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TUESDAY • OCTOBER 9, 2012

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ISSUE 48 • VOLUME 123

Development project on 53rd adds music venue to roster Celia Bever News Editor In a throwback to Hyde Park’s heyday as a nightlife hub, the new music club Promontory will join the 53rd Street development project as the only one of its kind in a long list of food and retail additions to the area.

Named for Promontory Point, the new venue will serve as a restaurant, bar, and concert hall, with a space that can hold 600 standing or 300 seated guests.

Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden, the team behind Promontory, also own Logan Square’s Longman & Eagle, which was awarded a Michelin star two years running and was named one of the Best New Restaurants of 2010 by Esquire Magazine. Longman chef Jared Wentworth will head the “hearth-driven” kitchen.

Promontory will be housed on

Bike lanes see initial support

New bike lanes were installed on 55th Street over the summer.

JOHNNY HUNG | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Stephanie Xiao Senior News Staff Approximately one mile of bicycle lanes was constructed on 55th Street from Cottage Grove Avenue to Lake Park Avenue this summer, in an institutionalized effort by the city to promote cycling in Chicago neighborhoods.

Protected bike lanes, which are separated from moving traffic by both parking lanes and white traffic posts, now line both sides of 55th Street from Cottage BIKE continued on page 3

the second floor and rear of the old Borders building at 1539 E. 53rd Street above and behind Chicago-based fashion boutique Akira, which signed on for 8,000 square feet of the ground floor to open its flagship store last winter.

In the spring the building was rezoned to increase the number of types of businesses eligible to lease the space. Under the terms of the building’s former zoning district, a concert venue would not have been permitted.

The return of a music and dining venue offers a hint of Hyde Park’s once bustling nightlife.

In the 1950s, the neighborhood was home to over 30 bars and nightclubs, most stationed along 55th Street, but the Hyde ParkKenwood Urban Renewal Project rid the strip of all but a few. The history remains in University legends and trivia about notables HARPER continued on page 3

The Promontory, a new restaurant, bar and concert venue, will open in the old Borders building on 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue at a date to be determined. The venue will share the building with Akira.

JULIA REINITZ | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Booth architect draws new hospital design Police to tag unsafe practices Spencer Mcavoy News Contributor

World-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, the man behind the new Center for Care and Discovery, spoke about his vision for the 10-story, 1.2 million–square foot addition to the hospital at the Logan Center last night.

The Center, planned to open in February, is the first of six new buildings to be constructed collectively in five phases, ultimately resulting in a complex of over three million square feet of new medical space for the U of C Medical Center. The Center is the architect’s second project for the University—Viñoly designed the Charles M. Harper Center for the Booth School of Business in 2004.

For this project, Viñoly used “modules,” structurally sound

architectural units of nearly 3 feet by 1.5 feet, which allow for flexibility should the technological and functional needs of the hospital change. In addition, the close proximity to the Gordon Center for Integrative Science and Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery is meant to allow for more efficient translation from research to treatment for patients with complicated conditions.

Although the individual hospital rooms are intentionally small to prevent families from lingering, the Center is not supposed to be impersonal. He added that the design of the building wasn’t the only factor that would determine the character of the building. “The most significant part of a building is the software, not the hardware,” Viñoly said.

The Sky Balcony, which looks

out onto downtown and Lake Michigan, and the ground floor of the hospital will be open to the public, in order to foster connections with the community. There will even be a place for students to go while “studying philosophy or something,” Viñoly said.

Steve Karlowski, a Frank Lloyd Wright preservationist and Robie House tour guide, also said that visitors often appreciate the cohesiveness of Viñoly’s Charles M. Harper Center construction with the Robie House next door.

However, some attendees were not so convinced of the building’s positive effect on the campus skyline. “It’s a hulk,” said Chris Lonn, self-described architecture aficionado. “The aesthetics are not what I would choose.”

However, Lonn agreed with Viñoly that the design enhances the

In an effort to prevent commonplace robberies, a new campaign by the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) encourages security personnel to point out unsafe behaviors to students as they see them.

Under the new informal policy, students walking with their headphones in, on their cell phones, or who seem generally unaware of their surroundings, will be approached by UCPD officers and their contracted private security officers, according to UCPD Public Information Officer Robert Mason.

Under the new policy, the UCPD

CENTER continued on page 3

SECURITY continued on page 3

Rebecca Guterman News Editor

Sosc prof leads collegium to bring foreign scholars to campus Jon Catlin Senior News Staff A new center for interdisciplinary research and collaboration will provide a physical meeting place for Hum and Sosc outside the Core.

The Neubauer Family Collegium for Culture and Society, which will start its programming in fall 2013, aims to increase the amount of joint research between U of C faculty and re-

searchers abroad. The Collegium will be housed at the corner of 57th Street and Woodlawn Avenue in a building that the University purchased in early 2011 from the Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary.

To fulfill its mission, the Collegium will function on a grant system to host international conferences and offer fellowships for visiting scholars to teach and collaborate with Chicago researchers.

The initial idea for the Collegium sprang from Jim Chandler, the director of the Franke Institute for the Humanities, who observed a need among faculty for an “umbrella” of support for collaboration with a wider geographical scope and more long-term nature than Franke currently provides.

“Chicago generates an amazing number of ideas in the humanities and social sciences but has relatively little compared to its peers in terms of

resources to bring scholars from other universities to campus, to help explore and disseminate those ideas,” said David Nirenberg, the Collegium’s founding director and a professor in the Committee for Social Thought.

In lieu of yet another independent humanities center, Chandler proposed a hub for humanistic research on a global level. The proposed Collegium then became a reality thanks to a doHUM continued on page 2

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

Social insecurity » Page 4

More than just math problems: UT stages Proof » Page 7

Shutout! Chicago ‘D’ swamps Gators offense » Back Page

At Goodman Theatre, a simple trick of fate » Page 8

Athletes of the Week » Page 11

Things’ll be great when you’re downtown » Page 5

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 9, 2012

2

Wisdom in theory, but maybe not in practice Law prof tours book on Haitian revolution Rakhee Jain News Contributor

Does medical training create colder doctors ?

Does an M.B.A. trump rea l-world financia l experience? How well does the Academy really prepare people as they venture into their careers?

As part of the Chicago Wisdom Project, a team of University faculty is leading six distinct research efforts in order to answer these questions, attempting to bridge the age-old divide between theory and practice.

With the support of a $5 million grant from

the John Templeton Foundation, the Project has described its work as an investigation into how wisdom is gained and used.

This comes on the heels of a 2007 grant from the Templeton Foundation for the Defining Wisdom Project, which laid the groundwork for much of the current research.

One of these research investigations will examine the way formal training impacts a doctor’s sense of empathy and bedside manner. Jean Decety, project leader and a professor of psycholog y and psychiatry at the U of C, wrote in an email that he

aims “to reverse the current trend by which students emerge out of medical school significantly less empathic than they came in.”

Other professors have focused their attention on fields that aren’t so tightly fixed to specific careers.

For example, psycholog y professor Ho w a r d Nusbaum and music p ro f e ss o r B er th o l d Hoeckner will study how meditation and other body control techniques can influence the mind.

Hoeckner wrote in an email, “the core question of our research asks whether expert knowledge

and use of certain bodily functions such as breathing and posture can have measurable effects on enhancing cognitive abilities and improving learning.”

The Chicago Wisdom Project will encompass a series of forums to encourage frank discussion of wisdom within fields like business, law, and public policy. The U of C team plans to create a textbook, in conjunction with associates in China, on teaching wisdom, incorporating views on the subject from around the world and across disciplines.

Neubauer Collegium will bridge Hum and Sosc research across globe HUM continued from front

nation from Joseph Neubauer (MBA ’65), a U of C trustee and Chairman of the Aramark Corporation, and his wife, Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer.

While emphasizing the U of C’s strong tradition in the humanities and social sciences in his push for the actualization of the Collegium, Nirenberg also cited its collaborative nature compared to similar centers of scholarship.

“Other places have institutes that bring people from abroad to do their own research. What

we’re trying to create is a Collegium where people come to work with us, to work on a project that was born here or out of relationships our faculty have with researchers elsewhere, and carry out the exploration here,” he said.

