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TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2012

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

ISSUE 10 • VOLUME 124

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

ELECTION 2012

UC Dems campaign in WI, participate in local efforts Janey Lee News Contributor

Loud and proud Sleigh Bells lead singer Alexis Krauss belts out songs during a concert on Saturday hosted by MAB in Mandel Hall. Jump to the Arts section on page six for a full review of the show.

JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Trash audit tallies wasted recyclables Linda Qiu News Editor The Office of Sustainability, along with Waste Management (WM), completed the University’s first waste audit last Friday, assessing the contents of more than 7,000 pounds of trash from 35 areas across campus.

From Monday to Friday last week, 200 to 300 pounds of trash were collected and evaluated daily to gauge the amount of recyclable materials tossed away as regular waste. The results of the audit, which will be released along with WM’s recommendations for improvements by the end of the year, will provide launching points for recycling campaigns in 2013, said Sony Rane, the program coordinator at the Office of Sustainability, who’s leading the audit.

About 40 buildings were assessed all over campus, including Harper, the

Regenstein, South Campus, Max Palevsky, Pierce Tower, Stony Island, and I-House, with prior notice given to building managers. Currently, campus buildings offer single-stream recycling and composting in dining halls.

The audit was conceived shortly after the University expanded its singlestream recycling program to include residential halls in 2011. The project had been stalled, however, for about a year and a half due to issues over privacy and confidentiality laws.

“The biggest issue was getting legal finalized to make sure all our bases were covered,” Rane said.

“We didn’t really want people to know. We wanted to see what an average trash can looks like. If we gave them advance notice, maybe people would have tried hard to recycle. But we didn’t want that to happen; we wanted a typical day,” Rane said.

Even so, the ongoing audit was publicized regularly on the Office’s Facebook page, featuring unusual waste and inviting students to watch the process.

After administering the audit along with a team of four contracted auditors called sustainability specialists, WM regional manager Sean Daley said that the contents and proportions of the trash were fairly “typical.” Neither Rane nor Daley could comment on the percentage of improperly discarded trash, pointing out it would be hard to interpret just by sight. The published results will include these percentages.

Measurements were taken according to weight, after WM sustainability specialists sorted trash into recyclable categories (plastics 1-2, plastics 3-7, paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, etc.) and organic waste that can be composted.

“We’ll have really good baseline data.

WASTE continued on page 2

Historian tells of exiled German scholars Celia Bever News Editor Former University President Hanna Gray spoke about the mass immigration of German scholars to America during the 1930s from the perspective of both a historian and the daughter of one such scholar last night at Crerar Library.

Approximately 2,000 Germanspeaking academics came to America during this time, according to Gray.

They faced obstacles including institutional anti-Semitism, cultural barriers, and an economic depression. Many were only able to find temporary teaching positions and flitted from post to post throughout the decade.

Many of the scholar-immigrants were pleased with American universities, which contrasted with the hierarchical, conservative German universities that tended to marginalize Jews and scholars with more liberal political leanings.

Gray quoted her father as saying in a speech prior to Hitler’s reign, “There EMIGRE continued on page 2

In the waning days of the campaign, students of all political persuasions have been actively trying to turn out the vote.

For the two Democratic RSOs, this meant sending University students and alumni to canvas in Wisconsin this past Saturday for the first time as a part of Get Out the Vote (GOTV).

Students in UC Democrats and Students for Barack Obama (SFBO), had the opportunity to campaign door to door in Milwaukee and Madison as part of a last push to “get out the vote” as well as to make sure citizens were aware of voting procedures.

They notified Wisconsin residents of polling locations, times, and even information for free taxi services to and from the polls. “I was very interested in meeting the people I had had on the phone,” said trip participant and SFBO board member Eve Zuckerman in an e-mail. “It is one thing to try to convince someone at the other end of the line; it is quite another to wait in the cold on their doorstep, hoping they’re not actually playing dead to avoid answering the door.”

The trips were requested and coordinated by the Obama for America of-

fices in Wisconsin and were officially recognized by the Obama campaign’s student division.

Zuckerman, along with a couple of other participants, felt that these trips were effective, given the imminence of the election. “I do think that the moment someone answers the door, our presence serves a purpose,” Zuckerman said. “This is a very close election, and it is tremendous to think we could be making the difference. It sounds like a slogan we’ve all heard before, but look at [2000]: 537 votes is all it took.”

First-year participant Sasha Chhabra agreed, saying that he felt like he was actually making a difference because Wisconsin is a swing state, where each voter’s decision actually mattered. The main perk, however, was a free ticket to the Obama rally in McCormick Place on election night.

Apart from the two canvassing trips, SFBO and UC Democrats have been heavily involved in campaigning via triweekly phone banks. Participants have called both supporters as well as undecided voters, encouraging them to vote for the Democratic ticket.

While Obama supporters have been campaigning out-of-state and in the CAMPAIGNERS continued on page 2

Students to spend election day aiding voters Thomas Choi News Contributor Nineteen U of C students trekked north to the polls at the crack of dawn this morning, not as hyper-eager voters but as election judges.

With 10 serving as Democratic judges and nine as Republican judges, the group will have a long day ahead of them, working at polls in the 32nd Ward from as early as 5 a.m. until after the polls close at 7 p.m. But the more than 14-hour work day will not be without reward: In addition to the experience of actively participating in the democratic process, the students will end the day with $170 in their pockets upon completion of their service.

But for first-year and first-time election judge Cristina Schaver, the money is only an added bonus.

“A lot of people will ask, ‘Is it worth it for [$170] to spend more than 13 hours at the polls on top of the three-hour training?’ But I’m excited about it. It’ll be rewarding in itself. It’s going to be in-

tense but I’m excited,” Schaver said.

Schaver, a dual citizen of Spain and the U.S., considers the opportunity to be especially momentous for her personally, as it is her first election as a voter and as a citizen.

In preparation for the event, the students attended a training session held by the Chicago Board of Elections.

Scott Waguespack, the alderman of the 32nd Ward, also came to the University in order to speak as part of their orientation.

Waguespack spoke about his career as an outsider running against established aldermen and the infamous cronyism of Chicago politics, especially in the polls when allies of the local politicians would play dirty. His speech impressed upon Schaver the importance of fair elections.

“I really respected that. I’m excited to participate in the process and have a greater understanding from a nonpartisan, fair point of view,” she said.

Schaver and the other 18 judges, ELECTION continued on page 2

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

Bottom of the ballot, top priorities » Page 3

Sleigh Bells ring, Mandel’s listening » Page 6

Election 2012 » Page 5

RZA’a martial arts homage, beaten to a pulp fiction » Page 6

Former state treasurer—and shooting guard—talks of U of C, basketball, and Obama » Back Page Athletes of the Week » Page 9

2

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 6, 2012

Expert debunks myth of postwar closeted gay life Jon Catlin Senior News Staff Former U of C professor and renowned LGBT historian George Chauncey spoke on gay life in postwar New York City on Sunday as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival.

In his talk, Chauncey proposed a new way of reconstructing gay life in past eras without relying on assumptions that we make about gay life today, particularly that it was always secretive.

“Repression and shame have still not gone away for the gay community, but they were also not as dominant in the past as we tend to imagine, even in the highly conformist McCarthy era,” Chauncey said.

From influential artists and intellectuals such as Andy Warhol, Leonard Bernstein, and Gore Vidal to advertising executives on Madison Avenue and clerks in New York’s famous department stores, Chauncey placed gay men at the helm of New York’s postwar artistic and cultural renaissance.

“What Paris was for the arts of the 19th century, New York was for the 20th, and that was due in large part to influential circles of gay men,” he said.

His research is grounded in hundreds of interviews that he has conducted with gay men who recalled their experiences in postwar New York in addition to decades of archival research.

Chauncey dismissed the contrast in current terminology between gay men being ‘out’ and

‘closeted’ as anachronistic to gay life as it existed decades ago. “Instead, it was more like living a double life,” he said, noting that many gay men had both impressive professional lives and vibrant night lives in New York City’s networks of artistic venues and gay bars.

In response to the dominant culture’s shaming of homosexuality, Chauncey argued, large numbers of gay men actually developed a sense of cultural superiority and became highly influential figures, rather than being shamed and silenced as many assume today.

In his introduction to the talk, a former student Matti Bunzl (Ph.D. ’98) praised Chauncey’s work for “restoring the complexity of gay lives to full historical view” and overcoming the simplistic assumptions we make about gay life today.

Chauncey began chronicling this investigation with his landmark book, Gay New York, which chronicles gay life in New York City from 1890 to 1940 and was published on the 25th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City.

His talk on Sunday continued that history beyond 1940 into wartime and postwar New York City, which will be the topic of his next book.

The talk took place at the Chicago History Museum, where Chauncey was the founding historian for the 2011 exhibit Out in Chicago. Chauncey taught at the U of C for 15 years before leaving in 2006 for Yale University, where he is currently chair of the history department.

Campus Dems, Republicans facilitate engagement CAMPAIGNERS continued from front

neighborhood, College Republicans have been active in engaging the student body as well. The College Republicans have hosted multiple events concerning the election and its candidates, including a panel discussion between Governor Mitt Romney’s current economic adviser Kevin Hassett and author and political scientist Robert Shapiro—co-hosted by the UC Democrats and Chicago Society—during which panelists attempted to shed light on the

candidates’ economic policies.

Other events have included debate-watching parties and participation in the Institute of Politics student debate held on the night of the first presidential debate.

“Though popular media often lowers political discussion to sound bites, the College Republicans’ goal has always been to assess policy through substantive discussion and debate,” president Jacob Rabinowitz wrote in an e-mail.

