FEBRUARY 13, 2018
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
VOL. 129, ISSUE 28
Faculty College Council Votes on Business Major Today BY KATIE AKIN NEWS EDITOR
The faculty’s College Council will vote tomorrow on a proposal to create an undergraduate business economics major.
The proposal has been jointly designed by the Department of Economics and the Booth School of Business, and the major would be “controlled equally” by both groups, according to a member of College Council who asked to remain anonymous.
According to John List, chairman of the Department of Economics, the major would be “more applied in nature” than the current economics major. “[The economics department has] roughly 25 to 27 percent of majors on campus,” List said. “When
you get that large, it’s important to allow your students to have a voice.” Over 80 faculty members have signed a letter, addressed to the College Council, opposing the proposal. “Whereas the University of Chicago has traditionally sought to cultivate an intellectually robust and
diverse student body by seeking out creative and unconventional thinkers, the introduction of a pre-professional business major would attract applicants who view their education primarily as a preparation for lucrative careers,” the letter reads. Continued on page 3
GSU PUSHES TO BARGAIN BY SPENCER DEMBNER NEWS REPORTER
The administration said that it will not negotiate with its graduate student union while its legal challenges are ongoing, responding to an escalating campaign by Graduate Students United (GSU), which
delivered a letter to the administration on Friday declaring its intent to bargain. On Friday afternoon as campus was getting hit by a winter storm, around 30 supporters of GSU rallied outside Levi Hall and attempted to deliver a letter demanding Continued on page 2
Spencer Dembner
Barnard College
As the union rallied to demand the administration bargain with them, GSU supporters interrupted Zimmer’s remarks at the inauguration of Sian Beilock as Barnard president, handing him GSU’s demands.
Admin: LSA Cannot Defund Burke BY PETE GRIEVE NEWS EDITOR
The Law Students Association (LSA) will not pursue defunding or deactivating its conservative parliamentary society because administrators say that would violate the University of Chicago’s free speech policies or principles. LSA President Sean Planchard wrote a letter last Monday to the Law School deans explaining that if the school failed to act, he would submit a resolution to the LSA Board to defund and deactivate the Edmund Burke Society (EBS) “based on its repeated and documented misconduct,” after it released a whip sheet that said immigrants bring “disease” into the body politic. But Law School and Univer-
sity administrators pointed to the school’s freedom of expression principles and declared that LSA cannot defund or deactivate a student group for the “content” of its speech. Planchard clarified in a conversation with The M aroon that LSA “as an institution was never suggesting anything” regarding defunding or deactivating the Burke Society. “I tried to be careful in my open letter...to make clear that the views expressed were my own. I was not clear enough on this point. I was also not clear enough regarding my intent to sanction or grounds for doing so. The LSA board, including me, was unanimous in its belief that the decision to defund or deactivate the Edmund Burke Society should Continued on page 2
Two students cross the Midway during Friday’s snowfall. Photo of the Issue by Zoe Kaiser
Joffrey Explores Boundaries of Ballet
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Page 7 The Joffrey Ballet’s winter showcase features four works by contemporary icons and emerging choreographers.
Letter: Better Work Conditions for Non-Tenure Track Faculty
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Maroons Take a Win and a Loss on the Road Page 8
Page 4 “The University can’t count.”
The UChicago men’s basketball team was locked in two tight games on the East Coast.
Excerpts from articles and comments published in T he Chicago Maroon may be duplicated and redistributed in other media and non-commercial publications without the prior consent of The Chicago Maroon so long as the redistributed article is not altered from the original without the consent of the Editorial Team. Commercial republication of material in The Chicago Maroon is prohibited without the consent of the Editorial Team or, in the case of reader comments, the author. All rights reserved. © The Chicago Maroon 2017
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Events 2/13–2/15 Today Urban Art and the Block: Places – Making, Unmaking, and Unmasking Neubauer Collegium, 2–5 p.m. This symposium explores the economic, political, and cultural implications of place. Discussion will draw on examples as varied as Chicago’s South Side and the border between Israel and Palestine, paying close attention to places’ potential for social improvement. Thursday Data Management 101 Computer Classroom, Crerar Library, 12–1 p.m. This workshop will offer tips and best practices for storing research data. It will touch on storage options, meeting funding requirements, naming conventions, documentation, security, backup, publication, and preservation. New Voices in Poetry: Reading by G. C. Waldrep Seminar Terrace 801, Logan Center, 6 p.m. Professor G. C. Waldrep reads selections from his poetry collections, which include “Archicembalo,” winner of the Dorset Prize and the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award. See more events and submit your own at chicagomaroon.com/events.
Support Our Advertisers Page Three: Twenty percent off with UC ID at the Sit-down Cafe and Sushi Bar at 1512 E. 53rd St. Mark Ash Wednesday with Brent House, the Episcopal Center Center at the University of Chicago, at 11:30 a.m. in Bond Chapel for Liturgy and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Reynolds Club for ashes to go. Five bedroom apartment at 5419 S. Hyde Park Boulevard for $3,600. Call Chad Johnson at (312) 720-3136. Page Five: Eat at Jimmy John’s, with a Hyde Park location at 1519 E. 55th Street open from 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Page Seven: The T. Kimball Brooker Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting awards $1,000 and $2,000 to second- and fourth-years, respectively, who possess exemplary themed book collections. If you want to place an ad in T he M aroon, please email ads@chicagomaroon.com or visit chicagomaroon.com/pages/advertise.
