021114 Chicago Maroon

TUESDAY • FEBRUARY 11, 2014

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

MAB revives Winter Comedy Show

University under federal investigation for sexual assault policy Joy Crane Associate News Editor

The Major Activities Board will be bringing Chicago comedian Hannibal Buress to campus on March 1.

COURTESY OF THE KNITTING FACTORY

Carissa Eclarin Maroon Contributor The Major Activities Board (MAB) has announced stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress as this year’s Winter Comedy Show

headline act. The show will be held on March 1.

Buress’ performance will resurrect the annual Winter Comedy Show after a budget cut prompted MAB to cancel COMEDY continued on page 2

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has launched a campus-wide investigation into the University of Chicago’s potential breach of Title IX, a law to prevent sex-based discrimination law.

Stemming from a student’s formal complaint placed with the Office on March 15, 2013, OCR will now broaden its investigation to assess the University’s policies and practices regarding sexual misconduct. The federal investigation will involve a review of University records, interviews with staff members, and student focus groups.

Fourth-year Olivia Ortiz filed the original complaint on the claim that the University had mishandled disciplinary procedures after she was sexually assaulted by her then-partner, who has since graduated, over the course of the 2011–2012 academic year. OCR accepted her case in June 2013, based both on the content of Ortiz’s original complaint and on the Maroon Sexual Assault Investigative series from fall

Additional online courses to be offered this spring Sarah Manhardt News Staff Following its first foray into online learning during autumn quarter, UChicago will expand its massive open online course (MOOC) offerings this spring. According to Deputy Provost

ISSUE 26 • VOLUME 125

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

for Research Roy Weiss, UChicago plans to offer six MOOCs in total, three on the platform Coursera, and three on the platform edX. In the fall, UChicago offered two MOOCs on Coursera: Booth professor John Cochrane taught Asset Pricing, and Geophysi-

2012, which was cited in the original complaint.

However, the launch of a campuswide investigation, which was made known to University officials in midJanuary, is not based solely on Ortiz’s original complaint. After a limited investigation of Ortiz’s case last quarter, OCR will now widen the scope of its inquiry.

“I got a call from my lawyer, and she said they will be opening an investigation of the entire campus. Based on the findings of my investigation, they decided it was appropriate to open a new investigation of the entire campus,” Ortiz said.

Lawyers from Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE), Ortiz’s legal counsel, were not able to comment but did confirm that they represent Ortiz in an ongoing investigation.

The first OCR focus group convened Thursday afternoon, bringingtogether six students from anti–sexual violence student groups and two OCR attorneys. Students were asked about the campus climate of sexual violence, but the discussion centered on the

University’s disciplinary process for accusations of sexual assault, according to third-year Veronica Portillo Heap, the director of the Clothesline Project. “[The lawyers] stressed that their presence [on campus] does not indicate that the University is in the right or in the wrong,” Heap said. “They said that these investigations culminate in a ‘letter of findings’ that states whether an institution is or is not in compliance with Title IX.” The University has said that it has made every effort to comply with the OCR inquiry and will incorporate any OCR findings into its own efforts to reexamine the student disciplinary processes for cases of sexual misconduct, unlawful harassment, and discrimination. As a part of this separate examination, Provost Thomas Rosenbaum has convened a faculty committee to review the issue further, the University announced in a press release last week.

“The University is committed to ensuring that its educational programs and work environment are free from unlawful discrimination under Title ASSAULT continued on page 2

Second-year to compete in college Jeopardy! tournament

cal sciences professor David Archer offered Global Warming : The Science of Climate Change, which he will offer again in the spring. New this spring : Neurobiolog y professor Pegg y Mason will teach Understanding the Brain: MOOCS continued on page 2

Student Government donates $1,500 to veteran shelter Sarah Manhardt News Staff Student Government (SG) recently donated $1,500 to the Remake The World (RTW) Veteran Center, which serves veterans, youth, and the general public in Washington Park.

The Center, which offers a shelter, warming center, and soup kitchen among a variety of other programs, was forced to shut down on

January 22, when its pipes froze and burst due to freezing temperatures.

“We consider our donation of $1,500 to represent a one-cent donation on behalf of (more or less) each student at the University,” SG President and fourthyear Michael McCown wrote in an e-mail.

According to a DNAinfo Chicago article, the total damage to RTW amounted to around $4,000. As

of now, most of the Center’s services, including its hot meals program, are still suspended, according to co-founder Arnetha Gholston-Habeel. Despite the closing, however, the Center is still transporting people to work in its vans and working on a referral basis for housing and employment opportunities, Gholston-Habeel said.

McCown became aware VETERAN continued on page 2

Second-year Laurie Beckoff will be competing in the two-week-long Jeopardy!

College Championship for $100,000.

COURTESY OF JEOPARDY PRODUCTIONS, INC.

Preston Thomas News Staff Laurie Beckoff has been a fan of Jeopardy! for as long as she can remember. After auditioning in New York last April, she won a spot on the 2014

Jeopardy! College Championship, the first episode of which airs in Chicago on WLS-TV at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

For Beckoff, a second-year in the College, the game show has been a lifelong passion.

“I’ve been watching Jeopardy!

my entire life. When we eat dinner [in my family], we put on Jeopardy!”

In order to audition, she explained, one must pass a 50-question online test.

Among those who pass the SHOW continued on page 2

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

Absence of communication » Page 3

In Logan gallery, artists contemplate alternate dimensions » Page 5

Maroons redeem themselves in rematch weekend» Back Page

With After the Disco, Broken Bells ring in sophomore slump » Page 6

Women’s squad dominates home meet with 14 wins » Page 11

Just friends » Page 3

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | February 11, 2014

2

Student and lifelong fan plays Jeopardy! against 14 other college students for $100,000 SHOW continued from front

test, a few are randomly selected for auditions. Then, those selected must take another 50-question test, followed by practice games and interviews.

As a teenager, she auditioned three times for Teen Jeopardy! This time, she finally made it past the audition and onto the show, which was filmed at its main studio in Culver City, California in January.

“It was surreal. It was an amazing experience because I just spent my entire life watching that show and seeing that set –And to meet Alex Trebek—it was just insane,” she said.

The winner of the col-

lege tournament is awarded $100,000 and an automatic spot in Jeopardy!’s Tournament of Champions. Beckoff competed against 14 other college students, each representing different institutions, including Harvard, UCLA, Duke, Princeton, UC Berkeley, and Vanderbilt. She spent most of her winter break preparing to face those competitors.

“Jeopardy! has a website where they have all of their old seasons with, like, every single question and every result – So I did the old college tournaments. I just watched every night. I practiced ringing with a pin. I also did some random trivia.”

For anyone aspiring to make

it on to the show, she recommends not just learning trivia, but learning the ins and outs of the game itself. “Just watching the show is the best way to practice,” she said.

A dancer and an actress who has been heavily involved with University Theater, Beckoff is used to the spotlight. Nonetheless, she admitted, being on national television was still a nerve-racking experience.

“Filming is always a little scary. If you misspeak, it’s going to be caught on there,” she said. “But at the same time, you kind of have to accept everyone’s going to say something silly at one point. You just [have] to enjoy the game.”

14,000 enrolled in Global Warming MOOC MOOCS continued from front

The Neurobiolog y of Everyday Life. UChicago has not yet announced what MOOCs will be offered on edX. MOOCs generally consist of short lecture videos by the professors, followed by reading assignments, problem sets, forum discussions, and a final project or exam. UChicago partnered with Coursera after forming two committees in September 2012 to investigate the possibility of online courses. MOOCs are free and open to the public and usually attract thousands of viewers.

According to Cochrane, approximately 4,000 people watched all of the videos for his Asset Pricing course, modeled after his second-year Ph.D. class taught on campus. Around 400 completed the work for the class and took the final exam.

Archer designed Global Warming : The Science of Climate Change based on his popular Core class. He said that 14,000 people enrolled in the class, a few thousand watched all the videos, and 500 took the final exam.

MOOCs are generally designed to appeal to a wide audience, but due to the difficulty of his course,

NEWS IN BRIEF Center in Delhi names director The University announced the appointment of Bharath Visweswariah as the inaugural executive director of the new UChicago Center in Delhi, on Monday.

His duties will consist of overseeing the staffing and administrative functions of

Cochrane emphasized that he and the University were interested in targeting a specific audience. He said that many alums, industry employees, and Ph.D. students took the class.

