FEBRUARY 16, 2018
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
VOL. 129, ISSUE 29
GSU WITHDRAWS NLRB CASE TO PROTECT PRO–GRAD UNION BY ADAM THORP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Graduate Students United (GSU) withdrew its certificate of representation from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Tuesday, pledging to continue seeking a union contract outside of the NLRB process. GSU withdrew alongside graduate student unions at Yale University and Boston College in an attempt to deny the newly Republican-dominated NLRB the chance to again reverse itself on the right of graduate student
workers to unionize under the National Labor Relations Act. “ Many unions across the country have reached private agreements with their employers independent from the NLRB. Through our organizing, GSU has built the power to wage a campaign to win such an agreement. Our union has the support of a supermajority of graduate employees at UChicago, whose work is necessary for the university to function,” GSU leadership wrote in a blog post published this morning. Continued on page 2
VOTE ON BUSINESS ECONOMICS MAJOR DELAYED BY KATIE AKIN NEWS EDITOR
Faculty members of the College Council have postponed the vote on the business econ major. The news came after faculty members met this afternoon in a closed-door meeting in Stuart Hall to vote but emerged from the meeting without a decision. According to Ada Palmer, a professor in the history department, the vote was delayed largely because College Council members wanted an opportuni-
ty to gather more information on the proposal and to discuss what the major would realistically look like on campus and how it might affect the student body. “This delay will give us time to better understand what’s at stake,” another College Council member said. 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 Continued on page 3
courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Architects
A rendering of the planned Woodlawn Residential Commons shows the development south of the Midway, as seen from Rockefeller Chapel.
Assistant Student Life VP Talks Future of Housing BY ANANT MATAI NEWS REPORTER
Richard Mason, Assistant Vice President for Campus and Student Life and associate dean in the College, shared details regarding the recently announced Woodlawn Residential Commons dorm and the future of undergraduate housing in a phone call with The Maroon. Mason spoke about the jobs that operating the new commons would
create, clarified that there would be no retail stores, and elaborated on the partnership for capital and facility management with Capstone Development Partners, a real estate development firm focused on student housing. He also spoke about the University’s vision for housing. Mason confirmed that International House would remain an undergraduate housing building for the foreseeable future. Mason said that Woodlawn
Commons will contain a mix of singles, doubles, and apartments in “very similar proportions” to Campus North. North has 48 apartments and 252 single rooms— including those in use by Housing staff such as the resident deans and resident heads—in eight houses. “I think when we have a building that’s as successful as we have in Campus North—that was really built on a program that we worked Continued on page 2
CONSERVATIVE LAW SOCIETY DEACTIVATES AS LLSO BY PETE GRIEVE NEWS EDITOR
The Edmund Burke Society notified the Law School administration that it will deactivate as a Law School Student Organization (LSSO) and return its funding to the Law Students Association (LSA). The move toward deactivation follows backlash to a controversial whip sheet that said immigrants bring “disease” into the body politic. The Law School’s associate dean for communications Marsha Nagorsky said the Burke Society
notified the Law School administration of its intent to deactivate. LSA President Sean Planchard said he was notified by president of Burke Bijan Aboutorabi that Burke would return funds to LSA and deactivate. Chairman of the Burke Society Eric Wessan said that the society declines to comment. The Burke Society is also a Registered Student Organization, which means that it can receive funding from a larger, University-wide pool. The Burke Society may also receive funding Continued on page 3
Visit chicagomaroon.com for video coverage of the 58th Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival. Video by Audrey Teo — article on p. 6.
Segregation: The Thorn in Chicago’s South Side
“[As] someone on the left, I can at least call out people on my side of the fence for their behav ior — both the students and the faculty.”
Advertising in The Maroon If you want to place an ad in The M aroon, please email ads@chicagomaroon.com or visit chicagomaroon.com/pages/advertise.
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The problem is clear—and so is Chicago’s unwillingness to address it.
The Deans Men Present Much Ado About Nothing Page 6
A Sit-down With Jerry Coyne, Professor Emeritus and Blogger
Letters: Calls for Recognition for Graduate Students United
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“Third-year Margaret Glazier steals the show as Beatrice, the play’s heroine. She makes every joke come to life.”
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