Chicago Maroon 112114 by The Chicago Maroon

FRIDAY • NOVEMBER 21, 2014

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

Protests against racism escalate after online threats

At noon on Wednesday, more than 50 University students staged a protest in Harper Memorial Library. The protest is a response to a series of recent events on campus beginning with an incident in which a few students dressed as Mexican gansters on Halloween. ANKIT JAIN | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Isaac Stein & Raymond Fang Associate News Editor & News Staff

For an extended version of this article, visit chicagomaroon. com. Students continued to rally against racial insensitivity on campus this week. A petition

that began circulating last weekend now has more than 2,000 signatures. The hacking of a student’s Facebook account Tuesday evening has led to a federal investigation; a subsequent movement on Twitter resulted in 1,500 related Tweets; and a protest took

place Wednesday afternoon in the middle of the Harper Reading Room. These events come days after third-year Vincente Perez and fourth-year Jaime Sanchez presented the University administration with a petition to “address the culture of racial in-

tolerance” at the University of Chicago. The petition, which had 2,175 signatures as of early Friday morning, was precipitated by racially charged Halloween costumes of lower-class Mexican gangsters worn by a few students. On Tuesday, the Facebook account of first-year Derek Caquelin was allegedly hacked by the UChicago Electronic Army. The hacker posted a Facebook status on Caquelin’s account that contained a racial slur and also named Perez as a target for a future attack. “Vincente you are next. None of your profiles are safe. This is the beginning of our rape season,” the message read in part. In an e-mail to the University the following morning, President Robert Zimmer condemned the Facebook post as hate speech and said that the University is pursuing a federal investigation into the incident and criminal persecution of its perpetrator(s). “A message with hateful and abhorrent attacks on members of our community was posted. This is unacceptable and violates our PRO continued on page 3

ISSUE 15 • VOLUME 126

Univ. admin pay not outlier, Maroon finds Alec Goodwin Associate News Editor The University of Chicago is thought of as a powerhouse in several areas, such as economics, politics—and administrative pay. It is unclear, however, if the perception of the administration’s compensation is in line with reality, and whether administrators at UChicago are really paid more than those at other institutions of similar caliber. A Maroon analysis found that the University does not seem to be an outlier in administrative pay. Last December, a Chronicle of Higher Education study named University President Robert Zimmer the nation’s highest-paid college president for 2011, igniting a criticial examination of the University’s administrative pay. More recently, UChicago was featured in an article for the web magazine Jacobin, which claimed that Zimmer and his

cohort of executive administrators represented “Higher Education’s Aristocrats.” The University responded to the Chronicle of Higher Education study’s findings with a statement asserting that Zimmer is not necessarily the highestpaid university president. “The compensation of University officers is consistent with leaders of institutions of similar scale and caliber,” University spokesperson Steve Kloehn wrote in an e-mail, though he did not specify which institutions he was referring to. In a 2012 Chronicle of Higher Education study, UChicago, Brown, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) all listed each other as peer institutions. Kloehn said executive compensation was decided by the Board of Trustees. “The Compensation Committee of the University Board of Trustees reviews compensaADMIN continued on page 4

Uncommon: Rep. Patrick Murphy Ta-Nehisi Coates talks case for reparations Ankit Jain News Editor Patrick Murphy served from 2006 to 2010 as the representative for Pennsylvania’s eighth Congressional District, just outside of Philadelphia. Murphy, the first Iraq War veteran in Congress, is currently a Fellow at the Institute of Politics. He sat down with The Ma-

roon to discuss ROTC, midterm elections, and how to encourage constructive dialogue and compromise. For the full version of this interview, visit chicagomaroon.com CM: Why should UChicago reinstate ROTC? PM: This is an elite institution, and other elite institutions like Harvard and Yale

have embraced ROTC, especially since the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has gone into effect. And I was proud that that was the bill that I authored when I was in the U.S. Congress. So I think that it’s a no-brainer to give the opportunity for the thousands of students here who want to get into public service to look at UNCOM continued on page 2

Dept. of Safety & Security is No. 3 Adam Thorp Maroon Contributor The University of Chicago’s Department of Safety and Security placed third in Security magazine’s yearly ranking of 19 self-selected college and university safety and security departments. The department came in fourth out of 24 in last year’s Security 500 Benchmarking Survey, the first time it participated. Associate Vice President for Safety, Security, and Civic

Affairs and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch wrote in an email that the department was not certain why the ranking had changed, but noted that some responses had changed from last year’s survey, including increased staff numbers, access control, and safety cameras. Metrics used in the survey include both quantitative and qualitative benchmarks, evaluating both department procedures and statistics about personnel and spending.

Lynch wrote that the department decided to participate in the survey starting last year “because the information requested seemed to provide a fair glimpse into the department’s work.” The University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety maintained the firstplace spot it has had for the last eight rankings. The New York University Department of Public Safety, which was not listed last year, took the number two spot.

Katherine Vega Maroon Contributor Ta-Nehisi Coates, author and journalist for The Atlantic, explained and defended his June 2014 article “The Case for Reparations” in front of a packed Assembly Hall in International House on Thursday evening. The talk was moderated by James Bennet, editorin-chief of *The Atlantic*. Coates’s 16,000-word article argued that black Americans still face the challenges that the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation have left behind, and thus that they are entitled to reparations from the government. During his talk, Coates discussed his motives for writing the piece, the controversy surrounding it, and where he hopes the dialogue will go in the future. He also put his article in historical context, saying the case for reparations has been slowly built over hundreds of years. The talk opened with a nineminute *Atlantic* video about Chicago’s North Lawndale

neighborhood, which served as the backdrop for Coates’s piece. The video describes the discrimination—which was held up in court—that black residents faced as they tried to purchase homes in the West Side neighborhood in the 1950s. Today, North Lawndale is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago, with an 18 percent unemployment rate and a 42 percent poverty rate.

Coates used this neighborhood as an example of why reparations are necessary. Coates said the city of Chicago was such a prominent part of his article because of the depth and breadth of available data. “Chicago is one of the most studied cities in America... so [if ] you’re going to have to make a very, very difficult arguTALK continued on page 3

Ta-Nehisi Coates speaks at I-House this Thursday about reparations for blacks in an event arranged by the Institue of Politics, the Center of Race, Politics, and Culture, OMSA, and the National Public Housing Museum. DANILO LINHARES | THE CHICAGO MAROON

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

Editorial: Fully a part of this campus » Page 5

Famed director passes away

The Bench with Will Dart » Page 10

By any other name » Page 6

Choice Fish and Chicken reviewed » Page 8

» Page 7

Men’s Basketball: South Siders carry momentum to Maryland » Page 9

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 21, 2014

“I lost 19 men in my unit in Iraq.... So I came back home to [Penn.] and ran against an incumbent” UNCOM continued from front

that as a potential avenue to go into. CM: Some people say that reinstating ROTC would be supporting U.S. military imperialism and the atrocities committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. What do you say to that? PM: I would tell those people to look at my record. I think those who have served in combat are those who are least likely to send our young men and women into harm’s way. Especially unnecessarily. As was the case in Iraq. CM: So you think it encourages people to understand better what war means? PM: When you look at the history of the strongest advocates for the limitation of military power—people like President Eisenhower, who talked about the military-industrial complex. Young presidents like John F. Kennedy, who was a World War II combat veteran, who if it wasn’t for him we would have went to war over the Cuban Missile Crisis. Those who have seen the horrors of combat and war are those who are most likely to be hesitant and to follow the American tradition of the United States as a reluctant warrior. CM: After you left the military, what made you interested in running for office? PM: I lost 19 men in my unit in Iraq and thought it was an unnecessary war. So I came back home to Pennsylvania and ran against an incumbent congressman and won a race that most political prognostica-

tors said I never had a chance. But I became the second Democrat to win in over 100 years in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. And then won re-election and proudly served. CM: Were you thinking about what effect it would have at all on ROTC on campus when you were pushing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Because a lot of the reasons that colleges were saying they didn’t want ROTC was because of that law. PM: What campuses across the nation don’t understand is the military executes the laws. And when I was a young college professor at West Point as an Army captain, going to campuses like Columbia and others and have them protest my presence, after 9/11, was pretty disturbing…. So to go and confront some of those protestors and let them know I thought they were absolutely right, that the policy is wrong, but it’s the Congress that was responsible for it, not the military. The military just executes the laws and orders given to them. CM: Switching subjects a little, Democrats recently got beat down in the midterm elections. There are a lot of reasons for this, but what do you think are some of the main reasons? PM: Leadership is inspiring others to do things that they wouldn’t necessarily do. And if you’re running for office as a Democrat, you have to convince people that you’re fighting for the little guy. That’s the foundation and the bedrock of the Democratic party. And [when] we’re not willing to stand up to fight against tens of trillions of dollars in student-

loan debt, [it] burdens our generation of students. Or being wanting to do what’s necessary to bring jobs back, good paying jobs and family-sustainable jobs here in America. You can’t cater to special interests solely. And I think the Democrat Party lost its way a little bit, and it showed in the election results.

Americans—for a lot of Americans. And you have to show people why these policies are so important. And the fact that millions of Americans have health insurance and they now

won’t die is something I’m proud of…. But we got to make it better, and we got to make sure that we don’t go into unnecessary wars, whether that’s in Syria, the Ukraine, or Iraq.