With U of C development abroad, Nirenberg wants to bring research home. “You can’t think big at Chicago if you can’t think the whole world.

So the Collegium is meant to do that—to let us here at Chicago think the whole world and bring the whole world here.”

Eric Chien News Contributor The language of a decree outlining the conditions of slavery in 17th-century France actually gave Haitian revolutionaries a way to legitimize their claims for freedom through clauses in the law, according to University of Maine law professor Malick Ghachem.

Ghachem discussed the effects of colonial law on the Haitian Revolution in a lecture Monday night.

Supporting his latest book, The Old Regime and the Haitian Revolution, Ghachem detailed the rise and fall of slavery and slave societies through the lens of law. “[The Haitian Revolution] is an example of people using what is available to them under the oppressive society...and a unique example of the use of the technical law of slavery [in abolition],” Ghachem said.

Yet, this specific legacy of the Haitian Revolution is in many ways echoed in the history of many former slave societies throughout the New World. Ghachem pointed out similarities between the slave histories of Haiti and America. The Federalist papers used language similar to that of the Code Noir, the decree issued by King Louis XIV, on the question of slave rights.

However, the story of abolition in the United States took a different route.

“I think this story shows just how up-for-grabs the story of slavery and abolition is. What does abolition mean? Is it the end of slavery or the end of working on the plantation?” Ghachem said.

The event took place in the Classics building and was co-sponsored by the History Department, the France Chicago Center, and the Latin American History Workshop.

DESIGN for the Maroon!

The new Neubauer Collegium will be located in the old Meadville-Lombard Seminary building on 57th Street.

JULIA REINITZ | THE CHICAGO MAROON

contact design@chicagomaroon.com

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most recently working with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation to drastically

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reduce HIV infections.

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We will continue to change the rules of the game and wish everyone a

benefits (2011) and doing a host of pro-bono projects with LGBT organizations,

Happy National Coming Out Day!

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 9, 2012

After original confusion, bike lanes on 55th seem to encourage more cycling BIKE continued from front

Grove to Dorchester Avenue. In addition, buffered bike lanes, which are outlined by heavy striping, have been installed between the parking and traffic lanes along the narrower section of 55th between Dorchester and Lake Park Avenue.

Despite initial problems involving motorized vehicles blocking whole sections of the new bike lanes, residents appear to have grown accustomed to the new rules of the street.

South Side resident and active cyclist Howard Zar, who led an advisory group that worked with the Chicago Department of Transportation during the plan’s development, felt that the addition of bike lanes made the streets more navigable for both cyclists and pedestrians alike.

“I think it is safer for a bicyclist. One is less afraid of traffic coming through very fast,” Zar said. “It also seems to be safer to cross on foot across 55th Street because there’s now a shorter distance and only one lane of cars coming from each direction.”

Elizabeth Bartom, Zar’s co-leader in the advisory group, also felt that the new bike

lanes made the community safer, citing past concerns for her own children’s safety while biking on the streets.

President of the University of Chicago Velo Club and fourth-year Hunter Davis, however, emphasized that despite the benefits of the added bike lanes, basic road safety rules remain as relevant as ever.

“While bike lanes certainly promote commuter safety, they aren’t a fix-all solution,” Davis wrote in an email. “It’s important for cyclists to obey traffic laws, wear a helmet, and signal properly. Just so, it’s vital that motorists respect cyclists’ right to use the road and stay aware to avoid collisions.”

Although Zar still pointed out the inconveniences that arose with the bike lanes, such as the difficulty of making left turns from inside a bicycle lane and the risk of colliding with open passenger-side doors on parked vehicles, he recognized the renewed vigor of cycling around Hyde Park as a result of them.

“I’m seeing more bikes around than I remember,” Zar said. “And that’s a good thing.”

3

With robberies staying constant, UCPD ups efforts SECURITY continued from front

officer or unarmed security officers will let students know that their behavior could lead to unsafe situations, and hand them a flyer that denotes general safety tips.

“Individual officers may have done it [in the past], but it is a campaign,” Mason said. “We’ve had just too many students that have been victims of robberies that have been walking around, they’re distracted, and the first thing they know someone’s come up behind them demanding their property—someone they were totally unaware of being around them.”

UCPD decided to implement this policy after noticing there were a number of thefts related to unaware victims during spring quarter and the beginning of fall, according to Mason.

However, he also said that year-to-date Hyde Park robbery rates for 2012 are approximately on par with 2011. From Jan. 1 to Oct. 3, 2011, there were 106 robberies, compared with 107 during the equivalent period this year. The Hyde Park neighborhood is defined as 47th to 61st Streets from Cottage Grove to the Lakefront.

Although the school year is just beginning, Mason said that UCPD wants to impress upon incoming students that they must take precautions in the urban environment.

“There are so many students that aren’t from an urban area and even if they are from an urban area, many of them aren’t from the South Side of Chicago,” he said. “Every neighborhood is a little bit dif-

Security gaurd Damien Witt has been working night shifts at the University for eight months.

JOHNNY HUNG | THE CHICAGO MAROON

ferent and it takes a bit of time until people become acclimated.”

UCPD will continue the campaign indefinitely if the robberies are not declining as much as expected, but Mason hopes it is successful from the start. “We want to make this impression on people and hopefully won’t have to remind them,” he said.

Music venue on 53rd will accompany new restaurants in nearby Harper Court development Medical center excited for aesthetics, HARPER continued from front in opening along the corridor. “We…ac- personality of new Center to open in February tively monitor the retail environments in other Chicago neighborhoods and at other top universities,” he said in an e-mail.

The new additions are only a few of the businesses brought to the area through the Harper Court and 53rd St. development projects. Last year, the fast food burger restaurant Five Guys and the 24-hour diner Clarke’s opened, increasing eating options for students. The corridor will soon gain a Chipotle, set to open by the end of 2013, and a movie theater, which will open later this year.

The University is hopeful that the new businesses will increase the appeal of the area surrounding campus. “We expect these new ventures to add to the vitality and vibrancy of the neighborhood,” University spokesperson Calmetta Coleman said in an e-mail.

CORRECTIONS The Oct. 5 article “East meets West in new Istanbul Civ program for Spring 2013” misstated the deadline for students to accept their spots. It is October 10.

The Oct. 5 article “Do What You’re Told” misspelled Professor John Mark Hansen’s name.

The Oct. 5 article “At Harris Theater, Lebowitz’s politics take no prisoners” misstated the title of the book Metropolitan Life.

CLASSIFIEDS Classified advertising in The Chicago Maroon is $3 for each line. Lines are 45 characters long including spaces and punctuation. Special headings are 20-character lines at $4 per line. Submit all ads in person, by e-mail, or by mail to The Chicago Maroon, Ida Noyes Hall, Lower Level Rm 026, 1212 E. 59th St., Chicago, IL 60637. The Chicago Maroon accepts Mastercard & Visa. Call (773) 702-9555.

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CENTER continued from front

adaptability and longevity of the building, which he acknowledged were more important for a hospital.

During a panel at the end of Viñoly’s talk, Everett Vokes, chairman of the De-

Does not include e-reader editions, Premium Crosswords or The New York Times Crosswords apps. Mobile apps are not supported on all devices. Other restrictions may apply.

like writers Saul Bellow and Dylan Thomas frequenting off-campus bars and the formation of improv troupe Second City in the back of Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap. The separate but affiliated Harper Court development project also recently announced that Lincoln Park’s Jamaican grill Ja’Grill and Rosemont’s gastropub Park Tavern have chosen Hyde Park to open their second locations. Both will be located on Harper Court, a new street that will be created with the completion of the development. A 1,800 square foot Starbucks will also open on the corner of 53rd St. and Lake Park Avenue.

According to Christopher Dillion, managing director of Vermillion Development which is working on the Harper Court project, the development team markets to businesses they think would be interested

partment of Medicine and physician-inchief at the Medical Center, added that the aesthetics of the building would help patients with recovery.

“It’s beautiful, and it’s human, and it will participate in the healing process,” he said.