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Burke Society Expected to Take Further Action to Make Amends Continued from front
not be in LSA’s hands,” he said. The Burke Society receives funding from LSA, but Planchard says that a decision to defund or deactivate the Burke Society should not be made by the LSA. He thinks the responsibility to sanction is in the hands of the Law School Dean of Students. Planchard said he never wanted the Burke Society sanctioned for the content of its speech. Instead, he said he objected to the harassing environment it has created. His open letter last week, which Planchard wrote reflected his personal views, said that the LSA board was prepared to act if the administration did not. He said that if nothing was done by last Thursday he would submit a resolution to defund and deactivate the Burke Society. He said he had electronically polled the LSA Board, finding that a “substantial majority” supported some form of defunding or deactivating “on the dual assumptions that (i) the administration does not act and (ii) the authority exists for LSA to sanction LSSOs at all.” Law School dean Thomas Miles responded in a letter that was later made public by Above The Law, where he wrote: “As you know, the Law School is part of the University of Chicago, and we are committed to the University’s core values and bound by the University’s policies. Defunding or deactivating student groups on the basis of their speech is inconsistent with the values and policies of the University of Chicago.” Planchard says he appreciates the clarity he now has, which is that LSA does not have the authority to sanction the Burke Society according to administrators. LSA is drafting policies that would comply with University
policies “regarding clear ex ante triggers for defunding/deactivation,” he said. Such a policy would not be retroactively applied, he said. “The relationship between LSA and the Law School is an inherently gray one, but my view is that all of LSA’s authority is fundamentally allocated to it by the Office of the Dean of Students, which is underneath the Office of the Dean, which is under the University. While individual members of LSA may disagree or dislike Dean Miles’s communication regarding the University’s decision on LSA’s powers and authority, LSA does not plan to contest that determination. Indeed, LSA appreciates the clarity it brings. Moving forward, we hope to thought-partner and work with the administration, mindful that we represent students, on finding solutions that address the root causes distressing the Law School, not the symptomatic conduct of the Edmund Burke Society.” The Burke Society’s LSA funding has been affected by previous noncompliance with alcohol policies. It received $300 from LSA initially on a probationary basis, and another $300 was allocated for them in LSA’s winter quarter supplemental funding round, contingent on compliance with the alcohol policy. “As far as LSA understood, EBS was in compliance and we were planning on making that supplemental funding distribution,” Planchard said. “It should also be noted that the same allocation, probation, and procedures applied to the People’s Collective, the ‘progressive’ equivalent of the EBS for the same alcohol policy compliance concerns.” Burke Society chairman Eric Wessan has apologized for the incident, and Planchard said he is expecting further amends from the Burke Society, which Planchard said will be
helpful in terms of moving forward. Planchard remains deeply concerned about the effects of conduct like that of Burke’s whip sheet, LSA’s relationship with the Law School and the University, and the University’s conflict in core values. “The University’s extreme commitment to freedom of expression is suffocating its ability to foster a diverse and inclusive environment. It is a case of dueling principles. To this end, I have already reached out to University officials to discuss this conflict in principles, as well as advocate for a different interpretation of existing policies,” he said. “If a different interpretation does not suffice, I will advocate for fundamental policy change that will better protect students from identity-based discrimination (race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, etc.).” Miles sent out an e-mail on diversity initiatives today to the Law School listhost. The e-mail responds to recent dialogue sparked by the whip sheet, listing six initiatives the Law School will undertake to make the Law School a “more open, more inclusive, and more welcoming environment for all of our students.” These initiatives, according to Miles’s e-mail, are faculty diversity, admissions and student recruitment, a reassessment of artwork displayed in the Law School, the appointment of a director for diversity and inclusion, “meaningful opportunities for students to engage in dialogues with one another across ideological and other boundaries,” and efforts to “promote the values of civil discourse and the norms of professionalism as a central part of the student experience.” Programs and committees will be instituted to address each initiative, Miles wrote.
Zimmer Gets GSU Letter at New Barnard Pres.’s Inauguration Continued from front
that the University negotiate with them as a recognized union. Claudio Gonzales, a math Ph.D. student and GSU organizer, entered the building but was not allowed past the front desk. According to GSU’s Twitter, Associate Dean of Students Belinda Cortez Vazquez accepted the letter. At roughly the same time, in New York City, GSU’s letter was hand-delivered to President Robert J. Zimmer while he was giving remarks at the inauguration of new Barnard president and former UChicago vice provost Sian Beilock. Zimmer did not respond and continued with his speech. The event also saw protests by Columbia’s graduate union, GWC-UAW, against Columbia and Barnard’s record on campus labor. On Friday evening, a GSU representative tweeted a letter signed by Provost Daniel Diermeier to the union’s representatives.
“As you know the University has consistently maintained that the Regional Director’s August 2017 Decision and Direction of election was erroneous and prejudicial, including on the issue of whether the University’s graduate student assistants are employees within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act. The University’s Request for Review on these issues is pending before the National Labor Relations Board as is its motion to stay,” the letter reads. “The Regional Director’s certification was improper and thus AFT-AAUP’s request to bargain is premature during the pendency of the legal proceedings. While this matter is being considered by the NLRB, the University will not engage in negotiations, recognize AFT-AAUP, or respond to information requests, as doing so would require the University to forfeit its Request for Review.” The protest through the snow marks a period of renewed activity for GSU, after winning its election in October. The union sent out a survey on bargaining priorities to its
membership on Friday, and is currently developing its constitution. UChicago, along with other universities, continues to challenge the legality of graduate student unionization in front of the National Labor Relations Board. “As a seventh-year Ph.D student, I really hope I’m not here when we ratify that first contract,” Chaz Lee, a GSU member and music history Ph.D. student, said. “But what we’re doing is a movement for better working conditions at all universities, public and private. Our movement is just getting started.” Despite the weather, spirits were high. Multiple GSU organizers gave speeches, and led the crowd in singing the union song “Solidarity Forever.” “We had this incredible snowstorm, schools are cancelled all over the place, undergrads have the day off and yet I see some of them here,” Gonzales said. “We’re all here for the same reason, and we all understand it’s the University’s legal obligation to bargain with us.”
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SG Hosts “Nourished Minds” Programming on Break Day BY NEHA LINGAREDDY NEWS REPORTER
Student G overnment (SG) organized a new event focusing on mental health last Friday, which was College Break Day. Life of the Nourished Mind, which l ast ed f r om 9 :3 0 a .m. – 8:3 0 p.m., brought together 80 students at Ida Noyes Hall to participate in workshops and discussions pertaining to mental health. The program was launched because, through discussions it has been having with students, SG’s Executive Slate noticed a need for discussion about mental health on campus. “College Break Day used to colloquially be known as ‘Suicide Prevention Day,’ ” said fourth-year and SG President Calvin Cottrell. “We wanted to f lip that on its head, by re-envisioning the purpose of the day.” The day began with a talk by John Moe, who hosts a podcast entitled The Hilarious World of Depression. Moe’s address was followed by talks on sexual misconduct, self-care, mental health for people of color, and grief, given by representatives of Student Counseling Services and UChicago Hospitals, as well as various other speakers. Workshops included “ Improv for Anxiety,” led by a comedian from The
Second City, as well as one on mindfulness initiatives. Cottrell mentioned that before the event was created, it had been difficult for administrators and student groups to reach large numbers of students with mental health programming. Life of the Nourished Mind was conceived as a way to bring together a large group of students to tackle the issue of mental health at a single, major annual event. Cottrell described the inaugural Life of the Nourished Mind as “a strong kickoff to a long-term discussion of mental health and wellness on campus.” SG plans to host Life of the Nourished Mind again next year, but in a different form, Cottrell said. It hopes to take into consideration attendees’ recommendations and create a longer event on mental health issues, potentially spanning a whole week. Cottrell said that SG expects greater turnout in the future and for Life of the Nourished Mind to become a tradition. Cottrell ended by talking about mental health at UChicago. “ Mental health and our campus culture of overwork is one of the systemic issues holding our student body back,” he said. “ The response was strong because students realize that and called for programming like this.”