CM: But this is the second midterm in a row where Democrats have been beaten down pretty hard. So isn’t this proof that voters just support Republican policies more than Democratic policies? PM: I would say Democrats traditionally vote every four years, to their own detriment. And you have to motivate and inspire people to get off their asses and go to the polls on Election Day across the nation. And it’s not just about why the other guy should be fired, but it should be why you should be hired. And you should be hired because you have a consistent message that proves to the American people that you’re fighting for the little guy. And that’s what the tradition of the Democratic Party is and not fighting for big business or special interests. CM: Why should people care about politics and get involved when nothing ever happens and the goal of most politicians seems to be only political point scoring? PM: Because the great thing about political public service is you can make a major difference in people’s lives. But when I helped raise the minimum wage back in 2007, it was the first raise in 10 years for most

Former Pennsylvania Representative Patrick Murphy speaks about his views on ROTC, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and the recent midterm elections. COURTESY OF U.S. CONGRESS

THE 68 ANNUAL LATKE-HAMANTASH

DEBATE

Tuesday November 25, 2014 7:30 pm Mandel Hall

FEATURING

Aaron Dinner Professor of Chemistry Wendy Doniger Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions Austan Goolsbee Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics Jeffrey Harvey Enrico Fermi Distinguished Service Professor in Physics Diane Herrmann Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics Malynne Sternstein Associate Professor of Slavic Studies

5706 South University Avenue PRE-SHOW ENTERTAINMENT

Le Vorris & Vox | Rhythm & Jews SHMUEL WEINBERGER Professor and Chair of Mathematics MODERATOR

ETHAN BUENO DE MESQUITA Professor of Public Policy

Admission to the debate is ﬁrst come ﬁrst served (no tickets are issued)

($5, tickets available on the night or via AEPi online—proceeds to AEPi Gives Back)

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 21, 2014

#liabilityofthemind movement garners 1,500 Tweets PRO continued from front

core values,” Zimmer wrote. The spokesperson for the Chicago FBI office declined to comment on the case. Perez and Sanchez said they did not find Zimmer’s response to be satisfactory on the grounds that it responded to an isolated incident of racism as opposed to a larger campus culture that abets similar behavior. “We Are Here” On Wednesday, more than 50 protesters, led by Perez and Sanchez, marched through the Reading Room chanting, “We are here.” Perez said they chose Harper as the location because it symbolizes how institutionalized racism impedes student learning. “I think that our message was powerful and clear, and was conveyed by the theme of absolute disruption. We intended to bring attention to the culture of intolerance at the University of Chicago,” Perez said. The protesters entered the reading room chanting before stopping in a single-file line. They read comments from the signers of the petition aloud expressing anger at the treatment of minorities on campus. As protesters left, several students applauded. Students who witnessed the protest

had mixed feelings. Second-year Edward Huh said that he thought that the message was somewhat muddled, since they did not discuss specific actions they wanted. “I get that they’re showing discontent, but it was not completely clear as to what they were fighting for. It was like a Sosc paper with no thesis,” Huh said. Third-year Sean Gasiorowski, however, said that the symbolism was clear. “I understand the slogan of ‘We Are Here,’ as well as the choice of Harper. The protesters intended to represent the silence of people who aren’t or are unable to actively speak up about discrimination,” he said. The demonstration was shared on social media via the #liabilityofthemind hashtag, highlighting experiences of marginalized students on campus. Content shared on Twitter with the hashtag addressed recent incidents and recounted previous instances of discrimination and intolerance at the University. The hashtag, a play on the University’s slogan “life of the mind,” started trending on Twitter in Chicago after Tuesday’s Facebook hacking. It was included in more than 300 original Tweets and retweeted multiple times, culminating in 1,500 total Tweets with the hashtag.

University response President Zimmer said in a previously scheduled interview with The Maroon on Tuesday before the hacking surfaced that the administration is preparing to create a new administrative position through the office of the provost charged with promoting “diversity and inclusion.” The creation of this position, Zimmer said, is not a response to recent events and has been in the works for some time. He did not explicitly state what the duties of the new administrator would entail. Perez said that he finds Zimmer’s pledge well-intentioned, but it falls short of a comprehensive solution to student grievances. “Small initiatives certainly help, but the addition of one [administrative] position is not going to help. What we need is for the University to create a campus climate survey, as outlined in our petition. Every time an act of discrimination happens on campus, such as what happened on Halloween, it goes by and nobody notices. A survey which collects data on these types of incidents would be more comprehensive,” Perez said. Students were not the only ones reacting to the incidents: 41 faculty

members signed a petition addressed to Zimmer and Provost Eric D. Isaacs and written by Tianna S. Paschel, an assistant professor of political science at the University, commending the student protesters and “demand[ing] a meeting between Provost Eric D. Isaacs and faculty representatives from the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture (CSRPC) to discuss a long-term plan around these issues [of race relations].” “It’s time for the University to put some kind of systematic policy in place to address these kinds of issues. Every other year, it seems like some kind of incident similar to what happened on Halloween happens at the University,” professor Stephan Palmié, the chair of the anthropology department at the University and a signatory of the petition, said. “The official response is always that this is some kind of aberration.... That is not so.” Next Steps On Thursday afternoon, a letter by John Boyer, dean of students in the College, and Karen Warren Coleman, vice president for Campus Life and Student Services, was posted to the Campus and Student Life website. The letter referred to the hacking incident as “part of a larger pattern,”

and said that the University would work with Perez, Sanchez, and other students to “improve the campus climate.” In the interview with The Maroon, Zimmer said that he believes that fostering diversity at the University is essential to student life and creating an environment of academic inquiry. “How can you talk about yourself as the place which takes serious inquiry as the highest value if you’re not actually a community that has that kind of diversity built in to it?” Zimmer said. Following the Wednesday protest, Sanchez said that he and the other demonstrators are continuing to discuss their petition with University representatives. He was encouraged that the letter showed that “the [administration] would like to work with us,” but cautioned that “no dates are guaranteed.” Sanchez said that the protesters won’t stop until they see substantive action: “We want complete transparency, and a real timeline so that we know how to plan ahead. We want to know who [from the University] will be at the table, because we’re the ones who brought these issues up, and we’re the ones who are suffering.”

“You have to accept that [black people] can’t be super-human...” TALK continued from front

ment for reparations, and most people are really not going to want to hear that, you really need to have as much data as you possibly can. And Chicago is a wealth of sociological data,” Coates said. A large part of the questionand-answer session was devot-

ed to Coates’s opinion of the reaction to his article. “For me, the most gratifying has been African Americans who are above the age of 60 or so, because they have direct experience with this,” he said. “You get letters from people’s children, from the people themselves, and they say, ‘That

was me.’” Bennet asked Coates’s opinion on a common counterargument to his article: that people should “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Coates argued that to expect a group of people who have been traditionally oppressed to do this is unreasonable.

“If you accept that black people are human, you have to accept that they can’t be superhuman,” he said. “When you get to the policy level…I think you forgo the right to stand up and tell people that, ‘Listen, it’s up to you...’ because you’re representative of why they gotta pull up their pants in the first

place.” An audience member asked Coates if he believed that other groups, such as Native Americans, should have been included in Coates’s call for reparations as well. Coates said that his article was far from the beginning of this conversation—about whether the case

for reparations may extend beyond African Americans— and that he does not want his article to be the end. “I hope this isn’t the last article about reparations. It shouldn’t be the last word. [But] I think that this history in itself is worthy of this examination by itself.”

Sustainability office wants First-gen. campus-wide emissions cut issues in focus Katherine Vega Maroon Contributor

The Office of Sustainability, along with several campus partners including Facilities Services, is developing a plan to reduce University greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 percent as compared to 2012 numbers by the year 2025. The document, called the Climate and Energy Plan, will outline how the University will reach this goal, which was announced in the Strategic Sustainability Plan in 2012. The Climate and Energy Plan is a larger framework to organize and clarify the large number of GHG projects that will take place on campus over the next few years. It is separate from, but working in conjunction with, the Strategic Sustainability Plan, which identifies nine potential areas of improvement, ranging from multimodal transportation to highperformance buildings, and clarifies the metrics used to measure those improvements. “[The plan is] a living document that will be regularly updated. It will identify specific projects that need to be implemented each year in order to reach our 2025 goal,” Mike Stopka, director of the Office of Sustainability, wrote in an e-mail. The plan

incorporates a number of different initiatives that target grounds, facilities, shuttles, and student, faculty, and staff engagement strategies. Stopka said a lot of thought went into the target the University chose. “The 20 percent GHG reduction target was arrived at through discussions with the University’s Sustainability Council, research across Facilities Services, [and] comparing targets to peer institutions,” Stopka wrote. He calls the 2025 deadline “aggressive, yet achievable.” Currently, 94 percent of all University GHG emissions are the result of natural gas use, electricity use, and transportation, according to Stopka. As a result, most of the effort will be focused on buildings, implementing renewable energy solutions, and developing a multimodal transportation plan (MTP). The MTP will incentivize green transportation, according to the Sustainability Office’s website, by, for example, promoting bicycle usage. Stopka said that the goal of reducing GHG emissions is about more than just numbers. “If we hope to achieve our GHG reduction goal, we’ll need to make our buildings, landscape, and infrastructure smarter, more efficient, and more in tune with nature,” he said.

Adam Thorp Maroon Contributor On Tuesday, Kevin Jennings, the founder of the Harvard First Generation Alumni group, discussed how elite colleges often fail to adequately accommodate first-generation college students and what can be done to correct that weakness. The talk was sponsored by the Socioeconomic Diversity Alliance and University of Chicago Quest Scholars. Jennings, who was the first person in his family to attend college, described coming to Harvard from a poor family that moved around the American South. After graduation, he worked as a teacher, an activist, and as an assistant deputy secretary in the Obama administration's Department of Education. As a teacher, he founded the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and is now currently the director of the non-profit Arcus Foundation. “This is not new, the concept of first-generation college students—I was a first-generation college student 30 years ago. But there is a new consciousness. In fact, the term ‘first-genOMSA continued on page 4

At the center of conversation since 1892.

