent and education that he received.”

—Marina Fang

—Alex Hays

—Harini Jaganathan

Former mayor Daley hospitalized

Woodlawn group in talks with University over Wi-Fi INTERNET continued from front

will be coming soon, although he was unable to give an exact date.

“We’re working feverishly to get a few things taken care of,” he said.

Meanwhile, other organizations on the South Side are taking initiative and working to bring faster Internet to the community. The WBEP led by Clark, will be testing a Wi-Fi connection over two blocks in Woodlawn in mid-March and plans to have most of Woodlawn connected by the end of the year.

“We need to catch up with

everybody else around the world, and we need to bring [Internet] to more places in the U.S.,” Clark said.

Broadband Internet is composed of two parts: underground fiber optic cables and Wi-Fi. Although the cable is expensive to build initially, the resulting Internet is cheaper and faster with a speed of one gigabit—100 times faster than what is currently available—for as low as $90 per month.

Most South Side residents use a DSL line, which is the slowest and cheapest form of Internet and involves using telephone lines already in place.

It provides 10 megabits per second of bandwidth at anywhere from $40 and $100 per month.

The WBEP has been in talks with Will Towns from the University’s Office of Civic Engagement about potentially receiving investments to fund their activities, and they are also petitioning the city for more funding.

“The University continues to be interested in supporting efforts to bring high speed, gigabit level internet to the mid-South Side, so we’re continuing to talk to various partners, organizations about ideas to do that,” Coleman said.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | February 4, 2014

3

Administrators to work in tandem with City of Chicago to bid for presidential library LIBRARY continued from front

to society,” he said. “A presidential library would mark a watershed moment for the South Side, catalyzing significant and sustained economic opportunity in an area poised to make the most of such promise. It would bring cultural and programmatic opportunities for all of Chicago’s citizens and visitors.”

While he stressed the role the potential library could play in South Side communities, Zimmer noted that the resources of the library “would be of significant interest and value to our faculty and students.” The University envisions academic partnerships and programming geared toward students and

faculty.

According to the Foundation’s website, the Foundation will send out a Request for Qualifications in February, followed by a Request for Proposals in May. The Foundation will make a final site announcement in early 2015.

Once constructed, the library will be administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, which manages all presidential libraries.

Therefore, if the Obamas choose the South Side, the University would have no direct involvement in the library’s contents and operations.

In terms of politics, by law, the library must be nonpartisan,

as its mission is to preserve the history of a presidential administration. Similarly, “the University’s involvement would be independent of politics or ideology,” according to the FAQs. Law Professor Geoffrey Stone (J.D. ’71), who served on the initial faculty committee, told the Maroon last year that the library would most likely not be housed on campus.

“It’s not obvious that there’s a good location on campus that would make sense for it.

And beyond that we think it’s important for it to be an asset to the larger community and therefore not to be tucked into the University directly.”

The Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, located in Bronzeville and abandoned since 2008, is one of the locations being considered for the site of Barack Obama’s Presidential Library.

TIFFANY TAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE LEC TURE SERIES PRESENTS

Shulamit Ran, Artistic Director

MYTH AND AWAKENING

The Rise of Christianity in Iran

02.04.14 TUES | 7:30 PM Performance Hall, Logan Center for the Arts Anubis Quartet

Presented by

Anna Weesner: Lift High, Reckon—Fly Low, Come Close Brett Dean: Sextet (Old Kings in Exile)

Richard Payne

Augusta Read Thomas: Twilight Butterfly John Orfe: Leviathan for 2 clarinets and piano Lei Liang: Yuan for saxophone quartet

Julia Bentley

eighth blackbird; Anubis Quartet; Julia Bentley, mezzo-soprano; Daniel Won, clarinet

Wednesday, February 5 7:00 pm

A Program of Chicago Firsts GRAMMY Award-winning eighth blackbird and the pioneering Anubis Quartet will perform a cuttingedge program of Chicago debuts. Come listen in the stunning Logan Center Performance Hall.

The Oriental Institute 1155 East 58th Street eighth blackbird

Docent-led Museum tour at 6:30 pm

Free and Open to the Public | Reception to Follow

$5

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“…a winning combination of intriguing music and superb performers.” − Chicago Sun Times

VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed FEBRUARY 4, 2014

Broken Links can be mended Effective change to Summer Links requires trust The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 REBECCA GUTERMAN Editor-in-Chief SAM LEVINE Editor-in-Chief EMILY WANG Managing Editor AJAY BATRA Senior Editor DANIEL LEWIS Senior Editor MATTHEW SCHAEFER Senior Editor EMMA THURBER STONE Senior Editor THOMAS CHOI News Editor MARINA FANG News Editor HARINI JAGANATHAN News Editor ELEANOR HYUN Viewpoints Editor LIAM LEDDY Viewpoints Editor KRISTIN LIN Viewpoints Editor EMMA BRODER Arts Editor ALICE BUCKNELL Arts Editor WILL DART Arts Editor LAUREN GURLEY Arts Editor DANIEL RIVERA Arts Editor SARAH LANGS Sports Editor SONIA DHAWAN Head Designer KEVIN WANG Online Editor MARA MCCOLLOM Social Media Editor CONNOR CUNNINGHAM Head Copy Editor ALAN HASSLER Head Copy Editor SHERRY HE Head Copy Editor BEN ZIGTERMAN Head Copy Editor SYDNEY COMBS Photo Editor

Yesterday evening was the deadline for applications to Summer Links, a 10-week-long internship program focused on social justice in Chicago. The program traditionally paired students only with non-profit organizations, but has expanded to include internships regarding social responsibility at forprofit organizations. This, along with the sudden firing of the esteemed program director, has resulted in outrage.

Students, many of whom are Summer Links alumni or are involved with the University Community Service Center (UCSC), say that the changes were made without student input and threaten to undermine the program’s unique focus on social justice. Even though changes to Summer Links have the potential to strengthen, not weaken, the program’s social justice focus, its success will be limited if students invested in the program feel disenfranchised.

The autumn firing of Trudi Langendorf, the beloved former Summer Links director, has cast a shadow on the UCSC changes. Honored by the University with the Marlene F. Richman

Award last June for showing the “highest levels of dedication, care, and compassion,” Langendorf was fired just a few months later when it was announced that the UCSC would be restructured.

The decision to fire an employee passionately dedicated to students and the mission of Summer Links, and who in turn was deeply respected by students, was a mistake. Administrators should have understood her critical role in mentoring social justice activists and instead incorporated her passion to improve the UCSC. After seeing someone so committed to a program so swiftly dismissed, students have every right to feel that those making changes at the UCSC don’t care about the input of those deeply invested in the program.

Taken on their own, however, the proposed changes can enhance Summer Links’s focus on social justice. New internships with for-profit organizations will be offered in addition to, not in place of, existing non-profit opportunities, according to a University spokesperson. A broader range of internship opportunities will attract students who

approach social justice from multiple perspectives. Combined with Summer Links’ practice of cultivating discussion of fieldwork in weekly meetings, the new internships will give students a broader sense of the challenges, complexities, and opportunities related to social justice.

