Chicago-Maroon-11-01-11 by The Chicago Maroon

CHICAGO

Washed Up

MAROON The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892

Women's basketball topples rival Wash U 73–71 in the UAA opener Sports, back page

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2011 • VOLUME 122, ISSUE 20 • CHICAGOMAROON.COM

TECHNOLOGY

STUDENT LIFE

Argonne battery will drive Chevy Volt

Flexible hours

By Hans Glick News Staff University-affiliated Argonne National Laboratory and General Motors Company (G M) have partnered in the development of the new Chevrolet Volt, one of three business deals announced by Argonne on Thursday. Argonne’s research on battery cells will be featured in the Volt, which was named the North American Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show yesterday. Argonne also unveiled new business agreements with G E Intelligent Platforms and LG Chem, Ltd., a Korean chemical company. The agreement with GM grants the company the right to manufacture lithium-ion batteries using Argonne’s patented cathode technology. Argonne’s development is designed to improve the energy capacity and safety of the Chevy Volt—the first hybrid plugin vehicle to be mass-produced. According to head of the Energy Storage Initiative at Argonne, Jeff Chamberlain, the new development represents a “step in the right direction” for battery cell research. “Energy

storage is a very important piece in the energy security puzzle,” Chamberlain said. Th e t h r e e a n n o u n c e m e n t s represent major developments by the U of C lab, indicative of Argonne’s growing participation in industry. “It’s certainly very significant when you can license something to a multinational company like GM or LG,” Argonne spokesperson Angela Hardin said. A similar, but separate, agreement with LG will focus on energy storage technology for the Volt. The lab unveiled a licensing deal with LG Chem, Ltd. which allows for the production of cathode material technology for the Volt’s battery cells. “It is especially gratifying to know that the commercialization of this Argonne-cathode is helping the development of an emerging U.S. battery manufacturing industry, as well as the creation of new American jobs,” Chamberlain said in an Argonne statement. LG’s new production facility created 400 jobs at a site in Michigan, according to the statement. Th e t h i r d a g r e e m e n t l i n k s

ARGONNE continued on page 2

Dean of Students in the College Susan Art guides Kuviasungnerk/Kangeiko participants through the Sun Salutation early Monday morning at Henry Crown Field House. DARREN LEOW/MAROON

By Jingwen Hu News Staff Kuviasungnerk/Kangeiko participation surged over 150 percent compared to last year’s first day as 665 U of C students rolled out of bed yesterday, hoping to bring home the prize for their house. But Dodd-Mead, the perennial winner

of the crack-of-dawn calisthenics event, is ready to hold onto their 14-year title. “The Final Countdown” blasted through the halls of the dorm at 5:30 in the morning, rousing 42 Dodd-Mead residents half an hour before they needed to be at Henry Crown Field House to defend their reign as the house with the most

participants. Fourteen Dodd-Mead residents kept sleeping, or at least pretended not to hear the wake -up calls. Resident Head Timothy McGovern joked they might get retribution down the line—a 5:30 a.m. phone call six years from now. McGovern and his wife, Thelma

KUVIA continued on page 3

CAMPUS

ADMINISTRATION

CRIME

Chabad moves from rabbi's house to its own home

U of C gets 'red light' for stopping free speech

Second Cisse murderer sentenced to 35 years

his wife Balia Brackman out of their house at the corner of East 57th Street and South Kimbark Avenue for the past eight years, is moving one block west to a $1,030,000 house on South Woodlawn Avenue. The Brackmans hope the 4,500 square foot center, more than

Though The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) suggests that University of Chicago students protest the Bias incident policy, current protesting rules would require students to notify the University two days in advance. In its annual free speech survey of 390 institutes for higher education, FIRE gave U of C the lowest rating possible. Throughout his tenure, President Robert Zimmer has repeatedly defended free discourse as crucial to academic communities, and specifically addressed the issue at a talk at the Law School last spring. But he has alluded to the challenges of creating an environment that encourages such freedom, noting that it is not always straightforward. Regarding how the University should handle issues of free speech, Zimmer said at an open forum in November, “These questions are not completely intuitive.” But FIRE’s stringent guidelines mean that any institution that “has at least one policy both clearly and substantially restricting freedom of speech, or that bars public access to its

CHABAD continued on page 2

FIRE continued on page 2

Rabbi Yossi Brackman, director of the University of Chicago Chabad Jewish Center, stands in front of the new Chabad house on the corner of East 57th Street and South Woodlawn Avenue. Brackman used to run the Center out of his home on East 57th Street and South Kimbark Avenue. CAMILLE VAN HORNE/MAROON

By Giovanni Wrobel News Staff Students active with the U of C branch of the Chabad Jewish Center came back this quarter to both a new year and a new building. The Center, which has been led by Rabbi Yossi Brackman and

By Maria Mauriello News Staff

FIRE by rating The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) gave red, yellow, and green ratings to institutions of higher education.* 67 percent (261 schools) received a red rating, the lowest possible. 27 percent (107 schools) received a yellow rating. 3 percent (12 schools) received a green rating, the highest possible.

Red Brown University Columbia University Cornell University Northwestern University University of Chicago

Yellow Reed University Yale University

Green Dartmouth University University of Pennsylvania *FIRE did not rate three percent of schools involved in the survey.

By Haru Coryne News Staff Another of the men charged w i t h t h e 2 0 07 h o m i c i d e o f a University graduate student pled guilty December 9, according to the Fox Chicago News article, “Second Man in University of Chicago Student Amadou Cisse’s Murder Sentenced to 35 Years.” Benjamin Williams received 35 years for the murder of Amadou Cisse, with an additional six years for attempted armed robbery. Williams, who was 21 at the time of the murder and the oldest of the four men implicated in the crime, was first charged in December 2007. Cisse, a sixth-year chemistry student from Senegal, was shot and killed November 19, 2 007 when three men attempted to rob him outside his apartment on the 6100 block of South Ellis Avenue. Demetrius Warren and Jamal Bracey, two of Cisse’s other assailants, had also mugged another pair of University students just 15

