TUESDAY • MAY 19, 2015
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
ISSUE 48 • VOLUME 126
Summer Breeze organizers deem carnival and concert a success TOTAL COST $270K FOR BOTH EVENTS Isaac Stein Senior News Writer
Washington Park is one of two proposed sites being considered to house the Obama Presidential Center, along with Jackson Park. In response to the recent announcement, community members are planning to organize neighborhood benefit argeements to be implemented when the center is built. MARTA BAKULA | THE CHICAGO MAROON
Community members demand benefits with arrival of Obama Presidential Library Sonia Schlesinger News Staff In response to the announcement that the Obama presidential library will come to either Washington or Jackson Park, several residents of the surrounding
communities have begun organizing community benefit agreements and legal documents that require developers to provide benefits to the neighborhoods. Residents of Washington Park will propose these agreements to President Robert Zim-
mer, the University, and the Obama Foundation. Each public park in Chicago has a volunteer advisory council that supports the park’s operations. Cecilia Butler, head of the council for Washington Park, OBAMA continued on page 2
New study shows speakers appear more intelligent than writers Anne Nazzaro Associate News Editor Hearing a person speak makes the listener view him or her as more intelligent than if they read the same words in writing, according to a study published by University of Chicago professor Nicholas Epley and Ph.D. candidate Juliana Schroeder this month in the journal Physiological Science. “A person’s voice, through speech, conveys conscious thinking as it’s happening,” said Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the Booth School of Business. “This led us to wonder whether a person’s voice actually communicates the presence of his or her mind more clearly than other…media.”
In the study, titled “The Sound of Intellect,” Epley and Schroeder tested their hypothesis through a series of elevator pitches. They had M.B.A. students give two-minute elevator pitches to their top-choice employer on why they should be hired. Evaluators either heard recordings of the pitches, watched videos, or read transcripts. Evaluators who listened to the recordings or watched the videos rated their employees to be more “competent, thoughtful, and intelligent” than evaluators who read the transcripts, according to the study. Evaluators also stated that they were more likely to hire the people whose pitches they heard than the people whose pitches they only read.
The researchers first tested this hypothesis with inexperienced evaluators and then with a group of professional job recruiters. The experienced recruiters reported the same evaluations—they were more likely to hire someone whose pitch they heard rather than read. According to Schroeder, the candidates tested in the study did not expect these results. “They think they will be judged the same, regardless of whether they are writing or talking,” she said. Schroeder and Epley have a longer paper in the works to investigate why speaking makes a better impression than writing. “I definitely plan to work on this topic for a long time,” said Schroeder. “It’s fascinating.”
On Saturday, University students and members of the public enjoyed the festivities of Summer Breeze, the annual oncampus event that combines a free public carnival with a ticketed concert. The day’s events all went off without a hitch, which was impressive given the threats of thunderstorms and the large number of inebriated students. The carnival began at noon and ran until 5 p.m., and included balloonists, cotton candy, grilled hamburgers and sausage, and a steady supply of Monster brand energ y drinks. The concert, which sold out to an excited crowd of 2,225, opened its doors at 5:00 p.m. sharp. The concert ran into the
late evening and featured a lineup of artists Madeon, T-Pain, and Azealia Banks. Given this apparently seamless presentation of many events, Breezegoers might be unaware that the event is actually coordinated by two RSOs, each of which plans its efforts independently of the other; the Council on University Programming (COUP) organizes the carnival, while the Major Activities Board (MAB) organizes the concert. However, this division of labor also means that the events are funded independently, and there is not necessarily a close working relationship between the two groups. Fourth-year Natalya Samee, the chair of MAB, said that while she would like to work more closely with COUP, this is made
difficult by the separate purpose of both organizations. “COUP’s events…are broader in scope than MAB’s, which specifically focus on bringing premium acts in music and comedy to campus. MAB would love to collaborate with COUP if either of us came up with an interesting, thoughtful way to do so. But it’s apples and oranges—the focuses of our work are very different, so such opportunities have not arisen,” Samee said. Cuyler Lam, the COUP entertainment c hair, also said that COUP and MAB did not work closely on programming for Summer Breeze. “At Summer Breeze, [COUP and MAB] shared a set of Allied Barton security officers that BREEZE continued on page 2
University bonds rated low-risk by Moody’s Investors Service Katherine Vega News Staff Moody’s Investors Services, a global credit rating company, has reaffirmed the University’s credit rating on $2.3 billion of bonds as Aa2, indicating that its bonds are relatively lowrisk. Moody’s also rated the University’s $683 million of debt as VMIG 1, indicating superior credit quality. According to Moody’s, the University’s credit rating outlook is “stable,” indicating that there is likely to be no change in rating in the near future. The report, released May 15, explained the credit rating by noting that “the University of Chicago’s Aa2 rating reflects its global prominence as an elite research university, notable strengthening of undergraduate demand, demonstrated fundraising prowess
for strategic initiatives, and good unrestricted liquidity.” In analyzing the University’s credit rating , the Moody’s report also noted that “the stable outlook reflects expected strong gift revenue that will ultimately grow balance sheet resources, stable liquidity, and thin consolidated cash flow with rising university and medical center debt service,” according to its website. The Aa rating indicates that the University’s financial obligations are at the second-lowest level of risk out of nine possible levels, with the lowest-risk level denoted by Aaa and the highest-risk level denoted by C. The 2, assigned on a scale from 1 to 3, denotes that the rating is in the middle of Aa-rated organizations. Moody’s downgraded the
Unive rsity’s credit rating one sub-level from Aa1 to Aa2 this past summer. This downgrading came in response to the University’s high level of debt and expectations for minimal cash flow in the near future, although the University affirmed that its strategic plan included an increase in debts. The reaffirmation of the Aa2 credit rating did not take debt from the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) into account, although Moody’s report noted that “adverse changes” in UCMC programming in the future might make the credit rating go down. The UCMC’s Aa3 rating was reaffirmed in late December, although Moody’s had previously threatened to downgrade it, citing the UCMC’s operating cash flow margin.
