FRIDAY • OCTOBER 9, 2015
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
ISSUE 3 • VOLUME 127
408 sign petition accusing UCSC of transgender discrimination Tamar Honig Associate News Editor An online petition aimed at the University Community Service Center (UCSC) for alleged acts of transgender discrimination has gained 408
supporters after circulating for a month. The petition accuses the UCSC of discrimination for choosing not to hire trans student Kris Rosentel as a program coordinator for its Chicago Bound social-change pre-orientation program.
The petition—written by fourth-year Sara Rubinstein, founder of a LGBTQ activism student group called Queers United in Power (QUIP)—alleges that this decision is part of a pattern of insensitivUCSC continued on page 2
University announces end to parttime student status Sonia Schlesinger News Staff Students gather on the Quad for a UCAN rally this past spring. SYDNEY COMBS | THE CHICAGO MAROON
Zimmer says University unlikely to divest from fossil fuels Isaac Stein Senior News Reporter Nationally, a recent wave of on-campus activism for fossil fuel divestment has pitted administrations against students who claim that colleges and Universities have greater moral responsibility in managing endowment resources than they recognize at present. In response, some administrations have taken steps to divest, but at the University of Chicago, this has not been the case. University President Robert J. Zimmer said at a meeting with The Maroon in June that the University’s Board of Trustees is “unlikely” to divest from fossil fuels. On precedent and principle, Zimmer disagrees with divestment as a best practice. He said
that the University’s role should be to produce climate change and energy use research, especially in partnership with Argonne National Lab, at which the University is the largest contractor. When asked how much of the University endowment is invested in fossil fuel companies, Zimmer said, “I don’t know the answer,” adding that this was because the University Investment Office, chaired by Mark A. Schmid, invests in portfolios rather than in individual companies. He said that the administration’s opposition to divestment is consistent with the Kalven Report, published by a University faculty committee in 1967, which recommended that the University maintain political neutrality in the interest of ensur-
ing free expression. Zimmer said he had seen the addendum to the UChicago Climate Action Network (UCAN) 2013 divestment report, which argued that the social impact of climate change was, in the language of the Kalven Report, “so incompatible with paramount social values as to require careful assessment of the consequences.” However Zimmer also said that he did not find the argument “convincing, compared to the arguments the other way.” In reference to the addendum, he said, “I appreciate and admire that people went through the effort of making those arguments, and just because you make an argument doesn’t mean people accept it.” “Investments are the responsibility of the Board of Trustees, UCAN continued on page 4
Freenters 2.0 coming soon, but at a cost Ben Andrew Maroon Contributor Freenters, a printing service founded at the University of Chicago, has permanently closed all of its kiosks around campus with the goal of implementing a new business model. Soon, students will be able
to print at any printer they have access to—personal or public— using a special piece of software developed by Freenters, but not necessarily for free. The new software is part of what Freenters calls “Freenters 2.0,” and it will be available on November 20, according to the company’s website. Previously, Freenters
required students to use one of its dedicated kiosks around campus to print for free. As part of the transition to Freenters 2.0, Freenters is also changing its advertising and reimbursement model. Previously, ink and toner were provided entirely free of charge at PRINT continued on page 3
Jay Ellison, dean of students in the College, announced last week that the University will be eliminating part-time status for students. Previously, students taking fewer than three courses per quarter were enrolled as part-time students. All students must now
register for at least three courses per quarter, though exceptions will be made in specific situations. These exceptions primarily apply to students with health issues, who can work with Student Disability Services to petition to enroll with a reduced course load. Even with fewer classes, these students will still be considered full-time in
order to retain benefits like financial aid and college housing. The e-mail explains that “this should help students concentrate on their health…and…continue to progress toward their degree with institutional support.” Fourth-year students in their final quarter who need fewer than three courses PARTTIME continued on page 3
University community remembers Marcus Cox Isaac Stein Senior News Reporter At Bartlett Dining Commons, the friends and coworkers of Marcus Cox are remembering a man who was multitalented, generous, and committed to “celebrating your birthday like it was his birthday.” Cox had worked at Bartlett as a display cook since late 2011, and had previously lived in Milwaukee. On September 27 at 4:22 a.m., Cox, 28, was fatally shot in the abdomen on the 9600 block of South Morgan Avenue, in the Longwood Manor neighborhood. Tony Evans and Dwight McGee, who both currently work at Bartlett, said that Cox was a generous person who attended all of his coworkers’ family events, irrespective of his other obligations. Evans said that he remembers how Cox attended Evans’ wife’s baby
shower and apologized for not bringing a present by showering both wife and baby with a stack of dollar bills. “Marcus was the kind of guy you wouldn’t mind be-
ing around; he celebrated your birthday like it was his birthday, and he brought the liquor,” he said. McGee said that Cox attended his uncle’s funeral, COX continued on page 3
Marcus Cox COURTESY PHOTO
IN VIEWPOINTS
IN ARTS
IN SPORTS
Editorial: Making success affordable » Page 5
An indie rock nerd’s experience at an EDM festival » Page 6
Football: First time in history cracking DIII top 25 » Page 7
Grossbard: The myth of the coddled college student » Page 5
Men’s Soccer: South Siders begin UAA road play at Rochester » Back page