FRIDAY • OCTOBER 4, 2013
ISSUE 1 • VOLUME 125
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
UCSC shuffle sparks outcry Joy Crane Grey City Editor
No turning back Upperclassmen enthusiastically greet first-years during the traditional O-Week parting ceremony at Hull Gate. JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON
Univ. clarifies controversial elevator policy Madhu Srikantha Senior Editor The University has ended a controversial policy that barred uniformed service staff access to the Administration Building elevators from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. President Robert Zimmer sent an e-mail
to Facilities Service staff explicitly rebuking the policy yesterday, four months after a University locksmith filed a formal grievance against the University. “I recently learned that a number of communications [that service workers] received about use of the
Administration Building elevators misstate and misinterpret University policy. Let me state in the simplest of terms what the policy actually is: the elevators are for everybody’s use,” Zimmer said in the e-mail. The “number of communications”
Zimmer’s e-mail refers to are exchanges between union and University representatives following the submission of the grievance on May 30. The exchange includes an official statement of the University’s position on the policy, written by LOCK continued on page 3
After announcing the departures of two top-level administrators and a shift in direction, the University Community Service Center (UCSC) is now facing significant backlash, with over 200 current students and alumni organizing in opposition to a decision they claim lacked tact and transparency. The dismissal of Trudi Langendorf, former assistant director, and the resignation of James Britt, former associate director, come as the latest round of staff departures in a year marked by high employee turnover in the department. Since December, the Center has lost four of its six full-time staff members and several student employees. According to UCSC Director Amy Chan, the structural shift intends to pave a new “social innovation and philanthropy” path for the Center, leading to the creation of new full-time staff positions for candidates with business, philanthropy, and nonprofit backgrounds. Characterizing the changes as an expansion of UCSC, Chan cited five new initiatives
created for students last year, including Chicago Bound, a pre–Orientation Week service for incoming first-year students. “We have solicited extensive feedback from students, faculty members, and community partners,” Chan said in an e-mailed statement explaining the changes. She added that four open houses are scheduled during the autumn quarter for students to provide further feedback. Many of those currently or previously involved with UCSC, including fourthyear and former employee Abby Pershing, feel that the decision to restructure was made behind closed doors. “The UCSC mission is changing. It used to be grassroots: going out, personto-person interaction. Now it is gearing much more towards a management organization,” she said. Pershing, who participated in UCSC’s nonprofit internship program Summer Links in 2011, resigned from her job at the Center’s Volunteer Referral program last weekend in protest of the Center’s new direction. At least one other student UCSC continued on page 2
Shutdown impact muted—for now Uncommon Interview: David Brooks (A.B. ’83) Marina Fang News Editor
The federal government shutdown, which began at midnight on Tuesday, appears to have had little impact on the University so far, but could create trouble for students and faculty if it persists. “The federal government shutdown at this point has not had any impact on UChicago students or research here,” University spokesman Jeremy Manier wrote in an e-mail. There have been a few small impacts of the shutdown this week. The CIA canceled an information session originally slated for yesterday evening , according to an e-mail from Career Advancement. It will be rescheduled for later this quarter. In addition, federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of State
and the Peace Corps did not attend Career Advancement’s Fall Career and Internship Fair in Ida Noyes Hall yesterday afternoon. In addition, students and faculty are unable to access resources such as the Census Bureau, USDA, and CDC websites. In most government agencies, staff members who manage online resources are considered “non-essential” or “non-excepted” government employees, so these resources will be unavailable until the government reopens. Here are some other areas that could be impacted by the shutdown in the long term: Research funding At the moment, any federallyfunded research projects that have already received funding
can still proceed. However, researchers cannot apply for new grants, and the government cannot review any pending grant applications. Students and faculty have expressed concern if the shutdown continues for multiple weeks, especially if their funding runs out before the government reaches a solution to the shutdown. Robert Rosner teaches the Stellar Astronomy/Astrophysics physical science sequence and is co-director of the University’s Energ y Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC), where he does work primarily on nuclear power. Much of his research relies on federally funded employees and programs. “What is affected is, for example, people who have grant submissions—those are not SHUTDOWN continued on page 2
Columnist David Brooks (A.B. ’83) is a staple of The New York Times op-ed page now, but back in his college days he edited and wrote for the Viewpoints section of this paper. In July, Brooks sat down with the Maroon in his office in The Times’s Washington Bureau for an extensive conversation on his best campus memories, his close friendship with President Obama, and Harold’s Chicken Shack. To read the complete interview, go to www.chicagomaroon.com.
COURTESY OF JOSH HANER, THE NEW
Chicago Maroon: Do you have memories of studying in the Reg ? David Brooks: Oh, yes. I was a fourth-floor guy, back in the stacks. There’s a coffee shop BROOKS continued on page 2
YORK TIMES
IN VIEWPOINTS
IN ARTS
IN SPORTS
Beyond the intersection » Page 4
Suicide Narcissus has artists in control at Renaissance Society » Page 6
Maroons put perfect record on the line against Rhodes College » Back Page
Yes, Master: Showtime gets freaky with new series» Page 9
Strong field awaits South Siders at UAA Round Robin» Page 11
The corporation and the community» Page 5
THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 4, 2013
CM: So what’s your best social memory from being a student at Chicago? DB: Jimmy’s. I spent a lot of time at Jimmy’s with many different people, many different friends, girlfriends. I was there two or three months ago, and it’s still the same. CM: You know the president well. How does he think? DB: Like a writer. He’s a very writerly personality, a little aloof, exasperated. He’s calm. CM: What distinguishes him as an intellectual, or as someone who tries to elevate himself above the typical level of discourse? DB: He’s not addicted to people. President Clinton was, Bush was. Others need to be loved; President Obama doesn’t need to be loved. He’s calmer. He’s got some things that are typical among
DB: I forget who said it, but when you’re in office you’re not learning anything ; you’re just spending down your intellectual capital. There’s no time to build it back up. That’s certainly true. You can’t have an original idea when your day is scheduled in five-minute chunks. CM: You have to write a column twice a week. Is there something about that pressure that affects the way you go about your everyday life? DB: Every second is, “Can I get a column out of this? Can I get a column out of that?” There’s no second when you’re not thinking about that. That’s seven days a week. It’s a constant lookout. CM: Is there something about always having to form opinions in the op-ed column format that’s changed your general outlook on politics and society? DB: I’m less happy. I’m always anxious that I’m not going to have something to write about next time. There’s a lot more anxiety. And after the opinion comes out, there’s always the incoming criticism. That took some getting used to. CM: The only question that can come last: what’s your experience with Harold’s Chicken?
Weekly Crime Report By Marina Fang
This is a series the Maroon publishes summarizing instances of campus crime. Each week details a few notable crimes, in addition to keeping a running count from September 23. The focus is on crimes within the UCPD patrol area, which runs from East 37th to 65th Streets and South Cottage Grove to Lake Shore Drive. Here are this week’s notables:
DB: OK, so this is a confession: I was a big fan of Harold’s Chicken. When I was last on campus a couple of months ago, I walked in there fully expecting to order my usual half-white. Somehow I just didn’t want to. It’s a new store compared to when I was there. I ate at Cedar’s next door instead; it was more the kind of salad a middle-aged person has. —Noah Weiland
Financial aid “could continue as normal”
Since Sept. 23
Sept. 30-Oct. 2
2
0
Robbery
0
0
Attempted robbery
1
1
Battery
0
0
Burglary
0
0
Criminal trespass to vehicle
4
0
Damage to property
24
7
Other report
0
0
Assault
11
5
Theft
0
0
Trespass to property
3
2
Arrest
0
0
Traffic Violation
» September 29 to 30, 901 East 58th Street (Mitchell ER), unknown time—Between 9:23 a.m. on September 29 and 12:30 p.m. on September 30, an unknown person took $300 in cash from a patient’s unattended belongings. » September 29, Pierce Tower, 12:05 a.m.—A campus security officer observed individuals attempting to enter the Pierce demolition site by climbing a fence.
Financial aid
—Additional reporting by Harunobu Coryne
» October 1, 6000 South Drexel Avenue, 11:39 p.m.—A male individual threatening to harm himself with a knife was pursued by the UCPD across the Midway Plaisance and the main quads. He was later transported to the ER for treatment and mental health evaluation. » October 2, 4600 South Lake Park Avenue, 5 p.m.— UCPD officers assisted Chicago Police responding to a call of an unaffiliated male who had been shot by an unknown offender. The case is a pending CPD investigation. Source: UCPD Incident Reports
47th
51st 53rd
Blackstone
The University manages two national research laboratories affiliated with the Department of Energ y : Argonne and Fermilab. When contacted, spokespersons for both labs redirected the Maroon to a Department of Energ y spokesman, who referred inquiries about the labs to the Department’s contingency plan. The plan explains that both labs are still operating and “federal employees [are] to continue to report for work as scheduled” because the Department can operate using remaining funds from the current fiscal year. However, “a prolonged lapse in appropriations may require subsequent employee furloughs.” In that case, all but two employees at both Argonne and Fermilab would be furloughed, according to the contingency plan.
