TUESDAY • OCTOBER 8, 2013
ISSUE 2 • VOLUME 125
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
Residents sue city over 53rd St. high-rise Jonah Rabb News Staff Four Hyde Park residents have filed suit against the City of Chicago regarding recent zoning changes made to the so-called “McMobil” site at 1330 East 53rd Street. The University-owned property is slated to be the site of Vue53, a 13-story, 155-foot tall retail and residential building. The building was rezoned as a “planned development,” which is necessary to
construct large residential and commercial properties, in June. According to the complaint filed on August 29, the plaintiffs allege that the development of such a building is “wholly inconsistent with the existing uses and zoning on 53rd Street” and assert that the plan does not provide adequate parking for the development and will deprive neighboring properties of sunlight. 53RD continued on page 3
“Full-service” UCPD gains new authority Isaac Stein Maroon Contributor After expanding its responsibilities and powers, the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) is now seeking to certify those changes with a national accreditation agency. UCPD transitioned to a “full service” police force this calendar year, according to UCPD Accreditation Specialist Ernie Knight. UCPD’s duties
now include, among other responsibilities, writing police reports and detaining and processing individuals after they have been arrested, all without involving the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Knight said the change has effectively streamlined the UCPD. “It used to be that anybody who was arrested would have to be transported by an officer to a local CPD station for processing and detention. That meant
From left Anika Noni Rose, Tonya Lewis Lee, Timuel Black, Diane McWhorter, Adam Green (not pictured), and Juan Williams discuss the history of racism in America during the Institute of Politics’s “From Birmingham to Barack” panel in Mandell Hall on Monday evening. JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON
Birmingham legacy evolving 50 years later Sonam Jindal Maroon Contributor
UCPD continued on page 2
An interdisciplinary group of panelists looked back at the progress since the civil rights movement and the ongoing struggle for racial equality in
a panel discussion last night entitled “From Birmingham to Barack: The Politics & Progress of the Civil Rights Movement, 1963 to 2013.” The discussion used as a focal point the series of protests in ’63 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Fox News analyst Juan Williams, the event’s moderator, began the conversation by reflecting on how it was a unique time to consider race in the United States and reignite the conversation among a new generation. Williams cited
movies like The Butler, Django Unchained, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham; the election and re-election of the United States’ first black president; and the national attention and outrage surrounding the Trayvon Martin BARACK continued on page 3
Mobile lab is new vehicle for STEM ed Losier may join UCPD review committee
Sarah Manhardt Maroon Contributor A magic school bus will hit the streets of Chicago this winter, but Ms. Frizzle won’t be driving. Meet the Think Tank, a fullyfunctioning mobile neuroscience lab aiming to engage K–12 students in STEM fields. Conceived by Associate Professor of Psychology Daniel Casasanto and cognitive science researcher Tyler Alterman, who works in Casasanto’s lab, the Think Tank will travel to schools, museums, and youth centers throughout the city promoting science education, specifically to students with disadvantaged backgrounds. “We want to find kids who have the raw potential to succeed in science, to inspire them to strive to fulfill this potential, and to equip them with the experiences and the credentials they need to enter top
Linda Qiu News Editor
The Think Tank is a mobile scientific laboratory and education center aimed at engaging Chicago K-12 students in STEM fields. COURTESY OF THE THINK TANK
undergraduate science programs,” Casasanto wrote in an e-mail. Through its engagement with students, the Think Tank will establish a fellows program that recruits the most promising rising high school seniors to take part in a paid summer research internship at the University under the
mentorship of students and postdoctoral researchers. “Getting into a good undergraduate program is a crucial step on the pathway to a top graduate program, which can lead to a research career in a university like ours—and some THINK TANK continued on page 4
Nine months after his arrest by University police, ninth-year Ph.D. candidate Toussaint Losier was recommended Sunday by the SG Executive Slate to the Independent Review Committee (IRC) of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD). The IRC, composed of University faculty, staff, students, and community members, acts as a standalone and unbiased auditor of the UCPD and reviews all complaints brought against it, compiling its findings in an annual report. Losier, who was arrested January 27 by UCPD officers while protesting the lack of an adult level-1 trauma center at the University’s Medical Center, was one of 11 applicants for
three spots on the committee vacated by last year’s student members. SG President and fourth-year Michael McCown noted Losier’s experiences in student government and serving on an ad hoc committee reviewing the arrest of Mauriece Dawson in the Regenstein Library in 2010 as reasons for his recommendation. “He studies policy and is passionate about policing so there’s really no one more qualified,” McCown said. Neither McCown nor Losier believe Losier’s arrest present a conflict of interest with the aims of the IRC. Despite previous intentions to file a complaint against UCPD related to his arrest last year, Losier said he now does not plan to do so. In fact, Losier believes his personal experience with UCPD may be IRC continued on page 4
IN VIEWPOINTS
IN ARTS
IN SPORTS
Surrounding the core » Page 5
For cinephiles on the Mag Mile, CIFF promises film spree » Page 8
Maroons edge out Tartans in conference opener » Back Page
Sleigh Bells trade sweet Treats for Bitter Rivals» Page 9
Chicago defeats Wash U to seal UAA sweep »
Pacifying Politics, Part 1» Page 6
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 8, 2013
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NEWS IN BRIEF Shoreland open for business The first seven floors of the Shoreland, an apartment building and former luxury hotel and UChicago dormitory, are currently open for new renters. According to the Hyde Park Herald, the first tenants are currently occupying the building, and the remaining six floors will be open by the end of the year. After opening in 1926, Shoreland was a luxury hotel until the 1970s when it was acquired by the University and converted into a dorm that remained open until 2009. In 2008, Shoreland was acquired by Antheus Capital/MAC Property Management and turned into an apartment building with 330 mostly one-bedroom units. While the exterior and structural elements remain similar to the original 1920s construction, the interior has mostly been changed. “As the grandest of Chicago’s 1920s apartment hotels, Shoreland required a grand design for the 21st century,” said Peter Cassel, director of community development for MAC Property Management, “Shoreland is also the first residential apartment building in Chicago to offer gigabit internet service, and the building is
Formerly a glamorous hotel and a UChicago residence hall, the Shoreland is reopening as a luxurious apartment building. | THE CHICAGO MAROON
JAMIE MANLEY
designed for LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification and includes efficient appliances, low-flow fixtures, energy-saving lighting and recycling. —Harini Jaganathan & Qianyi Xu
New program joins law, business The Law School announced the creation of the Doctoroff Business Leadership Program last Wednesday. The new program, a joint venture
with the Booth School of Business, will give law students the opportunity to take core business classes such as accounting and corporate finance taught by professors from Chicago Booth and graduate with a certificate in Business. In a press release, the Law School stated that this new interdisciplinary graduate program “combines law and business courses to prepare the next generation of law graduates with the analytical skills to be leaders of businesses or key advisors with business.”
Within the program, a select group of 15 students per class will also be chosen to partake in a specialized curriculum combining law and business classes, advanced seminars, and one-on-one counseling with assigned business mentors. The program was made possible by a $5 million endowment donated by Bloomberg L.P. CEO and University Trustee Daniel Doctoroff (J.D. ‘84) and his wife Alisa Doctoroff (M.B.A. ‘83). —Mike Gaffey
Blue bikes for Univ. “Tired” of walking? Chicago’s new bike share program, Divvy, now has five stations in Hyde Park, most notably next to the campus bookstore on East 58th Street and South Ellis Avenue, Kimbark Plaza on East 53rd Street and South Kimbark Avenue, and Promontory Point on South 55th Street and East Lake Shore Drive. Additional stations are planned for International House on East 59th Street and South Dorchester Avenue as well as
near Medici and Noodles, Etc. on East 57th Street and South Kenwood Avenue. Day passes are available for $7 and annual memberships for $75 for credit or debit purchase at any Divvy station kiosk. Paying this fee allows members to make unlimited trips between any stations. However, because Divvy is intended for quick commutes from place to place, a bike must be returned within 30 minutes to avoid overtime fees, which range from $1.50 to $8 every half hour. —Thomas Choi
University hopes CALEA will save money in long run, student hopes it will improve police accountability UCPD continued from front
fewer officers on the street, and an inefficient use of resources,” Knight said. In the midst of establishing the changes, the UCPD has contracted the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
(CALEA) to certify that the UCPD’s entire operation, including police action that falls under the umbrella of “full service,” meets what Knight sees as an extremely high standard. CALEA is an independent accrediting authority established by major law enforcement
associations. Its certification process consists of a 481-point inspection intended to evaluate the management of the UCPD and day-to-day operations of its officers. The UCPD must submit large quantities of its records and other paperwork, as well as allow CALEA inspectors
to ride along and interact with police on the beat. “Accreditation from CALEA is more than a sticker on the side of the squad car. It means professionalism and accountability,” Knight said. However, third-year Ava Benezra, a leader within the Southside Solidarity Network and UChicago’s Coalition for Equitable Policing, believes that it is necessary to wait in order to determine whether CALEA certification will mean that the UCPD is more accountable in its policing practices. “The hope is that with [CALEA] certification, the UCPD, which is a private police force, will be as publicly
accountable for its actions as the CPD, which is a public force. That is not to say that the CPD is a meaningful measure of quality policing,” Benezra said. According to CALEA’s Web site, the organization bills its accreditation process as a means to “improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives.” Knight estimates that CALEA will charge roughly $5,000 in fees for its services, but believes that the UCPD, which will aim to complete CALEA certification by April of 2014,
is making a good, long-term investment. “CALEA certification means certification by an internationally-recognized agency, and being in compliance with their stringent regulations limits liability. One lawsuit, and you’ve paid for CALEA and the salary of an accreditation manager several times over,” Knight said. For Benezra, it will take a while longer to see the benefits of CALEA certification. “There are so many ways that the UCPD could improve its operations, as well as its relations with the outside community. This certification sounds like a step in the right direction. But only time will tell for sure.”