Although a University spokesperson said that undergraduate program alumni are still eligible to contribute as program coordinators, students have been told otherwise. If the UCSC is maintaining this aspect of the program, that is commendable, and should be communicated clearly to the students involved. But if the students are correct, then administrators need to remember that allowing students to pass on their passion for social justice to the next generation is crucial to facilitating sustained engagement. One of the most valuable aspects of Summer Links is the community it has fostered, and shutting out those who could add to this community would be a huge loss for the UCSC. One defining feature of Summer Links is its structure, which allows stu-

JULIA REINITZ Photo Editor PETER TANG Photo Editor FRANK YAN Photo Editor COLIN BRADLEY Grey City Editor JOY CRANE Grey City Editor SINDHUGNANASAMBANDAN Assoc.NewsEditor

Well and good in practice Contrary to popular disdain, academia can be an end in its own right

ALEX HAYS Assoc. News Editor STEPHANIE XIAO Assoc. News Editor TATIANA FIELDS Assoc. Sports Editor SAM ZACHER Assoc. Sports Editor

TYRONALD JORDAN Business Manager TAMER BARSBAY Director of Business Research SHAWN CHEN Director of Internal Marketing ANNIE ZHU Director of External Marketing VINCENT MCGILL Delivery Coordinator ANNIE CANTARA Designer CARINA BAKER Designer AURNA HASNIE Designer JANE JUN Designer JONAH RABB Designer NICHOLAS ROUSE Designer MOLLY SEVCIK Designer KRYSTEN BRAY Copy Editor SOPHIE DOWNES Copy Editor JOE JOSEPH Copy Editor MICHELLE LEE Copy Editor CHELSEA LEU Copy Editor KATIE LEU Copy Editor JOHN LOTUS Copy Editor KATARINA MENTZELOPOULOS Copy Editor HANNAH RAUSCH Copy Editor CHRISTINE SCHMIDT Copy Editor OLIVIA STOVICEK Copy Editor ANDY TYBOUT Copy Editor LAN WANG Copy Editor RUNNAN YANG Copy Editor

The Chicago Maroon is published twice weekly during autumn, winter, and spring quarters Circulation: 5,500.

The opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are not necessarily those of the Maroon. © 2014 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: Design@ChicagoMaroon.com Copy: CopyEditors@ChicagoMaroon.com Advertising: Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com

By Ken Jung Viewpoints Columnist My father is a professor. For as long as I can remember, he would spend his days poring over scary-looking books in silence—underlining, highlighting, scribbling in the margins.

Before I even knew how to read, I remember highlighting all the words in one of my own picture books, a haphazard attempt at imitation.

For most of my life, I had no more than a superficial understanding of what exactly my dad did for a living.

Of course, the discussion of ideas is an important way of understanding them, which was an aspect of academia I wasn’t often able to witness firsthand. Nevertheless, while growing up, I never really questioned the value of solitary immersion, of losing the self in otherworlds of thought. It was more or less a given to me, the notion that thinking was like breathing: something precious, intimately fundamental to life, so much so that I hardly ever thought about it until a few years ago. By that time, what you might call disillusionment with the ivory tower began to set in. It suddenly became difficult to see what contributions an academic makes toward society—particularly since such contributions are seldom tangible, at least in the short term.

The parallels to our lives as students at the University of Chicago aren’t so hard to see. The University is an academic institution. It exists as a place of scholarship, and

its contributions toward such aims are immeasurable by virtue of their meaning, not their volume. But as Zelda Mayer is right to point out in “Putting it into Practice” (1/17/14), we often find ourselves in a conscious struggle to act consistently with our ideals, particularly when it comes to those such as social justice or morality. Compare that to Clair Fuller’s observation in “Myopic Nooks” (12/3/13) of our tendency to forget our part as residents of Hyde Park, as residents of the world, etc. Our individual interests and the community that surrounds them can similarly be inextricably and uncomfortably joined.

To be sure, the University as an institution provides enormous concrete benefits to its community and its neighbors. Its presence brings jobs, security, and commercial development to Hyde Park. At the same time, nothing it can do should exempt it from behaving responsibly toward the surrounding community. The big question is one of duty: What does the University owe to the public sphere that it’s a part of ? By simply existing in the first place, and by pursuing its (mostly) educational enterprises, does the University become responsible for, say, opening a trauma center? This is a pretty serious question to answer; one could well argue that we should address some issues with first-aid kits first.

Societies and institutions are, by nature, a mess to dissect. As individuals, members of the University of Chicago have a ton of different interests, not all of them academic.

Some want to go to graduate school.

Others want to enter investment banking. Some want to work in education, and still others want a career in government. Divide and conquer—sometimes, it works pretty

nicely. Following our own interests has broader implications; it determines if we end up contributing to the general welfare or drawing from it. By all means, we should engage in whatever community we happen to be a part of as circumstance compels us, and at the very least in issues that pertain to our own interests. It’s a noble thing, to devote one’s life to speaking for those who don’t have that privilege. At the same time, doing something that you don’t have a passion for, and thereby living an unfulfilling life, does nobody a favor.

Even outside of foreseeable outcomes, I would maintain that it’s possible for our intentions to justify themselves. Perhaps the practicality of going about one’s own business has a deeper—dare I say it, theoretical—foundation. We should display intellectual curiosity in all pursuits while doing justice to our passions.

That embodies a sort of morality, doesn’t it? To respect our freedom to do our thing, we should do our thing. It’s a matter of self-respect, not pride. Good Will Hunting and Plato have that much in common. If nothing else, that should elicit a sigh of relief.

My “thing” seems to lie somewhere in research. I’d like to think it wasn’t inherited, but it probably was, and I’ve decided that I’m OK with that. As it’s turning out, coming to terms with your passions is easier than actually pursuing them, and I’m OK with that, too. In fact, I remember there was a place called a library where my father stayed for many of his waking hours. Some nights I would be awake when he returned, and I’d fall asleep to the rain-like pitter-patter of typing on a keyboard.

Ken Jung is a first-year in the College.

dents to participate in weekly discussions about their internship experiences.

So long as the UCSC is committed to maintaining this outlet for discussion, the program will be inherently selfconstructive and allow students from all perspectives to participate—regardless of the overarching shift in the program’s focus. On this level, students have the opportunity to make the program what they want it to be.

When students delivered a petition with more than1,000 signatures on Friday to administrators outlining their concerns, some held a banner that urged not to “fix what isn’t broken.” But just because Summer Links has thrived doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved.

Administrators have a long way to go to regain the trust of students affected by the way the Summer Links changes were made, but students must also recognize that these changes can make one of the University’s best programs even better.

The Editorial Board consists of the Editors-in-Chief and the Viewpoints Editors.

Amnesty for anonymity Benefits of anonymity are often overlooked Ellen Wiese Viewpoints Staff We seek anonymity when we choose the cubicles of the Reg over the tables of the A-Level, or sit in the back of a lecture hall instead of the front. But we also criticize its presence in radical online forums, in falsified surveys, in discussions that devolve into derogatory epithets. And because of its oft-detrimental effects, we too often overlook those moments when anonymity, instead of enabling cruelty, brings out the best in people.

College is often cast as a chance to start over and create yourself anew, regardless of who you were back home. To be honest, that never made much sense to me. Sure, people here don’t know all the stupid things you did in high school, and they will largely accept as truth the identity you present. But in the words of Neil Gaiman, “Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.” College is not a blank slate, no matter how hard you try. You bring yourself with you— your background, your learning style, your conception of the world—and you subject yourself to a new array of judgments. It’s easy to talk about a welcoming and open-minded campus, so we ignore the reality of things like the cliques that form during O-Week based on merely fleeting impressions. Still, we divide ourselves into groups based on perceived similarities, and judge others by their assimilation to those quasinorms.