Event With Injured IDF Soldiers Attracts Silent Protest BY BRAD SUBRAMANIAM NEWS REPORTER
A discussion with two injured soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) drew over 20 silent protesters from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and various other organizations on Thursday. The event, hosted by the UChicago Alliance with Israel, Chabad C ent er, a nd B o oth A r med For ces Group, involved Staff Sergeants Amit Shachar and Matan Rottger. Shachar, a member of the elite special forces of the Paratrooper brigade, recounted a firefight which occurred after his unit was dispatched to gather intelligence and destroy tunnels from the Gaza Strip. Shachar’s unit was attacked by seven enemy combatants, resulting in a total of four IDF casualties, including one death. Shachar was injured by grenade shrapnel and multiple bullet wounds in his legs and back, and was hospitalized for four months. R ottger, a med ic from the K f i r Duchfat infantry brigade, was severely injured along with two other soldiers after a car struck a guarded barricade near a Jewish settlement. Rottger suffered multiple broken bones and puncture wounds in his lungs, liver, and stomach. “Do not be ashamed of being Jewish,” he said. “Stand proud and tall, and do not let the lies take over. We totally respect them and only act in self-defense.” In response to protesters from the SJP, Rottger stated that “It would be hard for us to speak to
[the protesters],” and that the demonstrations triggered f lashbacks to his injury. Alex Shams, a third-year Ph.D. student in anthropology and spokesperson for SJP, contested the purpose of the discussion. In a statement following the event, Shams said, “From the beginning, this was a propaganda event,” adding, “this is a paid tour by an organization that’s raising funds for the Israeli military.” Rottger stated that the vehicle accelerated towards the barricade where he was stationed. Shams said, “I would take what the soldiers said with a grain of salt.” He described the collision involving Rottger and the Palestinian driver of the van, Ahmed Shehadeh, in a recent M a roon op-ed, writing that Israeli soldiers constructed the barricade as a “surprise checkpoint near a sharp curve,” and that Rottger’s unit fired at Shehadeh’s vehicle immediately after the collision. Protesters from MEChA, UChicago Young Democratic Socialists of America ( YDSA), and the UChicago chapter of the International Socialist Organization (ISO), joined SJP in support of the Palestinian cause, carrying various signs stating “Free Palestine,” “Shame on the IDF Oppressors,” “Were the 500 children you killed in Gaza terrorists too? ” and “Colonizers get out of Palestine.” Demonstrations organized in front of the venue, and moved to a separate location toward the beginning of the discussion.
Someone’s Already Calling it “BusEc” Continued from front
The petition cites concerns that the business economics major will corrupt the liberal arts ideals of the University, and that the new major would be “less academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating” than current options. List says the business economics major has been designed such that “the academic rigor is maintained in the Chicago way.” John Brehm, a member of the College Council, agreed with List. “[I] expect that the principal changes will be that many of the current majors will shift over to Business Economics as the more practical, applied nature of the BusEc major will more accurately reflect what they want out of the program,” Brehm said. The College Council, he explained, is responsible for ensuring that undergraduate curricula is designed to advance the interests of the University, students, and faculty, while maintaining the strict academic standards of the school. However, the anonymous source from College Council wrote, “For all intents and purposes, it appears that this major is intended to become a pre-professional degree.” The source also cited concerns with the influence that Booth will have in the College under the proposal. “The new major involves opening up the College’s most popular, visible,
influential, and well-endowed department to a robust collaboration with Booth, a professional school that has more than earned a reputation for using its financial position and standing to act independently of the central
John List Economics Chair UChicago
administration (to say nothing of the recent imbroglio),” the source wrote. “Will Booth now have a financial stake in the College? Will this affect admissions?” Brehm, too, acknowledged the impact this proposal may have on the composition of the College. “It is a bit naive of the proposers to think that the University won’t see significant changes to interests of other students as far as what majors they adopt,” he wrote. “But for the composition of the students at the University, that’s outside of the scope of the proposal or influence of the proposed new major.” The vote on the proposal is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 3:45 p.m., in a closed College Council meeting.
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The Coalition to Save Jackson Park (CTSJP) has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Parks Department (CPaD) for violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). CTSJP is an organization that aims to address South Side community members’ concerns about the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) before plans are finalized. The organization filed suit after CPaD did not respond within the time frame guaranteed by FOIA and failed provide all the FOIA protected information CTSJP requested. In their FOIA request, CTSJP requested information from CPaD and the Obama Foundation’s communication that led to the agreement to allow public parkland as the construction site of the OPC. They also requested information pertaining to
road closures and proposed infrastructure changes, parking garage proposals, and any considerations for potential flooding and the OPC’s impact on Jackson Park’s natural ecosystem. The initial FOIA request from CTSJP, filed on November 3rd, 2017, did not elicit a response from CPaD until January 11, 2018. The prolonged response period resulted in missing statutory deadlines. During this period, CPaD failed to adequately respond to CTSJP’s attempted telephone and email communication, according to the complaint. The documents released by CPaD contained no electronic communication, particularly emails, the main source of information CTSJP hoped to receive from their request. As defined in the Freedom of Information Act, “public records” includes electronic communications.
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VIEWPOINTS
Letter: A Defense of the Edmund Burke Society Debate In an op-ed called “ T he Whip Hand,” law student Osama Alkhawaja named me as complicit in alleged hate speech by the Edmund Burke Society because I was “proudly opening up the discussion.” As I have been a member of the Society since 1995, I want to clarify some misunderstandings as to how it operates.