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The UCPD has expanded its capacity to become a full-service department that can detain and process individuals. The department is pursuing accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 8, 2013
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Rose: idea of post-racial Plaintiffs claim lack of community involvement in Vue53 America a “mistake and lie” BARACK continued from front
case as the impetus for discussing race today. The conversation began with the panelists discussing where the events that took place in Birmingham 50 years ago fit into the larger conversation about race today. Adam Green, associate professor of american history at the University, said that the Birmingham protests represented a pivotal point in the civil rights movement because it was one of the first major victories. While there had been struggles to end segregation in cities all around the south, there had not been a victory or organized campaign until Birmingham, Green said. The success of the Birmingham campaign created tangible momentum for the movement. Anika Noni Rose, an actress from The Watsons Go to Birmingham, pointed out that even 50 years after Birmingham, much still remains to be done. “It is a mistake to believe we are living in a post-racial America. It is a mistake and a lie,” she said. The Watsons Go to Birmingham is a 2013 movie that shows the civil rights movement through the eyes of a 12-year-old. Green elaborated on Rose’s point by acknowledging that while the country has a black president, America still sees cases like that of Trayvon Martin, the African-American high school student shot in 2012 in Florida by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, who is
Hispanic and white. The rest of the conversation was facilitated by questions from the audience and focused on the idea of how to make a difference right now, in the face of what panelists characterized as growing economic inequality and an inadequate education system. The panelists encouraged young people to believe in the power of their own voices to affect change, though Lee cautioned that major change would be difficult in the current environment of political gridlock. Tonya Lewis Lee, writer of The Watsons Go to Birmingham, elaborated on the importance of young people getting involved, saying that youth need to be aware of the history of the civil rights movement. Lee said that she made her movie to help youth today experience the civil rights era the way someone their age experienced it in history. Civil rights activist Timuel Black (A.M. ’54), who fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., in the civil rights movement, said that he was still optimistic about the future. “The door is going to open. We are going to find a way. Be prepared to walk through it.” The panel was sponsored by the Institute of Politics in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham events and March on Washington.
Residents of 53rd Street are suing the city over zoning changes that will allow a high-rise building to be erected at the site of the Mobil station. JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON 53RD continued from front
“[The City of Chicago] needs to respect existing uses and zoning laws in the area,” Michael Scott, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in an interview with the Maroon. Scott, who lives within 250 feet of the site and is a member of the community ad hoc organization Citizens for Appropriate Retail and Residential Development (CARRD), said the construction of Vue53 has been the subject of contentious discussion
and outrage since it was introduced at a 53rd Street Visioning Workshop in 2007. The University has defended the development as supported by the public. “The zoning change for Vue53 came after years of discussion about development along 53rd Street with local residents and community leaders, including a series of community workshops that began in 2007, and public meetings earlier this year where the majority of
Jackson Sr., Rush express support for trauma center Madhu Srikantha Senior Editor Months after a heated campaign for an adult level-1 trauma center, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., joined community leaders and activists in calling on the University to expand its trauma services in a town hall meeting at University Church this past Saturday. The event was hosted by Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY) and Students for Health Equity (SHE) and comes at a time when University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) administrators are considering building a new emergency room. The town hall meeting was led by a brief presentation by FLY, after which audience members questioned the panel. The group included fourth-year SHE member Patrick Dexter, FLY representative Victoria Crider, Leif Elsmo, executive director of external and community affairs at the UCMC, and Dennis Higgins, representing Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL). Rush earlier this year proposed a bill that would bring in $100 million from the federal government to be used toward increasing access to trauma care in underserved areas. During the question and answer session, Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-3rd)
declared her unequivocal support for expanding access to trauma care in the South Side, saying it is now her “number one priority.” She promised FLY and SHE leaders that she would push for a hearing with a representative from the governor’s office, a State Department official in charge of implementing the Affordable Care Act, and other relevant political figures in the area to help push the movement forward. Toward the end of the event the crowd became agitated at Elsmo’s responses. FLY organizer Alex Goldenberg (A.B. ’06) asked Elsmo if the University would commit to meeting Chicagoarea physicians to discuss the possibility of being part of the foundation of a level-2 trauma center at Advocate Trinity hospital on the South Side, an idea that Gary Merlotti, a Mt. Sinai trauma director and one of the doctors who helped set up Chicago’s trauma network in the 1980s, discussed with other emergency care physicians from around the city this summer. Elsmo responded that the University had not been officially approached with this plan, but that discussing “regional solutions” remain a part of the University’s efforts to work with the community on increasing access to health care, and that hospital administrators are open to discussing such solutions.
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the general development of 53rd Street, not specifically the Vue53 project. According to a final report of the four Visioning Workshops, which spanned five years, the last meeting concluded with Fourth Ward Alderman Will Burns (A.B. ’95, A.M. ’98), a well known advocate of Vue53, thanking the community and reassuring them that “planning and development is owned by the community.” Burns could not be reached for comment.
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people voiced their support for this particular project,” said University spokesperson Jeremy Manier in an e-mail. “The developer made several changes to its original proposal for Vue53, including reducing the height of the building and increasing parking spaces,” Manier said. The height decrease was by one floor, making the building 13 stories high. Scott called the University’s response “disingenuous,” stating that the workshops focused on
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 8, 2013
No conflict of interest, says SG
CORRECTIONS
IRC continued from front
beneficial to the committee. “The experience I had last year with UCPD will probably help inform my experience on the IRC in a really positive way. What the IRC’s role is to review people’s complaints and what that requires is to put oneself in the shoes of someone,” he said. “Many of the people on the IRC have one connection or another to the University so the IRC can have a bias in general. To look at policing with a critical eye, a variety of experiences is necessary.” Former IRC member Cesar Favila, a sixthyear history Ph.D. candidate, pointed out that the committee’s size and collaborative approach would make it difficult for any one voice to dictate evaluations or recommendations. “It’s a pretty big committee and it operates through reaching consensus as a group,” he said. “[Losier] could offer a unique perspective.” Administrators will have the final say on the committee’s make-up and still need to approve Losier’s recommendation. If approved, Losier says he plans to improve transparency within the UCPD and raise public awareness of the IRC and its functions. “I’ve had a variety of different experiences with the University and UCPD, both very good and very bad. Obviously, the UCPD plays an important function on campus so I look forward to working with the IRC and engaging with it,” he said. The SG Executive Slate also recommended second-year Kevin Hasenfang and fourth-year Aerik Francis to the Committee on Crime Prevention and Security on Campus and in the Neighborhood.