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VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed OCTOBER 9, 2012

Getting into the festival spirit Entire University community must deepen student involvement in events like Oktoberfest The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 JORDAN LARSON Editor-in-Chief SHARAN SHETTY Editor-in-Chief COLIN BRADLEY Managing Editor

HARUNOBU CORYNE Senior Editor DOUGLAS EVERSON, JR Senior Editor SAM LEVINE Senior Editor CELIA BEVER News Editor REBECCA GUTERMAN News Editor LINDA QIU News Editor AJAY BATRA Viewpoints Editor DAVID KANER Viewpoints Editor EMILY WANG Viewpoints Editor HANNAH GOLD Arts Editor DANIEL LEWIS Sports Editor VICENTE FERNANDEZ Sports Editor MATTHEW SCHAEFER Sports Editor SONIA DHAWAN Head Designer BELLA WU Head Designer KEVIN WANG Online Editor

Running the length of 53rd Street from Dorchester to Kimbark, this past weekend’s Oktoberfest was the latest event in the “Celebrate Hyde Park” series from the Hyde Park Vitality Committee, a partnership between the University of Chicago Office of Civic Engagement, the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, and the South East Chicago Commission. This year’s fest added on an extra day, featuring an even greater variety of Chicago-area performers and youth activities, as well as food and other wares from local vendors. Events like Oktoberfest and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, which is also supported principally by the U of C’s Office of Civic Engagement, draw large crowds of all ages, and as a result, provide some of the best opportunities for students to engage with the community. Yet student attendance at these events tends to be low, and more could be done on both sides—from Univer-

sity organizers and students—to ensure greater involvement.

Students nearly universally pronounced last week’s Institute of Politics’ #Informed2012 a huge success, with particular praise directed at the event’s smart, efficient organization, emphasis on student participation, and incorporation of social media. If the organizers of the “Celebrate Hyde Park” festivals could similarly incorporate these successful elements—using social media to advertise, integrating student involvement within the structure of the event— potential for revenue would increase greatly as students, a major source of Hyde Park business, would gain more exposure to local performers and businesses.

One possibility for increasing involvement would be to encourage RSOs to either set up booths at festivals or add performance RSOs to the event programming. This would give students a stake in the festival and help

diversify offerings without betraying the local focus. In addition, more students would be made aware of the event, and be more motivated to attend in support of their peers.

The initiative should also extend beyond RSOs: Individual students should volunteer in one of the better opportunities to engage in an unmediated, culturally significant Hyde Park event. Sure, much of this year’s festival was child-oriented: Petting zoos, face-painting, and pony rides were scattered throughout Nichols Park, attracting droves of Hyde Park kids. But the fest also included a popular beer garden, live music from the likes of South Side percussionist Taylor Moore, and booths upon booths of cheap, delicious food. Community service organizations like University Community Service Center and Alpha Phi Omega could lead campus calls for festival volunteers, which would both help the event’s infrastructure and ensure

heightened attendance without forcing the festival’s programming to specifically cater to the student body.

If the University’s Office of Civic Engagement examines successful events in the past year—the recent Logan Center party and #Informed2012, to name just a few—and incorporates the elements that worked into marketing and promoting these local festivals, the result could be immensely beneficial to students, Hyde Park residents, and local businesses. On their end, students should make a more concerted effort to attend these events. Harper Court is officially opening next summer, and will provide many new venues for Hyde Parkers to eat, work, and play together—but we don’t have to wait until then to start doing so.

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

ALICE BLACKWOOD Head Copy Editor

SYDNEY COMBS Photo Editor

Broken ranks

Social insecurity

JOY CRANE Assoc. News Editor

U.S. News rankings undervalue crucial criteria

Presidential debate omits LGBT, women’s rights

DON HO Head Copy Editor BEN ZIGTERMAN Head Copy Editor JAMIE MANLEY Photo Editor

MARINA FANG Assoc. News Editor BEN POKROSS Assoc. News Editor MADHU SRIKANTHA Assoc. News Editor JENNIFER STANDISH Assoc. News Editor EMMA BRODER Assoc. Arts Editor ALICE BUCKNELL Assoc. Arts Editor SCOTTY CAMPBELL Assoc. Arts Editor DANIEL RIVERA Assoc. Arts Editor SARAH LANGS Assoc. Sports Editor DEREK TSANG Assoc. Sports Editor JAKE WALERIUS Assoc. Sports Editor JULIA REINITZ Assoc. Photo Editor

By Taylor Schwimmer Viewpoints Columnist TYRONALD JORDAN Business Manager VIVIAN HUA Undergraduate Business Executive TAMER BARSBAY Director of Business Research VINCENT MCGILL Delivery Coordinator HYEONG-SUN CHO Designer ANDREW GREEN Designer AUTUMN NI Designer KELSIE ANDERSON Copy Editor CATIE ARBONA Copy Editor AMISHI BAJAJ Copy Editor JANE BARTMAN Copy Editor MARTIA BRADLEY Copy Editor SHANICE CASIMIRO Copy Editor LISA FAN Copy Editor ALAN HASSLER Copy Editor NISHANTH IYENGAR Copy Editor MICHELLE LEE Copy Editor ZSOFI VALYI-NAGY Copy Editor ESTHER YU Copy Editor

The Chicago Maroon is published twice weekly during autumn, winter, and spring quarters Circulation: 5,500.

The opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are not necessarily those of the Maroon. © 2012 The Chicago Maroon, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 Editor-in-Chief Phone: 773.834.1611 Newsroom Phone: 773.702.1403 Business Phone: 773.702.9555 Fax: 773.702.3032 CONTACT News: News@ChicagoMaroon.com Viewpoints: Viewpoints@ChicagoMaroon.com Arts: Arts@ChicagoMaroon.com Sports: Sports@ChicagoMaroon.com Photography: Photo@ChicagoMaroon.com Design: Douglas@ChicagoMaroon.com Copy: CopyEditors@ChicagoMaroon.com Advertising: Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com

Hundreds of incoming first years undoubtedly felt a strong sense of vindication when they checked the 2012 U.S. News “National University Rankings” last month. The University of Chicago had ascended to the lofty rank of #4 from last year’s five-way tie for fifth place. Prima facie, this is a fairly significant development; the only schools that are “better” than us are Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. The rankings seem to suggest that we are not only as “good” as Ivy League schools, but that we are “better” than most.

This is an accomplishment, and our professors and administrators deserve to be commended for achieving it.

However, the stridently academic tradition of our (now highly-ranked) school demands that we must look beyond the face of the matter and answer several pressing questions. What exactly does the ranking represent, and what does our position on the list mean for the University as a whole?

It makes sense to first look at the criteria on which the ranking is based. U.S. News has conveniently provided a four-page document outlining the methodology behind the list. The process involves gathering data on a number of different “indicators” from uni-

versities and creating a composite score with which colleges can be ranked. There are seven indicators listed on the U.S. News website, but the article also notes that up to 16 indicators can factor into the decision.

The most striking thing about the rankings is that the single most heavily weighted category is “Undergraduate Academic Reputation.” That category, which accounts for 22.5% of an institution’s score, relies on surveys completed by other university administrators and college guidance counselors. This poses several problems. Perhaps most obvious is that those surveyed have no direct experience with the universities they’re ranking. Certainly, these people may be familiar with their apparent reputations, but they simply do not have the benefit of knowing them as students, professors, or community members. It seems farcical to think that, for instance, the dean of admissions at Stanford University sufficiently understands the necessary context of, or even has the opportunity to deeply ponder, the pros and cons of the U of C’s common core, much less reach an educated verdict based on them. I’m certain that the dean is extremely intelligent and capable, but the fact that he lives and works 2,000 miles away and quite possibly has never been in a University of Chicago classroom is a significant impediment to his ability to render fair judgment. It’s something analogous to watching the two-minute trailer of a movie and then writing a full review. You probably have a general idea of the plot and characters, and maybe even a hint of the style of the film, but you cannot possibly comment intelligently on the entire feature-length film.

RANK continued on page 5

By Luke Brinker Viewpoints Columnist Watching the candidates spar at last week’s presidential debate in Denver, a casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that the upcoming election amounts to little more than a referendum on the state of the economy.