T he a rg uments for a nd against a topic are not made in the whip sheet but on the floor during the debate. In my experience, debates are reasoned and devoid of the over-the-top rhetoric of the whip sheet, which often parodies politicians of the right—it was Pat Buchanan in my student days, while it is Trump and his ilk
today. Debates are substantive, civil, and entertaining. As for me, I agreed to frame the debate with an opening speech against the resolution to restrict immigration. The language in the whip sheet that offends Mr. Alkhawaja offends me too. My mother is the daughter of Syrian immigrants, and I personally
believe in open borders—if you want to be an American, we should welcome you with open arms. The difference between me and the protesters who personally attacked the Burke leadership in order to prevent the debate from happening is that I believe the best way to counter speech I disagree with is to speak against it. Isn’t de-
bating ideas that make us uncomfortable why we are all at the University of Chicago? —M. Todd Henderson, Michael J. Marks Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School
Letter: Better Work Conditions for Non-Tenure Track Faculty The University can’t count. According to College Admissions, 90 percent of undergraduate classes in the College are taught by faculty. At the same time, the University refuses to call nontenure track (NTT) educators “faculty,” instead opting for terms like “other academic appointees.” Yet roughly 35 percent of all undergraduate courses are taught by NTT educators who, in the University’s own words, are not faculty members. If we do the math—and follow the University’s logic—only about half of the courses in the College are taught by “faculty.” This comes out to 65 percent, not quite as shining a number as 90 percent. This statistic was provided by UChicago Faculty Forward. The total enrollment in courses taught by faculty in the Faculty Forward unit (~11,000 per year) plus those taught by the Harper-
Schmidt unit (also non-tenure track or NTT faculty, ~3000 per year) is around 14,000 studentcourses per year. There are also many NTT faculty who are not in either bargaining unit (most senior lecturers, Dickson Instructors in math, graduate students, visiting faculty, and others) for whom we do not have enrollment information. With the information available, assuming that College students on average take 10 courses per year, and given that last spring 5,600 students were enrolled in the College, Faculty Forward estimates that non-tenure-track faculty at UChicago teach at least 35 percent of the total College enrollment every year. Statements like this are a manifestation of the harmful policies the University has enacted over the past few decades that serve to lessen pay, take away benefits, and undermine the
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work of NTT faculty. This is why, in 2015, a group of around 200 NTT faculty at the University decided to join together and form UChicago Faculty Forward, voting to unionize in December 2015. Their union is part of a national campaign supported by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that has helped NTT faculty unionize on campuses such as Tufts and Georgetown. Part-time faculty make $4,000–$5,000 for each course they teach, receive few to no benefits, and often have to hold multiple part-time positions at different institutions to make ends meet. Additionally, health care is not available through the University to the majority of part-time NTT faculty. Because most other universities and colleges across the city don’t provide NTT faculty with health benefits, those who hold multiple part-time positions often do not have access to health benefits across the board. To make matters more precarious, many part-time NTT faculty work on a contract basis, which means they are forced to reapply for their jobs at the end of each year with no guarantee that they will be rehired. At a recent teach-in hosted by Students Organizing United with Labor, one full-time Faculty Forward member said she easily works more than 50 hours a week when time for teaching, office hours, and grading are factored in. One panelist, who teaches several popular graduate sociology seminars, mentioned that she leaves her office after midnight most nights and holds office hours at 7 a.m. to accommodate students. The University wants to increase the course load for all fulltime faculty from six to eight courses per year. If UChicago were to increase her teaching load, it would strain her ability to provide a quality education for her students, forcing her to stay later and come earlier when she’s already stretched thin. At that point, she said, she may just retire.
Jessica Xia
UChicago Faculty Forward gives a voice to NTT faculty and amplifies their fight for three basic things. The first is a reasonable, living wage— not a yearly salary that is well below a single student tuition, and not teaching four courses for $20,000, or less, a year. The second is benefits that are the same as those of tenure-track faculty, including parental leave and tuition reimbursement— faculty and their children shouldn’t be valued any differently as human beings because of their academic rank. The third is an improvement in working conditions: predictable contract lengths, a path to promotion, transparent performance review procedures, and the possibility for green-card sponsorship so that good faculty aren’t discarded simply because of where they were born. As of now, Faculty Forward is still in the bargaining process, attempting to negotiate a contract with the University. This process began in early 2016 and is being dragged out by the University even now, over two years later. If there is no contract by the end of March, Faculty Forward plans to escalate with a possible job action which could include a work stoppage—but as a last resort. Jason Grunebaum of the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations said, “Despite the heroic dedication of our colleagues, the promise to our students to value
their education above all else is strained when faculty lack health insurance, when we’re paid less than $50,000 a year after a decade, when the administration reduces the qualitative work of faculty into quantitative units of production, and when we’re treated as invisible, disposable.” Grunebaum continued, “A little moral courage and a tiny fraction of the University’s vast financial resources are all that’s needed to reaffirm our collective commitment to UChicago students.” In fact, it would take less than 0.5 percent of college tuition revenue to dramatically increase the pay and working conditions for non-tenure track faculty. How can UChicago pay its president and Chief Investment Officer $3.2 million and $2 million, respectively, but not pay its faculty a living wage? How can a 20-story dorm be planned for 61st and Woodlawn, but faculty are refused access to health care? It’s the teachers, educators, staff, and faculty of the University that enrich it and give it life—perhaps it’s time to pay them a living wage. You can sign a petition to support Faculty Forward, which can be found in the online version of this article. — Amy Qin, Sam Joyce, and Sara Maillacheruvu, on behalf of Students Organizing United with Labor.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 13, 2018
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 13, 2018
ARTS Iranian-American Author Stretches the Limits of Whiteness BY JAD DAHSHAN ARTS STAFF
On February 6, Iranian-American sociologist Neda Maghbouleh debuted her new book, The Limits of Whiteness, at the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, and discussed several of its premises with Alex Shams, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology. An assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, Maghbouleh read the first few pages of her book, after which she recounted some relevant anecdotes about her own experiences as a second-generation Iranian American, as well as stories she heard while doing research. Shams, also Iranian-American and editor-in-chief of Ajam Media Collective, then read an excerpt from an essay he had written about the Aryan myth within Iranian communities. The event ended with a table covered in Middle Eastern cuisine. The Limits of Whiteness opens with the case study of Roya, an Iranian American student exasperated by having to check “white” on standardized test surveys and
other documents whilst being grouped into non-white social circles at her high school. Roya exemplifies the dichotomy between Iranian-Americans’ perennial identification (and self-identification) as non-white and their legal categorization as white. The juxtaposition leads to everyday contradictions that Maghbouleh terms “racial loopholes.” Her book uses this concept to explore the elasticity and boundaries of whiteness as well as the significance of Iranian Americans’ placement at the fringes thereof. Maghbouleh’s book has a tone of urgency in the face of the recent executive order barring Iranians and other groups from immigrating to the United States. The possibility of Iranian Americans being legally excluded from the “white” racial category poses a potential threat to their position. Maghbouleh coins the term “racial hinge” to refer to the phenomenon of Iranian Americans receiving different racial labels depending on the context. The third chapter of Maghbouleh’s book outlines another racial discrepancy that Iranian Americans face. Specifically, she ex-
amines the contrast that second-generation youths experience between their domestic racialization as white by parents and their determination as colored by schoolmates. The former phenomenon is a manifestation of the Aryan myth, whose origins Shams digs into in his essay “A ‘Persian’ Iran?: Challenging the Aryan Myth and Persian Ethnocentrism.” He describes Aryanism as an ideology positing the “migration of an imagined Aryan nation out of India, through Persia, and into Europe” as a basis for Iranian racial supremacy—one that situates them as the original whites. Maghbouleh’s interviews reveal the way this belief leaves Iranian-American youths feeling alienated by both their first-generation parents, who were raised with Aryan conceptions, and their Caucasian-American classmates. Another topic of the evening’s discussion was Camp Ayandeh (Farsi for “future”), which Maghbouleh writes of in the sixth chapter of her book. Founded and run by Iranian Americans, the summer camp fosters a sense of family between Iranian
American youths, legitimizing their racialized experiences and celebrating a sense of kinship with other racially marginalized groups, such as Arab Americans. Running since 2006, the two-week program involves a myriad of activities, including close readings of media depictions of Iranians, as well as talks by guest speakers. Among their most notable speakers was Moustafa Bayoumi, who wrote How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America, a book detailing the experiences of Arab Americans facing racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination post-9/11. With research based on qualitative data collection, Maghbouleh’s book is brimming with an abundance of unique contemporary case studies, which she couples with legal and historical evidence in deep, thoughtful analysis. Her work is less an attempt to reframe certain concepts of race and assimilation and more a contribution to a speculative conversation about the functioning of whiteness in modern-day America, and the way this affects those groups at its very borders.