IN VIEWPOINTS
IN ARTS
IN SPORTS
CAT’s out of the bag » Page 4
Clothesline project shares stories from sexual assault survivors » Page 6
Tang and Iranpour prepare for NCAA Championships » Backpage
South Side youth share stories through art installation » Page 5
Men’s tennis advances to National Semifinals » Backpage
THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | May 19, 2015
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“We’re focusing on how to consider the needs of the “This is the best response I’ve seen to Summer Breeze in my four years here� community and also the needs of the library.� BREEZE continued from front
OBAMA continued from front
calls the library a “positive change� but still insists on a community benefits deal with the University. The first point in the proposed 27-point agreement requests that the University place a trauma center on the South Side, a provision that both University students and community members have been discussing separately from the library for months. Six of the other points explain what should happen if the library is placed in Washington Park and affiliated with the University. In particular, the list demands park council representatives on all library’s advisory committees and the preservation of the Arboretum in Washington Park. The agreement also includes requests for a softball stadium and solar power energy incubator in the park. Woodlawn, the community that encompasses much of Jackson Park, is preparing differently for the presidential library. According to David Byrd, chief operating officer of the Arthur M.
Brazier Foundation, a community-building foundation in Woodlawn, Woodlawn residents “are working with the foundation, the University, the mayor, and the community to collectively design what’s best for the community.â€? However, unlike in Washington Park, Woodlawn has not created an agreement with specific points. “We believe the representatives that are part of the foundation‌represent the interests of the community,â€? Byrd said. “We’re focusing on how to consider the needs of the community and also the needs of the library.â€? The University has not commented specifically as to whether it will consider the community benefits agreement or other similar documents. However, a spokesperson did state that the University will “continue to work with community members, the Barack Obama Foundation and the City of Chicago to ensure that the Obama presidential center benefits our community and the city as a whole.â€?
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Marty Nesbitt, board chairman of the Obama Foundation, responded to the question of whether agreements would be considered at a press conference. “This whole initiative is a community benefit... this whole effort is about the South Side of Chicago� he said. The advisory council and other Washington Park advocacy groups have been attempting to make a similar agreement with the University since long before the Obama Foundation decided to bring the library to Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, much of the current agreement is taken from a 2009 agreement for employment and housing benefits in response to Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid. Although Chicago was not selected to host the Olympics, and the original agreement was dropped, the main points have since served as a template for the agreement detailing Washington Park’s requests of the University for both the Washington Park neighborhood and the park itself.
were at both events, had the same on-site medical personnel, and worked together to create T-shirts that incorporated design elements from each group’s branding‌but the concert and the carnival are two separate entities, and the PR for each group’s event is completely different,� Lam said. According to Lam, COUP spent approximately $130,000 on this year’s carnival, while Samee said that MAB spent $140,000 on the Summer Breeze concert. These expenses covered entertainment, refreshments, and Lam said marketing. that the largest share of the COUP money went to a wide variety
of entertainment, which included balloonists and inflatables, among other attractions. COUP contracted these services from Bass/Schuler Entertainment and Recorda-Hit Entertainment, two Chicagoland-based companies that COUP has hired in the past. “We have a lot of personal connections and long-standing relationships with these companies; we don’t really outsource [beyond them]. Our goal with the carnival is to create new directions and presentations for the events that we have, but a carnival has many mainstay attractions from year-toyear,� he said. Samee did not disclose line-item expenditures
or what each individual performer at the concert was paid. Both Lam and Samee said that this year’s Summer Breeze was a success. “I can say in full confidence that the event went smashingly, despite a few minor hiccups that we’re working to address [for next year]. Our partnership with Alpha Phi Omega and Colleges Against Cancer resulted in a $230 donation to the American Cancer Society; that alone is a success,� Lam said. “This is the best response to Summer Breeze I’ve seen in my four years here. I could not be prouder of my board’s work and dedication throughout the entire process,� Samee said.
CORRECTIONS An article published on 4/15/15 regarding a Student Government pledge campaign stated that the campaign had been active for one week. However, it had actually been active for the past two weeks. Additionally, the program at UCLA was the inspiration for the entire UChicago pledge campaign, not just the final clause as was stated in the original article. An article published on 4/15/15 regarding a Campaign for Equitable Policing teach-in stated that a petition was sent around at the end to fire Dante Servin from the UCPD. However, Dante Servin is not affiliated with the UCPD, and the petition was actually to fire Servin from the CPD.
