111513 Chicago Maroon by The Chicago Maroon

FRIDAY • NOVEMBER 15, 2013

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

ISSUE 13 • VOLUME 125

Freenters hacking exposes lax security, compromises student information Marina Fang & Ankit Jain News Editors For a more extensive version of this article, visit chicagomaroon. com. Freenters founders admitted to weak security after a group calling themselves the UChicago Electronic Army (UEA) hacked into the free printing service’s system and dumped users’ personal information online. At 10:20 a.m. Thursday, 3,015 Freenters customers received an e-mail from the official Freenters e-mail account, sent by the UEA, lambasting Freenters’s lack of security and providing a link to a file containing “data concerning the first and last name, email, birthdate (for those registered before 2/20/2013), major, and grade”

of users, as well as “protected forms of passwords,” according to a statement from Freenters. The UEA message called users “Freentards” and stated, “we regret to inform you that we’ve been hacked super fucking hard.” Third-year Helen Gao was hacked even though she said she has not utilized the service since signing up last fall. “I wasn’t terribly surprised that they got hacked, I guess, but I was pretty surprised someone took the time to do that and write that immature of a message,” she said. Freenters sent an e-mail about two hours after the attack apologizing for the actions but claiming that users’ passwords were secure. An hour later, Freenters clarified through HACK continued on page 3

The Freenters website was hacked Thursday by a group which calls itself the UChicago Electronic Army. TIFFANY TAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

UCPD Q&A draws large activist crowd Seven FulbrightSarah Manhardt Maroon Contributor UCPD Police Chief Marlon Lynch addressed concerns of racial profiling and transparency in an SG-hosted forum Wednesday in McCormick

Tribune Lounge. More than 100 people attended, with many in the audience affiliated with Southside Solidarity Network’s Coalition for Equitable Policing. Lynch, along with top police administrators, led a presenta-

tion about the UCPD before answering the five most popular questions submitted in advance, as well as live questions. Four of the five questions submitted in advance pertained to allegations of racial profiling and the fifth pertained to

policy transparency. Lynch denied that the UCPD treats residents of the community differently than it treats University-affiliated students. “What I’m hearing from you UCPD continued on page 3

Hyde Parker is an eyewitness to history Preston Thomas Maroon Contributor Holocaust survivor and longtime Hyde Park resident Herman Cohn was 17 years old on the night of Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass.” Exactly 75 years later, Cohn recounted the events of November 9 and 10, 1938 and shared his extraordinary life story at Ida Noyes Hall Tuesday night. Kristallnacht was a statesponsored pogrom against German and Austrian Jews in which Nazi thugs wrecked thousands of Jewish-owned stores, burned down over a thousand synagogues, and sent 30,000 Jews to concentration camps. The death toll that night was nearly a hundred. Cohn, 92, still vividly remembers the horrible events that unfolded in Cologne, Germany. While walking by a Jewish-owned clothing store, he saw a truck pull up. “About a dozen men jumped off the truck with iron bars in their hands,”

Hays fellows named Sarah Manhardt Maroon Contributor UChicago again led the nation this year in dollar value of prestigious Fulbright-Hays Fellowships for Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad grants. Of the 80 total fellows affiliated with 34 institutions, seven are graduate students at UChicago. The UChicago

students received $281,325 combined worth of grant money out of the $3,036,237 million awarded in total. Other institutions with large grants include the University of Wisconsin, Madison with $265,123 and Cornell University with $215,058. UChicago’s fellows are Zebulon Dingley, Chris FELLOWS continued on page 2

“Gang leader” becomes a “rogue sociologist” Raymond Fang Maroon Contributor

Herman Cohn shows a picture of himself in an army uniform, shortly after he escaped Germany and enlisted in the U.S. Army. FRANK YAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

he said. They then proceeded to smash the windows and destroy the store’s clothing stock. As he kept walking, he saw more and more signs of the pogrom. “I noticed that they had piled [Jewish] prayer books out

on the sidewalk…and saw they were lighting a fire,” Cohn said. The Schutzstaffel (SS) didn’t just burn prayer books. They set fire to the city’s synagogue, while “the fire department protected [adjacent] buildings,” Cohn

recalled. When Cohn tried to attain an exit visa, he was detained at the Gestapo headquarters, beaten, and informed that he would be sent to the Dachau concentration COHN continued on page 2

Beyond pizza and hot dog styles, Chicago’s and New York’s darker sides differ too, according to Sudhir Venkatesh (Ph.D. ’97), professor of sociology and African-American studies at Columbia University. Venkatesh described his new book, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York’s Underground Economy, as a “270-page lesson in failure” at I-House Wednesday night. Venkatesh spent his graduate years studying South Side gangs in Chicago, where residents tend to stay within their own neighborhoods; “in a box,” as Ven-

katesh put it. This makes it very easy for sociologists to “create a script” for people’s lives, based on their geographic location. New York, according to Venkatesh, has an entirely different system, as demonstrated through two very different individuals engaging in its underground economy. One was a lower-class black crack dealer from Harlem, who, due to decreasing sales, wanted to start selling cocaine to wealthy white businessmen in Midtown Manhattan. The other, a wealthy white woman, ran a prostitution ring, in defiance of parental urgings to get a “nine-to-five job.” “In New York City, people don’t sit in the boxes you want GANG continued on page 2

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

E pluribus unum » Page 4

In new experimental space, artists probe the gendered body » Page 7

No. 10 Wittenberg next after firstround victory over Bengals » Back Page

Franco’s latest looks bad in leather

Archery club targets continued success after 2010 revamp » Page 11

Accountability in the absence of anonymity » Page 5

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 15, 2013

Cohn felt “numb” when liberating death camp COHN continued from front

camp. However, in a strange turn of fate, a Gestapo official then told him, “We can’t keep you. We’ll give you two minutes to get out of the building.” To this day, Cohn does not know with certainty why the Gestapo released him, but he speculates that it was because his father had befriended a Gentile man who eventually became a high-ranking official in the SS and who had helped return stolen items to his family after members of the SS police force ransacked their apartment. Because he was still 17 years old at the time, Cohn’s father managed to get him on a train out of the country. Cohn spent a year in a youth hostel in the Netherlands before his parents acquired a visa to enter the U.S. in December 1939. His family reunited in Rotterdam and then moved to Chicago, where he has lived ever since. However, Cohn had not had his final encounter with Nazism. In June 1942, he joined the U.S. Army

in order to fight the Nazis. Knowing that he would likely be drafted, he went to the local recruitment office and said simply, “Take me now.” Landing on Omaha Beach two years later, his unit crossed through France and eventually reached his native Germany. Then, in an extraordinary twist of fate, Cohn helped liberate the concentration camp at Dachau, the very camp in which he would have found himself incarcerated had he not boarded a train to Holland six years earlier. “I was very numb,” he said, upon witnessing the mass grave at Dachau. “I walked around like a zombie in the camp.” His grandmother had perished in a similar camp at the age of 84. Cohn returned to a fruitful life in Chicago after the war, creating first a dry-cleaning and tailoring shop and later a men’s clothing store located at East 55th Street and South Lake Park Avenue. He and his wife have three children.

NEWS IN BRIEF

The Hyatt Place on 53rd and Harper opened its doors to Hyde Park visitors two months ago. FRANK YAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Two months in, Hyatt Place reports economic success

Dunlap, Carlos Grenier, Eric Hirsch, José Pérez Meléndez, Antje Postema, and Joshua Solomon. Over the past few years the grant program’s future has been uncertain due to funding concerns, according to Jessica Smith, Assistant Director of Fellowships in Graduate Student Affairs. This year, fellows were announced in September, and the grant money was disbursed shortly before the government shutdown in October. However, the shutdown still created complications. “Luckily, before the shutdown came, we received our grant award so we knew, OK, the money’s there. There definitely has been about a month delay on when fellows could start their grants because the Department of Education was shut down for several weeks, so everything’s still a little backed up,” Smith said. The Fulbright-Hays Fellowships for Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad is part of the Fulbright-Hays Program, named after the late Senator J. William Fulbright, who sponsored

legislation to increase America’s understanding of the rest of the world. Fellows must study in areas of the world not typically taught in U.S. curriculums. They cannot study in America or Western Europe. “Pretty much anyone in non-western history wants to get this grant, and we all write proposals for it and just hope for the best,” said Christopher Dunlap, a fifth year Ph.D. student in the history department, who received a grant for his project, “Scientific Communities, Nuclear Energy, and the State in Brazil and Argentina.” “I was happy to receive the grant, but to be honest, I wasn’t terribly surprised. However, that’s a testament not to the quality of my research project, but to the quality of the information provided by the University’s Office of Graduate Student Affairs,” Travis Warner, a seventh year Ph.D. student in the political science department, wrote in an e-mail. Warner won the grant last year for his project “The Electoral Connection in the Chinese Countryside: Top-Down Accountability and Rural Governance.”

Tiny microbes, giant impact Kevin Song Maroon Contributor

This is a series the Maroon publishes summarizing instances of campus crime. Each week details a few notable crimes, in addition to keeping a running count from September 23. The focus is on crimes within the UCPD patrol area, which runs from East 37th to 65th Streets and South Cottage Grove to Lake Shore Drive.

Here are this week’s notables: » November 8, Regenstein Library—Between 2 a.m. on September 16 and 6 a.m. on November 7, an unknown person(s) took a ladder and a push cart. A contractor reported the case on November 8. » November 9, 5727 South University Avenue (Math & Stats Building Parking Area)—Between 6:15 p.m. and 9:35 p.m., an unknown person smashed the side window of a parked vehicle and took a briefcase containing a laptop computer and documents.

Nov. 7Nov. 13

Robbery

Attempted robbery

Battery

Burglary

Criminal trespass to vehicle

Damage to property

116

Other report

Assault

Theft

Trespass to property

Arrest

Traffic Violation

47th

51st 53rd

» November 13, 1380 East 56th Street, 1:00 a.m.—Two unknown males, one armed with a handgun, took property from a victim walking on the sidewalk. The victim was not injured. The case is being investigated by the CPD. » November 13, Center for Care & Discovery, 1:10 p.m.—During the course of an argument, a woman struck her mother in the face with her fist. The suspect fled the scene before UCPD arrived.

Type of Crime

55th

Blackstone

» November 11, 5800 South Stony Island Avenue (Shapiro Hall, Laboratory Schools), 5:15 p.m.—A male individual entered the building without permission and created a minor disturbance. UCPD officers issued a trespass warning and sent the individual on his way.

Since Sept. 23

57th

60th

62nd

University

Millions of different types of microbes call Earth home, in places as diverse as the deep blue ocean and the human gut. Sean Gibbons, a third-year graduate student in the biophysical sciences, is determined to uncover the essential ingredients that drive the evolution of these microbial communities in different habitats. “Philosophically, they are the elders of life, and they are the muscles of earth. They transform the earth’s crust, they create the continents, and they turn over all the nutrients in the ocean and in the sky,” he said. While eukaryotic organisms such as animals, most plants, and fungi largely rely on sugar molecules as sources of energy, bacterial organisms can consume non-organic compounds as energy sources, which allow them to survive in unconventional habitats. Gibbons fell in love with the world of microbiology when he first encountered it during his undergraduate studies at the University of Montana, where he triple-majored in cell biology, microbiology, and French with a minor in chemistry.