» October 1, 5730 South Drexel Avenue (Comer Hospital), 11 p.m.—An individual reported that a male co-worker grabbed her leg. The co-worker was arrested by the UCPD for battery.
University
The Department of Education contingency plan states that federal grants and loans, such as Pell Grants and Direct Student Loans, “could continue as normal” because funding has already been allocated from last year’s federal budget and is considered part of the Department’s “mandatory and carryover appropriations.” About 90 percent of the Department’s employees have been furloughed, but if the shutdown lasts for a week or more, employees who deal with awarding and processing further grants and loans will “be brought into work as ‘excepted employees.’” Department staff related to federal work-study programs are not considered excepted, according to the contingency plan.
Argonne and Fermilab
Cottage Grove
SHUTDOWN continued from front
going to be heard.” Regarding his work for EPIC, “all the technical force that I deal with, all the technicians, are funded by the government, and they’ve been furloughed,” he said.
Type of Crime
55th
57th
59th 60th
S. Lake Shore
DB: If you read my column, I’m constantly quoting these people. They’re just the normal people I quote. Even in writing about current events, it seems natural to me to go back to Burke or people like that. Those seem to me the sources. It frees you from the ever-more-superficial influences of the modern media; it gives you a little depth to go back to, and so when you write something you hopefully won’t forget it. It won’t be irrelevant a week later.
CM: Do you think the demands of the presidency take a toll on him as a thinker? Is it harder for him to be restrained?
levels of dedication, care, and compassion in the service of students”—was the emotional tipping point for many. “On campus right now, I would say that there are probably one to two hundred students that she is a direct mentor to. Off campus, alumni, that number is enormous. There are so many students who have appreciated her mentorship,” Pershing said. Langendorf did not respond to questions regarding her departure. Under the terms of her severance package, she is not allowed to publicly discuss her exit, according to Pershing. The University also cannot comment on personnel issues concerning individual staff members, according to University spokesperson Dianna Douglas. The main sticking point for those taken aback by the announcement is the diminishing student involvement in the direction of the UCSC, an institution founded by students in 1992. The Center did not take on fulltime professional staff until Michelle Obama became UCSC Director in 1996. It now is comprised of both student and full-time staffers. In his 17 years working as an administrator at different campuses, Britt said that he had never encountered such little engagement with students as he did during his six months at the UCSC. “They [the UCSC] need to be accountable, and they should be accountable. And so far they have not been at all.”
UCSC continued from front
has also resigned in protest since the e-mail announcement last Thursday. “I didn’t know anything about what was presented in that e-mail,” said Britt, whose last day at the UCSC was September 20, in reference to Chan’s original e-mail to staff about restructuring. Britt, who described his resignation as UCSC associate director as “a mutual decision,” said that he was struck by the lack of discussion about the proposal with students and staff. “I think it’s ironic that this is all taking place in this department, the department that had been known for social justice,” he said. Organizing under the banner of “Fix the UCSC,” concerned students are calling on alumni, parents, and community partners to voice their concern over the lack of clarity and inclusion surrounding the proposed changes. “Even though I had been an active member, this was the first I had heard that the UCSC was taking this direction, and these kind of pillars were new to me,” said former Summer Links coordinator Teddy Kent (A.B. ’13). “I wish that there had been some sort of dialogue.” In response to the backlash, Chan and Assistant Vice President for Student Life Elly Daugherty (A.B. ’97) have been holding individual meetings with anyone who requests one. The departure of Langendorf—an eight-year employee who received the College’s Marlene F. Richman award this June for her “high
S. Hyde Park
CM: How do you think the Core and your time at Chicago affect your current thinking ?
politicians—he’s hypercompetitive. He’s more exasperated than anyone of that sort within the normal process of politics. I think he wishes he could skip it all to get on with decision making, and discussing things.
Cornell
BROOKS continued from front
now at the lobby level; there used to be one down at the A- or B-level, and I spent many, many hours there. I had one sort of weird experience there reading Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy—it was one of those moments when you realize you’ve been reading for three hours, and you don’t realize how much time has passed, since his prose style is sort of hypnotic. That was a weird, transcendent moment, and a little scary since it was Nietzsche.
“Fix the UCSC,” students say
Stony Island
Brooks: “I was a fourth-floor guy, back in the stacks”
Ellis
2
62nd *Locations of reports approximate
THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 4, 2013
3
Weekly severs ties with Newcity, charts own path Linda Qiu News Editor Student news magazine South Side Weekly is bidding farewell to its “parent” publication and declaring independence. The magazine formerly known as the Chicago Weekly publishes now as a stand-alone magazine, without a copy of the alternative news weekly and its former publisher Newcity folded inside. The two publications also ended a decade-old marketing and distribution relationship, and Newcity will no longer play any role in the future of the Weekly, said both publications’ editors-in-chief. The Weekly’s editor-in-
chief, fourth-year Harrison Smith, said he had initially expressed interest in maintaining a relationship with Newcity, but the two publications now have no plans to collaborate in the future. Established in 1995, the Weekly had its first run as what Smith characterized as the “sassy campus gossip” rag Chicago Weekly News, operating until 2002, when it folded due to declining revenue. It relaunched four months later as the South Side– focused Chicago Weekly, published by Newcity, which was also inserted into every issue. Though it maintained editorial independence, the Weekly relied on Newcity for
publishing , distribution, and a portion of ad sales. The relationship between the two publications, characterized a decade ago by Newcity editor-in-chief and cofounder Brian Hieggelke (A.B. ’83, M.B.A. ’84) in the University of Chicago Chronicle as “mutually beneficial”, also had an element of mentorship. Getting involved with the student news magazine was for the UChicago alumni who founded Newcity “a way of giving back to the University and nurturing student journalists,” according to Hieggelke. Weekly writers, including Smith, also have a history of being hired as Metcalf Fellows at Newcity.
The future of the relationship between the Weekly and Newcity was always nebulous. “In 2003, we had no idea how [or] if it would end,” Hieggelke wrote. According to Smith, Weekly editors had entertained the idea of independence for quite some time, and the transition to independence this year made sense. “At the end of the day, every publication wants to be a stand-alone publication,” he said. The Weekly has grown significantly in the past years, sizing up from eight pages of content and a handful of writers to 20 pages and a staff of nearly 80. Nonetheless,
the Weekly remains financially dependent on the University, which is responsible for 60 percent of the news magazine’s funding , according to Smith. Between the University money and ad sales, the Weekly is breaking even currently but has plans to expand their business operations. Former editor-in-chief and current publisher Harry Backlund (A.B. ’11) will spearhead the Weekly’s day-to-day, in-house sales platform. “It’ll be student-led and that’s a great sales pitch,” Smith said. “There’s opportunity in sales and we’re thinking constantly about how we can grow and improve this…. We’ll
be realistic about it—and obviously, we’re not in this to make money—but in my mind, eventually we’ll be making a steady profit.” As for Newcity, the Weekly’s independence may actually prove financially beneficial, according to Hieggelke. “C.W. was not a financial play for us…. I’m sure we enjoyed some residual marketing benefit from the relationship, but that was definitely intangible,” he wrote. Meanwhile, with a new design, name, Web site, and business model in tow, the Weekly’s presses will keep rolling. “The timing is right, the passion is there, and the talent is ripe,” Smith said.
Hobbs: “Every time that they know the students are getting involved, they notice” LOCK continued from front
Gayle Saxton, director of labor relations. “In the event maintenance or repair work is required during high-use periods, the University expects that it be performed in such a way as to minimize the disruptive impact on the operations of the University. To this end, the University has requested that maintenance and repair workers should normally use the public stairway in the Administration Building rather than the two public elevators,” Saxton wrote. According to Steve Hobbs,
a University engineer and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 Council President, the University’s response represents the first time since the policy’s implementation in the mid-2000s that it has been written explicitly. The previous policy was only verbally stated. The issue came to a head when two locksmiths with medical conditions were told to repair locks on the fourth floor of the Administration Building during the day. Stephen Clarke, the locksmith who originally responded to the emergency repair, has had two
hip replacement surgeries during his 23 years as an employee of the University. According to Clarke, when he asked Kevin Ahn, his immediate supervisor, if he could use the elevator due to his medical condition, Ahn said no. Clarke was unable to perform the work, and Elliot Lounsbury, a second locksmith who has asthma, was called to perform the repairs. Lounsbury also asked Ahn if he could use the elevator to access the fourth floor, was denied, and ended up climbing the stairs to the fourth floor. Following the incident,
Clarke filed the grievance on the grounds that the University was violating the Health and Safety portion of the contract between the union and the University, the Civil Rights Act regarding discrimination against members of organized labor, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “I mean it really comes down to an issue of are we being treated as employees of the university? We’re not second-class citizens,” Clarke said before Zimmer officially reversed the policy. “The University is there to set an example for the rest of society to
be good citizens, to not practice this kind of discrimination.” Prior to the reversal of the policy, SEIU Local 73 had planned to host a rally Wednesday demanding that the University reverse the policy. Fliers had been posted since late September. Since Zimmer’s decision, Hobbs said the rally has been cancelled. “Every time that they know the students are getting involved, they notice,” Hobbs said, attributing the reversal in part to the support of students in Students Organizing United with Labor and Graduate Students United.
