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MAROON The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892
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FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011 • VOLUME 122, ISSUE 39 • CHICAGOMAROON.COM
MEDICAL CENTER
STUDY ABROAD
Nurses vote to strike Action will take effect June 28 if no new contract is signed
Middle East unrest disrupts FLAG grants By Mina Kang News Staff A high volume of travel restrictions issued by the U.S. State Department in the first week of April is causing headaches for some U of C students who received grants to travel in the Middle East this summer. As political unrest continues to ripple across North Africa and other parts of the Arab world, students accepted into the University’s Foreign Language Acquisition Grants (FLAG) program, which provides money for students to study language abroad over the summer, have had to contend with a slew of travel warnings recently issued for the region. Since the beginning of 2011, the State Department has added 20 countries to the Travel Warning list,
many of which are in the Middle East. In the last month, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt have joined the list. The State Department issues warnings when “long-term, protracted conditions...make a country dangerous or unstable,” according to its website. Of the nine students who applied for FLAG grants in the Middle East, six selected countries on the warning list as their first choice. The students either had to turn to their second choice country, or, if their second choice was also on the warning list, had to reapply entirely. Since the announcement, Director of Study Abroad Martha Merritt has met with the applicants individually to discuss travel warnings and how
FLAG continued on page 2
Brigitt Manson of National Nurses United gathers signatures from medical workers on Wednesday to support a strike. JAMIE MANLEY/MAROON
DISCOURSE By William Wilcox News Staff Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) voted this week in favor of authorizing their union to call for a 24-hour strike once their contract with the hospital expires. National Nurses United (NNU),
which has represented UC MC nurses since June, is concerned that issues with hospital staffing and shift rotations are coming at the expense of patient care. “We’re not going to neglect our patients, but the purpose of this strike is so that we can [provide] daily care for our patients that come in,” Muriel Lee, a UCMC
CAMPUS DINING
STUDENT LIFE
registered nurse who was on N N U’s negotiating team, said. “Patients come first,” she added. Roughly 1,25 0 N N U nurses voted Tuesday and Wednesday in a tent on the Midway. The vote allows N N U to call for a strike only after giving a 10-day advanced notice to the UCMC.
Gaiman talks new projects at reading
NURSES continued on page 2
New start for late First floor café set night dining to replace Ex Libris, student jobs in doubt By Rebecca Guterman News Staff
A trial-version late night dining program in residential dining halls may replace the current bill of fare at Hutch Commons later this quarter. The new initiative follows a year of disappointing numbers for the late night dining menu currently offered at Hutch. According to Campus Dining Advisory Board (CDAB) student head and secondyear Gabe Panek, the pilot would be an attempt to better meet students’ desire for late night campus dining. CDAB is composed of administrators, as well as Student Government (S G) and Interhouse Council representatives. “We’re trying to get a better understanding of what students want and what’s doable,” Director of Communications and Operations for Housing and Dining Richard Mason said. Mason also acknowledged that the offerings in Hutch were not palatable to students hungry for late night food. The dining halls will provide burgers, pizza, and breakfast foods, according to Inter House
DINING continued on page 2
By Crystal Tsoj Senior News Staff More changes are in the books for the Reg, as the University announced that a new café on the first floor of the Regenstein Library will replace Ex Libris by Fall quarter. Graduate and professional students pushed for a new café in a library-sponsored survey last February, which helped prompt planning for the new café, according to an e-mail from Director of Library Access and Facilities Jim Vaughan. Vaughan said the new location in the northeast corner will have windows, couches, and new finishes and furniture. The new café will also be more handicap-accessible than Ex Libris. “The general industry practice would be if you were building a new building, and you want a café, you’d want it on the first floor,” said Director of Operations and Communications for Housing and Dining Services Richard Mason. The renovations will occur over the summer in order to open fall
quarter, according to Director of Student-Run Coffee Shops Stacey Brown. Brown said the café will be located within the ID-required area of the library where currently food is not allowed, but students will be able to eat and drink there. According to second-year and Ex Libris employee Graham Albachten, the student workers at Ex Libris heard of the cafe’s closing along with the University community when the library posted the announcement for the new café on its website. University administrators are still deciding whether or not the new café will be student-run or professionally catered. “Due consideration is being given to maintaining it as a new student-run café,” Mason said. Albachten noted that Brown is pushing for student-run status, but he doubted the new café would fall under student ownership. “There is something sad about a campus with only University-owned cafés. It lacks a certain character,” he said. Administrators are not soliciting student suggestions for the café’s name.
Neil Gaiman reading an excerpt from his book, Neverwhere, at Rockefeller Chapel Wednesday night. MICHELLE YEO/MAROON
By Benjamin Pokross News Staff Acclaimed fantasy and science fiction novelist Neil Gaiman spoke about his writing process at a reading of his books at Rockefeller Chapel on Wednesday night. The author of American Gods and the Sandman series of graphic novels, Gaiman read excerpts from his best-selling book Neverwhere, selected by the Chicago Public Library for its One Book, One Chicago citywide literacy program. Gaiman, who has also written for television and film, explained the differences between the types of media he has worked on. “When you write a novel, you have all these words, and then you put them down,” he said. “What tends to happen [with screenwrit-
ing] is that somebody tells you how much something costs.” Gaiman also spoke about future projects, including possible revivals of some of his most wellknown works. “There is another Neverwhere book in my head called The Seven Sisters,” he said. Gaiman also hinted at writing another Sandman issue for the comic’s 25th anniversary. The audience was full of devoted fans, and several people who waited in line to ask Gaiman questions were not able to do so. Even for those who didn’t get to speak with Gaiman, there was still the thrill of seeing the author. “It’s great to see the author behind the works that I love so much,” first-year Sarah Gregory said. “I’ve never seen him speak, but he speaks just like his books sound.”
