FRIDAY
IN VOICES
IN SPORTS
Reg graffiti, chronicled
Beach basketball
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 20
» Page 7
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
Writing about the writing on the wall.
JANUARY 15, 2010
CHICAGO
AROON
» Page 12 NYU arrives at Ratner for annual Beach Night festivities.
The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892
ABROAD
ADMISSIONS
Grad student in Haiti “OK”
Huge rise in applications most dramatic in U.S.
Chelsey Kivland COURTESY OF THE KIVLAND FAMILY
By Carolanne Fried News Staff
A message from the U.S. E m b a s s y i n Po r t - a u - P r i n c e , Haiti, was the first thing Chelsey Kivland’s family heard about her, two days after the earthquake.
“Chelsey Kivland wishes to tell you that: I am OK, please contact everyone,” the message, sent to her mother in Prairie Grove, IL, said. Kivland, a sixth-year anthropology graduate student, was among the many initially missing in Haiti, following Tuesday’s high-magnitude earthquake that killed thousands, including some A m e r i c a n s . Th e e a r t h q u a k e struck late Tuesday afternoon, devastating the city’s infrastructure and making it difficult to get aidworkers in and information out of the country. “Time has stood still since Tuesday,” Kivland’s mother, Cynthia, said before she recieved the e-mail. It was just before 8 p.m. Thursday when the clock started moving again. “All your prayers have been answered— she’s alive. That’s all we know!” Cynthia Kivland wrote in an e-mail to family, friends, and jour-
nalists, although her sister has since reported she may help with “Eye-popping” increase relief efforts. Kivland, a Fullbright-Hays fel- could bring acceptance low, had been living in Port-au- rate under 20 percent Prince for more than two years as a Fulbright Scholar while working By Michael Lipkin News Editor on her doctoral dissertation. Kivland’s exact location at the time of the earthquake was Applications poured into the U unknown. “Most likely, she would of C in record numbers this year, have been on her way home, or promising that competition for home. She wouldn’t have been spots in the next first-year class doing her research that late in the will be fiercer than ever. afternoon,” Cynthia said. Admissions officials pointed to Kivland’s family and friends a host of factors to explain the had been in touch with State overwhelming response—a 42 perDepartment officers and other cent increase—from academic and agencies, and remained hopeful student-life improvements over throughout the day. “We have the past decade, a more aggressive just spread the widest net possi- marketing campaign, the recent ble,” Cynthia said before Kivland move to the Common App, and was found. even an “Obama factor.” They were also heartened by “All the investments we’ve made “a friend of a friend,” who saw strengthening the College have come Kivland’s house still intact, said to fruition,” Dean of the College John HAITI continued on page 4 Boyer said, referring to expanded
study-abroad programs, Odyssey scholarships, and the millions spent on new buildings on campus. Colleges across the country have also seen increases this year, mostly due to the poor economy, admissions experts said, but none as dramatic as the University’s. The recession caused more high school seniors to apply to more schools nationwide, especially ones with competitive financial aid packages. Barmak Nassirian, an executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said that while an increase at the U of C was expected, the 19,000 applications were “eye-popping.” “Schools that always had the benefit of selectivity are now beginning to look more ideal since they have adequate resources to package people,” Nassirian said. “But this magnitude
ADMISSIONS continued on page 2
HYDE PARK
CAMPUS LIFE
Developer picked for Harper Court, seeks to break ground in 2011
University posts up new kiosks
By Burke Frank Associate News Editor
University and City officials selected a firm to develop Harper Court, the University announced yesterday. Vermilion Development, a Chicago-based developer, won the contract after a long deliberation process that began with a request for proposals in November 2008. “Vermilion offered the best combination of skills, ideas, expertise, and resources to see through the kind of project the city and the University would like to see at
Harper Court,” University spokesman Steve Kloehn said. Kloehn also cited Vermilion’s financial stability in the decision, explaining that a long-term project taking place in a recession necessitates a developer “with the means to see it through.” As part of Vermilion’s proposal, CEO and President Dave Cocagne described a two phase project: The first, to begin in early 2011, would consist of constructing retail and office space, a hotel, and a parking structure, to end by 2013. Phase two would consist of mixed
HARPER COURT continued on page 2
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Advocating to preserve cMail, College Council passes resolution By Al Gaspari News Staff
cMail should not be taken away from any current student, College Council (CC) members said in a January 6 resolution, responding to NSIT’s plan to end cMail support by 2012. NSIT cited the costs of maintaining e-mail servers and the prevalence of e-mail forwarding on campus in its decision. First-year representative Frank Alarcon drafted the resolution, which voiced CC’s opinion but does not compel University action. “Any student who has access to cMail should have access to it until they graduate. No one should part with something they rely on,” Alarcon said in an interview.
NSIT estimates that 51 percent of students already forward their e-mail to third-party providers like Google, but response from the other 49 percent prompted Alacron’s action. “This resolution was a direct response for people in my class [2013],” he said. Even though cMail does not include features standard in commercial e-mail accounts, some students prefer it because the University provides it. “A lot of students are concerned about commercial e-mail providers,” Alacron said. Students worry about the privacy and reliability of commercial providers, he added. The University should keep the service, the resolution said, due to the large student population still using
CMAIL continued on page 4
Posts like this one have been appearing all over campus since winter quarter began. When finished, they will serve as information kiosks, meant to replace outdoor bulletin boards, University spokesman Jeremy Manier said. CAMILLE VAN HORNE/MAROON
By Alicia Sanchez-Ramirez News Contributor
Spreading the word ab out student life on campus will soon be easier, as the University finishes installing new information kiosks to replace its run-down bulletin boards. The finished structures will consist of metal posts with a rubber surface surrounding them. The materials, as well as the inclusion
of a small roof and a light, make the information kiosks an upgrade from the former outdoor bulletin boards, University spokesman Jeremy Manier said. “The previous wooden ones were old and weathered, which is why they were removed and are being replaced,” Manier said. The replacements are designed to better protect posted notices from the elements, as well as to withstand the passage of time and harsh outdoor conditions.
The six new stands are spread through campus, located near the Hutchinson Courtyard, the H i t ch c o ck Q u a d , t h e S o c i a l Sciences Quad, the Classics Quad, Bartlett Dining Commons, and Pierce Hall. It is uncertain when this project will be completed, as the final step involves installing the lights to illuminate the kiosks. This requires waiting for the snow on the ground to thaw, Manier said.