Jewish mathematicians celebrated in Crerar exhibit EMIGRE continued from front

could not be such a thing as academic freedom in a one-party state. If the Nazis come to power, there would not be…academic freedom.”

Although Gray’s mother was Jewish, her father was not. The family left for London early in the Nazi regime, when Gray was a young girl, and moved to America when her father was hired by Yale University. She said she grew up feeling different, something she resented as a teenager.

“You didn’t want parents who talked funny,” she said.

Gray noted the high proportion of academics among the offspring of the emigrated scholars, which she attributed to the special emphasis on education among her parents and their peers.

No exception, Gray earned a PhD from Harvard in 1957 and taught history at the University before rising through administrative positions culminating in her appointment here as the first female president of a major university in the United States.

The lecture was the second in a series accompanying the exhibition Transcending Tradition: Jewish Mathematicians in German-Speaking Academic Culture, currently on display at Crerar. The exhibit, celebrating the accomplishments of German-Jewish mathematicians, was shown in three places in Israel last year. The U of C was chosen as the first American site to house the exhibition and added some documents from the University’s Special Collections Research Center to the display.

IOP offers students view into voting stations ELECTION continued from front

ranging from first-years to graduate students, will help with verifying voter applications, handing out ballots, directing voters to electronic voting booths, and assisting voters with disabilities.

Election judges were encouraged to vote early, as working from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. will provide little time to cast their own ballots.

“I had to vote absentee, so my [first-time voting] experience wasn’t as good. But it’s definitely worth it. I’m skipping class for this,” said first-year election judge Brock Huebner.

The opportunity to serve as a student election judge was sponsored by the Institute of Politics

(IOP) in collaboration with the Chicago Board of Elections as a new program for U of C students this year, though any college student with a 3.0 GPA can volunteer as an election judge after submitting an application in Chicago. Many of the student judges, like Schaver and Huebard, heard about the opportunity through the IOP’s Facebook and Twitter campaigns.

“I’m pretty ignorant about how polling stations are run, and I would’ve had no idea that this opportunity existed without the Institute of Politics,” said fourth-year election judge Isaac Dalke.

–Additional reporting by Linda Qiu

CORRECTIONS The Nov. 2 article “HP houses: the sweetest around” misstated the location of Carol Moseley Braun’s house on 52nd Street and Greenwood Ave. The Nov. 2 article “City snubs South Side food trucks” misstated Kristin Casper’s graduation year. She graduated in 2008.

University joins peers in increasing recylcing efforts

Two Waste Managment specialists perform a trash audit on the University by examining trash collected from dumpsters across campus.

JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON WASTE continued from front

We want to be able to educate our University community better on what is proper to throw into our trash. So if, say, Stony Island had 30 percent of paper in their trash, we’ll know to market that,” Rane said.

This audit will add the U of C to a long list of colleges conducting evaluations of waste. Harvard University, for example, conducted an audit in June 2011, finding that residents misallocated 28 percent of compostable materials, 7.9 percent of paper, and 4.6 percent of plastics, according to Harvard’s Sustainability Web site.

“It’s becoming more and more common for universities to do this sort of thing as there’s more of a focus and desire to create cultures of sustainability on a campus level,” Daley said.

Other universities, like Stanford University and Rane’s alma mater University of Pittsburgh, often employ student volunteers as auditors. But the Office of Sustainability elected to conduct a more comprehensive evaluation, hiring professionals who audited for an entire week and will provide evaluations on the recycling program as a whole.

“Often, it’s these recommendations that are more helpful, allowing [the Office of Sustainability] to target approaches to recycling as well as marketing,” Daley said, emphasizing the importance of the Office’s action in addition to relying on awareness to motivate others to action.

The audit took place at a sorting site at South 61st Street and South Blackstone Avenue, and, afterward, all the waste that was measured was thrown away, including the recyclable materials.

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VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Bottom of the ballot, top priorities A guide for Chicago voters to less prominent—but equally important—races and referenda

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 EMMA BRODER Arts Editor HANNAH GOLD Arts Editor DANIEL RIVERA 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 ALICE BLACKWOOD Head Copy Editor DON HO Head Copy Editor BEN ZIGTERMAN Head Copy Editor JAMIE MANLEY Photo Editor SYDNEY COMBS Photo Editor JOY CRANE Assoc. News Editor

Today, voters across the nation go to the polls to decide everything from the next president to the next dogcatcher. Although we will not be endorsing any candidates for national office, we would like to give those of you registered to vote in Illinois some information on the many important down-ballot issues that deserve your attention.

First, a few logistical reminders.

If you are registered to vote here in Chicago, you can find your polling place and other voting-related details by going to chicagoelections. com and clicking on the “For voters” tab. Polls will be open until 7 p.m. this evening. In most cases, you do not need ID to vote; however, you may need to provide it if there is a discrepancy with your registration or you are a new voter who has not yet provided ID to the Election Board. If you are concerned, bring one government-issued photo ID and another form of identification, such as a utility bill, to the polls.

Make sure at least one of these has the address at which you are registered printed on it.

Now, on to the ballot. Below the presidential and congressional

races, there are a dizzying number of decisions to make for the State Senate and Assembly, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), and various Cook County offices. These posts, even if you’ve never heard of them, can be quite important; the MWRD, for example, has a significant say in the cleanliness of our water. The same can be said for the competitive race for the First District seat on the Illinois Supreme Court. Though we lack the space to go over each race here, we urge you to gain a preliminary understanding of these issues before heading to the polls.

After a long list of uncontested judicial vacancies comes a section where you can vote on whether to retain sitting judges on the Cook County Circuit Court. Incumbents need to get 60 percent of the vote to hold their seats, and it is almost unheard of for them to fail to do so. This is not because everyone on the bench necessarily deserves to be there, however: Multiple local bar associations recommend against retaining Judges Brim (who assaulted a sheriff ’s deputy), Brooks, Murphy, Eadie-Daniels, Hill-Veal and Che-

vere (who was caught tanning in her backyard after closing court early).

Turning to referendums, we urge you to vote NO on amending the state constitution to require a threefifths majority to pass pension benefit increases. The Better Government Organization believes it will do nothing to fix the state’s pension problems and the Hyde Park–Kenwood Organization says the measure is “widely opposed across the spectrum as a smokescreen.”

We are in favor of a YES vote on city-negotiated electrical rates. The measure contains an opt-out clause that would ensure individual consumers the right to continue to pay Com Ed’s rates if they so choose, though it stands to reason that collective negotiations by the city could help lower utilities costs for consumers.

Although it is unclear where the state would get the money, as a matter of principle we support voting YES on the non-binding referendum asking Illinois to pay into Chicago teachers’ pensions, since it does so for instructors in every other school district.

We also support voting YES on

the non-binding referendum calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United. More accountability and less money in politics is something those of almost every political stripe should agree on.

Finally, depending on your ward, you may be asked to vote symbolically on whether Chicago Board of Education members should be elected rather than appointed. We support voting YES, as elections would bring Chicago in line with every other district in the state and increase accountability of board members.

Though these issues are less prominent and publicized than the presidential ticket and congressional races, they also play an important role in our day-to-day lives.

We encourage all Chicago voters to make educated decisions on the down-ballot choices covered here, and to remember that a voter’s responsibility does not end with checking those first few boxes.

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

MARINA FANG Assoc. News Editor BEN POKROSS Assoc. News Editor MADHU SRIKANTHA Assoc. News Editor JENNIFER STANDISH Assoc. News Editor ALICE BUCKNELL Assoc. Arts Editor SARAH LANGS Assoc. Sports Editor

Change nobody can believe in There is only one thing that’s constant about Mitt Romney—his endless reinventions

JAKE WALERIUS Assoc. Sports Editor JULIA REINITZ Assoc. Photo Editor 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 NICHOLAS ROUSE Designer KELSIE ANDERSON Copy Editor CATIE ARBONA Copy Editor KEN ARMSTRONG Copy Editor

By Luke Brinker Viewpoints Columnist

AMISHI BAJAJ Copy Editor MARTIA BRADLEY Copy Editor SHANICE CASIMIRO Copy Editor CONNOR CUNNINGHAM Copy Editor LISA FAN Copy Editor MAYA HANDA Copy Editor ALAN HASSLER Copy Editor SHERRY HE Copy Editor NISHANTH IYENGAR Copy Editor CECILIA JIANG Copy Editor MICHELLE LEE Copy Editor

When he launched his 1968 presidential campaign, Richard Nixon faced a formidable obstacle: Many voters simply didn’t like him. Known for his ruthless, rabble-rousing, Redbaiting campaign tactics, he hardly seemed like the right man to heal a wounded country. No problem, Nixon’s aides assured him. The candidate’s

image engineers proposed a shrewd solution: It was time to roll out the New Nixon.

The Old Nixon sounded a boastfully hawkish trumpet on foreign policy. The New Nixon touted his “secret plan” to end the Vietnam War. The Old Nixon lashed out against his opponents as crypto-Communists.

The New Nixon confidently asserted that as president, he would move beyond the old divisions and simply “bring us together.” The Old Nixon acquired a reputation as a crusty curmudgeon. The New Nixon made an appearance—albeit a painfully awkward one—on the hit comedy show Laugh-In. Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Nixon’s Democratic opponent, would have none of it. Hum-

phrey mocked the notion that a New Nixon was on the ballot, noting that there seemed to be talk of a new Nixon each time he ran in a national election. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Humphrey quipped, “anybody that’s had his political face lifted so many times can’t be very new.”

Of course, it wasn’t enough to keep Tricky Dick out of the White House.

Historians generally ascribe Humphrey’s razor-thin loss to his inability to unify a Democratic Party riven by bitter disagreement over Vietnam.