As moderator Jim Lehrer passively observed, President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney exchanged barbs on taxes, unemployment, energy policy, financial regulation, health reform, and the 2009 stimulus package. With the unemployment rate improving but still uncomfortably high at 7.8 percent, it’s unsurprising that the two contenders concentrated primarily on the question of who is best equipped to revive the nation’s economic fortunes. In a NBC News-Wall Street Journal survey conducted late last month, the economy ranked first on voters’ list of concerns, with 46 percent saying it would be the most important factor in determining their votes. But crucial as the economy will prove in determining the race’s outcome, the debate’s lack of focus on vital social issues was mystifying, in light of the significant impact the next administration will have in that area.

To be sure, many voters motivated by divisive questions like abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun

control are fierce partisans who decided long ago whom they’d be voting for. With Obama and Romney competing for the remaining sliver of undecided voters, it’s to be expected that issues that motivate primary electorates won’t receive much attention in the general election campaign. What undecided voters may not realize, however, is just how significant an impact the outcome on November 6 is likely to have on hot-button social issues.

Eager to move on from a primary campaign featuring an antivaccine conspiracy theorist, an ethically-challenged former House Speaker, a former U.S. Senator with a penchant for sweater vests and a habit of linking homosexuality with bestiality, and a former pizza guy—all of whom groveled to prove to the GOP base just how right-wing they truly were—Romney has sought to tamp down talk of abortion and gay rights. Perhaps he figures that if he doesn’t harp on these issues in the general election campaign, independent voters who were out of the loop during the primaries will assume he still holds the same liberal positions on those issues that he did while a candidate for office in Massachusetts.

Whenever he or his surrogates are asked about, say, the concerns of women voters, Romney responds that he’ll win women over by talking about the one thing they care about most: the economy.

The lengths to which Romney and his supporters will go to skirt discussions of controversial social questions is nothing short of remarkable. After Rep. Todd Akin, the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate from Missouri, asserted that female victims of “legitimate rape” don’t get pregnant—and, therefore, that there’s no need for an abortion ban to include a rape exception—Romney’s campaign DEBATE continued on page 5

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | October 9, 2012

5

Things’ll be great when you’re downtown Forget all your troubles, forget all your cares, and discover some novelty in neighborhoods across the city

By Anastasia Golovashkina Viewpoints Columnist Early last December, my computer died.

It didn’t crash, it didn’t stall, it didn’t freeze.

It just died—and I had absolutely no idea what to do. Neither, apparently, did the University’s Solution Center, whose most helpful suggestion was a forty-something-dollar, this-will-take-fiveto-ten-business-days service to run my computer through tests that may or may not have determined what was wrong with it.

Mac-versus-PC jokes aside, it was 5:30 p.m. and I had a paper due the next day. I had to take it to the Apple Store. Which, you know, meant I had to get to the Apple Store. Downtown. On Michigan Avenue. How the hell do I get to Michigan Avenue?

Pretty easily, as it turned out. But as a clueless firstyear, I didn’t know that getting downtown would

be as simple as a $2.25 bus ride. I had no idea how monotonous and predictable my day-to-day activities had become until a computer crash had forced a disruption to my regime.

Having been cooped up in Hyde Park for the past three increasingly freezing months, I hadn’t even begun to imagine all the life, joy, creativity, and wonder that I would encounter. From the shopping bag-toting tourists to the bright buildings and refreshingly enthusiastic interactions, it was an obvious contrast to our maroon-on-gray campus landscape.

More importantly, it was something new. Though I had been downtown a handful of times before I had come to college, I had never become so intensely and simultaneously aware of the bright lights, buildings, and people that the Mag Mile had to offer, and the counterpoint it presented to the campus experience. So much so that some detours were in order: I tried out the then-new iPad. I finally got to use my Panera Bread gift card to buy my first non-Med/ non-Noodles off-campus meal in months (it was delicious). I visited an art store—an art store! For art supplies! How long since I’d set foot in one of those!

Because I’m sure you’re dying to know, yes, my computer was finally fixed, and yes, I did get that paper in on time. By the time I had gotten back to Blackstone, I had seen so many new sights and (re)discovered so many new buildings that creative words, arguments, and structures came

to me with ease.

It wasn’t so much about the details as it was about the new environment—not its quality as much as the novelty of its presence. It certainly wasn’t that the sight of Macy’s had taught me more about the differences between Marx and Durkheim than my professor. But the brief trip did get my brain thinking about the world just a little bit differently. Beyond the surface-level dissimilarities—in the bus numbers, street names, and building locations—there was a marked difference in the feel and atmosphere.

It gave me that last jolt of creative energy I needed to write a great paper, and to continue exploring and learning about the city I claim to live in.

In retrospect, my silly first-world computer problem became my crucial introduction to the importance of exploring. Though tens of inches of snow did prevent me from making many more trips that winter, my three days of post-exams freedom during finals week—coupled with unseasonably warm March weather—gave me an uninterrupted opportunity to explore 1.5% more of Chicago’s 200+ neighborhoods.

Hyde Park is not boring or depressing by any means. But like anything, it can grow old. The streets, buildings, and day-to-day experiences start to become fairly predictable. They mesh too comfortably with one another, into a routine distinguished only by the difference between Monday–Wednesday and Tuesday–Thursday class schedules. It’s so

easy to descend into the comfortably predictable cycle of dorm-class-Reg-repeat.

I’m sure that when you first saw it, you found our campus architecture beautiful— perhaps even Instagram-worthy. But, as time goes by and buildings become more familiar, their designs seem less and less memorable. In March, Harper may have seemed like the dream study space. Now—or maybe two weeks from now, once classes really take off—it’ll seem like nothing more than a quiet room.

Keep yourself from getting too used to Hyde Park by exposing yourself to fresh stimuli now. It doesn’t matter if you come from out of the country, out of the state, or the suburbs. Even if you hail from the city itself, it’s likely that even you haven’t experienced its neighborhoods independently— that is, as a college student.

Don’t let the novelty of the University keep you from broadening your horizons even further.

Sure, Second City will probably have a performance on our campus sometime this year, and yes, some bands you’ve heard of (or even better, haven’t heard of ) will probably be at Summer Breeze. But don’t let the expectation that novelty will come to you keep you from seeking out new experiences for yourself, elsewhere. It’s just a bus ride away.

Anastasia Golovashkina is a second-year in the College majoring in economics.

Romney win will affect more than just economy

Data points don’t tell the whole story on colleges

DEBATE continued from page 4 aides instructed reporters not to ask the candidate any questions about Akin or abortion. In a student debate last week sponsored by the University’s Institute of Politics, the College Republicans’ Eric Wessan, speaking in favor of the Romney candidacy, dismissed a question about same-sex marriage. “We shouldn’t even address such issues,” Wessan contended, “when we’re in the midst of the Great Recession.” It seemed clear that Wessan felt uncomfortable defending a political party whose stance on marriage equality is at odds with the vast majority of young voters—including many self-described conservative Republicans—but his argument is especially pernicious. It suggests that the extension of equal rights to minority groups should be contingent on the state of the national economy. Even worse, Wessan pretends that if Romney prevails next month, he’ll focus laser-intensively on the economy, doing little or nothing to affect the rights of millions of LGBT Americans.

Assume for a moment that, contrary to most observers’ expectations, Romney ascends to the White House on January 20, 2013. As president, he’ll likely have the opportunity to appoint multiple justices to the United States Supreme Court, which this term is expected to consider cases challenging the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8, and which has a slim fiveto-four majority in favor of abortion rights.

A Romney administration could only move the Supreme Court further to the right. Clinton appointees Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 79—who recently underwent treatment for pancreatic cancer—and Stephen Breyer, 74, are among the likeliest justices to leave

RANK continued from page 4 There are a number of other issues involving the “reputation” metric. The article mentions that the survey system allows “top academics—presidents, provosts, and deans of admissions—to account for intangibles.”