In contrast, Mason developed her neurobiolog y MOOC to be accessible at any knowledge level.

“Part of my social contract in having this incredible job is sharing it with as many people as possible, and the [MOOC] enables me to share it with anyone, regardless of ability to pay or where they live,” she said.

Both Archer and Cochrane gave presentations about their MOOCs to the Provost’s Oversite Committee on OnLine Learning (POCOL) after autumn quarter.

“The question of evaluation is a very important one and the POCOL is actively developing criteria used for evaluation. This is a large issue that all peer institutions are grappling with, and we have experts in education evaluation on our faculty looking at this specific question,” Weiss said in an e-mail.

Cochrane emphasized the effort necessary to develop a MOOC. “One lesson for me, for the people in the University thinking about these

things, is it does cost a lot of time and resources to put together. You don’t just slap up your Core class in a MOOC. So as we get into this, we have to face that it’s hard and expensive to put them together,” he said.

Weiss said the University’s choice to fund MOOCs is part of a broader University effort to expand technolog y.

“This is a complicated analysis, as although there are funds available for this, it is combined with and included in a general budget for utilizing technolog y in all our teaching endeavors,” Weiss said.

The POCOL has three goals for MOOCs: enhancing residential learning, showcasing the University’s academic experience, and driving toward innovative teaching methods.

Archer speculated that the University’s interests lie mainly in showcasing the University.

“I think they view this as marketing, because each of the film clips has ‘University of Chicago’ pretty at-the-beginning, and a lot of these classes look like the University’s really put a lot of work into them, like some kind of marketing arms race thing going on. I don’t really understand it,” Archer said.

the Center and carrying out its overall strategic vision.

Visweswariah has an extensive background in business and management, having worked as a project manager at McKinsey & Company and most recently as a managing director at CEB Asia since 2006. He holds a Bachelors of Technology in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology–Madras and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.

In a University press release, Gary Tubb, the Center’s faculty director, highlighted Visweswariah’s role in the Center’s future.

“The faculty steering committee and I look forward to working with him to make the UChicago Center in Delhi a destination of choice for scholars from across the disciplines,” Tubb said.

The Center will open this March, joining the University’s other hubs in Beijing and Paris.

—Thomas Choi

Sexual assault awareness increases across campus ASSAULT continued from ftont

IX,” University spokesperson Steve Kloehn said in an e-mail.

Per the Department of Education’s guidelines, the investigation will finish in fewer than 180 days. The University has also pledged to implement a revised disciplinary process by July 1.

After going to Dean of Students Susan Art (A.M. ’74) with a complaint of sexual assault in June 2012, Ortiz claims that she was offered and encouraged to seek informal mediation, a process in which the accused and accuser are brought into the same room to discuss the incident.

“The offer of an informal mediation between a sexual assault survivor and perpetrator is prohibited under Title IX,” the supplement to the complaint said. “It is also prohibited by the University’s own policies, even on a voluntary basis, in matters involving allegations of sexual assault.”

Art categorized the accusation of assault as a “dispute between students,” according to Ortiz and the original complaint filed by Ortiz’s attorney.

However, in an e-mail sent to Ortiz in November 2012 following a Maroon article, Art stated that her “recollection of our conversation was quite different” and invited Ortiz for a follow-up conversation, which Ortiz declined. All efforts by the Maroon to speak with

University officials were directed to Kloehn.

“What I told [Art] was how the University defines a sexual assault. To reclassify it, and to almost convince me of thinking that it was something else, makes me very wary that the University is under-reporting sexual assaults. This does no help whatsoever,” Ortiz said.

Under-reporting of cases of sexual assault violates the Clery Act, a federal law that requires universities to report information regarding criminal activity on campus.

Representatives from the Department of Education could not be reached on Monday for comment, but Kloehn stated that OCR has not characterized the campus investigation as a Clery compliance inquiry.

In recent years, the Department of Education has made ardent strides to clamp down on campus sex crimes, which affects one in five women and 6.1 percent of men. Last month, President Obama announced a new task force to address sexual assault on college campuses.

OCR is also investigating or has previously investigated Yale University, Dartmouth College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Swarthmore College, and Amherst College, among others.

This year has also seen an uptick in sexual assault survivor and awareness student groups on campus. Since this past sum-

mer, the director of resources for sexual violence prevention has become a full-time employee position (having previously been a part-time role), and Student Government has founded its first sexual assault working group, which aims to educate incoming first-years about their rights, both at the legal and at the University level.

Ortiz herself has gone on to help found the Phoenix Survivor Alliance, a sexual assault survivor group, which published a 52-page resource and rights guide for the University of Chicago community last quarter.

While the support group run out of Student Health Services, only accepts women, Phoenix accepts individuals irrespective of their gender identification.

As part of the investigation into her case, Ortiz sat down for a five-hour interview with an OCR attorney in September 2013.

“Most importantly, I really wanted [UChicago] to be more adherent to their own policies. Survivors shouldn’t have to worry about the law being broken when they go to somebody for help. They should know their rights up-front, and if these rights are violated, who they can contact,” she said. “I didn’t want anything monetary out of it. Most importantly I wanted an apology from the school. It’s pretty much those two things, just improvements and an apology.”

MAB’s winter show to adopt new comedy club–style setting in Cloister Club COMEDY continued from front

last year’s performance to preserve more resources for Summer Breeze. This year, MAB’s funding was restored to its usual level, which allowed it to hold events each quarter, according to fourth-year and MAB Chair Jack Friedman.

“MAB first had to decide whether or not to bring back the comedy show….

Once we had a format, Hannibal was our first choice, and we were lucky that he was available to play one of the dates that we had available,” Friedman said. “He is an act on the rise, and MAB is trying to keep a laser-like focus on booking up-and-coming talent for all of our events

this year.”

Friedman also noted Buress’ unique stand-up act, which involves performing alongside a DJ. “[It] should make for a vibrant and engaging show,” Friedman said.

Buress’ popularity in the comedy world as a writer for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock and his appearances on late-night talk shows further contributed to MAB’s selection. Buress put out two albums, My Name is Hannibal in 2010 and Hannibal Buress: Animal Furnace, in 2012.

His upcoming projects include his own hour-long Comedy Central special, Hannibal Buress: Live from Chicago, taped at Chicago’s Vic Theatre, a performance

at Bonnaroo, and a role in Seth Rogen’s upcoming film The Neighbors.

For the first time, MAB has also decided to move the show from Mandel Hall to Ida Noyes’s Cloister Club.

“We wanted to preserve a campus tradition and also felt that we could reintroduce the comedy show in a fresh way after its hiatus,” Friedman said. “[Mandel Hall] didn’t seem like the right venue for the kind of event we wanted to put on. The Cloister Club will allow us to host the event in a comedy club setup and establish a new format for the Winter Show. We are eager to see how the student body responds.”

Owners of shelter donated their pensions VETERAN continued from front

of RTW Veteran Center’s situation and visited the Center with second-year Tyler Kissinger, SG community and government liaison, last week. The donation came out of SG’s administrative budget, which is distributed from the Student Life Fee. SG’s cabi-

net voted to distribute the money through a purchase order, which Senior Director of Student Life Sarah Cunningham approved.

“The owners have depleted their pension and life insurances for repairs in order to continue operating, and frankly are so deserving of as much sup-

port as we can give them,” Kissinger wrote in an email.

According to McCown, SG hopes the donation will be the beginning of a relationship between the University and the RTW Veteran Center and is developing plans for further involvement.

VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed FEBRUARY 11, 2014

Absence of communication Students should have an advocate when navigating the leave of absence process 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 JULIA REINITZ Photo Editor PETER TANG Photo Editor FRANK YAN Photo Editor

As Grey City reported earlier this quarter, the University of Chicago has one of the country’s most relaxed leave of absence (LOA) policies. This flexibility allows students greater freedom to complete their education on the timeline that best suits them, but some students who have left the school for mental health reasons felt ushered out when they left and unwelcome when they returned. While many of these students did feel that their leaves of absence were beneficial to them, the way the administration handled many of these cases points to a need for clearer communication between students and the University offices involved, which could be remedied with new guidelines regarding mental health leaves.

Some students suffering mental health issues felt forced to take leaves by the administration.

Administrators’ handling of this process should not feel coercive, but in the best interest of the student. Given that these students are in times of mental and emotional duress, and therefore not always

best equipped to deal with navigating the logistical details and timing of their own leave, the University should encourage students to have an advocate to assist them with meetings and correspondence regarding their leaves of absence.

