TUESDAY • APRIL 14, 2015
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
ISSUE 37 • VOLUME 126
UCPD to make public information on traffic stops, field stops, and arrests Natalie Friedberg News Editor
University of Chicago’s admissions rate has dipped at a much faster rate than peer institutions. Each point in the graph displays the average percent change over an interval of three years. FORREST SILL | CHICAGO MAROON
Record-low acceptance rate as applicant numbers increase Marta Bakula Deputy News Editor This year, undergraduate acceptance rates have dropped from 8.4 percent to a record low, with only 7.8 percent of applicants admitted to the Class of 2019. The College received 30,162 applications for the incoming class and extended 2,356 offers of admission. The decline in this year’s acceptance rate continues the trend of increased selectivity in applications to UChicago, as well as many other comparable institutions.
The lower acceptance rate marks the 10th consecutive year of a decline in admission rates, beginning with a 40.3% admission rate for the 2005. Application numbers have also jumped from roughly 9,100 applicants for the Class of 2009, marking a 331% increase in the past ten years. The College also saw almost a 10% increase in applications this year, as compared to the previous year with 27,499 applicants. However, the admission cycle for the Class of 2017 still boasts the highest applicant number, with 30,369 applications re-
ceived through the Early Action and Regular Decision cycles. Acceptance rates to many other colleges also declined in comparison to previous years. Columbia accepted 6.1 percent of applicants, Stanford accepted 5.05 percent, Duke took in 10 percent, Brown extended admission to 8.5 percent, and Dartmouth had a 10.6 percent acceptance rate. Only five peer institutions (Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia in that order) reported lower rates of admission than RATE continued on page 2
Department of Energy invests $200 million for Argonne supercomputer Stephanie Williams News Staff On Wednesday, April 8, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to invest $200 million in the supercomputing efforts of Argonne National Laboratory. The investment was one of two High Performance Computing (HPC) grants awarded by the DOE, as part of an effort to advance U.S. leadership in large-scale computing. Argonne National Lab is managed by UChicago Argonne, LCC, and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., and will
be responsible for the new supercomputer project, Aurora. Argonne will collaborate with Intel and Cray to develop a next-generation supercomputer system, which is slated for completion in 2018. The supercomputer system will be used exclusively by researchers in scientific and engineering fields to assist in research on materials science (batteries and solar panels), biological science (biofuels and disease control), transportation efficiency (aerodynamics and efficient engines), and renewable energy (wind turbine design). “Aurora will deliver the sys-
tem capabilities that our users require to expand their investigations both in scale and scope,” Michael E. Papka, deputy associate laboratory director for computing, environment and life sciences at Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, said in a statement. Aurora will have more advanced supercomputing abilities than Argonne’s current project, Mira. It will exceed Mira’s computational performance by a factor of eighteen, said Susan Coghlan, deputy division director of Argonne Leadership ARGONNE continued on page 3
In an effort to increase transparency, the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) announced that it will release daily traffic stop data, field contact data, and information on arrrest records – available by request. This information will be conveniently collected in a new website set to go live in June. the creation of a new website yesterday. A field contact is a report on an incident where a UCPD officer stops someone in the street. Records of these contacts will
now be released daily, along with traffic stop data. Traffic stop data will include the race, gender, location, and justification of those stopped. Currently traffic stop data is only available on a quarterly basis. In addition, arrest records will include date, time, and charges. The website will assemble this new data as well as information on the UCPD that is already available by providing links to different sources on one web page, including a link to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s traffic stop data, a link to instructions on how to fill out an incident report with the Chicago
Police Department, the Independent Review Committee’s yearly summary of complaints against UCPD officers, the daily crime and fire log, and security alerts. “There was a positive exchange of information and that’s something that we want to continue and keep those lines of exchange open,” Marlon Lynch, chief of the UCPD, said. He added, however, that the exact mechanisms for continued community outreach and cooperation have not yet been decided on. This development comes after a ten month process of negotiations between the UCPD UCPD continued on page 3
NEWS IN BRIEF Man shot in the back one block south of campus Sunday afternoon Last Sunday, the University sent out a Security Alert to all students regarding a shooting that occurred on East 62nd Street and South Ellis Avenue, one block away from Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons. The shooting occurred last Sunday, April 12, at 4:30 pm. The victim, a 32-year-old man
unaffiliated with the University, was transported to Stroger Hospital by Chicago Fire Department Emergency Medical Services. The motive for the shooting and the identity of the perpetrator are both unknown. “The Chicago Police Department is the investigating law enforcement agency for
the shooting that occurred Sunday afternoon,” Bridget Malone, a University spokesperson wrote in an email. According to a representative from the CPD’s Third Police District, no new information is available about the suspect or their motivation. -Natalie Friedberg
University financial aid budget projected to increase by 5 percent Katherine Vega News Staff The University recently announced that the financial aid budget is projected to increase by approximately five percent to $117 million for the 2015–16 school year, compared to $110
FORREST SILL
million for the 2014–15 school year. The announcement came just a few months after the University released information about a new and more comprehensive financial aid initiative, No Barriers, which the additional money will help to fund. While the financial aid bud-
get is projected to be $117 million, the exact number remains uncertain. “A major factor in projecting the financial aid budget is how much financial need students will have; we won’t know the exact figure until students enroll next fall,” UniverAID continued on page 3
| CHICAGO MAROON
IN VIEWPOINTS
IN ARTS
IN SPORTS
Confessions from a recovering “excellent sheep”» Page 4
Closeted/Out and a century of stories from on-campus LGBTQ history» Page 7
Order of the C teams up with youth basketball program» Page 10
One discredited rape story doest not reflect on all survivors’ stories» Page 3
Women’s Tennis knocks off two ranked oppoents» Back page
THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | April 14, 2015
2
Students review University’s comments on their college applications Sonia Schlesinger News Staff Since January, a growing number of UChicago students are requesting to view their admissions records in accordance with FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. FERPA is a federal law enacted in 1973 that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to schools funded in some form by the Department of Education. It regulates parents’ ability to access their children’s records.
Once students turn 18, they may grant their parents access to these records, but may also request the records themselves. While the law is used primarily by parents to access their children’s school transcripts, one of the law’s provisions grants students the right to request to view their admissions files or any other files that a school holds about them. The University must comply with the request within 45 days of receiving it. Third-year Sasha Chhabra filed a request with the College admissions office to
view his files in January. In his request, he referenced the law’s provision granting the rights to view the files. He was “curious” to view his records, he said, after reading about a group of students at Stanford who exercised their FERPA rights to see their admissions records earlier in the school year. These records include admissions officers’ written assessments of students’ applications to UChicago. “I was given an appointment with the deans,” Chhabra explained, “and was given a censored photocopy
Uncommon Interview: Journalist Steve LeVine talks latest book Wendy Lee News Staff Steve LeVine is the Washington correspondent for Quartz and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he teaches energy and security. LeVine was a foreign correspondent for 18 years, writing for such major publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. His work has covered numerous historic events, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea oil boom, and wars in Chechnya, Georgia, and NagornoKarabakh. His latest book, The Powerhouse: Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World, examines advances in lithium ion battery technology and the geopolitics of technology. In writing The Powerhouse, LeVine was granted unprecedented access to Argonne National Laboratory, which is comanaged by the University of Chicago. Chicago Maroon: You write for Quartz, a digitally native news outlet that describes itself as “intelligent journalism built primarily for the devices closest at hand: tablets and mobile phones.” How would you describe your relationship to “new media” and what is the future of journalism in relation to “new media?” Steve LeVine: Nobody knows what the future of journalism is….There will come a time when we’ll grow tired of “junk” or of “McDonald’s journalism.” People will eventually want salads and intellectually healthy writing. The days of going online and spouting your opinion about something after having read a story or two are going to grow thin. Similarly, the days of readers being interested in simply reading the reporting and the opinions
of people who share their own opinions are also going to grow thin. Quality journalism emerges when you’ve gone out, discovered something original, done a bunch of research, and then presented it in a really interesting way—in whatever form that is. CM: In 1995, you were wounded in Chechnya while reporting for The New York Times and Newsweek magazine. Have the dangers and risks associated with being a foreign correspondent ever made you reconsider the career? SL: No. I didn’t go into journalism for the danger, and I didn’t stick with it to do dangerous things. I just covered the story wherever I was…. I do think, however, that...there are mistakes that are made by people who have the wrong idea about how to cover dangerous places. For example, with war, there’s this impression that to get the story, you should go to the frontline. Well, that’s not usually where the story is. Wars don’t happen on one set battlefield...in the way that it happens now, there are a hundred different skirmishes all over the place, and sometimes it involves intimidation, threats, fighting, or simply sitting in on several guys talking in a room. But because it’s so disparate and because it is often unclear as to what on earth is going on, a lot of war reporting is instead hanging out with the folks who live there to discover the human story. My own encounter, when I was wounded, was a fluke thing…it was at a roadblock going into an election. We were going from one town to another, and there was a fighter who decided to fire off his rocket. When he did it, myself and a couple people I was standing with got the backlash. CM: You spent two years at Argonne National Laboratory examining the efforts
of researchers to create battery technology that have the potential to impact energy systems, climate change, and geopolitical relationships. Based on your time there, do you think there are enough young people invested in the field of battery technology? SL: The mainstream way of thinking is that we don’t have enough young people in STEM, and based on what I’ve been told, this is not an accurate conclusion….We don’t need quantity, but quality in the sciences. We need young folks, especially someone who can invent the super battery.... In the lab I stayed in, it was mostly comprised of foreign-born scientists. We need inspired Americans; smart men and women. There were very few women in the lab that I resided in— in fact, there was only one in that lab, which was disappointing, especially as the father of two girls. CM: During both of your talks at Google and at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, you mentioned that there would eventually come a turning point in which today’s youth would become disillusioned with the idea of burning fossil fuels. What do you think will stimulate this turning point in the youth’s ethical attitude towards the environment? SL: I think that the trigger for this turning point is the emergence of more available and affordable hybrid cars and electric cars. A generation will soon emerge that believes that there is something unprincipled and wrong with having a gas engine car…. I personally point to the year 2018 as the turning point because it is when these electric cars will come onto the market, such as Tesla with its Model 3, GM with its Volt, or even Apple and Google with their respective models.
of the file to peruse...I was not allowed any electronics, but was allowed to take notes.” According to the notes Chhabra took on the file, the applications have two readers each. The readers use various ranking systems to evaluate the student on academic, personal, and intellectual bases with relation to their application as a whole. They separately evaluate the students’ extracurricular activities, essays, and interview. They also comment extensively on the students’ applications.