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Wednesday, May 20, 6:00 pm Malene Johnson, a Ph.D. candidate at Chicago Theological Seminary, will reect on the history of Womanist thought, including Womanist approaches to the study of religion and society and the ways in which Womanist thought has contributed to our understanding of Black religious life, activism, and women's liberation. For more information or to RSVP, contact us at: 773-947-8744, ofďŹ ce@brenthouse.org, or the Facebook event.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPECIAL REPORT | May 19, 2015
Summer Breeze
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a photo essay
Last Saturday, the Major Activities Board sponsored the Summer Breeze carnival and concert series. The concert series featured performances by T-Pain, Madeon, and Azealia Banks. At the carnival before the show, students participated in an “RA Dunk Tank” game, jumped on bouncy castles,and watched performances by a hypnotist and several UChicago dance troupes. MARTA BAKULA, YEO BI CHOI, LIANA SONENCLAR, ANNIE CANTARA | THE CHICAGO MAROON
VIEWPOINTS
Editorial & Op-Ed MAY 19, 2015
CAT’s out of the bag Graduate student intervention in SG budget allocation may prevent lower-income students from participating in academic teams
Cortney McInerey
No pun intended This past Monday, May 11, Student Government (SG) passed a motion to cut funding to the Coalition of Academic Teams (CAT) by $20,000 for the upco ming year, a 9.1 percent reduction. CAT is a standing committee comprising the leaders of UChicago’s competitive academic teams: College Bowl, Debate Society, Mock Trial, Model UN, and the Chess Team. The coalition exists as an intermediary allocative body: SG awards CAT a block grant every year, which the five teams subsequently redistribute among themselves. What is interesting about this allocative body is SG’s lack of oversight. Once the block grant has been approved, the organizations under CAT are solely responsible for the use and distribution of funds. Unfortunately, this makes them an easy target for budget cuts. CAT was initially primed to receive an $8,000 increase from last year, so the proposal to slash the budget by $20,000 came as a surprise. In the meeting minutes, SG President Tyler Kissinger seemed uncomfortable with the proposal, describing the cut to CAT’s funding as unprecedented and suggesting that SG simply withhold the previously proposed increase instead. Other members of the assembly shared this sentiment and expressed discomfort about the fact that no CAT representatives were present. One major justification for the cut presented by proponents was CAT’s allegedly lackluster fundraising efforts. Class of 2015 College
Council Representative Kay Li—the originator of the proposal—is on record stating that the “responsibility to fundraise is much lower in CAT,” with his only supporting evidence, according to the minutes, being that a “CAT rep last year seems to have said that their fundraising is a fraction of overall costs.” Other members pitched in, stating that sports clubs raise $35,000 and CAT would do well to follow their example. In-
“The issue of inadequate funding for graduate students was, and still is, a very real, very deserving problem, but Monday’s Assembly addressed it in an equally problematic way.”
deed, these accusations are woefully misinformed: It is estimated that CAT raised a total of $75,000 in the past year. Despite this, the idea that CAT was an inadequate fundraiser—a freeloader, if you will—went uncontested by members of the assembly. Why was CAT the committee that was targeted? And why did CAT lose $20,000 when it had been scheduled for an increase in funds? SG has long been plagued by
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funding inequities between graduate and undergraduate students. Graduates are effectively subsidizing undergraduate life, receiving only 6.7 percent of the budget annually despite representing 62 percent of the University. In recent years, graduate students’ presence and participation in SG Assemblies has increased, bringing more attention to the funding imbalance. This was reflected in last Monday’s Assembly meeting. Graduate Council (GC) Chair Anthony Martinez called attention to the fact that “traditionally, graduate students don’t come to this meeting,” saying that he was glad to see how many were present. After these opening comments, the point was made that, because of the addition of $78,000 to SG’s budget for the 2015–16 school year, “almost every [proposed] budget item [was] increasing.” Nearly the very next comment was a proposal to cut CAT’s funding. The funds from CAT were to be moved—unsurprisingly—to GC. CAT represents one of the largest line items on the SG budget, along with the GC, the SG Finance Committee (SGFC)—which manages finances for the majority of RSOs—and the Programs Coordinating Council (PCC), which oversees the finances of the University’s major programming organizations: the Council on University Programming (COUP), Doc Films, Fire Escape Films, the Major Activities Board (MAB), University Theater (UT), and WHPK Radio. PCC represents groups with a lot of clout on campus. Cutting its funding would result in a year’s worth of complaints by RSO leaders to SG; cutting money from GC would further alienate the already displeased graduate students. In choosing between facing down the political wrath of PCC, the unavoidable complications of cutting SGFC’s funds, or siphoning off even more money from GC and further angering graduate students, cutting funds from CAT was the best solution…if cutting funds were even necessary, that is. SG’s overall budget grew by $78,000 for the upcoming year. Distributing that new money to grad students would have easily solved the problem, but every line item on the budget, both grad and undergrad, was scheduled for an increase. The issue of inadequate funding for graduate students was, and still is, a very real, very deserving problem, but Monday’s Assembly addressed
it in an equally problematic way. SG had a surplus that could have been awarded to much-deserving grads. But they had planned for across-theboard increases, to split that money between all the groups. Instead of putting that dream aside in favor of more grad student funding, they took the easy way out, targeting groups like CAT and the Uncommon Fund (UF) who pose less of a political threat—CAT lacks the connections and influence of groups like PCC, and UF lacks any concrete
“Those passed-along expenditures could prove too much for low-income students, who may suddenly find their favorite RSOs (and all the friends and happiness within) hidden behind a wall of newly imposed financial obligations.”