But perhaps history would have played out differently had Humphrey been fortunate enough to have an opponent whose transparent phoniness and shameless shape-shifting would have made even Nixon blush.

Enter Mitt Romney 6.0.

We’ve heard much in this campaign about the ‘two Mitts.’ There’s the Massachusetts moderate who signed the precursor to ‘Obamacare,’ supported abortion and gay rights, and forged working relationships with an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature. But then there’s the ‘severely conservative’ Romney who opposes abortion rights, calls for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, vows to repeal health care reform “on day one,” and advocates the “self-deportation” of unauthorized immigrants. Commentators typically assume that the right-wing version of Romney emerged solely so he could wrap up the GOP presidential nomination. Once he was elected, voters could expect a return to the ROMNEY continued on page 4

JONAH RABB Copy Editor LINDSEY SIMON Copy Editor KAYLEIGH VOSS Copy Editor ESTHER YU Copy Editor

Talking like first-years Academic bravado, pseudo-intellectualism of ‘That Kids’ stem from our high-stakes environment

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: Design@ChicagoMaroon.com Copy: CopyEditors@ChicagoMaroon.com Advertising: Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com

By Eleanor Hyun Viewpoints Columnist “Do you want to see the requirements for my major?”

Looking up, I saw a guy talking to two of his friends, both girls. They’d just finished despairing over the unjust difficulty of their math class. Their problem set, the

course, and all of mathematics are impossible, it turns out.

One of the girls let out a nervous laugh.

“Not really, actually,” she said, turning back to her homework.

But his arms were already extended over his textbook to the keyboard of his laptop, and he was typing with a smirk on his face. After a couple of seconds, he turned his screen toward the girl.

“Nineteen requirements, the most of any major! Look at this shit,” he said, slowly scrolling down the page, inviting her to feast on what I’m sure was an impressive array of course numbers. The girl looked at the screen politely, probably unsure as to what reac-

tion she was supposed to have.

“I’m going to be a biochem major,” he declared.

“Oh…” The whole conversation—the academic despair followed by scholarly bravado—struck me as very familiar. Over the next couple weeks, as I saw this pattern repeat itself among my classmates, I realized that it is, in fact, typical of firstyears. I reasoned that there must be some underlying cause.

I talked to eleven upperclassmen in Hutchinson Commons to add some perspective to my own observations.

When asked to reflect on his first-year experience, one student said, “In the

beginning, I think I had the ‘impostor syndrome,’” helpfully explaining, “I was like, ‘What am I doing here?’” Impostor syndrome arises out of a need to answer that question, and it’s easy to see why first-years, new to the rigors of higher academia, would feel it especially acutely. Faced with much more academically competitive classmates and new courses that are probably harder than anything we took in high school, our past achievements fade into irrelevance, making us wonder why we are here in the first place. Adding to our identity crisis is the new social environment, in which we all initially feel like outsiders TALKING continued on page 4

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | November 6, 2012

Disastrous mismanagement The contrasting responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy show that Big Government is sometimes a big help

By Anastasia Golovashkina Viewpoints Columnist Like most people, my mom and I had put off leaving until August 28, the last day possible. By that point, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin had issued the city’s first mandatory citywide evacuation order. By 10 a.m. we were in our car and getting the hell out. Katrina was coming.

Despite all we went through that month—the slow and endless car rides, the friends’ house–hopping and in-car-sleeping that, in retrospect, was homelessness, the uncertainty of the futures of our jobs, schools, and the community—we were the fortunate ones. By leaving, we had ensured our safety and put the worst behind us. I wish that I could say the same for the 20 percent of our neighbors—most of them elderly or disabled—who had stayed.

That summer, the media circulated many images of left-behind residents “robbing” local grocery stores and pharmacies, making them out as some sort of post-apocalyptic criminals.

Yet we seldom heard about the

reason they almost always had to do this—the sweeping incompetence of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, which made stealing the only available means of survival.

FEMA hadn’t always been this way. Since being established as its own federal agency in 1979 by President Carter (and elevated to cabinet rank by Clinton in 1996), it had earned and maintained a reputation for consistent results and bi-partisan praise.

But President Bush changed all of that. Upon founding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003, a potpourri of anti-terrorism organizations like the Secret Service and the TSA were, for some reason, thrown together with FEMA. Though FEMA had taken on antiterrorism responsibilities in the past, its primary purpose had always been, as its name suggests, emergency management. The misalignment between DHS’s anti-terrorism mission and FEMA’s emergency management focus gave rise to poor decision-making. Cuts to FEMA’s funding on the grounds that it would be best to restore “the predominant role of state and local response to most disasters,” would, in particular, lead to disaster.

In theory, small government did seem like a good approach for moments of crisis. It’s true that locals will know what’s best for

their communities at any particular time and are the ones who probably want to help out the most. But while locals have the information, it is the federal government that has the most resources. Bush, having founded what is now the third-largest federal agency, should have known this.

Sure enough, this “small government” approach played out terribly in practice. In the days that followed Katrina, the feeble sub-agency cited security concerns in categorically rejecting most personnel and equipment donations, stopping the Red Cross from distributing food, turning away five hundred Floridian rescue boats, and preventing local officials from accepting aid themselves—all while providing next to no assistance itself.

Thanks to Bush’s reorganization, FEMA’s response became a tragedy of its own.

Under President Obama, however, the federal response to Sandy— undeniably of the “big government” variety—has been a radical improvement. Rather than use the bully pulpit to criticize local officials and impede assistance, Obama has urged local, state, nonprofit, and private sector leaders to cut through red tape and get as much help to the devastated areas as possible. He has toured distressed areas and made himself an available and effective resource for state leaders.

In the words of Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie— on Fox News, no less—President Obama has done “a great job,” both in terms of expediting New Jersey’s designation as a “disaster area,” and helping the state receive federal resources. The President has acted in exactly the way that a leader should, and has ensured that the rest of the federal government, FEMA especially, follows suit. Moreover, despite the upcoming election, he has not played up the disaster for politics, choosing to instead take days off from campaigning to focus on the storm. “Right now our numberone priority is to make sure that we are saving lives,” he said last Monday.

“The election will take care of itself next week.”

It’s all a far cry from Bush’s response in 2005, and an even further one from the response we could later see from prospective president Mitt Romney.

The worst isn’t even that Romney has, up until last week, repeatedly affirmed his determination to shut down FEMA and make states and the private sector responsible for emergency relief. No, it’s that last week, right after Sandy hit—right when Obama was busy coordinating disaster relief in DC—Romney was putting together a hasty “storm relief event” to donate food and supplies to hurricane victims via the Red Cross.

So far so good, right? Here’s why it’s a problem: While Romney encouraged attendees to bring canned goods, bottled water, and blankets to donate, supplies were provided for attendees who didn’t bring anything. You read that right— Romney provided supplies for attendees to “donate” back to him to donate to the Red Cross.

More importantly, the Red Cross doesn’t even want food and supply donations; it wants—needs—money.

Romney should have known that his donations will ultimately have to be repackaged and reshipped, draining the organization’s time, money, and resources. Though he did make a personal donation of an undisclosed amount to the Red Cross he nevertheless chose to stage what was essentially a photo op, burdening the Red Cross with his thoughtless gifts.

In light of the increasingly severe effects of climate change, it’s likely that this is what a Romney presidency would look like—a reappearance of misaligned incentives and misguided goals that work to prolong disasters, not help fix them. Katrina was a tragedy, but its aftermath was the true disaster. Our country can’t afford to let that kind of aftermath unfold again.

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

Romney’s lack of core convictions would make him a hostage to the right-wing as president ROMNEY continued from page 3 ‘real’ Romney. The problem with this narrative is that it fails to acknowledge just how many Mitt models have been released.

Romney 1.0 closely resembles the conservative candidate who claimed the GOP nomination earlier this year. This model precedes his initial run for public office, dating back to his time as the CEO of Bain Capital and a bishop in the Mormon Church.

In the latter role, Romney advised a woman with a life-threatening medical condition not to get an abortion, contrary to her doctor’s recommendations. Such anti-abortion extremism would never play well with the Massachusetts electorate, so when Romney ran for the U.S. Senate against Ted Kennedy in 1994, he presented him-

self as a staunch defender of “safe and legal” abortion. That was Romney 2.0, who also pledged to do even more for gay rights than Kennedy. Later, when Romney presided over the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, he gave serious thought to re-launching his political career in conservative Utah. This required the release of Romney 3.0. In a 2001 letter to the Salt Lake Tribune, Romney disavowed his earlier public position on abortion, stating emphatically, “I do not wish to be labeled as pro-choice.”

Alas, a political life in Utah just wasn’t in store for the Olympic savior, so he returned to Massachusetts in 2002 to run for governor, where Romney 4.0 promised once again to support a woman’s right to choose and went so far as to describe himself

as a “progressive.” Such a candidate could never win the GOP presidential nomination, so in preparation for his first White House run in 2008, Romney 5.0 hit the showrooms. Rabidly anti-abortion and anti-gay, this Romney had no use for progressive do-gooders and their welfare state. As the Tea Party movement became the dominant voice in the GOP, advisers tweaked Romney 5.0 to become even more hardline in 2012. Discussion of ‘Romneycare’ ceased. Immigration reform proposals, supported by Romney as recently as his 2008 campaign, gave way to support for Arizona’s ‘papers, please’ immigration law. Contraception coverage? An assault on religious freedom. The Paul Ryan budget, which would drastically cut education, health, and welfare programs while

cutting taxes for the wealthy? Romney embraced it, even selecting Ryan as his running mate.