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CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | April 15, 2011
Strike vote "premature" says UCMC NURSES continued from front page “The nurses voted overwhelmingly for the strike vote,” NNU National Organizer Corey Lanham said. “It was like a four to one vote.” The UC MC views the strike vote as premature, since NNU will only be able to strike once the contract it renewed on March 30 expires June 28. “A s t r i k e a u t h o r i z a t i o n v o t e u s u ally doesn’t happen unless a contract is up,” UC MC Manager of Executive Communications Cara Birch said. “This is a really premature decision by NNU to take a strike vote while a contract is ongoing.” Lee believes that this strike vote, similar to a vote held five years ago, will motivate the UCMC to bring more to the bargaining table. “With that vote [five years ago], management came to the table and came very close to what we were asking for,” Lee said. The strike vote is the latest development in a drawn-out bargaining process between the UCMC and NNU. In particular, NNU has been bargaining hard for the UCMC to put a charge nurse on call without any other obligations. Charge nurses are solely responsible for managing the patient care area. However, N N U has complained that the current charge nurses on staff are also tied up with other assignments, preventing them from carrying out their normal duties. “Currently a charge nurse has a patient assignment,” Lee said. “It makes it quite difficult for them to assist when they have a full assignment like their colleagues do.” The nurses also take issue with the fact they are required to work both day and night shifts during the week, which they argue is unduly tiresome and poses risks to
their patients. “Studies show that when you switch shifts, you make more medical mistakes,” Lee said. According to Birch, the U C M C has recognized the problem of switching shifts and has agreed to reduce these rotations, but it has not eliminated them entirely out of a need for flexibility. “Even though there’s concrete data that shows they need to make changes in patient care, they’re still refusing to make changes,” the lead negotiator from NNU Jan Rodolfo said. “They’re still refusing to listen to solutions that registered nurses put forward.” NNU has also complained that the 18 nurses in the electrophysiology and gastrointerology department are on a lower pay scale than the rest of the hospital’s nurses, though an April 5 economic proposal from the UCMC included six percent raises for those nurses. The hospital attributed its continued need to keep costs down to the effects of federal and state budget cuts. “I think that this hospital is unique in that it’s doing very well financially,” Rodolfo said, referring to other hospitals she had negotiated with. The hospital attributes the slow pace of bargaining to the fact that these are its first negotiations with NNU since the nurses switched to the union last June, Birch said. “It’s a deliberative process that takes time,” Birch said. “From the beginning we’ve been really committed to a collaborative approach and we can come to an agreement at the bargaining table like we have for the past 40 years.” Nine more bargaining sessions are scheduled between NNU and the UCMC between now and May 26.
Appeals to study abroad advisory committee on Egypt, Syria unlikely to change decision FLAG continued from front page their language study plans might be readjusted. Deadlines have been extended for students affected by the bans to allow for them to reapply. “These awards have always been subject to the Travel Warning list,” Merritt said in an e-mail. “What is different this year is the greater insecurity regarding political unrest and natural disasters.” The three students headed for the Middle East who were unaffected by the warnings applied to study in Jordan. The timing of the restrictions upset several students, since many of the announcements were made weeks after the February 15 FLAG application deadline. “The travel warnings for Egypt came as I was finishing my application, so that’s why I was planning on having a back-up country. And then I really rushed and made Syria a back-up country. And then when Syria became a Travel Warning country, that really sucked,” said second-year Mark Doss, a FLAG grant recipient. Like Doss, other FLAG students have decided to go to their back-up countries, or have re applied to lower risk countries.
According to Merritt, students may petition the Study Abroad Risk and Safety Assessment Committee’s travel restrictions, but the Committee is wary of whether a student’s proposal is worth the risks posed by certain countries. “The committee is looking for an honest and serious recognition by the student of the risks of their particular activity and locale, a thoughtful plan to address adversity that might arise, including access to other support structures, and a reasonable justification that the experience they seek cannot be obtained in another, non-Travel Warning country,” Merritt wrote. Doss said he heard from Merritt that circumventing travel restrictions is off the table for countries like Egypt and Syria, even with a serious petition. In spite of all of the inconveniences, Merritt is confident that the FLAG program is in the right for being cautious. “I’m always interested to hear about their research or language plans in person, and I think that they understand our goals in adding the safety element to their planning,” Merritt said.
CORRECTIONS » The April 12 News article “Population Shifts Could Spur Fifth Ward Divide“ attributed a quote to Elizabeth Fama that should have been attributed to David Hoyt. » The April 12 News article "U of C Students Join Foreclosure Protest" misidentified the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. 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.
Late night pilot program under consideration for new dining contract, Dining Admin Mason says DINING continued from front page Council minutes. Many students say they would take advantage of late night dining in dining halls. “The biggest thing for me is just convenience,” first-year Matt McDonald said. McDonald added that he would eat at South Campus dining hall, but that the other dining halls were just as far away as Hutch, if not farther. Under the proposed plan, late night dining would rotate between all three residential dining halls. Fourth-year and Student Government president Greg Nance said he often eats at late night dining in Hutch, and supports a new initiative for late night dining at residential dining halls. “The diners would be really convenient, especially for underclassmen who eat there during the day. I would love to see plans for how to expand [late night dining],” Nance said.