CISSE continued on page 3

CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | January 11, 2011

INTERVIEW

Uncommon Interview

with Ashish Rangnekar

n early 2009, Booth School student Ashish Rangnekar and his friend Ujjwal Gupta, a Ph.D. student at Penn State, got tired of carrying around heavy standardized test preparation books. Wishing they could access all the information they needed through a handheld gadget, they began working on an iPhone App. The result, called Watermelon Express, was a hit, propelling the duo to the heights of the app business world. After receiving funding from Groupon co-founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, the company now has iPhone, iPad, and Desktop study apps for the SAT, the MCAT, the GMAT, the LSAT and the GRE exams, with plans to launch Android, Blackberry tablet, and Web versions in the next month. The MAROON sat down with Rangnekar to talk about the weight differential between LSAT books and an iPhone, studying at Starbucks, and The Social Network. C H I CAG O M A RO O N : Where did the Watermelon Express idea originate? Ashish Rangnekar: In early 2009 I had just gotten off of taking my GMAT exam... and I realized that everyone just had this perspective on education, that they wanted to get done with it so they could move onto the next thing. And it was a little bit of a sad realization for me.... Education traditionally was very inconvenient, it was boring, it was not fun, and people just wanted to get done with it. That rang a bell to us and we said, “Let’s start to solve this,” but there was no big vision. We literally wanted to do one thing, we wanted to build a GMAT prep tool so that we could study on the go. CM: At what point did you realize the idea was bigger than an app? AR: We released the app in January [2009], and within a month, we noticed that there were a lot of people using and downloading the app, and that was the moment, that was kind of the “aha!” moment... So we took a step back and started to think about it as a business rather than just an application.

CM: Why the study-group planning section? AR: Right now in Chicago, there are a lot of students sitting in libraries, or in Starbucks, or at home, studying for the LSAT, and there’s a lot of power in just bringing them together. No instructions, no tutors—just bringing those students together creates a lot of value. Through our applications we have tools to bring students together and create study groups and study events. If I go to Starbucks every Saturday to study for the GRE, I would announce it to the whole community, and if anyone else is around that Starbucks, through the locationbased device, they can just show up and study the same content. Social networking for us is not about making friends, it’s about just understanding what others are doing and enhancing your own performance and being able to work with others. CM: How does the social networking aspect work outside of study groups? AR: If a student is reading though something within the application and doesn’t understand what the publisher has written,

Chabad plans to expand programming, offer Friday night Shabbat dinners at new house CHABAD continued from front page twice the size of their home, will open more opportunities for students and community programs and will give Chabad a devoted home base. “Until now we’ve been juggling programs and our family life, and now we’ll be able to do programming without any issue,” said Rabbi Brackman. Chabad will now be able to host larger events without renting University classrooms. Among the programs that will have growing room in the new Center is “Linking Hearts,” which engages students with home-bound seniors in Hyde Park, he said. He also plans to run Friday night Shabbat dinners, a Jewish education seminar called Sinai Scholars, and a number of Jewish classes offered to students inside the new building. “Before they were doing a lot of the programming in a one living room space where their kids might be doing afterschool homework, and at the same time Rabbi Yossi might b e managing some more administrative things,” said thirdyear David Akinin, president of Chabad Student board. “Now they have ample space to expand all their programming and the diversity of students with different

interests.” But Brackman said the welcoming atmosphere of the Center won’t change. “We’re still going to try and maintain the cozy family feel that is typical of Chabad,” he said. “Our mission is to give any student an opportunity to explore Judaism.” Chabad purchased the building from the Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary on December 22 after a two-year capital campaign that raised over $800,000. The bulk of the money came from a $500,000 grant through the Rohr Family Foundation, with alumni and parents of current students making up most of the rest, Rabbi Brackman said. With a $350,000 mortgage that will help renovate the building, Chabad still needs $480,000 to cover the move. Tenants living upstairs in the new Center will help pay for the mortgage, Rabbi Brackman said. Students fund-raised for the new building with donations from friends and family. “What’s so exciting about the new home is that they’re now going to be able to serve more students with more ample programming, and open their doors to a greater community more comfortably,” Akinin said.

CORRECTION The January 7 article "Biochem Prof Goldwasser Dies At 88" did not fully identify the source of a quote. Goldwasser's second wife Deone Jackman described Goldwasser's passion for the University and his research. 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 Editor@ChicagoMaroon.com.

MMMMMM

what our system would allow them to do is to quickly see what other students or other tutors or professors have commented on that particular subject area, and suddenly it’s not just them with the content, but them trying to understand how other students have understood this particular topic. CM: How do you collect and use data? AR: We take data for every student, every click, every minute, every answer and with all this data, we make sure we understand how students are progressing. After 1,000 students have taken a test, for the next student who takes that test, depending on his score, we know exactly how that student should be proceeding. We have an adaptive engine, which allows us to make actual recommendations to the student. CM: How will Watermelon Express affect the study textbook business model? AR: Publishers are really in the business of content: they think of the book as their product. I don’t think the book is their product. The actual content is their product, the book is the medium which they use to

CHRISTINA PILLSBURY/MAROON

deliver that. Some publishers have started to realize that, and some of them have not. I think that content is not going away, the book is going away...Crudely, we are the old world printing press, but in the new world we are not publishing books, we are publishing applications. CM: What was your opinion of The Social Network’s depiction of a tech start-up? AR: I loved the movie. It was very, very, very motivating. It was a little exaggerated, but the basic emotion remains the same. It so happens that typically in a well-managed tech start-up there are people who are really high achievers—all they care about is getting this really amazing product out. So in a way, staying away from all the parties that they were having, the emotion that they carried is very true to what actually happens.

Acquisition of Argonne technology shows lab's strength, says spokesperson ARGONNE continued from front page Argonne and GE Intelligence Platforms—a subsidiary of General Electric Company (GE). GE has acquired the Argonne offshoot company SmartSignal Co., which specializes in technologies for diagnosing malfunctions in industrial equipment.

The purchase of SmartSignal by G E is indicative of Argonne’s importance, Hardin s aid. Chamb erlain agrees that the announcements signal the growing strength of the Argonne lab. “It’s a consistent message that we have been delivering and that we do deliver,” he said.