This advocate could be a parent, private doctor, resident head, academic adviser, or simply a good friend. While this is not a cureall, having an ally to rely upon will help distressed students make the best decision for themselves, as well as improve communication with the administration.

Fourth-year Olivia Ortiz told Grey City that when she took a mandated mental health leave last spring, she had to move out of her dorm room in just a few days, and was given no information or guidance as to where she could stay while regaining her footing. While it is understandable that students are moved out of University housing when taking an LOA, care should be taken to ensure that the speed at which they are asked to do so is reasonable. Every case is different, but students taking sudden

leaves should be given enough time to make plans for accommodations before being asked to move out.

Students have had issues in the past surrounding communication not only at the time of their leave, but also at the time of their return.

Recent graduate Natalie Jerkins (A.B. ’10), who took a leave of absence due to an eating disorder, told Grey City that the requirements for her return were unclear, and that the administration denied her request to return even after her private doctors vouched for her. The conditions for every student’s return should, at the time of her departure, be agreed upon by the student, relevant administrators, and the advocate. Although it is University policy that requirements for readmission are given to students in written form, the presence of an advocate ensures that these requirements are both mutually agreed upon and clear for all involved. Furthermore, the LOA policy necessitates that the requirements be in writing, but it says nothing about their specificity. It should be clearly delineated

what is expected of the student and her caretakers before return to the University is permitted. This will ensure that students come back only when they are ready, and also help prevent the University from arbitrarily prohibiting students’ returns.

Clearly communicating the expectations and process leading up to taking an LOA can help improve University-wide attitudes toward mental health. These improvements to the LOA policy will make it clear that the administration prioritizes the well-being of the student above all. Students who are coping with mental health issues should not be deterred from taking a leave merely because the guidelines are unclear. It is our responsibility as a school to cultivate an environment that allows students to make the decisions that are best for them without having to worry about the policy ambiguities.

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

COLIN BRADLEY Grey City Editor JOY CRANE Grey City Editor SINDHUGNANASAMBANDAN Assoc.NewsEditor ALEX HAYS Assoc. News Editor STEPHANIE XIAO Assoc. News Editor TATIANA FIELDS Assoc. Sports Editor

Just friends Platonic friendships should not be considered emotionally inferior to sexual relationships

SAM ZACHER Assoc. Sports Editor

TYRONALD JORDAN Business Manager TAMER BARSBAY Director of Business Research 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

Clair Fuller

Navigating Nuance I am deeply in love with my best friend. She’s the person I want to speak to whenever something goes wrong, the person I want to share my happiest moments with, and someone I know will be in my life forever. Luckily, she feels the same way. Even luckier, my boyfriend has come to terms with all of this.

Our relationship is one that is apparently hard to pin down. Though we’ve both described our friendship as “the most uncomplicated relationship” in either of our lives right now, it is easily misconstrued by others. We feature so

heavily in each other’s stories that people often assume we’re roommates. The staff at the hair salon where we always book appointments together almost certainly assumed we were a couple for months. A (straight, male) housemate watched her kiss me on the cheek in greeting and said, apparently delighted, “You’re so sexual with each other!”

All of these assessments miss the mark in different ways. We’re not having sex, nor are we dating. But to brush away these assumptions with a breezy, “No, we’re just really good friends” seems somehow like selling both our-

selves and our friendship short. To me, there is nothing “just” about our friendship. Though our relationship is not romantic, I feel sometimes like we make a better couple than a lot of the real couples I know. Though there’s nothing sexual between us, expressing physical affection comes easily. But more than that—we are each other’s partners, in life if not in romance.

Denying, qualifying, or minimizing this partnership, or the feelings of partnership and love I feel with many of the people in my life, does a disservice to the power and importance those relationships hold for me. More and more, I become disillusioned with the idea that our social lives are supposed to be organized around just one significant other who is supposed to be significant

in a myriad of ways.

The person you date, love, and marry is supposed to fill an almost impossible number of roles in your life. We are supposed to marry our best friend, who should also be our lover, our sexual partner, our professional equal, our spiritual soul mate, the ideal co-parent of hypothetical future children, an eternally stimulating conversationalist, a compatible roommate, and someone who can be trusted to make major decisions in emergency situations, merge seamlessly into our preexisting family and social lives, and remain a pleasant companion until death do us part.

Imagine the absurdity of approaching other relationships that way—if instead of having different friends who were FRIENDSHIP continued on page 4

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

Ask not what your service can do for you Why we serve the community is just as important as which community we serve

Grace Koh

Of Airs and Graces “So, what time is it?” I ask for what feels like the 100th time. My fingers tighten around the cardboard yellow clock propped against my chest as I tell myself over and over again to be patient.

The little girl stares blankly at the clock I’ve set to 11:15 and, after what feels like eternity, answers, “3:55?” I take a slow breath and explain to her once again that the small hand points to the hour and the big hand points to the minute.

Eventually she says she’s too tired to work, and I feel the same way.

Week after week I volunteer with

special needs students at the local elementary school, reinforcing the same topics to the same kids again and again.

I’m no longer discouraged. At this point, I’m just exhausted. With internship season ripening and the quarter in heavy bloom, I seriously question why I ever trudge my way over there after class.

I, like everyone else on campus, only have so much time to give. What if I partnered with a bigger organization to fundraise for clean water around the world or for computers in rural China,

bringing in actual money and seeing actual progress? Isn’t that more worth my time than this mundane tutoring position, where all I do is walk through multiplication problem after multiplication problem with kids who don’t even seem to care?

Countless nonprofits and student organizations on campus battle for my time. People around me are shoving a million causes, goals, and strategies of all different shapes and sizes in my face. Suddenly I find myself comparing movements and organizations, choosing the ones I think are more worth fighting for.

Tutoring? That’s nice, but how about being on the front lines of the fight for social justice as an intern for the Immi-

grant Justice Center?

Perhaps I just wasn’t passionate about my work with special needs students anymore. Honestly, the only things keeping me in that classroom were the pressure to stay true to my commitments and the idea that caring about equality for people with disabilities had become part of my identity. When people made an insensitive joke about disabilities, my friends all looked to me to say something about it, and I reveled in having a unique passion.

But something felt lopsided, and I noticed that I was making what was supposed to be a selfless process all about myself.

The first time I ever walked into a SERVICE continued on page 4

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | February 11, 2014

4

We expect our significant others to fill an unrealistic amount of roles in our lives FRIENDSHIP continued from page 3 ideal for studying with, crying with, drinking with, working out with, etc., we sought out one perfect individual and then entered with this person into a legal contract of friendship that could be implicitly violated by seeking other forms of support from other people.

The reality of human relationships falls far short of this nuclear-family ideal. Perhaps there is a definite difference between the love one feels for a significant other and the love one feels for close friends, or perhaps we’re only socialized to feel such a difference. Regardless, such a narrow definition of partnership and strict adherence to a rigid hierarchy of relationships that privileges romance and sex over platonic connection and support only serve to close us off to opportunities for fulfilling and loving relationships, which can take all forms.

None of this is meant to undermine monogamous romantic relationships, or justify breaching a significant other’s trust and “going outside the relationship.” For me, monogamy or the lack thereof doesn’t even come into play here. I don’t think polyamory is right for everyone or the only model by which to live a rich and fulfilling life. In-

stead—if you’ll allow me to invent some terms—I want to hear more discussion of more amorphous concepts like polyintimacy and polycommitment, of honoring and experiencing different relationships in ways that feel comfortable and right on their own terms without needless concern for how to categorize or prioritize.

After a cathartic venting/snacking/crying session, the previously mentioned best friend and I find ourselves cuddling in my room at 3 a.m.

We probably intended to study together at some point, but some things are simply more important than reading for class. I sleepily tell her that if she doesn’t want to leave for her own room, she’s welcome to spend the night here. Having been on the receiving end of my sleep-deprived crankiness many a time, she knows that this, for me, is the most intimate way of inviting someone into my bed. In a few hours we will both wake up uncomfortable in my too-small twin XL, but for now the gesture stands, and it’s enough to remind me of how lucky I am to have people in my life who love me—regardless of labels.

Clair Fuller is a second-year in the College majoring in gender and sexuality studies..

