FRIDAY • OCTOBER 3, 2014
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
ISSUE 1 • VOLUME 126
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
IME inaugurates first undergraduate class Marta Bakula News Staff The University’s Institute for Molecular Engineering (IME) debuted its first undergraduate molecular engineering course for the new minor this quarter. The first and only undergraduate course offered this fall is Introduction to Emerging Technologies (MENG 20000), taught by the Institute’s director, Matthew Tirrell. Throughout the course, students will examine five
Kenwood Academy career coach Lindsey Hunter speaks at a news conference announcing the new financial aid initiatives. The initatives will replace student loans with grants, beginning with next year’s Class of 2019. COURTESY OF ROBERT KOZLOFF
University launches no-loan initiative Sarah Manhardt News Editor The University announced sweeping changes to its financial aid policy Wednesday, most notably through a new initiative called “No Barriers.” The revisions include eliminating loans, waiving the application fee, and providing additional funding and support for low- and middle-income students. “No Barriers” will benefit all
students applying to the College, and additional initiatives will expand the Odyssey Scholars program. Most of the new initiatives expand the existing UChicago Promise program to the general population. The new programs will take effect beginning with the class of 2019, and were announced at a press conference Wednesday. Current students of the University will not be eligible for any of the new programs. The University
estimates that the new programs will include more than half of incoming first years, according to Campus and Student Life News Officer Mary Abowd. “With UChicago ‘No Barriers’ and our other commitments, we are ensuring that people from all backgrounds and all incomes can afford to attend the University, and that they can thrive and succeed in whatever path they choose,” University President Robert J. Zimmer said
at the conference. “No Barriers” guarantees no loans in need-based financial aid packages for undergraduates and no application fees for students in the College applying for financial aid. It also replaces the CSS/Financial Aid profile, a form required by most colleges when applying for financial aid, in addition to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), with a simpler form, LOANS continued on page 3
distinct emerging technologies, including stem cells in regenerative medicine and quantum computing, for two weeks each. Prerequisites for the course include completion of the College’s general education requirements in mathematics and the biological or physical sciences. There has been a large student interest in MENG 20000—administrators said that more than a dozen people were on the waitlist as of Wednesday. IME continued on page 3
Historian officially a MacArthur “Genius” Victoria Rael News Staff UChicago professor Tara Zahra received one of 21 prestigious 2014 MacArthur Fellowships for her academic work on Central and Eastern European history last month. Zahra studies the development of nationalism and family structure in 20thcentury Europe, integrating both social and historical contexts into her detailed
analyses. The fellowship comes from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the largest private organizations in the U.S., and is an unrestricted grant of $625,000 paid out over five years. It is intended to allow talented and dedicated individuals to pursue their ideas more freely and easily. “The award was a total GRANT continued on page 3
Clear skies for stargazers: Ryerson gets new dome
University to end partnership with Confucius Institute
Alec Goodwin Associate News Editor
Christine Schmidt News Editor
An observatory once used by the late Carl Sagan is again fully operational. The Observatory on the roof of Ryerson Hall has been plagued by its dysfunctional seventy-year-old dome, which fell into disrepair over time, but its recent renovation has students and faculty once again stargazing with ease. The dome allows the observatory’s telescope to function properly, but large amounts of rust made the Observatory almost completely unusable by 2012. The Ryerson Astronomical Society (RAS), a RSO dedicated to astronomy that operates out of Ryerson and has existed since the 1950s, worked with the University to replace
the dome. According to University spokesperson Steve Koppes, the new dome was constructed by Ash Manufacturing Inc. from June 30 to July 3, at a cost of $21,900, which was paid for out of University funds rather than through RSO funding. The dome was built around 1937, although the exact completion date is unknown. Since that time, neither the dome nor the telescope had been rebuilt or replaced. “The previous dome could not open. It was trapping a historic telescope inside; the [RAS] could not use it. Even when it opened all-right, it was difficult to use—requiring manually rotating the dome,” Assistant Astronomy and Astrophysics professor OBSERVE continued on page 3
The University announced last week it will end its partnership with the controversial Confucius Institute, a Chinese government–affiliated organization that provides Chinese language training, cultural education, and funding but has also been accused of stifling academic freedom. This decision comes in light of comments made by Xu Lin, the chief executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters and director-general of Hanban, the Chinese governmental organization that facilitates the institutes, to the publication Jiefang Daily in regards to the University of Chicago. The University cited the article in a statement released Thursday in which
it called Xu’s comments “incompatible with a continued equal partnership.” The University had been in negotiations for several months with the Confucius Institute over renewing its contract after its first five-year term on campus when Xu’s comments were published. In the article, Xu discussed her reaction to a petition signed by 108 University faculty members asking the University to end its relationship with the Confucius Institute. In response to the petition, Xu wrote a letter to the University’s dean and called the University’s representative in Beijing. She told them that “If your University decides not to renew the contract, I will not object.” Her attitude worried the University authorities, and they quickly responded that they still planned to renew the
contract. However, after seeing the article, the University reconsidered. The article paints Xu as a tough negotiator, and uses her reaction to the University petition as an example of Xu getting what she wanted through this tough negotiating style, something that irked University officials. Some have speculated that the decision not to renew the contract was due to more than just Xu’s comments, but a University official said that the article had a real effect on the University’s decision. The decision to cease negotiations was ultimately made by University leadership in consultation with faculty, according to a University spokesperson. According to the petition calling for the removal of the Confucius CONFUCIUS continued on page 3
IN VIEWPOINTS
IN ARTS
IN SPORTS
So called “free and open discourse” » Page 4
Three Chicago locals revive art’s dead spaces » Page 11
Chicago hauls in the hardware from Indy » Back Page
Five for the freshmen » Page 5
Don Giovanni at the Lyric
South Siders rock and roll at Augustana » Page 13
» Page 12