At UChicago, Gibbons is studying under Jack Gilbert from Argonne National Laboratory and geophysical sciences professor Maureen Coleman to develop a computational model to study the complex interactions within different microbial populations. While an individual microbe can have its own unique behavior, a community of microbes can display a new collective behavior. The collective behavior of a microbial community can change with disturbances in the environment, and vice versa. The results of their research may have important implications in human health. In collaboration with Eugene Chang, the Martin Boyer Professor of Medicine, Gibbons and Gilbert are looking at the effects of microbial communities in guts that affect obesity. In an experiment they conducted, when sterile mice were fed with fat, they remained thin, whereas when mice with a certain mix of microbes were fed fat, they became obese. In the end, Gibbons hopes to find a general “rule” that can explain the rise and fall of microbial species in a given population that is faced with an environmental perturbation, which will allow scientists to predict and formulate the collective behaviors of microbial communities.

Weekly Crime Report

S. Lake Shore

FELLOWS continued from front

By Marina Fang

S. Hyde Park

Government shutdown delayed grant start dates

59th

Cornell

As for why individuals from more privileged backgrounds engaged in the underground economy, Venkatesh indicated it was because of a desire for excitement, and to “break out of the box” they are put in. “There is a thrill you get from that kind of work. People cross worlds and change their station in life, and start moving towards each other,” he said.

Stony Island

them to sit in, as a sociologist,” he said. “They tend to move around a lot and change their anchors often.” Venkatesh said that this made it difficult for him to adapt to a new method of sociological investigation when he first went to New York in the late 1990s. In Chicago, Venkatesh could spend weeks in one location to gather information. In New York City, he had to keep traveling with people.

Ellis

GANG continued from front

and transient visitors,” he said. The Hyatt, the first hotel built in Hyde Park in 50 years, is expected to bring an additional 38,000 visitors to the area annually, according to Beach. In addition to an increase in visitors, the hotel has also augmented sales at local restaurants and shops. Harper Theater and Kilwin’s, located across the street from the Hyatt, have seen an increase in business since the hotel’s opening, according to Associate Vice President for Commercial Real Estate Operations Jim Hennessy. —Raghav Verma

Hyatt Place Chicago-South celebrates two months in business in Harper Court this Sunday. Since its opening on September 17, occupancy has generally hovered around 85 percent, with the majority of guests affiliated with the University or the Medical Center, according to general manager Anthony Beach. “The mixture of sales besides the University have been Hyatt Gold Passport Members [the loyalty program for frequent guests of Hyatt], citywide convention attendees, South Loop corporate accounts,

Cottage Grove

NY underground economies are highly mobile

*Locations of reports approximate Source: UCPD Incident Reports

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 15, 2013

Joe Scarborough writes The Right Path for the right Sean Graf Maroon Contributor The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed that the Republican Party is viewed positively by 22 percent of the American people, an all-time low. In light of this statistic, Joe Scarborough, the conservative co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, came to the University of Chicago on Thursday to talk about his new book, The Right Path, which lays out his vision for how the Republican Party can win back the support of the American people. Scarborough told IOP director David Axelrod that Republicans “cannot listen to the most extreme voices in the GOP” anymore. The former Florida congressman went on to say that the reason why Republicans were once viewed more positively, allowing President Ronald Reagan to win 49 out of 50 states in his reelection bid, was because “Reagan took on the extremists.” “Reagan signed bills conservatives did not like… He hated gridlock more than anything else. He wanted to get stuff done,” Scarborough said. “I am for small government, but small government is not no government, which is where a small faction of our party is.” The far right has been able to commandeer the Republican Party, Scarborough said, thanks to a lack of leadership from Speaker John Boehner, among others. “Being a leader is about getting people to do what they otherwise would not...If the party had a strong leader, the Tea Party

would follow,” Scarborough said. However, despite all the troubles that Scarborough sees with the Republican Party in Washington, he believes there is great hope for the GOP coming from the states. “If you want to know what Republicans stand for, don’t look at D.C.; look at the states. We control 60 percent of the governorships in America,” Scarborough noted. During his discussion with Axelrod, Scarborough identified specific policies for which he believes elected Republicans have abandoned their party’s founding principles and lost the support of the American people. A core Republican tenant, Scarborough said, was to be fiscally conservative, and yet elected Republicans in D.C. deserted this belief under President Bush, who inherited a budget surplus and left office with record budget deficits. In addition, Scarborough pointed to the wars overseas as a serious violation of what Republicans stand for. “We are supposed to go to war as a last result. We are not supposed to occupy countries for 12 years. We should not spend $2 billion a year [fighting in Afghanistan],” Scarborough said. When questioned by an audience member about what Scarborough thinks of President Obama as a leader and his performance so far in D.C., he said that the President was elected too early. “[The President] would be more effective if he better understood how D.C. works. He needs to call Republicans and reach out to them… I know he dislikes D.C.,” Scarborough said.

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Lynch: We have the same authority as CPD UCPD continued from front

is your preference would be we spend our time writing and arresting students for smoking weed and drinking in public rather than dealing with potentially off-campus situations where there may be more serious violence taking place,” he said. Lynch, who is black, also asserted his position against racial profiling, tying it to his personal experiences. “Do I approve of [racial profiling]? No. I grew up on the South Side of the city, stopped numerous times, just because. I don’t condone it. One of the reasons I became a police officer was to have the ability to have a positive impact on it to prevent it,” he said. In response to questions about the lack of public release of UCPD records, Lynch noted that UCPD, as a private force that is part of UChicago, follows UChicago’s policies. “The University’s policy is to not release records because it is not required to do so,” he said. Assistant Police Chief Gloria Graham said that the UCPD’s policy of not making contact cards—in which officers describe the circumstances of a police encounter—public is not unique to the University. Graham said that similar police forces with a similar accreditation level as the University’s also do not release contact cards to the public. The CPD releases contact cards only with a Freedom of Information Act request, according to Graham.

In his presentation, Lynch explained UCPD’s transition to being a full-service force, which encompasses processing arrestees like public forces. “We have the same police authority as the police in the city you grew up in. Basically we have the exact same authority as the Chicago police officers,” he said. Lynch also noted the makeup of the UCPD’s approximately 100 police officers: 74 percent identify as non-Caucasian and 22 percent are women. Beyond administrative and technical training, officers must also have bachelor’s degrees and state police certification. Many students in attendance wore stickers distributed by the Coalition for Equitable Policing that read, “I stand against racial profiling.” The Coalition stood at the doors passing out packets that included a factsheet, student testimonials, the topvoted pre-submitted questions, and a flyer about an upcoming march advocating for a trauma center. Third-year Ava Benezra was one of the creators of the Coalition for Equitable Policing’s packet. “I think an informed discussion is always better than one that’s going off assumptions or vague ideas,” she said. UCPD Deputy Chiefs Kevin Booker and Mike Kwiatkowski presented on the complaint process and patrolling respectively. Vice President of Campus Life and Student Services Karen Warren Coleman and Dean of Students in the University Michele Rasmussen were also in attendance.

Students’ “hashed” passwords can be decrypted HACK continued from front

their Facebook page, saying “we highly recommend that you change your password for other accounts.” IT Services later sent an e-mail to affected students with the same advice. While users’ passwords have not directly been made public, a “hashed” version of the password has been made available. Hashing runs a password through a complicated function which delivers a stream of numbers and letters on the other side. According to Borja Sotomayor, associate director for technology and faculty director of Hack@UChicago, hashed passwords can always be decrypted using a “brute force” hacking method, but how long it would take a hacker to crack the password depends on the password and how it was hashed. “The big issue from what I’ve been able to tell from the data that’s been made available is that they used a single round of hashing, which makes it very easy to brute force the hashes,” he said. An alumnus who did not wish to be named stated that he had been able to crack a friend’s hashed password relatively easily. “I gave it a try and was able to do in less than one minute. While it would obviously take some time to crack all of the hashes,...any one hash in isolation can probably be cracked quickly. In short, it’s definitely necessary to assume that all passwords are (or can be) compromised,” he wrote in an e-mail. Freenters co-founder and fourth-year Hyesung Kim admitted their security was “weak” but said that the attack took them “completely by surprise.” “There was not a single indication. We not only got hacked on our website. The hacker, we assume, actually visited all of our printing stations around 3 or 4 in the morning and printed 999 pages of a printed document that pretty much

says, ‘Why Freent?’” Kim and Freenters leaders met with administrators at IT Security yesterday to begin an investigation. “There must be some traces that the hackers have left,” Kim said. Sotomayor said that from what he had heard, Freenters made it much too easy to access users’ personal information. “They were running a lot of their code with basically administrative privileges, which means that if someone was able to hijack the server they would immediately be able to access stuff like the contents of the databases,” he said. Kim said that the company had taken steps to verify the security of the website before the hack. “We actually changed our website twice and our application four times, and each time, we tried to make sure the security was not easily able to be broken. This is the first time that it has happened to us.” However, software engineer Hillel Wayne (A.B. ’13) claims that Freenters has been insecure since its inception and the UEA just exposed these problems. “People could have been stealing passwords for years and Freenters wouldn’t have cared. Hopefully this shock will get them to actually do something. At the very least, now the average user knows their platform is insecure, which should make them think twice before giving them information,” he said. “In some ways, the UEA was doing the users of Freenters a service.” Sotomayor casts blame on both sides for the hack. “It’s easy to flip this around and suddenly blame the developers of the site,” he said. “If you leave the door of your apartment open with the keys there, if someone goes in and steals all your stuff, it makes it no less of a crime.”