Anonymity, however, erases all of that. When you’re nothing but a line of text on a computer screen or a stencil scrawled on a bathroom stall, there is no outside information. There is no snap judgment based on race, gender, height, ANON continued on page 5

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | February 4, 2014

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Not That It Matters: Separation of time and space Judging is a matter of heuristics, but the least we can do is to pause and consider how much we don’t understand Victor Tan Viewpoints Blogger I recently decided to get in touch with some old friends, some of whom I hadn’t spoken to in ten years, if only because I wondered what they were doing now and if I could catch up and remember a little bit more about a past that I’ve for all intents and purposes ignored, swept aside, and put in a box. I’d like to recall my encounter with one of them, whom I’ll call the Smart Girl.

The Smart Girl turned out to be someone profoundly different from the person I remember. I remember adding her on Facebook and occasionally checking out her profile from time to time, remembering her to be smart, kind of a loner, and a teacher’s pet. I re-

member occasionally seeing her in church with either a reluctant or apathetic expression on her face.

I remember the guy who developed an online-only and most decidedly unreciprocated love for her. I remembered that she derived an equation to solve a probability question which our teacher promptly decided she shouldn’t use on account of nobody else in the class understanding it. I remembered her kind of shrinking away from the rowdy boy in class who liked her. She went far. This girl got a scholarship; this girl went to an elite high school; this girl got into a nice college that she can wear proudly on her résumé.

I remember imagining her sit in the quiet solace of the evening

poring over books, maybe Jane Austen: an embodiment of what Thought Catalog might call the “Girl Who Reads,” the one that everyone should date. But when I met her again, she was different from the person I’d constructed in my head. She was different, in a pleasant way. In what way, I’m in no position to say, but I will say this: It’s funny when you talk to someone you used to know and realize they’re no longer the person you knew 10 years ago, that they have a sense of humor about things you never knew, and enjoy things you never imagined they would know about.

It truly reveals to you the extent of your unknowledge; it makes you think. I really do have to wonder: At age 12, having spent two years in the same class

as her, did I ever get an accurate picture of the kind of person she was? Or did I simply never get to know her?

When I think back on all the conversations I never had, the thoughts I never shared, the life about which I never truly asked—I have to conclude that it was probably the latter.

More often than not, people have their own stories, motivations, inclinations, secrets. Nobody is as simple and one-dimensional, as measurable, as they first appear. First impressions, bad or good, can easily be influenced by someone being sick, frustrated, or having a bad day. It’s possible to be in close proximity with someone for an entire lifetime and never realize what kind of person they are—and develop a picture of

them that becomes inaccurate af- impassive face yet—I never have, ter only a single further glance. It’s and I probably never will, but at possible not only to fail to under- least I’m aware of that now. If I stand, and to fear what we don’t just stop for a moment to learn a understand, but also to fear our little more about the kind of people I live with, the kind of world I failure to understand.

Human beings judge, catego- live in; if I just talk to people that I rize, compare. Looking at my life haven’t seen for ages, the people I right now, I realize that I’m con- hastily decided that I didn’t like; if strained by the same few biases in I try to learn about them and the judgment. As people walk past way they think, to learn the reame, I develop mental images sons for their thoughts, actions, and crude categorizations, often and life philosophies…then life unconsciously. Frat boy, ath- will become that much more full lete, math nerd, party girl, study of thoughts, connectedness, and girl, comp sci geek, prospective understanding. It will be richer; it soul-seller—occasionally a mag- will be better. nificent Machiavellian bastard. I And that’s how life was meant do this as a heuristic because it’s to be. logistically impossible for me to really know everyone I encounter. Victor Tan is a first-year in the But I do know this much: I College. and a Viewpoints don’t understand the Smart Girl’s blogger.

Harper bathroom stalls were never fated to be a surprisingly encouraging group forum ANON continued from page 4 weight, voice, clothing style, body language, bearing, facial expression—your identity is only the words you choose to write.

We are well-acquainted with the negative side of this, the multitude of atrocities (and no, I don’t think that’s an exaggeration) that anonymity brings.

Though certain online forums (like 4chan’s /b/) are prominent examples, there are countless pettier instances of cruelty: the offensive graffiti in the corner of one classroom at my high school, or the the infamous Politically

Incorrect UChicago (now Maroon) Confessions page on Facebook.

But in the majority of cases of anonymous expression—the ones that don’t drive teenagers to suicide or compromise diversity at our college—people are often funny, open, and kind. The girl’s bathroom stalls at Harper are covered in a constantly-expanding network of comments, everything from “Life is a bitch, but she is totally doable” (and the attendant remark criticizing its sexism) to “Chin up, lovely! You’ll be fine!” to the thoughtful and

supportive paragraphs on eating disorders recently referenced in Annie Hao’s wonderful “Behind Closed Doors” (12/3/13). Or there’s UChicago Crushes (despite its occasional creepiness) where amongst the posts seeking the name of that cute, tall, bespectacled barista or appreciating dat ass in Ratner, there are tributes to single mothers, best friends, and supportive RAs. And while UChicago Crushes may be the most frequented page of this format, others, like UChicago Safety Net, tap still further into the positive benefits

of anonymity.

The difference between supportive and destructive anonymity lies in the community itself, achieved by establishing a space from the very beginning that is dedicated to support. Politically Incorrect Maroon Confessions was never going to be an open and encouraging community— it set out with an aim that necessarily included offending and harming certain students. But at the same time, the Harper

bathroom stalls were never fated to be the surprisingly encouraging group forum they are now.

This began slowly, with a few thought-provoking comments, and grew organically into what it is now.

Anonymity enables people to distance themselves from their words, to separate their identity from their opinions. But assuming this erasure of identity causes people to say horrible and offensive things assumes that most

people are secretly horrible and offensive. In actuality, anonymity often enables people to seek help and offer encouragement in a way they normally would never attempt. Deep in the throes of winter-quarter cynicism, it’s refreshing to see that separating words from judgment leads not to petty cruelty, but to honesty and support.

Ellen Wiese is a first-year in the College.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | February 4, 2014

6

Convenient conflation Pushback against the association between Zionism and Judaism is strategically selective Hamid Bendaas Viewpoints Staff Eliora Katz’s article “Stars and Stripes” (1/31/14) is yet another demonstration of the double standard that’s been maintained and has now found disconcerting normalcy among members of the Jewish community.

Katz is correct when she says, “Not every Jew is a Zionist and not every Zionist is a Jew” and that to equate the two is “an equation with dangerous consequences.” What is concerning about her piece is not that this clarification is made, but rather the historical and political context she ignores. Specifically, Katz criticizes a cartoon in The Economist for its portrayal of the recent U.S.—Iran negotiations. The cartoon depicts President Barack Obama attempting to reach out to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, but held back by chains attached to a seal of Congress that is covered in little Stars of David.

To give the cartoon some historical context, the ongoing negotiations between Obama and Rouhani over Iran’s nuclear program are a diplomatic breakthrough, in terms of both holding Iran accountable to international protocol and bringing economic relief to the people of Iran. Many analysts agree that the proposed negotiation is the greatest show of good faith toward the West by the Islamic Republic in Iran’s history. Last month, however, those talks were nearly dismantled entirely by a bipartisan bill, the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act, that

would have threatened a new round of sanctions against Iran and likely derailed the nascent negotiations.