Want to pitch? Come to our weekly pitch meetings on Sundays at 3 p.m. at the Maroon office in the basement of Ida Noyes Hall.

CORRECTION “Change Point to expand to all dorms” (11/18/14) originally stated that the Change Point machines will not work with the Laundry View website. Laundry View, however, will still be used with the Change Point system.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 21, 2014

UChicago spends 0.76% of budget on admin pay ADMIN continued from front

tion for all officers of the University annually, with data and guidance from an outside consultant who compares similar roles at peer institutions, as well as a recommendation from the President,” Kloehn explained. He added that the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees makes the final decisions on compensation with the recommendation of the University’s Compensation Committee. The University did not respond to requests for more information on the consultant who aids in the process, and declined to comment on the conditions or terms of contracts made by specific administrators with the University, citing privacy concerns. Zimmer was the sixthhighest-paid university president after accounting for wages he deferred in earlier

years, which were paid out in a lump sum in 2011. The Maroon investigated the compensation of key administrators at the four peer institutions in order to examine administrative pay at the University, analyzing publicly available tax returns via the IRS’s 990 tax form. Key administrators are administrators who make more than $150,000 and are designated by the IRS as “key employees”—a title that requires a certain level of responsibility—as well as administrators who aren’t “key employees” but are among the highest paid employees of the organization. This data is mined from the “Compensation of Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, Highest Compensated Employees” section of the 990 forms of Brown, Yale, UPenn, and UChicago for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 fiscal years.

Some of these institutions pay certain professors, doctors, or medical administrators highly, which can place these individuals in this section of the 990 form. The analysis, however, removed any individuals without an administrative role at the university from the data set. The University’s key administrators include President Zimmer, Chief Investment Officer Mark Schmid, and Dean of Admissions James Nondorf, among several others. The percentage of total expenditures that each institution spent on key administrators was calculated. This comparison accounts for the differences in the size of the budgets of each institution. Over the past three years, UChicago spent, on average, about 0.76 percent of its total expenditures on the pay of key administrators.

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s algorithm ranked Yale and UPenn as two of the top three universities most similar to UChicago. Brown was not in the top 10 of this list. Both Yale and UPenn spent notably less on key administrators as a percentage of their total expenditures than the University did, with a difference of 45 percent and 41 percent, respectively. The University, however, is not the highest of the four institutions analyzed using this metric. On average, 0.92 percent of Brown’s total expenditures were spent on these key administrators, about 22 percent more than UChicago. Many administrators receive other forms of compensation–including housing, bonuses, and benefits. With this consideration, the average total compensation of these key administrators across the four institutions

was compared. The average UChicago key administrator over these three years took home $887,200 of wages and other forms of compensation. Yale spends slightly more per administrator at $986,300– about 11 percent more than at Chicago. UPenn and Brown each spend less than UChicago per administrator at 29 percent and 27 percent less, respectively. UChicago pays the lowest proportion of base compensation of total compensation of the four. The Maroon compared the base salary of key administrators to the total compensation these administrators received. UChicago administrators on average received 5 percent to 30 percent less in base compensation. This means they received 5 percent to 30 percent more of their compensation in other benefits,

including things like deferred compensation, bonuses, and non-taxable compensation, than at these other universities. UPenn has the largest number of key administrators, employing an average of 31 key administrators per year over three years. Next was UChicago, with an average of twenty key administrators. Yale employed an average of fourteen while Brown rounded out the list at 12. Despite these metrics, given the small sample size of this comparison, no clear conclusions can be drawn about whether UChicago administrators are overpaid. However, these measures at least show that the University seems not to be an outlier in administrative pay among peer institutions. —Additional reporting by Kay Li

Kevin Jennings shares perspectives as former first generation college student OMSA continued from page 3

eration college student’ wasn’t used five years ago. It’s a brand new term,” Jennings said. In Jennings’s experience, first-generation students face challenges, from their applications to finding a job after graduation. These include fewer resources and places to turn to for help or information. Some apparently “innocent questions”—“Where did your parents go to school?” or “What do your parents do?”— can be difficult to answer.

Jennings’ mother worked at McDonalds, which he said did not particularly impress Harvard alumni. Harvard’s First Generation Alumni group was created to overcome some of these difficulties, providing mentors to overcome the information deficit and help first-generation students build their networks. Before taking questions, Jennings ended his presentation by saying that he admires the first-generation students he works with, despite, and to

an extent because of, the challenges some of them face. “It’s true that [first-generation students] come in with some disadvantages because we don’t have some of the privileges that students with more affluent parents have. But that is just evidence of how super and how heroic first-generation students are… Their ability to succeed in a system that is not frankly set up for them to succeed,” Jennings said. In response to a question about how colleges can work

with first-generation students, Jennings noted that he was happy to see the University of Chicago had an office for LGBT student life but wondered, “Where’s the office for first generation students?... We know these programs work. They work for LGBT students; they work for students of color. We need to have it for first generation students. So that would be where I would start.” A student in the audience who works with the SDA responded, “We’re trying.”

SDA co-coordinator and fourth-year Danielle Wilson arranged the talk after meeting with Jennings over the summer. “I was hoping he would give us some concrete ideas and asks of our administration. Most of us know what it means to be a first generation student, but I was hoping he could give some voice to some of the experiences that a lot of us can identify with,” Wilson said. Attendance at the talk, which filled the community lounge at 5710

Woodlawn, exceeded Wilson’s expectation. “[The attendees] thanked me for it. I’m like, ‘Thank him for it.’ People seemed to really like what he had to say. A lot of people really seemed to identify with what he was talking about. It really seemed to start some momentum and some conversations that I think are really important,” she said. Wilson and SDA plan to address similar issues with a discussion series over winter quarter.

Hyde Park H.S. students to document racial profiling

Breaking Bad’s Bogdan talks cinema, science

Kelly Zhang News Staff

Isaac Easton Maroon Contributor

Students from Hyde Park High School will share their stories of racial profiling in regard to the police with the help of a grant from the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HPKCC). Stemming from a community forum on the role of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) last month, the students will work with the local newspaper, the Hyde Park Herald, to record and compile anecdotes of their experiences. Gabriel Piemonte, editor of the Herald, came up with the idea for the project and will spearhead the effort. He will work with the Kenwood Academy journalism program to teach 20 students videography and interview skills so that they can interview their peers about their experiences with the UCPD. The project is an outgrowth of the ongoing discussion about the role of the UCPD in Hyde Park, especially in off-campus areas. A number of community members believe that many complaints against UCPD officers are not

reported because of the department’s current reporting system, where complaints are reviewed by a designated UCPD officer. After attending a committee forum on the role of the UCPD a few weeks ago, Piemonte thought that the discussion lacked stories and input from students. “No one was speaking who was under 25. [Piemonte] said we really need to get stories from students who have actually experienced this,” George Rumsey, president of HPKCC, said. The project intends to collect students’ experiences with the UCPD and show that these incidents of racial profiling are underreported, which will hopefully raise community awareness about the issue, particularly as it relates to high school students. It also aims to educate and empower community teenagers and give a voice to their experiences with the UCPD. “Part of the problem is that many of the community teenagers do not feel comfortable speaking in public about [racial profiling]. They feel that they’ll be targeted in the future. They do not want to identify themselves

publicly,” Rumsey said. The HPKCC awarded a $1,500 grant to the project. $1,000 will go to the student videographers to conduct peer-topeer interviews. $500 will go to a professional videographer to record interview with UCPD officers, State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, an HPKCC member, and other community leaders who will provide background information for the project. “[In addition] there will be added sections educating teens about when and how to file police reports, how to behave and talk when stopped by police, and also educational materials aimed at parents about how to support their kids whenever there needs to be a report,” Rumsey said. Piemonte plans to begin the youth interviews over Thanksgiving break. He hopes to start releasing some interviews on the Hyde Park Herald’s website for educational use by schools and community groups by mid-December. The HPKCC also plans to hold a community screening of the film as a fundraising event for the conference once the project is finished.

Marius Stan, more commonly known as Bogdan on the primetime hit Breaking Bad, shared his thoughts on the parallels between science and cinema last Tuesday evening at International House. Stan appeared on the show after auditioning with his family to be onset. Prior to this, he had spent his entire adult life researching physics and chemistry in several institutions, and is a senior scientist in the nuclear engineering department of Argonne National Laboratory as well as a fellow of the University of Chicago’s Computation Institute. “Attraction and reaction between entities is a reoccurring theme…and is an unexpected link between science and cinema,” Stan said. His evidence for this claim lies in the similarity between the graphs of the uncanny valley and the Lennard-Jones potential for particle state transitions.

The uncanny valley, a social science theory that is often applied to films, is the idea that as an entity becomes more similar to a human, it reaches a point where people are repulsed by it before the entity becomes indistinguishable from humans. Directors of some movies, like James Cameron of Avatar, engage this concept by toeing the line between depicting figures that are almost human-like, yet not. Particles follow a similar pattern according to their distance from each other, and the graph of each association is very similar in shape. Stan also discussed the dogmatic approach that both scientists and artists have when it comes to perfecting their work—another connection between science and cinema. He pointed to how a super computer’s usage schedule was as similarly regimented as that of a movie set. They both place minuteby-minute demands on the actors and researchers who work on them. This under-

scored his point that scientists and artists approach their work with equal drive and desire for perfection. When describing how he acquired the role of Bogdan on the show, he noted that it started initially as a family activity. He was living in Albuquerque, NM, the location of the show, and went with his wife and two children to audition for roles as extras. “I didn’t go with the expectation that I would have such [a big part] on the show,” he said. “They asked me if I could say one line, and I said, ‘Sure,’ and the next day I came back and there were more lines on the page, and after talking to the people in charge, I had a part.” He ended the talk discussing how young people should pursue a meaningful life, listing a series of if-then statements for how to pursue a life that would make a young person happiest depending on what most interested them. “My work does not define who I am,” he said, “and neither should yours.”

VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Fully a part of this campus The MAROON Editorial Board supports call for campus climate survey and better CLM coverage of racial sensitivity Following significant backlash in response to racist costumes on Halloween, a dialogue on our campus’s openness to racial diversity has been growing—culminating in a petition started last Friday to “specifically address the culture of racial intolerance at the University of Chicago through tangible policy changes.” The petition is currently circulating and has garnered more than 2,100 signatures. On Tuesday evening, the UChicago Electronic Army (UEA) hacked a student’s Facebook account and posted a status threatening students, specifically students of color and those mobilizing for change. Following the Facebook hack, the administration has responded in a campus-wide e-mail condemning the attack and informing students that an investigation into the identity of the perpetrator(s) is underway. The Maroon Editorial Board supports the petition and commends the writers for presenting specific changes the University can make to address institutionalized racism on this campus. While the prompt University response to the UEA attacks has been appropriately serious, sensitivity to racial issues should be an integral part of student culture on our campus—and not just a reaction to reprehensible offenses. In order for this to happen, the University must also make systematic changes to the way it addresses race. Regardless of the fate of the petition, it can be a springboard for dealing with issues of racial sensitivity on campus. A culture of racial sensitivity and inclusiveness needs to be actively established as soon as students set foot on campus. Because some students entering the University may not come from backgrounds that are racially diverse, it is the duty of the College to orient students to a campus that is. Chicago

Life Meetings (CLMs) are the most effective platform for introductory discussions about racial sensitivity, as they are the only programming that every College student is required to attend. While CLMs do currently touch on race, the conversation is not substantial or nuanced enough to deal appropriately with an issue of this importance. When students arrive at the University, they need to be made aware of the history of race relations on this campus—and with its surrounding community—in order to make it clear that this is still a live issue that they need to engage with respectfully. In addition, the Editorial Board supports the petition’s recommendation to institute a campus climate

The Maroon Editorial Board consists of Eleanor Hyun, Harini Jaganathan, Kristin Lin, Kiran Misra, and Jake Walerius. Sindhu Gnanasambandan, Grey City Editor Kristin Lin, Grey City Editor Ankit Jain, News Editor Sarah Manhardt, News Editor Christine Schmidt, News Editor Eleanor Hyun, Viewpoints Editor Will Dart, Arts Editor James Mackenzie, Arts Editor Tatiana Fields, Sports Editor Sam Zacher, Sports Editor Marina Fang, Senior News Editor Liam Leddy, Senior Viewpoints Editor Kristin Lin, Senior Viewpoints Editor Sarah Langs, Senior Sports Editor Jake Walerius, Senior Sports Editor Natalie Friedberg, Associate News Editor Alec Goodwin, Associate News Editor William Rhee, Associate News Editor Isaac Stein, Associate News Editor Kiran Misra, Associate Viewpoints Editor Andrew McVea, Associate Arts Editor Evangeline Reid, Associate Arts Editor Ellen Rodnianski, Associate Arts Editor Helen Petersen, Associate Sports Editor Zachary Themer, Associate Sports Editor Peter Tang, Photo Editor Sydney Combs, Senior Photo Editor Frank Yan, Senior Photo Editor Frank Wang, Associate Photo Editor Nicholas Rouse, Head Designer Sophie Downes, Head Copy Editor Alan Hassler, Head Copy Editor Sherry He, Head Copy Editor Katarina Mentzelopoulos, Head Copy Editor Mara McCollom, Social Media and Multimedia Editor

alized individuals. Although these administrative actions are necessary and have been called for, they are not sufficient to effect campus-wide and immediate change. The recent incidents have been committed by students, and the power to implement meaningful change also lies in the hands of students. The administration is not the sole, legitimating voice on this issue. The attitudes and behaviors of students—whatever their relationship to these issues—make up the racial climate of this campus. Everything thus far has been catalyzed by a small group of students coalescing—the power of individuals should not be underestimated.

The steps we have built on can lay a strong foundation for the long-term proposals, including diversification of faculty and Core curricular changes, stated in the petition. Punishing the UEA for its recent actions is not enough to address the racial climate on campus. As the petition makes clear, racism and racial insensitivity on this campus are institutional problems that have existed long before this Halloween. If the University is serious about creating a racially sensitive campus on which all its students feel safe, it cannot allow its response to individual cases of racism to mask the much larger, institutional issues. —The Maroon Editorial Board

ALICE XIAO

The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 Emma Broder, Editor-in-Chief Joy Crane, Editor-in-Chief Jonah Rabb, Managing Editor

survey to determine University community members’ overall attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors on issues like race, socioeconomic status, and gender. Such a survey has not been administered since 2003. Student Government is currently working with administrators to bring a survey to campus. However, if this is to have a long-term impact, we suggest that this sort of survey should be regularly instituted so that the University can have easily accessible and up-to-date records on the campus racial climate and how it has changed over time. Having this information will help the University make informed decisions as it takes further steps to make campus more inclusive of historically margin-

Megan Daknis, Copy Editor Katie Day, Copy Editor Jacqueline Feng, Copy Editor Erin Horning, Copy Editor Kyra Martin, Copy Editor Anna Moss, Copy Editor Rebecca Naimon, Copy Editor Morganne Ramsey, Copy Editor Hannah Rausch, Copy Editor Erica Sun, Copy Editor Katherine Vega, Copy Editor Amy Wang, Copy Editor Michelle Zhao, Copy Editor Katie Bart, Designer Annie Cantara, Designer Emily Harwell, Designer Wei Yi Ow, Designer Kaitlyn Shen, Designer Molly Sevcik, Designer Julia Xu, Designer Alice Xiao, Illustrator Lenise Lee, Business Manager Nathan Peereboom, Chief Financial Officer Kay Li, Director of Data Analysis Harry Backlund, Distributor

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CHICAGO MAROON

Letter: Organization of Black Students urges student solidarity around petition In light of recent acts of racially motivated hate, the Organization of Black Students (OBS) would like to express our firm stance and complete solidarity with all victims of intolerance, marginalization, and targeted personal attacks. While some may be inclined to perceive this most recent event as an isolated incident, this is instead the latest iteration of a historical trend of antagonism, symptomatic of a broader culture of intolerance. Thus, we find it imperative that the entire campus community gather against these polarizing threats to our safety and unity. Our organization would also like to reaffirm our strong commitment to working toward a more equitable campus, as well as toward serving as vocal advocates for communities of color. It is during pivotal moments such as these that the greater campus

community must also take a stand to promote virtues of inclusivity and equity. Bigotry and discrimination are not issues that simply affect students of color alone, but instead are the manifestations of a far greater societal problem that speaks volumes about the current campus environment. As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Now, more than ever, this campus community requires the unity of the student body at large to take a stance on issues of intolerance. We fully support not only the demands outlined in the AntiDiscrimination Petition, but also the larger impact it may carry on this campus. What we, as well as the hundreds of others who have signed the petition addressed to the leaders of this University, are asking for does not surpass the basic consideration that every

student deserves. We challenge the greater campus community to work with us toward solving issues relating to all forms of intolerance. The burden of dismantling racism should never be placed in the hands of one group alone--it is Our history, Our campus, Our problem. We call all students, faculty, and administrators to stand, recognize, and condemn these issues. We reiterate that silence on these issues is consent. We must speak out against injustice in all its manifestations and recognize the responsibility we, as students, have in creating a more inclusive, safe, and diverse campus. We must hold the administration accountable, hold ourselves accountable, and be the agents of change we strive to see on this campus. —The Organization of Black Students

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | November 21, 2014

Listening through thin walls Private moments overheard highlight how we selectively share our lives

Clair Fuller

Navigating Nuance I live in an apartment building with thin walls, situated directly next to another apartment building with thin walls, and if my life were a sitcom, these neighbors of mine would easily supply two seasons’ worth of subplots, minimum. At least that’s what I imagine, despite knowing almost none of them personally. One of the unexpected adjustments to apartment life was the sheer amount of sound coming from the residents around me. When I lived in the dorms, I overheard people chatting in the hallway, or

the occasional rhythmic thumping of a headboard against a shared wall. Now, what I hear from my neighbors seems somehow more intimate and revealing. The tiny, thunderous feet of the child upstairs. The man next door gossiping about people from his church (over the summer there was some kind of nude photo scandal involving a “gold-digging woman” and the preacher). The bad musical taste of the teenager below us. The fights of a married couple while their two-year-old cries. The woman who sometimes breaks down

in the middle of the night, screaming and crying into the phone about her father. I know this means that my neighbors hear me, too, when I sing in the shower or listen to Christmas music in early November or laugh uncontrollably while cooking with my roommates. For my own sake, though, I pretend that the laws of sound transmission don’t always apply. I want to believe that my neighbors can’t hear me when I cry, or that they don’t listen to the inane, private jokes I share with my partner. They do, of course. Like everyone else in the world, I am an obsessive curator of my own life. I regulate what I reveal to others depending on my audience, wanting to seem as interesting and

cool as possible. This usually means omitting whatever I deem too ugly or intimate. When I found a cockroach while alone in my apartment, I freaked out and had two back-toback panic attacks about it. A few hours later I made a joke about the bug on Facebook, which received 85 likes. I did not mention the panic attacks, or the shame I often feel when faced with the volatility of my anxiety disorder, because as much as I believe in the power of sharing your vulnerability with others, I get to keep the bad parts of my life private if I want to. I get to keep the good parts private, too, if I want, because my life and experiences and my feelings belong to me. The same is true for my neighbors, despite the fact that I am

often privy to their experiences and feelings. Nonetheless, the people in my apartment building are largely strangers to me. I know hardly any of their names and, in many cases, would not recognize them on the street. But even as I choose what of my life to share and what to keep to myself, it is equal parts unnerving and comforting to know that these people probably know as much about me as I do about them—and, even in light of our mutually overheard intimacy, we still hold the front door open for each other and smile when coming back with arms full of groceries.