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VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed NOVEMBER 15, 2013

Allegations and explanations Racial profiling questions at UCPD Leadership Conversation stress opportunity for community meetings The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 REBECCA GUTERMAN Editor-in-Chief SAM LEVINE Editor-in-Chief EMILY WANG Managing Editor

CELIA BEVER Senior Editor VICENTE FERNANDEZ Senior Editor MATTHEW SCHAEFER Senior Editor MADHU SRIKANTHA Senior Editor MARINA FANG News Editor ANKIT JAIN News Editor LINDA QIU News Editor KRISTIN LIN Viewpoints Editor EMMA BRODER Arts Editor WILL DART Arts Editor LAUREN GURLEY Arts Editor SARAH LANGS Sports Editor JAKE WALERIUS Sports Editor SONIA DHAWAN Head Designer KEVIN WANG Online Editor MARA MCCOLLOM Social Media Editor CONNOR CUNNINGHAM Head Copy Editor SHERRY HE Head Copy Editor JEN XIA Head Copy Editor

On Wednesday evening, Marlon Lynch, chief of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) gave a remarkably candid explanation of University police policies and addressed allegations of racial profiling at a Leadership Conversation attended by more than 100 people. While Lynch emphasized that his department does not engage in racial profiling, repeated questioning of this assertion at the meeting reflects a notable distrust of the UCPD. Lynch must seize the significant student and community interest in the UCPD as an impetus for holding regular public meetings with police leadership and beat officers to bridge the gap between the community and the police. Regular community meetings will provide a forum for residents to raise concerns related to racial profiling by a method other than signing a sworn affidavit and filing an official complaint with the UCPD. Among

written testimonials handed out at the meeting by the Coalition for Equitable Policing were the experiences of a neighborhood high school student who feels unwelcome studying on the quads and a University student who feels that he will be stopped by the UCPD in Hyde Park unless he is wearing UChicago clothing. These residents should not have to file a formal complaint to have their concerns addressed. Instead, they should have a forum to bring these concerns directly to Lynch and regular UCPD beat officers. These meetings would allow the UCPD to address concerns immediately and to provide an equally valuable opportunity for the UCPD to explain recent suspicious activity and stops. Having UCPD beat officers regularly attend meetings will also help community members and officers alike recognize each other by face. Even though the UCPD is omnipresent

in Hyde Park, students and residents might only interact with its officers during a traffic stop or frisk that they feel is unjust. Having residents and officers know each other will not only make everyone feel safer, but can over time allow the UCPD and residents of its patrol area to develop a mutual sense of trust and investment in community safety. During the talk, Lynch rebutted calls for the UCPD to be more transparent by pointing out that the department is no more opaque than other private police forces. This attitude fails to recognize that the UCPD is part of a university that prides itself on challenging the status quo. The more information constituents have about UCPD operations, the better they know how to interact with police appropriately in emergency or potentially dangerous situations. At the end of yesterday’s meeting, Lynch himself said that he

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wanted the dialogue about the UCPD to continue. By holding regular community meetings, the UCPD could be not only more transparent, but also take a unique and improved approach to private law enforcement. Lynch, who said that he became a police officer in part to stop the kind of racial profiling that he encountered as a young man in Chicago, has an obligation to see that his unequivocal opposition to racial profiling translates down to each individual beat officer. Lynch and the UCPD have been successful in making Hyde Park one of the safest neighborhoods in Chicago, but as long as any person in Hyde Park feels that she cannot walk down the street without being stopped unjustly, the department has more work to do.

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

E pluribus unum Media reactions to Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen focus on him, not his audience

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By Ajay Batra Viewpoints Columnist I think Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen sucks. I think he is a whack hack of the highest order who churns out controversial schlock to compensate for a style so tired it’s been wearing a nightie for the past 20 years. When he wrote in the November 12 edition of his column that Americans “with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York [Bill de Blasio]—a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children,” my eyes rolled so hard they went clubbing later. And he’s been pulling this madcap sad crap for decades: In 1986, he argued that jewelry store owners were justified in refusing young black men entry into their stores for fear of crime, and just a few months ago, he defended the act of racial profiling that led to Trayvon Martin’s death. Typical—a scared, old, racist man spewing stupidity because his beloved country isn’t what it used to be, when really he’s just angry about the gout he now has from years of reckless tuna casserole consumption. Simply put, Cohen is the white devil incarnate. Just kidding. Sort of. If what you just finished reading—that is, my exaggerated impression of the way objectionable things tend to be treated in the media these days— upset or unsettled you, then you either are an apologist for racism,

in which case I pity you, or you agree with me. Read on, in any case, after taking note of this disclaimer: I sincerely dislike Richard Cohen as a columnist. His opinions tend to resemble those of an alcoholic uncle, and aesthetically, to me, he’s the Pauly Shore of columnists who think they’re David Brooks, where David Brooks is to writing what porridge is to your daily breakfast experience. Let’s take a look at the most typical and essential example I could find of the outrage that followed the publication of Richard Cohen’s latest bowel movement. On the morning the article was published, Salon’s Twitter feed referred to “old racists like Richard Cohen.” Thirty minutes later, it called his column “disgustingly racist,” and an hour after that, it linked to a piece that suggested Cohen and his editor must be conspiring for him to be bought out of his remaining contract. The problem with this sort of rapid, reactionary feedback, whose critiques vilify the opinion and its owner, is that its authors think they’re probing far enough behind the words they’re analyzing, when in fact they’re stopping well short of where they should. Yes, Salon, maybe there really is a prejudiced and unduly scared old man behind these opinions. But why worry so much about one old fool when you can worry instead about the foolish world from which he emerged whose appalling conditions still exist in his voice? To any reasonably intelligent person, Cohen’s words should be just as nauseating as the reality they reflect. Allow me to break it down. Here’s the paragraph containing the controversial lines (emphasis mine): “Today’s GOP is not racist[…]

but it is deeply troubled—about the expansion of government, about immigration, about secularism, about the mainstreaming of what used to be the avant-garde. People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York—a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children. (Should I mention that Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, used to be a lesbian?) This family represents the cultural changes that have enveloped parts—but not all—of America. To cultural conservatives, this doesn’t look like their country at all.” If we look at this passage closely—and maybe a little charitably, I’ll admit—what jumps out is that Cohen’s language clearly implies his belief that people who identify as “cultural conservatives” with “conventional views,” and who view the United States as “their country,” do in fact exist. Strictly speaking, he doesn’t endorse their existence, or claim he is one of them: He merely acknowledges that there are undoubtedly people who identify themselves this way—who use this stilted (and, to be clear in my viewpoint, perverse and dishonest) language of “conservation” and “convention” in order to sanctify their (again, in my view, completely baseless) hostility. Viewed as an argument of identity, what Cohen says is positive rather than normative. The most you can honestly allege of him is that his subordination to that language amounts to an endorsement of the rhetorical manipulation it institutionalizes. That’s pretty indicting in itself, to be fair. But—and I guess this is the premise that separates me from many readers of Cohen’s column—I’m not as bothered by

being reminded of the existence of one single, quite possibly racist white man, even if that man has a megaphone, as much as I am by the reminder that there are still a lot of Americans (and remember, a small minority of white Americans is still a lot of people) who not only hold the abhorrent views he’s discussing, but do so invisibly, insidiously, and far away from guilt and criticism. To its credit, Salon did publish a piece that came sort of close to making this point. In it, Alex Pareene writes, “The trouble with this paragraph is the use of the word ‘conventional’ instead of, say ‘retrograde’ or ‘archaic’ or ‘racist.’ What kind of mind, and person, says ‘conventional’ there?” Pareene’s answer to this question was, in effect, “Cohen, the racist.” My answer is “a terrifyingly large swathe of people that may or may not include Cohen.” The trouble, then, with the paragraph is not the mere use of “conventional.” The trouble is the fact that, in using that word positively, Cohen—in effect—isn’t wrong. In a way, then, it’s good to see the way that Cohen was so rapidly shouted down by so many other purveyors of opinion. There’s vocal, highly articulate opposition to racism in this country, and I love that. (Though there has been a relative, disappointing lack of outrage in response to the way that Cohen casually treats McCray’s sexual identity as though it’s a condition, and in doing so brings before us another form of hatred that’s widely born of ignorance.) But what happens when your first impulse is always to shout? Your voice grows hoarse: The naysayer’s grasp is tenuous. Ajay Batra is a third-year in the College majoring in English.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | November 15, 2013

243rd place...but “curious, analytical, and engaged” While by some metrics UChicago does not give students the best bang for their buck, “life of the mind” still holds value Patrick Reilly Viewpoints Staff In those anxious weeks before my move to Hyde Park, I found a bit of affirmation in U.S. News and World Report’s annual college rankings. UChicago had once again cinched a place among America’s top universities, tying with Stanford for fifth on the venerable list. With that flattering status, it’s no wonder that, in her Viewpoints column on November 1, Jane Huang concluded that “the rankings to which we object the most tend to be the ones that deviate most from U.S. News’s.” If you agree, brace yourself: On another recent ranking, UChicago placed not fifth, not 10th, but 243rd among U.S. colleges. That list, not U.S. News’s, speaks volumes about UChicago’s place in the changing world of higher education. This unsettling ranking, compiled by financial website PayScale, assessed colleges’ “return on investment”—median pay, tuition, and earnings over 30 years. As higher education becomes increasingly expensive, this dollarsand-cents view of college is gaining traction. On October 29, The New York Times reported that Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, and U.S. News itself have begun publishing value-based college rankings. Small wonder: After years of horror stories about recent college graduates working at Starbucks and living in their childhood bedrooms, recession-battered families would naturally seek their money’s worth for four costly years of college education. In a nod to these sensibilities, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently

announced plans for a federal college-ranking system, explaining, “We’ll be looking at affordability…and we’ll be looking at outcomes, such as graduation and transfer rates, alumni satisfaction surveys, graduate earnings, and the advanced degrees of college graduates.” The vast discrepancies in these value-based rankings should raise eyebrows—Chicago scored 243rd on Payscale’s, 46th on Washington Monthly’s, and 14th on Forbes’s—but the fact that they all knock our college off its topfive pedestal presents troubling questions to UChicago undergrads. Is there any legitimate reason to spend $240,000 on an education that will yield lower earnings than many state schools? How valuable are a deeper appreciation of The Iliad and close proximity to dozens of Nobel laureates in today’s job market? With the mantra “That’s all well and good in practice, but how does it work in theory?”, can UChicago and its storied liberal arts tradition adapt to a bleak employment picture for today’s college students? It’s certainly trying. Marthe Golden, director of student and employer services at Career Advancement (CA), points out, “There has been significant growth [in CA] over the past 10 to 15 years—this is due to Dean Boyer’s vision and strategy for the College.” That strategy has already brought about a twofold increase in CA staff, University-funded Metcalf internships, and a career adviser for each incoming first-year. Golden also mentioned newer programs—“UChicago Careers In…” programs, Institute of Politics internships, and networking opportunities—to ensure that Chicago

students “receive the absolute best professional advising and training through Career Advancement.” A worthy goal, but reaching it will prove difficult for CA. The University currently funds about 1,000 Metcalf internships per year, mostly targeted at second- and third-years who have begun exploring career interests, but aren’t yet seeking full-time employment. With roughly 1,500 students in each class, this program will reach only about one-third of its target audience, leaving the other two-thirds to find internships elsewhere. Granted, CA offers other programs, and students who do not get Metcalf internships will undoubtedly manage to find some form of hands-on experience. However, even working an internship—with or without the Metcalf program—may not translate into a quick payoff ; starting salary upon graduation figures prominently in value-based rankings. Stanford, the school that meets the same academic benchmarks as UChicago in U.S. News’s traditional rankings, placed 10th on Payscale’s list and first on Forbes’s. A possible reason: Stanford churns out legions of STEM grads headed for jobs in nearby Silicon Valley and average starting salaries of $61,300, well above $45,600 for a recent Chicago graduate. Even schools not thought of as academic powerhouses—Northeastern University, for instance—are enabling their students to earn more faster. The average Northeastern alum can expect a starting salary of $52,700, after paying $28,000 less in tuition than her counterpart in Hyde Park. And yet I declined Northeastern’s offer of

admission and committed to Chicago, with its lower starting salary and return on investment that’s apparently worse than that of 242 other colleges. My rationale? “People want so many different outcomes from their college experiences,” mused one of my classmates, first-year Char Daston. “And everyone prioritizes those goals differently.” While a growing number of students are—understandably—prioritizing a lucrative career, some still value even more the ability to think critically and write convincingly. Char elaborated that these “people who prioritize learning about ideas would probably rather go someplace like UChicago.” The “life of the mind” has served people like that well for generations, just as it serves Char and me now. Not just intellectually: In 1974, a first-year arrived in Hyde Park and began pursuing the same liberal arts curriculum that’s drawn skeptical glances from recent college rankings. Today, that Chicago student has a net worth of $2.1 billion, control of a top investment firm, and his name on the state-of-the-art library in which I’m now writing this article. “I love to hire University of Chicago graduates because they’re bright, intellectually curious, analytical, and engaged,” explains Joe Mansueto (A.B. ’78, M.B.A. ’80) founder and CEO of Morningstar. “My University of Chicago education has helped me throughout my career, and I’m delighted to support young students in building their careers.” Good luck squeezing that sentiment into a college ranking. Patrick Reilly is a first-year in the College.