NEWS IN BRIEF Big changes in store for Seminary Co-Op Longtime Seminary Co-Op manager Jack Cella (X ’73) will retire later this month, ending a career spanning 45 years at the legendary bookstore. Cella and wife Laura Prail will both leave the bookstore on October 13, according to a letter sent to Co-Op members. Cella began working part time at the Co-Op in 1968, when he was still a graduate student at the University, and will continue to advise the store in book selections after his retirement. The Board of Directors will conduct a national search for his replacement, according to the letter. In addition to Cella’s retirement, the store has revised its policy of awarding Co-Op members a 10 percent discount on all purchases, replacing it with store credit. Members will accrue points equal
UCPD Chief Marlon Lynch and associate deans Eleanor Daugherty and Belinda Vasquez field a question from third-year Karim Pirani during the ACLU’s Learn Your Rights Q&A session. JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON
to 10 percent of each purchase and will be issued the store credit on June 30, at the end of the fiscal year. After that, they will have one year to redeem the store credit. The new system is an attempt to reverse the bookstore’s fortunes after several years of financial losses, according to Cella. “We have to find a way to, if not make money, at least even out,” Cella said. The program is intended to “retain the things people like about the Co-Op and do it in a way that is financially possible,” he said. Cella stressed that this is the volunteer Board of Directors’ “first attempt” at amending the store’s financial woes and that the credit system may change in the future. —Carina Baker and Linda Qiu
CORRECTIONS » The September 23 article “Alumni” misstated William Cottrell’s prison status and conviction, as well as his relationship with the Earth Liberation Front. He was released in 2011, his arson convictions were overturned, and
UCPD clarifies policies ACLUofC and the Southside Solidarity Network hosted a panel with UCPD Chief of Police Marlon Lynch and several University officials on Tuesday. A few things you might not know about campus crime policies: -The 100 UCPD officers have the
same authority as the CPD within its jurisdiction but receive special training to be better equipped to work in an educational environment. -Students asked to show their ID under the UCID policy, which states that any staff member of the University can ask to see any student’s ID, can ask to see the staff member’s ID in order to confirm that they do
indeed work for the University. -The 1990 Clery Act requires the University to disclose statistical information about crime around campus and provide prompt warnings when incidents pose immediate danger to the University community. —Alex Hays
he was only loosely affiliated with the Earth Liberation Front.
» The September 23 article “Greek Life” incorrectly abbreviated Alpha Omicron Pi. The correct abbreviation is AOII.
» The September 23 article “Institute of Politics” misstated the name of the political review. It’s called The Gate. Due to an editing error, it also misstated the date of Elizabeth Warren’s visit. It was scheduled for Friday, September 27.
VIEWPOINTS
Editorial & Op-Ed OCTOBER 4, 2013
Beyond the intersection The UCIJAM rebranding provides students with the opportunity to shape the program as their own The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 REBECCA GUTERMAN Editor-in-Chief SAM LEVINE Editor-in-Chief EMILY WANG Managing Editor CELIA BEVER Senior Editor VICENTE FERNANDEZ Senior Editor MATTHEW SCHAEFER Senior Editor MADHU SRIKANTHA Senior Editor MARINA FANG News Editor LINDA QIU News Editor KRISTIN LIN Viewpoints Editor EMMA BRODER Arts Editor WILL DART Arts Editor LAUREN GURLEY. Arts Editor SARAH LANGS Sports Editor JAKE WALERIUS Sports Editor SONIA DHAWAN Head Designer KEVIN WANG Online Editor MARA MCCOLLOM Social Media Editor CONNOR CUNNINGHAM Head Copy Editor CECELIA JIANG Head Copy Editor JEN XIA Head Copy Editor BEN ZIGTERMAN Head Copy Editor SYDNEY COMBS Photo Editor TIFFANY TAN Photo Editor COLIN BRADLEY Grey City Editor JOY CRANE Grey City Editor THOMAS CHOI Assoc. News Editor ALEX HAYS Assoc. News Editor HARINI JAGANATHAN Assoc. News Editor ANKIT JAIN Assoc. News Editor STEPHANIE XIAO Assoc. News Editor ELEANOR HYUN Assoc. Viewpoints Editor
Career Advancement (C.A.) recently announced the consolidation of two of its pre-professional programs: UChicago Careers in Journalism (UCIJ) and UChicago Careers in Arts (UCIA) now operate under the name UChicago Careers in Journalism, Arts, and Media (UCIJAM). This expansion came to fruition after recent UCIJ and UCIA collaborations, which demonstrated a large overlap in student interest. Benjamin Waltzer, who has worked as a musician, freelance journalist, and music director, will oversee UCIJAM as the Klingensmith program director. As Waltzer transitions to Chicago from New York, he will be available part-time on campus, split between C.A. and the Logan Center for the Arts. While the consolidation of the programs may initially seem arbitrary or even discouraging to those interested strictly in art or journalism, both students and C.A. administrators should view this revamp as an opportunity to shape the trajectory of UCIJAM so that it provides the appropriate resources and career training for all students who could benefit from the program.
Through the recent expansion and rebranding, UCIJAM brings to focus the potentially interdisciplinary nature of journalism and the arts. Waltzer’s career prior to joining UCIJAM, which includes time as a jazz pianist and a freelancer for The New York Times, aptly demonstrates that arts, journalism, and media often do overlap, creating opportunities that are difficult to categorize as purely journalism or purely art. With the creation of UCIJAM, media-related fields like advertising and communications, which were previously managed by UCIJ, have a more concrete place in C.A.’s preprofessional programming. UCIJAM seems equipped to accommodate students interested in this cross section: The program is a partnership between C.A. and the Logan Center, and combines elements from both its parent programs. For example, the Jeff Metcalf Apprenticeships, which were previously only publicized through UCIA, can bring a new dimension of experience to students pursuing journalism. In emphasizing the potential intersection, however, C.A. must not overlook the needs of students
pursuing careers that do not bridge both fields. The program’s new focus should not affect students’ abilities to receive proper, industry-specific advising and relevant events, treks, and speakers. While the College does offer degrees in several arts-related disciplines, a journalism major does not exist, which makes C.A.’s pre-professional program especially important to aspiring journalists. Though nominally UCIJAM is built upon the concept of supporting the intersection of the three fields, the program must also support each individually: To lump together the three does not necessarily mean to compromise their integrity as separate entities. The onus of understanding student needs should not and cannot completely fall upon C.A.: Students have a responsibility to provide input about how the program can help their own career goals. Journalism, arts, and media encompass a myriad of fields and career opportunities—so much that one preprofessional program cannot successfully address all without the knowledge of specific, individual interests. This could mean partici-
pating in the program—even with its potential faults—in order to offer constructive criticism that could help UCIJAM tailor future programming. Neglecting the program because it does not cater specifically to one’s needs only hurts all parties involved. Conversely, C.A. must be open and flexible to the kinds of changes, additions, and suggestions that students may raise about their experiences with the program. According to C.A.’s surveys of the past four outgoing classes, interest in journalism and the arts is increasing every year. In 2010, four percent of respondents reported plans to work in journalism or in the arts; in 2013, approximately 11 percent of the graduating class planned to enter the two fields. In the context of this steady rise in interest, and the recent creation of UCIJAM, it is especially important for both students and C.A. to continue to refine the goals and execution of the program.
The Editorial Board consists of the Editors-in-Chief and the Viewpoints Editors. Sam Levine recused himself from the writing of this editorial.