Whether I need or want feminism is insignificant because there are so many other women who are forced to go to school with their rapists, receive unequal pay for equal work, or are denied rights solely based on their gender. And I need to be a feminist for them, for the sake that there is injustice in this world that needs to be fought. There also seems to be an inherent difficulty for those who embrace the main ideas of feminism, but are reluctant to accept the stigmatization implied by the word “feminist.” From the multitude of tweets bashing Woodley to the parody Twitter that intentionally spells words wrong—as if insinuating those who do not accept their feminist badge are somehow stupid—to popular blogger Libby Anne telling those who choose not to identify as feminists to “kiss my ass, you ignorant little jerks,” we see a number of examples of how not to recruit new feminists. Not only do none of these seem like good ways to get people to understand, join, or even respect a movement, but they go against the idea that feminists advocate for all women, not only women who call themselves feminists. Most importantly, it’s important to recognize that the label “femi-

nist” doesn’t matter; at least, the snap judgments made on whether or not someone accepts the word aren’t fair. The definition itself differs for everyone; there is no list of boxes to check off. Equality of the sexes is a concept that is surprisingly difficult to understand, especially when factors such as medical treatments that differ due to inherent biological differences are taken into account. Is Serrin M. Foster, a recent speaker at the University, not a feminist for being pro-life? She advocates for the acceptance and promotion of pregnancy and motherhood, especially in academic circles. Is she not doing more than those who stick “feminist” in their Twitter descriptions yet do not act? Woodley later stated, “I don’t need to call myself a ‘feminist’ or ‘not a feminist’ because I know what my truth is,” and reiterated the idea that first and foremost, women need to respect each other. It seems that as a whole, the feminist movement should not necessarily dismiss those who do not want the label. Whether or not we claim a word does not inhibit or necessarily promote our ability to fight injustice.

Clair Fuller is a third-year in the College majoring in gender and sexuality studies.

By any other name The path to feminism is not as easy as accepting its dictionary definition Felicia Woron Maroon Contributor In her speech advocating gender equality at the United Nations this past September, actor Emma Watson stated that “women are choosing not to identify as feminists.” Yet it is becoming increasingly disreputable to refuse the word “feminist”—actress Shailene Woodley, upon stating she was not a feminist “because [she loves] men,” received much backlash from the public. Why is there such a tension surrounding this word? Why is there a need to choose between blatantly rejecting the term and broadcasting it as part of one’s identity? Perhaps it has to do with misinformation; perhaps those who reject—or shy away from—the word “feminist” misunderstand the definition (the “theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”), believing it to be synonymous with bra-burning, radicals, or the idea that women should surpass men and replace the patriarchy. If you understand the mistakes behind that reasoning and still choose not to identify as a feminist, however... well, clearly you’re just despicable. And yet I am still wary of pinning the feminist badge on my shirt front.

And since I’m deeply hoping it is not because I am absolutely despicable, I’m going to offer a few things I’ve realized as I’ve tried to explain why I’ve felt a reluctance toward the modern feminist movement. One of the major claims made about feminism is that it is no longer necessary in our society. I can walk down the street without a man giving me his permission and without having a man at my side—you probably can too if you’ve posted about feminism on social media or are reading this article. You and I both probably went to some form of school and learned cursive and read Shakespeare and learned algebra, if not calculus. Women (and men) who fit these criteria are protesting against words like “bitch” and “pussy” and advocating against dress codes, while in Yemen a woman is only considered half a witness in court and elsewhere women cannot remove a hijab, let alone wear a strapless dress to school. Sure, elsewhere feminism makes sense, but feminism here seems almost… selfish? But I’ve been on the Internet and in this world as a young woman long enough to recite the counter-arguments: The smaller problems, especially ingrained habits of language and lifestyle, affect a wide swath of

women, sometimes even unknowingly, and we should not tolerate any form of injustice or oppression. Another idea I’ve struggled with: the idea that feminism is no longer a choice, but something all women need. Take the #yesallwomen response to the #notallmen campaign following the 2014 Isla Vista killings in order to convey that no, not all men are perpetrators but yes, all women are affected. The parody Twitter account @notofeminism mocks claims that women don’t need feminism and has nearly 70,000 followers. Yet should it not be a woman’s choice if she wants to rely on a movement? If she is one of the lucky number who has never felt gender oppression or fear, why enforce the idea on her that she actually is oppressed or should be afraid of oppression? But if a woman is privileged enough to not feel oppressed, she should still be aware of oppression in society, and she should use her freedom and confidence to inspire and assist others. Finally, it’s just plain frustrating that in 2014, so many people still have such mistaken notions of feminism and continue to perpetrate injustice. Being a feminist is not and should not be primarily about yourself:

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Felicia Woron is a secondyear in the College.

ARTS

Heartlandia NOVEMBER 21, 2014

New UT production of classic Beckett drama is anything but trashy

Live by the trash can, die by the trash can: Alex Hearn emulates Oscar the Grouch in this weekend's production of Endgame. COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY THEATER

Evangeline Reid Associate Arts Editor This weekend University Theater will be putting on a Samuel Beckett classic featuring plenty of the expected absurdity but also an extra serving of humanity. Beckett’s Endgame is a oneact play, but that’s quite a misnomer when you realize it runs for precisely one hour and 34 minutes. “The show starts at 7:30, and the show ends at about 9:04.... Eric and David have gotten it down to an exact science,” Alex Hearn said with a laugh.

Hearn, a second year, is playing Nag— the father figure of a strange, isolated family. Beckett is also known for Waiting for Godot, which the Court Theatre will coincidentally be performing in January. Beckett is Irish, but he is known as a French novelist and playwright because he chose to write his work in French, then self-translated it into English. He claimed this helped him write as intentionally as possible. He emphasizes minimalism in both staging and language and includes consistently bizarre elements.

Endgame follows this style precisely. Hearn himself marveled at how the minimalist staging and small cast of four allows the play to be staged almost anywhere. However, in this staging of the play, the cast of characters, a small family on the verge of collapse, a into outright aggression re in their home during an unspoken apocalypse. The story that follows is loosely constructed and perhaps not the key to what makes the show tick. Instead, the show places weight on things typically taken for granted, forcing the audience to ask difficult questions about death, old age,

and why people stay or leave. The most important set pieces for the show are two garbage cans, the residence of the mother and father. Hearn and Eloise Hyman, who plays Hearn’s character’s wife Nel, spend an hour having aging makeup put on them, then the two climb into a garbage can 30 minutes before show time and sit in the dark for much of the lengthy show. It goes above and beyond commitment to character. Hearn says he keeps his phone with him for security, light, and a bit of stimulation, but one rehearsal his phone died.

“I was like, ‘Well, this is really getting into character. I’m really feeling it right now,’....Eloise and I sorta’ lucked out where they gave us like luxury-sized trash cans, but I can’t imagine like a standard sized trash can. It’s already sweltering as it is.” The trash cans—as well as the rest of the absurdity (including a man who can only see the world through the help of his servant)—are not just on stage for the sake of strangeness. They play an important role in developing the show’s themes. Hearn asked, “How do we treat the elderly? How do we cordon them off… We treat them pretty poorly.” If you know Endgame well, you’ll find a few differences in this telling. The space between Nel and Nag is purposely exaggerated to further stress their lack of agency as well as the distance between them. “In the versions I’ve seen, the characters aren’t played with nearly as much tenderness [as in our version]…. It really highlights when they dip into cruel measures to keep each other there,” Hearn says. Director Julia Santha pushed her actors to give the characters a real depth and humanity despite their foreignness. It serves to temper the absurdity with a whole new weight of its own. November 21 at 7:30 p.m., November 22 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Logan Center Theatre West, tickets $6 in advance or $8 at the door.

Mutter and Virtuosi captivate Famed director passes away Hannah Edgar Arts Contributor Having seen violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter perform before, the adjective that always seems to stubbornly stick to the walls of my brain as I leave the concert hall is “miraculous.” Wednesday night’s chamber concert at Symphony Hall alongside bassist Roman Patkoló and the Mutter Virtuosi was no exception. The Virtuosi are products of the AnneSophie Mutter Foundation, a Munich-based foundation that gives scholarships to support budding string soloists through scholarships. The performance outreach element of the Virtuosi program gives these musicians valuable professional and touring experience, not to mention the opportunity to perform alongside one of the world’s preeminent classical violinists. Mutter herself is a steadfast champion of both chamber standards and contemporary music, both of which were combined in her repertoire selection for the Virtuosi’s North American tour. Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet and Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons were prefaced by Sebastian Currier’s Ringtone Variations, a piece which was premiered last year by none other than Mutter and Patkoló. Mutter and Patkoló revived their commissioned work with seamless synchronicity and finesse for Wednesday’s program. True to its name, though not split into movements, the Ringtone Variations is structured episodically around common ringtone jingles. Lacking an overarching sense of direction, Currier’s composition introduces short themes in the form of recognizable aural snippets and, as the work progresses, warps them into something almost sinister. The piece, which begins innocuously, begins to disolve into outright aggression towards the middle—punctuated by grating attacks from Mutter and Patkoló—then ends

unsatisfactorily and suddenly, with tiptoeing spiccatos. The listener is left struggling to string the piece together: Is the mayhem that dominates the piece’s middle section perhaps alluding to the interruptive role of technology in our lives? It’s an ingenious concept, to be sure, but Mutter and Patkoló’s musicianship was the real highlight of Ringtone Variations: Seamless and almost scientifically controlled, the duet's collaboration was a spectacle in itself. The Virtuosi joined Mutter onstage for both the Octet and Four Seasons, and certainly lived up to their name. Performing each piece with vivacity and panache, each member of the ensemble proved themselves into outright aggression as soloists many times over. But in a chamber environment, there were times when the Virtuosi seemed to vie for attention where attention was not due: When the melody line was elsewhere and the ensemble members were playing ostinato accompaniment—in other words, a repetitive accompaniment meant to shelve itself underneath the melody—members of the Virtuosi writhed and swayed as though they were playing a solo line. To be fair, this was most apparent in Mendelssohn’s Octet, which, in calling for only four violins, two violas, and two cellos, features all of its constituents in a solo at some point, and acoustically, the performance was more or less properly balanced. However, it must be remembered that live performance is still a visual medium, and the effect proved distracting at times. More tact was shown for Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The Seasons are, after all, violin concertos, and thus the ensemble often finds itself playing under the soloist. Vivaldi’s most famous composition, obviously one of the mainstays of the classical repertoire and a turning point in concerto writing, proved to be the highlight of the night. Mutter’s solo turn, wonderfully supported by the Virtuosi, demonstrated exactly how MU continued on page 8