His position in the polls imperiled by the time of his first debate against President Barack Obama, Romney calculated that it was time for Romney 6.0: a supporter of contraception coverage, an advocate of “growing” the Pell Grant program, which the Ryan budget slashes, and a Latino-friendly moderate who simply wants to get America working again, not push a far-right policy agenda. Last week, former Sen. Norm Coleman told the Republican Jewish Coalition that Roe v. Wade would be safe under Romney, even though as president Romney would likely have the chance to replace at least one prochoice justice on the Supreme Court, where only a slim five-to-four majority

in favor of Roe currently prevails.

Does this mean that we’re back to the ‘real’ Romney? The fact that we’re now seeing Romney 6.0 should suffice to show the question’s absurdity.

The man’s sole core conviction is that he should be President of the United States. That doesn’t mean, however, that he wouldn’t advance an extreme conservative agenda. As president, Romney could not afford to alienate his own party, where hard-core Tea Party fanatics dominate. Whether he personally believes in right-wing policies or not is irrelevant. Romney will be politically obligated to govern as a hardline conservative, and no political face-lift can change that.

Luke Brinker is a graduate student in the MAPSS program.

We may hate them, but ‘That Kids’ sit smugly atop the U of C foodchain TALKING continued from page 3 and feel a need to compromise—or, at least, compensate—in order to fit in.

As much as some of us feel like impostors, the fact is that most of us were the top of our high school classes. We arrived here driven by a desire and ability to succeed, which has given many of us a high level of confidence in our own abilities.

Some students that I interviewed mentioned a “competition factor” they felt as first-years—an internal pressure to distinguish themselves on an initially level playing field. Interestingly, some said that they felt this need more strongly because the competition was tougher. Being in a competitive pool rouses a paradoxical reaction in students: On one hand, they feel anxiety about their inferiority; on the other hand, they won’t settle for anything less than superiority, coveting a place at

the top of the U of C pile, which, for most of us, is unrealistic.

The result? You’ve probably seen it many times before. Your chem professor draws a phase diagram on the board and says that the change from liquid to gas is boiling, the change from liquid to solid is freezing, and the change from solid to gas— “Sublimation,” the student sitting next to you mutters under his breath, just loud for everyone sitting around him to hear.

Most students surrounding him know the term already, and for those that don’t, the professor says it a split-second later. So why does that student feel the need to say it? Probably because of that competitive impulse—that need some feel to prove their worth, not only to others, but also to themselves in this new environment.

This type of student has famously been

christened ‘That Kid’ by College students at large. When I asked for a physical description of That Kid from my interviewees, some students immediately launched into a vehement description with a specificity of detail that left no doubt that they were describing real people (descriptions that, as an interesting side note, consistently included Caucasian and male).

Perhaps more revealing than the descriptions, though, was the way that the students answered. Many students failed to stick with a physical description of That Kid. Most of them couldn’t help but to spill into other personality traits (“socially incompetent”), or to insert their own emotional reaction to them. And all of that sounded pretty familiar.

Here at UChicago, we think of ourselves as a bastion of academia, a place where students can pursue knowledge

for its own sake and perhaps discover something larger than themselves.

Such an institution implicitly values intelligence and, inevitably, a hierarchy springs up around that attribute. Yet, in spite of all that, we have our own troubling hierarchy—and our own version of the star high school quarterback.

Aloofly looking down at the throng of commoners that surrounds him is That Kid, whose letterman jacket is the New York Times folded under his arm and his horn-rimmed spectacles. As long as we continue to link self-worth with academic performance, we will also continue to create a culture where we pursue knowledge to satisfy our egos, rather than to see beyond them.

Eleanor Hyun is a first-year in the College majoring in English.

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.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | November 6, 2012

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ELECTION 2012 With November 6 upon us, the Viewpoints columnists weigh in with the issues, big and small, on their minds this Election Day. EMMA THURBER STONE

ANASTASIA GOLOVASHKINA

JANE HUANG

LUKE BRINKER

I don’t even have to finish typing before YouTube prompts me. Apparently “Mitt Romney’s laugh” is a pivotal campaign issue; not only for me, but also for 20,000 other Americans.

I click play. There. Right there. His crow’s feet crinkle like a raisin that no rightminded child would trade for at lunch. The sound is reminiscent of Mr. Burns’ cold, throaty chuckle on The Simpsons.

I aspire to be a fully informed, logicallyminded democratic citizen. But the truth is that I cannot, in good conscience, vote for someone whom I can easily picture in the Oval Office in a high-backed chair, cackling nefariously, and stroking a cat.

And if that isn’t American then I don’t know what is.

Though there are many issues on which I disagree with Mitt Romney, I feel that the candidate’s worst quality is his approach to politics in general. His candidacy is rooted in compulsive deceit and duplicity; his strateg y is colored by an arrogant exploitation of public misinformation. Time and time again, Romney has knowingly striven to mislead voters. He says his tax plan adds up, but it does not. He claims that Jeep is shipping jobs overseas, but it is not.

In short, he thinks we’re all idiots. I can’t support that and neither should you.

For the most part, I don’t belong to groups that are typically pandered to by politicians, since I’m college-age and I don’t live in a swing state. However, I am part of the middle class, which means that I hear a lot of pitches about how a candidate is going to be great for families like mine.

At the same time, Republicans have tried to pit the middle class against the lower class by telling us that our taxes are funding their social safety net.

And that’s good: While I hope to never have to rely on a safety net, it gives me peace of mind to live in a country where falling out of the middle class doesn’t mean you’re ignored.

Despite the recent emergence of Occupy Wall Street, socioeconomic inequality played little role in the campaign. President Obama’s support for health reform, expanded educational opportunities, and a more progressive tax code makes him the better candidate to deal with inequality.

However, he could have done more to allow our discourse to reflect Americans’ fundamental sense of fairness.

Politicians assume that voters have no patience for philosophy, but John Rawls’s notion of the original position could easily be deployed in the political world. Is it not useful to think about what kind of society we’d like to design if we had no idea about our individual circumstances within that society? Thinking through this framework could increase support for the welfare state, a term which sadly has become one of opprobrium.

MAYA FRASER …and it’s Obama on the left, Obama on the left with Romney close behind. Seconds left on the clock, they’re hurtling towards the finish line, the crowd is on their feet and yes, yes, it’s… well, I hope it will be Obama.

I support Obama because he shares my vision of America as a place where we do not abandon our neighbors, but extend our hands to them when they are in need.

But whatever the result of the election, I’ll be glad it’s over. The election has been the largest spectator sport around.

We put on our team colors and scream so loudly that we drown out any possibility of moderation or reason. With issues like the deficit, any sort of compromise, in this case a mix of spending cuts and increased tax revenue, is as politically infeasible during an election as it is necessary. After the crowd shuffles out, leaving a trail of popcorn and other detritus, we can only hope that both the winning candidate and the next Congress will be able to put the games aside and get something done.

ELEANOR HYUN I went to a top-ranked high school in a wealthy district in Chicago’s north suburbs.

During my freshman year, Reverend James Meeks brought about 1,000 kids from the South Side to symbolically register to attend my school to show “what a high school should be.” Meanwhile, my high school was planning an unnecessary $1.75 million renovation of its upperclassmen campus in Winnetka.

Not much change has come from Reverend Meeks’s protest, but I still remember the problems of public school funding inequity it posed. Mitt Romney advocates a voucher program, which revolves around school choice for low-income and special-needs families. Obama continues to support his “Race to the Top” program, in which states compete for funding.

Unfortunately, K-12 education was never fully debated this campaign season.

Although both candidates recognize education as an important issue, it’s probable that neither feels that his stance will net a particularly large number of voters. Alarmingly, only about 1% of voters named education as an important “deciding factor” for their vote.

RAGHAV RAO What looked to be an engaging contest now seems like a foregone conclusion.

Analyst Nate Silver is giving Obama an 92% chance of winning.

This means we can focus on what is truly important: What will Michelle be wearing on Tuesday night?

I think it’s safe to say that she won’t be wearing red. That would be like wearing a LeBron jersey in downtown Cleveland. It will certainly be something by an American designer, and hopefully manufactured in a swing state.

And it will definitely cost less than $1,000; after all, she’s no Ann Romney. Predicting what Ann will wear is beyond the scope of my mental capacities, but I’m tempted to say it will be something with sequins.

Michelle is assertive, but she knows when to let her hubby have the limelight, so I think a dark-toned evening gown would be perfect. Preferably something that matches her husband’s tie. After all, this is an election, not a personality contest.

TYLER LUTZ Maybe it’s just the sense of skeptical disinterest, the kind that comes with age.

Four years ago, we hurled off the yoke of a dark past. The brave forces of hope and progress challenged the tattered remnants of the old regime. And the good—for the first time in my life as a political being— the good—against impossible odds, yes!— the good prevailed.

But now ?

It’s not that Obama failed—we all knew it wasn’t up to him in the first place.

We collectively awoke from the Bush nightmare hoping to fall right back asleep again, and dream of equality and progress, bunnies, and butterflies.

But we have work to do. To start, we’re really mucking up this whole democracy thing—forget Congress, America has proven itself grossly incapable of maturely discussing and debating basic issues.

BENJAMIN LANGE

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THE CHICAGO MAROON

Election Watch Parties in Hyde Park Reynold’s Club, 5706 South University Avenue, 6 P.M.–Late. Choose the independent, right-, or left-leaning viewing lounge depending on your political preference. Free food.

SSA Lobby, 969 East 60th Street, 8 P.M.–12 A.M. A politically neutral viewing party, fittingly held at the Social Service Administration building. Free food.

Office of LGBTQ Student Life, 5710 South Woodlawn Avenue, 8 P.M.–Late. Join Q&A to watch the results come in and discuss what this election means for queer people during commercial breaks. Free food, potluck.