internal organization, due to its existence as primarily a grant fund—so as to continue with most of their scheduled line item increases. But why does any of this matter? Who cares if CAT gets caught in the crossfire of the grad-undergrad debate? It matters because CAT’s loss of $20,000 is ultimately going to hurt low-income students, the group of people that money was supporting by providing a no-barriers policy to
“It matters because CAT’s loss of $20,000 is ultimately going to hurt low-income students.”
participation in CAT teams. The groups represented by CAT are academic teams and, as such, travel regularly. Those expenses can add up, especially when they are expected to cover around 400 people. “The teams that comprise CAT have been able to freely travel to tournaments, events and conferences, competing at the highest level. Even better, we have been able to keep costs low enough so as to
present a minimal barrier to entry. We have this no-barriers policy because we firmly believe that having no barriers to entry is the only way to ensure that our team is not only the best it can be, but fair,” said ChoMUN Vice President Greg Adams, a member of CAT’s Model UN. “The arbitrary cuts to CAT’s funding make maintaining this policy impossible. The cuts will force teams to cut as much as they can from their expenditures and pass along the rest of the $20,000 budget cut to their members,” Adams continued. And those passed-along expenditures could prove too much for low-income students, who may suddenly find their favorite RSOs (and all the friends and happiness within) hidden behind a wall of newly imposed financial obligations. This is why CAT fundraises so vigorously, and why they had received funding increases for the past five years—because they want to give everyone an equal chance at participating. They want students who love Model UN or College Bowl or Mock Trial, students who participated in chess or debate in high school and wanted to do the same in college, to have a chance to continue loving these clubs and being able to participate regardless of costs. The cut made to CAT’s funding may bar these students from participating, and for what? Because the budget had been poorly planned? Because the needs and wants of grad students have traditionally gone unacknowledged and members of SG didn’t want to step on bigger committees’ toes by denying them a few prematurely promised $1,000 increases? Of course, SG is not the only body to blame. If the administration would allow SG more flexibility in finances and distribute more money from the Student Life Fee, these problems would never have been encountered. Kissinger is currently on the right track, demanding that action from the administration. However, SG definitely could have handled Monday’s situation better. Ultimately, this change will not matter for many of the students on this campus. But for a good many other students who don’t deserve to have their financial situation be a barrier to their happiness at this University, it will. Cortney McInerey is a firstyear in the College majoring in English.
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ARTS
What is art? MAY 19, 2015
He's Mad (Max) as hell and he won't take it anymore James MacKenzie Senior Arts Editor It’s been a long time, about 30 years in fact, since George Miller directed the last of his iconic Mad Max films. The films starred Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a former police officer who wanders the post–World War III wasteland scavenging for what little gasoline remains to keep his car running. The films played off the fears of the late ’70s and early ’80s, namely the fears of impending war between the U.S. and the USSR as well as the oil crisis that permanently ballooned gas prices. In the interim, Miller himself has largely been relegated to lighter fare such as Babe and Happy Feet, as far a place as can be imagined from the cruel and lawless vision of the Australian outback through which he made his name. His leading man, Gibson, squandered a once-prestigious acting career in a series of well-publicized and embarrassing incidents; he is now just as much an outcast as Max, the role that defined his early years. Gibson has been replaced with a newer model—the appropriately laconic Tom Hardy—but Miller has gotten one more crack at his glory days with Mad Max: Fury Road, which came out this past Friday. It’s hardly a surprise that Miller missed this franchise, but the film-going public may have missed it even
more. One glance reveals that Fury Road is different from the current crop of action blockbusters. From the opening shots, the desert glows with an intensity matched only by the eyes of the lost souls who inhabit it. Chief among them are the titular Max and Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). Max begins the film in the captivity of the War Boys, a cultish group of soldiers and bandits who rule the local people through control of one of the last plentiful water supplies in the postapocalyptic wasteland. Max is freed, but in the process is roped into Furiosa’s plan to liberate the wives of the War Boys’ vicious leader, Immortan Joe (Hugh KeaysByrne). They set off into the desert in a single tanker with the entire War Boy army in pursuit. Into that wasteland’s hazy orange glow Miller injects sharp primary colors, which come to dominate the viewer’s attention. From the reds of a signal flare or a blood transfusion tube to the whites of the wives’ dresses or the War Boys’ chalky skin, these items pop off the screen and organize the visual chaos of the film’s plentiful action scenes, most of which have been miraculously rendered with practical (as opposed to digital) effects. Moreover, Miller is unafraid to slow down or speed up the action when he deems it necessary. Some images flash by before they
Priscilla ain't the queen of this Australian desert, but Miller proves he's 2015's action director king. COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES
can be registered, and others unfold slowly and stick with the audience long after the credits roll. Miller is a natural visual stylist in ways that many contemporary (or past, for that matter) action directors are not, and as a result Fury Road is far more immediately striking and memorable than any action film released so far this year. But he is more than a visual artist. Thirty years on,
Miller has once again proven himself a masterful world builder, and his abilities in that department make the film more than just a realization of a pleasing aesthetic. Every set, every prop, every stitch of every costume has been thought out and meticulously constructed with the larger world in mind. Of particular interest to him are the fluids that fuel the world. There are those
which come from the Earth (water and oil) and those which come from the body (milk and blood). All four are featured at important junctures in the film; all teach the audience about how the characters in the film live. The commoditization of the planet and humans themselves is clearly pointed to as both the cause of the apocalypse and the only thing that remains after
it. Miller rarely foregrounds his critiques of modern society, but they are omnipresent. He never lets us forget that Max’s world is a freakish reflection of our own. The movies missed George Miller, but no one knew just how much until he came back. Against all odds, he may have just made the best movie of the year so far, and one of the best action films in many years.
