Chicago-Maroon-09-11-03

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VOLUME 121

UT gets in Shape

Volleyball nets win 25

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CHICAGOMAROON.COM

UT’s new show premieres.

Most wins for Maroons since 1996.

NOVEMBER 3, 2009

CHICAGO

AROON

The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892

HYDE PARK

CAMPUS LIFE

University Market to close

Admin responds to SOUL activism for workers’ hours By Nathalie Gorman Senior News Staff

University Market employee Alma Silva rings up a costumer Monday night. The market is scheduled to close on December 13 due to large increases in rent. ERIC GUO/MAROON

The store’s deli operations will move to Medici Bakery By Ella Christoph News Editor University Market will close December 13, the store said yesterday, after the University raised the store’s rent 50 percent over the past two years, according to co-owner

and manager Kirsten Esterly. The market, co-owned by Esterly and Hans Morsbach, will continue many of its deli services in Medici Bakery. Morsbach owns Medici Bakery, and Medici Restaurant, University Market. He also operates the Pub. Morsbach said the proposed rent, $40 per square foot a year, was the highest he had heard of in Hyde Park. “The rent has gone up some-

thing horrible,” he said. The University declined to comment, citing its policy of not discussing rental and lease issues. “Our rent has been raised significantly and we just decided it’s not in our best interest to keep on with rent that high,” Esterly said. The space is approximately 20 by 65 feet, and would have cost about $52,000 a year if the Market had accepted

MARKET continued on page 2

Campus administrators responded to protests and a letter from Students Organizing United with Labor (SOUL) decrying the 35-hour workweek, down from a standard 40-hour workweek, for campus employees. I n r e s p o n s e t o S O U L’ s l e t ter to President Robert Zimmer, University Chief Financial Officer Nim Chinniah and Kim Goff-Crews, vice president for Campus Life, sent a reply in which they emphasized that, among others, this decision was made to maintain the University’s fiscal health, and that it was made to prioritize staff retention. The workweek for RHC staff was cut to 35 hours July 1, following a decision made last April. “Reducing hours per week enabled the University to keep as many people as possible employed with full-time benefits,” they wrote, explaining that only four employees were laid off. But SOUL, which advocates on the behalf of campus workers and workers with the employee union, disagrees with the decision. They see the University’s failure to reinstate 40-hour workweeks for Resident Halls and Commons (RHC) staff, even as the campus undergoes renovation projects, as incongrous. SOUL member and fourth-year Sarah Farr said the signs, which pointed to new renovations, were

posted to raise student awareness of the cut in hours. “We think a lot of people aren’t aware that all the people who are cleaning up [the campus] —all these people have been cut to 35 hours,” she said. Farr said that the decrease in hours amounted to an eight percent pay cut for campus workers. “It’s pretty significant, especially in light of the fact that Zimmer sent out an e-mail saying the budget crisis is now over so we can get on with our lives as usual,” she said, citing initiatives such as repaving the main quad, and the faculty expansion announced by President Zimmer. “We need to respect people who are important” to the University, Farr said. University spokesman Jeremy Manier said decisions such as cutting back the workweek are a necessary response to the financial crisis, a response that will eventually enable the University to return to greater financial stability and flexibility. “I think it is true that, relative to some peers, the University has been doing OK the last several months,” he said, adding that cuts to this year’s budget do not reflect the future outlook. “That’s why we can look at making decisions like expanding the faculty and continuing the Mansueto Library,” he said. Chinniah and Goff-Crews also promised to meet with S O U L members to discuss their concerns.

ARTS

CEREMONIES

Court Theatre keeps costs low and theatergoers happy

Space jam: Hubble ball returns to Ratner

By Hannah Fine Senior News Staff Court Theatre is moving away from large-scale productions this season to help balance the budget in a difficult economic climate, but theater administrators said its relationship with the University may spare it from severe cuts felt throughout the business. The theater said it will find a healthy balance between financial and artistic concerns. “Like all arts organizations, we were very cautious when budgeting this season,” said Heidi Thompson Saunders, general manager of Court Theatre. “But because of the University, we do not have those same concerns about the day-to-day budget that other theaters may have.” In addition to providing performance space on campus, the University pays five percent of the theater’s operating budget, and half of the theater’s board is affiliated with the University. The rest of Court’s income comes from season subscriptions, ticket sales, donations,

and arts foundations, Saunders said, but she added that subscription sales are lower than in past years. In addition, drastic funding cuts to the Illinois Arts Council mean that Court is receiving substantially less overall funding this year. Along with “minor cosmetic cuts to the budget,” Saunders said Court chose to produce shows with fewer performers this season. The Mystery of Irma Vep, starting November 12, features two actors, and The Year of Magical Thinking, starting January 14, has only one. Overall, Court will be using approximately half as many actors as last year. Still, Saunders said Court “didn’t want to compromise on any of the artistic integrity of the shows. We wanted to create an interesting season with great plays and fewer actors.” Court often performs classic plays and musicals that are proven crowd-pleasers, as well as comedies and more intellectual plays. The theater won four Jeffs—Chicago’s version of the Tony—last month for its production of Caroline, or Change last fall.

COURT continued on page 2

Former astronaut John Grunsfeld (S.M. ’84, Ph.D. ’88) speaks with fourth-year basketball players Micaela White (left), Sophia Senyo, and others at a ceremony in Ratner Athletics Center. JEREMY MARTIN/MAROON

By Stacey Kirkpatrick Senior News Staff Edwin Hubble (S.B. ’10, Ph.D. ’17) got another chance to globetrot this summer thanks to fellow U of C alum and astronaut John Grunsfeld (S.M. ’84, Ph.D. ’88), who took Hubble’s championship basketball to space with him while he fixed the Hubble Space Telescope. Grunsfeld was on the court at

Ratner Athletics Center this Friday to replace the ball, which he had taken up to space as a tribute to the instrument’s inventor. Led by the famed astrophysicist, the Maroons took the Big Ten basketball title in both 1908 and 1909. The basketball, which usually resides in Ratner, is from the 1909 championship game and stands in Ratner as a testament to Hubble’s athleticism and prestige at the University.

“It’s much more than a basketball. It’s an icon of science,” Grunsfeld said. Hubble went on to become a Rhodes Scholar and eminent astronomer and astrophysicist. For its stay in Ratner, Hubble’s basketball was stuffed with straw to preserve its spherical shape. But straw is a fire hazard in space, NASA said, so Grunsfeld had to find a

BASKETBALL continued on page 3

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Smaller casts ensure riveting productions, lower overhead COURT continued from front page “The only thing that was decided to be off the table this year was our musical, because it is a double cost with an orchestra and a cast,” said casting director Cree Rankin. Although the season’s productions will be smaller, Rankin said Court would have put these shows on any year. Since the theater is fairly small—around 250 seats—ticket sales are less a consideration when choosing plays than keeping production costs down. Despite not having felt the brunt of the recession, Rankin said tough budget challenges for the theater are on the horizon. “We haven’t really felt anything, but that doesn’t mean we still won’t have trouble down the road; it really takes about three years for the long impact to hit,” Rankin said. “There is a lot more anxiety about what might happen, for some people, than what is actually happening, although that is very bad for some as well.” Court’s most recent play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, played to a sold-out house during its last few weeks. According to Saunders, the play is a major attraction in Hyde Park because of its ties to the neighborhood. “August Wilson wrote 10 plays about the African experience, and this was the only one about Chicago in the South Side, and we are a South Side theater,” she said. Rankin said the play was cast as a larger production would be, auditioning well over 100 actors. “When you are thinking of doing a small show, it is so vital that you have really good people,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we had a strong cast.” Rankin said he was “overjoyed” at Ma Rainey’s success. “It was a good indicator in a tenuous season,” he said. Court’s upcoming production of The Mystery of Irma Vep will play like a larger show, with 25 costume changes. Rankin expects the production to be fun and bring new audience members to the Court. Although the plays are smaller, they were chosen with care. “We still offer aesthetic variety to our audience,” Rankin said.

CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 3, 2009

DISCOURSE

Media neglects Middle East coverage aside from bombings and violence, journalist says By Will Sims News Contributor Front-page stories about suicide bombings and sectarian violence leave little room for accurate depictions of the Middle East in American newspapers, journalist Neil MacFarquhar said Thursday at the International House. His talk, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East, was based on MacFarquhar’s book of the same name. The title came from an e-mail he received from the political party while working in a Hizbollah-controlled area. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The book was written to address what MacFarquhar saw as a disconnect between American conceptions of the Middle East and what he experienced as a New York Times correspondent living and working in the Arab world. He described how the focus of foreign press bureaus is on violence and political turmoil, which leaves Americans without a clear picture of the day-to-day life of everyday Arabs. “I had been in Saudi Arabia working on this story on USAID for months, and then there was an attack on an oil tanker, so I was pulled off what I was working on to go cover it,” he said. “Often the stories on the ground are overshadowed by these big headline events. Would I rather not have had to cover the 16th bombing in Saudi Arabia? Yes, but there was a bombing, there was violence, and I had to go cover that.” MacFarquhar also listed several impediments to progressive change in the Middle East, including powerful secret police forces, government disregard of the law, and a lack of basic civil rights. “If you want to fight extremism, you must allow these rights to flourish,” he said. Neil MacFarquhar signs a copy of his book after sharing his perspective on Hizbollah and the Middle East at the International House Thursday. DARREN LEOW/MAROON

University Market closing due to 50 percent rent increase by U of C landlords Pedestrians stroll by University Market on 57th Street. The University hopes to find a new provider of “high-end amenities” to occupy the space. ERIC GUO/MAROON

MARKET continued from front page the University’s new lease, according to the numbers given to the Maroon. The deli’s popular made-to-order and pre-made sandwiches will be available at the Medici Bakery next door, although the menu will be smaller, Esterly said. The market’s other unique offerings, such as specialty beverages, fresh fruit cups, and deli salads, will also be available at the bakery. The move will take place between Christmas and New Year’s, when the bakery traditionally closes for a week.

The store’s employees were assured jobs at the bakery in an e-mail they received from Esterly last week. Alma Silva, a cashier at the store for 10 years, was disheartened when she found out the store was closing. “I was upset. The owners talked of selling it a month back, but in the end they decided to just move to the bakery.” According to Esterly, the University had not yet finalized a deal with the new tenant. “I’ve just been told that it’s somebody that operates a few other outlets in the Chicago area and that

there will be a grocery component,” she said. University spokesperson Jeremy Manier said the new occupant will likely “provide high-end amenities,” but did not disclose more specific details. Morsbach said the store had never been very profitable. “We tried hard, we tried everything, and it just didn’t work for us,” said Morsbach, who said his restaurant and bakery are successful. Efforts to offer unique products, like produce, gourmet cheeses, and flowers, did little to improve sales, he said. “I think that there’s more competition for a grocery store. And also that the University opened [Maroon Market] in Bartlett” hurt business, Morsbach said. Morsbach owns the Medici Restaurant building, while the University owns the rest of the property on the block, from Edwardo’s to Noodles Etc. Aide Novarro, who has worked at the deli for four years, said the sandwiches were popular among students. “It’s the only little store here around for the students. It’s been around so long, it’s hard to think of it closing,” she said. Computer science post-doctorate student Jonah Blasiak, who lives in I-House, said he goes to University Market once a week. “It’s closer than Treasure Island. Their prices are a little bit higher, but it’s worth the convenience. It’s reasonably

priced given the prime location,” he said. Esterly doubted the proposed rent compared to that of other retail shops. “The University of Chicago claims it’s market rate. I find that really hard to believe,” she said. Silva said she thought the University wanted to make room for something else in the space. “I’d guess the University has plans for the space. It seems like they’re trying to force them out,” she said. Manier dispelled any notions the University was singling out University Market. “This case is no different from others. It is a commercial space and we’re very interested in finding a tenant who can serve the community there,” he said. Esterly hoped the transition to the Medici Bakery would soften the blow of the market’s closing. “I think University Market is part of the community, and that’s a loss for sure. But I hope with our new plan there won’t be as much of a loss.” Fourth-year Emily Moschini was surprised to hear that the market, which often has long lines at lunch times for the made-to-order sandwiches, was not profiting. “I would have thought they made a lot of money,” said Moschini, who visits once a day to buy lunch. “I guess I’ll have to pay the University for my food now.”

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CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 3, 2009

Astronaut Grunsfeld steps out of bounds and into the atmosphere with Hubble basketball

CRIME REPORT

BY CHRISTINA PILLSBURY

Âť October 30, 4:27 p.m.

BASKETBALL continued from front page way to remove it while keeping the ball’s skin intact. Grunsfeld made a small incision in the bottom of the ball and removed the straw through the small opening. Grunsfeld said the Hubble Space Telescope, launched by NASA and the European Space Agency in 1990, revolutionized modern astronomy with data that helped determine the universe’s rate of expansion and produced the first direct images of planets beyond our own solar system. The telescope is much more effective than its terrestrial counterparts because the atmosphere interferes with the radiation emitted by cosmic phenomena, which Hubble uses to take its readings. More importantly, Grunsfeld said, its pictures of space have helped us to learn more about our place in the cosmos. “Astronomy is the study that helps us answer fundamental questions,� he said. “Where did the material that we’re made of come from?� “Hubble is the pinnacle tool� to answer these questions, Grunsfeld said. Grunsfeld, who performed three of the repair mission’s five consecutive space walks this May, said his career path was influenced by his graduate experience at the U of C. “We’d pack up our whole labs and spend months on expeditions to remote places. That kind of expedition science is very much like space flight,� he said. Grunsfeld also worked in an experimental physics program that built scientific instruments and then sent them to space. “All of these thought processes were tools that I was then able to apply to the Hubble,� he said. Repeated Hubble repairs are necessary since the telescope has to withstand the harsh environment of space. “Cosmic radiation is not good for the electronics,� Grunsfeld said. “Some things just wear out and break.�

A woman walking on 54th Street and Blackstone Avenue was held up by a man with a handgun who demanded her purse. The offender grabbed her purse and ran away. He was described as having a brown complexion, to be in his mid 20s, and six feet tall with short hair and black zip-up hoodie.

Âť October 30, 4:27 p.m. A man and a woman were approached by two men on 62nd Street between Kenwood and Dorchester Avenues. The offenders argued with the man and then shot him in the right thigh. The suspects ran south on 62nd Street, where they were arrested by Chicago police officers.

CORRECTIONS The October 27 news article “Michelle Obama to Receive Video Invite From SG, OBS� incorrectly stated the length of the video OBS will send to the First Lady. The video was recorded over a 10-hour period, but will be edited down substantially. The well-travelled Hubble basketball. JEREMY MARTIN/MAROON

The repair mission also improved much of the telescope’s technology. Grunsfeld and the crew added new sensors and better cameras, so now “it’s 500 times more productive...we go up to repair it, but really to reinvent it,� Grunsfeld said. Grunsfeld is working on future programs for NASA, helping decide whether to retire the shuttle Atlantis and use rockets with passenger capsules instead of shuttles. Using rockets will allow astronauts and instruments to travel from Earth’s orbit into the far reaches of the solar system. Grunsfeld said that even in his terrestrial life, he spends much of his time looking at the stars. “I’d love to live in space on the space station,� he said.

The October 30 news article “News, Shorter Format for 2010 Convocation� incorrectly described past protocol for giving out diplomas. As modern-era presidents have done in the past, Zimmer will continue to individually give each College student—but not necessarily graduate students—a diploma. The October 30 news article “SG member secures restaurant discounts� did not specify that Nicky’s Chinese Food will offer 20 percent off delivery orders only. The October 30 Sports article “Celebrating 16 Years of ‘In Quotes’� incorrectly attributed the quote “Comiskey Park welcomes the Chicago Margoon [sic]� to Darryl Strawberry. The quote should have been attributed to the scoreboard at Comiskey Park. The MAROON is committed to correcting mistakes for the record. If you suspect the MAROON has made an error, please alert the newspaper by e-mailing chicagomaroon@

gmail.com.

University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Accelerated Medical Scholars Program

November 5, 2010 5:30 pm BSLC 205 The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is pleased to offer the Accelerated Medical Scholars Program for the entering medical school class of 2010. This initiative will provide the opportunity for exceptional students in the College to complete their undergraduate degree with a “BA in Professional-Option: Medicine,� by replacing the fourth year undergraduate curriculum with the first year of medical school. The BA degree is granted after successful completion of the first year of medical school and the MD degree after successful completion of the four year medical curriculum.

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Share your short story! Grey City, the Maroon’s quarterly magazine, is accepting ďŹ ction submissions of around 2,000 words. Blow us away, and you’ll be published in thousands of copies all over campus. So send your story to GreyCityFiction@gmail.com by November 11. We can’t wait to read what you come up with!