LIAM LEDDY Assoc. Viewpoints Editor ANNA HILL Assoc. Arts Editor TATIANA FIELDS Assoc. Sports Editor SAM ZACHER Assoc. Sports Editor PETER TANG Assoc. Photo Editor FRANK YAN Assoc. Photo Editor
Green eggs and Uncle Sam Conservatives opposed to Obamacare could learn a thing or two from Dr. Seuss’s classic
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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. © 2013 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 Anastasia Golovashkina Viewpoints Columnist Last week, Texas junior Senator Ted Cruz drew a new wave of national attention to Dr. Seuss’s ageold classic, Green Eggs and Ham. It’s an interesting choice to say the least, because while Cruz could have gone with any book—say, the Official Tea Party Patriots Coloring Book or Why Daddy is a Republican—he went with Green Eggs and Ham, one of the most patently liberal picture books in the entire library. Penned with preschoolers in mind, the Dr. Seuss classic is about not knocking something until you’ve tried it. Like, say, green eggs and ham. Or health reform. Ted Cruz apparently never got the memo. According to him, “Green Eggs and Ham has some applicability, as curious as it might sound, to Obamacare.” Really, how so? “Through an exercise of brute political force,” he recalls, “Obamacare became the law of the land.” “We’re not going to be disrespected,” conservative Representative Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) added. “We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”
I’m not sure if a conservative court’s Supreme Court ruling or a piece of legislation that…Republicans actually voted for (something that, a mere three years later, could only happen in our imagination) quite counts as “brute political force,” especially coming from a guy who went on a cross-country tour this summer to promote a congressional effort to defund health reform, arguing that a shutdown of the government would not be a disaster for America or the Republican Party. But, okay, go on… “But the difference with Green Eggs and Ham,” he continued, “is when Americans tried it, they discovered they did not like green eggs and ham and they did not like Obamacare either. They did not like Obamacare in a box, with a fox, in a house, or with a mouse. It is not working.” There are a couple of problems with that statement. First, and perhaps most importantly, health reform hasn’t even been fully rolled out yet. Some provisions, like banning companies from imposing dollar limits on essential health benefits and income-based Medicare Part D premiums, were introduced back in 2011, but more than half of the law remains to be fully implemented, and won’t be until the end of 2014. That’s why Ted Cruz was giving his faux-libuster in the first place—to promote a House-approved bill that would delay opening the health exchanges by a full year. Moreover, while 49 percent of Americans may say they “believe
the Affordable Care Act is a bad idea,” their distaste seems to be in name only—about 55.25 percent also happen to really like what’s in it, including 74 percent support for the provision that bans insurance companies from denying coverage on the basis of “pre-existing conditions,” 60 percent support for provisions that prevent insurers from charging those in poor health more or imposing lifetime limits on benefits, and 58 percent support for requiring all policies to provide a minimum package of health benefits. In fact, every component of the law has at least a five percentagepoint higher approval rating than disapproval. Those are astounding numbers. To put them in perspective, consider this: As recently as this July, only 64 percent of U.S. adults agreed that “gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should be legal.” Not same-sex marriage (approval: 54 percent), just “relations.” (In fact, only three-fourths even claim to personally know someone who is gay.) Seventy-six percent “disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job.” Sixty-nine percent believe “there is solid evidence of global warming.” Sixty-one percent “think evolution should be taught in public school science classes.” Even though he won by a widely recognized landslide, then-Senator Barack Obama really only won the 2008 popular vote with 53 percent to McCain’s 46. I bring these up as examples be-
cause, to most people, these would seem like near-universal absolutes—as though it would be fairly accurate to say that “everyone” thinks same-sex relations should be legal, evolution should be taught in public schools, and Congress is doing a reprehensible job. More relevant to Cruz’s point, the key parts of health reform that have already rolled out—no lifetime dollar limits on coverage, bans on pre-existing condition limitations, and the like—all have at least the majority of the public’s approval. So while Americans may claim to not like Obamacare, what they really don’t like is what they think Obamacare is. Kind of like the stubborn main character in Dr. Seuss’s classic who initially claimed he didn’t like green eggs and ham. But this, of course, is really nothing new. Since the passage of Obamacare in 2010, Republicans have voted at least 42 times to repeal it—needless to say, each time unsuccessfully. Cruz misread Green Eggs and Ham just like his party misread the American public—in 2008, in 2010, quite pathetically in 2012 ($50,000 on victory fireworks, anyone?), and now again in 2013. Contrary to what Boehner may believe or Cruz may proclaim, many Americans like Obamacare and many Americans want Obamacare. What they don’t want is another 1995-style government shutdown. Anastasia Golovashkina is a thirdyear in the College majoring in economics.
THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | October 4, 2013
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The corporation and the community Students should be aware of the University’s split personality Colin Bradley Grey City Editor To the new members of the UChicago community: I’ve long felt that you can best learn about a person by focusing on which struggle plays out most prominently in his or her heart—which particular dualism is the most destabilizing. The same can be said for a community. Among many such conflicts here in Hyde Park, I’ve found that the problem of separating the University of Chicago, a corporate entity and global player, from UChicago, the home of Doc Films and your Sosc class, is central to the identity of this community. It is a question of how we wish to represent ourselves, both to each other and to the rest of the world, and subsequently how we choose to deliberate and make decisions together. It is a question well worth bearing in mind as you matriculate into this learned lakeside oasis. It is natural to think that, as a young, intelligent person with nuanced opinions and clever ideas, you will now enjoy a newfound sense of empowerment when thrust into a
more political environment. This would be, for the most part, a mistake. Your opinions will not be taken nearly as seriously as you may suppose and hope: Petitions and Student Government referenda will likely be ignored—or, at best, the power to resolve whatever issue you raise will devolve upon increasingly meaningless subcommittees until long after you have graduated and forgotten about your upstart views as an undergrad. This is not to say that you are not taken into account when big decisions are made. But do not suppose that it is you, the person, who is taken into account. Rather it is the type of person you represent that decisionmakers hold important: the socially mobile, pathologically hardworking consumer of higher education; the type of person who prefers social innovation and philanthropy to community service; the type of person who, more than a cherished informal coffee lounge, really needs more adviser meeting spaces. The surprise is often well distributed when the interests of the demographic “college student” do not align with the interests of the college students.
Most of the decisions will be made by a constantly reshuffling apparatus of mostly anonymous and well-meaning administrators with long, misleading titles, contact with whom will be mediated through a small number of invariably kind and tactful gatekeepers of information. Activist groups and journalists draw power maps that are irrelevant as soon as the Sharpie ink dries. Points of contact for various administrative bodies are only shortly outlived by those bodies themselves, which are soon subsumed under a new administrative category as part of the interminable uphill struggle of Administrative Innovation for Maximizing Leadership, Efficiency, and Smooth Streamlining. You may often feel like the victim of a bait and switch: Administrative Vice Presidencies for This and That are destroyed and created regularly; academic advisers come and go mid-year; carefully built relationships with RSO advisers are rendered nearly meaningless with every internal staff restructuring. This is not merely a warning to those of you likely to suffer from abandonment issues. Rather it is a reminder that this is
not only a unique community organized around aspirations of high-minded ideals and careful, honest argumentation; it is also a sprawling, transcontinental, multibillion-dollar enterprise with thousands of employees and stakeholders. The problems arise when it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the two. I admit (emphasize, even!) that nothing I have to say here is particularly original. Trends in higher education, including the disenfranchisement of faculty and students and the proliferation of the administrative apparatus, are analyzed well and often in publications like The Chronicle of Higher Education and almost every journal devoted to assessing the intellectual atmosphere in America. I simply want to color your orientation to the University of Chicago with a reminder that, as you arrive, it is just one of many communities experiencing these struggles. An honest assessment of what you can or should expect from the next four years ought not to leave that reminder out. Colin Bradley is a fourth-year in the College majoring in philosophy.
One hundred days of solitude A summer lacking in substantial activity is not a summer wasted or devoid of meaning
By Ken Jung Viewpoints Columnist I wouldn’t be reclining in the smooth white sand, listening to the waves breaking softly near my feet as the red Tuscan sun reclined in turn in the horizon. Nor would I be breathing in the scent of Shanghai’s thousand street vendors, aimlessly yet somehow purposefully led through the crisscrossed paths of the bright and ancient city. I wouldn’t even be interning for some research agency, running experiments on lab rats or typing away at lines of code that would surely one day lead to the cure for cancer. No; thanks to no reason in particular, I was about to spend the summer after high school graduation—122 days, a third of a year—marooned in the comfort of my own home with little prospect of social interaction. So it was that, weeks before graduation, I had already compiled that obligatory and ultimate insurance of purpose in anticipation of the stifling doldrums to come: a reading list. Essentially, it was a list of novels I had put off reading for the last two years,
luxuries foregone in favor of all the things that “mattered” in a college application. Thus, the moment I started to become bored by the sudden nothingness of summer—which was very soon—I found myself reading the first sentence of the first book in my reading list: “Alexey Fyodorovitch Karamazov was the third son of Fyodor Karamazov, a landowner well known in our district in his own day, and still remembered among us owing to his gloomy and tragic death, which happened thirteen years ago, and which I shall describe in its proper place.” I once lived in a time in which the silent passing of the day had to be vindicated by the deafening thunder of achievement. For the summer, that time was gone. My brother once grumbled about having to practice piano: “You do everything either for fun or because you have to.” I later realized that I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. While shadowboxing at the community center on 14th Street, throwing punches at a phantom opponent who neither tired nor spoke, my sneakers squeaked against the tiled floor, slippery with my sweat, and I remembered what I had read: “The secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude.” Among the many odd things I did every day, I suppose I had been spending my time productively. But this was only due to the fact that my pact with solitude was anything but honorable, and that time had become my misfortune. No matter how busy I tried to keep myself, I was everywhere surrounded by the solitude of others, and the solitude was an under-
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whelming agony. In time, the number of days until O-Week began to dwindle to nothingness. By September, I was caught in the sudden anxiety of a day and a place which would be no longer so distant, and, predictably enough, I found myself wondering where the days went. There was the day when I had turned eighteen, and I woke up feeling no differently than the day before. There was the day when bombs killed 46 people in Iraq, and that same day a girl twerked in front of somebody’s crotch and got famous for it. There was another day when I was laid off from my job at the pretzel shop in the mall for the simple reason that I was never needed in the first place. And there was also the day when I read the last words of the last book of the reading list that I had made months before: “Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead.” Whenever people ask me about my summer, I don’t know what to say. How do I say that it was the longest, most unreal summer of my life—that it almost drove me crazy and challenged everything I took for granted? Nevertheless, I believe that it is precisely for these reasons that my summer was far from meaningless. I’m glad to have had the chance to lose myself so that I may find myself again; I’m glad to have known what it’s like to live with solitude as my companion. I am further grateful to the likes of Messrs. Marquez, Faulkner, Hemingway, and all the rest who shared in my solitude, along with my family who made my summer much less solitary
than it might have been. My summer after high school, which passed by slowly, monotonously, and uneventfully by the day, has proven to me, in retrospect, to be full of meaning. I am reminded of the words somebody whose name I can’t pronounce once said: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” Ken Jung is a first-year in the College.