Accountability in the absence of anonymity

With great power (continued): Superman and the Leviathan

On an internet that is beginning to phase out anonymity, care must be taken when assuming identity

Both superheroes and political philosophers have struggled with the just use of power

By Jane Huang Viewpoints Columnist During the fall of my senior year of high school some of my classmates made their Facebook accounts unsearchable, or changed their Facebook names to obscure their profiles in case anybody involved in the admissions process wanted to find them online. This inclination to minimize one’s public online presence seems quaint now. Although we’re still strongly encouraged to be prudent about what we make available online, companies have been encouraging people to make their real identities more visible online. For example, YouTube has begun requiring that its commenters link their accounts with their Google+ accounts, which typically use real names. The change in policy is expected to improve the quality of YouTube comments, which have gained a reputation for being incoherent or downright offensive. However, while less anonymity would encourage people to be more thoughtful about what they say and do on the Internet, I still have some reservations about this trend because people may be careless with the information they find about others online. At first, it may seem like a good thing that it’s become easier to identify people who do or say unsavory things. However, what if somebody found the wrong person?

For common names, it’s not that easy to tell whether online search results for that name are all associated with the same individual. Consequently, not only would an individual have to be concerned about the consequences of one’s own behavior, but also that of everybody whom one can be confused with. I don’t have a lot of confidence in everybody’s working very hard to be sure who’s who. University of Chicago is frequently mixed up with University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania is frequently mixed up with Pennsylvania State University. All four of these institutions are large, well-known organizations. If people can’t keep them straight, how thoroughly are they going to double-check what they find on relatively unknown individuals?

“

At first, it may seem like a good thing that it’s become easier to identify people who do or say unsavory things.

”

I’ve noticed in recent years that news outlets covering individuals who have suddenly become notorious will often cite information they’ve dug up online. When news about Edward Snowden broke earlier this year, reports could be found describing Snowden’s postings about his personal life on Ars Technica, a technology news website, and the website for Ryuhana Press, a startup anime company. In these instances, though, the postings were associated with usernames, not his actual name. Although real names create an aura of credibility, INTERNET continued on page 6

Ken Jung Viewpoints Staff “Contrary to the rumors that you’ve heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-El, to save the planet Earth.” Thus spoke Barack Obama during the first year of his presidency. As jokingly as he meant it, the President, as well as anybody who has ever held public office, may have more in common with Superman than one might think. As it pertains to comic books, the fundamental difference between a superhero and an ordinary human being is the possession of extraordinary, superhuman power. What we often find is that both superheroes and politicians are isolated by their power; indeed, a nickname for the presidency is “The Loneliest Job,” after the title of the iconic photograph of John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office. Consequently, a superhero’s identity is heavily shaped by his or her relationship with power, which manifests itself in all kinds of interesting ways. Let’s start with Superman. As one of the DC Universe’s most powerful figures, Superman engages in a perpetual struggle with his strength’s isolating effects, a dynamic that dictates many of his decisions. For example, he doesn’t wear a mask—a conscious choice that, according to the Birthright series, was intended to gain the trust of the people he is trying to protect. More concretely, Superman goes to great pains to serve as an exemplar of good citizenship, to the extent that his critics lampoon him as “the big blue boy scout”; he is, in some ways, defined by his discretion in exercising his power. In Superman, we see that the

superhero’s most enduring condition doesn’t simply embody itself in conflicts with supervillains. Rather, it is the reconciliation between using power to save people and this same power’s alienating consequences. A superhero’s powers aren’t just superhuman—they’re inhuman. (In fact, there is a group of superheroes in the Marvel Universe called the “Inhumans.”) In other words, Superman might be the strongest man on the planet because he’s an alien, but he will always be an alien because he is the strongest man on the planet. As he dramatically hoists an enemy tank above his head in the 1986 series The Dark Knight Returns, Superman utters the ten most haunting words of the book: “We must not remind them that giants walk the earth.” In the chronolog y of The Dark Knight Returns, Superman addresses this problem by working for the government (in much the same way that Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian work as agents of the state in Alan Moore’s Watchmen); in this case, Superman uses politics to grant legitimacy to his enormous power. By confining his agency to the boundaries of political authority, Superman attempts to become less estranged from everybody else. This scenario naturally parallels issues regarding the appropriate extent of governmental power, one which remains a source of debate in the field of political theory. Insofar as he seeks realistic solutions that are compatible with social perceptions, Superman is wary of what he is capable of doing because of its detaching impacts, not in spite of them. (Of course, this isn’t always the way it goes, as works like For Tomorrow and Red Son remind us.) We see a very different approach among SUPERMAN continued on page 6

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | November 15, 2013

Identity on the Internet is more nuanced than we Superheroes can choose to minimize or inflate take at face value their identity INTERNET continued from page 5 in some respects it might actually be more reliable to trace information back to the same person via usernames because usernames are intended to be unique. Nowadays, with the amount of personal information that people put online that is attached to real names, people may be more confident that they have the correct information. However, there have been instances of ridiculous social media mixups reported by numerous outlets. In 2011 a man named Casey Anthony was harassed on Facebook due to the notoriety of a woman named Casey Anthony who had recently been acquitted of the murder of her daughter. Right now, director Spike Lee is facing a lawsuit from people who were harassed because he tweeted their address, thinking it belonged to George Zimmerman. In the early 1990s, The New Yorker published a now-famous cartoon depicting two dogs by a computer with the caption, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” With e-mail scams, so-called “catfishing” (a term popularized by the 2010 documentary Catfish about fake profiles on dating websites), and photoshopped images floating around the Internet, it certainly seems to be the case that online anonymity allows people to get away with deceitful and unethical behavior that would not be so easy to pull off otherwise. These days, we’re often encouraged to use our real names and “curate” our online presence. For example, many of us identify ourselves by our full names on Facebook and Twitter, among other social media websites. We also acknowledge that prospective employers, new acquaintances, and other people who wish to learn more

about us will probably turn to Google with the expectation that they can find relevant information. However, we may not be given the opportunity to clear up any online mix-ups. So if people aren’t more diligent about assessing the provenance of the information that they find during an online search, it may be the case that, even on the Internet, it can be hard to convince people you’re not a dog. Consequently, if we wish to use the Internet as a tool to hold others accountable for what they do or say, we must hold ourselves accountable for how we choose to respond to the information we find. Jane Huang is a fourth-year in the College majoring in chemistry.

SUBMISSIONS The Chicago Maroon welcomes opinions and responses from its readers. Send op-ed submissions and letters to: The Chicago Maroon attn: Viewpoints 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 E-mail: Viewpoints@ChicagoMaroon .com The editors reserve the right to edit materials for clarity and space. Letters to the editor should be limited to 400 words. Op-ed submissions, 800 words.

SUPERMAN continued from page 5 other superheroes, most notably Batman. Batman is an incredibly interesting example because he isn’t technically a superhero; being without superhuman (but still exceptional) powers or abilities, his greatest asset is his indomitable will. His tremendous willpower has its origins in the moment he witnessed the murder of his parents by a gun-wielding man, when he saw a man who possessed brute power over another. With no justification in social principles, the fatal execution of this kind of power turned Bruce Wayne’s world upside down. As a consequence, Batman sees the issue of legitimacy as largely irrelevant to the implementation of power. His modus operandi of intimidation coupled with blunt force rests on the belief that as far as the real world is concerned, might makes right. Batman is by nature an apolitical figure, and his closest relationship with political structures is that, of the often-precarious alliance between him and Commissioner Gordon; being part of a system that operates on the basis of jurisdiction, Gordon recognizes the advantages of having a proxy who can cross the red tape—so much so that he is reprimanded for his reliance on his caped friend’s exploits, as in Dark Victory. Batman’s reply to his disparagers in The Dark Knight Returns highlights this trait: “We’ve always been criminals. We have to be criminals.” Batman embraces his apartness from society and accepts his outcast role by wearing a mask—a choice made not so much to protect his identity as to gain an amorphous one. On the other hand, Batman is not someone who believes that the ends necessarily justify the means. Most

importantly, his steadfast unwillingness to kill gives him boundaries that keep him from becoming what he set out to destroy: a bad guy. Batman is less an avenger than a crusader, with his dogmatic traits lying somewhere between the pragmatism of his friend from Metropolis and the fanaticism of Rorschach from Watchmen. Nevertheless, his is an approach that lies on the opposite end of the spectrum from Superman’s, representing a separate school of thought about how one should address the problems that come from having power. “To instill fear into the hearts [of criminals],” Batman says in Hush, “I became a bat. A monster in the night. And in doing so, have I become the very thing that all monsters become—alone?” The question of “who watches the watchmen?” provides a constant source of tension throughout superhero pop culture, appearing in everything from The Incredibles (2004) to Hancock (2008). But you don’t have to watch movies to see how closely this theme reflects our world. In today’s political landscape, how close do we really feel to those who make our laws? To what extent does power undermine its own purpose, and how much of it is appropriate? It’s no mistake that Thomas Hobbes titled his seminal work on political theory Leviathan. A fearsome, mythical sea monster carries with it the otherness of the governing body, that artificial construct of human will— forced into a solitary existence to exert a power greater than the sum of its parts. As this series on superheroes comes to an end, I find myself hoping that it inspires someone to bring up Superman in a Sosc class, if not to pick up a comic book. Ken Jung is a first-year in the College.