FIRE encourages students to protest U of C bias policy FIRE continued from front page speech-related policies by requiring a university login and password for access” receives a “red light rating.” The University shares the institution’s lowest rating with 261 other campuses, or 67 percent of those surveyed. Only three percent of the campuses, including Dartmouth and University of Pennsylvania, received “green lights” for allowing full freedom of expression, while 27 percent earned yellow lights for limiting freedom of speech only in very specific instances. A review of the U of C’s policy by Sarah Harris, the director of Speech Code research for FIRE, stated that the University’s bias policy was “the most problematic.” This policy allows the University to investigate offensive, but not necessarily illegal, speech acts on campus. Examples of such action, as stated in the University student handbook, include derogatory comments made in person or on a dorm whiteboard. Adam Kissel (M.A.’02), director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program, encouraged students to petition against the policy. “Students should advocate to abolish the bias incident policy in its current form or to significantly revise it to protect student expression,” he said in an email. Policy regarding student demonstrations was also described as “highly problematic” in Harris’s review. The U of C requires that student protests be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance, allowing the administration to investigate protests that may be considered offensive, although not illegal. The University protest policy, found in the student handbook, states that “freedom of expression is vital to our shared goal of the pursuit of

knowledge.” But Kissel disagreed that the U of C prioritized free speech. In an e-mail, Kissel said, “In my experience, University of Chicago’s administration has demonstrated a trend of ignoring or belittling campus critics.” As a private institution, the University is not bound by First Amendment protections. But even public institutions of education are permitted to prohibit speech that is “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive, and that so undermines and detracts from the victims’ educational experience, that the victim-students are effectively denied equal access to an institution’s resources and opportunities,” according to the Supreme Court case Davis v. Monroe Board of Education. FIRE’s media attention was most recently drawn to the U of C last March, when it reported that fourth-year Joseph “Tex” Dozier was contacted by University police for posting a joke that he had had a dream about assassinating University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer “for a secret Israeli organization” on Facebook in December 2009. “Any reasonable person would recognize that Mr. Dozier’s post was unquestionably a joke,” said FIRE Vice President Robert Shibley in a March press release. FIRE noted in its press release that while most schools were failing to meet their criteria, it was an improvement from last year, when three-fourths of the schools received “red light” ratings. “Unlike most universities, the University [of Chicago] has failed to acknowledge FIRE’s specific concerns,” Kissel said in an e-mail.

CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | January 11, 2011

Fourth-years look forward to stripping down during Friday Sun Salutations at the Point

Fashionistas and physicists agree: Pleats have practical value

KUVIA continued from front page

By Tarika Khattar News Contributor

Tennant, are attending their 11th Kuvia, and he says competition has grown more intense as the participation rate rose over the years. “Back in the day you could win with 20 percent of the house,” he said. This year, they’re hoping to win with their current participation rate of 76 percent. At the end of the five-day event, cash prizes will be given to the large (more than 80 people) and small (80 or fewer) houses with the highest participation rate, and anybody who completes all five days receives a Kuvia t-shirt. But for Dodd-Mead, it’s about upholding a reputation. First-years learned of the winter tradition the day they set foot in their house. “You can’t avoid it if you try…It’s gone to epic proportions of advertisement,” said Jamie Mermelstein, a first-year in the house. Posters about Kangeiko plaster the walls of the lounge and bathrooms: “Mr. Gorbachev, raise up this sun,” “If you don’t do it, the terrorists win,” “If it’s not -40 out, I don’t want to hear any complaining.” One, Dodd-Mead residents assert, isn’t false advertising. “On Friday morning, George will strip.” George Ziegler is a fourth-year planning

to complete a fourth year of Kuvia, and for that, he has the special privilege of stripping down during the Sun Salutations performed at the Point on Friday, the last day of Kuvia. After each one of the ten salutations, a piece of clothing must come off. A pair of socks counts as one. “You have a week to plan it,” said Ziegler. Alex Dulchinos, a fourth-year in DoddMead who has done Kuvia every year, intends to wear the past three years’ Kangeiko shirts and “strip the layers of time,” he said. “I’m a masochist…It’s something I’ve been doing for so long that I don’t want to stop,” said Dulchinos. Resident Assistant Emily Kemper said, “People do it. They get progressively less happy about it [as the week goes on].” The surge of Kuvia participants is likely to decrease as the week continues, although whether or not this year’s crop of early birds is hardier than last year’s is hard to say. “The fi rst day is a pretty big crowd. As people realize what’s going to happen, it dwindles down,” said Kemper. Yet, McGovern said, only one or two people will drop over the course of the week each year from Dodd-Mead.

Two more cases underway to convict Cisse murderers CISSE continued from front page minutes prior to the shooting. Jamal Bracey pled guilty to the murder last November and was sentenced to 39 years—35 for the killing, four for burglary. Warren, the man who actually pulled the trigger, has been charged but has not yet pled guilty.

The case of Eric Walker, who operated the perpetrators’ vehicle while the crime was underway, is still pending, while a fifth man believed to have participated alongside Walker has not been identified. The Cook County Attorney’s office declined to issue a statement on Williams’ guilty plea.

Pleats, usually associated with the world of fashion, have found their way into the field of theoretical physics through the discoveries of University of Chicago physicist William Irvine. Last month, Irvine and colleagues published findings in Nature, a leading international science journal, showing that curved spaces can develop scarred defect patterns in crystals that are analogous to fabric pleats. The study, a collaboration with Professor Vincenzo Vitelli of the Insitituut-Lorentz and Professor Paul Chaikin of New York University, will allow for deeper exploration into the theories of defects in curved spaces. The results yield practical results like the pos-

sibility of engineering structures with curvature, like wasted nanotubes. Irvine’s findings also apply to the development of methods for soft lithography and self-assembly. “Crystals on spheres have been studied before but not on negative curvature like that found in capillary bridges,” Irvine said. Irvine investigated the crystal order on surfaces of positive and negative curvature. He discovered that pleats might relax the curvature as they create uncharged lines of dislocation, vanishing on the surface like fabric pleats. “The question we asked ourselves is— what happens when you put something that is on flat space onto curved space?” said Irvine, explaining the genesis of the research. “Think of what happens when you put a sticker on a curved surface—it creates defect patterns.”

The Hyde Park Language Program offers its 2011 winter/spring intensive course in

Reading French Mondays evenings, 5 PM – 8:00 PM, beginning January 17, 2011, and ending in time for students to take the U of C spring graduate French exam. Join the hundreds upon hundreds of students who have taken this course to high-pass the U of C graduate French exam (even without any prior knowledge of French) or otherwise to advance their ability to read French.