While I will not debate the existence of a Jewish or pro-Israel lobby in this article, it is enough to point out that, as a matter of historical fact, both Zionist and Jewish organizations with no official connection to Zionism have spent a lot of

“

Not a word about the repeated propoganda invoking a “promised land”

”

money and time lobbying Democrats in the Senate to buck Obama’s wishes and pass the bill. The Jewish Federations of North America, Anti-Defamation League, and Jewish Council for Public Affairs, all of which are Jewish but not officially Zionist, have been identified in the Israeli press as organizations lobbying for the bill.

As Katz points out, there are Zionists who are not Jews and Jews who are not Zionists. However, in the historical context of this particular negotiation, both Zionist and non-Zionist Jewish organizations, many with leverage in key Democratic Senate offices, could accurately be described as working to fetter Obama from achieving a deal with

Iran. Non-Jewish Zionists, who in American politics almost entirely consist of religious conservatives allied with the Christian Right, also support the bill but have no influence over the Senate Democrats who would have decided the bill’s fate.

I do not question the dual connotation of the Star of David with both Jewish identity and Zionism.

Centuries ago, it was used to mark a synagogue; a century ago, Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, chose it be the emblem of his movement. However, since some Jewish non-Zionists and some Jewish Zionists have held up the sanctions bill’s viability, I do not think the use of the Star of David is all that inappropriate a symbol for the cartoon in question. In fact, it would only be interpreted to conflate Judaism and Zionism if one did not know the details of the political lobbying that has gone on over the past two months by separate Jewish non-Zionist and Jewish Zionist organizations.

The wave of scorn for conflating Judaism and Zionism raises an interesting question: If a cartoonist who may have made the conflation is censored, criticized, and asked for a “full-throated apology” by so many members of the Jewish community, where has that scorn been for the endless supply of Zionist propaganda which consistently invokes Jewish heritage, identity, and unity to garner political support? Why is one of the most hawkish and sinister Zionist organizations named the American Jewish Congress, for

example, and why aren’t there editorials about how “dangerous” it is for them to name themselves so? We’re told it’s unforgivable anti-Semitism to publish a cartoon which might be interpreted as conflating Judaism and Zionism—again, a conflation only those unaware of the actual political details of the Senate bill would actually perceive as existing—but not a word is said about the many Zionist organizations that, in name and more, present themselves as Jewish.

Not a word, either, about the repeated propaganda invoking a “promised land,” “the beloved temple,” “the land of milk and honey” that Zionists and Israeli state officials consistently use in order to garner support from the broader Jewish base, nor the appeals they make by invoking Jewish religious language and a broader Jewish history. Not a word when Hillel, ostensibly dedicated to Jewish student life, promotes the Zionist-operated Birthright Israel program inside its doors, which happened on campus just last Friday.

The tactic is obvious: When you need to gather support for your Zionist political cause, conflate Zionism and Judaism so you can earn the favor of the broader Jewish population. But if someone else conflates Zionism and Judaism, or at least if you can convince others they made the conflation, simply censor their work, demand an apology, and write editorials about how harmful it is to do such a thing.

Only in the last few days has it become clear that the Nuclear Weapon

Free Iran Act would not pass in the Senate, and that the historic negotiations with Iran would continue.

I will not ruminate here on why pro-Israel and non-Zionist Jewish organizations lobbied to prevent a deal that would benefit both American foreign policy interests and the well-being of millions of Iranians.

In my opinion, it would benefit the citizens of Israel as well.

Somewhere in Iran there is a 20-year-old man, perhaps with my same complexion, my same name.

Perhaps his father or mother is one of the 1,500 Iranians who have died in the past decade from plane crashes because, in violation of international law decided at the 2004 Chicago Convention, the U.S. and Israel have blocked Iran from buying materials to repair commercial jets. Perhaps he has a constant toothache because dentists don’t have access to proper X-ray equipment. But he’s a critical thinker: He doesn’t trust the Iranian newspapers’ account, so he takes the time to find an article in The Times of Israel, perhaps the same one I refer to above. There and elsewhere he’ll learn how the Jewish Federations, the American Jewish Congress, and the Jewish Council on Public Affairs are spending millions of dollars to keep up the sanctions; they are raising money to say that he has not suffered enough, and he and people like him cannot be trusted if they are not suffering. Well, I assure you the Star of David will mean more to him than synagogues and Herzl.

Hamid Bendaas is a third-year in the College.

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ARTS

Heartlandia FEBRUARY 4, 2014

Pikachu and Mario meet Ida at twelfth annual Uchi-Con

Convention attendee Kevin Nichols, who cosplays Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, pictured here in street clothes.

COURTESY OF RONALD LADAO

Andrew McVea Maroon Contributor In any other context I would have to talk about my costume a bit more. “You see, I’m dressed as a demented bear who follows around a little girl and kills people for her,” I would have to explain. At Uchi-Con, however, simply dropping the name Tibbers and the video game League of Legends gets you questions about material used in the costume, how it was made, and about other video

games, all from someone dressed as a ninja. This was the atmosphere at UchiCon, a free event hosted by the University of Chicago Japanese Animation Society at Ida Noyes to celebrate anime, video games, and comics.

Uchi-Con was modeled after comic conventions such as Comic-Con International in San Diego that draw thousands of people with panels on blockbuster movies and the latest video games. The University convention had a large number of visitors and also at-

tracted vendors, artists, speakers, and most importantly, cosplayers from the local community.

For those not aware of the trend, cosplaying is the act of dressing up like a fictional character, and is very popular at comicon events. Not ones to miss an opportunity to wear elaborate costumes, Ida Noyes was bursting with University students dressed as Pikachu, Mario, and many more obscure characters that went completely over my head. On the first floor participants mingled and could

browse the vendors’ booths, which contained everything from pipe cleaner art to steampunk jewelry. On the second floor was a video game room filled with eager Super Smash Bros. competitors and a karaoke room where participants could sing along to their favorite anime theme songs. Finally there was a schedule of panelists speaking about topics such as retro video games and fabrics to use when making a cosplay costume.

I went into Uchi-Con a comic con virgin. Although I did have experi-

ence dressing up for movie premieres, my anime and video game knowledge was sub-par at best. I have never read a graphic novel in its entirety and before this quarter I had never watched a Japanese anime outside of Pokémon.

Fortunately, I had my team of anime specialists to advise me and point out my grievous unfamiliarity with Japanese pop culture.

Part of the experience of going to a comic con is dressing up, so the morning of the event I tried to rustle up a costume. I decided to dress up as Tibbers, a possessed bear who follows around a schoolgirl named Annie killing people, from the video game League of Legends, mostly because I owned a bear hat from a previous Halloween costume, and he was the only bear-related character I could think of. To make it look like I had fur I taped a brown towel around me like a shawl and wore brown corduroy pants. All in all, it took about 10 minutes to put together.

Elaborate does not begin to describe some of the other costumes at UchiCon. One person who dressed as Link from The Legend of Zelda had handcrafted a chain-mail shirt to wear specifically for his costume. Another participant had made a sword out of duct tape that was longer than his wingspan, and was carrying it over his shoulder throughout the afternoon.