I find this statement somewhat mystifying : Since when are university administrators “top academics”? Certainly they are highly talented and accomplished individuals, and some do have pure academic experience, but wouldn’t it make more sense for professors, who teach and do research daily, to pass judgment on the intangibles of an academic institution? An internal survey of teaching staff and faculty would almost certainly provide more valuable and helpfully introspective results.

A bit further down the list comes “selectivity,” which is composed of the average SAT and ACT scores and class rankings of admitted students, as well as the acceptance rate. Though these attributes are widely accepted as an accurate way to gauge the quality of the student body at a university, they also have the unintended consequence of motivating universities to change their behavior. For instance, let us consider acceptance rate. Though only comprising 1.5% of the total raw score, the metric, like all others, is still immensely important—the difference between ranks is often only a few points. Indeed, acceptance rate in and of itself is likely more directly relevant to a school’s rank than to its actual quality.

The University of Chicago has been hugely successful in lowering its acceptance rate as of late, and this has certainly increased our rank. However, there is something slightly unsettling about a system that claims to objectively score the merits of an institution through a metric that is not only of otherwise questionable importance, but also easily and actively manipulated.

The final few categories include financial resources and alumni giving rate.

Again, these are not illogical measures by which to judge a school, but they suffer from a problem that they share with acceptance rate, as noted above, as well as many other indicators and the ranking as a whole: They do not really measure the salient qualities of the school itself. Instead, the scores are simply a composite of external data points that are often merely

the high court in the coming years. Another potential retirement is that of Anthony Kennedy, 76, a moderate conservative appointed

by Reagan who provided the decisive vote in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which affirmed the court’s ruling in Roe v.

Wade. Given the tremendous pressure he will face from his party’s conservative base, it’s impossible to conceive of Romney replacing any of these justices with anyone other than a down-the-line social conservative. Hopes for federal recognition of same-sex marriage in the near future could well be dashed, and the Roe decision could easily be overturned.

Committed conservative activists understand what’s at stake for social issues in the impending election. Try as Romney and his fellow Republicans might to divert voters’ attention from the fact, a Romney administration would wield significant sway over whether women enjoy reproductive rights and whether LGBT Americans have full legal equality. Those questions are also on the ballot this year.

Luke Brinker is a graduate student in the MAPSS program.

BENJAMIN LANGE

| THE CHICAGO MAROON

tangential and always prone to manipulation. The rankings do not measure the academic quality of the coursework, the intelligence and character of the student body or even the career prospects of outgoing students, which of course are all central to the strength of the University. Again, the movie trailer metaphor is apt.

I am not arguing that the rankings are completely worthless. I believe they help capture some general sentiment about the prestige of various institutions and I am of course happy about our recent improvement. However, I urge you to reconsider the importance of these rankings. We must be cognizant of U.S. News’s status as a forprofit private corporation that has an ultimate goal of selling guidebooks and making money. To me, it is abundantly clear that while the U.S. News rankings measure many things, the true academic quality of an institution is not one of them. In fact, I would posit that the most important indicator of a university’s strength is the collective work ethic and dedication of its students and faculty—something that can certainly not be counted.

Taylor Schwimmer is a third-year in the College majoring in public policy studies. Follow him on Twitter: @schwimmert.

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.

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Trivial Pursuits OCTOBER 9, 2012

More than just math problems: UT stages Proof Emily Hatch Arts Contributor When I first read the description for this fall’s production of Proof, I expected an action-packed theatrical adaptation in the vein of Sylvia Nasar’s unauthorized biography of Nobel laureate John Nash, Jr.—an assumption inspired, no doubt, by Universal’s 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. There’s no denying the similarity between the premises of the two works.

Both concern the personal and familial struggles of mathematical geniuses whose groundbreaking careers are cut short by the onset of psychological instability. Proof, however, eschews the bells and whistles of a film drama in favor of an elegant account of a gifted daughter, doomed by her father’s legacy.

PROOF Theater West, Logan Center Through October 13

Where A Beautiful Mind plays up its action sequences and other more thrilling aspects, professional director Audrey Francis (co-founder and owner of Black Box Acting, and current teacher at the School at Steppenwolf ) utilizes an interpretation of U of C alumnus David Auburn’s play that draws the audience in with its visual restraint. Viewers surround a bland, wooden porch on three sides, their

Molly Miller plays Catherine, the daughter of an unbalanced U of C professor, in UT’s Proof.

COURTESY OF JULIA DRATEL

proximity allowing for optimal use of Logan’s black box theater as a tool for developing intimacy.

Lighting designer Matt Gawryk employs subtle changes in hue to great effect; audience members can practically feel the bitter Chicago air as the stage takes on a frosted, foggy appearance in winter scenes, yet are transported mere moments later by warm, autumnal tones.

Jenny Pinson’s prop selection is no less sophisticated. Her items are practical and never intrusive or

excessive, ensuring that those vital to the story are memorable but do not detract from the onstage action.

In the end, all technical elements simply serve to focus audience attention continually on the actors themselves—and this focal point does not disappoint.

Fourth-year Molly Miller stars as Catherine, the daughter of mathematical prodigy and U of C professor Robert (Steve Pickering).

Miller succeeds in communicating Catherine’s many frustrations and

complexities through a vast and masterful range of emotions. She handles each scene with poise, unless, of course, the moment calls for a less buttoned-up display of emotion. She shows special strength in shocking changes of mood, although sometimes the intensity and dramatic tension between her character and that of her sister, Claire (third-year Hilary Clifford), is lost in the former’s refusal to commit to one sentiment.

The fact that Miller plays

opposite a supporting actor who nearly steals the show also attests to the well-distributed skill of the featured students: fourthyear David Federman embodies an unintentionally but irresistibly charming graduate student named Hal, whose demeanor is enhanced

by Nathan Rohrer’s costume designs. Federman exhibits equally impressive chemistry with all of his fellow actors, providing comic relief (most of which is particularly relevant and entertaining for U of C students, as Auburn doesn’t hold back from poking fun at the school’s academics, graduate students, and rivalry with Northwestern) as well as endearing moments of genuine vulnerability.

Besides Miller and Federman, Francis employs the professional skill of Pickering and Clifford, who is new to UT. Both shine in their supporting roles, with Pickering convincingly portraying the dissatisfaction and distractions of a mind no longer functioning highly, and Clifford channeling the fear and confusion of an older sister unsure of the right course of action to take to support her family.

At its core, Proof is an intriguing story, though some elements of this production turn out to be perhaps more predictable than the plot twists of A Beautiful Mind.

Still, viewers are left in serious contemplation over the obstacles faced by great academics— irreproachable geniuses, but unstable ones—whose lives are no less complicated than the equations they seek to solve.

High school heroes blossom in Chbosky’s film adaptation Sarah Morell Arts Contributor It’s a problem that lovers of cinema and literature encounter with increasing frequency: How do you turn a poignant book into a powerful movie? The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which opened in select cities on September 28, is the latest proof that this issue can be resolved.

Stephen Chbosky, who wrote the 1999 novel of the same name, both directed the film and wrote its screenplay. The result is an unusually pure translation from page to screen that captures all of the humor and raw emotion that fans of the novel will recognize and embrace.

Narrated through a series of letters to an anonymous recipient, the film chronicles the tumultuous and enlightening freshman year of high schooler Charlie (Logan Lerman), an introverted brainiac who’s always been a little socially out of step, as he navigates football games, homecoming dance afterparties, and performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He is guided through these rites of passage by Sam and Patrick (played

by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller), stepsiblings and best friends. “See, Charlie,” Patrick says as he leads

him into a basement party, “this is what fun looks like.”

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER Stephen Chbosky AMC River East

The holy acting trinity of Lerman, Watson, and Miller carry the film as a whole. Lerman’s delicate and genuine characterization of Charlie is at times heartwarming, at others painful. Watson, in her first major post–Harry Potter role, shines as Charlie’s love interest, a girl who carries a significant and tragic personal history of her own. Yet the most remarkable performance of the three is Miller’s. Miles away from his blood-curdling portrayal of a school shooter in We Need To Talk About Kevin, Miller pulls off the part of a dynamic, romanticallywounded teenager coming to terms with his homosexuality in a way that is both elegant and forceful.