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ARTS
Heartlandia OCTOBER 4, 2013
Suicide Narcissus has artists in control at Renaissance Society Anna Hill Associate Arts Editor
“Spatial Intervention I,” by Nicole Six and Paul Petritsch, is a video in the group show. COURTESY OF RENAISSANCE SOCIETY
Drake’s latest effort reigns supreme Noah Weiland Arts Contributor The hardest part about being a Drake fan is being a Drake fan. There are all sorts of challenges to his legitimacy: He’s soft, he’s too sentimental, he’s girly—a criticism that amounts to the adult equivalent of a fear of cooties. There are those who believe his somewhat affluent background disqualifies him from understanding real experience, as if good rap music can be restricted to a judgment of social class. There are those who see Drake’s songs about feelings as a betrayal to what some actually believe to be hip-hop’s academic and political responsibilities; these are the listeners who often feel obliged to align their political preferences with their artistic ones. And there are those who treat Drake’s ability to sing and rap as unfaithful to the genre’s tradition of rhyme-based cadences. There’s a great irony behind these depictions of Drake: Those who try to portray him as “weak” or somehow out of touch with rap music’s purisms treat emotions and melody as unadultlike, and therefore succumb to the characteristics they try to assign. Drake’s new album Nothing Was the Same (released
September 24 on OVO Sound) looks to quell any remaining opposition to his current position as the king of rap music, pop music’s new center of gravity. NWTS is made for a dark room, the speakers surrounding you, no one around. The album’s universe centers on resonant emotional circumstances, inward territory that rap music has rarely tried to enter: relationships that couldn’t be, past feelings chased by fleeting memories that can no longer simulate the necessary intimacy. But unlike Drake’s previous and much more melancholy masterpiece, Take Care, he counters vulnerability with confidence, adding muscle where bruises used to be. The album is less a continuation of Take Care than it is a culmination of both of Drake’s worlds: the tenderness of his emotional life and the triumphalism of his commercial success. Every song on NWTS is good; even the overplayed “Started from the Bottom” sounds refreshed in an album setting. The album opener, “Tuscan Leather,” starts with a cinematic crescendo and ends with synths that melt below a series of boasts: “40s on his Martin Scorcese!” “Furthest Thing” borrows the production of a young Kanye West, shifting
from floating, darting notes to a triumphant ending that features the parading drumbeats and high-pitched choruses distinctive of Kanye’s early work. Like with Kanye, stylistic boundaries disappear within the scope of Drake’s versatility. Kanye even showed up to Drake’s annual OVO Fest this year to bestow praises upon him, an indication that Drake’s place at the top is secure. As the album progresses, Drake becomes more flexible and adventurous, his ear adjusting effortlessly to the demands of his melodies. Drake is one of the few rappers who understand how to decorate this genre with melody. A primary example of this mix is the pairing of “Wu-Tang Forever” and “Own It.” “Forever” doesn’t offer much tribute to its namesake, opting for smoky, creeping series of piano chords and muted drums underneath lines about avoiding the experience of the streets. Even Drake’s boasting on “Forever” is emotionally conflicted, saddled with self-awareness. The “it’s yours” refrain in “Forever” leaks seamlessly into “Own It,” which ends with Drake pleading that line inside a fading outro. Drake isn’t as interested in the narrative structures that DRAKE continued on page 8
A suggestion for fresh firstyears and veteran fourthies alike: If you haven’t been to the Renaissance Society, get yourself there now (and if you have, it’s time for another visit). The iconic space, located on the fourth floor of Cobb, has boasted some of the most vibrant and innovative displays of contemporary art in the Midwest, acting as a temporary home to works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Jean Arp, Marc Chagall, Gertrude Stein, Ed Paschke, and the like. Originally created in 1915 to involve Chicago in the artistic discourse that bubbled in contemporary Europe, the Renaissance Society has since broadened its view to include works from across the globe and has gained international renown for its dedication to promoting new and emerging forms of contemporary art. Though the University’s arts culture is vibrant and expanding, one might wonder what such a prestigious space
is doing tucked away in a corner of the quad. However, take a look at the pamphlet for Suicide Narcissus, the Society’s newest exhibition, and something immediately becomes clear: This is not a typical space, nor is this a typical show. In describing the eight-person group exhibition, Hamza Walker, head curator, provides a veritable essay on the nature of reality and perception as related to
SUICIDE NARCISSUS The Renaissance Society Through December 15
the individual pieces on display, interpreting and questioning the works in truly provocative ways that often go unaddressed in gallery and museum settings. Take, for example, the first piece one sees upon entering Suicide Narcissus: Lucy
Skaer’s “Leviathan’s Edge.” Hanging from the ceiling in an ominous stillness, a baby whale skeleton—bleached, hollow, and overwhelmingly lifeless—beckons the viewer down a white corridor. Freestanding walls block the majority of the view, so one continues on with the assumption that, just around the corner, the walls will end and the full skeleton will come into view. However, no such widening ever occurs; instead, upon rounding the bend, the viewer encounters more walls—more thin gaps of visibility—and, instead of visual clarity, is left with a poignantly frustrating commentary on the relationship between perception and assumption. Skaer’s installation also addresses the issue of man’s damaging relationship with nature, which constitutes the other major theme of the exhibition. In her written introduction to Suicide Narcissus, Walker states, “If only our narcissism were benign. Human and natural history have always been interwoven. The NARCISSUS continuedonpage10
THE LUMEN CHRISTI INSTITUTE and The Program in Poetry & Poetics present
A Poetry Reading by
Da na Gioi a THURSDAY OCTOBER 17 7:00 PM Swift Hall Third Floor 1025 E. 58th St.
Dana Gioia – award-winning poet and critic – served as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from 2002-2009 and is currently the Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at the University of Southern California. His poetry collection Interrogations at Noon won the 2002 American Book Award. He has just published his fourth volume of poems, Pity the Beautiful.
This lecture is free and open the public. Please visit www.lumenchristi.org or contact info@lumenchristi.org for more information.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 4, 2013
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“Rap...is in a better place with Drake calling the shots” Atoms make electrons (and bodies) dance
Nothing Was the Same is the rapper’s third album. COURTESY OF OVO SOUND AND REPUBLIC RECORDS
DRAKE continued from page 6 rap fans obsess over with artists like Kendrick Lamar; his central project is his musicality. “Forever” and “Own It,” songs about nothing in particular, are as challenging a pair of tracks as any two of Lamar’s tales. The most stunning song on NWTS is “Connect,” produced by the brilliant Scottish D.J. Hudson Mohawke, a close Kanye collaborator and a seminal influence in modern electronic music. “Connect” is one of Drake’s greatest victories, an ode to his ability to be emotionally complicated and still entirely relatable: The song’s fear of irrepressible attraction, of false starts and lurches, of missed calls and mixed messages, isn’t exclusive to the rich or famous, or even the moody. These feelings are essential to the fab-
ric of serious pop music, and even more important to rap, a genre that often prizes selfeffacement over vulnerability. Backed by Mohawke’s laser-sharp synths, Drake’s confessions are things that shatter everyone: giving in to the temptations of an emotional life that’s seemingly impossible to organize, trying to correct a past life that may have never existed. His fear of rejection is as real to him as it is to the rest of us. But there’s something else on this album that distinguishes it from Take Care’s heartbreak: Drake sounds more combative, more resilient. A major mistake music fans make with Drake is assuming that he’s all tears. His verses on Waka Flocka’s “Round of Applause,” Migos’s “Versace,” Rick
Ross’s “Stay Schemin’,” and French Montana’s “Pop That” show that he’s just as interested in (and good at) sustaining his presence on the radio and at parties as he is in darker, more isolated places. On “Worst Behavior,” the sixth song on NWTS, Drake sounds as rabid as ever. The subject is his dad, from whom he was separated at age five and toward whom he still feels a heavy frustration. The “never loved us” line that echoes throughout is dominant, and it pairs perfectly with the song’s rattling, growling urgency. Unlike the outlook of one of his idols, Jay-Z, Drake’s outlook hasn’t been completely altered by exposure to fame and luxury; he’s still immersed in the more complicated, and human, features of private life. Nothing Was the Same represents another Drake-led renaissance in hip-hop, an affirmation of the genre’s new inward-looking disposition that views emotional complexity and lush, minimalist production as essential to its evolution. Rap music is in a better place with Drake calling the shots, which, with a healthy dash of ambivalence, is exactly the way he wants it. In “Tuscan Leather,” he raps: “Past the present when you have to mention/ This is nothing for the radio, but they’ll still play it though/ ’Cause it’s that new Drake, that’s just the way it go.” It’s always nice to know why you’re on top.