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ARTS

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In new experimental space, artists probe the gendered body Anna Hill Arts Editor Upon entering the new Gray Center Lab, one might not immediately grasp the concept behind the exhibition on display. Images of tattooed bodies sway in near-stillness, as transparent medical reports hang in ominous silence across a room punctuated by video projections and text blocks. However, though the individual elements might seem disparate at first, the materials presented in Resisterectomy, a collaborative project led by Toronto-based artist Chase Joynt, are anything but haphazard. Rather, they present a complex and highly considered conversation regarding body alteration, as considered through the lens of transsexual reassignment surgeries and cancer surgeries. Against the gallery’s whitewashed walls—likened to the sterile corridors of anonymous hospitals—the bodies present vivid, organic forms that establish a tension with the starkness that surrounds them. In the midst of metal railings, jutting walls, and concrete floors, the photographs and projections in Chase Joynt’s Resisterectomy possess an unexpected serenity. Though the exhibition certainly emphasizes the violence of the surgical process in its many personal and institutional manifestations—from diagnosis to treatment to recovery—it more

robustly seeks to find the beauty and power that can emerge from these processes. Joynt, who received a Mellon Fellowship in conjunction with the University’s new Richard and Mary L. Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry (the studio branch of which is now located in Midway Studios), arrived in Chicago eight weeks ago in order to prepare for a class he is co-teaching with sociology professor Kristen Schilt. Like the Gray Center itself,

RESISTERECTOMY Gray Center Lab Through December 8

which involves artists and professors from various fields in experimental projects, Resisterectomy pulls from a wide range of influences to produce a strong yet nuanced statement regarding body identity through the lens of surgical intervention. I sat down with the artist to discuss his work. Chicago Maroon: What motivated you to juxtapose, or rather compare, these two medical scenarios that people don’t often put in the same conversations? Chase Joynt: I was undergoing

various surgical procedures related to my transition and was having a hard time with the way I was feeling and the way I was being treated. While I knew my experiences weren’t singular in that regard, I was also feeling incredibly isolated. As an artist and filmmaker, I often try to work through these types of situations creatively. I asked myself, “How can I reframe this narrative?”…. I decided that one of the ways to approach these ideas might be through exploring a counter-narrative to mine. As a trans person, I wasn’t looking for someone who had encountered these experiences or procedures for “similar reasons.” In retrospect, I think I was seeking what I thought to be my “antithesis”—a cisgendered, relatively normative suburban woman, possibly who had experiences with breast and/ or uterine cancer…. Through friends of friends, I was connected by e-mail to Mary Bryson, a faculty member at the University of British Columbia. Mary responded to my inquiry swiftly with something akin to, “Hi, Chase. I’m not sure why/if you’re looking for a woman per se, but I find what you’re doing interesting, so let me know if you’d like to chat further.” I thought to myself, “In this one e-mail, the assumptions I was making about what this project could be, who I was, and whom I thought I needed have been revealed to me.” From that moment, the context and content of GRAY continuted on page 8

Classical Entertainment Society stages bloody good play Will Dart Arts Editor It’s a classic tale of star-crossed lovers and feuding families as UChicago’s Classical Entertainment Society takes the stage in its inaugural production. Or is it? The play is classical, the production entertaining. But in most other regards, Blood Weddin’ is quite unlike anything the CES has done before and unlike anything you’re likely to see onstage this year. Adapted and translated by show director Eric Shoemaker from the 1933 play by Spain’s Federico García Lorca, Blood Weddin’ transplant’s García Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre from rural Spain to rural Kentucky. I know: I didn’t think it would work, either. But Shoemaker somehow stages a production that’s at once reverent to the original work and completely original in itself, equal parts classical drama, modern surrealism, and old-timey Southern Gothic.

BLOOD WEDDIN’ Ida Noyes Library November 15, 8p.m. & November 16, 2, 8 p.m.

“Lorca is still not widely known in the U.S., but this adaptation should be more relatable to an American audience. You can’t help but think of Deliverance,” says Shoemaker, who drew from his own background for the play’s postbellum setting, if not exactly on personal experience. “I have relatives who live dangerously close to eastern Kentucky, so I have an unfortunate knowledge of the area.” Shoemaker also worked with his actors on the play’s development, particularly with regard to the pagan Saturnalia of the second act.

“Everyone becomes a more extreme version of themselves in Act II; in a way, the play becomes a more extreme version of itself.” It is in this more extreme segment that the aforementioned blood really flows. Blows connect with satisfying percussion as the actors hurl themselves about the stage in a climactic backwoods battle; this is Flynning at its very best. Leading heel Jared Simon (“Russ”) is a particularly fierce presence throughout the proceedings, though it is a bit of a stretch to believe that he could last more than a minute against Alen Makhmudov’s Billy, half again his size and with arms like sleeping serpents poised to strike. Special mention must be made of Simon’s abdominals, which should be credited on the program as a lead player. The production team has had quite the job of turning Ida Noyes’s library into backcountry Appalachia. Haybales stand in for bleachers; a picket fence gate with a crooked “private property” sign hangs outside. Still, the majority of the show’s ambiance is courtesy of the cast, all donning Southern drawls and overalls, mostly to great success. I could have done with fewer teeth on the leads, but major dental work is a lot to ask of student actors in a short-run production. The accents, at least, are well done and geographically accurate, although Shoemaker doesn’t let Southern vernacular get in the way of Lorca’s better lines. I don’t care if a hillbilly bride wouldn’t really say, “Take me like a lustful meat!” It’s just a great line. Live musical backing, in the form of traditional bluegrass tunes done in exceedingly creepy fashion, is provided with gusto by the Cam Cunningham Five. “Some of the play’s verses can sound kind of weird without music, so we thought it would be cool to incorporate them into Kentucky’s native musical culture,” Shoemaker says. The pairing works well; when characters break into BLOOD continuted on page 9

The artist Chase Joynt in an untitled photograph from his show Resisterectomy. Joynt, who underwent surgical procedures for his gender transition, often produces autobiographical work. COURTESY OF TANJA TIZIANA

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THE 2013 THECHICAGO CHICAGOMAROON MAROON ||ARTS ARTS|| November November15, 1, 2013

Franco’s latest looks bad in leather

New Gray Center exhibit is an “experiment in image breaking” GRAY continued from page 7 our collaboration was revealed. CM: This is obviously an incredibly personal project. Have you done other works that are this personal in the past?

Master Avery (Christian Patrick) and Val (Val Lauren) partake in some sweaty (oiled) dancing in the leather bar. As Gus Van Sant said of the movie, “Awesome! Complicated, strange and avant-garde.”

CJ: All of my work is rooted in some form of first-person investigation. However, the degree to which each project reveals “intimacy” or “intimate details” about my life always shifts and changes. I find the constructed reality of lives very interesting, and even my desire to strategically fictionalize content is rooted in things historically perceived as nonfiction.

COURTESY OF RABBIT BANDINI PRODUCTIONS

Robert Sorrell Arts Staff For the past week, there’s been another reason to trek to Logan Square besides the trendiest new fusion restaurant or coffee shop. Reeling: The Chicago LGBT International Film Festival took the Logan Theatre by storm from November 7–14 with 45 fulllength films and over 50 shorts. Film lovers from across the city made a pilgrimage to the North Side theatre for their fill of quality film, libations, and convivial atmosphere. Last Tuesday night, I found the Logan Theatre vibrating with energy. As filmgoers bounced between the bar and concession stand or just milled around waiting for the next screening, the one thing on the tip of everyone’s tongue was James Franco and Travis Mathews’s newest film, Interior. Leather Bar. The theater for Interior. Leather Bar. was packed to the

gills. Employees set up extra folding chairs in the back to accommodate more viewers, and even programming director Richard Knight, Jr. couldn’t resist making a joke about what might happen in the crowded theater once the lights went out. However, all was still when the lights dimmed and, after a few technical difficulties— including one fortuitous stroke of luck when the sound cut out entirely for the previews— Franco and Mathews got their hour on the screen. Interior. Leather Bar. traces the duo’s attempt to re-envision the lost scenes from William Friedkin’s controversial 1980 film Cruising. Before production in the late ’70s, censors removed 40 minutes from the flick, which starred Al Pacino as an undercover New York City cop seeking out a murderer in the gay nightlife scene. Franco and Mathews focus their strange new film on the behind-the-scenes process

of the re-creation as they find themselves questioning the role of sex and propriety in art. It quickly becomes evident that the lost 40 minutes are more of a pretense than a focus for the film. What the film is about, if anything, is much less clear. As the cinematography switches between a steadicam documentary style (à la Franco) and a more polished art sensibility, the lines between fact and fiction rapidly blur. The film unfolds like a documentary, yet it is unclear how many of the behind-the-scenes moments are sincere and how many are staged. Some of Franco’s antics, including a moment when he tells actor Val Lauren to “just do kind of Pacino” and then later when he exclaims, “Scripts! Fuck scripts!” seem so over the top that they must be selfconscious. Interior. Leather Bar. seems at times to be the pet project of a man with too many graduate degrees and too much money.

The actors all seem to believe that Franco has some divine inspiration, or at least a point, behind the project, and rally around him in a way that forces two possible conclusions: Either L.A. actors are denser than expected, or the film is Franco’s version of an elaborate joke. However, just as the film seems to devolve into a Francofest, one gets the impression that Mathews’s strong influence is lurking just under the surface. For every hint that the film is just a pot-fueled joke, there is a scene or a shot that makes you realize it also has a few serious things to say. For instance, just as Franco devolves into Yale mode, railing on societies’ stifling norms and insisting that “sex should be a storytelling tool,” Mathews delivers with what can only be described as art porn: shot in black and white, and layered in a tasteful mélange of grays and cutaway shots. The slightly REEL continued on page 9

CM: This show was first exhibited in Vancouver. Have you noticed any differences in the way it was received there as opposed to here, within the Chicago-Vancouver context, or approaching it through the University lens? CJ: I installed the show in Vancouver as a result of a generous invitation from the Feminist Art Gallery to experiment with new work. At that time, the show could have been summarized as a glorious work in progress. The photographic images were installed on paper, the pathology reports didn’t exist, and the broader aesthetic feel was still forming. There’s a way in which Vancouver served as an incubator for these ideas…. The show opened during SWARM, Vancouver’s allnight art crawl where people travel from gallery to gallery throughout the city. Because of this, some people didn’t know who I was, and others

weren’t necessarily interested in the show content—this combination caused viewers to react freely in a variety of ways. The experience taught me a lot about being in public with my work, and watching how people interact with what they proclaimed to be “very provocative information.” Entering a space like the Gray Center Lab in Chicago, when the aesthetic quality of the show has shifted dramatically, I feel more familiar with how it looks and feels to be around this material and better equipped to experience what this material brings up for people in public. CM: So, on the semi-topic of being provocative, Mary’s writing talks about “entering a space for serious play.” I’m wondering, in terms of motivation, how much of this was a creative venture and how much was a sort of “serious” one? CJ: I don’t think I can separate the serious from the creative in this context. For us, the entire project was, and still remains, an experiment. It’s an experiment in narrative, it’s an experiment in image making, and it’s an experiment in image breaking. Mary and I continue to learn about what play means as we navigate this work together. We actively acknowledge and simultaneously subvert various stories about bodies, gender, trauma, and cancer, and in doing so understand the risk in our “play.” Play can have consequences, and play can also encourage incredible openings and insights into places and moments previously unfelt and unseen.