Think Tank to answer “higher calling” THINK TANK continued from front
day, to a scientific community that reflects the diversity we see on our city streets,” Casasanto wrote. Alterman says he and Casasanto currently have enough funds to purchase a bus and lab equipment, but hope to secure a donation for a bus by November to free up funds for other uses. Then they will collaborate with University artists to design the bus, which will be topped with a glowing purple brain. Alterman originally envisioned the Think Tank for New York City when he was a senior at Macaulay Honors College, working as an undergraduate researcher assistant at Casasanto’s laboratory at the New School for Social Research. Alterman was initially inspired to create a mobile science laboratory after reading about the Trailer Park, a natural park on wheels. “My mom said something like, ‘You should do that for cognitive science’ and at first if your mom suggests anything like that it’s just one of those mom ideas, but then I started calling up all of my friends and saying, ‘What do you think of this crazy idea?’” Alterman said. The two began fundraising in New York in February, raising over $17,000 in a little over a month through crowdsourcing. When Casasanto decided to become a professor at UChicago last winter, he learned about the University’s efforts to promote diversity in education and realized, “The Think Tank could answer a higher calling.” “The idea was that we could use The Think Tank as a ‘vehicle’ for increasing diversity in science—and that UChicago was the institution to help us make this mission a success.... I realized that we had an opportunity to do something that could change students’ lives, and in doing so could help change the face of academia,” he said.
» The October 4 article “Weekly severs ties with Newcity, charts own path,” misstated the extent of the Weekly’s financial dependance on the University. The Weekly receives a small allocation from Student Government.
» A photo caption that accompanied the October 4 article “UCPD clarifies policies” misspelled the last name of Belinda Vazquez.
Ninth-year History Ph.D. candidate Toussaint Losier was recommended by Student Government to be on the UCPD Independent Review Committee. Losier was arrested last year during protests at the Center for Care and Discovery on charges of trespassing and resisting arrest. SYDNEY COMBS | THE CHICAGO MAROON
VIEWPOINTS
Editorial & Op-Ed OCTOBER 8, 2013
Every step of the way University should solicit student input when making long-term decisions
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 JAMIE MANLEY 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
From recent, long-term changes, it is clear that the University has made a commitment to building a community that embraces collaboration. In his Fall 2013 “Welcome and Update” letter, President Robert Zimmer cites the University community’s “devotion to…an intense and open exchange of ideas” as one quality that makes this campus a unique destination in academia. Collaboration, the lifeblood of a large research institution, is a current focus of the administration as it looks to the long-term success of this university. For example, the Institute for Molecular Engineering, which takes an “integrative approach” to its work, and the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics, which already attracts interdisciplinary scholars, are both founded at least partially upon a philosophy of collaboration. Yet, the administration’s visible commitment to collaboration does not seem to carry over to recent changes in student life. Recent decisions made in the College community—which are arguably beneficial in the long term, but affect students in an immediate way—have been sudden and opaque. The University Community Service
Center (UCSC) restructuring was announced only days before the start of fall quarter. Even though administrators say that they solicited student input while developing the changes, it is deeply concerning that several students and employees affiliated with the UCSC were unaware of the restructuring until after it was already decided. This summer, over 1,000 students signed a petition against ORCSA’s plans to downsize Hallowed Grounds, which had not yet been publicly announced by August even though they were set to take place by the start of the academic year. Only after the petition and accompanying uproar was a student advisory committee created to consult decisions on design and furniture for the repurposing project. This is not to say that the University has entirely ignored student input in recent years. The design for the residence hall that will replace Pierce Tower followed up on many student suggestions raised during the preliminary stages of the project. However, this model of asking for input during the decision-making process, rather than after the fact, remains the exception when it should be the norm.
Understandably, there will be instances where the University’s longterm vision does not match up with students’ concern for immediate benefits. But this should not serve as an excuse for the administration to exclude student input from the decision-making process—including students would allow them to avoid potential problems as well as get a valuable perspective. The administration often has been able to cope with the aftermath of controversial decisions by incorporating student input as a reactionary measure: The Housing office held a town hall meeting last year after announcing the Pierce demolition, and UCSC Director Amy Chan and Assistant Vice President for Student Life Elly Daugherty (A.B. ’97) are meeting with individual students concerned about the UCSC reorganization. However, University officials could render these actions unnecessary by letting students know of plans in the works earlier in the process. Perhaps if students had known of the plans to repurpose Hallowed Grounds before they appeared to be moving forward, administrators would not have had to waste time and resources pursuing a plan that many
students did not support. And even when current students will not enjoy the benefits of a change, their perspective is still valuable now. Whether it’s how they prefer to live in a dorm or study in a coffee shop, students are the ones who know this campus best. While students may not always understand the economics behind investment decisions or the legalities of contracts, they provide on-the-ground perspective that administrators cannot. We place our faith in the University to reconcile those two perspectives, and such a balance can only be struck when both sides are heard. Change is, quite understandably, inevitable and crucial to the progress of the University—in whatever way the University wishes to measure progress. But change should not be secretive, nor should news of it be sudden to the public. Students who wish to engage with their University in a meaningful and impactful way should be given the opportunity to do so.
The Editorial Board consists of the Editors-in-Chief and the Viewpoints Editors.
STEPHANIE XIAO Assoc. News Editor ELEANOR HYUN Assoc. Viewpoints Editor LIAM LEDDY Assoc. Viewpoints Editor ANNA HILL Assoc. Arts Editor TATIANA FIELDS Assoc. Sports Editor SAM ZACHER Assoc. Sports Editor
Surrounding the core Core classes should better complement the major and elective classes that students take
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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 Maya Fraser Viewpoints Columnist At the end of the summer I sat down to dinner with my grandmother and a group of four of her friends who had graduated from the University of Chicago. Despite being the youngest person at the table by more than fifty years, I found myself engrossed in the conversation. The “Chicago group” was a diverse set of persons who had all gone on to interesting careers after leaving the University, from working for the Foreign Service to playing concert piano professionally. But most of the talk was about Chicago. They told me about the courses they had taken and the dorms in which they had lived, leading to the discovery that one of the men had lived in the same Burton-Judson house as I had. They also asked me questions about my own coursework, the authors I had read, and which Core sequences still existed. It became apparent that although they went to the same university that I do now, the educations they received were a completely different animal than mine. We like to think of
the University of Chicago education as part of a tradition that stretches back for many decades. In truth, the nature of that education has changed quite a bit. My grandmother’s friends had been at Chicago in the late 1940s and early 1950s, at the tail end of Robert Maynard Hutchins’s era as President and then Chancellor. In those days one couldn’t major in anything until the Masters level; the undergraduate education consisted entirely of Core-like classes. This realization led me to think about what elements of my education have been successful, and which have failed. Am I missing out by having an education less focused on the great books, one that has left me without much knowledge of Roman history or any of the many things that educated people were once supposed to know ? Or have I benefited from having more time in my major and more options in completing my general education requirements? In some ways I have and in other ways I have not. Our Core today lacks both the cohesiveness and commonality that it had 60 years ago. It only gives students a set of common knowledge insomuch as that everyone reads Plato and Marx at some point in their time here, and it may be possible to even get out of that if classes are carefully selected. That being said, most social science, humanities, and civilizations classes today still seem to teach their material well and en-
gage students. Even if they have changed to reflect the wishes of students today, the College seems dedicated to making sure that they are small, high-quality classes. (This is not true of the science Core, but that is another issue and one that has already been written about.) Having a smaller Core also allows for more time to be spent in one’s major or learning skills for the job market, which is increasingly important in today’s economy. My ultimate conclusion is that I am losing out in my education not in the Core, but in major classes. As I have gotten older and taken mostly major classes I realize that I learned so much more in many of my Core classes than I am learning in my classes now. This is surprising , since Sociolog y seems like a great field for tackling big questions along the lines of those discussed in the Core. What does it mean for an individual to live embedded within a society? How does the society affect the individual and how does the individual affect society? Unfortunately, many of my classes don’t seem to engage the mind in the same way that the Core did. This is because the College often does not apply the same teaching philosophy to major classes that it does to the Core. In the Core, classes are small and discussion-based. They are supposed to be based on the Socratic method, with an instructor there to give guidance, explain difficulties in the reading,
and ultimately participate with the students in a collective learning experience. That is the goal at the very least. These are the classes that are supposed to be the hallmark of a Chicago education. In the major, though, things are different. For Sociolog y, all of the required courses are relatively large lectures (40+), as are many of the electives. Even an excellent professor cannot engage 50 students as well as she could engage 19. Having taken a large course and a small course with the same professor, this difference was especially apparent. One was a class that was interesting , but did not have a large impact on my thinking. The other was a class that forced me to think profoundly about methodolog y and what we can actually learn from practicing sociolog y. The Chicago education would be improved if the College extended the pedagogical philosophy of the Core beyond it. Decreasing class sizes would help, but even more, the College should begin to think of those classes as a continuation of what was begun in the Core, not just something that comes after. We may no longer have an education that is similar in content to that experienced by my grandmother’s friends, but we should at least have one that follows a similar spirit, regardless of the specific material taught. Maya Fraser is a fourth-year in the College majoring in sociology.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | October 8, 2013