Panek thinks the pilot will be beneficial because the late night offerings will be covered under student meal plans. Panek also pointed out that Hutch’s success might have suffered because it is difficult to see if the area is open when the rest of the Reynolds Club is closed late at night. “Hutch has to be a destination for students who already know it’s there, whereas people pass the dining halls much more often and could see the lights on,” Panek said. “South Campus would have a great visual, because everyone could see it was open and the light through the glass as they pass by.” With the University’s current contract with Aramark expiring this summer, the new program would come as the University considers proposals from four food companies. Mason said he is seeking student input on how to include late night dining into the new dining contract.
CLASSIFIEDS Classified advertising in the CHICAGO MAROON is $3 for each line. Lines are 45 characters long including spaces and punctuation. Special headings are 20-character lines at $4 per line. Classifieds are not accepted over the phone, and they must be paid in advance. Submit all ads in person, by e-mail, or by mail to the CHICAGO MAROON, Ida Noyes Hall, Lower Level Rm 026, 1212 E. 59th St., Chicago, IL 60637 attn: Classified Ads. Deadlines: Wednesdays and Fridays, 12 P.M., prior to publication. The CHICAGO MAROON accepts Mastercard & Visa. Call (773) 702-9555.
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April 15, 2011
VIEWPOINTS
EDITORIAL & OP-ED APRIL 15, 2011
EDITORIAL
Speech impediment CHICAGO MAROON
The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892
ADAM JANOFSKY, Editor-in-Chief CAMILLE VAN HORNE, Managing Editor AMY MYERS, News Editor CHRISTINA PILLSBURY, News Editor PETER IANAKIEV, Viewpoints Editor ALISON HOWARD, Viewpoints Editor JORDAN LARSON, Voices 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 DARREN LEOW, Photo Editor LLOYD LEE, Photo Editor IVY PEREZ, Head Designer ABRAHAM NEBEN, Web Editor KEVIN WANG, Web Editor HARUNOBU CORYNE, Assoc. News Editor JONATHAN LAI, Assoc. News Editor SHARAN SHETTY, Assoc. Viewpoints Editor ILIYA GUTIN, Assoc. Voices Editor CHARNA ALBERT, Assoc. Voices Editor VINCENT McGILL, Delivery Coordinator HAYLEY LAMBERSON, Ed. Board Member DOUGLAS EVERSON, Designer ANDREW GREEN, Designer ALYSSA LAWTHER, Designer ALYSSA MARTIN, Designer VINCENT YU, Designer SABINA BREMNER, Artist AMISHI BAJAJ, Copy Editor JANE BARTMAN, Copy Editor ALICE BLACKWOOD, Copy Editor HUNTER BUCKWORTH, 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 ANNA AKERS-PECHT, Copy Editor ALEX WARBURTON, Copy Editor BELLA WU, Copy Editor LILY YE, Copy Editor MICHELLE LEE, Copy Editor MERU BHANOT, Copy Editor JULIA PEI, 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.
©2011 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
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The University should bring well-known speakers to campus One week ago, we asked candidates running in the SG election to campaign a higher number of more high-profile speakers on campus. That issue is as relevant as ever this weekend, when students, faculty, and other Chicagoans join in Mandel Hall for the independently-run TEDxUChicago event. While it is a treat to have 15 speakers from around the world converge in a daylong conference, it’s interesting that the most important speaking event of the year has been organized almost entirely by students, with minimal University involvement. In an op-ed article in today’s Maroon, Vice President of Campus Life Kimberly Goff-Crews elaborates on the University as a promoter of free inquiry. One example of how the U of C facilitates this environment is through the
“invitation of speakers, performers and visiting scholars who represent a diverse array of strongly held viewpoints, along with the expectation that they will be open to questions and dialogue.” While the Editorial Board agrees with the importance of Goff-Crews’s point, we disagree that the University has kept its end of the bargain. Though speakers from all fields are constantly at the University, these events are mostly organized by various departments and RSOs which target specific, smaller groups of students. University-wide speakers serve a fundamentally different purpose: In their public profile, renown, and crossoverappeal, they are meant to unite the campus intellectually and instigate a community-wide dialogue. Students are attracted to past speakers, like Bill Gates, because of their experience,
wisdom, and universal relevance. These factors provide some of the most insightful out-of-the-classroom opportunities an undergraduate can experience. In past years, it was unusual if a quarter went by without a famous speaker giving a talk. Last year alone, students packed Rockefeller Chapel and Mandel Hall to hear Jane Goodall, Henry Paulson, Ehud Olmert, and Howard Zinn, just to name a few. The University has always embraced the value of open discourse, and having well-known speakers on campus, especially in events free to students, is one of the best ways the U of C has lived up to this principle. But this year, there has not yet been a speaker on campus to attract a large audience. The TEDx talks, which show just how much student initiative can accomplish, will still cost $20 to attend,
repelling many students. Hopefully, the University will line up a memorable speaker before the quarter ends. University-wide speakers are a unique aspect of our education, and one that should not be taken for granted. The U of C should not be outsourcing its duty as a facilitator of free inquiry to student-run organizations that may or may not charge students out of pocket. Having this Sunday be the best-attended speaking event of the year would be underwhelming, not because the event itself is lackluster, but because we’ve come to expect so much more from the University. The Editorial Board consists of the Editor-in-Chief, Viewpoints Editors, and an additional editorial board member.
WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN HOWARD
Personnel reflections Potential residential staff layoffs split student opinion, causing tension throughout dorm life
By Alison Howard Viewpoints Editor The U of C community let out a collective sigh of what? last Thursday, when the administration announced, in a staff meeting and e-mail to House System residential staff, that dorm housekeepers may be let go by September 1. The gist of the situation is that housekeepers and building engineers, currently under the management of Campus and Student Life,
will become part of Facilities Services. With this reorganization, housekeeping will be outsourced to a third party company, who will have the ability to “reassess” the status of current employees. I’ll be the first to admit that my grip on this situation is weak at best. The bulk of my knowledge has been provided by a resident assistant (Code Name: Black Panther) and a representative from SOUL—Students Organizing United with Labor (Code Name: The Falcon), and even they, in spite of their fierce code names and sundry official e-mail exchanges, don’t have the clearest idea of what’s going on. In fact, what is most clear about all of this is the general lack of clarity. While the rumor that all housekeepers will lose their jobs is untrue, and has not been stated in
any e-mails my sources have leaked to me, the possibility of job loss is present, and with that, the decision for reorganization is already causing outrage. People’s reactions to this announcement have been strong and emotional, and how they feel about it is strongly influenced by how they already feel about the administration and its policies. This was apparent when The Falcon, Black Panther, and I sat down and talked the situation out, coming to absolutely no conclusion about it. Black Panther’s boyfriend (Code Name: He Didn’t Say Much) was also present. The conversation has been edited to increase drama and tension. Black Panther began, describing in detail the reason why transitioning housekeepers and engineers to Facilities Services is actually a good
idea. “Facilities has more resources,” she said, sitting perfectly still, not unlike a graceful and deadly feline. “There are 10 separate dorms with 10 different sets of issues. They’ve been having problems with people currently in the dorms having to learn things on the job, such as dealing with a particular elevator breaking down in a particular building. It will be a lot more efficient if all of this was under one company that has all the resources available to fix these specific problems.” The Falcon swooped in, “But that’s the problem. The administration is focusing on the transition to Facilities, and they’re not addressing the people who are being laid off.” Black Panther blinked. “Housing can see that the current system is
HOUSEKEEPING continued on page 4
OP-ED
Cultivating the habit of free inquiry U of C students should constantly reflect on the importance of free inquiry, even in calm times By Kimberly Goff-Crews Viewpoints Contributor During my three and half years at the University of Chicago, a handful of incidents have challenged our notions of free and open inquiry, and sparked campus-wide discussions about how we live out this core value. Although those discussions were important and useful, the examination of free and open inquiry is too important a subject to leave only for moments of controversy. The rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas is more than a lofty ideal or abstract concept—it is a habit we must cultivate, a value we must live each day and share with each new member of our community. Only when we make
it part of our daily practice can we hope to bring this central commitment to bear on more difficult cases. With that thought in mind, I think this moment of relative quiet is an opportune time to remind ourselves of the devotion to free inquiry that has been articulated over the years by UChicago leaders, faculty, staff, students, and alumni; the words have varied, but the core values have remained consistent and unwavering. These values are manifested in numerous ways: —An open and challenging dialogue in the classroom, in which assumptions and received wisdom are questioned and evidence is demanded for any assertion;
—Our willingness to share our thoughts on difficult or sensitive topics with others, even outside the classroom; —The invitation of speakers, performers, and visiting scholars who represent a diverse array of strongly held viewpoints, along with the expectation that they will be open to questions and dialogue; —Our interest in seeking out and understanding opposing points of view. These values sound noble in the abstract, but living up to them can be very challenging. They must be protected, because they are at the very essence of this University and what makes it so special. In fact, the commitment to free inquiry and civil debate is all the more
precious because it is in such short supply in other spheres of our lives. The good news is, we do have a tradition at the University to support us. And as I watch students, faculty, and staff do their work here, I am impressed at how good members of our community are at soliciting and receiving multiple points of view, questioning assumptions while promoting more dialogue. This academic year our students have created a conference that focused on student activism, welcomed political leaders to campus, and provided spaces for students to practice inquiry and debate. As a campus, it is not our goal during opportunities such as these to provide places where we are continually com-
ACADEMIC FREEDOM continued on page 4
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CHICAGO MAROON
| VIEWPOINTS | April 15, 2011
Calm debate crucial for reaching a conclusion about layoffs HOUSEKEEPING continued from page 3 an inefficient way of running things. They’re making the transition to improve efficiency, and beyond that, it’s the new company’s decision to lay people off.� The Falcon pondered, perched precariously on the chair. “It’s true that the new subcontractor will be deciding who their employees will be, but the University is employing the subcontractor. This is in their hands. It’s an easy way to put less blame on themselves. Students who are friends with employees in the dorms have approached SOUL to tell us that these employees have said they’re being fired.� Black Panther spoke, “Nobody wants to just fire workers. Max Brooks [the assistant director of employee relations] got really sad-looking. I wanted to give him a hug.� He Who Didn’t Say Much looked up. “I gave
Max Brooks a hug.� We ignored him. “I should go,� I said. There was a lot of tension in the C-Shop that day. Stability vs. change. Control vs. lack of control. Suspicion vs. trust. Immediate reactions to this decision will be colored by our preconceived notions about the University. There’s no way to know what the administration’s intentions are, and no way of knowing how this situation will play out, at least with the information we currently have. As long as we can maintain sensible and mutually respectful discourse, as The Falcon and Black Panther did, hopefully we’ll be able to figure out what the heck is going on, and what we can do about it. Alison Howard is a third-year in the College majoring in English.