Stories of South Side youth brought into focus through art installation Isaac Stein Senior Staff Writer Last Friday afternoon, University students, local high school students, leaders of nonprofit organizations, and interested members of the public convened at the Currency Exchange Café in Washington Park. The event, hosted by the RSO South Side in Focus (SSIF), was the debut of As We See It: Perspectives of Washington Park and Englewood Youth, an installation that featured the photography, poetry, and life stories of high school students who live in the Washington Park and Englewood neighborhoods. While sweet tea and cookies were served free of charge, the main course of the proceedings was the participants’ stinging criticism of educational inequality, familial troubles, and media coverage as they relate to South Side communities. According to its website,
SSIF “aims to facilitate South Side residents in sharing their personal narratives about their communities, and to amplify their voices through public art exhibits.” Thirdyear Zelda Mayer, the executive director of SSIF, said that the group originated in early 2013 as an Uncommon Fund project, and “operated rogue” for an unfunded season before acquiring RSO status. In those early years, SSIF established connections with the nonprofit organizations Chicago Youth Programs and Imagine Englewood if…, and many of the participants in As We See It are members of these groups. Mayer observed that the mixed-media content of the installation furthered its objective. “Two of our main goals with this installation are to start conversations among communities and between communities. In order to do that, we have to start talking, sharing, and listening to
people. That has the potential to spur collective action through collective voices…. The poetry in particular really complements the photos that the participants took,” Mayer said. Monique Roundtree, a junior at the DuSable Leadership Academy in Bronzeville, submitted several poems and read selections as part of the event’s poetry slam. One poem, titled “Faces of Education,” featured themes of educational inequality in Chicago and the structural difficulties associated with being a student when home life, crime, or the attitudes of peers inhibit learning. “How can they focus on school, when their neighborhood gives them the chills?/ …they seem to compare themselves to others referring to them as the ‘higher class.’/ …some of the schools may have torn books or even broken down doors./ Now in the better schools, in other parts
of town, schools are fabulous and they/ have perfect materials all around,” the poem read in part. In reference to her poem, Roundtree said that she thinks that educational outcomes for all students would be improved if students in Washington Park had more time to spend with their parents, and students from relatively wealthy districts were exposed to conditions in Washington Park schools. “Without a strong family support system, students here feel the pressure to drop out. I think that unemployed parents should go to job programs, but no parents should be working all the time. Half work and [half bonding with their children]. I would also like to switch it up, and have Naperville students come to Washington Park for a few days. It would give them a different perspective, and they could view the neighborhood,” Roundtree said.
Chante Platt, a Washington Park resident and senior at the Chicago Military Academy in Bronzeville, added that the intent of her contributions to the installation was to counter what she sees as a media portrayal of South Side communities as high-crime areas in which nothing positive happens. As a medium, she chose photography. “I don’t think that media [reports] are factually wrong. But they only display the negative, which is not an attempt to show what life here is actually like. The KLEO Center [a nonprofit organization in Washington Park] teaches French, but you never see that on the news…I chose to take photos because video has its own purpose, but a still moment is beauty in itself,” she said. In addition to the student voices, Stephany Price, the director of the Near North/ Cabrini Green branch of Chicago Youth Programs,
commented on the installation from the perspective of a longtime Washington Park resident. She compared the installation to an experience that she had recounting her personal story to third-year Jeanne Lieberman, the director of arts curation and event programming for SSIF. “The project allows the students to tell a story about their community, which they are very eager to do—some of my students who don’t live in Washington Park were disappointed that they couldn’t participate,” Price said. “But before this project started, I was taking a walk with Jeanne around the neighborhood, [relating] the difficulties of growing up and life now in Washington Park. I lost one of my friends in ’98, and I showed Jeanne where she was murdered. It’s a good feeling to share your story with someone, and that’s what South Side in Focus is all about.”
THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | May 19, 2015
6
Clothesline Project shares stories of assault survivors
This Sunday marked the beginning of this year's Sexual Assault Awreness Week (SAAW) sponsored by Student Government, the Campus Dialogue Fund, the Office of LGBTQ Life and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA). In Hutchinson Courtyard the UChicago Clothesline Project has put in an installation of t-shirts designed by sexual assault survivors bringing an issue that is not normally talked about out into the open. Other events this week include a keynote address on Title IX today, a screening of the movie Half the Sky tomorrow, an open house with Associate Dean of Students Jeremy Inabinet on Thursday and a closing ceremony on Friday evening in Hutchinson Courtyard. ALEX JUNG
Middle East meets Midwest
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THE CHICAGO MAROON
All they do is win: T-Pain, Azealia Banks and
in new Oriental Institute mini Madeon rock Hutchinson Courtyard Andrew McVea Arts Editor
exhibit Darren Wan Arts Staff Most Chicago historians would agree the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in 1893 in Jackson Park and on the Midway Plaisance, was a watershed moment in the city’s history. Held to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World, the World’s Fair also symbolized Chicago’s recovery from the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. The fascination with Oriental exoticism that prevailed in the late 19th century was reflected in the World’s Fair, which a new mini exhibit at the Oriental Institute entitled Cairo in Chicago seeks to bring to life. Presented in conjunction with the exhibit A Cosmopolitan City: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Old Cairo, Cairo in Chicago is a collection of archival material chronicling the Fair’s
famous “Street in Cairo,” a recreation of an Egyptian urban landscape built on the Midway Plaisance. Adjacent to the street was a replica of a temple of Luxor and two obelisks, one of which had inscribed upon it the name of thenPresident Grover Cleveland in hieroglyphics. One of the highlights of this mini exhibit is the Fair’s guidebook to Cairo Street, which depicts a theatre with dancing girls, an image embodying the sexualized ideal of the Oriental enigma. A book in the exhibit, entitled The Dream City, contains photographs documenting people working at Cairo Street, most of whom were from Egypt and Sudan. In documenting the interface of Cairo and Chicago, Cairo in Chicago portrays a one-way cultural exchange between the Orient and the Occident, in which the ideals of American society are forcefully inscribed upon the Egyptian landscape.
Corrections The caption for the "Scav inspires student creativity and matrimony" photo essay mistakenly referred to Emily Pelka as a Scav judge. While she did get married in the Scav wedding to current judge Christian Kammerer and was a dedicated Scavvie for Snitchcock team as an undergraduate, she is not currently a Scav judge. The Scav Zumba item was also incorrectly referred to as "Scavzumba" instead of "Scavumba" in the caption for the "Scav inspires student creativity and matrimony" photo essay.
After spending the day enjoying the sunny weather, the carnival on the quad, and getting as turnt as physically possible, students on Saturday evening made their way to Hutchinson Courtyard for the annual Summer Breeze concert put on by the Major Activities Board (MAB). This year featured French wunderkind Madeon, TPain (“You know meeeeee!”), and rapper Azealia Banks in one of the most highly anticipated Summer Breeze lineups in recent memory. The concert kicked off with Madeon—the stage name of DJ Hugo Pierre Leclercq—who at only 20 years old has already risen to become one of the biggest producers in music today. Madeon worked the crowd well, and the people who came early for him were very engaged. However, since most people were still filing in at that point, he did feel like an opener for better things to come: Most people were there for TPain and/or Banks. Next up was T-Pain, who, judging by the rowdiness of the attendees before his set, was the performer most people were there to see. Although he stepped onto stage sans furry top hat or sunglasses, he was still greeted by an almost deafening reception from the eager crowd. The next hour was what felt like a greatest-hits list of rap and R&B from my formative pubescent years. I hadn’t realized how omnipresent T-Pain was as a featured artist before attending the concert. He performed a wide variety of his collaborations from the past decade, including “Low” with Flo Rida, “Kiss Kiss” with Chris
Brown, and “All I Do is Win” with DJ Khaled along with some material from his new album—impressively without his characteristic auto-tune—and a few covers. By far the biggest crowd-pleaser of the evening was his verse from “I’m on a Boat” by The Lonely Island. T-Pain introduced the song by pretending to wind up one of his backup singers like a toy and then pulling his arm like an imaginary tugboat whistle. Was it a bit overly theatrical? Maybe. Did it work? Undoubtedly. It was pure madness as Hutchinson Courtyard was filled with people, screaming the lyrics so loudly and enthusiastically they didn’t realize that T-Pain was singing the final verse of the song, while they had started at the beginning. Unfortunately, since most of his hits came as a featured artist, that was a theme throughout the night. T-Pain was only ab le to sing his verses from each song, and before the crowd could latch on to anything, T-Pain was on to the next track. While the set list flowed smoothly, the constant song changes were somewhat disorienting. Even his biggest solo hit “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” was cut short and gone far too soon. As T-Pain left the stage, a large portion of the crowd went with him. While the crowd for T-Pain had been overwhelmingly packed and swelteringly hot, there was an easing of tensions in time for Banks’s appearance. People could dance! People could escape being hit by the bodies of grinding couples! Even the slightest reduction in crowd made Banks’s performance all the more intimate and enjoyable. Banks came onto the stage wearing a sequined, mesh shirt emblazoned with her
initials in large, blue letters and daisy dukes under an open peplum. Overall, I’d give it a UChicago B+ and the evening’s Best Dressed Award. Unlike T-Pain, Banks is relatively new to the music scene: All of her material came from either her recent album Broke With Expensive Taste or her 2012 mixtape Fantasea. Regardless, she managed to infuse her set with an undeniable energy that came to a climax with her closing number, “212.” Both her most popular song and the song that launched her career, “212” was an appropriately explosive end to the evening. The crowd managed to muster just enough energy to sing along and jump collectively as Banks commanded the stage. Despite having only two backup dancers, Banks and her crew performed intricate and fast-paced choreography throughout the performance, and this was on full display for the closing number as well. All in all, “212” was the highlight of the entire evening, although “I’m On A Boat” certainly takes a close second. The only disappointment for Banks’s set was the lack of an encore. Banks even seemed to have a song saved for the occasion— “Chasing Time” was the only major song of hers that was absent during the concert—but after four hours of dancing in the heat and braving the crowds in Hutch, people were ready to leave. Try as a few individuals might, the cries of “one more song” never caught hold, and people quickly moved their drunk reveries from the concert to other locales. But as they stumbled away from the concert they used what little coherence they had left to gush about the show.