The highlight of Uchi-Con was looking at the quality of the cosplays and watching the participants interact with each other. For one magical afternoon, the halls of Ida Noyes were transformed from a gothic house of learning to a shining bastion of nerd culture. Even for someone uninitiated in the finer points of anime battles and the Spider Man canon, Uchi-Con provided a day filled with excitement and interesting interactions with characters from every medium, all within walking distance of the main quad.

Rewind and relive Superbowl XLVIII, ad nauseam Evangeline Reid Maroon Contributor Battle cries are coming out of the television. People roar in unison. There are wings, Doritos, and the ever-obligatory veggie platters. People keep asking what just happened…and keep being ignored.

This is the Super Bowl. Correction: A third of the people are doing homework.

This is the Super Bowl, UChicago style.

You may have been hanging on every point the Broncos didn’t earn, but I was there for the commercials first and foremost. In case you missed some true commercial gold, here’s a rundown of the ones worth checking out, organized into the two most important categories.

SO BAD, THEY’RE GOOD • “A Baby Goes Skiing.” Pizza Hut makes sure to add: “Do not attempt.

Professional baby.”

• “Dubstep makes everything more marketable,” thought a marketing executive at Bud Light. At least that’s the best explanation for why the new “Cool Twist” aluminum bottle of beer raves by itself for 20 seconds on millions of television screens across America.

• “The Muppets” commandeer a Toyota from Terry Crews and then embark on an adventure – while singing, of course.

JUST ALL-AROUND GOOD • “You Can Count on Me.” This sweet ad follows a boy as he grows, always being saved from danger at the last second by his father. But by the time he’s a teenager distracted by a cute girl and just seconds from crashing his car, it seems like finally Dad can’t save the day. He manages though, with a little help from Hyundai’s new emergency passenger brake while people everywhere blink a few extra times. Dad always knows just when to show up.

• “The ’80s invade Radio Shack” and take back what they own. Somebody call SNL. • “Chevy and the American Cancer Society” team up in a subtler, more cinematic approach than most Super Bowl commercials take, but one that still manages to grab attention for their Purple Roads initiative, which provides rides to treatment for cancer patients. The music swells as the sun rises over a stark landscape and a once-pensive woman smiles,

As one YouTube commenter put it, “If you don’t get how this relates to Toyota you’re an idiot.”

COURTESY OF TOYOTA USA

reaching over to hold the driver’s hand.

• “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”: He overcheered; no wonder he wasn’t invited to this year’s Super Bowl party. Yes, it was really a skit, not an ad,

but it was Seinfeld. Need I say more?

• “#Bestbuds”: An adopted Labrador puppy keeps running away to come home to his Clydesdale friend in an adorable and heart-tugging Budweiser com-

mercial set to Passenger’s “Let Her Go.” No one is clear about how this actually relates to Budweiser, but everyone knows advertising isn’t the point of Super Bowl ads. Just watch it.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | February 4, 2014

9

UBallet’s Esmeralda works the Andrew’s Brain, Doctorow’s latcrowd with smooth performance est, has its head in the clouds Ellen Rodnianski Arts Staff This past weekend the University Ballet staged La Esmeralda, a ballet inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The performance took place in the Performance Hall of the Logan Center and was packed both Friday and Saturday.

There were 50 dancers in the show, who were mostly students, but also included dancers from the Hyde Park community. UBallet is 100 percent student-lead, and the individuals who managed the staging process were executive director fourth-year Martha Fahlgren and two artistic directors: second-year Emily Ehrmantraut and fourth-year Candice Schwartzenburg. The choreography for the performance was entirely adapted from that of Marius Petipa and Victor Gsovsky, and the original music written by Cesare Pugni was used. Although some adjustments were made to the original choreography, such as the shortening of the pas de deux, the performance was generally very similar to the original La Esmeralda.

The storyline of the ballet, which takes place in 15th-century Paris, centers around the beautiful Roma Esmeralda. The ballet starts off in the Roma camp where poor poet Gringoire, played by first-year Chris Chen, is about to be hung for wandering into the camp. However, he has a way out: marry a Roma girl. This is where Esmerelda appears, performed by Ehrmantraut. She first tries to convince her friends to marry the poet, but she fails and instead marries him herself. The scene ends with a bishop, performed by secondyear Sean Gasiorowski, seeing Esmeralda and seeming lovestruck.

The story develops into a complicated love dilemma in which Gringoire, the evil bishop, and Captain Phoebus are all in love with Esmeralda.

The first act ends after the bishop confronts Esmeralda, but she refuses him due to her newfound love with Phoebus, performed by first-year Teddy Watler.

The action in the play is, to a great extent, set in motion by the character of Captain Phoebus, the male protagonist and Esmeralda’s love. The focus of the second act is largely on him; the first scene is his engagement with Fleur de Lys, performed by fourth-year Sarah Lundgren. The act then proceeds with his apparent murder and his eventual return. Watler had an amazing stage presence, and his sauts de chat particularly stood out to all the audience members, who clapped enthusiastically following Watler’s performance. Ehrmantraut was also an excellent dancer; her attitude balancés were especially memorable.

Lighting in the performance set the mood successfully—every time the bishop and Quasimodo, played by second-year Joshua Bustetter, would come on stage the lights would turn red, and the audience was thereby notified of their negative personalities.

The show was generally very well done. The only evident flaw was in the sound editing, which had very abrupt transitions. However, the dancers had no problem with this minor challenge, and their dancing was always well-timed and smooth.

Even the scenes when a lot of dancers were on stage looked effortless, although they were obviously very hard to coordinate due to the number of people on stage.

This was the first time that Esmeralda was performed fully at the University of Chicago.

Watler commented, “Esmeralda is not performed as frequently [as other ballets]. So it was a great opportunity to stage it.”

And the University community was very glad, since it was an excellent show.

Angela Qian Arts Staff What does it mean to call a writer “American”?

It’s a word bandied around when talking about E.L. Doctorow, but it’s difficult to understand what that precisely means in this day and age, and attempting to describe an oeuvre of work as such is reductive and narrow. Unfortunately, Doctorow’s latest novel, Andrew’s Brain, falls victim to the so-called American-ness its writer is said to embody.

Fundamentally, the book is a conversation between Andrew, a cognitive science researcher, and an unnamed psychiatrist at an unknown place and time. Andrew gave up his second baby to his ex-wife Martha, because of his depression and disaster-prone life, like dropping bottles on someone and breaking their feet, or accidentally killing the first child he had with Martha. The baby is only the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, it’s difficult for the reader to discern this at first, because Andrew refers to himself in the third person until the doctor figures out he’s talking about himself. Afterwards, he still occasionally narrates in the third person, though without consistency. Moreover, there are never any quotation marks used, and occasionally the word “[thinking]” appears as Andrew, presumably, is thinking.

These meta quirks of style, interesting at first, are presumably tied to Andrew’s concern with how the brain becomes the mind. Recurring throughout the novel is his insistence that the fundamental question driving cognitive science today is how the nuts, bolts, and neurons of the brain develop into consciousness.

He is also painfully self-aware. He goes off on lectures about the brain, such as when he observes, “Damage to the limbic system inhibits feeling, among other things.… You’re half alive.” When the

doctor asks if he feels as though he has been traumatized, he says, coolly, “Only by life.”