Chhabra’s interviewer wrote: “I get sort of a ‘that kid’ vibe from him. But knowing that he is socially confident makes the application look a lot better.” The readers deemed his essay “a little wordy but good.” They wrote that because he is “deeply intellectual,” he would be a good fit for the school. According to the University’s student manual, after submitting requests, students discuss their request with someone from the Office of Campus and Student Life to determine which re-
cords they will be allowed to see. The University admissions office did not release the exact number of students who have submitted requests. Since the Stanford students published their findings about using FERPA rights in January, students from schools across the country, have requested to see their records, including students from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. The University did not respond to requests for comment.
“We believe some of the increase in applicants was influenced by...the No Barriers initiative.” RATE continued from front
UChicago. Much of the University’s steep increase in applications is credited to recent changes in the application process. Applicant numbers rose after the University announced earlier in 2014 that it would be utilizing the Universal College Application (UCA), an alternate application system to the Common Application, for the Class of 2019. Technical glitches in the Common Application system around the time of application deadlines earlier last year resulted in a decline in applicants. Similarly, application numbers rose dramatically when the College first adopted the Common Application in 2009 and hired Jim Nondorf as the new dean of undergraduate admissions in 2010, resulting in changes to the College’s marketing strategy. The University cites other major developments as a part of the recent success in attracting applicants, from the new Institute of Molecular Engineering to the Logan
Center for the Arts. According to Chicago Magazine, the University “embarked on a $1.5 billion spending spree” in recent years as part of efforts to build the new arts and engineering centers, among other new buildings. University spokesperson Jeremy Manier credits a large portion of the University’s successes to recently implemented financial aid initiatives. “We believe some of the increase in applicants was influenced by this year’s announcement of the No Barriers initiative and the complementary programs of UChicago Promise and the Odyssey Scholarships,” he said. “For example, the College is on track to increase the proportion of students who are eligible for Pell grants, which suggests that more outstanding students from families with low to moderate incomes are applying.” Through these various initiatives, the College has secured one of the highest ranks in the U.S. News & World Report Best College Rankings, tying for fourth
place with both Columbia and Stanford and surpassed only by Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. A record-breaking 11,403 students applied to the College through the nonbinding Early Action round, making up over a third of this year’s applicants. Students applying during this application round were notified of their decisions in mid-December, while Regular Decision applicants received their decisions in mid-March. Another cause of the declining admission rate stems from recent increases in yield to the College, or the number of students who choose to accept their offers of admission. “[The yield rate] is expected to be similar to last year – around 60 percent. Between 2009 and 2014, the yield rate increased by about 20 points,” said Manier. “It’s one more indication that students admitted to the College are enthusiastic about attending UChicago.” Admitted students will have until May 1st to accept enrollment in the College.
Sigma Chi’s Derby Days raises over $11,500 for cancer research Last week Sigma Chi hosted Derby Days, a weeklong fundraising competition designed to support cancer research. Sigma Chi partnered with five sororities and engaged in a series of events, where the winning sorority received 10 percent of the proceeds toward its charity of choice. Within a five-day period, the event raised $11,500. Kappa Alpha Theta won the competition overall, which was judged by a panel of Sigma Chi brothers. Kappa Alpha Theta secured the highest number of points through a system that considered both the number of events won and funds raised. Although the event raised $11,500, the funds were distributed between two charities. Sigma Chi donated $10,500 to the
Huntsman Cancer Foundation, while Kappa Alpha Theta gave $1,000 to CASA for Children, a foundation dedicated to supporting foster children. Sigma Chi created a donation through derbychallenge.org, where donating was open to the public. There was significant participation from Greek organizations in Derby Days. Sororities Kappa Alpha Theta, Delta Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Alpha Kappa Delta Phi were affiliated with the project and participated in each event. The events each day were wide-ranging, including cookouts, a banner competition, boat racing in the Ratner Pool, and a dance competition. One of the events, the
dance competition, included a 40-minute improv comedy show by Off-Off Campus and a series of pre-choreographed dance routines created by members of the participating sororities on campus. Rex Johnson, president of Sigma Chi, said: “We’re very thankful for all who donated and participated. We’re happy to be involved in such a great [cause] and to raise money for cancer and we look forward to raising even more money next year.” The week kicked off with a barbecue on Monday, April 6, with competition results and donation totals released at the end of the week on Friday, April 10. —Shelby Lohr
THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | April 14, 2015
Two new shops “pop up” on 53rd Street
Mike Sheerin, formerly a chef at Blackbird and Cicchetti, will be opening a new restaurant in Hyde Park late. COURESTY OF PACKED
Eileen Li News Staff The University is cooperating with 53rd Street to open two pop-up stores, including Lively, a women’s athletic apparel store, and Belle Up, a maternity boutique. The two stores were invited to temporarily open shops on University land with financial incentives from the University and may possibly be-
come permanent stores. As of now, Lively is scheduled to be open for six months beginning on April 1, and Belle Up, which opened on April 3, plans to stay until the middle of January 2016. Lively, co-owned by sisters Kate and Anne Pezalla, opened in August 2014 in Oak Park and specializes in running and active wear by brand. The sisters are both Oak Park natives and Road Runners Club of America-certi-
fied running coaches. According to an article by the Hyde Park Herald, Anne Pezalla stated that the opening of the new store location in Hyde Park was “a big leap” that required a lot of discussion due to the relative newness of the first store. The address of the pop-up will be 5421 South Harper Avenue. Belle Up’s owner, Jamenda McCoy, used to be a law student at Northwestern and stated in the same Hyde Park Herald article that she was drawn to open a store in Hyde Park due to the dearth of good maternity clothes available to mothers on the South Side. Belle Up previously had a store in Mount Greenwood before moving to Beverly in December 2014. The new store will be located at 1504 East 53rd Street. Both Belle Up and Lively recently participated in 53rd Street’s recent First Weekend event (held during second weekend this quarter), with Lively offering free Feetures socks for the first 50 female students who did a video gait analysis (a technology that helps to spot problems in a runner’s stride that may cause injury), and Belle Up giving a Chicago map necklace as a gift with every $50 purchase. The two pop-ups will soon be joined by The Silver Room, a jewelry and accessories boutique from Wicker Park that is preparing to move to Hyde Park permanently this month.
University to celebrate 125th anniversary Tamar Honig News Staff This autumn, the University of Chicago turns the page on 125 years of existence. Celebration of this milestone will begin with Opening Convocation on September 21st and continue throughout the Autumn Quarter with various events and activities for faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to reflect on the school’s intellectual history and evolution. These celebratory events will be unified under the theme “125 Years of Inquiry and Impact.” According to an email sent last week by Dean John W. Boyer to university faculty, students, and staff, “These two ideas – inquiry and impact – reflect the two components of the University’s Latin motto, Crescat scientia; vita excolatur (‘let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched’).” In an interview with The Chicago Maroon, Boyer elaborated upon the significance of the upcoming anniversary to the university community. “It’s an opportunity for the students and faculty and staff to think about where the university has come and where it wants to go,” Boyer said.
“Universities are dynamic places. In a paradoxical way, they serve to conserve the past – past knowledge and past traditions – but they’re also inherently future-oriented because they help us define and create the future we want to live in and the future we want our children to live in.” Various committees have been appointed to aid in the organization of the 125th anniversary celebration. One such committee has plans in the works to use events like Homecoming and Family Weekend to engage the university community in the conversation about UChicago’s past and future “Right now these committees are working hard to provide ideas and suggestions about what they might want to plan for next year,” Boyer said. “We’re trying to get as much feedback as we can so we can have a pretty good sense by the end of spring quarter of what will be happening in the fall.” A calendar of projected activities can be found online, and will be updated with more information as it becomes available. One highlight already on the calendar is a lecture and conversation with Maestro Riccardo Muti, music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), which will take place on the
evening of Opening Convocation in the Logan Center Performance Hall. The university’s anniversary coincides with the CSO’s celebration of its own 125th season in 2015-16. Boyer commented on the intersection of the histories of the two institutions and the aptness of a shared celebration. “The conjunction between the two reminds us not only that Chicago has these great civic institutions, but also that they were founded at more or less the same time as the city grew,” Boyer said. “So I think it’s quite nice and quite appropriate that the symphony is joining our celebration, and we would certainly be open to ways to join their celebration, as well.” Boyer continued, “You have these interlocking elites of civic benefactors that help to create all these institutions, so in a way we’re all part of the same story of how a great city came to have great civic institutions.” The autumn quarter festivities will culminate at the 525th Convocation for graduating students on December 11th in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, featuring the premier performance of a specially commissioned musical piece by Anthony Cheung, Assistant Professor of Music.