Personal impact comes secondary to your cause SERVICE continued from page 3 room full of children with disabilities, I felt awkward helping a girl use the restroom and uncomfortable when she flapped her arms and sang in my face. The first time I ever walked into that room, I didn’t know how to respond. But the first time I worked with that girl, I was also humbled as I watched her finish a complicated jigsaw puzzle in less than a minute. It was then that I realized that her persistent mumbling was actually a recitation of the entirety of Toy Story 3. In that first glimpse of insight into the girl’s idiosyncrasies, I realized that though she may process and communicate differently, she deserves to have someone spend the time to really understand her and help her learn in her own way.

With no promise of glamorous moments to satisfy my need to feel important, my ego induced an apathy that infected the way I strived to build relationships with people with disabilities. I forgot the day-to-day reality of what I had signed up for, the way I was striving to learn to understand and care about people who were different from me. I may invest four years in tutoring the same child and not necessarily see dramatic change. It’s very possible that I may never have one of those Lifetime movie moments in which, through love and perseverance, I see someone’s life change. But it’s absolutely

impossible for change to happen without true empathy—the full commitment to another person, regardless of what I might get out of it.

Recognizing my self-centeredness and reorienting my motivations had a very real influence on my actions. I was a much more effective tutor, and focused more on building a relationship with a specific student rather than looking for whoever needs the most help on a given day, whoever was most likely to deliver the moments I used to crave.

There are many reasons to do community service, but I learned that many of them are not the right ones. Passion for community service should not be centered around the glory of work bearing fruit, but rather a genuine desire to care manifested in action. I could quit tutoring and invest all of my time in a more immediately gratifying cause simply for the sake of that gratification, but I know I would not feel true empathy for the “poor, neglected people” I was helping. They would be a means used for my gratification, not human beings for whom I care. It may seem like only a minor theoretical difference to you, but I believe that this is the difference between charity and change—not only for the world, but for myself.

Grace Koh is a second-year in the College majoring in political science.

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.

for more viewpoints, read TELL IT LIKE IT IS, our online-exclusive blog. maroonviewpointsblog.tumblr.com

ARTS

Heartlandia FEBRUARY 11, 2014

In Logan gallery, artists contemplate alternate dimensions art from a range of media in order to create a “space of contemplation,” as explained by Logan Center Curator Monika Szewczyk. Indeed, The Fifth Dimension as both an exhibition and a conceptual tool seeks to answer many of the questions Szewczyk posed to

THE FIFTH DIMENSION Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Through February 16

Ika KneževiÐ’s “Nine Hour Delay”(2012–ongoing) allows patrons to borrow shoes. Multiple sizes available.

COURTESY OF THE REVA AND DAVID LOGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Janet Kwon Maroon Contributor The Fifth Dimension at the Logan Center seems to begin before the beginning. That is to say, even before entering the circumscribed space of the gallery one can unknowingly encounter elements of the exhibition. Take for example Ika Knežević’s video installation that is shown on a screen in the café adjacent to the gallery space. Shuffling through clips of a model in various locations of the Logan Center—lying naked on a piano, walking among a seemingly

complex grid of mirrors in the Center’s penthouse space, posing once again on a concrete bench—the piece intrudes on the otherwise quotidian café space, churning out both the sounds of a relentless and rhythmic beat and the beautiful, startling scenes of the model’s movements.

Ika Knežević’s video is actually meant to be the fifth piece in this chronologically unveiled exhibition, wherein each work—beginning with Pieter Vermeersch’s “Untitled” (2013)—builds on and is in dialogue with the others. In many ways, Vermeersch’s work is a logical starting

point: Two long walls of the gallery’s initial room are devoted to a study of colors (light pink and periwinkle) and their respective gradients. Built into the exhibition space itself, the work can be seen as a combination of the two- and three-dimensional, as it is defined by a three-dimensional structure yet is conceived out of the application of acrylic paint on a flat (two-dimensional) surface.

And yet, The Fifth Dimension isn’t necessarily calling into question the idea of dimensionality itself (as delineation of physical and temporal spaces), but rather presents works of

herself concerning the nature of contemporary art: “What is it that makes art stay with you, change your perception of the world, of what it means to be an agent in the world?”

The answer to this question partially lies in the forms of the works themselves. Beyond the video installation and the work painted on the gallery walls, Tauba Auerbach’s “Marble” (2011), displayed within the same room as Vermeersch’s work, is a large slab of marble transformed into the shape of a book. Playing with traditional notions of material and form, its opened “V” shape recalls the four corners of the gallery walls marked by Vermeersch’s paint and creates a visual connection to the next display, Geof Oppenheimer’s “Modern Ensembles” (2010–2011). Constructed out of materials of modern warfare (gunpowder, ballistic plex, smoke dyes, black powder), these cubic sculptures are at once dangerous and visually engag-

ing, forcing an engagement with—and contemplation of—materials we are not likely to encounter every day.

Multidimensional forms are taken even further when we consider the other component to Ika Knežević’s contribution, “Nine Hour Delay” (2012–ongoing), which invites the visitor to check out a pair of the very same Borosana shoes worn by the model in the video installation. The shoes, originally developed in Croatia during the 1960s and manufactured in the former Yugoslavia, can be checked out in the lower level of the Logan Center to transform the position of the viewer from a person who merely observes to one who experiences.

The Fifth Dimension is a complex, multivalent endeavor. With so many works of art situated in various locations of the Logan Center (and working with a wide range of media), the exhibition offers us equally many modes of experience.

Szewczyk defined the exhibition in this way: “The hypothesis is that the exhibition is not so much about the fifth dimension, something you can observe at a distance, but that it is the fifth dimension—or more precisely variations thereof. A multidimensional understanding of art, and by extension, of the world, needed to feel like it is continually transforming.” In this context, the exhibition’s location at the Logan Center seems particularly well situated, as it reaches into the space where University of Chicago students and artists engage every day in the process of learning, knowing, creating, and indeed, transforming.

Tribes and tribulations Concert at the Riviera: After 15 at Steppenwolf Theatre years, the Milk is still good Evangeline Reid Arts Staff Steppenwolf Theatre Company brought Tribes to Chicago this winter on the coattails of rave reviews. When the show premiered in London in 2010, The Wall Street Journal wrote, “It’s the bestwritten, best-plotted, deepest, most daring—and funniest—new play in recent years,” and it met

TRIBES Steppenwolf Theatre Through February 15

similarly exuberant reviews Off Broadway, where it was listed as a critic’s pick by The New York Times. Now, with one week left of the show’s run, it is fair to ask if students should drop everything to get a seat at Steppenwolf ’s rendition. The short answer is… maybe.

The show centers around Billy, a 20-something deaf man played by deaf actor John McGinty, and his dysfunctional, eccentric, intellectual family that never learned sign language but taught him instead to be an expert lip-reader.

The words around him come in torrents of quick, witty banter and, despite his exceptional skill, he misses jokes and arguments in handfuls. Then Billy meets Sylvia, a woman from a deaf family who’s slowly going deaf herself.

She teaches him to sign and introduces him to the deaf community, creating tension and resentment among his tight-knit family.

In many ways, Tribes fulfills its grand expectations. Deafness is an intrinsic identity, making it a long-overlooked but rich candidate for the thematic exploration of identity. Thus, the script is able to probe into this significant but frequently explored theme from a unique angle, examining how it both intersects with and is altered by communities. It also allows for an empathetic reflection on life without sound—particularly at the end of Act One as the beautiful notes of “Clair de Lune” ring through the theater, then slowly fade out to a dull roar as the focus shifts to Billy, sitting in a world of silence—even while exploring the importance of language and the difference between hearing and listening.

It is full of fast-paced dialogue laced with shockingly poignant TRIBES continued on page 7

Kristin Zodrow Maroon Contributor As if he were some sort of mythical creature, Jeff Mangum, the lead singer of Neutral Milk Hotel (NMH), has been labeled indie rock’s Salinger, Bigfoot, and possibly its greatest deity. (Insert spooky noise.) After seeming to depart from earthly existence for 15 years, he (He?) left behind a void fruitlessly filled by indistinguishable feature stories that eulogized the band of mythical misfits, each of which feared that said misfits would never return again long enough for someone, anyone really, to get an updated photo for the press releases. Come to think of it, even the opening of this article sounds a lot like the introduction to an extra bizarre Where’s Waldo? picture book. And yet after reaching most of its popularity in absentia, NMH is back for a reunion tour. But the old rules remain: “No cameras, no phones. Let’s just be here together,” Mangum said.