Cost: $800 www.hydeparklanguage.com

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CHICAGO MAROON

| VIEWPOINTS | November 23, 2010

VIEWPOINTS

EDITORIAL & OP-ED JANUARY 11, 2011

EDITORIAL

CHICAGO MAROON

The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892

JORDAN HOLLIDAY, Editor-in-Chief JAKE GRUBMAN, Managing Editor ELLA CHRISTOPH, News Editor ADAM JANOFSKY, News Editor PETER IANAKIEV, Viewpoints Editor ALISON HOWARD, Viewpoints Editor HAYLEY LAMBERSON, Voices Editor JORDAN LARSON, Voices Editor NICK FORETEK, Sports Editor MAHMOUD BAHRANI, Sports Editor JESSICA SHEFT-ASON, Sports Editor VICTORIA KRAFT, Head Copy Editor MONIKA LAGAARD, Head Copy Editor HOLLY LAWSON, Head Copy Editor MATT BOGEN, Photo Editor CAMILLE VAN HORNE, Photo Editor JACK DiMASSIMO, Head Designer JOSH SUNG, Web Editor AMY MYERS, Assoc. News Editor CHRISTINA PILLSBURY, Assoc. News Editor SHARAN SHETTY, Assoc. Viewpoints Editor ILIYA GUTIN, Assoc. Voices Editor

CHLOE GOLDMAN, Business Manager VINCENT McGILL, Delivery Coordinator IVY PEREZ, Senior Designer DOUGLAS EVERSON, Designer ANDREW GREEN, Designer REBECCA GUTERMAN, Designer ALYSSA LAWTHER, Designer VINCENT YU, Designer SABINA BREMNER, Artist JANE BARTMAN, Copy Editor ALICE BLACKWOOD, Copy Editor MARCELLO DELGADO, Copy Editor DANIELLE GLAZER, Copy Editor DON HO, Copy Editor JANE HUANG, Copy Editor ALISON HUNG, Copy Editor TARA NOOTEBOOM, Copy Editor LANE SMITH, Copy Editor GABE VALLEY, Copy Editor ALEX WARBURTON, Copy Editor BELLA WU, Copy Editor LILY YE, Copy Editor The CHICAGO MAROON is published twice weekly during autumn, winter, and spring quarters. Circulation: 6,500 The opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are not necessarily those of the MAROON.

Business casual

The College should provide more opportunities for informal interaction with career professionals If job-searching has a single rule, it is this: Networking is vital. Forming links with peers and professionals is crucial to success. From collecting business cards to striking up small talk, the value of networking has never been higher, and there’s no better place to do it than at Taking the Next Step, the annual CPO-planned career exploration day. The event, which consists of a keynote speech, lunch roundtable, and two specialized panel sessions, is usually among the best organized pre-professional opportunities for students, and last Saturday’s event was no different; The shuttle system to the downtown Marriott was reliable, the food was excellent, and the padfolios were as confidenceboosting as ever. However, it also shed light on how underexposed we are

to these kinds of interactions. Speaking to these people—professionals dealing with the imperfections of their respective industries, candidly revealing the level of satisfaction they garner from their jobs—brings home just how important it is to be connected to the real world. In short, there should be more opportunities similar to the lunch at Taking the Next Step, with informal interaction with alumni and professionals. This doesn’t mean undergraduates require a classy, largescale function downtown every week, but more professional and real-world events, filled with professional and real-world people, would be highly productive. Opportunities like Venture to Adventure and the Winter Career Fair, which cover job searches in broad, generic strokes, pale in comparison to what

in-depth and honest conversation provide. There is no dearth of information sessions on various career paths, and we certainly aren’t lacking in interview preparation, résumé advice, or internship searches. All of these things, which are provided mostly by CAPS, are useful and enriching. But meeting professionals and hearing their perspectives on their working lives is a different experience altogether, an experience that is a rarity on campus. Such experiences would not only supplement our educations, but also level the playing field for many undergraduates. With a student body of such diversity and disparities, students don’t enter college with equal connections or knowledge of the working world. More informal discussions of this sort would ensure that every student can plug into the

Diagnosing the post-holiday blues The idealism characteristic of the holiday season cannot be sustained for the whole year

By Tyler Lutz Viewpoints Columnist It’s that time of year again; the holidays are over, but somehow your imagination hasn’t quite gotten the message yet. Be honest. How many times in the last week or so have you caught a blinking

light in your periphery and turned toward it fully expecting to find a string of Christmas lights, or heard people talking forebodingly of “work” and “responsibility” and felt as though you were hearing the words for the first time? And all the while a voice from somewhere deep in your subconscious has probably been pestering you with the same seemingly innocuous question: Why couldn’t the holidays last just a little longer? Of course, it’s absurd, you reason to yourself. The festivities surely have to end eventually. All those decorations would quickly become fi re hazards, and the same hand-

ful of jingles repeated to no end would drive us mad at some point— supposing, that is, that we haven’t already succumbed to cardiac arrest from all the cookies. But wait. What’s that you say? You’re not convinced? There’s more to Christmas than garlands and jingles? Well, what is it then? Of the many wonders of the holiday season, the one I find most fascinating is our culture’s inability to determine what exactly all the fuss is about. Despite the unceasing war between commercializers of the season and religious zealots, most of us ignore the rhetoric and read into these holidays pretty

OP-ED

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Econ majors aren’t the only ones who go on to professional success

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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.

U of C’s alumni network and leave the University with meaningful connections of their own. Th e C C I ( C h i c a g o C a r e e r s In…) programs, which encompass health professions, law, business, and much more, could lead this project by more frequently holding small, intimate discussions with experienced professionals and alumni. These interest-specific seminars wouldn’t demand too many resources, but would still personalize and bring into focus the realities of a job search. What makes Taking the Next Step such a refreshing opportunity is the simplicity of its premise: Students talking to professionals without any pretense, barriers, or formalities.

much whatever we want to, motivating us to ask not about what their “true” meaning is, but rather what it’s not. For every person you find who says the holidays are about altruism and selfless giving, I can find you someone else for whom they are about partaking in the festivities and enjoying life. If you give me someone who believes the holidays are about humility and appreciating the simple things in life, I’ll give you someone who will tell you in all seriousness how much she looks forward to the glamour, the glitz, and the extravagance that the holidays entail. And then I can