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CHICAGO MAROON

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VIEWPOINTS | November 3, 2009

VIEWPOINTS

EDITORIAL & OP-ED NOVEMBER 3, 2009

EDITORIAL

Access denied CHICAGO MAROON

The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892

SUPRIYA SINHABABU, Editor-in-Chief TOM TIAN, Managing Editor ELLA CHRISTOPH, News Editor ASHER KLEIN, News Editor MICHAEL LIPKIN, News Editor CLAIRE McNEAR, Viewpoints Editor HAYLEY LAMBERSON, Voices Editor BEN SIGRIST, Voices Editor JORDAN HOLLIDAY, Sports Editor MATT BARNUM, Editorial Board Member BEN ROSSI, Editorial Board Member DANI BRECHER, Head Copy Editor

Quadrangle renovations fail to ensure smooth ride for the handicapped, campus vehicles The University’s efforts to beautify the campus in recent years have made Hyde Park a more attractive place to live. Projects such as the landscaping work on the Midway improve the quality of life for students, faculty, staff, and neighborhood residents. But cosmetic alterations should never disregard practical considerations. Unfortunately, that is precisely what happened with this year’s Main Quad Paver Replacement Project, which was revealed last week to have cost between $1 and $2 million and to have failed to provide full accessibility to those with disabilities.

The University installed pavers— the interlocking stones that comprise the sidewalk—and repaved the asphalt driveway with limestone tiles, turning the quad into a pedestrian-only zone. The limestone was chosen in part for its resemblance to the campuses of Oxford and Cambridge. Aesthetics aside, the new design has posed a problem in terms of access for the disabled. When the project was discussed in June, University architect Steve Wiesenthal touted it as part of an effort to improve access. But the pavement still fails to meet the accessibility guidelines laid down by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it’s not clear that such a massive

expenditure was necessary to meet the standard. In addition, the cobblestones create a much rougher surface than asphalt, making them less amenable to wheelchairs. A further problem brought up earlier this year was that administrators apparently did not take into account the need for vehicular deliveries to buildings in the main quad. Student Government Vice President for Student Affairs Chris Williams, who talked to administrators, said this was because the project was not vetted as thoroughly as other construction projects. Although the University has since developed a provisional plan for vehicle access

that will be finalized next quarter, vehicular access should have been a higher priority for planners. Especially at a time when many branches of the University are running on a reduced budget, administrators should have been more careful to make sure cosmetic alterations to the campus did not hinder practical needs. As it stands, the price for a campus that looks more like Oxford seems too high. — The MAROON Editorial Board consists of the Editor-in-Chief, Viewpoints Editors, and two additional Editorial Board members.

SHAHZAD AHSAN, Photo Editor JEREMY MARTIN, Photo Editor HEATHER LEWIS, Head Designer

OP-ED

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Early action

Criticism of Housing in Ayers’s decision unfounded

ABRAHAM NEBEN, Web Editor BURKE FRANK, Associate News Editor CHRIS BOOTS, Associate Viewpoints Editor RYAN TRYZBIAK, Associate Sports Editor ERIC GUO, Associate Photo Editor CAMILLE VAN HORNE, Assoc. Photo Editor

Assigning papers prior to class discussion would enhance learning

as a lifetime senior researcher. The further we extend the definition of an affiliate, the more we are willing to discount the work and reputations of those who are far more involved in the University. One recent example is Ada Yonath, the 2009 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Although over the course of her career she has conducted research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Max-Planck Institute Research Unit at DESY in Germany, and, most notably, the Weizmann Institute of Science where she now works, the U of C insists that her two years as a visiting professor (1977–1978) warrant

The Maroon Editorial Board’s position is wholly untenable (“Window Treatments,” 10/30/09). The University of Chicago Student Manual, which every student is required to read, clearly states that “Residents may not engage in activities which threaten the safety of others. A list of specific acts that come under the rubric of dangerous activities could never be exhaustive; however the following is a partial list: …Throwing objects from the windows of residence halls. The size, weight, and shape of such objects— and their potential for harm—cannot be subject to exhaustive debate… Residents who engage in any of the acts listed above will be subject to serious disciplinary action, including the likelihood of being removed from a House or from the House System.” Defenestration has always been illegal and subject to harsh punishment. All incoming first-years and returning students are warned of the harshness of Housing with respect to this rule and staff make explicit that it is not a rule to be broken lightly. As a third-year, Clayton Ayers was duly informed of the rules not once but thrice, so he is thus bound by their principles. Since it is obvious that egress of any object via a window is strictly prohibited, how can it rationally be argued that ingress is somehow permitted? That is utter nonsense; even if it were not, the student manual clearly states that it only contains a partial list of prohibited activities. Is the Maroon Editorial Board really attempting to argue that an object going through a window—whatever the object may be—is licit as long as it is from the outside to the inside? Even if one took that position, it is still in blatant violation of housing rules as it bypasses established security procedures and requires “tampering with the physical plant of the residence halls including removing screens,” which is also subject to fine.

PRIZES continued on page 5

LETTER continued on page 6

JUDY MARCINIAK, Business Manager JACK DiMASSIMO, Designer IVY PEREZ, Designer JESSICA SHEFT-ASON, Designer

Evan Coren Columnist

NAKUL SINGH, Designer CLAIRE ZHOU, Designer MATT TYNDALE, Designer ANDREW GREEN, Designer ANNA AKERS-PECHT, Copy Editor JORDAN FRANKLIN, Copy Editor DANIELLE GLAZER, Copy Editor MONIKA LAGAARD, Copy Editor HOLLY LAWSON, Copy Editor MIRANDA LI, Copy Editor LAUREN MAKHOLM, Copy Editor ROBERT TINKLE, Copy Editor LILY YE, Copy Editor WENJIA DOREEN ZHAO, Copy Editor

The CHICAGO MAROON is published twice weekly during autumn, winter, and spring quarters.

The debate about undergraduate education at the University of Chicago is wearing thin. I don’t know what is more cliché at this point: the embracing of our core curriculum as both unique and superior or the criticizing of the Core as antiquated, unhelpful, and insufficiently rigorous. Though the Core is just one of several important tools aimed at fulfilling the purpose of a liberal arts education, these stale arguments have an utter monopoly on our discourse.

Adjusting the required curriculum may have an important effect on an individual’s academic experience, but a macroeconomic approach to education will only go so far. It’s time to consider the other side of the equation—the microeconomic approach. One way to influence individual decisions and behaviors, without resorting to drastic measures like paying students for getting good grades, is to adjust the timing of graded assignments. Instead of writing papers after concluding a topic of discussion, we should complete the process in reverse. If papers were completed before the class discussion began, several aspects of the learning process would be enriched.

For starters, class discussions would become much more lively. Think about it: Are you better prepared to contribute to the discussion when you skim the reading the night before class or when you spend the night with the book in your lap, churning out four to six pages on the subject? There are the uncommon few who read everything thoroughly beforehand, but most students will procrastinate reading Das Kapital or The Leviathan until they are forced to write about it. When students skim the reading, fewer people speak up, and the professor is forced to spend an inordinate amount of time drawing out basic

DEADLINES continued on page 6

Circulation: 6,500 The opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are not necessarily those of the MAROON.

©2009 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

OP-ED

The worst Nobel intentions Tenuous connections to the University should not be trumpeted

SUBMISSIONS The CHICAGO MAROON welcomes opinions and responses from its readers. Send op-ed submissions and letters to: Viewpoints CHICAGO MAROON 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 E-mail: viewpoints@chicagomaroon.com The editors reserve the right to edit materials for clarity and space. Letters to the editor should be limited to 400 words. Op-ed submissions, 800 words.

CONTACT News: news@chicagomaroon.com Viewpoints: viewpoints@chicagomaroon.com Voices: voices@chicagomaroon.com Sports: sports@chicagomaroon.com Photography: photo@chicagomaroon.com Design: design@chicagomaroon.com Copy Editing: copy@chicagomaroon.com Advertising: jmarcini@uchicago.edu

By Eric Chow Viewpoints Staff When I first heard that the University of Chicago had claimed two new affiliated Nobel laureates, I thought to myself: Just how many T-shirts, mugs, brochures, and information sessions are they going to have to change? It seems to me that among top universities in the world, claiming Nobel laureates for prestige has become an absurd Easter egg hunt. Each Nobel Prize is another golden egg in the basket. Instead of allowing the plethora of achievements the individuals at this university have accomplished to stand alone, the University of Chicago, with its arbitrary practice of

designating Nobel laureates as affiliates, is just another participant in the race for a better reputation. Truly extraordinary people have worked and studied here, and we should give proper accolades where they are due. But my question is: Where do we draw the line? When does a loose “affiliation” become an excuse to increase the Nobel count to 85? Or is it 87 now? According to the University’s Web site, affiliated Nobel laureates were University of Chicago “faculty members, students, or researchers at some point in their careers.” The last six words allow for virtually any degree of actual involvement at the University, be it as a temporary assistant professor for less than a year or