Pearls of wisdom The most peripheral knowledge may be what we want to remember
By Jane Huang Viewpoints Columnist It seems traditional for students in their last year of college to reflect on what they’ve learned over the last few years for the sake of sharing their hardearned wisdom with underclassmen. However, I often think that life is somewhat like The Simpsons, in which the important lessons that the main characters learn during one episode appear to have been entirely forgotten by the next episode. Thus, instead of presenting a list of what I’ve learned so far in college, it may be more accurate to compose
a list of some of the things I hope to learn or relearn by the time I leave. My list is not intended to be comprehensive—some omitted ideas may be among the most important lessons taught in college precisely because they’re so difficult to remember. The weather forecast should be checked dutifully. Despite having lived in Chicago for the vast majority of my life, an unjustifiable amount of optimism leads me t o forget every year how fickle the weather can be. On more than one occasion, the rain has started and stopped within the span of my walk between my dorm and another building on campus. Looking out the window is not a good way to gauge what preparations one ought to make for the day’s weather. Be judicious about what information (or “informa-
tion”) one repeats. As college students, many of us are happy to pass on tips and facts we’ve picked up over the years. However, just because something is repeated a lot doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily reliable. For example, multiple people majoring in subject X at this school have told me that the average GPA in their department is 2.7. Nobody seems to know the origin of that factoid, given that a specific GPA breakdown by major isn’t published by our school. Curiously enough, one of my classmates recalls first hearing this factoid from me, whereas I recall learning it from him. You’ll notice that I’m not specifying which department I’m referring to, since I don’t want to be responsible for someone quickly scanning this column to come away remem-
Pacifying Politics, Part 1 Understanding definitions and backgrounds can quell anger surrounding politics
By Matthew Morgado Viewpoints Columnist Editor’s note: This column is the first of a two-part essay. For many Americans, nothing seems to raise the voice, tighten the fists, and boil the blood more than a heated political debate. Views clash daily on the street, in living rooms, and within Congress, as every side spars for the coveted pleasure of “being right.” The salience of political participation in American culture often leads me to wonder what exactly constitutes a “political belief,” and what rationally justifies holding one. (Cue sarcastic thoughts of your personal political opposition.) In an attempt to bring mutual understanding between political opponents, I foolishly decided one evening to investigate this ontolog y of political belief— and quickly ran into murky definitions. By “political belief,” we Americans actually mean a broad range of concepts, which can be separated into five major definitions: 1) an idea regarding how a group, or groups, of people should or should not be governed, 2) a prediction of the consequences following some decision of an existing or hypothetical government, 3) a moral judgment of a society’s laws and customs, 4) a view describing
how international governments should interact with each other, and 5) an academic concept detailing the theoretical structures of different political systems. Phew. The first four categories seem to be of greatest import for most Americans, and thus deserve the greatest treatment. Ideas surrounding the first point are heavily shaped by personal views as to what humans— or at least a specific group of them—should accomplish for the greatest good. The obvious source of conflict lies in what constitutes a “good” outcome. For example, does a “good” result involve cultural homogeneity or diversity? Before engaging in tense debate, arguers ought to concur on what “good” results are. When discrepancies in definition occur, the arguers should proceed cautiously, taking account of this difference. Socrates claps from his grave. Anyway, the concepts of the second point are based upon one’s own probabilities of possible consequences. Predictions by socialists and libertarians on the effects of a proposed minimum wage bill, for example, would fall under this category. Determining the truth of these beliefs is hindered, in my opinion, by the traditional problems facing the social sciences, the biggest of which is precisely predicting the responses of fickle, impassioned humans. These personal probabilities seem to be equal parts objective and subjective, and they are formed by personal experiences with, and assumptions of, behavioral patterns. We Americans should understand POLITICS continued on page 7
bering only the statement that department X has an average GPA of 2.7 (Hint: It’s not my major). This example is relatively innocuous but demonstrates that it can be hard to keep track of the provenance of information. There may be such things as stupid questions, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be asked. One thing that surprised me about college was the sheer amount of eye-rolling and audible snickering that went on during some classes when somebody asked a question. People are fond of saying that “there are no such things as stupid questions,” but this cliché tends not to be very reassuring when the feedback you’re getting suggests otherwise. Certainly, not all questions are of equal quality. For example, questions that seek to resolve
ambiguities or to explain a concept unfamiliar to most people are usually better-received than those that indicate one has neglected to do the reading or that are off-topic. However, sometimes questions that may seem stupid to someone from a given background may not have answers that are obvious to others with different backgrounds. Other times, our minds may blank at highly inconvenient moments. My general view is that if I’m reluctant to ask a question because I think that I already ought to know the answer, then it’s all the more important to ask the question so that I can make sure I really do know the answer. It’s preferable to feel a little foolish now in a relatively low-stakes setting than to make any major errors a few years down the line when handling
more responsibilities. That being said, it’s also helpful to make a good-faith effort to work through a question by oneself first if feasible. Paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons, whereas diamagnetic materials do not. Every year, I reread the definitions of paramagnetism and diamagnetism and then starting mixing them up again soon after I’ve closed my textbooks. This year, I am committing myself to remembering them properly. I admit that remembering this piece of information might not be helpful for most people in their dayto-day lives, which goes to show that the accumulated wisdom of upperclassmen, including mine, isn’t necessarily applicable to all. Jane Huang is a fourthyear in the College majoring in chemistry.
Communicating changes Recent decisions reveal troubling trend that students have a role in correcting Alexa Daugherty & Jeanne Lieberman Viewpoints Contributors Four days before the start of classes, students closely associated with the UCSC—Summer Links, Seeds of Justice, and former participants of the now restructured Community Service Leadership Training Corps (CSLTC)—received an email. Subject line: Changes within UCSC. The message’s content added to a long and accelerating line of drastic changes within the University over the past two years. These changes are underscored by their abrupt timeline. To start, the most recent UCSC turnover leaves the center entirely in the hands of a relatively new staff, none of whom have been with the UCSC for more than five years. Moreover, the change disrupts some of the UCSC’s most highly-regarded programs—including Volunteer Referral, Seeds of Justice, and Summer Links—which former Assistant Director Trudi Langendorf managed. More disturbing is the fact that this recent student life decision does not stand as an isolated incident. Instead, it builds upon a recent history of student life decisions being made opaquely with little to no direct student input. Earlier this summer, UChicago Careers In Journalism (UCIJ) and UChicago Careers In Arts (UCIA) were condensed to UChicago Careers Journalism, Arts, and Media (UCIJAM). This decision, also announced in an email, left many students to ponder the following : Are the
budgets of UCIJ and UCIA condensing ? Is there now just one adviser? (Yes). Are the same programs, fellowships, and intern opportunities going to be available? While UCIJAM’s effectiveness has yet to play out, this change points to a larger issue of communication. There is a gap between the administrators responsible for spearheading ‘progress’ and the students actually affected by their purported innovations. Equally obscured was the process behind ORCSA’s announcement regarding changes intended for Hallowed Grounds, which left students shocked by the announcement of the intent to downsize Hallowed Grounds in order to make RSO advising offices. Threatened and worried for a space that many an essay-writer has called home, students immediately petitioned and organized to save their space. As of now, the future of Hallowed Grounds is still unclear and still in the hands of ORCSA administrators. For the many affected by the UCSC restructuring, this is a far from ideal start to autumn quarter. Rather than focusing on pressing social justice issues, school, or RSO work, many students are instead trying to make sense of these obscure administrative decisions that were made without their input. Moreover, in failing to include input even from student employees, the University risks disorienting the very constituents it claims to serve. The larger trend should be worrisome to all UChicago students, no matter what their major, extracurriculars, or interests: The
UCSC restructuring is a conspicuous example of profound problems behind administrative decision-making, intentions, and outcomes. These silent deliberations and last-minute announcements hinder student involvement and pull the rug out from under affected students, leaving them scrambling rather than supported. Quiet overhauls such as these serve to make mission statements espousing an “intention to serve students” appear as an insubstantial facade. There is no remedy for the losses created by many of these specific decisions, but that is not a justification for inaction. Rather, students should pursue channels of open dialogue between themselves and the College administration. We—and our future peers— should be stakeholders in campus and student life. We should take it upon ourselves to transform mere mission statements to veritable missions supported by actions. It is the very concept of the “life of the mind” that enables students to take on greater responsibility. We can effectively, knowledgeably ask the pertinent and critical questions needed to develop and test administrative ideas. We are not opposed to change; we just believe we should have a say in shaping the forces that in turn shape our daily lives and education. Alexa Daugherty is a second-year in the College majoring in international studies and philosophy. Jeanne Lieberman is a secondyear in the College majoring in Law, Letters, and Society.
THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | October 8, 2013
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Political belief can be categorized five-fold POLITICS continued from page 6 how various backgrounds can mold our probabilities. In regard to the third point, the values of those who subscribe to a morally centered political belief are similarly developed by religious, ethnic, racial, economic, gender, and other such influences. For instance, the debate over contraception and abortion is shaped largely by religious influences. Political debaters ought to realize the psychological impact that these forces have upon both others and themselves. But watching people yell at each other can be entertaining as well. Those who define a political belief based on the fourth point are concerned with foreign policy. Ideas include such questions as whether America should intervene in the Syrian civil war. Most people would probably agree that the aim of foreign policy ought to at least be to protect America; however, disagreements arise as to how such a goal should be achieved and what further diplomatic
goals should be pursued. Some thinkers might stress American security over that of other nations, while others might stress the role of international peacekeeping forces over global policing. Now, for the sake of example, imagine two close friends who attend the University of Chicago, both of whom relish politics. Their names are Connor Servative and Libby Rawl. Connor holds firm to his beliefs in small government, the free market, and traditional cultural values. On the other hand, Libby espouses beliefs in a more active government, a regulated economy, and cultural diversity. Can each student be rationally justified in holding their own political beliefs? I believe it is possible. Oh, boy. How are you going to pull that one off ? Stay tuned (or not) for the second part of this project; maybe by its end, politics will be a slightly kinder pursuit.
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Matthew Morgado is a first-year in the College.
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For cinephiles on the Mag Mile, CIFF promises film spree Robert Sorrell Arts Staff On October 10, the 49th Chicago International Film Festival will kick off with an opening night gala screening of James Gray’s new movie The Immigrant, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard, at the snazzy Chicago Theatre. A piece of advice? Don’t go. The real action at the CIFF happens across the river at the far less glamorous AMC River East, where they won’t turn you away for wearing a White Sox T-shirt, and you won’t have to drop $25–150 to rub shoulders with a few A-listers. The truth is that the few bigname American films in the festival will all be playing at River East or Harper Theater in a few weeks, and most of the 180 films composing the bulk of the Festival won’t. So before you start drooling over the possibility of seeing the Coen Brothers’ newest film Inside Llewyn Davis a month and a half early, you might want to check out a few films that are a bit more under the radar—it might be the only chance you’ll get. Trucker and the Fox (Iran. Sunday, October 13 at 5 p.m. and Tuesday, October 15 at 7:15 p.m.)—Arash Lahooti’s documentary follows the enigmatic Mahmood Kiyani
A scene from Roberto Andò’s Viva la Libertá, screening on October 17, 19, and 21 at the 49th Chicago International Film Festival. COURTESY OF BIBI FILM
Falavarjani, a truck driver in Iran who makes acclaimed short films starring his beloved pet fox. Lahooti’s lens catches up with Falavarjani
after his fox’s death, capturing his descent into depression, enrollment in a psychiatric hospital, and subsequent release as he tries to make his
way back from rock bottom. This intriguing film promises to hint at the strange ways we manage grief, the reasons we create art, and the odd, often
Bring: friends, people you inexplicable things to which we tie our affections. And want to impress, small aniif it doesn’t deliver on those mals. fronts, it will at least tell one Viva La Libertà (Italy. hell of a story. FESTIVAL continued on page 10
With kitsch and corn, HPAC steals the Midwest Lauren Gurley Arts Editor The legally questionable practice known as appropriation has been one of the most significant ongoing preoccupations of American artists and art critics in recent decades. Beginning in the ’60s with Andy Warhol and continuing into the ’90s, American artists—specifically those in the New York avant-garde—have lifted images from popular culture and used them in their art. Think of Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans, Richard Prince’s Marlboro cowboy ads, and Roy Lichtenstein’s comic strips.
A STUDY IN MIDWEST APPROPRIATION Hyde Park Art Center Through January 12
At the new exhibition, A Study in Midwest Appropriation, which opened at the Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC) on September 29, 30 artists from Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis are taking a Midwestern stab at appropriation. The result: humor and self-deprecation. Sound appropriate? Appropriation art as defined by art critic Tony Godfrey in his book Conceptual Art is “the act of one artist assuming the work of another artist and claiming it as their own.” In Midwest Appropriation, the artists “steal” a subject matter both typically Midwestern and non-Midwestern using an extensive array of media including sculptures, photography, drawing, written documents, prints, and collages. With some of the appropriation, it is blatant as to how the artist is “stealing”
content—a literal Sony mini-TV—while other techniques are less obvious, as is the case with a collage of cut up images of Bob Marley. The show, curated by painter and critic Michelle Grabner—who is also co-curating the 2014 Whitney Biennial—includes stacks of wooden VHS tapes, a cinder block sculpture in the shape of the Great Pyramids, a collection of signed photographs from local Chicago news anchors, even an ugly little weed growing out of the side of the gallery wall. Some of the pieces are easy to grasp, while others are more cryptic, especially to a non-Midwestern native. Grabner writes, “How these [Midwest] artists decide how the [images in the exhibit] are used and by whom is an open question, but there would appear to be little or no proprietary interest in the images themselves.” Indeed, the longer you look, the more possible readings of the artworks emerge, especially in terms of how they relate to appropriation: Sometimes you begin to wonder whether you’re looking at art or stuff from your Aunt Sue’s den. While it may seem ironic to call appropriation art original, many of the pieces across the Midwest Appropriation gallery’s two rooms are more unique and thought-provoking than you would initially expect. For example, a made-from-scratch yellow sign on wheels reads, “Relax and take your time, sale!”; there is a giant blown-up photograph of the front page of The New York Times travel section with an article on the topic of wellness on one wall; and a freestanding billboard for a night club that has a mystery DJ and an open mic. All these mention various aspects of Midwestern life that often go overlooked. But these are the sorts of things Midwesterners see and eat and watch and do; the artists seem to be saying: It isn’t glamorous or beautiful, but it’s easy to poke fun at.
A reappropriated billboard offers advice on how to stroll the gallery. COURTESY OF LAUREN GURLEY
Some of the artists take a more aggressive stance toward their Midwestern pride. A multimedia piece—that includes photographs of Wisconsin cheese, labeled Frisbees, and the artist’s personal notes scribbled over amateur photographs of young people in their kitchens—also expresses outrage at the American media’s lack of concern with the Midwestern current events and issues. The text on one of the photographs reads: “What made Sandy more newsworthy than Riverwest?... Why should Milwaukee care for Chelsea when New York never cared for Riverwest?”
Midwest Appropriation poses a lot of questions and provides little relief. It makes an appeal to the anthropologist, the historian, the media junkie, the hoarder. If New York artists often used appropriation to comment on the role celebrity and fame play in New York popular and consumerist culture, the Midwestern artists exhibited at HPAC are interested in the kitschy, unsophisticated, homey objects and images from everyday life in the region, hopefully leaving patrons with some little or grand discovery about consumerism in the heartland.
THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 8, 2013
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Bullock and Clooney walk on air in Gravity Ellen Rodnianski Arts Staff Oscar-nominated director Alfonso Cuarón just released what is probably the most visually stunning space movie yet. But it isn’t just a pretty face. Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and an unseen Ed Harris as the voice of ‘Houston,’ is a thriller that takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster the likes of which have never been seen.
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuaron AMC River East
Unlike most movies about space, aliens do not feature in Gravity. The storyline revolves around genius engineer and first time astronaut Ryan Stone (Bullock) set adrift in space after a Russian satellite explodes, causing a shrapnel collision that destroys her spacecraft. Throughout the duration of the 90-minute movie, Bullock ceaselessly faces life-threatening danger as the growing cloud of shrapnel continues to orbit the earth.