Zane Burton Maroon Contributor Wednesday night, Atoms for Peace moved UIC Pavilion to dance. While the show was one of the most poorly attended I’ve ever been to—the stadium was only about half full when Thom Yorke and company played the standout track “Black Swan” to close the set—Atoms for Peace didn’t seem to mind. The band was full of energy from the moment they took the stage, compelling the audience to let loose even if it took some convincing. Atoms for Peace is the side project of Thom Yorke, frontman of Radiohead, and also features Flea, the longtime bassplayer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nigel Godrich, famed producer of every Radiohead album since OK Computer. Band members also include Joey Waronker, a drummer for Beck and other groups including M83 and R.E.M., as well as Mauro Refosco, the current touring percussionist for RHCP. It’s almost impossible to define the show in any way other than what it wasn’t: namely, a Radiohead show. It was clearly on the minds of much of the audience—I saw many more Radiohead than Atoms for Peace shirts, and everyone seemed to be trading stories about the last time they had seen Radiohead. Even as the band got things started with a
DESIGN.
DRAW.
few tracks from their latest album, Amok, playing “Before Your Very Eyes…,” “Default,” and “Ingenue,” the crowd clearly had the nervous high expectations that always seem to accompany a Radiohead show. After a few songs, though, people warmed up. Gradually, the pit filled with dancing and cheering, and everyone relaxed in a way that would never happen at a Radiohead show. Flea was a joy to watch. He moved and bounced around the stage even on more melodic tracks, despite the fact that he was wearing a skirt. He wasn’t the only one having a great time, either. Yorke was having as much fun as the crowd. At most Radiohead shows, he dances wildly for only a track or two. On Wednesday, though, he was moving around the stage all night, as he became notorious for doing in Radiohead’s video for “Lotus Flower.” Even when he sat to play piano, he was full of movement. The band’s relaxed energy made for a night when everyone could let loose for a while, even during the set’s more relaxed songs. Unlike the first time Atoms for Peace played in Chicago, they only played one Radiohead track, a deep cut called “Paperbag Writer” that all but the most devoted Radiohead fan wouldn’t recognize. The show seemed a lot better for it: There would have been little point
to drag it further into the Radiohead corner. (While it would be wrong to say that Radiohead shows are an exercise in extreme seriousness, these moments prove to be the exception rather than the rule.) Even on subdued tracks from The Eraser, Yorke’s solo debut, the band injected the songs with a refreshing energy— something Radiohead has struggled to do. Even the light show employed the same sensibilities that made the show such a welcome departure from a typical Radiohead set. Zigzagging across the stage, the lights served to remind the crowd that the music was something that they should dance to, rather than look up toward in awe, as many seemed wont to do during Radiohead’s latest tour. Hopefully, Atoms for Peace shows will continue to happen. They provide a welcome counterpart to Radiohead shows, which suffocate underneath all the expectations: of the crowd, the press, and probably the band themselves. With any luck, Thom Yorke can bring the energy he brought to the UIC Pavilion on Wednesday night to future Radiohead shows as well. And even if he cannot, Atoms for Peace will continue to serve as a compelling alternative to the tension seen across Radiohead’s work, giving both the artists and the listeners an opportunity to just kick back and relax for a moment.
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SEEKING WRITERS, DESIGNERS, COPY EDITORS, CARTOONISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS Have what it takes to make the Maroon Staff? Contact us: editor@chicagomaroon.com
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 4, 2013
Yes, Master: Showtime gets freaky with new series Robert Sorrell Arts Staff Showtime’s newest series, Masters of Sex, premiered last Sunday, September 29, amid a firestorm of bus stop ads and TV trailers. The series dramatizes the real life exploits of Dr. William Masters, a brilliant ob-g yn at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Virginia Johnson, an ex–club singer turned professional assistant, as the two dive head first into the complicated world of sex in the 1950s. Along the way they try to answer questions: “What happens to the body during sex?”, “What happens to the body during orgasm?”, and “Why would a woman fake an orgasm?” The series, based on a biography of the same name by Thomas Maier, stars Michael Sheen as Masters alongside Lizzy Caplan as Virginia “Ginny” Johnson. From the opening shots of the pilot, the series sets up the strange worlds through, above, and under which Masters conducts his studies and leads his personal life. The episode opens with Masters attending a candlelit banquet more appropriate for a meeting of aging philosophers and academics than for honoring a brilliant scientist. Sheen manages, however, to render Masters insouciant, and even slightly boyish, in a GQ-worthy tuxedo and black bowtie. We follow Masters quickly from there to a closet, where he
spends late nights timing the orgasms of a prostitute and her desperate customers. Sheen plays Dr. Masters with a spot-on mixture of deadpan and affability. His monologues, which often tend toward the dramatic, are delivered with a surprising human-
MASTERS OF SEX Showtime Sundays at 9 p.m.
ity and impeccable timing that wins you over as he whiles away his hour on the screen. Sheen and Caplan pull the roles off with aplomb, bringing the lofty lines down a notch with their foibles. Virginia Johnson is constantly caught between a smile and a grimace, and the enigmatic Masters only seems the tortured-butbrilliant scientist until his face suddenly brightens and he starts hankering for a martini. Nicholas D’Agosto, as Masters’ sexually charged resident Dr. Ethan Haas, is the only real weak link in the shows’ performances. What strikes me most about this intriguing new series is how it manages not to fall neatly into any of the boxes it seems relegated to on paper. Each character has aspects of sitcom tropes: oversexed supporting male; headstrong and beautiful female; brilliant but overworked lead. But
Virginia “Ginny” Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) surveys a magazine with obvious suspicion. COURTESY OF SHOWTIME
each character then turns out to be not entirely what we bargained for. Oversexed quickly becomes romantic; headstrong starts to feel cold and lonely; and brilliance stops being dazzling. Masters and Johnson feel believable because they are both trying to fit into roles society has provided them instead of being the living incarnations of those roles. Neither can be entirely devoted to their work or their personal lives, and they aren’t always able to shed their lab coats before climbing into bed or leave their emotions at the front door. Which is good news
for the show. Apart from the drama, however, the show also has moments of fun and humor. Masters’ interactions with his previous, stuffy secretary, or Haas’ unbridled enthusiasm about sex provide relief from lofty speeches and arguments. Which brings us, once again, to the unavoidable topic of sex. It would be simply impossible to discuss this show without talking directly about sex. A summary of sex in Masters, however, is not easy to pin down—one of the show’s greatest strengths is in how much scenes vary in set-
ting and tone while characters strip down and, in the words of Beau Bridges as the hospital provost, “flop around on beds.” Sex in this show, if you can even place it all under that category, doesn’t always involve two young and languorous heartthrobs tangling themselves in knots to cover their genitals in silk sheets. It happens in shirtsleeves and socks, or hooked up to an EKG machine, or in a ding y rented room with a prostitute in garters. It also includes little of the Game Of Thrones’ so-called “sexposition.” Intercourse is a time for few words, with
those few voiced somewhere between a whisper and a groan. And, even more importantly, sex means something different to almost every character. It alternates between physical and emotional, business and pleasure, empty and fulfilling. But mainly, it hovers somewhere in between all these definitions. Even if our culture has changed enough to allow sex on TV, perhaps we haven’t really changed that much in the way we have it. The next episode of Masters of Sex airs on Showtime this Sunday, October 6.