NMH played two sold-out shows last Thursday and Friday at the Riviera Theatre as one of the stops on its global reunion tour alongside fellow Atlanta, GA band, Elf Power. Opening with “King of Carrot Flowers Pt.1,” Mangum

seemed to confess to every particular audience member that “This is the room/ one afternoon I knew I could love you.” In that room, everyone knew they could forgive his absence and love him too. Okay, so maybe everyone was getting a tad emotional. However, we can all appreciate the fact that the sold-out theater was packed with people fangirl/boy-ing over these scruffy oddballs holding horns and saws rather than freaking out over the B word (i.e. the Bieber).

With “Two Headed Boy,” Mangum gave more instructions as he sang or possibly screamed for everyone to “Dance, round the room to accordion keys/ with the needle that sings in your heart.” He shouted as if trying to reach the audience from an unidentified place in the universe 15 years prior. The mystery and context of this show was not lost on him. The solution was to amplify his voice, as he made sure that any remaining dust was knocked off for good. It can be said that one’s mystique is part of his or her charm, but for Mangum, his mystique is his charm. As he played guitar next to his wife (the woman who some say helped him get back onstage), dressed in what I’m pretty sure is the same sweater he wore on the original 1998 In the

Aeroplane Over the Sea tour, it was hard to decide if the experience was profoundly nostalgic or supremely of the moment, a conundrum that made the evening into the enigma we all hoped it would be.

After having seen Mangum’s solo performance last year before the other members of the band returned, I could sense a palpable difference in the atmosphere.

The band was complete onstage for most songs, leaving Mangum alone, and sort of in his element, for only a few ripping solos. Even during his period of silence, Mangum earned a reputation for vocals and strumming unlike anything else, but surely Julian Koster playing the singing saw (even a banjo at one point?) with a bow has no obvious precedent. The concert was general admission, which allowed most of us in the standing area to dance to “Gardenhead” like we had only done hiding in our bedrooms during our senior year of high school (you know you did too). Let it be known: Koster does indeed wear the misshapen blue beanie that we have all come to admire. At times, the quintessential NMH attire and ensemble seemed to tell us that the musicians were bygone relics of the past, a theory HOTEL continued on page 9

THE CHICAGO CHICAGO MAROON MAROON || ARTS ARTS || November February 11,1, 2014 THE 2013

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With After the Disco, Broken Bells ring in sophomore slump Zane Burton Arts Staff Broken Bells—the collaborative project of The Shins’ James Mercer and producer Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse)—released their new album After the Disco last Tuesday. The album comes four years after their previous effort, Broken Bells, and it sees the duo inhabiting a very different space than they were last time around.

Though their debut album was released not long after the news broke that James Mercer had decided to part ways with the founding members of The Shins, After the Disco comes just one year after Port of Morrow, the album that marked The Shins’ return to indie-rock prominence. For Burton, there hasn’t been another Gnarls Barkley album since 2008’s The Odd Couple, and his production credits just aren’t as strong as they used to be—albums like Demon Days and Modern Guilt suggested that Danger Mouse was capable of great things, but his influence is practically invisible on the newest efforts from Portugal. The Man and Norah Jones. Yet Broken Bells’ latest effort explores a more expansive and atmospheric sound than their first record, something you wouldn’t expect from Burton’s recent work.

When these sounds devel-

op into more upbeat tracks, they’re exceptionally strong. “Holding on for Life� and “The Changing Lights� live up to the expectations that the collaboration generated when Mercer and Burton began working together, and the funk that Burton produced with CeeLo Green and Gnarls Barkley is equally present. These are songs with beats that just beg to be danced to, and Mercer helps to ground them with his

AFTER THE DISCO Broken Bells Columbia Records

impressive penchant for finding melody in odd places.

The more somber tracks on the album prove to be a problem, though. “Lazy Wonderland� saunters along for about three and a half minutes, but it feels much longer. Part of the problem with these songs seems to be an absence of Danger Mouse’s trademark hip-hop beats, which brought him to prominence on albums like St. Elsewhere and the Beatles/Jay Z mash up experiment The Grey Album. Instead, the production feels cookie-cutter, shifting focus to Mercer’s

sometimes banal lyrics.

Nowhere is this more evident than on “The Remains of Rock and Roll�, where Mercer sings, “Is something wrong? / You don’t look like you’re having fun / The road is long / Gotta let go the things you know.� It seems that Mercer is attempting to address some of the same questions that made the group’s introspective selftitled debut compelling, and the sentiment comes off as a lazy retread of old material.

Similarly, much of Danger Mouse’s instrumentation feels overly referential, simply reproducing the sounds of another era rather than reimagining them in any meaningful way.

Simply based on the L.P.’s title, it’s almost impossible not to draw comparisons between Daft Punk’s latest effort and After the Disco. Random Access Memories was successful in its fusion of the duo’s futuristic brand of French house music with the sounds of the west coast circa 1970-1980 in a way that managed to maintain a sound that was still distinctly Daft Punk. Unfortunately, the identity of Broken Bells is often lost among the shuffle of the 17 members of The Angel City String Orchestra and a fourpiece choir.

While the strings hanging over most of the tracks are supposed to invoke the reflection that comes after a long night

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA RECORDS

of partying (hence the album’s title), they feel overwrought and unnecessary. There’s little space for reflection when the instrumentation is this crowded. This isn’t a problem for the album’s more upbeat tracks, like album opener “Perfect World,� but the majority of the tracks are languid affairs that

don’t fit with the lush string section on the backing track.

While the sound on After the Disco is much more cohesive than on Broken Bells’ debut, this actually seems to be part of the problem with the record—Danger Mouse produces precious few musical variations between songs that

are vastly different in tone.

These similarities mean that Mercer is forced to sing his way through a few of the tracks on his own, with less than stellar results. After the Disco’s biggest successes materialize when Broken Bells evoke the mood of the disco itself, rather than the lonely walk home.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | February 11, 2014

7

Creators of 21 Jump Street build the perfect animated movie Michael Cheiken Maroon Contributor Legos are inherently contradictory. They provide the consumer with a manifestation of pure creativity, while also providing a comprehensive instruction manual, resulting in the possibility of a construction completely devoid of mental stimulation. It is this paradoxical nature that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (the pair behind 21 Jump Street) explore in their joint directorial endeavor, The Lego Movie.

The story tracks construction worker Emmet, voiced by Chris Pratt, as he discovers The Resistance, an object that can save the universe, and his journey to become The Special, the person to carry out this task.

This adventure is one of growth for Emmet, who, in accordance with cinematic tropes, is possibly the least qualified individual to fulfill this destiny. In choosing such a character, Lord and Miller are able to introduce another theme central to the film: the idea that every person is special and anybody can do great things. Emmet fights to protect the world and people he loves from President Business (Will Ferrell), who has created a society in which

everything is created according to instructions whose graphic design is similar to that found in Lego boxes. Throughout the movie, Emmet grows to believe in himself with the help of Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman),

THE LEGO MOVIE Phil Lord and Christopher Miller The Harper Theater

and some of the other master builders—a select group of Lego people who are not afraid to stray from the instructions.

It is his transformation that resonates through the population as a symbol that anyone can accomplish anything he or she imagines, ultimately providing the societal push required for the rebellion’s success.

Perhaps the message is a bit ham-fisted, but the screenwriters—Lord, Miller, and Dan and Kevin Hageman—compensate with a fantastic script.

The sheer hilarity is overwhelming, producing multiple laughs per minute. But none of this would have been possible without the great voice acting of Pratt, Banks, Freeman, and Will Arnett. With brilliant

From left to right: Benny (Charlie Day), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), and UniKitty (Alison Brie) share a moment.

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

inflection, Pratt conveys a character that is fearful but courageous, nervous but excited, and wonderfully insecure. Thanks to Elizabeth Banks’ nuanced voice, the audience can immediately recognize her efforts to hide her disappointment at not being The Special, while at the same time understanding how the other characters were not able to see through her guise. Morgan Freeman provides the fatherly tone viewers have come to expect of him, and it is a perfect fit for his role as the wisest of the Lego creatures. In addition to Uni-Kitty and Spaceman Benny, Batman rounds out the main cast, and

Arnett voices him beautifully.

Arnett provides just the right amount of condescension to make a way-too-full-of-himself Batman.