Apart from Stone, the only other character featured on the screen is Matt Kowalski (Clooney), a veteran astronaut who likes to tell life stories and joke around. The two characters function as opposites in this respect; where Kowalski is sociable, Stone is quiet and aloof. She loves space because of the silence. This love of silence, we learn, is in many ways a consequence of the fact that Stone is haunted by the memory of her dead child. The already-harrowing struggle to survive the shrapnel and get back to earth, the drama of trying to decipher Russian and Chinese instructions on a foreign space-craft, and the new layer of conflict added by this haunting memory is, arguably, a little too much. Yet this last personal story ultimately leads to a moving monologue in which Stone finds the will to survive. The visual effects of the movie are striking. In 3D format, everything that’s happening on screen looks unquestionably realistic. Especially noteworthy is a scene immediately after the original collision occurs. As Sandra Bullock is thrust into space, she is continuously spinning, and while she spins, the audience spins with her. We see what she sees: space, debris, earth, space, debris. The effect is
Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) tries to fix the space shuttle by turning it off, then turning it on again. COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES
so realistic that one becomes almost nauseous watching her. The physics of the movie are also very impressive—the way the astronauts drift in space, whether still attached to a spacecraft or trying to get to a shuttle, seems perfectly calculated. And while the actionpacked scenes are visually striking, they are often interrupted by serene and even more beautiful scenes in which one can recognize geographical details of our planet, such as the Nile or Italy. One of the most visually spectacular scenes of the movies is when Kowalski (Clooney) takes a moment to
reflect and watch the sunrise on earth. Silence is clearly a theme of the movie, but it is one thing when Bullock’s character talks about it and another to hear it in the movie theater. Naturally, all the action scenes are noisy, with the occasional loud “whomps” as Sandra Bullock lands on space stations, or high-pitched noises coming from the ship’s countless mechanisms. Still, Gravity is not a very loud movie, and this feature definitely emphasizes the thrill. Numerous scenes find Bullock alone in space, and when not conversing desper-
ately with Houston and/or Kowalski, her hurried breathing dominates the soundscape. Gravity is not one of those movies that you should watch on your computer or iPad. The spectacular visual effects and the absence of the stereotypical action-movie sound accompaniment need a big screen and big speakers to be appreciated to the full extent. This, coupled with a gripping storyline and characters who continue to engage even as they drift alone through the empty void of space, makes Gravity a visual wonder that truly must be seen to be believed.
Sleigh Bells trade sweet Treats for Bitter Rivals
Sleigh Bells’ performance last year at Mandel Hall was well received, but their new album shows weakness. COURTESY OF TIMBRE TANTRUM
Zane Burton Maroon Contributor When Sleigh Bells released their debut record, Treats, in 2010, they did so to the sound of near-universal acclaim. The album boasted a sound that other artists of the time just didn’t have. Namely, their music was unapologetically loud in a year where rock was dominated by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, Beach House, and Arcade Fire. While other
groups may have produced more nuanced outputs, much of the success of Treats came from its simplicity. The album seemed to have a visceral effect. Most notably, it sounded new. Unfortunately, Sleigh Bells’ latest release, Bitter Rivals, out today on Mom + Pop Music, extends on some of the shortcomings that were present on last year’s Reign of Terror. It’s clear that Sleigh Bells is trying to mature into a sound that is more nuanced than the
brash guitars and synths plus jumbled sugary pop vocals formula that predominated on Treats, but it’s no longer clear whether they are going to be able to further develop their sound. This time around, the duo Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller recruited Andrew Dawson to produce the album. Dawson’s recent credits include Yeezus, Watch the Throne, and Cruel Summer. He brings his hip-hop pedigree to the table most notably on “You
Don’t Get Me Twice,” which finds Miller’s brash guitars coexisting with a heavy synth beat. Despite the fact that the group has been integrating hip-hop beats since the beginning (Miller has said that he stole the beat for “Infinity Guitars” from Kanye West’s “Gold Digger”), the results are less than stellar. The two elements clash with each other rather than working to build a unified whole, and the result is a disjointed track that feels referential instead of in-
novative. Fittingly, what’s most perplexing about Bitter Rivals is that Sleigh Bells seems to have lost their ability to integrate the unexpected. While Treats was certainly simple, it also utilized nontraditional sounds (such as the snaps which persist throughout “Tell ’Em”) in a very refreshing way. Bitter Rivals attempts to do the same, but ultimately, the sounds feel decidedly misplaced on the latest record. Most glaringly, the opening track, “Bitter Rivals,” opens with an acoustic guitar accompanied by dog barks and Krauss shouting “Hi!” Unfortunately, the dogs don’t stop there: In a decision that I’m still trying to wrap my head around, “To Hell With You” trades Miller’s guitars for synthetic dog barks. Instead of the guitar / bass drum callback that was a hallmark of early standout “Infinity Guitars,” “Tiger Kit” incorporates a guitar / cow moo callback. It’s unclear if there is some explanation for all of the animal noises on the record or if the band just thought that fans were tired of hearing claps and snaps. Sleigh Bells also continues their mission to bring Krauss’s vocals to the front of their sound, but without their trademark distortion, they sound more like the teen pop groups she performed in as a young teen herself rather than the band’s punk contemporaries. In order for Krauss’ new sound to work, her lyrics would’ve have to find some kind of deeper meaning that they never did on earlier re-
cords. Unfortunately, this just doesn’t happen. The same winning/losing dichotomy of their earlier records dominates, and now that we can actually understand what Krauss is singing, this becomes a much more glaring imperfection than it was previously. For example, “Bitter Rivals,” begins with a truly perplexing reference to A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times/ It was the worst of times/ I had to kill the new sheriff in town.” The lack of depth isn’t surprising, but Krauss needs to find something more meaningful to say if she plans to be well-heard in the future. Despite its lack of lyrical depth, the album finds success from song to song, especially on the standout track “Sing Like a Wire,” which recalls much of the band’s earlier work. Instead of working to reinvent its sound entirely, it utilizes ‘80s synths to provide an interesting twist on a classic Sleigh Bells track. “Young Legends” works with some of the same elements to build a track that mostly succeeds, even if the acoustic guitar becomes fairly tiring after a couple of listens. With their latest effort, Sleigh Bells continues to search for a sound that advances the simple formula of Treats, yet still brings the same energy that Krauss and Miller always have. Unfortunately, the search will have to continue, for Bitter Rivals is not the answer. Hopefully, with their next record, Sleigh Bells will consider whether they ever really needed to change anything at all.