CHICAGO MAROON

| VIEWPOINTS | November 3, 2009

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OP-ED

Overthinking stress SCRS events make U of C’s culture of anxiety a self-fulfilling prophecy

10-week spurts of learning and study, five of which are dedicated to “midterms� that never end. Our esteemed Core Curriculum demands we excel in subject areas we don’t want to, don’t need to, and, for the most part, already know we can’t. And for six months of the year we have to deal with weather that makes it almost impossible to overcome the desire to never leave home. Stress and anxiety are particular problems among our student body. Another widespread problem is talking about stress. At the risk of sounding redundant, life at the University is all about school. Normal conversations often struggle to get past an exchange of the various things we need to do at that moment. Time spent with our house is universally referred to as a “study break,� reinforcing the thinking

By Emily Kaiser Viewpoints Staff If you had a problem with one of your classes, you would talk to your academic advisor. If you were struggling at sports, you would talk to your coach. But what do you do if you find yourself feeling sad, anxious, or stressed? Then you’re probably just another student at the University of Chicago. Unfortunately, the Student Counseling and Resource Service (SCRS), who last week invited all students to free mental health screenings at Bartlett and asked just these questions, thinks differently. It’s easy to say that stress runs rampant at the University of Chicago. We exist in

that we probably should be studying. Even our humor—everything from T-shirts about how boring, ugly, and tired we are, to Halloween

We’ve normalized stress and academic life to degrees not seen at most other schools. costumes about how boring, ugly, and tired we are—only acts as a self-fulfilling prophesy we can’t seem to let go. “I think a lot of students pride themselves on knowing they’re at a university that really kicks their butt,� said Dr. John McPherrin, psychologist and director of training at the SCRS, in an interview last week. “But that does sort of come at a price.�

That price is bodily and mental well being that we seem to forget about in pursuit of Plato. The mental health screening and wellness fairs, put on every quarter along with other, more targeted wellness events by the SCRS, seek to bring us out of the heavily academic, and heavily stressful, culture of the University. By bringing kickboxing, craftmaking, and therapy dogs to the Bartlett Quad, the SCRS wants to remind us to move our bodies, do something creative, and enjoy ourselves for a few minutes. We shouldn’t need events for this. We’ve normalized stress and academic life to degrees not seen at most other schools. There’s no stigma of “nerd� for staying in on a weekend to write a paper, or

STRESS continued on page 6

Writing papers earlier would ensure students are engaged, informed in class discussion DEADLINES continued from page 4

by requiring students to post comments or questions about the reading on the Chalk site before class. But it takes only 10 pages or so of reading to craft a satisfactory—and satisfactory seems to be the goal—question or paragraph response. Even two-page response papers are easy enough to bluff without seriously engaging the text. We know that procrastination is endemic. Why shouldn’t we take existing strategies to their logical conclusion? Is precedent not worth sacrificing to achieve greater substance? There might even be some less obvious benefits in adopting this new approach. If the

themes rather than facilitating deeper analysis. We should come to class armed to debate Hobbes’ theory of knowledge, not poised to distill the professor’s argument in a Word document. This passive approach to class also affects our writing process. Too often, the file initially saved as “Sosc 10/19� gets relabeled “Marx outline� two weeks later. The writing process becomes a skilled effort at organizing a series of quotes under the bullet points you took down during class. Some professors have attempted to foster a more active, independent approach to the material

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assignments that are standard in many courses, the system would work well. If the key to making class time truly meaningful for everyone were really this simple, some institution probably would have adopted it by now. Maybe it was explored and ultimately discarded. Or maybe we have been too focused on theory and the macro-level of the core curriculum to consider simpler solutions that would, in the end, enable us to better use our class time. — Evan Coren is a fourth-year in the College majoring in political science.

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paper schedule for classes like Hum or Sosc is simply moved up a couple of weeks, the final would be due sometime during eighth week. In this circumstance, students would have extra time to focus on exams or term papers for other classes at the end of the quarter. It’s true that there would be many problems with writing (or trying to write) a 20-page paper before discussing the relevant texts—the time lapse between writing and discussing would be impractically long and the powerful incentives to lose focus would far outweigh the benefits of being prepared—but for the four- to six-page

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Emphasizing stressful aspects of life at the University only serves to aggravate them STRESS continued from page 5 spending the majority of the time with your friends sitting around and doing homework. What we haven’t normalized is having fun. We have Chicago as our playground, but leaving Hyde Park is still a struggle. And for some reason, we can all be respected for our intelligence, but not for the ways in which we choose to enjoy ourselves. We don’t categorize ourselves into cliques of “jocks� and “nerds� in any way, unless you’re referring to those who go to frat parties and those who do Scav. In terms of our social lives, we’ve hit a wall. By putting on wellness events, the SCRS wants to remind us to relax, to remind us not to be so damned stressed all the time. Unfortunately, in pairing the events with mental health screenings, they also imply that there’s something wrong with us. Of the 49 students who participated in mental health assessments during the fair last Wednesday in Bartlett, 34 were encouraged to seek further help with the SCRS. Of course our student population has issues with depression and anxiety; our culture asks us to work tirelessly without reprieve, let alone an A, and our social outlets are limited. But before we start thinking there’s something wrong with us, that we must have a mental health issue because we’re unable to deal appropriately with our environment, let’s consider that maybe our environment is particularly difficult to deal with. That we’re stressed all the time not because we suffer from an anxiety disorder, but because school is hard, and there’s little we do to distract us from that fact. And that’s what we have to remember when we’re seeking to make ourselves feel better. The University esteems the pursuit of the mind, but loses the pursuit of the self. These are the best years of our lives and more often than not we spend them alone, hunched over, and worried. In our intense and invaluable intellectual development, we are missing the other half of the equation: the development of the greater scheme of our personalities, of our tastes, of our place in wherever it is we wish to find a place in. Who you are is significantly greater than the sum of what you know. But it is easy to forget this at school. In all honesty, we’re not too stressed for our own good; if we were, we’d have much more serious problems on our hands. What we really need to do is stop talking about it, suck it up, and just do the work already. And when that’s done, move on, suck it up, and just have some fun. Four years is too long to waste doing anything else. — Emily Kaiser is a fourth-year in the College majoring in sociology.

Letter to the editor, continued LETTER continued from page 4 Despite the Maroon’s attempts at portraying it as such, this is not an issue of whether Ayers committed a safety violation or if his punishment is too harsh; this is simply an issue of whether or not he violated the rules. Any logical person could surmise that if the exit of any object via a window will result in removal, the entry of any object via a window will likely result in the same punishment. The only way this could be clearer is thus: “Under no circumstances, barring an emergency, may any object enter or leave through a window. The size, weight, shape, or potential for harm of such an object is not debatable.� Charles Stephen Thompson Class of 2010 Former President, Inter-House Council of the University of Chicago

CHICAGO MAROON

|

VIEWPOINTS | November 3, 2009

University should abandon superficial search for laureate prestige PRIZES continued from page 4 her a spot as an affiliated Nobel laureate. Additionally, the news article on the University’s Web site states that her research was based on data collected from the Advanced Photon Source at the University of Chicago’s Argonne National Laboratory. While this is true, when one considers the vastly interconnected free flow of data and information that is common in the scientific community, this claim seems trivial. The fact of the matter is that due to the organization of academia and science, an individual over the course of his or her career will have done research or taught at several institutions. Mentioning a minor association with this university in order to gain another affiliated Nobel

laureate functions more like an excuse to inflate our prestige than a verifiable reason to acknowledge a valuable member of our institution. The general attitude seems to be: “What things can we find to connect this Nobel laureate to the University?� While the ideal attitude toward true affiliates should be: “There are too many things the Nobel laureate has done here—which ones should we emphasize?� The case of Ada Yonath as an affiliated Nobel laureate is representative of the University’s never-ceasing drive toward maximizing prestige. In a competitive world of rankings and arbitrary lists, where the qualities of universities are measured, quantified, and pitted against each other, the number of

affiliated Nobel laureates is just another statistic to boast about. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. The University of Chicago, with all that it stands for—persistent inquiry, freedom of thought, and independent action—should be the last to indulge itself with arbitrary Nobel laureate grabbing. There is no reason to attach ourselves to brilliant people when such an attachment simply isn’t due. Let the plentiful accomplishments and prestige of the individuals of this university stand on their own merit. — Eric Chow is a first-year in the College majoring in economics with a minor in environmental studies.

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The Oprah Join explorer and Winfrey Sho w National Geographic writer Dan Buettner at the Museum on Saturday, Nov. 7 to ďŹ nd out— and discover the secrets of the “Blue Zones,â€? places in the world where people live longer, fuller lives. Dan will share his extensive research, debunk common myths and offer a blueprint for you to live another 10 quality years.