In addition to being packed full of brilliant characters fleshed out through a wonderful script, The Lego Movie is also home to a very intriguing art style. In the vein of the source material, even the water is made out of Lego blocks, while lasers are translucent red rods and fire is the familiar orange plastic piece. Despite having the appearance of a stop-motion film, The Lego Movie is actually CGI. These peculiarities in artistic styliza-

tion provide a wonderful blend of intrigue and nostalgia. For instance, members of the community follows the instructions given to them by President Business. These instructions are presented in the same style as those found when tearing open a Lego box in order to create the toy of your dreams. The directors are also unafraid to explore the entirety of the Lego universe, from the Bionicles to the DC superheroes to Star Wars characters.

Unfortunately, Lord and Miller make one fatal misstep with the conclusion of their film. Having beautifully anthropomorphized Emmet,

Wyldstyle, Vitruvius, and Batman, the screenwriters inexplicably tear away their humanity. Not only does the conclusion strip the characters of their magic, but it also makes the narrative’s moral an uncertainty rather than a truth.

Despite the poor conclusion, The Lego Movie will certainly not disappoint. It’s packed to the brim with nostalgia, magnificent voice acting, and a script that supplies both feelings and laughs. The Lego Movie will certainly find its resting place among the likes of Up and Toy Story 3 in the canon of classic animated films.

“Tribes is flawed, and yet it is easy to see how it has earned such warm reviews” TRIBES continued from page 5 (but also shocking ) lines. The route that playwright Nina Raines takes to new and more honest understandings is through the land of unabashed political incorrectness. The father, played by ensemble member Francis Guinan with commendable subtlety beneath his argumentative exterior, is full of prejudice and criticism that he makes no qualms about voicing.

His family has inherited a similar, if slightly more apologetic, spirit, and the play is able to make progress through captivating, if cringe-worthy, conversations. McGinty delivers a compelling portrayal of a man who enters a world he hadn’t realized was his own, while Sylvia’s character, played by ensemble member Alana Arenas, offers an equally compelling depiction of someone walking the line of belonging to two different worlds with as much grace as she can.

The set, the first floor of the family’s home, is incredibly interactive; the characters are comfortable in the space. The lighting is varied and well-placed for mood and focus. The interspersed music is successful at creating dramatic effects, and the scene changes are smooth. Steppenwolf rarely fails to deliver a well-formed show.

However, the play fails on a few key points that cannot be ignored.

An audience member’s impression of the show is a flow of raunchy jokes and a constant stream of colorful words being screamed over a family’s dinner table. While in some ways the swearing serves to make the otherwise very odd characters seem more realistic, it

Left to right: Francis Guinan, Steve Haggard, and John McGinty as feuding family members in Austin Pendleton’s production of Tribes.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL BROSILOW

is so extensive that it becomes a distraction from the actual words being said, and the jokes quickly turn to desperate attempts for a laugh based mainly on shock value. The play commits to bringing a volatile, sarcastic, and funny family into existence but then takes it a step too far into the vitriolic, undermining itself in the process.

The more trivial disappointments include a poorly-executed intensification of the stutter Billy’s brother, Daniel, acquires as

the play continues, as well as a set that incorporates Billy’s upstairs bedroom, which is never inhabited despite dialogue indicating people are in that room as that dialogue took place. Both sap the credibility of the play, though the exaggerated, drawn-out stutter does so more notably. The most important failing, though, is the abrupt ending. The director, ensemble member Austin Pendleton, strays from the script to a surprising extent in the final moments as Daniel’s stutter becomes so

thoroughly inhibiting that nothing can be communicated. Pendleton omits music after the last lines, which would have provided symmetry and allowed the significance of the last action some time to be processed or extended. Instead, the final scene merely ends as the actors turn to bow, facing a rather bewildered audience. It creates a rushed and difficult-todecipher conclusion that resists resolution in an ill-formed, rather than artistic, manner.

Tribes is flawed, but it is easy to

see how it has earned such warm reviews. It remains largely unprecedented, witty, and perceptive. It tackles identity, family, language, and isolation with richly articulated characters. It manages to do more with two hours and 15 minutes than several plays combined.

If you value thought-provoking work, then this is worth your time and money. While full price tickets might not be worth it, if you can get your hands on studentprice seats, I wouldn’t waste any time debating.

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HOTEL continued from page 5 that was almost confirmed by both the absence of any new material and the limited conversation between the members of the audience. The only words on the menu that night had been crafted and preserved all the way from 1998.

However, the performance cannot be condemned as deriving power and mean-

ing only from former glory. Overwhelming and profound words with faithful delivery helped these songs transcend the status of renditions. The band is together now, and, as Mangum sang for the final song with what must have been the only oxygen he had left in his body, “I am an engine and I’m holding on.” Oh oh dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee…

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10

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | February 11, 2014

In last chance to prepare for the big one, loss at Augustana Wrestling

Fourth-year Sam Pennisi locks heads with an opponent during a match at the Wheaton College Pete Willson Invitational earlier this year.

COURTESY OF BEN PENNISI

Bronagh Daly Maroon Contributor After hoping for a win to send them into the postseason in high spirits, the Maroons fell to No. 26 Augustana College by a score of 41–3 this past Saturday. Chicago’s

record fell to 3–9.

Going into the meet, the team had intended for it to serve as an omen for the fast-approaching postseason. “[The goal was] to battle tough, no matter what the circumstances,” head coach Leo Kocher (M.B.A. ’87) said.

But as the day of the meet arrived, other unstoppable factors made this goal more difficult than intended.

“Augustana is a tough team, and we have some people who would have normally started that are out,” Kocher said. “Both of these facts showed up in the match.”

Even with one forfeit called on behalf of Chicago, there was still one standout: first-year Paul Papoutsis, who brought the squad a 4–3 win at 165 pounds. His win was even more impressive considering the competition he was up against.

“Paul beat a junior who has 20 wins so far this year, and he did it with a takedown in the last five seconds. It was a good effort,” Kocher said.

Papoutsis’s teammates also found the match to be a great morale booster.

“Paul’s match was awesome,” third-year Adam Wyeth said. “He needed a takedown right at the end and gutted one out in the final seconds for the win. That’s always inspiring to see.”

In addition, two other matches were very close, both lost by just two points. Wyeth at 133 pounds lost to Augustana’s Sean McMahon in a 3–1 decision. First-year Charlie Banaszak lost to Augstana’s Isaiah Schaub by a score of 6–4, which was still impressive, considering the circumstances.

“Charlie lost to Auggie’s best wrestler,” Kocher said. “[Schaub is] currently ranked fifth in DIII, [and Banaszak lost] on a takedown in the last 10 seconds.”

However frustrating, the loss did not ruin the first-year’s sprits.

“He did not like the loss, but I am sure he came away thinking he can beat him should they meet in the postseason,” Kocher said.

This outlook on the postseason appears to be felt by many of the Maroons as they prepare for the UAAs this coming Saturday. The team seems to feel that it will use the loss against Augustana to fuel its preparation.

“Just like any competition, we will work hard on our mistakes and try to strengthen what we do well,” Kocher said.

The rest of the squad seems to agree with Kocher. “[The loss] will only act as a reminder that we need to keep working hard,” Wyeth said. “We all know that our wrestling can come together in a very short period, and we’re hoping to make that happen next weekend.”

The team will continue this preparation throughout the week, hoping to break its streak of placing second at the UAAs and take first.

“Our goal is to defeat NYU and Case Western and become UAA Champions for the 16th time in 27 years,” Kocher said.

The team will be heading into its postseason as it travels to New York City this coming weekend. The UAA Championships will begin on Saturday, February 15.

After weekend, team in three-way tie for UAA second place Men’s Basketball Mary MacLeod Sports Staff Chicago kicked off the second half of conference play with a split over the weekend. On Friday, the Maroons (12–8, 5–4 UAA) dropped a 82–74 contest to Emory (13–7, 5–4 UAA) before besting Rochester (8–12, 2–7 UAA) on Sunday by a score of 69–62.

“The game plan against Emory was to try and slow their offense down and to try and keep them from scoring in transition,” said secondyear forward Nate Brooks. “We did a pretty good job of making them play in the half court, but we didn’t get as many stops as we wanted to.”

Despite failing to stop the Eagles on the defensive end, Chicago put on a great offensive show. The Maroons’ remarkable three-point shooting dominated the first half of the game as the team poured in eight treys, led by secondyear guard Jordan Smith hitting all three of his attempts.

Emory also had a great offensive night, as the Eagles were able to convert on most of their offensive rebounds, as well as sinking a couple of threes of their own. After a back-and-forth first half, the Eagles went into the break with a 40–38 lead.