Debate should be open and civil, not anonymous and offensive ACADEMIC FREEDOM continued from page 3 fortable. Rather, efforts such as these seek to agitate us in a productive way that leads to intellectual and personal growth and development. It is this environment that makes possible the most innovative ideas and profound discoveries. Living up to these ideals means conducting ourselves with respect for others. Former deputy provost Kenneth Warren noted that we must create an environment where all members of our community, regardless of their particular identities or backgrounds, “have a reasonable opportunity to participate in the University’s intellectual, scholarly, and public life.� That means avoiding personal attacks, and sharing our opinions openly and with integrity, rather than anonymously. It also means that if a particular exchange has given offense, we should take care to understand why our words may have offended another, and to learn from the other person’s perspective. Most of all it means taking the time to listen—really listen—to the expressions of others, whether or not we agree with them. Of course we defend and live out these values
within the campus community, but the University is also a member of a larger community, and a neighbor to thousands of residents on Chicago’s South Side. Our culture and values around open inquiry and civil debate have something to say about those relationships as well. Here we must take the time to understand the rich history and culture of our surrounding communities and the ways in which our actions, both large and small, affect our neighbors. Our campus community lives through the activism and agency of our students, faculty, and staff. As we embrace that vibrancy on our campus, I encourage everyone—individually and as a community—to reflect periodically upon the University’s foundational values around free and open inquiry, to test these ideas, and to examine whether we are, indeed, making them a habit that will serve us during our time here and throughout our lives.
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Wednesday, April Apri 20, 2011 4:00 p.m.
Marta Ptaszynska, Helen B. & Frank L. Sulzberger
Weymouth Kirkland Courtroom University of Chicago Law School 1111 East 60th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637
Film screening of a 2010 opera about FrĂŠdĂŠric Chopin
ption Following Reception
This event is free f and open to the public. No response is required but seating is limited. For special assistance or needs, please contact Rebecca Klaff at 773.834.4326 or rklaff@law.uchicago.edu.
Professor of Music and the Humanities
The Lovers from the Cloister of Valldemosa ´ 2008-10) (Grand Theater, Šodz,
Sunday, April 17 at 6 PM Film Studies Center • 5811 S. Ellis Ave., Cobb Hall 306 Free Admission More information: music.uchicago.edu or 773.702.8484
VOICES
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT APRIL 15, 2011
MUSIC
Tomboy brings out the grizzly in Panda Bear
COURTESY OF PAW TRACKS
By Lyndsey McKenna Voices Dark and Stormy Night The latest album from Noah Lennox, the mastermind behind Panda Bear, has been in the making for quite a while. Originally slated for release some time in 2010,
Tomboy is the follow-up to 2007’s critically acclaimed, instant classic Person Pitch. However, the album’s delay really isn’t shocking. In that span of time, Panda Bear, along with the rest of Animal Collective, managed not only to release a critically acclaimed album and experimental
film, but also to tour extensively in larger venues and during prime time slots at festivals. Panda Bear did begin unveiling Tomboy bit by bit beginning last summer. The first single from the album, “Tomboy,” was released in July 2010 and was followed by two additional singles later that year. The question of when, or even if, the entirety of Tomboy would see the light of day was on the minds of many, especially in the wake of the superb Person Pitch. However, Tomboy has finally surfaced, and it truly demonstrates the experimental and creative capabilities of Panda Bear. The album’s opener, “You Can Count on Me,” is drenched in intricate sonic layering, yet maintains a simple, airy tune. Lennox croons, “Know you can count on me,” then later urges, “Know at least I’ll try,” his voice projecting a sentiment of sincerity. It’s a statement easy to believe when proclaimed by vocals that are soothing and radiant. “Tomboy,” a song that is propelled by strong guitar instrumentation with ceaseless looping, immediately follows. “Surfer’s Hymn” opens with what sounds like the musical equivalent of waves crashing on a distant shore.
The song has an incessant twinkling sound that remains in the background throughout its four-minute duration, and the merging of the two opposing soundscapes creates a lush, melodious piece. Compare that with “Slow Motion,” a piece that seems to draw from the strong beats of hiphop, the reverb of dub, and is a bit reminiscent of Animal Collective’s “What Would I Want? Sky” from its 2009 EP Fall Be Kind. What sets Tomboy apart from Pa n d a B e a r ’ s p r e v i o u s w o r k s ,
TOMBOY Panda Bear Paw Tracks
especially Person Pitch, is that it showcases a darker, sparser sound. “Scheherezade” has loud, amplified synths that echo throughout the song and evoke a sentiment of solitude, and “Drone” is an eerie piece whose name reflects the overall sound. Panda Bear recorded the album in a basement studio, and the feeling of an underground, solemn, and isolated location can be heard in the album’s sound. Tomboy comes in the wake of
Animal Collective’s 2009 album Merriweather Post Pavilion, which topped countless critics’ year-end lists despite its January release. It’s a warm, welcoming, and poignant album that attracted many listeners who would not have ordinarily given Animal Collective a listen. Lennox’s vocals hearken back to the pop music of yesteryear, which is also evident in “Walkabout” by Atlas Sound, a sunny track that features Panda Bear and seems to fit in with the pop-tinged stylings of Merriweather Post Pavilion. However, Lennox’s light and carefree vocals give way to a darker and more atmospheric sound on Tomboy. Lennox is able to propel the music into a darker realm that differs from his usual sound, yet still reflects what listeners have come to expect from one of Animal Collective’s key members. The experimental sounds are still there, and the album is a cohesive work that ebbs and flows. Due to its slow transformations and the flow between songs, Tomboy is an album that should be listened to as a whole. Above all else, the album’s innovative and accessible sound makes it timeless.