CHRISTMAS continued on page 5

An even division of labor By Martia Bradley Viewpoints Contributor You walk into a room and it goes silent, everyone stares. You find yourself in a restaurant where no one speaks your language. You go to the movies and realize that you are the only audience member over the age of twelve. These are all situations in which it’s understandable to feel like you’re stranded on an island or like you’re a baby crying in a room full of uncaring people who are more concerned with removing the gum on the bottom of their shoes than soothing your shrill anxiety. A college career fair shouldn’t be one

of these situations. However, any humanities major attending last Friday’s career fair would have certainly had to wipe the sweat off her brow due to the intensity of the event. I looked around and saw investment bank upon investment bank upon international consulting firm and so on and so forth, with each glance giving me the opportunity to sink further and further into uncertainty and dismay about life after the U of C. Apparently, if you are not a math major or an econ major, your future holds nothing but doom, poverty, and teaching positions. Does economics seem like the universal language now? The

plethora of internships only for econ majors has given this poor student of the humanities a moment of doubt. I want to be pursued by a high-powered international company. I too want those doors to usher me in and to challenge my mind. I don’t want to diminish the effort of my peers, but sometimes when I am among econ majors, I wonder if they study for the joy and thrill of learning, or for their future penthouses and European vacations. Let’s face it, we can’t all be econ majors, and just because you did not major in economics doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of doing what they do, at least to some extent. Anyone

at the U of C, even an advanced student in the humanities, can be trained simply because she is so bold as to immerse herself in a field that has no promise of financial riches. After all my experiences this weekend, I find myself asking who is better equipped in the business world: one who knows how to analyze a text and to express an argument in paper format, or one who can suffer through low grades and endless problem sets? And here I thought part of business was being able to convince via argument and analysis why you are correct and why the competitors are wrong.

CAREER continued on page 5

CHICAGO MAROON

| VIEWPOINTS |

January 11, 2011

Blind idealism often hinders causes it seeks to support

Humanities majors can look forward to numerous career options

CHRISTMAS continued from page 4

CAREER continued from page 4

probably find you someone who believes just about all of the above, regardless of how contradictory the individual positions might seem to each other. Nevertheless, there is a generality we can draw from these hectic dichotomies; we tend to think of the holiday season as the way the world ought to be, as a chance for us to reveal, if only for a matter of weeks, our ideal selves, whoever they may be. This analysis neatly shows that the apparent contradictions above stem from the (quite apparent) disparities in our ideal conceptions of society and ourselves. But now the conundrum: if the holidays present us with an opportunity to embrace our ideal selves, what exactly precludes continuing to do so after they’re over? Why can’t we have ‘peace on Earth’ and ‘goodwill to men’ all year around? It’s a compelling, but fatally flawed, suggestion. Don’t misinterpret me here; I don’t see anything fundamental to human nature that would make the sort of magnanimity, benevolence, or thankfulness that we strive for during the holidays impossible at other times of the year. The problem is that such a line of reasoning is founded on an illusion. The ‘better selves’ and ‘better society’ we pursue during the holidays represent our idealistic conceptions of the future, but these ideals don’t embody a mechanism to attain them. They are ends and not necessarily means. If you can snap your fingers and live your ideal life (at least morally speaking) after the holidays, then by all means do so. But don’t worry if you can’t; there might actually be a very good reason why not. Maybe unfettered idealism is not always the best way to attain our ideals. If you’re a good UChicago student, I can probably guess what you’re thinking right

now: “Hmmm, someone spent some quality time with Machiavelli over break.” But there’s more to the story than that. Setting aside the possible need to compromise some of our ideals in order to achieve them, isn’t it also possible that idealism itself, if used in excess, could directly erode the very ideals it purports to advocate? History is replete with examples of this thorny problem. Prohibitionists, when they succeeded in banning alcohol, actually made the substance vastly more harmful to society than it had ever been before. And yet they acted with the explicit intent of reducing such harm! Similarly, one hardly has to go far to see the same travesty played out in modern political discourse. For instance, in the immigration debate, both sides readily and perhaps shamelessly revert to idealistic solutions (of which aggressive deportation or, on the other hand, simple legalization are probably the most egregious) which detract from the too-often neglected central issue: drafting an immigration policy that is to the greatest benefit of all parties involved. Which brings us back to the central issue of this column: Christmas simply is not designed to solve our world’s problems. It’s a celebration of the ideas and habits that we think are worth fighting for. Simply pretending these are already won, by blindly embracing the Christmas spirit, clearly does not constitute progress, as our experience with countless utopian social experiments might suggest. So then are ‘peace on Earth’ and ‘good will towards men’ really attainable? I would offer a most emphatic yes. But if we’re really serious about pursuing these, we have to acknowledge that it might take more than just holiday cheer.

Yes, we all want financial security, but I am not willing to forsake my books and Virgil for problem sets and the remote possibility of a future career in the financial world. Needless to say, after Friday’s career fair I felt slightly out of my element, but Taking the Next Step was the perfect remedy for my uncertainties. Over 250 alumni crowded the downtown Marriott on Saturday, some econ majors, others not; some alumni of the College and some alumni of graduate schools, but for the ambitious undergraduate, one saw nothing but diverse, unique, and attainable future possibilities. Lawyers, doctors, actors, writers, professors, students, teachers and countless others sat together, laughed together, and related to each other for a day full of encouraging conversations. At the lunch, as I sat between two lawyers, one of whom was an econ major who barely managed to graduate, I realized that there is no set path to the right job or the right life after the U

of C. With the University of Chicago as your springboard into the world, you can enter almost any field with determination and creativity. The journalism and publishing panel demonstrated the diversity of educational backgrounds present in the world of media. Consisting of English, Classics, and sociology majors, the panel impressed upon its audience the importance of doing what you love and letting that love lead you in the direction of your career. Prize-winning journalist Bob Levey of the Washington Post stressed that success comes from practice, and all careers require a certain amount of “grunt work.” In its entirety, Taking the Next Step made clear to its participants that not only will there be life after the U of C, but also success, if one is willing to utilize every lesson learned, both inside the classroom and outside of it. Martia Bradley is a second-year in the College majoring in Classics.

DAY IN THE LIFE

Tyler Lutz is a second-year in the College.

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VOICES

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 11, 2011

Film under Fire

ART

Chicago Cultural Center unearths untrained genius By Morgan McCarty Voices Snap Happy

Fire In My Belly (Film In Progress) by David Wojnarowicz, 1986-87, Super 8mm film, black and white & color, silent. The controversial film, which is a tribute to a friend of the artist who died of AIDS, will be showing at the Smart Museum through February 6. COURTESY OF THE SMART MUSEUM, THE ESTATE OF DAVID WOJNAROWICZ, THE P.P.O.W. GALLERY, NEW YORK AND THE FALES LIBRARY AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS/NEW YORK UNIVERSITY.