The friendship among the three of them is the lifeblood that pulses throughout the film.

Since Perks is set in the early ’90s, it is highly appropriate that mixtapes become an important motif throughout while simultaneously

Emma Watson (Sam) and Logan Lerman (Charlie) study unrequited eye contact in The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

COURTESY OF SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

setting the film’s tone. While listening to a mixtape originally made for his older sister, Charlie becomes enthralled with the song “Asleep” by The Smiths to such a degree that it takes on a life of its own, appearing in the score and in conversation throughout the film.

At the homecoming dance, when

the song “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners comes on, Sam exclaims, “Oh my God, they’re playing good music!” Other memorable soundtrack picks include “Could It Be Another Change?” by The Samples and David Bowie’s “Heroes.”

In addition to the joy and

simple romance of dances and mixtapes, the film deals with profound and troubling issues of alienation, self-esteem, and nostalgia. At the start of the movie, viewers learn that Charlie’s only friend from middle school committed suicide the previous PERKS continued on page 10

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 9, 2012

8

At Goodman Theatre, a simple trick of fate Eliza Brown Arts Contributor Though it’s rumored to be humanity’s oldest profession, prostitution still poses questions and problems in the Goodman Theatre’s production of Tennessee Williams’s Sweet Bird of Youth.

Perhaps because there are no brothels or street corners, the sexfor-sale theme of the work remains recognizable and accordingly delivers a potent message to its audience. What’s more, there are no simulated sex or money exchanges on stage; the subtlety of the work underlines the nuances of modern prostitution. Sweet Bird of Youth highlights the power of youthful sexuality but also explores the inherent weakness in this ephemeral quality.

SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH Goodman Theatre Through October 28

The play begins with an intimate dialogue in a very pink hotel bedroom between Chance Wayne (Finn Wittrock) and Alexandra Del Lago (Diane Lane). Chance is a young aspiring actor who works as a gigolo in order to finance his dream. Alexandra, who works under the false moniker Princess Kosmonopolis, is a middle-aged movie star who recently attempted a comeback, but thinks that her last chance at redemption

has fallen flat. Chance has led Alexandra to his hometown so that he can continue to use her money and prestige while trying to reconnect with his high school sweetheart, Heavenly (Kristina Johnson). Alexandra seems too self-medicated to care about where she is, as long she has a trailing pretty-boy to care for her.

Both characters are monsters.

Alexandra makes her narcissism all too clear, and Chance attempts to influence her. Diane Lane is marvelous as the fallen movie star, adding real panache to a character that could be unlikeable to watch.

The tired persona she’s displayed in romantic comedies like Under the Tuscan Sun and Must Love Dogs disappears with a fantastic accent and full commitment to character. Lane’s performance has led many to believe that this show is Broadway-bound.

In its second and third act, the play moves from the intimate to the grandiose with two different scenes and sets involving many members from the town of St. Cloud, Florida. The play also moves from a timeless story of an older movie star and her young lover to a historically specific tale about Southern attitudes in the 1950s. As Chance leaves the hotel in order to find Heavenly, her father, Boss Finley ( John Judd), plots his political career and the downfall of Chance. Finley defends the castration of a local black man and the preservation of Southern white virgins, touting his not-so-pure daughter as a shining

Finn Wittrock (Chance Wayne) and Diane Lane (Alexandra Del Lago) in Goodman’s Sweet Bird of Youth.

COURTESY OF GOODMAN THEATRE

example of a woman in need of protection.

Blinded by his love for Heavenly, Chance ignores the threats and warnings made by various townspeople, and opts instead to spin around St. Cloud in Alexandra’s convertible. Still, Chance acquires and loses more than he aimed for through his affairs with older wealthy women, especially in this last-ditch attempt to make it in Hollywood and win back his girl.

Director David Cromer uses multimedia elements, like a close-up of Lane’s face projected on the white gauze curtain and enlarged photos of a political rally. These additions work with the production’s commentary on Hollywood and the movie culture of the 1950s. In the final act, the set spins around with the characters on it, reinforcing Chance’s ceaseless jabs at fame, Alexandra’s continuous hope for a comeback, and the accidents that

dole out their respective fates.

Williams’s play connects prostitution to castration on a literal level, and on a figurative one to something that closely resembles mortality, for the act of selling his sexuality strips Chance of his soul. In the current social climate, people are encouraged to make use of their erotic capital, and Sweet Bird of Youth serves as a chilling reminder of what can happen when everyday compromises morph into grand moral concessions.

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$35 / $5 students with valid ID Logan Center for the Arts 915 E. 60th Street Buy your tickets today! chicagopresents.uchicago.edu 773.702.ARTS (2787) A limited number of FREE student tickets are available through the Arts Pass program; visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu for details.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 9, 2012

10

New friends beget radical revelations in Perks PERKS continued from page 7 spring. Sam’s musing, “Why do I and everyone I love pick people who treat us like we’re nothing?” prompts Charlie’s tragically true response: “We accept the love we think we deserve,” borrowed from his beloved Advanced English teacher (Paul Rudd).

Compounded with the tragedy of his best friend’s suicide and his unrequited love for Sam, the film also reveals that Charlie’s “favorite person in the world,” his Aunt Helen, died in a car accident on his birthday when he was a child. The consequences of these memories, and the truth that is eventually revealed, lead to the most tragic and shocking realization of the film.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is provocative, painful, funny, and genuine. Its beauty lies in the thoughtful interpretation of a beloved novel and the spectacular performances from its three main characters. It deals with complex issues without feeling contrived, and begs reflection and introspection from its viewers.

If it’s true that, as Charlie’s final letter at the conclusion of the movie says, “there are people who forget what it’s like to be 16 when they turn 17,” then perhaps this film serves as a bittersweet but much-needed reminder, no matter how removed from high school you may be.

Style

Chicago Manual of The thrill of the thrift At first glance, a common thrift shop is nothing more than a chaotic assortment of junk whose collective odor stems from a combination of mothballs, boxes of crayons, and ’80s lipstick. However, a keen eye, a bit of persistence, and a flexible fashion sense reveal something else entirely: A thrift shop is the Narnia of style. Walk inside, and you’ve suddenly stumbled into a world where wolf blankets, wooden carvings of Abraham Lincoln, floor-length alpaca sweaters, and denim onesies exist together in a wonderfully dissonant balance. I know, your mind is swirling with images of comically ironic sweaters and the comically ironic people who don them, but in fact, a good thrift shop can provide you with some stuff you actually want. Chicago is crawling with these cheap treasures, so here’s a quick introduction to the best used fashion the city has to offer.

Pilsen might be the Mecca of fashion-conscious thrifting. Numerous stores throughout the neighborhood offer solid vintage selections, but those on 18th Street, just near the Pink Line

FRESH.

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AnnaO’Brien Hill

by Jessen

stop, are where you’re most likely to strike gold. Pilsen Vintage & Thrift, small but well-organized and comfortable, has great women’s clothing. The dominant style here runs more along the lines of ’50s housewife than ’80s rocker. If you need something high-waisted and romantic, this is your place.

For a more eclectic selection, head down the street to Knee Deep Vintage, which boasts an impressive collection for both men and women. This store is more geared toward vintageseekers than bargain-hunters, and prices are noticeably higher.

Vibrant button-downs and crazy jackets are the norm here. Make sure you go in with some time to dig—the tiny store is so jampacked that it feels like a polyester explosion waiting to happen.

If you’re looking for a cheaper fix, the Salvation Army right next to the Western-Cermak station sells extremely affordable clothes (and a seemingly endless supply of other random objects). What’s better than a two-dollar windbreaker?

A two-dollar windbreaker and a cow lamp. And a holiday vest, and a misshapen vase.