Financial aid budget to rise by $117 million next year AID continued from front
sity spokesman Jeremy Manier wrote in an email to The Maroon. The financial aid office estimates that because of the No Barriers initiative, which takes effect next year, and related outreach, there will be an increase in students who qualify for federal Pell Grants and other forms of aid. Tuition will also increase from $48,253 in the 2014-15 year to $49,026 next year. Tuition has increased by similar percentages over the past several years. However, according to a press release from the University of Chicago
news office, the higher cost of tuition will not lead to a significant amount of increased revenue for the school. University projections indicate that revenue from tuition for the 2015–16 school year will only increase by two percent. According to Manier, increasing financial aid is always a part of the overall University budget planning, and financial aid has been increasing over the past several years. In 2011–12, for example, the budget was $76 million. If the current projections are accurate, by next year the financial aid budget will have increased 54 percent in just four years.
Most of the new funds for financial aid will come from philanthropic donations, especially from the $649 million student support and financial aid allocation of the $4.5 billion University of Chicago Impact and Inquiry fundraising campaign. Thus far, this portion of the campaign has raised $219 million from over 21,000 donors. Citing the $100 million anonymous donation to establish the Odyssey Scholarship program in 2008, Manier noted that large philanthropic donations have always been important to expanding the University financial aid budget.
3
NEWS IN BRIEF Survey regarding sexual misconduct sent out today A survey gauging student experience with sexual assault and misconduct was sent out today to every student at the University of Chicago over the age of eighteen. Students will have until April 21 to complete the survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary; student responses are anonymous and confidential. At a Student Government Town Hall in February, Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen said that the University hoped for a 35 percent response rate. The survey was designed by a committee of University faculty. It will be administered by National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, a social research organization. According to an email sent out to University of Chicago students, a summary of results will be released before
the end of spring quarter. A second survey, concerned with inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities, will be sent out to students after the first survey is wrapped up. Both surveys, as well as a committee reevaluating the University’s Unlawful Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct Policy, were planned after high-profile incidents earlier this year, including threats of rape posted to a hacked RSO web page and a report of racist Halloween costumes. Some students and faculty have called for a climate survey since the fall. A petition sent out last November that called for a campus climate survey attracted nearly 2,500 online signatures; members of student government have also advocated for a climate survey. —Adam Thorp
Argonne Lab collaborates with Intel and Cray to develop a supercomputer Computing Facility, in an Ask Me ARGONNE continued from front
Anything (AMA) online discussion on Friday. Coghlan compared the airflow modeling capabilities of Mira and Aurora to illustrate the differences between the two computing systems. While Mira can simulate the flow of air over a small part of wind turbine blades, Aurora can simulate flow over the entire blade. This difference in simulation ability will allow for nuance: it will allow scientists to “investigate how vibrations from one blade impact that of other blades,”
Coghlan stated. The AMAs held by Coghlan and Papka on Friday highlighted public interest in Aurora’s impact outside of the computer lab. Coghlan described the widespread nature of the Aurora system’s predicted impact and enumerated a few areas that impact everyday life; Aurora’s computing power will allow researchers to “design better batteries, model weather at a higher resolution, and understan[d] the origins of the universe.” To follow the supercomputer’s progress, directors Papka and Coghlen recommend checking Aurora’s website.
“What transparency does is that the eyes of the community are on [the UCPD] now.” UCPD continued from front
and a variety of community and school groups, including the Campaign for Equitable Policing, student government, elected officials including Aldermen Leslie Hairston, Will Burns, Willie B. Cochran and Pat Dowell, Illinois state representatives Barbara Flynn Currie and Christian Mitchell, individual community members, and neighborhood organizations. “What we did was create opportunities for them to share their concerns about what was perceived to be a lack of transparency about the UCPD [and] what their expectations were. It also gave UCPD an opportunity to share why it operates in the manner that it does and how things are implemented,” Lynch said. Student Government president Tyler Kissinger says that this announcement is an encouraging development but notes that the UCPD can still go further in its disclosure of information. Student Government signed a petition to sponsor Bill HB3932 earlier in the year, which would amend the Private College Campus Police Act to require private universities to make their records available to the same standards of the Freedom of Information Act, the standard to which the Chicago Police Department is held. “Putting it into law and not making it an institutional prerogative is a good thing to do,” Kissinger said. The newly released records place the University of Chicago above its legal obligation of information to release. However, the proposed bill sponsored by Barbara Flynn Currie would raise the requirements of what private universities
legally have to disclose. This would include more detailed reporting on complaints against UCPD officers and field contacts. The statement released by the Campaign for Equitable Policing lauded the progress made by the University, but stressed the need for more disclosure on records of allegations of police conduct, what constitutes a stop, and the policy of not collecting contact cards for interactions with students. According to the statement, “today’s changes, while substantial, fall short of making the UCPD an adequately transparent police force. Without a legal mandate, data release remains at the sole discretion of the University.” Emma LaBounty, a member of the Campaign for Equitable Policing, referred to the announcement as a “substantial win.” “What transparency does is that the eyes of the community are on [the UCPD] now,” LaBounty said. According to LaBounty, the UCPD has additionally initiated changes in policing practices in preparation for the increased information disclosure. There is now a stricter policy on what justifies a traffic stop (driving that constitutes a dangerous threat to traffic as opposed to minor seatbelt violations) and stricter policy on in-person stops (a person must fit the description of a suspect the UCPD is actively pursuing or visibly engaging in criminal activity). The University will also post a list of frequently asked questions developed through the community discussions about the UCPD on the new web page with the other information.
VIEWPOINTS
Editorial & Op-Ed APRIL 14, 2015
Confessions from a recovering “excellent sheep” If the life of the mind is to actively learn, then why does it leave so many of us feeling passive
Sophia Chen
PhiloSophia Celebrity chef Eddie Huang is tired of cooking red pork, has terrible short-term memory, and thinks the best way to make white people understand foreign concepts is to add bread to them. If he had his way, his popular restaurant would be called RiceHaus instead of BaoHaus. But alas, he is resigned to the fact that bread-like foods are the way to coherence, which he wishes Obama knew. Obamacare? Just add bread. When I walked into his talk at the University, I think I expected something more along the lines of a cute powerpoint about his childhood and how it translated into the new ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, based on his memoir of the same name. But he began the presentation with lovingly renaming The Maroon as the Moron, and never looked back from there. He unabashedly opened up the floodgates to a Q&A lasting more than an hour and a half. And, instead of just the chuckles I expected to walk away with (though there were plenty), his honesty, cultural literacy, and individual pursuit of knowledge gave me a sense that I had somehow failed in a role I had long thought I had in the bag—a passionate learner. Huang was sarcastic, hilarious, and unafraid. Whatever we threw at him, he answered—whether it was about politics, race, corporate America, or even food ethics. Beyond mere eloquence, his ability to answer each question with some ethos, indicates that he had taken
the time to form an opinion on each subject; he finds each topic (as random as they may seem to us) important to contemplate. It became clear that Huang reads way more than I do, as he referenced minority authors and New York Times articles left and right. Now that I think about it, most of the books I’ve read were written by dead white guys. It’s pretty embarrassing to admit this as a student who probably has more time on her hands than this dynamic guy who spends his days filming hipster food documentaries and his nights in LA trying to convince Lana del Rey to include rapper Cam’ron in her next album. If I were Eddie Huang, all that success would impede me from seeking understanding about the unsavory parts of the world that don’t directly relate to me. I’d just hang out with Lana all day and eat some free bao at BaoHaus, instead of doing the independent reading that I’d been meaning to do. In that sense, Huang embodies the life of the mind much more than I do. He’s not relying on someone else, like a university, to tell him when to use his brain. At the session, he cheekily poked fun at someone, saying, “What? You didn’t get into MIT?” Laughter roared as this statement seemed to hit home. Then he quickly added, “It’s okay, I went to Rollins College. That’s, like, the Phoenix University of the South.” The reason he’s so comfortable with mocking himself and us, is
The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892. Eleanor Hyun, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Manhardt, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Stephen Moreland, Managing Editor The Maroon Editorial Board consists of Eleanor Hyun, Alan Hassler, and Lear Jiang. News Natalie Friedberg, editor Alec Goodwin, editor Marta Bakula, deputy editor Isaac Easton, associate editor Raymond Fang, associate editor Shelby Lohr, associate editor Maggie Loughran, associate editor Annie Nazzaro, associate editor Isaac Stein, senior writer Viewpoints Sarah Zimmerman, editor Nina Katemauswa, associate editor Kiran Misra, senior editor Arts Andrew McVea, editor Evangeline Reid, editor Ellen Rodnianski, editor Hannah Edgar, associate editor Grace Hauck, associate editor James Mackenzie, senior editor Sports Helen Petersen, editor Zachary Themer, editor Ahmad Allaw, associate editor Katie Anderson, associate editor Tatiana Fields, senior editor Sarah Langs, senior editor Grey City Sindhu Gnanasambandan, Editor-in-Chief Kristin Lin, Editor-in-Chief Design Annie Cantara, head designer Copy Sophie Downes, head editor Alan Hassler, head editor Sherry He, head editor Morganne Ramsey, head editor
Multimedia Forrest Sill, editor Photo Marta Bakula, editor Frank Wang, editor Yeo Bi Choi, associate editor Video Amber Love, editor Social Media Emily Harwell, editor Online Ryan McDowell, web developer Business Nathan Peereboom, chief financial officer Ananya Pillutla, chief operations officer Nicolas Lukac, chief marketing officer Zac Gunther, chief innovations officer Theresa Peng, chief statistics officer Lenise Lee, business manager Harry Backlund, distributor Kay Li, director of data analysis This issue: Copy: Megan Daknis, Kyra Martin, Rebecca Naimon Design: Stephanie Liu, Elle Rathbun, Kaitlyn Shen Editor-in-Chief E-mail: Editor@ChicagoMaroon.com Newsroom Phone: 773.702.1403 Business Phone: 773.702.9555 Fax: 773.702.3032 For advertising inquiries, please contact Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com or 773.702.9555 Circulation: 6,800. © 2015 The Chicago Maroon, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
“[there is a] trend of Asians being generally discriminated against in University admissions”
| THE CHICAGO MAROON whom the relief is in learning rather than muted passivity. I always wondered why my ideal job was to be a student forever, something I used to pat myself on the back for, as if it were a statement about how much I loved to learn. But in reality, it was to keep me from confronting the primary purpose of education: to become a better part of society, not to recline in the ivory tower. I love taking notes about biology, but I hate the idea of research. It’s too active, too endless—and therein lies my problem. I’m scared of the real world because there, I have to take chances regardless of my prerequisites or qualifications. It’s about learning without a rubric, without a TA telling me what to do. I’m scared of people like Eddie Huang, who was fired from a law firm and kicked out of the TED Fellows Program—his one chance to be all prestigious and intellectual—because he didn’t let an institution facilitate his current success. In fact, he’s still actively speaking out against the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat’s deviation from the true message of his story, instead of quietly cashing the checks and enjoying the glory of working with ABC. He’s his own person. He took the life he envisioned in his mind and made something out of it. Maybe I’ll find this true “life of the mind” when I can one day drive the process myself instead of parasitizing an institution.