THE CHIC CAGO MA AROON | ARTS S | Octo ober 8,, 2013
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Rapper Danny Brown looks back, moves forward with Old Rob Sperry-Fromm Maroon Contributor After the success of his second studio album, XXX, Danny Brown could have gone in a number of different directions with his followup, Old. The previous record had a bifurcated vinyl-nerd structure, masterful pacing, and cohesive and appealingly old-school production. Had he now gone further towards either the chilled-out neoDilla of that record’s second half or the bug-eyed trap of the first, it would have made a lot of sense and probably been very successful. What he has done instead, doubling down on the bipolarity and weirdness, boring his focus further inward on himself, is a testament to both his musicality and his restlessness. For Brown, being weird is serious business. “Side A (Old)” ominously and matter-of-factly introduces Brown’s concerns about the record-at-large in much the same way that XXX did. Most of the record’s more subdued first half focuses in one way or another on Brown’s “street” past, the traumas and effects of which are at the front of his mind. The first half manages to be both dark and compulsively listenable as we’ve come to expect from Brown. “The Return” is a riff on Outkast’s “Return of the G,” which takes a classic hip-hop beat and provides the most accessible highlight for Tribe fans. “Gremlins” has a washed-out
Detroit soul vibe and might be the most at home on XXX. There’s a ridiculously strong run towards the end of the half, where “Lonely,” “Clean Up,” and “Red 2 Go” have him rapping about the elusiveness of sobriety and happiness in a powerful way over flawless beats. “Lonely,” in particular, spins out solid gold as Brown waxes about the isolating effects of his lifestyle over a Neil Young-esque guitar sample, classic rock backing vocals, and an effing Rhodes piano. Even as the subject matter is downbeat, there’s plenty of incredibly accessible, satisfying material here. But Brown doesn’t want you to have it so easy, and the first half is littered with weird asides and breaks in the flow. “25 Bucks” finds Brown frenetically rapping about his hood over a stock Purity Ring beat, making it work surprisingly well as he wrestles hooks out of his breathless flow. “Wonderbread” has a beat to rival “Radio Song” in weirdness, but the cartoonish whimsy (there are flutes) is undermined by Brown narrating a harrowing story about being attacked by dope fiends when he was a kid. “Dope Fiend Rental” is loud and legitimately unpleasant as Brown and Schoolboy Q trade verses about fellatio that veer well into self-parody. The conflation of Brown’s true music-nerd proclivities, his insistence on trad-rap purism and rattling trunks, and his restless, weird, druggy creativity are
what make him so appealing to different swaths of listeners. Brown has enlisted a ton of producers like A-Trak, Rustie, SKYWLKR, and Darq-e-Freaker to go along with XXX architect Paul White. The focus is less on cohesiveness than it is on boldness, and the result is a more schizophrenic-sounding record even within its vinyl-pandering Side A/Side B framework. On Side B, Brown unleashes his turnt-up party rap side. This means pushing the boundaries of obnoxiousness. Brown screams, howls, pants, and barks his way through a bunch of acid-trap bangers—almost all of which wear a pronounced U.K. grime influence—that make “Bruiser Brigade” sound like a Wiz Khalifa song. This stuff is so aggressive and over-the-top that it feels designed to scramble critics’ radars. But it isn’t Wacka Flocka—there’s a weird sense of streamlined clarity to all of this, a purity to the thumping rush. Brown’s music nerdism is still pushed to the fore, even in the midst of songs that are basically only designed to melt faces at festivals. “Dope Song,” “Handstand” and “Smokin’ and Drinkin’” are huge, detailed, frantic blasts of fuck-you energy that Brown stays completely on top of—he drives the beats rather than succumbing to them. Brown isn’t afraid to be grating, which is what makes his moments of subtlety so effective, and this is exactly what happens
My Sweet Pepperland, Stray Dogs, Life is Short in the race for Gold Hugo FESTIVAL continued from page 8 Thursday, October 17 at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, October 19 at 3:30 p.m., and Monday, October 21 at 5:45 p.m.)—When Italian party leader Enrico runs away in the middle of the night, who else could fill his role but his mentally-deranged identical brother? Hijinks ensue when higher-ups try to keep the scandal under wraps while Enrico’s brother ambles smilingly through the high-tension tangle of Italian politics. Watch political satire and oldfashioned comedy collide in this film by director Roberto Andò. Bring: Friends with a sense of humor, a jovial attitude. My Sweet Pepperland (Iraq, France, Germany. Monday, October 14 at 5 p.m., Wednesday, October 16 at 8:30 p.m., and Thursday, October 17 at 2 p.m.)—Hiner Saleem’s tale literally gallops through the stark yet breathtaking Kurdistan region of Iraq and Iran as his protagonists stand up to the vigilante justice and might-makes-right that rules the region. A playful, dark twist on the American Western, Pepperland arrives to high expectations in Chicago after receiving a nomination under the “Uncertain Regard” category at Cannes this summer. It could even have a chance at this year’s Gold Hugo (this festival’s highest prize). Bring: Your friend who thinks you only ever watch rom-coms, anyone who has read the newspaper in the past 25 years. Stray Dogs (Taiwan, France. Friday, October 11 at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 13 at 12:30 p.m.)—Even though Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang has taken home Berlin’s prestigious Golden Bear Award for Best Director, his films aren’t likely to grace America’s silver screens too often. His newest film follows a father and two sons trying to survive, home-
less, on the fringes of Taipei. If you’re seeking catharsis, or just need to use your surplus of Kleenex, this film is sure to deliver. Bring: A shoulder to cry on, tissues, things that make you feel good inside. Life is Short (Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20; check Web site for individual listings)—Although it is a bit of a cop-out to choose the whole series of shorts this year at the CIFF instead of just choosing one, let me just say that shorts are without a doubt the best way to grapple with the enormity of modern film festivals. This way, you have no fear of accidentally committing yourself to a two-hour bore-fest in Ukrainian, or miraculously buying tickets to the three worst films at the festival. The seven manageable groupings this year each include six to 12 shorts on topics from “Night Terrors” to “Nature or Nurture?” to my personal favorite, “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” a series exploring the way people respond to unexpected or uncomfortable situations (such as crashing a party in the South of France, a situation played out in Social Butterfly). Bring: Anyone and everyone. For the cinéastes with less appetite for adventure, the special presentation series is full of high-power films, including 12 Years A Slave; an adaptation of the play August: Osage County starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Ewan McGregor; Kill Your Darlings, featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a young Allen Ginsberg; and Blue is The Warmest Color, which won the Palme D’Or at Cannes this summer. Happy hunting. The Chicago International Film Festival runs from October 10–24 at the AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois St. For full schedule, visit chicagofilmfestival.com.
On his third album, “Brown doesn’t want you to have it so easy.” COURTESY OF PIGEONS AND PLANES
in the clinching final pair of songs. Once again, the dude knows how to stick a landing, giving us two clear highlights to shut things down. “Kush Coma” takes a skittering, shimmering, minor-key club beat that feels like the soulful, sad climax to everything that preceded it and allows Brown to go insane. “My brain going on vacation,” he says. This being Danny Brown, there has to be a comedown, and the Charli XCX–featuring “Float On” is the best one possible. This is one of the best songs he has ever recorded: In three and a half minutes he makes the case for everything that came before
it. “Pray I get old just to hear I been the future/ Just to see my influence in this genre of music,” he muses over production that combines the laid-back darkness of the first half with the electronica of the second, and provides something completely singular in his catalogue and a strangely moving conclusion to this bizarre, invigorating trip of an album. Where XXX was a narrative, Old is more of an unfiltered, all-over-the-place voyage into Brown’s psyche. Where the former album bore the local influence of J Dilla on its sleeve, the latter is worldlier, more forwardlooking, and more experimen-
tal. While it may not be quite as perfectly sculpted as the earlier record, it’s no less ambitious or unified in sensibility. What strikes me most about it is how big, thorny, and risky a piece of work it is. It feels like a major text from a major artist, unafraid to be jarring or alienating, in a way that makes it a worthy followup to XXX. Brown is extremely conscious of how he is perceived in the media and by fans. It’s right there in that last song—he wants to make music with staying power, like the classics, and he thinks he knows how. The beauty of Old is that it shows that he’s only ever going to do it his own way.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | October 8, 2013
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Chicago defeats Wash U to seal UAA sweep Sam Zacher Associate Sports Editor
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DEEPAK SABADA, MEN’S TENNIS Head Coach Jay Tee: “Deepak Sabada advanced to the finals of the ITA Regionals in both singles and doubles, a feat accomplished by no other UChicago tennis player in recent history. He battled through arm and leg injuries all weekend and represented himself, his team, and his university with great class. He served as a great example to our five first-years about what it means to truly compete for every point.”
ANGELA LASCALA-GRUENEWALD, WOMEN’S SOCCER Head Coach Amy Reifert: “A backup keeper for most of her career, Angela has always been an integral part of our goalkeeping corps and team success. Her positive attitude and consistent work ethic have set an incredible example for her teammates. She has been our starting goalkeeper this season in four games and played in six total. The team has been 4–0 in the games she started. We so value her commitment to the program.”
COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS
A record of 2–38 against a particular team is not usually something to cheer about. Today it is. At the UAA Round Robin I, No. 18 Chicago (14–5) defeated Brandeis (9–12) and Rochester (7–16) on Saturday and then No. 9 Wash U (14–5) on Sunday in the championship. Last year was the first time in history that the Maroons beat the Wash U Bears, and on their 40th meeting this year, Chicago improved their head-to-head record to 2–38. However, the only contest that matters now is Sunday’s. “Our main strengths were that we played as a team and had a great mentality. Every individual stepped up when they were called upon and, everyone played a part,” said fourth-year setter Nikki DelZenero about the win over Wash U. On Saturday, Chicago pounded Brandeis in straight sets, winning 25–15, 25–15, and then 25–16. Rochester gave the Maroons a bit more of a scare but still fell in three straight sets: 25–18, 25–23, and 25–17. “When it comes to conference matches, every team is going to play all out,” DelZenero said. “[Fourthyear middle blocker] Maggie Vaughn played outstanding [on Saturday]. Katie La Porte is a fresh-
man and had to step up after our other middle [was] sick. She did wonderful.” In the championship match, Chicago handily took the first set 25–14, setting the tone. Wash U recovered and won the next set 25– 23. That would prove to be the only set Chicago would lose all weekend, though, as it then won the final two sets 25–18 and 25–22. Chicago evened its record with Wash U after the win on Sunday and looks to rise in the rankings. Although DelZenero was proud of her team’s selfless play, she isn’t 100 percent satisfied with their overall performance. “There’s always something to improve on,” she said. “We need to keep working on our blocking and defense against certain attacks, and we need to continue playing as a team. It’s all about consistency, so hopefully we’ll keep it where it needs to be.” DelZenero led her team to victory by setting a season high with 43 assists, and second-year outside hitter Maren Loe added 17 kills, her second highest total of the year. The Maroons will certainly aim to bump up their record against Wash U to 3–38 next season. Before then, Chicago has half of this season left and is set to carry its momentum to Grand Rapids, MI for the Midwest Challenge next weekend.
COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS
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SPORTS
IN QUOTES “I’ve been showing off my new 34Ds and getting compliments all the time, except right after Giants games –the guys are sort of deflated—they take that football stuff too seriously!” —A stripper at Rick’s Cabaret in NYC describes the Giants’ negative impact on the atmosphere in the club.
Maroons edge out Tartans in conference opener Men’s Soccer David Gao Maroon Contributor In their first UAA game of the year, the Maroons (6–1–2) came together to fend off last year’s conference co-champions. Third-year midfielder Nic Lopez was the star, heading in both goals in a 2–1 victory. Coming off a pair of wins against Wabash (2–7–1) and Lake Forest (6–5–0), the men’s soccer team looked to make a statement against the Carnegie Tartans (7–2–1), ranked 17th nationally. “Every UAA game is tough, but going on the road to play CMU, who’s got seven or eight starting seniors from the team that were the cochamps of the conference last year, is going to be a challenging game to play,” said head coach Mike Babst. Chicago began the match with an offensive mindset. “We came out with a lot of energy and high pressure as planned, and it paid off. We scored first—about 10 minutes into the first half. Nic Lopez scored off a really nice header on a corner kick from [third-year] Matt Vecchitto,” said third-year forward and team captain Kyle Kurfirst. Carnegie equalized on a free kick four minutes later. The score remained level for the rest of the half,
with the Maroons’ defense working hard to keep Carnegie out. The second half was marked by high intensity and a number of fouls from both teams, and the game became more open as the half progressed. In the 79th minute, third-year defender Nick Codispoti collected the ball inside Carnegie’s half before playing a deep cross to the back post where Lopez, unmarked, headed in for his second goal of the game. The Maroons did well to limit Carnegie’s chances after the goal until a mistake from Codispoti gifted the Tartans one more chance in the final minute of the game. Codispoti conceded possession from a free kick and Carnegie launched a counterattack, playing a long ball over the top to put Jerome Reano in one on one against secondyear goalkeeper Brett Wiesen. Wiesen was off his line quickly but collided with Reano as he attempted to clear the ball, leaving both players on the floor. Wiesen, deemed to have used excessive force by the referee, was issued a red card, while Reano had to be withdrawn after extensive medical treatment. After a 10 minute break for the injury and some confusion as to which team would receive the ball when play restarted, it emerged that
Third-year Nic Lopez assesses his options in a game against Brandeis University last year. Lopez scored both of Chicago’s goals against Carnegie Mellon on Saturday. COURTESY OF HANS GLICK
Reano had been called offside shortly before the collision, and the ensuing free kick was awarded to Chicago. The Maroons were able to see out, to their relief, the final 30 seconds of the game with little incident, holding on for the win in their first UAA game of the season. It was a big victory, with the Ma-
roons not only sending a message out to the rest of the UAA conference but also continuing this season’s trend of different Chicago players stepping up in big games. The Maroons now look to focus on their second of three upcoming UAA conference matches. They will host the Emory Eagles (7–3–1) at
home this Saturday, with the action scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. “Every player feels this year will be special. We believe we can compete with any team in the country, including Emory,” Codispoti said. “We feel like we got robbed last year down in Georgia, so every returning player is eager to get another chance at them.”
Chicago falls to Rhodes despite offensive outburst Defense sets tone in 0-0 Football Sam Zacher Associate Sports Editor It’s not often that a Chicago quarterback throws for over 350 yards and five touchdowns. It’s particularly rare when that happens in a loss. Fourth-year quarterback Vincent Cortina set a career high with 354 yards in addition to the five scores as the Maroons (4–1) fell to Rhodes College (4–1) in a high-scoring affair by a score of 41–34. Unfortunately for the South Siders, the lackluster play of Chicago’s special teams overshadowed Cortina’s impressive numbers. The Maroons allowed the home Lynx to block and return a punt to take the lead in the first quarter. Chicago responded with two scoring drives of 83 and 70 yards, taking a 13–6 lead. After beginning the second half with the game tied 13–13, both teams began a flurry of scoring. The Maroons and Rhodes traded touchdowns until the game stood 27–26 with the Lynx ahead. Rhodes took their turn and put up another touchdown, but the South Siders failed to score on their next drive and were forced to punt. Instead of learning from their first-quarter mistake, however, the Maroons allowed the Lynx to block yet another punt,
and Rhodes also returned this one for six points. The Lynx found themselves with a 41–26 lead with only four minutes left in the game. Cortina and the Maroon offense fought back and scored another touchdown, but that ended the game’s touchdown free-for-all. Rhodes held onto their 41–34 lead until time expired. “Really it just comes down to which team executed their assignments better,” said fourthyear linebacker and captain Brian Duffy. “However, Rhodes did a good job of causing some confusion on our end with the stunts that had put in [during punts].” The 14 points that were essentially handed to Rhodes on two blocked punts put Chicago’s offense in a troubling spot the whole day. That being said, though, Cortina is still looking on the bright side. “If special teams cleans up, I think that will allow offense and defense to play even better,” Cortina said. “It will help us control field position and win the turnover battle. All in all, we still have a chance to accomplish all our goals and win UAA. I think it was good thing it happened in a game like this so we can fix it for the more important games.” Second-year receivers Sam Coleman and Cole Thoms caught most of Cortina’s passes;
Coleman hauled in six tosses for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and Thoms added eight receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown. On the defensive side, thirdyear linebacker Schuyler Montefalco and second-year defensive backs Chris Dengler and Greg Thome all had eight tackles each. Up until now, Chicago had been red-hot, winning its first four games and outscoring its opponents by at least 10 points in each game. Cortina’s play has been a big reason for the team’s success. “I think I have finally put it all together and fully understand what the coaches are asking of me. I have a lot of confidence when I’m on the field,” he said. Before the Rhodes game, the combined record of the Maroons’ first four opponents was 6–12. Today, the combined record of their remaining opponents is 13–9, so the competition is sure to pick up. This season still looks promising for Chicago, though, since the offense has been firing on all cylinders, and the Maroons likely would’ve come out on top against Rhodes without the blocked punts. Chicago doesn’t play again until the Homecoming game at Stagg Field on Saturday, October 19 at 1:30 p.m. against Macalester.
tie at Carnegie Women’s Soccer Tatiana Fields Associate Sports Editor After 110 minutes of gameplay, in which they were largely on the defensive, the Maroons’ conference opener against Carnegie Mellon on Saturday ended in a 0–0 tie. Chicago (7–2–1) held the No. 14–ranked Tartans (6–1–2) scoreless through double overtime to get off to a 0–0–1 start in conference play. The Maroons may not have earned a victory, but the team was happy with its performance. The South Siders showcased their defensive stability as they held off wave after wave of Tartan offense. “We competed very well against Carnegie for fifty-fifty balls and second balls in addition to causing deflections in the midfield,” said assistant coach Bannon Stroud. “We will have to continue this going forward throughout the season. All conference games are going to be a slugfest.” From the start, the Tartans put the South Siders on the back foot with four shots in the first half to Chicago’s one and kept up the pressure throughout the game. The Tartans tallied 11 shots overall while the South Siders were held to just two. Both of Chicago’s scoring opportunities fell to fourth-year captain Natalia Jovanovic, who took a shot off of a free kick in the second period of overtime but was just high and wide. Another team standout was third-year goal-
keeper Jacinda Reid, who recorded four saves. With the second half of their season now underway, the Maroons are focused on qualifying for the NCAA tournament. The coming week will be vital in establishing their NCAA and UAA credentials. Chicago faces No. 1 Wheaton and conference rivals No. 7 Emory in the space of four days. “Our team goals each year are to make the NCAA tournament, and the best way to do that is to win the UAA automatic berth,” Stroud said. “No doubt this is the pivotal week in our season. Wheaton is a huge rivalry game, and of course we have to take three points at home from Emory.” Though the Maroons will have home-field advantage against Wheaton, the game will be a serious challenge. The Thunder is currently undefeated, having won all 11 of its games this season. However, both Chicago and Wheaton have played North Central College and University of St. Thomas this season, and in both cases the Maroons won by a wider margin than the Thunder did. “We have to stay organized on defense and eliminate quick opportunities for them to get out in transition,” Stroud said. “You have to force them into a defensive posture and try to slow down their offense.” The Maroons will take on the Thunder this Wednesday on Stagg Field at 4 p.m.