The second half played out similarly, with both teams trading points. After going down by five, the Maroons went on a 10–2 run to gain the lead. But with the shooting and rebounding efforts of fourth-year forward Sam Gage, the visiting team was able to regain control in the final four minutes to finish out the game.

“Against Emory we were unable to maintain 40 minutes of focus,” said second-year guard John Steinberg. “We were up nine with seven minutes left and we had some unforced turnovers and defensive lapses. Maintaining concentration is where we lost the game.”

On Sunday, though, Chicago was able to put together a complete offensive and defensive game to beat Rochester after losing to the Yellowjackets less than a week prior.

“The key to beating Rochester this week

was being solid on offense and knocking down shots. Their defense is more conservative than what we normally see, and last week we ended up taking shots we weren’t comfortable with,” Brooks said.

Their comfort on the offensive end was noticeable again in the team’s ability to convert nine of their attempts from the three-point line, as 12 of their first 18 points were scored from long range. The ease with which the offense was able to score seemed to translate over to the defensive end, where the Maroons were able to pressure the Yellowjackets into 11 turnovers, holding them to just 10 second-chance points.

Rochester did not go away easily, as every

time it fell behind, it fought back. But the opponents couldn’t quite close the gap as, after bringing Chicago’s lead down to one, the Yellowjackets gave up 11 consecutive points to the Maroons. Thus, the South Siders were able to clinch a very exciting game, a win that was highlighted by five dunks.

“Going into this last game we knew that we had an athletic advantage over them and we wanted to get the ball inside as much as possible,” Steinberg said.

This advantage aided Chicago’s team field goal percentage, which sat at 53 percent for the game. Rochester was able to battle Chicago in the paint, though, as they pulled down 36 re-

bounds compared to the home team’s 30.

Looking into this week’s away games, the Maroons are going to have to keep up the intensity on offense if they hope to go 2–0 in their last round of away games.

“This week we were better executing on offense, and that made all the difference,” Steinberg said. “We know we’re going into two tough places to play this weekend, so coming into those games with a lot of offensive energy is going to be huge. NYU is tied with us for second place in the conference, and Brandeis is always difficult to beat at home.”

Tip off against NYU is set for 8 p.m. in New York.

11

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | February 11, 2014

South Siders edge Denison, fall to Kenyon in season openers Men’s Tennis Alexander Sotiropoulos Senior Sports Staff When a team consists of numerous underclassmen, the beginning of the season inevitably includes trial and error.

This is the situation the No. 30 Maroons find themselves in right now, as they continue to search for their optimal lineup. After defeating Denison 5–4 on Saturday, the Maroons, through head coach Jay Tee, switched the bottom of the lineup for Sunday’s match against No. 5 Kenyon. Chicago lost to the Lords 8–1.

“We are a deep team, and I wanted to give a couple of other

guys a chance,” Tee said. “Our lineup is far from decided so we will continue to rotate players in and out until some guys step up and take a spot.”

Tee used the lineup he articulated last week for Saturday’s win. In doubles, the top tandem of third-year Deepak Sabada and first-year Sven Kranz won 8–4, and the No. 3 team of third-year Ankur Bhargava and first-year Brian Sun blasted past the Big Red 8–3.

Chicago’s lone loss in doubles came at No. 2, as fourth-year Zsolt Szabo and first-year Max Hawkins were edged out 8–4.

While the Maroons lost at the

No. 1, 5, and 6 positions in singles, wins by Kranz at No. 2 (6–4, 5–7, 6–4), Sun at No. 3 (6–4, 7–6), and Bhargava at No. 4 (6–4, 7–6) gave the Maroons a 5–4 victory.

“It was a good team win, but I thought it didn’t need to be that close,” Tee said. “We lost at a couple spots where I thought we could have competed better.”

On Sunday, with Chicago slated to play Kenyon, Tee moved No. 5 and No. 6 singles players, second-year Gordon Zhang and Szabo, respectively, out of the singles lineup. Hawkins was placed at No. 5 and first-year Peter Muncey competed at No. 6.

In doubles, Bhargava and Sun laddered up to the No. 2 position, and Hawkins and Zhang played No. 3.

Chicago gave Kenyon a fight in doubles, yet each Maroon tandem lost by two games or less. Kenyon was up 3–0 after doubles.

“Those losses certainly hurt us, but they weren’t as crushing as you might think,” Tee said. “We knew that if we played that close in doubles and had that many opportunities that we would have more in singles, too. Going down 3–0 hurts because your margin for error is razor thin.”

Losses at No. 3 and 4 singles clinched the victory for Kenyon.

Still, the teams finished off the dual. Chicago took its lone victory at No. 2, as Kranz defeated ITA Central Region Tournament champion second-year Sam Geier 6–2, 5–7, 6–4.

As the season goes on, Tee looks for contributions from both veterans and rookies in order to ensure success.

“We will continue to get guys match experience throughout the year with the thought being that we need everyone to contribute in some way if we are going to be successful,” he said.

Chicago takes on Augustana this Saturday at 3 p.m. in Rock Island, IL.

Women’s squad dominates home meet with 14 wins Women’s Track & Field Charlotte Franklin Maroon Contributor At the Windy City Invitational this weekend, the women’s squad did indeed run like the wind as it went undefeated.

The women dominated the competition on their home turf, winning 14 events.

The will to win this weekend was stronger than ever, perhaps in light of other factors that have been influencing competition schedules lately, like snow and other winter weather. This was a formative meet for the Maroons, as it set the tone for the upcoming peak of the season.

The Rumble, as the competition was also called, featured many strong performances from several South Siders. Fourthyear Jennie Porter contributed to the win-

ning 4x400-meter relay team as well as the distance medley relay team with times of 4:00.34 and 13:03.92 respectively. Also a part of the 4x400 relay team was secondyear Mikaela Hammel, who also took first in the 200-meter clocking in at 26.50.

Several other second-years had outstanding showings including Brianna Hickey, Rachael Jackson, and Catt Young. Hickey dominated the one-mile by nearly ten seconds with a time of 5:05.49. Jackson led both the 55-meter dash and the 55-meter hurdles (7.57 and 8.59), and Young shattered the 3000-meter (10:18.00).

Various first-years demonstrated their ability as well by claiming top finishing spots. Amy Wang won both the long jump and the triple jump (4.96m and 10.44m) and Michelle Dobbs clinched the 800-meter by a landslide (2:14.27). Third-year

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Reecie Dern followed suit by finishing first in shot put (11.23m).

The competition was a combination of DI and DIII schools that included, among others, Lake Forest, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Valparaiso University.

The higher level of competition pushed the athletes’ performance at the Windy City Rumble and paved a positive path for the future, which is precisely what they needed. The UAA Championships are rapidly approaching in the next three weeks, so the intensity will only increase.

“It is really important that we all are looking toward [UAAs] and making the

In the Chatter’s Box with Sarah Langs Claire Devaney is a third-year on the basketball team from Washington, DC. We chatted with her to get some insider info on the life of a Maroon athlete.

CD: Yeah. Once I entered high school I knew that it was a goal I wanted to try to reach.

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CM: What’s your favorite thing about being on the team—here, or in high school, or both?

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CD: Probably my relationship with my teammates. Especially here, we’re just a really close-knit team and it’s fun to play with one another.

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CM: Do you follow the WNBA or the NBA? Any professional basketball?

CD: I love watching college basketball.

My older brother went to Wisconsin, so I follow them pretty closely. Just their men’s team, though. I should follow women’s. I also am a Washington Wizards fan because I’m from D.C. So I love John Wall.

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COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS

Chicago Maroon: When did you start playing basketball?

Claire Devaney: I started playing when I was really young. Probably in first or second grade.

CM: And when did you get serious about it?

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most out of every competition,” Dern said.

“This is the time of our season where we have to make sure we’re getting marks that will take us to conference.”

Assuming the rest of the team gets healthy in the upcoming weeks and everyone continues to train vigorously, the women’s team will be a force to be reckoned with in the UAA Championships.

“Overall, I think the women are ready to be top contenders for the title in a few weeks,” Dern said.

The women’s team competes this Friday, February 14 at the Chicag oland Championships in Naperville, IL at 5 p.m.

CD: I started getting serious around middle school, so sixth and seventh grade. I started playing for a travel team.

CM: Did you always know you wanted to try to play in college?