MEREDITH HYUN
because he thinks that your educational background shouldn’t define you—a sentiment that is repeated over and over by comforting college counselors. Still, I think his logic is quite different from the norm. When people dismiss rankings as irrelevant, the usual argument is that you should find the school that fits you the best. That’s what I smugly thought too, but that’s still letting an institution drive my intellectual pursuits instead of maintaining them myself. But I’ve come to realize that, as much as hate to admit it, I do need one to. The other day, I couldn’t remember how to get to the Med from South Campus. My friend joked that I was a “classic English major,” and I didn’t even try to defend myself. I’ve come to accept an identity through my major. Even if I’ve never verbalized this, I believe that I can’t be, shouldn’t have to be, good at anything else (namely, directions). I wish I were still a kid, willing to challenge my brain, to wrack it for details in my memory of how I last meandered to the Med. I only think about the things that I’m supposed to think about now. On the other hand, Huang’s way of life seems to involve a preservation of his intellectual identity, regardless of his environment. When someone asked him why UChicago responds so apathetically to student requests, he replied, “I never ask the bureaucracy for anything, because it only has its own interests in mind.” It’s hard for me not to ask and expect, because, all my life, I’ve been told that following the system really well will get me where I want.
I am what Yale professor William Deresiewicz calls a really “excellent sheep.” Sheep are actually pretty dumb—that’s why being a shepherd is a full time job, because you have to constantly run around keeping these stupid animals from wandering off a cliff or something equally obtuse. Classes are like that for me; my professors shepherd me to what I need to know. In my head, I glorify my education, but it is, in reality, just a cluster of lectures, textbooks, and discussions with peers, things that I can—I should—seek out on my own. But I don’t. At the same time, I complain that classes take up so much time that I never have room for other pursuits. But when I am given free time, I have no idea what to do with it. All the self-improvement projects I start, like learning a new language or reading about elders’ rights, all peter out pathetically in favor of watching entertaining Youtube videos. I’m so used to a set curriculum that the vast amount of information in this Internet age terrifies me. Education’s value is not in the quality of information, but the way the information is structured. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s made me lazy. “Here’s what you need to know to get by.” The real world doesn’t work like that, so I don’t function in the real world, where the shepherds don’t always have my best interests in mind. OUCH. That’s me down there. The sheep pancake at the bottom of the cliff. I’m in such disconnect with the self I aspire to be, someone for
Sophia Chen is a first-year in the College majoring in biology and English
THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | April 14, 2015
5
BLACKLIGHTxMAROON
One year later The anniversary of the Nigerian schoolgirl kidnapping reminds us to commit to providing education across the world Shae Omonijo Maroon Contributor Last year’s Mother’s Day will always be ingrained in my memory. For as long as I can remember, I have spent every Mother’s Day going to church for morning service and then an intimate dinner with my mother. But this year was different. Twenty-seven days earlier, terrorists disguised as part of the Nigerian military entered the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok and exchanged gunfire with security guards. They stormed the girls’ dormitory and instructed the girls to leave with them. After loading them into trucks, they burned down the school building. The kidnapping of these girls was one of the most atrocious crimes committed against children in Nigeria’s history. The impact of this event has left a rotten mass of anger, frustration, and grief in the stomachs of every Nigerian both in Nigeria and abroad. A cancerous mass of these sorts, when left untreated, and amplified by the slow and apathetic governmental response, can cause a sense of despair that words fail to describe. This feeling arose when the pastor called for a moment of silence for the kidnapped Chibok girls during the Mother’s Day celebration. It was like the calm before the storm. The silence before the crescendo. A pregnant pause before the water breaks. I have never experienced something as intense or miraculous as childbirth. Similarly, I was too young to remember the labor pains my mother experienced giving life to my little sister, but at this moment I experienced all of this and some. In the midst
of the silence, a young woman released a high-pitched shriek followed by a deep-seated moaning. She cried like a mother in the final moments of an organic childbirth. The sound waves of her cries shook the cancerous mass of anger, frustration, and grief that had been lying in everyone’s stomachs. There was a tense stillness in the room as everyone mourned. The cries of that young woman are as unforgettable as the children we mourned over. As of the time I write this, all
“We must not allow fear to be the reason students are prevented from obtaining [...] a quality education.”
of the more than 270 girls have yet to be returned to their families. What we have seen since April is a blatant and ruthless attack on educational systems around the world. Terrorist groups have made it their mission to threaten youth in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan. In addition to terrorist groups inciting immediate albeit well-planned terrorist attacks on public spaces and government buildings, these groups have also executed strategic attacks on young people eager to obtain an education. Education is one of the most powerful tools to transform nations such as these, which are eager for systematic
changes in their governments and policies. These young adults are the building blocks to social, economic, and political prosperity, and through these attacks by groups such as Boko Haram and Al-Shabab, systematic long-term damage to each of these nations is being perpetrated. The object of a terrorist group is to incite fear, but in reality, they are the ones who fear the most. Just the thought of a child equipping him or herself with the tools he or she can get from an education frightens these extremist groups more than anything else. We must not allow fear to be the reason students are prevented from obtaining something as precious as a quality education. We must continue to put pressure on these governments to make education a safe option for young adults in their respective countries. Young people have already made their voices heard. On April 1, Nigeria elected General Muhammadu Buhari, member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the next president of Nigeria in what many saw as a push in the right direction. In the APC manifesto on education, it makes a commitment to “fully implement and enforce the provisions of the Universal Basic Education Act with emphasis on gender equity in primary and secondary school enrollment whilst improving the quality and substance of our schools.” Promises like these give young people hope in the new government’s ability to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency and ensure that Nigeria’s youth are educated without fear, neglect, or delay. April 14 marks one year since the Chibok girls were
| THE CHICAGO MAROON to school is no longer a life or death situation for children and young adults.