A10 heralds new era in Hyde Park dining When it comes to food, Hyde Park has long been defined by its isolation from the rest of the city. A restaurant opening in the neighborhood is usually just that—a neighborhood opening. It is admittedly nice to know that the Medici will continue to pulse with student traffic, and that Valois will attract the same colorful crowds every breakfast. The local restaurants are characterpreserving, essential to the neighborhood. And maybe it is because of this that the appearance of A10, Matthias Merges’s new high-profile concept, is all the more brave. A10 is the first of three well-publicized restaurants opening in Hyde Park. (Another Merges restaurant, Yusho Hyde Park, is expected to open only a few blocks away from A10 in 2014.) Flying under the banner of one of the city’s most celebrated chefs, A10 has had a significant amount of success in its first week of

business, attracting both interested locals and foodies from across the city. There is little doubt that Merges, with his pork neck and snails, is bringing something exciting to Hyde Park. But does Hyde Park really have a place for A10? The restaurant comes to us as an outsider, and thus with more to prove. Not only will it need great food, but also need to find a place among both the city’s

A10 1462 East 53rd Street Average plate: $15–20

and Hyde Park’s food worlds. Others have tried—Park 52, for example—but this has proven easier said than done. Fortunately for A10, if its first-week performance is any indicator of future success, I’d say

there is a lot to be hopeful about. Entering the bustling dining room or bar on a Saturday evening is jawdropping. At least for now, make a reservation in advance of going, or don’t expect to be seated on a busy evening with no prior warning, as it will be full. The rambunctiousness of A10 is one of its most refreshing qualities—a highenergy exuberance pervades everything in the dining experience. On occasion, the fast-paced environment works against the interests of the diner, as is the case with the service, which suffers from disorganization. On opening night, it took close to half an hour for the staff to inform our table that the wine we had chosen wasn’t even available that day. Despite any service hiccups, the loud and experimental menu is more than enough to keep the meal going strong. The menu is laden with tropes that help guide the diner’s palate. Each dish plays a

similar game, dealing in a fun and colorful display of ingredients that balances the delicate with the bold and unusual. Smoky wood-fired snails are served in cast-iron mini cocottes and covered in a pillow of rosemary olive oil biscuit, the rich textures of boudin noir (blood sausage) are complemented by the bitter, salty taste of pickled tentacle and rich hollandaise, and crisp Brussels sprouts with soft cores are paired with hefty slices of beef tongue. As must be the case for a restaurant claiming an Italian origin, the menu also deals in some more classic Italian fare, although without skipping a beat in its play on the experimental and light. The smoked eggplant pizza could be more properly described as rich and airy focaccia bread topped with splashes of flavor—some roasted garlic sitting on a wavy bed of burrata and balsamic vinegar. The gnudi—gnocchi filled with ricotta

instead of potatoes—was creamy and light, but given more acidic and earthier flavors in the chanterelle mushrooms and spinach. For dessert, the cannoli soft-serve stood out as the most traditional Italian treat. Pistachio and cinnamon sat atop a creamy ice cream mixture and buried a typical cannoli shell to be broken apart at your leisure. If dinner is designed to be heavy on the experimental and delicate, brunch at A10 is equally so, but with a lens also focused on the decadent. Sweet treats are heavily featured on the menu; the almond croissant covered in honey and the pumpkin brioche with a touch of cinnamon were standouts. The French toast, both decadent and tart, layers red wine–poached pears, and tops itself with melted black pepper–infused marshmallow. For those more interested in something savory, the A10 burger A10 continued on page 9

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | November 15, 2013

Despite slow service, A10 sure to please both townies and foodies A10 continued from page 8 with pork jowl bacon, taleggio cheese, and mustard jam can fill a burger craving, but also veer dangerously close to overdoing the luxuriousness that can appropriately be granted to a cheeseburger. If there are complaints about the food, they might be attributed to first-week jitters, and the small fixes that are needed will hopefully come in the time it takes to settle in. The cocottes needed more snails, and the boudin noir needed more squid. The Venezuelan bouchon cake was tough, and the pumpkin brioche bun needed to stay warmer for longer. With the service too, don’t expect it to remain so chaotic once people find out where they need to be and what they need to do. But I think what is more telling still is how, despite these little things,

the nature of the restaurant still remains charming, disarming, and vibrant. If A10 has anything going for it (and I’d like to argue it does), it’s that no one else in the neighborhood gets close to what it is trying to do. While the food and service still need some refinement, A10’s overall package provides a unique, uplifting experience in the context of both of the neighborhood’s restaurant scenes. To go sooner rather than later would be doing yourself a favor, because the results of the restaurant will be the same, even without the small changes that are sure to occur. Walking out of the restaurant on opening night, I couldn’t help but notice the life and vibrancy of Hyde Park on a cool fall evening: a nice change of perspective, and one I think the neighborhood is lucky to have.

LGBTQ film festival nears close with Interior. Leather Bar. REEL continued from page 8 shocking insertion of graphic nudity is contextualized when the camera—now back in sterile full color—turns on the cast in the studio, forcing the onlookers (an aghast Franco included) to realize that maybe they aren’t as open-minded as they’d thought. In addition, both gay and straight actors were hired to film the scene, and it is obvious that this makes some uncomfortable. An actor at one point questions Franco’s motives—“Why is a straight dude touching this?”—while the straight lead, Val Lauren, vacillates back and forth between extreme doubt about the more explicit segments of the work and affirmations that as an actor he has no qualms

against kissing a man. Yet whether or not Val is truly comfortable with his role in the project, those around him, including his wife and friends, are vocal about their doubts. One male voice tells him over the phone to distance himself from “Franco’s faggot project.” This tension drives the film forward, providing the most cohesive threads when it touches on the idea of taboo subjects in art, specifically the stillpresent taboo of straight people grappling with LGBTQ themes and vice versa. It is easy to ignore Franco and his smug grin while he shoots off statements against “limits on creativity,” yet the film itself renders these same themes unavoidable. Suffice it to say, no one left the theater in silence.

Friday | November 15 If your sweet tooth has been acting up, treat yourself to a slice of heaven at America’s Baking and Sweets Show at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center. Yes, there really is such a thing, and you won’t be disappointed. Besides being surrounded by cakes, tarts, candy, and chocolate, you can watch demonstrations, visit the exhibitor booths, and splurge a little at the numerous sweets and coffee vendors. Explore the various cultural goodies at International Way, or stop by the Demo Kitchen Stage to learn something new (and try a sample, if you’re lucky). You’re sure to be drooling by the end of this sweet-filled and delicious event. The Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., $13 online, $15 at door. Additional fee for demos and hands-on classes. Improv paired with the Oriental Institute? See

Soulful Blake drops bass at Riviera

James Blake performed “Measurements” as a chilling encore Wednesday night. STEPHANIE KOCH

| MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

Zane Burton Arts Staff When I went to see James Blake at the Riviera Theatre on Wednesday night, I was expecting the soft, pulsating electronic music that I have heard so many times on record, accompanied by Blake’s haunting, soulful falsetto. After all, this is what he has come to be known for—presumably, this innovative meld of disparate elements is what helped net him the 2013 Mercury Prize for his sophomore LP, Overgrown. Of course, I got that—it would not be a James Blake show without songs like “Limit to Your Love.” From time to time,

the bass elements that typically lurk beneath Blake’s croon leapt forward unexpectedly, swallowing everything else in the room. Tracks like “CMYK” were practically danceable live, but as the set moved toward its conclusion, the wall of bass morphed into a sinister, pounding attack. This manifested itself on songs like “Voyeur,” a track that sounds much more friendly on record than it did live. Blake’s affinity for massive bass comes from his upbringing in the U.K. dubstep scene, and he has always applied the manipulative sensibilities of the genre toward his vocals. In light of these decisions, some have dubbed

Blake’s music “post-dubstep.” Seeing this translated to a live environment, with the assistance of a guitar player and a drummer, was even more fascinating than hearing it on record. In particular, “The Wilhelm Scream” benefited from a new arrangement that featured a much more prominent guitar part than on James Blake. Blake began the show with “I Never Learnt to Share,” capturing a vocal loop that also caught the audience’s cheers. The cheers looped back beside Blake’s vocals, creating an eerie effect that fit right in with the endless repetition of the only lyrics for the track: “My brother and my

sister don’t speak to me/ But I don’t blame them.” Blake’s vocal modulations continued throughout the show, but they came to a head when Blake came back to the stage for an encore, leaving his drummer and his guitar player back in the green room. Before he began “Measurements,” he asked the audience for silence so that audience members “weren’t in this one.” With each repetition of the song’s simple refrain, Blake recorded another loop, until he had built a chorus of his voices, echoing throughout the theater. The reverent silence of the audience instilled the track with a certain religious quality, rather than simply being the product of a series of electronic manipulations. The loops continued as the audience made its way to the exits, even after Blake had left the stage. Despite being fairly noisy throughout the night, the audience remained quiet even while shuffling out of the Riviera and into the street. Blake’s ability to capture the attention of thousands is a rare gift. Even more impressive is the fact that he is able to captivate with his massive, punishing bass as well as his soulful, yearning melodies. This meld of disparate elements is what makes a James Blake show so powerful—the unexpected turns render Blake’s performance visceral and raw, imbued with a unique, vital energy.

Hillbilly bluegrass opera is CES’s first production of the year BLOOD continued from page 7 “song” at the titular wedding, it seems less like staged poetry and more like a folksy tradition that Kentuckians might actually do. Another of Lorca’s songs is rendered as a “creepy-ass lullaby” to great effect. The musicians also provide the necessary string-

what this is about at Occam’s at the Oriental Institute. Support Occam’s Razor, a student improv group, as it unearths its past in a brilliant historical comedy; you’re sure to appreciate history a little more, laugh a lot more, and learn new things about UChicago’s own Oriental Institute. The Oriental Institute Breasted Hall (Auditorium), 8 p.m., free. Saturday | November 16 Ever wonder about the lives of other commuters as you rumble along on a CTA train? Your deepest ponderings and questions will be answered at EL Stories, presented by the Waltzing Mechanics at the Greenhouse Theater Center. The show is based off interviews with actual CTA passengers in the Chicago area and seeks to accurately portray the events that occur on everyday rides on the El. You’re sure to connect with the sketches,

plucking ambiance throughout. I particularly enjoyed faux-washtub bassist Isabel Gold’s stellar Theremin impression during some of the production’s moodier passages. I am hesitant to say anything more about the play—especially about the second act—for fear

of spoiling some of the wilder facets of Shoemaker and company’s artistic vision. Lorca, as we all know, was a surrealist, and Weddin’ takes his already-weird project in some spectacularly strange directions. Hilariously what-the-fuck moments abound. “It’s just a really unique

enjoying a night of laughter that offers a newfound appreciation for the seemingly mundane rides on the CTA. A perfect way to end an evening of exploring in Lincoln Park. 2257 North Lincoln Avenue, 11 p.m., $15. Films are, no doubt, powerful modes of communication. Experience once again the incredible function of this medium at the Global Health Film Festival, presented by GlobeMed. The films portray relevant and prevalent concerns surrounding public health, from the health care system in Cuba to tuberculosis that plagues miners in South America. Choose from a variety of films, including The English Surgeon, They Go to Die, The Edge of Joy, West 47th Street, and Salud!, and enjoy yummy (and free!) grub from internationally flavored restaurants, such as Pierogi Heaven and Señor Pan. Be among the first 50 people and snag a free mug. Logan Center, Screening Room 201, 12 p.m.–11p.m., free.

experience,” Shoemaker says, “With Blood Weddin’ we’ve been able to do something that students probably won’t be used to seeing from a play like this.” I advise you to leave your expectations at Ida Noyes’s double doors and that you be prepared to have them exceeded anyway.