James Mackenzie Arts Editor “Well, I would say that I'm just drifting. Here in the pool.” Not exactly subtle, but understated and elegant. That famous line— from 1967’s The Graduate—spoke to a generation of young people fresh out of college and new to a world without an evident purpose for them. The Graduate has stood the test of time, speaking to its viewers to this very day. It was one of the first, and still one of the best, works in the prolific entertainment career of Mike Nichols (A.B., ’53), who passed away this Wednesday. He was 83. It is a little ironic that The Graduate concerns those who have difficulty finding their way in life, seeing as Nichols blazed such a clear trail through his own. He achieved success in the entertainment business at an unusually young age and maintained that success well into his 70s. But digging into the man's early years reveals that his future was once just as uncertain as those in his stories. He briefly attended New York University before dropping out, then enrolled at our very own University of Chicago in 1950 as a pre-med, of all things. Unfortunately his presence here is not something we can necessarily take great pride in, seeing as he skipped most of his classes to work in Chicago theater before dropping out of here, too. In 1958 Nichols gained fame as one half of the Nichols and May comedy duo with Elaine May, a fellow Chicago comedy veteran. Then, in 1966, he turned to film, directing the classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? in one of the true standout directorial debuts of all time. The Graduate came one year later. Nichols never quite matched the critical success of those first two films, but he surged again in the 2000s with well regarded works in film, television, and theater (Closer, Angels in

America, and Spamalot respectively). Thanks in part to these late efforts, he is part of an exclusive group of professionals to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy in his career (the Grammy was for his early comedic work). The Graduate, like a great deal of his work, is extremely funny. It makes sense that Nichols would have a firm grasp of comedy given his background. But just beneath the surface, there is a real sadness to the film. Not a contrived sadness, but an empathetic one. That humanity, absent from so many films and particularly comedies, is really what made Nichols special. His humor and heart will live on in his films. But he will be missed.

ELEANOR HYUN

| THE CHICAGO

MAROON

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | November 21, 2014

Choice Fish and Chicken: first choice for gas station cuisine Isaac Stein Associate News Editor I discovered Choice Fish and Chicken, located at 850 East 63rd Street, as a byproduct of a personal quest to find a reliable supplier of RC Cola. RC, which is a registered trademark of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group —if you think I’m talking about a scrub generic soda, then please go home and drink your Wildwood Cola—is the greatest cola. It is complex and extremely carbonated, and is so fly that corporate doesn’t even put in a serious advertising effort for its totally rad product. Unfortunately, the Hyde Park Walgreens and CVS are inconsistent, at best, with regard to stocking this product; the Mobil station just east of the CTA Green Line on East 63rd Street picks up the ball. RC is always in stock, and that two-liter bottle only runs $1.11, even after the assorted Rahm Taxes. As the convenience store shares building space with Choice, I figured on a recent visit that I’d try pairing an egregious amount of sugar with an offensive quantity of fat. The name of this fast food joint is ambiguous, as the takeout bags read “Choice Fish and Chicken,” but the

outdoor sign says “Choice Grill.” It’s kind of a moot point, though—not only is everything deep fried, but an attempt to order something “grilled” would desecrate the spirit of eating out of a plastic container at a gas station. I ordered an Italian Beef sandwich and three fried chicken wings, which included a few sides of fries and a Pepsi as throw-ins. As I had my RC, the Pepsi was a throw-out. Everything ran 11 dollars flat. As would not be expected from a takeout window at a Mobil station, the food was surprisingly palatable. The Italian beef was everything that it was supposed to be—a steaming mass of about a pound of probably beef on a gravy-dipped roll. The sandwich was also garnished with a mix of banana and cayenne peppers, which was an unexpected luxury at the price point. The fries were also legitimate contenders, and were the best part of the meal. With astonishing regularity, most fast food places within a 10-block radius of this campus use the same smooth, medium-cut fries in which the criterion for “good” is really whether or not they are hot. These were different—thicker, although not to the extent of steak fries, and flaky, with

When your tank is running on empty, fill up on gas and greasy food at this gas-station-turned-eatery on East 63rd. COURTESY OF CHOICE GRILL

a strong potato flavor. Parallel fries can be found alongside bowls of clam chowder in my favorite, lovable, holein-the-wall seafood shacks in New England. Much like the peppers, I did not expect them here. The wings were decent to the taste, but lacked the definitive fried-hard crust of a Harold’s Chicken Shack or an equivalent. I would gladly forgive Choice for not serving stellar wings, as it is an

operation running out of the corner of a gas station had it not put “Fish and Chicken” in the restaurant name. To put a particular food in your title and not own it is disappointing; minor demerit. My major beef with this place is not with the beef, but with the sauce. As per the South Side standard, Choice serves a vinegar-based hot sauce and a ketchup/BBQbased mild sauce as toppings for its chicken, fries, and…I

didn't have enough of a death wish to get their fish, but the fish, too. I should have known better when the cashier put the sauce into little takeout cups, which she then put in the bag with the rest of the order. Trust me, staking out South Side BBQ places is a hobby very dear to my heart: Convention is to put the sauce directly on the meat, unless a customer explicitly asks for it on the side.

Group enthralls with Ringtone Variations MU continued from page 7 the Seasons should be played: full of electricity, surface tension, and inventiveness. The Seasons is not the easy listening casual listeners so often make it out to be. In reality, it is a work of extreme emotional breadth and sheer fury, and it demands a formidable deal of virtuosity from the soloist—look no further than the tumultuous, hearthammering third movement of Summer. Mutter and the Virtuosi injected a great deal of interpretive liberty into Vivaldi’s otherwise sparse score, which often includes

narrative asides in lieu of explicit technical direction. For example, in the first movement of Vivaldi’s Winter, instead of pointedly specifying that string players play off the string with a staccato or sautillé stroke, Vivaldi wrote Batter li denti (“chattering of teeth”): The meaning is to be inferred by the performer. Mutter, whose interpretations seem to be in a constant state of metamorphosis, took on the four concertos in a way that made them seem as fresh and new as they were when they were published in 1725. In the end you could say that

Mutter’s role in Wednesday’s performance was just as homonymous as the Virtuosi’s. The veteran of the concert hall, she was the modest mother to the ostentatious wunderkinds blossoming under her tutelage. Something about Mutter captivates. Striking the perfect balance of control and lyrical expression is a tall order for any musician, but Mutter gets impressively close. A miraculous leader for a miraculous program—surely we will not hear another interpretation quite like this one at Symphony Hall for some time.

Failing to act on this piece of knowledge, I dumped both Choice sauces on the chicken wings after having eaten one blank. The hot sauce had no vinegar, and was sickly sweet. The mild sauce probably contained neither BBQ sauce nor ketchup; but true to its name, it was not spicy. It, like the hot sauce, was absolutely horrid. I killed the taste with some RC Cola. It remained a good afternoon.

2O14/2O15 CONCERT SERIES

Denis Kozhukhin, piano FRIDAY / NOVEMBER 21 / 7:30 PM MANDEL HALL, 1131 East 57th Street 6:30 PM pre-concert lecture with Steven Rings Haydn: Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:24 Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7, Op. 83 Haydn: Sonata in B minor, Hob. XVI:32 Prokofiev: Sonata No. 8, Op. 84 The formidable Denis Kozhukhin, winner of the prestigious 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition, will perform beloved sonatas by Haydn and two of the great War Sonatas by Prokofiev. CD signing with the artist postconcert! Tickets: $35 / $5 students “…it may well be that Denis Kozhukhin can be considered as the leader of the pack of Russian pianists currently under forty.” —Classical Source For tickets call 773.702.ARTS or visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu

STUDEN

T TICK

Mutter and bassist Patkoló performed at the CSO's concert hall November 19. COURTESY OF DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON

A limited number of FREE tickets are available through the Sponsor-A-Student Program, made possible by University of Chicago Arts Pass. For more information, visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu/tickets/student-tickets

ETS

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 21, 2014

2–0 South Siders carry momentum Younger Maroons looking to to Maryland for Hoopsville Classic step up at Concordia Open Men’s Basketball