If the plot of the book still seems hazy, that’s because the book is hazy. It’s a mix of weirdly detached narration peppered with long stretches of lyrical monologue and meditations, or lectures, on the human brain. Even with the most lyrical observations Doctorow makes through Andrew—and there are many beautiful passages of deftly written prose throughout the book, verging on the elegiac—it’s hard to fit all the many components of the book together; the book swings between plain narrative and highly metaphorical meta-commentary, without ever settling long enough for one or the other to become coherent. Doctorow seems to be striving for atmosphere rather than following a traditional narrative arc. Given that the book is meant to depict the sometimes strange and unhappy life of an ordinary man, this is somewhat excusable.

But Andrew, too, is hazy at best. His character is spread too thin across too many nodes, and it’s difficult to believe his extended probing of the mind-brain question as being relevant to his supposed (and similarly unbelievable) lack of feeling. It says something about a novel when the doctor, who appears only in the form of a question or two every chapter, is easier to imagine than the narrator.

Ultimately, the reader can only sympathize with Andrew and follow his story with more than perfunctory interest if Andrew is seen as America’s everyman. Through Andrew we get a picture of the slow, stupid ignorance at the top levels of our society, with individuals everywhere trapped by their weaknesses and secret failures; a post-9/11 traumacentric America full of aimless, unhappy nihilism, ceaseless questioning, and a torrent of psychological neuroses. If Andrew is the everyman, what does that say about America?

The Barber of Seville steals the show with Figaro at the Lyric MJ Chen Arts Staff Onstage at the Lyric Opera, Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) is a riot and a half, with gorgeous sets, strong comedic writing, and some of the cleverest music ever composed. Why not take your sweetheart to see a rom-com this Valentine’s Day? As far as musical barbers go, Figaro (Nathan Gunn) is no Sweeney Todd.

Rossini’s crafty coiffeur plays matchmaker, not murderer. Throughout the opera, he works tirelessly to set his master up with the lovely Rosina (Isabel Leonard). But Bartolo (Alessandro Corbelli), her conniving guardian, has other plans: He plots to marry Rosina for himself and keep her considerable dowry.

The curtain opens to reveal a poor student serenading Rosina under her window. Count Almaviva (Alek Schrader) has disguised himself to woo her: He wants her to love him for himself and not his money. Running out of ideas, he asks Figaro, the city busybody, to help out and promises rich rewards. Figaro outlines two plans to sneak Almaviva into Bartolo’s house. The first, a drunk soldier disguise, fails horribly and the Count narrowly avoids arrest. The second, a substitute music teacher disguise, confirms Bartolo’s suspicions. He sends for a notary to draw up the marriage contract and locks Rosina in the attic to keep her eligible. Figaro and Almaviva enter by ladder through the window. Bartolo barges in on the shotgun wedding, but he is too late. The newlyweds pacify him by letting him keep

Rosina’s dowry—a happy ending.

Rossini’s music plays (pardon the pun) a key part in the opera’s comedy.

High energy and crackling with wit, its enthusiasm is contagious. Barber’s music is perhaps best known from Looney Tunes’ irreverent spoof The Rabbit of Seville, which sets the BugsElmer feud over the overture to the opera. As a tribute to Rossini’s masterful comedic timing, his original music is left largely intact. Busy strings buzz with energy under lyrical winds; brasses add pizzazz as the orchestra roars to a frenzy. The overture is just a taste of the riot to come.

Rossini gives most of the fun to his singers, as Il barbiere di Siviglia abounds with show-stopping arias and vocal fireworks. Who could forget Figaro’s famous “Largo al factotum” (“Make way for the factotum”) from Act I? Sung by the villainous baritone in Looney Tunes’ The Long-Haired Hare (Chuck Jones clearly had a thing for Rossini), the aria is notorious for its supersonic patter and the line FIGARO-FIGARO-FIGARO-FIGARO-FIGARO-FIGARO-FIGAROFIGARO-FIGARO-FIGARO. The challenge lies in balancing breakneck speed and bel canto lyricism. Without smoothness in the melodic line, Figaro risks choppiness; sing “Largo” largo and it gets boring. As the first thing he sings, the aria largely defines Figaro’s character for the rest of the opera. The key is to know when to play it up and when to be subtle: consistent idiocy gets old quick. As if that weren’t enough, Rossini throws in a devilish A4 as the ultimate test—only the best-endowed baritones dare stick it up so high.

From left to right: Figaro (Nathan Gunn), Rosina (Isabel Leonard), and Bartolo (Alessandro Corbelli).

COURTESY OF DAN REST

Rosina’s cavatina “Una voce poco fa” (“A little voice a while ago”) is another fan favorite. The melody is absolutely delectable, sweeter than syrup and a touch flirty. Rossini gives the soprano a chance to show off her coloratura—the agile, silvery component to her voice—with a myriad of runs and trills in the finale. Great performers

take a step beyond and add their own ornamentation, throwing in gorgeous high notes and extensive counter-melodies. As a character, Rosina needs to serve so-sweet-you’d-fall-for-her, girlnext-door realness. Isabel Leonard definitely looks the part: cute as a button, with girlish grace to match.

A final word is appropriate. It is often

said—by whom is up for debate—that “great artists steal.” And Rossini was a kleptomaniac composer if there ever was one. In a frenzy of musical autophagy, he stole compulsively from himself.

The melody from “Una voce poco fa,” written in 1775, appears again in his 1817 opera La cenerentola (Cinderella): a tune so nice he used it twice.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | ADVERTISEMENT | February 4, 2014

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | February 4, 2014

The Superfluous Bowl: an American (sport) in Paris Watching the Super Bowl from abroad is a thought-provoking experience for a former Sports editor

By Jake Walerius Sports Staff Never has a sporting event had less to do with the game actually being played on the field than in the case of the Super Bowl. I don’t think it’s particularly controversial to claim that the Super Bowl is more event than sport.

Malcolm Smith, Kam Chancellor, Percy Harvin, et al. beat up on the Denver Broncos for roughly 12 minutes on Sunday night. The amazing thing about the Super Bowl is that if you saw all 12 of those minutes you probably also saw an additional three and a half hours of advertising, singing, dancing, coin tossing, standing, glaring, foot stomping, thigh slapping, laminatedcard-covered whispering… well, the list goes on. The point is that for every minute of football the average Super Bowl viewer watched on Sunday, she also watched about 20 extra minutes of what I’m going to politely refer to as superfluous bullshit.

Except it isn’t superfluous (Though much of it may still be bullshit. Sorry, Bruno Mars.). To separate the running and the tackling from the showmanship and the Bud Light commercials is to separate the simple facts of the game from what makes the Super Bowl worth watching for millions of people around the country. After

years of complaining about how stupid the Super Bowl is, and wondering whether they would ever, maybe, just get on with the game, I have realized that all of that superfluous bullshit is just as much a part of the game as what goes on after the snap, and that to take it all away is to turn the world’s biggest sporting event into something very, very strange indeed.

I know this because, as most of you were probably settling down on your couch, nachos and beer in hand, to watch the coin toss, I (along with a few friends) was desperately scrambling around the Paris metro system trying to find a way out. In case you were wondering, I’m studying abroad in Paris this quarter.

One of the nice things about watching the Super Bowl in Paris is that kickoff is shortly after midnight, which, if you miscalculate the time difference and take shortly to mean about an hour and a half, leaves you just enough time to catch the last train towards the city center. One of the unpleasant things about watching the Super Bowl in Paris, as I also discovered last night, is that some metro stops (all of which have multiple exits), close most of those exits without telling you. You’re left to find an increasingly worrying number of barred ways out until, as the image of you and your friends huddled for warmth around a vending machine as you try and survive the night deep underground in the Paris metro system impresses itself more and more vividly onto your mind, you chance upon a very kind janitor who shows you the way to freedom. Suffice to say, my Paris Super Bowl Adventure got off to an inauspicious start.

