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M AROON The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892
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TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2011 • VOLUME 122, ISSUE 40 • CHICAGOMAROON.COM
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
CAMPUS LIFE
HEALTH EALTH
New referendum TEDx rethinks the life of the mind aims to guide Local version of TED talks took over Mandel Hall Sunday U of C investments
Fewer first-years drinking their way to the ER
By Crystal Tsoi Senior News Staff
By Sam Levine Associate News Editor
An independent group of students is leading the charge to form a committee to guide the University’s investment policy, which they believe is not socially responsible. The group has written a referendum that is up for vote during this week’s SG elections, and if it passes it will show SG and the Administration that the student body agrees that the U of C’s social investments should be scrutinized. The Socially Responsible Investment Committee (SRIC) would act as an advisory committee composed of undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and administrators to evaluate the University’s current investments in “legally and ethically questionable endeavors,” according to the Facebook group’s mission statement. The Administration has continued to defend its actions with the Kalven Report, a guiding document which dictates the University’s official stance of neutrality. The report extends to the investment of endowments and has prevented politically motivated divestment. Third-year and candidate for undergraduate liaison to the Board of Trustees Nakul Singh believes that a focus on fundamental values will convince the University Administration to pursue the new investment course. Singh pointed to a passage of the report that reads, “In the exceptional instance,
being different from the norm.” The program of 14 speakers included presentations from a blind architect, a fourth-year psychology major in the College, and the first double-amputee to summit Mount Everest, as well as luminaries from fields as diverse as paleontology and cybernetics. Former president of Bolivia Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada had his 18 minutes, and a smattering of CEOs, scholars, and U of C alumni and professors each took their turn. The talks covered a wide range of topics, including drug legalization and
This year has seen a 39-percent drop in the number of first-years sent to the emergency room during fall and winter quarters. The decline follows last year’s record-high number of firstyear alcohol-related emergency room visits during the same period, according to Associate Dean of Students Marianne West. The drop follows the University’s introduction of the online course called AlchoholEdu, which requires all incoming first-years to complete a comprehensive online course on alcohol control. The program includes a series of videos, statistics, and activities on drinking behavior. The University’s decision to implement the program this year came after an all-time high of 23 first-years were sent to the emergency room for alcohol overdose in the 2009–2010 school year. Through the first two quarters of this academic year, 14 firstyear students had been hospitalized in incidents involving alcohol. “We didn’t know what to expect. We’re never as high as our peer institutions, but we’re certainly grateful to see the drop that we did,” said West, who oversaw the program last year. West also said that the Class of 2015 will be required to complete AlcoholEdu before arriving on campus. After completing the first segment
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Former Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada speaks at the TEDxUChicago speaker event Sunday afternoon at Mandel Hall. He was one of 14 speakers at the event. DARREN LEOW/MAROON
By Linda Qiu News Staff As of Sunday, the Life of the Mind has been reinvented, thanks to 15 U of C students who brought a branch of the TED conference to campus. TEDx, a localized non-profit branch of the infamous TED Talks, debuted at the University Sunday with a bevy of notable speakers and performance acts, under the banner, “Reinventing the Life of the Mind.” The “x” signifies the mutability and independence of the event, which caters its program to the university that hosts it.
ADMINISTRATION
A team of 15 students from the event’s on-campus RSO, TEDxUChicago, alongside volunteers and sponsors, organized the event into four series over the course of the day, each with several 18-minute presentations. Third-year and TEDxUChicago co-director Gümar Vaca Sittic described the event’s theme as a synthesis between U of C ideals and TED values. “Many of the speakers and professors did focus on things that we’re taught on a daily basis,” he said. “But they were trying to see [the University’s curriculum] from different perspectives, so they engaged students and inspired them by
HOUSING
Obama chooses Zimmer for Science Board Housekeeping staffers may be laid off By Jake Smith News Contributor U of C President Robert J. Zimmer will soon be putting his mathematics expertise back to work. President Obama chose Zimmer to join the National Science Board (NSB), according to an announcement from the White House last Thursday. Zimmer was nominated by University Trustee Emeritus Walter Massey, a former NSF director and current president of Morehouse College. “The pursuit of scientific discovery and innovation is essential for our nation’s future, and the National Science Foundation plays a crucial role in forming a vision to carry American research forward,” Zimmer said in a University statement. “Having the opportunity to contribute to this valuable work is an honor for me, and moreover it reflects the University of Chicago’s position as a global leader in research.” The University believes one of Zimmer’s greatest contributions will be a “more general science back-
ground” to balance what is currently an engineer-heavy Board, said University spokesman Steve Koppes. Zimmer received an A.B. in mathematics from Brandeis University in 1968 and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1975. He became a faculty member at the U of C’s math department, writing extensively on topics in mathematical geometry before segueing into the administrative world. He held directorial positions at both Argonne and Fermi laboratories before moving to general University administration. Until 2010, Zimmer also served on the President’s Committee of the National Medal of Science. The 25 member NSB is recruited to make policy decisions for the National Science Foundation (NSF) while also serving as “an independent body of advisors to both the President and the Congress on policy matters related to science and engineering,” according to the Board’s website. According to Koppes, the Board “helps set science policy at the federal level, not just for the NSF,” and an appointment to the board represents a significant achievement.
By Ben Pokross News Staff Following an e-mail sent to students in housing, announcing shifts in facilities staffing, students have mobilized to prevent University housekeepers from losing their jobs. According to University Spokesman Steve Kloehn, current Housekeeping staff were told in a meeting on April 7 that their department will be merged with Facilities Services beginning on July 1 and that their employment status may be in danger. The decision came out of the University’s attempts to reexamine its business models, according to Kloehn. “Facilities Services already does [the work of Housekeeping Services] in most buildings on campus,” Kloehn said. “The conclusion was that we could [help maintain the residence halls] better if we could use the expertise of Facilities.” Because Facilities Services outsources most of its staff, most or all of the current housekeeping staff may lose their current jobs, according to Kloehn. Desk clerks will remain under the jurisdiction of Housing and building engineers
First-year Vitas Zukowski (left), third-year Larissa Pittenger (right), and other members of the Students Organizing United with Labor (SOUL) plan for a rally calling for campus workers' rights Monday evening at Harper. DARREN LEOW/MAROON
will be moved directly into Facilities Services. Student response to the news has been swift. The RSO Students Organizing United with Labor (SOUL), met last night to discuss the issue and hopes to designate an upcoming “week of action,” including a rally today outside President Robert Zimmer’s house.
“SOUL is pretty horrified by how quickly this is being pushed through, this is the most aggressive labor violation I’ve seen at the University,” said second-year and SOUL member Lexie Grove. “They’re acting like it’s a done deal already.” But according to Kloehn, while the
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