Sunday | November 17 Searching for that perfect bowl of hearty gumbo, seasoned just right? Discover a new favorite at the First Annual New Orleans Style Gumbo Cook-Off, which will take place at Frontier, a rustic restaurant in West Town. Sample over 10 varieties of this Louisiana staple, prepared by both amateur cooks and professional chefs from acclaimed restaurants such as Trenchermen and Tanta. Cast your vote in this chef versus amateur competition, revel in the rowdy atmosphere as the Saints play the 49ers, and stuff your face with $6 Abita, $10 roast beef po’ boys, and other delicious deals. Stick around until the end, when the three reigning gumbo masters are revealed. 1072 North Milwaukee Avenue, 2–6 p.m., free.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 15, 2013

Maroons, under new head coach, poised for opening weekend Women’s Basketball David Gao Maroon Contributor The Maroons will open their 2013– 14 season under a new head coach and assistant coach. Carissa Sain Knoche was officially named the head women’s basketball coach last spring after having been assistant coach for Chicago since 2008 and acting head coach for the year prior, replacing previous head coach Aaron Roussell, who led the Maroons for eight seasons. Coach Sain Knoche played varsity in the UAA for Carnegie from 2001–2005, where she left

as the sixth-leading all-time scorer, then served as assistant coach for the Tartans for the next three years before arriving at Chicago. Alex Young will also be joining the staff as an assistant coach after having captained the Boston University women’s basketball team and ranking ninth all-time in scoring for the BU Terriers. After ending last year’s season with a 7–18 overall record and 3–11 in the UAA, Chicago is looking to begin the season strong, with three new members added to the team. “I’m really excited for this season.

It’s a new year and a new team, and we are all really looking forward to competing this year. I think the team has been working really hard, and hopefully this pays off in the games this weekend,” said third-year guard Morgan Donovan. The South Siders will play their first game of the season at home in a tournament-style repertoire, which hosts multiple schools in the Iowa and Illinois area. Their first opponent will be the Rockford Regents (8–18, last season), who, like Chicago (7–18), are looking to improve upon their record from last year. Chicago will then fol-

low up on Saturday. Depending on its result on Friday, Chicago will play the winner or loser of the IIT–Coe College game. The opponents will be very different from one another. “IIT reinstated their program after having eliminated it several years ago, so they are brand new and unknown,” Sain Knoche said. “Coe College has been a tournament team over the last several years. They have a very good coach and are a formidable opponent.” In preparation for the upcoming tournament, Chicago is focused on doing what it does best instead of tai-

loring practice to a specific environment. “Our drills have focused primarily on capitalizing on our strengths rather than adjusting to fit another team’s style of play. Everything we do in practice is to improve specific skills and translate development to game situations,” said fourth-year guard Kate Casaday. The Maroons will play their first game in the tournament against Rockford today at 7 p.m. at Ratner, followed by a Saturday game, the details of which will be determined after Friday’s IIT–Coe College game.

Squad set to take on Wash U with UAA crown on the line Football Samuel Zacher Associate Sports Editor This weekend will be an uphill battle for the Maroons. Coming off an exciting victory over Carnegie (3–6, 0–2 UAA), Chicago (6–3, 1–1) travels to St. Louis to take on Wash U (7–2, 2–0) this Saturday. “I like our chances. Wash U is a very good team. The guys have been very intense at practice this week and are excited for the game,” said fourth-year quarterback Vincent Cortina. Despite Cortina’s confidence, the Maroons have a lot working against them in this game. First, Wash U has won its last six games while Chicago is 2–3 in its last five. In addition, the Bears defeated Case (4–4, 1–1) by a score of 29–0 last weekend, and Case bested the South

Siders in their November 2 matchup by a score of 16–3. Currently, Wash U is atop the UAA, but if Chicago pulls together and wins this weekend, the Maroons will tie Wash U—and Case if it beats Carnegie this weekend—for a share of the UAA title. As often happens toward the end of a long season, it’s a matter of multiple possible scenarios. Not only will this game determine the conference, but it’ll also be the fourth-years’ final chance to play on the gridiron in a Maroon uniform. “It’s crazy to think this will be my last game ever,” Cortina said. “It definitely makes things a little different, especially since we have the chance to win a UAA title. It’s been a long ride, but football has been great to me.” Although Chicago won last weekend, it didn’t capitalize on offense as much as it would’ve liked.

Carnegie turned the ball over five times, and the South Siders only scored two touchdowns in the entire game, in addition to allowing the Tartans to recover from a 14–0 deficit to make for a competitive game. “We need to do a better job of finishing—finishing the win overall, not missing tackles [and] no dropped balls,” said fourth-year linebacker and captain Brian Duffy. Although Duffy didn’t play last weekend because of a concussion, there’s not a chance he will sit out on his final collegiate competition. “It’s certainly surreal that this will be it for my football career; something that’s been such a big part of my life for so long [will be] over like that,” Duffy said. “Every [fourth-year] knows that going in, and selfishly I might look at it a little different, but it only makes the saying ‘play every snap like it’s your last’ more real.”

Chicago will have to step up its game in a major way tomorrow to come away with the victory. Duffy isn’t worried, though. “We’re always going to go into a game expecting to win. There’s nothing really that should or will ever change that,” Duffy said. Cortina agrees. “In terms of the way I approach the game, nothing will change. I always go out there and try to leave everything on the field. But in terms of it being my last game, I definitely will take the time to look around more and try to soak everything in,” he said. Channeling the fourth-years’ passion will be vital for the Maroons this weekend to step up their game and take a share of the UAA Championship for the first time since 2010. The South Siders kick off against the Bears at noon in St. Louis on Saturday.

in the Big Problems Capstone Curriculum for juniors and seniors

BIOLOGY & SOCIOLOGY OF AIDS BPRO 24900, BIOS 02490, SSAD 65100

Harold Pollack (Social Service Admin), John Schneider (Medicine)

DRINKING ALCOHOL: SOCIAL PROBLEM OR NORMAL CULTURAL PRACTICE? BPRO 22800, BIOS 02280, ANTH 25310

William Green (Neurobiology), Michael Dietler (Anthropology)

HEALTH CARE & THE LIMITS OF STATE ACTION BPRO 28600, BIOS 29323, CMLT 28900, HMRT 28602

Evan Lyon (Medicine), Haun Saussy (Comparative Literature)

FREAKY FAST

For more information, please see: http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/bigproblems The Big Problems curriculum addresses matters of global or universal concern that intersect with several disciplines and affect a variety of interest groups.

p r o b l e m s

DELIVER!

Winter 2014 Courses

b i g

Announcing

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 15, 2013

Archery club targets continued success after 2010 revamp Club Sports Spotlight: Archery Derek Tsang Sports Staff The earliest record of archery at the University of Chicago is a 1900 photo of a fully suited gentleman drawing back a simple bow, in what looks like a fully wooded area. Let’s just say archery at UChicago has come a long way since. Restarted in 2003, the University of Chicago’s archery club petered along until 2010, when then-president and current assistant coach Vincent Chen (A.B. ’13) restructured the club. Until that point, the club had consisted of friends getting together to shoot. Chen added a more competitive team, with an eye toward traveling to competition. In a year, between the club and team combined, membership jumped from nine to 44. “People wanted to actually compete instead of practicing,” Chen said. After taking the University’s archery physical education class, Chen decided to get involved. “I realized that archery’s a really great sport; it’s all-inclusive. I like the social nature.” The club meets twice a week

for two-hour practices in Henry Crown’s shooting room, while the team has an additional practice on Saturdays. Even with team dues, there are only a limited number of bows to go around, so this season, the team instituted tryouts for members without their own equipment. The membership is diverse, ranging from undergraduate and graduate students to David Frim, the University’s chief neurosurgeon. Competition is encouraged but not mandated; usually a handful of archers go to each tournament. “Team members usually join for the purpose of further instruction by way of our coach and increased practice time,” team captain Jeff Nocton said. “We all want to get better at the sport and are dedicated to achieving this goal.” “In general, we’re a pretty relaxed team,” second-year Zoe Palenik said. “It’s as intense an experience as you make it.” The team’s first tournament saw the University of Chicago break into the U.S. Collegiate Archery national rankings, and the team has consistently performed well since. In May, third-year Victor Zhang placed

first at the Illinois Archery Association’s Championship 300 Round, with Chen clocking second place behind him. There are a variety of formats for competitive archery; just within target archery, there’s indoor and outdoor, with a variety of different distances. Targets are broken up into 10 concentric rings, with the innermost worth 10 points, and each subsequent ring worth one less. Lines of competitors take turns shooting, looking to score as many points as possible. A 300-point scoring round means 30 arrows fired at the 10-point target. Last year, the team ended up going to three major tournaments, but Nocton and the rest of the club’s officers aren’t going so far as to set this year’s schedule in stone. “Our goal is, as always, to improve and compete to the best of our ability while still having fun,” Nocton said. The sport may be repetitive, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “The whole idea is to let the subconscious take care of that and just empty your mind while shooting,” Nocton said. “In those moments when I’m lining up a shot, the rest of

Archery at UChicago is currently divided into the archery team and the archery club, both of which meet every Saturday in Henry Crown to practice their sport. Above, the 2013 UChicago archery team. COURTESTY OF UCHICAGO ARCHERY

the world fades into the background, and my homework, tests, and papers all seem much less intimidating or important.” In between shots and rounds though, there’s plenty of time for talking. “Tournaments are extremely social gatherings,” Chen said. “I would say that some of my favorite moments

with the archery team were tournaments; they were great bonding experiences.” The archery club gets plenty of members who’ve never even fired a bow before, so team members attend practices to help out. For the team’s practices, Chen secured a professional coach: Steve Ruis, editor

of Archery Focus magazine and author of five books. The team and club are serious about improvement, but they don’t forget how cool it is to be shooting arrows in the 21st century. “I will never forget the first time we shot pumpkins in celebration of Halloween,” Nocton said.

Chicago to get season under way against Augustana Men’s Basketball Alexander Sotiropoulos Senior Sports Staff Will a first-year stand out? In each of the past two years, a first-year has outperformed the rest of the team in the opening game of the regular season. Alex Pyper shot an explosive 6–11 beyond the arc on November 15, 2011 against Dominican University while Jordan Smith was 6–10 from the field for 15 points in last year’s opener against Mara-

natha Baptist. It will certainly be a tougher task this season, given that the Maroons’ opponent is Augustana College. The Vikings have been a traditional powerhouse in the Midwest, beating Chicago in their last five meetings. “You’ve got to play people at some point,” head coach Mike McGrath said. “Do I wish I had a little more time to get ready for them? Yes. Does Augustana’s

Crusaders first up at tourney SOCCER continued from back

Crusaders fell to the Spartans 2–1. Though this should be encouraging for the Maroons, both games were close and both teams will have more on the line in the NCAA tournament, so the South Siders should expect a challenging game. The last time the Maroons qualified for the NCAA tournament, these fourth-years were first-years. Now, these fourth-years are ready to bring their athletic careers full circle. “As a [fourth-year], you can’t ask for a better way to end a soccer career,” Hobson said. “Anything can happen in the NCAA tournament. We have the talent and discipline to make a real run this year, and I can’t express how lucky I feel to be part of such a great team to go on this journey with.” The Maroons will kick off against Capital this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Whitewater, WI for their first round of the NCAA Championship.

coach wish he had a little more time to get ready for us? Yeah.” With their new offense, the Maroons, a traditional threepoint shooting team, will feed the ball into the post more often. There will be a plethora of players receiving looks down low including second-year Nate Brooks, fourth-year Sam Gage, secondyear Alex Voss, first-year Blaine Crawford, second-year Eric Robinson, first-year Waller Perez, and fourth-year Charlie Hughes.