Things didn’t seem to be getting any better when, added to the list of things I was having trouble finding, was a place to watch the game. There were already five minutes gone in the first quarter when I was denied entry to the bar I had planned on watching the game in. It may or may not be worth pointing out that this particular bar was Canadian (called The Moose, no less), so maybe this was just the world’s way of telling me that watching the Super Bowl in Paris was one thing, but watching the Super Bowl in Paris in a Canadian bar was crossing some whole other sort of stereotype-defying line.

Eventually, with the help of two fellow Moose rejects, we made our way to what was probably the last place I had envisaged myself watching the Super Bowl: a jazz bar. But, as I was in the process of learning the hard way, beggars can’t be choosers, so we settled down in what was, probably, quite a nice place to enjoy some jazz, but was almost certainly the most surreal place I’ve ever watched a football game. It was already pretty clear at that point (and it was only the start of the second quarter) that the game itself wasn’t going to be much of a contest, which at least gave me a chance to process what exactly was going on. What was going on was that I was watching the Super Bowl on beIN Sports. In French. Now, I had more or less accepted at that point that I was going to miss the ads, the American announcers, basically all of the things that are there to remind you, to reassure you, that you are actually watching the Super Bowl and that you haven’t accidently stumbled into some horrible nightmare in which

High level of competition helps in UAA prep TRACK continued from back

Other highlights included fourthyear Dan Povitsky and second-year Michael Bennett. Povitsky took fifth in the 5000-meter run with his time of 15:01.93.

Converting from a flat to a banked track, he ranks 20th in the nation in the event.

Bennett took first in the pole vault in a meet that featured numerous athletes who will likely qualify for nationals. Bennett’s solid vault of 4.75 meters came short of his season best and current qualifying height of 4.9 meters.

The Whitewater Invitational provided much stronger competition than the Maroons will see in their conference, and likely the best competition they will see in the remainder of the regular season. Thus, the seventh-place finish should not be a massive concern.

“Competing against top-ranked teams goes a long way in preparing for the conference championships,” Jones said. “Opportunities such as these give us much needed experience.”

The Maroons now have two home meets and a matchup in nearby Naperville before they travel to Boston where Brandeis will play host to the UAA Championships.

Short of the Chicagoland Championships in Naperville, the Maroons will face much feebler foes in their home bouts and have a chance to really focus on improving for the conference meet.

This weekend, the South Siders will host the Windy City Rumble in Henry Crown.

Snow shouldn’t be an issue as the women will make their first appearance in two weeks and as the men will look to improve on last weekend’s performance.

Maroons to rematch Emory and Rochester WBASKETBALL continued from back

high 29 points, leading the free-scoring Chicago offense. Ely went 5–9 from threepoint range, as the team went an astounding 10–18 from beyond the arc and 31–62 on field goals overall. Devaney scored 18 points and led Chicago’s defense with seven rebounds, marking her seventh game in a row with at least ten points.

After an intense weekend of exciting games, Chicago will do an about-face and prepare for home encounters against (drumroll, please…you guessed it!) Emory (15–3, 4–3) and Rochester (7–11, 1–6).

The game against Emory will take place at Ratner on Friday at 6 p.m., while the rematch versus Rochester will happen at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

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you narrowly escape being trapped in the metro just so you can spend four hours watching a game you have no vested interest in. But nothing really could have prepared me for what I got in place of this.

To say that the French don’t really get football would be something of an understatement. As you listened to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman go over the Xs and Os and watched Arnold Schwarzenegger play Ping-Pong, we in France were welcomed back to the beIN Sports studio, where our host for the evening introduced us to his panel of “experts.” To put those scare quotes into perspective, one of those experts was French rapper Lord Kossity, who told us that he preferred soccer before asking why there weren’t more women in the audience. There was also time, before the game resumed, to show the audience a graphic claiming that famouslySuper-Bowl-ring-less Dan Marino had, in fact, won a Super Bowl. I sat there, dumbstruck, and, as the muted sounds of the funk three piece playing in the basement wafted over me, decided that halftime would be as good a moment as any to find somewhere else to watch the game.

I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do when you walk up to a bar during a Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks and realize you’re standing next to a Colts fan in a Manning jersey talking to a Redskins fan in an RGIII jersey, but it almost certainly isn’t to be reassured by the fact that you’re surrounded by serious NFL fans. Still, I think it was clear that dream had died around the time Lord Kossity claimed (not incorrectly, in his defense) that it would be

difficult for the Broncos to come back.

If the Seahawks hadn’t already won the game in the first half, they won it as soon as Percy Harvin returned the opening kick of the second half for an 87-yard touchdown. It was right around then that I realized the sport was over and I kind of wanted some of the event.

As the game wore on and the French people surrounding me (some of whom probably knew a reasonable amount about the game) continued to revel in the fact that they were actually watching the Super Bowl in Paris at three in the morning, I couldn’t ignore how weird it felt.

People (not including fans of the competing teams, who watch for other reasons) are supposed to watch the Super Bowl because it’s the Super Bowl. A lot of neutrals will root for one of the teams, maybe even with good reason. But when it comes down to it, they watch because, whether they are a football fan or not, the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl, and everybody watches the Super Bowl.

Except in France not everybody watches the Super Bowl. And with good reason: because it starts after midnight, and they play rugby in France and rugby is better, and football is probably the most untranslatable American thing there is, and the Super Bowl is the most football-y thing there is, and why would you spend four hours watching a game that only takes 12 minutes anyway?

Because, as the old cliché goes, it’s more than a game. The problem is that more superfluous bullshit only really makes sense in America. Anywhere else, as I now know, it’s just superfluous.

In the Chatter’s Box with Sarah Langs Mario Palmisano is a third-year on the wrestling team from Willoughby Hills, OH. We chatted with him to get some insider info on the life of a Maroon athlete. pretty disconnected between the professional version we see on TV (people in crazy outfits with outrageous nicknames and steroid-fueled muscles) and then the collegiate and high school version.

Do you follow any professional wrestling at all?

MP: “Professional wrestling” or WWE is just show business stuff. I don’t follow any of that.

Wrestling as a sport has an international scene, including international tournaments and the Olympics.

CM: What’s your favorite sport? Favorite team in the sport?

Chicago Maroon: How long have you been wrestling?

MP: I am pretty partial to wrestling and football because those are the two that I have played extensively, but I also very much enjoy all sorts of other sports like baseball, track, soccer, and volleyball. I don’t really follow sports on TV very much, but if I had to say then I would pick the Browns and the Indians since I’m from Cleveland.

Mario Palmisano: Officially I have been wrestling since the seventh grade, but I started wrestling my uncles and cousins long before that.

CM: Did you watch the Super Bowl? What did you think? Do you think any of those linemen wrestled in high school?

CM: Did you always know you’d wrestle in college?

MP: Yes, I watched the Super Bowl. I didn’t have any particular favorite, but I wish it would have been a closer game. That would have made it a little more exciting. I’m sure some of the linemen wrestled in high school. A lot of coaches encourage that of their linemen because it helps you learn how to leverage your weight pretty effectively.