NWW SCHEDULE THEATER
APRIL 14–APRIL 16
New Work Week diversifies performances By Tomi Obaro Voices Muse “I started writing it on a plane after too many gin and tonics,” said Matthew Hartman, a fourthyear political science major, with the barest hint of a smile. The “it” Hartman is referring to is his new play, 41 Somethings about a Man, which will debut tonight as part of University Theater’s New Work Week, an annual showcase of original student pieces. According to curator and University Theater (UT) director Heidi Coleman, New Work Week started in 2005 as “a response to the writing talent brewing at University Theater.” Chosen playwrights are given the unique opportunity to have their worksin-progress performed in front of a live audience, providing beginning writers a unique opportunity to gain experience and feedback. Th e s e l e c t i o n p r o c e s s i s “deceptively simple,” according to Coleman. “In winter quarter, a call goes out for submissions of new work as well as applications by directors. The co-curators and myself match play wright with director to produce as much work as possible during six days.” Students responded overwhelmingly, making this year’s New Work Week the largest in its history with 21 original pieces. “In the past, we received a lot of plays, but this year the submis-
sions were broader in scope,” said Gabriel Benighat, a fourth-year Theatre and Performance Studies (TAP S) major and co-curator of the event. Pieces differing from the norm include a clown performance, an original musical composition, and two sitcom screenplays. The wider range in pieces is the result of a more diverse group of students submitting their art. “People outside of UT are beginning to use New Work Week as a platform for their work,” Benighat explained. This diversity is reflected in the many different places writers found inspiration for their work, as well as their varying backgrounds and interests.
NEW WORK WEEK Reynolds Club, First Floor Theater April 14–16, 21–23
Second-year Jesse Roth, a double major in TAPS and English, started writing her play in fall quarter. The play, titled A Sea of Them, explores the intertwining relationships between one woman and several men. “It started off pretty linear. Girl meets boy, they say interesting stuff to each other, but it began to grow more nebulous as it went along,” Roth said. “I was influenced a l o t b y m o d e r n d a n c e .” W h e n
asked about the most challenging aspect of writing the play, Roth replied, “Writing the play wasn’t really the most difficult part. It’s the idea of it being performed that’s really scary.” While Roth drew inspiration from dance, second-year Myra Su used her response to an essay question on the Uncommon application as the genesis of her play, Uncommon Chickens. “It was originally a play I wrote for my uncommon application essay to UChicago in response to the prompt: ‘At present, you need to live the question,’” Su said. “Due to severe outbreak[s] of Avian Influenza, the [Hong Kong] government passed a new law that decreed that all unsold chickens must be slaughtered by the end of the day. The inevitable death of these chickens made them ideal characters, who in my mind, ‘at present, live the question.’” Fourth-year Alicia Graf also incorporated elements of academic work into her performance installation piece entitled “Rapid Cycling.” Drawing from her BA thesis about the effect bipolar disorder had on the work of famous artists like playwright Sarah Kane and poet Sylvia Plath, “‘Rapid Cycling’ is heavily inspired by [these artists] and my own academic history learning about psychopathology. The story tells of minds wrenched through the violent illness of bipolar disorder,
and their courageous struggles to survive.” Another fourth-year, Hannah Cook, cites Aaron Sorkin as a major influence on her work. “If I could be a 10th as good as Sorkin, I would be very happy,” she admitted. Her play Architecture Daily hones in on a day in the life of Dan, an architect, and his mentally unstable wife. A political science major, Cook doesn’t have plans to go into playwriting full time. “I love money too much,” she joked. She added that when she does Teach For America in Detroit this fall, she’ll be sure to garner fresh material for future plays. Second-year transfer student Katie Hunter is a seasoned playwright in comparison to many of her colleagues. At 17, Dramatics Magazine published her play, Selfstory.com, a satirical take on Facebook, which was then performed off-Broadway across the country and even in Morocco. Her play for New Work Week, Innov, centers around Guy, a man struggling with the insecurity over being an artist. For those students planning on attending New Work Week, Coleman offers some words of advice: “As you watch tonight, know that somewhere in this theater, there’s a playwright listening to you listen to the reading, and that your response is participating in their subsequent edits. You are part of the creative process right at this moment.”
Thursday 7:00 PM Requiem 9:00 PM A Sea of Them Friday 7:00 PM 41 Somethings About A Men 9:00 PM A Solo Clown Piece Fifteen Children Will Want Postcards Repeat Hype Saturday 7:00 PM The Winter Farm
APRIL 21–APRIL 23 Thursday 7:00 PM Innov 9:00 PM Architecture Daily Friday 7:00 PM The Visiting Hours Journal of a Resident on a Georgian Plantation Deflect 9:00 PM Uncommon Chickens Straight to the Moon The Failures Saturday 6:00 PM "Rapid Cycling" 7:00 PM Devil's Pie A Counterfitter and an Offensive Flatterer A B.A. Solo Performance 9:00 PM Class of '76
6
CHICAGO MAROON | VOICES | April 15, 2011
The Fun Corner.