ALICE XIAO
kidnapped. On this day, April 14, we remember the 270 kidnapped Chibok girls, the 147 victims of the Garissa University attack, the victims of the Peshawar school attack, and the numerous other victims of anti-education violence, and we all pray for the day when going
Shae Omonijo is a firstyear in the College majoring in public policy and political science
Start by believing One discredited rape story does not mean all survivors’ experiences are false Michele Beaulieux Maroon Contributor
I no longer believe that Jackie, the student profiled in Rolling Stone’s now discredited article, “A Rape On Campus,’’ is what I am: a campus rape survivor. I do believe, however, that Sabrina Rudin Erdeley, the article’s author, is what I also am: the survivor of a psychopath. Although Jackie lied, such a hoax is highly unusual. The FBI states that false rape claims are single-digit percentage anomalies. Odds are, we are right to believe. At first, I had wanted to believe that the discrepancies in Jackie’s story could be attributed to the confusion that trauma can cause in memory. I wasn’t going to hold Jackie to inconsistencies in the number of men she accused of participating in the gang rape. After one, who could keep count? I wanted to believe her story constituted a much-needed national
teachable moment on how a traumatized mind responds after sexual assault. But watching the CNN interview of Jackie’s friends, I felt visceral pangs of recognition. Jackie had been lying even before the supposed rape. In an unsuccessful effort to make a crush jealous, she amalgamated boys she knew from high school into the boy she later claimed led her into the gang rape. No such student at her college existed. Likewise, to gain sympathy, my ex created fictional characters: a sister, a daughter, the homeless man in the back alley. And, like Erdeley, I, too, believed. In Jackie’s telling, she suffers an unrelenting series of heartbreaking betrayals from people she thought she could trust: her conniving date, the callous frat boys, her self-absorbed friends, the deaf administration. Similarly, my ex recounted a series of noble victim sagas: a father who beat him so viciously that
he broke his bones, a sister who drowned, an infant daughter lost to crib death, himself a formerly homeless ex-marine with two Purple Hearts. For most of us, it’s difficult to comprehend the lack of empathy, conscience, and ability to distinguish right from wrong that enables a person to lie with abandon. But such people do exist. The Alcoholics Anonymous preamble warns of “men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves.” As a society, we call them cons, charmers, pathological liars. People with antisocial personality disorder, commonly known as psychopaths (or sociopaths), capitalize on the assumption that people are trustworthy, which is fundamental to civilized society. Erdeley and I both fell for the compelling allure of getting exactly what we wanted. Erdeley got a riveting blockbuster narrative,
and I got a soul mate. Or so we thought. It was not until I was safely outside the radius of my ex’s charm that I could see clearly. After he moved out, I found myself filing a Freedom of Information request for his military records. When the big manila envelope arrived, I learned that he had been in the Navy, not the Marines, and he had earned no Purple Hearts. I didn’t need the Columbia Journalism Review to figure out what happened to Erdeley. I knew. She had been lured into the lair of a likely psychopath, just as I had been. Googling “Jackie” and “sociopath” confirmed that I wasn’t the first person to have this hunch. I found myself in unlikely agreement with John Craig. Conservatives trumpet Jackie’s fabricated assault as typical, but the fact is that both psychopaths and false rape claims are rare. Jackie didn’t want Erdeley to contact her friends or perpetrators and, given the trauma sup-
posedly inflicted, that reticence was understandable. In the thrall, Rolling Stone made inexcusable exceptions to its fact-checking standards. I, too, was urged not to talk about the dead sister and infant daughter with those who might have informed me that they were never born: the mere mention would be too upsetting. And so I didn’t. Later, a meticulous online search of birth records revealed what I had come to suspect: no such children had ever existed. CNN, the Washington Post, and other media outlets did that research for Rolling Stone. We now know that Jackie’s alleged perpetrators and friends have a very different version of that night’s events than the one she shared. Psychopaths tell us what we crave to hear. Jackie’s story played into our fears of campus sexual assault and its identified demons: frat boys at big parties. We were ready to believe her. BELIEVE continued on page 6
6
THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | April 14, 2015
“it [is] extremely difficult for actual survivors whose stories lie outside the expected norm [of victimhood] to be believed.”
ELEANOR HYUN
BELIEVE continued from page 5
Jackie was a much better campus rape victim than most actual victims, including myself. She crafted a story that built on our society’s preconceived notions of rape. She was the unquestionably innocent victim, outnumbered and overpowered, betrayed everywhere she turned. While trying to advance our society’s understanding of sexual assault, Erdeley fell into supporting the socially acceptable narrative
of victimhood and thereby perpetuating a culture that makes it extremely difficult for actual survivors whose stories lie outside the expected norm to be believed. Our messy stories are often full of counter-intuitive behaviors: we often don’t report the crime immediately and then continue to see and even have sex with perpetrators. Erdeley believed Jackie when she shouldn’t have, but often we, as a society, don’t believe rape survivors
when we should. With the odds in favor of truth, why do rape survivors, more than other crime victims, often not get the benefit of the doubt? Our propensity to question sexual assault survivor accounts goes deeper than our failure to understand the impacts of trauma on the human mind or the difficulty in proving crimes that typically have no witnesses or physical evidence. Rape is simply too horrific to imagine. We resist pic-
THE C-SUITE STARTS WITH
Developing ethical leaders is at the heart of the Marquette University Graduate School of Management. The nationally ranked MBA program and the MS programs have a global focus that emphasize problem-solving in today’s ever-changing business environment. Learn from industry experts, study top-notch research and connect to our international network of business alumni. Here, you will learn to Be The Difference.
MBA and master’s programs accounting | applied economics | human resources | leadership marquette.edu/gsm
turing the terrifying helplessness of being forcibly penetrated against our will. Indeed, in my first attempt to express the truth about what happened to me in my Upper Flint dorm room in the now demolished Woodward Court, I suggested to my identical twin that I might refer to the fellow student (not my ex) who assaulted me as a “rapist.” Her reflexive “Don’t say that!” made it clear she couldn’t fathom that I had been violated,
and I subsequently retreated into my shell of shame. Over time, I emerged, and today, my sister, friends, and family believe me. Their nonjudgmental support is crucial to my healing journey. It’s not always easy to believe, especially when a false accusation makes headlines. But Jackie’s lie is an exception that Rolling Stone should never have published. I’m making a pledge to continue to start by believ-
|
THE CHICAGO MAROON
ing sexual assault stories. I am not a judge nor am I a journalist. Their job is to question and verify facts; my job is to be human. Belief ultimately supports the recovery of the sexual assault survivors. And, the vast majority of the time, I will be erring on the side of truth. Please join me in continuing to start by believing. Michele Beaulieux, is a college alumna (A.B. ’82).
ARTS
What is art? APRIL 14, 2015
Closeted/Out (re)collects a century of stories from UC's LGBTQ history Darren Wan Arts Contributor Closeted/Out in the Quadrangles, an exhibition held at the Special Collections Research Center Exhibition Gallery, documents and showcases once-neglected historical narratives from the University of Chicago’s LGBTQ community. Presented by the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, this exhibition not only chronologically catalogs key events that shaped the University’s queer past, but also explores the lives of individuals past and present. Some of the oldest documents collected in this exhibition address female homosexuality in the early twentieth century, including photographs and love letters from the personal collection of Dean of Women Marion Talbot, Assistant Dean of Women Sophonisba Breckinridge, and Dean of the School of Social Service Administration Edith Abbott. Newspaper clippings publicizing the dismissal of two male instructors, Cecil Smith and Paul Goodman, are also displayed, underscoring the professional obstacles that LGBTQ individuals faced in the university and beyond in the first half of the twentieth century. The exhibition also traces the development of Hyde Park’s first LGBTQ organizations. The Chicago Gay Liberation Front was formed in 1969 and created spaces for gay people to interact for the
first documented time in the history of the University. In an effort to increase the community’s visibility on campus, it was renamed the Gay and Lesbian Alliance in 1978, and renamed again in 1995 to Queers and Associates—a watershed recognition of the shifting vocabulary of non-heterosexual communities. One of the more harrowing episodes documented by the exhibition was the harassment that targeted LGBTQ students at the height of the AIDS crisis. In 1987, several students at the Midway Review, then a conservative student newspaper, founded The Great White Brotherhood of the Iron Fist. The Brotherhood sent a series of threatening letters to queer students, as well as their families and employers, as part of their “dragging-out party,” outing students against their wills. Despite these distressing events, the exhibition also documents positive moments for LGBTQ communities from the university’s role as a birthplace of the academic study of sexuality to more contemporary developments, such as the establishment of the 5710 Diversity Center on South Woodlawn Avenue and the robust growth of queer communities and support groups on campus. While the collection of documents and artifacts were engrossing, it was the recorded interviews with alumni, faculty, and staff—available on iPads stationed throughout the exhibit—that
A group of students protest against anti-LGBTQ harassment on the main quad in 1991. COURTESY OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS RESEARCH CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LIBRARY
brought Closeted/Out in the Quadrangles to life. Ninety-six oral histories have been collected and made accessible to visitors, bringing a deeply personal dimension to the exhibition. Be they heartrending or triumphant, these stories encapsulate the sentiments of people
Haitink reunites with CSO for memorable Mahler
Maestro Bernard Haitink is still a vital presence on the podium at 86. COURTESY OF TODD ROSENBERG PHOTOGRAPHY
Hannah Edgar Associate Arts Editor The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Thursday performance of Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony (Mahler 7) was not unlike the weather that evening : terrifyingly stormy, and at times unpredictable, but in every way aweinspiring. After all, when a conductor like Bernard Haitink, one of the great Mahler interpreters of our time, joins forces with the CSO, itself
a first-rate Mahler orchestra, the result is sure to be dynamic. Not only does the CSO have a special relationship to Mahler 7—it gave the piece its American premiere in 1921—but it also has a uniquely close relationship with Haitink. He last appeared with the CSO in 2013, three years after vacating the principal conductor post that had been created for him in 2006. During this time, he bridged the gap between the tenures of the CSO’s last music director, Daniel Barenboim, and its current music
director Riccardo Muti. And it’s a relationship that shows no obvious signs of decline, if his podium performance is any indication. At a very limber 86, Haitink still exerts a tight, unostentatious control over the ensemble, his gestures supple but exacting. As the harp-pluck and sustained cello note that ended the second movement dissipated into nothingness, his hands traced the natural diminuendo of the harp’s decay, making the cellos sound in every way like an organic continuation of the harp’s final attack. For a moment, Haitink appeared to control the sound waves themselves. The illusion was absolutely uncanny—unlike anything this reviewer had ever seen. Sometimes called “Song of the Night,” Mahler 7 is obfuscating in every sense of the word, which explains why it’s one of the more divisive Mahler symphonies out there. In many ways, Mahler is at his most enigmatic, his most grotesque. Interestingly, it is said that he was out rowing on the lake next to his summer home with his wife when inspiration for the first movement suddenly hit him. (One wonders what Alma Mahler thought upon hearing the brooding, minor-key opening, as it’s not exactly the sort of music one HAITINK continued on page 8
who made and wrote the university’s queer history. Closeted/Out in the Quadrangles is a resounding success in all respects: It thoroughly documents queer histories at the University, giving visibility to a community whose stories were once disregard-
ed, as well as offering Chicago-centric context to the still-evolving gay rights movement. By giving voice to the marginalized, LGBTQ individuals who attended or worked at the University finally have the opportunity to reclaim their own histories.