Voss, who was sidelined much of last season due to injury, will make significant contributions. In the UIC exhibition, he shot 3–5 from the field for nine points with eight rebounds and three assists. “He’s just tough as heck,” McGrath said. “He competes, he battles, and he fights. He understands the game very well mentally.” However, do not expect Chicago to stop shooting the three-

ball,. While Alex Pyper’s absence leaves a hole, second-years Jordan Smith and John Steinberg will lead the way at the shooting guard position. “We haven’t had many days where I haven’t felt we’ve been sharp [at practice],” McGrath said. “Our guys have come to play and compete with good energy and have worked hard and been good teammates. We’re headed in a great direction, and we’re eager to get this season started.”

Still, as with most teams starting off a season, McGrath said there is much work to be done. “We’re not where we’re going to be in the end of the year, and we need to make a big jump right now in terms of just sustaining our efforts,” he said. Tonight will tell if the Maroons are truly ready. “I’m excited. I’m eager. I’m apprehensive,” McGrath said. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight in Rock Island, IL.

Teams eye nationals at Midwest regional meet Cross Country Isaac Stern Sports Staff The time has come for the Maroons to prove they belong on the national stage. This weekend in Rock Island, IL, the men’s and women’s seasons will either lead to national berths or early exits. The women of Chicago have had a strong season, claiming the UAA championship two weeks ago while holding a top-10 ranking nationally throughout most of the season. It comes as no surprise that they hold the top ranking in the Midwest region and a likely bid to the national race. The men find themselves in a less clear-cut situation. Chicago’s men have held a national ranking all year, and defeated numerous other ranked teams en route to a very impressive overall season. However, they currently hold the sixth spot in the highly competitive Midwest region, and this is why the men find themselves in a

tough spot. The NCAA Championship consists of 32 teams racing for the national title. The top two teams from each regional race automatically qualify for the tournament. After those teams, the NCAA selection committee grants at-large bids to teams deserving of a chance at Nationals. In the past, the Midwest region received three at-large bids as the NCAA capped the region to five qualifiers. However, this season the NCAA removed the cap rule for all regions, meaning that the Midwest can send more than five qualifiers. Despite the new rule, the NCAA selection committee does not want to flood the championship with Midwestern teams, and thus, the sixth-place team in the region could get snubbed. While none of this will likely affect the women’s team, the men’s team will have to prove its worth to the NCAA selection committee. If the men finish fifth, they will likely go to Nationals; if they take sixth, they will not control

their own fate. “I think the team is confident that we belong at the national meet,” first-year Gareth Jones said. “We have been doing the right things all season long, and regionals is just one more thing we have to do right.” Currently, three of the top-five and four of the top-10 teams in the nation come from the Midwest. The fifthranked team in Midwest region, UW– Oshkosh currently ranks 11th. The men will certainly have their work cut out for them if they plan on breaking into that top five. In addition, UW– Stout, seventh in the region and 25th in the country, will be gunning for Chicago and a national bid of its own. Of the 16 at-large bids, the Maroons currently rank seventh, behind MIT. If the Maroons run a strong race and keep themselves competitive, the selection committee will have a tough time keeping them home from the big dance. Realistically, the women should take first in the region, ahead of regional No.

2 Wash U, whom they have defeated on numerous occasions this year. The men will likely take sixth but have an honest shot at fifth with a bit of luck. “Our biggest strength is the trust we have in one another,” Jones said. “If I or any other teammate has a bad day, we can count on the rest of the team to run great regardless. That sort of trust allows us to run with nothing holding us back. When we toe the line on Saturday, the only thing we will be thinking about is how each one of us is part of a team. And that team needs each of us to give everything we have out there on the course. And because that is the way we think, I am sure that regardless of what happens, it was our best effort.” This type of team mentality that Jones refers to, along with great running, will be the reason both squads make the NCAA Championship. As head coach Chris Hall has said all year long, “The hay is in the barn.” The races begin in Rock Island, IL at 11 a.m.

SPORTS

IN QUOTES

“Negative: it’s not my genitals.”

—Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins denies culpability for a video posted from his Instagram account.

No.10 Wittenberg next after first-round victory over Bengals Volleyball Jake Walerius Sports Editor The Maroons may be UAA champions, but it didn’t take long for them to realize that none of their opponents at the NCAA tournament will care. After a brief scare in the second and third sets, No. 16 Chicago (27–10) won its first round match in the NCAA DIII tournament 3–1 over Buffalo State (25–10) yesterday, advancing to face No. 10 Wittenberg University (24–8) in the second round later today. Coming off of an impressive victory in one of the most difficult conferences in the country (four of the eight teams in the UAA are competing in the national tournament), Chicago entered its game against the unranked Bengals as definite favorites. A dominant first set showed why. The Maroons won 11 of the first 15 points of the opener, running out to a 25–13 set victory and taking a 1–0 lead in the match. But Buffalo wasn’t ready to quit just yet. The Bengals kept things close in a back-and-forth second set, refusing to allow Chicago maintain its momentum from the first. Trailing the Maroons 24–23, Buffalo saved set point, won the next two points to even the match at 1–1, and jumped to a 9–2 lead in the third set. If Chicago had any illusions about

the difficulty of competing at the national tournament, they disappeared quickly as Buffalo threatened to put the match beyond its reach. “Obviously we didn’t put it together quite as quickly as we would have liked; that second set got away from us,” said fourth-year setter Nikki DelZenero. “But we came back from a big deficit in the third and took it from there.” The Maroons worked their way back to tie the set at 19–19 and won six of the next seven points to win it 25–20. That mini comeback sparked Chicago, who settled back into its dominant form of the first set to close out the match with a 25–14 fourth-set victory and to advance to the second round. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but at this stage of the season, winning is all that matters. “Even though we relaxed a little in the second set and gave ourselves a large deficit in the third set, we were able to clean up our game and pull off a win,” said second-year outside hitter Maren Loe. Second-year outside hitter Jasmine Mobley starred for the Maroons, recording 18 kills, including four at the tail end of that crucial third set. Loe was also prominent on offense, racking up 15 kills and 11 digs. “It’s great to get a first-round win under our belts,” DelZenero said. “We didn’t know a ton about Buffalo

The women’s volleyball team won its first game of the NCAA tournament yesterday. COURTESY OF HANS GLICK

since they’re not in our region and we haven’t seen them before, but they put up a great fight. “Our offense was pretty consistent, and Jasmine Mobley played a great match.” The Maroons now turn their attention to the match against Wittenberg. Buffalo was a relatively straightforward

first-round draw, but there will be nothing easy about Chicago’s secondround match. Still, the Maroons will take comfort in the way they have performed against top-10 teams this year, and their victory in the UAA Championship game over No. 7 Emory remains fresh in their memories.

“We’re really excited to play Wittenberg tomorrow and get past the second round—something our program hasn’t done before,” DelZenero said. “It should be a tough match, but we’re really pumped.” The game against Wittenberg is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon in Grand Rapids, MI.

South Siders head to Wisconsin for NCAA tournament opener Women’s Soccer Tatiana Fields Associate Sports Editor This Saturday, the Maroons start what they hope will be a long postseason run with a match against Capital University (16–4–1) in Whitewater, WI. Two days after a home loss to No. 1 Wash U last Saturday, Chicago (11–4–3) was told that it qualified for this year’s NCAA DIII tournament for the first time in three years. The Maroons played against a number of tough opponents this year, including conference

rivals No. 1 Wash U and No. 8 Emory. Eight of the teams in the NCAA tournament are teams that the South Siders have already played, reflecting their rigorous schedule. Chicago’s competitive season will pay off now, as the team has become used to facing difficult opponents. “We are thrilled to have been selected for the NCAA tournament,” head coach Amy Reifert said. “Our fourth-years have dedicated so much in the past four years to return to the tournament, and we are so excited for the opportunity to compete at the next level. Our play in the

UAA and strong nonconference schedule have prepared us to compete in what will be a very challenging regional.” Fourth-year team captain Beatrice Hobson is also pleased to see the team’s efforts this season rewarded with postseason play. “Every year, our team goal is to get into the NCAA tournament,” Hobson said. “To make it this season after missing it the past two years is very exciting. We have been working for this opportunity since the first day of preseason. To see all of our hard work pay off is great.”

five for FRIDAY On to the next match After beating Buffalo State 3–1 on Thursday afternoon at the NCAA tournament, volleyball takes on Wittenberg this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Chicago (27–10) won more matches than the Tigers (24–8) did on the season, but lost more too. Wittenberg is coming off of a 3–0 victory over Bluffton. It’s worth noting that the Tigers suffered an early-season loss to Emory, a squad that the Maroons beat twice this season, including in the UAA title match. Look for strong contributions from fourth-years Nikki DelZenero, Maggie Vaughn, and Katie Huntington, who’ve anchored the team thus far.

As the NCAA tournament is single elimination, the Maroons must to secure a win to move on. Chicago will face Capital first. Like Chicago, Capital’s losses have been close. The Crusaders have also faced a number of NCAA qualifiers, including No. 14 Thomas More, No. 24 Hanover, and Allegheny. The one opponent Chicago and Capital have had in common this year is Case Western (8–9–2). While Chicago defeated Case 1–0, the SOCCER continued on page 11

taking a look at the week’s key storylines

Postseason run set to begin

Final contest for fourth-years

Men’s and women’s Men and women hope basketball start season to secure NCAA spot

3) made the tournament for the first time since the 2010–11 school year and kicks off its postseason run tomorrow in Whitewater, WI. The Maroons will take on Capital University (16–4–1) in their first-round match. The fourth-years, who’ve now made the tournament in both their rookie and farewell seasons, won’t be willing to let this opportunity slip away quite yet. After a tough loss to No. 1 Wash U, Chicago will be even more motivated to play hard and avenge the end-of-season loss, albeit against a different opponent. Travel shouldn’t be much of an issue for the Maroons, since this leg of the tournament will be taking place in the Midwest.

In football’s last three games, it has allowed just over 16 points per game. The Maroons’ (6–3, 1–1 UAA) foe this weekend is Wash U (7–2, 2–0), however, who has allowed less than three points per game in its last three contests. Obviously, momentum isn’t on the side of the South Siders, who will face some adversity playing an away game in St. Louis. Chicago’s defense has been solid this season, led by second-year defensive back Vincent Beltrano and third-year linebacker Schuyler Montefalco, but the offense, averaging only eight points per game in its last three, will need to step up against a tough Bears defense.

Both hoops squads open their seasons in the next few days. The men travel to Augustana College, who took a trip to Brazil over the summer. Even though the Vikings went 1–3 in their campaign, their three losses were all close, including one to the best under-22 team in Brazil. Chicago’s new-look offense will have to be on point to beat this competitor who bested the Maroons last season 70–52. The women open up today against Rockford in a two-day, four-team tournament at home. This Maroon team also has a new offensive style that might take some getting used to for the guard-heavy troupe.

women’s Women’s soccer (11–4–

Cross country will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regionals tomorrow morning in an effort to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The women, who won the UAA Championships two weeks ago and who are ranked first in the region and seventh nationally, are in good shape to qualify. The real question mark surrounds the men, who are currently ranked sixth in the region and 17th in the nation. Strangely, the problem for the Maroon men isn’t with their national ranking but their regional one. The NCAA will be reluctant to offer more than five teams from the Midwest a bid. If Chicago’s men want to keep their season going, a top-five finish this weekend is a must. —the Sports Editors