“Intermissions” Takes a Break for Ambiguity BY JONATHAN MANDEL ARTS STAFF
The Renaissance Society welcomed Gordon Hall to the fourth floor of Cobb Hall for the third iteration of its live-performance series, Intermissions, this past weekend. Though based in New York, Hall has exhibited and performed works at institutions across the United States, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Hall’s latest work, Brothers and Sisters, features a variety of components: sculpture, recorded music, live singing, and a dance that was performed twice, precisely at sunset, on both Saturday and Sunday last weekend. For Brothers and Sisters, Hall created “a set of precisely designed objects of ambiguous purpose, each of which suggest possible uses by imagined bodies,” as stated in the event’s program. These objects included, among others, five long pieces of wood positioned parallel to one another and shaded bright orange with colored pencil, a block of concrete shaped like a soda can and partially painted turquoise, and two seat-like blocks covered in hand-glazed tiles. When Hall entered the gallery to, in the artist’s words, “put the sculptures to use,” it quickly became clear that these objects are not functionless “things” any more so than the range of objects we encounter in our daily lives. An eerie organ rendition of Bach’s Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ,
BWV 639, bookended the performance component, in which Hall glided around the gallery, as if to explore the human body’s capacity for movement. At various points, Hall mirrored the forms of the sculptures or rested on them, revealing the potential for intimacy and the mutability of relationships between bodies and objects as the line between the two blurs. Accompanying the performance were bursts of harmony from four vocalists— fourth-years Colin Garon, M. Will Myers, and Kenya Senecharles, and Louisa Richardson-Deppe (A.B. ’17). Their sonorous voices filled the open space of the gallery and seemed to highlight random portions of Hall’s dance. The ambiguity present in Brothers and Sisters, particularly regarding the relationships of our bodies to the outside world, is quite intentional. In an interview with Temporary Art Review, Hall discussed queerness as “an orientation toward ourselves and one another in which we make the bare minimum of assumptions about the uses and definitions of our own and one another’s bodies and body parts.” Though the phrase “brothers and sisters” may at first suggest a dichotomy predicated upon gender, Hall sees it as a point from which we can begin to break down these assumptions and reimagine our bodily relationships. The inspiration for the title comes from Hall’s longstanding interest in
the Shakers, a Christian sect founded in the 18th century: “They were celibate and lived together equally as brothers and sisters…[It was] an alternative way of thinking about family, relation, and kinship” Hall said in an e-mail interview. Hall takes this alternative approach to relationships and applies it in Brothers and Sisters, organizing “the relationships between the sculptures themselves, and between the sculptures and [Hall], as a sibling-ly type way of relating—different from the same, side-by-side, and multiple.” Hall continued, saying that the title “suggests the possibility that some entities are both brothers and sisters, which makes sense to me since in my life I have been both a sister and a brother.” Brothers and Sisters is the first of two works to be featured this year in Intermissions. According to the Renaissance Society’s website, “Intermissions launched in January 2017 as a new programming series devoted to ephemeral and performative works, staged in the Renaissance Society’s empty gallery in between exhibitions.” For Assistant Curator Karsten Lund, part of what makes Intermissions so exciting as a series is the idea of “really welcoming each episode to take on its own shape.” “Intermissions is meant to be a dynamic series,” he explained via e-mail. An intriguing common thread in the series has been the uniqueness with which each art-
ist approaches the notion of live experience, whether they are “thinking about the role of the audience, the characteristics of our space, the duration, or even the acoustics of the room,” Lund said. Hall engaged the notion of live experience on multiple levels, one of which was temporal specificity. Hall performed precisely at sunset to capture the grief “of things fading, or ending, surely influenced by the political events of the last year,” and to meditate on “what kinds of beauty are possible in times like this and the crucial role that care for objects and people can play in figuring out ways to survive.” The vocalists also constitute an exploration of live experience: “Since the singers were on a time-score of their own,” Hall noted, “I think there were some differences [in each performance] in terms of when their bursts of voice coincided with my movements, which I was happy to experience both nights.” Beyond live experience, however, Hall said, “My hope is that the many possible uses for the objects animate them at all times, regardless of whether they are in use or not.” My hope, after seeing Hall’s work, is that we can continue to break down our assumptions about the physical world around us and see its many possibilities for reconstruction, whether Hall is present to illuminate this for us or not.
