111811 Chicago Maroon

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FRIDAY • NOVEMBER 18, 2011

ISSUE 15 • VOLUME 123

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

Students, employees debate merits of Harper Court Hyatt Stephanie Xiao News Contributor

Court is now in session Donors, developers, and supporters break ground at the Harper Court development on 53rd Street Tuesday afternoon. The University-backed project aims to bolster Hyde Park commerce. JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Republican leader slams Obama on home turf James DelVesco News Contributor The chairman of the Republican National Committee spoke about the role of government and criticized President Barack Obama just steps from the Law School where the president used to teach. At Wednesday’s talk at the Harris School of Public Policy, Reince Prie-

bus alluded to Obama’s connection to the University in attacking the former senior lecturer. “I’m working hard every day to get you your professor back,” Priebus said. “The Republicans are working hard and taking care of the White House, and Chicago can have Professor Obama back here very quickly.” Priebus also railed back against Obama’s claims that Republican policies

have hurt the economy. “What have we tried to do for the economy? You wouldn’t know it from the Democrats’ talking points, but actually quite a lot. Twenty-two bills, in fact. The House passed 22 individual bills that would promote job growth,” Priebus said. “The President ignores them.” In a question-and-answer session after the talk, fourth-year Jonathan Rodrigues POLITICS continued on page 3

Hotel employees shared stories of unfair working conditions at Hyatt and Hilton hotels in Chicago at a “teach-in” with students Tuesday night, claiming that similar conditions will exist at the new Hyde Park Hyatt location if the employees are unable to unionize. The excitement around the development on East 53rd Street often overshadows the project’s darker side, according to fourth-year Brita Hofwolt, a leader of the RSO Southside Solidarity Network (SSN), which organized the event. “By bringing in the workers, we hope to expose more students to workers’ issues and let them see the face of this new development,” Hofwolt said. The hotel employees described injuries they sustained on the job while working increasingly long hours under the constant fear of losing their jobs. “Your body is breaking down, but they just say you should be glad to have a job,” said Jackie Smith, who has been a housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency downtown for over 10 years. The employees also objected that their wages remained low, even as their workloads grew. “[The hotel managers] don’t care if we’re hurt or not; they just care that the

rooms are clean. We are the ones who put the stars on the hotel. We deserve some of that money,” said Doris Price, a longtime employee at the Hilton Drake, which is located on the Magnificent Mile. A particular point of contention was the possible use of public funds for the development. Currently, the Hyatt Corporation is requesting Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds from the city for the construction of the Hyde Park Hyatt. However, the request for public funds creates a strategic opening, Hofwolt said. “The public has leverage, and the window for that is right now,” she said. Price also urged students to action. “Talk to your alderman. Sign a boycott. Let people know what’s going on,” Price said. Attending students said that the workers’ claims put a human face on the development. “I’ve never really been aware of the plight of the workers before,” secondyear Arielle Moseley said. “When I stay in a hotel with my family, I don’t really think about that.” The 130-room Hyatt Place hotel is slated to open in 2013 at East 52nd Place and South Harper Avenue as part of the University’s redevelopment of Harper Court.

Free newspapers to return Students grill Zimmer on Harper Court, Rice talk to campus in January Patrick Fitz News Contributor

Amy Myers Senior Editor The Collegiate Readership program, which brought free copies of The New York Times and USA Today to campus last spring, will return in January. The program will deliver about 250 to 300 copies of both papers to a select number of locations five days a week, SG President and fourth-year Youssef Kalad announced at an SG General Assembly meeting last night. In the past, newspaper distribution locations have included the University’s graduate schools, like the Harris School of Public Policy and the Law School, but they will focus on serving an undergraduate population now. When asked to fund a portion of the program this year, Kalad said, the graduate schools declined, even though the program was popular among graduate students.

“The grad schools really want the program, but no grad school is willing to foot the bill,” he said. The funding for the program, which comes from the student activities fee, would cover winter and spring quarters. SG has had $18,000 set aside for the program since the beginning of the year, but held off from launching it, out of concern that it would run out of money before year’s end. If SG pays for 300 or more copies daily, U of C students will also receive a 50 percent discount for online subscriptions to The New York Times. Last October, a pilot program offered The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today. With overwhelming support from students, the program continued through the year, though a limited allocation from the Student Government Finance Committee cut the number of copies down to 400 per day.

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Temperatures in Fahrenheit - Courtesy of The Weather Channel

President Robert Zimmer stood his ground against students’ calls for a Socially Responsible Investment Committee and asserted that the University had “no part” in postponing Monday’s talk with Condoleezza Rice at an open forum Wednesday evening. Joined by Vice President of Campus Life Kim GoffCrews, Zimmer said that Rice made the decision to delay the talk with former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson independently of the University. “We had absolutely no part in her not attending. We had zero interest in a postponement. This was a decision that she alone made,” Zimmer said. Zimmer also defended the Kalven Report, a guiding document which lays out the University’s apolitical philosophy, explaining that

President Zimmer addresses questions from students at an open forum organized by Student Government on Wednesday in McCormick Tribute Lounge. VARSHA SUNDAR | THE CHICAGO MAROON

politically motivated investments and divestments could restrict discourse at the University to a specific set of beliefs. “All students, all faculty, independent of what they do, are free to write what they want, believe what they want, [and] advocate what

they want,” Zimmer said. Zimmer also touched on the University’s ongoing retail development at Harper Court in his opening remarks, expressing his hopes that Hyde Park will become a livelier commercial area. “There should be more restaurants, more places to

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shop,” Zimmer said. “There should be an urban environment where people come together.” Answering a student’s question on the University’s construction of office units at Harper Court, Zimmer alluded to a space shortage ZIMMER continued on page 4


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