Saturday, Nov. 7, 1-2 p.m. Museum of Science and Industry A book signing of Dan’s book, Blue Zones: Secrets to a Long Life will follow. For tickets, call 773-684-1414. Tickets, $25, includes Museum general admission and the new YOU! The Experience exhibit, in which Dan’s work is featured.

57th Street and Lake Shore Drive | Chicago, Illinois 60637 Convenient indoor parking.

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CHICAGO MAROON | VOICES | November 3, 2009

VOICES

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NOVEMBER 3, 2009

THEATER

LITERATURE

UT shows that these Things take time

Forget Twilight: Sci-fi tradition holds strong

By Ben Sigrist Voices Original Sin College is undeniably a privileged time—a boundless arena of possibility. Even during the most horrific week of midterms you could possibly imagine, the status of “student” is still desirable to to others because there is very little to lose and everything to gain in the pursuit of higher education. More so than probably any other time in ours lives, we have the opportunity to write our futures. Whether or not we know exactly what kind of future we are writing for ourselves is the subject of UT’s newest show, The Shape of Things, which opens this Thursday.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS First Floor Theater November 4–7

Of course, the uncertainty of the future is a constant obsession for youth, especially students. In fact, we may be so concerned with getting through the week that we overlook truly important experiences in our lives. Such an experience occurs in the play’s opening scene, when a shy, reserved Adam (fourth-year

Blake Obuchowski) has a chance encounter with the artsy, outgoing Evelyn (first-year Kim Siegel) as she is about to graffiti a statue. The Biblical names should tip you off right away to the imminent relationship between the two. Evelyn has something to offer Adam, and it’s something much more than a shiny red apple. Evelyn tells Adam that she hates “false art.” Hence, she aims to rectify the monument’s blatant falseness with her can of spray paint. Both Adam and the audience get the impression that she knows exactly what she wants and how she’s gong to get it. Adam and Evelyn’s relationship seems to develop under the principle that opposites attract. At first, Adam’s timidness appears as a complement to Evelyn’s bold defiance. But here and there Evelyn offers little suggestions as to how Adam can improve himself. How much can a man change after a new haircut, a change of clothes, and a little time spent in the gym? And here lies the fundamental question of the play: How much is Adam changing, and at what cost? His and other characters’ development throughout the play is highlighted by the minimalist set designed

By Liat Spiro Voices Liger

that he is actually in a serious relationship with the flamboyant interior designer Angelo (Hernandez), Nelson’s relationship with his family, especially his mother, unravels. Though Oy Vey follows a typical coming out narrative, Kazan and Vilanch’s hilarious quips and the family’s diversity make the film a unique story of unconditional love and acceptance. Other comedies like The Big Gay Musical and Make the Yuletide Gay add a bit of camp to the festival. The Big Gay Musical opens the festival on Thursday. The film is heavy on religious criticism, incorporating everything from the story of Genesis to televangelists, and the plot seems a bit contrived and overly political compared to the overall tone of the film. The dazzling musical numbers, however, are certainly entertaining: Who doesn’t like buff guys dressed as angels in tap shoes? Just in time for the holiday season, Make the Yuletide Gay screens this Saturday. The movie is another coming out story, following Olaf “Gunn” Gunnunderson (Keith Jordan) as he

What has happened to the sci-fi and fantasy genres? What happened to authors who tackle dire earthly issues by placing them in extraordinary, otherworldly circumstances? And where’s the readership for these works? Oh, they’re off fantasizing about vampire sex. Current fantasy darling Stephenie Meyer appeals to the universal human fascination with sex, death, and the Other. Case in point: Edward Cullen. Other fantasy novelists have certainly done the same, but unlike her predecessors, Meyer doesn’t transcend this simple strategy. She shows herself to be capable of creating an alternate reality and a new take on common mythical creatures, a requisite for the fantasy genre. But she balks at making a criticism of society or stimulating debate like her predecessors. And don’t give me that “she’s only a young adult novelist” argument. Tolkien and Lewis were considered children’s authors. But not all hope is lost for the scifi/fantasy genre. While some take to the pulpit more strongly than others, these three contemporary authors have utilized the genre’s conventions to bring controversial, meaningful, and sometimes neglected real-world issues to the forefront. Tamora Pierce is often lauded for creating strong female characters, nothing like the swooning, vampire-crazy Bella in Twilight. And in the conservative, suburban, consumerist world of my childhood, I benefited from reading about a land where, in the minds of some young women, bravery, honesty, and loyalty were more important than lingerie, Botox, and prom. While she focuses primarily on feminism, Pierce has also commented on religious pluralism and strife in her books, along with the problems generally associated with diversity—all in the extremely readable world of Tortall, where most of her novels take place. Mercedes Lackey frequently writes about characters at odds with the prevalent norms and mores of their culture. Through rather magical means, these characters find themselves involved with a corps of people who engage in exploration, understanding, and defending their ideals. As early as the ’80s, Lackey wrote a book series with prominent homosexual characters leading heroic lives against both abusive and supportive backdrops. In her Valdemar books, it’s hard to avoid noticing an egalitarian multiculturalism based on shared, uncompromising humanistic values. David Eddings’ characters frequently undergo processes of rehabilitation and redemption, often in a turbulent social or political context. Usually his main characters begin as social parasites, such as thieves, brigands, or chronic underachievers. Then, through a sudden turn of events, he or she ends up in a role of responsibility. These often

FESTIVAL continued on page 8

TWILIGHT continued on page 8

SHAPE continued on page 8

As she practices taking Adam's (fourth-year Blake Obuchowski) pulse, Evelynn (first-year Kim Siegel) finds something more fun to do. ERIC GUO

/ MAROON

FILM

Queer comedy takes center stage at Reeling Film Fest By Mitch Montoya Voices New Wave Reeling: The Chicago Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival celebrates its 28th year by focusing on the idea of cinema as an escape from reality. After a tumultuous year for gay rights, from the passage of Proposition 8 to the raid on a gay bar in Fort Worth on the anniversary

of the Stonewall riots, it’s understandable that the queer film industry would want to impart a more optimistic outlook to filmgoers. With 150 films from countries like

REELING 2009: CHICAGO GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL Various Locations November 5—15

Santa (far right) joins in on Nathan (Adamo Ruggiero, left) and Olaf's (Keith Jordan) Christmas celebrations in Make the Yuletide Gay. COURTESY OF TLA RELEASING

the Philippines, Sweden, and Puerto Rico, Reeling provides innovative, diverse, and evocative narratives that will surely allow people to escape the political woes of today and look toward the future. As in previous years, most of the films selected deal with familiar problems within the gay community, like familial and romantic relationships, coming out, and discrimination, but comedy seems to be a much more prominent feature in the films than in years past. The festival’s closing night on November 15 features Oy Vey My Son is Gay, a hilarious comedy that tackles issues of family dynamics, acceptance, and diversity with incredible wit and grace. Starring Lainie Kazan (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Jai Hernandez (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos), comedian Bruce Vilanch, and Carmen Electra, the film follows Nelson Hirsch (John Lloyd Young) as he tries to come out to his overbearing Jewish mother Shirley (Kazan). Shirley is convinced that her son is dating a centerfold model (Electra), so when she discovers

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CHICAGO MAROON | VOICES | November 3, 2009

Reeling 2009 explores coming out, romance, and family

Ballin' Bartlett

FESTIVAL continued from page 7

H

ip-hop artist Lyraflip performs at the Asian Hip-Hop Summit held at the Bartlett Trophy Lounge on Halloween. The event was organized by the PanAsia Student Association.