Exhibit [A]rts THURSDAY The Other Side: Osaka From the Brooks McCormick Jr. Collection Smart Museum, free. The Smart Museum’s newest exhibit features the often-overlooked woodblock prints of the Osaka tradition produced from the 17th to 19th centuries. The exhibit will be on view through June 10. Much Ado About Nothing FXK Theater, Reynolds Club, 7:30 p.m., free. The Dean’s Men reimagine Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, setting it in a Mediterranean villa to encourage an examination of
our own world of constant “social scrutiny.” Show is free on Thursday and runs through Saturday. FRIDAY Logan Center Cabaret: Part 1 Logan Center Penthouse, 7–9 p.m., free. Enjoy an evening of performances from student dancers, slam poets, musicians, and filmmakers as well as a set by The Ransom Notes. Antigonick Ida Noyes Library Lounge, 7:30 p.m., free. A performance of Anne Carson’s reimagined
version of Antigone showcases alternative narratives to the Greek tragedy. SATURDAY Opening Reception for Unthought Environments The Renaissance Society, 5–8 p.m., free. Through video, sculpture, photograph, and installation, artists explore the elemental world that we take for granted, and humans’ relationship with it in the exhibition. The exhibit will run through April 8. Newberry Consort: Forbidden Love Logan Center Performance Hall, 8 p.m., $40
general, $5 student. Actors share the writing of a socially taboo love by reading the letters between 12th-century poet Pierre Abélard and his student Héloïse d’Argenteuil. The performance will provide a lyrical and musical look into a promiscuous love story. SUNDAY OLAS Art Fair Logan Center, 12–5 p.m., free. Student and professional artists will be sharing their work exploring Latinx identity.
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THE CHICAGO CHICAGO MAROON MAROON -- FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 6, THE 13,2018 2018
Burke Society Chairman Apologizes Boundaries Biss Talks Free Higher Education Proposal Joffrey Explores of Ballet from front BYContinued ALEXIA BACIGALUPI
nity and am upset the harm done. It ARTS by EDITOR is bad for the Law School community. It’s badUnderneath for dialogue and It is clear and this its debate. f louncy tutus sheet has caused people to feel attacked sweeping stories of romance, ballet is andexploration belittled, and am human truly sorry. One an of Ithe body. It person told me that some of the argucaptures the body’s ability to hold conments madegrace were and not merely parody, but tradictions: strength, softness mirrored ugly sentiments. Given people’s and resistance, fluidity and tension. By immediate andthe visceral reaction to those stripping away trappings of traditionsentiments, I see that using them was a al ballet, Modern Masters examined the mistake.” many shapes of the body and the meanstatement was met with aping Wessan’s of corporality. plause. Planchard then opened floor to The Joffrey Ballet’s winterthe showcase students and faculty. features four works by contemporary One law student who did not state icons and emerging choreographers. The her name articulated the pain she felt 10-performance program, from February in response to the Society’s whip sheet. 7 to 18, includes the world premiere of She emphasized that student uproar was Nicolas Blanc’s Beyond the Shore, the about much more than a single controverJoffrey premiere of George Balanchine’s sial advertisement. The Four Temperaments, the Chicago “This is about the fact that dozens of premiere of Jerome Robbins’s Glass Piecpeople attend [Burke Society] meetings, es, and the return of Myles Thatcher’s and that these authors have been writing Body of Your Dreams. these whip sheets for 29 years,” she said. The evening began with experimen“I feel [that] this institution has failed me, tal choreography by Balanchine, a towerand I don’t want it to fail others.” ing figure in American ballet. The Four This student, among others, thanked Temperaments scrapped centuries of balWessan for his public apology. let traditions and returned to the dance Other students emphasized the unwelstudio. Dancers wore black leotards or coming culture of the Law School overall, white T-shirts against a simple dark referencing incidents of harassment, cybackground. Freed from the constraints berbullying, and in-groupism. One student of narrative storytelling, Balanchine even noted that the town hall stage itself focused on experimenting with the limfeatured mostly white male speakers. its of ballet as a geometric composition Law professor Todd Henderson—the of bodies. In this unadorned cocoon of a only professor to speak at the event—ofset, the flexible yet unyielding posture of fered a tempered response. He began by traditional ballet was abandoned for loosaffirming his liberal leanings. “First of er, more organic shapes. An elastic pas all, I voted for Hillary Rodham Clinton,” de deux bent the ballerina’s body back he said. andHe forth, series of distorted, thencreating stresseda his objection to po-
litical showmanship on while both sides of the complementary shapes the score of aisle, reminding students that possessing neo-classical composer Paul Hindemith conservative can also The be isolating. trilled in theviews background. softness In this case, Henderson felt that student in the arms of a solo dancer was soon rereactions to the satirically-intended whip placed by crisp tension as the rest of the sheet were humorless. dancers emerged on stage, arms raised “[The whip sheet was]Ifmerely mimicklike Thriller zombies. the first half ing the orangutan that is our president,” was a study in fluid exploration, the final he said, causing theofauditorium erupt scene was a vision ballet seen to through in laughter. the lens of geometric angularity. Some however, found this “That students, cellulite and flabbiness,” “So “mere mimicking” highly problematic. it’s not gonna,” “How can you beat it, One who said she identifies as beat it, student, beat it?” Repeated on staccato multiracial, added, “Words can be violence loops, the jarring words took on an alwithin themselves.” most musical quality. For Body of Your In an open letter to Law School Deans Dreams, nine dancers emerged from Thomas Miles and Shannon Bartlett afbehind lit-up panels in sporty workout ter the town hall, Planchard derided the shorts for what would become a tongueadministration for an “abdication of leadin-cheek take on fitness fads and the meership” on this issue. “It should not have dia’s distorted conceptions of self. As the been LSA that played the organizing role dancers mimicked crunches and bounced for today’s Town Hall,” Planchard wrote. along to bicep curls like actors in a Jane Reached by phone, Miles told T he M aFonda workout video, the panels pivoted roon that he will speak on this issue at a to reveal mirrors while the soundtrack forum on Thursday, and he said he was chirped, “ That’s incredible,” with as pleased with student and faculty turnout much authenticity as a low-fat, low-sugtoday. He said it was a productive opportuar, low-cal dessert. A final tableau of a nity for students to engage, “and it providdancer lifted up and shown “walking” ed me and the administrators at the Law off stage as the ensemble members supSchool an opportunity to listen.” ported each leg spoke to the fragility and In a formal statement released on weakness that a crushing pressure on exMonday, Miles described this past week’s ternal form creates. events as “concerning,” explaining that A fter an intermission came the difficult academic discourse thrives best moody, post-apocalyptic worlds of Bein “environments of inclusion.” yond the Shore, choreographed by the “Our commitment to free expression Joffrey’s Principal Coach Nicolas Blanc. requires that we allow uncivil speech, The soundscape for the five “worlds” had but it does not require that we celebrate a surreal shimmer, moving from an unit,” he said. easy spectral to booming Asked if hewarping condemns the whip drums sheet, undergirded by an EDM beat familiar to Miles referred T he M aroon to his past sci-fi dystopias. Blanc portrayed both incomments.