Goats' new album a Champ Walker King Arts Contributor Yeah, so, The Mountain Goats made an album about pro-wrestling. It’s called Beat the Champ. Pro-wrestling is pretty outré for an indie-rock band, but band frontman/acclaimed novelist John Darnielle has also made an album where each song was inspired by a Bible verse, so it’s not like he’s ever bowed down to the interests of the musical literati. Come to think of it, the Bible’s probably even less popular than pro-wrestling among that set, although there’s likely a lot of crossover between the fanbases of the Bible and the WWE. Perhaps Darnielle’s only embarking on a misguided brand outreach campaign? Anyway, yes, pro-wrestling. It’s wacky, right? But if you’ve heard only a single Mountain Goats song, you’d still know that wringing sublime tragedy out of the most profane subjects is kind of Darnielle’s thing, whether that subject is death metal (of which the songwriter is a real-life fan), The Price is Right, or the city of Chino, California. Lately, Darnielle has focused a few songs per album on a particular celebrity, exploring the little struggles in the lives of Liza Minnelli or Amy Winehouse that add up to a pic-
ture of the struggle to wake up in the morning and maintain what one has left. Looking at his music in this way, pro-wrestling, and specifically the pre-WWE era of regional promotions in the late 70s, is actually the ideal subject for one of these explorations. The “nameless bodies in unremembered rooms” Darnielle growls about on “Werewolf Gimmick” take the stage, and Darnielle goes to work finding the little moments that capture the agony and ecstasy of wearing a costume and pretending to beat up other people for money and… immortality? Maybe—Apache Bull Ramos (on whom Darnielle bases “The Ballad of Bull Ramos) winds up blind and missing a kidney because of diabetes, left with nothing to do but sit on his porch and try to remember his former glory. But even his surgeon is able to recognize him, and somehow he knows he’ll live forever, standing in the desert with his bull whip ready to “rise surrounded by friends.” On the other hand, Bruiser Brody suffers some fatal misfortune in “Stabbed to Death Outside San Juan,” and finds himself “climbing down the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram,” unnoticed by the crowds in the arena. GOATS continued on page 8
THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | April 14, 2015
8
Uchida's take on Mozart effortless, novel MJ Chen Arts Staff It is tempting to trivialize Mozart—to take the quality of his music on faith because it’s Mozart. His piano concertos are particularly vulnerable to this approach, especially if the listener forgets to listen beyond the showmanship and virtuosic razzmatazz. Mitsuko Uchida does not risk her interpretation for an inattentive audience. She does not yield to a fickle crowd the power to decide what to hear in Mozart’s music. She strips all distraction from the concertos, presenting a spectacle of sound, at once organic and divine. In her annual Symphony Center appearance last Saturday, Uchida played two piano concertos from opposite ends of Mozart’s chronology: the No. 6 in B-flat major and the No. 26 “Coronation” in D major. Together, the two works reveal a compelling narrative about Mozart’s growth as a composer—strong evidence that not all of Mozart’s music was created equal. I did not care for the earlier piece; compared to his later orchestral works, the Sixth Piano Concerto has a sparseness of texture that comes across as threadbare. Lacking the harmonic inventiveness and structural know-how of his mature style, the first and third movements sound uniform and choppy. Yet the second movement gives a taste of the remarkable spirituality that has made him immortal—Uchida’s interpretation transfigured the Andante un poco adagio from
humble to divine. There is an intuitiveness to her touch that defies description. Listening to Uchida playing Mozart, I became convinced that this was how Mozart should be played. Not in the negative sense that there was nothing out of place; her interpretation captures a positive ideal, completely and effortlessly Mozart. “Mozart is the most frustrating composer to perform,” said Uchida in an interview in the 1987 documentary Mozart in Japan. “It must sound as if you were playing it for the first time.” A performance that channels only grace or wit or elegance is a mediocre one. These elements are precursors to technique: a certain phrasing here, a quick attack there. They are to Mozart as Stat 234 is to econometrics. But Uchida demonstrated a spontaneity in her playing that made the No. 26 so exciting to hear. Her performance drew the ear forward, charging each nimble passage and dainty trill with electric anticipation. As Uchida herself said in the same interview, “The initial surprise of hearing his music and all of the emotions that you might have experienced…all of those fresh feelings must come back. Mozart expects that his music is recreated every time when you sit at the keyboard.” Sitting in Symphony Center last Saturday, I felt wonder—wonder at the brilliance of Mozart and of Uchida. In between the two concertos, Uchida accompanied the German soprano
Dorothea Röschmann in a performance of Schumann’s song cycle Frauenliebe und -leben (A Woman’s Love and Life). Its eight songs chronicle a woman’s life from her (patriarchy-tinged) perspective, beginning with her courtship and ending with her grief at the early death of her husband. Röschmann was not particularly convincing in expressing the indecisive joy in the first three songs, which reflect her character’s amazement at her reciprocated love. Her voice began to open up in the consecutive songs, showcasing admirable emotion and a subtle understanding of the text. Her reflection on motherhood, “An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust,” radiated tender wonderment. Crisp diction and superb breath control accented her grief in “Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan,” in which the character expresses heartbreak at her husband’s death. I was more disappointed with Uchida’s accompaniment, which lacked the intuition of her Mozart interpretations. It would have been more satisfying to hear her bring the same sensitivity from her solo playing to support Röschmann’s solid effort. Meeting Uchida at her CD signing after the performance, I remarked that I adored the shoes she wore that evening : ankle boots in gold leather that reminded me of a 2005 Dior Homme piece by Hedi Slimane. She responded that she bought them in Venice to replace her regular pair of concert shoes, which were stolen last year in Chicago.
"90 minutes had never felt so short..." HAITINK continued from page 7
expects to be conceived during a romantic afternoon date. But then again, Mahler was a man of contradictions.) When executing grotesque music—and there is plenty in the Seventh— performers have a fine line to tread: They must convey the exaggeration intentionally written in the score without succumbing to it completely. There were a few instances of overzealous execution in Thursday’s performance which distorted the balance of the orchestra and veered the performance toward caricature and not of the self-referential sort Mahler probably intended. But these overblown exaggerations, which in any case were few and far between, certainly did strut individual players’ stuff. In Mahler’s most tumultuous passages, solos soared high, stratospherically high,
above the din of the orchestra. Or, in the case of principal timpanist David Herbert, over nothing at all: He pounded out the timpani solo in the beginning of the fifth and final movement like his life depended on it. The result, though deafening, was deliciously frightful. It’s just another reminder that when it comes to the CSO, one is dealing with the cream of America’s musical crop. But they’re also human. Trombonist Mick Mulcahy, who performed the opening tenorhorn solo, ran into some trouble when he played the first note of the solo—which is the first melodic entrance in the piece—noticeably flat. Thinking fast, he made a few deft adjustments to his horn, and his next entrances proved much more tonally secure. With a runtime of nearly an hour and a half, the
Seventh has the sprawling length of a true Mahler symphony without the conventional tunefulness that so endears other works from his oeuvre to audiences. A cohesive performance of the Seventh demands that the audience be kept on its toes, and the CSO certainly delivered in that respect. Ninety minutes had never felt so short, and a nearly full house brought Haitink back for four bows before, finally showing his age, he wearily plodded off stage for good. There will be one more performance of this program at Symphony Center (220 South Michigan Avenue) this evening, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. Audience members are welcome to attend a preconcert lecture at 6:30. UChicago students are eligible for discounted tickets, $15 online/$10 at the box office. See http:// cso.org/ for more.
"His personal ethos? 'If you can't beat 'em make 'em bleed like pigs.'" GOATS continued from page 7
The Mountain Goats' new album, Beat the Champ, is an indie-rock smackdown. COURTESY OF MERGE RECORDS
Putting aside the metaphysical side of wrestling, Darnielle emphasizes that beating the shit out of some motherfuckers can actually be a lot of fun. In the short, bouncy, “Foreign Object,” a wrestler hams up for the microphone and gives as good as he gets, promising to “personally stab you in the eye with a foreign object.” His personal ethos? “If you can’t beat ‘em make ‘em bleed like pigs.” The swaggering woodwind section of “Foreign Object” is a good example of how the Mountain Goats continue to expand their sonic profile, long the most overlooked aspect of any Darnielle-led band. A solid sax anchors “Foreign Object” in the same way a more reflective woodwind ensemble gives “Southwestern Territory” a wistful melancholy that sticks around for the rest of the album. “I
try to remember what life was like long ago,” sings the unnamed, hapless narrator. “But it’s gone, you know.” “Luna” and “Fire Editorial” have a jazzy, off-Broadway feel that would have been almost unthinkable to those who only know the Mountain Goats from their early acoustic-guitar-on-aboombox releases. Wrestling is, of course, a spectator sport, and Darnielle lends his perspective on seeking salvation through his favorites’ victories to some of the albums most affecting moments. “The Legend of Chavo Guerrero” and “Hair Match” present highs and lows in the career of the titular wrestler, and likewise in the mind of his biggest fan, 11-year-old John Darnielle, who’s watching a Spanishlanguage broadcast because Chavo’s the only person he knows who actually fights for good.
But heroes can let you down. In “Heel Turn 2,” the album’s complicated moral center, deciding to break bad, to go from being a “face” to a “heel,” goes beyond symbolism; it’s about survival. Sometimes the mantra of “I don’t want to die in here” needs to overrule your convictions, your instinct for fairness, and your crying fans. It’s wonderful for the marginalized, for the person who knows they’ve been beaten. When Darnielle sings “You’ve found my breaking point. Congratulations.” His voice hitches just a little on the last word, capturing oceans of resentment, bitterness, and resignation in half a second. It’s the brilliant, earnest stuff fans have come to expect from the Mountain Goats. Every form of sports entertainment should be so lucky as to have a tribute as great as Beat the Champ.