Č˝ É„ Ȩ É• É• Ǹ @ Č˝ ČŁ É„ ( Ńą Éœ L
ČŁ Čƒ Ǹ Bach St. John Passion
"Title"
SUNDAY APRIL 17, 3 PM Bach’s masterpiece in the 1749 version arranged before his death in 1750, performed by Rockefeller Chapel Choir, Motet Choir, orchestra, and soloists Matthew Anderson, Christine Buras, Matthew Dean, Lon Ellenberger, Andrew Schultze and Mark Winston, directed by James Kallembach. Across 1. Rhymes with rhymes 6. Naut. direction 10. You might take it to go swimming? 14. Endings for differ and prefer 15. Butt of many a lightbulb joke 16. Toupees 17. Vital artery 18. Parisian paramour 19. Posadas 20. "With ""Stay,"" an iconic quote from 2004's Anchorman 23. Queen of the Glorious Revolution 24. Pittsburgh eleven 26. Last name in ice cream 27. Gam 29. "___'s dead, baby..." 30. Anthemic preposition 31. Rain's effect on baseball 33. An arm-leg connector 34. One of three Weberian groups represented visually in the grid 38. Resident Evil 4 protagonist 40. Finishes third 41. "Distracts on gmail, briefly" 42. Takeout General 45. Early name for Monty Python's Flying Circus 46. "Tyler of ""Armageddon""" 49. Condiment with secret ingredients 52. "Neo, notably" 54. Miss your first period? 56. Mother Earth 57. NEWS cock 58. Gastric woe 59. When Hamlet sees a ghost 60. Heartless 61. Kutcher's role on That 70's Show 62. Earth sci. 63. Cinema spool 64. Bygone blades
Down 1. Transformed 2. Dump 3. Busytown author Richard 4. Petulant 5. Tore into 6. Spots for sweaters 7. Blackhawks winger Kopecky 8. Eastern European pancake 9. A Ramone 10. Princess recently rendered as a hipster 11. Dragons pairing 12. Paid no mind 13. End of letter letters 21. Investor's return 22. Initial weapon that the Westboro Baptist Church thanks God for 25. Toledo title 28. 768 tsps. 31. Racket 32. Prog rock progenitors 33. Trunk with junk 34. Smells Like Teen Spirit chorus word 35. Bulls on a scoreboard 36. Powerball game 37. You don't mean little ol' me? 38. Women's ___ 39. Hug 42. "Influential radio show, initially" 43. More unctuous 44. "Do-do, e.g." 46. Neighborhood 47. Existing in Latin 48. Left hand pages 50. "With ""The,"" best Thai restaurant in Hyde Park" 51. Start of a counting rhyme 53. Eponymous talk show 55. Apple archer William 56. Notable reflex in pornography
Preconcert Lecture, Sunday April 17, 2 pm Musicologist Michael Marissen, author of Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach’s St. John Passion, will address the issues experienced by contemporary audiences with regard to the passion texts as set by Bach. This free lecture will be in Ida Noyes Hall (1212 E. 59th St.). Tickets for St. John Passion in advance are $32 front nave; $22 general; $8 students and are available in person during business hours or by calling 773.702.2100 or at the door ($35/$25/$10).
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Solution to last week's puzzle
The Science Wars Status Reports Advanced analysis of world affairs and world events. Learn about the various dimensions of existence and their battlefields. Website/BLOG titles include: • • • • • •
North Pole magnetic data field computer war The TIME MACHINE of Computer Earth Galileo the DEFENDER (of Planet Earth) DNA genetics clinical trial – Benjamin Lewin The quantum physics FLAVOR war casualties The Symbolic Origin of the Universe
Keywords can be used on Internet Google/etc: • • • • •
Herb Zinser’s Science Wars American Science Wars British Science Wars Math and Physics Science Wars Atomic English Language Science War
Students and professors need to upgrade their symbolic brain‌ Welcome to the intellectual BRAVE NEW WORLD.
7
CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | April 15, 2011
Game against Monmouth may continue Maroon’s winning streak
South Siders head into UAA tournament with two-seed TENNIS continued from back page
Fourth-year Dan McConologue pitches at Tuesday’s baseball game against Dominican. McConologue pitched six innings against Dominicans, allowing eight hits and five runs. JAMIE MANLEY/MAROON
BASEBALL continued from back page have a chance to win it late,” said fourthyear right fielder Marshall Oium. “Recently we have had things not go quite our way and let some games that we could have won slip away. If we can continue to play good defense and start to come up with big hits late in the game, then we will start seeing the results we want in terms of our win-loss record.” Chicago’s strong defense and starting pitching this year has allowed the team to remain competitive in every game. Each of the Maroons’ losses has come by five runs or fewer. “For the most part, we have been playing very good defense this year and that has contributed greatly to our wins,” Williams said. “Our infield defense has been superb, and our outfield always seems to track balls down. In
general, our pitching has also been very good. Our starting pitchers, Dan McConologue, Alex Garcia, Alex Terry, and Matt O’Connor have done an excellent job keeping us in every game.” Despite its success this week, however, Chicago must be cautious in its games this upcoming weekend. Last season, Chicago split the doubleheader against Monmouth, with its loss coming in extra innings. “We split with [Monmouth] last year in a doubleheader at their place. It was a tough loss for us because we felt that those were two important games for us against an opponent we could beat and we let the opportunity slip away,” Oium said. “This weekend, we are just going to keep doing what we have been doing all year, and that’s having our starters go as deep into games as possible, get a lot of hits, and score as many runs as possible.”
and had to settle for fifth place—a position the team refuses to settle for this year. “The UAA is strong, but we’re not thinking in terms of what result we’d be content with,” fourth-year captain Will Zhang said. “We’re the second seed and winning the tournament is the goal.” If the men can avoid another upset and progress from the first round, they will likely play fifth-ranked and third-seeded Wash U. Though their NCAA ranking pales next to the Bears’, the Maroons’ victory in St. Louis April 2 has given them the higher UAA seed and plenty of confidence heading into the potential semifinal matchup. “Beating Wash U again will be a challenge for sure,” Zhang said. “They’ll be more than ready to come after us this time around, but I’m fully certain that if we play solid doubles and keep our intensity in
singles, we can beat them again. We have three great doubles teams, and the depth of our singles lineup allows us very good looks to win at every position.” Assuming the Maroons pull out another victory, they will advance to the finals, where they are almost guaranteed to meet the first seed, third-ranked Emory. The Eagles comprehensively defeated the Maroons back in March, sweeping the doubles and first through third singles on the way to a 7—2 victory. “Of course Emory is expected to win it all this weekend, and they have beaten us before so we know what we are up against,” Abrams said. “But with our recent win over Wash U, I think we have a newfound confidence and firepower to take out any team. We will go into every match, against any team this weekend, and know that we can beat them if we play well.”