Continued from front
obligation to create access to free higher education for every single person.” Biss addressed those who would say that the state does not have the budget to provide such a service. “We’re being told this in the richest society the world has ever known. We’re also being told that here in Illinois the state is broke. Guys, Illinois is rich. The state government is broke,” he said. “The people who are benefiting realize that if we actually tax them fairly, they won’t have $3.5 billion anymore, they’ll only have $3 billion. Biss arrived at his event after first making an appearance at the protest of Steve Bannon outside Booth that occurred earlier that afternoon. “One of the interesting things about the protest is that we were protesting the fact that Bannon had been invited [to Booth], and the campus police were there to make sure that nobody stood on the steps, because that’s where private property begins,” he said. “So just to recapitulate: Bannon gets invited in, but the protesters are forced off of campus property. So that, I think, tells you something about pretty fascinating about their priorities.” Biss taught at the University as an assistant math professor from 2002 to 2008 before entering politics. “The experience of teaching is standing in front of a room and talking while listening and trying to figure out how to communicate with everybody regardless of their background, and making sure that you’re not leaving certain people out.... I think that’s a really important foundation for someone to be in government,” he said. “I have the really strong view that job number one is to make sure you’re representing the entire public.”
In the Q&A portion of the event, graduate student Claudio Gonzales asked Biss about his opinion on a recent racist, transmisogynistic campaign ad released by Jeanne Ives, a Republican candidate for Illinois governor. Biss had seen the commercial only a few minutes before the event. “I was just overcome by two distinct feelings: The first is that the fact that we’re somehow living in a society in 2018 where it’s not considered unacceptable to engage in explicit racism is a pretty severe step backwards,” he said. “Because I don’t think that ad would’ve been published five years ago by someone running for governor of the Republican party in a state the size of Illinois. I feel really, really concerned about what that says about where they are.” “The second thing I thought was, thank God we’re going to have this conversation now,” Biss continued. “Let’s understand that some very profound disease has been brought out into the open, and let’s do our best to actually cure the disease.” Biss’s talk was preceded by short introductions by student activists, including fourth-year Anna Wood, a coordinator for University of Chicago Student Action, Chris Stamper, a graduate student in the Biological Sciences Division who is involved with Graduate Students United, and thirdyear Anjali Dhillon, an organizer for Fair Budget UChicago. State Representative Will Guzzardi also gave a short introductory speech for Biss, addressing the attack ads about Biss released by the other Democratic candidate for governor, billionaire J.B. Pritzker. “When I saw those ads, I got a big smile on my face,” Guzzardi said. “Because what it said to me is that Daniel is running a hell of a campaign and these guysofare scared.” Courtesy Cheryl Mann
Glassworks and Body of Your Dreams use innovative music and formations.
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timacy and isolation as dancers clung to each other, then drifted across the stage. A commanding pas de deux paired the highly technical footwork and well-executed lifts of classical ballet with military accoutrement: armor-like metallic costumes, crackling radio static, and tense communications. As one ballerina hung suspended in her partner’s arms, their vulnerability and trust contrasted sharply with their rigid military salutes. Throughout the evening, the music was often a secondary counterpart to the movements on stage. In Glass Pieces, however, the luminous compositions of Philip Glass were an equal component of the dance performance. The pulsat-
ing propulsion of Glass’s “Rubric” drove commuters in a frenetic bustle across the stage that was punctuated by pastel-clad dancers who moved with exuberance through the crowd. The more meditative underwater flow of “Façades” buoyed the tender, rippling pair of dancers as they moved through the fundamental shapes of the human body. Strictly minimalist in its staging, the Joffrey turned attention inward in a program highlighting the outward expression of the internal, underlined by disconcerting contrast. The body became both a vessel for the soul and an intensely physical entity that occupies space and demands attention.
The Moral Theology of Aquinas:
Is It For Individuals?
Open to 2nd & 4th-year students with a theme-focused collection $1000 award for 2nd-year winner $2000 award for 4th-year winner
DEADLINE March 16, 2018 APPLY lib.uchicago.edu/brooker
a lecture by Fr. Wojciech Giertych, OP FOR RENT
Theologian of the Pontifical Household
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 4:30PM pleteSwift rehabbed (3) unit building featuring: Hall, 3rdapartment Floor Lecture Hall Lrge
5419 S. Hyde Park Blvd, (5) Bed. (2) Bath apartment in com-
kitch, stainless appl, lrge living room, dining room, (2) sunrooms,
Free and open to the public. Registration is rehardwood floors throughout. On-site laundry. Near quested at www.lumenchristi.org. Presented byshop and the Lumen Christi Institute. Cosponsored by the buses. $3600 plus utilities. Call Chad 312-720-3136, cjohnson@ Theology Club at the Divinity School and the Hilhallmark-johnson.com. edgard of Bingen Society. Fr. Wojciech Giertych, OP, is Professor of Moral Theology at the Angelicum in Rome, where he has taught since 1994. In 2005 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Giertych the Theologian to the Pontifical Household - a position he currently holds under Pope Francis.
8
THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 13, 2018
SPORTS
Maroons Take a Win and a Loss on the Road MEN’S BASKETBALL
BY THOMAS GORDON SPORTS STAFF
While the majority of UChicago’s student body was enamored by the snow this weekend, the UChicago men’s basketball team was locked in two tight games on the East Coast. This past weekend, the Maroons faced New York University (NYU) and Brandeis University away from home. UChicago was able to win their home matches against both teams but knew that facing them away was going to be a different battle. The first match occurred last Friday against the Violets from NYU. The game started off in tight fashion with both teams trading leads early in the first half with the home team taking a slim lead of 37–33 into halftime. This is when the Maroons cut into that small lead, cutting it to two around the 15-minute mark and then finally taking their first lead of the half 51–49. Both teams would then trade leads up until the four-minute mark, when fourth-year Collin Barthel took over. Two straight threepoint field goals by the big man turned a two-point deficit into a four-point lead late
in the second half. After that, some clutch rebounds from Barthel and some late free throws from second-year Jordan Baum sealed the victory for the Maroons with a final score of 75–66. Barthel had himself a game, with a career-high 37 points on an extremely efficient 18 shots, while also shooting 10 of 11 from the charity stripe. Along with his clutch rebounds down the stretch, Barthel making this a career night was a vital reason why this close game was able to go into the W column. Coming into the Brandeis game, after two straight wins and against a team that they had already beat at home, the Maroons were favored to continue their momentum and to march out of Waltham, Massachusetts, with another win. However, the Brandeis game was anything but easy for the Maroons. UChicago came out sluggish with the Judges taking a comfortable eight-point lead into the halftime break. The Maroons did little to cut into the gap for the majority of the second half with it seemingly becoming an easy win for Brandeis, but then, around the four-minute mark, UChicago made their run. Down 66–56, the Maroons would put together a
Sophia Corning
Second-year Cole Schmitz handles the basketball at a prior game. 10–2 run to cut the lead all the way down to a miniscule two points with just 48 seconds left in the game. However, Brandeis was able to keep its nerve and sank two free throws to ice the game and seal the win with a final score of 70–66. As firstyear forward Louis Mehaffey plainly put
it, “Some things didn’t go right against Brandeis,” but the team is looking forward to “the final three games, [which] are massive for UAA placement.” The Maroons finish with three straight home games and hopefully can end the season with a successful run for their seniors.
