050914 Chicago Maroon

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FRIDAY • MAY 9, 2014

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

ISSUE 44 • VOLUME 125

Community discusses Obama library Meyer Horne maroon Contributor

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum talks with Steve Edwards about his new book Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America That Works. FRANK YAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Santorum talks economics at IOP Felicia Woron maroon Contributor Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, discussed the state of the Republican Party and the minimum wage in a talk at the Quadrangle Club on Wednesday afternoon, hosted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. Santorum also attacked the Supreme Court for infringing on public debate and defended his conservative positions on gay marriage in response to student questions. Santorum said that he believes the Republican Party needs to broaden its base to be more inclusive of lower

and working classes. Republicans, he said, talk too much about macroeconomics and not enough about people. “Republicans tend to talk big picture, economic. It’s not an effective tool for communication,” he said. “So we have to orient ourselves differently to connect to the individuals, large groups of people, who are really falling behind. I’m for pro-growth economics, but we need pro-growth, pro-worker economics.” He also said that he is in favor of raising the minimum wage because it is currently so low that, “it has really no impact on providing a floor for wages.” Santorum said that he would like to raise the minimum wage about

a dollar, so that the minimum wage is earned by its historical seven to nine percent of the population, rather than the current two percent. But he added that he was not in favor of raising it to the point where it would be cheaper for companies to use machines rather than hire workers. One of Santorum’s propositions involves bringing more manufacturing jobs to the United States. Regarding jobs and education, he proposed implementing training programs for non-academic careers, as approximately 70 percent of Americans do not have a college degree. “Not everyone should be on an acaIOP continued on page 2

The Trauma Center Coalition hosted a town hall meeting discussing the role and implications of the Obama presidential library in the South Side last night at University Church. The Trauma Center Coalition consists of the groups Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY), Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO), Students for Health Equity (SHE), and the Coalition for Community Benefits. The organizations involved argued that the upcoming library was meant to be a community resource, which ties it to the University of Chicago’s lack of a trauma center. The lack of a level-one trauma center in the South Side has been a contentious issue in the community since the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) closed its trauma center in 1988. Many demonstrations have been held by groups in the Trauma Center Coalition, including a sit-in held last year at the Center for Care and Discovery that led to four arrests. The event was moderated by Veronica Morris-Moore, a former member of FLY. Morris-Moore stressed that because the library will be a resource for the community, there should be community involvement. When questioned about the ethicality of the use of the presidential

library to force conversation about the trauma center, Morris-Moore said that the library “was not a soap box,” but rather an opportunity to examine whether or not the past actions of the University are in line with President Obama’s legacy. “The library carries the legacy of an administration and has to prioritize family, black men, and access to health care,” she said, adding that they are “three things that Obama has championed that UChicago doesn’t prioritize when thinking about the trauma center.” Panelist Timuel Black, a ninetyfive-year-old longtime South Side resident and civil rights activist, highlighted the black legacy of the area, noting the DuSable Museum of African American History and several eminent blacker leaders. He said that “there is no geographical reason why [the library] should not be on the South Side, even near the UChicago campus.” Community members discussed the location of the library, and many proposed that it should be in Englewood. For panelist Virginia Parks, a professor at the School of Social Service Administration, the presidential library “signifies the impact that the community and University have had on the president.” Carson said that the benefits of the library to the community are as important as the OBAMA continued on page 2

University mourns Laura LaPlante, third-year law student Harini Jaganathan News Editor Laura LaPlante, a third-year student in the Law School, died last Friday. She is remembered for her kindness, leadership, and intellect. She was 26. LaPlante died of injuries sustained from a car crash in the early morning hours on Friday. A drunk driver headed the wrong way collided head-on into the taxicab she shared with a Law School classmate, thirdyear Mike Wasil, on Lake Shore Drive. Dean of the Law School Michael Schill wrote in an e-mail to the Law School community, “I cannot make sense of the passing of such a wonderful, vital young woman who would surely have done so much in her life to make the world a better place. At the same time, during

Laura’s short time on earth she made an impact.” LaPlante originally hailed from Hancock, NH, and was slated to graduate in June and join the firm WilmerHale in Boston, where she worked as an associate last summer. “She had been talking about how excited she was to graduate in a few weeks and start her life in Boston,” LaPlante’s roommate Emily Heasley, a third-year in the law school said in a statement. “It is tragic that someone who was acting so selfishly and senselessly caused the world to lose an amazing, selfless person with a bright future ahead of her. I was blessed to have her as my roommate and best friend, and I will miss her dearly, as will all of the people who knew her.” During her time at the Law School, LaPlante served as pres-

ident of the Federalist Society, a libertarian and conservative group, and also as treasurer for the Law School Republicans. Her friend, current Vice President for Activities for the Federalist Society, and third-year in the Law School, Michael Lanahan, said that LaPlante had valued her relationships with friends who held different beliefs and ideologies. “She had wonderful conversations and friendships with people throughout law school from different ideologies, whether that’s our counterpart liberal organization, the American Constitution Society…or Law Students for Reproductive Justice, a pro-choice group, but she cared more about the people than about winning an argument,” he said. LaPlante was also an active member of various other stu-

dent organizations, including St. Thomas More Society, the Law Women’s Caucus, and the Edmund Burke Society. She also served on the Dean of Students’ Advisory Board. “Laura truly was a pleasure to work with in all of her student organization endeavors, a student I consulted to get a sense of student opinion on tough issues, and one who still cared enough about her law school that six months before graduation, she agreed to serve on the Dean of Students’ Advisory Board,” said Dean of Students at the Law School Amy Gardner in an e-mail. “Laura was funny, smart, and the kind of student you hope to be friends with long after graduation.” Lanahan said that LaPlante’s caring for, and willingness to listen to, other people best OBIT continued on page 2

Laura LaPlante was a third-year student at the University of Chicago Law School. LaPlante passed away last Friday, May 2, after sustaining injuries from a car crash on Lake Shore Drive. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

Decay in the White City

FOTAstic week for campus art lovers » Page 5

Bears come to town for senior day

Students take on Rockefeller’s bells » Page 5

Chicago advances in NCAAs

» Page 3

A poor Constitution » Page 4

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