THE CHICAGO MAROON | ADVERTISEMENTS | May 19, 2015
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SPORTS
IN QUOTES “I now follow only the great Tony Romo. I owed him this much after he helped make my friend Stephen A lose a bet” – ESPN columnist and television legend Skip Bayless comments on his deep appreciation of the great QB Tony Romo
Maroons advance to National Semifinals this afternoon Men’s Tennis Zach Themer Sports Editor Earlier this morning, after a rain delay and hours of play, the Maroons emerged victorious over defending Division III National Champion, No. 2-ranked Amherst, by a score of 5–4.
With their win, the Maroons advance to the semifinal this afternoon against No. 3-ranked Middlebury College. If the Maroons win this afternoon, they will play tomorrow for the school’s first National Championship against the winner of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and WashU. If the Maroons falter, they will play in the third-place
match tomorrow afternoon against the loser of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and WashU match. The Maroon will feature an in-depth coverage piece this Friday covering the results of the South Siders play today and tomorrow. Check chicagomaroon.com for further coverage.
Women’s Tennis
Fourth-year Ankur Bhargava returns a serve at practice this season. COURTESY OF UCHICAGO ATHLETICS
As spring quarter winds down, two players are left standing for the Maroon squad: a seasoned veteran and a newcomer with an incredibly bright future. When the NCAA tennis singles and doubles championships start on Wednesday, the two stars will travel to Mason, OH to compete not only individually, but also as a team in the doubles matches. Fourth-year Megan Tang is perhaps one of the most decorated players in University history, earning her third straight bid to the NCAA Championships. Her record of 20–10 in singles play this season rounds out a career record of 90–31 and gave her three well-deserved All–American awards. Said Tang of her past successes, “It’s really an honor to be selected for a third time. There are so many good players in Division III tennis now, and getting the chance to compete against some of them again on a national level is really exciting.”
On the other end of the spectrum is first–year Ariana Iranpour, who posted a singles record of 25–8 this season, was chosen as the ITA Central Region Women’s Rookie of the Year, and also took second place in the singles portion of the 2014 ITA Central Region Championships before ever even taking a class at UChicago. “This year has definitely been an experience unlike any I have ever had,” Iranpour said. “Being a first-year on a supportive and talented team has definitely helped me in competing.” While Iranpour’s numbers and accolades speak for themselves, some might expect her lack of experience to be a factor going into the championship. However, in addition to her ITA Nationals participation, Iranpour has spent the entire season garnering experience playing at the highest level; of the 31 players in the NCAA draw (not including herself ), she has played with or against or seen nine. “It definitely is a positive thing that I have played many of the singles and doubles teams at the tour-
nament,” Iranpour said. “I think more than anything it makes me feel less nervous because there aren’t really any new faces.” Not only are these women great singles players, but they also work extremely well as a pair, as shown by their 21–12 record as a doubles team and the fact that they won the 2014 ITA Central Region Championship and finished third in the ITA National competition this fall. “Having Ariana as a doubles partner has been a lot of fun,” Tang said. “As a freshman, she didn’t know much about college doubles, so it was really rewarding to be able to teach her what I have learned over my time here, and watching her develop into a great doubles partner.” Iranpour echoed this sentiment when she spoke of Tang. “She’s always there for me on the court when I get nervous in our doubles match and to save ridiculous points and come out clutch when I tend to be not–so–clutch,” she said. “Knowing Megan will be with me on the court in doubles and battling next to me in singles is a great feeling to have going into a tournament.” The pair has taken on five of the other 15 doubles teams, which, when paired with Tang’s four-year buildup of knowledge of the other teams, should give them a great perspective heading into the tournament. “Because I have played a number of the girls selected for the tournament, it has given me a glimpse into the type of competition I’ll be facing,” Tang said. “Knowing that there will be a lot of tough players just motivates me more to train harder before entering the tournament.” The matchups will be announced on May 20, after the conclusion of the team championships. The games will begin on May 21 and will continue through May 23. Based on past games, experience, and enthusiasm, the dynamic duo of Tang and Iranpour will go far in the tournament, and hopefully will finish Tang’s career on the highest of notes while continuing Iranpour’s upward trajectory.