ERIC GUO/MAROON

Style

Chicago Manual of by Jessica Hester

When fear imposes on fashion A few weeks ago, I was mugged and assaulted outside of my friend's apartment in the late afternoon. The police, my parents, my friends, and the deans all told me it was normal to feel nervous afterward, and I did. That much I expected. What I didn’t anticipate, however, was that the experience would change the way I got dressed. Now, I find myself thinking about the relationship between clothes and vulnerability in a way I never did before. I’m still trying to figure out what I could have done differently, and whether it would have made any difference. I know this mentality is futile and probably even detrimental, but I can’t stop thinking about it. I wish I could have out-run the three young men who surrounded me at the time, but I remember thinking that in my strappy heels, I never would have been able to. Now I’m afraid to wear heels at all, for fear that if I need to sprint, I won’t be able to move quickly. When I look through my closet in the morning, I eliminate anything even remotely constrictive, because I’m

preoccupied with the thought that I might have to dash away from someone. I hate having to select my clothes based on how conducive they are to this fight-or-flight response. I’m upset that I no longer feel comfortable wearing some of the clothes I own. But really, as much as I love strappy pumps, I’m not actually sad about the shoes: The real problem is that I feel unsafe and insecure in my environment and am unsure of what to do about it. Well-intentioned family members accustomed to living in the secluded suburbs have always cautioned me against wearing clothes or accessories that flaunt my figure or bank account. Some people think that staying safe is as easy as not carrying a purse with a designer logo. But in addition to the numerous ideological qualms I have about this notion, such as the incredibly offensive implication that someone who dresses provocatively “has it coming,” it’s just too reductive. Safety isn’t as simple as not wearing clothes with prominent designer labels or not carry-

ing expensive-looking bags. I was wearing a non-descript, baggy, department-store trench coat and carrying a plain, black canvas tote bag with faux-leather handles. On the one hand, it probably is wise to be wary of parading designer goods indiscriminately. On the other hand, if you happen to find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, it might not matter whether you’re carrying Prada or a paper bag. It might be easier for me to think about what happened if I believe I can do something to possibly prevent it from happening again. I generally choose to wear more modestly-cut clothes and less ostentatious accessories, but this has previously been more of an aesthetic choice than a calculated safety precaution. Now I’m thinking of my entire wardrobe in terms of safety: Can I run in this? Does this have pockets where I can keep my house keys in case someone steals my purse? I just want to figure out a way to feel safe again. Right now, I don’t feel comfortable in my own neighborhood, let alone in my own shoes.

talking—so cutting each other off constantly— so it’s this flow of sound that never stops.” Because this naturalistic style speeds up the pace of the dialogue, it requires intense concentration and cooperation among the actors: Obuchowski, Siegel, first-year Emilie Cohman, and second-year Adam Rosenthal. In developing the naturalistic style, Tieger said he guided his actors using extremely different acting styles. During one rehearsal, he had the actors first perform the scene in monotone while facing away from each other. Then, the actors performed the same scene in the style of a Spanish soap opera.

By talking to his actors about what aspects of these divergent styles worked, and which didn’t, Tieger was able to determine how the naturalistic style should sound in the context of this play. This manner of speaking also makes the actors seem much more plausible as everyday students. The play’s connection to the average college student’s anxieties is inescapable. If the ending of the play is more than a little ambiguous, one message is clear: We are rarely aware of the tiny, accumulated shifts in our character that fundamentally change who we are.

Ch-ch-ch-changes! Shape faces the strange SHAPE continued from page 7 by third-year Jayne Battista. Composed mostly of multifunctional cubes, the smallest shifts in the set are crucial to the development of the story. These tiny changes reflect the significance of the very gradual, but substantial, character development throughout the play. This gradual development is intrinsic to the acting style chosen by the director, fourth-year Toby Tieger. “This play involves them [the actors] speaking in what goes for a naturalistic style of speech,” Tieger says. “[The actors] have to, when the other person is talking, start speaking in response to them while they’re still

travels home to his overly chipper mother and pot-smoking father for the holidays. Everything is as usual in the Gunnunderson household until Gunn’s boyfriend, Nathan (Adamo Ruggiero), unexpectedly drops by and Gunn is forced to tell his parents about his relationship. Make the Yuletide Gay is an entertaining comedy that is filled with so much bad sexual innuendo (stocking stuffing takes on a whole new meaning), that you can’t help but laugh. The festival also features many films under the slightly more austere dramedy genre. Mr. Right, a British film playing on November 9, is a touching and amusing movie that documents the ups and downs of romance. Louise (Georgina Zaris) fears that she is perpetually chasing after gay men, so she enlists the help of her gay friends to point her in the “straight” direction. Unfortunately for Louise, her friends—William, Alex, Harry, and Tom—are too troubled with their own relationship woes. William’s (Rocky Marshall) young daughter refuses to let him date, Alex (Luke de Woolfson) is dating an unhappy Harry (James Lance), and Tom (David Morris) must buy the love of his hunky boyfriend Larrs (Benjamin Hart). Mr. Right is a refreshing film that moves away from typical gay themes and tackles the struggles present in all relationships, gay or straight. With clever dialogue, masterful cinematography, and beautiful acting, Mr. Right is a wonderful film that portrays the universality of the search for love. Though Reeling is more focused on uplifting films this year, it still makes a point of taking seriously the grave political issues facing the LGBTQ community. One beautiful documentary, Fish Out of Water, focuses on the hostile relationship between religion and the gay community. Director Ky Dickens interviews religious leaders, members of Chicago’s LGBTQ community, and politicians to better understand the interactions between these groups. Fish Out of Water may deal with heavy material, but Dicken sinjects humor and animation into the film, so that viewers leave with a positive attitude. The fight for gay rights certainly seems to have taken a step backward this past year, but the films at Reeling represent a hopeful outlook for the future and a welcome escape from a reality that can sometimes be a bit too harsh. It may not seem like the easiest thing to do, but this year’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festival encourages you to keep your head up and laugh.

Real-world issues examined through the lens of fantasy TWILIGHT continued from page 7 undesired circumstances propel Eddings’ characters along a path of transformation through which they become heroes and saviors. While all of these issues are more often addressed by real-world academic research and government action, one cannot deny the role of literature, especially of the sci-fi and fantasy genre, in this intellectual process. I fear that without the initial spark provided by these books, whose sheer otherworldly context makes the issues more palatable, there will be less space in the public consciousness for championing egalitarianism, understanding, and progress. Discrimination will be considered “dealt with”—a relic of the past—and the uneven status quo will continue. Young girls will continue to aspire to be stay-at-home moms and homophobic views will prevail. Entertainment for entertainment’s sake certainly has a place in literature, but it shouldn’t take over the New York Times bestseller list. Sci-fi and fantasy offer a unique opportunity to open minds and start conversations, especially in younger audiences. These authors’ books rightfully re-focus the fantasy genre onto the important issues of equality, integrity, creativity, and redemption. LeGuin puts it nicely when she quotes Shelley: “The great instrument of moral good is the imagination..”

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CHICAGO MAROON | VOICES | November 3, 2009

Curriculum

HardCore By Chris Chavez I keep walking in on my roommate jacking off. How should I handle this situation? Chris: The only thing more awkward than walking in on your roommate being intimate with another is walking in on them while they’re being intimate with themselves. I know it’s an uncomfortable subject to talk about, but you need to address the problem. Of course, be sure to emphasize that it is not a big deal that your roommate masturbates, because you don’t want to risk coming off as judgmental with such a delicate topic. You need to figure out each other’s schedules and discuss when each of you (key word: “each”) will want some alone time. If you feel too uncomfortable to breach the subject, you could simply use a bit of tact and subtly tell your roommate when to self-service. Leave notes for him saying when you’ll be back, text her that you are on the way back to the room, or write notes on your white board (But please, nothing along the lines of “Hey! It’s okay to whack off now!”). You just have to make sure that both you and your roommate work out a

5

and Anna Boyle

system that allows both of you to have the space that you need. What they do with that personal space is up to them.

My roommate frequently has loud sex and it makes me really uncomfortable. How should I talk to them about it?

Anna: I have to agree with Chris: This is a problem of communication. You two should come up with a system to alert the other about personal and inter-personal sexy time. You should either use the wonderful invention of the text message, or, if that is a little too labor intensive, use your door. Putting a piece of paper on your door or putting a sock on the doorknob may be obvious, but it gets the job done. Personally, I would rather have a few people in my hallway know what’s going on (because they probably know already; the walls here tend to be thin) than have the person I live with see me in a compromising position. When talking to your roommate, you should be sensitive to the fact that he has these needs, and try to restrain yourself from being crass. Be upfront that you want to relay your point as quickly as possible, because your roommate is probably embarrassed about the whole situation. Make it quick, and don’t be awkward.

Chris: There is almost nothing more unsettling than sitting in your room, working on some homework or checking your Facebook, only to be interrupted by the shuffling, squeaking, and moaning that comes with two people having really loud sex. When that happens, it’s just best to either ignore it or leave the room. But the next time you see your roommate, you should really let them know that you are uncomfortable. Just remember, this is the kind of situation where you shouldn’t tell your roommate what to do, but ask them what they think they can do to accommodate you. If you try regulating a relationship that isn’t your own, you might get met with animosity. And don’t beat around the bush; address the subject head-on. You never know, maybe they don’t realize they’re being so loud and will try not to bother you in the future. If you find that your roommate just can’t quiet down, ask your roommate to inform you ahead of time when their

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partner is coming over so you have plenty of time to get out of the room or apartment if need be. If you ever get stuck with nowhere else to go, and your roommate is still going at it, you should throw on some headphones or blast up your speakers to drown out the noise as much as possible. Anna: Chris answered this well; I don’t feel that there is much else to say. If you and your roommate share one room, you need to make it clear that your roommate and their partner cannot have sex when you are there. Period. That is non-negotiable, and if you don’t have any notice beforehand, you get to kick them out. If you and your roommate share an apartment or a suite, then you should talk to your roommate about it, but you have to be able to compromise. You should be prepared to use as many noiseblocking techniques as you know.