Wicker Park, Chicago’s most

established hipster paradise, has more than a few thrift stores of its own. Ranging from gently-used to over-worn, from “yeah, I guess can afford this” to “I don’t even want this but it’s 99 cents so I have to buy it,” this neighborhood easily satisfies the new thrifter, as well as the seasoned pro. The accessory and footwear selection is especially notable. The Village Discount Outlet on Milwaukee is known for its regular sales (sales on sales!), but some thrifters accuse them of selling poor-quality goods. Don’t let that scare you off, though—the place has a great selection of weird T-shirts, and I’ve heard more than one story about surprise designer finds here. Just down the street, Buffalo Exchange has a great selection of more casual clothing and jewelry, as well as the friendliest staff you’ll ever meet (seriously— one mustachioed dressing room attendant made my heart sing ).

Ragstock, a chain thrift store that also has an outlet in Belmont, offers similarly-priced finds (Five dollars for pants? Yes, please), and if you’re looking for vintage jewelry, walk down North Avenue to Vintage Underground for

a selection that sale-seekers rave about.

Of course, these are only a few potential stops in your thrifting journey. There aren’t many thrift stores densely clustered up North, but the ones you do come across are well worth the trip.

The Brown Elephant in Lakeview operates with an overwhelming “you dream it, we sell it” approach. You’re sure to find some interesting digs there for insanely cheap prices. The Salvation Army near DePaul also promises some great finds, and Very Best Vintage in the Ukrainian Village has an amazing selection of clothing and accessories (more vintage than thrift), but at slightly higher prices.

Go out and explore, find your own favorites, and buy some cool stuff along the way. Thrift shops are magical because they allow you to experiment with fashion without spending your rent money in the process. So bid goodbye to your stubborn department store ways and take a turn for the awesome. Buy that tie-dye jumper, that pair of green leather pants, that ridiculously small hat—come on, you can afford it.

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11

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | October 9, 2012

Against South Siders, Carnegie Mellon strikes gold

FOOTBALL UAA Standings Rank School 1 Carnegie 2 Chicago 3 Case Western 4 Washington (MO)

Women’s Soccer Jake Walerius Associate Sports Editor There would be no late drama for women’s soccer on Saturday afternoon, only disappointment. A 2–1 loss to Carnegie Mellon (7–2–1, 1–1–0) left the Maroons (7–4–0, 0–2–0) with two losses in their first two conference games, and, whereas last week’s loss was an encouraging performance against a very strong Emory side, this game will feel as though it had slipped away.

In a very even match, Carnegie was able to do that little bit extra.

“Winning and losing is always close,” assistant coach Bannon Stroud said. “It comes down to little things. You have to add up the little things and the little things went in Carnegie’s favor.”

It was a cagey first half. The Tartans were perhaps the more assured team in possession, but Chicago had the better chances, with second-year Sara Kwan going on a number of dangerous runs in and around Carnegie’s penalty area. The best chance of the half fell to first-year Julia Ozello, who was thwarted by Carnegie goalkeeper Anna Albi after first-year Anna Goddi played her through.

The Maroons would go on to regret squandering their first half chances, as Carnegie’s Savina Reid scored twice in the space of two minutes—first, with a chip over second-year goalkeeper Jacinda Reid, and moments later with a near post header on a cross from Brittany Couture—to give her team a commanding lead in the 58th minute.

The South Siders pulled back a late goal in the 87th minute when third-year Natalia Jovanovic scored on fourth-year Brigette Kragie’s assist, but it proved only to be a consolation. The Tartans held off a late surge of Chicago pressure to see out the victory.

It may have taken almost an hour for those

Win % .833 .600 ..500 .200

Passing Rank 1 2 3

Player Rob Kalkstein Erik Olson Dan Burkett

School Avg/G Carnegie 235.2 Case Western 208.2 Washington (MO) 106.2

4 5

Kevin Shelton John O’Connor

Chicago Washington (MO)

100.5 32.5

Receiving Rank Player 1 Tim Kikta 2 Dee Brizzolara 3 Sean Lapcevic 4 Timoth Swanson 5 Dew Sexton

School Avg/G Carnegie 91.8 Chicago 81.4 Case Western 66.3 Carnegie 64.2 Washington (MO) 59.2

Rushing Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Manny Sicre Patrick Blanks Ian Gaines C. Castelluccio Zak Nash-Ross

School Avg/G Case Western 84.8 Carnegie 82.8 Chicago 70.4 Washington (MO) 61.2 Chicago 58.6

MEN’S SOCCER UAA Standings Second-year Sara Kwan crosses the ball to the center of the field during a home game against Carnegie Mellon on Saturday.

JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

little things to add up, but add up they did, and the Maroons must now concentrate on putting those mistakes right.

“We turned too many balls over, it’s fair to say, and Carnegie won the 50-50 battle more consistently than we did,” assistant coach Stroud said. “We still have seven games to play. We have a big double weekend coming up so we just have to try to improve and get better everyday. That’s one of our general themes for the season: Continue to improve on a day-by-day basis.”

Chicago’s focus will now turn to the weekend, when it will see two conference

rivals (Brandeis and NYU) in the space of three days. Things may not look too bright for the Maroons, having lost their first two games, but there is an understanding that in order to move forward they must put those games behind them and look ahead.

“It’s going to be difficult to win conference because a lot of teams have a win and a draw. We can’t worry about them.

The only thing we can do is put ourselves in a position to win games,” Stroud said.

“Brandeis is 10–1–1 so they’re playing with a lot of confidence. We have to be prepared to battle on Friday against them and then just look at one game at a time after that.”

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

PREVIOUS ATHLETES OF THE WEEK September 19, 2012: Jorge Bilbao (Men’s Soccer), Maggie Cornelius (Women’s XC) September 26, 2012: Kyle Kurfirst (Men’s Soccer), Ryann Hanley (Women’s Soccer)

School Brandeis

Record 11–0–1 (1–0–1)

Win % .958

NYU Carnegie Washington (MO) Emory Rochester Chicago Case Western

9–1–1 (1–0–1) 8–1–1 (1–0–1) 6–3–1 (1–1) 6–5–1 (1–1) 6–2–2 (0–2–2) 6–2–3 (0–1–1) 3–8–1 (0–2)

.864 .850 .650 .542 .700 .682 .292

Goals Rank Player 1 Kyle Green 1 Dylan Price 1 Andrew Natalino 1 Lee Russo 5 Max Tassano

School NYU Emory Emory Brandeis Carnegie

Goals 9 9 9 9 7

School Carnegie Brandeis Emory Brandeis Emory

Assists 9 7 5 5 4

Assists Rank Player 1 Ben Bryant 2 Sam Ocel 3 Andrew Jones 3 Lee Russo 5 Nolan McKeever

UAA Standings

2 2 4 5 6 7 8

Head Coach Vanessa Walby: “Katie Trela has not only been a great leader this last week but also throughout our season. With Orientation Week this past week, she was able to participate in some of our free outdoor FitChicago classes and did extensive volunteer work during Phoenix Phest with the Swag Hunt and at the exit station. She did a fantastic job of stepping up to the plate with all of the new first-years on our team. Katie helped them scheduling-wise with recommendations on professors, classes and times. She provided a good source of balance and enlightenment on what they should be expecting in their first quarter of classes.

“Athletically, she was very influential in our matches against Carnegie Mellon, NYU and Emory. She closed numerous blocks and took a large part of the court away which helped our team to play really successful defense. She also hit over .250 against the No. 6-ranked team in the nation.”

School Brandeis

Record 10–1–1 (1–0–1)

Win % .875

Emory Washington (MO) Case Western Carnegie NYU Chicago Rochester

8–0–3 (1–0–1) 9–1–1 (1–0–1) 7–2–3 (1–0–1) 7–1–2 (1–1) 9–3 (1–1) 7–4 (0–2) 3–8 (0–2)

.864 .864 .708 .800 .750 .636 .273

Goals Rank 1 2 2 4 4

Player Melissa Menta Cami Crawford Dara Spital Sara Kwan Anna Zambricki

School NYU NYU Brandeis Chicago Washington (MO)

Goals 10 9 9 7 7

Rank Player 1 Charlotte Butker 1 Melissa Menta 3 Brigette Kragie 4 Serra Tumay 4 Dara Spital

School Emory NYU Chicago NYU Brandeis

Assists 8 8 6 5 5

VOLLEYBALL

|

THE CHICAGO MAROON

Assists

JAMIE MANLEY

Head Coach Chris Hall: “Renat has been a solid point scorer for our team for the past two years, but in general has run better in the middle distance track events than cross country. This past weekend, he had by far his greatest cross country race, ran second on our team and 25th out of 456 athletes in a predominately Division I field. Last year at this same meet, Renat was 143rd and ran nearly 1:30 slower. His performance was one of the primary reasons our team had its highest ever finish in the prestigious Loyola Lakefront Invitational (finishing fifth out of 47 teams only behind Division I schools—Wisconsin, Southern Illinois, Purdue and Loyola). This performance is a strong indicator that Renat will be one of the top runners in the UAA later this fall.”