THE CHICAGO MAROON | ADVERTISEMENT | April 14, 2015
9
THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | April 14, 2015
10
University’s athletes give back to surrounding community Ahmad Allaw Associate Sports Editor Some days, a ball skirted along the grass; others, feet squeaked across the court. The execution, though, wasn’t necessarily a spectacle to behold. Balls were kicked 10 feet away from their targets; others dribbled inadvertently from hands to feet. But the beauty of sport rang nonetheless, for, despite each mistake and frustration, there was an equal amount excitement and happiness and shouting jubilation. For the past month, UChicago’s Order of the C, one of the university’s primary student-athlete organizations, has provided free lessons to Ray Elementary students. 25 children, ranging from kindergarten to third-grade, were taught the fundamentals of soccer and basketball. Ray Elementary often looks to partner with UChicago to provide after-school activities for its students. But, at the time, they didn’t have any related to sports. However, that all changed with an email. Lindsay Banman, Resident head of Flint House, asked third-year swimmer Brian Weisbecker if he would like to start such an after-school program. “Normally when you send an e-mail like that, you don’t expect to get a reply. But [Brian] responded within five minutes,” Banman explains. Soon
enough, third-year football player Justin Waney had signed on as head coach. “After just a month of emails, we had the program ready to go.” However, there was some concern that the program would falter before it had a chance to take off. “We promoted at Ray….[but] we were afraid we wouldn’t get enough students in the middle of winter,” Banman said. However, the concern quickly disappeared. Within the first week, in addition to the 25 signed on, there were over 20 students on the waiting list. The Undergraduate Order of the C’s mission is simple: “to keep the memory of the University athletic life and perpetuate the athletic honor and traditions of [the] University.” However, with this program the Order of the C represented far more than just its parent organization. The program displayed the essence of sport itself. The young Ray students weren’t focused on just competition, weren’t intent on just defeating an opponent. Instead, they ran across the pitch, shuffled across the court, jumped to grab a ball, celebrated a success, all to just have fun and improve. The final result was, regardless of any temporary misstep or blunder, a smile. “[The students] loved the program. It was a huge success,” Banman said. However, the program
The University’s Order of the C group of varsity athletes runs an after school basketball program for students at Ray Elementary. LINDSAY BANMAN/THE CHICAGO MAROON
couldn’t have succeeded without its leaders: Weisbecker and Justin Waney. “Credit goes to the student coaches at UChicago. With 25 kids, it would be really easy for things to go crazy. But they were always prepared with lesson plans. I’m so impressed by their effort and energy. For an hour, they completely devoted themselves to the kids” Banman said. Along the way, the students also developed their skills. With each passing week, what was once an awkward pass or move
became a natural one. What once required focused attention became an easy afterthought. However, while the UChicago coaches helped each of the kids improve athletically, they also did much more. Ray Elementary is a diverse community. Many of the kids at Ray will likely be first-generation college students. “It’s always great for kids to have involvement with [undergraduates]. It rubs off on them. It’s important to have another person supporting them, believing in
them,” says Banman. The UChicago student-athlete volunteers did all this and more. Overall, the program was an unmitigated success for all involved. As Banman recounts, “The parents loved the program. There was one mom whose son was sick during one of the days. The mom said her son was distraught—not because he had to miss school, but because he couldn’t [come to the lessons].” The winter quarter has come
and gone. The kids, though, will have many more chances to enjoy the sports. Spearheaded by Weisbecker and Waney, the Order of the C will again offer the free after school activity in the spring. All 25 spots have already been filled, with 27 additional students on a waiting list. The program will experiment with small changes, possibly adding leadership component. However, its essence remains unchanged: to arrange free lessons and provide smiles along the way.
“the area’s best unaccompanied group” — Chicago Magazine
Beatlemania The songs of the Fab Four get a dynamic a cappella twist as the nine singers of Chicago a cappella bring their unique artistry to these timeless favorites.
Friday, April 17, 8:00 pm Logan Center for the Arts 915 East 60th St., Chicago
5
$
Post-concert talk-back with Beatles expert and WXRT radio personality Terri Hemmert
STUDENT TICKETS UCHICAGO ARTS PASS
TICKETS: www.chicagoacappella.org or (773)281-7820
THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | April 14, 2015
11
South Siders fall flat to North Central, split Case Western Softball Katie Anderson Associate Sports Editor Entering the weekend with a 9–9 record, the Maroons hoped that the sunnier weather could bring them better luck in their two doubleheaders against No. 10 North Central and Case Western on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Unfortunately for the Maroons, this was not quite the case, as they dropped both games to North Central and the first game against Case to end 1–3 on the weekend. Despite three losses, the weekend did end on a positive note with an extrainnings win against the Spartans. On Saturday, the squad traveled to Naperville, IL to face off against North Central. The South Siders fell to the Cardinals 3–0, due in large part to North Central pitcher Andrea Starr’s no-hitter. Two runs in the third inning and one in the fourth supplemented Starr’s flawless performance on the mound to give North Central the upper hand in the first game of the day. Despite the loss, Chicago still showed a great effort. Third-year Jordan Poole pitched six solid innings, tallying four hits, four walks, and three strikeouts. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Maroons were defeated 8–3 after North Central scored five runs in the bottom of the third. Numerous South
Siders still stood out in the game. Second-year Maggie O’Hara put Chicago on the board with a bases-loaded triple in the sixth inning, while fourth-year Tabbetha Bohac pitched six innings and tallied an impressive six strikeouts. Despite the two losses to start the weekend, the Maroons loaded the bus from Naperville with positive thoughts about their efforts. “Although we were disappointed to lose both games, North Central is a top team and we played really well against great competition,” said second-year pitcher Alexa Hanelin. “We were excited after Saturday to play Case on Sunday and were optimistic that we could get a couple of wins.” The Maroons dropped their first game to Case Western by a close margin of 3–2. However, firstyear first baseman Alyssa Stolmack had a banner day, hitting her first collegiate homerun in the bottom of the fourth. Coming back from an ACL injury, Stolmack had an interesting take on the milestone. “Hitting a home run was a nice change of pace because I got to jog around the bases instead of trying to sprint!” said Stolmack. The Maroons’ luck did finally come in the final game of the weekend in an exciting extra innings win against Case by a score of 6–5. The sixth inning in particular was action-packed
for both teams. The Spartans started the sixth with a grand slam to bring the score to 5–2. The Maroons answered, with Bohac hitting her third homerun of the year and first-year Sara Koniewicz hitting a double to bring a runner on first home. Koniewicz then made her way around the bases to tie the game on third-year Devan Parkison’s RBI single. Tied at 5–5, the game was decided in extra innings by Bohac’s walk-off RBI single to bring Maggie O’Hara home from second. “It was awesome to be able to pull out a win against Case, especially with them being part of the UAA,” Bohac said. “It was a great team victory with everyone contributing and fighting the whole game. We are looking to take this momentum and energy into the games against Illinois Wesleyan today.” Stolmack added, “Winning a tough game in extra innings is an excellent reminder of what we’re capable of as a team. Each one of us knows we can make the clutch play or get the clutch hit, which gives us the confidence to go into today’s games with yesterday’s fight and energy.” Chicago split a doubleheadlast evening against Illinois Wesleyan University, losing the first game 7–1, but taking the second by a score of 4–1. Their next game is this Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at Aurora University.
Third-year Kristin Lopez catches a fly ball during a game against Thomas More last season. COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS
Doubles play steady, constant for young team Men’s Tennis Sarah McNeilly Senior Sports Staff The Maroons were tested this weekend with three tough matches against Wash U, UT Tyler, and UW–Whitewater. The squad ended the weekend with a 2–1 overall record, with wins over UT Tyler and UW–Whitewater. The Maroons improved to a 13–4 overall record and now rank 13th in the nation. The action began in St. Lou-
is on Saturday morning, where Chicago took to the courts against Wash U. First-year Nick Chua started the squad off right with a decisive twoset win over his opponent, second-year John Carswell, to clinch a singles victory. The squad then suffered four singles losses. However, it was able to close out the singles portion with another decisive win from first-year David Liu. The action continued in the doubles matches, where Chi-
cago captured two of the three matches. A pair of fourthyears in the No. 1 doubles spot, Ankur Bhagarva and Deepak Sabada, won their match 8–5. A pair of firstyears, Liu and Chua, earned a close 9–8 victory at No. 3 doubles. However, the rally was not enough, as Chicago was edged by the Bears by a final score of 5–4. Later that day, the squad faced off against UT Tyler. The Maroons dominated in this match and pulled away with a
7–2 overall score. Chua, Liu, second-year Max Hawkins, and third-year Gordon Zhang all recorded singles victories for the squad. Chicago then swept the doubles rounds, with wins by Bhagarva and Sabada, Zhang and Hawkins, and Liu and Chua. The men continued their hot streak on Sunday morning with a crushing 8–1 victory over UW–Whitewater, marking Chicago’s first win over Whitewater in four years. The Maroons picked up
wins early and often in Sunday’s matchup, which was Chicago’s 10th match against a nationally ranked opponent this season. The squad went 2–1 in the doubles matches with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. These wins marked an undefeated weekend in doubles play for these South Siders. The Maroons used this success as a springboard heading into singles, where they swept all six matches. Liu and firstyear Michael Selin both went
into three sets at the No. 4 and 5 spots, but stole away with sharp third sets. “Right now I think our goals are the same. we need to do well at UAAs and hopefully to qualify for NCAAs,” said Chua. The weekend brings Chicago to a 13–4 overall record. It will continue its streak of competing against ranked teams when it takes on Gustavus Adolphus this Sunday. It is the last match before the UAA Championships.