Wrestling

Sarah McNeilly Maroon Contributor

Bronagh Daly Sports Staff

The Maroons improved to 2–0 after knocking off Dominican (IL) on the road this past Tuesday evening. Chicago picked up a 70–48 victory, dominating Dominican in the post and on the rebounding end. The South Siders outscored the Stars 36–16 in the paint, and outrebounded them 39–33. The Maroons shot 25 of 56 (44.6 percent) from the field and kept turnovers to a minimum (eight) to solidify their win over Dominican. Third-year forward Nate Brooks led the Maroons with 20 points and five rebounds in just 18 minutes of play. Third-year guard Jordan Smith also contributed 13 points, and second-year forward Blaine Crawford put up 10 points for Chicago. First-year forward Collin Barthel led the squad in rebounds, with seven of the team’s 39. Second-year point guard Tyler Howard contributed eight of the team’s 18 assists, and netted seven points while snagging six steals, as well. “I thought the team performed well for the first game, but still has a lot of room to improve,” Barthel said. “Going into this weekend, we need to play to our potential both offensively and defensively to come away with two big wins.” Howard, who has taken over the point guard role this year after fourth-year Royce Muskeyvalley in-

The Maroons are preparing harder than ever for their third match of the year this coming Saturday. Unfortunately for Chicago, the squad is low on competitors as it heads into the Concordia University Open. “We have been preparing as we would prepare for any other tournament or match,” first-year Nick Ferraro said. “A couple key members of our team are out of action with some injuries, but as always, the bus keeps rolling, and others have stepped up to fill the holes.” Chicago still has high hopes that it can outdo last year’s performance, in which the squad placed three of its 15 wrestlers out of the competing members of the team. Thus far this season, the team has suffered a 25–12 loss to North Central and has also competed in the Trine University Open. “We also have the debut of one of our sophomores, Mike Sepke, as he finally gets a chance to compete after missing last season for shoulder surgery,” Ferraro said. “Sepke will be someone to watch this weekend. He is undoubtedly the hardest worker in the room, and it will be great to finally see him wrestle!” There will likely be other Maroon standouts, as well. “Other wrestlers to watch are [secondyear] Paul Papoutsis and [third-year] Steve Franke, both having placed this past weekend at Trine,” Ferraro said. Strong efforts from all Chicago wrestlers will be vital, since second-year and returning All-American Charlie Ban-

Third-year gaurd, Jordan Smith, makes a drive against NYU at Neon Night last season. COURTESY OF FRANK WANG

jured his knee, agreed. “We want to improve our collective defensive effort, as well as stepping up to the free throw line and knocking down a better percentage of our free throws,” Howard said.

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Chicago faces off against Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Saturday and against Stevenson on Sunday at the Hoopsville National Invitational Classic in Maryland. MBBALL continued on page 10

aszak is recovering from surgery. Ferraro also feels optimistic about his own performance after earning the most wins at the Trine Open. “After last weekend, I am much more confident in my abilities to wrestle at the college level,” Ferraro said. “And I hope to make the podium again this weekend. There are some D1 kids there, so the competition will be amped up, but I look forward to the challenge. Personally, I want to win this thing. A few of my friends who went on to wrestle in college will be there, and I look forward to competing against them again.” He also spoke of his goals for the squad. “After placing a wrestler in five out of 10 weight classes last week, the team and I are confident in our ability to match, if not exceed, our success from the Trine Open,” Ferraro said. Overall, though, Ferraro spoke very highly of his team and of his first experience on the team. “I am happy with my year so far, and I attribute a lot of that to the coaching I’ve had in the past and the coaching I have now,” Ferraro said. “I have been lucky to have been coached under a wide array of coaching styles, with Coach Kocher to cap it off. My past coaches technique and work ethic got me where I am today, and Coach Kocher will bring me to the top with his skills refining my wrestling. We have a long season ahead of us, and a lot of time to work on the things that I don’t do very well with.” The Concordia Wisconsin Open will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday in Mequon, WI.

Have a tip or pitch? Give us a call. 773-702-1403

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 21, 2014

with Will Dart Burke Moser is a second-year quarterback on the football team. He provided some insider info on the life and times of a Maroon bench player.

Chicago Maroon: So, what are some of the ups and downs of riding the bench? Burke Moser: I think backup QB is a great position to be. You can still be a QB, but you don’t have all the pressure of the games. At the same time, though, you still have to prepare for the games just in case, so you pretty much have to study for the test, knowing you might not have to take it. It’s not always fun being a backup; early in the career, though, it’s fine. CM: Right on. And did

your dad ever yell, “Put my boy in the game!”? BM: There’s a good chance that happened. I think there was a noon game once—a few too many cocktails were consumed, somehow, in the a.m. and I did hear a few “Put my boy in” yells, yeah. I had a good feeling that they were about me. So I’m gonna say probably. CM: Do you secretly think of yourself as a deeply gifted athlete who the coach just misunderstood this entire time? BM: Not really. The guys playing in front of me were good, and they were also my friends, so it was good to see them progress, see them succeed, and I don’t think I’ve been slighted by the coaches. There’s no chip on my shoulder. CM: And how did you pass your time on the bench? Game Boy, perhaps? Yu-Gi-Oh! matches? BM: Mainly just joking around and being a distraction, actually. I’d play a lot of jokes on people, steal their helmets, maybe. At times it would be funny to some guys…at times, not. CM: Anything to lighten the tension of those tense UChicago games, right?

BM: Uh-huh. CM: Did your butt ever get sore while bench riding? And how did you deal with it? BM: It did get sore, especially in the cold; that bench was just freezing. So it was important to move around, maybe use a jacket for more comfortable seating on that cold metal. CM: You’re probably coming off the bench next year. Would you think about installing a replica bench as your desk chair, just to make the transition easier? BM: Yes. Definitely a little model of a bench or something, just as a reminder of where I belong, and where I’m coming from. The bench will always have a place in my heart. CM: You’ve been compared to a late-career Doug Flutie by some people in the past, and by “some people,” I mean the Maroon, and by “in the past,” I mean right now. How do you respond to that? BM: I can accept that. Flutie certainly had some bright spots, and he’s well remembered for it. Obviously I’d like to be compared to someone better, but, hey, you’ve gotta take these things as they

Chicago aims to trim turnover count this weekend MBBALL continued from page 9

WPI is ranked No. 12 nationally, but the Maroons, who are predicted to win the UAA this year, are up to the task. Both promise to be tough matchups, especially because the Maroons are continuing

their campaign on the road, a significant factor in an already daunting challenge. When asked about the keys to winning multiple games this weekend, Howard said, “Handling their pressure and playing team defense for a full 40 minutes

on both games.” The Maroons look to come home with an unbeaten record of 4–0 to help them toward their goal of an NCAA tournament appearance. They tip off at 1 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.

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come; just take them in stride and move on. CM: Fair enough. I understand you’re an economics major—how does that inform your style of play? BM: I’m a very practical thinker out there. Sometimes you gotta cut your losses, cut the costs for a bigger gain. And, when the demand from the fans is there, I gotta supply them with what they need. CM: Right. Adam Smith, invisible hand... BM: Exactly. CM: You’re part of a unique subculture at this school, being a student-athlete. Basically what I’m asking is: Do you wear boat shoes? BM: Definitely. I’m a big advocate of boat shoes any time of year. Even in these cold winter months, you’re gonna see me wearing boat shoes more often than not. CM: And salmon-colored shorts: Yes or no? BM: I do own a pair. But I’m going to start moving away from pastels in the future. CM: Me too. And as for student cafes: Do you prefer Cobb or Harper? BM: I love Cobb’s music, and I can respect their aggression on the volume side. But

that’s about the only one I frequent, besides Einstein for Shake Wednesday, of course. (Editor’s note: Moser was consuming a shake during this interview.) CM: Interesting. And who do you think eats the cake balls at the Div School? Anyone? BM: There’s really no evidence I can provide that proves anyone eats those. CM: Speaking of cake: Would you describe yourself as bulking or cutting at this point? BM: I always try to stay fit, as opposed to putting on weight. At the same time, I wouldn’t really say I’m trying to cut, either. So I guess you could say I’m just maintaining. CM: Postseason: Restorative yoga, power walking— what’s your routine? BM: I’m a big yoga guy; I like hot yoga especially. Just staying flexible, nothing too crazy. CM: What’s a free Saturday look like for you? Bubble baths? Shower beers? Do you bake? BM: For Saturday, shower beer is definitely the play. Sunday’s usually reserved for personal activities: you know, baking (cookies are my go to;

gotta love the dough), cooking, maybe even catch up on some studying, or some Netflix. CM: To that I would ask: when you’re shower beering, what’s the beer play? And what’s on the Netflix playlist? BM: Probably Bud Light for the shower. CM: ...which is almost as watery as the shower itself. BM: Right, it kinda blends in. I’ll usually wash the shampoo out with the Bud Light, actually. CM: Finally: Who’s the sexiest player on the football team? And why is it [thirdyear] Jake Romeo? BM: Romeo does have it going on, it’s true. I can’t explain it, really. When it’s like eight in the morning—we just finished a freezing practice— and everyone’s showered, kinda looking a little rugged, he’s just perfectly polished. It’s crazy. I think a lot of guys on the team are trying to catch him, and, moving off the bench, I do want to throw my hat in the ring, see what Jake’s got when the pressure’s on. CM: You gotta get that hair gel that he uses. BM: Some product is definitely going in the hair.

Squad looks for first win at Indiana tournament Women’s Basketball Zachary Themer Associate Sports Editor After losing their opening game of the season against the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, the Maroons look to be reborn from the ashes and bring home a couple of victories this weekend at the Manchester Tournament this weekend in North Manchester, Indiana. Despite losing a tough game last week against No. 14 Whitewater by a score of 86–68, the Maroons (0–1) know they are better than that score indicates. “We obviously look to bounce back by getting a couple of wins this weekend,” said second-year forward Britta Nordstrom. “Not only that, but also making a statement. We want to show that we’re a better team than the score of last week.” If the Maroons really do want to make that statement this weekend, they are going to have to focus on a few critical areas: scoring, rebounding, and turnovers.