Hyde Park Hair Salon, 5234 South Blackstone Avenue, 7 P.M.–Late. Sports bar–themed party at the President’s “Official Barbershop.” RSVP at 773-905-8668. Free entry, unlimited entrees $10

ARTS

Trivial Pursuits NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Sleigh Bells ring, Mandel’s listening

Backup guitarist Jason Boyer slayed with his killer shredding at the Sleigh Bells concert on Saturday.

JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Tori Borengasser Arts Contributor After much anticipation and speculation, Major Activities Board’s (MAB) fall quarter show was a total success when noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells came to campus. Many students took to MAB’s Facebook event page prior to the concert to commend their decision, and their show at Mandel Hall certainly didn’t disappoint.

Sleigh Bells formed in

2008 when guitarist Derek Miller and singer Alexis Krauss met in a Brooklyn restaurant where Miller was working. The band’s initial self-titled EP garnered significant attention from sources such as the New York Times and Pitchfork, and its first full-length album, Treats, was released in 2010. Sleigh Bells’ success took off from there, and they were offered the opportunity to perform at the Coachella and Pitchfork festivals that year. Sev-

eral songs off the full-length album were used in various TV shows and commercials, including advertisements by Honda and Victoria’s Secret.

The band sought to tinge their 2012 album, Reign of Terror, with a bit more emotion than the partyperfect, in-your-face guitars and shouts from their debut work. The emotion was heavily influenced by the family struggles Miller has faced in the past few years; however, the album still showcased

Sleigh Bells’ signature guitarheavy intensity, a quality that critics have praised throughout their career.

Students lined up early to catch MAB’s fall quarter show, as only the first 200 ticket-holders were given wristbands that granted them access to the pit. Eager fans—several decked out in their best homemade Sleigh Bells shirts—quickly packed into the upper and lower levels of the theater.

Oakland DJ and rapper Jel

opened the show with blaring beats and samples that intensified the crowd’s excitement. The lights eventually faded, and the stage was blanketed in darkness until Miller’s growling, distorted guitar came blaring through on “Demons.” The stage exploded simultaneously with blaring light and pounding drums, and Krauss sauntered out from between two tall stacks of Marshall amps, clad in short-shorts, a cropped shirt, and leather jacket stud-

ded to the extreme. Despite having broken his arm just a few months prior, resulting in the cancellation of a few tour dates, Miller slashed away at the guitar like it was nothing.

The song came to a close and was quickly followed up by the triumphant guitars of “Crown on the Ground” and the thunderous drums of “True Shred Guitar.” The stage darkened yet again and Krauss reappeared solo to perform “Kids.” She strolled casually across the stage for most of the song, screaming from time to time, falling to her knees during the choruses and urging the crowd to dance with her.

After “End of the Line,” they began slowly playing “Born to Lose”—Miller sluggishly picked at his guitar while Krauss, doubled over, concentrated on producing hushed vocals. Ambling slowly through the verse and chorus, the band came alive and thrashed through the song with the power the audience had anticipated.

The energy the audience was supplying, however, was not enough for Krauss’s peppy performance, and she egged them on to dance even harder during “Comeback Kid,” the band’s first single from Reign of Terror. Incorporating dance moves from the band’s music video for the song, she punched at the air and flung her jet-black hair around wildly.

The band kept up their energy level with more songs from their first album, eventually settling into “Rill Rill,” the cool, catchy track that samples Funkadelic’s BELLS continued on page 8

RZA’s martial arts homage, beaten to a pulp fiction Danny Rivera Arts Editor Have you ever had a cat that really enjoyed treating you with dead things?

You’d come home and outside your door would be the remains of a small woodland creature and next to it would be your cat, looking really pleased with itself.

The Man with the Iron Fists, the directorial debut of WuTang Clan member RZA, is the movie equivalent of that dead creature: it’s off-putting and certainly not ideal, but it’s delivered with such earnest zeal and determination that you can’t help but feel weirdly grateful for it.

The Man with the Iron Fists opens in 19th century China in a place called Jungle Village, which is presumably named as such because it is overrun by

a bunch of warring clans named after animals, like the Lions and the Hyenas.

At its heart is a blacksmith known only as Blacksmith (RZA), who lives a simple

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS RZA AMC River East

life making weapons for questionable characters.

With the money he’s saved, he hopes he’ll be able to spring his lover, Lady Silk ( Jamie Chung ), from the local brothel and bounce before shit hits the fan for good. Too little, too late, though, since a war-bound load of the emperor’s gold is due for a pit stop in Jungle Village on its way north, and a slew of money-hungry mercenaries is looking for a

In The Man with the Iron Fists, Russell Crowe plays Jack Knife, who is demanding healthy, affordable vegetarian options.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

piece of the golden pie.

If that sounds straightforward, don’t be fooled: in the first ten minutes alone, the script, written by RZA and Eli Roth, introduces us to no fewer than a dozen warriors (each helpfully

named after inanimate objects, like Gold, Bronze, and Silver) and then proceeds to kill half of them off. Characters come and go at the speed of blood gushing out of a sliced artery, always with little

precedence and even less development. Motivations are never clear, but really, do they have to be? RZA has lined up an incredible slate of talent, who, even if they aren’t around for long, all seem to be having

a great time. In his homage to the Shaw Brothers and campy, exploitative martial arts flicks in general, RZA gets this right most of all: the unapologetic, honest dose of fun that is absent FISTS continued on page 7

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | November 6, 2012

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Iron Fists soundtrack features The Black Keys, Kanye, and, naturally, Wu-Tang FISTS continued from page 6 in far too many movies produced nowadays. And in many ways, this compensates for all he does wrong (because trust me, there’s a lot wrong ).

Fight scenes are methodically and thoughtfully staged (we get three major, simultaneous battles all in one insanely-paced climax) yet filmed almost as if the actual action were an afterthought. As opposed to settling in and letting the pros kick their due ass, RZA opts for quick cuts and frenetic perspective shifts. We’re so close

to the action that, in the end, we can’t actually see any of it. In fact, throughout the whole film I felt the pressing urge to travel back in time, find RZA on location in Shanghai, and tell him that, yes, he is indeed allowed to zoom out from frame to frame. Sets are lushly colored and gorgeously built— the Pink Blossom, a brothel owned

by Madam Blossom (Lucy Liu), is particularly stunning—but we never get to see them in their entireties, because the frame is perpetually close-cropped on a small part of the scene. It’s the film’s

most frustrating and unforgivable flaw. All the pieces for a bloody good time are in place; we’re just not allowed to see them.

While I was straining my eyes to see whose arm had just been hacked off, at least my ears were happy.

RZA scored the film himself with Howard Drossin, and then compiled an amazing soundtrack on top of it that includes music from The Black Keys, Kanye West, and, of course, re-orchestrated WuTang classics. Not to mention the dialogue, which birthed one of my favorite one-liners ever, thanks

to the Silver Lion (Byron Mann): “Friends, there is really no need for your journey to end here, and by that I mean your life journey!”

It’s the worst, but also the best.

And truly, that’s the dynamic at play here. Technically, The Man with the Iron Fists is a sloppy mess.

RZA’s Blacksmith moves through the film with tired eyes and an overall soporific demeanor. Half the time I felt like I needed subtitles to understand what he was saying (because RZA is also the film’s narrator). Limbs are more often dismembered than not and

blood is constantly gushing, but it’s all curiously non-corporeal.

Despite being firmly set in the exploitation genre, The Man with the Iron Fists is never cruel. In one scene, the film flashes back to the Blacksmith’s past, where his mother, a slave (played by the amazing Pam Grier), is negotiating his freedom; in another, Russell Crowe’s rogue British soldier is pulling anal beads out of a prostitute’s bottom with his teeth. It is what it is, with no qualms or excuses. And for me at least, that’s the best part of all.

Asteroids Galaxy Tour was feelin’ electrogroovy at Bottom Lounge

Lead vocalist Mette Lindberg may be small, but she radiates like a Red Giant.

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Will Dart Arts Contributor It’s rare to see a horn section these days. Rarer still is the sight of people dancing (okay, swaying ) to a horn section. But that’s exactly what happened Sunday night when a stream of skullcaps and mustaches poured off the Green Line and filtered into Bottom

Lounge, where the hilariously funky Asteroids Galaxy Tour took the stage and proceeded to confuse and disorient the audience— in a good way.

After an agreeable set of placid electrogrooves by DJ Millionyoung, the Tour kicked off the show with the roaring “Dollars in the Night,” as if to convince the skeptics that the band can really

wail. The live sound is a good deal rawer than the one you’ll hear on their studio recordings, which are polished and affected. Still, the gentlemen backing the founding duo proved to be truly skilled musicians (especially Rasmus Valldorf on drums).

Hailing from Copenhagen, the Tour has been playing gigs in Europe and abroad since 2007, when

Mette Lindberg and Lars Iverson’s demo reached the ears of Amy Winehouse’s management, who immediately booked them as her opener. They’ve had a few more big breaks since then, like when they followed Katy Perry on tour and lent Steve Jobs their catchy tune “Around the Bend” for an iPod commercial, but they’ve yet to garner a real following stateside. Now is as good a time as any, though, given the recent popularity of other funkateers like Kimbra and Janelle Monáe. And while it’s been going strong for half a decade, the Tour seems to be coming into its own since the release of its second full-length album Out of Frequency this past January. As its producer and primary songwriter, Iverson is clearly flexing his creative muscles on the record. It’s heavier and more daring than their 2009 debut album, Fruit, and has a cinematic feel that’s more Austin Powers than James Bond. If you took equal parts soul, jazz, funk, pop, and psychedelia, added glitter, and put it in a blender, the result would be similar to the sound of the Asteroids Galaxy Tour: a sugary-sweet, maddeningly addictive fruit smoothie of music that echoes Otis Redding, Burt Bacharach, Tower of Power, and Abba, often simultaneously.