Maroons Capture UAA Title
Men and Women Stay Undefeated
WRESTLING
TENNIS
BY KEVIN JOHNSTON SPORTS STAFF
For six long years, NYU has dominated the UAA wrestling circuit, winning six straight titles. Last Saturday, NYU attempted to make it seven, only needing to defeat Case Western Reserve University and UChicago. For the Maroons, not only was this a chance to end NYU’s streak, but more importantly it was an opportunity to capture some hardware of their own. The wrestling season had been coming down to that moment—the only question that remained was whether or not the Maroons could seize that moment. Before facing NYU, the Maroons had to brush off Case Western. There was no slow start for the Maroons, as they came out firing on all cylinders, with fourth-year Devan Richter pacing the Maroons by executing a first-period pin. There would be no letup for the hapless Case Western team, as UChicago won 90 percent of all weight classes, demolishing Case Western by a score of 40–3. Following that victory, the Maroons’ true test presented itself in the form of NYU. The matchup was extraordinarily close from the start—Richter won a close bout 7–5, followed by an NYU victory at 133 pounds, and then a forfeit by NYU at the next weight class. After a major and regular decision, NYU took their first lead, narrowly overtaking the Maroons with a 10–9 score line. The next two bouts were dominating performances by the Maroons to firmly put them ahead. Second-year Kahlan Lee-Lermer and fourth-year Nick Ferraro both pinned their opponents, putting the Maroons in the driver’s seat for the rest of the match. NYU desperately needed the next three
bouts to claim another consecutive title—but some incredible defensive wrestling ensured that, although NYU was able to take the final three weight classes, they would fail to win decisively enough to overcome the deficit. Even with a valiant effort, the Maroons stood too strong for NYU, meaning that UChicago took home the UAA Championship with a 21–19 victory, their 16th UAA Wrestling Championship. Bonus points were critical in determining the UAA champion. NYU actually managed to win the majority of the weight classes against UChicago but struggled to pick up extra bonus points toward the team point total. First-year Will Hare and third-years John Jayne, Louis Demarco, and Jason Lynch all fought hard to avoid losses by major decision, which would have tilted the score in favor of NYU. Even in their defeats, the Maroons fought hard enough to ensure that the victories they did gain would be enough to capture the UAA Championship. Jayne was ecstatic over the Maroons victory. “After a seven-year drought, we finally captured the elusive UAA title,” Jayne said. “Case Western [was] never going to be a match for us. So, we knew from the start that the title would come down to our dual against NYU. NYU was tough, but we were tougher. We weren’t able to dominate but we scraped out a spectacular win.” Jubilating in their victory, Jayne likened the team’s performance to a wolf pack hunting defenseless sheep in winning the UAA title when he said, “We were the wolf pack, and they were the sheep. Arwoo!” Following their victory, the Maroons will be hard at work as they prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional, taking place this Friday and Saturday in Minneapolis.
UPCOMING GAMES
SPORT
DAY
Opponent
Swim & Dive Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball Tennis
Wednesday Friday Friday Friday
UAA Championship Carnegie Mellon Carnegie Mellon DePauw
BY ANNA ROSE SPORTS STAFF
This past weekend, the men’s and women’s tennis teams traveled to Ohio to compete against Denison University on Friday and Case Western Reserve University on Saturday. On Sunday, the men took on Oberlin College and the women took on Trinity University in Texas. It was a great weekend for the Maroons, as the women won all nine matches against Denison, six of their nine matches against Case Western, and seven of their nine matches against Trinity. The men had an outstanding performance as well, winning eight of their nine matches against both Denison and Case Western and winning all nine of their matches against Oberlin College. Second-years Alyssa Rudin and Estefi Navarro commented on the Maroon’s successful weekend. “I’d definitely say the most exciting moment this past weekend was our win against Case Western, as they are a very good team in our conference and bring maximum intensity on every court against us. It was super fun to close it out against them,” Rudin said. Echoing her teammate’s sentiments, Navarro said, “The most exciting part of this weekend was that our team really brought energy to the courts. We never lost focus…[we] supported one another while remaining positive towards our own games. The teams we played this weekend were really intense and could have easily overpowered us, but we took initiative and ended up coming up on top.” Competing three days in a row is
not easy, but the Maroons were able to not only survive the weekend but thrive against highly ranked opponents. “The three wins this weekend were so important for the team because we were able to see how much potential we have and how much damage we can do if we all set our minds to it,” Navarro added. “We are so excited to keep competing and challenge ourselves. Moving forward, I believe we are finally beginning to gain the confidence we should have.” Despite three strong victories, the Maroons are still looking to improve. “We are always looking for new ways to improve and I think that we all have so much potential to keep getting better in both singles and doubles,” Navarro continued. “We will definitely keep working on our doubles play, because having an advantage there is a great way to take pressure off of singles.” The victories from this past weekend continue both the men’s and women’s undefeated records. The teams hope to continue performing well at the soon-approaching nationals. “These wins are super important to us as we look forward to the national indoors, which is a similar format of three really good teams in three days,” Rudin said. “The fact that our mental and physical fitness and toughness [were] up to par already this past weekend is super exciting.” The season continues as both the men’s and women’s teams will take on DePauw University on Friday, February 16, at home.
M AROON
TIME 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m. 6 p.m.
SPORT Wrestling Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball Women’s Tennis Men’s Tennis
SCORE BOARD W/L W W W W W
Opponent
NYU Brandeis NYU Trinity Oberlin
Score 21–19 81–56 75–66 7–2 9–0