ART

Zamudio examines Chicago through the lens of nostalgia By Morgan McCarty Voices Eye of the Beholder Things of the past have a tendency to recur in the present. Such is the driving force of Chicago photographer Dan Zamudio’s latest exhibition, “Chicago and the Diana: Toy Camera Images by Dan Zamudio,” currently on view at the Chicago Cultural Center. Taking a vintage Diana camera for endless walks in both Chicago’s more recognizable neighborhoods and in areas really only known to native Chicagoans, Zamudio has managed to capture the fading essence of a bustling post-war culture’s descent into gentrification. Here, an explanation of the Diana camera is probably due. First, it is a toy entirely made of plastic, including the lens. The original Diana cameras were discontinued in the late 1960s and early ’70s, but they’ve recently made a comeback. Any fan of Lomo cameras, or Urban Outfitters for that matter, can have their own try with the toy. Using a Diana camera is usually deemed as trite child’s play, but Zamudio turns it into an art form. As a medium format camera, the Diana produces lo-fi, blurred, almost surreal

photos. Often it produces images not exactly like those seen through the viewfinder at the capturing moment. The images can turn out slightly different, akin to memory’s quality of distorting moments into more or less ideal impressions.

CHICAGO AND DIANA Chicago Cultural Center Through March 27

Walking through the galleries of the Chicago Cultural Center is reminiscent of flipping through the pages of a grandparent’s photo album. Small black and white images of 24 by 36 millimeters, Zamudio’s images are intimate and fond memories not only of places and things, but of a bygone era. Zamudio’s chief concern is the disappearance of any evidence of an era of neon signs, jazz bars, water towers, decaying buildings, and grimy diners. Glimpses of shopkeepers through the windows of the storefront remind the viewer of not only a favorite deli, but also a hardworking, often immigrant,

middle class. Streets engulfed with the glow of neon signs offer heartwarming, fuzzy, evocative vignettes. Zamudio frames his images in a particular manner, for instance by leaving the beginning of a neon sign out of the frame. In this way, he seems to not only assume viewers to be familiar with the locale, but also for them to have memories associated with it. It is up to them to reconstruct the area from what they remember of it. Chicago’s lesser known landmarks, coffee shops, bars and streets, favored by true natives and urban explorers are preserved in Zamudio’s work. As a whole, the exhibition takes on a greater importance than individual images of places and things, and certain images call to mind fellow Chicago photographer Art Shay’s style of work. Zamudio’s images are a childlike love letter to a vanishing urban ecosystem. As Chicago’s numerous neighborhoods catapult toward the trendy, fashionable, and shiny new aesthetic, his images draw the viewer back into an album of the past, reminding him or her to honor and preserve the foundations of our society and culture.

If every picture tells a thousand words, then Vivian Maier’s body of 100,000 images has a lengthy novel to tell. It is a tale of discovery, history, and life. Walking through the Chicago Cultural Center’s “Finding Vivian Maier: Street Photographer,” the viewer is overwhelmingly intrigued, both by the photos’ subjects and the photographer herself. A few years ago, over 100,000 negatives, thousands of prints, and a mound of underdeveloped film was discovered alongside numerous piles of personal effects not unlike those seen on A&E’s show Hoarders. Chicago real estate agent John Maloof discovered this trove, having come across Maier’s photo collection at an auction. He purchased it in its entirety, unable to contact the previous owner as she had very recently died. During the process of sifting through the belongings, Maloof began to weave together Maier’s unusual life and unique work through extensive research. Maloof was able to uncover the story of a woman born in New York City in 1926 to French and Austrian parents who later moved to Chicago in the 1950s. During her time in Chicago, Maier was a nanny to many wealthy North Shore families. Her exhibit displays a secret, technically-untrained passion for street photography. It is a fraction of a large body of work that d o c u m e n t s C h i c a g o a n d Ne w York streets, as well as various places around the world during a greater part of the second half of the twentieth century. Alongside her recently printed photographs sit her cameras, film spools, a few vintage prints, and some notes, which lend some helpful context about her life. Her extensive collection of things includes many books on photography, audio interviews, and photographs of creative luminaries such as Christian Dior, Salvador Dalí, and Nelson Algren. They allude to her interaction with the cultural elite, both in Chicago and New York. All signs of Maloof ’s research seem to point to the idea that Maier was self-taught in the

medium of photography. One might not easily deduce, upon viewing her work for the first time, that she was indeed selfinstructed. Her photographs are remarkably composed, framed and reference predecessors of the street photography style like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassaï, and Paul Strand. One image of two young boys with unusual, knobby legs also calls to mind Diane Arbus’ quirky and eccentric style. Maier’s more fashionoriented images distinctly strike chords with fans of one of today’s most famous street fashion photographers: Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist fame. Both in number and subject, Maier’s images encompass the broad history of street photography.

FINDING VIVIAN MAIER Chicago Cultural Center Through April 3

The exhibit includes numerous facets of street life. There are downtrodden homeless men and women slumped on street corners and across stoops. Tensions are explored between the dirty, homeless street dwellers and the clean, wealthy men and women passing by. The elderly are captured strolling in their Sunday best. Some images feature the sick and obese sitting for Maier’s lens. Children also stand for Maier’s camera, attentive and curious. People are waiting for the bus, their faces tilted to capture the warm day’s light. Each photo highlights the subject’s mode of dress, probable occupation, and social status, among other things. Much like Maier and her collection, the images themselves beg to be explored, even beg to be given a story if the actual one is unknown. The viewer is left to wonder about each image’s subject, their hopes, troubles, and activities. Maier captured many a person, but not one without personality and character, even if they lack notoriety. Each of her photographs convey a sense of a unique individual without any heav y overtones of social commentary or judgment. Maier’s b ody of work speaks for itself in a unique and captivating voice.

Hey! Arts and entertainment enthusiast! The Voices Blog wants you. If you're interested in contributing to the Maroon's A&E blog on movies, TV, art exhibits, theater, or anything related, email Voices@ChicagoMaroon.com.

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CHICAGO MAROON | VOICES | January 11, 2011

Style

Chicago Manual of

by Jessen O’Brien

New Year’s: It’s the holiday where we stay up until midnight and then remember that, oh yeah, we do that every night. It’s also the time when we make laudable resolutions we cannot keep, or laughable ones we can keep all too easily. If you’re still looking for some manageable vows to make, I’m providing a list of fashion dos and don’ts that will hold for this year, next year, and even the one after that. I make no promises for 2014, though.