Extended rest before conference meet in Atlanta will play in Chicago’s favor TRACK AND FIELD continued from back page Workouts will continue to be intense, but will be shorter and less frequent to allow for more recovery. The workouts in this final phase should help prepare the Maroons physically for the postseason. The easier workouts are also easier on the mind and will allow Chicago to be focused on racing going into the post-season. “At this point, mental preparation is also really important,” Sizek said. Although Chicago finished behind teams that they usually are able to beat, such as Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton, sev-
eral athletes ran in their secondary events or didn’t run at all due to the short rest time between last weekend’s Chicagoland Championships and the meet Wednesday. The increased rest time before the UAAs, which aren’t until next weekend, should work in Chicago’s favor. Chicago will be back on the track Friday, April 22, in Atlanta, GA for the UAA Championships. For Wells-Qu every race is a new challenge. “A chance to test myself once more, to see how much pain I can enjoy,” he said.
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SPORTS
IN QUOTES “I’ve met a lot of people in my life but that one there, man, that one [messed] me up.”
—Laker’s guard Kobe Bryant, after meeting Rudy Ruettiger, the inspiration for the classic sports movie, Rudy.
MEN’S TENNIS
Chicago shipping off to Boston for UAAs By Matt Luchins Sports Staff Fifteenth-ranked Chicago opens post-season play today, taking on NYU (6—4) at 1:30 p.m. in the first round of the UAA Tournament. Hosted by Brandeis (9—6) in Waltham, MA, the tournament boasts an especially deep lineup, with five of the eight competitors listed among the NCAA’s top 30 teams. As the second seed, the Maroons (14—3) avoid the cream of the crop, but the Violets come into the contest off of a five-match winning streak. “We know we are the favorites against NYU, but we also know that they have no pressure on themselves and will come out swinging,” second-year doubles player Harrison Abrams said. The Maroons might be especially wary of the first round given their performance last year. Last year’s team, also ranked 15th, fell to unranked Brandeis in the first round
TENNIS continued on page 7
First-year Krishna Ravella hits a forehand against Lake Forest in a match last Tuesday. Ravella and his partner, second-year Harrison Abrams, dominated their Lake Forest opponents by a score of 9—1. JAMIE MANLEY/MAROON
SOFTBALL
TRACK AND FIELD
Home at last after 22 on the road
Meet change gives Maroons extra rest for conference By Kate Mardsen Sports Staff
S
econd-year Samantha Hobson bats against Wheaton during a softball match at Stagg Field Tuesday afternoon. The Maroons play Lawrence and Beloit this weekend at Stagg Field.
DARREN LEOW/MAROON
BASEBALL
Williams hits walk-off homer to defeat Aurora By Eugene Chong Sports Staff Third-year catcher Stephen Williams dug into the batter’s box for his final at-bat on Wednesday afternoon. Chicago trailed Aurora 4—3 in the bottom of the ninth. The bases were loaded. There were two outs. Williams was likely the Maroons’ last batter of the game— their last chance to win. With that
in mind, Williams laced a single to center field to drive in the tying and winning runs. After some up-and-down results so far this season, Chicago (10—6) hopes that its consecutive comefrom-behind wins this week may be enough to spark an extended winning streak. The day before the 5—4 walk-off win against Aurora (14—8), first-year designated hitter Brett Huff capped a Chicago rally with
a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to beat Dominican (6—17) 9—6. With its momentum going forward, Chicago heads to Indiana to play Wabash on Friday before it hosts a doubleheader against Monmouth on Sunday. “At the beginning of the year, there was a feeling around the team that we would be in every game and
BASEBALL continued on page 7
Despite having almost no rest time between meets, Chicago made an impressive showing yesterday at the Wheaton Invitational. The women placed second out of six teams and the men placed fourth out of five. The meet was moved up from Saturday to Wednesday because of the forecasted inclement weather. This meant that the Maroons had a much shorter rest period than usual, only about four days. The change also prevented several runners, including fourth-year middle distance runner Andrew WellsQu, from racing. The Wheaton Invitational was the last meet before the UAA Championships. “We’re getting back into the competitive mood, playing catch-up to the other teams in our conference on semester systems who have already competed several times,” said Wells-Qu, who set a school record and qualified for nationals in the 800-meter run at last week’s Chicagolands Championships. Fourth-year Dipti Karmarkar’s 11.08 meter jump secured first place in the triple jump. She was the only Maroon to secure a first place win yesterday. Chicago took about a dozen other second place wins as well. Fourthyear Kristin Constantine, named UAA Athlete of the Week, took two second place finishes, one
in hammer throw and the other in shot put. Constantine’s throw in the hammer was a seasonal best and improved her dominance over the rest of the UAA. The next best thrower was more than four meters behind Constantine’s throw of 50.76 m. Karmarkar, fourth-year Ashley Eaves, fourth-year Stephanie Omueti, and third-year Madison Allen also secured a second place finish in the 4x100 meter relay. Other second place finishers included first year Michaela Whitelaw in the 1500-meter run, fourth-year Ashley Eaves in the 400-meter dash, first-year Elise Wummer in the 3000 meter run, first-year Zihan Xu in the 100 meter dash, third-year Moe Bahrani in the 3000-meter steeplechase, and third-year Robert Cooper in the 3000-meter run. Ability to maintain intensity, even in the face of a short recovery time, will hopefully translate to a good conference performance. “Chicagolands and Wheaton are both [in preparation] for conference, which is in two weeks,” Wells-Qu said. The Maroons hope to improve in the coming weeks. “I think that everyone wants to get into a better position for conference as we fight to do well at that meet,” second-year distance runner Julia Sizek said. The Maroons have entered their final training phase with conference fast approaching.
TRACK AND FIELD continued on page 7