CLASSIFIEDS 2 & 3 BDRM APTS. FOR RENT in HYDE PARK Large Apts. Hardwood Floors, Ceiling Fans in All Rms. Located at 54th & Harper. Laundry on Premises. Quiet & Secure Bldg. Contact Dino 312-802-6813
Expert Editor, Writer, Typist for Books, Scripts, Grants. I edit dissertations. I am a Published Author 312-543-9919
SPORTS
IN QUOTES “Not much planned. relax. Get married. Be old.”
– Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles comments on his plans for the upcoming offseaosn
Chicago knocks off two ranked opponents in weekend play Women’s Tennis Max Hawkins Maroon Contributor Coming off competitive matches in the Midwest Invite, the battle-tested No. 15 Maroons will look to put together a magical run as they move toward the end of their season. This past weekend in St. Louis, Chicago went 2–1 to improve their record to 2–3 in league play and 10–9 overall. Chicago started off Saturday with a rematch against rival No. 11 Wash U (15–4, 3–2) with the teams splitting the previous two matches. “It was a bit tougher facing Wash U this weekend dealing with illness and injury, but everyone fought really hard and you couldn’t ask for any more than that,” said fourth-year Maggie Schumann. The Maroons fought hard but were unable to overcome early deficits in doubles, eventually losing 8–6 at No. 1 doubles, 8–5 at No. 2 doubles, and 8–4 at No. 3 doubles. Despite getting swept in doubles, Chicago came out firing in singles with fourth-year Megan Tang and second-year Tiffany Chen quickly dominating their opponents at No. 2 and No. 4
singles respectively. In a back and forth affair, Wash U took 2 out of three three-set matches to win 6–3 overall, with first-year Jasmine Lee prevailing at No. 3 singles with a 6–2, 5–7, and 6–2 victory. Just an hour after the tough loss, the battered Maroons regrouped to face No. 38 UT-Tyler (13–4, 5–0). “All of the girls competed not for themselves, but for each other and to pull out the wins this weekend was huge,” Schumann said. The Maroons responded well after a loss for the second straight week with strong doubles play as first-year Ariana Iranpour and Tang won 8–3 at No. 1 doubles, Chen and first-year Courtney Warren won 8–1 at No. 2 doubles, and third-year Sruthi Ramaswami and Schumann won 8–4 at No. 3 doubles on their way to a 6–3 victory, with Iranpour, Chen, and Schumann winning handily at No. 1, 3, and 6 singles, respectively. The Maroons ended the weekend on Sunday against No. 28 UW–Whitewater (18–4, 6–0). “I think our tough matches on Saturday helped us prepare for today… We had par-
ticularly close doubles matches, but made the necessary adjustments on all three courts and stayed aggressive throughout,” Ramaswami said. With tight matches on all three courts, Chicago learned uts lessons from the previous day pulling out all three matches 8–6, 8–5, and 8–6 at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 doubles, respectively. The Maroons put the pedal to the metal, sweeping in singles. They were led by Iranpour’s 6–0, 6–2 win at No. 1 singles; Chen’s 6–1, 6–0 victory at No. 3 singles, and third-year Stephanie Lee’s 6–2, 7–5 victory at No. 5 singles. The day ended with an impressive 9–0 overall victory. “I think our spring break training trip really helped us become a closer team and improve how we compete… We have the potential for some great wins coming up,” Ramaswami said. The Maroons have one more match next week before they head to Florida for the start of the UAA tournament, where they will look to start their postseason run and avenge their loss to Wash U. The squad will kick off against Wheaton this Saturday at the Stagg Courts at 1 p.m.
Top tier foes occupy Chicagoland Invite Track & Field Russell Mendelson Senior Sports Staff This past weekend the Maroons traveled to the College of DuPage to compete in the Chicagoland Championships. The meet was significant for Chicago in that it is the secondto-last meet before UAAs in Emory, which will be taking place in fewer than two weeks. Additionally, the South Siders had the opportunity to face stiffer competition than they usually would, as a total of 24 Division I, II, and III schools all participated in the weekend’s events. “Whether the competition is DI, DII, or DIII, we as a team approach all of our meets with the expectation that we are taking a step forward in our progress as athletes,” said fourth-year Renat Zalov on the team’s mentality when going up against these upper-division schools. “I believe all of us look forward to good competition every weekend because it allows us to push ourselves harder and thus become better,” he said. Zalov managed to take a large stride in the right direction, finishing a hair behind the leader with a final time of 9:40.77 in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. “The distance group had a set of really good workouts this
Fourth-year Maggie Schumann returns a serve during a practice game this season. COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS
Hard-hitting Rockford too much for Maroons Baseball
week, and I think the confidence and energy that comes with that kind of success in practice translates over to competition,” said Zalov on the preparation, which he believed contributed to his performance. “My biggest challenge heading into the meet was to execute successfully the racing strategy that Coach Hall set out for me; i.e. to be patient at the beginning of the race and then really start to open up about a quarter of the way through.” The distance group’s workouts paid off for other members of the men’s squad as well, as three Maroons placed in the top five of the 5,000-meter: second-year Gareth Jones, third-year Michael Frasco, and fourth-year Kevin On finished first, second, and fifth respectively. For the women, the middle-distance runners shined, especially in the 800-meter. Second-year Michelle Dobbs earned the victory, while thirdyear Brianna Hickey came in fourth at just over four seconds behind her teammate. Secondyear Minnie Horvath placed fourth in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, despite it being the first time she had ever competed in the event. “Going into the meet it was really nice knowing that I’d be running with my teammate, [fourth year] Nissa [Mai], be-
cause we’ve been training together since January and she is a more experienced steeplechaser,” said Horvath on her strategy entering the race. “I just wanted to go out and have a solid first race in the steeplechase, so I tried to focus on running with her instead of running against the other schools.” When asked what the team needs to do to be ready for conference, both Zalov and Horvath stressed maintaining steady focus with the limited time remaining. “As a team we simply need to continue to do the right things inside and outside of practice— get enough sleep, have a good diet, and keep getting better in practice,” Zalov said, emphasizing the importance of a balanced training regimen. Horvath hopes that the pressure of the upcoming conference championship can be used as a tool by the team in order to improve within the closing window. “The conference meet is coming up in two weeks, so I think that realizing that we have a finite number of opportunities to make ourselves better before then will help us get ready.” The Maroons’ next meet will take place this Saturday at the Wheaton Twilight Meet in Wheaton, IL.
Bobby Butler and Michael Cheiken Maroon Staff Sunday afternoon, the Maroons walked over to the baseball field with hopes of extending their two-game winning streak with two victories over Rockford. The 11–12 Regents have proved themselves as a solid batting team, hitting .272 from the plate on the season. Despite the offensive success, they have had trouble closing out games from the mound. However, to the Maroons’ misfortune, they did not suffer the same pitching woes on Sunday. The Maroons sent third-year Lucas Friss out to the mound for the first game. The Regents’ hitting prowess was immediately evident. The leadoff hitter connected with a single and later stole second. Rockford’s Cole Logemann then ripped a double, bringing the first run home. Friss was able to get the next two outs, but first baseman Brian Wiest cracked another double, bringing in the second Rockford run. After that, Friss was able to gain his composure to close out the inning and hold the Regents scoreless for the next four innings. Unfortunately, the Maroons
were unable to capitalize on Friss’s pitching rampage. Chicago spent the first three innings scoreless, but was able to employ some beautiful small ball to finally drive in a run in the fourth. After suffering a 1–2–3 inning in the bottom of the fifth, Friss came back out to the mound, where he struggled. After two consecutive singles, a passed ball, and a walk, the Regents had the bases loaded with no outs. Two more singles brought in an equal number of runs. However, that was all the Regents were able to get from Friss in the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth inning, after a walk and a balk, the Maroons had a man on second with two outs. Firstyear designated hitter Michael Davis cranked a double and brought in the run. “The team was going to focus on stringing together goodat-bats and keeping [its] team approach at the plate,” Davis said. “We were only able to get one in the sixth, but the practice seemed to have some effect in the seventh.” Down 4–2, the Maroons stepped up to the plate. The Chicago squad was the beneficiary of a leadoff single from first-year catcher Matt Slodzinski. An out and a single later,
the South Siders had men on first and second with only a single out. Second-year Nicholas Toomey grounded out but advanced the runners. Down to the final at-bat, second-year Ryan Krob smacked a double to left field, bringing in the two on-base runners to even the score and extend the game into extra innings. A scoreless eighth and ninth inning brought the game into the tenth. Second-year Will Potebnya-Meyer came in to pitch for the Maroons. He got the first out, but then he walked Rockford’s Josh Cooper, who advanced to third base after two wild pitches. A sacrifice was able to bring in the leading run for Rockford. Chicago was unable to answer in the bottom of the 10th, handing the first game of the doubleheader over to the Regents. The South Siders were very clearly rattled when they went out to field to begin the second game of the doubleheader. In the top of the second, Rockford batted in four runs. The Maroons were down and out. After seven painful innings, the Regents won 12–5. The Maroons look to bounce back from the defeats today against St. Norbert.