Submit your questions to Hardcore Curriculum. Just go to chicagomaroon.com/voices and look for the "Submit A Question" link.

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Minstrels, period instruments and Morris dancers recreate this medieval English Christmas season play involving a duel between good and evil and a magical cure by a quack doctor, with new and traditional music arranged by early music specialist Andrew Schultze. Chicago Syntagma Musicum, directed by James Kallembach Pullman Morris and Sword James Fackenthal UNIVERSITY

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Share your short story! GREY CITY

Grey City, the Maroon's quarterly magazine, is accepting fiction submissions of around 2,000 words. Blow us away, and you'll be published in thousands of copies all over campus. So send your story to GreyCityFiction@gmail.com by November 11. We can't wait to read what you come up with!

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CHICAGO MAROON | CLASSIFIEDS | November 3, 2009

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11

CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 3, 2009

Women’s lineup hobbled by injuries

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Loss to Brandeis raises stakes of season finale By Ryan Tryzbiak Associate Sports Editor Coming off an up-and-down performance on the road this weekend, women’s soccer now must toe a much less certain path in order to make the NCAAs. After beating NYU (9–7–1, 0–5–1 UAA) 2–1 on Friday afternoon, Chicago (13–3–1, 3–2–1) finished their east coast trip with a deflating 2–0 loss at Brandeis (8–6–3, 2–3–1). The loss ended the Maroons’ UAA title hopes, and it jeopardizes their chances of making it out of the highly-competitive central region in the postseason. Chicago used two goals from third-year standouts in the first half to defeat the Violets. Midfielder Emily Benoit scored from five yards out on a shot to the top right corner, putting the Maroons ahead in the 10th minute. Forward Sarah Loh doubled the advantage in the 22nd minute, when she successfully converted a breakaway chance against NYU goalkeeper Alex Walters. With that goal, Loh is now tied with fourth-year forward Brooke Bontz for the team scoring lead, with 10 goals apiece. Uncharacteristically, Bontz didn’t record a shot against NYU, but she still made a major contribution by assisting on both goals. The Violets cut their deficit in the 59th minute, when midfielder Emily Jenkinson found the bottom left corner of the Chicago net with a low shot, but they were unable to score an equalizer in the remaining 31 minutes. Statistically, the Maroons dominated both halves. Chicago outshot NYU 6–2 in the first period, and 8–3 in the second. The shots were much more even in Sunday’s game—both the Maroons and the Judges tallied 14 shots, but Brandeis scored the only two goals. Midfielder Sofia Vallone scored the first goal

in the 33rd minute, when she turned forward Melissa Gorenkoff ’s cross into the lower left of the Maroons’ goal. Tiffany Pacheco earned the insurance goal by taking advantage of a rare miscue by Chicago’s second-year goalkeeper, Emma Gormley. When Gormley misplayed the ball in the goalmouth, the opportunistic forward capitalized by driving it into the top right corner of the goal. Fourth-year goalkeeper Hillary Rozenweig made eight saves to collect the clean sheet for Brandeis. She became the first goalkeeper to shut out the Maroons in 23 games, dating back to October 17 of last year, when she accomplished the same feat in a 1–0 Brandeis win. The Maroons will no doubt rue their inability to score, in light of the number of opportunities they had. Chicago earned eight corner kicks to the Judges’ zero, but Chicago let Brandeis off the hook when they failed to convert any of their corners into a goal. In their remaining games, Chicago needs to be more opportunistic not only at set pieces but also from the run of play. Twenty-eight shots and 14 corner kicks over two games ought to translate into more than two goals for a team as talented as the Maroons. Just how many games are, in fact, left in Chicago’s season is still to be determined. The loss to Brandeis means that Chicago can finish no higher than third in the UAA, behind both Wash U (13–2–1, 5–0–1) and Rochester (12–3–2, 5–1). Out of contention for an automatic bid to the tournament, the Maroons must hang their hopes on an at-large bid. Whether they earn one depends in large part on the result of Saturday’s crucial home game against Wash U. Given their current central region ranking—fourth, with a new poll to be released tomorrow—Chicago ought to make the NCAAs with a win, but a tie will put them on the bubble, and a loss would likely leave them on the outside, looking in.

Manners and Dallos score early and late in 2–0 win at NYU M. SOCCER continued from back page October 3. That stretch includes a 1–0 shutout of 10th-ranked Rochester (12–1–2, 5–1), and is a big part of the reason Chicago is now assured of finishing no lower than third in the conference, regardless of what happens in Saturday’s regular season finale against Wash U (9–6–3, 3–3). “If you don’t give up a goal, you’re always in a game you can win,” head coach Scott Wiercinski said of his squad’s shutout streak. Among the players the Maroons can thank for their recent defensive dominance is secondyear goalkeeper Chris Giusto, whose eight saves this weekend (six of them at Brandeis) earned him a UAA Player of the Week nod yesterday afternoon. But as fourth-year defender Drew Marshall pointed out, you have to look beyond Chicago’s back lines to see why conference opponents have had such trouble finding the net. “The defensive change has been a total team effort. The forwards have been working back, helping out when possible, and everyone else has made a conscious effort to get into our block eight defending,” Marshall said, referring to the team’s defensive strategy, which relies heavily on midfielders as well as defenders to stem the opponent’s attack. The impressive play in the defensive third has kept Chicago competitive even when the offense has not quite clicked, which happened in Boston. After scoring twice at NYU—on a header from third-year midfielder Kenzo Manners in the opening ten minutes and on an eight-yard shot off the boot from third-year midfielder Andy Dallos in the final ten minutes—the Maroons put a lot of shots on the scoresheet at Brandeis, but in Wiercinski’s view, not enough that tested the

Judges’ goalkeeper Matt Lynch. “A lot of our best chances were long range,” Wiercinski said. “I think it was a product of our guys lacking some composure when we got in the final third of the field.” Wiercinski said another pass here or there around the Judges’ box could have given the Maroons the go-ahead goal. What the game missed in scoring it nearly made up for in bookings. The referee went to his pocket five times on the day. Second-year midfielder Stanton Coville and first-year forward Yoni Einhorn each drew yellows, and Brandeis’s Kyle Gross was sent off with a red card in the 95th minute after being shown his second yellow card. The 1–0–1 weekend bodes well for Chicago’s chances of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Maroons are third in the NCAA’s central region rankings and figure to remain in a similar position when the new rankings are released tomorrow. A win against Wash U, which is far from certain, wouldn’t wrap up a postseason berth, but it would come close to it. That said, it’s beating Wash U and not the odds of winning an NCAA bid that is foremost on the players’ minds. “We are getting focused on the Wash U game and trying not to think about the overall tournament,” Manners said. “We just play game by game, and we will do our best to put a good finish on the regular season.” As for Wiercinski, he agreed that taking things day-by-day is the best way to approach these late season games. “Anytime we start thinking about things we can’t control, that’s when we start losing the things we can control,” Wiercinski said.

Fourth-year Arthur Baptist runs in the UAA Championship. He finished 34th. DENTON ZHOU/THE OBSERVER

CROSS COUNTRY continued from back page we had placed sixth, it was as though all the life of our team had been sucked away,” third-year Molly Peverada said. “The pack of girls I ran with, including Jane Simpson, Lizzie Bright, Erin Cary, and Julia Sizek, really felt that we had run phenomenally together, so we were extremely down after discovering our low placing.”