The spritely frontwoman,

Mette Lindberg, demanded all the attention. Her voice provokes strong feelings. She’s bubbly, sometimes shrill, and has a style of pronunciation so cutesy it verges on baby-talk. This could be a definite turn-off, but Lindberg can pull off some pretty interesting vocal maneuvers, crooning or belting as the situation demands.

It’s a wonder that such a powerful sound can come from her tiny, gold-sequined frame.

The band quickly grooved its way through all of the best numbers. These included a particularly gnarly version of “Major”—an upbeat jam that recalls the reggae stylings of Ace of Base—and an extended rendition of “Golden Age,” the ode to suaver times that scored a spot on a Heineken commercial. They’ve played for bigger crowds than Sunday’s modest showing, but the energ y was all there.

No one would have complained if the group had decided to play a little longer. The total performance was disappointingly short, even though the band ran through a large part of its repertoire. With more than half a mind to find out when these talented Danes would visit this corner of the galaxy again, I bounced out of the lounge alive with groovetastic energ y.

The Editors of the chicago maroon are proud to announce the honors given to the staff by the Associated Collegiate Press at the 2012 National College Media Convention: Tiffany Tan 1st place, general news picture

Crystal Tsoi honorable mention, feature story of the year

The Chicago Maroon newspaper pacemaker finalist award

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | November 6, 2012

8

Marathon Frotcast at Doc James Mackenzie Arts Contributor The men on the mics at FilmDrunk Frotcast drank in the energy provided by a small crowd at the Max Palevsky Cinema on Saturday and Sunday nights. They did not mince words, and they didn’t clean up their speech, despite the many complete strangers who were present. They had cavalier attitudes towards their would-be listeners. Right from the start, with host Vince Mancini’s first words, the show established the tone it would carry throughout the night: “Who knew that they were going to listen to a couple of idiots talk before a movie?� The audience cheered.

The cast (Vince, Ben, Brendan, and Bret) of FilmDrunk Frotcast, a podcast of the independent FilmDrunk movie news website, came to campus Sunday night to record a live episode of the show and to screen the movie The Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hosted

by Doc Films, the event did not draw a huge crowd, but those present brought enough enthusiasm to make up for the low turnout.

The film, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, takes place in a dystopian future where Schwarzenegger must take part in a deadly reality show known as The Running Man. The 1987 film showed its age with lots of ‘80s action movie clichĂŠs (such as bad one-liners and frequent necksnappings) and some low-quality special effects and production values. The movie was still a hit with the crowd, who actively enjoyed watching its ill-conceived characters and script congeal into something less than a masterpiece.

The podcast’s numerous critiques of the film before and after the screening were a source of humor for the audience. “Every time Arnold talks, it seems like they gave him a time limit; he doesn’t have quite enough time to say his lines,� Bret pointed out. Bad lines, props, and holes in the plot were all fair game for the crew’s jabs both during and after the movie.

Even the podcast’s notes on the film were far from serious criticism, and dissolved into pure silliness at times. Ben continued the conversation on Schwarzenegger’s dialogue, “You guys didn’t see what was on the cutting room floor. He would just pontificate on whether it was a commentary on media or on sporting in general. He just goes on and on,� he joked. “It’s actually a very well-edited movie in that the original was four hours long.�

The group recorded to a favorable crowd of the podcast’s fans. The show’s popularity was clear throughout. There was laughter, reference-making, and joking from the fans during the question and answer session. Many non-students arrived for the show and one man even stated that he had arrived from New Zealand. The KickStarter page that was created to bring Frotcast to Chicago had 209 backers and had raised $4,815, more than tripling its original goal of $1,500.

Not all audience members knew exactly what they were getting into by attending the recording.

Early on, some people were apparently confused by the proceedings—they were looking around and not laughing at first. One woman clearly thought she was just there to see a movie. The cast pointed these people out early and often. “I can tell by facial expressions in the audience who has no idea what the Frotcast is and just came here to watch The Running Man,� said Brendan. “You see a lot of them checking the time, [thinking] ‘how long are these guys going for?’�

As the evening went on, the once-confused people began to blend in with the rest of the audience and seemed to have a good time regardless of their preconceived notions of the event. The show ended with a question-and-answer session that addressed pressing issues: Why the podcast is called Frotcast (consult Urban Dictionary), which funny voices the cast could do, and how to create a Halloween costume based on a minor character from The Running Man. This last question was treated with ironic sincerity.

Sleigh Bells embrace MAB members on stage BELLS continued from page 6 1971 track “Can You Get To That?� Krauss gave the song her all and turned Mandel into a party. An audience member began crowdsurfing and the UCPD security guards— poised to pry him out from the masses—unflaggingly kept him in their line of sight. As she cooed her song, Krauss flashed a quick OK signal and a wink to the guards and helped the surfer on stage, where she briefly danced with him. Soon after, she jumped onto the rails holding back the hoards of students who immediately clambered toward her and clutched her legs to give her support.

After Krauss and Miller had initially exited, leaving the venue in disarray and the crowd eagerly begging for more, they hit the stage again for an unforgettable encore. They performed two of their rowdier songs—“Never Say Die� and “Riot

Rhythms�—and finally closed the show with the remarkably simple but brutal “A/B Machines.�

Running up and down the stage and high-fiving the audience one last time, Miller and Krauss motioned over the MAB crew spectating on stage right, who eagerly rushed over and jumped around euphorically. As the song came to an end, Krauss hugged the board’s members, thanking them emphatically for bringing the band to campus, and blew heartfelt kisses to the audience as she walked backstage.

The band’s sincere ending made the show that much more worthwhile, as Sleigh Bells clearly relished the opportunity to play at such a small and intimate venue. Audience members were still reeling from the show, grinning and comparing stories about the passionate performance at Mandel Hall that began another year of MAB concerts on the right note.

Cinema is the ultimate pervert art; it doesn’t give you what you desire , it tells you how to desire. —Slavoj ŽiŞek EPDšMNT PSH

2012/2013 CONCERT SEASON THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE MEMBERS’ LEC TURE SERIES PRESENTS

James Henry Breasted: A New Appreciation

Presented by Emily Teeter Coordinator of Special Exhibits, Research Associate at the Oriental Institute

Wednesday, November 7 7:00 p.m.

Breasted Hall The Oriental Institute

Free and open to the Public Reception to Follow The Members' Lecture Series is made possible by the generous support of Oriental Institute Members

Cappella Pratensis

Lin/Yeh/Hoffman/ Roman Quartet

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9 7:30 PM

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16 7:30 PM

Sounds of Salvation: Music for a 15th-Century Bruges Merchant

6:30 PM artist talk with Augusta Read Thomas

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel 5850 S. Woodlawn Avenue

Works ranging from Saint-SaĂŤns to John Williams Mandel Hall 1131 East 57th Street

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 6, 2012

9

These Bears are best: Maroons ousted from NCAA contention Women’s Soccer Tatiana Fields Sports Contributor Chicago (12–6–0, 4–3–0) closed its season on Saturday with a road loss to conference champion Wash U (16–1–1, 6–0–1).

The Maroons held their own against the Bears, but ultimately suffered a 2–1 defeat.

Going into a game against the No. 4 ranked team in the DIII national standings, the South Siders knew pulling an upset against the Bears would be a challenge.

Wash U (16–1–1, 6–0–1) has a strong offensive side that attacked relentlessly. The hosts outshot Chicago 7–4 in the first half, and kept the attacks coming.

The Chicago defense held strong for most of the first half, but the Bears were controlling the tempo of the game and had more opportunities. Wash U took the lead with a goal by junior Jessica Johnson in the 40th minute, and maintained the lead throughout the entire game.

The second half was mostly a

deadlock, as both sides kept on the offensive, but couldn’t finish their attacks with goals. Chicago held the shot advantage with five to Wash U’s four, but couldn’t put them in the net. The Bears broke the impasse with a goal by sophomore Kaylin Bailey in the 73rd minute. The Maroons countered with a goal in the 78th minute by first-year Julia Ozello off an assist by fourth-year captain Brigette Kragie.

“We fought incredibly hard in the second half,” Ozello said, “as

Clark: “We wanted it bad and laid it all out there” UAA continued from back

record in the conference, and they would leave with the worst.

Before the tournament started, Maroon eyes were fixed firmly on a potential semifinal match up against Wash U. After the Bears thumped Rochester in their quarterfinal match up, Chicago’s target came into view.

Heading into the UAA championship, Wash U had the best record in the conference and was ranked number one in the nation—a completely different prospect to Brandeis.

But the Maroons’ memories of their victory against Wash U three weeks previously were still fresh in their minds, and they believed they were good for a repeat performance.

It was not to be for Chicago, however, and they fell in four close sets, 25–15, 25–23, 23–25, 25–23. Third-year Katie Huntington was the standout performer in the game, recording

15 kills and 16 digs. Third-year Nikki DelZenero was the assists leader with 45, and on defense, second-year Eirene Kim had 30 digs.

“The loss to Wash U was a hard one because it was a match that could have gone either way… We wanted it bad and laid it all out there,” Clark said.

It was a disappointing exit for the Maroons, who know they have it in them to beat a team like Wash U, but they were unable to sustain the high level required to beat the very best teams. Chicago didn’t have to wait long to put things right, however, and they were back in action on Saturday morning against Case Western.

This time, the Maroons were able to show their quality and recorded a four set victory after responding well to a blip in the third set. First-year Maren Loe was the main offensive threat this time, recording 16 kills, while Kim had 25 digs on de-

fense.