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Rank 1

KATIE TRELA, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

RENAT ZALOV, MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Rank 1

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The executive boards of the Women’s Athletic Association and the Order of the “C” have implemented a new program, “Athlete of the Week,” to highlight athletes making a big impact on the campus community—both on and off the field. We hope the MAROON’s new series on these ‘Uncommon’ athletes can start a conversation...and not just within the walls of Ratner.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ATHLETICS

Record 5–1 (0–0) 3–2 (0–0) 3–3 (0–0) 1–4 (0–0)

UAA Standings Rank School 1 Washington (MO) 2 Emory 3 Case Western 3 Chicago 5 Rochester

Record 21–1 (3–0) 19–3 (3–0) 16–6 (2–1) 16–6 (2–1) 16–6 (1–2)

Win%

6

NYU

12–7 (1–2)

.632

7

Brandeis

12–7 (0–3)

.632

8

Carnegie

10–12 (0–3)

.455

.955

.864 .727 .727 .727

SPORTS

IN QUOTES

“I’VE BEEN EXTREMELY OBJECTIVE ABOUT TIM TEBOW.”

—ESPN.com columnist Skip Bayless, defending Tim Tebow in a Monday column.

Shutout! Chicago ‘D’ swamps Gators offense Football Sarah Langs Associate Sports Editor Someone’s enjoying a two-game winning streak. The Monsters of the Midway (3–2) continued to add to their win total against Allegheny (3–2), posting a 10–0 victory this past Saturday. The Maroons’ victory on Saturday demonstrated the brand of “Chicago football” that fourth-year kicker and punter Jeff Sauer hoped to see prior to the game.

The story of the game was defense, defense, and more defense. The South Siders got on the board late in the first quarter, on a 29-yard touchdown pass from third-year QB Vincent Cortina. He found firstyear wideout Sam Coleman in the end zone for the rookie’s first career collegiate touchdown.

After the early score, the points total in the game did not change again until about mid-way through the fourth quarter. At that point, Sauer’s 36-yard field goal rounded out the Maroons’ scoring at 10 points on the afternoon.

“The defense really stepped up when we needed them to, just like they did last weekend against Oberlin,” Sauer said. “It was a game where both teams had trouble clicking on offense so for our defense to play lights-out was really the difference maker, and will continue to be throughout the

remainder of the season.”

The important message to take away from this is precisely that there were takeaways––as well as sacks and good blocking. First-year defensive back Vincent Beltrano forced a fumble on Allegheny’s last drive of the game, while third-year linebacker Ben Wade had intercepted a pass at midfield earlier in the game. They limited Allegheny’s quarterback Mike Person to 24 of 33, with his longest pass a mere 12 yards. “[The defense] played extremely well, I was very proud of them,” fourth-year wideout Dee Brizzolara said. “They did their jobs and executed their assignments well.” Brizzolara did a good job himself, leading the team with 7 catches for 80 yards.

As always, however, there is room to improve. Two areas the team has pinpointed are offensive production and penalty yardage.

“The biggest positive was that we pulled out a win and shut them out, despite shooting ourselves in the foot with so many penalties,” Brizzolara said. “Our offense needs to become more efficient and put up more points, and the penalties need to stop.”

On deck, the Monsters of the Midway will match up against the Wittenberg University Tigers. So far, the Tigers have roared out to a 4–1 record, solidified by consistent

Third-year quarterback Vincent Cortina looks for an open pass during a home game against Allegheny on Saturday.

AUMER SHUGHOURY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

offensive production.

“We will need the defense to continue to play well against Wittenberg. They are the toughest opponent we will face this season so

this game will be our biggest test yet,” Sauer said. “But when we are firing on all cylinders and playing Chicago football, we are a pretty tough team to beat, too.”

There it is again, that mention of Chicago football. As long as the Maroons keep playing that brand of ball, they feel they have a shot at the elusive 10–2 record.

Gone fishin’: After frustrating UAA tie, Maroons school Muskies Men’s Soccer

In the team’s September 11 game against Wheaton, second-year defender Kevin Matheny winds up for a long ball. The Maroons lost the game 1-0.

COURTESY OF JOHN BOOZ

Derek Tsang Associate Sports Editor The Maroons followed up their biggest game of the season—a 2–2 tie against fourth-ranked Carnegie in double overtime—with their most dominant win, an easy 5–0 blowout of Lakeland.

Chicago’s (6–2–3, 0–1–1 UAA) result against Carnegie (8–1–1, 1–1–0 UAA) came on the heels of a disappointing 2–2 tie at North

Park and a dramatic 3–4 defeat to Emory, both of which also went to double overtime. The Tartans, ranked fourth in the nation, came in riding a six-game winning streak, but found themselves trailing early against the South Siders.

Chicago went up 1–0 in the 14th minute, when a Carnegie hand-ball in the box gave the Maroons an early penalty kick, which midfielder Michael Choquette slotted into the bottom left corner for his second

goal of the season.

“I didn’t have too many worries,” said the second-year. “At the last second, I just put it lower 90.”

The South Siders doubled their lead in the second half, as first-year Jorge Bilbao teed up Nic Lopez for a strike just outside the box in the 67th minute. The Tartans got one back just a minute later, though, as a free kick by defender Ben Bryant led to a headed goal by Carnegie’s Chris Wysocki.

After a tense period that saw both teams earn further chances, Carnegie finally equalized in the eleventh hour. Bryant hammered home a volley from the top of the box after first-year goalkeeper Brett Wiesen, playing the second half after first-year David Cohen played the first, punched out a shot by Carnegie’s Mike Ferraco.

The two ten-minute periods of overtime saw each side with two chances, but neither team could manufacture a winner. Chicago finished with the lead in shots, 16–15, while Carnegie had an extra shot on goal, with seven to Chicago’s six. The Tartans proved the chippier side, committing 23 fouls to Chicago’s 12 in a physical game that featured five yellow cards.

The South Siders found the going much easier against Lakeland (2–9–2), as their offense came alive in a dominant second half.

Chicago controlled the majority of possession and produced 31 shots in the game, while their defense was rarely threatened.

“It’s definitely good…to get your confidence back after some tough results,” said fourth-year forward Danny Hahn. “It was much needed, and a good game to have going into our two big matches this week.”

Second-year Matt Vecchitto opened the scoring for the South Siders in the 14th minute, controlling a cross from first-year Peter Boxley in the box before blasting home.

Hahn and Boxley were in excellent form in the second half against Lakeland, as Hahn provided three assists, and Boxley scored the first two goals of his collegiate career to go along with another assist.

In the 63rd minute, on the break with numbers, Hahn set up Boxley for an easy finish into an open goal.

Next, Hahn played in Jorge Bilbao who finished low past Lakeland goalkeeper Alex Piekarski in the 68th for the first-year’s seventh goal of the season.

A minute later, again surging forward in the middle, Hahn found Boxley at the top of the box, where the midfielder created space with a clever turn before shooting past Piekarski, who had been left frozen.

Lakeland’s captain, though, kept the score relatively respectable in the waning moments of the game with a flurry of diving stops.

Boxley was involved again for the Maroons’ curtain call, putting second-year Nick Hollenkamp through with 19 seconds left in the game for the second-year forward’s first goal of the season.

“We had a rough first half,” said Hahn, “but we knew if we kept playing the way we could, that we could get behind them and get some easy goals.”

The Maroons, despite their strong weekend form, stand seventh in the UAA. Next weekend, they host Brandeis and NYU at home in two crucial conference fixtures.