Don’t:

Buy into bargains. It’s not a bargain if you never wear it, even if it was only $5. Sometimes, it makes more sense not to make the “sensible” purchase. I divide an item’s price by the number of times I wear it to determine its true cost. My haircut? A bargain even if I spent more on it than my jeans. That practically unwearable V-neck sweater I bought for 30% off? Highway robbery. Don’t

buy something just because it seems like a good deal. Instead, buy clothing that you truly love and will thus wear often. So have patience. Keep looking for the perfect item; it’ll be worth it in the end.

Do:

Wear colors this winter! It’s cold, it’s dreary, and life has lost all sense of meaning, but that doesn’t mean your personal color scheme has to match. Yes, winter white is wonderful. And black is always classic and chic. However, if you find yourself wearing white, black, and all the grays in between every day, consider brightening up your wardrobe. But I don’t mean pastels—I’m talking about rich, bold hues. Baby blue might be soothing, but I find that during a Chicago winter students need a bolt of energy more than being constantly calmed into a coma. You’ll look fashionable, and the splash of color can be

Dos and Don'ts for the New Year therapeutic. You can’t wear red, for instance, without feeling brighter and better. For inspiration, see the 2011 winter collections of Marc Jacobs, Versace, or Vivienne Westwood, where you’ll find lime green, orange, sapphire, yellow, and more.

Don’t:

Wear leggings with any top that doesn’t cover your butt. Leggings are not pants, especially when it’s cold out, and I don’t care if they’re fleece-lined. Unless you’re exercising, sleeping, or living in the ‘80s, leggings as pants look tacky. Actually, it probably looked tacky in the ‘80s too, so learn from the past. However, you can take a positive note from the ‘80s and pair your leggings with an oversized sweater or a long cardigan. Or grab a tunic top, something just a little loose and a little too long for jeans. You can also wear them with a dress, skirt, or shorts if it’s too

The Fun Corner. Solution for 1/7 puzzle

Sudoku is provided by Laura Taalman (A.B. 94) and Philip Riley (A.B. '94).

CORE: Comic Only Read Entelligently

By Alyssa Martin

cold for tights. But, as an addendum, tights are not leggings. If you need to, keep them in separate bins in opposite corners of your room, lest in the wee hours of the morn (or, you know, noon on a Saturday) you confuse the two and freeze to death. This might sound obvious, but I have seen this happen too many times not to mention it.

Do: Be creative. Pair green with orange, fringe with feathers, shorts with winter, especially when you feel like everything in your closet is a million years old and looks hideous on you. Treat that old blue dress as a skirt, or even a top, and you might just resuscitate it. At best, you’ll pay tribute to McQueen. At worst, remember that fashion should never lose a sense of humor. Have fun with your clothing and take chances. You might get an odd look, but remember to dress for yourself, not others.

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CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | January 11, 2011

Familiarity with opponents gives Maroons advantage during conference play M. BASKETBALL continued from back page MacKenzie, who scored 15 points, added that the game was a learning experience for the team. “We have discovered that we can play with anyone, but also lose to anyone. It’s not good enough just to show up,” he said. “We have to play with the energy we did this weekend against Wash U if we want to make a run in the conference.” The start of conference play means the remaining games will be against more familiar conference opponents. When asked how the team prepared for its game against Wash U, Williams explained, “Because we see them twice a year, we are familiar with the sets they run, so we spent most of the week preparing to stop their offensive plays.” McGrath added, “Any time you’re playing a rival, your intensity goes up, and your focus increases.” The UAA race remains wide open and the team hopes to contend for the conference title. Saturday’s win bodes well for the rest of what has so far been a rocky season. “I’d say I’m very optimistic about the team’s chances in the conference,” McGrath concluded.

Four undefeated wrestlers lead charge for Chicago at Duals WRESTLING continued from back page

Second-year Matt MacKenzie slams it home during Chicago’s 79-77 victory over Wash U. MATT BOGEN/MAROON

VISIBLE LANGUAGE

THE EARLIEST WRITING SYSTEMS Dr. Christopher E. Woods WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2011 7 PM - ORIENTAL INSTITUTE

Free and Open to the Public The ability to represent language graphically, to make language visible, stands as one of humanity ’s greatest intellectual and cultural achievements. Given in conjunction with the special exhibit V isible Language, this lecture explores how and why humans first invented writing by comparing the Mesopotamian, Eg yptian, Chinese, and Mesoamerican inventions — the four instances in histor y when writing was invented “out of nothing.” In this lecture, Christopher Woods discusses cultural contexts and structural features of each of these systems, focusing on important similarities and differences between them.

Dr. Christopher E. Woods is an Associate Professor of Sumerology at the Oriental Institute and the curator of the special exhibit Visible Language: Inventions of Writing in the Ancient Middle East and Beyond at the Oriental Institute Museum.

The Oriental Institute

ǺǺǾǾ &ĒĤĥ Ǿȁĥę 4ĥģĖĖĥ t oi.uchicago.edu

around at just the right time. The only loss came against Central by a score of 22–15. “We knew we could beat all the teams we faced. It was just a matter of showing up and putting together the right matchups,” fourthyear Ryan Hatten said. “We have guys going up to higher weight classes to help the team out, so I think we did very well given the circumstances. After our showing Tuesday, it was good for our morale to do well.” One of those who switched weight classes was fourth-year Matt Hart, who moved to the 141 division. “3–1 overall was a really good performance, especially in our first dual,” he said. “We wanted to start putting on better dual performances. North Central we only won one match, and same with Elmhurst. With [the UAA Championship] right around the corner, we wanted to start getting our best lineups together and start feeding off of each other’s matchups to get some momentum.” Four Chicago wrestlers went undefeated that day, including Hart and Hatten at 4–0, and second-year Jim Layton and first-year Ryan Hoyt at 3–0. Yet even with outstanding individual performances, the team still needed to have a sense of unity to compete well. “We saw a lot of guys who stepped up for the team,” head coach Leo Kocher said. “A couple of the meets, Platteville and Central, were particularly challenging in close matches. On a wrestling team, even though it’s an individual sport, you have to feel like you have to want to do it not just for yourself, but for your team. They’re all sweating and bleeding right along with each other. I thought we would be a little more competitive from here on out, and yesterday upheld that viewpoint.” Saturday’s success was opportune, as the team needs a strong ending to the regular season to get ready for the UAA Championship on February 5 against Case Western and New York University. “For the coach and our season, we see the UAAs as what we’re trying to peak at, because that’s what we have a lot of pride in for the university,” third-year Stephen Sunderman said. “We’ve taken our lumps, and our duals record shows that. We really turned the corner this weekend. We can build off that and finish strong when we move to the conference tournament.” Chicago’s bright prospects at the UAA Championship are in part due to their preparation. “At the beginning of the season, we played a lot of highly-rated teams. We’ve taken our punches, but our big goal this year is hanging together,” Sunderman added. “We just have to keep improving so when we get to the end with the UAAs, we can show up and win another conference title.” “We’re on an excellent path for the UAA Championship. This team has people in the right weight classes. We have competitive people in all the classes,” Kocher said. “The dual meets that matter more than anything are the dual meets against Case Western and NYU. We’re on a good path to be competitive there.” “There were a lot of technical things we have been working on in practice that have been making a difference,” Hart concluded. “If we keep improving, it’s hard to believe that we couldn’t win UAA. We just have to continue to improve each week, and find the little things that will make a difference in close matches.” This weekly improvement will be tested tonight in a dual meet at Wheaton at 7 p.m.