Creative writing faculty read in Taft House, then mingle
Wednesday’s readers, from left to right: John Wilkinson, Vu Tran, Dan Raeburn, Jennifer Scappettone, and Srikanth Reddy. COURTESY OF ANGELA QIAN
Angela Qian Arts Staff “ We have had the baffling obscurity,” said John Wilkinson, chair of the Committee on Creative Writing , referring to an
excerpt from his own poetry that he had just read aloud. “The rest is self-evident brilliance.” Wilkinson was the first of the five full-time faculty members in the Creative Writing department
to present from his own work during the Meet the Writers event held at Taft House on Wednesday evening. Taft House, which has been overshadowed since the erection of the Logan
Center for the Arts, was the perfect small space for this intimate event. In lieu of a proper stage, Wilkinson stood on the staircase in front of the audience, reading selections from poetry written after he had gone on a trip to Tibet, as well as a piece that will be published in a journal from Prague, which, admittedly, was baffling : It contained references to machines and flatbed bogeys in a sinuous atmosphere, which Wilkinson punctuated with short breaths. Following the poet came Dan Raeburn, a creative nonfiction teacher, who read from his upcoming memoir, The Hand of the Potter. Deadpan, before he began reading , Raeburn said, “I told myself I’d never read from a work in progress.” Raeburn centered his narrative around the death of his daughter at birth. After Raeburn, Jennifer Scappettone read from her
own translation of the Italian poet Amelia Rosselli’s cube poetry, and one of her own poems from the collection Exit 43. Before reading , she mentioned how autobiographical the work was, written after she had found out the street she lived across from while growing up was a major toxic wasteland. The mood was lightened, and then made somber again, when fiction professor Vu Tran presented from his upcoming novel, This or Any Desert, reading an excerpt about a father who recounts a brutal story of his childhood in Vietnam to his son, laughing about it years later. The final reader of the night was Srikanth Reddy, who kept the audience laughing with the alternatingly humorous and dark prose poems from his chapbook, Readings in World Literature (yes, like the Core class). Wryly, he talks about a student who
raises his hand in class to say he is ideologically opposed to revision. Reddy’s work falls into a more contemplative tone when he writes, “Contrary to the accounts of Mu Lian, Odysseus, and Kwasi Benefo, it is not customarily permitted to visit the underworld. No, the underworld visits you.” After the reading , as they mingled with the students and other faculty who had attended, professors dropped the serious, professional personas they had adopted during the readings. (Reddy, doublechecking the photo I’d taken to accompany this article, commented: “My ass looks big.”) This was the first time the Creative Writing department had held an intra-departmental reading , and yet they hope to make this event a regular fixture as a chance for students to meet and talk to creative writing faculty, as well as to other interested students.
THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 4, 2013
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Narcissus “tackles...difficult themes with grace� NARCISSUS continued from page 6 difference at this point in time is that our actions have unintended negative consequences on the natural environment beyond the possibility of mitigation.� That is, the skeleton not only speaks to the viewer’s desire to perceive and analyze, but also to the consequences of his or her actions toward nature—which is at once both thrilling and horrifying, which one wants to free as much as one wants to enclose, which one wants to see as much as one wants to hide. Notions of environmental damage recur throughout the rest of the exhibition in pieces, such as in Katie Paterson’s “All the Dead Stars,� a laser-etched sheet of aluminum that depicts all recorded dead stars in a map-like figure that bears an unsettling likeness to a map of the Earth. The show also includes two video projections, one of which—“Spatial Intervention I�— presents a moment that is both predictable and enthralling. The piece, by Austrian artists Nicole Six and Paul Petritsch, portrays a man, dressed in dark clothing and set against a horizon, standing on a frozen lake as he chisels through the ice beneath with a pick-axe. The setup is wonderfully simple: The viewer is presented with little visual stimulation (one sees only the man, his reflection in the ice, and the
watery sky that melts into the frozen ground, creating an eerily flattened plane), and yet the viewer knows what will happen. Similarly, the allegory presented by the video is straightforward: When we abuse the earth beneath our feet, we condemn ourselves. Nonetheless, the video is hypnotizing, and the rhythmic sounds of axe breaking ice resonate throughout the space and spill into the entryway, clashing with the warm buzz of students through the hallways below. Suicide Narcissus is, simply put, an extremely strong exhibition of work from intelligent and courageous artists who have tackled opaque and difficult themes with grace. Everything about the show—from its literature to its curation to its actual artistic material—presents the viewer with clean forms, clear statements, and an overwhelming sense that the people involved in this project are, in every moment and in every sense, in control. To maintain such composure when handling the fatalistic and inherently uncontrollable concepts addressed in Suicide Narcissus is itself a commendable feat, but the artists and curators have done more than stay in command of their tools—they have implicated themselves in the destruction upon which the show is based, and in the process, have implicated their audience as well.
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THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESENTS
th
SEASON
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 / 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 / 3:00 PM
Jupiter String Quartet with James Dunham, viola
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6:30 PM pre-concert lecture: Seth Brodsky
2 PM pre-concert artist talk
Britten: String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 (1941) Britten: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94 (1975) Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111
Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36 %HHWKRYHQ 6WULQJ 4XDUWHW LQ % pDW 0DMRU Op. 130 “Liebquartett� with Gross Fugue, Op. 133
MANDEL HALL, 1131 East 57th Street
LOGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS PERFORMANCE HALL, 915 East 60th Street
“The Jupiter Quartet‌played it with lush tone, a fine sense of color and both energy and polish.â€? —The New York Times
$5
ETS
“The Pacifica’s interpretations are personal, with lots of rubato and dynamic variation, but the players‌perform with remarkable unanimity of vibrato, attack, and volume.â€? —The New York Times
$25-35/$5 students with valid ID For tickets call 773.702.ARTS or visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu
T TICK
STUDEN
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A limited number of FREE student tickets are available through the Arts Pass program; visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu for details.
We’re on our way! See you at the grad fair on your campus.
1Â˜ÂˆĂ›iĂ€ĂƒÂˆĂŒĂž Âœv *iÂ˜Â˜ĂƒĂžÂ?Ă›>˜ˆ> U Ă€>`Ă•>ĂŒi -V…œœÂ? Âœv `Ă•V>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜ U *…ˆÂ?>`iÂ?ÂŤÂ…Âˆ>] *Ä? www.gse.upenn.edu
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | October 4, 2013
After victory over Lake Forest, Conference looms Men’s Soccer
Second-year midfielder Jorge Bilbao (right) fights for the ball in a game against Brandeis University last season. COURTESY OF HANS GLICK
David Gao Maroon Contributor A late shot with 10 minutes left and a strong defense as the game clock expired notched the win for the Maroons. Chicago (5–1–2) defeated Lake Forest (5–5–0) in a 1–0 victory at home this past
Tuesday. “This past game against Lake Forest was a big game for us because we had to win it with a lot of guys playing in roles they were not accustomed to, and we wanted to make a statement before heading into conference play,” said third-year forward and team co-captain Kyle Kurfirst.
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Both teams had chances to score early on, with the Maroon defense (third-years Nick Codispoti, Jorge Sanchez-Cumming, and Kevin Matheny, and fourth-year Sawyer Kisken) and goalie (second-year Brett Wiesen) working hard to shut down Lake Forest’s offense, which included AllAmerican forward Mahir Mameledzija.
With 10 minutes left on the clock and overtime looking likely, third-year forward Matt Vecchitto passed to third-year midfielder Mikey Choquette, who curled the ball near the post to break the deadlock. Coming off of a summer trip to Croatia and Slovenia, where they went 1–1–2, the Maroons started the season off well with three straight wins against Aurora (6–4– 1), Benedictine (4–4–1), and Wheaton (7–3–0), accumulating eight goals total. After the Wheaton game, the Maroons underwent a scoring drought, losing two games and tying one, without scoring a goal. “We hit a small speed bump in the sense of getting some disappointing results and extensive injury,” fourth-year defender and team co-captain Adam Shamlian said. Now with two consecutive victories [Wabash 9–3 (2 –6–1), Lake Forest 1–0], the team is excited to begin conference play. The Maroons will face the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (7–1–1, 0–0 UAA) in their first UAA game of the season tomorrow morning. In the past three years, Chicago has a 1–1–1 record against the Tartans. The Maroons will be wary of the Carnegie squad that tied for first in the UAA last year and return the vast majority of its key players. The Tartans’ high-pressure defense has caused problems for opposition teams all season, and Chicago is well aware of the effort required to match such a high-energy opponent. “It is going to take an exceptional effort from us to get the result on the road,” said head coach Mike Babst. The match is set for 10 a.m. EST in Pittsburgh, PA.
Strong field awaits South Siders at UAA Round Robin Women’s Volleyball Alec Goodwin Maroon Contributor This weekend the Maroons (11–5) will go head-to-head with three teams in their first UAA Round Robin. The South Siders travel to Case (9–9), in Cleveland, for their first foray into conference matches this year. This weekend, at Case’s Veale Center, Chicago will face off against Brandeis (8–10) and Rochester (6–13) on Saturday and Wash U (11–4) on Sunday. Chicago played its first match of the year against Adrian College (5–11) on August 30. Since the UAA only holds two round robins a year, every match counts. In the UAA standings, Chicago is ranked fifth. The most highly ranked team the Maroons will play this weekend is Wash U, currently ranked fourth in the conference. “So far our season has been challenging, but exciting. We have a very tough schedule this year. Every single week we are playing someone that is ranked in the top 25, and sometimes we are playing two or three,” said head coach Vanessa Walby. In October, the Maroons will match up against several highly-ranked teams, including three of the top five in DIII. Walby described the next four weeks as “tough.” Walby sees a silver lining in the rigorous schedule. “This is a benefit for multiple reasons. We get to compete at a high level, we are challenged constantly, and we are being
prepared on a weekly basis for conference and hopefully postseason,” she said. After a strong showing at Chicago’s own Gargoyle Classic, where the team went 3–1, and a thrashing of Lake Forest College (6–11) where the Maroons didn’t allow a single set Wednesday of last week, the team has built up momentum. The South Siders also gained some accolades. In the month of September, both thirdyear libero Eirene Kim and fourth-year right side hitter Katie Huntington earned UAA Athlete of the Week status. First-year right side hitter and setter Erin Risk is confident about this weekend. “I feel great about the upcoming Round Robin. The whole team has really pulled together through the last couple games. We are coming off a strong win from last Wednesday,” she said. Risk cited her team’s versatility as one of its greatest strengths this season. Walby was more conservative. “Every conference weekend will be challenging for us. I would say without a doubt in my mind, that our conference is the toughest conference in the country for DIII,” she said. “So every time that we meet we will be going up against teams that are going to constantly challenge us.” The South Siders will have to be on their game this weekend. The UAA Round Robin at Case will begin for the Maroons at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, against Brandeis. Later in the afternoon, they’ll face Rochester, before matching up against Wash U on Sunday.