There was no shame in going out to a strong Wash U team, and the Maroons will be pleased with the way they were able to bounce back in the third-place match. But, before they had time to fully reflect on their performance in the UAA tournament, they had a new competition to worry about.

“We are just really happy that the NCAA recognized the success that we have had this season and that we are still in the running for a national championship,” Clark said.

Chicago, now ranked 16th in the nation, received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament yesterday morning and will begin its quest for a national championship this Friday against Benedictine.

“We’re excited. We’re going in with goals and we’re going to lay it all out there; it’ll be a good time,” Clark said.

we knew it was our last opportunity to make the playoffs.”

The goal ensured that the Maroons weren’t shutout, but the outcome was unchanged. The South Siders were unable to crack the Bears’ defense again, and the victory went to Wash U. In spite of the loss, the Maroons felt they gave their best shot.

“I think we performed well,” first-year forward Mary Bittner said. “Our second half was really great. We had lots of opportunities, and, unfortunately, you win

some, you lose some.”

As UAA Conference champions, the Bears have secured an automatic bid to the DIII NCAAs. The Maroons finished fourth in conference after Wash U, Carnegie Mellon, and Emory. Though this loss may be a disappointing way to wrap up the season, the South Siders know the loss was not for lack of effort.

“It was disappointing just in the scoreboards,” Bittner said. “I thought we really did give it our all and we played really hard.”

Chicago to return most of starting lineup in 2013 SOCCER continued from back

year captain and midfielder Danny Hahn said.

According to head coach Scott Wiercinski, the committee’s decision about the team’s fate is understandable, but disappointing.

“We left a lot of results on the table—games that we could have or should have or would have done better in, and we gave a lot of points away,” he said. “Certainly we were hopeful that we could have gotten an opportunity to play. We feel that we can play against almost any opponent well, but given the math behind the selections and the tournament, I can’t say I was especially surprised.”

On Saturday, the South Siders proved that they were evenly matched with Wash U, with neither team scoring in a game that went into double overtime.

“Wash U has a very good team,” Wiercinski said.

“They make it difficult for you to beat them. We knew it would be a difficult match.”

Defensively, Chicago prevented Wash U from scoring, stopping Wash U’s 20 shots, with first-year goalie David Cohen making a total of 10 saves. “[Wash U] had two forwards that were really good and dangerous with the ball, so our main strategy was to prevent them from getting in, limit their chances and then counter-attack off of that,” Hahn said. “We gave them some chances but obviously the goal is to not give them any goals, so we were definitely successful.”

Offensively, Chicago had chances to score, taking 17 shots total. “[Our strategy was to] go wide and play big,” Cho-

quette said. “We did that well at times. We could keep the ball for a good stretch of time. However, for the final third, we struggled a bit. In the end, we did have a handful of very good chances. We applied our attacking strategy pretty well. Obviously, [we are] disappointed that we didn’t score.”

With their failure to make the NCAAs, this game marked the end of the season for the South Siders.

“It was a decent season, but certainly not satisfactory nor satisfying nor fulfilling,” Wiercinski said.

“We will be graduating only two players, so we have a lot of returning years of experience, so we have high expectations for each of those returning players to improve over the course of the off season, and to come back better soccer players.”

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK 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 series on these ‘Uncommon’ athletes can start a conversation...and not just within the walls of Ratner.

Head Coach Chris Hall: “Elise is a junior member of our team who has had a very good fall season. But this Saturday was by far her best-ever performance — finishing fifth overall, being named to the All-UAA First Team and moving to No. 12 on our all-time honor roll for 6K. I asked our team to approach this meet much differently than we have in previous years, with the expectation of going out much more aggressively. Our team bought into the idea, and I felt that Elise was the person on our squad who made sure the pace did not slow down at 2,000 meters. When other teams began to fall off, Elise kept pushing hard and her teammates stayed with her and separated from the rest of the field. We needed someone to keep the pace of the meet hard and Elise embraced that role.”

COURTESY OF NATHAN LINDQUIST

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ATHLETICS

ELISE WUMMER, WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

BRYAN BUNNING, MEN’S SWIMMING Head Coach Jason Weber: “Bryan has been an amazing addition to our team with his positive attitude and great work ethic. He’s the ultimate team player, taking on a number of responsibilities during our recruiting weekends, and has been willing to compete in any events that will help the team win. Not to mention, he posted times this past weekend that rank him in the top-10 nationally among Division III swimming in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard butterfly.”

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 6, 2012

Things fall apart: South Siders fumble away game Football Sam Zacher Sports Contributor Untimely mistakes and missed opportunities plagued the Maroons (4–5, 0–2) once again on Saturday as they fell to Carnegie Mellon (6–3, 2–0) with a score of 31–14.

Chicago has run into some solid football teams recently. In the past four weeks, they’ve played teams with current records of 8–1, 5–4, and 6–3.

“Carnegie’s a good football team,” head coach Dick Maloney said, “but we just can’t have lapses like we’ve had.”

Saturday’s showdown started off with the two teams trading quick scores. Firstyear defensive back Vincent Beltrano gave Chicago the lead, blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown, before Carnegie responded with a 69-yard drive to tie the game at 7.

The Tartans built momentum after that, scoring on another 69-yard drive in the second quarter. The Maroons were able to fight back with two long passes from third-year quarterback Vincent Cortina to fourth-year receiver Dee Brizzolara, the second resulting in a touchdown just before halftime, evening the score at 14–14.

In the third quarter, though, Chicago fell back into its old habits.

“We had some costly turnovers which proved to be a momentum-changer for them,” Cortina said.

Chicago’s defense held the Tartans to a field goal on their first scoring opportunity in the third quarter, but on their next drive, the Maroons coughed the ball up on their own two-yard line. Tartan running back Patrick Blanks ran it in for the score on the next play, putting the Tartans up 24–14, a margin that proved insurmountable for Chicago.

“Had we capitalized on our opportunities, such as scoring two more touchdowns in the first half instead of throwing an interception in their end zone and fumbling the ball just two yards shy of the goal line [one of Chicago’s two costly fumbles], it would have been a whole different ball game,” head coach Maloney said.

Instead, the Maroons let the game even further out of hand later in the second half, allowing Blanks to score his third touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter, capping the 31–14 victory for the Tartans.

Blanks finished with 159 yards with those three touchdowns.

“Our defense played ok, but they’re just a whole different team with [Blanks] in there,” Maloney said.

The Maroon offense put up solid numbers in the defeat. Cortina finished 20/32 passing for 193 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Brizzolara caught eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, and the offense surmounted 295 total yards. It was the inopportune turnovers that cost Chicago the victory.

“You have to play for sixty minutes, and we just didn’t do that,” Maloney said. “We have to score, eliminate turnovers, and stop the long drives.”

The Maroons may feel they are better than most 4–5 football teams, but until they start turning their potential into wins, those feelings will mean very little.

Undefeated Wash U comes to town next weekend for the annual Founders Cup, and Chicago is hoping to make the most of its last opportunity to leave a mark on the conference.

“We [have to] beat ’em so they’re not undefeated anymore,” Maloney said with a smile.

The Founders Cup kicks off at 12 p.m. at Stagg Field.

A Chicago defensive lineman tackles an Allegheny player during a home game earlier this season.

AUMER SHUGHOURY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

LANNAN FOUNDATION & NATION BOOKS PRESENT

CHRIS HEDGES with Reverend

Jeremiah Wright

MONDAY 12 NOVEMBER AT 7PM THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY 60 WEST WALTON STREET

Chris Hedges, journalist, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former veteran war correspondent is a senior fellow at the Nation Institute and Truthdig columnist. His newest book, Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, a collaboration with Joe Sacco, is a searing account of their travels through the sacrifice zones of the U.S. (Pine Ridge, South Dakota; Camden, New Jersey; Southern West Virginia and Immokalee, Florida), those areas that have been offered up for exploitation in the name of profit, progress, and technological advancement. In words and drawings Hedges and Sacco show us what life looks like in places where the marketplace rules without constraints and where human beings and the natural world are used and then discarded to maximize earnings.

His books include The World As It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress; Death of the Liberal Class; and Empire of Illusion.

Hedges will speak about poverty in the U.S. followed by a conversation with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Book signing and reception to follow.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 6, 2012

11

Giannoulias turns to politics following basketball career, experiences in Boston and Greece 2.9 minutes per game. With the limited playing time, McGrath said that aside from Giannoulias’s personal reasons for leaving Chicago, in terms of basketball, he made the wrong decision.

The Maroons won the UAA Title and reached the Sweet 16 in the national tournament during what would have been Giannoulias’s third and fourth seasons with the U of C. Two of Giannoulias’s classmates, Loyd and Aaron Horne, achieved All-American status. “One of my regrets in coaching is that he wasn’t part of that group that had all the success,� McGrath said. “I think it would’ve been a lot of fun for him, and I think he really could’ve helped us.�

Giannoulias, after his move to a DI program, does not discredit the caliber of DIII. “In some respect, the difference comes down to athleticism and size,â€? he said. “As far as shooting and fundamentals‌I think Division III is right up there.â€?

Upon graduating from Boston University cum laude with a degree in economics, the former Maroon did not stop playing basketball. In Chicago’s 1994–1995 media guide, Giannoulias’s biography said that “he would like to play professional basketball in Greece.�

And that is exactly what he did with the Greek Basketball League’s Panionios.

In spite of all the basketball success, Giannoulias never forgot where he came from. “To go [to the University of Chicago] and then BU and then overseas—it was a great set of circumstances, and I love that school,� he said.