CM: You’re still only a third-year at this point, but have you thought about whether you’ll keep playing basketball after college in some capacity?

CD: Yeah, I’m sure I will. I think I’ll miss it too much not to play in some capacity. I’ll probably try to find some league and some other players.

CM: Do you have any advice to people who like playing basketball but clearly aren’t varsity level?

CD: Just keep getting out there and playing. It’s a fun sport, a good way to get exercise.

SPORTS

IN QUOTES “It’s like Mike Trout, for those of you who know baseball.

It’s somebody who’s got a lot of tools and multitasks.”

—President Barack Obama compares the recently-passed farm bill to the versatile LA Angels center fielder

Maroons redeem themselves in rematch weekend Women’s Basketball Adam Freymiller Sports Staff Chicago (12–8, 6–3 UAA) continued its fine conference form with a resolute 85–76 victory against the No. 19 Emory Eagles (15–5, 4–5) and an 83– 70 win against Rochester (8–12, 2–7) this past weekend.

The game began cagily for both sides, as Emory started the opening minutes with a heavy full-court press, which the Maroons handled with mixed success. After their nerves settled, both offenses began to find their footing and started trading scores. The game looked to be in jeopardy for Chicago when Emory started out with an 8–0 run to take a 46–39 lead after the break, but Chicago showed its character to fight back.

“We came out flat and let Emory go on a run to start the second half, but once we all realized we needed to calm down and play at our pace we were able to fight our way back into the game,” said third-year guard Claire Devaney.

She once again led all scorers, this time with 20 points.

Ultimately, Chicago put the game on ice by preventing Emory’s guards from getting away with clean shots, making key defensive stops in the second half, and sinking its free throws when

they came. Chicago also converted 10 of 23 shots from threepoint land and 26–45 overall, but the game was by no means a perfect performance, a fact to which the 33 turnovers will attest. However, there are plenty of positives to take away from the victory against a fierce conference rival. “[We wanted to] contain a few of their key players, not letting anyone have a huge game from Emory. Our focus is usually defensive-minded, and it paid off on Friday,” said second-year guard Paige Womack. She played her part in the victory with five points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Chicago also received a nice boost from fourth-year guard Julie Muguira coming off the bench. Muguira, who missed the previous five games with an ankle injury, only played 19 minutes on Friday but made the most of them, going 4–8 from threepoint range to drop 18 points on the evening, in addition to dishing out three assists.

On Sunday, the Maroons returned to Ratner to take on the Rochester Yellowjackets, who were coming off of an impressive upset of No. 3 Wash U (18–2, 8–1). The game got off to a slightly slow start for both teams, but started flowing when

Chicago went on a run to take a 16–6 lead in the first half. Chicago maintained this lead through halftime, but second-chance points and a 9–0 run on the eve of halftime enabled Rochester to stay within striking distance, trailing 38–32.

While Rochester’s offensive consistency improved in the second half, the game was secured with another dynamic performance from Devaney, who dropped 19 points and hauled nine rebounds in the second half alone, obtaining 23 points and 12 rebounds on the day for her second straight double-double.

Chicago’s defense also did a good job of shutting down fourth-year Rochester forward Lauren Wagner, who had been averaging a double-double all season and continued to be an authoritative presence in the post, pulling down 20 boards on the game, but only managed two points in the second half.

The Maroons will now face a few tricky road games next weekend, as they face NYU (18–2, 7–2) this Friday and Brandeis (12–8, 6–3) on Sunday afternoon. Chicago is currently tied for third in UAA Conference standings with Brandeis at 6–3.

Success in these upcoming weekend tilts could lead to a climb in the standings.

Third-year Morgan Donovan drives past a defender in a game against Carthage earlier this season.

COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS

Ladies and Big Red tripped up as Chicago dispels both opponents

Hosts post resounding victory at Windy City Rumble

Women’s Tennis

Men’s Track & Field

David Gao Sports Staff Thanks to a focus on its doubles matches, Chicago picked up two wins in its double-header this past weekend.

The Maroons traveled to Granville and Gambier to play the Denison University Big Red and the Kenyon College Ladies in their second and third matches of the season, respectively. Chicago won handily, going 7–2 against Denison and 9–0 against Kenyon after opening the season against a DI school.

“From playing [the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign], the team gained a lot of confidence going into the season because we found we weren’t far off from keeping up with a DI school. Of course, the two matches were different because we were the favorite against Denison and Kenyon,” first-year Tiffany Chen said.

The No. 8 Maroons lived up to expectations, beating Denison for the second year in a row.

The play, however, was more competitive than the stat sheet showed.

“The girls on the Denison and Kenyon teams were persistent and scrappy—every ball came back and you needed to focus on staying consistent during long rallies,” second-year Helen Sdvizhkov said.

Against Denison, the South Siders won their first singles match before dropping the next two.

Third-year Kelsey McGillis, second-year Sruthi Ramaswami, and first-year Jordan Appel won the next three consecutive matches to bring the

team’s final singles records to 4–2, though what won the day for Chicago were the three doubles matches.

“We didn’t shrink during the biggest moments and instead continued to attack, which led to a positive outcome for the team,” head coach Jay Tee said. “Our doubles is much improved from a year ago and I think we were able to take some of the things that made Illinois a good doubles team and apply it to our own game. Going 6–0 in doubles against two quality teams is something we’ve been striving for since last year.”

The women’s tennis team has decided to not only improve on its technique this year, but also give itself a more difficult workout regimen.

“Any newcomer would not be able to tell that we have only been practicing for several weeks.

No matter how early, practices are always very focused and intense, with everyone staying active, alert, and competitive,” Sdivzhkov said.

“Everybody works well together and is dedicated to our overall success, which creates the kind of dynamic necessary to stand out not just as individual players, but as a close-knit team.”

The success translates further onto the court, even with a dearth of upperclassmen.

“The girls have really come together well. Despite a lack of seniors and four new first-years, the team has blended well. They get along great off the court and play for each other on it,” Tee said.

Chicago will travel to Michigan in two weeks to play the Kalamazoo Hornets on February 23, with the action starting at 1 p.m. EST.

Isaac Stern Sports Staff The Maroons went undefeated last Saturday at the Windy City Rumble. The home meet for Chicago included a few DI teams along with a multitude of DIII teams. The meet allowed the Maroons to see some better athletes in their races while still competing at the DIII level since the DI squads were not scored against other teams.

For most South Siders, the Rumble served more as preparation for future meets than an all-out go for nationals.

“It’s always more comfortable racing at home in our own facility,” second-year Jake Romeo said. “Crown is a fast track, and looking forward, this was a great opportunity for us to make some qualifying times for Chicagoland and move up in the UAAs.” The Chicagoland Championships is a highly competitive meet that requires competitors to meet certain qualifying standards in their respective events, though the team may enter up to four competitors in each event regardless of whether or not they meet the standards. Romeo’s time of 6.78s in the 55-meter dash this past Saturday cleared the mark but missed his best for the year by .02s.

“I try to keep it simple,” Romeo said. “My main goal race-by-race is to just continue to improve upon my previous times over the course of the season.”

First-years Timofey Karginov and Nicholas Nielsen took first in the mile and 800-meter run with their times of 4:27.16 and 2:00.20, re-

spectively. Fourth-year Michael Frasco won the 3,000-meter run with his time of 8:44.74.

“I raced the 3k this weekend instead of my primary race, which is the mile,” Frasco said. “I focused on running smooth and closing the last lap hard. I accomplished those goals and look forward to returning to the mile next week. One of the things [we] need to work on is turning left more efficiently. A couple of guys have a tendency to drift into the outer lanes during the race.”

Second-year pole vaulters Michael Bennett, Nick Lyon, and Chase Wilson all attempted personal bests at the meet but missed. Bennett still took first in the event. For throws, first-year Andrew Maneval took second in the weight throw with 12.63m and second-year Richard Painter took third in the shot put with 12.9m.

The meet was an overall solid performance for the Maroons, but the conference has gotten better since last year, and the Maroons will need to make improvements if they want to claim the title.

“Our goal every season is to compete for a UAA Championship,” Romeo said. “As much as each meet is an opportunity to show what we can do as a team, we understand that everything up until [UAAs] is just another workout. The plan is to be able to peak at the end of the month when we head over to Boston and really be at the top of our game for when it counts.”

The Maroons will compete in two more meets this season before they will make the trip to Brandeis for the conference championship.

Frasco put it simply: “Our goal is to dominate the UAA,” he said.