UAA Championship comes to campus this weekend VOLLEYBALL continued from back page Second-year outside hitters Isis Smalls and Colleen Belak had strong showings in the losing effort. Belak had six kills, five assists, and 14 digs, while Smalls contributed 12 kills. Smalls also led the Maroons with 10 kills against Mt. St. Joseph the same day. Chicago failed to take a set in that match. “We had zero energy on the court and when it did come out it was more of the frustrated, angry variety: not very productive,” first-year middle blocker Katie Trela said of Friday’s performance. After Friday’s losses, Chicago turned it around on Saturday, thanks in part to a better attitude. “On Saturday, we came in with a different, steady mentality,” Brown said. The Maroons marched past Anderson 3–0 (15–14), and then beat Augustana 3–1 (11–20), improving their record to 25-13. This is the first year since 1996 that Chicago has won 25 games. Against Anderson, third-year outside hitter Elizabeth Kossnar showed some versatility with seven kills, four digs, and four blocks. Brown, for her part, notched 22 digs against Augustana. This weekend, the Maroons will host the UAA Championship, in which they are seeded third. The winner of the championship will receive the UAA’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. “This week will most likely be about finetuning. After two and a half months of volleyball, we’re in shape, we know the plays, we know how to work together. We just have to get a lot of extra good touches on the ball so we build up confidence going into Friday,” Trela said. While upsetting Wash U and Emory to win the tournament may be too tall a task for this season’s team, the Maroons have youth on their side. Besides fourth-year outside hitter Diandra Bucciarelli and Kossnar, the Maroons are all first and second-years. “I think having most of us around the same age is an advantage. We all gel very well, and are in the same boat,” Brown said.

With the November 14 Midwest Regional quickly approaching, there’s not too much time for Chicago’s runners to dwell on the results. “We’re licking our wounds a little bit, but we’ve got the regional meet coming up, and that’s all that matters right now,” Nunez said.

Maroons check passing game of Case QB Whalen FOOTBALL continued from back page per-game scoring average, arrived in Hyde Park as the undisputed class of the UAA and favorites to beat the Maroons. With the recent success Chicago has had passing, the Case defense came out with seven or eight men back, hoping to stop deep threats like Brizzolara and thirdyear wide receiver Clay Wolff. The Maroons still got their yards through the air, like on the 90-yard connection between Oium and Brizzolara that put the score at 17–14, Case’s advantage, midway through the second quarter. “D ran a real nice route,” Maloney said. “That was just an unbelievable play, and Marshall put the ball right in there.” Chicago’s defense was often impressive too. Second-year cornerback Emmett Carrier and second-year free safety Danny Polaneczky picked off Whalen in the second quarter, and it was Polaneczky’s that set up Oium and Brizzolara’s 90-yard strike. Carrier’s came with a minute left in the half, and the Maroons reached Case’s 28 before time expired. With a minute more, they might have turned Carrier’s pick into points. “All in all, we played them very well,” defensive coordinator Kyle Sweeney said. “We had just a couple of breakdowns. I think we gave them their toughest game of the year. [Whalen] certainly had his lowest completion percentage day of the season.” And then there was first-year kicker and punter Jeff Sauer who, with the wind whipping the UAA banners that line Stagg, twice buried the Spartans inside their own 10 on punts, and hit the fourthquarter field goal that tied the game at 24. “If anything, it’s a little bit of an indicator of our ability as a team,” Sweeney said. “To be tied in the middle of the fourth quarter gives you an indication of the potential and ability that we have.” But as encouraging as the game often was, it’s not moral victories Chicago is after; it’s wins, unqualified and adjective-free, that they’re playing for, even when their opponent has the talent and cachet Case does. “Seventy-five people—our players, coaches, and training staff—fully expected to be in the game. We expected to beat Case,” Maloney said. “We could’ve won the football game. It’s really disappointing; you only get one crack at them a year.”

IN QUOTES “2-Peat!�

SPORTS

—Text from a pro-Phillies shirt available at Ubiq, a boutique clothing store in Philadelphia.

FOOTBALL

Undefeated Case slips past Maroons

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defense, which had forced punts and turnovers for much of the day, wasn’t able to stop. After Meyer got the ball to the Chicago four, Corey Checkan ran it the rest of the way, giving Case a 31–24 edge. Just a few minutes later, the Maroons looked primed to knot the game again, after second-year Jake Longtin sacked Whalen on a thirddown. Longtin’s play cut short Case’s drive and backed the Spartans up against their own goal line—Whalen

When Case’s running back Greg Meyer broke through the Chicago defense for a 59-yard touchdown dash that put the Spartans up 14 with 1:42 left in the fourth quarter, it just didn’t seem fair. The Maroons (4–4, 0–1 UAA) had gone blow-for-blow with ninthranked Case (8–0, 1–0) throughout Saturday’s game at Stagg, which was

far closer than the Spartans’ 38–24 win looks on paper. Third-year quarterback Marshall Oium had another strong day through the air, first-year wide receiver D Brizzolara continued his march toward Chicago’s single-season all-purpose yardage record, and the defense had two picks and three sacks on Joe Whalen, Case’s dualthreat quarterback. The Maroons’ performance had all the trappings of a season-making upset—all except

the W by the final score. “They made a couple big plays, and then we didn’t,� said head coach Dick Maloney. Besides Meyer’s long run, which put Case up two scores and assured their win, the Spartans’ other difference-maker was a workmanlike, 47-yard drive early in the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 24. After starting just inside Chicago territory, Meyer churned out a series of seven to 10 yard runs that the Maroon

MEN’S SOCCER

VOLLEYBALL

CROSS COUNTRY

After road trip, Chicago sits third in conference

Maroons win 25 for first time since 1996

Men, women slog to disappointing UAA results

By Jordan Holliday Sports Editor

By Josh Zlatkus Sports Staff

Men’s soccer came back from its biannual swing through Boston and New York Sunday evening with one win, two shutouts, and sole possession of third place in the UAA standings. Playing at NYU on Friday, the Maroons (11–3–3, 4–1–1 UAA) got a pair of goals and kept the Violets (6–8–2, 1–3–2) off the board entirely, sealing up a 2–0 victory to start the weekend. As it turned out, those were the only goals Chicago would see all weekend. The Maroons played Brandeis (6–9–2, 1–4–1) to a 0–0 tie Sunday, which was Chicago’s fifth consecutive shutout in conference play. The Maroons haven’t given up a goal to a UAA opponent since losing 3–0 at Carnegie a month ago, on

Having a short-term memory would usually be a problem at the University of Chicago, but it was a blessing for women’s volleyball this weekend at the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament. After losing both of their matches on Friday, the Maroons (25–13) came back strong to win two matches on Saturday. Of the Friday losses, the first, a 1–3 loss against Illinois Wesleyan (19–15), was the more disheartening, because the Maroons had already lost to them earlier in the season. “That was a big disappointment for us, because we wanted revenge,� first-year libero Samantha Brown said.

If it was not enough to race seven teams of talented runners from one of the nation’s best conferences, cross country also had to battle a muddy course at the UAA championships held at Case this weekend. The combination of factors contributed to a performance that was disappointing for Chicago’s runners: The women finished sixth of eight, and the men finished seventh. On the men’s side, Chicago’s top performer was third-year Nick Nunez, who circled the eight kilometer course in 27:25, good for 29th place out of 76 runners. The women were paced by second-year Rachel Ohman, who recorded a time of 24:19 over six kilometers. Ohman was 13th out of the 78 women competing, and earned All-UAA Second Team honors.

M. SOCCER continued on page 11

VOLLEYBALL continued on page 11

CROSS COUNTRY continued on page 11

By Jordan Holliday Sports Editor

By Ryan Tryzbiak Associate Sports Editor

Wash U’s Taryn Surtees’s was the overall women’s winner with a time of 22:42. NYU’s Zach Maher won the men’s race in 26:06. Surtees’ effort helped Wash U capture first place in the women’s team competition, while Maher’s did the same for NYU in the men’s team race. The soggy course didn’t make for ideal race conditions, but thirdyear Arthur Baptist downplayed the importance of the weather. “I think the course was like nothing we’d ever seen before, as it was really muddy with ankle-deep mud and puddles in some parts, but it shouldn’t be an excuse, as everyone had to run it,� he said. First-year Bill Whitmore pointed to the quality and depth of the other teams as Chicago’s biggest obstacle. “The guys’ team ran with the leaders at the start, but could not rise to the challenge of sticking with the other elite teams like NYU and

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narrowly avoided a safety—and the ensuing punt went only 37 yards. A pass from Oium to fourth-year tight end Mike Emerson brought the ball back to the Case 26, but with Chicago almost in the red zone, the offense stalled out and turned the ball over on downs. Meyer’s 59-yard touchdown came on the following drive, and the game ended. Case, with its 29-game regular season winning streak and 46 points-

FOOTBALL continued on page 11

Emory. We just did not have enough support up front to make a strong push during the second half of the race,� he said. On the women’s half, Chicago was hampered by several key injuries. Third-year Liz Lawton, one of the Maroons’ top runners, missed out with a calf injury. Second-year Jane Thomason was also unable to participate, and Julia Sizek was still recovering from an injury and may not have been at full strength. But the Maroons felt they had run well and were disappointed when they saw the results. “When [head coach Chris Hall] came over and announced to us that

CA LEN DA R Wednesday

11/3

• Women’s Basketball @ IllinoisChicago, 7 p.m. (exhibition)

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