Giannoulias’s basketball career ended

ALEXI continued from back

“In the same way that Coach Cunningham told me I wouldn’t start, there were a lot of people that told me I couldn’t be a Division I athlete,� Giannoulias said. “I wanted to prove people wrong.�

After going back and forth with the Chicago coaching staff at the end of the season, the shooting guard made the decision in the summer after his first year to become a Terrier and attend Boston University, the same institution his brother attended. “I was very supportive and told him from my perspective, ‘I’d hate to see you go, ’cause I think you’d be a great player, and I think we’ve got something good here,� Loyd said. “But I understood that family and those bonds were more important to him than even the basketball stuff was.�

Even after the decision, Loyd believes Giannoulias is one of the most loyal people he has ever met. “When you became one of Alexi’s friends, you almost sort of join that family,� Loyd said. “If his mom said something needed to be done, he would do it. We were kind of like that once we became friends. If Alexi found out something was going wrong for you, he was right there and wanted to help you out in any way he could.�

While at BU, Giannoulias kept in contact with his Maroon family. When Chicago would play Brandeis, the former Maroon star would attend the game each year.

As a Terrier, Giannoulias shot 40 percent from behind the arc on only

with Panionios in 1999 after a one-year stint. He then pursued a career in business and politics, receiving his J.D. from the Tulane University Law School.

With his collegiate and professional basketball career over, Giannoulias had no idea that he was yet to receive the most attention he would ever garner for shooting hoops.

While a first-year at the U of C, Giannoulias played his first pick-up basketball game on campus with then–Senior Lecturer Barack Obama.

Nine years later, Giannoulias was helping raise funds for Obama’s run for Senate in 2003.

And on November 4, 2008, Election Day, the former Maroon shooting guard played basketball with the man who would soon become the next president of the United States.

Giannoulias was quick to say who the better player is. “I’m 15 years younger than him, so I have a pretty good advantage there,� he said. “[Obama’s] a great player, he’s a great competitor, he plays really hard, and we have a lot of respect for each other on the court.�

When Giannoulias ran for Senate in 2010, Obama was not the only basketball-playing friend who supported him. “I went to a couple of fundraisers with a lot of his former teammates,� McGrath said.

Although the former Chicago standout lost the tight race, he continued to keep in contact with both the President and the Maroons.

The President’s role as a national figure has not deterred the athletic competition

a conversation with

Lawrence McEnerney The election will have (we hope) been decided and in the aftermath, Larry McEnerney, director of U of C's writing program, will explore what, indeed, was up with this presidential election's rhetoric. Supper will be provided and your RSVP will help us plan.

Wednesday, November 7, 6:00 pm For more information contact us at: 773-947-8744, ofďŹ ce@brenthouse.org, or the Facebook event.

BRENT House:

The Episcopal Center at the University of Chicago

5540 South Woodlawn Avenue • Chicago, IL 60637 www.brenthouse.org • www.facebook.com/brent.house.chicago • 773/947-8744

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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Giannoulias led Maroons in scoring during the 1994–1995 year.

COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS

between Obama and Giannoulias, and when asked if the two would play basketball this election day, Giannoulias said, “possibly.�

The University of Chicago may have been known as setting the foundation for the established politician Alexi Giannoulias. Now, the institution can also be known for setting the foundation for basketball-standout Alexi Giannoulias.

For the unabridged feature, go to chicagomaroon.com

SPORTS

IN QUOTES

“Please trade my brother. We requesting out of Philly!!!! Please please please....”

—Marcus Vick, brother of Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick, on Twitter.

Former state treasurer—and shooting guard—talks U of C, basketball, and Obama

Alexi Giannoulias (back left, pink shirt) played basketball at Chicago for one season; then he became state treasurer; then came Election Day 2008.

COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS

Alexander Sotiropoulos Senior Sports Staff The University of Chicago has a rich history of setting a foundation for students that go on to become successful in the social sciences.

That is exactly the case with Alexi Giannoulias.

Attending the University of Chicago for only his first year of undergraduate studies, 1994– 1995, he became a well-known

politician in Illinois as the state treasurer from 2007–2011, as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010, and as the current chairman of the Illinois Community College Board.

What the University of Chicago is not known for is setting the foundation for professional-caliber athletes. Yet, it set the foundation for Alexi Giannoulias.

He has played professionally in Greece with Panionios, at the DI level with Boston University,

and, most notably, with President Barack Obama.

Still, before all that, he was an asset to the Maroon squad.

In his only season as a Maroon, Giannoulias became the first ever first-year to lead the team in scoring (16 points per game), fieldgoal percentage, and 3-point percentage.

He was also the team’s secondleading rebounder, and his talents garnered him Second Team All– UAA status. Needless to say, he

was the team MVP. Despite the success, he would not have had the opportunity to be a Maroon had it not been for then–assistant coach and current head coach Mike McGrath.

“He spent a lot of time coming to my games,” Giannoulias said.

“I liked his nature. He was always aggressive. He wanted to build a bigger, better program.”

After turning down Ivy League, mid-major, and other DIII programs, Giannoulias decided on the University of Chicago.

“Immediately, you could tell that Alexi was significantly better, not just than the guys who were returning but all of our [firstyears],” teammate and fellow Pierce resident Rusty Loyd said.

“His ability to score was unparallelled from what I had seen in that level.”

Giannoulias pursued a starting spot for the opening game of the season, but head coach Pat Cunningham had other plans.

“Coach Cunningham, after a couple weeks of practice, was putting together the starting lineup and said, ‘Alexi, you’re going to play some minutes, but you’re not going to be a starter,’” Giannoulias said. “And I remember just going back to my dorm room at night and just going crazy and being in a state of shock. I’m very

competitive, so [I] put a hole in the wall of my dorm room, probably, and got really [angry].”

Giannoulias’s anger translated into toughness on the court. In Chicago’s first regular season game, opening up the 1994– 1995 season at Oberlin, the shooting guard went 5–5 from behind the arc with 26 points.

“I’m like, ‘I’m going to make it, so I have to be in [the starting lineup],” he said.

The Maroon coaching staff quickly took notice of Giannoulias’s physical and mental toughness.

“He was really strong, and he was a great, great shooter,” McGrath said. “That’s probably what he did best. If you took away his jump shot, he found different ways to score.”

A few more double-digit performances and Giannoulias’s name was announced before the start of each game.

Whether he was coming from the bench or starting, his family was always there to cheer him on, to the point where he had his own fan club.

“My aunt and my cousins made Alexi fan club T-shirts,” Giannoulias said. “I think it was a great thing for morale for the team. Some of my teammates joked around with me, but it was great buzz for the school.”

Giannoulias did not only cause a buzz because of his playing abilities, but because of his personality as well.

Loyd remembers the Maroons’ East Coast trip to play Carnegie, when Giannoulias caused a scene at a sandwich shop, a shop that instead of having coleslaw and fries on the side of the sandwich, included them inside.

“The waitress brings the sandwich and Alexi looks at it, and he goes, ‘I’m not eating this,’” Loyd said. “And the lady is like, ‘Is there something wrong with it? Is this the wrong sandwich?’ He’s like, ‘You put the fries and the slaw on the sandwich. Who eats a sandwich with fries and slaw between the bread?’ And the lady’s like, ‘Well, that’s how we make the sandwiches.’ And Alexi’s like, ‘Well, that’s not how I eat them.’

He literally got up and walked out of the restaurant and went to one like two doors down and got a sandwich there. That was kind of his personality a little bit. He kind of liked things his way.”

Giannoulias’s starting position, his family by his side, and the buzz he created around campus, were not enough to convince him about his future as a Maroon. The dream of playing DI basketball was always on his mind.

ALEXI continued on page 11

Chicago takes third at conference All tied up: Maroons’ postseason championships, receives NCAA bid hopes dashed at Wash U Volleyball Jake Walerius Associate Sports Editor After finishing third at the UAA Championships on Friday and Saturday with a 2–1 record, Chicago received a bid to the NCAA tournament this morning.

The Maroons’ two victories came against Brandeis and Case

Men’s Soccer Western in the quarterfinals and the third-place playoff respectively. They fell to Wash U in the semifinals.

“Overall, the weekend in Atlanta was a successful one,” said third-year Morgan Clark. “Of course we did not go in with the goal of getting third, but we were still happy with the outcome.

We played well as a team, fought

hard, and ended the weekend on a very good note with a solid, clean match against Case.”

The match against Brandeis was comfortable enough, with Chicago recording a straight-sets win, 25–18, 25–13, 25–21. But the judges were never the problem. Before the tournament, Brandeis had the second worst UAA continued on page 9

Third-year Alexis Onfroy outmaneuvers an opposing player in a home game against Wheaton.

COURTESY OF JOHN BOOZ

Harini Jaganathan Sports Contributor

Returning the ball, first-year Maren Lo helped Chicago earn a decisive victory against Benedictine earlier this season.

COURTESY OF HANS GLICK

It may not have been the result they were aiming for, but the South Siders (8–4–5, 2–3–2) had reason to be proud of their final game of the season against Wash U (10–4–2, 4–2–1), which ended in a 0–0 tie.

Chicago was not selected for the NCAA tournament following the game, ending the

team’s season.

“Maybe we wasted some chances going forward, gave up possession a little too easily,” second-year midfielder Michael Choquette said.

“It wasn’t a perfect performance, but we put it all on the line, played with a lot of passion, so I think it’s a performance we can all be proud of.”

Teams that win their conference advance automati-

cally to the playoffs, and additional teams are selected to advance by a national committee. The Maroons did not win their conference, and while they did have a slight chance to be selected by the committee, they were not.

“Obviously we’re disappointed, but with our record and the previous results, we kind of knew we were on the outside looking in,” fourthSOCCER continued on page 9