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IN QUOTES

SPORTS

“Jets should send Sanchez to Iran so he can overthrow Ahmedinejad.” —Disgruntled Jets fan @BigYankeeMike, tweeting at halftime of the Jets-Colts playoff game after quarterback Mark Sanchez missed four open receivers.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Washed Up Herrick blocks Bears’ hope, assures last minute victory By Gracie Sonnabond Sports Staff

The e Maroons Maroons, led by third-year Taylor Simpson’s 22 points, scored 36 points in the paint.

After shooting a meager 32 percent in the first half, the Maroons bounced back, shooting 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.

This back and forth battle featured seven lead changes and eleven ties.

It was 2007 when the Maroons last defeated Wash U in the UAA season opener. But when the dust settled on Saturday’s back-and-forth contest, one massive block had decided the game in Chicago’s favor, getting the Maroons on the right foot as conference play began. With Chicago nursing a 73–71 lead in the final seconds of the game, thirdyear Morgan Herrick sealed the victory and sent the Ratner Center crowd into a frenzy with a two-handed block of Wash U guard Dani Hoover’s potential game-tying runner. “We did a good job of defending ourselves,” head coach Aaron Roussell said. “They are a very good team, and we came in very well prepared.” The win was the Maroons’ fifth straight and their first over the Bears since 2008. After going into halftime with the score knotted at 33–33, Chicago (9–3) made a run to take control early in the second half, but a flurry of three-pointers in the last three minutes brought fifthranked Wash U within an arm’s length of the comeback. The Maroons needed clutch foul shooting and Herrick’s final defensive stand to top the favored Bears. All of Chicago’s key offensive players had big games, led by third-year Taylor Simpson’s 22 points and 14 rebounds. Third-year Joan Torres also had a big game, scoring a career-high 12 points with two of four shooting from behind the arc. Meghan Herrick, also a thirdyear, scored in double-digits for the seventh straight time with 17 points, in addition to providing shut-down

defense on Wash U star Kathryn Berger. Berger was limited to 12 points on five of 13 shooting and turned the ball over three times. Hoover led the Bears with 17. “I think the biggest key was getting in good shots,” Roussell said. “Occasionally, we have an issue with shooting too quickly, but in this case we really came together as a team to get in scoring shots.” Though such a powerful showing against a longtime rival is a promising sign, challenges still lie ahead for the Maroons. “This early win definitely demonstrates our ability to be great. We showed we can compete with the best of them,” Meghan Herrick said. “However, even with this win, we still will need to continue to work hard and prepare for every game because there is no easy game in the UAA.” Last season, the Maroons lost just three games in the UAA, but the 11–3 conference record was only good enough for second place. “The UAA has a way of really humbling you. There are many great teams, with many great coaches,” Roussell said. The team will continue to take things game-by-game, because “when you get too distracted with the big picture you get in trouble.” “We are up against two very good teams, and we need to focus our energy on that,” Roussell continued, referring to games against Rochester and Emory this weekend. Friday’s game against Rochester will present a particular challenge, as they are ranked first in the conference with a 10–1 record. The game takes place at 6 p.m. at Ratner.

Third-year Taylor Simpson led the Maroons with a game-high 22 points as Chicago opened conference play with a 73-71 victory over Wash U. MATT BOGEN/MAROON

WRESTLING

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Chicago bounces back at Knox

Maroons defeat archrival Bears

By Noah Weiland Sports Staff

By Eugene Chong Sports Contributor

After a decisive loss against nationally-ranked North Central,

the University wrestling team came back with a strong 3–1 finish at the Knox Duals in Galesburg, Illinois on Saturday to improve their overall duals record to 4–7. With three

victories of 15 points or more over Wisconsin-Platteville, HannibalLaGrange, and host Knox (40–7), the team looks to be turning the season

WRESTLING continued on page 11

Second-year Joeie Ruettiger grapples with an opponent during last week’s North Central meet. Chicago won three of its four matches at the Knox Duals on Saturday. MATT BOGEN/MAROON

Led by third-year Matt Johnson’s game-high 25 points, the men’s basketball team began its UAA schedule with a 79–77 come-from-behind victory against Washington University on Saturday, improving to 4–8 for the season. Displaying tenacity and drive, the team rebounded from a 39–34 halftime deficit. “[During halftime] we made a couple adjustments defensively, but I just told the team ‘Look, we played badly.’ We had a couple silly plays,” said head coach Mike McGrath, referring to the errors that caused the team to fall behind in the first half. Downplaying the technical changes the team made during the second half, he instead emphasized their renewed intensity. “The change in focus made a big deal,” he continued, citing the team’s mental adjustments as the driving force behind their eventual comeback and win. The hard-fought victory marks the

beginning of the team’s UAA schedule. The Maroons play 13 more games against conference competition. The team, playing without fourthyear forward Paul Riskus and thirdyear all-league forward Steve Stefanou due to injury, has had its share of adversity thus far this season, reflected by their underwhelming record. The win against Washington University, though, gives the team reason to be confident about its chances in the conference and may be a turning point in the season. “Starting [conference play] with a win, you feel better about things,” said McGrath. “We’ve tried to find our identity...to settle into what we’re all about. We’ve had to adapt and follow a natural evolution from our plan coming in.” Third-year forward Tom Williams, who led the team with 10 rebounds, echoed McGrath’s optimism, stating, “We have come together well to overcome some injuries and personnel issues.” Second-year forward Matt

M. BASKETBALL continued on page 11