FRIDAY APRIL 2, 2010
CHICAGO
VOLUME 121
AROON
IN VOICES
IN SPORTS
Kushner’s Illusion
Maroons win UAAs
» Page 11
» Back page
Court Theatre brings the playwright’s dramatics and fantasy to the stage
Women’s track and field takes first at UAAs, fourth at nationals
ISSUE 33
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892
TUITION
ADMISSIONS
Tuition to increase 4.2 percent next academic year By Asher Klein News Editor The cost of an undergraduate education will increase by 4.2 percent for the 2010-11 school year, the University announced Monday, the smallest increase in more than a decade, yet one that keeps the University among the most expensive schools in the country. Financial aid is expected to increase 4.5 percent. Both tuition and fees for room and board will increase by 4.2 percent. Next year’s undergraduate tuition will cost $40,188, up from $38,550 this year. The total cost of education will rise by just over $2,000, to $53,244, with $13,056 devoted to room and board, and other fees. When adjusted for inflation, the real increase in tuition for 201011 is about 2 percent. In a March press release, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced a 2.1 percent increase in the consumer price index (CPI) from February 2009 to February 2010. The CPI is an indicator of inflation that calculates the real increase in prices over periods of time, although University spokesperson Steve Kloehn suggested CPI does not apply to the formula the University uses to determine costs.
TUITION continued on page 2
LAB SCHOOLS
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Acceptance rates continue to decrease as applications soar. JAKE GRUBMAN/MAROON
Acceptance rate falls by one third, reaching record low of 18 percent By Ella Christoph News Editor Th e U n i v e r s i t y o f C h i c a g o accepted 18 percent of applicants for the class of 2014, a record low that comes months after the University saw one of its largest jumps in applicants. O f t h e 1 9 , 370 a p p l i c a n t s — a 42 percent increase—3,560 were offered a spot at the University. Last year, 26.8 percent of applicants were accepted. While this is the lowest acceptance rate the University has seen, University officials aren’t focusing on numb ers, according to University spokesperson Sara Olkon. “The overall goal is
to make sure that everyone who could contribute to and benefit from the distinctive academic culture here is encouraged to apply. That’s more important than any specific number or comparison to other institutions,” Olkon said. Th e 4 2 p e r c e n t i n c r e a s e i n applicants reported in January was “eye -popping,” according to one education expert, and caused a stir in national media. Admissions officials have cited an array of factors contributing to the jump, including a new marketing campaign instituted last year, which included targeted e-mails on topics in which students expressed interest.
Community mourns death of Lab Schools senior By Ella Christoph News Editor Senior Faith Fufang Dremmer, 17, was killed last week while on a bike trip in downstate Illinois. A funeral service was held at Dremmer’s synagogue on Sunday and a memorial service organized by the Lab Schools was held Wednesday in Rockefeller Chapel. At the memorial service, students and teachers who knew Dremmer spoke about her generosity, selflessness, and talent. Students were invited to share a memory at an emotional memorial service. Dremmer was killed on March 24, when she and two classmates were hit by a minivan on a rural
road 320 miles south of Chicago. According to state police, the driver, John Hillyard, 86, may have passed out or fallen asleep. He was cited for improper lane usage but does not face criminal charges. Dremmer’s Lab Schools friends, Julia Baird and Kaia Tammen, both 18, were seriously injured, and Baird remains in critical condition. The three friends had spent weeks planning their spring break trip through southern Illinois. At the funeral service, which was attended by about 1,300 mourners and conducted by Rabbi Aaron Petuchowski at Temple Sholom in Chicago, Petuchowski read from Dremmer’s college essays, which described the close
DREMMER continued on page 5
ACCEPTANCE continued on page 2
ACADEMICS
CMES quells fears, submits grant application in spite of recent firing By Adam Janofsky News Staff Students and faculty associated with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (C M E S) were relieved to hear it will continue to receive funding after associate director Rusty Rook (M.A. ‘96) was fired three weeks ago, although concerns remain over CMES’s independence from the University. Dozens of CMES students and faculty took note when Rook, who was two weeks away from applying for the $600,000 Department of Education grant that historically provides the bulk of CMES’s funding, was asked to leave his office. Many were worried that his untimely removal signified weakening University support for the center and that the decision could put CMES in financial jeopardy. Despite concerns, the grant was submitted with Dean of the Humanities Martha Roth’s signature and was received by the Department of Education on time, current CMES director Fred Donner said. Students and administrators see the grant's submission as an assur-
ance of the center’s future. “We had a kind of nervous wracking a couple of weeks ago,” Donner said. “But things are definitely settled down.” Many CMES students are still concerned with Rook's firing, as he worked at CMES for over a decade. “He made grad school a little fun,” CMES student Chris Harvey said. “I came here to be a student, I didn’t come to jump through hoops.” Although Rook, Donner, Roth and Dean of Social Sciences John Mark Hansen declined to comment on why Rook was fired, calling it a personal issue with confidentiality restrictions, four University deans are meeting with C M E S and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations students today to discuss recent concerns. And despite the grant's successful submission, some faculty feel that there’s still the question of the center’s independence from the rest of the University. As a national resource center, CMES is structured as an umbrella organization covering everything under its geographical region, regardless of academic discipline, Rook said. “There’s a sense that these centers are
supposed to run independently,” Rook said, referring to their traditional role as autonomous organizations. According to former C M E S director John Woods, this sense of independence could potentially be under pressure because of the grant’s wording and the University’s attitude toward a politically and financially independent C M E S. “We’re all relieved that the grant went through,” Woods said. “But the next issue is going to be over the job description of the principal investigator,” who serves as the administrator of the grant. Although Woods is confident Donner is the only principal investigator, he said that, if an administrator not affiliated with CMES were listed as principal investigator, CMES would lose its independence and be answerable to a “corporatized” administrative system. But other C M E S administrators feel that there is no current dispute between the center and the Humanities department that oversees it. “There’s always tension with who controls the money,” Donner said, dismissing the issue.
Lab Schools senior Faith Dremmer, 17, was killed in a bike crash in southern Illinois last week. COURTESY OF STUART-RODGERS PHOTOGRAPHY
ADMISSIONS
Unemployment drives increase in graduate division admissions By Gabe Valley News Staff Graduate division admissions offices are reporting increases in applications for the 2010-2011 academic year, citing the economy and unemployment as factors for the upswing. So far, five divisions have reported an increase in applications. Four—the Graham School for Continuing Education, the Division of the Social
Sciences, the Pritzker School of Medicine, and the Social Service Administration—have yet to calculate their data. The Harris School of Public Policy experienced the most dramatic increase: a 13.6 percent jump in applications from the 2009-2010 academic year. Dean of Students Ellen Cohen attributed this increase to initiatives the school has taken, as well as the current economic
GRADUATE DIVISION continued on page 4