SPORTS
IN QUOTES “If it’s my mom on court, she’s going to get killed.” —Bulls point guard Derrick Rose explains his mindset for the new season to the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson.
Maroons put perfect record on the line against Rhodes College Football Russell Mendelson Sports Staff
Second-year cornerback Vincent Beltrano, left, starred in the Maroons victory over Kalamazoo last Saturday. COURTESY OF JOHN BOOZ
Although the school year has just begun for most University of Chicago students, the Maroon football team will have completed half of its season come Saturday evening. The South Siders (4–0) preserved their perfect record this past weekend, defeating Kalamazoo (2–2) at home by a score of 31–17. Chicago scored first, capping off their second drive of the game as fourth-year quarterback Vincent Cortina tossed a 35-yard touchdown to second-year receiver Sam Coleman. The Hornets responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Both teams traded off scoring in the second quarter. Down 7–6, the Maroons went up 9–7 on a field goal, but quickly found themselves trailing 14–9 after a Kalamazoo touchdown pass. In the second half, Chicago quickly retook the lead as Cortina dashed for a 42-yard touchdown run. He capped off the score with a two-point conversion, putting the Maroons up 17–14, a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game.
“[T]hose big touchdown plays we had were a result of us taking advantage of mistakes made by their defense. We had an idea of where the holes in their defense were and we attacked them,” Cortina said. Despite the 31–17 point differential, Kalamazoo gained 444 yards of total offense compared to the Maroons’ 243. “[Our] recipe for success is to take care of the football and wear down the other team. I knew we were the better team the whole game, it was just matter of time we started playing the way we are capable of,” Cortina said. Kalamazoo’s offensive play was not free of blemishes as they threw two interceptions and coughed up the ball four times. Second-year cornerback Vincent Beltrano forced and recovered one of the fumbles. “Our defense is predicated on making teams earn points, meaning making them drive and be patient. Typically that results in some kind of mistake throughout the game,” Beltrano said. Beltrano thinks the defense provides a favorable matchup against Rhodes College (3–1) this weekend even though the Maroons didn’t play flawlessly
against Kalamazoo. “The defense was not satisfied with its performance in totality, and upon watching film we realized it was the little things such as communication, technique, and mental errors. These are things we will work to straighten up and hopefully avoid against Rhodes.” Cortina thinks there are a few keys to keeping up the hot streak. “To continue our recipe for success, we need to take care of the football, win the field position battle, and control the time of possession,” he said. This will not be an easy battle for the Maroons as there will be a nine-hour, overnight bus ride to get to Rhodes in Memphis in addition to the mental stresses of a beginning academic year. According to Beltrano, the team recognizes these challenges and is preparing for them with the coaches’ advice to “control the controllables.” Although distractions may be lurking like defensive tackles, Beltrano is still confident. “[If we] play our game we give ourselves a chance.” The Maroons will kick off against Rhodes at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Chicago streaks into UAAs Sabada, Kranz star at ITA Championships Women’s Soccer Tatiana Fields Associate Sports Editor Last Sunday, the Maroons extended their win streak with an away victory over Kalamazoo. The South Siders (7–2–0) shut out the Hornets (4–5–0) by a score of 2–0 and won their fourth consecutive game. The Maroons took control of the game early on and held a 6–1 shot advantage in the beginning of the first half. Fourth-year captain and forward Natalia Jovanovic scored Chicago’s first goal in the 22nd minute. Jovanovic scored unassisted on a second attempt after her first shot was blocked. The South Siders maintained steady defense and controlled the play throughout the first half with eight shots to Kalamazoo’s five. The Maroons added to their lead early on in the second half, scoring just 74 seconds into the second half and widening the gap to 2–0. Second-year midfielder Naomi Pacalin tallied her fourth goal of the season off an assist by Jovanovic. The Maroons kept the pressure on and ended the game with a 13–10 shot advantage. Despite several shots on goal, the Hornets weren’t able to get on the scoreboard, allowing the Maroons to pick up their fourth shutout of the season. “The team won on Sunday’s game against Kalamazoo because we achieved our goals through coach’s framework,” said second-
Men’s Tennis year forward Mary Bittner. “We found the back of the net and played solid defense. Overall, it was a great team effort.” The Maroons will face off against Carnegie Mellon next at an away game this Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Tartans (6–1–1) are having a strong season and currently hold a five-game win streak. However, the South Siders have been enjoying similar success and have high hopes for the latter half of their season. “The season so far has been solid with seven wins and only two losses, one of which was in double overtime,” Bittner said. “We are a talented team.” The South Siders will be led by third-year forward Sara Kwan and fourth-year midfielder Micaela Harms. Kwan is the lead scorer for the Maroons with six goals this season, followed by Harms with four goals. Along with Jovanovic, these players will drive the Maroons’ offense. “The expectations for the Maroons in our upcoming game against Carnegie is to continue to find success and build our record to qualify for the 2013 NCAA tournament,” Bittner said. “The team must focus on staying disciplined on the field and playing within the framework that coach has constructed for us.” The Maroons kick off this Saturday against Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh at 1:30 p.m.
Alexander Sotiropoulos Senior Sports Staff Champions are made in Kalamazoo. The site of the USTA Boys National Championships, the town saw the emergence of players including John McEnroe and Andy Roddick. The site of the 2013 USTA/ITA Central Region Championships, the town saw the emergence and potential of the University of Chicago tennis squad. Third-year Deepak Sabada advanced to the singles final, where he fell 7–5, 7–6 (4). Sabada, along with first-year Sven Kranz, also advanced to the doubles final before falling 5–7, 6–4, 1–0 (8). “I thought it was fantastic,” said head coach Jay Tee. “We’re going in the right direction.” Sabada cruised his way through the singles draw, losing no sets until the final. But both Sabada and Kranz were on the same side of the singles draw, resulting in an all Chicago semifinal. “If [the tournament directors] would’ve done the draw right, [Sabada and Kranz] would have been in opposite halves,” Tee said. “We could’ve had two semifinalists on the two sides, but they screwed the draw up.” Having endured 11 matches prior to the singles semifinal, Kranz cramped early in the first set. “It’s that feeling that you can’t run for balls,” Kranz said. “I like to move around the court a lot; that’s part of
my game, and I couldn’t do that as well as I wanted to.” The pain was too much for Kranz to overcome as Sabada won 6–3, 6–3 and represented the Maroons in the prestigious final against Kenyon’s Sam Geier. In what was a test of nerves for both players, Geier edged out Sabada. “[Sabada] didn’t play his best,” Tee said. “[Geier] made a couple more big shots—big points—just keeping the ball in play, keeping it deep. Any other day the advantage goes to Deepak, but maybe a case of the nerves got to him.” In doubles, Sabada and Kranz lost only a combined four games in their first two matches. But they were put to the test in the quarterfinal, down 6–0 against Naveen Chadalavada and Max Franklin of Wash U. “They were playing flat, they weren’t making balls, and they just didn’t look good,” Tee said. “They looked like they were both playing singles out there and not doing the right things we’ve been working on.” The Maroons then did the improbable. “We got a pretty easy break, and then we held my serve after facing a couple break points, and we turned it around after facing a couple break points,” Kranz said. “Then, we started to believe we could do it.” With the 8–6 come-from-behind victory, the Maroons went up against the potential No. 2 doubles of Wash U. The match headed into a tiebreaker
and after Wash U dumped an overhead volley into the net at 3–3, Chicago won three straight points to secure their finals bid (9–8 (3)). Facing their third, but best, Wash U team in a row, the Maroons found themselves in another tiebreak situation after winning the first set 7–5 and losing the second 6–4. A tenpoint tiebreak would decide the champion. Tied at 3–3 and then 6–6, Wash U eventually pulled ahead with a 9–7 lead. The Maroons saved one match point, but the Bears clinched the title one point later. Sabada and Kranz said they were pleased with their improvements throughout the tournament. “We got better every single match we played,” Kranz said. “Eventually, it started clicking.” Tee lauds not only the efforts of Sabada and Kranz, but also the entire Maroon squad, especially the firstyears. “It’s been incredible what the freshmen have done, not only on the court, but the energy and excitement they brought to the team this year,” he said. Without any more matches scheduled until January, Tee said he looks forward to seeing Chicago’s improvements. “There’s a couple sparks but we don’t have any flames yet,” he said. “This offseason will be huge for the guys. What they do with their time will really tell how they do in the spring.”