Last Chance Meet proves successful for Maroons Track and Field Katie Anderson Associate Sports Editor In their final attempt to qualify for the NCAA DIII National Championships, the Maroons competed at the North Central College Gregory Invitational this past Thursday and Friday in Naperville, IL. Collectively, the men and women earned an impressive 13 top-10 finishes in a field of competitors that included athletes from DI, DII, and DIII schools from across the region. On the women’s side, third-year Brianna Hickey was the top DIII finisher in the 1,500-meter, placing second overall in the event with a time of 4:31:08. First-year Ade Ayoola demonstrated her consistency for the Maroons yet again, as she tied for second in the high jump at 1.69m. Her performance places her in the top 15 in the nation for the high jump, an impressive standing for anyone, let alone a first-year. Second-year Michelle Dobbs switched up her
THE CHICAGO SPECIAL
with Sarah Langs
Iranpour and Tang set course for NCAA Championships
Britta Nordstrom Maroon Staff
THIS WEEK IN SPORTS:
usual routine by competing in the 400-meter instead of the 800-meter, where she has already proven her abilities. With a time of 57.09, she finished fifth, demonstrating her impressive versatility on the track. On the field, fourth-year Reecie Dern placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 11.71m, while Ayoola placed seventh in the event. Speaking of her team’s performance on the weekend, Dern said, “I think a lot of individual goals were met, and our national qualifiers really had some exceptional performances that secured their ranking. As a team, we are incredibly proud to support our teammates who will be representing us at nationals. Overall I think everyone is pleased with a really stellar year of track and field that we had as a team.” For the men, second-year Temisan Osowa, thirdyear Jacob Romeo, third-year Ben Clark, and firstyear Obinnaya Wamuo placed sixth in the 4x100meter relay with a time of 41.58. Second-year Nicholas Nielsen placed seventh in the 1500-meter
at 3:47:09, while fellow second-year Andrew Maneval took eighth in the javelin at 48.17m. Those who qualified will head to New York for the NCAA DIII National Championships, which start on Thursday. “Most of us have finished our seasons but for the athletes going to nationals they will be making those final tweaks and resting up for the big meet,” Dern said. “So few athletes are able to go to nationals, so they have to really focus in on their own personal goals and training. As a team we try to support them as best we can!” Although every athlete ultimately hopes to qualify for the national meet, all of the South Siders have much to be proud of on the year. The women captured the UAA title in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, while the men placed third in the outdoor and second in the indoor season. And with so much young talent, the future looks bright for both the men’s and women’s squads. The national meet will begin this Thursday and continue through Saturday in Canton, NY.
CUBS The Cubs took two out of three from the Pirates in their weekend series at Wrigley Field. On Friday, Chicago eked out an 11–10 victory in a 12-inning game that ran over five hours. On Saturday, Jon Lester looked like the pitcher the Cubs paid for in the offseason, yielding just one earned run over seven innings. With the bullpen tired from the 12-inning affair the day before, starter Travis Wood pitched the ninth for the save. On Sunday, co-ace Jake Arrieta also went seven innings and gave up just one run, but the Pirates’s AJ Burnett was better. Burnett and two Buccos relievers combined to blank the Cubs. The Cubs enter Monday behind the Cardinals, who lead the division by four games, but in possession of the first wild card spot. It’s early, but it seems like this North Side team could be for real. This week, they’ll embark on a West Coast road trip, with three games in San Diego followed by three in Arizona.
WHITE SOX Don’t look now, but the White Sox are on a five-game winning streak entering play on Monday. A weekend sweep of the MLBworst A’s is a big reason why. The three wins over the weekend brought the Sox back to .500 at 17–17. This week, they’ll face two divisional rivals: the Indians and Twins. Minnesota is currently two games ahead of the Sox—the Twins are three games are out of first place, while the White Sox are five out. With a good showing against Minnesota in this week’s four-game set, the Sox could vault themselves into third place in the division.
BLACKHAWKS After not playing since May 7, the Blackhawks opened up their series against Anaheim on the road on Sunday afternoon. The Ducks proved mightier, winning 4–1 in the first game. The Hawks’ lone goal came from Brad Richards. Game two in Anaheim is tonight, where the underdog Hawks will try to even up the series heading into Thursday’s tilt at the United Center.
BULLS The Bulls were eliminated last Thursday in Game six at home against the Cavaliers. While Cleveland will go on to face the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls will be spending the rest of their spring in Chicago. The biggest offseason question at the moment for the Bulls is whether or not they’ll retain head coach Tom Thibodeau. He has two years left on his contract, but there had been rumors throughout the year that the Bulls anticipated parting with him after the season. He’s already rumored as a candidate for other head coaching jobs, but he is still the Bulls’ head coach until further notice. Of course, if Thibodeau is replaced, the question will become: Who is his replacement? The common answers are someone along the lines of Alvin Gentry, a noted offensive guru and current assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors. Another candidate for the job is rumored to be Fred Hoiberg, the current head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones and a former point guard for the Chicago Bulls from 1999–2003. Whomever the new coach is, it will surely be a transition-like offseason for the Chicago Bulls this year.