Last weekend, the Maroons had no problem scoring, shooting 45.3 percent from the field, an effort led in part by Nordstrom, who racked up 16 points off the bench. Now, while the Maroons may have shot a tick over 50 percent, they were out-rebounded by a margin of 46–29. If they plan on winning this weekend, they are going to have to flip those numbers. Furthermore, if the Maroons are going to win, it’s going to come down to minimizing the turnovers on the offensive end, as well as forcing those on the defensive end. The responsibility of keeping those turnover numbers low on the offensive end is going to fall on the shoulders of the team’s distributors, namely firstyear guard Elizabeth Nye and fourth-year guard Morgan Donovan. While only a first-year, Nye has already demonstrated an ability to take charge on the court and get her teammates involved. Last week against Whitewater,

Nye was consistently putting her teammates in position to score as she racked up four assists during the game. If the Maroons are going to knock off the likes of Capital University and others this weekend at the Manchester Tournament, Nye, as well as Donovan and others, are going to have to distribute the ball throughout the game. Of course, it doesn’t take a look at these stats for the Maroons to know where, and how, they need to improve. “We have to dominate the boards in order to win every game we play this year,” said Nordstrom. “Also, we’re focused on making good decisions while in transition and in the half court so that we can minimize turnovers and maximize scoring opportunities.” With their mindset in tune with what needs to done, the Maroons will turn their attention to the Manchester Tournament this weekend. They kick off with a game at 4 p.m. today against Capital University.

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& QUIRE & PLACE THE FOURTH SEASON 2014/15

SPORTS

IN QUOTES “What’s going to happen first—the Sixers finally winning a game, or the judge finally giving her verdict for Ray Rice’s appeal?” –Sports columnist Bill Simmons cynically ponders the fate of the two grim situations in American sports

Women’s squad, Frasco march to Ohio for national championship Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Russell Mendelson Senior Sports Staff Final exams may be a few weeks away on campus, but the Maroons face their biggest test of the season this Saturday in Mason, Ohio in the season’s culminating event, the NCAA DIII Championship. The South Siders will be sending their women’s team, selected among 16 others nationally to compete for the top spot, while the men’s team will be represented by arguably their strongest runner this season, third-year Michael Frasco. Last week at the Midwest Regional, six of the Chicago women and five of the men, including Frasco, recorded alltime personal bests, causing the competitors to come into the finals with great confidence. “I’m excited to see how fast I can run when pushed by the best runners in the country,” Frasco said. “I don’t need any more motivation to run as fast this weekend, but my [personal record] indicates just how high I can set my goals.” On the women’s side, thirdyear Catherine Young expressed how the team hopes its strong

performance last weekend cemented the realization among its members that they can be successful on the highest level. “Our team raced great, and we need to carry over that confidence and speed from regionals into the race this weekend,” Young said. She placed first among her teammates and fifth overall at last Saturday’s regionals. “I think our team finally knows just how good we are and that helps a lot in a big field at nationals,” she said. Going into the race, the women have the benefit of being able to motivate one another during the competition, something Frasco lacks as an individual competitor. “The support of teammates can help a lot before and during the race. But my mentality hasn’t changed from this year to last year,” Frasco said. He raced at the championships last season when the entire men’s team qualified. Frasco was Chicago’s second finisher that year. “I’m going to execute my race strategy to the best of my ability either way,” Frasco said. Young talked about how she

Third-year Michael Frasco runs alongside fourth-year Renat Zalove at the Elmhurst Invite last season. COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS

and her teammates hoped to utilize the power in numbers while racing. “The most important thing for our team is to remain mentally focused and engaged during the middle of the race when some runners can begin to give up and slow down,” Young said. As a representative of the

women’s team at the championship last year, Young finished first for the Maroons and ninth overall, making her an AllAmerican. Both runners emphasized the importance of rest at this stage in the season, noting that at this point fitness and training are of lesser concern heading

down the final stretch. “Sleep [and] finishing my problem sets at a reasonable hour [are important],” Frasco said. The Chicago women placed fourth nationally last season and are hoping to finish even higher with Young leading them.

“I’ve run all of the workouts, all of the miles that are going to make me successful,” Young said. “I’ll show up on Saturday and give it my best.” The Maroons line up tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in Mason as they look for success from a plethora of individuals and one team.

Maroons host Rounds of 16, Eight Chicago looking for comeback at this weekend with confidence home with Phoenix Invitational Women’s Soccer Michael Cheiken Maroon Contributor The No. 16 Maroons emerged from the first two rounds of the NCAA DIII Regional unscathed. These two victories catapulted the team into the Sweet 16, where they will face off against Illinois Wesleyan. The showdown this Saturday morning at the Stagg Soccer Field will not be the first meeting between the two sides. The 16–6–1 Titans are a familiar opponent, having won 1–0 against the Maroons (15–4–1) about two months ago. Illinois Wesleyan is an offensive powerhouse. The striker combination of second-year Skyler Tomko and third-year Sydney Fox has led the Titans’ ferocious attack, which averages 2.65 goals per game. The two have provided more than a third of the team’s goals. However, on Saturday morning, this unstoppable force meets an immovable object. The Maroon defense has been nearly impenetrable this season. Fourth-year Katie Shivanandan and first-year Kaitlin Price anchor the dominant back line, which allows only 0.6 goals per game. The goal-stopping duties,

Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving though, do not lie solely with the defenders. The effort starts with the offense and midfielders and ends with the goalkeeper. “[The team] has had tremendous success stepping to challenge balls higher up in the field and working as a group to absorb and cover one another,” said third-year defender Emma Almon. The offseason coaching addition of Kelly Lindsey has proved instrumental in this regard. Almon credits “a lot of success to her coaching and guidance.” Through the first two games of the tournament, Illinois Wesleyan has scored six goals, while the Maroon defense has yet to need either of its fourth-year goalkeepers—Jacinda Reid and Mallory Morse—to make a save. Third-year defender Bethany Robinson is confident that nobody can defeat the Maroons “if [the] back line continues to play as solidly as they did last week.” The victor of this competition will play the winner of the match between Aurora University and Centre College, which will start upon conclusion of the Maroons’ game. The 19–3–1 Spartans of Aurora have not been beaten in their last 18 games. Their last loss was a 3–2 defeat at the hands of the Maroons on

September 8. In that game, Chicago scored two goals in the last five minutes of regulation to capture the win. The Spartans’ attack is led by third-year striker Nicci Bermudes, who is third in the nation in goals with 35. Aurora looks to advance further in this year’s national tournament after a disappointing first-round exit last season. The 16–5–2 squad from Centre is much more of an unknown entity. Their only two common opponents with the Maroons are Emory and Case Western. The Colonels fell to Emory 1–0 and tied Case 1–1, whom the Maroons beat 2–1 and tied 0–0, respectively. Centre advanced to play Aurora after winning a penalty shootout against Puget Sound in the regionals last weekend. Should the Maroons defeat Illinois Wesleyan, either Aurora or Centre would provide a formidable challenge. For now, however, the Maroons are focused on beating the Titans from IWU and taking the playoffs one step at a time. Chicago kicks off at home on Saturday at 11 a.m. Aurora and Centre play immediately after, at 1:30 p.m. The winners of these two games play on Sunday at

Helen Petersen Associate Sports Editor The University of Chicago swimming and diving team will host the Phoenix Fall Classic at the Ratner Center this weekend, as participants from DIII schools throughout the Midwest come to prove they have the ability to swim and dive with the best the area has to offer. This is the first of three invitational meets Chicago will host this year. “Having the Classic at home absolutely makes a difference,” second-year Abby Erdmann said. “Not having to travel anywhere leaves us a lot more energy to put into our races, and being familiar with the pool definitely gives you a lot more confidence.” Erdmann is the defending national champion in the 200-yard butterfly. Last year, Chicago placed first out of 10 teams that participated in the meet, and it looks to repeat that performance this weekend. “In terms of goals, for myself and everyone else, I hope we can beat our times that we swam at last year’s Classic,” said fourth-year diver Kevin

Steffes. The Maroons are coming off a tough loss to Wash U but have attempted to stay focused and make strides in between meets. While the men’s team was just edged out by the Bears 154–145, the women’s side lost by a larger margin of 179–120. With four months left in their season, the South Siders have plenty of time to find their stride. Thus far this season, Chicago has fallen to Wash U and Denison while earning a victory over regional rival Wheaton. “Since our last meet, we’ve really been focusing on the little things that go into a race that add up to make a big difference,” Erdmann said. The diving squad echoed this sentiment. “The dive team has put in a lot of work these past few weeks, with a lot of people getting a lot of their more difficult dives off, so I think we are all going into this weekend excited and hoping to post at least a few qualifying scores!” Steffes said. Relays will play a big part in team morale this weekend. “This weekend my focus

is on the relays, because I always find those races to be the most exciting and meaningful to the team and it is easier to swim faster when other people are directly relying on me,” second-year Maya Scheidl said. She has swum freestyle and medley relays so far this season, along with individual freestyle races. The meet also serves as an opportunity to set qualifying times and scores for the postseason. “A lot of people’s goals are to start getting some Bcuts and qualifying times for NCAA,” said Steffes. “The same goes for the diving squad. I haven’t been able to secure a qualifying score for zones yet, so I am looking at this weekend as one of my biggest opportunities of the quarter to do so.” This is the Maroons’ final meet for the quarter. The team will take its annual training trip over winter break and resume competition at the Chicago Invitational on January 9. The Phoenix Fall Classic kicks off at 6 p.m. on Friday and continues throughout the weekend at the MyersMcLoraine pool.