COURTESY OF BEN PENNISI

MP: I didn’t originally want to wrestle in college due to the academic intensity here, but I decided that I would miss it too much if I stopped.

CM: Wrestling, to me, seems like a sport that’s

SPORTS

IN QUOTES “Please nobody tell me who won the #SuperBowl. I recorded it and am looking forward to watching what I expect will be a very close game.”

—Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira tweets, around halftime of the game, that he plans to watch it later

You win some, you lose some: Chicago sees both sides of the coin Men’s Basketball Mary MacLeod Sports Staff This weekend, the South Siders (11–7, 4–3 UAA) went 1–1 on the road to finish up the first half of UAA play. The team started off strong, besting Emory (12–6, 4–3) by nine, before losing to Rochester (8-10, UAA 2-5) by 10.

“Against Emory, the game plan defensively was to be with their shooters on the catch because they have a bunch of guys that can really score,” said fourth-year forward Sam Gage. “Also, we felt like we had an advantage inside so we made a concerted effort rebounding.”

However, despite their efforts to shut down Emory’s shooters, the game started off quickly, with both teams shooting a combined 69.2 percent from the field.

Yet both the Maroons and the Eagles cooled off with around 12 minutes left in the half, and the game turned into a defensive battle. Emory slowly gained a 30–22 lead, before Chicago went on a 13–2 run to end the first half—highlighted by a steal from third-year guard Royce Muskeyvalley that he converted into an easy layup at the other end.

The score was tied at 35 at the break.

Coming into the second half, Chicago went back to its game plan and relied heavily on its rebounding

power to try and gain an edge, outrebounding their competition by five. However, despite their efforts on the boards and the sharpshooting of second-year guard Jordan Smith, the Maroons found themselves going cold, only putting in 2–11 from beyond the arc, while Emory went 6–12.

After going down by five, the Maroons found their fire as fourth-year guard Derrick Davis and Gage started pouring on the points, giving Chicago a 60–50 lead. Nevertheless, Emory fought all the way to the end, taking advantage of Chicago’s poor free throw shooting to bring the game within three. However, the Eagles missed their last five shots and fell to the South Siders by nine with a final score of 69–60.

The Maroons then traveled to New York to take on Rochester, a team that plays a similar style of ball to the Eagles.

“Our game plan against Rochester was similar to ours against Emory. We wanted to take away their shooters and really attack the boards,” Smith said.

The Maroons failed to take away the Yellowjackets’ offense, however, as the home team went up 11–2 in the opening minutes. In fact, Chicago had offensive problems of their own, going 1–9 from the field and turning over the ball five times. Layups from fourth-

year guard Wayne Simon and second-year forward Nate Brooks got the ball rolling, and Chicago went into the half down 27–17.

Chicago edged closer in the beginning of the second half, as Brooks went to work in the paint to bring his team within six. But Rochester would not let Chicago get much closer than that, as they were able to hit from beyond the arc to keep their lead. The Maroons put on a last-ditch effort led by the back-to-back threes of second-year forward Alex Voss, but ultimately fell to the Yellowjackets by 10, with a score of 66–56.

“Rochester was tougher than us and played harder,” Gage said. “They were able to score on us inside and got to the 50–50 balls. Those two things were really the difference in the game as we were really able to finish defensive possessions when we were trying to get back into the game.”

Ultimately, his assessment of Chicago’s performance is right on the mark, as the Maroons were able to force Rochester into 13 turnovers and won the rebounding battle, with 21–11 offensive glass edge.

The Maroons look to stay above a .500 average in the second half of their season, starting with their rematch against Emory this Friday.

Tip-off against the Eagles is at 8 p.m. at Ratner Athletics Center.

Third-year guard Royce Muskeyvalley elevates for a layup against NYU’s secondyear center Costis Gontikas during the home Neon Night game on January 17.

FRANK WANG | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Maroons split conference weekend Women’s Basketball Adam Freymiller Sports Staff The Maroons (10–8, 4–3 UAA) were back in action this past weekend, playing two more conference games on the road against Emory (15–3, 4–3) and Rochester (7–11, 1–6).

Their packed weekend began on Friday evening, as they squared off against the No. 17 Eagles in Atlanta. The Maroons managed to keep pace with Emory’s uptempo offense throughout the first 10 minutes of the first half, but the Eagles caught fire from beyond the arc, draining 50 percent (5–10) of their three-point attempts in the half to open up a significant lead. While Chicago did their best to keep up, their efforts were mitigated by nine Emory steals, which accounted for a significant portion of their 13 turnovers in the first half and 26 on the day. By halftime, Emory led 50–33, and it appeared that the game was out of reach.

Chicago, however, had other intentions. They responded positively following the break to find and take their offensive chances, and trimmed the once-gaping chasm built by the Eagles to a four-point deficit with 2:46 remaining. The remainder of the game turned into a battle of attrition, as Emory managed to sink enough of their free throws to see out the game 86–78.

One of the silver linings of the game was the performance of third-year guard Claire Devaney, who scored 16 points in the second half and 22 on the day, in addition to pulling down eight rebounds to commandeer Chicago’s courageous comeback charge.

Clearly, it had an energizing impact on the team, and will be a positive takeaway from the loss.

The weekend concluded on a high note for the Maroons though, as they defeated Rochester in a tight game on Sunday afternoon. While it looked as if Chicago might slide to a sec-

ond consecutive defeat after they trailed by seven points late in the first half, the Maroons always seemed to conjure a riposte and come up with plays to stay in the game. Although the Yellowjackets re-opened a modest 55–46 lead with 14 minutes left, Chicago scored six unanswered points to keep their hopes alive.

Chicago took their first lead of the second half following a Devaney layup with eight minutes to go, and managed to maintain this for nearly the rest of the game. Although the margins remained watertight in the last few minutes, first-year forward Britta Nordstrom scored five huge points in the final minute to give Chicago an insurmountable four point lead with 16 seconds to go, and Chicago finished the game as 88– 85 victors.

Fourth-year guard Maggie Ely added another memorable performance to the final season in her senior career by scoring a careerWBASKETBALL continued on page 11

Men finish seventh, women snowed out in Wisconsin Track & Field Isaac Stern Sports Staff Of over 80 DIII track and field meets nationwide this past weekend, the USTFCCA named the Leonard “Squig” Whitewater Invitational as the meet of the week. The meet featured five top-10 teams and nationallyranked competitors in almost every event. Amid the intense competition, the men squeezed out a seventh place finish on Friday.

The women did not make the trip on Saturday as the Maroons withdrew due to safety concerns with heavy snow.

“The team competed well against some of the best teams in the country,” first-year Gareth Jones said. “The team did a good job in rising to the level of competition, especially the first-years.”

In a season that started off against some easier competition,

first-year Maroons got a chance to race against the best teams in the nation and held up against the adversity well. Of the top four Maroons to finish in the mile, two were first-years. Firstyear Nicholas Nielsen missed out on scoring by a mere two seconds to second-year Michael Frasco, who came in eighth in the event.

In the 800, first-year Jeremy Ferguson led the team with his time of 2:00.89, finishing 14th, only three seconds short of a scoring time. Jones had a spectacular meet himself, taking first for the Maroons and sixth overall in the 3,000-meter run and breaking Chicago’s freshman record in the event.

“I had a very good race. I broke the freshman record by four seconds, running 8:42.7 in the 3k,” Jones said. “This was also a [personal record].”

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